"Upstairs. Quickly!" Wendy told him.

Bill reluctantly obeyed, and made a dash up to his bedroom. He made it inside, and shut the door behind him, just when he heard footsteps enter the shack, along with an unfamiliar voice echoing from downstairs.

"Wendy?" The voice gasped, sounding male. "What are you doing here?"

Bill leaned against the door, pressing his ear against the wood to hear better.

Wendy replied coolly. "Oh, I was raiding this place for snacks. What are you two doing here?"

"To catch a fugitive!" A another voice sang. "Hey, you can join us while we wrangle him up!"

He calculated the second unfamiliar voice. She was definitely female, but her voice was much different than Wendy's calm tone. She sounded bubbly and enthusiastic, like a little girl trapped in a woman's body.

"I already explored this whole place, there isn't anyone here," Wendy insisted. "Maybe, you charted wrong?"

"Really? But, that's impossible, I never get it wrong," The male stuttered.

"I think you meant we," The girl remarked. "Also, Wendy, are you sure he didn't turn invisible or something?"

"Mortals can't turn invisible, Mabel," Her brother deadpanned.

"Give me a break, Dipper. I never been to this realm since...a millennia ago. How am I suppose to remember what mortals can and can't do?"

"Well, they may not turn invisible, but they're definitely good at hiding," Dipper sneered. "I know he is here. It's only a matter of time, before he grows tired of cowering."

Bill glared. This maybe too quick to be certain, but he could tell that him and this Dipper fellow weren't going to be the best of buds.

"Calm down, Dipping Sauce," Mabel told him. "Maybe, he escaped before Wendy showed up."

"Yeah," The redhead agreed. "He probably ran off into the woods, I could help you search."

"Wait, you're coming with us?" Dipper asked, sheepishly.

"Of course, is there a problem with that?"

"NO! I mean, of course not, hehe..."

"Uh, alright then," Wendy responded. "Then, we should go as quickly as possible."

"Yes, we shall," The man said. A moment later, there was the sound of the front door being open.

Meanwhile, Bill slid to the flood, as his pacing heart slowed for a couple of minutes. He was safe, at least for now. Hopefully, that redhead would take them on a wild enough goose chase, to the point where they give up. He could finally relax--

Ring! Ring!

Bill's gaze shot to his phone, which erupted in his ringtone, as he was receiving a video call from non other than his brother.

"What was that?" Dipper demanded.

"Oh! Did I forgot to tell you there was a goat?" Wendy blurted out.

"That didn't sound like a goat," Mabel noted.

Dammit, Will!, Bill's mind screamed.

He wanted to reject the call, but decided to accept it last second. He prepared to give Will a scolding of a lifetime, until he realized where his brother was located. In the video call, Will was surrounded by darkness, he was only in his white vest, which had little holes torn in it, and he looked terrified.

"Will? Where are you?" He fretted.

"Bill, I made a huge mistake," Will jittered. "Listen carefully, I am in a cave somewhere in the woods."

"OK, I'll be right there!"

"No! That's the worse thing you could possibly do. You'll fall right into their trap."

Bill frowned. "Who's they? What happened--"

"There's no time to explain," He interrupted, his face alert. "All you need to know, is that I been kidnapped."

"What!? By who?"

Will gulped. "By--"

That's when the signal died, and Bill was left with no answer. His eyes widened, and he tried to dial Will back. So far, no response.

No, no, no! Come on!, He thought, shaking his phone in desperation.

Alright, the phone was a bust, now to take action. Bill rushed towards the single window, and pried it open. Afternoon air wafted into his face, but he didn't allow himself to enjoy it, while his brother was endangered. In a hurry, he climbed onto a desk to reach the window, and after a couple of attempts, was able to swing one of his legs over the panel. He scanned the outside, for a moment he thought he could get through this, until he got an unexpected surprise.

Poof!

"Hello, Cipher."

