A/N Hi everyone! Thanks for clicking on my story and I really hope you like it! Here's a few things you may want to know before getting started:

1) If this looks familiar to you (besides the first scene being the last scene from "Not What He Seems") it could be because you saw it before from Mabel's POV in the story "Mabel's Choice". This is the companion story told (mostly) from Dipper's POV and the first few chapters of each story will be very similar, though still different due to the differing perspectives.

2) By design each story is intended to work independently from the other so you don't need to read "Mabel's Choice" to follow this story and vice versa however my intention is that they'll compliment each other in such a way that reading both will be beneficial but it's not necessary to read both. I consider this not a prequel or sequel, more like a midquel (is that a word?).

3) Though both this story and "Mabel's Choice" take place at the same time, each story will be vastly different so it's not a case of the exact story from differing POV's. If you're following the other story, you'll understand why, but I don't want to spoil it for you in case you do decide to read "Mabel's Choice" (Which I really hope you do, even if it's not needed for this to make sense.) Let's just say something happens in Chapter 5 of "Mabel's Choice" that sends that story in a very different direction from the one this story will take.

4) I think it's a given but this story is, well will be AU because when the next episode finally airs this little version of what could happen after NWHS will be proven wrong and I can't wait to see what Alex has in store for us! "Prepare to have your head-canons annihilated," Alex apparently said. Well, Alex, awesome Alex, I'm counting on it. BRING IT! Seriously, I can't wait! It's one of the reasons this story exists, because I need something to help me pass the time during this hiatus! Hopefully this will help y'all deal with the hiatus as well. Something's gotta fill the void!

EDIT 7/29/2015. Well now that the new episode has aired, I have decided that while I won't change the backstory of the two Stans to match with the show, I am fixing the issue with who is the real Stanford Pines since it's not just plot, but the whole real identity of the characters. Over time, once I get used to the fact that Grunkle Stan is actually Stanley and the Author is Stanford, it would feel weird keeping it that way for this and "Mabel's Choice". So it's still my original AU backstory, but it will now include the identity switch and Grandpa Shermy. :-)

Well, without further ado, please enjoy!

Trust No One

"Don't touch that button!"

Stan's voice echoes through the room, stilling Dipper's hand as he raises it over the shutdown switch, ready to press it and put an end to whatever Stan, if that's truly his name, did. If he had the time, there's a million things he'd like to say to his 'Grunkle', but there's only a minute left on the clock and with Soos and Mabel by his side, he has to end it.

I always knew you were a con artist, so I can forgive the fake I.D's, I know you had a past, I know the Mystery Shack is one big tourist trap, but to learn that you had this secret bunker? That you built this…Doomsday device or whatever the heck this machine is? That you had the other two journals the whole time when you knew how important they were to me?

"Dipper, just back away," Stan begs, approaching them with his hands raised to show he means no harm, "Please don't touch that shutdown button, you gotta trust me."

"And I should trust you why?" Dipper hisses, furious but most of all betrayed, "After you stole radioactive waste? After you lied to us all summer? I don't even know who you are!"

Did you fake your death? Did you steal our real Grunkle's identity? Did you know this could tear the Universe apart?

"Look, I know all this seems nuts, but I need that machine to stay on! If you'll just let me explain…"

A little late for explanations! He thinks when the energy in the room suddenly shifts and something on Stan's watch beeps.

"Uh oh, brace yourselves!" he warns before gravity suddenly seems to just shut off and he's suddenly floating away from everyone. He acts quickly and grabs hold of something, unnerved by the strange and sudden sensation of weightlessness.

"Dipper!" Mabel cries, her voice full of panic. He looks to her, relieved to see she's still near the switch and isn't floating away. At this point, he won't be able to reach it again as gravity seems to be pushing him back. He swallows with worry when he realizes that gravity is pulling her towards the machine instead of away from it like everyone else. But her foot is tangled in a power cord or something and she can still get to the switch and turn it off before anything bad can happen to any of them.

"Mabel, shut it down!" he tells her, "Hurry."

She nods, using the cord to pull herself down to the switch, grabbing hold of the stand tightly, her hand raised to press the button.

