Author's note:
This is the second arc of my Gravity Falls story. IF you have not read "Gravity Falls - Reboot" fist, go back and read that. As always, faves and comments will award you rainbow barfing gnomes named Shmebulon. Take it as you will.
"I can't believe you're going to… ech, public school again. You're much too smart. I can talk to my Dean at my prep school, and see if there's any spare scholarships. We donate enough money to that place I'm sure they owe us a favor. You deserve better Dippy!" Pacifica said, pulling down Dipper's hat.
"I.. will you stop that?" Dipper sighed and re-adjusted his trademark Pinetree hat.
Dipper and Pacifica sat across from each other at Erick's Malt shop. They'd been having lunch together every Saturday just to catch up. Mable and Billeah teased him about going on a date, which he feveriously denied.
Pacifica smiled and moved a lock of hair back, her necklace glinted, revealing a 14 carat gold Llama that Dipper got her for her birthday last year. She saw it in a shop window on one of their trips and fell in love with it. He used some artful distractions to keep her from buying it right away. When she was trying on clothes, he snuck back and put it on layaway, and spent the next six paychecks at the shack to pay it off. He had it engraved, wishing her many happy memories. He's never seen her without it since.
"So, 8th grade…" Dipper sighed.
"I know right? One more year till high school. Then you'll be off to college, getting your MBA in finance and be buying and selling corporations like day old bread. Instead of slaving away at that… shop."
"Hey, I like that shop." Dipper said and flicked a small finger full of whipped cream at her. "And who said anything about me becoming a corporate tyrant?"
"Hey!" Pacifica protested. Dipper's aim missed and it landed on her purple sweater. Pacifica looked down at it, grabbed a tissue and wiped it up. She'd changed a lot since they first met, once she would have had a conniption over possibly staining one of her designer outfits. "A girl can dream! I can see it now! My Big Dipper, with his stylish eyepatch, staring down some overseas shareholders. The sheer force of your presence and gobs of financial backing will terrify them into signing over what little holdings they have. Then you swoop in like a wolf, tearing apart your kill, making three times what the company was worth to begin with. The thought send shivers up my spine."
"So, I'm meeting Wendy later," Dipper said, changing the subject. Pacifica's eyes were slightly glazed over. "We're going to the lake. Last summer hurrah and all. You want to come? Mable, Grenda and Candy will be there. Billeah… is not feeling well." Dipper smiled.
"You just want to see Wendy in a bikini, don't you?" Pacifica said. "Oh such competition for your attentions… I might just show up."
"Oh stop, You know there's nothing going on." Dipper chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Nothing yet... " She said coyly. "A girl can tell."
"Tell what?" Dipper asked. Pacifica looked at him and burst out laughing.
"Oh Dippy... " She said, grabbing her purse. Dipper got up and followed her out of the store.
"New driver?" He asked, looking around for the limo.
"No… You're turning me into a commoner. I walked here." Pacifica said proudly, and held out her arm. Dipper looped his inside, and walked together with her.
"You… walked from Northwest Manor?" Dipper said.
"Well… from daddy's office, but it's...far.' Pacifica chuckled. "I am wearing $300 pumps, they don't do too well with… trekking."
"You'd think the more expensive the shoe, the more durable they would be." Dipper pointed out. Pacifica laughed at his observation.
"You don't understand fashion."
Pacifica stopped, and turned him to face her. She ran her finger over his eyepatch, and down the scars on his arm.
"I ask you every time… Why do you wear this ugly thing? Why won't you let me help you?" Pacifica pouted.
"And I tell you every time. I've decided it's who I am. These scars happened to me, it's my story. My eye will never heal, so why hide it? Besides, I think I got some rugged charm going this way."
Pacifica moved back next to him and kept walking. It was a few blocks later he saw the Northwest's limo. Walking her to the door, he opened it and helped her in. Before he let go of her hand he bent down, kissed the back of it and bowed.
"Till next saturday, or if I decide to go to the lake with you… commoners." She said with a grin.
Dipper hiked back to the Shack. He poked his head inside and saw Wendy stocking some shelves. She waved at him, and he returned the gesture. Closing the door, he followed a gravel road from the back of the Shack into the woods.
The forest opened up to a three story house sitting in the clearing.
Mable was sitting on a swing that hung from an old tree. She saw him walking up to their house, waved and ran up to him.
"Heya Dipperdo! How was your date?" Mable said with a grin.
"It's not a date! I told you. We're just friends. She's really busy, and so it's just… convenient to schedule our meetings in five… or six month blocks. Next week, she invited me to a private screening of the new Joss Whedon movie."
"The superhero one?" Mable said with stars in her eyes. Dipper shrugged and headed into the house.
"Will you come by and help me with Mom and Dad? It's… been a while and nature is a cruel mistress." Mabel said softly.