Bill didn't know why, but every inch of him tensed, once hearing that voice. Very slowly, he turned around, and saw the twins from the downstairs, standing before him.

They looked exactly like their picture. The woman had a flowing red train skirt, a white bodice, long leather boots, and a hat with a sticker of a shooting star on it. As for the man, he was dressed more formerly, like a pioneer soldier, his sword sheathed on his belt, and a silver pine tree crest was attached to his hat. They were definitely twins, with similar features: such as brown hair, and face shapes. However, they seemed like complete opposites, noting their body languages and overall auras, kinda reminding the blond of his relationship with his brother.

Not to mention, their eyes. If Bill could even call them that. They looked so out of this world, Dipper had pale blue ones with pink pupils, while his sister had bubblegum pink eyes with blue pupils. And they both zeroed in on Bill, filled with suspicion and hostility. He was certain he was done for, until someone else barged into the room.

"Bill!" Wendy gasped, standing in the doorway.

Dipper spun towards her, betrayal almost prominent in his eyes. "You knew he was here? Why didn't you tell us?"

Wendy held a defensive stance. "Because, he's a kid."

"Have you forgotten what he did to our home?" Mabel protested.

"Of course, I remember it like it was yesterday," The redhead insisted. "But, Bill doesn't. He isn't the evil being that we once knew."

"His memories could easily be restored," Dipper argued. "Demons are like that, it only takes a trigger to turn him back into his former self. We can't trust him to still walk on this earth."

"Excuse me!" Bill yelled. "Don't you think I deserve a say in this?"

Dipper shot him a glare. Fast as lightning, he unsheathed his sword, and pointed it in the blond's direction. "Nothing you say will convince me, Cipher."

Bill stared at the obsidian blade, with stars scattered over the surface. The sword was twice as intimidating in person, than in the picture.

"Dipper, don't!" Wendy pleaded, jumping in between them. "Bill did nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong?" Dipper repeated, in disbelief. "Wendy, do you even hear yourself? He destroyed planets, he killed thousands, and worse of all, he--"

"It's all in the past," She remarked. "And if you can't see that...Then, I won't let you hurt him."

Mabel looked the redhead sorrowfully. "Wendy, we're your friends, are you really going to take his side?"

Wendy narrowed her eyes, held her hand up. Immediately, her axe manifested out of thin air, and she used both hands to grip the handle.

"Absolutely."

There seemed to be some kind of standoff after that. The Guardians stood across from each other, while Bill was still sitting on the windowsill, looking like an idiot.

I don't have time for this!, He thought. Will's still in danger!

"Hey! Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum!" He addressed the twins. "This has been a nice chat, but I really need to go somewhere."

"You're not going anywhere," Dipper growled, softly. "Not until we ask you a few questions."

Bill rolled his eyes. "I'm really in a hurry, so--"

"Dipper, look here..." Mabel interjected.

They all turned, and saw the woman knelt low while inspecting a broken floorboard. Bill's eyes widened, when she reached in and pulled out the maroon book.

Wendy's face contorted into shock. "Is that..."

"Journal Number 3," Dipper breathed, taking the book from his sister's hands. He spun to glare at Bill again. "How long have you had this!?"

"I found it a couple of minutes ago," Bill replied, quickly. "If you want it so bad, just keep it."

"Did you read it?" He demanded.

Bill paused, then quickly responded. "No."

Dipper returned this with a daggered look. "I don't believe you. This is the final straw."

He rose his sword threateningly, while Bill watched in horror. But before Dipper could do anything, the book in his hands started emitting a glow.

The male Guardian stared down at it. "What the--"

Then, there was a blast. It exploded from the journal, throwing both Dipper and Mabel across the floor. Dipper had released his hold on the book, and it was currently hovering in air. Bill gaped, when it rocketed towards him, and he caught it in his hands at the very last second before it could fly out the window.

Mabel got up first, rubbing her head. "What was that...?"

