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Chapter Text

“Last one to find a rift and seal it is a stone statue of Bill!” Mabel called out with a giggle, skipping down the sloped path in the forest.

        The weather was perfect for an adventure today. The air smelled of freshly watered grass thanks to the rain, the Redwoods soared high above the sky, and the children, most importantly, seemed to love the chance for fun. This fact made Stanford’s heart happy. Bonding with the family by doing things people would laugh at them for. Oh, how it brought back memories.

        “Gah! More fairies. These things sure do bite a lot,” Dipper complained, smacking away a pink fairy flying close to him. That fairy was wearing probably the nicest outfit any of the Pines had seen them ever wear.

        Stanley pushed Dipper forward as the boy had stopped in front of him. “Keep moving, kid,” he grumbled.

        “S-Sorry,” Dipper mumbled, trying not to trip as he skidded down the steep rocky hill.

        Stanford looked around, admiring the view of the sun seeping through the breaks in the trees. He couldn’t remember the last time he had strolled through the forest.

        “OVER HERE, OVER HERE!” Mabel called in the distance.

        Dipper took off in the direction of his sister’s voice as Stanley and Stanford glanced at each other.

        When the two older men reached the bickering children, they smiled amusedly. Dipper was grabbing the rift sealer from Mabel who was fighting back to keep it in her grip.

        “No fair! Give it here. You closed it last time!” Dipper complained.

        “But I saw the rift first!” Mabel retorted.

        Stanford shook his head and pulled the kids apart from one another. “Kids, kids. Remember, you should work together. You can get farther that way.”

        Dipper huffed and Mabel’s shoulders slumped but they nodded.

        “They’re lucky to have you watching over them. You know, they probably would’ve been like us if you hadn’t arrived,” Stanley stated when Stanford returned to his side.

        Stanley was referencing to back when Stanford had first stepped through the portal, back on earth in over thirty years. That felt like ages ago, now. The two men had fought a lot in their early adulthood and it carried over when they reunited, but now, time had passed, and the two were back to normal. Sure, they may bicker every now and then, but what siblings wouldn’t?

        “Hm. You think so?” Stanford replied, crossing his arms and watching the twins get situated.

        Stanley nodded. “I know so.”

        Stanford looked back up into the sky, through the breaks in the leaves. The sky was clear and blue, in contrast to a year ago during the summer. That one fateful day; Weirdmageddon. He wasn’t too confident that he would never see Bill ever again. Especially not after…the book appeared.

        The Book of Bill. Plenty of people around had heard of it. This piece of literature is designed to change and morph to fit whatever best appeals to the mind of its reader. It’s said that the book’s pages are made from human brain matter, something easy for Bill to possess. Stanford thought it a myth for the longest time until the book appeared in his own hands.

        He thought it over and decided that maybe the best thing to do was to toss it to another dimension. Tossing it into the bottomless pit did him no good, burning it didn’t make it go away (just created new things to fear. The screams of the pages were so loud…), and simply throwing it away didn’t make Bill’s book leave him alone. So who’s to say throwing it into a rift would make it stop? Stanford decided, as a scientist, that no theory is an awful theory until it’s been tested. Of course, he only says that because any theory he comes up with isn’t a stupid theory.

        Even with his plans to toss the book into the rift, he still hadn’t done it. He, Stanley, and the twins had been running around all over the place sealing rifts, yet…

        Stanford placed his hand on the book's cover, looking down at it. The cover was black and had an odd texture: almost like leather, but more… rock-like. In the center was a big red triangle with an eye. Stanford shivered slightly. Any drawing of Bill was a direct peephole into our dimension. This meant Bill could see him, watch him, just like before.

        “Waddles, no!” Mabel’s cry brought Stanford’s attention back to what truly mattered: his family.

        As he looked up, he watched Mabel drop the rift sealer and jump into the rift without a care in the world. Dipper shouted after her and followed suit.

        “Kids!” Stanley and Stanford shouted in unison.

