Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls

Author's Note: In this chapter, Mabel meets a rather interesting boy, and Dipper gets a job in this au version of Chapter 29: The Deep End!

Family Tree:

Stanley and Carla - James and Jessie Pines

Stanford and Addi - Shauna and Shannon Pines

James Pines and Tara Grayson - Cormac (19), Arya, Aria, and Anais Pines (15)

Jessie Pines and Lillian Prescott - Tanya (21), Stanley Jr aka Junior, (16) and Tyrone Pines (14)

Shauna Pines and Marcus Valdez - Quincy Pines (7)

Shannon is still single.

Enjoy Fellow Gravity Fallers!


In the early morning, Dipper and Mabel overall had a great time on their first day and night camping in the great outdoors. Dipper didn't even think of using Ford's cell phone to text his friend for the whole day; he was having so much fun to explore more of the woods than before. The scary story did put the two on edge last night, but the adults helped the twins sleep better with ensuring them that the Headless Woodsman wasn't going to get them, since the two are still so young.

Mabel helps Ford and Adeline make breakfast, suggesting she adds a bit of food coloring to the pancakes with bright eyes, "Can we make rainbow pancakes? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" having been inspired by Junior to make a more colorful meal - though only for breakfast as Junior suggested while teaching her.

The couple allows it, taking delight in how much the twins enjoyed themselves, despite being told a dark story before bed.

"Sure thing, Mabel. I see you've taken inspiration from Junior, huh?" Adeline remarks with a smile, helping Mabel with mixing the batter and colors.

"Him and I have a great sense of art and creativity!" Mabel tells, mixing the batter to a blend of colors that don't mesh together to make a brown, surprisingly.

Seeing Mabel get creative with breakfast reminds Ford of Shannon having done something similar to breakfast in her youth, though it always looked to be a real mess of a dish, but it was still delicious in taste.

After eating breakfast, Ford, Stan, Carla and Adeline packed everything up with Dipper, Mabel and Waddles in tow, heading for home.

On the drive home, Dipper admits to Stan with a smile, "Hey Grunkle Stan."

"Yeah, Dipper?"

"Thanks for suggesting we go camping. Maybe we can go again next time?" Dipper brings up, wanting to do more exploring with the safety of the adults nearby.

Hearing what his nephew said brought a big smile on the old man and his wife, Stan and Carla agreeing to the notion.

"Sure, sweetie, maybe in the next few weeks or so," Carla tells him, cranking up the AC as it was starting to get increasingly warm outside. Dipper and Mabel couldn't be happier.


Later that afternoon at the Mystery Shack…

It was blazing hot outside, so scorching that a squirrel spontaneously combusts into ash. But inside the house wasn't any better as Dipper, Mabel, Soos, Stan and Carla dressed in their shorts and light shirts. Dipper fanning himself with his own hat on the couch. Mabel leaning against the couch, not even considering to wear a sweater today. Soos lying face down on the carpet. Stan lying straight on his back on the wooden floor, eating melted chocolate ice cream. Carla trying to get ice from the freezer, but as soon as she took it out, the whole bag melted to water, the older woman letting out a frustrated sigh. Dipper and Soos not wearing any shirts as it was so hot, the fish tank starts boiling and the wallpaper peeling some as Toby Determined talks on the tv.

"Watch out, Gravity Falls! At a hundred-ten degrees, we're looking at hottest day of the summer."

"All in favor of doing nothing all day, say "ugh"." Dipper groans, hearing the others say "ugh" with him in agreement, raising their hands.

Carla calls out to Ford and Adeline, getting irritated by the heat, "Do you two have that AC working yet?"

Ford raises his voice for her to hear from the other room, "Almost! As long as it don't-"

"It caught on fire!" Adeline screams, getting something to put out the flame, but damaging the air conditioner further. The random wildfires getting ridiculous year after year in their town.

"Ah shoot! It's going to take awhile to get it fixed," Ford pats his sweaty brow with a rag, then him mumbling something about summer fairies.

Adeline glances over to Ford, making a suggestion to ease things, "Let's work on it later tonight; it'll be less unbearable then."

While lying on the floor, Stan is visited by Waddles, getting easily annoyed by the simple pig, "I'm gonna throw this pig outta the house!" Waddles just licks off the chocolate ice cream on his face, couldn't stay mad at the adorable pig, "You called my bluff, pig."

To break their silent, sweat-inducing misery, Toby Determined on the tv announces something that gets everyone's attention, "On the bright side - pun very much intended - it's opening week at the Gravity Falls Pool!"

Mabel perks a smile as she exclaims in renewed eagerness, "Gravity Falls Pool?"

Dipper widely grins with his sister, "Today?"

"Pun intended?" Soos adds, lifting his head up.

"Hot diggity! Let's all go to the pool!" Carla cheers, her and Adeline, who was just as happy to hear, head upstairs to get everything they need to go swimming.

"That actually sounds like a solid idea," Ford agrees, haven't been to the local pool for awhile.

"As soon as we're ready, let's go to the cars!" Stan cheers, however, as he tries to move from his spot, his skin became stuck to the wooden floor from all the sweat. He looks up to his twin brother, asking, "Hey bro, I'm stuck, a little help here?"

Ford kneels down and grabs Stan's arm, pulling as hard as he can while commenting, "We need to get this floor… replaced." With one more strong pull, Ford managed to free his brother, though part of the floor still sticking to Stan's back. Soos and the twins cringe from hearing the floor snap off. Ford raising a perplexed brow, seeing how odd it was for the floor to stick to his brother, like a velvet ball to a velcro disc. "I'll help get that off you too, Stan, before we all leave."


Soon after at the Gravity Falls Pool...

Stan, Ford, Carla, Adeline, along with Dipper and Mabel arrive at the local pool. The townsfolk who weren't either working or taking a day off were there, having a good time. Either they were swimming in content, getting food from the snackbar, or lounging on the long chairs getting some sun to tan their skins.

"Ah the pool! Splashing away with some summer enchantment!" Mabel gasps, seeing her triplet cousins, Aria, Arya and Anais in the pool, bouncing a beach ball to each other as they laugh. Mabel and the rest of them wave over to the girls, "Hey, girls!"

The triplets stopped what they were doing and swims over to to them, happy to see their cousins and the older members of the family.

Aria wearing a pink striped, yellow bikini, greets the family first with a wave, "Cool that you all came over."

Stan asks of his granddaughter, "Hey, pup, anyone else in the family here today?"

"Oh yeah. Aunt Shauna and Quincy are here," Anais spoke for her sister, thumbing back towards Shauna in a one-piece black and red rose patterned swimsuit, watching over Quincy while he plays with his friends, Dani, Kylie and Jack. The young kids giggling and splashing all the while without a care in the world. Anais wearing a green one-piece bathing suit, her hair flowing free from the usual braided look..

