Dipper could barely pay attention to the sermon. He stared at the open casket and felt numb all over. He expected everyone in town to be sobbing and crying, but no one really shed a tear. It was sobering. His parents ran the funeral parlor, and had attended their son's body. The seemed to smile less, and held each other hands during the reverend's speech.
Wendy, Tambry and the rest of the teens sat in the row behind DIpper and his family. He wanted to look back and see how they were doing, but he knew his attention needed to be forward.
He felt a squeeze on his shoulder, and looked back, Wendy gave him a smile. He set his hand on top of hers and gave her one too. She twisted her hand to be palm to palm and interlocked her fingers. Dipper felt paper in his hand. She gave him a strong stare to make sure he understood, and withdrew her hand, leaving the note she slid to him safely invisible from watching eyes.
Dipper slid it inside his jacket pocket and listened as almost everyone in town went to the podium to share stories, or memories of Robbie.
"We all knew he was the one who spray painted the muffin on the water tower." Sherif Blubs said with a chuckle. "We didn't have the heart to let him know he left one of his CDs up there. I never knew why he was always so angry with everything."
"When I met Robbie, we were on the playground in third grade." Lee said, clearly struggling "Some other kids were kicking dirt on me. Robbie ran up and chased them way. He was always cool, confident, and full of heart, even if he acted like he shunned everything, it was…. just Robbie."
Dipper smiled as Lee sat down. They heard from almost the whole town. Each one telling an anecdote or story, each a fond memory of the man Dipper only barely knew. He wished he spent more effort getting to know him than fighting with him for Wendy's affection.
He watched Wendy walk to the podium, look down at Robbie's sleeping face and smile.
"I knew Robbie as long as I've known all of you. He has been a constant in our lives, binding us together. He was a piece of all of us. I can tell everyone a funny story or joke to lighten the mood, but we all know things happen in this town… things we want to unsee or unknow… but, I will never unsee Robbie in my life, or forget him. This town, we all know secrets, and that's something we do, we keep them. Maybe… we'll have one more that as a collective we know, but never speak of."
Wendy couldn't hold her tears back, and ran down the aisle and out the door. Tambry made her way on stage with a confused look, but smiled to everyone and began her turn.
Tambry talked about Robbie, the same as everyone else, but Dipper's mind tuned it out. He kept thinking about what Wendy said, and the way she was acting. He fidgeted with the paper in his pocket, and wanted to pull it out, but Mabel kept looking over at him. No matter how curious he was, he needed to sit here and respect the passing of his friend.
The wake was held at the funeral home Mr. and Mrs. Valentino owned. Everyone ate food, talked and laughed. A large picture of Robbie hung in the center of the room. Dipper excused himself from Pacifica and Billeah and made his way to the bathroom.
Once inside, he withdrew the note from his pocket and opened it.
Meet me tonight at midnight graveside. Bring the books.
-W
Dipper's fingers went numb. Wendy's speech made more sense now. He knew what she was going to ask him to do. He only raised the dead once, and that was to prove to Agent Trigger and Agent Powers the book was real, and it almost killed half the town.
Dipper needed to talk to someone about this. If he didn't show, who knew what Wendy would do. For now he needed to go out and mingle.
Splashing some water on his face, he adjusted his tie and walked down the hall to regroup at the wake.
He grabbed a plate, took a few pieces of shrimp and a sandwich and sat down at one of the tables. As he was eating, he saw Wendy was talking to Mr. and Mrs. Valentino. They seemed to be having a serious discussion, and Wendy kept looking behind her nervously.
"Hey…" Someone said behind him. Dipper almost spilt his juice all over his suit. Looking up, Pacifica stood behind him, smiling. "This seat taken?"
"Even if it was, it's yours now." Dipper said. He stood up and pulled out her chair. She sat down and took a drink of her juice.
"I hardly knew him… I spent some time with him at the lake party. He seemed… quaint." Pacifica said. "I don't understand why… I just feel something's missing."
