This update would have come sooner if it wasn't for one thing. The leg on my table gave out sending everything crashing to the floor. Then I had to wait like two to three days just for everything to be up to writing snuff. Not to mention my monitor didn't survive the crash. Start the fic.
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Dipper had driven them through two states already and the trip had been surprisingly quiet. Not in the awkward silence way but in that they had no other monsters giving them trouble kind of way. Since their adventure with Edna, Dipper had been mailing a letters to Mabel with details on the cases he and Pacifica had solved. They had made a couple of stops naturally, to things like eat and chat or just to get more gas. Yet through these small acts they found themselves enjoying the company of each other a little more each time. Once they had even stopped at a picnic table just to play chess. Before they knew it, two weeks had already passed.
Night had covered their surroundings as Dipper drove up to large building. It reminded Pacifica of an Office Depot building, the only difference being the giant words on the top of the building spelling out the words 'The Craft Shack'. Naturally the S of the sign looked like it was going to fall off at any second.
Pacifica had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. Her face was resting against her buckled seat belt and there was drool starting to leak out of her mouth. Dipper didn't know why, but for whatever reason, he smiled at the scene.
"Pacifica... time to wake up." Dipper gently shook her by the shoulder causing her to groggily wake up.
"Wha-What's going on?"
"We're here Sleepy Head."
She pried her face off the seat belt and hazily took in her surroundings. "And here is where?"
Dipper pointed at the building in front of them. "Why the Craft Shack of course!"
No sooner had he pointed it out then the S on the sign fell off the building and on to the ground.
Pacifica took a moment to let it all soak in before touching the part of her face she had sleeping on the seat belt with. "Why does my face hurt?!"
"You fell asleep on the seat belt."
"Ugh! Why didn't you wake me?!"
"You were drooling."
"UGH!"
"It was actually kind of adorable."
Pacifica blushed angrily before unbuckling herself and storming off in to the back.
"Pacifica! Don't go! Come on!" Dipper called out to her. "I'm only teasing!"
"I'm going to go fix my face! You go and find a parking spot or whatever!"
Since since the 'Shack' was closed at the moment he literally had the entire parking lot to pick from. All of that became irrelevant though when he saw a figure running towards the RV. He parked the RV in a space and almost immediately got out to greet this figure. He knew there was only one person it could be. When she tackled him with a hug at the speed of a shooting star it only confirmed his theory!
"It is so good to see you again Dipping-Sauce!" Mabel exclaimed.
Mabel was hugging him so hard that she had lifted him off the ground. Naturally she was squeezing the life out of him but he would expect nothing less from his sister.
"Missed you too, Mabel." Dipper wheezed.
Mabel had kept her hair long but it had been a long time since she used a headband for it. She was dressed in a lime green jogging top with hot pink sweatpants with matching ankle and wrist weights.
She placed him on the ground and looked around the area.
"So did you bring her?"
"She's living with me Mabel, I kind of have to."
"I've been reading the letters you sent me about your adventures with her to the girls. What you two have has been making us scream like a bunch of twelve year old little girls!"
Dipper scrunched his face in disappointment.
"Mabel, I sent you those letters to stay in touch and keep you in the loop, not so you and your friends can play matchmaker!"
Mabel rolled her eyes at her brother.
"Dipper it's going to happen with or without my meddling. You may as well just start smooching her now and save me the trouble of tricking you two in to doing it later!"
"Mabel, come on!" he pleaded. "It isn't like that! She's just a friend from ten years ago who just so happens to be very good back up in a crisis!"
"Who you call 'Sweetheart'."
Dipper sighed in defeat. Mabel's mind would not be changed on this, but there was still one thing he could do.
"Hey what's that over there?" Dipper asked pointing in a random direction.
"Huh?"
As soon as Mabel had her back turned to Dipper, he flipped her hair over head where it hung in front of her face.
"Ah, the more things change the more they stay the same."
Through the mass of hair Mabel's tongue repeatedly stuck out through it as she tried to spit hair out of her mouth. It was at this time that the door to the living quarters of the RV opened up and Pacifica came out. Somehow she managed to get rid of the belt imprint on her face, but she took attention away from her face with her outfit just to be safe. It was another piece she had sewn together, a purple shirt with shoulderless straps and a white skirt. Mabel greeted her the same way she did Dipper but since Pacifica didn't see her coming this came as a surprise.
"AAAghhh! What's happening?!"
Because of how Mabel was hugging her Pacifica couldn't really see who her 'attacker' was.
"Thank you so much for having my brother's back!"
"What the... Mabel?"
Mabel placed her back on the ground where Pacifica shuddered involuntarily.
"Why are you sweaty?!"
"Sorry about that! You guys kind of caught me in the middle of my third evening jog."
