Stan was gripping the postcard he received from Ford tightly in his hand. He was still having trouble believing this was real, that his brother finally decided to come in contact with him again after ten years, but here it was, in his very hands in front of his very eyes. There were only two small words, "PLEASE COME!" printed on the back of it, but Stan was sure this meant Ford was desperate to see him again, and Stan would make sure he would see his brother again even if the trip killed him.
Because he wanted to leave as soon as he could, Stan started packing very light. The journey there would take over a day, but he didn't care. Any extra luggage he brought with him would only slow him down. He places the postcard down on the small table next to his bed, and starts rummaging through the garbage pile of a hotel room he was forced to call home. He reaches all the way under his bed for his heavy coat, and zips it all the way up to his neck. He then places the beanie stuffed in his sock drawer on his head, and throws his coat hood over that as well. After that, he gathers anything he thinks he could need into a large bag, but stops once he comes across the last of the emergency cash his father left him the night he kicked him out of his childhood home. He picks it up and considers bringing it with him so he can stop somewhere to get something to eat, but decides against it and puts it back in his hiding spot. He hadn't eaten anything in at least a week, maybe even closer to two, but he was assuming that Ford would provide some for him. Plus, there was a good chance he wasn't going to stay in Gravity Falls permanently, and he knew he was going to need that money for something more important than food later on when he got back. He zips up his bag and tosses it on his shoulder. Finally, he placed the postcard and the childhood picture of him with Ford in his coat pocket and slammed the hotel door behind him as he left.
As soon as he got in the car, he felt his stomach rumbling, so he reached under his seat for any half-filled water bottle. Single water bottles only costed about $0.20 at grocery stores, so whenever Stan runs out of food, he buys a bunch of water bottles and drinks from them whenever he's hungry. It wasn't real food, and it probably wasn't healthy, but it was all he could afford. When Stan finally felt a water bottle that didn't feel completely empty, he pulled it out from under his seat. There was only enough to take about two sips, and he audibly groaned before opening the bottle and drinking the rest of its contents. He then tossed the bottle in the back of his car and turned the key to start it. As soon as he backed out of the hotel parking lot, he sped down the highway towards Oregon.
It was snowing pretty hard when Stan finally found his way into Gravity Falls. Because he didn't want to damage his car, he pulled into the first parking lot he could find and got out to walk. This was the first time he had been in a state he was allowed in in years, and Stan almost felt relieved when he was able to get out of his car and walk more than two feet without being recognized and chased out by police officers. Stan shoves his hands in his pockets and looks around the town for any clue of the building Ford had called him to. When he entered a crowded part of town, people began pointing to him and whispering, and that's when he realized his hood must have slid off in the car. He threw it back over his head and began walking faster; avoiding eye contact with everyone he passed.
Stan was about to give up on looking for his brother when he came across a boarded up fence. "NO TRESPASSING" was scribbled all over the fence, and there was a large shack-like house with an even larger roof attached to it in the distance. Figures. The only building left in town and there was no legal way to get to it. Stan takes a quick glance at his surroundings to make sure there's no cops around, and when he's sure the coast is clear, he hops over the fence and heads towards the shack.
Stan removes his hoodie once he's close to the front door. He walks up the front steps, but then hesitates from knocking. He sighs.
"You haven't seen your brother in over ten years. It's okay. He's family. He won't bite" He says to himself, and knocks on the door slowly. He's immediately met with a crossbow less than an inch away from his eyes, and he flinches back.
"Who is it?" A man Stan didn't recognize but identified as Ford spoke. "Have you come to steal me eyes?"
All the fear Stan had felt moments ago faded when he reassured himself who he was talking to. "Well, I can always count on you for a warm welcome" Stan says sarcastically, and Ford drags him into his house, catching him by surprise. He then flashes a light directly into Stan's eyes, who responds by pushes him away.
"Hey, what is this?" He asks, and Ford almost seems like he's relieved by Stan's reaction.
"Sorry, I just had to make sure you weren't…" he pauses, darting his eyes back and forth at his surroundings. "Nothing. Come in" Ford begins walking away.