        They glanced at each other, unsure of what to do, but the moment they saw the rift start to falter, looking somewhat unstable and as though it were about to collapse, they ran straight in.

        All that was left to show any sign of the family was the rift sealer on the ground and the ball of yarn Mabel had brought against Dipper and Stanley’s advice.

.・゜-: ✧☾                     Not Too Long Before                           ☽✧ :-゜・.

         “Aaaaaand…done!” Luz had finally set the last piece onto the wooden door before her. It was different from the last two attempts and the original door she was trying to recreate. She hopes that maybe this would be close enough to the actual portal to allow her access to home.

        The door before her was…wonky to say the least. It was contorted and misshaped but otherwise looked like a normal wooden door.

        “Is it supposed to look like that?” A nasally voice asked from beside her. She looked down to see a fluffy fella named King.

        Through his skull head, Luz could see the confusion in his eyes and she smiled slightly. Kneeling, she patted him on the skull.

        “I’m sure it’ll be fine. The last door might’ve opened to a nightmarish land, but this one looks more promising,” she answered.

        King nodded and stepped back.

        Like the first time Luz had made a door, Luz had a rope tied around her waist so that Eda and her friends could pull her back in case of an emergency.

        “Are you ready?” Eda asked, a twinge of concern in her voice. “Don’t get yourself hurt, kid. I can’t afford for you to lose a limb.”

        Luz giggled and turned to look at Eda, giving her two thumbs up. That was when the door opened.

        Behind the door was what appeared to be a normal forest with big redwoods. Luz’s heart soared and she grew excited. This must be Earth!

        Suddenly, a small and fat pink pig came charging through the door, followed by the sounds of voices.

        “Waddles, no!” a young girl’s voice called out.

        “Mabel!” a young boy’s voice followed.

        Not long after their voices, the two appeared, running after the pig, but came to a halt when faced with Luz and every one with her. Behind the teens, two men followed in.

        Everyone was so stunned that nobody moved for a solid minute. And then the door slammed shut and fell apart.

Chapter Text

“Oh…em…GEE!!! GRUNKLE STAN, GRUNKLE FORD, WE’RE INSIDE THE RIFT!” Mabel exclaimed with obvious excitement. She began running around, poking at random things.

When she stopped in front of King, he immediately shook his head and said, “no. NO. Do not even THINK about-” Mabel grabbed him and started squealing.

“You’re SO CUTE! And you can talk?” She cooed.

“Put me DOWN!” King exclaimed, wiggling in her grasp.

Dipper laughed a little at the two’s interaction while Stanley and Eda stared at each other. Luz had noticed Eda’s surprising quietness and followed her gaze. She could tell that Eda most likely knew this man based on her silence.

“Who’s that?” Luz whispered to Eda.

“Marilyn…” Stanley mumbled, his eyes narrowed.

“ Actually , it’s Edalyn,” Eda corrected, crossing her arms. “Stetson.”

He scoffed. “Actually, it’s Stanley .”

All the kids had now focused their attention onto the two adults glaring at each other. Even Stanford looked confused and concerned.

Clearing his throat, Stanford stated, “greetings. I apologize for this interruption but how do you know my brother?”

Eda glanced at Stanford and squinted. “Well color me surprised. He multiplied,” she remarked with a twinge of sarcasm.

Stanford glanced at Stanley then looked back to Eda. “Um. No…I’m his twin brother. My name is Stanford and these two are my niece and nephew, Mabel and Dipper.”

“I’m Luz Noceda! I notice you’re humans! I’m a human, too!” Luz beamed, reaching a hand out to the group in front of her.

Stanford eyed her hand, looking mildly uncomfortable as though recalling a past experience, but Mabel gladly shook her hand vigorously.

“I’ve never been to another dimension before. This is so exciting! I’m making sweaters right away!” Mabel exclaimed when he finally retracted her hand. She went to reach into her satchel she had over her shoulder, but…her yarn wasn’t there. She frowned. “Aw, man! It must’ve been used up already.”

