~0~0~0~

"Ah yes, here we are. The last will and testament of Stanford Pines."

Dipper shivered in the cold, dull office. A man with scruffy-looking stubble wearing a smooth black suit crossed the room to pull up a chair opposite to him. Face straight, he gently placed a folder down between them. It looked old and worn, and was beginning to yellow around the edges.

Dipper felt a warm, soft hand cover his own, and looked up to meet his sister's glance. Her eyes were glassy, yet a small, watery smile tugged at the corner of her lips. It was obvious she was trying to hold it together for him. A lump quickly formed in his throat, but Dipper made a great effort to stay just as strong as Mabel was for him.

"Excuse me, Mr. Pines?" The man spoke, tearing Dipper's gaze away from his sister's. "I know this is hard, but there are matters to discuss."

Mabel cleared her throat and gave her brother's hand a quick squeeze. "We know. Please continue."

The man opened the folder and rifled through the papers a bit, before finally pulling a single sheet out. Dipper watched the man's dark eyes as they scanned over the page, and after a moment, they stopped. He made no sounds nor movement for a few more seconds, and Dipper shifted in his seat.

He always was uncomfortable in the presence of lawyers.

"I…I'm sorry, Mister…"

The other finally looked up from the paper. "Denver."

"Mr. Denver," Dipper continued. "What kind of matters are we talking about here?"

"Well. There's the finances, insurance, estate-"

Mabel brightened just a little. "Oh right! I almost forgot about that one. When can we sign for the Mystery Shack?"

"Yes, about that…" Denver started, scratching at the back of his neck. "There was a small…issue regarding the estate."

Dipper furrowed his eyebrows at that, and Mabel frowned.

"Wait- issue?" She wondered, squeezing her brother's hand just a little tighter.

Dipper responded with a small, reassuring smile, before turning back to the man sitting across from him. "What issue? Surely it shouldn't be too hard to collect and sign all the paperwork."

"Well, that's the problem," Denver said, adjusting himself a little and settling back into the chair. It seemed he was just as uncomfortable as the twins at having to give them this kind of news. He sighed and folded his hands together on the table. "You won't be signing any paperwork because the estate was not left to you."

Dipper gasped, nearly choking on the sharp intake of air. "What?"

"What do you mean it wasn't left to us?" Mabel squeaked. She leaned forward a little to get a look at the paper the lawyer was holding, as if she didn't believe him. Noticing this, he frowned and passed it over for her to scan with her own eyes. Mabel did just that, and her heart began to sink when she realized he was telling the truth. "But…if not us, then who?"

"Actually, no one." Denver leaned forward to point to a section on the paper that was only blank space. "Wishes of Mr. Pines' property are intestate."

"In- intestate?" Mabel repeated hesitantly, rolling the strange word around on her tongue.

"Let me see that," Dipper barked softly, and carefully pried the slip of paper out of his sister's fingers. After looking it over for a few moments, he lifted his head with eyebrows furrowed and lips pressed into a thin line. "This doesn't make sense. Stan wouldn't just leave the Mystery Shack without a beneficiary."

Denver hummed thoughtfully. "No other documents included in his will say anything about estate. This is it."

Mabel worried her bottom lip with perfectly straight teeth, a result of having to wear braces throughout her pre-teen years. "So…what's going to happen then?"

"Well, usually children or a spouse would inherit the property, but Mr. Pines had neither."

"We're the closest thing to immediate family he has," Mabel said.

"Shouldn't that mean we get the land?" Dipper added.

"Not necessarily. Legally, the government has control of the property and its investments now." Denver glanced between the twins before his eyes darted to the sheet that Dipper was placing back on the table. He avoided both pairs of eyes, leaving the twins to wonder just what had him so uncomfortable all of a sudden. "Which also means they have the right to sell it."

Mabel froze, eyes wide in disbelief and worry. "What…what are you saying?"

Denver released a tense sigh, which for some unknown reason really grated on Dipper's nerves. If he had to hear one more piece of bad news or look at his sister's heartbroken expression again, he was going to punch something.

"A few days ago, a young gentleman showed interest in the property." Denver paused, waiting for the worst kind of reactions from the two. "He offered quite the amount for it."

That was it.

Dipper's heart plummeted into his stomach, and he jumped up from his seat so fast that it nearly toppled over behind him. "What?"

"That can't be allowed!" Mabel argued, looking for any sort of logic to bring to her side.

"I'm afraid it is. And unless you can top his offer by next week, the land belongs to him."

"Next week?" Dipper repeated, voice steadily rising the more upset he got. He could already feel a massive headache coming on, and the rain wasn't helping much either.

Mabel crossed her arms with a frown that was more like a pout pulling on her lips. She was willing to rise up to the challenge. "What was the amount of the offer?"

