Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Forty-Nine: One Track Mind
The Pines sisters had finished putting away their belongings and made their way back to the main house, where they hoped to find out just what was in store for them over the course of the following week. "All settled in?" Caitlynn asked the teen girls as they joined the Karson family at their large wooden dining table. "Yup! So, what's the gameplan?" Pacifica asked. "Well, not counting today, we'll have six days until you guys' head back home. I have a competition meeting with my team in an hour, so I won't be here all afternoon. Caitlynn and the kids thought it'd be fun to take you out on the lake since it's such a nice day. Then we'll meet up for dinner at our favorite restaurant. Tomorrow is when we'll get to work. I want to wake up early and head up to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where I'll let you two get behind the wheel and evaluate your skills. From there I'll teach you everything you need to know. Wednesday we'll continue with lessons and on Thursday it'll be a half day. Logan and I have a sprint car race out in Iowa, so we'll all go to that. Friday will be the final on track day for you two and then we'll head off to Darlington, South Carolina for the FASTCAR Cup Series playoff race. Sunday night you'll fly back to Oregon so that you can go to school on Monday. Does all that sound alright?" Lyle explained to his guests. "Sounds good to us..." Mabel answered as her sibling shook her head in agreement.
"You two ready for some fun?!" Caitlynn asked her teenage guests as they prepared to spend an absolutely beautiful day out on the water. "Yeah... But one thing... We didn't pack any bathing suits" Pacifica informed their host. "Oh! That's alright! We have to swing by Bullseye anyway to get some drinks and snacks, so we'll get you some there!" the blonde woman replied. After a short trip to the big-box retailer, the quintet found themselves at a small marina, where the Karson's boat awaited them. Mabel and Pacifica headed below deck to change while their hosts navigated out of the cove and into the open channel of North Carolina's largest man-made lake. "You don't think my suit is too revealing, is it?" Mabel asked as she took a look at herself in a full-length mirror. "Nah, it's not like your ass is hanging out or anything" Pacifica remarked, which caused her twin to turn around and stare at her backside in the reflective surface. "I... I guess you're right. Besides, who am I trying to impress?" the redhead said in a confident tone. "Yeah, it's not like you've been eye-humping Logan since we got off the plane or anything..." Pacifica playfully shot back with a sly smile. "Ugh! Is it that obvious?" her sister inquired as her cheeks turned red. "Oh yeah. I'm pretty sure Mr. Karson, Mrs. Karson and Aubrey picked up on that vibe too. For what it's worth, he seems to be into you..." the brunette responded, which caused a gigantic smile to form on her sister's face.
Caitlynn Karson had navigated to an area just off the shoreline of a small island and deployed the anchor. She lay a towel down on the deck and began to sunbathe, as did her daughter. Logan had jumped off the stern of the boat and began to do laps around the boat. A few moments later, their guests emerged from the lower deck. Mabel was adorned in a two-piece forest green and yellow bikini, while Pacifica had chosen some floral print surf shorts and a black short sleeve rash guard top with matching accents. "Looking good!" Aubrey said to the girls. Logan had just swum around to the back of the boat and lay eyes upon the young woman he harbored a crush on. "Oh! Hey Logan!" she said with a bright smile and a friendly wave. The sandy haired boy about slipped beneath the water as his mind quickly drifted away. "Hey..." he finally managed to respond. "I think my brother has a crush on you" Aubrey said in a hushed tone to Mabel. "Y-You think so?" she absent-mindedly replied. "Oh yeah. I mean, he's a goober and all, but he just about drowned when you waved at him..." Aubrey responded. "Go talk to him..." Pacifica said before shoving her sister towards the young man who was drying himself off with a towel.
