If Evelyn had known that everything would go sideways while she was out, she would have rethought her spur-of-the-moment sleepover at Wendy's.

As it was, the brunette had only just put her bag down in the entrance when she saw the twins come barreling down the stairs, yelling "Grunkle Stan!"

"Whoa, hey you two," Evelyn waved, catching their attention. "What's happening?"

The twins couldn't seem to look each other in the eye, too annoyed with the other. Evelyn had to hold back a sigh. She'd been gone one night; what could have possibly happened during that time to make them look like they were one comment away from tackling each other?

"Mabel had her friends over for a sleepover last night, and I had to sleep outside!" Dipper began. "A wolf chewed on my leg, Evie!"

"Are you ok-" Evelyn began, but Mabel cut in, rushing to tell her side of the story.

"Well, Dipper is always clicking his pen when he reads," Mabel started.

"I know; I share a room with you two." Evelyn replied sardonically. She glanced down at Dipper's leg, and he dutifully showed her the lack of marks as his twin continued.

"And he is always picks at everything I do!" Mabel continued, her voice a whine.

"And Grunkle Stan is supposed to fix this?" Evelyn questioned. "He thrives on this kind of stuff; he's not going to want to make things better."

"We know." Dipper replied, grabbing his older sister's hand to drag her towards the living room. "We're asking him for a new room."

The teen frowned. "I'm pretty sure there isn't another room - it's why Grunkle Stan put me with you two."

The twins shrugged, turning to speak to their uncle. Evelyn watched their failed attempts to bargain with him, only for a loud crash to distract the Pines family. "Dudes! I found some kind of secret hidden room in the Shack!" Soos yelled from somewhere down the hall.

Evelyn exchanged bemused looks with the rest of her family. "Well, that's convenient…" she murmured.

Everyone immediately ran down the hall to where the crash was heard. While Evelyn wasn't invested like the twins were, she was curious about how an entire room could exist in a house Stan claimed to have built without him knowing about it.

'Maybe you can force the twins to give you the room,' Bill suggested, 'You've definitely done enough for them to have the 'moral high ground' that you seem to need in an argument.'

'They're the ones having issues,' Evelyn replied hesitantly, 'I don't have any reason to complain. Besides, I haven't even seen the room yet - it could be unliveable for everyone.'

Evelyn, so caught up in her thoughts, lagged behind the group. 'I don't hear complete denial in that answer, Little Bird,' Bill rebuffed, his tone sly, 'It sounds more like you're avoiding giving yourself an answer. And if you're worried about the room being 'unliveable', then I can make it into whatever you can dream up - once I'm free.'

The brunette was about to respond, only to bump into the twins, who were huddled with the others in a doorway. "Sorry, you two."

They didn't react, too busy staring at whatever was on the other side of the door. Evelyn peered into the room over their heads, her curiosity piqued.

Before them was a room that, while dusty, was still in decent shape. A large - and hideous - blue shag carpet dominated the center of the room, with a sofa pushed underneath the windows on the side. Papers were scattered over almost every surface.

The Pines family and Soos each entered the room. Evelyn thought she saw her uncle grab something off of one of the smaller tables - was it a pair of glasses? - but a prism of light at the end of the room caught her eye.

She avoided the carpet as she walked to the end of the room - there was no telling what kind of critters lived in there while this room had sat abandoned. On top of a desk, a small pyramid cast prisms of light throughout the space, despite the layers of dust. Evelyn gently wiped at it; she'd always been a fan of light prisms as a child, after a school field-trip to a nearby science museum.

Looking around at the rest of the space beside the prism, she was bemused to find countless papers and books, covered in copious layers of dust. Her uncle never struck her as a reading type. Lifting some of the papers up to her face - and barely resisting a sneeze - the brunette was surprised to find entire pages of densely scribbled notes and equations. She had no idea what they even meant, though Bill's thoughtful hum seemed to signify that she was the only one.

'Does this make sense to you?' she asked curiously.

Bill scoffed. 'Of course it does, Little Bird. These are practically basic level equations calculating matter and time.'

'Oh yes,' Evelyn replied sarcastically, 'silly me.'

