Of course Dipper couldn't know how wrong he was when he wandered through the dark shadows of the woods. He forced his sleepy body to take step after step, when a rustling sound in the bushes made him jump. His skittish, clumsy feet lead him backwards before he tripped over a root, landing on his white butt, his eyes never left the shivering leaves before him. Dipper swallowed before he scraped the last of his courage together, questioning into the dark forest in front of him.

"Hello, is someone there?" He bit his lips, taking a few breaths so that his chest puffed up a bit when he finally took a step towards the bush.

"If there is, you better know that I'm armed!" But Dipper's warning was returned by amused laughter, when a red pointed hat emerged from the leaves.

"Oh don't you worry fluff ball, it's just me, and I'm not up for deer today especially not such a young and scrawny one." The gnome eyed him, Dipper's pulse calmed down again.

"Jeff?" He asked, but the little man gave him a questioning look.

"Uh- Should I know you? Are you one of Uncle Lennert's flock?" The gnome suggested, making Dipper shake his head before he explained himself.

"What? No it's me, Dipper. Mabel's brother."

"Oh-OH!" The gnome's eyes grew."

"That's you! Last time I checked you we're just half a deer. Not making halfhearted compromises huh?" Jeff joked, examining Dipper as he rubbed his beard.

"Ha ha-" But the deer boy's sarcasm died when Jeff's face suddenly got pale, and looked like he had seen a ghost. Dipper's deer body became itchy all over.

"What?" But Jeff only gulped, biting his lips while he carefully stepped backwards.

"Seems like someone is up for deer today, I'd better be going, bye." He hurried, turning back to run as fast as he could with his short legs, calling out to Dipper again, before he vanished into the woods.

"And don't worry, I'll care for Mabel when you're gone." Dipper could feel his stomach drop.

"Why would you-" But a cold breath touched his neck before he was able to finish his question, the cruel voice echoed deep into his bones.

"Hello Dipper."

Dipper's eyes went wide, he turned around as best as he could to face the golden white hair. His image reflected itself in the sharp fangs.

"G-Gideon!"

A soft gasp escaped Dipper's muzzle and the small fawn carefully made a step backwards, away from the threateningly sharp teeth.

"But you're- Why?" A sneaky smile was all that answered his question, until the Vampire before him spoke up again, observing his sharp claws in an arrogant manner.

"I would say that it's thanks to your shrinking animal brain that you forgot about it, but since I knew you beforehand, your ignorant mind shouldn't surprise me at all."

"Hey!" But Gideon just snorted at his protest, scowling down on him so that Dipper finally realized how small his new body really was.

"So tell me Pines did you really forget how I became this?" He said, gesturing down on himself so that a switch in Dipper's mind finally clicked.

"A vampire..." The deer frowned, but the pale boy before him nodded.

"That's right. I'm not a victim of this silly curse, I was bitten by a real vampire." Dipper used his dramatic pause to intervene with a raised furry brow.

"Correct me, but didn't you beg him to do so?" Gideon's right eye twitched at the unpleased comment, but with a deep breath he held himself back, so as not to dig his clawed hands into Dipper's fur.

'Not yet.' He thought to himself, smirking and going on with his speech.

"Whatever. But the thing is my friend, I am still a Vampire." Dipper frowned, folding his ears back down on his head in a lightly aggressive manner.

"And how would this be my problem?"

"Easy Pines, you ruined my powerful place in this Town." Gideon stepped up towards him, coming dangerously close now, so that he could see the bloody red eyes of the former human, forcing him to back way.

"What?!" But his now-fragile voice broke with his question while Gideon's smile stretched.

"Oh don't deny it Dipper. The effects on you making a deal with Bill are obvious my deer" He sneered running his eyes over him. Dipper swallowed, biting his lips before he spat out his answer, and moving away from Gideon.

"Sure, but what does this have to do with you? You turned yourself into this even before the curse, remember! It was your fault, not mine. So just let me be, Gideon; I have better things to do than to listen to your crazy psychotic speeches." But just as he turned his back to the blood sucking creature, flicking his tail to prove his point, he suddenly reappeared again, his fangs blank in his cruel smile. Dipper's instincts provided a high pitched bleat that made him jump back. But wherever his skittish hooves guided him, Gideon was faster, enjoying the fear he smelled in the air. Before he finally ended the hunt, forcing Dipper to back up against one of the big trees were he caught the deer's chest, digging his clawed fingers into his fur, making Dipper stand on his unsteady hind feet while his back was pressed against the tree.

"Believe me Pines, I'll make you listen." He smiled, enjoying Dipper's hitched breath when one of his claws finally sunk into the deer's flesh. The warm blood tickled as it ran down his fur.

