(Note: Thanks to SuperGroverAway for "creature suggestions")

"Dipper?"

The small boy stared in disbelief at the message on Wendy's phone. His head drooped over the small electronic as his mind raced at what happened: all of his hard work had lead up to this crushing defeat.

"DIPPER!"

Annoyed, Wendy cupped her hand and lightly splashed him with the cold water. Dipper shook himself awake and turned towards his fallen crush.

"Don't zone out on me like that, alright?!" Wendy shrunk back after seeing the distress on her friend's face. Her anger subsided as she took a deep breath to calm herself. Wendy knew that lashing out any further could result in shattering the last bit of composure Dipper managed to cling on to.

"S-Sorry! I'm – "

Wendy held out her hand to stop him, "You're okay, Dip. The phone thing's not your fault. You tried – we tried – and it didn't take. It's nobody's fault." She bit her lip, knowing that her sentence was definitely going to set him off. "But with that being said, we need to come with a new plan…"

Dipper raised an eyebrow, "What did you have in mind?" The extra pause Wendy took before speaking again only added to his concern.

"Well, I think the best course of action…is for you to climb back outta here and try to flag down someone passing by on the beach…"

"WHAT?!" Dipper's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Dipper…"

"No way!"

"Listen to me…"

"Absolutely not!"

"What other choice do we have?"

"There's no way I'm leaving you down here alone – especially with – "

Dipper stopped in mid-sentence as Wendy narrowed her sight in bewilderment, "With what, Dipper?"

He broke eye-contact, picturing the picked-clean corpse hidden away amongst the dark waters. It was by a small blessing of luck that they had avoided whatever had left such carnage. Dipper looked back, past the stern expression Wendy had pushed to the surface, seeing the tender shine in her green eyes. Her admirer hated to lie to her in any amount, but figured the last thing she needed was to be scared further while in her current state.

"With what, Dipper?" Wendy repeated.

"With…you being trapped the way you are…" Dipper tried to keep a straight face, to further his deception.

"Well, little guy," Wendy said. "We can't just stay down here forever, hoping someone will find us. So, unless there's a plan you've been holding out on…"

Wendy's voice seemed to fade away as Dipper returned his sights to her phone in his hand. His brown eyes focused on the blank signal bar on the upper left corner of the LED screen. Still determined, Dipper walked back and forth, the cooling waters swished between his legs with each step.

"….I dunno," Wendy continued, "Maybe you can make some kind of flare, then come back down…"

Dipper let out a squeak as something appeared on Wendy's phone: a single bar of cellular service made itself known.

"What?!" Wendy's battle plan was stopped by Dipper's sudden squeal. "What happened?"

Dipper spun around on his heels, "A signal! We got a signal!"

"Really?!" Wendy made a pushing motion with her hands, "Hurry and try to call out!"

"I am! I am!" Dipper went to dial, as the phone emitted another series of familiar beeps:

"NO SIGNAL FOUND – NO ACTIVE SERVICE"

"Crap!" The redhead aired her dismay from across the cave.

In spite of his defeat, Dipper remained vigilant. He went back to his pacing from one place to another in search of the perfect spot. The grotto echoed with the constant sound of repetitive beeping, as the twelve year old would regain and lose the signal every few seconds. It became such an annoyance, that Wendy held her hands against her ears.

"DDDDIIIIIPPPPPPEEEEERRRRRR!" She whined. "That sound is so irritating! Just give it up already! It's not working!"

Dipper flew past Wendy, hopping up on the rock structure had held her foot in a death grip. He glanced down at the phone screen, noticing that the signal bar rose to two.

"Hang on! Hang on! Hang on!" Dipper stuck his hand out with index finger raised as he hit the redial and held the phone against his head. "Pick up! Pick up! Pick up!"

