Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Nine: Flipping The Script
"Ugh… Too damn early…" Wendy groaned as she opened her eyes and rolled over to shut off the alarm on her phone. "I feel like I got hit by a damn freight train" Dipper commented in a gravely tone as he clutched his aching head. "This is the last time I drink that much… Until the next time I do…" the auburn haired woman said as she kicked off the comforter and arose from the warmth of the queen sized bed; the observation earning a chuckle from her lover. Wendy was first to grab a shower, as she tended to take a bit longer. As she stood under the warm cascade of water, thoughts of a certain fateful day came rushing back to her. She closed her eyes, only to find the haunting images of Mabel and Pacifica's deaths playing in the theater of her mind for the first time in months. The muffled blast from Robbie's handgun still stuck with her, even after the nearly two decades since. If anything, she was able to hear it better than ever. The whimper of Pacifica as the bullet tore through her torso and instantaneously sentenced her to certain death. She recalled the unsettling thud of the young woman's body hitting the granite steps of the opulent bank; her blood cascading down the staircase akin to a macabre river. Mabel crying out for her gravely injured friend; she heard them all. "NO! NO! NO!" she yelled to herself as the sound of the water hitting the bottom the shower muffled her cries a bit. She began to breathe more rapidly as the next set of unpleasant memories flooded her mind. Robbie's groan as he was hit with the errant round fired by an Oregon State Trooper. The cry as Mabel tried to make her escape amid a volley of gunfire, only to be fatally struck. The thuds of bullets impacting her vest and the burning sensation she felt as one of the rounds grazed her flesh. The immense fear she felt as she collapsed to the concrete sidewalk and saw the ever expanding pool of blood coming from her head; certain that she too was destined to meet her maker on this ever increasingly tragic evening. Opening her eyes, she snapped back to reality; sliding down the wall of the shower as she pulled her knees to her chest. The former officer had felt this way countless times before and knew that she had to retake control of her emotions before she hurt herself or anyone else for that matter. Instead, a new set of thoughts took up residence in her whirlwind of a mind; thoughts of how easy it would be to end her seemingly endless torment.
Just as she began to entertain thoughts of harming herself, she heard the concerned tone of her husband as he stood on the other side of the closed bathroom door. "Honey… I-Is everything alright in there? I-I kinda wanted some warm water too…" the chestnut haired man commented as he tried his best to conceal his fear; the fear that his wife had begun to think about her troubled past once again. That she may have been entertaining thoughts of self-harm, or even worse, acted upon those feelings and hurt herself. Even in the best of times, when things were going well, he always had that nagging thought in the back of his mind. The feeling that he could lose his wife on any given day; that every time he said goodbye or told her that he loved her, that it could very well be the last time. "Y-Yeah… I'm good…" the auburn haired woman hastily replied as she shook the dark thoughts. "J-Just making sure that I'm really clean… I-I mean, we are going to be around actors and actresses today…" she reassured her husband as she stood back up and wiped the tears from her reddened eyes. "Okay…" Dipper replied as he let her be. Walking over to his travel bag, the hazel eyed man removed a small notebook from it and flipped to the last page he had written in. It was a log of times that he had been concerned for his wife's well-being. "Huh… Seven months this time…" he mused to himself as he wrote a brief account about what had just transpired.
