Hey guys, thanks for all the support I got on Code 12! Here is a new chapter because I got so much encouragement. I doubt there will be a chapter after this, but that doesn't mean I won't be making more GF fics. And to be honest, after the episode today (Not What He Seems) who knows what I am going to be writing about next?

Also, this chapter was coincidentally 26 pages long. I did not plan that, which made it even better.

Code 26

The Gravity Falls Truffle Festival was a popular event that almost the entire town attended.

So, obviously, Pacifica Northwest was there.

Her parents weren't attending because they had a private event that day, but Pacifica was still expected to go in order to keep up appearances for her family. Pacifica was used events like this, but after years of attending, she was just sick of them. At least this one wasn't about how great her lying, cheating ancestors were. She didn't think she could stomach another one of those.

It wasn't just having bad people in her family tree that bugged her. Everyone was probably related to someone they wished they weren't, but she was a Northwest. The town revered the Northwests as being the founding family of the town. They were practically celebrities in Gravity Falls. To Pacifica, the Northwest name was everything. Being a Northwest meant that she was better than everyone else, that she deserved attention and admiration, and that she could demand it if need be. After all, the townspeople wouldn't be living here if it wasn't for her family so they should show some respect.

Growing up, her family name was everything, but it was a fake. She was a fake. And the worst part? Her parents knew. They knew and they lied to her. They told her she had to be perfect because she was a Northwest, but what did that even mean anymore?

Her family was a disappointment, and yet despite all that, here she was at the Truffle Festival because she didn't want to disappoint them…

"Pacifica? They have some games over there," her friend Ashley said. "Why don't we find some cute boys to win some prizes for us?"

"Pacifica doesn't want to do that, Ashley!" Pacifica's other friend Tiffany cut in. "We did that last year! She wants to do something new!"

Pacifica rolled her eyes. She had grown bored with her friends years ago, but she couldn't get rid of them. There weren't that many rich kids living in Gravity Falls (not as rich as her, of course, but still rich), and if she kicked these girls to the curb there weren't many people in town her parents would allow her to associate with.

About a week ago, after her first real fight with her parents, Pacifica had told Dipper that she paid her friends to care about her, and although that was an exaggeration, it was technically the truth. Pacifica didn't exactly hand them hundred dollar bills to agree with her, but the Northwest family paid for Tiffany and Ashley's stay at their yacht and their vacation homes. Plus, the notoriety Ashley and Tiffany's family received from their affiliation with the Northwests wasn't a bad bonus for them either.

Pacifica knew Tiffany and Ashley were pressured by their family to be friends with Pacifica as much as Pacifica was pressured by her family to be perfect.

"Okay fine," Ashley huffed. She turned to Pacifica. "Pacifica, what do you want to do?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Pacifica noticed a familiar shape running at top speed behind the vendor tents.

Pacifica's heart lurched when she saw a certain journal in the figure's hand. She wasn't supposed to be seen acting friendly with anyone who wasn't high-class, but ever since that night she slept over at the shack, she had been unwilling to make fun of the twins. So she did the easiest thing and avoided them.

However, Pacifica couldn't ignore the male twin this time. The frantic look on his face and the journal in hand reminded her of when the two of them were running from the ghost in her mansion. Pacifica had no doubt in her mind: something was wrong. Something supernatural was about to happen, and most likely the only ones that knew about it were the twins.

What if it was something really bad? What if it was another category ten ghost haunting the festival? What if it was something worse? Was she in danger? Every cell in Pacifica's body told her to leave them to it. They could handle it on their own, but something stronger than her common sense made her need to find out exactly what they were up against.

And although she did not want to get involved in another weird supernatural thing, she just couldn't let this go.

"Pacifica?" Ashley asked again.

"Ashley, go get me a soda," Pacifica demanded suddenly.

"Wait, what-"

"And Tiffany, go find me something to eat." Pacifica shoved a few twenties at them that she didn't expect to get back. "Anything that isn't completely dripping in grease."

"Sure..." Tiffany agreed uncertainty, glancing at Ashley. "We'll be right back."

Pacifica waited until the girls were out of her sight and then ran off in the direction she had seen Dipper disappear to.

Pacifica didn't have to go far. She found herself wandering behind a collection of vendor tents and booths when she spotted the two twins.``

"Dipper! There you are! Have you tried these mocha raspberry truffles yet?" Mabel asked him as her brother approached with a panicked look on his face. Mabel seemed to notice his expression and her smile wavered. "What's wrong? Did you figure out where they will hatch?"

"Mabel," Dipper said, and Pacifica didn't like how his voice quivered slightly. "It's a code 26."

Mabel's eyes widened in fear. "Here? They're going to hatch here? Right now?"

Dipper nodded solemnly.

"But we've never done a code 26 with this many people before! How are we going to do it?"

Dipper hugged the journal closer to his chest. "I don't know. I wish I had figured it out sooner. But if we don't do something now… well, you know what's going to happen. People are going to get really hurt, Mabel."

Pacifica couldn't take it anymore.

She walked out from behind a vendor's tent and placed her hands on her hips.

"What's a code 26?" she asked.

Both twins jumped at the sound of her voice and whirled around to face her.

"Pacifica?" they asked at the same time.

Pacifica rolled her eyes. "I said, what is code 26?"

Mabel glanced at her brother and Dipper's eyes narrowed.

"That's none of your business," he answered in a guarded tone.

Pacifica walked forward confidently as she flipped her hair behind her shoulder. "I think it is." She glanced at the journal. "There is something weird and dangerous about to happen, isn't there?"

Dipper scowled. "Don't worry about it. We got it covered."

Pacifica raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because it sounds like you don't. You said…" she hesitated, her voice growing more earnest, "something is about to hatch? What is it? What's going on?"

Dipper pursed his lips stuborningly. "What, you think because you know about some supernatural stuff you have a right to know more?" he asked. "If I told you what's going on you would just get in our way."

"I have a right to know if I'm in danger or not!" Pacifica protested.

"Dipper, she already knows about the journal," Mabel reminded him. "Why can't we tell her what's going on?"

"Because she doesn't need to know and we can't trust her," Dipper said, still glaring at Pacifica. "She already knows more than she should and just because we let her in on Code 12 and we're not exactly enemies anymore doesn't mean we should tell her everything."