An unforgettable high-pitched voice answered the other end amid a large amount of static interference, "Hey-ya, Wen-Wen! We were *BUZZ* where you guys *BUZZ* – "

"Mabel, it's me!" Dipper interrupted. "We need your help!"

"Dipper? Where are *BUZZ*? Grunkle Stan is pretty *BUZZ* at you two!"

"Mabel, just listen for a second? Wendy and I went exploring in a grotto by the beach when I accidentally caused a cave-in."

"That's *BUZZ*! Are *BUZZ* okay?"

"For the most part, yeah…" He looked back at Wendy, who hung on his every word in wait for her rescue. "Wendy pushed me out of the way and now, she's stuck in the rocks! I can't get her out!"

"Dipper, that's *BUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!* What are you *BUUUUUUZZZZZ*?

"Mabel? I can't – " He jumped off the boulders and headed in the opposite direction. "I can't hear you!" He shouted even louder in the receiver, "Listen, we need you to find Soos and bring him here!"

"Tell him it's "the secret beach!" Wendy chirped in. "He knows where this place is!"

"Yeah," Dipper nodded. "Wendy says we're at "the secret beach;" that Soos knows where it is…"

"Okay, Dipper, I'll try to *BUZZZZZZZZZZZ!. You guys just *BBBBBBBBUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZ* Mabel's on the *BBBBBBBBUUUUUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZ*!"

"Mabel?" Dipper walked on as he went on further to regain a clearer connection. "Mabel, can you hear – OWWWWWWWWWWW!"

As Dipper stepped forward, he felt something pierce the bottom of his foot. Pain swelled from his leg all throughout his entire body. In reflex, the cell phone slipped from his fingertips and into the water. "Oh no! No! No!" He immediately threw his arm into the darkness in search of Wendy's phone. "Where is it? Where is it?"

After a few endless-seeming moments, Dipper came across the solid object amiss the liquid puzzle and pulled it out. The LED screen, while thankfully still active, now displayed a new message: "CALL DISCONNECTED – PLEASE TRY AGAIN LATER."

The clumsy kid lowered his head in shame. He put the semi-wet phone back in his pocket, fearing that any current use would risk permanently frying it's circuits. Each step back towards Wendy made Dipper wince, finally prompting him to check out the collateral damage.

He held his hand against the rocky wall for balance, and bent his leg upwards. Dipper groaned as he noticed a puncture hole the size of a nickel between the base of his big toe and the ball of his foot. Sticky red blood trailed down his sole and dripped into the murky flow below.

"What in the heck? What'd I step on?"

Dipper looked over his shoulder, a few paces away, to see the decaying mysterious corpse that had added to his paranoia while in the pit; its pointed bones aimed upwards like a cryptic snare trap. The child shuddered as he lowered his foot back in the water, "EW! I really, really hope that thing isn't diseased…"

He limped back towards Wendy, who greeted him at first sight. "Did she hear you? Were you able to get through?"

"Ehhh…" Dipper shrugged. "Kinda; I couldn't hear her, but I think she heard me. I slipped back there and the phone disconnected…"

Wendy lowered her head back on her makeshift backpack/pillow. "So, there's nothing left to do but wait, right?"

Dipper slumped down next to his not-so-secret love, happy to be able to take some pressure off of his injured foot. "I…guess so…" He put his head down onto his knees to rest for a moment.

Seeing the absolute exhaustion and fatigue stemming from her devotee, Wendy could only smile. Despite of all the setbacks and impediments that had plagued them throughout this misadventure, the ginger marveled at the energy and moxie that her would-be-rescuer put forth in her name. Granted, he lacked the required strength to free her, but at the same time, leapt to his feet when it came to maintaining her safety or following her command to make things more comfortable.

Shifting her shoulders a bit, Wendy leaned closer to her pal and playfully gave him a swift slug on his shoulder, "Hey…"

Dipper recoiled at her touch, looking around in worry, "Wha – are you alright? Did something happen?"