This was definitely not her Grunkle Stan's work though. The handwriting, while familiar, was different than the chicken scratch writing she was used to - not to mention the fact that her uncle would never willingly sit down and spend time writing these equations. Maybe he'd had a guest, or someone renting this room in the past?

But then how would he have sealed it off and forgotten it?

Glancing back at her family, she made a face at Mabel, who was making 'snow angels' in the shag carpet. "Mabes, get off that carpet. We have no clue what is in there- there could be ticks or lice, or something."

Mabel hopped up with a small groan. "You're no fun, Evie. Those could be new friends!"

Evelyn snorted. "Then don't come to me when your hair starts to itch. I've had enough with treating you both for lice."

Dipper looked around the room, his eyes bright. He grabbed the keys. "Problem solved; I'll move in here!"

Mabel's head whipped around. "What? Why do you automatically get the room? We both saw it at the same time."

"Technically, we all saw it around the same time." Evelyn added. "Why don't we clean out the room first, and then talk about it?"

Stan ignored his oldest niece entirely, his eyes lighting up. "Wait a second." He snatched back the keys from Dipper, pretending not to notice the small cry the boy let out. "So you both want this room, huh? I guess I'll give it to whichever one of you I like more."

"Grunkle Stan!" Evelyn cut in, surprised. "That's a terrible idea. You know that they're going to tear each other apart -"

Stan shrugged. "Do you want the room, kid?"

Evelyn hesitated. "Not if you want us to fight dirty for it, I don't."

"Then you can go do something else while these two compete - go visit Wendy again or somethin'." Ignoring his niece's scandalized look, he untied his shoe. "Uh oh. Looks like my shoe's untied."

The twins immediately pounced, and Evelyn sighed, rubbing her face. Why did she have to come home to this?

Soos seemed to have similar issues with the twins' 'competition', because once Stan tried to lead them out of the room, he cut them off. "Whoa! I don't know dudes, this room gives me major, creep-o vibes. Y'know, the attic is a pretty good space. Maybe you two should appreciate what you got."

Evelyn watched the twins' reactions, but she knew what the answer would be before they even moved. Neither wanted to be the first person to back down, and they wouldn't agree to giving up if they felt the other person would just take the room. They were too hurt by each other to want to be vulnerable. So she watched with a knowing and disappointed look as they sprinted past Soos.

Soos brushed off the encounter. "Heh. Hey, what do I know?" He began to sweep, years of dust and dirt flying around the broom. "Maybe there's nothing creepy going on in this room."

Evelyn glanced around the room. She didn't feel creeped out; it was more like she was looking into a mystery, something that didn't match up with what she knew of her uncle's past. If anything, it intrigued her.

"Soos, you weren't wrong to try and step in though," the teen commented, heading towards the doorway. "I appreciate that you tried."

Soos tipped his cap in reply.

She glanced around the room once more, stripping away the years and aged furniture. This room could almost be…nice.

The brunette shook her head and walked out, wanting to check on the twins before she went off to read. She wouldn't be surprised if they already had war paint on their faces.

'You shouldn't even do that, Little Bird,' Bill said, 'It's not as if they'll appreciate the gesture.'

Evelyn winced, but shrugged it off. 'Doesn't mean I have to stop caring.'

'Well, this entire 'contest', as fun as it sounds, just shows how Pine Tree and Shooting Star are too caught up in themselves. They didn't even think about asking you for your opinion – they just did what every flesh bag does and tried to make the best deal for themselves.'

'It's not that bad – they're just kids.'

'Yeah, kids that are clearly losing the weak eyesight your kind are given, if they couldn't see that you want the room too. I don't see the resemblance between you three; if they have even an atom of your self destructive selflessness, they'd hand it over.'

Evelyn smiled slightly, choosing to ignore his comments about her own 'wants'. 'Aw, if I didn't know better I'd say that was almost a compliment.'

'Almost?' Bill muttered. 'Take it however you want Little Bird - we both know I described you perfectly.'

Evelyn smile became a full-grown grin.

-DaLD-

The twins began to behave oddly later in the day.

Mabel had run past her speaking in the third person, and Dipper had clung to her in an un-Dipper like way when Evelyn had asked him why he was rocking in a chair and muttering about 'taking Dipper down'.

