And thus Gravity Falls returned to normal.

Well, a new kind of normal. The kind that needed some time to get used to.

First came Dryer and her thousand questions. After giving enough time for Dr. Pines and his family to rest, clean up and eat a feast worthy of the town heroes they were, she called for a meeting in the Mystery Shack living room.

Pacifica had been surprised that Dr. Pines was willing to include her and the other kids in the discussion. She had expected him to say they were too young to participate in such a thing. Agent Dryer, for her part, had lifted one eyebrow when he'd brought them in, but she'd said nothing. As always, she had looked a bit taken aback at seeing both Dr. Pines and his brother sitting side by side; learning that the man they all had thought to be Stanford Pines had been his secret (and legally dead) twin brother had shaken her, to say the least.

Dr. Pines was the picture of cool courtesy as Dryer summarized the happenings of the last month. His brother had sent her a murderous glare when she mentioned how they had evicted Soos and his family from the Shack. Before it could come to blows, Dr. Pines had stopped him with a raised hand; his tone grew certainly more clipped afterward, however.

A silence fell upon the room when Dryer's story came to an end. She held to Dr. Pines' glare, undeterred by the naked scorn in his brown eyes. Then, she had the gall to ask, "So, where did that portal lead, anyway?"

Mr. Pines' eye twitched. Pacifica still felt a little queasy looking at his face. No one had told Pacifica or the others just how he'd lost his other eye. Was it her imagination or did he act a bit less boisterously too?

"Oy," Mr. Pines said. "Why should we tell you—"

"Stanley." Dr. Pines held up his hand again. "It's alright. I would be curious, too, were I in her shoes. I'm sure we can exchange information in a satisfactory arrangement. Isn't that right, Ms. Dryer?"

"Of course we can," McGucket added. "We've got somethin' that she wants, after all."

"What do you mean?" Candy asked.

McGucket chuckled. "Well, ev'rythin' tha's in Fordsie's big head, of course!"

"Also shouldn't forget the fact that he's the kind of guy who's built a transdimentional portal in his basement," Mr. Pines said, voice dry as sandpaper. "You'd be stupid to get on his bad side, if you know what I mean."

Dryer smiled slightly. "You've got me figured out. Well, let me say it plainly. My agency deals with—well, how to put this...?"

"The kind of thing we've got on the regular here in Gravity Falls?" Wendy said.

"Exactly." Dryer then grimaced. "As you certainly realized, we… aren't doing so well on that front. Our agency was created to protect people from dangerous paranormal phenomena, but I think we're going at it the wrong way. We approach everything as a problem to be solved… because we don't know anything about what we're supposed to deal with. That's where you would come in, Dr. Pines. We could use your expertise and our resources to create an organization dedicated to studying such things."

"And also to deal with the lil' problem of the transdimentional portal in the basement, pro'bly," said Mr. Pines.

"Yes," she said, eyes darting to the side. "That, too. That's… something that will end up changing the world, I believe."

"But not necessarily in a bad way," said Dipper. "I know it seems crazy dangerous at first, but think of all the things we could learn by travelling to other worlds. Think of the things we could teach 'em." He grew red as a beet. "Oh man, that sounded stupidly naïve, didn't it?"

For some reason, that made Dr. Pines chuckle. "No, my boy. You sounded passionate. The world would be a better place if people remembered to be as earnest as you are." He then turned his attention to Dryer. "So, you would have me spearhead an institute? An Institute of Oddology, you could say?"

Dryer shrugged. "The name isn't important. Would you be interested by my proposition?"

Dr. Pines looked at her professed hand. He lifted one brow. "'ll think on it."

"You'll… think on it?"

"Yes. The children's summer vacation is almost over. I would like to spend time with my family before they go back home."

Pacifica almost expected Dryer to protest. She instead smiled at Mabel and Dipper, who looked puzzled and wary (respectively) by her reaction. "I understand. It must be quite fun, spending your summers here. I know someone who would enjoy it, at least."

"You could visit with her, too!" Soos said; he was the only one to return her smile. "You could even bring her to the Mystery Shack!"

Dryer shook her head, giving a snort. "Alright. Dr. Pines, I'll contact you in a few months."

"Until then, can we be assured of your discretion?" Dr. Pines' tone was light, but his eyes were serious. "You must understand, I would sooner destroy every bit of my research than let it in the hands of people who would use it to hurt others."

