Disclaimer: I own nothing.


The drive to Gravity Falls was relatively uneventful. Dipper and Mabel split the driving time evenly. They stopped for food, gas, bathroom; normal road trip stuff. But that was part of the problem. This road trip was never normal. Or at least, it never used to be normal. Every year since they left it had been painfully normal. Almost like they were wishing for something or someone like Bill Cipher to pop up out of nowhere and cause a ruckus just so they would have something to do. What was normal, anyway? How did they define normal? Well, Dipper was entirely sure you could never get the same answer from two different individuals. Everyone had a different view on what was normal. He glanced over at Mabel out of the corner of his eye, the orange rays of the sunset painting her face in a gentle hue and setting her hair aglow, as if it were a crackling fire or an angelic halo.

Dipper couldn't help but stare for a moment. Her hair framed her face perfectly, falling past her shoulders in caramel waves. If her eyes were open, as she was currently dozing, he would see chocolate brown orbs staring back at him. And no doubt that dazzling grin, one that outshone all the stars in the night sky. She smiled in her sleep, as if she could hear his thoughts even in her dreams, leaving Dipper to wonder curiously what she was dreaming about. He looked back to the road suddenly when he realized he had been staring for far too long, blushing faintly. There was no reason for him to be embarrassed. He hadn't done anything wrong…yet. He sighed. He was starting to get tired of his own thoughts. They confused him and frankly he didn't like things he couldn't solve. So when he was first presented with the mystery of his feelings for Mabel, he had tried to think about it logically. Of course, that only made the problem worse.

The first thought to come into his mind was the taboo of what he was feeling. It was considered unnatural by most to feel anything for your sibling other than familial love. It was considered wrong, sick, disgusting, unethical, unspeakable, and many other discouraging words. But then, there were parts of the world that allowed such a union. In some parts of the world, it didn't matter who you loved. Besides, it's not like you can pick who you fall in love with. The second thought that came into his head was the struggle between acceptance and denial of his feelings. He had been very conflicted for many months and only now was he finally leaning in one direction over the other. He wasn't sure what that meant for his future relationship with his twin sister, but he hoped they would always be as close as they were now.

He was snapped out of his thoughts when the exit sign for Gravity Falls flashed by. He was so deep in thought, he had almost missed his turn. Although he wouldn't mind spending more time in the car with Mabel, he was almost certain she would want to get out and stretch her legs as soon as possible. So he made the turn onto the exit, slowly coming to a stop at the bottom of the hill. It was interesting how quickly the pavement transitioned into dirt and the street lamps into towering trees. The sound of horns and tires screeching to the sounds of crickets chirping and birds singing. If you didn't know where to look, you would probably never find Gravity Falls. Fortunately, they did know where to look. Dipper smiled as he drove carefully along the rarely used path towards his other home. Their other home. It wasn't long before Dipper arrived in front of the ever welcome sight of the Mystery Shack. The lights were out at this point. Soos had probably closed up shop and gone to bed already. He reached over to prod Mabel awake.

"No…five more minutes." She responded childishly.

He chuckled and poked her again.

"Come on Mabs, don't make me tickle you." He threatened.

She sat straight up when she heard this, letting out a huge yawn and stretching her arms up over her head. Dipper had to make an effort not to look at her chest as she unintentionally puffed it out. Mabel didn't notice this fact. She was too preoccupied with the dream she had been having. It wasn't that the trip wasn't fun. There wasn't anyone else she would rather spend eight hours alone in a car with than Dipper. But apparently she had dozed off about two hours from their destination. It was getting hazy quickly, but she could still remember her dream. It started simply enough with her and Dipper sitting in the living room, cuddled up together, watching some movie. She couldn't remember which movie, but that wasn't important. What she did remember was how she felt.

It was warm in his arms. She felt safe and loved. She felt like no harm would ever come to her so long as his arms were around her. She smiled and snuggled closer to her source of warmth, burying her head into his chest. A deep, rumbling chuckle sounded through his chest and she hummed in contentment.

"Hey Mabs?" He spoke up.

"Hm?" She responded, curled up in his lap.

This was way more comfortable than her own bed. Why didn't she just sleep here?

"I want to talk to you about something." He said.

He sounded serious. She looked up at him with her big, brown eyes. He stared back at her with such intensity that she almost gasped.

"What is it?" She asked quietly.

There was something…different. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she could feel it in the air. A tension- No. A spark. Almost electric. A tingling sensation you get in the pit of your stomach when you're standing on the edge of a cliff. The fear of falling and yet the assurance that the one you trust most is right behind you, their arms wrapped around you, as if to say 'I will never let you fall'. They stared at each other for the longest moment that Mabel almost forgot she was waiting for an answer. Finally, he spoke.

"I wanted to talk about us." He said.

She tilted her head curiously.

"What about us?" She asked.

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes darting this way and that as he contemplated his next words.

"Can you ever see us being apart?" He asked.

Her gut instinct was to say yes. They would have to separate at some point. But that's not what she said. She thought about it for a long moment before realizing that, no, she couldn't imagine them ever being apart. So she shook her head.

"No." She answered simply and firmly.

He smiled a brilliant smile. One that made her heart race and her stomach flutter. She smiled back.

"Good." He replied just as simply. "Then I have one more question for you."

She nodded in anticipation.

"Do you love me?"

She almost laughed at the question. She was just about to answer when he held up his hand to stop her. She looked at him in confusion for a moment before she saw the conviction in his eyes.

"Do you love me?" He asked again.

It took her only a second to realize what he was really asking. She felt a faint blush rise to her cheeks and she hesitated ever so slightly. But the truth soon burst forth from her, like water bursting through a dam.

"Yes." She answered, more calmly than she anticipated.

He smiled. That infectious, heart-melting smile.

"Good." He said.

It was crazy how he could make her feel this way with one word. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and she almost moaned at his touch. Her breath quickened as he leaned towards her, eyes closed…

"Mabel?"

His voice brought her out of her reverie. She blinked for a moment, realizing she had been staring out the window for the past minute with a goofy grin on her face. She turned to the owner of the voice, managing not to blush in his presence.

"What's up, Dip-Dip?" She asked as casually as she could.

He raised an eyebrow. She hadn't called him that for at least two years. He shrugged after a moment, deciding he would ask later if it was important.

"I was just asking if you wanted to go to bed." He said.

Now, in any other circumstance, Mabel would know exactly what he meant. But given what she had just dreamed and day dreamed about, she could only blush and stutter.

"G-go t-to b-bed?" She managed to say.

Now Dipper was concerned. She was starting to look a little red. Was she getting sick? He reached forward and placed the back of his hand against her forehead, something that didn't help her flushed features in the least.

"Are you okay? You look a little red." He said, obviously concerned. "Maybe a good night's sleep would do you some good."

It was in that moment she realized her mistake. She let out a huge sigh of…disappointment? Or was it relief? Either way. Mabel was much more composed now. Well, more than before at least.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sleep sounds good." She said, only stuttering a little.

She cringed in her mind at how lame the excuse sounded. She had just taken a two hour nap! There was no way he would buy that…

"Okay…if you're sure." He responded, pulling his hand away.

His concerned glance warmed her heart and she gave him a reassuring grin.

"Really, Dipper, I'm fine." She assured him.

It only took him a moment to smile back.

"Good." He said simply and then he stepped out of the car.

And just like that, Mabel's blushing storm started all over again.