The hug was warm, close, sweet. It didn't last long enough though.

Before Stan knew it Dipper and Mabel were pulling back from the embrace, causing the weight on his shoulders to lift. From the side of the road, he clasped his niece's hands tight in his own, words failing him as he looked into their eyes. Both children were a picture of absolute adoration, faces flushed and cheeks shining with tears, and for a moment he could only stay crouching on one knee, smiling fondly at them as he struggled not to let his own tears fall.

They moved away from him then, and Stan's hands remained hovering in the air before he lowered them and stood up. Two sad, warm smiles were directed at him before Dipper and Mabel began gathering their luggage together.

Well, this is it.

Stan watched from afar, perched between his brother and his coworkers as the twins stepped toward the bus and exchanged a few words at the foot of the stairs. They climbed on after a few seconds of conversation, the doors shutting with a hiss behind them, and proceeded to wave at the group from their seats. The sad smiles never left their faces. Even Waddles was waving, Mabel having grasped his tiny hoof to mimic the motion, and it made Stan chuckle at her silly antics.

However, their happy little moment was shattered as the bus sputtered back to life, spewing out smoke and exhaust. As the tires began screeching forward, the small, odd family followed alongside of it every step of the way, chanting tearful goodbyes and take-cares and be-safes until the vehicle became only a small dot in the horizon.

Things after that were treacherously quiet. Stan frowned, gaze falling to the ground, but he looked up when he felt something heavy wrap itself around his shoulder. Glancing over, he caught sight of Ford smiling sympathetically at him, and he found himself returning the gesture, warmth flooding his being.

They walked back to the Mystery Shack that way, arms draped around each other's shoulders in comfortable silence behind the rest of the group.

…

Stan's footsteps were heavy as he walked back to his bedroom. He approached the door and pushed it open, dutifully noting the "NO MINORS ALLOWED" sign before stepping inside and closing it again with a quiet click. The goodbye sweater Mabel had knitted him clung to his sweaty skin, but he didn't dare take it off. Instead, he sunk down onto his mattress and removed his glasses, rubbing his tired eyes with the back of his hand.

What the…?

He blinked a few times as something shimmered in the light on his bedside table. Stan quickly slid his glasses back into place and reached over to pick up the unknown item, eyes scanning over it. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be an envelope.

An envelope covered in stickers.

Stan wasted no time in opening it, thick fingers going to delicately pull away the smiley face sealing it shut. Curious, he pulled a piece of stationary paper from its confines (he recognized it as the stationary he'd bought Mabel for her birthday), glitter and sequins and everything her streaking down onto his lap. As soon as he unfolded it, his eyes fell to the very top of the page.

Dear Grunkle Stan, the first line read, scrawled out in sparkly pink pen, this sure has been one cuckoo summer, hasn't it?

Stan let a small smile slip across his face, making himself more comfortable on the bed.

Boy, where do I even begin? Well, first of all, this has probably been one of the bestest, most funnest summers I've EVER HAD! And Dipper and I have had some pretty amazing summers in the past. When I first got to know you I thought that you were weird and smelled bad, but then I came to learn that you're so much more than that (although you still smell, just slightly less!).

Looking back on things like fishing at the lake and the dinosaurs and shooting off fireworks, I realized that beneath your grumpy-grump shell you really are just a huge softie on the inside. Admit it! I know you're denying it but you are! Every day this summer Dipper and I (mostly me though, don't tell him I said that) have managed to chip away at your hard crusty exterior until your heart has finally been exposed for the world to see! Yeah, we have that effect on people.

Okay, I guess it's time to get serious now. Putting on my serious face. Grunkle Stan…when all that portal-junk happened I didn't know what to think at first. When I found out you had a secret twin brother I was just like, "WHAAAAAAT?"

Right next to the sentence, a little doodle of Mabel stood with her hands smushed against her rosy cheeks, her mouth wide open in shock.

I know that for a really long time you and Grunkle Ford weren't happy with each other, even after you got him back (it was supposed to be a fairytale ending, I tell you, a fairytale! With singing and everything!). But you wanna know something? I don't think you were being selfish, or uncaring, or dangerous trying to rebuild that portal. I just think that you wanted your brother back, and that's that! I know I would've done it if it had been me and Dipper in the same situation.

And, well…that's why I didn't push the button. Because I trusted you and knew you well enough to know that you would never, ever try to pull off something so risky with the two of us around.

Stan's breath hitched. He gripped the paper a little tighter as he read, creating tiny indents in it with his fingers.

Grunkle Stan, I want you to know that none of the things that happened to you in the past were ever your fault. I know you had it really hard living on your own, and I know you doubted yourself a heck-ton. I would have too if it had been me in your shoes! But you were always doing the right thing. Even if you thought you weren't or you were unsure of yourself, you were never a bad guy

I mean, you're me and Dipper's hero! Whether it was rescuing us from a horde of flesh-hungry zombies, or sabotaging your chance at becoming mayor to rescue us from plummeting to our deaths, or making a deal with Bill to defeat him once and for all, you were always there to save the day. Heck, if it weren't for you we could be zombies trying to eat your brains right now! Or two adorable little splats on the ground!

Stan chuckled softly at that, but it was forced. He could feel a familiar pressure starting to build behind his eyes.

