Dipper was practically pacing a hole in the living room carpet. Mabel was documenting the episode from the couch with her own cam-corder, to his annoyance, but it didn't lessen the feeling at all which consumed him.

Mabel's sing-song voice toned, "Here he is, the hopeless romantic!"

Dipper stopped to bark at her, "Will you cut that out? Seriously!"

"You do remember Wendy turned you down, like, six months ago, right?"

Dipper stopped and glared at her. "Yeah, you ever get around to telling Mermando to stop sending you bottles? I thought you were over him!"

"Woa! Hey, we're not talking about Mermando here!" Mabel replied.

"Then can you drop it! Please?" Dipper replied.

Mabel's camera stayed focused enough on Dipper's face to see his sad,pleading expression. She dropped the camera and said, "Oh-kay."

Dipper sighed as he came to sit beside her on the couch. "Look, I'm excited to see Wendy again because she's, like, one of my only friends. Someone who's actually happy to see me… for once!"

"What about Chester and Dwight at school? I thought you were getting along with those guys!"

"Yeah, until I tried to tell them about last summer. That's how it always goes- nobody believes us and if you try to tell anyone, they laugh at you! Im already called a crackpot conspiracy theorist at school! It's like, almost worse than before we left. At least you've made friends! I haven't. Everyone we left behind in Gravity Falls are the only people who won't see us as crazy. So of course im happy to see Wendy again."

Mabel deleted the video. "I'm sorry Bro, I didn't think about that."

"It's okay." He said with a slight shrug. Looking at her he said, "At least you're not telling me to grow up and stop having a wild imagination."

"I would never!" She replied with feigned indignation, then shared a smile with him.

The doorbell rang.

"She's here!" The twins cried and bounced off the couch and raced to the door. Mabel got to the handle first.

Wendy Corduroy was indeed on the other side. Her long red hair was bound up in a braid over her shoulder and her plaid shirt was hugged with a Gravity Falls high jacket. Dipper's blue hat was still on her head. "'Sup dudes!"

"Wendy!" They both called and gave the girl a big hug when she knelt down to them. Wendy embraced them in a tight hug, before peeking an eye open at Dipper and raising her hand up to his shoulder. "You guys are getting taller! 13 is doing wonders on you guys!"

Mabel said, "Yeah, it was new wardrobe time."

As they parted, Wendy said, "If you start busting two sizes in a year, I'll be impressed. I was already a freaking skyscraper when I was your age."

Dipper remembered the photo. "Wow, really?" He said.

Mabel grabbed Wendy's hand. "Come on in! You gotta see the place! Meet the parents!"

Wendy allowed Mabel to tow her into the house. Wendy reached up a hand to Dipper and missed his hair, along with her old hat, as she passed. "I missed ya dude." She said.

Their gazes locked as Wendy went into the house. Dipper smiled before following and closing the front door.

The joyous weekend soon flew by. Since Wendy was here by herself to visit the Pines, each of the days were spent together. The Friday was spent at home, dining with Henry and Lily Pines and enjoying a late night movie. Saturday was spent visiting the highlights of San Francisco- from,the morning at Ocean Beach and San Francisco park, a delightful lunch of clam chowder in fisherman's wharf, then ending the evening in the carnival atmosphere of Pier 39.

For Dipper, he had lived in Piedmont for his entire life, but he never thought of the city as anything special until he was here to show it to Wendy. Somehow he took it as a note of pride when she laughed and said, "Dude this place is so much more rad than Portland!"

She said this when along the waterside at Pier 39 as the evening sun beamed across the bridge. Though he sorta knew his crush on her was futile, he wished then he could exist in that moment with her forever.

After that he was left with the doom that Wendy's stay here would be ending soon. She needed to be back in the falls for the rest of the week. Though Dipper didn't say anything, Wendy must have known, and made it a point to ruffle his hair when she returned to her hotel for the final night.

She texted him that morning. They had breakfast, then the Pines took her to the Speedy beaver station where she would be returning to Gravity Falls.

Dipper felt like he was getting his heart broken again, even if he knew realistically this trip didn't change anything.

He stood beside Wendy as they waited for the bus, tried to keep a strong face when it appeared, and tried to keep his thoughts to himself when she was saying goodbye.

But when it was his turn, after hugging Mabel at their level, she turned and pulled Dipper into a tight hug. She said into his ear, "I had the time of my life dude, thank you for making my trip special."

Dipper hesitated, surprised, then closed his eyes and hugged her back tight. Her hair brushed up against his face. He uttered into her ear, "Anytime."

She boarded the bus, the Pines waved, and Dipper went home feeling like something had been pulled out of him. He'll be back in school soon, alone, longing to go back to that moment where Wendy was here. Back to the moment he made her feel special.

As he settled into bed that night, the phone he got for Christmas buzzed. He opened it, and it was a message from Wendy. She made it safely, she said. Then said something else.

Dipper answered. It would be the first of many exchanges, leading to Wendy's coming to Piedmont becoming just as traditional as the Pines' trip to Oregon.

It led to more after that.

a/n: jumping in this year as i find my head in Gravity Falls for this!

Each entry is its own universe, not necessarily in a connected continuity. Some of them are short moments, like this, but others are longer.

Enjoy!