Wendy emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam following the ginger woman as she strolled nude around the hotel room. Dipper sat up from the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around the alabaster skinned woman; pressing his body against her. "Dude… I-I totally wanna, but we made a promise to Jamie…" Wendy said as she pecked him on his stubble covered cheek. "That's not all I think about, you know… I-I just wanted to hug ya… I-I can hug my wife, can't I?" the thirty-three year old man replied in a defensive tone. "Of course you can…" she relented as the two separated. "Now get your stinky butt in the shower… We've got a mystery to solve…" the redhead replied as she lifted her travel bag onto the bed. She thought of what she was to wear to the set. She didn't want to be underdressed, but at the same time, she wanted to be comfortable and genuine. "Hello old friend…" Wendy said as she held up a green flannel shirt. Having chosen a pair of worn blue jeans and a white camisole, she slid her tattooed arm into the sleeve of the familiar garment. She had worn the shirt since she was fifteen years old, but aside from the top buttons no longer fastening due to the growth of her breasts after becoming pregnant with the twins, it still fit. Dipper exited the bathroom; his jaw nearly hitting the floor as he laid eyes upon his wife. She was dressed the same way that she had been the first time that he had met her in Gravity Falls. Sure, she sported a shorter haircut and her once trademark trapper cap had long since been retired from duty, but other than that he had nearly been convinced that he had stepped back in time. "Like it?" the redhead asked as she looked her husband straight in the eyes. "Wow… That's a blast from the past…" the slightly younger man commented as he pulled his clothes from the bag he had brought. Choosing a pair of light gray slim straight jeans, a red t-shirt and black skate shoes, he quickly got dressed.
The bus ride to the movie set was a relatively short one, as it was located only a few miles away from their hotel. Standing on the sidewalk just outside the gate to get in, Wendy pulled out her phone and placed a call to Jamie. After ringing a few times, the now familiar voice of the younger actress answered. "Hello?" she said; not quite sure of the number that was calling her. "Hey! Jamie! I-It's Wendy… Wendy Corduroy-Pines" the freckled woman began as Dipper watched on. "Oh! Hey! What's up?" the starlet replied. "I wanted to let you know that Dipper and I just arrived outside the gate…" Wendy informed her. "Alright… I'm just wrapping up here, so I'll be there in a few to get you guys passes!" she eagerly said before hanging up. "Well?" inquired Dipper. "She's on her way! I-I'm kinda excited to be on an actual movie set…" the ginger woman mused aloud. "It is pretty neat…" Dipper admitted. He had taken classes on cinematography and was eager to see what their filming set up was like. A few moments later, Jamie appeared at the gate. The actress was dressed in a Gravity Falls Police Department uniform, which came as a bit of a surprise to both Dipper and Wendy. "Whoa…" Dipper commented. "I-I know… Right?!" Wendy agreed as Jamie wondered what the big deal was. After thinking about it for a moment, she realized that seeing someone dressed as Wendy was on that day might come as a bit of a shock. "Oh! Sorry! I-I just came from my fitting in wardrobe…" the young woman apologized as the trio walked through the security gate and onto the busy backlot of the studio. "It's fine… It's just that… Well, I didn't wear my uniform like that at all…" Wendy commented with a chuckle. "What do you mean? I-It's how the official style guide said to wear it…" she replied in an unsure tone. "Dude… If you knew Wendy, then you'd know she never follows the rules..." Dipper informed the somewhat confused woman. "Especially when it came to how I was told to dress…" Wendy added. "Okay then… How did you wear the uniform?" Jamie asked with intrigue. Being a method actress, she craved to get every detail right and was eager to see what she was doing wrong.
"Okay… First off… I never really buttoned up my shirt all the way. Try undoing a few of them…" Wendy suggested. Following her instructions, the younger actress undid the first three buttons on the tan tactical shirt, revealing her white t-shirt she wore underneath. "Alright… Now loosen up that tie… a lot" she advised Jamie. Grasping the olive green accessory, she did just that. "Almost there… I liked to sleep in a bit and sometimes I only tucked my shirt in halfway… That day was one of those days…" she continued as she grabbed the tan garment and pulled it from beneath her waistband. "Okay… So now I'm good, right?" Jamie asked. "Your hair…" Wendy replied. "What of it?" the actress wondered aloud. "Well… You have your hair in a tight bun… I never, and I mean never, wore it like that…" the ginger woman commented as she walked behind the woman. "I wore it in a low and loose ponytail…" Wendy matter-of-factly said as she undid the hairdo and restyled it. Looking to Dipper to see if she had properly recreated her look on that day, the chestnut haired man shot her a thumbs up and a smile. "Huh… Well… The director and producer never told me any of that… They pretty much handed the Gravity Falls Police Department handbook to my stylist and told them to follow it…" Jamie said as she played with her new hairdo. "Speaking of the producer… C-Can I meet them? I have a few choice words for them…" the ginger woman said as slight scowl came over her freckled face. "Oh, yeah! Of course! Follow me!" the actress exclaimed as she took the hand of the former officer and practically dragged her through the movie lot.
