Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story

Part Forty-Seven: Wheels Up

The trunk of Pacifica Elise Northwest's prized purple Fjord Stallion GT convertible opened up and the Pines sisters stepped forward to see what its contents were. In front of them lay three large black duffel bags. "I knew there'd be bodies involved! Called it!" Pacifica remarked before poking it with a bit of trepidation. "Why don't you open them and see for yourselves..." Dipper replied. Mabel was first to grasp the zipper on the middle bag and slowly pulled it down. What she set her eyes on took the young woman's breath away. It was stuffed full of cash, which still had the bands from the bank on them. "Whoa! There's gotta be a million dollars in there!" the auburn-haired teen exclaimed. "Try two and a half million..." Wendy corrected her. "That's unreal..." Pacifica added as she got a better view of the currency. "Your Aunt left this money to help pay for all the expenses that come with owning your new cars. Registration, insurance, maintenance, fuel, storage... You know, all the fun stuff that only adults think about" their mother quipped.

"The other two are for you. Go ahead, open them..." Dipper said to his daughters. Mabel and Pacifica each selected a duffel, looked at one another, nodded in agreement and pulled their zippers down to reveal what was inside. Quizzical looks adorned the teenager's faces as they removed racing helmets, suits, gloves, shoes and neck restraints from their respective bags. Pacifica's had a black and purple color scheme, while Mabel's was white and pink. "Allow us to explain..." Wendy said as she turned to her husband. "Aunt Pacifica wants you two to be the safest drivers that you can be, especially since you got to pick from her car collection. That's why she left us the contact info for FASTCAR Champion Lyle Karson" the thirty-three-year-old man said before turning things over to Wendy. "We looked him up and this dude is legit. If there's a car you can race, he's won in it. Anyway, we reached out to him and as luck would have it, he's got a free week before the playoffs start. Your flight leaves tomorrow morning, so we'll pick up something to eat on the way home and then you can pack" she informed the girls.

Mabel and Pacifica quickly repacked their bags and loaded them into their mother's sport utility. Meanwhile, Dipper stood at the entrance to the automotive vault and listened to a song that was a favorite of his and Pacifica Elise's. "This was our song... Damn... It's... It's like she knew I was leaving" the chestnut-haired man said in a shaky voice as he fought back his emotions. "Aww... Mason..." Wendy remarked before wrapping her man up in a tight hug; tears streaming down her cheeks as she did so. Although he tried his best to keep it buried deep down inside of him, Dipper's love for Pacifica Elise Northwest would never go away. Luckily for the thirty-three-year-old, he had the undying support of his wife and for that he was eternally grateful, as most wouldn't be quite so understanding. "Wen... I... I... What did I do to deserve such an amazing wife?" he asked before breaking the embrace and wiping his eyes with his forearm. "Really? You have to ask that? Dude... You were just yourself. That's all you ever had to do. You're the same person I met back in 2012. Yeah, I mean, you've changed a bit over the years, but we all have. Still, in your heart, you're the same noodley-armed boy from that summer you walked into my life" Wendy replied as a smile formed on her face.

After grabbing some food at YumberJacks, the Pines arrived home. Mabel and Pacifica quickly finished their Yukon Maple Waffle Wraps before heading upstairs to try on the racing suits they had been gifted. "You excited for the trip?" Mabel asked as she began to change into her white and pink uniform. "Yeah... I mean, I don't know what we're gonna do, but I'm sure it'll be fun. Plus, a free trip out east on a private jet... What's not to like about that?" Pacifica responded while removing her shirt and throwing it towards the hamper; the item of clothing landing nowhere near it's intended target. "Hey, if it means I get to drive that new car to the first day of school, I'd walk down a hallway of broken glass barefoot to do it" her sister said as she zipped up the suit. For something that covered almost her entire body, it left less to the imagination than she had expected. "Yeah. I can't wait to see the look on Hannah's face when we roll up in our new rides. It'll shut the fuckin' bitch right up" Pacifica agreed. "Yo! These wouldn't be half bad to wear to school..." she continued before walking over to look at herself in the mirror. "I... I don't know about that... Maybe just at the race track for me..." Mabel hesitantly replied. The teen girl was still getting used to how her body was changing and was very self-conscious about it. Conversely, her twin sister had not shied away from the fact that she was quickly becoming a woman and had even dared to flaunt it a few times.

