Chapter Text
Pacifica has been preparing to get the hell away from her parents for her entire senior year of high school. She turned eighteen in December, finally becoming a legal adult, but she had to continue to attend her boarding school until she graduated. Her parents come to the ceremony because they have to, and immediately start discussing high end colleges they want to send her to and possible suitors, and Pacifica nods her head because she can’t tell them any differently. She can’t tell them that she already has the rest of her year planned out, and that it doesn’t include doing anything her parents want her to do.
Her parents leave on an extended business trip a few days later, and Pacifica breaths a loud sigh of relief the moment that they leave. Now Pacifica can finally leave this hellhole. Leaving, of course, is a long, semi-complicated and semi-extensive process. Pacifica paid the extra money so that she could move into the dorms at Piedmont Community College early, but there’s still the small matter of getting there.
First, she has to walk halfway across town to the Mystery Shack where she parked the shitty old Ford Explorer that she bought with her own money during Christmas break. Pacifica knew that she couldn’t leave with anything that her parents technically owned for a plethora of reasons, so she had to purchase a working vehicle from Gleeful. She had to shell out a bit more to guarantee that the man wouldn’t tell her parents, and then ask for Stan’s permission to park the damn thing over by the Shack.
That was probably the easiest part of the whole ordeal, because Stan would never deny Mabel anything. And getting Pacifica away from her parents has been Mabel’s main goal since last summer. They’re almost there now. Pacifica grabs the keys to the Explorer, and starts the walk over to the Mystery Shack. Honestly, no walk in Gravity Falls is all that bad. A town of just over three thousand people doesn’t take up all that much space, and Northwest Manor is actually on the same extreme end of town as the Shack. Her parents always complained about having to put up with that tourist just a mile away from their mansion, but Pacifica has really appreciated it this past year. It has made her life way easier.
Pacifica finally gets to the Shack, and she supposes that she could just take the vehicle and go. She has the keys, and she doesn’t have to say anything to Stan. Pacifica, however, has spent her whole life taking things for granted. She doesn’t really want to take this for granted too.
Pacifica knocks on the door, and is greeted to the sight of a lot more of Stan Pines than she ever really wanted to see. He’s in his boxer shorts, a tight white tank top and he looks like he has just crawled out of bed. He doesn’t really seem embarrassed by this, though.
“Um,” he says, “hi Pacifica.” His voice is as gruff as always, but he sounds a little surprised.
“I was just gonna take my car,” Pacifica says.
He nods his head, and says, “Yeah. Of course.”
“Thanks Mr. Pines,” Pacifica says. She’s still not all that great at showing her emotions, or thanking people. She’s not really all that great at interacting with people in general, but she’s trying.
“I let you park a car here, kid,” Stan says, “I didn’t pay for your college.” Pacifica laughs at that, because it’s such a Stan thing to do. To act like what he did didn’t matter at all.
“No,” she says, “it really did help. I appreciate it.” Stan smiles at, and it’s the sort of smile that she’s only ever seen him send Mabel or Dipper. It warms up her whole body.
"Drive safe,” he tells her.
“I will,” she promises, and she means it. She won’t drive recklessly when she has so much on the line. This is just the beginning of her real life. She walks off the porch, and gets into the car. She starts up the vehicle, and drives over to Northwest Manor, parking it in the grass right in front of the door that’s closest to her room. Pacifica hurries up the stairs, and into her room. She strips the bed, and shoves the bedding into a box along with some of her clothes. She hauls as much of her stuff as she can out to her car, and stuffs the trunk, the backseat and the front seat full. She’s going to get out of this house with as much stuff as possible, and make sure that she has everything that she might possibly need.
Once Pacifica is satisfied with her packing job, she goes into the kitchen to write her farewell. She pulls out a sheet of notebook paper out of an entire drawer filled with the stuff. Then she grabs a pen, and writes out the note. She tapes it to the biggest refrigerator in the kitchen.
It reads, “I’m leaving and I’m not coming back.
-Pacifica”
Pacifica doesn’t want them to know where she’s gone, and doesn’t really think that they deserve to know either. They do, however, deserve to at least have closure, to know that Pacifica left of her own accord and doesn’t plan on coming back. When they finally come back from their trip in a few days, they’ll be greeted by the note and Pacifica will be miles away. She picks up her phone, and dials Mabel.
“Paz!” Mabel says happily after she picks up the phone.
“I’m all packed, Mabes,” she says, “I’m on my way to Piedmont.” Mabel squeals on the other end of the line, which Pacifica assumes is a good thing.
