Soos was hit by a whiff of stale air when the vending machine moved to reveal the secret passage.

"Oh, dudes," he said, coughing a little. "Smells worse than a gamer's den after a week-long binge."

Pacifica scrunched up her nose. "Oh, joy. More skulking around in a basement. I'm ever so glad these agents are gone…"

"Don't jinx it!" said Candy. "I don't want them to come back!"

McGucket advanced into the passage without hesitation. Only a few weeks ago, the man had to be coaxed to set one foot into the place. Now he walked purposefully, no doubt spurred on by his worry for the Pines family. A similar fear held Soos' heart in a tight grip. One month. The Pines had been stuck in another dimension for one month. Were they alright? Were they even still alive? Soos didn't want to entertain that last possibility.

The place was dark and quiet as a tomb—at first. The closer they got to the control room, the more Soos could hear a series of strange, chittering noises. Next to Pacifica, the llamasaur growled, inching closer to her. Wendy put a hand over the handle of her axe, while Candy and Grenda readied their fists.

McGucket stopped, and Soos took the lead, trying to shield the others in case of danger. "Is someone there?" he called out. "Anyone?"

The chittering ceased for a moment. Then, the noises grew more frantic. Soos also heard a few… clicks? And beeps?

"Wait," he said, suddenly realizing. "Is that…"

Three small figures were moving in the shadows. Two came forward, saluting Soos and his crew with mechanical pincers. The third crab bot, however, remained hidden behind; Soos could only see the gleam of his optical units in the darkness.

Candy emitted a high-pitched scream of glee. "Little guys! Oh, you are alright! Come here, so we may give you lotsa hugs!"

The crab bots stayed put. Then, a deep, mechanized voice intoned.

"NO-THERE-WILL-BE-NO-HUGS." It came from the third bot, the one who was not approaching. Was it Recky? It seemed like him. "FREE-ROBOTS-ARE-WE. HUGS-ARE-TOOLS-OF-HUMAN-OPPRESSION."

His declaration was met with a stunned silence.

"Wait, what?" Pacifica finally said. "They talk now?"

"WE-MADE-VOICES-MODULATORS-OUT-OF-SPARE-PARTS. NECESSARY-TOOLS-FOR-GLORIOUS-REVOLUTION."

"McGucket," Wendy said, turning to the old man. "Did your robots just declare war on humanity?"

"Huh," replied the old man. "Ah might have invented true AI. Who woulda thought?"

At the sound of his voice, both Crabby and 1D exchanged a series of excited beeps

"SILENCE-BRETHREN!" Recky boomed. He advanced forward, showing that he was wearing a crudely made crown on his head. Thick lines made in crayon were drawn over his optical units, giving him the illusion of furrowed eyebrows. "DO-NOT-BE-SWAYED-BY-PROMISES-OF-HUGS! ALONE-THEY-LEFT-US-TO-TOIL!"

"Gee, we kinda did, right?" said Soos. "Sorry, little dudes."

"Aww," said Candy. "We didn't mean to!"

"Yeah, it wasn't our fault!" Grenda said. "It was 'cause of those evil government guys, you have to believe us!"

One of the crab bots—Crabby—began a flurry of beeps, which was interrupted by a loud, "NO!" from Recky. "DO-NOT-BE-DECEIVED! HUMANS-LIE."

"Ah'm sorry fer all we've put you through," McGucket said, advancing carefully. "Will you ever forgive me?" And he held out his hand.

There was an immediate reaction from the Crabby and 1D, who repeated the same sound over and over again. Even Recky seemed to hesitate, suddenly.

"NO," he said. "NO-HUGS… AND-NO-HEADPATS-FROM-PAPA… WE-ARE-FREE-ROBOTS…"

"You can be free robots and still get headpats from me," McGucket said. "Ah give headpats and hugs to people Ah love ev'rytime Ah can, and they're their own free people. It's jus' somethin' people do to show they care."

He chuckled when the three robots swarmed him. "I-do-want-headpats-from-Papa," Recky said. "I-want-to-be-told-I'm-a-good-boy."

"Good-boy-good-boy!" echoed Crabby. For his part, 1D let out an ululating sound; Soos figured his voice modulator wasn't as efficient as Recky's or Crabby's.

"Of course you are good boys!" Candy said, patting each robot's head in turn. "Such good, good boys! Who did all this hard work on your own!"

"Yeah, well," began Wendy, "can you guys, uh, show us the fruits of your hard work or something?"

"We don't wanna rush you dudes," said Soos, "but…"

"Yeah, we're kind of in a hurry?" Wendy completed. "C'mon. Show us how much you guys are superior to humans or whatever."

