Pacifica's Charity Ball

SUMMARY: Pacifica decides to throw a charity ball to raise money for the orphans that live in her home; an old flame of Pacifica's comes and brings up a painful fact about Dipper's past.

If her parents saw her right now, they would be flipping out on what she was doing to their massive manor that sat upon one of the largest hills in Gravity Falls.

To them it would already bad enough that Pacifica had turned their manor into an orphanage and a place for widowed women and their children to live. But now she was setting up massive decorations that had been once used for the annual balls and dances that the Northwest's had hosted in the past. The young blonde had a large smile on her face as she helped to make sure everything was straightened.

Mabel was helping as well, her smile big and pure as she had ran from one end of the room to the other with Grenda and Candy in tow with other decorations. Like the true boys they were, Dipper and George were carrying fairly large boxes and setting them in the center of the room.

"What are you doing again?" Dipper huffed as he set down an extremely heavy box. He stood up straight and stretched out his cramped spine, a groan escaping him as he wiped sweat off of his brow.

Pacifica didn't respond as she gives a smile and opens the box. Inside was stone statue decorations of various extinct animals. She takes one out gingerly and wipes some of the dust off before setting it next to the box on the floor.

"I told you," Pacifica finally replied, her voice going on edge. "I am hosting a charity ball here at the manor."

"Why?" Dipper exasperatedly questioned.

Pacifica gives her boyfriend emerald hard eyes. "Because, this money will help with some renovations around here, supply these children and women with new clothes, buy them presents for the holidays, and to help start college funds as well," she states as she tossed her long, blonde hair over her shoulders.

George then set another heavy box on the floor next to Dipper's box. "And what makes you think people are going to donate at the Northwest Manor?" he genuinely asked. He also straightens himself. "From what I've heard around town you Northwest people were pretty damn snotty."

It was George's turn to get the hard emerald eyes. The dark blonde flinched as looked as if he was about to hide behind Dipper, causing the brunette to roll his eyes.

"How do you deal with that!?" George frantically whispered.

"I've known her since I was twelve," Dipper replied evenly. "I'm used to it."

Pacifica picked up a clipboard that was on a nearby table and began going through her checklist, ignoring a crashing sound and the bubbly laughter of Mabel. She began mumbling to herself as she read off the list, thinking almost everything was in order.

"To answer your question, George," Pacifica finally said after setting the list down. "I am inviting pretty much everyone in country to come and participate if they so choose. Which means rich families are coming and any other person who wishes to come and have fun."

Dipper raises a brow and walks over to her, putting a hand gently on her shoulder. "Aren't you worried that the more… um, wealthy guests would be rude to the other people?" he asks gently.

"A little…" Pacifica admits. "But, if they wish to stay they have to respect my rules. They can't be rude or else they'd be asked to leave."

"Wouldn't that affect the donations?" he questions worriedly.

Pacifica raises her head proudly. "Well, why would I want donations from rude people? It's because of people that are less fortunate that they even got to where they were. The least they could do is act civil and be nice."

Mabel comes crashing into the room with her two friends behind her, streamers in her hair and wrapped around her arms and legs. "Look at me! I'm a colorful mummy!" she cheered as she walked around stiffly with her arms sticking out.

Dipper gives a chuckle and so does Pacifica.

"Yeah," he tells the blonde. "Hopefully everything is civil."

The week was coming to a close, Friday night becoming a time where everyone was getting ready to head to Northwest Manor for the Charity Ball.

Pacifica stood in the main foyer of the manor, greeting as many guests as she could. The blonde's hair was in an elegant bun, with spirals of golden locks framing her face. She wore a dark purple dress that was sleeveless, it flowing to ground like a cascade of violet water. Black silk gloves were up to her elbows and the color matched perfectly with her black heels. Around her neck was a small diamond necklace that she remembered receiving as a tenth birthday present from an aunt in Europe on a black chain that matched with small black diamond stud earrings.

She greeted everyone with a smile on her face, shaking their hands. Standing next to her was Dipper, wearing a black dress shirt and pants with new black shoes. Around his neck was a dark blue tie, and his usually messy brown hair was brushed out and smoothed with no hat. He honestly looked a bit uncomfortable, and compared to everyone else he was technically underdressed, but he had insisted that he was not wearing a suit, especially after what had happened last time, and Pacifica respected that.

Dipper kept adjusting his tie, clearly looking uncomfortable. Everyone else was wearing bow ties, besides Ford of course, and every time someone went to shake Dipper's hand he flinched and refused.

"Mason, if you want to leave the room for a bit, you can." Pacifica whispered to him.

"I… I don't want to leave you alone," he replied softly.

