A/N: First Gravity Falls Fic, hope it satisfies. I see a lot of Wendy x Dipper fics that just shove them together. I always thought that was unrealistic. Honestly, I think Wendy would slowly have to come to terms with whatever feelings she may or may not have for Dipper. The age gap is kinda weird. Dipper is still headfirst in the middle school crush ideals, were holding hands is something big. For Wendy, due to her bombastic nature and age, I'd think she'd want something more… "explosive." Anyway, this is just my take on how their relationship could/would go.

There were moments when Wendy thought she could love him.

It always struck her out of the blue, like something from a fairy tale. However, when one lived in Gravity Falls, fairy tales weren't that uncommon. She supposed a better description would be that it was something real. Something that posed as magic and complexity, but was so simple at its core.

The thought had first sprung upon her when they had been alone in her room. The TV blared and she felt herself drifting mindlessly as the images flashed in front of her. She made comments here and there, and so did he.

Wendy clearly remembered the title of the film they had been watching. "Nearly Almost Dead But Not Quite." The title reminded her of finals week.

It had been odd to glance at him. His voice, higher than most boys she knew, still gave her a sense of maturity. He joked around with her, and the ribbing elbow that egged her on was solid enough to convince her that he too was a struggling teen.

But when she did look at him, when she took a moment to asses the person that sat beside her on her bed, she found herself wanting. Not of desire, but of possibility.

He was shorter than her, by roughly eight inches. His face still carried a youth most girls her age did not associate with desirable and his musculature might not have even existed.

Somehow, shallow as it was, it bothered her. It reminded her of the difference, of what it would look like, and what it would feel like. Where she would want a searing kiss, Dipper would want something more, his speed. And that was fine, it made sense.

He was 12,

And she was 15.

Three years wasn't that big a deal, in fact she'd seen plenty of seniors dating freshman, weird as it was. But that was in the realm of high school, where scandals were hot and the prudes were not. Dipper hadn't gotten there yet, and it'd be a while before he did.

She had resolved herself to say no.

But as he sat beside her, his words a confusing mess of fun and levity that wrought havoc on her emotions, she couldn't help but think he was beautiful.

The kind of beauty that stammers and crumples up a piece of paper because he's too nervous to speak his mind. The kind that laughs with her calmly and doesn't want anything more than her. Wendy missed that kind of love. It was so pure and simple, untainted by life's great secrets.

Robbie had texted her while they had been watching the movie, and she spoke with the elegance Dipper had come accustomed to. She refrained from letting the torrential wave of sleepless nights and long whimpers come to the surface. Robbie had been loving, if possessive. Attractive, in a desperate way. He had been the boyfriend that most girls start with, but never end with.

But Dipper?

He asked about her dating life, he stalled for time. He laid back in exasperation at his own cowardice. He cared about her, she really thought so. And with the fear of what was to come if she let her thoughts continue, she embarrassed him with a snipe about her bra. The moment passed, and once again, Dipper Pines sounded and looked like a 12 year old boy who had danced in a lamb costume.

-oOo-

The next moment, oddly enough, came to her when she was turning him down. She was too old for him, and she meant that. But she had also meant everything else she had said. He was fun and interesting, far beyond anything the average boy her age could offer. And when she thought of a summer without Dipper, the bottomless pit sounded more and more appealing.

Dipper took her refusal well, better than Robbie did. And she found herself more endeared to him. The next movie night they had, she found herself compelled to sit closer to him. It was such an odd feeling. He was too young for her now…. But… later?

The thought was a promise, something she wouldn't be able to get rid of.

And so she did nothing. She let herself feel it. She didn't ask it to go away, nor did she cling to it. Dipper Pines loved her, and it showed in the way he kept glancing at her while they watched the movie. She hated to admit it, but there was something pleasing about that.

-oOo-

The final moment of their first summer had come when the apocalypse had ended, and it was time to say goodbye. She had thought of highschool, of the endless parade of vanity and narcissism. It made her sick, even more so to know she was one of them.

Then she thought of Dipper, of the recently annointed teen, and the source of her entertainment for that summer. His sincerity, his little smile as he realized that she didn't like him back. It was maddening. He stood before her, beside Mabel, and looked to her. It was paralyzing, but she moved anyway.

Her fist extended, awaiting his response. He obliged, the smile on his face still bitter sweet. Somehow, this reached her, a small needle prick upon her heart. She told him the only thing she could for now. That he meant a lot to her. Soon his hat came to rest upon her head, and she had thought that he looked cute in her own. She handed him the letter and watched as the bus crested the hill. It squeaked into a stop, and the sound left her ears ringing.

