A Duet of Shadow and Flame

Chapter 4 – Revelation

So often, it was observed that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same; and rarely was this more accurately portrayed than it was in Gravity Falls, Oregon. Nestled somewhere between comfortable mundanity and supernatural insanity, most of its residents had long ago learned to accept or ignore things that others would see as strange at best; and terrifying at worst. Sometimes, however, even they could be surprised.

After all, life – for all that it could be explained biologically – was often a strange and unruly thing; and while anyone could understand what it meant to be living, few could ever agree on what it meant truly be alive. For many, to be alive simply meant avoiding danger in order to stay alive for as long as possible. For others, to be alive instead meant facing those dangers head on simply to feel alive. For some though, a single moment could sometimes let them live more than others could in an entire lifetime.

Standing as she was with the – now not so – mysterious stranger, seemingly frozen in time, Wendy Corduroy felt like one such person.

Was she still in the real world, she wondered, or had she somehow become trapped in a fantasy?

Perhaps the lines between the two had become blurred?

On one hand, the feelings she had experienced earlier were some of the most intense and welcomed she had ever had; something that both elated and terrified her in equal measure. On the other, they had not only been inspired by her best friend, but by her best friend that had tricked her more thoroughly than anyone else had ever managed; and yet somehow that made them seem more real rather than less so. However, as time seemed to move once more, all that seemed to remain were a number of conflicting emotions and thoughts.

On some instinctual level, she registered a number of additional dances, but in a way that felt as if she were looking at herself from some detached perspective and to say she was flabbergasted would have been the understatement of the millennium. Unfortunately, that perspective almost allowed the vindictive part of her mind to boil over; almost. Fortunately, her enjoyment managed to push that thought aside at the last minute.

Of course, physically she felt no different than she had earlier and the same could be said for her mentality as well; at least partially. Spiritually and emotionally, however, something had changed within her, though whether it was for better or worse remained to be seen. But, regardless of everything, if she were completely honest with herself, she could not remember the last time she felt as alive as she did in that moment.

Before she could muse further, however, she realized that the evening's festivities were drawing to a close as one final waltz was called before the announcement of the prom's king and queen would be made. Given the amount of applause she and her partner – Dipper? – had received so far, she knew they had surely been placed in the running, but while that thought amused her, that amusement rapidly gave way to fear. If they were selected, it would mean that they would be required to unmask and until she knew the truth, she could not let that happen.

"We need to leave," she whispered.

As she spoke, she felt the man – it was so hard to think of him as Dipper! – stiffen in response, but rather than protest, he nodded and somehow, she knew that he had had an escape plan all along; classic Dipper. Once again taking center stage, they saluted each other with bow and curtsey as he extended his forearm, allowing her to take it just as he had earlier; and just like earlier, she watched as flame-like glamour rolled over her in response. Deep down, she also realized that she had come to somehow expect and even enjoy the strangely exhilarating uncertainty of that energy.

"Do you trust me?" he whispered, hands joining with hers as he waited for her answer.

At first, she asked herself if she really did trust him; and had she been asked that question earlier that night, she would have easily said yes, but she was no longer certain as a sudden sensation of the unknown gripped at her heart. What if she was wrong? What if the man who held her wasn't Dipper? What if he was someone – or something – using his likeness to trap her? What if it was Bill or something like him!?

Slowly, the pair began to circle each other as she warred with her own mind silently, but as they moved, she once again caught their reflection in the mirrors as they slowly gravitated towards the far corner of the gymnasium; and as she did, the realization that she saw nothing beyond the twin spirits of light and shadow stretching into infinity around them calmed her immediately. Perhaps it was because she knew she would be alright, or perhaps it was the knowledge that if this was Dipper, then he would have an explanation waiting for her that she would both understand and believe. In the end, it didn't matter, for as the final song played out, she allowed herself to be pulled close enough to rest her head upon his chest as his right arm circled her waist.

"I trust you."

With those words, the pair made one final turn that should of seen them impacting the outer wall of the building. Rather than the cold, rough sensation of brick, however, it was only a velvety smooth darkness that greeted her as the shadows parted and drew them into their void-like embrace. On some level, she knew she should have been afraid, yet as they moved through the darkness, all she felt was calm.