"It was your fault that the town turned back. And it is your fault that they now know about the mysteries of this town. My Tent of Telepathy is ruined, so are my image and my name. With those dump people back to human I'm nothing more than one of these dark creatures living in the woods." Gideon sneered, increasing his grip on the deer so that the next fingernail dogged in his body, making Dipper's struggling stop at the new source of pain.

"So yes. This is your fault." He whispered, making Dipper's sensitive ears twitch, before his voice exploded into an angry shout.

"And I make you pay for it!" While the little Vampire literally roared he lifted Dipper up, before he tossed him aside, with a power no one would ever think he had, making the young fawn crash down on the stony floor. Dipper yelled when one of his hind legs shredded over the hard ground. But Gideon just looked down at him, laying his hand on his chin, he began to think aloud.

"So what am I supposed to do with you? I could suck you dry to the bone, I had deer once, a little woody but not bad at all. And your smell is rather good." Dipper, who struggled to stand up again, could feel the speed of his heart increasing at this thought.

Gideon really could kill him now, if he wanted to.

He could easily tear him apart, if wouldn't do something right now.

'Think Dipper!'

However, the cheesy voice of the small Vampire disturbed his panic drunken thoughts once again.

"But you know what? Since you love your Grunkle's scrapped up Mystery Shack that much, why not selling you to a circus or a moving freak show? I'm sure they would give me a good price for a speaking deer." He smiled, walking up the Dipper again, cutting his attempts to stand up, when he placed his foot on the deer's shoulder.

"And after I get rid of you I can finally make Mabel my girl. First her and then we take Stan's Shack from him. With the journals you're hiding there all in my hands, the town will have no other option but to bow down to me." Gideon sneered, but the mention of his sister and grunkle made his tried body finally function again. With a quick motion he escaped Gideon's pressure to stand up again, his hind leg throbbed in pain but Dipper lowered his head anyway.

"No! You leave them alone!" He screamed, storming towards the Vampire to hit his startled attacker with his antlers in the gut and when Gideon bowed down to hold his arching stomach Dipper used the chance to turn around, giving him a furious kick in his fleshy fundament. Seeing the Vampire down in the dirt made Dippers muzzle puff justly.

'Serves him right.'

But before he could enjoy his victory, the white figure on the ground began to spasm and Dipper noticed too late that Gideon trembled from laughing. In the blink of an eye the Vampire reappeared in front of him, licking the blood away from his bloody nose with a slightly too long tongue.

"I thought you were a fan of the Supernatural Dipper? Did you really think you could beat me? You can't harm me." Gideon grinned; his own (or whoever's) blood glittered on his fangs. Dipper however just huffed, pawing the ground with his hoof.

"But I can try!"

He shouted, running up to the Gideon again, stumping his horns into his sides but this time the moment of surprise was not on his side, so the Vampire fought back. His long claws ripped through his fur, making Dipper cry a pained bleat before he gritted his teeth, turning around to hit Gideon's attacking arm with his hooved four legs, so it was his turn to hiss in pain. But the act of standing on his hind legs made Dipper grit his teeth again. He lowered his head in order to prepare his next tackle, swallowing his pain and fear one last time before he finally rushed towards Gideon, his antlers ready to hit his warm pink flesh until a strong force suddenly stopped him.

"What?" But as Dippers glance moved upwards, he saw his opponents hands closed around one of his antler's, taking away one of his strongest weapons.

"No! Let go!" Dippers tried to struggle out of Gideon's grip and bashed his front legs down on the Vampire gain, hitting his pale cheek to leave a deep bloody scratch in his flesh. Gideon hissed in anger, when his free hand touched the bloody spot on his face.

"That's it Pines, I'll make a doormat out of your pelt." He sneered.

Dipper opened his mouth to response but his answer was cut off when Gideon's second hand reached for Dippers throat, pressing down on his windpipe leaving the fawn gasping for air.

'No!' But the world already begun to spin around him. Dipper tried to free himself from Gideon's cold hands but with the fading oxygen in his system his body shout down piece by piece, so that his muscles lost their power until he became limp in the Vampire's arms and the world began to fade around him.

'No! I have to stay awake!' His vison went in and out just like when Mabel played with the light switch at home, black dots were dancing before his eyes and his throat burned, gasping for air while his head felt like it would explode any second now. The throbbing pain between his temples made him cry out in silence.

And just as the dancing dark spots began to merge into an endless blackness, a distant scream made it up to his ears and the pressure was gone.

Dipper's body fell limp to the ground, his hind leg arched in pain, but all his darkening mind registered was the air that finally found its way back into his lungs. With every breath he took the throbbing pain in his head faded away, not that it was any better, when became aware of the other painful spots on his body. But his mind steadied enough for his vison to become clear again, the black curtain's lifted themselves from his eyes.

