Countdown

*9:16 am- Mystery Shack, upstairs bedroom. 7 hours, 44 minutes until party time.*

"HOLY CRAP DIPPER!" the shrill voice rang out through the small room.

Poor Dipper shot up in utter fear at the sound of his sister's screaming. He was wrapped up in his sheet, and the attempt to stand up failed horribly causing him and his tangled limbs to stumble onto the cold, hard floor. Now totally disoriented and sporting a bruised elbow from the harsh impact with the wooden floorboards, he decided it would be safest to stay put where he was, choosing instead to look around and figure out what was happening from the safety of the ground. He spotted his sister frantically going through her closet, throwing things this way and that.

"Mabel...what the hell?!" he managed to get out through his hands rubbing down his face. "What's with the screaming? I thought you were dying or something!" he exclaimed in groggy exasperation.

The frantic twin never stopped what she was doing, actually picking up the pace at which she moved.

"Do you have any idea what time it is?!" she yelled.

Dipper knew better than to try and answer that. He just sat there and listened to Mabel carry out the next few statements without even stopping to breathe, let alone wait for a response from him.

"We overslept!It's after nine already!We were supposed to be up at eight!We've already lost an hour!Dangit!Where's my shoes?!"

When it was finally quiet for more than a full second, Dipper thought he should finally say something to calm her down.

"Mabe-" he started, only to be immediately interrupted. Nope, not yet, I guess.

"Dipper!" she scolded. "Why are you just sitting there?! C'mon! We need to move, move, move!"

"I-" He was hit in the face with a clean t-shirt and some socks.

"Here, put those on for now with your jeans from yesterday, I don't want you getting your suit dirty or wrinkled, so you can't put it on until just before we leave, and make sure you- Oh!" she exclaimed as she actually interrupted her own sermon. She looked her brother over, scrutinizing every inch. "Um, you need to shower and all that first," she said while giving him that 'you're filthy' look that he has come to recognize from her over the years.

He looked up at her, pure exhaustion in his face. "Can I talk now, mom?" he stated with sarcasm. She just rolled her eyes at his remark. He did kinda mean it, though. She had become rather motherly, the older they got.

"You are over reacting, Mabes. Calm down. We'll get everything done on time, I promise. Look...I'm getting up and moving toward the bathroom..." he declared as he untangled himself from the heap of bedding on the floor. Ugh...this is going to be a very long day...

*10:02 am- Mystery Shack, kitchen. 6 hours, 58 minutes until party time.*

Mabel had calmed down enough to get a decent breakfast made while Dipper showered and got ready for the day. She had already warned him while he was in the shower that they most likely wouldn't have time to eat for the rest of the day until the party, so he had better fill up on breakfast.

When he strolled into the kitchen, he was greeted with a buffet of food on the counter: scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, toast. It was a veritable feast. He was about to comment on her over doing it, but then remembered their (or rather just Mabel's) brief conversation through the door of the bathroom.

While he filled is mouth with enough sustenance to get him through until the party, he also worked on mentally blocking out the events of the previous night. He promised his twin that he would not bring it up today, and he was going to make good on his word.

Ok, Dipper. We're just gonna get through this day without incident...be helpful and happy and supportive and... But there she was. The image of the beautiful blonde girl crept into his thoughts, along with a certain fiendish triangle. He couldn't help but think they were laughing at him, mocking him. He shoved the thought away as far as he could. Nope, not doin' this to Mabel... It's my birthday, too, dammit! I am going to have fun...

The slam of a cupboard door jolted him back to awareness of the happenings in the kitchen. Mabel had noticed.

"You ok, bro-bro? You're not dwelling on what happened last night, are you?" she politely questioned. She didn't want to rile him up, but wanted to make sure he wasn't letting his issue affect him, either.

"Yeah...no, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something else, it's nothing...really."

Mabel looked at him, not sure she believed him, but was not going to press him today. She had too much to do to get their party ready. "Alrighty then!" she beamed. "Let's do this! SOOS! We need to load up your truck now!" she yelled down the hall. Soos' room wasn't that far, but she felt the need to be that loud, anyways.

"Comin' dudes!" Soos called back from behind his closed door.

He emerged from his room holding the keys to his truck. He didn't use it very often, opting to use the shack's golf cart if he needed to go anywhere, but it did come in handy when the need arose. And there was definitely a need now with all the party stuff that needed to be hauled into town.

*11:40 am- Gravity Falls Banquet Hall, main room. 5 hours, 20 minutes until party time.*

"Ok, we have three hours to make this place look perfect!" Mabel exclaimed as she started handing out job assignments to all available hands. She had recruited her two best friends, Candy and Grenda, and along with herself, Dipper, and Soos, there were plenty of able bodies to get everything done.

Just as Mabel was getting ready to load the glitter canons (there were four that would be strategically placed so as to maximize coverage when they went off), she heard the tell-tale sound of metallic heels clicking against the tile floor behind her, swiftly getting closer.

An angelic voice politely asked, "Do you guys need any extra help?"

