(Mabel's PoV)
How did she get roped into doing this, she wondered as she crawled around in the attic. She knew she was up here because Dipper was looking for something and had planned on coming up here on his own, and she didn't want him to get hurt, so of course she volunteered instead. Wading through boxes for an old game he wanted to play. Honestly after he had explained it to her, she wanted to play as well, it sounded fun. Boxes full of stuff they didn't use anymore. Old lamps and photo albums, the old dishes she had liked but her mother had bought a new set.
She flipped open one of the photo albums looking at the pictures. Clearly it was her dad, a little baby... and someone that wasn't her mom. She flipped though more pages, finding the same people... over and over. It stopped when she looked about two, maybe younger. But her mother, and Dipper were nowhere to be found... she put the album aside to bring down, and she dug through the box finding another old album. This was was pretty much the same but reversed. It was her mom, and Dipper and some other guy... til about age two... she stacked it on the other... and pulled out other albums. All the pictures in these are ones she knew about... Her and Dipper, her mom and dad... but they were about maybe three and up in the pictures... come to think of it, she'd never seen baby pictures of her and Dipper. Why hadn't she ever wondered about it.
She carried the albums back from the attic and walked over tot he kitchen table... she continued to study the albums. Something had to be wrong... maybe it wasn't her and Dipper, maybe it was... she couldn't think of an explanation and she needed one. So she called for the only person that she knew could figure this out, and hoped that he had some kind of explanation that wasn't what she was thinking. Because it couldn't be right.
"Dipper?" she called over her shoulder loud enough that he'd hear her... and she waited... hoping that when he was finished looking, everything they knew wouldn't be in ruins.
"Hey did you find..." Mabel opened the two photo albums and pointed at them before he could finish. She watched him study both albums first pages. Then watched him do it again... and again... before looking through the rest of the two. Then she watched him toss the others open. She knew what he was looking for, and knew what he wasn't going to find. He was looking for the same thing she looked for, pictures of both of them together as babies... "No... this can't be right, something is wrong here. I know... birth certificates."
She followed him into the room their parents kept for paperwork, and when their father worked at home... watched him pull the filing cabinets open, and found what he was looking for. Same birth-dates, the times couldn't be right cause one was in the morning, hers And the other was at night, Dippers. And the parents names... just as she figured out, Their mom was Dipper's mom, their dad was Mabel's dad. And that's when she stopped looking and walked out of the room.
They'd been told all their lived they were twins... they looked alike, a lot alike. They had the same eyes, and hair color, they both were the same height, except she was a little taller, not much taller. Their faces looked alike, they HAD to be twins. What would be the point in lying to them all this time? It just couldn't be true... She pulled out her cell phone to call her... her mom wasn't her mom... in fifteen minutes time, nothing made sense... everything was upside down. So she called their mom any ways... maybe she had a reason... maybe they made a mistake.
"Hello?" She didn't know what to think when the phone was answered by the person she thought might be lying to him and her brother. "Mabel sweetie... are you there?"
"Oh... yeah. I had a... I went into the attic to find one of the old games for Dipper." she said, wondering if she would figure out why she was calling... hoping she didn't have to ask.
"Is everything alright? You sound a little... strange." I sound strange, she thought...
"Yeah... I um came across some photo albums. You know how I like pictures... scrap-booking. And I..uh, I..." she didn't know what to say, she wasn't sure when Dipper had come to stand next to her, his head next to hers so he could hear what she heard.
"Dipper saw them too? Okay... we'll be back on in two days... I think we should talk about it then. It'll be better than over the phone alright?" Their mom... his mom... their mom said? She couldn't wrap her mind around it.
"Does this mean that... Mabel and I..." Dipper started, he couldn't even finish.
"Whatever is in those photo albums changes nothing... I promise we'll talk about it when we get back... We love you both." Then Mabel ended the call... this album changed everything despite what their mom said... it changed their whole world... in fifteen minutes, it changed everything.
Mabel just stared at the books on the kitchen table. She didn't want to look at them. She wanted to destroy them... how could... now what? She and Dipper couldn't be together because they were siblings... so they put more effort into twin time... now they couldn't even be twins. What the hell... none of this was fair.
Dipper stood beside her as she sat at the table, he put an arm around her and she just leaned against him. Begging herself to just forget it. Pretend it never happened, go back to being twins... when their mom, their mom!, came back she'll said she didn't find the books... it never happened. Then she whispered, "We're twins..."