Pacifica clenched her fist. "Look, I've helped you before. If it wasn't for me, you both would still be wood right now. You said people are going to get hurt if you can't do whatever code 26 is, and it sounds like you don't think you can pull it off. You don't have anything to lose by telling me."

Dipper glanced at his watch in frustration. "Ugh! We don't have time for this!"

"Then you better hurry it up then!" Pacifica said stubbornly. " Just tell me about code 26. Like you said, we don't have time for this."

"It's not we, it's us. Mabel and me, not you." Dipper yelled in frustration, looking close to ripping out his own hair.

Pacifica tapped her foot expectantly and looked at her wrist with a pointed expression.

"Ugh fine! Code 26 is our code for evacuation. We have to get everyone as far away from here as possible within the next ten minutes or something really bad is going to happen. So if you don't want to get seriously hurt, then I suggest you get out of here as fast as you can."

Pacifica stared at him with wide eyes. "What's going to happen in ten minutes?" she asked slowly, her chest constricting in fear.

Dipper grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her into the festival. "You wanted me to tell you what code 26 is and I did. Now you better hurry and leave before you get hurt."

"Wait, what are you guys going to do?" Pacifica called after them.

"What do you think? We're going to try and get as many people out as we can."

Pacifica stared after the twins as they disappeared into the crowd. Something bad was going to hurt most of the town in ten minutes. She knew there was no way the twins could clear the entire festival in time.

But Pacifica could. It would be an easy feat for her, but if she stayed to evacuate the festival, she might lose her chance to get to safety. Could she really choose the people of Gravity Falls over her own safety?

She was scared. She wanted to run. She honestly didn't care for any of the people at the festival, but at the same time she couldn't help but think: if she left now and let the other people suffer, then could she really say she was better than her ancestors? Besides, she had a powerful urge to prove Dipper wrong. She wasn't going to get in the twins way. She would help them, whether they wanted her help or not.

Pacifica climbed onto the stage that was centered at the middle of the festival. No one stopped her, of course. She was a Northwest, she could do what she wanted.

Pacifica turned on the microphone, and the feedback from the speakers caught everyone's attention.

"Ladies and gentleman," Pacifica said into the microphone with a falsely cheery voice. "The Northwest family is hosting a special event right now on my parent's yacht! Everyone is invited and the first fifty people there will recieve 24 karat gold party favors! Don't be the loser that doesn't get one! Thank you!"

There was an enthusiastic cry from the audience and a mad scramble towards the lake. Pacifica watched with a satisfied smirk as everyone left the festival as fast as they could. The only two people left where a pair of twelve-year-olds who were staring up at her in twin expressions of shock.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you two in the middle of something?" Pacific asked smugly as she examined her nails.

"Pacifica, that was amazing!" Mabel gushed. "I can't believe that worked!"

"Of course it worked," Pacifica said with a shrug. "Money can get people to do anything you want."

Dipper was still staring at her suspiciously. "Why didn't you leave?" he asked slowly. "Why did you stay to help? I don't get it."

Pacifica rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I didn't do it because I wanted to help you or anything. I just wanted to show you up and prove you wrong."

"You're putting yourself in a lot of danger to prove me wrong," Dipper said.

"Come on Pacifica. Just admit you did it to help everybody out." Mabel grinned at her

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Yeah right."

Pacifica scowled. "I'm not a monster, you know! Its not like I would let people get hurt if I could help it. I'm not my parents!"

Dipper blinked at her outburst.

Pacifica let out a sigh. "Nevermind. I evacuated the festival for you. I think that earns me the right to know what's going on now.."

Dipper glanced at his sister and she nodded encouragingly.

He sighed. "Okay, fine. But quickly, because we only have a few minutes left." Dipper took his journal out from the pocket inside his vest and flipped it to a certain page. He held it out for her to read.

On the page was a large sea serpent. The front of the creature seemed to resemble a lizard with large teeth and two front feet with impressive claws. The back of the creature was serpent like with a fin at the end. It looked like a cross between a dragon, a snake, and a shark.

"They're called leviathan," Dipper explained. "And the journal says a bunch of them are going to hatch right here at noon today. It took me a while to decode where and when they would hatch, and by the time I figured it out, the festival was already going on."

"What's going to happen when they hatch?" Pacifica asked, knowing she wasn't going to like the answer.

"The journal says that leviathan hatch on land and then are lead to the ocean by their mother. However, according to the author, their mother died a long time ago. It takes thirty years for the eggs to hatch, and the author predicted when they would hatch. Without their mother they will go crazy on land and attack everyone. We have to find a way to get them into the lake. They can most likely find their way into the ocean from there."

Pacifica made a face. "Do we really want those things in the ocean? Won't they attack boats and stuff?"

Dipper shrugged. "The journal says they don't usually attack people once they're in the water. They just eat fish and sharks and stuff. And besides, even if we could kill them-"

"They're just babies!" Mabel interrupted. "It's not their fault they're monsters."

"Pacifica!" a voice called. "There you are!"

Pacifica cringed. Oh great, what were they still doing here?

As Tiffany and Ashley approached them, they're faces contorted in confusion when they saw who she was talking to.

"What's going on? Why are you talking with these losers?" Tiffany asked, glaring at the twins.

"Yeah, we thought you would have gone to your parents yacht," Ashley said.

Pacifica faced her friends with her usual confidence. "Well duh, I can't leave yet. I can't make a big entrance if I arrive with everyone else."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense, but what's with Tweedledee and Tweedledum?" Ashley asked pointing at the twins and Tiffany snickered.

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Great, we don't have time for this," he said in aggravation. "Come on, Mabel, we're running out of time." Dipper grabbed his sister's hand and started to lead her away.

"You guys should head to the yacht," Pacifica said, her voice sounding slightly rushed. "I'll be there soon."

"But we brought you your food-"

"I'm not hungry anymore," Pacifica almost snapped. What was she doing? She should go with Ashley and Tiffany. She had already proved to herself that she was better than her parents and she had already saved a lot of people's lives. If she stayed any longer her own life would be in danger.

Pacifica glanced behind her to see the twins whispering frantically to each other. She realized in awe that the twins weren't planning on leaving. They're plan had never been to just evacuate the town. They were going to try and help the leviathan babies too.

"Just head to the yacht and I'll meet you there soon," Pacifica said at last. She really didn't know what she was doing but she had to see what the twins were planning.

"What's up with you?" Tiffany asked. "You're acting really… different."

Pacifica scowled and Tiffany instantly seemed to regret her comment.

