Ao3 Version

Dipper felt
shaken, and even sicker than before. His children were gone…

“W-what
happened while we were away?” Dipper asked, unable to stop the tears from
streaming down his face.

Bill had a
short talk with the Crauhlohs in the green uniform.

“Phofia was
the one to report the eggs missing,” Bill explained to Dipper and led him away
to one of the parlors. There they found Phofia, sitting on a couch and staring
blankly ahead.

“Phofia…”
Dipper approached her carefully and placed a hand on her knee. “What happened?”

“I…” she
swallowed audibly and fiddled with her hands. “It… happened after your call
announcing your return… I was only gone in so short time…” she opened her hand
and revealed a crumbled note. “I… I am so sad of it…”

Dipper took
the note and tried to smooth it out, but it was written in Cyonian, which
Dipper had yet to learn.

“The
culprit used a Yosungroyun…” Bill deduced as he took the note from Dipper. “A…
writing mechanism?”

“So like a
typewriter,” Dipper nodded. “What does it say?”

Bill got
quiet and crumbled up the letter before shoving it up his sleeve. “It’s not
important,” Bill said. “I will discuss the note further with the Aren Ristile.”

“Bill…
Please tell me,” Dipper begged, but Bill had already left. Dipper turned back
to Phofia, who still seemed almost traumatized. “Phofia, what did that letter
say?”

“It…” she
paused. “I should not tell you. Siheas Brhithel is right; it is not that
important-“

“It’s a note from the person who kidnapped my children!” Dipper shouted as
tears once more spilled from his eyes. “I deserve to know whatever was written
on that note!”

“I… yes,”
Phofia nodded and averted her eyes. “It said that… you did not deserve to be
called Ishilaheer, that your… esen, your… blood, would taint our race for
generations to come… It said some things about your ishinir that I dare not
repeat, and… then it said that if you were truly Ishilaheer, this predicament
would not exist, thus proving you unworthy.”

“What? What
does it mean that… if I were truly Ishilaheer? I can carry eggs, right?”

“I- I am
not in position to explain that,” Phofia ducked her head and rose from her
seat. “I must leave! Ask Siheas Brhithel if you truly must know.”

Dipper
watched Phofia leave the parlor in haste, before he left himself.

He found
Bill talking with one of the Aren Ristile.

“Phofia
told me what the note said,” Dipper announced to Bill.

“I did not
want you to hear that,” Bill sighed and paused his conversation with the Aren
Ristil. He turned to Dipper and embraced him. “We will find them. I promise.”

“And bring
the culprit to justice,” Dipper added.

“That…”
Bill swallowed. “This Aren Ristil was relaying to me Phofia testimony. Before
she checked on the eggs, someone was at the door.”

“Yes, I
remember,” Dipper nodded.

“It was
Tlummus, asking for me,” Bill continued.

“But… he
should have known we were still away. Why…? Y-you think…?”

“It is a
possibility,” Bill admitted and held on tighter to Dipper. “But Tlummus being
Xerex, it is impossible for him to be investigated without hard proof.”

“Then… it’s
over?” Dipper was starting to shake again. The thought that Tlummus was the one
who had taken their children… Dipper couldn’t stop imagining what horrible
things he might have done to them. “I-if Tlummus has them, they’re already…”

“No!” Bill
insisted. “Didn’t Phofia tell you? The note says that the eggs have been placed
somewhere, and that they are still intact; the kidnapper wishes for us to find
them before they… well, according to the note… we have a week, but I promise we
will find them!”

Dipper just
nodded, but he couldn’t bring himself to hope, and the sickening feeling in his
stomach only got worse.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The first
three days passed without any news. Dipper was beginning to feel so sick, he
could barely leave the bed. Bill had to attend his duties as Siheas, but he
spent every available moment he had by Dipper’s side.

