Mabel's eyes slowly flickered open and the young woman found herself staring up at a cloudless, perfectly blue sky. She squinted as a bright sun shined into her hazelnut irises. As she woke more and more she began to feel other sensations come to her; such as the feeling of many individual blades of grass prickling her arms and legs, and a comfortingly warm breeze washing over her like a quilt.
Eventually, she was able to pull herself up from her resting position and she found that she had in fact been lying in the middle of a vast meadow. However, as she tried to come to a conclusion as to how she had gotten there, or where she even was... She couldn't. She couldn't remember when she had fallen asleep, or if she had even gone to bed at all for that matter.
Once on her feet, she immediately came to realize what she was wearing. An oversized purple sweater, exactly like one she'd made as a kid, along with a short pink skirt; a combination of clothes that had been a staple of her personality up until the age of 16. Of course, she still wore sweaters even at 20 years old, but they no longer had silly random patterning or garishly bright colors like this one. That being said, something was certainly off here...
The meadow that she had somehow ended up in was a perfectly lush green, with patches of delicate flowers growing in vibrant hues of pinks, blues, purples, and yellows. Lilacs, hydrangeas, peonies, and dandelions. It was as if she was inside of a painting. Even with her sweater on in the heat of the sun, she didn't feel hot or bothered by it; in fact, she wasn't even sweating.
"Am I dreaming?" Mabel asked herself. It certainly looked like a dream; more specifically the sort of daydream she would have in the middle of her calculus class. Sometimes a song would pop into her head, and her brain would create visuals to go along with it. This felt similar, but with an absence of music.
As she began to walk through the grass, she audibly gasped as she almost bounced with each step. Her body felt so light as one would imagine walking on the moon. Blades of grass floated into the air as she instantaneously burst into a run, a grin spreading across her face. She ran through the patches of flowers, their petals drifting into the air which were then carried by the gentle breeze that followed her.
She ran ahead towards the edge of a thick wood at the end of the field. Bolting past the thick shrubbery she practically danced beneath the canopy of trees above her and hardly noticed or cared as the sweater and skirt she'd been wearing was replaced with a yellow sundress in the blink of an eye, like magic. Flower petals and pollen from the surrounding trees moved around her in a flurry and soon she reached the other side of the woods. She danced out into another field identical to the last.
Mabel would have been perfectly happy remaining in this dreamlike state as she leaped and bounded; feeling absolutely free in this world. However, she was immediately pulled from her fantasy as she skidded to a halt, her feet digging into the soft ground just feet away from where three fallen logs lied in the middle of the meadow. It wasn't the logs in her path that made her stop, but rather the individual she spotted sitting on one of them, their back turned to her. Her brown eyes blinked twice, and the young girl remained frozen as she stared at the backside of whom she perceived to be a man; blonde hair cut short in the back and he wore a white collared shirt and black pants. Her mouth fell agape as he slowly shifted to turn around.
She stared but was unable to register his features as his face came into view; Their interaction suddenly cut short.
"Mabel!"
Mabel Pines' eyes fluttered open for the second time, but rather than seeing a clear blue sky she was greeted by the dusty, cobweb-ridden rafters of the attic. Sitting up, her eyelids still felt heavy with sleep, and her hand rose to half-heartedly comb through her bedhead just as she heard her name called again.
"Mabel, are you coming down for breakfast or what? It's gonna get cold!"
She heard her brother's voice. Her nose twitched as she took in the smell of maple syrup and what she hoped to be pancakes. With a yawn, she shifted to sit up and head from her bed over to the door, nearly tripping over Waddles who squealed as she clutched the door handle with a jolt.
"Yikes! Oh god, sorry Waddles." She said apologetically, certainly awake now as she knelt down to affectionately pat her pig's head. She rose again and opened the door to the attic to yell down.
"Hold your horses, I'm just getting dressed!" She promptly closed the door to step over to the nightstand where she noticed her phone was charging. With a few taps to the screen, she started a song from her playlist and began to hum with the tune.
"Lovin' Jane kept me sane; thought that we'd never lose. But I'm in pain, with caveman brain. Drooling here next to you,"
Slipping her pajamas off, she went to her suitcase to begin rifling through her luggage. Oh, what would she wear? She knew the plan for the day was to go explore the town and see some familiar faces, and she was going to do everything in her power to look as cute as possible.