Pacifica seriously considered chewing Mabel out for getting sweat on her, but since this was there first meeting in ten years she decided to just let it go. So she took a deep breath, mentally took a step back from the situation, and let it out.
"Good to see you, Mabel. How's your putting?"
Before Mabel could answer a purple ring of fire appeared right behind her, and in the center of the ring was a pupil. "DIPPER PINES! I WISH TO RENEGOTIATE OUR DEAL!"
Yes, out from the ring came none other than the floating eyeball himself, Lenny. Since this was the first time Pacifica had seen him... well... not-on-fire; she took note that he wasn't just an eyeball. He seemed to have a layer of purple eyelid skin which covered his 'body'. Oddly enough there weren't any burn marks on him from his last form, almost as if it had never happened. He was completely ignorant of Mabel's and Pacifica's presence though, focusing his attention solely on Dipper.
Mabel spotted how annoyed Dipper looked before Pacifica did though so she was first to intercept the eyeball.
"SIX MONTHS IS TOO..."
"LENNY!" Mabel cheered.
"What is...Oh is that you Mabel? How's every little thing?" Upon spotting her Lenny eye smile.
"Well I gotta say, over the years I've become even sparklier!"
Mabel dug in to her sweatpant's pocket and pulled out a handful of glitter. She opened her palm and blew the glitter, covering Lenny in the pink sparkles.
"AAAAAAAAAAGH! ATTACK GLITTER! IT'S PRETTY BUT IT HURTS! MY ONE WEAKNESS!"
Blinded by pain, Lenny swerved all over the place in a blind panic before smacking in to the wall of the RV. "OOOOOOWWWWWW! THE PAIN INTENSIFIES!"
"LENNY! Lenny! Lenny. You have to stop moving and listen to me! Just calm down for a second." Mabel pleaded.
Lenny stopped moving like Mabel asked but he was starting tear up awfully fast. "O-Okay..." *sob* "but it hurts!"
"I know it does Lenny," Mabel put her arm the back of Lenny's body in a friendly manner. "but that's why you need to listen to me. You need to go home, take a shower, and wash all that glitter off. Then you're going to want a fire in your fireplace so you can roast some marshmallows until you feel better."
"Can I have some hot chocolate too?"
"Of course! You can even throw in some mini-marshmallows."
Lenny made a noise which the others could guess was his equivalent for a sniffle. "I guess that does sound pretty nice. Okay, I'll head home!"
The ring of fire reappeared and Lenny gave a final sob before disappearing inside it.
"I didn't know you knew Lenny, Mabel."
"Oh yeah Pacifica, I met him once when Dipper came for a visit. Sweet guy but no brains. I have to continue my run but you guys go inside and make yourselves at home. Candy and Grenda are already inside waiting for you."
"Thanks Mabel! Come on Pacifica, let's go."
Mabel watched the two walk off towards the building with an approving nod.
"Okay, now that that's over with..." Mabel put a sweatband on her head. "Mabel is shifting in to second gear!"
Mabel did a couple of deep breaths before running off.
Back with Dipper and Pacifica, Dipper almost apologized for Mabel's actions but Pacifica had cut him off.
"Since when did Mabel become such a fitness freak?" asked Pacifica.
"The age of fourteen if you can believe it. It was around that time she discovered her love of sweets and junk food had turned against her, giving her body fat. Ever since, she's been working herself like a dog to ensure she burns off every ounce of fat she gains. You know, for cuteness' sake."
"Wouldn't it just be easier to eat healthier?"
"Not for Mabel."
The walk towards the Crafts Shack wasn't that long but it did give them a little time for small talk.
"Now that we got a moment, I got to say I'm impressed you got rid of the seat belt mark on your face. How did you do that?"
"I know all type of makeup secrets. That wasn't anything special."
"So you're not going to tell me?"
She smiled at him playfully. "A girl's got to have secrets. Besides, I thought you liked a mystery."
He smiled back. "Is that what you're doing? Giving a mystery to solve?"
"What makes you think you can solve it?"
"What makes you think I can't?"
"AHEM!"
The interruption of a third voice snapped them back to reality. They had entered the building without even realizing it and what's more they were being watched. A few feet away from them was a table with various baskets and flowers, but seated at this table were two faces which they hadn't seen in quite a while, Candy and Grenda.
"If you two are done flirting..."
"Then how about you come over here and greet some old friends?"
Dipper and Pacifica blushed lightly as they made their way to the table. Grenda had grown even bigger than Pacifica would have expected; so much so that even Soos would have to look up to her now, albeit not by too much. Wearing a black shirt and green shorts, Grenda was covered from head to toe in athletic padding; including but not limited to: a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, wrist guards, and shin guards.
