-Good Day my fellow Children of our Dark and Mysterious World. This story is a direct continuation of my previous tale 'Gravity Falls Incorporated' and will serve as my main story arch for the little world I'm trying to build here. You may want to check out that story first for context, but if you don't wish to do so, there will be a bit of a plot catchup in the first couple pages of this story that will cover the important plot points you'll need to know to make sense of the origin of this story. So, it's up to you. If you'd like to read the prologue first, go do so now… If you'd rather skip it and start fresh with this story, please enjoy, and be warned there are spoilers to the prologue ahead.

Chapter 1: A Dip in Time

There wasn't a person alive who could tell Tracey Corduroy she wasn't a patient woman. She'd married a man who produced more testosterone per pound than probably any other human being on the face of the planet. She'd also sired four kids with that man who took after him in so many ways, and to be fair, inherited a few traits from herself that Tracey would've rather they hadn't for her sanity's sake. She'd been patient through a yearlong battle with a terminal illness, all the while being forced to watch her usually lively young family unravel around her. She'd spent over a decade wandering across an alien dimension full of oppressed people in the middle of a brutal civil war. She'd more or less adopted and raised a young orphan of that war who was so stubborn and pig-headed, almost as much as she was, that sometimes it was hard to believe they weren't actually blood related somehow… A boy that just happened to start transforming into a werewolf once he hit thirteen, and let's just say those first few months weren't exactly like training a puppy.

She'd shown extraordinary patience on this quest to find a way home… Returning to her dimension was a dream Tracey had nearly given up on when Dipper Pines suddenly dropped into her life, so if there was any chance at all that there might finally be some actual light at the end of that tunnel… Rushing wasn't going to help anything, so Tracey kept her wits about her through every disappointment, every time Dipper mistranslated one of his uncle's puzzles, every time Takura whiffed on a potential location, every time one of her own hunches turned out to be wrong… She patiently soldiered through it all with a smile on her face, and hope in her heart. When they woke up that morning, she never actually could bring herself to believe they were going to find the seventh and final totem that day. When it happened, the shock was so profound that it barely registered with there that she was finally going home… She'd finally be able to be with her family again…

So it was kind of hard to blame her when that patience finally ran out the second Dipper told her she'd have to wait just a bit longer… Even though they were standing just outside the city limits of her hometown! "Let me get this straight Dipper… Now that I'm finally home after ten years literally lost in the jungle, you want me to hide out in the woods and wait while you go talk to your Great-Uncle? Haven't I waited long enough?!"

"I'm sorry Captain, but time-travel is a tricky business… One wrong move, we could alter the future to a state that becomes unrecognizable to us. For example, if something were to go wrong with me, and my younger self winds up banned from ever returning to Gravity Falls again, I won't be here three years from now to walk through that portal, and you're potentially stuck on Andorra for the rest of your life…"

Tracey sighed deeply and grumbled. "Wasn't sayin' I didn't understand the situation kid, I just don't like it… What I don't understand is how this happened in the first place! I thought that doohickey was supposed to swap dimensions, not hurl us back in time!"

"We never were sure exactly how the totems worked… Grunkle Ford was just going off of the information he'd learned from the locals. The fact that they worked at all is a small miracle to be thankful for… I don't have a clue why were sent back in time, but I intend to find out…"

"But won't you running around town affect the future too? Why does the Captain have to stay in hiding but you can walk around freely?"

"I can affect the future if I'm not careful… But one of us has to do something, and the Captain's face is way too familiar around here not to cause a stir… Especially considering she's supposed to be dead! My younger self is in town right now, but I was only thirteen at the time. I'm much less likely to get recognized…" Dipper felt at the faint brown stubble that dotted his face. It'd been a couple of days since he last shaved. "The whiskers alone should be enough to throw people off… I was fourteen before I started sprouting any kind of facial hair at all."

"How is talking to your Great-Uncle supposed to help anyhow? Didn't you bring some of those crystal along with us? Can't we just try again?"

"Well, that was my original intention but… I only brought seven extras in case something went wrong because I didn't want to be tempted to ever use these totems again for any reason! Grunkle Ford is right, dimensional travel is just too dangerous… Only problem with that is…" Dipper reached into his backpack and pulled out a pair of the crystals… Both obviously broken. "A couple of the crystals broke somehow, and now we don't have enough to open the portal…"

Tracey turned a bit paler that usual. "But if we can't power the totems… Doesn't that mean we're stuck in the past?!"

"Not necessarily… When you first showed those crystals to me the day I arrived on Andorra, I didn't recognize them at first, but I eventually realized I had seen something like them before… In my Grunkle Ford's lab! It makes sense since he's obviously spent time in your dimension. I guess he realized the scientific potential of crystals that basically produce their own electricity and kept a few with him… I recalled he still had them the summer I turned fifteen, so he should have a few stored away in his lab right now."

"And how are you supposed to convince your… 'Grunkle' that he should lend you those crystals, and how do you plan to explain how you knew they existed in the first place?" Takura asked skeptically.

"I'm… Still working on that part… I'll do whatever I have to do, even if it means sneaking into Ford's lab and borrowing the crystals… It might take me a while… Maybe even a day or two, so please try to be patient while I work things out." Dipper slung his backpack over his shoulder, and directed a look towards Takura, who looked a bit confused but otherwise neutral, and Tracey who looked frustrated and a little pissed. Dipper immediately felt guilt get the better of him. "I'm sorry about this guys, I really am… I don't know what the heck happened, but I'm going to do my best to fix it…"

Tracey softened slightly at the remorseful look on Dipper's face. She wasn't really mad at him to begin with, it was more the situation… How many roadblocks was she going to be forced to dance around before she could finally go home? It wasn't her intention to make Dipper feel like she was holding him responsible though. "Don't get all sulky and mad at yourself now. This is just one more obstacle to overcome right? Not like you threw us into the past on purpose right?"

