Dipper slowly opened his eyes and looked at his alarm clock. It was 8:50 in the morning. Suddenly, he got a familiar ache in the pit of his stomach. Dipper looked over at Mabel in her bed. She was curled up in a ball with her eyes wide open. When they went to sleep last night after a couple of goofy movies with Grunkle Stan, they didn't want to wake up the next morning. This morning. Their last couple of hours in gravity falls.
"Dip?" Mabel called from her bed.
"Yeah?"
She got up and sat down at the foot of her brother's bed with waddles in her arms.
"I don't want to leave." She mumbled. She looked like she was about to cry so Dipper got up and put his arms around her. She started to sniffle.
"But I DON'T Dipper! I want to stay here! I...I don't want to leave!" Mabel turned around and hugged her twin, putting her head to his chest. Dipper held back his tears as he ran his hand through her messy locks.
"Shh. Hey, It's okay. We'll probably come back some other time right? And you can bring waddles home, remember?"
Hearing his name, waddles oinked and looked up at Dipper. He couldn't help but smile.
After Mabel had calmed down, the twins went on with their morning routines. Grunkle Stan was already waiting for them at the table when they arrived downstairs.
"Hey knuckleheads. So uh.." Stan nervously scratched his head. "Last meal here huh?"
They both slowly nodded.
"So uh...well I though I'd make it special ya know?" Grunkle Stan stepped aside so the small kitchen table could be seen. At Dipper and Mabel's spots, there were some waffles and pancakes. Mabel's face lit up like a christmas tree.
"Pancakes!" Mabel squealed. She was back to her happy self for now.
"Thanks Stan." Dipper said with a tired grin.
So, the Pines ate their yummy breakfast. Stan even let waddles on his lap, but drew the line when he was trying to lick his face. Dipper silently admired the kitchen for one last time. The twins were supposed to take the bus home at 11. As the months changed and summer rolled by, Dipper and Mabel had actually grown to love the place. Even if there were weird creatures in the forest, and even weirder people in town. Mabel was obviously sad because she was leaving Grunkle stan, Soos, Wendy, Candy and Grenda. Dipper would miss them a lot too, but what was bothering him was the fact that he never admitted his love for Wendy, his first real crush.
The sound of Mabel's laughter brought Dipper out of his deep thoughts. She was drowning the remains of her waffles in maple syrup.
Stan cleared his throat.
"Uh. kids? It's close to 10:30. I think it's about time we get going right?"
The atmosphere suddenly got tense and Mabel's ear to ear grin faded. Dipper broke the silence.
"Uh. Yeah. Our suitcases our upstairs. We'll be right back."
Stan nodded and Dipper took his sister by the hand to their room, which will soon just be known as the attic. When they arrived upstairs, their suitcases were already on the bed. Dipper had even packed his journal to take home with him. Mabel's suitcase was pink and decorated with all sorts of stickers.
"Well. Goodbye room! We'll see you another time." Mabel hugged her bed. "I even have the piece of wood that gave me a splinter the first day. It's in my scrapbook!"
"Ew! Mabel!"
The twins chuckled a bit before grabbing their suitcases and heading downstairs. Mabel was saying goodbye to several things around the shack, trying not to cry. She waved goodbye to the lobster she got the night she went on a date with Gideon. There's a person she won't miss.
"Alright. You kids ready?" Stan was standing at the doorway.
"Goodbye mystery shack!" Mabel shouted.
Dipper took one last look at everything before taking a step out the door. He remembered the time where he put the voice changing potion in Stan's coffee and smiled to himself. Stan would probably be the person he'd miss the most. It was a hot, sunny day outside. The humidity stuck to their skins even after just a minute.
"Hey! Where's Soos and Wendy?" Mabel asked
"Oh, they're all at the bus station waiting for you guys. To say goodbye." Stan mumbled the last part.
When Stan was done packing their suitcases, he joined his great-niece and nephew in his station wagon. Mabel held waddles on her lap with a blanket. The engine was started and that's when Mabel broke down again.
"B..Bye M...Mystery sh...shack!" She sobbed.
Dipper hugged her again and looked out the window. He silently said goodbye to the mystery shack as well.
"Hey, kid. Don't be sad. You'll be back sooner than you think." Stan said in the softest voice they'd ever heard him spoke in. "Remember the time we stole..er.. got some fake blood at the summerween store? We'll definitely do that next time you guys come." Stan said.
Mabel looked up from Dipper's shoulder and smiled at her great-uncle. She knew he was trying to make her feel better.
In about a couple of minutes, they had arrived the the one place in the world they didn't want to be at. The bus station.
The twins hurried out of the car when they saw everyone outside waiting for them. Soos, Wendy, Candy and Grenda. Stan stayed to unpack their suitcases before joining them.
"Mabel!" Candy and Grenda ran towards their best friend and hugged her.
"I'm going to miss you guys SO much!" Mabel said, tears forming in her chocolate brown eyes.
