Chapter 1 – The First Day

The next morning, Dipper sat on the windowsill ledge of the Mystery Shack's Gift Shop as the sun rose past the Oregonian horizon. His twin sister Mabel busied around the various shelves alongside the Shack's loyal handyman, Soos. The owner of the dilapidated tourist trap, "Grunkle" Stan Pines, was busy going over the books for his beloved business at the counter. He looked up to see his nephew staring into the distance of the vast forest that surrounded their home.

"Hey, kid!" he beckoned, "What's your deal? You gotta a hot date or something?" The old man cruelly chuckled under his breath, prompting the metal-mouthed girl on the other side of the room to join in on the light-hearted fun.

"Heh-heh! Dipper on a hot date!" she scoffed.

The boy turned back around, awaiting the arrival of his so-what unofficial girlfriend; at least that he would like to be able to call her. It had been later the night before when Wendy had been discharged from the hospital. The doctor had suggested that she stay overnight, but the anxious redhead wouldn't hear of it. Tired of being cooped up in the small room (and sickened by the hospital food that Dipper had brought her), Wendy insisted that her family pick her up as soon as humanly possible.

Before they parted ways, Wendy asked Dipper if he wouldn't mind keeping her company while running a few errands in town the next morning. He happily agreed, yet asked it was wise to be up and about after everything that had just happened. A smile spread across her freckled face as Wendy gave the worried pre-teen a calming kiss on the cheek alongside a gentle punch on his shoulder for equal measure.

"Dork…"

By the time Dipper came back home, everyone was already asleep, being him alone in his joyous news. A shade of doubt had entered his mind: his family didn't believe him when he spotted ghosts, goblins, and other oddities out in the strange town, so why would they believe him over this? He decided to wait for the best way to explain to them what had happened, rather than to rush in bragging all the way.

Dipper let out a relieved sigh as he saw Wendy pull up on her red bicycle. She removed her helmet and parked her ride against the side of the cabin. Aside from a few bandages placed here and there, the limber ginger seemed to be in fit condition. As Wendy was about to open the side door to the Gift Shop, Dipper immediately turned around, making it seem as if he wasn't waiting in nervous anticipation.

The tiny bell stationed above the gift shop door rang as Wendy walked into the Shack, "Hey, everybody!"

"WENDY!" Mabel and Soos exclaimed, the former rushing to her front and embracing her in a bear hug, making the still-sore teenager groan slightly. Stan looked up from his activities to pay a slight acknowledgement before returning his attention to the task at hand.

Mabel stepped back as Wendy turned her sights to Dipper at her left side, "Hey, you…" she blissfully greeted,

"Hi, there!" he feigned his over-protectiveness. "Wow! I didn't know you were already here…"

Wendy crossed her arms and gave Dipper a condescending look, "Dude, you do know I could see you in the window, right?"

"Err…How you feeling?"

She rotated her overly tense shoulders as she replied sarcastically, "Like I was in a car accident…" Dipper let out a nervous chuckle, being left unsure how exactly to react to her joke. Seeing his confusion, Wendy calmed his worries with a swift kiss on his birth-marked forehead, "Relax, short stuff. I was just kidding…"

"Ha…I knew that!"

"I'm sure you did…" Wendy reached out and offered her hand, "Ready to go?"

With a hint of hesitation, that bit by bit, fantasy was finally becoming reality, Dipper carefully placed his hand into hers, "Yeah…Yeah, I am…"

Hand in hand, the adolescents turned around, only to see that all eyes in the room were focused on them. Mabel and Soos gave off an excited beam, as they looked back and forth at each other with fangirlish glee, quietly squealing elatedly. Even Stan had noticed the change between the two, as a tiny grin started to form, "The kid actually pulled it off…I can't believe it…"

The feeling stemming from being gawked at started to rub Wendy the wrong way. "What?!" she asked, "What are you guys looking at?"

After being chastised, the three returned to normal, pretending if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Grunkle Stan honored her request, shuffling his papers, and adjusting his glasses upon his head, "Well, then. Glad to see you're alright, but I hate to break it to you, little missy, but you're not going anywhere! You have a shift today, so get to it, pronto!"

Wendy reached into her flannel shirt, "'Fraid not, Mr. Pines!" She pulled out a thin, folded piece of paper and handed it to her employer. "The doctor gave me a note that excuses me from any "strenuous work" for the next day or two…" She flashed a smirk to Dipper, who returned the gesture, "So, it looks like I get the day off!"

"WHAT?!" Stan opened the letter, and held it up to his face for closer inspection, "Let's see here…yadda, yadda, "well-being," blah-blah, "minimum stress…"" He raised his head from the note, and crushed the doctor's orders into a small ball as he mumbled under his breath, "Darn FDA…trying to muscle in on my cheap labor…"

Seeing that she was victorious, Wendy gently on Dipper's arm, dragging him out the door, "Now that's settled, we'll see you guys later!"

