Through The Portal

by Darthlane

What happened that night thirty years ago? Why did Stanley disappear? What is the true purpose of the portal? What does Bill have to do with all of this? More importantly, what does Stan have to do with this? It could be more perilous than anyone realizes. I do not own Gravity Falls.

1. Chapter 1

Hello guys!

More than anything I have ever written, I have put my heart and soul into this. I mean, just look at it! This chapter alone is over 10,000 words! That's ridiculous! It took forever to write this. But it was worth it. I really like how it turned out, and I hope you do to. In case you didn't know, this is based off of information learned in the Gravity Falls episode "Not What He Seems." If you haven't seen it yet, I would recommend watching it IMMEDIATELY then promptly returning to read this. This is set 30 years in the past and is about what happened with Grunkle Stan and *spoiler alert* his brother Stanley that led to him being tossed in the portal for thirty years. I hope you enjoy it, I enjoyed writing it!

EDIT 8/18/15

Please keep in mind that when I intitially wrote this it was after "Not What He Seems" but before "A Tale of Two Stans." Thus there are some things learned in later episodes that don't match up with things that happen in the story. For example, We learn that Stan Pines, as in the one that has been taking care of Dipper and Mabel all summer, is actually named Stanley. In this story, however, he is still Stanford. Vice versa. Uncle Ford is named Stanley in this story. Their names are switched, got it? Good!

Chapter 1

"No! You can't have them!" Stanley Pines shouted in his gruff voice as he burst through the door of his bunker. He ran up the creaking wooden steps he had built himself not so long ago. It struck him as he ran that his bunker, the amazing place he had built to survive the apocalypse he knew was coming, would never be used now. All that work, wasted. Losing his experiments, especially the shapeshifter, would be a huge disappointment after all the work he had put into them. At least the food would still be there when he got back. If he got back.

But now wasn't the time to worry about that. He had bigger problems. Much bigger.

"You can run, but you can't hide!" Came a sing song voice from below. There was an ominous yellow light filtering through from below. Stanley forced himself to look away from the magnificent yellow and keep running.

"I can sure as hell try!" Stanley shouted back as he ran up the steps. "Just because I'm a bookworm doesn't mean I will be easy to catch!"

"Easy or not, I will catch you in the end." The demon answered ominously. "I always get what I want, Six Fingers. No matter how smart or lucky you happen to be I will win in the end."

Stanley finally emerged from the pit that held his bunker. The moon shined high overhead, as if to get a better view of the events happening below it. Stanly found himself surrounded by a forest, a mass of trees that he had known since he was a mere boy. His home, Gravity Falls. He let himself drift away for a fraction of a second. He let himself just breathe in the pine scented air, hear the chirping of the crickets, feel the needles beneath his boots. The Oregon wilderness was as beautiful as ever.

But a fraction of a second was all he could afford. He was running again, desperate to get away. If he was caught, Bill Cipher would show no mercy and everything Stanley had worked for would be gone.

"Gotta think, gotta think." He muttered as he ran. He swerved in between several trees, moving like a rabbit to not leave a single line trail. Bill was much faster so Stanley had to confuse him as well as he could. If Bill chased in the wrong direction that would help Stanley to no end. "I need someone I can trust. Just someone to help, or I'm never going to make it. I can't fight him alone."

Who could he trust? Dad was gone now. Stanford had abandoned him. His assistant, Fiddleford McGucket, had abandoned him. Even his wife, taking their son with her, had abandoned him. He had no one left.

But there had to be someone still willing to give him a chance. There had to be someone who had the capacity to forgive him for everything he had done. Yes, he had forgotten his friends and family, everything that really mattered, to seek after secrets he never should have chased. It had ultimately been his undoing, and he regretted it completely. Who wouldn't, considering how everything had panned out? Maybe someone would recognize that and give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe.

He suddenly tripped over a tree root in the dark forest. He tumbled through the leaves and dirt. He was stopped rather abruptly by crashing into another tree. He felt an intense pain in his arm and heard a sharp crack. He let out a cry as his right arm broke upon impact with the tree.

"I heard that! Where are youuuuuu?" A voice called in the darkness of the magical but deadly woods. The yellow light was close. Way too close.

Stanley forced himself to stand up and begin running again. "As powerful as you are you still can't see everything." He muttered. Little did he know that a book had slipped from his pocket when he had crashed into the tree. A little book, filled with secrets, with a six fingered hand and a bold 3 on the cover.

He ran and he ran, desperate to put some distance between him and the demon triangle that wanted to stop him so badly. He knew without looking that Bill was on the scent and following his trail like a bloodhound. A floating, crazy bloodhound. Stanley ducked under branches and jumped over roots. He couldn't afford to be slowed down.

As he ran he hit his hurt arm on a branch and hissed as his arm felt a renewed fire of pain burst in his arm. Yeah, it was definitely broken. He would have to try to get back with just one usable arm if he could. He held his hurt arm to his chest to protect it from any further obstructions and forced himself to keep moving. He had to keep moving or he was dead.

He emerged suddenly from the tree line. Confused by his sudden change of environment, Stanley skidded to a halt. He quickly realized he had happened upon the new diner that had opened recently. Stanley remembered that it was owned by some woman that showed up in town not that long ago. What was her name? Suzie? No, that didn't sound right, but it was close. Susan? That felt better.

Stanley ran inside to hide from Bill Cipher. He knew the triangular demon wouldn't search where there happened to be a lot of humans if he could help it. For Bill, secrecy and mystery were still his greatest weapons against the human race. Stanley realized he might also find a phone in there. He desperately needed to find someone to help him survive the night. The various customers were spread out throughout the diner in small groups of two's and three's, and most looked up in surprise at his arrival. Stanley understood why. He hadn't been out in public much recently. He walked straight up to the beautiful, young, blond owner, Susan. To his surprise, she cried out "Stan Pines! You're back already!"

