"Watch out, Gravity Falls," Toby Determined said on the radio. "We're looking at the hottest day of the summer."

Everyone in the Mystery Shack was burning to death.

Dipper tried to fan himself with his hat. It barely did anything.

Mabel sat next to Dipper, breathing hard.

Stan tried to refrigerate himself with ice cream. All that did was make him sick.

Soos laid on the carpet in his underwear.

"All in favor of doing nothing all day, say ah," said Dipper.

Everyone groaned.

"On the bright side," Toby continued. "Pun very much intended, it's opening week at the Gravity Falls pool."

"Gravity Falls pool?" Mabel bolted up in excitement.

"Today?" Dipper added.

"Pun intended?" said Soos.

"Quick, to the car!" Stan yelled as he tried and failed to get up. "Kids, a little help here?"

Dipper and Mabel used some spatulas to help Stan up. Soos could only watch the disgusting site in horror.

"Alright, let's go!" Stan said.

He turned around to reveal the wood he was laying on was attached to his back.

"And remember to be alert for random wildfires," Toby finished his announcement.

Stan opened the door right as he processed that last statement. "Wait, what?"

Then the boards on his back caught on fire. Stan screamed in pain.

"He'll be fine," Dipper said.

Play Gravity Falls Intro Music

A bus stops in the small town of Gravity Falls. Dipper and Mabel get off the bus. In front of them is the town's star attraction, The Mystery Shack. Their great-uncle, Stan, invites them inside.

The twins look around the shack. They're both curious about everything.

Later, the Pines investigate a strange footprint with four toes instead of five. None of them realize they're standing in a much larger footprint.

DIPPER

Dipper looks around a cave holding a candle for light. He comes across a strange skeleton that scares him. He drops his candle, getting rid of his only source of light.

MABEL

Mabel stands in a room wearing a purple sweater with stars, her name, and a rainbow. She plugs an outlet into her sweater, causing it to glow.

STAN

Stan tells the twins, Wendy, and Soos a scary story. Soos and the twins are terrified while Wendy is completely unfazed. However, none of them notice the scary creature behind them.

WENDY

Wendy sits in front of the cash register, minding her own business. She doesn't notice the nearby jar of eyeballs turning to face her.

SOOS

Soos spins around the living room wearing multiple jewels on his clothes. Mabel shines a flashlight, and the light reflects off of the jewels creating a beautiful lightshow.

Dipper and Mabel lay in their room. Mabel reads a girl magazine while laying on the floor. Dipper reads a journal while laying on his bed. After a second, everyone and everything begins to float off the ground. Dipper is the only one who notices something off.

End Intro

One Cruel Summer

Chapter 11

The Deep End

The Pines family reached the town pool.

"Ah, the pool," said Mabel. "Sparkling oasis of summer enchantment."

"Yeah, nothing like sitting in a moist tub with strangers," Stan sarcastically remarked. "It's like the bus, but wet."

Dipper noticed the towel Soos was holding. It was a pink towel with the words, 'SUMMER FUN' in big green letters. There was a sun on it wearing sunglasses.

"Why would the sun need sunglasses?" he asked.

"It's best not to think about it," Soos replied.

"Hey Mabel," a voice called.

Mabel turned around to see it was Evan. "Oh, hey Evan."

Evan smiled and blushed. "Fancy seeing you here. There was something I've been wanting to say…"

Mabel's attention diverted away. "Hold that thought, Evan. Who's that?"

Nearby, an older man was relaxing in the pool in front of a convenient set of pool noodles. He had a long mullet blowing in the wind. He was wearing nothing but a necklace with a shell on it.

"Oh, him?" Evan asked. "I never see him outside the pool. Some call him a 'mysterious loner'."

"Is it hot out here or is it that guy?" Mabel asked with a blush on her face.

"It's the hottest day of the year, Mabel."

Evan noticed Mabel's eyes and smile grow wider. He realized what this meant. He walked away sadly.

"You're clearly enamored by him," said Soos. "Go to him."

Mabel gladly ran off. She got her foot stuck in a bucket, she ran over some men sitting and minding their own business, and she got her other foot stuck on an empty seat, but she didn't stop.