"No, no…" Wendy waved her hand in dismal. "Everything's cool." She rolled her eyes as Dipper resumed his crouched positioning. "I just wanted to know if we're still on for movie night tonight?"

Dipper raised his head and gawked at his crush in near-disbelief, "W-What?" He was left almost dumbfounded by her question. Wendy was speaking totally free of doubt and uncertainty, almost like she knew her liberation from the trap was guaranteed.

"You know," the high-schooler went on, "I was thinking this time, we can watch one of those old-timey kung fu movies; with the funny-looking dubbing where the voices don't match the actors' mouths?"

"Really?" Dipper questioned. "I mean, their karate moves are cool, but the voices are so annoying! They never fit the right tone. Half of the heroes sound like middle-aged women!"

"Oh, c'mon," Wendy argued with a chuckle. "It would be a lot better than your choice last time."

"And what was wrong with that? It was a bit cheesy, yeah, but it's a classic."

"Dude, you were in tears before they ran the credits! As soon as the guy and girl found each other, you were totally gone…"

"You were crying, too, Wendy! You tried to hide it, but I saw you getting watery-eyed…"

"You did not! And besides, no one would believe you if you say anything…"

The duo shared a much-needed laugh. Wendy's plan was working. The more she made small-talk with Dipper, the more she took him away from the depressing scene. Both adolescents were in need of a dire escape, but in different ways.

While the kind of help Wendy required was still miles away, she was more than happy to help relieve the stress that clung on to her little tagalong.

"But speaking of," she persisted in her ruse, "I think I have a couple of bucks hidden away back home. How does a pepperoni pizza sound?"

"Hmm…" Dipper knew what she was hinting at. "That depends. Are you to try to add anchovies to it again?"

"What? Who, me?" Wendy held a hand against her chest in an innocent fashion, "Never!" A firm glance from Dipper made her cop up her true intentions. "Well, maybe. I mean, you have to live a little! Not be afraid to try new things…"

Having the exact thought, Wendy and Dipper glimpsed at the blockage pinning her leg down before returning to one another.

"Okay, that doesn't count. And we're talking way smaller-scale here. I mean, you can't get hurt from taking a bite from a salty, somewhat bony fish." She took a break, "On second thought – scratch that for a second – you aren't allergic to seafood, are you?"

Dipper shook his head.

"Good. So, like I said before: it definitely won't kill you…"

*RUMBLE!*

Their conversation was interrupted as the soft ground started to shake beneath their bottoms. Dipper rose to his feet while Wendy sat up as far as her body was allowed to.

"Dipper, what is that?"

He turned from Wendy, watching over the watery horizon in search of what was creating the vibrations.

"I'm…I don't know…"

The flow on the other end of the ravine, near the abandoned, spiky remains, started to bubble. As the seconds passed, more and more air pockets began to rise to the water's surface.

"What's with the bubbles?" Wendy asked, as she strained to turn her body around as much as possible to gain a better view. "Some kind of underground volcano or something?"

"No…" Dipper corrected. "The temperature's not changing at all." Deep down, the juvenile sleuth knew what was happening – it was what he predicted earlier on. "Something's coming from the ground…"

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

In the distance, the young adults watched as faded red objects rose up from the muck. At first, only two appeared amiss the sludge. Three more joined the group moments later. And another two after that.

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

When the final count was taken, over a dozen creatures had emerged from the dirt. Their beady black eyes rested upon outstretched stalks that surveyed their new surroundings. Razor-tipped teeth stuck out of crooked jaw lines, mashing endless upon one another. Several lengthy feelers waved and wiggled about, analyzing the pathway to their next course of action.

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

The basketball sized monsters crawled forward, each using the eight thin armored orange legs that poked out of a hardened brick red jagged shell. Dipper studied their movements; the ways they traveled like insects as it reminded him of a previous find.

