Pacifica Northwest was many things, intelligent, fashionable, beautiful, but a coward she was not. Still, she knew when she was out matched. She knew when it was time to run for the hills. Unfortunately, her parents refused to believe her.

Her problems began when her parents, after suffering from more than a few bad stock investments, were approached by a certain financial consultant. He had sympathized with them about their plight and offered them a membership into their secret society. She really didn't think anything of it, as the rich always loved making a bigger deal out of their clubs than was necessary. They were basically larpers who had the money to go to obscene levels of delusions. It was something the three of them were used to. The Freemasons had their 'lodges', the Owls of Minerva had their 'masks', and these people, they thought, would be no different. Grease a few hands. Commit a little fraud. It was all part of the Game the rich loved to play.

It wasn't until a little imagery that they covered themselves with seemed a little too familiar. She had seen some signs and customs that made her a little nervous. She grew even more nervous when they finally figured out that they were a cult that had a deal with a demon. Obviously, her parents still thought it was all part of the Game, if a little untasteful. They weren't big on the demon larpers, as they always had one too many crazies as leaders. Unfortunately, with their help, they were able to strike it incredibly rich from the stock market. Wearing weird make-up and being part of creepy balls was hardly a heavy price to pay for such success.

Pacifica, however, knew the real price they had to pay had yet to be taken. She knew demons always played for keeps and that dancing with the devil was never safe. When she tried to get them to leave, her parents assured her that she was being paranoid and how no one actually believed in demons. They didn't know what she knew. Thus, she spent her time trying to gather evidence of them being real demon worshippers. If she was lucky, she would find out it was a regular Game, like her parents had said. They were hardly the only people to claim that they worshiped a demon. Many even claimed to have connections with Satan himself. Yet, the world did not turn out to be so kind. The more she knew of the group, the more reason she had to believe that they were the real deal.

It all culminated in her trying to stop her parents by force. She had to save them, even if they weren't the perfect parents, they were hers. However, it was obvious the group, the Children of Demiurge, were less than happy with her trying to take away two of their members. Membership was a one-way street. Even if she couldn't see them, she knew she was being watched. She was afraid. She needed the help of the boy who danced with the devil and lived. She thought she would need to spend a fortune to find him but it was quite the contrary. A simple search on the internet revealed that he had become a successful lawyer in California. It was quite the feat, considering that they were only 22 but not so unheard of.

She didn't know if she felt impressed or disappointed. By normal standards, he should be considered extremely successful, but what she needed wasn't someone like that. Somehow, she realized that she had actually held some very childish expectations from him. She thought he might have become a demon hunter or government spook, at the very least a mad scientist. Yet, the strangest and most daring person she had ever met grew up to be just another suit. She was afraid that the person she remembered didn't exist anymore.

Reluctantly, Pacifica Northwest still took the first flight she could to Northern California to go see if there was anything left of the adventurer she remembered within the confines of that black tie and suit. She had nowhere else to go.

—-

Pacifica entered the giant law firm as nonchalantly as possible. She had been to and spoken with many law firms before as a Northwest. There was no end to court cases having to do with this thing or that when one became rich enough. They basically had a retinue of lawyers that worked just for them for just about anything. At least the environment was her home turf, so that the task at hand would be a little easier. She did not feel too out of place.

Putting on her most Northwest face possible, she went to speak with the receptionist.

"Hellooo, I need to find Dip-Mason Pines. Where is his office?" - P

"Excuse me, but do you have a prior appointment with Dr. Pines and may I have your name?" - Recep

"(Scoff), I am Pacifica Northwest and a personal friend of Mason so I don't need an appointment. Now, is he in or not?" - P

"Oh, I am sorry, but you do not have an appointment. We don't accept walk-ins from anyone. Also, I am a friend of Dr. Pines and I have never heard him speak of you." - Recep

It was evident that the receptionist was used to dealing with high profile cases as she was unfazed by her name. Also, by the way she was eyeing her, it seemed that she was thinking very impolite thoughts of her. She was used to it, as some many idiots thought of every pretty, blue-eyed blonde as a gold digger. The receptionist was not convinced and would probably not budge. Worst comes to worst, she would have to wait in the lobby to catch Dipper. She really did not want to do that but she would if she had to.

