HAT: Didn't think I'd get inspiration for this anytime soon! And currently less than 3 hours before the series finale! I wanted to put something out today and I did it! This is kind of a filler, but I hope you enjoy it anyway... *sigh* This is it... the last chapter I post on a day when we're getting a new episode... It was a great run, but that doesn't mean I'll stop writing stories! I'll finish these stories (hopefully).

Disclaimer: I don't own the show or it's characters (despite how I wish), but I do own this plot... and any OCs I have in here... do I have OCs in here? I dunno, but just trying to cover all my bases.

It's odd.

Having a day to himself.

After an entire summer of being around two knuckleheads all the time and then- more recently- his brother. To have them all out of the house and the Mystery Shack closed is the strangest thing he's faced and it's so... mundane. He can hardly even remember what he'd done on these off days before the twins showed up- which is pretty sad.

He runs hand through his silver locks and lets out a low, long, and exhausted groan as he pushes himself out of bed to get ready for the day- whatever it may bring. He takes a nice, long shower and puts on his casual wear afterwards. He doesn't bother making his hair look decent and eats some breakfast. After the emotional breakdown he had last night over the loss of his his daughter, he was still pretty tired- no- exhausted. It's a good thing that everyone's out of the Shack for today because he doesn't think he has the energy to put up even a half-decent mask for them.

He runs a hand down his face and feels the strong urge to light up. He wants a smoke and a drink very badly, but he'll settle on one since he doesn't want to get drunk or even something as minor as buzzed while the kids are staying here with him. He takes out one of his cigars that he has stashed away as well as his ashtray from one of the upper shelves and lights up inside the kitchen with the window open- no need for the kids to come back and breathe in what his lungs have been used to since he was a young man.

With the first lungful he relaxes and lets his mind go blank. He doesn't want to think about anything. Not about the impending loneliness that will come at the end of the summer or the death of his daughter or his nightmares. Nothing. It's a relief to have this time to think about nothing and just have a nice cigar.

Stanley can't say how long he sits in the kitchen with his body on autopilot to smoke, but it's enough time for his stomach to openly protest going so long without eating.

With a quiet sigh, he gets up from his seat with the cigar held in place by his teeth and he searches for what he wants to eat. He- honest to goodness- doesn't want to eat anything that he sees. He even looks at the bacon and eggs and his stomach churns a little.

That's not good, he thinks to himself as he puts out his cigar.

He decides on crackers and cheese- that seems like his safest bet at the moment. He eats slowly to take up time and gulps down a can of Pitt Cola along with it.

Sweet, Lord, what am I gonna do with myself? He wonders as he makes his way to the living room to watch television.

He flips through channels with little interest in what is offered to him. Even The Dutchess Approves doesn't seem to appeal to him when he finds it to be on. He definitely underestimated how reliant on the kids (and even Stanford) he was in fulling up his day. He doesn't know what he's gonna do when they leave at the end of the summer.

Only God knows how long he spent flipping through channels before he turns off the television and tosses the remote away from himself. He'll have to find something else to occupy his mind so that time can slip by. Television isn't working and smoking can only take up so much time... Though there is one thing he hasn't done in a long time extensively.

He makes his way to the garage and gets his punching bag and hangs it up. This outta pass the time just fine.

For what could have been hours, Stanley does drills that he remembers doing back when he used to box. He pulls out every combo he can think of and even makes hops on his toes for extra effect. Sure he hasn't had this much exercise in a while, but his doctor said that exercise was good for his heart- right? He shouldn't get a heart attack from this... shouldn't. He even forces himself to take small water breaks to make rue that he doesn't collapse. No one can say he's not making an attempt to make sure he stays alive at this point.

As desperate as he is not to think about his problems, they come crashing down on him as he makes punch after punch.

He's a failure- always has been and it seems he always will be- but one of his biggest screw ups haunts him more than when he broke his brother's dumb project. It seems to dictate his every action and thought because even with children that are well past old enough to take care of themselves (sort of (and of course he means Soos)) he has a sort of overprotective streak. His failure to protect his daughter leads him to do everything possible to protect his kids even at the cost of his own life.

He still feels guilt every time he thinks of it- not keeping an eye on her at the lake, not moving fast enough to get her out of the way as she threw herself in front of the-

Damn it, he thinks as he begins to tear up and blinks rapidly to clear them before throwing another combo. He can't give himself time to cry- not with the possibility of his family coming back any second. He just needs to keep busy and he won't have to think and that means he won't cry like a-

"Goddamnit!" He shouts as he feels himself crack and delivers a ferocious blow to what would have been the jaw before he presses his forehead against the punching bag while the tears stream freely down his face.

Maybe I'll take that drink after all...

But he can't- he has to stay sober for the kids. Just until they leave and then he can get as drunk as he wants.

"Mr. Pines?!" Soos calls.

"Shit," Stanley hisses under his breath and uses his teeth to undo and tear off the gloves. After looking in the side mirror of his car to make sure he looks presentable (aka like he hasn't been crying) and then calls, "In the garage!"

