"Steady… steady…"

Derrick stood in the center of the Mystery Shack gift shop holding an eyeball between his fingers. He held it close up to his shut right eye as he focused his sights through his left eye. Across from him were three shelves stacked above one another with three differently sized Mystery Shack cups and mugs spread out amongst each shelf.

After a moment of aiming, he threw the eyeball against the floor, bouncing it upwards toward the shelves. With one bounce, it had gone high enough in the air to perfectly land within the rightmost mug on the top shelf.

"Haha! Yes!" he cheered, throwing his fist in the air triumphantly. He then turned behind him, where both Dipper and Wendy had sat at the register counter. He marched up to Dipper, pointing his finger at him. "Eat it, Dipper! That was a clean shot, and you know it!"

"Yeah, it was. Nice one," Dipper nodded with a humored grin. He took out a small notepad and pen and put down a tally next to Derrick's name. "That was a top-right shot, so it's only one point. That makes you one-to-nineteen-to-fifteen."

Wendy chuckled, eyes glancing over at Derrick with slight remorse. "Oh, man..."

Derrick's victorious smile immediately disappeared upon hearing this aloud. He then walked back over to the counter on the other side away from them, where he sat down and crossed his arms irritatedly. "Yeah, I don't want to play this game anymore."

"Well, it's about to finish anyway," Dipper said as he put his hand inside the glass jar full of bouncy-ball eyeballs at the counter. With one in hand, he stood up and took the same position that Derrick formerly stood at across from the shelves. "Only need one more point to win, so I just gotta make any of these."

"Boooo," Derrick called out.

"Boo all you want," Dipper said while aiming the eyeball. "It isn't gonna stop me from making this shot."

He threw the eyeball against the ground, aiming for one of the mugs. However, upon bounce, rather than going into a mug, it hit against a mug, which sent it to bouncing back toward him.

"WOAH!" Dipper shouted as he quickly ducked down.

The eyeball passed right over him and back against the floor, bouncing right back upwards toward the counter where Wendy sat behind. Aiming right for her face, she screamed just as she hit the ground to avoid it. The eyeball then bounced from the wall onto the floor behind the counter.

Dipper stood back and glanced back at the counter with concern.

Derrick gave an amused smirk. "You're right. Only you can stop you from making that shot."

Wendy got up from behind the counter and held out the ricocheting eyeball in between her fingers for the two to see, looking over at Dipper directly.

He chuckled awkwardly. "Heh. Sorry…"

"Another shot like that, and you're going to give someone a black eye," Derrick jabbed as he rested back against the counter.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Wendy remarked, giving Dipper a playful, yet reminding glance, which made him blush from embarrassment. Knowing that her turn in the game rotated in, she walked over with the eyeball to the same spot the other two once stood. "So, what's the score again?"

Dipper sloppily reached back for his notepad on the counter, still somewhat flustered over his last turn. He looked through the tallies and recounted the scores in his head. "I'm leading with nineteen, you have fifteen, and Derrick has one."

"I already said I'm out," Derrick reminded.

"Anyways, you need five points to win," Dipper said to Wendy, disregarding Derrick in the background.

"And the five-point cup is the one in the very middle, right?" Wendy asked, gesturing over at the middle cup on the middle shelf.

"Yep. Scoring that one would win you the game," Dipper nodded. "But it's also the hardest cup to make because of the tight gap between the top of the cup and the top..."

Without aiming or even preparing, Wendy simply bounced the eyeball against the floor, the altitude, and trajectory perfect enough for a flawless score within the very middle cup. The tight space right above the cup proved no issue for her.

"...shelf," Dipper finished, suddenly overcome with awe over her effortlessness despite losing the game.

"THE CHOKE!" Derrick shouted as he burst out laughing at Dipper. "Oh, good lord, the choke!"

"What's worse though? Messing up the shot that could've won you the game or not being able to score a single point until the game's basically over?" Wendy asked.

Derrick's laughing was immediately silenced just as she and Dipper began to snicker at him. "Alright, in hindsight, I'm the last person who should be saying anything right now."

"You really are, man," Dipper nodded as his laughter settled down.

"You played a good game, dude," Wendy said as she gave Dipper a hard pat on the back. "Though, I'll admit- I was holding back for pretty much the entire game and could've kicked both of your butts in the first four turns if I wanted to."

"I suppose a rematch to test that claim is out of the question?" Dipper challenged.

"Maybe tomorrow," she said as she walked back over behind the counter and grabbed her jacket. "Shift's been over for like half an hour now. It's probably about time I head home. I still gotta try to cram some packing in before I go to sleep."

Dipper frowned. "Oh, right. Your... move."

His amusement from the fun of the game suddenly turned into slight sorrow upon the reminder of Wendy's departure within a little over a week. Even though he had since the previous night to process the revelation, he was still having trouble coming to terms with it.

"So, uh, how's that coming along?" he asked.

"It's still happening," Wendy replied apathetically as she buttoned up her jacket. Her tone made it seem as though there wasn't any more to say on the matter.

"I figured," Dipper said with a mellow sigh.

He still had so many questions regarding her situation but knew that it still probably wasn't the most appropriate time to ask them. The circumstances since the previous night at the party hadn't changed greatly and so there was no way Wendy would be any more willing to talk about it at that moment than she was before. He knew she'd said answers would come in time, but boy, was he desperate for them now.

The desperation at that moment would clear rather quickly, as the vending machine suddenly popped open. With the usual puff of smoke, Ford was revealed at the doorway, holding a large, filled-up black trash bag over his shoulder.

"Hello, Dipper and friends!" he greeted as he began hauling the trash bag across the gift shop to the front door. He made some struggling grunts as he did, indicating how much the weight of the trash bag was wearing down on him. Still, he smiled at the three and tried not to maintain any eye contact with them as he set his focus on reaching the door. "Don't mind me. Just passing along here."

Despite his words, Dipper, Derrick, and Wendy had their focus completely set on him as he walked over to the front door.

"Uh, Great Uncle Ford? What's in the bag?" Dipper asked.

"Ah, nothing. Just everything I managed to clean out from the lab this weekend," Ford casually answered as he walked along. "It's a rather... sizable amount... but it's not like I can hold onto it all forever. It needs to go at some point, so why not all at once?"

