Did you miss me?

Chapter 2

Dipper spent the rest of the night restless, the words 'You can't defeat me' echoing relentlessly in his mind. It was just a dream, yet the lingering concern gnawed at him. What if it wasn't just a dream? What if Bill really wasn't defeated? Maybe he was trapped and got free or- No... No, he was being paranoid again. Ford had searched tirelessly for any signs of Bill's return and found nothing. If Ford said Bill was truly gone, then he had to be gone... right?

"Brobro, are you okay? You've been staring at your food for twenty minutes." Mabel's voice snapped Dipper out of his trance. "Uh... yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not hungry," he replied, avoiding their gazes. Ford glanced at him, sensing something was off. "How was your night?" Stan asked, trying to ease the awkward silence. "It was... fine," Dipper said. "I'm going to go to the forest for a few minutes before my shift at the Mystery Shack." He stood abruptly.

"I'm coming with you then. To keep you safe," Ford declared, gathering their plates. "Oh! Can I come too? We haven't had an adventure in forever—" "Sorry, Mabel. I just need some time alone right now." Mabel frowned. "But Grunkle Ford is going with you!" Ford smiled gently. "Why don't you stay with Stan for now?" Reluctantly, she nodded.

Ford followed Dipper into the forest until they reached a riverbank. They both sat at the edge of the bank in silence for a while until Ford spoke up. "So, what's up? Saw something at breakfast?" Dipper shook his head. "No... I had a nightmare about Bill." Ford raised an eyebrow. "I thought your nightmares stopped when the hallucinations started?" Dipper looked away. "They did, but... I had one last night." Ford wrapped him in a comforting hug. "It's getting worse. We really should tell your father so you can see a therapist or something." Ford wasn't the best at comforting; that was more Mabel's specialty. But ever since she started avoiding Dipper at school and didn't believe him about the hallucinations, he felt that he couldn't turn to her... That she didn't truly care. "We can't... You know how he expects so much from me. If he finds out..." Ford sighed, understanding Dipper's fears. His father had always placed high expectations on him, especially after losing his wife. Dipper felt pressured to care for Mabel, excel in school, and manage everything—at just fourteen. "At least eat and tell me more about your dream?" Dipper pulled away and nodded.

Dipper barely returned in time for his shift. Ford needed to do some research on a plant specimen, so they parted ways when they arrived at the Shack. "Hey, Soos," Dipper greeted as he entered. "Hey dude! Just restock the shelves and take inventory, then you're done," Soos replied cheerfully. Dipper nodded and headed for the storage closet. It shouldn't be too hard, even though the boxes were slightly heavy.

"Pinetreee~" Dipper froze, tightly holding a gnome ornament above the shelf. "Pinetreee~" A gust of wind brushed against his cheek, even though he was indoors. "I know you can hear meeee~" Panic rose as he tightened his grip, feeling the glass tip of the hat cut into his palm, a few drops of blood trickling down. "Pinetr—" "Dipper, are you okay? You're bleeding, dude." Soos' voice broke through, and Dipper blinked at him. "Y-Yeah... Sorry. I zoned out." Soos nodded and turned to leave. He still had the rest of the place to run.

After his shift, Dipper found himself in Ford's lab, watching him work.  He watched as the man worked, shifting from place to place as he took tests and made synopses. Dipper enjoyed these moments of observing, helping out and learning. They spent a few hours together before heading upstairs for dinner, with Dipper having to coax Ford to take a break.

"Hey brobro! Hi, Grunkle Ford!" Stan and Mabel were already seated and eating. They exchanged greetings as Ford and Dipper sat down to eat. "How was your day, Mabel?" Stan asked. Mabel had been out all day with Candy and Grenda. She beamed. "It was amazing! We're planning a party next week for a big reunion since Dipper is here!" "That sounds great, Mabel," Ford said with a smile. Dipper stared at his plate, feeling the weight of Mabel's excitement. "Brobro? Aren't you excited?" she asked. "Uh—yeah, I am. Just tired. It's been a packed day. Can't wait to see what you have planned." Dipper forced a smile. "Actually, I'm full. I think I'll head to bed now. Good night." He stood up and left the room. "Huh? But he didn't eat anything?" Mabel looked over into Dipper's plate. Stan exchanged worried glances with Ford.

"Shut up!" Dipper cried, clutching his head the moment he entered his room. Everything felt deafening—the wind, the birds, the creaking floorboards, the rustling leaves. How could he hear all this at once?! "Awww... It sucks, doesn't it?" he heard a mocking voice. Dipper squeezed his eyes shut as tears welled up. His head throbbed, his ears pounded. He could hear it all: the conversation from downstairs, the subtle blink of the light in each room, Waddles eating... all at once! It hurts... It hurts so so much. How do you make it stop? Why won't it stop?! "Well, well, well Pinetree. Can't take it? Imagine experiencing this every second of your life!" The voice echoed in Dipper's head. It was so loud. "Please... Please make it stop. Make it all stop! I can't-" Dipper cried. The noise was overwhelming. "Please... make it stop!" he sobbed, the sound of his tears hitting the floor amplified in his mind.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock, and the door creaked open. To Dipper, it sounded much much louder. "Your pain is hilarious," came Bill's echoing voice. "Sorry to intrude, it's just that you—Dipper! Are you okay?" Ford rushed in, pulling Dipper into a hug. "What happened? What did you se—" "Shut up!" Dipper's outburst startled Ford. "What's wrong?" he whispered, panic setting in. There had to be a reason why Dipper was crying on the floor. "Are your ears hurting? Dipper, you need to tell me what's wrong so I can help."

"Loud... so... so loud..." Dipper's voice trembled. "Make it stop! Please!" Ford stared, bewildered. What was he suppose to do? What could he do? He didn't even understand what was happening.

Carefully, he laid Dipper on the bed and covered his ears with a pillow. It seemed to help a little, but not enough. Ford dashed to his lab for something that could help. After a few tense minutes, he returned and injected Dipper. Almost immediately, the boy fell asleep, much to Ford's relief. He decided to stay the night, ready to help if Dipper needed him again.