Mabel whirled around and found herself face to face with a pair of deep blue eyes. "Oh, hey Belle! Of course! That's so awesome of you to offer. You know, I think Dipper could use the most help..." she suggested with a wink.

"Right," she agreed with a smile as she scanned the hall. She heard Mabel's thoughts and knew exactly where he was and what he was doing. The brunette was about to say it out loud, but Belle had already started off in the right direction. Mabel just shrugged and went back to her glitter canons.

Dipper was in a smaller adjoining room near the kitchen, knee-deep in a sea of color when Belle found him. His back was to the door and he was sitting on a tall stool, a small table next to him with piles of flat balloons in every different color available. An air compressor that he was using to inflate them was turned on. Although it was quite small, it was still rather loud, and he never heard the blonde enter the room. Well, she would have made sure he didn't hear her even without the loud device running. Sneaking up on him was becoming one of her favorite past times.

Closing the door gently behind her, she slowly waded through the balloons until she was right behind him. She slowly snaked her deceptively small arms around his waist, getting a solid hold on him and giving a firm hug while at the same time whispering slowly in his ear, "Happy birthday, cutie."

Dipper let out a girlish shriek and a very loud, "Holy shhhh-" he stopped halfway through the curse word he so desperately wanted to use when he caught sight of glowing blonde hair in the corner of his eye. "...oot!" he finished.

He quickly stood, cheeks flushed and heart pounding in his chest, but the blonde didn't release her hold on him. She let up just enough to allow him to turn around and face her, and as soon as he did, she planted a little peck on his nose, her sultry blue eyes staring deeply into his stunned browns.

Immediately, she let him go and backed away, still sporting a mischievous grin. Her hands were folded behind her back as she gently twisted her hips back and forth, portraying that innocent school-girl look. She decided to not say anything, letting him stand there awkwardly as he pondered what just happened. Seeing that she was just going to stand there and stare at him, the flustered teen took a deep breath and spoke up.

"Um...Yeah, ok... W-what...what, exactly...aaaah, gees." He nervously rubbed the back of his neck and took another deep breath. "Yeah...you just stand there looking all innocent. You scared the heck outta me, you know that!?" he declared, feigning annoyance.

"Oh, yes. I'm quite aware of that. Haven't I told you before that you are too cute when you get startled?" she giggled.

"A-actually, I think you said that about when I'm nervous."

"Somebody has been paying attention. Can't get anything by you, can I," she said playfully.

Any and all thoughts Dipper may have been dwelling on last night were all but forgotten at this moment. He couldn't even remember why he had been upset with his sister last night. All he could think about was the attention this beautiful young lady was giving him.

"Nope, I guess not. So, are you here to help me? Or just put me in an early grave?" he laughed.

Don't tempt me, Pine Tree. "Of course I'm here to help. In fact, I'm quite offended that I wasn't called upon to help out in the first place. I know how inefficient you can be at getting things done, so I figured I had better show up so your party will start on time." She used the most sarcastic tone she could come up with, although she was quite serious about the inefficient part.

"Well, we didn't want to bother you, seeing as this is your day off and all. But, since you insist, I guess you can help me."

Belle just nodded and got to work.

(Several hundred inflated balloons later~)

Dipper looked down at the empty table, relieved to not see any more colorful stacks.

"I can't believe we got all those done. Thanks so much for all your help. You really didn't-"

"I know, I know. I don't have to," she said as she turned toward the door of the room. "Don't worry, I only ever do what I want."

She glanced back at Dipper, gave him a wink and a sly smile, and proceeded to open the door to leave. Before she could open it enough to leave, however, a firm arm shoved it closed again. Although she hadn't seen it coming (it was a split second decision on Dipper's part so she hadn't heard him thinking about it), she did not flinch in surprise. She stood, still facing the door, not knowing what was going to happen next. Dipper's mind was racing at full speed, and she could not make sense of anything he was thinking. There was really no time to try to make sense of them, anyway, as Dipper quickly whirled her around by her waist and then put his arms up against the door, effectively trapping her where she stood.

A none-too-amused blonde stared into the rich mocha eyes of the brunet; a look that would normally have had the boy shaking with nerves. But he held fast, never wavering and barely breathing as he readied himself to do something he had never done before.

"Now I'm going to do something I want," he averred.

He quickly leaned in, unhesitating, and pressed his lips on hers. Closing his eyes, he melted against the physical softness and warmness that met him in return, but then instantly broke contact when he opened them again. He was sure that she would be accepting of his advance, or, in the very least, happy that he was showing some assertiveness and confidence for once. What he saw, instead, was an emotionless look on the face of someone who seemed to always show how she felt.

Belle was completely caught off guard by what had just transpired. The kid she knew to be a somewhat awkward and very nervous teen had just taken control, asserted himself, and even managed to kiss her. And I never saw it coming... Huh, guess I'm kinda proud of him.

Every ounce of confidence Dipper had was instantly gone. His face paled as his mind now raced with thoughts of what he had done wrong. His legs began to feel weak, like they would no longer sustain him. Betrayed by his emotions draining his physical strength, he stumbled backward through the rainbow-colored sea of orbs, managing to find the stool and gratefully allowing it to give him the support that his own legs were denying.

