A/N So sorry for the delay, some of you might know I'm dealing with a lot of stuff in my life making updates not nearly as frequent as I'd like. It's just real life has to take priority, you know? It sucks and I know some of you are really anxious for some updates on this and my other stories, believe me I am too, I really don't want to leave you guys hanging and I really, truly appreciate the patience and support you've shown me the last few months as I've been dealing with a lot. Hopefully updates on all my stories will be more frequent from here on out, fingers crossed anyway. I'll definitely do my best.
Thanks to all my wonderful readers and reviewers and everyone who's put this on their favourites and/or follows this, it means a lot. I can't believe the kind of response this has received and I hope that this next chapter was worth the wait. I agonized over this chapter, debating on whether or not to include it. After posting the first chapter I pretty much scrapped the rest of it entirely, and then rewrote it and rewrote it and gave up for a while, it's been more of a pain than it needs to be. But after way more deliberation than necessary, I thought, "Why not?" and so before I change my mind for the umpteenth time, here it is!
Enjoy!
As soon as he leaves Mabel alone to rest, Dipper goes back downstairs to talk to Ford. It's just not right that his sister is unhappy and the sooner he can fix that problem, the better.
"Hey, there you are!" Ford grins, "Just the person I wanted to see. How's Mabel?"
"Sleeping I think," he replies.
"Not surprised. That pill I gave her should knock her right out," he nods, not quite catching the odd tone that Dipper's voice makes when something's wrong. Oblivious, he holds out his hand, "She should sleep soundly through the night but when she wakes up, you should give her this."
"What is it?"
"Just your average extra strength over the counter painkiller," he replies with a shrug, "that salve works wonders, but unfortunately I can't give her another dose—anything over one application will negate the healing properties. When the numbing effects wear off, the pain tends to come back with a vengeance."
"How long until that happens?" Dipper asks.
"Honestly, it varies from person to person. Make sure she takes this when she wakes up, and if she shows sign of pain or discomfort in her sleep, wake her," he instructs, "I'm not sure but I think she may have cracked a rib, and I know from experience just how painful that can be. Best to try and combat the pain before it gets bad. I always find the day after an injury like that is the worst."
"Do you think she needs a doctor?" Dipper's eyes widen with worry.
"Nah, all they'd do is take an X-Ray to make sure, and whether it's broken or just badly bruised, there's nothing a doctor can do that we aren't doing already. Somehow I doubt Stanley would appreciate the unnecessary cost," Ford rolls his eyes with a smirk, "Besides, the stuff I gave her will work faster and more effectively than anything a doctor might give her."
"Oh. OK," Dipper nods with a sigh, wondering how to confront Ford about Mabel's depressed state and the apparent misunderstanding that occurred while Dipper had left to get Mabel water. Whatever happened troubled her greatly, and she had already been uncharacteristically melancholy before that. He had sensed the sudden change in mood and tension immediately and since Mabel didn't want to talk about it…
"Hey, what's wrong?" Ford asks, finally catching onto the fact that something is bothering him. "She'll be fine in a few days at most, if that's what you're worried about."
"It's not that…well I guess I'm sorta worried about that because I can't stand it when she's hurt," he admits, and Ford nods with understanding, "but…" May as well just come out and say it, "What happened earlier? Between you and Mabel? She seemed pretty upset."
"Oh, it was nothing," he scoffs dismissively.
Dipper shakes his head, "No, it's not. Mabel would not be so affected by it if it was nothing."
"I left her alone for a minute and caught her snooping," he explains with a weary sigh, "she denied it but…"
"You didn't believe her."
"It's OK, I know what it's like to be a kid and getting caught doing something I'm not supposed to. I'm not mad at her, I don't think she meant anything by it but it did catch me off guard, and frankly I thought she knew better than to…"
"Grunkle Ford, if she said she wasn't snooping, then she wasn't snooping."
