After noodles, a few games of Go Fish, and a movie, Ford found he was completely drained of all energy and ready for bed. But it was hard to get up from the couch with the sweet girl on his side, his arm wrapped around her as they watched the ending of the movie.

Mabel was a very lovely person to talk to. Or at least listen to, seeing how Ford mostly just listened to her ramble about glitter and boys and whatever she wanted. She would occasionally stop, blush, look sad for a moment, and change subjects. Ford knew he was guilty of doing the same thing; ever since he was a child he had a paranoia that he annoyed people or bored them.

Whatever Mabel might think he thinks of her, he loved her talks and was intrigued by everything she had to say. She was weird, like him. And kind and smart and really just a very lovely girl.

Ford liked kids, of course he did, but kids didn't seem to like him much. His nephew would cry every time he held him, and as a teenager kids would give him funny looks. But the older he got the most good experiences with the youth he was getting under his belt. Like holding Tate when he was born and his time with Mabel.

Ford was going to miss Mabel when she had to return home. Maybe she and her brother could visit him. The scientist smiled at himself at the idea of occasionally having a visitor or two. While he enjoyed the privacy and alone time, it did sometimes get too quiet in the woods.

When the credits were rolling and Mabel had shared her thoughts of the movie, Ford turned off the TV and yawned. "Okay, it's time for bed. I'm going to take you into town tomorrow to see if anyone can help us. Plus I do need to run some errands."

"Okay," Mabel yawned, stretching, and she covered herself with a blanket and smiled at him. "Can I have a bedtime story?"

Ford smirked at her. "Does a movie not count?"

Mabel shook her head.

"Aren't you a little old for a bedtime story?"

"You're never too old to be told a story before bed." Mabel said firmly, before making her eyes wide and shiny and whispering, "Please."

"Alright, I suppose I can tell you a story." Ford racked his brain through stories she might find amusing, but then shifted to real adventures he had gone on. He could tell her about his bad experience with unicorns, how he was kicked out of a fairy salon, or how he met the giant head in the lake, but he decided on a very old memory she might enjoy.

"Long ago, on a beach very far away, two brothers ran around like they owned the place."

"Oo!" Mabel snuggled down, lying down and completely covered by the blanket, her head on a small pillow. "What were their names?"

"Lee, and… Phil."

"Who was the oldest?"

"Phil." Ford answered much quicker than the previous question.

"Cool."

"Phil and Lee loved to run along the beach, swim in the salty ocean, explore their tiny town, and even try to solve mysteries. One day, they were playing on a very old, very broken, sailboat that shouldn't go anywhere near the water. They were playing Ghost-Pirates when their father called them, very angry that his favorite gold chain was missing, the chase broken and all. The father thought Lee stole it."

"What?!" Mabel gasped. "Why would he think that?!"

"Lee had a reputation." Ford chuckled. "He was quite the troublemaker. Just the week before he stole the glass-eye of a bully's mother. It would be just like Lee to steal a goldchain, but he had been with Phil all day, so Phil vouched for his brother, and their father said they had 24 hours to find the chain or Lee was going to be grounded all summer."

"NO!" Mabel yelled out in horror.

Ford laughed and patted her head. "Don't worry, Lee and Phil were on a mission to prove Lee's innocence. They looked outside their building and found hoof prints for a dangerous anomaly that was known for stealing shiny things: the Jersey Devil!"

Mabel gasped excitedly and nuzzled deeper into her blanket, making Ford grin and become quite the storyteller. He even turned out all the lights and used the lamp on his desk to make amazing shadow-puppets that made Mabel's eyes dazzle like stars. Ford enthusiastically did different voices for different characters, and told of how Lee and Phil saw the Freak Show and received their first clue, snuck into the Lighthouse, and bravely ventured into a cave, until their brave possum Shanklin snarled at a shadow, bit it, and the Jersey Devil chased the boys out of the cave with the gold chain dangling from it's sharp teeth.

"The Devil was heading straight for the Ferris Wheel, so if they got to the top quickly, they could swipe the chain back before the Devil flew away for good! But poor Lee was terrified of heights, so Phil bravely climbed up the wheel, stood at the very highest seat, and just as the Devil dove for a snack, he swiped the chain, jumped down, and landed safely on a soft tent!"

"YAY!"

"Phil and Lee brought the chain home, and though their father still believed that Lee stole it and simply brought it back, Lee wasn't grounded for the summer and the brothers were free to play until school returned."

"Wow, that's a great story!" Mabel complimented. "Can I hear another one?! Please!"

Ford chuckled as she yawned and rubbed her eye. "Maybe tomorrow. We got a big day ahead of us. I'm sure your brother is worried sick about you."

Mabel shrugged from under her blanket and looked sad. Ford noticed this very quickly and asked gently, "You don't think he's worried about you?"

It was a thought that had plagued Mabel all night. As much fun as she was having with Mr. Ford, she kept wondering where Dipper was. It wouldn't take that long for Dipper to be zipped to whatever time the time machine took him and for him to zap back, would it?

But there was a good chance the time machine was busted now and he was stuck whenever he was. He was probably freaking out and trying to fix the time machine so he could be with her again, wasn't he?

But they had been fighting.

Dipper wanted to stop Wendy and Robbie from dating, which Mabel was fine with, Robbie was a jerk, but in doing so Mabel lost Waddles to Pacifica. They had been fighting over the tape measure. Dipper probably thought Mabel was stupid and selfish. Dipper has wanted to date Wendy for three weeks. Mabel has only known Waddles for a day. But Waddles made her so happy. And Pacifica wouldn't take good care of him.

