Sorry about the lack of update guys. Chapter 45 is kind of a mile stone for me so I wanted to end the Back To The Falls Arc on it. Good news is, the 16 hour work shifts are now a thing of the past. Start the fic.
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Gravity Falls...
"Okay," began Adult Pacifica. "Let's clear the air here. My Dipper and I were able to sneak out through a window and highjack Soos' cart to get us back into town."
"But WHY are we back in town?" asked Young Dipper. "Mission's over! What's the point of us being in town?"
Adult Dipper gave his younger self a sad smile. "A farewell."
"This is our last day to celebrate all we've been through together, with all the knowledge of what has and will happen. Treasure it..."
The kids were silent, despite what they've been through... they were still twelve. So Adult Dipper decided to lay things out for them.
"Enjoy each other's company today, because come tomorrow you most likely won't. My Pacifica and I can't risk spending the day with you two in the open so you'll be on your own. We trust you won't do anything too risky."
"Really?" asked Young Pacifica.
"Well of course. Who can you trust if not yourself?"
Later...
Adult Dipper and Pacifica were walking down the street when they heard a strange noise. They looked through a nearby store window to see Toby tap dancing.
"Why did I ever give this up? I am so good at this!"
*KNOCK! **KNOCK! **KNOCK! *
"THIS DREAM WILL CONTINUE TO GO NOWHERE, TOBY!"
"Awwwwwwwww triple marbles!"
"He always seems so sad when his dream is crushed."
"Tough love, Dipper. Helping him have realistic goals."
Pacifica kept walking but Dipper hung back for a second.
A light blush came across Dipper's face. "Speaking of love..."
Pacifica stopped walking and visibly tensed. "Y-Yes?" She still had her back to him but this was to hide her own blush.
"Us...Together... Alone... In this town... In this time period..."
A lump formed in Pacifica's throat.
"Yes?'
"Could this be considered... You know... a date?"
Pacifica heel turned to face Dipper so fast it almost scared him. Her face was beet red and her smile was so large it might have been hurting her face.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OF COURSE NOT, SILLY! WE'RE JUST DOING THIS AS LAST HURRAH FOR YOU! AM I SHOUTING?! I FEEL LIKE I'M SHOUTING! COME ON, LET'S GO TO THE GREASY DINER!"
'Crap!' thought Dipper. 'I shouldn't have been so blunt about it. Maybe if I had just eased into it maybe it could have turned into a date.'
'CRAP!' thought Pacifica. 'WHY DID I DO THAT?! That could've been perfect! Just had to panic though, didn't I?! The moment of romance was RIGHT THERE! In my LAP! F**K!'
Gravity Falls Arcade...
"So this is your idea of a first date?" asked Young Pacifica.
"Well yeah. Think about it?" challenged Young Dipper. "We need a place to go to where no one will notice us AND we can spend time together. Here everyone is too busy playing games to notice us. Wait... Did you say this was a date?"
Pacifica blushed and swallowed a large lump in her throat. "Y-Yes! You saw our future selves! They know the other likes them but they aren't doing anything about it! And since we're going to forget about this what's the harm in embracing what our adult selves are afraid to?"
"You are aware your face got redder with every word, right?"
"Yes! I am!"
Dipper took her hand. "Well you've convinced me. Want to start with Fight Fighters?"
Pacifica smiled at the sight of him holding her hand. However, she frowned when she saw what the game 'Fight Fighters' was. There was no way how she'd be good at that game. "That's a little too brutish for my tastes. Although, I do think I see a game which would compliment me better."
She went over to a game labeled Ho-Down Hero. It was an unplugged dancing game with a little bit of cobwebs on it. A problem quickly rectified.
"This one?"
"It's a two player. Come on, Nerd... Show me your moves."
Dipper had never felt more awkward or sweaty than he did in this moment.
Greasy Diner...
Adult Dipper and Pacifica sat at a table the awkward tension between them so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"So how are we going to do this?" asked Dipper.
"I still have my younger self's credit car..." Pacifica looked through her purse but found nothing but her usual stuff. "Oh!... Looks like my younger self snuck her cards back. I am such a little stinker."
Dipper spotted something in the corner and smirked.
"Don't worry, Sweetheart. This one's on me!"
Pacifica cocked her head to the side in confusion as Dipper got up, then she saw where he was heading and it all made sense.
The manliness tester had been repaired from the time Manly Dan had made it explode. From the sign next to it the pancake challenge had been reinstated.
Dipper's smirked only grew bigger as he was in front of it.
"Alright manliness tester, I've been waiting a long time for this!" He gripped the handle. "Time for Round 2!"
He pushed it forward and the light started to light up. It went past Wimp, Middle Aged Woman, Barely Passable, Man, and Manly Man.
*DING! *
A card came out like last time but this one read 'Manly Man, You Win a Free Pancake Dinner'.
He walked back to the table carrying a plate of pancakes and a very satisfied smile on his face.
He placed them on the center of the table but Pacifica had an odd look on her face; one Dipper wasn't sure he ever saw before. She was... annoyed?
"Oh sure, when it comes to pancakes you can win some no problem. I try to actually make you some and I have to fight a monster!"
"With a viking battleaxe! That's Damascus steel too, you know! Not to be sneezed at!"
She stuck a fork in one of the pancakes and playfully shoved it into his mouth. "Well eat up, Winner!"
Dipper did the same to her. "Only if you agree to follow in suit!"
Gravity Falls Arcade...
Dipper and Pacifica were dancing at the machine but they weren't doing so well in terms of points. Instead of saying things like "BAD" or "FAIL" it would say "CARPET BAGGER" or "HORNSWOGGLE".
"It's no good." admitted Pacifica. "We're just not in sync."
"Well this is our first time dancing together, to a machine no less. Maybe we should try some other two player game..."
"Makes sense. Oh! What about that one?"
"A shooter? Well given our future I guess it isn't too far fetched. At least it's a two player!"
They put in a token and the game turned on.
"GHOST HARASSERS THE SHOOTER!" the game sang out.
"Wow. I never knew my favorite TV show sold out like this."
"I knew you liked that show. That's why I suggested this."
"Wait! How could you tell?"
