Pacifica sighed and closed her eyes as she lay on her bed. Any other day she'd complain about boredom, but she knew that was not a good idea. Especially considering she was grounded. Despite the fact that she had saved everyone attending the party and removed the curse on her family name, her parents did not think that it was as fantastic a move as she did. Her father in particular was extremely annoyed at her.

No, she wasn't going to lie to herself. Her father was fuming at her. Not for putting herself in danger, but for going against his orders and allowing the 'common-folk' in to their home. And honestly, the fact that her father cared more about the family name then his own daughter hurt her more than any punishment or grounding.

In fact, when he had threatened to banish and disown her, she almost hoped he did. Because he was a father, but not her dad. She didn't have a family, she didn't have friends. And that's why, as she lay on her bed with her eyes closed, Pacifica Northwest wept silently.

If her father heard her crying, she'd be punished even further. She absentmindedly reached and grabbed the toy she used as a security blanket when she was younger, her stuffed llama. She had named him Major as a child, and even though they disapproved of the childish name (apparently it was too childish for a five-year-old) her parents allowed the name. And since then, she had held it close to her chest whenever the pressure of her parents became too much, and today was definitely one of those days.

As she held Major to her heart, she thought about her loneliness. She had always felt like this, ever since she was a toddler. Even back then, her parents' expectations were so high, and when she had failed them, they had shown her how disappointed the Northwest's could be. She had not placed in a toddler pageant, and that was when her father had first used the bell.

Oh, that bell. She hated it so much. Just hearing it made her hairs stand on end. Her parents had never hit or hurt her physically, but that bell had traumatized her more than they could ever fathom. It was the look in her father's eyes, that look of disappointment and rage that flashed in her mind whenever that bell rang out. It was her mother's look of disgust at her failure of a daughter that made her cringe. That metallic clanging sound was her greatest fear in life.

Pacifica opened her bloodshot eyes, and sniffled. She couldn't think of a time when she felt alone. Then, she remembered Dipper. Despite his awkwardness and him being a nerd and an idiot, she had really liked being around him. It was the first time in a long time she had smiled a true, real smile. And she had smiled so much. It was actually fun! For the first time, she felt like she had a real friend.

Suddenly, she heard a faint chime in her mind and flinched. No, he wasn't her friend. No one could be her friend, not a stuck-up girl like her. Besides, what would a guy like Dipper, who was busy with his paranormal investigations, and who had a loving caring family want to do with a girl who up until a week ago had done nothing but hate and anger him and his sister?

She sat up, still softly crying. Dipper was not her friend, she knew that. All of a sudden, she heard a tap at her window. Then another. She wiped her eyes, and put on her angry face. She stomped over to the window of her bedroom on the fourth floor, opening it and yelling down at whoever was throwing rocks at her. "Listen, I do not have the time for this right now so just leave me alone!"

"Pacifica! Hey!"

She looked down, and instantly regretted her harsh words as her eyes and face softened. "Dipper? Why are you here…?"

Dipper smiled at her, not able to see her red eyes from the ground, not to mention it was almost dark. "I thought you might be lonely, so I came to visit. But I figured your parents may not appreciate seeing me any time soon, so I thought I'd do this instead." His bright smile was enough to make Pacifica's own smile broaden, and he could only just make it out from the ground. "Wanna come down here? You can come over to the Mystery Shack for the day if you'd like. Your parents would only know if they came to check on you. Will they find out?" Dipper asked nervously, know regretting even coming. He was asking Pacifica to purposefully anger her parents, who were already angry at them both anyway.

As she just stared at him, he tried to backpedal. "You know what, never mind! You just stay there, I don't want you getting in trouble, so I'll just go and –"

"Wait there!" She called down to him, and ran back into her room. He waited a few minutes, and started to wonder if Pacifica was even going to come back. He heard a thump, and saw a large suitcase beside him. Then he looked up to see Pacifica Northwest climbing down the side of her house, another bag slung over her shoulder. He watched in awe as she gracefully descended to the ground, dusted herself off, and hugged him tightly.

He blushed heavily, but decided to try for a joke. "Do I get a bribe to forget this one too?"