He was at a loss for words. He couldn't remember having ever set foot in this place before, or meeting her in person. How did she even know him?

The answer came to him, and it was like a slap to the face. Stanford. Somehow, someway, Susan had seen him and mistaken Stanley for his twin. It was the only explanation.

But how was it possible? Stan had left town a few years back, blaming Stanley for the problems that had plagued their family. He had left to get away from Stanley and all the bitterness that he associated with his brother. Stanley knew that it was his fault that Stanford had left and had tried desperately to find him again. But he had failed to find him, so Stanford had for all intents and purposes disappeared from the face of the earth. Why would he come back now?

Stanley realized that Susan was still waiting for him to react. "Oh, uh, yes. Yes I am. I'm Stan. Uh, how long ago was I here?"

Stanley knew that now that his brother was back, he would have to find him. Stan would be the perfect person to help him survive. Surely he could put behind his ill feelings toward Stanley long enough to help. His brother wasn't the kind of person to leave him in his time of need. Besides, who better to help him stop Bill Cipher than the other Mystery Twin? It was like the stars had aligned to give him one last chance at a miracle, to fix the mistakes he had made in the past.

"About two hours ago, of course. Don't you remember?"

"Uh, yes." Stanley answered. "Say Susan, what did I do while I was here, exactly?"

"Did you forget or something? What, did you get your memory stolen?" She laughed at the idea, but quickly stopped when Stanley didn't join her. He didn't find it funny in the slightest. "Um, you were flirting with me, remember? You had all these great jokes." She nudged him. "You must get all the girls, don't you Stanford? You sly dog, you!"

"Heh heh, that's me all right." Stanley said nervously. He knew he was doing a terrible job impersonating his brother. "Stan Pines, the ladies' man. So, did you happen to see which way I went when I left?"

Susan frowned. "Actually, I don't think I did." Stanley's heart sank. How was he supposed to find his brother now? As soon as his hopes had risen they were crushed once more.

Susan held up a slip of paper. "But it's lucky for me that you left me your number before you left." She waved the paper, proud of her prize.

"Perfect!" Stanley exclaimed. "I mean, can I see it, please? I messed up the number so I need to fix it for you. Ya know, so you can call me."

"Sure!" Susan said excitedly. Stanley snatched the paper away. "Wow, that's responsible of you. Coming back to make sure I don't call some stranger. Where have all the gentlemen like you gone these days?"

"Yeah, that's me." Stanley said absentmindedly as he began dialing Stan's number in the phone. "Mister responsible. Hey can you give me some privacy for a minute? It's a personal call."

"Sure thing, you sweet pea!" She flashed him her best smile as she went to the other end of the counter to give him space. She pretended to wipe the counter with a dirty rag as she watched him, drooling slightly. Stanley tried to ignore her as he waited for Stan to pick up. She was starting to get really creepy.

After a moment Stan answered the phone. "Hello? Is this Susan? Cause all my nights are full until next Tuesday, so a date is going to have to wait, doll. Hello?"

Stanley didn't answer for a moment. Hearing his brother's voice again after so long, it was a strange moment. He couldn't get himself to speak for a moment. He hadn't expected to be effected this way. He came back to his senses and said softly, "No. It's me."

There was a long pause. After what seemed like forever. Finally he heard, "Stanley?"

"Yeah, brother. It's me." He still wasn't sure how Stan was going to react. Would he still be mad? No, of course he would. But would he be mad enough to abandon him?

"You... You shouldn't have called, Stanley." Stan's voice sounded rougher than usual. "Not after everything that happened."

"I know, Stan." Stanley answered. "Look, I'm sorry for all of that. Believe me, I would take it all back if I could. I wish I could go back and fix it all."

"Well you can't." Stan spat back. "You ruined everything and there is nothing you can do to fix it."

"I know." Stanley said with a sigh. "Knowing that tears me apart every day. It probably always will. But Stan, I need you to put that aside for now. Please. Because I need you."

"What are you talking about?" Stan asked suspiciously. "Stanley, are you in trouble with someone? I swear if I have to bail you out of some debt-"

"No, it's nothing like that." Stanley said quickly. He silently wished it were as simple as paying back money. At least then he didn't have to worry about the safety of the world. "It's about what I found. All the information that I discovered. Stan, it's all so much more important than you would have believed. I found out something that we need-"

"No!" Stan shouted over the phone. "No way! If it has to do with those stupid mysteries you were always chasing, I don't want any part of it. You're on your own. Those damn things ruined my life, and I'm not going to let you drag me back into it. I thought you would have learned by now, Stanley. Nothing good is coming from those damn mysteries."

"Stan, please." Stanley pleaded. He had to get Stan's help. He just had to. "I might be killed. The person who's after me, he is more powerful than you could possibly imagine. He has to be stopped. I'm the only one who knows how, but I can't do it alone. I need you, Stan."

There was a long pause. Stanley waited, hoping that his prayers would be answered and he wouldn't have to fight Bill alone.

"Fine." Stan said gruffly. "But it's only because you're my brother. I swear, the minute I have to look for some clue or something I'm leaving. Understand? I'm done with that life. So what do you need me for?"

"Thank you, Stan. Really. Okay, what I need you to do is go to my house." Stanley checked his watch. Somehow the timer was down to forty minutes. Had he really spend so much time running from Bill? There had still been almost an hour and a half left when he had fled the bunker. Boy, was he losing track of things "I need you there in the next forty minutes. It is very important that you get there as fast as possible."

