One Last Dance

October 21st 2052, 5:40 PM

It's an unusually cold day at the University of California-Kindling. It's only the twenty first of October, but the high winds and cloudy skies gave the impression of a dreary February day in the East. Inside the campus, there's some chattering and activity in some clasrooms and study halls, but it has mostly died down to specific areas due to it already being past seven that evening. One of these areas is the Kinding ballroom, which resides on the highest floor of the furthest west building. It was getting around this campus that still managed to confuse Wendy Pines even still today.

"Ok so I'm at west hall finally. Now, the archaeology hall is… No, not down there… Hmmmm…" Wendy, her long red hair now cut short to "cut the annoyance" as she put it, was lost at the campus… again. It didn't help that she was sore thumb of sorts in a long green and white dress that would've looked out of place at a wedding even, but even more so at this very moment.

I'm doing so rough right now. She chastised herself.

Meanwhile at the same time, in a different place…

Dipper is sure his wife was coming. He figured she just had to be lost on the campus like the other times she'd visited, but it didn't make him any less uneasy right now. It was making him sweat right through his black and blue blazer as if it were a sweatshirt on a summer day.

What if not coming is payback for all those lost hours I've given to this place? Dipper wondered to himself. Would she be that vengeful… even as I'm stepping down?

A petite, chubby man interrupted Dipper's train of thought to ask for a book signature. Dipper, as he'd done millions of times over the years, obliged and signed.

"Thank you professor Pines and congratulations on retirement!" The man said as he walked away.

Hopefully it's a happy one… Dipper wondered to himself before the podium speaker interrupted his thoughts.

"It's time to begin the retirement ceremonies for our very own, professor Dipper Pines!" The speaker said, forcing Dipper to stand up and wave happily looking, despite being anything but so.

Please come honey…

Meanwhile with Wendy…

Wendy knew she was late, and felt incredibly bad. She was trying to find the right room, but it all seemed like such a labyrinth to her. Just when it seemed like the right room, she realized it was the wrong department, like when she entered the lavender and gray room in floor 3, or the one where she interrupted a business management class in session on the 4th floor. She felt so lost and didn't know if it would all be over by the time she showed up. She was saddened at what she felt was her fault.

Meanwhile at Dipper's POV…

It had been already twenty minutes and Dipper was agonizing that she still wasn't there. The guilt and fear was growing with each moment. He'd been so out of tune that he totally forgot that there was an intermission between all the talks about his career at the university.

"Professor Pines are you ok?" The man who had spoke most of the evening thus far asked him. He was an undistinguished looking man with a small goatee and a spectacle, Dipper couldn't even remember his name right now.

"Yes sir, just waiting for som-" Dipper said before he noticed the door opened for the first time since the speaking had started. It made a distinctive creek whenever it opened that no one could forget. And emerging from it was-

"WENDY!" Dipper exalted as she walked through the doorway. "Oh Wendy, I was afraid you weren't coming?"

"Why would you think that?" She asked slightly perplexed.

"Well I do miss a lot of time because of these things and my books…" Dipper admitted sheepishly.

"Well sometimes sacrifices are made, and I've already done that for like thirty years if you count when we first met. Some book you write ain't gonna change that!" She said as she smooched him on the cheek.

The DJ then played a "personal request of the retiring," the only song he truly wanted to hear that night. Everyone was a little perplexed when…

"Tears Over Fears? The 80s so many years later?" the keynote speaker asked aloud.

"Oh my God, Head Over Heels!" Wendy remarked! "Our song! Good thing I'm still such for you!" as they made out while they continued to kiss, as the rest of the room sang along with the La La La refrain.

*Note: Head over Heels ain't mine, that's Tears for Fears' brilliance"