"O-oh, umm, not that different is a bad thing…" Tiffany amended nervously.

"We'll just see you at the yacht," Ashley said, pulling Tiffany away with her.

When her friends were out of earshot, Pacifica turned around to see the twins staring at her.

"What are you doing?" Dipper asked her. "What part of dangerous creatures about to hatch out of the ground do you not understand?"

"If you don't have to leave then neither do I," Pacifica said stubbornly. "You don't get to tell me what to do."

"You're really going to help us?" Mabel asked with a grin.

"I'm going to call the police if that's what you mean," Pacifica said. "Maybe they can get in touch with the government or something. It's not like we can do anything."

Dipper shook his head. "No way, we're not getting the government involved. That never ends well."

"Yeah, the last time Dipper did that he ended up raising an army of the undead."

Dipper glared at his sister. "You're never going to let that one go, are you?"

Mabel stuck her tongue out at him.

"Besides, there is no time to call anyone, even if there was someone we could call." Dipper said. "They will be hatching any moment and we still don't have a plan."

"You sure the journal doesn't say anything else about them, bro bro?" Mabel asked.

Dipper shook his head. "No, I don't think the author really knew much about them. Only that it would be trouble if they hatched without their mother."

"Well, that's helpful," Pacifica said sarcastically. "Maybe we should-"

Suddenly, the ground started trembling beneath them. Pacifica could feel the vibrations all the the way in her skull as the he ground shifted beneath her feet. She stumbled and cried out as she fell to her knees. She heard the twins shout in surprise as they clung to each other for support.

"What's going on?" Pacifica yelled. "Are they hatching? Where are they?"

"They're underneath us!" Dipper shouted back. "Watch out! Don't fall in!"

Cracks began forming in the dirt, and Pacifica watched as a giant sinkhole began to form around her.

"Dipper! Over here!" Mabel shouted as she pulled her brother to the left. The ground began crumbling beneath their feet, but they were already running

Pacifica wasn't as ground was trembling so fiercely she couldn't find the balance to stand up.

"Wait! Help me!" Pacifica shouted as the ground gave way beneath her feet and she fell.

"Pacifica!" she heard both the twins shout.

Pacifica landed with a thud and she could do nothing but cough as dirt entered her throat and nose. Her hands and knees stung from landing on them, and the world around her was dim and brown from the dirt in the air.

She heard a hiss from behind her, and her whole body froze in terror. If that earthquake had been the monster's hatching, then she wasn't alone in the pit. She couldn't see the monsters through the dust, but she could hear them slithering around her. Pacifica bit back a scream. Maybe if she couldn't see them they couldn't see her.

"There you are!" Pacifica jumped at the sudden hand on her shoulder.

She whirled around to see Dipper with a scared but also relieved expression on his face.

"Why are you still sitting on the ground? Let's move before they find us!" Dipper grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Over here, guys!" Mabel called from the ledge above the sinkhole. She was hanging her sweater over the edge for them to use it to climb up.

There was a hiss behind them and Pacifica gasped fearfully.

"Wh-where are they?" she asked in dirt in the air was beginning to settle and she could begin to make out some dark shapes moving very quickly towards them.

"Don't look at them! Just go!" Dipper shouted.

Pacifica grabbed the sweater and began climbing.

"Hurry!" Mabel shouted. "Dipper, you too!"

When Pacifica got close enough to the top, Mabel pulled her up the rest of the way.

"Hurry, Dipper!" Pacifica called worriedly. Dipper was half way there and the dark shape was gaining on him. He wasn't moving fast enough.

Pacifica leaned over the edge and held out her hand.

"Grab on!"

Dipper reached out his hand and grabbed onto her wrists. Luckily, the boy was light, and Pacifica had no problem lifting him out of the pit with Mabel's help.

The three kids sat collapsed upon the ground, panting heavily, their minds still racing from the close call.

"So," Dipper said, looking up at Pacifica. "Regret sticking around yet?"

"Are you kidding?" Pacifica asked as she began brushing the dirt off her outfit. "That whole thing just make me regret meeting you two in the first place."

They stared at each other, the weight of the whole event finally sinking in, and before Pacifica could figure out how she was feeling, she felt the corner of her lips twitch upwards.

Mabel let out a giggle, and that caused Dipper to smirk. Pacifica felt a laugh rise up in her throat and before she could comprehend what was happening, the three of them were laughing so hard they could barely breathe.

"You two are crazy," Pacifica said as her laughter began to subside. "We almost died and you're laughing."

"You're laughing too," Mabel pointed out while giggling.

"So you must be just as crazy as us," Dipper finished for his sister.

Finally, the three of them managed to get their laughter under control.

Pacifica tried to fix her hair the best she could without a mirror, and then she turned to Dipper.

"Look, umm, Dipper," Pacifica said softly. "Thanks for… for coming back for me. Those things probably would have eaten me if you hadn't."

Dipper's eyes widened in surprise as he shrugged. "You're welcome. It's not like either of us would have left you there."

Pacifica rubbed her right arm self-consciously. Would she had jumped into a pit full of monsters to save them? She had been so terrified when she was down there with those monsters she could barely move. How had Dipper mustered up the strength to jump down into the pit with those creatures just to save her?

Her hand brushed against her wrist, and suddenly, Pacifica froze. Her stomach dropped and her mind seemed to shut down.

"Pacifica? What's wrong?" Mabel asked.

Oh no... oh no, oh no, oh no… don't tell me I lost it!

Pacifica quickly moved to the edge of the sinkhole and looked down. The dust had settled, and now Pacifica could clearly see the monsters that had tried to eat her. They were just like the picture in the journal, but smaller. For a reptile they had surprisingly smart looking yellow eyes and extremely large front teeth. The lower half of it's body slithered across the ground, while it's front webbed paws kept it's long neck up off the ground and sniffing around for food. They were a dark grey color and they looked slimy from being inside their eggs. Even though they were babies, they were about twice the size of Pacifica.

However, Pacifica wasn't interested in those disgusting creatures. She was looking for something else.

There! She saw it! It was shinning on the ground just below them in the sink hole.

Pacifica stared at her bracelet longingly. Dipper must have accidentally pulled it off her hand when Pacifica was helping him get on the ledge.

"Aww! The leviathan babies look so cute!" Mabel cooed.