"Do you need any help?" Dipper asked, noticing his struggle.

"Ah, don't be ridiculous," Ford dismissed as he reached the front door. "I can handle this just fine."

He managed to free a hand of his for a quick moment to turn the door handle and step outside. From there, he stepped out onto the gift shop porch. From inside, he could be heard throwing the large bag into the trash can outside. He dusted off his hands as he walked back inside.

"There we go!" he claimed casually as he shut the door behind him. "Just gotta wait for the garbage workers to come and pick it up, which I believe is tomorrow morning, correct?"

"Yeah, but, don't the trash people in this town have a weight limit for how much they pick up at a house?" Wendy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, if anything, I'll just take the contents of the bag to a remote location, blow it to dust with a rocket launcher, and be done with it."

The nonchalance in his voice prompted some unnerved looks from the teens.

"Either way, it can be worried about another time," he continued. "Now that the lab is finally cleaned up, I can move on to the next task at hand."

"I'm guessing you're gonna start working on figuring out how to clear Bill from Stan's mind?" Dipper assumed.

"I suppose that's the objective now," Ford said, scratching his head as he thought over it. "I do have an important mission tomorrow afternoon based on the road to achieving that goal."

"Wait, you have a mission tomorrow?" Dipper asked, growing immediately interested.

"Well, when I say 'mission', I do mean it rather lightly," Ford admitted with a light chuckle. "It's more of a brief investigation or search, I'd say. But yes, Fiddleford and I are going to be meeting up tomorrow at the old bunker."

"The bunker?" Dipper and Wendy asked at the same time.

"Oh boy, more stuff I don't know about 'cause I wasn't there," Derrick chimed in from the background as he realized that he had no relevance or relation to what was being discussed.

"Yes, I stored an old weapon down there before Stan and I went out to sea," Ford explained. "You may remember it, Dipper. My Quantum Destabilizer?"

"Wasn't that the weapon you tried to use against Bill during Weirdmageddon?" Dipper asked, vaguely remembering the event.

"Yes... tried," Ford repeated unpleasantly as he recalled the same event. "That was the final shot I had in it, but Fiddleford tells me it can still be used against Bill inside Stan's mind. And so tomorrow, we're going back into the bunker together to retrieve it. At the same time, he wishes to show me some adjustments and changes he's made to the bunker itself throughout the years, which I'm admittedly a bit skeptical about. But it's Fiddleford, so, I think there's just as much room to be hopeful."

"Tomorrow, huh?" Dipper asked curiously. "I'm not doing anything tomorrow. Maybe I can come along for... you know... backup!"

"Backup?" Ford let out a chuckle. "My boy, I already said it's not much of a mission. I don't believe backup will be necessary."

"I mean, sure, but... you already said that we won't have much room for our own Gravity Falls adventures as long as this thing with Bill is going on," Dipper reminded. "I figured that maybe opportunities like this to help out could be as close as I could get to those types of missions until this problem is solved, you know?"

Ford stroked his chin as he thought it over. "I understand."

"And trust me, I get the stakes and how vital it is that Bill is stopped soon. I just wish I could be a little bit more involved. I know you guys just got back, but-"

"Ah, I get it, my boy," Ford cut off as he put an understanding hand on his shoulder. "You're eager to get hands-on in investigations like we used to do together. I can see how frustrating it must be to have to wait from the sidelines for the current circumstances to blow over to have any sort of involvement. So, if you wish to assist and gain a greater perspective, then who would I be to stop you?"

Dipper clenched his fists excitedly. "So you're saying I can join in?"

Ford smiled. "Why not? There's always something new to be learned for the both of us." He proceeded to make his way back over to the basement doorway. "We'll be meeting Fiddleford at the bunker tomorrow at 2 PM. Just be prepared to leave before then."

"Alright! No problem!" Dipper assured him with an eager smile.

However, his attention was then drawn back to his friends in the room, who had just sat through most of the conversation silently. While his initial intentions of joining his great-uncle were just to be able to spend more time with him and to learn more, he figured that the experience would be even better spent if Derrick and Wendy could come along as well. Especially Wendy, considering her upcoming move was drawing closer with each passing day. Not inviting her along would also be a break in his promise to pitch her in on every adventure he could get her in on.

"Wait, Great Uncle Ford," Dipper called out to him just before he departed back into the basement. "Any chance that maybe I could also bring my friends along with us? I know you said it isn't really a mission, but I think the experience alone would be something they'd love to take part in."

Ford glanced back over at Derrick and Wendy and examined them as they sat back at the counter. "Well, I'm a little uneasy with the idea of bringing too many people along into the bunker with us. Especially those I have little familiarity with. You certainly know them better than I do, however, and so as long as they aren't a cause for trouble, then you're welcome to bring them along."

"You won't have to worry about any trouble. Trust me. Wendy's great and Derrick…" He gave Derrick a glance over his shoulder, feeling slightly more hesitant about him. "...I can keep him in line if I have to."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Derrick questioned from behind.

"In that case, again, I welcome them along with us," Ford said as he looked down at his wristwatch. "Just remember: we're meeting there tomorrow at two."

He pressed a button on his wristwatch, which prompted the vending machine to retract and cover up the doorway. Dipper, Wendy, and Derrick were once again left on their own in the gift shop.

"So, an adventure tomorrow?" Derrick asked, breaking the brief silence. "Nice."

"Again, it's not really an adventure," Dipper corrected. "Like he said, we're just going down to the bunker to look for a weapon and just check things out. Nothing really beyond that."

"I don't know, man," Wendy said as she rubbed her shoulder hesitantly. "I'm not really sure I want to take part in this one."

Dipper looked over at her in surprise. "What? Why?"

"I mean, going back to the bunker? You don't remember what happened the last time we went down there?" she asked.

"Of course, I do," Dipper nodded, easily being able to recall the day infamously known to him as the day they were almost murdered by the killer Shapeshifter. Not to mention, the day he inadvertently revealed his twelve-year-old feelings for Wendy. "How could I forget? After all this time, I've still been trying to block that entire day out of my mind."

"My point exactly," Wendy said as she stood up from her seat. "Look, I know we've faced a lot of terrible things that summer, including Bill. But personally, that time with the Shapeshifter still keeps me up at night. I don't know if it's because of all the horrifying forms it took or because I wrestled myself or what. All I'm saying is that bunker brings back bad memories, and I don't know if I'm all that up for the idea of going back."

