The Stare
The Stan O'War II, heading for California – February 18
"He saw us!" Soos gasped. He clapped a hand to one cheek while the other hand pointed at the projection. From the projection, it looked like Dipper was staring at everyone on deck with his glowing white eyes.
"Soos, you know those times when Dipper looks serious about something?" Wendy said quietly, staring at Dipper with a look of fascinated horror.
"Yup," replied Soos.
"He's got that expression on right now, but the white eyes are making him look creepy."
"Oh yeah," agreed Soos. "Definitely. Absolutely."
"Ugh…"
Ford tore his eyes away from Dipper's face to see Stan grab Maegella to steady her. She had swayed on her feet and clapped a hand to her forehead. Ford immediately reached out to hold her up.
"Hey, what's happening, Mage?" asked Stan.
"Mani…uma lle merna?" cried Maegella, letting go of her staff; it hit the deck with a clatter. Despite the twins' support, she started to sink to the floor. Soos and Wendy rushed to flank the two brothers, concern etched on their faces.
Ford and Stan looked at each other in confusion.
"What's she saying, Ford?" Stan asked nervously.
"I don't know," Ford replied, looking tense. "But it sounds like the language they use when they have to cast spells."
He looked back at the projection. Soos was nearly right; Dipper—or whatever it was that made his forehead and eyes glow—somehow sensed the presence of a spell-caster and seemed to be communicating with her. Most likely through a mental link, as Dipper was just staring in their direction without a change in his solemn expression.
Ford moved to stand in front of Maegella and dropped to his knees. He grasped her shoulders and said, "Maegella, can you hear me? Snap out of it!"
"Tampa," she groaned. She sounded like she was in pain.
"Florida?" Stan replied, scratching his head.
"Tampa! Mani naa lle umien? Tampa! STOP!"
Maegella raised her head, looking directly at Ford.
"Sweet Moses!" Stan yelled, letting go of Maegella.
Ford and everyone else gasped when they saw her eyes were glowing white just like Dipper's eyes. Wide-eyed Maegella raised her hand at the projection.
"Stop it," she gasped. "Please…"
Ford nodded. He turned around and kicked the orb off the Spotting Saucer, sending it spinning to one side of the deck with a THUNK. The projection immediately dissipated in front of them, and Maegella pitched forward, her eyes returning to normal. Stan and Wendy grabbed her before her head collided with Ford's back. Ford turned around to face Maegella again.
"Easy there, sister," said Stan, pulling her back carefully to a sitting position. Maegella blinked and rubbed her forehead; she looked dazed. A sheen of sweat shined on her brow.
"Maegella, are you alright?" he asked, trying hard to mask the panic in his voice. "What happened?"
"Ford, we gotta bring her inside," said Stan. He looked closely at Maegella. "Or maybe not. She looks like she's gonna hurl."
"Stan!" Wendy grouched, glaring at her old boss.
"Give me a moment, if you will," Maegella said in a weak, shaky voice. She looked around at everyone and continued, "I am sorry for putting you through that, but this…this confirms that your nephew's condition and my quest are the same. We need to get to him as soon as possible."
She took a deep breath and attempted to stand up, but Ford's hands on her shoulders stopped her.
"Hold on; I don't think you've recovered enough from what happened earlier…whatever it was," Ford told her. "What exactly happened earlier? What is happening to Dipper?!"
Ford could no longer mask his growing alarm. A member of his family is in danger and he needed answers.
Maegella looked down at her hands, frowning. "I do not—understand it myself. But when he looked at me, I was—overwhelmed." She raised her head to look at the people around her. "Did I say anything?"
"Uhm, you started talking in a language that none of us understand and then your eyes glowed," replied Soos.
Maegella looked shocked. "I spoke another language?"
Everyone else nodded. Ford clarified, "It sounded like the same one you use to cast spells."
Now Maegella looked perplexed. "Oh my…we only know the spells, not the whole language! Well, I saw things…strange things. Visions, I think. I saw young Dipper; his eyes were normal, but his forehead glowed with the Sigil on it. Then, I saw the Guardian, Mek-Death. Its eyes glowed above its helm and…the crafts. Strange crafts from the sky…"
Maegella paused and shook her head. She raised her hands and grasped Ford's shoulders.
"Stanford, we cannot waste time! We need to reach Dipper as soon as possible. He needs our help!"
"We are heading there right now, but what help does he need?" demanded Stan as Ford let go of Maegella's shoulders and started to get back up on his feet.
