Just finished my rewatch of this amazing show and felt compelled to write something.

If I missed any minor details or got something wrong, please feel free to correct me! If it regards to an important plot detail or character moment in canon, I'll definitely go back and change it.

I don't own Gravity Falls or its characters. Everything belongs to Alex Hirsch and Disney.

Chapter One: Return To The Falls

Dipper watched the rows of pine trees flash past the window of the bus, a small smile forming on his lips as that all too familiar water tower came into view.

A warmth erupted in his chest. Something about seeing that wooden structure barely peeking over the green of the forest, the faded paint on the side beaming at him...it was something he'd seen in his dreams over and over for the past year. Beginning the very night they left.

Gravity Falls.

Home.

"Dipper, look! The bridge where we almost died is still here!"

Dipper lazily turned his head to see Mabel on her knees in the adjacent seat, her face pressed against the glass with awe. She'd been doing this ever since they crossed the town line, pointing out landmarks from a distance and giving the same amount of enthusiasm and shock that everything is still standing. Which...given the weirdness of the place itself...that's fair.

But he still rolled his eyes, "Mabel, it's only been a year. Of course it's still there."

"I know! But like...it hasn't changed at all!" She turned her attention to the giant pig sitting on its rear end in front of the seat, looking up with innocent curiosity. "It seems like you're the only thing from Gravity Falls that's changed at all, Waddles! Oh yes you have! Yes you have!" She rubbed her face with the pig's affectionately, Waddles grunting in delight.

Dipper still remembered their parents' reactions to discovering that against their wishes, Mabel had brought a pig home. It was priceless. There was a lot of begging, a lot of shaking heads and feet being put down. It lasted for hours. To be honest, even with the portfolio of dangerous mysteries and adventures they'd been on, Dipper couldn't remember Mabel being more determined than she was in that moment against their mom and dad.

Surprisingly, letting Waddles stay with them in Piedmont wasn't as long a struggle as the request to go back to Gravity Falls for the following summer. Their parents gave in to Mabel's persistence within the same day of coming home, but letting them come back...was an entirely different, more complicated thing.

Most of the country, scratch that, most of the world saw the recorded sections of Weirdmageddon on TV. Given that, it was understandably difficult to convince their mom and dad to let them go back to the very place an interdimensional triangle demon started the apocalypse.

But like the seasons changing, it was something that took time to explain and accept. For them to assure their parents that they were okay and safe, that they could handle themselves. That the entire summer trip wasn't just facing potential death all the time, but building friendships and special connections with all kinds of people, learning a lot about themselves, and most importantly, realizing more than ever that they need each other. Dipper couldn't exist without Mabel, and vice versa. At the end of the world, even in their darkest hours, they could pull each other out of that hole.

"Do you think it'll be weird seeing everyone again?" Dipper asked.

"Huh? Why would it be weird?"

He shrugged, "I don't know. It's just...been a long time. What if everyone's different now?"

Mabel flopped on her back, head dangling off the edge of the seat cushion, "Eh, I doubt it. Candy and Grenda haven't changed. And Soos seemed to be the same whenever I talked to him on the phone." Just as quick as she fell, she hopped back up and offered a smile, "I wouldn't worry about it Bro-Bro. It's like you said with the bridge. It's only been a year."

"Yeah, but bridges and people are different, Mabel."

She didn't have a quick response to that. Even though he was staring out the window, he could tell that she was searching for the right words. The bright colored gears in her head were turning, piecing together a comfort that only she could create. He appreciated the sentiment, but until he saw for himself, that small, nagging part of his mind would hold doubt.

"Well..." She started, "Look at us. We've been in an entirely different state for a year, and we haven't changed." He looked over to see her tugging at her pink, shooting star sweater, "I'm still the same sweater-wearing, pig-loving girl, and you're the same dorky, scrawny, mystery-loving guy!"

At that, Dipper frowned, "Hey, I'm not that scrawny anymore! I worked out over the school year!"