"Dipper, I saw her. It's…"
"No, you don't understand," Dipper shakes his head, "you don't know Mabel like I do. She hates lying. Not only that but she's terrible at it, like, the worst. It's not her style and you'd see right through it. Besides, she's not like that. She respects your privacy and even though she didn't say so, I think it meant a lot to her that you were starting to trust her. I just can't see her doing anything to ruin that, not on purpose. Whatever you saw, it probably wasn't what it looked like."
Ford listens to Dipper's words, taking them into consideration. He nods, "I see…"
"I know Mabel's so goofy and cheerful all the time, and she doesn't let things bother her, except sometimes they do. She'll put on a show and take on challenges with a smile but sometimes she can be pretty sensitive. Whatever happened with the unicorns today really affected her, and with that and this misunderstanding between you two, she's really upset. She's starting to think that she's a bad person and with you being mad at her…"
"Dipper, I'm not mad at her," Ford sighs, "I realize now that I might've misinterpreted her actions, but I even told her I believed her…"
"But you obviously didn't."
"All right so I had my doubts about what she was really doing, but I either way I knew she didn't mean any harm," he admits, "when she wakes up, tell her that things are fine between us and I'm not angry with her, OK?"
"OK, I will, but I think you need to tell her yourself. Maybe you weren't mad at her, but you sure seemed like it down there."
"Really?" Ford asks remorsefully.
Dipper nods, "Yeah."
He sighs, "Truth is, I was disappointed. With her and with myself, but mostly with myself. I know I overreacted, I can sometimes be so paranoid I forget that kids can be curious. I know I upset her, you see, for a moment I worried that she might've been…well…"
"Bill?"
He nods sheepishly, "I know, I know, it's crazy. Bill can't get in here anymore thanks to her, but in the moment I got caught up in my own paranoia, worried that I might've missed something and I felt like a fool for reacting so harshly. I didn't realize how much it reflected in my attitude. Tell her I'm sorry."
"You can tell her yourself later," he replies. "She needs to hear it from you."
Things are quiet for a moment, Ford seems hesitant but finally he sighs and nods his head, "All right, I'll tell her when I see her."
"Thank you," Dipper starts to leave but then he pauses and frowns.
"Something else on your mind, kid?"
"Yeah, kinda," he sighs, "It's just…I haven't seen Mabel this depressed in a long time…maybe never."
"She seems like the type of girl who won't let things keep her down for long," Ford comments.
"And she is," Dipper agrees with an enthusiastic nod, "but lately…I don't know."
"I'm sure she's fine," Ford shrugs indifferently, "she just had a rough day and just needs some rest."
"Maybe," Dipper frowns, "but…"
He sighs, a misplaced but very real sense of righteous anger building up within him at how dismissive Ford seems of Mabel and her feelings. He can't help it because he's seen it before. Usually from teachers or acquaintances who tended to shrug off any hurt feelings Mabel might have as no big deal, assuming that all it would take for her to feel better is something sparkly or fluffy to distract her. And maybe that can be true for little things, but this isn't a little thing, doesn't Ford see that? He's not an acquaintance or whatever, he's family! And she's the reason he's even here!
Dipper tries to reel in his protective anger because he knows Ford means well, but Ford doesn't know Mabel like he does. Now that he thinks about it, he hasn't even made much of an effort to get to know her at all and just knows the Mabel that he wants to see. He just sees the carefree, random and silly girl that she is, and he's not wrong there, but there's far more to her than that.
Just because she's silly and happy and sees the world through sparkly rose coloured glasses doesn't mean she's immune to sadness and hurt feelings. If anything, her openness and optimism, her tendency to put her whole heart into everything she does, only leaves her more vulnerable to heartache.
It's true that she rarely lets things get her down for long, but when they do it sends her into a slump that's hard for her to get out of. Worst part is that she gets it in her head that she's supposed to be happy all the time, that people expect it of her and she'd let other people down if she's not her typical cheerful self. So when she is in one of her long term funks, she tries not to let it show too much. Sometimes not even Dipper can tell until she exhausts herself from trying to be 'on' all the time and she no longer has the energy to try. But even then, it's only those who are closest to her that will see how much things can sometimes get to her.
