Chapter Text
She had to be dreaming.
But she wasn’t, the way Dipper was clinging tightly to her was indication of that. Finally, after over twenty four months spent apart from her other half, she was reunited with him. Mabel held onto him with all her strength, streams of tears pouring down her face like a waterfall as an incredible relief and weight she didn’t know she had been holding was released from her shoulders and she felt complete. After all this time and so much hardship, she was back in Gravity Falls where she belonged. It was home. The dark, drippy cavernous space of the basement and the pale blue light from the portal was tear jerking. Somewhere, she was vaguely aware of what sounded like sniffling coming from Grunkle Stan.
Wait, Grunkle Stan!
Mabel leapt to her feet like a rocket taking off into the atmosphere and screamed in only a pitch dogs could really hear, “GRUNKLE STAN!!”
The tired, puffy eyed old man lifted his head from Ford’s shoulder and his face lit up brighter than the noon day sun of the scorching Dimension 23-C and cried, “Mabel!” He left Ford’s embrace and unhesitantly scooped up his great-niece into his brutish arms and the girl responded by hugging him around the neck and nuzzling into his grayed hair and dusty fez.
“You’ve grown so much pumpkin!” He blubbered in his amazingly familiar gruff tone. Then he laughed shakily and continued, “You’ve gotten heavy. What’s Ford been feeding you, eh?”
The teen girl returned a watery laugh and wiped her eyes and grinned, “I missed you too, Grunkle Stan.”
He was just as she remembered him. All old and gross and well, grunkley. He still sounded like he smoked a pack a day and smelled like she expected him to, which wasn’t exactly like a basket of roses to be honest, but it meant so much to her that her heart was bursting at the seams. She idly wondered if it was possible to die from a heart broken by overflowing joy as she grinned ear to ear at him while he held her.
No more than a few feet away from Mable and Stan, Dipper and Ford’s faces were lit up like Christmas trees watching their respective twins reunite with one another. Ford chuckled quietly to himself and caught Dipper’s eye, who turned his head slightly and made eye contact with the Author of the Journals himself. The teen boy was embarrassed to admit he felt a small cluster of butterflies rise in his stomach as the older, six-fingered man closed the distance between them in a few short steps, his black trench coat following loyally behind him like a cape.
Stanford extended his hand to shake with a warm smile, which Dipper took with no shortness of excitement. “Hello Dipper, it’s a great pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard high praises about you from your sister.”
Dipper blinked in surprise and felt his ears redden a little. “Th-thanks Great Uncle Ford. It’s good to meet you too.”
The teen boy and Ford were too busy exchanging pleasantries to see the conspiratory grins Mabel and Stan had given each other now that the man had set her down. She tiptoed towards them like a hunting cat and then yelled, “Dogpile!” as she leapt at them with her arms out wide.
Mabel’s weight alone wasn’t enough to knock the two men, one young and one old, off of their feet. She got them to wobble somewhat but needless to say, when Stan joined in shortly after, the four family members found themselves in a heap on the ground. Ford yelped in alarm while Dipper’s laugh was cut off when he caught Mabel’s elbow in his ribs and the two attackers giggled mischievously as they all went down. Stan was sitting on Ford, Mabel’s feet were next to Dipper’s head, and the frigid, stony ground didn’t exactly make for the comfiest of floors to be tackled on but all four were soon laughing until tears came despite pained cries of discomfort from various points on their bodies.
It was only at that moment that a fifth figure apprehensively stepped out into the portal room, her platinum blonde hair reflecting the cold blue light from the portal before it flickered one last time and went dormant. Her smile was that of sunshine and fear and she approached the group with equal amounts of excitement and anxiousness.
Dipper grunted with exertion as he pulled himself out from the bottom of the pile of bodies and picked himself up off the floor and motioned for the young lady to come closer. “Paz, c’mere! Come say hi!”
Mabel got to her feet and helped Ford up, who then helped Stan up. She gazed at the other girl for a moment with a lack of recognition before the lightbulb went off in her brain and realization came into her eyes and her jaw dropped. “Pacifica? Girl, is that really you? You’re a total babe!”
“Oh!” Pacifica exclaimed at the compliment and chuckled nervously. “Yeah, it’s me. H-how’ve you been, Mabel? I like the haircut.”
The brunette ran her fingers through her hair that fell to her chin, chopped off by a knife blade not an hour earlier and her radiant smile faltered for only a second, as if she was remembering something painful, before it came back in full force and she rushed to hug the other girl. A warmness swelled in the blonde’s chest as Mabel hugged her as strong and steady as an ox and she embraced her back. Before she could stop herself, she was crying. An immense relief flooded her senses and a guilt she had been carrying evaporated from her like morning dew to the heat of the day. Mabel was safe, Ford was safe, and neither of them appeared terribly hurt. It seemed to her like Bill’s threats of violence hadn’t gone through because she was there, hugging Mabel to prove it. A sob escaped her and she squeezed her boyfriend’s sister tighter, relishing in the proof of their safety her embrace communicated.
Then Dipper was there, hugging both of them and she completely broke down, sobbing into the taller girl’s neck as Dipper’s comforting arms fit snugly around her and Mabel’s shoulders. He placed his chin atop her head as Mabel began to sniffle once more and she felt one of Dipper’s tears land in her hair.
