She didn't know how Stan managed to convince her to come with because the next thing she knew, she was in the passenger's seat of Stan's car.

His fingers were drumming against the steering wheel. Y/n knew that one of his mannerisms when he's nervous is when his fingers get all fidgety and shaky that he doesn't know what to do with it.

"Calm down, or you might just crash the car before we even get there."

"I'm calm."

She didn't say anything as her eyes lingered on the passing trees on the window. Occasionally, she would also tap her fingers against her thigh. The car drove more until Stan slowly pulled it to a stop.

"We're here, I think," said Stan.

"Ya think?"

"This is their bus stop, okay? We just gotta wait, I suppose," he replied, propping his elbow on the side as he placed his chin on his hand.

The silence was... silent. There was nothing else to do except to watch the green leaves and brown trunks. The sun was already blazing as the summer began.

Beep beep!

Incoming bus.

Stan watched from his window as the large vehicle made its stop from the other end of the road. The vehicle shook a bit while the two passengers exited out with their luggage. The old man beside Y/n was grinning broadly as he awaited the bus to eventually drive off and reveal his two grandchildren.

***

PLAY THEME SONG

https://youtu.be/X2DUpDxFJyg

***

Stan sprang open the door, leaving Y/n inside. Stan approached the two naive kids, who were probably her age, as he crossed the street. They were twins, alright.

The boy was sporting a beige hat with a brown star stitched in the middle. He gave off the impression of being dubious about the whole idea and was obviously not looking forward to spending the entire summer in a remote location.

His twin sister, who was standing next to him, was beaming with happiness. Y/n could tell they were diametrically opposed. On a sweltering day, the girl sported a hot pink headband and a hot pink sweatshirt.

She recoiled when Stan suddenly turned around and beckoned for her to come. He waved his hand energetically, and she motioned for him to stop and silently told him, no!, but Stan was persistent and was currently giving her the deadly eyes so she had no choice but to get out of the car.

With a forced smile, she walked towards the three. "Hi," she muttered. She didn't mean to sound so closed off and lame, but this was very unnecessary.

"This one's Y/n. She's been living with me for the past however many years," Stan introduced, placing a somewhat affectionate hand on her shoulders. He turned to the girl beside him and said, "why don't you help them carry their things to the car?"

Internally, Y/n rolled her eyes at Stan's request considering it was really out of character for him, but she really wanted to help.

All those years of training self-defense with Ford and practicing boxing with Stan paid off as she carried the girl's boxes and hauled it into the trunk with ease.

The four of them eventually got into the car, with Y/n being in front and the twins on the back.

"Thanks for the help, Y/n!" The girl chirped. "I'm Mabel, by the way, and this is my brother, Dipper!"

"I can introduce myself, Mabel– and yes, call me Dipper," said Dipper, crossing his arms. The bus ride must've been horrible for his mood to go this sour.

Dipper? Y/n thought internally, an imaginary eyebrow raising up. I thought he was Mason. There might be a reason for him to use a silly alias to hide his true name.

She knew his real name from Stan's story after coming back from the hospital many years ago. Stan still sometimes tells the story to this day.

Speaking of Stan, he seemed to be thinking the same thing as Y/n as he also raised an eyebrow at Dipper's different name. "Dipper? Could-" he stopped himself further from speaking and just turned on the ignition.

Y/n stared at the side of Stan's face intently for a moment, trying to analyze what was on his mind. He brought his handbrake forward and drove off.

He might be thinking, Dipper? Could it be from your birthmark that looks eerily similar to the constellation?

Well, that's what she heard from him over 10 years ago– that the kid had a birthmark of The Big Dipper exactly on his forehead. That information perplexed her for a moment the first time she heard it. She just couldn't imagine her favorite constellation as a birthmark. She's going to wanna see it to believe it if that were true.

But with a frown, Y/n had a sad thought. Should she be willing to get close to them? She figured she should just leave them alone as she works quietly in the basement for the whole summer, but that wouldn't be enjoyable, would it?

Stan had insisted that at all cost, they shouldn't know about the portal. Everyone around them shouldn't know about the portal. It's just too dangerous, he'd finished. This is just between you and me, Y/n. and Y/n agrees.

And there were times when she just wanted to abandon the mission of saving Ford. She wished she could simply get up and leave The Mystery Shack forever to pursue her forest clinic. She thought it was long past time, but she knew it is never too late to help someone.

But she didn't want to abandon the project. She still believes Ford is trapped inside the portal, trapped in an infinite sea of dimensions. Other dimensions he'd visited, other creatures he'd met, and Y/n knew she could rely on Ford's skill and intellect to survive on his own.

The problem is that there hasn't been a lead. There is no progress. Nothing. Without the other two journals, she and Stan would be unable to turn it on. They tried other methods they learned from reading a lot of books, but it's like trying to open the strongest lock without a key.

How long until they give up? It has been thirty years. When does it all stop?

"We're here,"Stan announced to everyone, and Y/n couldn't wait to get out of the car and stretch her legs. Mabel, too, jumped out and inhaled a little too dramatically.

"Summertime, get ready, 'cos I'm about to spend you so hard!" exclaimed Mabel, pumping her fist in the air.

"That doesn't even make any sense," her twin brother remarked.

Mabel grinned. "No, it does make sense!"

Y/n assisted them in settling into their new room, which was the attic that she helped Stan and Soos in cleaning. It had two untouched beds on either side of the room, decorated with items purchased or found by Stan, such as the dirty round rug and an old cork board.

"Alright, here you go," Stan said as he dropped off the last bag. "Try and settle in and make yourselves comfortable."

"Will do, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel raised her hand in a salute as she wore the biggest smile, making Stan chuckle a bit.

As he took his exit, he didn't forget to reel Y/n with him and walked out together. It was silent, but Y/n couldn't let Stan get lost in his thoughts again, so she spoke, "They seem like good people."

"Yeah. They're already calling me their grunkle."

"I'm guessing that's short for Great Uncle?"

"Hehe, yeah."

***

Everyone noticed the change in atmosphere for the first week of the Pines twins being in Gravity Falls. Mabel had emphasized before that she was in her 'boy crazy' phase– which means flirting with every guy she meets– and she delivers. Almost all the guys in town are afraid of her.

Dipper was indifferent for the first week, as well as letting Mabel know that she's overdoing it with the crazy part of being 'boy crazy'. It looked like he already wanted to escape this place. Why wouldn't he, after he's been given chores after chores? But whenever he had the opportunity, he would take a walk through the woods with his pen and notepad.

