Author's Note: At this point- I'd say just expect long chapters. My writing style has changed a lot and there's a lot of info that needs to go into these chapters. Remember to take a break from reading and get something to eat, drink, or go outside and give your eyes a break!

Dipper's POV

"OH HECK YEAH! FINALLY!"

I had just woken up. Just exited my bedroom. And the first thing I hear is someone screaming at the top of their lungs all the way down the hall in the direction of where the living room and kitchen was.

I was definitely not awake enough to be dealing with screaming just yet. You'd think at this point in my life I would be used to it as I have had to deal with my twin sister every morning but nope, still not mentally awake enough to be dealing with it.

I made my way down the hall, noticing there was no one in the living room. I continued my way into the kitchen only to find a powerless dream demon jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas in the middle of the room. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on in here or why he seemed to be so excited, it seemed as though he was the only one in the room right now. I moved to scratch the back of my neck, opening my mouth to allow a tired yawn to escape from me before I began to question the man over his excitement.

"Uh... Markus? What exactly is going on? I'm pretty sure you woke up the entire house with your screaming."

Markus Locke quickly turned around to face me, a wide grin on his face as his arms gestured towards the entire room. "No food! Bill left early today without preparing breakfast! Which means I can finally cook up a decent breakfast for everyone that won't make us feel sick later in the day. Isn't that great?!"

"Oh... I didn't even notice. Yeah, I suppose that is-"

"You want to help me out? I could always use an assistant!"

I hesitated for a moment, staring up at him with an unsure feeling. I'm not exactly the best when it comes to cooking, but if I helped then maybe I'll be able to get breakfast a lot sooner than I would if I left him to make breakfast all on his own. I shrugged, giving a small nod.

"Sure, I'll help you out I suppose."

"Great! Come on, I'm making bacon that doesn't taste like cardboard and you can help me out with the pancakes!" Markus rushed over towards the fridge to remove all the ingredients that we would need. I walked over to stand by his side and began to help him with making breakfast.

It took around 40 to 50 minutes of us making small talk and cooking before we finally finished up breakfast and had a whole stack of pancakes as well as an entire plate of bacon. It was a pretty peaceful morning overall once Markus' excitement had died down, and I'm not going to lie... the food smelled so much better than the food Bill brings to the table.

Markus looked over at me, smiling softly. "Thanks for the help, Dipper. This was... fun! I'm really glad we could hang out like this again, kind of like old times." He chuckled lightly, patting my shoulder.

I frowned slightly hearing him say that, taking a slight step back and looking up at him. "I think... I'll just go and wake the others up, let them know that breakfast is ready-"

"Wait- Hold on a sec there, did... I do something wrong?"

I looked down, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt as a distraction for myself so I was no longer facing Markus while I spoke. "...This isn't like old times, Markus. Honestly, I don't think it'll ever be like old times. ...I know it's been two years since it occurred and I know you've changed a lot during your time with us, but-... I'm sorry." I looked back up at him again, noticing how his once happy expression had now fallen. But I continued my thought process, not backing down. "I'm sorry but I can't trust you like I had before, we can't be friends like we had been. After learning what you did to Y/n for years-... she is like family to me, and my family comes first. Maybe others can forgive what you did but I can't. Not now, at least. I can't promise I ever will- I don't know. I've been trying my best to be okay with all of this but in reality... I'm not."

Markus seemed to tense slightly hearing my words, his shoulders falling as he could no longer make eye contact with me. "I mean... Bill did some crappy stuff too, you seem to have forgiven him-"

"Not really, no, I haven't forgiven him. But he is dating Y/n which gives him a pass, sort of. I tolerate him, I see the way he treats Y/n like he would never do anything to harm her in any way, shape, or form. But you have... You've really screwed up."

He didn't say anything immediately right afterwards, and I was starting to hate myself for letting these words spill so suddenly but I was still tired and barely awake. Though... it wasn't like I was telling any lies. I meant all that I said, even if it hurt.

He ran a hand through his hair, taking a step away from me. "Right... Right. Well... yeah, okay. That's... That's fine, I deserve that. After everything I've done, I really don't deserve any sort of forgiveness. I guess I was just getting my hopes up thinking for a second that maybe I've... finally earned a bit of your trust back. That was... really foolish of me to think. Sorry for reading all the signs wrong."

"Markus-"

"Hey- Who's in here eating breakfast without us?!"

