Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

You sighed, picking up some odds and ends as you listened to the distant, muffled conversation of Ford and his long estranged brother, Stanley. This was the first time they had seen one another in years, if what Ford had told you in the last year was true, and you didn't want to interrupt. If you had asked, Ford would never have made you stay upstairs, god knows you knew well enough the important discussion they were having, but you felt out of place there. You didn't know Stanley, but you knew the boy's history, and felt it wouldn't be your place to be there when they talked.

Ford had been... paranoid recently, to say the very least. He wouldn't tell you exactly why, just that it had something to do with the strange town and all its anomalies he dedicated his life to studying. You tried to pry it out of him, but he always insisted he couldn't tell you, that you knowing would put you in danger, and he wasn't willing to risk your life. He had mumbled something about 'him' coming after you if all went wrong, but you never found out who 'he' was. You knew about the portal, of course, about the strange things down in that dark, uncomfortable lab, but not what had suddenly made the once self-assured, intelligent man you loved act like everything was falling apart around him. He was going to abandon his studies, he even had you assist him in hiding one of his extensive journals, in case he ever forgot where it was. The other was to go to Stanley, which was why he was here now.

You worried for Ford, what was happening to him. It wasn't just the paranoia that had started ever since his partner, Fiddleford McGucket, had quit and refused to help Ford with finishing the portal they had worked so hard to build. It was how it had started, months prior. Ford had begun to disappear into his basement lab more frequently, saying he had to go 'meditate.' He would also spend nights on end working, rarely eating or sleeping. You would go to sleep at 2 in the morning after waiting up for him, and wake up into the afternoon, only to find out he had never come up to bed. When you would go to bring him food or water, the door to his lab would be locked, and you would have to wait for him to come up and open it so you could see him. He was never neglectful of you, he made sure to show you he appreciated you and everything you did for him, he was just lost in his own world. He seemed excited, saying he was finally getting close to what he had been working so hard towards, so you waited it out in hopes that this phase would end soon. It did, but not in the way you had wished for.

Now, as you nervously fiddled with an old invention of Ford's, pretending you were going to fix the loose screw hanging off the back, you listened to him and Stanley talk. You couldn't actually hear what they were saying, but hearing them talk gave you a little peace of mind. Maybe seeing Stanley would help. Maybe once those journals were out of his hands, and he could shut down the portal for good, the Ford you knew would be back. 

Their voices suddenly started to get louder, taking you by surprise. Why were they yelling? Had something happened?

You shook your head. It wasn't your business to get involved in, this was theirs and theirs alone. If they were going to fight, they were going to fight. You would be here for support, if needed, but you weren't going to intervene.

That promise to yourself didn't last as you suddenly heard a loud crash.

Okay, maybe it wasn't your business, but you weren't going to stand around if one of them had gotten hurt.

You made your way over to the elevator to Ford's lab, the sounds of fighting and crashing only getting louder and more intense. You felt panic growing in your chest as you anxiously waited for the elevator to descend, curing Ford for making it so damn slow. 

As the door finally opened, after what felt like hours, you watched as Ford stood above Stanley, worry in his eyes as he tightly gripped his journal in his hands. There was a burn mark in Stanley's shoulder, his shirt singed at the edges."-oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you al-"

Your eyes widened as Stanley sat up, landing a hard punch to Ford's nose that sent him flying back into the portal room. The two were so wrapped up in their own fight, they hadn't even noticed you were there, watching in a panic.

You ran to the window that separated the portal from the lab, as Ford crashed to the ground and knocked a lever out of its place. Stanley walked up to him, gripping his shoulder in pain. You couldn't see his face, but you could imagine the rage and anger in his expression. You wanted to intervene, to yell at them to stop, but you were frozen in place. It all happened so quickly, you were barely able to process anything before Stanley spoke again.

"Some brother you turned out to be," Stanley growled. "You care more about your dumb mysteries than your family, well then you can have 'em!" He shoved the journal back into Ford's arms, causing Ford to stumble backwards.

Without warning, Ford was suddenly lifted off the ground by an invisible pull, towards the portal that you now realized was on . You felt your whole body go cold, panic rushing through you as you desperately searched for a button to turn it off, a lever to pull, anything that would keep him from being dragged in. You pressed everything you could, before it dawned on you that the only switch that would turn it off was the lever Ford had stumbled into earlier.

Helplessly, you watched as Stanford, the dorky, lovable, passionate, intelligent scientist you had fallen in love with, was pulled into the portal, begging his brother to do something. As soon as he had fully disappeared into it, a deafening sound filled the entire basement, before a blinding light and wave of some kind of energy pushed you to the ground.

When the world had cleared again, you stood up, the smallest bit of hope that you would see Ford standing there, unharmed, in your chest. But no. All that was left was Stanley, desperately pulling on the lever, shouting something you couldn't hear over your own shock. 

He was... he was gone.

When Stanley realized it was hopeless, that the portal wasn't about to reopen, he turned to the lab. You watched as his eyes widened, spotting you in the window, likely with the same look of panic and shock he had.

You couldn't bare to look at him, running out of the lab and up to the house. He called after you, and you could hear him following, but you just couldn't talk to him. He had pushed him into that portal, he was the reason that you now had no idea where Ford was, or if he was alive, or if you'd ever see him again. Accident or not, he had done it. And you had to watch it happen.

You only made it as far as the front door before he caught up with you.

"Y/n, I-"

"Don't!" You turned to him, jabbing a finger into his chest. Your vision was blurred with tears, tears both of pain and rage.

"I can't... I can't listen to you," you managed to stutter out, your hand that was pointed at him shaking. "This is your fault! He's-" 

Your voice cracked, and suddenly the weight of everything you had just witnessed hit you. Your knees began to shake, your vision now blurring for a whole other reason. You slowly lowered yourself to your knees, just to keep from passing out, tears streaming down your cheeks.

"He's gone."

It sounded like your voice, but it didn't feel like you had said it. A sob wracked through your entire body as you fell against the front door, putting your face in your hands. You could feel Stanley kneel in front of you, a hand cautiously touching your arm in an awkward attempt at comfort, but you swatted it away.

"Don't touch me." You managed to whisper between your hands, puling your knees up to your chest and sobbing into them.

Stanley didn't say a word, but he didn't leave you, either. You never told him to. You may have hated him, wished he had never appeared on your doorstep that day, but the idea of being alone right now was even more torturous than sitting with him. 

Ford was gone. And you couldn't do anything about it.

-

For years, the pain didn't cease. 

You hated Stanley. He was the reason Ford was gone, after all. But he also had one of the journals, and had promised you that he would do everything he could to bring Ford back. You didn't own the house, but you had lived there with Ford for months, so you allowed Stanley to stay. You could barely stand having him there, but he kept his distance from you, spending most of his time in the basement. You couldn't bare going down there. You could barely sleep in the bed you had shared with Ford, much less go back to the place where he had been so viciously ripped away from you.

When Stanley started bringing tour groups to the house, you objected at first. This was your home, who was he to bring strangers in to see your love's discoveries and life's work?

When he showed you, however, the money he had made from those tours and how he could afford to buy food for you both again, you decided to let it go. Eventually, after a year or so of hiding in your room when the tour groups came by, you started helping. Whether it be tidying up the gift shop, counting the earnings from the day, or whatever else you felt like doing, it gave you purpose for awhile. Something to do that didn't make you think about Ford.

Stanley and you had developed an unspoken agreement to only speak to each other when necessary, and that neither of you were leaving the house until you either died or Ford came back. You knew you were likely too cold, too callous to him sometimes, but you couldn't help it. And he never said a word about it, never complained when you gave him the cold shoulder or snapped at him. He felt like he deserved it.

Years passed by, and you both settled into a rhythm that worked. The Mystery Shack was born, a cheap tourist trap that raked in the earnings of oblivious visitors. You worked inside it, along with Stan, eventually managing to put aside your negative feelings towards him enough to be of help. 

5 years went by. Then 10, then 20, and before you knew it, 30 years had passed.

30 years.

It seemed impossible. 30 years without Ford. 30 years that you could have been having the adventures in the woods you used to, 30 years that you could have been watching the way he would get all jittery and get a sparkle in his eye when he made a new discovery, 30 years that you could have spent admiring the way his cheeks tinted pink whenever you would kiss his nose before leaving him to his lab work.

30 years that you held out hope that he was out there, somewhere, and that he would come back.

The longer it went, the less hope you managed to keep. 

That was, until, Stanley's niece and nephew came to visit one summer, and the boy, Dipper, managed to find the journal you had helped Ford hide all those years ago. For the kid's sake as much as your own, you pretended you had never seen it before. Both you and Stan had agreed to keep them away from this. Mabel and Dipper's safety came before anything else now.

However, the federal government arrested Stan one day, the day he told you he may be closer than ever to getting Ford back. When he had escaped custody, and ran to you outside the Mystery Shack, telling you to keep them outside, you obliged.

There wasn't much hope left, but there was a small flicker, buried deep in your chest, that kept you in your spot, distracting the agents as best you could.

If nothing else, it was another adventure. But maybe... maybe he'd come back.

Maybe.

Chapter Text

"I assure you, sir, there's nothing weird about this place," you said to the man who seemed to be in charge of the whole operation. "I've lived here for my entire life, the entire town has weird stuff happen, but the Mystery Shack is probably one of the most normal places here. It's just a tourist stop meant to freak people out a little between road trip destinations."

Your explanation was the same Stan had given you years ago in case something like this were to ever happen. It wasn't the weakest argument, but it wasn't strong enough to get the government officials to leave. That's okay, you thought to yourself. You just had to keep them out of the basement.

"I understand that, m'am, but I can't just stop an entire investigation because one of the owners says nothing is happening." His voice was deep, intimidatingly so, but not enough to make you back down. Dealing with difficult people was something you had managed to survive doing for 30 years. You had managed to not strangle Stan before then.

Speaking of, you hoped whatever he was doing he would finish quickly. You could only distract the men for so long, and he had already been gone for what felt like forever. Realistically, he had  run into the Mystery Shack about half an hour ago, and the government officials had only arrived a few minutes ago, but you were already running out of distraction methods that kept your reputation in tact.

"I understand, sir," you said in a stern tone. "But I also didn't give you permission to search my house yet. I'm pretty certain you need my consent to conduct-"

"We don't need consent if there's probable cause or evidence of a crime being committed. Your friend, Stanford Pines, stole waste from a government facility." Right. 

It still shook you a little to hear Stanley be called Stanford. You didn't like that he had taken his name, but it made sense. Stanford was the name on the deed for the house, and Stanley had a history that would catch up to him if he went around using his real name. 

You ignored the subtle twist in your gut that came around every time someone said that name, pressing into the government official even more.

"You don't have evidence that it was him. The person who stole was in a hazmat suit, I saw the footage." You snapped, probably more theatrically than needed. Whatever, if you kept them busy, that was all that mattered.

The government official's eyes finally met yours, and you recognized the frustration as soon as you saw it.

Whoops, maybe you pressed a little too hard.

"M'am, if you don't calm down and let us do what we need to do, I will have you removed from the premises."

You crossed your arms, backing down only a little. "I am perfectly calm. I am simply trying to protect my right to privacy in my own home."

The man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. Oh, he thought you were being annoying now?

You were only at a 3 on a scale of 10.

"M'am, did you not see everything in this town float a hundred feet in the air like ten minutes ago? The energy surge very clearly came from this house. That is the only evidence we need."

You narrowed your eyes. "Sounds like a conspiracy theory to me. I think that's just an excuse to search my property, can I see your warrant?"

He opened his mouth to snap at you, likely to tell you to get lost, but you were cut off by an agonizingly loud screeching noise. You winced, covering your ears as everyone with an earpiece crumpled to the ground. It lasted for what felt like an eternity, before finally ceasing.

The official in front of you looked around, confused. "Where the hell are we?"

Now it was your turn to look confused. Why did he forget where he was? Did the noise give him some kind of brain damage?

You turned to the rest of them, only to see the same look of confusion on their faces, mumbling to each other about where they were and why they were here.

What the hell was that?

"Stand down, gentlemen!"

Your heart just about stopped.

That voice. You knew that voice anywhere. It was as familiar as the sound of your own heart pounding in your chest.

It was the same voice that once wished you goodnight before falling asleep at your side, the voice that once told you about every constellation overhead with enthusiasm, the voice that once whispered about how loved you were, how much the owner of the voice cared about you. It was his voice.

You turned, only to see that he was facing the other way, talking to some of the officials beneath the steps. You could make out his hair, still the same fluffy, unkept mess it always was, but now a silvery gray. He was dressed in all black, but with the signature long coat he always wore.

It had to be him.

"I've been sent with the latest intel from Washington." He said, his voice confident even as he clearly lied through his teeth. He lifted up a stack of papers, which you could tell from where you were standing, were just some of Mabel's colorful drawings. "According to this very real report, the power surges in Gravity Falls were actually due to radiation from an unreported meteor shower. A total embarrassment for your whole department."

You supposed this should be funny. You should find the fact the government officials at his feet were completely fooled by his obvious lie hilarious. But you were so in shock, so lost and confused and relieved and horrified all at the same time, that all you could do was watch, your eyes wide and your jaw slack.

"Luckily, I'm here to take this mess off your hands. I'll need all of your... floppy disks, and uh... eight tracks."

If recognizing his voice hadn't convinced you, that did. A man who hadn't been in this dimension for 30 years wouldn't know that floppy disks hadn't been used for a long time. It would have been endearing, under other circumstances.

The government officials handed him a flash drive, obviously confused at this strange man's confusion about the current technology.

"Well what are you waiting for, a kiss on the cheek?!" His voice suddenly rose, pointing towards the road to leave this town. "Get out of here before I have your butts courtmartialed!"

You watched as the government guys all loaded up into their cars, disappearing down the road without a single complaint or question.

You had to admit, it was impressive.