"And I know that we're goin' to hell, but let's not think it over. Girl, you've got me under your spell, stop thinking like we're sober,"
Digging through various articles of clothing, she eventually found a familiar yellow sundress. She furrowed her brows in suspicion but was quick to shrug off the odd coincidence as she searched for things to pair with it.
"So boogie on down to mine, she'll never know if we get this right. So can we be dumb, just once? We're making love on the run,"
"A little bad fun never hurt no one,"
Once Mabel was able to put together an outfit she happily twirled in front of a standing mirror in the corner of the attic. She had slipped on the yellow sundress she found along with a white sunhat, heels, and a pair of sunglasses that rested on her head. She turned and did a playful curtsey towards Waddles, who just tilted his head in adorable confusion. She laughed.
"Alright, what do you think?" She asked, only to be given a short snort in response before Waddles rolled over onto his side. Mabels' face fell with realization, "Ugh, you're right... It's totally too much. I'm just going around town with my bro- It's not like I'm going on a date." She said, a deflated sigh leaving her.
"Yeah... Definitely not going on a date." She turned around to go back to her suitcase, "Whatever, I'll just dress this down a bit..."
Mabel eventually came down the steps from the attic, walking past Stanley who was asleep on the couch, and into the kitchen where Dipper was finishing up breakfast. Thankfully there had still been a couple of pancakes left on the skillet along with a package of blueberries left on the counter.
"Yeesh, took you long enough. Did you try on your whole closet?" Her brother asked jokingly, before stuffing the last bite of pancake on his plate into his mouth and following it with a large gulp of milk.
His sister groaned, "No... Yes..." She huffed and began making herself a plate. She had just worn the same yellow dress with white sneakers and nothing else.
Her mouth thinned as Dipper turned to look towards her with furrowed brows, "Hey, what's up? Why does it matter what you wear?"
"Ugh. It matters, Dipper, because... Well, it just does. Fashion sense matters when you're in your twenties." She shrugged, coming to sit down with her plate. "I know we're just going into town, I just... I don't want anyone to think I'm still the same ol' silly girl that wears nachos for earrings and fire hazards on my clothing. I'm getting enough of that at school already... It's like that movie- uh, Rude Gals. Except it's in college and everyone's supposed to be adults." She snorted, popping a blueberry into her mouth.
Dipper couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, okay. I guess I get what you mean... But we came here to escape all that- to have some fun again." He offered a smile, "Besides if I'm not allowed to outgrow 'Dipping Sauce' then you aren't allowed to outgrow all of your silliness." He smirked, pointing his fork towards her. He smiled as he made his sister laugh.
Stanford's deeper voice broke through the twin's laughter as he entered the kitchen with a cup of coffee in hand. "Mabel, if anyone's bothering you at that school just use some of those moves from the combat training manuals I sent you."
Mabel looked up and chuckled nervously. "No offense, Grunkle Ford, but I can't exactly throat punch my peers... " She said as she brought her first bite of pancake towards her mouth but she froze abruptly. Her eyes darted between Ford and Dipper.
"Wait, who made the pancakes?" She asked, setting the fork back down on her plate with the piece of pancake still attached.
"Grunkle Ford," Dipper replied as he downed the rest of his milk.
"Uhuh... Grunkle Ford, you didn't mix space grubs or anything weird into the pancakes did you?" Her brow arched, earning her a disgruntled cough from Ford.
"Hey! I'll have you know since you and Stanley 'rescued' me from interdimensional space I've really brushed up on my cooking!" He rose his coffee mug in defense.
"...That being said, space grubs happen to be an excellent source of protein and have far more nutritional benefits than people realize."
Dipper suddenly gagged, "Oh God, so that's why they tasted weird! I was just too hungry to care." His face contorted into a disgusted grimace as his sister burst into hysterical laughter. She quickly pushed her plate of food towards the center of the table before scooting her chair back so she could stand.
"Okay, come on Lil Dip, we're going to Greasy's Diner first," Mabel said, and she was trying to hold back tears as she tugged on her brother's arm. She all but dragged him out of the shack and to the Jeep.
"Ah, so I'm left to clean up I see." Ford sighed, waving as the kids left and he sipped from his coffee.
"Alright, alright." Dipper laughed, "You drive, I need to mentally recover from those nasty pancakes."
His sister snorted, rolling her eyes as she snatched the car keys from his jean pocket and hopped into the driver's seat; her brother climbing into the passenger side.
Mabel hummed to the radio as they drove, occasionally looking over to Dipper as he texted on his phone. Her lips pursed, fingers tapping on the steering wheel as a question lingered in her mind.
