Three long weeks had passed since Dipper visited. Conflicting schedules and the long drive had kept him from returning, and Lydia's parents weren't convinced on letting her drive to Gravity Falls just yet. So the two were confined to Skype calls and texting. While Lydia craved him next to her, she tried to keep busy by picking up extra shifts at work. Dipper worked a lot, and he couldn't always text her while at the Shop or giving tours. Keeping herself busy, and stuffing her bank account, was a good way to pass the time. When she wasn't working or attached to her phone, she liked to explore the woods and hike. It was refreshing, a good break from the hustle and bustle of life.

The afternoon was breezy, perfect for a hike. Lydia sent Dipper a text letting him know she was headed out into the wilderness. She grabbed her bag, already stocked with trail mix and water, then laced up her boots. She let her sister know she was leaving, and then headed to the outskirts of the town. Lydia had hiked most of the trails in Astoria, knowing them like the back of her hand. Every now and then she'd wander off the path and explore on her own. But this particular day she wanted to see the waterfall at the peak of Travis Creek Falls. She enjoyed Travis Creek because it was a quick hike, taking a few minutes shy of two hours to the top. It wasn't frequented often due to its location a few miles outside of town near the coast.

Lydia locked up her car and followed the signs into the woods. The luscious greenery swallowed her. Her soul calmed with each step. It wasn't long before the sounds of the forest were all she heard. The quiet wasn't unsettling. She enjoyed only hearing her boots occasionally snap a branch, the singing of the birds and the chatter of the squirrels. Some liked to hike with headphones in, but Lydia didn't see the point. She hiked because she loved nature. The relationship between woman and the outdoors was complex and beautiful. There was no need to add any unwanted technology.

Over the past year, Lydia had grown to watch out of the corners of her eyes. It helped her conquer her fear of being alone in the wilderness. On her way to the top of Travis Creek she experienced quite a few deer, trying to sneak around her loud steps. Every now and then she caught a blur that seemed too large to be a deer, but she shrugged it off. She didn't let the trees play tricks on her. After an hour and a half, Lydia reached the long suspension bridge that signaled the waterfall was near. She frowned as she crossed, steadily walking on the flat planks. The bridge was well kept and safe, but it was always unsettling for her. She couldn't help but think of all the movies where the planks would snap and the unsuspecting victim would fall to their death. Once on the other side she always felt like kissing the ground. She refrained and pressed forward.

The soothing sound of the water began to ring in her ears, and Lydia grinned, running forward up the slope. The rushing water was louder… louder… and then in front of her. The stunning scene carved into the side of the mountain was always so surreal. The mossy rocks surrounded the waterfall, only a few stories high. The clear pool at the bottom of the waterfall was shaped like a jelly bean. The color was so blue it was like a painting. There was a clearing surrounding the oasis. The grass was well kept, a snack for the surrounding wildlife. However small Travis Creek Falls was, it was enough for anyone who gazed upon it. Lydia swung her bag around and pulled out her cell phone. She didn't get any reception on top of the Falls, but she wanted to capture a picture to send to Dipper. After snapping a few shots she shoved her phone away and walked closer into the clearing. She found a patch of grass near the waterfall that had been spared from the fall's spray.

She leaned back and closed her eyes, letting herself get fully engulfed by the smell and sounds of the fall. She used her lumpy backpack as a makeshift pillow and let herself get lost in her thoughts. Sometimes, the scariest part of being alone in the woods was being alone with your thoughts. No distractions, just silence. Just a conversation with yourself. These conversations left Lydia in tears when she first started hiking. She'd kick the ground, scream as loud as she could. She'd strip naked and jump in the water, seeing how long she could hold her breath. It was therapy. As the months progressed, her therapy was less violent. She'd lie on the ground and weep from happiness and sadness. And then she'd just lie on the ground… content.

Lydia's thoughts automatically directed towards Dipper. Her heart fluttered. Just his name was enough to make her love sick. She just felt warm when she talked to him. She couldn't keep herself from smiling when he came up in conversation or when she saw he texted her. She hated not getting to see him every day. Both of them knew going into the relationship it would be long distance, but they had fallen hard and the distance was strenuous on their hearts.

She shivered at the thought of his kisses… his hands on her body. The memories of the afternoon in her bedroom flooded her brain, as they did every night. When she thought of his erection pressing through his jeans near her head, her body heated. She thought of the way he kissed her while she straddled him, grinding against his rock hard member… the way his hands cupped her bottom and slinked around to her breasts, tweaking her nipples. The warmth in her shorts was too much, and her hand crept down to unbutton them and slip inside. Her fingers were familiar as the inched below the band of her underwear and onto her clit.

