Chapter Thirty-Six
Before The Fall
The dim, green light of multiple computer monitors cast a sickly glow over the old man, as his heavy-lidded, rheumy eyes flicked from screen to screen, reflecting the files of the companions of the current Star Child back at themselves. Faust hunched back over his tablet, swiping through page after page of ideas to distract the group of teens and keep them occupied, so that they'd be less likely to interfere with his plans for Dipper. None of the ideas seemed just right for the situation, however.
Faust tossed the tablet onto his desk and leaned back into his chair with a grunt. It might well be time to try a direct approach with this Star Child. Yes, that would do nicely.
A slow smile crept over Faust's wrinkled features as he stood and turned the bank of monitors off. He grabbed his heavy, woolen cloak from its peg by the door, and threw it around his shoulders, before opening the door and heading out into the night, in the direction of the forest.
/
Despite the chill in the November air, Jessica drove the last hour of the trip back from Seattle with her window open. Conversation had helped keep her awake prior to that, but one by one, the teens accompanying her had nodded off. The wind on her face helped keep her alert until finally, around two-thirty in the morning, she pulled to a stop in front of the Corduroy cabin. She sighed in disappointment when she realized that Oliver's motorcycle wasn't parked out front. Wherever he'd gone, he hadn't come home yet.
"Kids," she said softly. "Wake up. We're home."
After some grunts, yawns, and a sleepy protest from Mabel to just let her sleep in the car all night, the teens finally stumbled out of the car and into the cabin.
"Lexie, Gideon," Jessica called more loudly than she really needed to as she walked into the living room. "We're home." When they didn't respond after a few moments, she raised an eyebrow at Dipper, who took her cue and went to the closed door of Oliver's old room and pressed an ear against it. Hearing nothing, he knocked gently, waited a few seconds, then pushed it open.
Gideon and Lexie lay in bed, limbs tangled together, apparently both deeply asleep. They looked quite tousled, but they were at least clothed; Lexie in leopard print pajamas, and Gideon in a plain t-shirt and a pair of snug, pink sweatpants that said Juicy on the bum.
Dipper stifled a chuckle and quietly pulled the door shut. When he turned back to the others, Jessica was staring at him intently, her mom face on.
"Well?" she said, gesturing to the door. "Are they… are they decent?"
Dipper nodded. "Fully clothed and fully asleep."
Jessica blew out a sigh of relief. "I'll have to have a talk with them in the morning," she said, mostly to herself. Then a thought hit her, and she smacked a palm against her forehead. "Dipper, Mabel, I should have dropped you off at home before coming back here. I'm sorry. I'll take you home now. Wendy, Pacifica, you two head to bed. I'll be back in just a bit."
The Corduroy girls both gave their significant others sleepy goodbye kisses, and wandered in the direction of their bedrooms while Dipper, Mabel, and Jessica headed out the door. When they reached the car, Dipper didn't open the passenger door.
"Actually, if you don't mind, I'd prefer to walk. I need to clear my head."
Mabel shook her head slowly, and patted Dipper on the shoulder. "You're going to see if you can find Oliver, aren't you?"
Dipper gave her the side-eye. "I'd thought about it."
Jessica frowned at him over the roof of the sedan, her hand already poised on the door handle. "I don't think that's a good idea, Dipper. You, of all people, know how dangerous these woods can be at night."
Dipper shot her a wry smile. "Exactly. And I, of all people, am especially equipped with magical powers to defend myself, and this whole town." Jessica's frown deepened, so Dipper continued. "Look, I'll be careful, okay? I just have a couple places I want to check. My phone still has..." he looked down at it, "twenty-five percent charge. I'll call one of you if something should come up that I can't handle alone. But it won't."
Jessica sighed. "I'm too tired to argue with you, Dipper. You do have a good head on your shoulders...usually. Just don't do anything stupid, and try and get home at a reasonable hour."
Dipper smiled and nodded at his girlfriend's mother. "Yes ma'am." He turned to Mabel and reached out to squeeze her shoulder. "I'll try not to be out too long, but don't feel like you have to wait up for me, okay?"
Mabel nodded and yawned. "Okay," she mumbled, flapping a hand at him.
As Jessica's car rumbled off into the night, Dipper shoved his hands in his pockets, and headed into the darkness of the forest.
/
Aurora had been sitting in the living room for hours, fiddling with her puzzle box. Her thoughts were constantly flitting between Ciril (and what to do about his already-obvious affection for her), and her intense attraction to and love for Dipper—and now Wendy, as well.
While Aurora wasn't really interested in Ciril as more than a friend, she didn't want to hurt his feelings. If she was being completely honest with herself, she loved the attention he was paying her—and only her. Even though her soul had bonded with Dipper's upon hatching, she had always played second fiddle to Wendy in her Star Child's mind. It was nice to actually feel like someone's priority, for once.
So should she attempt to push her feelings for Dipper and Wendy aside, and pursue a relationship with Ciril, even though she wasn't all that attracted to him? Maybe...maybe if she did, her feelings for him might grow over time?
Aurora sighed. That seemed like a shitty thing to do. She knew all too well how it felt to be in love with someone and have her hopes strung along, and her feelings toyed with. But she wouldn't be toying with Ciril, necessarily, right? If she tried to date him and ended up truly not having feelings for him, she'd break things off...if she could figure out a way to do that without hurting him.
"Ugh," Aurora muttered, tossing the puzzle box aside, closing her eyes, and leaning her head back against the top of her chair. "Human relationships are entirely too complicated."
"Which relationship we you talking about?"
Aurora started, her eyes flying open. "Mabel, you scared me! I didn't hear you come in."
Mabel grinned sleepily, and made her way over to the sofa, where she flopped down unceremoniously. "You're avoiding the question, 'Rora. Who's got you all confuzzled and talking to yourself at," she glanced at the time on her cell phone, "three in the morning?! Holy cow, no wonder I'm zonked!"
Aurora's eyes widened. She hadn't been paying attention to the time. "When you texted earlier saying you and some of the gang were headed to Seattle with Jessica, I assumed you'd be gone at least over night. Where's Dipper?"
"Looking for Oliver was a bust, so Jessica decided we should just head back. And Dipper said he felt like walking home." She blew a raspberry and flapped a hand in the general direction of outside. "What are you doing up so late—er, early? And you still haven't told me who you were talking to yourself about."
Aurora felt heat creep into her cheeks, and again avoided answering the main question. "Dragons require less sleep than humans, and since I'm a dragon who merely takes the shape of a human, I don't sleep as much as you all do. Going to my bedroom at night is mostly performative. Usually I'm up most of the night reading. When—" her voice caught at the memory and she swallowed. "When I used to sleep in Dipper's bed with him, I watched over him while he slept, so I could soothe him when he had his nightmares."