Candy on the other hand was more or less what Pacifica had predicted. She was tall but skinny, her hair only went down to her shoulders but the sparkly green bow in it seemed to compliment her very nice. Her green shirt matched her bow quite pleasantly while being covered up by a work apron. Her name tag hanging off her shoulder strap spelled out her in name in pink glitter glue. There was one thing that stood out above all the others though, there were no glasses on her. Yes, Candy had gone under laser-eye treatment in her late youth.
They must have been working on an elaborate decoration for the store given how the table was covered in reeds, glue, and flowers. Since Dipper and Pacifica had interrupted them before they could make any real progress on it there was no telling what they were actually trying to make.
"We weren't flirting!" Dipper insisted. "We were... um..."
As Dipper started floundering for an answer, he turned to Pacifica for help only to see she was about as helpless as he was.
"We were... uh..." Pacifica did her best to find the appropriate word for it but nothing seemed to fit. "Challenging each other?"
She knew it sounded like a pathetic excuse but it was all she could think of to defend themselves.
Instead of calling them out on the lame excuse or teasing them further, Candy and Grenda just shared a look and a giggle before dropping the subject entirely.
"Pull up a chair! We were just talking about you guys!" Grenda invited.
Sitting adjacent to Candy and Grenda, Dipper and Pacifica were careful not to rest their arms on any of the number of different flowers on the table.
"So what were you saying about us?" Dipper asked.
"We're really thrilled you guys have been kicking so much ass together!" screamed Grenda.
"Mabel's readings of Dipper's letters have become the highlights of our days." added Candy.
"Yeah, well I didn't know she was reading them to the two of you!" snapped Dipper. "From now on I'll be holding back when I'm writing those letters if she isn't going to be keeping them to herself!"
Their excitement seemed to deflate at this news.
"Oh come on, we promise it hasn't left this table." pleaded Grenda.
"We've been very quiet about it around customers." added Candy.
It didn't look like Dipper was going to give but Pacifica found herself feeling sorry for Candy and Grenda as disappointment started to appear on their faces. Pacifica had to guess it gave them a sense of nostalgia from when they were twelve, and she could relate to that. So she cut Dipper off before he could put his foot down and crush them. "What are you girls making on this table anyways?"
Dipper gave Pacifica an odd look but Candy and Grenda didn't seem to notice.
"It's a giant reed reef we're making for charity!" Candy explained.
"Which charity?" Dipper asked.
"WE DON'T KNOW YET!" yelled Grenda.
Pacifica and Dipper exchanged a confused look before Candy started to explain. "We always have charities coming to us asking us to make them something special, but with so many asking us to support their cause over the other, it was hard to pick just one. So Mabel devised a way to pick one fairly."
"RANDOM RAFFLE LOTTERY!" Grenda cheered.
Since they still looked confused Candy continued. "We place all the names of the charities in a raffle spinner, pull one out, and that's the charity we donate our decoration to. And if it is one the charities one of us wanted to support than that person gets to handle the delivery, if not then Mabel does it."
"Sounds like fun." Pacifica admitted. She then focused her attention the body padded woman. "Grenda I need to know, what's with the gear?"
"I just got back from my roller derby practice, we have a match coming up next week and we got to be READY!"
Dipper was about to switch the conversation back to the letters, so Pacifica pushed the topic of Grenda's team a little further. "So what's your team called?"
"WE'RE THE SLAMMAZONS!" Grenda shouted while slamming her fist in to the table.
"Fascinating; girls would you mind if I talked with Pacifica alone for a second?" asked Dipper.
Candy and Grenda exchanged a look which Dipper knew all too well. No matter what he said or did, they would think it would be so he could 'alone time' with her. "Sure thing Dipper, we'll be right here."
Dipper got up and lead Pacifica away by the hand to a nearby isle where Candy and Grenda couldn't see them.
"Pacifica, what do you think you're doing?"
"What do you mean?"
"You're trying to keep me from telling them to stop reading my letters buy cutting me off and I want to know why!"
Pacifica sighed in defeat. "Alright, you caught me. Listen Dipper, I know these letters to your sister are very personal and everything but they mean a lot to those two. Can't you just trust Mabel's judgement on this one?"
Dipper gave Pacifica a look of surprise.
"Pacifica, I don't want those letters being read to anyone because they involve you!"
"What?"
"Pacifica, you've already gone through so much. Bankruptcy, eviction, kidnappings, murderous monsters... you've already been through enough without Candy and Grenda judging you."
Pacifica stared at him blankly for a moment before a small blush started to form on her face. "That's very sweet of you Dipper but not necessary! I stopped caring about what other people thought of me a long time ago. And it doesn't sound like they want to hear about our adventures so they can look down on me, I think they just enjoy hearing about our adventures."
Dipper smiled. "Impressive Sweetheart, but what about them making romantic connections between us?"
"Who cares?! You and I know there's nothing there so what does it matter?"
