AN: Welcome. At its very core, my story is about Gravity Falls facing a Lovecraft-level threat. You might find that this story might get a bit dark and "uncartoony" at times, which is my full intention. You would also find that some of the show's side characters will be getting a lot more screentime in my story; Gravity Falls is a small town, after all, and my goal is to make it feel alive through giving everyone a distinct voice. For now, enjoy.

That ignorance and hate may mourn the dead

It is believing, it is believing

But listen to the color of your dreams

It is not living, it is not living.

- Lennon & McCartney

By a quarter from 11, Soos was already regretting that he skipped breakfast. It was early December and the Mystery Shack's winter preparations weren't exactly getting easier every day. This morning, he had to restock the vending machine with Pitt, install the new heater in the reception, and unpack and display new season-themed merchandise: snow globes containing a miniature Mystery Shack and red-striped sweaters with the words "GRAVITY FALLS" embroidered in white lettering. It wasn't snowing outside yet (it rarely snowed in the Falls), but he could already feel the Christmas spirit in the mischievous wisps of cold air, the simple satisfaction he found in keeping the Shack up and running, and the arrival of shorter days and longer nights. Man, I could use some longer days, he thought.

He was sitting on the floor, cutting open through one of today's parcels. Peeling the bubble wrap away, he finally found what he was waiting for all morning: a package of Christmas tree ornaments in the shape of question marks, all custom-made. They came in either pink, blue, or orange, and had a shiny resin finish. "Oh, wait 'til Mr. Pines sees this!" he said while turning one over in his palm.

It had been three months ago when Stan turned the shack over to Soos and took his brother for an expedition across the Arctic. Since then, the two of them shared weekly correspondence, exchanging riveting tales of marine adventure for the simple, homey days of managing the Shack. Based on the letter that came in the mail last Sunday, Stan and Ford left the Arctic before the ice could build up and were now doing their adventures island-hopping across the Mediterranean. Soos, I'm telling you, one letter read, this is the place where all sardines come from. Why else would it be called that? He would hear Mr. Pines' voice in every word. Soos read each letter he received with a warm smile, as if he was beside a crackling fireplace with a mug of hot cocoa.

The bell rang, and Wendy came through the door, lunchbox on one hand and a tumbler of home-brewed coffee on the other – no cream, no sugar, just the way God had intended. The room filled with a rich smoky-sweet aroma that got Soos thinking of cinnamon sticks. Today, she was wearing an off-white cotton sweater over a plaid flannel shirt and a trucker hat with a pine tree on it. A pair of earphones dangled from her sweater's neckline. "Sooooossss!" she called out in a deep voice.

"Oh, hi Wendy!" Soos replied, holding one hand up in a wave. "Dude, check out what came in this morning." He took one of the resin baubles in his palm to show it to her.

Wendy set down her lunchbox and tumbler on the counter, beside the register. "What is it?" She took the question mark from Soos. "Oh, DUDE!" she exclaimed, holding the bauble by the small chain behind it and dangling it at her eye level. To her, it looked like a bulky earring. "Are these the ones that Candy helped to design? These are sick!" She turned it over in different angles, admiring how the light reflects off of its glossy surface.

"Yeah, dude!" Soos replied with an amused chuckle. Candy, Soos discovered, was an absolute virtuoso in design. She helped to create the schematics for most of the new merchandise, especially the Mystery Shack snow globes. Soos even thought about hiring her and Grenda over their holiday vacation to have a few extra hands helping around. "A bunch of other stuff just arrived this morning too," Soos pointed towards a pile of sweaters still in plastic wrap, "and we're expecting some more in the afternoon. Can you receive them when they get here?" He hands Wendy a clipboard with a document containing a list of all the shipments expected for today, with a checkbox beside each item. Clipped to the top was a Mystery Shack pen with a wobbly question mark at the end.

