Bill had turned his body to stone and literally flung his spirit towards Stan. The room fell dead silent. The hands that held Ford and Alma down, would fade away into the floor. They rose to their feet. Ford walked up to his motionless brother, pulling off the fez and handing it to Alma. Dipper and Mabel came up behind her, forcing themselves into the back of her legs. She gave the fez to Mabel who just cherished it closely. Alma's hands would rub their backs as Dipper pulled himself away, only to stop mid step.
Ford stared grief stricken at his brother before pulling the memory gun out. He activated it, turning the dial until it read: Stanley Pines. He aimed it towards his head, planting his finger on the trigger. He knew the longer he hesitated, the harder it would be to end Bill. But something inside of him was holding him back. All he could see before him was his unconscious brother.
He kept telling himself – that wasn't just his brother – it was a monster. A monster who has haunted him from years. A monster that lied his way into their lives. A monster that deceived him. He has to do this. He has to end it.
He turned away at first, clenching his teeth before finally pulling the trigger. He let its beam illuminate the room for about a minute before lifting his finger away. Slowly, he lowered it with a frown. "It is done." He mumbled off as he let the gun drop to his side.
Alma gently pulled Mabel away and let Dipper take her. She sniffled in his vest, drenching it. Alma approached Ford from behind, sliding her hand around his neck as she pressed her cheek into his. He let out a sigh, nuzzling her back with his eyes shut. Eventually their eyes would rest on the still motionless Stan.
The world around them would start to morph and twist back to reality. The grass and trees surrounded them now as they were transported back to the forest. The breeze teased at their hair. Stan sat quietly in the middle of the field a few feet before them. He slowly regained consciousness, one eye blinked before the other. It didn't take too long for him to start glancing around utterly clueless.
Ford and Alma approached him, their arms linked. Dipper and Mabel joined them. "Grunkle Stan." Mabel said as she sunk into the grass with him. She would suddenly wrap her arms around him in a hug.
Stan started pulling her off to her dismay. "Hey – sweetie." He hesitated, which made her upset.
"Grunkle Stan? Don't you remember me?" She pleaded softly, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.
Ford put a calm hand on her shoulder. "I'm afraid he's gone, Mabel."
She glanced up at him with the first tear streaking down her cheek. "What does that even mean?"
"It means that he won't remember you, sweetie." Alma answered for him. She then pushed Ford's hand off and ran over to Dipper who tried to comfort her. She would start crying once she collapsed at her brother's side.
Dipper had remained quiet the whole time. He understood what was going on. But it didn't keep how he felt off his face. He just gently placed his hand on Mabel and pulled his hat down. This was going to ruin those poor kids.
Ford sighed before walking over to his brother who was just consistently looked around. He probably was wondering what was going on. Ford sat in front of Stan, squeezing his hand into his shoulder once their eyes met. "You may not remember anything." He stated. "But you should know that -" He hesitated as he let out a forced sniffle. "You're a hero, Stanley." Ford then pulled his brother in and hugged him tightly.
Alma smiled softly at the scene. Forgiveness wasn't always said. In Ford's case, it didn't need to be. Just as long as he could show it. But they still had a problem – Stan didn't remember anything.