There was a deafening silence as soon as the words left her mouth. Dipper's smile disappeared and Pacifica averted her gaze from him.
"...Yeah..."
"I don't know, if there was nothing there then the tension here probably wouldn't be so awkward." said a third voice.
"What the...?" Pacifica looked all around her to find out where the new voice was coming from. "Mabel? Is that you? Where are you?"
"Closer than you think." Dipper reached over and pulled off a gallon of glitter glue on the shelf next to Pacifica's head to reveal the grinning face of Mabel behind it; Pacifica gave a startled jump at her sight.
"Um...how much did you hear?"
"Oh Pacifica, the one thing you need to learn about me is that I hear everything. Dipper, why don't you get your batteries from Candy while me and Pacifica have a little girl talk."
"Alright, I'll see you later Pacifica." Before walking off Dipper pointed at Mabel seriously. "Mabel, be nice to Pacifica! Okay?"
"I'm always nice Dipper. Besides I wouldn't want to do anything to embarrass your NEW GIRLFR..."
Dipper had silenced Mabel by stuffing a rather large marshmallow in to Mabel's mouth. "MMMM! MMmm? Mmmmmmmmmm."
As Mabel started to eat her gift marshmallow, Dipper turned to Pacifica with a smile. "When you're expecting Mabel, you bring marshmallows."
Pacifica let out a small giggle at his actions.
With the marshmallow successfully devoured, Mabel set herself back on track.
"Dipper, you can go get those batteries now. I can handle Mabel."
"Alright but Pacifica, if Mabel starts to cross a line or is just too much for you to handle, just call for me and I'll get her off your back."
"Thanks but," Pacifica watched as Mabel tried to pull her head off the shelf only to find herself stuck. "I think I got this covered."
With a final yank Mabel freed herself from the shelf although the isle rack itself seemed to shake from it.
"Pacifica, walk with me, talk with me. It's time to feed waddles and I could always use an extra pair of hands."
_
A cozy fire blazed in the fireplace, warming the surrounding area and all of it's contents, shelves filled with books shimmered in the light of the fire. In the seat of an easy chair, wrapped in a lush purple bathrobe was none other... than Lenny. He turned another page in the book he was reading before letting out a content sigh.
Another page turn and a sudden stroke for realization hit him.
"Hey wait a second! I never got to renegotiate my deal with Dipper!
He considered getting up out of his chair to confront Dipper again but ultimately decided against it.
"Meh. I'm already in my bathrobe."
"Holy Bacon, that's a big pig!"
Waddles squealed in approval at Pacifica's exclamation. In his own private pen Waddles rolled in the mud, the picket fence surrounding it prevented any mud from escaping.
"Yeah, I always knew my Waddles was a special pig. Who would have thought he would grow up to be a seven year blue ribbon winning county fair pig?!"
Even Pacifica had to admit that Waddles' size was impressive, Mabel could ride on him if she wanted to. Pacifica helped Mabel pour the large bag of Bobby Renzobi's Choice Feed in to the trough.
"So still enjoying that pink mini-golf putter I got you for your thirteenth birthday?"
"Cha! It's my lucky putter! So anyways, the reason I asked you out here is because I need to know something. What do you think of my brother?"
Pacifica almost dropped the bag from the surprise bluntness of Mabel's question. "What's that supposed to mean?!"
"I mean what do you think of the detective he's become? Do you still think he's a nerd? Do you find him annoying? Do you think he's hot? Where do you stand on the whole Dipper front?"
Pacifica said nothing and let the bag empty. As the last bit of feed left the bag, she took a deep breath and faced Mabel giving her the full attention she deserved.
"I barely recognized Dipper when I saw him again after ten years. When we were kids he always came across to me as wimpy and scrawny, smart but frail. Of course the adventure at the mansion let me see him in a whole new light. Then ten years went by and he walked back in to my life like something from a black and white noir movie. He's grown and matured a lot, it's almost like he's a completely different person. Turns out the little boy who guided me to grace as a little girl, has grown in to a man. Perhaps 'guided' is too strong of a word, but he certainly pointed me in the right direction."
Mabel was grinning from ear to ear and there was something about it which disturbed Pacifica.
"Uh why are you looking at me like that?"
"I think you're falling for my brother!"
"I think you have glue gun stuck to your arm!" Pacifica retorted before walking away.
Mabel held up her right arm and saw a glue gun glued underneath. Mabel narrowed her eyes 'dangerously' at Pacifica. "Touche."
Pacifica didn't get far before Mabel joined her on the trip back to the table. "Now it's my turn to ask a question!"
Mabel shrugged nonchalantly. "Okay, shoot!"
"Why didn't you and Dipper come back for ten years?"
Pacifica had asked this tenderly but it became obvious it wasn't needed as Mabel rolled her eyes.
