"Grunkle Stan... I trust you."

Mabel threw her arms up, the anti-gravity that the portal made pulled her up, too far away from the button for her to press it. She heard Dipper yell at her, and the countdown voice called out, "Three... Two... One..."

She felt her body get warped. It felt like a million spiders were crawling all over her. Hot spiders that almost burned her, but didn't quite.

She was blinded by a bright light for a moment, then she opened them again, and blinked in almost complete darkness.

It looked like she was in space. Stars swirled around her, but their patterns looked almost nothing like the ones she had grown used to seeing in the night sky.

She realized that she was still floating, but her mind was too foggy to think that it was scary, or awesome.

She saw Dipper floating in front of her, along with some pieces of rock. Stan was next to him, and Soos on his other side. Dipper was blinking at everything, looking like he was going to freak out. Soos was freaking out, chewing on his fingernails and hyperventilating a little. And Stan was staring at something behind Mabel, his mouth wide open.

Mabel twisted her body around, like she was swimming, and spun around to come face-to-mask with a tall man. The new man was close to Mabel, so close that he could probably reach a hand out and touch her, but he wasn't looking at her.

He was staring at Stan.

He suddenly dashed past Mabel, and it took her a second to turn back to look at the other humans.

The man had a hand wrapped around Stan's neck. He was choking Stan.

"You idiot!" The man yelled, and Mabel shuddered, she tore her eyes away from the two men and looked at Dipper, who had done the same.

"Do you know what you have just done?!" The man added, just as Stan began to struggle in his grip. "You... You..."

Stan's eyes were tearing up, he had both hands wrapped around the wrist of the one that was squeezing the life out of him. He opened his mouth, but only a strangled cry came out.

Mabel could hear the blood pounding in her ears. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want Stan to die, but something was terribly, horribly wrong.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the black-clad man released Stan, who floated limply in front of him, gasping deeply. He stared up at the man, who ripped his mask off.

"Ford?" He choked out, "You're here... You're here..."

'Ford' hissed. "No." He spat, "You're here."

Stan blinked, "Wh- what?" He looked past Ford at Mabel, who shrunk back slightly. "What do you mean?"

Ford held a hand up to his temple, and then he dropped his arms to his sides. "Congratulations Stan." He said sarcastically, "You have just invented a new kind of Stupid."

Stan looked over at Dipper, who was just staring at the two of them. "I... I have?"

Ford laughed, a laugh that was slightly crazed, yet sad. "Yes Stanley, you have." He said, folding his arms. "You have literally just destroyed our universe."

"You what?!" Dipper yelled.

Stan's eyes widened so much they looked like they were going to surpass his glasses. His mouth dropped open and he rubbed his neck. "I... I what?" He whispered, staring at Ford.

"You have just destroyed a universe." Ford repeated. "You have vaporized every living thing in our home Dimension, stranding the..." He paused for a second and mentally counted all the other people floating around him. "Five, of us in the Multiverse."

Dipper's already angry feelings exploded in his chest. Stan had destroyed the universe! Stan had built a portal and vaporized everything that Dipper loved! Stan had the audacity to live while everyone else didn't.

Dipper couldn't help himself, he flung his thin body towards Stan and began to beat the old man up. He landed blow after blow, not really registering that Stan wasn't even trying to stop him.

Finally, Dipper stopped. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he squeezed them shut so he didn't have to look at the man in front of him, who, other than looking slightly disheveled, remained nearly the same.

Stan's face was utterly crestfallen, he stared at Ford, who stared coldly back.

"M- Mom and Dad..?" Mabel choked out, "Candy? Grenda? Wa- Waddles?" Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she began to shake violently. "Mom and Dad... Waddles..."

Soos but his lip. "Abulita? Melody?" He said quietly, "Reggie? Wendy?"

Dipper and Stan didn't say anything. Stan stared off at the quiet rush of stars surrounding them. There was no sign of their world, no remnant besides a few rocks and...

The first Journal.

Stan's throat burned on the inside and outside. He could still feel his twin's six-fingered hand wrapped around it. Still feel the fear that Ford implanted in him.

Then what he had done snapped in place. Stanley Pines had just murdered everybody. He was like that one general guy from Star Wars... What had he just done?

"Ford..." He said quietly. "Ford... I... I didn't know..." He bit his lip and bowed his head, "I wasn't trying to... It's all my fault."

Ford opened his mouth to say something, but Mabel cut him off. "No." She said, sniffing and rubbing under her nose with her pink sweater sleeve, "It's my fault too... If I had just pressed the button..."

Ford spun around, and Mabel got to see his face, even if her tears blurred everything she was seeing. Ford looked almost exactly like Stan. There were a few dissimilarities, but there was no doubt in Mabel's mind that they were related...

Everything I've worked for, it's all for this family!

Ford floated up to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Do not blame yourself. It is more my fault the portal..." He winced slightly, and Mabel stared dully at him. "You are a child," Ford opted for instead, "And you did what a child would do. I should have known better..."