“Hoo-boy, somebody’s cutting damn onions in here.” She heard Stan sniffle from somewhere behind her.
“No, it’s just you.” Ford grinned shakily, wiping his own eyes with his hand on his twin’s shoulder.
Through gasping breaths, Pacifica managed to cry out, “I’m s-s-s-so glad you and Ford are safe. You ha-a-ave no idea.” She pulled away from the two twins and fanned her face with her hands as her mascara ran down her cheeks in streaks.
Dipper put his arm around his girlfriend comfortingly and gazed down lovingly at her, knowing full well what was going through her mind at the moment. The shame she carried was a hefty one and seeing Mabel and Ford safe and sound did a great deal to lighten it.
Mabel wiped her nose on her black cloak and her eyes flickered back and forth between her twin and the way he closely held her petite friend before something clicked in her brain and her eyes widened with girly excitement. “No. Freaking. Way!” She gushed, bringing a hand over her mouth as she gasped. “Ohmygosh, you two are a couple! This is amazing! Dipper, kiss Pacifica for me right now!”
Pacifica keeled over into a brief giggling fit while Dipper blushed before she straightened herself back up and planted a big sloppy kiss on Dipper’s lips. “There ya go, girlie.” She blushed.
The excited squeal Mabel gave was like music to Pacifica’s ears and she found herself grinning abashedly as Ford approached her with Stan right behind. He held out his hand with a bit of nervousness and a kind smile, albeit confused.
“Pacifica, was it? It’s nice to meet you. I’m Stanford Pines.” He said gruffly.
“He’s the author of the journals!” Mabel beamed proudly.
“Yes, I know that Mabel,” Pacifica took his hand and shook it with all the grace of an elite class member. “The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Pines.”
The old man ended the firm handshake and raised his hands disarmingly. “Please, call me Ford.”
“Okay, Ford.” The blonde nodded happily.
It was interesting, she noticed, how alike yet dissimilar Stan and Ford seemed and behaved standing side by side. She had expected them to be carbon copies of one another, being identical twins and all. But to her shock, she couldn’t have been further from the truth. Both men bore the same face and body structure but the similarities stopped there. Ford was much thinner than Stan, appearing muscular in his older age even underneath his thick sweater and trench coat. He was also a few inches taller because of Stan’s slouch, with only the fez atop his head evening out their height. While Stan carried himself with a relaxed and carefree manner, Ford took up space and had an immense presence in the room with his shoulders wide and eyes piercing. The more studious of the old twins also kept his hair much longer and wilder than Stan’s and was still as thick as Dipper’s curly locks even as it was long grayed. He smiled at her with white, dentureless teeth and she realized that Ford had taken much better care of himself over the years than Stan had. He was a total silver fox and had no idea. Would Dipper look like that when he was older? She kinda hoped so… Wait- ugh!
Pacifica blinked herself out of her private thoughts when she caught herself staring and cleared her throat embarrassedly, as if the rest of the room had been reading her mind. “Are you guys safe?” She asked Ford instead.
From where she had climbed up onto Stan’s back and forced him to give her a piggyback ride, Mabel gave a pained frown that fought with the cheer on her face and stated with faltered contentment, “Well, we are now. We had a pretty big scare with someone we’re going to have to talk to you guys about but I think we’re past that.”
“Was that someone a yellow triangle with who thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread and a voice as soothing as a bandsaw?” Stan grunted with a fire in his voice.
Ford’s hand tightened its grip on Stan’s shoulder and he went rigid, swallowing hard. “Y-you know about Bill?” He balked with alarm in his eyes.
“Hey, easy there Sixer, of course we know about him. That bastard is the reason none of us have gotten any sleep the last several days.” He shivered in the cold of the dim room and a sudden chill went up his spine and he could feel the white hot gaze of the portal baking down on them. “So why don’t we get our bearings upstairs where it’s not moist and freaky, yeah?”
Mabel clapped her hands to her cheeks and screamed as she threw herself from Stan’s back and grabbed Dipper and Pacifica by the wrists and bounced with over excitement, pulling them towards the elevator. “Come on, come on! Show me everything!” The girl whooped at them, “Is Waddles here? I have to see him! I have to see my old room and the yellow couch, and the thirty year old tv, and the moldy spots on the ceiling, and the creaky stairs, and the secret hidden room with the body swap carpet, and the-” she continued on with a waterfall of words as she ran with the teen couple to the elevator, leaving Stan and Ford behind.
Stan chuckled heartily before walking off after them but didn’t get far when Ford pulled him back. “What?” He questioned, feeling uneasiness rise in his gut when he saw the serious expression on Ford’s face.
Here it goes Stan, he’s going to tell you you’re a total screw up and he doesn’t love you. A sad and tired voice said to him.
“Stan,” Ford began with a bit of a growl in his voice as he clutched his twin’s shoulders, “I need to know, does anyone else know about this?”
Stan’s shameful frown turned to a soft scowl and he crossed his arms defensively. “No, just you, me, the kids here, my two employees and one employee’s girlfriend, and McGucket. No one else.”
