Chapter Text
Marianna woke up to the sound of a foghorn rolling over to see stan dead to the world starfished out before glancing over at the clock on the wall, 08:38. She would have been at work by now. Crap. Work after today she’s got to go back to California. Another long night of driving with little sleep to do a 12-hour shift. She grumbled, sticking her leg out into the freezing room and tucking it back in shivering. She didn’t miss how cold the house was in the morning. The Sooner she got out of bed the sooner she could get the heating on. She wormed her way out grabbing her dressing gown and cringing as she stepped along the icey floorboards. She Squinted at the thermostat seeing it was set to 18 degrees(64), it definitely wasn’t that she could almost see her breath.
She shivered her way into the kitchen putting the kettle on the stove waiting for it to boil. She looked at the papers and notes left on the table from the day prior and some empty packets of crisps that had gone stale. She sighed, straightening out the papers, skim-reading a few of them before tapping them on the table and laying them down. She looked out the kitchen window seeing the snow had gone down more seeing green bits of the grass and trees peeking out. Living out here for 6 years she’s seen this freak weather sweep down from Washington and Canada. So it’s unsurprising it was already melting, only at the end of October. Ford’s favourite time of year for cryptic hunting, always finding a new one fleeting enough that they barely got a glimpse of it and they spent the whole night chasing it coming across others that tended to be more prominent. The pumpkin with faces, Keven the wittlist wampire (some poor sod who’s over 600 years old and can’t grow facial hair still), eyebats are abundant, and reverse vampires. Marianna shivered at the thought, she hated having such tiny feet and hands (and Ford’s boasting that he was 66 and a half inches taller than she was now, he was no longer shorter by an inch).
The kettle whistles piercing her thoughts as she pulls her attention away from the window and back to the stove. That kettle has seen her through the worst and the good old girl was still in somewhat top-notch shape thanks to Fiddleford supping it up to always make the best brew.
Marianna poured the tea into two cleanish mugs. Not that Stan would mind as she has a feeling he would be grateful for the brew. On the way down to Ford's study where Stan had made basecamp; she entered Ford's room which was to put it plainly a right mess. Instead of books and research papers, it was clothes and wrappers of what looked like bandages and other medical equipment. Her chest tightened as she dipped a little further into the room, seeing old blood and what looked like sick, that would explain the smell that had been wafting around this end of the house when she had looked for extra bedding for Stan. Trying to put that at the back of her head she went to his wardrobe taking out his dressing gown for Stan, retreating out the door as quickly as she could. She tried her best to put the thoughts of Ford hurting himself or more like what Bill did while he was in control, how much pain her poor friend must have been in, all alone-no now wasn’t the time to dwell now was the time to get Stan up and get Ford home sooner. It’s bad enough it’s been 24 hours give or take since he sacrificed himself for her and was taken away.
She tiptoed into the room, so as not to startle him. She put down the mugs as she reached out to shake him awake. Accidentally startled him when she stumbled over Stan’s boots as he sat up suddenly grabbing her arm and pulling her over she yelped as he pinned her to the makeshift bed. She felt heat creep up her cheeks as Stan looked down at her half asleep. It’s only now she took him in. How tired he looked, he was carrying a family-sized suitcase under his eyes. Oddly it framed the glimmer in his half-open eyes. Even if it was just the morning glaze over them, the life he had in them was something she had seen Ford’s dwindle as he spiralled into despair. But as Stan woke up the brighter that glimmer was, Bringing her an odd sense of comfort, almost a glimpse of the old Ford in them.
As Stan looked down at her, her hair all tousled and a sleepy content smile on her face. He felt his heart flutter at how vulnerable she was pinned to the bed. He would never dare admit it to himself but in that moment the world and the problems burdened were lifted and it was bliss. He could feel his cheeks dusting pink, he shook his head and quickly got off her muttering sorry as she giggled sitting up and running her hands through her hair.
“Not used to having other people around I’m guessing,” she said, sitting herself up as she reached for his tea and offered it to him. He glanced between the mug and her before hesitantly taking it, his body screaming at him not to trust her barely knowing her 24 hours.
She smiled happily that he took it as she could see that he had some trust issues with the way he had acted last night after she managed to coax him upstairs for a break and something to eat.
“T-thanks and no I think the last time I slept in the same room as someone was when I got rounded up and got the shit kicked out of me” He half-joked giving her a half-hearted chuckle. He stopped when she gave him a surprised look with pity in her eyes.