She didn't know if they were acting up for a reason, or if they were cracking under the pressure of their challenges, but she resolved to figure it out.

Once Mabel's friends came by for their sleepover, the teen went out searching for Dipper. It would be easier to confront each twin alone, and she trusted her younger brother to be more reasonable, which made him the ideal twin to start with.

She eventually found her brother stumbling out of Stan's office, looking paler than the moon. "Dipper?" she called, worried.

Dipper tottered over to the older teen, clinging to her midsection as he stared sightlessly ahead. "I'm forever changed, Evie."

"What do you mean?" Evelyn's brow furrowed. "What did Stan say?"

The younger boy was shaking slightly as he muttered. "'Why Am I So sweaty."

It wasn't a question, Evelyn realized; it was a book, one she remembered her uncle picking up when she was younger. He'd claimed that he would be able to use it to 'speak on the kid's level' once she, and later the twins, reached puberty and had questions. While Evelyn now thought it was a sweet gesture, she remembered how she'd been too nervous to call her uncle once she was getting old enough to understand why he'd gotten it. She guessed her uncle had finally managed to use it in its full capacity on Dipper, if her brother's shaking was any indication. She winced.

She crouched down, ready to do damage control. "Look, Dipper, I get how scary it can all sound…. What with your body doing a million involuntary and uncomfortable things." She ruffled his hair over his cap, squashing her own slight discomfort. "I know mom and dad told you some things, but Stan can be a bit… direct. Just know that you can always come to Stan or I if you're confused, 'kay?"

Dipper shook his head, a haunted look in his eyes. "Mom didn't tell me about boys…" he whimpered. His voice sounded strange to Evelyn's ears.

The older brunette frowned in confusion. "What…?"

Dipper stumbled away, rushing around the corner. "I gotta talk to Di-Mabel. Bye, Evie!"

Evelyn stared bemusedly at her brother's retreating figure. "What on earth was that about?"

Bill hummed. 'Human bodies can be weird, can't they, Little Bird?'

-DaLD-

Only a little while later, Evelyn was drawn to the newly discovered room by the sounds of a scuffle. Peeking in, the brunette stared in surprise at three girls holding a struggling Dipper down. While the sight wasn't uncommon, Dipper's pleas were.

"Girls, it's me, Mabel! No - help me!"

Still unaware of her older sister's presence, a devious Mabel raised her pointer finger as she trod towards her twin, rubbing her sock-covered feet into the old shag carpet as she walked. "And now for one final touch."

She bopped Dipper's nose, electric sparks flying. It was as if an explosion of light went off once they touched, blinding everyone watching - Evelyn included.

The red-eyed teen blinked rapidly, trying to chase away the spots inner vision.

Meanwhile, Dipper rose to his feet, feeling his chest over his vest. "Ha, my body." he crowed, his words further confusing the teen. "I'm a genius!"

He laughed, before rubbing off the caked-on makeup. "Alright Mabel, the room is mine."

"Hold on here." Grenda rumbled. She raised her hands, confused. "What just happened?"

"Well put, Grenda." Evelyn made her presence known, stepping towards the group on the old shag carpet. She knew something had happened, but she didn't know what - she knew they would be in trouble for it though.

As the twins gasped "Evie!" in shock and guilt, Bill chuckled. 'You're getting better at menacing and surprising entrances, Little Bird. Their faces make them look like they got caught by the Time Police!'

Evelyn withheld a grin, wanting to appear stern. She smiled inwardly. 'Thanks. Sometimes it helps to be the cause of a bit of unease. It helps me figure out if they've done something wrong and know it - they wouldn't react this way if they didn't have something to hide.'

Out loud, she continued. "What's been up with you two? You've been acting strangely all afternoon."

Seeing all the confused and accusing looks shot her way, Mabel's sighed theatrically. "I barely understand it. All I know is that if you shuffle your feet on this carpet you can switch bodies or whatever."

Evelyn was incredulous. "It swaps bodies, and you two decided to use it for what - the contest?" Their sheepish looks told her she hadn't missed the mark. "You don't even know what the ramifications of this could be; you should have told someone immediately instead of trying to win some stupid challenge!"

