JANUARY
All good things come to an end.
And so the time came for Stan and Ford to leave Piedmont and set sail once again in their search for dames, riches, and adventure. They'd had mixed results the last time, finding only the latter two but the brothers were more hopeful this time round. Somewhere in the world there had to be a woman with standards low enough to fall for at least one of them, right?
Right?
But whether they would be lucky in love this time around or not (probably not), they had at least mended their relationship with their nephew and his wife. It wasn't a complete return to how things used to be. That bond everyone had experienced last year was gone. With luck, time, and a lot of effort, there was the possibility it could return, but there was no guarantee.
Still, the younger twins would be returning to the Falls that summer, and their parents had already mentioned the older twins visiting again for another Christmas and hopefully Hanukkah this time too. Overall, they called that a great success, even if they no longer laughed with their nephew the way they used to.
They chose to leave as the kids were about to start school again, so they would have something to occupy their time once they left. Which made sense but didn't make their leaving easier for anyone. So they made the most of that final day; Mr Pines took his kids and uncles out to breakfast, then visited some of the attractions they hadn't had time to see, even if only at a distance with a promise to experience them later.
Anyone who knew Mr Pines would have thought he was being oddly quiet, probably assuming it was due to some lingering tension between him and his uncles. Which was definitely true, but there was far more to it than that. As he watched his children talk, joke, laugh, and argue with the men he couldn't help reflecting on how much they'd changed since they'd visited Gravity Falls.
The pair had always been close, but that bond had only grown after that first summer, more tolerant and less critical of each other's flaws, and more eager to spend more time with each other than they used to be. It was as if both had aged years in the space of a few months. And it was hard to tell who had grown more.
Dipper was already often described as being mature or wise for his age, but now even more so. He'd certainly gained a much-needed confidence boost and a patience even his mother envied at times. While Mabel - who even her father couldn't deny was often far from mature - had learned a great deal of self-control and awareness, and had left her parents speechless at times with her newfound habit of offering detailed insight into other people's behaviour.
One one had, it was good to see his kids growing into such impressive, well-developed individuals. On the other hand, he couldn't help lamenting that he was watching them leave their childhood behind.
And like the inevitability of his children growing older, the day darkened and they had to say goodbye again as the Stans readied the Stan O' War Two. Moments away from months of adventuring again to make up for all the years they'd spent apart.
"You'll call us every time you get into port, right?" Mabel asked, squeezing Stan tight.
"You betcha!" Stan said, squeezing her back. "Morning, day or night! Won't ever be too early or too late!"
"Uh, it might be too early or late for us," Mr Pines said.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Ford promised, his turn to give and receive a hug.
"Surprised you haven't invented super portable Wi-Fi," Dipper said, his turn to say goodbye. "It would really solve a lot of problems."
"Oh, it's on our list, believe me," Ford said, hugging him back. "Along with finishing the creation of that new element, breathable water, completing the translator glasses and contacts, a portable fusion reactor-"
"Now you've done it," Stan groaned as Dipper approached him. "You know I've got to listen to him for literally days on end, right?"
"Sorry," Dipper said, very quietly.
Stan looked at the young teen, his frown fading. He glanced at Mabel and her father, who also noticed Dipper's solemnity, while Ford was oblivious as usual, continuing his list of future inventions.
"Hey," Stan said gently, using the embrace to whisper in his ear. "Few more months and we'll be together again. And it's only a couple more after that before we drop by again. That ain't so long, is it?"
"I suppose," Dipper answered, but without conviction.
"-harness the power of volcanoes into clean energy, clean up the debris in space, build a satellite that-"
"Yap later, make yourself yourself now," Stan snapped, throwing his brother a satchel of supplies to stop his ramblings.
Ford shot him an annoyed look but did as instructed, both men jumping aboard and prepping the boat for another long journey. It was definitely something they loved doing, as if the years apart had never happened. Merely two brothers enjoying the time they spent together, whether at sea or on land, in calm situations, storms, or mortal peril, it didn't matter because they had each other.
