Agent Powers stepped directly into his superior's office, unsure of what the topic of this surprise meeting was. Slipping in close behind him was his partner, Agent Trigger. Both had recently returned from a rather disappointing journey to Gravity Falls, Oregon. After having spent several weeks investigating strange signals, they had learned that it was all a big mistake and were ordered to return from whence they came. It had been a little bit embarrassing, but Agent Powers wasn't too worried. Every FBI agent has a slipup sometime. It wasn't his fault that the signals were misread, after all.

Agent Trigger nudged him in the arm and gestured to the man sitting at the desk in front of them, who was clearly unaware of their having entered. He was facing the back wall, reclining back in his swivel chair. Agent Powers cleared his throat once, then a second time at a louder volume. Neither did the trick. He sighed, dreading what he knew he was going to have to resort to, and shouted, "POWERS AND TRIGGER REPORTING, CHIEF!"

Instantly, the chair spun around and revealed a man with hearing aids stuck into each ear, both of which were connected to a white box in his hand. "AH, GOOD AFTERNOON, MEN," he said in a voice much too loud for the flimsy walls of his office, "ARE YOU HERE TO SEE ME?"

"YES SIR!" Agent Powers replied. "WE HAVE A MEETING!"

"THAT'S GOOD. I THINK WE'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE A MEETING RIGHT ABOUT NOW ANYWAY."

The mustached man exchanged a brief glance with his partner. "WHY EXACTLY DID YOU CALL US IN, CHIEF?"

"THE WEATHER'S BEEN GREAT, THANKS FOR ASKING."

This was one of many reasons why Agent Powers often regretted serving under Gordon Cole. Having a sensible conversation with him was almost impossible. This was partially due to his disability, but the regional chief was strange enough on his own. He had once compared Agent Trigger to a lobster in a sun hat and still had yet to explain why.

"GENTLEMEN, I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU," their boss began. "I RECEIVED WORD THAT YOUR INVESTIGATION OF GRAVITY FALLS HAS BEEN HALTED. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?"

"We were ordered to do so."

"WHAT?"

This time Agent Trigger spoke up, intending to give his partner's voice a break. "A MAN FROM THE BUREAU ARRIVED AND INFORMED US THAT THE READINGS WERE INCORRECT. THE INVESTIGATION WAS CANCELLED. EVERYONE PULLED OUT."

"PULLED OUT?"

"YES SIR!"

"OF WHAT?"

"GRAVITY FALLS!"

"OF COURSE IT DOES. THAT'S SCIENCE, TRIGGER."

Before the yelling could recommence, Gordon pulled out a very thick file from one of the drawers in his desk. He opened it up and shuffled through the many papers inside, then looked back up at the agents confusedly.

"THERE IS NO RECORD OF THAT ORDER. WHO TOLD YOU TO STOP THE INVESTIGATION? DID YOU SEE HIS IDENTIFICATION?"

"YES, HE WAS…he was…um…Powers?" Agent Trigger turned to his partner anxiously, suddenly unable to recall the details. "Who was that guy? The old one with the black coat and the glasses?"

Agent Powers tried hard to remember. "I…I don't know. I'm sure I checked his ID. Why wouldn't I? He was from the top in Washington, I know that. Come to think of it…what did we do in Gravity Falls, Trigger?"

Trigger scratched his head. "Um…I think there was a gift shop or something. I don't recall finding anything suspicious. I thought that was why the investigation was over. Nothing was there."

"YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP A BIT MORE!"

Powers shouted back, "WE DON'T REMEMBER, SIR! HE SAID HE CAME STRAIGHT FROM WASHINGTON. HIS ORDERS DID MATCH OUR FINDINGS, THOUGH. WE FOUND NOTHING WORTHY OF CONCERN."

"NO THANKS, I ALREADY HAD LUNCH. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER FROM THE TRIP?"

"We…that is…WE DO NOT REMEMBER ANYTHING OF IMPORTANCE."

