THE ENDING HAS FINALLY COMETH MY BOYS AND GIRLS!
After four months of blood, sweat, tears (oh, so many tears), "Saudade" has come to a close!
Firstly, I'd like to extend my sincerest thanks to the people who've favorited and followed "Saudade" as of the time this chapter was posted: New Yorktown, THIS DELETED ACCOUNT, LK2, Williebadger618, abbydobbie, emyy250, DwemerSteelBlade, and fatima damien.
I'd also like to thank New Yorktown, Williebadger618, DwemerSteelBlade, Ahmed Samy, and the various other guest accounts for their kind, positive reviews and very insightful notices regarding the story's tone and how to handle Mabel's character, as well as her relationship with Dipper.
And lastly, I'd like to thank the mysterious-guest-person-human being-organism for sharing his or her idea for this story! Hope you've enjoyed the story! ;)
So for now, let's cap off this story with a semi-short (in comparison to the other chapters) epilogue!
Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun). Also, the lyrics to the song "Love You in the Fall" belong to Paul Westerberg.
SAUDADE
EPILOGUE: THE NIGHTLY CHAT
As it turned out, Kristen Pines was certainly right when she said that the month was going to fly by fast. As it was now October and Dipper's grounding was now officially cleared up, the young boy was free to gain access to his electrical devices as he pleases, not that it really bothered the bookish twin too much, though. Since then, Dipper seemed to have felt a massive weight being lifted off of his self-conscious.
He seemed and felt a lot more...fulfilled and cleansed than he was before.
While he still missed being in Gravity Falls, he now knew that his getaway plan that one dreadful weekend wasn't exactly the best idea he'd ever had and that maybe he shouldn't have been so hasty upon wanting to return there right away. He took his family's words to heart and wanted to follow through with them as best as he could.
He was especially happy to know that Mabel was still going to stay by his side throughout to help him feel better. Although her actions regarding Bill Cipher and Weirdmageddon were quite foolhardy and unforgivable, he still loved Mabel deep within his heart and was still excited to join with her on more fun adventures in Gravity Falls next summer.
On terms of school, he still kept up with his school work as normal, but the major difference was that now, he managed to make two new and true friends in the form of Aaron and Rob, Edward Viscount's former companions. The three always found themselves hanging out after school, cracking jokes and telling stories of their lives. The two boys found Dipper and his love for discovery to be quite an interesting, but in the good way as Dipper would sometimes mention some neat discoveries he made during his summer at Gravity Falls (he managed to not mention the more superfluous or mystical creatures he and Mabel had discovered though, lest his new friends call him 'a crazy liar', though).
But still, the trio became close friends within the month, much to Mabel's pride and joy at seeing Dipper have finally make friends here in their hometown. And with Viscount officially gone, the two boys can be free from trying to be lackeys and instead be themselves instead. One day, Aaron and Rob even managed to catch a glance at Dipper's birthmark by accident. At first, Dipper was frightened that they'd be put off or disgusted by it, but he was both relieved and surprised to hear that they actually thought it looked pretty cool!
Regardless, Dipper and even Mabel had an absolute blast hanging with them, with Dipper finally feeling just as open-hearted and sociable here than he was in Gravity Falls. He also felt as happy knowing that Aaron and Rob too genuinely enjoyed his company as well, proving that the shy, awkward, and curious Dipper PInes actually can make a sincere friend in plaid old Piedmont.
Sure, while Dipper may still think that Piedmont may not be as interesting as Gravity Falls can be, he now slowly began to appreciate it a bit more than he had before. Maybe it wasn't his ideal home, but with having his spritely twin sister, his loving parents, and his two new friends by his side, Dipper at least knew that regardless if he was in California or in Oregon, he'd never be alone and he would always be loved no matter what.
"So, that Edward dude really wound up getting sent to military school then?"
It was on one crisp Friday night where Dipper, now donning his bedtime clothes and lying across his bed, a smart tablet in both hands and he was currently video chatting with a certain old friend of his back in Gravity Falls. Dipper chuckled and couldn't help but to smile at that vivid memory from a month ago.
