A/N: For those who skipped chapter 11, here's a summary.
After Pacifica's anger got the best of her, she backed off, but watched Dipper from a distance, to find out that he was seriously depressed. She didn't take it too well and had a nightmare that night. The following day, Mabel confronted her brother about Pacifica, and he told her to leave it alone.

It's been a week, and Dipper's left arm had finally healed. The stiches came out, and the sling was gone. He often thought about what had transpired from the week prior. He vaguely remembered the pain he felt that day, with a twisted sense of fondness. But every time he recalled that time, he also had to remember that Pacifica slapped him. Rightfully so. He shouldn't have been so blunt, but it's easy to regret now. If he lingered too long, the more he reminisced, the more he'd hate himself. Like digging yourself deeper into a hole full of your worst regrets.

On multiple occasions, the teenager found himself leafing through the pages of his light blue journal, embossed with a golden pine tree. Several times, he reread his notes on what he found out about the Northwests and considered tearing them out. What use were they? Why had he bothered? Looking back on those pages…reflecting on how much happier he had been, in the face of danger, investigating a mystery he had no role in.

Too late now, Dipper forced himself to clear his mind, and find something to do. Mabel recently found herself going out alone, probably disregarding his favor he asked for. Dipper had no illusions that Mabel wouldn't get off his case, even when he asked nicely. Not everything was great about having a twin, even though the benefits outweighed the negatives.

Dipper made his way downstairs from the attic he shared with his sister. Walking into the kitchen, he joined the company of the older twin brothers, Stanley and Stanford.

"Hey kid, feelin' better?" Grunkle Stan asked gruffly. "We're missing a nerd exhibit from the Shack's collection, and Ford over here refuses to have anything to do with it."

Dipper felt a smile form on his face. "I think I'll pass. Hey Great Uncle Ford… uhm, have any plans for today?"

The old man looked up, seemingly interrupted from whatever mental exercise he was doing in his head.

"Oh yeah, actually. I had something in mind, and Dipper, you're the right guy for the job. Remember my lab in the woods?"

Dipper nodded, a shiver running down his spine. Definitely not the best day of last summer.

"Well, I need to reorganize, and a lot of equipment got damaged when the portal exploded. I need somewhere more organized to conduct my tests. What do you say?"

Meeting Ford's eyes, Dipper replied in the affirmative.


Working at Greasy's Diner, no shift was ever the same as the previous. Lazy Susan definitely was an unusual boss, but nevertheless Pacifica felt welcome at her diner, even more so than in her own home. It was reassuring to know what was expected of her, each day she arrived for work. The consistent tide of customers coming in during the traditional meal hours. Since Oregon's labor laws still somehow applied to Gravity Falls (unlike several other laws), Pacifica found herself working in the evenings.

Her first week was definitely a harsh reality check. Not being able to insult patrons was much harder than the blonde originally thought. Lazy Susan didn't realize it would be a big issue, until customers started complaining, and forced her hand. Later that day, she sat down with Pacifica to explain to her, that antagonizing the people who pay her tips was not the way to go about her job. Unfortunately, using money as motivation for a girl who always got what she wanted was not going to work.

What did work however, was punishment. While Lazy Susan didn't have a golden bell, she made up for with keen ideas of extra work…such as wiping the stove, taking out the trash, cleaning up the diner after hours, and rinsing the dishes. None of those tasks particularly appealed to the reluctant teenager, so it didn't take long before the disgusting experience of having to clean up scraps of leftover food from the sticky tables to have a positive effect on her work.

Pacifica sometimes doubted why she began working. Most kids her age never gave a second thought about work, especially in her social circle. However, since the Northwest fortune largely faded, Pacifica found an opportunity to start from scratch in her own way, free from her family's tainted wealth. Once she set her mind to it, she made a promise to herself not to give up. The job never became fun or enjoyable, but it definitely wasn't the lowest point of her days. Some took pity on her situation and gave her some words of consolation. Others didn't, and would often ignore eye contact and leave measly tips. The local students often had mixed reactions to her, very few in the positive sense. Many found the shining irony to be a good source of ridicule, and some stronger willed upper grade students laughed at the contrast between Pacifica's fall from the elite class. Often, in front of her face. If she showed any hint of emotion, they would relish in their victory. Their gloating faces, justifiably looking down on the former bully of the town. Not that Pacifica went out of her way to bully everyone she saw, even before her slight humbling, but the public perception of her did little to her favor.

One particular time, a rich entrepreneur dropped by, seemingly with the explicit purpose of belittling the former heiress. In his parting words, he flashed a smug smile, and left a tip consisting of multiple twenty-dollar bills. "Figured I'd give a bit more to the poor this week!" She could hear his laughter, cold hearted and self-righteous. Worse, it reminded Pacifica of her past self, in every terrible way.

At least today was a slow day. Few townsfolk walked in, so besides taking their orders and fetching them, Pacifica found herself with a little bit of free time. Time to consider how she was going to tackle her problem with Dipper Pines. This was nothing new, she already had thought of the twins before during her shifts. But something about Dipper made her uneasy. She had never seen him vulnerable before, and had no idea what to do about it.

