Disclaimer: I do not own GF

I've been working on this on and off for a while now and I finally got around to finishing it. It didn't really turn out how I planned it, but the idea I had was pretty vague.

There is hinted future Tabel but that's it really. Everything else is platonic.

Yes, Tad is basically a fanon OC. Mabel is just... Mabel. I don't really write her that much so if she is OOC or anything I am sorry. I am also bad at writing children characters.

Also the title is not mine. It comes from the song "Firewood" by Regina Spektor.

Ah well. Enjoy!

~~0~~0~~0~~

Mabel froze. Her brother was crying.

She didn't have to hear his soft sniffles nor see his watering eyes to know. She also didn't have to hear the bigger kids' words nor see them to know.

She just knew. Twin telepathy.

"Mabel?" The other little girl, Monica- Monnie for short- asked, tipping her head to the side. She put the battered and quite frankly, disfigured Barbie doll down. "What's the matter?"

Mabel shook her head at Monnie and stood up. Her lips were pursed, and a quite serious expression for a simple five-year-old was furrowing her thin brow. She turned on her heel, and walked around the corner away from the play pin to the main room, where Dipper had darted off to not even a minute ago to get a drink of water from the water fountain.

Mabel's head cranked to where her brother was standing- up against the wall, hands raised to protect his chest, quivering under two, much bigger boys.

Mabel's hands tightened into fists. She glanced at over where the teacher was- dealing with some screaming kid who was still not potty-trained, no doubt- and marched to where the bullies were.

The snippets of the bullies' reasoning to whale on Dipper floated to Mabel's ears the closer she got to the situation, and Mabel could feel her entire face ignite at their words.

"What sort of boy plays with dolls like girls. Are you a girl, Mason? You a girly-girl who wants to be a princess and play with ponies?"

"Shut up! I'm not a girl!" Dipper snapped back. Mabel could see Dipper's hands- tightened into fists just like hers. But Dipper wasn't striking out.

And Mabel understood. Of course he wouldn't. He wouldn't strike out again, and get sent home so mommy and daddy's wrath would fall upon him. He wouldn't fight back, not when a teacher was oh so ready to listen to the snotty kids who could get away with breaking the rules and hurting others.

But Mabel had never fought back. Not like she was prepared to do now. She cupped her hands around her mouth. "Hey! Get away from him!"

The bullies turned and sneered at Mabel. One of them grabbed Dipper by the shirt and hauled him forwards, causing him to almost fall.

Mabel's gut was boiling.

"Oh look! It's the other girl! What are you gonna do? Cry on us?"

Mabel bared her teeth at them. She had only ever cried once in class and it was when Mufasa died!

And everyone cried when Mufasa died!

Instead of answer, Mabel stomped up to the bully hold Dipper, lifted her fist, and punched the bully in the nose.

Her knuckles caterwauled in pain, but even that couldn't beat the scream of the bully, nor the big fat alligator tears that welled in his eyes and slid down his face. Mabel cradled her hand to her chest, her own pained tears bubbling in her eyes.

The bully dropper Dipper, and ran across the room, calling the teacher's name. The second bully fled as fast as he could.

Dipper sprang right back up to Mabel's side. "Mabel!" he cried out. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?" Dipper gently took Mabel's hand in his own. "Ouch," he commented. He looked up at her, his eyes huge. "Mabel, you-"

"MABEL PINES. GET OVER HERE!"

Both Dipper and Mabel flinched at the teacher's voice, and Mabel began to tremble. All the courage that had sparked in her heart had gone out, leaving nothing but cold and dreadful embers. She peered at Dipper, who reached down to hold her hand, squeezing it gently.

Mabel smiled weakly and with Dipper leading her, Mabel walked across the room to where the teacher was. The kids around her had gone quiet, all whispering amongst themselves and "oooing."

"Mabel. Did you hit Marcus?" The teacher asked. Her voice was hard and as rigid as a ruler.

Mabel winced and stared at her feet. "...Yes. But only b-!"

"I asked you whether or not you hit him! What is the second rule we have in here?"

Mabel didn't break her staring contest with her shoes. "To keep hands, feet, and objects to ourselves. And to not hit others."