"Oh trust me, it wasn't because we didn't want to! It was all our parents doing."
"Your parents?"
Pacifica expected a lot of different answers but forbidding parents wasn't one of them.
"Yeah! One of those little mini-golf people stowed away in my suitcase. They weren't exactly thrilled to see him, by which I mean they freaked out! After that they went through my letters to home for a second reading in a whole new light! Imagine the look on our faces when they said Gravity Falls was too dangerous for us to go back to; it crushed us. They weren't completely unsympathetic though, they had both our Great Uncles come up to visit us for holidays like Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July."
"So you didn't even try to come back?!"
Pacifica didn't mean to snap at Mabel, but she never thought their parents would be able to keep them away from Gravity Falls. The idea kind of hurt on the inside.
"Of course we tried to come back!" Mabel snapped back. "Gravity Falls was a special place to both me AND Dipper, but no matter what sneaky crazy trick we tried our parents were always two steps ahead of us. Before we knew it we were eighteen and got invited to Soos and Melody's wedding, they couldn't stop us then. The only reason we didn't stay then was because Dipper was starting to dive in to his career and I just got the building rights to the Craft Shack."
"We all missed you, ya know; both you and Dipper."
Pacifica had quieted down quite a bit, she should have expected that Mabel missed everyone as much as they missed her.
"The feeling was mutual, believe me! With our parents blocking us though, we had no choice but to grow up without it, just like how everyone in Gravity Falls had to move on without us. Gravity Falls will always hold a special place in our hearts, our summer there was a major cornerstone we used to build us up in to the adults we are today. I was planning my next vacation there but Dipper told me that it's starting to expand, that isn't really true is it?"
The concern in Mabel's voice was a little confusing to Pacifica, as if the town growing was a bad thing. "Well, yes... Some larger buildings have been put in but so what? It just means the town is getting more people, don't you think that's a good thing?"
Mabel stopped walking; she pulled out a group photo from her back pocket. It was the photo she had taken with her friends and the town on her thirteenth birthday. She seemed to shrink visibly, as if her sadness had some type of physical effect on her. She hung her head solemnly and gave a sigh of defeat.
"I thought the town was perfect the way it was. A charming town so small it isn't even on any maps, a magnet for just the special people, but now that it's getting bigger... maybe it's just better to remember Gravity Falls the way it was when I first went there."
Then Pacifica did something she never thought she would do. She hugged Mabel, she hugged her for all she was forth. "Mabel, you and your brother were the best things that ever happened to Gravity Falls. You two improved the lives of so many people, myself included."
She broke the hug and smiled at Mabel.
"Let me tell you a story... My parents have been hanging over me for practically all my life, telling me how to behave, how to act, how to judge. I never really made my own decisions, and I believed in their warped way of life. That being rich made me better than normal people and I should make sure they remember that. I knew my parents loved me so I thought they knew what was best for me, so I let them guide me down the path they thought were right, but doing this I never really explored my own opinions. With them constantly hanging over my shoulder I never really made my own decisions, never really being my own girl. Then one day at one of our parties they let me socialize on my own with kids I had never met before. They were too busy with their own social connection to worry about mine, I could finally be myself without worrying about how it reflect on my family but there was a problem. I didn't know who that girl was."
"Pacifica..."
"Then summer came and so did you and your brother. You yourself were just so carefree, you didn't care how you looked, you were free to be whatever you wanted and I guess that made me jealous of you. So I made you out to be my enemy, but just like for everyone else in Gravity Falls the two of you turned out to be best things to ever happen to me. The two of you changed my world!"
Now it was Mabel's turn to hug. "Dipper was right! You have grown up in to a sweet heart!"
Pacifica broke the hug and smirked. "Don't think that means I'll hold back on you at minigolf."
"Oh that sounds like a challenge Fancy Pants! Me and the girls have our own handmade minigolf course. What do you say we put it through it's paces with a game?"
"I say you're on!"
Mabel pulled out a walkie talkie and turned it on. "Grenda we got a Code: Lavender! I repeat! CODE: LAVENDER!"
Dipper knew from the start Candy was going to give him a whole bunch of the batteries he needed but she gave him a whole sack full of them.
"Geez Candy, I know I go through a lot of them but you gave me enough for like five years or something."
"And who said they were all for you?"
He gave her a confused look as she innocently rolled her eyes.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh nothing. Come on, the others are probably waiting for us!"
Dipper shrugged and hefted the bag over his shoulder. Candy had turned the back room where trucks would often unload in to a sort of secret lab. Emphasis on secret! All of her equipment and what not were hidden throughout the area, accessible with just a flip of a switch. She was determined that her scientist life took a backseat to her life with Mabel.
It was a little bit of a walk back to the sales floor so a little conversation usually would help, but Dipper would have never seen Candy's topic coming.