Mabel snorted, "You did ten push-ups and quit. I'd hardly call that working out."

They both laughed, and just like that, he felt a little better. It was odd, because he expected her to be the one freaking out about change, not him. He remembered how sad she got when she realized the summer was ending last time, to the point where she was almost content with staying in that false world. Yet here she is, completely confident and excited.

It was weird. Dipper wasn't exactly closed off to change, but right now, with the anticipation building, he wouldn't mind living in a false world where Gravity Falls remained the same. Where time stopped forever, with every person he cared about gathered at the Mystery Shack, solving mysteries together and watching marathons of Duck-Tective.

If anything, he just didn't want the pedestal of his memories to be knocked down. He didn't want that perfect summer to be ruined.

"So, are you excited to see Wendy again?"

The question caught him off guard. He'd been so lost in thought that he almost didn't hear it.

"What?"

"Wendy." Mabel smiled knowingly, "You think some old feelings are gonna get stirred up?"

He fiddled with the lumberjack hat atop his head. Her parting gift. "I already told you, I'm over that. We're friends, and that's it. I'm fine with that."

With the way he sounded, like a pouty little kid, anyone would guess that he still held the same obsessive fantasy even after all this time. Of course, his feelings would never completely go away. He still admired her, and even liked her on some level, but it wasn't even close to the place he was at last summer. He told himself plenty of times that on this trip, it would be different. He wouldn't spend so much time chasing something that wouldn't happen. Instead, he would value the very real friendship they had.

He just hoped it held up when he saw her.

It seemed like Mabel wanted to say something else, but the bus came to a halt, letting out a long hiss. She was up and at the front of the vehicle with her luggage before the doors even popped open, shouting, "We're here! See ya, Mr. Bus Driver!"

Dipper blinked, "Wha-Mabel! Hey! Mabel, wait up!"

The next time he saw her, they stood in the clearing before the Mystery Shack. Dipper had ran through the forest trail alone, trying to catch up, and now doubled over on his knees, just trying to gather his breath. While of course Mabel, still full of energy, beamed at the wooden building.

"Wow..." She breathed, "We're actually back."

Dipper managed to crane his head and take in the sight. Suddenly, all of his fatigue vanished. The Shack was just as he remembered, if not even better.

For one, the letters on the roof were bigger than before, freshly painted brown and red. Under that, the triangular roof sat long and sturdy, still covered in patches of moss and twigs. Everything within the perimeter of the attraction was manicured. Not a tree too close, a bush too out of place, a crooked sign, even a blade of grass too tall. Soos must've taken the whole 'Mr. Mystery' thing seriously.

It surprised Dipper, but not necessarily in a bad way. In fact, he felt a bit relieved at the fact the Shack, while cleaner, hadn't changed as much as he feared. It still brought on the same vibe.

Mabel nudged him, "See, it's no different than when we left. I mean, the S is intact this time, but other than that, same old!"

"Yeah..." He grinned, "Same old."

The still image shattered when the front door burst open, the faces of Grenda and Candy squeezing through the small space, eyes sparkling as they found Mabel.

"MABEL!"

Dipper watched with amusement as Mabel's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, a smile encompassing the entirety of her face. She left a mushroom cloud of dirt behind her and dashed over to her friends, arms out wide and screeching, "MY PEOPLE!"

The three girls collided in a hug that should've destroyed the entire town, but only managed to knock them all to the grass, causing a flurry of giggles. It was clear for the next few minutes; Dipper wouldn't even exist in her head. Despite talking to Grenda and Candy just about every night back home, she hadn't seen them physically since last summer, so of course there would be a lot of small talk. Heck, Mabel would probably spend an hour talking about the bus ride alone.

He could only chuckle and walk past them, slipping into the warm, cozy interior of the shack. Dipper reached behind him to close the door, his eyes unconsciously scanning the room.

