Hello Fanfic friends! It's been awhile since I felt the need to write an Author's note, but I think this story calls for it. First off, I am taking a short hiatus from Don't Forget to Remember Me in order to work on this new story. Creativity just hit me with this project, and I've got to follow my passions when it comes to my writing in order to constantly turn out the best quality of writing that I can!
I wanted to provide a short bit of context for this particular story. This is another story that takes place in my adoption AU with Keleficent, however for the purpose of avoiding redundancy Only Hope/My Little Girl are not canon with this story, but everything else is! I'm sorry if that's confusing, but it might make more sense as we go on. This story has similar themes to Only Hope, but I believe it expands on some of these concepts. In fact, for awhile I thought about flat out erasing Only Hope and replacing it with this story, but Only Hope has enough fans and I didn't want to make them angry, besides I think it will be neat for me as an author to go back and see how I can grow between stories without forgetting where I started. Anyways, that's all for now, please enjoy chapter 1 of my new story Falling Slowly.
Stanford Pines didn't have the best track record when it came to keeping promises. Actually, the problem really wasn't in him keeping promises, it was keeping his promises in a timely manner. He had the memory of an elephant, and never forgot the promises that he made, but because he had a brilliant mind that was constantly going a million miles an hour, it was easy to go from one project to another and allow the days, weeks, months, and even years to blur together. When he would finally take a moment to snap his head up and take in the real world it would hit him just how much time had passed him by, often to the cost of those who loved him dearly.
He tried to improve though, certain life events have taught him the value of time and the value of the here and now, and those who he treasured. His family had been the ones who taught him that, his knuckleheaded, but fiercely loyal twin brother. An adopted son who was everything that Ford was as a child, and so much more. No one had taught him more about family and time and strength more than his sweet adopted daughter, however, she was a child who Ford didn't even give a chance at first. He knew from the moment he stepped out of the portal to the unknown and seen her and her twin brother looking up at him with wonder that he adored both of them. He didn't even know he would have any family waiting for his return besides his twin brother, but to discover that he was a great-uncle caused his heart to swell in a way that he never knew it could.
He spent that summer adjusting to living in this familiar and yet brand new reality, and he had entrusted young Dipper to help him adjust. He figured that he and the boy were kindred spirits, outcasts and misunderstood for their exceptional brilliance, and while Dipper was similar to Ford he also had qualities that Ford could only dream about. Dipper loved science and he loved spending time with his Grunkle Ford, but none of that came close to how much he loved his twin sister Mabel. Ford knew how deeply Dipper loved Mabel, he could see it in the way they interacted, the way Dipper always considered how any decision would affect Mabel before considering himself, and in the way the two of them would instantly forgive each other. Both Stan and Ford could afford to take note of that relationship.
Ford liked Mabel a lot, he liked her from the moment she shook his six-fingered hand with zero hesitation, even making a sweet remark on how extra fingers make for better hugs. She was unapologetically strange, and she had a personality that she wore proudly on the sleeves of her sweater. It was a sweet personality, but it was also a boisterous and loud personality that made Ford nervous. They were different, and when Ford was faced with the prospect of having a relationship with her, he cowardly opted out in blatant favor of her science-loving brother. He always told himself that next summer after he had gotten more comfortable with being home he would open his heart to her.
Life had other plans, however, on the last day of summer Stan received a call that changed his life, his nephew and niece in-law had been killed in a car crash on their way to Oregon to surprise and take their children home. Stan then made the bravest decision Ford had ever seen anyone make and took on the responsibility of being their guardian. The kids had no one else they could turn to, and while nurturing was never an adjective Ford thought would describe his brother, Stan took on the responsibility with great heart and skill. Ford couldn't imagine abandoning his family in a time where he was needed so, but he was still cautious. He was still getting used to the fact that he was a great-uncle, and now he had to try to become even more. It wasn't easy, but just like this summer he connected with Dipper more during this time. The young boy's emotional turmoil reminded Ford of his own upbringing. Dipper was similar to him on more levels than science loving; the boy was also very tenderhearted and emotional, traits Ford had also carried with him through childhood. Ford saw being there for the boy as a way to not only help Dipper, but also a way to be the type of father he never had. The type of father who could allow his son to have deep feelings and comfort him through them in a way that he could only wish his father had done.
His neglect of the boy's sweet twin-sister would eventually come back to haunt him in a most horrifying way. One weekend while he and Dipper were out on a scientific excursion (one that the sweet girl had pleaded to be allowed to go on), she was viciously attacked and nearly lost both her innocence and her life. That experience was an eye-opening one for all of them, but none more so than Ford. He had nearly lost the girl before he had been given a chance to truly know and love her. One of the first qualities Ford discovered he loved about the girl was her amazingly forgiving heart. He had treated her so poorly, but she didn't even need an apology from him, she just wanted the chance to spend time with him. He was lucky that she was so forgiving, because it made it slightly easier for the regretful man to try to forgive himself.
He knew that despite her horrific ordeal bringing the two of them closer together that he still had to put in the work to give her the bonding that she so desired and so deserved. He decided that a good step in the right direction for the two of them would be for them to finally share in that science experiment that he had promised her so long ago, and he thought he knew the perfect one for the two of them, if he only had the gift of hindsight.
"So you see dear, the additional dosage of the Diacetyl chemical will cause a reaction that will allow the popcorn to have the maximum buttered textured, thus creating a more perfect bowl of popcorn," he explained as he poured the powdered chemical over the kernels causing both of them to cough but laugh all the same.
"And then Grunkle Stan can charge twenty bucks a bag like they do at movie theatres without it being a total rip-off!" she declared as she continued coughing, causing Ford to extinctively rub her back.
"Are you alright sweetie?" he asked gently.
Mabel continued to cough but nodded, "yes, dad," she said in a slightly annoyed tone. It still caused Ford to smile widely at being called the word.
The two continued to work pouring the chemical over pounds and pounds of kernels. Stan had said that they should make a huge batch so that he could sell it in the shack.
Mabel plopped a freshly popped kernel into her mouth and smiled widely. Ford grinned at her, "So Dr. Pines, would you say our hypothesis is correct?"
Mabel giggled being called Dr. Pines as she engulfed Ford in a tight hug, "I would say so….thanks for letting me help you Grunkle Ford, it means a lot to me,"
Ford gave her a tight squeeze, it felt good to finally be fulfilling his overdue promise to his adopted daughter, but he also felt guilty that it took him so long. "Thank you for helping me dear, we should do this more often,"
Mabel's eyes twinkled and shined in that classic way that could melt the coldest heart, "really? You want me to help you again?"
"Of course dear, ever scientist knows that experiments are a waste without a second opinion," he said tapping her nose. She was continuing to cough, but there was a flu bug going around, so Ford figured that she just needed to get out of the stuffy lab and get some rest. He grabbed a bag of the popcorn and handed it to her as he scooped her into his arms, "what do you say that we sneak this bag past Stan before he charges us? We can share it while we watch a movie?"
Mabel nodded as she wrapped her arms around Ford's neck, it was something so simple, but this time with Ford made her truly feel like she really did have a complete family. A twin brother, an adopted big brother in Soos, an adopted big sister in Wendy, a pet pig, and two of the best daddies in the whole wide world. It seemed to be too good to be true, and maybe it was.