*SIGH*

Wendy Corduroy let out a groan as she threw her small frame against the crowbar in her hands. After a few seconds of struggling, the top of the splintered, wooded crate shot open. With this, a gust of dust and dirt came rushing out and struck the unprepared girl in the face, making her cough in response.

"Dude!" she cried in disgust, trying to fight off the involuntary gagging. She turned towards her fellow co-worker, who was easily working his way through his own pile of boxes, "What's the deal with all of these packages anyways? Stan seems to be a spending spurge, huh?"

Soos wiped the sweat away from his brow, and looked back at the red-headed ginger. "Yeah, Mr. Pines has been ordering additional attractions for the new exhibit. It's gotten really popular, but then again…" the gentle giant narrowed his eyes, "…I don't think I have to tell you about that!"

Wendy offered a minor smirk, lowering her head in humiliation, "I know, right…" The last thing that she needed at the moment was yet another reminder of what happened over the last few days. Wendy began to mull over the recent events…

It was only less than a week ago that Tambry, one of Wendy's best and oldest friends, had somehow managed to score tickets to the hottest concerts in town (a relatively BIG deal, concerning the usually extra-quiet tone of their sleepy little burg). However, it was the exact same night in which Wendy was scheduled to work. To make matters worse, her employer, "Grunkle" Stan Pines, had a stance against any staff member missing out of a most-profitable, weekend shift.

In order to get out of her obligation, Wendy had made a perpetual deal with the devil. She had agreed to help model the newest displays for the Mystery Shack's "Famed Torture Devices of Medieval Times" showing in exact for the night of the concert off. Unbeknownst to her, Stan actually intended for Wendy to take the role quite literally – by staring as a barefoot wench. Similar to those poor souls seen at Renaissance Fairs, she was coerced into being padlocked into a set of stocks. For this, Wendy was left virtually helpless as dozens and dozens of sightseers were ignorant to the fact that her plight was real.

Regardless of the threat of constant embarrassment, Wendy recalled that the day wasn't all that bad. A few hours into the event, as her boredom began to pile up, she was discovered by Stan's great-niece, Mabel. The metal mouthed girl tried her best to cheer up the gloomy teenager; even going as fall as to prank her timid, kind-hearted twin brother, Dipper, for Wendy's amusement. While Wendy did feel guilty for her (small) involvement in the action, even she had to admit that the sight of the overreacting pre-teen was quite humorous (at least, until people started to stare…).

It was this that led to Dipper to attempt a prank of his own: a "dreaded" round of tickle torture! (as described by Mabel's past experiences) At first, Wendy was able to fend off the attack, but as the gentle bantering and competitiveness between the adolescents rose, something happened. Dipper had managed to break through her defenses, making her squirm uncontrollably in ticklish glee! The last time Wendy felt so vulnerable, she was still a lanky, braced, red-pigtailed twelve year old being pounced on and tormented by three younger, yet burlier brothers. That is not to say that she secretly didn't enjoy Dipper's teasing on any level…

As with all rivalries, sometimes, things can be taken a step too far. Within mere moments, Wendy's pleasure swiftly became excruciating and agonizing pain. Her giggling laughter was quickly exchanged for cries and screams! Wendy took a deep breath as the memories of her begging and pleading her young cohort for help filled her mind. She remembered the worried and concerned expression on Dipper's mind as he rushed (with Mabel in tow) to rescue her from the trap.

After her escape, Wendy confronted the two tweens, demanding answers to what had just occurred. There were just too many factors to label the whole experience as a mere coincidence: Dipper's constant mockery; Mabel's "so-called" pedicure; the sight hesitation in opening the pillory. A lot of things didn't make sense.

Despite her best efforts, Wendy was unable to scare an answer out of the Pines twins. Granted, she was slightly glad that she was able to make the kids literally shake in their sneakers, but it wasn't exactly what Wendy was after. As she explained to Dipper and Mabel, she above all people appreciated a good joke or two, but when things went horribly awry, the least that they could have done was apologize for their actions. Nevertheless, the duo continued to insist on their innocence, pledging to the towering teenager that they had no idea about the strange incidence.