It was like using a time machine. All around sat full shelves and stands of weird knick knacks, some new and some old. Like the half-fish, half-monkey creature...Dipper remembered that one. The stuffed Jack-a-lope also remained. He remembered seeing that one on his very first day in Gravity Falls. However, the giant eyeball and the deer skull with upside down antlers were new.

After he waved at Melody behind the cash register, he browsed the new attractions a bit. A particular one in a square glass case caught his eye, but he barely had time to admire it, because no sooner than he pressed his hand to the case, a finger tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned around and before seeing the face, he knew who it was. His eyes first fell on her boots, then upwards to her flannel jacket, curtained with red hair, and finally, her freckled face.

"Hey, man." Wendy greeted.

"Wendy!" Before he could stop himself, he launched himself at the older girl, catching her in a hug. He felt her laugh for a moment, then a single arm around his shoulders, patting his back.

Dipper's brain seemed to catch up with his body, and a heat rushed to his ears. He snatched himself away and rubbed an invisible itch at the back of his neck. "Uh...I mean, hey Wendy, what's up?"

"What's up? You guys are back! That's awesome, man!" She playfully punched him on the arm, her hand quickly ruffling his head, "And you kept the hat!"

Now that he was slowly getting over his disbelief at seeing her again, he took a second to take in the fact that she was wearing the very same pine tree hat he picked out on that first day, when Grunkle Stan said they could get any item they wanted for free.

"Something to remember me by."

He smiled at the thought, "So did you."

"You kidding? This thing practically never left my head." She furrowed her eyebrows, "Hey, where's Mabel?"

"Oh, she's outside catching up with Candy and Grenda."

"Gotcha. So, you guys are really here for the whole summer? Just like last time?"

Dipper nodded, "Yep. What about you? How's your dad?"

Wendy rolled her eyes, "Still the same. He had me work at the logging camp during the school year, as if that weren't already bad enough. But hey, it's over and I'm here with you guys." She pulled open her flannel to reveal a shirt with a question mark on it, "I got my part-time spot back."

"That's awesome! But...with Melody behind the counter, what'll you be doing?"

"Oh, restocking the shelves, cleaning, greeting customers, but I'll probably just end up goofing off and going on adventures with you guys. You're still into mysteries, right?"

"You know it."

"Nice." With a tilt of her head, she slowly took off the hat, then his, and switched them, just like she did when they last saw each other. Dipper instinctively reached up to touch the brim of his familiar accessory, a bit surprised.

"Since we'll be seeing more of each other, you don't need anything to remember me by now. Besides, that one suits you better."

Dipper could only squeeze the brim with his thumb and index finger, the smile never leaving his face. Slowly but surely, his fears were being washed away with every moment. Seeing this place again, the recognizable faces, the fact that through it all, the connections would never change...it looked like this time around, things wouldn't be so different after all.

But he did have one thing he wanted to address. "Hey, Wendy...I, uh, wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?"

He made himself look her in the eyes, "You remember how last summer I...had a huge crush on you and everything?"

She nodded, unfazed by the subject change.

"Well, I just wanted to say that it won't be like that this time. Other than Mabel, you're my best friend, and that's how I'll treat you. I won't be some obsessed, crazy, weird little kid after someone older than me, so you don't have to worry about that."

There it was. He'd said the words he practiced for weeks, the words he'd been wanting to say to her for so long. He already knew they were cool, and understood each other on that front, but he also wanted to show off his growth, prove to her that he's not the exact same little boy anymore. That he's better.

Wendy bent down to meet his gaze, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Dipper, listen, you don't have to say all of that. I never got annoyed at the whole 'crush' thing, and you know that. You were just being you, and I never wanted to change how you felt. I still don't."

Dipper processed what she said, and found that even with her being this close to him, talking in a low, tender tone, it...didn't have the same effect it used to. Back then, he wouldn't even be paying attention to what she was saying, he would just be freaking out in his own head at the close proximity. Now though, this felt like a talk between friends. Dipper found himself rather liking that.

"Thanks. That...means a lot."

