Mom Mabel
Dipper rubbed his neck. This was a cool casual thing to do and totally wasn't a nervous habit. "I was just thinking that it would be cool just to hang with Wendy cause you know she's my age-ish."
He laid his hand flat in the air and wobbled it as he said 'ish.'
He looked up at the older woman. She wore a sky blue sweater that matched her mom jeans. The brown purse she wore across her chest helped break up the color.
While he looked like he was on the verge of sweating, she was relaxed. She didn't fight the smile on her face nor the trickle in her eye.
"Uh huh." She hummed.
"And I just can't hang out with my mom." Dipper laughed. He wasn't sure if the woman would be insulted so he felt like he had to cut ahead of any tension. He felt it was true though. "I'm way too old for you to hold my hand."
"Of course." She sang.
There was a pop. Wendy strutted over to the two. There was a bit of gum on her face which she chew back into her mouth. "Hey, ready to go? We gotta hurry before Stan makes me rig any more of the carnival games. I had to squeeze so much gum down the water gun gallery that my jaw is tired."
The red head rubbed the side of her face to demonstrate. She blew another bubble anyway.
It didn't seem like the older woman could be happier but if anything she perked up even more with the teen's arrival. "Wendy. So good to see you! Are you enjoying the fair?"
"Hey Mrs Pines. Ya, it's cool." The freckled girl gave a lazy half wave. It was a tiny lie. While there were some volunteers around, Stan being his usually self basically only had Wendy and Soos working on getting everything together. Besides for aunt and grand nephew of course. The entire thing was a huge drag.
Looking between the boy and the girl, the woman stepped past the kids but then paused. "Have a good time with Dipper, just make sure he stays away from the viking horse. He doesn't do good with rides that go backwards."
She glanced around, making sure that no one was eavesdropping on the trio before she offered a stage whisper. "He gets tummy troubles."
"Mom." Dipper yelped. "I'm pretty sure Stan wants you to help with the thing." He jabbed his head towards a random direction so hard that he threatened to break his own neck.
His mom blinked and then slowly nodded. "Oh course." She winked "The thing. I have to get to the thing." She winked again, before slowly saying "Right. Have fun."
Mrs Pines started her departure.
Wendy turned to the woman as she left. "We got this Mrs P."
The mother spun around, stepping on her back foot, and asked "Call me Mabel," before spinning back around to walk straight.
Dipper groaned. It was played up a bit as he tried to gain sympathy from the older girl. "She's trying to do the cool mom thing and get people to call her by her name."
"I've been there." Wendy shrugged and smiled. "Trust me. Dad refers to himself as 'Manly Dan' even around the house."
"Mom's not usually this embarrassing." Dipper offered, "She's usually much worse."
There was a cry, it could be heard clearly from the other side of the carnival. "Remember to send me a wedding invitation!"
"That's more in her usual parameters." Dipper muttered. He started to point in the opposite direction. He wasn't sure at what. "Can we just?" He urged for them to make a quick escape from his mom's gaze.
Wendy kept her cool smile, but matched Dipper's pace.
Stan Pines was finishing up a fight with a garden hose when his niece came behind him. The thing was all tangled up and he needed it for the duck tank later.
"Stan" Mabel cheered, "Stan. Did you see Dipper and Wendy?"
Stan pulled the last knot loose and let it drop into the tank. With that done he rubbed his hands together before he started to pull a cylinder tank over. "Honestly if I paid more attention to what my workers did I probably would've fired Wendy ages ago."
"They're hanging out. Like a date. My son has his first date. If only his father could see this."
Stan squeezed the headband of his welding mask around his scalp. He turned to his niece and cooked an eyebrow. "You know he's not dead, right?"
"He's dead to me." Mabel smiled back.
Stan shrugged and flipped the mask down.
He lit a welding touch and started going to work on the dunk tank. He spoke between burst of flames. "Don't know why you're getting so excited. I mean he's my grand nephew, which means he got some of my genes somewhere in there, but I think Wendy might be above his weight class. He gets his heart broken and someone is going to have to pick up the pieces and it sure as hell ain't going to be me."