You couldn't seem to find your voice as the twins ran out of the house, shocked at how well Ford had pulled off fooling the government guys. Stan talked it down, rolling his eyes, but the twins paid him no mind. None of them had noticed you yet, and you weren't sure how exactly to make yourself known. How do you talk to someone you had convinced yourself was dead? Someone who disappeared from your life 30 years ago?

Dipper pulled out a pen and notepad, clicking the pen as he asked if he could question Ford about Gravity Falls. It didn't surprise you, the kid had been enamored by the mysteries here since the day he arrived. Finding the author of the journal he had poured over for months? It was like meeting the hero you didn't know existed.

That was when Stan finally noticed you, standing speechlessly off to the side. He knew this was going to be a big moment, good or bad, and decided it might be best if the kids weren't here for it. He owed the two of you that much.

He pushed the kids inside the house before turning to his brother again. 

"I think you've got one more person who you should talk with."

He nodded his head in your direction, and Ford turned to face you.

It felt like time had stopped. After all these years, he was here. He was standing in front of you, alive. The same eyes you could recognize over any frame of time, the same glasses that he had once let you try on just to watch you stumble with an adoring laugh, the same face, but now worn with what looked like the weight of a hundred lifetimes.

When his eyes met yours, he looked as if he had seen a ghost. Slowly, he stepped off the porch, never looking away from you.

He muttered your name so quietly, it felt like more a question for himself than you. 

When he finally stood only inches away from you, you felt like your voice had returned.

"Stanford Pines." You said softly, feeling your heart pounding in your chest.

A moment passed, where his eyes roamed your face, as if taking in every detail he could. Slowly, cautiously, he brought a six-fingered hand up to your cheek, cupping it tentatively. When you didn't flinch from his touch, his eyes sparkled ever-so-slightly, that look you had missed for so long.

That touch brought a wave of relief through every part of your body. His hand was warm, comforting, familiar, even though it had become more rough and calloused than you remembered. 

He was at a loss for words, his mouth open like he wanted to say something, anything. His mind was racing with a million thoughts, thoughts he wanted to say to you, things he had told himself he would tell you if he ever got to see you again, but he couldn't bring himself to speak a single one. 

Without another word, you acted purely on instinct, reaching your arms up to his shoulders and pulling him into a hug. He didn't hesitate to hug you back, his fingers digging into your back like you might get ripped away from him again if he didn't hold on tight enough. He buried his face in your shoulder, and you could swear you heard the lightest sniffle, but the sound was gone before you could understand it.

You closed your eyes as tears began to build in them, nestling your face into his neck as if it could bring you closer to him than before. He smelled like smoke, like sweat and dirt, but you didn't care, because underneath the surface was the scent you recognized as purely his, a warm, comforting scent you couldn't name, but could recognize anywhere. 

You had no idea how long you were there, holding one another in silence, but it didn't matter.

He was back.

He was back, and he was here, with you.

That was all you cared about.

-

Eventually, Stan interrupted your moment, claiming he needed to speak with his brother about some things. You cursed him silently, but let him go, but not without Ford gently putting a hand on your arm, your eyes meeting.

"Can we talk later?" He asked softly, and you nodded.

You left the two of them to talk, heading up to the roof so you wouldn't get pulled into their conversation. The stars had begun to peak out, illuminating the forest surrounding you, although you weren't really paying attention.

Ford. He was here, and alive. Stan had truly kept his promise to you, even if it took him 30 years to do so. He managed to bring his brother back from god-fucking-knows-where, all without telling you how he did it.

Truthfully, you didn't want to know. After what had happened, you stayed away from anything involving dimensional travel or whatever it was. Sure, if Stan hadn't been there to do it, you would have tried to figure it out for yourself, but he was. He was the reason his brother was ripped away from you in the first place, so it was only right that he brought him back. It made you realize, you suppose, maybe you should start to forgive the man for what had happened. Not completely, of course, he was still the reason you lost 30 years with Ford, and the reason Ford was trapped in other dimensions experiencing things you would never even begin to understand. 

"I missed the way the stars look from here," a voice interrupted your thinking. You looked behind you to see Ford, having changed into the familiar coat you remembered and a red turtleneck, staring up at the stars. He walked over, taking a seat next to you as you both dangled your legs off the edge of the platform on the roof. "There are very few dimensions with constellations like this."

You nodded, unsure of how to respond. There were a million things you wanted to say, but none of them seemed worthy of saying right now. What were you supposed to talk about? After 30 years of no contact?

He turned to you, a soft expression on his features. "You're less talkative than I remember."

It took you a second to realize that it was a gentle tease, a way to ease the tension. You felt the corners of your lips turn up into a ghost of a smile, which in turn made him smile too.

"Honestly," you said, looking back up at the stars. "I don't know what to say. I... I didn't know you were coming back."

He sighed, nodding. "Stanley told me he didn't let you in on much. He didn't want it to be too much for you."

You nodded in response. He didn't want it to be too much for you. It seemed almost... kind. Maybe.

Silence fell between you two once again. Neither of you were sure what to say, what to say or ask the other. Where were you now? Do you just start where you left off? Did you both still feel the same?

"Do you remember," you spoke up finally, breaking the silence. "The time you took me stargazing by the floating cliffs?"

He nodded. "Of course. I went on for almost three hours about different constellations, and you never stopped me." He chuckled, a reminiscent smile on his lips.

You smiled at the memory, the fact you would have laid there the entire night if it meant listening to him talk about stuff that made him so excited, before sighing.

"While you were gone, I used to go back there and look at the stars and wonder if you were somewhere out there, on one of those distant points of light."

Silence fell between you again as he looked at you, his eyes sad. You couldn't stand the silence, instead giving him a small smile.

"I know that's not how dimensions work, but... I don't know. I liked the idea that you were there somewhere. Not so far away." 

He let out a laugh at your bit of humor, which made you smile even more. "It isn't, but... I'll admit I did the same sometimes."

You gave him a questioning look, making him smile. "Whenever I could see stars, I used to think about you looking at the same ones." He said softly.

Gently, he took your hand, squeezing it. You couldn't help the smile on your lips at his touch, the touch you had missed for so long. You turned your hand up, lacing your fingers with his like you always used to, yours small but somehow fitting perfectly with his. He gently stroked his thumb along your skin, his eyes never leaving yours.

"I missed you," he admitted softly, his eyes falling sad, sincere. "I'm... I'm sorry, about everything that happened."

You squeezed his hand, scooting closer to him. "I missed you too. I'm just glad you're back."

He smiled, bringing his free hand up to your cheek. "I am too."

His eyes flickered from where they had been holding your gaze down to your lips, before flickering back up. He seemed nervous, like he wasn't sure if he was allowed to kiss you after all this time. You couldn't wait, taking control of the decision for him and leaning up to catch his lips in a kiss.

It was soft, tentative. It had been so many years, so long since you had last kissed. You wanted to just wrap your arms around his neck, tangle your fingers in his hair, lose yourself in him like you used to, but you restrained yourself. Honestly, just the feeling of his lips against yours after all this time was enough. He slid his hand from your cheek down to the back of your neck, as if to keep you closer. 

After a moment, you both pulled apart. He opened his eyes, his lips slightly parted as your gazes locked again. 

"You're just as beautiful as you were the last day I saw you." He whispered, his thumb stroking your cheek. You suspected he wasn't even saying it to compliment you. It was his own thoughts, spoken aloud, as if just thinking it wasn't enough.

You felt your cheeks warm up, a small smile on your lips that made him smile in return. 

"I never stopped loving you." He said, this time speaking to you.

"I didn't either."

Chapter Text

"Just a little farther," Ford urged you, holding your hand as you stepped over a log laying in your path. "I promise it will be worth it."

You knew it would be, but god damn you could have done without the walk in the rain, in the middle of the night. Your boots were barely keeping the rain out of your socks, your jeans and sweatshirt basically just wet rags that made you want to peel them off, and your hair was plastered to your face. Neither of you had planned on the rain, so neither of you had any extra layers or coverage, which meant what would have normally been a pleasant walk was now one you hoped to reach the end of soon. 

If Ford was so insistent about taking this walk, then you decided it must be worth it. To be fair, everything he studied was fascinating, so no matter what waited for you at your destination, you knew it would be interesting at the very least. But this time, after the two of you had finished dinner, he practically begged you to come out to the forest with him, an excited smile on his lips and that familiar sparkle in his eye that told you everything you needed to know. You agreed, of course, throwing on some extra layers and following him out to the forest surrounding his home. He brought along his journal and a couple flashlights, but that was it. The rain hitting was a downside, of course, but you trusted Ford. If he thought hiking through the cold, dark night with the rain pounding on you both was worth whatever he wanted to show you, then you knew it was worth it.

You continued on your trek for another few minutes, before he suddenly stopped, putting an arm across your chest to stop you. Just as you were about to question him, your mouth already open, he turned to you with an excited smile, shushing you. He pulled you under the cover of one of the many trees surrounding you, lightening the amount of rain hitting the both of you, before pulling you forward so you were standing in front of him.

"Look." He said softly, a hand on your shoulder while pointing ahead of you. His tone was anticipatory, clearly excited to see how you were going to react.

You followed the direction of his finger, your eyes widening as you spotted what he was showing you.

In the center of an opening between the trees, illuminated by the looming moonlight, was one of the must stunning creatures you had ever seen. It looked like some kind of bird, similar to an eagle, but its feathers were brightly colored, like nothing you had ever witnessed before. It used its beak to scratch under one of its wings, giving you a view of its feathers spread out just for you to see. Every feather was a different shade of red, orange, or yellow, like a firey sunset, almost glowing in the darkness. It seemed totally unbothered by the rain, as if its existence was too important to be disturbed by the pathetic weather of the world around it. 

"It's a Phoenix," Ford whispered, reaching his arms around you and opening his journal so you could look at it. '"I found its nest on accident while searching for the gnomes yesterday. Unfortunately we missed its regeneration cycle, since its still a youngling, but its the only one of its kind I've seen here."

It was stunning. You were almost at a loss for words, watching as the majestic bird gently shook the water out of its wings, giving you an even more shocking view of its colors.

"It uh..." Ford started again, except with a nervous shake to his voice. You turned around to face him again, his cheeks pink even in the dark of the night. "It made me think of you. I know you told me you used to read those fantasy books when you were a kid, so I thought you might like it."

You smiled, your chest warming up at his thoughtfulness. Ford could get enveloped into his work, it was his life's purpose, after all. But it was moments like these that reminded you that he truly did care about you, that he did think about you even when you weren't around. You were just as important to him as his work, and he did little things like this to show you that.

"Do you like it?' He asked, interrupting your giddy train of thought.

You reached up, putting a hand on his cheek and pulling him down to your lips for a soft, chaste kiss. You leaned back with a grin, admiring the way his eyes sparkled with pride. "I love it. Its beautiful."

The two of you settled down under the tree, him leaning against the trunk while you curled up in his arms, your back pressed against his chest. You watched the Pheonix for over an hour in a comfortable silence, admiring the creature's graceful movements. It never noticed your presence, completely content with just cleaning its feathers and stretching its limbs. 

The time of night had started to catch up with you, your eyes growing heavier and heavier, even as you begged them to stay open. It was hard, considering the warmth radiation off of Ford as he held you close to his chest, his arms wrapped around your waist. After how cold you had been from the rain, and how long you had been walking, you body was screaming for sleep.

Eventually, Ford shook your shoulder with a soft laugh. "Darling," he said, pressing a kiss to your hair. "Come on, you should sleep in a bed, where its dry and not in the middle of the woods."

You blinked, sitting up only to see the Phoenix was gone. Had you fallen asleep? You swore you had only blinked for a few seconds.

As the two of you began unfolding yourselves and standing up, Ford giving you a hand, you asked sheepishly, "Did I fall asleep?"

He smirked, linking his arm with yours for the walk back. "Not for long, only about twenty minutes."

You gasped, smacking his arm playfully. "Why did you let me sleep that long?!"

"You were so peaceful, I couldn't help it." He chuckled softly, squeezing your arm. "I would have let you go longer, but the forest in Gravity Falls isn't exactly the safest place to sleep."

You rolled your eyes, but couldn't help the smile on your face as the two of you made the trek back to the house. 

-

"I can't believe this," you snapped, pacing the kitchen floor as Stan sat at the table, grumbling to himself as he counted the bills piled in front of him. "You brought  tourists  into the house? What the hell is wrong with you?! I let you stay here, even after what you did, and this is what you do? Take advantage of your brother's research for a  tourist trap ?!"

You stopped in front of him, fuming. You could practically feel the rage rolling off of you in waves, your body shaking with fury. Who did he think he was? Coming in here, after pushing his brother into another dimension, and then taking advantage of the fact you let him live here?

"Listen, Y/n," he said, putting his hands up in front of him. "I know it looks bad, but just-"

"It doesn't just look bad, Stanley, it is bad. How could you think that this was okay in any shape or form?"

"I didn't want to, I swear I'm not trying to take advantage of-"

"If you weren't, then you wouldn't have done this! This is so wrong, so over the line-"

"Just hear me out!" He finally cut you off, standing up from his seat. He made sure he didn't seem like he was threatening you, but he knew if he didn't speak up you would have angrily rambled until your head exploded. He also knew you were close to kicking him out of the house, and he couldn't have that either.

When you glared at him, but finally let him speak, he sighed.

"We're running out of food, and money. Neither of us have a steady job, and everyone in this town wants to know about the strange shack in the woods. They... they thought I was Stanford. They asked if they could come see the shack, and offered to pay for a tour." He stepped forward, putting a hand on your shoulder. "I know its not ideal, but we need the money. And look," he lifted up the stack of bills in his hand. "I think this could work."

You tried to fight against him, wanting nothing more than to shout at him some more, but conceded. He was right. You had nothing to eat, no money to buy food, and soon you wouldn't be able to pay the bills on the house either. 

"Fine," you said quietly. "You can let people see the house. For now."

He sighed, stepping back and sitting down again. "Thank you. I promise it'll help."

You crossed your arms, shaking your head. You wanted to say more, but decided against it. Instead, you turned on your heel, leaving the kitchen and heading upstairs to yours and For-... your room.