What if Dipper decided to teach her a lesson? Scare her, make her think he wasn't coming back, and then he would bring her home? Or what if he decided not to bring her back at all? What if he was purposely leaving her behind?

Mabel rubbed her eyes with the blanket and mumbled under the cover, "He probably hates me."

Ford knelt beside the couch and moved a hand to pet her hair, but decided against it. He was hesitant. So he settled for lowering his hand and saying, "I'm sure he doesn't hate you. I doubt anyone could hate you." He smiled at her, hoping the compliment would be enough to assure her, but clearly not.

Her eyes grew wet and heavy. She lied on her side to face him, the bottom-half of her face covered by the blanket, and muttered, "We were fighting. He's mad at me. He's probably not even looking for me."

Ford's face fell. Oh. That would explain some things.

This wasn't entirely alien territory. Ford was well aware of how complicated relationships with siblings can be. But he firmly told himself to not let his own problems disturb the poor girl. He had made up his mind on that when re-telling a childhood adventure, so he cleared his throat and tried to say something reassuring. "My dear, I'm… I'm sure he's looking for you. You're a very enlightened, tender-hearted, intelligent, beautiful girl. Your brother would be a fool not to look for you."

Mabel shook her head as tears fell down the side of her face, gravity aiding in the tears' journey. "No I'm not. Dipper's smart, not me. I'm stupid."

Ford swore his heart cracked over the weight of her words. "No you're not." He breathed, stunned.

"Yes I am." Mabel sobbed and buried her head under the blanket. "I suck at math and science and everything in school except for art class. If it weren't for Dipper's help, I'd probably be kicked out of school cuz I'm so stupid! I know he's a little weird and gets made fun of sometimes and I know he needs someone to push the meanies away, but he can push his own meanies away. He doesn't need me. I just hold him back. He's not looking for me. He hates me! Anyone would." And she sobbed under her blanket.

The author bit his lip and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was almost too much.

Stanley had never vocalized too much of how he felt when he and Ford were children, but bitter comments here and there clued Ford in, and what he said that day they were trapped by the devil still impacted him, though he was quite good at shoving it away.

"No matter what I do, I'm not a genius like you! I'm a dumb idiot who screws everything up! Do you know what it's like being the stupid twin?! I wish just once Pa would look at me the way he looks at you… Like he actually likes me."

While Ford wasn't comfortable to admit it, the evidence was overwhelming. Mabel was very similar to Stanley. And if that was true, and she was feeling what Stanley was feeling, then maybe Ford should respond differently than how he responded to Stanley.

"I don't hate you." Ford muttered quietly, trying to find his voice. "M-Mabel, m-m-may I, please, give you a hu-…"

Mabel suddenly leaped from her blanket and hugged him around the neck, burning her wet face into his shoulder and against his black t-shirt. Ford instantly hugged her back and rubbed circles into her back, a tactic he can remember his mother doing. He was silent for a few minutes, simply letting Mabel cry and sink into his hold, until she started to calm down a little, and Ford decided to gently pick her up and sit on the couch criss-cross with her in his lap.

"Shh shh, it's okay, you're okay." Ford cooed softly as he petted her hair, combining it with his six fingers. "Listen to me, I've only known you for a few hours and I already like you too much to leave you alone or let you stay lost. I'm sure your brother, who knows you very well, would never ever leave you behind. Think, my dear: if the tables were turned, if your brother was the one who was lost, would you go looking for him, no matter how angry you were?"

Mabel nodded and wiped her tears on his shirt.

"Well, there you go. He will find you. He will come back. Brothers always come around in the end." That last sentence wasn't entirely truthful, but Ford decided to let the young girl believe it.

Mabel sniffed and looked up at Ford, smiling with a trembling lip. "Th-Thanks." She looked at his chubby tummy and buff chest and frowned. "M'sorry I got y'wet." She mumbled.

Ford chuckled and ruffled her hair. "It's alright, I really don't mind. Now, bedtime." The man got up from bed and watched Mable snuggle herself back into her blanket burrito. He frowned at the tiny end pillow she had to use and excused himself to grab her a decent pillow. Once she had something much more comfortable to rest her head and neck on, Ford gently ruffled her hair one more time. "Sleep well, Mabel. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to go into my room and alert me. My room is right by the stairs."

"Okay. G'night, Mr. Ford."

The scientist chuckled and said, "Just Ford, dear."

"Okay. G'night Just Ford."

Ford snorted and bit his lip. "Goodnight, Mabel."

He walked to his room, thinking over the whole situation. He had half a mind to pick up the phone in his room and make a phone call, but it would be very late at night for her, so Ford decided to wait until morning.

No matter what had happened in the past, everything worked out in the end. And really, was his relationship with his best friend, his brother, his twin, really worth throwing away over a broken science project?

But it wasn't just the project. It was the fact that Stanley was too quick to introduce what he wanted as a solution. He never even tried to apologize for breaking it. He had no regret for the inconvenience he made for Ford until he bit him in the butt.

Still, did Stanley really deserve to lose his entire family over it? Did he really deserve to get kicked out of his own home at seventeen? Did he deserve to be robbed of a chance to graduate high school? Did he deserve to lose a brother over a broken perpetual motion machine?

And really, what harm did it do to Ford? Sure not going to his dream college and the betrayal of his twin hurt, but it worked out. Backupsmore is where he met so many amazing people, met his best friend, was given the resources he needed to earn 12 PhDs, and had fun memories playing DD&MD and going out on the occasional night. And now he was awarded a grant to research anomalies and follow his passion. He was happy. Everything worked out for him.

And as much as Ford doesn't want to admit it, he missed Stanley.