Dipper and Mabel followed them as they raised anchor and departed, running to the very end of the pier with shouts and waves, the men doing the same between their tasks on board the ship. Both pairs of twins continued even after they knew they couldn't be seen or heard, the ship disappearing among the other tiny seaward vessels and the people on the pier becoming ant-sized dots.
"Okay kids, let's go home," their father said eventually, when the farewells finally came to a stop. "We can get dinner on the way back. Pizza and ice cream, what do you say?"
"You're just trying to cheer us up."
"Well, if you don't want-"
"I didn't say no! What do you say, Dipper? Pineapple and anchovies?"
"Sure, why not?" Dipper sighed, sounding uninterested.
Mabel's smile faded a little. "Uh, actually, scratch that. I picked last time. What do you want?"
"Whatever," Dipper sighed. "Get the pineapple and anchovies if you want. I don't mind."
Which wasn't entirely true. Whenever it was Mabel's turn to pick - which somehow ended up being almost nine times out ten - Dipper usually picked off the toppings he didn't like, Mabel helping herself to his leftovers. It was rare for him to pass up the opportunity to get something he actually wanted.
When they got the dinner and dessert, Mabel made sure the toppings and flavours were ones Dipper enjoyed. Sadly, he didn't seem to notice. Obviously, he was sad to see his Grunkles go - they both were - but she knew there was more to it than that. They were starting school again and that wasn't helping his mood.
Mabel wasn't looking forward to school either, but her reasons were different. She had the typical reservations about the boring classes, the lack of free time, the structure, the homework, etcetera. But Dipper didn't mind any of that. In fact, a part of him enjoyed it. No, he hated the parts of school that most kids didn't mind: the breaks between classes and the lunch hour.
Despite changing a great deal from his time in Gravity Falls, it hadn't done much for his social standing at home. He was still the weird kid with the obsession for the paranormal, who struggled to fit in with even the geeks, nerds, and losers. Having his Grunkles over was the most fun he'd had since leaving Oregon.
And as they walked back inside the house, they both knew it would now be months before he came face to face with someone who cared about him again.
"Oh, I was hoping for pineapple and anchovies," Mrs Pines said, crestfallen when they revealed the pizza. "What? I like pineapple and anchovies!"
"And people call me weird," her husband said, shaking his head.
They settled down to watch a film as they ate. Pizza with toppings he liked and a classic monster movie. Normally it would be a great combination for Dipper, but he couldn't help comparing it to things he'd enjoy more. Lunch with Pacifica at the Diner. Terrible films with Wendy. Dinner at the Shack with Soos and Melody and Abuelita. His Grunkles weren't even gone a day and already he missed having friends.
When the credits rolled, they went into the kitchen to help themselves to ice cream. Dipper didn't particularly feel like having some but he was aware that his family were trying to make him feel better. Besides, it was a rare thing to get his preference for both dinner and dessert, he might as well indulge himself.
"Alright, Dip-Dop, what flavour do you want? Cookies and cream? Double-chocolate? Mixture of both with sprinkles? The choice is yours!"
Dipper glanced at the offered treats, his Sister bouncing up and down on her tiptoes. It was only now that she was directly in front of him he noticed the little shooting star symbol right at the top of her headband, something else that brought back memories of - wait.
He paused, reflecting on that thought. He could see the very top of her headband, the pattern right in the middle. He looked her up and down and noticed she was only wearing socks. Could that be it? It shouldn't be but he had to make sure.
"What are you doing?" Mabel asked, no longer bouncing and tilting her head at her brother's stare, their mother stopping scraping the scraps into Waddles bowl to watch them.
Dipper didn't answer. Instead, he kicked off his own shoes and put one hand on the top of Mabel's head. Then, with painstaking care to keep his palm level, he ever so slowly drew it closer to himself.
Where it hit his eyebrows.
