It was a beautiful, sunny, summer day. Not too hot, not too cold, it was the perfect lazy Saturday.

The small town of Gravity Falls was going about its usual business. Lazy Susan had just opened up Greasy's Diner and was sweeping up the porch, waiting for customers. Toby Determined was standing outside his newspaper company, waving the daily paper at unsuspecting passerby and trying to ignore the ever-persistent urge to wave at neighboring news reporter, Shandra Jimenez. Shandra was setting off down the street with a paper and pencil in hand, ready for her 12 o'clock interview with the newly inaugurated Mayor of Gravity Falls, Tyler McCutebiker. And the Mystery Shack, sitting on the highest hill overlooking the town, was in full swing. Customers ran in and out every other minute, the cash register was ringing off the hook, and Stan was in the middle of it all gloating for all it was worth that "The Mystery Shack has never made so much money!"

But alas, his words fell on deaf ears- specifically, no one's ears. There was no one else at the Shack, save for the tourists and a couple stray rodents who were rooting through the trash bins. Dipper and Soos had taken the golf cart down into the woods on a mystery-hunting expedition and weren't planning on coming home until supper time. Wendy was with her family out in Piedmont, camping, and fishing. Even Ford was out of the house for the first time in a while, having driven off with Mabel in the StanleyMobile and leaving deep car tracks in the empty driveway.

The beat-up, red, 1965 El Diablo convertible could be seen speeding down the old, dirt road into town, kicking up dust clouds as it went. The driver, a salt-and-pepper-haired nerd, opened the windows, and a stream of soft, chocolate brown hair waved out the open passenger-side window, shining and sparkling in the sunlight.

The girl whom it belonged to, a young soon-to-be-twelve-year-old, screamed as the car sped up even faster and went careening down the hillside. Mabel held her arms up, one in and the other out the window, and yelled with elation and the beautiful sense of freedom. She was so glad to finally be out of the house for the first time in what had seemed like decades to the hyperactive preteen.

Ford, on the other hand, knuckles white and slowly becoming a nervous wreck behind the wheel, laughed a little too, but only because of Mabel. He was, on the inside, purely terrified. He hadn't driven a motorized vehicle in years, and the only thought on his mind was the father-related protective feeling that comes over any male guardian his age. That, and the repeated phrase of you're driving your niece, you're driving your niece, that was circulating through his head.

He just hoped he didn't crash. Or jerk too hard. Or drive too fast- was this too fast?! How would he know? Had Stan rigged the car so that it was always fast? How would he be able to-

"Stop!"

Mabel squealed as their destination came into view, and gasped when Ford obeyed, albeit unexpectedly and hard. He had nearly rammed his foot right through the brake pedal and had hit it so fast that the car had kept moving for several seconds afterward, skidding on the gravel. When the surprise had finally worn off, Ford gripped the clutch and shifted the car into park, (it was a stick-shift, thankfully, because Ford hadn't learned to drive anything else) and stepped out to open Mabel's door for her. Then they walked up the steps and knocked on the door to 38 Main Street.

Heart-A-Tap Dance Studio was one of the very few well-kempt buildings still standing on the small Main Street of Gravity Falls. With a petite, delicate red door and two spacious, beautifully decorated dance rooms, it was a welcoming sight to city-born Mabel Pines.

Ever since her mom had bought her her first tutu, Mabel had wanted to dance. She loved the spotlight, she loved to entertain, and most of all, she loved to dance her heart out. Yet, she had never seemed to find the perfect fit. Mabel's first dance studio had shunned her for her spotlight-loving attitude and the fact that she always wanted to be front and center. Her second and third dance studios had said she just wasn't good enough and had no technique what-so-ever. When her mother had finally taken her to an out of town studio, and once again been turned away, she gave up. If they didn't think she was good enough then she probably wasn't.

Until Mabel got to Gravity Falls, a place so weird and wack that everyone accepted her and no one shunned her for being out of the ordinary, because she wasn't! Here, she could dance any which way she wanted, and nobody said anything because they didn't think anything of it. And when she found out they had their own little dance studio right in town, she signed up immediately. She knew in her heart it was the one place she could stay, the one place she could dance with no one judging her.

