Back at it again with another chapter! ah, whoops, eheheh... I may or may not have forgotten to update this. Which is pathetic 'cause it's already written ghhgldkhsglkshdlghlsdkhf... but hey, currently, I have One person following this story! That's... honestly more than I expected tbh. My lack of knowledge on how this site works is definitely not gonna help... I swear I had something else I wanted to say as well... oh!

Reminder that this fic is complete (on AO3, where i originally posted it...), and it's gonna be Six Chapters Long! if you wanted to know.

If you noticed, at the end of the first chapter there was a bunch of apparent gibberish, yeah? Well, it's not gibberish. Have fun decoding it! If you want hints feel free to contact me... somehow. Asking questions about the fic, and about anything really, is a-okay by me (and i'd be HAPPY to answer them please i'm desperate). seriously tho, If you wanna ask me questions via review or PM I really don't care. and don't be afraid to talk to me i'm just some random fic-reader just like you. Also! about the fic:

Certain things in the dimension this fic is set in are different! so if characters seem OOC or the setting/timing of some events is off, that's why. they're not from canon, but they are very close.

Keep in mind, i'm just an amateur writer and i haven't edited this fic much (if at all) but the grammar and spelling is all good i promise. I can't stand bad spelling/grammar. but! that said, if you see somethin' please tell me so i can fix it haha

Chapter 2

"Okay, okay, I know just what we'll do!" Stanley said excitedly, as the trio walked along the beach, "so first, me and my Poindexter are gonna go inside, like everything's normal, okay? And then, we'll say something like - wait no, actually I have a better idea! First, we're gonna go inside (but not you, older Ford) and then we're gonna ask Ma if she-"

"Stanley, shush!" his twin interrupted, "We're almost there, let's just bring him in with us, okay? It'll be fine if we do that."

Ford smiled at the two twins, enjoying the children's innocent banter as they walked.

The three Pines arrived at the family pawn shop, and Ford took a moment to look at it, taking in the similarities in addition to the differences. It was a completely different color - a soft green instead of the red brick. Fascinating. Ma might have had more of an influence in this dimension, since he remembered that color being one of her favorites.

Stanley took his brother's older, dimension-wandering counterpart's hand and tugged on it, urging him to join them inside. Ford hesitated, feeling a sudden burst of anxiety, of all things. It's not like these are his actual parents, this is a completely different dimension than his own. Yet, he still felt nervous…

"C'mon, older Sixer! It'll be fine, it's not like it's the end of the world or anythin'. It's just your, uh, alternate-dimension parents?" the young boy said, hesitating on the last words, "That's how you would say it, right?" Ford unintentionally smiled at his question. Stanley had certainly changed a lot since he last… saw him, compared to when they were kids like these two.

"Yes, I suppose that is how you would say it." Ford said, smile growing bigger. Stanley never failed to cheer him up, even now, apparently.

Well. Except for then .

Just as fast as Ford's smile appeared, it faded away. Before he let himself say anything more, however, he shoved that thought to the back of his mind. These two were just kids, perhaps they'll make different choices in the future , he reasoned.

"Well, then what are ya waiting for!" Stanley half-shouted in his excitement. His twin winced, then grinned, his brother's excitement almost contagious.

"Yeah, let's go!" the young Stanford said as he, too, grabbed his older counterpart's hand and led him closer to the shop. The two of them were certainly eager, and a back corner of Ford's mind wondered exactly when they lost that childlike eagerness.

The twins pulled him forward by both arms, and if Ford had been a bystander witnessing this he supposed it would be a rather heartwarming scene, two young kids encouraging their elder. He would probably think he was their grandfather or some other relative, but that was definitely not the case. The thought amused him, and he let the two boys take him along.

Stanford let go of his arm to open the door, but as soon and Ford and Stanley were through he was back. Ford stopped for a brief moment to take stock of his surroundings, some back part of his mind insisting that he needed to make sure the area was safe. The layout was a little different than he remembered as a child, and there was a greater variety of items, but that didn't stop the wave of nostalgia he was swamped by as he looked around.

Some of Ford's earliest memories were of him and Stanley playing together in the shop when his father couldn't step away from the shop and his mother was on the phone. A familiar vase caught his eye, and he frowned slightly, remembering it was broken.