"Well, of course not," Dipper laughed nervously, as he turned his back to them so they wouldn't see the frown laced with guilt cross his face. An action made slightly redundant as he rubbed at the back of his neck, an obvious sign to anyone who'd spent any length of time with the boy that he was embarrassed or uneasy about something. "This wasn't my intention at all… I promise, I'll take care of this! We'll be back to the present before you know it!"

Takura watched his friend run off, his eyebrow cocked. He spoke softly to Tracey, "He's way too nervous… There's something he's not telling us."

"That's for sure!... I don't want to sound like I'm doubtin' him, but he's definitely not tellin' us the entire story. I just hope the kid knows how to fix whatever went wrong."

Dipper had every intention of doing just that. Hell, he was hoping to make things even better if everything worked out according to plan. He hated being deceitful, but he didn't want Takura, or Tracey in particular, to know exactly what he was up too. Not until he was certain things were going to work out like he hoped. Instead of heading straight to the Mystery Shack, he stopped about a quarter of the way there, certain he'd put enough distance between himself and his fellow dimensional travelers. He found a nice clearing, and a decent tree stump for sitting, and waited for what he knew was about to come. He waited a good ten minutes in nervous anticipation when a portal suddenly opened in front of him, and out stepped a portly man dressed in futuristic clothing.

"Hey there Blendin… Had a feeling you might show up…"

"Dipper Pines… Of c-course I showed. Unauthorized time travel isn't something we can just overlook!"

"Well, it's not exactly like that," Dipper replied, as he began spinning yet another yarn. "I've been stuck in an alien dimension for the past two years, so I used this old artifact that was supposed to take me home… And it did, but for some reason dropped me five years in the past."

"Ly-ly-Lying isn't g-going to accomplish anything Dipper. We know about the artifact you used to g-get home. Very familiar with it actually. So we know it's designed to take the user w-w-wherever they wish to go! You ch-chose to come back to this time period Dipper! I just n -need to know why!"

"Well… Because…" Dipper's mind was immediately filled with images of Tracey. So much so, he didn't even bother to elaborate who he was speaking of when responding to Blendin. "She basically had her entire life taken away from her! Doesn't she deserve to watch her kids grow up? Don't the Corduroy's deserve to have their matriarch back?!"

"What any one p-p-person deserves is irrelevant if it's a threat to the flow of time! It may not be as drastic as they make it out in the movies but meddling with the p-p-past still has consequences! No ma-matter how strong your feelings about the subject are, you have to think things through first!"

"What makes me you think I haven't?" Dipper said as he sat back down on his stump. "I went through all the possible scenarios and weighed the consequences. Hell, if I thought I could get away with it, I would've found a way to bring some those herbs back to Tracey and cure her illness before Bill ever had a chance to worm his way into her life! But then the more I thought about it… I realized that if Tracey never got stuck on Andorra, Takura might've stayed an orphan and God knows what might've happened to him… He almost certainly wouldn't have grown up to become the 'Tyrant Slayer' as he's known on Andorra… Not to mention that Mabel, Wendy, and I would likely all be dead right now since Takura likely wouldn't have been around to save our asses when we walked through that portal… It was all moot anyway, since only Bill Cipher knows what mixture he used to create that cure, but that's not the point… I have thought things through… That's why I chose this particular point and time, after careful consideration. It might only give Tracey five of those years back, but it's better than nothing…"

"W-w-what's so special about this point and time that makes you think it would be acceptable to alter time?"

"There really isn't anything special about it, and that was kind of the point… Grunkle Ford needed to be back on Earth in case I needed more of those crystals for the portal… Weirdmegedeon had already taken place, so there were no potentially future-altering events that her presence might've inadvertently disrupted… It just felt like a nice quiet time to drop her off… Inoffensive enough that maybe the Time Anomaly Squad might… Look the other way if her presence back in time doesn't result in the Earth exploding or something major like that?"

"Do you realize what you're asking? How many time anomalies that's going to create?!"

"Well, my money was on a lot… Look, I'm not asking for any miracles, but I had to try! Can you at least look into it? Is giving one woman part of her life back in Nowhere Oregon going to affect the future that much? I hate to play this card, but I did kind of sacrifice two years of my life to protect Earth from marauding lizard-men."

Blendin glared at Dipper and grumbled to himself. In truth, Dipper had expected a much harder fight, if not just a straight up refusal. He certainly wasn't expecting the response he received. "Take your own advice and don't expect a miracle, but I'll do some calculations and run your request by my superiors… Just make sure the s-subject stays out of sight until you hear back from me… And until then, get b-busy doing what you were meant to do while you're here."

"You mean it?!… Blendin, I really appreciate… Wait, what do you mean supposed to do? Aren't I risking serious damage to the timeline if I do, well, anything while I'm here?!"

"Uh… I forget p-p-people in this century have no idea what time travel actually entails… No, as long as you don't do anything stupid and reckless that I'll have to come back and fix later, you'll be fine. You were always meant to go back in time to this point in history… This was expected, and I'm not going to interfere. The presence of Mrs. Corduroy is the anomaly in this s-s-situation!"

"I'm assuming that's due to my attempts to alter the timeline?"

"Not exactly… She wasn't supposed to be present during your trip back in time at all! Y-you were supposed to get interrupted while attempting to open the portal, and as a result, Tracey Corduroy was left stuck on Andorra for the time being. It was this interruption that so-somehow was supposed to set you off course and drop you five years in the p-past. For some reason though, your timeline was altered, the interruption never happened, and you wound up in the past by choice with Mrs. Corduroy along for the r-r-ride!"