"Hey, Dipper..."
"Hm?"
"Do you, uh, remember me going to bed last night?"
He glanced up from his phone, "Oh, yeah- you fell asleep on the couch. I thought I was gonna have to carry you upstairs." He chuckled, "I managed to wake you up, but you were pretty out of it. Must have been pretty tired, sitting passenger side for the 10-hour trip here." He snorted; Mabel rolling her eyes.
"Hey- again, you're the one that wanted to rock, paper, scissors for the keys!" She huffed defiantly, "Anyway, that's weird. I don't remember anything- not even putting my pajamas on." She hummed to herself in thought, easing her foot on the break as the car turned around a corner of the road.
"Huh. Odd." He shrugged, "By the way, we totally forgot to bring our luggage in. Carrying your suitcase up the stairs? Not fun. What the heck did you pack in that thing? Your entire kpop collection?" Dipper snickered.
"Oh shut up, like you're any better with your Icelandic pop music," Mabel stuck her tongue out at him.
"Touché."
Mabel just chuckled as she rolled their car into the parking lot of the diner and slowed the jeep to a stop. The twins both hopped out, their doors slamming shut as they headed into the quaint restaurant. It was just like Mabel remembered; the smell of bacon, pancakes, greasy sliders and coffee wafting through the air. The creaky floorboards, old stains on the seat cushions. Even the old 'Test Your Manliness' machine was still in the same spot, albeit fixed up from the last time some tough guy blew it up. Mabel felt in that moment a nostalgic comfort knowing one of her and Dipper's childhood hangout spots had remained mostly unchanged.
The two settled into a booth, with Mabel sitting opposite her brother. They took a look at the menus, of which their surfaces had a characteristically sticky texture and there seemed to be a million items listed, as was characteristic of an old diner like this one. Mabel's eyes carefully studied the breakfast menu before looking up as a waitress walked over to their table. She had been expecting to see Lazy Susan standing there but instead it was a young girl; around high school age.
"Where's Susan?" Mabel asked, brows slightly furrowed as she wondered if the woman had possibly retired.
"Oh, she passed away last year." The girl replied, a small notebook in one hand and a pen in the other as she was prepared to take the two's order. Dipper's head shot up from his menu in shock.
"What?" Mabel exclaimed in disbelief.
"Well, yeah, she was pretty old and had heart problems from what I heard," The girl shrugged. "It happens, you know? Sorry that you had to find out this way..." She glanced down at her notebook and clicked her pen.
"Are you two ready to order or do you need a minute?" She asked, looking apologetic as the siblings sat there with dampened expressions.
"Uh, no... I guess I'm ready," Mabel cleared her throat. "I'll just have two french pancakes, fruit topping on the side. And an orange juice."
"Gotcha," She quickly scribbled down the order, turning her head to look towards Dipper, "And you?"
"I'll just have a coffee for now; black." He looked over to Mabel. "I'm still full from Grunkle Ford's space grub pancakes." He laughed; attempting to brighten the mood.
"Alrighty, I'll get your orders out to you in a bit." The girl took their menus and walked back towards the kitchen.
"Thank you," Mabel replied, before leaning back in her seat with a sigh. "Wow... I mean- it's not like Susan was our grandmother or a family member... but she was always so nice. It's just sad to know she's gone and we didn't even get to know her all that much." She frowned.
Dipper nodded, rubbing the back of his head, "Yeah, I know... but as she said, it happens, right?"
"Right..." Her eyes fell as Dipper's attention went back to his phone, trying to be discreet as he texted. Mabel arched her brow at him but turned her gaze away as their waitress returned to the table with their drinks.
"One orange juice..." She placed it in front of Mabel. "And coffee; black." She set the mug down in front of Dipper. "Be right back with your food miss."
"Thank you," Mabel smiled at her, grabbing the glass of juice to take a sip. She looked over at her brother and snorted. "I don't see how you can stand drinking that dirty bean water..."
"I don't see how you could stand drinking that hazardous concoction you call Mabel Juice." He smirked up at her.
His sister laughed. "Honestly, I'm surprised I wasn't hospitalized... I make it with one part energy drink, one part soda, and the rest with fruit punch. It gives me the jitters when I've had too much but I swear Mabel Juice was the only thing that got me through finals last year." She chuckled, but her smile faltered as Dipper's attention once again returned to his phone below the table.
She sighed. "Dipper, are you gonna be on your phone the whole day? You better not be texting Jess. You know what she did to me." She squinted.