It didn’t
help that Dipper also slept horrible; he had nightmares where he was surrounded
by darkness, only a faint, white thread illuminated his surroundings, and all
he could hear were small, distant voices forced to cry as they were too young
for words.

By the
fifth day, Dipper had given up whatever remaining hope he had left. Bill tried
his best to assure him they would find the eggs, but Dipper’s condition had
escalated to a point where every time he closed his eyes, he saw the black
void, the white thread, and heard the voices crying out.

Somehow,
Bill had managed to coax Dipper to the kitchen with the promise of homemade
breakfast. Dipper didn’t feel like eating, but he felt guilty that Bill had to
be so strong for the both of them, while he was only falling apart.

While Bill
was preparing the food, a knock was heard on the front door. Bill sat breakfast
aside and rushed to the door, no doubt hoping it was good news about the eggs.

“AON EL PAM
SORMA!!” Dipper heard Bill shouted. He rose from his seat and ran out to the
front door, where he found Tlummus standing.

“Mri uru
kavo orhi iaiz sorma,” Tlummus practically spat. “Mri uru hiri cour otha kaa
imof iao imirira emkursum.”

“Laist?!”
Bill looked vaguely shocked, but mostly angry.

“Mez uru
laist shur heffaor asiens iao nath zem… zhuoz,” Tlummus gestured at Dipper. “Re
friee kavo resoden omiez ishinir.”

“MOUST
DERKLINE IAO!?!” Bill shrieked and looked like he was about to punch Tlummus.

“Bill!
Stop!” Dipper shouted and gave Tlummus a stern look. “Laist riheshir iao?”

Tlummus
looked surprised at Dipper’s words, or maybe he had simply thought that Dipper
really couldn’t speak Auldrinish so well yet, but he quickly schooled his face
back to an angry sneer.

“Otha
laheer ishinir,

Muru kavo
Ishilaheer.

Ishilesh
zess cheio,

Kavoet
Kethrar soilano.

Cusea
resode iaiz ishilesh,

Ish lizu
iaiz ishilesh,

Cour xesseh
laheeven suom erinmeer,

Uru iao
kavo Ishilaheer.”

Tlummus
chanted these words like an old rhyme he knew by heart. Dipper understood most
of the words, but he couldn’t make sense of what it meant.

“Zan iao
otha mri kavo uru Ishilaheer, dokaito mri kavo lizair pam ishilesh?” Dipper
asked in disbelief. “Mri zess zem anniyel ghuziro pam lirkam cour otha gostan
zhuoz neklado!” Dipper couldn’t keep it in anymore; he slapped Tlummus himself.
“COURSIS!!!”

Tlummus
looked stunned, but left with no further argument.

“What did
he mean, Bill?” Dipper asked, still crying his eyes out. “What did that rhyme
mean?!”

“It… he…”
Bill hesitated.

“I need to
know, Bill! I know you’re not telling me something!”

“… It is an
old proverb among my people. We believe the Ishilaheer have a psychic bond with
their eggs before they hatch and during the first few years; it is to help keep
them safe while they are at their most vulnerable. There have been many tests
suggesting that the strength of the bond is related to how much the Kethrar…
love their children.”

“And as a non-Crauhloh,
I don’t have that bond, right?” Dipper didn’t need to be told; he already knew.
“And if the bond’s strength is normally tide to how much the Kethrar loves and
cherishes their children… people would no doubt believe that no bond means-“

“Do not say
that!” Bill gently grabbed Dipper and embraced him. “I know you love our
children! A-and when we find them… you can show everyone!”

“Bill… we
are running out of time,” Dipper sobbed. “For all we know, our children are
already-“

“No!
They’re not!” Bill insisted. “We still have time!”

“Bill, I
keep hearing the sound of crying children whenever I close my eyes!” Dipper
cried.

“… What?”
Bill gave him a weird look; Dipper had known bringing it up would make Bill
think he was going insane, but he had to know.

