Chapter seven: The end

~0~

Glancing around, Wendy found herself unable to locate the missing twelve-year-old, and had to take a moment to catch her breath, and lean against the wall for support.

What triggered this? We…we were having a great time, and I know he still has a crush on me. She could understand him being shocked or even angry, but sad?

Groaning, she rubbed the side of her head, spotting a ladder which led onto the roof as she re-opened her eyes. Running forward, she grabbed the front of her dress to prevent from tripping on the gown, and grabbed a splintery rung.

Pulling herself up, she climbed the ladder, and pushed the trap door above open, a gust hitting her as she did so. Her hair flapped in the wind as she stepped up into the daylight, and pushed aside her locks to see Dipper sitting on the edge glumly. Steeling herself, she marched over to him, and hesitated, before sitting down beside him.

"Hey,"

His voice was in decipherable, and she parroted his greeting. "Hey…"

Glancing away from him, she watched a flock of meadowlarks fly past the drooping sun. "I-" She stopped, and felt her eyes watering.

Suck it up Corduroy, it's his birthday, so you need to think about someone else for a change. Gulping loud enough that she swore he must have heard it, the ginger placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry dude, I…I got caught up in the moment, and the last thing I wanted to do was make you feel bad."

He didn't respond.

"If you…if you don't want to hang out anymore, then…I understand. But can we please just go back to the party, your sister is probably feeling pretty bad down there…and the band has to be back to their cave by sundown."

He chuckled at her attempt at a joke, lifting a weight from the redhead's shoulders.

Then he spoke. "Don't worry, this will only take a couple minutes…but we have to resolve this…thing."

Wendy sighed in defeat, expecting as much from the thirteen-year-old.

"Because…" He explained. "…a very wise fifteen-year-old once sat me down, and told me that I would be her friend forever, and that if anyone could work through a little uncomfortableness, then we could."

He turned to her, and smiled through his tears, making her feel both relived and guilty at the same time.

"I'm so sorr-" He shook his head, and brushed the tears from his eyes and continued. "I'm sorry. I don't want you to ever be sorry for giving me my first and best kiss."

Her eyes widened. "That was your first?"

He nodded, blushing slightly, although whether it was because of his display of emotions, or because she was the first girl he had kissed Wendy was unsure. "Well, I mean…unless you count Mermando…"

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"Never mind. What's important is that I…I really enjoyed that kiss."

It was her turn to blush.

"And when we were dancing? That was amazing! Because that's how you make me feel…you make me feel amazing. You make me forget about the rest of the world, you make me feel relaxed…and, I know half of what I feel for you is hormones, and one day that won't be worth anything. And I know one day, soon, I'll leave this town, and I may not come back…"

She licked her lips, and glanced back at the sunset. "But that's why I want to treasure every moment I have with you. Because Wendy…" He placed a hand on hers, and she looked back at him, their gazes locking.

"You're a lifelong friend…and-" She noticed that his eyes were red, and his lips trembled in a way that just wasn't fair "And up until today…I wanted you to be my girlfriend, and I wanted to grow up, and I wanted people to treat me like I was an adult. Like I could handle everything." He choked and forced himself to continue despite how messed up his voice became. "…but when I woke up this morning, I realized I was thirteen. I was finally a teen, and…and…"

The ginger held his hand tightly, her small companion on the verge of tears,

"And af-after spending this summer chasing monsters, and almost…losing the people who mean the most to me…" He choked again and moved his gaze to the trap door.

Wendy followed his gaze, and saw Mabel watching them with a sad look on her face. She climbed up and he ran over to her, hugging her closely, crying into her shoulder. Wendy watched in silence, and Mabel gave her a teary smile as the boy buried his head on her shoulder.

Dipper half turned back to her, and tried to apologize for his tears, but Mabel just shushed him and rubbed his back, telling him that everything was fine. Wendy heard him murmur things like "one week left" and "what if we don't come back?" His sister cried as well though not to the same extent, and clearly didn't have answers to all his concerns.

In fact, she looked almost as terrified as him. But she kept rubbing, and telling him to let it all out.

I wish I had a sister like that…or a sister at all really. Wendy thought.

But that thought didn't stay around particularly long, because the wheels in her head was spinning, and Wendy had come to realize why Dipper was in hysterics. He was afraid, afraid of growing up, of losing his friends, and of losing his sister. The thought hit her hard, and she realized it was something that haunted her as well.

Up until this point Dipper had been in a mad rush to grow up, to be taken seriously, to make a contribution, to have someone he could call his own. Whereas she had been spending the summer slacking off, playing games, hanging out with two twelve year olds.

But no matter how they got here, the result was the same. Neither could stop time, and really, neither of them wanted to. She just wanted to know that he, and the rest of her friends would be there for her, and the feeling was mutual.