Y/n pretended nothing had changed by remaining downstairs during the day, though she also makes an effort to be present upstairs to avoid suspicion.

She turned around after casually getting a can of Pitt cola from the vending machine she had just walked out of and saw the twins discussing Mabel's flirting tactics. Should she go up to them?

Stan, however, walked out of the museum with wooden signs under his arm before she could. "Y/n, gimme a can."

Without saying anything, Y/n elbowed the vending machine hard, and it eventually spurted out the soda can. She knelt and grabbed the can, then tossed it out until it landed perfectly on Stan's hand. "All right," he said as he opened the soda. "Look alive, people. I need someone to hammer up these signs on the spooky part of the forest."

Y/n's obnoxious slurps resounded as the twins spoke aloud, "Not it!" "Not it."

"Uh, also not it." Soos said from the other side of the gift shop.

"Nobody asked you, Soos," deadpanned Stan.

"I know, and I'm comfortable with that," Soos responded similarly blankly before biting into his chocolate bar. Y/n laughed a little. Oh, you silly Soos.

And Wendy isn't available either when asked by Stan. Or rather, she just couldn't quite reach it.

"I'd fire all of you if I could," Stan said before turning to the kids. "Alright. Let's make it... eeny meeny mine-y... you."

His finger was pointing at Dipper, who was already voicing his displeasure. "Oh what?" he frowned. "Grunkle Stan, whenever I'm in those woods I feel like I'm being watched."

Y/n nearly crushed the can she was holding.

"Ugh, this again." Stan squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"I'm telling you, something weird is happening in this town. Just today, my mosquito bites spelled out, 'BEWARE'!" Dipper told him, adjusting his sleeve to reveal said mosquito bites.

The elderly man leaned down as he narrowed his eyes to properly read it. Y/n couldn't help but take a peek at it as well. "That says Bewarb," Stan countered, and Dipper leaned back, noticing the misspelling.

Y/n hid her smile and scolded Stan internally. Stan, come on. They're called Soothsquitoes. They frequently mistype ominous messages. Dipper tells the truth!

And now, Stan is lightly berating Dipper about what he sees and how everything he sees is a hoax and a legend, and Y/n frowned. Stan was doing something she was aware of. He wanted Dipper to tone down his curiosity about the unknown, and he thinks he's keeping him safe, but he's slowly killing Dipper's spirit.

"So quit being so paranoid!" Stan finished before tossing Dipper the pile of wooden signs, hammer and nails. But before the old man walked away, he raised one finger. "On second thought, take Y/n with you. She could use some fresh air every once in a while."

Stan didn't even turn around to notice that Y/n was staring at him, and yet he kept that gleaming grin on his face.

Y/n stood motionless while Dipper sighed deeply, still carrying the stack of signs. "Let's go then."

***

It was indeed the spooky part of the forest. Trees swayed in the breeze mysteriously. The two were surrounded by fog as Y/n effortlessly handled the signs and Dipper hammered nails against the barks of the trees. "Ugh, Grunkle Stan," Dipper groaned aloud. "Nobody believes anything I say."

"Don't worry, Stan's always like that," Y/n said, trying to reassure the boy. It was the first time she spoke to him, and it felt chilling. She had broken the ice first. "He's old and grumpy so naturally, he wouldn't believe words from someone younger than him."

She couldn't help but wince internally. Well, that's one way to talk to someone she just met.

Dipper stared at her briefly before reverting his gaze to the wooden sign he just hung up. The two of them walked to the tree next to it. Dipper placed a nail on the trunk and tried to hammer it but unusually, a metal sound rang out. "Huh?"

Y/n tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What the..."

The boy leaned forward and gave it a few more taps with the hammer until he felt the sound vibrations against his ear and it confirmed their suspicions that it was indeed metal.

Dipper's hand swiped across the dust-covered steel surface until it reached the edge of what appears to be a hidden metal door. The hinges were hidden so that no one could figure out the fake mechanism. Including Y/n.

When he opened it, the two saw a small control unit with switches inside. Dipper looked around, curious, and began flipping the switches on and off. A trapdoor to their left split the ground open, sending Gompers the goat fleeing in terror.

Dipper approached the open hatch with caution, followed by Y/n. He looked down and saw an old-looking book. It was bound in leather and featured a monocle and a silhouette of a six-fingered hand. A cryptic number 3 was written in the center of the hand.

Wait a minute.

Y/n remained frozen in her place. She wished she could scream. She wanted to do multiple backflips and rip the book from Dipper's grip, never to see the light of day again. This was what she had been searching for for the past thirty years. This is half the key to unlocking the portal and ultimately saving Ford. And it all depends on Dipper's fingers.

"Hey, Dipper. You should hand the book to me. It looks kinda scary."

"Do you know this book?" Dipper closed the journal and hugged it to himself.

"No... I don't. I just need a little closer look." She smiled shakily.

"What? Y/n. You're acting a little suspicious," he said, raising an eyebrow."

Y/n couldn't take it anymore. "Just hand me the journal, Dipper! That doesn't belong to you!"

"I found it first! You know what? I can't trust you, Y/n. I won't ever talk to you again! I might have to tell you to the FBI and shut the portal down for good! You're never gonna get Ford back-"

Y/n shook her head, returning to reality. Maybe her lack of communication skills won out over the looming scenarios in her head, but then again, that kind of situation is possible if she makes the wrong move.

Stan was right. The twins should be kept in the dark about Ford and the portal. They should be kept in the dark about everything. However, Dipper's discovery of a journal may be the beginning of the end.

"Y/n, look," Dipper's voice jolted her out of her reverie. She blinked briefly before turning to the first pages of the journal. As she admired Ford's handwriting, it felt like old memories. She remembered him writing those words exactly:

"It's hard to believe it's been six years since I began searching the strange and wondrous secrets of Gravity Falls, Oregon," Dipper read aloud. He didn't continue the rest as he began flipping through the pages, baffled. "What is all this?!" He questioned. Y/n stood from behind him, wanting to answer his questions, but she knew. She knew that she couldn't. She shouldn't.

Dipper began reading again, "Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed. I'm being watched! I must hide this book before he finds it." Who's he? "Remember– in Gravity Falls, there is no one you can trust."

He returned his gaze to Y/n, who appeared to have a pale complexion. Her eyes were tired, and she slouched, but she was fighting for her life. Dipper locked his gaze on her, as if he were telling her about their secret pact. They found the journal together, read the entries, and their curiosity was sparked at the same time. Dipper nodded subtly, continuing to stare at Y/n before repeating the final words, "No one you can trust."