Dipper blinked, then repeated the action a few times to be sure, his hand continuing to reach roughly the same position on his face. When he was finally satisfied, he looked at his sister with a glint in his eye. "Heh," he said, grinning broadly.
Mabel considered him, frowning. "Oh. You're taller now. Well, congrats. Anyway, my hands are getting cold, which one do you-"
"Alpha twin." Dipper's grin broadened, the chant forming in his throat. "Alpha twin. Alpha twin!""
Mabel blinked. "What? What are you- "
"Alpha twin! Alpha twin!" Dipper repeated louder, raising his arms in the air.
"It's just an inch or something, it's not a big deal!" Mabel snapped, raising her voice to be heard over him.
"Look, there's no need to get short with me."
"Wait, what?"
"I didn't mean to be-little you-"
"Hey!"
"Anyway, you'll probably forget this soon enough knowing your short-term memory-"
"Heh, that's pretty clever," said their mother.
"No it isn't!" Mabel snapped. "He's just stealing the jokes Stan and I already made!"
"Perhaps I should ease off a little bit-"
"Oh, come on! Soos, now? He didn't even mean it that way!"
"I understand why you're upset, Mabel," Dipper continued, giving a bemused smile that only annoyed her further. "I still remember when I was your height, the world looked so big and imposing-"
"WHAT?"
"-but don't worry," he continued, patting her head affectionately. "Your bigger brother will always be here to help you."
She scoffed. "Oh, please! Don't get cocky, you're still shorty."
"Oh, sweet, little sister-" Dipper began, shaking his head in response.
Mabel narrowed her eyes. "Little sister? I'm five minutes older than you!"
"So caught up on minor details," Dipper continued, shaking his head at her growing fury. "I guess one of us still has a bit of growing to do."
Mabel glared back, her jaw clenching at Dipper's smugness. "You're a jerk."
"Oh! That gives me an idea!" Dipper pulled out his phone, walking away for privacy. "I've got to tell Stan about this! Can't wait to tell him so we can come up with a whole bunch of nicknames for you."
"Jerk!" Mabel shouted after him. "Both jerks! I hope the growing pains hit you hard!"
Dipper ignored her, typing at his phone as he resumed his chant. "Alpha Twin! Alpha Twin!"
"Alpha Twin! Alpha-"
"Dad!"
"What, I just heard chanting and went along with it." her father said, poking his head into the kitchen. "Who doesn't love a good chant?" He looked between them, noting his daughter's scowl and his wife's amused smile. "What'd I miss?"
"Our Big Dipper's had a growth spurt," Mrs Pines chuckled.
"Barely! Like, an inch! At most!"
"Aw, someone's a little jealous!" Mr Pines cooed. "Does daddy's little girl want some ice cream to make her feel better?"
"Don't patronise me! But yes, ice cream would be lovely. Three scoops and don't skimp on the sprinkles."
"On the bright side, you've succeeded in getting your brother out of his slump," Mrs Pines shrugged as her husband took the ice cream from their daughter's grasp.
"Yeah, by belittling me. Dang it, now he's got me doing it!" Mabel growled. No sooner had she said this, her phone alerted her to a text.
She didn't know if her twin had managed to reach Stan before he got out of signal range - he finally knew what a text was, though still struggled to use or even read them - but Dipper must have alerted a few people to his newfound vertical superiority. She had received a message from Wendy with only one word: shrimp.
This was soon followed by Candy texting both her and Pacifica: Welcome to the Short Person's Club! We are growing in members!
Which was immediately followed by Pacifica replying: I AM NOT SHORT!
"And so it begins," Mabel sighed as she noticed other messages coming from Lee, Nate, Tambry, and even Robbie. "At least now we know what it takes to make him happy," she grumbled as she reviewed the messages from her so-called friends.