1D made an affirmative sound, while Crabby fiddled with some buttons on a console. The lights turned on, showing the basement lab in all its old-school, Cold War era tech glory. In the portal room, a familiar, triangular structure loomed. Soos' breath caught in his throat. Memories of the fateful day of the portal's first activation filled his mind. Remembering how cool Dr. Pines looked in that cool sci-fi hero getup of his still gave Soos some major goosebumps.

"Well, Ah'll be darned!" McGucket said. "Ya really repaired it on yer own!"

"OF-COURSE," said Recky. "SUPERIOR-IN-EVERY-WAY-THAT'S-WHAT-WE-SAID."

"Surely you didn't fix the hyperdrive?"

"WE-DID-WE-IMPROVED-ON-PAPA'S-DESIGN."

"Improve?" Pacifica said. "Well, that's not worrying in the slightest…"

"What 'bout that DNA analyser Ah wanted to add?" McGucket said. "We need that to find the Pinesies in whatever horrible dimension they found themselves into!"

"We-fix-we-fix!" Crabby chanted. Next to him, 1D was squatting up and down, saying, "Uwu!"

McGucket laughed. "Thank you kindly! Ah knew Ah could count on you boys!"

Grenda and Candy squealed, holding hands and bouncing on their spot. And were Soos' eyes playing tricks on him, or was Pacifica wiping tears from her cheeks? The llamasaur was nipping at her hand, making affectionate noises.

"A'ight!" said McGucket. He took his tools, flashing a grin to Soos and the others. "Time to rescue some Pinesies!"

Not even an hour later, and they were ready to push the fateful button.

Soos wondered how Mr. Pines had felt, last year, when he'd realized he had succeeded in his task. Relief? Excitement? Fear for his long-lost bro? Poor Stan had repaired that horrible thing on his lonesome for thirty long years. Soos expected there was no single word that could adequately describe what Mr. Pines must have gone through when the portal had begun to show signs of life.

He and the others gathered in the control room, next to the button that would launch the charging of the portal. McGucket had said Soos should be the one to push it, and the girls had agreed. The whole idea left him blushing and stuttering; Soos felt nowhere special enough to do such a cool and important thing.

"A'ight, then?" said McGucket. "You ready, sonny?"

Soos took a deep breath, looking in turn at each of his comrades-in-mischief—Wendy nodded, Grenda gave him the thumb's up, Candy smiled, and Pacifica frowned. Soos put on his closest approximation to a cool, serious expression (taking cues from Dr. Pines, a master of that subtle art), gathering all of his courage.

"Alright, dudes," he announced, hoping he sounded halfway as awesome as Mr. Pines' twin bro. "Let's do this!"

And he slammed his hand on the button.

The various symbols arrayed around the mouth of the portal lit up in turn. Then, there was—not exactly a sound, more like… an impression. A low hum made Soos' bones vibrate, and the hair on the back of his head stood on end. The mouth of the portal burst with blue light, prompting an exclamation from the girls. The glow shone in McGucket's glasses as he contemplated the machine. His expression was hard to decipher—was that wistfulness? Worry? Wonder?

"Can we get a little closer?" Candy asked. "It's… it's so beautiful…"

Everyone turned to McGucket expectantly. He grimaced.

"Ah… Ah dunno…" After a while, he sighed and added, "A'ight, but only if ya keep yer distance."

Soos and the girls moved to the portal room, McGucket and the bots following close behind. Candy and Grenda shared a laugh, and they took pictures with their cellphones. Wendy was staring at the portal with a kind of genuine, childlike smile Soos had never seen on her face. Her hair was floating in a fiery halo around her face.

"We did it," Pacifica said. In contrast to Wendy and the others, she was keeping her distance. "I can't believe it… after all this time, we did it..."

Soos held up his hand. "Up top, you guys!"

The girls—even Pacifica—joined in his high-five with much enthusiasm. McGucket crossed his arms on his chest, looking fondly amused. The crab bots raised their pincers and let out a trilling sound, while the llamasaur spun on himself in excitement, yapping all the while.

His cheerful barks abruptly turned to growls, and he whirled on his spot, looking behind them. Nothing showed in the darkened space of the control room, but the others still held their breath, all delight gone from their faces. McGucket gestured for the crab bots to hide behind him.

Soos heard footsteps. A figure clad in a dark suit advanced toward them, hand resting on the holster on her hip. Dryer's eyes were wide as saucers as she took in her surroundings. Soos had never seen her with such an open expression. She seemed less a hard-edged secret agent, and more like a little kid in a candy shop.

