When Dipper had told Ford that Mabel had been upset about his dissuasion, Ford wasn't surprised. But more than that, Ford was now ashamed to admit, at least to himself, that he hadn't cared. But seeing the way the happy girl had disappeared the moment she caught sight of him, her gaze filled with some much anger and hurt, it occurred to Ford just how callous and cruel he had been to her by trying to take her brother away with no warning.
It was a sobering thought and why Ford didn't struggle as Stan lead him out of town. The younger twins needed time to work out their own feelings without Ford there to make it complicated. As lost in his thought as he was, he was totally unprepared for the punch that Stan sent his way.
Stan's fist landed squarely on Ford's jaw, whipping his head to the side and making him back a step. He immediately fell into a defensive stance, reaching for his gun before he reminded himself that he wasn't fighting for survival in the multiverse. It took all his self-control not to lash out as Stan jabbed a finger into his chest.
"That's trying to take Dipper away from his family!" Stan troweled, continuing before Ford could try and say anything to defend himself. "He told me all about the conversation you had, how you consider having a twin suffocating. And I get it, you hate me, hell, I probably deserve the decades of loathing you seem to be harboring for me. But don't you dare use your sh*t with me to tear those kids apart! They are good kids, better than the two of us ever were and I won't let anyone even you destroy them. So hate me all you want, never see me again if that's what you want, but if you do something like that I won't hesitate to make sure you'll never see them again."
Ford's first instinct was to become angry, to shout and argue that Stan had no right to keep him away from his family. But then the image of Mabel's hurt face flashing through his mind, making his protests die in his throat. Stan was right to be protective of the twins, especially because he hadn't cared about Mabel, only about keeping Dipper at his side.
It was selfish, something he had always accused Stan of being, but Ford was far more guilty of that. He knew he was wrong here and he should apologize, but he couldn't make the words come out.
Stan took Ford's silence as reluctant agreement and backed away. He turned away from twin and seemed to be doing his best to pretend Ford didn't exist when they heard the twins calling for them.
"Come on," Stan said, still turned away from Ford. "We have to at least get those to home, I don't care what happens after that."
Ford tried again to call out to Stan, to say the apology that he probably should have said decades ago, but he was silent as Stan walked away. As soon as Stan was out of sight, Ford whirled around and punched the nearest tree, though its soft and squishy texture wasn't very satisfying to hit.
Why. Why couldn't he apologize? Ford knew he was wrong and the made mistakes, had admitted that to himself years ago, so why couldn't he actually admit it to Stan? Was ego so large… his pride so important… that he'd rather lose his family again than admit he was wrong?
Ford cursed in several alien languages as he began pacing. Yes, his pride was the cause for this, but not just because he had made bad decisions. He knew that and could admit it. No, the problem was he couldn't admit that he couldn't fix it. That for all his intelligence, for all he learned and sacrificed, he couldn't fix family problems like he could a math problem. He had convinced himself that he was the only one that could save the universe and as a result, he had convinced himself that he was the only one who mattered. But his family mattered, he had forgotten that and he needed to be better. When the opportunity came up, he would find some way to apologize to Stan.
With his mind made up, Ford went and joined up with the others.
Ford - 2045
Once they had gathered Mabel's things and had a goodbye party, the Pines family made their way to the next car. They passed through several cars, walking through a beautiful ice sculpture gallery, running from flaming bees, and solving a giant crossword puzzle. Eventually, they came to one where everything seemed to be made of crystals, from the trees to the birds flying overhead. They found the door pretty well but there was a lock on it.
As they discussed where they should for a key, one of the car's residents came and waved at them. After a lot of charades, Ford was able to figure out they needed to touch a nearby rock and sing a song from the heart.
"Oh I know the perfect song! It's time for Love Patrol Alpha to rise once again!" Mabel declared, slapping her hand on the rock. Immediately music began to reverberate from the crystals around them a song that both Stan and Dipper recognized, making them groan though they smiled as well.
"You know we never agreed to that name," Dipper commented as he stood next to Mabel as he began to sing, "Friday night, we're going to party till dawn…"
"At least there's no zombies this time," Stan shrugged as he waited for his part.
Ford was stunned as he watched the three of them sing and dance around each other, wide smiles on all their faces. He had never seen them so relaxed and carefree and it hurt to realize it was because of him and the way he would act when he was around them. He had rarely left the basement and when he did, he only did the minimal interactions he could get away with. Ford hadn't truly thought of them as family and hadn't made an effort to get to know them as such. Even when he started doing stuff with Dipper, he hadn't really seen him as family. Ford had considered more as a student or assistant than a nephew.
"Oooh oh! Girls do what we like! Oooh oh! We're taking over tonight!"
But that right there, doing silly stuff with the people you love was what family looked like. It hurt Ford to realize that he wasn't a part of that, but he had no one to blame but himself. He hadn't wanted to be a part of a family long before he fell through the portal, convinced it was holding him back. But everything he had accomplished didn't make him happy. Proud, yes, satisfied, maybe, but definitely not happy.
"We're queens of the disco!"
He wanted the happiness that came with being family. He wanted them to be a part of his life, but more importantly, he wanted to be a part of theirs. It was going to be hard for him, but he never shied away from hard work before. He lost his family because of his own neglect before, he wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"We're taking over midnight!"
As the final note faded away the ground began rumbling and a giant crystal creature came to tower over them. He gave them a wink and a thumbs-up before unlocking the door, letting the pines family continue on their way.
Ford - 2004
Stan - 1108
Mabel - 201
Dipper - 92