"Anytime." She removed her hand and furled it into a fist, holding it between them for a bump, "We cool?"

He pressed his knuckles against hers, "Always."

The moment passed, thankfully, just as Mabel and Soos entered the shack simultaneously. The owner of now one year donning his black suit and Grunkle Stan's old fez, leading a group of customers through the back door in deep explanation about some attraction, and his sister, in all her bluster, standing with her hands on her hips proudly.

"We are so back!" She yelled, to seemingly no one and everyone at the same time.

Soos immediately stopped his conversation with the now confused customers and eyed Mabel, glanced at Dipper, then looking back and forth between them, like he'd seen ghosts.

"Wendy, am I in a dream?"

She shook her head, "Nah, dude, they're really here."

When the realization hit, Soos looked close to tears. Immediately, he dropped the tourist attractor act and fell to one knee, thick arms spread for a hug. Dipper and Mabel couldn't fight it if they wanted to. They both ran toward him, eyes stinging with an overflow of emotions.

"Soos!"

"Dudes!"

The twins fell into him like landing on a body-sized pillow, squeezing wherever they could grab, while Soos enveloped them completely, nearly suffocating them from the sheer size of his body.

They must've held the embrace for a solid two minutes without even saying anything or budging. It almost didn't feel real. Dipper didn't even mind the fact that he was probably being crushed by the surprising strength of his friend.

When Soos finally let go, he pulled back and looked the pair up and down, "Woah! You dudes have gotten big! You're up to my chest now!" For emphasis, he straightened his hands and moved them back and forth from their heads to the spot just above his stomach, making Mabel giggle.

"How's it been running the shack?" Dipper asked, already knowing the answer, but still wanting to hear it from Soos himself.

"Oh, it's been great, dude. Business is booming, the town's still the same, so we're getting new attractions. I mean, at first I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle running this place, you know. It's hard filling in the shoes of Mr. Pines, but I've been getting the hang of it." He stole a shy glance at Melody, "I've also had some really good help."

Mabel was hopping up and down on the heels of her shoes, "Have you heard from Grunkle Stan today?"

"Oh yeah, he called earlier, said he and Ford would be here in a few days. They're a little behind because of a sea monster or something. I don't know. The connection got a little fuzzy towards the end."

He and Mabel were a little disappointed to hear that it would be a little longer before they saw their Grunkles. Over the school year, they had little contact with them due to he and Ford going across the world, investigating strange activity and mending their relationship. Which they understood. They couldn't imagine not seeing each other for thirty years, let alone parting on bad terms.

But they had waited this long. They could handle a few more days.

Soos snapped his fingers, like he'd almost forgotten something. "Oh, dudes, I need to show you something." Without further elaboration, he walked toward the stairs leading to the next story, with Dipper looking to Mabel in confusion and her shrugging.

Despite not knowing where Soos was getting at, they followed silently up the creaking steps until they reached the short hallway, finding Soos standing next to an open doorway. Once they saw that, they began to get an idea of what he wanted them to see.

Dipper and Mabel rounded the corner to find their old room before them. Though it had been stripped long ago of their belongings, it still looked beautiful, like a picture that could last forever and withstand even the harshest punishment. The evening sun shone through the single window, illuminating every dust particle caking the desk that Dipper used to sit at. Parallel to it, were both beds, Dipper's to the left, and Mabel's to the right.

"Figured you guys would wanna stay here again," Soos said, "I never touched or moved anything...though I guess I probably should've dusted it off before you showed up."

The siblings slowly entered the room as if it would explode on impact. Both of them were lost in a nostalgic trance that seemed to steal their voices. Mabel found Waddles' old food bowl, still sitting at the foot of her bed. She rubbed a finger across it affectionately.

Dipper walked without watching his step, swiveling his head around to just absorb as much of the room as he could. For some reason, it felt smaller than he remembered.

