Hello all, this is probably the fastest release of any three chapters i have ever seen. Though i am purposefully keeping these chapters short. I kinda want to make each one feel like an episode of the actual show. I know i'm no where near as capable as a tv show story boarder, but im just going with my gut this time. This story isnt actually planned out, the only i do have planned out is a short spin off if i ever reach a point i feel it would be plausible for a dear old...Friend of ours to come back to play. Let us all pray it doesn't come to that, for i can get pretty god damn bloody if i feel like it. Anyway, i just realized i haven't been putting up disclaimers. But then again, i started to think to myself, doesnt the premise of this site on pure principal of it's prose state that none of us own anything more than our own OC's and our ideas for story line? But then i realized, wait, Copy right lawyers are stupid and will use any small amount of failure to appease their pedantic gluttony for unnecessary rules to bend us over and F*ck us good and deep. Any way, let's get back to the story

Dipper walked out of the familiar old shack wearing a pair of swim trunks and a faded beater, carrying a bucket and sponge. He walked up to Stan with a knowing smirk.

"Room for one more?"

He got a rude splash of water to his face from his Grunkle who was chugging away at his iced tea " yeah, haha, if you think you can handle not making a mess for ten seconds."

"Oh come on, don't be a sore loser" He grinned, proud of himself for beating Grunkle Stan at something for once.

" And don't You get cocky!" the hose strayed dangerously close to his face again, causing Dip to duck dive and dodge the water with a playful snort of laughter

Stan was actually proud of him, he didn't need to Let the kid win anything. He'd just been capable of it. " You know, i won my first street race when i was your age."

Dip looked up at that, wiping away at some dirt still on the hood of the sleek black speedster "Really? What happened?"

""HAH, nearly lost my hand and my mothers car!" Stan just laughed it off, but Dipper looked at him a little oddly

"What, seriously?"

"Yeah, don't ever mess with the gangs of New Jersey kid, they'll fuck you up."

"Scouts honor" He promised seriously, with crossed fingers instead of the usual sign

"There's a good kid, guess i taught you well huh?"

"Everything i know Grunkle Stan " He chuckled to himself before he quieted, and frowned a little.

"What's with the sour face kid?"

Dipper kept scrubbing the car for a moment, his arms tensing and his thoughts seeming far away "...I just…..i remembered how you beat bill….."

Instantly Stan's smile fell too "I know i worried you all, and i know that i've said it before…..but even if i didn't come back, It still would have been the right thing for me to do….I don't go back on Family kid...and I'm proud of you that you feel the same."

Dipper felt oddly reassured, and happy at his words of praise " Thanks…..you really don't know how much that means to me coming from you." Dipper clapped a hand on his father figures shoulder before getting back to work " But...it wasn't just that…"

Stan raised an eyebrow " What do you mean kid?"

"Mabel...she brought you back, Ford says it was the memories in the pictures and how they really do capture a tiny piece of your soul or mind or whatever…...But i know it was her…...she believed it would work, even when we told her to give up…..she still tried Stan…...She's always stood by family more than i ever have."

Stan looked a little awed at the depth of the emotions his nephew was sharing right now " KId...it's ok really"

" No it's not!...I stood at his grave….and i cried, but i was ashamed of each tear that fell Stan…...i just wanted to hit him one more time!...and all he wanted was to keep our family from what he felt was wrong…."

Stan sighed deeply, finally understanding where all of this was coming from " Dipper look, Losing your old man is the worst thing that could ever happen to a guy….I was dead to my father for a long time...but when i heard he was put under….. I broke down too. The last thing i ever said to him was that i'd never turn out a dead beat like his sorry ass…..and look at where i was….right in his shoes for twenty years…..except i was alone. You and mabel showed me something else though. We don't live in our mistakes kid, We live in our choices, and why we make them. Did you kill your dad?"

"No." Dipper replied quietly

"Did he blame you on his deathbed?"

"No." He looked away, and bit his lip, holding back the beginnings of a sob.

"Then you can still make something of the life he tried to give you. But you dont have to be him, it's your heart, and your turn at the world."

Dipper looked up at his thought provoking words and began to ponder them, holding them close to his heart " You're right….he loved me, but it's my life, and my turn to define family for myself….i just hope he'll be proud of me."

" Kid, if you fight hard enough….i bet my goddamn life on it that he'll be the proudest son of a bitch there ever was."

Dipper smiled at that and nodded to himself " Grunkle Stan…..Thanks."

"Anytime kid, now, let's get these babies shining so we can show you off to the town tonight, I've been craving a beer buddy and Ford says Ethanol kills brain cells."

Dipper laughed and continued to scrub away at the problem areas too tough for the water pressure as they went on to talk about dumb guy stuff.