"Don't get attached, Mabel," Dipper warned. "Those things will eat you without hesitation. Now, how are we going to get them to the lake? We know the lake is attached to the ocean thanks to Mermando, so all we have to worry about is getting them to the lake and hopefully they're instincts can figure out the rest."

Pacifica bit her lip as she watched the monsters explore their surroundings. The leviathan were now all at the far end of the sinkhole and no longer seemed interested in them. There were six ugly creatures in total.

Pacifica could hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears and she could barely hear the twins commentary. How fast could she move? Could she make it down there and back without the monsters noticing?

If she went down there there was a good chance she would be killed, but if she didn't retrieve the bracelet her parents had given her, then she might as well be dead.

"Pacifica? What are you doing?" she heard Dipper ask as she began to climb back down.

Her arms and legs were shaking, but it didn't matter how scared she was. She had to retrieve it.

"My bracelet…" she heard herself mumble as she continued to steadily climb down.

"What?" Dipper hissed after her, trying to not draw the attention of the giant lizards. "Stop! A bracelet isn't worth your life!"

Obviously he didn't really understand what her life was like. As a Northwest, their money, their possessions, and their prestige were everything.

The monsters still hadn't looked up at her as she neared the ground. All she would have to do was hop down, grab her bracelet, and hope Mabel would lower her sweater again to help her up.

Pacifica landed on the ground and immediately regretted her decision. As soon as her feet hit the ground, all six pairs of leviathan's eyes were on her. Pacifica froze, staring at the large beasts in horror.

"Pacifica, hurry! Climb back up!" Mabel yelled, but Pacifica didn't move. Instead, she glanced at the bracelet at her feet. She was so close. She just had to pick it up.

The leviathan were eyeing her curiously, but they hadn't moved towards her yet. Taking a deep breath, Pacifica slowly began reaching for her bracelet.

"Are you crazy? Leave that thing and get back up here!" she heard Dipper shout.

Pacifica ignored him. Her fingers curled around the cool bracelet, and…. that's when she heard the twins gasp in fear.

"Pacifica move!"

But Pacifica barely had time to straighten up before the monsters were upon her. They had moved faster than they had before, faster than she thought was possible. The next thing she knew, there were large teeth in her face and hungry, yellow eyes staring her down.

Pacifica let out a high-pitched scream and covered her head in fear.

She felt the creatures snout on her shoulder and another one in her hair, but then… nothing.

She could hear all six of them circling her, their snake-like lower halfs slithering in the dirt around her. They're tongues were testing the air around her curiously, like they were trying to smell her.

"Pacifica, don't move," she heard Dipper whisper. "They're just babies. Maybe they don't know you're edible yet."

Pacifica let out a whimper. Yet?

When still nothing happened, Pacifica shakily lowered her arms from around her head. They continued circling her, and one nipped curiously at her shirt. Pacifica resisted the urge to slap it away. Any sudden movements and they might decided she was food.

"Try to slowly move back up here," Dipper instructed her. "I'll climb down for a second to distract them, and when they go after me, you can climb back up."

However, before Dipper could even start climbing down, one very curious leviathan decided to get in Pacifica's face. Taken by surprise, Pacifica stumbled backwards. She couldn't catch her balance and with a shriek, she landed in the dirt.

The leviathans, acting much like bees after someone kicked their nest, began swarming around her faster. They were making stranged distressed sounds as they started nipping at her clothing, their teeth getting uncomfortably close to her skin.

Pacifica's heart was pounding in her chest and she was beyond simple panic. She was overwhelmed, she couldn't think straight, all she wanted to do was run.

Pacifica picked herself off the ground, and before she could even process what she was doing, she took off running as far away from those creatures as possible. Unfortunately, she was also getting farther away from Dipper and Mabel, which meant she had no way to climb out of the sinkhole.

Looking around for another exit, she noticed one edge of the sinkhole wasn't as steep as the rest. She could probably climb out there, but the leviathan would be able to follow her.

Pacifica heard the sound of slithering behind her. They were on her heels and any second they would knock her down again. There was a large boulder to her left that must have fallen down when the ground started sinking. It was tall enough that even with the leviathan's long necks they wouldn't be able to reach her. She could vaguely make out the sounds of Dipper and Mabel calling her name as she climbed, using her long manicured nails to help cling to the crevices of the rock.

When she finally made it on top, she could hear the leviathan making small whining noises. They were upset that their prey had escaped them.

Pacifica covered her ears to block out the sounds of the monsters as she felt her tears running down her face. Her stupid bracelet was still gripped tightly in her right hand.

"Pacifica, are you okay?" Even through her covered ears, she could still hear Mabel's concerned voice.

Pacifica removed her hands from her ears and shot the twins a look. The bolder she was on wasn't too far from where the twins were perched on the top of the sinkhole and she was able to clearly see the worried look on Mabel's face.

"Do I look like I'm okay?" she spat back, angrily. "Those things almost killed me."

To Pacifica's surprise, Dipper was glaring angrily at her.

"What were you thinking!" Dipper yelled back. "What is wrong with you going back for a dumb bracelet? That was the stupidest thing I have ever seen anyone do!"

Pacifica balled her hands into fists. "Just leave me alone! You wouldn't understand!"

"Of course I don't understand!" he shot back, "there is nothing to understand. No matter what that thing means to you, it's not worth your life!"

She could feel the tears brimming up in her eyes again. "Just shut up! You don't know what your talking about!"

"Really?" Dipper challenged. "Then tell me, why is that thing so important? Why do you love it so much that you would risk your life for it?"

"I don't love it! Don't you get it?" Pacifica could hear her voice cracking with unshed tears. "I hate it!"

The leviathan yelped in distress beneath her. They scratched uselessly at the bolder as they tried to get to her, but Pacifica ignored them.

Dipper and Mabel stared at her in confusion, their mouths slightly agape.

"You don't understand anything," Pacifica murmured to herself. She took a breath as she tried to compose herself. When she spoke again, her voice was loud enough for the twins to hear. "Before the summer, my parents made me go to this Charm School in New York. I hated it there, but my parents didn't care what I thought. They were sure it would be good for me. When I finished the program my mother gave me this bracelet. She said it was given to all Northwest girls who finished Charm School. I hated even looking at it, because it always reminded me of that horrible place. One day I decided not to wear it and my mother noticed. She was really, really mad-" Pacifica broke off, not wanting to go into detail. "You guys wouldn't understand, but if I lost it I would be in so much trouble. I just… had to go back for it."

