"Is…is he okay?"

"I can't tell, he's been under there forever!"

Their voices drifted down to him, muffled but not hard to decipher as Ford floated just below the water's surface. When Mabel had suggested they play a fun game of seeing who could hold their breath the longest underwater, he had found himself immediately perking up at her suggestion. After a quick run-down of the rules, it hadn't taken long before all of them, minus Stan ('my lungs aren't nearly strong enough, I'm too old for this' 'wait aren't you and Grunkle Ford the same age?' 'doesn't matter, Dipper, just go on!') were plunging below the surface to get started.

Ford had been keeping count in his head. It had been…well, it had been a while since he had first gone under. The twins had long since popped up for air, and now all three of them were staring down at him with a mix of curiosity and concern. Ford's lungs weren't quite screaming for oxygen yet, but still, he figured he had kept them waiting long enough. Without a second of hesitation, he immediately burst upward, gasping and panting for breath as the world slowly returned to him.

When he opened his eyes everyone was staring at him as if he had just come back to life from being dead. Quirking a brow, he asked, "What?"

"Grunkle Ford, that was amazing!" Mabel exclaimed, eyes sparkling. "Wow, and I thought I had lungs of steel!"

Dipper nodded frantically. "Yeah, how do you do that for so long? You were under there for nearly ten minutes!"

"Oh, well I—" A breathy laugh escaped him. ""You see, I spent many years between dimensions hiding out from various monsters and creatures, so in time I learned how to hold my breath for extensive periods under water. Among other substances, that is. It's…a bit of a long story."

Ford could barely keep up with the amount of chattering Dipper and Mabel began directing at him, question after curious question spurting out of their mouths quicker than even he could comprehend.

"What kind of stuff did you have to hide in? Mud? Monster poop?"

"How do you train your lungs so that you can hold your breath like that?"

"Is—"

Ford opened his mouth to speak. However, before he could give any answers, a gruff cough shook them all of their thoughts.

"I don't understand all the gushing. S'not that big of a deal," Stan said, arms crossed.

The group was silent for a few seconds. Then Mabel's eyes immediately grew soft, and a cute smile pulled at her lips.

"Awww, Grunkle Stan," she began sweetly, clasping her hands together, "are you jealous of Grunkle Ford?"

"Me? Jealous?" Stan barked out a laugh. "Of course not. Why would you think that? If anything I'm the opposite of jealous!"

Mabel came swimming up next to him, and once she was in front of him she wrapped her arms around his middle in a warm, but rather wet, embrace. "You don't have to lie to us to look tough or anything, Grunkle Stan. You're already like, the toughest person we know!" she assured. "Heck, you punched a pterodactyl in the face and took on a horde of hideous zombies just this summer us!"

"I know that," Stan said, and Ford could tell he was straining to keep the emotion out of his voice. "Trust me, I know. Ah—but thanks for makin' me feel better though, sweetie."

Ford chuckled. And then he frowned.

"Wait, I don't think I remember you telling me about any of those incidents, Stanley. Would you mind oh, I don't know, filling me in on all of that?"

"I swear, Poindexter, I thought you were dead! No person alive should able to hold their breath for that stinkin' long!" Stan exclaimed, and Ford reached over to shove his shoulder, making him nearly drop his can of soda into the water below. "I'm bein' serious!"

"It's achievable, it just requires weeks to even months of practice and devotion," he said. "I'm sure with the right amount of effort you'd be able to accomplish it as well."

Stan grimaced. "Already told you earlier, no can do. I'd rather not risk a watery grave. Besides, there's other things I'd rather be doing than tryin' to learn some stupid party trick."

"Oh, really? And what would that be?"

He shrugged, a low roll of his shoulders. "Bein' here with you, for starters."

Well, Ford couldn't argue with him there. Sitting there like that, on edge of the dock as the sun began to set, Ford had honestly never felt so content. Perhaps it was the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore, or the warm glow of the sun on his bare legs, or just the fact that any and all threats of danger were completely and permanently neutralized. Whatever it was, he had never felt so calm before in his life.

