Chapter 18

Disclaimer: Alex Hirsch owns Gravity Falls, not me. There is also mention of suicide, if that might trigger some feelings, skip over the part where Mabel and Dipper talk in the attic (it's brief, as in a sentence or two).

"I-I'm s-sorry." Gideon sputtered out, tears welling in his eyes.

Mabel shook her head. "No, it's not your fault; Dipper just...gets like that sometimes."

The 10-year-old gulped. "B-But, I never h-heard him s-say a b-bad word b-before."

She was becoming concerned with how much his stuttering was becoming, finding it unnerving at the concept of his mind stressing on experiences from recent times. It was worst than Dipper's was and she knew how stressed he was in the present. She didn't comment on that though, figuring he would feel self conscious if she did so. "It only happens sometimes."

"S-Sometimes?"

Mabel's lips were in a thin line. "If he's...feeling like...someone else he does."

"Oh...like when s-she u-used me and I-I was m-mean?"

Mabel appeared anguished at this reminder and then nodded. "Yes...except...Dipper is using himself."

It was then that Dr. Thompson entered and approached the pair. "Mabel, I need to speak to Gideon alone."

"S-She can s-stay..." The 10-year-old whispered.

The doctor gave him a startled look, not having heard his voice until now. "Very well, but Mabel please be discreet with whom you speak with about personal matters of my patients."

Mabel nodded and he continued on. "Dr. Watts-your psychologist-has deemed you worthy to leave the hospital and I have to agree on this one, since it seems you are able to speak now. However, as a minor, without available parents or relatives, it seems as though we'll have to send you to foster care for the moment."

"Foster care? You mean someone is gonna adopt him?" Mabel questioned, growing fearful of him being sent away.

"No, no. Fostering is when a family momentarily takes him in without adopting. Fostering can be anywhere from days to years, depending on the situation. No adopting though. Do you understand this, Gideon?"

Gideon gulped. "Y-Yes."

"Now, I know it can be a difficult process a-"

"Will he go far away?" She didn't approve of that and the freckled boy clearly didn't either.

"Possibly. It depends on who we can find within a short time span."

"But, bu-"

"Mabel, I'm sorry to say, but this isn't up to you. And, Gideon, it may be difficult adjusting to your temporary family, but I promise you, you'll be in good hands. I'll make sure of that." Dr. Thompson concluded.

Mabel remembered though, seeing a flash of her father as a teenager, standing before the Mystery Shack, face glum. "GRUNKLE STAN FOSTERED BEFORE!"

Dr. Thompson and Gideon jolted at her outburst. The 13-year-old blushed a bit, before revealing her though progress. "Um, Grunkle Stan can foster, so maybe Gideon be with him."

The doctor seemed as though he was struggling between laughing and being professional. Gideon had that "deer-in-headlights" sort of face. Dr. Thompson composed himself within moments and cleared his throat. "Um, Mabel, your grandfat-" Gideon frowned at the word. "-her, isn't...all that...uh, your grandfather wouldn't approve of this."

Mabel was well-aware of that, but she had to try. "But, he could."

"Er, yes, I heard that his nephew was in his care for a year, so essentially yes. But, I highly doubt he would approve of this."

"Please, just let me talk to him, Dr. Thompson. Just give me until tomorrow, please?" Mabel begged, clasping her hands together.

His own son never begged him of anything, so seeing her with those large, innocent eyes, tugged at his heartstrings. But, overtime, he's learned that begging from patients only made the situation worse. He was quite conflicted between being a father and being a doctor at the moment. "Mabel, I can't do that. Holding this off would be unethical and unprofessional of me. I'm sorry, but I can't."

"But, bu-"

Dr. Thompson leaned forward. "Waiting for two days wouldn't be in the question."

Mabel furrowed her eyebrows. "Wait, two days? I was just asking until tomorrow. I j-"

"Sorry, can't do two days." Dr. Thompson concluded, surprisingly winking as he left.