Adeline couldn't help but to coo over her grandson playing with his friends, getting out the camera, "Oh so cute! I'll be over where Shauna is if any of you need me."

Ford thinks the same as he tells, "If you all may excuse me, I'll be joining Addi," walking off to join his wife in setting up their belongings near some chairs. Adeline takes a few photos of her grandson and his friends. Quincy waving to his grandma while swimming and playing Marco-Polo with his friends. Adeline sits right next to Shauna, of whom was dipping her legs in the water while watching the younger kids.

"Junior's here too," Arya mentions, turning her head to where he is, getting a few items from the snackbar, "All the other adults had work to do, but us. And Ty's with his buddy and girlfriend today doing something else." She just wears the purple top part of the bikini, but has on black swim trunks instead of the other part of the bikini. The triplets not minding being seen having hairy legs, arms, and a bit of auburn hair along their jaws and chin -inherited from their mother.

Dipper just now notices the printing of a cartoon sun wearing sunglasses on Soos' pink towel, questioning, "Why does the sun need to wear sunglasses?"

Soos dismisses Dipper's thought-provoking ponder, himself not knowing a real answer, simply putting, "It's best not to think about it."

As soon as Mabel turns the other way, she couldn't help to notice something that really caught her undivided attention from her cousins, "Whoa hold the presses!" It was a boy around her age, hispanic in ethnicity with long brown hair and a growing moustache on his upper lips, wearing a orange-red shell locket around his neck, rest on a pool foam float. Making her eyes bright as was her smile, grinning from ear to, cupping her hands together as she wonders aloud with a gasp as she was love-struck, "Who's that?"

The triplets, as well as Soos, Dipper, Stan and Carla see who Mabel's looking at, Soos being the one to inform her of what little he knows about the boy while eating a bag of chips, "Oh yeah! Word is, dude never leaves the pool," he bends down to Mabel's height to tell her more, "People say he's a… mysterious loner." Hearing this heightens Mabel's intrigue in the boy.

Mabel fans herself, "Is it getting hot out here, or is it that guy?"

The triplets giggle to each other, seeing clearly that their cousin has fallen for a guy her age. Carla lightly clapping, hoping her niece succeeds. Stan cracking his knuckles, already thinking of what to do in case the guy breaks his niece's heart. It won't be pretty.

"Oh definitely that guy, Mabe," Aria comments, high-fiving her sisters.

"It's the hottest day of the year, Mabel," Dipper spoke in a deadpan tone, knowing all too well it was her boy-craziness talking. He briefly looks up that crumbs of chips sprinkle down on him from Soos' snacking, adding, "Besides, can't you go one week without having a new crush on some random guy?"

Mabel shakes her head, "Nuh-uh! Look at his little moustache hairs!" her eyes becoming starry-eyed.

Almost passing his family by, Junior sees how smitten his cousin is for the boy, past experience wanting to give her advice as he tells her, "I'd be careful with the whole 'love at first sight' thing, Mabel," he frowns a tad from the memory of his last girlfriend leaving him, "just looking out for you, don't want you to get crushed if-."

"I'll go to him!" Mabel was completely unaware of her older cousins words, having been bit by the 'love-bug' hard,, racing off to go to the boy. She runs under the lifeguard stands, over chairs with little concern of the people lounging on them, getting her foot caught in a metal bucket for a brief moment; even to knocking over a basket of inflated balls. "Sorry!" Mabel wasn't letting anything stand in her way for the prize that is the mysterious loner named, Mermando.

"Yep, she's clearly enamoured." Soos comments with a smile, being more encouraging of Mabel's attempts at love, "It's so beautiful!"

"I couldn't agree more, Soos!" Carla exclaims, cheering for her great-niece,"Go get him, Mabel!" Carla had a good feeling about the boy Mabel's pining for.

Junior sighs, walking to his lifeguard roost right next to Wendy's roost, watching what goes on. The night after the whole thing with the headless woodsman, Wendy talked about wanting to apply to work as a lifeguard at the local pool, needing a bit extra money. She offered everyone to join her, no one but Junior accepted, to which made her happy that she wouldn't be by herself and have fun with a co-worker. Junior worked part-time with his Uncle Marcus at his garage shop, so he could fit being a lifeguard as well. Plus, he gets free food so that's a another pro than just wanting to spend time with Wendy. However, the only down side to the job for him was his emotionally unstable boss, Mister Poolcheck.

Dipper rolls his eyes, knowing his sister too well of her past 'loves', "Ah nah. She's all talk. Want to know a secret? She's never even kissed a guy before. She always messes it up somehow."

Stan grumbles, crossing his arms, grinning to his triplet granddaughters, "The moment Mabel cries from that boy hurting her in any way, you three go deck him for me. I can't hit a child, but at least I have grandkids to do it for me."

"Yes sir, Gramps!" The triplets agree in unison. The trio swimming off to continue with their playing with the inflated ball, while at the same time keeping an eye on Mabel if anything were to happen.

Suddenly, Stan and Carla are hit by a water balloon, they all look up to see Wendy sitting on her lifeguard roost, have done the deed. Her and Junior having buckets of water balloons by their sides, ready to throw them at anyone to have a bit of fun while working. All in good fun.

Wendy waves to Stan and the rest of his family, "Hey Mister and Misses Pines!"

"Hey, Gramps and Granny!" Junior greets his grandparents, him having thrown the water balloon at Carla.

"Wendy? Junior? Where's the lifeguard?" Stan wonders aloud, looking around for a moment, not realizing they're right in front of him.

Carla immediately could see that Wendy and Junior are indeed the lifeguards, telling her husband, "They're the lifeguards, dear. Apparently Junior is too." She smiles up at her grandson, "You're doing good, sweetie!"

"Thanks, Granny," Junior smiles a tad.

"We make the rules, sucka! Boosh!" Wendy proceeds to throw more water balloons at Stan, and Junior too at Carla. She knows her bosses won't take it personal.

"Ah! They're attacking us with water!" Stan screams, running away while Carla follows, laughing all the while, knowing they're being more harmless.

Wendy and Junior give each other a high-five in success, them and Soos and Dipper laughing all the while. Junior wishes he could tell her how amazing she is, but he believes she already knows that fact.

Dipper breaks the laughter to ask Wendy and Junior, however, he does notice the bandage wrap around Wendy's shoulder and brings it up in concern for her, "Are you going to be okay, Wendy? I see bandage around your shoulder."

Wendy grins and tells to ease his worries, "Oh yeah, I'll tell you all about it later, but in short, Junior saved me and our friends last night." Junior blushes at the mention, feeling greatly flattered, but tries to act nonchalant about it as Wendy continues, "Gonna get this wicked scar on my shoulder when it heals. Thankfully I didn't need stitches."

"That's real cool, Wendy and Junior! You two really look out for each other..." As if Dipper couldn't put Wendy and Junior on a higher pedestal, he sees them as heroes in a sense. Although to him, Wendy putting her on the pedestal of his heart. Things go awkwardly quiet before Dipper breaks the silence with asking the two, "You two work here?"