Ford rubbed his eyes frustratedly. Of course Stan would let something as important and secretive as the portal loose among those around him. But then his words rang through him again and he froze. McGucket. Stan had specifically brought up McGucket as someone who knew about the portal and the horribly, intimately, familiar emotion of shame bubbled and festered in his heart like an infected wound. He wanted to shake Stan and demand of him how his old college buddy was doing but stopped himself and sighed deeply instead, remembering his latest conversation with Mabel.
Trust no one.
Cipher’s words that he had planted like the seeds of a choking vine in his garden of a mind over thirty years ago, rooted in the rich soil of shame and isolation, went through his head, telling him to not trust Stan. He took a mental trowel to the thorny bristles and embedded the blade of the shovel deep alongside the evil’s roots and yanked up dirt and weed, finally giving the best parts of him, as stunted as they were, the room and nurturing they needed to grow.
His expression faltered into uncertainty as he mentally grabbed at another thick stalked weed and tugged, his voice softening. “Okay, okay… Thank you, for saving us. There’s so much I need to say to you and I know there’s just as much that you must have to say to me.” He took in a deep breath, ignoring the impish cries of his ego ghoulishly screeching and gnashing its teeth, pestering him to swallow his humility and tear into his twin for everything he had ever done to him, and wholeheartedly welcomed the tidal wave of anxiety that came paired up with his emotional vulnerability instead. “I-I-I I’m sorry Stanley,” he stammered with a whisper, “I’m so sorry.” A tear squeaked past his right eye, the bad one that used to bleed and ache all bloodshot after Cipher possessed him, and he meant his words sincerely.
All at once, all the time Stan had spent running from himself his whole life, from his own shortcomings and failures, finally caught up to him with a blow to his chest that felt about as mild as being plowed over by a train. The thirty years he had spent dedicating his life to getting his twin back and then the two and a half more he used getting both of them back felt like a blink of an eye in that moment and he realized that he would do it all again in a heartbeat. Suddenly being a lifelong screw up and a con man, more insecure than any popular highschool girl, and destined for failure without his other half were at the forefront of his mind. The nights spent staring at the ceiling, certain that Ford must have hated him were beginning to lose their weight because now he was here, and he was apologizing. To him.
“I… Thanks, Sixer.” He found himself saying, his voice sounding like it was far away. He swallowed hard, blinking back the cracking dam that stung hotly in his eyes. “I’m sorry, too. I’m sorry for every stupid thing I’ve ever done… It was all an accident, all of it, y’know?” His voice cracked and the dam burst, salty steams traveling down his stubbly cheeks. “I never meant… for anything bad to happen to either of you. I’ve made so many stupid mistakes a-and…” He took in a deep breath and finally looked Ford in the eyes, who gazed back at him with a mixture of understanding, love, and apprehension with an undertone of hurt.
His twin stared somberly at him, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “I know you’re far from perfect, Lee. Like I said, we have a lot to discuss.” The pain didn’t leave his expression but the apprehension did and it was replaced with kindness. “Let’s talk more later and celebrate now, why don’t we?” He clapped Stan on the back and stepped forward towards the empty elevator, with the teens bounding around somewhere happily upstairs.
“Oh, and that Dimensional Vortex Neutralizer?” Ford called from over his shoulder, “That’s a nice touch to the portal. We won’t have to worry about rifts to the Nightmare Realm opening any time soon.”
So Stan did heed my warnings. The thought sat warmly in Ford’s chest.
Stan squared his jaw and broadened his shoulders, making him appear much more like his twin as he walked towards the elevator. “Thanks, it was mostly McGucket’s handiwork, though.”
The doors creakily closed behind the two brothers that had been apart for over forty years and together, they ascended into the Mystery Shack as family. Ford hid his hands in the sleeves of his coat and leaned against the car railing and coughed awkwardly. “How is he, McGucket I mean?”
“Yer old college buddy? Guy’s doin’ great for himself. Regained his sanity and moved into the ol’ Northwest Mansion. Dude’s loaded after selling his inventions to the feds. He uh made up with his son an’ everything.” Stan saw the soul racking guilt plain as day in Stanford’s body language and socked him lightly on the arm comfortingly. “Hey, don’t sweat it bro. There’ll be plenty of time to make amends or whatever now that you’re here.”
Ford stopped hunching his shoulders and poked his hands out of his sleeves just enough for Stan to see his knuckles. Once again, his shame and ego howled in his head to deny he had done anything wrong and their thorns bristled even sharper to protect themselves since humility was painful but Ford mentally donned a pair of gardening gloves and firmly grasped his flaws by the stalk and dug around at the base with his trowel. “That’s what I’m afraid of. He must hate me. I was a poor excuse for a friend.”
The elevator finished its ascent and as the twins stepped up the stairs Stan commented, “Hey, well there’s lots of triangle shaped problems going around. He’s one manipulative bastard, I’ll give him that.”
They opened the vending machine door to find the gift shop empty with golden evening light spilling cozily into the room and much laughter coming from the wide open back door. A chilly mid October breeze fluttered through the house but the earth air had never felt warmer to Ford. The branches of the redwood pines swayed gently with the weather and it was such a sight for sore eyes it made his heart throb. His lab looked radically different than it had over thirty years ago and it was jarring for him to look at. He missed the familiarity of knowing exactly where everything was but he slowed his shock and unease, reminding himself that there had been people living here for three decades and so of course it would make sense for his lab to become a home. Even with that in mind, he still wasn’t sure he actually liked the fact that there was a full on gift shop with cheap junk and merchandise under his roof but it was something he would have to get used to, he supposed.