You closed the door behind you, sighing before sitting on the bed, putting your head in your hands.

"I don't know what to do," you muttered, talking as if he could hear you. "I wish you were here. I feel like I'm losing my mind. Everything you worked so hard on has become a tourist trap, and your brother is driving me up the fucking wall."

You wiped away the stray tear that rolled down your cheek, looking out the dark window above your bed. The stars twinkled in the distance, offering a little bit of beauty in the pitch black darkness.

"Come back soon," you whispered, imagining he could hear you through the stars.

"I need you."

Chapter Text

Warmth.

That was the only thing you could focus on as your mind slowly faded into consciousness. Everything felt warm, and not in an unpleasant way. Quite the opposite, actually. It was a warmth that you hadn't woken up to since...

Ah, that was why.

The night before, Ford said he was fine sleeping downstairs in the lab, that he had a cot set up there for late nights. He didn't want to overstep after all those years, and was clearly worried that you wanted to keep your space. How he didn't know that was the last thing you wanted after just getting him back after so long was beyond you.

You told him he was welcome to sleep in bed with you. It was his bed too, after all. He hesitated, not because he didn't want to join you, but because he wasn't sure he remembered how to sleep by someone's side. When he initially laid down, he was tense, laying on his back with his hands folded on his chest. You sighed, almost smiling at his nerves, before reaching over and taking his hand in yours. It was the simplest touch, just enough to let him know that it was okay for him to be comfortable. You didn't care if you didn't hold one another like you used to tonight. Just laying next to him was enough, feeling his presence, hearing his breathing, just knowing he was there. You fell asleep almost immediately, laying flat on your stomach, your head turned towards him, your hands intertwined.

Stanford Pines had never felt so peaceful. For years, 30 to be exact, he was constantly in survival mode. There were enemies everywhere, Bill Cipher putting a target on his back, becoming a wanted man in several dimensions. He rested enough to keep himself moving, but it was never truly sleeping. He was never relaxed, never peaceful. All those nights he laid on whatever uncomfortable bed he made himself or borrowed from others, he wished he was right where he was now. Laying at your side, in your bed, safe from some danger at least.

And here he was. He watched as your breathing started to even out, the muscles in your face starting to relax as you slowly fell asleep. It was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever had the privilege to witness. Ford had seen you sleep a hundred times before, but after so long of only being able to picture the sight in his head, of seeing so many ugly and terrifying things, seeing you trust him so completely and become so vulnerable, your features portraying your pure and unrestrained trust for him, he felt an overwhelming wave of feelings. 

He was sure he probably wouldn't sleep, but that wouldn't stop him from making sure you did. Gently, cautiously, he used your intertwined hands to pull you closer to him until he could slip his free arm under your body, allowing your head to rest on his shoulder. With an indescribable amount of adoration, he watched as you separated your hands and wrapped your arms around his torso, burying your face into his shoulder on pure instinct. He could have melted on the spot, feeling like the most important person in the world, that someone as beautiful and complex and kind and smart as you would ever trust and love him so much that even in your sleep, you nestled as close to him as possible.

Stanford Pines was asleep only a few minutes later, falling into the first deep sleep he had since before the portal.

The warmth you felt as you awoke the next morning was a mix of the sun radiating in through the window above your heads, and the fact Ford was pressed against your back, his arms wrapped comfortably around your waist and his face buried in your neck. His breathing was soft and even, his entire body relaxed and comfortable.

You couldn't bring yourself to move, minus a few little stretches to keep yourself from growing stiff. Truth be told, you didn't want to move. You would have been happy to lay there for the rest of your life, in his embrace, while he slept peacefully behind you. For the first time in 30 years, you felt safe. Cared about. Protected. Loved.

You had waited for this moment for so many years, it almost didn't seem real. You relished in it. Ford was home.

A sudden deep breath from the man behind you told you that he was finally awake. He wasn't fully up yet, though, he was just starting to come into consciousness. Carefully, you turned on your other side so you were facing him, his arms still wrapped around you as his eyes started to squint awake.

"G' morning," you muttered, your voice a little scratchy still from sleep. You brought a hand up to his face, brushing his silver strands out of his eyes. He subconsciously nestled into your palm, making you smile tiredly.

He let out a soft groan, stretching as he started to fully wake up.

"Good morning."

God, had you missed that deep, scratchy morning voice.

You looked over at the clock on your nightstand, your eyes widening. "Actually, good afternoon." You chuckled softly, reading the 12:31pm on the display.

When you turned back to him, he sighed, pulling you closer to him. You accepted with little resistance, taking in his scent once again. He had showered last night, so not only could you recognize that signature scent, but also the comforting and clean smell of shampoo, aftershave, and the faint scent of pine and old books that he always smelled like.

"I should get into the lab," Ford muttered, although he didn't make a move to get up. "You and your charms somehow kept me asleep for almost 12 hours."

You let out a soft laugh at his half-joking tone. "If you slept that long, you must have needed it."

He let out a quiet hmm, agreeing with you, but wordlessly. 

The two of you laid in silence for awhile, before a pounding on the door brought you both back to Earth. 

"Y/n? I need your help!!" Mabel.

You sighed, dropping your head for a second. It made Ford chuckle, before you peeled yourself out of his hold reluctantly.

"Duty calls." You smiled, crawling over Ford to get dressed. He got up too, throwing on his coat and boots. It made you realize he had slept in his sweater and pants, instead of pajamas. A habit you'd have to convince him to break. 

Before you left the room to help Mabel, Ford gave you a gentle kiss on your hair, smiling softly at you. You smiled back, squeezing his hand before heading out. Not a word needed to be said. You were happy, all the talking could wait for now.

-

"Do you think this is enough glitter?" Mabel asked, lifting up the letter she had been writing to her parents to ask your opinion. You studied the pink, practically reflective masterpiece, with a cute drawing of Stan and Ford holding hands at the bottom.

Pulling out another pack of glitter from behind your back, you smiled. "I don't think you can ever have enough."

"Yea!" Mabel shouted excitedly as you tossed her the glitter, practically shaking with excitement.

It was definitely more than enough glitter, but you had known this girl for long enough to tell that she would always add more glitter. It had gotten to the point that you had started carrying extra packs of glitter around with you, both edible and not edible, just for Mabel.

Finally, once she felt she had made the letter as blinding as the sun, she folded it up and handed it to you. The two of you sat at the kitchen table as you slipped the letter into an envelope, sealing it and writing her parent's address on the back while she watched over your shoulder. After Mabel's first attempt at mailing her parents a letter, and it immediately getting sent back to the house because she had forgotten a stamp, wrote "The Mystery Shack" for a return address, and covered the envelope in glitter, you made a deal that she could decorate the letter however she wanted, but you had to be the one to put together the envelope. She obliged, but with the compromise she could put a sticker on the front of the envelope.

After confidently placing a sticker on the seal that featured a vibrant yellow butterfly, she grinned. "Now let's mail it!"

You smiled back, grabbing your bag and putting the letter inside. Normally, you would have just put the letter in the mailbox outside the house, but you actually had some errands to run today, so you decided to make a trip out of it. You'd drop the letter off at the post office, pick up some groceries, and then meet the rest of the family for dinner at Greasy's. Since the Mystery Shack was still being repaired from the portal incident, Stan was busy overseeing the workers and making sure it was just as in shambles as it was before, so running the errands was on you for today. Mabel happily tagged along, admitting how ridiculously bored she was having nothing to do now that Dipper just wanted to talk to the author and not having to work in the Shack.

As the two of you stepped out of the Mystery Shack, you spotted Stan standing outside with his arms crossed, watching the repairmen on the roof. Mabel ran off to the car as you walked over to Stan.

"Hey," you said, catching his attention. "Can I borrow your car? Mabel and I are going to go run some errands before dinner tonight."

He nodded, reaching into his pocket to grab the keys. He was about to hand them to you, when some kind of realization passed over his expression.

"How..." he started, before coughing awkwardly. "How are you doing? With everything going on?"

You blinked. Where was this coming from? It sounded so genuine, not the 'how are you' he had asked before which was usually just after almost dying from some kind of Gravity Falls monster. He was actually wondering how you were doing, with Ford being back.

"Um," you started, trying to hide your surprise and failing miserably. "I'm okay. Happy. Relieved. Why?"

He shrugged, looking back at the guys on the roof. "No reason. My brother can be a jerk, just wanted to make sure that... you know, he's not being a jerk to you."

He wouldn't catch your eye, clearly uncomfortable with the direction his question had gone. Ignoring your want to snap at him for insulting his brother after what he had done all those years ago, you shrugged.

"He's not. Thanks for the car, see you at dinner."

You walked off, confused and irritated. 

-

"So what's with you and Grunkle Ford?"

Your eyes widened at Dipper's question, almost dropping the food off your fork. You were at Greasy's diner, getting dinner with Mabel, Dipper, and Stan, when Dipper had asked that.

You shouldn't have been surprised. Ford was like his hero, and the kids had been there last night when the two of you first reunited. You had hoped, just maybe, he hadn't noticed, or that maybe he would have forgotten. Of course not, though. Dipper was basically a little Stanford.

You went silent for a moment, unsure exactly how to respond. You glanced at Stan, who raised an eyebrow. He clearly wasn't going to save you from this.

"Um... we knew each other, before the portal." You explained, setting down your fork and instead taking a sip from your water.

"Really?" He asked, eyes widening with excitement. "Did you help him investigate Gravity Falls?"

You nodded, smiling at the boy's enthusiasm. "I was there for most of the anomalies you've read about."

His mouth practically dropped open, making the table laugh. "AND YOU NEVER TOLD ME?!"

"I was- we were," you motioned between you and Stan. "Trying to keep you away from the bad things. What Ford gets himself involved in isn't safe, and we didn't want you kids getting hurt."

Dipper seemed unsatisfied with your answer, but let it go. You knew the boy felt he could handle any of the things this strange town could throw at him, but he was just a kid. He had no idea the half of the things out there that could have killed him and his sister.

"I also have a question," Mabel spoke up from next to you, her mouth full of pancakes. "How did you know each other? Are you like, cousins or something?"

Stan suddenly erupted into laughter, making you narrow your eyes at him. You turned back to Mabel, shaking your head. "No, no, we are not related."

"Then how did you know each other?"

You sighed, thinking of a way to explain it without revealing the exact nature of your relationship. "I met him when he moved here to study anomalies. He used to bring me along on his little adventures." 

She nodded, before slowly, a realization crossed her expression. "Why did you live in the Shack if you were just friends?"

You glanced at Stan, hoping for an out. He simply smirked, leaning back in his seat to watch you try and talk your way out of this.

"Um... Well, I...." You started, but it was hopeless. Mabel, in the midst of her boy-crazy phase, had figured it out before you could come up with some excuse.

"You and Grunkle Ford are dating!" She shouted, jumping in her seat as her eyes filled with wonder and excitement. Dipper spit out his food at her realization, all three of the Pines staring at you. 

"Mabel, it's not-"

"It all makes sense!! That's why you lived in the Shack even though you and Grunkle Stan don't get along, why he wouldn't let us see you two meet again last night, you two are together!" She squealed, dancing at her discovery.

"You and Grunkle Ford?!" Dipper questioned, making you put your head in your hands. "Is she right?"

You sighed. They were going to find out eventually, you decided. It was better if you just were honest now instead of creating some elaborate lie that would probably eventually backfire.

"...Yea, yea she's right." You admitted, which made Mabel emit another ear-shattering screech. "But listen, you kids shouldn't go around telling people, okay? Things are complicated right now, and we've all got enough to worry about in this strange town."

After spending the rest of the dinner interrogating you about your relationship with Ford, the kids agreed to not spread the word about it. Mabel, of course, said under the condition that she could tell Candy and Grenda, which you decided was fine, if it meant she would just tell them.

As the kids ran out to the car, talking excitedly about something else, you glared at Stan. "You could have helped me there, you know."

He laughed. "And miss out on that show? It was the most entertaining train wreck I've ever seen."

Chapter Text

"Well, well, well," A strange voice rang out, causing you to stir from your comfortable spot on... a stone? What? "If it isn't Stanford's little girlfriend!"

You sat up, rubbing your eyes in an attempt to adjust to the bright light practically blinding you. When you finally managed to take in your surroundings, you realized you were outside. How was that possible? You could have sworn you fell asleep in your bed, listening to Ford tinkering away with something downstairs. But alas, you were outside, laying on a massive slab of stone next to a quietly babbling creek, with a... triangle looking at you?

"Who are you?" You asked, trying to figure out exactly what you were looking at. This thing only had one eye, a set of thin arms and legs, and was shaped like a pyramid. You had seen plenty of weird things in the past, but nothing as weird as this.

"Oh, did Fordsy not tell you about me?" He questioned, his tone almost amused as he floated above the creek. "Hm, that's odd. I was under the impression our relationship was still solid."

He seemed to forget about you momentarily, before realizing he had yet to answer your question.

"Bill Cipher, research partner to your boyfriend. Figured I'd pay you a visit too, and may I say, your mind is just stunning. So clear and clean, you really know how to organize your thoughts."

You raised an eyebrow. "Research partner? I thought that was Fiddleford."

He laughed, closing his eye before looking back at you again. "That annoying guy? Yea, he's not really any of my concern. Useless, if it weren't for the fact he trusts Sixer so much. But I'm getting off track, I just wanted to drop in and meet you for myself."

He floated towards you, seemingly inspecting you. You moved back just a tad, feeling nervous under his gaze. What did he mean about your mind? How was he Ford's research partner? Where the hell were you?

"I can hear your thoughts, you know," he chuckled, moving back so he was still floating over the same rock as you but keeping a bit of distance between you. "You have nothing to be worried about, kid, you're in the mindscape. This is a dream, I'm just a passing visitor. You could kick me out at any time, if you pleased."

You sat up, crossing your legs and watching him. "How do you even know who I am?" You asked. "Why are you talking with me?"

