Before you get on to the actual chapter, there's something that you all should know…
I'm an idiot. Let me explain in a more understandable and clear matter;
The person DragoncatKHfan pointed out an error in my story that shows how ignorant I am when it comes to family member terms.
Ford is Mabel's Great Uncle but he and Marshall are brothers. Marshall is Mabel's father so….Yeah, that doesn't make any sense. I've gone back and changed any mentions of brother to nephew. This doesn't leave a huge dent in the plot. In fact, it doesn't affect the story whatsoever. You don't have to read the first two chapters again because I really didn't change anything other than Marshall and Ford being brothers.
Honestly, I had the idea that Marshall would be a super young brother to Ford. Ford would be in his sixties and Marshall would be in his thirties but…Scrap that. This entire thing really was just a small mess. In short words; Ford is Marshall's uncle and Marshall is his nephew. Clear? Clear.
Anyways, here is the third chapter!
Summary~ Mabel Pines and her family move to their Great Uncle Ford's house/tourist trap; 'The Mystery Shack' in Gravity Falls. With Mabel in deep depression, Ford finds someone who he can finally relate to. But she was so broken, he didn't want her to live in this state. However, is it a good idea to build a bond with his niece? What troubles will occur?
"You'd be surprised at how much you can have in common with someone completely different from you"- Unknown
"C'mon…C'mon….Ugh!" Ford let out a groan of frustration.
He had spent about two hours all locked up in his room, all of his focus centered on the steel machinery in front of him.
Ford leaned back in his black chair, exasperated with how things were currently going.
Marshall and Rebecca were still outside. Wendy was working the cash register while Soos was leading the tourists around the Shack, showing off the obviously fake merchandise that the gift shop had to offer.
He had been working on finishing off a previous invention that he had left uncompleted for weeks now.
Clearly, he was doing something wrong. He just didn't know what.
His mission was going miserably and he wasn't feeling enthusiastic about spending another lifetime sitting down, trying to make sense of this complication in front of him.
As soon as he stood up, he regretted the action.
'Ow. My butt. Damn it…'
He shook his arms and legs out to get some feeling of liveliness back into his nerves.
Nope. Didn't work.
"Perhaps now would be a good time to go for coffee" He muttered to himself.
It wasn't the healthiest drink he could have but screw it, he was tired and needed energy. And taking a little nap wouldn't restore any stamina in his body. If anything, it would reduce it to a lower level.
Stepping out of his room, a scent of maple syrup filled his nostrils.
Either someone was cooking something or he suddenly developed a weird disorder that makes him smell particular foods or drinks.
His feet carried him to the kitchen where he saw Soos setting two pancakes down on a white plate.
The syrup that was sprawled on the pancakes although a bit messy could easily be seen as a smiley face.
He felt his stomach growl which alerted his handyman.
"Oh! Hey Mr. Pines" He said cheerfully.
Ford however looked confused as Soos started to pour orange juice into a green colored glass.
"Um…Soos, what's the meaning of this?" He asked.
"Business in the Shack has slowed down a bit. There are less tourists so Wendy decided to take over for me"
"Then who's working the register?"
"Wendy"
"She's doing two jobs at once? Wow…She can barely do one. But I still don't understand"
"Well, I thought it would be a good idea to make something for Mabel so I turned towards pancakes. Wendy agreed to take over my shift while still maintaining hers. A lot of time has passed since breakfast and she hasn't eaten anything since then so she's probably starving. Plus, she doesn't look too good. Her mood seems to be dampened so maybe these smiley pancakes will cheer her up!"
Ford frowned. He knew Soos was simply trying to help but judging by Mabel's behavior today, he doubted that her spirits would be lifted by a platter of food.
But it had been quite a while since she had eaten breakfast. Come to think of it, it had been quite a while since he had even eaten anything.
He grabbed a quick banana from the basket of fruits next to the refrigerator before patting Soos's shoulder.
"You're a good man Soos…Or man child, I don't know. But, try to be a little gentle when giving her the food alright. She doesn't look like a happy camper so I don't think she'll be up for your, erm, Soosiness"
"Sure thing Mr. Pines!" He said, leaving the kitchen to walk up to the attic.
