Dipper's attitude was clear and surprising as he came off the bus. He grumbled a dismissive greeting to Soos as he towed his rolling luggage towards the shack. On Dipper's head was the purple ball cap he had been wearing for the past three years.

Soos, surprised, watched him go. Then he turned back to see Mabel and Waddles disembarking from the Bus, both wearing matching hot pink shirts with pockets. Soos asked her, "Uhh… whats with Dipper?"

"Hi Soos," Mabel said, exhausted, as she came up to him with her bag. "Breakup. A bad one."

"Dipper broke up with Pacifica?"

"Ayup."

Soos slapped his cheeks. "Oh man, what's gonna happen this summer?"

"I don't know Soos. I've had my hands full convincing Dipper not to turn around at any point on the trip. We almost didn't come!"

Soos blinked. "Dipper almost wouldn't have come? Geeze… I…" Soos sighed and looked down.

Mabel rolled up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Seeing you again helped convince him to come. It's just… Pacifica lives here. He doesn't want any chance of seeing her and he's feeling kinda sensitive. Please don't take it personally, I'll chew him out about it later."

Soos nodded after a moment. "Okay."

Mabel, still perky, changed the subject. "So how have you been? How's everyone else?"

Soos laughed then said as he turned serious. "Oh, oh man, you heard about Stan, right?"

Mabel frowned. "Ooohhh, that fall? Melody told me, is he all right?"

"Yeah he's fine, Melody's with him now at the hospital. At least he's walking!"

Lost and Found

Norsehound

I: Dipper

Much later an exasperated Dipper splayed his hands as he lay on the bed. "Like, it's just a stroll in the woods! Why the heck would anyone have a problem with a little walking?"

Mabel was unpacking as he was talking. As she pulled out a ream of sweaters she sighed and said, "Dipper, your idea of a stroll in the woods is a four hour drive there and back, power-walking faster than the elderly, then going off-trail into god knows where looking for anything weird. That doesn't sound like the kind of thing Pacifica would want to do."

"Yeah but… I did plenty of her stuff! I was bored out of my mind with the symposium, but I went for her!" he crossed his arms and sighed, "I just wish we could have done my thing too."

"I seem to recall a week long trip to Yosemite looking for the Pohono! Then borrowing Pacifica's plane for a trip to North Carolina to check out that haunted forest!"

Dipper was quiet for a second before saying, "Mabel… those trips were like, three years ago." Looking at his hands, he said, "We stopped going precisely because she didn't like them. And we didn't do anything like that for a long time after."

Sighing, he went on, "I just thought… after that second summer… that she was more rough and tumble than she let on in the beginning. I guess… I was wrong."

"Bro, just because she isn't totally an out of touch gazillionaire doesn't mean she can't like nice things too. You remember what she did to keep her ponies, don't you?"

News bulletins of child activist Pacifica Northwest organizing a mob to protest against the theft and seizure of innocent animals flashed in his mind. "Yeah, I remember."

Mabel shifted to sit at the edge of the bed, "Besides, your supposed go with her to these things because you *both* enjoy them! How are you supposed to be with someone if you don't enjoy spending time with them in the things you love!"

"I dunno! Just… I dunno." he rolled away from her.

Mabel continued frowning at her brother, then sighed and said, "All right, well I'm gonna have lunch. You can keep sulking up here until you're ready to come down." She got off the bed saying, "Just try to be nice to Soos, okay? He was looking forward to seeing you."

Dipper sighed from shame while Mabel left the bedroom. Alone, he hugged his pillow while he grappled with his feelings. He didn't want to go outside, this is where Pacifica lived. He didn't want to run into her after the things they said. He wasn't sure how he was feeling.

Later, after taking a moment to sort and put away his own laundry, Dipper came downstairs on his own and made his way to the kitchen. He was surprised on the way there to smell bacon cooking. Ever since Soos and his mom moved in, it was usually Mexican being served up. He entered the kitchen to see Soos cooking flapjacks, bacon, and sausages. Soos saw him. "Sup dood."

" Hey… Soos…" Dipper said apologetically. "Um… sorry i said such a crappy hello when we got here."

"Dood! No worries, Mabel filled me in." Soos had a spatula in and, waiting on the bacon. "So uh… how are you feeling?"

"Honestly? I don't… know." Dipper replied. "Angry, obviously. But a part of me is… relieved?"

"You two've been a thing for a couple of summers now. Must be something to have no commitments again."

"Yeah I… guess?"

"I mean, there's been fresh sightings of the gobblewonker at the lake. Now you don't have to talk to Pacifica before going out there."

