Girls' Day Off Chapter 5, a gravity falls fanfic

"Ugh…what happened…?"

The world seemed to swirl around as Wendy flicked her eyes, trying to make sense of the blur about her. She tried to stretch her limbs, finding that she was scrunched together in a near-ball-like position. For some reason, her lanky body felt overly hot.

"Well, well, well," a nasally, taunting voice called out, "Looks like ol' Sleepin' Beauty finally decided to grace us with her presence…"

"Who…?"

Wendy squint her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision. The haze soon took form, revealing a pint-sized, pale-faced boy with extremely large white-blonde hair. Donning a suede blue suit, he adjusted the tie clamping down around his pudgy neck.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, my dear."

Behind him, she recognized her assailants, the men introduced to her as Hans and Klaus. Despite being adorned with several scrapes and bruises, they stood side by side, ready to leap at their boss's command.

She was now inside of a coconut-colored room with several black boxes placed around the edges. In between each one, a series of cheaply-made plastic chairs were paired with coffee tables. The current magazine periodicals were spread across each counter.

Oddly enough, the cashier noticed that the walls were fogged up and spotty, almost like someone had just taken a shower.

"Wait, I know you…" Wendy drowsily said. "You're that weird kid that's always bugging the guys. Lil' Porkpie, right?!"

The villain's face turned a bright red. "It's Gideon!" he bellowed as he pulled at his hair in frustration. "Lil' Gideon! And trust me: after this day is through, it's a name you'll never forget!"

"I'm sure of that, tubby…" Wendy scoffed as she went to sit up. However, she found herself held steadfast. "Hey!" She tested her arms and legs, finding that they wouldn't budge. "What is this?!"

Gideon grinned and plucked the front of his suit with his fingertips, "Your new home for the time being…"

Now, fully awaken, Wendy looked around in horror to see that she had been placed inside one of the mysterious black boxes. Her neck stuck out of the top, similar in nature to that of a pillory. She turned to her left and right, seeing that bits of stream escaped through the small spaces alongside her throat. Although the cabinet prevented Wendy from seeing what was happening inside, moving about told the rest of the story.

Her wrists had been tied behind her back with thick ropes. The same types of lines bound her ankles together. Wendy tried to raise her feet, discovering that they would get yanked back after a few inches. She felt the bottom of the box with her toes, sensing that another tie connected her legs to a vent on the floor. Her soles grew hotter the closer she wiggled towards the grate, forcing her to shift her body further away.

"What's the matter? Not a fan of my personal sauna box? After your little "performance" back there, I'd figured it'd be the thing to cleanse all that nastiness from ya…" Gideon folded his arms behind him, "I tell you, your behavior was the farthest being from being "lady-like" and that's a crying shame…"

Wendy looked back at Gideon, her voice rising in an attempt to scare her captor, "Get me outta here right now, you little psychopath! Or else, I'll – "

"Do what exactly?!" Gideon dared. "You can scream your pretty head off for all I care, missy, but you're not going anywhere until I say so!"

Despite her situation, Wendy's thoughts flashed to that of her friend, "Hang a sec! Mabel! What did you do with Mabel?"

"Now, don't you worry about that, you hear?" Gideon calmed himself a bit. "My little Mabel is safe and sound, no thanks to you. After all, that's what this little venture's been all about, you know. All I wanted was a chance to rekindle my relationship without any inference from those blasted Pines!"

His fat face suddenly twisted into a sly expression, "And to be honest, that would have been more than enough for me, but then I found out exactly who you are…" He clutched his hands together, "And if that wasn't the cherry on top of the fudge sundae…"

"Who I am…?" Wendy questioned. "What are you babbling about?"

"Even now!" Gideon shrieked at her. "You look at me with the same arrogance and impudence that boy carries with him. I can easily tell what he sees in you…"

Gideon moved a stool in front to Wendy's sauna prison and stood upon to present himself closer, "For months, I have searched for a way to pay your Dipper Pines back for everything he's done to me: ruined my chances with his sister, stopped me from claiming his uncle's Mystery Shack, got me in trouble with the law…"

"Sounds like all stuff you did to yourself, chubbs…"

"Well, of course you'd take his side!" Gideon argued back. "I'd expect nothing else from the apple of his eye…"

"Apple of his…" Wendy repeated in confusion until it finally clicked. "Wait. Are you saying that you plan to use Mabel and me as ransom for Dipper?"

