Chapter Text
Stan slammed the trunk shut and stomped around to the front of the car, climbing into the front seat. As the door thudded shut Sarah’s screaming faded out, dulled by the walls of his trusty old El Diablo. To drown out the last of it, he reached forward and turned the radio on, cranking the volume up until he couldn’t hear her screeching anymore.
Beside him, Mabel was huddled on the passenger seat, her seatbelt on and her entire body encompassed in a self-made sweater. Her eyes were fixed on her feet, her knees huddled to her chest. Blood seeped from a cut near her eye.
“You okay, sweetie?” he asked her. She nodded, but didn’t look at him. Stan sighed. “We’ll stop at the pharmacy and pick up some stuff for that cut, and then we’ll be outta here.” Mabel nodded again. Stan watched concernedly as she moved her lips soundlessly, before finally uttering the question:
“Where will we go?”
Stan paused for a moment, considering. “We’ll figure something out,” he said, and glanced away, beginning to pull out of the driveway.
“Are we gonna have to live with Nana?” Mabel asked. Stan sighed, shook his head.
“I don’t think that will happen, sweetie.”
“Can we afford to buy someplace?”
Stan glanced at her. “What are you worrying your big ol’ head about money for?” he asked amusedly.
“I don’t want to go away again,” Mabel mumbled. Stan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, his amusement fading.
“Neither of us wants that,” he told her. Behind them, their (old, now) house faded into the distance. The country lane was quiet, the outskirts of town still a minute or two away. Stan grasped for ideas, trying to think of somewhere, anywhere they could stay for a while. Unfortunately, his list of acquaintances either hated him, were dead, or had nowhere of their own to stay- or all three. He bit his lip worriedly and glanced down at Mabel, who was staring out of her window, her face turned away from him. He couldn’t lose her again.
He sighed. The lights of Piedmont blinked to life around the car. In his mind, he came across what may be his only solution. “How about,” he said to Mabel as they pulled into the pharmacy parking lot, “We go and stay with my brother.”
Mabel glanced over at him and blinked; in the dim light, he couldn’t tell if she was blinking away tears or not. “You... have a brother?”
Dipper was curled up on the chair, engrossed in his latest mystery novel, when Ford emerged from the basement. He glanced up from his book and noted the manic grin and slitted pupils, and his grip on the book tightened. He stayed still, barely daring to breathe, wondering if the demon had noticed he was there.
“Hey, kid!”
He had.
“Hey, Bill,” Dipper greeted, watching as Bill grabbed a crossbow from the wall and stuffed it in a backpack that was far too small for it. “Going somewhere?”
“Old Fordsey has some errands that need attending too,” Bill told him, grabbing one of the many knives that were jammed into the wall. “So I’ll be doing that. It shouldn’t be too dangerous, so don’t wait up for me!” Dipper nodded.
“Uh, okay then.”
“See ya, kid!” Bill waved, and then was gone, slamming the door behind him. Dipper waited until his footsteps had faded away and then gave a relieved sigh, leaning back over the arm of the chair and staring up at the wooden ceiling. It was covered in lines, natural marks and knife welts and writings and diagrams. There was a hole in it from where the wood had rotted away, and it had fallen through when Ford had walked on it.
It was as he was trying to decipher what looked like some latin scribbles when he heard the unmistakable sound of a car pulling up outside. He jumped up immediately and made his way to the window, which was mostly boarded up. He glanced through gaps in the wood to see an unfamiliar car parked there, and found himself shivering with anxiety.
Nobody ever came to Ford’s house. Well, that wasn’t quite true- sometimes the postman would deliver a letter, or Fiddleford, Ford’s old college friend and lab assistant, would come to visit (he and Ford had fallen out a long time ago; he only ever came up now to check on Dipper, and make sure he knew the offer to come and live with him still stood at any given time). The most visits they got were from kids and teenagers from town, who heard spooky stories about their old house and came to check it out, and even that happened rarely.
As he watched, the car door opened, and a man got out; tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a jacket and jeans. Through the dirty glass and from a distance, Dipper couldn’t quite make out his face, even when he turned toward the house. At one point, the man’s eyes seemed to meet Dipper’s, and he ducked down, heart hammering in his chest.
Dipper sat there against the wall, listening as another car door opened, and footsteps made their way towards the front door. As they grew closer, he began to make out voices, quiet words.
“This place is freaky,” said a feminine voice, sounding rather hesitant. “Are you sure somebody lives here?”
“It’s the right address,” came a gruff voice, presumably that of the man who had exited the car. “May as well try, right?” There came a sharp knocking at the door, the sound of which made Dipper jump even though he was expecting it.
