May 22nd, 1998

Stan approached Gravity Falls High's, well it wasn't quite well kept enough to be called a football field, which was currently covered in plastic chairs that had obviously been pulled from the school's classrooms.

Emma May waved to him from the front. "Stan! I saved you a seat!"

Stan smiled gratefully as he sat down next to her. "Time flies huh?"

She sighed. "Feels like yesterday they were still shorter than my hip. Now my baby's all grown up and graduating."

"Tate going to college?"

"University of Oregon. Only about an hour away and they offer marine biology. Nicola?"

"He wants to play piano for a living, but all the good schools for that sort of thing are out of our price range. He's planning on taking a gap year to find scholarships." Stan fidgeted in his seat a bit. "So how does this thing work?"

Emma May looked at him curiously. "Haven't you been to a graduation before?"

"My older brother didn't think I could sit still long enough for his, I'm a high school dropout, and you know how things were with Ford."

She patted his shoulder sympathetically. "I wouldn't worry about it too much; graduations are famously boring. Just a lot of people talking until it's time for the kids to walk the stage. Then we wait until ours come up and cheer so loudly they're embarrassed. Easy really."

The principal started speaking before Stan could reply, and the graduation ceremony was officially underway.

After much sitting and some wildly obnoxious cheering (Em brought an air horn), Stan was finally able to fish his son out of the sea of gold-robed teens, throwing his arms around him for a lung-crushing hug.

"I'm so proud of you kiddo!"

Nicola chuckled. "It's not a big deal, plenty of people get through high school."

"Plenty of people also don't. You did a big thing; you're allowed to be a bit cocky about it. Now come on, you know Em's gonna want a picture of you two boys together."

"And Cilla."

"If she's not too preoccupied by her own paparazzi, sure."

They made their way back to Emma May, where Tate and Priscilla were already waiting.

"About time! We were starting to think you got lost!" Priscilla jokingly called.

Nicola snorted. "Please, we all know you have the worst sense of direction."

Emma May herded Nicola towards the other graduates. "You kids can chat after pictures, now smile!"

The three cycled through several stock poses until a group of people dressed in outrageously formal attire started heading their way.

Priscilla winced. "Seems Preston's missing me." She turned to the two boys. "Now you two better not go anywhere until the end of June, I want both my men of honor present for my big day."

Tate placed a hand on her shoulder. "I swear I will not leave until August and Nic's not going anywhere. We won't miss it."

She brushed him off. "Good. Your suit fittings are non-refundable."

She strode in the direction of the Northwests, sparing only a quick moment to wave goodbye. Tate and Nicola waved back.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "Men of honor? When were you two gonna let us in on that little tidbit?"

Nicola shrugged. "It wasn't a sure thing until yesterday. The Northwests wanted Cilla to have one of their distant cousins as a maid of honor instead."

"I still can't wrap my head around the fact she's getting married in a month," Tate added.

Emma May slung her arm around Tate's shoulders, though it required her to stand on her tiptoes. "We can talk weddings later, right now it's time for a celebratory dinner with far too much dessert! Who's with me?"

Stan joined the boys in cheering.

June 26th, 1998

Stan hadn't felt so out of place since his early days of using Ford's name. He and Emma May were sitting on chairs probably worth more than his TV amongst people so wealthy they treated the chocolates covered in edible gold like discounted candy from the summerween superstore.

"Are those real peacocks?" Emma May asked quietly, pointing to the long table reserved for wedding gifts. "Who gives someone an animal when they get married?"

"Rich people apparently," Stan muttered in reply.

The string quartet beside the altar started playing as the procession began. Pair after pair of color-coordinated men and women passed by before he finally spotted the boys. Tate had been paired with a petite woman who practically had to jog to keep up with his long steps. Tate himself managed to look somewhat elegant with his bang-covered eyes and well-fitted suit. Nicola on the other hand looked just as viscerally uncomfortable as Stan was, holding his arm out to a blonde with fingernails long enough to pass for claws.

Stan did his best to offer a reassuring smile as his son passed by, but the teen remained tense.