"I found out lifeguards get free snack privileges. Plus we get the best seats in the house," Wendy grins to Dipper, leaning back casually in her seat.

"Yeah you do!" Dipper laughs awkwardly, not entirely sure of what to do or say in response, getting tongue tied in the presence of his crush. He whispers to himself, "I've been laughing for too long…"

Oblivious to the whole exchange, Soos whispers in Dipper's ear to ask him, "Dude, are you and Wendy having a secret staring contest? Because I think you're winning."

Afraid of embarrassment in front of his crush, Dipper pushes aside Soos and asks of Wendy and Junior, "So hey, wanna chuck more water balloons at Grunkle Stan and Grauntie Carla?"

"We'd love to, buddy, but we need to spend the day doing tryouts." Wendy brings up, not too keen on spending the day finding another person when she and Junior could be having more fun. Dipper added in would triple the fun!

"We have room for one more assistant lifeguard," Junior adds, pointing to his own seat, "even if we have to take turns with the seat."

Dipper gets a great idea, bringing up as his voice cracked for a moment, having been going through a stressful puberty, even if it's only his voice for now, "Hey! Ehem… Hey! What of I was assistant lifeguard?"

Wendy and Junior couldn't agree more as the female teen tosses a lifeguard board to Dipper, "That would be so much fun! You're totally in, dude!" Dipper couldn't wait to get a chance to get closer to Wendy, along with hangout more with his cool older cousin, showing a bright smile.

Junior thumbs to the intense, emotionally unstable man in charge of the local pool, "You just have to check in with our boss first. Mister Poolcheck." He hopes the guy won't be too hard on Dipper. Even Junior was intimidated by the man in the red polo shirt, white shorts and the glaring stare the man often wears on his face.

"Your Boss?" Dipper peers over and sees the man nearby.

Mister Poolcheck not a man to mess around with, taking his job stoically and greatly focused on the task at hand. Poolcheck doing pushups with ease using only using two of his fingers. Poolcheck staring right at Dipper that has the boy jump, as if he's staring into his very soul. Dipper could feel he has to be real careful with how to approach the no nonsense man.

Mabel tries her own luck with the boy she just met. Mermando relaxing while drinking a glass of lemonade, provided by a kind enough person. Mermando was not expecting Mabel to appear before him so suddenly from under water.

Mabel gasps for air, surprised herself being able to hold her breath for as long as she did, but tries to be casual about her direct approach by making small-talk, "Wow! Surprised to see you here, even though we don't know each other." Mabel lies on Mermando's pool float, taken quite back of how this human girl was able to hold her breath for quite a while, also being afraid that she got a good look of the fishtail he's been trying to hide from everyone.

Mermando gives Mabel and incredulous expression as he inquires, "How long have you been… underwater?"

Mabel brushes off the question, "That doesn't matter!" Before she could speak more, she coughs up what appears to be… a bandaid. Confusing Mermando as the girl continues, "So hey! My name's Mabel."

Mermando eases, greeting her with, "Hola."

Mabel gasps in delight, hearing him speak another language than her own, although guessing incorrectly his origin, "Are you Australian?"

Mermando chuckles, finding her innocent question humorous as he answers, "I am charmed by your sense of humor. And your bold lack of water wings."

Mabel takes his response in stride, trying to not be so awkward with talking to him, "Haha! You're so funny!" She couldn't help but to touch the boy's long, flowing wet hair, "And your hair is beautiful…"

Mermando moves her hand away, feeling insecure about the state of his hair, "No! No! It has silly tangles…"

Luckily for the boy, Mabel has the solution for his predicament to set him at ease, taking out a comb and starts brushing his long, brown locks, "Mind if I?"

Mermando was taken back by the kind, forward gesture, he couldn't help but to accept her assistance, "Why Mabel, you're so… forward." He chuckles, enjoying the generous treatment, much better than he has been handling his situation.

Mabel laughs with him for a moment before thinking to herself, "This is it! You go for it, Mabel! It's time! Ask him out on a date!" She puts her thinking to the test as she asks of Mermando, "So hey, you wanna go dry off? Maybe hit the snackbar?"

Mermando quickly declines reluctantly, due to his… limitations, "I… I'm afraid I cannot! For I have a terrible secret!" Mabel's eyes widen, believing it to be quite serious with how her new friend emphasized. Mermando turns away in sadness, feeling hurt that he must distance himself, but he must keep that knowledge known only to himself alone. "I must go." He swims away from Mabel.

Unbeknownst to Mabel, her triplet cousins were watching the whole exchange with discreet intrigue. They find it interesting with how the conversation between Mabel and Mermando were going.

Mabel sadly sighs, but perks up as Mermando's secret only tempts her to know even more about him, "I'm upset… yet intrigued."

On Dipper's end, he gets the chance to convince Mister Poolcheck he right for the job, concluding with while the man hammers an excessive amount of nails into the pool supply closet door, "... And that is why I think I would make a good lifeguard!"

As soon as Mister Poolcheck finished nailing down the sign reading, 'Do Not Touch!', he kneels down to Dipper's level, getting real, uncomfortably close to Dipper to… smell him to check his SPF. He makes his assessment with concluding in approval, "SPF one-hundred… good. I like you." He stands back up to give Dipper some words he should know before working as a lifeguard and what comes with the job, "But this isn't an easy job. It's anarchy out there." The man points out to the pool, though it seems it was anything but with people relaxing in the pool, nothing amiss at all.

Dipper confirms with assuring, "I think I can handle it."

Mister Poolcheck was all too quick to tell him otherwise, raising his voice to show him his prosthetic hand, making Dipper jump from shock, "Can you handle… THIS?! I lost my hand to a pool filter." He reattached his hand back in the socket of his arm, "The pool may seem friendly, but it can turn on you in an instant. Which is why you must respect the rules." Poolcheck looks directly in the eye to ask the boy, "Do you have what it takes, boy? Do you?!"

Dipper glances up to Wendy and Junior, affirming his motivation behind joining to be a lifeguard, "Sure, I guess."

With that response being good enough to Poolcheck, the man bestows a whistle upon Dipper's shoulders, solidifying his place as a lifeguard, "Welcome to the deep end, son."

"Well thanks I-"

Poolcheck gives Dipper a great big hug, although being a bit too tight for the boy's liking, Mason struggling to break free until the man does let go of him. Nonetheless, he's happy to have gotten the job, although surprised the man would allow a child to be working. However, there doesn't seem to be an issue with the businesses in town employing children to do a bit of work.

Meanwhile, Stan, Carla and Soos walk around the pool until the three get to the spot where the elderly couple intended to go. Stan grinning to see the twin lounge chairs at the perfect spot for them.

"There they are! Equal distance from the snackbar and the bathroom. And just the right amount of sun and shade," Stan wraps an arm around his wife, "and far enough away from where Old Man McGucket lotions himself."

