How had it come to this? Dipper thought as he tread water, trying his best to stay afloat. He'd never been a strong swimmer and in the middle of the ocean with no land in sight, Dipper knew he was going to die.

He knew he shouldn't prolong the inevitable but his survival instinct was strong and refused to allow him to give up.

And the day had started so well. He'd been looking forward to it for months. Ever since Great Uncle Ford had said he wished to improve his knowledge on aquatic monsters.

His Great Uncle Ford was a researcher and it was his dream to unlock all the mysteries the world had to offer and investigate the supernatural and enigmatic.

Many other scientists and researchers didn't believe his wild claims and Dipper himself would have scoffed at them; if he hadn't lived it when he was twelve. He'd been obsessed ever since.

The other scientists had called him insane and all of his research was discredited. All he had left were his journals that Dipper had accidently found all those years ago. Being stripped of his title of Doctor had thrown him into a deep depression, causing him to disappear for thirty years. But like any self-respecting scientist, he still continued his work.

His Great Uncle Ford had only come into his life when he was closer to thirteen than twelve, staying with his Grunkle Stan for the summer in a town called Gravity Falls where his Grunkle ran a tourist trap. He hadn't known for most of the summer that Grunkle Stan had a twin brother who was in fact Great Uncle Ford!

During his first summer in Gravity Falls he had his fair few run-ins with monsters, demons and other supernatural creatures. He was actually friends with some of them! And enemies of others. He could never see mini-golf the same way again. Plus, he now had a sudden fear of garden gnomes, scared they would come to life and start making his life hell again.

Yep, there was no shortage of weird in Gravity Falls. The locals had become acclimatised to it and just saw it all as another part of a normal day. Zombie attack? Had one last week. Demon hell bent on world domination? Yawn. Screeches coming form the woods? Eh, it was probably just the dinosaurs.

But the town was land-locked. There was a lake that held their own version of Nessie the Gobblewonker that was actually made of metal but it brought in tourists. The ocean however, was begging to be explored. So, explore it they would.

The three of them planned and planned as Grunkle Stan refused to be left behind on this mission. He hadn't seen his brother in over thirty years, he wasn't leaving now. They had their ups and downs over the years and had to straighten out some arguments. Like Grunkle Stan stealing Great Uncle Ford's identity. That had been an aggravating day for everyone and Stan's black eye and cut lip was a constant reminder for about a week. Plus, they didn't know what they would face. It was possible that this would be the last time they saw land; ever. They could die at sea. All three of them knew that and excepted the risks.

So, when all plans were finalised and all the necessary funds were raised; the trio finally headed west to the ocean. When they arrived at the harbour, they were shown to their ship the Stan O' War II. Dipper's great uncles had the original Stan O' War when they were kids and they named their new boat after it for old times sake.

After making sure they had everything they could possibly need on their expedition, they cast off and set sail for adventure and discovery.

The voyage was planned to last three months. When the storm hit they had been on the open ocean for a month or so. They had already gathered a lot of information that Great Uncle Ford was very excited about. With him doing the diving and actual research, Dipper cataloguing and organising what was found and Grunkle Stan controlling the boat; they made the perfect team. Dipper sometimes wished that there was another person with them though, there was a lot of research to get through.

They also had to deal with the rapid changes in weather conditions. Some days it wasn't safe for Great Uncle Ford to dive. On those days they planned for future days, went over the data they'd already gathered or tried to catch up on the last thirty years. Dipper greatly enjoyed listening to his great uncle's stories. He wished he had stories like that to tell the next generation when he got to their age.

Other times they had to deal with pirates. Their first encounter with them had sacred Dipper. They were terrifying, especially when they realised that they didn't have anything of value on board. Most usually settled for a handful of gold coins and then left them alone. Dipper had wondered why they brought money on the trip.

One pirate ship had actually seemed interested in what they were researching and told them some stories that might help their exploration. Dipper liked to believe they parted as friends with that particular vessel.

He was constantly being surprised on this trip. He was having the time of his life! There was nowhere else he'd rather be.

The day of the storm started normal enough. Breakfast in the brig, reviewing their findings from the day before and talking about what they were hoping to find that day.

Ford was confident they were near a mermaid's nest and Dipper was super excited about that. The plan was to try and locate it today and hopefully engage tomorrow. Ford had asked Stan to come along in case things got ugly.

The pirates that was interested in what they were doing said they were in the right area but depending on the tribe they encountered, their experience could drastically change. Some nests were peaceful, others were violent and some toed the line between the two.

Dipper was going to man the boat. Stan had been slowly teaching him in case something like this ever arose. He was proud that his great uncles deemed him ready for the responsibility. He was still nervous though but he could do it. He had to. If he proved himself capable of controlling the boat, maybe Ford would teach him to dive and he could have a more hands on experience. That would be amazing. But one step at a time.

His great uncles were under the surface when the storm rolled in. Dipper tried to control the boat but he physically didn't have the strength. Grunkle Stan teasingly called him 'noddle arms' but he was right. Dipper had no upper body strength and the storm was battering the boat like it had personally offended it. Dipper held onto the ships wheel for dear life but it wasn't enough. The sea reared up in a humongous wave and crashed into the side of the boat with such force, Dipper thought it was going to capsize. Water sloshed all over the deck causing him to lose his footing. He went down hard and he was pretty sure he hit his head on something but that was the least of his worries right then. He'd lost his grip and was now at the mercy of the ocean.

The ocean did not know the meaning of the word. Another wave hurled over and dragged Dipper with it right over the side. He hit the cold water with a shock and was immediately pulled under. He made the stupid mistake of trying to breath and got a lungful of salt water. He tried to find the surface, he needed to breath! He was going to drown, he could feel it.

Some how even with his panicked mind he broke the surface and after coughing up what felt like most of his lung; he took deep shaking breaths of glorious sweet air. The waves were still churning and doing their best to drag him under again.

Even after breaking the surface Dipper couldn't tell where he was. The boat couldn't be that far away but being under the waves had disorientated him. He knew he should look around calmly but his bodies primal instinct to survive had taken over. He was pumped with so much adrenaline he couldn't think straight.

Looking around wildly, salt water splashing into his eyes and bobbing up and down roughly he managed to find the Stan O' War II. His mind calmed a little bit as he located his goal but not by much. He now had the overwhelming urge to reach the boat; there would be less risk of drowning then.

Swimming with all his strength, Dipper tried to head towards the boat, only to realise he was being pushed back farther from his goal. He was trying to swim against the current. One cannot swim against the current. With one final forlorn glance at the boat – Dipper said a silent goodbye to his family and prayed that his great uncles would make it out of this alive – and gave himself to his fate, thus bringing him to now.

His arms were getting weaker and weaker as he tread water and he was unsure of how much longer he could keep it up. The waves were calmer now but he had used a lot of energy to stay afloat when they were raging. They dragged his head under multiple times and he'd swallowed a lot of sea water.

He was tired. So, so tired. He could have a nap couldn't he? He felt himself start to drift off in unconsciousness. Only two would miss him; if they hadn't already met their ends. His parents were long dead and he had no siblings. He knew he had other family but they weren't close, that was why he know lived with his great uncles. He only had his great uncles. No one else.

With those final thoughts, Dipper's eyes closed and his chocolate brown head disappeared into the depths below.