"HELLO!"

Y/n and Dipper drew apart as if they were on fire. Dipper nearly dropped the book as it slipped from his grasp. Y/n remained silent.

"You guys are taking a long time, huh?" Mabel raised her eyebrows before changing her focus to the journal on her brother's possession. "What are you guys reading, some nerd thing?!"

Dipper placed the book behind him as he stuttered, "Uh, uh, it's nothing!"

"Uh, uh! It's nothing!" Mabel mocked, waving her hands in the air frantically. "What, you guys literally took a stroll in the woods for one minute and you're keeping secrets now? Are you actually not gonna show me?"

Y/n could see a twinge of hurt and uncertainty flash across Dipper's eyes. She stepped in. "Let's go somewhere private and we'll tell you."

As the three walked back to the Shack, Y/n wanted to pat herself on the back, both for comfort and pride, because she had to pretend not only that she didn't know anything, but also that she was friends with the twins in order to gain their trust. That meant she had to keep Mabel in on the secret to avoid suspicion and betrayal, and basically do everything Dipper says so he could trust her.

It was a cruel and selfish plan, which she should have honestly discussed with Stan first, but it was completely instinctive and thoughtful, so she shouldn't be concerned.

The three of them walked into the living room. Mabel sat on the lounge chair's arm, while Y/n leaned on the opposite arm. Dipper was pacing around the room, clearly excited. "It's amazing! Grunkle Stan said I was being paranoid, but according to this book, Gravity Falls has this secret dark side."

"Woah, shut up!" Mabel exclaimed.

"No way, really?" Y/n disguised her uninterest with excitement.

"And get this, after a certain point, the pages just– stopped. Like the guy who was writing it mysteriously disappeared!"

Y/n couldn't help it. "Hey, I think Soos called me for something. I'll be right back."

Just as the doorbell rang, she choked back a sob. She needs to go and talk to Stan.

He was, however, nowhere to be found. Stan entered the room as soon as she left, carrying a can of Pitt Cola. Y/n went into her room and bawled her eyes out quietly. Dipper had only to remind her. Of course! The key she'd been looking for had miraculously materialized after so many years, and now it's flown away! She'll have to find a way to get the journal somehow.

She decided to go outside and walk around for a while after hours of alone contemplation. Stan was busy watching Soos fix the portable toilet when she arrived. "These people don't know the word 'respect' it seems," the old man remarked with his hands on his hips.

"Stan. I need to talk to you," Y/n began, fiddling with her fingers. "It's really important."

"Can that wait? I'm busy ranting to Soos about the toilet and its uses that most of our tourists seemed to disregard."

Soos stopped his movements. "Agreed."

Before Y/n could get a word out, Stan chimed in, "Hey, did you know that Mabel got a boyfriend?" He turned to her. "Maybe you should start upping your game, sister."

"What-"

"Dipper thinks the guy's a zombie though," Soos cut off.

"And you believe him?" deadpanned Stan.

"Uh. I do. I mean, have you seen the guy? He looked so... undead!"

Y/n and Stan shared a glance before the girl gave him a look that said, "I need to tell you something".

Stan grabbed her shoulders and forced her to turn away from Soos, walking with her. "What's wrong?" He looked down at her in concern.

"Stan. I-"

A shrill beep from his watch cut her off as Stan glanced down. "Oh, shoot. The next wave is coming. I have to go. Tell me later, okay? Meanwhile, go and accompany Soos for me," he said before walking away, in a rush.

Soos was finally finished with unclogging the toilet after a moment. From afar, Y/n could see the crowds forming around Stan as he led them to the rock sculpture that looks like a face.

"Hey, Y/n, thanks for waiting for me, dawg."

"No problem," she replied nonchalantly. While they were walking back to the Shack, Soos had grabbed a shovel and baseball bat just as Y/n saw a small figure trying to get Stan's attention. "Is that Dipper?" The two of them watched as Dipper sprinted towards Wendy and frantically waved his arms in the air. Wendy gave him the keys to the golf cart.

"We have to help him," Soos said, scampering off while she weakly went after him.

"We?"

"Dude!" Soos appeared from behind the golf cart, effectively stopping Dipper from backtracking further. "It's us, Soos and Y/n." He looked down at the shovel he was carrying before he handed it off to the boy. "This is for the zombies."

"Thanks."

"And this is in case you see a piñata." He handed the baseball bat from his other hand. Even Y/n raised an eyebrow at that.

"Uh, thanks?" Dipper said, unsure.

"Oh wait, dude," Soos said before Dipper could move. "You should have a back-up."

She didn't know what was happening, but the next thing she knew, Y/n was being lifted up by Soos and then placed her on the golf cart. "Wait, what?! Soos!"

"We don't have time, Y/n. I'll explain it to you on the way!" Dipper drove the golf cart in reverse before reverting it back to forward, driving as fast as he could.

"Better safe than sorry!"

"What the heck is going on?!" Y/n demanded, her hands on the side of her seat.

"Okay," Dipper breathed. "Mabel has a boyfriend named Norman and he looked sickly and even had blood in his face but he lied and said it's jam. I thought he looked suspicious so I read through the journal that we found– woah!" The golf cart swerved as Dipper almost hit an unsuspecting squirrel in the middle of the dirt road. "And the journal says that he might be a zombie! I recorded every interaction he had with Mabel and in one of the clips I've captured, his hand literally fell to the ground and he put it back on. He's a zombie and my sister doesn't know! She could be lost right now, or worse: dead!"

"Woah, hey. Dipper, calm down," Y/n reassured. "I don't think zombies are smart enough to conjure up a plan so precise just to eat your sister's brain. It's impossible."

"I guess you're right. But she still could be in danger and we have to save her."

"Right. Sure." Y/n tried to ignore the slight pang in her heart. He reminds her of herself sometimes.

"HELP!" Mabel's scream resounded in the forest.

"Hang on, Mabel!" Dipper exclaimed before kicking the gas pedal and the two were accelerated.

From a distance, Y/n sees the girl twin fighting off a bunch of gnomes surrounding her, trying to keep her hostage.

Dipper eventually stopped the cart and the two got out of the vehicle, getting their preferred weapons; Dipper with the shovel and Y/n with the bat. "What the heck is going on here?!" Just as he said that, a lone gnome passed by and aggressively hissed at the two of them.

"Dipper!" Mabel called upon seeing the two of them. "Norman turned out to be a bunch of gnomes! And they're total jerks!" She punched off their smalls but unfortunately they got a hold of strands of her hair. "Agh! Hair, hair!"

