Chapter 2

Xis ytnewt Z eno A

Dipper sighed.

"Hello Pacifica, long time no see." He said tiredly. Pacifica sputtered.

"That's it!? I haven't seen you in almost twenty years and you say 'long time no see'!?" she shouted angrily. Dipper slowly climbed to his feet, using the tombstone as a crutch. He looked at her for a few moments before he shrugged.

"Well what do you want me to say?" he asked.

"Something more substantial than 'long time no see'!" Pacifica yelled angrily.

"Hey!" a rough voice called. A man in a black suit was walking towards them. "I don't mind if teenagers come and quietly loiter around but keep it down! You'll wake the dead!"

"Go away Valentino!" Pacifica shouted angrily.

"Yeah Robbie, stay out of this!" Dipper shouted angrily. The man blinked.

"Whoa… Dipper is that you?" Robbie asked in shock. Dipper growled before he pulled Pacifica by the out of the cemetery and back towards the mystery shack.

"This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. All these people swarming me will hinder my investigation." Dipper complained as he clamored ahead of Pacifica through the brush. Pacifica stopped and scoffed.

"Well maybe they wouldn't have to swarm you if you hadn't just disappeared one day!" Dipper paused and glanced back.

"I didn't disappear, I left…"

"In the middle of Stanley's funeral…" Pacifica murmured quietly. Dipped froze before he began stomping forwards leaving Pacifica behind. The blond groaned skyward.

"Ugh! Men!" she huffed before he hurried after him.

"Dude, this is just insane! God I haven't seen you in almost twenty years… you sound juts like-" Soos began with a wide awed expression. Dipper grumbled.

"Yes, I know who I sound like." Dipper said quietly. With that an awkward silence settled over Dipper, Pacifica and Soos. After a few seconds Soos chuckled.

"On the plus side at least we can't pick on you because of your voice anymore." Soos tried weakly. Dipper just stood and straightened his trench coat.

"Well… in a way my cover being blown is a good thing. I had no idea where I was going to sleep tonight. Do you mind if I take the attic room?" Dipper asked. Soos shook his head rapidly.

"No dude! That room is yours and Mabel's. I'd never touch it!" Soos said adamantly. Dipper stood abruptly and made his way up to the attic room. Pacifica and Soos watched him disappear and heard the sound of his boots thumping up the stairs. "Aw geez… it doesn't matter what I say I guess…" Pacifica shook her head.

"No… it's just family… don't mention Mabel, or the Stan twins… or his parents probably…" Pacifica and Soos where silent as the contemplated all that had changed in the last twenty years. "God what happened to them?"

"What do you mean?" Soos asked. Pacifica sighed.

"Dipper and Mabel used to be the closest siblings in gravity falls… probably in Oregon State… what happened… that day at Stan's funeral… what changed?" Pacifica asked no one in particular. Soos sighed.

"After Ford died Mr. Pines and Dipper were really close. In high school Mabel was poplar and excitable and she had lots of friends… but Dipper just didn't fit in… so I guess they drifted apart then… but when Mr. Pines died… I think Dipper felt that Mr. Pines was the only one who understood… no one but Mabel knows what happened that day. She was the last one to see him before he disappeared and she's never spoken about it since… she hasn't visited in a few years but she still send cards on birthdays and around Christmas, but Dipper… well I'm sure you heard the rumors that some people thought he was dead." Soos said thoughtfully. Pacifica nodded.

"Yeah, who hadn't heard those rumors… but he's back now… even if its jus for a case he's back in Gravity Falls…" Pacifica said hopefully. Soos smiled.

"Yeah, here's hoping being back will liven the dude up!" Soos said happily. Pacifica looked out to the golden trees as the sun began to set.

"I better go, it's almost dark. I'll be here tomorrow, tell Dipper to wait for me if he wakes up before I get here." Pacifica said as she stepped out of the shack.

"Will do Ms. Northwest!" Soos cried after her before he closed the shop.

Pacifica made her way up the steps of the mystery shack with a yawn after her walk through the foggy forest. As she pushed open the door to the kitchen where Dipper was reading more of the letters they had found in McGucket manor. Pacifica cleared her throat. Dipper merely nodded before going back to the letters.

"So, what's in the letters?" Pacifica asked.

"That's what has me puzzled. These ones here, that use a number substitution key, are easy enough to decipher as love letters but then the code changed. The cipher is new to me… but I think I know what it is. I'll need to get to the library sometime today to cement my findings." Dipper said before tucking the letters back into his journal and tucking that back into his coat. Pacifica sighed. She really wanted to discuss something other than the case. But Dipper was being exceptionally brisk.