Stanford was about to peel the yellow skin off of the banana when he realized something.
'I came here for coffee! The banana can wait!'
He put the fruit back from where he picked it up and began making himself a cup of coffee.
His mind wavered as he thought about his niece.
Everything he did or everywhere he went, she lingered around in the back of his head. He wanted to help her so badly but how he would convince her to go see a therapist was beyond him.
He could just try talking to her but looking back at all the interactions they had, that idea would probably plunge straight into the ground.
Scared, nervous, tired, shaken etc.
These were all the traits he noticed Mabel was carrying on her shoulder. Some he could tell by her emotional state while others were easily found by just looking at her.
But he was going to help his niece. No doubt. He wasn't going to let her suffer like this. He knew how she felt.
He'd been there before.
Soos hummed a soft tune as he went up the staircase.
He stopped at the attic door and heard a few sniffles but nothing else.
"Poor girl" He thought sadly. His knuckles rapped against the door which elicited a surprised gasp.
"Who's there?"
She was just barely audible. If it wasn't for Soos pressing his ear up to the door, he wouldn't have heard a thing.
"Um…It's me dudette. Soos. You know, the guy with the green shirt and cap you met yesterday. Anyway, I brought you some food. Figured you might be starving…"
An awkward silence passed on.
"Put it on the floor outside please"
He frowned. He would've much preferred to hand it over in person but he didn't want to start a scene or put the girl in an uncomfortable situation.
He set the plate and glass on the wooden floor before backing up. "It's on the ground. Uh…Hope you like it" Soos said glumly before leaving, his hands stuck in his pockets.
Mabel left sweater town to go see if there was an actual plate of food out her door or if it was just a cruel joke.
She looked out her room and right there on the floor was a plate of pancakes along with a glass of orange juice.
Tears pricked at her eyes and she slapped herself for being so weak.
"It's just food Mabel! Stop being such a baby!" She roughly whispered.
The plate and glass was taken inside. Mabel ate the pancakes in a hurry, as if she was afraid they were going to disappear. However, she stopped as soon as she felt water trickle down her cheek.
Dipper let out a whiny groan as the ray of sunlight fell on his face. He kicked off his blankets in annoyance and glared at the window to his room. However, his glare soon turned into a smile as he saw his sister sleeping safe and sound on the other side of the room.
He walked over to her bed and poked her cheek in an attempt to determine whether she was in a deep sleep or on the verge of waking up.
"Deep sleep it is!" He whisper yelled. He glanced over at the clock. It was eight o' clock.
He went downstairs and walked into the kitchen. His parents weren't there.
He raised an eyebrow. Were they still asleep?
"Oh! I know! They went outside for grocery shopping! They said that last night!" Parents leaving a pair of six year olds at alone would be considered bad parenting but Dipper had argued that he and Mabel were mature enough to handle staying by themselves.
The only reason he wanted them to leave him and his twin sister at home was because he was preparing a surprise breakfast for Mabel.
His parents had specifically told him to stay away from the oven or microwave. They didn't want any food catastrophe happening.
However, he ignored them. He was going to make Mabel breakfast no matter what!
He grabbed the box of pancakes that was set on black shelf in next to the microwave before opening it up.
Dipper was smarter than most six year olds. He had observed how his parents used the oven and he had even read it up himself.
"I've got this under control…" He muttered cockily.
He set out two pancakes in front of him on a white platter.
"One for me! One for Mabel!"
He then turned on the oven and read the instructions written on the back of the box.
Following suit, everything was going fine. He made sure the pancakes didn't burn, flipping them appropriately.
Sadly, one of the pancakes had burnt. Dipper frowned. To be fair though, it was his first time ever using an oven. He looked at the one burnt pancake and the one clean pancake.
"I'll take the burnt one and I'll give the clean one to Mabel!" Problem solved. This breakfast was for her after all.
He took the two pancakes and set them both on separate plates. Something was missing though. He couldn't tell what…
"Maple syrup!" He rummaged through the fridge, drastically looking for the bottle. When he finally found it, he made a smiley face on both pancakes.
"There we go! A bit messy though…" He said. He took some syrup off with his fingers and licked it.