It took months but the lawyers allowed Stan to take the kids back to their homes and pack up their things. Everyone decided to liquidate the house and most of the assets, They kept most of the furniture and anything they cared about and moved it into their new house.
As part of his contract to work with the portal project, Stan had the government build the kids a new house. Dipper, Mable and Billeah all had input as to what was needed. It took all year to build but when it was done they had a home of their own.
Stan had a room, but he slept in the Shack most of the time. Mable somehow talked the architect into building a slide that landed in the kitchen.
Billeah's room had a giant window that was stained glass with a yellow triangle with an eye. The builders were rather creeped out about that one and couldn't understand why she would want a triangle shaped window, instead of the traditional square one. Her residence takes up the entire attic. She had insisted on adding hundreds of cubby holes, each one filled with a porcelain doll, and a display light.
Dipper requested a massive library. He spent most of his free time there, pouring over book after book. He has started his own journal, and had recorded all the changes he could find that resulted in the lack of Bill in this universe. The three journals had a special display case, and right above was a small stand with his grandfather's Fez under glass.
Mable built the art room of her dreams. Various drawers filled with glitter, stickers, glue, and hundreds of novelty scissors all kept her creativity flowing well into the late morning. She had a closet full of fabrics, a sewing and embroidery machine, and they would constantly be on 'pattern hunts' when they went into Portland once a month to hit the vintage stores.
One of the things everyone insisted on, was building a memorial to their parents. Everyone added a bit of themselves to the design. A simple pyramid in the back yard, the edges etched in vines, and the quote 'Reality is an illusion, somewhere you're still with us.'
The odd thing was the area around the memorial seemed to grow ten times faster than normal. Billeah didn't know but suspected the Square doesn't like the abnormal shape. Dipper remembered reading in one of his books something called 'pyramid power' that allows things to grow and not mold. Billeah didn't want to help him research that.
"I'm going to get ready, Wendy is coming by in an hour to pick us up." Dipper said.
"You sure you want me to come?" Mable said with a grin. Her braces came off last week, so she was smiling even more than she used to.
"Yes, Candy and Grenda are going to be there, you already told them to come." Dipper chuckled.
"Oh yeah…" She squished her face in glee. "CANDY's going to be there. She winked."
"I am one thousand percent sure… that I have no interest in Candy." Dipper said.
"Ok, I'll tell Grenda that. She didn't want to move in on Candy's territory." Mabel squealed and ran up to her room. She slammed the door, rocking the whole house. After opening it up she poked her head out and screamed, "Don't forget to check on Billeah!"
Dipper never forgets to check on her, he's always worried.
Walking up the spiral staircase that lead to the top floor, There was a single door at the end of the stairs. He gently knocked and opened it.
Under the giant triangle window, Billeah sat in front of her laptop. She methodically clicked away, each new page of information she opened, absorbed and moved onto the next.
"It's so futile," She said to him as he walked up behind her. "These wars, the fighting… they don't realize they're all strings."
Dipper hugged her and kissed her head. "They're humans, everyone's someone's string."
She nodded in agreement, reached up and rested her hand on his chest.
"There's many strings here, all pulling different ways." She said softly. Dipper nodded and closed the lid to her laptop. He saw her hand tremble for a moment, then after balling it to a fist and let it go, it was calm again.
"How long this time?" He said kneeling down to meet her eye level.
"I… umm.. fourteen hours." She said, looking away.
"We talked about this. Remember your first…'set up'? Sixteen screens? You've come a long way now." Dipper said, holding her hands.
"It's how I see now." She said, caressing the laptop.
"And that's ok, but we need you as well. You wanted to be here in the human world, You wanted not to see, to participate. Come with me to the lake. Participate!" Dipper said. Billeah stared at the small netbook. "Bring it with you. You won't get reception or Wi-Fi, but if you're having a hard time, just open it and play a game. I promise I won't get mad."
"What should I wear?" She said with a smile. Dipper spent the next half hour going over swimsuits with Billeah. They finally decided on a golden two piece she picked up on a shopping trip with Pacifica and Mabel.
"I'll head out and let you get dressed…" Dipper said. Billeah pulled his hat over his eyes and put her finger over his lips.
"I'll be quick." She said. He could hear the rustling of her lacy dress. He tried to keep his mind on other things, but noticed the tiny shadow moving about, absent of the layers of lace that made up most of her clothes.
"How do I look?" Billeah asked with a grin. Dipper pulled his hat back and saw Billeah standing in her two piece. Her flawless skin matched the many dolls whose home was in the walls of her room.
"Perfect, like always." He said. Before he could stand. Billeah put her hand on his chest, indicating him to stay.
"I… don't want… this done out there." She said, handing him sunblock. She moved her hair to the side to allow Dipper her shoulders. He looked at the bottle, it had the highest SPF he'd ever seen. Shrugging he applied it to her shoulders, back and arms. When he was done, Billeah stooed, and faced him.
