Dipper pulled the rickety golf-cart into one of the diner's parking spaces, yanking out the key before its old motor could spew more exhaust into the air. It was a surprise to all the Mystery Shack employees that the possibly stolen cart had lasted as long as it did. The cart was mostly used for getting in and out of town, these days mainly by Soos and the twins, and on occasion Wendy. If her own car was low on gas, she would opt for the cart, as she would waste less of her own money in transportation. Being in close quarters with Grunkle Stan for extended periods of time, they all picked up on tricks to save money. Though none would admit it. They both unclipped their seat belts then made their way into the restaurant.

Seated in the far corner were Sam and Dean, as far from most of the locals as physically possible. Dean's already downturned lips deepened into a scowl as they approached.

"Where's Wendy?" he asked, evoking a dark feeling in the pit of Dipper's stomach. Luckily, Mabel stated her whereabouts before he could snap at the older man.

" Well, you know how we said we might need a distraction, right? Well Wendy was able to get Soos to help distract Grunkle Stan, but when he got in trouble Wendy was too close by and got caught too. So she's still stuck at the shack and we're here!" She finished with a flourish, twirling in a circle before plopping onto the fake leather seat. She scooted over to the wall, allowing Dipper the space to join her. He sat down next to her, and turned his gaze onto the brothers opposite him.

"First things first, I'd like to know who you are. Normal citizens don't go roaming the woods at night carting around firearms. And don't skimp on the details, I think all of us are very well invested in the 'weird'." After the brothers shared a look, Sam consented with Dipper's request, in albeit a slightly skimpy fashion.

"We're monster hunters. Demons, ghosts, witches, the works. We travel around, help people who are in trouble."

Mabel immediately perked up, a familiar gleam in her pretty brown eyes.

"Ooh! Have you ever met a vampire? I've always wanted to meet one. The closest we've ever come to meeting one was when we saw a bat, but I guess that was just a normal bat, not a vampire."

Dean spoke up then, before she could get off onto a tangent.

" Girly, I don't think anyone would want to meet a vamp. Those bastards are vicious killers." Mabel's smile faded slightly, and Dipper felt the need to intervene.

"So, what, you kill things that are attacking people? What brought you to Gravity Falls?"

" We were between cases," Sam replied, " Just finished up an exorcism in a town south of here. It was getting late, so we decided to stop for a night or two. We didn't come here for a case, or anything. We were just in the right place at the right time last night."

Dean butted into the conversation then, hardly a breath after his brother had stopped.

" Yeah, what was up with that anyway? I mean, gnomes? What, do you have a witch obsessed with garden ornaments living here or somethin'?"

Dipper shared a look with Mabel. They'd never really considered where the various creatures came from, just accepted that they were there.

"They're just kind of... there? We first found them during our first summer here." Dipper said, not sure how to start the ridiculous story. Mable took over for him.

"They're huge jerks! They tried to kidnap me!" In typical fashion of a pair of close twins, they began to talk in tandem.

" They're not much one at a time, but it's easy to be overwhelmed if they're in a big group."

"Even in a group, if you take out Jeff they're pretty much useless. Kaboom!"

" They don't seem to have much stamina."

"And they don't like leaf blowers!"

"Oh, and I guess they're afraid of loud noises too. And possibly long range weapons."

Dipper pulled out his journal and flipped through the already well-thumbed pages. He came to a stop on the page labeled 'Gnomes', and tapped the note he had added the night before. He was no artist, but had managed to draw decent sketch of the creature onto the page. The owner of his old journal was definitely a much better illustrator than he. Most of the pages in his own journal either had his own attempts at drawings and diagrams on them, Mabel's glitter pen drawings, or the rare snapshot provided by Mabel's scrap-booking camera. But he was making an honest attempt to improve his skills.

As soon as he brought out the worn book, both Sam and Dean took an obvious interest. Dipper refused the temptation to hide it away again.

" May I …?" Sam stretched out a hand, but didn't outright take it from him. Only after a nudge from Mabel did he relinquish the notebook, keeping a sharp eye on the other man the entire time. Sam laid it open on the table, and both hunters began to flip through the note covered pages. Sam wore a mildly impressed look.

" And these are all monsters you've found here?" Dean asked, and Dipper nodded.

"This place sounds bat shit insane." Dean said, pausing on a page hosting the hairy form of the Manotaurs. He gestured to the page.

"I mean seriously! What the hell even is this? This looks like something from a fairy tale, not reality!"

Dipper frowned at the reminder of the idiotic half-men, and Mabel giggled.

" Dipper, you don't like those guys, do you?" When Mabel had met the Manotaurs, they'd made every attempt to outdo each other with their 'tough guy' antics. Which resulted in a large portion of the forest being knocked down. And Dipper almost being trampled multiple times, of course.

"They're just immature jerks. I would recommend avoiding them." Dipper stated, then sulkily sank lower into his seat. Sam decided it was time to return to their original intent for the meeting, flipping back to the gnomes page.

"So these gnomes... Is there any way you might be able to deal with them?"

Dipper and Mabel shared a look.

" Usually we send Jeff off and the rest of them kind of... fall apart. They usually can't function without his orders, but I didn't see him last night..." Dipper replied.

"Jeff?" Sam questioned. Mabel nodded.

"He's like, their leader or whatever. He gives them orders and stuff. They have like no brains without him."

At this, Dipper sat up with a sudden realization.

"Jeff wasn't there last night. "

The three others at the table, specifically Sam and Dean, looked at him questioningly.

"Usually they're all there together with Jeff in the lead, but he wasn't there last night!"

Mabel's nose crinkled as she frowned slightly.

"Why wouldn't he be there?"

Dipper, feeling energized by their new realization, sat up in his seat.

" He wouldn't normally leave the rest of the gnomes alone, and he's the only one who is ever able to keep them together!" He slid out of the seat and stood.

"If we can catch another one of the gnomes and get it to tell us what's up, we can find out what's going on! Meet us at the Mystery Shack!"

He ran out, quickly followed by Mabel, leaving the brother's sitting a bit dumbfounded at the booth.

My apologies for lateness. I started college this past week and the internet connection was spotty. I did try to upload this chapter, but the page would time out every time. I'm back home for the long weekend, but I'll make an effort to find a location with better wifi later this week when I head back.

Hope you enjoy this chapter!

-Missa