"No, Mabel, Mabel, stop!" Stan begs, launching himself towards her—leave her alone!—but to Dipper's relief Soos intervenes, hurdling himself into Stan, knocking him off course. "Ahh, what are you doing? I gave you an order!"

"Sorry Mr. Pines," Soos voice sounds pained, sounding just as betrayed as Dipper feels, "if that really is your name, but I have a new mission now: protecting these kids!"

"Soos, you idiot! Let me go!" Stan grunts, fighting him off.

Mabel looks completely overwhelmed and hesitates, watching the scene with wide glistening eyes. Oh man, she's choking…gotta help her… He pushes himself into the melee, helping Soos fight Stan and hold him back, "Go Mabel! Press the red button! Shut it down!"

That seems to snap her out of it and she frowns, raising her fist over the button.

"No you can't!" Stan pleads desperately, fighting Soos and Dipper off, "You gotta trust me!"

"Grunkle Stan, I don't even know if you're my Grunkle!" she cries, her voice breaking. The pain in her voice is so raw and real—Damn you Stan for making her cry!—and Dipper's first instinct is to go to her and make her feel all better because he can't stand it when she's hurt or upset. It seems that an upset Mabel is something no one wants to see because Stan and Soos have a similar reaction and they all stop fighting. "I want to believe you but…" she clutches the stand helplessly, her tears floating up and away from her closed eyes, as gravity tugs at her, pulling her towards the machine.

Hold on, Mabel, don't let go! Just press the button… he thinks worried because they seem to be out of the machine's range, merely hovering in the air while gravity seems to want to pull her straight for the rainbow circles of light swirling bigger and bigger in the center of the giant inverted triangle. Beyond that is what looks like the vastness of space—Is that a portal?—and Dipper's terrified that she'll get sucked through before she can stop the countdown.

"Then listen to me," Stan says, pleading his case, "Remember this morning when I said I wanted to tell you something?"

Suddenly the room is filled with another surge of energy that blasts from the machine and he, Stan and Soos are thrown back. He slams into the back wall with a grunt, his first thought is making sure Mabel's still OK. She's holding onto the stand for dear life, a slight wince of pain on her face as she closes her eyes, looking completely torn. Her eyes open and she looks determined as she clutches the stand tightly and raises her fist over the button.

"I wanted to say that you're going to hear some bad things about me and some of them are true. But trust me, everything I've worked for, everything I care about, it's all for this family!"

Dipper watches her expression shift as she listens, considering what he has to say. No, no, no…Mabel I know you'd rather follow your heart and trust people, but now's not the time for that! If it were possible, he would go to her and shut it off himself, but the machine is making gravity push him away as it tries to pull her closer.

"Mabel, what if he's lying?" Dipper asks, begging her to be reasonable, "This thing can destroy the universe! Listen to your head!"

She looks so overwhelmed as she glances behind her a the swirling vortex of light and colours, the endless space beyond and his heart tightens in fear. Fear that she'll do something stupid and let the clock reach zero, fear that she'll lose her grip and go flying into the vortex and he'll lose her forever, fear that no matter what she does, this will still end very, very badly.

"Look into my eyes Mabel! Do you really think I'm a bad guy?"

Don't trust him! He lied to us all summer! Trust me, please! I know you want to believe him but the whole world is at stake, and he lied to us!

"He's lying! Shut it down NOW!"

She looks like she's about to break under the pressure as she looks back and forth between them, frantic, afraid, uncertain and in pain.

Come on Mabel, it's not that hard just hit the button! Let Stan explain himself later, when we're all still alive!

"Mabel please!" Stan begs.

She frowns raising her hand over the button again, and for a second Dipper thinks she's finally listening to reason-And with just seconds to spare!-but then she hesitates, her eyes softening. No, no, no… She spares Dipper a quick glance before she looks away almost as though she's ashamed. No…Don't be stupid Mabel, don't trust him, trust me!

"Grunkle Stan…" she says, as a tear floats away from her eyes. Dipper holds his breath in anticipation and fear while Mabel seems almost like she's at peace with her decision, "I trust you," she says, raising her arms in surrender floating away from the switch towards the vortex.