"Exactly-"

"But Miss Bert! Marcus-"

"Quiet, Mason. Mabel, I want you to walk down to the principal's office."

Mabel opened her mouth to protest again, but at the nasty look the teacher gave her, snapped it closed. She traded a long look with Dipper, and very slowly let go of his hand. She refused to look at Marcus, refused to give him the satisfaction, and trudged to the door, down the hallway, and to the principle's office.

She already knew what would happen, but that fact gave her no relief at all.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Mabel curled up on her bed, crying as she watched her parents take all her stuffed animals away.

No matter how many times she tried to tell them what really happened, they just wouldn't listen! They didn't even listen to Dipper, either!

Why were adults always so stupid and unfair? Mabel wasn't so sure she could answer that. It just wasn't fair!

"-And you will get these back at the end of the week," her daddy said sternly. He tied the bag he had put them all in, and marched out of her room.

Mabel crossed her arms angrily over her chest and stuck out her tongue as he left. She kicked her feet hard on the bed, threw her back down against the mattress, and rolled over to scream into her covers so her daddy wouldn't have another reason to punish her.

Dipper had taught her that trick.

The creak of her door broke Mabel out of her spiraling temper tantrum, and she peeked up through wet locks, sniffling as Dipper tentatively peeked inside.

"Mabel? Are you okay?"

"He took away all my stuffed animals!" Mabel whined. She curled her knees to her chest, and hugged herself tightly. "Why are adults so stupid? Why can't they ever listen?"

Dipper didn't answer her; he shrugged.

Mabel huffed again and stared out around her room. "I'm already bored."

Dipper sat down next to her on the bed and kicked his feet. "I'm sorry, Mabel. But I still have my stuffed animals! We could play together!"

Mabel shot a watery smile at her brother and sniffed again, wiping her eyes. "Thanks, bro-bro. But I don't really want to now."

Dipper nodded in understanding. "We could play with blocks. Or Legos. Or-" Dipper paused. "Wait, you're in trouble. That's a bad idea."

Mabel perked up at that. "Trouble? What trouble were you going to suggest?" With her anger forgotten, Mabel rolled onto her hands and knees and crawled besides Dipper.

Dipper glanced right and left, as if making sure no one else was in the room before jumping up to shut the door. He ran over to the windows next, standing up on the tips of his toes so he could peer out the blinds. With a nod of satisfaction, Dipper lastly ran over to their closet, checking it as well before closing it again and running back over to Mabel, jumping onto the bed, making her bounce and giggle.

"Well. You know how daddy stuffed all the stuff our great uncle gave us at the top of the closet?"

"Yeah?"

"We should take it down."

Mabel couldn't stop the laughter bubbling in the back of her throat, and she covered her mouth with her hands to stop her gasping shrieks. Dipper grinned deviously at her. "So whadda you say? We should do it!"

"But if I'm caught doing that stuff, I'll be in even more trouble!"

"No you won't! If we're caught, I'll tell him it's my fault. I mean. I'm the one who thought it up anyways." Dipper held out his pinkie. "I promise."

Mabel shook Dipper's pinkie with her own. "I know you do. You always have my back, Dippy."

Dipper shot Mabel another grin and slid off the bed. Mabel was right behind him and both of them trotted over to the closet, pulling it back open. Mabel jumped to turn the lights on.

Dipper held his hand over his eyes and squinted up where the strange cardboard box was perched on the top shelf.

"So how are we gonna get up there?" Mabel piped up from besides Dipper.

Dipper tapped his chin. "That's a good question. We can't make too much noise…." Dipper furrowed his brows in deep thought.

"Dipper?"

"I got it!" Dipper snapped his fingers and whipped around, grabbing Mabel by the hand and dragging her out of the closet. "We empty the laundry box-" Dipper pointed where the mostly unused basket was, "-and then we climb on top of that and get the stuff."

"That's a great idea!" Mabel scurried over to the box and pushed it over. The plastic made no noise as it hit the carpeted ground, and both Mabel and Dipper dumped the little dirty clothes actually in the box. Grabbing the edge, Mabel dragged it backwards and into the closet.

Mabel flipped it so the box was upside down. "I'm taller, so I'll get the box," she said, looking down at Dipper.

Dipper crossed his arms and pouted. "We're the same height!"