"I know..." she wished his voice had a bit more confidence... wished she didn't hear sadness in what he said. "No one knows... we don't have to stop being twins. We've been twins forever."
"Most of forever you mean." she sighed hating that she just reminded them both again what they found.
"So what... we can be what we want to be... we didn't start this." It made her wonder why their parents had started calling them twins. Maybe because they looked identical, acted the same? Because people thought they were twins? Because for some odd reason they were born on the same day? It was all too much, it was just too much. She clung to her brother... her brother, he was her brother. Had always been, as far back as she could remember. "Hey... at least we are not as weird as we thought we were..."
"True." Maybe they could be twins... and more than twins now. It's not weird or taboo anymore is it? No, it's not. But all the feelings she had had for Dipper, they were still there, she loved him more than a brother. Right now though, she was mourning the relationship, that might never be able to heal. They could call themselves whatever they wanted. But they'd know... would this cause them to drift apart? Would anything they did seem normal to them anymore... they couldn't just say, they were close because they were twins anymore. Would they be able to even still have twin time?
(Dipper's PoV)
Dipper had sat outside Mabel's room for the rest of they day. She went in there to be alone for a while, and had been crying ever since. He couldn't blame her, he wasn't sure what kind of effect this would have on their relationship. He leaned against the door that had been closed to him, that had never been closed to him. Would this be how everything would end... two people so close... in love with each other and couldn't do anything about it... end because they find out... the reason they couldn't be together was just a lie. Not just any lie, but a lie, from people they should have been able to trust. He wondered if Stan knew... since he was their father's uncle, would that even make him related to him. Was that why he always liked Mabel better? Because they were actually related.
Forget it for now, Mabel is upset and she needs you. He looked though the kitchen and finding Mabel's favorite gummy snacks. Then made her, her favorite sandwich for lunch. This would have to help... it'll at least give me an excuse anyways... normally he'd walk right in and find out what was wrong... but for the first time in forever, he didn't know if she wanted him to come in.
"Mabel?" he said opening the door enough to look in the room, Mabel sat on the floor with her back against the bed, and her knees against her chest. She looked up, tears still covered her face.
"What took you so long?" she asked looking up at him, he set the plate and candy down and went over to sit next to her, "I didn't think you'd come in."
"I didn't know if you wanted me to..." he sighed happily when she crawled into his lap.
"Those stupid pictures... their making us doubt each other... I wish I never found them."
"I wish I never wanted to get that game." He muttered.
(No One's PoV)
The next day was more difficult. Neither of them did much together, they even ate at different times. Neither of them planned it this way it just sort of happened. She finished her breakfast, and was leaving as he came in to find some. Lunch was close to the same thing. They spent most of their time in their rooms, not really doing anything, but neither knew exactly what to say. They both knew that, this might be the first day, in a very long time that didn't have twin time. They both desperately wanted to be with the other. They didn't want those photos effect them, didn't want anything to change. Things were in motion, and neither of them could figure out what they could do to stop it.
(Dipper's PoV)
With his sister closed off in her room, and him not knowing what to do for her, he decided to just go for a walk. He picked up his phone, wallet and keys before locking the door behind him. He just needed a good walk to clear his head. Then he'd be able to figure out just what he needed to do for Mabel, and himself, since he was also being effected by this issue. It was more than he could wrap his mind around.
He came across the strip mall, that was close to their house. It was odd, he'd been by this place many many times since they lived here... and never had he been here. He wandered through the stores, looking at things without actually looking at them. He stopped looking at a stuffed animal, a large stuffed panda, he was about to walk passed it when something in his mind told him that Mabel would like it. Not one to ignore thoughts like this he grabbed it paid for it.
He passed a few of the stores, them holding nothing of any interest to him. Looked inside the restaurant, maybe he could pick up dinner for them, they could eat together, he could give her the bear. Then maybe things might start to turn back to normal... wouldn't it? Or would things be tense until mom came back to explain things. He couldn't accept that, wouldn't accept that.
He ordered things that he knew Mabel would like, even if he wasn't completely crazy about them, that's what being twins was about right? Doing things the other likes, even if you don't, just to spend time together. He paid for it, and waited for the food to be ready. Thunder boomed over head, and he turned his head to look outside. He hadn't noticed the black clouds before, and sighed as it started raining. Great, now what? He didn't have an umbrella, he could call Mabel but... well best she had was the bikes and that wouldn't help.
He pulled out his phone to call his sister, least he could do was call her and let her know he got dinner and would be back as soon as he could. He waited for her to answer and had to call another couple times before she picked up.