"Wait, hold on… You're telling me Captain Corduroy wasn't supposed to make the trip at all, so somehow we've already altered time?" Dipper didn't like the sound of this at all. Dipper had already been preparing to accept he'd probably have to take the Captain back to the present, but taking her back to Andorra… That was non-negotiable, under any circumstances. "Why didn't you try to stop us when we activated the portal again?"

"We clean up anomalies after the fact, we don't interfere… W-we'd be risking altering time ourselves by being too preemptive… I c-can't explain what exactly happened to alter this timeline, but Mrs. Corduroy is already here, so the timeline has already been altered. I can't do anything to change that, all I can do is make sure to prevent any f-further damage. You just need to hold tight while I access how much carnage your r-r-request might cause!"

"You going to give me a hint as to what exactly I'm supposed to be doing while I wait for you?"

"Well, you need to replace those crystals you broke right? That would be where I'd start and see where things go from there."

"That won't be necessary… I didn't actually break all the crystals, I just told Tracey and Takura I did in order to buy me some time while we spoke."

"You s-s-sure about that? You might wana check you bag."

Dipper glared at Blendin incredulously, before removing his pack and rifling through the contents. Sure enough, several of the crystals had actually shattered somehow during the trip. Only five remained, leaving him two short of a first-class ticket back to his own time. "Crap! I should've been more careful… This is one way to make an honest man out of myself I guess."

"Well… You came to this time period in part just in case something like this happened… At least you know w-w-where you need to go."

Dipper didn't look so sure… Concerned in fact. "But isn't that dangerous? I don't think it's likely anyone will recognize me, but I would've been two or three days into my second summer in Gravity Falls at this point, so I'm highly likely to run into myself. Isn't that some kind of time travel no-no?"

"Yes, but not for the reason you think… S-S-seriously people from this time watch too many movies. The universe isn't going to implode on itself or rewrite history if you say hi to your younger self. Just as long as he has no clue you're his future self, it should be fine… Even if he does find out, all that's really going to mean is extra work for me, w-w-which I would highly discourage you making considering the weight of the favor you're asking of me!"

"I… Should be able to handle myself in that case… How am I supposed to get my hands on those crystals though? It's not like I can just ask for them… How would I explain that I know they exist?"

"Not my problem… I don't care how you solve it, j-just as long as you remember not to tell anyone your true identity. Don't meddle too much into anybody's business, and you shouldn't do any damage to the timeline. Now, if you'll excuse me… I have a case to go review… You've got some crystals to find!"

Before Dipper had time to argue, the stuttering time traveler had already disappeared through one of his portals. Dipper quickly shifted gears, hoping to figure out a way to get his hands on his Grunkle Ford's crystals… Something about this date stuck out to him though… Something quite memorable happened to him the first week of that second summer in Gravity Falls… What was it again?

"Bruce!" Dipper's eyes lit up as he recalled meeting his unique and reclusive friend early that summer. How could he forget? He was on an expedition deep in the woods, camping out with Mabel and Wendy… Led by a distant relative of the Pines' named Clint who rode into town for a couple of days, but managed to make a big impact on their lives anyhow. Dipper hadn't liked the guy much at first, mainly because Wendy had basically drooled over him the entire trip, and Dipper still hadn't quite gotten over the sting of his first crush just yet. Clint was a pretty cool dude though, and Dipper found it difficult to keep up with his grudge against him. He was just so friendly and supportive. Dipper had learned a lot from Clint that weekend. Hell, Dipper would be lying if he denied that the way he dressed nowadays wasn't somewhat inspired by him…"

Dipper's eyes bulged again as an earthshattering revelation dawned on him. Just behind the clearing was a small pond. Dipper walked over to it, removed his explorer's hat, and took a good long look at this reflection. Yep, there wasn't any point in denying it. "Awe shit… I am Clint!"

Dipper chose not to head straight to the Mystery Shack despite, somewhat ironically, feeling that time was of the essence. If he recalled the events of that weekend correctly, it really wasn't. He was going to be stuck in the past for at least the next two days. He made a pitstop to update his pair of time hopping companions of his plan. While still annoyed, Tracey was a lot more accepting than Dipper had been expecting. She'd had some time to cooldown, and even appeared a bit apprehensive when Dipper explained to her who Blendin was and who he worked for. It wasn't all that difficult to convince her and Takura to hide out in the woods for a couple of days and try to avoid human contact as much as possible.

Dipper's next stop, the nearest pharmacy to pick up a pack of flesh-colored bandages. His hat and hair were probably enough to keep his birthmark hidden but saw no sense in taking any chances. He still possessed a modest amount of cash that he had on his person the day he crossed dimensions into Andorra. They were good, strong bandages too, the kind that just might rip Dipper's birthmark clear off his forehead if he pulled hard enough. He also purchased a cheap box of black hair dye to color and fill out his normally dark-brown facial stubble. Probably unnecessary, but he figured it couldn't hurt. Dipper possessed what you might call resting five o' clock shadow stubble face. He technically had facial hair, but it never really grew out any thicker or longer than what most men would see in the mirror when they woke up in the morning. This was actually kind of convenient for Dipper. He only really needed to shave when he felt like it, and kind of liked the look anyway, since in his mind, he still appeared a bit baby-faced when completely clean-shaven. He briefly considered dying his head, but the logistics of pulling that off just felt nightmarish at the moment, so he elected against it. Besides, if he remembered correctly, 'Clint' had dark-brown hair, not black.