"Gnomes? Oh, I was way off," Dipper said, taking out the journal and began flipping through them.

Y/n unconsciously clenched her fist in contempt. She should be carrying the journal. Not him. She should be flipping through the pages and reading about gnomes. Not him.

"The author didn't list their weaknesses."

Maybe because Schmebulock Sr. was the only gnome we examined closely that didn't show any weaknesses. The last thing she remembered about gnomes was that they were looking for their queen, and Mabel seemed to be their next victim.

"Oh, come on!" Mabel complained as she was being tied on the ground.

"Hey, hey!" Dipper marched to the leader gnome, who she guessed was named Jeff. "Let go of my sister!"

Jeff turned around albeit bashfully. "Oh!" He chuckled nervously. "Hey there! Um, you know, this is all really just... a big misunderstanding. You see, your sister's not in danger. She's just marrying all one thousand of us and becoming our gnome queen for all eternity!" He said that so casually. He then turned to Mabel. "Isn't that right, honey?"

Mabel pouted angrily before screaming, "You guys are buttfaces!" She wanted to say more, but one of the gnomes slapped her mouth closed, earning a muffled yell from her.

"Give her back right now, or else!" The boy threatened with a shovel. Y/n lazily spun the baseball bat around her hands.

"You think a bunch of children can stop us? You have no idea what we're capable of," Jeff said, his hands shaking. "The gnomes are a powerful race! Do not trifle with the-"

"Okay, let's get this over with." Y/n didn't waste a second before smacking Jeff with the bat, sending him to the bushes beside them as he screamed.

Dipper ran to a trapped Mabel and easily cut off through the wires with the spade of the tool. Mabel jumped off the ground, effectively shoving away the gnomes before escaping with her hand on Dipper's.

Sensing as it is escaping time, Y/n took the wheel of the golf cart and waited until the twins climbed aboard.

"They're getting away from our queen!" Jeff shouted, "No, no, no!"

"Seatbelts please," Y/n blankly stated to the two before taking off with the gnomes running behind them.

The three had already exited the enchanted forest and were on their way to the Mystery Shack. Mabel was upset the entire time that Norman wasn't a vampire, whereas Dipper was over it.

The ground began to tremble, and they heard stomping. Y/n stepped on the gas pedal without hesitation. She knew there were enough gnomes to make a giant gnome monster. And based on the size, they might be able to reach them.

"It's getting closer!" Mabel exclaimed from the back seat.

Y/n heard a couple of groans and thumping on the roof of the golf cart, and her instincts to protect kicked in. "Dipper, take the wheel!"

She stood on the driver's side of the seat, holding the metal poles that support the roof, before sliding across the front bumper to the other side of the front seat. She grabbed the baseball bat from their feet and thwacked it off just as a gnome appeared from above the roof. The gnome flew away.

The gnomes attacked again and again, but the three defended themselves immediately.

A flying tree suddenly appeared above their heads, whooshing past them. "Watch out!" Mabel said, pointing to the large tree that had fallen in front of them, blocking the road.

Dipper recoiled and slammed on the brakes, causing the car to swivel around the dirt road. He couldn't seem to keep it under control, and the golf cart spun out of control until it slid and flipped to the side before skidding to a stop.

The twins, clearly in pain, crawled out of the golf cart. Y/n was unharmed as she stood up with ease, despite the fact that she should not have done so. She must pretend.

The gnome monster towered over them, menacingly posing. Y/n awaited their next move, but Dipper felt compelled to throw a shovel at them, only to have it crushed.

Y/n, Mabel, and Dipper were left cornered by the monster. It walked closer, leaving no space to escape. "It's the end of the line, Mabel!" Jeff shouted specifically to Mabel, "Marry us before we do something crazy!"

Dipper placed his hands on the sides of his hair in a panic. "There's gotta be a way out of this!"

"Give him what he wants, Mabel," Y/n said determinedly.

"What?!" The twins chorused.

"You have to do it, Mabel. Give the gnomes what they want. We don't have any other choice."

Mabel turned to face Y/n, and she gave her a speechless nod as if saying, 'you know what to do, Mabel.'

"Okay," she said, "I'll do it."

"What?!" Dipper bellowed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't do this, are you crazy?!"

"Dipper," Y/n cut off before Mabel had to explain. She placed her own hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from his sister. "Trust me on this," Y/n said, "trust her."

He returned his gaze to his sister before sighing in defeat and stepping back with her. Mabel stepped forward, announcing her intention to marry the entire gnome army.

"Alright, Jeff!" Mabel shouted, "I'll marry you."

"Hotdog!" Jeff cheered before descending on his army members. He finally arrived on the ground and walked to Mabel before stopping in front of her and presenting her with a cheap box containing a diamond ring. "Eh, eh?" Jeff exclaimed excitedly.

Mabel smiled sweetly as she kneeled to his level and extended an arm. Jeff put the ring on her finger. As Jeff rejoiced, she admired the crystal pendant. "Let's get back to the forest, honey!"

"Jeff!" Y/n chimed in, "you just got married, man! Isn't it a tradition to kiss the bride in a wedding?"

She could feel Dipper staring at her with disgust. He was probably offended by the idea of the gnome kissing his sister so intensely.

But Jeff didn't see anything wrong with it. Instead, he smiled so widely. "Well!" He danced a little jig. "That's a good idea, random person! Don't mind if I do!"

It was a shock that Jeff had no idea who Y/n was, despite the fact that she had been living here for quite some time. Perhaps he had been preoccupied with something more important and had forgotten about their encounters when Y/n was looking for the journal.

Anyway, as Jeff leaned in for a kiss, Mabel pulled out a leaf blower and pointed it at the gnome, drawing him in. Jeff couldn't escape the force of the leaf blower before being sucked in and becoming trapped in the hole.

"That's for lying to me!" Mabel said once he got stuck. "That's for breaking my heart–" she pushed the Suck option farther until Jeff couldn't breathe.

"Ow, my face!"

"And this is for messing with Dipper and Y/n!"

The two situated themselves standing besides Mabel as they pointed the leaf blower with Jeff in it towards the unsuspecting gnome monster without its beloved leader.

"Wanna do the honors?" Mabel smirked at her two partners-in-crime. "On 3!"

"1, 2, 3!" The three yelled in unison before Dipper pushed down the lever to the Blow option, sending Jeff flying and aiming the center of the gnome monster until it exploded upon impact.

