Hey again guys! This one is from Ford's perspective, I feel like I kight end up cycling through the characters. I'm not a 100% sure where this story is going. It's just sorta being made up as I go along. So let's keep this train rolling.

Gravity Falls belongs to Disney and Alex Hirsch.

The pen stopped mid-word, soft footsteps approached the door to his study. His brother had aheavy gait, and Dipper's tread wasn't exactly stealthy. Mabel's was quiet and if he hadn't been expecting the girl she would have spooked him. The thing about Mabel he remembered was that she was quiet when others were sleeping, during the day she might even out loud Stanley. Often he would come up from the basement to the girl in the kitchen and his heart would hammer in his chest and his hand would reflexively rest on his laser gun. She would just beam at him, offer him some "Mabel Juice" and quietly head upstairs when she was done her glass of water. That's how she snuck up on him in the bathroom. He was certain everyone was asleep, but when the door creaked open and he looked up at her soft brown eyes he knew he would have to talk to her.

The knock on the door broke him out of his thoughts. The door creaked open slightly and the girl looked at him with those impossibly soft, brown eyes. He feared his heart stopped when he glanced at her injured wrist and saw the skin already turning a dark purple. He did that, without thinking he had caused his great niece harm. Her soft smile tried to reassure him that she was fine, but that couldn't ease his guilt.

Even as she approached him he felt overwhelmed by guilt. If he had just thought through things clearly he would have held onto her gently, he wouldn't have let his anger seep into his actions, he wouldn't have felt the bones underneath slowly protest his grip. If he had just stopped and thought about it, he wouldn't have hurt his niece.

Small arms encircled his neck bringing him slowly out of his thoughts. Her shoulders were shaking, and slowly his shoulder seemed to be getting slightly damp. He froze, what was he supposed to do? Being socially inept was rather crippling when it came to his niece and to his own brother. He tried to think of what Stanley would do. Probably hold her at arm's length and tell her she would have to pay to get his suit fixed if she wrecked it. The shaking worsened, panicking he wrapped his arms around her and rested a hand on the back of her head and a hand on her back.

She cried it out, soft whimpers and shuddery breaths the only sounds she made. Slowly she calmed, "Please don't blame yourself Grunkle Ford," she finally manged to get out.

He was floored, this small child, teen Stanford, she's a teen now, saw right through him. He couldn't think of a reason why she would be indulging in self-harm, but she saw through to his guilt. A frown slid across his face, "Mabel, I'm not sure what you're talking about." He knew his pride was talking now, and poor Mabel didn't deserve or need his weird awkward mood swings right now. She needed medical attention, "If you're feeling better now I would like to see your arm."

Soft brown eyes stared into his, and he had to avert his gaze. Those eyes seemed to see through him better than Stanley could see through his lies. She shifted in his lap and held out her abused arm, "Should I talk while you work?"

Again this girl was surprising him, he didn't expect her to talk about anything. He nodded stiffly before grabbing the doctor's bag by his desk and setting to work disinfecting the wound. "Start from the beginning," he gruffly mumbled, reminding himself she was still young and he could help her.

"I think it started when I was ten," she hissed at the disinfectant on the open parts of her wound, he just clenched his jaw. What kind of parents never noticed their daughter cutting for four years? He let her voice draw him back in, "The teachers insisted that Dipper was so smart, that he should push himself to get the best grades, even our parents pushed for it. So he strived to get those marks and he did. I was the most proud of him. Even if it ment I was alone." That couldn't be right, Mabel was always surrounded by those that love her. "I'm lucky I have Candy and Grenda here, but back home in Piedmont, I only have Dipper. So when he buries himself in school work, I'm left by myself."

The bandage was already wrapped around the wound and he was studying her wrist for signs of breakage, "Why don't you just make friends with the other girls at school?" Schools had to have changed a lot since he was there. There should be no Crampelter-like people in this Era hopefully.

"It's not easy Grunkle Ford, girls are expected to act like people they aren't. My kind isn't allowed in their special ring of friendship," her voice sank like a rock. "The reason I cut is so I can feel something else other than crippling loneliness. I'm not trying to get attention or take my life, I just want to feel. I know it sounds dumb," her small fists clenched, "I just want to feel grounded in this world, in this reality I find myself in."

He felt the muscle in his jaw twitch, even surrounded by people someone could feel that lonely. Even when he was jumping and running through dimensions he didn't have time to feel that crippling loneliness, he was too busy trying to stop Bill. Trying to fix his own mistakes. This teen was struggling and dealing with it in the only way she could think of. It may not have been the best solution but for her it was something.

Mable's small hands gently took off his glasses. His vision swam in blurred blobs, "Sometimes you need a new perpective on things Grunkle Ford."