"Mabel are you crazy?" Dipper shouts, terrified, feeling like he's been sucker punched in the gut as the clock reaches zero, "We're all gonna—!"

He doesn't get to finish his sentence because the whole room is suddenly filled with a blinding white light and his body buzzes with strange, painful energy that makes him scream. The last thing he sees before everything goes black is his sister in the epicenter of the blast and his last thought is that Mabel betrayed him. She chose to trust a con man over her twin brother and killed them all.

When the dust settles Dipper groans, his body aching as he tentatively opens his eyes—Wait…I'm not dead? I'm not dead!—and looks around in shock, marvelling at the damage the blast caused and the fact that he somehow survived it. Instinctively he scans the room for Mabel, he is relieved to see Soos is alive, slowly pushing himself up into a sitting position, and despite the fact he caused this all, Dipper can't help but be glad Stan seems to be alive and relatively OK too. He spots Mabel near the machine, still unconscious—Please just be unconscious!—and though his heart aches with the knowledge that Mabel chose Stan over him, he can't think or do anything else until he knows she's OK.

He's still in a daze when he finally sees movement from her and relaxes as she groans and inches her way towards him. He climbs to his feet and approaches her, helping her up. Once on her feet she sways, looking unsteady and he holds her until she finds her balance. Are you OK? He silently asks and she nods, giving him a small, apologetic smile. He's relieved, but now that he knows she's OK he allows himself to acknowledge the fact that she trusted a man who may not even be their real Grunkle over him her own twin brother. She'd rather risk the entire world for the sake of a con man than do the logical thing, the right thing.

Good, you're OK. Now I can be mad at you. What the heck Mabel?

He backs away from her, unafraid to show his anger and frowns, rubbing his aching head as he looks towards the machine and freezes when he sees a figure emerging from the debris. He walks forward, a tall foreboding presence and Dipper's breath hitches in fear, but then the figure kneels down in front of one of the journals, resting his hand on the cover. His six fingered hand.

"Wha-?" he gasps, "Who's that?" It's a crazy question to ask, because Dipper's not an idiot, he put the pieces together in his mind as he spoke, because the man has six fingers! Just like on the journal so…so it has to be, but...

"The author of the journals," Stan says, just as Dipper expected and before Dipper can fully process it, the man lowers his hood, revealing his all-too familiar face that looks just like Stan's, "My brother."

That is something Dipper definitely did not see coming. It all makes sense now…but why didn't Stan tell us? How could he keep this a secret from me when he knew how much the journals meant to me? He knew I was looking for the identity of the author, he knew I was trying to find the other journals, and all this time…? He knew.

"Is this the part where someone faints?" Mabel blurts. Her words annoy him, because how can she joke at a time like this? Stan lied to them, betrayed them, and yet she chose Stan and now the Author is standing right there in front of them! It's exactly what Dipper wanted, but the way it came about…he's so conflicted about how to think or react to it all.

"Oh I am so on it, dude!" Soos says cheerfully, pretending to pass out. For some reason that doesn't annoy Dipper in the slightest. Soos is just trying to relieve the tension, and yeah, so was Mabel but Soos isn't a traitor so he gets a pass for his untimely humour.

He's not exactly sure how to react. His mind is going a mile a minute as he tries to process the days events. From the perfect morning with the fireworks and popsicles and water balloon fights, to Stan's arrest, to escaping the agents and trying to prove Stan's innocence, only to discover his guilt goes far deeper than he realized. And then the secret bunker under the Mystery Shack, and the fact Stan had the other journals, and the machine that could've destroyed the world but didn't, and Mabel choosing Stan over him, despite what they learned about him and now the Author is standing right in front of him. How do you react to something like that? It's too much to take in.

Mabel suddenly reaches for him and stumbles when he steps away, but he doesn't care nor does he make any move to steady her. She's fine and he's angry. Sure, he's relieved the world didn't end, but she didn't know that would happen. And her choice did result in the sudden and unexpected appearance of the Author of the Journals, someone he's wanted to identify and meet and talk to since he discovered Journal #3, she didn't know that would happen. She had no reason to expect anything but disaster, and she chose to trust Stan, the con artist who might not even be their Grunkle?