As if in answer to an unsaid prayer, Wendy Corduroy walked through the front door. Her red hair stood out among the crowd, sticking out from underneath a familiar blue and white cap embossed with a pine tree. Pacifica's eyes centered on the familiar hat, brushing her thoughts aside. While skeptical of Wendy's connection to her friend, she could be Pacifica's best bet at reconnecting with Dipper. Subconsciously, Pacifica started timidly messing with a strand of her long hair, her eyes darting between looking down at the floor and looking up at Wendy.

The tall teenage redhead sat down on a stool, facing the counter. Wendy absentmindedly pulled out her phone, and started browsing her contacts. Pacifica took a deep breath, and made her way over.

"Hey, can I take your order?" she asked, doing her best to sound nonchalant.

"Yeah sure, one sec." Wendy didn't look up, continuing to type away. Pacifica breathed out quietly as her nerves tensed. Even though she and Wendy were on friendly terms, Pacifica had to be careful in her approach.

"Alright, I'll have a Coca-Cola."

Her carefree attitude was definitely something to admire.

"Coming right up." The young waitress made her way to Lazy Susan, handing her the order slip.

Moments later, Pacifica set down a tall glass full of soda. "One Coca-Cola."

Wendy finally looked up to thank her server, when she recognized who it was.

"Oh, hey Pacifica. Sorry I didn't notice it was you, been a busy day."

"I can tell." Pacifica's reply was colder than she meant. She sighed, and turned away. A friendly hand grabbed her shoulder.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to ignore you." Wendy said lightly, but her voice was sincere. She felt the younger teen relax. "Listen, it must be hard to go from having everything you want, to working at a place like this" – she waved her hand in the air, articulating – "but I respect you for that. When I was your age, I'd hang out with my friends and we'd go wreck some stuff! I would've hated having to work long hours indoors, all summer."

Pacifica felt partly offended at Wendy's assumption that she 'had everything she wanted', but it was rare for anyone to respect her out of sincerity, instead of her prior wealth or status. A small smile formed on her face. She felt her cheeks brighten slightly.

"Thanks Wendy, I appreciate it." Her voice brightened.

"Don't mention it, just giving credit where it's due." Wendy leaned back, taking a sip of her drink. "Say, have you seen ole Dipper around lately? The dude's been a bit distant lately. Not that it's out of character for him, just after he got out of the hospital, he's been…weirder than usual."

Pacifica froze for a moment, unsure of how to respond. This wasn't how she pictured talking to Wendy would be like. Luckily for her, Wendy misinterpreted her hesitation.

"Oh, you probably haven't heard! Dipper went missing for a few days, and well, long story short, when he was found, he had to be hospitalized for a few days." – Wendy glanced around the diner, checking to see if anyone was paying attention. – "Nothing serious though, he's fine now of course." Her expression didn't change, but her voice suggested Wendy wasn't fully convinced of her own story.

"Ugh, when is he not getting himself killed? He's too big of a dork for his own good."

Wendy let out a laugh. "Glad you haven't changed that much. So, you haven't seen him?"

"Well…" – Pacifica's voice droned out for a moment, betraying any last opportunity to lie – "I might've talked to him about a week ago."

"And…?" Wendy's expression remained cool, but her eyes looked at Pacifica quizzically.

"It didn't go so well." Pacifica finished quietly; her face turned to the ground in embarrassment.

Wendy's eyebrows raised, as the older teen waited silently.

"Look, it's a long story, and I might've messed up a little." – Pacifica rushed her explanation – "But he probably didn't take it personally, and I haven't seen him since."

Her story was met with silence. She could see Wendy's eyes darken, despite her continuously calm demeanor. After a moment, Wendy responded, serious and quiet.

"What did you tell him?"

Pacifica felt trapped, asked a question she couldn't bring herself to lie her way out of. Her conscious, dormant before the Pines' arrival, now gave her the insight of new pain and torment. Her stomach tightened, and desperation filled her mind.

"I…it was nothing." – she felt her stomach tighten further – "I'll tell you after my shift is over," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact.

Wendy nodded in return, and patted Pacifica's shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Okay, I'll be back! See you then."

With a drop of a few bills for her drink, the red headed teenager strode out of the diner.


Great Uncle Ford made his way through the woods, followed by his young protégé. Marching up to a certain tree in the midst of the Oregon forest, the man pressed a button on his wrist. A door slid open, revealing a spiral staircase to one of Dipper's most embarrassing recent memories. Oh, and the bunker too.

Ford didn't hesitate, striding down the staircase without another thought. Dusting off some of the cobwebs, the pair made their way inside. Ford had a thin smile on his face, thinking of the good times he spent in this laboratory. However, those good times would forever be in the shadow of Fiddleford McGucket, his loyal friend who lost his own sanity on his behalf.

He cleared his throat. "You know, Dipper, you seem to have been a bit strange ever since you've gotten back from the hospital…anything bothering you?"

The boy hesitated, before slowly responding: "Yeah. Everything's fine."

