It turned out Stan was right. Once all the legal matters had been taken care of it took almost no time at all to restore the shack to its former glory. A little nicer than before actually, as the furniture and appliances were new (Mabel had a peace of mind knowing that she wouldn't be smelling smoke for a long time). Even though they had enough money to make the Shack bigger and nicer than it was before, the kids insisted they make it look as much like the original as possible: small, tacky, and old-fashioned. It was home.

Dipper and Mabel decided against getting their own rooms for the time being. After everything they had been through they couldn't bear to be parted. Though their uncles did insist on at least getting a slightly larger bedroom for them. After all, they were rebuilding more than a tourist-trap business, they were building a home for these kids to have forever.

They decided to take the money they had left over to put into a college fund for Dipper and Mabel. Stan and Ford wanted to make sure they had everything they would ever need to create the best lives possible for themselves (they even had enough left over to stack away a very small amount for themselves so that once the twins were in college they could enjoy a few adventures between the two of them in their twilight years).

It was the night before the grand re-opening of the shack. The four of them had moved in a couple of days ago. It was important for them to get comfortable with the Shack as their home before opening it to the public as a business.

Ford and Stan sat in the kitchen sipping coffee and quietly discussing the true motive for the celebration the next day.

"What if they don't go for it, Ford? I mean, what if we're overstepping our bounds? We aren't their parents. What if they think we are trying to replace them?"

"Stanley, you know the kids are smarter than that. They know we can't replace their parents. This isn't about replacing their parents. It's about saying that we are more than their guardians. We are their family and we always will be." Ford patted his brother's hand. "Don't be nervous."

"Nervous? Who said anything about nervous? I'm not nervous! You're nervous!" Stan pointed an accusing finger at Ford, who just raised his eyebrow and smiled.

"I'm gonna…I'm gonna head to the roof to make sure the S is secured on the sign," Stan said trying to bail out of this awkward moment. "Wouldn't want it falling off during tomorrow's festivities!"

"Stanley, you know the sign is in better shape now then it's ever been," Ford said with a laugh.

"I know, Sixer. It's just a force of habit," Stan said with a laugh as he headed up the ladder leading to the roof.

When he got to the top he was surprised to find Mabel sitting on the roof outside her bedroom window. She was looking up at the stars and appeared to be deep in thought.

"Everything alright, pumpkin?" Stan asked quietly as he walked over to sit at her side.

"Hi, Grunkle Stan," Mabel said trying her best to put on a perky face, but not doing a great job.

"Hey, I know I'm cheap, but how about a penny for your thoughts?" Stan pulled out a penny from behind her ear. The magic trick used to amaze her when she was a baby. Even though she knew it was just a trick now, it still got a giggle out of her now and then.

"I've got a lot of thoughts."

"Well, I don't have a lot of pennies, but I've got all the time in the world and big ears that can listen," Stan said as Mabel gave a small laugh.

Mabel looked down in contemplation. She had avoided the subject since the trial fearing it would upset Stan if she brought it up. But she couldn't get the thought out of her head. Mabel took a deep breath and then finally asked a question that had been plaguing her. "What happened…when I flatlined?"

Stan certainly wasn't expecting this question. Mabel hadn't followed up with him about that accidental revelation, so he had assumed (or hoped) that she had forgotten about it. "Your heart…stopped…but for just a few seconds! No big deal. You were fine," Stan added quickly.

"Did I die?"

Stan scoffed. "Obviously, not! You're right here. Unless you're a zombie or something."

Stan tried to tickle Mabel in a desperate attempt to lighten the mood, but she wasn't having it. She shoved his fingers away. "Grunkle Stan, please tell me."

"Tell you what, Mabel?" Stan said defensively. "Your heart stopped for a sec and it started again. What do you want from me?"

"I want to know if maybe I died and saw my mom and dad!" Mabel shouted back.

Stan was taken aback. That was certainly a good reason to want to know. The problem was he had no idea how to answer her. "Sweetie...I don't know...nobody knows…what really happens when we…maybe, maybe Ford knows something about it…"

"Maybe it was just a dream," Mabel said sounding almost disappointed. "It just seemed so real…seeing Mom and Dad. I even heard Dad's voice. He said, 'Daddy's here.'"

Stan felt his heart sink. He was a person who had told more lies in his life than he could count. Yet, that one in the ambulance still tugged at him. He felt horrible for tricking his niece into thinking her father was there with her. He couldn't let her live with that lie. "You don't remember, do you, pumpkin?"

"Remember what, Grunkle Stan?"

"I was the one who said, 'Daddy's here.'"

"You did? But why?"

"I'm sorry, baby. I really am. But please try to understand. We didn't know if you were gonna make it. I was scared. I had never been so scared in my life."

"Really? But you're not afraid of anything! You've faced all sorts of crazy stuff: zombies, spider women, pterodactyls, demon triangles…"

A smile lifted the corners of Stan's mouth. How precious it was that this child thought that he, a man who for most of his life had been a coward, could be truly fearless. "I've been scared lots of times, pumpkin. Mainly when someone or something tries to hurt you kids. But when you guys were attacked by zombies, or monsters, or Bill…heck, even Brad. I could stand between you and them, I could fight back, I could protect you."

Stan took her hands in his. "But when you…when you flatlined, they wouldn't even let me touch you. They brought out that thing you see on those tv shows where they try to shock you back. They had to do it to you several times. But I couldn't help. I couldn't do anything."

Stan didn't want to cry in front of her, but he couldn't stop the tears spilling down his cheeks. "That feeling of helplessness...it was the scariest thing I've ever faced, Mabel. I was so scared that I lost you."

Stan tried to wipe his eyes and take a deep breath before continuing. "When they brought you back, I was so relieved, Mabel. I felt like I could breath again knowing you were still with me. I squeezed your hand and you looked up at me and you called me…you called me 'Daddy.' You looked so confused and scared, I just wanted to make you feel better. I was willing to say or do anything to keep you here, to keep you fighting….so I said, 'Daddy's here' because…I wanted you to know that you weren't alone. I wanted you to know that someone who loves you very much was there to protect you and to look after you."

Mabel said nothing and her face was emotionless. Stan couldn't tell what she was thinking. "Mabel, I know I'm not really your dad, but I do love you like you were my own daughter. It didn't feel like a lie to me because I meant what I said in that ambulance. Because you're my baby girl, and I love you with all my heart."

Mabel was quiet for a long moment and Stan was terrified that she was angry at him. Then, she tenderly cupped Stan's face and used his hands to wipe his tears away. "Thanks for telling me the truth, Grunkle Stan."

"Yeah, I can do that every once in a while," said Stan as they both shared a laugh.

"And just for the record, Grunkle Stan…" Mabel looked up at him with nothing but warmth in her beautiful brown eyes. "I love you like you were my daddy too."

Stan let out a tiny gasp before smiling and crying tears of joy. He returned Mabel's hug and held her tight as they watched the stars together.

Not long after, Mabel fell asleep slumped against his chest. He gently picked her up and carried her into the room she shared with her twin brother. But Dipper wasn't the only one in the room. He himself was being tucked into bed by none other than Ford.

The older set of twins made sure that their younger counterparts, their children, were tucked in, kissed them both goodnight, and slowly walked out of the room with big grins on their faces.

As they shut the door and smiled at each other they both knew without a doubt they were doing the right thing tomorrow.