Back From The Grave

Probably A Bad Idea

In the end, he ended up staying overnight.

Dipper occupied himself with teaching the clone basic reading. Apparently, Bill and McGucket had tried, but neither had been able to teach him much. The two in mention spent the entire time whispering to one another.

McGucket looked his age; old and weary. He had tried to give Bill a hug, maybe mutter some sort of apology. Bill, though his smile did seem forced, didn't seem phased.
Dinner proved to be a similar situation. Bill seemed tired and barely looked up to the clone, Alexander, he believed, and didn't bother to correct McGuckets uncivilized table manners. Bill mainly just pushed a tomato across his plate with his fork.

"Go get some rest Bill. It was nice seeing you. " McGuckets voice was over a whisper whisper, but it echoed in the empty room. Dipper now noticed that the servants hadn't dinned with them.
Bill stood silently, his food uneaten and rearranged. Fiddleford caught his hand before he left the table, and, for the first time that night, caught each others eyes. Their expression was unreadable, but it was clear there were having a conversation. It was a tense silence other than Alexander (was it Alexander or was it Timothy? Idfk it's Alex now) twiddling with his pencil.

That was earlier. Now Dipper was watching Alexander precariously build a fort out of sheets, books, and spare furniture. It was too small for him to fit inside and help, and barely big enough for Alex.
With a role, the whole thing came tumbling down. Alex let out a squeal when Dipper picked up the squirming lump of blankets.
"No! A monsters got me!" He screamed and Dipper wriggled his fingers were he assumed the child's side were and grinned in victory.
Through squirming and flailing limbs, Alex freed himself and bolted towards the loft in the room.
Dipper followed in tow, skipping several rungs at a time on the latter.
"Come back he-" oh.
He hadn't realized that Bill slept in the same room. They had been screaming. Why haven't Bill shushed them?
Whatever the reason was, Bill was awake now and staring at the lump in the blanket at the end of his bed.
Dipper tried his best not to laugh, because Bill look genuinely terrified of whatever or whoever had jumped under the bed.
Gaining control his tried "What i-aaAAH!" Alex jumped out of the covers and towards Bill.

Dipper tried to ignore Bills response almost being hitting the child, but stayed quiet when Bill stopped himself. If was on self defense, he reminded himself.
"Kid, are you trying to kill me?" Bill blew out breath. He looked exhausted, with bags so dark it started to turn his cheeks a hint of purple. Dipper decided to do him a favor.
"How about we go play in the ballroom so Bill can sleep?" Dipper picked the kid off of Bills lap. He felt Alex tense under his hands and the memory of what happened to his brother had Dipper chocking on guilt. He remembered that this kid had every right to be terrified of him.
"But he sleeps all the time!" Alex retorted although Dipper would have doubted that considering the size of those bags.
" And you hardly sleep, kid, it's way past your bedtime." Bill slipped from underneath his blankets, and Dipper tried not to giggle when Bills hair stood every which way. Alexander did it for him.
"Your hair is so floofy!"
Bill only rolled his eyes and climbed down the ladder. "I don't want to go go bed because then Dipper will have to go home!" Alex tried to reason, but followed Bill down the latter anyways.

Bill seemed conflicted on how to answer that so he settled with "Then ask him to stay overnight."

The kid came skitting up the ladder with a grin Dipper could not say no to. "if you really want me to, I can." He answered.

Alexander looked back to Bill as if for a final confirmation. Bill yawned before walking back to the ladder himself. "Well? Make a place for your guest to stay."Another yawn. "and that fort is not big enough."
Dipper silently thanked him for that clarification.

Dipper followed Alex down to pull blankets and sheets from a closet when Alex called out to Bill who has seemed to have gone back to bed. "Don't go to sleep yet!" Dipper flinched at the kids volume and the noise upstairs made him imagine Bill had done the same.

Alex pilled on blankets and pillows onto the long couch in the large room and Dipper was surprised to find a couch that enticing. Grateful that he came over in comfortable jeans,he bundled up while Alex climbed into his own bed.
"Bill!" Alexander called and with a grumble and a yawn Bill came down from his loft. Dipper watched as Bill placed a hand over the child's forehead, muttering something, and the kid stilled almost instantly. Alex was already asleep when Bill pulled his hand back.

Bill looked his was and offered the same service. Dipper decided with a shake of his head. Bill only shrugged and retreated back to his loft. The night fell quiet.