“I can’t
handle it,” Dipper kept crying as he fell into Bill’s arms, holding onto him
like a lifeline.

“Have you
experienced anything else?” Bill asked, not sounding worried at all. It caused
Dipper to pause and give Bill his own weird look.

“I… I see a
glowing, white thread when I close my eyes…” Dipper responded carefully.

“Dipper!” Bill gave a joyous roar, picked
him up and spun him around. “That’s the bond! You have the bond!”

“H-how?!”
Dipper gasped as Bill finally sat him down. “I thought non-Crauhlohs couldn’t
have the bond.”

“It has
never been proven or disproven!” Bill laughed. “It was always only assumed! Oh,
this is wonderful!”

“This
means, we can use the bond to find our children?” Dipper asked.

“I shall
call the Aren Ristile,” Bill said. “I will have them bring a vehicle, then you
can use the bond to guide us.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Within
twenty minutes, the Aren Ristile had shown up in a flying vehicle. Dipper and
Bill had entered it, and Dipper closed his eyes and focused on the bond as hard
as he could. He didn’t know if it was intuition or what, but he could somehow
feel as they were getting closer, and he was able to give directions as the
bond twisted and turned to show where his children were hidden.

They ended
up in a forested area, with the bond pointing to a cave with a collapsed
entrance. The Aren Ristile began talking amongst each other, discussing what
the best way to have the rocks covering the entrance removed, but Dipper didn’t
even hesitate; he jumped out of the vehicle, ran over to the entrance, and used
his hands to dig the rocks away.

“Dipper!”
Bill called and followed. “What are you doing!? You might cause further cave
in-“

“It’s a
false collapse!” Dipper shouted in return. “All the rocks are too small, none
of them match the color of the cave itself, and in fact the rest of the cave is
too solid and intact to have suffered a collapse!”

Bill seemed
to realize that Dipper was right, as he too began to help dig out the rocks; it
didn’t take much effort; it was like someone had just dumped a pile of rocks at
the entrance to discourage anyone from entering the cave.

As soon as
the entrance was cleared, Dipper ran inside and found the three eggs in the
back, sitting in a makeshift nest, along with a stone that seemed to emit some
slight heat; not enough to keep the eggs alive in the cold, damp cave, but
enough to lengthen the time it would take for the eggs to perish.

An Aren
Ristil entered the cave, carrying a basket with multiples of the heating rocks
underneath a blanket. Dipper and Bill placed the eggs in the basket, but Dipper
refused to let anyone else carry the basket back to the vehicle.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

They
stopped by a hospital so a Doctor could check on the eggs. They were told that
the eggs were fine; they just needed enough heat. After that small stop, Bill,
Dipper, and the eggs were all returned home.

The staff
were excited and relieved at the eggs’ safe return, especially Phofia who
insisted on getting a good look at the eggs herself to make sure they were
alright.

Bill and
Dipper retired to their bedroom, where they moved the eggs nest to their bed
and just lied beside them for a bit.

“I’m so
happy we found them,” Dipper cried. “I thought… Oh god, I was so scared…”

“Everything’s
gonna be fine now,” Bill assured him.

“What about
Tlummus?” Dipper asked. “What if tries to steal our eggs again? What if he just
decides to-“

“We’ll need
to keep a constant eye on the eggs from now on,” Bill said with a fierce look
in his eyes. “I promise you, we will somehow bring Tlummus to justice. And our
children are going to be fine. I’ll have extra security guarding our home
constantly until our children are safe. And I will remain by your side through
it all… e-except for…”

“What is
it, Bill?” Dipper asked, his voice full of worry.

“I have
arranged a meeting with the Council,” Bill explained. “I dare not tell you what
it is for, but… I will do everything within my power to have the Council
listen. Once this meeting is over, I will have no further obligations until our
children are born.”

