Mabel was sitting in the living room, flipping through the channels on TV without stopping to see what was on. To say she was exhausted was an understatement. Every part of her, down to her bones, wanted rest. On top of that, something was nagging her. She just couldn't nail down what it might be. Soos was in his cage, Dipper was sleeping…
"Robbie!" she shouted.
"Yeah?" Mabel turned around. Robbie was leaning against the wall, casually flipping a coin and catching it as it fell. He smiled at her, and Mabel felt something inside her melt.
"Robbie," she whispered. "Oh no, I totally forgot." Robbie frowned, and stopped tossing the coin.
"You… you did?" he asked. "But we only made plans this morning."
"I know, I know," said Mabel. She stood up, and walked over to him. "I don't know what I was thinking when I said we should hang out." Robbie raised his eyebrows. "Not that I don't like you, but-"
"She already made plans with me," said Dipper. He had just come downstairs. Robbie couldn't help but notice how he was dressed. A skin-tight Under Armour shirt, and blue-and-yellow workout pants. It looked like he was going to the gym. "But they're honestly not that important. Mabel, you should hang out with Robbie." Mabel felt her jaw drop. Dipper smiled at her, and did his best not to tip her a wink.
"You… you mean it?" asked Mabel.
"Yeah," said Dipper. "Me and Wendy need some alone time anyway." Dipper thought he saw a strange look on Robbie's face- his eyes narrowed, brow furrowed, lips thinned- but it passed in a second.
"Oh thank you!" said Mabel. She ran over to her brother and hugged him.
"I'm not trying to be rude," whispered Dipper, "but you might want to shower and change your clothes before you-"
"I know," said Mabel. "Thanks butthead." She pulled his cap over his eyes. "Can you give me fifteen minutes Robbie?"
"Sure," Robbie said. Mabel scrambled upstairs, the pounding of her footsteps reverberating through the cabin. Dipper nodded to Robbie, not really sure what to say, and made his way out the door. Robbie was alone. The TV was playing some sort of terrible soap opera. Robbie took out the coin, and began flipping it again. He couldn't help picturing the way Mabel tended to look at him. It was a simpering, twitterpated kind of look that filled him with anger. He exhaled slowly. He had to do this. Had to pretend he felt some sort of attraction to the Pines girl.
/
Dipper had texted Wendy and told her Mabel wouldn't be joining them. It was strange, but Wendy's heart had fluttered wierdly when he had texted her that. She honestly hadn't spent that much time alone with him since he had returned to Gravity Falls. It took her a second to remember that they weren't just going out for a night on the town. They were hunting monsters. Wendy typically kept a diary, but she hadn't made any entries for the past couple of days. Everything just felt too weird. She couldn't bring herself to do it. "Dear diary, today I woke up, had a cup of coffee, and slayed the undead." It just didn't feel right.
Wendy wandered over to the mirror and looked at herself. Dipper had told her to dress in athletic clothing, which made sense. After last night Dipper wasn't fooling around. She was dressed in a faded Misfits T-shirt and loose fitting gym shorts. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wasn't going to win any beauty contests, but it would get the job done. There was a knock at the door. Wendy left her room and jogged down the stairs. When she opened the door, she smiled. Dipper looked good dressed like that. The Under Armour sculpted his (not super defined) abs, which were framed by his muscular arms. Dipper must have liked what he saw as well, because he wasn't saying anything, just staring. Wendy cleared her throat, and Dipper started.
"Oh, uh, hello!" Dipper said.
"Hi," Wendy chuckled.
"You look good," said Dipper. He scratched the back of his head. Wendy had to bite her lip to keep from having a giggle-fit. He was too adorable.
"So do you," said Wendy. "So… let's get this thing going."
"Oh, right," said Dipper. His face became serious. He took Wendy by the hand and led her to his car. The both got in, and Dipper started it up.
"So where are we patrolling tonight?" asked Wendy.
"The docks," said Dipper instantly. "Or at least around the area, if it's still closed. If McGucket turns up, I want to be there. Some more memories came back. I think he's a lot more intelligent than he leads on."
"Really? He's not completely nuts?" asked Wendy.
"Oh he's crazy," said Dipper, "but I remember him still being useful. He was part of a secret society or something, I think."
"A dangerous secret society?" asked Wendy.
"Not anymore," said Dipper. "I know that. I'm not sure how or why I know that, but I know that."
"Fair enough," said Wendy. They chatted casually as they approached town. They talked about school, the various jobs they'd had while they'd been apart, what they planned on doing in the future. Anything to not think about what lied ahead. "You want to know something really weird?" asked Wendy.
"Sure," said Dipper.
"I'm having fun." Wendy shrugged. "It's just so strange. I know we're moving towards what's likely going to be our inevitable doom, but I'm just really having a good time right now. I like being with you."
"I like being with you too," said Dipper. "In another world we could have had one heck of a fun summer."
