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Gravity Falls, late August of 2016, four years after Weirdmageddon…
“Annnnddd…there. Perfect!” Dipper closed the lake foam green cover of a book and put it into the pocket in his vest. “Thanks Mabel! Tell Grunkle Stan that I won’t be back until late!”, he said as he hurried out of the attic.
His sister laid on her back on her bed, with Waddles laying on top of her. “No problem, Bro-Bro!”
Twenty minutes later, Pacifica stood from the front steps of her family’s home as she heard the familiar sound of a particular vehicle pulling up to the gates. The house and the land that it sat on were far from what the family had prior to Weirdmageddon, but it was still much more than what anyone else in town had.
Except for McGucket. McGucket still had what was formerly Northwest Manor.
Pacifica walked to the gate which the family’s security guard promptly opened for her. On the other side sat a beat-up, brown pickup truck. It had served Soos well for years until finally being replaced shortly before his and Melody’s daughter was born. For almost a year now, it had a new owner. Pacifica ran to the passenger side door and got in.
“Dipper!”
The boy who now sat behind the wheel of the truck had certainly changed in the four years since she met him, he had gotten older and grown out of some of his awkwardness and bad habits, and so had she. “Hey, Pacifica.”, Dipper greeted enthusiastically.
The two hugged.
“Are you ready?”
“I’m always ready.”
Not long later, the sixteen and seventeen year-olds were sitting in the bed of the truck, parked on a hill, and watching the sun set over the town and valley.
“Sometimes I still can’t believe how beautiful it is.”, said Dipper.
Pacifica looked at him, a playful look on her face. “Oh, that’s the beauty you can’t believe?”
Dipper immediately blushed as he began to stammer. “No, no, that’s-that’s not what I-”
“Dipper, I’m joking.” Pacifica giggled. “All this time and you still get like that.”
“Yeah, well, I can’t help it, not around you.”
A few moments of silence passed.
“So… One more day…”, said Pacifica.
“Yeah… Then Mabel and I go back home…”
“And then grade twelve, then summer again, and then college…”
“It’s kind of scary.”
“You’re telling me that the guy who fought you know who and has done countless other crazy things is scared of college? Which, I might add, he has been dreaming about for years.”
“Well- it’s… Yeah, fair point.”
The two smiled as silence filled the air again.
Suddenly, Dipper cleared his throat. “I, uh… I got you something.” He reached into his vest.
“You didn’t need to get me anything. Especially since it’s your birthday tomorrow.”
“Well, I wanted to get you something before I left.” Dipper pulled the green book out from his pocket and held it out to Pacifica.
“What’s this?”, she asked as she reached for it.
“Just a little thing I put together. I had a bit of help from Mabel.”
Pacifica opened the book and saw that it was a photo album, filled with pictures of mostly her and Dipper over the last few years and some pictures of their friends.
“Do…do you like it?”, Dipper asked, nervously.
Pacifica set the book on the dashboard and suddenly hugged Dipper. “I love it. Thank you.”
Dipper, blushing, hugged her back. “My pleasure.”
Pacifica pulled back after a few moments and reached for the book again. The two looked through it together as the sun continued to set.
Gravity Falls, seven years later…
The hatch on the Mystery Shack’s roof opened, allowing Dipper to climb through and to the hideout that Wendy had shown him and Mabel years prior. As he reached it, he opened the somehow always cold cooler and pulled out a can of Pitt. He then sighed as he sat down on the edge of the roof.
On the ground below, he could see the first of two evening tour groups arriving and his Grunkle step out to greet them. Despite now nearing eighty years old and previously putting Soos in charge of the Mystery Shack, Stan continued to play a key part in the tourist trap’s success. He had originally fully stepped back once he and Ford returned from their voyage after Dipper and Mabel’s first summer in town, but he eventually grew bored.
However, it wasn’t until after a certain pandemic (which Ford originally believed was the result of some sort of otherworldly evil being) that Stan returned to giving tours on a regular basis as a way to recoup the income lost from being closed for so long. That led to him deciding to give "special", more expensive, nighttime tours while Soos continued to run the daytime operations.
Dipper felt much less fulfilled than his Grunkle. While he still helped around the Shack occasionally, he spent the majority of his time researching in the surrounding area and working alone in Ford’s lab. He hadn’t even spent that much time talking to Ford or Mabel in recent times. The lack of communication was due to Ford and Mabel both being on a book tour across the United States and Canada.
Ford, after some convincing from the twins, his brother and McGucket, had written a couple of books about some of his adventures and, reluctantly, published them as science-fiction. Mabel on the other hand had found a way to turn the events of that first summer, including Weirdmageddon, into a fantasy series for young adults.