Jeff was sent back to the deeper parts of the forest. "I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!" He shrieked on his way home. Meanwhile, the gnomes were left wandering and scattered, asking the same question, 'Where's our leader? Who's giving orders?!'

Mabel stepped forward and attacked them with the leaf blower, blowing them away and making them scamper. "Anyone else want some?" Dipper asked with his arms crossed confidently.

"Huh. I guess that's their weakness," Y/n said aloud.

***

"Hey, Dipper," Mabel called to her brother as the three were walking towards the Shack. He turned around and waited for what she had to say. "I, um. I'm sorry for not taking your advice. You really were just looking out for me..." she trailed off.

"Oh, don't be like that," he replied, waving a dismissive hand. "You saved our butts out there!"

"I guess I'm just sad that my first boyfriend turned out to be a bunch of gnomes..." Mabel frowned as she looked down dejectedly.

Dipper gave her a reassuring smile. "Look on the bright side! Maybe the next one will be a vampire!"

"Oh, you're just saying that" Mabel playfully punched him on the shoulder.

He smiled back. "Awkward... sibling hug?"

"Awkward sibling hug."

The two stepped forward and pulled each other into an embrace before breaking the silence with a chorus of, "Pat, pat."

Y/n felt like she should've left earlier. She didn't want to feel empathy for these children. Okay, just kidding, she's not that evil. Seeing them hug felt like she was intruding on a private and personal moment.

They pulled away eventually, and before Y/n could walk away, Mabel had attacked her with a hug of her own. "Special friendship hug for Y/n! Thanks for saving our butts, too."

She awkwardly grasped Mabel's shoulders. And, as much as Y/n enjoys forcibly hugging Stan out of spite and to tease him, being the recipient of hugs is strange to her. She had never been hugged before.

And it feels good.

"Sorry for... the awkward response," Y/n had to say. She had to apologize. "I'm just not very used to... physical contact."

Perhaps physical contact with the monsters they encounter, as well as the rest of their adventures. That level of contact. Ford isn't a particularly affectionate person, and Stan wasn't particularly touchy with her—except when giving out noogies or literally wrestling every now and then—so she has no experience with hugging.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Mabel said. "Remind me to always hug you whenever I see you."

"Please don't."

"Nope! It's already in the list of my daily activities implanted on my brain," Mabel said, grinning widely.

She couldn't help but admit to herself that Mabel's smile is contagious and now she's smiling a bit. Dipper stood behind them with his hands on his pockets, watching his sister make Y/n smile.

He, too, smiled. Every day, he grows less amazed by the things he sees on the internet or in real life, but he'll never understand how Mabel can just have this effect on people and spread happiness wherever she goes. He guessed she was like that. She's extremely sociable and can make new friends faster than one can blink. Even the darkest, most impure hearts will not deter Mabel's determination to turn them around. She's a good person, not just a nice one. And he considers himself fortunate to have her as a twin sister.

Stan was counting money by the cash register, as he always did at the end of the shift, when the three entered the gift shop, looking disheveled and tired.

He stopped his counting once he saw them. "Sheesh, did you three get hit by a bus or something? HA!" Stan smacked the counter with a guffaw.

The twins didn't say anything as they trudged their way to the living room. Y/n came to a halt, giving Stan an unimpressed look. Stan gave her a panicked look, but she just motioned to the twins who were almost at the door.

Stan thought for a moment before he called for them,"Uh, hey!"

Dipper and Mabel both stopped walking and turned to Stan.

"Uh, wouldn't- wouldn't you know it, um, I... accidentally overstocked some inventory! So, uh- how's about each of you take one item from the gift shop. On the house, you know?"

Y/n smiled at that.

"Really?" Mabel exclaimed in disbelief,

while Dipper crossed his arms. "What's the catch?"

"The catch is Do It Before I Change My Mind, now take something!"

Y/n went and walked to the barrel placed beside the cash register and sat on it, placing her elbows on the counter and putting her chin on her propped up hand. While the twins were choosing the merchandise, Stan glanced at Y/n as if asking for approval. She grinned and formed her hand into a thumbs up, making him smile a bit.

Dipper chose a pine tree hat, and Y/n assumed he was used to wearing hats to conceal his birthmark. She still wants to see the Big Dipper imprinted on his forehead, or she won't believe it.

Meanwhile, Mabel got herself a grappling hook.

A grappling hook.

***

My uncle told us there was nothing strange about this town. But who knows what other secrets are waiting to be unlocked.

"Took you long enough."

"I forgot the passcode!"

"What?! How could you forget it when you've been inputting the same pattern for thirty years!"

"I'm getting old," Stan said, huffing before sitting down by the control panel. "Any progress?"

"No. But we have a lead," Y/n said, facing him. She didn't even wait to create some sort of suspense. "Dipper has the third journal."

"What?" Stan stopped his movements. "How?"

"He found it in the spooky forest you sent him– I mean, we found it in the spooky forest you sent us."

"And you didn't know? You didn't think it was there?"

"It was a hidden metal door in a tree bark! Quite impossible to notice it at first glance," Y/n said, feeling a bit offended that Stan thinks she's an idiot for not finding it sooner. "So?" she spoke after a brief silence. "Are we not gonna do anything about it?"

Stan paused, contemplating silently.

"If you don't have an idea, I do," Y/n spoke aloud, "I propose I steal it while they're fast asleep, copy the pages, and return it back before they wake up as if nothing had happened."

She waited in silence. Stan's back was still facing her when he said, "No."

"No?" she repeated. "But it's right there! It's just a few meters away from us and you're saying 'no'?"

He had his fingers placed below his chin as his eyes were furrowed. "I don't know. I don't wanna break their trust."

"Um, you might've already done it?!" Y/n retorted, "you've hidden things before they were even born! Multiple fake identities? Faking your own death? I was there, Stan." She crossed her arms.

"Gee, thanks for the reminder," he blankly replied. He sighed after a brief pause before continuing, "We have to... It's... just too dangerous. I don't want them to hold us back."

"But we need the journal, Stan," she was almost whining. "We need it! You know it has the other notes and parts for the portal!"

"Shh, I know!" He walked to the compartment where it contained the first journal. "What we need to do is earn their trust. I want them to willingly show me the journal. I want them to be comfortable around here, to make it a safe space."

Y/n rolled her eyes at Stan's reply. This Shack has already been a danger zone to begin with, but she understood his intentions and decided to just zip her mouth. "Okay," she said quietly before going back to the old computer and began typing different equations that might just work. But every time she hits enter and it doesn't work, it leaves her a painful reminder.