It was around four in the afternoon when Dipper found himself standing in the parking lot of the Mystery Shack, a wistful smile on his face as he admired the old building. It had been so long… All he wanted to do was rush inside and hug his friends and family until they turned blue. He had to keep himself together and remember that this wasn't his Mystery Shack… His friends and family were waiting for him five years in the future. He wasn't Dipper Pines at this point in time… He was Clint Redman, outdoorsman and adventure seeker, visiting Oregon all the way from New Jersey. Dipper exhaled and steeled himself… He needed to remain calm, and not get overexcited to see the faces he missed so much. It was time to visit the giftshop.

It had been a slow day at the Mystery Shack, but early June was typically a slow time of the year. Soos had taken over as Mr. Mystery the year before, but gratefully allowed the Stans to crash at the Shack when they were in town, at least until they could figure out other living arrangements. Stanford still technically owned the place anyhow. While visiting, Soos allowed Stan to run the giftshop for him whenever he was in the mood. Gave him something to do while Ford was toiling away in his lab doing all his nerd stuff. While Stan did enjoy his time as Mr. Mystery, his real love, and strength, had always been selling sketchy overpriced junk to unsuspecting tourists. It was an arrangement that suited him just fine.

Mabel was currently zipping around the Mystery Shack, well… Being Mabel. Wendy manned the register looking as bored as she did the day she first took the job. Thirteen-year-old Dipper was seated behind her, flipping through the local newspaper, sneaking the occasional glance up at Wendy. He'd convinced himself that he'd gotten over his crush on her from the previous summer but well… That illusion shattered the second he found himself in her presence again. Oh well, at least he wasn't obsessing as much anymore. There were far worse girls you could have an unrequited crush on. He'd grown a bit since the previous summer, but Wendy had sprouted a couple extra inches of her own, so she was still quite a bit taller than him. At least he didn't look like a little boy in comparison anymore when he stood next to her.

"Dude, you still reading that rag?" Wendy snarked, raising an eyebrow at the boy. "You're still on the clock you know? Readin' and slackin' off on the job is kind of my thing, and I'm not sure I appreciate you stealin' it…"

"Oh! Sorry… I was checking to see if there had been anymore reports of that Bigfoot that's been spotted in the mountains near here."

"Ah, Bigfoot again huh?"

"Well, that was rather casual… I figured you'd be more excited, or at least intrigued that the Holy Grail of Cryptozoology is creeping around your backyard."

"Dipper Dude… For one, this is Gravity Falls… Nuff said. Second, this is also the Pacific Northwest! Who hasn't thought they've seen a Bigfoot rootin' around through their trash?"

"Well, Gravity Falls notwithstanding, the general public would lose their minds if someone could capture physical evidence of a living, breathing Sasquatch! What better way to cement my status as a world renown Weirdologist!"

Wendy's brow cocked as a bit of a smug grin formed on her lips. "Still haven't been able to get ole Ford to back off the Weirdologist title eh?"

Dipper stared at her blankly for a second before sighing as he shrugged his shoulders. "No, and trust me, I've tried… I've come up with several alternative titles, but he just seems incapable of seeing the issue…"

"I feel ya. As smart as he is, Dr. Pines just can't get a grasp on branding can he? Isn't there a name for his line of work already anyway? Like, Paranormal Investigator or something like that?"

"Yes, but that was a hard no. Grunkle Ford doesn't want his work getting lumped in with, who he refers to as, the charlatans on the T.V. screen! He doesn't consider most of the methods they use to investigate very scientific, and that they exaggerate the importance of even the most trivial piece of evidence no matter how dubious, or so he says.."

"But don't they exaggerate on a lot on those shows?"

"Well… Yeah…" Dipper admitted reluctantly. "But I've always assumed they did it to make the show more interesting, while the techniques they used and the evidence they gathered were actually genuine. Turns out, I didn't know a darn thing when it comes to ghost hunting… If I can find solid evidence of a Bigfoot in the area though… I can finally prove myself to Grunkle Ford, and that I'm worthy to work alongside him regardless of the circumstances!"

"Whoa, whoa, Dipper dude! Settle down man…" Wendy put a hand on his shoulder, which caused the still somewhat lovestruck teen to stare up at her in awe. "Two things… One, you're only thirteen. You have years to prove to yourself and your Grunkle what you're worth, so there's no need to overdo it… Second, make sure you're in this for the right reasons… You want to investigate the paranormal like your Grunkle, do it because you love it! Not because you're hoping it'll make you famous some day! That should be the bonus, not the prize."

"I…" Dipper smiled warmly at his friend. "You're right… I need to accept that I have more to learn than I care to admit…

Before Wendy could agree with him, the bell attached to the door rung, signaling that a new sucker… Er, customer had entered the giftshop. Wendy groaned in annoyance. "Now people are gona start coming in?! Why do they always wait 'til it's just about quittin' time?!"

"Yeah, the nerve of some people… Strolling into the giftshop and expecting you to do your job… How dare they!"

"Real cute there, Dipper… Haven't exactly seen you workin' those buns off today!"

"I'm here voluntarily. Unlike Stan, Soos allows us to stay here without forcing us to work in compensation for the room and board."

"Well isn't that just swell for ya! Guess you just hang around here because you enjoy the company then, huh?" Wendy started to tease, before being interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat from behind her.

"Um, excuse me… Sorry to interrupt your flirting, but could I trouble one of you to answer a question for me?"