Dipper hesitated. "I didn't… need her permission to do anything like that."

Soos shrugged. "Seemed that way to me dood. I get that you wanna stand by the person but," he shrugged, "Now you don't have to. You can do what you wanted."

"Yeahhh…" Dipper sighed. He eased into one of the chairs in the kitchen and idly looked at papers on the table.

Soos chuckled once, then said, "Love sucks dood. That's why it's important to be with the right person, y'know?"

Dipper lifted his head skeptically to Soos. When Soos glanced over at Dipper, the young man asked, "Did Mabel coach you to say that?"

"No. Maybe." Soos replied and shrugged. "Doesn't matter cuz it's true though. Talk to Melody about some of the stuff she's been through dating? Ohh boy." He waved a hand dismissively.

Dipper sighed and his eyes scanned the shelf beside Soos. "We were going pretty good for a while. I just… don't get it. I thought we were starting to get serious serious."

"Maybe she thought so too." Soos replied and shrugged, "Maybe she did you a favor dood. You really wanna go to operas for the rest of your life?"

"Not… really…"

"Welp." Soos said and shrugged.

Dipper glanced up at Soos. "Well, what do you and Melody do together?"

Soos chuckled. "Oh man, where do I start?" He ticked off his fingers, "We're both meat fans, we're trivia nerds… and importantly? We don't judge one another for the things we wanna try."

"I never…" Dipper started, but then sighed. "You're right, I hated opera. It's so slow and like… pretentious."

"So why did you go?"

"It was…. It was important to her."

"What did you get out of it?"

"I dunno? Culture? Sophistication? Being a boyfriend, supportive?"

"But if you're not having fun, what are you doing, dood? How much of your relationship is just checking boxes?"

Dipper sighed again and leaned against the wall. "I wanna cuss right now."

"I wont judge dood, cuss away!"

"No, because somehow my parents will hear about it and I'll get a lecture later." Dipper thumped the back of his head against the wall. "I feel like such an idiot. Why didn't I see it?"

"You live and learn, dood. Relax and enjoy the summer. She probably doesn't want to see you either for a while, so I wouldn't be surprised if she jetted off someplace. Don't worry about it."

Dipper smiled weakly. "Thanks man. I don't think I've had anyone to talk to about this, 'cept Mable."

Soos laughed. "No problem, 's what friends are for! C'mere."

Dipper came off the chair and Soos pulled him into a bear hug. The young man gave a sigh. "I needed that."

"Anytime!"

Dipper and Soos came out with lunch plates into the living room. Soos' mom was watching TV in the recliner while Mabel sat at the table with her phone open. She looked over at the boys as they entered. Soos said, "Lunch is ready!"

"Awesome! And you found a Dipper!" Mabel said before standing from the plastic chair. Passing Dipper she bopped him in the shoulder with a fisyand said, "Candy and Grenda are coming over tonight. You and Marius want to do anything while we hang for a girls' night?"

Dipper stopped, surprised, then turned to track Mabel leaving the room. "She's still with that guy?"

"Pfff yeah, Marius is great!" Mabel replied before heading into the kitchen.

Dipper watched her disappear through the entry, then sighed as he headed for the table. "So glad to hear someone dating a rich person is working."

Soos looked up from giving his mother her plate and watched Dipper slump into his seat. He considered his friend disappointedly, then turned away and headed to the kitchen to get his own food.

Mabel had just finished making her sandwich when she saw Soos come in with the disappointed look on his face. Soos saw her sympathetic look. Soos said, "Boy, Pacifica really did a number on him, huh?"

"It's a lot of things." Mabel replied. "And I think it was bottled up for a long time, from both of them. Dipper and Pacifica are both strong willed people, but she's more about, 'Justice!'" Mabel threw a fist in the air before going on, "and he's about wandering around and making documentaries about the weird stuff he finds."

"Championing a cause is pretty important though."

"But that's what made it hard for Dipper to say no! Some of that was important, and he was helping her. But I guess…" she shook her head. "It's so sad too, Dipper was Looking forward to coming back before the breakup."

Soos finished making his sandwich. "Hmmm. If only there was someone here with his range of interest who could help take his mind off of things for a while!"

Mabel blinked as she got an idea.

a/n: This is five years after the first summer.

i was committed this year to focus on original stories... but then i bump into Gravity Falls again and my imagination takes flight. so, here this is.

Unlike my other fics this one is already finished. Ill be editing chapters and posting them when i'm able. This one is five chapters.