Clear Skies

"Hey old man, what's this?"

He turns around, trying his best not to get annoyed at being called an 'old man'. A little boy is holding a bird's talon.

It's the foot of a carrion crow, cut from the dead bird in a shamanistic ritual. A prick from the talon incites an intense rage in any creature, causing them to lash out, destroying all in its path. But he couldn't very well tell that to an 8 year old.

"It's a cursed chicken foot, and it's not for sale." He said, reaching for the item.

The little boy yanked it away, not intent on giving away the treasure. Dipper's brow tensed as he thought of how to approach the situation.

He stood back up and turned away from the boy. "You wanna know how it's cursed?" he asked. "It's not cursed, you're just trying to scam me." He replied.

Dipper ignored the boy's skepticism, and continued with his plan. "A farmer in Louisiana gave it to me." It was actually a witchdoctor in Illinois. "He said he found it in his barn and hung it around his neck for good luck. And do you know what happened to him?"

"What?"

"His eyes fell right out of his skull. I probably should have mentioned that he wasn't a farmer by the time I met him. Told me the longer you wear it, the more pieces you lose."

"Yeah, I don't buy that."

"Neither did I. That's why I started wearing it. One night I took it off, and you'll never guess what happened."

The man stayed turned away from the child, who heard three thuds. He watched as three objects fell to the ground just in front of the man. One of the objects rolled over to the boy's feet, and his eyes widened in horror when he saw an unmistakable human eye.

He looked up to see the man turning around. There were was a black space where his eyes should've been, and pale, scarred skin where his nose used to be.

"You can imagine what happened next."

The little boy screamed and ran out of the door, dropping the bird's foot on the way out.

The man broke into laughter as soon as the boy was out of earshot. He pulled of the latex covering his eyes and nose. What good was running a shop of wonders if you can't use them to scare children?

He put his glasses back, a few residual giggles escaping from him, and was interrupted by a load "Ahem."

He looked to the source to see a young blonde woman standing against the door frame. "Dipper Pines. How do you expect to father a child of your own if you can't even go a week without traumatizing a little kid?" The woman had an armed wrapped around the noticeable bump on her belly.

She was feigning disappointment, and he could tell. "He called me an old man, Pacifica. He had it coming."

Her brows stayed furrowed, but the tiniest smile escaped from her pursed lips. "Dipper, you are an old man. Always have been. Your body's just taking a little longer to catch up with you."

Dipper walked over to his wife and offered her his hand, which she took gladly. He brought her behind the shop counter and the two took a seat on the worn sofa hidden behind it. Snuggling close together, he placed a hand on Pacifica's baby bump, rubbing it ever so gently.

"What's it been, six months now?"

She smiled. "Just about. Think of any names?"

"You know I've always liked Tyrone."

She caught a laugh in her throat. "Dipper, no, for the last time."

"But it sounds so cool." He urged. "What were you thinking?"

"Hmmm. If it's a girl, Madeline. If it's a boy, Sidney."

"Sidney? Any reason why?"

"It's the kind of name he won't appreciate until he's older. He won't have kids crowding around him just because he has a 'cool name', so he'll get a chance to make some real friends."

Hushed laughter came from Dipper. "Determining out child's upbringing before he's even born. Must you always be in control, Princess?"

"I'd like to be, but you're usually pretty quick to undermine that." She said, slapping him on the chest.

"I've said it before Pax. In a world as crazy as ours, you can't afford to be predictable."

He would have continued boasting but he was silenced by her lips capturing his in a deep kiss.

When she pulled away, Dipper was hazy-eyed. "Did you predict that?"

"From a mile away." Came a breathy response.

"Dork" was all she said before resting her head on his chest.

Sun shined in through the shop's windows.

The two could see out and upwards into the world, and they sighed in content. For them, the future was free, full of possibilities

Light came down through a clear blue sky.

0000

Well boys and girls, we've come a long way. I first wrote about these kids because I thought their personalities meshed well, and then NMM came out, and it turned out just as I imagined it. I don't know what it is but these cartoon children are just so easy to write together. But, alas, this show that has brought us all together is coming to an end. We may not even see Dipper of Pacifica interact in the final episode. I'm sad to see it go.

But I'm even sadder to say that this will be the last chapter of this little collection of stories.

Okay, you can stop crying now. I'm still gonna write stories about Dipper and Pacifica. Obviously. But, with the series ending, all the canon has been established, which means I can write new stories that fit with the show. I might make another collection of shorts, or I might make an actual linear story. I won't promised anything other than to say I'm far from finished. In any case, I'm glad so many of you have enjoyed this. I've gotten a ot of review about how happy this story made you, and really that's all I've ever tried to do.

It's been fun.