"Your house? Are you still in that run down place outside of town? That house was a piece of shit. It didn't help that you never took care of it. I would hate to live there." Stanley heard a chuckle at the other end.

"Yeah, I'm still there. Laugh it up." Stanley said quickly. "Just get there, Stan. And make sure you hurry. It is vital you get there soon."

"Yeah, yeah." Stan said casually. "I got it. But you owe me now."

"Yes." Stanley said softly. "More than you know." It was too bad he wouldn't be able to pay Stan back. Probably better not to mention that yet.

There was a click and Stanley knew that his brother had hung up. All too soon Stanley was alone again. His reconnection with Stan was over now and he was all alone in the world again. Far, far too alone.

He put the phone up and handed back the slip of paper to Susan. "Ooh thank you!" She squealed, delighted to have someone to call. As she examined the slip of paper Stanley noticed that her purse was just to his left. He knew it was wrong to do, but he had no choice. He had to make it to his house on time at all costs, and compared to the end of the world this was an easy price to pay. While Susan was still distracted by the paper whose number was mysteriously the same as before, Stanley slipped his hand in and pulled out her car keys. They jingled slightly as he pulled them out and he hid them behind his back. This was it. He was entering the life of crime. Then again, he considered, hadn't stealing the vats of nuclear waste been stealing as well? It hadn't felt the same as this. Actually seeing the person he was stealing from and knowing that they actually depended on it made this feel completely different. At least with the vats he was doing the world a favor by getting rid of them. They were dangerous and could hurt someone if he didn't use them as fuel. But this, stealing from Susan, that was just plain thievery. It was what his parents had always taught him was wrong, that he should never do.

But it was necessary, and that was all that mattered.

"Hey Susan." She looked up. "Which of those cars out there happens to be yours?" Before he could stop himself he pointed with his right arm at the parking lot. He let out a hiss of pain. Damn. Why couldn't he have just watched where he was going in the woods? His hurt arm made it impossible to do just about everything.

"Stan, are you okay?" Susan asked, concerned. "Did something happen to your arm?" A couple of the customers were watching now, interested as to why he was injured. One was Deputy Blubbs, who rose from his seat at the booth to see what was going on.

"It's nothing." He growled. "Don't worry about it. Just tell me which car is yours." He cradled his hurt arm to ease the ache he felt. He knew already that his arm was in very bad condition, but he didn't have the time to get it checked out. He would just have to deal with it as best he could.

"It's the silver car at the back over there, although I don't see what it has to do with- Ahhh!" She squealed as Stanley suddenly broke into a sprint for the door. "Wha- What? Stan! Stanford Pines! What in heaven's sake are you doing?"

Stanley ignored her as he was out the door and onto the concrete parking lot. He heard the door slam shut behind him. He didn't have the time or the inclination to answer her pleas. He already had misgivings for what he was doing. He didn't think he could go through with it if he tried to say anything back, even an apology.

He reached the car and unlocked it quickly. As he got into the driver's seat he heard Susan shout from across the parking lot, "Hey! That's my car! What do you think you're doing, Stanford Pines? Why are-" Her voice cut off when he closed the door of the car. He started the engine and started pulling out. In the rearview mirror he saw Susan and a couple of the customers running his way. Deputy Blubbs, fat as he was, had fallen behind the others and was already out of breath. The others weren't much closer. He chuckled. They weren't going to catch him. He turned back and almost jumped out of his skin.

"Son of a bitch!" He roared. Ahead of his stolen car and heading his way at a fast pace was none other than Bill Cipher. He looked angry as he floated above the forest towards the car. The floating triangle had blue flames coming from his thin black hands. Unfortunately, what the blue fire did was one of the many things Stanley did not know about the Dream Demon he faced.

"I told you, Six Fingers." The triangle's voice projected despite him not actually having a mouth. "I won't allow you to get away from me! I will not be defeated by a bag of flesh when I am a being of pure power and imagination! It's unthinkable. Stop right now, Stan Pines!"

Stanley stomped on the gas. The tires squealed as they burned skid marks and the pavement and the care jerked forward. Stanley didn't ease despite the danger of driving so fast in a semi-crowded parking lot. He knew he had to get away as fast as he possibly could. Being caught by Bill would be much worse than any car crash. If Bill got ahold of him he would be helpless to fight back, and he didn't even know what kind of horrible things the demon could possibly do to him.. He swerved to the left, ignoring the small path that connected the parking lot and the road and driving through the grass. His car bounced as it went over a drainage dip and onto the old road. He skidded over the pavement as he turned the car with just his good hand and accelerated away. Bill was close behind, hands blazing with scary blue fire. Stanley cringed when he saw the triangle so close. For just a moment Stanley thought he had been caught, that everything he had worked for had been undone. But then the car steadily pulled away from the evil shape chasing him. He sighed in relief. He was safe for the moment. Stanley quickly checked the speedometer. It read forty-five miles an hour and climbing as the car continued to accelerate. So that was Bill's limit. It would be very useful to know in the future. Soon Bill was out of sight, lost in the chase. Stanley let out another sigh of relief. He was well on track to complete his mission. As long as he didn't run afoul of any more bad luck there was a good chance he might actually stop Bill and his plans.