"Umm…" he said nervously.
"I can do those parts myself." She said with a grin. "Get dressed, unless you want to watch me."
Dipper got up and made a hasty retreat out of Billeah's room. The girls were getting even crazier. he thought to himself as he went to his bedroom.
Dipper's room was slightly bigger than the one he had at home. He had the latest game system, which seemed to be gathering dust in the corner, and all his posters hung up. Dipper looked around at the shrine of his childhood, and felt nothing for any piece in here. He needed to redecorate, put away his childish things. This was no longer him.
Dipper raced to his drawer and pulled out his swimming trunks. He took his shirt off and admired himself. Working in the woods and the Shack had done a number on him. He's starting to develop noticeable muscles everywhere. The scars still covered almost half of his body, but they healed nicely. The strips had shrunk down to about a hand's width and matched his skin tone. They were slightly raised and still sensitive around the edges. He still needed to keep them moisturized otherwise they could harden and tear.
"DIIIPPERDOO! Your GIRLFRIEND's HERE!" Mabel screamed up the stairs. Dipper sighed, grabbed his towel and headed downstairs.
"Mabel, how many times have I told you Wendy's not…"
"Hi big boy!" Grenda said in her print two piece. "Like what you see?"
"Hey sexy…" Candy said next to her in a blue single. She was primping her hair and giving him a duck face. "I'm cooking what you're looking"
"No no no… It's what's cooking good looking!" Mabel whispered. She was wearing a two piece and had Waddles on a leash. Their 15lb pig now weighed almost 200. He oinked in approval.
"Hahaha… very funny." Dipper said, rolling his eyes.
Mable whispered something into Candy's ear and gave her a wink. Candy walked up to Dipper and gave him an almost desperate look.
"N… notice me, Senpai!" Candy said, and shyly looked away.
"Hey! Mabel! That's not funny!" Dipper cried, retreating to the front door. "I'm going to wait for Wendy outside!"
Dipper closed the door as the girls erupted in giggles.
"Did I do it right?" he heard Candy ask, only to be answered by more giggles.
Dipper sat down on the porch swing next to Stan. He offered him his beer. Dipper looked at his uncle and raised his eyebrow.
"Kid, I have a feeling you're going to need it tonight." Stan said. Dipper took the can, swallowed a swig, and handed it back.
"Still tastes like moldy socks." Dipper choked.
"She coming with ya?" Stan asked. Dipper nodded. "Good, It was almost like wakening a demon just removing all those monitors from her room. You're doing good work with her. Sometimes, when she's hanging out with Mabel, or in the library with you, I almost forget what she is."
"She's made some vast improvements. It's just, I know her as well as I know my sister. She wears many masks around everyone." Dipper said.
"I'm worried you're only seeing a mask when you're alone with her." Stan said. Dipper nodded in agreement.
"It's crossed my mind many times." Dipper said.
"So, going to the lake? We got any adult supervision? I know how my lake parties were…"
"Soos and Melody are going to barbecue. They'll be here to pick up the girls, so we have supervision." Dipper chuckled.
"Didn't you tell me once Soos dressed up in a diaper as the incredible Man-baby for the shack?" Stan asked.
"Ah, the giant question baby. Is he a man? or is he a baby? These are legitimate questions." Dipper chuckled.
"Oh, you have restored my faith." Stan said, deadpan.
"He's become more responsible now that he's going to be a dad." Dipper said, grabbing the beer from Stan's hand and taking another grimacing sip. "Bleah… She's coming."
Lights flashed up the gravel driveway, and heard the unmistakable musical stylings of 'Robbie V. and the Tombstones' progressively increase. "Looks like my ride is here."
"I'll stare disapprovingly for you." Stan chuckled, holding out his fist. Dipper returned the bump and deftly lept over the porch rail, tucked into a roll and ran out to meet Wendy and her friends.
"Hey Dip-man!" Robby said from the driver seat of the truck. Tambry was texting on her phone, looked up and gave Dipper a wink. Lee, Nate, Thompson, and Wendy sat in the bed, keeping the various coolers steady. "Hop in back, we'll get there in no time."
Dipper climbed in, Thomson scooted over to make room next to Wendy.
"Nah, it's cool." he said, trying to play it cool.
"Don't be such a nerd!" Wendy chuckled and pulled him next to her.
Tomson clung onto his two coolers and closed his eyes in terror.
"Don't you guys know it's illegal to transport people in the back of a pickup?" Thompson said.
"Hey," Dipper said coolly. "Everything's legal as long as the cops aren't around."
Everyone in the back of the pickup roared with laughter. Robbie floored it, kicking up gravel and sped to the highway. Dipper watched his home, and the shack slowly shrink and become lost in the forest of trees that bears his name.