If there was ever a time you should've trusted me and used your brain, it was now and you chose Stan. He thinks bitterly as Stan takes a step towards the Author. Wait does that mean the Author's our grandfather? Why didn't Stan just tell me? We could've worked together on this, instead I spent so many sleepless nights trying to solve the biggest puzzle in this town and Stan knew all along!

Stan's eyes glisten as he steps forward and the Author does the same, choking out hoarsely, "Stan, is that you?"

"It's me," Stan replies, his voice thick and rich with emotion, "you're…you're back. I can't believe it."

For a moment, all is forgiven and everything makes sense when Dipper watches the long lost brothers pull each other into a warm embrace, and the reunion is almost enough to make Dipper forget everything. He spares Mabel a glance—Maybe you were right to trust him all along—still very much confused but almost at the point of understanding. But the moment is short lived when suddenly the Author's expression darkens and he pulls away, delivering a fierce right hook into Stan's jaw.

"What have you done?" he demands.

Stan merely rolls with the punch, putting a hand to his split lip and nods, "I probably deserved that."

The Author takes Stan's shirt collar into his fists, pulling him so they're face to face as he lifts him off the ground, spitting menacingly, "Damn right you do! Do you have any idea the mess you caused? You fool! You idiot! You…"

Grunkle Stan does nothing to try and fight back or defend himself, instead he looks his brother in the eyes and calmly says, "You would've done the same thing if you were in my shoes, and you know it."

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Dipper exclaims, exasperated and confused. So much is happening and it's too much to take in at once and he doesn't know how to react or how to feel.

"Who are they?" the Author demands, tilting his chin towards Dipper and Mabel and Soos who's back on his feet, and clearly just as conflicted as he is.

Did you know about all this, Soos? Dipper wonders, though he doubts Soos had any idea judging by the look in his eyes. He looks hurt and disappointed, which Dipper can easily relate to at the moment.

"They're Shermy's grandkids, Dipper and Mabel, the big guy is Soos, my handyman."

"Wait, I'm a great-uncle?" the Author expresses in surprise. He lets go of Stan who straightens his shirt and steps towards them in shock, scrutinizing them in detail before apparently deciding they're related. Dipper shrinks under his gaze, his eyes are cold and stern, weathered with time and hardships but there's no doubt that he's Stan's brother.

"Kids, meet my twin brother, your Grunkle Stanford," Stan gestures toward him.

"Wait," Dipper exclaims, "I thought you were...if you're not Stanford, then who are you?"

"I'm still your Grunkle Stan, but my name's actually Stanley..."

"You stole my identity?" the Author, the real Stanford Pines accuses. "Why would you do that?"

"I kinda had to," Stan replies, "It's a long story."

"Wait a sec, your parents named you dudes, Stanford and Stanley?" Soos exclaims, "Talk about confusing!"

Dipper grins, appreciating Soos's attempt at easing the tension again, removing any doubt about whether or not Soos was a part of Stan's plan. At least there was someone on his side. He glances at Mabel, still unable to believe that she'd take Stan's side, though if she didn't he would've never met the Author. It opens the door to so many possibilities and now he can find the answers he'd been looking for. Mabel looks a little…off, but it had to be just as overwhelming for her as it is for him.

"Well, he always went by the name Ford," Stan explains, "made it a little less confusing."

"You…you wrote the journals," Dipper murmurs in awe, "all this time…the author was my great-uncle, my other great-uncle? I thought…I thought..." Well, I guess that explains the newspaper article, Grunkle Stan did fake his death, and took the identity of his brother for some reason...but why? Why would he do that? And WHY DIDN'T GRUNKLE STAN TELL ME? We already knew he was a conman, I would've understood, maybe I could've helped him...

The real Stanford-Ford, shrugs him off, hardly giving him any regard. Instead he turns to Grunkle Stan and hisses in accusation, "You told him about the journals?"

"Kid found out on his own," Stan replies.

