When the light cleared, the Cipher brothers realized they were no longer in the town. They now stood in a clearing, in the middle of the woods.

Mason sighed in relief, and approached the Blue Demon, who looked a little drained. He laced his fingers with Will's, grabbing the other man's attention.

"Are you alright?" Mason asked.

Will smiled weakly. "I will be."

Mason tightened his grip on the Demon's hand, and pressed his forehead gently against the other's. "I was so worried..."

The two stood in silence, while Bill looked at them strangely.

"Uh, context please?" The blond asked, turning curiously towards his brother.

Will shrugged. "I'll explain later," He promised.

Bill furrowed his brow, but then left it at that. He quickly looked down at the tape measurer in his hand, and pulled the tape out.

"Alright, this is it" He started, then he turned. "Will!"

"Yeah?" Both Wills answered simultaneously.

Bill almost facepalmed. "I mean the Will that is human!"

His brother looked at him. "What is it?"

"We have to go back," The blond told him. "Before those psychopaths catch on our trail."

Will nodded in agreement, then turned to the pair nearby. "It was nice meeting you guys."

Demon Will smiled in return. "You too. It's nice to see that even after all these centuries, I would be reunited with my brother in the next life."

"Of course," Bill said, ruffling his twin's hair. "After all, this guy would be hopeless without me."

Will rolled his eyes, nudging Bill's hand away. "Same goes for you."

Bill protested, and the Blue Demon only smiled at them. Something close to sadness drifted into his blue eyes. It faded, once Mason placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Good luck, you two," The brunette told the twins.

The Cipher twins then both held onto the time device, and was about to release the tape, when yet again, they were interrupted.

"YOU!"

They turned, and saw the man from before. He looked even angrier now, and his gun was charging up again. Before any of them could say a word, they had to dodge a column of green energy, that burned a huge path in the trees behind them. Mason growled under his breath, and immediately used his magic. He uprooted trees from the ground, and swung them in the other's direction. Unfortunately, the man avoided them easily, and shot another beam from his weapon. It grazed Mason's shoulder, cutting through the fabric, and piercing his flash.

He cursed loudly, and clutched his bleeding wound. The Blue Demon quickly rushed to his side.

"Master, you can't fight alone!" He told the brunette. "Please, let me help you."

Mason looked like he wanted to protest, but then sighed. "Will, there's only one thing I ask of you, and that is weapons."

The young man looked worried for a second, but fulfilled his master's request. His palm glowed, and a dozen sharp knives materialized and circled in the air around him. Mason rose his good arm, and took control of the blades. The man before them stood his ground, while watching the knives float warily.

Without a moment of hesitation, Mason shot the knives at him with a flick of his wrist. The man dodged as fast as he could, while shooting at the weapons trying to stab him. He grunted, when a blade opened a cut on his cheek, and he stumbled backwards. One of the knives managed to lodge itself into his forearm, and he yelled out in pain, before dropping his weapon to the ground.

Mason stepped forward threateningly, his cold blue eyes seemed to radiate rage from the inside. The other man glared at him, and reached for his gun, but then the brunette used his powers to throw it away.

The man growled, a steady drip of blood running down his wound. "This isn't over."

"For now, it is," Mason shot back, calmly. "Also, you do know where you're standing, right?"

The man regarded him in confusion, then his eyes widened, when he realized he was beside a huge tree. Before he could move, Mason tore the tree from the ground, and it immediately collapsed on top of the man. A cloud of dust appeared after the impact, and when it cleared, the Cipher twins and the Blue Demon saw Mason panting heavily while squeezing his wounded shoulder.

Demon Will's face lit up with worry, and he stepped forward. "Master, are you--"

Thud!

Like that, Mason collapsed onto his side, his breathing ragged and weak. The three immediately rushed forward, and knelt beside the fallen man. Bill carefully moved Mason onto his back, and inspected his shoulder. The sight was gruesome. The brunette's wound smoked and was edged with a green glow, and that glow was eating away more of his flesh as the seconds passed.

"What did that guy shoot him with?" Bill breathed, in horror.

Mason coughed violently, while blood flowed to his torso, staining his shirt a deep crimson. The Blue Demon looked at him in clear distress, sharing the look of his younger counterpart.

The blue haired boy turned urgently towards the Demon. "You have to do something!"

"Yeah, can't you heal people?" Bill noted.

"I can't use my powers without a Gleeful's permission," The young man explained. He turned desperately towards Mason. "Master, you have to order me to heal you! Please!"

Mason struggled with his breathing, then uttered softly. "No..."

They all looked at him in shock.

"No? What do you mean?"

