Prologue

The Almost Last Day of Summer

The music started to blast.

Starting from six o'clock in the afternoon, a continuous stream of people entered the Mystery Shack and making it impossible to move around quickly. Everywhere you turn you'll always see a person chugging down soda, stuffing pizza in their faces, or just simply enjoying themselves. Dipper didn't like small spaces though, he needed to get away. Moving slower than a snail, he was surprised that he reached the stairs that led to the second floor. Even up here it was filled with people!

'I can't believe the whole town actually came.' He said to himself, bumping with three other people on the way to his room. 'Would have been nicer if the Mystery Shack was a little bit bigger though.'

He turned the door knob and let himself inside. Surprisingly enough, the people of Gravity Falls respected their privacy and stayed out of their rooms. It was nice and quiet… Well, not as quiet since they were blasting music downstairs. He looked around the room, taking in its cramped space for one last time. The room actually looked quite decent now that Mabel and he were done packing up. He proceeded to the triangle shaped window, opening it and proceeded to climb onto the roof. He went to the platform and sat there, letting his feet hang off the edge. He thought about all that happened this quickly passing summer.

First of all, he remembered the times he spent on this roof, sharing a soda with Tyrone, fighting a wax figure of Sherlock Holmes, and much more. Then he went way before, the first encounter he had with the supernatural side of Gravity Falls, when he was trying to get his sister from getting married to a bunch of gnomes. Dipper had a great time here in this little town in Oregon, which was the opposite of what he thought when he first arrived here. Over time, his mind went to recent events. He got his grandfather back, who turned out to be the mysterious author he was looking for. Stanford Pines was now back to dealing with the supernatural and keeping space time rifts from opening. Dipper hopes he could join him one day, in the future maybe. Then his thoughts lingered on a certain blond haired girl and how both of them ruined one of the biggest parties this side of the planet.

"Hey you, peasants aren't allowed in the VIP area."

Dipper turned to see where the familiar voice came from, having been snapped out of his thoughts. "Very funny Pacifica, but if you hadn't noticed this party's for me and Mabel. So I guess I have the right to be in this 'VIP' area."

"Sheesh Pines, if I knew you were going to be this mean, I wouldn't have gone up here at all." Pacifica sat down beside Dipper, shooting a concerned glance at the brown haired boy. "You're missing your own party, you know."

"…"

"I know it's sad that you're going away and all but try to enjoy your last few hours in this place."

"You know what? You're right." Dipper stood up and went over to the side of the roof. He tugged on a nearly unnoticeable rope and a ladder dropped down to the ground below. "Hey, wanna go?"

"Woah, where did that come from?"

"Oh, we put it here recently. A lot of our more dangerous adventures usually ended with us trapped on the roof." Dipper gave a small chuckle as he remembered singing zombies back to death. "So are you gonna come?"

"Sure, as long as it isn't infested with monsters like last time."

"Don't worry, you'll love it."


The pair started their escape.

The two twelve year olds climbed down the ladder and headed for the woods. Away from the party, away from Mabel and her friends, away from Pacifica's butlers and parents. Dipper led Pacifica to the deeper parts of the forest, where the darkening sky was near impossible to see because of the multitude of trees. Ever since the party at the Northwest Mansion, Pacifica began to become friends with the Pines. They'd tell her about all the weird and supernatural stuff that goes around the town. Most of these stories happened right here in these woods, and this worried the Northwest so she finally asked Dipper about it.

"Dipper, shouldn't we go back? I mean it's getting really dark."

"Is the great Pacifica Northwest afraid of the dark?" Dipper said in a clearly mocking tone. "We could go back if you're too scared."

"I know what you're trying to do Dipper and I'm not-"

"Hey, wait? Did you hear that? It sounds like a-" Chicken noises filled the silent night air as Dipper teased Pacifica. "Like a chicken!"

"Argh, fine! I'll prove you wrong, you dork." Even if she and Dipper were kind of friends, Pacifica still had her pride.

"Don't worry, we're almost there." He walked a few more paces before finally stopping and looking around. "Actually, we're already here."