But now that he's really thinking about it, Dipper realizes that she's been depressed for a while now, but he didn't really notice it until earlier when he helped Mabel to bed. She seemed so defeated. It took far more than a bad day to drag her down this far. This slump is something that had been building for a while, her encounter with the unicorns, her injuries and her misunderstanding with Ford were just the tip of the iceberg.
Why didn't I see this coming? I know she hasn't been sleeping well lately, which should be my first clue that something's wrong…but…
"Don't worry so much Dipper, Mabel's going to be fine."
Dipper meets his great uncle's smiling gaze and furrows his brow in thought, a realization forming in his head, "Grunkle Ford, do you…do you trust her?"
He pauses, "Well… That's a loaded question Dipper."
"Not really," Dipper shrugs, "Do you trust her?"
"Well, she was a big help today…that says something."
"That doesn't really answer my question," Dipper frowns, folding his arms, "suppose she were to find out about the Rift, would you trust her to keep it safe?"
"Did you tell her?" he exclaims worriedly, which answers Dipper's question better than anything he might've said.
"No, of course not! I promised I wouldn't tell anyone, and I intend to keep that promise," Dipper sighs, "I wouldn't betray your trust like that. But I don't like keeping secrets from her and I think she's starting to feel left out."
Ford scoffs gently, "Dipper, she's not like you and me. She's not interested in this sort of thing, she has her girlfriends and does her own thing, so why should she be upset that you're doing your own thing too?"
Dipper has to admit that Ford has a point, but he's also completely missing the point Dipper's trying to make, "Yeah but...even when we go off and do completely different things, we're still best friends. We don't keep secrets from each other. She'll go on and on about her day, but when she asks me about mine, well… a few weeks ago I'd tell her all about my adventures or whatever but now…now I can't. It's weird. She says she understands and she's quick to drop the subject and won't push me, but at the same time, I think it's starting to get to her."
"Look, it's not a matter of whether or not I can trust her," Ford clarifies, "because I do. If I didn't I never would've let her take my journal and go on that unicorn quest, though I admit it was more out of necessity than trust because we needed her, and she needs to know that Bill is out there. But the girl's got spunk and a lot of heart and I'm grateful for her help."
"I think it meant a lot to her to be allowed to get involved today," Dipper says, "I trust her with my life…"
"I don't doubt it," Ford cuts in with a kind smile, knowing where he's going with this, "But when I said you can't tell her or anyone about the Rift or the work we're doing, I mean it. I have a few very good reasons why I'm reluctant to let people in and find out about my work, especially the Rift. For one thing, if the knowledge I have got into the wrong hands, the consequences could be dire. But it's not just that. It's not just about trust, not entirely, though it's part of it, but it's also for her protection. The Rift is a dangerous object, and just knowing about it can be dangerous. It could potentially put a target on her back, Bill could go after her if she knew about it."
Dipper cringes at the thought, "OK, point taken but I think you're underestimating her... Look, I'm not saying we should let her in and tell her everything, but…it just doesn't feel right, keeping secrets from her. I don't know what exactly has her so depressed lately, but I know that shutting her out isn't helping. She's got this crazy idea in her head that she's a bad person…"
"Which is ridiculous because Mabel's a sweet kid and shouldn't have to feel that way," Ford sighs, shaking his head.
"I know, right?" Dipper exclaims, glad that he and Ford are finally on the same page, "But how can I convince her otherwise if she thinks I can't trust her anymore? She seemed so defeated, and when Mabel's unhappy, it's like the whole world is off balance. I don't know what to do."
"You're a good kid, Dipper," Ford puts his hand on his shoulder and gives it a reassuring squeeze grinning proudly at him, "It's very admirable how much you look out for your sister."