"No! I'm taller!" Mabel stuck her tongue out at Dipper and turned around. She stood on the tips of her toes, and reached up.

She wasn't even close to reaching the box. Mabel frowned deeply.

"This isn't working. Your plan didn't work." Mabel climbed off the box and stood next to Dipper. "Now what?"

"Hold on. I'm thinking." Dipper pulled his thinking face again, and crossed his arms. He turned to stare hard at the wall. "What about… the rocking horse!"

"The rocking horse?"

"We put it on top of the box, one of us holds it still, and the other climbs on top of it. Though… no that's a bad idea, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about? It's a great idea! I'll go get it!" Before Dipper could voice any protest, Mabel darted out of the closet and across their room to drag the rocking horse over.

It took both twins huffing and puffing to get it on the laundry box. The old, wooden horse creaked in protest, as if warning both twins what they were doing was foolish. They ignored the horse's little warnings and turned back towards the other.

"Soooo who is gonna climb up and get the box?" Dipper asked. "Nose goes!" Dipper pressed his finger against his nose quickly before Mabel could even piece his words together.

"Hey! No fair! You're just scared, aren't you?"

"No! I'm not scared!"

"Yeah you are! Scaredy cat Dipper! Meow meow meow!"

"Stop meowing at me!"

"Meow, meow, meow!"

Dipper pushed Mabel lightly, not hard enough to even make her stumble, but enough for her to break out into guffaws. "I'll climb up! I wanted to anyways."

Dipper held the rocking horse as Mabel slowly crawled up onto it's painted saddled back. Her hands could reach the shelf, but she still couldn't quite grab the box. She pushed at it's side.

"Careful," Dipper warned. Mabel looked down at him. His mocha eyes were wide and he was nibbling on the bottom lip, his hands lightly shaking.

"Don't worry," Mabel said with a small smile. She returned her attention back at the box above her and kept pushing the box till the corner hung over the edge of the shelf. The box was a little heavier than she expected, but not by too much.

Mabel held the bar holding up her and Dipper's clothes hard with one hand while she pulled at the corner of the box, causing it to tip forwards. As it slowly fell towards her chest, both of Mabel's arms darted up to grab it and hug it close.

Mabel's legs shook, and she teetered.

"Mabel!"

"Move out of the way!"

Dipper was barely able to release the rocking horse, stumbling back as Mabel used her momentum to jump off the back of the horse. She nearly tripped over both her feet, but stuck the landing. She gasped, bending over and smashing the box down onto the ground. Her shoulders ached.

"Mabel! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I got the box!" Mabel cawed. She straightened back up and winced at the newfound soreness in her arms.

Dipper stared at her in disbelief, then began to laugh. "You are just-! We got the box! What's in it?"

"I don't know! Let's look."

Both Mabel and Dipper pulled the lid off the box and peered inside.

"Look! A snow globe!" Mabel pulled out the snow globe topping all the other items. Inside it was a strange shack surrounded by lumpy green trees. She couldn't quite read what was on the yellow sign on the side of the shack. She shook it before handing it to Dipper.

Dipper tilted it and looked at the bottom. "Made in China. Huh."

Mabel ignored Dipper as she tilted her head to the side and pulled out a smaller, rectangular box which the snow globe had been sitting on. "How do you pronounce O-U-I-J-A?"

Dipper set the snow globe on the ground before pulling the box from Mabel's hands and studied the word. "I have no idea," he admitted. He placed the box to the side. "What else is in there?"

Mabel reached down into the box. "A really big book. It's as heavy as the Dictionary!"

Dipper helped Mabel take the thick book out. The golden title printed on the front cover wasn't even in English.

"This is weird," Mabel said.

Dipper nodded. "Is there anything else in there?"

Mabel peered back into the box. "Oh!" Mabel pulled up a strange pendant that seemed to have been tossed into the box without care. The cord was black and thick, and the charm was simple- an amethyst cut in the shape of a perfect square. Mabel admired the facet, tilting it in the sun to watch it gleam. If she squinted, she could see a strange small symbol etched into the very center. Mabel swore it was watching her somehow.

"Oh, that's pretty! Lemme see!"