Dipper was good at journaling, but not as good at storytelling, so while his sister and one of his Grunkles went on tour together so they could save money on the hotel rooms, he stayed in Gravity Falls with Stan.
“Another sunset…”, Dipper said, watching the burning light start to dip below the treetops.
This was what his days looked like, field work, lab work, occasionally helping his Grunkle and Soos scam tourists, and sitting while watching the sun set. He certainly didn't hate the life that he had since he and Mabel moved to the town after finishing high school, but it felt like something was missing... Someone was missing… Someone who had moved away years ago…
Los Angeles, the next day…
“Listen up, people!” The voice carried though the hall, accompanied by the sound of high heels on the floor, before a blonde woman entered the photography studio. “You all know what your jobs are and what you need to do. I want this to go as smoothly as possible. Any questions?”
One model raised their hand.
“Yes?”
“Sorry Miss Northwest, I was just wondering, where exactly is the photographer?”
“I’ve told you all before, please do not refer to me by my last name. And what do you mean, they’re right…” Pacifica looked around the room and realized that the photographer actually was not there. “Ugh! Why do I even bother paying if they’re not going to show up?! Alright, everyone take five. I need to make a phone call. And probably fire someone.”
Hours later, Pacifica closed the door to her apartment and took her heels off of her sore feet. Within minutes, she had changed out of her work clothes and into clothes that were much more comfortable and found herself on the couch with a glass of wine and looking for something to watch on TV.
“Why is there never anything good on? At least the shitty shows back home were a bit entertaining.”
She had done pretty well for herself. She had her own apartment and ran her own small modeling agency and photography studio. After Northwest Manor had been sold and that eventful summer ended, she had started working at Greasy’s Diner. Once she was old enough and had saved up enough money, she moved away from that little town in the woods. She had wanted to get away from her parents and she succeeded, but it came at a cost.
While she had escaped her parents who had only gotten worse after losing the family’s original fortune, she also left behind the people who she had grown to call friends and in one case, something more. At the time, she didn’t think she had much choice, but now much of her spare time was spent regretting the decision she made. She didn’t regret it entirely, but to her, the bad things now outnumbered the good.
She hadn’t always been this lonely. Pacifica had actually been in a few relationships since leaving Oregon, but none of them ever lasted more than a few months. Every time one would end, she wished more and more that she had never left the town that she knew so well. Eventually, she just gave up on trying to find someone new, but she also didn’t think she could ever go back, no matter how much she wanted to..
She could vividly remember the time spent with Dipper over the years. The fairs at the Mystery Shack, getting burgers together at the diner after her shifts, going out and just enjoying the somewhat peacefulness of the valley. She even missed going on adventures with the twins. If someone had told her before the young Pines twins first visited Gravity Falls that these would be the things that she missed, she would have insulted them and laughed in their face.
But now it was her reality.
Gravity Falls, the next day…
Dipper set a freshly cleaned plate onto the stack in the cupboard. He had just finished his lunch and was about to go back to the lab.
Just as he got to the vending machine, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He smiled as he saw who was calling. “Hey Mabel. How’s Vancouver?”
“Hey Dipper, it's good! Grunkle Ford is right here too.”
“Dipper! I am pleased to report that since arriving here two days ago, I have already signed over four hundred copies of my books. It’s a good thing we made those special joint replacements for Stanley and I.”
“I’ve done a bunch too!”
“That’s great to hear.”
“So, what have you been up to since we last talked? Have you made any new discoveries?”, asked Ford.
“No, nothing new yet. Though, I am meeting with the gnomes in a couple days. They’re willing to learn more about our proposal for them.”
“That is excellent news! This could lead to an invaluable partnership.”
“Yeah. I’m also going to the weekly cryptid meeting tonight. Soos was supposed to come as well but Melody isn’t feeling well so he’s going to just go home.”
“I see. Well, you enjoy that and stay safe. Mabel and I must get back to the books. Farewell, Dipper.”
“Bye Dipper! Give Waddles a hug for me!”
“I will. Bye.”
After the call ended, Dipper’s phone buzzed with an “On this day” notification with a photo. Curious about what picture it was, he opened it.
“Oh… It’s that picture… Why did it need to be that one?”
The picture was one that he and Pacifica had taken together on the Ferris wheel at the Mystery Fair one year. It had been his favourite and for a while had been the background on his phone, but that was all before they parted ways. Now it just served as a painful reminder of what was and could’ve been that he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of.
