Draping her body over the arm of an antique couch, Mabel watched as Dipper stood, arms wide like a scarecrow, upon a stepping stool in the middle of a large room.

A flurry of women, wearing dresses swarmed about him with measuring tape, and pins, pulling, poking, and prodding.

"Hey, when can I put my arms down? They're starting to hurt," he joked half heartedly.

In reality they had started to hurt a long time ago and now felt like heavy branches about to break.

Holding a wide cup in his hands their great uncle Stan stood next to their great uncle Ford who smoked from a pipe. Their uncles' laughed.

"See that's what I'm talking about" said Stan. "Kids these days are too soft, always complaining about one thing or another. Back in my day we'd kill to just stand around and do nothing."

Ford chuckled. "Yes. We were always doing something, weren't we Stanley?"

Stan smirked. "And look where we are today" he gestured to the space. "Hard work and determination pay off."

Dipper sucked in a breath, looking down as the women, tucked and cinched the fabric of the suit with their sharp needles and snipped with even sharper looking scissors.

He looked away, trying not to tremble. After a while, he let out a sigh of boredom herself.

"How many custom made suits do I need?" he asked.

One of the women who appeared to be the oldest of them with salt and pepper hair pulled into a severe bun which tugged tightly at her skin, looked up from below him, a little too close to his crotch.

Dipper blushed, leaning back a bit. The woman's lips curved up. "You can never have too many suits" she said, pulling down the hem of both pant legs before standing up. The younger women carefully watched her movements.

"Says the woman who gets paid for them!" said Stan.

The woman smiled. "Ah yes. Enough!"

The younger women stopped what they were doing, and simultaneously stepped back from Dipper. He turned his head to look at them.

"Is it done? Can I let down my arms now?"

The woman put a hand up to her chin. "Hmm. Shoes!" she snapped her fingers.

A girl came forward with a box and, opening it, took out a pair of shiny reddish brown shoes.

"Please sit."

The woman gestured to a chair nearby and another woman began putting on his socks and shoes, tying them.

"Is all of this really neces-"

"Of course!" said Ford, "For the amount we pay her we have to get our pennies worth!"

"Just shut up, sit back and enjoy it!" said Stan. Dipper sighed looking down as the girl worked.

She was young and looked to be about Dipper's age with straight raven black hair, slanted eyes, and glasses. When she was done she looked up at Dipper. Catching his eyes, she blushed, looking down and getting up.

"For an extra fee I may even throw in a girl" giggled the woman with a hand hovering over her mouth.

Blood rushed to Dipper's face, turning very red. Both the woman and his uncles laughed. Mabel sat with eyes wide and cheeks hot mirroring her brother.

"What?" she said loudly.

The others looked at her, laughter slowly ceasing. Ford coughed trying to get rid of his smile.

"It's just a joke Mabel" he said.

"Yeah kid, just a little guy humor" said Stan.

Mabel frowned.

Dipper was steered toward a large ornate floor mirror. He gazed at himself in awe, a grin beginning on his face.

The suit fit his medium build perfectly. It was a sleek dark midnight blue jacket with only a slither of metallic blue pin stripes and underneat, a crisp black shirt finished with a dark green tie. The woman came up behind him.

"Do you like it" she said, placing a hand upon his arm.

She gazed at him in the mirror smiling. Dipper couldn't pull his eyes away from himself. He opened his mouth but nodded instead.

"Good" said the woman looking satisfied. Then she looked down at his arm.

"Candy" she said.

"Yes, madame Boudoir?" said the girl who had put on Dipper's shoes.

She hurried over toward them. "He needs a watch," said the madame, "he's young and smart. He needs something that makes a statement. Bring the most luxurious smart watch we have, but not so flashy so as to have his wrist cut off."

Dipper swallowed. The woman chuckled.

Candy nodded and rushed over to one of the many portable displays then came back with a gleaming Platinum watch and picked up his wrist. Blushing, she briefly glanced up and saw Dipper looking at her. She fastened it on his wrist, skin brushing against his.

Dipper noticed how small her hands were and though soft he could feel the calluses on them, and see faint scars. When she was done, she immediately stepped away from him and back to the other girls. His head turned to follow and those around her giggled.

Dipper started playing with the watch and laughed. "I feel like James Bond!"

At this, the whole room was filled with laughter.

Mabel rolled her eyes.

After all of the fitting and dressing, Mabel followed Dipper, her uncles, and the seamstress with her merry band of girls back into the open foyer.

"Now you really look like a Pines" said Ford, grinning.

Everyone from the maids, butlers, to the body guards crowded around Dipper to admire and complement.

Mabel stood apart from them watching. Dipper grinned as he looked around at the others. There was a glow about him and just looking at him Mabel could feel her eyes stinging.

