Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story
Part Eleven: Pure Heroine
"Hey Paz… You ever get that feeling that something bad just happened?" Mabel Pines asked her sister as the two continued to sit with their friends in the hospital waiting room. "Eh… Sometimes. Like those nights when Dad tells us he's cooking…" the brunette replied; a giggle escaping her as she recalled her father's less than excellent cooking skills. "True… But I was being serious. I just got this feeling like something isn't right" the ginger teen continued. "Like I said, sometimes I do…" Pacifica answered as she swung her feet back and forth. "Well, I just got this feeling that something evil is afoot. I'm being silly, aren't I?" Mabel wondered aloud. "Sis, a year or two ago I would have made fun of you for saying something like that, but now… Ever since Mom and Dad told us about that Weirdmageddon thing, anything's possible" the freckled twin reassured her. "I-Is that why you're studying that book so much? Why you're trying to learn those spells?" Mabel asked as she looked into a set of eyes that mirrored her own. "To be honest… Yeah. I-I've been having nightmares ever since they told us about that summer. I had always noticed that something is just a tad strange about this town, but I could never really put my finger on why that could be. I wrote it off as us just living out in the middle of nowhere and everyone just having a strong personality, but it really started to make sense after being told all that. Mabes, that thing was dangerous. It could have ended the world if it weren't for Mom, Dad and everyone else working together. I-I just think it's better to be prepared for something that may never happen, rather than be caught off guard by something like that. I believe I found that book for a reason and I'm going to take full advantage of what it has to offer. Apparently I'm not the only one who has an interest in it…" the chestnut haired girl concluded. Mabel nodded in agreement as she pondered what her sister had just told her.
Meanwhile, in the emergency department, both Grendy and Courtney had been seen by the doctor. Mabel was correct in her assumption that her cousin would have to receive stitches to close the wound in her lip; seven of them to be exact. Grendy had to have her nose reset and now sported a large bandage across the bridge of her nose. The pain was immense and tears were shed by the gangly teen girl, which caused her cheeks to go red with embarrassment. The daughter of the hailed athlete Grenda Grenderson felt like a disappointment for not being able to take the pain like her mother would have. Tambry noticed that she was feeling down and walked over towards the mahogany maned teen, who sat on the end of a hospital bed. "Hey… Everything alright?" the olive skinned woman said as she sat down beside her. "Yeah! I-I'm doing a lot better now Mrs. Bennett!" the fifteen year old fibbed as an overly fake smile adorned her face. "Grendy, honey, I know when someone's lying to me… What's the matter sweetheart?" the thirty-six year old inquired as she put a caring hand on the shoulder of the upset young woman; Grendy letting out a deep sigh as she shed her facade. "I-It's just that… Well… M-My Mom wouldn't have cried like that when they were fixing my nose. I-I know that I'm nothing like her… A-And I guess it just makes me really upset sometimes. I mean, when she was my age, she was already winning competitions and championships. I-I still don't know what I wanna do with my life" Grendy admitted as fresh tears filled her eyes once more. Tambry felt bad for the young woman, as she too had felt like a disappointment to her parents over the years. While they had both been very successful business leaders, she worked for the local news station. They had traveled all over the world making deals that were worth more than the GDP of some small countries, while she stayed put in the small Oregon town. She had received an offer to become an on-air journalist for a television station in Sacramento, California many years ago, but decided to keep her roots firmly planted in Gravity Falls. "Grendy, that's perfectly fine. I didn't find out that I wanted to be a journalist until my junior year of high school. Even then, I was scared that I wouldn't be any good at it. Just take your time and listen to your heart…" Tambry said in an effort to comfort her. "Y-You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?" a skeptical Grendy inquired. "Not at all…" the thirty-six year old reassured her as she pulled the girl into a caring hug.
