Takes place after Weirdmageddon (assuming all goes well.)

I'm finally back and writing another Gravity Falls fanfic! Believe it or not, I actually began working on this one two years ago! I scrapped it after a while due to not getting it out before Christmas and several things changing on the show, but I saw an opportunity this year and managed to bring it back! If I don't get this finished before Christmas comes, I apologize. I'll do my best to make sure I do though!

On with the story!

It was a cold afternoon in Gravity Falls, Oregon. There was a fresh blanket of snow on the ground, more was still coming down gently, and the best part was, it was Christmas Eve! Wendy was currently in the living room of the Mystery Shack, hanging up the last of the Christmas decorations while listening to the radio, which at the moment was playing Christmas Cannon by Trans-Siberian Orchestra (A.N. My all-time favorite Christmas song.)

Now you're probably wondering what Wendy's doing at work on Christmas Eve. Well Stan and Ford decided to have a Christmas celebration that evening- which included a gift exchange- and Soos and Wendy had been invited. Her father had been against it at first, insisting she continue with her yearly apocalypse training (which she had found absolutely ridiculous since the apocalypse had literally just happened that summer and she- as well as the town- had clearly made it out alive,) but she had managed to convince him by promising to make up for it later in January. In a way, this was going to be her first real Christmas!

However, even though she was excited to finally be able to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year, the thing Wendy was the most excited for was the whole reason that Stan and Ford had planned a Christmas celebration in the first place; Dipper and Mabel were coming back and spending Christmas- as well as New Year's- at the Mystery Shack! She couldn't wait to see them. Gravity Falls had become so boring without them causing trouble and occasionally saving the town from the occasional supernatural creature. Though Wendy had still hung out with her other friends, it wasn't as much fun as going on crazy adventures with the now thirteen year old twins. However, the one she wanted to see most of all was Dipper. Oh sure, Mabel was awesome. She was like the little sister Wendy had never had and there was never a dull moment with her, but she wanted to see Dipper for a special reason.

Though she had turned him down when he had confessed his feelings for her that summer- due to both their age differences and the fact that he was pretty much her best friend- since the moment Dipper had left for the school year, a part of Wendy's heart felt strangely… empty. No matter what she was doing, she could never seem to stop thinking about him. Sometimes it actually hurt that he was gone. She realized she hadn't felt this way when any of her former boyfriends weren't around. Not even Robbie had given her that feeling in the past. She realized to her shock, delight, and slight regret due to what had happened last time feelings were exchanged, that she was in love with Dipper. She felt on top of the world when she heard that he, Mabel and their parents were coming for Christmas. She could finally tell Dipper how she felt.

She couldn't deny though that she was scared as well. She had broken Dipper's heart when she had turned him down, even if she had done it in the best way possible way. What would he think when she suddenly told him that she had been wrong? What if she was too late and he didn't have feelings for her anymore? Would HE turned HER down this time? Would he feel betrayed? Would he hate her?!

Wendy's stomach suddenly started flip flopping like she was on a roller coaster. Would she really be able to work up the courage to confess to Dipper? …Wait, what kind of question was that? She was a flippin' Corduroy for Pete's sake! If she could survive Weirdmaggedon, she could survive a simple confession of her feelings.

Before her worries could mess with her again, Wendy heard a car pull up into the drive. Her face lit up as she quickly grabbed her green coat, blue scarf, and blue mittens. She dashed out the door to find Mabel sprinting towards her. She was in a pink coat with sparkles, purple mittens, one with a green M and one with a green P stitched into it, a purple scarf and a purple hat. Waddles was tagging along close behind her wearing a red hat and scarf that Mabel had probably knitted herself.

"Wendy! Merry Christmas!" she said. Wendy smiled and gave her a hug once she reached her, and she realized that Mabel had grown a few inches since the last time she'd seen her. Waddles grunted as if to say hello and Wendy pat him on the head.

"Merry Christmas to you too, squirt! It's so great to see you!" She then looked around. Mr. and Mrs. Pines had gotten out of the car and were unloading suitcases and presents from it, but where was Dipper?