How long the journey lasted was impossible to say as it seemed as if one instant the pair had been dancing amongst a sea of rainbow stars while in the next she found herself in another place she immediately recognized; for even in the darkness there was mistaking the familiar lobby of the Mystery Shack. As the glamour of the moment passed and the silence descended upon them, she released her hold on her partner's hand and stepped back, watching him expectantly. In response, he raised his hands and slid his mask free, the motion returning his slicked-back hair to its normal state of unruliness as the familiar face beneath was revealed.

"Dipper…" she whispered.

"Hey, Wendy," he replied.

"We need to talk."

"I know."

"I'll… go change."

"I'll be on the roof."

As they turned and parted ways, Wendy could not tell which was more heartbreaking; the fact that he had so readily agreed with her, or that the smile she had grown so used to was nowhere to be seen.

Wendy had long ago learned of both the necessity and convenience of keeping a change of clothes at the Shack for emergencies; and between the town's strange weather patterns, the occasional sick tourist and a myriad of other messy situations, doing so had come in handy more times than she cared to admit. As such, she had rapidly perfected the art of the so-called quick change and was often back at the counter before anyone even realized her absence. This this time, however, she moved with exaggerated slowness; mostly out of fear of damaging her mother's gown, but also out of worry over what she knew would soon be happening.

On any other day, her normal attire of flannel and denim would have been all she needed to calm her down, but these time they did nothing to ease her thoughts.

Seventeen words. Between the two of them, they had spoken only seventeen words since they arrived at the Shack. Of those words, only eight had been hers, but four of them had been known to inspire fear in even the most steadfast of hearts and were some of the most dreaded words that could ever be spoken in a relationship. In all her years, every time she had spoken those words, or had them spoken to her, the following conversation had never once ended well.

Maybe this was his way of finally saying goodbye to her or of pushing her away for good?

No, Dipper was many things, but cruel was definitely not one of them.

Maybe it was his way of trying to get her to give him another chance now that he was older?

That was possible she supposed, but her certainty that he'd gotten over her made it unlikely.

Maybe…?

Despite thinking about it for several moments, she could not come up with a third 'maybe' and was eventually forced to concede that her choices at the moment were extremely limited; she could stay and stew, leave and wonder or follow through with her statement and talk. The only thing she knew for certain was that no matter what, she would never get answers just waiting in the Shack's office.

With that thought firmly in mind, she climbed the ladder at the lobby's back and found her friend exactly where he said he would be; but did not approach him immediately.

Instead, she perched on the peak of the Shack's roof and stared down at him, seeing only the upper portion of his body as he sat with his legs hanging off the edge of the old observation platform. In the half-light of the Shack's back porch and the half-moon above them, she could also tell that he had changed as well; and was now in his customary t-shirt, vest and most likely his jeans and sneakers as well. Strangely, he also looked shorter than he had earlier, but she attributed that to the angle she was looking from.

"Hey, doofus," she said as she finally worked up the courage to slide down and sit beside him.

On any other night, her sudden appearance would have either spooked or excited him, but this time it did neither as he turned away from her instead.

At first, she felt her heart seize up, certain that her first fear was coming to pass, but released her breath as he reached into the old cooler that had long ago become a permanent fixture on the platform, removing a can of Pitt Cola and offering it to her with an emotionless smile. Grateful for the reprieve, she took the can and popped the tab gingerly before taking a quick gulp of the cold beverage while being careful to avoid the pit at the bottom of the can. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dipper do the same as she leaned back and gazed at the moon, her earlier mix of conflicting emotions returning as an awkward silence filled the air around them.

"You're mad at me," he said at length.

"Huh?"

Turning, Dipper regarded her with a soft, sad smile before looking out of the parking lot once more, his body seeming to deflate somewhat as he repeated himself.

"I…," she began, but paused immediately.

Was she mad at him? Here he was, her supposed best friend; a boy whom she was sure had grown out of his feeling for anything more than friendship, yet who had somehow tricked her into going with him to her own senior prom. Yes, she supposed she was mad at him on some level and would be fully justified in that feeling. For some reason though, she could no longer muster the energy to remain angry.

"I'm," she started. "I think I'm more confused than anything."

"I guess I can see that," he replied.