With a little pressure and small circles, she pleasured herself to the thought of Dipper. She had her eyes squeezed shut and let her imagination run free. What would have happened if her parents weren't home? What would they have done? She knew Dipper was close to throwing caution to the wind when he flipped her onto her back. What if she hadn't stopped him? She imagined her fingers were his, eagerly searching for an orgasm in her shorts. He would've taken her shirt off, unhooked her bra, and massaged her breasts with his mouth. He would've taken her to the edge and stopped, only to remove his own clothes. Lydia had never seen what lie beneath his clothes. She wondered if his chest was freckled, hairy, or smooth. Whatever was under his shirt turned her on. Her imagination traveled to below the belt. She had felt his cock through his shorts, even had it against her own throbbing sex (granted they were separated by layers of clothes). It didn't feel exceptionally large, but it defiantly wasn't small. The way it pressed against her head left her believing it had a decent amount of girth to it. She wanted to wrap her mouth around the imaginary cock, but Dipper didn't give her a chance. Once he was undressed he used his saliva to lubricate his member and then slid it into Lydia's tight vagina. She imagined his handsome face twisting and contorting with each pump. She wiggled on the ground, moans passing through her lips, startling the silence of the oasis. Harder, faster. As her fingers moved quicker and more urgently, so did the Dipper in her mind. They were close to the edge. Almost there. The thought of Dipper cumming was enough to make Lydia arch into an orgasm, her body spasaming in the grass.

She imagined Dipper lying next to her, but when she opened her eyes after a few deep breaths, she was met with nothing but the loneliness of the wilderness. With a heavy sigh, she looked to both her left and right, only to be met with an empty shadow. She slid her hand out of her shorts and rolled over a few times to the water where she dunked her hand in, removing the sticky traces of her rendezvous from her fingers. She rolled back to her spot and with a 'humph' and let out another sigh, this one more agitated. There was a shameful silence in the air. She almost felt like she had taken the innocence of Travis Creek Falls. Buttoning her shorts and pushing herself into a standing position, she convinced herself worse has been done there. She checked her watch. Almost three hours have passed since she started her hike, meaning it was time for her to head back down. She hadn't particularly told her parents where she was going, and she didn't want a search party to come after her.

She began to trek down out of the clearing when something caught the corner of her eye. Pausing, she looked around in the trees. Seeing nothing, she started walking again. Her way down the trail, Lydia walked a little faster than normal. She was eager to get out of the woods. Her eyes were playing tricks on her, she told herself, as she saw more blurs out of the corner of her eyes. She reached the suspension bridge and the air in her throat caught. Taking a deep breath, she almost sprinted across the shaky structure, her hands zipping along the rope. Once on the other side she let out a gasping breath and turned to look across the bridge. Time paused for a brief second as she made out the figure that had been stalking her through the trees. It appeared to be a human bull hybrid. Two yellowed horns stuck out from the side of its head. Around the beastly face was reddish hair that appeared to be shaped into a beard. Around its waist was a white cloth, dirtied from the ground and the trees. The hairy brown beast, upon being sighted, fell from two legs to four and sprinted back into the woods.

At once, all of Lydia's senses crashed down upon her. Her eyes, big as saucers, darted around her surroundings- almost as if in survival mode- before she began jogging down the trail. She tried to pace herself as she headed down the hill. The trees seemed to be closing in on her. The branches were sharper, nicking her legs as she ran. Though going fast, Lydia tried to remember where she was on the trail to assess her time. Everything became a blur. She hoped she was going in the right direction. She had picked up speed as she descended Travis Creek. While she had skipped over most of her obstacles, she had missed a rock in front of her. Lydia tripped. Her stumble turned into a fall and she slid down the trail. She could feel each jab and poke, the scrapes from the ground. Her bag had gotten caught and began to tug on her arms. As she struggled to stop her sliding, she held onto the bad, determined to either lose her arms or slow herself down. She lost momentum. Stillness. Silence. It was all shattered when Lydia began to sob.

She stood up looked down at her dirty, tattered clothes and her bloody legs. Her arms had also taken some damage. She couldn't tell what was a bruise forming or dirt. She grabbed her bag, wiggling it off of the stick and finally could look around her. She let out a sob of relief. The trees were opening up; she could see daylight ahead of her, bursting at the end of the forestry. Mustering up all her strength she stumbled down the path and out into the bright sun. Gasping, as if she had just emerged from the depths of the ocean, she hobbled across the gravel clearing for vehicles. She fumbled with her bag, pulling out her phone and her keys. She still had no reception. She shoved her phone in her pocket and frantically unlocked her car in the dead quiet wilderness. Once inside, she wasted no time peeling out of the makeshift parking lot. She held her phone in one hand, waiting to see that she was within society's reach, while she drove like a maniac down the winding curves. Once her phone indicated she had a signal, she swerved off the road, skidding to a halt on the road's barrier. She dialed Dipper's number quickly, her dirty fingers smudging the glass screen.

