Bill Northwest did not have patience for Robbie's shenanigans. Or, Robbie in general.

No matter how many times Robbie said he was going to leave Bill alone, he always came crawling back to him, wanting something. Wanting his help, his knowledge, or something similar, and he never repaid him. That was what annoyed Bill every time, the fact the boy never would cough up to his end of the deal for his help. Bill believed if he got help from someone, he deserved something in return that they must pay back.

Robbie? He never seemed to care. He had tried to avoid him, he had really tried. But when he did ignore him, he bugged like a child for Bill to come back. It was even more annoying than his terrible mood swings worse than any moody teenager's parents could imagine.

What a relief it'll be when he actually stops bothering me.

Bill swished his hair to the side as he walked through the woods. He didn't have to be doing this. Then why was he? So Robbie would leave him alone. Also, it was fun to brag to the boy once in a while and to see him get angry.

He looked around the woods, making sure not to trip over any tree branches, as that would look bad. What did Robbie actually want with him? He thought after he had gone on the road with his silly little psychic show, the Tent o' Telepathy or whatever he called it, he thought they had been done for good. Yet, he still had gotten six different phone messages from him this week, which must've meant he was desperate. Desperate enough to risk facing Bill's wrath once he did answer.

After he managed to navigate his way through the woods while not ripping any of his clothes, he caught sight of the building. The Radiance Warehouse, where his parents stored things from their funeral home or whatever they did for a living which required a warehouse. Robbie had told them what his parents did before, but he didn't care to remember.

It was a run down place, anyone would say. Much less fancy than his family's warehouse, and certainly was not as well kept. He didn't know how long the building had been around for, but he assumed it was built by his parents or it had come with the house they had bought when they moved to Gravity Falls. Once Bill got closer to the warehouse, he took the time to examine a large patch of rust formed just near the entrance of the building. This place needs to remove the rust and a paint job. Even then, it would still look like it had been deprived of much needed maintenance.

Bill's face wrinkled a little before he walked near to entrance, as he cast his eyes on the pile of crates near the door, and he started moving crate after crate away. Had somebody blocked it before? Who had even been here either than Robbie? He had no idea, and he didn't really care too much. All he did care is he wished someone had warmed him. If he knew this was the case, he would've brought something with him to help. Or have prepared some magic.

When the crates were out of the way, Bill quickly pulled open the door for a dramatic entrance, as he stood in the doorway, his head held high, and his signature Cheshire Cat grin plastered on his face.

"Well well well, look who we have here, back again!" He called out, once he had pinpointed Robbie. His voice echoed on the high walls of the building, causing Robbie to look up.

Bill took a good look at Robbie, who was lying on the ground, looking like death had punched him in the face. Twice. The one thing Bill did notice was his once baby face had disappeared, along with the chubby cheeks and extra large eyes which made many in the town think he was cute or adorable. His face now looked more triangular, and his eyes darker. He wasn't handsome, but the old look of cuteness he had before had been replaced by an older, more meaning looking kid.

Robbie sat up, giving him a glare. "Why didn't you answer my calls, Northwest?"

Bill rolled his eyes. "Relax, Robbie. I was busy. I am a busy man these days."

"Ha! Man, as if," Robbie commented, getting to his feet and fixing his hair. "I thought while I was off preforming my show, you'd be studying the Journals or something lame like that."

"Journals," Bill replied, a hint of disgust in his tone. "I've been doing my own research now, Radiance. I've found more things than that old book would ever tell me. And I did it all without you, so if you're here because you think I need your help, I'd say you're wasting your time. Also, considering you're the one who got yourself locked in your own warehouse, I wouldn't be the one talking about 'lame."

Robbie had given him a sneer before he replied to Bill, which made him grin. "That was Fiddleford Pines' fault. He locked me in. I'm only here because I need your help."

Fiddleford Pines? Bill wasn't aware he actually left his house. Why the heck would be be piling crates outside the Radiance Warehouse?

Bill did raised an eyebrow at the word help. "Ha! Well then I'm not surprised. Old Radiance needs another favour, a likely one. What's the deal this time?"

"Cut the crap, Northwest," Robbie spat. "I'm only getting your help because I know you know that Journal inside and out."

"You could say that," Bill replied with a grin. "What's the story?"

"The great nieces of Fiddleford Pines are visiting for the summer," Robbie started.

Bill's eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't aware that Fiddleford Pines had great nieces, he was also unaware that the old man actually had anyone who he let spend any amount of time near him. He almost pitied the girls, having parents crazy enough to send them up to this town for the summer to stay with him, of all people. Had to be interesting, at the very least.

"And?" Bill asked, gesturing for Robbie to continue.

"One of them has a Journal," Robbie continued. "I think she stole it, but I don't know how. I don't know what she's planning to do with the Journal, but she has it. I figure it has something to do with her ability to be immune to my ability to read people's minds."

Bill listened, his hand resting on his chin as he thought and listened. Perhaps this girl was worth nothing if she could resist Robbie'powers.

"Is that all?" Bill asked, as Robbie didn't say anything for a minute.

"No," he answered quickly. "The one last thing is, I've been hearing rumours, rumours about the Pines-"

"Look, kid, I don't want part of your silly little rumours. I've got my own things to do, not sit around gossiping about people in this town," Bill said, cutting him off.

"No! Listen, just for once," Robbie said, holding his hands up for Bill not to exit. "Rumour has it that Fiddleford Pines is building a machine. A machine that can travel through dimensions, one that could bring monsters into this dimension, one that could severely change this town, this world, this universe."

Bill looked at Robbie, his eyebrow raised slightly again. "Even. . ."

"Yes, even Them," Robbie commented. "I just need to get my hands on it and whatever activates it to make it work."

Bill looked Robbie for a moment, before beginning to pace around the Radiance Warehouse, his feet shuffling with every step. Robbie intense gaze was focused on Bill, who occasionally would put his hand on a crate and examine it for a minute, but otherwise kept his hands pressed together up against his face. He thought, listening to his steps echo across the large walls of the barn. Eventually, he turned back to Robbie, who looked anxious to hear his answer.

"And what's in this for me?" Bill had asked.

Robbie paused before answering. Now it was his turn to do the thinking. He looked away from Bill, muttering to himself as his gaze intensified as he looked around from left to right, his facial expression sometimes smiling ever so slightly or frowning.

"Tell you what, Northwest. If you help me get my hands on that machine and try to activate it-"

"If it's actually real," Bill interjected.

Robbie rolled his eyes. "If it's actually real, plus help me seize their little tourist trap or house or whatever they have going on in there, and I'll let you have half of the victory and half of the prize. Choose whatever you want, but I promise you'll get half of it," Robbie answered.

Bill began to grin again. This was a pleasant surprise to him, considering Robbie was never the most generous person. He liked to keep most of the victory prizes to himself, along with the credit of the victory, even if Bill had done with of the work himself. Half? He didn't know if whatever reason Robbie had looked like death before he had walked in had changed him, or if it had just been the years of experience he had under his belt now.
This was uncharacteristic of Robbie. At least, Robbie a few years ago. Perhaps he really did need his help.

As Bill grinned more, the slowly shuffled over to Robbie, extending his hand to him. "Shake my hand, and you've got a deal, Radiance."

Robbie grinned back at him, except his was much more malevolent than Bills own grin. "You've got a deal, Northwest."

E n d of E p i s o d e T w o

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