"Kids.. I have something to... It's complicated, you see..."

Stan looked down at his niece and nephew, sitting innocently in a puddle of what used to be water balloons. Dipper and Mabel looked up at Stan with their big brown eyes, and Stan felt like leaving and waiting until another time to tell them...

But not today. Today, Stan would man up and come clean. He would tell them about the portal, about Ford, and everything else that came with that.

Hopefully they would still except him. Hopefully they wouldn't be too upset.

"I have something to show the two of you." He said, "Come with me."

He waved them inside of the gift shop, and locked the door behind Dipper, who came in a moment after Mabel. He stepped over to the vending machine and sighed.

"Whatever you think about this... Just know... I love you two knuckle heads." Stan said quietly, earning him quite the puzzled expression from the two kids.

He plugged in the code, and the machine swung open. Revealing the secret passageway.

"You're Batman!?" Mabel cried, holding her hands up to her face in shock, while Dipper gasped in disbelief.

Stan chuckled slightly, "Not exactly Sweetie." He said, "Come with me, I have a story to tell the two of you."

Stan couldn't help but glance back at the kids as he led them down the hall. Dipper was silent, probably from shock, and Mabel was rambling about the awesomeness that was surrounding them.

"This place is amazing! And it was under the Shack the whole time? Why? Did you build it Grunkle Stan? Is this what you like to spend time in? When is the story going to start?"

Stan sighed, and led them into the control room. He placed his lantern down on the dashboard, next to the first two Journals. He turned around and but his lip. "Kids... There's someone you should know about." He said quietly. He rubbed his hands together, sadly watching the kids stare up at him.

"His name is Stanford." He said, "And he's my twin brother."

Dipper blinked in confusion, Mabel threw her arms up and exclaimed, "You have a twin?! That's amazing! Wait..." She stared at Stan suspiciously than scratched just under her headband. "Aren't you Stanford Grunkle Stan?"

Stan's shoulders tensed, for the first time in thirty years he was going to come clean. His eyes squeezed shut, and he felt the corners get a little wet. He forced his eyes open, and took a deep breath in. "No. I'm not Stanford Pines."

Dipper and Mabel's eyes grew even wider, "Who are you then?" Dipper asked, his eyes flicking between both of Stan's.

"I'm... I'm Stan-ley Pines." Stan answered quietly. "I'm still your Grunkle... But Ford, my brother... He's the better one."

Mabel and Dipper shared a glance, then looked back at Stan. "Grunkle Stan... How is he the better one? We don't even know him."

Stan swallowed, and bowed his head, staring at his shoes. "Actually you do..." He explained, "At least... You know who he was, thirty years ago."

"Thirty years ago?" Dipper asked, "We weren't around thirty years ago... Unless..."

"You found his Journal." Stan said quietly. "I should have told you before... But..." He sighed deeply then continued.

"My brother is the Author of the Journals."

Ford stepped out of the nightmare realm and into a words that was in chaos.

The energy the portal created had ruined his basement, bits and pieces of it lying everywhere, and there was only one person to blame...

Stanley Pines rushed out of the control room, and held his arms open wide. "Finally," Stan choked out, "After all these long years of waiting!"

Ford took a step towards Stan. In his mind he had every intention of punching the other man in the face, but before he could get within five feet of his brother he was cut off by something peculiar.

"Grunkle Ford! Hiii!"

Ford saw the briefest flash of a small body, then felt thin, yet strong, arms get wrapped around him. He was being hugged.

His eyes widened in shock, and Stan looked to be on the verge of laughing. There was a small, pink sweater clad, brown-haired girl, who was hugging Ford.

Then, as quickly as she had started the hug, she ended it. Her arms dropped from his side and she stepped away from him, but not more than two steps.

"Hi Grunkle Ford! I'm Mabel! Your niece!"

"I have a niece?" He whispered, glancing up at Stan then immediately back down at 'Mabel'.

Mabel grinned up at him, "Yup!" She said, exposing her silver braces. "And a nephew!" She turned around and held one hand up to the side of her mouth, "Come on Dipper!"

A boy, who looked to be Mabel's age, slunk out of the control room and past Stan, who was looking like he had happy indigestion.

Ford yanked his goggles and mask off, and rubbed under his glasses with both hands. "You're right Grunkle Stan! He just has to be your twin!"

Ford blinked at the other three occupants of the room. The girl, who had turned back to face him, looked so joyful that Ford was back. But how could she know who he was? Unless...

Ford's anger towards Stan grew slightly, but lost its savour.

The boy was blinking at him, his mouth hanging open slightly. He was clutching something to his chest, but Ford couldn't make out what the rectangular object was.

Then there was Stan. Stanley looked so happy, yet sad, because of Ford's return. No... He looked nervous. Stanley almost never looked nervous.

"Stanley." Ford said quietly, keeping his eyes trained on the only other adult in the room. "Can you explain what is going on? Or why you didn't read my warnings? Or who these children... Why did you bring children?!"

Stan rolled his eyes and folded his arms, "Um, cause they're your family, duh."