As they continued arguing, Pacifica was distracted by a familiar laugh. She turned around to a sight that made her feel conflicted again. She saw a much older Dipper talking with what appeared to be his bosses. The way he looked surprised her as his firm's website did not have a picture of him. He had grown much taller and muscular, even handsome. He was wearing a tailored black suit and expensive shoes. What bothered her the most, strangely enough, was that he wasn't wearing a hat. He walked with a kind of confidence that did not belong to someone like him.

'Or maybe it does' she thought. She was surprised once before by his profession, it shouldn't have been a shock that he also didn't grow up to look like she had imagined he would. The more she learned about him, the more she became dispirited. Yet, she knew that she was in a desperate situation and couldn't back out. She rushed to meet him as his group entered the lobby.

"Dipper Pines, is that you? I need your help." - P

The people stopped to look at the young woman who had interrupted them out of nowhere. The older men were confused as they knew Dipper's last name but not his nickname. They weren't sure how to react until Dipper finally realized who the woman was.

"Pacifica Northwest, is that you? Why, I haven't seen you in forever. What brings you to my neck of the woods?" - D

"Do you know this beautiful, young lady, Mason?" - Boss 1

As the conversation started, Pacifica couldn't feel relief at the fact that Dipper remembered her due to one thing. Even his voice felt wrong somehow. She didn't know how attached to the old Dipper she was until he had gone and completely changed. Before she could answer the old man, Dipper interrupted her. He looked at her with a very nervous glance that, for a split second, made him look like the old Dipper.

"Why, she is an old paramour of mine. I hope you understand. But I haven't seen her since before college." - D

"Before college? Then she must have missed the best of your stories. Come, invite her to catch up with us for a bit. She must be quite the lady if she even had you under her thumb." - Boss 2

After having a laugh at their expense, she was forced to partake in one of those shallow rich people conversations. Dipper would go on and on about his past accomplishments and college career. It was her job to 'oooh' and 'aaah' at all the right times. It was when she realized that he was steering them towards his office that she knew that he was about to play his hand.

"I played college ball, you know. Not in some cushy Ivy league school. Try the University of Texas! I could have gone pro if I hadn't decided to take the bar here. I could tear apart any defensive line in half with my bare hands." - D

As soon as they were in front of his office, he pretended to remember that she had asked him for help and she played along. The others understood and after some final comments, went on their way. After the two entered his office, she hoped that he would drop the act.

"Dipper, what was that all about? What happened to you?" - P

"You know, I'm surprised that you actually had to fight with the receptionist to find me. You must have dropped my card or else you would have just called me. Here, I wrote my personal phone number on this one." - D

Pacifica felt hurt in a way she couldn't describe. It was like he was ignoring her completely, as he hadn't dropped the act. She had even been afraid that the act wasn't an act at all until she saw what he had written on his business card. 'We are being watched'. Then she realized that he had never given her a card to lose in the first place. The act really wasn't over.

She watched as he offered her a drink and several other refreshments. He was walking around his office, touching this or that, in an apparently random order. Since he had been the one to bring it up, the conversation they had was one between two old flames reuniting. When he told her that she was still as beautiful as he remembered, she countered with the fact that she hadn't been beautiful enough to make him come back.

After some back and forth, Dipper finally dropped the blinders to his office and let out a sigh of relief. She finally saw the Dipper she remembered once the mask was dropped. He looked as paranoid and nervous as he always had before. He didn't say anything at first. He just looked at her with a distrusting look. She didn't know what was happening.

"Why are you here? Last I checked, the Northwest law firm was very well staffed." - D

"Dipper, I am not here for legal advice. I need help!" - P

"If you don't need legal advice, why did you come to a lawyer?" - D

"I didn't come to a lawyer! I came looking for you. Please, I don't know what happened to you. I know it's been ten years and a lot has changed. I know I don't really have a right to come and demand help from you but, damn it, I still believe in the boy who saved my family from their curse. I still believe in the mystery twin that can solve anything. If you aren't that person anymore, just tell me so I can leave. Ok?" - P

After letting out her frustration, she couldn't look him in the eyes. Even if he was still that supernatural detective she remembered him to be, she also made a very good point. She was asking him to fight a demonic cult to save her parents. That was not a small favor by any stretch of the imagination. It was not like they had remained steadfast friends for the last decade. They had gone their separate ways. To her surprise, Dipper quickly hugged her and began thanking her profusely.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! You have no idea how long I have been waiting for someone to acknowledge what happened that summer. I needed this so badly. So tell me, how bad is it?" - D

She was shell shocked for a second. She could not believe how quickly he had reverted back to his old dorky self. It brought her immense comfort to hear him talk like he used to. He talked to her like it had been days, not a decade, since they had last seen each other.