"What? No, I'm not texting Jess... Er- I'm not texting!" He grinned sheepishly, flopping his phone on the seat cushion beside him. He reached to grab the mug that sat in front of him and took a sip of his coffee.
Mabel rolled her eyes but smiled at the waitress again as she returned with a hot plate of food. Mabel excitedly lifted her knife and fork to start digging in, thanking the girl before she walked away to serve other tables. Just before her knife could even slice into one of the delicious crêpes, however; The door to the diner opened promptly with the soft jingle of a bell. Mabel paused as two women walked in, one much larger in size and height than the other, with brunette hair tied back in a messy but playful ponytail. The other was a young Korean woman wearing designer-looking glasses. Mabel audibly gasped, standing up suddenly from her seat and nearly making Dipper spill his coffee as the table jerked.
"Oh my gosh- Girls! Is that really you?" She beamed happily, eyes gleaming as her two best friends came over to greet her.
"What are you- how are you-" Mabel stammered, hardly believing it. The last time she'd seen Grenda was over a video call months ago when she was given a tour of the mansion Grenda and Marius had bought in Austria. And Candy had been occupied with studying for her certification in robotics and hardly ever posted on social media or answered texts. Mabel had begun to think they were too busy with their successful lives to even think about her...
She gasped as Grenda lifted her up into one of her signature bear hugs and laughed hoarsely, looking down at Dipper who winked at her. Her eyes lit up as she was set down by the large woman. Mabel shifted to make room on her side of the booth to allow Candy to sit beside her, while Grenda unceremoniously pushed Dipper towards the window as she slipped in to sit beside him and across from Candy.
"It was all Dipper," Grenda said in her deep but undoubtedly matured voice. "He texted us both a month and a half ago- told us you two were coming back to Gravity Falls for a summer vacay! So I told Marius and he let me borrow one of his private jets."
"Grenda picked me up in her jet." Candy chimed in with a smile, hand reaching up to adjust her glasses.
"Yeah... we almost crashed, twice!"
"But we didn't," Giggled Candy.
Mabel looked between the two, giving a laugh as she could hardly fathom the circumstances that brought them all together again. She looked across at Dipper and smiled warmly. "So that's what you were doing on your phone?"
Her brother chuckled, resting his elbows on the table. "Well, they were going to come by the shack- but then Ford ruined breakfast and you dragged us here so fast I couldn't think of a good enough reason to protest." He smirked. "So yeah, I told them to meet us here."
"How did you even get their numbers?" She arched a brow at him.
"Mabel... you don't have a passcode on your phone."
"Oh, yeah, I keep forgetting to set one." She smiled sheepishly and finally sliced off a piece of her crêpe. "You guys want anything?" She looked at her two friends.
"Oh, no- we actually ate on the jet just before we got here," Grenda responded. "But take your time! We wanted to take you out shopping!" She grinned.
Mabel blinked in surprise as she ate the piece off her fork. "Really? I mean, are you sure? I can't really afford-" She paused mid-sentence as Candy's arm reached and a finger was briefly placed to her lips.
"Shshsh, it's my treat." Grenda smiled proudly from across the table.
Mabel laughed, nodding as she started to dig into her food now. It had been so long since they had all seen each other in person, and they had so much to catch up on. Shopping would be a great excuse to do just that. She really needed this...
Once Mabel finished up her breakfast, the girls headed out of the diner and had called a Ryde to take them to the mall, but not before Mabel could attack her brother with hugs; and not those awkward sibling ones.
"Ohmygosh thank you SO much Dipping Sauce!" She hugged his neck and shoulders tight, Dipper coughing but laughing all the while.
"Hey, hey- we talked about the nicknames... But you're welcome." He chuckled, struggling to make her let go until she finally released him from her grasp.
"Now go on, have fun." He smiled, his sister giving a nod before turning to follow her friends into the backseat of the car and they headed off to the Gravity Fall's Mall.
"And here we are visiting Lake Lünersee in Vorarlberg." Grenda showed Mabel and Candy a picture from her smartphone, one where she and Marius were sitting in a rowboat on a beautiful crystal clear lake surrounded by mountains.
Mabel placed her hands on her cheeks as she admired it, "Oh, you two look so cute! Grenda, you look gorgeous." Her eyes twinkled.
Candy nodded in agreement as she sorted through some dresses on a clothing rack.
"Oh, and..." The larger woman leaned in to whisper to both of them, "I think Marius is going to propose."