"BYE, WENDY! BYE, DIPPER!" Mabel and Soos shouted, waving good-bye. They watched from inside as Dipper climbed on top of the handlebars of Wendy's bike, where he was given an extra helmet had she had brought from home. Safely secured, the two rode off towards town. The split second they disappeared from view, their friends exploded in celebration, "YAY!"

Soos and Mabel danced around in a circle as they continued to rejoice, "THEY DID IT! THEY DID IT! THEY DID IT! GO DIPPER! GO WENDY! GO WIPPER! GO WENDIP! GO –"

"Alright, already!" Stan interrupted. "Jeez, they haven't been gone five minutes, and you two are already making up tasteless, buzz-worthy nicknames!" The elder lowered his head and pinched his nose in annoyance, "Now, get back to work!"

Mabel darted towards the counter, "Not so fast, Grunkle Stan! We still have business to attend to!"

Once again, the old man was forced to put down his work, "Eh?"

The tiny pixie raised her hand to her chin as she started to reminiscence, "I recall making a "gentleman's wager" with you about a certain couple that we all know and love. I believe the deal was if they got together before the end of summer that I would win an undisclosed amount…"

Grunkle Stan pulled at his collar, as the mention of losing money made beads of sweat form on his wrinkled brow, "I…ah…huh…haven't the foggiest idea what you're –"

Not to be deterred, Mabel stuck an open palm outwards, "C'mon, Grunkle Stan! A deal's a deal…"

Knowing that he was beat, the proprietor let out a series of swears under his breath as he dug deep into his pockets, "Dang nephew…costing me a small fortune…trying to find true love…hmph!" He opened his hand and let a pile of crumbled dollar bills into his niece's hand.

"Thank you!" Mabel spun around on her heels, counting her money as she retreated towards the family room. Stan returned to his paperwork, only to have his vision blocked by a humungous shadow. He raised his sights to see Soos standing before him with his hand extended. Stan let out a defeated sigh as he went back into his pockets.

"Sorry, dude," Soos expressed pity for his boss, "But I couldn't miss out on it! It was a pretty sweet bet!"

Upon arriving on Main Street, Dipper hopped off the front of Wendy's bike as she quickly secured it to the nearest sturdy light post with a chain and padlock. The duo removed their headgear and walked in tandem down the street.

"Sorry about this, Dip," Wendy apologized, glancing down at the boy at her side, "I was supposed to do all of my running around yesterday, but you know –"

"Hey," Dipper shooed the concern away, "I don't mind it one bit, as long as I get to hang with –"

Wendy had reached down and clutched his hand tightly within her own, leaving the boy stunned. Dipper looked up in astonishment at the redhead, amazed by the simple act of tenderness. After a few moments of unusual silence, Wendy noticed that he was eerily staring into space.

"Dipper? Dipper? Earth calling Space Cadet Dipper! Come in, Dipper!"

"Huh?!"

"Everything alright down there?"

"Oh…yeah…" His brown eyes shot over to their conjoined hands, "It's…just…um…I wasn't expecting…"

"Oh!" Her eyebrows raised; she had forgotten that some aspects of this part of life were still brand new to him. Wendy lifted their arms upwards, "You're okay with this, right? It's not weirding you out or anything?"

"Weirding me out?!" Dipper forced a few chuckles, "Never! It's just that you surprised me!" He saw her face crunch a bit at his answer, "…a great surprise…"

Wendy returned her sights to the road ahead of them, "Good…"

As they continued on hand-to-hand, Dipper's paranoia suddenly hit an all-time high. Traversing between the various pit-stops, it felt as if the whole world was staring at the unlikely couple. As Wendy checked out her bag-full of groceries (amongst other oddities), he could make the whispers of an elderly couple across the way:

"Look at those young'uns over there," the old man pointed out, "That lass is WAY too big to be consorting with that little shrimp…"

Dipper started to frown, until a shrill voice argued back, "You hush your mouth, Franklin! They look adorable together!" The hunched-over woman at his side gave him a gentle elbow to his ribs, "Besides, when we were in our schoolyard days, I towered over you, and yet we still –"

"Martha, hush!" he pleaded, raising an index finger to his lips, "You promised you'd never mention that in public…" The old-timers walked away as a sense of relief flowed through Dipper. Noticing the more-relaxed change in his demeanor, Wendy beamed down upon her partner in crime as she passed him a bag, reclaiming his hand with her free one.

"Ready to head out?"

Exiting the shop, Dipper and Wendy turned back into the street, where his heart rushed back into his throat. Across the way, the meager Gravity Falls Police Force, made up of Deputy Durland and Sheriff Blubs, were busy ticketing a poor soul for parking their vehicle too close to a fire hydrant.

Dipper took a large gulp as a non-suspecting Wendy dragged him closer to the ever-looming threat. The pre-teen could easily recall all of the times that the officers that instigated a fight, taunting him with such insults as "City Boy."

"Not even a day together," Dipper dreaded, "And Wendy's gonna have to watch these jerks try to get under my skin!" His imagination raced to the worse possible scenario, making him want to bite his nails in distress, "What if they drag her into it? Or if she tried to fight back?" He shuddered at the thought of Wendy defending his honor, only to be dragged downtown by the two crooked cops.

