"Kids, I promise you this won't hurt you. It's just something to help you relax," Ford pleaded as he offered anti-anxiety pills to the children who were literally shaking at the prospect of traveling the same road their parents were on when they met their fate.

"No," Dipper refuted with as much authority as his shaking voice could muster. "This is the last time we'll ever travel to our childhood home. I'm going to be awake when we do."

Ford gave a defeated sigh. He had never taken Dipper as the overtly sentimental type, but then again, this was a heartbreakingly unique circumstance.

Poor Mabel wanted nothing more than to pop a pill and sleep through this whole nightmare, but Dipper had gone through so much to be there for her all summer. She wanted to try her best to do the same for him.

Stan decided that Ford should drive. There was not one bone in his body tempted to speed this time, but the kids deserved to be at ease knowing a more cautious driver was behind the wheel.

The trip was made in almost complete silence, with only the soft buzz on the air conditioner for white noise. Whenever Stan would collect enough of his nerve to look in the backseat of the car, he would find the kids trembling while silent tears flowed.

Stan wished he knew of something, anything that he could say just to make it hurt a little less. He would scan his freshly renewed mind and memories for things that had made the kids laugh over the summer: corny jokes, making fun of Lil' Gideon, affectionate noogies — none of these things were enough to bring the kids out of the doldrums of their depression. Stan wondered if anything ever would.

About halfway through their journey, right near the state line between Oregon and California, it had begun drizzling lightly, which only made the kids more afraid. Not helping was the increase of eighteen-wheelers on the road carrying their products from big factories in California to places along the pacific west coast.

At one point, Ford had to swerve slightly to avoid an eighteen-wheeler traveling a little too close to that yellow line that almost acts as a line between life and death. This minor incident sent Dipper over the emotional edge that he had been dangling over the entire trip.

"WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE JUST GOTTEN OUT OF THE WAY? WHY?" He cried out with a pain that was even more intense than that horrible night in the hospital.

At first, Stan and Ford just assumed the poor boy was crying, letting out all those tears that he was taught to hold inside by a society that didn't accept that men can have deep and painful emotions too.

But then, the poor boy started hyperventilating.

Stan and Ford gave each other a look that communicated that they both had deeply personal reasons to understand what exactly was going on.

Stan hadn't experienced panic attacks until he was a grown man, but Ford remembered being no older than Dipper when his started.

Ford also remembered his father not showing him the slightest sympathy and instead telling him to "man up."

Ford may not know anything about raising kids, but he did know that they deserved better.

Without a word, he pulled over to the shoulder of the highway. Considering the circumstances, he decided to pull all four wheels onto the grass to alleviate any anxieties that the kids would have in concerns to their safety.

Mabel was staring at her usually unmovable brother as he was completely consumed by his fears, shame, and anxieties. It terrified her that she had no idea how to help him. It made her feel so useless.

Ford opened the car door and unbuckled the boy's very tight seatbelt. The tightness of the rope couldn't be helping with his ability to breathe.

He lifted the boy into his arms and carried him several feet away from the car.

"Why…why couldn't they…why couldn't they have just gotten out of the way? Why did they…leave us?" The poor boy sputtered and stuttered through his tears. All the while just fighting, to get a breath of fresh air.

"Shh…it was an accident, Dipper…a horrible, tragic accident. Just an accident…" Ford soothed as he rubbed the boy's back while taking deep, calming breaths and encouraging the child to follow suit.

Unfortunately, the constant sound of vehicles, both large and small, racing down the highway wasn't doing Dipper any favors.

Ford noticed this and used one hand to press Dipper's ear closed, while the other held him for dear life.

"I'm here, Dipper. I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm going to protect you and Mabel for the rest of my life. I promise, Dipper, I promise. I need you to trust me, Dipper. Please trust me."

Dipper sniffled loudly as he slowly started returning to his physical body and regaining a little bit of control.

After a long moment, Dipper finally caught his breath enough to ask Ford in a tiny, yet desperate voice. "I think I want a pill now."

Ford nodded as he grabbed a bottle of water and a pill and gave it to Dipper. The boy took them as he returned to the backseat of the car. His eyes were already beginning to droop as he settled back beside Mabel.

"Sorry, sis…" Dipper said groggily, feeling like he let her down by losing control of himself.

"Shh…it's okay, bro-bro." Mabel gently pulled Dipper's head onto her shoulder. "It's okay. Just go to sleep."

Dipper didn't need any more prompting as he closed his eyes and relaxed against his sister's shoulder.

"Would you like one too, dear?" Ford asked softly.

"No, I want to stay up in case Dipper needs me," Mabel said as she hugged him protectively.

Ford smiled at the girl. "You're a good sister."

Mabel managed a tiny smile back.

When Ford settled back into the driver's seat, Stan gave him a proud smile. "What did I tell you, Sixer? Fast learner."

The rest of the trip was quiet. It was late when they pulled into the driveway of the lavished, two-story, white house.

"Talk about a downgrade…" Stan whispered, as he thought about his old, wooden Shack and the idea that he now had to make it a home to children who had known such a high standard of living.

Ford gently rubbed Dipper's back to alert him of their arrival.

Meanwhile, Mabel showed Stan where the spare house key was.

When they opened the door and flicked on the lights, a heart-wrenching sight greeted them.

Hanging in the kitchen was a banner that read: "WELCOME HOME DIPPER AND MABEL."