Translations:

“Yosungroyun” = A machine used to typing
documents, commonly used to give all official papers a standard look
that anyone can recognize

“Aren Ristile” = The Crauhloh equivalent of police. Literally means The Hands of the Law

“Esen” = Blood

“Ishinir” = Eggs

“AON EL PAM SORMA!!” = GET OUT OF MY HOME!!

“Mri uru kavo orhi iaiz sorma” = I am not in your home

“Mri uru hiri cour otha kaa imof iao imirira emkursum.” = I am here to see if you finally understand

“Laist?!”= What?!

“Mez uru laist shur heffaor asiens iao nath zem… zhuoz,”= This is what happens when you mate with… those

“Re friee kavo resoden omiez ishinir.” = He cannot protect your eggs

“MOUST DERKLINE IAO!?!” = HOW DARE YOU!?!

“Laist riheshir iao?” = What do you mean?

“Otha laheer ishinir,                                        =         To carry eggs

Muru kavo Ishilaheer.                                                 Does not create Ishilaheer

Ishilesh zess cheio,                                                    Children will die

Kavoet Kethrar soilano.                                             Without Kethrar’s courage

Cusea resode iaiz ishilesh,                                        So protect your children

Ish lizu iaiz ishilesh,                                                    And love your children

Cour xesseh laheeven suom erinmeer,                      For if the bond gets cut

Uru iao kavo Ishilaheer.”                                             You are not Ishilaheer

“Zan
iao otha mri kavo uru Ishilaheer, dokaito mri kavo lizair pam
ishilesh?” = Are you saying that I am not Ishilaheer, because I don’t
love my children?

“Mri zess zem anniyel ghuziro pam lirkam cour otha gostan zhuoz neklado!” = I would happily give my life to get them back!

“COURSIS!!!” = GET OUT!!!

Ao3 Version

For a
moment, no one spoke. Dipper’s parents were just staring at Bill with blank
expressions, and Bill’s expression was hard to read because of the sunglasses.

“It is a
pleasure to meet you,” Bill broke the silence with a greeting, stepping forward
with an outstretched hand like he had seen humans do.

Dipper’s
dad awkwardly accepted Bill’s handshake while his mother just stared from Bill
to Dipper.

“Husband?”
Dipper’s mom repeated.

“D-didn’t
Mabel tell you?” Dipper asked.

“She… did
say you were with someone,” his dad responded as he ended the handshake. “But,
anyway, the important thing is that you’re okay!”

“I have
been looking forward to meeting both of you!” Bill said in an excited tone.

“Well,
we’re glad to meet you as well,” Dipper’s mom smile, the mood already lightened
and the previous awkwardness forgotten. “But, um, if you don’t mind me asking…
Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors at night?”

“My eyes
are sensitive to light,” Bill expertly lied, remembering what Dipper had told
him to say if anyone asked.

“Well, we
shouldn’t be standing around here,” Dipper’s dad interjected. “How about me and
my wife take off our coats, and then we move the conversation into the living
room?”

Inside the
living room, a plate of cookies and chocolates had been placed for the guests,
along with several mugs and a kettle of coffee. Mabel was standing in the
living room when her parents stepped inside.

“Mom! Dad!”
Mabel greeted them excitedly and ran over to hug them.

“Hi
sweetie,” her mom said returning the hug.

“How’s my
little angel?” her dad added, ruffling her hair affectionately.

“Dad,” Mabel laughed and shooed his hands
away. “Me and Pacifica are cooking tonight. Dinner should be ready in about
half an hour, so I hope everyone else has arrived at that point.”

“I can’t
wait, sweetheart,” her mother cooed before sitting down in the couch with her
husband sitting next to her. Mabel left the living room to go back to the
kitchen, while Dipper and Bill sat down in the couch opposite of Dipper’s
parents.

“So, how
did you two meet?” Dipper’s dad asked, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“Oh, it’s…
it’s a long story,” Dipper let out an awkward cough before continuing. “So that
e-mail Mabel sent me was for a kind of… vacation slash matchmaking thing. I- I
had to leave pretty suddenly, so sorry that I let you all worry about me.”

