Fiddleford finished his cup of sweet tea and smiled proudly at his… his friend's kids. Oh, what the heck. They were as good as his kids. He smiled proudly at his kids as they worked together to help prepare for their journey. Normally, when Fiddleford had to go to Paris to sell his music boxes and clocks, he had Lazy Susan stay with them for a weekend, but the children had begged for a chance to see Paris, a chance to be grown-ups for a bit and help with the work, and Fiddleford decided that the twelve-year-olds could handle the travel and he was actually looking forward to having their company. Mabel was packing plenty of food and Dipper had just finished checking his pack to make sure he was set for the journey.

When the time came, Fiddleford put on his old soldier's hat and said, "Alright, youngins, let's hitch up Gompers."

Dipper and Mabel, grinning excitedly, helped pack up the wagon full of clocks and music boxes, all safely snug inside wooden boxes. Fiddleford hitched the goat, Gompers, to the wagon and fed him a carrot before hopping up and picking up the kids and letting them sit on either side of him, with the boy at his left hand and the girl at his right.

"Everybody say 'bye, house'." Fiddleford chuckled.

"Bye house!" Mabel cheered and waved the little shack away.

Dipper wiggled his fingers with a shrug, playing along.

"Onward, Gompers." Fiddleford commanded gently and flicked the reins. Gompers pulled them forward and their journey began.

Dipper and Mabel had never left the village before, so every tree and bush and squirrel and bird was exciting to them. They pulled out pieces of parchment and began to draw what they saw while Fiddleford drove. About mid-day, however, Mabel was surprised when a drop of water fell on her drawing of a blue bird. She looked up at the clouds to find dark ones pushing the white ones away. She sat up on her knees, having been on her stomach, and held a hand out, catching a raindrop.

"Aw, donkey spittle." Fiddleford swore.

"It's okay." Mabel said optimistically, then she stuck out her tongue and caught a raindrop. "Look! Free water! Ahh!"

Dipper pocketed the parchment in his vest and asked Fiddleford, "Should we stop and make shelter?"

The old man toyed with his options and slowly said, "Naw, let's press on n' see if it's only a drizzle."

Fiddleford squinted through the soft autumn rain. Now it was no longer cool but chilly. Fiddleford rubbed his hands together as the rain came down. Mabel curled up against his side to help him get warm and Dipper did the same. Fiddleford smiled; what on God's green Earth did he do to deserve these kids? A flash of lightning and a roll of thunder disturbed his thoughts. He pressed forward and began to hum a tune.

Mabel smiled and sang when she recognized the song. "Come along with me, with the butterflies and bees. We can wander through these woods free, and do so when we please." She stopped and called, "C'mon, Dip-Dip!"

"I don't sing." He insisted.

"Don't be a party-pooper! Sing! Sing! Sing!" She chanted.

Dipper rolled his eyes and sang off-key, "Come along with me, to a bank under a tree, We can gaze upon the water with our everlasting dreams."

Fiddleford jumped in and together the three sang through the rain. "All of my dear dreams, I'll share them all with you. Maybe by next summer…"

"Dipper will be in tune!" Mabel sang loudly.

"HEY!"

Fiddleford laughed and led on the song, everyone in harmony. "Come along with me, where we'll be a family. And we'll always be together, together and merrily."

A low growl disturbed them. Fiddleford stopped, pulling on the reins and making Gompers halt. Their senses heightened like frightened animals. Mabel clung to Fiddleford's arm and Dipper stood in the wagon to get a better look around them. Maybe it was the rain or a fallen branch. The old man resumed their journey in a hurry, now having Gompers pick up speed. "C'mon, Gompers, let's get where we're goin."

"Fidds, was that a…"

"I dunno, sweetie." Fiddleford said. "Let's not jump to any conclusions."

He looked to his left and right to see flashes of a dangerous animal. He broke Gompers into a run.

The wolves were planning to surround the wagon. Dipper fell into the back of the wagon and crawled to be behind Mabel, holding her shoulders to protect her. Fiddleford's heart was hammering so hard it ached in his chest, but he tried to stay calm for the children. Some wolves were directly behind them and snapped their teeth at the wagon. Dipper yelled with fear and Fiddleford pushed Gompers to go as fast as he could, but one little goat could only do so much.

A sudden drop in the ground caused the wagon to fall and scatter the little family. Dipper held on tightly to his sister as they yelled and tumbled in the woods, rolling down a hill of some sort. He ignored the scratches he was getting and focused on keeping Mabel safe. Finally, they fell still and staggeringly got up, holding their spinning heads and groaning.