"No! Let go you stupid animal!" The shrill cry echoed painfully in his sensitive ears. Dipper tryed to lift his head, but failed, so all he was able to see was Gideon's stubby feet mixed between four long, not quite unfamiliar legs.

'A deer?' Dipper frowned, he finally found the strength to lift his head, only to see that he had been wrong to some degree.

'No, a buck." Dipper blinked, when the strong animal sunk his antlers to target the screaming Vampire below.

'And he's fighting, he is fighting Gideon. Why?' Of course neither the buck nor Gideon could hear his confused thoughts. The attack of the animal hit Gideon full force, making him fly against the nearest tree where he slid down head first. But before the buck was able to attack him again, the Vampire vanished in a puff of blue smoke, leaving a furry ball of a white bat behind, that obviously had a hard time to bring itself up in the air.

"This is not over Dipper Pines! We're not done yet!" The bat squeaked, but cried out in horror when the buck stormed up to him again, hearing the threatening voice coming from the little creature. With a last shrill curse, Gideon's fluffy form faded back into the shadows of the forest.

The buck made a deep sound, following the bat until it vanished from its sight, before the deer finally turned to him. Dipper shrunk even further to the ground when the large animal stood before him, the young fawn closed his eyes awaiting an attack from the buck as well, but instead a wet nose touched his own.

"What?" Dipper blinked, just to find the animal's eyes right before his own, making him gulp down when he saw his own furry picture in its dark brown eyes. But the buck's nose just twitched before he nudged Dipper in the side, forcing him to stand up.

"Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll try." Dipper said, making the deer stop poking him while he cursed inside for his ability to balance himself without his hands, but he finally made it back up to his shivering hooves. But when the small fawn wavered again, the deer was by his side to steady his feet. Dipper gasped but when his trembling feet finally became steadier he looked up to the buck, his ears flat on his head with a relieved breath.

"Thanks." But the deer just shook himself, puffing his chest satisfied before he began to walk away, only to stop a few feet away, looking behind himself and bleating in a deep voice, requesting him to follow.

Dipper smiled, nodded and began to follow the animal so that he walked along the buck's side for a few seconds, enjoying the company and the lonely wood around them before his human mind called out for him again, pressing him to hear it.

You need to get home But, the little fawn just frowned.

'But I am home' He corrected.

You're not a deer The other voice pressed.

'Of course I am'

What's your name?' Came the question to his protest.

'... Dipper, Dipper Pines.' The little deer stopped his way, so that the buck gave him a confused look. Dipper glanced up to him, shaking his head carefully.

"I need to go home..." He said, his heart raced at the sight of what just nearly had happed.

Again.

Stronger.

'No' Dipper shook his head, looking back to the buck again.

"I need to go." Of course the animal just tilted his heads due to the strange sound coming from the young one. Dipper smiled in sadness.

"You don't have a clue about what I'm saying right?" Dipper swallowed, limping up to the buck to press his head against his furry flank, in order to express his owning.

"Thank you." He whispered, before he turned around again to go back to the Shack.

Dipper took a long breath when he was finally back on the right way again, his hind leg still throbbed in pain, and his mind spun so that the cracking sound beside him came out of no were and nearly made him jump again.

But it was the buck.

He followed him.

He was about to guide him home.

Dipper blinked in confusion, before a tired smile made it up to his muzzle.

"Thanks, company is good I guess." He breathed, walking side by side with the mighty deer.

The buck didn't leave his side until the Shack came into sight, Dipper struggled his wobbling deer hooves up the porch but stopped before the closed door.

'Right, no hands' Dipper sighed, pounding against the door with his antlers but his call stayed unheard. There was nothing he could do but wait for his family to come back. A slight moan escaped his muzzled when he folded his scraped hind leg beneath him in order to wait for them, curling up like a cat on the doormat. The drying blood still stung in his nose, but his body was so exhausted that his eyes refused to stay open any longer, letting him drift slightly into sleep.

Dipper didn't notice the upcoming person, dropping his bags to the ground to hurry up to the obviously hurt deer in front of the shack. He missed how two gentle hands picked him to carry him inside. The small fawn overslept a lots of yelling and crying in the house, and dark cruses and swearing when someone treated the wounds on his body. The day had long faded into night when Dipper's muzzle finally twitched until he blinked the sleep out of his eyes, but just as he lifted his head to take a look at his surroundings he became aware of his sore body and the events of the previous day.