He ended up accidentally kicking something with his next step, and looked down to see he'd knocked over an old trash bin. Inside lay old pens, crumpled up paper, cans of Pitt Cola, a piece of cardboard with the words Who Is The Author? scribbled in his handwriting, and even his old letter to Wendy confessing that he liked her.

Dipper bent down, staring at the old items, recognizing that they were in the exact same place he left them. Soos really didn't touch this room at all, as if he just knew they would be back soon to reclaim it. He smiled fondly.

"Thanks, Soos."

"No problem. It's really good to have you guys back."

A loud thud came from downstairs, followed by gasps from a group of people. It seemed an attraction stand had fallen over. That, or somebody fainted. Wouldn't be the first time.

Soos cringed, "I should probably go see what that was. You guys get settled in, and maybe later when I close we can go get something at Greasy's. My treat."

Both Dipper and Mabel perked up at the sound of Greasy's. That's how you could really tell they missed this place. "Sounds good!"

"Alright. Later, dudes."

He closed the door and quickly made his way back downstairs to take care of whatever noise that was, leaving Dipper in silence with Mabel.

Standing up, he threw his backpack onto the bed and promptly fell to his back, bouncing up and down in a cloud of dust. He hardly cared. It just felt good to be back.

Mabel matched him, claiming her own side of the room and sneezing when she sniffed at the dust pile. It made her laugh softly.

"I really missed this place, Dipper."

Dipper bent his head and placed his folded arms behind it to get a better look at his sister. She sat still with her feet dangling off the side of the mattress, staring longingly out the window next to her. As if they were leaving again, or all of this turned out to be some cruel illusion.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

She shook her head, "It's nothing. I just...I know that this won't last forever, even though I want it to. It's only for a few months, and then we'll be right back to California, saying goodbye to our friends and going back to reality. I almost regret coming back here."

That made Dipper sit up in disbelief. "What? Why?"

"Because I know that each time we come back, it'll get harder to leave. This place...it feels more like home than actual home. Here, we can be ourselves, you know?"

He understood. Gravity Falls is the most unique place on the planet. Here, everything is out of the ordinary, everyone has their own little quirks, it's the place where the misfits can fit in. Unfortunately, Piedmont wasn't the same. Dipper, and certainly Mabel, weren't exactly popular.

"Yeah, I know."

"Sometimes I wish we could move Mom and Dad here and forget about Piedmont. That's really the only thing missing, right? Is them?"

"Yeah...I guess so. But think of it this way. Us only having a limited amount of time here is kinda the point, right? That's what makes it special. Last time, we didn't know what was going to happen. We thought it would be some lame, boring trip to visit our weird Grunkle. But now we know how awesome it is, and we don't have to take it for granted. We can make every single day last."

As he spoke, Mabel's spirit grew. It must've made sense to her, because that somber expression she had disappeared.

"Yeah, you're right. It's gonna be the best summer ever!" She held out her pinkie, "Pinkie Promise!"

Dipper smiled and hooked her pinkie with his, firmly shaking it. "Best summer ever."

Unbeknownst to the twins, their entire exchange and promise was being watched.

Behind the first row of trees facing the Mystery Shack, a hooded figure stood in the shadows, eyeing the silhouettes in the window carefully. He was easily recognizable. Especially with that hat.

The figure looked down at the journal in their hand, making a quick sketch of the boy in the window as best they could, writing down every trait, every strength, every weakness they could gather in the little time they had to monitor him. Perhaps this wouldn't be so easy after all. This...had complicated things.

Once finished, the figure shoved the pen in their pocket, taking one last hateful glance at him.

"Dipper Pines," They said, "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, my friend."

The figure gently closed the journal, eyeing its dark red shading, its thick spine, the soft placeholder hanging from the middle, the five fingered golden hand, and especially the number four within that hand.

Swiftly, they turned the opposite direction and took off into the forest, but not before dropping the journal in the trail. A perfect spot. Not too obvious, but not too difficult to find.

"See you soon."

-x-

Please review! I'd love to know what you thought of the first chapter!