"A demon. My parents accidentally joined a demonic cult and they are after me. I know that they are being mind controlled or something. I need help." - P

"A demon. What kind of demon?" - D

"What kind of demon? I don't know! I barely got out alive from one of their cult gatherings. I just know their name and a few symbols." - P

Before he spoke the name of the organization, Dipper covered her mouth.

"Shhh, no. Don't say their name. My sensors have picked up a very specific kind of seal on you that activates when you say something you shouldn't. It is usually important names or keywords. Hold on." - D

"Wait, how do you know that? When did you check? Are you going to tell me what's going on with you? How is it that I can't out weird you even with me fighting with a demon?" - P

"It's a gift. I thought you would expect it, considering that you were the one to seek me out." - D

"(Urggh) Whatever. Can we talk here or not? You said that we were being watched." - P

"Yeah, we can. I set up a defense matrix here so that I can block any kind of clairvoyance. I also set up a special spell that makes it sound like people can hear us on the outside but actually releases gibberish. I did that because a soundproof room is way more suspicious than you might think in a law firm." - D

"You really don't change, do you Pines?" - P

"You have no idea how much comfort it brings me to hear you say that. It seems like you're the only one who thinks that. I don't even remember who I was or am sometimes." - D

"Demon aside, I need to know what happened to you. Why were you acting like that out there? This isn't like you at all. Even I, who only knew you for a few months ten years ago, can see that." - P

"(sigh) It's a long story so I will try to make it quick. Did you know that you are the first person to talk to me about the supernatural in the last ten years?" - D

"What? How? Wasn't your whole thing: that notebook, the supernatural, and not being normal?"

"Yeah, apparently, when parents say that it is okay to be weird, they only mean it within reason. When my mom found all the runes I had painted in my room to keep prying eyes out, she took us straight to therapy. When the mention of him and demons came up, they even brought in an exorcist. That didn't last very long since we were quickly exchanging notes on demonology. Anyways, after five years of professional therapists telling you that the whole thing was some repressed delusion from trauma, you start to believe them. I knew that if my parents kept sending me to therapists, I would go crazy for real."

"So what? You gave up? How did you become a lawyer?"

"Well, I have spent the last five years trying to prove to my parents that I was 'normal'. It is more complicated than that but that is the gist of it. But I am so sick of it. Please tell me you have something crazy for me to solve. I need it."

"Wait, what about Mabel? Weren't you the mystery twins?"

"Pfft, she was always more worried about boys than mysteries. That hasn't changed."

"Oh, sorry to hear that. Since you've been out of the game so long, can you handle this? I don't want to get us both killed."

"Don't worry. I may be out of practice but I've been making it up through my studies. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve than the last time we did this."

"What are you going to do about your job, though? I don't want to get you fired."

"Oh, right. My job. I have an idea."

Dipper went out of his office and yelled that he quit. He then took the stunned Pacifica by the hand and dragged her out of the building. Since she had taken a taxi, they took his car to his apartment. Pacifica was completely speechless as Dipper continued to laugh maniacally.

When they got to his apartment, she knew that she had to get the whole picture.

"What was that all about?"

"I have been wanting to quit that job since before I even got hired."

"Then why were you working so hard there? Why did you quit just now and not before? What aren't you telling me?"

"Pacifica Northwest, when I saw you in that lobby, you seemed like a dream come true."

"(blush) What? Dipper Pines, explain yourself right now!"

"Sorry. So, I told you that I had been pretending to be normal all this time, right? I took the most normal classes and the most normal job I could think of. What is more normal and boring than a bureaucrat. Gruncle Stan would be spinning in his grave if he knew I became a lawyer of all things. He always wanted me to become an honest con man."

"That doesn't answer my question. Why now?"

"Because you showed up. I always thought that it was my destiny to solve supernatural mysteries and unravel the mystical. I promised myself that I would act normal for my parent's sake until that destiny came knocking again. I have been waiting for five years now with nothing to show for it. I thought I was going to end up like one of those miserable geezers that I was talking to this morning. I thought that it was delusions of grandeur, like one of the therapists said, that made me believe that the summer we spent together in Gravity Falls was magical. They told me it was a defense mechanism to cover up my inadequacy. But now, you are here asking me to fight a demon. Suck on that you stupid shrinks! Not that I am happy that you are being chased by a demon or anything, you know. . ."

