A/N:

Code Answer: Warning: I like fluffy chapters.

You have been warned. And if you don't review then I will write only fluff and the story will go out of the window! Evil Laugh! Nah I'm kidding, I like story more… sometimes XD Anyways, onwards readers!

Dipper understood that people coped with hard situations in different ways. Mabel would go to Sweatertown or, like him, would ramble openly to themselves in hope of finding a solution. Sometimes if Dipper found himself struggling with something, he would get irritable which admittedly didn't help things much. But Roxie's reaction was just, well, disturbing.

They'd been back at the Shack for ages and she still hadn't said anything. She just sat on the desk, not looking at anything in particular and not blinking. The world was so far away to her. Mabel had given up waving her hand in front of her spaced out face and at one point had even tried force feeding some of the promised ice-cream. All failed. Roxie had simple refused all recognition that she was in company. Mabel nudged her brother and passed him one of the sandwiches she'd made.

"Think she's gonna be okay?" she asked a little anxiously.

Dipper chewed slowly, trying to think of a good answer. Would someone be okay after being attacked by gnomes, staying the night in a strange place and then finding out their family had abandoned them all in less than twenty-four hours be okay? He sure wouldn't. "Sure, I mean, she can't stay like that for much longer. Her sarcasm can't rest for long!" he deliberately raised his voice in hopes of getting Roxie's attention, but failing miserably. He sighed, "Give her time."

"You really think her family are gone? I mean, surely family doesn't just leave their kids in the middle of nowhere like this?"

"Ours did." He replied with a smirk.

She grinned, "Oh yeah! Hey we turned out pretty good, who's to say she won't too?"

Not wanting to point out that they were left with a family member with a place to stay and not just left alone in the woods; Dipper chose to admire his twin's optimism instead and nod, "Yeah… Sure…"

But Dipper still wasn't convinced. And despite his genuine sympathy for the girl, he still felt like she was being too stubborn for her own good by keeping secrets. And also there was the Gideon problem that was eating at him. He just knew that the little psycho was up to no good, heck, when was he up to good? Time was running out, they only had the rest of that day and tomorrow to find out what was going on and then it would be too late. He knew that he was being soft and giving in too easily to pity as well as Mabel's mothering instincts, and he was unsure if it was bugging him or not. Mabel sensed her brother's uncertainty and nudged him again. In her opinion, he worried too much, he really did. He had to realise just how complex the female mind was when it came to being emotional. Sure Roxie seemed down now but soon she'll see that it's not so bad. In fact, she wouldn't be surprised if she was back to her old self any second. After all, no one stayed depressed for long when there're people there to cheer you up.

Feeling that it had been quiet for too long, one can only listen to the sounds of chewing for so long without it getting annoying, Mabel took a few uneven bites from her sandwich and held it up for inspection, "Check it out."

Dipper tilted his head, "Kinda looks like a moose head."

She rolled her eyes, "It's obviously a star! What have you made?"

"I haven't made anyth-Hey get off you goof!" Dipper chuckled as Mabel started to try and clamber over him.

"Show me the sammich! Show me the sammich!" she demanded in a fake growl, leaning over his shoulder to grab for the food.

He jumped to his feet and held it out of reach, "Get your own!"

"Challenge accepted! Mabelzilla, attack!"

She grabbed his shoulders and hoisted herself onto his back, making him stumble forward and land on his stomach. Still defending his snack, Dipper rolled over and shoved her playfully with his foot so that she toppled onto her rear. Jumping to his feet and raising his prize above his head, Dipper gave a 'Ha!' of triumph, only to be rewarded with a pillow to the face. Wanting revenge, he grabbed his own pillow and Mabel narrowed her eyes in determination as the war commenced. They'd never called them pillow 'fights' because Dipper had always believed that was too girly; so pillow 'war' was more appropriate. Soon the pair was in a heap on the floor, faces set in bravery and some choice sniggers of victory escaping here and there. The sandwich long forgotten in the sibling's game.

The sounds of laughter, something she wasn't long used to, made Roxie blink and crash back into reality with a harsh jolt. For who knows how long, the numbness had consumed her, but now she was emerging from it. Her family had left her; pushed out into the unknown and abandoned her. And yet, here she was, listening to the sounds of laughter. Her dry eyes observed the twins from the desk, the initial reaction of bemusement fading away to a feeling of envy. She'd never been able to do this kind of thing with her siblings. They were never close anyway. Her family had always been pretty safety orientated so games like this weren't allowed. Or any games really. All she'd ever known is caution and seriousness. But… watching them two, she kind of wished that she could join in. Well, maybe she couldn't in the physical sense, but she refused to be left behind again. Her family had forgotten her; why the heck should she left herself be forgotten by them too?

