They all had already understood what was about to happen, and all of the possible ways to, not escape, but to deal with it. And although they were capable to understanding the fate, they were not capable of accepting. 

Mabel hid her mouth with her hand, attempting to remain calm, hoping that one time would be just as when they were kids, hoping someone would show up with a brillian plan to save them. Hoping she had never became an adult. 

Dipper was exchaging glances, looking to Bill, then to Alex, and kept on doing that by uncountable times. It had been years, and more years, that he had felt so silly, so dumb, that he hadn't known what was going on. And God, how he had forgot he hated that feeling. He couldn't seem to figure why he had been such an innocent person through all of those years, thinking he could truly have a nice, and calm, life side by side with Cipher. He should've known, he should've stayed away. 

Gleeful was having a hard time seeing anything clearly. He knew what he was about to do, it was what he would usually do when confronted that way, it was the only thing he could even think about doing. He swallowed all of the tears, just as he had always been raised to do. In the one quick look he changed with Bill, he realized both of them were about to do the same thing. 

"Yes, go on," the voice said, "Go on and kill me, I would love to see you two try. Kill me here, and I'll be back in some decades, or even centuries, I'll be back. Now, will he be back?"

"Wait!" Will screamed, jumping to hug Gleeful from behind, trying to stop him from whatever crazy decision he was just about to take. "You can't do it, you can't, that's... T-that's my b-baby, you c-can't do i-it" 

Dipper Gleeful couldn't remember which was the last time he heard his husband cry so badly, probably because he have never did. No situation would ever be compared to that one, nothing would ever reach near to that feeling. Gleeful turned around, hugged Will, but kept his face emotionless. He would never, while he lived, surrender to any demoniac creature, not when it was threatening someone he loved and cared for. 

"Then we make a deal," Bill said louder than usual, in a different tone of voice, which Gleeful couldn't decipher, "That's when you make a deal with me, and we solve this as it is supposed to be"

"What do I get?" The demon possessing Alex asked. 

"Get off my nephew's body, and I'll tell you," that was when the voice was suddenly clear. Bill Cipher was begging. 

"That's not how it works, Cipher. Come on, tell me, what do I get?"

"You get to kill me. You get to kill me, but the deal forces you to stay very far from this town, and it in any dimension, or reality. You get to end me, if you don't get near to any of them"

"W-what?" Will whispered, letting go of Gleeful and glancing at Bill. 

"Now, you leave my nephew alone," he growled, reaching his hand to whoever was inside Alex's body, the blue flame burning brigh, lightning the cold, dark night, in which the world seemed to lose any possible color, and everything was resumed the that flame, that made Alex's eyes spark. 

"Now we are speaking the same language," the voice answered, grinning, and shaking hands with Bill, before both of them disappearing in strong white light, that blinded all of them temporarily.  

Though no light was strong enough to hold Will Cipher in his place. He didn't hesitate any minute to, in a shaking and weird way, run in the direction of Alex's body, lying on the floor. Before anything, he prayed to whoever was up there, to help him, to give him his son back, and give him alive. "A-alex?" He mumbled, holding the kid in his arms, and realizing that it was still breathing. Weakly, but breathing, "Alex, come on, come on, s-stay with m-me, will y-you? S-stay alive p-please"

"Alex!" Gleeful screamed, finally allowing himself to be a human being and cry. He got on his kness, side by side with Will. "Oh, fuck, come on, Alex, say something. Son?"

"Dad?" A weak voice coming out of the kid's mouth said, making Gleeful sigh relieved that it was, indeed, his son, but still, it couldn't rip the pain of uncertainty off his heart. "Father? Dad, what happened?"

"N-nothing, e-everything is ok, t-thing will b-be ok," Will whispered, passing his hands through Alex's hair, "J-just save y-your strength, and s-stay with m-me"

"Father, where am I?" He slowly asked, glancing to Gleeful, who shook his head. 

"Shh, ok? Remember when you were young, I told you how to survive in every situation possible?"

"Yes"

"Yes, I told you to stay quiet whenever you are weak, didn't I? Don't talk, stay alive, Alex"

"Am I...?" Alex whispered, being careful not to mention the 'bad' word near to his Dad. 

"No, no, you are not, little, you are not," Gleeful answered, attempting to swallow the tears, and to breathe normally. 

"A-Alex," Will called, still hugging his son as tight as it was possible, "Come on, r-remember when I-I taught y-you how to c-count in that w-weird way y-you l-like?"

"Uhum," he answered, smiling weakly with the few strength left in his body, "One, nine, eighteen, twenty seven"

"T-thirty s-six, f-forty f-five"

"Fifty four..."

-------------------------

Alex likes weird things, I love him. I swear I tried to make this a good chapter, I swear! I was even listening to my "sadaf" playlist. This is the chap I'd love if someone left a comment telling me how it went, cuz I suck at writing things like that, but I just love to do it. 

Love, Liv :3