"NOTHING?"

"NO, SIR."

Gordon pulled several sheets of paper out of the folder and handed them to Powers. "YOU SENT THESE PHOTOS TO US SHORTLY AFTER YOU ARRIVED, POWERS. THAT ONE SHOWS BITE MARKS IN YOUR BULLETPROOF VEST, AND THE OTHERS SHOW TRACES OF A GREEN, OOZING SUBSTANCE COATING YOUR OTHER BELONGINGS. YOU SENT THEM TO US WITH A NOTE SAYING THAT YOU WERE ONTO SOMETHING BIG, WERE PLANNING TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER, AND MAY REQUIRE BACKUP."

Powers and Trigger looked at each other, now very concerned. "Do you remember taking these?" Powers asked.

"No. I don't even remember seeing these things. Plus, I think you had the camera."

"No, you definitely had the camera. You stopped to take pictures of woodpeckers on the way up."

"Well, yes, but I know I didn't take those. I would remember something with that strong of a bite," he added, pointing out the size of the bite marks in the picture.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY EXPLANATION FOR THESE PHOTOGRAPHS?" Gordon demanded.

Agent Powers handed them back and shook his head. "NO, WE DO NOT."

"YOU KNOW, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A GREAT IDEA. I THINK I COULD GO FOR SOME."

"…what?"

"BUSINESS FIRST, THOUGH," Gordon continued, as if everything made perfect sense in this conversation. "GENTLEMEN, YOU SPENT SEVERAL WEEKS GATHERING EVIDENCE THAT YOU NOW CLAIM DOES NOT EXIST. THERE WAS DEFINITELY NO MAN FROM WASHINGTON SENT TO GRAVITY FALLS DURING YOUR STAY. THAT LEAVES ONLY ONE NATURAL CONCLUSION."

"Um…WE SHOULD GO BACK AND TRY AGAIN?" Trigger suggested. It sounded much more intelligent inside his head, but it was the only thing he could guess his superior was talking about.

"NO, NO, NO," Gordon corrected him. "THERE IS MORE TO THAT TOWN THAN MEETS THE EYE. IT'S ALL IN THE PHOTOS. COMBINE THAT WITH THE UNUSUAL SIGNALS WE TRACKED AND THE SUDDEN MEMORY LOSS OF BOTH YOU AND THE SPECIAL OPS MEN YOU WERE SENT, AND I THINK THIS IS MOST LIKELY A CASE OF BLUE ROSE!"

"Blue Rose?" the two agents repeated. That name was reserved for only the strangest of cases, and they could recall absolutely nothing remotely worthy of it during their brief sojourn to the small town.

"EXACTLY. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO REMOVE BOTH OF YOU FROM THE CASE AND REASSIGN IT TO SOMEONE BETTER SUITED FOR IT. IN FACT, HE SHOULD BE ON HIS WAY IN NOW."

Powers wasn't too happy with this announcement. Yes, every agent slips up, but on a Blue Rose case? How could he have missed it? His mind immediately began thinking of every possible FBI agent who could be "better suited" enough to replace him and Trigger. It would have to be someone Gordon absolutely trusted, which did limit things a lot. Well, he thought, it should still be in good hands, as long as he doesn't choose one of the weird ones, like…

Someone knocked lightly on the door and called out in an all too familiar voice, "GORDON! I'M BACK!"

Oh no. Not him. Anybody but him.

The man to whom the cheerful voice belonged pushed the door wide open. His black hair was slicked back with about twice as much hair gel as it probably needed. His face revealed a genuine grin, and he waved his hand in greeting in a jerky, almost robotic motion. Agent Powers had never been able to understand humor or anything related to it. He also had very little tolerance for anything that even appeared to be nonsensical. This man, on the other hand, punctuated half his sentences with a thumbs-up, could spend hours listing useless details about Tibet, and had more than once taken his own strange dreams as equal to hard evidence. As a result, this particular agent really irked Powers.

