"IT'S NOT FAIR!" Dipper shouted as he ripped off the banner and kicked the new backpack and school supplies sitting on the floor.
Mabel had the exact opposite reaction. Seeing the decorations and preparations that her parents had set up triggered something inside of her mind that said that they weren't really gone.
"Mommy? Daddy? Where are you? Are you guys hiding? Dipper and I are home now…" Her lip quivered as her foolish hope allowed her for one moment to forget that her parents were gone. "We're home…"
Suddenly, alerted by the noise, Mabel's cat peered out from behind the door.
The cat went over to rub up against her beloved master. Mabel managed a shaky smile as she squeezed the cat close, cuddling her, just as she had right before being sent away for the fresh air of Oregon.
Stan's face fell as his shoulders slumped. "I totally forgot about the cat. Mabel, sweetie—"
Ford shot Stan a glare and shook his head, clearly not wanting Mabel to hear whatever Stan needed to say.
Unfortunately, the answer would soon become obvious.
Ford began sneezing violently. His eyes grew puffy and he was clearly in a great amount of pain.
Mabel hugged her cat tighter, but she knew exactly what was going on. On top of everything else, she was about to lose her beloved cat too.
Ford tried to work through his allergic reaction to say something to her, but Mabel gathered the cat into her arms and rushed out of Stan and Ford's sight.
It took Ford several minutes to get over his allergic reaction, but when he did, he was desperate to discover what he could do to make this better, to not cost Mabel her beloved pet. "I can start taking insulin shots again, or perhaps we could keep the cat shaved or—"
"Face it, Sixer, having a cat around would make the shack unbearable for you."
"I don't care. I don't want her to lose anything else, especially because of me."
"She'll still have Waddles," Stan assured.
"But the cat is from her childhood home, a home she's about to lose regardless! It's not fair that she should be expected to lose something else just because of me."
"Trust me, Sixer, Mabel would rather have you healthy than to have the cat."
"I'm not so sure…" Ford whispered, thinking Mabel probably wasn't too fond of him right now.
"I'll go talk to her," Dipper offered before going after his sister.
When Dipper left, Stan looked around the house. "It's beautiful. We should be able to get a pretty penny for it."
"We're going to sell it?" Ford asked.
"What else can we do? We live too far away to really maintain it. Besides, I can put the money away for the kids." Stan's eyes caught a portrait his nephew and his wife and younger versions of Dipper and Mabel. They were on a beach, dressed in white shirts (though Mabel and her dad had added just a "touch" of tie-dye to their shirts for color) and khaki pants.
"But keep the memories…always keep the memories," Stan whispered, as he vowed to keep his late nephew and in-laws' memory alive.
—
Dipper tried rationalizing with his sister as she aggressively placed all the cat supplies in a box. "C'mon, Mabel, you'll still have Waddles. And he's a lot more fun than a cat! They probably wouldn't have liked each other anyway."
"That's not the point, Dipper! I'm tired of everything changing and being taken away from us!"
"I know, Sis, but…now we don't have to leave Gravity Falls. It's not like we have friends here anyway. And we get to stay with Stan and Ford."
"Ford's the reason I can't keep my kitty!"
"Mabel, it's not his fault. You know it's not his fault. Ford would do anything to let you keep Ms. Whiskerton…""
"I know," Mabel said dejectedly. "It's just not fair."
"I know, Sis, but we'll find her a good home, the best," Dipper said as he gave the cat an affectionate pat. "Hey! Why don't we give her to Lazy Susan? Then, you can visit her anytime you want!"
Mabel gave a small smile, but then her eyes grew dark again. "What about the drive back? What if Ford starts sneezing and he…?"
Her and Dipper looked at each other and shuddered. That idea was out.
"We could give her to little Maddie across the street…"
"No way! That kid is psycho! Remember how she snaps the heads off her Barbie dolls?"
Dipper nodded. That was out too.
"What about Ms. Robinson? She's got like twenty cats, so Ms. Whiskerton would have lots of company."
Mabel shook her head. "She wouldn't get enough one-on-one attention."
Dipper sighed.
"What about Mr. McGuire?"
"That old grump?" Dipper asked, incredulously.
"I mean, he's always been nice to animals. Besides…" Mabel gave a small smile. "We know now that grumpy old men can give lots of love."