Stan wanted so badly to dream of her. He wanted to see her again, see her alive, see her beautiful brown eyes twinkle and shine as she looked at him. He wanted to feel her arms give him a warm hug, and her sweet voice call him daddy. Mabel was now gone from earth; he would never see her alive again in the real world, but maybe his mind and subconscious could revive her in his dreams. Give him some time to spend with her, even if it was only a dream, even if it was for a moment, he would even settle for a nightmare if Mabel would meet him there.
The difficult part of dreams is that they can't be controlled, you can focus all of your thoughts and energy on what you want to dream about, but you release control when you allow your body to drift off. That night Stan was so completely drained that his mind didn't even have the power to give him any dreams. He simply drifted into a deep darkness, which was fitting, as that was the feeling that was in his heart, emptiness, sadness, darkness, so much darkness.
When he awoke the next morning he spent a few glorious moments in ignorance to the tragedy that had befallen his family the day before. He woke up in that tiny bed with the pink covers, he had spent a fair number of nights curled up on this little bed, comforting Mabel through nightmares and panic attacks, and sometimes just staying because he didn't want to spend his nights alone, he had spent more than half of his life alone, and didn't want to ever go back to that. For a split second as he felt a child sleeping in his arms he thought that maybe Mabel's medical emergency had all just been an awful dream. He thought maybe she had just had a nightmare and that she was curled up right beside him. He hoped when he looked, she would be there, fast asleep, dreaming good dreams now. When he opened his eyes, however, he found that it was Dipper in his arms. It didn't take him long at all for the unbearable pain of his loss to hit him full force. He squeezed his surviving child tight, more determined than ever to protect him in a way that he had failed to do for Mabel. He was all that was left, he never wanted to lose him too.
Dipper woke up soon after that and went through the same heartbreaking steps of realization that Stan had moments before, thinking it was all a very bad dream, wishing that when he opened his eyes, he would see Mabel asleep next to him, safe and sound, that was not to be. Not knowing what else to do he hugged Stan tight as he began crying afresh, his head throbbed in pain from sobbing the night before, it was unbearable but he didn't care, he wanted to feel pain, if Mabel couldn't be with him, he didn't deserve to live comfortably. She was his everything, the one he could turn to in his hour of need, now she was gone, what did it matter now if he suffered, he had no one.
When Ford woke up to find his son sobbing into Stan's arms, he attempted to join in a group hug. Unfortunately, Dipper was slightly stronger and more cognitively aware than he was the night before, he jerked away from Ford as he hugged Stan tighter. Deep down he knew that he wasn't being fair to his adoptive father, but it also wasn't fair that Mabel had to die. He knew that one day he would have to confront Ford about everything that had happened, ask dreadful questions and receive heartbreaking answers, but that day was not today. Not now.
Stan gave Ford a sympathetic look as if to say don't take it personally, he's just hurting right now, but Ford did take it personally. He took it so personally that his son might as well physically jabbed him in the heart, not only did he have to confront his own blame and self-loathing, but also the fact that his son blamed him too.
Waddles gently nudged the crying boy in an attempt to comfort him. He still didn't understand why his mommy had left him, but he knew that she would want him to look after her brother.
Dipper hugged the pig as if he was hugging the very soul of his deceased twin sister, he felt Mabel was with him, whatever small comfort it was, he let himself be consumed by it.
At that moment a rumble escaped Dipper's stomach, it only made him sadder, because it served as a reminder that he was alive, and Mabel was not.
Stan gave the boy a sympathetic smile, none of the three men had taken very good care of themselves these past few days, Mabel had been their only concern, but the reality was that as much as they didn't want to, they had to take care of their own needs too. Mabel would have wanted them too.
"C'mon, I think one of the casseroles Susan left for us is a breakfast one," Stan said with no emotion as he forced his body to raise from his daughter's bed, Dipper reluctantly followed, with Ford trailing behind. He felt like in losing Mabel, Ford had forfeited his right to be a member of the family, he was once again an outsider who had to work his way back in. Mabel of course had been the one who in a way brought him back by not pressing that button, and now he in a way, had been the one who had taken her away from them, from Dipper, from Stan, from Gravity Falls, from himself.
They didn't even have the energy to get out plates and napkins to have an actual meal; instead they simply used forks to pick at the casserole, only eating just barely enough to sustain them.
Feeling the need to break the silence Stan spoke up, "so Dipper, Ford and I gotta go to the…." Stan had to swallow a lump in his throat, "we gotta go to the funeral home today to make….to make plans for…, you can just hang out here today. If you don't feel like being alone I can call Wendy and-"
"No," Dipper cut him off.
"I know Mabel better than anyone, I need to help you guys, I want to help you guys," it was true, while Dipper didn't want to go through the motions that made this real, he felt that the very least he owed Mabel was the insight to ensure her funeral would be the kind of send-off that she would want, the kind of send off she deserved. One that would make sure her legacy would live on long after her demise.
Stan hated it, but in reality he was thankful that Dipper would be there to help them. He was so much stronger then him and Ford combined. It was so much to put on such a young child, but Dipper was the one who undoubtly knew Mabel best, and since Mabel was far too young to have a will, they would need Dipper's expertise to give their daughter a proper goodbye.
Ford remained silent, to be honest he wanted to be the one to stay home, to hide away from the world and the horrid reality he had brought upon Mabel, but he couldn't back out of a difficult situation, his family (both surviving and not) deserved more out of him.
When they finished picking at their breakfast, the newly formed family of three headed out for the most difficult task of their whole lives.