Ford opened his mouth to say something, but old words echoed through his mind.

Some brother you turned out to be. You care more about your dumb mysteries then your family.

Ford looked at the girl. He decided he didn't mind being related to her, and hopefully the boy was the same way.

Speaking of the boy...

"You're the Author of the Journals!" The boy called out, rushing up to Ford and shoving a book towards him. "To be honest I was kind of freaked out by the gravity anomalies... But it's an honor to meet you... Sir."

Ford blinked at the boy, who was holding the first Journal out to him. He took the thick book from the boy, and held it in his hands, looking down into the six-fingered handprint on the cover. "You read my Journals?" He asked the boy, looking up at him.

"I didn't just read them," the boy said with a small bounce. "I've lived them!"

Ford nodded, then he placed the journal in one of his pockets. He kneeled down and held a hand out for the boy to shake. "I'm Stanford Pines." He said, as the boy took his hand and shook it, looking like he was going to faint.

"I'm Dipper. Dipper Pines."

Ford flashed him a smile, one he didn't feel, but he tried to make the boy feel welcome. Everything was happening so fast...

He released Dipper's hand, and straightened. Dipper swayed, like he was on a boat, and stared up at Ford, who crossed his arms.

"Stanley..." He said, and watched his brother step closer to him. "We have much to discuss..."

Stan rolled his eyes, "Yeah, like forty years of stuff." He said, "How was the... Other side?"

Ford clenched his hands into fists, a million memories flashing through his mind all at once. "Confusing." He stated simply. "One minute you're breathing air, the next, fingers."

Stan shook his head in shock and disgust. Ford couldn't help but crack a grin at his brother's utterly repulsed expression.

"Was it always that bad?" Stan asked, and breathed a sigh of relief when Ford shook his head.

"Actually, a lot of the dimensions were fun." He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "The dolphin ones had the best water parks."

Stan chuckled, "You went to a water park? Who are you, and what have you done to my brother?"

"I'm Ford, and I took me to a water park...?" Ford said, raising an eyebrow. "Now, for the real question. What were you thinking?!"

Stan sighed, "That I wanted to see my brother. I think that's obvious." Mabel walked over to Stan and nodded, "He worked reeeaally hard to see you Grunkle Ford." She said, flashing him a smile. "I would have done the same for Dipper."

Ford looked down at Dipper, and swallowed. True, Stan either hadn't read his warnings, or he had ignored them on purpose. But... Stan was Stan...

Reminds me of camping with my brother... I wonder what he's up to...

It reminds me of the tree forts me and my brother used to build... When we dreamed of being adventurers.

Perhaps the mistakes of the past can be undone.

Ford clenched his hands into fists, old memories flooding in on himself. Dreams that never became reality. Nightmares that tormented him almost as much as Bill. Mistakes both he and Stan had made... These children, who didn't even know him, but had accepted him into their family within moments of them meeting.

And Stan. The one, who after all this time had worked so hard just to get Ford back.

This was just too much.

"You turned my house into a tourist trap?!"

Stan and the kids had taken Ford upstairs, Mabel rambling about all the things they could do now that they had two Grunkles. Ford gaped at the gift shop, the floor of which was littered with nick-nacks and merchandise.

Ford accidentally stepped on a small figurine and bent down to pick up a tiny version of Stan.

"You... Don't want to know what that is." Stan said carefully, watching Ford inspect the figurine's wide open mouth.

"Why not?" Ford asked, flicking the white string attached to the back of the object.

"You just don't." Stan said. "I'm discontinuing that product..."

Unable to help himself, Ford yanked on the string, and a loud belch came from the tiny man in his hands. He dropped the plastic figure, and stomped on it with his foot, glaring down at the word 'Stanford' painted on it's stand.

"I hate you." He hissed, and Stan nodded. "I sort of deserve that..." He admitted, "What do you want to do with them?"

Ford turned his head to the left and looked at the children. Dipper had his lips pinched together nervously, and Mabel looked like she was going to burst into laughter at any moment.

"Burn them. Burn all of them." Ford said, glancing over to a pile of 'Burpin' Stanford Pines'. "I hate their existence."

Stan nodded, "You would... Hey kids, want to help us incinerate some embarrassing stuff for my brother?"

"Yes!" Mabel said, throwing her hands up in the air. "Yay! Incineration!" Dipper cried, earning him a smile from both his Grunkles.

This would be a fun summer.

Happy June! I can't believe it's June already, last I checked it was April...

There's some stuff from the Journal that I put in here, because Journal. I hope you liked it!

Thanks for the reviews! I love reading them about as much as you guys love reading this fic. (SonicCrazyGal, thanks for the idea. I've had a similar one, but nothing I think of is in character for Ford, he's just not the type I guess... I do have something similar in the works though...)

(TFD. Thanks! I am proud, thanks for giving me the all clear. Not that I'm lifting myself up in pride... You know, the right kind of pride... Ah, the line we walk as humans.)

Anyway, I hope you have a great day/week/month. Stay weird!

-BrilliantLight