Hey fanfic friends! This story has ended up being one of my best fleshed out, and one of my favorite stories to write. I am still not quite near done, but I deeply appreciate everyone who has taken the time to comment, follow, and favorite! It really gives me some encouragement when the job seems daunting in light of everything going on! This next chapter is one of my very favorites so far, and I hope you guys like reading it as much as I do writing it! Please don't forget to keep the reviews coming should you feel so inclined, thanks you guys, and enjoy!
That night after the family had returned home from the science fair Mabel went right to packing her bag. All Stan had told her was to pack something pretty to wear, and comfortable walking shoes. As she packed Dipper suddenly entered the bedroom they shared, looking surprisingly upset for someone who had just won a blue ribbon.
"Hey dipping dots, why the long face? Is someone feeling a bit jelly, because Grunkle Stan is just taking me on this adventure?" Mabel said in her usual sing-song voice.
"No it's not that, trust me Stan and I spent plenty of time together today. It was the most fun I have ever had with him, but…..Mabel doesn't it seem a bit odd that Stan would come all the way down here completely out of the blue? I mean it was a really nice surprise, but something seems off…..he's being too nice….I hope nothing is wrong," Dipper said as he paced the floor of their bedroom.
Mabel crossed the room to him and put her hands on his shoulder's "Dipper I swear you think way too hard about everything! Grunkle Stan is just stopping by to spend time with us. Maybe he just missed us as much as we missed him and wanted to spend time with us, is that so cray cray?" Mabel asked giving his shoulder's a playful shake.
Dipper laughed and smiled, "You're right sis, so you excited about Grunkle Stan's surprise? Haha it will be hard for him to top mine, he nearly gave me a heart attack when he showed up!" Dipper said smiling fondly at the memory.
"Yeah, but remember I'm his pumpkin, so I am sure if anyone can top your surprise it's him!" Mabel said crawling into her bed with Waddles and snuggling off to dream on it.
"Rise up pumpkin!" Stan said in an eager whisper a few hours later.
Mabel peaked over at the digital watch on her bedside, "Grunkle Stan….It's 3am…it's too early for surprises," Mabel said rolling over on her side.
Stan wasn't having any of that, he swooped her up into his arms and carried her over his shoulder out of the room, so that they wouldn't wake Dipper. When they left the room Mabel woke up considerably and started giggling at the silliness of it all, and soon Stan was giggling too. It felt good to be reunited with his partner in crime.
They headed out to the car, and as they drove off into the night Mabel began asking question after question about what in the heck was going on. Stan wasn't budging on it though, and just kept shrugging her questions off, but beneath the darkness of the night he had the biggest smile on.
After about an hour of driving they pulled into an airport. "Grunkle Stan are we really going on an airplane? I've never been on a plane before? Thank you so much this is the best surprise ever!" Mabel squealed with delight, and Stan just laughed.
"I'm glad you like it pumpkin, but the plane isn't the surprise, your surprise is for when we get off the plane," Stan said as he took her hand and lead her inside.
Mabel was fascinated by everything on the plane, and while it irritated all of the other passengers Stan was overjoyed to see his niece filled with so much joy and happiness. He liked her just like she was, and if that meant she got to keep her childlike wonder then the other passengers would just have to get over it.
Soon after take-off, however, Mabel finally let her energy run out and she allowed herself to fall asleep on Stan's lap. He cherished being able to hold her close to him, and while she slept he quietly prayed to God above (something he didn't do often before the diagnosis) that he give him more times like this with the kids he loved.
After several hours Mabel slowly woke up, "Well morning sleeping beauty!" Stan said cheerfully. "You've been asleep for a while now, do me a favor and look out your window and tell me what you see" Stan said slyly.
Mabel rubbed her eyes and as she looked out the window what she saw took her breath away, below her lay the stunning New York City skyline. It was something she had always dreamed of, but never imagined she would see, "GRUNKLE STAN NO WAY! NO WAY NO WAY!" Mabel screeched so loudly that the whole plane shook, to the deep annoyance of the passengers, but the deep delight of Stan.
"I'm glad you like it pumpkin, but believe it or not this is still not your surprise," Stan said laying back in his seat.
"No way! There can't be more!" Mabel said as her eyes grew about three sizes larger.
"Well there is….but you've gotta do a little work for it," Stan said sneakily.
"I'll do anything! Just name it!" Mabel said eagerly.
"I thought I could make things interesting with a little scavenger hunt….you up for it?" Stan said as the plane screeched to a landing, with literally all of the passengers making a b-line for the exit from the girls constant screaming.
"Bring it on!" Mabel said as she grabbed Stan's hand and rushed them both out of the airport to the busy city streets.
"Ok, here's your first clue….in this place even though there are cops everything is still legal," Stan said crossing his arms thinking it would take Mabel a while to figure out the solution. Mabel thought about it for less than a minute.
"New Jersey! Is it New Jersey, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked eagerly.
"Ouch….easy on my home state you little gremlin...but yeah, it's jersey," he said with a laugh.
The two of them got to where the boarder of New Jersey and New York met, and stopped for a corndog on one of the boardwalks. They sat on the edge of the dock while they ate and enjoyed a brief moment of relaxation.