Aurora looked down at her hands, her eyes burning. She tried to avoid thinking about those days—when she could still hold Dipper in her arms, and he would kiss her and call her his 'silly dragon.' Thinking about what used to be—what could have been—was too painful. While she was content that Dipper was happy being with Wendy, and Wendy happy being with Dipper, it still hurt to no longer feel loved the way she used to.
"Is Dipper who you were talking about, then?" Mabel asked softly.
Aurora shook her head, and looked up to meet Mabel's concerned gaze. "No. Well, not really. I still love him and always will, but I know I can't make him love me the way he loves Wendy, and I accept that." She paused, her cheeks burning. "I was actually talking about Ciril."
That revelation caused Mabel to sit bolt upright, all traces of sleepiness gone from her features. "Ciril?" she gasped. "Do you you like him?"
Aurora shrugged. "I like him as a friend. And he's handsome, and kind, and...oddly chivalrous? The thing is, I think he may be developing feelings for me, and I'm not sure how I feel about that. You know, due to the whole 'me loving Dipper and W—and always will,' thing." She was unable to meet Mabel's eyes, mortified that she'd almost revealed that she was in love with Wendy now, as well. If that tidbit of information got out into the world, it would just complicate all their lives even more.
Luckily, Mabel seemed unaware of Aurora's gaffe. "Not sure how you feel about it… does that mean you're open to the idea of dating him?"
Aurora shrugged once again. "My issue is that I know I could never feel about anyone else the way I feel about Dipper and," she made a conscious effort to not also mention Wendy, "I worry it would be disingenuous of me to enter into a relationship with Ciril based on his affection for me alone. Plus, we just met."
Mabel nodded. "I get that. Maybe if you spend more time around him and get to know him better, you'll develop actual feelings for him?"
"Maybe," Aurora said, although she worried it was unlikely.
"Well, we'll just have to really welcome him into the fold, and make sure he feels like one of the group, then," Mabel said. "Although since he's a normie, we'll definitely need to curb the magic talk, at least until we know he can be trusted, and won't think we're all delusional. After all, Wendy and Paz are both normies, and they accept all the weirdness around us and Gravity Falls with no problem. I'm sure Ciril will, too."
"Right," Aurora murmured with a nod. "I'll get to know him better as a friend, and see where things go from there, I guess." She stood up and stretched, her muscles tight from prolonged disuse. "You should get to bed, Mabel. I'm going to go to my room and may even try to actually sleep tonight. All this thinking about relationships has been emotionally exhausting."
Mabel stood up off the sofa and let out a jaw-cracking yawn. "Yeah, operation 'get Aurora a boyfriend' will have to wait until I've had my forty-plus winks."
The girls shuffled up the stairs, and into their respective bedrooms.
/
Mabel fell into bed, and just as she began to doze off, the familiar, tense feeling of a vision incoming gripped her. She let go of the world around her, and embraced the sights, smells, tastes, and feelings that came with this vision, which, this time, were all rather pleasant. This vision was from her own point of view, and, she—Mabel—was making out with someone.
She felt soft, warm lips caressing her own, fingers tangling themselves in her hair. She let out a breathy sigh as her partner nibbled gently on her lower lip, before moving to place delicate kisses all along her jawbone, then down her neck, stopping at her pounding pulse-point. The lips pressed harder against her neck and her partner began sucking on the sensitive flesh and teasing it with their tongue.
"Mmm," Mabel murmured, "That feels so good, Ciril."
He pulled back from her and grinned, his face flushed pink, and his voice low as he said, "This, my love, is only the beginning."
Mabel's eyes flew open and she sat up in bed, throwing her covers off. Her heart was pounding, and she could still feel the lingering warmth of Ciril's mouth on her neck.
"What the actual fuck?!"
/
Oliver exited the Cavern of the Stars mumbling to himself like a madman.
"'Fear Faust.' Ophichus. The Devil. He's a goddam star child. The Devil. Scorpius was dangerous. Had venom. Orion," he absently rubbed the back of his head where his birthmark was located. "Orion was a hunter—yeah, the vamps. Makes sense. Ursa major—the bear. Bears are protective, and natural-born killing machines. So the Devil… shit this is notgood."
He stormed past his bike, not wanting to disturb the stillness of the nighttime forest with the rumble of a motorcycle engine. He'd come back for it later. Right now he needed to just walk and think.
"Did Jess know he was a star child? If she knew, why wouldn't she have said something? Does he still have power over her? Oh gods, what if—no. No, Jess can't have known. Because if she knew she would have told me. If she knew, but lied by omission, that would mean that Scorpius still held sway in her heart, and she still has powers. And she doesn't. She can't. Not power over the rift, anyway."
Oliver continued to mutter to himself as he walked aimlessly through the dark woods, making plans for how to take Faust out, then discarding them just as quickly, because they all involved putting his loved ones in danger. When he finally thought to stop and look around to get his bearings, he realized he was at the Wisp's pond. What was more, he heard a soft voice talking, and followed it to find someone small kneeling at the water's edge.
Oliver approached the person slowly from behind, straining to hear their whispered words. Finally he decided to take the direct approach. "Hey you."
The person let out a yelp and leaped to their feet, whirling around to face Oliver. The scant moonlight wasn't helpful for discerning their features, but he was able to make out enough to tell that the person was a young male in his early teens, with dark hair.
"What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time. Oliver found this odd, as he had never met this kid in his life, yet as soon as the boy saw his face, his posture had visibly relaxed. Maybe without all his tattoos and scars he looked like more of a big softy than he used to?
"As the adult in this situation, I think you should answer me first," he said.
The boy crossed his arms over his chest somewhat defiantly. "I live here. My family moved here not long ago from out of town, and—"
Oliver interrupted. "You live at the pond?"
"Are you always this dense?" the boy retorted.
Oliver frowned. The cheek of this kid. "Are you? I wasn't asking why you were here in Gravity Falls, genius. I meant more along the lines of what the hell is a kid doing out in the middle of the woods, talking to the pond, at," he fished in his pocket for his phone before realizing he'd left it back at the cabin. "At God knows what hour."
"I wasn't talking to the pond," the boy said quickly, ignoring the rest of the question. "And I'm not a kid, I'm thirteen. Why are you out in the woods stalking young teen boys at 'God knows what hour?'"
Oliver sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I didn't—I don't—look, kid… what's your name?"
The boy studied him silently for a moment, before finally answering. "Rey."
"Right. Where are your parents, Rey?"
Rey cocked his head to the side. "Who wants to know? They always said I shouldn't talk to strangers."