He turned his attention to what he had to do when he got back to his house. It was crazy, it was dangerous, it likely wouldn't work, but it was all that could possibly have a chance of beating Bill Cipher. He went over the equations in his head, equations he had learned through painstaking research about his machine. He nodded to himself. Everything checked out. In theory, his plan should work. He turned his attention to any variables that might have an impact on how tonight might turn out. There was Stan, of course, and possibly the Society of the Blind Eye. They were sure to have heard of Stanley's theft already. They had agents everywhere and would stop at nothing to keep the secrets of Gravity Falls secrets. They wouldn't hesitate to erase Stanley's memory if they got the chance. They had tried to do twice already, and Stanley had barely escaped with his memories intact. If they somehow got to him, all would be lost. He turned his mind to anything else that might surprise him tonight. Was he forgetting anything?

Several minutes later he was most of the way home when the tires suddenly lifted from the ground. The car was suspended in mid air, slowly rising through the night sky. The wheels spinned uselessly in the air, no longer moving forward. Now the car, and Stanley with it, was floating upward. That didn't work with Stanley. It was definitely the wrong direction.

"Dammit!" He shouted. The anti gravity that would be showing up had completely slipped his mind. How could he just forget about such an important detail? It wasn't like him at all. But now wasn't the time to worry about that. He flung the door open and hauled himself out the open door. He wanted to be out before the car got too high and he especially didn't want to still be in the car when gravity returned. That would be something he wasn't likely to survive. He pushed off from the car to float away from the road. He would much rather land in the grass the hard pavement.

After a couple more moments gravel returned and he and the car, as well as anything else in town that had left the ground, fell back down. He landed hard in the grass. He took special care to avoid landing on his broken arm. Instead he felt another bone give in his left leg.

He screamed, facing the sharp agony of a newly broken limb to go with the duller but still painful arm. He sat in the grass, sobbing quietly for a moment. He shivered as his sweat cooled in the night air. He was scared. Now that he had injured another limb beating Bill and saving the world seemed much farther off to him. Was he ever going to make it to his house? It seemed like he kept running into obstacle after obstacle, and they were definitely taking their toll. He was already down two limbs and Bill hadn't even layer a finger on him yet.

That woke him from his doubts like a slap to his face. Bill Cipher! He wouldn't be far behind, and he would show no mercy to Stanley if he were to find him. Stanley knew all too well what the triangle was capable of, and it was certain to be absolutely horrible. And, he thought wryly, as mysterious as that damn triangle is there is undoubtedly much more to him than that. There was no telling what that demon could do. Stanley had no idea what the limits were to his powers, or if he even had any. He would prefer not to find out.

He scrambled up to his good leg and limped as fast as he could to the car. He pulled out the tweezers he had borrowed from Stan when they were teenagers but always forgot to return. Even through the great pain he was in, he was able to conjure up a small smile at the memories of his teenage years, the days he had spent happily with his brother Stan. It seemed so long ago now. The farther away it got the more he realized how stupid he was to throw it all away. If only he could go back…

He shook the thoughts away. He had work to do. He crawled under the car and snipped the brake line. Now if anyone found the vehicle they would assume that it had been a murder. If they thought he was dead they wouldn't be looking for him, they would look for a murderer. They wouldn't have any reason to search his house and possibly find what lay beneath. This was the only way to truly keep it safe. He got back up and slowly made his way to the tree line. He almost fell again but managed to lean onto a tree in time. As he limped through the dark forest that encompassed Gravity Falls he checked his watch to discover that he only had twenty-eight minutes left. Damn! That wasn't nearly enough time. He might make it there in maybe twenty-five minutes at his hobbling pace if he was lucky. But that didn't leave nearly enough time to prepare and tell Stanford what he needed to know.

He realized he needed to find a way to get to his house faster. He wondered if maybe a walking stick would help. He looked above him to examine any branches that might suit his purposes. Most of the ones within reach were either too thick to break off or too thin and spindly to support him as he walked. He spotted a usable stick a few paces away and hobbled to it. He put his bad hand gently onto the nearest tree for support as he reached up to grab his chosen branch. He tugged at it and a couple of cracks as it started severing from the rest of the tree.

"C'mon, you son of a bitch." He said raggedly. He knew that he would have to pull harder if he wanted it to snap off. He shifted more weight into his right hand to raise himself a little higher. It was excruciating and he was forced to clamp his mouth shut to force the tortured groans from being heard. He didn't want to leave any noise in case Bill Cipher was nearby.

By using the tree to raise himself higher he was able to get a better grip on the branch and break it off with one final pull.

He fell to his good knee, cradling his hard fought prize. Now with a stick to support him he could probably travel much faster and shave off some time. He got up painfully and walked assisted by his new cane as fast as he could manage.

It was hard, injured as he was, but he still managed. He had a tough time with the foliage that battled him as he tried to reach his house. He wasn't able to go particularly fast, but it was still a lot faster than he would have gone without the support of his new stick.

He glanced back down at his watch. Eighteen minutes. He had no idea how far away his house was, but he couldn't imagine it being too far. He covered a surprisingly large amount of ground. He felt that he might get there in as soon as five or ten minutes. He knew he shouldn't get over confident, but he had a feeling that he might actually accomplish what he set out to do. He could be one step closer to saving the world.

Of course, it was at that moment that Stanley heard an all too familiar voice in the distance behind him. He flattened himself out of sight against a tree.

"I know you're out here, Six-Fingers." Bill Cipher called out into the darkness. "I will catch you, and you're not gonna like what happens after that. No ho ho, not at all. But guess what! I am prepared to offer you a rather lucrative deal if you surrender yourself. You can save yourself from what I plan on doing to you, and I might even throw in some generous gifts to go with it. I don't wanna ruin the mystery, but I think you would love what you get from your side of the deal."

Bill's voice was far too close for comfort. Stanley guessed the dream demon couldn't he more than ten meters away. There was no way Stanley would survive if he tried to run for it now. He had to hope that against all miracles he wasn't discovered. That was his only chance. The world's only chance.

