Unbeknownst the sleeping family inside the Mystery Shack, three masked teenage boys were sneaking outside the shack.
"You guys sure the money's is worth it?" One of the boys asked.
"500 bucks ain't worth it?" Another replied.
"But this is serious. If we get caught…"
"We're not gonna get caught." The third boy said. "It'll look like an accident."
"But right before the trial? It'll look suspicious."
"It doesn't matter if it looks suspicious. Without proof, they can't do nothing."
The first boy looked over at the shack still uncertain. "We're really gonna do this, guys? We're gonna kill a whole family?"
The other two boys looked at each other, also feeling some hesitation. Then, one of them said, "You wanna go back and tell Brad no?"
The first boy swallowed nervously. If they refuse to be Brad's accomplices, then they'll become more witnesses that will need to be taken care of. "No."
Mabel woke up with a desperate thirst. She hadn't really been thinking about eating or drinking since the attack, but her body was telling her she needed nourisment. She desperately wanted to wake Stan or Ford or even Dipper to go downstairs with her, but as she looked at her sweet family finally getting some needed sleep she knew she couldn't possibly disturb them. They had all three been so attentive to her since the attack that she didn't want to cause them more grief.
she slowly unleashed herself from Stan's protective and loving embrace and headed for the kitchen, when she did she smelled something unsettling…smoke.
She used her nose to follow the source of scent. The trail led her to the back door. She opened the door was greeted by the sight of three teenage boys with matches in their hands about to light the front entrance on fire.
Before Mabel could react, the three boys charged her, held her down, and muffled her to keep her from screaming, but her eyes were still opened wide as she began to take mental inventory of the boys faces. She didn't know what was going to happen, but in whatever way she could she was going to fight back, for the sake of her beloved family.
"Shit! Shit! Shit! What do we do?"
One of the boys grabbed a baseball bat sitting by the door (a leftover habit from Stan's youth to have a ready weapon by the door in case someone shady comes knocking) and used it to bash Mabel over the head, knocking her unconscious.
"Okay, what do we do with him?"
"Stick to plan. Set all the exits on fire. Make sure they can't get out. The fire will take care of her."
"Dude, dude, she's just a little girl, I can't do this man! She's a kid!" one of the boys said freaking out.
"Shut up or we leave you in here with them!" one of them responded back.
Two of the boys ran outside to find more exits to set ablaze. The third boy reluctantly lit up a match and dropped it on the wooden stairs before running outside to join his accomplices. Leaving the unconscious girl to breathe in the smoke and helpless to avoid the flames.
It didn't take long for the remaining Pines family to wake up to smoke rising in the house. Their shock turned to panic when they realized the fourth member of their family was missing.
"MABEL?" "MABEL?" "WHERE'S MABEL?" Dipper said, his voice filled with panic.
"Don't worry Dipper, I'll find her! You and Ford have got to get outta here!" Stan said as he began frantically searching upstairs for his niece.
"NO! NO I WON'T LEAVE UNTIL I FIND MABEL!" Dipper screamed, "You can't make me leave my sister!"
At that moment Ford scooped Dipper up in his arms, as he struggled to free himself from his great uncles grip, "NO! NO! MABEL! MABEL!" Dipper screamed bloody murder as Ford lead him to the stairs. Only to find them engulfed in flames.
"Shit, Stanley! Have you found her? Stanley the stairs are in flames!" Ford screamed as he backed away from them.
"She's not up here…" Stan said coughing wildly.
At that moment the three of them heard what sounded like muffled screams coming from downstairs.
"OH MY GOD! STANLEY MABEL'S DOWN THERE!" Ford screamed as the smoke began building up towards the second floor.
"MABEL! MABEL!" Dipper screamed desperately through his sobs and coughs.
"Ford, you and Dipper have got to get out of here now! I have got to get down there!" Stan shouted as he began forcing his brother towards the window.
"NO! NO I WON'T LEAVE YOU AND MABEL IN HERE!" Ford screamed. His eyes began to fill with tears at the thought of exposing leaving his brother and precious niece in the relentlessly burning house.
"Sixer, listen to me, for once in your life I need you to completely and totally trust me…you have got to get Dipper out of here. I will find a way out, please trust me," Stan said as he looked at his brother and nephew with fear in his eyes.
Ford had tears streaming down his face. Just last night he had held Mabel in his arms and made a vow to always protect her. He already felt like he had failed Mabel yet again, but as he stared down at his sobbing nephew he knew that the best way he could protect her was by trusting Stan and taking care of her beloved brother. Standing by the window was Waddles whom Ford scooped up in his other arm. He had to believe that Stanley would get Mabel out, and he knew that when he did Mabel would want her beloved pig.
Carrying his nephew and pig in his arms he climbed onto the roof of the shack. The flames burning through the boots he had on and causing painful burns to his feet. He looked down at the ground, which seemed further away than it ever had. He held Dipper and Waddles against his coat as he leapt to the ground. He landed on his back and while he was sore Dipper and Waddles remained safe against his chest.
The three of them regained their footing and rose to their feet to see the shack completely in flames. Dipper had tears streaming down his face as the sign crumpled to the ground, because he knew that within moments the whole shack would be on the ground, and Mabel and Stan were still in there.
