Something didn't feel right. Dipper pulled the blanket tighter around him and tried to push away the drowsiness to figure out what it was.

Something moved behind him. Dipper let out a squawk of surprise and rolled away from it, attempting to get off his bed to assess what matter of creature had joined him while he slept. He slammed into a wall and lay still for several moments, holding his nose and silently screaming in pain.

There was a little inquisitive grunt behind him and something licked his ear.

"Waddles?"

Dipper rolled over and saw the pig's beady black eyes staring into his own. The events of the previous day hit him with all the force of a sledge hammer to the gut.

Mabel…

Dipper began shaking. His breathing sped up and he clenched his hands into the blankets trying to steady himself. He felt like he was going to throw up.

Waddles pushed his head against Dipper's chest and he jerked in surprise. He wrapped his arms around the creature and held on for dear life until the shaking subsided.

"Thanks," He whispered, feeling a little stupid talking to a pig.

Dipper doubted he was going to fall back asleep, so he grabbed the walky talkie and slipped downstairs. Maybe he could look through great uncle Ford's journal and see if there was anything that might help get Mabel back.

When he made it downstairs to his surprise the kitchen light was still on. Dipper froze just outside of the ring of light.

Inside the kitchen he could hear Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford talking. Dipper crouched down and tried to quiet his breathing so he could hear what they were saying.

"…I going to call their parents tomorrow," Stan was saying.

There was a thump as Ford dropped the book he had been looking through in surprise.

"What!?"

Dipper peered around the corner a little farther. Grunkle Stan's shoulders were slumped and his head was bowed. The wrinkles his face were more prominent than Dipper had ever seen them. He seemed defeated, like when Gideon had taken over the Mystery Shack and he had desired to send the twins home.

"You can't just give up," Ford said, his tone incredulous.

Grunkle Stan's head turned sharply and he snapped, "I'm not giving up."

The kitchen light glinted harshly in his narrowed eyes before he sighed slumped forward again.

"I'm just not enough of an idiot to believe we can create a portal to another world in less than a week."

Grunkle Stan rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger.

"If there's anything I've learned over the years it's that the longer you wait to give someone the bad news the worse they will take it." Ford's shoulder's stiffened at that statement and his eyes searched his brother's face. Stan paid him so heed and continued. "No doubt they'll never let me see Dipper again, but at least they might hear me out about Mabel and give me a chance to try to find her before they sick the cops on me…"

He trailed off.

Stanford's hand lifted off the table for a second and then was lowered to his knee where it clenched and unclenched nervously.

"But it wasn't soley your fault that she got the rift. I'm also to blame," Stanford said slowly.

Grunkle Stan's gaze shot up to Ford's face and then he barked out a harsh laugh.

"It doesn't matter… When has it ever mattered?" He asked.

He ran his fingers over the bandage on the back of his right hand.

"The fact if they trusted me with their kids and now their daughter is missing."

He leaned forward and rested his head in his hands.

"If only I had sent those kids back home before I started that dammed portal up this would never have happened… but since when was I ever able to do anything right?"

Stanford's hand lifted off the table again and hovered in the air for a few seconds as he watched his brother. Eventually he grabbed his left arm with it and looked away.

Dipper couldn't stand to hear any more of the conversation and crept swiftly back upstairs.

Waddles looked at him curiously as he shakily closed the door behind him. He knelt down and hugged the pig tightly.

"Don't worry I'll get her back," Dipper told the swine firmly.

He started packing the backpack Mabel had left. There was no way he was going back home without his sister.