"You're right, I don't understand," Dipper said harshly. "You risked your life for something you hate just because you're afraid of your parents? That's really messed up."

Pacifica glared at the boy. "You think I don't know that? You think I like that my whole life has been spent trying to make them proud of me? I don't like things because I like them. I like things because my parents want me to like them. But do you know what the really sick thing is? No matter how disappointed I am in them, I still want to be proud of me. I still want to make them happy."

Pacifica turned away from him and sat crosslegged on the boulder. Her hands were shaking and she intertwined her fingers in an attempt to make them stop.

She instantly regretted her outburst. The twins wouldn't understand. Why did she have to share that with them?

She heard Dipper sigh. "Well, at least the leviathan were confused by you instead of immediately classifying you as food. Maybe the author was wrong and they aren't really that dangerous."

"Dipper, what are you doing?" Mabel asked. Pacifica turned around to see Dipper slowly climbing down into the sinkhole once again.

"I'm going to see how they react to me. If I distract them, Pacifica can get off that ro-"

But Dipper didn't get a chance to finish his sentence. As soon as he was midway down into the sinkhole, the leviathan rushed for him. They were growling in a way Pacifica had never heard from them before, and instead of approaching him carefully like they had with Pacifica, they aimed for his legs, ready to take a chunk out of him if they got the chance. Luckily for Dipper, his sister managed to pull him up in time before he lost his leg.

The leviathan scratched at the ledge wall, desperate to climb up and devour the twins. Their entire demeanor changed in an instant. They seemed angry, not curious like before. Hungry, not playful. Monsters, not clueless babies.

"O-okay then," Dipper said, panting heavily. "They were definitely going to eat me."

"Are you okay?" Mabel asked her brother as she gripped his arm tightly.

Dipper shook his head to clear it. "Yeah, I'm fine, but one thing's for sure, they lost their curiosity towards people. We are just food to them now." Dipper turned to face Pacifica. "Pacifica, whatever you do, do not get off that rock. They're not playing around anymore."

Pacifica nodded. He would get no arguments from her. She was not coming down until she knew she was completely safe.

After the leviathan seemed to realize that scratching at the wall of dirt would get them no closer to Dipper and Mabel, they returned to circling the boulder Pacifica was sitting on. Instead of growling at her like they had towards Dipper, they yelped pathetically, and even seemed to rub themselves against the rock as if scratching an itch.

"Why do they want to eat me more than you?" Pacifica complained as she used her free finger to wipe her most-likely smudge mascara from underneath her eyes.

"I'm not sure," Dipper said slowly. "You're about as far out of their reach as we are, but they're focusing on you. That doesn't make much sense. Maybe because you're in their territory? But something doesn't add up… they're acting differently around you. I don't understand it."

"Honestly, I don't care why," Pacifica said in exasperation. "You just need to look in that stupid journal of yours and get these things away from me."

"One, I've already told you, it's not stupid. And two, I've also already told you everything in the journal about them. We have to find a way to get them into the lake."

"Wait a minute," Mabel said suddenly. She had been quiet for a surprisingly long amount of time and Pacifica had been wondering what the girl had been thinking about. "Didn't your journal say something about the leviathan's mom?"

Dipper blinked at his sister. "Umm, yeah… the leviathan's mom comes back around thirty years after she lays the eggs and leads the babies to the ocean. But the author says that their mom died a long time ago."

"But the first thing the babies probably do after hatching from their nest is look for their mom, right?"

"So?" Pacifica asked. "What's your point?"

Mabel grabbed Dipper's hand, her eyes glowing with excitement. "Dipper, do you remember what happened last year when mom and dad took us to that park to feed the ducks?"

Dipper frowned in confusion. "You mean when that goose chased me around the park for half an hour before I had to hide in the porta potty to avoid getting pecked to death?"

Mabel spluttered, practically choking on her own spit as she laughed at the memory. "I can't believe I forgot about that! Mom and dad spent another hour trying to convince you that the goose was gone and it wasn't coming back before you would come out."

Despite the situation, Pacifica couldn't help but grin at the image of Dipper hiding from an angry mother goose in a porta potty.

"Okay, enough Mabel," Dipper said, but his sister kept laughing. "It wasn't that funny," Dipper said with an unimpressed glare.

"No, it sounds like is was that funny," Pacifica assured him

Dipper casted Pacifica an annoyed glance. "Wasn't really asking you, but thanks for sharing your opinion anyway," Dipper said sarcastically. Dipper turned back to his sister. "If you're not talking about the goose thing then what are you talking about?"

"Remember the baby ducks?" Mabel asked.

Dipper squinted as he tried to remember. "The ones that you tried to take home?"

Mabel beamed. "Yep! Do you remember how I saw them hatch from their eggs and they started to follow me around? It was really cute! You said that they-"

"Imprinted on you…" Dipper finished for her, his eyes widening. "You think that…" he cast his gaze to Pacifica. "But that's crazy!"

"You said that the mother should have been here when they hatched and normally they would follow her to the lake. It makes sense that they would imprint on the first creature they see, and normally that's their mother, but in this case..."

Dipper shook his head. "There is no way to test that theory. The only way to do that would be for…" Dipper grew silent. He gave Pacifica a hesitant look that unnerved her greatly.

"What are you guys talking about?" Pacifica asked, biting her lower lip in worry. "Did you figure something out? Why are you talking about baby ducks?"

Suddenly, Mabel clasped her hands in front of her and gave Pacifica a cheery grin. "Okay, we've got good news and some more good news!"

Pacifica raised an eyebrow at the girl. "Why do I get the feeling that these are both going to be bad news?"

"No, silly!" Mabel said with a wave of her hand. "The first good news is I think I figured out how to lead the leviathan to the water!"

"Really? How?" Pacifica asked.

"Well that's the other good news! The leviathan think you're their mother so you're the one that's going to lead them there!"

"Wait, what?!" Pacifica shouted, nearly falling off the boulder. "They think I'm… what? Is this a joke?"

Dipper shook his head. "You know how ducks and other animals imprint on the first creature they see when they hatch? They think the person or animal is their mother and they will follow them everywhere. Mabel has a theory that this is what's happening here, and it kind of make sense. You were the first creature other than their siblings that they saw. They were curious and sniffing you instead of trying to eat you, like they tried with me. Plus, look at them." Dipper motioned to the baby leviathan who were starting up at her longingly, occasionally scratching at the rock with their paws.