"Come on, Dippy, put some effort into it!" she called, her voice slightly thick from being silent for so long, "Mabel! Go for the face!"

"Wow, she speaks." Dipper gave a half-smile of encouragement to the newly animated guest. But he forgot about his opponent. Upon receiving a pillow walloped on his nose, Dipper smirked at Roxie, "And since when are you on her side?"

"Since when is she ever on your side?" Mabel grinned, ducking another swing, "Besides, we all know I'm the best bet in a pillow war."

"Oh yeah? Take that!" Dipper announced, faking a swing to the left and changing to the right at the last minute, hitting his twin on the shoulder.

"Ah, a fake-out, don't let him get away with that one!" Roxie offered. No, she vowed, she wouldn't be forgotten again. She wouldn't let herself be forgotten, "Hey, uh… Any food left?"

Mabel gave the halftime sign and tossed the 'weapon' back onto her bed before putting the plate with an extra sandwich on the desk next to Roxie, "And there's still ice-cream if you want it."

Roxie gave a weak smile of gratitude, "Thanks."

"Are you sure you're alright?" Dipper asked cautiously, "You're taking this a little too well all of a sudden, don't you think? I mean it's good your talking and stuff but, you know…"

Roxie shrugged, swallowing the lump in her throat and picking at a loose thread on her top, "No parents bossing me around, no siblings being jerks… I'm free and living the high life. What's wrong with that?"

"Hey, like Pippi Longstocking!" Mabel added, "All we need is a monkey and a horse!"

Roxie chuckled, but it was a little forced, and she knew that. Sure, on the outside she was making an effort to smile, but on the inside, she was still recovering from the numbness. But she wasn't stupid, she knew that Dipper wasn't convinced, and deep down even Mabel was picking up on the sudden chance in attitude; but she didn't care. After all, Roxie thought to herself, I've got nothing to prove to them, I never have.

"So, theoretically speaking, if that kid does have the crystals and we got them back… could you make me your size with them?"

"We?" Dipper questioned.

She arched an eyebrow, "I'm not a freeloader, Dippy. I need something from them so I'm not going to make you two do the dirty work and get them for me." Her look turned guilty, "Plus, you both let me stay here… I kind of owe you."

Mabel waved her hand passively, "What? Pfft! You don't owe us! And anyway, we were going to get the gems back anyways." She suddenly stared into the distance and pinched her chin in thought, "But the question is how…"

Kind of taken back by Roxie's eagerness, Dipper scratched his head, "Uh, I know Gideon seems like your average creepy moron but don't underestimate him. It'll be better if just me and Mabel go."

"Sure it will." She rolled her eyes, "You were ready for me to tag along earlier when I wanted to get home first. Is this some version of reverse psychology?"

"No, but -"

"So you want me to go with you."

"Or maybe he doesn't so that you will;" Mabel offered, "But if it's reversed then he does want your help but then that'll mean he doesn't and if we're including Opposite Day in this, then maybe that means that no one is going but that means we will go and… Wait, is it Opposite Day? When's the next blue moon…?"

"It's not Opposite Day!" Dipper cried in exasperation.

Mabel wagged her finger at him knowingly, "So it is Opposite Day?"

Dipper face-palmed, "Fine… We're all going."

"So does that mean -"

"We're all going!" he repeated at his smug looking twin. Mabel balled a fist and held it before Roxie who bumped it in return with her own pint-sized fist. Dipper sighed, "But we've got to sneak in tomorrow and find out what's going on; or else we might not have enough time to stop it before the show."

"How're we going to do that?" Mabel asked, "Remember, you did say that we wouldn't get caught."

"And we won't." Dipper said confidently, even if he was doubtful on the inside, "It'll just take some planning. I'll have it all worked out by morning."

The brunette looked sceptical, "This isn't going to be one of those over-complicated list thingies, right?"

"Uh… no…"

Roxie smirked, "Put the pen down, Dippy."

"Fine." Dipper huffed and returned the pen to the box on the shelf and ignored the pile of paper that was calling to him, "I'll still have a plan though, even if it takes all night from memorising it because I can't write it down."