It was disturbing to the other people to see the old man lotioning himself all over his wrinkly body. Enough said.

"The perfect lawn chairs," Carla finishes for her husband, liking to find a good spot to relax and watch the others from.

Soos could see why the Mister and Missus are drawn to the particular spot, remarking, "The legends you two told me in the car were true."

Stan and Carla lay their claim to the lawn chairs with their name-embroidered towels over the seat. Stan seeing no one else having taken the spot, much to their glee.

"I can't believe this spot wasn't already been taken. And now to sit on it, claiming our own."

"You bet, dear!"

As soon as the old couple were about to sit on their chairs, Stan feels a small foot against his back, making him alert to who's on his claimed seat. Carla backs away when Bud Gleeful rudely gets on her lawn chair as she was about to sit on it.

"Why hello, Stanley and Carla," Gideon simply greets in a condescending manner, knowing that him and his dad stole their seats.

Carla crosses her arms, disapproving of the father and son's behavior, "Gideon. Bud. That was incredibly rude of you two."

"What?!" Stan glares at both Gideon and his father, demanding them to leave as he yells, "Get out of our chairs!"

Gideon giggles in delight of the couple's dismay, stating, "Oh my, were these your chairs? We had no idea!" the boy whispers to admit, "Yes we did, Stanley and Carla, we knew." Gideon makes himself comfortable on the chair.

Stan was about to grab the twisted child, but Carla steels him with a shake of her head, whispering to her husband while glancing to Junior, "We'll go tell Junior. He can settle this in our favor."

Stan liked the sound of that, calling over his grandson, "Hey, Junior! Did ya witness these bozzo's steal our chairs?" This got an astonished expression from Gideon and Bud, seeing the teen with the lifeguard authority coming over in defense of his grandparents.

"Oh yeah, I saw the whole thing," Junior claims, advising Bud and Gideon with a hint of a grin on his face, "I'm gonna have to ask you two to find another spot as my grandparents did not give you two permission to sit in their seats. If you two resist, you'll end up in pool jail until closing." Junior shows the lifeguard whistle, as if saying he will use it if they don't budge.

Gideon fumes in anger rising in his small, chubby body, the Pines beating him once again. Bud picks up his son, not wanting anymore trouble with them as Gideon swears to the Pines, "I'll get you soon enough, Pines! I'm make you all wallow in complete and utter MISERY!"

"Yeesh, kid needs a timeout for a while," Junior comments, getting a good pat on the back by his grandfather, and a lighter pat on his shoulder by his grandmother.

Soos high-fives Junior, "Way to use your authority, dude!"

"Ya did good, Junior, getting rid of that pest for us," Stan grins to his son, feeling great pride from the victory.

"Thanks a bunch, Junior, now we can relax in peace," Carla praises, wiping down the seats to rid it of the Gleeful's scent. The older couple lounge in their chairs, relishing in their victory.

"Now to head back before Poolcheck catches me not at my post," Junior walks off towards the direction of Wendy and Dipper.

As Wendy locks up a kid in the pool jail for misbehaving, she turns to Dipper as he runs up to her and Junior as soon as he got there.

Dipper shares the great news, "Hey guys, I got the job!"

"Sweet!" Wendy cheers while Junior gives his younger cousin a thumbs up, "Want to go abuse our power?"

Dipper became hesitant to the notion, not wanting to lose his job as soon as he got it, "But what if Poolcheck catches us? He seems emotionally unstable."

Dipper's assumptions prove true as Poolcheck keeps an intense, focused eye on his surroundings, while doing situps with his legs alone over the metal fence.

Wendy confidently assures the boy, "Nah, don't worry, man. You just gotta be sneaky about your rule breaking. Race you and Junior to the no running zone!" The teen takes off, Junior in toe while Dipper catches up while laughing. The boy slows some when Poolcheck looks his way while he… drinks some of the chlorine water. Poolcheck has absolutely no chill, nor does he mess around while on the job.

While messing around in the pool, Anais turns to the solitary confinement area where a lone, somber boy floats behind bars. Taking pity on the boy, she looks to her sisters to ask them, "Hey girls, do you all remember why that kid is in solitary for? Can't seem to recall."

Arya and Aria think for a moment before both answering honestly, "Nope."

"Don't even remember how long he's been in there. Or why hasn't Mister Poolcheck released the kid out all day," Aria brings up, being valid in her questioning.

Arya glances around, forming a plan, whispering to her sisters, "I think we should plan on breaking the kid out tonight and get him home. You two with me on this?"

Her sisters couldn't agree with a nod more, it seemed wrong that the little boy has been locked in the small space for the amount of time he had to endure.

On Mabel's end, she attempts to get closer -both figuratively and literally- to her new friend, swimming over to him with a soaked sandwich she got from the snackbar, placing it on his float as he looks at her with a confused look.

"Hey there! I brought you this sandwich! It's a little wet, but it's still good. Blap!" Mabel tries but fails to be subtle about her prying into his business, "I like sharing things. Sandwiches, secrets…" she gets closer to him and begs in wanting to know, "Tell me your secret, you beautiful stranger."

Mermando couldn't pass up being offered food, giving in to share his dark secret, "That sandwich does look delicious… Very well." He looks her dead in the eye and has her swear, "But you must not tell another living soul my terrible secret." Mabel's eyes widen, finally getting that information she's been wanting to desperately know. The triplets use their keen sense of hearing to listen in on them. Mermando moves aside the float, "You have to stay away from me because… I am a merman," revealing to not have a pair legs at all, but a blue-green scaled merman tail with fins at the end to complete.

Mabel sighs in relief, having thought of something different, "Thank goodness. I thought you were gonna say you have a girlfriend."

The triplets gasp to each other, one shushing the other as they continue to listen in. They had to duck in the water for a bit when Mabel turns around for a moment, but raised back up, peeping from the water.

Mabel was amazed by the reveal, finding it great that she got to meet another cute guy who is also a magical creature, "A mermaid! I should have known from your strange foreign fish language."

Mermando took a bit of offense from the comment, stating correctly, "It is Spanish."

Mabel points out his deep, masculine voice, "Your voice is deep and masculine. How old are you?"

To her surprise, Mermando tells her, "I am twelve-years old. Merman's voices change when we're like three."

"So what's your name?"

Mermando takes out a guitar from the water he's been keeping, rising up to play the one chord, "There are some who call me," he strums the three cords, "Mermando! This is because Mermando is my name."

Mabel couldn't help but to wonder why Mermando was in the pool when he could be back with his own kind, "I don't understand, Mermando, what's a guy like you doing in a public pool?"