Dipper looked up at the visitor with interest, while an annoyed looking Wendy whirled around to face this tactless customer. "We weren't flirting, we just…" Wendy made a croaking sound as she forgot how to speak for a moment. Smirking down at her was possibly the most gorgeous creature she'd ever laid eyes on. He was dressed kind of goofy, like something out of one of those Discovery Channel shows, but he more than made up for it with a set of striking brown eyes that genuine kindness seemed to radiate from, and the type of smile that could make a girl's knees feel like jelly. Wendy finally got her brain to function properly enough to mutter, "Uh, hello…" Wendy immediately wanted to smack herself for sounding so stupid, and to swat the blush away she knew must be singeing her cheeks at that moment.

"Well, hello," the stranger chuckled right back in amusement. "I'm assuming at least one of you work here?"

"Um, yeah I work here!" Wendy squeaked, trying her best to regain her composure and appear cool and collected. Meanwhile, Dipper sat behind her watching the scene unfold with a touch of exasperation. "You said you had a question? Ask me anything, I'm sure I have an answer for ya! You lookin' for any kind of specific oddity we might have in stock?"

"No, nothing like that," the visitor laughed, he himself trying to maintain his own composure. He wasn't all that good at picking up cues from girls, but this was something so obvious even he couldn't fail to notice it. Wendy was actually blushing, and it was over him! He was so giddy, it took all of his willpower not to drag it out and have some fun with it, but the one thing he couldn't stop was his positively shit-eating grin. He was also making a conscious effort not to take too hard of a look at his younger self seated on the stool just behind Wendy. "I'm actually looking for somebody. Stanford Pines. I was told he owned this place… This is the right place isn't it?"

"Uh… Yeah, I guess technically he still does own it…"

"Hold on a second!" Young Dipper interjected, now standing next to Wendy eyeing the older man suspiciously. "Why are you looking for Grunkle Ford?"

"Grunkle? What's that?" the stranger asked, trying to play dumb.

"It's short for Great-Uncle. I'm his Great-Nephew Dipper… Now, can you please answer my question? Why are you looking for Ford?"

"Oh, so he's your uncle?" the stranger said, smiling down at Dipper who looked mighty confused at that moment. "I guess that makes us cousins then! Nice to meet you Dipper, I'm Clint Redman, visiting the west coast from Jersey. Mom told me to look up her cousin Ford once I made it up to Oregon. Said he owned some kind of cabin up in these parts, but I wasn't expecting to find a cheap looking tourist trap."

"Hey, who ya callin' cheap!" complained a gravelly voice as he entered the giftshop, Mabel by his side who looked up in mild wonder at their handsome visitor. "This happens to be a very reputable establishment. I'd advise you either buy something or scram!"

"Um, he's not a customer Grunkle Stan… Apparently, he's a relative from New Jersey who came here to visit Grunkle Ford."

"Jersey huh?" Stan looked at the young man skeptically. "I dunno… Are you one of Monica's kids?"

"No, not Aunt Monica. I'm Gloria's son, Clint."

"Oh right! Gloria… Yeah, I remember now. She did have a couple of rug-rats didn't she? Sorry, your name doesn't ring a bell though. No offense kid, but I haven't exactly kept in touch over the years…"

"It's no problem sir. I'm actually looking for Stanford though. There was something I wanted to discuss with him before I continue my trip up north."

"Pointdexter? Eh, I'm sure he's holed up down in his lab. Dipper, why don't you run down there and tell my brother he's got a visitor."

"Uh… Okay," Dipper gave one last suspicious glance up towards this Clint person before obeying Stan's request to fetch his other Grunkle.

"Well, it might take him a minute to convince Ford to crawl out of his hole," Stan informed his distant relative as Dipper headed towards the lab. "You can just hang out here until he shows himself I guess. Just don't touch anything! Unless you plan to buy it!"

"I can show him around the shop!" Wendy volunteered exuberantly, suddenly manifesting next to Stan. She leaned over and whispered into his ear. "I'll make sure to show off all the 'really' expensive junk."

Stan, appearing pleased with this suggestion, nodded his head approvingly. "It's settled then! Wendy, you give Clint here the grand tour! Mabel, you man the register while Wendy shows him around."

"What?! Not a chance! You realize I don't technically work for you anymore right?"

"Come on kid, do your favorite Uncle a solid!" Stan whispered to her pleadingly. "This kid just shows up out of the blue from back east with absolutely no warning? He's almost obligated to buy somethin'!"

"Well, alright…But I get a 30% cut!"

"That's my girl!" Stan cheered proudly, before his expression reverted to something more serious. "But no." Mabel responded with a simple 'hmpf'.

Wendy guided Clint throughout the small shop enthusiastically, over-exaggerating the importance and value of all their various knick-knacks with a gusto that would've made Stan proud if she actually meant it. Hell, if she put that kind of enthusiasm into her work all the time, the Mystery Shacks giftshop would really clean up. Dipper… Er um, Clint, was trying and failing to keep a goofy grin off of his face. Yeah, he'd definitely be insincere if he tried to pretend he wasn't getting a kick out of Wendy acting so flustered over him. Clint wasn't the only person to notice, as Mabel couldn't help but grin at Wendy pretending to be passionate about her job. She had been annoyed with Wendy at first for leaving her stuck manning the register, but now that she understood her motives… Mabel just couldn't be upset about it. She would've done the exact same thing after all!

"You think Wendy has ever even seen half the crap Stan puts on these shelves?" asked Dipper cynically as he appeared next to Mabel.

"Awe, give her a break Dipper… I think she's in looove," Mabel teased, with extra emphasis on the love to extenuate her mild sarcasm. Her brother didn't appear too amused though.

"I didn't look that pathetic back when I was fawning all over her did I?"

"Nah… You were far more pathetic Bro! At least Wendy's actually got game," Mabel teased, but her good humor quickly dissipated when she noticed Dipper was still glaring daggers at Wendy and their cousin. In her annoyance, she poked her brother hard in the side to get his attention.

