AN: This is my next multi-chapter story. At this point, it's obvious that, as another author said, I am officially trash for this ship. I can't seem to get enough. So, yeah, here is another Dipifica tale, this one set in an AU where the pines were raised in Gravity Falls near their Grunkles, Ford never got trapped between dimensions, and the next door neighbors in the suburban area are the Northwest family. The characters are aged to about 16 in this story. I'll also be introducing a new OC in this series. I've been developing her for a while now. I hope you enjoy. As always, I hold no ownership over anything Gravity Falls or its characters. I'll be using a new song I heard as part of this story. I don't own it nor is the story based around it. I have been looking for a song to use and this one called to me. The song is One Call Away by Charlie Puth. For the story, it will be treated as if Dipper wrote it, but like I said, I Do Not Own It.
Dipper was running through the woods, shadows in front of him, shadows behind, chasing the most elusive of creatures he had ever encountered. He wasn't even sure what it was, he only had notes on it from his Uncle Ford's journal. He had seen it from the corner of his eye on edge of the forest and his mind told him to go. So here he was, running through the woods at high speed, unprepared for whatever creature he may come across.
Suddenly the woods opened up to a clearing with the sun shining brightly. The sudden change of light blinded Dipper, causing him to come to a complete stop. He shielded his eyes and tried to get them to adjust to the light. He heard laughter and looked towards the center of the clearing, where the noise was coming from. Sitting there under a large umbrella on a blanket with a picnic basket was none other than his neighbor and the object of his affection, Pacifica Northwest.
She had on a simple yellow dress and her hair was blowing in the wind behind her.
"Come on silly," she said, beckoning him to the picnic, "wouldn't you like to join me for a quick bite? You can worry about some silly old creature in the woods later."
Dipper approached the blanket and took a seat, a dumbfounded look on his face. He was completely floored and had no idea what to say.
Pacifica giggled and reached into the basket pulling out a chocolate covered strawberry. She began to lean in towards him on one arm and said, "Say ah Dipper."
He opened his mouth anticipating the sweet flavor of the berry. "Dipper," Pacifica said again, "Dipper"…"DIPPER!" she yelled.
The sudden yell caused Dipper flail about and fall out of his bed, tangling himself in his bed sheets, groggy and aggravated to be awoken from such a wonderful dream. That was, of course, until he realized who was calling out to him. He quickly straightened himself and approached the small balcony that his room was attached to. Leaning out the bay window of her room as Pacifica, dressed for the final day of school. She was wearing a bright yellow blouse and a pair of shorts.
The color of her shirt brought the dress she was wearing in his dream to the forefront of his mind and a slight blush to his face. Of course Pacifica didn't know about his crush on her, how could she? He never let on, and no one, not even his sister knew about it.
"Geez, about time you woke up. I thought you were gonna be late for the last day of school," she said to the boy. "Any longer and I was planning on coming over there myself to wake you up."
At this, the boy blushed again and responded with a stuttered "Th-th-that's okay Paz, you got me up, so give me a few to get ready." Dipper walked back into his room. Looking around, he saw his collection of books on the shelf and desk by his bed, the place he kept records of the strange creatures of Gravity Falls like his Great uncle did. A little further away was his guitar, resting on its stand. He saw a pair of jeans lying on his floor, grabbed them up, and put them on. He went to his closet and grabbed a plain grey t-shirt, threw it on, and pulled a red plaid button up to wear over it, unbuttoned of course.
Dipper ran to the bathroom for his morning routine, passing his twin sister along the way. She was still in her pajamas, a pair of sweat pants and an extra-long t-shirt reaching down to her knees. "Dang," Mabel said aloud, "Paz beat me to the wakeup call today. Ah well, as long you're up anyway."
"Morning to you too Mabel," Dipper said sarcastically walking passed her towards the bathroom.
"Mom said to at least grab something on our way out before we leave for school," Mabel called after him.
"Okay," he told her as he reached the bathroom door.
After brushing his teeth and combing his hair, Dipper went back to his room to get his backpack ready. All his classes had already finished with their finals, but they were required to go the last few days, or risk having to go to summer school.
"Hey Dipper," called Pacifica from her bedroom window, "You get your paper for Ms. Simmons done?"
Aw, yes, Ms. Simmons, the only teacher in the whole school to assign an assignment due the last day of classes. "Yeah, I got it finished last night. Still don't get what a sophomore English class has to do with 16th century Lithuanian folk lore."
"You know Ms. S, always one for the unusual. I still remember when you tried to prove she was a troll." Pacifica said as she started to laugh.
"It's not my fault she looks like that. Besides, have you seen the woman eat, not a pretty sight," Dipper retorted.
"Whatever Dipper," she replied still giggling a little, "meet me out front so we can get going to school. I'm so ready for the summer."
Dipper left his room, headed down the hall for his sister's room. "Come on Mabel," he said while knocking on her door, "were leaving."
"You and Paz go on ahead," she shouted through the door, "I got something big planned for the last day."