"We look out for each other."
Ford gives him a fond smile, "I'll talk to her, we'll get this misunderstanding sorted out and set the record straight. She's going to be fine, I promise."
"Thank you," Dipper replies with relief, believing now that his uncle finally gets it and gives him a hug before heading back upstairs.
When he gets to their room in the attic Dipper sees Mabel curled on her uninjured side fast asleep. Waddles is lying beside her, pressed up against her knees, his head resting on her thigh. He looks up and watches Dipper when he enters the room, more alert than he usually is, almost protective, like he's aware his master's injured and vulnerable.
"Hey Waddles," Dipper whispers with a smile as he scratches behind the pig's ears and Waddles relaxes, licking Dipper's hand, "Thanks for looking after Mabel while I was gone." Waddles rests his head on Mabel's leg again and snuggles next to her as Dipper turns his attention to his sister.
"Mabel?" he murmurs tentatively, watching her for a moment, taking comfort in the soft sound of her breathing. He notices with sadness, dried tears crusting around her eyes and a wet patch on her pillow, clear evidence that she cried herself to sleep after he left. He pats her gently on the back of her shoulder and goes to his side of the room, sitting on his bed with a weary sigh. Ford wasn't kidding when he said that whatever he gave her would knock her out because she doesn't respond or make any sign of stirring even in the slightest.
He puts the painkiller Ford gave him on the table beside him and pulls out Journal #2 and starts to flip through it. He feels a little silly because going to sleep, despite his heavy eyelids, doesn't feel quite right. Sure, Ford did say that Mabel will sleep through the night, and Dipper knows he's being a little ridiculous, but he can't help it, it's part of his worrying nature. In the off chance she wakes up ahead of schedule, he wants to be there for her. He meant it when he told Ford that the world's off balance when Mabel's not her normal happy self.
After a while there's a knock on the door and Dipper startles with surprise when Stan bursts in, without even allowing Dipper the chance to invite him in.
"Grunkle Stan? What's wrong?" Dipper asks quietly, noticing the distress in his eyes before anything else.
"What happened to Mabel?" he whispers, heading straight for her bed, "Is she OK?"
"Uh…well no, but she will be," Dipper replies, confused because as far as he knows, Stan doesn't know what happened today, just that Mabel somehow acquired some gold that he decided to claim as his own. Dipper and Ford had been mad that he would just take it without asking, but Mabel had said that she didn't mind, knowing how much making money means to him.
"I went to the bathroom and I noticed her sweater and t-shirt in the trash, covered in blood," Stan explains, gently resting his hand on Mabel's shoulder. She still shows no signs of stirring. "What the heck happened?"
"She got sorta stabbed by a unicorn's horn," Dipper says.
"What? How did that happen?"
"Not sure exactly, but Ford needed some unicorn hair and…"
"Of course, I should've known Poindexter would be behind this, sending a twelve-year-old girl alone on some dangerous quest…" Stan growls, clenching his fists, "excuse me while I give that jerk a piece of my mind…"
"Whoa, Grunkle Stan, she wanted to go," Dipper stops him as he starts to storm out, "she practically begged him for the opportunity and she didn't go alone, Wendy and her friends went with her. It actually meant a lot to her to be able to help."
"Why did he want it anyway?"
"A protection spell," Dipper replies, "for the Shack."
"And?"
"And that's it, if you need the details you're going to have to ask Ford," Dipper whispers, glancing at Mabel, unsure of whether the fact she's showing no signs of stirring or movement is a good thing or if he should be worried. She needs the rest, but she's sleeping so deeply that it seems unnatural, even for a deep sleeper like Mabel. It's like the world could end and she'd sleep right through it.
"She OK?"
"Ford and I patched her up, it was a graze mostly, but she lost a lot of blood and might've cracked a rib but…she should be fine in a few days," Dipper sighs, but his concern is evident enough that he's not very convincing.