"Hey! Quit it!"

"No, you quit it!" Mabel fired back, placing her fists to her sides. "Come on Bro! Seriously, this again?! I thought you'd moved on from Wendy?"

"I… I did!... For the most part…" Dipper responded sheepishly. "That doesn't make it any easier to watch her practically drool over a guy she just met though! Especially someone who looks way too old for her! It's just not like her…"

"Well, it looks like you two have something in common now don't you?" Mabel waggled her eyebrows as she elbowed her brother in the side. He didn't share in her humor. "All the more reason you *don't* need to be jealous. Weren't you supposed to be telling Grunkle Ford about our guest?"

"I did, he said he'd be up in a minute."

"That minute is now," Ford announced as he walked into the giftshop. "Now, where is this young man who was requesting a meeting with me?",

"Stanford Pines?" Clint asked as he noticed his Grunkle in the shop. He tried his best to look awed as he completely turned his attention away from Wendy, to her disappointment, and focused it solely on the scientist. He walked towards Stanford and held out his hand, which Ford hesitantly accepted. "Sorry to drop in unannounced, but this was a bit of a lastminute decision. I'm one of your cousins from New Jersey, Clint. Clint Redman."

"Redman…" Ford repeated, as the handshake ended. The name immediately rang a bell with him. "Ah yes, the surname Gloria took when she wed. I'll admit, it has been a while since I've gotten in touch with the family back east due to… Unavoidable circumstances, but I could've sworn Gloria's children were a bit older than you."

"I'm the baby of the family," Dipper lied, thinking quick on his feet. The success of his plan rested heavily on the combination of Stan and Ford not keeping close ties with their extended family, and his admittedly hit and miss memory from the first time he'd lived through this weekend. "I'm also the black-sheep, so I'm probably never going to be the first of her kids that she brags about."

"I see…" Ford said in a tone that made Clint nervous. He already sounded suspicious of him. "Is there any particular reason for your visit?"

"Yes actually… Um, would you mind if we spoke in private?"

Ford thought it over for a moment, furthering Clint's apprehension. "Of course not. Follow me into the kitchen, we can speak there."

The twins watched as their Grunkle and mysterious cousin left the giftshop. Wendy soon walked up to join them. "Whoa… Am I right Mabel?"

"Eh… He's cute and all, but the whole cousin thing dampened the appeal by like a whole lot! You can pick your jaw up off the ground anytime you want too, by the way Wendy."

"Oh please," Wendy huffed, appearing slightly annoyed. "I wasn't that bad."

"Uh, yeah you were actually," Dipper laughed, actually getting in a good-natured dig despite his initial jealously. "When you do lift your chin up, you might want to wipe the drool off of it."

The twins shared a laugh at Wendy's expense, which the redhead was having a hard time deciding whether to be upset about or impressed that they'd joined forces to get a good rib on her. She settled for something in-between. "Awe, just stop it! He was a cutie, but I'm not the type of girl who throws herself at guys. Don't have to, they're usually tripping over themselves to get to me!"

Mabel smirked cheekily, her chin resting in her hands. "I guess he threw himself so hard at you then, that the force made you bounce off the wall and smack right back into him!"

"He must've been moving pretty quick too, because I didn't even see him move!"

Wendy grumbled as the twins shared another laugh at her expense. "Why do I put up with you two again?"

"Because you adore us, and your summers would be a joyless empty void without our presence."

Wendy stared at Mabel who playfully fluttered her eyebrows. Wendy finally cracked and laughed out loud. "Okay, I guess you do have me there!"

"Hey Wendy!" A grumpy voice yelled from the other end of the giftshop. "It's 5:02, so get a move on! I'm not paying for any overtime!"

That made little sense, seeing as Soos singed her paychecks now, but Wendy wasn't quite focused on that particular detail at the moment. "Oh, it's quittin' time, sweet! You know, I think I'll hang out here with you two for a bit…"

Dipper's somewhat cheery mood soured quickly. "You want to hang out with us, or you want to stick around to get another peek at our cousin?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Wendy insisted, a faint blush on her cheeks. "It can be both can't it?"

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Clint sat across the table from Ford as they began their discussion. He offered his estranged cousin a bottled water, which Clint gratefully accepted. "So, you called yourself the black-sheep of your family? What did you do to earn that moniker?"

"I suppose that's just what happens when you do goofy stuff… Like spend all your graduation money on a trip to Scotland only to waste a week on a boat crisscrossing Loch Ness!"

"You've been to Scotland?! And to the infamous lake no less? That must've been quite the experience…"

"If you consider freezing to death and disappointment a great experience, then sure! But yeah, it was still fun… I'm surprised you've never been out there yourself, considering your line of work."

"Well, let's just say that my work has made extended travel difficult…" Ford said vaguely, having no intention to share with this young man that it was decades of wandering between dimensions that had stalled much potential research. "There are many points of interest I've sadly yet been able to visit… Did I hear you mention you were familiar with my line of research?"

"Very aware sir… That's one of the reasons Mom suggested I look you up. I guess she figured you might be able to help me out, since we have similar interests…"

"I see…" Ford responded, growing evermore intrigued. "So, you're interested in researching the more… Fringe subjects of our miraculous world?"

"Yes, I do… I actually just finished my first year of college, working on a biology degree… Not quite my preferred field of study, but last time I checked, no reputable university will offer Cryptozoology as a major."

"The field is frowned upon, there's no doubt about that. It's not a line of work you can get into and expect to thrive if you don't love your work. Studying biology in its stead is a satisfactory alternative. Knowing the innerworkings of living creatures known to science will certainly help if we ever discover one that isn't."