"Wait…those legs. They're super slender, like the tracks outside…"

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

The noisy clicking that now boomed throughout the chamber was created by countless pinchers snapping open and shut in a threatening matter as their owners marched on in near-perfect formation.

"What are those things?" Wendy's face fell at the sight of the ghastly creatures.

"I think they're crabs?" Dipper took a shot at making a scientific estimation.

"Crabs don't look like that! Crabs are itty-bitty! You know; able to fit in cooking pots and stuff? Go awesome with lemon and butter? That sorta thing?"

"Maybe they're mutants or something like that. This is Gravity Falls, after all…"

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

The distorted crustaceans made their way in a colossal sized sweep of the chasm towards the small corner where Wendy and Dipper were forced to make camp.

"They're coming this way!" Dipper exclaimed, backing himself against the wall.

"But why now?" Wendy asked aloud. She thought of all the times they had laughed or yelled while in the ravine. "Were we too loud or something? Did we wake them up?"

"I'm not sure, but…" Dipper glimpsed downward as something off caught his eye. A thin, red stream circled around his foot, traveling down the water flow towards their new crusty adversaries.

"Oh, man. It's me…"

"Huh?" Wendy turned her head back as Dipper hopped up on a close by rock pile, making sure to keep himself out of the water. "What are you talking about?"

"It's my fault, Wendy." Dipper elaborated. "They're attracted to the blood coming from my foot. That's what they're looking for."

"Whoa…" Wendy saw the trickle of plasma dripping down the rocks Dipper stood up. "When did that happen?"

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

Dipper spun back towards the invaders, "I cut myself when I stepped on that torn-apart corpse back there…"

Wendy instantaneously lit up. She threw her hands together and crossed them like a referee. "TIME OUT! What torn-apart corpse?"

"Uhh…" Dipper switched his sights back and forth between the approaching crab-monsters and his ticked-off companion. "Can't we talk about this later? When we're not about to be pinched apart piece-by-piece?"

Suddenly, the sea fiends stopped for a brief moment. With Dipper's blood trail all but gone, they took a second to find the next, closest goal…

…that being the snagged pale-skinned girl drenched by the same blood-laced waters that they previously used as a guide.

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

Finding herself surrounded, Wendy raised her head and shouted, "DIPPER!"

"OH NO! WENDY!"

In all of his fear and excitement, Dipper had almost forgotten that she was unable to make a speedy getaway as he did. While he scanned the area for a possible battle weapon, Wendy took Dipper's multi-tool out of her pocket and speedily jabbed it into the face of the nearest, snarling crab. It cried out in agony, before keeling over into the brook.

Enraged by their comrade's death, the malformed crabs re-doubled their efforts. They went after the teenaged murderer from every angle, leaving her only the dull blade in her hand as defense.

*CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!* *CLICK!*

"DIPPER!"

Seeing an opening, Dipper raced from his mount and headed towards one of the torches he set into the ground. With a loud groan, the small pre-teen yanked the stick upwards, and held it tightly between his hands.

As Wendy's knife wrestled in between a set of killer claws, Dipper dashed to the save, thrusting the flaming end into the crab's side. It flew against the gravel wall with a yelp, before falling back in the water.

Pointing the fire towards the ground, Dipper used his body as a barrier between the hive of giant sealife and Wendy. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Despite the effort to protect his main squeeze, the crabs continued the rally towards their next meal.

"Dipper!"

He looked behind his back as Wendy tried to instruct him, "Swipe at them!"

"What do you mean?"

She used her arms to give an example, "Like a sword! Swipe at them with the torch!"

"Oh, okay!"

Dipper followed Wendy's demonstration, using the flame to swing at the massive hoard, bringing their advanced to a stand-still. Every few blows, he would get lucky and actually make contact with one of the crabs, forcing said freakish being into a hasty retreat.

"It's working!"

"Great, buddy." Wendy praised as she fought off a sneaky predator that attempted to lounge at her from the other side of the spectrum. "Keep it up!"