Stan starts to join him, but lags behind by a sudden wave of dizziness. He reaches into his coat pocket for a water bottle, but can't seem to find any. That can't be good. Stan shrugs it off, and catches up with Ford. He almost looks like he's doing worse than him anyway.
"Listen; there isn't a lot of time. I've made a huge mistake and I'm not sure who I can trust anymore"
"Hey, Hey." Stan said reassuringly. He placed his hand on Ford's back reassuringly to comfort him, and tightened his grip lightly when he almost fell over. Ford didn't seem to notice, and Stan felt him ease up a bit. "Let's talk this through, okay?"
Ford turned around to look at him. "I have something to show you. Something you won't believe"
"I've traveled all over the world. Whatever it is, I'll understand."
"Okay, follow me then"
Stan follows Ford to a staircase inside a wall, and grips the railing tightly as he stumbles down the stairs. It was ridiculous how dizzy he felt. He's never felt this dizzy in his entire life. He then follows Ford to an elevator, and has to grip onto the railing on the inside the same way. Stan looks up as he follows Ford into a dark room.
"Hey, Ford, how much further do we have to-" A large triangular device with a circular hole in its center catches his attention, and he stands there in silence, staring at it with his mouth wide open for a short moment.
"There is NOTHING about this I understand" he says eventually, and Ford steps closer to the device.
"It's a trans-universal gateway. A punched hole in a weak spot in our dimension" Ford starts and Stan begins blinking really fast.
What's wrong with you? Pay attention to what he's saying.
"...But it could just as easily be harnessed for terrible destruction. That's why I shut it down and hid my journals which explain how to operate it. There's only one left, and you are the only person I can trust to take it"
Stan takes the journal from Ford, and once again starts to blink really quickly.
Why can't you keep your eyes open? What he's saying is really important.
"I have something to ask of you. Do you remember our plans to sail around the world in a boat?" He asks, and Stan grins. "Good. Then I want you to take that book, get on a boat, and sail away as far as you can. Bury it where nobody can find it." Ford walks even closer to the portal, his back turned to Stan.
Stan's smile fades and is replaced with rage and bitterness, but before he can bring himself to say anything, everything goes black.
All of a sudden, Ford hears a loud thud, and watches as the Journal slides across the room. He sighs. "Come on Stan, don't be so childish. Think about it. It's for the greater good." He walks over to where the Journal landed, and picks it up and blows dust off of the cover. "I know it's a lot to ask of you." He says, and starts walking over to where Stan had been standing. "But I need you to know that I'm relying on-" he pauses to look up, and is confused for a moment when he doesn't see Stan there anymore. But that confusion turns straight into fear when he glances down and sees Stan sprawled out on the floor.
"Stanley!" he yells, dropping his journal and sitting down on the floor beside his brother. "Stanley, are you okay?" He asks, and nudges Stan. Stan rolls over, but his eyes are closed shut and his mouth is wide open.
"Okay, okay..." Ford says, beginning to panic. "Let's...Let's get you out of that coat. You're probably overheating, right?" He says to himself nervously, and begins to unzip Stan's coat. He tosses it aside once it's off. "There! All better, right?" He asks to assure himself, but then notices something very strange. Stan's lost a lot of weight since the last time he saw him. Too much weight. Stan's ribs are sticking right through his shirt. Ford can't believe he didn't notice it earlier.
"Okay….I'm gonna get you upstairs. You don't look like you're doing too well." Slowly, he lifted Stan up, and then threw one of his arms across his shoulders. He stood up, and surprised by how light Stan felt. He was still pretty heavy, but a lot lighter than Ford was expecting.
After he managed to drag Stan into the elevator and up the stairs, Ford brought him into his bedroom. He flipped the light on and placed him lightly on his couch.
"Okay, you wait here; I'm just going to get a towel and some food for you, okay?"
Ford stands up, and walks into his kitchen. He opens his fridge, and feels relieved when he sees his bag of leftovers still sitting there. He dumps it on a plate and heats it up in the microwave, and while he waits for it to heat up he runs a small towel under cold water. When the microwave goes off, he places the food back in the back and walks into the other room.