Gideon shook his head, "Not both. Just you. And believe you me, I'll enjoy making that boy cry his "widdle" eyes out for "his Wendy." MWHAHAHA!"

Wendy trembled with rage. She had heard enough. The girl lashed forward as much as her confinement would allow. "You little – " Wendy threatened through gritted teeth. "I'm giving you one last chance – let me out of this thing, and I promise I'll consider not tearing you into two!"

Gideon threw his head back and laughed in her face. "You still don't get it, do you?" He stood on his tip-toes and grabbed the defenseless ginger by the face, purposely pinching her freckled cheeks.

"Don't touch me, fatty!"

"There isn't an escape for you this time! I've purposely seen to it myself!" He squeezed her harder, flashing his signature smile, "Now, you're going to sit there, be a good hostage, and keep your yap shut! Got it?"

Wendy pulled away, "Don't bet on it, ug-mo!" She pressed her lips together and spat in her subjugator's face. Gideon cried aloud as he fell off of his platform and onto the hard floor. Hans and Klaus covered their mouths and snickered quietly, until a dirty look from their employer halted them.

"You…" Gideon pulled a handkerchief from his breast pocket and wiped the saliva away. "You will pay dearly for that! I swear, by the time I'm though with you, you will be begging me to call Dipper to come save your sorry hide!"

He went towards the control panel on the front of the sauna box and adjusted the dial to raise the temperature within. Wendy let out a groan as the space surrounding her grew ten degrees hotter.

"Yeah…" the spoiled troublemaker paced backwards to admire his handiwork. "And that's only the beginning. Just you wait and see. And by the time that fool Dipper realizes what's going on, it'll already be too late…"

"What…" Wendy breathed hard, "What are you saying?"

"When everything's said and done," Gideon snorted. "You're just an end to a means. After I torment your little boyfriend for a bit, he'll desperately try to mount a rescue. Of course, he'll find you – or should I say, what's left of you, and when that happens, dearest Mabel and I will be hundreds of miles away, starting our new life together!"

"You're insane!"

Gideon chuckled under his heavy breath, "Oh, I'm not mad at all. I just get angry at stupid bumpkin girls who think it's cute to spit in my face." He held an innocent hand against his chest. "But I'm not all bad…" He waddled towards a table on Wendy's left side. Her eyes followed him as he picked up a metal pitcher and poured a drink into a plastic cup. Wendy could hear ice cubes clacking inside.

The phony psychic reached up and placed the glass on top of the box next to Wendy's head. A thin white and red straw poked out of the top, tempting the parched teen to take a sip. Wendy attempted to move towards the frosty beverage, discovering that her mouth missed the mark by mere millimeters.

"Heh!" Gideon shrugged his shoulders innocently. "Oh, well. Better luck next time!" He spun around on his boots, "If you'll excuse me, I have a wonderful young lady waiting for me…" The two henchmen followed their boss as he made his exit.

"Where do you think you're going?" Wendy ordered, "Get back here!"

The mastermind paid her no heed as he went on his way.

"You leave Mabel alone! Do you hear me?!"

He pointed back at his captive, "You two stand guard at the door. I trust you can handle that…"

Hans and Klaus shared a disgruntled look before returning their attention to their boss,

"Yes, sir."

"You got it, chief…"

The three closed the door behind them, leaving Wendy alone in her incarceration. She grunted and twisted her athletic form, trying to find a way to squirm out of her bonds. Her mind turned to that of her young admirer; of how much this Gideon kid really had it out for Dipper. She remembered his warnings of the ultra-paranoid detective; of how she shouldn't take the suspicious and disbelieving so lightly.

While Wendy was unaware of how deep the rivalry between the two males went, she was more than certain of one thing. Once Dipper received word that both she and his sister were in danger's way, he was going to flip his lid!

She closed her eyes to gain better concentration. Her body would have to be her sight within the locked steam box. Her escape would be indeed difficult, but not impossible. Being in such a predicament was the furthest thing from foreign to her. Babysitting duty with three mischievous young brothers had seen to that.

Her thoughts wandered as she attempted to lower her tied arms down her back. Once Gideon would through playing his sick game, Wendy knew that Dipper would stop at nothing to rescue her, but that was the very last thing she wanted.