"So how many children do you want to have with Pacifica? I think a nice round five would be good for you two."
"Whoa! Where did that come from?!"
"It's going to happen, Dipper. I do not think you can stop it!"
"Would all three of you just stop it?! I don't like her like that!"
"Right, and Pacifica is the pink power ranger! You are attracted to her." Candy stated in matter of fact. "Anyone with eyes can see that."
"So she's hot, so what?"
"So... you think she's hot!"
"Oh for the love of..." Dipper hung his head in defeat. "There really is no convincing any of you that there's nothing romantic going on between me and Pacifica is there?"
Candy seriously thought it over a for a moment. "No. It is a futile fight. At least you have our support though."
"I guess that'll have to do."
"Oh!" Candy froze in her spot for a moment causing Dipper to stop and look back. "You go on ahead, Dipper. I just remembered I need to get something from the break room."
As Candy ran off, Dipper adjusted his hat and proceeded to walk through the double doors to the sales floor. However, the store he had left had been replaced with a homemade miniature golf course of some type. Of course the shelves for the isles were still there but they faced different directions now to make way for the golf holes.
"Looks like Candy has been doing Mabel some 'special favors'."
"I still can't believe you let that customer go."
A little tap with her putter and Pacifica's pink ball fell in to the hole for the third course. "I mean he looked like something out of those Fabio romance novels and you just helped him with his purchase without even trying to give him your number." She leaned on her putter as Mabel's blue ball strolled over to her feet and down the hole. "Are you sure that you're the same Mabel from ten years ago?"
"Oh trust me..." Mabel walked over writing their new strokes down on a notepad. "He's tempting, but I learned long ago that boys come and go but friends are forever."
"Friends huh? We're friends right?"
"If we weren't I'd be begging Dipper to find someone else to travel with."
"Okaaaay..." Pacifica liked Mabel now, she was an emotionally sturdy friend, but Pacifica still found Mabel to strange in some her antics. "Anyways, I was actually reading through Dipper's journal yesterday."
Mabel picked up her ball and started to walk over to the statue hole. It was a paper mache statue of Waddles with what looked like a bite taken out of it's front hoof. "That's fine. Probably comes with the territory, learning on the job and all that."
Pacifica watched Mabel set up her stroke patiently. The area Pacifica was about to take the conversation was possibly some tender territory so she had to be sure to approach the subject delicately. "Well I got to this one page about a monster but it was completely blank."
Mabel didn't seem bothered by this news. "Huh, really? That's a little weird but not unheard of." Mabel started to take practice swings to make sure her alignment was lined up. "Dipper probably has his reasons, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Does it say the monster's name?"
"The Jersey Devil."
Upon hearing the monster's name Mabel accidentally swung too hard and sent the ball flying through the air. Her mood seemed to change almost instantly, she weakly held her putter as she sadly hung her head.
"Oh... him."
Pacifica felt a little guilty but she was happy she had hit a nerve with Mabel. It meant that there was something Dipper wasn't telling her, and Pacifica was set on bringing it to light. "AHA! So there is a reason why it's blank!"
Mabel looked at Pacifica with nothing but sincere sympathy in her eyes. "Pacifica, listen. That monster..." Mabel trailed off for a moment as she struggled to find the right words. "Well he hurt Dipper. Not with something physical like a scar or a wound, he hurt Dipper on the inside. Almost crushed his spirit. I should know, I was there for it. I made it clear to Dipper that I was done with these whole mystery weird monster cases but I have one exception in which I will allow myself to be pulled back in entirely and that's if it involves the Jersey Devil. Because if he faces him without me or at least some form of back up, he might literally die."
Pacifica let the putter fall out of her hand as she walked closer to Mabel. She looked Mabel in the face even though she had to lean down to see it through her bangs. "You're serious? But Dipper is already so amazing I don't see how..."
"That's exactly what lead Dipper to believe he could handle him. He got overconfident and underestimated his opponent's power. I don't feel comfortable telling you anymore than this, it's Dipper's pain to carry. It's very tender subject for him so please don't bring it up with him."
Pacifica felt ashamed that she pushed subject at all, she should have known better. If Dipper felt like sharing it he would have done so by now. Lost in her own guilt, only now did she realize that Mabel was looking at her with pleading eyes.
"Please?"
"I..."
"It's his choice but if you really want to know then I'm sure eventually he'll tell you on his own when he feels comfortable enough to share it with you."
Pacifica shook the cobwebs out of her head. "Of course! It's no big deal really. I was just curious, that's all."
"Great!" Mabel's mood almost instantly changed back to normal. "Now then, because I goofed with that last swing I guess I need to take a stroke huh? That should just about put you in the lead though. Darn!"