"Alright," he said cautiously, "just don't do anything to get yourself or me into trouble." And with that, he went down the stairs, through the kitchen to grab a breakfast bar, and out towards the front door. "Bye mom, bye dad. I'll see you after school."
"Did you grab anything to eat sleepyhead?" his mother asked.
"Yeah mom," he said, "grabbed a cereal bar. I'm gonna eat it on the walk to school."
"Don't forget to stop by your uncles' shop after school, you promised to help them out this summer," his father said.
"Alright, I won't."
With that Dipper opened the door and saw Pacifica there waiting for him. "Took you long enough," Pacifica said in a joking tone.
"Sorry," Dipper apologized holding up the cereal bar, "I had to get breakfast and Mabel first."
"Well where is she then?" she asked.
"She said to go on without her. Apparently she has something big planned."
"This can only end in tragedy," retorted Pacifica.
"Let's hope not," Dipper started, "but either way, we should probably get going."
As the two set off, they passed a few of their fellow classmates, giving their morning greetings along the way. They passed by a group of girls that Pacifica usually hung out with and one waved the two over with a good morning greeting. She asked Pacifica "What are you doing after school, and do you already have any plans for the summer?" "Nothing much planned yet, but my parents think I should get a part-time job during the break," Pacifica answered. "What about you Abby?"
"That sucks," said Abby, the schools local gossip queen, "but hey, if you have time, you can come over to my place for a pool party sometime soon." Abby looked over Pacifica's shoulder to look at Dipper, "Of course, you and your sister are invited as well Dipper."
"Thanks Abby," Dipper said, "I'll be sure to let Mabel know." After this, the two continued on their way to school.
"As for my own plans, my families going down to California for two weeks and we leave in a few days," Abby said looking at Pacifica. The two girls chatted for a few minutes while Dipper zoned out, his mind beginning to return to his dream from that morning.
"What are you thinking about Dipper?" Abby suddenly asked him.
"What, oh, sorry," Dipper stammered out, "just lost in thought. Don't mind me." He waved his hand dismissingly, trying to hide his embarrassment from the whole situation. Pacifica and Abby said their goodbyes, and Pacifica and Dipper went on their way. Abby jumped back into the conversation with the other two girls on the end of year gossip.
Once they got to school, the two teens put their things in their lockers, and readied their reports for first period with Ms. Simmons. They walked into the classroom and took their seats waiting for the bell to ring. Ms. Simmons was sitting at her desk. She was 6 foot 5, weighing in the 300+ pounds, and had long, red, curly hair. She had a pair of small glasses resting on the bridge of her long, pointed nose, with a chain attached going around the back of her neck. She was wearing a large purple dress. She stood up as the warning bell rang, and began walking to the classroom door. Preparing for her policy of late students reporting to the office, she began to shut the door. There was a pink flash that came bursting through the door just as the final bell to start class rang.
"Almost late again Ms. Pines," Ms. Simmons said, her scraggly voice like sandpaper, grating on the classes ears.
"Sorry Ms. S," replied Mabel while taking her seat, "I had a few last minute preparations to take care of before school."
"Its fine dearie," said Ms. Simmons, "just take your seat and get your report out."
As Mabel sat down behind her brother, she reached into her trapper and pulled out her report. Pacifica gave Dipper a look of concern, so he turned his head back to question his sister. "What took you so long?" Dipper whispered, "You were almost late again. And what is this big event you have planned?"
"Tsk, tsk, tsk Dipper," Mabel whispered back, "you know a girl has her secrets. Besides, I got Candy and Grenda to help me set it up, so you'll see it at lunch time."
"You had to have help to set whatever it was up, this can't be good." Dipper turned back around and gave Pacifica an unconvincing look to reassure her and whispered, "I guess we'll see at lunch."
"Alright then class," came Ms. Simmons voice, "Now that attendance is done, Mr. Avery, would you please come up front and read your report."
As Jared Avery stood up to begin reading his report, being just as enthusiastic as Dipper figured it would be, he began to let his mind wonder. The long process of reading through these dry reports were going to take up the entire class. Dipper couldn't wait for the day to just hurry to lunch, if only to see whatever it was that his sister had planned.
After all the students finished reading their reports, Ms. Simmons stood up and talked to the class before the bell rang. "Alright class, those sounded wonderful, and I'll be sure to get the grades sent out in an email before your report cards are sent home. Have a productive day and try not to slack off this summer. Stay safe and have a nice vacation."
After Ms. Simmons class, Dipper went to his calculus class then history. Mabel had art and biology classes for the next two hours, and Pacifica had chemistry followed by algebra. Dipper and Mabel saw each other for study hall while Pacifica had gym. Fourth period quickly came close to ending and Dipper was on the edge of his seat. Finally, the lunch bell rang, and Dipper went straight to his sister to walk out to lunch.
After fourth period ended, the students shuffled out to doors to the outdoor dining area for lunch. The student body had barely made it out the door before they stopped and starred at the large projection screen that was hanging on the side of the building. An awning attached to the building above it to provide shade, though the sky was beginning to cloud, and my not have been necessary.