It was this that tore Wendy up on the inside. She couldn't believe that her pie-faced friends; friends that Wendy thought that she grew incredibly close to these last few weeks, would fiendishly plot to torture her like that, but at the same time, what other aspect was there to consider? Wendy's heart shattered a bit when thinking this especially of Dipper, the more sensitive and delicate of the two. In her memory, Wendy recollected on the sweet-natured boy, after being deceived into thinking she was in peril, embracing her bound form with a sigh of relief. She also thought of his apparent hesitation when being grilled, only for him to respond with "Because; just because…" She asked herself with a hint of gloom, "How could this be my…err…the same, little Dipper?"

Along with sadness also came great anger, especially when Wendy was reminded of what happened the following night. At long last, she was able to attend the long-awaited, genuinely earned concert with Tambry. Wendy used her tip jar earnings (mainly contributed by Dipper) to pick up an oversized t-shirt and found her row alongside her friend. Nevertheless, due to the physical and mental exhaustion from the day before, Wendy amazingly passed out in her seat, missing the entire show.

In short, her whole horrid experience had been for naught!

To make matters worse, when Wendy awoke, she couldn't help but notice that random strangers were laughing and pointing at her as she made her way home. Even her brothers had a case of the snickers as she walked into the house. All was revealed as she went into her bathroom and looked into the mirror.

As Wendy slept, someone (or quite possibly Tambry herself) had taken a black marker and literally graffitied her entire face! Every possible marking could be found on Wendy's visage: smiley-faces, tic-tac-toe games, uni-brows, teardrops by her eyes; there were even lines etched across her freckles in various patterns, looking somewhat reminiscence of Dipper's hidden birthmark on his forehead.

Wendy rested her head against the bathroom mirror and uttered a deep sigh. "Just another cruel joke played on Wendy Corduroy…" She raised her vision to the reflection looking back at her, the saddened stare quickly becoming one with burning emerald eyes.

"…and she's not going to take it anymore!"

"Wendy!"

"Huh?" She was returned immediately to the present. She glanced up to see Soos waving his hand up and down her face.

"You all right, dude? I've been calling for you for the last two minutes!"

Wendy shook her head, trying to clear her heavy thoughts, "Yeah, just mulling things over…So, what's going on?"

"Craziest thing! We just got in another three crates! Mr. Pines must be going all out on the new exhibit!

Wendy simply rolled her eyes at her friend's overexcitement. "Oh, joy…" she muttered in pure sarcasm. As she started to open another box, her mind began to wander once more.

Even though it was petty, Wendy just couldn't get the experience out of her mind. In spite of the fact that the twins were walking on eggshells trying to avoid her (more likely, to avoid her wrath), she simply couldn't bring herself to let things be. Sure, it was funny watching the Pines twins recoil in fear every time that she stepped into the room, but in truth, nothing was going to come of it.

Besides, if there's one lesson that Wendy learned at an early age as a Corduroy woman, it was to "not get mad, but to get even!"

But the question remained, "But how?" Wendy didn't want to do anything to hurt the twins, while keeping in mind she had no intention of letting them get away without as much as a simple apology. Returning to the task at hand, Wendy put her weight against another container, making sure to cover her face to avoid another draught of filth from entering her lungs.

Wendy pulled her head back, and examined the contents inside of the package. A small gleam began to form in her emerald eyes as she pushed aside the cushioning to gain a better view of the object kept within. The wheels in Wendy's head started to turn as a plan formed in her mind's eye. A sly smile slowly crept onto her dimpled expression.

"Hey, Soos?"

The man-child pulled himself from out of a crate to face Wendy.

"Quick question for ya: When exactly does Stan need all of this stuff up and ready?"

"Hmm…" Soos muttered, heavy in thought, as he put his hand against his chin. "Well…Mr. Pines said that he wanted everything to be up before the weekend rush, so I figure we got a day or two…"

"Great!" Wendy exclaimed, making her co-worker wonder about her sudden giddiness. As Soos shrugged and went back to his chores, Wendy started nodding to herself, plotting out a new course of action.

"Hope Stan doesn't mind if I borrow this for a while…"

(the next day…)

"C'mon, Dipper! You're going to be left behind!"