"Ugh, Mabel, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm… Fiddleford? Fiddleford!" Mabel called out. The kids looked around to find themselves alone in the cold rain, sticks and wet leaves in their hair and on their skin. Mabel looked at her brother and gasped. "Dipper! You're hurt!"

Dipper looked down at his exposed arms and found them to be covered in scratches from sticks and rocks. His limbs burned in pain, but Dipper did his best to ignore it. "Forget it, I'm fine."

Mabel gently took his hands and kissed each arm gently to try to help with the pain. "Don't worry, Fiddleford has that smart hurt-kit, remember? We just have to find him and everything will be okay."

The growling came again. The twins held each other protectively, keeping an eye out. Yellow eyes caught their attention and a long howl rang through. They broke into a run in the opposite direction and prayed that they wouldn't become dinner.

Mabel was slightly ahead and tried to find somewhere to run to. Her eyes caught sight of a stone wall when lightning struck and she led the way to it. The brave girl threw the gate open and let her brother through before slamming it shut. The kids were inches away from sharp teeth and glowing yellow eyes. They backed away from the gate and turned to the building protected by the walls as the wolves gave up and left.

A massive manor, a glorious castle stood before the children. With statues of devils and angels sprinkled through the land and dead-looking plants everywhere, the castle had a haunting look to it. Dipper was hesitant, but Mabel took his hand and walked them to the huge doors decorated with rusted gold. The girl knocked and almost at once, it opened. They entered and looked for whomever had let them in, but they were both surprised to be alone.

"Hello? Anyone?" Dipper called, rubbing his soaked, hurt arms gently to try to get warm. The castle, though old and dusty and dark, didn't feel quite abandoned. Lamps were lit. Perhaps only one person lived in this humongous home.

"Why…?"

"They need help."

"Shh!"

The kids looked around. They saw the main stairwell before him and the two rooms on either side of him, but no humans were to be found. "Is someone there?" Mabel called timidly, pulling on her wet hair to try to get it dry. "I'm sorry, but please. My brother's hurt and we're lost. Can you help us?"

"Wendy, please…"

"SHH!"

Dipper and Mabel decided the voices were coming from the left room, and so they entered. They smiled to find a large fireplace and comfy chairs and couches, no doubt for hosting, and hurried to the fire to dry from the rain. Mabel saw something under the couch and got on her knees. She grinned and pulled it out. "Look, Dipper! Bandages! Sit down, I'll fix you up."

"Thanks, Mabel." And Dipper sat on his knees in front of the fire.

Mabel took one of his hands and used a piece of cloth and the rain water to wipe his arm clean before wrapping it up. Faint whispers could be heard from outside the room, sending goosebumps to the children's skins.

"Mabel, I don't think this place is safe." Dipper hissed.

"Where else can we go?" Mabel asked. "We can't stay long, anyway, we need to find Fiddleford." A shiver ran down her spine and she looked up at her brother with wide brown eyes. "Dipper, he's okay, isn't he?"

The truth was that he didn't know for sure. Dipper didn't think it was likely, but he wasn't going to tell his sister that. He tried to be more like Mabel, more optimistic and quick to look at the bright side, so he said, "The wagon's probably a goner and Fiddleford's still out there. Still, he's super smart and traveled in the woods before, remember? He probably climbed a tree and when the wolves are gone he'll look for us. Or maybe somehow the wagon survived and he got away with Gompers."

"Yeah!" Mabel agreed and moved onto the next arm.

A low growl froze them both. They looked to the creaked open door they came through, scared beyond measure. Did a wolf somehow get into the castle? Or something worse than a wolf? Dipper stood in front of his sister and held his arms out on either side of him to shield Mabel. She stood and peered ahead. The growling got louder and closer. A claw then touched the side of the door and pushed it open.

The kids stared with round, trembling brown eyes. It was a terrifying beast, with fangs and horns and claws. Gray fur covered it's face and big ears. The beast was huge, much bigger than the two children, possibly ten feet tall and very strong. It wore a torn white shirt, dark pants, and a red cloak clipped with gold by it's beefy neck. The eyes were brown, matching the horns, and narrowed at the guests coldly.

Dipper scowled, choosing to push his fear aside to focus on protecting Mabel. He tried to be brave and stand strong, like a man. Mabel, on the other hand, smiled timidly. She loved animals and immediately saw his brown eyes and thought that his beast was good; Fiddleford said that she was insightful. Mabel stepped out from behind her brother, despite his frightened look that told her not to do so, and she waved and said cheerfully, "Hi! I'm Mabel! This is Dipper! I'm twelve and own a pig! What's your favorite color? Do you have a sweet tooth?"