Mabel yanked the charm close to her chest and stared at Dipper's proffered hand with huge, almost terrified eyes.

The amethyst in her hand was warm. Too warm. And as Mabel tightened his fist around it, she swore she could feel it pulse gently- as if it were a heart and not just a simple stone.

"...Mabel?"

Mabel shook her head quickly, blinking hard. Since when had her eyes been so dry?

"S- Sorry! Zoned out there, Dipper. Here." Mabel handed the necklace over to Dipper, but as soon as it left her palm, she felt dreadfully cold- like a bucket of ice had just been dumped over her head.

Dipper too tilted it in the light, admiring its simple but pristine and tasteful cut. He ran his finger over the symbol in the center. It didn't feel jagged under his finger. The stone was oddly warm. "I wonder if it's magical or something," Dipper whispered more to himself than Mabel.

"Magical? What do you mean?"

Mabel's voice broke Dipper out of his stupor and he shook his head just as Mabel had, focusing back on her. "Well I mean. It could be! What if used to belong to a dragon or something?"

"But it's too small for a dragon to wear."

"How do you know? Maybe it belonged to a small dragon!"

"Oh. That's true. Maybe!" She eyed the pendant. "Could, I- um, have it back?"

"What?"

"I wanna wear it!"

"Why do you get to wear it? What if I wanna wear it?"

"Well I found it," Mabel snapped and before Dipper could respond, snatched it out of his hand and put it on.

"Hey! No fair!"

"Totally fair! You can get the snow globe."

"But I don't want the snow globe!"

"Oh, come on Dipper. Please? You can have everything else if you let me have this."

Dipper pouted at her and crossed his arms. "That's unfair! Why can't we just share it?"

No.

"Because I want it. Please Dipper please?" Mabel widened her eyes and held her hands together as if she were praying. She trembled her bottom lip and gave him the largest, most liquid puppy dog eyes she could manage.

Dipper stare at her for several long seconds, then sighed.

"Fine! You can keep it. Purple is a girl color anyways."

Mabel cheered happily and hugged Dipper tight around the shoulders. "Thanks Dippy! You're the best!"

Dipper laughed and hugged Mabel back. "Of course I am."

~~0~~0~~0~~

That night, with the only light streaming into the darkened bedroom being the moon and the various nightlights plugged in around the room, Mabel laid in bed, unable to sleep. She had brushed her teeth, washed her mouth out, and even had her nightly vitamins like Dipper.

But unlike Dipper, who laid besides her already slumbering, Mabel found herself almost too excited to sleep.

It wasn't the daunting day of school looming before her that made her heart pound. It wasn't even the prospect that tomorrow would be one day closer of her punishment coming to an end.

Mabel sat up and hung herself off the edge of the bed, her thin chest pressing into the edge of the mattress. Pawing at the ground, Mabel nearly had to slip completely off the bed as she pawed for her pendant, which she had stuffed under her bed.

It was best her parents didn't know they had gotten into the box they weren't supposed to get into.

Mabel laid back down against her pillow, holding the pendant over her head, watching as it caught the light coming from the bear-shaped night light in the corner. A golden glimmer danced across its surface, tracing the corners of the facets.

Mabel smiled to herself and pulled her finger down one of the edges on its face. An inner warmth still radiated and no pockmarks or blemishes bumped against her fingers.

As Mabel continued to admire her pendant, she couldn't help but yawn loudly, struggling to blink the sleepiness out of her eyes. No matter how hard she stared at the pendant, how loud she chanted to herself to keep her eyes open, nothing could stop her arms lowering to her chest, the pendant resting against her thin chest. Another yawn cracked her face open and with it, so did her resolve to try and stay up as long as she could.

Mabel's head lolled to the side and she drifted off to dreamland.

~~0~~0~~0~~

Large, warm hands encased her own as she was dragged in a flamboyant, swooping circle. Her feet could barely keep up with the pace she was forced to follow and her bare toes constantly stepped upon the top of smooth dress shoes that somehow managed to avoid crushing her small piggys.

The faraway tinkling of bells singing a duet with a cheerful piano met her ears, and Mabel couldn't help but sway to the music, if just a little.

The silver sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows blinded her and follicles of her hair refused to be anywhere but plastered across her face. She squinted, blinking hard, but besides the blur of purple, she couldn't see much.