"But hey, you seem to be making good progress earning those twins' trust. What happened back there?"

"Mabel's boyfriend wasn't a zombie, it was a couple of gnomes inside a teenager trench coat," she said plainly, "Their leader goes by Jeff now, can you believe it? Last time I heard it was Joe or something."

"Hm," Stan softly let out. "Y/n, I want you to keep them safe, okay?"

"Yeah, well." She shrugged nonchalantly, "Already doin' that, old man. Couldn't help it."

"Well, continue doing it. You're doing a good job," the elderly man said as he bid her a wave. "You have your way, and I have mine. I already have a plan to get closer to them."

"What is it?"

"Oh, you'll see."

***

"TA-DA! It's Fishing Season!" Stan bellowed as he extended his arms upright to the air in joy.

Y/n watched, deflated, as she stood to the side. She crossed her arms, unimpressed. So this is how Stan wanted to spend time with them. Through fish and fishing.

"Fishing?" Mabel questioned with furrowed brows.

Dipper placed his hand on his hip while the other pointed accusingly at Stan. "What are you playing at, old man?"

"You're gonna love it!" Stan remains enthusiastic. "The whole town is here!"

Their eyes scanned through the entire expanse of the Gravity Falls Lake until Dipper seemed to have had enough, crossing his arms "Grukle Stan, why do you wanna bond with us all of a sudden?"

"Come on, this is gonna be great!" Stan said, skillfully evading the question. "Isn't that right, Y/n?" He then turned to her, who recoiled at the mention of her name. Stan has got to stop catching her off guard.

She didn't say anything, averting her gaze from Stan to Dipper and Mabel, both of whom looked as if they didn't want to be here, but she wanted to do it for Stan. "Yeah, Stan just needs more fishing buddies; we don't get to do this as often as we used to every summer, so the more the merrier, right?"

"Hey, I know how to make this stuff 'merry'! Pow!" Stan brought out two fishing hats and placed them on both on top of their hair. "Pines family fishing hats!"

Dipper and Mabel confusedly removed the hats and stared at the stitching of their names. Y/n watched their reactions go from confused to worried. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at what was happening in front of her.

"It's just gonna be you three, me, and those goofy hats on a boat for ten hours!"

"Ten hours?" Dipper echoed, his eyes twitching. Y/n had to agree with him. Fishing for ten hours? That has got to be a joke.

"I brought the joke book!" Stan encouraged, rocking the book in his hands.

"Oh no, not the joke book."

Mabel turned to her brother. "There's gotta be a way out of this," she said.

"I seen it! I seen it again!"

A voice hollered from a distance. The cranky old man practically crashed and overturned anything on his way until eventually pulling a random man close to him and shouted in his face, "The Gravity Falls Gobblewonker! Come quick before it scrabdoodles away!" He danced frantically, slapping his knee as he yelped incoherent tunes.

"Aww, he's doing a happy jig!" Mabel clasped her hands together.

"NOOO!" The man screamed to Mabel, "It's a jig of grave danger!"

"Hey!" Y/n stepped forward and pushed him slightly. "Back off, lunatic!" She lifted a protective arm to shield Mabel from him.

"Hey, hey!" Tate McGucket came out of his cabin with a spray bottle and began spraying it on the old man's face. "Now what did I tell you about scaring my customers? This is your last warning, Dad!"

The whacko tried to spare himself from the water but to no avail. "But I got proof this time, by gummity!"

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other in curiosity before almost everyone in the place followed the man to the dock and there he pointed at the destroyed boat. "It's the Gobble-dy-wonker what done did it! It had a long neck like a gee-raffe!" He described it so dramatically. "And wrinkly skin like...like this gentleman right here!" He pointed to Stan, who was busy picking his ear to realize.

"Huh? Stan stopped his action and asked.

"It chawed my boat up to smitheroons, and shim-shamed over to Scuttlebutt Island!" He pointed to the silhouette of the island. "YOU GOTTA BELIEVE ME!" He pulled on his son's arm as a way to convince him but the son pulled away.

"Attention all units," said Sheriff Blubs, "We got ourselves a crazy old man!"

Tate shook his head in shame as everyone laughed at him, except for Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n, who were pitying him. What became of this man? He was obviously not insane since the day he was born because he clearly had the ability to produce a child. So something tragic must have happened for this man's sanity to completely deteriorate.

"Aww, donkey spittle! Aw, banjo polish!" The old man walked away from the crowd, but they continued laughing at him.

"Well, that happened," Stan said as he stepped into his rowboat. "Now let's untie this boat and get out on that lake! Come on, Y/n, help me."

But before she could step down, Dipper turned to them. "Guys, did you hear what that old dude said?"

Y/n tilted her head. "Scuttlebutt Island?" She didn't even think that would be the name of the island, but here we are.

"Aww, donkey spittle!" mimicked Mabel.

"The other thing. About the monster. If we three can snag a photo of it, we can split the prize into three!"

Mabel gasped. "That's three prizes!"

"Prize?" Y/n asked.

Dipper smiled at her. "I found a Monster Photo Contest in the newspaper this morning. The winner gets one thousand dollars! Imagine what you could do with – what, one thousand divided by three? Uh, three hundred thirty three dollars and thirteen cents? What about you, Mabel?"

As the girl drifted off to daydreaming about her wants, Y/n squirmed a bit nervously. "I don't know. As much as Stan is a killjoy, don't you want to stay here? Where it's safe?"

"Oh come on, Y/n, live a little! It's not often you see a Gobblewonker."

Oh but have you seen the others? And the weirdest thing was that she hasn't even heard of the Gobblewonker. Never before had she encountered it with Ford.

"Dipper!" It seemed that Mabel was back from her imagination. "I am one million percent on board with this!"

"Grunkle Stan!" Dipper called as he walked towards Stan and placed his hand around his shoulders. "Change of plans: we're taking that boat to Scuttlebutt Island, and we're gonna find that Gobblewonker!"

Stan narrowed his eyes as the twins chanted "Monster hunt" together. Y/n just shrugged when he glanced at her in confusion.

From a distance, a large honking sound was heard and Soos pulled up in his boat. "You dudes say somethin' about a monster hunt?"

"Soos!" Mabel delightfully greeted. Stan stepped out to the boat and back to the dock.

"Wassup? You could totally use my boat for your hunt. It's got a steering wheel, chairs; normal boat stuff."

"All right, all right, let's think this through," Stan chimed in. "Ya kids could go waste your time on some epic monster-finding adventure, or you could spend the day learning how to tie knots and skewer worms with your Great Uncle Stan!"