Wendy and Dipper continued their guided tour of the movie lot. While most of the movie would be filmed in a town about twenty miles north of the bustling metropolis, the interior shots would take place inside a sound stage. Walking up to the hangar-like building, Jamie held her watch up to the scanner and soon the trio were inside. An exact replica of the Mystery Shack's gift shop stood before them; save for one wall being removed for filming purposes. "Where do you suppose they got all that Mystery Shack swag from?" asked Dipper to his wife. "I don't know... I didn't think they made this much stuff... Especially with all the ways Stan would swindle his suppliers and vendors..." Wendy commented as she recalled just how cheap the old man could be. Part of her missed those far more simple days when she would kick her feet up on the register, crack open a Pitt Cola, stealthily place an earbud in one ear and bury her face in a magazine. A memory came rushing back to her and she quickly sprinted over the checkout stand. Disappearing behind it for a second, Jamie and Dipper were both befuddled by what she could be up to. "I thought so..." the auburn haired woman said to herself as she stood up; a smirk displayed on her freckled face. "The set designer did a good job, but not quite good enough..." she explained while waving for her husband and the actress to join her. She pointed to a shelf which contained a Pitt Cola, a copy of Indie Fuzz Magazine and a brown trapper cap. "You see... The in the summer of 2015, I finally realized that I did have feelings for you, Dipper. I had tried my best to bury them deep down, but they kept bubbling back up to the surface. I recognized that I was being hypocritical when I said that I was too old for you. What if it had been the other way around? What if I was the one who had a crush on you and after finally admitting it, was told that you thought you were too young for me. In fact, I was going to tell you that I felt that way about you at Tambry's house party, but then I got my ass handed to me and Pacifica walked in on you and Tambry..." the ginger woman recalled. "I-I never knew..." a somewhat stunned Dipper commented as Jamie looked on. "Well... I was going to tell you in the hospital, but at the last second I saw you holding Pacifica's hand and I realized that I had missed my chance to be with you. The next day at work, I took my knife and carved our names into this shelf..." the redhead said as her emerald eyes began to fill with tears. "I told myself that maybe it could still happen someday. That just like the carving on this shelf, my love for you would never fade" the somewhat emotional woman said as she took a deep breath to calm herself.
Wendy knew that she had brought the mood down in the room and had to elevate it a bit. "Stan noticed it and got really angry at me. He said that I can't just go and carve the name of every boy I go out with into his shop. That if I did that, then the whole place would be covered in no time. I got kinda pissed about it and told him to go to hell. Now, I love Stan and all, but at that moment I was just so pissed off at him. After reassuring me that he was already getting his mail forwarded there in anticipation of his arrival, he asked me why I was so upset. T-That's when I told him that it was your name... That I had carved both of our names into it because I wanted something to look at every day that could remind me to keep hoping that we could be together someday. He came and put his big 'ol arm around me and said that he was proud of me for finally admitting my feelings to myself. He also said that he was rooting for me. I swear the dude thinks I'm his daughter or something..." she said with a laugh. "He really does care about you... I wouldn't say that your assessment of the relationship is that far off..." Dipper commented before planting a kiss on his wife's lips. Both Dipper and Wendy broke the kiss and realized how much of a third wheel they must have made Jamie feel like. Almost as if she could read their minds, she broke the somewhat awkward silence that had filled the set. "You guys are so cute! The more I learn about you, the more I wish I had your life Wendy..." the actress said wistfully. Sure, the twenty-three year old enjoyed her life of fame, but deep down inside she wasn't happy. The long hours, the time she spent away from home and the lack of a social life had all become a drain on her. The more time she spent around the married couple, the more she saw what life could be like away from the glitz and glam of Hollywood. "Trust me... For every moment like this, there's two that you don't see..." she replied. "What do you mean by that?" a curious Jamie responded. "Well... I think it's no secret that I've struggled with my mental health since my teens... In fact, I just had one of those moments this morning..." she informed both the actress and her husband. While Dipper had an inkling that she had danced with her demons once again, hearing his wife confirm it caused him to become concerned. "Wendy... I-I'm sorry to hear that..." Jamie said in a soft tone. "Don't be... I-It's just one of those things I have to live with. I've learned how to shut it down and retake control when it happens. I-I have a lot to live for..." Wendy stated as a smile came across her freckled face.