After some straining, the tougher-than nails lumberjack was able to slide her arms beneath her raised bottom. Wendy let out a loud cry, as her shoulder blades popped, almost out of socket. She dragged the rope down her legs, until she reached a snag. The lash holding her ankles to the floor prevented Wendy from hoisting her hands to her front.

"Darn it!" she cursed. Despite the setback, the fifteen-year-old refused to give up. She had no intention of being reduced to a damsel in distress or anyone's bargaining chip. Wendy planned on keeping her promise to Dipper: she will make sure Mabel comes home safe and sound just as if he was here in her place.

The sweat dripping down her arms and legs gave Wendy an idea. She moved her feet closer to the vent pumping hot air into the sauna box, raising them slightly as the steam singed her flesh.

"C'mon…," Wendy pleaded as she tried to kick her legs from within the tie. The more her body perspired, the more slack she was given bit by bit. After one final thrust, one of Wendy's feet slipped out of the constricted lasso holding them together.

"Phew!"

The heat was starting to get to her. The room spun again. Her skin tone was now a baked red. Wendy forced herself to take deep breaths. The last thing she needed was to fade away into unconsciousness again.

Placing her legs up on the ledge where she currently sat, Wendy maneuvered her bound wrists under her, bringing them back to her front. Her fingertips told her that she had been tied using a simple love knot; she took a second to appreciate the irony in its name. It would be easy enough to undo, but it would have to wait. Getting out of the box was Wendy's current priority.

She felt the front of the box, finding nothing but a smooth, sanded surface. The release latch was on the outside.

"Oh, come on!" Wendy complained. "Who designs this garbage like this?"

Escape would have to come another way. Wendy held her knees up to her chest. She lowered her body as much as the hold securing her slender neck would permit. Hopefully, Gideon wasn't smart enough to secure the handle with a padlock or something similar to nature.

*THUD!*

She delivered a well-placed kick to the doors holding her inside. Wendy watched them bend outwards a bit before returning to their previous position. With a few more attempts, she would be free.

*THUD!*

Wendy switched blows; left foot, right foot, both at the same time. With every jolt, the doors stretched out further and further.

"AHH!"

Her struggles knocked over the frigid beverage placed next to her. Even though the icy sensation was somewhat refreshing, the sudden change in temperatures almost sent her in shock. Wendy pushed away the feeling, returning to the task at hand.

*THUD!*

Her knees were starting to ache. The bottoms of her bare feet were throbbing from the impacts against the hardened wood. Despite the pain, Wendy ignored the discomfort and continued on.

*THUD!*

"Almost…there…"

From outside of the sauna box room, Hans and Klaus were conversing, only to stop when hearing a loud banging noise coming from within.

*THUD!*

"What in the heck is that?" Klaus asked.

"Relax!" Hans waved the concern away. "It's probably that the girl thrashing about. Nothing to worry about. She'll tire herself out soon enough."

"What if she escapes?"

Hans looked at his friend in disbelief, "Are you kidding, man? Did you see the way she was tied? Unless that girl's secretly Houdini, there's no way she's getting out of there!"

Klaus relaxed his shoulders and leaned back against the door frame."

"I guess not…"

The two men stared straight ahead as Hans let out a disheartened sigh.

"Where did we go wrong?"

Klaus turned his head, "What do you mean?"

"I mean all this!" Hans encircled the area with his arms. "Think about it, man! Here we are, standing guard for some rich fat kid, who paid us to kidnap two other kids: one he plans to whisk away against her will and the other planned for ransom to lure a fourth kid here!"

"I blame the economy," Klaus shrugged. "What other type of work can actors and models get in the world today? You have to pick up the occasional odd-job here and there."

"I blame the parents," Hans added. "I mean, teenagers or not, all of these brats are running around without any type of adult supervision. Even the chubby one is flashing around daddy's checkbook like no one's business."

"Hey, at least it works out for us…"

"True…"

They returned to silence for a moment, before a shade of guilt entered Klaus's mind.

"Do you think he meant what he said?"

"About what?"

"About the girl. The big redhead. He kept going on and on about how he was going to torture her."

"And?" Hans asked.

"Do you think he'll actually do something? She's a pain, but still – "

"Probably not." Hans nodded. "The kid is a showman, after all. An actor, like us. If anything, he was trying to talk a big game to try to scare her. That's the thing about "tough girls:" a lot of guys, even little ones, are easily intimated by them. And sometimes, they feel the need to bring them down a peg or two…"

"So, if "our fearless leader" was being dead serious…?"