He sat under the window, biting his lip, debating whether to open the door or not. Ford had always told him to be wary of strangers, but had never given him any instructions on what to do if they knocked at the door; it had never happened before. Gravity Falls was a small town, and everyone tended to know everyone.
“Maybe nobody’s home?” the female voice asked again.
“Maybe,” the man said, but he sounded doubtful. “Damn Stanford,” he muttered, quieter this time. Dipper perked up. They knew Ford.
Surely no harm could come from opening the door?
There was another knock, and Dipper slowly got to his feet, crept over, and opened the door.
The man jumped backwards, his hand raised to knock once more. Beside him was a girl Dipper’s height, swamped in a sweater far too large for her, her hair and a pale sliver of face all that he could make out about her. The man blinked in confusion for a moment, looking somewhere above Dipper’s head, before glancing down.
“Who are you?” he asked gruffly. Dipper hesitated, but then answered,
“I could ask you the same thing.”
The man sighed. “Look, we’re looking for a Stanford Pines. Do you know him?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, where is he then?”
“He’s out. What do you want with him?”
“What do I-” The man sighed. “Look, kid. I’m Stanley Pines, I’m his brother.”
Dipper narrowed his eyes. “Ford never told me about a brother.” The man sighed again.
“Of course he didn’t.”
“You didn’t tell me you had a brother, either,” the girl piped up. Dipper glanced at her again.
“Who’re you?” he asked, his tone not very polite at all. He winced at the harshness.
“I’m Mabel!” the girl chirped, seeming not to notice. “What’s your name?”
“I’m, uh, Dipper.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, uh, Dipper!”
Dipper stared at her and her extended hand. Her smile dropped as she glanced down at it. “You’re supposed to shake it,” she told him. Dipper hesitated, then reached out, and she grabbed his hand, shaking it up and down. “There, see!”
“Uh-huh…”
“Look, kid,” Stanley sighed. “Can we come in? I don’t know when my brother will be back but I need to talk to him.”
“I don’t know…” Dipper said hesitantly. They seemed genuine enough, but he couldn’t quite shake the notion that they might not be what they seemed. After all, in Gravity Falls…
“Please?” Mabel asked, her eyes wide. “We have nowhere else to go.” Her voice broke on the last word, and he sighed.
“Fine,” he said, stepping back and opening the door. “Come in. Just don’t- don’t touch anything.”
The two of them entered the room, and stood there as he shut and locked the door behind them. He glanced at them and found that they were both staring around the room, eyes wide with something he couldn’t name. Surprise? Horror, maybe? Mabel reached up and grabbed Stanley’s hand. Stanley whistled.
“Nice, uh, place you got here,” he said. Dipper glanced around at the bare wooden room, the threadbare furniture, the weapons hanging on and stuck into the wall, the papers and books everywhere, the writing on the walls. He shrugged.
“Not really,” he said. Stanley glanced at him.
“So,” he said, dragging out the word, “You’re Ford’s…?”
“Apprentice,” Dipper filled in for him. “I’m his apprentice.” Stanley frowned.
“Aren’t you a bit young for that?” Dipper shrugged.
“I’m smart. He has nine PhD’s. It works out.”
“Nine? Jesus.” Stanley glanced around again. “Say, is there anywhere we can sit down?” Dipper nodded hesitantly, and lead them to the kitchen. That room didn’t look much better; the table and chairs looked worn-down, the side was piled with dirty dishes and lab equipment, the cupboards were open and empty, and there was a faintly off smell that permeated throughout the room. Mabel scrunched up her nose beside him.
“Why are all your windows boarded up?” she asked curiously. Dipper glanced over at the windows, which were, as she said, boarded up. He shrugged.
“To keep things out,” he said. She glanced at him, appearing more than a little creeped out.
“O-kaaay…”
Suddenly there was a bang as the door opened and closed. Everyone in the room jumped.
“Dipper!” Ford called. “Dipper, where are you? There’s a car outside and I’m 80% certain it wasn’t here when I left-” Ford suddenly rounded the corner into the kitchen and froze, staring at its two new occupants.
“Hey, Poindexter,” Stanley said, sounding somewhat more anxious than he had when Dipper answered the door. “Long time no see, eh?”
“Stanley,” Ford said, breathlessly. “What are you doing here?”
“Yeah, actually, about that, I need to talk to you.
Alone
,” Stanley added pointedly, glancing at Dipper and Mabel. Ford glanced down at them too, and frowned.
“Who’s this?”
“That’s my daughter-”
“You have a daughter?” Ford sounded bewildered. He crouched down and held his hand out to Mabel. “Hi, I’m Ford,” he introduced himself. “What’s your name, little lady?” Mabel giggled and reached out to shake his hand.