Meanwhile Stan was inside the relentlessly burning house. It was disturbingly similar to the burning of his mind at the hands of Bill Cypher, but this time it was worse, he honestly didn't care if he died in this fire. He was old man who had lived a full life, who had finally accomplished everything he wanted to accomplish. He had a family, but on the same note he had one beloved member of that family in this house.
"Ma-" Stan couldn't even get her sweet name out. The smoke was suffocating his lungs and blurring his vision. He felt he could collapse at any moment. The only thing keeping him going was the hope that he could find and save Mabel.
Not a moment too soon he spotted Mabel among the smoke and flames. Stan felt his heart sink as he saw that she wasn't moving. She was just laying there helpless. It broke him, but Mabbel had never given up on him so there was no way in heck he would give up on her.
He ran as quick as his legs could carry him and picked her up with great swiftness scooped her into his arms right before a beam collapsed.
For a moment Stan didn't even know if he had really managed to save the girl. The horrible thought that he might be holding a dead child crossed his mind, until he felt her warm but unsteady breath against his chest. His girl was a fighter.
"I got you Mabel," he managed to cough out in a strained whisper.
Outside Ford had to hold Dipper back as he tried with all his might to push through, "MABEL! OH MABEL!" Dipper was hysterical at this point. Ford wanted to keep him calm, but he would be lying if he didn't say that he was horrified at the thought of his brother and niece being lost to the flames.
At that moment a fire truck followed by an ambulance came rushing towards the scene. Ford was relieved to get some help, but at the same time he was confused. He had specifically built the shack as far away from neighbors as possible, so he couldn't imagine how they had known to come. He didn't have too long to dwell on it though, for at that moment he saw the silhouette of a figure carrying a limp form in his arms.
"STANLEY!" Ford and Dipper rushed to meet them as the firefighters began hosing down the shack to try to subdue the flames.
"MABEL!" Dipper cried as he looked at his poor sister who was covered in soot and burns. It looked like every breath was a struggle for her, but she was breathing. She was alive, that was the only thing Dipper was concerned about. He just prayed to God above she stayed that way.
At that moment exhausted from the smoke inhalation Stan fell to his knees clinging to the girl in his arms. The four Pines huddled in a tight embrace as the shack behind them began to crumble.
Stan and Ford had both spent so much time in that shack. Making it their own, it was their home. For a large part of their lives it and the physical components inside it were all they had, but tonight they both realized how very little it mattered in the grand scheme of things.
Despite his voice cracking wildly, Dipper, the constant protector that he was attempted to soothe his gravely injured sister.
"It's going to be ok sis….You're going to be ok….I promise Mabel, I'm right here," Dipper said as tears continued to flow and the poor boy coughed out smoke from his tiny lungs.
Ford used one hand to rub Dipper's back while another hand stroked his niece's hair.
A paramedic approached them and attempted to take her from the loving arms of her family.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY BABY!" Stan said jerking the poor unconscious girl away from the paramedic.
"We need to get her to a hospital sir, the other paramedics here can take care of you and the rest of your family,"
The other three Pines were burned and injured as well, though not nearly as bad as Mabel. They honestly could not feel any physical pain, as the pain of seeing their beloved Mabel so gravely wounded burned the family in ways that flames could only dream.
"I AIN'T LEAVING HER SIDE AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME!"
The medic looked sympathetically at the man who had saved the girl's life, "Alright sir, you can ride along with us, but please let us do our jobs or we could lose her,"
Just the thought of losing Mabel caused all three men to cry harder, but it was enough to cause Stan to swallow his pride and slowly lay Mabel on the stretcher as the paramedic placed an oxegon mask over her face.
Ford looked down at his beautiful niece, who was clearly in a great amount of pain. The words Ford had soothed Mabel with during her panic attack were now like invisible sharp knives being jabbed into his heart. He took a deep breath and kissed his sweet niece's forehead
"Sweetie Stan is going to stay right here with you and Dipper and I will be right behind you, none of us are going to leave you ok? It will all be alright sweetie just please…..fight for your Grunkle Ford okay?" his voice began to crack.
"NO! I HAVE TO COME WITH HER!" Dipper said as he attempted to climb into the ambulance with Stan, but was stopped by Ford.
"Dipper….every minute we are here fighting is another minute Mabel isn't getting the help she needs," Ford gently explained
"Dipper, please don't worry I won't let anything happen to her," Stan stopped as tears began flooding his eyes. He had said that so many times these past few days, but yet he had lied….something else had happened to Mabel. It shamed him beyond words that he hadn't been able to keep that promise.
"Please trust me…." Stan pleaded.
Dipper looked at his Grunkle Stan. It was no secret that trust was something hard to earn from Dipper. He was the logical one, always thinking with his head, so it made it hard for him to go on blind trust with anyone, but he thought about what Stan had done that night. He was covered in bruises and burns, but Mabel was still alive. He knew that he could trust Stan with his sister.
"I love you Mabel," he whispered directly to her before turning his attention to Stan.
"Please….Please tell her I'll be with her soon," Dipper said as tears filled his eyes.
Stan gave him a reassuring smile and nod as the doors of the ambulance closed and raced towards the hospital.