"Don't worry Dipper, I get you. Though I wouldn't call you inadequate. How tall are you anyway? I remember when we used to be the same height."

"(ugh) Please don't bring that up. This body is part of the reason why I doubted myself to begin with. I always thought I was a nerd and told the Man-a-taurus as much but my body betrayed me. It made me play college sports even though it is the greatest waste of time man has ever created."

"It made you play?"

"Of course it did. I started working out because that was what was expected of me. Then, I gained a foot and a half in height and fifty pounds in muscle. What would the normal 6'5" teenager do in college? Join the football team, of course! As though taking and giving concussions were the funnest things in the world. I hated being normal so much."

"You didn't have to continue working out, you know? You almost look like a bodybuilder."

"Well, there is actually another reason why I still work out. I wanted to stay in shape because it would be useful in times like these. Solving mysteries is easier when you don't run out of breath from running a mile."

"(eye roll) Of course. Well, can't say I'm not glad that you look strong enough to beat a demon with your fist."

—-

After some time, Dipper was able to gather all the clues that Pacifica took from the cult's headquarters. She had taken pictures of anything that looked important, even if she did not know of their purpose. He had even sprayed her with holy water to undo the seal they had placed on her.

"So you said that these guys follow a demon named Demiurge?" - D

"Yeah. Even though they have its name in their title, they barely talk about him. I didn't even know what it was until we got really deep into it." - P

"Well, then I have some good news and bad news." - D

"(sigh) I need the good news way more than anything right now." - P

"These guys aren't actually worshiping a real demon. Demiurge is an ancient being of order and power. He isn't a good guy but he also isn't a bad guy. He just cares about doing his job." - D

"Which is?" - P

"According to him, making the stars turn. It's not really important. He is a lion-headed snake that is followed by a moon and star. You can see his symbols around these five pictures and in the mural you photographed." - D

"So, not a demon. Isn't that great news?" - P

"Kind of." - D

"What's the bad news? Please tell me it's not something worse." - P

"Well, it is not worse. The leader of the group appears to be a warlock with a little bit of knowledge. He probably found an artifact that belonged to the real cult of Demiurge and it got to his head." - D

"Wow, you actually made it sound not so bad- " - P

"-and they're cannibals." -D

"Oh, come on! You're telling me they eat people? Are they planning to eat my parents? Were they planning to eat me if they caught me?" - P

"Actually, no. They only eat people outside of the cult and they burn apostates, so neither you nor your parents are in danger of being eaten." - D

"Great. They'll just kill us the old fashion way." - P

"Probably."

"Why can't you be nicer?! I'm trying to save my parents."

"And I am helping you, aren't I?"

"That's not what I meant. Forget it. So what is the plan now? Can we stop them?"

"We might. I will need to ask for help from someone whom I never thought I would depend on but it doesn't matter. They owe me one, anyways. From the glyphs that you showed me and the spell they placed on you, I can tell that the warlock isn't very experienced. As long as we can get our hands on the artifact he has, we can undo whatever spells they placed on all their members. That should be enough to end it." - D

"If only it was that simple. (sigh) I have some bad news of my own." - P

"What is it? Is there more than just the cult?" - D

"No, not like that. When the cult figured out I was looking into them, they ordered my parents to disinherit me. I have nothing on me. I used all my cash to get a flight here. I could barely afford the taxi." - P

"(pssh) Forget about it. I have enough money on me to get where we need to go. Did you forget I was a big time lawyer for a bit? I may not be Northwest rich but we'll be fine. Wait, do you even have somewhere to stay?" - D

Pacifica simply looked down and shook her head. She really was on her last legs and up against the wall. Her first and last Hail Mary was Dipper Pines.

"So you're telling me that you came here without a backup plan of any kind? What would you do if you couldn't find me or if I just didn't want to help you? Why didn't you go to any of your friends for help?" - D

"Dipper, people like me don't have friends, only associates. The moment I was disinherited, I became a social pariah. Plus, who would even take me seriously? Who could even help?" - P

"True, my parents are probably the perfect example of a normal reaction to the talk of demons. Well, Pacifica, thank you for trusting in me so much. You're probably the only person in the world that has that much faith in me." - D

"Please. You're the only weirdo in the world that would respond to an invitation to endanger his life with a 'thank you'."

After a second of silence, they began to laugh hysterically. The tension she had been feeling completely disappeared. For the first time in a long time, Pacifica felt optimistic. Whatever happened next, she could at least count on Dipper being on her side.