"Understood," said Dryer. She extended her hand over to Dr. Pines again. "To the pleasure of working together… some day?"

This time, he did take it. "Perhaps. Better work to make a better impression next time."

To Pacifica's consternation, Dryer actually chuckled. "Touché. Goodbye, Dr. Pines."

And that was it. Dryer and her agents turned tail and fled, leaving no trace of their month-long investigation. Soos' girlfriend dropped the charges she'd raised against their agency. And the town of Gravity Falls let out a collective sigh of relief.

Then dropped the second bomb.

The Pines had been missing for an entire month. That meant Dipper and Mabel had gone one month without contacting their mom and dad, one month without ever sending a letter home. Pacifica hadn't been present when the twins had finally called their parents, but according to Soos, what was supposed to be a simple phone call had grown to nuclear proportion.

Not surprisingly, Mr. and Mrs. Pines had wanted Dipper and Mabel out of Gravity Falls immediately—and away from their great-uncles at once. Pacifica had felt cold all over at the idea of the twins leaving before the end of summer.

At the thought of them never visiting Gravity Falls anymore.

From what Soos had said, that threat hadn't gone so well with the twins. Mabel had told her parents she would never forgive them if they took her away, while Dipper had apparently just screamed at them, "No, you guys come on over! Me and Mabel, we're not leaving!"

And so a few days later, Gravity Falls welcomed two new visitors.

Fiddleford was happy to let them stay at the manor (Pacifica caught him muttering something about collecting 'new roomies', which was a bit disconcerting). Mrs. Pines was a cheerful, plump lady with frizzled hair and the same button nose as Mabel and Dipper. Her husband looked like a younger, less impressive (in Pacifica's honest opinion) version of his uncle Stanford. Or perhaps he was a glimpse into the future that awaited Dipper? Pacifica certainly hoped not.

They were also terribly unobservant and extremely dull. Mr. Pines wore polos and played tennis. Mrs. Pines enjoyed keeping a perfectly manicured garden, complete with a perfectly manicured lawn. That, more than anything, was the strangest thing Pacifica had experienced over the last weeks. How could these two milquetoast suburbanites be related in any way to Dipper and Mabel—or worse, their two maverick uncles? It was a mystery, one Pacifica knew she would never solve.

She and Fiddleford waited anxiously for news by the phone as the Pines met for a family meeting at the Shack. Thankfully, Soos called not long after to announce that Dipper and Mabel's parents would allow their children to stay in Gravity Falls—but that they would also spend the rest of the summer here, to keep an eye on the older set of Pines twins.

"Mr. Pines—I mean Stan here—actually started to cry when Mabel said she would be forever sad if she never got to see him again," Soos had told Pacifica and Fiddleford. "I saw him leaving the living room. He must have told the others he was making coffee 'cause he was just sobbing his heart out over the coffee machine. Poor Mr. Pines… I tried to give him a hug, but he glared at me, and, uh, I ran away I guess."

"And that's it?" Pacifica asked him. "Dipper and Mabel just guilt-tripped their parents into forgiving their uncles?"

"Pretty much. Mind you, they weren't happy about the whole 'nearly-dying-in-another-dimension' thing." Soos sounded sheepish as he added, "Like I said, there was a lot of screaming and crying involved. Dr. Pines even tried to say that maybe it was better for him and Mr. Pines to never see the kids again, but Dipper got angry at him for even suggesting that."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Pacifica said, rolling her eyes.

"Ah can see where Fordsie's coming from," Fiddleford added, sounding somewhat wistful. "Carin' about someone means puttin' their needs before yer own. Even if it means breakin' yer own heart."

"I think that's what made them change their minds," Soos continued. "Mr. and Mrs. Pines, I mean. I think they think just like you do, Fiddleford. They just really want Dipper and Mabel to be happy."

Pacifica saw a smile teasing Fiddleford's lips. "Jus' like Stanferd and his brother, really," he said. "It's jus' easier to come to an agreement when you've got common ground, y'see?"

"Oh, for sure," Soos said. "I guess it helped that me and my abuelita, we just sorta rushed in the room to tell Mr. and Mrs. Pines just how much everyone loves the Stans and how they're town heroes and stuff." His tone grew even more cheerful as he added, "That's how they learned about the Apocalypse nearly happening last year!"

"You told them that?" Pacifica said, wincing.