"Oh please, it's written all over your face."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Shut up! It's starting!"
The game wasn't bad but it could be considered a little weird. Instead of blasting ghosts away with their surprisingly pioneery looking game rifles, the ghosts would be poked by giant hands or slapped. You were quite literally harassing them.
And when they disappeared, yes, there was a nice *BING! * noise along with the point numbers that went to them but when they were 'shot' they would say things like "Hey! Cut it out!" or "Knock it off, you big bully!"
It didn't take long for the game to be over. There were only two levels but a lot of ghosts to shoot.
"NEW HIGH SCORE!" the game sang out.
Dipper and Pacifica looked at each other and smiled. They shot one name into the high score list, it read "D + P".
"Well that was fun. What do you want to do now?" asked Dipper.
"Oh! I know!" Pacifica pointed over at a machine in another corner. "Photo booth!"
"Yeah! That looks like fun!"
The photo booth was indeed a fun idea, short but fun.
The first photo was just them making faces at the camera. The second photo, Pacifica had pulled down Dipper's hat, he seemed to be laughing at the action. The third photo, Pacifica made a kissy face and Dipper blushed. In the Fourth, Pacifica still had her kissy face but her eyes had darted to Dipper who was looking away with a blush. In the Fifth photo both of them were looking away from each other with blushes on both their faces.
They came out of the photo booth avoiding each other's gaze, blushes still on their face.
"Sorry about that." apologized Dipper. "I've... never been kissed. And... I like you, and... I know you like me too."
"Forget about it, Nerd. I'll let you in on a little secret... I've never been kissed either."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Turns out there actually are some things that money can't buy you."
The air was still a little awkward so Dipper plucked their photos out of the booth.
"Save for the last three, these photos came out pretty nice. Too bad we can't keep them, time stream and everything."
"Says you!" Pacifica took the photos out of his hand. "I'm handing these over to my future self. She can take them with her."
"Hey! That's... actually a really smart idea!"
"I know right! I've really branched out lately since this adventure started."
Dipper gave her an impressed smile.
"I didn't think there was more to you than just a fat wallet and a pretty face!"
"Well don't beat yourself up too much. I used to think that too, but since this adventure started I've started discovering that there's more to me than just a family name." She looked down at her hands with a smile. "Like there was a whole other girl underneath it and am only just now getting to know her!"
"Well come on then!" Dipper grabbed her by the hand. "Let's see what else we can discover about her!"
Greasy Diner...
Dipper and Pacifica slouched in their booth with hands over their bellies.
"I must admit. It has been a while since Lazy Susan made her pancakes like that."
"See, Pacifica? Gravity Falls in this era is something special!"
"Gravity Falls is something special, period. You should try her menu in our time, she's really expanded her menu. Her pie spinner is still broken though."
Dipper looked at the pie spinner in the room. It was still broken, just like it always was; never moving forward. Then Dipper frowned.
"Is that me? Am I like the pie spinner? Broken? So hung on Good'ol Days Gravity Falls that I can't do anything else but spin?"
"...What? That's kind of a bombshell! Are you okay?"
"I've been thinking lately. What if that lawyer guy had me pegged? What if I am too stuck in the past? Is my nostalgia really keeping me from going forward?"
"Hey!" Pacifica put her hand on Dipper's. "Don't beat yourself up like that. It's true we all missed you and your sister, when you came back for my first case it was like a gift for all of us!"
"Everyone did seem happy to see me. Technically, the first time I came back to Gravity Falls was for Soos' marriage to Melody."
"Yeah, but you didn't even stick around. Not like when you came back the second time."
"It was kind of nice to see what happened to everyone. I suppose I haven't really been moving forward much... I guess I've been afraid to... Pacifica, I don't want to lose what Gravity Falls gave me. Such a wonderful time of my life, it was a real growing point for me. I... don't want that tainted."
"It won't be, I'll make sure of it! And..." Pacifica squeezed his hand a little. "Someone I look up to once told me that it's okay to be afraid. We can face this together, one step at a time."
"I...Thanks Pacifica. I'm not sure if I can return to Gravity Falls like you're asking but having you with me certainly helps."
"That's what I'm here for. Now come on, enough serious talk."
She got up and walked over to the radio.
"You owe me a dance."
"I do?" Pacifica adjusted the dial. "Why?"
"Because I said so. Now get your shiny green hat over here."
Dipper shrugged and got up.
"Now the radio station should be up to date with the latest songs for this era so get ready for some old favorites! I don't care if it's be a bop or a nice slow song, this moment is about just you and I."
Pacifica's plan, while well intentioned, had a major flaw in it.
Am I blanchin? Girl, we blanchin. I live up in a mansion.
"Oh yeah! I remember this song!" Dipper cheered.
Pacifica blushed and covered her face in embarrassed shame.
"You know you're cute when you blush."
"Just...Kill me now. Do me that kindness."
EAT YOUR OWN PANTS! EAT YOUR OWN PANTS! YEAH YEAH!
Gravity Falls Laser Tag...
Dipper had to admit, he was having a especially good time with Pacifica. She used her amazing power of money to secure a private one on one laser tag session with Dipper. She even bribed the officials to let them climb on stuff.
There was laughter, lasers flying through the air, and the sounds of *HIT! * *HIT! * *HIT! * could be heard throughout the room.
Dipper aimed his gun at Pacifica. She was completely cornered, there was no way she could make a move that he wouldn't see. They both had grins on which were as big as they possibly could be.
"I got you now! Just a couple more points and you lose!"
"Oh yeah? Well you forgot one thing!"
"What's that?"
"I'm a local here. This isn't my first time to this laser tag."
"So?"
"So I know when they release the fog!"
As if on Que, fog rolled in and Pacifica quickly ducked under it.
"What?" Dipper quickly cocked his laser gun. "Well played, Miss Northwest!"
He climbed up a podium and looked down at the now fog covered area.
"I wouldn't say I'm without tricks either though!"
He watched the fog intently until he saw some movement. "Aha!" He fired multiple times into the fog but he knew it HAD to be Pacifica, because whatever it was in the fog was trying to dodge his shots!