It was as if on cue both Mabel and K.C. strolled into the room, looking as though they had just woken up but at the same time were filled with this energy that I am unable to possess myself without a cup of coffee first thing in the morning.

Markus' expression quickly changed, looking cheerful and energetic once again as he greeted both of the girls. "Hey, sleepyheads! You're just in time- Dipper and I just finished making breakfast so go ahead and help yourselves to some pancakes and bacon! There's plenty for everyone."

"Sounds good to me! Don't mind if I do," K.C. said, smiling brightly as she skipped further into the kitchen.

He picked up the plates, walking past me and going to set them down on the table. Now I really feel bad that that's how the conversation between the two of us had ended. The way he quickly changed his mood just then- it's like he's had practice putting the mask on and now I can't shake this feeling off that maybe deep down Markus wasn't okay and was just hiding it... and I just added on to whatever horrible feeling he felt on the inside. But I had a right to speak my mind, didn't I? It's not like he didn't deserve it after everything he's done. I had to remind myself that he's the one that hurt Y/n and lied to my entire family just to use and play us for his sick schemes with Kaden. I didn't have to forgive him for anything if I wasn't ready.

I walked over towards the table to sit with the girls for breakfast, eating and talking with them for a bit while Markus stayed quiet. Mabel mentioned how she'd be out for the day to go discuss the new clothesline she's planning on making with Neal. Those two really have been spending a lot of time together, but I have to remind myself that it's because they work together and to not think too much more into it. I can't be that overprotective of her, Mabel has a life of her own to live. I spoke to K.C. briefly about how I had something I wanted to show her after breakfast, which in turn caused her to eat faster and nearly choke on a piece of pancake. I had quickly moved to start patting her back and make sure that she would be okay.

After some time, we had all finished up, standing up and planning on going our separate ways.

"What do you plan on doing today, Locke?" K.C. asked him, turning towards the demon who barely spoke a word while we ate.

"Hmm? Oh- I think I'm going to go wake up Y/n, make sure she gets something to eat before the food gets too cold. Then I'll probably see what Stan needs me to do today. But you guys have fun today, okay? Talk to you later."

Markus waved goodbye, heading down the hall towards Y/n's room.

Little did Dipper know that that would be the last of Markus he would see for today as Markus and Y/n would plan to head out only to return later on in the evening to say that they were "attacked by the gnomes".

"So- What is it you wanted to show me?" K.C. asked as I began to lead her down the hall.

"Well, I told you I'd help you figure out who or what the voice inside your head was, right? Ever since you told me about it, I haven't stopped thinking about it. And using some of Ford's old tech, his journals, and my own knowledge- I think I've found a way to get in communication with the voice," I said proudly as I opened the door to my room, allowing her to walk in first.

"Wait- really?! Oh my gosh, Dip-Dop, that's great!" She smiled brightly, practically jumping into the room as she looked back at me which caused me to blush a bit.

Seeing her happy... I'm just glad I could help her.

"Yeah, well... you asked for my help and I wasn't just going to leave you helpless. I'm gonna do my best to get to the bottom of this and see if we can help this voice out."

I walked into my bedroom, shutting the door before quickly hurrying over towards my desk. I knelt down in front of the drawers that were below my desk, digging through my pocket to pull out a small key before going to unlock the bottom drawer and look through it.

"For a moment there my brain thought you said 'helpless' because you were trying to reference the song from Hamilton," Katie mentioned behind me as I simply rolled my eyes in response.

"You think life in general is just one big musical reference after another."

"Guilty as charged, but can you blame me?"

"I don't think I'll ever understand your obsession over musicals."

"Well think of it this way- It's kind of like your obsession over 70s music likeee... BABBA?"

I paused, my face heating up as I quickly spun around and stared at K.C. in a mix of shock and horror.

"Wh- H-How did you-"

"Mabel really loves to tell embarrassing stories about you." She shrugged, moving over towards my bed to sit down and cross her legs. Her eyes began to look down, tilting her head to the side before pointing towards my hand. "Is that the device that you've been working on?"

I nodded my head, walking over towards my bed and going to sit across from her. In my hand was what looked to be a walkie talkie- except it was much larger, had a lot more buttons and knobs covering it as well as colorful wires sticking out and around the device. It wasn't the prettiest thing, but if it ends up working then who cares what it looks like.