The twins looked chastened, the room quieting for a moment…

Until Candy shuffled her feet, and with a "zip zap", pressed her sparking finger against Dipper's nose, despite his cry of alarm.

There was a flash of light, once again blinding Evelyn.

"Candy' blinked, before groaning. "Aw, come on!" Dipper, in Candy's body, darted forward to take the key as Candy appreciatively moved her new limbs.

"I am a boy now!" she chirped, before deepening Dipper's voice. "Wassup, bro. Let's grow some moustaches."

"Uh…" Evelyn felt herself go into a state of near shock. It was clear the two had changed; their mannerisms, stance, and facial expressions shifted, making them seem like different people despite a lack of material change. It was strange to face the realization that so many minute details made her her, made her family and friends recognizable.

Dipper and Mabel didn't seem to be having the same crisis their older sister was facing. Mabel attempted to tackle her twin in Candy's body, hands grasping. "Dipper, give me that key back!"

As the two struggled, Evelyn took a few steps forward, ready to intervene. Grenda seemed to have the same idea, pulling them apart just as Evelyn grabbed their shoulders.

A jolt ran through the brunette's body as another flash lit up the room.

Evelyn blinked, feeling her entire axis shift as her body became smaller. Glancing at tiny, unfamiliar hands, she immediately gripped soft, dark hair as she wheezed out a breath. "Wha…"

Was she in Candy's body? What was happening?!

The teen - how in the body of a child - glanced at the others, watching as her brother, now in Grenda's body, poked at his - her - muscles, commenting on them. Mabel's body was now inhabited by Grenda, and standing above them was - herself.

Not- Evelyn blinked owlishly. "Whoa! Vertigo." The taller brunette squinted, patting her sides. "Is this what it's going to be like once I'm tall, Evie?"

Her sister. She was staring at herself, who was now her sister.

"Uhh…." Breathing became a bit difficult as she stared at her body.

'Breathe, Little Bird.' Bill reminded her urgently, his voice quieter than she was used to.

'Bill?!' she nearly cried his name out loud, but managed to stop herself. She felt undeniably relieved that he was with her, though she didn't understand how. 'How are you here?' Another thought occurred to her causing a swell of panic. 'Mabel can't hear you while she's in my body too, right?'

'This hideous carpet is swapping electrons - it just happens to be taking your mind and personality with it.' His voice was strangely soothing to her.'All Shooting Star will be able to feel is an imprint of me.'

Evelyn nodded dazedly. 'Bill… I'm staring up at myself.'

'It's a view, isn't it, Little Bird?' Bill snickered. He sobered up as he felt her shake, in a mild state of shock.

Suddenly, Not-Evelyn clutched the necklace around her neck. "Whoa! That was a rush. Can you get hot flashes at seventeen? Is this what growing up feels like?"

Bill cursed, and Evelyn realized he must have tried to send emotions her way through the necklace.

Mabel seemed to shake it off, reaching out to the other three. "Everybody look. Swap back in…" They all rubbed their socked feet on the rug, gathering static, "3,2…"

Suddenly, Waddles came running in, shouting in a familiar voice. "Oh, dudes!"

On the pig's heels was Old Man McGucket, yelling about deep fried ears. The two new arrivals crashed into the group, the built up electrical charge spreading until, with a flash, everyone had once again swapped places.

It was complete chaos. Evelyn felt herself blink down at herself in her brother's body only to be blinded by light a moment later and find herself in Grenda's form. Everyone was yelling about their new bodies, making the teen's head pound. 'Bill?!' she cried.

His voice, still fainter than she was used to, answered. 'Little Bird, get to your body and pull it away from the group and off of the carpet - let them run around like idiots until they get tired. Then you can swap properly.'

Evelyn nodded, looking for her body. She saw herself standing a few feet away, her hands caressing and squishing her cheeks. "So soft," her voice said strangely. The hands wandered down her sides, and Evelyn felt indignant and disturbed as one hand passed over her true body's chest. "I have the curves of a woman!" the person inside her cried, "Now I can use the powers of a female to enslave the town; I will rename my kingdom Candytonia."

'Candy's in my body…' Evelyn didn't know if she was more exasperated or fearful.