*HIT! *
"Shoot!" cursed Pacifica.
"I know where you are now!" Dipper called.
"Then come and get me!" challenged Pacifica.
Dipper smirked and jumped into the fog. This might have been a mistake as the fog was so high it was actually over his head, he couldn't see a thing.
"Okay, maybe I didn't think this one through."
A giggle through the fog alerted Dipper that Pacifica was making her move.
He fired off several shots but none of them hit their target.
Pacifica fired off a shot and Dipper almost walked right into it. Given that they were only playing a game, Dipper almost laughed at this.
He fired a shot to where he thought the last one shot came from. His shot must've missed but it did earn him a sharp "EEP!" from his opponent.
Pacifica dropped to the floor and fired upwards.
*HIT! *
Dipper stumbled back in surprise and fired into the bottom of the fog.
*HIT! *
Pacifica stood up, her laser gun pointed at Dipper just like how his was pointed at her. The fog was low enough now that they could see each other.
"This is it!"
"We each are down to having only a single hit left to spare!"
"May be the best laser tag player win!"
*HIT! *
A shot hit Dipper from behind earning him a game over.
"What?! Who...?"
"Yeah! Laser Robbie!"
From behind Dipper was Robbie. He was also dressed in a Laser Tag outfit like Dipper and Pacifica, firing his blaster into the air.
"What the-? How'd you get in here?! I paid the place for a private one on one match!" shouted Pacifica.
"I just snuck in." Robbie shrugged. "Kind of my thing. Rebel, ya know?"
"Oh for pity's sake..." Pacifica face palmed and pulled out her wallet. "Here's fifty bucks! For the rest of the day, anywhere we are you make sure you're not! Deal?!"
"Sweet!" Robbie snatched the money out of her hand. "Deal!"
With Robbie leaving Pacifica took a calming breath and turned back to Dipper with a smile.
"Rematch?"
Elsewhere...
Dundgren breathed a sigh of relief they finally got the shape shifter through the rift, he was too big to just zap back, being a Time Policeman was hard work.
He sensed something approaching from behind and saw none other the adult versions of Dipper and Pacifica.
"Pines!... And Northwest. You're early."
"Yeah," Dipper awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "About that Dundgren..."
Dundgren sunk his shoulders tiredly and muttered something.
"Well I was wondering if perhaps we could have 'another' favor?" asked Pacifica.
"Sigh. Fine. What is it?"
"Now that we're in the past, I used my credit card numbers to buy some new clothes and I was hoping to keep them. Thing is there's a lot of them so I'm going to need some help to carry them through the portal. So I was wondering..."
"Fine, I can spare a couple of my men to transport them back to the RV in your time line!"
"One other thing..." Dipper started timidly. "There are a lot of places we want to visit and not a lot of time to spend traveling."
Dundgren shook his head and covered his eyes. "Okay, this is the last thing though." *SNAP! *
Lolph came over carrying a chrome chest. It opened to reveal two belts, each of them had three colors. From the most prominent color to the least it went white, royal blue, and bright yellow.
"These are teleporter belts. They haven't been officially distributed as the latest editions to our standard gear yet but they have been fully tested. We want these back when it's time for you to go."
They put them on, which fit them perfectly.
"I love this color scheme! It really pops out at you!"
"How do they work?"
"They're thought activated. Just think of where you want to go and it'll zap you there! We're even now, right?"
"Even Steven!"
Dipper and Pacifica held each other's hand and disappeared in flash.
"Well aren't they in a hurry? Sigh. I'm getting too old for this job."
Gravity Falls pool...
Adult Dipper and Pacifica appeared behind the gate for the Gravity Falls pool in a flash of light.
"Why did you want us to go here?" asked Pacifica. "Was it because you want to see me in my new bikini?"
"Ye-N-Look! There was one question I never got answered about Gravity Falls. And that question lives here!"
"I never really visited this place in my childhood. I was under the impression places like this was for hobos."
Dipper walked around the rim of the pool until he came upon the part of the pool he was looking for. He knocked on the floor three times.
"You still in there?"
"Of course I am."
Pacifica reeled her head back in confusion. "Who IS that? What's happening?"
"You didn't swim here very often did you?"
"Of course not. At the time I still had the mentality that public pools were for hobos."
"If you did then you would know that Mr. Poolcheck is a very mentally unstable man, especially when it comes to protecting his pool. He even has his own pool jail for crying out loud. As bad as that it is, it is nothing compared to his solitary confinement. And I say," Dipper pulled out the President's key. "it's time to let him out!"
"I thought your President's key was destroyed by the train when you had amnesia!"
"It was. Mini-Me is letting me borrow his for the day."
Dipper inserted the key into the white plastic circle. "Of course Poolcheck would put a lock on this."
With a quick turn of the key Dipper opened the piece of plastic and down in the water was a little boy in his swim trunks.
"I think you've been down here long enough." Dipper offered him his hand and pulled him up. "One thing I gotta know though. What did you do to get into solitary?"
"Oh I just ate my potato chips in the pool."
"Oh. Given Poolcheck, that checks out. Run home kid, your parents are probably worried sick."
As the child ran off, Pacifica stared in slack jawed confusion.
"So... Poolcheck was keeping that kid here day and night? He was literally keeping a child as a prisoner?!"
"Yeah, Poolcheck should have been arrested a long time ago!"
"Now I'm glad I never went to these public pools!"
Gravity Falls lake...
Young Pacifica had officially reached the low point of her day. Her Dipper suggested a boat trip, on paper this seemed like a good romantic idea but there was kind of a hitch. He had brought aboard some shiny rocks which he said were 'sodium metal', he laughed when she accused him of making their date salty. Turns out throwing such things into water causes some pyrotechnics. This was almost a fun activity but then some bubbles appeared in the lake and Dipper fired up the motor engine to get back to the shore pqd, which is how they got to the situation they are in now.
Giant heads were pursuing them in the air. That's right heads, plural. Not one, not two, but three giant floating heads were chasing after them. If she had to describe them she would say that there was a mommy one, a daddy one, and a slightly smaller child version.
"EMIT ROF A YLIMAF LAEM!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE THERE ARE THREE OF THOSE THINGS!"