"I see where you're coming from," Dipper admitted understandingly. "But I mean, look at things this way. We're just going to be down there for a little bit to look around. And Ford says that McGucket has been down there a bunch of times over the years, so obviously he's had to have known about the Shifter being frozen. He must've done something about it in that case. And in the end, we're going down there with him and Ford: the two people who designed the bunker. So they know way more about it than we did when we went down there. If anything happens, surely, they'll be well prepared to handle things."

"I guess…" Wendy agreed. However, it didn't help her hesitation much. She got up and walked toward the front door to start heading out on her way. "...but I still don't know, man. I'm not kidding when I say that place still gives me the creeps after all this time."

Dipper's head hung dejectedly. "I get it. I know you're not exactly comfortable with the idea of going back and that it's not my decision to make for you. But going back to what you said last night, I just thought this could be something you could tag along with us for. Make whatever time we have left together count before you leave, you know?"

Wendy thought over his point and looked on at him guiltily. That was what she told him the night before. She could see by the look in his eyes that he genuinely wanted her to come along. She knew it had only been a day, but the fact that he remembered what she had said also demonstrated how adamant he was about making her remaining time in town count.

While she remained unsure about coming back to the bunker, she knew Dipper wasn't trying to guilt-trip her into changing her mind. He was just being considerate and truly cared about making her final few days a decent sendoff. Especially considering the fact that they haven't hung out nearly as much as they should have since summer started. Despite it being called a 'non-adventure', they were definitely long overdue for some sort of summer thrill together.

"Ahh... you're right. What am I doing?" she said to herself as she placed a hand on the side of her head. "We don't have a lot of time left together. Yet here I am, about to stupidly pass up a chance to hang out with one of my best friends whom I've hardly hung with since summer started."

He started to work up a hopeful smile. "So, you'll come along?"

"I guess," she said with a shrug and a smile. "I'm still not exactly excited to go back, but I'd be crazy to pass up one of our last chances to really hang out before this move. So, what the hell? I think I can suck up a few bad memories for that."

"Well... okay!" Dipper replied cheerfully. "Guess we'll see you there tomorrow then."

"For sure." She opened the door and took a single step outside before glancing back once more. "See you guys tomorrow."

"Later, Wendy!" Dipper waved just as she left, closing the door right behind her.

Derrick smirked as he turned to him. "I can see why you like her."

"Liked her," Dipper quickly corrected. "C'mon, man. I already told you, I'm long over her. She's just a good friend."

"Right…" Derrick said, not entirely convinced, but not caring enough to further that topic. "So, what's this about a shapeshifter?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it. He's just a creature we fought in the bunker the last time we were there. But we defeated him, and I highly doubt we'll see him again. I'm sure he's been long taken care of."

"And what if he hasn't been?"

"Again, I doubt it. But if he comes back, then I'm sure Ford will be able to make quick work of him while we're down there. He's got a weapon for everything."

"A weapon for everything except for a demon still hanging out in your other great-uncle's mind."

"Alright, seriously, isn't it about time for you to head back home too?" Dipper asked, getting mildly irritated with Derrick's dubiousness.

"Probably. But I'm just waiting until eight because that's when my granddad finishes watching his Spanish soap operas."

"Yeah, but... wait. Your granddad watches Spanish soap operas?"

"Yep."

"He speaks Spanish?"

"Nope."

"He... understands Spanish?"

"Nope."

Dipper held a confused look. "Then, why…?"

"Trust me, man. Even I don't know."

The next day arrived and the morning quickly passed. Ford stood in the basement readying himself, placing his large tan coat over his red turtleneck. From there, he walked up to a cabinet and opened it up, viewing various supplies and thinking over what to bring along with him.

Stan sat at a table wearing his usual wife beater and boxer briefs. He held a mug of coffee in hand, watching as his brother prepared himself for his upcoming mission.

"Aw, c'mon, Sixer! There's gotta be something I can do!" he pleaded desperately.

"I'm sorry, Stan. But, as much as I'd like to bring you along, having you anywhere outside the house is just far too risky."

"But I feel fine! That triangle hasn't turned up since Friday night!"

"Which is exactly why I'm worried about bringing you along. Bill's had over two days to recuperate, and so I feel that calls for the need to be extra cautious regarding where you are and what you do, as to not fuel him or give him the strength he needs to take over again."

"How do you know two days is enough time for him to come back?"

"I don't know. Maybe he needs less time. Maybe he needs more time. Either way, I'm not willing to take any risks." He closed the cabinet before making his way over to Stan. "I've already talked with Soos' grandmother, Abuelita, who's a very nice woman. Anywho, she's agreed to supervise you while I'm gone, and I've even given her my contact information to fill me in should you start acting up."

"Aw, c'mon! Seriously?" Stan questioned unenthusiastically.

"Yes, seriously," Ford nodded. "And you'll have to be upstairs, as I'll be leaving the lab locked up too. Can't have you down here on your own to leave Bill the opportunity to swap in and lurk around my lab. Who knows what he'd try to do down here?"

"Would be even less of a worry if you knew how to properly lock up your weapons down here," Stan said, examining how most of Ford's things were simply stored within cabinets and drawers. "But seriously, Ford, is all of this really necessary?"

"Absolutely. And for as much as these precautions may annoy you, Stanley, just know that I'm doing all this because you're my brother. I've already seen Bill's eyes paired with your face once before, and it's a sight I'd like to assure no one ever has to see again."

"I know, I know," Stan said as he stared back down at his coffee mug. "And I appreciate it. I just wish all of this didn't involve keeping me cooped up in this Shack doing nothing all day while you, the kids, and your friends are out actually being useful."

"Well, just know all of this is being done for your own good," Ford said as he patted his brother on the back. "Anyways, get whatever you need ready to take with you upstairs. We need to leave together so that I can lock up."

"UGGGHH! I ain't even finished with my coffee yet!" Stan groaned as he lazily stood up from the table. "You're killin' me, Poindexter."

Dipper sat in his bed upstairs in his room with a variety of different items laid out beside him. He went through them, deciding which ones to put in his backpack and take along with him for the mission.