Dipper Pines walked slowly behind the two females leading him deep in the lush, green Gravity Falls forest. While his twin sister Mabel excitedly marched next his secret crush Wendy, Dipper had chosen to trail at a deliberately slow pace. This way, he could easily analyze the path for anything that looked suspicious. All of a sudden, Mabel whispered something to Wendy, and started to slow down, in order to converse with her slightly younger brother.

"Yeah, Dip! What's the hold-up?" asked the metal mouthed munchkin as she poked carelessly at her on-edge sibling. "I thought that you of all people would be excited about this!"

"I guess…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I dunno, Mabel. Something just…it doesn't feel right!"

Mabel waved a tiny hand at his concern, "Oh, quit being a worry-wart! Everything's just fine! Besides, don't you remember what Wendy said?"

He looked past his sister to see that Wendy, while quite a distance ahead, turned her head back to see what the twins were up to. Dipper could see the picnic basket that she carried swayed back and forth in conjunction with her momentum. As her emerald green eyes met Dipper's brown ones, she offered a tiny smile, and gently waved at the downtrodden boy with her free hand. Dipper laughed nervously to himself, and shyly returned the gesture.

"Yeah…I remember exactly what she said…"

Earlier that day, the twins were assigned Gift Shop duty at the Mystery Shack. Mabel swept the floors and laser-lined the inventory while Dipper manned the register. Overall, it had been a relatively slow afternoon. Unexpectedly, the front door swung open as the bell hanging ahead chimed.

"What's up, dorks?"

"WENDY!" Dipper screeched in nervous reaction. "What are you doing here?!"

She lowered her eyes at the dramatizing male, "Umm…I work here?"

As Wendy took a few more steps into the Shack, Mabel abruptly ended her chores and rejoined her brother by his side. The closer Wendy came, the more the twins quivered in fear. The lanky teenager stopped in her tracks.

"Actually, I came to talk to you guys about…well…" Wendy expanded her arms at the duo, "…THIS!"

Dipper and Mabel confusingly glanced at each other, and swiftly reverted attention back on the redhead in front of them.

"Okay. I'll admit it. At first, it was fun watching you guys flip out every time I'd walk into a room, but now, it's getting kinda sad…"

The pair lowered their guard as Wendy continued.

"Anyways, I miss hanging out with you guys…a lot, so let's say we call it a truce, huh? Try to get things 'back to normal?'"

Small grins formed on the Pines twins' faces.

"As a tiny peace offering, I've planned a celebratory picnic just for the three of us just past the clearing in the Gravity Falls woods. Sooo…what do you guys say? Are you up for it?"

Dipper, still contemplating, started to question, "Well…"

"YAY! Pic-nic! Pic-nic! Pic-nic!" interrupted his slightly older sister.

"It's settled then!" Wendy declared with delight. "I'll meet you guys in front of the Shack when you're done with your shift." She opened and walked back out the exit, "Later, dweebs!"

"Bye, Wendy!" Mabel waved with boundless enthusiasm. Dipper, however, still unhinged by the recent event, hopped from behind the counter, and took off after his unusually tall secret love.

"Wendy?"

The teenager stopped in her tracks. "Hmm?"

Dipper slowly approached, ever so careful to remain on his guard. He rubbed the back of his head as he attempted to stutter out a response, "H-Hey, listen…I wanted to talk to you for a second…I mean…about what happened the other night…"

The freckled faced girl let out a small laugh, "Dude, forget about it! It's all in the past!"

Dipper's eyes lowered to the ground as he continued to push the issue, "Yeah; you keep saying that, but I want to make sure that you're alright. When you left, you seemed pretty p-"

The child was quickly silenced as Wendy lowered herself to his level to meet him eye to eye. She held an index finger against her lips, "Shhh…"

"But, Wendy…"

Dipper gasped as her green eyes widened and a devious smile stretched across her dimpled face. "Not – another – word…"

A sensation of fear began to travel down Dipper's spine. He felt at that moment the same as when he and Mabel were cornered by a deeply scorned Wendy, who blamed the siblings for her predicament. Dipper was so frightened that he almost gave away his biggest secret – his true feelings for the fifteen-year old. However, he couldn't bring himself to do so, miserable in the irony that that particular truth might have proven the twins' innocence.

Dipper forced himself to make some form of response, "Oh…okay, then. I guess…I'll see you later…then?"