He sighed before closing the app, removing the picture from his view. He spoke to himself, “Alright Dipper, focus on something else…”
Los Angeles, later that evening…
Pacifica slowly walked along the beach, watching as the ocean waves crashed against the sand. The tide was slowly rising, the sand was surprisingly clean, the area was unusually mostly free from other people and the sun cast a warm glow over everything. It was beautiful, and yet, Pacifica didn’t care that much about it. Rather, she longed for the sight of tall trees and the people and the mysterious creatures that lived within them.
Not long later, she found herself on her couch, like most nights. She sat there watching the news, but none of the information actually registered in her mind. Suddenly, she turned the TV off and stood up.
“Where did I put it?”, she thought.
She walked into her bedroom and into the closet, going to the back corner where there was a pile of boxes. She began unstacking them until she uncovered one at the bottom with “Home” written on the side. Pacifica pulled the box out, put the others back and began looking through the one she wanted. She pulled a number of different items out. Her uniform from Greasy’s, her old llama sweater that Mabel had given her years prior, some random trinkets. Finally, she saw what she was looking for, a book with a now faded green cover.
She sat down against the wall, just looking at the book for a moment before carefully opening it. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment as she saw the first picture. It was a picture she and Dipper had taken at a party at the Manor. McGucket had decided to continue the annual tradition after purchasing the massive home, but made sure it was always for everyone, not just the rich.
Pacifica continued flipping through the book until she reached the end, and a tear fell as she closed it.
Gravity Falls, at the same time…
“Alright everyone, that concludes our weekly meeting. I’d like to thank all of you for coming and for keeping it mostly civil.”, said Dipper as he closed his journal and stood from the log he had been sitting on. He and a bunch of the creatures from the surrounding area always had their weekly gathering in a clearing near the Mystery Shack, sat around a fire, except of course when it rained. “As per usual, we will be meeting here again next week, except for Multibear who is going to attempt to watch a BABBA concert from the woods around the venue. Does anyone have any questions?”
One of the Lilliputtians raised a hand.
“Yes, Franz?”
“Is there any chance we can get some of the tiny marshmallows for toasting next time? I nearly choked to death on a big one today.”
“Yes, I can get some for you. Anyone else?” Nobody else spoke. “Alright then. Everyone, have a safe trip home. I’ll see you all next week.”
As the creatures, ranging from a couple of Manotaurs to a Gnome named Shmebulock left, Dipper put out the fire before making his way back to the Shack. He entered through the gift shop after making sure that there wasn’t a tour group in it, and then went up to the attic.
Just as Dipper was about to get into bed, his phone started ringing. He tiredly picked it up from the bedside table, hoping that it was something he could ignore, but his eyes immediately widened as he saw the name of the person calling. He pressed the answer button and slowly brought the phone to his ear, his hand nervously shaking. He didn’t say anything and began wondering if he was just imagining the call until the person spoke.
“…Dipper..?”
“…Pacifica…”
“It’s…it’s been a while… How are you?”
Dipper cleared his throat, trying to act normal. “Me? Oh, I’m fine, I’m good. Never better… What about you?”
Pacifica attempted to do the same. “I’m good. I’m great, actually. Life has been a dream…”
An awkward silence filled the air in both the attic and Pacifica’s apartment until she finally spoke again.
“…We’re both lying…”
It wasn’t a question, it wasn’t an assumption, it was a fact. A fact that they both knew.
“…Yeah… It’s been… I’ve been…”
“Yeah…”
“Dipper, I… I wanted to talk to you about something…”
Gravity Falls, two weeks later…
The bell in Greasy’s Diner chimed as the door opened and Dipper walked in. He nervously walked to one of the empty booths and sat down. As he looked through the window at the parking lot, a server came to the table.
“What can I get for you today, Dipper?”
Dipper turned his head and saw Stacey, Lazy Susan’s great niece. She had taken over the diner after her great aunt retired.
“Oh, uh, two coffees please. One my usual and the other with one cream and two sugar, please.”
Stacy looked at him, confused about why he would order two when he was alone, but understood as a blonde haired woman approached them.
Dipper looked at Pacifica, who returned his gaze. He thought she looked as beautiful as ever, and she thought he looked like he had at least tried to improve his appearance for her. She sat down across from him.
“Hey…”
“Hey…” Dipper looked out at the parking lot again and saw a car filled with bags now parked next to his truck. “So…you’re back…”
“Yeah… I’ll have to go back occasionally, but I’m back…”
The two directed their attention to Stacy who had returned with two cups of coffee.
“Here you are. Let me know if there’s anything else I can get for you.”
“Thanks, Stacy.”
“Thank you.”
They both took a sip of their drinks. A content smile formed on Pacifica’s face as she set hers back down, realizing that it was just how she liked it.
“You remembered.”
“Every single thing.”