Crash!

Stanford frowned, dismayed at what happened. He and Stanley were wrestling, and he had accidentally tripped into a shelf, knocking the vase off. It shattered on the ground, and the noise coupled with his panic made tears form in his eyes. Stanley ran up to his brother and gave him a hug before a shadow fell over the two. It was Filbrick, and he did not look happy. Stanford's panic gave way to dread, fearful of what his father would do. They've never broken anything in the shop before…

Stanley quickly let go of his brother, and moved in front of him.

"I- I'm so sorry Pa! We were- we were playing and-d I pushed Stanford too h-hard and he fell against the sh-shelf and-" Stanley said quickly, close to tears.

"Is that so?" Their father said, unimpressed, but he leaned back a little, "Well then I suppose I will need to talk to Stanley alone," His tone gave no indication of his intent, only disapproval.

After he motioned Stanley to follow him out of the room, Stanford sat down and began to cry again, tear flowing but no sound coming out. Their father always said crying wasn't mature, and he was mature! Even though he accidentally broke one of the vases in the shop… He was mature for a seven-year-old. Seven-year-olds have accidents, right?

Stanford heard his father's muffled voice from the other room, the tone slightly angry. He was probably telling Stanley off about roughhousing with his brother, even though it's wasn't all his fault. The young boy stifled his tears, thinking that if his brother was brave enough to take all the blame then he certainly didn't need to cry. Even better, he could clean up the mess.

He stood up and started to pick up the large shards of the vase with his hands, careful to not touch any edges, and deposited them in the trash. He then grabbed a broom and swept the remaining shards in a pile, but before he could throw them away as well his father appeared in the doorway. Stanford thought he was going to get a talking-to as well, but the man only watched his son for a moment before nodding in approval and leaving the room again.

Before he could realize what happened, his twin shuffled in. He looked like he had been crying, but he refused to make eye contact with Stanford. Instead, he just sniffled as he moved towards Stanford.

"Hey," Stanley said quietly, "lemme help with that, and are you... are you okay? You didn't get hurt did you?" he asked.

Stanford, in lieu of a verbal response, just hugged his brother. Despite being obviously upset, Stanley still tried to help clean up and was concerned about his brother's wellbeing. He was lucky to have a brother like his own.

That thought brought back newer yet still old memories, this time much less sweet.

-The bitter feeling of rejection and confusion being swallowed up by betrayal as he crunched the snack bag in his fist-

"- hey, at least there's a silver lining, eh? Treasure~ hunting?-"

-His panic as he began to be swallowed up by the portal, his brother's frozen face getting farther and farther away, "Stanley, do something!"-

- when his own face first began to appear on wanted posters throughout the multiverse, and the fear that came with it. He wouldn't be here if - if it wasn't for Stanley pushing him in! -

A small hand patting Ford's arm broke him out of the daze he had been in, and he looked down to see both twins gazing up at him with concern. How long had he been staring at nothing? Long enough to concern the two boys, evidently. Nobody had walked into the room as far as he could tell, though, so it wasn't too terrible of him.

"Ah, apologies. I was just… reminiscing. I've been in countless dimensions throughout my journeys, but never one as close to my home as this one." Ford said, "Now, let's meet your parents, hm?"

Stanley's eyes grew wide, then he smirked at his brother.

"Looks like you talk like a total nerd even when you're old and wrinkly!" He teased, releasing the older man's arm as he nudged his twin. Stanford only laughed, evidently not bothered by his brother's teasing.

"Haha, you're just jealous I know how to talk cool, plus his voice is super awesome." Stanford said, after a moment. My voice sounds 'awesome'?

"Sure, 'cool' is the word I would use. You're supposed to talk normal when you're talkin' to each other, not like if you were writing a nerdy paper - uh, no offense older-Stanford," Stanley said, glancing guiltily up at Ford. The older man only shook his head in response, hopefully signaling he did not, in fact, take any offense whatsoever.

"Don't worry, boy, it is quite alright. I… do talk like I am writing a formal paper, and that may have gotten me in a little trouble once or twice" or a few more than that, "Perhaps I could, ah, tone it down a little." Ford admitted, mirth evident as he talked. Stanley only laughed and gave a pointed look to his brother, as if to say 'I told you so'.