Stan raised his hands disarmingly and continued, “It’s not a big deal since we’ve handled it but that Northwest girl, Pacifica, had a scare with him not too long ago. And Dipper got himself possessed once too. Apparently he also went fishing around in my mind at one point, so I get it, he’s been everywhere.”
Ford stared at him dumbfoundedly with his mouth open like a fish out of water and he stepped away from his twin to give him a taken aback look over, as if there was no possible way Stan could be so nonchalant about Bill.
Stan kept going, “I can’t say I completely blame ya though, from what Dipper and Paz have told me, he can be a silver tongued devil when he wants to.” He shrugged, “But hey, that’s not for me to tango with, that’s between you and the hillbilly.”
“I… What?” Stanford breathed in shock, beginning to pace. “H-how do you know all this? About my history with Bill?” His heart rate started to pick up and he began to quiver with anxiety, his notions of leaving the heavy talking behind to celebrate his and Mabel’s return completely forgotten.
“Woah, hey now Sixer, breathe before I end up cradling you on the floor. The short story is, we found your hidden study and pieced the story together with your journal and other papers you had lying around. I know pretty much everything, so do Dipper and Pacifica. Then when we figured out what was happening, that little geometric shit threatened Mabel. He said he was going to take her. It was only a couple of days later we got the portal countdown started.”
A dark and bitter part of Ford wanted to hiss so this is all your fault then? But he stamped it out viciously, making sure it would never voice its unneeded and sick opinions ever again. “Of course, it all makes sense…” He mused, bringing a hand to his chin. “So then what are the details? What’s the long story?”
Stan sighed and sat on top of the register, patting the empty space beside him for Ford to sit, which he did. “Awright, so about a week ago, the elevator broke down and Dipper found your study between the floors…”
Mabel had never felt more content in her entire life, laying atop the pot-bellied Waddles and chattering away to Dipper and Pacifica from where they sat on the steps. The air smelled so fresh and forested and it made her heart swell because it was earth air that filled her lungs; the scent of home. Everything was perfect, she was here with Dipper and Pacifica as a plus, talking to them face to face. She was so close to her brother she could reach out and touch him if she so wanted and it overjoyed her. The couple had gleefully accompanied her as she ran around in every room and hall in the shack, periodically exclaiming something in excitement, before they had found themselves in the backyard and Mabel had reunited with her precious pet pig that could hardly fit through the door anymore. They were so cheery to simply be in one another’s company to the point that all felt right in the world.
Suddenly, Mabel noticed Ford approaching in the doorway and cut herself off mid sentence, frowning at him. It made the old man’s stomach squirm.
He called from the porch, “Greetings children. If you would be so kind, would you all accompany Stan and I to the kitchen for supper?”
“Sure Grunkle Ford.” Dipper beamed, helping Pacifica up and through the door.
Mabel slid off of Waddles and refused to meet Ford’s eyes as she walked back inside, looking towards the floor instead. A gut punch of sadness hit him in the abdomen but what made it worse was that he knew he was the cause of her hurt. He hardly had seconds to ruminate on this when Mabel’s shrill scream hit his ears from across the house.
“Ohmygosh, ohmygosh!” Mabel bellowed, hugging the new arrivals as tightly as she could. “I missed you guys so much!”
Wendy and Soos returned the embrace from the sweater wearing girl as Melody smiled on, carrying a covered dish full of smothered enchiladas. As it had turned out, rumor had spread to Soos’s Abuleta that two of the Pines family would be returning that evening, and she had spent the day preparing only the most delicious of feasts for everyone to take part in and enjoy.
“Sixer, get in here an’ help me carry all these tamales.” Ford heard Stan call from somewhere in the shack, taking him out of his thoughts.
“Yes, yes, coming Stan.” He said, making his way to the front of the house.
“Woah, dude.” A ginger girl in her late teens, who had just finished noogying Mabel, exclaimed beside him in the foyer.
Ford turned and realized that the young woman was actually exclaiming at him and that the heavyset man in his mid twenties beside her was also goggling at him. But before he could outstretch his hand or even say a ‘hello’ to either of them, Stan had shoved a hot tray of tamales into his arms and was grunting for him to get a move on to the kitchen. Ford set the food down on the kitchen counter while Dipper and Pacifica were busy moving the wooden table from the living room into the place they would all be eating while Abuleta set the table and Stan walked by with yet another full tray of divine looking authentic Mexican food. The flannel wearing girl and hispanic man followed Mabel into the kitchen, still eyeing him all the way.
Then the young man said to his great-niece, “So Mabel dawg are you gonna introduce us or what?”
“Oh!” Mabel remarked, as if she hadn’t even thought of it. “Guys, this is Ford. He took care of me for over two years in the Multiverse.” Then she gestured to the redhead, “Wendy, this is Ford, Grunkle Ford, this is Wendy.” Next was the young man, “Ford, this is Soos.” There was a lot of forced cheer in her voice that Ford took an uneasy note of. “They both work for Grunkle Stan at the Mystery Shack.”