"The Sigil was dormant for nearly all of Dipper's life until yesterday; I understand that now," replied Maegella. She picked up her staff, took the hand that Ford offered her and carefully pulled herself up. She gave Stan a worried look. "I dare not think what an active Sigil will do to him the longer it stays on his person. I know some spells that might help, but you must know this: Dipper's situation is unprecedented. Nothing like it has ever happened in Rothezar's history."
Ford nodded; he turned to look at Stan. "Time to fire up the old tub."
"Fire up the rockets on this thing?" said Stan incredulously. He carefully stood up, joints popping and cracking like Mabel's Fizz Rocks candy. "That might be hard to pull off without people noticing. It's still daylight, Poindexter."
Then, after a slight pause: "Ah, what the heck. Let's do this!"
XXXXX
Moments later…
"What do you mean we can't do this?!" demanded Stan.
"We can't," Ford growled, scowling at the ship's wheel. "The magical interference earlier conked out the power. We're sitting dead in the water."
Ford's suspicions were raised when he noticed that he couldn't hear the engines of the Stan O'War II while walking inside the bridge.
"Aw, crud!" muttered Wendy.
"Oh no!" cried Soos. "Isn't there some way to jump start the boat?"
"I could do that, no problem, but it'll take time," explained Ford.
"We will make time," said Maegella sternly. "Stanford, will you be able to steer us to the next port without your 'electrics'?"
"I believe so," replied Ford, looking at Maegella questioningly.
"That is reassuring to know," said Maegella. She turned to Wendy and said, "Will you assist me on deck, Wendy?"
"Uh, sure thing," replied Wendy. Then, as they walked away from the men, "Help you with what?"
"Help you with what?" asked Ford almost at the same time.
"To push the boat," explained Maegella, pushing open the door and walking back to the middle of the deck.
"Whoa, hold on there!" Wendy exclaimed, raising her hands. "Can you do another spell after what happened to you a while ago? No offense, Maegella, but you don't look so good."
"I must try, Wendy," said Maegella, walking slowly towards the edge of the deck.
"Need any help, ladies?" asked a gravelly voice.
Wendy and Maegella turned around to see Stan stepping away from the open door.
"What are you doing out here, Stan?" asked Wendy.
"Ford wants me to keep an eye on you two while he steers the Stan O'War," he replied. Pointing a thumb at Maegella, he said in a softer voice, "She about to do another magic trick?"
Wendy nodded. They turned to observe Maegella.
Maegella walked to the edge of the deck and faced the ocean. She raised her staff high over her head and made wide, circular motions. Stan had a fleeting vision of Probabilitor the Annoying doing a similar movement with his staff somewhere in the woods of Gravity Falls. He also remembered the satisfaction he felt beating that nerd wizard at that nerd game.
"Yala onna en' alu!" cried Maegella, swinging her staff down at an arc. However, the momentum from the swing nearly made her lose her balance. Maegella reached out with her staff-free hand and grabbed the edge of the deck.
"Maegella!" cried Wendy.
"Woah there!" shouted Stan at the same time.
Stan and Wendy ran towards Maegella and pulled her away from the edge. Stan held her steady; up close, he noticed Maegella's wan complexion and the sheen of sweat on her brow.
"Here, take a seat, missy," he said, leading her to a corner of the deck near the door. "You look like you're gonna pass out."
Wendy took a peek over the edge of the deck. All she saw was the blue-green ocean lapping against the boat, nothing out of the ordinary. "What was that spell supposed to do, Maegella?" she asked.
Maegella wiped the cold sweat from her brow with her hand. "It was supposed to summon a water elemental," she replied. "When I mentioned about pushing the boat, I meant that the elemental will do the pushing, not us." She buried her face into her hands. "I'm sorry…"
Stan placed a hand on her shoulder, making Maegella look up at him. "Don't sweat it, missy," he said, giving her a small smile. "Appreciate it that you want to help my family. Anyway, Ford can jump start this tub quicker than you can say that spell you said earlier. Come on; you better lie down while we fire up the engines. And no arguing about it," he said sternly, when Maegella was about to say something. "Cap'n Stan has spoken."
Wendy opened the door as Stan led Maegella back into the bridge.
XXXXX
Berkeley Marina Parking Lot – February 18, a few hours later
"Wow…they're here. They're really here!"
Beside him, Ben's daughter could barely suppress a squeal. He felt Mabel's hand squeeze his own very tightly as she started bouncing up and down with excitement.
"Almost all of my favorite people are here!" she said in a voice that was a mixture of a stage whisper and a shrill squeal.