The adolescents went on their way until Dipper heard a low-pitched shout, "Hey Blubs, look!"

He turned his head to see Durland whispering to his superior while pointing straight at him. Dipper waited in agony for the Sheriff's response, only to find himself surprised. The shorten official looked up at the couple, tilted his hat slightly with his index finger, and gave a nod of approval along with a thinning smile.

The reprieve made the twelve year old's stomach quake in tenseness.

"Oooh!" Wendy teased, poking Dipper in the gut, "Somebody's tummy's rumbling. Did you eat this morning?"

"Ha…kinda…"

She rubbed her stomach hereafter, "Yeah, to be honest, the last time I ate was last night with that awful hospital food." The ginger gestured across the street. "Tell ya what: how about after this last stop, you and I stop at Greasy's Diner and grab a quick snack?"

"That…That would be great!"

"Glad to hear it!"

Unaware to the couple, a shadowy figure that been watching them from afar. "I can't believe it!" he bemoaned from within his long hood, "They're actually going out together!" As they went into the last shop, he turned around and walked away with a new agenda.

"Wait until I tell the others about this…"

After an afternoon of shopping, Dipper and Wendy walked into Greasy's Diner. They chose two of the spinning seats at the front counter, leaving the teenager's bags at their feet. A moment later, the owner of the eatery, Lazy Susan, eagerly approached them with pen and paper ready.

"Hi, there, kids!" the stout-hearted woman croaked, "What'll be?"

"Extra-Large Chili Cheese Fries with double chili!" they both exclaimed at the same time. The team laughed aloud as Dipper finished the order, "And two Pitt Colas to wash it down with, please!"

"Coming right up!" The proprietor walked into the back to get their order going.

"Man," Wendy eagerly rubbed her hands together, "I can't wait! Junk food, at long last!"

"Good thing we ordered extra, huh?"

"Pfft! If you can get to it before I do!"

"What?! No way you can scarf all of that down without making yourself sick!"

Wendy scooted down, her tiny nose meeting his redden, moist one, "Wanna bet, handsome?"

They laughed at their private joke as Lazy Susan returned with their beverages, taking care not to disturb the happy scene before her. All of a sudden, a group of familiar voices could be heard overhead:

"Yeah, I see what you're talking about, man!"

"It just seems so weird!"

"What is she thinking?!"

Wendy's ears perked at the sound, as a tooth-filled grin stretched across her freckled face, "Hey, it's the guys!"

The pair spun around to see her teenaged posse, Lee, Tambry, Nate, Thompson, and Robbie V., squeezed into a center booth. As usual, Tambry had her face buried away behind her cell phone as she mindlessly texted away to her countless contacts. Lee and Nate casually conversed with each other, as Robbie sat in the corner sat with his arms crossed together with a smug look of satisfaction. On the opposite end, Thompson was slumped against the table with an allusion of guilt about him.

Wendy stood at the front of the table with Dipper at her side, "What up, guys?"

The teenagers went about their regular business without acknowledging her presence.

"Didn't ya hear me? I said what's up?!"

Still, the entire group ignored the welcoming fifteen-year-old. Dipper noticed that the only change amid the band was a devilish smile slowly broadening across Robbie's face.

Confused by the silent treatment, Wendy put her left hand on her lips, "What's the deal? Are you guys ticked off or something?"

Without looking at her, Tambry answered, "What do you think?"

"I don't know?! Can we stop with the games, and just tell me what's wrong?!"

Keeping her eyes plastered on her phone, she extended her arm to address their gripe, "This!" She highlighted Dipper's and Wendy's entwined hands, making the two separate. They each turned away and rubbed their shoulders in anxiety.

"Don't get me wrong, Wendy," Tambry explained further, "I'm not Robbie's biggest fan. In fact, I honestly thought you could do a million times better…"

The goth flashed a sour-puss frown at the purpled-hair punk rocker.

"…but this thing you've got going on with him is totally messed up! Is this why you broke up with Robbie?"

"What are you doing, Wendy?" Lee asked, finally twisting over to acknowledge his friend, "I mean, Dr. Funtimes is a cool guy to hang out with, but dating him?!"

"Wait a minute!" Dipper fought back. "What – "

"Dipper, please…" Wendy held up a hand, "I've got this, okay?"

He remained silent, not wishing to further anger his beau. His eyes focused on his gothic rival as the slimming teen seemed to watch Wendy dispute her case with great pleasure.

"What?! How did you know I was – that we were…"

Nate shrugged his shoulder in the opposite direction, "Robbie saw you guys earlier…" The goth played innocent, rolling his eyes the other way and whistling to himself. "I mean, c'mon, Wendy! Don't cha think that this is just a bit creepy?"

"It's not creepy!" Wendy shot back. "I don't understand why this is a big deal! I mean, no one's ever cared who've I dated before!"

"Because we're your friends, Wendy…" Tambry quipped, holding up her phone. "And once the world finds out about this, the 'net will be in an uproar!"

"And people are definitely going to talk about this…" Lee added.

