She had taken the left path and he had taken the right when they were pursued. At the time, it hadn't seemed significant. Pacifica was the one being chased by the ghost, so it took off after her. Dipper sprinted for another minute, then paused to catch his breath, leaning against a wall.

"Okay, weaknesses. Think, Dipper, think. What could be a ghost's weakness here?" He opened his journal, flipping through its pages. Suddenly, he heard something fall beside him. Hesitantly turning, he frowned at a portion of the wall that had collapsed, revealing the entrance to a hidden room.

"This old place is full of surprises," he muttered, pocketing the journal. Dipping his head, Dipper stepped inside and quickly replaced the wooden panel, hearing the ghost's bellow growing closer. Holding it in place, he breathed hard as the spirit flew past, vaguely hearing Pacifica's taunts as she led it away. Good, she was distracting the ghost, perhaps to buy him time to solve this mystery.

He pulled a light switch above his head, and his jaw dropped at the sight before him. The room, no larger than a closet, appeared immense due to the clutter within. Objects were piled high with photographs scattered around. Candles, once lit, now sat melancholically on the stack.

Not a stack, he corrected himself. A shrine.

More specifically, a shrine to him.

Dipper's face was the focus of all the photographs. Him smiling by the pool, working the Mystery Shack's register, laying on the lawn looking at the clouds... It was all a touch too creepy for his liking.

Why did Pacifica's house have this? Did she make it? Did he really want to know why?

Swallowing nervously, he stepped closer. The shrine—his shrine, he reminded himself—contained familiar items. Random things like an old dishtowel he had used once, on a day Mabel had ruined all the other towels with Mabel Juice. He wrinkled his nose at some of the items. Why did Pacifica want such common things he had only briefly used?

His eyes widened as he spotted something large and green at the center. It was his old hat, the one he had worn to Gravity Falls, which he lost when a gnome fell off the golf cart while he tried to save Mabel from the gnome army. What was it doing here?

This was getting seriously weird.

He shook his head. "What the... I don't even..."

What was he supposed to do now? Tell the Northwests? Demand they take it down and return his hat?

"Oh, Dipper," came a voice, making him freeze, all the air leaving his lungs. "I had hoped you would keep your cute little nose out of here. You're too curious for your own good, aren't you?"

"Pacifica..."

"Yes?" Her voice was unsettlingly sweet, almost like honey. He didn't like it; something was off about her. This was crazy even for her.

"What... Why...?"

She giggled right next to his ear, making Dipper jump nearly a foot, scrambling back. Her eyes glinted maliciously in the near darkness.

"Dipper, haven't you figured it out? A smart boy like you... You must have. Tell me you have."

Dipper breathed deeply, trying not to panic. He thought of Mabel in the ballroom with the guests. He needed to get her and get out. Something was very wrong. Every nerve in his body screamed at him to run.

"I have no idea what this is or why you have it. Why do you have... my stuff?"

Pacifica sighed, edging closer despite his clear discomfort. "And here I thought you knew. Silly me! Well, if you need it spelled out... let's just say I've been watching you for a long time, Dipper."

"This looks like an obsession," he said cautiously, casting his eyes between her and the door. If he could just slip past her...

"Same difference. Who cares?"

"I do!" Dipper stared at her, shocked. "It's me you're obsessed over!"

Pacifica giggled, stepping closer. She was inches away, and Dipper wished he wasn't afraid to run. Something in her eyes told him that if he did, she would do something he wouldn't like. "You say it like it's a bad thing."

The blonde was certifiably insane. Dipper edged away, out of her reach. "Pacifica, you can handle your own ghost problem. Sorry, but I can't do this. Okay? Have a good party, and good luck."

He turned for the entrance, but before he could get there, he was yanked back and thrown face-first against the wall. Dipper struggled, but something pricked the back of his neck, and his eyes rolled back. Slumping to the ground, the last thing he remembered was someone whispering in his ear, "Now we'll be together forever."

Dipper's consciousness flickered in and out as he lay on the cold floor. His mind felt foggy, his body sluggish as if weighed down by some unseen force. Slowly, he started to come back to his senses. He blinked his eyes open, wincing at the dull light emanating from a single, flickering bulb above him.

Groaning, he tried to sit up but found his limbs bound tightly with ropes. Panic spiked through his heart as he frantically scanned the room. It was the same secret room he had discovered earlier, but now he was the one trapped.

Pacifica stood a few feet away, her once sweet demeanor now replaced with an unnerving intensity. She watched him closely, her eyes shining with a mix of excitement and something else that Dipper couldn't quite decipher.

"Pacifica, what's going on?" Dipper's throat was dry, his voice barely rising above a whisper.

She didn't answer immediately, but rather tilted her head as if contemplating her next move. "You stumbled onto something you shouldn't have, Dipper."

"You're obsessed with me," he said, his voice trembling despite his attempt to sound assertive. "This… this isn't right. Let me go."