Luckily, neither Wendy nor Soos seemed to notice the insincere happiness in the teen and they enthusiastically shook hands with him. To his relief, neither commented on his extra finger.
“Is McGucket coming?” Pacifica asked as she placed the ratty tablemats down.
“He said on the phone that he’s not gonna make it.” Stan grunted. “Somethin’ about a meeting with Washington.”
It wasn’t long before everyone, sans McGucket, was gathered around the two tables in the small kitchen, making the space feel rather full. With Mabel choosing to sit in between Dipper and Wendy, Ford felt as though he was at a loss for where to seat himself. He understood that the girl wasn’t super keen on being super close to him right now and that she had a lot of catching up to do with her friends and family. So needless to say, he was grateful when Stan saw him standing off to the side awkwardly and motioned for him to come sit near him.
Soon after that, the room was alive and well with laughter and amazing food shared between loved ones and Ford’s worry melted away and Mabel was back smiling at full force. Every last soul was ecstatic to hear about Mabel and Ford’s adventures across dimensions and the sweater wearing twins were just as enthusiastic to learn what their counterparts had been up to. Mabel made a special effort to keep the stories she told lighthearted so as to not ruin the mood that had swelled between friends. Besides, not everybody here needed to know all that she and Ford had been through. It seemed as though Ford was on the same wavelength as her since he refrained from saying a peep about their encounters with the demoness Ysithyl or the events of Dimension 52 that the King of Demons himself had broken into to kidnap Mabel for his own nefarious purposes.
“...But everything was upside down, as in, the gravity pulled in the exact opposite direction as expected. So Mabel and I had to learn to walk upside down, which wasn’t a pleasant experience, let me tell you!…” Ford laughed and he put another forkful of rice and beans into his mouth.
“Ooh ooh! Tell them about the double gravity dimension, Grunkle Ford!” Mabel insisted with a mouth full of food.
Ford gave her a stern yet light hearted look, he had taught her better than to talk through a mouthful of food. She rolled her eyes good naturedly at him and swallowed before speaking up, “Or y’know, I can!”
“I’m still lost on the part where you said you had to walk upside down.” Melody input with a grin.
“...It was right on our heels!” Mabel conveyed dramatically, gesturing to the people around her, who were all enthralled by her words. “But then, just as we thought we were gonners, my grappling hook pulled us upwards and out of the clutches of the robotic Snake-Beast! Or so we thought…”
“You mean there’s more?” Soos gasped, bringing his hand to his cheeks.
“Shuddup Soos, this story’s gettin’ good.” Stan barked.
“ A diferencia del último cuento que contaste… ” Abuleta murmured to herself.
Ford continued where Mabel left off, his eyes aglow with storytelling magic, “Yes, well there we were, suspended on a bridge hundreds of feet in the air when…”
“...But Dipper thought it hadn’t been pressurized, so he opened the valve and got hydraulic fluid all over me!” Stan snorted, shaking the table as he brought a fist down, laughing hysterically.
Dipper wanted nothing more than to shrink away and disappear in that moment as Stan recounted the tale of a rather unfortunate series of events that had gone on one night repairing the portal.
“Hey, it happens to the best of us, man.” Wendy shrugged, taking a swig of her Pitt cola.
“Grunkle Stan, you’ve told this story so many times already. I think you’re beating a dead horse at this point.” Dipper muttered.
Stan mocked taking insult to Dipper’s words. “Wha- hey! It’s a funny story and now Mabel and Ford get to hear it, too.”
The teen looked to his girlfriend for support but she just giggled. "It is a pretty funny story, Dip.”
Dipper just groaned.
The sun set slowly behind the horizon as plates were emptied, refilled, and emptied once more among the many joyful voices. When the last of the group had finished up with their meal, Mabel stood out of her seat and came to the head of the table. All others were hushed in varying states of disbelief, eyeing her.
The teen chuckled nervously to herself. “Okay stage fright, don’t hit me now.” She breathed, taking a handbell from her pocket. After ringing the bell, she whispered the words, “Aucwcmw, lfush fj pxhs.” and drew a series of three runes in the air and the table went into an uproar when a ball of light the size of a baseball emerged in Mabel’s free hand.
Wendy and Soos’s jaws dropped while Melody and Abuleta were blinking rapidly at what they saw in disbelief. Ford only smirked smugly as Stan begrudgingly slid him a twenty dollar bill under the table. Pacifica was so overwhelmed with sudden emotion staring into the warm light she thought she might cry while Dipper choked on his drink and his eyes became aglow with nerdy curiosity.
“Ta da, magic!” Mabel chortled, in stitches at the wide range of reactions she had gotten.
Dipper scrambled out of his chair and came to his sister’s side, apprehensively reaching towards the ball of light.
“It’s not gonna bite Dip, it’s just radiance.” Mabel chuckled.
Her brother ran his fingers through the magical energy, feeling its warmth on his fingertips. “This is the craziest thing ever… You gotta teach me how to do that!”
She threw the weightless sphere to the floor where it fizzled out and grinned, “Sure thing bro-bro.”
“I thought you two were pullin’ my leg.” Stan huffed, picking up his plate and taking it to the sink while he decisively ignored the shit eating grin Ford was giving him.