“I’m Mabel!” she introduced herself. She glanced down at their hands and gasped, eyes widening. “Six fingers! That’s like, a whole finger friendlier than normal!” Ford laughed, taken aback, and straightened up.
“Yes, well, he said, holding one hand in the other. “If you kids want to go entertain yourselves for a while, I need to talk with my brother.”
Mabel hesitated, and glanced over at Stanley.
“Go on,” he told her, and she nodded. Dipper reached out and grabbed her wrist, leading her from the room and out into the hall, the door slamming shut behind them. The two of them stood, staring at each other for a moment.
“I’m gonna…” Mabel pointed down the hall, pulling her arm free. Dipper nodded and watched her go, listening as the front door opened and closed. He sighed and turned to go upstairs- he had no delusions that the conversation in the kitchen would be a short one. He was half the way up when he suddenly froze.
Wait… Did Mabel just go outside?!
Mabel sat on the hood of the car, a handful of pebbles in one hand. It was colder here than it had been in California, but Mabel didn’t mind too much; she had her sweater, and even if she hadn’t, being outside was at least better than being inside that house. She glanced over at it, a dark imposing wooden structure with boarded-up windows and an overgrown garden. It looked abandoned; how could anyone possibly live in there?
She sighed and threw another pebble into the trees, lost in thought. She hoped the talk between her dad and uncle would be done soon; she hoped Dipper was alright. She wondered how he’d become Ford’s apprentice, and why he’d willingly set foot inside that house; did he live there, or did he have a home in town? If he did live there… why?
She threw another stone, and somebody yelped, “Ow!” Mabel froze.
“Uh, is someone there?” she called, hopping down from her perch. There was no response, and she anxiously inched closer. “Hello? I’m really sorry I hit you! Can I help?”
She’d just passed the treeline when a voice replied, “Why, I think you can.”
Mabel spun around, searching for the speaker, and before she knew what was happening, her feet became tangled and she found herself careening towards the ground. She yelped and reached out to catch herself, coming down hard on the forest floor. She blinked in confusion, gasping, and twisted around to see her ankles tangled with… was that string? She turned back in front of her and saw a grinning face, and her face twisted in confusion.
“Wha…?” The tiny man laughed.
“Yes, I think you can help us,” he said, and suddenly, Mabel’s world went black.
Dipper burst out of the front door and yelled, “Mabel!”
There was no response. Dipper panted as he looked around; everything was quiet and still, nothing changed. Dread crept up on him, but he refused to fall victim to hit. Maybe she was just around the back of the house. He circled the house twice, and by the time he made his way back to the front, the dread had settled in his stomach.
“Oh, no,” he muttered, staring out at the woods. “Oh, crap.”
Mabel groaned as she came to. Her head was swimming, her vision blurry, and her body was twisted in an uncomfortable position that made everything ache. She tried to move from it, but found that she couldn’t; her eyes snapped open and she glanced down to found that she was tied up, her arms twisted behind her and lashed to a tree, and her ankles tied together.
“Wha…?” she mumbled in confusion and blinked, looking around her.
Surrounding her was a crowd of small men with pointy hats and bushy beards.
“Aah!” she yelped in horror.
“Hey, hey, calm down,” said a voice, and one of the men came forwards, hands held out in a placating gesture. “You’re in no danger here.”
“No?” Mabel asked, pulling at her arms to no avail. “So why am I tied up?”
“To keep you from running off!” the man said.
“Yeah, normally when people don’t want you to leave, they’re not doing it with good intentions.”
“Well, our intentions are good!” the man insisted. “I’m Jeff, and we’re the Gravity Falls Gnome Colony. Recently our queen was murdered and we’ve been left without one, and we’ve been looking for someone to fill that gap.”
“Me?” Mabel asked in bewilderment.
“Yes, you !” the gnome insisted. “You would be the most beautiful queen we’ve ever had!” Mabel laughed shakily at that.
“Ha, yeah?” she asked. “Well, maybe it won’t be that bad, being queen of the gnomes. Is there some sort of coronation ceremony, or…?”
“Sure!” Jeff said. “You just need to marry us, and then-”
“Wait, marriage?” Mabel cried. “I can’t get married!”
“Why not?” Jeff asked, confused. Then, “Oh, you’re not already married, are you?” He seemed somber.
“N-” Mabel cut herself off, hesitating. “Actually, yes. Yes I am.”
“That’s a real shame,” Jeff said, taking off his hat. “A real shame.” “So, you’ll let me go?” Mabel asked hopefully.
“What? No.” Jeff glanced up at her, his expression twisted into one of malice. “We’re going to go kill your husband!”
“Wait,
what
?!”
“Mabel!” A voice came drifting through the trees. “Mabel, where are you?”
“Dipper!” Mabel yelled. “Dipper, I’m over here!”