Denver hummed, and then rose from the table as well. Dipper remained standing until the lawyer came back with a small slip of paper and handed it to him. He looked at it as they both sat down, and he realized the only thing written on it was one very neatly printed, very large number.

Mabel watched her brother's face grow pale, and the longer he stared at the little piece of paper, the harder it was to bury her curiosity. After a few moments she couldn't take it anymore and leaned over to look over Dipper's shoulder. When she read the number, her complexion went just as white.

"You're kidding…right?"

Denver frowned and straightened his tie. "Ms. Pines, I take my job very seriously. I rarely ever kid."

"Hmph. That explains why lawyers are so grumpy," Mabel huffed under her breath. Luckily, the man didn't seem to hear it. Either that, or he simply chose to pretend he didn't.

Dipper, on the other hand, shot her a light look while Denver's eyes were elsewhere. He managed to regain the other's attention by clearing his throat. "So, this man…did he say why he wanted the property so much?"

"I can't disclose that inform-"

"It's our uncle's shack!" Mabel cut in, silencing the rest of Denver's excuse. "At the very least we have the right to know what's going to happen to it."

For a moment Denver looked like he was going to groan in annoyance, but he kept up his professional appearance. Thinning his lips into a straight line, he answered in a flat tone. "He wanted to use it for some kind of research base. And…he did say something about renovations."

Mabel's eyes went wide as saucers.

No.

"Oh my god," Dipper breathed, slumping back into his chair. He rubbed his forehead, which was now pounding mercilessly.

"He's going to destroy the shack!" The older of the twins wailed. "The only thing we have left of Grunkle Stan… And it's not like either of us, even put together, have the money to top that amount."

"Mabel, calm down," Dipper pleaded softly, and lightly tugged on his sister's arm. "It's okay. We'll just get this guy's information so we can find him and tell him to-"

"I'm not permitted to disclose any of his personal information, either."

"Oh, come on!"

Dipper cleared his throat. "Look, Mister…"

Remember the name. Remember the name. Damnit, Dipper!

"Denver."

Dipper mentally face palmed. "Right, right. Denver, sorry. Uh, Mr. Denver…this building means everything to us. We spent some of the best summers of our life there."

The lawyer's facial expression didn't waver, and if anything, he almost looked a bit skeptical. Dipper decided to amp it up a notch.

"Not to mention it's pretty much the last thing we have to remember our uncle by. We lost him, and if we lose the shack too, we'll both be devastated. I mean, more so than we already are."

"Mr. Pines, I would love to help you," Denver said, and for a moment, the twins felt a tiny bubble of hope rise to the surface. "But I can't."

Their hope deflated like a balloon.

"I can't legally give you this man's information. I'm sorry." Denver checked his watch before gathering up the papers on the table and placing them neatly into the folder. "I have another appointment, please excuse me."

Dipper and Mabel watched with quickly sinking hearts as their only chance of saving the Mystery Shack walked right out the door without so much as a backwards glance.

~0~0~0~

Mabel watched the windshield wipers go back and forth. Back and forth. Momentarily wiping away the heavy droplets that landed there before more came splattering down.

Her thoughts were blurred and distant like the lights of the town as they passed by, and Mabel found herself partially mesmerized. There was a certain chill in her spine however that wouldn't go away, lingering ever since their meeting with that lawyer and causing goosebumps to rise on her arms for the umpteenth time.

Mabel considered asking Dipper to turn the heat up in the car, but as she glanced over at him, his hard face made her think twice. It wasn't that she was scared of her twin, not in a million years. But even at this age they'd never had to deal with something this severe by themselves, and coupled with the pain of losing their uncle, was quite the baggage to carry.

Worries began to swim around in her head, nagging and pulling at her, but she forced them back. She wouldn't let herself be dragged into the darkness, wouldn't let the sadness and despair take control. Besides, she had to stay strong for Dipper. He acted as if he wasn't torn apart inside, but Mabel knew different. She knew he was just as devastated as she was, but each had their own ways of dealing with the loss.

Mabel could see what was starting to develop, and she wouldn't stand for it. She wouldn't let herself be shut out.

"Hey, Dipping Sauce," she tried, shooting him a watery smile even though his eyes were trained on the road. "You're awfully quiet. What's on your mind?"

He didn't respond right away, which was to be expected. Though after a small exhale, he finally turned his head for just a moment and met her gaze. "Everything? Nothing. I don't know."

To anyone else it would have been a confusing answer, but after being inseparable for 23 years, Mabel spoke fluent Twin.