Wendy and Dipper had retired to the living room after dinner and were watching the Seattle Bayhawks preseason game when their daughters descended the stairs clad in their racing suits. "Looking good, girls!" Wendy said while rising from the couch to get a better look at her daughters. Pacifica had chosen to put her hair back in a ponytail, which was a bit out of character for her. "I'd ask how your Aunt Pacifica knew your blood types, but it'd be a useless question at this point..." Dipper remarked, which drew confused looks from the teen girls. "Oh!" Mabel exclaimed as she pointed to her sibling's waist. On the piece of fabric that acted as an ornamental belt of sorts, the Oregon state flag, their names and blood types were embroidered. "Huh... I hadn't noticed that..." Pacifica said. She did think it was a little odd, but much like her father soon realized that it would be futile to try and figure out how those from beyond the grave could do such things. It was simply better to let things be. After a few photos, the girls returned upstairs to pack for their trip and turn in for the evening.

The Pines family had woken up around four thirty in the morning, as the airport the girls would be flying out of was forty minutes southeast of Gravity Falls. Dipper offered to drive, as Wendy had to go to work later and could use the opportunity to get some extra rest. Mabel and Pacifica on the other hand, were wide awake; their excitement continuing to build as each mile brought them closer to the airport. A little before six, they had arrived at a security gate and after verifying their information, the onyx-colored sport utility made its way onto the tarmac. A man in a blue jumpsuit and orange vest guided Dipper to a parking spot next to the plane with a pair of orange lights. Another airport worker in a black suit opened the rear passenger door and Pacifica was first to disembark. To her surprise, her feet landed on a plush carpet that led to the aircraft, emblazoned with the number '57'. Mabel followed closely behind and took in the sight before her. A man in a white pilot's uniform and a woman in a flight attendant's outfit awaited them at the base of the stairs. "Wendy... Honey... We're here..." Dipper said as he gently nudged the shoulder of his lover. She let out a yawn and opened her eyes. "I was out, wasn't I?" she said in a bit of a gravelly voice as Dipper handed her a tumbler filled with coffee. "You might have been snoring a bit..." he replied with a sly smile. "Holy crap... This is some Northwest shit right here..." the auburn-haired woman remarked before opening her door; the sound of the idling jet engines engulfing her as she did so.

Dipper opened the tailgate and the man in the blue jumpsuit carried the girls' luggage to the cargo hold in the rear of the aircraft. The family gathered on the carpet and embraced in a group hug. "Girls, please be safe! Call us when you land and take lots and lots of pictures!" Wendy said as she fought the urge to cry. "We will!" Mabel replied. "Mabel, Pacifica... I'm gonna miss you two. Have fun and be on your best behavior for the Karson's. I love you!" Dipper said as he tightened his embrace. "We love you too!" the twins said as the broke the embrace. "Ready for an adventure?" Pacifica asked her sibling as she extended her hand. "Yeah! Let's do this!" Mabel replied as she reached out to hold Pacifica's hand. Dipper and Wendy watched the girls walk to the end of the carpet and meet the flight crew before walking up the steps. Mabel and Pacifica turned around to see their parents standing at the end of the carpet and waved one final goodbye to them before entering the aircraft, which they returned in kind. "Look at our girls, Dip... Getting on a private jet to fly across the continent all by themselves. They're growing up too damn fast..." Wendy said as she turned into her lover's shoulder and finally gave in to the emotions that she had tried her hardest to hold back. "I know... It feels like just yesterday we were taking them home from the hospital... And now... God, I feel old all of a sudden..." Dipper agreed as the door on the plane closed.