"I knew I shouldn't have let you kids get involved with the crazy stuff Ford…"
"Grunkle Stan…" Dipper cuts in tiredly, not in the mood to have to deal with their feud drama.
"What? I'm just trying to look out for you kids and his obsession with all that's weird…"
"I appreciate that but you do realize that Mabel and I have been dealing with his weird practically since the summer began, right?" Dipper asks, "I get that you're angry but don't be blaming him. His journal saved our butts on more than one occasion and you know it. Besides, what Mabel did today was important and again, she wanted to help."
"So what happened?" Stan asks again.
"It's a long story."
"Then tell it to me," Stan says, folding his arms, indicating that he's got all night if that's what it takes.
Dipper glances at Mabel and even though she's still showing no signs of rousing, despite the fact they've been slowly creeping up their volume as they talked, he tilts his head towards their door and leads the way out of the room to tell him everything he can, what he knows and what he's allowed to tell.
Stan chuckles as Dipper tells what he knows, "That's my girl," he states proudly, "punching a damn unicorn in the face. Bet she deserved it too."
"Probably, but I'm still not sure how exactly it all went down," Dipper sighs heavily, "she's so depressed and it's got me worried."
"Mabel? Depressed over some stupid magical horse?" Stan scoffs, "I may not be an expert or anything but I read Ford's journal once or twice and from everything I read on the subject of unicorns, they're rude and like to mess with people and probably shouldn't be taken seriously."
"Yeah well, I think this is something that's been building for a while," Dipper sighs, "I should've seen it sooner but she hasn't been sleeping and every once in a while…I don't know, I catch something in her voice that hints that she's not always as happy as she lets on but I never really, truly noticed until tonight."
Stan regards him a moment and then smiles proudly, "You're both good kids and they way you two look out for each other well… sometimes I think Ford and I could learn a thing or two from you kids."
Dipper looks up at him and grins, "Really?"
"Yeah," Stan says, "Well, if there's anything I can do to help, kid, let me know. Can't have Mabel being all depressed and stuff, can we? It's not right for either of you to be anything but happy."
"Thanks Grunkle Stan," Dipper replies.
Stan opens the door to their room and glances at Mabel as she sleeps, "You sure she doesn't need a doctor or something?"
"Ford says there's no point," Dipper shrugs.
"Eh, too pricy anyways," Stan concedes, "and my brother may be a jerk, but he knows his stuff. Well, when Mabel wakes up, I don't know…tell her I'm proud of her for punching a unicorn, will ya? Those dumb horses had it coming, I'll bet."
Dipper chuckles, "OK."
"And if you need anything, let me know, OK kid?"
"Sure."
With that Stan gives him a pat on the shoulder and leaves and Dipper quietly slips back into their room.
He spares Mabel a glance and then pulls out Journal #2 again, flipping through the tome as he silently scolds himself for trying to stay awake when he knows it's not really necessary. She's fine, she's not hurt that badly. He glances back at Mabel again from the corner of his eye and then back at the journal and sighs as he starts to read.
After a while he nods his head, his eyes slowly sliding shut until he twitches back awake, and for a few minutes he tries to fight his need for sleep. The entry he's been reading in the second journal is too interesting for him to want to put down. He's still worried about Mabel, but she's still sleeping so deeply the only movement coming from her side of the room is Waddles as he shifts positions by her side and curls back to sleep. She's fine for tonight, he decides, reluctantly putting Journal #2 down and setting it under his bed, but he glances at her one more time before turning off the light and drifting off to sleep.
A/N So there you guys have it. Thanks for reading, I know not much happened in this chapter, (which was one of the reasons why I debated whether or not to include these scenes) but I also kinda wanted to show a comparison and contrast between Stan and Ford and showcase how awesome Dipper is and get his POV on things. I hope it worked. Anyway, good or bad, please let me know what you think! I hope for the next (and final) chapter to be up next week.
