Rule Of Three
He came back feeling disoriented even though it hadn't shown on his face. Stanley was the only one he recognized in the room of strangers until he caught sight of the familiar but worn face of a woman hanging back, near the entrance. Her mouth hung open, like everyone else's, and she was clutching the aluminum frame of the door, knuckles white and legs shaking as if they couldn't support her weight anymore.
He thought she was going to faint at the sight of him.
When he called out for her she didn't run into his arms like he secretly hoped but crept over and hugged him gently, pulling away only to gaze into his eyes and search his face.
She had aged from when he last saw her but her eyes still held a youthful shine. She may have lost that adolescent naivety he remembered her with but in return, she gained an air of sophistication he found himself admiring.
"I can't believe this." She glanced at Stanley before settling her eyes back on him again. "I can't believe you're back."
In truth, while he was relieved to find her here upon his arrival, he was also confused.
What was she doing here?
He recalled pushing her away after finding out Bill's true intentions, like he pushed away everyone else. She was always nagging at him to phone his parents, to contact Fiddleford, to eat more, to sleep more, to work less. He hadn't bothered telling her the whole story, he didn't have time. In return, he could feel their relationship disintegrating even as she loyally stood by his side and watched him fall into a deep state of paranoia.
He hoped they'd be able to repair that.
xx
After both sides of the story were explained to the children and the man that was apparently Stanley's employee, he wondered why Stanley left out the reason she was involved. His twin would glare at the floor, the wall, down at his own clenched fists... anything but meet his eyes whenever her name came into the conversation. She stayed just as quiet as the children and handyman she sat beside, who seemed enthralled with the story. She never spoke up, she simply listened with her hands tucked under her legs.
Dipper turned to the woman, glee evident on his face.
"You knew the author of the journals? You knew him all this time?"
He spoke before she could answer.
"Of course! She's my girlfriend."
Dipper's pupils dilated and he shut his mouth instantly. Mabel looked just as uneasy as her brother.
"Ha ha, wow." Mabel said, trying to diffuse the tension but made no genuine attempt to further the conversation. Instead, she tried to lighten the tone. "Guess your dates must have been pree-tty crazy, huh?"
"She was never involved with the journals." Stanley spoke up, jutting his chin in her direction.
It made him feel defensive that Stanley was defending her alliance with him. How could his brother speak for her when he wasn't even around during that time?
No one responded after that. It felt like the room was engulfed in static and the first one to utter a word would be zapped.
He read the awkward silence like it was a surprise for the kids- a shock to their systems, then wondered nervously: Was she his girlfriend? He'd been gone thirty years but surely the fact that she was here right now meant that she hadn't forgotten about him. There was no ring on her finger so he knew she hadn't married.
His thoughts were interrupted with an even bigger concern; They heard the agents speaking above them.
Cursing Stanley in his head, he rushed to think of a solution when Dipper provided the mind-erasing gun from his backpack.
His heart lifted. "Of course. I don't know how you got a hold of one of these but this is perfect!"
He quickly altered the gun and converted it to work with the loud speaker. Upon activating the mind-erasing gun, he pushed the button with a hurried warning and quickly clasped his hands over his ears. He watched Stanley crouch down low along with the others, all huddled in a condense group, then felt an odd sensation in the pit of his stomach.
It was remarkable how much of a close-knit family the four of them looked like.
He shook himself off and straightened his back.
It was time to take care of the government agents raiding his home.
xx
He admired the improvised fax he held. Mabel's drawings were cute and she had them conveniently on hand. He made sure to fold them and tuck them away in his coat before feeding the flash drive to the goat that was roaming the lawn.
As the last vehicle drove away a meager applause rang out from behind. It was flattering albeit a little embarrassing.
"Great uncle Stanford, that was amazing!" Mabel cried. The twins both shared a look of glee as they ran towards him while the other three held back in the doorway. Stanley stood beside her and Soos with his arms crossed, looking unimpressed.
"You handled that really well, Ford." She came to stand close to the twins, looking shy.
Her compliment was especially gratifying, more so than the children's.
"You have some catching up to do though." Her voice pitched as she tried not to chortle. "Did you know vinyl is also out?"
His shoulders quaked with soundless laughter. "Chopin sounds better on a phonograph."
Stanley scoffed from behind them.
Dipper began to ask an onslaught of questions and while it was a bit overbearing since his mind was still a bit hazy he was immensely pleased with his nephew's interest in his work.
Stanley was quick to intervene and began to herd the kids back into the shack when she placed a hand on his arm, quietly telling him she'd get them to bed.
Ford felt a surge of affection shoot through him, seeing her with his niece and nephew. It was a picturesque moment despite the situation.
Would they have had children of their own right now if all of this hadn't happened?
xx
"Fine. On one condition; You stay away from the kids, I don't want them in danger."
Ford turned his back and glared at nothing in specific. Stanley continued his spiel, catching his attention once more when he mentioned her name.
"You should know that she's been living here. She's... I hired her."
"That won't be a problem." He replied pointedly.