Dipper paled, as though seeing a ghost. "It can't be...the journal is bound to him."

Wendy saw that the two were distracted, and quickly took her chance. "BILL, RUN!"

It took a microsecond, before Bill obeyed. Clutching the journal in his arms, he climbed off the windowsill and onto the roof. He stepped sideways, at the same time when a column of light shot of the window a hair's breadth away.

"Dang it, I missed him!" Mabel shouted.

"Don't let him escape!" Dipper roared.

Adrenaline pumping through his veins, Bill went into a sitting position and slid off the roof. He landed on his feet, but might have buckled his knees in the process. He swore under his breath, when a bolt of pain shot through him. Bill heard a yell from the window, then decided to endure the ache in his legs. Limping as fast as he could, he distanced himself from the shack and entered the woods, in hopes of finding his brother.

❇❇❇

Bill had been searching for who knows how long.

Night was beginning to fall, and he had no flashlight to guide his way. It was only a matter of time, before Bill would be walking hopelessly through the dark. But, he refused to give up. Fortunately, he remembered that Will had been stopping by the picnic center, and went to look there. Once he arrived, he found something at last.

Laying on the ground, was Will's blue sweater.

Bill stared at it for what felt like eternity, before finally bending down to pick it up. He felt the soft clothing in his hands, and experienced a flood of different emotions at that moment, but one shone above the rest: anger.

He growled softly, fisting the sweater until his knuckles turned white. He swore, he will exact revenge on the bastards that took Will. But, he still needed to find them first.

Bill's brother told him that he was in a cave, but the blond was new to this forest. He would have to journey the whole woods, but that was the trip he was willing to make.

Tap tap tap!

On instinct, Bill tried to pinpoint the sound. His attempts were fruitless, since he couldn't see anything. He clutched onto Will's sweater, along with the journal, looking suspiciously at the trees.

He hoped it had been a squirrel. That is, until a heavy blow was landed in the back of his head, and everything went black.

....

...Bill?

Bill!

"Bill, wake up!"

The blond's eyes shot open, and everything was blurry at first. After his eyesight was restored, he realized he was laying on his side. Bill forced himself up, a headache pounding through his brain.

"Arrgh, what happened?" He questioned.

"I'm so glad you're okay!"

Bill turned to the voice, and he gasped when he saw Will sitting beside him. "Will, thank goodness you're here, let's go!"

Will frowned. "I don't think we can do that."

"And, why not?"

"Because we're in a cage."

Bill blinked, then looked at his surrounding. "Well, darn..."

They were indeed in a cage, that hovered a few feet off the ground by a chain. Outside their prison, were nothing but stone walls, indicating that they were obviously in a cave.

The blond rubbed the bridge of his nose, sighing heavily. "I told you not to go out alone!" He snapped at Will.

"You never told me that," He argued. "And I was looking for a job. You know, so we can survive."

"Then, explain how this happened," Bill said, gesturing his arms around him.

Will bowed his head, and looked ashamed. "I ran into a guy named Norman. He told me about this town, and offered to answer all my questions. It was an offer I couldn't refuse, so I met up with him in the picnic center and..."

"He kidnapped you and trapped you in this cave," Bill concluded. "What a creep."

"I'm sorry," Will said, miserably. "I should've told you about Norman, but I thought I could do it on my own. Now, you're stuck here too, because of me. I'm so sorry..."

The blue haired boy hugged his knees to his chest, and hid his face. Bill regarded him in concern, and hesitantly wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulders.

"It isn't your fault," He reassured. "Well, it partially is. But I should take the blame for being captured, since you warned me not to come. For now, let's put our mistakes in the past, and plan out our escape."

Will slowly looked up, and managed a weak smile. "Yeah, let's do it."

"Good, because we're a team," Bill smiled, nudging him playfully. "That's why people call us the Demonic Twins."

"Nobody calls us that."

"Trust me, it'll catch on," He insisted. "Now, tell me when Norman will return so I can get ready to punch him in the groin."