"Hey son, how's about you hang out with us again today? Maybe a little target practice, cards, we might even take a gentleman's trip?" Stan wriggled his brows and slapped Dipper on the back.

"You'll have a good time. You'll see."

The warm jittery feelings of elation and excitement ran throughout Dipper's body, but as it did so, he could also feel a burning stare.

He turned and looking beyond the bodies around him, saw his sister standing further away. His smile faltered. The others followed his gaze. Mabel put a smile on her face.

"Oh Mabel" said Ford. "How could we forget about you darling, get over here!"

Mabel stepped forward and the others parted for her to pass. Standing beside her brother in his new fancy suit only made her new regular clothes look even duller.

As the crowd dispersed and "Madame" Boudoir and her girl's left, everyone went back to work, leaving just the twin's and their uncles who started walking. Dipper followed and so did Mabel.

"It's too bad you're not a boy Mabel" said Stan. " I mean, having a twin is the greatest thing in the world, but Dipper's nearly a man now, and well... He needs to be with more guys like him. You get that right?"

All four of them stopped in front of one of the many double doors inside the place.

Mabel forced a smile. Dipper looked at her sympathetically.

"Yeah, of course" she said nodding. She started to turn around and leave but stopped.

"Hey grunkle Stan?" she said.

"Yeah, kid?"

"Have you heard anything about Waddles?"

The two older men looked at each other then at the girl with small smiles.

"We're still looking into it sweetheart," said Ford, scratching the back of his head, "you told us about the pig so late darling, and we've been so busy juggling the police and handling" he looked at Stan, "other business, that it's taken a while. We do know it's been moved so now it's just a matter of tracking it down before it's-" he stopped, smiling harder. "I'm sure if anything, Wilbert's at a sanctuary somewhere waiting on you to come pick him up."

"Waddles" said Mabel.

"Huh?" said Ford, having already looked back at Dipper smiling.

"Nothing. Thank you" she said.

"Yeah, thank you guys-I don't-thank you, for everything" said Dipper breathlessly.

"Now," Stan slapped Dipper on the back, "Dipper my boy, let's get ready for tonight."

The men and Dipper all laughed going into the room.

"See ya Dipper" she said, but they were already talking about something else and Dipper was too absorbed in the conversation to notice her. The doors closed and she walked away heading down the long hall back to her room.

It had already been three days since the funeral, five since Mabel and Dipper's so called birthday, which they now shared with the death of their parents.

What was left of their remains went into urns, and when the time came for what was to be done with them, she insisted they both went into her room so as to not separate the two.

Their great uncles were skeptical but left the choice up to them. At the time, Dipper was still distant and didn't abject.

Although she had been so vocal before, the urns so small and beautifully elegant were still just that, urns. On a hanging shelf in her room they sat beside each other and that very same day she regretted the decision.

In hindsight she didn't really want them so close, but she also didn't want Dipper to have them.

"He had had them enough already anyway" she thought that day, now burdened with the sight of them every time she was in her new room.

Mabel walked over to a small pink piggy bank on her dresser, picked it up then headed to the canopy bed with pink gauze to sit.

She held the heavy but hollow pig that was cold, stiff, and silent. A few tears escaped her eyes as she hugged it, closing them, her heart hammered in her chest.

Lying down she hold on to it, curled up, and went to sleep.

Her room was darker when she awakened. Sitting up she saw that it was night outside her window.

Turning on her lamp she looked around her room, at the clock by her bed. It was 10:00 already. She opened her door and walked over to Dipper's room. Her hand went for the the knob but she changed her mind and knocked instead.

"He's gone Ms. Mabel, remember? He and your uncles have stepped out," said a maid looking up at her from below.

"Oh yeah" Mabel laughed, playfully tapping her head. "I forgot. Thank you."

"Are you hungry, thirsty Ms. Mabel? We knocked a few times to call you for dinner but you didn't answer" said the maid.

"I fell asleep. Yeah..." she smiled.

Going downstairs she followed the maid and was led into a grand dining room. She found all the extravagance too stuffy and suffocating. Everywhere she went she felt as if she had to be careful and couldn't be herself.

The woman told her the cook had made roast chicken with a mushroom gravy, garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Mabel simply nodded. Sitting down to the food served to her at the long wide table, she ate alone amongst the rows of empty chairs.

After finishing her meal, she went into the kitchen, and instead of calling the maid back, as she was told to do, cleaned the dish herself. Sighing, she went back to her room.

Laying back on her bed, she turned her head to look at the urns. "I guess it's just us again tonight" she said.

For a while she laid upon the bed watching the clock as five minutes passed. Then suddenly she grabbed her shirt, yanking and throwing it off. Unbuttoning her jeans she shimmied them down, kicking them the rest of the way off.