"All I want is for you to come out peacefully and surrender. It's not hard at all to just listen to a couple words, is it? Just show yourself. If you just come out and talk I promise not to hurt you. And I keep my promises, believe me. Just bring yourself and those precious little journals too. Then the fun can really begin!"

Bill came floating right by the tree Stanley was hiding behind. Stanley held his breath and tried to remain as still as possible. Amazingly, Bill didn't see him as he passed by. "We don't have to be enemies, Six-Fingers. I always respected you, because you were able to do things no one else could. You were able to see the signs of the paranormal, you were able to discover the mysteries of this town. I like the way you think, and I know we could make good friends, like we were not so long ago. Just give me the journals. Sounds like a good deal, eh?"

The triangle paused for a moment. "Well I guess he isn't over here. Humans never seem to listen when I say something." He did something that looked kind of like shrugging. "Well, I'm just going to have to destroy them all. I guess I'll look a little farther in. Six-Fingers has to be around somewhere." He suddenly zoomed off singing, "She asked me, 'Son, when I grow old, will you build me a house of gold? And when your father turns to stone, will you take care of me?'" Stanley was unable to make out any more words as the demon disappeared like a bright yellow bullet. He let out a huge breath. That was far too close.

He started moving again. He had to get moving. He didn't have time...

He marched on through the pain, never letting his weaknesses get the better of him. He couldn't allow them to. At times he fell, his leg unable to hold him up and his arm not willing to help him get back to his feet. It hurt so much. A big part of him just wanted to stop and sleep, to let the evil that threatened Gravity Falls and even the world win. Part of him even wanted to accept Bill Cipher's deal. But he forced himself to keep going. He knew that he had to make it, he just had to. His brother Stanford needed him to. Fiddleford McGucket needed him to. But most of all, his child, wherever Stanley's wife had taken him, needed Stanley to succeed. Stanley refused to let his child live in a world under evil's cruel boot. He would make sure that Bill was stopped, no matter what the cost.

He suddenly emerged from the trees right in front of his house, a massive building that had been standing there for decades. He let out a sigh of relief. He had made it. He checked his watch. Still twelve minutes left until it happened. "Shit." He muttered. He had time to prepare, but he would have to hurry.

He climbed up the porch and banged on the crooked wooden front door. It opened almost immediately, his brother Stanford illuminated in the doorway. His brother Stanford, who Stanley hadn't seen in years. Stan looked the same as ever, just a little bit older than before. He still had the same scruffy brown hair, stern face, and large nose. Stanley had never been happier to see anyone before.

"Stanford." He said. "Thank God, you made it." He held out his uninjured, six fingered left hand. Stan glanced at his right hand and saw the injury.

"Stanley! What the hell? How did you get injured?" He pulled his brother into the house. He saw Stanley's leg and swore. "What happened to you? You look like you were in a car accident."

Stanley groaned. "You have no idea, Stanford. How did you get in here, anyway?"

Stanford let out a light laugh. "You left the key hidden the same spot you hid it before. Under that rock that looks like a face."

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Stanley said. "Follow me, Stan. We have work to do." He limped quickly into the next room and opened the door to his right. It was the door that held his greatest secrets, the entrance to his basement. He swung the door open and hobbled down the stairs. He went faster than his damaged leg wanted but he didn't care. He had far more important problems than his leg.

Stan followed close behind. "Stanley!" Stan cried. "What- where are you going? Get back here! You're injured! What the hell do you think you are doing?" He tried to grab Stanley's arm and pull him back up, but Stanley pulled away.

"My injuries aren't important, Stan." He said gruffly. "What's important is that you follow me. That's all that matters right now."

"No!" Stan said. "I'm not following you anywhere until you tell me what's going on. You keep speaking in half-baked riddles and unexplained orders. You might be older than me, Stanley, but you will never tell me what to do. Now I want to know what's going on." He crossed his arms and waited expectantly.

Stanley sighed impatiently. They didn't have time for this. His brother's stubbornness could ruin everything. "Stan, what's happening is the end of the world. As in the apocalypse. The end. What I'm trying to do is more important than you could possibly imagine. Evil forces are trying to destroy everything in this world. We can slow them down, right here in just ten minutes, and possibly make a difference in the final battle later on. But I'm gonna need you to help me if we're going to have a shot."

"The world is ending?" Stan scoffed. "That's what you've come up with? Are you kidding me?" He bared his teeth and he raised his voice. "Are you kidding me?!" He grabbed Stanley and pressed him against the wall. Stanley's walking stick clattered to the bottom of the stairs."You caused everything! Back then, all of that was your fault. You were just being a selfish bastard! When Dad was getting sicker who was there for him? Me! And who was off searching for fucking leprechauns and narwhaltaurs or whatever they were? You! He was sick and getting worse and you were gone. Gone! Every morning he would ask if you were home, and every night before he went to sleep he would ask if you had dropped by. But you never did. Not even once. Not until it was too late. Honestly, I don't care what you discovered, Stanley. You were gone when we needed you most. You didn't care. And now I come back thinking you needed me, and that we were going to at least try to be a family again, but you know what I find? You, doing the same damn shit. Still have your nose in those stupid journals you wrote, trying to find more and more mysteries. Family is always going to come second for you, isn't it?"

Stanley couldn't find an answer at first. Stan's words had hit him like a massive slap to the face. The worst part was that they were all completely true. Stanley couldn't deny a single word.