She felt her excitement grow, as it dawned upon her that she was receiving permission to wait until tomorrow for an answer. She swiveled her head back to a confused Gideon and excitedly told him to just wait until tomorrow, not noticing his grimace each time she mentioned her great-uncle. When the brunette returned home, after a brief goodbye to her friend, though, her excitement had clearly reduced, realizing Stan wouldn't approve of this idea. Mabel was determined to keep Gideon close, knowing he needed her and Dipper to survive. When she entered Stan's office, just like she predicted, he was bent over papers, mumbling to himself. Perfect. "Hi, Grunkle Stan."

Stan grunted in reply and she thought it to be a sign to continue. "You were a foster parent for my dad, right?"

"Yeah..." He mumbled, clearly not listening as he scribbled onto his papers and punched in some numbers onto his calculator.

"Welllll, Gideon can't say in the hospital anymore, since he's not hurt, and Dr. Thompson says he needs a parent, orrrr he's going to put him into foster care."

"Uh-huh."

"Soooo, would you foster Gideon?"

"Yeah, sure."

Mabel blinked in surprise. "You're going to foster him?"

"Yeah, look Mabel, I'm kind of busy right now. We can talk later." Stan grumbled as he scratched out what he wrote.

"You promise though?"

"What? Promise what?" Stan asked, looking up from his papers.

"To foster Gideon for awhile."

The elder man nearly fell out of his chair in surprise, but immediately steadied himself. "To what?! Foster?!"

Mabel cringed, knowing this wasn't going as well as she thought. "Uh, y-yeah. He needs someone to foster him, since his, um, mom and dad can't."

"Ok, and you thought I would?"

"You don't have do much, j-"

"No, no, that's what the social worker said to me when I had to watch your pops for a year and he didn't even know how to cook for himself, so I had to do it! I have to actually do stuff to take care of him, kid!"

"But, you said you made him always coo-"

"Well, I lied! The kid could barely do anything, since my sister-in-law babied him so much!"

The image of a younger version of her father swam into view, revealing him to be curled up into a ball, underneath the covers in his bed, staring blankly at the wall, tears streaming down his face. Mabel felt words erupt from her mouth against her will. "Maybe cause his mom just died!"

Stan lurched forward, raising his hand as though to slap her, and the memory of Dipper being smacked flashed throughout her, and she stumbled back. Stan's hand nearly touched the desk and he froze at her actions. It dawned upon her that he was going to hit the table and not her. It was too late though, and she saw the flash of hurt in his eyes, before he sat back down. He began to furiously punch in numbers into the calculator and replied in an emotionless tone. "I'll think about it."

"Y-You have until tomorrow, because Dr. Thompson is going to send him away then..."

"Ok."

Mabel left, feeling a deep seated sickness in the pit of her stomach. Grunkle Stan wouldn't ever purposely hurt them, especially since she was a girl. The only reason he hit Dipper, was because he became a bit upset about the topic of his brother. She paled, realizing how this would sound to anyone else and vowed to never tell her parents about that event in the Stanley Mobile. She perked up from her depressive thoughts though, realizing he would actually think about it. In her excitement, she forgot what had occurred earlier that day in the hospital, and bolted upstairs, exploding into her room. "Dipper!"

When she saw her brother on the edge of his bed, arms laying on his knees, wearily sagged forwards, she paused. His eyes seemed dulled in an lifeless sort of way, but he intently watched her as she entered. "...what?"

Mabel remembered everything that happened, excitement full gone now, and began to realize she had seen her brother in this state before. The brunette cautiously approached the bed, finding this situation more familiar than what she would like. When he didn't lash out at her, she flopped down onto it and Dipper was jostled by the movement, causing him to fall backwards, head nearly hitting the wall. She crawled over to him and stared at his face. "I'm not mad or scared, if that's what you think."

His chocolate eyes shifted over to her and there was a unreadable gleam to them. No, Mabel wasn't scared of this Dipper, but was scared for him. "I wanted to hit you."

"Well, it's not like you haven't."

Dipper frowned. "What?"

"Or, maybe it was him? I don't know, sometimes I didn't know if you were Dipper or Jason...actually, I don't know right now, either."

Dipper stared up at the ceiling. "I don't know either. I...I'm tired though."

"You made the deal, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"I thought so. What do you have to do for him?"

There was a flicker in his eyes and they seemed less dulled. "Not to die."

"How can you do that?"

"I think he just means not dying anytime soon."