"Dipper?" she asked hesitantly, maybe she was wondering why he was calling her when they bother were in the house.
"Yeah... I picked up dinner... but it's started raining. So... I'll be back as soon as it lets up some alright?"
"Oh... I didn't know you left... you could have asked me if I wanted to go with you." He smacked his forehead, why didn't he think about asking her to come with him... well because she'd been holed up in her room all day. Maybe like last night she was just waiting for him to come to her, to prove things were not different... maybe he should have just barged in and said...'We are going for a walk.'
"I should have asked... I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you I swear." the panda would go a long way, to helping bridge this gap... at least he hoped.
"Do you want to hang up now?" No he didn't...
"Not really. I want to talk to you... like before everything got so crazy." he sat in the chair, still waiting for his order.
"I know you said we didn't have to change... but Dipper. It hurts," she didn't have to explain... he knew what she meant. He felt it too. It was what they feared for as long as they could remember, something was pulling them apart. Even if they were not really twins, they could feel this pain equally. And he knew... he had to be with her now...
As soon as the food was brought to him, he asked for a couple extra bags to cover the bear in, and he told Mabel to wait for him, he was coming home rain or no rain. Once he had everything as water proof as he could manage, he darted out of the restaurant, and headed straight for home.
Mabel's PoV)
She hung up the phone after Dipper said he'd be there soon, she wandered out of her room. She hadn't even changed out of her pajamas yet. She went to the window next to the door and watched. Waiting to see if her brother was foolish enough to really run home in the rain. This wasn't the Dipper she knew, her Dipper would have waited where it was safe... was he taking the risks because he felt she wanted him back home?
No... they weren't twins, so any of that twin senses she thought they had were flukes or just imaginary. She noticed him coming down the road... okay she noticed a human shape running down the road towards their house. The rain was coming down so hard she couldn't really see him, but that was no matter, she opened the door as he sprinted across the yard. She expected him to continue to the bathroom to dry off when instead, he ran straight to her, and embraced her.
"Get off... you're getting me wet Bro-Bro... come on! Let go!" But she didn't mean it, she wrapped her arms around her dripping brother and held on tight. It was stupid to say she missed him, when she didn't even know he was gone... that that was what the entire issue was right? In her mind, him not being her twin, he was gone... But he was right here, he knew she wanted him home...
"Never..." he muttered into her arm, then finally he did let go... "Okay I'll let go for now, and dry off and change. You change too, since you got me all wet."
"I got you..." she smirked and didn't even know why. It was a stupid joke. "Just go get changed!"
Pretending to grumble she went to her room, and changed out of her pajamas... well it was about time... past time to change out of them anyways... actually it was almost time to change into one of her other sets. She decided to just change into normal clothes, and went out to wait for Dipper... She was inching towards the other bag that wasn't food... she almost had her hand on it.
"Wait for me." Dipper called out through his door, and her hand snapped away. How did he know? "Because you're my sister and I know you better than anyone... No I can't read minds... No I can't."
"That was majorly freaky Broseph." She just looked up the stairs. Could people develop twin senses? Or was he telepathic... had to be telepathic.
Dipper came down and looked considerably dryer. And walked over to the bag she had been about to grab. Then handed it to her, she looked at him then at the bag... before pulling several bags off. At first she thought this was one of Dippers attempts at a joke, a bunch of bags. Then the panda head appeared and she squealed... she honestly thought she was over the squealing phase.
"A Panda, I love pandas... where did you find him?" Dipper didn't answer at first, he just moved over and hugged her again. Things were going back to normal, and she liked it. She had been so worried about what their mom would say... she had closed herself off from her brother.
"Mabel... lets not even hear what mom has to say alright? We can just... be who we were. And forget about what's in those books." He said, not letting go. "I don't want to lose my sister over some stupid pictures."
"Awe, your not going to lose me Bro-Bro... your not that lucky."
With that they agreed that, for now. They didn't care about those pictures. They didn't need the answers. They were twins that loved each other, and were in love with each other... and nothing was going to change that, because they wouldn't let anything change it. They sat down and ate their dinner, then went to the couch, got into their usual position, and watched TV until they fell asleep. All was going to be alright.
A/N: So, this can stand as three chapters alone. I've only gotten one review on this. What do you guys think? End it here? Or continue? I only ask, cause without reviews, with the exception of one, I don't know if anyone is enjoying this story. This is my first attempt at a AU, and I really would like feed back on it. So review and let me know... don't want to review. PM me and let me know what you think.
Samuel Sadi