A/N So, so sorry for the delay! Writer's block had taken over me and I'm trying to focus more on "Mabel's Choice" until it's done. I kind of jumped the gun on this one, got a little too excited and uploaded this before I was ready. I probably should have waited until "Mabel's Choice" was completed before uploading this because it's hard to keep up with everything. Well, live and learn I guess. Because of this, I'm afraid updates won't be as frequent as I'd like, but I'm going to do my best to keep the chapters coming at a reasonable rate.
Thanks to my reviewers!
-Guest: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it!
-Effervescent Dreamer: Honestly, I haven't watched the new episode yet but I hope Dipper's not as angry as he tends to be in a lot of NWHS fanfics. I think he might actually be too happy to finally meet the author to stay angry for long, but who knows? (Except of course those who HAVE seen the new episode-please don't spoil me guys!) There's so many ways he can go as far as reactions go (and in "Mabel's Choice" something happens that brings a much different and far more understanding reaction from him) and to be honest, I don't want to see angry!Dipper for too long unless it's earned. Here, he's angry because he was already furious before the Portal opened (and rightfully so) but then he meets the Author, and learns that his hero, the guy he idolized for so long is a jerk which would be in of itself a crushing blow for someone like Dipper, and then everything starts to fall apart in more ways than one which only fuels his anger. If the Author turned out to be a nice guy and the consequences didn't turn out to be all bad, I'd assume that Dipper would quickly get over it and move on and I really hope that's how it turns out. Fingers crossed, though I'm worried because Alex said Dipper's going to feel isolated from his family and the picture of Dipper and Mabel breaking when they're floating suggests foreshadowing that the twins might drift apart and again, if that's true, I hope it doesn't last long.
But anyway, I digress... You make an excellent point about Dipper not being completely innocent either because yeah, he raised the dead to prove a point. But there's a reason I chose to call this "Made Me Realize" besides the fact it shares a name with the theme song. Let's just say Dipper's going to have a lot of time to think and well...get out of my head! :-D Anyway, thanks so much for the review! I'm really glad you like this and that you like my writing style, that you can visualize it and stuff and that I can somehow capture emotion well. As for tips on writing emotion? I don't really know. When I write, I try and put myself in the character's head and put myself in their shoes and think like the characters while doing so. Honestly, this may sound weird, I think I get a lot of it from acting experience and classes. I kind role play in my head as I write, does that make sense? I'm not sure how else to explain it. No one's really asked for writing tips before. I feel pretty honoured! Thanks!
-shootingstr34: Thanks as always for the review! All of them. I'm glad you like both stories and I'm sorry for the slow update here.
-gravityfalls22: Oh you! Thanks so much for the reviews and chats. I love them! I kind of like exploring the same story from two different perspectives, because it shows that people are too complicated. I think it's important to see the other point of view in real life too, especially during conflict. Anyway, I felt Dipper looked like a jerk in "Mabel's Choice" and I was happy to redeem him here by showing his POV because the poor kid was suffering a crushing betrayal, his idol turned out to be a jerk (at least from his perspective) and everything around him is falling apart and he doesn't know what else to do besides lash out. Also, it's good to see the good in people, it's a great quality to have! As for Dipper's jerky behaviour in "Scary-oke" I think was not just to prove a point, but also because of his own insecurities and need for people to take him seriously and here he was so desperate for the agents to take him seriously that he did something stupid without thinking things through as kids tend to do. At least he learned his lesson in the end, when he and Mabel were about to be devoured by zombies...
-InsaneKitten994: Thanks for the review! I'm really glad you like it. And good question. Where is a Waddles when you need one? I really wish the Disney store would come out with a Waddles plushie, I'd so buy it in a heartbeat!
-xJellybeanns2: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like this! Sorry for the evil cliffie of evil.
-SkyDancerTeenTitanLover: Well that's...kinda dark... thanks for the comment!
-atsukko: Umm...I don't know what you said but thanks!
-Kayleigh1789: My other stories will return from their hiatus once this and "Mabel's Choice" is done. I promise. They haven't been forgotten, I'm excited to finish them actually but I just need to focus on these first because I was hoping (though obviously I did not succeed) to finish these before the new episodes but what can you do? Thanks to NWHS, my muse is forcing me to focus primarily on this and "Mabel's Choice". I'm really happy that you like all my stories. Thanks for the reviews!
Edit 7/29/2015 to include the identity switch between the Stans now that I've watched the episode. :-)
Well, without further ado, here's the next chapter! It didn't turn out quite like I wanted it to, and was such a struggle for me to write, but I hope it was worth the wait!