"WORST DATE EVER!"
"I THINK I CAN GET US TO SCUTTLEBUTT ISLAND!"
It was starting too look like the mother one was going to catch them when it suddenly stopped. Out from the water came the Gobblewonker, it resembled McGucket's machine version a little bit but this one was much bigger.
"I don't believe it! I thought the Gobblewonker was just a hoax by McGucket! It actually exists!" Dipper awed in disbelief. "It's really real!"
"DIPPER! SHORE LINE!" screamed Pacifica.
The kids screamed as the boat crashed into the shoreline sending them flying upward into the air.
Dipper landed first, wasn't the softest landing he's ever had but he was able to get up okay. He looked up to see Pacifica still falling; he held out his arms in an attempt to catch her.
"I got ya! I got ya!"
And Pacifica fall to him, just not into his arms like he had hoped. Nope, instead she had fallen on top of him.
"OOF!"
"Hey! You saved me again, Dipper! Thanks!" Pacifica smiled.
"Ow..."
"Oh! Sorry!" Pacifica got off of him and helped him to his feet.
"The monsters! Are they still fighting?"
"Yeah, but I have to say..." Pacifica pointed in the direction where the Gobblewonker was fighting the island heads. "Numbers don't seem to give an advantage here."
It was true, the Gobblewonker was fighting all three of the island heads handily.
"This is amazing! I need to write this... Oh wait..." Dipper's enthusiasm immediately died. "I can't write any of this down. Not unless I want to create a time paradox."
Pacifica placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder and gestured over to a nearby driftwood log.
"Then try just enjoying the show."
They both sat on the log and watched the fight.
"Okay, maybe NOT analyzing every weird thing I see isn't so bad. The fight IS pretty entertaining."
"Oh and look, a fog is rolling in."
"Did you just scootch closer to me?"
"You can't prove that."
Northwest Mansion Stable...
Adult Pacifica beamed happily as she was surrounded by no less than six ponies.
"Dipper, these are my closest and most secret childhood friends!"
"The ponies? I thought you were just making them up!"
"Nope. Dipper, these are my friends: Shutter Fly, Rainbow Crash, Rawrity, Apple Smacks, Stinkie Pie, and Sparklight Twinkle!"
While Dipper did feel as though those names were a reference to something, only one thought roamed through his mind.
"You had a pony actually named Stinkie? I thought I just misheard you when we were tied up."
"Not to be shared with anyone outside the family for obvious reasons."
"I just thought you wanted to check to see if your dog was okay but you actually had some animal friends you wanted to revisit too."
"Counting the dog that makes seven, and not that it maters, but it is still more than Mabel's goat and a pig."
"Rivals forever huh?"
"Friendly though it may be. Thank you... for letting me say goodbye to them."
"They're animals. Who are they going to tell?"
"But seriously, this was supposed to be your final hurrah and you still put my needs first."
"Well what can I say, Pacifica? I just..." Dipper timidly kicked the ground."like seeing you happy. I might be against getting a puppy but your story about your dog didn't fall on death ears either."
"That's sweet of you."
Both blushed with a smile. This continued for a few seconds until they realized they were staring at each other.
"Ahem! I'm going to... uh... go outside and... um... guard! You go ahead and say your goodbyes."
As Dipper left, the white furred one whinnied a little.
"I know, right? At some point in the future I'm allegedly going to become Mrs. Pines. Can't say I hate the idea."
The orange one shook her head.
"No Apple Smacks, I don't mind my initials will become PP. It isn't that worst from PN. Besides, I can always just throw in my middle name."
One of the ponies farted.
"Stinkie! Come on! We're having a moment here! You can't just make me laugh like that!" Pacifica chuckled. "Oh my God, I missed you girls so much."
Butt Isl... I mean Scuttlebutt Island...
"Still feeling frustrated?" asked Young Pacifica.
"...Yeah! The fog ruined the fight, I can't investigate the actually real Gobblewonker, all four monsters silently disappeared, and to top it all off our boat got wrecked! I mean, was the Gobblewonker defending its territory or..."
"Oh come on, we found this little tugboat, it's at least a little sea worthy, and we're fixing it up together. Like, enjoy the moment."
"But..."
"Listen, I don't normally, like, say this but... please?"
"Wha..."
"Please? With me?"
"I..." Dipper almost said 'No' but there was something in her eyes that made it difficult, almost like they got bigger somehow. It reminded him of the eyes one might find in a young female deer. "Okay..."
She took him by the hand and lead him to the engine of the ship. "But just this once! I wouldn't expect that trick to work ever again!"
Gravity Falls forest...
Adult Dipper and Pacifica materialized in very specific part of the woods. To Pacifica it didn't look like anything special but it was the perfect place for Dipper.
"Here?" asked Pacifica. "This isn't anywhere; why did you want to come here of all places?"
"Because of the sap!"
"What?"
Dipper ran off to one of the trees with a glee most only see in small children. He scooped out a handful of sap from the nearest tree and turned to Pacifica.
"Alright Pacifica, come here!"
Pacifica held her hair protectively. "Dipper, please! Not the hair! Anything but the hair! I'm, like, begging you over here!"
Dipper choked back a laugh. "Okay fine, just toss me your boots. You'll like this. Trust me."
Pacifica took off her boots and handed them to Dipper.
The first thing he did was slather the bottom of her boots with the sap.
"Okay! THAT is a crime against fashion right there!"
"Pacifica, please! I know what I'm doing!"
And then he took his gun and fired a couple of shots of goop into the sap covered bottoms of Pacifica's boots.
*PLOOT! * *PLOOT! *
Pacifica held her head in shock. "Dipper, please! We can get you help!" Her boots now had two giant green globs of goop on the bottom.
"Pacifica... I thought you knew me better than that. By now you should know there are methods to my madness. Don't believe me? Try them on."
Pacifica took back her boots and put them on with a frown.
Dipper smirked. "Now... jump."
"What?"
"Just give it a try."
Pacifica gave a little hop and she soared up three feet into the air.
"EEEEEK!"
Landing, however, proved to be no problem at all as she landed as if she had taken the hop she had intended.