She rolls her eyes, her green eyes looking much greener from the purple eyeshadow she was wearing. "Sweetie, I've done this sort of thing countless times, I'll be fine," she assured him. He gives a soft look and then walks away, heading towards the main ballroom.

Once Pacifica had greeted all the guests she could she herself entered the ballroom. Music was playing in the room, some people, including Mabel, were excitedly dancing on the dance floor. There was a table were beverages and marvelous food was being served, and on a table next to it was a solid black box with a hole at the top for donations.

The blonde takes a deep breath and walks around the edges of the room, seeing everyone talking and laughing. She was quite pleased that everyone was getting along, there was no need to not be civil. Pacifica noticed that Dipper was standing away from the dancing, him leaning on the wall with his arms crossed.

"Not much of a dancer are you?" Pacifica teased him as she approached him.

"Only if I have a very pretty dance partner," he slyly says back, him giving a wink.

Pacifica gives a small laugh. "My, my, Mason Pines, when did you become such a charmer?" she asks teasingly.

Dipper then gives a look of confusion. "Um… what?" he blurts out, all his confidence gone.

She then grabs his hand and starts dragging him to the dance floor. "Come on!" she laughed as she led him to the dance floor. Once there she grabs his left hand and starts dancing, him just standing there for a moment before joining in. The music was still upbeat and energetic, so they just held hands and moved around a bit.

"You dance like you're wearing wet clothes!" Pacifica joked, her getting a sarcastic laugh from her boyfriend.

"Oh, ha, ha," Dipper replied sarcastically as he rolled his eyes. "Not everyone was forced to take the every form of dance on the planet."

The music then slows, now an orchestration of a famous song being played. Dipper was ready to start a slow dance when someone was tugging at his pant leg. The brunette looks down and sees the little girl that lived in the manor like many, Blythe. The small girl was wearing a sparkling pink dress and her light brown hair was tied up in a large pink bow.

"Dippy!" the girl's cheerful voice pierced. "Can you dance with me, pwease?" She blinks her bright blue eyes swiftly, them round as moons as she begged, her lips in a small pout.

Dipper gives a sheepish smile to Pacifica, who was grinning and trying not to laugh. She waves her hand at him to go on with the small girl.

"Well," Dipper drawled out as he lowered himself to Blythe's eyelevel. "I did say I can dance with a pretty dance partner…" He then gives her a small smile as she grabbed his hands and started jumping up and down.

"Dance! Dance!" Blythe cried out happily as Dipper stood up. She leads him further onto the dance floor, her body bouncing up and down. Pacifica giggled uncontrollably as she saw the little girl start spinning herself and Dipper around, the young man having a grin on his face. After the song ended Blythe insisted that Dipper needed to pick her up, so he complied and he walked over back to Pacifica with the small girl in his arms.

"My, my," Pacifica laughed as they approached. "I must have some competition."

"I thought you like a challenge?" Dipper playfully retorted, a brilliant smile on his face. He then sets Blythe back on the ground and once again she starts jumping excitedly. Dipper gives her a concerned look. "Did my sister Mabel give you a colorful drink with glitter in it?" he asked her worriedly.

Blythe nodded swiftly, looking as if her neck would snap off. "She gave all us kids some," she tattled.

Dipper frowns. "That's not good, Blythe, that can make you sick," he explains.

The light brunette shrugs. "No school then," she states as she gives his leg a quick hug and runs off to another group that consisted of Mabel and George spinning with other smaller kids.

"I think she has a little crush on you," Pacifica giggles at her boyfriend, taking his hand into hers.

Dipper rolls his eyes with a smile. It looked as if he was going to say something but then was interrupted when someone tapped on his shoulder. His eyes narrowed as he turned his head to see a dark olive-toned young man, practically a foot taller than Dipper, with solid jet black hair and intense hazel colored eyes. The young man was extremely well dressed, indicating that he was form the higher class.

"May I have the next dance with the charming young lady you are with?" he asked with a thick accent. Dipper couldn't tell if the accent was Spanish or Italian.

"Um…" Dipper muttered as Pacifica gives a squeal of recognition.

"Vito!" she squeals excitedly. "Oh my goodness, is that really you!?"

The young man gives a brilliant smile. "Ah, Lady Pacifica, you remember me!" he cheerfully said.

Pacifica smiles. "Of course, how could I forget one of my dear playmates from when my family visited Italy?" she laughed casually.

A pang hit Dipper in the gut. It wasn't jealously or envy, or anything of that sort. What he felt was such a sickening feeling, like something bad had just happened. Flashes of an underground tomb filled his mind as he saw mangled corpses arise from piles, trying to feast on flesh. He felt a sheen of sweat cover him like a blanket, and he could tell that his breathing was becoming more rapid.

"Dipper, are you okay?" Pacifica asked him worriedly, saying his nickname since they were in the presence of someone else.