“Stanley, that's horrible your poor thing” She frowned, putting her tea down before hugging him. He went rigid under her touch, trying to stop his fight or flight response from being touched. Having not reserved this sort of affection made his skin crawl where she was touching him. But her warmth barely started to seep in as she quickly let go holding her hands up embarrassment emanating from her flustered cheeks. He didn't deserve her pity; it was his fault for not skipping town quickly enough. Another factor was her friendly demeanour even though she left his brother in what seems his hour of need. But he can’t rush to such conclusions considering Ford didn’t stand with him in his hour of need.
“Sorry I should have asked first, Ford normally didn’t mind random hugs, old habits…” She trailed off awkwardly picking up her tea, taking a sip and humming at the warmth and taste. Stan knew better by now if he didn’t see the drink being made, don't drink it. He pretended to take a sip of his mimicking a hum before putting it down on the opposite side of her so she couldn’t see how much he hadn’t had any.
“Oh before we discuss the plan of action for today I got Ford’s dressing down, trust me you’re going to need it I think the heating has been turned off. I guess Ford turned it off to stay awake.” she reached over and got the dressing gown offering it to him as he took it putting it on.
“Right, I am going to get dressed and see if I can find anything else to do with the portal.” Marianna got up heading over to the door frame. As Stan gave her a nod as he stretched. She said a silent ok not knowing what to do with herself before exiting and speed walking up the hall.
Stan felt a grin grow on his face at her awkwardness. He then chastised himself to focus on the task at hand getting up and making his way to the bathroom. He needed a piss and a shower, he definitely wanted to take advantage of having proper plumbing in case in the next hours or even days they managed to get Ford back he would probably kick Stan to the curb and it would be back to surviving anyways necessary.
Upon entering he saw empty plaster packets and bandages everywhere and blood smeared on almost every surface. He caught a glance at a hammer and the blood-rusted thin long nails but the window. The stench of it made him gag. No matter how much he was longing for a shower he could stink a bit more for now. He leaned on the wall outside thinking of what would have caused Ford’s…blood to be everywhere. His mind quivered in disgust at the thought of his brother doing that to himself.
He got himself dressed into other less grotty clothes heading down to the lab. Finding Marianna dressed in a turtleneck and some smart trousers typing away at one of the computer things that Stan had only seen in shops and TV shows. “Hey Stan,” she smiled, glancing at him as she continued to type out the codes. He grabbed an extra chair scooting himself up to her desk.
“What are you doing kid?” he asked, reading what she was typing.
SEARCH FILE: PORTAL ACTIVATION SEQUENCE
NO FILE FOUND
SEARCH FILE: PORTAL SEQUENCE ACTIVATION
NO FILE FOUND
“Seeing if Fordsy or Fiddle backed up any files of it on this hunk of junk, But it looks like it may have been wiped when the portal activated yesterday or it’s corrupted or it’s what I have typed in but it has been coded using one of the many cyphers that Ford liked to use to keep things secret,” she explained swivelling to him. “Know anything about computers?”
“Not a clue, sorry” he shrugged as she let out a frustrated sigh as she flopped her head on the keyboard as the computer let out an error noise.
“How are we going to do this Stan, I need to head back to California tomorrow for work, I can’t see you knowing where to even start when it comes to figuring out the calculations, I can send money for you until we can figure out another way of getting income.” she rambled on as she turned her head towards him still resting it on the keyboard.
“Hey, now, we will work it out, we’re a team remember” he gave her a smile of encouragement as she looked up at him in despair. What was he saying? He only has known her for 24 hours. He doesn't trust her with any fibre of his body, but he knew she was the ticket to getting Stanford back so he’s just going to have to get on with it.
“I know we are stan but there is just no solving any of this, if I had stayed a bit longer after the incident and given into fords pleas for me to stay, I would at know where to start” she explained sitting up and going over to a chalkboard as she started writing on it.
“The only thing that seems coherent with the stuff we have found is the one formula, I hypothesise that's a starting point but, what that formula means is a mystery” she explained.
“So what did you do for the 6 years you're here with Sixer? If you don’t know about all of this nerd physics stuff”
“I was his research and archivist assistant, although most of the time I was his second when he would go out on hunts and expeditions before Fiddleford came back and they went out without me sometimes-most of the time” she noted sourly looking distantly at the dim portal room as her sour face melted into a longing one as she picked at her lip. Only then did Stan realise the jumper she was wearing was far too big on her…Ford’s.
Stan took a moment to take in what she had just told him. He knew Ford tended to forget the world around him and forget people. But Marianna lived with him 5 years before that fiddlesticks guy came onto the scene. So why did he suddenly stop asking her to come with him? It was clear he loved her otherwise that sacrificing gesture wouldn't have happened. Maybe he didn't want to lose her if she was to get hurt or killed.
