Epilogue

Dipper always kind of figured Mabel would have kids before him, especially since he didn't think Bill would ever even consider them. But standing outside of the hospital with his boyfriend on the day he became an uncle felt absolutely surreal. He paced back and forth restlessly, resisting the urge to gnaw at his fingernails. He shoved his hands into his pockets, muttering to himself. "It should have happened already. I hope everything's going well. What if it's not? What if she's not okay?" He shook his head.

Bill placed a hand on his shoulder and he stopped. "Kid, relax. Take a breath, why don't you?" he said calmly, tipping his head. "We came out here so you could get some fresh air, but you're not doing yourself any good right now." He reached out his other hand and spun Dipper towards him. "She's fine. And anyway, I'm sure Blondie would have freaked out by now if things weren't going smoothly." Dipper opened his mouth to protest, but decided quickly that Bill was right.

He supposed he didn't have any reason to be so scared, but he'd always been very protective over Mabel. And besides, the poor guy had enough paranoia to go around. Of course he'd be on edge here, especially when things had gone so well for all of them the past few years.

After Pacifica had left her fiance, she picked up all of her things and temporarily moved into the Shack to be with Mabel. Those living arrangements didn't last long, however, because Bill quickly handed what remained of his gold over to her and she sold just about all of her jewelry for cash. With that, the couple was able to get a place in town, which doubled as the boutique Mabel had always wanted. They made pretty damn good money too, which was almost shocking in a town as small as Gravity Falls. They got married, decided they wanted a kid, and the rest was history.

Beth even stayed in town, living in a little house built right over the place her old one had been. She'd said it felt right, being there. She'd said it felt right being in Gravity Falls. It was her home. And now she had a home with friends. Life wasn't so lonely anymore. It was comfortable and secure. It was finally a life worth enjoying.

As for Dipper and Bill - well, things were pretty normal after everything that had happened. As normal as that town possibly could be, at least. Actually, on occassion, the two seeked out whatever paranormal craziness they could find in the woods together, just because things almost got boring. But it was peaceful, and Dipper was more than grateful for that. He'd published his book, which practically flew off shelves upon release, and he could hardly fathom why. Of course, he wasn't complaining. He''d gotten exactly where he'd aimed to be. He went to interviews and book signings, even spoke to fans. Still, it felt strange to be recognized for his writings, like he'd always wanted, when this wasn't exactly the outcome he'd had in mind. Dipper had always expected he'd get famous for his supernatural findings, not a novel nobody would ever believe was secretly nonfiction. Well regardless, it felt good. And he was in the middle of writing his next book, which was the beginning of a series he was sure people would enjoy.

Needless to say, things had finally returned to their peaceful beginnings. Everything was as it should be. Soos and Melody managed the Shack, and Stan and Ford stayed there when they were in town. In fact, they had just barely gotten back from their last "mission" in time for Mabel to be admitted into the hospital. When they arrived there, their clothes were still tattered and an iridescent green goop stuck to their bodies. No one bothered asking about it, but the nurse had a look of pure disbelief staring at them when they came in. It was a pretty amusing sight. Bill had made a mental note in his head to make a snide comment about it to Ford when he came back inside the building, but he'd been too busy chasing Dipper out the door to bother with it then.

"It's okay, Pine Tree," Bill soothed, pulling the brunette towards him. Dipper sighed, lowering his head to nestle it beneath his boyfriend's chin. That earned him a chuckle from Bill, who certainly didn't mind the affection, despite being in a public place. Everyone in town knew at that point. "You know, this whole thing has gotten me to thinking." He sounded a little distant.

Dipper scoffed, standing upright to face him. "That's dangerous," he replied with a grin. But Bill didn't retort, so he knew something was up. Dipper furrowed his brows. "Alright. About what?" His tone seemed somewhat worried.

Bill glanced to the side and he laughed almost awkwardly, which was very out of character. Nothing made him nervous. It was one of his traits Dipper was both jealous of and entirely annoyed by. "Well I did say... that I wanted the full human experience," he mumbled, eyes not meeting the brunette's.

As if Dipper didn't already know that. "Yeah?" he questioned. "Okay."

Bill sighed, jaw tight. "I mean like your sister and Blondie," he explained as simply as he possibly could. Surely his boyfriend wasn't that dense.