"H-How's the water?" Mabel asked her crush. "Honestly... A little too warm for me. It always gets like this at the end of the summer though" Logan explained. "Oh..." she replied. "Still, there's nothing like a good swim to stay in shape. I don't know why, but it really seems to give you a better all-around workout than a session in the gym" he expanded on his thoughts. "I never thought about it like that. I play soccer at school, so I'm always looking for new ways to train" Mabel said. "It's really good for cardio. I mean, you must not have a problem with that at all if you're running up and down the pitch, but as a racer I'm always trying to find some sort of edge that you can't find with a racecar" Logan replied. "Soccer is a great way to build up your cardio for sure. Maybe I can show you a thing or two before the end of our trip" the ginger teen offered. "Yeah. I'd like that" Logan said as a bit of a blush came over his cheeks. Caitlynn turned and lifted her sunglasses to see that her son had become even more awkward than usual around the attractive teen girl. "Aww geez... I was afraid this would happen..." she said with a sigh. Pulling out her phone, she snapped a covert picture of the teens and sent it to her husband.
Pacifica and Aubrey had become fast friends, as they had similar dispositions. They spent the afternoon conversing about all sorts of things, from music to fashion and everything in-between while catching some rays. Likewise, Mabel and Logan had gone for a swim and soon found themselves on the small island a few hundred yards away from their boat. It featured sandy shores which soon gave way to a miniature forest in its interior. "This place is pretty cool..." Mabel said as she tried to not sound too impressed by her surroundings. "Yeah, me and my friends like to camp out here when we have free time" Logan replied. "It must be pretty peaceful at night..." Mabel added. "Yeah. It's just what I need when life gets to be a little too much for me..." he remarked before realizing what he said. "You okay?" Mabel asked with genuine concern in her voice. "Yeah... Well, sorta... You see, it's not that I don't like the life that I have. It's just that... That, I feel like I have to live up to my dad sometimes" Logan revealed. "That must be rough..." Mabel said as she tried to empathize with her crush. "I mean, I love the life I have. I love racing. It's such a rush and there's nothing like it in the world. I just wish that I didn't have to hear comparisons to him almost every time I'm at the track. He's on another planet when it comes to what he's done in his career. Multiple time FASTCAR champion, Daytona 500 winner, Bristol Night Race winner... Hell, he won the Indy 500 and World 600 in one day. Who does that?! People had a hard enough time just finishing both of them and he makes it look just another Sunday. Throw in all his dirt racing accomplishments and I know I can never live up to that. I just wanna race and be Logan, not Lyle Karson's son..." the sandy haired teen said as he fought back his emotions. "I'd love to say that I know the feeling, but I don't. That must be a ton of pressure. Add in all the other stuff people our age go through and it's gotta suck" she continued.
Logan thought about what the young woman had just said to him. He agreed. It did suck. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to dump all that on you like that. You're here to learn how to drive and I ju-" he began before being cut off. "Don't be. It's okay" Mabel said before wrapping the troubled boy up in a hug. Logan gave in to his emotions and began to cry. "Feelings are meant to be felt, even if they hurt..." she continued while rubbing the back of the upset teen. "That... That's some really solid advice. Did you read that somewhere?" Logan asked as he regained control of his emotions. "Nope. Just came straight from the heart" she replied. "I knew from the moment I saw you that I was supposed to meet you..." Logan remarked. "Yeah. Same here. I don't know what it is, but I just feel like we were destined to cross paths" Mabel responded. The teens stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Mabel was first to move on her instincts and leaned in to place her lips upon the young man's. He soon reciprocated her action and the two began to passionately kiss. The moment seemed to last for hours, but Mabel quickly pulled back as she questioned what she had just done. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be s-" she began before Logan became the one to reconnect their lips.
