AN: I'm back guys! Did you miss me? :3
tell your friend I said happy birthday MLG! Ma-ma!
WARNING: PURE DRAMA UP AHEAD
Chapter Fifty-Five: Alexandra Corduroy
...M-A-B-E-L...
Stan and Ford came back to the manor that night, talking in hushed voices.
"You're sure about this, Stanley? You were suspicious of the house too, weren't you? Is it really worth it?"
"Sure, I was, but the creepiness factor DOES add to the theme, you gotta admit."
"But—"
"You worry too much! It'll be fine!" Stan laughed good naturally and put an arm around his brother's shoulder.
"And you're sure?" Ford repeated.
"Sure I'm sure! Harrison Manor is an awesome place! I was hallucinating before...maybe, I think. I don't know if I got that Bill guy out of my brain yet..."
Upstairs, Mabel was snuggled in her covers, a weird icky feeling pooling in her gut. She couldn't stop feeling guilty of what she had to do. Damion and Bill had visited her, apparently Wendy bit the bait and the young girl's role was coming up.
'I'm sorry, Mattie,' Mabel thought, closing her eyes, a tear leaking. 'I know it'll hurt, but it'll keep you safe...Damion promised.'
But could she trust Damion? After all, he tortured Matthew once before; the very person he kept claiming he had best interests for. What if...
That's when she heard the sound of a door creaking.
Mabel got up, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She was about to call if anyone was there, but she watched enough horror movies to know that was stupid.
She got up slowly, her sock clad feet hitting the ground.
Her closet door creaked open and closed. Mabel frowned, took her grappling hook and crept towards the possible threat, finally yelling a battle cry.
Swinging the door open she found...fireworks?
A second later they lit up, Mabel barely reacted before they exploded. With a shriek she was blasted on to the floor, her nightgown singed, and her skin heated in places, she coughed the ashes from her burning throat and got on to her shaking arms.
The door opened and Matthew charged in, followed by Dipper and her two Grunkles.
"Mabel?!" Matthew exclaimed, going to his knees and gripping her shoulders.
"F-fireworks..." Mabel coughed.
"What?" Dipper asked just as a flash of pink illuminated the sky.
The Pines, minus Matthew who was still helping Mabel up walked to the window.
"Uh...is it the Fourth of July?" Stan asked.
"No...I think?" Ford said.
"Nah, That was last week, wasn't it?" Matthew said, patting the coughing Mabel on the back.
"Then what on Earth...?"
All five Pines gasped when a firework explosion creating the word, HI.
Then it stopped.
"That Rose Girl...didn't she say 'beware of fireworks?'" Dipper turned to his siblings.
"You think she did this?" Mabel asked, between another loud cough.
"What Rose Girl?" Stan asked turning to the children.
"Just some blonde chick who froze an insane yandere robot—long story," Matthew added when he got a questioning furrowed brow from both Grunkles.
"She was weird," Dipper said then turned to his twin. "You're OK?"
Mabel coughed a bit more and nodded.
"I'll get you some water," Matthew said, giving Mabel a final pat on the back and walking out of the room. Mabel sat on her bed and sighed, feeling the guilt return.
"I'll ask Mr. Northwest if he saw anyone on the cameras," Ford said. "Stanley, see if there's anymore fireworks in the house."
"Since when where YOU boss?" Stan demanded, but followed Ford and Matthew anyway, Dipper sitting next to Mabel with a tiny frown.
"You okay?" He asked her.
'No,' She thought. "Yeah, I'm Fine, a bit shaken but I'm fine."
"If you're not...you'll tell me or Matthew?" Dipper asked gently.
"'Course Dip-Dip!"
'I'm such a liar.'
Dipper smiled and left the room leaving a guilty Mabel to wait for her water.
She lay down with a sigh, her head hitting a crumpled paper.
She frowned and rolled on her stomach, inspecting the paper; it was the Cipher Wheel, a Pine Tree and Shooting Star crossed out, a strange fish symbol circled.
"That looks like Grunkle Stan's Fez..." Mabel whispered before folding up the paper and putting inside her night table drawer.
With a sigh, she lay back on the bed, she needed to focus on helping Damion shatter her brother's heart.
...M-A-B-E-L...
Wendy woke up the next morning, standing in front of the door that hadn't been opened in over a decade.