Her soft giggle was reward enough. "No, idiot. This one's free."

"Why the bags, Pacifica?"

She shook her head as she pulled away from her first real friend, and smiled. "I don't want to be here anymore. This place isn't my home, it's a prison." She then blushed, looking at the ground. "Do you think that um, Mister Pines would let me stay at that Shack for a while? I mean, if there's room or whatever, I don't want to be a hassle."

Dipper smiled, and picked up the suitcase that she had dropped out her window. "If he doesn't, we'll find you a place to stay. I wouldn't want a friend to be alone. Especially in Gravity Falls." Dipper bumped into her shoulder, and she blushed at him, returning the gesture as he laughed. "Grunkle Stan isn't exactly known for his generosity, but I'll try to convince him. And we have a spare room, but it's only got one bed."

Pacifica almost tripped. "W-what do you mean by that? Why would I need more than one bed?" Her mind was racing, hoping that Dipper wasn't suggesting what she thought he was. There was absolutely no way that she was sharing a room with a boy, no matter how nice or cute he was. She almost tripped again as she realized she had thought him cute, but was drawn out of her thoughts by Dipper's response.

"Well, considering you've been locked up in that house for a week, I figured you'd want a roommate when you went to sleep. You know, for comfort." He was looking forward so he didn't see Pacifica's blushing face. "So, I figured Mabel could keep you company in the attic, and I'll take the spare room. Or the lounge, depends."

Pacifica was part relieved and part disappointed, even though she would never admit that. "Oh, right! Well, I guess that would be okay."

Dipper decided to tease his new friend. "Oh? Would you rather me, Northwest?" he asked, and winked overdramatically.

He was not expecting her blush and stutter, and he apologized profusely, proclaiming it a joke. As she stared at the ground with a beet red face, an errant thought ran through his head. Could she… Actually like him?

No, that'd be impossible. A girl like Pacifica Northwest would never have any feelings for him. With all of her money and her blonde hair and pretty face and –

Wait, no! He shook his head, trying to drive the thoughts out of his head. Little did he know that Pacifica was doing the exact same. Her mind kept thinking about how nice and helpful Dipper was being, and how she might actually prefer him over Mabel. Because she knew him better, of course. Not for any other reason at all.

They walked in silence for a moment, before Pacifica spoke up, still blushing like mad. She mumbled something softly, face somehow getting redder. "What was that?" Dipper asked, worried that his friend might be getting sadder.

"I said," she whispered, "could you stay instead of Mabel, please?"

Dipper stopped walking, shocked. "What did you say?"

Pacifica, now looking slightly mad, stopped and turned to him. "Listen, I know you better than Mabel, and other than that mini-golf game I've never even hung out with her. But at the party, with the ghost, I had so much fun with you. And I know I can trust you! So please, just for tonight stay with me?" She had walked towards him during her speech, her handing grabbing his.

Dipper was amazed, and a little nervous. Could he share a room with a girl that wasn't his sister? This was exactly the scenario he might have dreamt up with Wendy, but that ship had sailed. But with Pacifica, who up until recently he had hated? He swallowed, and looked at her. "Of course, Pacifica."

He couldn't say no, not with what he knew she'd been through. If only for her sake, Dipper would endure the deep feeling of anxiety over the situation for her. And her full smile and resulting hug proved to him that he had done the right thing.

As they entered the Shack, once again in silence, they talked to Stan.

"Hehe, sure she can stay here kid. I owe ya one anyway, for lyin' to ya anyway. So, the girl can stay here as long as she needs, free of charge."

Of course, Dipper asked what the catch was as Stan was being unreasonably nice to somebody he knew had access to a lot of money. "Well, she ran from home, Dip. If it's that serious, it'd be wrong of me to take advantage of her." This, while still odd, seemed to placate the younger Pines, as he left to show Pacifica the room. He missed Stan's knowing smirk as they left, and his wistful sigh. "Ah, young love…"

As they reached the attic, he suddenly became very nervous. "So, uh… You sure you're okay staying in here?"

She smiled. "Anywhere is better than the Manor."