"So what am I supposed to be look at exactly?" Pacifica viewed her surroundings. There was nothing special about this place, just trees and trees and more trees. 'Maybe I could just ditch him. He seems to be pretty focused on getting to this place, I could just slip away unnoticed.' Pacifica planned to do so until she turned to where they came from. There was no visible path and she was pretty sure that she'd get lost if she went alone. She looked around some more until she faced the direction where Dipper was, expecting the boy to be some distance away. Instead, she was greeted by his face only mere inches from hers. They just stood there for a moment, looking at each other's faces.

"S-so are we gonna just stand here or are you actually going to show me something?" Pacifica spoke up first, snapping out of the trance and all the while her cheeks took on a bright pink hue.

"Oh, uh. Y-yeah." Dipper stuttered, his face also starting to redden. "Well, you got to close your eyes first."

"Oh Dipper, how can I ever close my eyes when I'm oh so afraid of the dark?" Pacfica sounded like one of those damsels in distress.

"Just do it Pacifica, don't be such a drama queen."

"Well at least I'm not some lowly peasant!"

"Well at least I'm not unoriginal!"

"Well at least I'm not a hypocrite!"

"Well at least I'm- I'm- err…"

"Ha! I win! You can't defeat me when it comes to words Pines, I'm just unbea-" Pacifica's gloating stopped when she felt Dipper's hands firmly grasping hers. Back in the days when they were still enemies, she would've just shoved him off. But after all they've been through over the summer, she's just standing there shocked by the suddenness of it all. In fact, she was so shocked, that she didn't notice the grappling hook in Dipper's hand.

"Hey Sif,"

"Y-yeah?"

"I hope you got a good grip."

"Why would I need a good-" Both of her feet suddenly left the ground causing an involuntary scream from the usually calm and collected girl. For the first few moments, everything was dark for her. Probably because she had her eyes closed. She opened them eventually, and what she saw was a breathtaking view of her surroundings. She saw the tops of trees and how the moonlight seemed to make their leaves silver, she saw the distant outline of the shore and the dark blue color of the lake, and when she looked up, Pacifica saw a twelve year old boy who she was very angry at. Yet she also saw the boy that saved her from a lumberjack ghost, who told her she can be different from her fraud of a family, and the boy that always sneezes like a kitten.

The duo finally stopped when they reached the branch Dipper was aiming at. A small treehouse was below them, it looked ancient and abandoned, like it hadn't been used for decades. Pacifica jumped first, letting go of Dipper's hand and landing on the platform gracefully. The gymnastics practice she was forced to go through wasn't a waste of money and time after all. Dipper landed less so. The claw of the grappling hook shook loose and made the tween fall down with him facing the sky.

"Ow."

"Serves you right!" Pacifica said as she stood over his aching body.

"Can't you show a little compassion for once?" Dipper got up slowly, his whole body still hurting. His legs hurt, his arms hurt, his back hurt, and there was a sharp pain in his left cheek. Wait, why would he feel pain in left cheek if he fell back first? That's when he realized that Pacifica had slapped him and that it stung badly. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"For surprising me."

"Didn't karma see to that already?" Dipper rubbed his back as he limped to one of a few chairs inside. This treehouse wasn't as abandoned as it seems to be.

"The universe got its revenge but I didn't." Pacifica hesitantly followed Dipper and took a seat beside him. "So this is what you wanted to show me? A ratty old treehouse? I can't even see anything, there's too much leaves around."

Dipper flashed a knowing smirk as he tugged on yet another 'invisible' rope. The sound of gears turning and metal creaking followed suit. Soon enough, the roof opened up and revealed the beautiful night sky above. Unlike in the city where smog and pollution run rampant, you could actually see a gazillion stars here. They were so bright and beautiful up there in the sky.

Pacifica was in awe. It wasn't like she's never seen stars before, it's just that it seems like she's closer now, like they seemed to shine brighter here. She hasn't told anybody yet, but she likes studying the stars. She's confident that she knows more constellations than anybody else in Gravity Falls.

"Hey Dipper, I bet I could spot more constellations than you."

"You sure? I'm pretty confident that I was the president of our astronomy club back in Piedmont."

"Nerd."

"Hmph. Who's the hypocrite now?"

"I'm not a nerd! I'm just really knowledgeable."

"Sure." Dipper said in a sarcastic voice, rolling his eyes. "Hmm… if I win, you get to look like a 'peasant' for twenty-four hours."