"...What?"
"You already saw what happened when I mix my goop with rose petals. This is what happens when I mix it with tree sap, and no, I can't use syrup as a substitute. I tried and it failed."
"Tree sap? This seems pretty useful. Why haven't we tried this before?"
"Like I said, I can't use something like syrup as a substitute, it just doesn't work. It has to be tree sap and there has to be a lot of it to work right. So long as you land on your feet though, it shouldn't matter what height you come down from."
Pacifica gave a bigger jump and shot into the air. "Weeeeeeeeeee!"
She landed in front of him with a big grin on her face.
"How long does this last?" she asked.
"About an hour. Me, Mabel, and both of my Grunkles had to play against the real Probabilator in a real life version of Dungeons, Dungeons, & More Dungeons. Mabel created these weapons called Giggle Time Bouncy Boots, these Goop Boots are about as close as possible to them."
"Well bouncing around does seem pretty fun."
"Had to relive it!"
"And this is what you wanted to do? Jump around the forest?"
"Jump around the forest... with you."
Pacifica blushed but unlike the other times she did, this time she didn't try to hide it. "Gosh Dipper, you're incorporating me in so much of your plans. A girl could very easily be flattered by this!"
Now it was Dipper's turn to blush furiously.
"IIIIIIII think I need to apply to my own shoes now so I can join you! Yep! Yep! Yep!"
He ran over to a tree and started to do the same thing he did to Pacifica's boots to his own shoes.
*PLOOT! * *PLOOT! *
Brimming with nervous energy puts his boots back on.
'Oof! Is the summer heat flaring up or is it just her?'
Dipper turned around and saw she was exactly as he left her, standing there normally with a big grin on her face.
'Nope. It's her! It's absolutely her! I'm falling for her faster than ever!'
"Uh let's bounce, Pacifica!"
With a mighty jump Dipper launched himself up into the air until he landed on a branch. "THE NAME OF THE GAME IS TAG!" Dipper shouted down to her. "YOU'RE IT!"
Pacifica smiled. "Another game I didn't get to play a lot of as a child. I'M IT HUH?"
"IS IT SO WRONG FOR A GUY TO WANT TO BE THE ONE CHASED INSTEAD?"
"...FAIR ENOUGH! HERE I COME!"
With a mighty jump Pacifica sprung up to the same height as Dipper; but with a quiet shout of "Oh shoot!" he had already jumped forward.
Pacifica grabbed a branch and jumped forward. Dipper ricocheted off another tree into another direction.
Tree after tree, Dipper did his best to stay ahead of Pacifica but no matter what he did she was right behind him.
'I forgot what a nimble minx Pacifica can be. This might've been a bad idea.'
Up in these trees, jumping around at such speeds... the two of them may as well have been flying.
He jumped on another tree but this time at an angle, this gave him more height along with the usual distance.
Dipper looked back to see Pacifica wasn't there.
"That's strange..."
He let himself land feet first on a branch of a tree.
"I wonder where she went?"
As he pondered that, this was when Pacifica jumped up looking him in eye while in the air.
Dipper was surprised to see her but not too shocked that he fell off the branch. She gave him an innocent smile and booped his nose. "Tag. You're it."
"A ground assault. Very sneaky, Pacifica. I'm impressed."
"I try." Pacifica shrugged as she fell back to the ground feet first.
Dipper got on all fours like a cat, and as soon as Pacifica landed on the ground (bouncing off in a forward direction) Dipper pounced after her. It looked like he was going to land face first on the ground but quickly grabbing a tree branch changed his trajectory enough that he could put his feet first. He landed hard on the ground but his goopy shoes absorbed the impact making him bounce forward even faster.
Then to his shock, he found Pacifica bounding straight for him. He was sure they were about to crash into each other when at the last moment she leapt over him like gymnast on a horse. He even felt her hands on his back.
"SIKE!"
Dipper stopped for a moment and stared at her retreating figure.
"Well played, Miss Northwest. Well played."
Gravity Falls lake...
"Okay, okay. I'll admit it." Young Dipper sighed contently in defeat. "Fixing up this little tug boat with you was fun... so is sailing it with you. I feel like Steamboat Mickey."
"See? I told you that you could have a good time without obsessing over some mystery. Captain, my Captain."
"You could be a Co-Captain, you kn..."
"No! I am your cute and charming First Mate! No arguments!"
"Okay, fine but can you answer just one question?"
"If I can."
"Can you tell me why you're hugging my arm?"
"...No. Just... shut up and enjoy it."
Gravity Falls forest...
The adult versions of Dipper and Pacifica were out of breath from jumping through the trees. They were considerably closer to town now but the game was over. They were sitting on a branch next to each other, not quite holding hands but close.
"Okay, THAT was a lot of fun!"
"Who won though?"
"I-I-I don't know, Dipper. All I know is we had a lot of fun and it's getting late."
"I hate to say it but you're right. We should probably head back to the field."
"Yeah, this was good for closure but I'm ready to head home. Those dishes need to done."
"Well let's zap on d-"
A gust of wind suddenly blew Dipper's hat off.
"My hat! Are you kidding me?!"
Dipper sighed and looked to seen his feet were still just goopy enough to pursue his headgear.
"Pacifica, I..."
"I know. You need your hat. I'm fine with it, you go on ahead and I'll meet you back at the field."
"Thanks Paz, you're the best!"
As Dipper sprang off desperately seeking his hat, Pacifica found herself sighing wistfully.
"This isn't just a crush, is it?"
Gravity Falls Town Square...
Young Dipper and Pacifica were walking through the town, hand in hand.
"I gotta say Mr. Pines," Pacifica began. "As far as first dates go this wasn't too bad."
"Well I..."
"DIPPER!" screamed a voice.
Down the street the two could see Wendy running towards them.
"Wendy!"
"Oh. Right. 'Her'." Pacifica rolled her eyes.
When she finally got to them she was out of breath; tired to the point where she had to rest on all fours.
"Wow! I don't think I've ever seen you this exhausted before!"
Drops of sweat hit the asphalt as she tried to catch her breath.
"You okay?"