"Yep! You really should've seen him when his dad dragged him out of the school. And when he said that Edward was going to lose his heirship to his dad's tuxedo franchise, Edward nearly went ballistic!" chortled Dipper. The ruby red-haired girl on the video screen also managed to snort out a good-natured laugh.
"HA! Oh, man! That's almost too much, dude!" she giggled cheekily. Dipper shook his head and chuckled lightly.
"You're telling me. However, I guess it does serve him right. Guy was a complete snob…" he responded back. His older friend had finished her laughing fit and smiled back sympathetically.
"Heh, I'll say," she replied, "Dude sounds more worse than Pacifica…"
Dipper rolled his eyes and smirked. "Please. Pacifica has twice as much sympathy than Edward does. Oh! By the way, how is Pacifica doing over there? Are her and her parents doing okay?"
"Actually, they're doing pretty decent! Pacifica went as far as to take up a few jobs around Gravity Falls to earn some cash. I saw her busing and cleaning tables at Lazy Susan's diner and she's also delivering newspapers on the weekends as well! She and her folks now live in a small apartment near downtown, but so far, they seem to be more close than ever!"
Dipper smiled happily at that bit of news, glad to hear his former enemy-turned-ally was actually doing pretty well in spite of losing her wealth and home. "That's great to hear!" he stated with a smile, "Still surprised to see Pacifica actually having a job though…"
"Heh, I am, too. But I guess it was bound to happen someday...I'm just sorry about what Edward kept being such a jerk to you, Dipper. And ruining your farewell letter? That was just plain terrible, dude…"
Dipper frowned sadly at the mere mention of the twins' tarnished letter, which was now taped up on the back wall between his and Mabel's bed. Dipper looked at the letter with wistful, somber eyes, knowing that despite his shoddy attempt to fix it, his cherished memory of a summer long gone mostly likely wouldn't be fixed to its former glory.
"Yeah…" he murmured quietly, looking forlornly at the letter, as if it was staring right back at him. Still, he tried not to dwell on that for long as he looked back at his crimson-haired friend through the screen.
"B-But, everything's okay so far, though. Really!" he replied reassuringly, despite the raised eyebrow he received from her.
"Are you sure, dude? 'Cuz when I talked to Mabel earlier, she said you were kinda upset and nervous for quite some time…"
Dipper gulped to himself, figuring Mabel would mention about his little escapade to someone, but he still kept his cool. "Y-Yeah, i-it's just that...well...I…"
"It's just what, Dipper? Don't worry, you can tell me…"
Dipper calmed down from the helpful, comforting voice from behind the screen and inhaled deeply. "It's just that I miss you guys in Gravity Falls, you know. All the fun we've had and the adventures and good times...I-I just miss having them…"
Then, in a low, sad voice, he said "And I miss you, too, Wendy. You and Soos and Grunkles Stan and Ford and everyone else…"
Wendy Corduroy slowly flashed Dipper a small, understanding, sad smile back, as she placed her hand on her screen, as if to try to comfort from the other side. "I miss you, too, Dipper…" she replied sincerely, "You and Mabel. So far, the Falls seem kinda boring without you guys around right now…"
Dipper slowly smiled back and touched his hand on his screen before Wendy's, happy to know she too had missed him. "Thanks, Wendy," he smiled sadly, "I just wish summer could get here already…"
"I do, too..." replied Wendy in sympathy, "But trust me, it'll be here sooner than you may think. Soon, we'll all have more new and fun adventures together. You, me, Mabel, Soos, your Grunkles, Pacifica, everyone! Heh-heh, hopefully we won't have to deal with anymore evil, supernatural beings next summer though…"
Dipper chuckled along with Wendy, knowing fully well what she was meaning by. The two laughed good-heartedly for a while until a brash, loud voice from Wendy's end startled the both of them, Wendy in particular.
"WENDY! I NEED YOUR HELP BRINGING IN THIS FIREWOOD!"
"Ah, geez. Coming, Dad!" cried Wendy from the other end, before flashing an apologetic frown towards her friend, "Sorry, dude. I gotta help my dad out…"
Dipper, despite feeling disappointed, still gave her a kind smile. "Oh, uh, okay. Uh...speaking to you next weekend?" he asked kindly. Wendy's bright smile practically answered his question as she tipped her (or rather formerly his) hat at him and gave him a friendly wink.