"Seriously? That's all? That's weak Dipper." She paused for a while, thinking of what could be her reward. "Well… if I win, you have to wear a tuxedo and you'll be my servant for twenty-four hours."

"Sounds fair. Since you challenged me, I get first turn." Dipper gazed at the sky for a moment before he pointed at a jumble of stars. "That's Lynx."

"Hmm…" Pacifica pointed at another area of the dark night sky. "I see Orion."

"Canis Minor."

"Aries."

And so the both of them continued their little competition. Occasionally taking a break to drink some soda or talk about some other unrelated topic. Dipper kept their score on his notepad, the one he usually uses in contests against Mabel. The thing is, this time it wasn't 'Dipper vs Mabel', it was 'Peasant vs Drama Queen'. After some hours and a lot of talking, laughing, and accusing each other of cheating, they've nearly reached the conclusion of their challenge. Their scores were tied, but both of them couldn't find any more constellations.

"Ah, dammit. Seems like no one's gonna win this one." Pacifica said. "If only Ursa Major could be seen tonight."

"That's where you're wrong Sif, Ursa Major can be seen tonight. Part of it, anyways." Pacifica gave him a curious look. "You're just looking at the wrong place."

Dipper took off his blue and white trucker's cap and swept aside the pile of hair that covered his birthmark. "Ha. Guess I win."

"Is that the Big Dipper on your forehead?" Pacifica asked with a small smile on her face. 'It looks kind of cute and it fits the overall weirdness of Dipper nicely.' She said to herself.

"Y-yeah. I don't really show it anyone but seeing you look like us 'peasants' just appealed to me."

"Well, the Big Dipper isn't a constellation itself you know. So that's just half of a point."

"Doesn't really make a big difference. I still win."

"Ugh… Fine. I hope you don't remember this when you get back next year."

"Why wait?" Dipper grabbed his hat and jammed it on Pacifica's blonde head. It was lopsided and loosely fitted since Dipper's head was obviously larger.

"This isn't half bad you know," Pacifica said as she adjusted the hat to fit properly. "It's just that your head's too big."

"That's because I'm obviously much smarter than you."

"Of course!" Exclaimed Pacfica. "Head size is totally related to intelligence."

"Shut up Sif, just let me have this one."

"Heh."

"Hmph."

"Hey Dipper, are you really named after an asterism of the Ursa Major?"

"No actually. It's actually a nickname because of you know what." Dipper pointed to the birthmark on his forehead. "Since I showed you something secret that I'd rather not put into the public's eyes, I think it's fair if you tell me a secret."

"Oh… You know about that already Dipper. My family's a fraud, my ancestors weren't the saints they really were, our mansion was built from the lives of countless-"

"Sif," Dipper had an annoyed look on his face. "I'm not talking about the Northwests. I don't want any secrets from them. I want a secret from you. Pacifica, not Pacifica Northwest."

"Oh… I don't think I have any actually. Erm… My second name is Elise?" She looked at Dipper for approval but he shook his head. "Well… Uh… I kinda like this Icelandic pop band… BABBA."

While Pacifica hung her head in shame, Dipper just looked at her with a straight face. Then he started to hum a tune, which sounded like the start of 'Disco Girl'. He continued to surprise Pacifica when he sung the first line of the song itself.

"Disco girl, coming through…"

He looked at Pacifica expectantly, completely ignoring the dumbfounded look on her face. After a few moments she recovered and sang too.

"That girl is you, ooh oooh, ooh oooh."

They continued to sing well into the night, pausing for moments to take a drink or laugh about how Dipper sung. They'd tell jokes to each other, recount personal experiences, and basically act like they were the only people around here. Pacifica wished that everyday could be something like this, having fun with one of your best friends in the world. Dipper knew that this couldn't happen though, instead he wished that this moment lasted forever, but he knew that wouldn't happen too. So when an alarm clock in the treehouse struck eleven o'clock he knew that they needed to get back.

"Hey," He nudged a napping Pacifica awake, putting a can of soda from her hand aside. "Sif, wake up. We should go back already."

"Huh? What? Oh." Pacifica yawns and stretches before getting up. "What time is it?"

"It's nearly midnight, your parents might get worried about you."