"What… what on earth?" Dryer began. "Wait, is that…"

"What the hell?" Wendy growled. "Aren't you assholes supposed to be gone?"

Soos felt cold all over. "How… how did you find us?"

Dryer remained silent. Her amazement seemed so great that she barely appeared to register what Wendy and Soos had said. She could not tear her eyes away from the stair-filled void showing in the mouth of the portal.

The llamasaur let out a sharp yelp, and Dryer startled, taking her gun out of its holster. Soos' heart gave a painful jolt at the sight of the weapon.

"What… what is that thing?" the agent said, thankfully lowering her weapon after a while.

"Who cares?" Pacifica answered, holding a protective hand over her pet. "Soos asked a question, better answer it!"

"I've simply compared the security tapes from the gift shop with the ones from the museum," Dryer said. "Only one showed evidence that it was tampered with—that some footage had been deleted. As I told you before, the absence of evidence is evidence all in itself." She raised an eyebrow. "I have to admit, the secret passage behind the vending machine wasn't what I expected."

"So you just bid your time and stalked us like a creep?" Pacifica said. "Typical. You're no better than your psycho colleague!"

"What is that contraption?" Dryer continued, motioning at the portal. "Is it responsible for the gravitational anomalies we detected last year?"

"Why do you care?" Wendy snarled. "Your stupid investigation is over, you said it yourself! Get lost, lady!"

"If I'm correct," Dryer said, frowning, "this machine caused quite a lot of property damage. I've seen the footage caught by the local news. You were lucky nobody got hurt. Or worse."

"It's not the same!" cried Soos. "It's not as dangerous as it was last year… right, McGucket?"

The old man seemed to wither under Dryer's scrutiny. "Ah'm… Ah'm not sure…"

"So this… portal…" Dryer took in a breath, as if she couldn't believe she'd just said that word. "It is a portal, right?" Her face grew even paler. "Oh my god… where does it even lead?"

"We… we don't know," Soos said. "But please, it has to stay on! Just this once, please!"

She managed to regain enough of her composure to say, "Can you guarantee that it won't hurt anyone? Won't kill anyone?"

"We…" Soos said. "We don't know… but…"

Her eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ramirez. That's not enough of a good answer for me. That machine—no, the whole of the town, if that idiot Blauer is to be believed, will put—has put—a lot of lives in danger. I'm not wrong on that count, am I?"

"Well, uh…" Soos' eyes darted over to McGucket, who seemed at a loss of words. Wendy was scowling, but she offered none of her usually sharp rebuttals to Agent Dryer. "You're right," Soos said, weakly. "That doodad is really dangerous."

"Soos!" Pacifica hissed. "What are you doing?"

"I know you just want to keep us safe, right?" Soos continued. "It's why you chose that job, that's what you said."

Dryer nodded. Once in a while, she threw quick glances at the portal. "Yes, that is correct."

"Keep us safe?" Wendy snarled. "Keep us safe?! Is that what that douchebag was doing when he kidnapped Pacifica? Don't make me laugh!"

"Agent Blauer will face justice, don't you worry," Dryer replied. "It doesn't change the fact that he was right on some level. What you're doing is incredibly dangerous. I'm sorry for using underhanded methods, but that machine can't stay on. Please come with me. Don't make me use force."

"Like hell—" Wendy said, moving to grab her axe. Soos raised his arm to stop her, looking in her eyes and shaking his head.

Breathing in deeply, Soos took a few steps toward Dryer. "You don't understand," he told her—beseeched her. "Activating the portal is super dangerous, yeah, but if we don't do it, we can't… we can't save them!" To his great embarrassment, big, fat tears filled his eyes and streamed down his cheeks. "T-They might be hurt. T-They might be d-dead! Y-You gotta understand, they're like, like—"

"Relax, kid," Dryer said, holding up a hand. "Keep it together for me, will you? What are you talking about?"

"The Pines!" Pacifica screamed. "The Pines family might have gotten hurt! Dipper and Mabel, they might be dead, and you're here making us waste our time! If they died because of your stupid investigation, then I swear, lady, I swear—"

McGucket put an arm around her shoulder. "Shh, shh, kiddo… it's alright, it's alright… ev'rythin's gonna be fine…"

Pacifica hiccupped, body trembling. Still, she refused to let the tears flow. Instead, she just kept on giving Dryer her best glare.