"Tasty! Still bummed mine got burnt though…Whatever. Now we just need drinks!" His original plan was to go with a cup of soda but…That wouldn't really fit with pancakes.
So instead he grabbed a carton of orange juice. He poured the contents of it into two separate glasses.
"Ah! The perfect breakfast" He said with confidence. He took both plates to the dining table and followed with the two drinks. He quickly ran upstairs to see how his sister Mabel was doing. She wasn't in bed. He rubbed his chin in curiosity but was startled to hear a door open behind him.
"Hey Dipdop" Mabel said chirpily although the sleepiness in her voice was clear.
"Did you brush your teeth?" She nodded.
Dipper ran past her and turned around at the last second.
"Hey Mabel! You suck!" He yelled in a rough voice. He internally smiled as Mabel gasped. His plan was going perfect.
"Oh no you don't! Come back here!" She chased him all the way to the table where he set up their breakfast.
Mabel stopped in confusion. She looked to Dipper for answers but saw a smile on his face.
"Tada!"
She still didn't get what was happening.
"Who made this?" She asked, clearly curious. Mom and dad went outside for grocery shopping. They couldn't have. And if they made them, then they would be cold by now since they left for the grocery store an hour ago.
"I made it! It's a surprise breakfast! I burnt one pancake though. But I'll eat that one. You can eat the non-burnt one. Do you like it?"
Dipper didn't get any answer. He looked down at the floor. "This was stupid, wasn't it?" However, this time he got a bone crushing hug from his sister.
"Thank you so much! I'm starving!" She said, pulling out a chair and eating away.
She frowned when she saw Dipper eating the burnt pancake. "Hey silly. You don't have to eat that. We'll share mine"
She saw her brother smile. That heartwarming smile that made her feel accomplished on the inside. He sat beside her and they both laughed as they shared the pancake and downed their glasses orange juice.
Mabel's bottom lip quivered as she continued to eat.
Soos strolled through the kitchen, bent over in disappointment.
Ford looked up to see his employees figure and could tell straight away that the encounter did not go well.
"What happened Soos?" He knew what the answer was going to be but still wanted to hear how it went.
"She didn't even open the door…I set the plate outside for her to pick up"
Ford rubbed his temples out of misery. She didn't even want to show herself.
What a disaster….
"It's okay Soos. You tried. She's probably just shy or in a bad position"
He watched the man gloomily walk back to the gift shop.
Ford cracked his knuckles before heading towards the staircase.
He wanted to see if his niece had picked up the food.
Thankfully, he saw that there was no plate in front of the door, signaling that she had taken it inside.
He pressed his ear to the door and heard sounds of chewing.
A smile shaped on his face.
He was going to knock and see if she would respond. He needed to see how she was doing.
He raised his hand but a voice from downstairs cut him off.
"We're back!"
Ford grunted. Of all the times for his nephew and wife to return, it had to be right before he checked up on his niece. Of course.
He climbed down the stairs and saw his nephew wearing one for the most ridiculous hats he's ever seen in his entire life.
"Hey Ford! Look at what I won at the carnival!"
Wendy burst out giggling as Soos shook his head in disgust.
"Aw dude. That's...uh…an interesting choice in hat design"
Ford walked over to his nephew, snatching the hat off of his head.
"What in blazes is this? It looks like the head of a chicken!"
Rebecca shook her head. "I told you Marshall, this hat was not worth the ludicrous amount of money you wasted on that one challenge"
"Yes it was honey! I like the hat! It looks cool"
Ford adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms. "I can verify that this hat is not cool"
"Whatever. Anyways, the carnival was a blast! I think the town loves us!"
His nephew went on to blabber about their experience at the event but Ford tuned out.
He looked back up at the stairs and frowned.
'I'll have to talk with her later'
"C'mon…Yes!" Ford exclaimed. He was thrilled that he finally managed to make sense of the machinery he had been working on in the morning.
It was now night time. Everyone had gone to sleep. Except for him or course.
A spark of electricity sounded through his empty and hollow room. Soon a light appeared from the machine, illuminating his slightly dark work space.
He grabbed a beaker that was occupied with hot water.