"That sunset sure is a beauty, huh?" Stan asked, voice quiet. Wordlessly, Ford nodded, taking a small sip from the can of soda in his hand.

The scene reminded him far too much of his childhood—the days he and Stan had spent outside on the shores of the beach near their home, working away on their boat. They would spend most of the day there, laughing and conversing with each other until the evening came and the sun began to lower. Then toward the end they'd stop what they were doing and each take a seat near the water, watching as the sky began to take on hues of orange and yellow, until finally the stars came out and their mother called them home.

Despite all the things he had been through, that one memory had always remained strong in his mind, even as the darker, more paranoid ones began filling in around it. Him and Stan, children, careless and free. The best of friends. Untouched by the cruelties of the real world.

Their lives had been so much simpler back then, he mused, when all they had to worry about was when dinner would be ready.

"Hey, Ford?"

"…Yes, Stanley?" he asked after a moment of hesitation. His eyes were glued to the horizon, where the sun and the water met.

"What're you thinking about?"

He sighed. "Just…just about when we were children, is all," he said wistfully. "Being here really takes me back to all those days we spent on the beach next to our home."

Stan smiled fondly. "That's exactly what I was thinkin' about, too. I never really…never really thought the two of us would be doin' this again, to be honest."

"I didn't think we would either," Ford said. He gestured all around himself. "It feels almost dream-like…like we're young again, running around on the New Jersey shoreline without a care in the world. I almost can't describe it."

"Heh." There was a brief pause before Stan opened his mouth again. "So, uh…if I were to ask you if you'd trade today for…y'know, all the times we spent together as kids…what would you think?"

Ford had to think about his brother's question for a moment. He couldn't help but peek over at him and notice the way he was hunched over, notice the way his finger trailed idly around the rim of his soda can and his eyes stared down into the lip of it as if maybe he hadn't caught the whole question, as if maybe he would just forget about it altogether. Stan looked almost…uncomfortable in the light of the lowering sun, and it made Ford's eyebrows scrunch together in thought.

However, it wasn't too long before he had his answer.

"What would I think?" he began. "Stanley, there's no denying that the time we spent together as children was wonderful, but I'm going to be truthful with you. I was a bit wary about how today was going to go. I've still felt a bit…tense since Weirdmageddon ended. But honestly?" He scooted closer to Stan. "I…I really don't remember the last time I ever stopped everything I was working on and just relaxed, and I think today was almost…therapeutic for me, in that respect."

Stan looked up.

"And not only that," Ford continued on, "I also got to spend the day with you and the children—"

He vaguely gestured to the side, down below where Dipper and Mabel were still splashing away in the water, too preoccupied in each other to notice Ford speaking of them.

"—And really…I feel like this was a wonderful trip, not just for me but for all of us. Especially after the…events of last week. So in answer to your question: no. I wouldn't swap out today for any day from our childhood."

Ford shut his mouth and looked over at Stan. His heart leaped to see that that he was smiling, the corners of his eyes crinkling in a way he hadn't seen in a long, long time.

"I'm…I'm glad you think so, Poindexter."

Ford reached over to pat his shoulder. "Well of course, Stanley. I wouldn't trade being with you and the children for anything."

And that was all that needed to be said. The two continued to stare out into the sunset for a few minutes longer, the silence warm and comfortable, until the patter of wet footsteps made them look back.

"Speakin' of kids…" Stan muttered.

"Our hands have been sufficiently wrinkle-affied!" Mabel exclaimed as she strode up to the two, sticking her palms out in front of her for them to see. "Now we look just like you guys!"

"Eh…sorta." Dipper walked up next to her, a towel draped around his neck and his hair still dripping. "You get the gist. So, what are you guys doing?"

Ford shared a knowing glance with Stan next to him. "Oh, just talking, is all," he responded. "What are you two up to?"