"Stan, I know you don't believe that." His niece placed her hands on her hips before rolling her eyes. "Anyone who watches 'The Duchess Approves' is a romantic at heart."
Stan snapped his mask back up. "Hey I didn't want to watch it. You're the one who flipped the channel."
"No I wasn't." Mabel snorted.
The old man considered. "Well I knew you were going to so I just got ahead of you."
The woman gave her uncle an amused look. He decided not to push it. "Why would anyone not love my boy?"
"I'm sure Wendy would love for the kid to give him a kiss on the cheek." Stan settled the mask back down. "She might be able to reach him if he grows past her kneecaps."
"You think Dipper doesn't stand a chance because why?" Mabel leaned forward. "She's older than him? A relationship between an older woman and younger man can work out." There was a quick shutter down her spine. "I have to believe that. For my own love life."
There was a quiet moment where only the flare of the torch could be heard.
"Besides, he's growing up fast." Mabel reasoned. She sighed. "Just last year he would still be holding my hand during something like this."
She could imagine her son, just a bit shorter, clinging onto her.
"Ya, weaning off his mom at age 12." The man took a moment to eye the dunk tank's target. "Nothing about that says momma's boy."
Mabel continued to daydream. "Soon he's going to be off chasing girls all over leaving his poor mother behind. What am I even suppose to do today without my darling son?"
Stan turned to his niece. He gestured the welding touch towards her, like he was offering it. "You could stop being a freeloader for once and actually help me."
The mother laughed, "Ha, this guy," and gave him a wink. Her eyes shifted to the side. She did a double take and her whole body twisted, leaving her facing something far off. "Hey Stan. Look."
The woman slapped her cheeks and smashed them together.
"What?" Stan said cautiously.
"Look look look." Mabel stepped. When she advanced she started to shrink. Crouching down, she had to do a little simmy to keep going.
"What is it? What's with all the repetition?"
Soon she was in front of another station. A quickly put together pen, encircling mud. Laying around the mud were a group of pigs. Among those pigs was one who sniffed Mabel's hand as she stuck her arm between the wooden post.
It allowed her to pet it. She gave it good, scraping it's head and chin. "Isn't he precious? He's a precious boy."
"Never have my interest in a conversation died so quickly." Stan threw his head back, whining to someone who he couldn't prove existed.
Then the mother decided. "I'm going to call him Dipper Jr."
"I will give you anything not to." The uncle begged.
"Stan." Mabel urged, "Steal me this pig."
"What's in it for me?" The man crossed his arms. Honestly insulted that she would think he'll do anything so easily.
Her eyes sparked, her eyebrows batted and she gave him the biggest pout that she could muster. "Please Uncle Stan."
"You know that was a lot cuter when you were 12." Stan stared and it was probably true but he was still going to do it.
She couldn't wait for the end of the festival to stop off. The moment Mabel saw her son just sitting there she charged forward. Pig strapped to her chest in a baby harness, one that Stan just so happened to have stashed away.
Dipper was on the floor, alone, back against one of the game galleries. His mother dipped down, letting the pig get a good look at her kid. Though considering the height difference and the fact Dipper was sitting the pig was still looking down at him.
"Dipper. Come meet your little brother." The mother cheered. She pinched the creature's forehooves and made them give a wave. "He's a pig. I'm calling him Dipper 2: Revenge of the Son."
She expected him to be excited about the new pet or maybe groan at the name. Mabel wasn't expecting no reaction at all. Dipper was just quiet and when she tried to get a good look at his face he just turned away from her.
"Dipper?" Mabel sat down beside her son. She reached over to him, placing one hand on each shoulder. "Sweetheart."
"I'm so stupid." He finally said. The boy tipped his hat down further on his head.
"No, you're not."
"You didn't even hear what I did."
She scoffed playfully. "Well I gave birth to you twelve years ago. I think I would know."
"I hit Wendy with a baseball and gave her a black eye." He said it more to the ground than to her.
"Is she alright?" She almost wanted to laugh at how absurd it sounded, but she kept it in case it was actually as bad as her son was making it out to be. "That still doesn't mean you're stupid."
"I think I'll just volunteer for Stan's dunk tank and hope someone drowns me." Not that he would drown. Stan had the dunk tank rigged so tight it was unlikely he'd get wet.