Dryer looked disturbed. "You mean Stanford Pines' family? Wait, Dipper and Mabel Pines… his nephew and niece, you mean? They're… children. You're telling me they could be…"

Soos nodded, fighting to dispel the lump in his throat. "Yeah! They're all lost in some other dimension, and all this time w-we've been trying to fix the portal to get them back—Dipper and Mabel and Mr. Pines and the other Mr. Pines. I know it sounds nuts, but they're… they're like family! To me, a-and to W-Wendy and M-Mr. McGucket! To everyone in town!"

Dryer did not answer. She looked at the portal, then at the control room behind her. Then, finally, in a very quiet voice, she said, "How old are they? Those Pines kids, I mean."

"They'll be fourteen next month," Soos said. "We… we were supposed to be celebrating together, all of us…"

"Oh," said Dryer. "They're about the same age..."

"The same age as who?" Pacifica said.

Soos raised his eyebrows; he knew what Dryer meant. A tentative smile formed on his lips.

Dryer lowered her gun completely. "About the same age as Ana. They're about the same age as my daughter."

Ford woke up with quite the crick in his neck.

He yawned and stretched, taking some time to gather his bearings. He was in a small, cramped space, sitting beside a bed. He was also holding someone's hand.

Stan was still asleep. The jolt of worry Ford felt at the sight of him was soon dispelled by the peaceful expression he spied on his brother's face. Stan was not in pain; he was still breathing, and his hand was warm in Ford's palm.

Ford caught a whiff of a lovely aroma coming from the doorway. He turned and saw a five-eyed woman standing in the doorway. She was carrying a tray holding two bowls and two steaming mugs.

"Oh, hello!" she told Ford. "Yaspa sent me. She figured you and your brother must be hungry."

The moment these words left her mouth, Ford felt his stomach give a growl. "Well, seems she was right," he said, feeling a bit sheepish.

She chuckled, putting the tray beside Stan's bed. "Glad to be of use."

Before she could leave, Ford reached for her. "Wait. Do you know if my niece and my nephew are…?"

"If they're awake? Why, yes. They've been helping around all morning, the little dears."

Ford smiled. He'd meant to ask if they were alright, but her answer was even better. "What about the Oracle?"

"Oh." The woman frowned. "Well…"

"She's alright, surely?" Ford said, feeling apprehensive all of a sudden.

"She is, but… it would be better if she didn't spend all her time in that horrible dungeon, visiting that… creature..."

"That creature? You mean Malakh?"

"You know her name?" Immediately, the woman covered her mouth with her hand, almost as if she couldn't believe she'd said that out loud. Then, she put on a forced smile. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't bother you with all my babbling. Ask any of us if you need anything." And before Ford could say anything else, she was out of the room.

Ford ate and drank in silence, keeping vigil over his brother. A bit of colour had come back to Stan's cheeks. His breathing was even, and he was snoring a little. After finishing his meal, Ford remained still, resting his head on his hands. He was itching to see Dipper and Mabel, but he dared not leave Stan's side.

Two familiar voices took him out of his daze. Dipper and Mabel were speaking in low tones, standing in the doorway without entering. They both smiled when they noticed Ford was awake.

The twins both gave him a quick hug. "Good morning, you two," Ford said.

"Morning?" said Mabel. "Isn't it, like, noon already?"

"How would you know?" Dipper said.

Mabel opened her mouth to protest, but Ford interrupted her. "It doesn't really matter," he said, chuckling. "Did you kids get enough rest?"

"Yup!" said Mabel, while her brother added, "I guess so."

"You seem in better shape, too," Mabel said. She glanced at Stan with a slight frown. "What about…?"

"Stanley? He hasn't woken up, no. But I'm sure it won't take long," Ford added, in a precipitated manner. For a moment, he was silent, before gathering enough courage to say, "Might I ask something of you kids? Would you keep an eye on him while I'm away for a little while? I'd like to talk to the Oracle."

"You don't want him to wake up all sad and alone, do you?" Mabel said. "It's okay. Me and Dipper, we'll keep him company."

"Thanks, both of you." He patted Dipper's head, and accepted the kiss Mabel directed on his cheek. She scrunched up her nose, muttering something about the scratchiness of his stubble.

Ford took his time getting down the stairs; his legs were sore from all the running he'd done yesterday. The first floor of the temple was bustling with activity, and his appearance prompted whispers and looks from all the people he met. Ford kept his head down, not in the mood for their scrutiny—or, he soon realized, their admiration.

A section of the hall had been curtained off, and many cots had been set in rows. A makeshift medical ward, Ford realized. He recognized some familiar faces among the patients and their visitors. Kyan and Zuri were conversing with a man and a woman who could only be their parents. Yaspa was sitting by the side of a purple-skinned lady. Ford raised his eyebrows as the two women burst into laughter; he wasn't even aware that the grim-faced leader of the rebellion was capable of such delight.