"Moth monster... *pant *... never stopped chasing... *pant * lost sight... *pant * … kept running... *pant *"
Pacifica rolled her eyes. "I'll go buy Super Tomboy some water. You make sure she's okay."
Pacifica let go of Dipper's hand and walked into a nearby store. 'I know he'll be mine one day, so fine. She can have his stupid puppy love. It never lasts anyways.'
"Are you okay?" asked Dipper.
Wendy suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders. "Forget me, are YOU okay?! A giant bug flew off you, dude! Did it lay eggs in you?! Are you hurt anywhere?!"
She gave the twelve year old an almost desperate once over, looking for any cuts or injuries.
"No! I'm fine!" Dipper insisted.
Wendy sat back on her legs and lifted her head back in relief. "Thank God!"
Pacifica came out and handed Wendy a water bottle.
Wendy grabbed the bottle with an exhausted "Thank you!" and downed the whole thing in practically one gulp.
"Hey, who needs dignity when there's water?" sassed Pacifica.
"Okay," breathed Wendy. "What happened with the bug monster?"
"Uh well... You see... I... Uh..."
Pacifica quickly elbowed Dipper in the ribs.
"We handled it."
"The... two of you?"
"Yeah." Pacifica crossed her arms. "That a problem?"
Wendy looked back and forth at the two of them for a moment and then shook her head.
"...I guess no-Never mind all that! What's up with those agents?"
"We handled that too. They're not a problem." Pacifica dryly spat.
"No! There's something off about those two! I just... Grrr! I just can't put my finger on it! It feels like it's staring me right in the face but I can't see it!"
"Listen, a lot of weird stuff happens here in Gravity Falls all the time right?"
"Right..."
"Well then," Pacifica smirked. "Wouldn't a couple of 'Off' agents be a welcomed break in comparison?"
"I...well... I mean... I guess that would make sense but..."
*HONK! * *HONK! *
Everyone turned and saw Grunkle Stan in his car.
"Been looking all over town for you, Wendy! Come on, hop in! Been away from the Mystery Shack for too long! You too, Short Pants!"
Dipper turned to Pacifica.
"I...uh..."
Before he could say anything more, Pacifica placed her finger on his lips shushing him.
"I'll see you... 'later'."
"Oh! I think I get'cha! At the... 'place'?"
"That's right."
She gives him a flirtatious wink and walks off.
'Wait... Should I have given him a peck goodbye? Shoot! That would've been perfect! Oh well, guess I'll just have to wait... ten years... oh boy is time cruel.'
'I thought we were far enough in our relationship I could get a peck on the cheek goodbye. I guess I was wrong again. Well maybe in ten years things will be different...after this adventure.'
Outside the Mystery Shack...
Adult Dipper landed in a soft run on the ground as he finally caught his hat. He took a moment to look at the bottom of his shoes. Any goop that was there was now long gone.
"Oh well. Easy come, easy go."
As he placed his hat upon his head, he heard Grunkle Stan's car pull up to the Mystery Shack. Realizing he was a bit too out in the open, Dipper panicked slightly before quickly diving into some nearby bushes.
Grunkle Stan, Wendy, and Young Dipper got out of the car but if any of them had seen Adult Dipper was a bit of a mystery. Grunkle Stan squinted his eyes in the direction of the bush Adult Dipper had dived into but Wendy brought his attention away from it.
"Seriously," Wendy pleaded. "There is something up with those agents and..."
"Wendy, I'm going to be honest with you. I think Miss Money Bags had it right. So many weird things happen in Gravity Falls, zombies, cursed clay monsters, and hand witches just to name a few."
"Hand witch?"
"Some 'unusual' agents are a welcome bit of blandness in my opinion. I get why you're doing this though, the kid right?"
"I... uh well..."
"I get it. He's a good kid. He and Mabel have adapted to all the strange weirdness in this town better than anyone would have expected. Wouldn't surprise me if they even, I don't know, Time Traveled at some point! The kid has really toughen up and as much as I would like it, I know I won't be able to see him in his later years..."
Wendy raised an eyebrow at Stan. "What're you...?"
Grunkle Stan looked in the direction of the exact bush Adult Dipper had dived into. "But I can tell you this much...I would be in marvel at the man he has become!"
In the bush, Adult Dipper was fighting back tears with every ounce of his strength. How he wanted to jump out of the bush and embrace his Grunkle Stan, to tell him how he owed what he became to his example, to tell him of all that had happened and all that was to come. He remained silent; it nearly killed him but he knew that he had to remain silent. If he wanted to preserve the summer he had as a child, to keep his future and the life he shared with his partner, he had to keep the time stream clean and say nothing.
The elderly man stood silently for a moment, almost as if he was waiting for something to happen, but when the moment passed he shrugged and went inside.
Wendy, on the other hand, looked confused. "Wait! Stan what was..."
"Wendy!" Grunkle Stan shouted inside. "Either get to sweeping or go home! Either way, I'm not paying you to stand around!" She scratched her head and wondered off.
Back in the bush, Adult Dipper let out a huge breath of air and wiped his tears off his sleeve.
"I can't stay in this time period anymore! I just can't handle it!"
He set his gun to the whip option. "Time to whip swing back to the field!"
*PLFT*
The whip rolled out of the barrel and flopped on to the ground.
"Again?! Don't tell me I need to fix this stupid gun AGAIN?!"
He looked over at the Mystery Shack and frowned nervously.
"If I'm fast... I can use Soos' tools to fix my gun without anyone noticing!"
Sneaking to the garage was surprisingly uneventful, dawning the entrance to the garage he decided to survey the scenery just to be careful.
He looked to his left. Nothing.
He looked to his right. Also Nothing.
The coast was clear.
He ran over to Soos' workbench and pried open his gun almost immediately.
"Awwww! There's sap on the circuit board! No wonder!" Adult Dipper whined. "I'm rig this thing so I never have to fix it again!"
He got to work silently and after almost an hour he was nearly done.
"AHA!" shouted a voice.
Dipper turned around in shock to find Wendy at the entrance of the garage.
"AAGH! WENDY! I mean... Red haired teenaged girl whose name I don't know!"
"I knew it! I started to piece it together when Stan mentioned time travel, you're Dipper aren't you?! From the future!"