Stan's still not conscious when he walks back into his room. Ford frowns. He walks over to the couch and sits next to Stan's head. He places the food in the seat next to him, and gently presses the cold towel to Stan's head. He still doesn't come to right away, but Ford one glance and he can tell Stan's still breathing. What a relief.
"Stan…." Ford pauses to sigh. "I'm sorry. For what happened when we were younger. I know you can't hear me and there's really no reason for me to be apologizing now, but I can't help it. I shouldn't have closed the curtains on you. You did sabotage my future by destroying my science fair project, and it'll still be a little bit before I'm ready to forgive you, but I shouldn't have let dad kick you out like that. It's not entirely your fault. Hell, it's even partially my fault you ended up the way you are now. I hope you can forgive me when you wake up."
Ford sits there in silence for a few minutes, scared Stan would never wake up. He refreshes the cold water on the towel, and then sits back down. He notices Stan's breaths becoming more consistent, and he's relieved, but Stan doesn't appear to be fully conscious yet. He presses the towel to his forehead, and as soon as the water starts dripping down his neck, he jumps up.
"Hey, watch it! This jacket's the only thing I got left" He says, unaware by the fact that he wasn't wearing it anymore, and Ford only responds by hugging him. Stan hugs him back, confused, until Ford pulls away, almost embarrassed.
"Here. You should eat this" Ford hands him the bag. "It's leftovers. A burger and some onion rings. I know it isn't the best but it's something."
"Are you nuts?" Stan says, ripping the bag and the wrapper the leftover burger was contained in before taking a large bite out of it. "I woulda takehn a swaltine if ya offered it to me" Stan says with his mouth full. "I haven't eaten a meal like this in weeks" He says after swallowing the food in his mouth, but immediately regrets saying that when he sees Ford's reaction. "Uh, because I've been living on junk food! Chips and candy. Not because I haven't eaten anything in two weeks. Nope" Stan says uncomfortably, and takes another bite out of his burger.
"What? Stan, you should've told me sooner! I would've gladly helped"
"Would you have, though?" Stan says, and glares at Ford.
"No, I suppose I probably wouldn't. But today, Stanley! You should've told me today. How long have you gone without a drink?"
"Eh" Stan shrugs. "Only a few hours. I drank some water before I came over here" He shakes his head. "But that's not important. I didn't say anything because you looked like you were doing worse than I was. Plus, you were saying all that garbage about getting away from you after not speaking to me for ten years. Does that sound like someone you want to tell that you haven't been taking proper care of yourself since the last time you saw him?"
"I had every right to tell you that! You costed me-" Ford starts, but then catches himself. "You don't understand what that portal can do to the universe when it's at full power. All I was asking of you was to hide it somewhere nobody could find it. But that doesn't matter anymore" He stands up. "All that matters is that you're okay now. I can deal with hiding that journal later."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Now it's getting late. You can stay here for the night, if you'd like. I have a guest room set up in the attic. The bag you brought with you is still in the kitchen"
Stan doesn't say anything for a moment, and Ford can almost swear Stan is trying to fight back tears. "Thank you" he says, and Ford nods. Stan stands up, picks up what's left of the bag of food, and leaves. Ford stands in the doorway and watches him for a moment, before walking back into his bedroom. He then pulls out his last remaining journal, a pen, and a stray piece of paper. He opens the cabinet attached to the dresser he never uses, and tosses the book inside. He then closes the cabinet, locks it with his room key, and shuts it. With the pen and the paper, he scribbles "DO NOT TOUCH" on it and places it on the door handles of the cabinet. He walks over to his desk, and grabs the tape roll sitting on it. Ford walks back over to it and slaps the tape over the sign. It wouldn't keep Bill out of it, but it was a start. Ford then stood up, and walked out of his room. Stan was sitting at his kitchen table finishing off the food, but his bag was gone. He must have carried it upstairs already.
Although Ford couldn't tell why, he found it very calming seeing Stan sitting at his kitchen table eating. Maybe he really did miss seeing his brother more than he thought.