Wendy rose back to her feet and nodded along with Dipper's words, "Sounds great." He watched as she walked back towards the pathway leading to her house. She turned her head and offered a small wave, "See you soon, little guy!"

Dipper, dead silent, gave a return wave until Wendy vanished from sight. It was at that moment that the alarms in his head were blaring! "Something's not right…" he whispered to himself, replaying the events in his mind. While he wanted nothing more than Wendy's forgiveness (despite not being guilty of the accused crime); nothing more than for everything to be "back to normal" as Wendy put it earlier, but yet, there was something "off" about his friend.

A collection of images from the last few days flowed through his subconscious: Wendy's tear-filled laughing face as he playfully tortured her; her pained, anguished expression as he struggled to free her from the prison Stan had blackmailed her into; her blank, emotionless look complete with emerald eyes burning as she interrogated Mabel and him. He contrasted those with the appearance of the girl held dear to his heart from a moment ago. In Dipper's eyes, it was almost as if someone was wearing a "Wendy" mask, using her voice, and acting with her mannerisms,
but simultaneously, it just didn't seem like his Wendy.

It was too late to do anything about it now. She was going to be waiting for him after work, plus Mabel was basically going to twist his arm into going to the picnic.

What choice did he have?

"DIPPER!"

"Huh?!" the boy lifted his head, being awakened from deep thought.

"Wendy says we're here!"

Dipper looked to see that they arrived at a huge flat plain hidden between a circle of incredibly tall pine trees. The sunbeams reflected a form of gentle green light down upon the three adolescents, yet provided a proper supply of shade. Wendy opened the wicker basket and pulled out a checkerboard-colored blanket, spreading it evenly against the grassy knoll. The three friends made themselves comfortable as Wendy began to empty the contents of the basket.

"Let's see here: I have tons of turkey, ham, or pastrami sandwiches; umm…bags of chips; original, cheesy, or sour cream n' onion; a bit of leftover coleslaw and potato salad, and yeah, plenty of Pitt Cola!"

Dipper watched as both Mabel and Wendy filled their paper plates and plastic cups fill of bountiful goodies. His stomach groaned at the sight of the substance in front of him. Dipper was very cautious to start eating. After all, what if all of this was some sort of revenge prank that Wendy that plotted from the very beginning? Perhaps the potato salad was filled with red-hot Tabasco sauce? Or just maybe, a worm had managed to wiggle its way into a random sandwich (or two…)?

He watched in quiet awe as the two young ladies went to town, nosily sampling all of the contents of the picnicked lunch, totally forsaking any or all table manners. Within seconds, Mabel and Wendy were laughing among themselves, going back and forth in a belching contest. Dipper chuckled at the sight, as for some reason, it reminded him of the cute fact that no matter where his secret crush was stationed at work, she always had an array of junk food hidden away within reasonable reach.

After seeing that the food had no negative effect on either female, Dipper stealthily swooped up a turkey sandwich. Without making himself noticeable, he quickly sniffed his food to confirm his suspicions. Closing his eyes, Dipper reached over and took a minimal nibble from his food. He opened an eyelid in shock.

It was delicious!

Baby-bites soon became massive chomps as the withheld pre-teen joined in with the girls in devouring the various contents of Wendy's pre-packed lunch. A few minutes later, the red and black blanket was totally emptied, with the exception of three groaning, full-bellied young adults.

"Arrgghhh!" moaned Mabel, clutching her stomach. "I think I'm going to explode!"

Dipper followed suit, "Ditto for me!" he lamented, struggling to find the strength to raise his hand in response.

Wendy rose to her knees and crawled towards her tan basket, "Ugh…I think I have just the thing!"

The twins watched as Wendy fumbled the remains of the container, and shortly retrieved a black thermos. She twisted off the top, and smelled the beverage, making her sigh in relief. She poured the solution in three plastic cups, passing one each to Dipper and Mabel.

The aroma stirred in Mabel's nostrils. "Hmmm…smells yummy…"

The same smell also overcame Dipper, actually calming his nerves for the first time today. He carefully sipped his drink. "This is great, Wendy! What is it?"