Mabel gave Ford a confused smile and he flashed the twenty dollar bill at her and mischievous recognition dawned on her face. “Nice one, Grunkle Ford!” She chirped.
“Thank you, my dear.” He responded, picking up his own plate.
Mabel went back to her own dirty dishes and she and the rest of the group made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen and packaging leftovers. The Pines soon learned that the rest of their companions refused to take any food home with them, insisting it was a gift for the family. After the room had been rendered spotless and the extra meals were put in the fridge, Wendy, Soos, Melody, and Abuleta said their goodbyes to the Pines in the foyer, sharing out an abundance of hugs and exclamations of ‘welcome home!’ before it was just them in the cozy house again.
Stan breathed a content sigh of relief and stretched his back. “I’m glad you two are here, safe and sound again.” He said, putting one hand on Mabel’s shoulder and one on Ford’s.
“Yeah.” Dipper echoed.
“Same here.” Pacifica nodded.
“I’m glad to be here! Now who’s ready for the afterparty?” Mabel sang before yawning immensely.
The second wind she had gotten upon seeing her family again had finally come to an end and the events of the last twenty four hours came back to her, saturating her muscles with fatigue and her mind with a fog that only sleep could fix. Because to no one’s surprise, getting into a heated and emotionally charged fight with a loved one, then battling Bill Cipher before coming home and having a party with her friends made her exhausted.
“Actually scratch that,” she backpedaled sleepily, “I’m ready to sleep till I die.” And with that, she turned and headed up the steps to Dipper’s attic bedroom. “Goodnight. Love you all.” She mumbled.
Dipper furrowed his brows in thought before he chuckled softly and called after his sister as he jogged up the stairs, “Mabel wait, I think you’d be more comfortable sharing a room with Pacifica!”
Pacifica, now left alone with the grunkles, looked between them and stated, “Man she’s tired.”
Ford rubbed his eyes and hung his shoulders in an exhausted manner, also feeling quite tired himself.
“Dipper brings up a good point blondie,” Stan told her, “I think it’d be best if you an’ Mabel shared the attic, there’s already two beds up there anyways. Dipper can sleep in the parlor.”
“Good idea Stan, I’ll go gather my things then.” Pacifica agreed and then disappeared into the depths of the shack.
Stan flashed a brief grin at his twin before heading up the stairs to the attic himself, yelling, “Dipper pick up your crap, you’re moving rooms!” And Ford was left feeling alone and aimless once more.
He looked around in the foyer as if there was a clue hidden within it that would tell him what to do next. Unfortunately, he found no such hint and with a sigh, he decided it would probably be best if he also settled down for the night as thus, he headed off in the direction of his old room. The red and gold patterned door was barely open at the bottom of the stairs and he opened further and found himself staring at Pacifica, who was in her nightgown and stripping the sheets of a blowup mattress.
“Oh! My apologies Pacifica, I didn’t realize you’d been staying here.” Ford cringed.
The blonde smiled at him and tried to reassure him, “Hey it’s no big deal. This was your room before after all, wasn’t it?”
The old man set his backpack down at the foot of the old crimson couch and cleared his throat. “Ahem, yes it was. Would you like assistance?”
The teen smiled genuinely and said, “Yeah, I would. If you want to fold the sheets, I can gather my clothes.”
There was a certain sadness in her voice when she spoke to him, one that hadn’t been there at other times in the night and he took notice of it. She kept stealing little unhappy looks in his direction as he deflated the blow up mattress. It made him uncomfortable and he wondered in silence if he had done something wrong before the girl cleared her throat to get his attention.
“Hey Ford, how much has Stan told you about me?” She asked shyly as she folded a pair of jeans.
“Well Ms. Northwest, he informed me that you’re living here temporarily because of your parents’ divorce a few months ago. He relayed to me that you’ve been a great strength to Dipper and a fine addition to the family.” His face darkened and his voice became solemn. “He also told me that you have a history with Bill Cipher, one that very nearly spelled doom to this dimension.”
Pacifica held her breath, unsure as to what he would say next. Nothing she imagined him telling her was anything good and she braced herself for the sharp words of anger and resentment to fall upon her.
He sighed, releasing the anxiety that had bubbled up in his chest and continued in a much softer tone, “But so do I.”
The girl exhaled a little, taken aback by the gentleness in Ford’s words. “Huh?” She whispered.
“I was fooled by Bill’s flattering ways and I was a grown adult. I can’t imagine having to face his fury before even hitting my eighteenth birthday, like you have done.” He smiled mournfully up at her. “You’re incredibly courageous, Pacifica. I can’t say I blame you for your actions, either. If it’s my judgment you’re afraid of here, you’ll find none from me.” He finished placing the mattress back in its box and stood, holding her bedsheets in his hands.
“Oh.” She breathed, another layer of shame shedding from her. It was after several seconds of thought that she continued, “Thank you, Ford. That actually makes me feel a lot better.”
As he headed for the door, he informed her, “Well, of course. It would simply be hypocritical of me to resent you for the very mistakes I made.”
Without another word, he was gone. Pacifica was left staring at the empty doorway for a long time. After what felt like ages, she was finally able to tear her eyes away and complete packing up her clothes into her suitcase, once again in awe at the forgiveness she was so freely offered.
