It may not be the fanciest place to eat, but it didn't matter to the two braniacs to enjoy a nice dinner at Greasy's Diner. While they were walking, Lilith was listening to Ford about what else Gravity Falls had to offer. She was quite astounded by how much weird things happen daily without no panicking. They both went inside the diner and was greeted by Susan. But then, she and the others customers gasp to see Stanford Pines with the most gorgeous lady they've never seen before in their town. In fact, the men were shocked that the scientist was on a date with her! Although Lilith was blushing a bit, Susan seated them and asked for certain orders.
Ford picked the steak dinner with vegetables and Lilith wanted to try out the Philly Cheese Steak with a small salad. As for the drinks: A small barrel mug of root beer. Lilith was surprised about it, but her stomach was feeling hungry and decided to dig in. Lilith never heard of one before, but now she craves it when she had her first bite.
"So I take it that you and your sister are still okay?" He asked.
"We are; just needed to work on forgiveness even more on my part. It was reckless and stupid of me to ever curse her in the first place." Lilith stated while staring at her food.
"I'm sorry to hear that. I was on the same boat with my brother as well. Years I've spent in the multiverse and trying to restore balance in the anomolies that I was trying to get back home and fix things up. I was mad at my brother for sending me into the portal, but I blamed myself for blocking everyone out and focusing only on my work. And the worst part was that I almost had the grandkids tearing apart each other." Ford said sadly.
Lilith looked at him and replied, "Don't be hard on yourself. We've all had our demons before. To be honest: I've really made a lot of people mad because of what I did to a certain human. "I've...I've done worse things in my life: Giving Edalyn the curse out of jealousy, almost killed her student, getting lied to by the Emperor himself for trying to 'heal' my sister, and...losing the respect from my student I've grown fond of."
Ford was unable to speak after hearing the things Lilith had in the past. He knew he was on the same situation before when he tried to separate a family after the kids' parents had died. Ford and Lilith knew it was wrong for what they did, but they found ways to earn forgiveness to make things right.
"But I'm glad that I've corrected my mistakes and fixed everything between me and my sister. And...I'm slowly earning Amity's trust in me after what I've done to her friend. After all, she had a terrible life with her parents. Mostly the mother." Lilith frowned at the thought of the cruel woman named Odalia Blight.
"Like what if you don't mind me asking." Ford replied.
Lilith answered, "Amity's mother was manipulative, crude, and authorative around Amity's life. She was controlling her to become the 'perfect child' in the Blight name so she can make her part of the Emperor's Coven. So many terrible things that the cruel bitch did to her youngest daughter was just terrible and I made sure she paid for it." Lilith looked up and added. "Sorry for swearing."
"None taken," Ford said. "I couldn't blame you for what you had to do. Same goes for Preston after what he did to his daughter Pacifica. I mean using a bell to control her and making her correct her mistakes that needed to be the Northwest standards. But...it didn't stop there when he did verbal AND physical abuse!"
Lilith gasped in shock. "Like...what?!"
Ford looked away with a frowned expression and answered, "Let's just say...he ruined her chances of having children in the near future."
"My Titan…" Lilith never expected that to happened to the blonde teen, but that was the lowest to what human OR witch would do to their children.
"But that became his biggest mistake. After a certain 'incident', Preston lost all of his fortune and contact with the stocks he embezzled. But during that exposure to the Northwest scandal, it turns out that he was was given life imprisonment. Reason: his family legacy was false and Pacifica was actually not his daughter. She was abducted by that madman in Iowa and her parents were dead. Her real mother died from childbirth and the father was falsely arrested; he hung himself after losing his daughter and wife. He paid a few people to keep quiet about it until they were all caught and convicted of conspiracy. Preston was guilty of false embezzlement, child abuse, child abduction, false evidence, tampering with investigation, murder of his wife, and so much more." Ford explained.
"Oh, stars! I'm surprised they haven't given him a death penalty!" Shocked Lilith.
Ford shrugged. "I wouldn't worry about it. But...we decided to have Pacifica stay with us while we help her through all the torture that madman put that poor girl. She's actually recovering very well and curing her of that damned bell he made her obey to. And with Dipper's help, Pacifica can finally live a normal life. That and looking like a fox-hybrid. She's fine with it."
