A Shooting Star Falls
Part One: Back Where We Belong
It seemed to be an ordinary Wednesday in the first week of June in Gravity Falls, Oregon; at least as normal of a day as one could expect to experience in the small Pacific Northwestern town that was inhabited by all order of the strange and outright bizzare. The weather outside was beautiful as the afternoon sun filtered through the dense forest that surrounded the Mystery Shack. Almost four years had passed since Weirdmageddon and Soos continued to run the popular tourist attraction that Grunkle Stan left to him following that fateful summer. The crowds of visitors had thinned as the end of the day began to approach. Manning the register of the gift shop was none other than a 17-year-old Dipper Pines, his head buried in a book pertaining to the supernatural while he had kicked his feet up on the stand. He had grown quite a bit since his first travel to the Central Oregon oddity, now standing just shy of six feet tall. He developed an athletic build to better stay one step ahead of the supernatural entities he pursued in his spare time, which his girlfriend Pacifica Northwest had not minded at all. Although the distance had put some strain on their nearly two-year-old relationship, the couple frequently visited one another and thanks to modern technology were able to keep in constant contact. Both eagerly awaited that special time of the year when they could be around one another for nearly three whole months uninterrupted. "Hey dude, where's your sister at?" Soos asked his young employee. "Not sure... Three whole days on the job and she's already disappearing... This is gonna be a long summer" the dark brown-haired teen remarked while keeping his attention on the article he was reading. "Here I am!" exclaimed Mabel as she leapt out of a clothing rack full of Soos' trademark question mark shirts. Mr. Mystery staggered back and nearly fell down due to the sudden surprise appearance of the young woman. "Heh... Dude, you got me good… Wasn't expecting you in there" said the somewhat large man as he struggled to catch his breath. "Sorry! I was dusting. I'm pretty sure the last time it was cleaned was before I was born. See! I was actually doing work, Dip-Dop..." Mabel explained before sticking her tongue out at her sibling. Dipper turned a page in his book, seemingly unfazed by his sister's sneak attack on his good friend.
"Alright guys, so since it's slow and Dipper and I are gonna try and capture that ancient giant squid everyone says lives in Lake Gravity Falls, we'll call it a day. That reminds me, let me get you guys your pay for the week. Stan sure didn't mention how much work went into running this place..." Soos proclaimed while turning off the neon 'Open' sign. "I've been meaning to ask you, why we get paid in the middle of the week, instead of a Friday like everywhere else?" asked Mabel. As the years had passed, she too had begun to grow up; her straight and bright teeth no longer bound by the braces which once adorned them. The height advantage she once held over her sibling had been eclipsed over winter break in their sophomore year; her long, brown hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. "Well, you see… I was thinking that the middle of the week can kinda be a bit of a drag… So, what better way to cheer everyone up than getting paid a little early? Besides, when have we ever done anything normal at the Mystery Shack?" their boss asked. "I never thought of it like that" said Mabel. "So, you gonna throw it in your piggy bank?" asked Soos as he handed her a plain white envelope with her three days' worth of pay inside. "Nah, piggy banks are for kids and it made Waddles really jealous for some reason. I'm practically an adult now and as such, have a bank account to deposit it in." Mabel replied in a matter-of-fact way. "Eh, growing up isn't all it's cracked up to be. If it were up to me, I'd wanna be your age forever. No taxes, no waiting in the DMV all day to renew your registration... Yeah, that would be pretty sweet..." Soos commented. "But what about going out into the world, finding yourself, having whirlwind romances, voting and most importantly, being able to rent a car? I wished that time could stand still once and it almost ended the world. Now... I can't wait for whatever my future holds!" the brunette young woman countered.
A short while later, the trio had finished closing up shop and prepared to leave. "Hey sis, Soos and I are outta here, do you want a ride to town?" asked Dipper. "That's okay bro-bro, I'll walk there. I enjoy the exercise and want to explore what's changed since last year" she politely turned down the offer. "Okay, catch you later then..." Dipper said as he went towards the door; making it only a few feet before feeling a pair of sweater clad arms around his waist. "Good luck out there! I know you guys will find it. Just remember to be safe. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you..." the teenage girl said with a bit of concern in her voice. Whenever her brother would go out on an adventure, the nagging thought would sit in the back of her mind. While he had been extraordinarily lucky over the years, she knew eventually it would catch up with him in the form of an injury or perhaps worse. She never wanted to make that call to her parents. "You worry too much! I'll be fine. I always am..." her brother replied. "Call me if you need anything and please don't buy out half the mall..." he added while grabbing the door knob. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard a siren as red and blue lights shone through the stained-glass front windows of the shack. "Oh great, what did your Grunkle do now? I'm running out of ways to bail him out, especially when he's not even in the country... Tell Blubs or Durland that I'm out of the Shack, would you?" Soos said in an exasperated tone before walking out of the room. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with the police after what had been a long day of work at the tourist attraction. The door opened abruptly, pushing Dipper back. A shadowy figure stood in the doorway as the sun obstructed Mabel and Dipper's view. "Yo! What up dudes?" asked the figure as it stepped forward. The voice was unmistakable. It was Wendy Corduroy, Gravity Falls' newest police officer. "Wendy! I missed you so much!" exclaimed Mabel as she rushed up and gave the uniformed woman a tight hug. "Hey Mabes, I missed you too! What have you been getting yourself into since you got back in town?" the redheaded teenager responded while returning the gesture.
