AVAVA

(Author's Note)

VAVAV

And as always, I don't own Gravity Falls. I do own the ideas that are unique to this story. Names and Places are owned by their respective owners.

AVAVA

(Dipper's PoV)

VAVAV

Mabel had teased him several times about him being the possessive one, and yet during the past few days whenever Candy was around, Mabel was the possessive one. Honestly, he didn't mind at all. It showed him that she wasn't mad at him anymore. And it was cute in a way. More than once Candy had left in a huff about it. Dipper really stayed out of it. He knew that Candy had had a crush on him a while back, and he knew that Mabel was aware of it.

After all the mini arguments in the past few days, Dipper was surprised to see his sister and Candy enter the Shack together. Which could only mean that soon there would be another argument, unless he left for the day... which would result in another argument when he returned, because he left without letting Mabel know. She'd become even more protective... and he didn't even think that was possible.

"Where'ya off to Dipper?" Wendy asked him as hr finally got his jacket on. Of course he froze and just looked at her, wondering if Mabel had talked the older teen to keep tabs on him.

"I was thinking about heading into town for a bit... that way... there's nothing for Mabel and Candy to fight about." He said, continuing to get ready, by putting on his boots.

"I know... you're a real ladies man Dip, got girls fighting over you... literally. Want some company?" Wendy could still be trying to keep tabs on him, or she could just want to make sure he didn't meet up with Robbie while he was out again. Either way, if she came along... Mabel wouldn't be angry he left... maybe he could use the time to find something for Mabel for Christmas... plus that would give another reason he didn't tell her. Two birds with one stone.

"Sure, maybe you can help me find something for Mabel for Christmas." Dipper had finished getting ready.

"Yeah plus we won't have to walk," Wendy said holding up a set of keys. Yet another reason having Wendy with him was a good idea. He followed her out expecting a large truck, knowing the older teen's personality. The car that sat next to Stan's wasn't what he expected at all. "I know, I know. My mom got it..."

"It's interesting." Dipper said as he got into the passenger seat.

"Shut up, Dork. We could always walk."

"No no, this is good. Very good."

AVAVA

Dipper had wandered around the mall for less than twenty minutes when his cellphone started ringing. He didn't have to look at the phone to know who it was. It was Mabel. No doubt she'd only just discovered that he wasn't at the Shack anymore, and of course she must be worried he'd fallen down a well or something.

"Hello Mabel," he said as he answered his phone.

"Where are you?" She sounded worried. He understood that she worried, but it wasn't like he was some addle-brained puppy. He wasn't just going to wander off and get lost forever.

"Wendy drove me out to the mall. I figured while you were busy with Candy, that I could look for a Christmas gift for you." he continued browsing through the stores while talking with his sister.

"Oh... well alright then. At least you didn't wander off. Find anything good yet?"

"Not yet, I'm sure something will jump out at me. So I'll see you when I get back."

"Alright Dip. Love you Dip."

"Love you too Mabel." He smiled as he hung up the phone.

"Isn't that cute." Wendy called from behind him, and he felt his face turn red. He ignored the kissing sounds from behind him as he continued looking for something for Mabel.

AVAVA

( Mabel's PoV )

VAVAV

She watched her friend Candy move about her and Dippers room. Every now and again, she'd catch Candy snooping in something of Dippers were she didn't belong. Candy would always pretend that it was an accident. But Mabel knew better. Candy was turning into a obstacle. Not that she had any real reason to worry. Dipper cared about her, THAT was obvious ever since he came home from the hospital.

"That's Dippers!" Mabel called out, a little louder than she planned, as she noticed Candy was about to open one of the notebooks that Dipper wrote in.

"Of course it is Dipper's. Are you not curious, about this secret girlfriend?" Of course she wasn't interested... how could she be interested in knowing more about herself... but Candy didn't know that... couldn't know that yet. Candy wouldn't listen past the part of them dating, to find out that they were not siblings.

"Y-Yeah... but... but I don't think that we should be going through Dipper's private things."

"But, you did not used to care about such things." It was true that Mabel hadn't cared about her brother's privacy much when they were younger. Mainly because she didn't think there was anything he had to hide was really much of a secret. Now... she knew what he might write about. She knew what those secrets could do to him... and her... if revealed.

"I-I think if he wanted us to know... he'd tell us. Besides... I don't think there really is a girlfriend. Maybe he just wants to make us wonder." Mabel lied... it wasn't a big lie... so it was okay right?