*R-R-ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*

An ear-deafening roar rocked the grotto, bringing the actions of both human and monster to a freeze. As if commanded by a higher power, the remaining crabs backed away from Dipper and Wendy, only to exit the scene by burrowing into the gooey earth.

"They're…leaving?" Wendy was left puzzled by the sudden departure.

Dipper added, "Does that mean we've won?"

*ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*

"I'm…gonna go with "no"…"

They watched as another set of bursting bubbles materialized across from them. From the depths of the sodden hollow, came an enormous crab that reminded Dipper of the oversized beach ball Wendy had bopped him with earlier in the day. It let out another horrific howl as a disgusting amount of saliva dripped from its jaws. Two red eyes focused on the worn-out targets only yards away. It raised its colossal red claws in the air, waving them all around in an outraged fit.

"I think that's the "mama crab…" Dipper noted.

"And here I thought the babies were ugly enough. I can see they get their looks from her!"

*ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*

Unlike the smaller crustaceans, the giant shellfish bolted towards Wendy. Dipper stepped in front of her with torch aimed at the mother crab. "Don't even think about it, creep-o! There's no way you're getting any closer – "

*SNAP!*

Before Dipper would react, the wild beast clipped the top of his torch, splintering the flaming tip into the water, where it vanished into a thin layer of smoke. He held the broken end of the stick to his face as the creature shrieked once more. It leapt from the water onto Dipper's mid section, catching him off guard and down into the depths.

*ROOOOOOAAAAARRRRR!*

With the stick knocked away, Dipper held up his hands and wrapped them around the mother crab's, trying to prevent its mighty pinchers from penetrating his soft, hairless flesh.

"DIPPER!" Wendy lounged towards her smaller charge out of pure protective instinct, only to be ankle tackled at the last second. She kicked at the mound holding her other foot within its grasp, realizing that even in this calamitous time, no additional slack would be given.

Dipper grunted and pushed his noodle arms further as the gigantic crab put more of its weight on top of the much smaller youngster. He cried out as its many legs dug deep into his ribcage when the beast tried to secure a better position on top of its prey.

Wendy felt helpless as she watched Dipper tussle against the freak of nature, knowing that it would only be a matter of time before it overpowered him. "What to do? What to do?" With her leg pinned, there was no way for her to reach her buddy-in-distress. Her emerald eyes scanned the scene for an answer – finding the destroyed torch a few feet away from her resting place.

Every few seconds, a random pincher would escape Dipper's grasp and jab at his head, only for him to dodge away at the last moment. At the same time, Wendy drew her lanky body outwards as much as was physically allowed, as she attempted to pull at the wooden stick with her fingertips.

"C'mon…C'mon…"

The crab climbed closer on top of Dipper, where it held one of his arms fully down. Its heavy, rancid breath made him want to retch, forcing him to turn away from the threat at hand. He shoved against the brute with his free palm, finding it to have little effect against it. With a livid screech, it raised a pointed claw into the air, ready to deliver the finishing blow. Dipper closed his eyes and prepared himself for the end…

*CRUNCH!*

*EEEE-C-H!*

Dipper opened his eyes an instant later, finding himself unharmed. He gazed up at his newest nemesis, finding it motionless and somehow, almost hovering over his body. A warming sensation filled his chest, prompting him to look down.

A fine wooded point poked out of its bottom, allowing a mixture of the crab's liquid innards to ooze down into his shirt. Dipper traced the killing blow, seeing that the branch he had once used as a torch had broken through the shell on its back. As soon as he seen the pasty-skinned hand gripping the weapon, he automatically knew whom his liberator was.

Wendy didn't as much as blink as she delivered the fatal strike against the murderous animal menacing her boy. She took deep breath after deep breath, watching the crab for any signs of life, ensuring Dipper's safety before relaxing her over-tensed body. The fifteen year old set her neck against her backpack turned pillow as she stared blankly at the top of the cavern.