His great uncle sighed.

"Okay. Just figured I'd get that out of the way."

He started clearing the dust off of some of the equipment, clearly preoccupied on something else.

"You know, most of my life, I've spent alone…" – his voice seemed to have a hint of sadness – "…and at first, it seemed like a blessing. Not getting pushed into a portal to a nightmare realm, mind you, but being liberated of human contact."

Dipper nodded, not sure what to say.

"But after returning, and seeing my family for the first time, it's opened my eyes to what it's like."

Ford turned around to glance at Dipper, and saw the confusion on his face.

"Look, back when I was your age, my parents weren't very…supportive." – Ford slumped, recalling his parents' faces. – "They really just wanted me to make them rich. It's a long story," he conceded. "The point is, partly because of them, and my brother's sabotage of my science project, I stopped trusting my own family. However, while it was easy to shut them all out, I never noticed the actual psychological impact it had until I saw Stanley again. Just…promise me Dipper, don't make the same mistakes I did, and don't shut yourself out from everyone."

Dipper once again nodded, to appease his great uncle. That seemed to relax him a little. The main room was dusty, and filled with a lot of dated supplies meant for the apocalypse that had come and passed. Several notes and posters hung on the walls, several tinted yellow with age. The pair wasted no time in getting lost in work, clearing the walls from all the cobwebs, and dusting off the tables.

The day melted away, neither noticed. A few words exchanged, as Ford rediscovered several of his long-forgotten notes and antiques, or Dipper's curiosity hinging on the few memoirs he could find. It felt almost refreshing to return to the mysteries of Gravity Falls. Though the Author was no longer a mystery, his work still was, sometimes even to the man himself. Lingering on dark thoughts had made Dipper forget how much he truly missed the adventures of his great uncles' town. It was a bittersweet memory of his discovery of the bunker he found himself in, standing beside the real "Mr. Mystery" he had searched for the entirety of last summer.


The evening sun shined through the surrounding trees, casting a long shadow on the entrance to Greasy's Diner. Lazy Susan effortlessly catered to the remaining patrons, humming in an upbeat tune. By her side, Pacifica managed to keep herself busy by indulging in all the conversations she could. Anything to keep her mind off of explaining herself to Wendy.

However, the sun eventually faded into the clouds, marking the beginning of a cool night. Lazy Susan set a fresh pie on the windowsill, before taking her apron off. Having gathered her remaining possessions and a few bills of cash, Lazy Susan bid good night to her only employee, and left. Pacifica found herself alone, waiting for the older teen to make good on her promise. She started mopping down the counter when she heard the door open.

"So, now that your shift's up, what's the scoop?" Wendy asked, as she sat down in the same stool as before.

Pacifica let out a sigh, as she put on a frown.

"Alright, I'll tell you. But before I say anything, you won't mention this to anyone else, right?"

Wendy replied, almost suspiciously quickly: "Your secret's safe with me." She smiled reassuringly.

The blonde frowned, before continuing. "Okay fine. You probably know this already, but my parents are going through a rough time right now. My mother's been out of town until last week."

Wendy listened quietly, her expression remaining neutral.

"When she came back, I hoped that everything would get better. I felt the need to tell someone, so I texted Dipper, and well…"

Pacifica's voice trailed off for a moment, hesitation paralyzing her. A second passed before she found her voice again.

"…I told him about it, and he said that it wouldn't last."

Wendy waited for her to continue, but Pacifica fell quiet.

"That doesn't sound too bad. Dipper sometimes gets a little caught up in his own head, I wouldn't take it personally if I were you." Wendy said offhandedly. For a moment, she could've sworn she saw a strange look in Pacifica's eyes, but it faded before she could realize it.

"The only time I think I really upset him was when I snapped at him for ruining my date with Robbie… but even then, he seemed fine after a few days."

Pacifica's eyebrows raised, her look inquisitive as she stared at Wendy. The older girl sighed, as she began to elaborate on the time that Dipper discovered Robbie's manipulative music ploy and sought to ruin her date with him.

"…and the thing that ticked me off the most? He made a feeble attempt at asking me out right after I found out that Robbie didn't care about me at all, and just wanted a girlfriend for show. Not to say Dipper's all bad," – Wendy was quick to mention – "but empathy's not his strong suite. Though the dude's a really awesome friend, that's why I cleared things up for him before it got too far."

The younger blonde listened quietly, feeling uneasy in learning a lot of new history about her friend. Dipper had a crush before, and he never mentioned it? Either he didn't trust her, or he didn't get over it as easily as Wendy let on. Neither option seemed ideal, both sounded hopeless. Pacifica refocused on cleaning the kitchen, her heart hanging on every word Wendy said.

"Oh dang, it's getting late. Thanks for chatting with me though. I'll catch you later!"

Wendy sprang to her feet, ready to head home.

"One more thing."

Wendy paused, turning her head to face Pacifica, who didn't look up from her work.

"Let me know if he's okay."

The lumberjack's daughter smiled to herself; turns out the cold, outwardly sarcastic teen really did have a soft side.