'Gideon, of course.' Dipper grunted, pushing himself up from the soft pillow beneath him, his ear twitched to the sound of the TV before his gaze drifted to the only chair in the parlor, just to find it empty and abandoned. Instead, his eyes focused on the low, small bowls beside his provisory bed. One filled with water while the other one was full to the brim with grass, flowers, herbs and other things that make his stomach grumble. But before he was able to think about if he should give in to his hunger or not, a rustling noise from the kitchen got his attention. Dipper's ears peaked up as he slowly made it to the only light filled room in the house. The kitchen was mostly empty and the clock told him that Mabel was probably sound asleep right now, so the only one that was left to fill the messy room his with his presence was Stan himself. He stood before the coffee machine, his "World's Best Grunkle" cup they had bought him just a few weeks before the whole monster incent, was placed were the pot normally would have been, so that the dark liquid dropped directly into the already full mug. But just as Stan lifted the cup from its place to walk back into the living room, he turned around to be startled by the small fawn standing before him; his fingers slipped, the cup fell down to the floor where it crashed into pieces, spilling its dark contents over the ground.

"Darn it!" His grunkle hissed when the hot coffee sunk into his slippers and burnt his toes, he kneeled down beside the mess to clean it up. Dippers ears fell back on his face when he carefully approached Stan who was picking up the little bits and pieces of the cup, throwing them into the sink above.

"I- sorry." Dipper murmured, but Stan just huffed, shaking his head without looking at him again.

"It's not your fault." He swallowed giving the approaching fawn a warning look.

"You better not come closer, you could cut yourself." But Dipper closed the distance between them anyway, wearing a sarcastic smile underneath his pitch black nose.

"That would be the least of my problems now." He laughed dryly, but the comment made Stan's body rigid before he did something Dipper definitely wasn't expecting. His grunkle dropped the shards of his favorite mug, and grabbed the small fawn that was supposed to be his nephew into a tight hug. Dipper's throat let out a slight breath, his instincts told him to struggle out of this to tight embrace, but Stan held on until he felt the bumping heart of the small deer becoming slow again. Dipper blinked away the last of his unwelcome instincts, giving the neck of his grunkle a confused look. Stan began to speak, his voice raspy and definitely too low for his personality.

"I'm sorry." Stan breathed into his ear, the lump in his throat that had been growing since he found Dipper, and stayed all the way through watching him sleep made it impossible to speak. One of Dipper's ears brushed his cheek when it repositioned itself to better listen to him. Stan swallowed and cleared his throat to make his voice audible at least.

"It's.... this is all my fault. I should have looked out for you kids better. I could have prevented all of this." He murmured, biting his lips.

"I should have looked out for you better. I knew you were always up to something, always putting yourself in danger, just like-"

'Just like him.' But he made the image fade from his mind again, a sad smile formed itself on his lips.

"I should have known it." He whispered, shaking his head in anger of himself.

"I'm sorry, Dipper." The guilt in Stan's voice made his stomach drop, so that he had a hard time breathing smoothly.

"I'm sorry that you have to bear all of this. I'm sorry that I didn't prevent it." Stan hugged him even closer, burying his chin in his nephew's soft fur, but his voice broke anyway.

"I'm sorry... that I wasn't a better Grunkle for you." He whispered.

The lonely clock on the wall ticked away a few seconds before Dippers tiny voice finally broke the silence again.

"Don't be." He said, making Stan pull away from him to look the former boy before him in the dark brown eyes, he just gave him a comforting smile.

"None of this is your fault. You know I'm stubborn and I know who I got that from. I would have done it anyway." He shrugged with a smile, but the joke never reached his eyes. So that his next words were firmer this time.

"So don't be sorry Grunkle Stan..." Dipper bit his lips before he took a breath, his eyes avoiding Stan's now, to prevent his grunkle from realizing exactly why he was telling him all this.

"I- I really did have the greatest time of my life here in Gravity Falls, with you and Mabel. I wouldn't like to miss anything about it." At the end of his sentence he looked back into Stan's eyes, but the scared look on the old man's features told him that he already said too much.

Stan understood right away what the young fawn was up to.

He became a full deer overnight, so whatever time was left for him... it wasn't much.

Dipper knew that.

This was his way of telling him goodbye.

"Dipper..."

Stan breathed, and tighten his grip on the deer's shoulders to give him a stern look.

"Don't do that! Don't- just don't." He shook his head before he focused on the boy in front of him again.

But Dipper just gave him a tired smile, stepping up to him again to lay his head on his Grunkle's shoulder, hugging him as best as he could, before the strong arms on him followed his movements to hold him tight. Dipper's heart tighten itself in his chest, before he whispered some last raspy words into Stan's ear.

"I love you Grunkle Stan."

He felt Stan's body tremble underneath him, his breath hitched before a few hot drops fell down Dippers fur, making his own eyes burn while his Grunkle's voice was nothing more but a broken whisper now.

"Love you too kid."