"Sixer cares a lot about you, you know," he said, and even though he had no lips, you could hear the smirk in his voice. "Whenever I enter his mind, his thoughts circulate around you. That's how I heard about you, lots of sappy thoughts like, ya know, 'how did I get so lucky,' and 'even half asleep she's beautiful,' and yada yada yada. You must be quite a special gal if you keep a man like Stanford so smitten with you, so I just had to meet you for myself."

Although the flattery was nice, you were cautious. Something seemed off about this. About him.

"Why are you working with Ford? And... entering his mind?"

He laughed again. "You ask a lot of questions, kid, though I suppose I should expect no less from the girlfriend of Stanford Pines. His curiosity seems to have rubbed off on you."

He was avoiding your questions, you realized. He was either telling you only what you wanted to hear, or deflecting in a way that pacified you until you forgot you had asked a question. 

"I'm just... confused," you decided to play along. "I've never heard of you before. I don't quite understand why you're interested in me."

He laughed again, the sound ringing in your ears in an unpleasant way. "Because if Sixer cares about anything more than what we're working on, it's you. And I wanted to gauge how much a threa-" he suddenly coughed, rethinking his wording. "How much he would be willing to do to keep you safe. If he's willing to go to the ends of the Earth just to protect you, then I should know. As his partner."

You raised an eyebrow. Okay, you may have been a little suspicious before, but now you were very suspicious. Whoever this Bill was, he didn't have good intentions. At least not for you.

"Well, I wouldn't say that he'd-" you started only to be cut off with another laugh.

"Oh, I would, kid. He cares about you more than almost anything in the universe, and I see that same feeling here in your mind. But don't worry your pretty little head about Fordsy right now, this is about you and I meeting for the first time. The two most important people in his life."

"Okay..." you muttered cautiously. "What exactly do you need to know?"

"Well, you love him, right?" He questioned, leaning back against nothing. "You'd do anything to make him happy? To help him succeed?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Then lets make a deal," he cut you off, stretching out his hand. "You give me access to your mind. I can move in and out whenever I decide, and in return I'll show you everything he thinks about you, and how to help him when he needs it most. I mean, you have noticed he's been more distant lately, right? Coming to bed later, or not at all, spending all day in the lab, mumbling to himself as you try to sleep... What if I could show you exactly what he's thinking, and exactly how you could help him when this happens? Wouldn't that make you feel better? Feel like you're doing something more?"

You had to admit, it was tempting. You always worried about Ford, more so lately. You had even asked Fiddleford what he thought the problem was, but he didn't seem to know either. The prospect of being able to find out what was wrong and get guidance on how to help him? It was... intriguing.

But something nagged at you. You felt like this Cipher character had bad intentions. Why did he want to see your mind in the first place? And unrestricted access? You felt like this could lead to something dark, something you would eventually lose control over.

So you shook your head, crossing your arms. "No deal. This is my mind, and I don't want anyone else traveling in and out of it."

He sighed, taking his hand back. "Very well, then. Just know that I gave you the chance."

He started to float up, his eye never leaving you as you felt yourself start to feel sleep nagging at you.

"We'll meet again, y/n, count on that. I'll remember you, and I won't be nice to you just because Stanford cares about you so much."

-

You awoke with a start, sitting up in bed and gasping.

"Y/n?" A familiar voice came from across the room. You turned to see Ford looking at you, halfway through the process of taking his jacket off, his eyes wide. "Are you okay?"

You sigh, putting your face in your hands as you steadied your breathing. "Yea, yea, I just..."

"Bad dream?" He asked softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and putting a hand on your leg. You flinched, unintentionally, making him take his hand back. "Woah, what happened?"

His voice was so full of concern it could have made you cry, under other circumstances. The dream had felt so.. real, so genuine, it was all you could think about.

"I don't... I don't know, exactly," you admitted, taking his hand in yours and squeezing it. "It was just so... vivid. It felt real."

Even in the dark, you felt him tense.

"What happened in your dream?" He asked, his tone lower and more serious than you expected.

"Well..." You explained everything, from the creek to Bill, to talking about Ford, even the deal. You left out the part about being scared for Ford. You didn't want him to know you were so concerned about his behavior, at least not until you could figure out the cause of it.

Ford listened intently to every word, his hand never leaving yours. When you finished, he pulled you into his arms, letting your head rest against his chest as he gently stroked your hair.

"It was just a dream, darling. You're probably just worried about how hard I've been working and it manifested itself as a dream. I promise you," he said, using two fingers to tilt your chin up to look at him. He smiled warmly down at you. "I'm okay. I've just been getting closer and it's kept my attention for awhile. But I'm here now, and I'm all yours for tonight."

You nodded as he leaned down to kiss you softly. 

Although his comforting explanation helped you to fall asleep again that night, now wrapped in his arms, hearing him mutter himself as he got out of bed that morning about 'having a talk with Bill' did not help.

That was the day you realized Ford was hiding something from you. Something big.

Something bad.

-

"You know," Stan said as he got the first aid kit out of the bathroom. "You should really learn to defend yourself. You're dating my brother and never once thought you should learn self-defense? With all the wild shit he gets himself into?"

He was trying to lighten the mood as you tenderly sat on the recliner in the living room. Your entire body was sore after a run-in with some creature on your walk back from town. You hadn't been able to get a good look at it before it had been on top of you, attempting to bite and scratch you. You managed to push it off, running a little ways before it took your down again. You fought it, trying desperately to get it off, before Stan had come to help.

Now, you were all scratched and bruised, but thankfully nothing too serious. Still, you weren't in the mood for jokes.

"Never had to worry with him," you muttered as he walked over to you, setting down the first aid kit by your feet and kneeling in front of you. "When he was still in this dimension, he kept the weird things away from where they could hurt us."

Stan either didn't hear you, or chose to ignore your subtle slight at him, instead rolling up the leg of your pants over your knee. You hissed as the massive cut on your knee was now exposed to the air, dirty and bleeding.

"Yikes," he muttered, inspecting it for a moment before popping open the first aid kit. "That thing got you good."

You groaned. "Yea, you could say that."

He pulled out a dark bottle and a square piece of cotton. "This is going to sting." He warned, but didn't give you any time to prepare.

The second the liquid hit your skin, you winced, letting out a hiss of pain. He took his time, cleaning out the wound as you bit down on the inside of your cheek, trying to keep yourself from tearing up or making any more noises of pain. Once the dirt was cleaned out of your cut, he used a different piece of cotton to dry it, then placed a bandage on it.

"Okay," he said, leaning back. "Any other major cuts?"

You shook your head, relieved that the stinging had started to fade. "No, just little stuff. I can clean it up myself."

Stan nodded, packing the first aid kit back up as you rolled down your pant leg. As he went to put the first aid kit away, you started limping towards your bedroom, deciding to shower to rinse off the rest of the dirt caking your skin. Just before you disappeared, you heard Stan call out to you again.

"If you want," he said gruffly, wiping his hands on his shirt as he emerged from the bathroom. "I can teach you some self-defense moves. I'm sure Sixer told you about how we used to take boxing lessons."

You raised an eyebrow. "Why would you offer that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because I want you to still be alive when my brother gets back, or I'll never hear the end of it. Do you want some help or not?"

You thought for a moment. Although being around Stan for that long sounded like something bound to go wrong, he had a point. You were strong, and smart, but you weren't sure how to wield either of those things in a fight. Ford had always guaranteed that he'd protect you, that he wouldn't let any harm befall you while he was here, but he wasn't here anymore. Knowing how to defend yourself was important.

Plus, an excuse to punch Stan a few times sounded like a treat.

"Fine," you conceded. "You've got a point. Thanks."

It was hard to say, but you said it. You watched as a look passed over his face, mostly a look of surprise. After a moment, he nodded, acting as if he barely noticed you being polite to him for the first time in the past few years.

"Tomorrow afternoon. Don't be late."

Chapter Text

"Dipper, can I tell you something?"

Confused, but excited, Dipper nodded at his Great Uncle Ford.

"You asked me earlier what I was working on," Ford explained as they walked towards the sheet over the glass, the glass that let anyone in the lab see into the portal room. "Well, I dismantled the portal."

The sheet came down with one easy swipe. Dipper looked at the torn-apart portal with shock. It had been in tact only days earlier, and now it was in pieces on the ground. His uncle worked quickly.

"An inter-dimensional gateway is too dangerous for the world it feeds into," he explained. "That's why I was mad at Stan for using it. He saved me, but, as I feared..."

Ford slid open a small compartment on his desk, revealing what looked like a snow globe, but with a swirling mess of colors and stars inside. Dipper looked at it with wonder.

"The instability of the machine created this," Ford kneeled, the item in hand. "An inter-dimensional rift. I've contained it for now, but it's incredibly dangerous. Dipper, I don't want you to tell anyone about this, not Stan, not even your sister. Do you understand?"

Dipper was about to nod, but paused when another person crossed his mind. Especially after dinner the night before, he was surprised Ford wasn't the one to bring her up.

"What about Y/n?" Dipper asked. "Does she know?"

Ford froze, as if Dipper had asked exactly what he had hoped he wouldn't ask. Dipper was about to apologize, but Ford spoke first.

"I've put her through enough," Ford said, his eyes falling sadly to the ground for a moment. "It's better if she stays out of this. Safer."

Dipper wanted to question him, but decided to hold off. Ford seemed upset at the mention of informing y/n, so he didn't want to upset him any further.

"I understand."

-

You turned to the front door as it opened, looking up from your book for the first time in hours. You smiled as you recognized the mess of gray hair, glasses, and lab coat standing in front of you, hands in his pockets.

"Hey, stranger." You greeted as he sat down, to which he smiled at.

"Good evening, any reason you're sitting on the porch at," he paused, checking his watch. "10 pm?"

You shrugged, motioning to your book. "Sometimes it's the only peaceful place in the shack. I couldn't focus listening to Mabel and her friends screaming in the attic."

You both chuckled, knowing very well Mabel and her two friends. They were wonderful, and exactly like you had been at their age, but sometimes they could be a bit... loud.

“What are you up to so late?” You asked, shutting your book and setting it on the couch next to you. “I saw Dipper leave the lab a little while ago, he looked a little off. I hope you didn’t scare him.”

He tensed, which was almost unnoticeable, so you took it as adjusting to the cool night air. “No, no, we were just locking up with infinity die. I’m sure he’s just a little tense from the wizard threatening to eat our brains a few hours ago.”

You laughed, mostly at how a conversation like this was pretty normal in Gravity falls. Anywhere else, you probably would have been brought to a hospital to be checked for brain damage, or maybe arrested for being on drugs.

"Yea, that was an interesting time. That kid's tough, though. If you were here for half the things he and Mabel got themselves into and out of this summer, you'd be proud."

Ford chuckled, reaching an arm around your shoulder so you were pressed comfortably against him. "Yea, he's a good kid. He's got a knack for this work too, he reminds me of me when I was his age."

You nod. He definitely wasn't wrong, Dipper had that same love for solving mysteries and studying the unexplained. It seemed Ford had something on his mind, staring off into the dark forest, likely about what he said about Dipper. You wanted to question it, but decided against it, figuring he'd tell you when he was ready to.

You rest your head on his shoulder, and he seems to come back to Earth, pressing a gentle kiss to your hair.

"You should get to bed," he muttered quietly, resting his head on top of yours. "It's late."

You gave his leg a pat, finding it almost amusing that he was the one telling you to go to bed.

"You should take your own advice."

He sighed, squeezing your shoulder. "I know, I know. I just... have a lot to do."

You sit up, pressing a kiss to his nose and admiring the way his face tints pink, just like it always used to. "I know, genius. Just remember to take care of yourself sometimes. I'd like to keep you around for awhile."

That earned you a small laugh from him. He leaned down and gently kissed you, slowly and sweetly, before resting his forehead against yours. "Trust me, my love. I'm here for the long run."

You stay like that for a moment before he sighs, leaning back and standing up, before offering you a hand. You take it, grabbing your book as you stand up.

"Come on," he said, pushing you towards the door before opening it for you. "To bed with you."

You roll your eyes as you both walk in the house, him shutting off the porch lights behind you. You gently hit his arm with your book in a teasing way.

Ford smiles, pulling you into a tight hug you weren't expecting.

"Goodnight, y/n." He whispered, his arms holding you more tightly than his usual hugs. You melt into it, nestling your face into his chest.

"Goodnight, Ford."

With that, you head up to bed, Ford heading back down into the lab. As you get settled into your mess of blankets, switching off the light next to the bed, something nags at you.

Sure, the extra affection was nice, but unusual. At least in the way he gave it. And the way he so quickly deflected the conversation away from what him and Dipper were doing in the lab, it made some... doubts surface in your mind.

You didn't want to doubt him. You had no reason to, right? Sure, there were plenty of things he kept from you 30 years ago, but he wouldn't hide something from you now. Had you done something that made him not trust you? Did he think you wouldn't be able to handle whatever it was?

You shook your head. No, there was no reason to go down this train of over-thinking. You had no idea if there even was anything he was hiding. Maybe he was just on edge from their event with the infinity die earlier that day. Maybe today he just wanted to hug you tighter than usual.

Still, even as you soothed yourself to the point you could relax enough to sleep, you couldn't fully escape the doubts in the back of your mind.

Was Ford hiding something from you?

Chapter Text

You stood in the kitchen, cleaning up the counter from making lunch, when you heard the distant sound of someone emerging from the downstairs lab. Expecting Ford, you turned around, surprised to see Fiddleford awkwardly standing in the doorway.

"Oh," you smiled, tossing the rag you had been using into the sink behind you. "Hey, Fiddleford. Do you need  something?"

He looked down at the floor, rubbing his arm uncomfortably. It worried you, considering he had never been weird around you before. 

"I wanted to talk to you... About Stanford. Do you have a minute?"

You nodded, sitting at the kitchen table and motioning for him to sit across from you. "Is something wrong? Where is he?"

Fiddleford sighed, sitting down and shaking his head. "Nothing is 'wrong,' I guess. And he's down in the lab, don't worry, he'll be busy for a few hours."