What Needs to be Done
It's funny how much life can drastically change in just one moment.
Like the moment Dipper found the journal. It made him realize that the weirdness that he suspected was happening was in fact real, that he wasn't just some paranoid kid, it was real.
Or the moment he jumped off a cliff to stop Gideon who had stolen the Mystery Shack, built a giant robot and kidnapped his sister. It made him realize he didn't need the journal to be a hero.
Or the moment he decided to tell Stan about the journal. It made him realize, that it was foolish to think Grunkle Stan would ever take him seriously.
Or the moment they discovered Stan had the other journals and had lied to them all summer, and built a device that could tear the world apart. It made him realize that the journal was right: In Gravity Falls there's no one you can trust. And the moment Mabel let go of the off switch it made him realize that he can't even trust his own twin sister.
But none of that mattered the moment Mabel hit the ground into a motionless, lifeless heap. It made him realize that no matter what happened before, and whatever might happen now or in the future is all meaningless. Without Mabel, what's the point? She's the most important person in the world to him.
"MABEL!" he cries, cradling her lifeless and limp body in his arms. After some searching he finally finds a pulse, rapid and weak but it's only a small relief. "She's so cold…" he murmurs, shaking her gently but failing to get any response, "Mabel!" he chokes on a sob, unable to take his eyes off her, still shocked by her sudden collapse. I don't understand, she seemed fine! Shaken up, sure, but fine! "What's wrong with her?" he asks, his voice not much more than a whimper.
Stan and Soos watch for a moment, both just as shocked as Dipper. Stan rushes up to them, "Let me see her…"
He's too stunned to really notice his Grunkle approaching, the world around them doesn't exist right now, only him and Mabel, his twin sister, his best friend…and he's losing her. He pulls her close to him, her voice echoing through his mind.
What if it was me? What if I was the one lost?
Why'd you have to ask that Mabel?
"Dipper…" Stan says quietly, kneeling next to them as he reaches for Mabel.
"No…" Dipper flinches, weakly pulling her away, "What are you doing?"
"I need to check for injuries, she needs help," Stan's voice breaks as he speaks, his eyes darting briefly towards the pool of blood Mabel had thrown up before collapsing.
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" he snaps, his heart breaking with fury and Stan backs away, "You hear me? Stay away from us!"
"Dipper please!" he begs, "You think I wanted this to happen? Let me look at her, let me help her."
"Dipper, let him help dude, please!" Soos cuts in, his voice raw, "If anyone knows what to do, it's Mr. Pines, let him help."
Mabel's head lolls loosely in his arms as he shifts positions slightly adjusting his grip on her, he glances back and forth between the two men, torn. Maybe Stan would know more than anyone else present how to help her, but Dipper can't let go or forget the fact that if it weren't for him, she wouldn't be hurt in the first place.
Tell me honestly you wouldn't risk everything to get me back!
"Soos, she looks like she's going into shock," Stan says, keeping his distance, his eyes wide with worry, he looks to the fallen Shack and then back to Soos, "we need to keep her warm, do you have a blanket or something in your truck?"
"Yeah," Soos nods, "hold on."
Mabel groans softly and Dipper turns his attention back to her, "Mabel please. Hold on… stay with me." He gives her another gentle shake, but she doesn't respond.
Stan tries again to approach them, arms open to show he means no harm, "Dipper, I need to…"
Dipper cradles his sister's body closer to him, protectively, his eyes dark with pain and rage, "I said stay away from us!" he chokes on a sob, pointing an accusing finger, "This is all on you! Don't you get it? This is all your fault! She trusted you man, and…you did this to her!"
Stan flinches at his outburst, "Please kid, I know I lied to you and screwed up big time but…" he squeezes his eyes shut, and Dipper can see tears collecting on his eyelashes, "I never wanted you kids to get hurt. That was the last thing I ever wanted. You weren't supposed to be down there…this wasn't supposed to happen. Please. I need to try and see how badly she's injured."
Stan's begging him. Dipper's taken aback by this, because Stan's not the sort to beg, or plead or cry. He reluctantly nods, not letting his sister go but moving so he has access. Stan is by their side in an instant, he gently checks her pulse, places his ear over her chest with a grim frown, opens her eyelids to look at her eyes and gently prods her for any sign of broken bones or anything that could pinpoint what's wrong. He prods her middle and frowns as he carefully lifts her sweater and winces at what he sees.
