Stan and Ford had spent days searching the woods for their missing niece and nephew. During the day, the rest of the town assisted with the search. At night, it was just the two of them. The elder Pines twins couldn't blame them. The woods could be dangerous to navigate at night. Plus, the town's folk needed their rest. Truthfully, Stan and Ford should have rested as well, but they weren't getting any sleep until their kids were safe at home.
As usual, they had been calling the kids' names. As usual, their calls were met with silence.
Until…
"NO, PLEASE! DON'T KILL ME! I DON'T WANNA DIE! PLEASE!" It was Dipper. "NO! NO! PLEASE!"
They bolted towards the sound of the screaming. Their fear increased tenfold when Dipper didn't scream again. Why did he stop screaming? And where was Mabel? Oh god, please let them be alright.
They stopped when they saw a man silhouetted by the moonlight. He was standing over a tree stump and had an axe in his hands about to chop something.
That something was Dipper. He was completely naked and had his head laying on the stump like a makeshift execution block, as though he were a criminal being put to death.
He didn't move when the axe touched his neck as the man took aim. His eyes were devoid of the fiery passion he had during the thrill of an adventure. Now, they only held fear, despair, and hopelessness.
The man raised the axe. Dipper closed his eyes resigned to his fate.
Without a word, Ford and Stan formulated a plan to rescue their nephew. Stan went around them while Ford pulled out his gun and moved into view.
"DROP THE AXE!" Ford would have loved nothing more than to shoot the bastard on the spot, but the axe would have fallen right on top of Dipper if he did.
Dipper was pulled to his feet and the man held the axe against his throat. He looked at his uncle with wide-eyed shock. "Grunkle Ford…"
"Let the boy go," Ford demanded in a low growl. He could see Stan sneaking up on Dipper's captor. Ford had to keep him distracted.
"Back off or I'll cut off his fucking head!"
"Help me, Grunkle Ford." Dipper's plea cut through Ford's heart. He couldn't help but soften.
"You'll be okay, Dipper, I promise," Ford reassured Dipper before once again glaring at his captor. "Release him or I will kill you."
"I'll kill him! I swear to god! I'll kill him-"
Stan was right behind the man now. He was more than happy to use his brass knuckles to hit the guy in the back of the head.
Stan grabbed the axe out of the man's hand before he fell over unconscious to make sure he didn't hit Dipper, who had also fallen to the ground. He threw the instrument of his nephew's death as far away as possible before going over to Dipper.
He put his brass knuckles away before carefully turning over Dipper and cradling the back of his head. Ford came over to Dipper's side as well.
They were so afraid they would never see each other again. Now, the three of them were all in such shock to be back together that none of them knew what to say.
Ford was the first to come to his senses. Dipper was still naked and looked terribly emaciated. Ford took off his coat and wrapped it around the boy.
Dipper finally broke down and pressed his face into Stan's chest. They crooned comforting words to Dipper while wrapping their arms around him to form a protective barrier around the broken child.
—
It was hard to believe all that happened only hours ago. Now, Dipper and Mabel were sleeping in their hospital beds recovering from their ordeal.
Stan's head was drooping on Ford's shoulder. Ford tried to sleep as well, but it was hard to fall asleep sitting up in a chair. Besides, he hadn't slept since the kids went missing. He couldn't close his eyes without imagining what the kids must have been enduring.
Ford didn't have to imagine anymore. He heard everything when Dipper and Mabel tearfully gave their statement to the police. Finding out what that man did to Dipper had been awful enough but hearing that he used Mabel's life to force Dipper's compliance was downright cruel. No child should have to make that choice. It spoke volumes of Dipper's character to sacrifice his honor to save his sister.
So rather than going to sleep himself, he watched his niece and nephew sleep, particularly Dipper, whom he was the most concerned about. He had helped treat Dipper's wounds, and they told a horrific tale of how much the boy was brutalized.
He could still hear Dipper's pleas for his life echoing through the trees. He didn't understand how anyone could listen to such a heart-wrenching sound and still go through with murdering an innocent child. He couldn't forget the look on Dipper's face when he believed he was about to die. He had never seen Dipper like that, and he never wanted to again.