"If he does not have a girlfriend... then that means I can be with him then!" Liver! She hadn't thought about that... okay... well...

"Well..." Come on Mabel think! Ah ha! "Don't you think it would be weird dating my brother... I mean he's all like... uh... I mean... it would be like dating me, but not as... cool. Like dating a dorky me."

"Like dating you?" Candy looked at Mabel, the notebook seemingly forgotten.

"Yeah! Like me... we are twins. So... yeah. It would be weird for my friend, to date my twin brother. Like gross." As gross as dating your own brother? Shut up, she told herself, he's not my brother... and you know it.

"I never thought about it like that before... maybe you are right."

"Yeah, I'm right!" she sighed to herself, before pulling Candy out the door, and away from Dipper private stuff. This was too close... she couldn't let Candy find out... not that anything was wrong with it... not really. She just didn't want to have that conversation just yet. Wendy she knew she could trust... but Candy talked a lot.

AVAVA

(Dipper's PoV)

VAVAV

"Ugh!" Why was this such a pain? He'd spent close to three hours looking and found nothing. How hard was it to find something that Mabel would like... okay so he'd found a lot of things that Mabel would like. But this would be the first Christmas as a couple... albeit a secret couple... but he couldn't just get anything. It had to be special.

Stuffed animals? No no, Mabel had so many of them already, she barely had places to put the Panda he'd gotten her. Okay then... jewelry? She barely wore any of that unless it was unique... Mabel unique anyways. Flowers and candy seemed like more of a Valentines Day thing, and a date thing... What could she use?

"Find anything little dude?" Wendy asked. She had obviously been watching him for a while, and she seemed pretty amused.

"Stop calling me little..." Dipper grumbled, as he continued looking.

"Get taller." Wendy said with a smirk on her face. Even if he was in love with Mabel, he had to admit, that Wendy was still really attractive. Especially when she smirked like that. "Anyways. What's the problem?"

"Well I'm having trouble finding something." Dipper said with near defeat in his voice... he didn't like not knowing what to get Mabel... she should have planned something. Then again, it wasn't until a few days ago that he was even still speaking with her. He hadn't put much thought into it, because she and him were not getting along.

"There are literally hundreds of things here that Mabel would like." She gestured around, as if it was plainly obvious.

"I know there are a lot of things she'd like..." Dipper looked down to his shoes. He was embarrassed to have to explain this to his former crush. "But... this is our first Christmas as a couple... plus I wasn't very nice for the past few months..."

"Yeah... still weird man." She held her hands up in front of her, when he glared at her, "Look, it's just hard to see you guys dating... not that you guys don't make a cute couple... just I'm so used to seeing you as siblings as all... Come on... you have to admit... I need a little time to get used to the idea."

"Okay... okay. I admit that it would be weird if I were in your shoes. But that still doesn't help me find that perfect something!" Dipper huffed near the end. It was frustrating to not be able to find something... and he was sure when he found it... it would be painfully obvious.

"Lingerie?" Dipper rolled his eyes. Of course Wendy was going to mess with him every chance she got... well he wasn't twelve anymore...

"Wouldn't that be more of a present for me?" He said blandly. Satisfied with the blush moving across the older teens face.

"You mean... you guys..." Wendy fumbled with her words until Dipper laughed.

"No, but that teaches you to tease me." He ignored her muttering, "So are you going to help me find something or what?"

AVAVA

(Mabel's PoV)

VAVAV

She stared at the notebook that she had guarded from Candy for a while after the other girl had left. Ironic that now that she was gone, Mabel was curious as to what she had been guarding. She debated if the rules applied to her... she was sure she knew Dippers deepest secret... she was sure it was the same as hers. An infatuation with their twin.

She did many things to ignore the notebook. She cleaned up the attic... as best she could with the boxes along the edges of the walls. Then gave up with that, as she went to looking through some of the things she brought with her to occupy her time. That lasted all of fifteen minutes until her eyes landed back on the notebook... Gah... If Dipper were back, it wouldn't be as tempting anymore. She pulled out her cellphone and called him.

"...Stop... Phone!" Dippers voice sounded frustrated as he answered. "Hey Mabel."

"Hey Dippirino. I was wondering when you were coming back." Her eyes never left the notebook that laid on Dipper's bed. It called to her...

"Soon I guess." He didn't sound too happy about that... was he having more fun there, without her? Was it because of Wendy? Was Wendy trying to move in on Dipper... no... just no... Wendy had her chance, and now Dipper was her's. "I can't find anything good for you."