'I think you should take your body back before that kid decides that skinning you will keep your youth.' Bill suggested.

Evelyn blanched, rushing over to Candy. Just as she was about to reach her, someone bumped into her, knocking the trapped teen to the side - and out of Grenda's body.

She found herself in McGucket's body for a split second, feeling a strange yet familiar weight seared in the back of his skull.

It was like her connection to Bill, if Bill had decided to sear her retinas and tap dance through her bleeding skull. The pain felt dulled, but Bill immediately urged her to leave.

'His brain's been damaged by weird, Little Bird. That tends to leave an impression. Lingering in his body's just going to make you feel worse, so swap now!'

There was something else in McGucket's head that seemed familiar; an emptiness. While his actual mind and memories were currently in another body, there was what Bill had called an imprint, this one noticeable in that it seemed to be a void, a lack of something that used to be there. It frightened Evelyn, reminding her of her own lack of memories. Without thinking, she jumped onto the first body that crossed her path.

She was suddenly a pig, the shift in dimensions and limbs startling her. She jumped to the next body, searching the chaos of the room for her old one. At some point, the cops must have shown up; Evelyn only knew this once she found herself in the Sheriff's short body. She could no longer see the twins in the chaotic mess of body-swapping. People were running into each other, yelling as they were suddenly pulled from one body to the next. Bill was becoming angry, muttering, "Dumb fleshbags.'

Finally, while once again stuck in Candy's body, Evelyn spotted her original body awkwardly crouched in a corner. She hurried towards it, managing to slip past Durland and Grenda's bodies, only slowing once she was off of the carpet. She reached out to touch her own arm.

Immediately, the person in Evelyn's body turned to face her, eyes wild in fear and nose flaring. "It's in my head again!" The voice croaked.

"What?" Evelyn questioned. "Who are you?"

"I'm Old Man McGucket!" McGucket replied instinctively, before shaking her-his- head frantically. "I-I need to get out!"

Evelyn watched in confused horror as McGucket clawed at her original body, before pulling at her hair.

"Stop that!" she cried. McGucket didn't seem to respond to the raised voice, so the teen decided to try another tactic: soothing.

"Hey, it's okay." she murmured, raising her small hands gently. "I just want to get back into my body, alright? You'll be out of there in no time."

Evelyn's original body blinked, hesitating in its panic. "Good." Evelyn cooed. "It's Fiddleford, right? Do you mind if I call you that?"

McGucket heaved in a few unsteady breaths. "Th-that's my name."

The teen nodded, taking a tentative step closer. When McGucket didn't flinch away, she smiled. "I'm just going to touch you, okay? Then you'll be out of my body."

McGucket whimpered. "I don't want to - please get me out…"

Evelyn furrowed her - Candy's - brow, confused. What did he think was in his head?

'He probably feels residual traces of my presence in your mind.' Bill explained, impatient. 'That, or he's unstable. Have you seen him, Little Bird? Now take your body back before he damages it!'

Evelyn nodded to herself. She could puzzle over everything later; for now, she wanted to fully be herself again. Being in a child's body was way weirder the second time around.

Returning back to the carpet to quickly rub her socks against the shaggy surface, Evelyn hurried back, feeling the charge on her fingertips.

"Alright, it'll all be over in a second," she promised. Once her own crazed red eyes met hers, she reached out, grabbing her own bare forearm.

There was a flash - matching the chaos of the room - before Evelyn blinked, looking down to see familiar limbs and hands. The brunette grinned, reaching up to touch her cheek. "I'm back!"

She looked back at McGucket - Candy, who was sedately chewing on a sweater sleeve, then at the room at large. The carpet had caused complete pandemonium: people were screaming and swapping bodies so quickly they never realized when they were briefly in their own.

She knew she had to do something about it.

'Oh, c'mon, Little Bird,' Bill whined, pleased now that Evelyn was back to herself, 'Let's watch this fire burn! You have to admit that their panicked chaos is hilarious.'

'It would be, just a bit,' Evelyn conceded, 'if I hadn't lived through it too. It's stressful and disorienting, and not all of them have voices in their head to guide them out of it.

'So,' she continued, 'I'm going to have to be the voice out of their head instead.'