"They're only looking at me like that because they want to eat me!" Pacifica defended semi-hysterically.

"No, when they were trying to hunt me they were ferocious and they growled the entire time. They never once growled at you."

"Okay, that's a weird little theory, but you don't have any real evidence," Pacifica reminded them. "They could just as easily like me better because they like my perfume or something. Doesn't mean they still won't eat me. I mean, you don't have anything about them imprinting in that journal of yours, do you?"

Dipper glanced at his sister. "Well no, but-"

"Pacifica, listen," Mabel interrupted. "I know I can't prove that I'm right. I know that I'm asking yourself to risk your life for my hunch but… I can't explain it. I just know that this is what's going on." Mabel assured her earnestly. "I would do it myself if I could, but I'm not the one they imprinted on. I wouldn't ask you to do this if I wasn't sure."

"But how can you be so sure?" Pacifica demanded, fear causing her voice to quiver.

Dipper put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Mabel has gut instincts when it comes to these kind of things. There is no one that knows more about baby animals than her. When she's like this… I've learned to trust her. Plus, it does make the most logical sense for why they act so differently around you."

Pacifica shook her head. "I can't do this. I'm not just going to jump down there! Someone will come find us eventually."

"And that someone is going to get eaten by leviathan," Dipper shot back. "Do you really think anyone in this town is equipped to handle those monsters? If we wait for someone to help us, people will get hurt. It's thanks to you we were able to evacuate the area on time. You have to help us again or all this will have been pointless."

Pacifica stared down at the ugly monsters with their sharp claws, crooked teeth, and disgustingly wriggly lower half. It didn't seem possible that those things could confuse her for their mother.

However, Mabel and Dipper had been right. The leviathan had been curious about her, but they hadn't really tried to hurt her. Now that she thought back on it, the way they had been nipping her clothing earlier could actually be interpreted as affectionate. She hadn't thought of the leviathan as anything other than monsters at the time, so she immediately interpreted their actions as aggressive, but what if they weren't.

Pacifica looked at the bracelet she was still gripping in her right hand and groaned. Dipper was right; she was pretty messed up. She would risk her life for something that she hated just because she was afraid of her parents, but she wasn't willing to risk her life to save the town from monsters.

She could sit up on her rock and watch the town get torn apart by the leviathan, just like every Northwest would have done before her, or she could trust that the twins were right and they weren't about to lead her to her death.

Pacifica stood up on her feet. "Hey, remember how I said that this whole thing made me regret meeting you two?" she asked.

"Umm, yeah?" Dipper said hesitantly. "What about it?"

"Oh, nothing." Pacifica shook her head. "I just wanted to remind you in case you forgot."

Dipper had the audacity to smirk. "You'll be fine, Pacifica. And we will be here to distract them if you need us to."

"Not that it will do any good if they decided to eat me," Pacifica muttered bitterly.

"You'll be fine! Just think motherly thoughts!" Mabel encouraged.

Pacifica rolled her eyes and began climbing down the boulder. Pacifica winced as she felt the baby leviathan nip at her heels. However, Dipper had been right, they did treat her differently. They almost took off Dipper's foot when he tried this, but they were gentle with her.

Pacifica's feet finally hit the ground, and the moment she turned around to face the six babies, she was immediately met with a leviathan head breathing monster-breath in her face. She stumbled back, just as she had done the last time this happened, but instead of falling over, Pacifica's back was supported by the boulder she had just climbed down from.

To Pacifica's immense surprise, and even larger disgust, the leviathan moved even closer to her and nuzzled her neck with his nose. It was cooing affectionately and Pacifica was too stunned to move. This had been what the leviathan had been trying to do earlier, but she had been so afraid that she panicked and fled.

Another leviathan squeaked in protest and attempted to push it's sibling away so it could get some time with "mommy".

Pacifica found herself squashed harder against the boulder as a third one joined in the fight for her attention.

"Pacifica! Are you okay?" Dipper called worriedly.

"I'm… I'm okay," Pacifica managed. "They're just disgusting and smell bad, but you guys were right. They just want my attention."

Pacifica heard Mabel squeal. "Oh this is so cute! Pacifica's their adopted mommy!"

"It's not cute!" Pacifica protested as she found the courage to push the leviathan babies away. They protested with whimpers, but they didn't snap at her.

The three other leviathan tried to move in for attention while their siblings were being pushed away and Pacifica groaned in frustration.

"You have to pet them!" Mabel encouraged.

"I am not touching them more than I have to!" Pacifica shouted back stubbornly.

"Well, you at least have to tell them that you love them!" Mabel encouraged.

Pacifica made a face. "Why would I do that?"

"Well, obviously because that's what moms do!"

Pacifica bit back the question on her lips, too embarrassed to say it outloud:

They… do?

One of the leviathan nipped at her clothing playfully, and its sibling followed its example and tugged at her hair.

"Ow!" Pacifica yelled. "Stop that!"

The leviathan that had tugged her hair took a step back and cocked it's head in confusion.

"Y-yeah, that's right!" Pacifica continued sternly. "No biting, got it?"

The leviathan babies stared at her, curious about this new tone.

"Good," Dipper encouraged. "Now try to lead them towards the lake. The far ledge of the sinkhole doesn't seem too steep. I bet they can climb out over there."

"Alright pea-brained lizard freaks, follow me!" Pacifica wasn't sure what was going to happen, but she found herself letting out an astonished laugh when the leviathan began following after her one by one. They really did look like a row of little ducklings. Little ducklings with ugly scales and an impressive row of sharp teeth.

"It's working!" Mabel squealed. "It's so funny that they actually think Pacifica is their mother."

"I don't know," Dipper said slowly and Pacifica could hear the smirk in his voice. "It makes sense to me. I always thought she was a monster."

Pacifica rolled her eyes. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"Seriously," Dipper continued. "I can see the family resemblance."

"Okay, listen up, Pines. I'm about to lead them out of this sinkhole and if these jokes keep up I will sic them on you. Don't think I wont!" Pacifica threatened.

"Wow, we better watch out, Mabel." Dipper nudge his sister. "Pacifica has her own army of brainless cronies that will do her bidding. It's not like we've ever had to deal with that before- oh, wait…"

Okay, Pacifica had to hand it to him, that was a good one.

When they climbed out of the sinkhole, Pacifica tried to lead the leviathan to the lake, and that's when things got complicated.