He watched as she turned her attention away from the portal and made her way further into the lab. She went into the storeroom going through the draws of the only tidy surface of the whole lab or reaching in as a clank was heard and she pulled out a small box and put it in her pocket, saying she needed some air before taking the elevator up.
He decided she needed a moment alone and left her to it. He turned his attention to the computer she was using, sliding himself over and trying his hand at punching in different ways the files could show up. After a few hours, he gave up in frustration. Deciding he needed some air himself. He headed up the elevator and rounded the corner into the living room. Getting a big whiff of a familiar smell as Marianna scooped some snuff onto the little spoon inhaling it.
“Didn’t take you as the drug-taking type” Stan chuckled as he sat down next to her on the couch.
“Well, recent events have caused me to need a bit of a pick me up” She explained, huffing a bit more snuff before closing the tin and putting it on the side table. Stan had dealt with his own drug problems and had lost the only trustworthy people to it in his early years of being on the road. Either by going cold turkey or involuntarily.
“S-should we…do you want to walk about it?” Stan questioned her, poking his fingers together as anxiousness emanated from him.
“No, I still need to process it I think,” she explained, sinking into Ford’s jumper a bit more.
“Why don’t we come up with a plan then, of how we are going to tackle this” Stan suggested giving her a supporting smile trying to lighten her mood a bit. She looked at him, seeing Ford in his face, the way his eyes lit up when he was suggesting a crazy scheme or theory about how the mailman was actually a werewolf or there was an invisible wizard out in the woods.
“I guess” She shot him a weak smile. “Well tomorrow I have to travel back to California for work, I can send money over so you can get food and other things you need but you might have to get a job in town part-time while I try and figure out how to get funding for up here again, although there is a plan R, it hasn’t gotten to that yet”
“Plan R?” Stan was intrigued by what she meant. Another similarity she and Ford shared having many backup plans and ideas for different situations.
“None you mind about that one I shouldn’t have said anything” she dismissed him. Stan wanted to question her further but left it as that as he could tell she wasn’t in the backstory mood.
“I wouldn’t worry about me, I am resourceful, and I can get the money one way or another” Stan assured her as they fell into a stale silence. Marianna knew what Stan meant but hated the thought of him having to pickpocket the people of the town and steal just to get by. If he was caught by someone it could put a bad label on them both.
As if on cue their stomachs sounded out whale calls.
"We haven't had anything to eat since those stale crisp packets last night and I think I may die if I don't have anything," Marianna said looking over to Stan cradling her belly.
“I'll go and make us something" stan offered, getting up and heading out the door, even if he didn’t want to acknowledge he was hungry so his stomach didn’t eat itself, doesn’t mean she has to go hungry, he’s lasted 4 days before he will be fine.
As he entered the kitchen and headed towards the fridge he saw Polaroid and other photos on it. One on what Stan presumed to be on their graduation day as they all threw their hats into the air holding up their diplomas as one of the caps hit Ford. He studied the photo trying to decipher who the other guy was in the photo. That Fiddlesticks guy?
He looked around the fridge seeing other photos that ranged from old to more recent photos. She and Ford ran for their lives away from what looked like a giant gnome. One showing Ford and that Fiddlesticks guy in some dorm taken in a very candid way celebrating something. Another with Ford laid out on a couch outside looking like a damsel in distress having fallen asleep while journaling. Another depicts Ford cuddling a weird creature with others trying to climb onto his lap. Another more recent one was her capturing a quite delightful moment of her ambushing Ford with a photo giving the camera a broad smile as the camera catches him with a frazzled look on his face.
One next to it was of Ford and Marianna enjoying some sorbet under a tree in what looked like the university. She was decked out in hippy attire while he had on a sweater vest, green short shorts and knee-high socks with Converses. Probably one's dad got him, spiteful pretences aside the smile and joy that filled Ford’s face he hadn't seen it since they were about 10, 12 at the latest. This girl must have meant a lot to Stanford…He decides at that moment that apart from getting him back he is going to make sure she is looked after when they get Ford back. He will just have to learn how to trust someone again. He hoped someone was looking down on him to make sure it didn’t backfire on him.
A glimpse of the dressing she put on his shoulder when Stan had made his way out of the room; made her drift back down to her hand. Bandaged in the same fashion having done it when she got pushed into the switch. Matching outward scars. The horror of Ford getting sucked in after that Kiss of lasting regret. The man she had come to love ripped away from her in an instant, now there was far from her grasp god knows where, in what state she didn’t even want to think about. She knew he could be resourceful when he needed to be but when they had turned up he looked like he hadn’t slept in a week (and she should know they experimented once to see who could not go crazy from lack of sleep, long story short they ended up passing out on the living room floor and waking up two days later cuddled up).
