Back at Ford's house, deep in the basement, Stan was working tirelessly on the portal in the hopes of reactivating it and retrieve Ford. He had spent days in his brother's house, having never left since the incident. He had slept on the couch in the living room, with Ford's glasses and journal by his side. But Stan was having some trouble sleeping as he couldn't get his brother out of his mind. He could remember Ford's last words as he was being pulled into the portal:
"Stanley! Stanley! Do something! Stanley!"
Those were the last words Ford said before he disappeared into the portal. Stan couldn't sleep well after that, he would stay up for long periods in the night holding Ford's glasses in his hand. Since then, he'd spend all day in the basement working on the portal, hoping to reactivate it and bring his brother back. As he was busy working on the portal, his hands were starting to get greasy as a result of working for a long time.
"Whew! This is so hard. How did Ford manage to build this thing all on his own?" Stan asked himself.
He started rubbing his back which was still sore from being burnt by the hot panel from the fight. He had a burn mark on his back of the rune from the control panel. Now it was permanently tattooed on his backside for the rest of his life. Stan was also covered in grease and dust as a result of spending lots of time underground working on the portal.
As he continued working on the portal, he kept the journal by his side as it was the key to reactivating it and finding his brother. He also began searching for the other two journals, but he couldn't find them anywhere near the house. Ford had hidden them well enough to make sure no one would find them, not even his own brother.
"Damn it! How is this so complicated?!" Stan shouted in frustration.
He put his tools down and walked towards the lever. He grabbed the lever and pulled it, hoping to get results. But his efforts proved futile as the portal remained inactive. Stan kept pulling the lever back and forth, but nothing happened.
"Why is this thing not working?!" He shouted in anger. "Give me back my brother!"
He grabbed a wrench and threw it at the portal. The sound echoed across the room and the portal remained silent. Stan decided to take a break from working on the machine and went upstairs to the living room. He placed the tools inside the toolbox and grabbed the journal. He walked upstairs and went straight into the living room.
"Whew! What a day this has been." Stan said.
It has been over a week since he arrived in Gravity Falls, a week since his fight with Ford, and a week since Ford disappeared into the portal. Stan hasn't left the house since then. He spent the nights sleeping in the living room, but lately he hasn't been able to get enough sleep. He'd stay up most nights thinking about his brother. Ever since Ford disappeared, Stan has been caught up in an endless guilt trip.
As he sat on the couch, he took out Ford's glasses and let out a deep sigh. He couldn't help but feel like this was all his fault, that he was responsible for his brother's disappearance.
"Stanford." Stan said sadly. "I'm so, so sorry. This is all my fault. I've messed everything up again. But this time, I'm going to make things right."
He wasn't ready to give up just yet. He was determined to fix the portal and bring his brother back. He wasn't going to lose him again like he did 10 years ago. He'll spend the rest of his life here, but it'll be worth it to bring Ford back home.
"I will find a way to get you back, Ford. No matter what it takes." Stan said with determination.
Meanwhile, in a distant dimension, it was raining in a barren grassland. The sky was covered with dark clouds and the rain was pouring hard onto the ground. There was a cave beside a hill right next to a mountain region. Inside was a small campsite where Ford had settled in since he first arrived in this dimension. He managed to somehow start a small fire and used some leaves and grass to make a makeshift bed.
"Well, that should keep the fire going for at least another day." He said. "Hopefully."
Ford was cold and wet from traveling through the rain, but it was worth it to get some supplies for his shelter. It wasn't much, but it was all he had for now. As he sat down, he warmed his hands next to the fire. His stomach began to growl.
"Great. Now I'm wet and hungry. Just great." Ford said grumpingly.
He's been having trouble finding food ever since he arrived after escaping Bill Cipher and his minions. He had been preparing for a possible apocalypse from the demons in the Nightmare Realm, but he hadn't prepared himself for wilderness survival of any kind. All Ford could find was some insects to eat and fresh water from a nearby stream.
"Well, looks like another cold night for me along with an empty stomach." He said.
He curled up in his makeshift bed and fell asleep as the rain continued pouring outside. The next day, the rain had stopped and the clouds began to disappear. Ford had gotten up early and put out the fire so that it wouldn't grow wild. He looked outside and saw the sun peeking out the horizon.
"Well, at least it stopped raining." Ford said.
Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly. He was terribly hungry, so he decided to go hunting for some grub. He walked through the grasslands and headed straight towards the river. He hoped to catch some fish to eat instead of bugs. But as he made his way to the river, Ford spotted a distant figure at the riverbank.
"Hello! Who's there?!" He shouted.
The figure stopped in place and turned towards Ford's position. He stood still as the figure approached him with caution. He didn't know who or what he was dealing with, but he was prepared to defend himself. The figure came closer and revealed herself as a young teenage girl. She and Ford stared at each other with curiosity.
"Who are you?" The girl asked. "My name is Stanford Pines. But you can call me Ford." Ford said. "Okay then. The name's Nikita. But you can call me Nikki if you want." Nikita said. "Well then, nice to meet you, Nikita." Ford said.
As they both shook hands with each other, Ford's stomach growled again.
"Sounds like you're starving." Nikita said. "That is correct. I am famished." Ford said. "I caught a few fish a while ago. Wanna share them with me?" Nikita asked. "Yes, I would like that very much." Ford said. "Okay then, follow me to my campsite." Nikita said.
As she led the way to her camp, Ford saw a kindred spirit in the young girl. He believed that she might be able to help him find a way back home. He also started to think about his brother Stan and what he was up to. Ford silently hoped that Stan wasn't doing anything stupid with his journal while he was away, but he had a dark feeling inside that his brother might attempt to reactivated the portal and bring him home.
"Stanley. If you have any form of conscience. Whatever you do: don't try to reactivate the portal. It's just too dangerous." Ford said silently.
But he already feared that his warnings might be in vain. He knew how stubborn Stan was and that he wouldn't listen to any of his instructions. Ford also knew that Stan might be on his way now to find the other journals at this very moment.