Grunkle Stan led Mabel down to the kitchen, and the young girl sat at the table, numb. Grunkle Stan gave her an ice cube to hold to her bruised lip, and shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure how to comfort sad children.

"How 'bout a warm drink?" he offered. Mabel didn't respond, and stared at her feet. Grunkle Stan cleared his throat and set about making some hot chocolate. After a few minutes of clattering and several spills, Grunkle Stan placed a slightly chipped mug brimming with brown liquid in front of his niece.

"Here ya go, sweet pea," he said, his gruff voice gentle. Mabel wrinkled her nose a little. In his attempt to make the normally bubbly girl feel better, Grunkle Stan had unintentionallymade the sugariest drink in the history of Mabel's life. It was overflowing with marshmallows, gummi bears, whipped cream...there was even an ancient-looking candy cane hanging off the brim, still in its plastic wrapper. Mabel saw her uncle pursing his lips slightly in anticipation of her approval. Mabel took a tiny sip, and Grunkle Stan smiled. Mabel was touched. At least he was trying. Stan sorted out a strong coffee for himself before sitting across from Mabel. Mabel fiddled with the handle of her mug, feigning interest in the too-sweet drink. Finally, Grunkle Stan spoke.

"Mabel, I'm gonna be square with ya. Stuff ain't right."

"Gee, ya think?" Mabel snapped, although the look on Stan's face made her wish she'd watched her tone. The old man looked tired, and sadder certainly than he would have anyone believe. "Sorry, Grunkle Stan. I just...I'm so scared..."

"S'okay. Just...listen to what I gotta say and we'll go from there. Sound good?"

Mabel nodded. Stan quickly decided what he would have to omit, no matter how much he wanted to tell Mabel everything. He took a deep breath, and began.

"I know things are weird here in Gravity Falls. And like I said, I let Dipper keep the book so that, one day, should you need to, you can use it to protect yourself from that weirdness. It's just that...well...there are things here that are crazy but harmless, and there are ones that are pretty dangerous. Let's call 'em...'Forces'." Grunkle Stan put air quotes around the word. "The book isn't dangeous, I promise you. But the Forces are, and they are attracted to the journal. The Forces know that the journal is the key to stopping them. Basically, if someone spends too much time with the journal, the Forces use them. They're trying to find the secrets of the journal to prevent Their own destruction, so they use the reader, in this case, Dipper, to try and figure out what the book says. I guess it's kinda like trying to figure out the enemy's plans, but they have to do it through a human form. Dipper is that person, and the Forces are making him pretty damn sick in the process."

Mabel was wide-eyed. If she hadn't had such a strange summer up until this point, she would have never believed the stange old man sitting across from her. Finally, she found her voice in the tightened grip that seemed to hold her throat hostage. "How...how do you know all this?" she whispered.

Grunkle Stan rubbed his neck. "A buddy o' mine... Thirty years ago he kept sniffing around the journal and had the same thing happen to him. Nearly killed 'im." Grunkle Stan hoped Mabel would buy the lie, and she seemingly did. Besides...it wasn't a lie, he told himself...it was a half-truth, and Stan was an expert at selling half-truths.

"What happened to him?"

"Same thing. Fever. Hallucinations. The Forces made him try and obtain the journal, making him sicker. An' the dreams...the nightmares...they were horrifying. The high fever made him have some seizures, like your brother. He was alone at the time, had to do it all his own."

"Do what?"

"Get the journals away from him."

"How'd he do that?" Mabel asked, tightly gripping the mug which was growing colder with every second. Grunkle Stan took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"He buried them."

Mabel gulped. The rain was now a hazy drizzle, the world outside misty and grey, full of the unknown, the terrible secrets of the Oregon forest hidden in its shroud. It sent a shiver down Mabel's spine.

"Your friend was okay, right?"

Grunkle Stan coughed to clear his throat. "Weeeeell, he's dead now. But he did pull through, at the time. He just had to wait for the fever to break." Mabel looked hopeful.

"Then Dipper'll be okay too! We'll just keep the journals away from him for a while, and then everything'll be okay..." Mabel's voice trailed off, looking at her uncle's grim expression.

"It's not that easy," he said gravely. "My friend was a man...Dipper's just a kid. He is in pretty deep...even though the journal's not here he is still infected with the sickness from the Forces. There's nothing we can do but wait and see, but who knows if he'll get better. His nightmares are so damaging to him, having even just one more could break him, mentally and physically."

"There's gotta be a way to help him," Mabel insisted. Grunkle Stan shrugged slightly. Mabel got up from the table and started pacing.

"It all comes down to the journal," she mused. "The journal is the key to stopping the...um...'Forces', and that's why They want it. I can't let Dipper go through another nightmare...I can't let Them take him." Mabel rubbed her chin, continuing to mutter to herself. The nightmares. They were horrifying for Mabel, it was all she could do to imagine how they actually felt. The screaming was the worst. Calling her name over and over...

"That's it!" Mabel gasped. Grunkle Stan jumped in his seat, and stared at her blankly. Mabel waved her arms.

"Don't you see, Grunkle Stan? In his nightmares, Dipper is calling for me...either to warn me or find me or somethin'. But that means he can see me IN the dream. What if I got in the same dream...what if I let the Forces use me, and try and get Dipper out at the same time? I'm healthy, so I'll be able to fight them off better. If I can get Dipper free from the Forces, They'll lose Their hold on him, and he'll recover, and the fever'll break and the journal will be safe again!" Mabel was giddy with a strange sort of joy after figuring out a solution, although it was paired with a twinge of fear. Grunkle Stan shook his head.

"No way, I can't let you do that," he said firmly. "It's too dangerous..."

"It's even more dangerous for Dipper!" Mabel screeched. "He could die! Please Grunkle Stan, he's my brother. My twin. I gotta try."

There was a long pause as Grunkle Stan eyed his great niece. Her eyes sparkled with fierce determination, the cut in her lip already turning black like a battle scar. She was small but determined, and something told Grunkle Stan that nothing he could say would change her mind. Something inside of him tightened...a strange sadness at the moving gesture, but also admiration, and pride. Mabel was willing to put herself on the line for her brother, and had Grunkle Stan been less emotionally constipated he would have broken down and bawled right then and there. Instead, he stood up and placed both of his rough hands on Mabel's narrow shoulders.

"Alright," he said quietly, "but first, you need to go and get some rest, I know you've been having trouble sleeping the past few days. Take the armchair. I'll watch the kid."

Mabel looked ready to protest, but weighed her options. She was doing this either way, but better to have Grunkle Stan with her than against her. Besides, he was right. She was exhausted, and she'd need her strength. She nodded, and silently walked to the living room. She curled up on the large chair, which smelled musty but was comfortable. Her heart was racing, as she thought about the logistics of her plan, but her mind was indeed exhausted, and soon her eyelids drooped and she nodded of quickly. The last thing she felt was a blanket being placed over her and...was that a scratchy kiss on her head? Sensations dulled as sleep enfolded her, and soon the sound of the rain outside was engulfed in dreamless silence.