Sister with a Stubborn Streak

Mabel Pines was almost like the female Peter Pan; an eternally youthful spirit who seemed nearly immune to the flow of time, with an unfettered imagination that Dipper really couldn't help but envy sometimes. He might've been more successful academically then his twin sister, but Dipper always felt that Mabel was better at just being then he was. She was comfortable in her own skin even when there were others pressuring her to conform (to a point where sometimes Dipper felt embarrassed being related to her), aware of her strengths and weaknesses, and unafraid of saying what needed to be said. Dipper really admired that about his twin.

At least when she wasn't using those trait to try to hassle him, anyways.

"I can't BELIEVE you actually asked her out on a date! And you only stalked her for, like, two days before you got the nerve to talk to her! Go Sir Dippingsauce!" Mabel's grin stretched ear to ear as she slung an arm over her brother's shoulder, her long chestnut hair forming a makeshift barrier between them and the rest of the world as she leaned over so she and Dipper were nearly nose to nose. "Soooo? What are the details? Felicity said you two looked real chummy over lunch~!" Ah. Felicity. So that was the name of the blonde waitress from the diner.

"There are no details." Dipper grumbled with a blush as he fought to free himself from the clutches of his twin. "She caught me following her and told me to stop."

His euphoria over getting Dani's phone number had faded in the half hour it took him to get from the diner back to his home. And not long after it took its leave, Insecurity came back to make itself comfortably at home in Dipper's subconscious, bringing its dear old friends Paranoia and Degradation. By the time Dipper had reached his front door, he had nearly convinced himself that he'd only make an idiot of himself if he tried to pursue any kind of relationship with the half-ghost girl and that he was better off deleting her number before he embarrassed himself in some lame attempt to impress her. Unfortunately, his twin managed to attack him before he could do anything of the sort.

"But she still said yes when you asked her to lunch, right? That's a good sign!" Mabel assured Dipper, letting him go to stand in front of him and giving the taller brunet some much needed space.

"Actually, I never asked her anywhere. She pretty much made me have lunch with her, or else she would have torched my journal." Dipper confessed awkwardly, feeling more and more pessimistic about his chances the more he considered these details about the day's encounter.

"So she asked you out then? Even better!" Mabel squealed excitedly, apparently ecstatic at this news. "And you even got her number!" How Mabel could have possibly learned that Dipper didn't have a clue, but he knew better than to try and lie to his twin.

"It wasn't like that, okay?" Dipper said instead in exasperation. "The only reason Dani asked me to lunch with her is because I tricked her into thinking that I had a video of her transforming. I was just trying to get my journal back from her without making her even angrier than she already was. So really, it wasn't a date so much as it was a Mexican Standoff."

"And yet you have your journal, and the ghost girl's number and she didn't get jack squat from your little exchange." Mabel pointed out slyly. Dipper's cheeks burned red at that but he didn't reply verbally, causing Mabel to give a half-hearted groan. "Come on, Dipper, you've been all goo-goo eyes over this girl ever since she saved you from that ghost. Why won't you just let yourself be happy that she's interested in you, too?"

"I wasn't goo-goo eyed, I just thought it was cool that there is another half ghost out there besides Danny Phantom and Vlad Masters. And what guarantee do you have that she's actually interested in me, anyways?" Dipper asked, frustration and fear coloring his tone. "What if I'm the only one interested, and I start making a big deal about something that's not really anything? I don't want to get my hopes up just to have everything blow up in my face. I'm not putting myself through that again."

"Dipper, come on. It wasn't your fault that things didn't work out with Kelly. And if you're going to quit without even trying, then you might end up missing out on something great! Nothing good can ever been obtained without a little risk, you know." Mabel said, unusually solemn and insightful.

"I just don't think I want to take that kind of risk right now, Mabel. Especially not with a superhero." Dipper said with a quiet sigh. "I mean, what kind of shot do I really have with a girl like that, anyways?"

"If she has half a brain, then she probably already knows that you're a fantastic guy who any girl would be lucky to have." Mabel responded sternly, frowning at her brother's self-degrading words. "You're crazy smart, and super brave and you're really sweet and sensitive to boot. You'd make any girl smart enough to give you a chance incredibly happy."

"Look, Mabel, I know you're trying to make me feel better and I really appreciate it, but let's be real here. I mean, she's this incredibly beautiful girl who's strong and has all these amazing powers and gets to fly around saving people all the time, and I'm..." trailing off, Dipper gave a frustrated sigh, combing a hand through his hair. "I'm just the loser who got in over his head when he was twelve and only fixed things through sheer dumb luck. I thought maybe that meant something, that it was a sign or something, you know? But I haven't been involved in anything really supernatural like that since then, until she showed up. Maybe... maybe I'm just trying to be part of all of that again. And maybe I'm not really meant to be."

