HAT: I own not Gravity Falls, merely the OCs and plot. Enjoy y'allselves on this short chapter.
Peace is not an eternal state of being. Life is full of violent whiplash from emotion and unpredictable waves.
Pacifica should've seen this wave coming long before, but she was optimistic having run her worries through the forest.
She hesitates at the treeline and notices the kitchen lights on and Stanford sitting there sipping on something- probably coffee- and writing in his journal with fervency. The rest of the house seems to be quiet so she sneaks back into her room as silently as possible.
As she closes the window behind her she lets out a relieved sigh. She takes off her jacket and places it on her chair at the desk and crawls into bed with a glance towards Mabel's bed.
There's no knock when the door opens and she straightens up without thinking instead of pretending to be asleep like she should've. Stanley's standing there in his casual wear with his fez probably hanging up on the coat rack downstairs. Her stomach drops seeing his thunderous expression and she backs into the corner of her bed against the wall, glancing towards the window.
Stanley swings the door back until it's cracked and sits on Mabel's bed with a grunt. "Calm down, I'm not gonna touch ya."
She eases a little despite her apprehension. She doesn't speak; she can't bring herself to.
He takes a nearby book and opens it. She's not sure if he's actually reading it, but the action does calm her down. She's still incredibly nervous because, out of the two, Stanley's the one she hates to disappoint the most. They sit in silence for what feels like eternity before Stanley glances up at her and marks his place in the book with his finger. Maybe he was actually reading it.
"Are you ready?" Stanley asks, tiredly determined eyes locking with hers.
Regardless of her reluctance to delve into any sort of conversation she nods her head.
"Listen, kid," he sets the book back on the nightstand, "I know you're feelin' cooped up and probably angry and I can't blame ya."
The anger resting dormant in her chest bubbles up faintly. He has no idea.
He meets her gaze. "But you damn near gave everyone a heart attack. Y'know McGucket came to surprise you and take you out to the junkyard for a little bit. Imagine our surprise when we found you gone. If it weren't for 'Ford we'd've been out there searchin' for ya like..."
Like that night...
They haven't spoken about the night she got kidnapped by Dan in a while. It's still a delicate subject and who could blame any of them for wanting to let it die? It was full of bad memories for everyone involved.
He looks directly into her eyes and she flinches. "You know you're grounded right?"
Her eyes widen in disbelief. "But, but..."
He raises his eyebrows, waiting for her to make her defense.
The truth is she doesn't have one.
She sighs and leans her head back against the wall. "I don't know why I'm like this..."
"Like what, kid?"
She clenches her fists into her blankets and tries to take a calming breath... key word being try as her eyes begin to water. She's thankful Stanley doesn't immediately try to comfort her like Fiddleford or start breaking down her previous words and actions to try and find an answer like Stanford. He just sits patiently and waits for her to speak. She doesn't know how often he's dealt with people like her, but obviously it was enough to know to just wait.
"I-I'm so... angry." Pacifica's voice cracks with tears.
Stanley leans forward so his elbows are on his knees. "Lay it on me."
Lay it on you, huh?
She sits up abruptly and glares at him. "Why are we still here?! My stupid parents could take me back if they really wanted to at any time and no one would be able to do anything! Everyone at school hates me because they know how I used to be! And then all the supernatural stuff tries attacking us every day. I get we'd have to hide Schmebulock, but he knows how important it is. And as soon as Dan happened I don't know why we didn't move in the first place!"
She stands up and her fists shake at her sides. Stanley's back straightens so he's backed away from her ire a little.
"We only stayed because you were all too selfish! Uncle 'Ford's research comes before me! Your business comes before me! If you guys cared you would've been there so I wouldn't have to kill a man! If you cared we would've moved before anything happened... so much for being family..."
She stomps over to the door, intent on leaving the room and going on another run.
Stanley's hand covers the doorknob and he blocks the door with his body.. "Pacifica-"
Her chin jerks up so her electric blue eyes can meet his. "Let me go."
His grip on the doorknob tightens momentarily before he lets go and kneels in front of her with an unreadable expression. "Is that how you really feel?"
She jerks back to put space between them and glances toward the window. She could run and he wouldn't be able to catch her. He was old and slow...
"Pacifica, look at me."
Without thinking she turns and looks into his chocolate eyes and feels a strong surge of guilt dampen her anger. Did I really say all of that?
"I didn't mean it," she insists.
He holds out a hand to her. "Sweetheart, I'm not mad that you're angry with us. We deserve it... we should've been better."
Pacifica grabs his hand and squeezes it. "Papa... compared to what I had you're a million times better..."
"But you deserve better. You've been through too much with us... it's because we're selfish we haven't sent you to live with someone better than us."
A renewed rage swells in her chest and she stares in disbelief at him. "You... you thought of getting rid of me?"
Stanley's hand squeezes hers. "Honey, 'Ford and I love you like you were our own blood. We want what's best for you... dammit, look at what's happened to you under our watch! How can we trust ourselves with you kids?"
"How could you trust someone else with us?!"
"We don't," Stanley insists, releasing her hand and rubbing his eyes. "It's hard to explain all this... I think it'd be easier to talk in the morning when we've had more sleep."
Pacifica rubs her eyes and and drags her hand down her face. "Like that'll change anything..."
Stanley doesn't say anything to that and exits the room with his shoulders hunched lower than normal.
Pacifica falls back into her bed and covers her face. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?
She turns and curls with her back to the door, tears finally being released. She has no idea how much time passes before she hears the door open. She doesn't move and pretends to be asleep- she'd rather not deal with anymore people. She's done enough yelling tonight.
She nearly startles when a blanket is put over her. Once the door closes she curls in on herself and hugs the blanket closer. I'm sorry...
Her sleep is as restless as ever that night.
HAT: I apologize for the really short chapters. It's a struggle writing at this point, but I really wanna finish this.
Mabel: Didn't you say something about wanting to rewrite this whole thing?
HAT: *sweatdrops* Yeah, but this needs to get finished first... who knows if I'll have it in me to rewrite this from the very beginning.
Mabel: I believe in you!
HAT: *smiles* Thanks. *mutters* At least someone does. *speaks up* Would you do the honors, dear?
Mabel: *grins* Of course! *waves* Please review!