Pacifica's expression softened, a strange contrast to the ropes binding him. "Oh, Dipper, you don't understand. This is the way it has to be. Don't you see? We belong together."

Desperation surged within him. "This isn't the way to go about it! You're scaring me, Pacifica. Just let me go, and we can talk this out."

She took a step closer, ignoring his plea. "You always solve mysteries, Dipper. But this time, you're part of a different kind of mystery—a deeper one, between us."

Dipper's thoughts raced. He had to think of something, anything to get her to see reason. "What about the ghost? It's still out there, isn't it? You need my help to handle it."

Pacifica's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, the ghost? Don't worry about it. It's not going to bother us anymore. I made sure of that."

"You can't do this," he urged, struggling against his bonds. "People will notice I'm missing. Mabel will come looking for me."

This seemed to give her pause. For a moment, a flicker of something—regret, perhaps—crossed her face. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "Mabel's busy with the party. She won't find you here. No one will."

Dipper's heart pounded in his chest. He had to keep her talking, reasoning, anything to buy time. "Pacifica, please. This isn't you. The Pacifica I know wouldn't do this. You're better than this."

Her resolve seemed to waver for the briefest second, but then her eyes hardened again. "You're wrong, Dipper. I'm doing this because it's the only way to make you see. We're meant to be together."

Fear and frustration mingled within him as he struggled against the ropes. "Pacifica, this isn't love. This is… this is madness."

Pacifica kneeled beside him, her face inches from his. "Maybe. But sometimes, love and madness are one and the same."

Dipper's mind raced. He had to find a way out of this. There had to be a weakness, a way to appeal to the Pacifica he knew was still there, buried under this obsession.

Before he could speak again, a loud crash echoed from outside the hidden room. Pacifica turned, her eyes narrowing. "Stay here, Dipper. I'll be back."

With that, she stood and hurried out of the room, the door clicking shut behind her. Dipper breathed deeply, his mind already racing to figure out how to escape. He had to get out of these ropes, find Mabel, and get away from the nightmare his evening had become. Dipper's heart pounded as he strained against the ropes binding him. He could hear muffled voices outside the hidden room, but couldn't make out what was being said. His thoughts raced—he needed to find a way to escape and find Mabel before things took an even darker turn.

Remembering the small utility knife he kept in his sock for emergencies, he began working to maneuver it out. Just as he managed to grip the handle, the door to the hidden room burst open, startling him. He quickly hid the knife behind him as Pacifica entered, her face flushed with frustration.

"Dipper, the party's getting rowdy. It seems like your sister's causing some trouble," she said, closing the door behind her.

Dipper's heart swelled with a mix of relief and determination. Maybe Mabel was causing enough of a scene to buy him some time. "Pacifica, you don't have to do this. Mabel and I can help you—we can fix this together."

"Fix this?" Pacifica's laugh was sharp and humorless. "You think this is something that can just be 'fixed'?"

She stepped closer, eyes scanning his face as if searching for something—perhaps understanding or compliance. "Dipper, you don't realize how much I need you. How much… we could be together."

"Together?" Dipper repeated, using as much strength as he could muster to keep her focused on the conversation while his other hand worked feverishly at the ropes. "Pacifica, real relationships aren't built on force or fear."

The mention of fear seemed to give her pause, and for a fleeting moment, Dipper saw a flicker of doubt in her eyes. He felt the ropes around his wrists begin to loosen.

"Pacifica, listen to him!" another voice shouted from behind her, and Dipper's heart leapt—Mabel!

Dipper looked over Pacifica's shoulder and saw his sister standing there, her eyes blazing with anger and worry. "Let him go, Pacifica. This isn't you."

Pacifica's face twisted with a mix of frustration and panic. "You don't understand, Mabel. This isn't just a phase or a whim. This is real."

"It's not real if Dipper doesn't want it," Mabel said fiercely. "What you're doing is wrong, and deep down, you know it."

Dipper took the opportunity to free his hands from the now-loosened ropes. He quickly cut the binds around his feet and stood up, moving beside Mabel. "Mabel's right," he added, his voice steady. "We can help you, Pacifica. But this has to stop."

Pacifica's eyes darted between the Pines twins, a storm of emotions playing across her face. Finally, she backed away, the fight seeming to drain from her. "I... I never meant for it to be like this."

Dipper stepped forward cautiously, extending a hand. "Then let us help. Let's go back to the way things were and move forward from there."

Pacifica looked at his hand for a long moment before taking it hesitantly. "Okay," she whispered. "Okay."

The tension in the room started to dissipate, and Dipper felt a wave of relief. They would get through this, together.

As they began to leave the hidden room, Dipper turned to Mabel with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Mabel. You always know how to show up at the right moment."

Mabel grinned. "What are sisters for? Now let's get out of here and get back to the party before Grunkle Stan does something embarrassing."

Together, they walked out of the hidden room, ready to face whatever came next as a family.