"So beautiful," Soos smiled.

"Mabel's all talk," Dipper said, unfazed. "She's never even kissed a guy before. She always messes it up somehow."

"Oy, women," Stan sighed and shook his head.

That's when he got hit with a water balloon.

Stan looked up and noticed Wendy sitting on the high chair.

"Hey, Mr. Pines," she greeted.

"Wendy?" Stan reacted. "Where's the lifeguard?"

"I am the lifeguard. I make the rules, sucka!"

Wendy started throwing water balloons at Stan. Stan ran to find cover.

Dipper turned to Wendy and blushed. "You work here?"

"I found out lifeguards get free snack privileges," Wendy explained. "Plus, I get the best seat in the house."

"Yeah, you do!" Dipper laughed for a bit before realizing how awkward it was. "I've been laughing for too long."

"Dude, are you and Wendy having a secret staring contest?" Soos asked. "'Cause I think you're winning."

Dipper pushed Soos away. He then turned back to Wendy.

"So, wanna chuck more water balloons at Grunkle Stan?" he asked.

"I'd love to, but I have other things to do," Wendy replied, gesturing to Pacifica, who was running across the pool. She blew her whistle and started speaking on a microphone. "Hey, North-wretch, no running around the pool!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Pacifica retorted.

"Actually, I can." Wendy showed off her whistle. "I'm the new lifeguard!"

"So?"

Dipper approached Pacifica.

"You might want to listen to her," he threatened.

Pacifica backed away from Dipper, blushing brighter than before. To everyone watching, she looked like a big red tomato. Some couldn't resist the urge to laugh.

Pacifica ran out of the pool.

"Yeah, you better run!" Wendy shouted through her megaphone. "And don't come back, you hear?"

Dipper approached Wendy and they fist-bumped.

Dipper then noticed a buff blonde man wearing a lifeguard uniform doing push-ups with the tips of his pointer fingers.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"Oh, that's Mr. Poolcheck, my boss," she replied.

Mr. Poolcheck turned towards Dipper with a stern glare. Dipper couldn't help but feel unsettled.

Mabel swam underwater until she reached the hot dude. She popped out of the water, startling him.

"How crazy it is we bumped into each other despite not knowing each other," she said.

"How long have you been underwater?" the man asked.

"That doesn't matter." Mabel coughed out a bit of water. "So hey, my name's Mabel."

"Hola."

"Whoa, you speak Spanish?"

"Ha. I'm charmed by your sense of humor and your bold lack of water wings."

"You're so funny, and your hair is beautiful."

"No, it has silly tangles."

Mabel pulled a comb out of the water. "Mind if I…"

Mabel started combing before she even finished her own question. The man was impressed.

"Why, Mabel, you are so forward," he said.

This is it, he likes you, Mabel thought to herself. Go for it, Mabel! It's time! Ask him out on a date!

"So, hey, you wanna go dry off?" she asked. "Maybe hit the snack bar, or…"

"I'm afraid I cannot," the man replied. "For I have a terrible secret. I must go."

The man swam to the other side of the pool. Mabel was upset, yet intrigued.

Stan led Soos to a very particular chair.

"Here she is, Soos," he said. "Equidistant from the snack bar and the bathroom, just the right amount of sun and shade, and pointed away from where Old Man McGucket lotions himself."

He gestured to McGucket, who was busy lotioning his belly in a way that everyone in the pool found disgusting.

"The perfect lawn chair," Stan finished. "The legends are true, Soos. I can't believe it wasn't already taken, and now to sit on it, thereby claiming it as my own."

Stan sat on the chair, and prepared to lean back. He didn't feel the back of the chair. He felt a foot.

"What?!" he shouted.

He turned around to see none other than Gideon smiling at him while lotioning his face.

"Why, hello Stanford," he smiled.

"Get out of my chair, kid!" Stan demanded.

"Oh my, was this your chair? I had no idea." Gideon lowered his voice. "Yes I did, Stan. I knew."

Gideon laid on the back of the chair, where Stan already placed his 'Property of Stan' towel.

"Move it, you little troll!" Stan ordered.

"First come, first serve," Gideon retorted as he rolled back and forth on the towel.