“It’s okay, I don’t think we need any sweaters right now,” Luz replied with a small laugh.

“Negh! Weh!” King finally made his way to the top of a rock right between the group. “Okay! I’m not the only one confused here. Who are you guys? How did you get here? And how does Eda know this old guy?”

“King, they already answered your first question,” Luz replied softly. “But, yeah…I am curious. Eda, how do you know this guy?”

Stanley crossed his arms and huffed, turning his back to Eda who narrowed her eyes at him.

“That’s a story for another time, kid,” Eda muttered, placing a hand on Luz’s back then leading her to the house.

The owl house. A big structure that is technically alive, controlled by a house demon named Hooty. Speaking of which…

“Ohh!! New friends?” A voice called. Suddenly, a giant tube-like creature with the head of an owl came flying towards the group.

“Gah!” Dipper jumped back, clinging to his sister.

“Are we going to talk about what really matters? I would NOT like to spend the rest of my life trapped in -in- in whatever THIS is…” Stanley complained, throwing his arms up to gesture to his surroundings.

Stanford scratched the back of his neck. “Yes. I would like to discuss these details as well. Is there a possibility that whatever gateway we had entered through could be opened once more?”

Luz glanced at what once was a stable doorway. There was no way to even use it as a normal door anymore due to the fact that it was quite literally rubble. The door had crumbled apart and whatever titan’s blood that was used to power it was rendered useless. Luz felt her shoulders slump and she sighed, watching from the doorway.

Eda was also staring at the remains of the portal, a frown on her face. “No. I don’t believe the portal is even functional anymore.”

“Woah!! Look, Dipper! Their ears are pointed like an elf’s!” Mabel exclaimed, pointing to Eda’s ears.

“You just now noticed?” Dipper asked with a quirked eyebrow. He was smiling as he teased his sister.

The pines twins looked very different from their last visit to Gravity Falls. (yes, I forgot to mention this last chapter…)

Mabel preferred to wear her hair up in a ponytail with two strands of hair remaining untied in the front, choosing to braid and bead them. She constantly wore hand-made bead bracelets, referred to as Kandi. She’s wearing blue jean shorts and her traditional pink sweater with a shooting star, though this one is a remake due to the fact that, much to her dismay, she could no longer fit her original. So, instead, this sweater was a softer pink and a bunch of hot pink stars decorated around it. To top off her outfit, she wore combat boots.

Dipper, in contrast, wore the hat Wendy had given him while wearing a salmon colored t-shirt (just like before!) and cargo pants. Over his short-sleeved shirt, he wore a blue and white coat with pine trees on either shoulder. Otherwise, he hadn’t explored fashion too much. Mabel was sure to change that by the end of the summer.

“We’re not elves ,” Eda commented. “We’re witches.”

Stanley grumbled a comment under his breath, to which Stanford shot him a look and elbowed him harshly in the side.

“Mabel, Dipper, could you two do me a favor and, as long as this woman is willing, follow the other girl into the house? Perhaps you three could become friends.” Stanford placed one hand on either of the twin’s shoulders. Once he finished his statement, he looked up at Eda who was still frowning and rolled her eyes.

“Fine, yeah, sure. Don’t cause a ruckus, though,” Eda replied with a sigh. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to calm her nerves.

Mabel excitedly scampered off towards the house, Dipper tailing behind her. As Dipper continued walking to the house, he could’ve sworn he saw a flash of white fabric and some blonde hair…

Chapter Text

There they were. I had seen it for myself. These… strangers . Humans. I narrowed my eyes at the Owl House. Inside that building were humans. Three of them. Of course the Emperor would be more than happy to hear about this.

…Actually, no he wouldn’t. He’d be frustrated. Mad, even. I wonder the extent of his anger. How upset would he be to know that Edalyn was housing a bunch of humans?