Oliver inhaled deeply and blew the breath out slowly. This kid. "My name is Oliver Corduroy. I'm a local, who is very aware of how dangerous these woods can be for someone by themselves. Especially a kid—sorry—a young teen. Especially in the middle of the night. Do your parents know where you are?"
Rey shrugged. "Not specifically, no. See, when I sneak out at night, I don't generally wake them up first to let them know."
"Don't you feel bad about how worried they'll be when they realize you're gone?" Oliver asked, attempting to elicit an emotional response from the snarky teen. "You really should get home so they don't call the police and send out a search party. I'll walk you home."
Rey chuckled. "Don't worry, I'll make it home before anyone realizes I've left. I'm good at being sneaky. And I don't need you to walk me there. I got here by myself just fine, after all."
Oliver shook his head. "Not negotiable, kid. I told you—these woods are dangerous. The last thing I want is to leave you out here alone and then turn on the news tomorrow and find out you were mauled to death by wolves."
"No offense Mr...uh, Corduroy, did you say it was?" Rey said, his tone casual. "But the most dangerous creature I've come across out here is this one creepy old dude I've never met before, who snuck up on me and asked me a bunch of personal questions, then insisted on walking me to a secondary location."
"Old?!" Oliver said, a bit more loudly than he meant to. "I mean, rude calling me creepy, and insinuating I'm a kidnapping pedophile or something, which is entirely untrue, by the way. But really? Old?"
Rey held a hand to his mouth, trying (and failing) to suppress a laugh. Then his head jerked up and his eyes widened, as he stared at something over Oliver's shoulder.
"What is that?!" he cried, pointing.
Oliver spun around, fists up, ready to take on whatever creature had managed to get the slip on him and take him unawares. Except there was nothing there. He scanned the treeline around the pond, and saw nothing out of the ordinary.
"I don't see anything," he said as he turned back around. "What did you s—" Oliver cut himself off, and blinked in confusion.
Rey was gone.
/
Dipper checked the tree house for Oliver, which was the main place he thought his old mentor might have run off to. He climbed down the tree, disappointed at finding nothing there but cobwebs and dust. Unsure of where else to look, Dipper decided to use the time on his way back home to try and spark his powers on his own.
He was happy that he had once again been able to connect with the rift and tap its power, but he didn't like that Wendy had to be there (and touching him), in order for it to work. She couldn't control the rift herself, and was, apparently, merely acting as a conduit for it. She still had no powers, but now, in order to fight against evil, Dipper had to keep her at his side, exposing her directly to danger.
Dipper gritted his teeth, trying desperately to remember what it felt like to conjure the rift on his own. It used to be second nature to him. Why was it so difficult now? What had happened to cause this?
He was so focused on trying to tap the rift, that his phone's text notification beeping shrilly into the night nearly gave him a heart attack. It was the generic notification, not any of the special ones he'd assigned to his friends and family. He held the phone up to his face and peered at the unfamiliar number, before reading the text.
Answers about your powers. Stone table. Five minutes.
That was all it said.
"Who the hell…?" murmured Dipper, as he began typing out a text of his own.
Who is this?
The reply came almost immediately.
Four minutes and thirty seconds.
"Shit," muttered Dipper, as he took off at a run in the direction of the stone table. He knew he was being stupid, and that someone was probably luring him into a trap. But if it wasn't a trap… Dipper wanted nothing more than to be able to conjure the power of the rift at will—the power to protect his loved ones.
Just before he reached the clearing where the stone table stood, Dipper crouched and picked up a fallen tree branch from the forest floor. He wished he had a better weapon at his disposal, but he was improvising. He continued at a run, breaking through the trees in a sprint, ready to attack whoever was lying in wait for him—if this was a trap.
He slowed when he saw the silhouette of a lone man. The sound of one person slow-clapping echoed throughout the clearing.
"Impressive, Mr. Pines. Most impressive."
Dipper trotted to a stop about a meter away from the figure and squinted, confused. He knew that voice.
"Mr. Faust?"
The elderly guidance counselor stepped out of the shadows, and bowed with theatrical flourish. "None other."
Dipper frowned, and had to slow his breathing before he could ask "Wh- what are you doing here?"
The old man raised a single eyebrow. "I should think that would be obvious to you. I sent you a text to meet me here. So I could help you. With your powers."
Dipper dropped the stick he'd been wielding, letting his arms fall limply to his sides. "But how do you—how did you—"
Faust chuckled. "I've been watching you struggle for some time now with your...abilities. I thought I might offer you my services. I could take you on as my pupil, if you'd like. I feel I may be of particular help to you in this matter."
Again, Dipper tried to give voice to his confusion. "No one is supposed to—how did you find out? And you...you think you can help? How could a guidance counselor help? I don't understand..."
Faust shot Dipper a grandfatherly smile, and hoisted himself up so he was sitting on the edge of the stone table. He motioned Dipper to do the same.
"You might as well get comfortable if you're going to listen to what is essentially my life story."
Dipper blew out a breath and climbed up on the stone table, sitting cross-legged and facing Faust. "Okay. Tell."
"I was born in Gravity Falls. Grew up here. Back when I was just a lad, things around here weren't as 'hush hush' as they are now—in regards to the weirdness that pervades this town, that is. The knowledge of the Star Children was an urban legend of sorts, or something like an old wives tale, maybe? Everyone had heard a different version of the story.
"Naturally, as a young intellectual, my interest in the subject was piqued, and I made it my special project to compare all the different versions of the tale I'd been told, and parse out the truth. As a self-proclaimed 'scholar of the weird,' I became somewhat of an expert on the matter. Expert enough, in fact, to take on Star Children as private pupils over the years. Unfortunately, I was not able to keep all my former pupils on the correct path."
Dipper leaned forward, his hands on his knees. "Does that mean—did you teach Jessica Corduroy?"
Faust chuckled. "Right to the heart of the matter, then. Yes, I am afraid so," he said, regret heavy in his voice. "Although this was back before her last name was Corduroy, of course. I didn't realize, until too late, what she had become. Much like the scorpion, there is a duality to Jessica—she can be both a healer, and a venomous force of destruction. Once I realized that, I knew there was nothing more I could teach her, so I faked my death and fled. I've finally returned home after all these years, only to find that Jessica blames me for her fall—for her descent into evil."
Dipper narrowed his eyes at the old man. "And is there any truth to that?"
"My boy, I do not take any pride in what terror she wrought," said Faust, shaking his head sadly. "I am simply a teacher—a scientist. The education I gave her… well, let's just say that I intended for the magical theory and principles I taught her to be used in a certain way, but she took my lessons in another direction entirely. Magic, you see, Dipper, is neither good nor evil. It is how it is used that matters."