Mabel felt a wave of electricity flow through her, which was soon followed up by a flashback to that awful night just a few weeks prior. Her demeanor changed almost instantly and she pounded her bawled up fists on his chest. "NO! NO! NO! GET OFF ME!" she screamed before pulling away and falling to the forest floor below. "MABEL! I-I'M SORRY! Are you alright?" Logan asked as he knelt down to check on the teen girl. She was crying hysterically and rebuffed any effort from Logan to see what was the matter with her. "I... I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable..." he apologized profusely. Mabel managed to calm down slightly and uncovered her eyes to see a very worried Logan beside her. "I... Oh, God... I'm sorry Logan. It's nothing you did... I... I just... It's a long story" she said while sitting up. "Well, I wouldn't mind listening. Sometimes a friendly ear can make all the difference" he replied while taking a seat beside her. "Okay... But please don't think that what I share with you was what I was thinking you'd do to me. I haven't known you for that long, but I'm already pretty sure you'd never be like that" Mabel said. She spent the next few minutes revealing what had happened at the ill-fated party only a couple of weeks prior. She watched as Logan's face displayed a look of utter disgust for what someone had attempted to do to the young woman. "And so, I thought I was over all that. Clearly, I'm not. I'm sorry" she explained. "No. Don't be. You said you couldn't know what I was going through and I feel the same way. I wish that hadn't happened to you. Nobody deserves to have that happen to them. I hope that asshole rots in hell for what he did..." the young man reassured her. "Well, that makes two of us..." Mabel said with a giggle.
"Mabel and Logan have been gone for an awfully long time, haven't they?" Pacifica remarked as she rolled over on her beach towel. "Yeah... Where did those two slip off to?" Caitlynn asked as she got up and headed below deck; half expecting to find the two teens deep in the throes of passion with one another. About the same time, Mabel and Logan climbed back aboard the vessel and reached for a pair of towels to dry off. "There you are! I was starting to worry that an accident had happened or something" the older woman sighed with relief while emerging from the private quarters. "Yeah, sorry about all that. I just wanted to show Mabel the island me and the guy's camp out on" he explained to his mother. "Next time, could you please let me know? Anyway, I don't know about y'all, but this girl's stomach is rumbling. I'll call your dad and see if he's done yet. I know William Clyde is all butthurt about being raced hard, but even when he's complaining to the boss it usually doesn't take this long" she remarked. As if on cue, her cellphone rang. "Hey honey. Sorry it took so long, but I had to mend some fences with leadership and a certain daddy's boy. I'm on my way now if you wanna head to the restaurant" he informed his lover. "I was just thinking the same thing. I the girls will get a kick outta the place. Oh! Did you get that pic I sent you?" she replied. "Yeah... I'll have a talk with him when we're in the sim tonight" he said with a sigh before ending the call.
Dipper had been working all day long on an edit of his expedition to find a giant worm-like creature that supposedly inhabited Empty Quarter region of the Arabian Peninsula. Wendy walked through the front door to find him hunched over his laptop, with a pair of studio headphones on and his fingers clacking away at the keyboard. "You know, I give him crap sometimes because he doesn't have a regular job, but he really is working his ass off at this. I hope it's different this time and he ends up getting the show he's always wanted" Wendy thought to herself as she rounded the edge of the sofa and came into view of her husband. "Hey, Wen! You're home early... everything alright?" he commented before she leaned in for a kiss. "Yeah, not too much going on at work today, so I decided to dip out early..." she replied with a laugh. "So, what did you wanna do for dinner tonight since it's just gonna be us?" he asked while sliding his headphones down around his neck. "I've got a wild idea. Let's go out tonight! It's been a while since we had a date night... What if we get a Mega, go someplace fun, get just a little too tipsy and see where the evening takes us?" Wendy suggested. "Wen, it's a Monday night. You have work in the morning. We're not twenty-five anymore. Literally everything about this scream's bad idea. And yet... Ah, screw it! I'm in!" Dipper replied, which caught Wendy off guard. She thought for sure he'd shoot the idea down, preferring instead to stay home, watch some television and make something to eat. "Really?!" she responded; the shock easily detectable in her voice. "Yeah. I mean, we've both had one hell of a summer. We need to blow off some steam and live a little" Dipper reasoned. "Fuck yeah! Let's live a little!" the auburn-haired woman enthusiastically agreed while wrapping her lover up in a tight hug.