"Absolutely, dude!" she confirmed happily, "See ya around, Dipper!"
Dipper waved goodbye with a sad smile. "See ya!" he replied, just before Wendy ended the call, leaving Dipper's tablet screen to go black. Dipper felt his smile falter a bit as reality seemed to clearly settle in his mind.
"See ya…" he repeated, more quietly and more sadly this time. Although Dipper was still completely unsure if he still harbored any romantic feelings for Wendy, that didn't mean he still didn't miss her very much. Even if his dream to be with her as a couple, he still longed to be with one of his closest and most dearest friends yet again, but he knew he wouldn't be able to actually hang with her for months to come.
He decided to try and not think about that for now as he then switched over to a music playlist on the tablet and pressed "play", starting up the song list. However, just as he plugged in his ear buds, a gentle rapping at the door soon caught his attention before he could begin to listen to anything.
"Come in!" he called out, as he took off his ear buds. The door carefully creaked open to reveal a familiar girl wearing a long, lavender night shirt and with a small, brace-clad smile on her face. Dipper smiled in return upon seeing who this girl was, even through the dimly-lit bedroom.
"Hey, Mabel…" greeted Dipper gently. Mabel shyly entered through the doorway and flashed him a friendly smile.
"Hi, Dipper!" she chirped as she sauntered up to his bed, "Everything okay, bro?"
Dipper rolled his eyes and shot Mabel a soft smile. "I'm fine, Mabel," he answered knowingly, "I know you want to be more attentive, Mabes, but you don't have to ask if I'm doing okay every five minutes…"
Mabel's reply was simply a playful smirk. "Well, bro-bro, I only do it because I care…" she said as she joined Dipper on the bed, "That and because so I'd know if you were planning to run away again…"
Dipper's smirk slowly faded away from Mabel's reminder, despite the teasy tone she was giving him. However, it wasn't long until Mabel's face fell as she gazed into his eyes worriedly.
"You aren't planning on running away again though, are ya?" she asked carefully to him.
In spite of the concerned look Mabel was casting him, Dipper's face morphed into a more warmer, genuine smile as he leaned back up and slung a brotherly arm around her waist.
"Trust me, Mabel. I'm not planning on doing such a thing, I've certainly learned my lesson." he replied simply and proudly, all while looking her squarely in the eyes. Mabel beamed and sighed in relief.
"That's good to hear…" she smiled. Suddenly, she realized something, "Ooh, I heard you were talking with Wendy on HeadClock, how's everything back at the Falls?
Dipper beamed at his sister. "Everything's going great, actually!" he answered, "She mentioned that Soos and his girlfriend Melody are running the Mystery Shack and that Grunkles Stan and Ford are out on some sort of trip to make more discoveries around the area!"
Mabel's eyes shone with curiosity. "Ooh, really!?"
Dipper nodded. "Yep! Wendy also said that Stan and Ford are still planning to return back to Oregon again after their trip, so they'll still be residing at the Shack with Soos and Melody! And then she mentioned about Robbie and Tambry actually doing very well as a couple so far, Grenda and Candy are starting their new semester at school, and Pacifica is actually working to help her and her parents get by…"
Mabel held back a chuckle. "Pacifica is actually working!?" she asked in amused disbelief. Dipper chuckled in return.
"I know, I was surprised, too. But still, she's actually doing great so far, just like everyone is!" confirmed the male twin, prompting a thankful smile from his sister. However, Mabel's smile drooped a tad once she noticed Dipper 's own glum expression.
Mabel blinked and frowned in worry. "Dipper? A-Are you okay?" she asked, placing a caring hand on his shoulder. Dipper's eyes glanced back at her before he exhaled sadly.
"I dunno…" murmured Dipper demurely, "I guess I'd...well...I'd be lying if I said I still didn't miss them, you know?"
Mabel smiled in sympathy and hugged Dipper's side for a while. "I miss them, too, bro-bro…" she murmured, "But, we'll all be back together in the summer again...trust me, Dipper…"
Dipper turned his head towards her and gave her a small, thankful smile, before Mabel's own smile went from assuring to somewhat knowing and a bit teasy.
"And I suppose you miss Wendy as well?" she asked innocently, "Maybe a bit more than the others?"