"I think… dude, I think the obvious question here is why?" she said. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm super flattered, but we talked about this a long time ago man. I'm too old for you and …"

"Wendy, I know you don't feel the way I do…did… and you know I wouldn't do that to you anyway. I've never wanted to be another guy that broke your heart that you just ended up hating," he said, his voice dropping a little with each word until it was barely more than a whisper. "I didn't do this to get together with you."

"Then why?"

"Because you deserved it, that's why!" he hissed, his eyes blazing as he turned towards her.

"Dude, I don't…"

"No, no," he said, looking away. "Let me… let me… look, if I don't say this now I'm never gonna be able to say it. I need… I just need you to let me finish, okay?"

She nodded mutely.

"Wendy… you're one of the best, bravest, most caring and most beautiful people I know in this world; and I'm not just talking about your looks. You're just… you're awesome and all that awesomness has ever gotten you is a broken heart time and ag from a bunch of guys that just want your body and the bragging rights that go with it. You don't deserve that, you never did," he said, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I did this tonight because… I did this because you're you and because you deserved to have a night that was all about you!."

Shivering softly, she reached out to him in response, but pulled back at the last moment as it seemed he wasn't finished yet.

"I know you probably hate me right now and honestly I don't blame you if you do. I tried to avoid this with the whole 'mystery man' routine, but I was stupid to think you wouldn't figure it out," he paused, looking back to her with that same sad smile. "I guess, in the end, I'm no better than any of those other guys you've know and I'll… I'll understand if you don't want me around anymore. Just… all you have to do is say the word and I'll leave."

"Dude… why would you…?"

"Because despite everything, I got to make your night special," he said. "Honestly, that's all I ever wanted out of this."

As he finished, Wendy found herself staring at him, blinking back the tears that suddenly threatened to escape her eyes as she did so. She had always known Dipper was a good guy and a terrible liar; yes he could avoid the truth or redirect it, but flat out lying just wasn't in his character. Moreover, she had never known him to talk to her the way he just had, and while the words themselves were sweet, it was the sheer conviction behind them that truly pierced her heart. Earlier, she had been flabbergasted, but now she felt truly dumbstruck.

"You'd really…?"

"Yeah… I'd hate it, but I'd do it and I'd understand why you'd want me to."

"I… wow…" she replied, the term 'inner turmoil' not even beginning to describe her feelings at that moment.

Exhaling softly, she sat her empty soda can at her side and leaned back, resting on her palms as she stared at the moon once more, trying to find some answers in its half-glowing surface as Dipper waited patiently beside her. When did her little doofus get so mature? More importantly, why had she failed to notice it before? No, she had noticed, she had just chosen to ignore for reasons she could no longer understand. Eventually, the silence became too much and she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"I don't hate you, Dipper," she whispered.

His sharp, thankful exhale was all the response she needed, but the warm smile that followed it warmed her heart even more.

Before he could speak, however, she quickly did what she always did when things were becoming awkward; she changed the subject to give them both time to think.

"So… all the shadow tricks and stuff?"

"Magic," he said. "Great Uncle Ford's been teaching me for almost two years now, ever since the second summer up here; I was learning it every time we were out doing "nerd stuff" as Mabel puts it. That's how I got the letter up to you, but I had to drive up to be able to get to the school. Best I can manage for a person is three or four miles and that's just me. I really glad the Shack's as close to the school as it is, otherwise I don't think I'd of been able to bring us both here."

"So what was the plan?" she asked. "Just show up, be mysterious, dance with me a few times and then disappear into the night?"

"Um… k-kinda?" he replied, once again becoming the sheepish little nerd she knew so well.

"Dude, not only was that a crazy plan, but it's kinda mean when you really think about it," she replied, smirking. "I mean, seriously, you bring up this awesome mystery man and then take him away so that I never see him again? Not cool, man. Not cool at all."

"Yeah, in retrospect it wasn't that great of an idea I guess… sorry."

"Don't be sorry," she said, leaning away again as she sighed. "I really do appreciate what you did, Dipper. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little upset at first, but I think I understand why you did it that way so… thanks."

"You're welcome," he replied. "So… what happens now?"

Snickering, she leaned towards him and gave him her best seductive smile and wink before saying, "Well… you know what couples usually do after prom, right?"