"COOP! I COULD REALLY GO FOR SOME DONUTS!"

Special Agent Dale Cooper pulled a bright pink box out from behind him. "WAY AHEAD OF YOU, GORDON." In his normal, gentler voice, he said to the other agents, "Don't worry, there's plenty to go around. I left the coffee just outside the door though, so I hope you'll excuse me for one moment." He stepped out to pick up the drinks that were resting on a table in the hallway.

Powers groaned. "Trigger, must he always bring donuts to professional meetings?"

When he looked up, he saw that his partner was not answering because his mouth was filled with half of a jelly donut, the other half of which was in his right hand. Trigger looked the other way sheepishly and Powers rolled his eyes.

In a few moments, all parties were seated around Gordon's desk with their respective shares of coffee and donuts. Powers took his somewhat grudgingly, but decided that there were more important things to talk about than whether or not donuts are appropriate for FBI case discussions. As the regional chief began explaining in the loudest voice possible the situation regarding the halted investigation of Gravity Falls and the mysterious circumstances surrounding it, Powers watched Agent Cooper closely. Coop had always been eccentric to say the least, but a few years ago, he had started acting strangely, even for him, and then seemingly dropped off the face of the map. Rumors circled about what could have possibly happened to him, but when he suddenly reappeared last year as his normal, much too happy self, Gordon had reinstated him, denied every rumor, and ordered all agents under his supervision not to ask him any questions about the disappearance. Powers had obediently kept silent, but everything about this situation seemed suspicious. He had expected something to be different about Cooper, something that would indicate whatever happened to him. Yet, while observing him in that room, Powers could detect nothing different from the Agent Cooper of several years ago. Of course, that didn't make him like him any better.

"AND THAT'S WHY WE NEED YOU, COOP. NOT ONE PERSON REMEMBERS WHAT HAPPENED IN GRAVITY FALLS, BUT IT WAS BIG. I NEED YOU TO CONTINUE THE INVESTIGATION WHERE IT WAS STOPPED."

Cooper sipped his coffee, then replied, "IT SOUNDS LIKE A VERY INTERESTING CASE, GORDON. BUT WHY ME?"

"WHY YOU? COOP, YOU'RE THE EXPERT ON STRANGE, SMALL TOWNS. THIS COULD BE JUST LIKE THE TWIN PEAKS CASE, ONLY WITH LESS MURDER AND MORE AMNESIA."

Coop hesitated at the name of Twin Peaks, a hesitation that was quickly noted by Agent Powers. Agent Cooper had loved that town and could have lived there happily for a long time, but things took a rather disturbing turn toward the end of his stay. He had yet to go back there, or to any town that resembled it. "That's what I'm worried about, Gordon," he said finally.

"YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT WHAT?"

"I'M WORRIED THAT GRAVITY FALLS WILL BE A LOT LIKE TWIN PEAKS!"

"EXACTLY, THAT'S THE POINT. YOU CRACKED THE LAURA PALMER CASE, AND EXPOSED I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OTHER MYSTERIES ALONG THE WAY. THIS IS RIGHT UP YOUR ALLEY."

Cooper now turned to the other agents in the room. "I'd like to have a word with Gordon in private, gentlemen. Would you mind stepping out? By which I mean far enough that you can't hear his voice," he clarified.

As much as he wanted to hear what secrets Gordon and Coop had, Powers agreed. "Come on, Trigger." They both stood up and headed out. Powers offered Gordon the explanation, "IF YOU'RE FINISHED WITH US, THERE'S A NEW CASE THEY'RE DISCUSSING DOWNSTAIRS THAT MAY NEED OUR HELP."

"NEW CASE," Trigger emphasized his partner's words, as he often did.

"OH, GO AHEAD THEN. COOP AND I CAN TAKE CARE OF THIS WITHOUT YOU."

Once the partner agents had received enough time to safely proceed to the next floor down, Dale Cooper's smile faded. "With all due respect, Gordon, I'm not so sure about this. I've been back over a year now and I still haven't been able to go back to Twin Peaks."