"Yup, my homemade ghost communicator! I- uh... actually have no idea if this works or not. Maybe it was a bad idea to tell you about this before actually testing it out on a ghost I know exists... Shoot, I'm sorry. I might be getting your hopes up if this doesn't actually work, I wasn't even considering the fact it might not work. I was just so excited to tell you that I had finally finished making it- I'm sorry."

"No hey- it's okay! You don't have to apologize, Dipping-sauce. This way we'll both figure it out together if it works or not and then whatever ends up happening we'll go from there."

I relaxed a bit hearing her words, smiling gently towards her before placing the device down between us. I looked up at her with a cautious glance, taking a deep breath in.

"You ready to give it a shot?"

"I was born ready. Let's talk to some ghosts!"

I smiled, looking back down at my homemade ghost communicator. After pressing some buttons and turning the knobs to the settings they needed to be at, I finally turned it on. This loud static filled the quiet room as the both of us just stared at it with wide eyes. Well, it's on! That's good that it didn't blow up immediately in our faces.

Clearing my throat, I finally spoke up: "This is Dipper Pines and Katelyn Cooper, we are trying to reach out to the possible ghost that has been haunting Katelyn. If you are not that ghost, then we do not want to hear from you. We are only wishing to make contact with Katelyn's ghost."

A long moment of just static followed after that. I frowned slightly, digging my nails into the bedsheets while staring down at the device.

"...Please, is the ghost that has been reaching out to Katelyn here with us? ...You can speak to us using this device if you are."

But there was nothing once again, only static remained coming out of the device. I gritted my teeth, standing up and running a hand through my hair.

"I don't understand why it's not working... if you've been hearing the voices in your head then the ghost is probably connected to you somehow which means it should be present and able to speak to us!"

"Well... like I said, I haven't heard it in a while... maybe they're no longer connected to me? Maybe it's not even a ghost to begin with?"

"Or maybe my machine doesn't work. Maybe... maybe I did something wrong."

I walked away back towards my desk, reaching into the bottom drawer and pulling out my blueprints that I had created to make the ghost communicator. "I don't know where I would've screwed up... but there has to be an error somewhere that I overlooked," I muttered under my breath, scanning the words and pictures that I scratched into my blueprint. Would I even notice the error in my work, though, if there was one? I wanted this to work. I wanted this to work so badly. I'm tired of just standing by when problems arise, I want to be of some help to others. I am more than just the journals. Sure I obsessed over them when I was younger but they do not defy me or limit me to what I am capable of doing. I thought obtaining some of Bill's powers could prove I could be capable of doing more, but all I did was use my powers to remove Y/n's bracelet which caused her to get hurt at Dusk2Dawn. Then I believed I could use my intelligence for good but instead I made a broken device that helps no one, especially doesn't help Katie in this scenario.

I just... feel like I keep trying and trying to help but only end up failing everyone... failing myself.

I press my hands against the desk, lowering my head and closing my eyes. Just because it failed this time doesn't mean it will the next time. I just have to keep trying. Keep trying until I get it right and I can finally say I was able to help someone out for once just by being myself-

". . . . ｻ∑ﾚㄕ. . . ."

I tensed, slowly turning my head around to see Katelyn now holding the device in her hands. She was staring down at it before looking up at me, eyes wide.

"I just- Did you hear that? Someone was speaking through it, Dip!"

It... works? I was so confused. How could it be working now all of a sudden? Maybe I was just being too impatient before and I should have waited a bit longer before calling it a failure? It doesn't really matter what it was that caused it to work, now does it? It works! We're actually speaking to this ghost that's been haunting K.C. and can figure out what exactly it wants.

I quickly rushed back over to the bed, jumping on top of it with my knees folded beneath me and staring at the device in awe.

"Hello? Who is this? Is this the ghost that has been haunting Katelyn Cooper?"

I stared down at the machine, expecting an immediate answer to be given. But the machine only gave off more sounds of static which began to irritate me. One word? Was that all we were going to get from this thing?! Come on- Speak up already!

I felt something touch my shoulder, looking up and seeing that K.C. had reached out to place her hand on my shoulder.

"Patience, Dipper. We know it works, we just have to wait a bit till they decide to answer again," she whispered softly.

I scoffed, not wanting to be "patient" right now. It's not like we're in a rush or time is limited- I just want to see this work and receive answers! But I remain quiet, staring down at the device while biting my inner cheek to stay quiet. And eventually... the patience actually paid off.