Dipper glances down at her and is shocked by the dark, dark bruising along her abdomen, covering most of her exposed skin, a dramatically stark contrast to the unnatural and unsettling whiteness of her face. Stan lowers her sweater and shakes his head, cursing under his breath.
"Wh-what's wrong with her?"
"Just what I was afraid of. She's bleeding internally," he surmises, "it looks bad. I can't fix this, there's not much we can do for her here, she needs a hospital, like, now."
"I don't understand…" Dipper says in denial, "she seemed fine! A little nauseous, but fine! She was OK like the rest of us! How…?"
Grunkle Stan…I trust you.
Mabel are you crazy? We're all gonna—!
Dipper shudders at the memory, of the bright blinding white light of energy bursting through the Portal, the painful and bizarre sensation as it enveloped the room—and Mabel was right there at the heart of the blast, front and center taking it full force. "Oh man…Mabel…" he chokes out as Soos returns with a blanket and they drape it over her as Stan backs away.
"Soos, I need your phone," he says, "need to call an ambulance."
Soos doesn't hesitate and Stan quickly dials 9-1-1 but the call doesn't go through.
"Dammit! There's no signal!" Stan hisses, kicking at the ground. "The damn anomalies must've affected the service or something. Dammit!" He looks around, at the fallen Shack, at Soos's damaged truck and hopelessness sinks in, hitting them all at once.
"What are we going to do?" Dipper chokes out, "If you can't call an ambulance and Soos's truck and your car is busted…how do we get her to the hospital?"
"I'll check the golf cart!" Soos suggests, "Maybe that still works."
"Hurry Soos," Stan says as the young man runs from view. Stan paces back and forth, pinching the bridge of his nose as he thinks about what to do next. His spots a radio left behind by one of the government agents and picks it up and searches through the channels, finding one that works hearing the voice of Agent Powers barking orders at someone. He turns the device off, a grim and determined expression on his face. "Dipper…"
"Stay away from us," he warns again, coldly, "it's your fault she's hurt and it's your fault we can't get out of here and can't even call for help!"
"I know," Stan nods, "and I'm so sorry."
"Not good enough!" he snaps.
Stan turns away from them, turns his attention to the remains of the Mystery Shack and shakes his head in sadness, looking back at the radio in his hands, a torn expression crossing his face, "I'm going to make it right…"
"How?" Dipper hisses.
"I…"
He's interrupted by Soos who drives the cart around the corner. The cart looks badly damaged, but it looks like the damage is mostly cosmetic. But that doesn't matter to Dipper, all that matters is that it works.
"Soos!" he exclaims, "You're awesome!"
"I don't know how far it'll get us, dude," Soos says, "but if it gets us closer to town we can probably borrow a working car."
Dipper's about to say something but before he gets that chance Mabel's body suddenly convulses, jerking violently in his grip as she coughs up more blood, crimson liquid bubbling from her mouth, splattering onto her brother's clothes and face. Her body spasms as she chokes and Dipper is frantic. "Mabel, hey!" he cries, rolling her to her side so she doesn't choke to death on her own blood, he feels tears stream down his cheeks as he begs, "Hey, hey, stay with me…please Mabel…please!"
No, no, no please don't let this be it! Don't die on me Mabel, please, don't die! You gotta stay with me!
"We need to hurry," Soos exclaims, his voice strained.
Stan glances at the radio, shaking his head, "There's no way that stinking golf cart is going to get her to the hospital in time. I'm not even sure it'll make it to the main road…"
"Well we have to try something!" Dipper sobs angrily, holding his sister tight to try and absorb the tremors, praying that she's not going to die in his arms like this.
"You're right…" Stan nods in agreement.
Mabel's eyes flutter open as she chokes, her eyes blindly seeking his and his heart twists at the pain and desperation reflecting in her eyes, giving him a glimpse at the great battle she's fighting just to stay alive, "Mabel! Hey can you hear me?"
She catches his worried gaze, "D-dipper…" her face contorts with agony as she releases a pained filled cry, "Wr-wrai…" she gasps weakly, her eyes wide as though she's desperately trying to tell him, warn him about something.
Ray? Ray? What's that supposed to mean?
Suddenly her eyes roll back and she seizes.
"Mabel?" he cries frantically, "No! Don't do this Mabel! Stay with me!"
"Keep her on her side so she doesn't choke on her blood!" Stan orders, turning the radio on, "Hold her head so she doesn't bang it on anything!" Dipper doesn't hesitate to do as he says, tearing off his vest and tucking it under her head like a pillow as she shakes violently.
"Mr. Pines?" Soos asks as Stan starts to walk away from them, "What are you doing?"