Dipper's lips went into a straight line. He somehow knew Mabel was gonna bring up his crush on Wendy again, even if was meant to be an innocent ribbing, but still, he decided to just come clean about his feelings and to get it over with.
"...M-Maybe...I guess…I-I...uh..."
Dipper stammered for a while, unable to piece together the right words to answer back to Mabel. Thankfully, she was able to decipher through his stutters, as if she was reading his befuddled mind.
"You still have feelings for her, I suppose?" she asked, her tone less teasy and more curious and knowing. Dipper nearly found himself hemming and hawing at this innocent question, unsure on how to answer it clearly.
"Maybe...probably...I don't know, to be honest…" he admitted, almost shamefully, "I know Wendy said that it may be best that we'd stay just as friends, but I still can't help to find her to be the most beautiful and kindest girl I've ever met. She's one of the few girls that would consider me as...normal…"
Dipper half-expected for Mabel to either tell him to get over it or to be annoyed or disappointed for him still possibly falling for Wendy. He hung his head in sadness, before he felt Mabel's lovingly drape an arm around his shoulder again, where Dipper looked up and looked in surprise upon seeing Mabel smile understandingly at him.
"Aw, Dipper…" cooed Mabel in sympathy, "You are normal! Some people at school are just a bunch of dumb meanies. You're smart and kind and brave, they just don't understand, you know. Not like me...I know that you are an awesome person...and an even awesomer twin brother…"
Dipper felt his lips tug slightly into a small, sad smile from hearing Mabel's kind words. "R-Really?" he asked softly.
Mabel nodded with a brace-filled smile. "Really!" she confirmed, "And on terms of Wendy, I know it's kinda hard to try and forget your true love, but I assure you, Dipper. You will be able to love out there in this world. I know I can be really boy-crazy at times, but that doesn't mean you should be lonely forever...and besides, maybe sometime in the future, maybe you and Wendy may hit it off as a couple!"
Dipper took Mabel's words to heart, secretly uncertain about Wendy deciding to be with him, but feeling assured that even he could still have a chance to find love, but he still wanted to make sure. "You really mean that, Mabel?" he asked gently.
"Absolutely!" chirped Mabel, "Besides...I'd be lying if I said that you and Wendy wouldn't have made a cute couple…"
Dipper felt his cheeks glow red from how touched he was from Mabel's sincerity, so much so he immediately brought Mabel into a loving, brotherly hug. Mabel was caught off-guard, but it didn't take long for her to return the embrace as well, with a big, content smile on her face. A few quiet seconds ticked by until Dipper spoke again.
"Thanks, Mabel...thanks for saying that…" he whispered. Mabel beamed sweetly.
"Anytime, Dipper…" she murmured, before her voice began to sound a bit guilty, "I'm sorry for teasing you so much about you and Wendy, though...I should have been more considerate…"
Dipper's smile faltered from Mabel's sad tone, but he patted her back in understanding. "It's okay, Mabel. To be fair, I more or less had it coming, you know?"
Mabel didn't seem that convinced, however. "Yeah, but with all that teasing, me being a selfish jerk, the whole mess with Bill Cipher...it's still just another mistakes to add to the list…" she murmured forlornly. Dipper sadly gazed back at Mabel as he squeezed the hug to try and comfort her a bit.
"Mabel, it's okay, really. I know you want to do right from your mistakes, but we couldn't dwell on the bad times now. We should just cherish that we are together again. Bill Cipher's gone and Gravity Falls is safe, that's all that matters now. And please, Mabel, don't say that you are a bad sister, because you're not. I may be upset with your selfishness and hot-headedness, but that doesn't mean I hate you. I do love you, and I do wanna have more adventures with you…" explained Dipper with a genuine caring tone.
Although Mabel certainly did feel touched by Dipper's kindly words, she still had some of her doubts. "Even after I ruined your apprenticeship with Grunkle Ford?" she squeaked out shyly from within the hug. Dipper frowned at the mention of that tidbit, but his frown seemed more sympathetic rather than sad or angry.
"Mabel, you didn't ruin anything…" he reminded softly, "Besides, I was also at fault for not considering your feelings as well. I'm really sorry, Mabel..."