Dipper stared down at his hands, letting Faust's words sink in. What he was saying made sense. In fact, it seemed familiar, like something Oliver, back when he was still Pike, had said at one point while mentoring he and Gideon.
Faust took the teen's silence as permission to continue speaking. "I believe I can help you, Dipper. From what I have been able to surmise, you've somehow lost the ability to manifest your particular brand of rift-magic. With my direction and expertise in the matter, I believe that you will regain the use of your powers, and be able to continue using them in the manner in which you were once accustomed."
Dipper's heart leapt, and he took a deep breath. "You really think so?"
Faust smiled and nodded. "Yes, my boy, I really do. But now we come to the...perhaps, uncomfortable, part of this conversation," he said, the smile slipping from his face. "As I told you, Jessica blames me for her downfall. She thinks it was I who turned her toward the darkness. I am sure her...companion? Oliver Corduroy, has been persuaded to think the same. He certainly seems the type to threaten bodily harm if he feels someone is endangering those he cares about—"
"You're right about that," Dipper interrupted, with a dark chuckle.
Faust shot him a small smile, and continued. "With that confirmed, then, I will agree to teach you—to help you regain your powers over the rift—if you will promise to keep my involvement in your training an absolute secret. To everyone else in your life, our acquaintanceship will simply seem to be one of student and guidance counselor, and nothing more. Is that understood?"
Dipper chewed on his bottom lip for a moment. He didn't like not being able to tell anyone he was training with Faust, but if it was the only way the old man would agree to help him regain his powers, it would be worth it. To once more be the full-fledged Star Child would be worth it.
Dipper nodded and thrust his hand forward, which a grinning Faust eagerly clasped. Unnoticed by the boy, but not by the old man, there was a tiny flash of silver light where their hands met, as they shook on their arrangement.
Faust's smile widened. "You won't regret this, Mr. Pines."
/
Jessica sat in a booth at Greasy's Diner, her hands anxiously twisting in her lap as she waited for Oliver to arrive. She'd woken up to a text from him (which meant he had to have come home and gotten his phone at some point in the night) asking to meet at Greasy's at 9:30. His text had been straight to the point, and Jessica'd had to quash the urge to ask him where he was, what was wrong, was he okay—and just send him a thumbs up emoji. Everything they needed to talk about would have been too much to say over text, anyway.
The tinkling of the bells tied to the diner door drew her from her thoughts, and she glanced up to see Oliver come in, looking tired and disheveled, but no longer angry at her. He slid in across from her in the booth and slumped down, his head in his hands.
"Hey Jess," he said, his voice gravelly.
"Rough night?" Jessica asked casually.
Before Oliver could answer, he was interrupted by the arrival of Lazy Susan, who deposited steaming mugs in front of them both.
"Here's your latte, Jessica. And for you, mister, black coffee with a shot of espresso. I know you haven't ordered yet, but you look like you need it."
Oliver smiled up at Susan gratefully. "You're a peach, Suz."
"Aw, and you're just a big ol' flirt, aren't you Oliver?" She turned her head to Jessica and grinned, pointing to him. "You better watch out with this one, hun. He's a heartbreaker."
Mid-sip, Jessica choked on her latte. Susan threw her head back and cackled as she thumped her customer on the back.
"Can I get you kids anything else?" she asked, after Jessica demonstrated the ability to breathe once again.
"No, thank you," Jessica wheezed.
Oliver shook his head. "I'm good, thanks."
Susan was still chuckling to herself as she bustled off to the kitchen.
Oliver turned his attention back to Jessica, his eyes serious as he reached out and took both of her hands in his. She felt her cheeks redden to a shade beyond the color her coughing fit had produced.
"Before anything else, I want to say I'm sorry, Jess. I shouldn't have run off like that yesterday. Especially in front of the kids. I just—I need to get used to no longer having powers. Before everything happened with Lexie and Gideon the other week, I thought I'd already made my peace with the situation. Apparently, I haven't. I just feel so helpless, Jess." His grip on her fingers tightened, his jaw muscles tense. "I've been a protector my whole life. That's just who I am. The powers I gained over the years made me a much more effective protector, but even without them, I still have that innate drive to fight to protect those I love. But now most of my loved ones have abilities beyond my own, and...and I don't know what to do with myself anymore."
He lowered his head, and started to pull his hands from Jessica's. "I have to face that I'm just not useful to you or the kids any longer. I can't be. But it's killing me."
Jessica tightened her grip on Oliver's hands, not allowing him to pull them back. "Ollie, look at me," she said, her throat tight around the words. She waited until his eyes met hers before continuing. "You will never not be useful to us. To Wendy or Pacifica. To me. I lo—"
"What a pleasant surprise to find you both here this fine morning," a familiar voice said jauntily, cutting Jessica off. "May I join you?"
Jessica and Oliver both drew their hands back and glared at the old man, but before they had a chance to reply, Faust pulled a chair up to the end of their booth and sat down.
"Splendid," he said, smiling benignly. "I can see I have ruffled your feathers, so allow me to smooth them: I come to you today in the hopes that we may arrange a truce, of sorts."
Oliver crossed his arms over his chest and made a noise in his throat, like a low growl. Jessica's reply was only slightly more verbal.
"Talk, then," she snapped.
"I regret that my experiment concerning a shared virtual reality got out of hand," he began.
"Bullshit," Jessica spat. "You knew exactly what you were doing. 'Out of hand,' my ass."
Faust sighed, and shook his head slowly. "I was afraid of this." He turned and spoke directly to Oliver. "I imagine Jessica has told you about all the horrible things that I taught her—things that led her down a path of darkness?"
Oliver simply nodded at the old man, hatred etched on his face.
Faust inclined his head at Jessica, while still addressing Oliver. "I taught Jessica many things, some of them, yes, perhaps morally or ethically questionable. Please understand, however, that everything she did, she did of her own free will. I never forced her to do anything. Besides, haven't we all done morally questionable things at one time or another, for the greater good? Alas, I wish my tutelage of Jessica could have ended more amicably, but—"
"You're rambling, old man," Jessica said, her tone icy. "You said something about a truce?"
Faust nodded, a thin-lipped smile on his face. "Indeed. I will cease all active experiments, and steer clear of you and your children."
"If?" Oliver prompted.
"If there is no mention of my past deeds to anyone. This, of course, includes your precious charges."
"And if we refuse?" Jessica asked, her voice low.
Faust's smile turned vicious. "If you decide that my terms are unfair and start making a fuss about me, I will be forced to reveal all of your unsavory history to persons of authority. Both of your histories." He shot a glance at Oliver. "You've led quite a colorful life, have you not? The things you've done—both of you—well, evidence of them delivered to the authorities surely won't be good for any of your charges...particularly, the newest members of your family."