"Let's see. Journal... no brainer. Blacklight... probably not necessary, but just in case. Lip balm... well, no one likes going into an underground bunker with chapped lips." He stuffed the items into his backpack and realized that was everything he had laid out on his bed. "Huh, I guess that's everything. I really don't have a lot to bring along for adventures, do I? Hmph." He rubbed his chin as another thought entered his head. "I wonder if Ford trusts me enough to make my own personalized weapon one of these days..."

"Hey, bro!" Mabel shouted as she suddenly appeared at the doorway. "I'm back!"

Dipper found himself somewhat startled upon hearing her loud voice suddenly impede the quiet atmosphere he surrounded himself with while being alone in their room. He glanced over at her as she gleefully skipped her way to her bed with her backpack and a stack of dress covers carried in her arms.

"Oh, hey Mabel," he greeted as he turned to her.

"New hoodie?" she asked as she looked down at his appearance, making note of the zipperless new reddish-orange hoodie that he wore over a white T-shirt he had underneath.

Dipper looked down at his hoodie, pulling on it to straighten it out. "Oh, yeah. Got a new one yesterday after tossing the old one out. Thought a different color would be a nice change of pace, ya know?"

"Anything's a nice change of pace from an unwashed dark hoodie covered in old Pitt Cola stains," she jabbed as she continued to study his appearance. "But I like it. It suits you and your nerdiness."

"Thanks! I guess..." Dipper said, accepting the double-edged compliment. "Anyways, how was the sleepover?"

"Great!" she said enthusiastically as she laid her backpack and dress covers out on her bed. "Grenda and Candy still know how to have a great time after all these years! If only Sammy, Angela, and Gretchen could be here in Gravity Falls with us too. Now, that'd be the ultimate party!"

"More like the ultimate hearing loss," Dipper said, unable to imagine the potential screeching nightmare one could endure should Mabel's group from Piedmont collide with her Gravity Falls trio.

"Yeah, yeah," she brushed off. "Anyways, we did pretty much everything we planned on doing. We caught up on everything from the last four years, watched this romantic horror movie about a vampire, read all of the Wolfman Bare Chest sequels that have come out since last time, and spent the rest of the night making dresses!"

She then unzipped one of the dress covers and took out a long, extravagant-looking dark purple dress with a bunch of white sparkles spread out among the bottom of it.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh?" she nodded admiringly as she held it out for him to see. "What do you think?"

"Uh... great, I guess," he simply replied, not having a relatively strong opinion on it. To him, it just looked like another thing she would usually wear or design for herself.

"We made like five dresses just like this." She walked over to her mirror and held the sparkly dress over her normal clothes, getting a basic idea of how she would look in it. "I think I wanna wear one on my date with Ryland later."

"Is that not a little too... extravagant... for a first date?" Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow. "Not to mention how you don't even know where he's taking you. I mean, what if the date is just him taking you inside Yumberjacks instead of getting drive-thru?"

"Oh, please. He wouldn't do something that stingy," she said with an eye roll.

"I'm just saying. Maybe you wanna consider something a bit more... casual? Wouldn't he let you know if he were taking you somewhere where a dress that over-the-top would be alright?"

Mabel realized he had a decent point. She walked back over to her bed and placed her dress back down on top of her stack of dress covers. "Yeah, you're probably right. It's just that I spent a lot of time working on these last night and just wish I had a sooner chance to show them."

"Well, it's not like you're growing anymore anytime soon," Dipper jabbed at her height. "I'm sure they'll all still fit by the time you reach your thirties."

"Ha-ha," Mabel sarcastically laughed before giving him a daring smile. "Puberty may have made you the taller twin in the end, but never forget who used to have the extra millimeter first!"

"Please. I had already forgotten by the time I had five inches over you," Dipper jabbed further.

"Shut up!" Mabel exclaimed as she gave him a hard, yet playful punch in the arm, provoking a slight wince from him at the same time the two started to laugh. As she settled down, she took notice of him preparing his backpack. "Anyways, where are you heading?"

"Oh, right," Dipper said as he caught her gesturing toward his bag. "In a little bit, I'm going to be leaving with Ford to meet McGucket and some friends at the bunker for a mission."

"A mission?!" Mabel questioned, unhappily shocked by this revelation. "There's a mission with Grunkle Ford today?"

"Well, kinda," he nodded. "I just found out about it last night."

"Oh no!" Mabel said, placing her hands on the sides of her face in horror. "But, my date's today! I won't be able to go unless I cancel!"

"Well, I mean-"

"Maybe I can still call Ryland and ask if we could reschedule things for another time," Mabel said as she took out her phone and began dialing. "God, he's gonna hate me…"

"Woah! Mabel!" Dipper exclaimed as he swiped her phone away from her and tossed it back on her bed. "What are you talking about? You don't have to go on the mission!"

"But I thought-"

"I don't know what you thought," he said as he sat with her down on her bed. "But I just asked Ford if could tag along with him on a mission he had already planned with McGucket. Hell, he said it's not even really a mission. I'm just saying mission because it sounds cool. But it's not some vital once-in-a-lifetime adventure. There's no real loss in not coming along."

"I just feel kind of bad," Mabel admitted while rubbing her arm. "I mean, you're getting to go on a kind-of-a-mission-but-not-really-a-mission with Ford, and I'm just going out with a boy. Ever since the party, I've decided to try not to let things between me and Ryland get in the way of spending time with family. I feel like me not coming along goes against that."

"Mabel, there will always be times that should only be spent between family. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't ever make time for your life. I mean, you've had your eyes on Ryland since we got here, and now that you've finally scored a date with him, you're going to throw it away at the last minute for something you just found out about? That's ridiculous. You already had this date planned. That's fair game."

Mabel thought over his words and smiled. "You're right. I guess I'm just paranoid about letting something unimportant get in the way of what I should really be focusing on again."

"Allow me to be your guide, then," Dipper offered with a smile. "Today, this thing I'm doing with Ford at the bunker is what's unimportant, and you should put your focus on your date."

"Alright, I gotcha. Thanks, Dipper," Mabel said gratefully. "The bunker though? Isn't that where we fought the Shapeshifter?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Are you sure you guys will be alright?" she asked, raising a slightly concerned eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah! Absolutely," Dipper assured. "I mean, Ford and McGucket alone will probably be able to handle any problems we run into. At the same time, Derrick and Wendy are there to help too."