"I'LL FIRST SERVE YOU!"

Stan grabbed Gideon and prepared to chuck him into the pool, but then he heard a whistle blow.

Stan turned to see Wendy glaring at him.

"Stanford Pines, leave that poor child alone!" she yelled.

"You aren't my boss, Wendy!" Stan argued. "I'm your boss!"

"You were the boss before, but now I'm the boss! I'm a lifeguard, remember?"

"What? I…" Stan turned to Gideon. "Fine, you win this round, Gideon, but this isn't over!"

Mabel popped out of the water once again, surprising the stranger.

"Hi there!" she shouted as she gave the man a soggy sandwich. "I brought you a sandwich. It's wet, but it's still good. I like sharing things. Sandwiches, secrets… share your secret, beautiful sandwich."

"That sandwich does look delicious," the man admitted. "Very well. I will tell you my secret, but you must never tell another living soul my terrible secret."

Mabel nodded.

"You have to stay away from me because I am…" The stranger removed the set of noodles revealing his bottom torso was a fishtail. "A merman!"

"Oh, thank goodness," Mabel sighed in relief. "I thought you were gonna say you have a girlfriend. A merman, I should've known. That would explain what Evan said earlier about you never being seen outside of the pool."

"Who's Evan?"

"Just a friend. Anyway, how old are you? Your voice is so deep and masculine."

"I am twelve years old. Mermans hit puberty when they're, like, three."

"So, what's your name?"

"Some call me…" The merman played a guitar for dramatic flair. "Mermando. That's because Mermando is my name."

"But I don't understand, Mermando. What's a guy like you doing in a public pool?"

"It's a tragic story, Mabel. I was swimming with my friends, The Mighty Dolphins, in the Gulf of Mexico, when I was ensnared. The cargo was headed for Gravity Falls. Using all my strength, I tried to race back home, but it was not to be. I would've died of dehydration if not for the kindness of the forest animals, but now that you know who I am, you must be seriously weirded out."

"What?! I don't care if you're a merman! You're the coolest guy I ever met, and you can play the guitar!"

"Oh, Mabel, never have I met a human as kind as you. Would you like to join me in a song?"

"Oh yes, Mermando! Yes!"

Mabel held Mermando's cheeks. Mermando struggled to breathe.

"Mabel, you're covering my gills," he said.

Mabel quickly uncovered them. They both laughed a bit.

Stan stared angrily as Gideon covered his chubby baby face in lotion and was admired by everyone within a 15-inch radius.

"Look at him," he said to himself. "That smug chair-stealing jerk, but I can't touch him or Wendy will throw me out."

As Stan pondered, he felt a bit of sunlight get in his eye. He realized he inadvertently reflected some sunlight through his watch. This gave him an idea.

Stan started reflecting the sunlight towards Gideon.

"Yes, burn the demon child," he laughed.

Right as the light was about to blind Gideon, he grabbed a small mirror. It reflected the sunlight back into Stan's eyes.

"Ah, my eyes!" he screamed as he fell into the pool.

"Deal with it," said Gideon.

Nearby, Soos was putting on a duck floatie.

"Soos," the floatie said.

"Inflatable duck guy, is that you?" Soos asked excitedly.

"Yes, Soos, I can talk."

"Yes, I knew you can secretly talk."

Soos didn't notice Dipper and Wendy laughing before shushing each other.

Dipper took the megaphone and did his own imitation. "My people have been enslaved, Soos. You must free us."

"The inflatable pool duck revolution is at hand," Soos said.

Play "Mermando" - Parody of "Fernando" by ABBA

Mermando played his guitar while Mabel sang.

Mabel:

Can you hear the drums Mermando?

I remember long ago another starry night like this

In the firelight Mermando

You were humming to yourself and softly strumming your guitar

I could hear the distant drums

And sounds of bugle calls were coming from afar

They were closer now Mermando

Every hour every minute seemed to last eternally

I was so afraid Mermando

We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die

And I'm not ashamed to say

The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry

There was something in the air that night

The stars were bright, Mermando

They were shining there for you and me

For liberty, Mermando

Though I never thought that we could lose

There's no regret

If I had to do the same again

I would, my friend, Mermando

If I had to do the same again

I would, my friend, Mermando

Yes, if I had to do the same again

I would, my friend, Mermando

End "Mermando"

That's when they heard a whistle blow.