A small, red-haired woman opened the door. She was slightly shorter than Mabel and wore a pair of glasses on top of her poof of curly hair, piled up high on her small head. She walked with such a jerky, fast motion for such a small woman that it caught both Ford and Mabel off guard slightly. She had the stance of a toad, with wide hips, a protruding stomach, and small feet underneath her large cankles. She wore a small, flowery dress and had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders, and when she gestured them in her entire body moved with the movement. Yet, however ugly she may have looked, she was actually quite cute and had a sweet, grandmotherly attitude that made anyone melt at the sight of her.

Mabel and Ford followed her inside at her request, and both gasped as they took in the studio. Not a good gasp either.

It was nothing like the outside of the building. If the outside had awed anyone looking at it, this did the exact opposite. It made you want to scream. For one, it was not completely finished. Bars made up a good portion of the ceiling, the walls were metal, and the floor was unfinished wood that gave you splinters every time you moved. And yet, the dance studios were still pristine and in even better shape than the entry hall. There were two studios, one on either side of the hall, and at the far end of the hall was the information desk and a little shop where you could purchase dance shoes and outfits. Overall, the entire studio was quite small and drab on the inside, but Mabel reasoned that this was probably the best you could get in a town like Gravity Falls.

The toad woman cleared her throat after a very long and very uncomfortable silence went by. "Welcome ta Heart-A-Tap Dance Studio. My name's Mrs. Tate, and I'm tha owna here."

Ford held out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Tate. I'm Stanford Pines, and this is my niece, Mabel." He quickly shook her hand and then hid it once more in the recesses of his coat pocket.

Mrs. Tate smiled over at Mabel. "Naw, the pleasure's all mine. It's nice ta have some new faces around here afta livin' with the same people in this godforsaken town fer nearly 30 years. So what can I help y'all with?"

Ford walked with her up to the counter, and they began discussing Mabel's predicament and how they would be able to work her into one of the summer camps Heart-A-Tap offered. Mabel sat down in one of the many chairs occupying the lobby and started up a new sweater project. It didn't take very long, however. Mrs. Tate was understanding, Ford got along with a stranger for once in his life, and they finally agreed on a cheap summer camp that lasted for two weeks and started at the end of July.

Once Ford had signed all the papers, he and Mabel headed towards the door to go back home, but Mrs. Tate stopped them before they could leave.

"Wait!" She waved them back in, and she rushed up with a pamphlet in her hand. "Here sweetie," she handed it to Mabel, a small pink pamphlet with large block letters that spelled out Heart-A-Tap on the front, "Don't forge' your pamphlet! This has everything ya need to know and have befor' camp starts. I can't wait ta see you there!"

Mabel beamed up at her, comforted by her motherly attitude and sweet southern accent.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all, she thought.

Sooooo...

I went to a dance camp for a week and came back and decided, hey, what the heck, I need to write a little bit before I go back next week, so I decided to write for and dedicate this fic to my dear friend Star-Child, Crazycatscarmen. This will mostly be based on my entire experience at dance camp, but some of it will have to be tweaked for it to be a true Gravity Falls fic. :/ Anyhoo, just an intro chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy it!

AND AND AND I think Mrs. Tate should be Fiddleford's mother or grandmother! Huh? Huh? Whatddaya think?

Stan: Lookit you, getting all them girls!

Ford: What? Who, me?

Stan: Don't act all modest, Mr. Smart Guy. You saw how Mrs. Tate acted around you!

Ford: Naw, that was- that was nothing. Just an acquaintance, nothing more.

Stan: Uh-huh. She liiiiiiiiiiiked you!

Ford: I just needed to sign Mabel up for camp!

Stan: Sure...

Ford: SHUT YoUR FACE

Me: fORD NeeDS A GIrLFrIEnD WHO aGReES?! (Not Mrs. Tate but definitely SOmEOne!)