"Can we at least stop for coffee first, I don't know about you but I don't usually get up till ten… it's eight in the morning… on a Saturday." Pacifica complained. Dipper just rolled his eyes.

"Fine, let's go to the diner… even though Wendy works there now… by the way how long has she worked there? And since when was Grenda a cop? Last I heard she was still dating that Hungarian prince." Dipper said as he stepped out of the shack with Pacifica. She laughed.

"Grenda broke up with him years ago. Said he was too much of a lightweight for her. Wendy got a job with Susan just after high school. Susan gave her the place when she retired." Pacifica said watching as Dipper unchained his bike. "Can I ask how long you've had that bike?"

"Beautiful isn't she. I built her myself. I bought all the parts working odd jobs. She can go from 0 to 120 in about eight seconds." Dipper said climbing onto the bike with a smile before he put his goggles in place. "Never felt right not wearing a helmet but I have a feeling it's buried under six feet of dirt by now and I don't know about you but I don't want grave robbing on my rep sheet." Pacifica laughed before climbing on behind him. With a roar the pair whipped down the road until they screeched to a halt at the diner.

"Your wheel is squeaky…" Pacifica commented.

"I know, I forgot to oil her up before I left." Dipper said with a wince and sigh. Dipper chained his bike up before the pair walked into the bar and sat at one of the booths. A tall girl with long black hair walked up to them.

"What d'ya want?" she asked with a snap of her gum.

"Good service." Pacifica muttered under her breath. The teen sneered at them.

"Two coffees." She said before she walked away. Dipper looked after her.

"Who is that?"

"Rosetta Valentino, Robbie's daughter." Pacifica said as she leaned back into the booth. Dipper leaned back to. Suddenly a fist whipped out of nowhere and punched him in the arm.

"Ow! What the-" above him was Wendy Corduroy.

"That's for not saying hi before jerk!" she said with her hands on her hips. But she was smiling wide. "Where you been man? I haven't seen you in forever!" Pacifica scooted over so that Wendy could sit down across from him.

"I've been busy…" Dipper insisted awkwardly. Wendy frowned.

"To busy to send a postcard? We were really worried about you man…" Wendy said quietly. Dipper just checked his watch.

"The library is opening soon; we should get going, come on Pacifica." Wendy glared.

"Hey! You can't just walk away; it was like you were trying to forget us." Wendy shouted. But she paled when Dipper stared at her. He was looking at her with a harsh cold frown.

"Let go of my arm please Wendy." Dipper said with a slight growl. Pacifica and Wendy stared at him until Wendy let go and Pacifica stood to follow him as he swept out of the diner. He went straight to his bike, ignoring the many townsfolk that waved at him happily.

"Coming here was a mistake." Dipper muttered darkly. Pacifica just looked down at him with heartbreak.

"Were you?" she asked quietly.

"Was I what?" Dipper snapped angrily. Pacifica stared at him with tears in her eyes.

"Were you trying to forget us?" she asked quietly. Dipper clenched his fists before he turned around, anger burning in his eyes.

"Yes! All right! I was! I never wanted anything to do with anything in this town ever again! Is that such an awful thing? This town gave me nothing but misery. I washed my hands of it." Dipper shouted angrily. Pacifica just stood there in shock.

"But what about your summer…" Pacifica started weakly.

"The summer is over." Dipper said viscously making Pacifica whimper slightly. She said nothing as Dipper unchained his bike. Suddenly the quiet of the town was broken through by the squeal of tires. Dipper and Pacifica looked as quite suddenly a pink limousine came barreling down the streets. It squealed to a halt in front of the pair, who noticed that the limo had kitten decals on it. The driver rushed out of the car to open the door but the door burst open, knocking him to the ground with an audible 'oof'. Out of the car stepped a somewhat tall woman with brown hair caught in a high ponytail, ears dripping with sapphires, and a red sweater that read in thick black letters 'I AM AN ANGRY WOMAN! GET OUT OF MY WAY!' she was breathing heavily with a viscous snarl of her face.

"DIPPER PINES!" she screamed "WE NEED TO TALK!" she stomped right up to him and stood for a few seconds before her face broke into a wide smile. "But first we hug." With that she encompassed a shocked Dipper in both arms and squeezed a bit. Then she lifted up one arm. "Pat. Pat." she said a bit like a robot before she stepped back. Dipper was staring at her in shock until finally his brain was functioning again and he could speak.

"Mabel?"

She smacked him across the face.

15-8, 13-1-2-5-12; 14-5-22-5-18, 3-8-1-14-7-5;