"Sure did! Mrs. Pines even started to cry when I told them about Mr. Pi—well, Stan sacrificing his mind to save us all. She hugged him when he came back from the kitchen! I woulda gone to hug him too, but it would have been like, a safety hazard, what with him carrying those cups of coffee and all." Soos gave a pause, before saying, "Mr. Pi—Stan sure seems more emotional than usual. Must be relieved to be home, I guess."

"Well, ya tell him we're relieved to have 'im back, won't you, sonny?" Fiddleford had said. "Him and his idiot brother and them kiddos. Oh, and tell 'im he and Fordsie are welcome to go fishin' with me and Tates anytime!"

Soos had laughed. "Can do, dude!"

And so another crisis was averted, resolved, as Mabel put it, by the power of love and just a little bit of emotional blackmail. Mr. and Mrs. Pines quickly integrated into the Gravity Falls ecosystem; for one, they got along swimmingly with Tate and his wife. It almost made Pacifica entertain the wild hope that the Pines would just move into town for good. Of course, she would sooner wear one of Fiddleford's dreadful 70's-patterned shirts than say that out loud.

Soon enough, a new routine set in. Mabel started what she called 'therapy sessions, but in a fun way,' and she suggested that Pacifica bring the llamasaur to help Waddles in his therapy animal duties. Mabel kept gushing over Llama, and Pacifica would have been lying if she didn't admit that it made her feel a little smug. Dr. Pines was also fascinated by Pacifica's new pet.

"What an amazing creature!" he had said. "It's got the same body type as a theropod, but it's got wool instead of scales or feathers… a llamasaur, if you will!"

"No!" Pacifica had cried. "You were supposed to be—" She'd clamped her hands over her mouth, going red. She'd nearly said out loud that he was supposed to be cool. Dr. Pines had only given her a curious look at her outburst.

Still, Mabel's idea didn't work as intended; Llama was snippy with anyone save for Pacifica, growling every time an unknown hand tried to pet him. Pacifica was secretly happy that he wanted to be hers and hers alone. This level of devotion—of pure, unconditional love—was easier to accept when it came from something without a human face. No wonder Mabel was so obsessed with that pig of hers.

In time, everybody brought their own ideas to Mabel's funsessions (in her own words). Fiddleford proposed weekly jams, citing the healing power of music, while Soos' 'genius' idea was to dress up as medieval characters and run in the woods for some reason. Once, Mabel, Candy and Grenda rented a karaoke machine, and they enjoined everyone to 'sing their little hearts out.' Wendy, of course, suggested that they sparred every week.

It was the only time Mr. Pines actually seemed invested in Mabel's initiative. Something of his usual boisterousness came through as he taught them his best boxing moves. Soon, he was back to boasting and making bad puns, to the delight of the twins—and the relief of his brother.

They treated each of his grins as something to strive for. Each of his tall tales as stories worthy of an award. Each of his laughs as some sort of victory. Pacifica wasn't sure why; the Pines had been cagey as to what had happened to Mr. Pines in that other world, only hinting that the evil cultists they had encountered there were responsible for the loss of his eye.

Finally, Pacifica's curiosity grew too big to contain. Mr. Pines had gone to sit on the porch while his brother taught the others some of his fighting moves. As always, Pacifica wasn't exactly interested in the topic (she always figured she'd managed to get others to fight in her battles). No one batted an eye when she went to sit on the couch next to Mr. Pines, Llama settling at her feet. The man in question did raise an eyebrow at her, however.

"You okay, kid?" he asked her. "You never join us in our sparring bouts. Don't tell me you're still in your 'too-scared-to-break-a-nail' phase."

Pacifica glared at him, while Llama growled. "I went into that stupid spacecraft to repair that stupid portal and get you back. A little gratitude would be nice."

Mr. Pines grinned. "That's more like it. Life's too short to just blindly accept whatever sh—crap people shove your way."

"Thank you for that nugget of wisdom," Pacifica said, rolling her eyes.

"My point still stands. Why aren't you joining the rest of the kids? You always keep your distance. Aren't you friends with them?"

"Not really," answered Pacifica. "Ask your niece and nephew. I'm probably too much of a prissy little princess for their taste or something."

Mr. Pines raised a brow. "Huh. I doubt that. If Dipper wanted you gone, he'd show it. Kid wears his emotions on his sleeve, y'know. And Mabel… nah, I don't think she's ever hated you."