Soos walks into the garage and seems surprised to see his boss standing there in a sweaty mess with his hands still wrapped tight. "Hey, Mr. Pines... did I come at a bad time?"

Stanley gives him a look and then waves him off and asks, "What do you want, kid?"

"Did you forget?"

"I'm old, of course I forgot," Stan snaps.

"I- uh- I wanted you to meet my girlfriend... she's- uh- she's in town... and here actually. Hehe," Soos informs nervously.

"That was today?!"

"Yeah... Mr. Pines are you alright?" Soos asks. "You didn't have a stroke or something, right?"

He waves off the man-child's concern as he digs out a pair of sweatpants from the trunk of his car to pull on- the best he can do without taking a full shower and pulling on his suit. "I'm fine. I just forgot- I wanna meet this gal. Bring 'er inta the living room."

"Alright," Soos says slowly before slipping out of the garage.

Stanley pulls on his sweatpants and on his way into the living room works on getting the gauze off of his hands. He's not exactly as done up as he would like to be for meeting the (probably nice) young lady that Soos somehow managed to bag. He's sweaty and gritty and his hair's a mess, but at least he won't be in just his boxers so she won't be scarred too badly.

By the time the couple walks into the living room, he's already working on getting the gauze off of his left hand and he perks at seeing the girl- Melanin was her name?- for the first time in person. She's more done up now than she was in the picture Soos showed of her, but then again in the picture apparently they had just finished their first date so she looked a bit... frazzled and like she just went through a long, hard day. Right now she's got her hair done up and she's wearing a nice navy blue blouse with jeans and maaaayyyybeeee has on some makeup?

Don't say anything offensive, this is the first girlfriend Soos has had in... forever. Don't blow this for him, he tells himself as he tears the last of the gauze away from his hand and throws it away in the nearby trashcan.

"Melody, this is my boss, Mr. Pines. Mr. Pines, this is my girlfriend, Melody," Soos introduces.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Pines," Melody says with a kind smile as she shakes his hand- she seems to be taken aback by his apparel.

Wait until she sees what he usually wears.

"Please, call me Stan," he insists. "Wanna take a seat?"

"Oh, yes, thank you," she says and sits on the couch.

Stanley sits in his recliner and looks at his handyman. "Soos, go get us some drinks."

"Yes, sir!"

Once the man-child's gone, Stanley gets comfortable and observes Melody for several seconds before he asks, "What are your intentions for Soos?"

She blinks several times before she asks, "Excuse me?"

He leans forward and rests his elbow on his knee while fixing her with a look. "Look. You and I both know that Soos can be a bit naive. I want to know what you intend from a relationship with him because if you're lookin' for someone t' have for a little while and then throw away, you're lookin' at the wrong guy."

"No, that's not it at all," Melody insists earnestly. "I'm hoping for something more than something for a few months... even if I don't stay with him forever- which is really the end goal, really- I at least want to be friends with him at the end of everything. He's a really sweet dude with a big heart and I'd have to be an idiot to let go of a sweetheart like him."

"D- y'got that right... but'cha didn't hear it from me," he says while leaning back in his chair. He nearly cursed, but a phantom pain prevents him- his grandmother had no mercy on him when it came to training him not to curse in front of ladies. He's content to hear her words honestly because that means that's probably one less thing he'll have to worry about. "If he asks, I was flirtin' the whole time- y'got it?"

There's no way that he's going to admit to his overprotective nature leaking over to his most loyal employee. The man-child already clings to his every word, he might die of happiness if he heard that. And not to mention the birthday present that Stan's considering on planning on for the next year... speaking of which, he'll have to arrange for the paramedics to come for Soos' birthday.

Melody smiles. "You know... you're kind of sweet yourself. No wonder Soos sees you like a father figure."

"Hey, hey, this isn't about me, this is about you and Soos," Stanley insists. "And now that I know that you aren't one of... those girls, I can safely say I'm okay with you datin' 'im... but don't tell him that."

"I won't," she promises with a smile.

"I couldn't find any Pitt Cola in the fridge so I went out back to the cooler," Soos says as he enters the living room.

Stanley grunts what could be considered a "thanks" as he takes the Pitt Cola and cracks it open. It's gone within a minute since he's still cooling off from boxing practice in the garage. When asked if he needed anything, he got up and got himself a tall glass of water and sipped on it as he talks to the couple to try any gauge how good they are for each other. It seems that they're doing well together and that they might even make it through the long haul, but it's still too soon to tell. He also isn't the best one to tell these things since he hasn't had a healthy relationship last for too long.

"Sooo... what do you think of her?" Soos asks when she goes to the bathroom.

"She's a sweet gal," Stanley replies. "I think she'll do ya good."

Soos smiles. "That means a lot to me, Mr. Pines."

"Don't go all mushy on me now," Stanley grumbles as he indulges in the young man's hug. "Alright, alright, geddoffa me."

The handyman backs away, but he still has that goofy grin on his face. "Me and Mel are headin' out for a date... you need anything before we leave?"