Oliver leaped up from his seat and seized Faust by the shirt collar. "If you even think about—"
Faust simply grinned up at him and wagged a finger. "Ah, ah, ah! We must remain civil for this truce to come to fruition."
Red-faced, Oliver let go of the old man's shirt, and dropped wordlessly back into his seat.
"So, do we have an agreement?" Faust asked casually, leaning forward with his hands clasped together, as if nothing had just happened.
"And what's to stop you from launching some new, nefarious plot on the town, again?" Oliver asked, his eyes narrowed.
"My word," Faust said, all pretense of friendliness gone from his face and voice. "I never go back on an agreement, once it has been made."
Oliver looked to Jessica. "You know him best. Can we trust him?"
Jessica smiled wryly. "His word was always good back when I was his pupil. It's probably the only thing we can trust about him."
"Fine, old man," Oliver said curtly. "You have a deal."
"Splendid!" Faust said, rising from his chair, and giving them a mock bow. "Here's to never having to discuss anything about our respective pasts again." He turned and left the diner, the bells on the door jingling merrily behind him.
Jessica glanced at Oliver. His brow was furrowed, and he was chewing on his lower lip.
"It feels like we just made a deal with the devil," she said, only half joking.
Oliver met her eyes, and blew out a deep breath. "I think we actually did."
/
Wendy took her usual shortcut through the woods to the Pines' house on Saturday morning. She walked slowly, enjoying the chill in the air and the wispy remnants of fog dotting shadier areas of the forest. She wasn't in any hurry. She didn't remember the group making any plans for today, so she expected that she and Dipper (okay, and hopefully Aurora as well) would just have a chill day hanging out at his house—maybe watching a B movie or two. She halfway hoped Dipper was still asleep, so she could climb in bed with him, and surprise him with a sexy wake-up call.
It wasn't too far-fetched to believe Dipper might still be asleep, after their impromptu trip to Seattle and subsequent very late night, last night. In fact, when she'd left her house at ten in the morning, Pacifica was still sound asleep. Gideon, and Lexie apparently were too, even though they hadn't gone to Seattle. However, based on the speakerphone debacle last night, Wendy assumed the couple had a pretty good reason to be extra tired this morning. Jessica was already up and gone. She had left a note on Wendy's door that Oliver was apparently okay, and she was meeting him for breakfast. That, at least, was a load off Wendy's mind. Given everything that had happened recently, she was actually in quite a good mood.
As she broke through the tree line and walked through the Pines' yard toward the front porch, Wendy's mood took a nosedive, however, when she saw someone she hadn't anticipated seeing today approaching the Pines' house from the opposite direction. Ciril Whelp spotted her at the exact same time she noticed him, shot her a wide smile, and waved.
Wendy felt the corners of her mouth instinctively turn down into a scowl. Ciril had only met them all yesterday, and now he was taking it upon himself to come to the Pines' house—to Aurora's house? She'd seen the way he looked at Aurora when he sat with them at lunch, and remembering it now, she felt a dull, red anger beginning to build up in her chest. She clenched her fists at her sides as they approached each other from opposite sides of the porch, to meet in front of the door.
Ciril's smile slowly faded when he realized it wasn't being reciprocated. "Hi?" he said, like it was a question. "It...it was Wendy, right? I'm not the best with names."
Wendy nodded curtly, and raised her fist to knock on the door, but Ciril interrupted her.
"You really don't like me, do you?"
Wendy almost felt a pang of guilt at the hurt in his voice. Almost. She pivoted on the balls of her feet to face him, her arms crossed over her chest.
"I don't know you," she snapped. "We only met yesterday. I don't have any reason to like you."
Ciril took a step backward, his cheeks turning bright red. "Well aren't you straightforward," he murmured. Then he tilted his head to the side slightly, like a confused puppy. "It's not just that, though, is it? You seem downright hostile toward me. Do you have some reason I'm unaware of to dislike me?"
Wendy rolled her eyes, and opened her mouth to respond, but stopped short. She honestly didn't know why she hated—actually hated Ciril. Even back when Aurora had been her rival for Dipper's attention, she had never actually hated the other girl. So why was she suddenly the jealous type—especially over Aurora, who wasn't even really hers. Finally, she met Ciril's eyes, and shrugged.
Ciril's brow furrowed. "Look, I don't want you as an enemy, Wendy. I really like—" He cut himself off as the door swung open.
Mabel stood framed in the doorway. "Hey!" she said, grinning at Wendy, until she noticed Ciril was there as well. When she looked at him and he met her gaze, her face turned a brilliant shade of magenta. Wendy raised an eyebrow at Mabel's strange reaction to the new kid, but didn't have a chance to give it much thought, because she and Ciril were both quickly pulled through the door, and into a triple hug. Wendy shifted in Mabel's embrace, trying, unsuccessfully, to avoid touching Ciril.
Finally, Mabel let them go, and Wendy stepped to her left, to be further from Ciril, who was pink-cheeked, and rubbing the back of his neck like he was embarrassed.
"That was...welcoming," he said, smiling at Mabel, who appeared to be avoiding eye contact with him. "I was actually stopping by to see if Aurora was home?"
Wendy seethed, and had to bite the inside of her cheek to avoid saying anything.
Mabel, on the other hand, let out a quiet squeal, and immediately seemed more at ease with Ciril's presence. "'Rora!" she called over her shoulder, in the direction of the kitchen. "You've got company!"
Aurora came out of the kitchen, wiping floury hands on the apron tied at her waist. "Ciril!" she said, sounding surprised. "You know, I gave you my number so you could call me to make plans, instead of just showing up where you hope I'll be," she chided gently. "I was just finishing making biscuits. Do you want some breakfast?" She glanced over to Wendy with a soft smile. "Same question for you, Wendy. I made plenty."
Wendy smiled wanly and nodded, although she wasn't sure she'd be able to swallow anything past the lump in her throat. Aurora had given Ciril her number. Was she actually falling for his bullshit 'awkward charm'?
Wendy followed the other three into the kitchen, and stood back near the door, while Aurora continued bustling around preparing food, and Mabel and Ciril sat down at the table.
There was a clatter of feet coming down the stairs, and Dipper trotted into the kitchen. "I smell sausage gravy and biscuits," he said, by way of greeting. "Oh, hey Ciril..?" He cocked his head to the side at his sister, who grinned and indicated to Aurora with a thumb. "Ah," Dipper said softly, and nodded at Mabel knowingly. Then he turned his head and noticed Wendy standing by the door. "Hey, Wendy!" he said, a genuine grin spreading across his face.