Once the large party was assembled in aesthetically pleasing lines by the altar, Priscilla walked in, and it struck Stan just how young she was. She didn't look like a bride, more like a girl playing dress up in her mother's clothes. Not because the dress didn't fit, but because of the look on her face. Stan had only ever been to Shermie's wedding, but he remembered how bright and relaxed the bride's face had been. Like she couldn't wait for whatever came next. Priscilla's face held none of the brightness, not even the soft smile he'd occasionally glimpsed when she was with Tate and Nicola. Just a cold practiced mask with a painted-on grin.

The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur of extravagance, but Priscilla's expression never changed. Not during the vows, or exchanging rings, or even the kiss. The first real smile Stan saw that night only appeared when Tate roped her and Nicola into a brief group hug to offer congratulations.

It was enough to make him pity her.

Nicola was slumped by the chocolate fountain in relief. The wedding was over, he hadn't screwed it up, and he'd be able to take off this suit in a couple of hours. And then… what then? He knew the next logical step was college, but what after that?

A familiar voice chimed out behind him. "Don't think so hard, you'll hurt yourself."

Nicola turned to see Cilla standing behind him. "I thought you'd be busy rubbing elbows with the elite."

She waved him off. "I have the rest of my life to that. I wanted to talk with you about something first."

"What?"

"I'd like to sponsor you."

"For what?"

She huffed in exasperation. "For college, obviously. I've already asked Auldman to put in a good word for you at Juilliard, and I can pay your way."

"With Preston's money?"

"No. With mine." She looked away. "I'd been saving to attend art school, but the family says I shouldn't worry about anything but upholding the Northwest name. I figured if I couldn't use the funds, someone should."

Nicola felt somewhat unsteady. "Cilla, I can't just accept that. I don't have any way to pay you back."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please, it's not a gift, it's an investment. You can offer me a hefty discount when I hire you in the future if the money bothers you so much. That, I and expect to be acknowledged as your close friend when you're a famous pianist."

"You're serious?"

"I'm always serious with my investments."

He hugged her tightly. "Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me."

Cilla chuckled. "I can guess. Now let go of me, you're wrinkling my dress."

August 30th, 1999

"Did you pack a toothbrush?"

"Yes Dad, just like I packed my clothes, and my sheets, and my alarm clock, and everything else Tate recommended. I'll be fine."

"You sure you don't want another gap year? You'd be the same age as the other freshmen."

"I've been younger than my classmates for as long as I can remember, I'll survive. Besides, they're giving me a late start as is."

Stan set the last box of Nicola's things in the backseat of the Stanmobile. "I know, I just… I worry about you. New York's awfully far away. I won't be able to help if you're in trouble."

"How much trouble can I get into learning piano?"

"Hey, I grew up in Jersey, I'm well aware of the kinda stuff that goes on up there!"

"Like wh-" Nicola paused, looking back at the Shack. "Phone's ringing."

Stan ran in and picked up the landline. "I don't know what this is about, but we've got a very long drive to start on."

"Ford!"

Stan froze. He remembered that voice, though it had been some time since he last heard it. "Shermie?"

"I know it's been a while since we spoke, but I'm about to become a grandpa!"

"Congratulations."

"If you're available, we'd like you to be here to meet them."

"Really?"

He could hear Shermie sigh on the other end of the phone. "I'm well aware our family's been falling apart since the whole business with Stanley, and I haven't put much effort into keeping it together. Maybe it's too little too late, but I want my grandkids to know their Great Uncle Ford."

"Stan," The word came out before he could stop it. "I'm going by Stan now. Sort of a tribute thing."

"I knew you still missed him." There was a moment of awkward silence. "So? Are you coming?"

Stan looked out the window to where Nicola stood by the car. "I think we can work in a detour."

"We?"

"I've got a kid."

"You, Stanford Pines, actually managed to talk to a girl enough to make a kid?"

"Shocking, I know."

"Well, I look forward to meeting them. Goodbye For- I mean, Stan."

"See you in a bit Shermie." Stan hung up the phone, then strode to the door. "Hey, Nicky! Wanna meet your new cousins?"