I do not own Gravity Falls.
Note Dec 3/21: This story was initially written before the finale. I went back and edited some details to fit them as close to canon as possible, but some elements don't line up with the end result of the show, such as the fate of the journals.
Prompt: Gift
The Perfect Present
Tugging her bright pink knit hat further down over her forehead, Mabel squinted through the dense snowfall. She was barely able to see what was in front of her and this resulted in many stumbles. "Dipper!" she complained, picking her way through the mounting snow. "Where is this rock that you want so badly?"
"It's just on the other side of the cliffs," called Dipper, his nose buried in the second journal. "And it's not for me. It's for Grunkle Ford. It's not just a rock, either. It's a special stone that glows different colours depending on the astrological alignment."
"Are you sure he doesn't already have that?" Mabel asked, brow furrowed as she thought. "He's definitely got something that glows, at least."
"I'm positive. With all the research he was doing, he only ever got to hear about the stones, and never found one himself."
"Where did he hear about this shining stone?"
"The gnomes."
"The gnomes?" asked Mabel incredulously. "And we're following their directions?"
"Don't worry, this time they actually know what they're talking about. I got validation from Multi-Bear."
After a couple of hours of walking, they came upon the edge of the cliffs. Dipper held out an arm to keep his sister back and stared across the deep trench, where there were several cave openings on the other side.
"So…which one?" asked Mabel.
"I don't know," admitted Dipper. "We're going to have to check them all."
"Great. Did you bring your mountain climbing gear?" she joked.
"Nope. Did you bring your grappling hook?"
"Always."
She reached into her jacket and pulled out one of her most treasured possessions. She aimed it at the top of the first cave opening and pressed the trigger. The metal hook shot out and embedded into the rock. Dipper held onto her tightly as they inched to the edge of the cliff.
"Here we go!" whooped Mabel, pressing the trigger again.
The rope pulled taunt and they were lugged over the wide gape, straight for the cave opening. They landed ungracefully across the cave floor, skidding across the bumpy, frozen dirt.
"Oh," groaned Dipper, rubbing his backside gingerly. "We need to work on our landings."
"I'm sure we'll have plenty of practice today." Mabel glanced around the barren cave. "Uh, unless the stones decided to go on strike with the whole glowing thing, I think we're going to have to go to the next cave."
They spent two and a half hours in the blistering cold, going from cave to cave in search of the precious stones. Just when Dipper was about to give up hope, they hit pay dirt in the second-to-last cave.
Mabel held her grappling hook close to her chest, eyes wide with awe and delight. "Whoa," she breathed. "It's absolutely gorgeous."
Dipper beamed at the sight of hundreds of glowing blue rocks lodged into the wall of the cave. "Finally!"
With his sister's help, they chipped out one of the rocks, which Dipper secured in the pocket of his jacket. They approached the mouth of the cave, where the snow was still whipping in full force. "This took longer than I thought," said Dipper with a frown. "We didn't exactly tell Stan and Ford where we were going."
"Then I guess we better get going!" Mabel fired her grappling hook and Dipper wrapped his arms around his sister's waist. With one jump they were sailing through the air and towards the lip of the cliff.
Krrrk!
"Whooooooooa!" screamed Mabel as the hook dislodged, causing them to rapidly plummet.
"Mabel!" hollered Dipper.
With a mighty thrust, Mabel whipped the grappling gun upwards, hoping that the hook would snag on something. To her great relief the metal prongs caught on an outcropping of rock. The rope pulled them upwards and they found themselves dangling about a meter away from the top of the cliff.
Panting heavily, Mabel asked, "Now what?"
"Can you grab that rock and fire the grappling hook again?"
Mabel strained to reach, but there was a small portion of rope that refused to be retracted, causing her to fall short of her goal. "I can't reach it."
"I guess I'll have to climb up and figure something out," decided Dipper. "Hold—"
"Kids!"
His eyes went wide. "Did you hear what I think I heard?"
"I hope so," said Mabel feelingly.
"Kids!"
Stan's voice roared above the snowstorm, and Ford's followed soon after.
"Dipper! Mabel!"
"Down here!" screamed Mabel.
Two figures, obscured by the raging snow, appeared above them. "Stan, help me out," instructed Ford.
Stan held his brother tightly by the legs and eased him downwards. Ford grabbed hold of the metal hook and called, "I got them!"
With one strong heave Stan pulled his family to safety. Dipper crawled through the snow, suddenly feeling weak with relief. "Thanks—" he started to say, but shrunk back at the two sharp glares directed their way.
"What the heck are you doing way out here?" snapped Stan, shoving his hands into his coat pockets for warmth.
"Just out exploring," said Mabel, not wanting to spoil the Christmas surprise. Dipper resisted the urge to feel for the journal hidden in his coat.
Stan arched an eyebrow and bent down so that he was at Mabel's level. "You spent all summer living with a professional liar and that's the best you got?"
Mabel bit down on her lip. Dipper kept his eyes firmly on the ground and didn't offer a word.
"Right then," said Ford coldly. "I suppose we'll hash this out back home. Come on."
They made the trek back to the Mystery Shack in silence. When they arrived home, they crossed through the gift shop and into the house, kicking off their boots and hanging up their jackets. Dipper and Mabel shuffled into the kitchen and sat the table, waiting nervously as Stan put on the kettle before sitting across from them with Ford.
"What," began Stan sternly, "is possibly so dang important that you ventured out in this craziness for almost five hours without telling us where you were going?"
"We just had to check on something," said Dipper weakly.
Ford folded his fingers together and regarded his nephew. "I don't suppose you know where my second journal is?"
Mabel flinched and Dipper quelled a groan. "I have it," he said softly. He removed it from his vest and slid it across the table. "I needed to borrow it."
"For?" pressed Stan.
"Nothing bad," piped up Mabel.
"Maybe not bad, but definitely dangerous," returned Stan. "I refuse to think about what would have happened if we didn't find you when we did."
"We've done dangerous things all summer," protested Dipper. "We can take care of ourselves."
"Perhaps you can, but you are thirteen, and our responsibility," said Stan sharply. "I would prefer not to have to tell your parents that you froze to death under my watch."
The two ducked their heads and Ford studied them. "You swear you didn't leave looking for trouble?"
"No," they chorused quickly.
"Swear," added Mabel, crossing her fingers over her heart. "We just had to go check something out. We won't do it again."
Stan eyed his brother, and when Ford gave a nod, he sighed. "Fine," he grumbled, setting his hands on his hips. "Get upstairs. You're staying there for the rest of the day. I'll bring some tea up when the kettle's done."
The twins hurried out of the room. Dipper slipped to his jacket hanging on the hook to collect the precious rock. He stuffed it into his pocket before rushing after his sister. They went to their room and collapsed on their beds.
"So, do you think they'll still be mad when they find out why we went all the way out there?" asked Mabel.
Dipper smiled. "Maybe. But it'll be worth it. We got Grunkle Ford the perfect gift."
They couldn't wait until Christmas Day to see his face.