"Yeah, Wen," Nate piled on, "He's just a kid! You didn't really expect everybody to just up and accept this, did you?"

Wendy crossed her arms in defiance, "Yeah, I kinda did! And let people talk!" She flashed a sly grin, "After all, I still hang out with you guys in spite of all the crap I get from it…"

Dipper covered his mouth to hide his laughter as the high-schoolers continued on,

"You can't joke your way outta this! This is majorly serious!"

"We're being honest with you, Wendy!"

"And we don't think we can deal with this; it's just too bizarre!"

"What are you guys…?" Wendy's tone turned earnest. "Are you saying that we…we can't hang out anymore if I stay with Dipper?"

The three debaters returned their attentions to each other, letting their stillness be their defining answer. Robbie simply sat peacefully, watching his simple gesture of vengeance snowball out of control. Thompson remained quiet throughout the whole interrogation.

"You guys can't be serious! You're really not going to have my back on this one?! And Thompson," Wendy called out. "You feel the same way?"

At long last, the portly teen looked up at his friend, itching the side of his head nervously, "I…Wendy…I mean, you guys do look like a pretty cute coup – "

The stern, hard looks from across the table made the boy quickly change his opinion, "Err…never mind…" He placed his head down against the table.

Left without anything else to say, Wendy turned away from the assembly, her emerald eyes glaring down harshly at her former childhood friends. She looked down at Dipper, who noticed the immediate change. The shining stars fell from her eyes as Wendy lowered her head in defeat.

Lazy Susan rang the serving bell before dropping their snack at their seats, "Food!"

"Come on, Dip…" the lumberjack princess shuffled her feet past him, "Let's get out of here; we'll take our order to go…"

"But…"

Wendy continued towards the exit as Dipper looked back at the group. As if they hadn't broken his main squeeze's heart, they went on conversing with each other like normal.

"Hey, somebody had to be straight up with her. It might as well as been us…"

"It stinks, but it's for the best. She's gotta to bounce back from this super-eerie-rebound thing she's got going on…"

"Yeah, who would have thought? Deep down, Wendy was some kind of wacked-up pedoph – "

Before the word could be uttered, Dipper saw pure red. He banged his fists loudly on their tables, spilling the various drinks all over the places.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

"What do ya think you're doing, kid?"

"Have you gone loco?"

"Have you?" Dipper questioned back. "How dare you talk about her that way! You guys are supposed to be her friends! And this is how you treat her?"

"Well, it's not like we're enjoying it!"

"We're trying to stop her from making a terrible mistake!"

"And I'm the mistake?!" Dipper threw a hand against his chest. "Tell me," he used it to point across the table at Robbie V. "Where were you guys when Wendy was dating "Mascara Boy" over there?"

The pseudo-musician broke his solitude, "Watch it, you little snot!"

"You guys are smart enough to realize that he's playing you like a fiddle, right?" Dipper explained. "This isn't about Wendy and me! This is because I showed Wendy how much of a lying sleaze he really is, which led to their break-up!" He folded his arms as he shot Robbie a nasty glare, "Just when I thought you couldn't sink any lower; thanks for proving me wrong…again!"

In a fit of rage, Robbie lunged across the table with a wimpy cry, making Dipper flinch in reflex. Lee and Nate held the squirming, cussing teenager back, eventually forcing him into his seat.

"You see?!"

Finally annoyed by the confrontation, Tambry sighed out loud before putting her smart phone down on the table, "Regardless of what happened between Wendy and Robbie, that still doesn't excuse the problems with you!"

"And what problems are those?"

"Oh, come off it!" Lee spoke up, "Wendy's way too old for you, since you're only like what, ten?!"

Dipper rolled his eyes at their ignorance, "…Twelve…"

"So, yeah! Three years older! Not even in high school!" The other teens nodded along in agreement. "That's a huge difference, especially when considering the "creep" factor!"

"For one," Dipper defended himself, "By the end of the summer, it's only going to be a two year difference…" he demonstrated by holding up two fingers, "…and two, it makes it the same difference as between you guys…"

The teens looked at each other in bewilderment, before returning their attention to Dipper. Nate was the first to question him, "How would you – you don't know what you're talking about…"

"Really?" Dipper closed his eyes as he started to recall, "Wendy is fifteen, meaning she's too young to get her driver's license. I know for a fact that Thompson and Robbie can drive without parent supervision and at night, meaning that you are obviously not all the same age or in the same grade…" He flashed a confident smile, "and yet, the world doesn't seem to explode at this mixture, does it?"

Every mouth at the table seemed to drop open at the same time. Lee leaned over and whispered in Tambry's ear, not daring to take his eyes off of Dipper, "Dude, she wasn't kidding. He's really like a genius or something…"

Despite retaining a serious look, Dipper was melting away on the inside, "I can't believe it! Wendy actually called me a genius!" He shook his head, tucking away the prideful feeling as the teens began to dispute once more.

"Even so…" Nate led, "There's a huge difference in the maturity levels here!" The tattooed boy proudly pointed a thumb back at himself, "We're gotten into things that you can't even imagine!"

