Hey guys. Sorry I've been inactive for a while. I've been sorting through some things, dealing with life, you know? So here is the next chapter and I'll try not to keep you guys waiting too long for the next one. Thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy this.

As always I own nothing, Hirsch and Disney own it all.

Mabel had deposited all her art supplies in her shared room with Dipper, dropping most of them onto her bed so the leads wouldn't break in her pencils. The two pictures she left on the table in the kitchen, Stan would make sure they didn't get damaged and they'd probably be in frames by the end of the day. Heading down the stairs, she grabbed a dustpan and broom, Stan wouldn't be mad if she left glitter everywhere, but she was trying to be better at keeping the craft supplies out of everyone else's food. Once back in the kitchen, she couldn't see Grunkle Ford, he was probably talking to Stan, trying to get the keys to the Stanley Mobile. She snickered at the name, the model was an El Diablo but he called it the Stanley Mobile.

She had to climb onto a chair to wipe off the table with a dry cloth, she also unplugged the heat gun, house safety was a must after all. She then proceeded to sweep the kitchen, making sure all the glitter was swept up off the floor and into the dustpan. Dropping the glitter into the waste bin, she moved down the hall to return the broom and dust pan to its proper place. When she returned Grunkle Ford was standing there waiting for her in the kitchen, she gently placed her hand into his larger six-fingered hand and she smiled up at him. He jumped slightly but returned her smile, "Ready my dear?"

"Onwards! To the food!" she raised her free hand pointing in no particular direction and it drew a laugh out of the man that she returned. Heading out past the two guys on the porch she snickered to herself, Ford just gave her a look. Once they were in the car, buckled in she laughed louder, "Dipper's so slow at lock picking!" She swung her feet with a glee filled face as she looked at Stan and Dipper through the window.

"You can pick locks?" her Grunkle's voice was definitely filled with disappointment but she shrugged it off.

"Yeah Stan taught me and I've only used it a handful of times. Like the time I set Sev'ral Timez free!" she smiled at the fond memory of the blond boy band.

"I'm not sure I follow," she watched his eyebrows tilt down slightly.

"It was a group of genetically modified and cloned boys to be the perfect boy band. Creggy G., Greggy C, Leggy P., Chubby Z, and Deep Chris. They were great," her eyes shifted out to the forest. "I hope they're enjoying their freedom in the forest."

"So let me get this straight," one set of six fingers drummed against the steering wheel as they pulled away from the Shack, "you broke in somewhere, and set a group of genetically modified creatures free into the woods. Are you sure they're safe?"

"Pfft, yeah they are. The worst they can do is dance aggressively at people," she laughed a little her eyes looking out the door window.

"Somehow that doesn't ease my worries," her Grunkle's frown could be heard in his voice.

"They're honestly harmless. One of them almost choked on a tape dispenser," she turned her brown gaze towards her elder. His face was impassive, no sign of his earlier frown as he listened, "Honestly it was harder to take care of them than it was to take care of Waddles."

An almost invisible twitch of his lips turned upwards for a moment, she almost didn't believe her eyes. "Well Waddles is still alive and somehow I can't see anything being harmful that almost choked on a tape dispenser so I'll believe you," his eyes never wandered from the road, but his voice was soft with some sort of emotion she couldn't clearly pick out. "I just ask that you try to be safe and not follow too closely in Stanley's footsteps. I don't want you to get banned from traveling, how else will you free all the other boy bands of the world," he let out a soft chuckle and Mabel couldn't help but laugh at the terrible joke.

"I will Grunkle Ford!" she turned her gaze back out toward the road to see the familiar sight of Greasy's Diner getting closer. It still looked like Lazy Susan was trying to take care of the place herself, but that's what gave it it's rustic charm! Her smile widened, "Ohhh! We're here, we're here, we're here!" She began to bounce in her seat and shimmy around until the car came to a full stop. It took her second to be out of the confines of the seatbelt and out into the gravel lot giggling with excitement.

Ford took slightly more time locking the car as he went, as he crunched through the gravel lot he held out a hand, Mabel gladly took it, "Excited?"

She nodded vigorously, "I love the greasy diner food! The atmosphere! Susan's bad sense of humor!" She looked up at her great uncle as he chuckled softly. It wasn't that her uncle never laughed or smiled, it just felt like they were too different, that she couldn't make him smile or laugh. Being wrong was pleasant, it left her feeling warm and happy.

"I will agree with you on the Susan part," he tried to school his face back into a neutral position, but was failing, the smile lighting up his eyes and the rest of his features.

The silence between them was amicable, warm even. It was so nice. Where Stan was a warm pillar of strength and support, Ford was more grounded and reassuring, even if he wasn't sure what he was doing he was confident he could help. They ended up seated in a booth, Susan bringing them menus. "What do you recommend? clearly you've been here for lunch more than I have recently," she glanced over her menu at her uncle.

"Well anything deep fried is usually good, I've been getting the club sandwich, but that could just be something you like with age," he gave her a lopsided grin.

"There's nothing wrong with enjoying a good sandwich with bacon, mayo and turkey, unless you get this," Mabel pointed at the 'Cluck Cluck Club' on the menu. it was a sandwich with fried chicken fingers, cheese and bacon, no vegetables, no mention of a sauce.

"No, I would be afraid for the sake of anyone's heart and arteries if they go that sandwich," Ford chuckled softly. "So what do you think you're going to get my dear?"

"I think I'm just going to get the Greasy's Burger Platter, it sounds the least like greasy death, but still greasy enough, y'know?" Mabel smiled at her great uncle.

"Perfect, then that's what you'll get," even though their conversation petered out and her gaze turned out the window, it didn't feel awkward to do so. When a plate appeared in front of her with Susan's lopsided grin. Susan wandered off and Mabel eyed the plate in front of her. "You were lost in thought so I ordered for you. I hope you don't mind," he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Thank you Grunkle Ford!" she flashed him a reassuring smile. They ate in complete silence, the soft murmur of the other patrons cocooning them in the soft atmosphere of the diner. Once Ford had paid for them and the table was cleared she gently took his hand as they went out to the car, "That was really good and nice, thank you again Grunkle Ford!"

His soft genuine smile was enough to know that he had enjoyed himself as well. Once they got back to the shack the other two males of the family were nowhere to be seen. Ford took her hand this time leading her through the shack and down into the lab in the basement. "Now I'm not a hundred percent sure what we're going to do down here. But I'm sure we can think of something," he gently squeezed her hand.

Mabel glanced around at all the flashing lights and machines, "Now that the portal is gone did you repurpose these machines?"

"Of course. I'm not going to let good machinery get scrapped for no reason," he huffed slightly.

She laughed at his response, he was such a goof, but he made plenty of sense, "I'm glad you could save lots of your hard work!"

He cleared his throat and looked around the lab quickly, "Well how about we make a self adhering glitter? For your crafts?"

Mabel could feel her eyes getting wide she nodded her head excitedly, "Yes! YES! That would be perfect!"

He chuckled softly and lifted her up onto his desk, "This is the boring part, but you'll have to bear with me, alright?" He pulled out some blank pieces of paper and pens. As he worked through the chemical formula on paper his voice rumbling softly through each step she couldn't help but smile. He was right, it was incredibly boring during the formula stage, but when he let her don a pair of safety goggles and gloves she wasn't about to complain at all.