Dipper can't help himself though, despite the anger and sting of betrayal that has him practically shaking, he can't help but be in awe because at last the Author of the journals is standing right there in front of him, and he's his great-uncle, he's family! "I have so many questions…journal #3 has been like, my bible since I found it!" Dipper stammers, "you have no idea how long I…"

Ford scoffs, rolling his eyes dismissively, "Then you are a fool for putting so much stock into something that is mostly meaningless drivel written long ago by a young, ignorant and paranoid man. And the rest… was either a lie or should have never been seen by children or anyone for that matter." He gestures vaguely at the broken portal, "Case in point..."

Dipper reels, feeling as though he'd been struck and all at once his faith in everything is shattered completely, "But…that's not true. It's saved our lives many times... it…"

"You shouldn't have done this Stanley," Ford hisses, ignoring Dipper completely as his eyes scan the room at all of the damage caused by the Portal, "You knew better than to rebuild this, you know how dangerous turning this on was!"

"I got you back, didn't I?" Stan's voice shakes as he speaks, "Isn't that worth anything?"

"Not if it means killing us all!" Ford snaps angrily, "Because that's exactly what you've done!"

Dipper spares Mabel another glance when she releases a small gasp, the colour seems to have drained from her face, probably from guilt and Dipper's so disappointed by her decision to trust Stan over him, over reason, no matter what the outcome, he can't help but think bitterly, Well sis, happy now?

"You're wrong, Ford," Grunkle Stan shakes his head, "might've caused a little bit of damage, but in case you didn't notice, the clock reached zero and the world didn't end."

"Oh don't you get it? Did you think it would be instantaneous? All you did was kick-start the beginning of the end!"

"Wh-what?" Mabel chokes out shock and guilt etched clearly on her pale face.

"I wanted to save my brother!" Stan snaps, "I did what I had to do to save you, don't you get it?"

"I told you to never let that clock reach zero, no matter what!"

"It was the only way! Besides, you did it!"

"Yeah and look where it got me? I had to throw myself in just to keep the world from literally falling apart!"

"Well, you're back now and the world is still in one piece. You're welcome."

"Yeah, I got through. Along with who knows what else?" Ford asks, "You've put everyone in danger with your recklessness…you knew better. I told you not to save me!"

"And yet here you are," Stan mutters, "And I have no regrets."

"You will. You will regret letting that portal open," Ford warns dangerously.

"Don't blame Grunkle Stan," Mabel says finally, looking almost like she's going to throw up any second, "I'm the one who let it reach zero. I could have shut it off, but I didn't."

Everyone is taken aback by Ford's reaction when he twirls around to face her and furiously marches towards her, hands clenched into fists. He stands over her menacingly, looking like he's about to strike her and she flinches when he hisses, "You did what?"

No matter how angry and upset Dipper might be by her actions, no one, absolutely no one threatens his sister and gets away with it. Soos reaches Ford first, getting in between them and shoving him away from her as Dipper moves to stand by Soos's side to come to Mabel's defence and shouts, "Hey! Leave her alone! We tried to stop it, OK? She just let her heart get in the way of her head!"

"Stupid girl gets it from you I bet," Ford hisses at Stan, his hands still balled into fists.

"You can hate me all you want Stanford," Stan says grimly as he protectively positions himself between Ford and the twins giving his brother a forceful shove, "but leave these kids out of it. They're good kids, smart, strong, resourceful. You'd probably be real proud of them if you could just get rid of that stick that's clearly jammed up your rear end!"

"You just don't understand, do you?" Ford asks, disappointment in his eyes as he backs off finally, "Look Stanley, I appreciate you trying to save me, but I wasn't the one who needed saving. I jumped in to save you. To save everyone. Don't you see? And now you doomed us all."

"And you knew it, didn't you?" Dipper asks quietly, turning to Grunkle Stan with a heavy heart.

"I knew...I knew there were risks," he nods regretfully, swallowing hard, "but…"

Unbelievable, Dipper thinks, his anger growing deep inside to mask the hurt.

Ford sighs as he grabs the journals from amongst the debris, "Once again I'm left fixing your mistakes, aren't I Stanley? Only this time I don't think they can be fixed." On that note he storms out of the room, leaving everyone to watch in shock.

