Dipper was fiddling with his hands nervously. "Yeah, I'm-" -he hiccuped slightly, "I'm okay now." He took a deep, shuddering breath. Mabel was holding his hand gently, the way she had when they were little kids. He focused on the soft warmth of her hand and breathed deeply again. "But I really don't want to talk to Danny. Not tonight, anyway."
Mabel nodded. "I've got an idea. Wait here." She let go of his hand and quietly slipped through the Fenton's back door. Most of the lights inside were off, so she held her hands out to avoid running into anything as she crept through the kitchen. She went up the stairs and looked down the hallway. Danny's bedroom door was closed and the light was on, so he was probably still fuming in there. Jazz's door was partially open though, so Mabel tiptoed past Danny's door to take a look.
Jazz looked up from her journal when Mabel peeked her head in. "Oh, hi Mabel." She said with a slightly forced smile. "Come on in."
Mabel stepped into the room apprehensively, closing the door behind her. She stood awkwardly by the door for a moment, unsure how to approach.
Jazz stared at her for a moment, then sighed, dropping all pretense. "How's Dipper doing?" She asked, bookmarking the page in her journal and setting it on her dresser.
Mabel let out a huge breath of relief and plopped onto the bed next to Jazz. "I don't even know anymore," she said, putting her head in her hands. "I can't tell what he's thinking as much as I used to. I want to help him, but I don't know what he needs from me. I don't know what to do!" Her already swollen eyes were starting to tear up again.
Jazz nodded. "I know the feeling. Danny and I were so close when we were little, but as soon as puberty hit we were like strangers." She looked at Mabel, whose face was suddenly fearful.
"I can't let that happen to us!" She said, almost with a note of hysteria in her voice. "I can't! Everyone keeps saying that it's natural to grow apart as we grow up, but I'm so scared! We might end up like Stan and Ford, and then he'll hate me, and he won't talk to me for years, and-"
"Shh," Jazz soothed. "Calm down, okay? There's no need to worry about all that."
"But-"
"Mabel, listen." Jazz said in a slightly firmer voice. "I know how you're feeling. Honestly, I'm probably one of the only people in the world who can really relate to this situation." She looked Mabel directly in the eyes. "I want you to know, everything that happens from here on out is up to you. Danny and I grew apart because neither of us cared enough to stick together. The whole ghost thing, as crazy as it is, has actually brought us a lot closer than we used to be. But if I had made a better effort before then, we might not have needed to re-establish that bond." Her brow furrowed with regret, but her gaze was steady as ever. "I've only known you and Dipper for a day, Mabel, but I can tell that it would take a lot to tear you two apart. Don't doubt that, okay?"
"How can you know?" Mabel asked, her voice still strained.
"I'm good at reading people. I'm studying to be a psychologist, actually." Jazz smiled. "Consider me your vacation therapist!"
Mabel laughed shakily. "Thanks, Jazz." She wiped a tear off her cheek. "That actually does kinda make me feel better."
"Is that all you came in for? To talk about Dipper?" Jazz asked.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot." Mabel said, rubbing her eyes to dry them. "I was wondering, do you think Dipper could sleep in here tonight? I mean, Danny…"
"Right, of course." Jazz said. "How about you and Dipper sleep in here tonight, and I'll camp downstairs?"
"You sure?" Mabel asked. "I didn't mean..."
"Yeah." Jazz said, smiling again, albeit a bit awkwardly. "I saw the way Dipper was looking at me earlier, and I think it might be best not to distract him more right now."
"Ohh right." Mabel said, blushing slightly as she understood. "Okay, yeah. Sounds good. Thanks again, Jazz."
"Of course." Jazz said, picking up her journal again. "I'll move my stuff downstairs, you can go get Dipper."
"Okay," Mabel said again. She headed back outside to fetch her brother, noticing as she did that Danny's bedroom light had turned off.
The next morning, Dipper woke up in the basement. It was when he felt the cold of the concrete lab floor seeping through his pajamas that he jolted awake.
"Wha-?" he said groggily, struggling to get his brain working. "Where am I?"
He shook his head and blinked rapidly, trying to clear away the sleepy fog. His brain finally catching up with his surroundings, he jumped to his feet and checked his watch. It was just before 8.
Dipper sighed in relief. Since it was summer, it was likely that no one was up yet. The last thing he needed was for Danny's parents to wonder why he was alone in their lab at the crack of dawn. Then again, Jack might just take it as a sign of enthusiasm.
More importantly, what was he doing alone in the lab at the crack of dawn?
There was a coolness in his chest, making him think about last night. That coolness felt like a sign of ghost powers. Dipper glanced at the ceiling. Had he passed through two levels of the house in his sleep?
Dipper jumped as he heard footsteps at the top of the stairs. He hid by a cabinet, pressing his back against the side that wasn't visible from the stairs. Peeking around it, he saw that the footsteps belonged to Mabel. She popped her head into the basement, apparently looking for something.
Dipper breathed a sigh of relief and let himself relax. He emerged from his hiding spot, walking towards her.
"Dipper! There you are!" She said, giving him a quick hug.
"Were you looking for me?" Dipper asked.
"Yeah, I heard this weird noise that woke me up and I saw you were gone! What are you doing down here?"
"Uh…" Dipper hesitated, rubbing his arm awkwardly. "I think I might have fallen through the floor by accident…"
Mabel gave him a look of confused amusement. "You mean like, a ghost thing?"
"I think so." Dipper looked away from her, still finding the topic awkward.
"Well, you seem normal now, so let's get back up to Jazz's room, okay?" Mabel grabbed his hand and started leading him back upstairs. "I want to sleep a little more before we start the day."
Dipper allowed himself to be pulled along, but he didn't go back to sleep once he was laying on the air mattress in Jazz's room. He heard Mabel's slow deep breaths from the bed, but he was too busy thinking.
An hour or so later, Jazz popped her head into the room. "Breakfast is ready downstairs, you guys. My parents… They'd appreciate if you came down to eat with us." She smiled awkwardly. "Is that okay?"
Mabel sat up in the bed and rubbed one eye. She shot Dipper the same apprehensive look Jazz was giving him.
"Yeah, no problem," Dipper said with forced casualness. "Just give us a second to change."
Jazz smiled a bit more genuinely before closing the door. Mabel heaved a sigh as it shut. "I guess we have to face it sooner or later, huh?"
"Yeah, I guess." Dipper didn't look at her.
Mabel frowned, but didn't say anything more about it.