"Hmph, I don't know about that." She had a sad look on her face. "But Mabel might kill me if I keep you here so… Race you there!" She took the grappling hook and used it to get down quickly.

"H-hey! Pacifica, wait for me!" Good thing there was a rope ladder up there or Dipper might've gotten stuck up there and missed his bus. When he reached the ground Pacifica already had a huge head start. He really didn't care though, he was having too much fun. The only problem in his mind was, does she know how to get back?


The race had no winner.

Pacifica was already lost a few meters in and had to wait for a smirking Dipper before she went any further. The whole way back Dipper would tease and laugh at her, and she would defend herself with witty comebacks. When they finally reached the Shack, it was already time for the town picture. Dipper knew it by another name though, it was Plan Make-Them-Forget-About-Us. They hurried to Mabel and her friends to get a nice spot near the front. Grunkle Stan adjusted the camera so the whole town was in the picture then he set the timer and ran towards the group.

"Everybody say cheese!"

Some people did actually say cheese, some people just smiled, some pulled funny or scary faces, but everyone was where they belonged. Mabel, Candy, and Grenda were together in a tight group hug. Wendy was with her father and her brothers, axes out. Soos was eating a slice of pizza with his grandmother standing calmly beside him. Grunkle Stan was near Mr. Poolcheck, trying to get his wallet. Grandpa Ford was trying to make another infernal contraption work. The older Northwests were to the side, putting some distance between them and the rest of the 'common rabble'. Pacifica and Dipper was in the center, Dipper's arm around the girl's shoulders and Pacifica still wearing the boy's hat.

"Hey Sif, me and Mabel will drop out of the next one. We want to have one where we weren't here yet."

"Oh sure, I'd have to say that this town would be pretty boring without you guys though."

"Heh, was that a compliment?"

"Yeah, guess it is."

"See you later Ellie."

"Don't call me that Pines." She said glaring at him. "Hey, if Dipper is just a nickname, then what's your real name?"

"Well that's another mystery to add to the rest isn't it?" She watched Dipper walk away towards the stairs once again with a small handful of people following him. Pacifica noticed a hint of sadness and Dipper's eyes even though he had a small smile on his face. She reached up to fix her hair but was denied access by Dipper's hat.

'Guess I'll give it to him later tonight then.' She thought as she took it off. She held it in her hands for a few moments before it slipped and she bent down to pick it up. That exact moment was also when the flash went off and stunned the crowd for a few seconds. Soos, Grunkle Stan, and Wendy soon went in and forcefully pushed every single partygoer outside of the Shack, telling everyone to go back to their homes and that they had a great night.

'Well, he's probably still here early next morning. Classic Dipper, always forgetful."

The bus arrived a few minutes later.

Dipper and Mabel had their luggage all packed up and ready in the morning. So they only had to carry it from their rooms to the back of the Shack. After all of the people from the party went away, the two other Mystery Shack employees went out for some goodbyes and words of wisdom. The rest of the time waiting for the bus was full of awkward silences and quiet sobbing. The sound of a bus wasn't really unnoticeable so they had a chance for a few last words.

"Hey Hambone, don't forget about us alright? Always remember to take your bat for those piñatas!"

"Sure Soos, we'll miss you."

"We'll miss you two too, Dipper."

"Don't worry about it Mabel! I'll take care of Waddles."

"O-okay. Just don't let Grunkle Stan eat him!" Mabel was sobbing quite loudly now.

"I said don't worry! Also, take care of Dip for me. He always gets into trouble."

As if she summoned them by speaking the first syllable of their names, Grunkle Stan and Grandpa Ford appeared from the Shack. Both of them had a package in their hands, both of them had a sad knowing smile on their faces. They separated and approached each twin.

"Hello Dipper. I know we've met only a few weeks, but in my opinion, you've proven yourself worthy." He unwrapped the package and gave it to Dipper. "The next time you visit here, I expect some things have already been written in that."

It was a journal, similar to the journal that helped Dipper throughout the duration of his summer. The logo was not of a six fingered hand, in its place was a pine tree. Dipper was astounded.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! I won't let you down!" Dipper embraced his grandpa and waited for his sister because she was still arguing with Grunkle Stan.

"I won't eat him."

"I don't trust you!"

"You trusted me with the fate of the universe but not your pig?"

"Waddles is much more important than any old universe!"