Opening the closet door she walked inside. Pulling open drawer after drawer, clothes went flying up into the air and onto the floor. When she was done Mabel had laid a sweater, heels, and skirt onto a counter. She stood in front of a mirror, naked, staring at her body.

"If you were boy..." she could hear her great uncle's voice.

She pulled on fishnet stockings, a shiny leather mini skirt, and picked up a long sweater.

Grabbing scissors she began to cut the heavy fabric. Jabbing and pulling, until she had to use her bare hands to rip the rest of it, then pulled it over her head.

The rip was asymmetrical and higher in some places than others but everything well beyond her belly button.

She applied shimmery mascara, eyeliner, and dared to paint her lips with red hot lipstick, then rubbed body glitter all over her exposed skin.

Pulling the scrunchie from her hair she shook her head as it fell down to her back. In the end, she looked like a skimpy fairy. She laughed.

"You look like a slut" she said, trying to sound like a popular girl then laughed again.

Locking the bedroom door she looked over at the urns went over to them.

"I'm going out" she said softly, standing there in pause as if waiting for a reply. She could hear her parents now.

"Oh no your not!" she heard her father, "especially not dressed like that. Go change!"

Mabel could see her mother's disapproving face."No good can come of a girl dressing that way" she would say.

Going over to the window, she undid the latch, and stepped out onto the fire escape. Trying to carefully maneuver down, her heart beat wildly. The wind tossled her hair and chilled her skin. She gripped the railing, shaking nervously.

When both of her feet were on the ground of the dirty dark alley she gave a relaxing sigh. Looking around and behind her, she walked toward the glow of the street lights.

The neighborhood's buildings were dark in color, big, and chunky. Everything looked a little dirty and gritty.

Peering around the ally way she quickly stuck her head back, seeing Soos and a few other men standing around the building, acting as if they were simply loitering strangers or lounging tenants, but Mabel knew the real truth. They were standing guard.

She sucked in a deep breath then took off at exactly the same time someone else was passing by, a man with a long shirt, baggy pants, and a bennie. Quickly walking she wobbled in her heels. The man who was walking beside her looked over and smiled, licking his lips.

Heart thrashing against her ribs she tried to walk faster. She could feel eyes on her, sure there were lots of them, and in no time Soos was going come over to her, pick her up, sling her over his shoulder,and take her back. But as she continued to walk she realized that no one was coming.

She heard whistling, "hey baby throw a little something my way!" She lowered her head, thick hair obscuring her face, and looked back.

Soos and the other men were looking straight at her and yet they were grinning, smiling, laughing, and making sexual gestures.

"Give me some sugar!" yelled another.

Mabel turned back around and slowed down her pace. Her heart steadied a bit but not all the way. Covering one to two blocks her feet began to ache. She didn't exactly know where she was going from there but this was her old city. She'd find it eventually.

By the time she was nearly out of the neighborhood a car started up, scaring her. Startled she jumped looking at it but continued walking, laughing a little to herself.

Reaching the brighter lights of the city, shops, stores, and crowded streets, she stopped and looked around.

Tall sky scraper buildings, advertisements flashing across screens, sounds coming from all directions, the smell of food carts, hot dogs, falafels', and everything under the night sky.

Closing her eyes, and opening her arms, she twirled around, laughing. This time shereveled in the fact that many of the people paid her no mind. If looking, they only briefly glanced her way before moving on.

A band played on the corner of the street and she walked closer to the music. As they jammed some people sitting at the outside tables of resturants watched.

Mabel swayed a little, moving her head from side to side as her feet kept going forward until she stood in front of the band.

The closer she got, the louder the music. Her arms flew out and up and she threw her hips out wider, stepping out, and rubbing over her body. She let the rhythm take over.

Now she was attracting attention. She closed her eyes laughing. Feeling the wind on her skin and through her hair.

A few people had gathered to watch her, others started to dance too, some with drinks and food in their hand. She bent her knees winding low and going high.

There were cheers, ooohs, and awws. The grin on her face grew wider. Throwing her head forward and back she rubbed her hands through her hair. Throwing her arm out she felt a hand grab her hers.

Eyes shooting wide she brought her head back down and her mouth fell open. Her body was pulled forward and then she was spun around. In that instance, her body felt boneless.

Then she could feel herself falling backward, her eyes widened further and her mouth opened to scream as she fell but suddenly something stopped her descent

She felt the pressure of the arm wrapped around her waist, the fingers of one hand entwined with her own.

Looking up, she gazed into the face of a charming boy with a beautiful amber eye noting his other was covered with an eye patch which had the image of a dramatic widend eye.

When her eyes traveled down his face she saw that he was smiling. She could feel the heat rush to her cheeks.

He chuckled. "Penny for your thoughts?"