"TWIN PEAKS? WHY ARE WE TALKING ABOUT TWIN PEAKS? THIS IS ABOUT GRAVITY FALLS."

"I SAID I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GO BACK."

"DO YOU WANT A BUS TICKET? THAT CAN BE ARRANGED."

"No, Gordon, no." He sipped his coffee again, and then continued, "IT'S NOT THAT I DON'T WANT TO. I CAN'T. I STARTED OUT OKAY, BUT EVERYTHING WENT WRONG IN THE END. IF THIS TOWN IS THE SAME AS TWIN PEAKS, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN HANDLE IT."

Gordon nodded understandingly. He was the only person in the entirety of the FBI in whom Agent Cooper had confided about his absence and the way things were really left up in Twin Peaks. There was no doubt in the chief's mind that there were still more secrets that his favorite agent had not revealed to him, but he had enough trust not to ask for more information. He knew how much Twin Peaks had meant to Coop as well as how much it would hurt him to go back.

"COOP, LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING," he said, standing up and placing a friendly hand on the younger agent's shoulder. "YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM THINGS FOREVER. YOU SHOWED A LOT OF COURAGE COMING BACK TO THE BUREAU, AND NOW IT'S TIME TO SHOW A LITTLE MORE. THIS COULD BE A FRESH START FOR YOU, COOP, A NEW BEGINNING. YES, IT'S A SIMILAR SETTING TO TWIN PEAKS, BUT GRAVITY FALLS IS ITS OWN PLACE WITH ITS OWN STORY. IT'S NOT EVEN IN THE SAME STATE!"

"Well," Cooper mused to himself, "I really have missed working out there. There was always an amazing view, and a gentle breeze stirring in the trees. Fresh air does do wonders for any ailment of the heart, soul, or mind."

"NOT TO MENTION THE FRESH AIR WILL DO YOU SOME GOOD," Gordon added, unaware of what Cooper had just said. "HONESTLY, COOP, I THINK YOU NEED THIS. YOU NEED TO GIVE YOURSELF A SECOND CHANCE. OF COURSE, IF IT'S IMPOSSIBLE, I COULD ALWAYS GIVE IT TO ALBERT."

That last remark brought the smile back to Agent Cooper's face. Albert hated Twin Peaks and every town like it. Just picturing him wandering around a rustic town in the middle of Oregon without a single clue of what he was supposed to be looking for was fairly entertaining. However, it would most likely be neither productive nor enjoyable for the parties involved. He doubted that Gordon would really resort to Albert, but it was hard to tell if his tone was sarcastic or serious with all the yelling.

Coop drained the rest of his coffee and stood up. "GORDON, I'LL DO IT. I ACCEPT THIS CASE."

"THAT'S GREAT, COOP! I KNEW YOU WOULD. YOU'RE GOING TO NEED TO LEAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BEFORE ANY LEADS GO COLD. BE PACKED AND READY FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING."

"YOU GOT IT." He stood up and gave a hearty thumbs-up to Gordon Cole, who returned it with equal enthusiasm.

That was when Agent Albert Rosenfield opened up the office door and stuck his generally annoyed face inside. "I don't know if either of you care about this," he said, "but I think you should know that Trigger just got his arm stuck in the vending machine and Powers is too busy obsessively researching the health dangers of donuts to get him out. Is this the FBI or a circus?"

"Sometimes it does make you wonder," Coop answered. "Albert, it looks like I'm headed to Oregon. Specifically, a little town named Gravity Falls. I leave tomorrow."

"Is that so?" Albert asked. "Well, better you than me. I prefer civilization."

"FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, COOP, DON'T FORGET!" Gordon shouted.

"I WON'T! SEE YOU TOMORROW, GORDON!"