Turning his head, he gave her the most deadpan stare he could manage and shook his head, "Wendy, you realize that I'm a sixteen year old boy with a high speed internet connection and cable TV… so yes I know. But, even if you weren't joking, the answer would still be no."

"How do you know I'm joking?"

"Mostly because you wouldn't be you without making a joke at this point."

"Okay, you got me there, but seriously man I basically just offered you what gods know how many boys have been after for the last four years and you say no?" she said, stifling a laugh. "Seriously, what's the deal with that?"

"The deal is that I know what you've gone through. I've watched you go through it a dozen times now," he said, sighing as he looked way. "The deal is that even though I would love to take advantage of that offer, it would be taking advantage of it and I won't do that to you. Not now, not ever, I already told you I didn't do this to get you to give me another chance and I meant that. The deal, Wendy, is that you don't feel the same way about me as I feel about you; there, I said it."

At his words, Wendy finally felt a tear run down her cheek before she could stop it and looked away to hide it. Till then, she had thought she could not be any more surprised than she already was, but apparently she had been wrong as his words added impossibly more turmoil to her thoughts. As she tried to sort them out, however, something else occurred to her.

"Dipper," she said. "Those magic lessons with, Ford… they didn't include mind reading did they?"

"Huh? Oh, no they didn't. I asked him about that the first summer I was learning, but he says things like that are too close to Bill's powers and they're too easy to abuse anyway. I never asked about them again after that," he answered. "Why?"

"No reason," she said.

How, she screamed to herself, how had she missed all this? How was a boy – no, a young man – like Dipper able to understand things men years older than him still had trouble comprehending?

"Dipper," she said. "Can I ask you something?"

"You always can," he replied. "You know that."

"I…" she began, swallowing hard. "I know what I told you that day after the bunker incident and back then I really did mean what I said. But I also meant it when I said you mean a lot to me, you have ever since that summer. But, to be honest, I-I've kinda regretted saying them ever since. Okay, maybe not ever since, but after a while I really did regret not giving you a chance."

"Wendy, you don't have to do this," he said. "I told you that…"

"I know what you just told me!" she said, cutting him off. "I know, man, but… look I listened to you so now I need you to listen to me. I have to say this… I need to say this or I'm gonna chicken out again. So just… if I…"

She trailed off, heart pounding in her ears as she tried to force the return of her usual calm and failed miserably, more tears threatening to escape with each passing second. Maybe it was the look in his eyes. Maybe it was the feelings she had repressed for so long. Either way, she knew that if she had asked what she was about to ask then everything would change for the worse and in that instant, she finally understood why.

"Dipper, if… if I was the one asking for that chance now, where do you think things would go if you gave it to me?"

Despite the darkness around them, she could tell that he was blushing now and based on the heat in her cheeks she was relatively certain her own face now matched her hair again.

"I-I… I don't know," he stammered. "Maybe it would go somewhere, maybe nowhere? Are you really asking…?"

"I am."

"Why …?" he whispered, his voice filled with too many emotions for her name.

"Dipper… Mason," she whispered, using his real name for the first time since he had told it to her two and a half years before. "I'm asking… I'm asking because, honestly, I really would like to know what might happen."

Breathing heavily, she turned away and wiped her eyes with her forearm as she awaited his response. For better or worse, she had finally reached the point of no return with her statement and knew that everything that had happened over the last three years had finally led her to that moment. Whether Dipper knew what he had done or not didn't matter, but for Wendy the realization that someone finally saw her the way she had always wanted to be seen was the greatest gift she could ever have received.

Up until that moment, she had just been too blind – and willingly so – to see it who had been holding that gift.

Turning back, she found herself staring once more into those chocolate eyes as they stared back into her emerald ones as silence again descended over them. But rather than the awkward silences of earlier, somehow, it had become the companionable silence that always seemed to find them at just the right moment; a silence filled with friendship that now hinted at something more. Slowly, a wind picked up and rustled the surrounding leaves, performing a strange, naturalistic symphony as Dipper stood and bowed to her before offering her his hand. In response, Wendy gingerly took it and allowed herself to be pulled up once more.

Absently, she noted that his height now more closely matched her own and resolved to ask him about it later, but for now, she allowed herself to fall into the moment and smiled at him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome," he replied.