"What if you get in a car accident or drown o-"

"I don't know, Mabel, and I don't care."

Mabel laid next to him. "Please, don't."

"Don't what?"

"Please, don't become like that, again. Don't become Jason, please."

"Dipper isn't happy though."

Mabel stared at him. "Jason, please, I don't want him to hurt himself."

"He can't and I can't though."

"Can't?"

"I lied; my deal was not to kill myself."

Mabel's lip trembled. "You wanted to kill yourself?"

"At the time, we both did. I think we is becoming me, again, though. And, I don't know what to do about that. I'm Jason right now though, but I'll be Dipper when I wake up. Is that ok?" He seemed hopelessly confused by his own wording, appearing as though he was younger than he actually was. Mabel knew, deep down that Dipper had those suicidal thoughts, yet she had always ignored it. The idea of him actually going through with it, due to her neglecting him, sent shivers down her spine. The brunette sat up and began removing her brother's shoes. "W-What are you doing?"

"You said you were tired, so I'm helping you." She threw his shoes off the side of the bed and then threw her own over.

She crawled underneath his blanket and Dipper glared at her. "Get off."

"No." Mabel answered, before closing her eyes and turning away from him.

"It's 5 o'clock."

"You said you were tired, so go to sleep."

"Go to hell."

Mabel rolled over and flicked the side of his head. Dipper didn't hesitant to smacked her across the face and Mabel released a cry. "Don't ever do that again, you no good bra-" She in return slapped him across the face and he tightly grasped her wrist. "Don't make me break your nose."

Mabel's jaw clenched. "Don't make me give you a bloody nose, again, Jason."

Dipper's lips spread thinner and he released her hands. Mabel rolled back over, facing the wall. He frowned at the this action, before whispering to her. "I didn't mean to...I'm sorry...I...you're what made him not kill himself. You were always there for him, even when he thought you didn't need him."

"...What about you?"

"I don't mean anything."

"You're my bro-bro."

"Dipper is."

"So is Jason."

"...you have only one brother."

"Yes and his name is Jason Ritter 'Dipper' Pines and I love him."

His eyes welled with tears and he left his bed. He flopped down onto Mabel's and curled into her covers. "...love you, too."

~!16-1-3-9-6-9-3-1/9-19/14-5-24-20!~

Dipper slunk from his room, wanting to leave before sister woke that morning. It felt as though he wasn't in his own body and he wanted to avoid talking to her in such a state. It was as though he had been gone from his body for such a long time and had been replaced by a stranger. It wasn't a stranger by any means though, it had been Jason. When he was pouring his milk into the Overly Sensitive Owl cereal, he nearly split the whole jug when Stan came barreling in and pointed at him, before shouting. "You!"

He caught the milk, though some splashed onto the tile, and hurriedly put the lid back on. "What the heck, Grunkle Stan?!"

"Corduroy is late and isn't answering her phone and Soos is on vacation, so I don't have any employees right now. Go by her house to find her."

"I'm about to eat breakfast though!"

"Go!" He shouted, before leaving the room. A moment later he returned though and pointed at the floor. "And clean up that mess! Jeez, kids these days!"

Dipper frowned and was all but forced from the Shack, after he finished wiping up the spilled milk. He headed into the forest, knowing Wendy's house wasn't all that far from Stan's, but found himself stumbling throughout the somewhat fogged area. "Should of just slept in..."

There were clouds gathering in the air though, forming what could possibly be a storm, and Dipper was intent on arriving at the Corduroy residence before it could escalate any further. It seemed luck was on his side, since by the time he had arrived the fog had fully cleared and it wasn't raining yet. He knocked on the door and shifting from foot to foot as he waited. After an awkward moment, he knocked once more, finding it unusual he had to wait so long. Finally though, the door swung open, revealing Daniel Corduroy in the entryway. "Dipper?"

He seemed to be subdued from his usual energy and had a weary appearance on his face. "O-Oh, uh, Manly Dan, is W-Wendy home?"

"Yeah, of course."

Of course? "Uh, she didn't come into work today."

Dan blinked. "And?"

Dipper was beginning to find this whole experience uncomfortable and was confused about how calm the lumberjack was at the moment. "Uh, Grunkle Stan n-needed her today for work."