"I know this hurts now-" Mabel offered.
"Not as much as Wendy's eye hurts"
"-but honey, you'll move past this. One day you'll look back at this and laugh." Mabel squeezed her son to her side and started to rub his arm.
"Will that at least be before I finish puberty?" Dipper asked.
"Oh Dipper." Mabel gave a tiny chuckle. "It'll be before you start puberty."
There was a moment where the two just let the moment sit. Mabel was fine spending a bit of time with her son and Dipper was sure that he already messed up big time with the one person he wanted to think he was cool. So the mother son bonding moment was nice. It relaxed Dipper so much that honestly he could doze off. Not so much a full sleep but more like a meditative state.
Not that he did doze off. When something caught his eye across from him he blinked. "Hey. Hey mom?"
Dipper had to push against his mom's palm still rubbing his arm. "Is that guy messing with the rides?"
"What?" Mabel mentally traced her son's line of sight. There was something, not at the attraction directly across from them but pretty close. It was some guy with a shaved head wearing a gray jumpsuit. He was hovering over the control panel of the tea cups. A screwdriver in one hand.
It took a hop and step before the mother son duo was behind the guy. They had no idea how long he been there but it looked like he had the time to half disassemble the control panel. Mabel leaned forward, placing her hands on her hips. She was really giving her best material disciplinary posture. "Hey, what are you doing?"
"Nothing to see here." The man stammered instinctively. He sounded like a lawn mower being started. He got stuck on the 'nah' sound and had to repeat it a few times. "Just a carnival repairman. Need to get this back up to shape real quick so I can beat box, chew tobacco or whatever people like to do these days."
Dipper felt insulted by the blatant lie. He crossed his arms. "You are literally the most suspicious person I have ever met."
"Nothing weird about me at all. Just a carnival repair man." Jumpsuit repeated, before adding unprompted, "I love sock 'em boppers and crossfire. I belong in the here and now."
Dipper opened his mouth to fire back, but paused when he felt fingers on hat. Mabel cooed, "Now sweetie. We should disturb him." Her gaze shifted between the suspicious man and her son. "I'm sure Stan paid the guy extra to show up in such short notice."
The man seemed pleased himself. "Yessiree. He paid me half a doubloon and gave me a lordship to fix this ride." He stopped for a second before frowning, "Unless those are things people don't pay with here then I'm just joking."
"Aha!" Mabel suddenly stepped forward, jetting out a finger that threatened to poke the man in the nose. "I know Stan! He would never put the safety of his wallet at stake just for the sake of some kids. Now are you going to tell me you are or do I have to show what dangerous really means." There was a deep rumble in her voice as she glared.
Then suddenly she laughed. "Dipper 2 quit kicking around so much." The pig was shaking it's hooves all over in the baby carrier.
"I've been compromised." The man decided. His neck twisted, letting his eyes scan around him. "Time to take these handy cyanide pills I found." He jammed his hand into his pocket before pulling out what was essentially a tic tac container with it's logo half peeled off. "Oh I can already taste the minty release of death."
"Okay," Dipper allowed himself to accept the faux gruesome reality that was in front of him. "but before you die you want to tell us what your deal is?"
"Ah yes I should tell you my tale with my last breath." The strange man nodded. His spine straightened as he began to recite what was certain to be his last words. "I am Blendin Blandin, time traveler from the far off future of twenty snevendy twelve. I was here to fix a dire hole in the space time continuum, but in my investigation of this primitive time I broke my time tape." Blendin touched the tape measure looking device on his belt. "Stricken with despair I ate a corn dog and began working on repairing my means home."
A marvelous story.
Dipper laughed, not because something was actually funny, he was just geeking out a bit. He eyed the time tape. "So this thing can travel through time? Like back and forward?"
"It could," Blendin nodded before drooping back slightly, 'but no matter how many parts I gather it just won't work."
"Do you have the batteries in backwards?" Mabel asked.
"Of course I don't have the batteries in backwards!" The time traveler snapped. He jabbed his own chest. "I went to time camp." His bravado fell apart, leaving nothing but a deep sigh. "It doesn't matter anymore. Soon the poison will overtake me."