"And you think that makes you more mature than me?" He lowered his eyes in disbelief, "Tell you what? Raise your hand if you haven't gone gratifying as a good time, or raided the G.F.P.D. supply closet just to get a rise out of people?"

Only the pint-size detective held his hand up high as all other parties had a guilty expression across their faces.

"That's what I thought…"

"But that's what people our age do! Sometimes, things get crazy and, you know –"

"And that's cool! Heck," Dipper admitted, "Wendy and I have been through extreme stuff together, too, but that's my point. All of these things that you guys are complaining about are nothing but pure and utter malarkey!"

He put his weight on the edge of the table, "Look," his voice became more serious, "I care about Wendy, and want whatever will make her happy." Dipper turned his hand to an open palm and tipped it towards Robbie again, "That's why I tried to keep my yap shut in front of her when they were going out, …" His sights aimed back at the whole group, "It's just plain…stupid…if everything between you guys is ruined because of this!"

A dismal calm spread throughout the bunch as they reflected upon the boy's words. Robbie jumped up with a disgusted look, "I can't believe we're standing for this! He's calling us stupid! Fancy words shouldn't change anything! Besides, after everything's said and done, he's just some dweeb who doesn't know what he's talking about!"

Feeling that the disagreement was just about to teeter over, Dipper readied his trump card, "Y'know, one of the things I love most about Wendy is that she always seems to accept and even forgive others in spite of their differences and their faults. It's screwed up that you guys wouldn't even consider doing the same for her…"

The over-the-top lad plucked his blue vest the same way an overconfident lawyer would to their suspenders during a closing argument, "After all, it isn't like…" Dipper aimed his stare firmly at the gothic teen, "…that Wendy lied to you and deceived you at every possible turn, or…" He went back to focus on the rest of the motley crew, "…that she turned chicken and left you to die in a wreck…"

The other four were blown away by Dipper's accusation as a series of gasps and "Whoa's" could be heard. "Don't you think that was a bit of a low-blow there, kid?" Nate said with anger in his voice.

"Yeah…" he responded, before he shrugged his shoulders, "Well, now you know how she feels…"

The pint-size detective spun around on his heels, leaving the guilt-ridden teenagers behind him, "And now, I'm ready to go–"

Wendy was nowhere to be seen. Her bags had disappeared from their resting place between her seat. She had already left the Diner.

The pride and anger that filled him had speedily fled his shorten form as he realized what happened. Despite his best intentions, the lanky redhead was possibly angered by him causing a ruckus in her name. "Oh, man! What did I do?!"

Lazy Susan held out her arm from behind the counter. "Here you go, sweetie!" She gave Dipper a doggie bag with their order, "I think you'll be needing this!"

Dipper reached into his pocket, filled out a handful of dollar bills, and placed them on the counter. "Thanks again!" he shouted in a rush, grabbing the food, and racing out the door.

He raced across the street, looking high and low on both ends for his sweetheart. "Did she already leave?" Although it meant that he was probably faced a long, walk home, Dipper figured that he deserved it for going overboard and letting his temper get the best of him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Wendy at the corner of the opposite side of the street. With her back to him, she was undoing the chain from her bike. The tween rushed as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, until he was a short distance away. Dipper took a few careful steps behind Wendy as she continued to remove the lock.

"Hey…"

She paused for a moment, only to return to her current task at hand.

"Hey…" Wendy replied dryly.

"Listen, I…I didn't mean…I'm sorr-…I…"

Dipper raised the bag of leftovers upwards, "I got our food…"

Every passing second of intimidating silence only left him more unnerved, "Say something…please?"

Without turning around, Wendy held out her arm, offering Dipper his helmet, "Let's just go home, okay?"

After a brief pause, he sadly took the headgear and threw it on. As Wendy steadied herself on the red bicycle, Dipper hoisted himself back between her handlebars, never daring to look behind him once. The couple flew through the Gravity Falls Forest for the second time that day; however, the change in pitch a huge difference from the adventurous one they shared earlier that afternoon.

Dipper couldn't shake the haunting feeling eating away at him like déjà vu. "This is just like what happened with Robbie at Lookout Point…"

Upon reaching the Mystery Shack, Wendy gently came to a complete stop, allowing Dipper a safe passage to dismount. He hopped down, and before he turned around, the girl was already tip-toeing her way back home with the bike between her legs.

"WAIT!"

Wendy dragged her heels back, slowing herself down.

"Wait, I don't wanna leave things like this!" Dipper chased after her, "You're furious with me, and I'm sorry, Wendy! I really am! But, I hated seeing you like that! They turned on you because of me, and I just couldn't stand it!"

The ginger's shoulders lowered as she continued to listen to his reasoning. She pulled back the kick-stand of her bike with the toe of her boot.

"It's just like what we were talking about back in your hospital room. I've been there, Wendy! I kinda know what it feels like when someone holds something special against you. But, I'm not excusing what I did…"

Wendy peeked over her shoulder to see that Dipper was no longer looking up at her, rather than lowered his eyes to the grassy floor in humiliation.

