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

Part Fifty-Two: The Riptide That's Trying To Drown Me

Dipper made his way to Gravity Falls Regional Medical Center as Wendy tended to Tambry in the backseat of the muscle car. "Just keep your head tilted up..." the auburn-haired woman instructed her best friend. "You know I'm never going to forgive you for this, right?" Tambry replied. "Honestly, I don't blame you. I'm so fuckin' sorry. I've just been out of my mind lately... First, I go and get shit-faced on a weeknight because I'm having a thirty-something crisis and then I think the best way to tell you I'm upset with what you did is to deck you in the face. I... I might go talk to Claire when we get there." Wendy said as her eyes began to water. She didn't like the feeling of her impulses getting the better of her and knew she had to reign it in before it got any more out of hand. "I think that's a great idea..." Dipper chimed in from the driver's seat as the hospital came into view. Tambry placed a caring hand on the clearly upset woman's shoulder. "Wen, I'm sorry for what I did. Maybe I had this coming. I mean, I have always been a bit of a gossip and eventually it was bound to catch up with me. I just wish it wasn't somebody who threw a punch like a heavyweight boxer" the violet haired woman said. "Let's just agree that mistakes were made on both sides and you both learned from it, okay?" Dipper remarked. Both his passengers nodded in agreement as the car came to a stop.

Despite staying up late into the night and consuming a very unhealthy amount of sugar, both Mabel and Pacifica were able to wake up on time and once again were ready for another session of driving instruction. Pacifica had paired up with Lyle and Mabel with her crush, Logan. This would be an abbreviated lesson, as they had to leave around noon for Lyle and Logan's sprint car race in Iowa. Unlike the previous day, Mabel seemed to be more in tune with her vehicle and kept pace with her twin sister. After making her way through a slick slalom, she felt the hand of Logan tap her on the shoulder before shooting her a thumbs up. The cars came to a halt and the drivers, and their passengers exited them. "Mabel! Way to go! That was so much better than yesterday!" Lyle congratulated her. "I knew you could do it!" Logan agreed before wrapping her up in a hug, lifting her up off the ground and spinning her around. He quickly realized what he had done, placed her back down on the ground and released the embrace. Pacifica palmed her face with her gloved hand and shook her head as she snickered to herself. Lyle, meanwhile, was concerned at how quickly his son was falling for someone who would be out of his life by the end of the week. Still, he did like to see the teenage boy happy and recalled how he had met his wife under somewhat similar circumstances.

After going back into the media center and changing into their street clothes, the quartet departed for the airport, which was located just a mile away from the speedway. The girls had each packed an overnight bag, as Lyle had warned them that the event could run late into the night, and they'd likely return to North Carolina after sunrise the next day. Mabel and Pacifica were excited to see yet another part of the United States for the first time. Soon, they were on the tarmac of the regional airport and pulled up to the private jet they had flown on only days prior. It still seemed so surreal to the twin sisters that this was just an average day to people like the Karson family. "I don't care how I have to make it happen, but I want this to be my life someday. Just driving to an airport and getting on a private jet to go wherever I want" Pacifica commented. "Yeah. This is the way to live. Dad mentioned to me that he and Aunt Pacifica would fly on her private jet from time to time and it used to make me jealous just hearing about it. Now that I've experienced it for myself, I don't want it to just be a story I tell my kid someday..." Mabel agreed as the back hatch of the sport utility opened, and an airport worker began to unload their luggage.

Dipper and Wendy sat in the waiting room of the hospital as the doctors in the emergency department worked to fix the nose of Tambry. "Dip... You know I didn't mean for this to go the way it did, right?" she asked her lover. "I don't think you meant to put your best friend in the hospital, but I do think you wanted to show her that your personal life is off limits to her, so I think you did want to send her a message that was years in the making" he replied. "I'm just really worried because of her heart condition. What if they put her under and it fucks up something? What if she dies because I got really pissed off at her? I... Look, I've been through a lot, but if something happened to you, the girls or her, I'd probably just off myself..." Wendy said as she buried her face in her hands and began to cry. "Wen, honey, I get it. We can never take back what we do, but maybe this can be a real turning point in your relationship." Dipper added. "God, I really hope so... I've known her since I can remember, but sometimes she just loves to cross that line with me..." Wendy said. "I think you might have got your point across. Just a hunch, of course..." Dipper said before chuckling slightly. "I suppose so. You know, while we're waiting, I'm gonna go and see Claire. I have some things to talk to her about..." Wendy said as she got up from her seat. "I'll call you if I find out anything..." Dipper replied as his wife headed off towards her mother in law's office.

"It's wonderful to see you again!" Julianne welcomed the quartet. "Likewise, Julianne" Lyle said as he shot her an easy smile. Mabel gave the dark brown-haired woman a hug and she returned it in kind. "Girls! So great to have you aboard!" she added. Soon the jet taxied to the end of the runway and began the roughly three-hour flight to Iowa. After reaching cruising altitude, Lyle retired to the bedroom, where he would catch a quick nap. As a full-time professional racecar driver, he had learned to get his rest while he could. Logan and the girls, meanwhile, made their way to the media room, where they watched tape of the last time the Karson men had raced at the dirt track. "I still can't believe you do this for a living! It's so cool!" Mabel remarked. "It's fun, no doubt. It's a grueling schedule sometimes, but there's nothing else on this planet I'd rather do" the teen boy said as he exited the app. "So, enough of all that. What do you girls want to do? I have all the streaming apps on here or we could play a game on the XStation U... Whatever you guys want..." Logan said. The girls thought about it for a moment and decided on a movie they both had been meaning to see. Ironically, it starred Jamie LeCroix, the actress who portrayed their mother in an upcoming feature film. It was a brooding teenage romantic movie, and as it progressed Mabel and Logan cuddled up on the sofa. Pacifica cried during the more dramatic scenes, which took her twin sister by surprise. Reading the room, the chestnut-haired young woman left as the credits began to roll.