Part 2

Ford looked over at the snoring form of his jet lagged grand niece and smiled warmly.

All it took was half an hour in the car listening to crappy radio music and she was out like a light. He began to think back to when he last saw the twins, and probably around the last time they had seen each other as well, It was their fifteenth birthday, and Stanley and Ford had taken a quick pit stop on their mystical world tour to visit their Family, and give their favorite snot balls a couple unique gifts.

Those were the days, Ford thought, when life was simple, follow the signal, observe, and contain/destroy. He'd actually won a few governmental favors from Powerful figureheads the world over for capturing major nuisances to their population and culture. He gave the pine twins the two halves of the ring of Mudarra. At the time thinking it would be a cute reminder of their unique birth, but it became increasingly clear, that it meant much more to them. Their feelings for each other had begun to grow beyond that of a normal brother and sister after wierdmageddon, but it had only continued to change. Becoming something more powerful and deep. Their hearts had become like the two pieces of the ring. Separate, but when they came together, they made a perfect, and complete whole.

Stanley had simply given them a check worth a few hundred dollars each, which had them both equally excited. He laughed to himself, remembering the sour expression he wore for a whole week after that.

Mabel stirred, having gotten a few hours sleep on their long road trip back to Gravity falls, they'd just passed into Pennsylvania, and Ford was looking for a certain exit

"Hey Grunkle Ford." She yawned wide and stretched out like a cute kitten " Where are we and what kind of trouble are we gonna get into?" She sounded extremely excited at the prostpect.

"Haha, hopefully none Mabel, but we are headed out to find a little something i've been meaning to get my hands on for a while now. We just over looked it on our travels. Stanley got me hooked on a few more, New past times since the last time we saw each other."

"Sounds Fun!" She threw her hands up in the air and gave a WHOOP. Eliciting a chuckle and a nod from her Grunkle.

"Indeed they were..now, i do believe i have a few birthdays to make up for...so, what do you say we stop by a craft store on our way and i pick you up a few things? Your bags felt a little light."

Mabel's eyes began to sparkle and she squealed, just as if she were still the adorable little child he had put on the bus for home 9 years ago.

2 hours later

"Never-take-Mable-shopping-Never-take-Mable-shopping-Never-take-Ma"

"What'ya whispering Grunkle Ford?" MAble came up behind him carrying a mountain of bags with her newly purchased 'creative arts center for creators on the go' set ™.

He shook his head and tried to focus " Oh, nothing of importance, i'm just glad i got thei fusion stabilizer, i've been wanting to improve an old invention of mine for so long now it feels like i've been neglecting it." He frowned playfully

" Silly Grunkle Ford!" She waved her hand and grinned. Before long they were on their way, with a significantly blocked back window.

" Alright, if we take this freeway and then stay here for the night, no no….we should dog leg after 65 and then camp out, no too many werewolves around there...hmm"

Mable was amazed at the upgrades her Grunkle had done to his SUV, it had FULL AUTO PILOT, AS IN IT DROVE ITSELF! He'd tried to explain it to her, but all she could understand was it used a more complex version of a bats sonar to tell where things were.

"AH HAH! Perfect!"

"Whats the plan man?"

"Well Mabel, we're going to be stopping a few more places along the way, but we'll be in gravity falls in just a few days."

Mabel smiled, and couldn't help but think back to those days as kids where they did anything they wanted. "Yeah….is it bad that i missed the shack more than i did our home in california?"

"Hmm? How would that be a bad thing?"

"..." She looked down at the floor and sheepishly rubbed her arm, frowning sadly " Gravity falls jsut means so much more to me than the place i grew up...i feel like something is wrong with that...with me."

"Mabel, there is nothing wrong with you that the rest of our family hasn't already gone through!" He smiled, knowing she more than anyone else could see that " Just because Gravity Falls is more important to you, doesn't mean your home isn't important still. Nothing is more important than any other thing when you look at the whole image….your old house holds so many memories, and so much warmth inside it…..but it's just a building Mable, your real home is where you keep those memories. And if that place is Gravity Falls? So what?"

MAbel could only smile up at the soft eyes and grizzled stubble her Grunkle was known for. To her, he was a perfect example of what someone should be when they were old. Wise, strong and caring. She wanted to be like him when she grew up, ready to help anyone who needed it with a simple word or two. " You're right Grunkle Ford…..besides...it's i made a home for myself."

As he finished course planning the rest of their drive to toledo for the night he grinned "That's the spirit, now, what do you want to do while we wait?"

Mabel's smile turned evil so quickly he was afraid he'd start seeing yellow triangles

Then she said the two most dreaded words in the pines family "Slug. Bug."