Wendy took the clipboard and quickly scanned through the items. A set of new Gravity Falls map posters. Four boxes of mystery-themed mugs. One penguin-horse hybrid figure (underlined and the word FRAGILE beside it). "You got it, Mr. Mystery." She threw up a sharp salute matched with a mock-serious face. A moment of silence passed, and they threw their heads back in laughter, sharing a happiness that only lifelong friends knew how to enjoy. The pair had no problem adjusting to their new boss-employee dynamic in such a short time; it certainly helps that Wendy would always think of Soos as her mystery bro - even if he became the Governor of Oregon or the Dalai Lama.

"Thanks a lot, dude." Soos meant it.

"I got you, bro." Wendy meant it too. She lightly hit Soos' arm with the clipboard. "Where are you off to, anyway?"

"I have to meet up with Toby at the Gossiper." Toby, surprisingly, was slowly turning the Gravity Falls Gossiper around after. He managed to score a 6-month contract as a freelance journalist for a statewide news station (where Shandra also worked at, coincidentally), which was enough to keep his business alive and kicking for a while. "I want to see if we could get him to run some commercials for the Mystery Shack".

Wendy was genuinely interested in the idea. "Ooh, that's smart." Soos certainly was getting more and more into the entrepreneurial persona. He wasn't Richard Branson yet, but Wendy was always intrigued when that business-minded side of him showed, the same way one would be looking at a kid building a Lego Taj Mahal from scratch. "You had lunch yet?" she asked, sitting down behind the register. She opened her lunchbox and took out something wrapped in plastic.

"Dude, I haven't had breakfast yet."

Wendy gasped and made a comical O-shape with her mouth. "No way, man. Want some PB ?" She took a sandwich and held it out in front of Soos.

"Thanks dude," Soos shook his head, "but I'm going to pass by Greasy's anyways".

"All right, suit yourself." Wendy put the sandwich back in her lunchbox and picked up her coffee instead. She already knew what Soos was going to order: seven pancakes drowning in maple syrup, two hash browns, two sausages, buttered corn on the side, all washed down with a tall glass of orange juice. Soos would always get seven pancakes instead of three when he was too busy to remember to eat breakfast.

"I better get going or I'm going to run out of pancakes", said Soos. "Just give me a call if you need me." He adjusted his cap and tapped all of his pockets for the essentials: phone, wallet, keys. They were all there.

"Don't you worry about it," replied Wendy. She leaned back and put her legs on the counter, crossing the right over the left. "I got everythinggg under control." She waved the clipboard with a cool smile on her face and watched Soos turn around to head for the door.

"See you later."

"See ya!"

Soos closed the door behind him and Wendy heard his pickup truck's engine sputtering to life shortly after. To her, it sounded like a Rhesus monkey giving birth to triplets. Sounds like it's time to get a new one, buddy. Wendy corrected herself – Soos wasn't really much of a car guy. Nah, that old truck would wear out all of its tires before Soos would think of buying a spare.

Christmas always brought in a lot of tourists though, and she hoped that this time would be no different. Maybe Soos could save enough to get one of those new Chevrolets. Or maybe even a Ford, if he was looking for something more full-sized. Wendy thought about it a bit more, then she took a big gulp of her coffee (she always gulps down her coffee; why sip it?) and wore her earphones. She scrolled for a bit then decided that it was an Alanis Morrisette type of day. Lookin' to be a good one, she thought. And not even noon yet.

The next few hours were uneventful. Parcels were received, receipts were signed, and checkboxes were ticked. She had to fetch the dolly from storage when the life-sized Deer Santa arrived, but ultimately decided to have the delivery guys just leave it on the porch (This isn't made of wax, right? I dunno, ma'am). Too heavy, she thought. She couldn't maneuver the dolly around inside anyway. There were a lot of boxes on the floor and she needed to unpack them first and- oh. Better get started.

She found the utility knife in a cabinet and went to work (Why is there so much bubble wrap?). She got a few boxes open and was thinking of where to display the merchandise when she realized that Soos probably already had his own idea of the layout. Finally, she just settled for stacking the unopened deliveries behind the counter to make space. She should really be sweeping up all the cardboard everywhere, but oh well.

We'll sort it all out when Soos gets back, she thought to herself, flicking back the blade of the knife, locking the safety, and putting it in her back pocket.

Ending AN: The next few chapters are ready to go. I hope I see you again soon.