She watched him leave, his ruffles of hair under her hat disappear into the confines of the steel cage. The bus rumbled to life and he pulls away. Dipper waves, to everyone, then to her… only her.

Only her.

Something tugs at her, its drawing her to him. The bus was leaving, she began running. She'd waved, yelled goodbye and smiled widely. It was only when he was out of view, far down the road that she let her run fall to a walk, and soon, a silent stillness.

She stood there for a while, taking everything in. Gravity Falls was different. The air was stuffy, and her head felt muddy. The sky clear as day, was grey.

Funny enough, it was Soos that understood. He'd put a hand on her shoulder and told her the one thing she needed to hear.

"Don't worry Wendy, he'll be back."

The goofball walked away after that, returning to the Mystery Shack to begin his tenure as Mr. Mystery. It was then that she realized something. Soos was her boss.

Wendy burst out laughing.

Her sides hurt, her eyes stung with tears, and her face was contorted in a mixture of hell and heaven. All of it was insane. She'd survived Weirdmageddon, and yet this was the madness that took her away.

Stan and the others left, it was soon just her. The woods almost seemed to comfort her, wrapping her in a blanket of nostalgia to hide in. But soon, she too left, her thoughts still on the stretch of empty road leaving Gravity Falls.

-oOo-

Over the year, from fall to summer, Wendy Corduroy wasn't the same. She was there, her vibrant firebrand hair marking her presence. But still she was far away. She dated a guy for a while. He'd been nice, he'd been respectful. He'd been the guy she wanted.

After three months, she broke it off.

Often times, it isn't what we want that haunts us, it's what we need. Her birthday came and went, and she found herself 16, once again three years older than a pair of twins she knew. The Shack was hollow, a beast without its beating heart.

Finally, after the school year came and passed, the end of her sophomore year coming to a close, she idly thought the sky looked bluer than the rarest sapphire.

-oOo-

It was with great pleasure that she stood beside Soos and Stan upon that familiar long road. Her eyes trailed along the asphalt, and she tried her best to keep her breathing in check. Ford was running late, Stan had said something about a fire breathing centipede had gotten loose. At this point, regarding the Pines family, she left matters like that to them. There was something missing, and until it came back to her, her taste for adventure had withered.

Then as if it had always been there, the metal box breasted the hill and two distant figures were snuggled together asleep in its confines. It was only when the bus rolled to a halt that they jolted awake. The figures began awkwardly shuffling off the bus, their raised and bickering voices making Soos grin in anticipation.

Wendy was suddenly envious of her boss. How could he be so calm? Her heart hammered in her chest and the distorted dizziness that had arrived along with the bus was almost enough to make her turn away and walk home.

Almost.

Mabel stepped off the bus first, waddles in tow, her smile was radiant as she presented her pearly whites. She jumped to Stan, yelling about her freedom and how her teeth never felt better. Soos, glanced at Wendy with a knowing look, and then turned to talk with Mabel.

"Hey."

Wendy's head snapped to attention and she felt the world shift apart. Still, she was calm, still she held it in. He stepped off the bus, and stood before her. His voice was deeper, surprisingly so.

"Hey there," she returns weakly.

The air was the freshest it had ever been. The trees were a sea of waving emerald in the cool summer's breeze. She couldn't say anything more. So she simply looked instead.

He's taller. What was once an eight inch height gap was now reduced to four. Atop his head rest a familiar hat, just as the hat that she wore was. His smile was calm, gentle, all traces of bitterness gone. This pleased her, but then again… it didn't.

That feeling, that trepidation that she had felt last summer when they watched that dumb old movie. "Nearly Almost Dead But Not Quite," that had been her entire school year, and so she suddenly felt silly. It would seem the difference was closing.

The silence between them lasted a moment longer, long enough for the bus to leave and for Dipper to tell Mabel to go on ahead. As the rest of the welcome party departed for the Shack, it was just her and him.

She smiles.

He smiles.

"It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has," She echoed the sentiment back.

It's a second longer before everything snaps into place. He's Dipper Pines, he's here at this very moment, waiting for her. She strode forward, a fist as an offering. Without hesitation he obliged.

"Movie night?"

Wendy couldn't help the stir of something wonderful in her chest.

"Movie Night," she confirmed softly.

She slung an arm around his shoulders and they walked back to the Shack, a laugh on their lips as stories were swapped back and forth.

There were times when Wendy thought she could love him. But now she knew there were times that she would love him. It may not be anytime soon, and he still had another four inches to grow, but it was there. And that was enough for her.

A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. If you want me to make a full fic on this idea let me know. I enjoyed writing this. I've been in Wendy's place before, and believe me, as the younger person gets older, it gets harder to say no.