"We can still have a fun summer in this world," said Wendy. "Hunting monsters doesn't have to be all bad."
"You really think so?" asked Dipper.
"No, that's being way too optimistic," said Wendy. "But I'd like to enjoy the monster-free times we have together."
"Well maybe we should try to make some time for each other," said Dipper. "I don't think it's asking the world too much for maybe an hour or two alone." Wendy smiled.
"An hour or two alone? You dog," said Wendy, punching Dipper lightly on the shoulder. Dipper turned crimson.
"To hang out!" he barked. "And talk and stuff." Wendy laughed.
"You are just so adorably awkward, I can't even," she said. Dipper giggled despite himself.
"I can't help it," he said. "I've never exactly been smooth with the ladies."
"I think you're a little smoother than you give yourself credit for," Wendy said. Dipper's heart soared.
/
"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Mabel. She was dressed in a hot pink knee-length dress. It was a lot less frilly than Robbie was expecting. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. Her makeup was simple and incredibly well done. Just enough blush and eyeliner to accentuate her features, but not enough to make her look garish. Robbie couldn't help thinking that she was pretty, despite the raging hot anger coursing inside of him.
"It's no problem," Robbie said. He was only wearing his work outfit, jeans and a Mystery-Shack T-shirt. He hadn't bothered changing. He knew that Pacifica's spell made him a knockout regardless of what clothes he wore.
"So what do you want to do?" asked Mabel.
"I was thinking we could get some dinner," said Robbie. "There's a new restaurant in town that just opened. It's a french place, I think." Mabel hated french food, but she kept this to herself.
"That sounds wonderful," she said. She slung her purse over her shoulder and followed Robbie out of the store. As they walked to his car (a beat up old Ford Focus), neither of them talked. To Mabel, Robbie seemed nervous. Well, maybe nervous was the wrong word. He seemed preoccupied. His face kept contorting into different expression, as if he was having some sort of internal struggle. He refused to meet her eyes. She stopped a few feet from his car. "Robbie," she said slowly, "are you sure you want to do this?"
"Having second thoughts?" Robbie asked.
"Well I'm not," said Mabel. "But honestly, you don't look super comfortable with this. I don't want you to go out with me if you don't like me. You don't have to humor me."
"It's not that I don't like you," said Robbie. 'I actually want to tear you limb from limb,' he thought to himself. "It's just that, to be honest, I don't do this kind of thing very often." Uh, wow. That ended up being a lot more honest than he had intended.
"Really?" asked Mabel. "But you're so…" she trailed off. Hot? Handsome? Rugged? Fabio-esque?
"I'm just kind of a solitary guy," Robbie said. "I lost most of my friends in high school after me and Tambry broke up. And after that, I don't know, I guess I never really bothered to go out and meet anybody." Okay, what the hell is this? Why was he telling her all this!?
"Well that's okay," said Mabel. "I totally get that. When I was younger I was a total dork. I had a really hard time making friends." Mabel walked over to him, and grabbed his hands. He wanted to feel revulsion. Should have felt revulsion. But… but he didn't. "Just be yourself," said Mabel. "I like you for you. You don't have to impress me. I promise that I'll like whoever is inside here." She pointed to Robbie's chest. Robbie took his hands out of hers, and whirled around. "Robbie?" whispered Mabel.
"I actually hate french food," Robbie whispered. "I just thought it would impress you."
"Want to go to Johnny Rocket's instead?" Mabel asked. Robbie wiped the moisture from his eyes. "Yeah," Robbie said. "I'd really like that."
/
The sun had set, and Dipper had begun to slowly roll through the town proper. Both him and Wendy were on edge. Dipper had the Three journal in his lap, and Wendy clasped a stake. She thought they would look strange to anyone who looked at them, but nobody seemed to be out.
"It's funny," said Wendy. "I'm surprised there aren't more people on the streets."
"Maybe people are scared," said Dipper. "People have been disappearing, after all."
"Fair point," said Wendy. "Not to mention that the diner burned down under, uh, mysterious circumstances."
"I feel really bad about that," sighed Dipper. "But what could I do? Write the owner a letter? 'Sorry I burned down your restaurant, I had a vampire emergency?'"
"That does sound pretty ridiculous," said Wendy. "Hey, stop the car." Dipper rolled to a stop. "Look where I'm looking." Dipper followed Wendy's gaze. On the sidewalk, a man was pacing. He was dressed in a hoodie that obscured his facial features. He wore jeans, and his hands were in his pockets.
"That's a little suspicious," said Dipper.
"Should we confront him?" asked Wendy. 'If it is a him, and not an it,' she thought.
"Yeah, I think we should." Dipper tucked the Three under his arm, and Wendy placed the stake in her pocket. It stuck out of it, but it wasn't super noticeable. They got out of the car, and slowly walked over to the figure. It noticed them, and stopped pacing. They moved forward, until they too were on the sidewalk, a few feet away.