"Did you and your dad and Ford come down here all the time?" Mabel asked with all of her childlike wonder.
Stan gulped down a bite of his corndog and looked at his niece with a mix of sadness and joy, "Well….Ford and I did every now and again….my pops was never one for corndogs…" Stan said allowing his voice to drift a bit. He suddenly felt a tight hug around his waist.
"Well I'm glad to be doing this with you, and I promise we will do this a whole lot the next time I come see you…won't that be fun?" she asked with a voice full of blissful ignorance.
Stan didn't even have the energy to answer her. He took a big breath and swallowed the tears that threatened to fall, "hey I think it's time for a new clue…..In this house you and your sisters grew and played, and it's where you decided to get married one cold winter's day," Stan said playfully.
This one took Mabel a little longer to catch one to….she didn't have any sisters…she laughed at the thought of Dipper being her sister, but then it hit her, "The Schylar Mansion! Because I'm Eliza! The Schylar sister!" Mabel said happily.
The two of them spent some time touring the big, beautiful home. Mabel was gushing the whole time as she saw the bedroom Angelica and Eliza shared, and she even gave Stan an impromptu ballroom dance lesson in the grand hall, "Just imagine Grunkle Stan, this is probably where Angelica, Eliza, and Peggy practiced dancing before heading to the winter's ball," She said as Stan twirled her around in a fancy, sophisticated manner. It made his heart swell to be able to share this moment with her, it was as though he was living it with her. He hoped that she would look back on this for inspiration for opening night, even if he couldn't be with her it would be almost like he was.
"Ok, here's the next clue, even though women were still not allowed to vote, Eliza founded this historic place without even a little gloat," Stan laughed inside knowing that the rhyme was terrible.
It didn't matter to Mabel though, she knew exactly where her Grunkle was talking about. As they stood in front of the orphanage Mabel looked upon it in awe. Stan got worried when he saw tears form in her eyes, "everything alright pumpkin?" he said kneeling beside her.
"It's just….so amazing….all of it is, I can't remember a better way to end the day, I just hope I can do Eliza proud with my performance," Mabel said wiping her tears.
Stan pulled her into a tight hug, "I know you will pumpkin….I just know you will, and I'm so glad you enjoyed your day, but it still isn't over," Stan said gently as he handed her a white envelope. He nodded giving her silent permission to open it, while making sure to cover his ears.
"AHHHHHHHHH! TICKETS! TICKETS TO HAMILTON! FRONT ROW! FRONT ROW!" Mabel screamed loud enough that Stan bet the whole city heard her. She leaped into her Grunkle's arms as he spun her around allowing her to unleash all of her emotions. When she finally calmed down he held out his hand in a very gentleman like way, "Shall we, Mrs. Hamilton?" he said playfully escorting his niece to the theatre.
The play was superb honestly, all of the original cast was still there, and it was at the height of all of the hype and excitement. No one would know until he was gone, but Stan had spent every penny of his life savings to do this for Mabel. The tickets were….not cheap. At first Stan refused, he thought he could just get her a t-shirt. I mean these prices were far higher than anything he had ever paid for, but Stan got more than his money's worth by watching Mabel's reaction to the play. Her eyes never left the stage, and every time Eliza appeared on stage Mabel would give Stan's hand a tight squeeze. It turned out his father was wrong, money wasn't everything, when you die you can't take your money with you, but the look of pure joy on Mabel's face when Lin Manuel winked at her during "A winter's ball" or the tears streaming down her face during "who lives who dies who tells your story" was the greatest fortune Stan could ever imagine.
After the show Mabel stayed glued to her seat long after everyone else had left, as if she wanted to make sure she was living in the moment of the show for as long as possible. Stan was just about to pull her up and physically drag her out of the theatre when suddenly a beautiful woman who played Eliza came out from behind the curtain.
"Grunkle Stan! That's Phillipa Soo! That's Eliza! It's really her!" Mabel said jumping up and down. Stan got up and shook the woman's hand, hoping that Mabel wouldn't get them both a restraining order.
"Those were some mighty fine pipes you had up there ma'am….I'm sorry about my niece….she is a little excitable….She'll be playing your character in a few weeks you know, and well….thank you, for umm being a role model for her,"
The woman smiled a beautiful and sincere smile as she knelt down so she was looking into Mabel's eyes, "I know you will do a wonderful job dear…..here, just a little something for luck, I wore it every day when I was starting out, when you wear it it will feel like the real Eliza is with you," she said taking off her necklace and putting it around Mabel's neck, after which Mabel promptly fainted.
When Mabel came to the first thing she saw was her Grunkle looking down at her while gently holding her, "Grunkle Stan, was it all just a dream?" Mabel said as she felt the cold New York air brush her face.
Stan set her down and revealed that she was still wearing Phillipa's necklace, "You tell me," Stan said with a smirk.
Mabel pulled him into a tight hug, for once in her life she didn't have any words that could express her happiness. Stan returned the hug, and wiped a few stray tears from his eyes. As he hugged her in the middle of the busy street he whispered in her ear, "They'll tell the story of tonight,"
"They'll tell the story of tonight," Mabel sang right back.