Lilith smiled. "I'm happy to hear that. Right now, Amity is getting along with her father Aldor after saving her from his ex-wife. A lot of things were broken between them, but they've found ways to work things out. He even accepted her for loving a girl."
"Eh. Mabel's basically pansexual, but I'm surprised that she's dating a half-angel teen! But you know, this is Gravity Falls with weirdness." Ford chuckled.
Lilith giggled and replied, "True true. Now let's finish up so we can explore a bit. No more negative feelings and let's have a fun night."
Ford and Lilith were finishing up their meal as the Clawthorne woman never felt so full in her life. She was happy to enjoy dinner with Ford as he soon asked for the check. But before they would leave, Lilith decided to finish up her root beer.
"Oh, you don't have to worry...about…" Ford soon paused as he witnessed Lilith gulping down a barrel mug without making a spill! Everyone looked in shock and saw her drink Ford's mug as well! Once she was done, the mug was down and Lilith sighed in relief. "...them. Whoa!"
Lilith wiped her mouth with a cloth and looked at Ford. "Learned it from Eda while we were seeing who can drink the fastest. Lost by two, but it was worth-"
[SFX: BURP!]
Like a cannon, Lilith was able to produce the biggest and loudest known to man or witch! The burp itself nearly made the Earth shake as it hits the entire town! In fact, Stan and Eda were normally walking until the blast was hitting the streets. The ground shook and made them fall down and had Eda's hair loosened from her ponytail!
"Good Lord! What the hell was that?!" Stan frantically said.
"I have no idea…" Eda stated while getting up.
However, the burp was powerful and loud that it came close to breaking the sound barrier!
-Mystery Shack-
The teens felt vibration as they were taking cover for what thought to be a seismic earthquake. The the tremors stopped as a few things were broken in the gift shop.
"Was that a...burp?!" Tyrone asked while helping Candy and Mabel up.
"That's insane!" Pacifica stated as Dipper picked her up.
Leon replied, "Well, this town is insane."
-Earthni-
Trees were knocked down and car alarms were blaring as a teen couple were looking in shock to witness something so hectic while babysitting some kids in the park.
"Well...I know I didn't do this."
"Indeed, Star, you didn't…"
-Mellowbrook-
The skate park had ripples and cracks along the pavement while a local teen skater was crashed onto the falling tree. Luckily, a girl in black and a chubby teen picked him up to see minor destruction.
"Uh...Heloise?"
"Nuh-uh. It wasn't me this time."
"Gunther?"
"Not me, Kick; only had a light snack. And the park is thrashed!"
"...Aww, biscuits."
-Beach City-
"You okay, Connie?"
"I'm fine, Steven, but...I think your cookie cats didn't survive."
The burp itself made some small damage around town and a few debris took down some stuff. Including a vendor cart filled with Cookie Cat ice cream! It was nothing but smashed-up frozen treats as picked one up. The young teen was on his knees and squeezed the product as he looked at the Heavens shouting, "WHYYYYYYY?!"
-New York/Canada-
"Sweet Jumping Chili Beans!"
"Holy-!"
A local teen's jaw was dropped to see some parts of his lab experiencing some damage done by the burp! It broke the barrier and pulled a 180 of destruction all over the place. Somehow, a little robot passed by the goth girl and looked around to see everything destroyed.
"WOOHOO! DO IT AGAIN! I DIDN'T SEE IT!"
Both teens frantically shouted, "NO, GIR!"
-Greasy's-
Lilith covered her mouth as her cheeks were red with embarrassment as the diner had shattered windows, tables were flipped, and the jukebox broken in half. The people were on the ground as a few were getting up from the impact. Ford, however, was a little messy when his glasses were crooked and his suit wrinkled while standing.
Having no choice, Lilith did a little spell to fix up the place after the damage she caused. Glass pieces were getting put together to form the windows again and the inside of the diner was being restored. After she was done, Lilith looked at everyone and said, "My apologies, everyone. I-I didn't mean to-"
[SFX: Cheers and Applause]
Lilith soon paused after seeing the townsfolk actually cheering for her. Even Ford was confused about the situation until Susan came up to Lilith and spoke to her. "My goodness, that was one of the biggest burps to ever hear around this town!