“Is that him?” Jeff asked, darkly. Before Mabel could respond, he’d returned his hat to his head and yelled, “Gnomes! Get him!”
“Wait! No!” Mabel cried as the gnomes started to race across the clearing. She watched in horror as they began to climb atop one another, becoming something else, something monstrous…
“Mabel!” Dipper’s voice was closer now. The bushes on the opposite side of the clearing rustled, and he stepped out from the woods.
“Dipper, watch out!” Mabel screamed. Dipper startled, glancing over at her and then up at the gnome-monster, which turned toward him. His mouth formed an ‘o’ of realisation.
The gnomes lashed out, and Dipper ducked, rolling across the ground, under the arm and towards Mabel.
“Whoa!” Mabel cried as Dipper sprung up and pulled a knife out from seemingly nowhere. He used it to cut through the ropes on her hands and feet, and then tucked it away, holding out a hand to help her up. Mabel took it, jumping to her feet.
“Come on!” Dipper called over the furious roaring of the gnomes. Still holding hands, the two of them took off through the woods, pursued by the giant gnome monster. Finally, they burst through the trees, back at the house.
“Get inside!” Dipper yelled. “I’ll get the shotgun-”
“A gun!” Mabel cried, stopping and pulling her hand free of his. “Dipper, you can’t kill them!”
“Why not?” Dipper asked. “They’ll destroy the house otherwise, Ford and your dad are in there-”
“It’s wrong!” Mabel yelled. Behind them, the monster emerged from the trees. Dipper cursed.
“We have to do something!” he yelled.
Mabel nodded, and glanced around, her eyes landing on something sticking out from behind a bin. She raced over and grabbed it, turning it on the gnomes.
“A leaf-blower?!” Dipper stared in astonishment as Mabel switched on the machine, blowing a hole in the gnomes. Dipper’s eyes widened and he raced over to her, grabbing onto the leaf blower. Mabel shifted to the side and the two of them stood, side by side, holding their own as they blew the gnomes away.
Finally, the only one left was Jeff, holding into a tree branch to keep himself in place. “This isn’t the end!” he yelled. “We’ll be back!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Mabel said. She nodded to Dipper, and he cranked the blower up a notch, and Jeff blew away.
Dipper turned the blower off, and Mabel dropped it, sighing. She glanced over at Dipper and sighed. “I’m sorry about that,” she apologised. Dipper glanced at her in confusion.
“It wasn’t your fault. I should have warned you about the woods.”
“It’s alright. All’s well that ends well, right?” Dipper gave her a hesitant smile.
“Right.”
She opened her arms. “Hug?” she asked. Dipper looked confused again. “You know, a hug?” Mabel asked. There was no change in his expression. “You… You’ve never been hugged?” she asked, horrified. He shook his head.
“No…?”
“Well then, you definitely need one,” Mabel said. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him; he stood stiffly until she let go. He looked awkward.
“I’m sorry…”
“No, it’s fine,” Mabel said with a smile. “We’ll work on it.” Dipper smiled back.
Behind them, the front door burst open, and Stan emerged from inside. “Hey, kids!” he greeted.
“Hi Dad!” Mabel called. She gave Dipper an apologetic glance and ran over to him. “How did your conversation with Uncle Stanford go?”
“Eh…” He rubbed the back of his head. Mabel deflated with disappointment. “We’re allowed to stay, at least until we get our own place.” Mabel perked up.
“Really? Yay!”
“Haha, yeah.” He ruffled her hair. “Wanna help me get the bags out of the car?” Mabel nodded and followed him around to the trunk, pulling her suitcase out. She turned around to see Stanford waiting at the door, Dipper stood beside him, Ford’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. Stanford’s expression was unreadable, but Dipper was smiling; he caught her eye and gave a small wave.
Mabel waved back and let her gaze travel past him, over the foreboding-looking house and the dark woods. She took in a deep breath of the pine scented air, and smiled, making her way over to her new home.
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all.
Night was falling. Dipper handed Stanley- who he’d been told to just call Stan- the spare duvet, standing outside the door of the room that Ford had given him and Mabel to sleep in. “Thanks, Kid,” Stan said gruffly.
“Yeah…” Dipper stepped back as Mabel walked past him into room, dressed in her pyjamas. She smiled at him, and he flashed a smile back. “Just, make sure you lock the door,” he told them.
“Lock the door?” Stan asked.
“Yeah,” Dipper said. “Gravity Falls… is not a safe place.”
Stan looked uncomfortable. “Uh, sure. We’ll lock it.”
“Okay.” Dipper nodded and turned to walk away.
“Goodnight, Dipper!” Mabel called after him. He paused and turned back.
“Goodnight,” he said, and then disappeared down the hall.