Caitlynn had navigated the large vessel towards a brightly lit building on the shoreline. As they drew closer, the sound of a live band playing a cover of a popular song became louder and louder. "Y'all like seafood, don't you?" Caitlynn asked her guests. The twins looked at each other, turned back to the blonde woman and nodded in unison. "That's great! You guys are gonna love this place! It's literally got something for anyone, even picky eaters like Aubrey..." she said in an enthusiastic tone while her daughter rolled her eyes and let out an annoyed huff. "It's called having discerning taste, mom..." the teen shot back, which took her mother a bit off guard. After docking, the Karson's and their guests made their way into the lakeside eatery, which looked like it belonged somewhere in The Florida Keys rather than inland North Carolina. 'Ralph's on the Lake' a large neon sign read as they made their way towards an outdoor table that had been reserved for them. Logan had taken a seat beside Mabel, which the rest of the table's occupants took notice of. "There's a sushi here that is the best I've ever had, and I've been to Japan, so that's saying something..." Logan said to his crush. "Really? That's so cool!" the teen girl replied before proceeding to ask him an almost unrelenting string of questions about the land of the rising sun.
Dipper and Wendy had ordered their ride-share and awaited its arrival as they sat on the front porch. The faintest of chills hung in the air as the sun began to set. "You're sure you wanna do this?" Dipper asked his wife as he hoped she had changed her mind. He knew that if they had the night out that she had promised that they'd both be paying for it the next morning. "Yeah! The less we think about tomorrow, the more fun we'll have tonight!" Wendy replied before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. Dipper had chosen an outfit consisting of a grey t-shirt, a green army-style jacket, a pair of slim light blue jeans and white sneakers that seemed to be a shade seldom seen outside of Antarctica. Wendy, meanwhile had chosen a black pleated skirt, a white t-shirt, a blue flannel shirt tied around her waist, a black leather jacket she'd had since her teenage years and her favorite pair of well-worn high-top canvas sneakers. "So, where are we going?" Wendy asked her lover. "There's this new bar that opened up downtown I came across on Facepage the other day. It looks a lot more fun than Skull Fracture..." he replied. "Is it that place called 'DiveBar'?" the thirty-six-year-old woman inquired. "Sure is. It looks a little safer too. I mean, I want to have a good time without some drunk dude picking a fight with me because he is trying to show off or something..." Dipper added. "Or grabbing my ass just because he thinks he can? Is it even a night out in Gravity Falls if it doesn't end up at either Greasy's or Skull Fracture though?" Wendy said with a chuckle. "I suppose we're about to find out. And rest assured, I'll be the only one grabbing your ass tonight. Of course, only if you want me to. Totally cool if you don't. Anyway, our ride will be here any minute now..." he replied as he tried to change the subject.
A waitress had just delivered the drinks that the Karson's and their guests had ordered when Lyle finally arrived at the table. "Sorry, seventy-seven was a nightmare... But when isn't it?" he apologized. "It's fine. I figured as much. I ordered you the usual. Although, I told her to make it strong because of what you just had to deal with" Caitlynn said before the married couple shared a kiss. "Ugh! Don't get me started on that dipsh... I mean, clown. If I see a way to win that isn't going to flat out wreck someone, then you bet I'm gonna send it. That's why we race. At least that's why I race..." Lyle explained. "And you have the trophies to prove it" his wife agreed. The waitress returned with the drink for him and took their orders. The girls had to do a double take at the prices on the menu, as they were far higher than any restaurant they had ever been to. In the end, Mabel ended up getting some Alaskan King Crab legs while her sister chose the pan-seared salmon. They felt slightly guilty by ordering the expensive entrees, but when the food arrived to the table, they couldn't wait to indulge themselves on the seafood smorgasbord.