"Wait." The man tried to walk away, only for Mabel to stop him. She suddenly started to dig into her purse. "Those weren't cyanide pills. You have to take this." A pez dispenser slipped out of her bag. She flipped back the Quentin Trembley head revealing the bit of candy underneath.
Blendin accepted the dispenser, eyeing the candy before dropping one in his mouth. "Oh, awful. Gotta be poison." He walked away right as he popped a second one in.
Pupils followed the man's trail sharply. "That's what you get for yelling at someone just trying to help." Mabel muttered.
"Ya, weird guy," her son joked as he reached into his vest, "but on the plus side I was able to get his time tape off of him."
Dipper held up the device. He bobbed his hand side to side a bit, showing it off.
Mabel tried to see if she could recalled exactly when her son swiped the machine. She blinked and spoke to someone that must've been invisible, "I encouraged my son to see Stan as a male role model. That was my mistake."
"I'm going to give it back." The kid cut in. He raised his hands in mock surrender. "I just thought that I could just very quickly jump back and stop myself from giving Wendy a black eye. Now what do we have here?"
Dipper poked a finger nail into one edge of the time machine and with a bit of finesse was able to pop the side of it open. He looked inside.
Plus to minus, minus to plus.
The batteries were in backwards.
He took a second to fix that before giving the machine a once over. He was sure he understood how it worked. It looked like a tape measure and worked like a tape measure. "Okay, I'll be right back."
The mom bit her lip. She flinched even before she began speaking. "Dipper. I'm not sure if that's a good idea."
"What?" Dipper blinked. Like he had to play back her words in his head before he settled on being just a bit mad.
His mom continued though. "Life is full of mistakes. You can't change that and you definitely shouldn't try to get someone to forget something just because it's uncomfortable for you. You can't build a relationship on that. It's dishonest and really manipulative."
"I'm not trying to trick Wendy into thinking it never happened. It would've never happened." Dipper argued and when he stepped forward his mother actually stepped back.
She didn't withdraw even if she seemed to sink a little. "You're going to remember it."
Dipper thought of a dozen responses before he settled on one. Shaking his head he spouted, "I can't believe this. You're choosing now of all times to say 'no'? What happened to you trying to be the cool mom?"
"The whole point of being the cool mom is that I'm still your mom." Mabel kept her face straight, but she subconsciously pulled on the bottom of her sweater.
"Please let me do this." Dipper aggressively begged. His mother didn't relent or sigh or do anything but just stare back at him, looking shy. He was close to fixing things. "Just because you're okay with letting things fall apart doesn't mean I am. It's your fault that we're even here in the first place."
He didn't feel good saying that, but he was sure that his mom felt worse hearing it. For a moment that was enough. He didn't need to say anything else. The two of them knew exactly what he meant with those words.
Dipper wasn't sure if he thought his mom would surrender just because of it or maybe apologize because of something unrelated to the then and there. He expected many things.
What he didn't expect was his mom suddenly straightening up, stomping forward and grabbing the time machine. "You're not mature enough for this."
"Let go." Dipper whined, but that only caused his mom to start pulling. He could feel the device slipping through his grip. Instinctively he clasp his fingers down, letting them slide against the smooth cube until they snagged on the tape measure's hook. He grabbed onto that end.
"Dipper!" Mabel scolded as the tape extended from Dipper's grip. He reached and crushed the tape with both hands.
The boy challenged, "Mom" and tried to pull the tape measure back to him.
"Mason Pines!" The mom said the words like they were a secret weapon. To be fair 'Mason's' eyes did widen at the sound of his true name. He still didn't let go. "You have until the count of three to let go or you're grounded."
"One." At this point Dipper was second guessing himself, but he didn't want this opportunity to disappear. He just had to think of something.
"Two."
Nope, there was nothing he could think of. His mom was lenient, but Dipper knew there were limits to how much he could push her.
She was just about to open her mouth when he let the tape slip, letting the hook snap back into the tape measure.
There was the sudden sound of thunder. Neither one of them saw where it came from. They were too busy falling back now that they weren't pulling on each. They each fell right on their butts.
Dipper was closer to the ground. He rubbed his behind but bounced back quickly.