Mermando sighs in sadness, telling tale to her, having not always been confined to the pool, but free out in the ocean waters where he belongs, "It's a tragic story, Mabel… I was swimming with my friends, the mighty dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico. When I was ensnared!" he recalls the fishermen putting him in a truck, enduring a long distance drive all the way to Oregon, "The truck was heading to Gravity Falls. Using all my strength, I tried to escape back home… but it was not to be. I would have died of dehydration were it not for the kindness of the forest animals. I… ended up tumbling into a large pipe, leading me all the way here to this pool, where I remain trapped." Mermando concludes his story, feeling he would be judged negatively for his appearance, "But now that you know what I am, you must be seriously weirded out."

To his surprised, Mabel wasn't put off by him being a merman at all, but the complete opposite, "What?! I don't care if you're a merman. You're like the coolest guy I've ever met. And you can play at least one cord on the guitar."

This made Mermando happy to hear her say, "Why Mabel, I never met another human like you! Would you care to join me in a game of the Marco Polo?"

Mabel was more than glad to accept his offer, "Oh yes, Mermando! Yes!" She clasp his face, however, it was blocking his method of breathing.

"Mabel… you're covering my gills. I cannot breath!" He takes some breaths as soon as she let go. He knows that she meant no harm and just learning what not to say and do to him, reassuring her through smiling.

Mabel nervously laughs, saying, "Weird…"

Aria, Arya, and Anais high-five each other lightly, glad to see Mabel hitting it off with her new merman friend so well, believing they have nothing to worry about the guy being a jerk to her. No one messes with any member of the Pines family and gets away with it.

Dipper, Wendy and Junior decide to mess with Soos some. The twelve-year old doing a voice to convince their friend, "Soos."

Soos being one of a naive nature buys into the prank, "Inflatable duck-guy, is that you?"

"Yes, Soos, I can talk!" Dipper keeps up with the charade, Wendy and Junior trying to hold back from laughing out loud.

Soos was legit astonished by the 'discovery', "Oh my gosh! I knew you guys were secretly alive. I knew it!"

Dipper, Wendy and Junior shush each other in good fun, Dipper continuing, unaware that Soos was getting too convinced it wasn't a hoax, "My people have been enslaved, Soos, you must free us!"

"The inflatable pool duck revolution is at hand," Soos inches closer to the pool supply shed.

Dipper, Wendy and Junior laughing all the while until Poolcheck blows his whistle, signalling that the pool was about to close for the rest of the day, "Pool's closing, clear out everyone!"

"Poolcheck! Hide!" Wendy coaxes her friends, running off to be somewhere else. Poolcheck getting Soos to leave the supply shed as he calls out for Dipper.

"Assistant lifeguard!"

Dipper stops in his tracks, facing his boss, but to his relief, Poolcheck gives him the keys to lock up the supply shed as Wendy and Junior gather up the rest of the items to put in the shed, "Have a good night, son. Lock up the supplies for me." Poolcheck detaching his prosthetic hand, knocking out the keys he cleverly hid them in. Dipper did as he was told, locking up the shed as soon as everything was where it belongs.

Mabel and Mermando stopped combing each other's hair, the merman boy sighing, "The pool; she closes. Can I see you tonight?" Mermando enjoyed her company, hoping she'll say yes. She was starting to fill in those lonely holes in his hearts.

"Sure! Where? Wanna go for a walk?"

Mermando internally facepalms himself, but shows patience as he tells her, "Merman. I am a merman."

"Oh right!" Mabel gets out of the pool, about to follow her family out of the as she parts with, "Then I'll be back tonight!"


Later that night...

Mabel was about to quietly open the front door to sneak out, when suddenly, she is caught by one of her Grauntie's.

"Mabel, sweetie, where are you off to at this hour?" Adeline addresses, turning on the lamp to the living room, everyone else but her and Ford being awake, and apparently Mabel too.

Mabel frowns, having been caught red-handed with the golf cart keys, her sighing, "I… I'm going off to the pool to see my new friend."

"I see," Adeline guides her great-niece to have a talk with her, "you know the pool closed, let alone, we can't just let you go off in the middle of the night on your own."

"I know, Grauntie Addi, but Mermando is special in more ways than one…" Mabel frowns, shifting her feet, taking a deep breath to share the secret Mermando told her not to share, "Because Mermando is a merman and… that's why we chose to meet up tonight at the pool. Much less people to know his secret."

This surprises Adeline, not having noticed the boy Mabel was talking with at all to be as such. Of course, Adeline was familiar with the supernatural so it would make sense why her niece attempted to sneak out of the house. Adeline takes a moment to make a decision, smiling lightly to her niece to say, "Now I see why. Hmm… so long as someone goes with you, you may go."

Mabel beams, feeling like jumping in place, "Oh thank you, Grauntie Addi! But who's going to go with me?" She questions with a perplexed brow.

Adeline points to herself, "I don't think Ford and the others will notice we'll be gone for a short time." She winks to her niece, walking with her to the golf cart.

Mabel and Adeline arrives at the pool in the Mystery Shack's golf cart, glad that no one else but her and Mermando were around, unaware that her triplet cousins were near. Adeline parks the golf cart and walks up to the metal fence with Mabel, thinking of how she's going to get over. Suddenly, Mabel and Adeline hears a rustling in the bushes, turning to see it was just the triplet cousins, much to their relief.

Mabel whispers to her cousins to nervously ask, "Hey, girls! What are you doing here?"

Adeline too was curious to why her nieces are at the pool, "I was about to ask the same thing."

Arya replies with a small grin, "Getting that kid out of solitary and take him home… unless his parents up and abandoned him."

"I mean it's just wack that he'd be out here all night for days on end, you know?" Aria comments.

"Oh I couldn't agree more with you there, Aria," Adeline comments, just now crossing her mind why the boy had been neglected at the pool.

Anais then admits to Mabel of their eavesdropping, "Also we overheard everything you and Mermando were talking about. Including his secret." Mabel was flabbergasted, afraid that she broke Mermando's word, but Anais tells her more. "But no worries, we won't tell any other soul his secret. We're good at keeping secrets, and looking out for you. We would have regardless if Gramps told us or not. He can be overprotective like that."

Mabel brightens, clapping her hands lightly, "I knew I can count on you, my gal pals! Wanna help me over this fence?"

"Sure!" Aria agrees, kneeling down for their young cousin to get on her back.

Seemingly with ease, the triplets vaulted over the metal fence, landing expertly on the solid ground within the area of the pool. Although, none of them were supposed to be at the pool after closing hours, but it didn't stop them one bit. Anais helps out Adeline get over the fence as well, using her strength to pick her up with ease, setting her gently down. Aria lets Mabel off her back, "Good luck with your new friend." She winks as her and her sisters go off to let the boy out of his watery prison.

Mabel swiftly changes out of her clothes and into her swimsuit, greeting Mermando and assuring him, "Mermando! Don't mind my cousins and Grauntie Addi, they're breaking out that kid and overheard us talking earlier today. They're friends with vampires so it's cool and Grauntie Addi is watching over me."