Pacifica scoffed. "Yeah, sure. Stop making things up."

"You feel like you don't deserve it, do you?" Mr. Pines said. For some reason, this made him laugh. "Like you don't deserve their forgiveness for what you did?"

Pacifica turned her gaze away. Llama made a soft, crooning noise. How could this stupid old man be so perceptive? Half the time he went around in his underwear!

"So?" she told him. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"You don't have any reason to feel that way. I don't see why you don't deserve to have people who care about you. Old Guck's all set to adopt you, isn't he? He wouldn't want you to beat yourself up, would he?"

Pacifica's cheeks flared up. "That's… that's not…"

"As for Dipper and Mabel hating you, why don't you try jus' asking them, huh? Why don't you start believing in what they say? It's that easy." Mr. Pines suddenly stopped laughing. After a moment of silence, he removed his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Oh my god… it is that easy, huh? And so, so dumb..."

"Wait, what?" Pacifica said. "What are you rambling about?"

The old man shook his head. "Jus' a matter of pot calling kettle black. Nothing that should worry that lil' head of yours. Say, you don't mind sending Ford over to me? Just got hit by the stupidest epiphany in the whole world, and somethin' tells me he'd want to know."

"Of course," Pacifica said, frowning. Now, the old man wasn't making any sense. "Thanks, I guess. For the pep talk, I mean."

"Eh. Don't mention it, kiddo. C'mon, scram, let an old man drink in peace."

"Sheesh, fine!" Pacifica hopped down the porch, followed by the ever-faithful llamasaur. "Dr. Pines?" she called out, interrupting him as he showed the others how to perform a certain type of kick. "Your brother wants to talk to you."

"Does he now?" The worry in his eyes gave way to relief as he saw Mr. Pines gesturing for him to come over. Dr. Pines went to join his brother on the porch, and he readily accepted the soda his twin was handing him.

"What was that all about?" Dipper asked Pacifica.

She watched as the two men exchanged a few words. Then, a smile broke on Dr. Pines' face, and he began to laugh, slapping his brother on the back. Mr. Pines rolled his eye, muttering something that suspiciously sounded like, "Ugh, cut it out, you sappy piece of—"

His curse was drowned out by another bark of laughter from his brother. This time, Mr. Pines did return his twin's smile. The gesture was simple, but it struck Pacifica as significant, for some reason.

Maybe this new normal wouldn't be so bad after all.

In a world out of time, in a time out of reality, a little axolotl was swimming against the current.

He was going somewhere, that much he remembered. It was difficult keeping to a destination, considering just how he perceived time. One person he'd guided to a new life had told him that time moved forward a line, which was wild to consider. The axolotl had never thought to see it that way; well, in fact, he rarely devoted himself to philosophical—

Oh, yes, he remembered. He was swimming in the darkness out of time, heading somewhere, wasn't he? Around him flared images animated with colours and sounds, scenes of the people that once were and the people that would be. He had trouble distinguishing between the two. As he had once said (would say?) to someone, he had trouble perceiving time like mortals did.

The little axolotl kept swimming. It would have been tempting to stop and watch the scenes unfurling around him. It was part of his job to keep an eye out for the people who needed his guidance. Frankly, there were a lot of people who called on him, every day, every hour, every second. If the axolotl was one to stop and think about the intricacies of his life, he would have understood that it was why it was so hard for him to think of the linear progression of time. As things were, however, he simply figured that his ability to experience infinite realities all at once was something that, well, everyone could do.

Ah, he'd lost his focus and drifted off course again! Silly me, the axolotl thought. He was getting somewhere, wasn't he? That's why he had to shepherd his wandering thoughts and—

Wait, he realized, stopping to regain his bearings. Two people were calling for him. One pleaded, seeming on the verge of tears. The other demanded his presence in a loud proclamation, invoking on his ancient power. The axolotl set out to find them.

It was simple enough; he just had to follow the scent of burning.

Soon enough, he found the two beings who had called his name. Both had escaped infernos of their own making. One was staring at his hands in mute shock, as if the horror of what he had just done hadn't quite sunk in. The other was still glitching, his single eye glowing red with terror and anger.

Hello! Nice to meet you! he told the first. Long time no see! he said to the second.

"Wait…" said the first. His single eye seemed disproportionally large in his small triangular body. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Oh, no," said the second triangle, the one wearing a hat and a bowtie. He'd just noticed his counterpart hovering next to him. "No, no, no, no. What is he doing here?"