He gasped, "Mom are you okay?" before he shot back onto his feet. Any signs of the previous quarrel disappeared instantly and he was at his mom's side.
Luckily she seemed fine. She was more concerned about the precious cargo she has strapped to her chest. "My butt is sore but Dipper 2 is fine. My safety comes second." The pig wiggled around like it understood her. She thought about giving it a peck on its forehead. That almost distracted her from their surroundings. Almost. "Is the carnival over?"
The woods were still there, but the rides, the games, all the attractions were gone instantly. Like the entire fair was an illusion.
"Not even Stan could clear everything this fast for the cops. The machine must've worked. Where is it?"
"Lets see. My arms snapped like this." Mabel reached out her arms and mimicked holding the tape measure. She swung it loosely to remember how her arms flailed when her son let go. She imagined a possible cone where the device could've ended up and when Mabel got up she found it. "Oh, great." She groaned.
It looked like it hit the ground, broke, slid and broke again. It was in three distinct pieces.
Dipper started gathering the pieces, starting with the furthest end. He was careful not to lose any pieces.
"I think it's not as bad as it looks." He said as he started piling the pieces on his palm in the way he thought they fit together.
Mabel sighed. "Lets see what we can do."
It was mid day at Greasy's. There were a couple customers inside the diner and only about three cars parked out front. Lazy Susan had plenty of time to deal with whoever when she heard the bell attached to the front door jiggle.
"Lazy Susan." Mabel walked up to the counter, beside the cash register. "I'm here to pick up for Pines."
The woman blinked but then nodded. "Hey you must be Mabel. Stan told you all about me, huh?"
The young women kept one eye on the door. "Yes. He just can't stop talking about you. I don't want to be rude, but I'm in a little bit of a hurry."
"Okay, sweetie. Now that will be-" Money was already stuffed in her face. Susan peered at the wad of cash with her one good eye. She pulled one bill out. "2010?"
Mabel began to sweat immediately.
"Wow. You really are Stan's niece." The diner owner laughed. She happily took the rest of the money. "Someone will take it."
Lazy Susan handed her a plastic bag which Mabel scooped up with her wrist. The customer took a step, not towards the front door, but in the direction of the side door, near the strength tester. "Thank you, now I need to leave quickly for totally not suspicious reasons."
Mabel shuffled off. The side was barely opened up wide enough when she sipped right through it.
Then Mabel walked right in. The mother planted her feet in front of the counter and smiled. "Hey. I'm here for Pines."
Lazy Suzy's one good eye blinked. Then it dawned to her what was going on. "Oh I get it. I'm having deja vu." She gave her forehead a carefully placed bap. "I must be in the Matrix. Like in that hit movie that came out last year, the Matrix. Boy, I hope they reference that a lot for the next couple of decades."
Outside, Mabel shot towards the corner. She clung to the back of the diner, double checking to make sure that no one was behind her or at least she wasn't behind herself. She took a deep breath and walked a small radius around a dumpster.
Dipper was on the other side, back to back with the diner. His knees were up, keeping some pieces of the time machine on his lap. The rest were to his side along with some stray electronics that they hoped could replace anything that was damaged.
The other Dipper, the pig, was just sitting in front of the kid. It was still in the harness, but since it wasn't attached to Mabel, the straps laid dead on the ground. The pig watched Dipper curiously. At least the swine was when it wasn't chewing on his sock. The kid didn't seem to mind when he did.
Mabel took a look at the receipt taped on the side of her haul. She held it up triumphantly. "I got you some pancakes."
Her son made a gaging sound. "Mom, I don't think anything tastes good sitting next to a dumpster."
"Looks like Dipper 2 gets a treat." When she said that the pig's ears flared. It's snout was already in the tinfoil dish before she even placed it in front of the pig.
"I will give you anything to stop calling him that." Dipper pointed the screwdriver at his mom. He sighed and returned to screwing something in. "Why don't we fix this over at the Mystery Shack?"
"We used to visit a lot around this time." The mom turned around and rested her side against the building. "I nearly caught myself stealing breakfast from me."
Dipper paused, "I don't remember that." He scrunched up his eyebrows like he was trying to force his brain to think.