The liquid went down the small little tube that was attached to the machine at the back.
A sigh of relief ejected from his mouth. He was finally going to finish off this creation and then he would always be alerted whenever the Shack was in danger. Whether it was a nearby fire or an actual threat, he would be prepared thanks to this invention.
His hand shot out to grab the metallic watch that was laid out on the side.
He slapped it on his wrist, making sure it stayed there perfectly still.
His watch was ready to set off a little alarm which would be activated by the rectangular machine in front of him.
If this alarm went off, that meant there was trouble. Trouble that he would take care of.
Once he saw that the water had disappeared entirely, he picked up the machine with pride.
"Another invention finished! And this one is actually important!"
He put his latest creation softly on the table, pushing it against the wall.
His eyes drooped as tiredness took over his body. However, he had one more thing to do.
Going back in the gift shop, he looked at the stairs that were leading up to the attic. Now he could finally visit his niece with zero interruptions…
Well, she was asleep so he couldn't have a conversation with her but he needed to see how she was doing.
He made sure not make any uproarious sounds as he travelled towards her room.
Ford actually felt thankful that the attic didn't have a lock.
He opened the door gently and saw her sleeping peacefully in her bed, the comforters lazily covering her torso.
However, after closer inspection he could see something next to her.
It was a portrait.
And the portrait was…Mabel and….
He froze. Dipper. Mabel and Dipper.
Stanford closed his eyes as hard as he could, fearing that his heart would break if he captured the sight of that image again.
It took a lot for Ford to be shattered emotionally. So this was quite the achievement. But not one that was to be proud of.
A glance showed him the necklace he saw her wearing when she first arrived at Gravity Falls.
He stepped a little closer and saw the Big Dipper constellation-
Ford felt his eyes burn. He turned around. He did not need to see any of this.
However, he couldn't just leave her like that. He had to do something. Coming up here, looking at her and then going back downstairs was utterly useless.
He caught the sight of a pink notebook set on the wooden table that was in the center of the room.
He grabbed it. An idea formed in his mind.
He ripped a lined piece of paper as quietly as he could before setting the notebook back down. Maybe he could write a letter explaining how much the people around her cared. She didn't have to be afraid. Yes, surely that will make her feel more at home.
Or at least that's what he hoped for.
He took a pen out of the chest pocket that was on his big beige trench coat.
He began writing. Surely it would probably look quite messy once finished but all that mattered was that it got the point across: There was nothing to be afraid of.
'Dear Mabel-
Ever since you've arrived at Gravity Falls, you've showed signs of suffering. You're in pain because of the sad loss of your twin brother: Dipper Pines. I understand how you feel. I know you're feeling lost and afraid without your brother by your side but you can't keep living like this Mabel. Don't you see? We care about you. Soos cares about you. Wendy cares about you. Your parents care about you. I care about you. You don't have to lock all your thoughts and feelings away in your heart. We're here for you. If there's something wrong, you need to tell us. We'll help you through it. You're not alone. I know that it's hard for you to move on without Dipper. But do you think he would want you to live like this? Do you think he would enjoy seeing you like this? The answer is no. He would want you to keep pleasant memories about him and then move on. But you don't have to move on by walking a lonely road. You have us! Please Mabel, all I ask of you is-
A soft moan interrupted his writing session. He turned to look at Mabel.
Luckily, she was still sleeping but she looked uncomfortable. He frowned.
He knew that it was risky to continue writing but he needed to finish this.
to remember that if you need help with anything, you've got the entire Shack to lend you a hand. Don't think low of yourself. You are an innocent sweetheart.
-Your Great Uncle Ford
His eyes widened as he realized just how much he had written down.
'When did you become so sappy Ford?'
He set the note tenderly on the table.
There was one thing he still had to do.
He pulled the blanket closer up to Mabel's chin. He picked up the portrait and benevolently put it on her chest.
She immediately wrapped her arms around it.
He gave her a sad smile before heading out the room, closing the door with a soft click.
He went back inside his room and took off his glasses, setting them on the counter next to the couch.
"Hope Ford. Hope for her"
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This story just hit over ten thousand words so…Cool. And we're only on the third chapter lol.