"I- I can't see!" Mabel squeaked out, pressing her fingers into the palms of the hands that held her's. She tried to dig her heels into the ground, but it was too slick and the person dragging her along much stronger than her.

However, as soon as she spoke, the movements halted, and Mabel was left perched on the toes of a purple stranger backed with silver.

A sudden wind swirled around her, whipping her hair behind her head. Mabel sighed in relief and craned her head up, still squinting past the light.

A smooth, pale face stared back- eyes a saturated, stark violet, glittering like an amethyst. Curly hair such a deep plum it almost appeared black whipped about the stranger's cheeks, softening his look further.

Heat pooled in Mabel's cheeks and she squeaked as the silver light suddenly blotted out, as if thick clouds had formed. Darkness descended onto her, and Mabel was hoisted up, a steady arm under the backs of her knees while another arm wrapped around her middle, keeping her straight.

Mabel squealed as her footing was lost and she cast her arms out wildly. The back of her palm met with the stranger's face as she looped her arms around his neck, the tips of her fingers pressing into his back.

"Let me down!" Mabel tried to scream, but her voice already sounded so far away. She swore she heard a voice echo in her mind, one she could not place, but the darkness was climbing up her, digging its claws deep down, burrowing into her marrow. Her hair whipped past her cheek, tangling in front of her face, and her ears rang shrilly as her stomach dropped.

She was falling. They were falling.

Falling, falling, falling….

Fallen.

~~0~~0~~0~~

"Is this a little better?"

Mabel blinked her eyes open slowly. White spots danced in her sight, yet through them she could see the deep blue sky stretching above her, the golden sun nestled like an egg within the fluffy clouds behind the alabaster balcony.

Mabel was seated in a golden wire chair, faires weaved out out of the strands decorated the back, each one fluttering around a different detailed flower. She sat on a pink, frilly cushion. Her feet did not touch the ground.

A glass-top table sat before her, held up by a single golden pillar carved into the shape of four unicorn heads. Their eyes were amethysts.

A single, baby blue teapot sat to her right, swirling morning clouds painted across the sides while cherubs lounged freely within them. A soft cloud of steam steadily leaked from the tip.

A small platter of tiny sandwiches sat to her right. A tall tower of cupcakes of every color, each decorated with wild sprinkles, topped with a plastic dinosaur curled up from the center of the table.

And staring over the top cupcake, which was topped with a t-rex, was the same stranger before.

"Plum guy!" Mabel cried out, pressing her hands against the table.

The stranger cocked his head to the side, furrowing his brows. "Plum guy…?" he questioned, taken aback. The frown tugging at his thin pink lips twitched and curled into a small smile and he shook his head, as if in amusement. "Oh, I'm not a plum."

Mabel tilted her head to the side. "Who are you? Where are we?"

The stranger smiled fully this time and he held out his hand to the left of the cupcake tower of dinosaurs.

"I am Tad Strange, miss."

Mabel eyed his hand, but scooted to the edge of her seat to shake his hand. His hand was warmer than as she had suspected, and she knew she had felt it before….

Mabel dropped his hand slowly, still staring at his face with huge mocha eyes.

"As to where we are well, that is a little more difficult. We are, currently, in your mind."

"My… mind?"

"Your dream, to be exact."

"I'm dreaming right now?"

Tad chuckled. "Indeed we are."

Mabel blinked and glanced to the left. White curtains kept her from seeing the inside of where the balcony jutted out of, but by the silver walls, she deduced they were in a castle of sorts. To the right, nothing but the blue sky stretched out as far as her eyes could see. The horizon was infinite.

"This doesn't feel like a dream, though. It feels too real."

"That is because of me, I'm afraid. I- I wanted to contact you, and I thought your dreams would be the best place for me to show."

Mabel turned back to Tad. "Why? What? What do you mean? Why do you wanna talk to me?"

Tad sighed and reached out, plucking a cupcake from the tower. He picked out the dinosaur on top and licked the frosting off its feet before answering.

"I am not a human, Mabel Pines. I- I am the pendant."

"What?"

"Your pendant. I am bound to it."

Mabel blinked slowly and gave Tad a blank stare.