"You're right." Stanley croaked, letting himself drop from Stan's grip to the ground. "I put family second. I wasn't there when you guys needed me. I was stuck in the mysteries of this town, desperate to solve everything. Looking back I regret it so much. I was a fool. I should have known that family is so much more important than any mystery. I messed up, and there is nothing I can do about it. Believe me Stan, if there is anything I regret in my life, anything I wish I could take back, it's that night."

Stanley pulled himself back up to his feet. "Understand this, Stan. I can't take back what happened, and I can't make up for it. Not ever. But I can sure as hell try to prevent anything from happening again. I don't want to lose anyone else. You, my kid, and my wife, you guys are all that I have left. Ever since Dad died, ever since you left town, I have been studying, researching. I didn't do it to figure out any mysteries. I did it because I knew something bad was coming and I had to stop it at all costs. I'm doing this so you, my wife and my kid aren't killed. I'm doing this so I can protect my family, when I couldn't before. I'm doing this to keep from losing everything I ever cared about. You're all I have left, Stan." He pushed his way past Stan and carefully made his way down the stairs into his dark basement. He picked up his cane and flipped a switch on the wall. A dim light flickered on. "I know you don't give a damn what happens to me anymore, and I don't blame you. But don't forsake my family. For their sake, follow me." He walked down the rest of the steps and around a corner. Stan hesitated, and then followed his brother down the steps. It was probably the stupid thing to do, but as mad as he was at Stanley he couldn't abandon him. He was family.

Around the corner was revealed to be an elevator and a small panel next to it. Stan, who had followed Stanley down, saw his twin brother enter a bunch of weird symbols into the panel and the elevator door opened with a creak. Both Stans stepped in and Stanley pressed some symbols on the inside that sent the elevator down to an even lower level.

All of these symbols were just gibberish to Stan. "Damn, Stanley." He whispered, any resentment forgotten in the wonder of what he was seeing. "What is this place? How long has all of this been down here?"

Stanley smiled. "It's my basement, Stanford. This is where the magic happens." The door opened to reveal a room filled with computers and strange machines. They were all operating at once, making several lights and sounds. There was also a desk, next to which was another door. Stanley led the way through the door in the back of the room, not paying this room any mind. Stan, meanwhile, was looking around in awe at all of the technology around him. He wanted to stay and investigate, but followed Stanley as they walked through the door to what lay beyond.

It was a large room that spanned out much farther than just the dimensions of Stanley's home. It must expand out over the property and possibly beyond. There was various junk lying all around and thick wires running along the floors and walls. It was like some kind of lab from a sci-fi movie. In the middle of the room sat a large device. It was at least forty feet tall, almost reaching the high roof, and shaped like a giant triangle standing on one end. It was made of solid metal and connected to a metal base through many of the thick wires. There was a hole in the middle and a bunch of symbols encircling the hole in the triangle.

Stan's mouth was hanging open in shock. "What the hell is that thing? Is this what you've been working on, Stanley? That's incredible!"

"That's right, Stan. I found directions to the pieces of this thing and I assembled it here. This is gonna be what's going to give us a chance to save the world."

"What is it?" Stan asked apprehensively. He was wary of the machine that Stanley was showing him. He knew instinctively that this machine was very dangerous and powerful. He felt really out of his comfort zone knowing he had to deal with this thing now.

"This is the portal." Stanley said proudly. "It will let anyone travel to any of the various universes that exist, although there is a catch. Its only open for a minute, and it won't open again for thirty years." He checked his watch. "We have about six minutes until it opens."

"Wait. This is a portal? To other places?"

"That's where most portals lead, Stan." Stanley said dryly. He pointed to a barrel. "Bring that and follow me. We don't have much time." Stanley headed back into the room with all of the machinery.

As Stan rolled the heavy barrel after him Stanley spoke. "OK, I'm gonna need you to listen. The end of the world is coming in about thirty years. There are evil forces, demons and the like, that want to destroy everything we have here. We have to stop them by making sure the world is ready to fight back when that day comes in thirty years. Understand? "

Stan grunted as he rolled the barrel over to Stanley, who was now by a machine labeled 'fuel'. "I got it. World is ending 30 years from now, we gotta stop it."

"Stan, I need you to open the top of this and pour what's in into that slot in the machine." Stanley ordered his brother. He hated the fact that he couldn't really help, but he would just get in the way with his injured hand.

Stan peeled off the top using a nearby crowbar to reveal an eerie green liquid with a putrid stench. "Dear God!" Stan said, waving his hand to try to waft away the smell. "What is this shit?"

"Nuclear waste." Stanley answered curtly. "It's the fuel this machine needs. I hate it as much as you do, but it's what the machine needs to work so we gotta live with it."

Stan just shrugged. He had already done much weirder stuff in his past couple of years. He had spent those years doing some very unsavory work. He had already visited a few prisons and was closely watched by the authorities because of those…. odd jobs.

He lifted the extremely heavy barrel with a grunt. He tipped the contents into the slot where is slid down into the machine and was soon out of sight. Strangely, every single drop drifted down despite the consistency most liquids have, making them stick. It was almost like the stuff was being absorbed by the machine itself.

"So what exactly are we dealing with?" Stan asked. "What exactly is going to destroy the world in thirty years, and what does that machine in there have to do with it?" Stanley appreciated that his story's validity wasn't questioned. Stan probably remembered the crazy things they had found as kids and knew Stanley couldn't possibly be making it up.

"An agent of the evil forces of the Nightmare Realm, a dream demon known as Bill Cipher, is here in town." Stanley told his twin. "He is going to try to get rid of the knowledge I found out about his plans so that humanity is defenseless when it happens. The reason we need this portal is because we need to make sure he can't destroy that knowledge. Humanity needs to know what it will be up against in thirty years. I made sure that there would be multiple copies of this knowledge so that it will be harder to destroy. I want to send one of the copies away in the portal so it will be out if his reach. That way it's guaranteed to still be ready for us when we need it 30 years from now when the portal returns."