The twins observe Soos in his boat, who performs a robot dance. They return their gaze to Stan in his leaky old boat, and he sniffs his left armpit. They gaze off into the distance at Scuttlebutt Island. They exchange grins. Y/n already knew which option the twins would take. They jumped aboard Soos' boat, wearing life vests. Stan didn't even notice, as he was busy fixing the leak on his boat.

"Y/n! Join us!" Mabel said before Soos hit the pedal.

"Yeah, dude. It's gonna be lots of fun," the older guy behind the wheel beckoned.

Dipper grinned as well. "Yeah! Don't you like adventures?"

"I don't think I can handle adventures," Y/n sheepishly excused, "You guys have fun, though! Take lots of pictures for me!"

"Sure will!" Mabel replied, "And if we do win that photo contest, I'll let you join me inside the human-sized hamster ball!"

"It will be an honor."

And they left. Soos' boat quickly zoomed past her as they ventured to the spooky island.

"So whaddya say?" Stan said after a moment, his back was still facing her.

"They left."

"Huh?" Stan turned around to see the three driving off laughing. He frowned before screaming, "Ingrates!"

"Stan o' War, eh?" Y/n noticed the writing on the boat.

"Heh, yeah. The only boat I'll sail," Stan replied quite somberly. "So you better respect it. You should be honored I'm letting you in."

"So what do we do now?" she asked, wearing her own life vest as she stood by the dock.

He sighed. "We can fish without them. Who needs them? We got a whole box of creepy fishing lures to keep me company." He referred to the lure beside him, surrounded by flies. Stan cringes in disgust before closing the box.

"I don't think you're doing this right," she said, slowly stepping to the boat to avoid the imbalance.

"I don't know what I'm doing. I want them to have fun, but these adventures might lead them to danger. I mean, have you heard of what that crazy man said?"

Y/n took her own fishing pole and fiddled the hook. "Oh come on, Stan. It's summer. I'm sure you have plenty of time to think of some plans. And don't worry about them. There's no such thing as the Gobblewonker."

"What do you mean?" Stan said, pushing his hand against the dock to make the boat move. He pulled the string of the engine and it whirred into a soft hum.

"I mean, the Gobblewonker seems like a wonky name, no? Feels like someone named it on the spot. And if it does exist, the whole town should've known and Ford and I should've discovered it by now."

"Hey, you haven't gone adventuring for the last thirty years. You wouldn't have known there's a scary sea monster in the Gravity Falls Lake."

"Fair point. But why did the monster appear now? You know what I'm saying?"

Stan grunted. "Okay, enough of the monster talk. We're here to go fishing."

Y/n rolled her eyes but followed Stan's lead. He attached his lure on the line before reeling it underwater. She does the same, expertly tying up the hook as Stan had taught her years ago. "Fishing is such a boring hobby. How do you like it so much?"

"Ugh, as much as I appreciated you being here and not abandoning me, you can be a bit chatty at times."

"I'm just lightening up the mood!" Y/n replied. She heard laughing from behind her. "Oh, they're here?"

Mabel and Dipper were laughing at Soos, who was coughing and gagging. They were standing beside a barrel of fish food, so Soos must've tasted some and it tasted awful.

Stan narrowed his eyes at the scene. "Traitors! You could've been learning how to tie knots and laugh at my jokes." He turned around again and saw another boat from a distance. "Ah! Say, Y/n, forget them. We shall find ourselves another set of boating buddies!"

"Oh, please don't do what I think you're about to do."

"Our new pals!" Stan revived the boat again and they were off towards the unsuspecting couple. Y/n pulled the bucket hat further down to hide her face. "Hey!" he said to the two. "Wanna hear a joke? Here goes. My ex-wife still misses me...but her aim is gettin' better!" He paused, "Her aim is gettin' better!" He paused again only for no one to laugh at the joke. "Y'see, it's-it's funny because marriage is terrible."

Under the cap, Y/n was slightly chuckling. She has a soft spot for bad jokes. And Stan has a lot of them.

But the couple obviously didn't like it, expressing their distaste before rowing away.

"Tell me more about the Stan o' War, Stan... o' War..." Y/n breathed a small laugh.

Stan scoffed playfully. "Yeah, well, it's still an ongoing project and it wouldn't sail unless the co-captain is here."

"Oh, so you're the captain of the ship?" She raised an eyebrow.

"What are you gonna do about it?"

Y/n smiled. "In that case, I wanna be part of it."

"Heh, okay." Stan smiled, too. "You can be the second mate."

"Can't wait to hear more of your unfunny jokes!"

"What?!" he bellowed. "Excuse me, my jokes are funny!"

"Don't worry, I love unfunny jokes."

The two spent their time soaking up the rays of the sun while enjoying a cool breeze. There were no fish to bite the hooks on their lines, so that was pointless, and Stan kept screwing up the knots. His hands appeared to be the ones in a tangle. Y/n decided to take a nap while wearing her bucket hat to protect her face from the sun. She didn't want to be present when Stan embarrassed himself.

When she heard Stan yelling something to the other side of the lake, she forced her eyes shut. Soon after, she heard a boat speed past, followed by a large wave that washed over them. She sat up straight away, shaking her wet hair.

Angry Stan removed his hat and threw it on the ground before frowning deeply.

"What was that?" Y/n asked, wringing her wet clothes.

"I have no idea."

Y/n had no idea what happened next either, but it turned out that the parents of the child Stan spoke with had filed a police report. Stan thought he could outrun them in a lake chase, but his engine failed at the last second and he had to stop. Stan was now compelled to wear an ankle bracelet. Y/n repaired the motor while Stan covered the leaks and repaired some of the damage.

The sun was slowly setting as the two strolled their boat around the waters. Y/n was trying to attach the ripped wood back to the boat as Stan maneuvered the boat in a straight path. He let out a sigh. Y/n frowned. "They should be back any minute now," she said.

"Hey! Over here!" Dipper's voice popped up from behind.

The two turned around to see Soos' boat beaten up and almost sinking, but it still worked.

"What the-" Stan began, but Dipper cut him off by taking a picture of him. "Kids? I thought you two were off playing "Spin the Bottle" with Soos!"

"Well, we spent all day trying to find a "legendary" dinosaur," Dipper began

"But we realized, the only dinosaur we wanna hang out with is right here," Mabel continued.

"Save your sympathy!" Stan exclaimed. "We've been having a great time without cha'! Makin' friends, tellin' jokes- we had a run-in with the lake police!"