"WHAT?" Mabel exclaimed, only to cup her hands over her mouth, embarrassed by her own outburst as a few other customers glanced their way. She chuckled nervously, "Uh- What tells you he's gonna do that?" She whispered.
"He's been vague posting," Giggled Candy.
"That and he's been acting pretty weird- like he's hiding something..." Grenda hummed suspiciously, and Mabel beamed.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so excited for you! Promise you'll invite me to the wedding?" She looked up at her with pleading eyes.
"What? Mabel, you and Candy are gonna be my maids of honor!"
Mabel's eyes had stars in them, "Ohmygosh! Really?"
"Of course!" Grenda grinned down at her. "You guys will love it- we're gonna party our butts off!" She exclaimed.
Mabel laughed. "Well, I'm really happy for you Grenda- You and Marius were made for each other." She smiled encouragingly, before her head turning towards Candy.
"By the way, Candy, what have you been up to all these years? I practically know Grenda's life inside and out on social media... What have you been up to? Any guys you're seeing?"
"Oh!" The woman turned, holding a dress in her hands bashfully. She adjusted her glasses. "I have been employed as an engineer at Xen Robotics since receiving my certificates... And I may or may not be seeing my coworker, Kai."
"Ooooo, forbidden romance!" Grenda leaned in behind Mabel.
"What's he like? What does he look like?" Mabel asked excitedly and watched as Candy presented her phone, tapping the screen a few times before pulling up a picture. Both Mabel and Grenda stared, enamored.
"Oh, he's a hottie."
"And his chin is so... Chiseled; And his hair- dang Candy, did you land yourself a supermodel?" Mabel teased, smiling ear to ear.
Candy's cheeks flushed, and she gently tucked her phone away in her pocket.
"He is quiet but very kind. Punctual. He makes me laugh." Candy said, cheeks still pink. "It happens that he's going to be transferring to a different branch of the company, and I believe that will ease some of the social tension at work."
Mabel nearly squealed as she lunged for Candy, wrapping her arms around the other woman in a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy for you! And you Grenda; You girls deserve the best." Mabel pulled away, looking happily between the both of them.
Candy nodded in thanks, "And what about you?" Her head tilted.
"Er- what about me?"
"Do you have a significant other?" Candy asked matter-of-factly, and Mabel's smiling face immediately fell.
She grimaced awkwardly, pulling a strand of her brown hair and wrapping it around her finger. "Uhm, well- Er, no... Not exactly." She smiled sheepishly and her heart had begun racing. She had avoided telling Grenda and Candy of her love life for some time, and talking over social media made that pretty easy, but now with them in person...
"What? How does the queen of summer romance not have a boyfriend?" Grenda stared in disbelief, making Mabel bite her bottom lip in discomfort.
"It's just been a rough semester, girls." She sighed. "My last boyfriend... Well, he kind of cheated on me. Actually- not kind of. He did." She glanced down sadly at the carpeted floor of the clothing store.
Both Grenda and Candy's eyes went wide in shock, "Where is he? I'll curb stomp his junk!" Grenda shouted, palming her fist.
Candy nodded in agreement, "He will regret the day he broke Mabel Pines' heart."
Mabel blinked, looking up to the two and she chuckled half-heartedly, "It's okay girls, really- I've pretty much moved on. He was a jerk anyway." She huffed, brushing her hair over her shoulder as she stepped towards a rack to look over some skirts. Grenda looked to Candy with furrowed brows before following the shorter brunette.
"Well, is there anyone else? Surely there has to be a ton of hot guys at your school to pick from." Grenda reasoned.
"Well... There is one guy I kind of like- not just because he's cute." Mabel replied, running her hand over a pastel pink skirt with embroidered floral patterns on it, "We talk from time to time, and he's really nice. Funny... Smart. Sometimes he smiles at me in the hall." She smiled subtly to herself.
"What's his name?" Candy leaned in.
"Um... Jeremy. We're in a few classes together. I've thought about asking him out, to be honest- but then I think, "Mabel, you're way too immature for a guy like him.'" The young woman sighed in frustration as she looked back at her friends. "Seriously, I barely know how to even dress my age! It took me thirty minutes to pick this out this morning." She gestured at the yellow dress and sneakers she wore. Another breathless sigh escaped her.
"You know, It's funny- when we were kids I thought I was the most mature compared to you guys; No offense. I mean that's obviously not the case now- you guys are gorgeous, and you've reached your goals, and you have boyfriends... You two must be so happy..." Mabel trailed off, this shopping trip unexpectedly taking a turn for the worst as she realized she had soured the mood. She tensed as she felt a large hand on her shoulder.