She headed back towards the passenger compartment of the aircraft and once she sat down, began to scroll through her phone. Julianne was about to make her way to the media room when Pacifica stopped her. "I wouldn't go back there if I were you..." she advised the flight attendant. "Why?" Julianne asked in a curious tone. "I'm pretty sure that my sister and Logan are making out back there..." the brunette teen answered. "Oh! Well, yeah... I'd better let them be then. Thanks for the heads up. Would you like anything?" she inquired. "Nothing you could get me. Thanks though..." Pacifica commented in a somewhat sullen tone. She had been going through Trey's social media posts from the past few days. Julianne took a seat beside her. "Everything alright, honey?" she asked in a caring tone. "I just miss my boyfriend... Just stupid teenage bullshit, you know?" she responded. "Aww... That's cute. I remember my first real boyfriend. Like you, I had to leave town to go on holiday with my family for about two weeks and I was miserable the entire time." Julianne said as she placed a caring hand on the teen girls' shoulder. "I mean, don't get me wrong. Everything about this rules, but I just wanna see him again..." Pacifica confessed. "You will. I'm sure he's thinking about you and missing you just as much right now" she tried to reassure Pacifica. "I hope so..." was all she could respond with.

Wendy arrived at Claire's office and knocked on her door. "Come in..." the unmistakable voice of her mother-in-law said from the other side. "Wendy! To what do I owe this surprise visit? Are you alright? I got your voice message..." Claire greeted her guest. Wendy noticed a blonde woman seated in front of her desk and hoped she hadn't interrupted a session with a patient. "I'm not bothering you, am I?" the ginger woman asked. "No! Not at all! In fact, it's great that you've stopped by. I'm going on holiday with your father in a week. We're going to France to see where my extended family lives" she informed her daughter-in-law. This was news to her and the thought of her father in France made her chuckle a bit, as he was far from the most cultured person. "Wendy, this is Doctor Helga Shortman. She'll be filling in for me while I'm away for about a month" she said. "Nice to meet you..." Wendy said as she extended her hand to the blonde doctor. "Likewise. I've been reading your profile and I'm impressed at your progress, Mrs. Pines" she said while standing up to properly greet the woman she'd be treating for the next few weeks. By Wendy's best guess the blonde-haired doctor appeared to be in her mid-forties and stood slightly shorter than her. "Thank you, Doctor Shortman. I've had a lot of help getting to where I am now and it wasn't always easy, but I just take things as they come one day at a time. As I'm sure you know, I still have my struggles, but they're far more infrequent now" Wendy replied.

It had been about half an hour and Mabel emerged from the media room with her hair slightly messier than the last time that Pacifica had seen her. "How were the credits, sis?" the brunette teen asked her. "Oh... They were good! Really, really good!" she replied while looking at her twin. She could tell that Pacifica had been crying and took a seat beside her. "What's the matter, Paz?" she asked in a concerned tone. "Nothin'! I'm good. All good here!" she responded. "You've always been a terrible liar. I can see you've been crying. Are you homesick or something?" Mabel asked as she looked her sibling in the eye. "Look... It's just some stupid shit. I'm just being dumb, like usual..." Pacifica replied. "If it's making you upset, then it's not stupid. C'mon, let's talk about it..." her sister pleaded with her. "It's just that I miss Trey. I really, really, really miss him, Mabes. I mean, what if he's met somebody new? What if he realizes what a weirdo I am and how he could do a lot better?" she said before tearing up once more. "You know that's not the case. He's totally infatuated with you. You guys had one of those soul bonding moments that bind people together for life or something. Trust me, he's probably moping around Gravity Falls and might be having the same thoughts too" she tried to reassure her. "Yeah... You're probably right, sis. Thanks..." Pacifica said in a grateful tone before wrapping her sister up in a tight hug. "Any time..." she simply replied. The private jet began its descent as the twin sisters prepared themselves for a midweek dirt track race in the heartland of America.

Author's Note:

Sorry for the long delay in new chapters, but I've been dealing with a whole lot lately and I haven't had much time to write. I have the perfect ending in mind, and we are getting closer and closer to it. As usual, there is a lot to unpack in this chapter. Wendy feels great remorse for what she did to Tambry. Can the best friends get past this and mend their relationship? What does Iowa have in store for Mabel and Pacifica? What will happen when an unexpected visitor drops in on Wendy and Dipper? Answers to all these questions and more in the next installment of Tales Of The Flame & The Ax: A Shooting Star Falls Story. Until then, remember... I know lots of things... - iKLOT

My Playlist:

Lauren Spencer-Smith - "Best Friend Breakup"

Death Cab For Cutie - "Pepper"

Pierce The Veil - "Pass The Nirvana"

blessthefall - "Hey Baby, Here's The Song You Wanted"

Motion City Soundtrack - "Everything Is Alright"

The Starting Line - "The Best Of Me"

Don't Sleep - "Runnin Down A Dream"

Macklemore/Collett - "No Bad Days"

Russkaja - "No Borders"

Green Day - "2000 Light Years Away"

Beartooth - "Riptide" (Made me think of both Pacifica and Wendy)