"It nice to meet you, Mermando," Adeline reaches to shake the boys hand. She can get the impression that he was a nice boy, though wondering why the boy hasn't been able to leave the pool, "Mabel has told me some about you. Good things, I assure."

"Hola, Missus Pines," Mermando greets with a small happy dolphin noise.

"You may call me Addi, most people do," Adeline smiles, letting go of his hand.

Mermando sighs in relief, turning around to hearing the sound of metal being bent and pulled away from the concrete and marble, the small boy rejoicing, "Hooray! I'm finally free!" The triplets help the boy out of the pool, letting him get the hang of walking again. Soon enough, the triplets take the boy back to where he lives, waving goodbye to Mabel as the four disappear into the dark of night.

Adeline was happy that the boy got out, but wincing at the collateral damage caused by the triplets to set him free, there being a noticeable part of the pool gone, surely will be seen by Mister Poolcheck.

Mermando nods to the triplets, appreciating the incredibly kind gesture they did for the boy, he wished he could have freed the boy sooner, but he lacked the strength to pull and bend the bars like the triplets could.

"They're amazing, aren't they? They saved me more than once throughout this summer," Mabel lies down the scrapbook she brought with her on the concrete, having found a dry spot to place it.

"Your family shows great compassion, do they?" Mermando rhetorically questions, causing him to frown as he misses his own family back home in Atlantis or whatever underwater civilization he's from.

Mabel swims up to him, asking in concern, "What's wrong?"

Mermando attempts to strum his guitar, but he had to drain it of water as he explains, "I too used to have a family once. Back in the ocean…" He opens his shell locket, showing Mabel a picture of him with his mother, father and younger sibling, "How I miss them…" He closes the locket, playing a few chords on his guitar to express his yearning to return home.

Mabel lightly touches his shoulder, giving him her support, "Mermando, why don't you just leave the pool?"

Mermando sighs, having been defeated from his first attempt to ever try again, "I've tried only once, but escaping this pool required a plan that was bold and daring. I attempted to leap over the leap over the fence but… I didn't get very far and only flopped -from lack of water- about until I landed back in the pool. Then the wolves came…" Mermando shakes off the thought, not wanting to sound too depressing in front of the girl he's grown fond of in such a short time, "No, I'm glad that I am here, because I met you." The young merman looks up to the stars, watching a shooting star makes it way in the starry night sky under the waning moon.

Mabel thinks to take advantage of the moment to get a first kiss from him. She puckers her lips, drawing ever so close to him. Mermando was oblivious to her advances as he asks her, "What are you doing with your mouth?"

Mabel tries to be casual, making up an excuse to save herself the embarrassment, "Oh me? Nothing! This? I was just eating some sour candy, so my lips were doing that. Because the candy was so sour…"

It seemed to have worked, both of them now having an awkward moment until Mermando asks, "Can I have some candy?"

Adeline takes out a small piece of candy from her pocket, "I believe I have something you may like, Mermando."

Mermando beams, accepting the sweet confection, "Muchos gracias, Missus Addi," he feasts upon the piece, not having a decent meal since the sandwich from earlier.

Adeline frowns, wanting to help out the young merman from being trapped in the pool, "Hmm… Mabel."

The girl turns to her Grauntie, drying off with a towel, "Yeah, Grauntie Addi?"

"I believe we should help out your friend here get back to his own family, but it'll have to be tomorrow night since we don't have the cooler on us," Adeline smiles genuinely to her niece. Mabel and Mermando could not express how happy they were. That there is hope for the young merman to return home.


The next day at the pool...

Like yesterday, Dipper, Wendy and Junior were having their fun being lifeguards by messing with people around them, such as throwing pool floats around Durland and Blubs while they were just relaxing together. Again, Dipper, Wendy and Junior mean no harm in their antics together.

"One-hundred points!" Dipper cheers, getting a high-five from Junior and Wendy.

"Dudes, with this job, we three will be having fun all summer!" Wendy hoped at least, if not as lifeguards, then just generally hanging out together.

"Sounds good to me, Wendy," Junior gives her a thumbs up, attempting to hide his blushing from the idea of spending time with her.

"All summer?" Dipper blushes, liking that thought as he imagines it. That imagination was dashed when Poolcheck commands them with a blow of the whistle, the emotionally unstable man looking more red in the face than usual.

"You three! Here! Now!"

The three lifeguards stood in a row facing Poolcheck as the older man paces about, pointing at the damage done to part of the pool where the kid was being kept in.

"You all see this? Something came here last night and… and DAMAGED this beautiful pool!" Poolcheck was on a verge of tears, still in a fit of rage over the pool he's been working so hard to maintained, only to be marred unceremoniously.

"Mister Poolcheck are you crying?" Dipper asks of his boss.

Poolcheck wipes away his tears, "That's not important right now! I want you all out here after hours on a steak-out and catch whoever or whatever's responsible for this!" He points out the shenanigans they've been causing, "You all are on thin ice! All three of you think I haven't notice your horseplay and taking too many snacks from the snackbar? If you all want to keep this job, do this important task for me, then none of you will get fired!"

Junior and Wendy glance at each other, them making a good assumption how and why it got damaged in the first place, although not wanting to admit it to their boss. The two having wondered why the hell was that kid stuck in solitary confinement for as long as he was.

Dipper salutes his boss, "Yes sir, we won't let you down!"

Wendy sighs, rolling her eyes as she agrees, although not too keen on doing the job proper, but at least she won't be alone in the task.

While that was happening, Mabel and Mermando play together, bouncing the inflated ball to each other, the girl asking in excitement for what's to come, "You ready for tonight, Mermando!"

"Oh yes, Mabel! I can't wait to taste the salt waters again. Chlorine doesn't has the naturalness of the ocean. And of course be reunited with my family," Mermando passes the large ball to her, making happy dolphin clicks.

Mabel was sad that her new friend will be possibly gone forever, but glad at the same time that he would be with his family again. She knows she'd do anything to be reunited with her own family if she were in his fins.


Later that night… again.

Dipper, Wendy and Junior patrol around the perimeter of the pool. Dipper and Wendy using their own flashlights, while Junior makes his left hand blaze like a torch, the teens not being entirely serious about the search, not finding it a big deal if they were to lose the job. Dipper, however, was being serious and up to the task.

"Found anything, Wendy?" Junior asks, wanting to be back at home with his painting, computer and video games.

"Nope." Wendy simply responds, lounging on one of the chairs.

Dipper tells himself, "Alright, Dipper, here's the plan: catch the trespasser, protect the supplies and pool itself, keep job at pool, and eventually marry Wendy."

Suddenly, a rustling of the metal fence was heard, Dipper swiftly turning around to flash his light at Soos, who was about to climb the fence. Dipper sighs as he tells him, "Go home, Soos."

Not wanting further confrontation, Soos abides by Dipper, "You got it, dude." Soos walking off while Dipper finds himself becoming a bit tired, with it getting quite late.