"What needs to be done," he replies, his voice grim and determined.
Dipper's not really paying attention to them though, all his attention is on Mabel as he tries to help her through the seizure wracking her failing body. Don't die, don't die, don't die…he begs silently, his vision blurry through the tears in his eyes. When she suddenly goes eerily still he places trembling fingers on her cold neck, his heart pounding in terror at the fear that he won't find anything. But even when he does find the rapid and weak pulse, it still all seems too hopeless to allow himself to feel relieved.
"Agent Powers?" Stan meanwhile says into the radio, "Agent Powers, this is Stan Pines. You looking for me? Come and get me."
"Stanford Pines where are you? How'd you get this radio frequency?"
He presses the button on the radio and continues, "I'll give you my location and surrender to you on one condition."
"I'm listening, what are your demands?"
"You send a medical chopper to the Mystery Shack ASAP. A girl's been seriously injured, you see to it she gets the best, and I mean best possible care she can, got it?"
"Wait, what are you doing Gru—Stanley?" Dipper asks in surprise as it finally hits him just what his Grunkle's plan is.
"Thanks to you Gravity Falls is currently in a State of Emergency. Do you have any idea how many people are injured because of you? All emergency response teams are busy."
Stan listens to this and swallows, guilt etched plainly on his face, he presses the button and takes a breath, speaking into the radio again, "You make sure this girl is taken care of, right now, and maybe, just maybe, not only will I give you my location, but I'll tell you everything. Where the Doomsday device you're looking for is, and if she lives I might even tell you how to shut it off before an anomaly ten times worse than the one you just experienced a little while ago happens again."
"That a threat Pines? You don't seem to care about anyone else, why should one little girl matter to you?"
"It's a promise unless you do this one thing for me. Do we have a deal, Agent Powers? Clock's ticking. You don't want to see what happens when my machine runs to its full potential."
There's a pause on the radio while Dipper and Soos gape at Stan in shock. "But…the Portal's busted," Soos murmurs with confusion. "The way you're talking they're going to think you're a…a terrorist or something."
"You think they'd do what I want if they thought the threat was over?" Stan asks him. "You heard what he said, emergency response teams are busy, I don't think he's concerned enough to pull any strings for my sake and this is Mabel's life on the line. She needs help now and I don't want to take the chance that they'll either take too long or ignore my demands completely; this gives them the incentive to act quickly."
"But you're not a terrorist, and that sounds like a confession, so why let them think that? Mr. Pines, you know what happens to terrorists?"
"I do, Soos," Stan swallows hard as he thinks about what he's in for, "but Mabel's more important. You all are. Besides, look at the damage I caused. I need to pay for what I've done."
The radio crackles to life and Agent Powers's voice fills the air, "You have a deal. What's your location?"
"Get the girl and her family taken care of first," Stan says into the radio, "Once I know she's in good hands, then I'll tell you where to find me. I swear it. And once I know she's stable, then I'll tell you everything you want to know."
"Done."
"And one more thing Agent Powers, her brother and their friend get to stay with her, they're not to be separated, got it?"
"Fine."
Everything goes quiet for a long moment as Dipper, Soos and Stan all exchange glances. Dipper can hardly think, overwhelmed by conflicting emotions that throw him into a state of confusion and despair and he doesn't know how to react. Mabel, his best friend in the whole world, his twin sister is practically dying in his arms, his home for the last two months is in ruins, his world is literally crumbling all around him, the whole world might even be in jeopardy, and the person responsible is his own Great Uncle, who took them in for the summer, who obviously cared for them but who also lied to them and kept damaging secrets. If it weren't for him, everything would be fine…but…but it was to save his jerk of a brother…
Tell me that you wouldn't do the same for me.
Tell me honestly that you wouldn't risk everything to get me back!
Oh Mabel, why'd you have to ask me that?
Stanley was guilty, there's no denying that. Not even he denies it. And Dipper in his anger wants nothing more than to see him pay for what he did to his sister and yet…and yet now that he just witnessed Stan turn himself in so willingly for no other reason than to hopefully save Mabel's life… They're not going to understand why he did it, he thinks, yeah I want him to face the consequences of his actions but…he'll be charged for terrorism. He basically confessed and if he's found guilty…he's never going to know freedom ever again! Or worse!
Grunkle Stan just did it. He risked everything to save Mabel's life.
It's all his fault but...
But…
But…
"Grunkle Stan," he murmurs, "they're going to execute you if you do this!"