"Haha, Derrick," Mabel chuckled. "That's how I know I know this is something I shouldn't care about."

"You see? Just keep that mindset when you go on your date," Dipper said as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Dipper? You ready to go?" Ford's voice called out from downstairs.

"Yeah! I'll be right down!" Dipper called back to the open doorway as he stood up from his sister's bed. He grabbed his backpack and turned back to her, giving her a thumbs-up. "Good luck, sis. Try not to mess things up for once. The last thing I want is to find out I need to go save you from an evil blonde elf or something."

"I'll try my best, bro-bro!" Mabel called out to him as he walked out of the room.

From there, she zipped up her dark purple dress back inside the dress cover before picking it up along with the rest of her dresses. She skipped over to her closet and hung up all the dresses from the hangars protruding from the covers. Once they were hung, she looked through the rest of her closet of sweaters, tops, shirts, and other dresses.

"What to wear... what to wear…"

Ford and Dipper walked together along a clear and open path straight through the middle of the woods. Whilst walking, Ford looked up and around at the surrounding trees and nature as the sun beamed down on a normal summer day.

"Get a feel for this weather," Ford said as he looked around admiringly. "So fresh and familiar. How I've missed it. After almost an entire weekend being cooped up in the basement, it certainly feels great to take a nice stroll through the wonderful woods of Gravity Falls again without stress. Well, without as much stress as you could get given the current circumstances."

Dipper nodded. "I agree. I'm not even the biggest outdoors guy back home, but there's something about being outside around here that makes me feel more alive. You get what I mean?"

"Oh, absolutely. Despite all the wondrous sights I've gotten to witness around the world these past four years, there's still a liveliness to Gravity Falls that remains unmatched. Perhaps that's because all these other places have a clear reason and answer for their sights, whereas when you come here and look around, even after every answer and explanation you've been given, you still have questions. Admittedly, sailing around the world can get somewhat dull after a while. At least once you've seen it all. But here, it always feels like there's something new to do."

"Guess you must feel pretty lucky to have found such a place that comes with that kind of feeling."

"Not lucky, my boy. Grateful," Ford corrected with a smile.

The two continued to walk along the path through the forest until they reached the bunker tree. As they approached, they already caught sight of Derrick and Wendy waiting beside the tree. However, what came off as a slight surprise was seeing Soos standing with them, wearing his old question mark shirt and brown cap.

"Greetings, everyone," Ford addressed as he met them at the tree.

Derrick raised an eyebrow at the formal word choice. "Uh... greetings?"

"Hey, Ford," Wendy waved casually.

"Sup, Mr. Pines Number T-" Soos began before stopping himself. "I mean... Ford! Ha! You see? I got it right that time."

Ford gave Soos a slightly amused smile along with an approving nod.

"Soos, what are you doing here?" Dipper asked. "How'd you know we were meeting here?"

"Oh, Wendy told me you dudes were doing this bunker adventure, and I just had to come along! I mean, how am I gonna miss the sequel to one of my favorite adventures of that last summer?" Soos then took out a neatly packed brown paper bag from his pocket. "Melody even packed me a lunch! I'm so ready for this sequel, dude!"

"Sequel?" Dipper questioned with a chuckle. "You're wild, Soos."

"What up, Dipper?" Wendy greeted as she walked up to him, offering her fist.

Dipper smiled gladly as he fist-bumped back. "You came."

"Of course I came," Wendy scoffed. "What? Did you think I'd chicken out?"

"No, no! Of course not!" he defended. "You know. I'm just... glad you're here, that's all."

She smiled. "Well, I'm glad to be here. I wouldn't miss it."

The two smiled at one another warmly for a moment before Derrick walked up to Dipper and offered his fist.

"Yo, Dip," Derrick greeted just as Dipper fist-bumped him back. "You ready to get eaten by a Shapeshifter?"

Dipper elbowed him in the arm warningly. "Shut up, man. No one's gonna get eaten by anything."

"Is that what you kids are so worried about?" Ford chuckled as he heard the Shapeshifter's mention. "Oh, don't worry. From what Fiddleford's told me, the Shapeshifter's been long gone. I can assure you all that we won't be dealing with anything of the sort. This should all be a relatively controlled experience."

"Phew!" Dipper sighed. Despite how much he had already assured himself the Shifter wouldn't be an issue anyway, there was still a part of him inside that felt a little tense about the possibility. Hearing Ford confirm he wouldn't be an issue was a quick alleviation from such stress.

"Thank God..." Wendy said with a sigh of relief herself.

"That's good to know," Soos nodded. "Although, as relieved as I am, this is looking like a pretty boring setup for a sequel. Unlike The Avenging Heroes: Age of Ultra Robot Guy, which I hear is airing on TV later tonight! Gosh, I hope we can finish this mission in time for me to go home and watch it!"

"Again, this isn't really a mission," Ford said as he stood in front of everyone. "We're just waiting for Fiddleford to arrive so that way we can go inside and retrieve my Quantum Destabilizer. At the same time, we'll just be safely looking around the place. It really shouldn't be much more besides that."

"And when is McGucket showing up?" Dipper asked.

At that moment, everyone heard the sound of a spinning propeller grow closer as a large gust of wind came over them. Each of them looked up to see a helicopter approaching and preparing to land in front of them.

"Right now, it seems," Ford replied while watching Fiddleford's descending helicopter.

Soon enough, the helicopter touched the ground and settled down, the propellers continuing to blow continuous amounts of heavy air as they spun rapidly. From the back of the chopper, Fiddleford stepped out and onto the ground with his cane. He looked over at the pilot through the window and waved a hand up.

"Thanks, Phil! Tell the wife I said hello!" McGucket shouted over the loud propellers.

"Will do!" Phil said with a thumbs-up from the pilot seat. "And to your wife, the same!"

"Well, my wife's a raccoon and she doesn't quite like it when I talk to other people!" McGucket told him. "But I'll tryyy!"

Phil gave McGucket an odd look to his reply but simply shrugged it off as he started to fly the helicopter back up into the air. McGucket then started to make his way over to everyone else.

"Greetings, Fiddleford," Ford greeted as he walked up to him. "How was your trip to Area 51?"