"Me too. When I first moved here he was kinda cool. Then he got this CD and was trying to brainwash Wendy into liking him. After I stopped him, we had a huge competition to win her over…" Dipper said, pushing some of his food around with a fork.
"I see." Pacifica said. Dipper looked over to her. He swore she had a hurt look on her face.
"That was years ago." He added with a chuckle. "I was twelve and impressionable."
"I… hope it's not… inappropriate to ask." Pacifica said, twisting her napkin. "This being a time of mourning and all."
"What?" Dipper said.
"Well, everyone's gone for the week. Mom and Dad went to some function in New York. The house is really big and really empty. All this… I don't want to be alone." Pacifica said.
"Do you want to stay the night with us? Mabel and Billeah would love to have you." Dipper said with a smile.
Pacifica closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She put on a smile and nodded. Dipper could tell that's not the answer she wanted, but she accepted the compromise.
"Look, I'd love to come over tonight and hang out." Dipper said, grabbing her hand. "I really would. I have some research to do in the woods later, and I don't know how long I'll be. I'd rather you be at my place anyway. I can't tell you much but trust me ok?"
"I can come help… whatever you're doing. I've become more capable." Pacifica said, she had an almost desperate pleading look in her eyes.
"I think you would do better staying with Mabel and Billeah till I get back. I'm… I'm meeting Wendy. She asked me to come to the graveyard. I'm worried she's going to do something crazy, or ask me to do something crazy."
"All the more reason I should come and talk some sense into you." Pacifica said defiantly. "We all know how you get around her, and if she's crying and asking you to… oh god." Pacifica said, covering her mouth. "Dipper!"
Dipper stared at the food on his plate.
"Is that what she's going to ask you to do? Remember the Karaoke party? I thought her speech was ominous." Pacifica said. "No, you mustn't go."
"I'm going to weigh my options." Dipper said softly. "Robbie is… important. Not just to his family and friends, but really… really important. Just like you. I'm not going into this half-cocked. I'm going to go over my options with Stan and see what he thinks."
"Ok, that's fine." Pacifica said, jamming her fork into a cooked carrot. The scraping sound made Dipper wince. "I'm going with you, and I won't take no for an answer."
Dipper sighed and relented. Maybe she was right, Dipper could have all the best intentions. But, if Wendy was crying and begged him, he might cave. It was hard to tell his first love no.
"You better eat, you're going to need it tonight," Pacifica said sternly.
"Hey guys!" Mabel said, sitting down next to Pacifica, Billeah followed close behind and sat next to Dipper.
"What's going on?" Billeah asked.
"We're going to have a slumber party." Pacifica said with a grin. Billeah and Mabel gave a quiet cheer and dug into the food on their plate. Dipper forced himself to eat, each bite felt like it wanted to crawl back up every time he looked over at Wendy, who was still talking to the Valentinos.
"DIPPER!" Mabel screamed. "WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND RAISING THE DEAD? DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THE KARAOKE PARTY?"
"What happened at the Karaoke party?" Stan asked.
"Oh, it was a big event that we had to bring people to the Shack.. I asked Dipper one thing, not raise the dead… and what does he do?
"Raise the dead?" Stan said.
"EXACTLY!" Mabel said. "Took all of us to kill them all again and keep the townies from finding out. Luckily they thought it was part of the act…"
"Hey, what happened with the Puppet show?" Dipper asked, remembering how hopeful Mabel was about the failed show due to Bill's attempts at getting the Journals.
"Oh that? It went off without a hitch. After my first date with Gabe, I found him to be a little creepy. He had me wear a puppet of myself, and would only talk to me through his own sock puppet. Then it got weird."
"How did it get any more weird?" Dipper asked. "Because, that is in itself five levels below creepy."
Mabel and Billeah grinned at each other and shrugged.
"But the laptop… in my version, I summoned Bill to tell me the password. He possessed me and tried to steal the journal and your show went down in flames. There was literal fire in your show."