Mabel and Pacifica walked into the passenger compartment and were immediately blown away by how much nicer it was then when they had flown commercial a few years prior. "Hello. I am Gunther and I'll be your Captain today. We will be flying to Statesville, North Carolina with a fuel stop in Omaha, Nebraska. The flight should last about five hours. Enjoy the journey and if you are needing anything at all, Julianne will be more than happy to assist you" the man in the white shirt said with a strong German accent before heading towards the cockpit. "I'm Julianne and I'll be your flight attendant today! I'll take you on a short tour of the aircraft and then we'll prepare for takeoff" the dark brown haired young woman said in a cheery tone. Among the amenities that she showed them was a private bedroom at the rear of the plane if either twin wanted to rest, an impressively large lavatory that included a shower and a media room with an eighty-inch television. The girls took their seats as the plane began to taxi towards the runway for departure. Dipper and Wendy sat on the hood of their vehicle and watched on as the engines wound up to full power; the aircraft beginning to speed down the runway. Mabel and Pacifica had taken their phones out to document the experience, as Julianne had advised them that takeoff in a private jet could be a bit more aggressive than a commercial airliner. Looking out their windows, they saw the ground fall away from them and felt the force of gravity work against their bodies as the plane pitched upwards into the dark sky above.

Soon, Wendy and Dipper were on their way back to Gravity Falls. Although her husband had suggested that she get some additional rest, Wendy decided to stay awake. To be honest, she wasn't sure if she was even able to go back to sleep at this point. While she had spent time apart from her children before, this time felt different somehow. Perhaps it was because this would be the first of what would soon be many times the girls would venture out into the world on their own and if she was being completely honest with herself, the thirty-six-year-old wasn't quite ready for those days yet. "They're gonna be alright... right?" she asked while looking over to the man behind the wheel; his face illuminated by the white glow of the gauge panel. "Of course. Lyle assured us that everything they could possibly want or need would be there for them in North Carolina. The real question is, are you gonna be alright?" he replied. "Y-Yeah. Yes, I am! Like you said, they're in good hands. What we should be asking ourselves is, what are we gonna do with the house to ourselves for a whole week?" Wendy said as she shot her lover a devious smile in an attempt to deflect the conversation away from her insecurities. "Oh, I can think of a few things..." Dipper flirted back. "Don't leave a poor girl hanging, Dip. My imagination can only go so far... What might those things be?" she teased in a pouty tone. "Oh, I dunno... Clearing the gutters, power washing the outside of the house, cleaning out the garage, emptying the crumb trap on the toaster..." he answered. "Crumb trap?! That's not even a real thing... Is it?!" she asked in a curious tone. "Sure is. I mean, where do you think they all go?" Dipper said. "Wow... I totally suck at this whole being a mom thing..." the thirty-six-year-old remarked. "Hey now... That's not true at all... Truth is that all adults are just grown-up kids who are trying to figure it all out as we go along..." he tried to reassure his wife. "Why are you always trying to be positive about things?" Wendy asked. "Because, somebody has to be... so why not me?" he simply replied as Gravity Falls came into view.