He was so lost in thought that it took him a moment to notice Mabel had gotten up from her bed and was walking over to her brother.
Ford carefully lifted Stan's head off his shoulder. Stan was so deeply asleep that it didn't even wake him as his head hung to the side.
Ford went over to Mabel and put his hand on her shoulder. "Mabel?"
Mabel spun around and smacked Ford's hand away. "Get away from him!"
"Mabel, calm down. It's me."
"Mabel...?" Dipper was woken up by the sound of his sister in distress. He attempted to get up but was held down by Ford.
"Dipper, don't move."
"Don't hurt Mabel...I'm coming…" Dipper slurred, his eyes only half open. He was so delirious that he forgot they were no longer in danger and thought he still had to protect his sister.
"Shh, Dipper, it's okay. No one's gonna hurt me." Mabel put her hand on his forehead. "Go back to sleep."
"Mabel...have to protect you…"
"Dipper, it's okay. Look, see? Grunkle Ford's here." Mabel moved aside to let him see their uncle hoping it would reassure Dipper they were safe.
A hand touched Dipper's face. It was too big to be his sister and too gentle to be his abuser. He tried hard to open his eyes and look at the face above him. Some recognition returned to his dazed expression. "Grunkle Ford…?"
"I'm here, Dipper."
"Grunkle Ford…Mabel…she's safe...?"
"Yes, Dipper, Mabel's safe thanks to you. You did great, my boy. But now, it's time to rest."
Everything came back to Dipper. Their uncles rescued them and brought them to the hospital. He remembered Ford holding his hand during his uncomfortable physical exam. He remembered Ford helping Stan bathe him while being patient with Dipper's uneasiness. He remembered Ford calling him a hero when he felt like anything but.
He wanted to thank Ford for all he's done when a finger was pressed against his lips.
"Shh, sleep now. Go back to sleep," Ford said soothingly as he stroked Dipper's face.
Dipper was still on edge and hesitant to close his eyes. But the relaxing rhythm of Ford's hand brushing across his face made Dipper's eyelids flutter until he was unable to open them again.
Satisfied that his nephew was sleeping, Ford turned his attention to his niece. "Mabel, what are you doing out of bed?"
"I wanted to check on Dipper."
"I know you're worried about him, but you have your own health to think about as well."
"Why? I'm not the one who got hurt."
"He imprisoned and starved you, Mabel. Don't undermine the suffering you've been through."
Mabel felt too guilty to whine about her condition. As painful as being deprived of food and water was for her, Dipper went through the same thing in addition to the abuse inflicted by their kidnapper. The worst part was Dipper could have run away and saved himself but didn't…to protect her.
"Mabel, it's not your fault."
"He let himself get hurt because of me, Grunkle Ford."
"You didn't hurt him, Mabel. That man forced Dipper to make an impossible choice. It's no one's fault but his," said Ford. "It will take time for Dipper to recover physically and emotionally, but he will recover. He'll get past this. He's a strong boy."
"I know he is." Mabel gave a fond but sad smile as she glanced over at Dipper.
"But if he had lost you, I know he would have never gotten over that. Your brother loves you more than I think even you know."
Mabel smiled and wiped her eyes. "But how do you know he'll be okay?"
"Because he'll have you by his side."
Mabel let out a half-laugh, half-sob. "Thanks, Grunkle Ford. I'll be by his side every day. I'll take care of him."
"You can't take care of him if you don't take care of yourself."
"Yeah, you're right." Mabel gave a sheepish smile before extending her arms for Ford to pick her up and put her back in bed. It wasn't long before she too fell asleep.
Ford grabbed the empty chair next to Stan (who was still slumped over fast asleep. Ford doubted an earthquake could have woken him at this point). He moved the chair so he could sit in between the kids. Even though they were both safe, Ford's mind didn't allow him to rest. It was almost as if he feared the children will be taken from him again if he let his guard down even for a moment.
He heard a whimper come from Dipper. Ford immediately went to his side. The boy's face was scrunched up in distress. He was having a nightmare, and Ford didn't have to be a genius to guess what it was about.
