Marcus greeted a couple of people as they entered Greasy's Diner, introducing Lilo as they went.

"Lilo, this is Mayor Tyler, Lazy Susan, and oh, that's Pacifica Northwest. She used to be the richest girl in Gravity Falls, and now she's a waitress."

"Don't look so smug about that, Corduroy."

"I'm sorry that your family is a bunch of liars, hellbent on tormenting my family."

"Well not anymore."

"I'm Lilo, it's nice to meet you," Lilo said to the younger girl, getting a Myrtle vibe from her, or maybe a redeemed Myrtle vibe?

"You're not from around here, are you?" Pacifica asked, wiping syrup off the counter.

"No, I'm from Hawaii."

"Oh, I love Hawaii, which island?"

"Kauai."

"I haven't been to that one yet, I'm sure it's beautiful though. And the culture is so... Unique."

"Yes, it is," Lilo didn't know if Pacifica was being condescending or not, but she went along with it.

"So, what brings you here? Other than pancakes."

"Well," Lilo began, "I'm taking a gap year. Doing research."

"Yeah, but why here?"

"Because I've heard Gravity Falls is special."

"No, Gravity Falls is weird. You should have stayed in Kauai."

"Pacifica! Don't be a jerk." Marcus scolded.

"I'm not trying to be mean, Corduroy. I'm trying to give some helpful advice. Gravity Falls chews people up and spits them out."

"I really appreciate the warning, but it wouldn't be the first time I've dealt with weird and dangerous." Pacifica shrugged.

"Your pancakes will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Pacifica. And if you want, I could tell you about Kauai some time."

"That would be cool." Marcus stared at Lilo as they sat down at a table.

"I don't believe you..."

"What?"

"You've already begun to befriend one of the most unlikable people in town. I'm almost afraid to see how you'd interact with Lil' Gideon."

"Lil' Gideon?"

"Think 9-year-old psychic psychopath."

"Psychic, huh? Well, then I'll have to talk to him."

"Pretty sure he's a fake, but who knows."

"I'll have to talk to a lot of people in this town... I could probably fill up an encyclopedia with the wealth of knowledge in these people's brains."

"Eh... Maybe not. More people then you'd think don't really know what goes on around them. People write off the weird. Most people, anyway. They half believe but think to themselves, that couldn't happen here."

"A lot of people in Kauai were that way about aliens. But as more and more of them took up residence there, it started to be accepted."

"People still don't accept what's happened here. It's still kept hush hush. Mayor Tyler says it's better that way, but I don't know. People don't deserve to walk into dangers just because they weren't warned about them."

"Maybe researching this town and making that research public will help with that. The Galactic Federation will probably want me to keep what I find out about aliens a secret, but I might be able to help make Gravity Falls safer."

"I look forward to trying with you," Marcus said, mock saluting her. He didn't say that he doubted he could make a difference, just because he had always doubted that.

"I think I have an important job for you," Lilo said, noticing him sketching Stitch on a napkin.

"Yeah?"

"I think I might need someone to sketch out what we find."

"But you have a camera," he pointed out, a little shy, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, but a camera can only do so much. Can you be the official illustrator of the Gravity Falls Project?" He pretended to think about it, and then nodded.

"Good. We start tomorrow."

"Bright and early?" Marcus asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really, no. If you want warm showers in the morning."

"Ah, fine..."

"Hey, we should really get back. I have to call my dad about Wendy, and something tells me you still haven't unpacked." Lilo agreed, and they headed back into the woods.

Marcus didn't really want to talk to his dad about taking off of work over the phone, so he waited until after dinner to bring that up, pulling his dad aside outside as Manly Dan chopped firewood, as a hobby, not because they needed it.

"Hey, dad."

"Yes, Marcus?"

"Do you need any help?"

"Not right now. Did you need something?"

"You told me yesterday that you wanted me to help Lilo out with whatever she needs."

"Yes..." Dan frowned now, looking at his son.

"Well, we talked today, and since Gravity Falls isn't exactly safe, we thought it might be good if I accompanied her for her research."

"I wanted to talk to you about that. Wendy told me when I grounded her that you seem to have taken an interest in our guest."

"She's my friend, so, yeah, I guess I have?"

"I shouldn't have to say this, Marcus, but you shouldn't date Lilo."

"What? Who said anything about dating?" Marcus was blushing.

"Wendy told me you gave Lilo your jacket today, and that you two seemed close."

"First of all, that decision should be left up to Lilo shouldn't it? And second, no one said anything about dating! We're friends and I'd like to make sure that nothing happens to her. I gave her my jacket because it's cold."

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, because you're an adult and you need to make your own decisions. Just don't disappoint me." Marcus stood there, stunned.

"How am I supposed to make decisions like an adult if I'm living under the threat of your disappointment all the time? I'm sorry I'm not smart enough for you, I'm sorry I'm not Wendy or Kevin or Gus. You get to decide whether or not you're disappointed in me, not me. Because you're an adult, and you need to make your own decisions." And then Marcus walked away.

He'd lived his whole life wondering if his dad was proud of him. Clearly, though, he wasn't. Marcus walked into his room, faceplanted on his bed, and knocked his sketchbook off the bed. And then, the lightbulb in his bed flickered on. He couldn't expect his dad to be proud of him if no one knew who he was. The Gravity Falls Project might be the first step in fixing that. He'd show his family exactly the value he had. Exactly who he was.

I didn't mean to kinda make Manly Dan a jerk... I don't think he fully is, I just think he expects a lot from his son, and it's rough on Marcus. I'm really loving this story, even though it hasn't gotten a lot of attention, so I can see it going for awhile.