"I know exactly how you feel," she replied, subconsciously pulling her sweater sleeves over her hands and bunching up the fabric for comfort. "All this lawyer stuff is starting to get really stressful. I wish Grunkle Stan were here. He'd know the perfect con that could get us out of it." She forced a small giggle, but her mild attempt at humor did nothing to lighten the mood.

Dipper's eyebrows sank a little. "If Stan were here, we wouldn't be having to deal with them in the first place."

"That's true…" Mabel trailed off thoughtfully. She turned her head to stare out the window and watch the droplets run down the glass. She needed a distraction.

Spotting two drops beside each other, Mabel waited and watched to see which would reach the bottom of the window first. The little racing game continued for a whole series of rain drop pairs, and for a moment she was actually able to forget how heavy the weight of their situation really was.

Dipper on the other hand was still trying to swallow that painful lump in his throat, the one that made his eyes itch and face feel hot. The more he tried to focus on the road, the more unwelcome thoughts floated through the barriers of his mind. As much as Dipper was mourning the loss of his uncle, there were so many things about the entire situation that just didn't sit right with him.

It was so un-Stan-like to just leave without telling the twins at the very least, to forget all his responsibility and leave it and everyone behind, to dump every repercussion and consequence of his past actions onto those that loved him the most. It wasn't fair to them, and though he tried hard to conceal it, Dipper was angry. He was angry at Stan for all this, leaving them to deal with lawyers and insurance companies and now this business about the shack…

It was just too much.

How was he supposed to have any room to mourn? How was he supposed to feel sad about the loss if whenever he thought about Stan he started steaming? How could their uncle, the one they spent so many amazing summers with, up and leave them without even a notice? A goodbye?

Dipper forced himself to breathe and un-clench his teeth. He didn't want Mabel to feel any worse than she already did. He knew she was trying to do her best to be strong and support both of them, but he also knew that to balance it out he had to offer some support as well.

Turning his head to look at her briefly, he noticed she was watching the raindrops like she always used to do when they were younger. Well, in their teens anyways, which was about the point in their lives when their parents started fighting. Dipper hadn't seen his sister use the raindrop game in a long time, and to his surprise it brought a sting of pain to his heart.

He just wanted to protect her. From everything and everyone. He hated seeing her hurt, knowing there was nothing he could do about it. But then, sitting there in the cold silence wasn't doing any good for either of them.

Dipper reached forward and clicked on the radio, turning the knob to search for a good station. This drew Mabel's attention away from the window and pulled a little smile from her when an old Several Timez song began to play.

"Dipper…" She said, smile quickly faltering as soon as it had appeared. "What do you think that guy is gonna do with the shack?"

The question took him a little by surprise, and Dipper found he could only give a completely honest answer.

"I don't know." His voice wavered a bit, revealing the depth of his uncertainty. "But that's only if he gets it."

"Where will we stay if he does get it?" Mabel worried. "There isn't a single motel in town. We'll have to move back to Piedmont and get jobs and a smelly old apar-"

"He's not going to get it, Mabel." Dipper argued, abruptly cutting her off. He tried to relax his fingers, which were now gripping the steering wheel tightly.

Mabel frowned and folded her hands in her lap. She stared down his profile, and he made no move to look at her. "Okay, but what if he does?"

"He won't," Dipper repeated, voice raised just a little. His sister huffed in response and he could see her turn away out of the corner of his eye. Dipper sighed and ran a hand through his hair, making sure to keep the other one firmly on the wheel. Raising voices and arguing wasn't going to get them anywhere, and they both knew it. "I'm sorry, Mabes. I didn't mean to snap. It's just…I'm so frustrated. And scared. And…ugh, just plain exhausted."

"…Maybe you need a break."

Dipper managed a huff of a chuckle at that. "Maybe we both do."

Glancing out her window again, Mabel spotted a familiar building coming up on the right. They'd never been inside as kids, so naturally the curiosity was already welling up inside her. She turned back to her brother, some of the light having returned to her face. "Well then, what do you say we make these tomorrow's problems?"

Cocking an eyebrow, Dipper shot his sister a look that suggested she elaborate more on that. Then, following her eyes, he realized what exactly she was implying and where they ought to go. Granted, places like these were never a favorite of Dipper's, but he knew it would lift Mabel's spirits a little and let her have some fun for just a little while.

"Sounds good to me," Dipper decided, clicking on the turn signal right at the last second. As they pulled into the parking lot, the twins stared up at the place that had mocked them most of their teenage summers spent in Gravity Falls.

They parked, and Mabel very nearly hopped out of the car, a hint of her usual charisma returning. "C'mon Dip, let's go get us some drinks!"

Dipper shut the car door and pulled his jacket further over himself as he followed his eager sister into the bar.

~0~0~0~

Hope you all liked the first chapter! Stay tuned for more coming up soon. Thanks so much for reading!