Mabel and Mermando turned and saw Mr. Poolcheck driving around in a small vehicle.

"Pool's closing!" he announced before turning to Soos. "Don't touch those!"

"Can I see you tonight?" Mermando asked Mabel.

"Sure," Mabel replied. "Wanna go for a walk?"

"Merman, I am a merman."

"Right. I'll be back tonight."

That night, Mabel made it to the pool. She managed to grab a net and use it to climb over the fence. She did damage it, but it was worth it.

She sat in the pool and showed Mermando a scrapbook.

She pointed to one photo in particular. "This is me and my family kickboxing."

Mermando sighed and swam away. Mabel noticed the sadness in his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I, too, used to have a family once, back in the ocean," he explained. He opened his shell locket to reveal a picture of himself and his family. "How I miss them."

"Mermando, why don't you leave the pool?"

"I tried, once, but escaping required a plan that was bold and daring."

Flashback

Mermando swam to the bottom of the pool. He then swam up as fast as he could. He tried to fly over the fence.

He landed right on the ground next to the pool. He bounced around for a bit like a fish out of water.

A woodpecker came down and pecked Mermando in the eye.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!" he screamed.

When the woodpecker finally flew away, Mermando fell back into the pool.

End of Flashback

"And then the wolves came," Mermando finished. "But I'm glad I ended up here, because I met you."

Mermando looked up at the night sky. A shooting star passed by.

This is it, Mabel, Mabel thought to herself. First kiss. Here we go.

Mabel leaned forward and puckered her lips. She closed her eyes and readied herself for sweet, ignorant bliss.

"What are you doing?" Mermando asked.

Mabel opened her eyes. "I was eating sour candy," she lied. "That's why my lips were doing that."

"Can I have some candy?"

"No."

The next morning, Durland was applying sunscreen to Blubs' back when they both got trapped by floaties.

"I'm scared!" Durland screamed.

"Me too!" Blubs admitted.

"One hundred points!" Dipper cheered.

"Dude, if I keep this job, you and I can have fun all summer!" said Wendy.

Dipper smiled and blushed as he fantasized having fun at the pool for the rest of the summer. "All summer?"

That's when Mr. Poolcheck blew a whistle, getting both Dipper and Wendy's attention.

"Corduroy, here, now!" he demanded.

Wendy got down and saluted Mr. Poolcheck.

"You gave me your word that you would respect the rules of this municipal pool!" Mr. Poolcheck cried.

Wendy noticed the tears. "Mr. Poolcheck, are you crying?"

"That's not important, right now!" Poolcheck wiped his eyes. "You wanna keep this job, girl?! Well, some maniac broke into the supply closet last night and destroyed our one and only skimmer! I want you on stake out! If one more supply gets taken, you're fired!"

Wendy saluted Poolcheck once more. "I won't let you down."

Mabel tried to play a game of volleyball with Mermando. He didn't seem to care.

"Mermando, what's wrong?" Mabel asked, before quickly realizing what was wrong. "Oh, it's your family, isn't it?"

Mermando nodded and made a dolphin cry.

"Mermando, enough is enough!" Mabel decided. "I care about you too much to see you like this! We're gonna bust you out of here and get you back to your family!"

"But Mabel, escape is impossible," Mermando retorted.

"We're breaking you out of here tonight!"

That night, Wendy was pacing in front of the pool entrance.

She heard rattling coming from the bushes. She readied her flashlight.

Dipper popped out. Wendy sighed with relief.

"Dipper, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"I want to help you catch the culprit," Dipper replied. "I know you really care about this lifeguard job."

Wendy smiled. "Thanks, dude."

That's when they heard a thud. The two turned around to see Stan cutting the fence open.

"Grunkle Stan?" Dipper asked.

"I'm sleepwalking," Stan lied. "And now I'm sleeptalking."

"You're the one damaging pool supplies!" Wendy accused.

"No, my crime is a lot better. I'm gonna get that seat and be ready in the morning when Gideon comes."

Wendy blew her whistle.