After touring the rest of the set, it was finally time for Dipper and Wendy to meet the cast. "Dip... I'm low key nervous right now... I-I mean, what if I get one of those feelings again?" the ginger woman quietly said to her husband while Jamie walked a few paces ahead. "Well, I did wonder to myself if being around all this and seeing people who look like them would trigger that... But no matter what, I promise I'll be right here for you" the chestnut haired man replied as the pair walked hand-in-hand. "I never had a doubt about that..." Wendy said as they approached the large white tent that contained the cast. "They're so excited to meet you!" Jamie announced as she opened the door to the temporary structure. "Guys! They're here!" she proclaimed as Wendy grasped the hand of her lover just a little tighter. "So... You guys are the real Dipper and Wendy, huh?" a brunette teen asked as she got up from her seat and took in the sight of them. She was adorned in a pair of magenta capris and a bright pink hoodie emblazoned with a shooting star, just as Mabel had been on that fateful day. She was soon joined by a blonde girl who sported designer jeans, a white t-shirt and a purple jacket. Had their voices not been different, both Dipper and Wendy could have been convinced that they had indeed stepped back in time. In the corner of the room sat a man in a black hoodie who was on his phone. The auburn haired woman tensed up as she caught the sight of the man who portrayed Robbie Valentino. The man who had destroyed so many lives on that horrible early summer day. Dipper sensed that his wife was becoming a bit angered and knew he had to say something to break up the silence. "Y-Yeah... It's us! So... Did you guys have any questions? Anything that we could help point out? Mannerisms?" the thirty-three year old asked in an effort to make the situation less awkward. "OHMYGOD YAASS!" the actress portraying Mabel exclaimed with a sigh. "I have had such a hard time trying to figure out what they mean by quirky in the script..." she continued. "Okay... Well, my sister was certainly a unique individual. She was into arts and crafts big time... She was one of the most positive people I have ever met. Sure, things got her down from time to time, but she quickly bounced back from it. Not only that, but her attitude was downright contagious. She could be annoying at times... But she was always genuine. She never tried to be anything she wasn't" Dipper informed the actress. "Y-Yeah... Some would say she was a bit strange, but I loved that she let her freak flag fly... I-I know this is gonna sound horrible... B-But I was jealous of her in a way. I had to be this calm and cool person, but deep down inside I was stressed to the max... I wish I could have been confident enough to be my unabashed self like she always was" Wendy revealed. Dipper was proud of the fact that his wife was being this open with complete strangers.
The actress dressed as Pacifica was next to address the couple. "So... Pacifica was this spoiled brat who had a horrible attitude until she met you guys, right?" she asked with a voice that contained a bit of a country twang to it. Dipper tried his best not to laugh at the idea of his former girlfriend with that accent, although a huge smirk formed on his face. "Y-Yeah! I don't think she was really like that though. She was just a product of her upbringing. Before meeting us, she was shielded from the real world by the one that her parents had crafted for her. She simply didn't know any better. I first saw signs of her true self on a car ride back from a midnight mini golf battle between her and Mabel. She didn't even know what sharing was for crying out loud! Later on, we attended a party at her mansion. She realized how bad her family truly had been over the years and was disgusted by some of their acts. She was going to resign herself to the same fate before I reminded her that she could break the cycle. That she was young and could be whoever she wanted to be in life. That I saw someone good hiding just behind the facade she had managed to fool everyone else with. I-It was the night that I think I first caught feelings for her..." the brown haired man explained. He looked over to his wife, who he half expected to be a bit angered by the reminder that his heart had first belonged to another woman. Although they had discussed the topic early and often in their relationship, he had always wondered if she was alright with it. Sure, she had told him that she was, but he didn't know whether that was just another front put up by her. To his surprise, he saw an adoring look on her freckled face; one that was a mixture of pride in him and sadness for what he had lost. The look was also shared by Jamie and the other female cast members. Wendy often thought of just how lucky she was to fall in love with such a caring man. That while she had chased the stereotypical bad boys in her teens, what she really wanted was someone like him. It didn't matter that the women she currently counted in her company were richer or more beautiful, because right now she knew that she had something that they couldn't have; the one and only Mason Pines as her husband.
The actor playing the role of Robbie stood up from his table and joined the rest of his cast-mates. "Wendy really hates his guts, doesn't she?" he uttered as he pulled down his hood. The haircut was spot on and even his body language mirrored that of the moody teen boy. A chill went up the redhead's spine as she heard his voice. While it had a hint of a British accent to it, the cadence and tone matched that of the late man to an eerie extent. "Let's just say that if I didn't know you were just an actor, I'd already have spun you head around one hundred and eighty degrees and shoved it up your ass" she muttered. "Well... I'd just like to say that I for one am sorry for your loss... I couldn't imagine what it would be like to see someone that you were with doing such horrid things" he commented. While he was trying to diffuse the situation and prove that he was a separate person from the character, he had instead just dumped gasoline onto what had been a smoldering fire inside her. "I WASN'T WITH HIM! THAT'S WHY WE'RE HERE! TO TELL YOU WHAT REALLY HAPPENED!" she exploded; stunned looks coming over the actors and actresses. "That's right! We're here because the script is all wrong. I mean, I read it and they said that I ran right towards the gunfire... I hid in an alleyway until it stopped because I didn't want to get hit. I-I didn't even know what was going on, where as in the script, they made it seem like I knew that Mabel, Pacifica, Wendy and Robbie were all there. I had no idea. I was just going to see if the girls were at the mall since they weren't answering my texts" he added; trying to prove his wife's point and get her to calm down a bit. "So, you weren't some sort of brave hero who tried to save Pacifica?" a brown haired teen asked. Dressed in a pair of worn blue jeans, a grey t-shirt and a red flannel shirt, he knew that this was the actor depicting him in the film. "No... Not at all. Like I said, I didn't even know she was there. I was seeing what was going on when I caught her jacket lying on the ground out of the corner of my eye. It seems like they wrote me as some sort of badass, but I was a dork. Trust me... Wendy, Mabel and even Pacifica called me that... In a loving way, but still..." he told the actor. Wendy smiled as her husband swallowed a bit of his pride and admitted that he was a nerd. While far from a secret, he was still defensive about being called one.