"Hey Dipper, come rest a bit with us!" Wendy calls out to him, "We're doing shifts."

Dipper didn't see why not, he couldn't pass up a moment of rest when Wendy was offering to do his shift. As soon as Dipper moves himself over to the lawn chairs, Mabel and Adeline back the golf cart enough to break it some of the fence down.

Mermando was happy to see Mabel and Adeline, swimming up to the edge of the pool to greet, "Mabel, you made it!"

"Are you ready to see your family?" Mabel says while opening up the water cooler full of water in the back of the golf cart.

Mermando absolutely beams, then Adeline kneeling down to tell him, "Alright, Mermando, I need you to not squirm while I move you into the cooler. I'll try to be quick."

"Yes, ma'am, you have my word," Adeline lifts up the boy to hold in her arms, carrying him to the cooler. However, Mermando's heaving was quite audible for Dipper to hear.

"Who's there?" Dipper calls out, using his flashlight to find the possible culprit.

"Quick, hide me! My kind must not be seen!" Mabel closes the lid as soon as Mermando tucks himself in the cooler, being grateful that his human friends are willing to help him in his time of need.

Dipper was surprised to see not only Mabel on the scene, but his great-aunt Adeline too, "Mabel? Grauntie Addi? What are you both doing here? Were you the ones that caused damage to the pool?"

Adeline sighs to Dipper, then seeing Wendy and Junior come on to the scene, "Well, Dipper, there's something important we have to do to help a friend out."

Mermando clears his throat, having been heard by the boy and the teens.

"Did that cooler just cleared its throat? Can coolers even do that?" Junior questions, seeing that there's obviously something inside the container.

Dipper's eyes widened that it could be the thing that damaged the pool, even if for a legit reason.

"Oh don't be silly! There obviously isn't a merman in there if that's what you're implying. We don't know anything about a merman, right Grauntie Addi?" Mabel wasn't being entirely convincing while under stress.

"Uh right…." Adeline nervously smiles, though shifting the blame of breaking out the kid onto herself, "It was me who broke the kid out of his prison, Dipper. He didn't deserve to be locked up for as long as he was."

"Awesome!" Junior and Wendy praised in unison.

"Wait what?!" Dipper exclaims in shock, having mixed feelings on the whole situation.

Mabel takes the opportunity to get in the golf cart and tell Adeline, "Drive, Grauntie Addi, drive! Sorry Dipper!"

Adeline kicks it into gear as her and Mabel speed off as fast as the cart could take them. Dipper jumping in the pool's own cart, putting on his seatbelt, inserting the keys in the ignition and driving off in pursuit of Mabel and Adeline to get back what they may have taken. Wendy and Junior just looked at each other, being a tad confused, but nonetheless relieved that their watch was over.

"Want me to drive you home, Wendy?" Junior asks his friend.

Wendy shrugs with a smile, "Sure, Junior. I think Dipper and them will be fine. We're gonna get so fired." She chuckles as Junior laughs with her while heading to his car.

While driving across the thankfully empty streets, Mabel assures Mermando, "We're gonna get you home!" Suddenly, a water balloon hits right at the cooler. Dipper aim his small catapult of water balloons right at them.

Dipper uses the megaphone to call out to them, "Hand over the pool supplies in the name of pool law!"

Mabel yells back at Dipper, "Pool law is dumb, and so is your hat!" That response warranted a another water balloon aimed at her, but hitting the cooler instead.

"Dipper let us do what we have to do to save one's life! And stop with the water balloons!" Adeline raises her voice to her nephew, this got him think with more questions than answers to their erratic actions.

Mabel smiles when she sees the sign to Gravity Falls Lake, instructing her great-aunt, "Grauntie Addi, we're going to Gravity Falls Lake!"

"You got it, Mabel!" Adeline sharply turns for the direction of the local lake. The older woman having not felt this much excitement in a good while. Thankfully, the golf cart had enough gas to get them to the lake and back home. The sun was beginning to rise in the sky.

Blubs and Durland stir in their cop car as the two carts sped by, but they dismiss it as just a dream, Blubs remarking in affection to Durland, "With you, every day is a dream." Their moment was short lived when they get a radio call from the police department telling over to head over to the Gleeful residence to respond to an emergency.

"Now this is not a dream," Durland concludes.

Dipper aims one last balloon at them, however, ending up hitting the cap of the cooler holding in all of Mermando's needed water to live, now losing it.

Mermando struggled to keep the water in, but it was no use as he gasps for water, "I cannot breath! You both must hurry!"

Hearing Mermando, Adeline does her best to keep the cart at a fast pace, now racing against time to save the young merman from dehydrating. Within moments, Adeline, Mabel, Mermando and Dipper make it to the shore of the lake where James and Tate were about to unlock the bait shop. James being caught real off guard to see his aunt, and niece and nephew in the carts.

"Tate hold this while I go see what's going on," James hands his morning coffee to his friend, running up to his family members when Adeline makes a complete stop of the cart. Dipper doing the same.

Tate just sighing, opening up the bait shop and heading right inside.

"We're okay!" Mabel assures, Dipper having gotten mad through the whole thing.

"Alright the jig is up, handover what supplies are in that cooler!" Dipper demands of his sister and aunt.

Adeline gets out of the driver seat to assess the cooler, hoping Mermando to still be alive.

Mabel leaps on the top of the cooler, yelling, "Never!"

"Mabel, we need to get Mermando out of there, now! The cooler lost too much water on the way here," Adeline highly suggests. Mabel getting off the cooler to open the lid of it, Mermando rolling out and flopping around like a dying fish. Dipper gasps, feeling guilty that he caused the cooler to leak when he threw the water balloon.

"Whoa…"

"Easy, little guy, easy," James picks Mermando up in his arms, moving the young merman quickly to the shore of the lake, dipping him into the water where Mermando lively swims in. James wipes his brow in relief, "Phew!" he turns to his family members as he needs an explanation, "Mind telling me what's going on?"

Mabel was the first to give a fast-talk version of the story, "We needed the cooler to save my new friend, because he needs to go home, and he's really nice, and we comb each other's hair. He needs to be in the cooler to breath water because he's a merman!"

Dipper sighs, wishing they told him sooner or he wouldn't have thrown all those water balloons at them and the chase never would've happened, "Way to bury the lead, Mabel."

Mabel goes to the shore of the lake, introducing her friend, "Dipper meet Mermando the merman, he's a merman." She then thumbs over to James, "And that is my Uncle James!"

Mermando waves to Dipper and James, greeting, "Hola! Nice to meet you both!"

Adeline then admits to Dipper, "Dipper, I didn't damage the pool to break the kid out. I would have used a different method anyhow."

Dipper looks up at his great-aunt, sighing as he then admits, "I don't think it matters now. The kid is freed. We may never know why he was put there for an extended amount of time." He sighs as he thought back to his boss, "On top of it, I'll lose my job for all the damage and not preventing it."