“I can move into the dorm tonight,” Pacifica says.
“No,” Mabel says, “you have to stay with us tonight!” Pacifica’s heart does a somersault.
“Really?” she asks.
“Yeah,” Mabel says, “why wouldn’t I want you to stay with us?”
“Is it alright with your parents?” Pacifica asks. She really doesn't want to show up on Mabel's doorstep without her parents knowing beforehand.
“Let me check,” Mabel says, and Pacifica groans.
“Can Paz stay the night tonight!” Mabel shouts, but the sound is muffled through the phone.
“Of course!” a woman’s voice calls back.
She hears Mabel start to celebrate, before the woman that Pacifica assumes to be Mabel’s mother adds, “But she’ll have to stay in the guest room!”
“But mom-“
“No buts Mabel,” the woman says, and Mabel sighs loudly.
She puts the phone back to her ear, and says, “Yeah, you can stay here.”
“Alright,” Pacifica says, and she almost goes to hang up.
“Wait,” she says, “what’s your address?” Mabel giggles, and she rambles off the address. Pacifica then realizes that there’s no way that she’s going to remember it.
“Could you just text it to me when I hang up?” Pacifica asks.
“Yep,” Mabel says, popping the p.
“Alright,” Pacifica says, “that sounds great- fantastic.” She doesn’t really want to hang up, but Pacifica knows that she will have to. She can’t talk to Mabel for the whole drive or she’ll be terribly distracted. She does want to actually get to Piedmont.
“Bye, Mabel,” Pacifica says.
“See you soon, Paz,” Mabel says with a smile in her voice. Mabel hangs up the phone. Then a few moments later, Paz's phone vibrates as the text with Mabel’s address comes through. Pacifica smiles, and she sets her phone down. Then she starts up her vehicle, and starts to drive. She won’t be to Piedmont until at least seven o’clock, assuming that she makes no stops. Pacifica realizes that she had better get moving, and she hits the gas. She’s getting the hell out of here, and she’s going to be with Mabel. Life is pretty good.
The drive, along with stops for food, takes nearly ten hours. Pacifica has never driven for such a long period of time.
When Pacifica gets to the house that she thinks is Mabel's, she goes up to the door. The only reason she's positive that she’s at the right house is because the Pines family has a big limestone with their last name written on it. Their last name is flanked by cartoon pines trees. Then she knocks on the door. Mabel opens it up a moment later, and her eyes widen as her face lights up.
Her girlfriend engulfs her in a hug as she shouts, "PAZ!"
"It's good to see you too, Mabes," Pacifica says, giggling a little. Mabel holds her tightly, as if she's afraid that Pacifica will disappear if she lets go. Pacifica hugs her tightly back, to remind herself that Mabel's here, and so is she. They're together here in Piedmont. Pacifica hears the sound of someone going down the stairs.
Mabel's eyes widen, and she shouts, "“Dipper, get over here!” Pacifica peaks out from underneath Mabel’s arms, and spots the other boy walking over. He rolls his eyes, but he still answers Mabel's call. Dipper’s grown, and has stopped shaving the little bit of stubble that he has managed to acquire. He inserts himself into the puddle of hugs too.
“It’s good to see you, Pacifica,” he says. It doesn’t even sound angry or forced. They’ve been talking over skype for the last few months, rebuilding what they had into an actual, healthy friendship. It’s good to see that they’ve actually made progress.
“I missed you, Dip,” she says.
Dipper snorts, and says, “Sure you did.” But it doesn’t sound bitter, which lifts Pacifica’s spirits. Maybe soon they will be able to have the great friendship together that Pacifica always wanted. The hug goes on a few more moments, and then Mabel shoves the rest of them off of her.
“Shoo brother,” Mabel says, in that sort of bossy tone that Pacifica finds annoying coming from anyone but her, “give us a moment alone.”
“Fine,” Dipper says, “but I’m getting mom. She can’t wait to meet your girlfriend.” Pacifica blushes bright red and Mabel smiles at her. It doesn’t take five seconds for Mabel to hug her again.
“Welcome to the family,” Mabel murmurs in her ear, nuzzling into Pacifica’s hair. Pacifica’s never had a family, not really. Her parents were distant at best, and awful to her at worst. She didn’t feel one bit of guilt leaving them forever. But she feels something warm flow through her at the thought of being Mabel’s family, of being Dipper’s family. She likes the idea, and maybe, just maybe, this could be her home.