It was a place Wendy's Mother; Alexandra Corduroy had loved to use, it was her drawing room.
Alexandra was quite the artist when she was alive, she always promised that she'd become a master artist, that the family'd be rich.
Wendy could remember her nine-year-old self sitting on one of the beanbag chairs, watching her mother paint and draw to her hearts content, giving her smile every once in a while before showcasing her newest piece; a unicorn, a dog, the moon, sometimes it was of Wendy or her three younger brothers.
Alex had been bubbly, kind, and selfless, and the best mother Wendy could've ever asked for...
Then there was that day, the day she didn't seem quite like herself.
The day she drove her car into the lake.
Wendy's father had been distraught that day, he, nor Wendy, Wyatt or Walter (Will was too young to know what had happened), could understand why Alex would kill herself. Manly Dan had locked the room up ever since.
But Wendy knew now. It was Bill who had killed her, it only made sense! Her mother had been happy, she had dreams and friends and family! Bill must've killed her like he boasted.
And by extension, Matthew.
He didn't even bother telling her; was he even sorry? Did he even care?
Wendy chuckled bitterly, rubbing her womb where her babies where. How cruel it was that all this time she had been dating her mother's killer, and that the father of her children would've been the person who ended their grandmother.
Stealing herself, she turned on her heel, a determined look on her face as she stormed out of the Corduroy residence.
She was going to give Matthew a piece of her mind.
...M-A-B-E-L...
Mabel poked at her breakfast, a frown gracing her usual upbeat and smiling face.
"You haven't eaten a thing," Dipper pointed out.
"Yeah..." Mabel said carelessly.
"You were eating a crap ton yesterday, are you okay Marbles?" Matthew frowned.
"Still shaken up?" Dipper suggested.
Mabel nodded mutely.
"And you're positive you saw nobody on the cameras?" Ford pressed Preston nearby.
"Mr. Pines," Preston said in an annoyed voice. "I have told you already that there was nobody there! I find it highly insulting that you do not trust me."
"Why can't we take a look then?" Stab piped up.
"A man can't have privacy nowadays?!" Preston demanded stabbing his baked potato violently.
"Don't you think we have a right? Our niece was attacked!" Ford exclaimed.
Preston opened his mouth to respond when Pacifica called, "I wore the dress you wanted!"
The occupants of the table turned to see Pacifica in a lake foam green dress and diamond earrings.
Dipper paused as the two locked eyes. Pacifica smiled at him, still holding eye-contact and gave a delicate curtsy.
Matthew grinned and turned to Mabel to see if she was paying attention to the cute exchange, but she wasn't; she was too busy swirling her single pancake in a pool of syrup with her fork while eating her hair.
"That's not the dress I wanted, Pacifica," Priscilla snapped. "You were supposed to where SEA foam green not LAKE foam green!"
Pacifica's smile faded as she turned to her mother. "I-I kinda like it though—"
"Mind your mother," Preston warned.
"But—"
Preston brought his bell and gave it a jingle. Pacifica flinched and sighed dejectedly, walking out of the kitchen.
"The Party is in ten hours, Pacifica!" called Priscilla. "You best be good until then!"
Pacifica nodded mutely, still walking away.
Dipper furrowed his brow while Ford looked suddenly very uncomfortable, Stan however, was staring at the Northwests with a new layer of rage.
Matthew could see why the Stan twins where on edge, Preston no doubt reminded them of their late father Filbrick.
Dipper was about to say something when the electric buzzer sounded.
"Now what?!" Preston snapped, pressing the button under the table once more and triggering the nearby painting to show what the camera was seeing.
Wendy.
Mabel's fork missed the pancake and stabbed the plate instead, causing a loud shrieking sound to be heard.
"Another hooligan?" Priscilla demanded.
"That's my girlfriend," Matthew said, though her expression worried him, she didn't look at all happy.
"If you MUST speak with her, go outside, do NOT bring her in here!" Preston snapped.
Matthew rolled his eye and walked out of the kitchen into the grand entrance, pulling the lever to open the gates and walking out to see the red-head.
"Wendy!" Matthew called, wearing a grin. He waited for the girl to smile that good natured smile that only she could pull off.
She didn't.
Matthew's brow furrowed. "Wendy?" He stood in front of her and frowned. "What's wrong?"