Along the way, the thirty-six year old woman spied a rolled up document stuffed into the holster on the actress' hip. "Hey Jamie?" she asked with a bit of uneasiness in her voice. "Yeah?" the young A-lister replied. "I was wondering… C-Can I take a look at that script?" Wendy inquired as her impromptu tour guide came to a halt. "Yeah! Of course!" she said with excitement as she removed the document and handed it to her. A certain name on the cover page caught her attention and a sudden look of anger formed on her face. "A Gleeful-Northwest Production" it read in a plain font. "Get a load of this, Dip!" Wendy said as she held the script high and slapped it with the back of her hand before lowering it back down so he could read it. "A Gleeful-Northwest Production?! WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" the thirty three year old man exclaimed as he began to mirror the temperament of his wife. "WHO THE FUCK DO THESE ASSHOLES THINK THEY ARE?! J-JUST SWOOPING IN ON THE CARCASS OF OUR TRAGEDY TO MAKE A GODDAMN BUCK! C'MON MASON! LET'S GO KICK THEIR ASSES!" the enraged woman shouted as she harshly grabbed the wrist of her lover and began to storm off before pausing. "WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE PRODUCERS?!" the freckled woman shouted to a man dressed in a white button up shirt. The man was stunned by the sudden outburst and nearly dropped his tablet as she approached him. "I. SAID. WHERE. THE. FUCK. IS. THE. PRODUCER?!" Wendy said as she got in the face of the frightened younger man. "P-Probably in their trailer…" the man stuttered. "AND JUST WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT AT?!" the green flannel clad woman shouted as she stomped her skate shoe clad foot into the pavement below as the red hot rage continued to flow through her. The frightened man simply pointed to a large mobile trailer on the far side of the lot. Satisfied with the answer, she and Dipper once again set course for the producers as she began to thumb through the script. Jamie ran up to the bewildered man, who had pulled out his phone and was about to call security. "I'm SO sorry about that… P-Please forgive her… She's with me" the actress said as she shot him a set of doe eyes and pouted her lip a bit in an effort to win him over. The last thing she needed right now was for the actual person she was portraying to get kicked off of the lot by security. "I-It's fine Miss LeCroix…" the younger man replied as he put the cellular device back into his pocket.
While Dipper was just as angry at his wife, he kept it just below the surface. He wanted to tell his wife to calm down a bit, but he knew that it would be hypocritical of him to do so. That and the last thing he wanted was for his wife to turn her now white hot rage onto him. "I can't wait to give them a piece of my mind!" Dipper said to his wife as they neared the opulent trailer. "Oh, I'm gonna give them both more than a piece of my mind, dude…" Wendy growled through gritted teeth as they began their walk up the metal stairs of the portable structure. The petite hand of the auburn haired woman formed a tight fist and soon it began to pound on the wooden door of the trailer. Much to Wendy and Dipper's surprise, a statuesque bleach blonde woman answered the door. "Yes?" the woman inquired; a brightly colored mixed drink of some kind clutched in her left hand. "Mrs. Northwest?!" Dipper replied with a bit of shock. He had assumed that Preston Northwest would be the one to answer the door and had mentally prepared himself for a verbal sparring match with the now aged man. Having gone toe to toe with the uppity patriarch of the family on many occasions while dating Pacifica, he knew how to manipulate him. On the contrary, his interactions with his girlfriend's mother were far more pleasant. "M-Mason?! My, my… Somebody's gone and grown up on me…" the now fifty-one year old woman commented as she took a good look at him. The lanky teenager her daughter had dated nearly two decades ago had grown into a rugged man. "Just what's this all about Priscilla?" a somewhat shrill voice interjected. The blonde looked at a pair of auburn haired women, who at first glance appeared to be sisters. "Pardon?" she replied in a confused tone. "You know exactly what I'm talking about Northwest… This movie… Why? Why are you doing this to us?!" Wendy shot back. "Come in and we'll talk about this…" Priscilla said as she walked back into the trailer.