Will rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "About that, Norman isn't exactly...human."

Bill rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me, I'm gonna have to fistfight a zombie or something."

"Not a zombie," He replied. "More like--"

"Well, well, look who's finally awake."

The brothers turned in arrival of the voice. Bill's jaw almost dropped open, at what he witnessed before him.

A dozen or so, tiny men, like in inches, with red pointed hats, suspenders, and scruffy beards. The one in the lead had spoken, and he was grinning up at the twins.

"Morning, sunshines!" He beamed. "Well, it ain't technically morning, but it felt right in the context. So, MORNING!"

Bill slowly turned to Will. "Gnomes!? How did you get kidnapped by gnomes? More importantly, how did I get kidnapped by gnomes!?"

"We tucked you in with a big ol' rock," The gnome said, cheerfully. "By the way, the name's Jeff."

"I don't care, let us out!" Bill shouted, rattling the bars.

"No can do," Jeff chuckled. Then, he glared at the blond. "You're not going anywhere, Bill Cipher."

"Why does everyone know my name?" Bill said, incredulously. "It's really creepy!"

"Jeff, please," Will chimed in. "We mean no harm."

"Oh, I know you don't," He replied. "Your brother, however...there has been a bounty on his head for centuries."

"What? But Bill has done nothing to you!" Will protested.

"Yeah! Also, how high is this bounty?" Bill asked.

Will turned to him sharply. "Really, bro?"

The blond shrugged. "I would like to know if the price of someone as valuable as me isn't too low."

"Don't worry about that, your cost is all the riches in the universe," Jeff described.

"Oh, good," Bill said.

"If you're delivered dead."

"Not so good."

"As for you, my bluebell," Jeff said, addressing Will. "You'll be kept here safe and sound."

"Why would I stay here of all places?" Will remarked.

"Because you'll be marrying my whole tribe, of course!"

Both twins stared back at him, unable to comprehend what they just heard.

"Mind repeating that?" Bill asked.

"We're in dire need of a queen," Jeff explained. "And whadda' know! We came across this beautiful blue haired maiden. Isn't that right, boys?"

"Queen! Queen! Queen!" The rest of the gnomes chanted.

"No, no, no!" Will argued. "I am not your queen! I'm a boy. Bill, tell them--"

Bill was currently laughing hysterically.

"BILL!"

"HAHAHAHAHA!" He hollered. "Sorry, this is...this is just RICH! HAHAHA!"

The blue haired boy nudged his brother angrily. "This is no time to be annoying!"

Bill had finally calmed down from his outburst, and wiping the tears of joy that resided in his ears. "OK, I have to be honest. No matter how hard it is to believe, Will is male."

"We know, and we don't dare," Jeff decided. "The wedding starts at midnight!"

The rest of the gnomes cheered, and Will's face paled with dread. Bill looked at his brother's expression, and grew protective.

"Listen, potato man!" He growled at Jeff. "Will isn't going to marry you! And let us go, or else..."

"Or else what, wise guy?" The gnome leader taunted.

Bill narrowed his catlike eyes. "Or else the Guardians themselves will come up here and unleash their wraith on your home."

Will stared at him, and uttered a whisper. "Guardians?"

Jeff sneered. "You're bluffing."

The blond smirked. "Maybe I am, but then again...do you really wanna find out?"

The gnome hesitated, before turning to his troops. "Jason, Steve, Carl, and...Sorry, I always forget your name."

"Shembuloc," The gnome answered.

"Thank you! Anyway, I need you three to watch the entrance, in case Goldilocks here is telling the truth."

The three nodded, and hobbled off. Meanwhile, Jeff turned back to the twins.

"As for you," He started, glaring daggers at Bill. "The wedding will resume as natural, and...you will be sitting quietly in the seats, and support your brother."

Bill blinked. "Oh."

"Then afterwards, we'll kill ya."

"Oh..."