"Nah, I'm just gonna take a shower and make some dinner," Stanley assures. "You go on and have fun on your date."

"Thanks, Mr. Pines."

Melody comes back out and asks, "Oh, is it time to go?"

"Yeah, Mr. Pines has stuff to do," Soos says.

"It was nice to meet you, Mr. Pines," Melody says with a genuine smile while shaking said man's hand.

"Nice meetin' you, too, doll," he says (and yet he questions why she has a faint blush of embarrassment on her face). "You crazy kids have fun... but not too much fun."

"We will," Soos assures with a smile.

Stanley sees them off and for the first time all day a small, fond smile tugs at the corners of his lips. I hope they last... wouldn't mind seein' her 'round.

He takes a shower- as long as he dares because he doesn't want to make his water bill to go up too high- and decides to order pizza instead of make something- he doesn't have the energy to do so. He- of course- pays for it in Stan Bucks and manages to get the kid off his property (this was a new kid so he was freaking out the entire time but he'll learn when he gets back that this is a normal occurrence). He eats a few slices.

By the time it got to be eight, the twins and his brother come walking in.

"Hey, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel says excitedly and rushes forward to hug him.

"Hey, sweetie," Stanley says with a grin and hugs his niece. "How was your day out?"

"It was so fun! We ran into the menotaurs and then we had a bunch of fun playing with the fairies and look! They braided my hair," she answers excitedly.

Stanley nods at seeing it. "And it looks stylish. What else did you kids do?"

For the rest of the night he listens to the kids talk about their adventure and he feels himself relax upon hearing that Stanford saved them on multiple accounts but frowns a little upon hearing his brother has a few injuries- he'll have to go check on him since he took his dinner downstairs as usual.

About eleven is when they finally pass out and he carries them upstairs and puts them to bed.

Due to decades of having odd sleeping habits, he stays awake much later and watches television. He obviously avoids his brother- as he's been doing- but sometimes they run into each other on accident... like conflicting bathroom schedules.

"Go on, poindexter," Stanley grunts while waving off his brother.

"You should-"

"It's two in the morning, Stanford, just go in," Stanley groans.

"Are you sure? I have to-"

"Fine!" Stanley grunts and walks into the bathroom first.

There's no way he's gonna go into the bathroom after his brother drops a stink bomb- he had enough of that when he was living with him (and their father- dear Lord, it was terrible going in after him. It was like bean burritos every time even if he didn't eat them!).

Stanley washes his hands- Mabel continuously got onto him in the first week about washing his hands (even if he went in there to fix up the bathroom, anytime the door closed basically) so anytime he closes the door, he does it. He notices his hands are extra rough and he looks around for his lotion.

"What's taking so long in there?" Stanford asks- probably doing the beginnings of the pee-pee dance.

"Looking for my lotion... did you move it?"

"Dipper has it in the room, I believe," Stanford says.

Oh, yeah... he took a shower today, didn't he? Stanley thinks. Dipper likes making sure his skin stays moisturized (or tries to because more than enough times Stanley's made fun of him for being ashy) and always moisturizes after his showers.

"You know, the light in the kitchen can make your skin softer," Stanford informs through the door with a slightly strained voice.

Moses, he's doing the pee-pee dance for sure, Stanley thinks and then opens the door. "Fine, fine. I'll use the stupid lightbulb."

Stanford slips in after Stanley exits. "It'll last longer, I promise."

Stanley only gets as far as his room before his body decides he's had enough. He can moisturize his hands in the morning.

Please, no nightmares, Stanley thinks as he gets into bed.

"Stanley, I don't see any clotheslines and you have two washer machines," Stanford says and then stops when he sees his brother asleep in bed with the covers half-thrown over him with his glasses still on his face. He shakes his head and walks up to the bed with every intention to let his brother sleep. He pulls the covers over his brother up to his neck and then takes off his brother's glasses and puts them on the nightstand where he figures he puts them. "G'night... sweet dreams, Stanley."

I hope you have them, he thinks as he closes the door after himself to go to bed himself.

HAT: Ohmygoodness, I'm not ready for this... but at the same time I am. Just like when Avatar: The Last Airbender ended. Same exact feeling, actually.

Soos: Hey, at least you get an ending. I've seen plenty of shows end without giving a real ending.

HAT: You're right... like always. *holds out arms* Can I have a hug?

Soos: Sure thing. Hugs are the best medicine! *hugs* ... or is it laughter?

Mabel: Why not both?

HAT: ... I like both. Group hug everyone!

*all Gravity Falls characters (except Stan) gather in a group hug*

HAT: *looks at readers* What're you standing there for? I said everyone. That includes you guys. Get in here!... Stan, get in this thing, the readers are in here.

Stan: No thanks, I don't do hugs.

Ford: C'mon, Stan. You've gotta give the people what they want.

Mabel: *puppy-dog eyes* Please, Grunkle Stan?

*puppy-dog eyes all around*

Stan: Gah! Fine... *gets in the group hug*

HAT: Yay! Review everyone! See you guys on the other side of the finale!