"What?!" Lilith questioned in shock.
"In this diner here, we like to keep ourselves entertained with just about anything. But you! Your belch has surpassed both Manly Dan and his daughter Wendy combined! Very impressive!" Susan grinned. "Stuff like this happens all the time and we make enough to repair the damages. This was nothing!"
Um...thanks?" Lilith replied.
"Don't mention it! It's an honor to have you here. Now, go on and enjoy your date! And thanks for fixing the place up." Susan stated.
Lilith couldn't help but smile at the woman and nod her head. She walked over to Ford and took his hand. "Let's go, Ford."
The intelligent Pines shook over his shock and fixed his glasses while looking at Lilith."Y-Yeah. Um...l-let's go, Lilith."
As they were about to leave, the two heard some comments from the others.
"She's a keeper, Ford!"
"Dude, you lucky!"
"Congratulations, Pines!"
They cheered for them as Ford groaned in embarrassment and Lilith giggled in silence with a blush.
-Forest-
After the mishap at the diner, Ford and Lilith were walking on a path in the forest to observe nature all around. Lilith was actually curious and amazed at how the area look so different from the forest in Boiling Isles. She could hear the trees rustling from the wind and the cicadas making sounds out in the open. It was peaceful and Lilith was really enjoying herself.
"So, Ford. What's it like going through different worlds?" Lilith asked to end the silence.
"Hmm," said Ford and answered, "it was quite a fright for me at first. But then I was able to know more about different worlds I was entering into. I even met a fellow scientist and discussing other parallel places. I get to study so much that it was my passion to understand how they were made and formed."
"Must be some journey." Lilith said.
"Indeed. Although a drunk, but his mind is somewhat in the right place. After I came back home, I had to get started on everything again. After Weirdmageddon, I was happy that things were normal. I'm even glad that me and my brother were together again." Ford stated with a smile.
"Same for me and my sister." Lilith answered back. "To be honest, I've lost my way ever since I've done terrible tthings just to get to the Emperor's Coven. I was lied and left alone to pay for what I did to my sister. Our parents did try to make us challenge each other; I was jealous that my sister was better than me. Months later, I've paid my dues and wanted to earn Amity's trust again. I nearly killed my former student's friend and I was going against a powerful Abomination. After going through a path of redemption, I was given another chance. However, I was given a teaching job to pass the time and I loved it."
"Better than the Emperor's Coven?" Ford asked.
Lilith nodded. "Better than that Coven. And I didn't mind one bit."
"It seems that we both have been on our own road to redemption. I just want to make things right with Stan." Ford said solemnly.
Suddenly, Lilith reached over and enclosed her hand to Ford's for comfort and said, "Well, you're doing a good job. And thanks for listening to my story; I needed to let it out somehow."
"You're welcome, Lilith." Ford replied calmly.
"Lily is fine, if you want." She said with a blush.
Ford couldn't help but smile at the moment. Both were having some choices made in life and yet they found a way to seek forgiveness to make up for their past sins. But for Lilith, it was as if she found someone that could share a similar story and connect with someone to get along with. Her life in the Coven and hunting down her sister took a lot of her time to actually be social and meet someone that could understand everything about her. And in her mind, Ford must be thinking the same thing as well.
"Say, um...Lily? Do you mind if I show you something? You'll love it." Ford asked as Lilith raised an eyebrow to what he means.
A Few Minutes Later…
Lilith was amazed by how she could see the entire sight of Gravity Falls from a cliff so near. Ford lead her to a secret path to a certain location that he goes to for calming his mind. He discovered the path by accident while searching for weird creatures roaming in the forest. It was close to a waterfall nearby as the water itself let out a gentle glow.
"It's so beautiful." Lilith stated in awe. "So pristine and peaceful."
"It's my own secret place that I go to when I need to be alone. The sight itself just shows what could be outside of the forest. Just looking out and seeing a nice landscape and taking in...its beauty." Ford soon paused for a bit to just look at the peaceful expression Lilith had on her face. The moon was brightening up the area so he could see her white skin cascading imminent stars of her beauty.
