A young woman, with snowy white hair in a half pony, spins a pair of liquor bottles in her hands, before pouring the contents into a dozen shot glasses. A smirk crosses her face, having not spilled any of the contents.

"Here ya go, Luna!"

The young woman accepts the bitter shot from the drunk patron, and chases it with an empty beer, spitting the liquor into it. "Woah, that's some strong stuff," she gasps. It had burned her mouth, and she slides her tongue out from between her teeth.

"Oh, Luna, you'll get used to it," the patron simpers encouragingly.

Not too long later, Kid Rock's Cowboy comes on over the jukebox. Along with the three other women that work there, Luna hops onto the bar, and the four of them dance to the song, making the patrons go crazy.

By the end of the night, Luna is exhausted, but thrilled. In tips alone, she'd made enough to buy a car for herself. Not that she will, but the thought is nice. The owner of the bar, an older man that goes by Earl, walks out of his office.

"Alright, ladies, gentlemen. Your cut for the night's events," he hands everyone their cash. "Go home, get some rest. Tonight was busier then usual. Have a good one. A minute, Luna," he calls, before she can leave.

"What's up, Earl?"

Earl is the only one in the entire bar that knows the real name for each of his employees. So, with it being just the pair of them, he uses her real name, "Lexi, I'm going to need you to take some holiday time. Business bureau is breathing down my neck about holiday's for everyone."

"Why me first?"

"You've been working for me the longest. Haven't taken any sick days, come in when your not supposed to… See where I'm going?"

Lexi rolls her eyes, "Yes, Earl. I hear it. How long do I have to 'holiday'?" she asks, not liking the word.

Earl looks at the sheet in his hand, "Well… you've earned nearly a year in holidays."

"But -!"

"I'm not saying take it all in one go," he soothes, cutting her off. "Break it up over a period. Start with a month. Go from there," he states.

Grumbling, Lexi agrees, and leaves shortly after.

At her nice condo the next afternoon, Lexi lazes on her bed, in a pale yellow tank top and neon green spanx, her snowy locks in a messy bun on the top of her head. A bunch of travel pamphlets are spread around her. She'd thought it over the night before, before falling asleep. She has more than enough funds to drive cross country, and still keep all of her bills paid. Earl had made it clear, she's not allowed to work at the bar until her holidays are done.

When Lexi has decided on a direction for her road trip, she rolls off the bed, stretching herself languidly. Grabbing her suit cases, she fills them with her clothing, shoes, toiletries, make-up, and of course, her mermaid outfit.

Done packing, she zips her bags closed, and sets them by the door, before exiting her condo, and heading to the on-site office.

"Lexi, what can I do for you?" the building care taker asks, seeing her walking in his direction.

"Evening Mr. Blume!" she greets cheerfully. "So, I'm going on holidays. Business Bureau orders."

Blume chuckles, "I hear that, young'un. How long you gonna be away?"

"A month for sure. I'll call if it goes any longer."

"How long are they making you take off?" he asks, making note of the information.

"I have a year's worth of holiday. My boss told me I don't have to take it all at once, though, thankfully."

"Dang!" he whistles. "Your work is mighty awesome," he compliments. He is fully aware of her employment, but he keeps it discreet. It's a fairly well-to-do neighbourhood, after all. "Alright, I have everything noted, so all the care takers will know. Have a good holiday, Lexi. Be safe."

"Thank you, Mr. Blume."

The next morning dawns bright and sunny, and Lexi lugs her bags to her car, and settles them in the trunk. Taking a last look at her condo, for at least a month, she does one final check. Comfy driving clothes and sneakers, check. Hair secured, but comfy, check. Purse, wallet, drivers licence, check. Water and snacks, check.

With a nod to herself, she climbs into the drivers seat, starts up her baby blue Mazda, and with one final look, heads out. Naturally, the drive out of the city is atrocious, no matter the time. When she reaches the countryside, though… she flies down the freeway, windows open, and music blasting.

After several hours of driving through Washington, she arrives in Oregon. The state has a tonne of tourist destinations, the massive forests perfect for them. She takes almost three days going through the tourist traps, enjoying what each has to offer. Except Upside-Down-Town.

She shudders just thinking about the nauseous place. Hadn't lasted long in the upside down trap.

Her last stop that day hadn't had any places for a person to sleep, so she'd continued on to the next town.

Unfortunately, her luck hadn't held. Her car had decided to die, before reaching town.