Wendy and Dipper arrived at Gravity Falls' newest watering hole, 'DiveBar'. Northwest Boulevard had undergone a bit of a revitalization as the popularity of the town as a tourist destination grew by the year. A vintage video game store resided to the left and an art gallery was just to the right. Across the street was a tattoo parlor where Wendy had most of her work done and a regional bank branch. The couple walked inside and took a seat at the well-worn bar. "Evening! What'll ya have?" the bartender asked them; her voice carrying the distinctive Southern California Valley accent. "Whiskey, straight up" Wendy replied. Dipper knew that his date was serious if she was starting off with liquor. He thought about it for a moment and decided to play her game. "Make that two" the brown-haired man chimed in. "You sure you wanna try and keep up with me, Pines?" Wendy asked as their drinks arrived. "Give me everything you've got, Corduroy..." he replied with a sly smirk. His wife promptly picked up her glass, placed it to her lips and proceeded to down the contents in one slow, deliberate motion. Slamming the empty glass down onto the bar, she turned and winked at Dipper with a confident look on her face. He picked up his glass with a jittery hand and held it to his lips. Unlike his lover, he took a small sip of the whiskey and placed the glass back down on the bar. "On second thought, I think I'll go at my own pace. After all, I don't have as high a tolerance as you..." he said before taking another sip of the amber liquid. "Good idea..." she remarked before pecking him on the lips.
After having a few drinks at the bar, Wendy and Dipper headed downstairs into the basement, which housed all kinds of arcade games. After a particularly heated battle at the Fight Fighters Ultimate Tournament Edition cabinet in which Dipper claimed victory, the couple headed an air hockey table. Wendy decided to raise the stakes of their night out with the latest contest. "You may've barely beaten me at Fight Fighters, buh let's see if ya can beat me at this. An... Just ta make things inereshting, lesch wager shometin..." the auburn-haired woman said as her words began to slur and a mischievous smirk formed on her face. "Wha'd you have in mind?" her lover replied in a playful tone; the alcohol overriding his inner feelings that it was a bad idea to play into whatever she had planned. "Nohw, hwere's the fun in that? Are ya in or what?" she asked. "I have a feeling I'm gonna regret this tomorrow, but sure... Why the hell not?" he answered. "I'll seht up the game if ya wanna grab us s'more drinks..." Wendy added as she leaned on the table. "Alright, but this is the last one for me..." Dipper remarked as he walked off to get them. "Guess we'll havta make it count then..." the ginger woman said with a chuckle as she began to set up the game.
Back in North Carolina, the girls and their host family had finished dinner and returned home. Lyle and Logan headed out to the garage to practice on their racing simulators, which left Mabel and Pacifica alone with Caitlynn and Aubrey for a girl's night. "Thanks again for the awesome dinner Mrs. K" Pacifica said to the matriarch of the racing family. "Glad you enjoyed it" she replied. "So what's Oregon like?" Aubrey asked the slightly older teens. "It's pretty chill" Mabel replied. "Yeah, like, we live in a small town where nothing really major happens. If we wanna go to a concert or something, we've gotta travel to a larger city a few hours away, so that kinda sucks" Pacifica added. "I couldn't deal with that... I like being close to Charlotte because there's always something going on. Of course, all the good stuff happens when we're at the track for the weekend, but sometimes we get to catch a mid-week concert, soccer match or ballgame" Aubrey said. "On the plus side of where we live though, it's absolutely beautiful. We have a national park that always ranks pretty highly on must see lists and stuff, so it's a trade-off for sure..." Pacifica explained. The girls spent the rest of the evening watching episodes of a television show about a bunch of rich people from California who worked at a high-end restaurant, as they all followed it and were eager to share their opinions on it with new people.
Dipper leaned on the edge of the air hockey table as the final buzzer sounded. "Welp, looksh like... like you lost, dude..." Wendy said with a sly smirk before finishing her fifth glass of whiskey. "Ugh... Fine, whatever... What do I have to do?" her husband said with a sigh. "When we got dropped off, I tooks a look around an got one hell of an idea. Wha's sometn that you've been... you've been sayin you'll do since we started going out? Really think bout it while I go get us one final round of drinks..." the auburn-haired woman replied before stumbling off towards the bar. "Make mine a double this time. I have a feeling I'll be needing it..." he shouted to her over the noise of the arcade machines nearby. "What could she possibly have in mind for me? I mean, I've been putting off organizing the attic, but I'm not gonna do that while I'm drunk. Nah! That can't be it! Think, man, think!" he chided himself as he watched Wendy make her way back through the crowd with their drinks in hand. "Figure it out yet?" Wendy said with a chuckle as she saw the visible frustration on his face building more and more. "I'll givesh ya a hint. Wha does I have a lot of tha ya have none of?" she slurred before pounding her sixth glass of whiskey in a little over three hours; the amber liquid finally beginning to affect her. "I dunno... Boobs?" he remarked before taking a sip of his drink. "Hahaha! Nope! I means, I do have a lots of thoshe, but try again..." Wendy said. "What could she be talking about?" he thought to himself while taking a glance at his lover. Then, it hit him much like the drinks had Wendy. "Tattoos? It's tattoos, isn't it? You want me to get a tattoo, don't you?!" he answered as a large smile formed on Wendy's face. "BINGO! WE GOT A WINNA HERE FOLKS!" the ginger woman shouted before wrapping him up in a hug. "Welp, if I'm really gonna get a tattoo, I might as well get my liquid courage on..." the brown-haired man said to himself before taking a large gulp of his drink.