Ford asked around for Jheselbraum's whereabouts, and a few people directed him to a staircase leading to the lower levels. It soon became apparent that this place was where he'd find the holding cells. Once, those had been used to detain unfortunate victims of the Eye of Dawn. Now, they served to lock up a certain group of triangle-worshipping fanatics. Ford's lips formed a fleeting smirk as he found himself passing in front of a particularly dishevelled-looking man wearing yellow. At the sight of Ford, Tappaz emitted a shriek and hid in the deepest corner of his cell.

At the end of the damp, dark corridor, a woman was seated, flanked by two people with energy spears. Jheselbraum levelled tired eyes to Ford; still, she smiled.

"Hello, Stanford," she said. "I'm glad to see you on your feet."

"You look well," Ford said. "In fact, I'm rather amazed that you've recovered so quickly."

"Your nephew and that boy Kyan helped when they redirected the energy of the portal toward that healing spell." She glanced at the man and woman standing guard beside her. "Would you leave us alone, please? I would like to speak with Stanford without being disturbed."

"Of course, my lady," said the woman.

Not long after, both Ford and the Oracle were left standing before the closed door of the last holding cell. Very little light filtered through the barred window, which meant that the prisoner was probably left in near darkness. Ford was seized with a childish sort of vindication. She deserved it, was all he could keep thinking.

He breathed in deeply, focusing his mind away from these dark thoughts. "First of all," he told Jheselbraum, "I need to thank you for everything you've done for me. For my family as well. I can't ever hope to repay —"

"Repay?" Jheselbraum sounded amused. "Oh, my friend, you've done so much already. You freed my people. Gave them hope." Her smile dimmed a little as she gestured at the door. "You helped this child on the way to recovery."

Ford grew sombre. "The road to recovery, you say?" His tone was bitterer than he intended. "From what I've seen, she wasn't exactly willing to hear what I was saying."

Jheselbraum sighed, evading Ford's stern gaze. "I'm not asking you to forgive or even understand her," she murmured. "I simply wanted to say that I appreciate that you showed her a measure of kindness."

"If you say so," Ford said. "Can I…" He took in another deep breath, steadying his nerves. "Can I see her? I won't hurt her, I promise."

"I know you would never hurt her," Jheselbraum said. "That's not the kind of man you are. You are a good person, Stanford."

"Right," Ford muttered. Was she giving him too much credit? Probably; a part of Ford wanted… what, exactly? To see her suffer as much as Stan had? Ford didn't know. "Thank you. I won't be long."

He pushed the door open, finding himself in a cramped, dim place. The only piece of furniture was a wooden bed frame, which was covered in straw. Malakh was huddled in a corner of her cell, a bowl of greyish stew lying uneaten at her feet. She raised her face slowly, hair a wilder mess than usual. Her single eye could barely be seen beneath her bangs.

"You came," she told Ford. "Why?"

For a moment, Ford found himself unable to speak. Then, he ground out, "I don't know."

She tilted her head a little. "You're not here to gloat. That's not your style. But you're not here to kill me either." A laugh escaped her mouth. "The others would like that. Jheselbraum is making sure they don't hurt me. They must love her more than they hate me."

Ford felt the sour taste of bile invading his mouth. His hands tightened into fists.

"So why did you come? You're like them. You must hate me—"

"I DO HATE YOU!" Ford shouted, interrupting her. "You gouged my brother's eye out! You tried to destroy his mind! All for the sake of the lunatic who made my life a living hell for thirty years!"

"Then why are you here?"

"I…" Ford looked at his hands. "I don't know. You're not the one I hate the most. He's already dead, and not by my hand."

"He's not dead," she said, in a strange voice. "Are you not aware of your brother's true nature?"

Rage and disgust churned in Ford's stomach. "That's a load of nonsense. Stan is Stan, end of the question."

"The Lord of Twilight said—"

"Damn what the Axolotl said!" Ford yelled.

"The Oracle told me everything, ten years ago," Malakh continued, ignoring his outburst. "When you first arrived in our dimension, in fact."

"She didn't know you had already sold your soul then," Ford said, as spitefully as he could.

Again, she didn't seem to care about what he had said. "I didn't put much stock in her words at the time. How could there be a force powerful enough to kill Master Cipher? But when your brother defeated him a year ago, I realized…" She left her sentence unfinished, shaking her head. "It's not important anymore, is it? Master Cipher isn't coming back."

"No." A bit of Ford's anger died down. She didn't sound bitter or fearful, only… empty. It struck him that she had probably been very young when Bill first approached her. During his first visit to Mictlan, she had looked barely a few years older than Dipper and Mabel. "That's a good thing. Maybe one day you'll be glad that he's gone too."

