In the Scheme of Things (Discontinued)

Chapter 8

Dipper stood next to Bill out in the forest. Bill had picked a spot away from everyone, just in case. This naturally made Dipper quite nervous. Even though he was only learning to control his powers, he was still worried he'd hurt someone, namely himself or Bill.

Bill took the teen's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. "You can do this, Sapling. I know you can." Dipper took a deep breath before turning to face Bill. "Okay... What do I do?" Bill continued to hold on to Dipper's hand, feeling the teen's racing heartbeat. "First, calm down. You're just centring yourself. I won't let you hurt anyone."

Dipper nodded, taking a few more deep breaths, letting himself calm down. As he did this, he noticed that Bill was smiling at him. "What?" He asked, now curious. "Do you trust yourself?" Dipper nodded, though was still confused and curious. "That's the first step. You're the one in control. Never forget that."

Dipper stared at the demon for a moment before smacking his shoulder. "Idiot! You were making it sound like I would blow something up." Bill laughed, shaking his head. "No, that'll likely come later. First, we need to ground you. Focus you so that your powers don't consume you."

Dipper nodded, once again feeling nervous. "I won't let that happen, Sapling. That's why we're doing this. Now, close your eyes, and just listen to the sound of my voice." Bill said, lightly squeezing Dipper's hands. The teen nodded, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding before closing his eyes.

The two just stood there for a while, Bill letting Dipper relax before they continued. He knew how nervous the teen was. Humans normally knew what they were getting into when they took some of a demon's power. There was also months of preparation beforehand. Dipper had had none of that. And it was mostly the demon's own fault that the brunet in front of him was dealing with the sudden realization that he had powers.

Dipper let out a soft sigh, and Bill had to smile. Even without him saying anything, Dipper was already centring himself. He knew Dipper was a quick learner, but this was something else. "Amazing..." He sighed softly, causing Dipper to look at him. "What's amazing?"

Bill smiled, kissing the teen's cheek. "You are, Sapling. I don't even have to tell you what to do, and you're already doing it." Dipper looked at Bill confused. "I don't understand. I'm just relaxing myself, like you told me to do." Bill nodded, thinking for a moment to find the right words. "As I said, you need to know you are the one in control. Once you're comfortable with your powers, then you can proceed."

Dipper nodded. Though Bill seemed to believe in him, he wasn't so sure. Ford had warned him about using magic. Claiming that it was extremely dangerous, as well as addictive. He compared the effects as like a drug. And though Bill wasn't actually teaching him magic, he was still worried as to how having it might affect him.

"You're overthinking things, Dipper. How can I help you relax?" Bill asked, looking at Dipper worriedly. Dipper shook his head. "It's just how I am. I always over think things." Bill looked around before pulling Dipper over to a fallen log so the two could sit.

Sitting down seemed to help Dipper relax, as he rested against the demon. Bill watched him, though was still worried. He had seen what happens to humans if they can't control their powers. And he cared about Dipper too much to let that happen to him.

"Bill, can I ask you something?" Bill nodded, moving his hand to light comb his fingers through the brunet hair. "Of course. Anything." Dipper closed his eyes, trying to remember what he was wanting to ask. "What would happen? If my powers took over..." Bill sighed. He knew this would come up sooner or later, he just wished it were later.

"Well, there's really only two possibilities. The more common one is that you... You'd die..." Bill didn't need to look at Dipper's face to know the trend was horrified. This was why he didn't want to tell him. "What... What's the other one...?" Bill frowned, looking away. "You'll... You'll become a demon..."