Dipper and Mabel removed themselves from their spot on the ledge to follow Pacifica and her "children", but as soon as the leviathan spotted the twins, the lizards had other plans.

As Dipper and Mabel approached, one of the leviathans growled, catching the attention of the other leviathan babies.

Dipper put his hand out to stop Mabel, and the two children froze as the leviathan stalked hungrily up to them, their throats letting out low guttural growl.

"Uhh… Pacifica? Could you control your children, please?" Dipper asked in a panicking voice as he stood protectively in front of his sister.

"Wait!" Pacifica yelled. "Come back! Here… umm… leviathan… come here boy!" she called as if calling a dog.

The leviathans stopped to glance back at her, but their new mother was obviously not as exciting as the food in front of them. They turned back to the twins.

"Uhh… Pacifica?" Dipper called, taking slow steps backwards. "Any time now."

Pacifica heard herself growl. She hated not being listened to. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her.

"Hey leviathan!" Pacifica put two fingers in her mouth and let out a loud whistle. The beasts stopped and turned to her curiously. "Look what I got!?" Pacifica encouraged, holding up the only thing she had to offer. Her families bracelet glimmered in the sun, catching the attention of all the monster babies.

"Pacifica… what are you doing?" she heard Mabel ask.

The leviathan chirped excitedly. Pacifica watched them run each other in their eagerness to see what treat their "mommy" had for them.

Pacifica held out her hand before they could bulldoze her over. "Stop." she commanded in her best authoritative voice.

The leviathan skidded to a stop, their bodies quivering with excitement. They whined pathetically and seemed to be saying, 'please mommy, please let us have the shiny thing!'

"Not until you follow me to the lake… great, now I'm talking to them." Pacifica sighed in disgust.

She looked up at the suddenly pale twins.

"I guess we're even now," Pacifica said, nodding to Dipper.

Dipper let out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, we're even." He turned to his sister. "You okay, Mabel?"

Mabel grinned widely. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks Pacifica! Do you train dogs or something? You're really good with controlling them."

Pacifica shrugged. "If I can train servants I can train leviathan. It's not a big deal."

Dipper and Mabel glanced at each other uncertainly, but Pacifica ignored them.

She began leading the leviathan to the lake, and although the twins followed them, the leviathan were too wrapped up in watching the shining bracelet that Pacifica held in her hand to care about them.

She wasn't planning on giving the bracelet to the beasts, of course, but she had to lure them somehow. She was just glad it had worked.

They were walking for ten minutes in silence before a question entered Pacifica's mind. She glanced up at the twins who were walking a safe distance behind the leviathan babies.

"So, what's the story behind code 26? I get code 12. It's weird, but it at least makes sense. What reason could you two have had for making a code specifically meant to evacuate an area?"

"Oh, that's a good story!" Mabel gushed. "It's because of Dipper and his science fair project actually. You see, Dipstick here couldn't just make a regular baking soda volcano. He had to make it complicated."

"It's wasn't that complicated," Dipper defended. "I just didn't want a boring science fair project and everyone else was doing baking soda volcanoes. But I decided to use different chemicals than the other kids. I wanted something that would smoke a lot like a real volcano and would stay on fire for a long time. I won't get into the details of the chemicals I used-"

"Probably potassium nitrate, right?" Pacifica asked.

Dipper's eyes widened as he stared at the girl. "I… yeah… plus some sulfur and other stuff. How did you know?"

Pacifica flicked her hair out of her face with her free hand. "Excuse me? What's that look for?" she asked, offended. "I can be pretty and smart. I did have private tutors my entire life, you shouldn't be so surprised."

Dipper opened his mouth, but then seemed to think better of it, and closed it again.

"Anyway," Pacifica said, still feeling miffed. "I can see why you might need to evacuate the area if you're making a volcano like that inside."

"Well, you see, I was working on that," Dipper explained. "Weeks before the science fair I was trying to get the combination right so that it would smoke and catch on fire, but it wouldn't be so much that the smoke detectors in the school would go off. That meant there was a lot of, well… evacuations of our house."

"Our parents got really used to code 26," Mabel explained. "I'm surprised they didn't make you do it outside, Dipper."

"I think they were afraid I was going to set the lawn on fire. And plus… I did most of it when they weren't home."

"The biggest place we ever had to do a code 26 at was the auditorium at the science fair. That should tell you how well Dipper's project worked out."

"I just miscalculated the measurements slightly!" Dipper defended.

"Only slightly?" Mabel asked in amusement.

"And besides," Dipper continued, "everything was fine after I told you is was about to be a code 26 and you pulled that fire alarm before anything got out of control."

"Hey, where are you going?" Mabel asked Pacifica suddenly. "The lake is this way."

Pacifica shook her head. "No, that's too close to my family's yacht. The last thing we need it to introduce the leviathan to the entire town. There is another dock over here."

The twins and leviathans followed Pacifica, and true enough, she lead them to a small dock with one rickety old rowboat.

"Okay, now what?" Pacifica asked as she stared at the leviathan babies. They seemed to buzz with excitement at being so close to the water, but they're attention never left their "mother".

"Hmm, I guess you'll have to row out there with them," Dipper said slowly. "I was hoping that their instincts would take over when they got to the water, but I guess not."

"You want me to it in that disgusting old boat?" Pacifica asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Don't worry, Mabel and I will row you out. You just have to find some way to convince your children to stay in the water."

"Would you stop calling them that?" Pacifica snapped. "They are not my children."

A leviathan rubbed it's head against Pacifica's leg, and Pacifica could swear it was purring.

"Aww! That's adorable!" Mabel cooed.

Pacifica shot the girl a tired glance.

"Fine," Pacifica said at last. "Let's just get this over with."

The three kids climbed in the rowboat, and without hesitation, the leviathans followed them into the water. The baby monsters splashed happily like they were kids at bath time, and Pacifica had to admit, even though they were hideous creatures, they really weren't that bad. And they adored her, so they did have good taste.

"Okay, I think we're far enough out," Dipper announced after about fifteen minutes of rowing. "Now you just have to find some way to stop them from following us back to shore."

The leviathan babies heads were just above the water, eyeing Pacifica eagerly. It was like they wanted something from her… Pacifica glanced at the bracelet in her hand. Oh, right.

She bit her lip. These creatures thought she was their mother. They weren't ever going to let her go, were they? She was going to have to find something to distract them long enough for her to get away without them noticing. Her stomach turned uncomfortably. Was it weird that she actually felt bad about abandoning them?