The pause between the rings felt like an eternity. The call went to voicemail. She heard his familiar voice, apologizing for not answering. She ended the call and then redialed. Again, the rings were long and torturous. And then:

"Lydia? I can't really talk right now-"

"Dipper," She cried. "I don't know what happened. I'm really afraid, and I'm bleeding and-"

"Whoa!" He cut her off, his voice laced with concern. "Calm down. Hey, hey, hey! Sweetheart, breathe. Are you okay? What happened? – Soos, cover this, okay? I have to take this call – Lydia? Stop crying for a second, I need you to tell me what happened."

"I don't know," She wept. "I went hiking and then I kept feeling like something was there, watching me. I thought it was just the trees tricking me but then I saw it, Dipper."

"What was it?" He questioned, both concerned and intrigued.

"It was this thing," She hyperventilated. "It was like half human half… bull, something, I don't know. It was following me- watching me."

"A manataur?" He questioned, his voice almost comical. "It's okay, sweetie. I've done studies and observations on them multiple times. We have them in Gravity Falls. I've never heard of them anywhere else though, do you think you could take-"

"I don't know what the fuck that is, Dipper, and no I won't fucking take you to see them for your blog" She shouted, angrily. "Don't tell me it's okay. You weren't there. You didn't see the way it was looking at me… and it was watching me."

"Harmless-"

"I MASTURBATED, DIPPER," She screamed, her cheeks red. "IT WAS WATCHING ME."

Dipper couldn't stifle his laughter on the other end. He erupted in a fit of chuckles, "You're kidding me, right? That's hilarious-"

"Fuck you," Lydia hissed. "It chased me, and I fell down the hiking trail. I'm dirty, bleeding, and an emotional mess and you're laughing at me."

"I don't mean to," Dipper said on the other line, though Lydia could hear the smile in his voice.

"Fuck you," She half cried, half yelled into the phone. She hung up, angrily throwing the smartphone in her passenger seat.

She wasn't sure whether to be angry or upset. Whatever the case, she ripped her car off the side of the road and sped home. Beside her, she could see her phone light up as Dipper attempted to call her multiple times. It lit up with text messages and voicemails. She ignored them all and jerked her beat up car down the familiar roads to her house. She threw her car into park in the driveway and stormed up to her house. Her body was sore, and she couldn't help but walk with a slight limp. She braced herself and unlocked her front door.

"Lydia! Oh my god, are you okay?" Her mom gasped, tearful, jumping off the couch. "What happened? Come here- do I have to take you to the hospital?"

Lydia wobbled over and braced herself against the sofa. Her dad, who was on the computer, turned and stood. Her parents faces were riddled with concern as the surrounded her. Her mom, a nurse, immediately began assessing her body. Lydia winced as she poked.

"I fell down Travis Creek," Lydia said softly, trying not to cry. "It was bad- I don't know how far I skidded."

"I told you I didn't like you hiking by yourself," Her father said sternly, though he meant it with love.

Her mother had dropped into a squatting position and gingerly examined her legs, "These are deep. You're bruising already."

"I'm sorry," Lydia sniffled, tears trickling down her face.

"Sweetie," Her mother stood back up and immediately wrapped her arms around Lydia. "Don't apologize. You'll be okay. As much as I want to take you to the hospital, you don't need stitches."

"Are you sure?" Her father questioned, "That gash concerns me."

"I'm sure, David," Her mother almost hissed. "I've been a nurse for how long?"

"I'm not questioning that, I'm just saying-"

"Stop," Lydia yelled.

Her parents looked at her and their faces softened.

"You need to take a shower and change into some comfortable jammies," Her mother stressed. "Can you walk up the stairs?"

"I can help you," Her dad offered.

"No, I'm fine. I can do it."

"Take a hot shower and get in bed. When you're in there, clean your wounds really well, okay? Or else I'll have to do it. I will bring you up some medicine, and I'll have to dress your wounds."

"Okay," Lydia said without a fight.

She could feel her parent's eyes on her as she drug her bag across the floor and up the stairs. She winced with every step, but tried not to convey her pain. She threw her bag into her bedroom and went into the bathroom, stripping her ripped clothes. They lay in a dirty pile on the floor. It was funny, seeing the contrast of the grubby garments against the clean and sparkling tan tiles of the bathroom floor. She turned the shower on as hot as it went and stepped in. The water burned her skin. She watched the floor of the tub until the water ran clear before she lathered up her loofa and lightly scrubbed her body, wincing at the pressure against her bruises. The pain intensified as she tried to clean her legs. Up close she could see how nasty the wound on her left leg was; it was jagged and deep, stretching from her knee half way down her calf. Her legs were riddled with smaller nicks and rug-burn type scrapes. She cleaned herself the best she could and toweled off, then padded out slowly into her bedroom. She grabbed an old t-shirt displaying her old high school's name and logo, sliding it gingerly over her head. Rummaging through her drawers, she found her favorite bunny pajama bottoms. She climbed in bed and waited for her mother.