"…I know I embarrassed you, but…I don't know. Part of me thought that if everything was the complete opposite, you would do anything that you could to try to make it right. Guess it was a stupid thought, huh?"

Without noticing that she was staring right at him, Dipper started to make his way back to his great-uncle's home.

"I get it. I understand if you hate my guts now, and want to call this whole thing off. I just…I just wanted you to know that before you go –"

A tender hand reached for his shoulder, instantly quieting his babbling.

"I was embarrassed, dork," Wendy admitted, as Dipper turned around to meet her, "But not of you…" A worn look on her dimpled face, she knelt down to see him eye-to-eye. "I'm not mad at you in the least. If anything, I just can't believe they said all of that, especially in front of you!"

"I've been told worse, Wendy. It's not a big deal…"

"Well, it's a big deal to me!" She raised an eyebrow as she quoted Dipper, "It's just like you said: "if everything was the complete opposite, you would do anything that you could to try to make it right…"

"And I would have!"

"Good to hear, champ…"

"So, you're really not ticked-off with me?"

She shook her head decisively.

Dipper started to calm himself as Wendy stood back up. A curious motion stuck in her thoughts.

"Just one thing, Dipper…"

"Hmm?"

"That thing you mentioned a second ago; about "when someone holds something special against you?" What's that all about?"

Realizing that he might have said a bit too much, Dipper let out an edgy twitter, "I'm…I'm not sure that…"

Wendy teasingly poked his stomach with her index finger, "Spill it, mister!"

"Well," Dipper rubbed his sneakers against the soft earth, "You remember that night of the Mystery Shack Dance about at the beginning of the summer?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Anyways, I spent the whole night trying to…" Dipper scrunched up his face as he forced himself to spit out the awful truth, "…to ask you to dance with me…"

From within his self-imposed darkness, he could hear Wendy sincerely ask, "So why didn't you?"

He opened her eyes to see her looking down on him with a confused expression. "Because…I was afraid. Robbie was there, and I thought he was going to make fun of me…of us. So, I did a bunch of crazy stuff to try to get him out of the way, so it could be just me and you. But when it came down to it, I…I still chickened out. I don't know why, but because I was terrified, I missed out on something great that night that I can never get back…"

He glimpsed up at Wendy with a hint of solemnity, "I never want you to feel that way - especially because of me…"

Dipper's confession triggered an idea in Wendy's head, "Tell you what, Dipper. I want you to do me a favor…"

His suspicious nature started to flare up, "And what's that?"

"Tonight," Wendy detailed, "I want you to meet me at Lookout Point at sunset …"

"Why there?" he asked, taking in consideration the awful history they both had with that part of town.

"Just because," she teased, knowing that the young detective would be driven livid by not knowing every possible detail, "Aaannnddd…you have to dress up…"

"But why?"

"You'll see…" Wendy leapt back on her bicycle and peddled into the distance, "See you later! And don't be late!"

Later that night, Dipper came back from a short trek into the woods. It had taken him a few hours, but he entered the family entrance of the Mystery Shack, with his proposed treasure in hand. His twin sister had been waiting in her great-uncle's recliner for her sibling to return home.

"Where have you been?" Mabel chastised, hopping off of the chair, "Did you forget you were suppose to meet Wendy tonight?"

"Of course I didn't – wait a sec!" Dipper lowered his brow, "How the heck did you know about that?"

"Wendy called me," the metal-mouthed girl bragged, "I'm officially in charge of making sure you look your best for her!"

"That's great…that's really great…" he mumbled as he raced upstairs. A few moments later, Dipper returned, carrying a handful of supplies.

"What are you doing?"

Dipper's voice faded as he hurried into the kitchen, "I'm trying to make something really fast, and then, I swear, I'll get ready."

"Fine…"

Mabel could hear him making an unearthly amount of noise. Pots and pans collided. The squeaky hinges of the oven screeched back and forth. The second she heard the stove door shut, the pitter-patter of tiny feet could be heard coming closer.

Dipper raced pass Mabel, "I'm going! I'm going!" Three minutes later, Dipper stormed down the old-ricketty stairs, dressed in his neatest navy blue vest, orange t-shirt, and gray short pants.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Mabel held up her hands, blocking her brother from going any further. "Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"

He overlooked his current appearance, "What? What's wrong with how I look? This is the cleanest outfit I have!"

"D'oy!" Mabel gave him a love-tap against the side of his head, "You're not dressed up at all! Heck, you didn't even shower! You're going to go to her all stinky and yucky-like?"

"Oh, come on, Mabel! Wendy'll care less about…"

She pushed her slightly-younger brother back up the stairs, "Get back up there, mister! I made a promise to Wendy! You're not leaving this house like that!"

"But, Mabel!"

Dipper was roughly shoved into the bathroom. Regaining his balance, he went to go for the doorknob, only to find that his twin held it tightly from the other side.

"Nice try, but the only way you're getting outta there is through a nice, hot shower!"

Defeated, Dipper grumbled as he shed his casual wear and stepped into the tub. He fiddled with the old-time faucet, only to cry out loud as the various temperatures of water struck him like lightning.