Wendy looked Matthew dead in the eye before taking one large step towards him. A second later, she slapped him across the face.
Matthew staggered backwards in surprise, clutching his red and bruising cheek. "Wen—?"
"You're not going to believe it, Matthew!" Wendy said with a dark laugh. "You're other self visited me last night!"
"Bill? What'd he do, did he hurt you?" Matthew took a step towards his girlfriend, she took a step back.
"No, but you did," Wendy crossed her arms.
Mabel ran out with Dipper, both seeing the angry Wendy on camera. Dipper came to investigate, Mabel came to do her job.
With one last apology to her brother she conjured all the angriest thoughts she could muster, directing them towards Wendy.
Immediately, the red-head's posture grew more rigid. "You killed my mother!" She accused angrily.
Dipper gasped in shock. "What?! Matt, what's she talking about?" Dipper ran towards his brother, looking between him and Wendy.
Wendy glared at Matthew while the blonde's eye widened in realization. "Wendy," he said quickly, "In another timeline, yeah, I did alright? I-I did, but not in this one!"
"Why didn't you tell me?" Wendy pressed.
"I just...I just wanted to forget about it all, I was scared that if I told you..." Matthew took in a deep breath and gripped Wendy's shoulders. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry!"
"No you're not!" Wendy snapped pulling away. "You're not sorry for lying to me! You're sorry for getting caught!"
"Wendy—!"
"You know what? I'm done!" Wendy threw her hands up and turned around. "I'm done dating a murderer!"
Dipper turned to Mabel with a dropped jaw, the girl was trying hard not to cry.
But not for the reason Dipper assumed.
"It's over," Wendy said finally, in a resigned voice.
At the grief stricken look on Matthew's face, Mabel could no longer hold in the tears.
'I'm sorry,' she thought, fuelling more anger. 'I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry...'
"You don't mean that," Matthew said, his voice tight.
Wendy fixed him with a steely glare. "I do."
And with that she stormed off leaving the heartbroken Matthew to stand there.
"Matthew?" Dipper gently took his brother's hand. Matthew didn't react.
If it were any other circumstance, Dipper may have been glad that Wendy had dumped her boyfriend. But this was Matthew, and he was beyond hurt.
Mabel instantly squeezed around Matthew's waist, sniffling, though still he did nothing.
"M-Mattie? Mattie, say something, please," she whispered.
"There's nothing to say," Matthew said in a cracked voice, he shook both twins off and walked back into the Manor.
Dipper exchanged a look with Mabel before walking after his brother.
"Well done," came Damion's voice from behind.
Mabel didn't answer.
...M-A-B-E-L...
Wendy opened the door to her house, her expression blank as she plopped down on to the kitchen chair.
She did what she had to, she couldn't keep a relationship with Matthew if he was going to keep omitting the truth.
The door opened once more, the men of the house returning.
"You were awesome with that alligator, Dad!" Wyatt said.
"Beyond awesome!" Walter said.
"Hey, Wendy!" Will chirped sitting across from her. "I got you this—" Will placed down a snow globe. "—and this one is for Matthew!" Will took out a wooden statue that was carved to look like a horse.
"I figured he'd like horses!"
Wendy looked at the horse figurine and back at her brother. "Will, we broke up."
There were three dropped jaws and one surprised father.
"Really?" Manly Dan asked.
"Yeah...we...we didn't work," Wendy looked away.
"B-but he's so nice!" Will cried.
"And rich!" Walter said.
"And good-looking!" Wyatt exclaimed.
"It's the inside that counts," Wendy said. "You were right, Dad, he was no good."
Manly Dan patted his daughter on the shoulder. "I'm just glad you came to your senses, doll."
"But the babies!" Will blurted out.
Wendy looked sadly at her womb. "They're going to have to be fatherless."
...M-A-B-E-L...
"HE'S SINGLE!" Penelope shrieked happily, dancing around her room as she looked at Matthew's social media.
"He's single, he's single, he's single, HELL YES!"
Penelope flopped onto her mattress, rolling on to her stomach and looking at the picture of Matthew's back on her phone.
She took the picture yesterday, totally not stalker-ish.
"You're safe from that witch now, Mattie Bear..." she cooed, rolling on her side and sighing happily.
...M-A-B-E-L...
AN: Hope you enjoyed! Love ya'll!
Fantasy Fan OUT!