Bill sighed, but didn't argue when the brunette climbed onto the sofa, picking up an airhorn Mabel had placed in the room as preemptive room decor.

Taking in a deep breath, she blared the horn before yelling, "STOP!"

The sudden noise startled the group, causing them to bump into each other and stumble. Evelyn winced. Not exactly the smooth stop she'd hoped for… but at least they were no longer running around and making things worse.

The red-eyed teen steeled herself as everyone turned to look at her, trying to ignore the stares burning her. It was necessary.

Bill bolstered her with a wave of calm, and she was able to speak up. "Everyone, please step off of the shag carpet."

The group slowly shuffled off the carpet, staring in unanimous confusion.

"Okay, I know how weird this is," she began, glancing at McGucket still gnawing the Candy's sweater sleeve," but we're going to fix it. Can everyone point to their original body?"

There was a moment where no one did anything, a few muttering to themselves. Finally, they raised their hands. The array of criss-crossed hands caused Evelyn to wince. "Um, alright. To make this easier, I would appreciate it if you all could split into two groups and form two lines?"

Despite the lack of authority in her tone, the body-swapped began to split up, some arguing about wanting to 'partner up' as they made up two lines.

"What now?" Somebody in Grenda's body asked.

Evelyn bit her lip, and then nodded decisively. "We'll do this one by one; um, person in Grenda's body, step up please and find your body?"

After that, it was a fairly short - if exasperating -effort to get each person back into their own body. As she watched everyone pat their real bodies' down, happy to be themselves, Evelyn felt accomplished.

Soos walked up to her. "Dude, being a pig is a bigger workout than I imagined. I've never run that much in my life!"

The brunette hopped off of the sofa with a smile. "Being a pig is definitely an unforgettable experience." she agreed. "But it's over now, so we can give Waddles a break."

The twins came back in as the others began to treacle out, Evelyn wanting to send them off before figuring out what to do with the carpet. The twins headed towards her, though they glanced at Soos as he chewed on the door frame. "Well, it looks like everyone's back to normal… except for Soos who may be a pig permanently…?"

Soos spoke up. "Oh no, I changed back." He paused. "At least, I think I did."

Evelyn shook her head. "You're back to normal, Soos."

Dipper and Mabel ushered McGucket, the last of the stragglers, away as he lingered threateningly by Soos with a set of utensils. Once they got back, Mabel turned to her big sister. "Thanks for cleaning up our mess, Evie. We were going to do it," she added, "but I feel like it would have taken us longer."

Evelyn smiled. "It's no problem; I couldn't wait for you guys to come back while everyone else freaks out."

'Maybe you should start charging for these cleanups, Little Bird; that way they might drag you into less of them.' Bill commented.

Evelyn internally rolled her eyes. 'You sound like Grunkle Stan.'

She turned to face both of her siblings, and their faces immediately became more sheepish. "You two already know what I'm going to say," she paused, watching as they nodded. "You both went way too far with messing with this carpet. You didn't know the ramifications of using it - what if it had been permanent, or damages your minds when you swap? Instead of using it for some stupid contest, you should have told me right away.

"The fact that you ended up dragging other people into this makes it worse. You see how things can escalate?"

The twins nodded. "Sorry Evie." They chorused.

Dipper spoke up. "We thought about telling you, but we got too caught up in our competition to think about it too much."

"We're sorry, Evie," Mabel added. "We'll be more careful the next time we run into a body-swapping carpet."

Evelyn nodded, seeing the genuine regret in their eyes. "The same goes for body-swapping lamps and headrests." she teased. "Did you guys at least work everything out?"

"Yeah, we talked it out." Dipper glanced at his twin, both looking calmer than before.

Evelyn smiled. "Good. How about something to eat? I feel like moving between so many bodies works up an appetite."

The two nodded eagerly, rushing ahead of the teen towards the kitchen. As she switched off the light, Evelyn couldn't help but glance back at the carpet. Maybe she should convince her uncle to burn it…

She left the darkened room, glad to have everything back to normal once more.