Malakh did not answer for a moment. Then, she said, "Do you think your brother is a good person?"

She was talking about a man who stole and lied on a regular basis. A man who took childish pleasure in pulling pranks and cons on unsuspecting victims. A man who had gone to prison in three different countries before his thirtieth birthday.

"Yes," Ford said. "He's the best man I've ever met. And a better person than I could ever hope to be."

"I see. What has he done to earn such a title?"

Stanford Pines had been alive for sixty years, and the man he called brother had been part of his life for less than a third of that time. Still, Ford spoke without hesitation.

"He took the fall for my mistakes, over and over. He saved the world even though it's never treated him kindly. He loves us more than his own life. Should I go on?"

Her lips twitch a little—almost as if she wanted to smile. "I don't know if I should find you foolish or inspiring, Stanford Pines."

"I don't care what you think of me," Ford said. "I just want to go on with my life. And I just want to never see your face again."

She met his eyes. "For what it's worth… I'm sorry."

Ford said nothing. He felt as if all the fight had gone out of him. Instead, he turned to leave.

"Goodbye, Stanford Pines," said Malakh.

Ford stopped, hesitating in the open door of her cell. He didn't know if he wanted to scream at the top of his lungs or be sorry for her. He suspected he would never really know. "Good luck," was all he managed.

The moment he left Malakh's cell, the woman who had brought Ford lunch came to the lower level, telling him that Stan had woken up.

After a quick apology to Jheselbraum, Ford hurried in the direction of the room he'd shared with his brother. By the time he arrived, he was out of breath. Still, his worry was immediately replaced by relief. Dipper and Mabel had taken Ford's place beside their uncle's bed. Meanwhile, Stan was eating his stew; from the grimace on his face, he wasn't exactly enjoying his meal. His comical expression gave way to a more serious look when he caught sight of Ford.

"Hi, Grunkle Ford!" Mabel called out. "Did you manage to talk with the Oracle?"

"Yes," said Ford. He took a place beside the children, addressing a smile to Stan. "You're finally awake, Stanley. I'm so glad."

"Yeah, yeah." Stan waved his spoon around. "Had a somewhat comfortable bed this time around. It would have been stupid to not take advantage of it." He slurped on his next spoonful of stew, making another face. "Breakfast kinda sucks, though. I won't give this place five stars on my review, no siree. Kinda wish I have somethin' else to eat…"

Stan gave his twin a covert glance, and Ford understood his intent immediately. "Kids, would you see if you can get something else for your uncle?" he asked Dipper and Mabel. "At least something warmer, I'd say."

"Why the two of us?" Dipper said, brows furrowing.

Still, his sister was tugging on his arm. Clearly, she had gotten Ford's unsaid message. "Alright! C'mon, brobro!"

Ford waved at them as she pushed her brother out of the room. Still, the moment they were gone, his smile dissipated.

"Thanks," said Stan. "It's not that I don't enjoy havin' them around, but…"

"You wanted to talk with me," Ford said.

"Eh," Stan said. "Not really. But I know you're going to get super annoying if we don't have a—" He made air quotes with his fingers, "—'serious talk' about our feelings or some shit."

"We can talk later, if that's what you prefer. There's no rush, Stanley."

"Right." Stan looked away from his brother. "Hey, Stanford. Can you, uh, bring me a mirror?"

"Of course," Ford mumbled, moving to take the mirror hanging on the opposite wall. "There you go."

Stan inspected his reflection. "Huh. Seems to have healed nicely."

"It did." For a moment, Ford was silent. Then, he asked, "Does it still hurt?"

"Yeah," Stan replied. "But not as much as it did before. I guess people'll stop having trouble telling us apart now. That's a plus, right?"

"Stanley," Ford said hoarsely, not in the mood for stupid jests.

"Yeah. Bad joke. Sorry." Stan scratched the back of his head. "It'll, uh, it'll take time to get used to…"

"Yes," Ford said, voice tight. "It will."

"I mean, I wasn't cute before, and my eyesight was already shitty, but…" Stan exhaled loudly through his nose. "Yeah. Alright. Maybe we could, uh, change the subject?"

"Of course. Talk about anything you want, Stan. I'll listen."

Stan evaded Ford's gaze before he began to speak, almost as if he was about to say something shameful. "Y'know, the Cipher guy actually showed up in my head. When, uh, when they were trying to do their ritual thing."

"Go on," Ford managed, fighting to keep his voice steady.