"Guess Stan's gotta wear this ankle bracelet now, so that'll be fun," Y/n said, smirking at Stan.

The water was reaching their knees now as Dipper asked, "So... I guess there isn't room in that boat for three more?"

Stan narrowed his eyes at the two as they put on their hats. Y/n elbowed Stan to make up his mind already. His expression softened. "You knuckleheads ever seen me thread a hook with my eyes closed?" He asked.

"Five bucks says you can't do it!" Dipper challenged.

"You're on!" Stan agreed, and the boy climbed into the boat, sitting next to Y/n.

"Five more bucks says you can't do it with your eyes closed, plus me singing at the top of my lungs!" Mabel followed.

"I like those odds!" Stan smiled. Both Mabel and Soos boarded the boat. Stan saw Soos' ripped shirt and just had to ask, "Whoa! What happened to your shirt?"

"Long story dude."

"All right, everybody get together," Dipper said, bringing out his only disposable camera and pointing at Mabel and Y/n, who were both in the middle of the frame. Mabel had her arms around Y/n's shoulders as she grinned widely. Stan sat next to the two, while Soos was on the other side. "Say fishing!"

"Fishing!" The three said in unison, while Soos asked, "Dude, am I in the frame?"

The rest of the day was spent bonding and having fun. Y/n and Dipper mostly switched places for taking pictures. Stan attempted the challenge of threading the hook with his eyes closed, but he kept peeking, so Mabel had to go around and cover his eyes. He lost the bet, so he owed Dipper and Mabel five dollars.

Stan decided to make amends by reading an entire page of jokes from his joke book for the next thirty minutes. Y/n photographed their reactions as Stan delivered the punchline. Soos and Mabel were laughing, but Dipper was unconcerned.

Stan spent the next hour properly teaching the twins how to fish, and after a few minutes of waiting, Dipper's fishing pole began to wiggle, and he reeled it in with Stan's assistance. A fish was wriggling in the hook of his fishing line, slowly running out of air... or water.

"Good job, Dipper!" Y/n said as she took a picture of the boy holding up the line, but at the last second, Mabel jumped in the frame.

And for the final act, Mabel and Stan schemed a malicious deed. Stan maneuvered the boat closer to the other boat, which was occupied by the grandpa and two children who appeared to be twins. While Y/n and Dipper were busy talking with the tall old man and his granddaughter, Stan hoisted Mabel high while she was carrying a pair of scissors. She easily cut through the net, which held a fish. Soos had the pleasure of photographing it.

Which, of course, eventually led to a lake police chase in the sea. "Durland spoke through his megaphone, "Stop the boat this instant!"

"We didn't do anything, we swear!" Stan yelled back, driving the boat away so quickly that it nearly blew all of their hats away. Y/n was laughing at the situation and managed to take one more photograph despite the wobbly boat. She thought the blurred effect was more potent and amusing.

Somehow, the cops let them go and didn't chase them further. Stan rounded the corner, turning the boat around and heading home after the cops were gone.

Mabel and Soos were talking about improving their handshake when Dipper felt his side being bumped by Y/n. "So, did you ever find that monster?"

He sighed, "No. I'll tell you when we get home."

"Okay."

***

"Good thing you didn't come with us," Dipper said once Y/n appeared by the dining table where he was sitting. She took a seat across from him, her arms placed on the table casually. "It was... something else."

"So you found it?"

"We did, yeah," Dipper replied. He was doodling in the journal and Y/n had to clench her fist to prevent herself from saying anything. "We did catch it, but it was fake. It was literally cold blooded since it's made out of metal."

Y/n couldn't help but snort at that. Bad jokes will be the death of her.

"So who was controlling it?" Y/n asked.

"Old Man McGucket."

"Who?"

"The hillbilly who was yelling and dancing about the monster that he created." Dipper lifted the journal and showed her a page of his drawing of the old man. He really captured all the details; from the bandaged arms and feet, the broken teeth, the lopsided pupils, and the bandage on his beard.

"Oh. He has a name?" She inquired. But she stared at Dipper's art skills. "Not bad. You drew him so well."

"Yeah, well, he was pretty remarkable. Both in a good and bad way." Dipper placed the book down and continued writing the information he got about the man. "He wanted to make the monster in the first place to get the attention of his son. He just wanted to bond with him."

Y/n smirked. "Remind you of someone, huh?"

"Heh, yeah." Dipper smiled too. "Mabel and I regretted leaving Stan just for a creature that doesn't even exist."

"Hey, I personally believe in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. People just don't see it because I assume it doesn't want to be seen. They would rather be alone and private. Or perhaps they are afraid of people and are simply protecting themselves."

"That was incredibly wise."

Y/n chuckled. "You think so? I thought I was rambling random and useless stuff."

"No, no, I think you're right."

The pleasant silence hung over them. She cast a glance down at the journal from the other side of the table, where Dipper was nearing the end of the McGucket page, "I had no idea you added your own entries. Must've felt good, didn't it?"

Dipper chuckled sheepishly. She could've sworn there was a hint of blush in his cheeks. "Heh. It does, yeah. Feels like I'm honoring the author by continuing to write Gravity Falls, you know?"

"Who knows? Maybe the author is still out there," Y/n said, placing her head on her hand. She was almost smirking at him. "What would you do if he finds out about your writings?"

"Oh don't say that please," he nervously replied. He was sweating in embarrassment now. "I honestly don't know how to deal with that when the time comes."

Y/n finally stood, "Anything is possible, Dipper." She walked past him. "I'm gonna go ahead now. Good night."

"Good night, Y/n."

She exited the room, staring at the path ahead of her as she went inside her mind. How is the author supposed to return when the only way to get him out is through the journal? Y/n didn't like how Dipper just adds his own entries as if it were completely his property, but she knew it was a harmless act. He is a talented artist; perhaps she can assist with the shading, which is lacking.

And because he is a smart person who is very careful with the journal, it is safe and reachable as long as he is within her line of sight. It's there. They can take it whenever they want, but as Stan stated, they must first earn the twins' trust, and so far, they are getting closer, which is important.

She admired Dipper's trust in her with the journal, knowing that they had discovered the book together. She has grown closer to the boy of the two siblings. Perhaps because he reminded her of Ford, and his inquisitiveness was admirable. It feels good to know he can count on her.

Just as she can rely on him.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 9!

kimmiepines
originally published: september 4, 2022
10139 words

D ERDW FDQ KDYH WKUHH FDSWDLQV. ZH PDNH WKH UXOHV!

author's note: thank u for the wait. love and appreciate u guys <3