Pacifica said nothing as she placed her ball on the ground and then swung her putter with all her might, launching it in to the air. Mabel actually had to duck in order to avoid the projectile as it ricocheted off the shelves before heading off in to parts unknown. Mabel stared at her in shocked confusion waiting for Pacifica to elaborate.
"That's not how I want to win. We do this fair and square or not at all! Right?" Pacifica held up her putter as if it was a sword, like she was some sort of miniature golf warrior.
Mabel smiled and tapped Pacifica's putter with her's in a similar way. "Right."
"You do realize though that now we have to hunt for our balls, right?"
"Don't bother!" announced a new voice.
From behind Dipper approached them holding both their balls in his hand. "Both of them managed to hit me in the head."
"Well now that you're here all we have to do is wait for Candy to come out with the nachos and Grenda to come back with the liters of Pit Soda and then we can party."
"UGH! Pit soda? No thank you! That's the worst soda ever! A soda which promises a fizzy peach drink only to have you end up choking on a pit!"
"Hmm..." Mabel didn't seem to mind Pacifica's objection but she racked her brain for an alternative. "Well, I suppose we could have Mabeahol instead. It's my own special blend of different alcohols, plastic dinosaur free. I promise!"
Pacifica wasn't sure exactly what 'Mabeahol' would be like but from the silent hand signatures Dipper was giving her from behind Mabel, it obviously wasn't an experience she would want to try.
"Pit soda it is then."
And party in to the night they did, there was karaoke, games, and lots of miniature golf. However, Mabel lost sight of Dipper and Pacifica at one point and was busy looking for them.
"Dipping-sauce! Come on, you can make out with Pacifica some other time! Right now it's time for pizza flavored cake!"
When she rounded a corner, it took every amount of adult maturity she had not to squeal at the sight she had found. Dipper and Pacifica were sitting on the floor asleep, resting their heads on one another.
"What were you guys even doing out here?" Mabel pondered.
It was then she noticed that around them laid a bucket, a strainer, a funnel, and two liters of the soda Pacifica held so much distaste for. Mabel instantly found Dipper's train of thought, and it was adorable.
"Awww! He wanted to take the pits out for her!"
Mabel rushed off before quickly coming back with a handmade quilt. It wasn't anything special, it had yet to be decorated. Drapping it over them they only seem to wince a little in their sleep, but by snuggling closer to each other they were sleeping peacefully once again.
The next morning Pacifica found herself waking up not in the store she had fallen asleep in but back in the RV. She was even on her special bed, still in the clothes she had last night though. She thought back to last night, she remembered playing minigolf with Mabel after the store transformed somehow, then there was a party, and then Dipper offered her to take all the pits out of the soda for her.
"I must have fallen asleep."
The RV was silent but if she really tried to listen she just faintly hear voices coming from outside. Heading for the door she found Dipper, Candy, Grenda, and Mabel talking outside.
"Oh Pacifica! Come on out, we were just saying goodbye."
"Goodbye?"
"Afraid so, Sweetheart! If we can solve this case before we get a new one it'll be all the better for us! I'm going to go put the batteries in the cabinet." Before heading in he stopped and looked at Candy. "You never did tell me who the rest of the batteries were for."
"You haven't figured it out yet, Mr. Detective?" Candy jabbed.
Dipper narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, as if he was reading her, then his eyes widened in realization. "Oh! I get it now. That's very sweet of you girls."
He slung the sack over his right shoulder and entered the RV, leaving Pacifica alone with the now giggling trio.
"What's he talking about?"
The trio of friends smiled before pulling out an elongated box. It was covered in birthday wrapping paper and speckled with purple glitter.
"The three of us got together and made you something to help you out when things get dicey." said Candy.
"The letters Dipper sent us has shown just how much you've matured and grown so we can't help but feel like you need something on par with Dipper's gun to bridge the gap between the two of you." explained Mabel.
"GIRLS CAN FIGHT TOO!" exclaimed Grenda.
Without hesitation Pacifica unwrapped the box and opened it up to find out what her weapon would be.
"An umbrella?"
Yes an umbrella. It had a spiked top and hooked handle which had a number of buttons on it, it was heavier than it looked too. The cloth was a classic black but there was something about it which hinted that it was more than your average umbrella cloth. The umbrella teeth on it's ends looked to be as if they were made of a red glass of some type.
"It's elegant and easy to sneak in to places. The metal in it is made of tungsten steel, most durable steel there is. I know you're probably wondering how I got that and how I got it made in to an umbrella skeleton, but the short answer is that I know a guy!" explained Mabel.
"I did the circuitry and gadgets. The spike on top is actually a taser which will shoot out in a straight line, it shouldn't drain the battery too much but try not to overuse it, you need to press the top button to fire it. The tips on the ends can create a laser grid force field around you, but it can only fit one person; that's the bottom button. The third middle button turns the umbrella in to an electromagnet, handy for all types of situations. I did have to scrap a couple of other gadgets I wanted to add in though. The sonic resonator kept glitching and Mabel wouldn't let me gut her grappling hook to add it in."
