Note: Sorry for the disappearance everyone, but unfortunately on top of work and planning a wedding I was hit with Covid-19. Thank goodness it was only a mild case, but I've found it very difficult to concentrate on anything. I got married in October and moved into a new place with my Hubby on top of trying to get into college. However, I am on the mend so I'm back to writing. 
Also I split this into two parts since I found this chapter difficult to write.

The sky above us was stark unending blue, the slight breeze providing relief from the sun beating down on our heads. Ford kept a brisk pace ahead of the of us his head buried in the map. Stan followed on his brothers heels complaining aloud about Ford falling because of his head being buried in as he put it "That damn piece of paper" While Stan and Ford began to quibble over the accuracy of the map over my Uncle Stan's navigational skills, me and Mabel walked in silence. 

I glanced over at my sister in her paint stained jeans and smiling t-shirt. She had a long streak of sunscreen on her nose, which reminded me of our parents putting sunscreen on our noses because at the time we had very fair skin. However, our skin had become more naturally tanned after five years in the harsh wastelands of Weirdmageddon We walked side by side our sneakers sending loose rocks tumbling off the path and down the hill. The birds around us were singing, flying over head and I caught myself wondering about Bill. He'd left so suddenly and he'd barely spoken to me that morning, he was mumbling incoherently before transforming and flying away. Ever since Bill left my skin had begun to crawl, there's been a cold chill running up and down my spine. I couldn't shake this feeling like something was stalking us, like a predator stalks its prey. My heart was racing and my body was tense, blood pulsing in my ears. It was as if I was ready to run from danger, but every time I turned to look at the clusters of trees behind me I saw nothing. 

I stared at the trees the branches, was something moving? I strained my eyes at the shadows as they danced in the swaying branches. They seemed to move and convulse almost unnaturally, swelling and contracting, almost like they were breathing. I stared intently at them straining my eyes against the sun in my face, the shade almost seemed to take form. It wasn't quite humanoid but the shadows were so dense that it looked as though I could touch it. Suddenly two bright gold-green eyes stared at me and I shuddered the hairs on my arms standing on end. Within the shadows the faint green glow of her tattoos shone through the dark of her silhouette, moving around her like writhing snakes. A flash of perfect white teeth began grinning at me and the shadow starting coming towards me. Item' s movement was uneven the shadows now pouring off her growing form like wisps of smoke stretching outwards in the air twisting like searching fingers. They crawled along the ground in the same movement of her tattoos, sucking the color from the world as they moved. 

I tried to turn to run but my feet were planted to the floor as the smoke began to crawl up my leg. It felt like ice, so cold that it burned; it continued creeping up my legs reaching under my shirt. I let out out a pained gasp instinctively trying to swipe at the smoke, but my hands merely passed through it. The smoke was still circling my stomach as my ribs and chest began to burn from the freezing cold. I wanted to scream but my jaw was locked in place, the pain bringing my eyes to tears as the pain continued to spread. A shape of two hands in the smoke reach for my face behind them those gold-green eyes, my skull begins to throb. 

"Soon MASON!" 

The sound rang in my ears as the shadow screamed in my face, my vision blurred and I could no longer see what was before me. All I was aware of was the pain as the smoke buried itself into my skin, the heat of my blood being a small feeling of relief to the cold. I closed my eyes the salt of my tears rolling into my slightly open mouth, as my arms go completely numb falling uselessly to my sides. I can hear the voice of a woman calling my name.

"Dipper?"

I try call back but my jaw is still frozen in place, I can feel the smoke crawling under my skin. 

"Dipper?"

Again I try to call but all that comes from my lips is a strangled cry, the smoke. The smoke it's inside me, it's worming around. It hurts, I can feel it clawing at my organs I can feel it pressing inside my stomach. I try to make a noise and this time my jaws open wide and the sound that had been trapped in my throat pours out in a roaring scream. 

"Dipper!" 

My eyes snap open and I see three people above me, Ford, Stan and Mabel, I register them all to myself mentally. I lick my lips tasting the warm sheen of sweat from my skin greeting my tongue, before I can speak Mabel presses her water bottle to my mouth. I gratefully take a sip the cold water cooling my dry throat, I try sit up only for Ford to put his hands on my shoulders and make me lie back down. I laid my head back on the soft surface that was under my head, my eyes slowly coming back into focus. 

"What happened?" It hurt to talk, my throat still felt so raw. Every breath began to draw more pain as my body began to slowly become more alert. My skin was hot with a cold flush, there was a prickling feeling in my arms and my stomach was aching. 

"You seemed to have suffered a heatstroke, you collapsed in the middle of the trail" Ford pushed up his sun glasses as he spoke. It always unnerved me when I couldn't see his eyes. Stan looking genuinely relived wiped some sweat from his forehead.

 "Yeah kid you scared the hell out of us, I was worried I was going to have to bury another body" Ford stared at his brother intensely.

"What? Relax Poin Dexter this was before I took your name" Stan's eyes darted away from his brothers gaze, Ford sighed in response but otherwise seemed not to comment. Mabel was hovering over me looking over me opening my eyelids and putting her head to my chest.

"Mabel what are you doing?" I asked curiously, Mabel held my wrist to her ear before responding.

