Chapter One:

September 28th was always a big ordeal with the Northwest family, even though Pacifica would rather it not be anymore. There were many things she'd love to do for her birthday, but being surrounded by a bunch of stuffy rich people she barely even knew was not one of them. Even after loosing the majority of their fortune, the Northwest family still filled a lavish lifestyle in the country club house they'd bought after they'd lost the manor. And, inevitably, Pacifica was still trapped under her parents' thumb.

So, though she wanted nothing to do with a lavish ball, she let her hairdresser pin up her hair without a word of protest. She stared at her reflection, bored, examining the four layers of make-up plastered on her face. She looked nice, as always, but the girdle she had on under her white and rhinestone party gown made her too uncomfortable to admire her appearance. She smoothed out the satin of her gown as she frowned in confusion. Her mother had always had a thing against white dresses; "only for babies and brides" she always said. Yet she insisted on Pacifica wearing said gown to tonight's ball, so she didn't argue or question. She'd learned years ago as a little girl what would happen if she showed even the slightest sign of rebellion.

"There we go," the hairdresser finally said as he stepped back to examine his work. "You look fabulous, hon!"

Pacifica looked herself over in the mirror one more time. "Thanks, Benny."

"Always a pleasure. Give me a ring for your next party!"

Pacifica grinned. "Always." She slipped her white gloves on up to her elbow, and put on her diamond choker, bracelet, and earrings before going downstairs to her parents.

Priscilla and Preston were busy micromanaging the décor, and table placements, and flower arrangements, and everything else when she came down.

"Mom? Dad?"

No answer, the older couple simply went about their business. Pacifica sighed and moved off to a corner to wait until one of the noticed. Minutes ticked by, and still not even a glance in her direction. Pacifica tugged her gloves higher up her arm, and picked fuzz off the fingers.

Priscilla finally noticed her daughter leaning against the wall.

"Pacifica!" she shouted, causing the young woman to jump. "Stop slouching, and straighten up!"

Pacifica quickly obligated, and shuffled to her mother's side. Priscilla looked her over, up and down, then twirled her finger to indicate Pacifica to turn. Pacifica obligated, and Priscilla nodded in approval.

"Lovely," she smiled. "Quite lovely."

Pacifica nodded and went back to her corner, but made sure not to slouch again, or suffer her mother's wrath again. She sighed again and began rocking on her heels as she glanced at the elaborate grandfather clock at the back of the room. 6 hours. All she had to do was last 6 hours and she'd be done with another lousy ball.

About an hour later, Pacifica was fake smiling, greeting gusts, and accepting birthday gifts, only to had them to a servant so they could be placed on a table.

"Announcing, Martin and Julia Stonebeau, and their son, Zachary Stonebeau."

Pacifica sighed as she put on her smile again, and held out her hand to the handsome, blond, young man in the white tux who was striding towards her.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Stonebeau," Pacifica extended her hand to shake. To her shock, he turned her hand over and kissed it.

"An absolute pleasure to meet you, beautiful," he replied. Pacifica felt her stomach turn over a little bit as she gently took her hand back.

"Well, I'm glad to here that," she answered awkwardly as she smoothed out some wrinkles in her dress.

"You look ravishing in white," Zachary commented, taking a few steps closer to her.

"Thank you," Pacifica whispered uncomfortably.

"I imagine you are an amazing dancer."

"I'm decent."

"Oh, I don't believe that," their foreheads were almost touching now. Pacifica glanced at her parents, hoping to get some support, but instead found that they were watching the two with keen interest. Almost too keen.

"Shall we find out?" Zachary offered his hand to her. Pacifica glanced at her parents again, begging for help, but instead her father just said:

"Go on, Pacifica."

Shocked by her parents apparent indifference, Pacifica felt a bit lost. Not knowing what else to do, Pacifica unhappily accepted Zachary had and let him lead her onto the dance floor. He gave her smile that made her skin crawl as he set his hand on her waist and they began to step in sway with the music.

"You are an amazing dancer," Zachary said after only a few steps.

"Thank you."

"I imagine you are better at many other things."

"You're too kind."

"Well, isn't it the man's job to compliment his woman?"

Pacifica's skin crawled again, and she felt a flicker of offense through her body. She gave Zachary a warning glare as she answered through clenched teeth;

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Oh, come now, dearie, let's not play hard to get."

"I'm not playing hard to get," Pacifica answered as took a step back, still glaring at him. "I really don't know what you are talking about."

Zachary smiled again, and pulled her back into the dancing embrace. "Well, let me lay it out for you."

He twirled her as he began explaining.

"Have you ever heard of Eugenics?"

"Eugenics?"

