Chapter Two: Back To The Bunker

Soos and Wendy had almost forgotten about the bunker, although Dipper certainly remembered it and wasn't surprised when Ford shooed everyone in. He thought it was odd that Dipper insisted on bringing a pig and a goat with them, but it had not been the time for questions.

Things had calmed down in the hour since they took cover from Cipher's chaos, at least for them. They were eating around a contained fire; one of Fords earlier experiments. Ford looked around at the group before him. He never thought he'd have to share his bunker with a bunch of strangers. A pair of teenagers – one of which he vaguely recognized as the cashier in Stan's little Mystery Shack – that odd gopher-like handyman, again from the Mystery Shack, and a young blond girl seeming to be Dipper and Mabel's age.

Soos sat on his left side, eating his can of food rather loudly. Beside him was the redhead who, though clearly troubled, occasionally tossed bits and pieces of her dinner out for the pig to catch. The sulky teenager sat beside her, seeming uninterested in the whole thing and keeping his eyes on his food. Stan sat across from him, occasionally shooting irritated glances his way. It had surprised Ford that Dipper had chosen to sit beside Stan rather than him. His dinner went untouched as he stared blankly into the flames. The blond girl was sitting a bit closer to him than most, giving him sympathetic looks every once in a while. Between her and Ford, McGucket sat, having shoved down his meal and was now trying to keep the can away from that persistent goat.

After a while of struggling, the goat noticed Dipper's full can and took to it instead. The boy didn't care. Stan narrowed his eyes at Ford. Dipper had explained everything to Stan on the way down here, and it was plain to see he was livid.

"Something to say, Stanley?" Ford asked, figuring that they might as well get his nonsense out of the way now. Let him vent.

"Yeah, but not here." Stan said. He and Ford set down their cans, stood up and walked to a point away from the group in perfect unison. Stan rounded on Ford and spat his words. "More secrets, more lies! Is that all you know how to do anymore?"

"Hey, the kids –" Ford said, but Stan cut him off.

"And I told you to keep them out of your stuff. Instead I hear about you treating Mabel like she doesn't matter and trying to turn Dipper into another you!" Stan said, just remembering to keep his voice down. "Now look what's happened! Who knows what's happening to Mabel now? And look at Dipper! The kid hasn't said a word in twenty minutes, he thinks it's his fault Mabel's gone! And what's this I hear about you trying to split them up?"

"Dipper's a smart boy, Stan, and Mabel..." Ford trailed off, looking for the right phrase. She wasn't not smart, but... "She was holding him back."

"Holding me back?"

Had Dipper's stunned voice not already spoken it, Stan might have screamed it in outrage. He was standing there behind them, looking at them with the slightest scowl. What really hit Stan hard was the look on the kid's face. Stan had only seen that look from Dipper once; when the two were fighting over the portal. There was this look of broken faith in his eyes, of crushing betrayal.

"Dipper –" Ford started.

"No!" he shouted, tears in his eyes much to Stan's surprise. Dipper might have been a wimp when he and his sister first showed up in Gravity Falls, but Stan had never seen him cry before. "Forget the apprenticeship. When I get Mabel back, we're going home where we belong."

Stan followed Dipper when the boy started back to the group, leaving Ford alone with his thoughts. Dipper sat a foot or so past the rest of the group, moping. He couldn't believe Ford. He thought he was a cool guy, but the words he used for Mabel...Suffocating? Stiffing? Holding him back? Sure, Mabel got in his way and could be annoying sometimes, but she was none of those. If that's what Ford really thought a twin was, his relationship was Stan couldn't have been too good from the start – not like them. They weren't their Gruncles, and she had to know that. He'd have to bring this up to her when they got her back.

Dipper was pulled from his thoughts by an oink that sounded strangely like his name. Waddles was nudging his elbow, trying to get Dipper to pet him. Dipper smiled as he relented and the pig leaned into him when he found a particularly itchy spot behind his ear. "Don't worry, boy. We'll get her back."

From the huddle, Wendy watched them. She'd been feeling protective of Dipper since Mabel's disappearance, and she smirked at the display. "Looks like Dipper found a friend."

"Ya think Waddles even notices Hambone's not here?" Soos asks.