He rolled his eyes, a look crossing his face that told you this was something he had been dealing with recently. You weren't entirely surprised, considering you had noticed the same behavior from Ford.

Fiddleford finally met your eyes, concern filling them. "Have you noticed anything strange about Stanford recently?"

You raised an eyebrow. "Strange how?" Of course you had, but you wanted to make sure that he was asking about the type of strange you knew about.

"Well," He sighed, tapping his fingers on the table. "Recently he's been getting some ideas, some plans for our portal that... well, I don't know where they came from. And sometimes he acts different than himself. I can't describe it, exactly, but he talks differently, and seems to know things that he shouldn't."

You thought for a moment, recalling the last few months. You hadn't seen much of him to notice anything that strange, but hearing it made a pit grow in your stomach.

Fiddleford waited for your response, watching you anxiously. You sighed. "Honestly, I haven't seen much of him recently. He's been in the lab pretty much every hour of the day. I don't think he's slept in a week. Sometimes when I bring him food, he takes forever to answer the door, and..." A memory dawned on you.

"One time," you explained, the image making you bite the inside of your cheek nervously. "He opened the door and his eyes looked... weird. Like, yellow. I asked if he was feeling okay, and he just laughed and said he had been reading so much it made his eyes tired. He shut the door before I could ask any more, and when he came upstairs a few hours later he didn't even remember seeing me. I asked if he was feeling any better and he gave me the weirdest look, and asked what I meant. I told him what had happened and he didn't say anything, but I could tell he was just confused, then he mumbled to himself like he was mad about something and disappeared again."

Fiddleford held onto your every word. When you were finished, he nodded furiously. "That's exactly what I'm talking about. The yellow eyes, the weird memory gaps... I don't know if you know why this is happening."

You shook your head. "I'm just as lost as you are."

The two of you practically jumped out of your skin as Ford suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway, silent. The two of you glanced at each other, cautious, before you decided to greet him.

"Hey, Ford," you said, forcing a smile and pretending like you and Fiddleford hadn't just been talking about him. "You want to join us? We were just about to have a drink."

Ford let out an uncharacteristic chuckle instead of greeting you back. Fiddleford met your eyes with a look that said, this is what I was talking about.

"I wish I could, toots, but I actually just came up here to grab my friend so we could get back to work."

Ford's gaze drifted to Fiddleford, who shrunk under the intensity of it. You felt something sink in your chest. This didn't sound like Ford at all, he never spoke to you like that, called you that, or looked so annoyed at his friend. Something was very, very wrong here.

"I-I'm sorry, partner," Fiddleford managed to say, looking anywhere but at Ford. "I just need a little break. Y/n was kind enough to offer me a drink, so I think I'm gonna sit for awhile."

You nodded, playing along with the little rouse, and getting up to grab a couple sodas out of the fridge behind you. "Yea, yea, you both should really take a few minutes and relax. You've been working so hard recently-"

A heavy hand suddenly landed on your shoulder, making you jump so hard you dropped one of the cans of soda you had grabbed. You spun around to see Ford standing above you, that eerie yellow color filling his eyes. You were more concerned, however, with the look they portrayed. It was one of warning, one that you felt was dangerous. 

Never had you seen this look in his eyes, even at his worst. Even when you two had some of your worst fights, he never once even raised his voice at you. This look was threatening. This was not Ford.

"I think you should stay out of this." He growled, making your heart pound in your chest. You were frozen, stuck between his tall, strong frame, and the fridge behind you. You felt a soft tingling on your shoulder, almost like a hand, one attempting to comfort you. But there was nothing there.

Suddenly, something pulled Ford back, wedging themselves between you and him.

Fiddleford.

"Come on, man," he said, gently pushing you back. "Leave her alone." His tone was nervous, but firm. You felt a surge of gratefulness that you at least knew Fiddleford was himself, and that he was here to deal with this with you.

Ford raised an eyebrow. "Not sure it's your place to dictate how I speak with my girlfriend, kid."

Kid. That sounded so familiar. But from where?

Another tingling sensation, this time on both of your shoulders, as if it were someone trying to protectively pull you backwards. You must have been imagining it. Some kind of self-soothing method, you told yourself.

"Yea, and Ford would never speak to her like that." Fiddleford said, straightening his posture as he became more confident.

A look crossed through 'Ford's eyes. A realization, something that dawned on him for some reason.

A smile cracked on his lips, but not a genuine one. It was a forced, sickly sweet smile. A smile you had never seen before.

"You're right, I shouldn't. I... apologize, to both of you, for being so... callous. This project is just very important to me."

Neither of you budged, neither of you seeing any sincerity in his 'apology.' 

When he realized he had dug himself in a hole, he sighed, turning around and stomping towards the basement door again. "Join me when you're done lounging around, Fiddleford."

After a moment, Fiddleford turned to you. "Are you okay?"

You nodded, swallowing the rising lump in your throat. Sure, physically, you were fine. A little shaky, but inside, you were horrified. You didn't know what was going on. This wasn't the Ford you knew.

The lingering sensation on your shoulders felt like it gave you a squeeze, before fading entirely from your skin. Fiddleford sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"That was what I was talking about. I'm so sorry you had to see that."

You shook your head. "This is... god, this is bad. That's not him."

He didn't say anything, just gently put a hand on your shoulder. "We should be testing the portal out tonight with a dummy. I'll let you know if I find out anything else, just stay upstairs for now."

You nodded, and he reluctantly turned around, heading back towards the basement.

"Thank you." You called out to him, feeling the need to thank him for standing up for you in front of whoever that was. You and Fiddleford had gotten along just fine since he and Ford had started working together, but you had never been more than just acquaintances. He didn't owe you anything, especially not putting himself in possible trouble.

Fiddleford turned around with a weary smile. "Ford cares about you, a lot, so I do too. You don't have to thank me."

You shot him a smile back, before he disappeared into the basement.

-

"Bill! You lied to me!" Ford shouted as he ran up the staircase of books, finally managing to fall into a meditative state after the horrible day he had just had. "Where does that portal really lead? And why did you take over my body like that, threatening my friends?!"

When he reached the top, Bill turned to him, a sly look in his single eye. Behind him was a tear, a tear in what looked like the universe itself. Glowing eyes floated behind it, as if waiting until the tear was big enough for them to move through.

"Haha! Looks like Mr. Brainiac finally got smart. Let's just say that when that portal finishes charging up, your dimension is gonna learn how to party. Right guys?" Bill turned to the tear, a chorus of muffled cheers and laughter emerging from the other side.

Shocked and furious, Ford could feel his heart slamming in his chest. "No! I'll stop you, I'll shut it down!"

Bill narrowed his eye. "A deal's a deal, Sixer. You can't stop the bridge between our two worlds from coming, but it would be fun to watch you try, cute even!"

Ford awoke with a start. He had made a huge mistake, he knew it. But right now, finally being in control of his own body, all he could think about was you.

He ran up the basement stairs in a panic, the same stairs his partner had just ran up only a little while ago while claiming he was quitting. He ran through the house, until he reached the stairs to where the bedroom was, which he went up in a panic.

When he reached the bedroom, he saw you sitting on the bed, your knees tucked to your chest as you stared out the window. He let out a silent breath, seeing that physically, you were okay.

When you noticed him standing in the doorway, he felt his heart break as you flinched away from him, moving towards the other side of the room. He saw the same fear in your eyes he had seen earlier, when you had been face-to-face with Bill.

It had killed him, being completely unable to do anything to help you or Fiddleford as Bill pretended to be him. He tried to pull you away from Bill, comfort you, anything, but he was just a phantom. Unable to do anything except watch.

"H-Hey," you managed to say, clearly trying to gauge the situation. "Are you okay? I heard Fiddleford quit."

He stepped forward, sitting on the edge of the bed cautiously.

"I've made some really big mistakes, y/n," he admitted, shaking his head. "Mistakes I'm not sure I can fix."

He watched as you moved to sit on your knees, moving closer to him on the bed. "What are you talking about?"

He sighed, putting his face in his hands. "I...I can't tell you, exactly. If he knows that you are involved in any of this, I... I won't let that happen."

"Who? Ford, please-"

He looked up to you again, taking your hands in his. "I love you. And I'm going to do everything possible to keep you safe, okay? That's all I can tell you."

He could see you hesitate, clearly wanting to know more. He was relieved when you didn't press him, instead just nodding.

"I love you too."

Ford pulled you into his arms, holding onto you as tight as he could. He felt an immeasurable guilt in his chest, knowing that not only had his mistakes scared you, but now they had put you in danger. You, the person who had supported him through everything, the person who loved him even though he was weird and nerdy, the person who took care of him when he forgot to take care of himself. He wasn't sure he would ever be able to live with himself if something were to happen to you because of him.

You must have been relieved to know it was actually Ford you were with now, because you held onto him just as tightly as he held onto you. He felt a tear roll down his cheek, which he wiped off before you could see it.

He was going to keep you safe. No matter what it took.

-

You grinned, standing above Stan, who was lying in the dirt, his chest heaving. His eyes were wide, surprised with how easily you had taken him down this round.

"Damn, kid, that wasn't bad." He admitted, lifting himself back up to his feet. You wiped your hands off on your shirt proudly.

"Not bad? I just took you down in record time." You laughed.

It had been a few months of practicing some self-defense moves with Stan. Once you had mastered the defensive moves, he decided to teach you how to fight. He himself seemed surprised how strong you were, fighting him easily even though he was tall and built very strong. You were quite proud, considering how far you had come from when this started.

Once he brushed himself off, he thought for a moment. "You're good at the hand-to-hand stuff, but I think you would be even better if you had a weapon of some kind."

You raised an eyebrow. "A weapon? Aren't you only trained in boxing and hand-to-hand combat?"

He shrugged. "Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't learn how to also fight with a weapon. Who knows, it may come in handy someday. Plus, I think I've taught you everything I can here."

He headed back into the Shack, leaving you outside by yourself.

A weapon, huh? He had a point. The self-defense and fighting moves are good against other humans, but here in Gravity Falls, it was likely you would run into other creatures. Some of those creatures wouldn't be easy to fight with your hands.

Glancing around the yard around you, you tried to think of something that would help you fight. The only thing you could think of was a sword, which was not only hard to find, but also difficult to bring with you, considering they could be heavy and large. The yard didn't seem to offer much either, until you spotted an old broken shovel.

The spade had broken off long ago, now it was just a long, wooden stick.

Hm... That could work.

You picked it up, testing out the weight and spinning it slowly in your hands. You felt a smile grow on your face.

This would work.

Chapter Text

"And he's insisting on speaking his mind!" Dipper complained, pacing back and forth in the lab. You watched from where you were leaning against Ford's desk, Ford flipping through his journal while listening to the boy's complaints.

"So this is an emergency." Ford replied, making you stifle a small laugh. Sure, the comeback was a little mean, but it was funny. Stan's mind was a strange place, definitely not a place fit for running for mayor.

"The stump speech is in a couple of days, and if he continues like this we'll lose to Bud for sure." Dipper went on, continually pacing the floor. You were surprised his shoes hadn't started to leave indents on his little path.

Ford spun in his chair, looking up thoughtfully. "Hmm..It's a shame there isn't some device that would allow you to control someone else."

You nodded. That kind of an invention seemed impossible, something only seen in science fiction.

Ford suddenly laughed, leaning over a drawer near his desk and cutting off your train of thought. "Oh, wait, of course, yes, there is."

Your eyes widened as he pulled out a set of ties. You shook your head, looking at Ford incredulously, which made him laugh even more. He had a mind control device, because of course he did.

He handed them to Dipper, explaining how he had invented the ties for Ronald Reagan's masters years ago, and how they operated. Dipper looked at them with wide eyes.

"Wow, this is amazing! And ethically ambiguous!"

Dipper thanked his great uncle, running back upstairs with a new hop in his step as Ford turned back to the desk.

"Yes, yes. Use it responsibly, and all."

You kicked Ford's leg gently, making him look back up at you.

"You just gave a mind control device to a 12 year old."

He raised an eyebrow, a small smile on his lips. "Yes... And?"

"Do you really think that's the best idea?" You asked with a smirk. Sure, Dipper and Mabel were both great kids, but like any 12 year olds, they couldn't exactly be trusted to make the best decisions.

Ford shrugged, flipping his journal closed and spinning in his chair so he was facing you from below. "Dipper's a smart kid, I trust him. Plus, you know Stan. Do you really think he could win a mayoral election with the way he carries himself?"

A foreign feeling hit you at Ford's statement. It was something you didn't recognize, but you found yourself responding to him before thinking.

"I mean, sure he tends to say a lot of dumb things, but he's good at heart."

Ford's eyes widened, as did yours.

You just defended Stanley. After 30 years of being either hostile or apathetic towards him, you just defended him. To his brother. 

"What?" Ford gave you a questioning look, standing up and picking up his journal with him.

You shrugged. "I'm just saying. He spent 30 years building that portal just so he could save you, and he... he looked out for me, while you were gone. Even when I was... less than pleasant in return."

Ford's expression softened, and something you didn't recognize passed through his eyes. "I know, I know," he muttered, looking down at the journal in his hands, likely just to avoid your eyes. "I wish I had been there, so that wasn't necessary."

You reached out and put a hand on his, making him meet your eyes again. "That's not your fault, Ford."

His expression hardened, and he gripped his journal tightly. "You're right, it's Stanley's."

The sharp words made you retract your hand. That was not the reaction you had hoped to receive. It was so... hostile for Ford, so venomous. And although that venom wasn't directed at you, it hurt like it was. 

You stepped back, crossing your arms. "Ford, I-"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted, shaking his head. "That was harsh. Just knowing that you were alone here for so many years, that I couldn't be there for you or keep you safe, it... it upsets me. I promised you that I'd be here, and I didn't keep that promise."

He pulled you into a tight hug, burying his face in your hair as you uncrossed your arms and hugged him back.

The two of you stood in silence for a moment. Although his apology for being snappy eased your hurt a little, you still couldn't shake an unpleasant feeling in your chest. 