I don't know, said the axolotl. Shouldn't you know? I feel like you should know.

"You… you waste of space and air!" the bigger triangle shrilled. "I called you! You're supposed to help me! Why is that pathetic little freak even here?"

"I don't understand," said the smaller triangle. "What happened? Where's… where's everyone?"

Oh, child... Xolotl said.

The smaller triangle's eye grew wider. "No! No, no, no! I didn't mean to, I swear! I hated them, I hated them, but…"

"Ugh!" said the other triangle. "Get a load of this guy! They're better off dead, and you're better off without them, I tell you!"

Those words struck Axolotl silent for a while. Even after all this time, he told the second triangle, you still think that? You haven't learned?

"Ah, shaddup! I called you here for a reason, Frills! C'mon, gimme what I want, stat!"

What is it that you want, anyway? The axolotl then turned to the smaller triangle. And what about you? What did you want?

"I..." said the smaller triangle. "Why do I feel so… empty? It hurt, it hurt. Can you make it stop?"

"You know what I want, you overgrown lizard! Give me back what's owed to me!"

Hmm, said Xolotl. There's nothing I can do, he said to one of the triangles. I'll give you what you need, he told the other.

And with those words, the axolotl continued on his way. There was somewhere he was supposed to go, after all. Where, exactly? It seemed he had lost his train of thought again. His brother kept chiding him that—

His brother! The axolotl beamed. He was going to see his brother, that's where he was headed. The axolotl made a sharp turn, reaching for the uppermost part of his domain. He followed after a bright light, one that was very much like a star. He had a feeling he'd meet his brother there. Something, something about them chasing the same star? That was how the poem went, right? The axolotl didn't exactly remember.

Soon, he broke the line of the horizon, and darkness led way to dusk—or was it dawn? It was nice to see the soft colours of twilight, the little axolotl thought. He took in the sight, smiling his dopey smile. Then, someone cleared their throat behind him.

A floating serpent was looking at him, the feathers at his head bristling. What are you doing here? he asked the axolotl. You… how long has it been?

Long enough, I told myself! the little axolotl said.

The feathered serpent frowned. Well, it was the closest approximation to a frown a snake's face could have. But why did you come?

I met this guy, he's a twin, just like us! the axolotl said. I told him we hadn't seen each other for a while, and he said that it was dumb that I just didn't try to visit. He understood, you see? He was estranged from his twin, for a long time, because they'd fought for a dumb reason. Kinda like us, I suppose.

There was a pause, then the serpent said, Yes. Like us, I suppose.

Oh, by the way, I kicked out those weird triangle worshippers from your temple in Mictlan. You're welcome!

The feathered serpent gave a slight smile. You kicked them out? You?

Oh, well, Xolotl said with a laugh. I had a bunch of mortals do the legwork for me, that's true. In exchange, I gave one of them a second chance. He's the one who convinced that we give it another go, you know.

Xolotl's twin replied with a chuckle of his own. Second chance? Another go? Really, you haven't changed at all.

Well, I'm a god of death and rebirth, said Xolotl. Second chances are kind of my things.

The brothers circled one another in the purple sky. It was a clear night, filled with stars, including their star. The morning star—or, if you asked Xolotl, the evening star. It had always been a source of friction between the two; in hindsight, it was a bit silly, wasn't it?

So, said Xolotl, what were you up to, while I was cleaning up your messes?

My messes? You think it was my fault those idiots were squatting my temple? The triangle fella—

Oh, yeah, that guy! I guess he's the one responsible for all of this, huh?

Yes! You think I wanted to have this three-sided jerk usurping my title?

The brothers soared higher. Soon—much like every set of siblings in every iteration of the world—they were lost in bickering. Still, as two other pairs of twins would have said, the brothers wouldn't have it another way.

Their ongoing tabletop campaign became a staple of their Monday nights.

Dipper's wizard kept a meticulous list of all his spells and spent an inordinate amount of time on battle strategies and puzzle solving. In contrast, Mabel's pink-clad bard was a force of destruction and chaos; in addition, the game always crawled to a stop whenever she stumbled upon a cute critter she had to pet. Stan played a rogue/fighter multiclass build, and the only way to keep him motivated was by promising him copious amounts of gold at the end of each quest. Fiddleford's artificer was a travelling tinkerer-slash-banjo-player who loved improvising bad renditions of songs from the 70's. Soos' war cleric was a blatant self-insert (and the only unambiguously nice person in the party), while Wendy, their barbarian, tended to smash faces first, ask questions never.