But you're not only our hero, Grunkle Stan. You're Grunkle Ford's hero too! If it weren't for you he'd still be stuck on the other side of the portal and he wouldn't be here right now, talking and laughing and finally making up with you!

At the bottom of the page, a little drawing of the four of them stood, holding hands and smiling almost too comically large.

To sum it up…I'll never forget this summer, Grunkle Stan. Getting to know you was one of the best things ever, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Wherever you end up with Grunkle Ford on your big sailing expedition-thingie, always be thinking of me and Dipper and how much we care about you.

We love you so much, Grunkle Stan. Whenever you're sad, always remember that. You're one of my most favorite people in the world.

~ Mabel

Stan could barely read the last sentence before it all became too much. Finally, finally he let the tears he had been holding back since the twins had left streak down his face and onto his lap. He thought that would be enough, thought that would be it, but within seconds he found himself outright sobbing. His shoulders shook and he brought a hand to his mouth to try to muffle his sobs, but the tears ended up rushing over his fingers instead.

For several minutes Stan remained that way, tears streaming down his face, and it took several more after that for him to finally gain some sense of control over himself. Eventually the tears tapered off, leaving him with a stuffy nose, puffy eyes, and shaky breathing, and he swallowed thickly. He hadn't completely broken down in so long and it almost felt…nice. Like a weight had finally been lifted from his chest.

Stan went to press his palms against his knees, but he immediately startled as a loud knock sounded on the door. He scrambled to hide Mabel's letter, stuffing it under his pillow before he cleared his throat and straightened up.

"Come in!"

The door slowly creaked open, and a tentative, "Stanley?" sounded from the hallway. Stan looked up to see his brother standing in the threshold, one hand on the doorknob and the other poised at his side as if prepared to grasp something.

"Stanley, are you alright? I heard quite a bit of commotion, is something going on? Is there a threat that we still need to neutralize? Is there—"

"Everything's fine, Poindexter," he cut in, brushing off his twin's concern with a wave of his hand. "I swear, even though that one-eyed demon's been defeated for a good week you're still finding things to worry about."

"I can't help it, Stan. I can't afford to let my guard down after everything that's happened," Ford said, but he didn't sound angry in any way, just…relieved. He stepped into the room and made his way to the bed, his heavy combat boots clunking across the wood floor to Stan. His eyes took in his brother's disheveled appearance, his red face and slightly askew glasses and snotty nose, and he perked a brow. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"How many times do I hafta say yes?"

Ford stooped in front of Stan, his eyes narrowing before they grew soft with understanding.

"…You miss the kids, don't you?"

Stan froze. And then his muscles loosened. Well, no use acting like things were fine anymore. Blowing out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, Stan leaned back on his hands. "God, more than anything, Ford. It's only been a few hours but I miss them so much."

"I feel the same way." Ford took a seat next to him, their combined weight causing the worn mattress to sag down even further than it already did. "It must have been nice…getting to spend a whole summer with Dipper and Mabel. Getting to know them so well."

"Yeah, it was," Stan said, voice distant. "They really…they really lightened the mood around here, y'know?"

"Yes, I can imagine," Ford said softly. His hand went to pick at a piece of loose thread dangling from the bedspread. "I'm glad I got to meet them…at some point in time, at least. They really are wonderful kids."

Stan chuckled. "Heh…you can say that again."

The brothers continued to sit next to each other, stewing in their own thoughts as a heavy silence blanketed over them. Ford glanced briefly to Stan, and he wilted at the frown that had started creeping across his face.

He decided to seize the opportunity with a few coughs.

"You know, I…I've been drawing up some schematics for the boat we're going to be sailing on. It's not much yet, but I'd like your input. How does Stan O' War II sound for the name?"

Stan perked a brow, lifting his head to look at him. In just a few seconds his frown vanished from sight, and in its place a smile quickly spread. "That…that sounds great, Ford!"

"I was hoping you would say that," he said with a grin, standing up. "If you're not busy, you should come help me figure out some more of the details. After all, the both of us are going to be living on it for an undetermined amount of time."

"I'd like that," Stan said, straightening back up. "Just…just give me a few seconds. Have to do some things first, is all."

"Alright." Ford nodded and turned to leave. "Take all the time you need."

Once he was sure that he was gone, Stan reached back under his pillow and pulled out Mabel's letter, unfolding it, eyes skimming over the last few paragraphs of the text.

You're Grunkle Ford's hero too! If it weren't for you he'd still be stuck on the other side of the portal and he wouldn't be here right now, talking and laughing and finally making up with you!

Stan sighed, folding the paper again and being extra careful not to damage it as he placed it back inside its glittery envelope. Setting it back on the table, he stood up with a deep, shuddering breath, popping his back.

He was going to miss those kids so much.

But he would be okay. For once, he would finally be okay. The future held so many fresh, new opportunities, and he wasn't going to let them go to waste. He would create new memories to replace the not-so-great ones. He would experience things he had never experienced before and learn things from them. He would live his life with a better sense of who he was alongside the one person he had finally gotten back after so many long years.

Today marked the end of an era, and the beginning of a brand new one that blossomed with chances.

Stan made to leave the room, but not before uttering one last sentence, so softly only he himself could hear it:

"I love you too, sweetie."