He frowned. "Is this a joke?"

"J-Joke?"

"Oh, no one's told you, huh?" Dan asked, shoulders slumping.

Dipper didn't like where this was going. "W-What's going on?"

"Here, here, come inside." Dan waved him in and he hesitantly entered.

They stood in the entry way and 13-year-old realized how unusually dark and quiet it was. "M-Manly D-Dan?"

Dan gulped and avoided eye contact with him. "Ah, today is, ah, the anniversary of my wife's passing."

Dipper felt the blood run from his face and knew why Wendy hadn't shown up today. "O-Oh my god, I-I'm so s-so-"

"No, no, it's alright. It's been a few years, so it isn't as bad anymore, it hurts, but not as bad anymore. My daughter though, she took it harder than when I did. She was the only other girl, so she was pretty close with my wife." He concluded, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck in an unusual matter, different from his norm.

"Oh, I-I should g-go." Dipper began to turn for the door, yet the lumberjack stopped him.

"Do you want to see her? She could probably use a friend. Her other one's don't come around on this day, I think they get nervous around her."

"No, I c-couldn't pos-"

"She's right outside. I could get Theo to take you out to her." Dan offered.

Dipper felt uncomfortable with the whole conversation and was having a difficult conveying it. Dan left for the living room though and he finally decided to follow. In the living room sat the youngest of the brothers, Theo and Charlie, staring at a paused home video tape, the face of a younger Wendy staring at him, a pair of woman's legs in the background. "Theo, take Dipper out to your sister."

Theo nodded and got up, before heading to the back door. Dipper caught a glimpse of Kurt, the oldest, at the kitchen table, laying his head in his arms on top of it and couldn't help but feel sympathetic at the idea of losing your mother when you're only eleven. As they headed outside, he wondered if Theo even remembered his mother, knowing him to be only one when she had passed. Theo answered his question though. "Sorry for you seeing my family like this...It's bad for them, but not so much for me, since I don't actually remember her."

Dipper thought it was mature for a 10-year-old to say that, but wondered if Theo felt different from the rest of his family. "I-It's ok. I didn't m-mean to intrude though, s-sorry."

"Nah, it's alright; Wendy probably needs someone. She can get pretty scary."

Scary? "Um, w-what is she d-doing out here a-anyways?"

"What she does every year," Theo responded as they entered a clearing, pointing at her. She was swinging an ax, it whistling each time she thrust it down upon a bare stump of a tree. "If she starts to scare you, you can just come back inside."

Theo was gone, back to his house, leaving Dipper to observing her. Her plaid top was tied around her waist, revealing her tank top underneath, sweat glistening on her skin. Her hat was missing and she wore her hair back in a ponytail. The vigor she was thrusting the ax into the stump seemed nearly painfully, and he was right, for her hands were covered in blood, likely from the wooden handle's friction. He jerked his eyes away from her hands, feeling ill at the sight. "W-Wendy?"

She didn't hear him though, the ax making contact when he spoke. Blood droplets had flown in every which direction and one landed on Dipper's face. He was suddenly falling, falling head over heels down the staircase, unaware that he was really staggering backwards and tripping over a stray log. Pain exploded throughout his leg at it becomes caught in the railing of the staircase and it snapped. His wrist broke as he reached out for the railing, to halt his fall. Pain in the back of his head, as it made contact with the ground and stars were in his vision. Pain, as he witnessed the blood pooling around his fac- "Dipper?"

He blinked and was back in the forest, fallen over top a log, Wendy staring at him with the ax held in her hands. She placed it on top of the stump and began to make her way over. She reached out her hands to help him up, but Dipper's eyes widened in fear. Wendy paused and stared at her hands, before hiding them behind her back. "Uh, are you alright?"

Usually, he would of felt embarrassed that the girl he liked saw him stumbling around like an idiot and would blush, yet he couldn't find himself to care about that at the moment. He lifted himself up, brushing off his dark pants. "Y-Yeah, uh, what are y-you doing?"

Wendy appeared awkward at the time, much as her father was when Dipper came over, shifting from foot to foot. "Just, you know, killing time. What are you doing here?"

"Y-You didn't show up at work and, um I got w-worried."

"Oh...did...Stan not tell you...?" Wendy trailed off.

