Chapter 1: A Family Reunion
Dipper peered out the window and watched as the landscape rushed by in a blur of colors. Despite the fact that it all looked identical, he somehow knew they had almost reached their destination. He couldn't hide the smile blossoming on his face as he thought about everything this summer would entail. It was the sixth year the Pines twins were spending in Gravity Falls, and both were eager to reunite with old friends and Grunkles alike.
Mabel was slumped against his arm, snoring softly. She'd fallen quiet about an hour ago after tucking a long knitted cloth into her messenger bag and proclaiming that she was "sooooo boredddd". He couldn't fault her - the five-hundred-something mile bus trip from Piedmont was draining and their asses were always sore and numb afterwards. They'd tried begging their parents to let them drive up and back again at the end of summer, but they'd been met with disapproving looks and excuses why it wasn't a good idea. Insurance reasons, you'd save on gas costs, it's just easier to buy two bus tickets, okay?
It wasn't that they didn't trust their children, but those protective instincts still hadn't faded despite the twins turning eighteen last year. Their parents realized they were no longer the naive twelve-year-olds they'd been so many summers ago, yet sometimes they had a hard time facing that fact they'd matured significantly. Well, despite Mabel still watching cartoons on Saturday morning and sleeping with one of her favorite stuffed animals. The Pines twins had earned their driver's licenses, gone to prom, and graduated from Piedmont High School a few weeks prior.
Even though they should've been preparing for college starting in the fall, neither was ready to focus on that just yet. They were determined to hold on to summer while they could and make as many memories as possible. It was likely that this year would be the last time they visited the town they both loved so much. At least for a while. Next year they'd have to pick up summer jobs to start contributing towards college tuition costs. Their parents had agreed to pay part of it, but two kids in university would place an immense strain on their already modest financial situation.
Dipper chewed on his lower lip as he turned his gaze to Mabel, her mint green sweater rising and falling with each shallow breath. She was always so peaceful and optimistic, seeming to glide through life with a smile. He, however, was constantly anxious and worried about what the future would hold. Case in point, the thoughts that were being conjured up as the bus hit some uneven patches in the road: they were about the same age Ford and Stan had been when their relationship began to crack and blister. Dipper often fretted over the idea that it could easily happen to himself and Mabel.
Picturing themselves in their great uncles' places caused his stomach to plunge, akin to the feeling of a plummeting rollercoaster. He never wanted to become a bitter old man, wondering what had become of Mabel's life. He wanted to stand by her side and offer unconditional support wherever their paths would lead them.
He swore he'd never leave, no matter how bumpy the road became.
The bus began gradually slow as it reached its final destination. The landscape no longer sped by dizzyingly outside the window. "Gravity Falls," the driver announced, the bus doors opening with a resounding hiss.
"Hey, Mabes, wake up," Dipper patted his sister's shoulder. "This is our stop."
She rubbed her eyes groggily and blinked as she took in their surroundings. "Huh? We're - are we here?"
"Yep," he smiled softly.
"Oh my gosh, we're here!" She exclaimed, leaping up out of her seat. "Come on, Dip!"
Dipper huffed out a laugh as his sister went from zero to a hundred in a matter of milliseconds. He gathered up his belongings and took one last glance out of the window he'd occupied for the past ten or so hours. Stan and Ford were standing by the side of the road holding a neon orange poster board with the words "Welcome Back!" written in large blocky lettering.
As soon as her foot left the last step, Mabel flung her bags to the ground and rushed towards the two men, hugging each of them in turn. "Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford! We missed you so much!"
A chuckle came from the man in the suit and fez. "We missed you too, pumpkin," Stanley smiled, cradling Mabel in a tight embrace. "It's so good to see you again."
Dipper thanked the driver as he trailed behind Mabel and watched as the bus pulled away down the road, disappearing around a bend. He turned to face the mini reunion that was taking place and greeted his great uncles before they switched positions, Ford embracing Mabel and Stan hugging Dipper. Years ago, Dipper would've been shocked by this, but over the course of their first summer in Gravity Falls, Stan had softened considerably towards the siblings. Guess sometimes it takes an apocalypse to bring people closer. He laughed out loud as the thought crossed his mind, but Stan mistook it as Dipper simply being elated to see his distant family again.
After the brief greetings, Ford and Stan began loading the twins' bags into the trunk of Stan's 1965 El Diablo convertible. "You mean this thing still works?" Dipper asked incredulously. After all the hell Stan had put it through over the years, it was a surprise the thing even turned on.
"Sure does!" Stan chirped. He patted the red exterior lovingly before they all climbed in and buckled up. Despite living recklessly for most of his life, Grunkle Stan was a stickler for seatbelts and ensured that the car would go nowhere until everyone was strapped in.
Suddenly Mabel piped up. "But wouldn't you rather have a new model?" She traced a finger over the manual window crank before twisting it to crack the window slightly. A cool breeze filled the car, carrying the earthy scent of the forest with it. It was so nice to breathe in the fresh air after being crammed on a stale old bus for almost half a day.