"Mabel," Dipper hissed warningly.

The beast peered down at the children and growled, "What are you two gremlins doing here?"

"Oh, right, I'm sorry. See, we got lost in the rain and separated from our friend. We're lost and my brother got hurt and we didn't wanna be eaten by wolves, so we came here. Thanks for letting us in earlier! Why didn't you say hello before? Do you like sweet or sour things? Do you have a favorite song?"

"Enough!" The beast snarled and shook his head; the girl had asked all this in rapid speed. "Geez, kid, you ever slow down?"

Mabel grinned proudly. "Nope!"

The beast crossed his arms over his chest. He seemed to be doing some quick thinking, deciding if the children were worth keeping in his castle. "You said you lost your friend?"

Mabel nodded. "He's been taking care of us."

There was a short pause. "Hey, runt, your arms still hurt?"

Dipper braced himself and continued to stand strong. "I'm fine."

The beast snorted. Mabel took her brother's hand and smiled kindly at the master of the castle. He approached them and Dipper gripped his sister's hand, ready to be thrown out, but the beast sat in an armchair and grunted, "Listen, you knuckleheads. If you're gonna stay here, you're gonna have to work for me."

Dipper was even more surprised now than when he first saw the creature. "Stay…"

"You can't go out there by yourselves." The beast said dryly. "You'll get eaten alive. You'll just have to stay until your friend finds you, but until then you're gonna have to work for me. Unless you can pay up."

"We don't have any money." Mabel informed.

"Then you'll have to do some chores around here." The beast jabbed a thumb to the door and said, "Go upstairs and ask for Soos. He's the groundskeeper and handyman and he'll give you a room."

"A room?" Mabel repeated. "In a castle?"

"And don't expect…"

"THANK YOU!" Mabel cheered and punched the air joyfully. "Thank you very much! You're so nice!"

The beast only growled and pointed to the door. "Just go! And don't break anything!"

Dipper pulled her sister towards the door. Get thrown out into the woods to be eaten by wolves or work for a beast? As much as Dipper hated it, he had to do what he was told. Mabel, however, was excited, confident that Fiddleford would find them soon and that she could make a new friend out of this unluckiness. She stopped them at the doorway and said, "Wait! You never told us your name."

The beast did not look back at the children, facing the fire. But a low voice rumbled through the air. "Just call me Stan, kids."

Mabel smiled. "Okay, Monsieur Stan. Thanks again for letting us stay." And the children were gone.

Stan watched the fire dance on the logs, lost in thought. So lost he nearly missed the fact that his top maid and woodsman had entered the lounge, hopping towards the pile of logs by the fire. She stabbed one and tossed it onto the fire. "Stan?" The axe spoke.

"Beat it, Wendy."

"Fine." The axe snapped and hopped towards the door, but she did not miss the order the boss had for her.

"Keep an eye on those two."

A/N: In this world, Mabel invented sweet tea and Fiddleford LOVES it. It's her Mabel Juice.

Also, yes yes, this is different than the original storyline, bear with me for a sec. I ALMOST went with Fiddleford going alone, getting lost, and being imprisoned in the castle; it's perfectly lined with Stan's character to lock someone away that trespasses (still can't believe we all just glossed over what he did in Little Gift Shop of Horrors). BUT, this story I feel better parallels the GF canon story.

Hear me out, Dipper and Mabel are sent to live with their Grunkle Stan for a summer for some "fresh air"; we don't know exactly the nature of their relationship before the show, but considering how little the kids knew about him and how Dipper talks about him in the first episode, I suspect they had little to nothing to do with Stan before that summer. So, by having the kids lost and find the castle, BOTH stories tell of two kids getting to know a grumpy old man, AND the kids are safe; in neither situation, the kids were only forced to stay where they were for their safety. That's my personal reason for having the story go this way, and if this bothers you, i apologize halfheartedly.

Moving on, some fun Disney references is when Dipper and Mabel say goodbye to the house, that's a nod to Toy Story and when Andy and his mom say goodbye to the house they're moving out of. Dipper's refusal to sing, while realistic and in-character, is a reference to Flynn Rider. And finally, this isn't a Disney reference, but the song Fiddleford and the kids sing is a clear homage to Adventure Time's Come Along With Me. Can't give a good reason why except it gives a lot of good foreshadowing.