The feeling had started many years ago, and it was ignorable in the beginning. You could push it away, pretend it wasn't even there, and go on living your life without a second thought. But as things had progressed, particularly the last couple years before he was pushed into the portal, the feelings grew stronger.

Ford had always felt this need to protect you, protect you from the dangerous and weird world surrounding you both in Gravity Falls. Although when you had first met him, some of this protection may have been necessary, it hadn't been needed for a long time. You could take care of yourself, and although you appreciated that he loved you so much that he wanted to keep you safe, you felt like this idea of protecting you meant he would hide things from you. He wouldn't tell you about the portal, more than you needed to know, about so many of his ventures in Gravity Falls... He did this under the disguise of protecting you from his work. You were supposed to be a team, to trust one another and fight for each other. But you had started to think he didn't feel the same way. Ford felt like he needed to be the hero, and that meant that if harm were to fall on you, he would have to be the one to protect you, and that you couldn't possibly defend-

You shut the thoughts down before they began to spiral. Instead, you pulled back to look at him, bringing a hand up to his cheek as he smiled softly down at you. "Just..." You started, rubbing your thumb gently along his skin. "Be nice to him. For me."

He nodded. "I promise I'll try."

After a moment of silence, he leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead. "Go on upstairs, I have a few things to get done down here and then I'll be up for lunch."

You let out a soft laugh, rolling your eyes as you parted from him and headed towards the elevator. "How many times have I heard that one before?"

When you turned around, expecting a remark to your tease, you watched as he put his journal away in the little compartment over his desk. As the door slid open, you caught a glimpse of what looked like some kind of snow-globe, but with what could have been a swirling galaxy inside.

Ford didn't seem to notice that you had seen, turning to you with a smirk as he shut the compartment door. "Yea yea, I deserve that."

You hesitated for a moment. Should you ask him? You already knew he was keeping secrets from you, maybe this one wasn't that important. It wasn't safely locked away in one of his many lock boxes, so maybe it was something decorative or memorable he got from his time in the portal.

"What's wrong?" Ford asked, noticing your hesitation and concern on his features.

"Oh, nothing," You shook your head. "What's the little globe in your desk?"

You couldn't stop yourself from asking. It almost felt like a test, to see if he would be honest with you. This question would determine if your fears were right.

The expression on his face told you his answer before he said it.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a little trinket."

Silence fell between you. He could tell you weren't convinced, but he wasn't about to tell you, considering the dangers he associated with that 'little trinket.' You paused for a moment before nodding.

You got into the elevator, tired, confused, and frustrated.

If Ford wasn't going to be honest with you, you were going to have to figure these things out for yourself.

-

Stan and the kids coming back to the house at 10pm covered in paint and giggling to themselves should have been concerning, but in this house, it wasn't. As they talked in hushed tones about mayor Tyler's mansion, you felt a small smile on your lips. The kid's happiness was infectious, and seeing them get to just be kids after the events they had survived this summer was refreshing.

Stan ushered the kids upstairs to clean up for bed, before heading into the kitchen. He nodded a greeting to you, which you returned.

You watched from the living room table as he went to the fridge for a cola. "Looking for a drink?" You asked, to which he turned to you with a confused look.

You tossed him the extra can you had on the table with you. He managed to catch it, not without fumbling a little, before giving you another confused look. You shrugged as he took a seat across from you. "I grabbed an extra."

Stan cracked open his drink, careful not to spill any on his "Our Hero" sash you had seen the kids make him. "What are you doing down here so late?" He asked.

"Making sure you and the kids got home okay." You lied. You had rehearsed the answer a hundred times in your head, so when it came out almost faster than he had asked the question, you cursed yourself.

"Yea, right," Stan raised an eyebrow as you took a swig from your soda. "I'm a professional con man, kid. You're not a great liar."

You rolled your eyes. "I happen to be a great liar, thank you very much."

Both of you let out a laugh at that, easing the tension a little. You thought maybe it would make him forget, but it didn't.

"Why are you really down here?"

You sighed, debating if you should tell him the truth. Sure, maybe you had disliked him for a while, but he could keep a secret pretty damn well. Seriously, the man's entire existence was pretty much a lie.

"Just... Ford." You answered honestly. 

"Did something happen?" He asked, and the concern in his voice seemed oddly genuine. 

"Not really," you sighed. "I've just been thinking about things and, you know, everything has changed. It makes it kind of hard to sleep."

Stan let out a chuckle. "Yea, being around Stanford will do that to ya."

You raised an eyebrow, to which he sighed. "Listen, I'm not trying to insult your choices, and... he may be a jerk, but he's still my brother. I've just known him for a long time. I mean, he didn't even thank me after working for 30 years to get him out of that damn portal. He's selfish, and you aren't. Doesn't mean he loves ya any less, and doesn't mean you can't love him just as much, but some conflict was bound to happen eventually."

Your eyes were wide as he finished his sentence. That was so... profound, for Stan. So observational. It took you a minute to think of a response, processing his words.

"You don't think I'm selfish?" You finally answered. "I haven't exactly been pleasant to you the last 30 years."

He let out a laugh, acknowledging what you both knew was the truth. "Yea, but you were rightfully angry. You let me stay here for free, make your home into the Mystery Shack, even helped me run it, and helped me take care of the kids. Don't think I didn't notice the glitter you always keep in your pockets in case Mabel needs it. And... even though you don't like me, you still at least acknowledge my existence and talk to me like a regular person. I saved Ford from what seems like inter-dimensional hell and he barely speaks to me. Spends all day cooped up in that stupid lab, then walks right by me when he's up here like I'm a ghost. You never did that to me."

He gave you a reassuring smile, and you felt your heart break. You hadn't really thought much about how Stan was feeling with Ford being back, and from what he was telling you, it wasn't good. You suddenly felt guilty, realizing just how much Stan had truly done for you over the years, and not once had you truly thanked him for it.

"Stan, I-"

You were interrupted as two sets of footsteps came bounding down the stairs, Dipper and Mabel running into the tv room all clean and smiling. Your conversation would have to wait.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel shouted excitedly, pulling on the sleeve of her Grunkle's suit. "Waddles got stuck in the rafters in the attic and we need you to help us get him down!"

You couldn't help the laugh that emerged, Stan also laughing. "How did he get into the rafters?" You asked, to which the twins glanced at each other.

"Uh...." Dipper spoke up, rubbing the back of his neck. "We definitely weren't playing with the grappling hook."

Stan rolled his eyes, although the smile on his lips told you that he wasn't really upset. "Alright, if one of you kids pushes him down I'll catch him."

You watched as the three ran upstairs, hurriedly going to save the pig in the rafters. 

As you took a sip of your drink, you thought. Maybe Stan wasn't so bad. Dare you say... maybe he was your friend.

Chapter Text

"Stanford?"

The softness in your voice made him look up from where he was scribbling warnings furiously in his final journal. You could see the large bags under his eyes, somehow darker than the night behind him through the window. His hair was messy, and not the messy it got when he was spending hours in the lab working on something excited, messy like he had been pulling at it and hadn't even attempted to fix it in days. The usual sparkle in his eyes when he looked at you had faded to nothing more than mere acknowledgement of your existence. He didn't have the energy left to be excited to see you anymore.

"Good, you're here," he muttered, scribbling one last note before slamming his journal shut and standing up from the kitchen table. "I need your help with something."

You nodded, but kept silent, fiddling with the gloves you had pulled on last minute. 

Ford had come into your bedroom only a few minutes ago, asking for you to get dressed and put on some winter-safe clothing to help him. You had no idea what it was, but you would do it for him. 

He led you to the front door, journal three in hand. You were about to step outside when he stopped you, gently grabbing your forearm. You turned around, about to ask what was wrong, when he grabbed your old scarf from the hook by the door and wrapped it around your neck, making sure it was covering any exposed skin.

"Cold out there," he muttered as his hands shakily adjusted the scarf. "Don't want you getting frostbite."

The move was so instinctual for him, it was like he barely realized he was doing it. You didn't say anything, but it gave you a spark of hope deep in your chest, something warm and relieving.

Stanford was in there somewhere, even underneath the many, many layers of paranoia and mystery.

After he was satisfied, the two of you headed outside and into the cold, winter night. Ford kept a gentle hold on your wrist, making sure you kept up with him, and you suspected partially because he was afraid if he let go, you would disappear.

You walked for what felt like hours, mostly because there was no sun to track the time, and the moon was covered by thick clouds. The only light allowing you to make out your surroundings was from Ford's flashlight, and it didn't take you long to figure out where you were. 

You were headed in the same direction that you went all those years ago to see the Pheonix he was so excited to show you. It felt beautifully tragic, knowing that back then, you had never thought your life with Ford would end up like this. Trekking through the Oregon forest in the middle of winter, after Ford had become someone you barely recognized.

When you reached the same tree you had sat underneath that night so long ago, Ford finally stopped, turning to you. 

"I'm hiding my journals," he explained, showing you the journal in his hands. "And I'm trusting you with the knowledge of where this one will be."

"Wait, what?" You interjected. "Ford, that research is your whole life, why are you hiding it?"

His eyes fell sadly, shaking his head. "I have no choice, y/n. Just trust me, please."

You hesitated for a moment, before decidedly giving in and nodding.

He took a deep breath, meeting your eyes once again. "If... If something is to happen to me, make sure no one finds this. It cannot fall into the wrong hands. I know that I can trust you to protect this."

"If something happens to you? What are you talking about?" You questioned, fear settling into your stomach. Was he really in danger? Something unavoidable? Were you going to lose him?

He put a hand on your shoulder, realizing maybe he had been a little too harsh. "If. For now, it's only an 'if,' my love. But I need you to promise me that you will do as I say, if it ever happens. Can you promise me that?"

The soft look in his eyes makes the fear settle just a little. 

"I promise."

-

"What are you two trouble makers up to?" 

The twins gasp, looking at you like two deer in headlights as you stand in the attic doorway, smiling. You had assumed with the hushed whispers and scribbling that they had been planning some kind of prank or surprise party, after getting to know them over the last week, but you were instead met with papers strewn all over the floor, Dipper chewing on a pen like he did when he read his mystery novels, and an open book, which you couldn't see the writing of from where you stood.

"Nothing!" Dipper finally responded, gathering the papers on the floor in a haphazard pile, his tone obviously exposing his lie.

"We were talking about the cutest member of Several Timez!" Mabel interjected, sounding somehow slightly more convincing than her brother.

"What? No we weren't!" Dipper gasped, gently pushing Mabel. He had made his distaste for the band clear a long time ago, so it made sense Mabel's attempt at a cover-up failed.

Just then, Dipper closed the book they had been pouring over, and your heart sank. The cover was old and worn, and on it was a golden six-fingered hand print with the number three.

"Where did you get that?" You asked, panic in your voice.

Dipper froze, glancing between you and Mabel, like he wasn't sure how to respond. "I found it a few days ago, in the woods."

It felt like suddenly you were drowning, unable to breath, unable to think straight. Everything came flooding back to you, dragging you underneath the surface and making you struggle to stay standing. The portal, Ford disappearing, all of it. You hadn't thought much about it, besides your own thoughts before you went to sleep at night, but suddenly this belonging of Ford's made everything come back like a freight train hitting you head first. 

"Aunt Y/n?" Mabel asked carefully, worry in her eyes as she slowly walked up to your side and gently put a hand on your arm. "Are you okay?"

You looked down at her, and saw in the reflection of her eyes that your mouth was slightly agape, your eyes wide and panicked. It must have terrified the poor kids, so you carefully put your composure back together and forced a smile.

"Yes, I'm alright. It just reminded me of something, that's all. Go back to what you were doing."

You stepped out of the room, your weakly kept-together facade fading quickly. You wouldn't let the kids see you break down, you cared about them too much to subject them to what you had been dealing with all these years.

You quickly went downstairs and out to the back porch, trying to catch your breath. Even as your chest heaved and you breathed like you had run a marathon, you couldn't seem to get enough air into your lungs. Your heart was pounding, your eyes pricking with tears, and your vision started to blur.

"Y/n?"

The screen door opened behind you as you paced the porch, turning to just barely make out the silhouette of Stan. "Are you okay?" He asked, stepping forward but still keeping his distance.

You couldn't seem to get yourself to respond, opening your mouth to say something, but nothing coming out. You felt your head start to become light, wobbling a little where you stood. It was all just too much, too much all at once.

"Woah, kid," Stan stepped forward, putting a hand on your arm to stabilize you. "Sit down."

Gently, he nudged you to the old, worn-out couch behind you, and you couldn't find the energy or the care to fight him on this. You sat down, and it helped your head to feel a little more balanced. 

He kneeled in front of you, putting the back of his hand against your forehead. "No fever, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

You simply put your head in your hands, your breathing still heavy and your heart racing like it never had before. After a moment, you unable to respond to his question, it seemed to register in his mind what was happening.

"Y/n, it's okay," he said, his gruff voice a tad awkward as he attempted to comfort you. "Just try to breath slower, okay? I know it's hard but you have to."

You listened, although reluctantly, and took deeper, slower breaths than before. They still weren't anywhere near normal, but it did help to clear your vision and make your lungs stop hurting. After a few deep breaths, you started to find a rhythm, which in turn helped to calm your heart rate.

"Good," he said, clearly becoming more comfortable in helping you. "Keep doing that for a bit. You're safe, okay? You're safe, I promise you."

His words, although clearly foreign to both of you, were helping. He had been the only constant in your life for 30 years, so knowing that at least he was still here was strangely comforting. You would never admit that to him, though.

After a few more minutes, you felt everything start to become normal, your heart rate, your breathing, and your vision became stable. You lifted your head up, every part of your body shaking in both exhaustion and relief that whatever had happened had finally passed.

"There you go," Stan muttered as your head finally lifted from your hands to look at him again. "Are you okay?"

You nodded weakly. After a moment, you wiped the tears that had fallen down off your cheeks. "What... what was that?" You asked, to which he let out a small chuckle.