Adult Dipper visibly started to sweat. "Whaaaaaaaaaaat? I'm not Dipper... What kind of name is 'Dipper' anyways? Maybe the name of some kid whose parents hated..."
Wendy snatched his hat off of his head and pulled back his bangs to reveal his birthmark.
"Ha! Proof Positive! Admit it, you're Dipper!"
"Alright. Alright! You caught me!" Adult Dipper held up his arms in surrender. "In my defense though, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Young me and Pacifica finding out was a complete accident!"
Wendy fist pumped in victory. "I knew it! Wait... Pacifica? The blonde woman! That's future Pacifica!" Something dawned on Wendy and confusion raced across her face. "In the future YOU'RE with Pacifica Northwest?"
Adult Dipper furrowed his brow in response. "Yes! As a matter of fact! If you can believe it, she is MORE than just a one note spoiled rich girl!"
"Wow, really? Never would have guessed."
"We're all more than a sum of our parts, Wendy. Take Robby for example; at first glance he's a fingerless glove wearing, self-centered, mind controlling jerk... but even he stepped up when we needed him. Grew up to be a decent guy too, respected member of the community with a kid on the way."
"Really? Robby?"
"Yeah. Really."
"Speaking of hats..."
Wendy reached for his hat but he slapped it away defensively. "Hey! I don't like hat shopping! Get your own hat, okay?"
"Whoa! Okay... So what're you doing here in the present?"
"Your present, my past." Adult Dipper corrected. "I was here to arrest a certain changeling that decided to time travel to have revenge on me. Mission accomplished. The only reason why I'm still here is for nostalgia's sake."
Wendy looked at Adult Dipper up and down for a minute and then she swallowed a lump in her throat.
"Would... you like to go out?"
Adult Dipper was just barely able to choke back his laughter. He poked his gun one more time. "I hate to say this to ya Red, but I think that I'm the one who's too old for you now!"
Wendy wasn't able to choke back her laughter at all. "You're right! How's that for irony?"
"It's pretty ironic!" Adult Dipper grinned.
The two couldn't hold back any more and roared with laughter.
Adult Dipper finished putting his gun back together and loaded in a new battery.
"Listen Red, I know we never ended up together, but that didn't mean you meant nothing to me. I always knew me and you weren't going to work but if you had ever straight up told me that you hated my guts, I would have spent the rest of the summer staring up at the ceiling hopelessly in my bed. No mysteries, no adventures, just nothing but utter despair."
"And I know I never told this to you but thank you for saving me from Robby. I mean, yeah, you shouldn't have asked me out right after saving my brain but you did save it so thanks for that."
"My pleasure. So, I'm gonna need you to do me a big favor and keep this whole time travel thing a secret. Could screw with the future, you know?"
Instead of saying anything, Wendy silently zipped her mouth close and then threw away the invisible key.
"Ha ha. That's our thing. Same ol' Wendy. See you in the future, Flannels."
Adult Dipper started to leave and tipped his hat to her.
"See ya around, Dumby."
Wendy gave a small smile and waved goodbye.
The Field...Almost...
Adult Dipper was almost to the field where the Time Policemen were waiting for him when a sudden noise caught his attention.
"PSST!"
It was coming from the forest, as he got closer he spotted some familiar faces behind the trees. Adult Pacifica, her young counterpart, and Young Dipper.
"Hey guys! What're we doing?"
"Our Mini-Me's have come to say goodbye but they want to put off getting their minds wiped for as long as possible!" explained Adult Pacifica.
"Fine by me." shrugged Adult Dipper. "I need to give this back anyways."
He handed Young Dipper the President's Key and they tipped their hats to each other.
"As long as we're giving things to ourselves..." Young Pacifica took her photo booth pictures and handed them to her adult self. "Keep these safe."
Adult Pacifica and Dipper looked at the pictures and then at the kids.
"Were you kids..."
"On a date?!"
"That's right!" Young Pacifica stood firm and Dipper placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You two weren't getting things going so we decided to start things off!"
"And now there's nothing you two can say or do that will change the fact that you've technically already had a first date with each other!" smirked Young Dipper.
The adults stood slack jawed for a moment.
"I don't believe it. Did we really just get out-romanced by a couple of children?" asked Adult Pacifica.
"No...We just out-romanced ourselves."
"True... They kind of have a point too. Even if we don't remember it, we did technically already have a first date."
Dipper shook his head quickly for moment to get the cobwebs out of his head and focus on what needed to happen next.
"I'm pretty sure this is OUR time line, but in case I'm wrong and we created a new branch or something I think it's important to tell our important youths what they need to hear."
"Why did he call us that?" asked Young Dipper.
Adult Dipper put his hand on Young Pacifica's shoulder and Adult Pacifica did the same with Young Dipper.
"Pacifica," Adult Dipper started. "you're family's history is NOT a set path for your future. You don't have to be like them, don't be afraid to be your own person. It'll lead you to some good places, I promise."
Adult Pacifica smirked. "As for YOU, little man... lighten up."
"Huh?"
"I promise you. Those mysteries aren't going anywhere; they won't just disappear if you turn your head for five minutes. Don't be afraid to make some friends, and maybe listen to your gut a little more than your head."
"That's good advice." commented Adult Dipper. "Believe me, the over thinking thing never really goes away."
Young Dipper and Pacifica looked at each other and nodded in agreement. They took the adults' hands off their shoulders almost in perfect sync and looked to their elder self.
"You've said your pieces," started Young Dipper.
"Now it's your turn to listen to us!" finished Young Pacifica.
"Adult me, you're everything I could have hoped for in adulthood... but I think you've forgotten the lessons you've learned this summer. You're still getting in your own way."
"And you listen to me! In the future, I have no money, no credit cards, no mansion, and NO designer dresses!" Young Pacifica looked at Adult Dipper. "So make it worth while."
Adult Dipper and Pacifica looked at each other and nodded with a smile.
"Well said, kids."
"Couldn't have said it better ourselves."
The adults knelt down and hugged the kids.
"Now stay low. Wouldn't want to explain you."