"Whatever kid." He put his package on her hands and watched her tear it open. "Have a good trip back home."

It was a sweater with a big question mark in front and the word 'The Mystery Shack' in the back. A free advertisement under the pretense of a gift. It wasn't the best but Mabel still loved it.

"You're not so bad Grunkle Stan. Not so bad at all."

After all that was done, the younger twins climbed on the bus and waved goodbye. They both sat at the back like they did in the start of the summer. This time, they didn't regret coming to this place at all.


The Day After Yesterday

The princess opened her eyes.

Pacifica woke up early that morning, earlier than usual. She was about to ask herself why she woke up so early when she felt the cloth of the blue hat and the cold metal of the grappling hook. She remembered why now. Dipper and Mabel are leaving and they forgot about these! She scrambled around her room, getting ready to go outside. It was times like these when she regretted choosing the color of her room some years ago. Even though hot pink was her favorite color, and it still is, it can really hurt your eyes. After cleaning up, applying a moderate amount of makeup, and putting on her signature outfit, she went downstairs to the dining hall. In any other house it would be called a dining room, but if you live in a mansion everything's much bigger. She got two sandwiches and held both in a hand, and then proceeded to front door. One of her butlers was there, guarding the entrance.

"Excuse me Miss Pacifica, but may I ask where you are going?"

"I'm going to the mall to shop for some clothes, tell my parents that I will be back soon."

"I mean no disrespect miss, but the mall will be closed at these hours."

"I'm Pacifica Northwest, they'll open up for me."

"Very well miss."

The butler opened the double doors wide and stepped aside to let her through. He must be a new hire, Pacifica didn't recognize his face and he should've known never to doubt her by now. Oh well, back to the task at hand. She dashed through the courtyard, carefully weaving through the peacocks walking around. She then reached the main gate where a limousine and a chauffeur was ever at the ready. She snapped and the driver immediately went to her aid, opening the door and quickly going around back to the driver's seat.

"Where to, Miss Pacifica?"

"The Mystery Shack."

"Of course."

The trip didn't take long, being in a car and all. She told the driver to wait for her and he nodded back in response. She stepped outside of the car and knocked on the nearly familiar wooden door of the Mystery Shack. There was no answer.

She knocked again, louder this time. She heard a lot of noise and the loud stomps of a heavy man going down the stairs. The door opened before her and Stanley Pines appeared, wearing nothing but boxers and an undershirt. He gave her a curious look.

"We're not buying."

"I'm not here to sell you anything Pines. I'm here for Dipper and Mabel, they forgot a few things of theirs."

The look then changed to one of bewildered amusement. He might have looked sad for a moment but Pacifica didn't notice that. "Who's Dipper and Mabel?"

"You got to be joking right? They're your relatives, or are you so old that you already forgot."

The insult seemed to tick him off. "Get off my property."

"Fine! I'll find them myself then."

Pacifica turned her back to the probably senile old man and went back into the limousine. She drove to town after that, asking people about Dipper and Mabel.

She was pretty sure she wasn't going crazy.

She didn't have imaginary friends since she was five.

This hat and grappling hook was proof of their existence.

But every time she asked her question she would get a variation of the same answer.

"Who's Dipper and Mabel?"

The Notes of an Evil Procrastinating Bastard

Hello people of Gravity Falls fanfiction! This is my first time trying to make a proper fanfiction and actually posting it. This one is actually longer than I want, I don't want that since I know some people like the shorter ones. Anyway, please review, favorite and/or follow. I want to improve my writing so please do review. Hope it's not too harsh though, I'm still human. I think I'm using commas too often, I mentally cringe every time I use them but it's the way my mind says it's written. Anyway, tell me if I do anything wrong or anyone's OOC. I also don't have a regular update schedule, so yeah. That's it! Hope you liked it!

1 October 2015

Guess who's back? 'Tis me, that son of a *****. I'm really sorry that I haven't done stuff yet. It because I've been procrastinating myself for half a year by re-editing stuff in both the prologue and the first chapter. I mean like, I know my end, I have a start, and I have cute fluffy scenes that I just want to happen, but what happens in the little bits of words that are called chapters in between. Like ughhhhh, gurhughuhr, I'm just gonna end it with 'I can't word right.'