Before we start...

Dipper goes into a forest he never really looked at anymore after finding the Journal, and finds what looks like another one- but different. He got many warnings to stop prying into things that isn't his business, but stubbornly continued anyway. While searching he finds someone seemingly kind, and then makes his biggest mistake.

(I am not consistent with any of my stories, so don't expect this to be updated often. In this au Bill hasn't died, but the Pines family somehow got Bill in a bad position and made him surrender. Bill is more like a 'friend' to the pines family now, if that's the way you want to put it.)