-DaLD-

Evelyn didn't tell Stan the whole story about the carpet - simply raised her concerns about mold and dust as her uncle helped Dipper settle into his new room. While Stan had scoffed about her 'delicate sensibilities', she knew that when he left to check on her brother in his finished room he would take care of it - the softie.

After saying goodnight to Dipper - not missing his slightly lost expression - Evelyn got ready for bed herself, occasionally bantering with Bill about toothpaste or the figures on her sleeping shorts.

'I'm just saying, Little Bird,' Bill continued, 'I've seen enough of your planet's history to know that dinosaurs never wore sunglasses - they were too busy roaring, and screaming and eating each other.'

'I know, Bill,' Evelyn replied, amused, 'I didn't buy them because they were historically accurate; I got them because they were on sale.'

Bill huffed about 'mindless consumers' while she tucked herself into bed. 'I can make them act like normal dinosaurs if you want, Little Bird.'

'No, thanks,' Evelyn yawned, 'I appreciate the gesture, but I don't want to wear pajamas that will bite me when I try to wear them.'

The brunette's conversation was interrupted by Mabel's voice. "Goodnight, Evie. Goodnight, Dipper."

Mabel's words hit Evelyn's heart, practically hearing the moment her sister remembered that her brother was no longer in the room. She felt the mood in the room shift, a new loneliness filling in the gap left there.

Evelyn immediately pulled back her blankets. "Hey, Mabel?" When the girl replied with a small hum, she continued. "How about we have a sleepover?"

The smaller brunette immediately leapt out of bed, clutching a stuffed animal as she approached her sister. Mabel slipped into Evelyn's outstretched arms, snuggling her face into the teen's collarbone. It reminded Evelyn of when Mabel had been very young and loved placing her nose on her sister's triangular birthmark, finding the shape fascinating. The warmth of the memory made the red-eyed teen hold her sister tightly.

They lay there for a few minutes, whispering little things to each other before going silent, content to try and get some sleep. The sisters were startled out of their comfortable rest by a knock on the door.

"Come in." Evelyn answered, both sisters sitting up to see who it was.

After a pause, the door creaked open, revealing a nervous Dipper holding a pillow in his arms. "Hey, um." He walked into the room slightly, looking at the two as watched him from the bed. "I was going to ask if we could have a sleepover, but…"

The sisters exchanged a glance, before smiling. Without speaking, Mabel jumped out of the bed and rushed to the remains of their mini putt course. Dipper's shoulders loosened as he gave his twin a relieved smile, rushing over to join her.

"Evie!" Mabel cheered. She waved a spare mini putt club. "C'mon!"

Evelyn smiled, climbing out of bed to join her siblings. Watching the twins go back to their usual selves made her overwhelmingly happy; it gave her proof that they would be able to weather the changes that come with growing up together. The thought of them still being close as adults was something she loved to imagine - she didn't know if she could picture them separated.

'Your attachment to your siblings is a bit much, Little Bird,' Bill sighed, 'Do you think about your own future with the same amount of sickly optimism?'

Evelyn paused. 'I… I'm not entirely sure what I want for my future. To be happy, have a fulfilling job, to have travelled, and still be close to my family? I don't know what form that could take - there are so many options.'

'If you looked outside of Pine Tree and Shooting Star, maybe you'd be able to see what you want.' he suggested. Bill's tone wasn't aggressive, but Evelyn had the sense that he was trying to get a point across… only she didn't really know what message she should take out of his speech besides the obvious.

"Evie, it's your turn!" Mabel called, drawing the teen out of her internal conversation.

The older brunette smiled, lightly tapping the golf ball. The twins may like to get rowdy in their games, but Evelyn didn't feel like picking up any more glass, or fixing the shelves again.

The teen's hopes for a mess-free night were ruined when one of the twins accidentally smacked their ball through the window, somehow managing to hit their uncle outside. She groaned. "Not again, you two."

"Relax, Evie; we can clean up tomorrow." Dipper reassured her. "Stan probably doesn't even know what hit him."

"Says you." Evelyn raised her eyebrow. "As far as Grunkle Stan's concerned, you were in your room all night; he'll probably blame Mabel instead."

Dipper looked down. "About that…" he paused, hesitant. "I don't want the room anymore. It felt weird, to be alone in there. I'm used to having at least Mabel there."