"Panic attack."

Ah. That would make sense.

"Have some water, and go take a nap," Stan said, patting your shoulder gently before standing up. "You'll be okay, I promise."

He headed back towards the door, stopping only when you called out to him. "How did you know?" You asked. Stan wasn't exactly the type to have panic attacks, at least not in the last 30 years.

Stan smiled fondly, and sadly. 

"Stanford used to have them when we were kids."

"Oh." You responded, unsure of how else to. Stan was almost all the way through the door before you called out to him once more.

"Stan, I... I uh, I...."

He put a hand up, smiling again.

"I know. You're welcome."

With that, he disappeared into the house.

Chapter Text

It was late, later than you usually went to bed.

The rest of the house was completely knocked out, snoring heard from each corner of the old, rickety walls. Shockingly, even Ford was asleep, but not without some coaxing from you and a warm cup of tea. He had been up for so many days in a row, and so stressed about something he wouldn't tell you about, that it wasn't too hard to get home to fall asleep. All you did was sit on the couch with him and let him drink his tea, although he protested, before he fell asleep with his head on your lap. You tried to sleep yourself, but you had too much on your mind to relax enough to sleep. You eventually carefully wiggled your way out from underneath Ford, who only stirred once he was left without your warmth, before he went right back to sleep, and you headed to the kitchen to wash out the tea cups you and Ford had been drinking from a few hours prior. You figured you should make yourself useful if you weren't going to sleep.

You hadn't yet decided if you were truly going to sneak around Ford's lab to try to find some answers. Although you desperately wanted the truth, and you knew you wouldn't get that from Ford, you weren't sure if you really wanted to sneak around in his private space. Mostly because of two different reasons.

First of all, what if he caught you? What if he woke up and noticed you were gone, headed down to the lab, and saw you sneaking around? Not only would that be a huge violation of his trust, and he would likely never trust you again, it would also mean you would have possibly ruined your relationship with Ford without getting any of the answers you were looking for. You didn't want to ruin what had just been given back to you, Stan was right when he said that although Ford could be selfish, that didn't mean you loved him any less. And although he was still getting used to showing it again, you knew Ford loved you just as much as he did back before he fell into the portal. 

Second of all... what if you found out what Ford was hiding from you, and what if it was worse than you could have imagined? How would you deal with that? Would you be able to handle it? You weren't sure, and it scared you. Clearly, Ford was keeping something substantial from you, and although you knew that you deserved to know what it was, you were afraid to find out.

Just as you were putting the cleaned cups back in the cupboard, you heard a noise from the room Ford was sleeping in. He gasped loudly, and you felt your heart sink. You set the cups down and ran to his room, flicking on the switch.

There he sat, chest rising up and down quickly, staring at his hand in a panicked manner. 

"Are you okay?" You asked, relieved to see that at least he wasn't hurt. He looked up, finally noticing your return, and fixed his wayward glasses before nodding.

"Yea, yea, I'm okay." He responded as you sat down next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He sighed, staring off into the distance. "What happened?" You asked gently, hoping maybe he would tell you for once. You wanted to help him, and to do that you needed to know what had scared him so badly in the first place.

Ford turned to you silently, his eyes meeting yours. He seemed to be thinking, processing, something on his eyes you couldn't fully read. You could catch small glimpses, bits of relief, but a lot of fear, confusion, before it faded into that impenetrable wall you had started to get used to seeing. He placed a kiss on your hair, letting his lips linger for a second longer than normal, before getting up from his seat on the couch.

"I have some things I need to do. Later, all of us need to talk. You should get some rest."

His tender words did nothing to calm the bubbling frustration in your chest. Before thinking, you found yourself speaking.

"You're not going to tell me?"

It wasn't harsh, not that you wanted it to be, but it was persistent. It made Ford pause as he reached for the door handle, before turning around to face you again.

"I can't, darling. Not right now." He responded simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. As if you were stupid for not understanding that. Maybe that's not what he thought or meant, but it's what it made you feel like.

"I guess nothing's changed." You muttered, more to yourself than anything. He heard it, though, and gave you a questioning look.

"What do you mean by that?"

You stood up, sighing. "I mean, you don't tell me anything, Ford. I've been honest with you about every part of my life since day one, and it's like everyday you keep another huge secret from me. You've been that way since long before the portal."

His eyes narrowed, his arms crossing in front of him defensively. "I'm just trying to protect you-"

"Protect me from what?" You groaned, busying yourself with folding up the blanket he had left hanging off the couch, mostly so you didn't have to meet his eyes. "I can handle myself, I've lived in this town since I was born. I don't need you to babysit me."

Ford's eyes widened, his mouth hanging slightly agape. You had never spoken back to him like this before. You could see all the emotions flash through his face as he thought about how to respond.

"I didn't mean for it to come across that way," Ford finally answered. "I just... worry for you. And I don't want you getting hurt from mistakes that I've made."

You sighed. "I know. I just wish you'd trust me."

You attempted to step away, to leave the conversation alone, but his hand on your shoulder stopped you. He turned you around gently, his eyes locking with yours.

"Love, I trust you with my life. It's not about not trusting you, I swear. It's about not trusting others, about subjecting you to the danger of my work." He brought his hand down to yours, taking it in his palm and squeezing it lovingly. 

"I would never forgive myself if you got hurt because of me."

You hesitated for a moment, before nodding and squeezing his hand back. He pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly against him as if he was afraid to let you go.

"You know how much I love you, right? How I would do anything to see you happy, to see your smile and hear your voice? I promise you that when it's safe, I will tell you every little piece of my life and my work. You'll hear about it so much, you'll be sick of me."

You let out the smallest laugh, which made him hold you even tighter. 

"I love you, y/n. More than anything in the entire multiverse."

"I love you too, Ford."

-

"Now, tell me children, do either of you recognize this symbol?"

You watched from the kitchen as Ford lifted a piece of parchment to show the twins sitting at the table. You couldn't see it from this angle, but listening was enough to get an understanding o what they were talking about. He hadn't exactly asked you to be here, but he didn't outright tell you not to be, so you lingered silently in the back. You knew this was about whatever he had been freaking out about the night before, so you wanted to find out.

Dipper and Mabel both gasped in unison, before Dipper's expression went serious. 

"Bill."

Where had you heard that name before?

"You... You know him?" Ford asked, surprised.

"Know him? He's been terrorizing us all summer!"

At that, your eyes widened as well. Someone had been terrorizing the kids, and they hadn't told you about it? It made guilt immediately rise in your chest.

"I have so many questions, and theories-"

"Dipper's been pretty paranoid since Bill turned him into a living sock puppet."

WHAT?

"The important thing is we defeated him twice."

"Once with kittens and once with tickles!"

Okay, you clearly had missed out on a lot of these children's summer.

"It was a lot more heroic than it sounds."

Ford leaned forward, his shoulders tensing as they always did when he was stressed.

"The fact that you've dealt with Bill is gravely serious."

Yeah, you felt pretty damn guilty and worried now.

"So, how do you know Bill?"

Bless this kid, you thought. Practically reading your mind.

"I've encountered many dark beings in my time, Dipper. What matters is his powers are growing stronger and if he pulls off his plans, no one in this family will be safe!"

That, fully, made you freeze. Ford may not have asked you to listen in one this conversation but he definitely hadn't intended on you staying here on your own choice. Now you knew the secrets he was keeping from you were serious, things that you should know about. 

"Fortunately, there should be a way to shield us from his mental tricks," Ford explained, pulling the pen out of his coat pocket and beginning to scribble something down. "A way to 'Bill-proof' the shack."

He started talking away to the twins, muttering off some odd recipe involving moonstones, and as he reluctantly admitted, unicorn hair. The admission made Mabel practically leap for joy, begging her Grunkle Ford to trek into the forest to receive the unicorn hair. He let her, but not without first giving her a crossbow, which she immediately shot and broke a window with.

Mabel ran off excitedly, calling her friends to join her, while Ford stayed behind to talk to Dipper.

"So what are we gonna do about Bill?" Dipper asked, looking up at Ford.

"Follow me."

The two boys made their way to what you assumed to be the lab, leaving you alone upstairs.

As you stared at the parchment flipped upside down on the table, you debated for a second. Ford clearly hadn't meant for you to be there when he spoke to the twins, which means he clearly hadn't meant for you to see the things he left on the table. But you had to know, right? If the twins or anyone else in the family was in danger because of this 'Bill,' shouldn't you know about it? You were one of their summer guardians, and pretty much a member of the family, even if not by blood. If the kids should know, then you should too.

You stepped forward cautiously, your hand just resting on the paper for a second. This was the deciding moment. You wanted to know so badly, but you were also terrified about what was on the other side of the paper.

You shut down your doubts, instead flipping over the paper. You gasped, immediately dropping it back on the table.

Bill Cipher, research partner to your boyfriend.

This is a dream, I'm just a passing visitor.

Then let's make a deal.

Just know that I gave you the chance.

We'll meet again y/n, count on that. I'll remember you, and I won't be nice to you just because Stanford cares about you so much.

The dream all those years ago came flooding back to you as you stared at the drawing of the very creature you had encountered that night. Ford had told you it was just a dream, that it was your worries for him manifesting into a weird, unsettling dream. He hadn't just been keeping secrets from you, Stanford Pines had been lying to you.

You felt a mixture of fear, hurt, and anger bubble up inside your chest, tears threatening to fall. This was the final straw, you decided.

You were going to find out the truth whether Ford wanted you to or not.

Chapter Text

Patiently, or rather impatiently, you waited. Dipper and Ford were heading out today to do something that, to no surprise, Ford refused to tell you.

You tried to swallow the resentment and hurt that rose in your throat as you thought about it, pretending to read a book at the kitchen table. Mabel was giddily running out the door with her friends to start planning the twin's 13th birthday party, while Dipper and Ford began their trek to god-knows-where.

You wanted to be absolutely certain that no one would be around to see you sneak into Ford's lab. You wanted answers, and being stopped by the Pines family would keep you from finding those answers. If Ford wasn't going to be honest with you, no matter how many chances you gave him, then you were going to find out what had been going on for yourself.

You nervously waited a few more minutes, listening for any sounds of the family returning for forgotten items or changed minds. Nothing. You got up, checking out every window. Clear.

As you stood in front of the entrance to the lab, staring at the darkened staircase with a cold breeze blowing up, you debated. Was this the right choice? Should you just wait? What if what you found was something you weren't ready for?

No. No, you weren't going to talk yourself out of this. You deserved to know. You could handle whatever you found.

You walked down the stairs you had seen a million times but had only descended a few, and definitely never alone, Ford always close behind. This time, it was just you. You tried not to think about it, instead focusing on the elevator door as you reached it. Staring at the buttons, you thought. You had only ever been to the floor with the lab, and yet you could see another floor button. What was there?

You decided to look at the lab first. You could find his writings and read them, in the little shelf over his desk you had never previously ventured into. Then, you could see the other floor. The other floor may be nothing more than storage, but you knew the lab held some answers, and without knowing how much time you would have, you figured that would be the best place to start.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, you went to work. You went through every single inch of that lab, everything that didn't need a key to open. You read every single paper, every book, everything. You had to have been there for hours, your brain buzzing and your eyes aching by the time you were done. There wasn't anything shocking, anything that you hadn't expected to see. Of course, the journals were with Ford and Dipper right now, so those were out of the question for now, but there were other various sheets of paper and records stored around, some that Ford had even missed from the time Stan had been working down here. It was pretty easy to tell the difference between the brother's writing, Ford's being immaculate and concise, while Stan's was far more messy and haphazard.

You decided it was time to go to the one place you had never been in this house, even though the fear that was raising goosebumps in your skin begged you to turn away and go any other direction. 

No.

The word was far more confident in your head than you truly felt as you stepped into the elevator again. The wait was agony, the door closing so slowly it felt like it took minutes just to finally seal shut, and then the slow elevator ride to the next floor up. You shouldn't be this nervous. Maybe there was nothing there, maybe it was truly just storage. Maybe your fear stemmed from guilt. You had never invaded Ford's life like this before, never searched for answers, instead opting to wait for whenever he was ready to open up to you. Clearly, you reminded yourself, that time would never come. And this went beyond the trust built between the two of you, Ford keeping secrets from you meant jeopardizing the safety of everyone in this house, including Stan and the kids.

Before you were ready, the elevator came to a stop, the door sliding open. The room was dark, which only fed your anxieties more. Reluctantly, you stepped forward and into the room, feeling cautiously for a light switch. When you finally felt it, you paused. Were you ready to see this floor, if it contained something that would change everything you thought you knew about the man you loved so much?

Shaking away the thought, you flicked the switch, pretending it had never crossed your mind.

You wished you hadn't.

Bill.

Bill was everywhere. 

Plastered to the walls, in little figurines, on drawings and papers, and even etched into the wooden desk. The machine in front of you looked like another one of Ford's wild inventions, but it barely even registered as you found yourself spinning, jaw slack, blood running cold, taking in that golden triangle in every aspect of the room. His single eye was taunting you in every depiction, silently reinforcing that Stanford Pines was not the man you thought he was.

Your heart was pounding. You were starting to feel dizzy. You couldn't seem to breathe. Your hands started to sweat. You realized this was another panic attack, and you couldn't stay here.

Finding out why Bill was all over this secret room in Ford's lab was the last thing on your mind as you stumbled into the elevator, desperately jamming your finger into the button to bring you back up.

Once again, the elevator felt like it took years to arrive at the house's level, your panic rising every second you spent in that tiny metal box.

Bill Cipher.

That voice, that laugh, it echoed in your head, bouncing off the metallic walls of the elevator as if it were real. It hurt. It was too much, too much all at once.

The second the doors parted enough for you to squeeze through, you did just that, sprinting up the stairs and running out to the back porch. Pacing the porch, you tried to catch your breath, to slow your breathing, anything to get your head to stop racing.

Bill Cipher.

You sat on the couch, like you had earlier this summer with the same problem, putting your head in your hands in an effort to keep your dizziness to a minimum. This time, the feeling was much worse. Unavoidable.