"Hey... if you aren't feeling up for this, we can take you back to the shack," Grenda offered, certainly not ignoring what Mabel was confiding in both her and Candy, but she didn't want her friend to be upset.
Mabel's mouth thinned and she briefly shook her head. "No- no, you flew all the way out here to see me, and I'm being selfish. I want to spend time with you girls." She said in determination, flipping her way through the skirts she'd been admiring and she forced a smile. "Hey, since I'm clearly a fashion disaster- why don't you guys help me out? Call it a-"
"MAKEOVER!" Grenda and Candy exclaimed in unison, and the rest of that day was history as the two assisted Mabel with completely overhauling her wardrobe. Over several hours they had gone through every rack in the store, picking out and trying on nearly every piece of clothing in a spectacular montage of colors, patterns, and fabrics. Once they were done there, they moved on to other stores in the mall; and by the time the ladies had finished their shopping, it was nearly 6:00 in the evening.
The girls tossed their bags into the trunk and backseat of another Ryde before being driven back to the Mystery Shack. Having planned to spend the night, Candy and Grenda's luggage was already set up in the attic beside Mabel's bed, and once finished with dinner the three girls headed up the worn and creaky stairs, jumping in unison onto Mabel's mattress. They laughed, and for a moment Mabel felt like a pre-teen again; with all her worries slipping away in those brief moments. She shifted to slip off the edge of the bed and settle onto the floor, her head leaning back to look up at the two with a smile.
"Hey- why don't I play some music?" She offered, reaching into her pocket to take out her phone and play from her music app.
"Okay! I brought lots of magazines... Oh, and Margarita mix!" Grenda hopped off the mattress, causing it to bounce up and make Candy hold on for dear life. The woman headed to her suitcase, opening it to grab the mix and present it to the others.
"Oh, great! Cause I brought tequila shots!" Mabel grinned, heading to her own bag to retrieve them, "I'll just go get some cups from downstairs and we're in business. You gals thinking what I'm thinking?"
Candy bounced on the mattress, "Spin the bottle?"
"Prank calling your jerkoff ex-boyfriend?" Grenda grinned.
Mabel laughed, "I was thinking something more along the lines of like a drunken fashion show. Oh! Or Cards Against Morality. Maybe both, if there's time and enough booze." She stepped over to the door and headed down from the attic, "Anyway! Be right back."
She moved down the old creaky stairs as quietly as was possible as not to disturb Grunkle Ford or Grunkle Stan. Speaking of... Mabel took a moment to peek into the living room where she found Stanley still on the couch, his feet propped up by an ottoman as he stared blankly at the t.v. Her brows furrowed as she stepped closer, and in the dim light of the television, she noticed all the labeled containers of pills and supplements that were sitting neatly on the coffee table in front of him. Her mouth thinned and she came to sit on the armrest of the couch near him. She cleared her throat.
"Um, Grunkle Stan?"
The old man noticeably jumped, proceeding to cough and give a few pounds to his chest as he hacked. Mabel's face paled, "Grunkle Stan, are you okay? I didn't mean to-"
Stan rose his hand, "Nah, I'm good. I just didn't see you there sweetie." He coughed again, shifting to settle back in his seat, "Everything okay? Did you have fun with your friends?"
Mabel smiled softly, giving a short nod. "Yeah! We went shopping..." Her face fell again, "Grunkle Stan, are you okay? Have you been on this couch all day?"
"What? No, I get up to use the bathroom, get food..." He shrugged. "My legs just aren't what they used to be. Yesterday was better- the swelling was down."
She sighed, "Have you gone to the doctor?"
"'Course I have; How do you think I got these dugs?"
"Can they give you anything else? Can they do anything else?"
He shook his head, leaning up before reaching to rest his hand on her shoulder, "Hey kiddo, you don't gotta worry about me. Me? I'm built like a damn machine. It'll take more than an old body to keep me down." He smiled reassuringly. "Now go be with your pals, okay? Just have some fun. Be a kid."
Mabel's mouth thinned in uncertainty, but eventually, she gave in with a sigh. "Yeah, okay... " She leaned in to kiss his cheek before shifting to slip off the armrest. She paused, hand resting on the doorframe of the living room as she looked back at Stanely. "Love you, Grunkle Stan." She smiled.
"Love you too, kiddo."