There was a yearning inside her to fix him, to end his troubles, and hold him close so that she could protect him from everything that life would throw at him. But she couldn't, and it nearly broke her.

Then she caught sight of Pacifica, who was inspecting the scene with somber understanding. Despite how much she wanted otherwise, Wendy knew what she had to do. And she met the challenge with look of determination. She walked over to Pacifica and asked to speak with her privately. At first the blonde was about to refuse, but then glanced back at the embracing twins.

"Very well." She agreed, no doubt hating Wendy for bringing up the unselfish way to go about this.

Leading her back down the ladder, she began to explain her plan. Yet again, the tween began with refusal, but consented to hear the rest of the plan when the redhead begged her to listen. "If you won't, then I won't. I promise."

She wasn't convinced easily, but Wendy took her by the hand and asked her if she really cared about Dipper. "Of course I do…he…I mean...of course."

Green eyes focused on light blue ones, "Then please do this for him…" Pacifica seemed to slump, nodding slowly. Wendy told her that she shared her frustrations, and for once since meeting, the two understood one another a little bit more.

Climbing back onto the roof, they were met with the sad smiles of the Pine twins. Dipper stood up, and walked over to them, his suit dirty, unkempt, and wet.

"Alright…I know both of you really, really like me…almost obsessively so," They glared at him. "And I'm sorry for not addressing it earlier, I could have avoided some ugliness earlier if I uh, was less oblivious. And I know poor me, I have two beautiful, smart, and funny girls fighting over me…"

The young detective's admirers both blushed, and Mabel poked Dipper in the side. "Ah yeah, I can see it now, 'Dipper, the ladies' man'…you're going to knock 'em dead back in Piedmont bro."

He chose to ignore her and continue. "And I want you to both know that you are my friends, and I never want that to come between us."

They both gave him a smile, and Mabel glanced at the concrete roof beneath their feet. "Now that we have that out of the way…"

Pacifica stopped him, "Dipper we-I mean, me and Wendy…think it would be best if we just umm, forgot about it…"

He shook his head. "No, I mean-"

"I mean, forget about it for now."

He stopped and frowned glancing between the redhead and the blonde in befuddlement.

Pacifica gave the older girl a look, and Wendy strode over to him, speaking in an even tone. "We only have about a week of summer left, so, we shouldn't spend it quarreling, and worrying about silly relationship problems,"

Pacifica stepped closer, "We uh, we were thinking it would be best if, we dealt with this when, if, you come back next summer."

Wendy picked up where her shorter companion had left off, "And no matter what, you can stay in touch with everyone on the phones I got you guys."

Dipper glanced between the two of them, his face jumping between a number of emotions, before settling on thankfulness. He looked like he really wanted to say something, but didn't know how to put into words. Then he nodded, a tiny smile gracing his feautres as he began wiping his eyes.

"Well, then uh…we have a party to return to!"

They both rolled their eyes simultaneously, and Pacifica descended the stairs first.

She was followed by Dipper, and then Wendy. Mabel was the last one to return to the world below, and took a moment to gaze at the meadowlarks which disappeared into the horizon, and the dazzling colors which mixed in the sky and fluctuate as the crimson sun left view. "C'mon Mabel!" Dipper called.

She gave the world a gloriously defiant smile, before joining her friends below. "I'm coming broseph!"

Then she disappeared below.

*~0~*

It turned out that the band actually did have to leave at sunset (something about the wolves coming out), but fortunately, Dipper had prepared. There was a radio in the back, which hooked up to the speakers. After putting Soos in charge of the music, the teens returned to the dance floor, and partied up until eight, when Pacifica had to go home. Stan returned in the middle of the party, and was none the wiser to the events which had transpired. He was also too busy counting golden doubloons to notice the occasional awkward glance.

Wendy explained the situation to Tambry, and, much to the lanky teen's surprise, the texter gave her a hug, and told her that she would bring a tub of ice cream to her house later. Wendy had thanked her but tried to explain that the ritual was uncalled for, but Mabel heard the word ice cream, and the redhead had somehow got bamboozled into hosting a sleep over for what Mabel described as being her "Gal pals."

Although, the majority of the guests had left after the cake and "incident" on the dance floor, Grenda and Candy had both stayed. Which according to Mabel made them true friends since they were stuck downstairs with Soos, for five long, awkward minutes. Dipper suggested that it reflected their love of Sev'ral Timez more so, but Mabel shooed his cynicism aside. Soos asked Wendy about it as they were cleaning up the party, and she, reluctantly, explained everything to him. The story was so fascinating in fact, that Soos was literally on the edge of his seat (He had been cleaning the top of the table at the time.

That week would prove to be incredibly eventful, because the day after a huge wave of energy stuck the entire town, Wendy was introduced to the twin's other great uncle, Ford. Who apparently, had been trapped in another dimension for nearly thirty years. He was intense to say the least, barely giving the redhead to talk. He spent all his time raving about triangles and the apocalypse, which made him only a little weirder than his brother.

