((Thank you so much for letting me know about the code! Seriously, I really really appreciate it. I really should check after I post...This has been happening a lot, anyone now how to fix it?))

Hmmmm...first gravity falls fic, eh?

XxXxX

Take deep breaths. Focus on a point in the distance. There. A pine tree. Closer. Closer. Whoosh. Gone in a blur of green, retreating far behind, just like the sprawling hills of California. Replaced by endless dark forest. Pine tree after pine tree after pine tree after pine tree, pine tree, pine tree, pine tree, pine, pine, pine, pine, pine...one after the other...gone. Forever behind. Just more pines in the past, never to be seen again. And just with that thought, the past comes hurtling forward, hitting like a freighter and the memories consume reality.

XxXxX

"Hey dipper! I'm bored, there's nothing to do!"

"Diiiiiiper!"

"DIPPER!"

With a long suffering sigh, he closes his book and calls back, "Mabel! I'm trying to read, entertain yourself!"

He could hear her exasperated huff,"But there's nothing to do! It's dark and rainy outside!"

"Well watch some tv!"

"Fine!" He reaches back for the book, rolling his eyes before opening it again and delving back into the the story, the steady lull of the rain acting as background music. But scarcely a minute had passed before the lights flickered once, then the house was plunged into darkness. Dipper jumped, his book falling to the floor with a unnaturally loud crash. Bright light from a lightning strike outside illuminated the room briefly before a massive crash of thunder shook the house to its foundation. He barely heard Mabel's footsteps pounding up the stairs, before she burst into the room, almost knocking the door off its hinges.

"Di-" she began, before he cut her off.

"Yes yes I know, then powers out. But there's not much we cons do about it now. Let's go get some candles or something, I guess." He pulled a flashlight out of his bedside drawer and they headed back down the dark hallway. It was eerily quiet, the storm outside only adding to the horror movie effect. Dipper inched forward, ready for any imaginary monsters that might come leaping out of the shadows. Suddenly a hand with a steel tight grip wrenched him backwards, a gravely voice snarling in his ear. Dipper shrieked, a sound that would have made a banshee proud, and collapsed the floor. His heart was beating out of his chest, all his limbs shaking as his 6 year old night mares played out in front of his eyes.

"Ha ha Dipper! Oh man, I can just imagine your face, I'm sure it was priceless, and that shriek!" Mabel leaned against the wall for support, laughing hysterically.

"Not funny Mabel." Dipper said, trying to sound serious as he got to his feet, but it only sent her into further laughter. "Come on," he growled, stomping off into the hallway, glad for once the darkness could hide the embarrassment flushing his face. In just a few moments they were back in dipper room, lit by the weak flickering lights of the candles.

"Ooooooh scary, let's tell ghost stories." Mabel laughed, sticking her face right near the candles glow.

"Ha ha very funny, but it's almost 11 and mom and dad said that we needed to be asleep before they came home at 11:30, so I'll be going to bed. I prefer not being grounded." Mabel stuck out her tongue, in mock discontent.

"Looks like I'll be sleeping in here tonight, huh bro?"

Dipper laughed then with a shove pushed her off the bed, "yeah, on the floor." They both laughed and eventually got settled down, Mabel in a nest of pillows and blankets on the ground, and Dipper peacefully in his bed.

"You know what dipper?" Mabel so as softly.

"Hmm?" Dipper groaned, too close to sleep to speak.

"You have way too much blue in your room."

Dipper let out a sleepy chuckle, "shut up, now go to sleep."

"Night dipper." And with that she rolled over and blew out the last brining candle.

BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM. the both shot up, all sleep shocked out of the twins systems. Their eyes flew wide open, only to shut again with a groan of pain from the bright sunlight streaming through the window. "Wh-what's going on?" Dipper cried.

"I think it's the door." Mabel replied. They cautiously crept out of bed and into the hall, Dipper out in front, his arm across Mabel behind him. Before unlocking the door, he nodded to Mabel, who grabbed the baseball bat propped near the door. The door swung open, and a police man clutching his hat in his hands was standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Uh-hey there. Are you two the Pines kids?"