They separated and walked towards Dundgren. The giant portal used to transport the Shapeshifter from earlier was still in place so this was likely how they were returning home.
"Dipper, Pacifica! Right on time!" Dundgren greeted. "Miss Northwest, we were able to find and repair your umbrella." He handed her the umbrella and in turn they handed him the teleporter belts and the stolen time travel device.
"Now this makes us even, right? No more favors?"
"Even Steven." Adult Dipper assured. "Whatever happens now, happens."
"Dipper, can we really do this?" whispered Adult Pacifica. "Shouldn't we tell them about Little Us?"
"We didn't completely forget this adventure if you remember, we should have faith that all this was meant to happen." Adult Dipper whispered back. "The time line will sort itself out."
Dolph appeared holding some kind of tablet. "That's almost all the Time Anomalies! I think we're about ready to wrap things up here. Just step through the portal and it'll send you back to your time."
The paranormal detectives looked to each other and gave a sad smile.
"It was nice reliving the glory days, but I'm ready to hop into the future. What about you? Ready to go home?"
Adult Pacifica grabbed his hand. "I'm ready to go to OUR home."
And then, with Adult Dipper giving the place one last look, they walked through the portal home.
"Alright everyone!" shouted Dolph. "That's a wrap! Let's head on home!"
In a bright flash everyone else disappeared.
A moment passed. Then another.
Then Young Dipper and Pacifica came out into the open.
"Is the coast actually... clear? Did we really do it?" asked the heiress.
"I think we're in the clear! Pacifica, we get to remember everything! New alternate time line!"
"This is great! I mean, there's still a chance we'll forget everything somehow but why doubt now?!"
"I'll vouch for you when I introduce you into the gang! Everything is going to be so much better now!"
"You know..." Young Pacifica smirked, leaning forward slightly holding her hands behind her back. "I would like to experience my first kiss tonight. Even if I'm not guaranteed to remember it."
Young Dipper visibly stiffened.
"Oh..." He smiled. "Um yeah okay. I think I'd like that too!"
They puckered up and shared a peck on the lips that lasted for seven seconds.
Another bright flash happened and Blendin appeared.
"Sorry about this kids!"
"You! You're uh... uh..." Young Dipper stuttered.
"Take your time. I've learned to roll with it."
"Bloopy? No... Blar-Blar? Yeah, that sounds right. Is it Blar-Blar?"
"It's Blendin." the time traveler dryly stated as he dug through his fanny pack.
"Wait; why do you have hair now?"
"I can't tell you that, Dipper. Listen, I'm going to have to mind wipe you both just to keep the time stream clean. Really thought your adult self would have kept his promise better."
"Oh no!" Young Pacifica gasped.
"Don't worry, Pacifica. I've seen him try this trick before. He'll just hit us with a baby wipe and then sit down and pout."
Blendin pulled something out of his fanny pack that looked like a metallic baby wipe. "N-Not this time."
He threw it up in the air and for a moment it seemed to flutter in the air like a napkin. Then in a shinning flash it appeared behind Pacifica's head. She fell to the ground in a sitting position.
"Oh no! Pacifica!"
"No baby wipes this time."
"Then I'm ACTUALLY going to forget everything?!" Young Dipper gripped his head in panic.
"Y-Yeah, but for what it's worth... I am sorry."
Blendin tossed another wipe in the air and Young Dipper made a run for it.
"No no no no no NO NO NO!"
The same thing that happened to Pacifica happened to Dipper. The only difference is that Dipper fell face forward onto the grass.
"Now where's that Mothman? I got a train with big headlight I need to introduce him to."
Blendin strolled off into the woods to find the composite insect man just as Young Pacifica was starting to stir.
Young Dipper wasn't that far behind.
"What am I doing here?"
"Where am I?"
"Dipper?"
"Pacifica?"
"Like, ew! What am I doing in some lame field with a nerd like you?"
"What was this? Some elaborate plot to humiliate me and Mabel? Waiting for both of us to show up or something?"
"Yeah right! Like you're worth the effort!"
"I... don't remember how I got here."
"...Me neither."
"This is a mystery! We need to solve it!"
"...What?"
"Yes! Something happened here! We'll have to look for clues, I'll start writing everything down and..."
"NO!"
"What...?"
"I am not having it officially documented that you and I were ANYWHERE together alone! I don't think so!"
Young Dipper looked at her helplessly. "But... But mystery..."
"Ugh! Fine!" She dug into her wallet and pulled out a five hundred dollar bill. "Here! This night never happened, okay?"
He grabbed the bill and held it up to the moonlight.
"New addition of Dungeons, Dungeons, & More Dungeons here I come!"
"Ugh! Of course a loser like you would like a loser game like that!"
"Hey! You're just not smart enough to appreciate it! Ya dumb blonde!"
"Ugh! Why am I still talking to you?"
"That's one mystery I don't care to solve!"
Having had enough of each other's company the two walked off in separate directions.
And although they did not see each other again until the mini-golf adventure they did share one last thought together.
'Why are my lips tingling?'
Omake
Adult Dipper and Pacifica ended up back in front of their RV. The two shared a smile, a small blush, and then Pacifica let out an awkward chuckle.
"I...uh...I-I'd better go get started on those dishes! They've been sitting there for days!"
Pacifica ran off inside the RV and Dipper pulled out his pie chart. He glared at it and shook his head.
"I've been making the same mistakes all over again!"
He crumbled up the paper and tossed it over his shoulder.
"Hey Pacifica!" he shouted. "Want to go out on a date with me?!"
*CRASH! *
Dipper winced at the sound of plates smashing. "Is that a yes?"
That's it for now. And it pleases me to tell you readers that YES, Dipper and Pacifica as of this point are OFFICIALLY together! Sorry again about the long wait on the update, life away from the computer has been a mother hugging roller coaster! Financially, emotionally, EVERYTHING! Once again, roller coaster of a year. I was going to have this little Easter Egg about Dipper and Pacifica being the ones who trained Blendin when he was in Time Prison but this chapter was already way too long. Let me know if you liked this chapter in a review. Longer the better. Next chapter should be sooner because I plan on it being a lot shorter (at least shorter than this). So I'll see you then.