Mabel nodded, then she hugged herself tightly, tiny tears starting to make their way down her face. Ford looked uncomfortable, and he patted her shoulder gently.

But he didn't have to worry about his limited knowledge of physical comfort. Dipper swam/floated up to Mabel, and wrapped his arms around her from the side. Ford gazed down at them solemnly, but didn't say anything.

He spun around, and glared angrily at Stan, who was just floating stilly. If it hadn't been for his blinking Ford might have thought that he'd died of shock.

"I suppose you can join us," Ford said, grinding his teeth together. "At least until you can go off on your own."

Stan looked at Ford with a confused expression on his face, "Join you?" He asked quietly, and he flinched when Ford sighed deeply.

"Yes Stanley, join us. I've been traveling the multiverse on my own for thirty years, I believe I can teach the four of you to do the same." Ford held a hand out to his brother, who shakily let him pull him towards the kids. "And I also believe you have a number of people to apologise to."

Stan let go of Ford's hand, and held it up to his face. Mabel had her face buried in Dipper's jacket. Dipper himself was glaring at Stan.

Stan bit his lip, fighting his own desire to cry as well. "Kids..." He mumbled, and Mabel sniffed and looked up at him. "I... I'm so... So so sorry..."

Mabel nodded, and squeezed Dipper's arm tightly. Dipper still glared at him, but there was more sadness in the eyes then before.

Stan turned around to face Soos, who wasn't crying, but looked like he might at any moment. "Soos... I'm sorry..." Soos nodded, but didn't meet Stan's eyes.

"And Ford..." He choked out, but his doppelganger shook his head. "I know Stanley." Ford said, folding his arms, "Now... There is a rift about twenty clicks that way." He pointed just above Dipper and Mabel's heads, "Just try to keep up."

Ford floated over to the kids, almost as naturally as walking. He held a hand out to Mabel, who shrugged out of Dipper's embrace. She grabbed his hand and exclaimed quietly, "Whoa... A six-fingered handhold. That's a full finger sweeter than normal."

Ford smiled down at her. He looked up just past them, and reached forward to grab the journal that was floating above Dipper's head. He tucked it into one of his pockets and held his free hand out to Dipper, who shook his head. "I'm good, thanks."

Ford grinned slightly at Dipper, "Hello Good, I'm Stanford Pines."

Mabel giggled slightly, and Ford started pulling them in the direction he'd indicated. Dipper huffed slightly, and followed the two of them, not even glancing back at Soos and Stan. "Actually, my name is Dipper... Did you just say Stanford?"

Ford nodded, glancing to his right as Dipper swam up next to him. "Yes I did. It's my name."

"But... Grunkle Stan is Stanford..." Mabel said quietly. Ford froze for a second, but didn't speak to his twin.

"Actually, my twin is Stan-ley Pines." Ford explained, "He must have stolen my name."

"Oh." Was all that Mabel could say. She looked up at Ford's face, which was gazing intently in the direction he was dragging her in. "So... You just took a Journal..."

Ford nodded, "I should hope so, it's mine to begin with."

Dipper froze. "You... Your's? You wrote the Journals? You're the Author of the Journals?!"

Ford glanced behind him, Stan was slinking along with them, and Soos was swimming like a fish, but not a very fast one. "Yes I am... Did you read them?"

Dipper nodded, bouncing slightly past the bright stars. "I didn't just read them, I've lived them! I have sooo many questions..."

Ford nodded, "And I hopefully have many answers. And we have time..."

Dipper looked like he was going to faint, but he kept up with Ford. "So... Why did you write them?"

Ford sighed, "Well, when I graduated from college, I was given an enormous grant for my own scientific research..." He began to explain his twenties and thirties, Dipper's eyes followed his every movement. Mabel was nodding, but she seemed a bit confused.

"But what about Grunkle Stan?" She asked, right before they came up to a huge bright circular tear in the blackness of space. Ford dropped her hand, and reached up to take his goggles all the way off of his head. "Let's go through here first." He said, and handed the mask to her. "This will help keep you safe... Don't ask how I know that." He slipped his black trenchcoat off of his shoulders and handed it to Dipper. "Same for you. The Rodent-man will be fine."

"Rodent man?" Mabel asked, slipping the goggles on, "You mean Soos?"

Ford blinked slightly, then shrugged, "If that is his name..." He said. "Now... Let's go."

And thus the Pines family became interdimensional wanderers. Never staying in one place for long. Rumors and legends have been told about them. Stories of the man with six fingers are still used to keep alien children in bed at night, while the brave tales of the Shooting Star are used to inspire others to greatness.

No one really understood why they kept the rodent-guy though...

And I'm back.

This was inspired by TFD's prompt. I kept the people in the portal room alive, while everyone else...

Let's just say that Ford gives them therapy. While they give... him therapy..? I guess that'd work.

Thank goodness this didn't actually happen. It would be so sad for almost everyone we know to just die. And I don't think Alex Hirsch would do that (that's why he didn't).

Anyway. I'm so grateful for all of your appreciation for this fic! I hope you guys stay safe and happy.

-BrilliantLight