Dipper looked at Mabel and said, "I guess this is your doing. What are planning with that? Are you showing a movie or something?"
"Something like that," answered Mabel slyly.
Dipper walked over to their table and sat down when Pacifica came running up. "Hey Dip," she asked, "Do you know anything about the projector screen?"
"Yeah," said Dipper, "That's what Mabel was working on this morning."
"Oh, so where is she?" Pacifica asked.
"What do you mean 'where is she', she's right here…Hey where'd she go!" Dipper shouted.
"Smooth Dipper, you lost your sister," retorted Pacifica.
Dipper was about to reply when he saw Mabel followed closely behind by Grenda and Candy.
Mabel was running up to a small platform underneath the large screen. Climbing the steps as well, Candy and Grenda arrived right behind her, one standing on each side of her. Grenda handed Mabel a megaphone then took a pose reminiscent of a bodyguard.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," erupted Mabel's voice, "presenting for your dining experience, the original prerecorded musical stylings of my brother, Dipper Pines."
Upon hearing Mabel's announcement, Dipper's jaw dropped and he jumped to his feet. "What? Oh, no. No, no, no. What is she doing?" Dipper stammered, trying to get a hold on the situation.
"Why didn't you tell me you guys were planning this?" asked Pacifica turning back to look at Dipper after Mabel's announcement.
"We didn't plan this," Dipper said, eyes widen with shock.
A shocked and sullen look came over Pacifica's face, "You mean…, this is…, and she."
"I didn't even know she was recording me!" Dipper exclaimed. "Wait, what song did she record me playing?
Before Dipper could even move to stop whatever his sister was planning, the projection came to life. The screen showed the walls and bedroom door outside of Dipper's room. The door was silently opened, and the camera was pointed in. Partially blocked on both sides by the door and doorframe, the camera was centered on Dipper. He was sitting in a chair with his back to the door, guitar in his lap and a stand with sheet music in front of him. He made a last few adjustments to the paper in front of him and made sure his guitar was in tune.
The opening chorus of the song Dipper had written stopped him in his tracks.
"I'm only one call away. I'll be there to save the day. Superman got nothing on me. I'm only one call away."
He glanced at Pacifica, but luckily for him, she was looking at the video. He looked back at the screen only for a massive blush to begin spreading over his face.
"Call me, baby, if you need a friend. I just wanna give you love. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon. Reaching out to you, so take a chance."
"No matter where you go. You know you're not alone."
Dipper was lost in his own mind, no thoughts on what he should do.
"I'm only one call away. I'll be there to save the day. Superman got nothing on me. I'm only one call away."
"Come along with me and don't be scared. I just wanna set you free. C'mon, c'mon, c'mon. You and me can make it anywhere. For now, we can stay here for a while. 'Cause you know, I just wanna see you smile."
"No matter where you go. You know you're not alone."
The longer the video went on, the more horror stricken and furious he became. Dipper began to grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fists.
"I'm only one call away. I'll be there to save the day. Superman got nothing on me. I'm only one call away."
"And when you're weak I'll be strong. I'm gonna keep holding on. Now don't you worry, it won't be long. Darling, and when you feel like hope is gone. Just run into my arms."
"I'm only one call away. I'll be there to save the day. Superman got nothing on me. I'm only one, I'm only one call away. I'll be there to save the day. Superman got nothing on me. I'm only one call away."
"I'm only one call away."
As the song finished and the video was cut away, Mabel ran back up to the podium and yelled into the megaphone, "Wasn't that just wonderful everyone?" Her question was met by applause as students began to cheer for Dipper, but they were quickly cut short when Dipper stepped onto the edge of the little stage and yelled with all his might, "WHAT THE HELL MABEL! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? THAT WAS A PRIVATE MOMENT THAT YOU VIOLATED AND SHOWED TO THE ENTIRE SCHOOL."
The student body was shocked. Nobody knew what to do, and only stood there as the event played out before them.
"But Dipper," Mabel started.
"NO, Mabel," Dipper interrupted, "that was something special I was saving. You've completely ruined everything."
"But everyone loved it," Mabel argued.
"ENOUGH MABEL," Dipper shouted. Mabel physically shrunk back from Dipper, Candy and Grenda grabbing her shoulders for support.
Mabel lifted her head and whispered out "Dipper, please, I'm sorry."
"No Mabel," Dipper said calmly, "not this time." He just turned around and walked away from the yard back into the school, leaving behind the students, shocked from Dipper's outburst, his lunch, a stunned Pacifica, and a Mabel on the very verge of tears.
AN: Wow, what a first chapter to this story. Dipper was mad from this. I wanted to keep the characters as in character as possible, but there are going to be a few hiccups. I hope you all like the story and expect a few more chapters to come out for this. I'm not really sure if I like the title to this story, but it's the best I could come up with. I really hope to see some feedback from my readers on this one. Anyway, as I claim no ownership for anything Gravity Falls or the song used.