"Um…" Dipper tried to respond, but he couldn't find the right words. "I-I-I…"

Vito gives a sigh. "Ah, looks like the commoner is sad that I will be stealing you away," he says with mock sympathy. "In all honesty, what chance does he have?"

Pacifica took her worried green eyes off of her boyfriend and they instantly became hard as emeralds as they glared at Vito. "Excuse you, this 'commoner' is my boyfriend!" the blonde snaps, her voice taking on an icy tone.

"Well, this is a charity ball, of course he must've made some pathetic donation so you can hang out with him here," Vito continued with a huff. "I mean, he's not wearing a suit, just a dress shirt and tie? My God, sir, this is a ball not some sweaty dance in some commoner gymnasium."

Dipper wasn't registering what Vito was saying, the room was spinning around him. He muttered about wanting to get some air, him only taking two steps before he began vomiting violently on the floor. He collapses onto his knees, wrapping his arms around himself as he could feel a malicious smile spread across his features and he could feel an insane laughter bubbling in his throat. But he kept his mouth clamped shut, he would not let that happen here.

"Dipper!" Mabel's voice shouted form beside him. "Are you okay, bro-bro?" She then gives a hard glare at Vito. Pacifica lowers herself next to Dipper and gives him a gentle hug and whispers to Mabel about getting him to a room to calm down. Mabel helps her twin out of the room, Ford who had been standing near the edges of the room following behind as he had noticed the problem.

"Vito, I must ask you to leave," Pacifica says evenly to her old friend.

Vito looked baffled. "Why?" he demands. "Because your 'boyfriend' can't handle the situation?" He had laced the word "boyfriend" with disgust. "Also, I made a very generous donation, why kick me out?"

Pacifica gives him a hard glare and crosses her arms. "That donation is to help the lovely people in my home have a brighter future, and I thank you for it," she says. "But, you were very rude to him and upset him."

Vito rolled his eyes. "Upset him? I noticed the mark on his forehead," he growled as he had tapped his own forehead. "He's the demon that killed a mass amount of people in my home country for amusement!"

Pacifica takes a sharp intake of breath. "No." she icily says. "That was not him. And if you think it was, then I really want you out of my home!" She then points toward the exit, and when Vito wouldn't budge she gives a small grin when she noticed Stan standing behind him.

"Hey, I think this young lady just told you to leave," Stan gruffly told Vito. "Also, you insulted my great-nephew, and I am willing getting arrested for kicking the ass of a snot-nosed minor."

That was Vito's cue to leave hastily, him nearly bowling over Blythe who shrieked loudly from him stepping on her foot.

Dipper was sitting on a bed in a spare room with his head between his legs, trying to calm his breathing as his body trembled terribly.

"Mason?" Pacifica's voice calls out gently as she opened the door. "Are you doing okay?" she asks softly, her walking over to him and taking a seat on the bed next to him.

"I… I think so…" Dipper replied breathlessly, his heart still pounding in his chest.

Pacifica shifted her weight as she takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry that happened…" she apologizes. "He was out of line… and I'm sorry I mentioned his home country… it triggered you."

"It's not your fault," the brunette insisted. He sighs sadly. "So… how was the rest of the ball?"

"Fine after Stan basically chased Vito out," Pacifica chuckled.

Dipper gives a laugh, "Good old, Grunkle Stan."

"And, with all these donations we have raised enough money to help pay for every small child like Blythe to go to college up to a Master's degree," the blonde continues happily.

"That's good…"

Arms tightened around him. "I'm sorry…" Pacifica whispers to him, her cheek resting on his shoulder.

"I'm okay now," he smiles gently. "I'm just happy we can be together in peace. Any other old flames I should know about?" he then teased.

"Well…" the blonde drawls out.

He gives her a quick peck on her lips. "So… any other parties you planning?" he whispers against her lips.

"A party of two," she replies breathlessly.

"DIPPY!" the high pitched voice of Blythe screams from the hallway.

The two teenagers laugh as they heard the little girl running into the room.

"Make that a party of three."

The small girl jumps in between the couple and she held both of their hands with hers, laughing as Dipper gives her a small pat on her head with his free hand. Pacifica then suggests that they watch one of the child friendly movies they had in the room, and together the three sat on the bed and watched a movie as a group of penguins bumped into each other and the three laughed.

A/N: I am very sorry about the lack of updates. Last week was very hard as my mother had suddenly passed away. As next of kin I had to be in charge with everything, there was so much going on that I had missed work and school.

I'm sorry if this short story was a little rushed. And I am sadly saying this story will not be officially completed until I post a whole new story regarding about Layla from "Beyond the Portal".

Thank you for reading as always.

~Skye Hendersen~