Wendy had matured in the years since she had first met the Mystery Twins. Last summer she had begun to wonder what her future held. She really had no passion to follow in her father's footsteps and become a lumberjill at his mill. School felt like a prison to her, so why would she willingly increase her sentence by four years and pay for it as well? She had briefly entertained joining the armed forces but decided it would take her far away, and she wanted to stick close to home in order to make sure her three younger brothers stayed out of trouble, seeing as she was the closest thing they had to a mother figure. "You know, just goofing off, making sweet sweaters. Same old, same old. Me and the girls are going to the mall if you wanna come with. I just gotta make a stop at the bank to deposit my wad..." Mabel said as she proudly displayed her earnings. "Make that cash girl! Ugh, I'd totally love to, but with Durland and Blubs gone for the week it's just me running the show. Soon though. We have to catch up for sure!" Wendy said. "So, let me get this straight… you're saying that you're the only cop in town until Monday?" asked Mabel. "Yup… but please don't tell anyone. I feel like the crime rate would skyrocket if people figured out that I couldn't be everywhere at once. I parked a few of the other cruisers around town and put some of Stan's old dummies in them to make it look like I am, so hopefully it works out..." the redhead told her friend.
"Hey Wendy! It's so good to see you again..." Dipper said as he extended his hand. "A handshake? Really, man? After all we've been through? Bring it in!" the uniformed woman said before wrapping him up in a hug, which he quickly returned. "Geez, been working out much? You're lowkey shredded dude!" Wendy said as she took note of his lean and muscular body. "T-Thanks? If I'm ever going to become a professional cryptozoologist, I have to keep my body in top shape. Never know when you're going to have to run or climb your way outta trouble" he replied. "Makes sense... I'm glad I did cross-country when I was in high school, because I've definitely had to chase my fair share of suspects already. Who knew drunks turned into really bad parkour runners when they're fleeing from you? I sure didn't..." the ginger woman said with a laugh. "Me neither. I take it that the job is going alright though?" Dipper responded. "Yeah, for the most part. It's like any other job... It has its good days and its bad days. Sometimes you're handing out little plastic badges to kids at the library and other times you're pulling someone over for driving under the influence. Well, I wish I could stay longer, but this town isn't going to protect itself. Later dudes…" Wendy said. "Bye! Be safe!" Mabel said as the siblings watched Wendy close the door. "I still can't believe that Wendy of all people decided to become a cop" Dipper mused aloud. "I think it's a perfect fit for her..." Mabel replied. "What makes you say that?" her brother asked. "I mean, she's got a level head, doesn't get too worked up about things and yet is really tough when she needs to be. Isn't that what a police officer is supposed to be like?" she answered. "I guess so..." was all Dipper could say on a late afternoon in Gravity Falls, Oregon.
Author's Note: This is a slight update to the original first chapter of this story that fixes some mistakes, such as continuity, timing, plot holes, grammatical errors and the like.
My Playlist for this chapter:
"Home" - Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
"Wonderful Life" - Two Door Cinema Club
"Ride" - Twenty One Pilots
"Wild Child" - Black Keys
"Mess Around" - Cage The Elephant
"Black Summer" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Official Shooting Star Falls AU Reading Order:
Underage Discoveries On A Reckless Night: A Shooting Star Falls Prequel
A Shooting Star Falls
Echoes Of A Nearby Future: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Scarred Summer: A Shooting Star Falls Story
The Dark Days of Candy Chiu: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Forever Memories: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Stable Times Or A Wild Ride?: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Grenda's Confession: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Birthday Weirdness In The Rose City: A Shooting Star Falls Story
The Gift Of Forever: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Wendy & Dipper Vs The Future: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Life In Transit: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Pause The Moment: A Shooting Star Falls Story