BitterSweet [BillDip][1920's AU]

"They were smart and sophisticated, with an air of independence about them..."

"I don't know if you are trying to warn me, or scare the shit out of me, but you are doing a stellar job in both areas." Dipper stated once he had Stanford's attention again.

"Good. Because being scared means you'll be careful. And tomorrow you'll need all the help you can get." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to have a long talk with my brother." He said, turning to Stanly. His twin sighed, slowly getting to his feet.

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me a sec with the kid, will 'ya?" He asked, giving his brother a crooked smile.

"Fine. Meet me in my office." And with that Ford turned and left the room. Stanly sighed, reaching up to rub his chin out of habit and wincing in pain. He glanced over at Dipper, gaze soft, and ruffled the boy's short brown locks.

"Look kid. I'm sorry I got you and your sister wrapped up in this mess on your first day back. What can I say? Old habits die hard." He dropped his hand, shoulders sinking. "I can't get you out of this one. So just... be careful. Okay?" Dipper met his Great uncle's gaze, nervously reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"Yeah. Alright." He responded, and Stanly smiled before hissing and licking his lip.

"Damn. I'm getting to old for this." He groaned, turning and heading towards the back of the apartment.

"Good luck Grunkle Stan!" Mabel called, earning a wave from Stanly before he disappeared. Dipper groaned, collapsing in the seat beside his twin and running his hands over his face.

"I feel like I've accepted a death sentence." He stated, glancing at Mabel, who was fiddling with a strand of her short dark hair – placing it over her puckered lips as if it were a mustache.

"Probably because you kind of sort of did, bro- bro." she murmured. Dipper leaned back in his seat, gazing up at the ceiling. The sound of shouting came from the back room, and Dipper almost felt sorry for his Grunkle Stan.

Then again, it was Stanly's gambling habit which had gotten Dipper into this predicament in the first place, and a little bit of Ford's fury might put the older man back on track.

For a little while, at least.

Dipper's first day back to the city and everything had already gone to shit.

He shouldn't have expected any less from himself.

"Why the hell did I agree to all of this?" He asked to no one in particular. Mabel dropped her hair, getting to her feet and brushing her brother's hair back from his forehead, giving him a chaste kiss.

"Because you are a big, dumb, loveable idiot whose heart is bigger than his head no matter how much he pretends it's not." She stated, before heading towards the back.

"I'm going to bed. Night Dip." She called over her shoulder. Dipper reached up to pat down his messy dark locks, a smile forming on his lips.

Thank god for his sister.

"Yeah. Night Mabes." He responded, pushing to his feet and deciding that sleep sounded like exactly what he needed.

*************************

The next morning Dipper found himself standing outside of Bartlby's in the pink hued darkness just before the sun peeked it's tired head over the horizon and brought on the full light of morning.,

He'd been standing there for at least twenty minutes now, fidgeting with his necktie and making to knock at the massive door before his nervousness got the better of him and he went back to his tie again.