"Oh?" Wendy said in between her own slurps. "It's a secret tea blend that my family really loves…" She paused to take another gulp. "It's really good for helping with stomach-aches…such as this one…" Wendy pointed at her own gut.

Dipper looked over to see his sister nosily gulping her tea. She raised her cup to salute her friend, "Today…*BURP* was excellent! Here's to Wendy!"

Nodding in agreement, Dipper raised his hand as well, "To our Wendy!"

The redheaded girl blushed and laughed in response, "Stop it, you guys!" She reached once more for the thermos. "Can I top anyone off?"

Both Pines twins raced to get a refill of the delicious elixir. Within a few moments, the container was bone dry.

Wendy stretched her arms over her head and released a loud, yet contagious *YAWN*. "Man!" she exclaimed. "Anyone else feeling a bit run down?"

Mabel replied with a cute, baby-sized yawn of her own. "I hear ya, sister. I guess this is what we get for pigging out like crazy!"

Wendy happily sighed to herself once again, scooting back a few inches until she reached a tree. She leaned against its trunk, relaxing her entire frame. She closed her eyes, and started to drift in and out of consciousness.

"You know…" Mabel said, observing her friend. "That's not a bad idea…" With that, she crawled over to Wendy's side and began to slip away into slumber as well. Sensing the pint-size girl nearly, Wendy put her right arm around Mabel, as if to cradle her.

Although Dipper was feeling the same post-feasting effect, he struggled to remain vigilant. He had to stay awake. He watched the peaceful scene of her sister and his hidden love sleeping side by side in an adorable fashion. He also knew about the creepy oddities and dangerous menaces that roamed the Gravity Falls woods. Dipper had no intention of letting anything happen to the two people he cared for the most. He rested his weary head onto his knees, only to arise again and again.

"Dipper…"

He looked towards the flannel-donning girl uttering his name. She patted the pant leg opposite of where Mabel was lying. Wendy uttered through closed eyes, "It's okay, Dipper…come rest with me…for a few moments…"

Despite his best efforts, the tiny boy finally gave it to temptation. He just couldn't resist Wendy's calling out (for him). As he nestled on her left side, Dipper could feel long fingers running through his thick brown hair. With eyes half open, he glanced up to see Wendy, half-asleep herself, beaming down angelically towards the pre-teen. As Dipper surrendered to beckoning sleep, he could have sworn that he heard Wendy whisper in his ear,

"Sweet dreams…"

As Dipper slept, all of the regular, nightly imagery of fighting the supernatural elements of Gravity Falls was nowhere to be found. In the dreamscape, he was presented with a mirror image of what was occurring in the real world. Only in this scenario, it was just Wendy and himself on a hilltop, once more, leaning against a solitary tree. Gone were her trademark trapper hat, flannel shirt and blue jean combo, and stained lumberjack boots, instead replaced with straighten red hair, a light emerald green sun dress, and bare feet.

Even though his own eyes were closed, Dipper could still see the entire scene through a third person perspective. He watched as Wendy, her own eyes shut lightly, continued to massage his scalp gently. Dipper could feel a delicate, warm wind caress his face. All he could hear was Wendy humming a pleasant tune, very similar to tone to that of a lullaby into his ear.

Dipper could not recall a time in his whole life, yet alone while in Gravity Falls, where he felt so serene and at peace. He thought to himself, "Maybe Mabel was right; maybe Wendy did want things to go back to the way they were." For once, Dipper was truly glad that he was dead wrong about a hunch.

He opened his eyes to see Wendy's smiling, dimpled-freckled face staring down at him. Suddenly, almost like slow motion, she began to address him. However, something was horribly wrong. Instead of Wendy's "naturally-sweetened" voice coming out of her mouth, it was the same high-pitched shrill of his twin sister:

"DIPPER! WAKE UP, DIPPER! NOW!"

"Huh?!" Precipitously, a bright light flashed before the tween's eyes!

He opened his eyes to the awakening world, still somewhat staggered. Trying to find his way through the blurriness, Dipper noticed that he was in a sitting-up position. Was he still by Wendy's side against the tree trunk? A hard shove came from his left side.

"About time you woke up!"

Dipper's eyesight cleared, revealing the sight of his braced twin sister.

"Mabel…ugh…what's going on?"