The next day she had to help use the amnesia gun to make a whole group of government agents forget that Stan existed.

Doom came promptly the following day. Apparently, there was a demon named Bill, who wanted to take over the world, who had once possessed Dipper (that cleared up a lot) and enjoyed cracking awful puns at the expense of others. At first the town had been thrown into chaos as portals opened, and demons were released, and Wendy had first taken the catastrophe as a sign of end times.

Then Dipper and Ford figured out a way to close all the portals. Dipper, a tied up Gideon (who had escaped earlier in the week), Mabel, Old man McGucket, Pacifica, Robbie, Soos, Stan, Ford, and Wendy all stood in the town square, on their "positions."

It seemed she, and everyone else there, was part of some prophecy, and they all were required to be there in order for the spell Dipper and his crazy great uncle cast to work. Wendy had held onto Dipper and Mabel's hands, as the triangle tossed balls of blue flame at their circle, and taunted them with his telepathic abilities.

The portals closed, and the avatar Bill possessed had been destroyed. The last thing that the demon had said before disappearing in a flash of blue energy was "I'm not done here."

That sentence had sent chills up her spine, and somehow, she began to wish that Mabel and Dipper could return next year even more.

Stan took everyone back to the wreckage of his home, and Mabel served cookies and Mabel-Juice to everyone, even the restrained Gideon. Ford seemed to become more relaxed, and began chatting with Old man McGucket, as though they were old friends. Mabel, Dipper and Pacifica welcomed her over to what had once been the counter, and Dipper advised against drinking the juice that his bubbly sister served.

Unfortunately, the respite only lasted that night, because the next day the twins were returning home, their disheveled great uncle was coming with them as well.

*~0~*

The bus pulled up sharply, and Dipper sighed as soon as he saw it. He and Mabel had both celebrated the summer with a big breakfast, it turned out that Ford was a much better cook then his brother, and could fry pancakes without transforming them into charred abominations. Soos hadn't been able to hold in sobs for the leave, and his pancakes had become soggy with the tears.

Pacifica had also been quite melancholy throughout the whole breakfast, but he had managed to lift her spirits, enjoying the smile that she gave him. Mabel hadn't been her usual self either, but she had still comforted Soos, and presented him, Pacifica, her great uncle and Wendy each with a sweater. They each had something different on them, and Dipper quickly realized that she had drawn the designs from the Journal, with Soos' a question mark, Pacifica's a llama, Wendy's an ice bag, and Stan's a fish-like symbol.

They had each thanked her in a different way, Soos with more tears, telling her he'd treasure it. Pacifica with slight reluctance, but still thankful for the gesture. Wendy with a warm smile, and Stan with shock. He promised to where it through the winter though, which could be pretty brutal up here supposedly.

Now Dipper stood in front of the bus, the doors opening as a voice declared it as the ride to Piedmont. Giving them all a smile, he set down his luggage and watched Ford hug his brother.

"Are you sure you want to talk to them?"

Dipper knew that his father wasn't particularly fond of the fact that his father had disappeared when he was very young, and was not looking forward to the conversation. Ford smiled slightly. " Dipper has potential and I'm going to need his parent's approval for training him next summer. And they say no…"

He sighed. "Well, then I'll just come back here."

Stan nodded, determined not to shed any tears. "You've always got a place here Ford…always."

Ford nodded, rolling his eyes slightly. "I'm coming back even if they do forgive me, this is my home. Besides, I can't trust you to keep it from getting destroyed, Stanley."

Stan chuckled.

"And it'll give these two a bigger reason to come back." Ford said as he smiled at his niece and nephew, before stepping aboard the bus.

Mabel gave everyone one of her extra intense hugs, before following her bespectacled great uncle into the bus. Dipper hugged Stan, feeling the miser wrap his arms around his body tightly. Pulling away, he looked up into the eyes of the swindler.

"Thanks for giving me the best/worst summer ever Grunkle Stan…"

The old man coughed. "Well, I mean, I'll do anything for some cheap labor."

Dipper ignored him and basked the proud smile which Stan bestowed him with. Turning, he was nearly crushed by Soos, and gave the handyman his best luck with Melony as they shook hands.

Turning to Pacifica, he watched the blonde squirm uncomfortably, before surprising her with a bout of affection. "If your parents ever get on your nerves…just call."

She nodded, and thanked him with a whisper. He let go of the fair headed tween, watching a longing look come into her eyes with sadness, before turning to Wendy, he felt something swell up inside.

Smiling, he was about to step forward when the ginger enveloped him in a hug. "Call as soon as you get home, okay?"

He nodded even though she couldn't see it. "I promise."