"Well, we're both finally tired of the water now," Dipper answered, shrugging his shoulders. "And Mabel's swallowed enough of it by now that I'm surprised she isn't hacking up a lung."

"Like I said earlier, bro-bro, lungs of steel!" she exclaimed proudly. She came up behind Stan and stood on her tip-toes to wrap her arms around his neck. "Ohhhh, I just had a thought! Is this gonna be what it's like when you guys go out adventuring on your boat?"

"Ehhhh, not exactly, pumpkin," Stan said. He twisted around to wrap his own burly arms around her, easily dragging her into his lap. "Ohhhh, wet, you're still wet…anyways, think more cold and rainy. It's the Arctic Ocean, not a local lake."

"Yes, and also think much icier," Ford added, "and harsher waters."

Mabel made a thoughtful noise. "So wait," she said, pushing herself up on Stan's knee to look Ford in the eye, "does that mean you guys might see…polar bears? And penguins?"

Ford shook his head. "Contrary to what you may think, there aren't actually many penguins or polar bears living in the Arctic. We will be seeing many other creatures, though."

The girl looked disappointed for only a second before she beamed at him. "Aww…well you need to get a picture when you see one, then, so you can send it to me and I can put it in my scrapbook! Actually, you guys need to take a lot of photos period. Like, a looooot of photos."

"And keep in touch with us," Dipper added as he took a seat next to Ford.

"And be safe!" Mabel pleaded.

"Ah, don't worry about safety, kids," Stan assured, throwing an arm around Ford's neck and jabbing a thumb to his chest. "I'll keep my nerdy brother here safe and sound with my muscles, no need to be concerned."

Ford snorted. "Sure, Stanley…"

The thought of summer coming to an end in a few days—and the realization that he wouldn't be seeing the niece and nephew he'd come to care for so fondly once he and his brother went out on their boat—suddenly hit Ford like a pile of bricks. It had felt like such a short time ago when he had first bonded with his great-nephew over the infamous Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons, and it had felt like an even shorter time, somehow, since he had first walked out of the portal, looking entirely too worn as he tramped through the shattered glass and metal of the broken skeleton to shake his niece's small hand.

Time was so little, so precious, and Ford found himself wishing that he could have just a tiny bit more of it, enough to be able to hold his family closer and never let them out of his grasp.

Perhaps that was why he wrapped his arms tighter than usual around them. As the minutes ticked by and the evening stretched on further, to the point where the sky began to darken and stars began peeking out, the group sat together in silence, the calming scene disrupted only by the twins' soft chattering.

At some point Mabel curled up in Stan's lap, eyes half-lidded. She placed a soft hand on Ford's knee, and it immediately sent warmth radiating throughout his body. It brought a smile to his face, and he returned the gesture with a soft pat.

Around them townsfolk began packing up to leave, person by person, family by family. They didn't pay the group any mind as they started up their cars and drove off, and in return the Pines didn't mind them either.

It was only when the last vehicle sped off that Mabel's voice spoke out, quiet and laced with a longing Ford had never heard in the girl before, that his heart beat just a little bit faster in his chest.

"This summer has been so much fun. I just wish we didn't have to say goodbye so soon…"

He found himself wishing the same thing.

Over the years the word family had meant many things to Ford. A loving mother who cared but ultimately never had a say in any of her husband's decisions. A father who had never really been much of a father at all. A brother who had meant the world to him for so many years until he suddenly didn't. And at one time, even, it had meant an assistant who was willing to work alongside of him in his scientific endeavors no matter what happened.

Oh, how things had changed.

Ford thought about this as they began to pack up, a good fifteen minutes later when Mabel began snoring almost too comically loud and Dipper looked dangerously close to shutting his eyes and tumbling right over into the water.

Stan elected to do all the heavy-lifting. While he loaded their things into the car, Ford took the role of gently carrying his slumbering niece to her seat and keeping an eye on the drowsy Dipper walking next to him. It had gotten considerably darker and much cooler out since the sun had went down. A chilly breeze ruffled his damp hair, but he strode on, unaffected.