Never had he seen someone so breathtaking that he couldn't find any words to describe how she looks. However, Lilith was in her own world just picturing everything just by closing her eyes. Feeling the wind blowing and the water rushing down. She was imagining an old memory for when her and Eda were kids. Before they would have a sibling rivalry, they were happy and carefree. During that moment, it was when their mother would show up and have them sit by the lake and enjoy some lunch.
But something else made Lilith feel at ease when their mother would sing them something while watching over the sunset. And from her memory, she remembered the lyrics:
Be still, my love
I will return to you
However far you feel from me
You are not alone
I will always be waiting
And I'll always be watching you
Speak to me, speak to me, speak to me
I can't let go
You're every part of me
The space between is just a dream
You will never be alone
I will always be waiting
And I'll always be watching
We are one breath apart, my love
And I'll be holding it in 'till we're together
Hear me call your name
And just speak, speak to me, speak to me, speak
I feel you rushing all through me
In these walls I still hear your heartbeat
And nothing in this world can hold me back
From waking through to you
We are one breath apart, my love
And I'll be holding it in 'till we're together
Hear me call your name
Just believe and speak, speak to me, speak to me, speak to me
Be still, my love
I will return to you
Ford was speechless to how well she could sing as if she wasn't a witch, but an angel in the night. He could tell that she was feeling a bit emotional when she was singing. It was almost as if she was missing parts of herself and the loneliness that was in her heart. But it came with guilt for what she had done to her sister and nearly lost her. Tears were freely going down her cheeks when she finished her melody and Ford was able to speak to see if she was okay.
"Are you...okay...Lily?"
Lilith slowly opened her eyes to see Ford looking at her with concern. "Stanford?"
"Hold on," said Ford as he pulled out a cloth from his pocket. He gently caressed her cheek and wiped away some of the tears from her face. Lilith was stunned by his touch and couldn't say anything. After he was done, he spoke to her again. "You had some tears on you. Didn't want you to ruin your makeup. Also, that was beautiful for the way that you sang."
Lilith looked away with a shy look and answered. "I started practicing when I was little. The song I sang was from my mother when she used to sing to us while we were in the forest. It was stuck to me like a lullaby and it was a habit."
"Has anyone else heard your singing?" He asked.
"Just Edalyn. I was...too shy and i was only focusing on joining the Coven. Still, I do enjoy doing it sometimes when I'm alone." Lilith replied.
"Well I think it was beautiful, Lily." Ford commented. "Quite a talent that that you've learned."
Lilith blushed and replied, "Thanks, Ford. Any talents you have as well?"
"While me and Stanley were out at sea, I was learning how to play the violin duiring our adventures. It actually saved our lives when I had to calm down a giant hydra." Ford explained.
"Must be nice," smiled Lilith.
"It was." Ford looked at Lilith and continued. "Tonight has has been great, Lily. I've really enjoyed myself with you."
"Same here as well. I've really felt happy to be out here and being on my first date."
"First date?" Ford asked as Lilith nodded. "Hmm. This happens to be my first one, too. And it's going great so far."
"Thanks." Lilith said as she held Ford's hand. "I'm glad it's with you, Stanford Pines."
"I should say the same thing too, Lilith Clawthorne." Ford replied with a smile.
Lilith moved closer to her date and rested her head on his shoulder as she closed her eyes with a soft hum. Ford didn't mind as he was looking up at the moon and the starry skies. Both of them were enjoying the peace and quiet as their date night was great wish it could be like this forever. It was as if they found a missing piece of the puzzle and were connected as one. Suddenly, Ford's phone was ringing and he dig in his pocket to see a message on it. It reads:
Big news, Poindexter! Come to the house! I have a surprise for everyone and Eda wants to tell it as well! Hurry!
"What is it, Ford?" The scientist turned to see Lilith with a curious look on her face.
"It looks like my brother wants us for something. Better get over to the house real quick. Don't want to be late." He said.
"Let me help with that." Lilith got up and did a magic spell to bring out her staff. Once it started to levitate, Lilith sat on it and offered her hand to Ford. "Care for a ride?"
Ford couldn't help but chuckle and he took her hand for the offer. As they were on their way, they wonder what was important that they needed to be there?
TBC
The song was 'Speak To Me' by Amy Lee. Beautiful one at that. Any idea what news Stanley and Eda would share to the others? Find out soon in the final chapter of this story!