She made her way to the kitchen, quickly grabbing some plastic cups from the cabinet before heading back up the stairs. Her mind had begun to wander as she found herself worrying about the inevitable outcome of age. However, she was pulled from her thoughts as music filled her ears and she found Candy and Grenda going through the clothes they had purchased that day. With the cups in hand, she went to put together the margarita mix and tequila shots.
The girls' partying went well into the night and then into the early morning as they drunkenly tried on different outfits they put together out of the clothing and accessories they had bought at the mall. The closet served as a changing room and each woman had a turn to 'catwalk' or more like stagger in their case; their clothes barely put on properly. Not that it mattered to them; it was about the experience and the opportunity to be silly and connect with a moment from childhood.
When they were too drunk to stand anymore they had moved on to play the card game Mabel had suggested, and many fits of laughter were had at the crazy combinations of cards. It was a wonder how no one had come up to ask them to keep it down; though luckily for them, Grunkle Ford was down in his lab, Grunkle Stan was a heavy sleeper and Dipper was probably still awake with his video games anyway.
It was about 3:00 in the morning when the girls had finally settled and sleepiness was setting in. Candy had snuggled in with Grenda in her extra-large, extra fluffy sleeping bag on the floor, while Mabel had pulled herself onto her bed after a quick change into her pajamas. The other girls had fallen asleep quickly enough; Mabel already able to hear their soft snores below her. As she was winding down on her bed, she held her phone in her hands; the volume turned down low as she listened to her playlist and browsed her social media while waiting for sleep to take its claim.
Soon she found herself browsing the social media page of one particular boy; Jeremy. She would do this often; Looking over his photos and dreaming of what a life with him would be like. In her childhood, she would pine for almost every boy she met, and here even as an adult not much was different... At least she was learning to seek out the good guys, and Jeremy seemed like a good guy.
Mabe continued to browse his photos and status messages until her eyes grew heavier and heavier and she had no strength to keep them open. Her phone flopped forward on her chest as her hold on to it loosened, and she soon fell into sleep's comforting embrace.
The young woman's lashes fluttered as her eyes opened, and she was met with blackness. She blinked a couple of times as if attempting to adjust her sight to the darkness. Was this real, or was she dreaming? Her question was soon answered as a white shape instantaneously appeared a few hundred feet before her, giving this void she was in the appearance of a dark hallway. She took a few steps forward until the shape was revealed to be a doorway, and on the other side was the very same lush meadow she had dreamed of previously. Continuing onwards, she squinted as she could barely make out what looked like a person standing far away in the middle of the field. A white shirt and black pants immediately stood out to her in contrast to the greenery around them. She couldn't quite make out the details of their face, however as she was too far away.
Mabel's pace quickened, and she found herself almost sprinting to reach the doorway. She eventually made it, and quite literally jumped from one world to the other as her perspective suddenly changed. Even though she had been running horizontally towards this meadow world, as she breached the doorway she felt gravity pull her down and she began to fall vertically; The wind pushing up against a white, free-flowing dress that had magically manifested on her form. With a gasp, her arms spread out as she attempted to reach for the ground that was traveling upwards right beside her as she was falling. She reached, her hands grabbing for and taking hold of a tuft of grass and she pulled herself to the grassy 'wall' while her feet and toes dug into the soft earth, as if she was climbing it.
Once her feet were settled on the grass, she let go with her hands and rose to stand upright, now finding that gravity was keeping her firmly planted to the earth and she could walk forwards. She reveled in the feeling of the warm sun on her face and it shimmered on her brunette hair. A gust of wind blew against her back as if pushing her to keep going. Blinking, she paused to look around to see where that figure had gone. Her brows knitted as she searched until finally, she spotted them once again but they didn't seem to have gotten any closer at all.
Squinting, she readied herself before sprinting again, over the grass and through patches of clover and wildflowers. The wind assisted her as it pushed against her back; helping her to pursue the individual. As she ran, music began to fill the air.
"You could be my little dream, I'll read you like a magazine. While we're bored and while we're young, the viewing is easy,"
Mabel's brows furrowed. It felt like she should have been covering a lot of ground with how fast she was running, yet the man she was trying to reach didn't seem to be any closer. Grunting in frustration, she reached her hand out to wave. "Hey!" She called, her voice having an unusual echo to it. The person didn't respond, however; remaining still amongst the flowers.