"Do me a favor, Dipper. Put the supernatural stuff aside for like, two seconds. Same for her powers and all that other funky goodness. Just answer me this one question; Do you like this girl?"

"Mabel, I don't think-"

"Dipper, yes or no." Mabel glared, not giving her brother the chance to make another excuse. Dipper sighed in defeat.

"Yes." He answered, sounding very unhappy about this fact.

"Then call her. Ask her to hang out. Show her the cool scar you got fighting Bill. Because all that other stuff doesn't matter nearly as much as you think it does, Dipper." Dipper didn't say anything to that, too busy reliving the last time he had put himself out there for a girl. Mabel apparently read his mind however, and gave him a cutting look. "This isn't like Kelly, Dipper. You can't let yourself start thinking that the only reason a girl would be interested in you is because they're using you for something."

"Yeah, that's great and everything, except the only time in my life that I didn't get the 'let's just be friends' speech was when a girl needed me to bump up her grades." Dipper reminded his twin. "I just think that maybe I'm better off not getting my hopes up this time and just assume straight off that she only wants to be friends instead of thinking that maybe I actually have a shot. You can't be disappointed if you don't have any expectations, after all." Mabel didn't look at all pleased with her brother's logic, but a shout from their mother in the next room over robbed her of the chance to argue her point any further.

"Dipper? Can you come here and help me with something, sweetie?"

"Sure thing, Mom!" Dipper called back, sweeping past his sister and into the kitchen where the call had originated from. Mabel frowned to herself as she watched him go before pulling out the cell phone she had pilfered from her brother while hugging him. She had only meant to taunt him with it when she had taken it, but had gotten so caught up with in trying to convince her twin of his own self worth that she had completely forgotten her original intention.

It didn't sit right with her at all that Dipper was so certain that he'd fail that he wouldn't even take a chance. She knew Dipper was a great guy who was just misunderstood by most of their peers. And she knew that her brother deserved a happy relationship with someone he liked, and that there was someone out there somewhere who could give her twin just that.

And if that person was this phantom femme fatale, then there was no way she was going to sit by and let Dipper mess this up.

Determination swelled inside Mabel as she powered on her brother's phone and entered his password, scrolling down his contact list until she found the only one she didn't recognize. Selecting the number, Mabel typed up a text asking the girl to meet up with her tomorrow at a cafe not far from the retail store she worked at right around when she'd be taking her lunch break.

Hitting send, Mabel waited anxiously for five minutes, holding her breath every time she heard her brother's voice in the next room as she prayed that her ruse would work. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief when Dipper's phone announced a new text from the ghost girl, agreeing to come. Grinning, Mabel deleted both her text and the girl's reply and set her brother's phone on the coffee table in the living room, feeling greatly satisfied with herself.

Matchmaker Mabel was back in business.

Words from the Dragon;

I have a confession to make; I have almost no idea where I'm going with this story.

Right from the start, Nerd With a Notebook was about 90% impulsive babbling and 10% funny mental images. And honestly, I almost never do anything like this anymore. Every story I write usually has to have an outline, a clearly started beginning, middle and end where I'm just basically filling in the blanks between point A to point B, then on to Point C and so on and so forth until I get to Z. It's a little weird flying blind like this, but refreshing at the same time. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite stories to write, because I feel a little more free to just do whatever here without worrying about where it'll end up.

Doing this can be a little daunting though, since as I mention this really isn't something I've done in years when it comes to a multi-chapter story. So I want to take a minute to thank everyone who responded to this story, especially the ones who leave reviews. I'm really grateful to everyone who took the time to tell me what they think of my story, since it gives me the boost in confidence I need to continue working on it rather than letting it fall to the wayside. I know this chapter was a little bland, but I kind of wanted to explore a little of the insecurity we've seen from Dipper now and then in the show, and how that might affect him in the future. Especially when it comes to romance. Mabel, for all she teases him, is also Dipper's biggest cheerleader and President/Founder of the Dipper Pines is Awesome and Anyone Who Thinks Otherwise Can Jump Into A Lake Club. And therefore will NOT let this tragedy unfold. Her Bro-bro's gonna get a hot date, even if she's gotta kidnap someone, dangit!

Next Chapter is where Dani and Mabel meet for the first time, which is all kinds of crazy fun. Please look forward to it!

Big Thanks for Reviewing;

EveryRoseHasTheirThorns, IWasNeverReal, Hybridkylin, OMAC001, Ninuhuju, and Funkatron

See you all next chapter!