"I mean it. You wanted to make this night magical for me and you did. I appreciate that, I do, but…"

"But…?"

"But it wasn't just magical. It was perfect," she replied, leaning forward to rest her head upon Dipper's shoulder as they both exhaled softly.

Even in her wildest dreams, she could never have hoped for the outcome that she had been given that night, but she knew one thing for certain; whether the two of them stayed friends or become something more, her little doofus would always be there for her, just as she would be for him and no matter what happened in the future, they would find out together. Leaning back, she laced her fingers with his as their eyes locked together.

In all her life, Wendy had never felt so wanted, so cared for and so respected as she did at that moment; but more importantly, she had never before felt so loved.

Smiling, lost in each other's, gaze the pair began to sway slowly to music only they could hear, dancing together in the spot that had once been their secret place.

As earlier, no words passed between them.

But, as was often the case in her mother's stories, further words no longer seemed necessary.

"Two broken hearts,
Neither one knows what to say
Both falling for love,
But not quite all the way
Look at us now
Reaching back for yesterday
Both wanting to know
If the other wants to stay…"

-"Hold me till the morning comes" by Paul Anke and Peter Cetera

Author's Notes:

I do not own Gravity Falls. All characters are © to their respective owners. No Infringement is intended.

Chapter Theme Song: "Hold me till the morning comes" by Paul Anke and Peter Cetera.

I know this chapter was extremely dialogue heavy and I hope that didn't turn anybody off; but you can't have a conversation without an actual conversation.

This chapter has been revised and edited from its original publication. Hopefully the new changes come through seamlessly and it is improved upon in general.

In regards to Dipper learning magic… I hope that wasn't too overt, but I dropped hints of it earlier and seriously, this is Gravity Falls. As Mabel might put it "You gotta have some kind of magicy thing!"

I originally toyed with the idea of this chapter beginning as Wendy and Tambry are talking at Greasy's Diner after the prom and at first it seemed to work out alright, but as I got further along in the chapter the less it seemed to fit and I eventually removed it. I likewise considered putting in an epilogue to the story either including that conversation or showing what happened later on, but honestly, it just doesn't fit so this is where the story concludes itself as it seems the most logical point to me and the heart of it just seems to be properly placed. Did anything else happen after that night, I'm sure it did, but this story was about the events leading up to their dance and the immediate aftermath thereof; everything else is left to the whims of fate and the imagination of my readers.

Again, let me take a moment to thank everyone who has read, followed, favorited and reviewed this story thus far; it has really given me incentive to keep working on it and kept the creativity flowing! I think at this point I've answered all of your reviews personally (which is very important to me) and if I haven't, I offer my most sincere apologies for that. Comments keep me alive and I think it is important for commenters to know that.

However, as some people have posted on this as guests, let me answer a few questions here:

To the guest who mentioned that they liked the fact I included the title of the story in the story itself: thank you very much, I'm glad you enjoyed that. That is always something I try to do as it gives an overall reason for the title itself and ties the story together. Sometimes I'm successful, sometimes I'm not. But I always try. Also, I'm very glad you enjoyed the scene in chapter 3

To the guest that asked if Manly Dan was in on the plot, no he wasn't; he just saw his little girl didn't have a dress for her big night and took it upon himself to make sure she had one.

To the guest who said the story was surprisingly realistic, thank you very much, I really worked hard to get it that way!

To the guest who asked if Wendy knows Dipper's real name, yes she does, but to her he'll always be "Dipper" rather than "Mason."

To the guests who have complimented my descriptions and writing styles, thank you very much, I really do my best with these.

To everyone else, again, I'm thankful that you enjoyed it and I hope you enjoyed the final chapter!

This chapter is presently presented without full editing and the story itself will likely be edited/revised slightly as I think of things within the next couple of weeks. So keep an eye on things, it might get updated one last time before really call it "finished," though the story itself is done.

To the guest who has written all the reviews under the guest handle, thank you very much, I greatly appreciate everything you've said!

Finally, this story is personal on the level that I know exactly what a long distance relationship is like and I know exactly how it feels to wait on someone; and let me tell you, sometimes that wait is more than worth it. I know mine was.