And even though he may have been a little over-dramatic with saying that it'll take all night, it was still pretty late by the time Dipper settled down to sleep, a whole plan formed and ready. As far as he could tell, Mabel was fast asleep and Roxie was curled up in his overturned cap again. That was invitation enough for a peaceful decent into slumber. Under the blanket and head on pillow, he wondered if there had even been a family for Roxie to miss. It all seemed a little too coincidental. And the fact that when she asked to come along and possibly use the crystals, she'd used the phrase 'make me your size'; not something like 'normal size' or 'my size'. Again, he was leaning towards the inhuman quality that she just might have. Well, she was stuck with them for a while, he didn't understand her continuing the secrecy. And he didn't understand what that noise was either.

Weird, he was sure that he had just closed his eyes for a second, but when he sat up now, the sky was a lot darker than before and the chilly night was lingering in the air. He blinked the tiredness away and peered into the gloom. Yep, Mabel was sprawled out in her bed with an arm dangling over the edge of the mattress; he could see the goose-bumps from across the room. Shivering slightly, he tiptoed across the wooden floor and tucked his sisters arm back into the warmth before turning to head back into sleep again. But he paused. There was that sound again. Like a sniff, but muffled and further away. Eyes quickly adjusting to the dark, Dipper chose to follow it out of the bedroom and into the hallway. It was a little louder here, but only faintly.

A milky triangle stretched across the hall where the moon shone through the triangular window. But Dipper noticed that there was a small shadow interrupting it, and the noise seemed to be coming from it. Gritting his teeth, he braved a step forward, then another and another until he could make out what it was. And when he did, part of him wanted to turn around and leave. Yet, he stayed. Roxie was perched on the windowsill, knees pulled under her chin and tears streaming down her cheeks. Her tiny form was shuddering from her sobbing that she was trying desperately to hide. Dipper scratched the back of his head anxiously. He didn't want to just stand there; he'd comforted Mabel enough times but it was easy to give a sister a hug; giving one to a four inch tall girl with anger issues was a little trickier and kind of inappropriate considering they didn't even see eye to eye. At one point he was going to attempt a simple pat on the back but that would either knock her out or start up the pain in her spine again.

"Uh, so about you being okay; how's that working out for you?" he offered.

She jarred in surprise at his sudden appearance and glared at him, swatting her tears away, "Go on, rub it in."

"I'm not! I just -"

"Save it…" she sighed, turning back to face the outside world. She hadn't been able to keep this in for much longer. Her prayers for a solitary night where she could let off steam had been ignored. Of course she wasn't okay, she never had been, "Did you feel like this when your parents dumped you here?"

Dipper leant an elbow on the sill and his chin in his palm, "I wasn't happy about it…"

"That's the thing, when summer's over you get to go home and go back to normal; this summer will just be those weeks of adventure and fun. That's what I thought this was going to be. I wanted some fun and then get to go back. And this really hasn't been that much fun and… I still don't get to go home at the end of it…"

Not really knowing how to react to this, he figured some kind of comfort was in order. Choosing to take a chance, he gingerly curved his free hand behind her to pat her back lightly. However, she glanced at the gesture and instead leant backwards so that her head rested against the base of his thumb and her back was comfortably supported by his palm. Dipper swallowed at the uncharacteristic vulnerability and figured there wasn't much harm in softly smoothing her hair with the tip of his thumb.

"They left me…" she mumbled, another tear slipping away, "I didn't even know they could do that…"

"They can't." Dipper tried, but felt like it was a stupid thing to say considering that they had; "They shouldn't." Feeling a little guilty for speculating that her family might have been made up, he cleared his throat, "Do you know where they would have gone?"

"Who cares, this is the last time they try it." At his quizzical look, she looked away in shame, "You know I said my siblings were jerks? That's kinda because they've tried ditching me before, even at home. I just never thought my parents would be in on it too."

Did this mean she'd always been this size? Or was it that her family really were just that cruel? He didn't feel it the appropriate time to ask. Instead, he straightened up, "Well, sitting here isn't fixing anything."

Getting used to handling her, Dipper used the hand that she was nestled in to scoop her up and carry her back into the shared bedroom. At first he was going to put her back into the cap to sleep, but from experience with Mabel, he knew that girls just didn't stop talking so easy. Instead, he skilfully lay under the covers in his own bed, laying his occupied hand on the pillow by his head so that he could lay comfortably but still avoid any accusation that he was trying to give her a hint to be quiet.