"What do you want?" asked the man. It was definitely a man. The voice was too deep to be a woman's. And to Wendy, there was something very familiar about the voice.
"We're just checking to make sure everything's all right," said Dipper.
"Why wouldn't it be?" asked the man.
"Strange things have been happening lately," said Dipper. "People disappearing and such." The man tilted his head. A nearby street-lamp illuminated his face.
"Thompson? Is that you?" asked Wendy. Thompson pulled the drawstrings on his hoodie, and stepped out of the light.
"Who's Thompson? No Thompson here," the man said.
"It's Thompson," said Wendy. "Dude, why are you acting so weird?" Thompson sighed, and pulled down his hood. He hadn't changed much. His chicken-scratch facial hair had turned into a full blown beard, but he was still chubby.
"I'm sorry," Thompson said. "It's just that, like you said, things have been weird around here lately. Last night I had a crazy encounter with something that looked like half dog, half bat. I called some of my friends, and they've been having weird experiences as well. I don't know. I thought maybe I could do something." Dipper smiled.
"Thompson, I am so glad I ran into you," Dipper said.
/
He was laughing. For some crazy reason, Robbie was actually laughing. He and Mabel had spent the better part of an hour at Johnny Rocket's, a silly fifties themed diner that had just been built right outside of town. He wanted to hate her, felt like he should hate her, but he was struggling. She was cute, she was funny, and she was compassionate. She was a lot like Tambry, only she seemed to actually care about him.
"And then," Mabel said,"Dipper slipped again, and his shoe flew off and hit Mrs. Pinsky in the head." The two laughed uproariously. "He got suspended for a week, and it wasn't even his fault." Mabel wiped a tear out of her eye.
"Wow, I had no idea he could be such a klutz," said Robbie.
"He's a lil' awkward," said Mabel. They had finished their food, and were waiting for the check. "Oh man, I'm so glad we did this. The past couple of nights have been so stressful."
"Really?" said Robbie. "Why? I thought you and Dipper were just doing summer vacation things." A frown appeared on Mabel's face.
"Well, things have gotten a little bit complicated," Mabel said. "It's not worth going into, but let's just I've been a little preoccupied." Robbie felt a twinge of guilt. Wait, guilt? WHAT THE HELL IS THIS? SHE DESTROYED YOUR FACE, ROBBIE! SHE HURT YOU!
"I… I see," said Robbie. "Well I hope it all works out."
"So do I," said Mabel. The waitress with their check skated over, and placed it on their table. They both reached for it at the same time. Their hands touched. That strange electric feeling rushed through Robbie again. It wasn't hatred. It, it was… it was how he felt when Tambry had held his hand all those years ago. Robbie yanked out his wallet and threw down a twenty. He stood up, and bolted out the door. Mabel stared after him for a moment, then followed. By the time she got out, Robbie was already opening the car.
"Robbie!" she shouted. He got in, slammed the door, and put the keys in the ignition. Mabel was struggling to reach him; she knew she should have wore more practical shoes. He peeled out of the parking lot with a screech, and zoomed onto the main thoroughfare. She was left alone, angry and confused.
/
"Of course I'll join you!" shouted Thompson. "Oh my God, it's like a dream come true! We're like the X-men or something!"
"I wouldn't go that far," said Dipper, "but I definitely think we could be a force for good."
"We should try to recruit more people," said Thompson. "I can maybe call a couple of my friends."
"As long as they won't think you're crazy," said Dipper.
"Well they already think I'm crazy, so it's not a big deal," said Thompson. Wendy opened her mouth to say something snarky, but a scream pierced the air. The trio turned towards the sound of the noise. Kids were pouring out of a nearby arcade, many of them crying. The three ran towards the kids, until they were only a few feet from the arcade.
"What's the matter?" Wendy asked one of the kids.
"They're alive!" screamed the little boy. "They're alive, and they're trying to kill us!" He ran as fast as his little legs would take him. Dipper looked up at the arcade.
"Freddy Fazbear's Playpen," he read aloud. "Was this place around when I was in town?"
"No," said Wendy, "they built it a couple of years ago."
"What did he mean when he said they're alive?" asked Dipper.
"I don't know," said Wendy. "Thompson, you have any ideas?" Silence. "Thompson?" The other two looked at him. All the color had drained out of his face.
"I come here a lot," he whispered. "I love videogames, and this is the only place in town that gets the most recent VR-stuff that comes in. I never figured out why, but they have these three creepy animatronics that sit at the front of the stage. I never liked those things. They always seemed just a little too real." Dipper and Wendy gulped.
/
Author's Note: I'm going to go back and clean up the other chapters shortly, I just like posting them when they're written so I can get them back out. Namely I'd like to put in more clearly defined line-breaks during the time skips. For this chapter I've denoted them with a " / ." Sorry this update took so long, I wanted to watch the season finale before I finished this. Anyway, as always, I hope everyone's enjoying this. And I promise, the next chapter is going to be a doozy.