". . . . и∑∑∂. . . ｻ∑ﾚㄕ. ."

"I don't think their identity is a priority for them to tell us right now... They seem to really need help."

"Right, but it would be nice to know, don't you think? I mean- what if we were helping a killer out? I wouldn't necessarily want to help someone who has blood on their hands."

"...Seriously? You're being ridiculous- the first thing you consider them to be is a possible killer?"

"In the worst case scenario they would be!" I argued, simply trying to give an example that if this thing, this possible ghost, was bad news then we should want nothing to do with them and just leave them be.

But then I heard something strange through the static coming out of my device... it sounded like... music was playing through it. It was very soft and not entirely noticeable unless your full attention was on the device itself. Why was there music? I leaned closer towards it, trying to see if the song was familiar in the slightest. It wasn't though, I've never heard this song before but... it was very beautiful. It felt like it was drawing me in, in a way.

". . . . ɬЯ∆ㄕㄕ∑∂. . . . ⅰ ∆㎡ . . . ㄅɬㄩςк . . . . . б∑ɬ ㎡∑ ◊ㄩɬ . . . . . ｻ∑ﾚㄕ ㎡∑. . . . . ɬｻ∑ √◊ⅰ∂ . . б∑ɬ ㎡∑ ◊ㄩɬ ◊ﾓ . . . ɬｻ∑ √◊ⅰ∂!"

"The Void...?" I whispered, leaning back and holding my head. "Trapped in the Void- is that what they said? ...I've never heard of the Void before- what is that?"

"Don't ask me- Maybe someone else might know something about it, though?" K.C. suggested, still holding the device in her hands.

"Great Uncle Ford might- Come on- we can go and ask him now," I said, quickly jumping off my bed.

"Alright! Let me go get changed real quick and then we can head up together. I'll be right back!"