Thirty-five thousand feet above central Idaho, Mabel and Pacifica had settled into their temporary surroundings. "Welp, I can cross using the bathroom on a private jet off my bucket list..." Mabel cheerily remarked as she exited the lavatory. "Eww, so gross..." her sister replied while looking up from her phone. "You're just jealous because I got to use it first..." Mabel scoffed as she made her way to the media room. "I know we just got settled in, but is anybody thinking about breakfast?" Julianne inquired. "Yeah, I could go for some grub. What's on the menu?" Pacifica replied. "For your dining pleasure, we have scrambled eggs or scrambled egg whites, pork or turkey bacon, miniature sausage links, oatmeal, a mixed berry parfait with vanilla or Greek yogurt or breakfast cereal with your choice of milk. To drink we have milk, coffee, tea, cranberry juice, grape juice, orange juice, sparkling water or mimo- actually, never mind about that last one. Sorry about that" the perky attendant said. "What was that about mimosas? I'll take one!" Mabel asked as she poked her head out of the media room. "My apologies, but even at thirty-five thousand feet the law still applies unfortunately" Julianne answered. "In that case, orange juice..." the redhead relented. The girls enjoyed their meals and about an hour later, the voice of Gunther came over the intercom system. "We will begin our descent into Omaha in the next few minutes. If you could please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts it shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes until we arrive. The current conditions in Omaha, Nebraska are clear skies with a temperature of sixty-eight degrees and a wind of three miles per hour. The local time is 8:05 am central daylight savings time.

Dipper and Wendy arrived home just before seven, which gave Wendy just under an hour before she would leave to have her daily breakfast with Tambry at Greasy's. The two had sat down to watch the news and the time flew by. Wendy was about to depart for the diner when a video chat notification from Mabel came over the television, which they quickly accepted. "Good morning!" Mabel said as the call began. The screen showed that Mabel, Pacifica and Julianne were on the tarmac and appeared to be doing some yoga, which greatly amused their parents. "Where are you guys at?" Dipper asked, as he knew they couldn't have landed in North Carolina yet. "We're in Omaha. We had to stop and refuel, so we're taking the chance to get our daily stretch on. Julianne wanted to be all professional and not join us, but we used our natural Pines charm to convince her otherwise" Pacifica said as Mabel handed her the phone. "You two are too much..." Wendy said with a chuckle. "Did you eat yet?" Dipper asked. "Yeah! The food was absolutely amazing!" Mabel remarked; Pacifica shooting a thumbs up in agreement. "That's awesome! Glad you guys are having fun!" their mother said. "You have no idea! I'll have to send you a video I took of the inside of the plane! It's like a penthouse apartment at thirty-five thousand feet!" Pacifica shouted as the engines started up once more. "Well girls, I think that's our cue to end this session..." Julianne remarked as she got up from her mat and began to roll it up. "If you could return to the plane, we'll be wheels up in less than ten minutes" Gunther said in the background. "Okay, well, we've gotta go, I guess! Talk to you when we land in North Carolina! Love you!" Mabel said. "Love you too!" Wendy and Dipper said in unison before ending the call on an early morning in Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Author's Note: Sorry for how long it's taking for my chapters to come out these days, but my life has been absolutely crazy. I got a huge promotion at work, which eats into my free time, but came with a pretty decent pay increase and a seemingly infinite amount of stress. The things we do for the almighty dollar, am I right? Anyway, I had this in my head as either an epilogue or a completely different story, but I decided to fold it into this story and keep it rolling as I want to finish the story at the end of the summer. What kind of adventures will both the girls and their parents get into during the final week of the season? Find out in the next installment of the Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story.

-iKLOT

My playlist:

Dashboard Confessional - "Stolen" (Dipper & Pacifica's song)

Milky Chance - "Synchronize" (Made me think of how well Wendy & Dipper know one another and how Wendy knew to comfort Dipper when he thought of Pacifica)

Windsor - Memory

Surf Curse - "Sugar"

The Neighbourhood - "Softcore"

Muse - "Starlight"

Weezer - "A Little Bit Of Love"

Pinch Points - "Reasons To Be Anxious"

Metric - "All Comes Crashing"

The Linda Lindas - "Talking To Myself"

ITZY - "Wannabe"

aespa - "Dreams Come True"

Hey Monday - "Coming Home"

MISSIO - "We Are Who We Are"

Muse -" Supermassive Black Hole"

The Lumineers - "Where We Are" (If this were a television series, this is the song I would use to end this episode)