"Hey, what about me, Mom, and Dipper, huh?" Ben asked her in a mock-surprise tone, complete with a hand to his chest to pretend shock.
Mabel looked up at her Dad and smiled. "I have a lot of favorite people, Dad. You, Mom, Dipper and Waddles are my favorite people, too!" She punctuated her statement by hugging him tightly.
Ben smiled and ruffled her hair. He was a little glad the arrival of his Uncles and a couple of friends from Gravity Falls was making Mabel happy. He knew he would be a lot happier if Dipper was here to welcome them and share in Mabel's excitement. The kids have been looking forward to winter break since learning that their Great Uncles coming. But his son was in the hospital, and the thought sobered him.
Ben looked up as the group of people got closer.
Leading the group were his two uncles, Stan and Ford. After formally meeting both his uncles last Christmas—the uncle he had thought was Stanford finally came clean and introduced himself as Stanley—Ben was able to tell the two apart on sight. Uncle Stan wore a red wool beanie, a long brown coat over a white shirt and tan slacks. Next to him, Uncle Ford wore a dark gray hoodie that was partially zipped up, exposing the red turtleneck sweater he wore underneath, and black pants.
(That Christmas was a memorable event. He thought his father was going to have a heart attack when he spotted both his brothers sitting next to his grandchildren. That was the day Ben realized his family's history was more interesting than he originally thought.)
Behind the two brothers were three people: a red-headed teenage girl wearing a red flannel jacket and a blue-and-white cap, a tall woman with darker red hair wearing a long blue cloak, and a large fellow in a green jacket with an amiable face and large front teeth that reminded Ben of a gopher.
Mabel let go of her father's hand and ran towards the group. Stan and Ford knelt down simultaneously and opened their arms to embrace their great-niece. When his uncles knelt, Ben noticed that the woman in the blue cloak was holding a blue staff.
"Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford! You made it! My favoritest Grunkles in the world are here!" Mabel shrieked before catapulting herself into their arms. She squeezed them tightly, relishing the giant combined hug from her Grunkles.
"Hey, you know us," said Stan, ruffling Mabel's hair. "Call us, and we'll come running."
"Absolutely," confirmed Ford. "And we're your only Grunkles…"
"Don't ruin this, Ford," Stan grumbled.
They let go of Mabel, who now looked at the people behind her. "Wendy! Soos! Welcome to California!"
"Hey, Mabel!" chorused Wendy and Soos. Mabel gave her friends individual hugs.
"Oh, I missed you guys so much!" Mabel gushed. "I missed all of you!"
After hugging them, Mabel looked around and spotted the stranger behind Wendy. She stood a few steps away from them, giving them privacy for their reunion while clutching a light blue staff in her hands.
"Oh, introductions again!" said Soos. He led Mabel to where Maegella stood and said, "Mabel this is Maegella. She's the magical lady who's going to help Dipper! Maegella, this is Mabel. Mabel is Dipper's twin sister!"
Maegella raised her staff to Mabel during the introductions. As Mabel approached her, Maegella lowered her staff and knelt down, raising a hand to shake with the young girl. "Greetings, Mabel."
"Oooooooh," breathed Mabel, reaching out to shake Maegella's hand. "You're beautiful! And I love your outfit! Is that a magical staff? Do you have an owl?!"
All at once, Maegella was charmed, flattered and confused by Mabel's rapid-fire and sincere compliments. All she could say to Mabel's compliments were "Thank you. Though I do not have an owl, whatever it is."
"Oh, they're really cool birds that wizards use to send mail. But I guess that only happens in Harry Potter." Mabel explained quickly, waving her hands. Then, she became subdued; she let go of Maegella's hand and stepped back, rubbing her arm. "Can you help my brother? Really help him?"
Maegella looked at Mabel. She reached out for Mabel's hand; Mabel looked at it, then placed her hand in the older woman's hand, which was then covered by Maegella's other hand.
"I will help him, Mabel. I will help him to the best of my abilities." she said, giving the young girl a reassuring smile. Mabel smiled back hopefully.
A cough in the background made Maegella and Mabel look up; Stan, Ford, and Ben were standing behind them next to Soos and Wendy. Maegella and Mabel stood up.
"Maegella, this is our nephew, Ben. He's Mabel and Dipper's father," said Stan (Maegella raised her staff to Ben). "Ben, this is Maegella. She's a friend of Ford's from the Portal."
"Nice to meet you, ma'am," Ben said politely, raising a hand to shake, which Maegella shook.