"Boring!" McGucket said bluntly with an irritated look. "Those dang government fools over there followed the whole death ray schematic wrong! All because someone was holdin' the thing upside-down because they thought it 'looked better'. It's a death ray! It ain't supposed to look good! It's supposed to kill people!"

"Uh-huh," Ford nodded, growing slightly uncomfortable with having such a conversation around a bunch of youth. "Why don't we talk more about this later? Instead, let's just get a move on this bunker, shall we?"

"Right," McGucket nodded before his eyes glanced around at the others that had come along. "Quite a lot of guests here."

"Err, is that an issue?" Ford asked.

"Not at all! I just wasn't expecting company, that's all. I know most of these folks though." McGucket looked over at Dipper and was able to immediately recognize him. "Dipper, right?"

"Right," Dipper nodded as he stuck out his hand. "It's good to see you again, McGucket. You've surely gotten better over the past few years."

"And you've certainly gotten taller!" McGucket said as he gleefully shook his hand. "Yer probably as tall as I am now! It'd probably show better though if my back wasn't so hunched." He then turned over to the others. "Who else we got here? I see we got the red-haired one from the Mystery Shack…"

"'Sup," Wendy greeted with a casual wave.

"...and the big one…"

"All day, every day, dude!" Soos said heartily with a wave.

"...and the... err…" McGucket said as he got to Derrick, unable to recognize him for a moment. "Oh, I know! Yer the kid from the cemetery!"

Derrick stared at him questionably for a moment. "...what?"

"Haha!" Wendy broke out laughing as she glanced over at Dipper. "You see! Didn't I say he looked like a less-emo Robbie?"

"He's new, McGucket," Dipper clarified with an amused grin. "A friend from back home. You two haven't met before."

"Ah, that works too," McGucket dismissed as he turned away from Derrick and began walking over to the bunker tree. "Anyways, let's get started here, shall we?"

"Right," Ford agreed as he stepped up beside him, looking up at the tree. "The first thing I noticed upon arriving here was the fact that the branch lever used to open the bunker had been removed or dismantled from the top."

"Correct," McGucket nodded understandingly as he walked right up to the trunk of the tree. "I've thought it over and I mean, what if someone is tryin' to get inside and a stampede of horse-headed cattle are comin' yer way during the apocalypse? Having a hidden lever so high is just askin' to be stampeded. So I've replaced it with a more accessible means of opening it up."

With his fist, he gave the metallic trunk a few quick, but impactful knocks.

"Just gotta tap right here on the side a few times and…"

The tree and ground suddenly began to shake, prompting McGucket and the others to take a few careful steps away. At that moment, the tree and a chunk of the surrounding ground began to sink below. Everyone started to crowd around the hole formed around the tree as it sunk. Eventually, the trunk stopped sinking and a wooden staircase slowly protruded from the top all the way to the bottom, where the trunk itself soon opened up a doorway inside.

"After you!" McGucket said as he stepped aside, gesturing for everyone to go ahead of him.

"Here we go!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly as he began walking down the steps.

"This is crazy!" Derrick said in awe as he followed behind.

"Awesome!" Wendy said, following after.

"Still so dope, dude!" Soos said giddily while following last.

Before stepping down, Ford walked up to McGucket with a look of skepticism. "But Fiddleford, the point of the lever was because it was hard to reach. It meant one had to be clever enough to identify it as a lever and tactical enough to know how to reach it."

"I don't know about you, Ford, but the more years that pass, the less tactical I become," McGucket admitted. "To get in and outta here over the years, I just needed somethin' a bit simpler to work with. Are you unpleased with the change?"

"No! I wouldn't say unpleased... more so, I just feel as though it's a little less intuitive," Ford admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I suppose it's a change I can accept. I just hope that when you say you 'made improvements', you didn't just mean that you've simplified every other aspect of the bunker to fit your own working needs."

"Not at all! Some of the changes I've made are completely legitimate improvements! And trust me, I know we built this ol' bunker together when we were young, and I'd never go as far as to change the whole thing just to suit my needs."

"Glad to hear it," Ford said with a hopeful smile as he proceeded to start walking down the steps himself. "In that case, let's continue downward and see what else you have in store."

"After you, old friend," McGucket nodded as he followed right behind him, beginning their descent into the bunker below.

Mabel stood in her room in front of her dresser mirror, continuing to get ready for her date. Rather than going with one of the handmade dresses she had made the previous night, she had taken to Dipper's advice and decided to simplify her appearance. She didn't know exactly where Ryland was going to be taking her, and so she struggled to find a middle-ground outfit.

Obviously, she wanted something attractive, but she didn't want to wear anything that was either too over-the-top or too inviting. Something casual that would fit almost any summer day activity. She also didn't want to risk looking uninteresting either and strived to find something that showed her creative and fun side as best as she could. And it was a lunch date, so she took that as a sign not to be too formal either.

That's when she settled on an outfit that she found perfectly suited for her needs, or at least, what she assumed her needs were. Attractive, casual, and creative. She found it all in her long navy blue sundress with bright and beautifully detailed yellow stars patterned throughout, giving it the look of a starry night. Aside from the dark color making for a heavy sunlight absorber, she found it perfect. So perfect, that she was willing to make the potentially sweaty sacrifice if it meant looking as good as she thought she did at that moment. However, she had a matching navy blue floppy straw hat to the side that she contemplated wearing, simply because she wasn't sure whether it was too much.

Knock, knock.

"Come in!" she called out, glancing over her shoulder back at the closed bedroom door.

The door opened slightly and Stan's head peeked inside before slowly entering the room with a can of Pitt Cola in hand. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hi, Grunkle Stan!" she greeted just as she grabbed a hairbrush and began brushing down on the left side of her hair. "Hang on, aren't you supposed to be with Dipper and Ford on their bunker adventure or whatever? I can't remember if Dipper mentioned you were going..."

"Nah, not me," Stan shook his head, looking to the side kind of glumly. "I had to stay here. Ford told me that it's too risky for me to even leave the house."

"What? Why?"

"Ehem?" Stan cleared his throat as he pointed a finger to his head while giving her a look.

"Oh... right…" she quickly realized as she gave him an awkward smile.

"Yep. Can't afford to go outside when a demon living inside me can take over my body at any moment and cause me to be even more of a screw-up than usual," Stan said before taking a sip of Pitt-Cola. "Now, I gotta hang out here being watched by Soos' grandma while I do absolutely nothing all day long."