He had other things on his mind.

As he set Mabel down on top of towels spread across the car's backseat, being extra careful not to rouse her, Ford had to admit: growing up his family life had never been…consistent. That was the best word to describe it. His mother and father—especially his father—had drifted in and out of the equation more and more frequently as he had grown older and began forming an identity of his own, and even though he and Stan had maintained a close relationship throughout their childhood, things had reached a tipping point after their falling out as teens.

Once Ford was able to finish college and go out living on his own, he was practically alone aside from Fiddleford McGucket. Their partnership had been a strong one at the time, but even that had proved to backfire. Immediately after the man's accidental glimpse into the portal he had gathered his things and left, and Ford couldn't say that the breakup didn't disappoint him, even just a little.

That was when the isolation began.

The all-nighters.

The distrust.

Bill Cipher.

After he and Stan's second falling out, that's when the idea of family had finally fizzled out once and for all for Ford. The only thing that had remained of family, his family, was the photo of he and Stan as children he had kept tucked away in his trench coat. Only a memory, only a picture, but it was something he had cherished all throughout the long, treacherous years on the other side of the portal. A memento of the old days, when things were brighter. When he had a family.

Ford climbed into the passenger's seat, buckling his seat belt. The engine rumbled to life, and within seconds they were pulling out of the lot and onto the road home.

Once Stan had started the portal up again and rescued him, Ford had been angry with him. Furious, even. He firmly believed that what the man had done was a stupid, stupid thing, and the grudge between the brothers had remained strong, even weeks after his return.

But even though they weren't on good terms, other things began happening to Ford. It had taken some time, sure, but in the weeks after he had emerged the portal he began growing close to his niece and nephew, closer than he had to anyone else he had ever known, aside from his brother and McGucket. And at first it had surprised him how persistent they were, how willing they were to try to make him a part of their lives. Heck, he had barely known them.

He had been quick to learn that Dipper was just like him as a child, curious and inquisitive about the world around him, a lover of the supernatural, and wise beyond his years. It had also come to him that Mabel was as unique as Stanley had been as a boy, but with her own bit Mabel charm added to it. She was a crafter, an artist with her very own view of the world, and he just knew that she would take the whole globe by storm as she grew older.

Ford twisted around in his seat. He smiled softly at the sight of both Dipper and Mabel fast asleep, their chests slowly rising and falling in the pale light of the moon. It had only been a matter of time before Dipper fell asleep, too, and he couldn't blame him. It had been an exhausting day, and sleep sounded more than appealing at the moment.

When he turned back again he caught Stan peeking at him with a slight smirk on his face, and he asked, "What?"

"Ah, nothin', nothin'." His brother waved him off, eyes focused on the road again. "So…you have a good time today?"

He nodded, leaning back in his seat. "It was one of the most wonderful days I've had in a long, long time, Stanley. I can't thank you enough for this."

"Good. I'm glad. Hope you're not sick of me yet, because it looks like we're gonna be stuck together for the next couple of months, eh?"

"Sounds spectacular."

Ford yawned as he watched the trees fly by outside. He tilted his head up, gazing thoughtfully at the brilliant stars decorating the night sky and the moon floating brightly above them. Beside him, Stan turned on the radio, twisting the dial down low to keep from waking Dipper and Mabel. Ford could hear him tapping the steering wheel and quietly humming to the music, his low voice intermingling with the twins' soft snoring. He smiled.

Growing up people had constantly wandered in and out of his life, but he knew who his family was now.

And if they could actually get him to relax, if they could get him to feel comfortable about the marks on his skin, if they could get him to laugh…

Well, then, what else couldn't they do?


A/N: Well, there it is, folks! The final chapter! I felt so warm and fuzzy on the inside writing this. I'm so thankful for all the feedback I've gotten on this fic, your reviews make me so happy! Quick question: is anyone else following the CipherHunt at the moment? Isn't it super cool and really insane? I hope they put together that whole puzzle soon.