Agent Cooper waved goodbye to his supervisor in his usual cheerful manner and walked out the door with Albert. "You know," he said as the two of them passed through the hallway, "those two have been acting a little bit off since they got back. Nothing too serious, just a little extra clumsiness. I should probably watch out for that. It wouldn't be ideal to have an FBI agent running straight into tree trunks, now would it?"

"So you're really doing this?" Albert asked, sounding a little bit concerned.

"Albert, I need to restart. I've been out of the game for too long."

"I wouldn't consider a full year of assignments 'out of the game.' Gordon's been a little light on you since you got back, but you're pretty far from the retired category."

Coop shook his head. "It's not about that, Albert, it's about me. I need to prove that I can move on from Twin Peaks."

"Who are you proving it to?"

"Gordon, the Bureau. Myself, mostly. Call it a quest for closure."

Albert stopped his friend before he could take another step. "Look, Coop, you never told me why you went missing or what you were doing. That's probably for the best, because if it's anything like the other things you've explained to me, I wouldn't believe you anyway. But you've got to believe me when I tell you that any guilt or grief about Twin Peaks isn't going to go away just because you solve the mystery of whatever's wrong with Gravity Falls. That's something you need to sort out with yourself."

Coop grinned hearing the usually stoic agent offering such sympathetic words. "Albert, I'm touched. I'll call you if I need anything."

"Yeah, just don't expect me to come down there," Albert replied, resuming his contemptuous attitude. "In a place like that, you'll be lucky if you find one person capable of intelligent conversation."

"All right, Albert," Coop chuckled as he pressed the button for the elevator. "Not unless I'm desperate at least. I'm sure the locals would be better off not hearing your opinion of them." The elevator door opened and he stepped briskly inside. "Until next time, Albert," he grinned.

"Yeah, sure, Coop."

Special Agent Cooper kept smiling at him until the door shut, then moved back until he was leaning against the elevator's wall. It was a long ride down to the parking level. Needing to pass the time, he started dusting powdered sugar off his hands left over from the donuts. Once they were finally clean, he opened up his wallet and dug out a large selection of photos. He looked at the first one. It was of the inside of the Twin Peaks Sheriff Station. Dick, Andy, and Lucy had engaged each other in an intense game of Scrabble while Hawk and Harry looked on, both clearly amused. The next picture of was of Major Briggs catching a fish on their big fishing trip after solving Laura Palmer's murder. The third was of him and Annie on their first date. He had asked the bartender to take it when she wasn't paying attention. Flooded with bittersweet memories, he noticed that his downward journey was almost finished. He sighed and rapidly flipped through all the others. There were too many to peruse now, but he had seen them all at least a hundred times. He finally stopped at the last one: Audrey Horne standing on the Miss Twin Peaks stage, making her speech about saving Ghostwood. Her words rang in his ears. "If you love something, you protect it." It almost hurt to be reminded of what he had failed to do, but something about her confidence and elegance kept him staring at the picture.

The doors slid open and he stuffed the pictures quickly but carefully back into his wallet. His time in Twin Peaks may have ended on a sour note, but Gravity Falls was a fresh start. It was a new beginning, a second chance. He stepped over to his car and took his place in the driver's seat. Producing a black tape recorder from his coat pocket, Special Agent Dale Cooper pressed one of its buttons and stated, "Diane, I have a new assignment. Tomorrow morning, I head for Gravity Falls, Oregon."

(A/N: A little explanation...I just finished watching Twin Peaks all the way through for the first time and loved it. I am so looking forward to its return next year. Since I've been a Gravity Falls fan for a while, which I can now see gets at least some of its inspiration from TP, I got the idea to combine them for this fic. It is meant to add onto and parallel the events of the GF universe post A Tale of Two Stans, but that's as much as I'll give away for now. I probably won't be updating this one again until after the GF finale, which is frighteningly soon, but I felt like I needed to at least publish the first chapter to make sure I don't forget it. I am not neglecting my Teen Titans/Kim Possible story by any means, but if I'm slow to publish the next chapter for either story, it's probably because I'm working on two at once now. Stay patient and thanks for reading!)