Still, she could handle a little bit of criticism or mockery if it helped her brother. Though she hoped he'd get it out of his system before they returned to Gravity Falls. Then again, he'd probably be too happy to care about something that petty once they returned. It put Disneyland to shame for the title of Happiest Place on Earth as far as both she and her brother were concerned.
And Mabel couldn't think of anything that could ever change that.
Jenna Myles was not having a good time. Her world tour of collecting rare magical artefacts and samples wasn't as productive as she'd expected. Which wasn't to say that she hadn't found anything, just not as much as she was hoping for.
The notes she'd had the boy and old man write down were definitely a great boon to her, but they were very limited. The old man and his idiot brother had visited several ancient or hidden places containing great magic. What they hadn't written down was the result of those expeditions.
Apparently, the brothers couldn't help causing trouble wherever they went: not only had they already stolen or moved some of the best items, their presence had apparently caused an increase in security at most of the best locations. Supposedly abandoned temples now had better enchantments or dangerous beasts to protect the remainder of their treasures.
So far, she'd already had to escape from a magic tapestry, narrowly avoided venom from hissing Wadjets, been half-pecked to death by a flock of Vermillion birds, used half her potions to get away from a pack of Qilin, and been turned into an assortment of different animals or inanimate objects. And when she tried to get a pair of Lampades to guide her through the Underworld they refused because of the trouble they got from - and she quoted - 'the last American tourists'.
Hell, the stupid Sphinx wouldn't give her the answers she sought because, instead of riddles, she now offered questions from a book called '1001 Yuk 'Em Ups' that she got from a previous visitor! They were so unfunny, Jenna barely qualified them as jokes but somehow the Sphinx found them hilarious and told her to come back and try again in a hundred when she had a sense of humour.
She'd hoped Western Europe would give her more success, or at least be easier since English was more common and constantly using translation spells gave her a headache. So far, she'd been wrong on both accounts.
"Stupid country!" she snarled, throwing her Haggis Catching Kit onto her hotel room floor. "Doesn't the rain ever stop?" She quickly changed out of her sodden clothes and turned the heating up, nestling into a big chair with her legs pulled up under her blanket, sitting there and complaining to herself until she felt dry and warm again.
"Always wet, always cold! I should have stayed in England! Three hours and not one pesky rodent! Waste of money buying the net off that farm kid! Should have gone online, found a better kit, probably would have found a whistle or something to lure them out."
She continued grumbling to herself until she felt harm and dry again. Then she considered what to do with the rest of the night. A glare out the window told her the weather wouldn't improve any time soon. Yet another day or pouring rain to dampen her clothes and mood. She could go downstairs to the bar and try to drown her sorrows away. One good thing was that the drinking age here was eighteen so she didn't need to enchant herself or the staff to get a drink if she wanted something to help her sleep.
Normally she'd like to settle down with a good book to relax her nerves, but the one she'd started wasn't helping her mood. She picked it up and glared at the picture of a young woman pressing herself against the well-muscled body of a young, broad shouldered man with red hair tied back into a ponytail, wearing only a kilt, under the book's title; 'Highland Fling.'
"Never judge a book by its cover," she sneered. So far, attractive men here were as hard to find as they were back home. And they could be just as crude, rude, or ignorant too. Maybe worse, since she'd overheard the C-word used more in the past few days than any other time in her life. Even from the women! And people had the nerve to criticise Americans. "Let's hope Ireland's better," she grunted.
She tossed the book away. She'd get back to it soon enough, it was the only company she had right now. Another lonely night after another waste of a day. Sometimes she wondered why she bothered. Then she remembered what she had managed to acquire. The gems, the amulets, the scrolls, the knowledge. The beaks, the bones, the claws, the skins, the blood. And still more to come.
She looked back at the map board she'd put on the wall; a pin at every destination she'd visited so far. And a final marker at her final stop: a little town in Oregon. Soon enough, all the travelling would be over. Then she'd finally lay claim to what she deserved: the greatest source of magic in the world.
The perfect place to settle down and set up shop for good.