“That’s
okay, sweetie,” Dipper’s mom assured him. “As long as you’re okay.”

“Well, the,
um, the ship I was travelling on crashed, and I wound up in Bill’s homeland,
and we just sort of met up and fell in love.”

“I knew
from the moment I first saw Pine Tree that I loved him,” Bill added with a
small nod.

“It took me
a bit longer to fall for Bill,” Dipper giggled.

Their
conversation was cut short when the sound of the front slamming open was heard,
followed by the sound of several footsteps.

“Oh,
Mason!” a middle-aged woman stepped inside the living room, followed by a
middle-aged man, and a young woman. The middle-aged woman nearly leapt over to
Dipper and hugged him. “We almost couldn’t believe that you had been found! We
had to come see it for ourselves! I can’t even imagine the things you must have
been through!”

“Hi, Aunt
Sharon,” Dipper said unenthusiastically. “Uncle Ron, Cousin Adina.”

“Who’s that
guy?” Adina asked with an obvious sneer, pointing at Bill.

“Is he your
friend?” Sharon asked, finally letting go of Dipper.

“No, he’s
my husband,” Dipper responded.

A hush fell
over everyone, except for Adina who let out a scoffing laugh.

“Sharon,”
Dipper’s mother said, trying to salvage the awkward situation. “It’s so great
to see you again; it’s been ages.”

“Haha, yes,
we have all been busy,” Sharon laughed, turning her attention towards her
sister. Like always, her husband seemed to have no real reaction to what was
happening, and just followed his wife and turned his attention away from Dipper
and Bill. That left Adina who was still staring from Dipper to Bill and back.

“So, like,
I assume Mason’s the girl in your relationship, right?” Adina started.

Dipper just
pinched his brow, already feeling the stress dealing with this side of his
family would do.

“Who is
Mason?” Bill asked.

“Your
husband?” Adina responded as if it was self-explanatory. “Or I guess wife is
more accurate.” She giggled at the last part.

“You mean
Dipper?” Bill looked at her with obvious confusion, despite the sunglasses
blocking off his eyes.

“I bet you
probably thought he was a girl at first, right?” Adina continued to giggle.
“Not that there’s anything wrong with feminine men.”

“… Dipper
is my husband, not my wife,” Bill said slowly, still looking very confused.
“And he is very obviously male.”

“Wow,
you’re just clueless, aren’t you?” Adina looked at Bill with a mock-impressed
expression, before turning back to Dipper. “I didn’t know your turn-ons included
idiots, Mason.”

“Adina,
could you just for once-“ Dipper was about to tell his cousin off when a knock
was heard on the door.

“I’ll get
it!” he heard Mabel shout before rushing into the living room to get to the
front door. “Hi everyone! So good to see you!” Mabel greeted everyone quickly
as she made her way through the living room. “Gotta go get the door!”

Dipper
heard the sound of the front door opening, followed by Mabel’s excited
squealing.

“Grandpa Shermy! Grunkle Ford! Grunkle Stan!” Mabel laughed loudly, and soon she
and the three elderly men entered the living room.

“Good to
see you’re alright, kid,” Grunkle Stan greeted Dipper, giving him a playful
shoulder punch that only hurt a little.

“Stanley,
be nice to the boy,” Grandpa Shermy scolded him. “He’s been through a lot.”

“Not
really,” Dipper tried to steer the direction away from all the rumors his
family had heard about his disappearance. “I-it’s just been a big
misunderstanding.”

“Who’s
that?” Grunkle Ford pointed at Bill.

“That’s my
husband; Bill,” Dipper explained. “I met him while I was away, and we just sort
of clicked.”

“It is a
pleasure to meet you,” Bill greeted Ford with a bright smile and stretched out
his hand.