It appeared The Owl Lady knew one of the adult males. It makes me curious. What does the Emperor’s Coven not know about her? What other secrets is she hiding from the world? Do these humans even know they’re staying with a criminal ? Would they care if they did?

As much as I’d love to speculate, I couldn’t stay for long. The young teen boy and the young teen girl were both walking towards the Owl House, in my direction.

It appears the girl did not notice anything odd about the surroundings. She seemed excited, as though living out some fantasy. Her brother, on the other hand, appeared anxious and curious. He spent more time looking around carefully, learning what he could with just his eyes.

The two older men were both frustrated upon entry. The man in the red sweater had actually shown to be shocked and very frightened at first. It almost looked as though he’d been somewhere or done something before that led him to be trapped in a similar manner, though I have no evidence for that. As an important person to the Emperor’s Coven, when relaying information, we need to remember to stick to the facts, not theories. So it’s best when I inform the Emperor about this, I leave that out.

The man wearing the beanie had only shown to be upset when he came into contact with Edalyn, referring to her as “Merilyn”. It appears that she had taken on a fake name when traveling to the human realm. Though, this isn’t the most interesting fact I noticed. This man had also used a false name.

From the information I’d gathered, the man in the beanie was named Stanley. He was a twin to the other man, Stanford. The two were uncles to the teens, Dipper and Mabel.

I hope Emperor Belos will not be upset upon receiving this information. I would rather not have to go through any sort of backlash. Of course, I’d rather tell him sooner than later. It would be disrespectful and wrong not to. It’s my duty.

My job as a member of the Emperor’s Coven.

My job as his nephew.

Chapter Text

“And this is my girlfriend Amity!” Luz held up a photo of herself and a purple-haired witch. The two were laughing and hanging out at a store.

“Aww! That’s so cute !” Mabel exclaimed, staring at Luz’s phone.

Luz laughed a little and nodded. “Yeah. So, anyway, where are you guys from?”

“Well, we live in California but currently, we’re visiting our Grunkles in Oregon,” Mabel replied. “They live in Gravity Falls. It’s a super cool place; lots of mysteries and monster hunting!”

Dipper looked around the living room, staring at the strange decor that the Owl Lady left about. He was sure there was no way any of these items were safe. He had this uneasy feeling about this whole place.

“HOOT HOOT!! What’re you lookin’ at? Can I see?” The tube-bird-thing came flying into Dipper’s personal space, smashing his face into Dipper’s cheek.

On impulse, Dipper smacked Hooty’s head, jumping back and shouting out curses. Luz looked up and laughed again.

“Sorry about that. Hooty…how about you check on Eda?” Luz commented, standing up from the couch and walking over to Dipper. She extended her hand to him, offering to help him up, to which he took then brushed himself off.

“Excellent idea!” Hooty then smashed through the window.

Dipper rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a sigh of relief. “Yeesh…and he lives here?”

“No, he is the house,” Luz replied. “Don’t try to understand. I don’t think anybody can. Not even the people studying these kinds of demons.”

“Oh…” Dipper mumbled, looking to the front door.

King ran into the house but paused when he saw Mabel. Just as he dreaded, Mabel scooped him up, cooing and calling him baby names.

“Hey! Stop that!” King flailed his arms and kicked his feet but Mabel didn’t set him down. “This isn’t how you treat a king of demons !”

Dipper tensed. King of what ?

Luz glanced at Dipper then at King. She shook her head. “He’s just a small guy. He doesn’t really hold that big title, don’t worry,” she whispered to him.

Dipper just stared at King who was now set to the ground. That was when he noticed Mabel looking at him. They were both thinking the same thing. Could he be..?

“ No ,” Mabel mumbled. “Look at him. Luz is right. He’s just a wittle guy.” She looked down at King who glared at her as he brushed himself off.

Luz rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. These kids really were starting to act strange…

Luz was about to say something again when the adults’ voices approached. It sounded like Stanford and Eda.

“I’m sorry to be a bother, Ms.Clawthorne. I will try to help as best I can until I can make a working portal for us to return home,” Stanford sighed as he walked through the door.

“Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Ford!” Mabel called out, jumping into Stanley’s arms as though she hadn’t seen him in ages.

“Oof,” Stanley huffed, catching the girl. “I’m too old for this, pumpkin. One of these days, you’re gonna jump at me and I’ll break.”

“Oh, come on, Grunkle Stan! You’re fine,” she retorted, poking his face. The two laughed a little as he set her down.

Eda walked over to Luz, talking to her about something when Stanford approached Dipper. He knelt down in front of him. “Are you okay, boy? You look like you’ve seen a ghost. You know, I have plenty of  spells to get rid of one.”

Despite the joke that Dipper normally would have found at least a little funny, he wasn’t in the mood. There were more pressing matters. Like…King. His voice…it sounded familiar to Dipper and it started to give him chills. And the ‘King of Demons’ title? Something about that made Dipper feel…nervous.

Dipper glanced at Mabel, Luz, and Eda. “Grunkle Ford…I think we need to talk about something. Privately.”

Stanford furrowed his brow in concern but nodded. Standing to his feet he led Dipper outside, closing the front door.

“Hey there, new friends . Whatcha talkin’ about?” Hooty grinned.

Dipper and Stanford bother jerked their heads. God…that tube thing was so disturbing.

“Er…nothing of concern. Sorry, excuse us,” Stanford mumbled, placing a hand on Dipper’s back to lead him a little further away. The two stood by some bushes to talk.

Dipper paused, looking around to make sure the area was secure before fidgeting and letting out a sigh. “So- er…I don’t want to sound paranoid. I think I sound paranoid. Please don’t think that. I-I just. I know I’ve been…fixated. You’ve said it yourself. But- But- I mean-” He began stuttering, finding it hard to speak on the matter he was sure he should.

Stanford nodded patiently, feeling almost a little sorry for the boy. He knew he’d been through so much. Stanford, himself, had his own fair share of troubles since…well…the whole experience with Bill. All of it. He had trouble trusting people. But…he was getting better.

Dipper, on the other hand, has been in therapy ever since he’d returned home. His parents were confused by Dipper’s sudden shut-downs and called up Stanford (well…actually, they called Stanley who handed the phone to Stanford.) to ask about the odd behavior. He hadn’t been sure what to say other than, “the twins had a rough summer. They saw things most people would never see. I do not feel it is my place to tell what they went through, but also because I don’t know what all they did and saw. My advice would be to put the two in therapy if it appears necessary.”

So…of course, they did. Mabel showed tremendous improvements. She was diagnosed with ADHD and had gotten help with some of the traumatic events she had gone through. Of course, her therapist genuinely couldn’t believe her when she described the supernatural aspects, so there was a bit of lost contact on that part, but other than that, it’s been super helpful.

Dipper…he’s been diagnosed with severe generalized anxiety and is undergoing a screening for post-traumatic-stress-disorder at some point after the summer. It’s a shame he had gone through so much…he has trouble focusing in math, having frequent panic attacks; especially if a triangle is involved. The poor boy…Stanford was sure this conversation has something to do with that. Something about Bill.

“That little demon guy. The rat-guy. King, I think? He- I mean- you’ve gotta believe me. There’s no way. His voice is so similar- and- and- he called himself the KING of DEMONS . You- you don’t think it’s- but- I mean…I’m not crazy for thinking that, am I?” Dipper asked, blinking rapidly and fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.

Stanford remained quiet, picking apart Dipper’s words and thinking them over. King, the small rodent-like creature, had referred to himself as the king of demons. Surely, that wasn’t the main thing that sent Dipper into a panic. His voice sounds similar to Bill’s. Of course, that very much could be a coincidence. There’s no way that in the entirety of the multiverse, quintillions of vocal cords created and used, that there couldn’t be a few that share similar, if not, exactly the same sound.