"I'm taking your vitals of course, I'm DR. Mabel! The worlds greatest doctor" Mabel was beaming at me and even with the pain I couldn't help but smile.

"You need to stop watching those awful medical dramas" I said with a small grin. 

"Then who would give you such amazing medical care? Nurse Stan I need twelve cc's of water stat!" Mabel reaches out to Stan who just gives her a blank look in return.

"Kid I haven't been a 'Nurse' ever since I stole a pair of scrubs in order to ..." Ford stops his brother before he can finish.

"I think we should try go back to camp. Dipper can you walk?" I could feel the pain had started to dull, I was tempted to tell them but I just nodded quickly in response. I didn't want for them to worry about me, it had been a bad dream from the heat. My body was sore from hitting the ground, I rub my head and I notice a bit of dried blood when I pull my hand back. Well that explains the throbbing. Stan and Mabel help me to my feet, while Ford grabs my bag and Mabel's sweater from the rock behind me. Ford was putting Mabel's sweater in my bag and I could see that it was an old pink sweater with a shooting star. It looked worn and frayed, there was even some old burn marks. I didn't remember that sweater looking so badly tattered, but then again I haven't seen that sweater in years.

Ford, Stan and Mabel took turns helping me walk back to camp. I was already starting to feel a bit better since I fainted, my head was no longer throbbing and despite some nausea I began to walk on my own. Once we finally got back to camp Mabel sat down with me and made sure I was drinking water. Ford and Stan went hunting for a cellphone signal in order to call a doctor for advice, leaving us at camp. Mabel immediately started filling the silence with a story about Grenda and how her boyfriend Marius might propose. As Mabel was talking she reached into her bag to grab something and my eyes fell onto that familiar pink sweater. The last time I'd seen that sweater was when we were twelve, when I made that deal with Bill, the pain in her eyes when I made that deal. Did I ever even say goodbye? Did I ever even have the chance? I couldn ' t remember, so much of that day is a blur now. Mabel followed my gaze and smiling pulls out her sweater, she looks at me while gently rubbing the frayed edges with her thumb.  

"It's my good luck sweater" 

"Good luck?" Mabel nods at me 

"Yeah I mean I had it on me the day we stormed the bunker, the day the war ended" 

"Really? I don't think I noticed that"

"Well you had your mind on other things" Mabel said shrugging at me, I smiled back sheepishly; how had I never noticed that? Although the thought of Mabel riding on a demon in a bright pink sweater with a shooting star on it made me smile. Did I ever even look at her when we stormed the bunker? Did I look at anyone? The demons and the humans who had followed me into a nearly hopeless battle. I closed my eyes and tried to remember that day, I couldn't remember Mabel or Gideon during the fight, were they as nervous as I was? Are we as scared as me? Even though I was mostly scared about Bill I could still feel that adrenaline rush, the wind whistling in my ears and the cold ball of dread that had sown itself into the pit of my stomach. Suddenly I'm pulled out of that thought as Mabel gently grabs my hand squeezing it gently.

"Hey are you alright? You kind of disappeared for a moment there" Mabel's smile was softer, and her eyes seemed almost older. Sometimes I forgot that Mabel and I were all grown up now, sometimes I thought we were both the same twelve year old's solving the mysteries of Gravity Falls. Mabel after everything still was herself, confident, funny, crazy and wild. I wish I knew how to do that. 

"I'm alright just thinking about, before..... I still have nightmares of those days" My eyes wander back to the sweater in Mabel's hand. Mabel followed my gaze staring down at the sweater, she nods sadly.

"You know I've had nightmares of the day you made the deal with Bill, they still come back and every time they do I have to sneak to you  room just to see that your still there..." Mabel looks back at me tears in her eyes, her hands clutching onto her sweater so tight that her hands were shaking. 

"And when you told me that you'd fallen in love with Bill I was terrified, I thought I'd lost you forever. I tried to support you just so that I could still be in your life, I joined your side because I could finally be important to you again. Living without you for six years was like I'd lost part of myself, and then we finally found you but everything was different. Even after wierdmaggedon ended you pushed me away because you were grieving over him..." Mabel wiped away her tears as quickly as they fell, sniffling as she looks away.

"I could never make you smile like I used to, you pushed yourself into your studies and barely spoke to me. So I had to figure everything out on my own, but I could never shake the fact that my twin, my own brother the person who was my closest friend, had left me behind..." Mabel broke into more tears her words becoming incoherent through her sobs, as she held her old sweater so tightly I swore it would rip. I sat there stunned, did she really feel this way all this time and I hadn't noticed? I gently shifted over to her and wrapped my arms around her my head on her shoulder.

"Mabel I'm..I'm so sorry. All this time I was so focused on myself and I never realized how much pain you were in. I'm sorry I never saw the signs, please forgive me" I felt warm tears run down my cheeks now as the guilt and reality hit me hard.

"I...I can't begin to apologize enough, the truth is that you're more than my sister your my best friend. We've always had each other and I'm sorry I left you when you needed me most. Please forgive me, I want to make it up to you anyway I can" Mabel looks at me and sniffles, her voice breaks as she asks me:

"Mystery twins?" I smile and pull her in for a hug

"Always"