He snatched his glasses back with a scowl, "You think I don't know that Mable?" His voice was much sharper than he intended, he watched the girl flinch slightly.

"I'm sorry, I was only trying to help," the defeat in her voice made him regret his attitude towards her. His damn hubris was getting in the way again.

Clutching the girl against his chest he sighed. Chocolate brown hair danced in its wake. "I'm sorry Mabel, I know you're trying to help me, but I don't need it. You need help. Cutting is not okay, no matter the reason. Every time you open up a wound like that it could lead to infection. Even if you aren't trying to kill yourself, you could still end up dieing. Think about how Dipper would feel, how Stanley and I would feel. It's not pleasant is it?"

Her small form went stiff underneath his hold, before a soft nod was felt. "I understand Great Uncle Ford," her voice was clipped and quiet.

He swore to himself, he just fucked up badly, "Mabel I want to help you find a solution that doesn't endanger you. I care about you and I-"

He was abruptly cut off by furious eyes staring holes into his, "We care about you too! But you won't let anyone help you! Great Uncle Ford is soooooo smart, he doesn't need the help of his family! His twelve PhD's will help him instead!" She roughly hit the floor after pushing hard against his chest.

He caught her good wrist this time and wrapped his other arm around her before she could escape out the door of his study. "I'm sorry Mabel. It's hard to explain..."

"Explain what? You open your mouth and words come out. We're family, I'll understand eventually. Or am I too stupid to even be able to do that much?" her voice was bitter.

A frown tugged at his lips before he pulled her closer against his body, "No Mabel, you aren't stupid. I'm just-" he paused a moment, "-prideful and stubborn."

"Hubris."

Eyes wide he looked at the back of his niece's head, "What was that?"

"It's called hubris, I learned about it at the library. Too confident in yourself, and overly prideful. I looked it up," her voice was strained, like she knew he knew what she said. That maybe he just couldn't believe she knew such a word.

"Why would you look up such a thing?" he pulled her up into his embrace. Despite being so close to her, she refused to look at him.

"Grunkle Stan and I wrote to each other. He said you were being pig headed and stubborn. He wanted to know if there was a word he could use to let you know when you were being too much. So I looked it up," her elbows dug into his chest, her arms crossed across her chest, forehead in the crook of his neck.

"You never told me about this in your letters. You only ever told me about your art projects or your sweaters," again his brow furrowed, did she favor Stanley over him? Even though he and his twin loved the younger twins equally?

"Dipper does all his own research, why can't I do my own research?" the bitterness in her voice was heartbreaking. Yes she had a point, she was her own person, but she could also rely on him sometimes couldn't she? Stanley received a going away sweater and he had not. Sure she made his very comfortable maroon sweater he wore all the time, but it wasn't one of her signature sweaters.

"I'm not saying you can't. I just wish you would rely on me as much as you rely on Stanley. After all, if it wasn't for your trust in him I wouldn't be here," his words were soft, and it seemed to melt the girl's hard pose. Her arms shifted to wrap around his neck, and he welcomed the warmth she shared with him in that moment.

"I don't favor Grunkle Stan over you, I just don't know how to talk to you. You're so smart and I'm so... me," her voice began to sound thick again. He knew that in that small pause she switched the word stupid for something else. She was struggling with his social awkwardnes, and it was eating at her in a way he might not ever understand.

"Then why don't you and I spend all day together tomorrow. We'll do some of the things you like to do, and then things I like to do. We can try to fix this. I want us to be able to talk," he gently rocked the girl in his arms. Her soft nod was enough to make his heart soar. "Maybe I'll tell you about some if my cooler scars," sparkling brown eyes locked onto his, her bright energetic smile went from ear to ear.

"Thanks Grunkle Ford! I can't wait! Can we start now?" he paused baffled. What on earth would she want to do at quarter to elven at night?

He felt his eyebrows lift, "What on earth could we do now?"

"Fall asleep watching movies or documentaries," her eyes sparkled. She even said documentaries, meaning he would get to chose what they watched if he agreed to her simple request.

"You can't complain if I pick something boring," he laughed, it felt like a weight was lifted off his chest.

"Well I have to put my pajamas on first, but you can pick what ever you want. I like to watch animal documentaries sometimes. Don't tell Dipper, he thinks he's the only one who can enjoy 'smart people' stuff," she air quoted and giggled.

He set her down and ruffled her soft hair, "Alright, I'll meet you in the den." A vigorous nod was followed by her rolling forward on her feet to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you Mabel."

Instead of the you're welcome he was expecting he was floored once again by the simple, "I love you too Grunkle Ford."

Well that's it for now guys. Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!