"Oh... that's why you don't sound happy?"

"That, and Wendy keeps teasing me... Even told me to buy you lingerie." The obvious sound of Wendy in the background talking about how red Dipper was turning, that and Dipper's frustrated muttering, put a smile on Mabel's face.

"Now that you mention it... I could use some new underwear..." she fought the laughter building up inside herself.

"Not happening. You buy your own underwear." Dipper muttered. "We'll be home soon... want me to bring you anything back to eat?" He asked. She wanted to applaud him for being able to smoothly change the subject so fast.

"Greasy's? Okay then just bring me a burger... oh and fries. And chicken tenders... do they have tacos? Bring me tacos too. And and... um... that's it... I think. If I remember something else I'll send a text." It might seem like a lot to normal people, but she was hungry... plus whatever was left over, would make a good snack later or tomorrow. "Love you Dippirino."

"Love you too Mabel." She heard another round of 'awww' from Wendy before Dipper managed to hang up the phone.

AVAVA

Not being able to take it any longer she grabbed the notebook off Dipper's bed. It was Dipper's fault... she TRIED not to look... but he took too long with the food. Plus it wasn't fair she had to guard something from herself. She turned the pages reading bits and pieces from the book.

'I can't believe Mabel would do that... I thought she cared about me... Maybe Jason would be better for her than her own brother.'

'Mabel keeps trying to talk to me... but I don't know if I can believe her. And that hurts, because me and Mabel... we've always been able to trust each other.'

'I know I should be angry with her... but I can't be. I love her, I just want to talk to her again.'

'She tried talking to me today... I wanted to answer, I wanted to listen. But she brought up Jason, and I left the sandwich I was making.'

'We are being sent to Gravity Falls again... this time for winter break. Our parents think it will fix the problems between us like it did before... I hope it works. I miss Mabel.'

It continued like that, random thoughts during the time when they were not talking. She noticed that some of the ink had been smeared. It looked like tears. So he wasn't just trying to make her feel better when he said that he wasn't mad at her... that he was just sad. She had thought that it was harder on her during the time that they didn't talk, for the most part. Now she saw that it might have been harder on him. She put the book down as she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. It could only be one person.

"Hey Mabel I got..." she interrupted him by grabbing him as soon as he entered the room. Her bag of food dangled from his hand as she continued to hold him. A few tears slipping down her cheeks. "What's that for?"

"Just needed a hug." Then she smiled a bit, continuing to hold onto him. "So what did you get me?"

"Nothing... couldn't find anything. I'll try again tomorrow."

AVAVA

(Dipper's PoV)

VAVAV

He growls to himself as he once again prowled the stores in the mall. This was the last day he could find anything. Tomorrow was Christmas and he had nothing for Mabel. How could that even be possible? Now more than ever he was more tempted to just grab one of the many items that Mabel would like and be done with it... But he wasn't looking for something she'd like. He wanted to find something that she would love. Something that showed he loved her. But he was failing at that.

Wendy kept circling him like a shark would a school of fish... no doubt she was as frustrated as he was. However he didn't hear hear making any suggestions on what to get Mabel. It didn't take long before his patience wore thin. He'd given up finding something. And Wendy being frustrated only made him more so.

"Lets go back." Dipper muttered as he walked past her.

"But you haven't found..."

"Doesn't matter anymore. You don't want to be here anymore. So lets go... I'll just take Mabel out, and let her pick something after Christmas." He ignored her apology for getting irritated with waiting around. It wasn't really that... okay so it was bigger reason he gave up... but the biggest reason... he had failed to get Mabel anything. He knew her best, and he'd come up short.

AVAVA

(Mabel's PoV)

VAVAV

Christmas Eve had come, and now night crept through the house. As normal Dipper and Mabel shared a bed on this night. In their youngest years it was due to the mutual fear of the one they called Santa. Then as they got a bit older, it was to discuss what they thought they were getting. Or just too excited to sleep, so they could talk to each other, without being yelled at for being awake.

Now her and Dipper shared beds more often and for different reasons. Well that wasn't exactly true... it was always for comfort... and so they wouldn't be alone at night. Sure, other things had changed... but the core reason remained the same.

"Ready for bed Broseph?" Mabel called through the bathroom door as she pulled her nightshirt over her head, then walked out.

"You bet." he was already dressed for bed. Sometimes she wondered how he got dressed with the case on so easily. They both crawled into Mabel's bed, and talked very short bit before both feeling the pull towards sleep.

"Night Dippy."

"G'night Mabes."