Tad sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I am trapped inside it. Forever. I can only communicate with those who are wearing or touching it."

Mabel's eyes brightened. "Oh! And I fell asleep holding it! I think I did at least…."

"Exactly. And I thought it would be more appropriate to meet with you here instead of waking you up or trying to exert my power to create an illusion out in reality."

"Um…."

"It's easier for me to talk with you here."

"Oh, okay!"

Tad pulled the wrapper off the cupcake. It was chocolate.

"Soooo," Mabel began, tapping her fingers against the table. "Why do you wanna talk to me?"

"Because you own the pendant now. My life and, by extension powers, are yours now."

"Powers? Are you like a genie?"

Tad chuckled and bit into the cupcake. He swallowed quickly. "A genie? You insult me! Of course not. I am a demon."

Mabel flinched back, her eyes widening. "A- A demon? Demons are evil!"

Tad frowned. "That's quite rude. You hurt my feelings."

Mabel pouted and stared up at him. "Sorry?"

Tad sighed and shook his head. "I'm not evil, Mabel. Demons, like humans, have the capacity to be either evil or good."

"So you're a good demon?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Tad's lips again. "Yes, I suppose you could say that. I try to be good. Like how humans try to be good as well."

Mabel nodded slowly as Tad finished off the cupcake he was eating.

"What sort of powers do you have?"

Tad licked his fingers. "Well, I was formally known as a Reality Demon. We are quite rare. However, my powers were mostly stripped and I now I am trapped. I can only form in reality- your world- if the owner of the pendant allows me."

"I don't think my parents would allow me to have a demon in the house, though," Mabel said. She eyed Tad; he was donned in a deep purple suit with a white shirt underneath. "Even if they are well-dressed."

Tad chuckled. "I figured. And thank you. There's no rush, Mabel." Tad leaned on his hands. "Honestly, I- I have been quite lonely. It has been a very long time since I have had a conversation with someone." His eyes crinkled up and glimmered with hope.

Mabel nibbled on her bottom lip. She eyed Tad warily.

Her parents had always told her not to talk to strangers but… Tad told her his name. And what he was!

Technically he wasn't a stranger.

Mabel couldn't help but feel her heart go out to him. She couldn't imagine going even a few hours without talking to someone, let alone a long time.

Mabel's eyes dropped onto Tad's lips, where only small smiles had played. She knitted her brows together and determination ran through her.

What if she could get Tad to grin? Big and bright!

"Well, you don't have to be sad about that any longer!" Mabel declared. She shoved her chair back with her butt, jumping off it. She ran around the table to Tad's side.

Tad stared down at her in shock, too slow for the hyperactive child. Before he could move, Mabel grabbed his hand, trying to tug him up.

"I have your pendant now! And- and we can be friends! And talk every night even!" Mabel babbled, practically dragging Tad out of his chair.

Tad stared down at Mabel with huge, almost hopeful eyes and a larger grin threatened to stretch out across his face. "Really? You would want to make friends with a demon?"

Mabel stared up at him as they stood near the railing of the balcony. She held both his hands tightly. "Yes. You said demons can be good or evil like humans. You seem to be a good demon, so- so why not be friends? Besides, no one deserves to be alone. Everyone needs a friend." Mabel glanced away, across the blue horizon. She slowly turned back to Tad, smiling again. "So, smile!"

Tad stared down at Mabel in shock, as if she couldn't possibly exist. Gently, he weaved his fingers with her's and pulled her closer so they were toe to toe again, as if ready to dance.

For the first time in a long time, the grin that adorned Tad's face felt neither force or fake.

Mabel grinned back, just as bright. "I knew you could do it!" she laughed, swinging his hands.

Tad couldn't even hope to keep the chuckles that bubbled up in his chest down. He swung his hands with Mabel, staring at her with nothing but warmth.

"I- I can. Thank you."

~~0~~0~~0~~

I didn't really know how to end this if I am being honest! So I kinda winged it as per the usual.

I hope you guys liked this? This is a pairing that like five people know of and only three people like so XD I may write a sequel to this if people want it, who knows. Or if I want to write a sequel to it.

Anyways, I hope you liked this little oneshot! If you did, would you consider leaving a comment?

Thank you so much for reading!