The couple stumbled out the front door of the bar at a little after ten, and made their way to the crosswalk. "I... Isn't this? Nah?" Wendy began as she swayed back and forth while waiting for the signal to change. "Isn't this what?" Dipper asked as he helped to steady his wife. "I thought this wuz tha place you got hit? By the car? Remember?" she continued. "Yeah... I remember. And it is..." he responded in a somewhat annoyed tone. After crossing the street, they made their way to 'Permanent Impressions' and stood on the sidewalk just outside the shop. "Nervous?" Wendy asked as she played with the hem of her skirt. "Let's just get this over with..." he answered before walking over and grabbing the doorhandle. The bell above the door rang as the married couple walked into the tattoo parlor. "Be with ya in a minute!" a woman's voice called out over the sound of her tattoo gun. Dipper opened a book and began to look through the designs. He had given thought to getting inked over the years, but was never serious about it. That being said, he had a rough idea of what it would look like and the meaning behind it. Finding one that was pretty close to what he had in mind, the thirty-three-year-old man let out a sigh and realized that it was now or never. His heart was nearly beating out of his chest as he approached the counter, where the artist that would forever mark his body with ink now stood. After discussing his choice and coming up with a few alterations, the twenty-something woman led Dipper back behind the curtain on a late night in Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Author's Note: I promise the driving part is coming soon, but I wanted to kinda set up the relationships that the girls and their hosts have. What better way to do that than a lake day? My playlist for this is my sad attempt at trying to create a modern alternative soundtrack to such a day. Anyway, onto the story. What's next for Mabel and Logan? Will the troubled young woman be able to put the horrors of the past behind her or will they cost her a chance with her new crush? How will Wendy and Dipper's epic date night end? Just what have Stan and Ford been up to since helping to defeat the Magic Killers? Answers to all these questions and more in the next installment of Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story. Until then, thanks for all the support, reviews, fan art and everything else! - iKLOT
My Playlist:
"Sex, Drugs, Etc." - Beach Weather
"Real Life" - Story Of The Year
"Fallin' With Me" - The Struts (Made me think of how Mabel and Logan are both trying to keep from staring at one another when they see each other in their bathing suits)
"Tonight" - Peter McPoland (Made me think of how Logan feels about Mabel)
"Cross Your Mind" - Role Model
"Come Apart" - Fazerdaze
"Cut Deep" - Matt Maeson
"Unlovable" - Beach Weather
"Crash Course" - Blu DeTiger/BIIg PIIg
"3am in nyc" - SEB
"pretty kids" - mehro
"Growing Dying" - The Backseat Lovers
"Alcohol" - FIDLAR
"I'm Good (Blue)" - David Guetta & Bebe Rexha (Made me think of Wendy when she's enjoying their night out)
"I Hope You're Right" - Pool Kids
"Clarity" - Vance Joy
"Is This What It Feels Like To Feel Like This?" - The Wombats
"SOS" Blame My Youth/OCTAVIO the Dweeb (Made me think of Logan falling for Mabel during their conversation)
"Memory" - Windser
"No Bad Days" - Bastille
"Walking With A Ghost" - Tegan & Sara
"Niki FM" - Hawthorne Heights
"Someday" - The Dangerous Summer