Then he boarded the bus, and moved to the back seat, where Mabel and Ford sat. Looking out the window, he watched the whole town bid him and his kin farewell, as the bus pulled away, and the town of Gravity Falls disappear and be replaced with an endless sea of trees.

Ford coughed, and Dipper glanced back to see the old man jerking his head in the direction of Mabel. She was slumped forward, staring at the floor gloomily. Realizing that he needed to boost her spirits he pulled up the cushion between the two of them, and as

"Who wants to play Back-Seat Treasure Hunt?"

Her head rose and she gave him a small smile, "ME!"

She stuck her head down next to the underside cushion as Ford mouthed a "Thank you" and joined in upon Mabel's insistence. Dipper sighed, and pushed the town from his mind, embracing his sister's insanity as the bus penetrated the horizon.

*~0~*

Wendy watched the bus disappear from sight, feeling something small die inside. Turning back, she saw a glum Pacifica trotting off in the direction of her house. "Hey, uh, where are you going?"

The blonde stopped and raised an eyebrow, speaking in sharp tone. "Home."

Wendy almost winced at the venom apparent in the voice, and meandered over to her, "Well, I mean, if you need a place to hang out…" She glanced back at Stan, who was sitting on the bench, staring at nothing.

"Mr. Pines is having his house repaired, but he still needs me and Soos to help sell merchandise. You could uh…hangout with us…"

Pacifica glanced back at her, then at the distressed Soos. Sighing, she nodded, and Wendy smiled as she turned towards Stan and yelled. "You hear that boss…YOU'VE GOT NEW FREE LABOR!"

The shyster smiled and seemed to regain his ordinary panache, standing and striding over to his employees. "Yeah, I'll need the extra help with the school year starting."

He threw a hand around Soos' and Wendy's shoulders, pulling them in the direction of his house, and nudging Pacifica forward with his knee. She cast a threating scowl his way, but began moving anyway.

"The new mystery shack is going to exploit the fact that this place was the sight of some cosmic hocus pocus as much as possible, which means you three are gonna build as much stuff for me, enchanted rocks, sticks, pieces of clothing that the "mystery twins" wore, before mysteriously disappearing. And Soos," The handyman looked up from the path, "We're gonna need Questiony the Question mark."

The man child's face lit up, and he grew enthusiastic as Stan instructed Pacifica to create dolls of Bill.

"That'll piss off the asshole isosceles!"

When he realized how old she was, he gulped, "Uh, pardon my language…"

The blonde smiled. "No need to apologize. My parent's only curse when they think I'm not around. You can curse as much as you like around me."

The old man smiled, and it seemed as though he had just been released from a prison of restrictive profanity.

"Great! HELL YEAH! Okay, Corduroy!"

The ginger turned her gaze form the surrounding forest and prompted him to continue with a nod.

"I'm gonna need you to grab all that old stuff from my brother's bunker, and bring it to me."

The redhead frowned, "No way, there's a shapeshifter down there, and booby traps, also possibly mole people."

Soos and Pacifica both giggled, and Wendy glanced between them in confusion. "What? What did I say-"

Realizing that they were laughing at her use of the word "booby" the teen covered her face, and pinched her brow. "Real mature guys, real mature…"

Stan ignored them, continuing onwards with his insane plans. "Fine, instead, you can get all the stuff from the Society of the Blind Eye place. But as soon as you get back you have to give autographs, people are gonna believe that you were important, and we need to keep it that way."

The lanky ginger protested, "I was important, you just didn't-"

But he was already on a new tangent, his ideas on how to profit on the near apocalypse nearly endless.

The cashier girl rolled her eyes at her bosses' antics, but did not resist as he informed them about all the merchandise they would have to create.

She let her mind wander. After all, it was only several hundred days before she would be seeing the "mystery" twins again. Glancing down at the slightly smiling Pacifica, a single thought ran through her mind, and she smiled in a competitive manner.

Dipper's mine, rich girl!

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~0~

Well this turned out differently than I expected, the whole thing is roller-coaster of emotions. Sorry if it's too sappy or emotional at parts, but I actually started crying at part of this (never listen to "Two birds, Gravity Falls" as you write fan-fiction, and you haven't cried in nearly a year). I hope you enjoyed, and I hope this wasn't a step down from my last Wendip story (Survival). Some of you may call this a cop out, to those people I stick out my tongue and go NYANYANYA (I apologize). It felt right to me, and if enough people demand it, I will make a sequel to this (Eventually, I do have to sleep you know). I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted, but uh, it's my story, and I'd like to see you make a better ending (seriously, I love it when people base stuff off my work). So ta-ta, and may more people expand upon the idea of Pacifica and Wendy (if they could be any more different, they would be separate species) finding each other infuriating.

Disclaimer: I receive no financial gain from creating this story based on Gravity Falls. I own nothing.