Walking up the stairs and into the temporary structure, Wendy, Dipper and Jamie were motioned to sit at a large dining table. "Can I get you anything?" Priscilla asked as she grabbed a glass pitcher from the refrigerator and poured herself another glass of the bright pink colored drink she had been sipping on. "No… We're good…" Wendy answered for the group. "I just want to know… Why? That's, like, all I want…" Wendy said in a flat tone as she tried to keep her composure. Every fiber of her being told her to leap across the table and attack the older woman, but she knew that she couldn't act on her impulses if she were to find out the truth she so desperately sought. "Why am I making the movie?" the blonde asked before taking a big gulp of the drink. Dipper, Wendy and Jamie all caught the alcoholic scent that wafted from both her breath and glass. "Yes. That is what I want an answer to…" Wendy replied through gritted teeth as her patience was growing thinner and thinner by the second. "I-I want people to know Pacifica's story… That she was so much more than what people thought of her… That she wasn't just some rich spoiled girl…" the blonde mother said as her sapphire eyes began to water. "But I already know her story… A-And so do you… A-And Preston… Isn't that enough?" Dipper commented as he took a firm grasp of the edge of the table; his knuckles turning white from the amount of pressure he applied as he tried to hold back his anger. "With all due respect Mason, I want others to know her story. Her truth…" the matriarch of the Northwest family replied. "SO YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE HER LOOK PERFECT BY MAKING OTHERS LOOK LIKE SHIT?! I-IS THAT YOUR PLAN?!" Wendy said as she stood up from her chair, gripped both sides of the table and leaned across it to get in the face of Priscilla. Dipper placed a hand on the lower back of his wife in an effort to keep her calm. He knew that while the blonde woman was usually nice, she also was incredibly passive aggressive at times. Her main weapon of choice was backhanded compliments and he knew that his lover would absolutely lose it if the older woman were to use one on her.
"I don't know what you're talking about… I'm just trying to tell the story of Pacifica" Priscilla stonewalled as Wendy reached her boiling point. She took the script she had borrowed from Jamie, flipped it to a blue page and practically threw it in the fifty-one year old's face. "THIS! TH-THAT YOU SAID I WAS INVOLVED WITH ROBBIE! I HADN'T TALKED TO THAT ASSHOLE IN NEARLY TWO YEARS! Yeah, we dated once… But he was just a lying, manipulative asshole… I wish I could have stopped the son of a bitch from doing what he did!" Wendy said as she began to break down; collapsing into the seat beneath her. "T-That's not what Preston said the research firm he hired told him. W-We should have just talked to you guys…" Priscilla said with a bit of shame in her voice. "Then why didn't you?!" Dipper interjected. "Preston said the firm had… He said that they conducted a full interview with the both of you… You mean to tell me that they didn't?!" the sundress clad woman shouted with disbelief. "No. Nobody ever talked to us. I-In fact… If we hadn't decided to come up here for vacation and heard about the movie by pure chance, then we would still have no idea…" Wendy informed her as she wiped away her tears. She gazed into the blue eyes of the woman seated across from her and tried to see if she were telling the absolute truth. Part of her training in the police academy was to read body language for tells that a suspect was lying. As far as Wendy could tell, the woman was being truthful, which honestly left her a bit unsettled. She expected Priscilla lie through her teeth to try and save face, but instead was met with someone who was just as dumbfounded by the situation as she was.