"Uh...I-I'm so-sorry, Belle... I-I don't know why... I just... I thought...u-um..." his throat felt like it was going to close up on him. He desperately wanted to find the nearest rock and crawl under it, never to emerge again. He threw his hands over his face so he wouldn't have to see the blank expression still plastered on hers.

"Stop apologizing," she whispered. Dipper pulled his hands away from his face. "Why did you do that?" she questioned, a bit louder this time.

"I-I don't know...I should never have-"

"No, not that. I meant why did you apologize? You got what you wanted, right? So what is there to be sorry about?!" she proclaimed with evident annoyance.

"Oh, well, the look on your face scared me. I mean, your eyes were open and you seemed to have no feeling about it whatsoever, so I thought maybe you were mad or upset with me or something. Just because I wanted it, that doesn't give me the right to continue if you don't. So, I guess I'm sorry for doing something you clearly weren't into," the still flustered teen replied.

Now it was Belle's turn to have racing thoughts. She had never been in a situation like this before, so she wasn't sure exactly how she was supposed to react. The kiss was nothing to her. She didn't possess feelings of love or joy or happiness. Those were emotions she had to act out, and she clearly was not ready for them. Guess I'll have to work on that. What does having my eyes open have to do with anything, though?

"Well, I was surprised...that's all. I didn't expect you to learn so fast."

Dipper's brow furrowed. "Learn?"

"Assertiveness. Getting what you want. You know, like we talked about at lunch yesterday. I'm actually kind of proud of you," she said with a smile.

Before Dipper could say anything else, she opened the door and quickly left. He was alone with his thoughts, and was now even more confused than ever.

*3:17 pm- Mystery Shack, upstairs bedroom. 1 hour, 43 minutes until party time.*

The twins and Soos had just gotten home from the hall so that they could dress themselves for the party. Mabel handed Dipper his suit, to which he wrinkled his nose.

"Ah, quit yer poutin'! You're gonna look adorable!"

"That's what I'm afraid of."

"Actually, more like adorkable," she said as she mussed his hair. "Oh, hey... somewhere in that stack is something a certain somebody gave me to give to you. Wink, wink!"

As he stared down at the pile of clothing in his arms, thinking about how weird his sister was because she actually said "wink" out loud as well as doing it, he suddenly became very curious as to what could be hiding in it.

"Well, what is it?" he questioned impatiently.

"I don't know! It's wrapped. Get going and find out why don't you!" She hurried off, dress in tow over her shoulder, to get ready herself.

In his room, Dipper set the pile on his bed. He picked up the jacket and laid it to the side. Next was the vest, then the button up shirt, both which he carefully unfolded and laid off to the side. Under the shirt was a small, rather flat, box. It was wrapped in a gold foil paper and was not unlike the type of box a piece of jewelry might come in. There was piece of folded paper attached to it. The teen opened it and read: Get dressed first, and then open me.

"Hm, that's odd," he thought aloud. He shrugged, put the box on his dresser, and proceeded to dress in the suit Mabel was making him wear.

It was a simple suit, really; nothing super fancy like a tuxedo, but it still made him uncomfortable, nonetheless. It consisted of black slacks, a crisp white linen shirt, a black vest with dark grey silken thread woven vertically in a sharp angular zig-zag pattern, and a black, slim-fit, one button jacket.

He checked the full-length mirror on the inside of the bedroom door to make sure everything was on properly and in place. Satisfied, he grabbed the box from his dresser and opened it. He picked up what appeared to be a black and gold length of ribbon. He held it up, letting it unfold towards the floor. It was wider on each end than the rest of it.

This looks like a...bow tie? Puzzled, he took it to Mabel who immediately confirmed that it was, indeed, a bow tie.

"Oooh, this is a nice one, too. Silk, with some kind of metallic gold thread weaved throughout," she said with a reverent tone. "Here, I'll help you put it on."

After she finished, she stepped back and took in the full sight of her brother. She raised her eyebrows a few times and whistled. "Dang bro-bro, you are lookin' fi-ine!"

"Thanks," he blushed. "You look great, too."

*4:24 pm, Mystery Shack parking lot. 36 minutes until party time.*

"Dipper! We gotta go!" Mabel yelled from the front door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Dipper yelled back as he sauntered down the stairs.

With a slight curtsy and horribly forced British accent, Mabel proclaimed, "Our party awaits, Sir Dippingsauce."

"After you, my fair Lady Mabelton," the younger twin replied, in an equally horrible accent, as he opened the door for his sister and gave an over exaggerated outstretched arm.

They both laughed at each other's silliness.

"See? This is not going to be so bad. You're having fun already!" chirped the older twin.

Yeah, but we haven't left yet... Dipper thought. He would do this, though. For Mabel, he sighed to himself.

The siblings, along with a dressed-nicer-than-usual Soos, climbed into the truck and headed back into town.

It was finally party time.