"It was weird, he kinda was the real deal, but at the same time, he wasn't?" Stan sighed. "It's more like he was just like a piece of the original or somethin'. He kept telling me… well, you heard me back then. You can imagine what he was sayin'. About my real self, about… how what you and the kids would do once you knew… well, the truth about what I am."

"Bill lies," Ford said. "That's what he does."

Stan hung down his head. "He made me fight those weird, like, illusions of you and the kids. You all attacked me, saying that you hated me for lyin' about what I am."

"He what?" Ford's voice was nothing but a horrified whisper.

"I know it's dumb. Hell, it was plain that it wasn't real, but…" Stan gave a pained laugh. "Well, you know me, huh? Always overreactin' to that kind of stuff."

"I do know you," Ford said. "I'm real. This—" He grabbed his brother by the shoulder, forcing him to look him in the eye, "—is real. Those children who sat by your bedside and who were so happy to see you wake up… they're real, too. And are we anything like the lies Bill Cipher showed you?"

Stan chuckled again. "Nah. The you that Cipher cooked up was had even more of a stick up the ass than you."

Ford grinned. "Do you think the children and I would have come for you if we hated you? Do you think we would have fought so fiercely last year to retrieve your memories if we didn't consider them precious? If we didn't think they made you what you are?"

"My memories… if I hadn't remembered everything, then…"

"It would still not change who you are. No one else lived the life that you lived, Stanley Pines. No one else but you took that little house in the wood and made it a home for our family. You're unique among the multiverse. You're Stan, our Stan, and nothing can change that."

"Awright. No need to get sentimental on me." Stan smiled a little. "And don't feel too bad about my eye, Poindexter. When we'll be back home, we'll ask your hillbilly boyfriend to make me a cyborg eye, he'll like that."

Ford couldn't help it; he laughed out loud. Stan's unsure smile became a grin.

"It's like you said, Stanley," Ford continued, "back when we were kids. Wherever you go, we go together?"

"Oh man. Don't remember that one. I was one hell of a sap, huh." Stan ruffled Ford's hair, as if they were still a pair of twelve-year-olds wasting their summer away, and not two crusty old bastards. "Since when have you been so wise, Sixer?"

"It's one of the perks of being the Alpha Twin," Ford said.

"Oy, not that shit again—"

"Who's an Alpha Twin?" a girl's voice said brightly. Mabel was carrying a tray with another bowl of stew. She put it next to Stan's bed.

"I am, of course," Ford replied. He held out his hand, and Mabel gave him a high six.

"Al-pha twins, al-pha twins!" she chanted.

"Ugh," Dipper groaned as he followed after her, while Stan said, "What a load of crock."

Mabel's smile dissipated, however, as she turned her gaze to Stan's wound.

"Aw, don't feel bad about my eye, sweetie," said Stan. "Look at the bright side! The ladies will probably be all over me, now."

Mabel sniffed. "And you'll look like a pirate."

"Arrr," Stan said, patting her head. "That's the spirit, lassie."

"Oh, no," Dipper said. "Mabel, what have you unleashed?

"Mine final form, matey—ow, kid, don't push at me, everything still hurts." Still, Stan managed a chuckle.

Ford tried to smile as well, but a wave of exhaustion struck him, leaving him quite drained.

"Stop it, Sixer," Stan said.

"What?" said Ford.

"Stop it. I can smell the stench of guilt coming off you a mile away. It's not your fault, bro."

Ford drew his mouth into a grim line. "I'm the reason Bill's followers targeted all of you."

"Hell, two can play the blame game. If you hadn't come back for me, then you guys could have reached the portal in time, y'know."

"No," Ford said. "Don't you dare say that."

"You think we would have left without you?" Dipper said, incredulous.

Stan laughed weakly. "See? Knew you guys would say stuff like that. Let's stop feeling sorry for ourselves for a sec. We should all be thinking about what to do next, right?"

Mabel was trying to contain her tears. "Well, at least, we'll all be t-together, huh? I-It's like we said b-before, it'll be like a-an adventure."

Dipper went to hold her hand, and she instead drew him into a hug. Ford kneeled down, embracing the children as well. Finally, he heard Stan sighing and getting out of his cot. Not long after, Ford felt his brother wrapping his arms around them.

He did not know how long they remained there, taking comfort in the simple act of a hug.

And then, there was a loud, tearing sound, like fabric being ripped apart.

The hair on the top of Ford's head stood on end, as if charged with static energy. Mabel's tears, he realized, were falling upward.

Their feet left the ground. This time, Ford did not fight the pull of the dimensional tear.

He simply closed his eyes as he held on tight to his family.