Stanford shook his head a little and placed a hand on Dipper’s shoulder as the boy began to panic. He spoke softly, the care that he has for the boy showing clear in his eyes. “Dip-...Mason…take long slow deep breaths. It’s completely okay. I understand your thought process, but remember: scientists don’t jump to conclusions, they form hypotheses and do experiments. Not to say you should test or question King, but you don’t have enough data to come to a conclusion. So, for now, look at King as who he is. Obviously, if he were Bill, he would’ve done something by now. Caused a scene of some sorts.”

Dipper stared into Stanford’s eyes, looking for answers that he didn’t have. After Stanford’s words sunk in, Dipper’s breathing slowed and he began to calm a bit. “I…I understand.”

“Chin up, boy. Think logically. In the large span of existence, there is no way at all that one random being couldn’t share the voice or behavior of another. So just think about that next time you feel a bit nervous around the guy.” Stanford smiled warmly at the boy, giving his shoulder a squeeze before looking towards the house.

Dipper simply nodded.

Chapter Text

        “Dipper!! Do you think I’ll be able to find a cute summer-time witch boyfriend?” Mabel asked, jumping onto him when he walked into the living room.

        “I- uh…I don’t know,” he mumbled, dropping her from the piggy back she forced him into doing. “I wouldn’t bet on being here very long. Grunkle Ford plans on bringing us back to Gravity Falls very soon.”

        Mabel pouted a little, sticking out her lower lip and showing her puppy dog eyes. “What?” she whined. “But- but- that’s so not fair. Look at these guys! They’re so cute!” She produced an image of Luz and Amity as well as a few of their friends in the background.

        Dipper rolled his eyes and sighed, pushing the image out of his face. “What about getting Waddles home and safe? What about Candy and Grenda? Wendy? I’m sure that missing out on some summer romance with a witch will be a small price to pay to be back home.”

        “Ugh, you’re boring,” Mabel complained. “Come on, Bro Bro. I doubt that Grunkle Ford will have a new portal ready by the snap of his fingers.”

        “You’re exactly right,” Dipper sighed, throwing himself onto the couch and burying his face in the red cushions.

        Mabel watched him, noticing he seemed…down. She frowned a little. “What’s wrong?” she asked quietly, approaching him. She crouched down next to him, sitting on her heels.

        Dipper turned his face, looking at Mabel with a little frown of his own. “I just don’t get it. I mean, we got rid of him, so why does he haunt my dreams like this? I can’t even sleep like a normal person. Now I’m in an alternate dimension and this guy pops up with the same mannerisms and voice as him and I’m just-...ugh…” he mumbled.

        “Who? Bill?” Mabel asked, fully sitting on the ground, crossing her legs. She assumed this would take a little while. “He’s dead, Dipper. He can’t just pop up in another dimension. And besides, Luz showed me some images of her and King, and it’s obvious that even if it was him, he’s different now. It’s not like he can remember memories that he doesn’t really own.”

        Dipper groaned and buried his face in the cushions of the couch. “That stupid book is messing with my head, I think. I’m just so paranoid. I don’t feel right. There’s no way that’s it. He just…accepted that he died? That doesn’t sound like him.”

        Mabel punched him in the arm. “Shut up! You’re stuck in your head. Come on, let’s go find something fun to do,” she stated, jumping to her feet and yanking Dipper off the couch before he could even complain about being hit.

        “Wha-? Where are we even going to go?” he asked, tugging his wrist free and walking next to his sister as the two approached the door.

        Mabel grinned and giggled, swinging the door open and ignoring her brother’s question. Outside, Dipper could swear he saw something in the bushes but he brushed it off and followed his sister.

        They didn’t get too far before Luz chased after the two, stopping them in their march. “Hey! Where are you going?” she asked.

        “On an adventure!” Mabel replied. “Wanna join us?”

        Luz grinned. “Yeah! That sounds like fun. Let me let Eda know we’re leaving.”

        “I’ll come with!” Mabel exclaimed.