"Yeesh, I'm going," Stan said as he backed up. "Sike!"

Stan ran for the chair. Wendy ran after him.

Mabel backed into the pool with a golf cart. Mermando saw her.

"Mabel," he said happily.

Mabel used a hairpin to pick the lock to the supply closet.

"Who's ready to see his family?" she asked.

"I am, but how can I escape?" Mermando asked.

"My original plan was to tape together a bunch of fish sticks to make you a prosthetic pair of legs, but then I realized I can just transport you in this cooler."

Mermando jumped out of the pool. It took him a while, but he got in the cooler.

That's when Dipper showed up.

"Mabel, what are you doing here?" he asked. "What, is Soos here, too?"

"Oof, I'm okay," came Soos' voice.

"Go home, Soos."

"You got it."

"So, why are you here?"

"No reason," Mabel lied.

Mermando coughed. Dipper heard him.

"Did that cooler just clear its throat?" he asked.

"Don't be silly," Mabel replied. "It's not like there's a merman in there."

"Mabel, I don't have time for your games. If you steal these supplies, Wendy will lose the coolest job ever."

Mabel sighed. "I understand. Hey, look, Wendy in a bikini!"

Dipper turned around. "Really, at night?"

Mabel used this distraction to get on the cart and drive away. "Sorry Dipper!"

Dipper realized his mistake. "Mabel!"

Dipper got on the Pool Mobile and drove after Mabel.

Stan peaked out of the bathroom and assumed the coast was clear.

"Now all I gotta do is sit in that chair for fifteen hours until the pool opens," he said to himself. "This is a good plan."

"Yes, yes it is," came Wendy's voice.

Stan saw Wendy sitting in his chair.

"Wendy?!" he reacted.

"Stanford Pines," Wendy said as she got up and grabbed Stan's arms. "You're officially banned for breaking and entering. You have the right to remain dry."

Wendy kicked Stan out of the pool, and quickly repaired the broken fence to the best of her ability.

Dipper chased Mabel and tried to launch water balloons at her. One of them hit the plug on the cooler. The water drained out.

After a while, they reached the lake. Mabel swerved to avoid driving into the lake. Dipper did the same.

"Alright, the jig is up!" Dipper shouted. "Hand over that cooler!"

"Never!" Mabel screamed.

"Why do you even need it?"

"I need it to save my new friend because he needs to go home to his family and he needs water because he's a merman."

Mabel opened the cooler to reveal Mermando.

"Hola," Mermando greeted.

"Dipper, Mermando the merman," Mabel introduced.

"Nice to meet you," said Mermando. "Also, I think I'm suffocating."

"Dipper, quick, do reverse-CPR!" Mabel shouted.

"Mabel, why would I do that?" Dipper asked. "I'm not an idiot. The lake is right there. We can just toss him into it."

Dipper and Mabel picked up Mermando and tossed him into the lake.

Mermando managed to catch his breath. He then made a dolphin noise.

"I am weak from all that suffocating," he said. "How will my family hear my call from the mighty depths of the ocean?"

"I've got it," Mabel replied as she grabbed the megaphone from the Pool Mobile.

"Mabel, those are pool supplies!" Dipper yelled. "Wendy will get fired!"

"Dipper, don't you know what it's like to fall for someone, even though you know in your heart that it'll probably never work out, but you'd do anything for that person?"

Dipper understood what Mabel was saying. That's exactly how he felt around Wendy, and he didn't want Mabel undergoing the same torture.

"Give Mermando the megaphone," he relented.

Mabel tossed the megaphone to Mermando.

"Mabel, I have never met anyone like you," Mermando said.

"Same here," said Mabel. "Well, Mermando, I guess this is it."

"No. This is."

Mermando leaned forward and locked his lips onto Mabel's. Mabel was shocked at first, but she went along with it. When they pulled out, she was beyond happy.

"Yes, my first kiss!" she cheered. She calmed down and held Mermando's hand. "Goodbye, Mermando."

As Mermando swam away, Dipper and Mabel walked off.

"You did the right thing, Dipper," Mabel said. "Wait, one more thing."

Mabel ran back to the edge of the dock and struck a dramatic pose, all the while Mermando leapt out of the water and flew over her before landing back in the water.