"Mrs. Northwest, if I may… I'd like to get Wendy and Dipper to meet with the writers and actors to try and make this right. I simply won't be associated with a picture that is anything less than honest" Jamie jumped in. "W-We're already a month into production… T-to do a total re-write of the script could take weeks… Months even… My co-producer is already on my case about budget overruns and missed deadlines…" Priscilla said before taking yet another large sip of the drink she held; her thin hand trembling as she did so. "I hate to do this, but either it gets done or I walk…" the young actress doubled down. The blonde woman looked at the trio seated across the table from her as she mulled her options. She could continue on as planned, but losing one of her stars this far along would effectively be just as disruptive as rewriting the script. "Alright… I'll call a meeting for the writers this afternoon and inform them that there will be changes to the script… You can tell them what to fix. What's inaccurate" Priscilla caved. "Thank you… I-I know that you want to show people a true and honest depiction of your daughter. That's all I want for myself as well. I have a feeling that there are still some people in Gravity Falls that think those horrible things about me are true and I would love to set the record straight once and for all…" Wendy said as her expression softened and she shed her anger. "One more thing…" the fifty-one year old said as the trio stood up from the table. "What's that?" asked Dipper with curiosity. "If this movie is going to be one hundred percent accurate, then I need the people who actually lived through it to make sure that we keep it that way. I would like to offer you two the position of creative consultants for this film…" the sundress clad woman said as she extended her hand. "Look… That would be awesome and all, but we have to get back to our daughters… Our lives in Gravity Falls…" Wendy answered. "You can telecommute… I promise that you won't have to come up here at all… We'll just send you updates and the latest version of the script, that way we can make sure that everything is accurate…" the blonde clarified. "Well… I guess that could work…" Wendy replied as she turned to her husband. "Yeah… I'm on board with that…" the chestnut haired man agreed. "This calls for a drink!" Priscilla exclaimed. "Dude, if I even catch a whiff of booze right now, I am so gonna hurl…" Wendy said. "Alright then… More for me!" Mrs. Northwest replied as the trio exited the trailer. "So… Now that we're through that, what do you wanna do?" Wendy turned and asked her companions. "Well… I can give you a tour of the lot..." Jamie offered to the married couple. Wendy's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "Oooo! Can we?! Can we?!" the energetic redhead pleaded with her husband. "Sure… Just don't get angry if I stop to ask a million questions about lighting setups and filming techniques…" the thirtysomething replied. A confused look came over the face of Jamie. "He produces and films his own web series about hunting mythical monsters around the world… He's kinda a dork for that stuff…" Wendy said with a chuckle as the trio began to walk around the movie set on a sunny day in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Author's Note: This chapter took a little longer to write than I was anticipating, but free time was hard to find this month. Since this chapter is about Wendy and Dipper, I'm going to make the next one all about the kids. Will they find out why the gnomes were after the spellbook? What will happen as the reality that Grendy is dating both Mateo and Courtney settles in? Will Tambry be able to survive the third and final day of the camping trip or will the pack of teens wear her down? Answers to all this and more in the next installment of Tales Of The Flame & The Ax. -iKLOT
My Playlist For This Chapter:
Seether – "Same Damn Life"
From Ashes To New – "Crazy"
Red Sun Rising – "Deathwish"
Puddle Of Mudd – "Famous" (The song I thought of when Wendy & Dipper first walk onto the lot)
Papa Roach – "Periscope (Ft. Skylar Grey)"
PVRIS – "What's Wrong"
Seether – "Save Today"
Lissie – "Best Days"
The Official Shooting Star Falls AU Reading Order:
Underage Discoveries On A Reckless Night: A Shooting Star Falls Prequel
A Shooting Star Falls
Echoes Of A Nearby Future: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Scarred Summer: A Shooting Star Falls Story
The Dark Days of Candy Chiu: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Forever Memories: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Stable Times Or A Wild Ride?: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Grenda's Confession: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Birthday Weirdness In The Rose City: A Shooting Star Falls Story
The Gift Of Forever: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Wendy & Dipper Vs The Future: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Life In Transit: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Pause The Moment: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Tales Of The Flame & The Axe: A Shooting Star Falls Story