"Us too Mabel. You were the only one to ever accept us as friends." Grenda said in her naturally deep voice.
"We all have our e-mails right? We will have virtual sleepovers!" Candy said. She took off her thick glasses and wiped tears from her eyes.
"Best friends forever!" Grenda took both smaller girls into her arms and squeezed them tight.
Dipper was saying goodbye to his favorite handyman.
"Dude. You're gonna like, come back right?" Soos asked nervously.
"Of course, Soos. Bros before dinos remember?"
"Bros before DINOS!" Soos screamed. Dipper made a fist towards Soos, but instead of fist pumping him back he hugged Dipper as tight as he ever had. The younger boy smirked and hugged back.
"Soos!" Mabel ran towards him.
"Mabel! What's up hambone?"
"I want you to have this." Mabel gave him a photo. As he looked closer at it, he could recognize himself and the twins. They were on Stan's crappy speedboat the day they went hunting for that crazy lake monster.
"Oh thanks dude! I'm gonna treasure this. Remember when I ate the fish food that day? Totally nasty dawg."
Mabel laughed and hugged Soos. She pulled back when he heard him sniffle.
"Just...Just come back okay?" Soos said in a shaky voice.
"I promise." Mabel whispered.
"Well. I guess this is it huh? You dorks are leaving me?" Dipper faced the tall, smiling redhead.
"For now. I..I'm gonna miss you Wendy." Dipper stuttered
"I'm going to miss you a lot, Dip." Wendy kneeled down and hugged the 12 year old. Dipper gladly hugged back and even got a whiff of her hair. Apples.
"Uh. Wendy, before I go, um... I wanted to tell you something."
Wendy stayed silent but nodded.
"I've uh..liked you since that day on the roof of the shack. You know, that night we went to the convenient store?" Dipper's voice cracked a bit which cause Wendy to chuckle.
"I know."
"You did?" Dipper was surprised, he hadn't been that obvious, had he?
Wendy nodded. "I heard you talking to yourself the night of the party at the shack. You were saying something about dancing with me?"
Dipper blushed.
"Uh..yeah. You probably think that's uh.. weird right? Sorry."
"I think it's sweet." Wendy bent down again and gave Dipper a kiss on the cheek.
The 12 year old's eyes grew wide.
"Just promise me you'll save me a dance when you come back alright?" Wendy asked.
"Promise." They pinky swore on it.
Dipper left and let his sister say goodbye to Wendy.
"You were the funnest co-worker ever. Ugh. i can't even imagine how boring it's gonna be without you, Mabel."
"Hey, If ever you get bored start a random dance party for no reason!" The brunette said.
"I'll be sure to do that. Hey, call me if ever you've got boy troubles okay?"
Mabel hugged Wendy.
"I will."
The twins faced their great-uncle Stan. The last one to say their goodbyes to. Stan smiled and shook his head.
"You guys think it's all over right? You're adventure here?" He asked.
"There's no way I'm letting you leave me forever. I used to hate kids. Heck, I still do. But I like you guys alot...maybe even more. Mabel, even if I am the crankiest old man on the planet, you've managed to make me smile when I was down. You've even brought out my soft spot. You ARE my soft spot. And i'll even miss that pig,too...maybe. And you, Dipper. You're a smart kid you know. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise. You know, being hard on ya is my way of caring. Keep chasing those silly creatures in the woods at home. For me."
Mabel was completely in tears and Dipper was on the verge.
"Come here! Time for some affectionate noogying!"
Grunkle Stan opened his arms and playfully noogied his great-niece and nephew. The noogying then turned into a group hug between the three.
"GROUP HUG!" Soos yelled. A couple of seconds later the seven of them were surrounding the twins, and for the first time today, Dipper started to cry.
"All aboard! Piedmont, California!" A scruffy voice said.
The kids picked up their suitcases and headed for the large travel bus.
Mabel went in first and Dipper followed. Right when the doors were about to close, a high-pitched voice was heard.
"WAIT!"
The bus driver opened the doors and before Dipper knew it, Candy had come up the first step of the bus and kissed him.
"Wh...wh?" Dipper was speechless while Mabel shrieked from the back of the bus.
"I see you next time, Dipper." She said softly.
The doors shut and Dipper just stood there. That was his first kiss. He had no idea Candy wanted to kiss him.
"Common Dip!" Mabel brought him out of his daze and pulled him towards the back of the bus where everyone stood to say goodbye.
The engine started and the twins waved, and waved, and waved until they turned the corner.
For once today, Mabel looked peaceful. She cuddled up to her brother, and fell asleep on his shoulder.
Dipper smiled and put his arm around her before putting his earphones on.
Coincidently, the song "End of the summer" by theory of a deadman came on. At first Dipper felt sad, but as he saw the "Now leaving gravity falls" sign and the tall pine trees around it, he knew that they were going to come back soon.