"That's the dream!" Clint exclaimed after taking a large gulp of water. "It's actually why I'm here… The rumors of heightened Sasquatch activity in the area drew me in. I've visited the area once before, so I asked myself, why not camp out in the mountains for a couple of days and see if there was any truth to the rumors?"

"Yes, there has been a dramatic increase in reports recently," Ford agreed, strangely focusing on the bottle Clint had been drinking from. "My niece and nephew wanted to head out to the mountains and participate in a little Bigfoot hunting expedition of their own, but unfortunately I had to decline. I'm already up to my neck in various projects, so taking time off those to take part in another just wasn't practical. As much as I'd love to sleep out underneath the stars with those kids, it looks like I'm spending another weekend sleeping in my lab when I'm not busy with work."

"You have a lab?" Clint asked, sensing a potential opportunity. "Here? Is there a chance I'd be able to see it? I mean, if you're half the scientist Mom claims you to be, I'm sure that lab must me something else!"

Ford weighed his options for a moment. His lab wasn't exactly much of a secret anymore, but that was only within the family. Sure this kid was technically family, but not exactly in the inner circle. No, it was better to protect the boy, and potentially himself, from anything this kid didn't need to see. "No offense, but I'm afraid not. No one aside from myself is allowed in my lab. Too much sensitive work and materials meant for my eyes only."

"I figured you'd probably say that," Clint sighed. He had expected Ford to refuse and was trying his best to look disappointed. "I had to try through. Any advice you can give that might help me discover Bigfoot?"

Stanford smirked at this. "Now that my boy, is something I can help you with!"

Back in the giftshop, Soos had joined the rest of his full and part-time crew and was quickly caught up on their strange familial visitor. Well, Stan was catching him up, the twins were busy discussing their weekend plans.

"You seriously still haven't gotten permission for this weekend Dipper?! Considering we were supposed to leave in the morning, suddenly disappearing without an explanation likely wouldn't go over very well with the Grunkles."

"I'm not sure what we can do then… Ford already said he was too busy with work to go, and I highly doubt Stan would agree to take us."

"Got that right Dipper…" Stan interjected himself into the twin's conversation.
"I was too old for that kind of crap twenty years ago!"

"What about you Soos?" Dipper asked in a bid of desperation. He kind of already knew what answer to expect, but he had to try. "You feel up to an adventure to start the summer?"

"Sorry kiddos, but no can do. Mister Mystery doesn't get weekends off, that's when the Shack does its best business! Even if I could, I'm not exactly the most outdoorsy dude in the world… I'm more of the camp outside in the backyard kind of guy, not the get lost in the mountains and probably get eaten by bears dude."

Mabel groaned in annoyance, her chest pinching just a bit at the look of disappointment on her twin's face. She wasn't all that excited over the idea of burning her first weekend of the summer up in the mountains picking bugs out of her hair, but she knew this was important to Dipper, and well… If something awesome were to happen, she'd be damned if she was going to miss it!

"They can tagalong with me if they really want to go," someone spoke up, unexpectedly coming to the Twin's rescue. Dipper looked up in wonder at Clint, who couldn't help but smile down at his younger self in return. "That's where I was headed next anyway, and we're apparently both looking for the same thing! Might as well join forces right?"

"Cool! That sounds the perfect solution!" Soos declared excitedly. Then it dawned on him… "Wait, who are you exactly?"

This drew a laugh from the young man in question. "My apologies, we haven't formally met yet have we… I'm Clint, the Twins cousin from New Jersey. You must be Soos, the guy who runs the Mystery Shack tours now?"

"That would be me dawg! If you're related to these guys, then you're alright my book!"

"You're here to hunt for Bigfoot?" Dipper asked, sounding confused. "You're interested in studying Cryptozoology?"

"Not just interested, have been since Junior High! I guess the drive to explore the unknown runs in the family."

"I suppose so but… Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but we barely know you. How much field experience do you actually have?"

"Oh, I've got plenty trust me." Clint tried hard not to shiver at the thought of all those humid nights camping out in the jungles of Andorra. "This wouldn't even be my first Bigfoot hunt, and I'm familiar with the mountains near this area. You guys could be in much worse hands, that's for sure!"

"I'll go too!" Wendy proclaimed suddenly, nearly causing Dipper to break his own neck as his head snapped around to glare at her. Realizing she might've sounded too eager, she blushed over it, then tried remanifesting an aurora of cool. "I mean, I can go too if it makes you guys feel more comfortable having another familiar face around."

"I thought you said you were busy with your friends this weekend?" Dipper asked, noticeably annoyed.

"Yeah, but it's nothing all that important, I can cancel. The guys will understand!"

"It sure seemed important when you turned us down the first time we asked you to go… What changed so suddenly?"

"Uh…" Wendy cursed herself, not caring for the taste of foot currently in her mouth. Luckily, she'd have more time to craft a logical excuse when Mabel saved her by elbowing her brother hard in the side.

"What is it now?!" Dipper fussed, growing tired of the feel of his sister's elbow in his mid-section.

"You *really* want to go on this trip right?" Dipper nodded his head. "Well, our 'of age' cousin is offering to take us along on his trip, and he'll probably be a big help to you since he clearly seems to know his stuff…" Mabel spoke this next part softly, hoping Wendy wouldn't hear. "Don't let some petty jealously ruin your first big plan for the summer!"

"You're right!" Dipper sighed. "But we have to get permission from Stan or Ford first."

"No sweat Bro-Bro! I'll take care of that one!" Mabel leaned over the counter and called out to Stan, who was busy taking inventory over his stock. "Hey Grunkle Stan! Can we take off to the dark spooky mountains this weekend and campout with this stranger we barely know so we can go looking for Bigfoot?!"