“Likewise,”
Ford responded, but lacking a smile of his own. He accepted Bill’s handshake,
but lingered on it a bit too long. “So, Bill, where are you from? I don’t
recognize your accent.”

“Auldria,”
Bill replied honestly before moving over to the lie. “It is a small country in
Africa.”

“Auldria
doesn’t sound like an Africa country,” Ford continued.

“W-well,
you know British Imperialism and all that,” Dipper attempted to explain.

“Dipper,
can I speak to you in private for a moment?” Ford asked.

“Uh, sure,”
Dipper shrugged, fearing that Ford had somehow seen through his lies. He gave
Bill a small wave before following Ford upstairs into the guest room he and
Bill slept in.

“What’s
going on, Dipper?” Ford asked as soon as the door was closed.

“W-what do
you mean?” Dipper tried to sound nonchalant, but knew he was failing.

“I know for
a fact that no country called ‘Auldria’ exists,” Ford explained. “I’ve also
been looking into this whole disappearance case, and you aren’t the only who
received that e-mail and then disappeared. So tell me, what happened to the other
victims?”

“How should
I know?!” Dipper was starting to panic; if Ford thought Bill was part of a
human trafficking ring, like Mabel had, he would undoubtedly call the police.
Then it would only be a matter of time before they discovered Bill wasn’t
human. “I’m telling you, I’m fine!”

“Dipper, I
know your ‘husband’ isn’t human,” Ford finally said. “His body temperature is
too low-“

“He just
has really cold hands!” Dipper interrupted.

“Then
explain his teeth; they are way too sharp to be human,” Ford countered.

Dipper got
quiet; he hadn’t thought anyone would notice Bill’s teeth.

“What is
he?”

“He… I
can’t tell you, Grunkle Ford!” Dipper shouted. “I’m not supposed to tell
anyone, and I’ve already told Mabel, because she wanted to call the cops on
Bill! You just have to trust me when I say I’m in good hands; Bill would never
do anything to hurt me.”

“He’s a
demon, isn’t he?” Ford more stated than asked. Dipper was flabbergasted for a
moment, but his wide eyes and slightly opened mouth must have been seen as
confirmation for Ford. “I knew it.”

“Grunkle
Ford…” Dipper sighed and decided it was better that Ford thought Bill was a
demon rather than telling the truth; at least this way, he was keeping
everything a secret. “Just don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“Oh, nobody
would believe me if I did,” Ford shook his head. “I just wanted to confirm my
theory, and make sure everything’s okay with you. So, a demonic marriage?”

“Yeah,”
Dipper shrugged. “I guess so.”

Their
conversation was interrupted by the sound of yelling from downstairs. The words
were muffled, but it sounded like Grandpa Shermy. Dipper opened the door, and
he and Ford walked back to the living room.

“Why did
you invite that witch!?” Shermy was yelling at Dipper’s father when they
arrived. They noticed that Granny Alice, Shermy’s ex-wife, had shown up.

“She wanted
to make sure Dipper was alright,” Dipper’s father argued. “She’s been a big
part of the twins’ lives!”

“Stop
fighting everyone,” Mabel pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

“Oh,
Mason’s back,” Adina noted and stepped up to Dipper. “So, I’ve been talking to
your ‘husband’, and I can’t figure out what you see in him. But he’s black, so
it’s probably because he’s got a huge dick, right?”

“Adina!”
Dipper’s mother exclaimed.

“What? I
was just asking a question,” Adina shrugged.

“Sharon,
aren’t you going to say anything to your daughter?”

“Why should
I?” Sharon asked, glaring angrily at her sister. “She’s allowed to ask
questions.”

Everyone,
except for Dipper, Bill, and Mabel, had begun fighting now. Dipper could barely
keep track of how many arguments were going on. Dipper sneaked over to Bill and
led him out of the room. He just managed to hear Pacifica stepping out of the
kitchen to announce that dinner was ready, only to be ignored by everyone.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Dipper and
Bill had moved to the roof; they were lying in each other’s arms and looking at
the stars, finally in peace from the arguing downstairs.

