August 11, 2012

Dipper sat on the swing set, letting his mind wander. So many things to think about, and it was all happening so fast.

It'd only been a week since he got out of the hospital, and according to Mabel, three weeks since the accident. Stan hadn't had any other episodes, so Billeah and Mabel were feeling safe enough to sleep in their own beds with only a chair propped up against the door, and Wendy had just been civil to him after their movie night.

Dipper kicked off and worked up a few good swings. The sense of free-fall felt right with him. If he closed his eyes, for a moment, he could recreate his time in the mindscape.

"Dipper?" Said a familiar voice.

Dipper put his feet out and skidded to a stop. He opened his eyes and saw Pacifica, wearing a blue long sleeve shirt and black pants. A large oversized belt wrapped around the ensemble, with a matching headband. Behind her was her family limousine, He could see Mr. and Mrs. Northwest looking out nervously at him.

"Mind if I join you?" She asked nervously. "I… haven't seen you around since our party, and I heard what happened..."

"Your parents look like they're going to have a heart attack." Dipper chuckled.

"Uhhg. Hold on," Pacifica said, and pulled out her cell phone. "Mom, Dad, I'm fine! It's DIPPER! The same Dipper, just… minus an eye. Yes, I'll call when I want to be picked up."

The black limo rolled up its window and drove away slowly, leaving the two of them alone at the park.

"They seem… usual." Dipper said, playing with the dirt.

"I… had to see. I'm sorry." Pacifica said, she looked ashamed. "They told me how bad it was, but I didn't believe the stories."

"Well if the old Stan was around, He could use me for an exhibit. Come see the one eyed lobster boy." Stan chuckled. "Here, hold on."

He unzipped his jacket and folded it precisely in a square. He got up, and set it down on the swing next to him. Pacifica looked confused, as Dipper moved her over and sat her down.

"I… uhhh." she said.

"I'm sure your clothes are more than I could make in a year at the Shack, I didn't want you to get dirty." Dipper said. He stood in front of her, and took a deep breath. Rolling up his sleeve, he showed her the burn that trailed from his chest and wrapped around his arm, down to the end of the elbow.

"Can… they fix it?" Pacifica asked softly, her gloves gingerly touching the leathery pink skin.

"They said they might be able too. I don't know if I can have any surgeries done though." Dipper said softly and moved behind her, giving her a little push.

"I'll have my dad call his doctor friends; we can pay for it all. I don't care." Pacifica stammered. "It's the least I can do for what you did for me!"

"Thanks for the offer," Dipper smiled. "I'll keep it in mind when I come to that bridge. I have more than some superficial scars on my mind."

"I may not be very good at this, but I can listen." Pacifica said softly. "I've been worried sick about you Dipper. I've missed my golf practice, I've stopped going to my equestrian lessons, and I've devolved into a slobbering caveman and ate with my hands at dinner the other night!"

"What was for dinner?" Dipper asked

"Well, it was sandwiches, but the point is still valid." Pacifica chuckled.

"Why are you so worried about me? I'm tough, you saw me kick butt at your party. I handled myself pretty well."

"You and everyone else got turned into wood." Pacifica pointed out. "I was the one who saved the day."

"But not without my heroic inspirational training." Dipper retorted.

"We can agree on that." Pacifica chuckled and stood up. "But I'm serious, the Northwest's are behind you one hundred percent. Anything you need, I want to be the first one you call."

"How about lunch?" Dipper smiled.

"I'll call my chef; he'll be here in ten minutes!" Pacifica said excitedly and pulled out her phone. Dipper grabbed her hand and pointed across the way to the diner.

"I've been meaning to see Lazy Susan." Dipper said with a smile. Pacifica gave him her uncomfortable grin and nodded.

"Ok," she said definitively and put her phone away. "I assume you want to walk there, when I have a perfectly good Limousine on call?"

"If I get in a limo with you, who knows where you'll steal me away to." Dipper chuckled. "I don't think Mabel could handle knowing you gave me a spa day without her."

"Hmm, not a bad idea, maybe next time." Pacifica said. Dipper crooked his arm, and Pacifica looped hers through. They walked across the street and up the block to the diner.

OoOoO

Dipper and Pacifica left Greasy's diner after a filling meal. Stan had given the three of them a sizable allowance, something the Imposter never did.

"I really wish you'd have let me paid, it's not like it's hurting anything… and you're so…" Pacifica stammered.

"Poor?" Dipper finished with a chuckle. "I'm fine, and can pay for my meals."