Suddenly, Wendy looked back at the car just in time for a snowball to hit her in the face. She wiped it off to see Dipper behind the car in a blue coat, red mittens and his signature hat. He was laughing really hard.

"Got you Wendy!" he choked out in between laughs.

Wendy's heart skipped a beat when she saw him, but she put a mischievous smile on her face. "Oh, I hope you've had a fulfilling life, Dipper Pines, because I'm ending it today!" she said and began running after him, laughing. Dipper ran away laughing just as much as she was with a smile still glued to his face as well.

"I missed you too!" he shouted as he ran.

He missed me! Wendy thought.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!" Mabel shouted and laughed at the same time.

Dipper and Mabel's parents went inside with the gifts and suitcases to help Stan and Ford set up and get dinner ready. Soos walked onto the porch to see what was going on with Wendy and the twins just in time to hear Mabel shout 'snowball fight.'

"I'm in!" he shouted, running inside to get his winter gear.

Meanwhile, Wendy was still chasing Dipper, both still laughing like crazy, until they both finally collapsed in the snow. It took quite a few deep breaths to get the air back in their bodies.

"Truce?" Dipper gasped.

"Truce." Wendy replied.

They finally sat up when they got enough air back. "It's really great to see you." Dipper said, smiling.

"You too." Wendy replied also smiling. Dipper stood up (and Wendy noticed that he had grown more than Mabel had,) helping her up as well. Wendy realized that they were alone. She figured she could tell him now.

"Dipper, there's something I need to tell you." she said as she brushed snow off of her hat.

Dipper's heart began to pound. It may have already been a few months since he had seen Wendy, but his crush on her still existed. He had tried his hardest to let it go, but he couldn't seem to no matter what he did. None of the girls back in California had had the capability to take his mind off of her, but none of them really knew that he was even alive anyway, except for Mabel of course.

He swallowed. "I'm listening." He said, hoping he didn't sound as nervous as he felt.

Wendy opened her mouth to speak, but before she got a single word out, she and Dipper were pelted with snowballs. Mabel and Soos were laughing like crazy as Dipper and Wendy dug themselves back out of the snow. At about that moment, they forgot about what Wendy was going to say and focused on the snowball fight. They looked at each other and nodded.

"Got you two!" said Mabel. She laughed some more until she noticed that the pair was smiling evilly at her and Soos with already constructed snowballs in their hands, which they had made while the two had been laughing.

"We'd better run." Soos said, and they took off with Dipper and Wendy close behind.

"Let's see if we can corner them!" Wendy said. Dipper nodded in reply.

It really was great to be back.

-Meanwhile-

Mrs. Pines stood at the kitchen window watching her children roll around in the snow and pelt each other as well as their two friends with snowballs. Even though she couldn't hear it, she knew they were all laughing nonstop. It was probably below freezing weather outside and the twins kept getting snowballs thrown in their faces, but she doubted they even noticed the cold. It brought a smile to her face.

She remembered the day she and her husband came to pick them up from their long summer stay with their uncle. The kids had looked like they were on the verge of tears. After saying their goodbyes to Stand and Ford (who- Stan told them- had finally come back from his studies overseas) as well as the friends they were currently having a snowball fight with, the got into the car and said almost nothing the entire way home, watching the landscape roll by from the car windows. They sometimes whispered things to each other but that was about it.

In the months afterwards the two seemed closer than ever, always having each other's backs no matter what. They often kept in touch with their friends back in Oregon- Mabel adding two other girls, who her mother soon learned to be named Candy and Grenda, into the mix. Sometimes she would secretly listen in on their conversations with them and they both seemed much more lively when talking with them and often saying how much they wished they were back in Gravity Falls having adventures with them. Though she wasn't sure what they meant by "adventures," she knew that she and their father had made the right choice in sending them to the small town.

She turned back to her husband, who had just gotten off the phone. He smiled at her. "Everything's ready."

She smiled back and looked back out the window at the still laughing thirteen year olds. "They're going to love it."

To be continued