The brunette smiled sadly. "Don't you understand, Will? The deal states that you'll serve the Gleeful twins, until one of us dies. You'll finally be free..."

The young man stared at him, and tears began to form in his eyes. "No, please! Don't do this! I can heal you, just--"

"Will," Mason started, looking at him deeply. "I love you too much...to allow you to be a prisoner any longer."

He released a heavy sigh, and closed his eyes. There was an empty silence, as Mason stopped breathing. The Blue Demon trembled in shock, tears riveted down his face.

"Master?" He whispered, touching the brunette's arm. "Mason, please wake up..."

Mason didn't respond, so Will shook his shoulders. "Mason, please say something!"

Again, he was given only silence in return. The Demon was sobbing softly, and burying his face in Mason's still chest. Bill watched the scene sorrowfully.

He sighed deeply, before turning to his brother. "Will, I think we should leave--"

"No."

Bill's eyes widened, when he saw tears flowing down his twin's face. Will's expression had the expression of grief, pain, and anger.

"We can't leave Mason like this," He insisted, his voice hoarse. "There has to be a way we can revive him."

"I'm sorry, but he's gone," Bill told him. "And why are you so hung up on this, you barely even know him--"

"I DON'T CARE!" Will screamed.

The blond was taken aback in shock, never expecting his brother to possess a tone like that. He observed, as his twin placed a hand on Mason's chest.

Will's Demon counterpart rose his head, and looked at him gravely. "Our brother is right, young one. It takes a great amount of power to bring back the dead, and mine has grown weak through the years."

The blue haired boy didn't listen, and looked at Mason desperately. "I know there's still life in you," He whispered. "Just please hang on."

Will's lip trembled, and he leaned down. He pressed his forehead against Mason's cold cheek, spilling tears onto the man's shirt collar. "Please...there's people here that need you."

He screwed his eyes shut, as sobs rocked his body. Will barely noticed his brother and the Demon were gasping loudly, or the glow that surrounded the tips of his fingers.

Will froze, when he heard something. He thought it was only his imagination, but when he heard it again, he realized it was a heartbeat...

Mason shot upright, gasping in a lungful of air. His face contorted into shock, when he looked at his shoulder, which was fully healed. "What the f--"

"Master!" The blue haired boy cried. He paused, confused by himself, then quickly said. "I mean, Mason! You're alive!

Mason regarded him, and looked like he wanted to ask something, but was interrupted, when he was tackled into an embrace by the Blue Demon.

"Will," He breathed, confusion vivid in his eyes. "Did you heal me? If so, why? You could've been free."

"Sometimes you can be such a dummy," Demon Will laughed, tears still visible in his blue eyes. "I don't care where I am, as long as it's with you."

Then, the Demon kissed Mason on the lips, and the brunette stilled with surprise, before melting into the other's embrace. Soon, the kiss grew so passionate, that Cipher twins had to turn the other way.

"OK, I understand now," Bill said, awkwardly.

Will nodded, his face growing a deep red in embarrassment.

The blond's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "That guy didn't do anything weird with you, did he?"

The blue haired boy's gaze darted to his feet. "No, no..."

"You're a bad liar."

"I know."

❇❇❇

The three made it out of the woods, and returned to town, where Mabel was waiting for them. She explained that she had been seconds away from finishing her attacker, before he vanished out of thin air. After that, the Cipher twins prepared to leave.

"Again, it's been great seeing you guys," Will said, with a smile.

Mason nodded, then bent down to mess the boy's hair playfully. "It's been especially great to see you."

Will blushed, and Bill instantly moved forward, before batting Mason's hand away. The blond stepped in front of his brother, and gave the brunette a hard look.

"OK, you two had your goodbyes," Bill said, and added. "And keep it PG, man."

Mason tilted his head. "I only touched his hair."

Bill narrowed his eyes. "And who knows what thoughts went through your head while doing it. You ain't slick..."

Will shook his head at his brother, then turned to the young man. "I'm sorry about him."

Mason shrugged. "It's fine, I have an annoying overprotective sibling too."

Mabel punched him in the side of his head. "Say that again, moron!"

"Ow! Mabel!"

"Huh, maybe she isn't so bad after all," Bill murmured to himself.

The twins held onto the time device, and pulled out the tape. They tossed one last glance at the people before them, before releasing it. Immediately, there was a flash, then they were gone.

❇❇❇

"Dipper, maybe you should calm down--"

"Why should I!?" Dipper shouted. "The Cipher twins could be who knows where, and it's all because of this idiot!"