They walked to the end of the block; Pacifica checked her watch and looked around impatiently.

"I swear I'm going to fire him." She said annoyed. "He said five minutes, it's been seven!"

"Hey, I enjoyed catching up." Dipper said, "But I'm not ready to head home yet. I've been feeling cooped up."

"Tell me where you want to go, I'll take you there! Or... we can walk?" She said with a smile.

"I promise I'll call you soon, I just… it's been a long day." he said, giving her a hug. He felt her tense up under him and looked flustered when he pulled away. "Oh, sorry. Just used to doing that with Mabel and Billeah…" Dipper chuckled nervously.

"No… no it's fine, I umm… call me." Pacifica said and got into the limo as it pulled up. He waved at it as it pulled away and walked down the street.

Dipper spent most of the evening walking the streets of the town. Everyone seemed to smile and offer condolences, he wished Mabel was there to hear the well-wishers with him. It was getting dark when he made his way back to the Shack.

"I'm back guys; you won't believe the day I had…" Dipper said, walking into the kitchen.

"Well, son, it's not over." Said a familiar voice. Dipper spun around and saw two men in black suits sitting with Stan at the table.

"We've been waiting for you to get home." Stan said. "Remind me we need to get you a new phone."

"What's… going on?" Dipper asked.

"Someone's been asking for you and your sister." He said gruffly.

OoOoO

The drive to the undisclosed government facility was filled with silence. The minivan fit everyone, with the kids in the far back, and a disgruntled Stan sitting next to one of the agents. Agent Powers was driving with Agent Triggers next to him.

"You sure we shoulda brought her?" Stan said gruffly, pointing to a meek and scared looking Billeah.

"She's family, and that's what this is, isn't it?"

"Have you been feeding him?" Mabel shouted. "He's old, and delicate."

"He's been treated in accordance to the Geneva Conventions." Agent Powers said.

"Why isn't he in Guantanamo? He is a terrorist." Stan said.

"His story was rather interesting… He agreed to cooperate with us in regards to the device if we allowed him a meeting with you all."

"Wonderful…" Stan said rolling his eyes.

"Dipper…" Billeah whispered and hugged his arm.

"It's ok," he said with a smile. "You have us here."

The van pulled up to a chain link fence with barbed wire. An MP opened the gate and waved them through.

The Pines followed the agents through winding hallways into a room with a glass barrier. Agent Powers turned on a light, revealing Grunkle Stan in a yellow jumpsuit, chained to a chair in the middle of an empty room.

"Who? What? Who's there! You heard my demands!" Grunkle Stan said.

Mabel's arms were tucked into her oversized sleeves and covering her mouth. Dipper could see she was holding back her tears.

"We brought them here, Stanford." Agent powers said into a microphone. He flipped a light, revealing the darkened room, and everyone took a seat at the long table that was sat up against the dividing mirror.

"Oh god. Mabel, Dipper! Are you ok?" He said frantically, and his eyes rested on Dipper. "Oh god... I'm so sorry!"

Stanford looked around the room and his eyes rested on Stan who glared back at him.

"Oh god, you're back! It worked! Kids! It worked!" Stanford struggled with his chains,

"But was it worth it?" Stan said coldly "Didn't you read what I said? A twelve year old figured out the added notes I had hidden with a black light. You almost killed Dipper and you did leave them orphans in the process! Why couldn't you leave well enough alone?" Stan shouted and slammed his fist on the glass.

"Wait… orphans?" Stanford stammered, "What? How?"

"Their parents were on a flight that took them right over Gravity Falls and there was another pulse from the machine. You have the deaths of over two hundred people on your blood soaked hands."

"Oh… my god." Stanford said. The man Dipper had looked up to through the summer, the strong and confident man he and Mabel loved, crumbled in front of him. "Stanly, I was doing it for you, I didn't mean any of this to happen. I did what I had to. I did what I needed to get you back to us, back to me!"

"I warned you about the dangers of that portal, You've destroyed so many lives for what? So you can have your brother back? I made my choice and accepted what happened to me. I didn't ask you to bring me back. I knew the dangers when we turned that cursed thing on, why do you think I hid the journals?"

"To keep them safe, away from people who would abuse your research!" Sanford said, not looking in his brother's eyes.

"No, I hid the journals to keep them away from you! Once that portal was built, I had a feeling I might not be back, I split up the journals to keep you from rebuilding it, and from the looks of it, you screwed it up. Just like you screwed up everything else! And because of your lack of caution you left your own grandchildren parentless and destroyed any hope of a normal life for your grandson!"