"Ye-yeah that's us, why?" Dipper inquired, his mind going through all of the "stranger danger" stories that his parents had pounded into his head as a kid.

"Well, I'm Officer Parkinson, and in afraid I've got some bad news. You see kids, yesterday, at diamond canyon park-" there was an identical intake of breath from both of them. That was their parents favourite place in the city. "We found your parents. I'm so sorry. They died in a freak lightning strike, they were standing under a tree you see and well, somehow they both got hit and the park was empty. There was nothing anyone could have don't, I'm sorry kids. I really am." The officer was wringing his hat now, and gazing down at the floor.

But to Dipper, there was no one else in the room right now, or the world, or even the universe, it was just him and the news that was there. It was slowly wrapping itself around his mind like a vice, squeezing everything out of him. Dipper was frozen as his mind was reeling at untold speeds trying to comprehend what he had just been told. His limbs stopped working and he collapsed to the floor,

not seeing or feeling anything. Except the tears pouring down his face, thick and hot like blood, searing and scarring like acids trails down his face, scars that would never leave. Time slowed and so did everything inside him, he no longer even felt the need to breathe. But his heart kept pumping. It was impossibly loud, thumping and echoing inside his head, reverberating around like whispers, screaming to him "dead dead dead dead dead dead" he began to shake, clawing at his head, trying to make the darkness to away.

It felt like a great burnt inferno has sprung up in his chest and it was eating away at him. But this fire wasn't bright, no, it was a dark fire, consuming whatever hope had been there before and burning it to a crisp. But no, this was permanent, as permanent as death itself. It just hurt so bad, everything aches and burned and he spasmed, his mind trying to go to a different universe just to escape all this pain. But no. They were gone. Everything he knew and loved was gone and it hurt so bad, this darkness consuming he just wanted to die. He would have welcomed the sweet release of death from this living hell. Until, one single movement shattered everything, suddenly he wasn't so alone. There was an outstretched hand, extending towards him. It was his only lifeline, so with all his remaining strength he took it, gripping it as tight as he could, as it raised him from perdition. And then everything after that was a blur, time, space, colours, thoughts, sounds, all were meaningless background noise. All that mattered was the hand that never let go, clamped down on his with an iron grip. Until they were wrenched apart, and out in separate, cold empty rooms, with only a bed inside. And Dipper collapsed, unable to move or think and simply cried into

unconsciousness.

The next day was the funeral. It was a haze of black and rain. It seemed the perfect scene for a funeral, dull grey and raining. But dipper cursed that rain with all his heart, that rain, that storm was the whole reason that they were here in the first place. The reason they were orphans now. He barely heard the sermon, a man he had never known nor cared to know, drone on about how great his parents were. This man has never met then before in his life, how dare he claim to know how amazing and loving they were? Were. Past tense. Gone. And yet again he collapsed back into his own mind, unable to accept reality. The sharp thunk of the shovel, throwing dirt over his parents cut into him, deeper than any blade ever could. And then all these pretenders with their fake tears and fake sympathies were gone, back to their own lives, unaffected by this past hour of their life they had spent here in this cemetery. How dare they tell him to continue on with life as if his life hadn't just collapsed in on itself, nothing but rubble now? Dipper collapsed into the mud in front of the cold, unfeeling tombstones, his chest constricting as huge heaving sibs bursting from his chest. His tears mixing in with the rain streaking his face. His hands shaking as they curled into fists so tight his nails cut into his hands, blood pooling down his wrist into the mud below. He couldn't move, couldn't do a thing. Until that miraculous hand came back, and it pulled him to his feet, and they hugged, twin sobbing from both, clutching the only thing they had left.

XxXxX

Something nudged his shoulder gently and he was shaken out of his reverie. "Look Dipper." Mabel said softly, before slipping her hand into his and squeezing once. He gripped her hand tightly and glanced out the bus window, reading the large sign passing by, "Welcome to Gravity Falls"

XxXxX

So what did you think? I'd love to hear from you!

(also to all of you waiting for my Civil War story, I swear I will be uploading another chapter soon!)