She wasn't the problem, she could stay; Stanley was the problem.
He was upset for many reasons, the rational part of him was blind to everything else. It was a pointless grudge but he was too stubborn to let it go. Stanley caused him to lose thirty years of his life, wandering and trapped within numerous dimensions, spanning across the multiverse. He may have brought him back, no small feat for his brother, but Stanley was also the one who sent him there in the first place.
Then she tentatively came in through the doorway.
She was judging them, trying to figure whether it was a good time to make an appearance or not but he was finished with talking to Stanley for the night. He made his point and was standing firmly with it. Turning fully to face her, he spread his arms open in a gesture of welcome and said her name affectionately.
"It's good to see you again."
She managed a weak laugh before her voice cracked. "I've missed you too, Ford."
His eyes roamed across her body, taking her appearance in once more. It was surreal that she was in front of him again. He spent countless hours envisioning her, trying to hold on to the memory of what she looked like, what her voice sounded like.
The atmosphere was broken by a heavy sigh.
"I knew it." Stanley mumbled. His voice was so low, Ford doubted his brother even meant to say it out loud. It likely just slipped out. The meaning was lost to him and he brushed it off as infantile behaviour; Stanley was just bitter that they were reuniting in front of him.
He watched Stanley creep away, posture slumped and looking defeated, through the corner of his eyes. Even after thirty years, his grudge held strong. Stan may have brought him back but that certainly wasn't going to undo his wrongdoings from the past in his books. He wouldn't be forgiven that easily.
He let him leave.
When he turned his attention back to the woman in front of him, he caught her worried gaze lingering on his retreating brother.
"He'll be fine." He assured her. "But I believe we need to have a talk that's long overdue."
She offered him a shaky smile and took his outstretched hand. Her fingers slipped through his, clumsily, like she'd forgotten how they used to intertwine.
Taking a deep breath, Ford prepared himself for what he was going to say. He recited it over and over again while trapped in the portal, it was a planned speech and all that was left was her response to it. Speculations couldn't make up for the real thing.
He squeezed her hand and began.
"Being in the portal gave me time to contemplate our relationship, I'm sure you can imagine all the time I had to dwell over my feelings and my mistakes."
There was a pause and he almost sucked in air the wrong way, causing him to cough. She rubbed his back and nodded, allowing him to continue.
"I rejected you when you were there for me, thinking I was protecting you- no doubt only hurting you in the process, so.." His heart pounded in his ears, rattling his head. If either of them looked down at that moment, he was sure they'd see the throbbing organ pulsating through his chest. "I want to keep you by my side properly. I do, well, love you. Even if I never told you." His voice dipped shyly nearing the end of his speech.
Tears welled up in her eyes. She smiled and wiped them away with a finger, carefully trying not smudge her scant makeup. A pearl of laughter slipped from her lips; a spark of hope was alighted in Ford's chest.
"I wish you told me that sooner, Ford.. But I'm also glad you didn't."
The bubble burst. He tried to swallow his surprise and keep his voice steady but he was sure it wouldn't work.
"What is it?" He deadpanned.
She was visibly struggling to find her next words.
"I'm involved with Stan, um, I mean Stanley."
He wasn't sure whose hand started to sweat, causing the other one to feel clammy but it was likely both of theirs at that moment.
"I really care for him.. we support each other and I don't want to ruin that bond we share. I wanted to help you, Ford, but you never wanted me. You handled everything yourself and it was hard for me. You must have had a reason but you kept me in the dark and alienated everyone."
She resumed the childlike response. Her argument was all over the place and her reasons were weak, with little evidence to support them but he could tell she meant every word she said, she could have been speaking an entirely different language and he, still, would not miss the heartfelt and raw emotion behind them.
"I know you're still upset with him. I know he's partially the reason you were lost, Heaven knows where, for so long but if you hadn't disappeared, I would never have realized that our relationship was this rocky and you would never have realized your feelings either. Maybe the time we spent apart helped us mature or maybe we've just grown old."
By this point the world was spinning and the room had grown stuffy. There wasn't enough oxygen and he didn't have the lung capacity to intake enough air.
She ended with a simple and graceless sentence: "I trust him and you're lucky to have him as a brother, just like he's lucky you have you. You both mean a lot to me."
"You're..." He tried to clear his throat. He had suddenly become parched and his throat felt tight. A lump was forming within it. "You're with Stanley?"
She looked like she was going to burst into tears and he suddenly felt guilty, as if it were his fault she was going through this. But it certainly wasn't.. Thirty years and he had come back not to a welcoming party but to heartbreak? He tried and succeeded with keeping his skepticism in check as she continued.
"I'm sorry. I know we never... broke up before any of this happened."
Her hand began to slip from his grasp.
"I can't say I'm surprised you've moved on...it was inevitable. It's been a long time and things weren't precisely going favorably while- well, before I vanished." He stopped shortly and knew the discomfort was showing on his face.
"I never expected you to turn to Stanley." he finished.
"Stanford, please understand that-"
"When?"
