I do not own Gravity Falls.
Prompt: Tree
A Pine For the Pines
Perched atop Stan's shoulders, Mabel peered eagerly ahead, where she could see the tree lot. "We've never had a real tree before! I can't wait!"
"Glad you think so. You can be the one to sweep up the pine needles when the thing starts to die," replied Stan.
"Can we get whatever tree we want?" asked Dipper hopefully.
"Sure. Ford's paying."
Ford cast his brother a withering look. "If you want me to pay, then I'll be paying in loose buttons and pocket lint."
Stan huffed. "You need a job. Fine, I'll pay for the dang tree. Try not to make me go broke."
"Yay!" the twins cheered, already envisioning the majestic pine that would sit in the living room.
They reached the tree lot and Dipper was surprised to see that the owner of the dozens of neatly wrapped pines, lined up in rows, was Manly Dan himself. The Corduroy children were helping with the selling of the trees, and Dipper spotted Wendy manning a rusted old register balanced on a box.
"Trees!" exclaimed Mabel in delight.
Stan set her down. "All right, runts, go searching. When you find one you like let us know."
The twins raced off, making a beeline for Wendy. The redhead was happy to see them and fist-bumped them both. "Hey, dudes!"
"I didn't know you guys sold trees," said Dipper, puzzled. "I thought you spent Christmas doing apocalypse training or something."
Wendy laughed. "We celebrate Christmas, just not on the day it's normally celebrated. My family is weird that way. But yeah, we've been turning our yard into a Christmas tree lot for years, ever since I was little. We are lumberjacks, after all."
"Makes sense," said Dipper with a smile.
"Where are the best trees?" asked Mabel eagerly, bouncing on her toes.
"Last row, at the very end," said Wendy, pointing across the lot. "They should fit in the Shack just fine."
"Thanks!" said Mabel. She grabbed her brother by the hand and dragged him towards the fresh-looking pine trees.
They were medium-sized, full with dark green pine needles and smelling sweet and Christmassy. Dipper gently ran his fingers over the prickly branches, picturing them covered with sparkling ornaments and lights.
"It's beautiful," breathed Mabel, inhaling deeply. She had always wanted a real Christmas tree, but their parents had always opted for artificial ones. There were Christmas tree lots in California, but they never looked quite right, and sometimes they were too expensive, and if there was a drought, then they were pretty much hard to come by.
Dipper glanced at the price tag and his face fell. "There's no way Stan is going to go for this."
Mabel studied the bright red hundred-dollar price tag. She didn't think Stan had ever paid a hundred dollars for anything in his life, and she doubted he'd be willing to shell over so much for a tree. "Well, that's okay," she said optimistically. "I'm sure we can find something cheaper."
"Yeah," said Dipper with a nod, trying not to be too disappointed. "So long as we have a real Christmas tree, that's what matters."
The two spent some more time searching, and eventually found a small tree with a few bald spots that was only forty bucks. Mabel went to get Stan and Ford, and the two stared at the rather lackluster tree in bewilderment.
"This is the one you want?" asked Ford dubiously.
Dipper and Mabel nodded.
Stan crossed his arms. "All right, where's the one you really want?"
"Er…well…it costs a hundred dollars," said Dipper hesitantly.
"For a tree?!" exclaimed Stan, floored.
"Stanley, that's pretty much the price range for a decent tree," replied Ford, giving his brother a slight, subtle jab to the side. "It's Christmas," he added in a low voice. "It's their first real tree, and our first Christmas together in a long time. Get cheap after the holidays."
"Tch." Stan elbowed his brother back, but surrendered to the wide-eyed, hopeful stares of his niece and nephew. "Show us the tree, runts."
"Really?" squealed Mabel, clapping her hands together excitedly.
"Yes, really. I said to show us the one you like the best, and if that's the one then we're getting it."
Cheering, the twins grabbed their great-uncles by the hands and pulled them over to the perfect tree. Stan had to admit that it was a beauty, and the glow on the faces of the kids caused the sting of the price to dull.
"You two have good eyes for this," praised Ford, admiring the tree.
"It's the first tree we saw," said Mabel brightly. "Wendy pointed us over here when we asked for the best tree."
"Typical," snorted Stan as he and Ford each took an end of the tree. "I yell at her one time and she gets revenge by bleeding me dry."
"I'm pretty sure you've yelled at her more than once," said Dipper in amusement.
"Even more reason for her to overcharge me."
They reached the register, but before Stan could even stick a hand into his pocket to dig out his wallet Wendy waved them on. "Take it," she insisted.
If it had been anyone else telling him that, Stan would have been gone in an instant. But the teen had been working for him since she was thirteen, and this was her family's business, where a lot of hard labour was done in order to get the trees prepared.
"Wendy, this is a hundred-dollar tree," returned Stan. "Your father is going to kill you."
She grinned. "Trust me, all my father cares about is that we have a decent amount of money in this thing. We've done a lot of business and he's not even going to notice the hundred-dollar difference."
"That's very kind of you," spoke Ford. "Thank you."
"Yeah," said Stan gruffly. "Thanks, kid."
"No problem. Consider it a Christmas present." Her eyes twinkled. "Besides, I've probably taken about a hundred dollars' worth of soda and shirts from the Shack without paying, so now we're even."
"Yeah, I don't think so," said Stan with an arched eyebrow, fighting back a smile. "We'll talk about that the next time you're in."
"Merry Christmas!" Dipper and Mabel called as they started off.
Wendy waved after them. "Merry Christmas, guys!"
As they made their way to the car parked down the path, Dipper furrowed his brow and asked, "Is this gonna fit through the door?"
Ford thought for a moment. "Probably."
"And if it doesn't?"
"Eh, we'll make it work."
Stan rolled his eyes. "Yeesh. This'll be interesting."