The high-spirited girl used her hands to illustrate, "See for yourself!"

Dipper, fighting his grogginess, gasped in horror at the sight before him. He wasn't sitting still; he was forced into that position. Someone had trapped his legs (as well as Mabel's) into a giant wooden frame. He looked around to see that that same person had placed them on a padded, yet properly elevated bench to avoid severe discomfort. Dipper shook his head in denial as he came to a realization.

The twins had been locked into a conjoined pair of stocks; the exact same type that Wendy had been tricked into only a few days ago!

Using his hands, Dipper tried to push against the top of the pillory, hoping that his tiny legs would slide out. Unfortunately, his ankles became caught on every attempt of escape. Beaten, he sunk back into his prison. "Well, I'm stuck tight…" He turned to his sister. "How about you?"

Mabel tried her best to squirm out of the trap that she had placed into. As with Dipper, she groaned at her setback, "Ugh…ditto…"

Dipper noticed that something shiny poked out of the side of the device. Dipper reached over to see that (as with Wendy's situation) a silver padlock was added to prevent him from easily opening the latch within his reach. Whoever their captor was, they made it crystal clear that they wanted Dipper and Mabel in that spot for a long while…

As Dipper continued to examine their confinement, a voice came out of the evergreen:

"Well, wakey, wakey, eggs, and bakey!"

Dipper squinted his eyes to see the figure coming out of the shade. Upon recognition, he could only mutter, "No…"

"How's it hanging, guys?" Wendy asked as she appeared from the shadows, donning a devilish grin.

"Wendy!" Mabel cried out in total surprise. "YOU did this to US?"

The gingered teen crossed her arms and continued to walk further into the light. "Don't be so surprised. After all, I'm only giving your guys a taste of your own medicine…"

"OHMANOHMANOHMAN!" stammered a super-panicked Dipper. "I knew it…I just knew it! Everything was too good to be true…" The young detective lowered his head, his trademark blue and white cap covering his shattered eyes.

"But how?" asked a confused Mabel. "Where did you get all this stuff?"

"Oh, that part's easy…" Wendy answered with a sly tone in her voice. "Your 'Grunkle' Stan ordered way more stuff for the new exhibit, including this child-sized pillory which tourists can take their pictures in."

Wendy came closer and closer while detailing her story, "As soon as I unpacked this baby from its crate, I knew I had a perfect way to even the score. After dragging this junk out here, the only other thing I needed to do was find an excuse to get you guys out here, where it's just the three of us, and more importantly, how to get you two to go "beddy-bye" for a little while…"

Mabel winced an eye at the bragging redhead, "But, I don't understand…"

Dipper sighed to himself, "The tea…"

Mabel pounded the top of the wooded barrier with her tiny fists. "Of course! The tea! My only weakness!"

Dipper raised his head in disbelief, "Wendy…y-you spiked our drinks? You poisoned us?"

Wendy blew a raspberry at the freaked-out captive, "I did nothing of the sort, fella. Remember, I drank it, too! It's not my fault you guys can't handle your chamomile tea – the sleepiest of all teas!"

Mabel, with the fear building in her eyes, glanced at her brother, and then returned her attention towards Wendy, "S-S-So…what are you going to do to us?"

Wendy giggled at her friend's earnest question, "Nothing to seriously fret over, Mabel. Remember what I said that night at the exhibit? It's kind of a code that we Corduroys carry around. Why stay mad when it's more fun to get even?"

The lanky teen was now right in front of the stock holding Dipper and Mabel at a standstill. The twins started to feel an odd sensation. Wendy was removing their shoes and socks!

"Wendy, stop! You don't know what you're doing!" Dipper pleaded.

"Yeah, Wendy!" encouraged his sister. "Dipper doesn't bathe, ya know!"

"MABEL!"

"So…" Wendy clarified. "I figure that it's only fair that you guys go through everything I had to that night!" She started to reach down with her fingers extended and wiggling, making the twins struggle in vain…only to pull back at the last moment.

"However…" she said with a sly grin on her face. "Let the record show that I am a fair woman; far be it from cruel in nature. For this, you guys are going to sit there for a while, and think about what you did…"

Wendy started to walk away from the imprisoned kids, only to slightly rotate her head,

"…unless…"

A ray of hope could be seen on both twins' faces.