Mabel frowned sadly. "I'm sorry, too, Dipper…"
They kept holding onto their hug for a little while longer until they finally loosened their embrace and looked each other in the eyes.
"I know we kinda screwed each other over that summer, but I think starting now, we should try and put those bad times behind us and that we should focus on being better siblings to each other...that sounds good, Mabel?" offered Dipper timidly. Thankfully, Mabel's smile said it all.
"Sounds good, Dippy!" she smiled. She then glomped Dipper again in another big hug which surprised him enough for the two to stumble back on Dipper's bed. The two chuckled both awkwardly and happily for a bit, without letting go of their sibling hug. Mabel snuggled against Dipper sweetly and gave him a kindly smile.
"I love you, bro-bro…" she murmured softly. Dipper blushed in return and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"I love you, too, sis…" he replied back sincerely.
With both twins feeling quite tired, they both found themselves winding down and getting ready to sleep on Dipper's bed, too exhausted to move. Not that they cared anyways, they were feeling too comfortable to want to escape their embrace and that after that hectic Saturday in September, all the twins wanted to do was just to stay close each other within their loving grasp, without any objections or care.
However, before Dipper could let sleep fully succumb him, he heard Mabel's muffled voice pipe up after a minute of near silence, with the other bit of noise coming from Dipper's softly-playing playlist which he forgot to turn off. He felt Mabel stir a bit in the hug as she began to say one final thing before she fully went to sleep.
"Dipper?"
Dipper opened a sleepy eye. "Hmm?"
"I don't care whether you have a million friends or not, or if people see you as an outcast, I'm just glad you're still at home, bro-bro…" yawned Mabel sleepily as she soon enough fell asleep with a smile. Dipper smiled tiredly and rubbed her back softly, the magnitude of last month's events seemingly tiring him out immediately.
"So am I, Mabel…" he muttered contently, as he too felt himself drift out of consciousness and into a peaceful night's sleep, along with his inseparable twin sister. And as his smart tablet's music playlist began softly playing another song on his bed, Dipper simply relaxed in his spot, too tired to turn off the device as he felt Mabel's loving embrace bring him to peace as he listened in on the faint country / rock song currently playing through his ear buds.
As much as he still missed being in Gravity Falls, right now, he was just glad to still have Mabel by his side, as he uttered one more sentence before he fell asleep with his twin, dreaming of more fun adventures to be had in Gravity Falls with his sister and his friends.
However, just before he closed his eyes, he looked back at the letter taped on the wall close above him and smiled nostalgically, thankful to have such great friends in Oregon...and to have a great sister as well.
"So am I…"
'I love you in the fall, I'll never forget you…at all...'
'I love you in the fall, I'll never forget you...at all…'
'I wait for always, I love you in the fall, I'll never forget you…'
'The winter's coming on…'
'Seasons change before me, before me there must have been someone else…oh, yeah...'
'I wait for always, I love you in the fall, I'll love you forever…oh...'
'Seasons change before me, after me there'll be someone new…'
'Shadows of the summer time…'
'When the crimson leaves are here, it's only days until autumn's here…'
'Love you forever…oh...'
'I'll love you in the fall, I'll love you forever…oh...'
'I'll love you in the fall, I'll love you forever...oh…'
'I'll love you in the fall, I'll never forget you…'
'I'll never forget you…'
'I'll never forget you…'
'I'll never forget you…'
THE END
And just like that, ladies and gents, that's an official wrap on "Saudade"! :D
With this being my longest and most-viewed story yet, it certainly was a challenge to do, considering that with drama not being my specific choice of genre, I still wanted to include a family aspect in the story to not make it so grimdark, you know? But still, like the old adage says, "you never know until you try", although it'll probably be a while until I think of doing another drama-genre story, especially one of this caliber.
Regardless, I want to thank everyone for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing this story, showing nothing but kindness and constructive criticism for how the plot should work or how Dipper and Mabel's relationship should be dealt with. I just hope this story will still be to your likings!
We have one more story to be posted for 2018, so any OK K.O. fans out there'll be happy to know we got one coming for Christmas Eve! Thanks again, everyone, and we'll be back with more sappy and fluffy Wendip in the new year!
~Thunderbyrd