"I've offered to buy him a new one thousands of times," Ford interjected from the passenger side of the bench seat.
Stan rolled his eyes as they drove further into the woods. "Yeah, but that costs money," he retorted gruffly, as though Ford were an absolute idiot despite his twelve Ph.D.'s. For all of the book smarts his brother had, he certainly lacked common sense. Maybe Ford hadn't had to scrape by in life, being gifted with all of those scientific grants, but Stan recognized the value of a dollar and made every penny count.
Good ol' Grunkle Stan, still as stingy as ever.
"Everything costs money, Stanley," Ford sighed, exasperated as though they'd had this same conversation a hundred times before.
"Not when you're me, it doesn't! Besides, there's nothin' wrong with my car."
Mabel and Dipper glanced at each other and bit back their laughter as the brothers bickered. Ford was making valid, logical points and explaining the reasoning behind them, but the other just made half-assed retorts and didn't let up until he'd gotten the final word in.
Some things would never change.
Ten minutes later, Stan maneuvered the convertible across the gravel parking lot of the Mystery Shack. The tires crunched against the uneven earth and kicked up tiny stones that ricocheted against the car's glossy red finish. They came to a halt in front of the large A-frame cabin standing tall and proud within the trees - the place they'd call home again for the next three months.
It was just as tacky and wonderful as ever.
As beautiful as the building was, the twins felt their hearts leap at the sight of the figures waiting for them on the front porch. The tiny sounds escaping her lips meant Mabel was on the verge of squealing out loud. She'd already unbuckled her seatbelt and was scrambling for the door handle like a wild animal eager to escape its confines.
Her palpable excitement was utterly endearing to everyone in the car. "Go on, we'll get your stuff," Stan said, waving the teens off dismissively. He couldn't help but smile.
It was good to have them back.
Mabel shot out of the car faster than a pressurized bottle rocket. She nearly tackled Soos to the ground with a shout of his name. Soos' widespread arms latched around her back as he rocked Mabel from side to side. "Dudes, it's so good to see yous again!" he exclaimed as Dipper made his way up the front steps with a smile.
His eyes fell on the woman standing next to Soos, freckled nose and green eyes crinkling as she laughed and scooped Dipper into her arms. "Oh my God, it's been so long!"
Dipper relaxed against her shoulder as the scent of her green apple hair conditioner flooded his nostrils. Six years ago he would've given his life to hold Wendy like this, close against his body with her heartbeat next to his. Time had cooled the burning fire he'd once felt for her, reducing it to embers. At one point she'd been his boyhood crush; the girl he could never get out of his head before he fell asleep at night. Now he viewed her as somewhat of a sisterly figure, all feelings of lust and desire fading into ones of familial love and admiration.
"Look at you two, all grown up," Wendy said, pulling back to scan Dipper and Mabel's faces. "I can't believe you're going to be nineteen this year! Damn, feel so old now." She rubbed her arm and smiled meekly.
"Not as old as Stan and Ford," Mabel winked, grabbing the redhead and pulling her into a hug of her own.
"Hey, I heard that," Stan teased, nudging past Mabel with a smile as he carried two suitcases into the house. The brunette fired a finger gun at her uncle and he returned it with one of his own before disappearing deeper inside.
"So," Dipper began, clearing his throat, "how are things with you guys?"
Wendy and Soos both shrugged in an nonchalant fashion. "Same old, same old," she said.
"Yeah, we'd much rather hear about what you guys have been up to," Soos grinned, ushering the twins inside. The four pulled up chairs and sat around the dining table as they'd done for so many years. Ford and Stan joined them as Dipper was in the middle of telling a story about how he and Mabel had almost been late to their high school graduation. The Grunkles passed around cold cans of Pitt cola as the boy regaled them with stories over the past year.
"That's a pretty good one, kid," Stan smirked as Dipper concluded his tale. "But I've got an even better yarn to spin. While you were gone, me and Ford here decided to try our hand at alpine skiing."
"No! Don't tell them about that, Stanley," Ford groaned. He cradled his head in his hands, thoroughly embarrassed by his brother's choice of recollections. There were plenty of other stories he could've told, especially about their adventures at sea and all of the weird creatures and mystifying phenomena they'd experienced in that time.
But nope, he just had to go there. Everyone was going to hear about how he'd face-planted twice and crashed into a tree.
By the end of Stan's recollection, everyone at the table was in stitches, clutching their stomachs and wailing with laughter. Even then, Ford had to admit that it was a pretty funny story. "Oh man, I wish you kids could've seen it. The one time I regretted not owning a video camera," Stan chortled.
Dipper wiped tears from his eyes, the kind that inadvertently found themselves trailing down one's face after a hysterical fit of laughter. A genuine smile and a contented sigh followed as he took in the sight of his friends and family gathered together again. It was good to be back.
As they all rode high on caffeine and cheerful conversation, none of them had any idea that this summer was going to be drastically different from anything they could ever imagine.