Katelyn placed the device down on my bed before getting up as well and rushing out towards her room. I don't see why she needed to get changed- doesn't she normally just wear sweatpants, a t-shirt, and hoodie on the daily? I shrugged, not questioning it as I went to pick up the device- only to notice that some of the knobs and buttons had been moved to a different setting from what I had set it as. Weird... maybe Katelyn had been messing with it to get it to work? ...I mean hey- if it works it works, I'm not going to question it. I turn off the device, placing it in the drawer at my desk once again before leaving my room to wait for K.C.

~~~

After Katelyn finished getting dressed, we headed upstairs just in time to see both Y/n and Markus heading out the front door. Where were those two off to...? I was about to go investigate, not liking the fact that Y/n was alone with him only for K.C. to link arms with me and drag me away.

"Come on! We need to focus, Dipper. We have a mission of our own to do and we require Ford's assistance with it!"

"I know, I just-.... Okay, I'm coming." Sighing, I followed her and we ended up checking every room in the house before finally ending up in the kitchen to see Great Uncle Ford at the sink cleaning some dishes.

"Stanford! Just the twin we needed to talk to!" Katelyn exclaimed, rushing into the kitchen while continuing to drag me along.

Great Uncle Ford turned around, a bright smile on his face as he looked at the two of us. "Well then, it appears as though I'm highly popular today. What is it that the two of you are needing?"

Katelyn was bouncing beside me, turning to glance at me and then made a head nod in the direction of Ford as if to gesture to me to speak to him. I gulped, looking up at my great uncle before beginning to speak.

"I was wondering if... if you knew anything about this thing- it's something I've never heard of existing before but maybe it's something you've either heard of or encountered yourself...? It's... called the Void."

Ford's smile fell slightly, tilting his head to the side while clasping his hands behind his back. "How did... you two come to hear about the Void?"

"So you know it then? What is it- a thing? A place?" Katelyn asked her own questions while completely ignoring Ford's.

I don't see why she didn't answer him, were we planning on keeping this a secret or something? I don't see why we would need to. We could trust Ford. He's already dealt with so much already, I'm sure he'd want to help us with this little project. It's not like we were summoning demons or causing the end of the world.

Ford hesitated for a moment before slowly making his way over to the kitchen table to sit down. "During my many years of traveling from dimension to dimension, I did happen to stumble upon some information about this place they call the Void."

This seemed to peak both mine and Katelyn's interest as we followed him to the table and sat down across from him.

"What is the Void, exactly...?"

"Another dimension, a dimension I highly recommend no one should ever go to. There's nothing there, nothing but complete emptiness. It has many names: The Void, The Empty, The Darkness, and some other names that I cannot pronounce correctly because it's in another language. One of the many reasons one should never enter this dimension is because it's like a prison. Once you enter, you cannot get out on your own. Unless some door or portal opens up to help pull you out, you're trapped with no means of escape."

"Trapped...?" I repeated, a bit surprised by this explanation.

"Stuck." Katelyn whispered next to me.

The voice. They said they were stuck in the Void. So maybe it's not a ghost? Someone within the Void found a way to connect to K.C. and ask for help, for someone to free them.

"Other dimensions have used the Void as a place to banish those who have done wrong and deserve punishment. Like say mass murder or broke one of their most important rules within the dimension. Some get stuck accidentally, some are purposely placed there as a way to protect their own dimension from these nuisances that cause havoc."

This- This is absolutely insane. Either we were helping an innocent person be freed from their imprisonment from this dimension or we could be helping a criminal break out. This didn't sit right with me. I knew we should have waited until they finally identified themselves before we agreed to help them. But... but they sounded so helpless, so scared... Maybe we should help. My brain was telling me no, but my heart was arguing against it and telling me that the right thing to do would be to help this stranger out to the best of our ability. Besides, I didn't want to upset K.C. by saying I wouldn't help her anymore. I had to do this, I had to show that I could be helpful. This is what I want.

...Right?

"I am still curious, however, how you came upon hearing about the Void in the first place.."

"We overheard some demons talking about it the other day when we went to Candy's Cafe. We just thought that maybe the smartest guy in town might know something about it," Katelyn quickly responded. I still was hating the fact we were lying to Great Uncle Ford. Maybe he could've helped us more if he knew.

"Huh... I have no idea why they would be discussing the place... but I hope the information I have given is enough of an explanation for you to have an idea of what the Void is."

"Yes! It helped us a lot- Thank you, Fordsy!"

Katelyn then proceeded to grab my arm once again and drag me out of the room. I could hear faint chuckling from Ford as I was dragged off into the living room, hearing a faint "goodbye" call out from him. When we finally made it to the living room, I frowned and turned to face Katelyn.

"Why are we lying to Great Uncle Ford? He could've helped us if he knew we were trying to free someone from that place!"

"Or he would've tried to stop us and risk putting my ghost's life in danger of never being helped! ...I panicked, okay! I thought-... I thought it was the right thing to do."

"I know- I know you did! I'm sure you did- I mean, maybe you're right... Maybe you are. I just thought he could've helped us out. I feel bad that we just lied to him..."

"I know you do, Dip. I'm sorry. But look- when we've finished helping the ghost, or whoever, escape from the Void, we won't have to lie to Ford about anything ever again. And he'll probably be proud of us when we figure this all out on our own!"

"Hmm... maybe you're right..."

"Of course I'm right! I always am- Now come on! How are we going to get to the Void and open a door that will allow them to escape?"

I thought about that question for a moment. How were we going to open a door to the Void? I scratched my head in thought before suddenly an idea popped into my head.

And then I scratched it because it was an awful idea that would most definitely not work.

...And then a new idea arose and my face lit up.

I quickly grasped K.C.'s hand, rushing off to the gift store where the vending machine sat. I punched in the code before stepping inside and pulling her along with me. We squished into the elevator, still holding her hand as I pressed the button to the second level instead of the third. I wasn't planning on heading down to our living area. Instead, I was on my way down to Ford's old underground laboratory that no one really goes down to see anymore.

When we arrived down there, K.C. seemed to be absolutely stunned by the area we were walking into, but she hadn't seen anything yet. We walked past a bunch of machinery, desks scattered with a bunch of papers and notebooks that were covered by a good layer of dust at this point. I continued to pull her deeper into the underground laboratory, walking to the end of the room and stopping in front of a door. Reaching out towards the door handle, I proceeded to open the door and enter the large, dark area inside. I grabbed my phone out of my pocket, turned on the flashlight and walked forward with it, aiming ahead until the large structure before us came into view and the light from my phone shined upon it.

"Holy mother of musicals..." K.C. whispered under her breath, staring up at the interdimensional portal with wide eyes.

I smirked, looking up at it and taking a deep breath in. This portal has caused nothing but problems for my family, friends, and I... but maybe this time around it will be able to help us rather than harm us.

"This. This is how we're getting to the Void."