Dipper held a hand out to Wendy, and she took it, and was pulled into a much more comforting hug than the one she had recently experienced. She closed her eyes and pressed her face into his shoulder, inhaling the scent of freshly washed boy and fabric softener. She clung to him a bit longer than she normally would in front of other people.
"Um, Wen, is something wrong?" Dipper whispered, turning his body so that his back was facing the others in the room, and they didn't have a clear view of Wendy.
Wendy wanted desperately to say yes, but then she'd have to tell him about her inexplicable hatred for Ciril, and the reason behind it. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "No." She tried to sound nonchalant. "Why?"
"Uh, well, open your eyes," was Dipper's whispered response.
She did as instructed, and was immediately dazzled by a bright silver light close to her face. She pulled her head from his shoulder slowly, and watched as cobweb-like strands of rift energy broke loose from her cheek that had been pressed against Dipper, and appeared to float weightlessly in the air for a moment, before dissipating into nothing.
"So, yeah, you were just, unconsciously, apparently, channeling the rift into me," Dipper muttered, his jaw tense. He looked angry.
"I-I'm sorry," Wendy stammered, uncharacteristically. "I don't know wha—"
Dipper cut her off with a quick kiss, frowning when a flicker of silver passed between their lips. "I'm going to fix this, Wen. I swear I'm going to fix this," he said, his voice low and serious.
Before Wendy could ask how he planned on doing that, Mabel called out loudly, "Hey lovebirds, food's ready!"
Dipper turned wordlessly and they both walked to the table, where Aurora had set plates of sausage gravy and biscuits down for everyone, each accompanied by a large glass of orange juice. Mabel and Aurora were sitting on either side of Ciril, who had already tucked into his plate and was enthusiastically praising Aurora's cooking between bites. Dipper ate slowly, clearly lost in thought, while Wendy picked at her food. Her good mood from earlier this morning now seemed like a distant memory.
"So, Pacifica's going to be coming over with the car in a little bit so we can go play some mini-golf," Mabel said abruptly, "and I think it would be totally fun if we all went. Like a couples thing!"
Ciril and Aurora both went red in the face, and Ciril grabbed his glass of juice and gulped from it.
"Sorry sis, but I can't," Dipper said, pushing his chair back and standing. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and continued. "I have to go help some..." his eyes flicked to Ciril. "Friends. Do something. In the woods."
Wendy began to push her chair back as well. "And I'm going with him." Dipper's hand clamping down on her shoulder stopped her from standing.
"Sorry," he said quietly, "but these particular… friends… requested that I come alone."
"Oh, okay," Wendy said, trying her best to disguise the disappointment in her voice. She wished stupid Ciril wasn't here, so he could tell them who he was really going to meet in the forest.
Dipper glanced at the time on his cell phone, then pocketed it, saying, "I gotta go. Bye, guys." He kissed the top of Wendy's head, and left the kitchen through the screen door that led to the back yard.
"You can still come play mini-golf with us, Wendy," Mabel volunteered. Before Wendy could refuse the invitation, however, Aurora spoke up.
"Actually, I can't go either," she said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "I promised Soos and Melody that I'd watch the shop for them today so they can have a family day with baby Stanley." She nudged Ciril with her elbow, and said gently, "Which I would have told you had you called to make plans instead of just trekking all the way over here."
"Mini-golf would have been fun, but at least I got breakfast," Ciril said with a small grin.
"No, wait, that's perfect!" Mabel cried.
"It is?" Aurora asked, her brows arched.
"Yeah! Since Dipper can't come with us, Wendy, you can work Aurora's shift at the Shack! You used to work there, anyway, so I bet it'll be like old times for you!"
Wendy frowned, not at all happy with being volunteered to enable Aurora's spending more time with Ciril.
"That would be amazing!" Aurora said, leaning forward and laying a warm hand on Wendy's arm. "I mean, if Wendy's okay with it. Are you?"
Wendy's stomach clenched. She was torn. She wanted to make Aurora happy, but she didn't want Ciril spending time with Aurora playing 'couples' mini-golf. Wanting to make Aurora happy won out, however. Wendy managed a smile she hoped didn't look entirely like a grimace, and nodded.
"Yeah, 'Rora," she said, lowering her head to concentrate on her plate and pretend like she was eating.
Within ten minutes of Wendy's sudden change of plans, Pacifica rumbled up in her car. While her three friends and Ciril were getting ready to leave for mini-golf, Wendy let herself out the backdoor in the kitchen, not bothering to say goodbye. She trudged toward the familiar forest shortcut to the Mystery Shack, wondering why it seemed like every time life was about get better, it just became more complicated.
/
Dipper's eyes were closed, as he adjusted his position on the stone table for the third time in as many minutes. Keeping his legs crossed like this was making them fall asleep.
"Stop fidgeting, Dipper. If you can't achieve a deep enough focus during meditation, trying to reach out to the rift will be less than useless."
Dipper had to stop himself from heaving a sigh out loud. Faust had been trying to talk him into a deep meditation for the past half hour, and it just didn't seem to be taking.
As if reading his pupil's thoughts, Faust, himself, heaved a sigh. "You know what, nevermind. Just go ahead and get comfortable. Let's skip to studying the different aspects of the rift, and maybe try the meditation again later. There's no use trying to force it."
Dipper opened his eyes and stretched his legs out in front of him, wiggling his toes to get rid of the pins and needles in them. "Sorry, Mr. Faust. I've meditated before. I mean, not a lot—but I have."
Faust flapped a hand at him, and climbed up onto the top of the stone table to sit across from Dipper. "Never you mind. Now, the rift. Tell me what you know about it, Dipper."
Dipper furrowed his brows. "Is this a test?"
Faust chuckled low and shook his head. "Of course not. I simply need to know what you know of the rift, so I know where to fill in the gaps."
"Oh, um, okay," Dipper said, leaning back on his hands. "So, the rift. It's like a tear in space time. It's possible to travel through it to other dimensions or—" He cut himself off, unsure about how much he should tell Faust about the things Jessica did before her powers over the rift were taken from her.
Faust raised an eyebrow, and nodded, clearly interested in hearing more. "Or?" he prompted.
"Or other timelines in our own dimension."
Faust's eyes widened, a smile spreading across his face. "Really? You're sure? I'd always theorized, of course, but..." He peered at Dipper, curiosity bright in his eyes. "But how exactly have you come to know this?"
Dipper hesitated, chewing the inside of his lower lip. Before he could say anything, however, Faust spoke again.
"You know because of something my former pupil did, don't you?"