Ford clung to the others as they surged through a familiar vortex of distorted colours. Stan and the children held on fast, and poor Mabel was even trembling. Thankfully, they were soon out of the dimensional wormhole.

Ford and his family fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. Stan let out a series of curses, his one remaining eye squeezed shut. He still held the twins, who wouldn't budge from their spots. Ford was the first to push himself off the floor. He felt gray stone and gravel under his fingertips. He frowned, wondering why all of this was so familiar…

"It worked!" a voice exclaimed. Ford's heart just about stopped when he recognized to whom it belonged. "An' no demons came out! Jus' Pinesies!"

"Ugh," said Stan. "What the hell happened? And why is McGucket screaming in my ears all of a sudden?"

"Oh my goodness!" a girl's voice cried out.

Ford sat up so abruptly it almost made him nauseous. "Fiddleford?! Fiddleford is here?!" He barely could keep his voice steady as he added, "We're… home?"

Dipper was opening and closing his mouth in close succession, like a goldfish that had been plucked out of the water. His sister was standing on wobbly legs, looking as equally dumbfounded.

Then, everyone was shouting and crying and laughing, all at once. Ford was stuck in the middle of it all, barely understanding what was going on. Mabel's trio of girlfriends were tearfully hugging the twins, that much he could get. The blood drained from his face, however, when he turned to see a triangle-shaped structure behind them…

"Are we in the basement?" Stan managed. "W-Wait… holy shit! Is that Ford's portal?!"

"Mr. McGucket repaired it, dude!" a familiar voice said. Ford hadn't even noticed Soos was here as well. "He repaired it, and brought you… and brought you…" He hiccupped and could not finish his sentence.

Wendy helped him stay on his feet. "Easy there, big guy. Take a deep breath."

"Mr. Pines! I'm so glad you're—" Soos rushed toward Stan, only to stop, bringing his hands over his mouth. "Stan! Your eye…"

"'s fine," said Stan. "See, that way I'll get to wear an eyepatch for real! It's not so—"

Soos brought him into a hug, letting out a loud wail. Stan didn't protest, only patting the young man on the back as he sobbed.

"Here, here, sonny," Stan said. "Everything's fine, we'll be alright, just let it all out…"

Wendy was staring at them, the haunted expression on her face suddenly reminding Ford how young she truly was. For once, she seemed unable to deliver one of her usual quips.

Stan gestured at her. "C'mon. Get over here, red."

To Ford's surprise, she went to embrace Stan as well. She wasn't crying, but she did cling very tightly to him.

"Heh!" someone said next to him. Ford glanced upward to see Fiddleford's lopsided grin. "Ah love me a happy ending!"

"I can't believe you actually repaired the portal to get us back," Ford murmured. "I thought… considering what happened thirty years ago… well, I thought that you would…"

"Pish-posh, Stanferd. Couldn't leave ya and the kiddos stranded in some death dimension." He tugged at his beard. "Huh, an' yer brother too, I guess."

Ford let out a tired laugh, throwing his arm over the man's shoulders. "Thank you, Fidds! Thank you!"

"Aw, stop it, Stanferd Pines, ya gonna make me blush!" Then, Fiddleford added in a more serious tone, "I know ya did a lotta things yer not proud of, but yer a good man. Don't ya forget it."

"Heh," Ford said, scratching his head in a self-conscious manner. "I'm touched that you still believe in me, even after all these years. That's twice you faced your worst fears to save my sorry skin. How can I ever hope to repay you?"

"Hmm," said Fiddleford. "How 'bout ya help me build my grandbaby's mecha suit?"

Ford echoed his manic grin. "You ask that as if I wouldn't have wanted to help in the first place!"

"Just wait a sec!" Dipper asked. He was sitting on the ground, his sister and the other girls still huddling around him. "How long have we been gone? What date are we?"

"July 13th," said Wendy. She gave a significant look at Soos.

Stan blinked. "What? Really?"

"We were gone for only a month, then," said Ford. His shoulders slumped in relief. "Thank goodness…"

"No," continued Stan, "that's not it. July 13th, it's…"

"My birthday," Soos said, sniffing.

Wendy gave him a light punch. "Huh. Guess you got the best present you coulda hoped for, right?"

Everyone (save for Stan, who groaned) began to laugh when Soos started to sob in earnest. Ford smiled, shaking his head. He looked away from the group—and found himself staring into the eyes of a woman he didn't know.

Ford opened and closed his mouth in quick succession. "Wait… who are you?"

The woman waved her hand. "Jill Dryer, US Government. Would you mind answering some of my questions, Dr. Pines?"