“Sorry
about this, Bill,” Dipper said, his face tinted red in embarrassment. “My
family… isn’t the greatest.”

“Well, I
like your parents and your sister,” Bill offered in an optimistic tone. “And I
am sure I would love the rest of them if I could spend more time with them.”

“Well, then
you should probably try your damndest to convince the council to let us come
back again,” Dipper laughed, playfully poking Bill in the chest. “Because I am
not dealing with any more drama tonight.”

For a
moment they just lied in comfortable silence, enjoying the evening breeze and
solitude.

“There,”
Bill suddenly said, pointing to the sky. “That looks like the markings on your
forehead.”

“Yeah, it’s
the Big Dipper,” Dipper explained. “It’s where I got my nickname from.”

“… Dipper
is not your real name?” Bill asked, sounding slightly perturbed.

“No, Mason
in,” Dipper responded.

“So that is why those people called you
‘Mason’,” Bill said in sudden realization. “… Can I still call you ‘Pine
Tree’?”

“Of
course,” Dipper laughed and snuggled closer to Bill.

They were
distracted by the window opening up and Mabel’s head poking outside.

“Hi guys,”
she greeted them with a small wave. “Can I… join you?”

“Is
everyone still fighting?” Dipper asked and Mabel responded with a small nod.

Dipper and
Bill scooted further away from the window to give Mabel room, and sat up
instead of lying down. Bill still kept an arm around Dipper though.

“Besides,”
Mabel continued, sitting down beside Dipper. “You’re leaving in a couple of
days; I wanted to spend some more time with you.”

A couple
seconds later, a hand holding a bottle of champagne popped out of the window.

“Hey,”
Pacifica greeted them as she crawled out of the window, champagne in hand. “I’d
rather join your party than deal with the one downstairs.”

“The more
the merrier,” Dipper giggled.

Soon after,
Pacifica started passing the bottle around so everyone could get a taste.

“I’m only
getting a sip,” Dipper said when the bottle reached him. “I do not want a
hangover tomorrow.”

“More
alcohol, then?” Bill asked after Dipper had taken his sip.

“You want a
taste?” Dipper suggested. “Maybe you’ll like this one.”

Bill
accepted the bottle and took a small taste, almost immediately spitting it out.

“I hate
alcohol,” Bill complained and passed the bottle back to Dipper while everyone
laughed.

“So, you
and Bill are leaving soon, huh?” Pacifica suddenly asked, her previous laughter
forgotten as her voice took on a more forlorn tone.

“We have
to,” Dipper mumbled.

“It’s a
shame you’re gonna miss the wedding,” Pacifica responded. “Can’t you come back
for that? It’s in like, three months?”

“Yeah,”
Mabel nodded to herself, knowing why her brother couldn’t be there.

“… I will
do my utmost to make sure we will be there,” Bill swore.

“Bill…”
Dipper was about to protest, but he supposed if Bill talked to the council there
was a possibility, however small.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The group
rejoined the rest of the party once they felt things had quieted down. There
were still more fights during the evening, but at least there weren’t any more
big ones where everyone in the family participated.

The only
other noteworthy thing that had happened was, when Grunkle Ford had left with
Grunkle Stand and Grandpa Shermy, he had said ‘Live long and prosper” to
Dipper. Dipper knew it was a reference to a scifi show, making him wonder if
perhaps Ford knew Bill was an alien, but had said he was a demon to help cover
for him? Dipper wasn’t sure, but in the end it didn’t make that much of a
difference.

A few days
later, Dipper and Bill had to return to the place they were dropped off, and go
back to Noulara. Dipper said goodbye to Mabel and Bill promised her that he
would everything within his power to make sure Dipper could visit Earth again.

