Stan returned to Oregon about two weeks later. It wasn't a moment too soon for Mabel, who embraced him like she would never let him go again.
He sat both kids down and explained the contents of their parents will, which included extensive plans for the care of their children should something happen to them. It described how they were to remain in the care of their next-of-kin, Stanford Pines. They all realized the cruel irony that Mr. and Mrs. Pines had never met the real Stanford Pines. Of all the guilt living his secret life had caused, by far the greatest guilt was that his nephew never realized he was living a lie and entrusted his greatest treasures to a man who was certain he wasn't worthy of it.
"Why did they have this will written up?" Mabel asked. "They were still so young."
"Cause when you two were born, they always wanted to make sure you were taken care of…even if the worst happened." Stan explained though he doubted the kids' parents ever imagined their will would ever have to be carried out.
They had very few clauses about their wishes for their burial, at least as the ceremony pertained to them. The most specific request they made was that their wonderful, unique, and lively children not be forced to dress in a way that was counterintuitive to who they were.
Dipper and Mabel had been raised in a very loving and unconditionally accepting family. Their parents were financially well off but refused to raise their children to be upper-class snobs who were constantly concerning themselves with keeping up with the expectations of high society. This more free-form of parenting didn't mean that the kids didn't have rules growing up, in fact, their parents could sometimes be described as overprotective and coddling towards both of them, but for all the rules regarding safety and such there was always room to make mistakes and always a home that would accept you for exactly who you were. In a society that so often forces people into boxes, Mr. and Mrs. Pines always taught their children that the greatest joys in life are found when you are allowed to be true to yourself, and to let pressures other people put on you go.
That's why on a bright and sunny Saturday in the middle of September, Dipper dawned a plain black collared shirt and his pine tree hat and Mabel wore a sweater with a smiling sun on it…so she could see something smile today.
Mabel was taken aback by the sunny day outside. Her only real experience with funerals had been on television, and it always poured rain during those. She couldn't even really remember her parents attending many funerals growing up; they were still far too young a family to need to worry about stuff like that. They shouldn't have had to worry about them for several more decades at least. Now, her first ever funeral would be saying goodbye to two of the most important people in the world to her.
The fair weather only caused the emotional storm inside Dipper to rage more. He looked out the window of the car on the way to the funeral and he saw people out for picnics, flying kites in the early autumn wind, riding bikes, and in general enjoying life. He knew it was because these people didn't know his parents. They weren't grieving. In their world, nothing was wrong at all. It enraged Dipper to know that the world was still turning and working the same as usual, even though something so tragic and earth-shattering had happened to Mabel and him. These people never knew his wonderful and loving parents, and now they would never have a chance.
When they arrived at the funeral home, there was already a decent-sized crowd gathered. Dipper and Mabel were surprised to see a mixture of townspeople that they had grown to know and love, as well as a few people who had flown in from California, people such as colleagues of their father and former students of their mother. The people from California would offer sympathetic smiles at the kids, but they didn't know them like the residents of Gravity Falls. It did Dipper and Mabel some good to get lost in the loving embraces of the cast of lovable oddballs they were lucky enough to call their friends.
After the service, they gathered at the graveyard to lay their beloved parents to rest. Dipper was too proud to admit it, but Mr. and Mrs. Valentino had given their parents a lovely plot underneath an oak tree on the side of a hill. As he leaned his head on his mother's casket for one final time, he could have sworn he almost felt her warmth coming off the mahogany.
Suddenly, a lone figure started to approach the children.
Stan recognized him instantly and went into protective mode as he barricaded himself in front of the kids.
"Please…" the man spoke in a broken voice. "I just want to tell them how sorry I am…" he was shaking and had tears flowing down his face. He looked like he hadn't slept a wink since the accident.
Stan had little mercy towards his obvious exhaustion. As far as Stan was concerned, he didn't deserve to sleep at night knowing the pain he caused his family.
Dipper had the exact same thought as Stan. "Sorry? Sorry? You think saying sorry is going to make this all better?" Dipper pointed to his parents' caskets. "YOU KILLED THEM! THEY WERE JUST COMING TO SURPRISE US FOR OUR BIRTHDAY! AND YOU KILLED THEM! AS FAR AS I CARE, YOU CAN ROT IN HELL FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Dipper's face was red, and tears of anguish ran down his cheeks. Unable to be in the man's presence anymore, Dipper stormed off. Ford followed him quietly. He knew there wasn't anything he could say to Dipper, but he didn't want the boy to be alone.
The man didn't really expect a positive reaction but was still devasted, nonetheless. He was about to leave when he heard a small voice say, "I forgive you."
The driver and Stan looked at the poor little girl completely shocked. Dipper and Ford even slightly turned around from where they were standing. Mabel almost wished she could be angry and explode like her brother but seeing how broken the man is, how genuinely sorry he is, she felt too much pity for him to hate him.
"I-I'm so sorry…so very very sorry…"
"I know…you didn't mean to…it was just an accident. I forgive you," she reiterated.
"Thank you," the man choked out.
"But…I think you should go." Accident or not, this man was her parents' killer. She can forgive him, but that didn't mean she wanted to see him. She turned her back to him to give her attention to her brother and the newly marked graves of her parents. Stan gave one last killer glance at the man before turning to be with his family.
The man nodded. He was grateful to that the girl at least showed him mercy he probably didn't even deserve. He turned away from the family with the intention of never showing his face around them again. All he could do was learn to live with the consequences of what he had done.