Dipper POV

Pacifica was better at tag than at hide and seek. She told us later that she ran for exercise a lot, which made sense given how fast she was. We promised to help her with hide and seek the next time she came over, though.

I noticed Grunkle Stan kept an eye on us a lot more than usual. He didn't seem to like Pacifica being around, which I could understand a bit, but it also made me upset. She was hurt, and he still acted like she was some kind of monster he had to watch. I mean yeah, it wasn't that long ago that Pacifica and I made up, but it was obvious that she was hurt, and scared. I wanted my Grunkles to help us, not alienate her even more.

Ford was the same, but in an opposite way. He kept an eye on Pacifica, but it was in a more protective way. He studied her. He watched as she made several snarky comments, only to feel bad. He smiled when she and Mabel made faces at each other. And... There was a look of pain on his face when Pacifica flinched back from the clattering of dishes in the kitchen.

It was a lot for all of use to take.

Luckily Mabel was pretty happy. She didn't know all of what was going on, but she suspected things. She was smarter than most give her credit for.

She knew just when to make Pacifica smile. If she started feeling down, Mabel would crack a joke or fall off of something to get Pacifca's attention. It worked, and together we all managed to pretend, just for a little bit, that we were normal kids without anything looming on the horizon.

Eventually, though, we had to send Pacifica back home.

I mean, we couldn't keep her (as much as we wanted to) because her parents would notice her missing eventually. But it was still a long and drawn-out event. I felt guilty-I'm sure we all did-at having to take her back. I was scared, even. We didn't know for sure what her life was like behind those mansion gates, and as much as Grunkle Ford wanted to hoard her under the Shack they were still the Northwests, and we were still just the Pines.

Mabel got extra clingy as we all got ready to drive Pacifica back. She gave her hugs and held onto her arm a lot, and while Pacifica put up with it I could tell it was something new and slightly annoying.

Our Grunkles weren't much better. Grunkle Stan still didn't know what to do about the situation, and still resented the Northwests. But it was him that made sure Pacifica ate a good lunch before we left.

And Grunkle Ford obviously fought the urge to keep Pacifica. He re-bandaged her wound and followed her around for a bit as we got ready to leave. His hovering was amusing, actually, especially when Pacifica would turn to me and roll her eyes.

I, on the other hand, was quiet. I played the in-between as the other smothered her, and pulled her away when I saw she needed it. I could tell part of her didn't like the attention; the strangers, the pity, but another part of her seemed to crave it. I realized later, much later, that it was the positive attention that she needed. She never got it at home.

By the time three o'clock rolled around we all shuffled to the car. Our Grunkles took the front seat and Mabel and I sat on either side of Pacifica. Mabel told jokes most of the time, which helped us all relax a bit.

We dropped Pacifica off a little bit away from the mansion to make sure her parents didn't see us. I got up to let her out, and we stood outside the car for a moment. She cast a sad look over her shoulder at her house, and looked back at us with a smile.

"Thank you for having me over." She nodded to my Grunkles and to Mabel before her eyes settled on me. Thank you for helping me. She didn't have to say it, I understood.

"Thanks for stopping by." You're welcome.

"You're welcome by any time, Pacifica!" Ford called with a smile. She smiled her thanks and turned to me. "Maybe not in the middle of the night next time, though. I think we can all agree you need your beauty sleep."

I scoffed and crossed my arms. "Oh my gosh, Pacifica, you're the worst."

We froze both froze at the phrase. My eyes widened as white-hot shame ate through me. I tried to stutter out an explanation, but she stopped me.

"Wow, you get cranky, too, good to know." The laughter that came from the car was enough to get her to smile, and I grinned back sheepishly.

"We'll see you Friday, then?"

"Friday."

The ride home was quiet. Ford glanced back at me a few times, but every time I thought he would say something he turned back. It annoyed me, and I wasn't in the best mood by the time we got home.

The others headed inside, and Ford and I stayed by the car. I huffed and crossed my arms as I glared at him.

"What?"

"...We need to get her out of there."

I gaped at him. "What, like, kidnap her?"

"No," He frowned, "But... She can't stay there. It's not safe. And she's going to do something reckless eventually..." He trailed off and looked towards the house with a thoughtful look on his face. "Hmm... We need to make the Shack safe from Bill, too. Let's talk more inside."

I walked beside him back into the house, and couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. I wanted to help Pacifica, too, but I didn't know how to help besides kidnapping her again. I could only hope that Ford had a better idea...

A/N: So this is going to timeskip the Last Mablecorn, and pick back up at Roadside Attraction! So if you're not caught up, you might wanna watch that in the next few days!

And thanks so much for the reviews! You guys are great; we reached 15 a few hours after the story updated :D If possible I'd like to continue that, and reach 20 before the next chapter releases! Stay awesome!