"Damn." Stan said. "That's a lot to take it at once. So there's a demon thingy called Bill trying to kill us all. He is trying to take you and anyone else who knows about this out, along with anywhere else you have this stuff. And to be sure we still have that information when the battle comes along you are sending it away in the portal so this Bill guy can't get at it. Is that it?"

Stanley nodded. "Exactly right."

"Well, you said copies. Where all do you have this stuff?" Stan asked. "Also, where is this portal even taking it?"

"I have absolutely no idea where the portal is taking the copy." Stanley said sadly. "There has to be thousands of places that could be at the end of the tunnel. I truly don't know."

Stan pondered that for a moment. "What about that information? What is this Bill guy is trying to get rid of? Where is that?"

"It's in my head, Fiddleford knows it, and it's in my journals. Speaking of which, here. I want you to read it so that you have the information too. The more people we trust that know this, the better." He reached into his pocket and pulled out the first journal. "Whoa! Where's the other one?" He searched around his person and found nothing. He must have lost it at some point on his way here. He knew he had definitely had it when he had left the bunker.

"Damn. The third journal is missing." He flipped through the first one, checking for damage. Thankfully, the journal was in perfect condition.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Stan asked.

"I have three journals, Stan. They go over everything I have ever discovered about this town and all the things that inhabit it. Also in each of them is what's going to happen in 30 years, but I put it in a way so that it's hidden. You might not be able to figure it out unless you have all three." He handed the journal, which Stan immediately leafed through.

"Where are the other two?" Stan asked as he skimmed through the contents of the first journal.

"The second journal is with Fiddleford. The third one I lost just a few minutes ago on my way here. Perhaps it's better that way. It will be impossible for Bill to find."

"Who's Fiddleford?" Stan asked. "You've mentioned him a few times."

"Fiddleford was my assistant after you left. He was fine with working with me until about a month ago. He suddenly got cold feet and quit the job. I made him take the journal with him for safekeeping after he left. You should contact him as soon as possible after I'm gone."

Stan almost jumped back in surprise. "Wait a minute! What do you mean you'll be gone? You can't go anywhere! We just got back together!"

Stanley smiled sadly. "I told you, didn't I? One of the copies of that information has to go where Bill can't possibly follow to make sure he doesn't destroy it completely. Who better to go than me? I'm the one he would find the easiest here, and he doesn't even know about you. And once I'm gone everyone else will be safe from him. There is no one I trust more to adapt to the unknown and I wouldn't be able to live with myself I'd I sent you or anyone else. It has to be me."

Before Stanford could protest a loud beep suddenly rang throughout the room. They both turned to the disturbance, which was coming from an adjacent room. They both went inside the room, which held a bunch of television monitors. They were all connected to a network of cameras that spanned all over Stanley's property. On the top left screen there was a blur of yellow and black.

"Damn. He's here." Stanley muttered. He turned his attention to his watch. "We have a minute-and-a-half until the portal activates, then another minute before it closes. Come on, Stan! We have to hurry!" He hobbled as fast as he could manage back into the room with the portal. There was now a great circle of light in front of it, white except for the edges. The edges were a beautiful display of colors of all shades. Stanley breathed a sigh of relief. The portal machine was working.

Before Stan could gawk at the sight of the portal Stanley grabbed him by the shoulder to get his attention. "Stan, you are the pivotal piece to all of this. No matter what happens to me on the other side of that portal, I will make sure I come back. But I can't do that unless you are here in thirty years to let me return. Do you understand? I need you. Now, this machine is gonna tear itself apart when it's done so I'm gonna need you to be here and put it back together. I'm going to need you to be my eyes and ears while I'm gone. I'm going to need you to look after my wife and my kid. But most of all, I'm going to need you to survive. Do you understand, Stan?"

His brother nodded silently. He was at a loss for words at what was happening. How could he be losing his brother so soon?

"Okay," Stanley said as he tied a rope around his waist, with the connecting end tied to a latch on the floor. "There is going to be an antigravity burst in just a few seconds. Go get under that table in the corner. It's connected to the floor so it won't float away. If Bill gets in here he won't notice you and you will be safe from him for now. When I'm gone, this place and everything here will be yours."

Stan was about to run for the table when Stanley held out his hand. The left one, with its six fingers. The one that had always made Stanley an outcast, even before he became a loner. The one that would always be his identifying mark. "I'll see you in thirty years, bro. Mystery Twins forever."

Stan gripped his brother's hand and shook it, sad smile on his face and tears in his eyes. "Mystery Twins forever. And nothing is going to change that." With one last look back, Stan got under the table entrenched in the corner of the massive room just as the gravity disappeared. He was suddenly floating, the table the only thing keeping him from floating up to the roof. Stanley meanwhile, had floated up a good eight feet off the ground before the rope holding him was strung tight. He waited there floating for the portal to open. He looked around, trying to enjoy his last moments there. This lab would be the last bit of earth he would see. It suddenly occurred to him that he would spend more time at this other place than he had here. Strange. But no matter what he found there, this place, Gravity Falls, would always be his home. Always and forever.

Suddenly there was a burst of energy from the machine as it started to come alive. A new whirlpool of rainbow energy appeared more violent that the lights that had appeared before. The violent energy was circling around an image of stars in the night sky. There was also a loud roaring as the energy flowed through the air. In the corner Stan looked on in wonder at the beautiful sight. He had never seen anything like it.