"You said the timer ran down, you got frustrated and threw it across the room, and found the thingie that lead you to McGucket repairing the laptop."
"Huh…" Dipper said.
"I don't think this will be a good idea." Billeah said. "The string is broken and cannot be re-tied. There is a hole in the barrier. Even if he's brought back, it won't be filled."
"If we make a deal, could he be restored?" Dipper asked Billeah. Her eyes went wide as she wrung her hands.
"Please… don't say it so casually." Billeah said. "I could… raise him, but you already can with the books, or we can go back to before."
"Stop… stop… reel it back." Stan said. "Dipper, I may have given you my journals, but you're not exactly an expert at all of this yet. I get Robbie's death is going to be hard on you kids, but you know this is a bad idea."
"Can you go over the entries with me? Maybe we can find a way to focus only on him? Honestly, Robbie would love to be a zombie." Dipper said hopefully.
"Dipper! This isn't like bringing a puppy home! Who's going to keep him and where are we going to get the brains he needs to sustain him? I'm sure as hell not donating mine."
"I thought about that." Dipper said. "And one of the conditions I will have, is the Valentinos know what is happening. They're funeral directors, they'll have access to people who have … passed on."
"Why don't we get a bunch of the government guys to surround the graveyard with flamethrowers!" Mabel said with a gleam in her eye. Clearly she's imaging using one as we speak. "That way if Dipper screws it up, we're covered."
"I can't believe we're having this conversation… and that it's gone on this long." Stan said rubbing his temples. "Dipper, we all love you, and we all know you're going to do what you are going to do. You make your choice, but know this, I don't like cleaning up messes, and I hate cleaning up others messes. If you cause a Zombie apocalypse I swear to god I will throw you into a portal for thirty years. You got me?"
Dipper nodded just as they heard a knock on the door.
"Who's that?" Stan asked.
"My chaperone." Dipper said with a smile.
Mabel and Billeah got up and rushed to the door. Ripping it opened, they pulled Pacifica inside and attacked her with hugs. Stan and Dipper gave each other a sideways glance at the six bags of luggage behind her.
"Something you need to tell me? Cause, I got a shotgun." Stan said.
"She's only staying the night. Her parents are gone, and the funeral really shook her up."
"So… you're sleeping in the library... with the door locked... from the outside." Stan said, taking a drink of his beer. "I think i have a few planks I can hammer up too…"
"She's just a friend." Dipper said.
"Right…" Stan sighed. "Lets get the books and start going through them. We got a few hours before you leave and possibly end the world… again."
"But this time I have your guidance and wisdom!" Dipper said as they walked to the library.
"HA!" Stan said. "You think I got stuck in the portal for 30 years due to wisdom and discretion?"
"Could we get a flamethrower sent here before I head out?" Dipper said, closing the door to the library.
Dipper loaded the golf cart up with shovels, torches, and the backpack with his journals. Pacifica tossed her backpack next to his and sat down in the back seat. Dipper turned the cart on and looked back at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, sorry…" She said with a sheepish grin while moving up to the front seat. "It's just… I never get to ride up front."
"I'll make a commoner out of you yet." Dipper said, adjusting his hat and flooring the golf cart.
Pacifica leaned out the side and shook her hair in the oncoming wind. Dipper looked at her for a moment and was amazed how beautiful she looked when she smiled. She looked back at him and pulled her head back in.
"You and your adventures…" She said, looking at her nails. "All I wanted was a nice quiet evening. A roaring fire, some music..."
"Sounds nice," Dipper said. "Next time."
"Next time…" Pacifica said with a smile. "It's just, you show me such a good time." Dipper noticed some condescension in the world 'such. "I just... would like to show you some things that interest me."
"Oh?" Dipper said, looking at her with a smile, He only took his eyes off the road for a moment and screamed "DUCK!"