"Who's Waddles?" Pacifica asked.

"The pig." Wendy said. When Pacifica gave her a confused look, she went on. "He's Mabel's, she named him."

"Somehow, that makes perfect sense." the younger girl smirked. Wendy shrugged.

Ford would have been able to think clearly, were it not for this troublesome goat, who kept bleating at him, as if it was trying to...say something. It connected in his head like wires as he remembered one of his first successful inventions; inter-species translators.

Ford went over to an in-wall cabinet and pulled out two of several odd mettle things that looked like iron headbands, with an additional strip going down the middle and a dim red light on each forehead. Ford was still working on translators for wild animals, but luckily goats and pigs were domesticated, so they should work fine.

After some struggling, Ford managed to fit the thing on the goat's head. After a second, the light flickered on and off – in perfect sync with syllables.

"Get this thing off me. What is it?" This new voice caught the attention of everyone in the room – aside from Dipper who was still depressed and Waddles who was so content with the scratching he was nearly asleep.

"An inter-species translator. It –" Anything Ford was planning to say was lost as Gompers reared in alarm and let out a loud bleat, getting Dipper and Waddles' attention.

"You're talking! And I understand – did you just answer me?" Gompers asked.

"Calm down, goat." Ford sighed and held up the second translator. "I was trying to tell you to keep quiet so I could think. We just need to put this on the pig and we're good to go."

"Sure thing." Wendy said, and gave a loud whistle. "Waddles, com'ere boy!" The pig's ears perked up and he ran up to Wendy, who picked him up and held him as Ford fitted the device onto him. Like Gompers, a light worked in sync with his words.

"What's this thing?"

Dipper yelped. He hadn't heard Gompers before, so this was the first encounter he had with the machine's effects. "He talked!"

In a rather amusing moment, Waddles matched Dipper's yelp with a squeal. "D-Dipper, you can talk!"

"Exactly." Ford said as the others all gathered around for this oddity. "The translators will allow you two to converse with and understand humans. Who knows? You might turn out to be useful."

Hearing his tone, Dipper was quickly back on the offensive and walked back to his spot. Waddles looked at Stan, and pawed at his pants. "Stan, where's Mabel? She didn't come with us to this place, and I haven't seen her for hours."

"Mabel's missing, pig." Stan said. "She got upset and ran off."

"What?" Waddles squealed loudly, and began to race around the bunker madly. If not for the translator, he would have been no different from any other panicking pig. "Mabel, no this can't be! Where'd you go? Oh Mabel come back! Oh my best friend!"

"Pig, calm down!" Stan said, managing to catch him in his tracks. "We're getting her back."

"R-really?" Waddles asked.

"Yeah. I told you earlier; we'll bring Mabel home." Dipper said, a look of determination.

"Aw, thanks, Dipper. I knew I could count on you." Waddles snorted happily.

"Who exactly is this 'Mabel?" Gompers asked.

"She's my human, and this boy's her littermate, Dipper." Waddles said. "She wears all those different winter skins."

"Oh, the girl who calls me Gompers." the goat blinked in realization. "I like that girl, and her brother."

"You're name's not Gompers?" Dipper asked. "So...What is it?"

"I..." the goat paused. "I...don't remember. But I know something happened to me, and it had something to do with that thing outside. That...Cipher."

"Bill." Dipper muttered. Had he not had such an exhausting day, he would have been more alert. He yawned against his will.

"Rest, kid." Gompers said, laying down behind Dipper. "You look like you've had a long day." Dipper nodded, and rested his head against the goat's torso. It wasn't as comfortable as a pillow, but it was something, and he was too tiered to move.

Dipper closed his eyes. Before he drifted off, he heard shuffling, quiet arguing about sleeping arrangements and footsteps headed towards him. Whoever it was, they covered him with a blanket, but he was too tiered to so much as hum a thanks. He had a restless dream about Mabel, asking where he was. Asking why he hadn't come to get her yet.

I'm keeping the first chapter, which was written before Dipper and Mabel vs. the Future, so that probably won't fit with the rest of the story. Also, before I was pretty indifferent to Ford, but the last episode commented it; Ford's a jerk. Not sayin I hate the guy, but his treatment if Mabel? Not cool, bro. Review.