He gestured to Blendin Blandin, whom was tied up with a rope. The time traveler cleared his throat. "You really have to talk right in front of me? Because there are other ways--"

Mabel gagged him with a candy apple, before turning to her brother. "Let's not think too rashly, they must've figured out the time machine by now."

"If so, where are they?" The male brunette questioned, worryingly.

His sister had no words of encouragement, and stroked 15-Poundy, while a look of worry masked her face also. The Pine twins were close to collapsing under the situation, when there was a flash of light beside them. After a moment of shielding their eyes, they both turned, and to their relief, saw the Cipher brothers standing before them.

"You're alright!" Mabel cried, running up to hug Will.

Will struggled for breath, as she embraced him tightly. Bill laughed, but then stopped cold, when he felt strong arms wrapping around him from behind.

"Thank Axolotl!" Dipper exclaimed, squeezing Bill gently. "I thought something terrible happened to you..."

He paused, because by then, he realized what he was doing. Dipped quickly withdrew, turning red.

He cleared his throat. "Uh, I'm just glad you didn't ruin an entire timeline."

Bill chuckled, though it was awkwardly forced. "You know me well, Pine Tree."

"Where were you?" Mabel asked the brothers. "Or more specifically, when were you?"

Before either of the twins could answer, there was another flash of light. The two men from before stood in front of them. The one that attacked Mason seemed to have survived being crushed by a tree, a dozen twigs were stuck in the gaps of his suit. The other one was marked with multiple cuts, probably from Mabel Gleeful.

"You two are in big trouble," The man with darker skin growled, pointing at the boys.

"And why is that?" Dipper asked, defiantly. Mabel stood beside him, looking serious, despite the pig crawling by her feet.

"Guardians of the World Balance," The blond man said, formally. "To clear some confusion, these two boys used an illegal item, interacted with figures from the past, and had them attack us."

"I can explain," The male brunette said. "They meant no harm, they were unaware that the device was a time machine, and accidentally used it."

"Yeah, and if anyone is to blame, it should be him!" Mabel said, gesturing to Blandin.

"Blendin Blandin," One of the men breathed. "Time Baby has been searching a millennia for him!"

"How about we reach a compromise?" Dipper asked. "We'll hand over Blandin and the time machine to you, and you leave the boys alone."

The two men looked wary, and shared a glance, as though having a silent conversation. Finally, they reached a decision.

"Very well," One of them said, gruffly.

Bill quickly handed the time machine over, and then the two men grabbed Blandin by the back of his shirt. The gagged time traveller released muffled sounds of distress, as he was dragged away. After that, the three vanished in a flash.

"Phew! That was stressful," Mabel said.

Dipper nodded in agreement. "I suppose we deserve a little fun before the park closes."

"Heck yeah! I still have to spend time with 15-Poundy before I return him," She reminded, petting the pig.

The Pine twins started walking off. A couple of steps later, Dipper turned curiously towards the brothers.

"Ain't you coming?"

Will hesitated, as he remembered what happened a while ago. He looked down at his fingers, which had previously been glowing.

"Dipper," He started. "There's something I need to tell--"

Bill suddenly clamped a hand over his brother's mouth, and turned to the brunette. "We'll be right there! Don't wait up!"

Dipper looked at him strangely, before eventually following his sister. After he left, Bill removed his hand from Will's mouth, and faced his brother's annoyed face.

"Bill, what was that--?"

"You can't tell them."

"And why not?" Will remarked.

Bill regarded him in frustration. "Why? If they know you have Demon powers, they...they might..."

"Hurt me?" The blue haired boy finished for him. "Why would they do that? They're our friends, don't you trust them?"

"I do trust them...just not as much as you do."

Will frowned, and Bill huffed in return.

"Don't look at me like that," The blond snapped. "It hasn't been long since those two tried to kill me! Just because they're friendly now, doesn't mean we should stop being cautious."

Will hated to admit, but his brother was correct. Still, he felt a stab of guilt for keeping something so important from the people he saw as friends.

"Maybe, it was a one time thing," Bill insisted. "Since you were with your past life, it could have awoken something in you."

"What if it's not?" His brother pointed out. "What if I'm reclaiming some of my old powers?"

Bill gave him a look of reassurance. "We'll figure something out. But, whatever you do, don't tell anyone about this, including Wendy, and especially the Pine twins."

Will hesitated, before nodding, not knowing what else to say.

"C'mon," Bill told him, gently. "Let's see which ride will make Pine Tree hurl the most."

Despite his worry, Will chuckled softly.

Then, the two brothers walked off, in the direction that the Guardians took. While they did, Will's fingers twitched, almost feeling the remnants of magic that had surfaced in their tips.