Maegella looked at Ben and remarked, "You look a lot like your uncles."
Ben laughed. "So I've been told," he said. "Dad tells me I look like a skinnier version of Uncle Stan here."
Stan coughed. It sounded suspiciously like "muscles!" Mabel tried to stifle a giggle.
Ford shook his head and said, "I think it's best that we go on ahead to the hospital so that Maegella can assess the situation and do what she needs to do."
Ben nodded and started walking to the middle of the parking lot. "We're parked nearby," he said, pointing to a silver minivan at a distance. "I think we'll all fit!"
"I wanna sit between Grunkles!" said Mabel as they reached the van. "Grunkle sandwich!"
Eventually, everyone got into the minivan and left the parking lot. Maegella rode shotgun next to Ben, who was driving; Mabel sat between Stan and Ford, and Soos and Wendy sat in the rear. Maegella, Soos and Wendy looked out of the windows, fascinated with the scenery.
"So, which hospital are we headed to, Ben?" asked Stan.
"Renzetti Permanente Hospital, Uncle Stan," said Ben, stopping the van at a red light. "Same place where the twins were born, remember."
Stan blinked. "Yeah…yeah, I was there," he said slowly. "Longest time I ever closed up the Shack. Drove all the way from Gravity Falls just to be there."
Ben smiled as he drove on ahead at the green light. "Dad thought you'd be conked out during the main event; that was a long drive you made then. I remembered it like it was yesterday: you were absolutely delighted that Mabel punched the doctor in the jaw. Then, after Dipper got better, you wouldn't let Dad hold the babies for hours…"
Stan laughed, then abruptly stopped. "Wait, what was that about Dipper again?"
"Don't you remember?" asked Ben. "Dipper was put on observation after he was nearly strangled by the umbilical cord." He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning at the memory.
"Sweet Moses, really?" asked Ford.
"Oh my goodness," breathed Maegella. "I can't imagine what it must be like."
"Longest 24 hours of our lives," Ben murmured. "We all waited in the room for the results while Uncle Stan walked all over the hospital. Couldn't sit still in the room, he said…"
"Grunkle Stan, are you okay?" asked Mabel.
Stan did not answer her. He started to remember…
He walked down the white corridor. He needed to get somewhere; he didn't know what else to do to console the worried new parents and the troubled new grandfather. He needed answers that would relieve him of the worry and anxiety he felt for his new grand-nephew. He didn't want to think that his new grand-niece would grow up without her twin…
Before he reached the end of the corridor, a flash of bright white light suddenly appeared from the right.
"Huh," said Stan. "What the heck was that?"
He reached the end of the corridor and turned right.
There was another stretch of walls and floor here, but on the right side of this hallway was a large door and what looked to be a large window, where another room seemed to be. There wasn't anything here that would have produced the flash of white light. Perhaps it was a malfunctioning bulb…
The door opened and a man wearing a white coat and holding a gray cane stepped out of it. Limp gray curls framed the wrinkled face of a man at least twenty years his senior. He had a beaky nose, a trim white beard, and dark, tired eyes. Stan thought the old boy had a long day; it was past 10 PM.
The man realized that there was someone standing nearby. "May I help you?" he asked in a pleasant, mellow voice.
"What's the news, doc?" Stan asked the older man. "I mean, about my nephew's son? Uh, baby boy Pines? Is he gonna be okay?"
The older man smiled. He stepped forward, placed two veined hands on his shoulders, and said, "He will be fine, sir. They will care for each other."
"Huh?"
"I mean…he's a twin. They will care for each other. That's what I meant," the older man explained quickly. "I beg pardon; it has been a long day."
"I'll bet," agreed Stan. He felt relieved; his new nephew was going to be okay! "Eesh! You look like you need a break, doc."
"Yes," said the other man, patting Stan's shoulder and walking away. He sounded so tired. "Yes…I do need a break. I will see you when I see you, Mr. Pines."
But that was the last that Stan ever saw of him.
XXXXX
Author's Note: I nearly had the family reunion happen in the Port of Oakland. Sure, it's closer to Piedmont according to Google Maps, but I realized it was a commercial port. Oops.
I'm also planning on writing the Christmas reunion. I just need to flesh out some plot.
Apologies if there are any errors in the Tolkien Elvish I used here so far. I copied them from The Grey Company DOT org. What Maegella said were:
Mani uma lle merna? – What do you want?
Mani naa lle umien? – What are you doing?
Tampa! – Stop!