Dipper nodded. No use trying to keep secrets from the old man. "Back when I was fourteen, and had just discovered that I was a Star Child, Jessica came back from being exiled for like, six years. She was...not a fan of me. In an attempt to get me out of her way, she opened the rift and tossed me in, expecting me to be trapped in another dimension, I guess. Instead, the rift took me ten years into the future. Well, what the future would be if I wasn't able to find my way back to the point where and when I'd left. While I was in the future, I essentially channeled the entire rift and went supernova." He paused, feeling sick to his stomach as he remembered Evil Jessica wearing Wendy's body. "I don't know what ended up happening in that timeline, but I think I killed her. But in absorbing so much quantum temporal energy, I was pulled back into the rift, and ended up in the past… I think before Jessica had even discovered her Destiny as a Star Child."
"Interesting," Faust murmured, stroking his chin. "Quantum temporal energy—how did you come to call it that—the rift energy?"
Dipper frowned. It felt strange to be so open about the magical aspects of his life with someone who wasn't family or a close friend. "B—a dream demon called it that. The first time my powers manifested after finding out I had a Destiny, I fell into a coma. Something about how I'd absorbed too much of the rift's energy, and my body couldn't cope. So I saw the dream demon while I was in a coma, and he called it 'quantum temporal energy.' Is that not right?"
Faust shook his head. "No, it's quite right. Interesting. Very interesting… And what else can you tell me about the rift?"
Dipper shrugged. "Not much. I don't really understand it all. I do know that people or...beings, I guess," he said, remembering the Powers That Be, "will go to extensive lengths to try and gain control of the rift. That's one of the reasons the Star Child exists. To protect the rift from those who would abuse its power."
Faust nodded. "Quite right, quite right. Now tell me, Dipper—how was it that you used to channel the power of the rift, before you ran into...difficulties?"
Dipper frowned, trying to remember. It had become so second nature to him, that it used to feel effortless.
"I think—I kind of...opened myself up to the rift and the energy just came to me?" he said, unsure. "Aurora would—" He cut himself off again. He wasn't sure how much Faust knew about his friends. It definitely wasn't common knowledge in town that Aurora was a dragon in a human body.
"I understand your reluctance to share all your secrets with me, due to the role I played in the past of the fallen Star Child, Mr. Pines," Faust said, his tone kindly, but firm. "However, you must understand, I cannot help you reach your full potential as a Star Child if you are not honest with me."
Dipper felt his cheeks warm. The old man had a point. He'd told Pike everything back when he mentored Dipper—before he'd reverted to Oliver. Even things that Pike would really rather not have known.
Dipper took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "There's a lot of secrets. I'll let you know them as they come up, how about that?"
Faust nodded. "Fair enough. Now, you were saying something about your friend, Aurora?"
"Yeah," Dipper said, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in his chest, like he was betraying everyone he loved. This was for the greater good, right? "She's not really human. She's a rift dragon. She's been bonded to me since shortly after I came into my powers, and she somehow… siphons the excess rift energy from me? She regulates how much I take in. She shut herself off from me once, and I took in way too much rift energy and nearly burned up."
Faust's eyebrows were nearly at his hairline. He pulled a tablet from his inside jacket pocket, and began furiously tapping at the screen as he talked to Dipper.
"A rift dragon, you say?" he murmured. "Fascinating. And you say she regulates the amount of rift energy you connect to? So she is the one who decides the strength of your capabilities?"
"What? No," Dipper said, his brow furrowed. "It isn't like that… I don't think? She just makes sure I don't take in so much energy that I burn myself up."
"Hmm," Faust murmured, staring at his tablet, continuing to swipe and tap at the screen.
"Hmm?" Dipper said, beginning to get frustrated with the old man. "What's hmm?"
Faust looked up from the tablet, the blue glow of the screen reflected in his eyes. "Well, it's just that, in all my research, I've never heard of an outside source regulating or controlling how much rift energy a Star Child takes in or manipulates. None of the previous Star Children have had the benefit of a...err...rift dragon. And in all my research, I don't remember ever learning of a Star Child that 'burned up' the way you seem to think you will without the aid of your friend."
Dipper didn't respond immediately. He absorbed the information relayed to him by Faust, and tucked the knowledge away for further exploration. Finally he spoke.
"I know I would burn up. I nearly did, once. I pulled so much rift energy into myself that I glowed silver and began to burn up from the inside. I got really sick."
Faust's eyebrow twitched. "Yes, but… you knowingly pulled that amount of rift energy in, correct? You meant to overload yourself?"
"Well… yeah," Dipper admitted. "I'd been brainwashed by a demon—not the dream one, another one—and she convinced me to pull in as much of the rift as my body could handle, and then some."
Faust smiled knowingly. "But normally when you channel the rift, you know your limits, and only use as much as you need for the current situation, yes?"
Dipper nodded. He wasn't sure he liked the direction this conversation was heading.
"My dear boy, it may just be that your dragon friend is what is keeping you from connecting properly to the rift."
Dipper shook his head vehemently. "No, Aurora wouldn't do that. She knows I need to be able to use my powers in order to keep the town, and all our friends and family, safe."
Faust shrugged. "If you're certain. Far be it from me to question the loyalty of friends. However," he said, tucking the tablet back into his inside jacket pocket, "I would like to propose an experiment."
Dipper crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay. And what would that be?"
"Stop trying to access the rift in the way you normally would," the old man said, placing his hands on his knees and leaning forward. "Instead, when you open yourself to the rift, send your consciousness out—into the air around you—into the earth—and feel for the pathways of power. Try to notice how it ebbs and flows, and isolate the strongest strands of each, and—I know this will sound counter-intuitive, but: try to pull and push at the strands of power at the same time."
Dipper narrowed his eyes. "That sounds really complicated."
Faust shrugged. "Perhaps. But if you seek out the rift in a way your dragon friend is unfamiliar with, it is possible you will bypass her safeguards and be able to once again tap into your powers."
"Well, I'm pretty sure you're wrong about Aurora holding me back from my powers, but I'll try to—what was it? Push and pull at the strands of power at the same time?"
Faust nodded.
"Right," said Dipper. He closed his eyes, and sought out the energy of the rift. At first he felt nothing, so he reached out further than he normally would. As Faust had suggested, he sent his consciousness down into the earth, and into the air around him, seeking out any tiny threads of rift energy that he could find.
Faust smiled as he watched his new pupil attempt to connect with the rift. Dipper's brow was beaded with sweat, and his face was flushed. After a few minutes, a soft, silver glow appeared around the boy's hands.
Faust had to put aside the urge to cackle with satisfaction. Instead, he pulled out his tablet, and began furiously taking notes.
/
After explaining to a confused Soos and Melody why she was at the Mystery Shack and not Aurora, Wendy took up her old position behind the counter. It was fairly slow for a Saturday, which suited her just fine. While she loved the Mystery Shack for the friends she had come to make from working there, she did not miss the retail aspect of it at all.