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Dipper interrupted. Any respect or love he felt for the man was gone. Mabel was turtled in her sweater and Billeah was holding her.

"It… it all seems pointless now. I wanted to explain to the kids that I was already established as your Grunkle way before you kids were born. It was easy for me to make the switch and fake my death. I'd rather everyone think the deadbeat twin had bit it, and carry on living as the good one… in your memory."

"A fine job you did there." Stan said. "I apparently have been known as a lying, swindling cheat who's only out for himself and other people's money. Old habits must die hard."

"I did what I could with what I had to work with! Dipper, you understand! You'd move heaven and earth to bring back your sister if anything happened to her!"

Stanford's comment struck Dipper cold. He didn't know what to say, and looked at Billeah.

"Well, you've done enough to these kids. They're in my custody now, as is my house. Like always I have to clean up your mess and set everyone straight. The whole town knows what you did, and if you somehow weasel your way out of those chains, don't think about coming back. As far as I'm concerned, you died in that fake car crash." Stan said, and turned away. "Come on kids, unless you have something to say."

Mabel stood up, still turtled inside her oversized shooting star sweater and walked forward.

"You'll always be my Grunkle… I still believe in you." She said, and turned away sobbing.

Dipper stood up and moved to the glass and put his hand on it. "You always said we're family, I don't even know you. I… we trusted you. All you had to do was trust us, and see we're not just kids you have to shelter. We would have helped if we know what this was all about. If you told us your plan, I would have been first in line. I would have done the same, if I were in your shoes, if it was to save Mabel. But, I would have trusted my friends to help, and would have been honest with them… that's… all I have to say."

Dipper moved back to Mabel and put his arms around her and Billeah. They slowly walked to the exit door. He couldn't bear to see his Grunkle…. no. His grandfather's face.

"Thank you all for coming," Agent Trigger said. "Stanford, we did what you asked, so I want your full cooperation."

"Yeah… whatever, I got nothing else to live for. Why not?" he mumbled.

"What's he doing?" Stan asked Agent Trigger.

"Well, I wanted to bring you on board, as your one of the original designers. We have a team of scientists from DARPA looking at the photos of your portal design. We still need to remove it from your basement, and into a more secure facility, but I wanted you to lead the project with a comfortable budget and access to the brightest minds in Eureka."

"You want to build the portal again?" Stan looked astonished. "After all that's happened?"

"You, your brother, and McGucket built that machine out of junkyard parts in a basement. Our research shows with proper equipment and a budget, we can make it work." Agent Trigger said.

"You… You don't understand what's out there!" Stan screamed. "I spent thirty years out there! You don't understand!"

"Help us understand." Agent Trigger said calmly. "We're not spooky government employees. We'll have you debrief us, and if what you say is true, I'll personally scrap the project."

"Wouldn't work without McGucket anyway…" Stan said.

"He's already in custody as an accessory of Stanford. Apparently he started some cult that would mind wipe anyone who saw something they shouldn't see. We've recovered the memories, and are working with him on how to restore them. The archive was unimaginable, and it will take years to have people restored, if they want to."

"Take the kids away, I'll tell you what's on the other side. They've dealt with enough for one night."

"But, I want to know!" Dipper protested.

"Kid," Stan said. "No… you don't."

OoOoO

An unnamed agent moved the three children into a waiting room with a TV and a box of doughnuts. Billeah clung on dippers arm and refused to let go. They all sat down around the doughnuts. Dipper's stomach growled, he realized how late it was, and lunch with Pacifica was all he'd had to eat all day.

Mabel picked the one with the most sprinkles, and laid her head on the table, looking at it sideways. She systematically picked one sprinkle at a time, half-heartedly put it on her tongue and ate it.

"So… I had an interesting day." Dipper said, trying to get someone to talk.

"Yeah… me too… I found out the Grunkle I loved was really my Grandfather who was responsible for the death of our parents… What'd you do?" Mabel said with slow drawl, almost like she was drunk.

"Well…" Dipper said with a cheery tone, "I had lunch with Pacifica."

"Get out!" Mabel said with a grin, instantly distracted. "Tell me more!"

Dipper knew his sister and how to get her out of a funk, and that was girl gossip. He'd heard enough between her, Candy and Grenda to make it sound juicy.

