He didn't get much sleep that night. Or the night after that. Or the week after that.
Ford just barely glanced behind him as he headed toward the cloth-topped 70's sedan. The letters, or what remained of them, we still sitting on the roof of the building. The soda machine still stood out back by the old sofa, but the signs for the roadside mysteries and wonders of Gravity Falls had been retired. A blazing red closed sign adorned the main door instead. Ford didn't want to attract any attention to the building at all. The shack itself had taken on a grey aura, exuding nothing but sadness around it. Or maybe it was just Ford, his mind hadn't been in the right for a while.
He turned the key in the ignition, hearing the vehicle sputter to life. He took a deep breath and put the car in gear, letting the vehicle roll out of the empty parking lot. It would've been quicker if he went through town, but he didn't want anyone seeing him. The car he was in attracted enough attention. It was turn after turn and hill after hill, but he finally reached the black iron gate. His breath was caught in his chest and he gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white. Ford finally released a shaky foot off the brake and the car rolled forward slowly. The car went as far as it could and Ford put it in park, taking a moment to compose his self before getting out of the vehicle.
The gravel crunched beneath his worn black boots as he hiked up the path. As the minutes went by, Ford felt the weight on his shoulders become unbearable.
"Why did you do this?" he had asked, but his brother had only given him a complacent grin in return.
"Just doin' my job," Stanley smiled as the maelstrom of blackness and hell that swirled around them had subsided. The rift was gone and so was Bill and his minions. He waited for the universe to split open and unleash Armageddon, but everything remained calm. "We shook on it, don't worry." He coughed then started gasping for air. How could he forget his brother making a deal with the demon? He would never get the image of Stanley drowning in blue fire out of his head.
The cool September wind brushed Ford's face, bringing him back to the present. Ford felt his heart stop when he finally spotted it.
The stone was a solid slab of black marble that stood about four feet in height. Inscribed in the rock was a name, dates, and a short line of words.
Stanley Pines
May 24, 1953 – April 24, 1983
Brother and Great Uncle
Never Forgotten
Ford glared at the stone and felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He thought Stanley was so selfish as to take Ford's life, use his name to run a roadside tourist trap. He thought it was selfish of him to turn on the portal without even thinking about what could happen.
But Ford had been gravely wrong. He never thought his brother thought so little of himself that he would fake a car accident. And then instead of running off to live a worry-free life as Stanford Pines, he stayed in Gravity Falls so he could bring the real Stanford Pines back.
The old man wished he could've given his brother a proper ceremony. One where the entire town would mourn the loss of the Man of Mystery. But he couldn't because Stanley Pines died 30 years ago, with no one to mourn his loss and no one who would miss him.
Ford took the crumpled letter out of his coat pocket and took a deep breath before he placed it in front of the headstone. He closed his eyes in silence for a few moments before he turned around and hiked back to the car.
He didn't believe in an afterlife, but he was hoping that somewhere Stanley could see what he left.
Thank you.
I cried while thinking about writing this and while actually writing this. I don't know about the dates on the headstone, I'm sure there's something better than this on tumblr somewhere, but I just had to write this. And about the deal with Stanley and Bill. Stanley let Bill have the rift, but he had to leave our dimension alone, and the only way Bill would agree was if there was something that would eternally cause Stanford grief so Stanley sacrificed himself.
Thank you for reading!