"How far would you go to save someone you love?"

~Anonymous

"So Mabel Pines, I want to know what happened, from the beginning." Sheriff Blubs says with a stern tone in his voice and a serious look on his face.

He is acting as if, for first time ever, he actually cares about doing his job. Stan probably paid him off so he would.

We're sitting in a stone-cold interrogation room. The fact that it's winter doesn't help with the cold. To my right is the one-way mirror they have in some rooms.

Even though I can't see through it, I can tell that Deputy Durland and Stan are standing behind it; maybe even Soos and Wendy were there.

My bloodstained scarf is still tied around my neck, the same place it has been for the past few days. My boots are filled with snow and cold water.

Both are reminders of what has happened in the past few days.

"So Ms. Pines? What's your answer? We found you clutching the dead body of your brother, Dipper Pines, while both of you were covered in blood." I can tell that Blubs doesn't want to be here, sitting in a cold interrogation room at the Gravity Falls police station.

Personally, I don't want to be here either, but I know that if I ever want to get out of here and see Dipper again, I might have to tell him.

"Please... Let me go." I whisper, but to no avail. Blubs leans forward, and looks me straight in my tear-filled eyes as he shakes his head mockingly and says in a threatening tone, "We're not letting you go until you tell us what happened to your brother."

It looks like I have no choice. I guess I have to tell him what happened. I'm desperate to see my brother again.

So I look down, and ask for a glass of water. Blubs nods and yells, "And get us some hot cocoa too! It's freezing in here!"

After a few minutes of silence, the deputy walks in, carefully holding the three drinks in his arms. He sets the drinks down in the center of the table, before pushing a cup of hot cocoa and a bottle of water over to me, and handing the other to Blubs.

Durland then whispers something to Blubs, before the former quickly walks out of the room.

Neither of them says a single word to me. I guess I should be used to it by now. No one knows what I've been through for the past year and a half.

As soon as Durland left the room, Blubs turns to face me.

He just stares me straight in my eyes, waiting for me to speak. And so, heavy-heartedly, I take a sip of my water, and I begin my story.

"Denial, people have told me that I was in denial."

When Dipper disappeared, I was told that the five stages of grief were denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. And everyone I know has said that I never got past stage one.

A year and a half ago Dipper went into the woods, alone. I should've gone with him. But I didn't. I still don't remember why.

That day, I felt that something was… off. I think that's the word you'd use to describe it.

It was like a there was voice in my head was telling me that Dipper was in trouble, but I didn't listen to it. I just shrugged it off like there was nothing to worry about.

But I found out what was wrong later, when I realized that Dipper hadn't returned from his last expedition that night.

I was really worried. Remember, this is my brother we're talking about! And there were a lot of creatures that wanted their revenge on him.

So to make sure he was safe, I ran into the woods on my own. I searched everywhere for him. I even went into the bunker where that shape-shifter was!

I was so worried for him. I probably would've continued looking for him if it wasn't for Stan, Wendy and Soos. If they hadn't found me and made me go home with them, I probably would've never left the forest.

Over the next few days we searched desperately and tirelessly, hoping to find some trace that he was still alive. But we never did. We never even found his hat. Since he never took that hat off, maybe he was still alive, maybe even playing a sadistic game with me. Then again, Dipper isn't the one to play games.

Eventually the days turned to weeks, and Dipper was still not found.

It was a cold night, eight weeks after Dipper disappeared. That was the night my parents, with heavy hearts, gave up their hope in Dipper, declared him dead and the search, a failure. Most searches only last thirty days. Even though my parents had insisted on prolonging the search, it was still of no use.

I was told to move on, to stop denying that Dipper was dead and that the Gravity Falls Forest had claimed another victim. But now I understand why they did what they did. They didn't want to give up either. It was just too hopeless for them.

Yet, at the time, I believed they had lost faith in Dipper, the Boy who had saved me from Gideon, and prevented Bill from destroying Gravity Falls amongst other numerous achievements.

That night, Stan called me into the Mystery Shack kitchen, and made sit down in front of him. Then he explained what my parents had done, before asking me if I wanted to stay in Gravity Falls.

The obvious reply was yes. I wanted to continue the search, even if no one else would.

I knew Dipper was still in those woods. And I would find him, even if everyone else believed he was dead.

"How do you know Dipper is still alive?" Stan asked me that question a few minutes after saying I wanted to stay in Gravity Falls.

And I gave him a solemn look and quietly replied, "I can still hear his thoughts. It's twin telepathy as I've been told. I can still hear his voice. Dipper is still alive."

He gave me a concerned look, and looked away. It was as if he knew what I was going to do.

For the next year and half, up until a few days ago, I spent my days searching the forest, looking for Dipper.

I had planned my final trip into the forest hastily, with the dying hope that I would find Dipper alive; yet, I always had a feeling that Dipper was gone. But I never let those thoughts cloud my hope. What was killing my hope, was time.

So a few days ago, I carefully waited until nightfall, and then I put my plan into action.

Most people would say what I did was unplanned, crazy and dangerous. And personally, I agree with them, but I had to go. I wanted to see Dipper again.

So I grabbed my backpack off of Dipper's bed. I had asked them not to remove it. My parents and Stan protested the idea of having an empty bed just lying around in the attic, but I insisted.

I carefully climbed down the stairs, making sure my boots wouldn't make a creak and alert Stan.

Once I reached the front door, I quietly opened it, walked outside into the cold winter night, and closed the door behind me so the shack wouldn't get cold.

Then I ran. I ran as fast as I could towards the forest.

There was so much snow on the ground; I could barely trudge through it with my boots, let alone run. The blizzard in my way was so thick; it was as if there was a wall of snow ahead of me. I have to admit, it wasn't the best time to go searching, but I just couldn't wait!

By the time I reached the forest outskirts, the blizzard had covered my tracks. There was no more turning back.

And so that night, I resolved to find Dipper. If he was still alive I would find him. If he was dead, I'd find his body. And the only way I'd fail was if I died before finding him.

Yet, no matter how much I would love to deny it, deep down I knew I wasn't prepared for a trip like this. I only had a thin jacket over my white sweater with a blue pine tree on it, some food and some warm water. Even the boots I wore were in rough shape. They were so bad that I could barely call them boots. But I couldn't wait any longer. A year and a half is long enough. I had to find Dipper.

I know Dipper would go around the world to find me. Even if the journey would take him through the burning sands of the Sahara, through the cold of the Arctic North and through the challenge of the Marinara Trench.

And so, that night I made a promise to myself, and to Dipper.

"I will go as far as Dipper would go for me. I will find you Dipper, even if I find death, before I find you."

16-19-19-20... 9 20-8-9-14-11 2-12-21-2-19 9-19 3-1-12-12-9-14-7 2-21-12-12-19-8-9-20 15-14 13-1-2-5-12-'19 19-20-15-18-25.

A/N Exactly one year ago I posted a story called "Denial" and it was well received. I shoved it under a folder titled, "Stories I may continue later" and forgot about it, until Exotos135 reminded me about it, and gave me a concept I could use. So I thank him, along with WendyCourduroy353, CrypticMoonFang, and Fire Dragon Faller for helping me with this story!

Is it really necessary to put a disclaimer here? I mean, we know that Gravity Falls is owned by Disney.

A/N So tell me what you think of this! I thank everyone who helped me with this story so far! Btw if you want to help me out too, just PM me any ideas you may have for this story.