Stan stopped what he was doing, and eyed his niece oddly for a moment… Before nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders. "Sure thing pumpkin! Just be back by Monday, and don't get mauled by were-beavers or something weird!"

"We won't! Thank you Grunkle Stan!"

"That was… Unexpectedly easy," Clint marveled, trying to pretend that Stan's lack of parental instincts was a surprise to him.

"Well… I guess he figured you were family so trusting us to your supervision wouldn't be a big deal," Dipper huffed, drawing the stink eye from his sister, who didn't appreciate at all how rude Dipper was being to their cousin. "What?!"

"Well, its settled then! I'll be here to pick you three up first thing in the morning! It's a long trip, and unfortunately I don't have a set a wheels, so getting there is going to take even longer… I've been hiking and busing my way up the coast until this point… We'll figure something out though!"

"I've got a car!" Wendy offered graciously. "It can fit the four of us, and all our gear no problem!"

"That sounds perfect! I appreciate your generosity Ms. Corduroy. I'm assuming you're all experienced campers, so just have your gear ready, and enough supplies to last for three or four days just in case the trip runs over. I'll see you guys soon!"

Clint tipped his hat, causing Wendy's chest to flutter. Meanwhile, Mabel wondered, "How did he know Wendy's last name was Corduroy? I don't think any of us mentioned it…" Mabel gave that mystery all of five seconds of thought before it left her mind, never to be mulled over again.

"Well… I guess the three of us will get to go camping together after all… Now that Romeo with the cool hat is tagging along…"

"Cool is a strong word, but the look seems to work for him," Mabel quipped, but neither her brother nor her friend were paying any attention to her.

"Dipper, come on man! Don't be gettin' all itchy on me again…"

"It's not that! I don't care that you 'obviously' have the hots for the guy!" Dipper said, causing Wendy's cheeks to burn yet again. If she'd been obvious enough that Dipper was calling her out on it, she really must've been making a fool of herself. "It just sucks to know that you thought camping with us this weekend was too boring, and it took Casanova showing up to get you interested…"

"Dipper, dude!" He'd started to sulk off, when Wendy grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him back around to face her, Dipper offering little in the way of resistance. "Okay, so I might've fibbed a little. That decision had nothing to do with me not wantin' to hang out with you and your sister though! It's just that my Dad forces me and my brothers to go camping all the time! While I enjoy it sometimes, other times it feels about the same as being forced to do homework! I just wanted to spend my first weekend of freedom chillin' with my friends, not doin' something I'm already forced to do five or six times a year as it is!"

"Why didn't you just say that then? I would've understood… Not so much how adding the guy you think is hot into the mix, and all of the sudden it's all systems go on the camping trip but…

"You see, you do get it! My little Dip is growing up!" Wendy playfully pulled Dipper's trucker cap over his eyes. "Look on the bright side! You were wantin' me to go with ya, and now I am!"

Dipper was suddenly assaulted by visions of Wendy either fawning or hanging all over Clint the entire trip. "Yeah… Should be a blast…"

Meanwhile, as soon as Clint made it outside the shack, he collapsed in a heap while panting wildly. He'd been so damned nervous he'd be unable to keep his cool, or that he'd slip up and somebody would figure him out. He didn't exactly have Oscar caliber acting skills. He was just happy everything was going to plan to that point… The transportation issue was a gimme. He remembered Clint… Well, his older self, broaching that conundrum the first time around, and Wendy offering to use her ride to get them to the spot they'd ultimately make camp. It was just a junker sedan she'd bought off of a relative after getting her license, but the old girl got them to their destination alright.

Clint had his basic camping gear with him. Tracey and Takura had wondered why he had insisted on lugging the old equipment along, but they hadn't questioned him too hard on it. Of course he had no idea at the time it would be this trip he would need that gear for, but he did know they were taking a detour through time, and they might be stuck there for a day or two. What Clint needed now was more essential supplies like bottled water and food. He had just enough cash left on him for the bare minimum and still chip in some gas money to Wendy, which he remembered this version of himself doing when he was younger. He had to try his best to look at least semi-prepared for a person who'd been planning a camping trip in the mountains, and not just some brainless idiot flying by the seat of his pants. Oh well, the only things left to do now were to purchase as many supplies as he could and then find a nice spot to camp out for the night.

End Chapter 1:

-Hello again fellow mystery lovers! I have some explaining to do… The first four chapters of this story were originally supposed to be the ending of 'Gravity Falls Incorporated'. I like this current arc so much however, that I decided to promote it to the main story… So that explains the sudden cut-off of Gravity Falls Inc., and the beginning of the main tale. Another minor factor was the fact that I wasn't entirely satisfied with the prologue… Didn't like the title either, so that's why that changed. There were parts I enjoyed but for most of it I felt almost forced to write it in order to setup the rest of the story. I'm pretty proud of this arc, and didn't want it buried at the bottom of a story that was starting to limp along… And nobody was really reading anyway!

As for how the rest of this story is going to be formatted, it will be a little different from your average story… I'm going to be separating this story into separate arcs with self-contained stories rather than one continuous overarching plot. I'm doing this mainly to guard against my own ambitious plans for this story and the fickle nature of being a fanfiction writer… Meaning I'm keenly aware that one day I just might not be able to do this anymore and structing the story this way guarantees I can end it properly rather than on a cliff-hanger with unresolved plot holes and storylines. Honestly, these arcs could probably serve as individual stories, but to avoid confusion and for the sake of continuity, I'm going to keep them together. Mostly for the development of the main cast and their relationships, which will be the main linking thread between the different stories. I hope you enjoy it! Chapter 2 should be up soon.