"Y/n?"

You looked up, recognizing that voice immediately.

Dipper, his hat ripped and clothes torn, dirt clearly having been wiped off his face, came walking up to you with his backpack in hand. Whatever their mission had been today, they clearly had been through something intense. He looked so concerned, noticing the tears welling up in your eyes and seeing you desperately trying to catch your breath.

"Oh my god Dipper, are you okay?" You asked, shifting the attention off of you, even though your heart was pounding louder than it ever had and your breathing was short and ragged.

"I'm great! You should have seen what we did today-" He started, grinning from ear to ear, before being gently pushed towards the door by a figure you couldn't quite make out with your blurred vision, but who you knew without needing clear vision.

"Dipper, you should head in and see Mabel, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear about what you accomplished today." Ford said, nudging him further towards the door.

Dipper nodded enthusiastically, hitching his backpack up on his shoulder and heading inside without another word.

Ford kneeled in front of you, putting a gentle hand on your shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.

Suddenly, your fear was replaced with anger. No, not anger.

Rage.

"Don't touch me." You snapped, standing up and shoving Ford's hand off you, walking to the other end of the porch.

You didn't even need to see him to feel the confusion and shock radiating off of him. You could picture his face, the wide eyes behind the glasses with the small crack in them, the silvery-gray hair falling out of its usual perfected style into his face, his mouth slightly agape. Never, never had you talked to him that way.

"Did... what... Y/n, what happened?" He asked, stumbling over his words without his usual confidence, or rather arrogance, confusion and hurt clear in his tone.

You clenched your fists, almost unable to bring yourself to say anything. You couldn't care less if Stanford knew you had been sneaking around and reading his private writings or going through his things. Your guilt was far gone. No, the amount of pure, unbridled rage had long since replaced that. 

"You lied to me, Stanford!" You finally snapped, and loudly, at that, spinning around and jabbing your finger at him. "You've been lying to me about everything! How the hell could you do that to me? I have trusted you with everything, with my life, and I waited for you for thirty fucking years, thinking you might be dead or might never come back, and you still can't be honest with me?! Bill came after you, after Fiddleford, after Stan and the kids, after me personally, and you still led me to believe he was something I made up in a dream all those years ago!"

The words came out without warning, without thought. You didn't even pause for a breath, as you didn't want him to have the chance to speak. Not yet. You wouldn't be pushed aside, not this time.

"You know what, this isn't even about us, about our trust, or how you clearly believe I can't handle myself. This is about everyone else in this house, about those two young kids who think the world of you and who are under all of our care, who could have died because I didn't know Bill even existed until now, and it's about your brother, who you may dislike for whatever selfish and pigheaded reason you can come up with, but who at least watched out for me and the kids and treated me like an equal all these years... I get it now, Stanford." Your rage finally started to fizzle into an exhausted defeat, your shoulders falling as your hands hung at your sides. "It was never about keeping me safe, about protecting me. I wasn't a genius like you, I was some less intelligent local who showed up at your door and looked at you like the damn hero you wanted to be. I thought so highly of you from the day we met, and you loved it. You kept me in the dark so that way you could always feel smarter than me, better than me, so that way I would always be waiting for the day you would tell me everything, to think I needed you to keep me alive in my own damn town."

Silence hung between you for what felt like an eternity. Ford's face was unreadable, aside from the shock and the way his eyes would get a far-off stare in them as he processed things. 

The next thing you said to him changed that.

"I don't need you, Stanford. I never have."

Just like that, you saw his heart shatter. His face fell, shock fading into something far sadder, something almost unbearable to look at.

He opened his mouth to say something, likely an apology you didn't want to hear, when the door burst open next to you. Out ran Mabel, sniffling coming from her as she sprinted by without even acknowledging you. That wasn't like her, she never ran by you without a smile or even a single word. And to see her crying, after Ford had just told Dipper to talk to her?

"What the hell did you do?" You asked, but you didn't wait for the answer as you ran after Mabel.

She was little and fast, quickly disappearing into the trees. You ran as fast as your shaking legs would carry you, your anger and hurt temporarily forgotten and replaced with worry about the young girl that was now alone in the forest of Gravity Falls.

"Mabel!"

Chapter Text

"Mabel!"

Your voice had become scratchy and exhausted, having called out to Mabel probably a hundred times now. 

After initially chasing her into the forest, you lost her in the trees and thick greenery. You had tried to listen for her movements, her sniffling, you even tried to look for her footprints in the dirt. You came up empty, Mabel gone practically without a trace. Now, the sun was beginning to set, the sky an eerie and unsettling red that only made you worry for the young girl even more. 

You turned a corner, looking around a tree when a sickly, unsettling, evil laugh you recognized rang through the trees. You felt your heart stop beating, your eyes widening as the laugh seemed to echo around you.

Bill.

You ran in the direction the laugh seemed to come from, sprinting as hard as your legs could carry you, tripping over branches and dirt but not letting it stop you. Your own heavy breathing seemed so loud in your own ears, your heart pounding in your chest and your legs aching and begging you to slow down, but you refused. If Bill was anywhere near Mabel, she was in danger, and you weren't going to let him do anything without a fight first.

What you saw as the laughter became clearer stopped you in your tracks.

"Oh no! Wait wait wait!" Mabel cried, walking towards a man you didn't recognize. Before she could do anything, with a snap of his fingers, she was knocked to the ground, unconscious. You watched helplessly as the man also fell to the ground, a familiar golden triangle emerging from his body.

"At last! At long, long last!" Bill cried, his voice echoing with a sickening joyfulness. He was floating in the air as his eye was wide, taking in the darkened forest, his arms raised above him as if he were celebrating.

"The gate between worlds has opened! The event one billion years prophesized has come to pass! The day has come!"

Suddenly, Bill flew up above the tree line, his voice still as loud and joyful as ever, even though you could barely see him.

"The world is finally mine!"

A blue and purple beam of light suddenly blasted out of the ground in front of where Mabel was laying, its sheer power causing you to fall back as the ground beneath you shook. You watched in horror as it hit the clouds above Bill, splitting the sky open like it was nothing more than a curtain, while Bill laughed maniacally in front of it.

Bill was suddenly surrounded by specks of blue light, all of them gathering on his body until he was formed into more than just a floating figment. Now, he was a physical being, you realized.

"Oh, it's happening, it's finally, finally happening!"

He was covered in muscle and then a wall of metal or something, locking around him and securing his physical shape.

"Physical form? Don't mind if I do!"

You watched in horror as he became 3 dimensional. In front of you, the strange man stood up, questioning fearfully what was happening, before he spotted Bill above him too.

Mabel was suddenly lifted off the ground in a pink light, surrounded by a bubble of some kind. Your eyes widened as you scrambled to your feet, running desperately towards her. "Mabel!"

You were too late, the bubble being locked and pulled quickly away from you. You felt your heart sink with a new kind of fear you had never felt before, the strange man disappearing before you could even ask him what was happening. You suspected he didn't know either, though, considering it seemed as though Bill had possessed him.

As you stood helplessly on the forest floor, listening to Bill's maniacal laughter and watching Mabel's bubble float away with her inside, you had no idea what you were supposed to do now.

-

"Dipper?"

Days had gone by. Long days, exhausting, weird, practically insane days.

At first, you thought you were going crazy until, that is,  you realized the entire town was being tortured by Bill and his pure madness. You had one too many run-ins with some wild shit, three-headed birds, a giant goat you recognized as Gompers, and even video game characters come to life. Most of these things stayed away from you if you hid and didn't antagonize, but the flying eyeball bats would turn people to stone right in front of your eyes. People you had known all of your life, people you had grown up with, were suddenly gone, taken away by these monsters. It was like the apocalypse, but instead of zombies, it was all just weird and wild things that Bill had created to torture the people of Gravity Falls.

You had never felt more grateful for Stan in your life. Thanks to his hand-to-hand combat training all those years ago, and his encouraging you to learn how to fight with a weapon, in your case a wooden staff, you managed to stay alive and hidden. You had to admit, you had gotten pretty great at fighting now, so good you had fought off every single weird creature that had crossed your path. If it weren't for Stan, it's more than likely you would have been a stone statue by now.

Now, as you walked in front of the Gravity Falls Mall, you spotted Dipper in an alleyway. He looked just as beaten and tattered as you, except he had nothing to protect himself. He explained he had been just running and hiding since Bill had taken over, taking Ford as a golden statue with him. You ignored the feeling of guilt and fear rising in your throat, instead choosing to focus on the fact that at least one member of your little family was still okay.

"What if Stan and Mabel are hiding in the mall?" Dipper asked, after your initial hug and the two of you checking to make sure the other was okay.

You knew Mabel wasn't in the mall, that she was with Bill somewhere, but you couldn't bring yourself to say that to Dipper. "Okay," you said instead, sighing. "Let's check."

As you ran towards the door, you spotted some kind of monster facing to opposite way. Perfect, you thought. This way you could get in unnoticed, without a fight. Unfortunately, Dipper was too excited, and ran into the glass doors loudly, calling the creature's attention.

"Hey, hey you!" It shouted, using its single long arm that stretched from its head to turn around. God, that thing was horrific, you thought. "Hey, I wanna talk to you. I wanna talk to you about going inside my mouth."

Shit.

You didn't waste another second watching the thing make its way towards you, unhooking the staff from your back and using it to pry the doors open. It kept talking to you both as you managed to make enough space for Dipper to squeeze in. "Go!" You hissed, keeping them propped open as the thing made its way closer.

Dipper managed to slip inside, and you dived in after him. You were just slightly too slow, the weird monster grabbing your leg as you landed on the tiled floor of the mall.

"NO!" Dipper shouted from behind you, panic in his voice. 

You grabbed your staff off the floor beside you, repeatedly stabbing the giant hand as hard as you possibly could until he shouted in pain and suddenly loosened his grip. Dipper pulled on your free arm as you wedged yourself out of its palm, both of you scurrying out of his reach.

"Aunt Y/n, are you okay?" Dipper asked as you caught your breath, helping you to your feet. After a deep, lightly shaking breath, you nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Dipper suddenly hugged you once more, to your shock. "Please don't leave me." He whispered softly, holding on to you tightly.

Your heart broke at the young boy's terrified voice. He shouldn't have to be going through this, especially not alone. He was so scared, so hurt, and in danger.

You kneeled down, fixing Dipper's hat and looking at him with a soft smile. "I'm not going anywhere, kid. We're in this together, okay?"

You saw the corner of his mouth lift up into the most of a smile he could muster, a sense of relief washing over his face. He nodded dutifully.

You began walking through the mostly-destroyed mall, Dipper calling for Mabel and Stan. There was never a response, only the echo of his voice. You kept your eyes peeled for monsters as you hooked your staff back in the slot you had made in an old bag strap across your back. While you were surveying your surroundings, you never even notice Dipper slipping away from you towards the old food court.

By the time you noticed he wasn't at your side, it was too late, and he was strung up in a net. Just as you ran over, Wendy emerged from a potted plant, releasing Dipper from his little nacho prison. You were relieved that Wendy was the person who had captured him and not Bill or one of Bill's henchmen.

She was kind to both of you, showing you to her secret hiding place while explaining where she had been when this all started. Both kids told their stories while you listened off to the side, glad to see that another person you knew had survived. Although, seeing Wendy had survived all this was not a surprise at all. She was a tough kid, one who was practically fearless, and whose father had been preparing her and her brothers for this moment their entire lives.

You listened as Dipper explained why Mabel had run away that night, about Ford's offer for his apprenticeship and staying in Gravity Falls. The mention of Ford was almost a painful one.

You hadn't seen or spoken to him since you had told him you didn't need him and spouted all those mean and painful things to him. You didn't believe you were entirely wrong, you just wished you had waited to talk to him after your initial anger. Maybe you could have gotten some answers, or at least not have the image of Ford's heartbroken face imprinted in your mind. You may never get the chance to see or speak to him again, and those would be your last memories of him and his last memories of you.

Wendy telling you both you needed fresh air brought you back to Earth. She was right, you just needed to breathe for a bit. Focus.

You followed the two kids to the roof of the building with some sodas. Truth be told, the air wasn't fresh in the slightest. It smelled of rust and dirt and smoke, as well as some other weird scents your couldn't pinpoint and probably didn't want to know. 

"We lost."

Dipper's defeated words made you snap back to reality, focusing on their conversation. You were about to say something, but Wendy spoke first, and you were glad she did.

"Look, dude, it's not over yet," She said, putting her hands on her hips. "You've beaten Bill twice before, why is this time any different?"

Dipper looked down at the ground sadly. "Because then I had Mabel."

Wendy put her hands on his shoulders, turning him to face her. "Then you need to get Mabel back. Look, this summer, I've seen some amazing things, but nothing as amazing as you and your sister."

You smiled. She was right, there was truly something about the twins, something unexplainable that made them an unstoppable team.

"I don't know if it's dumb luck, or yin and yang, or whatever, but when you two work together, there's like, nothing you two can't accomplish. You just need to make up, and team up, and save the universe." Wendy said enthusiastically, punching her fist against her palm.

"But how will I ever find her?" Dipper asked, and right as you looked over his shoulder, behind a large billboard, you spotted something pink and glowing.

Mabel's bubble. You had seen it when it was created, and there it was.

You put a hand on Dipper's shoulder, pointing him in the right direction. "I don't think you'll have to look very far."

Much to your luck, a monster ripped the billboard off of its legs and ate it, making Mabel's bubble visible from the rooftop.

Dipper gasped. "The shooting star from Mabel's sweater! She's in there, I know it."

Wendy gasped, wowed by Dipper's sudden shift in confidence, and you couldn't help but smile. Seeing him have hope again, it was good. No, great. That little kid had never seemed as down as he did today, but now he had a new purpose instilled in him. Saving his sister.

"How are we going to get out there without being caught?" Dipper asked, and you watched as Wendy grinned, a plan clearly forming in her mind.

"I have an idea."