However, it was for their own good. They would use their instincts and find their way back to the ocean. They might not have a mom, but at least they would have each other.

Darn it, why was she actually worrying about them? They were just sea monsters. They would be fine. She did all she could for them.

Pacifica gripped her bracelet tightly. This was going to be one of the hardest thing she ever did, but she didn't have another choice. And besides, a part of her wanted to do this.

"Okay!" Pacifica said, standing up on the boat. "You guys want this bracelet?" She held it up so it glimmered in the sun. The leviathan splashed in excitement. "This bracelet is given to a Northwest daughter and since you think you are my children and one of you is probably a girl… I think…" she hesitated. "It's only fair that I pass it to someone who actually wants it..."

"Pacifica, what are you doing?" Dipper asked, his eyes wide. "You risked your life for that thing!"

Pacifica clenched her jaw. "You're right, I did, and it was stupid. I might always want my parents approval, and I might never be able to change that about myself, but you know what? I'm done being afraid of them!"

With one swift movement, Pacifica chucked her bracelet as far as she could throw it. She heard it splash in the water and all six leviathan went diving after it.

Pacifica clenched her fists and waited for the instantaneous wave of regret to wash over her. To her surprise, what she felt wasn't regret, but a sudden weight being lifted off her chest.

Freer than she had ever felt before, Pacifica turned back to the completely stunned twins. "Now, lets get out of here before they notice I'm gone."

"Pacifica… are you sure that's okay?" Dipper asked, glancing out at the lake. "I mean, you were more afraid of losing that bracelet then you were of the leviathans."

"Yeah, wasn't losing it your worst fear?" Mabel asked.

Pacifica sat down in the boat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "No, that's not my worst fear," Pacifica admitted softly. "My worst fear is… is becoming my parents. And that's exactly what I would have been doing if I hid and let the town become overrun with the leviathans. My parents wouldn't have helped. They would have just saved themselves. Staying to help you guys, getting off the rock, throwing that bracelet away… that was me… not becoming them."

Dipper grabbed both ends of the oars and started rowing.

"Well, one thing if for sure," Dipper said, not looking at her. "You're definitely not your parents."

"Maybe we can help explain what happened to your parents?" Mabel suggested. "Then they won't be as mad."

Pacifica let out a tired laugh. "I'm pretty sure that would just make everything worse, but don't worry about it. I should have given it back to my mom years ago, and now I gave it to a better cause." Pacifica glance behind her at the water. "I don't see them. They're probably still playing with it."

They sat in silence as Dipper rowed them back to shore. They were all slightly on edge as they kept an eye out for the leviathan babies. It wasn't until the shore was almost upon them, did the three kids begin to relax.

"So, let me just say this in case it's not obvious," Pacific said suddenly as she began brushing the dirt (and is that leviathan slobber? eww!) off her shirt. "The next time I insist on being apart of this weird stuff do me a favor and talk me out of it."

"Aww, come on Pacifica, it wasn't that bad!" Mabel said with a grin. "And if it wasn't for you a lot of people would have gotten hurt, right Dipper?"

"Yeah, not bad for a newbie," Dipper teased and Pacifica rolled her eyes. "As your third paranormal adventure, I have to say you could have done worse."

"You should join us more!" Mabel insisted. "Right Dipper?"

Pacifica looked at Dipper who hesitated slightly, before shrugging. "I guess every so often wouldn't be too bad," he admitted with a small smile. "Sometimes Mabel and I could use some help when Soos and Wendy aren't around, and that was a really smart move with the bracelet. I know it's not your thing, but… you could join us, you know, occasionally..." Dipper ended awkwardly, glancing away from her and out to the lake.

"I don't know…" Pacifica said slowly. "I'll think about it."

"I think it's a great idea. It's a great bonding moment for all of us! We even learned something new about Pacifica!" Mabel covered her mouth as she giggled. "I would have never guessed it."

Pacifica blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you being a big chemistry nerd," Mabel said with a gleeful, innocent laugh.

Pacifica felt her face heat up. "I am not!"

Dipper grinned. "Yeah, you kinda are. You knew exactly what kind of chemical I was talking about. I mean, I could have been talking about using ammonium dichromate."

"Yeah, but that wouldn't have smoked enough for you to evacua-" Pacifica began, but immediately stopped when she saw the amused, I-told-you-so look on Dipper's face. Pacifica felt herself blush even deeper. "Oh, just shut up!"

"Hey, there is no shame in being a nerd," Dipper said, obviously enjoying the horrified look on Pacifica's face. "I just didn't think Pacifica Northwest would be one." A thoughtful, evil, look crossed his face. "I bet I could even get you to laugh at a chemistry joke."

Pacifica crossed her arms. "I wouldn't be caught dead laughing at something like that, I assure you." She stuck her nose up in the air for good measure.

"What did the bartender say when oxygen, hydrogen, sulfur, sodium, and phosphorous walked into his bar?" Dipper began.

"Dipper, you have a spider on your shoulder," Mabel said suddenly.

"What?" Dipper shrieked as he stood up in panic.

That was all Mabel needed as she rocked the rowboat hard, and Dipper went toppling off the edge and into the water.

"Oh, shoot!" Dipper yelled as he disappeared beneath the water surface.

Pacifica's stared at the water, confused, as Dipper reappeared.

"Mabel, you did that on purpose!" Dipper spluttered at his sister.

"I'm disappointed in you, Dipper, I'm pretty sure the punchline to that joke is OH SNaP, not oh shoot. You've only told me that joke a million times. And I gave you the perfect set up too!"

Pacifica couldn't help it. The wet dog look Dipper was sporting combined with the timing of the joke… Pacifica covered her mouth as her shoulders began to shake and she couldn't help but laugh.

Dipper stared at her in confusion, and then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. "I knew I could get you to laugh at a chemistry joke. That proves it, you are a nerd! There isn't much that is nerdier than that."

"Except for maybe telling a chemistry joke," Mabel reminded him. "And let's not forget my expertise in physical comedy is always on point."

Dipper helped swim the boat to shore since they were only a few feet away, and attempting to climb back in was more likely to cause the boat to tip over.

Pacifica managed to get her laughter under control as she stared at the two twins in bewilderment. They were the strangest, weirdest kids she had ever met and recently every time she was with them she ended up having the most bizarre day.

Still, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she joined them for an adventure…. every once in a while…