"AAAHHHH! HOT! HOT! HOT! COLD! COLD! COLD!"

"Tough it out, Dip!" Mabel encouraged, "I'll be back in a sec with something nice for you to wear…."

Soaking wet, Dipper called out, hoping his sister would hear him over the running water, "No monkey-suits, okay?!"

The moon hung high amiss the countless shining stars, providing amble light to Dipper as he sped away in one of the Mystery Shack's carts. After the huge hassle with his sister, he ended up donning a soft black, button-down long sleeved shirt, alongside matching black slacks, and dark dress socks and soft-soled loafers. With Mabel waiting at the door, with Mystery Cart key in hand, Dipper had to turn back around as the commotion made him forget Wendy's gift in the oven.

"I hope she's not too mad…" he considered as he went up the winding road leading to their rendezvous. The twelve-year old parked his ride alongside the broken rail (that his Grunkle Stan had wrecked during their last visit there).

He stepped out of the cart and looked over the edge of the cliff, admiring the beautiful view of the small town from his distance. Dipper's eyes shot around the area, searching for any sign of his date. "Maybe she's not here yet…"

As he stepped into the grass, his imagination began to recall the horrid scene that played out only weeks earlier. He remembered how the triumphant victory over Robbie V. quickly shifted to one of absolute regret, as the youngster accidentally broke Wendy's heart, making her walk away in tears.

With the buried negativity finding its way back, Dipper could only question, "After everything that has happened, why would she want to meet here?"

Out of the blue, Dipper spotted something out of the ordinary. A few yards away, a huge multi-colored blanket covered a series of pointed and awkwardly-shaped items. Growing ever curious, he sprinted towards the oddity, only to have a wayward voice shout from out of the darkness.

"Stop right there!"

He came to an immediate halt, trying his best to seek out the source of the mysterious voice.

"You're late…"

A smile spread across his face as he recognized his friend, "Would you say, "fashionably late?"

"Maybe…turn around..."

Dipper slowly spun around, making sure that Wendy could get a good look at his appearance from wherever she was hiding.

"So, whatdya think?"

"Hmm…Mabel does great work!"

"Hey!" Dipper raised his hands against his hips, "What makes you think that she did all of this?"

Wendy giggled aloud, "'Cause I know you, and I know her. Plus, she called me after you left to let me know you were on the way…"

Dipper laughed dryly at being caught in his own fib, "Alright, alright, you got me…"

"Not yet…"

From out of the shrubbery, a towering shape stepped into the light. Dipper's eyes widened as he found himself face-to-face to a totally made-over Wendy. Her long, flowing auburn hair had been perfectly straighten and parted. Her emerald eyes were brought out by a lovely lavender eye shadow. Her eye lashes shone like the starlight that brightened the sky. Her thin lips were coated in a light red lipstick.

With a black decorative choker around her lean neck, her body was covered by a gorgeous green gown that branched off down her right leg. Her feet were placed into shiny-black high heels that only increased the gap in height between the two adolescents.

"How do I look?"

As if a majestic angel had decided to bless him with her presence, Dipper's mouth dropped at the mere sight. He stuttered repeatedly, the words struggling to flow from his mouth:

"You…You l-l-look l-like…*AHEM!* you look like a dream!"

"Thanks, squirt!" Wendy light-heartily punched his arm, "You don't look too shabby yourself!" She took Dipper by the hand and led him back towards the blanketed site. As they walked, Dipper finally asked the question that had been bothering him the whole night.

"Uh, Wendy? This is really nice and everything, but why are we here? I thought if anything, this would be the last place you'd ever want to go back to."

Her smile only grew, "It's funny you said that, buddy." She carefully took small steps to avoid clumsily falling over in her pumps. "I thought about everything that happened today, and kept in mind what you said as well…"

The redhead reached down and removed the bedspread, revealing an entire spread of junk food, take-out, and plenty of soda pop. An electric candle was placed in the center of the picnic, providing a much-needed additional light.

"Whoa-ho-oh!" Dipper exclaimed, amazed by all of the food surrounding them. "You – You made all of this stuff?"

Wendy sheepishly shrugged as she blushed, "Made – bought – same difference."

"Either way, it all looks great!"

"Thanks, dweeb! Anyways…" With Dipper in hand, Wendy turned around and extended her open arm across the open area, "…to answer your question, I figured enough with all of the bad memories that we have. We definitely need some new, better ones to replace them with! So, I thought, what better place to start at!"

Dipper nodded along, understanding the heart-warming point she was trying to make. He reached for a piece of fried chicken, only to be yanked back at the last second.

"Nuh-uh, little guy!" Wendy told him, "There's a small matter we still have to take care of first…"

"And what's that?"

She offered an open hand to him, "I believe you still owe me a dance…"

"Huh?"

"Come on already!"

Taking him by the hand, Wendy pulled Dipper close, wrapping her arms around him. As he did the same, he looked up, noticing that he was lucky if he reached her belly button now.

