It wasn't until a few minutes after their conversation about Stanley that Dipper remembered.

"Hey, Grunkle Ford," Dipper said. "I forgot to ask. What happened when you went to go see Pacifica?"

The smile left Ford's eyes.

"Ford?" Mabel asked. "What happened?"

It took a while before he spoke.

"She was gone," Ford said.

"What?" Dipper suddenly felt dizzy. Was she out by herself? Was she on her way here? She couldn't come back; she couldn't; she—

"We got to her house, but no one answered the door. Gideon tried the knob, and it was open. When we went inside. . . no one was there."

"Not even her parents?" Mabel whispered.

"No one. We looked all over the house. Pacifica's room was a mess, her parents' room was somewhat disorderly. But there was nobody to be seen anywhere."

The mood from before had almost completely evaporated now.

"What does this mean?" Melody asked.

"I don't know," Ford said. "Gideon was extremely upset about it. I asked what I could do to help, and he told me to leave him alone."

"Well, that was rude of him," Mabel said hotly, "after you went to help him and everything."

"He was as polite as he could be after finding out his friend was missing," Ford said softly.

Mabel didn't respond.

"So what do we do?" Dipper asked. He didn't want to go looking for Pacifica, not by any means. But if she was out there somewhere, and even crazier than before. . . .

"We stay on our guard," Ford said. "But we focus on finding the Journals. Now that Pacifica doesn't have her amulet, I don't believe she can be as much of a threat as she has been in the past. But we will be cautious in case she does strike again."

"Her parents are gone too," Mabel said. "So maybe they're with her."

"Or maybe she did something to them," Dipper said. The thought made his stomach churn.

"We're not going to worry about it," Ford said firmly. "We'll keep an eye out, but we won't let fear hold us back. If Pacifica attacks, we'll be ready for her."

Mabel squeezed Dipper's hand. He stared at the floor.

He couldn't let Pacifica get to him again. He couldn't let her separate him from Mabel.

He squeezed Mabel's hand back.

Never again.

~~~~~

Blind Lincoln did not sleep well that night, and that was before Bill Cipher appeared in his dreams.

Lincoln sat on a grassy hill, looking up at the stars. They winked at him, bright white dots splayed against a deep blue and purple blanket that stretched across as far as the eye could see. The stars were beautiful, and Lincoln found himself mesmerized by them.

Until he noticed a group of stars forming the shape of a triangle.

More and more stars appeared, filling out the lines of the triangle, drawing a bow tie at the bottom, showing an eye at the top. The stars grew brighter and brighter, until their light melted together and Lincoln could no longer see the individual dots. The light faded from white to yellow.

And Bill Cipher appeared.

Lincoln immediately realized he was in a dream. One benefit of conversing with Bill in the mindscape was the ability to become lucid easily. He stood up as Bill floated toward him.

"Lord Cipher?" he asked. "To what do I owe this visit? Is there sensitive information we did not discuss yesterday?"

"Yes," Cipher replied, without so much as a greeting. "In fact, tonight could mark the beginning of our greatest triumph, or our gravest failure."

"What do you mean?"

"The time is coming, Blind Eye, when all my plans will finally be fulfilled."

Lincoln felt a dream heartbeat pounding in his chest. "It is?"

"Yes. I will finally be rid of these bonds. And you will be the one to help me succeed."

Lincoln bowed low. "Of course, Lord Cipher. I am your humble servant."

Bill laughed. "Oh, please. We both know you're just impatient to get me out of this dimension."

Most of the time, Lincoln and Bill would pretend to be civil towards one another. Apparently not tonight.

"Yes," Blind Lincoln said dryly, "I'm quite looking forward to a life of peace."

"You'll get it," Bill said. "But I have a job for you."

Lincoln felt his hopes rise. "Aside from caring for the Pleasure child?"

"Nope!" Bill replied. "That is the job. Take care of her, groom her to be a future leader of the Order. And, most importantly, keep her away from the Pines family."

Lincoln frowned. "The Pines family? You mean the ones in the Mystery Museum at the edge of town?"

"Yes. Keep Pacifica away from them. Keep them away from the Order. And keep yourself away while you're at it."

"Why?"

"Because the Pines are about to get involved over their heads in something they don't understand. They cannot find out about the Order at all costs. And if Pacifica were to get near them — well, let's just say we will not let that happen. And to keep the Order secret, you must stay out of sight as well."

Lincoln stayed out of sight anyway. The only people who knew of his existence were the members of the Order and the Northwests. This specific order from Bill to stay away from this particular family was intriguing.

"Well? Are you planning to obey me?"

"Yes," Lincoln said. He added sarcastically, "I am your servant, after all. A servant who will do everything to help you depart from my life."

Bill laughed again, longer this time. "It's funny how disillusioned you are," he said to Lincoln. "You sure can make me laugh."

"I try. And what will you do, while I stay out of sight and babysit the insane child?"

"I think you'll like her a lot more than you imagine," Bill replied.

"Sure. So what will you be doing?"

"I will be taking care of the Pines situation myself," Bill declared. "Without anyone to get in my way. Can I rely on you to follow my instructions?"

Lincoln bowed again, though not nearly as deeply as before. "Your wish is my command."

"Good." Bill's glow brightened. "I knew I could count on you. You're a good leader of the Order, Blind Eye."

"Thank you."

"Yes. . . You're far more useful to me than you even know."

And with that, Bill Cipher disappeared, leaving nothing but a constellation in the night sky shaped like a one-eyed triangle.

End of Episode One