"Aw, c'mon, Grunkle Stan." She put her hairbrush down and looked back over at him. "First of all, you're not a screw-up. You're just a very emotional and Grunkle-y old... Grunkle. And second, I thought you loved doing nothing all day! I mean, it's what you did half the summer the last time we were here."

"I do love it," Stan shamelessly admitted. "Just not while everyone else is being useful with their time. Because then it makes a useless old man like me feel... well... useless."

"But you aren't useless either. Look at things this way- by doing nothing, you're keeping yourself and everyone around you safe! That's about as useful as anyone can get while doing absolutely nothing!"

"Heh. Sure, I guess you can look at things like that." He then looked back over at her and made note of her decorated appearance. "And what are you getting all dolled up for?"

"My first date with Ryland," she said as she picked her hairbrush back up and began brushing down on the right side of her hair. "He should be here any minute now."

"Ah, right..." Stan said with a skeptical voice as he walked over to Dipper's bed and sat down. "This Ryland fellow is that blonde kid that Soos hired, right?"

"Yep! You met him on Summerween! When you and Grunkle Ford got back."

"I dunno if I'd call that a meeting. More like an acknowledgment that we were in the same room together," Stan said as he thought back to that night. "Anyways, how are things going with this kid?"

"So far, so good," she said as she put her brush back down and began doing her makeup. "A few hiccups and Dipper-isms on my part, but the fact that he's still willing to ask me out after all this time must mean something."

"And what is this one? Like a centaur in disguise... or maybe another gnome…?"

"Very funny, Grunkle Stan," Mabel sarcastically dismissed. "But I've spent enough time with him to know for sure he's just a normal guy who likes to do bike tricks. And no, he doesn't make out with his bike. Thankfully."

"Well, glad it's working out so far," Stan said as he stood up from Dipper's bed. "Just make sure the two of you don't get too comfy. No hand holding, no sharing food, no kissing, don't stare at one another for too long-"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Mabel cut off as she turned to him, giving him a look. "Since when have you been all rules-y?"

"What? I'm just doing the standard 'dad' procedure," Stan said, innocently shrugging his arms up.

"For what? Firstly, you're my Grunkle, not my dad. Second, you've never done this to me before when I've introduced you to other boys."

"That's cause I never had to before," Stan said as he walked over to the wall beside the door and leaned his arm against it.

"Oh, really?" Mabel asked, giving him a questionable eyebrow raise. "On the first week of our first summer here, I got a boyfriend who I had just met who was almost twice my size! Yet, you were completely cool with it and never batted an eye!" She then turned back to her mirror and continued doing her makeup. "Not to mention the time you tried to force me and Gideon together when you were being a sellout."

Stan chuckled at the thought. "Sweetie, you were twelve. And no twelve-year-old knows what they're doing when they get into a relationship that young. Sure, it may have been irresponsible of me, but I had little reason to worry. Now though? You're in high school. And I've seen what these troublemaking teenagers are capable of. They can be bad influences, and I don't want you getting caught up with them."

"Really? You think they're the bad influences?" Mabel asked skeptically. "Grunkle Stan, are you sure you're not projecting?"

"Maybe a little," he admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm wrong. Guys can be jerks, and they'll absolutely twist your head if you let them. You're a good kid now, but meet the wrong guy, and next thing you know, you'll start getting secretive, lying about who you're with, sneaking over to his place to 'watch a movie'... "

"But movie dates are fun!" Mabel innocently replied.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "Kid, when I say 'watch a movie', I don't mean you're actually 'watching a movie'."

"Well, if a young couple decides to watch a movie, what else would they be doing instead of watching the-?"

GAAAAAASP!

Mabel suddenly dropped her makeup brush and gasped horrifically upon finally realizing what her Grunkle meant as her face flushed a burning red in embarrassment.

"Grunkle Stan!"

Reflexively, she grabbed a stuffed animal that she just so happened to have sat by her dresser and chucked it at him as hard as she could.

"Woah! Hey!" Stan shouted as the stuffed animal hit him in the arm, nearly causing him to drop his soda.

"Stop being so weird! It's not like that!"

"I'm just saying!" Stan said, raising his hands defensively. "Geez, hasn't your dad ever given you this kind of talk when you went out with other boys back home?"

"No, he didn't," Mabel told him as she turned back to her dresser. "He and Mom were always cool with the guys I dated and always happily invited them into their lives, rather than being weird like you."

Knock, knock, knock!

Mabel and Stan both turned toward the doorway, hearing the sound of loud knocks coming from the front door downstairs. Realizing it was most likely Ryland, Mabel's heart quickly began to beat rapidly in panic considering that she hadn't finished getting ready yet.

"Well, being happily inviting sounds boring," Stan said to her with a grin as he stepped out the door of the room. "Think you should let your Grunkle Stan mix things up a bit for once."

"Grunkle Stan, pleeease don't scare him off!" Mabel pleaded as she began to hurriedly put the rest of her makeup together. "I'm still not finished here!"

"Don't worry! He'll still be standing out there by the time you're done!"

Stan made his way up to the front door and opened it. For a split second, he saw Ryland anxiously standing outside with his hands in the pockets of his brown denim jacket. As the door opened, he quickly straightened up and caught sight of Stan as he stood before him.

"Oh! Uh, hello, Mr. Pines!" Ryland greeted, also taking a second to quickly clear his throat. He offered his hand to him. "I don't think we've formally met yet. My name is Ryland Reeds and-"

"I know who you are," Stan cut off while also dismissing his handshake. "You're the kid that's gonna take my great-niece out for a good time, right?"

"That's the plan, sir," Ryland nodded.

Stan then glanced down at Ryland and analyzed. He didn't have much to comment on his appearance, but he had quickly taken notice of how he had brought nothing with him. "No flowers? No chocolates? No anything? Who do you think you're impressing, kid? You're dating a Pines kid here! Not one of your lady friends from school who buys 'designer purses' from a discount store!"

Ryland rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I mean, I did get flowers, but I just didn't bring th-"

"You forgot to bring my great niece her flowers?!" Stan exclaimed while taking a step forward menacingly.

