"What do you mean you aren't coming back with us?" Dipper asked, more confused than anything.
Poor Mabel looked like she was holding in a flood of tears.
Stan quickly changed his wording. "I just mean I'm not coming back with you guys right away. I need to stay here, just till I can get the house sold."
"B-but you can't stay! We need you back at the shack!" Mabel pleaded.
"Don't worry, kid, Ford'll look after you guys."
Ford tried to offer the girl a reassuring smile, but Mabel was far from in the mood to return his warmth.
"No! We need you! Why can't Ford stay?"
Ford's smile dissipated as he tried with all his might to hide his hurt at Mabel openly admitting she favored Stan over him. It hit him that she had probably experienced that same hurt when he himself blatantly favored Dipper over her.
"Cause I know about finances. You'll see, pumpkin. I'll have the place sold in a snap, and then I'll come right back, I promise."
"How will you get back? There's only one car and you can't use public transit!" Mabel argued, desperate to convince Stan to change his plan.
Stan gave the girl a small smile. "I got three bus passes for you, Dipper, and Ford."
"How will you get home?! I've seen you drive Grunkle Stan! I can't lose you too!"
"Pumpkin, the Stan-mobile and I have been a team for years. I'll be careful. It's all gonna be okay."
"What about US I thought that WE were a team! You can't abandon us now! You can't!"
"Mabel, I—" Stan started, but Mabel darted away before he could finish.
"See, Stanley? She hates me…" Ford whispered defeated.
"She doesn't hate you, Grunkle Ford. She just hates all of this," Dipper explained.
Ford gave the boy's shoulder an affectionate rub. Both children certainly had a lot to hate at the moment. It wasn't fair for Ford to barge into the girl's grief and use it to try to bond with her. He realized the best way to help Mabel would be to try to give her some space while she processed all this.
"I'd better go talk to her," Stan said as he started up the stairs.
"Grunkle Stan, wait!" Dipper called out.
Stan turned to give the boy his full attention.
"What…what about the funerals, and…and starting school?" Dipper asked as he clutched the now-priceless backpack: the last gift his parents would ever give him.
"Kid, you shouldn't worry about school now…"
"I want to worry about school. It'll give me something else to worry about besides how sad I am."
Stan nodded. Who was he to determine how the kid should best grieve this?
"Wendy can get you and Mabel registered, and as for the funeral—" Stan was about to promise he'll get on it as soon as he's back, but Ford beat him to the punch.
"I'll take care of it," Ford declared. He wasn't exactly looking forward to it, but with all Stan had on his plate, it was the least he could do to help him and the kids.
Dipper chimed in. "I'll help you, Grunkle Ford."
"Dipper you don't have to—"
"I want to. They were my parents, and well…I gotta do something besides sit around and cry all day."
Maybe it was selfish, even childish of him to want the help of a grieving child, but Ford couldn't deny he felt less apprehensive knowing he'll have Dipper by his side.
Stan gave a small smile at the strength of the young boy, before heading up the stairs to try to talk to Mabel.
He knew she had been through hell these past few days, and that it wasn't fair to expect her to grieve in the same way as her brother, but she would never know how much it destroyed him that she would think for even a second that he would abandon her.
He snuck around upstairs quietly, not wanting to startle her or have her run off again.
"Mabel? Mabel, you up here kid?" he softly called.
Before long he heard her muffled cries, but he couldn't see her.
He followed the sound into what looked like an art studio, presumably belonging to his nephew.
He still couldn't see Mabel though. He followed the cries to a small door under the main desk.
Stan opened it to find a small compartment where he assumed Mabel and Dipper had played while their father worked.
Mabel was curled into sweater town sobbing. the heartbreak in her voice broke Stan's own heart.
With some difficulty, Stan crawled into the compartment beside his sweet niece. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her in close, allowing her to sob against his chest.
"I know, kid, I know it's a lot…" Stan soothed, what else could he say now?
"W-why can't I stay here and help you sell the house?" Mabel pleaded.
"Cause you know that Ford and Dipper need you with them…you can show Ford how to make Stan-cakes…" Stan thought of another way to appeal to Mabel. "Besides, Waddles needs you."
Mabel did miss her pig terribly, especially after being forced to part with Ms. Whiskerton. "You promise you'll come back?"
"Cross my heart," Stan promised, though he didn't dare finish the saying.
"And you'll be careful driving?"
"Super careful…and hey, I'm old, so I'll have to make tons of pit stops. I promise to call you at all of them."
"Every last one?"
"All of them."
"And…when you do come back, do you promise you won't leave us again?" Mabel whimpered.
Stan paused for a moment as the true weight of his responsibility, the true weight of how very much he was loved and needed sink in.
Stan did something he hadn't done since Mabel was a tiny baby and kissed her forehead.
"I promise."