Dipper’s side of the room had been almost stripped bare when Pacifica finally lugged her bursting bubblegum pink suitcase up the steps. Ford was making her bed while Dipper and Stan busily finished emptying up the teen boy’s closet while Mabel watched sleepily from her bed, clutching several of her old stuffed animals in her arms and grinning contently.
“Thank you Ford, you didn’t have to do that.” The blonde smiled, placing her suitcase at the food of her new bed.
“No, but it’s the least I could do.” The old man shrugged, pulling her purple pleated duvet up over the blankets.
Across the room, Mabel yawned. “Y’know, Dipper, Pacifica, we should totally have a sleepover tonight up here.”
Dipper looked at Stan and chuckled. “Mabel, you could have told us that before we emptied my dresser and stripped my bed.”
The short-haired brunette grinned sheepishly. “Sorry, but go grab a sleeping bag or something, dip-dop.”
The teen boy hoisted a hefty box full of his clothes up off the floor and nearly dropped it. “Well ok, whatever you want, Mabel.” He half smiled, half grimaced.
“Here hun, let me help you with that.” His girlfriend advised, grabbing the other end of the box.
“Thanks, Paz.” He breathed and together they headed out of the room and into the parlor down the stairs.
The couple placed the container of clothing down near the hearth Mabel had burned the remains of countless wax figures in and their heads came close together as they bent down to meet the box with the floor. Pacifica placed a quick kiss on his cheek before they stood and Dipper smiled.
“Mabel looks so happy. It’s adorable.” She commented as they left the room.
“Yeah, it’s nice.” Dipper responded.
They passed Stan and Ford both carrying their own boxes of Dipper’s clothing and other belongings in their hands as the more studious of the twins rattled on about something she couldn’t make heads or tails of.
Stan grinned at them as they crossed paths. “Hey, goodnight your two scamps. Stay outta trouble and don’t stay up too late.”
They nodded with understanding and headed across the living room and back up into the attic bedroom, where a sleeping bag had been rolled out on the floor between Mabel and Pacifica’s bed.
“Oh hey, you made it back!” Mabel chirped, sitting up. “Now the party can finally start…” She yawned, rubbing her eyes.
“I thought you wanted to go to bed?” Pacifica teased good naturedly.
“I do, but I also want to talk to you guys. Sleep can wait a little longer, I guess. It’s not like it’s going anywhere.”
Pacifica hopped onto what had only an hour ago been Dipper’s bed and he sat down next to her, their hands intertwining. Then most abruptly, Mabel shot out of her bed and ran across the room and tackled both of them in a hug, causing all three of them to fall back on the mattress.
“I missed you guys so much!” Mabel declared loudly, squeezing both of them uncomfortably tight.
“We missed you too.” Her brother laughed, his voice a little strangled.
Finally Mabel let go and stood, allowing the pair to sit upright on the bed once more.
“I still can’t believe how tall you’ve gotten, Dip.” The brunette clucked, placing her hands on her hips. “You’re giving Stan and Ford a run for their money. Do you think you’ll end up taller than them?”
The boy shrugged easily. “I dunno to be honest. But I know I can rest my elbow on top of Paz’s head.” He grinned, doing just that.
“Hey!” His girlfriend cried, giving him a playful shove. “I’m short, we all get it.”
Mabel chuckled, absolutely beaming watching the couple. “Man you guys are just adorable together. So how’d you become a thing?”
Her twin smiled down at his significant other with admiration in his features. “She drove me home from school in the rain once and after that we just kinda started hanging out.”
“And then I cried in his arms after my parents got divorced and moved away and fell for him then.” Pacifica added, her cheeks turning pink.
“...Oh Paz, I’m so sorry! That sounds like it was the worst.”
She flipped her hair and scoffed. “Believe me, it was. But hey, I never have to worry about them again because now I live here with all you guys, my real family.”
“Aw, that’s just the cutest thing I’ve ever heard!” Mabel gushed, limping over to give Pacifica a hug.
The petite girl returned the embrace but when they broke apart, she asked, “Mabel, are you limping?”
The girl’s face fell as memories of fighting the demoness Bill had sent after her came to her mind and she swallowed nervously. “Oh, um, yeah I am. B-but it’s okay.” She said, trying to brush it aside as she sat back down on her bed and hugged a stuffed hippo.
“What happened?” Dipper prodded innocently.
Damnit. Mabel thought.
She began uneasily, “...Um, well Bill, who’s this crazy demon, Paz,” Mabel clarified for her, assuming she had no knowledge of him, “sent this other demon chick to capture me so she could take me back to his dimension and use me as blackmail against Grunkle Ford. Because they have a history…” She trailed off, bringing her brows together and rubbing her chin. “Actually, how much do you guys know about Bill?” She asked. “This will make the story so much easier if I know what you know.”
Dipper and Pacifica exchanged an anxious glance before gazing at Mabel with concerned eyes.
Mabel cringed. “Oof. So more than I thought you did, huh?”
Pacifica shifted her weight on the bed, making the mattress squeak as Dipper placed a comforting arm around her. She took in a deep breath, steeling her nerves, and confessed, “Mabel, I made a deal with Bill. I-”
“What?!” The brunette cried, completely flabbergasted as her mouth hung open.