"So what are you going to do with it?" Evelyn asked as Mabel prepared for her turn. The teen was happy her brother would be back - she knew Mabel was happy about it - but it was a bit exasperating that everything they had gone through in the past day ended up being pointless.

'Next time they put you through all of that for nothing, Little Bird, you should force them to be your servants for a day. Then you can make them do a series of utterly pointless tasks!'

'As fun as that sounds,' the teen thought sarcastically, 'I think I'm alright with not making my siblings indentured servants.'

Beside her, Dipper fidgeted. "Well, at first I was going to give it to Soos as a new breakroom, but then something you said earlier today got to me, Evie."

Evelyn's brow furrowed. "What did I say?"

Her brother shrugged. "You were put in our room because Stan didn't have the space, but now there's a spare bedroom. I thought…" Dipper glanced at his twin, who nodded, "maybe you'd like to have your own room?"

When Evelyn didn't speak up, he rushed to continue; "It's not that we don't want you here or anything! But you have to put up with both of us all of the time, and I know you like to have some space to yourself sometimes."

The teen struggled to think of what to say, not having expected them to think of her for the room. "I-I'm fine in here with you guys. I mean, it's nice to find a quiet spot every now and then, but you guys aren't a burden; I like spending time with you two."

Mabel grabbed her sister's arm in a tight hug. "We know that, silly. We like spending time with you too! But Dipper's right; you always have to deal with our problems,so it makes sense that you should get your own space."

'Why are you arguing this, Little Bird?!' Bill cut in. 'Shooting Star and Pine Tree are actually offering to do something good for you for once - you should take it!'

Evelyn hesitated. 'I don't want them to feel like I don't want them around though - I do like sharing a room with them…'

'...But you need something that's just yours for once,' Bill urged her, 'everything you have somehow revolves around your siblings. I can feel that you want this Little Bird - don't hold back!'

The brunette did want a space to herself. While she loved spending her time with the twins, she was used to having her own room back at home. Having a space where she could unwind without the twins' bickering was tempting.

Looking down at the twins' earnest faces cemented the decision. "Alright, I'll take it." Dipper smiled, and Evelyn crouched to scoop them both into a hug. "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you thought of me for this."

She pulled back to look at them, her heart warm. "I'm so happy that you guys managed to figure out what you both wanted yourselves; I know that you both went through a lot today… but I'm proud that you two were able to figure yourselves out."

Dipper grinned. "It's not a big deal; we both put you through a bit of a roller coaster today anyway, so this might help make up for it."

Evelyn smiled in response, ruffling his hair. "It's a step in the right direction." She paused. "We do need to figure out what to do for Soos' break room though… it's definitely not a healthy place to be."

"Maybe we can convert the space?" Dipper suggested.

"Or we can blackmail Grunkle Stan until he makes him a new one!" Mabel crowed.

The siblings stayed up late, plotting and playing an enthusiastic game of mini putt until they were too tired to keep their eyes opened. As they fell asleep snuggled together on Evelyn's bed, the teen couldn't help but smile; no matter what happened, her family would always be there for another sleepover.

-DaLD-

Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the long gap between chapters. School kicked me in the butt, and there's been some not great stuff that popped up in my personal life (and some good too, so don't worry!). I'm heading over to a New Year's Eve party tonight, but I wanted to upload this before the New Year. You can expect the next upload to come this Saturday, with another upload in two weeks after that. And then we'll be facing Dreamscaperers! You can expect that upload by (latest) March break. I wish I could promise that it will be sooner, but I don't want to give you guys misinformation. But who knows, maybe I can have the first chapter up for Valentine's Day… ;)

Due to the time constraint I'm under right now, I can't respond to reviews. The next update will have all of my responses!

I hope all of you have had an amazing year, and I wish you all a Happy New Year! Do you guys have any interesting New Year's resolutions? Mine are to meditate/do yoga for 15 minutes a day, to give myself a self-care hour each week, to spend more time writing, and to stop taking on more than I can handle (don't know how long that one will last though…. :))

Please favourite, follow, and/or review! I apologize for any spelling mistakes that I've missed. Have a fantastic day/evening! - Aria

I don't own Gravity Falls.