The hinge on the screen door creaked, and Wendy glanced over to see who had come in. She scowled. It was a kid. Well, a young teen, about the age Dipper and Mabel had been at the start of their second summer in Gravity Falls. Still, in Wendy's eyes, a kid. She didn't have the patience to deal with kids. Not today, at least.
Great, and he was approaching the counter.
"Where's Aurora?" he asked, his tone almost accusatory.
Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Who wants to know?"
The boy frowned. "A friend. Rey. I help out in the gift shop with her, sometimes. She was supposed to be here today. Where is she?"
Wendy narrowed her eyes at the boy, confused. A friend? This kid? She couldn't remember Aurora mentioning anyone called Rey. Was she purposely not telling the others about him? Or maybe he wasn't significant enough for her to have thought to mention?
"I'm not going to like, run off and stalk her, if that's what you're worried about," he said, when she didn't answer him.
"Huh? No," Wendy said quickly, shaking her head. "Sorry kid, Aurora made some last minute plans with a, uh, new friend this morning. I got volunteered to cover her shift so she could spend more time with him," she said, bitterness creeping into her voice.
Rey's face flushed. "Him?"
"This new kid from school, Ciril Something," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "If I was to be worried about anyone stalking Aurora, it wouldn't be you. It would be him. Just showing up at her house unannounced..." she muttered, trailing off.
Rey swore quietly. "He's not supposed to be here. This isn't right. It's not supposed to—" He cut himself off when he noticed Wendy staring at him with intense curiosity.
"No, no, go on," Wendy said, flapping a hand at him. "If you have some dirt on this guy, I'd love to know it. Then I'd have a valid reason for hating him, and won't have to pretend otherwise anymore."
Rey sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the counter and cradling his head in his hands. "It—it's complicated, Wendy. He—it's not—that kid doesn't belong here."
Wendy's brows furrowed. "How'd you know my name?"
Rey's head shot up out of his hands and he made surprised eye contact with her. "I must have heard—I mean, Aurora mentioned she has a ginger friend named Wendy, so I just assumed," he said quickly. A bit too quickly.
Wendy chewed on the inside of her cheek, not at all convinced by Rey's stumbled-over explanation. However, she didn't get any bad vibes off him—not like she did with Ciril. And this kid seemed to dislike Ciril as much as she did. The enemy of my enemy, after all.
"Yeah, that must be it," Wendy said, nodding. "So, you said Ciril doesn't belong here. What did you mean by that? Care to elaborate?"
Rey pushed back from the counter, his face pale. "I can't really go into it," he said quietly. He was slowly backing up, in the direction of the gift shop door. "Hey, listen, I just remembered, I have somewhere I gotta be. Just—try and steer clear of Ciril if you can. All of you." He turned and pulled the door open, then glanced at Wendy over his shoulder. "And tell Aurora I said hi."
"Oh no you don't," Wendy muttered. She hopped over the counter and pulled back the screen door. "Wait, Rey!" she called, expecting to catch him still in the parking lot. She stopped at the edge of the porch, stunned. Rey was nowhere to be seen.
/
The Corduroy cabin was once again empty of everyone but Lexie and Gideon. They used the privacy to their advantage, snuggling up on the sofa to watch TV, while their hands (and sometimes mouths) wandered.
Around noon, the scrape of a key in the front door lock caused them to spring apart and make an attempt to look casual. Jessica entered, followed shortly by Oliver. Noticing them on the couch, Jessica made her way toward them, a stern look on her face.
"We need to talk about last night," she began. "I know our living situation isn't...conventional, but I still expect those living under my roof to behave responsibly—"
Oliver cut her off. "I think I know where you're going with this, Jess, and if I may, I'd like to handle it."
Jessica shot him a grateful smile. "Go right ahead. I never was much good at parenting." She waggled her fingers and mouthed 'Good luck!' at the couple sitting dumbfounded on the sofa, then disappeared into the kitchen.
"So," said Oliver, sitting on the coffee table across from Lexie and Gideon. "Jessica tells me that when you answered my phone last night, 'shenanigans' might have been happening."
Gideon's eye twitched. "Sh-shenangigans, sir?"
Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to elaborate on what I mean by shenanigans?"
Lexie shook her head. "No, I think we're good."
Oliver nodded. He looked Gideon in the eyes, his gaze level and serious. "As long as Lexie is living in the same house as me, I will care for her exactly the same way I care for my own daughters. Am I making myself clear?"
Gideon swallowed hard, and nodded.
"Good," said Oliver, smiling. "I trust this won't be an issue in the future."
Gideon and Lexie both shook their heads.
"Fantastic," Oliver said, patting his hands on his knees, then standing up. "It's a beautiful day out. Surely you two don't intend to sit inside and, uh, watch TV all day?"
"No, we were just heading out, actually," Lexie said quickly, standing up, and pulling Gideon along with her. "Good talk."
"Yeah, th-thanks," Gideon mumbled, as he trailed after his girlfriend.
Oliver nodded at the couple, chuckling to himself as they quickly took their leave.
/
As night fell in Gravity Falls, the greens and blues of computer and CCTV monitors illuminated Faust's face. He held his tablet to his nose, and peered at his notes of his current Star Child's progress during their first session together. Dipper Pines had done well. He'd been able to connect to the energy of the rift through different means than those he normally used. However, he needed a challenge. Something difficult, to really test his resolve.
The phone range in the other room, and Faust grumbled as he stood up to go answer it.
"Hello?" he said, picking it up on the fourth ring, and half-expecting to hear a dial tone.
"Yes, hello, may I speak to Dr. Faust?"
"This is he," Faust said cautiously.
"Ah, good evening, Dr. Faust. This is Dr. Seth Darden at the Rutledge Asylum. You asked to be notified if there happened to be any changes with your patient?"
"Yes, that's correct," Faust said, the corners of his mouth twitching upward. "What has happened?"
"Well, he—he's awake, sir," Dr. Darden explained. "But he keeps saying something that makes no sense to any of us here."
"And what is that?" asked Faust.
"He keeps saying 'Pines,'" the doctor supplied. "Do you have any idea what the relevance of 'Pines' might be to him?"
Faust grinned. "I have no idea."
After talking to the doctor for a few more minutes, Faust hung up the phone, a pleased smile stretched across his bony face.
"Perfect."
/
/
/
Stay Tuned Next Time For Chapter 37: Return Of The Strange
Hey EveryBody! Thanks for continuing to stick with me through the long downtimes. I really really appreciate all of the people who continue to read, and especially the ones who leave comments. Those really make my day and drive me on to get chapters done a bit faster. I will try my hardest to make it so the next one is out a bit quicker.
Peace