He nodded. It was for her. He shouldn't be embarrassed. So what if it was the first time she'd been in his room? What did it matter that he might have left his clothes out on the floor or his bed? It was for her to feel safe. He took a deep breath and opened the door, letting her in ahead of him.

She decided to try and make a joke, noticing how tense he was. "My my, a Pines who actually has some manners. This is a first." She walked into the room, nudging his shoulder as he chuckled a little.

"Well, with Stan and Mabel as the only other two you know I would be the only one, yeah." He smiled, feeling better as he followed her in. "Just put your bag in the closet, it's empty anyway."

As she did, he did a quick survey. The room was mostly tidy, bar a few bits of his clothing on his bed. He also saw a note on his sister's bed, which he grabbed and read to himself.

Hey Dipper! I'm going to stay at Grenda's with Candy for a sleepover, so you get the room to yourself tonight! Don't go crazy without me!

Bloop!

Mabel

After that was a crudely drawn picture of him frowning, with any arrow pointing at him which said 'ALONE'. He sighed. Well, Mabel wasn't even an option. At least he didn't have to explain why Pacifica was sleeping in her bed to her until tomorrow.

"What's that, Dipper?" Pacifica almost snatched it out of his hand, but stopped herself.

He smiled at seeing her trying to be politer to him. "Mabel's at her friends for a sleepover, so it's just us." He then grabbed his clothes of his bed, took his shoes off and lied down.

Pacifica looked lost for a moment. "Dipper, um… Where would I, like, be able to change into my pajamas?"

He blushed. "Oh, right. Well, the bathroom is on the bottom floor, or I could just leave until you change?" She affirmed she was okay with the latter, so he left and stood outside the closed door until she told him he could come back in.

Seeing her in sea green pajamas was an eye-opening experience for Dipper. She seemed to not notice his reaction as she prepared Mabel's bed. "So, are we going to bed now?"

Dipper looked at the clock and, seeing how late it was, nodded. "Yeah, probably for the best."

"Are you not going to change into your pajamas too, Dipper?" she asked, worried that her being there was making him not feel comfortable. He just laughed and took his jacket off.

"Done! I just sleep in these, it's easier that way." He then pulled the covers back and slipped in his bed, not noticing the incredulous look on Pacifica's face until he was already in. "What?"

She just shook her head. "You are seriously weird, Dipper."

He just laughed, and she soon joined in with him. Eventually, the laughter died down and they were lying in the darkness, neither of them able to sleep. Something seemed to be keeping Pacifica awake, and Dipper had already told himself that he would stay up until she fell asleep.

"Hey, Dipper?" Pacifica was staring at the roof of the bedroom, slightly blushing. "Have you ever, like, slept in the same bed as someone?"

Dipper blanched, then struggled for an answer. "W-well, I mean, uh… Sometimes, if Mabel or I have a bad dream. And when I was little, with my parents. So yeah, why?" Dipper was trying not to look at her, as he was certain she was doing the same.

"So, like, for comfort?"

"Yeah, exactly."

"Huh," she almost whispered, sounding slightly sad. "My parents never comforted me. They made me cry myself to sleep, saying that 'A Northwest must forget they're problems and face each day with a smile!'" She sniffled.

Dipper turned to her. "So… You've never had someone to comfort you at night, if you've had a bad dream or just can't sleep?"

She looked at him, crying openly. "I've never had any comfort at all, Dipper."

Dipper leapt across the room and held her close. To hell with it, she needed comforting and he was the only one there. "I'm so sorry, Pacifica. I'm here for you, okay?"

He almost didn't hear her next question over the sounds of her sobs. "C-could I sleep in your bed with you, Dipper? Please?" Dipper Pines had never heard a sadder sound than Pacifica Northwest's voice at that moment.

He didn't reply, he just held her as he took her to his bed, laid down with her, and covered her up. She snuggled her head into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I'll keep you safe, Pacifica."

It was worth the teasing from Stan, the blackmail pictures from Mabel and the never-ending questions from Wendy and Soos. It was even worth having to explain it to Ford, not that he would ask. He smiled as he heard her, just before they drifted off to sleep.

"Thank you, Dipper."

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