"Um…Wendy…"

She looked down, realizing that Dipper was further away than usual. She whacked herself playfully on the side of her head, "I guess I kinda forgot about that!"

Wendy slipped off her heels, easing the distance between the two by a bit, "Climb aboard the Wendy-express!" she said, wiggling her green-polished toes against the soft dirt.

Dipper started to untie his loafers, "Are you sure I won't hurt you?"

"Sure I'm sure!"

Standing in his socks, the pint-sized boy stepped on top of Wendy's feet. Once more, he could feel her wrap around his small frame.

"There we go; a little bit better, right?"

"Definitely..." He rested his head against her chest as she began to twirl them around. She pulled out her phone, hit a button, and tossed it into the sheet holding their dinner.

"And what's dancing without some music to go along with it?"

The couple spun around happily, as fireflies flew across the atmosphere. The song blaring through the night sky helped set the tone for them:

"I don't ever wanna let you down.
I don't ever wanna leave this town.
'Cause after all,
this city never sleeps at night…"*

"I almost forgot!" Dipper pulled his head back, and reached into his pocket. He raised his hand to Wendy's face, and started to open his palm, "This is why I was late in the first place…"

Wendy saw a small green ember wrapped inside of a thin necklace. A matching gold chain attached it together.

"Dipper, it's…beautiful…"

"I made it for you. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" She brought herself down, "Help put it on?"

Dipper reached up and fastened the simple link behind her neck, right against her choker. As she admired her new jewelry, he began to explain himself, "A long time ago, I found a bunch of gems in the middle of the forest, and lately, this one stood one in my mind. It doesn't do anything special, but it's the same shade as your eyes, so it made me think of you!"

"How about this?" Wendy pledged, "I'll always wear it, so I'll be reminded of you!"

"You really mean it?"

"Of course I do! It's great, Dipper! Really!"

They scrunched back together as they danced further on into the evening.

"So…" Wendy lowered her head and asked, "Is this everything that you hoped for?"

Dipper remained silent, being caught up in the special moment. To him, it was everything and yet, nothing that he imagined his dream dance with Wendy to be. At last, he nodded in response, his eyes closely firmly. A huge grin stretched from ear to ear.

"Good…" the girl rubbed her fingers through his hair affectionately, "Well, enjoy it while you can. This time next year, we might not be able to do this again…" A series of chuckles escaped from Wendy's throat, trigging Dipper's paranoia.

"What does that mean?" Worried, Dipper gazed upwards, "What happens next year? Are you moving away? Will I ever see you again? And why is that funny?" He knew this was all too good to be true.

"Relax, you worry-wort," Wendy calmed him, "I didn't mean anything bad by that." She coughed out a half-chortle as she continued to rotate, "And I laughed 'cause the grass is tickling my feet..."

"Oh…"

"What I meant," she elaborated, "is that when you guys come back next year – I think it goes without saying that I know you'll come back next year– that you're going to grow up on me. You're going to get bigger and taller, and soon enough, you'll be too big for me to hold, or carry you on my shoulders, or have dance on my feet…"

Dipper noticed that she took on a somewhat saddened state as Wendy reflected upon her own words.

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. It happens to everybody…

"Yeah, I guess so..." He lowered his head against her bosom as he asked her, "Is that really such a bad thing?"

Her face distorted as she considered the thought. "Hmm…I guess not. If you get bigger, that means that you'll get stronger, too…"

"True…"

"And sooner or later, that'll mean that you might to able to lift me up someday…"

"Imagine that…"

A sly beam started to form on her freckled face, as Wendy started to shift her weight, "And you'll be able to hoist me onto your shoulders…"

Dipper opened his eyes as he felt the sudden change in gravity, "What – What are you doing?"

Wendy leaned even harder, tilting both of them towards the ground, "And give me piggyback rides whenever I want…"

"Sure! Whatever you say! Just don't - AAH!"

*THUMP!*

The mischievous ginger tipped over onto the minuscule lad, pinning him against the ground. His arms flailed wildly as he tried to escape!"

"Well, I want one…right now!"

"Wendy, I can't move!"

"But, you said anytime I wanted!" The teen made mocking faces at her trapped boyfriend as she continued to rib him. "My boy isn't tough enough to get me up?"

"No…" he gasped, "But he's more than smart enough…" Dipper moved his tiny hands towards her hips.

"What are you doing down – " Wendy started to squirm, "Wait, *TEE-HEE!* No! Don't tickle my sides!"

He stopped for a second, "Hang on; I didn't hear you right. "Don't" what?"

"Tickle my sides?"

"I'd be more than happy to oblige by your request!"

"Huh? Stop! HAHAHAHA! You tricked me! You're going to get it now!"

The two rolled on top of each other over and over again across the meadow, their combined laugher echoing throughout the peaceful sky as the music went on as they played blissfully:

"It's time to begin, isn't it?
I get a little bit bigger, but then I'll admit.
I'm just the same as I was.
Now, don't you understand,
that I'm never changing who I am…"*

*"It's Time" by Imagine Dragons. Copyright 2012, Interscope Records