"But I was at the first to come to realize what I hadn't done. Something I caught in a gun, for something so easy,"
"Oh, my heart stitched love,"
Taking another step, her eyes went wide as the ground immediately caved beneath her and she was pulled into darkness without warning. "Hey! Help!" She gasped, her arm reaching upwards as she was pulled under. The next thing she knew, she was dropped from this dark void into another world, or perhaps another dream entirely. She wasn't sure, but the same song was still sounding in her head.
"Used to be in love but you ran off. Used to get along but you ran away,"
"Frozen to the feeling when you backed up. You took my heart when you ran away,"
Looking around, she found that she was dropped on the ground within a forest... of mushrooms. Interesting choice, she thought. The sun was blocked above her by a canopy of mushroom caps, and a dense fog slithered its way over the earth like a river. Rising to stand, the ground felt spongy beneath her bare feet. Mabel's head swiveled as she again searched for the man and she paused once she spotted a shadow lurking behind a mushroom stalk in the distance. Squinting, she cautiously stepped towards that direction, only to stop and groan in frustration as it ducked just out of view.
"Oh, so it's like that, is it?" She frowned.
If it was a game of cat and mouse he wanted, then he was going to get it. Her brow knitted in determination before she bounded off through the enchanted forest again in search of the stranger. Yet as she explored, she felt the wind now fighting against her, making it hard to move forward as the invisible force pushed her back; It even seemed like it was dancing with her as it pulled her body in different directions, making her white dress billow with the direction of the breeze.
"Mirror this, I'll write your name, leave a little message too. Eyes are shining diamond blue, make heaven come closer to you,"
Mabel found that she wasn't able to move in a straight line, but she got the feeling she was going about it wrong anyway. Closing her eyes, she relaxed her body and allowed herself to be pushed and pulled, her feet merely shifting to keep her balance as she twirled around the stalks of mushroom in her way. Eventually, she was able to dance herself a path through this dark forest. Instead of forcing herself through, she let herself be carried through it by the wind.
"And when you finally come down to realize what you hadn't found. If there's anything like solid ground, don't let it go sound,"
"Oh, my heart stitched love,"
The darkness she had found herself in suddenly gave way to light, and her brown eyes opened again to reveal the bright, open meadow she had run through before. Again, she found that same figure she'd been chasing standing out in the distance and she breathed out a sigh. Feeling the breeze on her backside pushing her, she let her eyes fall shut once more and began to dance with the wind and allow it to carry her through the field just as she let it carry her through the forest. She twirled, spun, and jumped much like a ballerina in a grand ballroom; Focusing on nothing but the sound and rhythm playing in her head. She had forgotten what this felt like; to let the world and her fears and anxieties slip away through dancing. Dancing was freedom in a lot of ways.
"Used to be in love but you ran off. Used to get along but you ran away,"
"Frozen to the feeling when you backed up. You took my heart when you ran away,"
She pirouetted through patches of vibrant flowers, their petals breaking away to flutter around and shift with her movements. As she twirled and spun she was in fact making great distance, not that she could tell with her eyes shut. She had nearly forgotten that she had even been pursuing the man in her dreams until her hand was taken into the palm of someone else's. A force tugged her forward and she felt a subtle pressure on her hip while her hand was raised upwards.
Her eyes snapped open and looked heavenward. Immediately she met the piercing blue gaze of the one she had been after; The man in a white collared shirt and black pants. She seemed to only be able to fixate on his eyes as he danced with her, holding her hand while his other was settled on her hip. Mabel moved her free hand to rest on his opposite shoulder and together the two spun and danced in the field to the rhythm of the song.
The man offered her a coy smile, and Mabel Pines was immediately enamored by his eyes, golden hair, strong chin... She blinked then, suddenly coming to a realization before pulling away abruptly from his grasp. She stared at him with knitted, confused brows, taking in his entire appearance.
"Jeremy?"
Author's Note: Hey there! Thanks so much for checking out this chapter, I hope it was an enjoyable read! A few things: If songfics aren't your thing, I apologize- I've tried to keep song lyrics to a minimum and only include them where I feel they'd fit the scene and add a particular tone I want to convey. Second, my apologies if any of the writing appears rushed or hurried. Scene transitions are not my strong suit and trying to keep scenes interesting but not too long as not to drag them out is a tough challenge at times. If you have suggestions on how I can do this better feel free to message me or leave them in a review!
Speaking of, PLEASE, please write a review if you've enjoyed the story so far! It's extremely encouraging and I love reading them, especially on days when I have no motivation to write. Thank you and I appreciate you!