There were a few moments of silence, which hung thickly in the air. Dipper blinked once he realized the implications of that, just staring. He needed a while to process that. "You mean.. Like, marriage? A-and kids?" He tried to keep his voice level. This whole situation was already nerve-wracking, and now this bomb gets dropped on him. "That doesn't sound very 'you,' Bill."

Bill's gaze flicked back upwards. "Heh, yeah, but.. That is a part of the deal, isn't it?" he questioned anxiously. "I mean, Blondie and Shooting Star had everything figured out pretty quickly. And they look so happy all the time..." He was rambling, a rare occurence for him. "I just kinda watched it happen and thought, heh.. Um, well I thought it looked like something I wanted to do." A small, an anxious smile played on his lips.

Silent, Dipper placed a hand on the back of his neck. "You're joking." He sounded completely disbelieving.

"Sh-should I be...?" he muttered questioningly. Stuttering; yet another thing Bill never did.

Dipper's expression was difficult to read, but Bill almost thought he looked.. starstruck? The blonde was about to break the silence once again when he felt Dipper's free hand grab his collar. Warm lips pressed against his and Bill closed his eyes, taking the kiss as enough of a response in itself. Fingers combed through his hair. Bill lowered his arms to be around Dipper's waist, about to tip his head when snapping caught his attention instead.

"Do you two mind untangling yourselves from each other for half a second?" Ford's voice grumbled, and Dipper parted from Bill to look at him in slight embarrassment. The former demon groaned in annoyance, and Ford shot him a short glare before his gaze met his nephew's once again and softened a bit. "Mabel wants to see you."

(• •)

Dipper's eyes lit up, and a giddy grin spread across his face. "So everything went okay?" he asked, practically bouncing in an energetic, Mabel-like manner. Bill unwound his arms from around him, but reached for one of the brunette's hands and took it.

Ford couldn't help but crack a smile. "See for yourself," he replied, stepping back towards the doors, which opened automatically once they detected his movement. Dipper didn't even hesitate; as soon as his uncle wasn't in the doorway he darted back inside and passed by the old man, tugging a surprised Bill inside by his hand.

He didn't even have an opportunity to make that snide comment he'd had planned.

Pacifica stood outside of Mabel's hospital room with her arms crossed, tapping a foot. Her short pastel pink hair curved delicately around her slim face, and beneath neatly trimmed bangs her eyes were narrowed towards the boys coming towards her. "Hurry it up already," she barked impatiently, waving them towards the door and opening it. "Ladies first," she remarked, pointing them inside. Dipper didn't react, but Bill snickered. She got better and better every day. He was almost proud.

A few short seconds passed. "Pine Tree, you have to actually move if you want to go forward. I hope you know that," Bill said, tipping his head to the side. Dipper stared ahead with his mouth hung open a bit, hand tightening around the blonde's. Bill arched a brow, following his boyfriend's gaze. Mabel was lying back in the hospital bed, dark circles beneath her eyes and hair messy. But a soft smile adorned her face as she looked down at the little sleeping bundle in her arms. She glanced up at Stan, who was standing beside her bed.

"Grunkle Stan, you're not crying, are you?" she asked with genuine worry.

He just pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes, an adamant frown on his face. "Of course not!" he muttered. "That monster spat in my eyes earlier. It stings, is all." He knew he wasn't convincing at all, but that wasn't really the point. Mabel laughed, looking over towards the door.

She rolled her eyes. "You gonna stand there like statues all day or what?"

Bill felt a hand against his shoulder blade. So did Dipper. "Go already," Pacifica huffed, pushing them into the room.

She hung back and closed the door, giggling to herself when Dipper attempted to stammer out his congratulations. Mabel tilted her head back, looking between both of them. Bill just seemed amused, although his gaze did carry amazement within it. Dipper, on the other hand, had a bit more trouble keeping it down. He was rendered speechless, smiling ear to ear. "You alright, broseph?" Mabel inquired with a small chuckle.

He just nodded, snapping himself out of his trance. "Y-yeah! I'm fine," he responded, reaching out a hand to gently tousle Mabel's hair. His heart felt light. Lighter than it had felt in a long time. He finally took that much-deserved breath, and nothing else mattered.

"I couldn't be better."