She paused to interpret what he meant. He didn't have to elaborate because a flash of realization alighted in her eyes. "Ten years after you disappeared. It's only ever been you and Stanley."
Twenty years, then. She'd been with Stanley for twenty years.
A choked sob erupted from her and like a dam breaking, her calmness spilled over and ran down the stream.
"I'm so sorry. I- I'm really s-" She blubbered.
He pressed a finger to her lips, silencing her. When he was sure she wouldn't continue, he slowly lifted it and brushed a strand of hair from her face.
"Is Stanley your choice..?" He asked carefully, searching her eyes for any trace, any hint of resignation.
"Truthfully... I do feel a bit of doubt but I know if I let him go I-I'll be unhappy with my decision." She drew in a quivering breath and looked him straight in the eyes. "I still love you."
The sentence trailed off like she meant to say more but held back; He knew what she meant.
It wasn't the same type of love she had for Stanley.
"Life moves on. I understand that." Ford straightened up and brushed an invisible speck of dust from his coat sleeve.
"I'll admit I'm not happy with the results of my absence but I want you to live a happier life- even without me in it." The facade was very fake and very apparent through the volumes of his voice. He tried to console her despite the anguish he was experiencing, himself. "Love does that." He added, as if it were an afterthought.
A set of fresh tears overflowed and trickled down her cheeks. She reached over to give him and hug and he melted into it, not wanting her to let go. Once she removed her arms, he kept his own arms around her for a mere seconds more before letting go.
Letting go; physically but not emotionally, he thought to himself, miserably.
Her mascara was long forgotten and she had smears of black trailing down her cheeks. She seemed to realize this without him voicing it and used the sleeve of her sweater to rub at her face, ineffectively trying to erase the traces. lessen
It was more of a last ditch effort to touch her one last time; he brought a hand up to cup her chin and gently rubbed under her eyes, wiping away the smears.
He had to force himself again to release her chin from his grasp. They stood together before she offered him such melancholic smile it made his heart clench, then slowly backed away to leave. He watched her go, frozen in the same position, left to ponder the situation.
He then headed for the kitchen, feeling dazed and mindlessly scratched at his chest. It felt itchy.
Stanley had liked her? How had they formed a relationship? Somehow, during his time spent in an alternate universe Stanley had grown close to her, developed feelings for her?
He had a faint memory of the way Stanley lit up when a younger version of her showed up outside of their class to give them the cookies.
...or perhaps his brother had feelings for her even before all of this happened... he was just too oblivious to see it.
Out of the kitchen window he saw her catch up to Stanley and grasp his hand. They were far away but even so, he could see they held hands without the hesitation and fumbling she had previously with himself.
Stanley's shoulders tensed up and he had uneasiness written all over his face. They looked like they were dogs with their hackles raised about to fight. Watching their mouths move in silence and trying to pick out the words they were forming was proving impossible at the speed they were talking. Numerous emotions flicked across their faces, like flipping channels on a TV.
She shook her head furiously, splaying her hair across her shoulders. There was a moment when Stanley's eyes narrowed and roved across her face. He began lifting his free hand but dropped it immediately and tried to look impassive.
Ford adjusted his glasses so he could scratch at the corner of his eyes, they were tingling and irritated just like his chest had a seemingly never-ending itch. Then he looked back to the scenario outside.
Stanley must have said something uncalled for because they both froze for just split second. It appeared as if he were apologizing but she suddenly leapt into him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing her eyes shut. They held each other tightly- wrinkles forming on each other's clothes from their grasps and even from this distance, Ford could see a tear leak from Stanley's eyes as he grinned and tucked her head into his neck.
It hurt.
He would never gain back that affection she had for him in their younger days, there was nothing he could do about it short of erasing her from his memories and that was improbable due to the metal plate.
He would once again throw himself into his work. Discover new abnormalities, investigate phenomenal occurrences, vanquish Bill Cipher for good.
If he'd known this is how things were going to turn out once he got back, he would have stayed. He ached for the solitude of the fifty-second dimension right now.
He truly hadn't expected her to wait for him on account of the extensive time passage. He knew thirty years had passed but it felt like less, it felt like he had been stuck in a limbo. In his mind- they hadn't ever broken up. While stuck in the portal, he plotted various outcomes upon his return to her but the main aspect was that they were still together.
Then, like a exiting a wormhole, he had come out the end where their roles were reversed and the hero was Stanley. An alternate universe where Stanley; driven and loyal, used his brain for once and rebuilt the portal, accomplished and redeemed himself by working so hard to build something out of nothing. Stanley; surrounded by family.
It was the outcome where Stanley Pines got the girl.
Ford thought, maybe he had been the lucky one. Stanley was the one who turned out alright and had it made in the end.
Year Of The Cat - Al Stewart
I Don't Want To Play In Your Yard - Peggy Lee
Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
I kind of planned for this chapter to be the end since it was plotted out before the finale but there might be an epilogue to tie up some lose ends and retell this scene from another perspective.