On cue, minutes later there was a gentle knock and then her door opened. Carrying a tray full of bottles and bandages, Lydia thought her mother looked like she was entering a warzone. The corners of her mouth curled into a weak smile. Her mom camped out on the corner of her bed, questioning her on her wellbeing as she prepped a towel with peroxide. She pulled back the covers and rolled Lydia's pant legs up, dabbing the wounds. Lydia winced as the alcohol fizzled. Her mom proceeded to rub ointment on all the open wounds and scrapes. She wrapped them with the gentle care and experience of a veteran nurse. The cuts on Lydia's arms weren't deep enough to warrant ointment and bandages. Her arms had withstood mostly a rough beating. Her mom cleaned the few scrapes and then handed Lydia two oblong red pills and pushed the glass of ice water in her direction. She learned at a young age to just accept whatever pill her mom handed her. Lydia washed the pills down as her mom unrolled her pants and tucked her into bed. She took the half full water glass and set it on her nightstand, then kissed Lydia's forehead.

"You need to rest. Are you sure you said your head didn't hurt? If you have a concussion you can't go to sleep."

"I know mom," Lydia sighed. "My head's fine. I'm just sore and tired."

"Then rest. I'll put dinner in the microwave for you."

"I work tomorrow," Lydia remembered, frowning.

"Don't worry about it, okay?" Her mother reassured. She spotted Lydia's phone haphazardly dangling from her bag. She reached down and grabbed it, then placed it next to her daughter on the bed. "Here. So you can text me if you need something… or text Dipper. Whatever you need, okay?"

"Okay, mom, but I think I'm just going to sleep for a little bit."

Her mom smiled softly and nodded. She pulled the curtains in Lydia's room shut, automatically darkening the room. On her way out she turned the light off and shut the door quietly. Lydia closed her eyes, the darkness of the room was too inviting and she was beyond exhausted- mentally and physically. She had planned on leaving her phone in her bag. She didn't want to deal with what was waiting for her. The curiosity got to her, however, and her eyes peeped open. She slid her phone unlocked, squinting at the bright light.

11 missed calls. 7 voicemails. 24 unread text messages.

Lydia sighed as she scrolled through the text messages from Dipper. They ranged from concern to anger. She clicked her phone off and closed her eyes again. She didn't want to deal with the mess. She was furious with Dipper. He had laughed at her when all she wanted was his compassion. Her phone vibrated in her hand, lighting up her room. She pulled it to her face.

Dipper

I'm sorry, okay? You don't have to answer my calls or talk to me ever again or accept my apology or whatever. I care about you so damn much, Lydia. I just want to know you're okay. I swear if I don't hear from you within ten minutes I'm driving over.

Lydia hesitated for long moment before texting back.

Lydia

I'm home. My mom patched me up. I don't need stiches, I'm just bruised and cut up. I'm going to go to sleep now. I'll talk to you later.

Lydia

Maybe.

Dipper

Okay. Thank you. I'm glad you're okay.

Lydia turned her phone on silent and placed it face down on her nightstand. She hated sleeping on her back, but after attempting to adjust her position, she found that her back was the only comfortable lying position. She found herself becoming increasingly more tired. She didn't fight it as her eyelids glued shut.

When she woke, slivers of daylight filtered through her window. Lydia imagined that her shooting headache and body aches were similar to that of a hangover. Groaning, she stuck her arm out and pulled her phone to her. Her eyes adjusted to the light quickly and then widened with concern when she noted the time read '10:37'. She cursed and yelled out for her mother instinctually. Her voice was hoarse and barely carried it's weight. However, a few moments later the door opened and her mother popped inside.

"Good morning," she greeted with a warm smile. "Feel better? You slept for 16 hours."

"Work," Lydia said frantically.

"I called and told them you were in an accident and needed at least 3 days off. I've got a note for you when you go back; don't worry."

"I can't take 3 days off."

"You won't be able to walk well enough to work. It's fine, Li-Li," She promised, using a pet name from Lydia's childhood.

Lydia groaned and leaned her head back into her pillow, "This is dumb."

Her mom let out a stifled laugh, "At least you're back to your old self."

"I'm starving," Lydia announced, following a rumble in her stomach.

"Come downstairs. I'll make you whatever you want. I took the next few days off of work so I can be here with you. And there's a surprise for you."

Surprise? Lydia perked up. She slid out of bed slowly, her body aching with every movement. She was careful of her bruises and bandages as he stood up, grabbing her phone from beside her bed. She followed her mother out of her room and carefully padded down the steps to see what was waiting for her…