"I never wanted you kids to get hurt. I just wanted my brother back," Stan tells him, "I knew it would be dangerous to open the Portal but I never thought in a million years that this would be the outcome. I need to make it right. Mabel needs help like yesterday, and there's no one to blame but me, I should've…I should've done things differently. This is her best chance at survival."
The sound of a helicopter overhead heading their way catches their attention. "Soos, take care of those kids for me! If Ford's right, then bad times are coming and I need you to do whatever you can to protect them," Stan begs, heading for the ruins of the Shack, "Please!"
"I…I will Mr. Pines," Soos nods, "You can count on me."
"I know," Stan replies, "you're a good man, Soos. And Dipper…I know you hate me and I can't say I blame you but…I hope one day you can forgive me."
I don't know if I can. Sure, you just turned yourself in to save Mabel but, if it weren't for you she wouldn't need saving…but…
"When Mabel wakes up, tell her I'm sorry," Stan continues, "I'm so sorry, kids." With that he runs for the ruins, climbing through the rubble of the Gift Shop to hide.
But you just wanted to save your brother…I want you to face the consequences but what you just did to save Mabel, what you said to convince them to help her…it's too much. They're not going to understand, they're going to label you a terrorist and the punishment isn't going to fit the crime…
Dipper cradles Mabel close, releasing a garbled sob as the world suddenly gets ridiculously windy and loud. He squints against the flying dirt and debris to see a helicopter marked with a red cross make a landing, and another one, a black government chopper also coming in for a landing. Soos kneels protectively over the twins to shelter them from the chaotic wind from the two choppers, only looking up when the wind calms and they look to see a team of EMT's jump from the copter and approach them.
Soos pulls a distraught Dipper into his arms as the EMT's pull Mabel away from him and quickly get to work, asking questions about her condition that they can only partially answer, barking orders to each other trying to get her stabilized enough for the trip before loading her onto a stretcher. He can feel Soos tremble around him, clearly just as upset as he is. From the other helicopter Agent Powers and Agent Trigger emerge, both looking a little banged up, followed by two more agents in black. "OK Stanford, the kids are being taken care of, where are you?" Powers yells into his radio.
"You two coming?" one of the EMT's asks Dipper and Soos and they nod, quickly climbing into the emergency helicopter after Mabel. Dipper straps himself in and looks out the window as they begin to take off and watches Stan emerge from his hiding spot, arms in the air.
The agents surround him weapons raised and Stan falls to his knees, hands behind his head. Dipper watches them cuff him and Stan makes no effort to fight back. Dipper's breath quickens as he watches, all the while listening to the EMTs working on Mabel over the loud sound of the chopper. He wants to drown the sound out, because he knows it's bad so he focuses on Stan's arrest, the scene slowly getting smaller and smaller as they get higher and higher.
Suddenly one of the agents slams their baton into the small of Stan's back and he goes sprawling on the ground just as another zaps him with a Taser and they start kicking him while he's down, "No!" Dipper exclaims, crying foul, "That's not right! He's not fighting them, he surrendered peacefully! They have no right to do that!"
"Dipper," Soos chokes out, "Dipper it's OK, we'll figure out how to help him. He'll be OK."
He glances at his friend, sees the tears glistening in the young man's eyes and then looks at Mabel, already hooked up to various wires and tubes that make no sense to him and begs. Hold on Mabel, please hold on. Don't die, don't die, don't die…
When he dares look away from her again, the helicopter is hovering high over the town and he looks out the window and his heart sinks at the sight of the pure devastation below and it's now clear as day that the damage from the anomalies reached far beyond the Mystery Shack and surrounding grounds.
"In case you didn't notice, the clock reached zero and the world didn't end." Stan had told Ford after he emerged from the Portal.
"Oh don't you get it?" Ford had hissed in return, "Did you think it would be instantaneous? All you did was kick-start the beginning of the end!"
Oh no…
The moment he sets his eyes on the crippled town, it makes him realize just how screwed they really are.
A/N Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! Your comments really help keep me going, and help me plow through when writer's block makes my brain go blank whenever I get a chance to write. You guys are awesome! I really would love to hear your thoughts and theories and whatnot so please give me a shout! Means the world to me!
Also, THIS IS IMPORTANT! I have NOT watched the latest episode, nor have I even seen any promo for the episode because I'm a MAJOR spoilerphobe. I probably won't get to see it for at least a few more days. I've been living in an internet bubble avoiding spoilers so if you feel compelled to mention anything that happens in a review, please, please, PLEASE don't. I'm sure you won't but it's happened in the past so my paranoid self wants to be safe.