As he watched the twins, the feeling of being watched began to niggle at the back of his mind. He looked up at the doorway behind the counter and sure enough, a shockingly familiar figure was standing there.

"Boys, yer home earlier than usual!" his mother said as she saw her sons. She walked over to the two boys and put a hand on both their shoulders, then turned to Ford with look of apology on her face.

"I hope my sweet little boys haven't been too much of a trouble for ya, sir. What's interestin' ya in this shop?" she asked. Ford hesitated, looking away uncomfortably as he realized she evidently thought he was a customer.

"Oh, well, umm-" What was wrong with him? He's never this hesitant, he had always been able to get some words together but for whatever reason the mere presence of his mother - this dimension's version of his mother - had him completely stuck.

"Ma, he's not a customer," Stanley interrupted, "He's with us!"

"Oh, really?" She asked, eyebrow raised. Her polite customer service tone completely vanished, replaced by curiosity and suspicion as she sized up Ford, taking in his dark clothing and the large blaster on his back.

"What's a stranger like you, doin' around my boys, mister ?" She said as she subtly moved the twins behind her, protective instincts taking over.

Ford raised his hands in a placating gesture, realizing how intimidating his attire can be. He didn't even think about it before, the twins probably thought it had looked cool more than anything.

"M- ma'am, I can assure you, I have no intention of harming your sons," ah, there was his ability to speak properly, returning once his mother became threatening. He honestly should have expected this, considering how loving and protective he remembered her to be. The woman straightened her back at his statement, sensing a challenge. The action eerily reminded him of his own twin, but he shoved the impression into the back of his mind. He had a more pressing matter to deal with right now.

"Oh, and how do I know I can trust your wor-" she trailed off, catching sight of his hands. Ford was about to move them back to his sides, but as his mother focused on them he kept them up, hoping for the best.

Mrs. Pines continued to stare, Stanford and Stanley looking like they were about to explode as they stood as still as possible behind her. She looked at his face, picking out his features and comparing them to her own boys.

"Are you…" she began, voice almost imperceptible as disbelief crossed her face, but she stopped herself and turned towards her sons.

"You two better explain this, and quick - I think I might pass out if ya don't, this is too weird for your Ma," She said. The twins grinned, equally excited to share the recent events.

"So, we said he's with us but it's more like-" Stanley began.

"He is us!" Stanford interrupted, "Well, not us exactly but he's like this interdimensional traveller?"

"And he's this other version of Poindexter from another dimension!" his brother clarified. Relatively .

"... Ah. Well then," she said, evidently trying to comprehend what was being said. The two boys had taken it in quite easily, but children are much better at believing this sort of thing. It was quite understandable that his mother was having a more difficult time.

"So yeah, he just wants to get his watch thingy fixed but he doesn't have anywhere to stay,"

"Naturally, we said he could stay with us!"

"We… probably should have asked you and Pa first." Stanley said, looking down with an embarrassed blush. Ford decided it was time to stop them from overwhelming their poor mother.

"Really, ma'am, it is not an issue. I can find somewhere else to stay if this is… too much," He said, hopefully in a calming tone. She looked at him again, narrowing her eyes.

"Now hold on just a moment, you may be from another dimension but you're still my son. No way am I lettin' ya go off on your own," She said, switching from confused to mothering faster than Ford could comprehend.

"... Yes ma'am, I understand," Ford said, raising his hands in a placating gesture. Now that she had her mind set, there was no convincing his mother to do anything other than what she wanted.

"Now, what are we gonna do about sleepin' arrangements…" she said thoughtfully, "And how's Filbrick gonna take this?"

Just then, none other than Filbrick Pines entered through the shop entrance, stopping as he saw the newcomer.

"How am I going to take what, Cassandra?"

Again, if you want hints on how to decode the weird keysmash-lookin gibberish just ask! I can give hints the next time I post a chapter and they'll probably be big hints tbh

Lzlu, knzzkdf? Rvf vpfs! Kd't Wqnlszkm! Npe'b yysig, jo't ewv dirb dke zv vrjj wpo.