With his last ounce of strength, Dipper threw the carcass off of his body, turning his sights to the sky as he attempted to regain his breath. After a few minutes, the partners in crime glanced towards one another; Dipper's soft brown eyes blended into Wendy's bright green ones. Their breaths soon shared the same wavelength. There were no "Thank you's" or "Congratulation's" to be had between the two. Such words were not needed, as each already knew what was on the other's mind.

Once she caught herself, Wendy lifted her shoulders and motioned for Dipper, "C-Come here…"

Dipper rose from the water and moved on his knees towards Wendy's side. She fully sat up and threw her right arm around his battered form. The copper-haired teen overlooked her pal from top to bottom. "Did it hurt you?"

"N-No…" Dipper answered. "You stopped it before it could. Are you okay?" He could see a number of nicks and cuts across her arms and legs. Her ruined tank top was torn and ripped in several places.

"They got me a few times, but I'll live…" Wendy moved her hand against the back of Dipper's head and moved him closer, essentially bringing them nose to nose. "Dipper, I don't know why you didn't say anything about that bone thing before. Maybe you didn't think it was a big deal, or perhaps you thought that you'd freak me out – "

"Wendy, I – "

"Let me finish, okay?"

Dipper slightly nodded, hanging on Wendy's every word. Her tone was unlike anything he had heard from her before. It was devoid of her usual sarcastic wit or any well-deserved anger, instead having a sense of firmness, calm, and gravity that reminded him of his mother or teachers back home.

"Whatever the reason was," she continued, "That has to end now. This is the real deal, Dipper; where one screw-up can cost us big time. You have to be my eyes and ears while I'm stuck like this. And it's like I said before this mess started: we're a team, kiddo, and for that, there can't be any more secrets between us. Especially when it can grow into a matter of life and death! Do you understand?"

Dipper shook his head once more, "Got it, Wendy. It won't happen again. I promise…"

"Thanks, Dip." Wendy finally cracked a smirk, which gave Dipper a sense of relief. "I knew I could count – "

*KRAK!*

A thunderous crash nearly shook the entire ravine, immediately sending the two explorers into high alert.

Dipper asked, "What was that?"

Wendy returned the same panicked expression, "I – I have no idea…"

*KRAK!*

Upon hearing the second blow, Dipper stood up. "No…" A horrible thought crept from the back of his mind. He rushed to the cliffside, "No! No! No!"

"Dipper?" Wendy started to feel a tightness growing in her chest as her friend went into a frenzy. "What's wrong?"

"I – " He started to scale the pit's wall yet again. "I have to check something really fast. Be back in a second…"

"Uh-Uh!" Wendy yelled. "Wait a sec, Dipper! Did you forget the conversation we just had?! Now, you tell me what's going on!"

He turned away from the wall, as guilt started to weigh him down, "I know! I know! But you don't understand! If I don't go now, it may be too late!"

"Dipper, wait!"

The boy peeked his head over the edge as a startling sight caught him by surprise, "Ah, sh – "

Wendy watched in horror as a humongous wave of water violently crashed into Dipper, knocking him off his footholds and back into the depths of the ravine. "Dipper?! DIPPER!" An endless amount of water followed him down, adding to the previously modest amount that currently surrounded her.

"DIPPER?!"

*COUGH, COUGH*

Dipper came up from the pool, and tilted his head forward, forcing himself to cough to empty his airway. He waded through the ever-increasing waters to reach his crush.

"Dipper, are you okay?"

He rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, I think so. The mud cushioned my fall for the most part…"

"What happened up there? Did your barricade break?"

The detective took a deep breath, remembering his promise to not to sugarcoat any future problems. "It's a lot worse than that…"

"W-What do you mean?"

"That "cracking" sound I heard?" he began to confess. "It was lightning, Wendy. There is a storm coming, and the rainfall's heading down this way!"