"You were just a baby." Mabel giggled.
"Why'd we stop visiting?"
Mabel gently licked her two front teeth. She met her son's curious gaze. She forced a cough, buying herself just a little bit of time. "Well, we just did." She knew that was a lame answer. "You know how much your Grunkle likes his privacy and well-" She trailed.
"And?" Dipper urged.
"And nothing." Mabel finished with a nod.
"Mom." Dipper peeped and Mabel dreaded that he was going to ask a question, any question. Instead he just gestured to her side. "The pig is running away."
The pig's dish was left half done. Food abandoned so that the living bacon could chase after something. Looked like a butterfly. It pranced along after it, leaping as much as its tiny hooves could when the bug got close to the ground.
Mabel pushed her shoulder off the wall. She gave chase. "No, Diplet come back!"
"That name isn't better." Dipper called after her. He wasn't sure if she actually heard him. His mom and her pig were making good distance.
Dipper turned the time machine over. He was basically almost done. He was sure of it. He just had to screw a couple more things in. It'd probably be done before his mom could round up her new pet, but then he got distracted.
A soft voice rang through the air like it was coming just from the distance. "What is taking her?"
It probably would've sunk underneath the white noise of the small town if it wasn't so familiar to Dipper. "Dad?"
Like the pied piper the sound called to him. Dipper stood and stuck his nose around the corner of the building. He was sure it was coming from that direction.
The front of the diner had parking. Not too much space, but enough for maybe half a dozen cars. It wasn't as if it saw much use. There was only about three out front at that time.
Dipper tilted his hat down in an attempt to hide part of his face. He strolled over to the car at the close end of the parking lot and then got down on the ground. He crawled over to the car next to it, a red mini van. He sat when he made it to the passenger's side door.
He didn't dare to stand. Instead he opened a zipper on his vest and pulled out a mirror. Dipper held it up.
There was a man sitting in the car. He had black hair that wrapped down to a beard. Glasses were balanced on the tip of his nose. The nose had a red tint that Dipper always knew that he inherited.
Yes, it was his dad and he didn't look particularly happy. The man rested his head on his arm. Dipper had trouble judging where he was looking but he was sure that he was glaring at the dinners front door.
He never remembered his dad really looking so irritated. There was usually a smile on his face.
The diner door flipped open and in a single bound his mom flew from the steps to the driver's side door. She adjusted everything on her side of the car in a frenzy.
"I'm here. I'm here. Sorry, sorry." His mom fixed her seat belt, her mirror and her hair. She handed a plastic bag over to his dad who silently accepted it. She started rambling. "Apparently Lazy Susan, that's the waitress-slash-owner, gave our food away and she had to remake it. Plus Stan ordered steak and that takes a bit longer then pancakes."
His dad made a tiny "pst" with his lips. "Leave it to Stan to make things harder."
His mother continued fiddling with her bangs using her rear view mirror. She would pause everyone once in a while to give her husband a glance when it was appropriate. "Uncle Stan is a 'whatever doesn't kill you' sort of guy. He does it with love. Besides it's not like he called Susan up and told her to give our breakfast away." There was his mom's signature giggling "Silly."
Even if his mom hadn't been focused on her face in her reflection Dipper wasn't sure if she would've caught the narrowing of her husband's eyelids. She wouldn't have seen the heat he sent her way.
He was glaring at her. Dipper's father gave his mother the meanest look he had seen and then in a flash it was gone.
The only thing on his father's face was the familiar smile that the kid had grown up with before the divorce.
The man took a deep breath and sighed, never losing that grin on his mug. "I just don't like how Stan treats you sometimes. We came all the way out here and he doesn't seem happy to see us." The man brought up his arms, physically shielding himself from any criticism while at the same time cutting any approaching thought off. "I mean I would be fine if it was just me, but you are his only niece, right?"
His mom paused. She was finished fixing her hair. Now she was just looking at the other person in the car. "Well that's just how Stan is, but he does care. I remember that my dad used to tell me that Stan tried to wrestle me right out of his hands." She had a tiny smile. It wasn't like the huge grins she usually gave him. It was a bit too shy.