"Dipper…" Ford tapped Dipper's face trying to coax him awake as gently as possible. Dipper gasped and his eyes snapped open. "Dipper, it's okay. It's me. It's your uncle."
Dipper calmed down upon seeing Ford standing over him. He sighed and leaned his head into Ford's touch. Tears slipped out of Dipper's eyes. Ford used his thumb to wipe them away.
"You were wrong about me, Grunkle Ford. I'm no hero."
"Of course you are. Your actions were nothing short of courageous."
"No, you're wrong. When you found me…when he was going to…" Dipper felt a knot in his throat at the memory of being on that stump, naked and helpless, waiting for the axe to come down and end his life. Dipper put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from breaking down again. Ford took his hand and rubbed his knuckles with his thumb silently urging him to keep going.
"When he told me he was going to kill me, he promised to make it quick if I didn't fight him. I was so scared of it hurting, so I did what he said. He was going to kill me, and I was just going to let him. And Mabel would have died too. I gave up, Grunkle Ford." Dipper couldn't bear to look at his uncle believing Ford will think much less of him for not fighting until the very end.
"Mason…look at me." Ford put his hand under Dipper's chin and lifted his head. His eyes held no disappointment, only sympathy for the boy. "You were so weak when we found you. You were starved and beaten nearly to death because you refused to abandon your sister to die. You suffered so much, and you made huge sacrifices to save your sister's life. What more could you have possibly done?"
"I don't know."
"The answer is nothing. There was nothing more you could have done to save yourself or Mabel. But your strength kept you and your sister alive long enough for us to find you."
"So, you don't think I'm a coward?"
"Of course not. You were faced with certain death, and you wanted to avoid further pain. After all you've been through, no one can judge you for that." Ford brushed his hand through Dipper's hair before bringing his hand to a rest on Dipper's cheek. "I stand by what I told you before. You're a hero. And I am very proud of you."
Deep down, he knew Ford was right. Dipper had done everything he could. Still, he couldn't help some of the guilt that lingered in his heart. He hoped with his family's support, that ill-placed guilt would fade with time. Thanks to his uncle, a huge chunk of it was already alleviated.
With a baffling amount of energy, Dipper propelled up from his bed and hugged his uncle. Ford held on to him both to return his hug and to keep him from falling over since what little strength Dipper had was spent sitting up to give that hug. "Thank you, Grunkle Ford."
"Alright, lie back down now." Ford lowered Dipper onto his pillow and pulled the blanket over him. "Is there anything else you need?"
Dipper looked down appearing to be contemplating something. Ford guessed that there was something he wanted but was shy about asking.
"What is it, Dipper? Tell me."
"Could you…maybe…sleep with me tonight?" Dipper regretted his request as quickly as he spat out the words. He wasn't a baby, and Ford wasn't his mother. "Never mind, it's stupid."
Without any hesitation, he laid down next to Dipper. "You don't have to, Grunkle Ford, if it's too weird."
"I want to, Dipper. Besides, I've never been afraid of being weird."
"Thanks." Dipper blushed and smiled sheepishly. Ford was glad to see some color return his pale face.
"Anything for you, Dipper."
Ford ran his fingers through Dipper's hair. All inhibition was abandoned as Dipper snuggled closer Ford: his savior, his protector, his best friend.
"Love you, Grunkle Ford." Dipper felt a soft kiss pressed to his forehead making him smile wider.
"I love you too, my boy."
Ford had been calling Dipper "my boy" since they first met, but it meant something completely different now. Ford nearly lost him, and it made him realize how much Dipper meant to him. Dipper may not have been his son, but he loved him like he was his own nonetheless. He was more than just his nephew now. He was his boy.
Ford continued to stroke Dipper's hair long after the boy fell asleep. He felt his own eyes finally drooping as his insomnia seemed to dissipate. Maybe Dipper wasn't the only one who needed company tonight.
He looked at the precious child sleeping peacefully in his arms. He held Dipper a little tighter and gave him one last kiss on his forehead.
Comforted by the steady rise and fall of Dipper's chest against his own, Ford was able to sleep for the first time in days.