"Prrf!" Hans ridiculed. "That girl is built like a brick house. You remember what she did to us, so I'm sure she can fend for herself. Besides, what's the worse he could do at a spa?"

Klaus looked up, "Anything worse that we did?"

Hans thought about it for a moment, "You know what always gave me the creeps here? Those little hot coals that they use for the foot treatments…"

His cohort went silent, "Imagine if he put them between her toes?

"Or on her navel?"

They shuddered in fear of the possibilities, not wishing such a fate on anyone. However, the final choice would be that of their employer.

"Like he said, he was going to make her cry out for her mama!"

Klaus gave a confused look, "Wait, I thought he said that one doesn't have a mom?"

"Oh, well. That explains a lot. I guess our friend better hope that her beau comes to save her – "

*KRAK!*

From behind the guards, two hands reached out, each seizing a head. They were forced together in a violent, sickening collision that echoed throughout the hallway. Hans and Klaus slumped downwards into a pile on top one another.

Dusting her hands off, Wendy stepped over the fallen henchmen. Her bikinied body dripped wet from a mixture of sweat and the remainder of cold water from the nearby pitcher that she poured on herself. She looked over her shoulder at the unconscious baddies, whom were unfortunate enough to have her walk in while speaking about the subject most delicate to her heart.

"…that's what you get, jerks…"

Wendy walked towards her next objective. She had to find the evil mastermind behind this misadventure. The swelling growing in her feet made her limb, preventing her from running long distances.

"M-Mabel?"

Her voice cracked in mid-sentence. The effects of the sauna still messed with her. Wendy would give anything to stop for a quick nap, but she didn't have any time to waste. Heaven only knew what Gideon had planned next.

For the umpteenth time, Wendy found herself lost in the maze of nearly-identical white hallways. If only she had a clue to where to turn next…

"AAIIEEEEEE!"

A shrill scream filled the air among the now-nightmarish soft-natural music the spa's speakers pumped out. Wendy followed the screech, worn-out legs be damned around a corner close by.

"AAIIEEEEEE!"

The call went out again, leading Wendy to the only closed door in the foyer. She jiggled the knob, finding it held fast.

"MABEL!" Wendy pounded on the door. "Open up! NOW!"

She didn't receive a response, save for girlish scream after scream. Left without any other choice, Wendy dashed against the entry with her shoulder. She moaned as the hinge was starting to give way.

"AAHHH!"

"That tears it!"

Wendy drew her right leg back as far as she could. There was no way she was going to let Mabel or Dipper down. Pumped by pure adrenaline and a new-found hatred of their shared enemy, Wendy threw a bare foot into the door, knocking it off its holdings.

"Ow – Ow – Ow…"

The rescuer hobbled into the room, "Don't worry, buddy! I'm here and – "

Her emerald eyes grew wide at the speculate playing out before her.

"What in the world is going on here?"

On the other side of the room, Lil' Gideon cowered in a chair in the right hand corner as he was being attacked by a vicious and angry Mabel.

"Now, sugar plum," Gideon pleaded, holding his hands up in surrender. "Can't we talk about this – OW!"

"You sneak! You scallywag! You creeper!" The metal-mouthed pixie plummet the obese stalker with a rolled up magazine. "What part of "no means no" don't you understand?"

She gave up on her attack as soon as she spotted her companion. "WENDY!"

Mabel skipped towards her friend and wrapped her arms around her waist. Taking a breath of relief, Wendy placed a comforting hand on top the long crown of brown hair against her side.

"Hey, you alright, Mabes?"

The older Pines twins pointed at the intruder. "He won't leave me alone!"

Wendy looked up at Gideon, "So, I've heard…" After double-checking over her pal, she had to ask, "Why didn't you just run away?"

Mabel motioned downwards, prompting Wendy to follow suit. Plastic pink dividers had been placed within her toes. "I just had a second coat put on my nails and didn't want to chip them…"

"Mabel…"

Seeing the abominable teen in all her glory sent Gideon into a further panic, "Oh no! Not you, too! What happened to my guards?"

Wendy flashed a toothy grin, "Let's say that they're went beddy-bye for now…"

"Huh?" Mabel looked up from her safe haven. "Wendy, what is he talking about? What happened to Hans and Klaus?"

