Author's Note:Hello readers! This is my first Gravity Falls fanfic. I decided to write more about Stan's romances after re-watching the show. Stan's character is a little deeper than he lets on. The fact that he spent three decades studying and planning to rescue Ford proves how pure his heart is despite his few shortcomings.

The events of this chapter are what I imagine happened to Stan during the episode 'The Last Mablecorn'.

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Carla McCorkle returned his flowers

Stan burst in the Greasy Diner panting breathlessly. The the diner patrons looked up from their plates at him before returning to their food, trying to ignore the disruption. He took off his fez and glasses to avoid being recognized by the cops in case they thought of looking for him there.

Plopping down on the nearest bar stool, he ordered a cider please before a gentle voice asked.

"Stanley? Is that you?" A gentle voiced asked. Startled, he turned to see a blurred figure of a woman standing behind him.

Putting his glasses on to see clearly, he still didn't seem to recognize her. The lady had a medium build and looked to be about his age. She had a kindly face, olive skin tone, an upturned nose, and short brown hair that matched the color of her eyes."Uh … do I know you?" He noted to himself that if he'd known women as pretty as her, maybe he would have had a little family of his own years own years ago.

"Don't tell me you forgot about me already." She asked, cocking an eyebrow at him.

Stan looked her up and down consideringly before answering, "Sorry lady; you got the wrong man."

Turning his back to her, he grabbed his glass of cider and took a sip.

"I'd wear my hot pants; only, I'm too old for them." She coyly looked down at her thighs. "And too wide."

It finally hit Stan that this lady was someone he'd known when he was younger. Much younger.

"Carla?" He finally blurted out after recovering from almost choking from his drink. "Carla McCorkle!"

"Stanley Pines," she said one more time as she planted herself on the bar stool beside him. "You haven't changed a bit. Except, you're dressed a little sharper now." She complimented.

Stan chuckled, running his fingers through his thick, white hair. "So what brings you here Beautiful? Don't tell me you've been living here all these years?" He felt like his 17-year old self all over again.

"No, I'm on a road trip with my family." She gestured behind her to a family of two adults and two children who waved nicely to him. "This is one of our stops. My grandson there wanted to visit this place called The Mystery Shack? You know that place?"

"Know it? Ha! I run the place!" Stan grinned proudly at her putting his fez back on his head. "I've been running it for thirty years!"

"No way!" The little boy that had waved to him earlier got up from his seat and ran up to him, "You're Mr. Mystery?"

The little boy had dark brown hair and looked to be about a couple years younger than Dipper. His big blue eyes looked eagerly at Stan, who had a soft spot for kids. Even though he refused to admit it.

"Uh, you wanna take a tour kid?" Stan asked, a little unsure, making the boy's eyes glowed up with glee.

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"And that concludes our tour for today." Stan concluded, leading Carla and her family to the gift shop. "If you wanna stock up on souvenirs, here's the gift shop. Knock yourself out."

While the family enthusiastically picked out items to purchase Carla turned to him. "I saw you on the local news last week. At first I thought it was Stanford but then you left hooked that eagle and I knew it was you." She chuckled. "Who were the kids you saved? Grandchildren?"

"My great nephew and niece." He told her, rubbing the back of his neck. "I never had kids of my own."

"You never married?" she asked, hear features softened a bit as she did so.

"Only once; that didn't last long." He muttered. "I never had kids of my own." He explained with a shrug. "How about you? Where's your man?"

"I've been divorced after sending my kids to college. Although, I should've done it sooner."

As if a light-bulb went off on top of his head, Stan got an idea. He was single, she was single. Maybe they could relive

"Hey Carla, when are you leaving Gravity Falls?" He asked.

"Tomorrow morning." Carla replied

"How about you hang with me tonight? Let's catch up on all these years. What do you say?"

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"Stanley, this is such a beautiful place!" Carla exclaimed, gazing at the beautiful view of the town from their spot on Lookout Point.

"Yeah, you should see the view when it gets dark." He told her stretching his arm over the car seat. Stan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, feeling like a teenager again."Kinda reminds you of old times huh?" he turned to her when he didn't get a reply, only to find her rummaging through her purse. "Carla what is it?"

"My mobile phone! I can't find it!" She said as a wave of panic started to wash over her.

"Mobile phone huh?" Stan scratched his head. "I never could figure out that kinda technology."

Carla looked up when a thought dawned on her, "I think I left it at the gift shop!"

"So, uh, I guess that means we have to go back huh?" Stan groaned, begrudgingly inserted the keys into the ignition and prepared to drive back to the Mystery Shack. "Alright."

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As soon as they entered the Shack, Carla immediately started to search for her cellphone. While she was occupied in her search, Stan nervously started tugging at his bow-tie. Thoughts of him maybe rushing in to things raced through his mind, but all his life he's dreamed of getting back with Carla. Plus he wasn't getting any younger, it could be justified. Maybe there was a reason she came back? Maybe her arrival to Gravity Falls, a place you wouldn't normally find on a map, was a sign. An answer to his prayers and dreams all these years. There was only one way to find out.

"Uh ... Carla? I've been meaning to ask-" he started but stopped midway when he heard the sound of coins coming from the kitchen. "I'll be right back!" And with that he rushed towards the kitchen where his family was gathered around the kitchen table covered in the treasure the girls had taken from the unicorn. "Money!" he screamed, grabbing as many gold coins on the kitchen table as he could before rushing back to Carla who had finally succeeded in finding her phone.

"Carla! Let's get married baby!" He declared as he burst in the room almost out of breath.

Carla was speechless as she looked from Stan's face to the coins and back at his face again. "Stanley I …" she stuttered.

"Carla baby, I've dreamed of the day I'd see you again and have more than enough money to ask you to marry me." He admitted, stepping closer to her. "So what do you say?" He asked again; looking eagerly at her, his old, gruff face softened with, what he thought was, love.

Carla was silent for a few seconds before she said to him, "Stanley … you can't buy love. Not mine." She murmured.

Stan felt his heart break for what seemed like the umpteenth time. Carla was right, he'd always been sort of a cad. Always wanting quick results. Her arrival to Gravity Falls was really a sign. He needed to let go of the past because a new chapter of his life was unfolding for him, and he needed to release any feelings and memories he had of his painful past in order to live his life the way he should. With people that truly loved and cared for him, the people that had stayed on his side regardless of past transgressions.

"Carla," He started as he placed the stack of coins over the counter. "You and Ford were the two people I loved most in this world. And after you two broke my heart, I thought I could never love again. But that was the one time that I was glad I was wrong."

Carla smiled apologetically at him as she gently placed a hand on his cheek, giving him a wistful glance. "Goodbye Stanley." She told him as she walked out the front door with Stan looking on Sadly.

"Goodbye Carla," he whispered as he heard a car leave his driveway. "Forever."