The game was utter chaos, and Ford wouldn't have it another way.

"You're about to cross the bridge," he narrated, trying to sound dramatic. "You hear distant thunder rumbling in the sky, and cold mist fills the air, making it impossible to see beyond your own nose. You take one step, the hair on the back of your neck bristling with—"

"Ugh, get on with it!"

"I'm trying to build atmosphere, Stanley!"

"And we're not getting any younger here, brainiac!"

Ford could not hold his twin's glare, stifling a snort instead. It was difficult to take Stan seriously whenever he wore one of the shirts Ford had given him for his birthday. Ford had bought him shirts for every country they had visited together, and all of them were patterned with boats or fishes. Stan's beloved new wardrobe was only matched in hideousness by the horrific 70's style patterns Fidds tended to favour. Ford loved those two idiots to death, but he was almost ready to sic Mabel on them so she could stage one of her 'fashion interventions.' It was plain to see that their coordinated effort was nothing but an attempt to drive Ford completely mad.

"Guys, focus," drawled Wendy. "Save your old man fight for later.

She was rewarded by twin glares from both Pines brothers. Wendy slouched in her seat and turned up her nose at them, the perfect picture of the cheeky teen.

"Fine," Ford said, a bit brusquely. "You advance toward the bridge. Suddenly, a large figure moves out of the mist. It's a rock troll! Great big jaws open, spittle flying out and—"

"Is it cute?" Stan asked over his steepled hands. "The troll, I mean."

Dipper threw him a revolted look. "Why is that important?!"

"I'm a conman. If I can talk my way out of trouble, then I'm gonna do it, yeah?"

"Again, Stanley?" said Ford. "How many times has it been?"

"Well, there was this half-orc bandit a while back, an' that old lady who was always on 'shrooms in the forest. After that, there was…"

"Mah wife!" Fidds said through his mouthful of cake. Mabel always insisted that Ford invited him over for dinner before their game. Once, she'd even put candles and flowers all over the dinner table, to Ford's great bewilderment. Tonight, she and Soos' grandma had baked them a cake, one decorated with pink frosting and sugar hearts. Ford was touched by their efforts, but no less confused by his niece's behaviour.

"Ah, yeah, Guck's wife, then…"

To the kids' great disgust, Stan proceeded to detail each of his 'conquests', counting them on his fingers. By the end of it, Ford was devising a secret plan to murder his brother's character. To make things worse, Stan shot him a smug grin, proof that his 'romantic' escapades existed solely to mess with his twin's carefully crafted narrative.

Still, as Ford found himself staring at his brother—or, more precisely, at the eyepatch now covering part of his face—something sat heavily in his gut, a feeling he hadn't been able to shake since their return from Dimension 52.

Another world, another time…

Ford still didn't know what to make of Axolotl's words. In his heart, unconditional love battled with deep-seated fears. He breathed no word of this struggle to Stanley. His brother's smiles came more easily these days, and there wasn't a lot of things more precious to Ford than a proof of his twin's happiness.

"Whatcha gonna do, Grunkle Stan, whatcha gonna do?" Mabel prompted her uncle.

Stan stuck out his tongue, deep in thought. "I think… I'm gonna charm its nonexistent pants off."

Dipper's face crumpled, and he said, "Really?!" while his sister pumped her fist in the air, chanting, "Charm the troll, charm the troll!"

Ford groaned. Of course, it was no use telling Stan than his preferred course of action wasn't even allowed by the rules. His twin always found a loophole, always. "Do a persuasion roll," he said, mouth forcing into a frigid smile.

Stan threw his twenty-sided dice. Everyone waited with bated breath as it made its way across the table. Fidds strummed on his brand-new banjo (a gift from his soon-to-be foster daughter, from what Ford understood) for effect.

"Oh, snap!" Mabel said at the result.

Dipper hit his forehead with his palm. Wendy shook her head, smiling, while Soos gasped in amazement.

"Natural twenty," Stan said, leaning back in his chair in a satisfied way. "I still got it in me, heh."

He grinned stupidly at Ford. And Ford instantly, instinctively, found himself stupidly grinning back.

Unconditional love won.