"Stanley!" He shouted. "What's going on?" But his brother couldn't hear him over the noise. "Stanley!" Stan wasn't sure if this was how it was supposed to work, so he decided to put his faith in Stanley and the machine he had built. Hopefully this would all turn out well.

Stanley glanced at his watch. Seven seconds left. Six, five, four. He glanced over to where Stan was watching on. Three, Two, One. Suddenly there was a big burst of bluish-white light. It filled the whole room, blinding the twins to everything else. For just a moment that might was all that existed. Then it was gone, leaving no trace behind.

Stanley realized he was on the ground. He quickly untied himself. Now that the gravity anomalies that the portal's creation caused were over there was no more need for it. He used his cane to get back to his feet and turned around to face the newly created portal.

There it was, more beautiful than he could have possibly imagined. It was a bright bluish-white, exactly like the light that had filled his vision a moment before. It was a circle of quiet flowing energy, exactly where the vision of the stars had been before. Behind it, the machine was mostly destroyed. Just a few large chucks of metal and a lot of debris. He took a step towards it in the strangely quiet room. Maybe this wasn't such a bad fate. It was so beautiful.

Behind him he heard singing. He turned around and saw a glare of golden light. "Who can you trust? When everything, everything, everything you touch turns to gold, gold, gold, gold!" Bill Cipher floated into the room his one eye quickly scanning his surroundings. "Hey-o! What's going on down here? I heard some weird noises coming from down here and thought I'd check to see if there was a party. Turns out there was! And I missed all the fun, too! Shame for not waiting on me, Stanley. You knew I wanted to be here."

"Stop!" Stanley shouted at the demon. Bill had been drifting closer slowly.

"Aww, don't be like that!" Bill said. "I thought we were friends! I'm on your side, remember?" he made a crossing motion over his body where humans had hearts. Stanley greatly doubted that the demon had anything even close

"I trusted you once, and it was the worst mistake I ever made." Stanley hissed at his enemy. "I've learned my lesson about you. You take what people love and you turn it to ash. You take their dreams and crush everything they believe in. You are evil in a way that nothing on this Earth can compare. We are in no way friends, Bill Cipher."

"C'mon, Six Fingers." Bill coaxed, like he was trying to get a cat out of a tree. "We both know what you want, and we both know I can give it to you. Don't you want that? Trust me. I can give you the life you wanted, everything you ever desired. Honestly, I don't see why you wouldn't take my offer to give you your old life back. Look at how much I'm giving you for just a little book! I'm willing to bend time for you! C'mon!"

Stanley felt a pang in his heart. He knew exactly what the triangular demon was talking about. He wanted his dad back, and his family too. He wanted for the last few years to never have happened. He wanted his life back, his life before his damned curiosity had ruined everything. Most of all, he wanted Stan back. Ever since that night his brother had been lost to him. Even now that they were back together it wasn't the same. Too much bad blood and mistrust.

His heart wanted him to take the deal. He knew Bill well enough to know that the demon could make it happen. He wanted it so bad.

He glanced at his watch. Twenty seconds left until the portal disappeared.. Twenty seconds to make a choice. The world? Or his happiness?

"Bill, you always know just what to say to make someone agree. When I was ready to give up all of this back then, you convinced me to keep trying, to keep searching. You have such a silver tongue for somebody defined by their sight. I guess that's what makes you so effective at what you do. For what it's worth, you weren't a bad friend. You gave me exactly what I wanted back then, and it wasn't anything like I had imagined. All the answers, but I didn't have happiness anymore. You took that away from me, and I didn't find out until later how steep of a price that was to pay. It's all my fault in the end. If it weren't for me, we wouldn't be in this mess. It's all on me for all of this happening." He glared. "But it's all on me to set it all right. My heart's in the right place now, and I have the power to stop you. As much as it hurts, I can't do take your deal. I can't sacrifice the world to erase my mistakes. No deal, Bill." Stanley glanced at his watch. Five seconds. He whirled around and hobbled as fast as he could. Knowing it was his last chance, he shouted, "Stan, I trust you!" he hoped Stan knew what he meant.

"Behind him he heard Bill shout, "Noooooooo!" And knew he was being chased down. He had to make it. He was so close. Come on!

He slipped through the amazing light. It felt like he was going through water, but he wasn't getting wet. The other side was made of light like the entrance, but it was like a tunnel. He drifted through, almost as though gravity was gone again. Bill's shout was suddenly cut off and Stanley knew that the portal had closed. There was no going back now.

Now he could only trust in the success of the twins. Trust that Stan would be able to bring him back, and trust that he could survive until then. After all, if you couldn't trust family, who could you trust?

In the distance Stanley saw a more concentrated swirl or white and blue energy. It was like where he had arrived, so Stanley guessed it had to be the exit to the portal, or rather the entrance to his new home. His new home. He reflected on that for a second. What would this new place be like? Stanley glanced back in the direction of his old one. The one that had Gravity Falls and with it, Stan. "Mystery Twins forever, bro." He whispered as a single tear came out. "Forever and always."

Then he drifted through the exit and into the realm he would call home for the next thirty years.

So what did you think? Enjoy it? No? Unsure? Whichever it was, go ahead and let me know in the reviews. For anyone who wants to know, at this point I consider this a one-shot, but I would be more than willing to continue if you guys want more. If you liked it, be sure to follow and favorite the story, because I would certainly appreciate that. You should check out my other stories, Revenge of the Red Lotus (Legend of Korra) and Dragon of the West (Avatar the Last Airbender) as well as the stories my friend Solo Gamer has written. I'm sure you would like them. Lastly, be sure to turn to the dark side (we have cookies!)

-Darthlane