"N-No, but y-your dad did...a-are y-you ok?"

She shrugged. "It's just the same every year."

"Oh, d-do you a-always do t-that to y-your hands?" He asked, but then regretted doing so when she brought her hands out from behind her back.

"This? They're ok, I just get a bit frustrated when I practice aiming and can't get it right." She causally told him.

Dipper suspected that she wasn't just practicing, but actually venting her feelings. "Um, w-well, do you want to hang out inside? It looks like it's about to rain."

"I'm good."

"Are you sure?"

There was a dangerous glint in her eyes and her reply came out harsh. "I just said I'm good."

The brunet understood what Theo meant about Wendy scaring people now. He had never seen her give him that look before and now he was on edge. "U-Um, I'm s-sorry."

"You can go home now and remind Stan why I couldn't come in today, even though I told him last year and the year before that why." She continued, going to pick up the ax.

"W-Wend-"

She whirled around and shouted. "Go away!"

Dipper cringed at felt his heart clench. Wendy wasn't finish though. "I just want everyone to leave me the hell alone already! Yeah, my mom died when I was like five and yeah I have to hit things to make it hurt less, but I don't care what anyone thinks, so leave me the hell alone!"

There was a crack echoed throughout the sky and lighting struck somewhere deep in the forest. Moments later, it began sprinkling and Wendy began to earnestly cry. She fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around her body. He was frozen in place for only a moment, before her crouched down next to her. "I-I'm sorry."

He was surprised when her hand shot out and grasped hold of his arm. The blood began to melt from the rain and run down his arm. The 13-year-old jerked his arm away and began wiping his arm onto his vest. "D-Dipper?"

He panic began to reduce as it blended into the dark material. "S-Sorry...don't like b-blood."

Her face appeared anguished as the rain plastered her bangs onto her face. "No, no, I'm sorry. I'm sobbing like a little baby about something that happened nine years ago."

"I-I would be too, if my mom d-died." Dipper informed her. She stared at him and he blushed. "I-I mean, uh, um, I-I-"

She wiped at her eyes and he realized she wasn't even wearing eye liner as she usually does. He thought she was beautiful anyways and found himself blushing more. "Thanks. Um, do you want to go inside now? We're getting soaked out here."

Dipper nodded vigorously, thankful though that the rain was washing away the blood on them both. He extended his hand and she took it. Wendy pulled herself up and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. She started to walk back towards her house and he found himself blurting out a question that he didn't actually want to know the answer to. "How did she die?"

She ceased walking, mid-stride and he covered his mouth. He removed his hand began to back pedal. "I-I'm sorry, I-"

Wendy fully turned back and waved off his apology. "No, nobody probably told you."

"Y-You don't have t-to, you c-"

She came back over to him. "I can tell you...just...give me a moment."

The red-head closed her eyes and gulped. "Well, uh, my dad took Kurt and Charlie with him to the store. I don't really know why I wanted to stay behind, but I did. Theo was just a baby, so he stayed in his crib. My mom saw that the light bulb in the kitchen was out and she wanted to change it. Dad was taller than her, so he could change it without a ladder if he was there. I told her that, but she wanted to do it anyways. So, she got the ladder and told me to come, so I could hold the l-light bulbs f-for her, and...and..."

Wendy wrapped her arms around herself and began to shake. Her eyes seemed nearly haunted as she whispered the next part to Dipper. "W-When I was f-five, my m-mom...she...she...s-she fell off t-the ladder in front o-of me and b-broke her neck...s-she died right a-away...and...and I-I called 911, b-because she always t-told me to do that if...if...someone g-got hurt really b-bad...b-but, by the time t-they came, she was...she was..."

And Wendy completely fell apart, thunder rumbling louder than ever in the distance, rain becoming thicker, the sobbing 16-year-old hugging the shocked 13-year-old. And, all Dipper could tell her, without his typical anxious stuttering, was a sorry, sorry for her loss, sorry for the time alone with the dead body of her mother. And, though everything was difficult for Wendy at the moment, the rest of the summer would be better. For the Pines though, the summer could only become worse, before it got better.

End Chapter 18

Happy belated birthday to Alex Hirsch and Gravity Falls!