Dipper clenches and unclenches his fists as he tries to make sense of the roller coaster of emotions flowing through him. There's a lot that Dipper's willing to forgive, but Grunkle Stan crossed a line. And Mabel… he knows Mabel is the type to trust anyone she believes has good intentions, and deep down he knows he can't fault her for that, even if it gets her in trouble sometimes. But he trusted her to do the right thing and shut down the portal, because when the whole world is at stake, that's not the time to have faith in someone who had proven themselves untrustworthy.

"I…I made the wrong choice, didn't I?" Mabel murmurs quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen over the room. She sways unsteadily and grabs Dipper's shoulder for balance but he pulls away quickly, still reeling from the sting of all that had happened.

I know all you want is a little bit of sympathy and forgiveness from me, but it's not going to work. Not this time. I trusted you, Mabel!

"Yeah, you did," Dipper replies icily, giving her the cold shoulder before turning on Stan, "And you…what the heck man? You knew this machine could end the world, and maybe it still will! You lied to us, and now…"

"Dipper, he did it to save his brother…could you blame him?" Mabel asks.

"Yeah and at what cost?" Dipper retorts, "He willingly put us in danger…and all for that…that jerk. I…I fantasized about meeting the Author for so long and thought he'd be…I didn't expect him to… Gah! I don't know what to believe anymore!"

"I'm sorry," Stan shakes his head with regret, "Ford... he… he's changed. I don't know what he's been through, and I didn't know what to expect but I never expected him to turn on you kids like that…I had it comin' it but…I'm sorry. I never meant for this to…"

"Too little too late Stanford, no wait, that's not even your name because you lied about that too, Stanley, " Dipper hisses, wiping a tear from his eye. You're not Grunkle Stan anymore, not to me. We may be related but I don't know who you are anymore! He turns around starts to walk away, not even bothering to give anyone a second glance.

"Dipper…" Mabel calls after him, "Dipper wait!"

"Just… leave me alone Mabel," he sighs, heading for the elevator. Don't you get it? I don't want to talk to you right now!

"Uh-uh, no way!" she runs after him, "We still don't know everything, we can work this out! We just have to listen to what Grunkle…"

"Sure, take his side," Dipper huffs, "after all that he's done."

"I'm not taking anyone's side!"

"That's why you shut the machine down? Oh wait, you didn't. You decided to trust the man who has been lying to us all summer! And now we're all screwed!"

"We don't know that for sure," Mabel says hopefully, "Maybe Ford is wrong, maybe the worst is over."

"Or maybe it's only just beginning and the worst is yet to come!"

"If that's the case then we can fix this if we work together!"

Maybe, but not right now. I can't do this right now. He opens the elevator door and turns to face her, "Go away Mabel. Just leave me alone, I need time to think."

"Dipper…I'm sorry."

He sighs, the sincerity in her words ring true and even though he's angry he can't deny the fact that she never wanted to hurt him. But it doesn't change the fact that she did and he's not quite ready to forgive her yet. There's too much going on in his mind, too much to sort through and she needs to understand that he can't do this right now. If she keeps pushing the way she is, he's going to say or do something he'll regret.

"I know, I know you meant well but…everything I've ever believed in this summer has turned out to be a lie. Grunkle Stan, the journals….and who knows what else happened when that portal opened? And I've given up so much for you, but when it mattered most? You chose to listen to Stan rather than me. We should've shut it off."

"I'm still not sure if that's true! Dipper, we don't have all the facts, there's still so much that we don't know and…"

Really? You're going on about the facts? How about the fact that we're probably all doomed because of Stan, because you chose to trust him over me after we learned the truth about what he'd been keeping from us. If Ford made it through, who knows what else...

"Please," he frowns, so on edge that he's afraid he might just lose it, and he doesn't want to do that, "just go away. I want to be alone for a while," He gives her a light shove, pushing her off the elevator and slams the door in her face, turning away.

As the elevator lifts him up to the basement level at the base of the stairs that lead to the vending machine, he thinks about the first lesson the Journal taught him:

"In Gravity Falls there is no one you can trust! Trust no one!"

Should've listened to the Journal, he thinks bitterly.

A/N Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think! I love any kind of feedback good or bad. Have a fantabulous day!