Wendy glanced down at her charge, even now not wanting to completely break her heart.

"Um…" she bit her lip. "We're gonna have to talk about a few things in a bit…" She gently moved Mabel to the side. "But for now," Wendy advanced towards Gideon. "I have a bit of unfinished business to take care of…"

"Stay back!" Gideon hopped on the chair and threw himself alongside the wall. "Don't you dare lay a hand on me! I'll sue you for everything – "

Wendy reached down and picked up the ranting boy by his collar. He attempted to take a swing at her, resulting in making himself spin around endlessly. "I'll – "

"Hmm…" Wendy teased. "Say there, blubber boy. You look awfully steamed. In fact…" She narrowed her eyes, "I think I know the perfect way for you to get rid of all that anger…"

"What?! No! NOOOO!

Hours later, the double door entrance of the spa was thrown open. Dipper Pines rushed through as he clutched a piece of paper in his right hand.

"MABEL! WENDY!" He shouted, as his eyes scanned the area for any sign of the girls. "We have to get out of here! I've figured it out! Dingeo Leegulf is an anagram for Gideon Gleeful!"

"And the last horse crosses the finish line!" A familiar voice called out. "It's about time you figured it out. Everyone else already has!"

Dipper followed the mockery into an open door. Inside of the cocoa-themed room, he spotted his arch nemesis Gideon Gleeful in a particular position. Seated into what appeared to be a giant sauna box, the vengeful boy's skin had turned a bright red as beads of sweat flowed down his fat cheeks.

"…Gideon…" Dipper murmured, just somewhat shocked that he had been able to find a way out of prison. The small sleuth cleared his mind, "Where are Wendy and Mabel? What have you done to them?"

In spite of his situation, his sworn enemy took some pleasure in seeing his opponent strive with worry, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Dipper refused to waste any more precious time. He took flight from the room, back into the hallway as Gideon called after him, "Wait! Get me out of here, you –"

With his heart racing from his feet to his throat, Dipper cupped his mouth and shouted to the top of his lungs as he ran, "WENDY! MABEL! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!"

At long last, he received a response:

"Dude! Over here!"

Dipper sprinted further into the seemingly endless white hallway as he traced the voice. Coming across an open doorway, he rushed inside, sliding to a stop once seeing what lied within. His nerves calmed as he tried to understand what was happening here.

"What the – "

Mabel and Wendy were resting upon giant lounge chairs in the center of the room. Dressed in fancy white robes, the girls laughed and giggled as they were waited on hand and foot by two muscular servants. For some reason, each man had a series of bruises and cuts alongside their faces.

The blonde work stood on Mabel's left, carefully pouring what appeared to be sparkling grape juice into a fancy cocktail glass in her right hand. She thanked the man and loudly sipped her drink.

On the other side, the brown-haired counterpart knelt at Wendy's feet. With a smug expression, he held her right foot, now carefully bandaged, in his hands and slowly massaged it. The exhausted high-schooler sat back in her seat, holding her trademark hatchet in her left hand.

It took a moment for the girls to realize that Dipper had arrived. They looked up from their individual activities.

"DIPPER!"

"Hey, guy!" Wendy greeted. "How's it going?"

"How's it – " Dipper repeated in amazement. He threw his arms in the air, "What happened here? Are you two alright?"

Mabel and Wendy looked at each other before answering.

"We're A-OK!"

"Couldn't be better, Dip. Things were a bit rough at first, but now – HAHA!"

Wendy griped her blade and held it against her masseur's neck, "What did I tell you?! Massage, not tickle! It happens again, I'm slicing that ponytail off and turning it into a tassel for my bike! Got it?!"

He simply nodded, "Y-Y-Yes, Miss Corduroy…"

She went back into her relaxed state, "…good…"

As Dipper continued to watch completely flabbergasted, Wendy turned to Mabel, "You know what, kiddo. I owe you an apology. Now, that I see what this "spa-pamper" stuff's really about, I'll admit, it's not that bad at all. A girl could get used to this…"

Mabel smiled and offered her glass up in a toast, "You said it, sister!"

With her free hand, Wendy picked up her drink and tapped it against Mabel's, as both girls exploded into hysterical laughter, leaving their would-be liberator more baffled than before.

*CHING!*

(February 16th, 2016 – March 25th, 2016)