And with that,
they were off. They were picked up at the designated time and were on their way
back.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Not much
happened during their three day travel back, but when they were around twelve
hours away from Noulara, and close enough to get into direct contact with their
home, Bill wanted to send a message to their staff that they would soon be
back, as well as hear how the eggs were doing.

Dipper sat
beside Bill as they made the call; he too wanted to make sure their eggs were
okay.

The screen
in front of them flickered for a moment before they could see the face and
upper body of Krolym on the screen, he being the one who was taking care of the
house while they were gone.

“Jirik
mirmi, Siheas Brhithel, Niheas Dipper,” Krolym greeted them.

“In
English, please,” Bill requested. Krolym let out a small sigh, but nonetheless
complied.

“I go out
from that you are closing on Noulara?” Krolym asked.

“We will be
there in about twelve hours,” Bill responded. “Has there been any incident while
we were gone?”

In the
background, the faint sound of doorbell could be heard, followed by someone
yelling: “Mri naroa ern!”

“No,
everything have been quiet and peaceful,” Krolym assured them. “Runaepha
reported there was an minor dispute about the building material to be used in
the new Glygliotem, but others nothing.”

“What about
the eggs?” Dipper asked.

“They have
been kept warm, and doing well,” Krolym answered before he was pushed aside and
the face of the eggs caretaker in their absence, Phofia showed up on the
screen.

“Good
evening!” she greeted them happily with a big smile. “I heard you talk with
Krolym and then you mentioned the eggs?”

“Yeah, how
are they doing?” Dipper repeated his question for Phofia.

“Oh,
lonohises! I mean fantastic!” Phofia quickly corrected herself. “I was just
about to see to them now. We can not wait on you getting home!”

Phofia left
the screen and Krolym took back his spot, giving Phofia an indignant look as
she walked away.

“That was
all we wanted to know, Krolym,” Bill laughed. “We will be seeing you again
soon.”

And with
that they signed off.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

As they got
closer to the planet, Dipper was starting to feel sick. He asked Bill about it
while the ship was landing.

“I don’t
know what it is,” Dipper rubbed his stomach trying to quell the nausea. “I just…
really don’t feel well.”

“Maybe your
body is having a bad reaction to space travel?” Bill suggested.

“Then why
didn’t I feel sick when we travelled to Earth?” Dipper asked.

“Perhaps
due to your excitement? Or maybe you are feeling more stressed now than when we
left? If you are still feeling ill tomorrow, or if it gets worse, we will
contact a doctor.”

Dipper
smiled and leaned in closer to Bill.

After the
ship had landed, they got into the Noulara-equivalent of a taxi, which brought
them home, where a foreign vehicle was parked out in front.

Bill’s arm
involuntarily flexed when he saw the vehicle, but Dipper didn’t get a chance to
ask what it was or meant before Bill dragged him inside the house. Inside,
three Crauhlohs that Dipper didn’t recognize were, all three wearing some kind
of green uniform.

“Siheas Brhithel
Chiypherqi,” one of them said, bowing her head to Bill, with the others
following her example. “Niheas Deepurr Puiyns,” she turned to Dipper and bowed
to him, the two others also copying this action. “Waei voazor dus, hmar…” she
paused for a moment as if what she was about to say would be very difficult. “Omiez
Ishinir uru xlev morpheles.”

Dipper
understood most of what had been said, except for that last word. He turned to
Bill, who looked like he was about to pass out.

“What
happened to our eggs?” Dipper asked Bill, knowing that no matter what the
answer was, he wouldn’t be prepared for it.

“They have…
morpheles,” Bill gasped, repeating that word that Dipper didn’t know. “… Taken.”

Translations:

Jirik mirmi = Good evening

Mri naroa ern = I’ll get it

Glygliotem = A building of books and records, similar to a library

Lonohises = Wonderful

Waei voazor dus, hmar = We deeply regret this, but

Omiez Ishinir uru xlev morpheles = Your eggs have been kidnapped