Stan's footsteps broke her out of her trance as he appeared back at the door frame itching his belly and lifting his shirt as she caught a glimpse of his outward belly. Very impure thoughts entered her mind as they did when Ford came out of a rare shower or on hot days unbuttoning his shirt to let his girls breathe. She could see they both were stocky boys even though Ford had done his best to stay fit, trim and able when it came to be about to outrun anomalies or chasing after them. She had to admit that she still did the exercises even when she had left, for her health and the hope one day she would be back one day to chase after them again with him.
"There's no food, Marianna, you know where Ford would keep any money?"
"I’ve checked and there is none, I might have $10 for emergencies in my car but I can't guarantee it's still there." she sighed, digging for her keys on the side table before she tossed them to him.
"Ok I'll see what I can buy and what I can steal," he said, pulling on his grimy red (now patched thanks to Marianna coat and his beanie over his matted hair, bundling himself up with her scarf and his mittens.
"Oh don't forget cleaning stuff and toiletries, god knows this place is filthy" she called out to him making him chuckle slightly (that’s not even half of it) before he left to go get the shopping.
Marianna's gaze fell back to her hand and the thought of Ford, and how on earth were they going to explain Ford going missing? What about the mortgage and the lab, it couldn't fall into someone else's hands. After a while, she got up having a proper look to see what had changed about this old place. Ton’s more papers and books in here along with specimens.
She got to a jar full of eyeballs that seemed to stare into her soul. She was quite surprised they hadn’t shrivelled and dried up having been shoved in that jar for 7-plus years now. She wonders at that moment how much they had witnessed sitting there on the shelf. Seeing her and Ford get closer, the arrival and the abrupt departure of Fiddleford. Stan showing up. Ford never dissected one so they weren’t to know if they had ears or could hear. Though they always had an air of happiness when she saw them so they must be sentient, maybe she can take one out and get to the bottom of it…or the top? Who knows. She looked at the other ‘trophies’ and souvenirs they had collected from their years of adventuring. The skeleton of a question duck, Plaidypus pelts, a rock that looks like a face. She chuckled weakly to herself remembering winding Ford up by saying it was a face that looked like a rock. Question duck quail feathers, the key to the 13th door down in town leading to the rumoured night market and the dust of the zombie skulls (she still loves how they defeated a horde of the undead with the raw power of BABBA disco girl) to name a few.
The melancholy peace was soon interrupted when Stan barreled through the side door with a group of people all looking eager and an air of anticipation wafting in with them. She spun around startled as she almost knocked something managing to save it.
"This people, is the murder hut" He announced proudly encouraging the people in and to crowd around.
Marianna made her way over to him, turning him away from the crowd slightly. "Stan why is there a group of people in the parlour?" she whispered through her teeth to him, putting on a smile to the group of people that were there.
"Play along" he whispered, clasping his arm around her and pulling her flush with his side. As she tried to hide her slight outrage at Stan for grabbing her like that.
"This ladies and gentlemen is Mrs Mystery, my angelic wife Marianna Pines" Stan smiled down at her as she looked at him in a bit of shock as their lips accidentally connected the pair felt a jolt of electricity shoot through their bodies as they moved away from each other. A pit of guilt grew in her stomach as she thought back to yesterday’s events.
“But I’m sure you lovely folks already know that come let us show you our wears” Stan recovered quickly as he shot Marianna an unsure glance as he guided her and the group around their oddities. Getting some congratulations and comments on why they hadn’t seen them, mainly her for the past year.
-*-
After the tour was done and Marianna made sure Stan didn't kill anyone with Ford stuff, he turned and smiled, holding up all the cash people had given him.
"See Marianna, this is how we are going to keep this place a float, roadside attraction by day and working on the portal by night" He beamed counting through the money again. Not having seen this much let alone have it in his grasp.
"S-stan?" she questioned he looked up as his smile dropped slightly upon seeing her looking like she was about to cry.
“I didn’t mean for that kiss to happen, I turned you turned" she sighed shakily hugging herself.
Stan put the money in his pocket before taking her arms. "Marianna I know you had something going on with Pindexder, I'm sorry for having to put you in that position but if we keep up the act people won't go off and have wild theories" Stan explained as she nodded. He smiled back, taking her by surprise and pulling her into a loving hug, maybe caught up in the moment, but for the first time in 10 years he could see the light at the end of the tunnel and it was all thanks to her coming into his life.
"We've got this, we are unstoppable"