        Oh. Right, Eda, Luz’s…mom? No, obviously not. She’s a witch and Luz is a human. Guardian, that’s the word. Dipper pressed his lips together, watching Luz scamper back to the house. Maybe Stanford should join them…

        Luckily, he didn’t have to ask because the two older men came up to the twins, a small smile on their faces as they spoke to each other.

        Dipper stepped in front of them, interrupting their conversation. “Where are you going?” he asked.

        “Right back at you, kid,” Stanley commented, crossing his arms.

        Dipper frowned, annoyed that Stanley just returned his question. “Mabel, Luz and I are going to go explore. I was hoping that you guys could join us.”

        Stanley stared at the boy as though waiting for some terrible punchline to a corny joke while his twin seemed to process it as though the variables around were still the same as back in their realm.

        “Sorry, but we’re going to be off on another one of our own adventures. Just don’t get eaten by a flower; that would be terribly difficult to explain to your parents,” Stanford replied.

        “What?! You’re just going to let them roam around this area without any protection?” Stanley scoffed, throwing his hands out to the side in a dramatic display.

        Dipper, too, was annoyed by the direct turn down, but for a different reason. He then shot his Grunkle Stan an icy glare. “I’m not twelve,” he grumbled.

        Stanley ignored Dipper’s comment, instead continuing to stare at Stanford with an expression that only reads as him accusing his twin of trying to set the children up on a death mission.

        Stanford, noticing Stanley’s distraught gaze, huffed and shot him a look. “They’re capable of handling themselves. Have you not seen their strength? The twins together helped defeat the most powerful demon I’ve come across and I’ve been to thousands of dimensions.”

        “Yes, but they’re CHILDREN,” Stanley argued. “You know Shermie would absolutely kill us if something happened to them!”

        “And nothing will because they’re smart and quick. They take after the both of us,” Stanford replied and a huff.

        Dipper realized that Stanford was attempting to use flattery to cause his Grunkle Stan to give up on the statement. Of course, Stanley didn’t fall for it. A master con-man getting manipulated by flattery? Not likely…

        “Yeah, good try, Poindexter,” Stanley scoffed.

        Stanford rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead in a display of annoyance. After taking a deep breath, he offered, “how about you go with the kids? You seem to be so fixated on keeping an eye on them. I can handle being on my own. I did for over thirty years.”

        Dipper analyzed Stanley’s reaction, expecting the man to groan and roll his eyes and stomp his feet or something of the such, but instead Stanley just sighed and gave in. “Okay, fine. I’ll watch these troublemakers and you can go off on your nerd mission.”

        Luz had come running back by then, Mabel in tow. They both reached Dipper and the two men with grins on their faces.

        “Eda gave us the go-ahead!” Luz announced.

        “Great, but Stan is coming with us,” Dipper commented, giving Stanley a sour look.

        Mabel rubbed the back of her neck and looked at Stanley with a much softer expression. “Well, that’s good!” She commented. Of course, Mabel didn’t particularly like the idea of having either of the men with them on the adventure. Not because she was mad at them, but because she would’ve preferred it to be an adventure like back in Gravity Falls. She loved Stanley very much and enjoyed his company, so she was going to make sure that she could balance out Dipper’s souring mood so Stanley didn’t feel unwanted or hurt.

        Dipper huffed and crossed his arms, looking away from the older man. Stanford looked between the two and sighed. They’ve been bickering all summer because Stanley refused to acknowledge that they didn’t need to be watched over anymore. He understood why Stanley was being super protective now, but Dipper only saw it as a control tactic.

        “Okay, well you guys be careful and be good for Stan while I’m gone,” Stanford stated as he ruffled both of the twin’s heads.

        “We will! G’bye, Grunkle Ford!” Mabel exclaimed, waving.

        Stanley watched him, a bad feeling starting to churn in his stomach like an illness that had been waiting to strike until now. Perhaps this was the portal sickness that his brother had always warned about. Or something in the air. He watched as his brother walked off on his own in a world that neither of them knew anything about. And he was to watch over three children.