The rest of the afternoon was spent fielding questions from the cast, as they tried to get the film as accurate as possible. While Wendy really wanted them to cancel the movie outright, she realized that it would be selfish seeing as hundreds of people would be out of a job. Instead, she settled to make it the most authentic retelling of the worst day of her life. The day that forever changed a town and the people within it. Next up was a conference with the writers, who went over everything from wardrobes and scenery to dialogue. One thing that had bothered Wendy and Dipper more than anything as they scanned the script was how proper everyone talked. They were in their teens at the time and spoke like it. Wendy also had a huge issue with how out of character Dipper was written. After debating with them for a few hours, Wendy and Dipper were satisfied with the direction the film was now heading in. They scheduled regular meetings in order to keep up with everything and make sure that it was still heading in the right direction. "I-I just wanna say that when I first found out that they were making a movie about the worst day of our lives, I was livid. I thought you were all just a bunch of soul-sucking vultures, who were hellbent on making a buck off of our suffering. Now, I see that you guys are only trying to do your jobs and I have to say that after the changes we made, I have no doubt that you'll all do great. We'll keep in touch and if you have any questions in the meantime, you have our numbers..." Wendy said as she waved goodbye to the small crowd before her. The couple walked hand-in-hand out of the movie lot and back onto the streets of Vancouver, where night had fallen on the metropolis. "You okay?" Dipper asked his wife as they strolled down the concrete sidewalk. "Yeah... I mean, today was a tough day, but I needed to confront some of that. I'd been trying to forget it for a while now and this made me realize that it's never going to fully go away. That while time, like, passes and junk... It'll be always be a part of who we are... And for the first time in a while, I'm okay with that..." the redhead said as that easy smile Dipper loved resided on her face once more. "I'm glad to hear that..." he replied. "How about you? I know you didn't really let on back there, but I know that it wasn't easy for you either..." Wendy commented. "It wasn't... Especially when I first saw the girls playing Mabel and Pacifica. I-I wanted them to be real in the worst way... I fought the urge to run up to them and hug 'em" the usually reserved man admitted as his hazel eyes filled with tears. "Dude, I get it... Because I wanted to do the same exact thing" his wife agreed. The rest of the walk home was in silence, as the two took in what had transpired over the long weekend. While they had started out by wanting to take a break from Gravity Falls and all that reminded them of it, they had never felt closer.
Author's Note:
Sorry about how long it took to post a new chapter, but a lot has gone on in the last little bit. Funny how life works like that. My vacation was much needed and kinda cleared my head a bit. Sadly, I didn't find the statue of Bill Cipher, but the woods of Oregon are every bit as wonderful as Gravity Falls made them out to be. I had this chapter done about twice and didn't really like it, so I deleted the whole thing and started over. I was originally going to go with how the Mystery Crew was dealing in the hospital, but I felt like I needed to end Wendy and Dipper's trip to Vancouver first. They were only there for three days, but it was starting to feel like three months to me. The supernatural elements are about to ramp up here in the next few chapters, so stay tuned for that. I saw a few more pieces of fan art as well and I really enjoyed it. As always, feel free to leave a review! Well, until next time - iKLOT
My Playlist For This Chapter:
Muse – "Thought Contagion"
Lorde – "Team"
Young The Giant – "Something To Believe In"
Grimes – "Flesh Without Blood"
Muse - "Supermassive Black Hole"
The Driver Era - "Preacher Man"
Corey Taylor / Dave Grohl - "From Can To Can't"
Audien + 3LAU / Victoria Zaro - "Hot Water"
Marshmello & Anne-Marie - "FRIENDS"
Arty / April Bender - "Sunrise"
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