"What?" Pacifica asked, "We can have duck…"
"No! DUCK!" Dipper pointed ahead. There was a twenty foot red duck with glowing red eyes, fangs and two fangs protruding from it's bill. Dipper slammed on the brakes turned the wheel, causing the cart to go into a spin. The force threw dipper and pacifica out of the cart, causing it to slam into the monstrosity.
Dipper landed in the embankment of the road. He scrambled up the side and instantly spied his backpack. The demonic duck stood up, and waddled forward, crushing the cart and lumbered towards the journals.
"Pacifica!" Dipper screamed
"I'm okay!" She cried out from the other side of the road.
"He's going after the Journals. Distract him!" Dipper screamed and sprinted full force to his backpack.
"Hey you oversized foie gras!" Pacifica said. He saw a small rock fling at breakneck speed and smack it in the eye. "Over here!"
Pacifica ran the opposite of Dipper, holding her putter. She tossed a handful of small rocks on the asphalt and lined up a shot. He was amazed at her accuracy as each rock struck the demonic duck in the eye, followed by the last shot going right up it's nose.
Dipper grabbed the backpack and slid to the other side. He shoved his hand inside and fumbled around until he found what he was looking for.
"Dipper! I'm out of rocks!" Pacifica yelled.
"Hold tight!" He screamed and withdrew a flashlight with a shattered crystal that was glued together attached to the end. He flipped the crystal and ran into the street, facing the giant duck.
"HEY DUCK!" he screamed. The duck lumbered around and let out a thunderous quack. Dipper held up the flashlight and flipped it on. The beam pierced through the crystal, illuminating the fowl. "OUT OF THE WAY PACIFICA!"
He saw, to his relief, Pacifica dive into the underbrush. The duck gave a monstrous quack and glowed. it's size shrinking. Dipper walked forward, bombarding the duck with the unearthly light until it was the size of a golf ball. It lay dazed on the asphalt, twitching it's leg.
"This is for ruining my date!" Pacifica screamed and whacked the duck with her putter. They both watched the duck soar into the woods, out of sight.
"I think your swing cuts a little to the left." Dipper said. Pacifica screamed and threw her putter into the woods.
"You ok?" Dipper asked. Pacifica stormed to the destroyed golf cart and gathered her things.
"Lets go!" She said and started walking ahead. Dipper picked up what little gear he had left and chased after Pacifica.
"Of all the nerve… stupid duck… I swear i'm going to eat his family…" Pacifica mumbled. Her mood didn't seem to improve as she stomped her way down the road. It was only a mile to the graveyard and they were making good time, he just worried her state of mind might jeopardize why she was here.
"Pacifica!" Dipper called out.
"WHAT!?" She screamed turning to face him.
"Oh… um...' Dipper stammered. She's been mean, dismissive, and passive aggressive to him before they became friends, she's never screamed at him before. "It's nothing. I'm sorry."
Dipper moved forward, head down and past her.
"Dipper!" She said, her tone changed. "Dipper, I'm sorry I snapped at you."
"No!" Dipper said, "No, it's my fault, all of this is my fault. I shouldn't have let you come. You almost got eaten by a twenty foot duck. How? How does that happen?"
"Dipper," she said with a smile. "You act like you had a choice. You know I get what I want."
"Look, I can handle it from here, Why don't you head back home? Or call your car? I can wait with you to make sure you get home safe."
"It's too late, we're already here." She said, pointing ahead. "But… before we go in. There's something I need to say."
Dipper turned to look at her. She came forward, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.
Dipper's head was awash with emotions, he wrapped his arms around her and held her.
Pacifica pulled away, and ran her thumb across Dipper's lips. He was stunned, confused, and any sort of focus he had was torn away.
"I'm sorry, Dipper." she whispered. "I just wanted to be first in something…"
Without saying another word, she gathered her bag, and walked ahead of him. He had to take a moment to gather his thoughts and trotted after her. Pacifica held up her end of the deal, she had ensured his mind was not focused only on Wendy.