Little Dipper

Cold

'Bill, HELP!'

"Pine Tree!" Bill cried out, turning and darting around the corner. 'Pine Tree, where are you?!'

'I'm in the pod room! Hurry, he's gonna--'

"Pine Tree?" Bill breathed, then ran around another corer until he saw the door up ahead. "I'm coming Pine Tree!"

The door opened and he saw Dipper stepping out of the room, the Journal in his arms. "Hi, Bill! I'm done with Mister F!"

Bill narrowed his eyes. "You're not Pine Tree."

"What do you mean?" Dipper asked. "I'm me!"

"Prove it. Do the lamby-lamby dance." Bill said firmly.

"The...huh?" Dipper stared blankly. Bill reacted by slamming a leg into the boy, knocking him to the ground. He let out a cry of pain and then chittered and clicked at him, reaching for the Journal.

"I don't think so!" Bill slammed another kick into his side. "Where's Pine Tree?!"

"Hgh! A-Alright, I give! He's in the pod room! But you better hurry." He chuckled a bit darkly. "Humans don't do very well with the cold."

Bill swiped the Journal and burst into the room. "Pine Tree!"

In one of the intact pods, Dipper was weakly lying against the glass, the cryo chamber filling up with ice. Bill ran over and smashed a hole before pulling him out. "Pine Tree! Pine Tree, wake up!"

Dipper stirred, but he was shivering and his lips were slightly blue. "B-Bill...?"

"I'm here, Pine Tree." Bill pulled off his coat and wrapped it around Dipper, then placed his hands on the coat, setting it on fire. "I'm gonna warm you up, don't worry!"

"Bill!" Wendy came running into the room.

"Tell me something only Wendy would know!" Bill snapped.

"Whoa, uh, you used my name. Uh, Sev'ral Timez are clones and Robbie is a jerk?" She shrugged.

"...Good enough. Where's F?" Bill asked.

"He was on the floor out there, holding his stomach. Looks like you hit him pretty hard." Wendy looked over at the door. "What happened?"

"He tricked Pine Tree into coming in here alone with him and put him in one of the pods." Bill stopped the fire and checked on him. "Okay, good. You're gonna be okay, kiddo." He unwrapped the coat from around him and put it back on. "Can you walk?"

"Mmhm." Dipper slowly got up, sniffling a bit. "I'm gonna go talk to F."

"Not alone." Bill said firmly, following him out.

F was sulking in a corner back in the form they originally saw him in when they stepped out, and he glanced up at them as they approached. "What, here to gloat?"

"Why did you do it?" Dipper asked.

"It was the only way I could get out of this place, by pretending to be one of you." He looked down. "No way your Bill would allow me to go out with you."

"Damn straight." Bill said firmly.

"Bill." Dipper looked at him, then walked over to F. "If you promise not to do it again, you can come with us."

"WHAT?!" Everyone else cried.

"Well, he just wants to get out!" Dipper looked at Bill, then at F. "If you promise to be good and not hurt anyone, you can stay with us!"

"Where are we going to put him? The basement is closed, and Tyrone's already taking up the copy room." Bill frowned.

"We have other rooms! He can sleep in my bed, even!" Dipper held put a hand to F. "What do you say?"

"He doesn't eat human flesh, does he?" Wendy asked.

The shapeshifter shook his head. "I've been eating...beans."

"Ew, you need more food." Dipper nodded firmly. "So, are you coming?"

"I'm pretty sure Stan will be opposed to this, but..." Bill sighed. "We may as well talk to Gideon about finding him a place. Maybe Tad can take him in."

"Yeah! If you don't stay with us, maybe you can stay with Gideon or Mister Strange!" Dipper beamed. "Come on!"

The shapeshifter nodded and took his hand. "I know the way to the exit, but I couldn't get past the security system."

"We already took care of that." Bill shrugged.

"It resets after you leave the security room." The shapeshifter informed him.

"WHAT?! I gotta do that AGAIN?! Agh, Sixer, you SUCK!" Bill slapped his hands to his face. "Alright, let's get out of here, already!"

"Good idea. This place is giving me the creeps." Pacifica said, rubbing at her arms.

The shapeshifter smiled. "Follow me!"

–

"Do you know any other form?" Bill asked as they climbed up out of the bunker. "I mean, that's kind of bizarre for me to look at."

"I only saw two people for my entire life before they put me in that pod and one of them always covered his face. And my true form might...terrify you." F said self-consciously. "I mean, the REAL F thought it was terrifying..."

"Well, fine. But if you can make yourself look like something that's not a real person, that would be great." Bill helped Dipper out of the hole and then stepped out of the way for everyone else to climb out.

"That was fun! But, next time let's take a trip to the bott—ah-ah-aachoo!" Dipper sneezed, a high-pitch sound that sounded like a kitten sneezing.

"Aww!" Candy and Grenda cooed.

"Are you okay?" Pacifica asked.

"I don' feel so good." Dipper rubbed at his nose and sniffled.

"Let's get you home and into some nice, warm pajamas and get you some cocoa." Bill picked him up then glared at F. "If he's sick because of you, I'm gonna be so pissed off."

F cringed and looked away sheepishly. "Sorry..."

"You better be. Come on, girls!" Bill walked off to the Mystery Shack.

Wendy climbed up and hit the switch to close the bunker again before jumping down and joining the group.