"…you guys come clean here and now! I want to hear it from both of you that you were behind the craziness from the other night! You don't even have to explain how! All I want is a "I'm sorry, Wendy," and we'll forget the whole thing happened!"

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other hopelessly.

"…I swear it…"

Dipper took a deep breath, and started, "But, Wendy…"

Mabel speedily interrupted her younger brother, "It's true! I confess! I confess to everything!"

Both Dipper and Wendy raised an eyebrow to Mabel's claim.

"I let Waddles eat your hidden stash of chips under the gift shop counter! I sneak a few dollars from your tip jar to buy candy! I'm the one that leaves the toilet seat up in the customer bathroom!"

Wendy was completely floored by the little girl's words. "Wow…well, I mean…apology accepted, I guess…"

Her attention became centered on Dipper, who remained silent throughout the confession. "And what about you, Dipper? What do you have to say for yourself?"

Mabel looked back on Dipper, as he hanged his head, and took a deep inhale.

"My answer is the same as it was that night, Wendy: I didn't do this to you. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, Wendy…"

"Oh, Dipper…" moaned Mabel, striking her palm against her forehead in disappointment.

"Can't say I didn't give you a chance, dweeb…" Dipper dropped his head in defeat.

As Wendy attempted to walk away once more, she heard something that made her anger-filled heart shatter.

"Please believe me! Please, Wendy; don't do this!"

With her back turned, Wendy forced herself to bit her lip to remain firm. Of course, he was going to say something to make her teary-eyed. Of course, he was going say something to make her question her motives. However, it still doesn't explain what happened that night. It didn't answer why he hesitated when she queried him the first time.

Wendy headed towards the exit of the clearing when she overhead something very interesting.

"Don't worry, Dipper! You still have the President's Key from Quentin Trembley, right? That means you can open the lock!"

With a grin on her face, Wendy popped out of the woodwork. "You guys know I'm still here, right?"

Mabel let out a small "EEP!" and covered her mouth, as Dipper raised his head to chastise his big-mouthed sister, "MABEL!"

"So…" Wendy asked, slowly making her way back towards the pillory. "What's this about a magic key?" Instantly, her thoughts filled with the memories of her incident. She remembered thrashing against her own harsh restraints while filled with excruciating pain, Dipper reached for her hand, pledging that he would help her. It was then when Dipper took off (making Wendy's heart sink), only to quickly return branding a giant golden key; the same key that Dipper used to finally release her from her torment.

The lanky teenager slowly approached her incarcerated friends. "I can…only guess…where you have it…hidden…" With playful glee, Wendy poked towards Dipper's blue vest. In response, Dipper defiantly crossed his arms across his chest, in an attempt to keep his only means of escape safe.

Wendy jumped behind the stocks where her secret admirer sat, making him jump in anxious reflex.

"Hey, what are you do-"

She hopped from foot to foot across Dipper's backside, trying to poke and prod at his pockets. The boy tried to turn from side to side (despite his limitations), trying to prevent his secret love from stealing his treasure.

"Wendy, what-

Stop it! That tickles!

Get away! You're not getting it!

Stop it, Wendy! It's not funny!"

He could hear the ginger cackle whole-heartedly in his ears. "Are you kidding? I'm having a blast!"

After a few minutes of going back and forth, Wendy was finally able to reach into Dipper's pocket and snag the huge key. Clutching her prize, she proudly waved to the determined young adult, "Uh-Uh, Dipper! No early parole today!" As she pocketed the item, Wendy made her exit, only to leave her victims with some encouraging words:

"Don't worry, guys! I'll be back before dusk! Besides, you'll be nice and comfy in the shade, plus there's no one around for miles, so you won't be bothered! Hopefully, you guys will change your tune by then…"

When Wendy vanished from sight, Dipper threw his head down against the woodwork, grumbling to himself in total and utter defeat. Suddenly, Dipper heard Mabel call out to him,

"You know, Dipper…"

He slightly raised his head to meet his sister staring down at him.

"…we wouldn't be in this mess if you would have just told your girlfriend how much you looooved her…"

The boy sunk back down into his depression.

"Just…just shut up…"