Roxie felt ashamed for letting herself into this state. Why could he have just let her alone in peace? But no; he just couldn't keep his nose out. No doubt this was an act and he was just looking to fill blanks in his puzzle that he'd created around her. Well, she still wasn't saying anything. She may be on her own now, but a promise was still a promise. Lips were zipped.

"Sitting here isn't fixing anything either." She quipped.

"No, but Mabel doesn't like being alone when she's upset so…" he shrugged under the sheets.

"I'm not Mabel." She sighed, giving in and laying down on her side, curling in his palm to face him, "Maybe being alone is a good thing for me."

Attempting humour, he smirked, "Well you're not the best at being social." At her glare, he swallowed, "Sorry. You never know, they might come back? Maybe they're looking now?"

"Get a clue, Dippy, they're long gone. Just take my word for it, okay; you really don't get it."

"Explaining would be useful."

"Trouble more like. Look, I know I'm not making sense to you but it's for the best. Think of it as plausible deniability."

"Meh, that's never really worked out for me."

"Because you're too nosey for your own good." She replied bluntly, "The way things have turned out, it would have been better if you'd left me to the gnomes…"

Getting a sudden flashback to when the gnomes had attacked them the first time, the moment when Mabel looked like she was giving up, anger flared inside of him, "No. That's just stupid, are you crazy? Yeah things are bad but believe me, there's been a lot worse and knowing our luck will probably be a lot worse too. So, lets just move on okay, there's a lot more around the corner so tripping now is just pointless."

Wanting to kick himself for practically spewing every cliché out there, Dipper forced his face into determination. But it was true, she needed to snap out of this. Sneaking into Gideon's tent tomorrow wasn't going to be easy, they needed their wits about them. Sure, this sucked for her, but if she really wanted to help and get to human size, then she'd have to quit feeling sorry for herself. There was an awkward pause where Roxie just lay there, studying him. Part of her wanted to rant at his insensitivity, but the bigger half was agreeing with him. As soon as this was over, she'd find them all. She'd remind them exactly who she was. She wouldn't be forgotten again. And she'd be able to look them in the eye when she clarified it.

To Dipper's surprise, Roxie gave a half-smile, "You know, Mabel's pretty lucky having a big bro like you."

He cringed, "Would you believe that she's the older twin…"

"Seriously?"

Sensing an opportunity to put a smile back on her face, he shrugged, "You know what she's like, she was the excitable one right from the start and couldn't wait to get out; and then me, always the cautious but heck, I had to go make sure she was okay, right?"

Roxie chuckled in spite of herself, rubbing away the last of the dampness in her eyes, "Makes sense when you put it like that." Her eyes closed and she curled up tighter in the curve of his hand. A yawn escaped her. Why was she so tired all of a sudden? Those tears really took it out of her.

Feeling that they'd strayed a little, and that she was too tired to get upset again, Dipper cleared his throat, "You never know what's around the corner, things can sometimes turn out pretty good"

Eyes getting heavier, she nodded absentmindedly, "I guess." She yawned again and smiled softly in her half-asleep state, "Thanks… Dipper…"

It took a second for it to sink in that she hadn't used the normally insulting nickname. Turning his head on the pillow to give her a sceptical look, he found that she was already asleep. He arched an eyebrow, but softened his expression all the same. She looked so lost with her head resting on the inside of his fingers and body curled up in the pit of his hand. Dipper didn't really feel comfortable having her unconscious in his care when he was eager to catch some winks himself. Slowly angling himself, he tried to lift his hand so that he could direct her back into her makeshift bed on the desk, but the second he moved, she started stirring in protest. Light sleeper, she had warned him.

He sighed, "Huh… Have it your way."

Dipper snuggled down into comfort, angling on his side to stop the arm that was holding Roxie from going numb without moving her. He ended up facing her, feeling slightly inclined to lightly flick a strand of hair out of her face and did so. With his free hand, the blanket was hoisted up to his shoulders, the corner hitched further so that it could cover the extra occupant. Out of reflex, Roxie subconsciously grabbed for the sheet and nuzzled into it, and into the grove of Dippers hand in the process. Dipper went to sleep with the lamp still on, wanting to ensure that should he awaken in the night, he'd be able to make sure that she was okay. Okay for real this time.

NZTMRUBRMT TOZHH HVVH ZOO

A/N:

I did warn you about the fluff, but that's all it is, innocent comforting fluff that just had to get out of the way. So, what's the plans for getting into the Tent? What's in store? Wait and see! Until next time folks! Don't forget to review! XD