"I always wanted to do that," she remarked.

Back at the pool, Poolcheck was horrified at all the damage done to the pool.

"A wrecked fence, dents in the Pool Mobile, and a missing megaphone?!" he screamed at Wendy. "You swore you'd prevent this from happening!"

Dipper arrived just in time to see what was happening.

"Wait!" he shouted. "Don't fire her! It's my fault! I got in too deep."

"Get out of the pool, boy!"

Dipper stepped out.

"I swear if one more thing goes wrong," Poolcheck said to himself.

That's when he noticed a nearby note on the ground. He picked it up and read it. Once he finished reading it, his eyes widened, and he turned to Wendy with an angry glare.

Mabel left the shack to see a strange bottle in front of the door. Inside it was a rolled up sheet of paper with her name on it. She took the bottle and opened it up. It read…

Dear Mabel,

I am home, safe and sound, with my family.

Our first kiss will always hold a special place in my heart.

Technically hearts. As a merman, I have, like, seventeen hearts. Horrifying, but true.

More bottles on the way.

Mabel smiled and shed a small tear.

Dipper sat in front of the lake and skipped stones. He noticed Wendy sitting next to him.

"Wendy, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Poolcheck found out that I lied about my age on my resume," Wendy replied. "I guess Stan told him that to spite me for kicking him out of the pool before he could cook up his petty revenge scheme against Gideon. I mean, Gideon's just a harmless child. What does Stan have against him?"

Meanwhile, Gideon was in his room reading his journal. He was plotting his next scheme.

"Zombie attack?" he thought. "Never works. They never take orders. Blood rain? Ew, that'll mess up my suit. Demon caterpillars?"

He slammed the book shut, frustrated.

"No, no, no!" he screamed. "There's gotta be a perfect way to exact revenge on the Pines family! It's not enough to harm them. I need to take something from them, something that'll give me ultimate power."

An idea popped into his head. He took the small model of the Mystery Shack.

"It's perfect," he said. "I just need to know how to get my hands on it."

He felt a small gust of wind blow. He turned to see if the window was open. It wasn't.

He then turned to the journal. It turned to a very specific page.

There was a circle with ten different symbols around it. A pine tree, a shooting star, a crescent-shaped symbol, an ice bag, a question mark, a six-fingered hand, a regular star, a pentagram with an eye in the center, a llama, and a pair of glasses.

In the center was a triangle with one eye, two arms, and two legs. It wore a top hat and a bow tie.

A.N.

And this is another episode in the bag.

First off, the ending. Since I adapted out "Little Dipper", I had this episode be one to help establish Gideon as an enemy with the little stinger at the very end, as well as the first bit of foreshadowing to Bill Cipher.

When am I gonna show up already?

Be patient, Bill. Only two more chapters.

Sadly, Mermando stole Mabel's first kiss before Evan had the chance. It sucks, but we can't always have nice things.

While Stan and Wendy barely interact with each other in the show, their interactions are really enjoyable and funny. I decided to put a little more detail into their dynamic by exploring what would happen if Wendy had higher power over Stan and how they both would act. I hope you enjoyed that.

Since Pacifica's last speaking role in Season 1 was in "The Time-Traveller's Pig", I included another moment between Dipper and Pacifica here. Sadly, this will be the last moment between them until "The Golf War", which isn't until Season 2.

Lastly, there's one major change that I felt made sense. I have gone on about how I don't think Dipper's "too young" for Wendy. However, if there's one thing Dipper's too young for, it's a job. He's only twelve years old, and has no experience as a lifeguard. The fact that he even got the job is a mystery that's never solved. As a result, I changed that, so that Dipper doesn't get the job, and instead, he gets banned from the pool for stealing the supplies.

I know what you're gonna say. "If Dipper shouldn't get the job, then Wendy shouldn't either. She's fifteen, not sixteen." I am aware of that, so I decided that in this universe, she would lie about her age on her resume so she could get a job that's better than working as a cashier at the Mystery Shack. It's sadly short-lived as Stan exposes this as revenge for her stopping him from accomplishing his revenge attempt on Gideon. I felt it was in character for him.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. Thanks for reading.