"Well, I was at the park and she pulled up in her limo. I was chivalrous and let her sit on my jacket, since she's her, and her clothes are worth more than our lives." Dipper said with a grin. Billeah was staring at the wall, and not letting up. One relative at a time, Dipper thought to himself.

"Wooooo, you're pulling out the moves!" Mabel said. Dipper was relieved to see her actually eating the doughnut. She must want the distraction as much as he did. "So what happened next?

"I pushed her on the swing, we talked. She wanted to look at my burns. She could have her dad talk to their doctor and get referrals to the best ones, and she'd pay for everything."

"Oh my god, Dipper" Mabel said, she reached out and gently touched the strip on his arm. "What did you say?"

"I said I'd think about it. I don't want to say yes and use her for her money." Dipper said. He felt Billeah's cling on his arm tighten and pull, he leaned down and she whispered into his ear.

"I want to fix it myself, please?" Billeah whispered softly.

"What'd she say?" Mabel said giving Dipper a suspicious look.

"Just that she wants the maple bar." Dipper lied. Was this how it felt for Stan? Lying to protect the ones you love?

"So anyway, I just asked her to lunch. She kept saying I can ask her anything and she'll do it. She says she owes me for the party, even though it was Pacifica who saved everyone." Dipper smiled.

"Oooooo. I think she LIIIIKES you…" Mabel smiled. "What about Wendy? How you going to break it to her? Like, 'I'm sorry tall and redhead, but I've got me a rich girl now. I'm going to live in luxury as a kept man; I got no time for lumberjacks!'" Mabel giggled.

"Noooo… I don't know. I like Wendy still. We've worked out that we're just friends, and since the movie night, nothing's really gone on. And then Pacifica's acting all weird and worried about me. I just don't know what to think."

"Well, no matter what happens with the women in your life just remember you always have us… until we meet cute boys and run away with them. Then you get a Christmas card and birthday card if you're lucky. Right?" Mabel said with a grin. Billeah nodded. "Welp, I'm going to repress the events of the night WAYYY down inside until I want to deal with them. I'm going to watch TV."

Dipper watched his sister grab the remote and flip through the channels. Billeah tugged on him, and he turned to face her. They moved their chairs to the far side of the room so they can talk.

"What's up?" Dipper asked.

"I knew…" Billeah said quietly. "I… I remembered, like for a moment when I was in there, and Uncle… or Grandpa… is he my Grandpa?"

"You're the daughter my mother's sister, so yeah, he's a Grandpa."

"Anyway, when I was in there, I was seeing the strings. The puppet strings. Mine and the others." Billeah said quietly.

"Others?" Dipper asked.

"Others, like me. You don't understand Pinetree. I like you… I like humans, that's why I watched you. You're funny and try to do so much with such little time you have. I'm fascinated with it. Why do you think I asked to come into your world? Where I was, I could only watch."

"But, the way you acted before, you possessed me and did all those things. And with Gideon, going into Stan's mind?" Dipper said.

"That was… and wasn't me. That didn't happen this time. We need to look at the journals, So much has changed, and I can't tell what's what. If you give me a chance to look, and see from a bigger height, I can see the strings better. Something's bad, real bad right now. I think it's here, and involving them and the portal."

"Let's try this the human way before resorting to me being suckered into letting you use your powers." Dipper said flatly.

"Dipper, I thought you trusted me." Billeah said, the shattered look on her face stabbed Dipper's heart.

"I… It's not that I don't, it just… It's hard ok? When you're you, you're fine, but when you start talking like Bill and asking me to let you use your powers to fix me or change things, I get really defensive and scared that I may say the wrong thing and… that I'll lose her." Dipper said quietly and looked over at Mabel. She was on her fifth donut and clearly on a sugar high. She was running back and forth around the room singing made up lyrics to the jingle on the TV.

"I understand, it's hard, but I do." Billeah said softly.

"Hey, I don't want to lose you either. You're a Pines, and you're under my protection." Dipper said.

"Stanford is a Pines…" Billeah said softly.

Dipper knew that, and a part of him agreed. Stanford Pines, his grandfather, was still family. Standing up, he extended his hand to Billeah. She looked slightly taken aback by it, but accepted it just the same. Dipper helped her out of her seat, and led her to the now sleeping Mabel whose sugar high just crashed.

"No matter what, we stick together" he said to Billeah. With that, he sat down next to his sister, and pulled Billeah down next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder. Mabel sensed Dipper nearby, reached out and clung onto him while he picked up the remote and flipped through the channels, waiting for whatever new trials were going to be thrown at him.