Northwest-Pines Mystery Hunters

Thirty Six-Plan

I have nothing to say for myself

I kicked at the snow as Gideon paced around me.

"Gids, I'm getting kinda sick of this."

"Sick of what?" He asked, not looking up.

"This! All we've been doing lately is walking around the woods wondering what to do about Pacifica. We gotta face the facts. You don't have the answers." Gideon stopped pacing and kicked out of the log I was sitting on.

"But why not?" He sat down and grabbed his journal, flipping through the pages.

"I've read this so many times, Mabel! I should know by now what I nee to do! But there's nothing in here that's even close to our current situation!"

"Well, what is our current situation?"

"What?"

"What's our situation? If we clear our heads, we'll be able to handle things better. That's what my mom always tells Dip and I when we're stressed." Gideon took a deep breath.

"Alright then. Pacifica made a deal with a demon that gave her stronger psychic powers but took a severe toll on her mental stability. And now that demon wants her to get information on you so it can grow even more powerful." I smiled.

"See? Now we've got a good starting point." I sighed and looked up at the grey sky. "Okay so the point is, we're stuck. We can't let Bill get more powerful, but the only way he can get more powerful is through Pacifica. We want to save Pacifica before she gets anymore hurt, but we don't know what to do or how." I looked to Gideon. "Is that right?" He nodded.

"Yes, that's right. We need to find some way to break off the deal between Pacifica and Bill, but there's no way to sever the connection." I chewed the inside of my lip.

"I bet Ford knows."

"What?" Gideon looked at me.

"We need to break the connection. I bet Ford knows how." Gideon sighed.

"Is this really the best plan? Every time we speak to your uncle it ends in a fight. And you running off into the woods, if I might add." I sighed.

"Come on. I'm sure Ford just wants us to come home. It'll be fine." Gideon sighed.

"Fine. Let's go."

When Ford answered the door, he didn't look very surprised.

"This is what I get for agreeing to take in my niece for the winter, isn't it?" He sighed. "Well you'd better come in before you hurt yourself again." He stepped aside and I barreled in, dragging Gideon with me.

"We need to talk to you."

"Of course you do! You only ever come home when you 'need to talk to me'. This time you're not leaving until you have an actual plan!" I sighed.

"Ford, I'm sorry. I guess I can act pretty stupid when I'm upset. But this time things are going to be different. This time we have a plan." Gideon raised an eyebrow.

"We do?"

"You do?" Ford looked between the two of us. "Doesn't seem like it."

"Well, it's kind of a plan..." I said sheepishly. "It's kind of.... We wanted to ask you something." Ford sighed.

"Mabel, there is so much I could tell you, but that I choose not to in order to keep you safe. Before you ask, I want you to think clearly about what it is that you might find out."

"Can you break the deal between Bill and another person?" Ford looked at me.

"Excuse me?"

"It's just that... That's the only way we can stop Bill from hurting Pacifica. And if we do that, then Bill can't win!" Ford sighed.

"Mabel, I didn't want to do this. But you've left me no choice. Come with me. You too, Gideon." Gideon and I looked at each other and followed Ford into the gift shop.

"Mabel? You're back! Os everything okay?" Melody asked, looking for worried. Robbie looked up too, but I pretended not notice.

"We're closing early. Close up the shop. Robbie, you can go home, but I'd like you to accompany us, Melody." Robbie left quickly as Melody closed the register. Once everything was finished, Ford loaded us into the elevator. Surprisingly, Melody didn't seem to shocked to find it there, although I could tell she'd never been inside. Ford took us down a level and into a room covered in papers and strange looking machines.

"Ford, what is this place?" Ford sighed.

"I never wanted to show this to anyone ever again. Not after what happened. But now I'm afraid I must." He pulled a large sheet of paper off the wall to reveal a large tapestry of Bill. Once he turned the light on I noticed the room was filled with depictions of the demon.

"Mr. Pines?"

"Ford, what is this?" Gideon said nothing, just stared at the largest tapestry with an almost familiar eye.

"This is one of many things I'd like to forget. But I can't. There is no easy way out of past mistakes." He sniffed. "I want to tell you about my relationship to Bill Cipher." Quietly, he took a journal from his jacket. Instinctively, Gideon and I took out ours too. Ford chuckled. "Ah, I thought so."

"Mr. Pines, I don't get it. What's going on here?" Melody asked.

"Take a seat, Melody." Ford said. "We're going to be here for a while."