It was Pacifica’s turn to cringe and she nodded, “Yeah, I was tricked. Cipher nearly got through the portal but luckily I came to my senses and realized he wasn’t a good guy and confessed to Dipper and Stan. We had a really long talk about it and managed to fix the damage he convinced me to do to the portal.”
She took in a shaky breath and Dipper kissed her forehead for support as Mabel listened patiently, “That night, he entered my dream with us together and said he was going to hurt you…” Tears appeared in her eyes and she swallowed. “Because he was angry with us, with me. He said someone was going to come get you and take you to him-” Pacifica cut herself off and a horror filled her eyes as she connected the dots between her story and the portion of Mabel’s story.
“Wait, how long ago was this?” Mabel whispered, her eyes also wide with understanding.
“About a week ago.” Dipper informed, also on the same horrible page as the girls.
Mabel gasped. “That’s… that’s when the demoness came after me and broke my ankle.”
The air was buzzing with anxious realization as the three teenagers sat around in their pajamas in shock, seeing for the first time how their two stories had intersected despite being dimensions away from each other. Dipper abruptly stood and began to pace around the room, reminding Mabel of a miniature Ford. A twang of bittersweet hurt tickled her heart.
“No way!” Dipper breathed. “Oh man! Mabel, we’ve been worried sick over here that Bill was going to hurt you and Ford.”
“Or hurt you with Ford…” Pacifica mumbled, appearing considerably pale.
Her brother continued, “Now we know that his threat was more than that and he did actually hurt you!” He walked past his girlfriend, saw that she looked like she had seen a ghost, and decided it would be best if he sat back down next to her and she rested her head on his shoulder.
“Is that why you were so overjoyed that I was safe?” Mabel quietly asked Pacifica.
“Yeah. Yeah Mabel, it is. I’m so sorry.” She nodded tearily.
“It’s not your fault.” The brunette girl cooed. “It’s Bill’s.”
Pacifica straightened herself up to a more dignified position. “I know.” She said solemnly.
“Good.” The other girl dictated sincerely. “I don’t blame you, either. Dipper and Ford were tricked too and I love them both to pieces still.”
“Thank you, Mabel.” The blonde smiled.
“Everything is okay now because we never have to worry about Bill again because we’re here now, with our family.” Mabel quipped.
There was a beat of silence, warmer and more content this time with the three of them smiling joyously, basking in the light of their loved ones before Dipper ended it. “So back to what you were saying earlier, what happened after you got your ankle broken?”
Oh. Right. The brunette girl thought. She wasn’t exactly looking forward to telling this tale but she knew Dipper and Pacifica had a right to know. They had just told her about their bad encounter with Bill so now it was her turn.
“Yeah so, I stabbed that crazy owl demon bitch while she flew away with me and she dropped me and I broke my ankle. Then she chased us through the city and stabbed Ford but we escaped by the skin of our teeth because…”
The couple listened intently, inputting their own exclamations of fright or comment of concern where appropriate as Mabel told her story to other living souls for the first time.
“...but then it turned into a fight. He said he didn’t want to listen to me because he was so close to defeating Bill. Which in retrospect, I guess is a fair point on his part. But in the moment, I could only think about the parallel Stan and Ford and how well they got along and I wanted that for our Ford, too.”
Mabel sighed and ranted, “We got into a yelling match and a lot of mean and frankly hurtful things were thrown around from both of us. I knew he knew he was wrong but I was just so angry I couldn’t tell him that calmly. In the end, he basically told me he wished we had never met and he left me on my own in Dimension 52 with this nice oracle lady. Then Bill came and Ford saved me but we’re still not on the best terms.”
She frowned as she settled back down into bed and pulled the covers over herself. With her head on her pillow and her eyes shut, she muttered gloomily, “That’s pretty much it. The portal brought us back only minutes after that.”
The mattress across from her squeaked and a second later, she felt the weight of someone sitting next to her and she opened her eyes to find Dipper examining her with his face thick with concern.
“Hey, are you okay?” He asked gently, hiding the anger he felt for Ford deep within so as to not tip her off to how he was feeling.
“No.” She dictated dejectedly. “I’m sad.”
“I’m sorry Ford was a jerk to you. Do you want me to talk to him about it?” He inquired.
“No bro-bro. I can handle it. I’ve handled him for a while, it’s ok. It was nice to talk about it, that’s all I needed.”
“We’re here if you need anything.” Pacifica’s voice came from across the room.
“I know. Same goes for you guys.” She mumbled, closing her eyes once more and cozying up further under her blankets and dozens of stuffed animals surrounding her like an army.
“Alright, Mabel.” Dipper said quietly, standing and turning out the lantern light and casting the room in shadow.
“Night Dipper, night Mabel.” Pacifica yawned as her head hit the pillow.
“Goodnight Paz, goodnight Mabel.” Dipper echoed, getting into his sleeping bag.
Mabel didn’t respond with words but with a snore, having fallen asleep the moment she shut her eyes.
Overhead clouds parted and the moon of Dimension 46;/ sent a few silver beams into the attic bedroom through the triangular window as a peaceful hush fell around the house. The shack itself seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, content with the state of its residents. Because for the first time in decades, the Pines family was reunited.