Swearing colourfully, Lexi gets out of her car, and lifts the hood. Only to gag, and rear back, as smoke billows out. Her swearing becomes even worse. Enough to make a sailor blush. Shutting the hood, she glares and kicks the car. Only to swear more, and louder.

When her foot has stopped throbbing, Lexi leans against the side of her car, and pulls out her cell phone. "No service… Are you freakin' kidding me?!" Swearing again, she tucks her currently useless phone back into her pocket, and contemplates what to do.

The sun has set, and even if it wasn't the weekend, any mechanic place would be closed by now. With no other choice, she grabs the keys and her purse, tucking them away, before popping the trunk, and pulling out a small suitcase. Clothing and toiletries are in it, for emergency situations. Like this one.

Locking her car, but not bothering with the alarm, she heads off down the road, knowing that a tourist trap is coming up… eventually.

When she finally makes it to the attraction, it's very late at night. But looking at the Mystery Shack, she can see a light on. Trudging up to the door, she knocks lightly, hoping the soft sound will be heard.

Her wish is answered, when an older man answers, in only a white muscle shirt, and blue boxers. His brown eyes run up and down her clearly exhausted form.

"Evening, sir… My car broke down, way up the road…"

"Come on in," he nods, stepping to the side.

Lexi stumbles in, and winces, "Damn car… Do you have a phone I can use? My cell phone isn't getting any service," she explains, following him into the kitchen.

"Sit down," he instructs, getting a can of soda from the cabinet. "I've got a phone, but… everything is closed."

"Is there a motel in town?"

"... No, there isn't. You can stay here for the night. I've got a spare room. Couch isn't too comfy, but… it's sleepable," he offers.

Restraining her pout, Lexi nods, accepting the offer, and opens the soda. "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem," he grunts, turning and scratching his back. "Stay put, I'll take your bag to the room."

Wincing, Lexi lifts a foot, looking at the bruised flesh. During her walk, she'd kicked off the high heeled boots, and had been carrying them ever since.

"So, what's your name?" he asks as he returns to the kitchen, a first aid kit in hand, which he sets on the table.

"Lexi Amero. You?"

"Stan Pines. Can I help with that?" he motions to her feet.

With a nod, Lexi lifts a foot, and he settles in a chair across from her, taking her heel in a hand. He rubs her foot, and she winces, but quickly relaxes.

"Well, good news, nothing seems to be broken. Just a few scrapes," he informs.

"Well, that's something. Thank you," Lexi smiles, as Stan switches her feet.

"No problemo. How far did you walk?"

"Bout an hour," she groans, his thumb digging into a sore spot. "I took off my heels after ten minutes."

"Probably a good thing," he nods, setting her foot down. "I can drive you into town tomorrow morning, and drop you off at the mechanic shop. Get some sleep, okay?"

"Happily," she nods. With a groan, she gets up, and follows him down the hall, to the spare room.

"Not much, but… it's a place to sleep. Night," he says in farewell, walking away.

Shutting the door lightly, Lexi strips out of her tank top, bra, and capris, before opening her bag, and pulling out her jammies. She pulls the grey plaid shorts on, before pulling the light grey sports bra over her head. Reaching up, she lets her hair out of the bun, and braids it loosely down her back.

With a final wince, she picks up the quilt that had been set on the sofa, and wraps herself up, before laying down. She's asleep almost instantly.

The morning finds Lexi, still in her jammies, sipping a hot coffee and looking out the window, when twin kids walk into the kitchen.

"Good morning," Lexi greets.

"Who are you?"

"Dipper!" the girl scolds. "Forgive my twin. Hi, I'm Mabel!"

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Lexi. My car broke down on the highway last night. Mr. Pines was nice enough to let me stay the night."

"Gruncle Stan is the best!" Mabel cheers.

"Gruncle?" Lexi repeats.

"He's our great uncle," Dipper explains. Apparently satisfied she's no harm, he walks into the room, and helps himself to some cereal. "Where are you from?"

"Washington. Are you two visiting your gruncle?" Lexi asks, turning and leaning against the wall.

"Yepp! We'll be heading back home at the end of summer," Mabel happily informs, helping herself to some cereal as well.

"That's awesome," Lexi compliments. "Good morning," she greets the older man, as he walks in with a yawn.

"Hot Belgium waffles! I forgot you were here," he yelps, a hand over his chest.

"Glad I'm so forgettable," Lexi quips. "Coffee's hot."

"Great, thanks," he nods, grabbing a mug, and filling it up. "How long have you been up?"

"Only a bit."