"And that's the only story you have." The man said like she had proven his point for him. "Your dad barely even mentioned the guy."
"True, but-"
"Plus." Dipper's father said quickly. "This isn't about me or you. What about Dipper?" His dad seemed way too happy to mention him by name. "Aren't you worried about him? I mean you were talking about how sketchy Stan can be sometimes."
"I don't remember that" The woman said slowly. "When did I say that?"
"Just the other day. Did you forget?" The way his father asked that was innocent. Too innocent. He then sealed his lips and just looked at his wife.
She visibly was feeling his stare. "Ya." Mabel coughed. "Ya. I guess I must've."
"It's fine." The smile on the man grew twice over. "I know how-" His father paused. "'silly' you can be sometimes. It's why I love you, right?"
He then brought out a finger and let it kiss his wife on the nose like everything was normal. He gave her a bit of affection like everything was good.
Dipper gave the man one last look in his mirror.
He brought it down and snapped it closed.
When his mom came back huffing with that pig strapped back to her chest he was putting the screws back onto the time machine.
"Okay." His mom said between deep breaths. She had to put her hands on knees and bend over. "Good news and bad news. I found Diplet, but he was chewing on a red hat so he either ate a gnome or stole from one of them. Both cases, we might have yet another issue with them when we get back to our time."
Her son didn't say anything and that was weird. "Dipper, is everything alright?"
"Ya, everything's fine mom." Dipper gave the screwdriver one last twist. "I think I got everything back to how it was before. Now we just have to hope."
The boy lifted the time tape to his mother. She stepped forward and gave him a big hug.
"Oh, wonderful. My little man is so smart." She popped some kisses on his cheeks.
Dipper wanted to groan, but honestly he kind of needed the affection at that moment. He ended up letting out a giggle as he tried to pull away. "Mom, stop."
"No." His mother joked, but she still snatched the time machine out of her son's still raised arm. She fingered the tip of the tape measure and asked "So to do this I just-" as she pulled on it.
Then she let the tape snapback and they time traveled. Besides for the loud crashing sound there wasn't really a sign that they went anywhere. They started off behind Greasy's Diner and they were still behind Greasy's Diner.
"Did it work?" Mabel checked her bag, her clothes and her pig. She couldn't really tell the difference. Was the past and the present suppose to have different smells? Was that a valid hint? The mother went into her bag and pulled out a phone. "Cell is working again." The mother smiled down at her son. "Not exactly the right time, but it will be by the time we walk back over."
The boy nodded. "We should probably get that thing back to the time travel guy before he realizes he's not dead." He was already a couple feet down the road by the time that statement caught up with his mom.
"Surprised you're not sitting trying to convince me to let you try another date with Wendy." Mabel said walking beside her son. She waved the time tape back and forth practically teasing him with the device.
"I kind of decided that it might not be the end of the world." Dipper played it off. He let out a chuckle. "Besides, I definitely don't want to get grounded, right?."
"It wouldn't have been too bad. I would've let you play with Other Dipper." The mother pinched her pet's forelegs. She waved them up and down like even the pig was excited about the idea.
"Could we try again with that name?" Dipper asked. "Maybe something that isn't based on me. Like I don't know 'Waddles' or something."
"Waddles?" His mother mimicked. "Waddles." She repeated slowly. "Oh that's adorable! You're so smart." She went from playing with the pig to playing with her son. Ruffling the hair under his cape, pinching his earlobes and petting his cheeks.
"Mom, I said stop." He giggled despite the embarrassment.
Basically just got an idea for this AU and decided to write a one shot on it.
I think I chose to base this off of the Time Traveler's Pig because I think some people kind of forget the point of the episode. Like there are some people who use this as another example to hate on Mabel, while not realizing that even without the strange exclusivity of events between not hitting Wendy with the baseball and Mabel getting Waddles, using time travel to undo interpersonal mistakes is still a bad thing to do. Like this isn't even me deciding this, like listening to some commentary the writers did not want to award Dipper for doing this at all.
There are legit issues with Mabel in Gravity Falls, but this isn't one of them.
I have other ideas related to this AU from how certain events were play out to how each character's role would differ but there's no guarantee I'll write another one shot in this universe.