"No!" Ryland shook his head repeatedly. "I just have them waiting over at-"

"Forget it! I've stopped caring," Stan quickly dismissed, remaining internally unimpressed. "Do you have money?"

"I work here, so what do you think?"

"So, you don't. Unless Soos raised your paychecks a bunch, in which I'm gonna have to chew him out next time I see him."

"Right…" Ryland replied, starting to grow somewhat uncomfortable. He tried to peek his head over Stan's shoulder and into the Shack. "Is Mabel here, sir?"

"Of course she is. But we're the ones talking right now, got it?" Stan asked while pointing his thumb at himself, to which Ryland nodded understandingly in response. "So, let me ask- are you good enough for my great-niece?"

"Well, I mean, I'd hope so…"

"Of course, you'd hope so!" Stan said with an eye roll. "She'd hope so... I'd hope so… We'd all hope so. No one's hoping that you ain't. But the question is are ya?"

Ryland glanced around uneasily. "Yes?"

"That don't sound too sure..."

"I mean... yes!" Ryland repeated more confidently.

"Still not convinced. My niece has dated a gnome more confident than you." He sighed. "You're like... what? 17, right? Tell me... how many other girls have you been with before?" He then took another menacing step up to him while giving him a threatening glare. "If you say a number bigger than two, you've been around far too much, and I want you nowhere near my niece. If you say zero, then you ain't been around enough and she's too good for ya."

Ryland had absolutely no idea how to respond to him and just continued to grow more uncomfortable with every further step Stan took. "Uhhh…"

"Grunkle Stan! What did I say?"

Stan looked over his shoulder to see Mabel marching down the steps up to him with a look of annoyance. He noticed that her makeup was finished, and she also wore her matching floppy straw hat to go with her sundress.

"Hold on, pumpkin," Stan halted her as he turned back to Ryland. "If this kid doesn't say either the number one or two in the next five seconds, then you can consider your schedule cleared for the day. Actually, I changed my mind. Make that only if he doesn't say the number one."

"Grunkle Stan... please!" Mabel embarrassedly pleaded for him to stop as she pushed him out of the way back into the house. "I told you not to scare him off!"

"And I said I wouldn't! And you see? He's still standing right here, just like I promised!"

Mabel sighed from embarrassment as she turned her head back to Ryland. "I'm so sorry, Ryland."

"No, it's alright. Don't worry," Ryland assured her with a chuckle. He scanned her appearance, eyes lighting up admiringly as he looked over her outfit. "Wow, you look... great."

"Thanks," she said with a slight blush. She put a reluctant hand on her hat, adjusting it. "Is the hat too much? I wasn't sure if it was extra or…"

Ryland began shaking his head before she even finished talking. "No, I think it goes perfectly," he assured her with a smile, more than willing to accept her outgoing creative style.

Mabel's face reddened even more with this further compliment. She gave him a warm and thankful smile, the two gazing at one another admiringly. Right before her though, Stan continued to stand with his arms crossed, watching the two for a brief moment before deciding that they had been going on for far too long.

"I think that's enough staring," he chimed in right beside Mabel.

"Oh my god! Grunkle Stan!" Mabel exclaimed as she turned to him, her face reddening from embarrassment now rather than flattery.

"Hey, I already warned you about this!" Stan defensively reminded.

"Ryland, you just wanna go?" Mabel asked, quickly turning back and walking up to him.

"That'd be nice," Ryland admitted as the two began to make their way off the back porch together.

"Hey, hey! Wait just a second!" Stan called out demandingly as he took a few steps outside, pointing over at Mabel. "I'm not done with you yet! I still got one last thing I gotta tell ya!"

Mabel was already exhausted from Stan's attempts to embarrass her in front of the guy she was trying to fancy. Still, she sighed and irritatedly stomped her way back up to him, gesturing for Ryland to stay back where he was.

"What?" she asked Stan, her expression full of annoyance.

Stan silently stared at her with a strict look for a brief moment. However, his expression suddenly softened up, and he started to give her a mellow smile. "Just have a good time and be careful, alright, kiddo?"

The reply admittedly went against her expectations, and she quickly found her annoyance clearing up as she looked up at her great-uncle's face. That was when she quickly remembered who she was talking to and how much of a softie he was despite how overbearing he could be. As such, she softened up as well and gave him a warm smile as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"I will," she assured him gratefully. "Thanks, Grunkle Stan."

After a brief embrace, she pulled away and quickly ran back over to Ryland. From the doorway, Stan continued to watch on as his grown-up great-niece happily walked alongside her date. He was obviously proud of the woman she was becoming, but a part of him still strongly cherished how much simpler things used to be when she was still twelve. It was the version of her he still remembered most after all. If only he got to spend more summers watching her and Dipper grow up so that change would be a gradual adjustment rather than an instantaneous one. But life works in weird ways, and he knew that.

Despite his bittersweet emotions, he wasn't about to let them get away with anything as long as he was still able to see them.

"And watch those hands!" he called out to them from the porch. "As long as I'm watching, I better not see any of those hands slip!"

"Ughhh…" Mabel groaned flusteredly.

"Geez, is your Great Uncle always this strict?" Ryland asked as they walked along.

"Nah, he isn't," she replied as her smile began warming back up. "Don't worry. He's just looking out for me."

"So, he's a cool guy then?"

"I wouldn't say he's a cool guy. But he's definitely a great guy."

As the couple chatted, they soon turned on a path that led them out of Stan's sight. He sighed glumly.

"Well, that's about as much fun as my day's gonna get," he said to himself as he continued to stand at the porch doorway.

From behind him, Abuelita walked into the living room with a TV remote in her hand. As she sat down in her chair, she quickly noticed Stan at the doorway.

"Mr. Pines! Your brother tells me you are unwell and must be watched!" She gestured over to the other seat in the living room in front of the TV. "Join me here! Mis telenovelas are about to start."

"Aye-Yai-Yai," Stan said to himself as he shook his head desperately at the rest of the day to come.

To those who did the last episode's cipher, I don't want to answer the whole thing for y'all, but just know that ¾ of the names actually aren't made up by me and are a reference to something in the series itself (the actual show, not any external media or anything). If you figure that out, you'll understand the other name and why it's made up.

Anyways, if you're a Wendy fan, I hope you enjoy what's in store for the rest of the June season.

-Absolute Rift

(Chapter updated as of March 11, 2024)