"The mechanic will be open in two hours," Stan informs. "I'll take you into town for then."

"Sounds good. Thank you, again, Mr. Pines."

"Stan," he corrects.

"Gruncle Stan, can we have pancakes today?" Mabel asks, finished her cereal.

"We can stop at Greasy's after we've dropped her off."

The twins cheer, and race off. Lexi smiles lightly, and grabs their forgotten dishes, only to set them in the sink along with her now empty mug. Turning on the sink, she adds a bit of soap, and starts washing.

"That's not necessary," Stan tries.

"The least I can do, for you opening your home to me. Would it be possible to have a shower, before we head into town?"

"Yeah, sure," he nods. "You know where the bathroom is?"

"Yes," she nods, smirking his way.

"Great. I'm first, though," he states, setting his mug in the sink, and walking off.

Lexi shakes her head, and washes the last dish, before releasing the water, and padding back to her room. After an hour, Stan pops his head in, letting her know the bathroom is free. After thanking him, she picks up her bag, and heads for the bathroom.

Turning on the water, she hums as she strips to her skin, and steps in. Grabbing her marshmallow scented soaps, she shampoos her hair, massaging her scalp. Once her hair is rinsed, she conditions, and coils her hair into a loose bun, and scrubs her body. After rinsing her body, the hot water is spent. Gritting her teeth against the cold, she quickly rinses her hair, before washing her face.

Shutting off the water, she grabs her towel, and dries off, shivering from the cold. Pulling on her lacey pink bra and matching thong, she coils her towelled hair atop her head, before pulling her toothbrush and paste from the bag as well. After brushing her teeth, and satisfactorily dry, she pulls a pair of pale blue shorts on, paired with a slightly studded belt. Donning a dark pink tube-top, she pulls a pale pink tank top over it, with a plunging neckline. Hence the tube-top.

Grabbing her stuff, she shuts her bag, and walks out of the bathroom. Only to walk face first into Stan's chest. She steps back, rubbing her nose, "Sorry."

"Didn't think I was that much of a catch," he jests, patting her shoulder. Then he takes her in, "You look good."

"Thank you," she smirks. At his blush, she smiles warmly. "In my line of work, I'm used to guys checking me out."

"What do you do?" he asks, and they walk down the hall together.

"I work in a bar," she informs.

Stan stops, and blinks owlishly at her. "You work in a bar. Like… serving drinks?"

Lexi nods, continuing to walk down the hall, "Along with some dancing. My job is to relieve the patrons of their money. It pays to look like this," she smirks.

"What are you doing out here, in Oregon?" he asks, when he's lifted his jaw off the floor.

"Road trip. My boss told me to take some holidays," she informs, unhappily.

"So… you're just driving around the country?"

"Yepp. Stopping and checking out all the touristy things," she informs, unwinding her hair from the towel finally.

Before the conversation can continue, there's a knock on the door. Stan goes and opens it, while Lexi continues to her borrowed room, to set her bag down. Stan pops his head in, "Hey, the police are here. About your car."

Straightening, Lexi follows Stan to the door, where two police officers are. "Hello, I'm Lexi Amero."

"Morning!" The shorter, rotund man greets. "Your car is, what exactly?"

"2006 Mazda Protege. Baby blue. Licence plate number," she lists her details, and the officer checks the information.

"Alright, all checks out. Someone came across your car earlier this morning, and called it in. We saw the message you wrote on the…"

"Drivers side window, in bright red lipstick," she fills in, at the questioning trail off.

"Alright," he nods. "We got your car towed to the mechanic's, and he'll check it out when he can. I'd suggest calling, and asking how long until he can check it out."

"Alright," Lexi nods. "Thank you officer."

"Have a good day now, ma'am."

"Well, guess that saves us a trip into town," Stan muses. "Did you want to check out the Shack?"

"I'll wait until it's open," she grins in thanks.

Later that day, Lexi walks through the Mystery Shack, along with a group of tourists, enjoying the tour from Stan. Even with Dipper dressed up as a wolf boy. Which gives her an idea.

When the tour has ended, and the group has left, Lexi approaches Stan, "Afternoon, Mr. Mystery."

"Hey," he greets. "So, you hear about your car yet?"

"Yeah," she nods. "The mechanic can't see my car for nearly a week, he's really backed up. No telling what the damage is, though."

"You can stay here," he offers.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it. There's something else…"

"What is it?" he asks, looking at her now.

"If you can get your handyman to build a really big fish tank… you could have a 'mermaid' as an attraction."