"Yeah… sorry about that, Dipper," Adeline kneels down to give Dipper a hug, "We can see about helping with paying for the damages."

Dipper smiles up to his great-aunt, turning to Mabel and Mermando who were chatting away. James gets enough of the picture to piece everything together of what occurred.

Mermando coughs a bit, telling them, "I am weak from coughing… How will I get my family to hear my call from the mighty depths from the ocean?"

Mabel quickly comes up with a solution, "I've got an idea. BRB!" She runs up to the pool supply cart, finding the megaphone Dipper used earlier and runs back with it in the intention of letting Mermando use it. "Problem solved!"

However, Dipper didn't want to get into more trouble, snatching the device out of his sister's hand, "Mabel, no! Those are pool supplies. I'll get in more trouble."

Adeline assures Dipper again, "Like I said before, Dipper, we can repay the damages done to the pool. It's our fault for breaking the fence and megaphones like that are replaceable."

Mabel nods, saying something that would fully convince Dipper, while also teaching him a valuable lesson, "Plus, do you know what it's like to fall in love for someone, even though you know in your heart that it'll probably never work out? And you'd do anything for that person?"

Dipper crestfallen, thinking of Wendy and what he would do for her, even if she may not be interested in him. He sighs, his sister and great-aunt making good points, handing over the megaphone to her to give to Mermando, "Give Mermando the megaphone."

Mabel smiles, thankful that Dipper sacrificed the item for the merman's sake, "Thanks Dip." She tosses the megaphone to Mermando.

Mermando smiling gratefully up to her where she stood on the dock, "Mabel, I have never met anyone like you."

"Same here," although Mabel counts the previous magical men she met so far, "except for a zombie, a gnome and a couple of cute vampires."

Dipper being the inquisitive one, wonders to Mabel about the vampires, "I don't remember the vampires."

Mabel grins a tad, "I don't tell you everything." She turns to Mermando with a saddened look on her face, "Well Mermando, I guess this is it."

Mermando perks a small grins, "Like what? This is!" As one final gesture, he shows his affections when he leaps up from the water and onto the dock, he places his lips onto Mabel in a kiss. True that it was sudden, but Mabel didn't mind one bit to accept her first kiss from the young merman. James and Adeline were all smiles, seeing her find some happiness with a good guy like Mermando.

Dipper, however, had the opposite reaction, turning away from seeing his sister kiss the guy, "Whoa! Okay that's gross…" he shutters. Never in a million years would he ever think his own sister get a real kiss from a boy until now.

Their kiss ends and Mabel feels a great spark in her mind, feeling many positive emotions from that kiss, "Whoo hoo! That was my first kiss!" she cheers.

James sighs, happy for his niece getting the experience of a lifetime to have not only met a good, unique guy, but that she gotten a kiss from someone she grew to love. Adeline felt great helping out her niece and her possible boyfriend from what she assumes.

Mabel reaches down to hold Mermando's hand, doing the same for her as she bids, "Goodbye, Mermando."

"Goodbye, Mabel." Mermando parts, letting go of her hand to swim off in the sunrise, making his way for him.

Mabel tells her brother, "You did the right thing, Dipper."

"Yeah, yeah." Dipper smiles, starting to feel good from the whole experience.

She then hugs Adeline to tell her in appreciation, "Thank you, Grauntie Addi, for all your help."

Adeline hugs her great-niece back, "Oh it's no problem, and thank you for telling me about Mermando. I didn't want you to have to do it on your own."

"Do I get a hug too?" James teases with a chuckle.

Mabel gives her uncle a hug as well, having more than enough to give, "You did great too! You got Mermando back in the water." Mabel then had an entertaining thought, "Oh one more thing!" She runs along the rocky barrier of the lake, getting to the end as she raises her fist to the air, Mermando jumping over her like in a movie she'd seen. "Yes! I've always wanted to do that."

James then assures Mabel, having that hope for her and Mermando's relationship, "I believe you'll get to see Mermando again. I have a good feeling about it."


Later that day...

Mister Poolcheck lists to Dipper of all the damages done to the pool supplies, "A wrecked fence, dents in the poolmobile, and a missing megaphone! Who is responsible for this?"

Dipper admits to the damages, "It was my fault, sir. I'm sorry. I got in too deep, but my family-"

Poolcheck flies into a fit of rage, demanding the boy, "Hand over your whistle, boy!" As soon as Dipper takes off the whistle around his neck, Poolcheck swipes it away from him, putting it in his mouth to… chew the metal as if it were freaking candy.

Dipper was more than happy to back away from the unstable man, actually glad that he won't have to deal with him from now on.

Poolcheck finishes chewing the whistle to bits, swallowing it whole as he mutters, "If one more thing goes wrong today…" To his utter dismay, he sees Soos take all of the inflated ducks, throwing them all over the fence to cheer.

"You're free now! Free! Inflatable ducks unite!"

"YOU!" Poolcheck cries out, causing Soos to run off in fright as the man pursues him to face justice.

Tyler Cutebiker coming into the scene to chant, "Get 'em! Get 'em!"

Dipper sulks until he's hit by a water balloon to the face, looking up to see Wendy and Junior.

"Hey, doofus! You never guess what happened. We just got fired." Wendy shares to Dipper, being nonchalant about it, as was Junior.

Dipper smiles up to them, being glad about it, "What? Really?"

"Yeah, our antics being the last straw," Junior chuckles, Wendy shows several bags under her hat.

"Ah sweet!"

Wendy then offering, "Say, guys, wanna break rules somewhere else?"

"Of course!" Dipper agrees as did Junior who nodded.

Mabel sighs, thinking of Mermando as she dips her feet in the pool. Then to her surprise, a message in a bottle appears to her, catching her attention, "Huh?" She retrieves the paper from within the bottle, folding it out to read what Mermando wrote to her.

Dear Mabel,

I am home with my family, and I am very happy.

Our first kiss will always hold a place in my heart. Technically hearts… As a merman, I have, like, seventeen hearts. Horrifying but true!

-More bottles on the way!

It didn't take long for Mabel to finish reading the first message to find even more messages in individual bottles, filled with happiness with knowing Mermando made it home.

Unaware to her, Blubs and Durland put up several posters on the snackbar, pool supply closet and fence. They weren't the kind to advertise food or entertainment at all, but something more alarming. They were missing child posters, one of them in particular being for Gideon Charles Gleeful along with several other children.


A/N: This little more canon chapter written by vulpixen! Did this chapter a bit differently, giving Adeline Marks (hntrgurl13 's OC) a time to shine and help Mabel out with Mermando. And Gideon getting the "karma's a bitch" that he deserves. Also that pool jail kid deserved to be freed from solitary confinement. I mean why the hell was he even in there in the first place to deserve it for such an extended amount of time. I didn't see it as a joke, having found it more depressing. On the next chapter, Gideon along with several or more young children start to go missing in Chapter 30: Who Pulls The Strings.