"My grappling hook is a precious treasure from my childhood, Candy!" Mabel snapped.
Candy ignored Mabel and continued on like she didn't hear her. "It might not have as many gadgets as Dipper's gun but it compensates for it by having a larger battery life. You'll find an insert for the batteries in the place where the handle meets the stem."
"Wow, you did all that Candy? I mean I knew you made the batteries but I didn't know you could make, like, lasers and stuff."
"I was the top student in Stanford Pine's class, this umbrella was easy to trick out. In fact I had to scrap several more powerful ideas because they threatened to compromise the integrity of the umbrella."
"Wow, really?"
"You are not the only one who learned new skills as they matured."
"I also made the cloth for it out of a super tough fabric. IT'S VERY DURABLE!" screamed Grenda.
"Wow, really? Can it, like, stop bullets?"
"Um...No." answered Grenda.
"Not really." admitted Mabel.
"This is a crafts store!" emphasized Candy.
Pacifica laughed lightly at their answers. "Thanks girls! This was exactly what I needed! I don't know how I can ever repay you!"
"I do. Stay with Dipper."
"What do you mean Mabel?"
"Pacifica listen, I'm sure Dipper already made his danger-everyday speech but hear me out on this. He'll never admit this, even to himself, but this lone gunslinger routine he does isn't good for him; he needs back up. Not just to pull his ass out of the fryer when it gets too hot but just to be there for him too. He's a smart guy but he does get lonely and that can get distracting to him, and as a detective that's the last thing he needs. He's only one half of a winning combination and isn't complete without someone to literally be his other half. He's a lot of brain so he needs someone with a lot of heart to keep him in check. I'd do it but I'm done with the weirdness, I'm all about the everyday good times now so I need someone to fill the gap I left behind. It's gonna get tough, emotionally taxing even, but if you stick it through to the end I promise you it will be worth your while. So please, keep an eye on my brother?"
Pacifica didn't take what Mabel said lightly, she was basically asking her to replace her. She didn't know if she could ever be as good of a team with Dipper as Mabel was. They were her hometown legends for crying out loud! But then she thought back to dangers she and Dipper had overcome, their best chances always came when they worked together.
"Yes Mabel. I might not be in love with the guy but I promise to have his back. Just leave it to me."
Mabel gave her a quick hug before getting passed something by Grenda.
"Great! Since you said 'Yes', here's your complementary gift basket!"
The gift basket had wine, an assortment of chocolates, and some fruit. Paper decorated it with colors of hot pink and yellow further proving that Mabel was meant to be born in the 1980's. Thankfully, she still remembered to wrap it in plastic like a traditional gift basket.
Pacifica laughed lightly as she took the gift basket just as Dipper came out.
"Okay, I think we might finally be ready to go!" He tipped his hat to Mabel and her friends. "Ladies, thanks for all the help."
"Not a problem Bro-Bro! It was nice seeing you again! Just remember, if you find yourself in a world threatening situation and need..."
"Don't worry Mabel! I think Pacifica and me will be able to handle just about anything that comes our way! She's been good like that. Seriously though, you wanted this life that you've picked out for yourself and I'll leave you to it! No hard feelings."
Mabel gave him a goodbye hug. "Thanks for understanding."
With only a few more heartfelt goodbyes, Dipper and Pacifica got in to the RV and drove off leaving behind Mabel and her friends waving goodbye.
Mabel couldn't help but smile as she watched the RV drive off in to the sunset. "And so the adventures of the Mystery Twins came to an end, but the adventures of the Mystery Couple had just begun."
Omake
The chocolates in the gift basket were slowly disappearing as the two mystery solvers enjoyed themselves with it. They put the wine away in a cabinet, saving it for a special occasion.
"Your sister has quality taste in chocolates, Dipper."
"I know! Surprised she didn't try anything... you know, Mabel-ish on us!"
Dipper and Pacifica had finished off Mabel's gift basket but at the bottom they noticed a little door latch.
"What's that?" Pacifica asked pointing it out.
"Another Mabel surprise no doubt. I spoke too soon. Think we should open it?"
"Might as well."
Opening it up they found a note and condoms inside. The note itself read:
'Better to have them and not them, then to need them and not have them.
Be safe with each other, you two.
Love Mabel.'
Pacifica and Dipper said nothing as their jaws hung open with blushing faces.
Two seconds later, Dipper threw the basket out the window.
That's all for now! I actually had to cut out a few things of this chapter just to make the transition smoother, like the minigolf transformation would require Grenda to bring in a special device which would require Mabel and Grenda to activate it with two keys at the same time, in military fashion. None the less I hope you enjoyed it.