"Eugenics is the idea that good blood can only come out of good blood."

"Good blood meaning…?"

"Respectable people. Successful people. The one percent."

"Us?" Pacifica inquired in a shaky voice, afraid of where this was going.

"Precisely," Zachary answered excitedly. "So, you see, the only way our people can survive is if we keep our bloodlines pure."

Pacifica pulled away again. "What are you suggesting?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Zachary grinned creepily as he bent down on one knee and pulled out a ring box. He opened it and took in a breath to speak.

"Pacifica-"

"No!" Pacifica felt sick. Cheap! Just a blood purifier? Was that all she was? She turned to storm off, but slammed into her father's arms.

"Now, now, honey," Preston said as he turned Pacifica around and pushed her back towards Zachary. "Let's not be hasty. Zachary is a good man from a good family, who has plenty of money to take care of us-I mean-you with."

"Wait," Pacifica felt her stomach dropped. "You knew about this?"

"Of course," Priscilla said as she walked up to her husband's side. "We told you you're birthday from us would be special."

"Birthday gift!?" Pacifica screeched. "An arranged marriage!?"

"We even helped him pick out the ring."

"You're impossible!" Pacifica shrieked as she broke free from her father and raced out of the ballroom, and up the stairs, into her room, her parents following after her.

"What the heck is wrong with you!?" Pacifica screamed when they were in her room. "You didn't even think about at least running this by me once before springing it on me?"

"We were afraid you'd say no," Priscilla explained.

"Well, you had good reason to be! Because I'm not marrying him!"

"Yes. You. Are." Preston ordered in a stony cold voice, his eyes ablaze with anger.

"I don't even know him!"

"He's rich, that's all you need to know."

"No, it's not!" Pacifica couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did they not care? Did they not want her to find love and be happy? Was money all they cared about?

"Pacifica Elise Northwest! We lost a good portion of a fortune in the weirdpocalypse, and we haven't been able to get back. This could be our chance."

"Not my problem!"

"Yes, it is your problem, because you are a part of this family!"

"Maybe I don't want to be anymore?"

SMACK!

Pacifica fell back against her bed, holding a gloved hand to her bloodied nose.

"Don't ever disrespect the Northwest family name like that ever again! Your little scene back there was bad enough, it's gonna take a while to remove that blemish from our reputation."

Pacifica choked back a sob. They didn't care! They were really doing this. They were throwing her away like a piece of furniture to regain their money and reputation.

"Now, you're going to back down there, and you're going to accept Zachary's proposal."

"No, I'm not!" Pacifica turned around and angrily faced her father. "I'm not going to-"

SMACK! Pacifica's head swirled as she tumbled off the bed and clutched her throbbing forehead.

"Oh, Preston. She can't go down now, she's bloodied the dress!"

Preston sighed. "I guess we'll just tell everyone she was taken off guard and needs to think things over. She'll accept the proposal in the morning." The two turned to walk off, when Pacifica jumped to her feet.

"I'm just now 18! I'm too young to marry!"

"Nonsense, you little brat!" Preston shouted. "Plenty of people get married at 18."

"But not me! I'm not ready!"

"Then get ready! And clean off that dress!"

Pacifica was shaking with anger and shock. "You hate me! I didn't want to believe it, but you do, you really hate me!"

"We're only doing what's best for you, sweetie," Priscilla answered.

"No, this is what's best for you!"

"ENOUGH!" Preston pushed Pacifica back, and she fell onto the bed and she flipped over and crashed into the floor on the other side. "Enjoy your last single night, you'll be an engaged woman tomorrow."

The door slammed shut as Pacifica clutched her head, trying to stop the swirling around in her brain from the thrashing around and gut-wrenching announcement she was being forced into an unwanted marriage.

"Come on," Pacifica though to her herself. "Think. Think. Think. There's got to be a way out of this."

Standing to her feet she took of her now red gloves and began undoing her dress. After she'd gotten it out she held it out and sated at it.

White.

"White is only for babies and brides."

Brides.

Her parents had bought this dress specifically to advertise her as a good marriage buy. They had dressed her up so they could sell her off like some work of art.

"Clean off that dress" her father had told her.

Rage boiling inside her, Pacifica flipped the gown over, grabbed either side of the skirt, and ripped the dress in half. She then used the white satin to wipe the blood off her face. Throwing the bloody gown out the window so it would litter the pristinely kept lawn, she slipped into her bathroom and turned on the shower, washing the stickiness of blood and tears away.

The weight of the night's news began to weigh on her as she leaned back against the shower wall. "There's got to be a way out of this."

Running her fingers through her soaked hair, she tried to think. There had to be somewhere she could go, or someone she could talk to that might have ideas. But who in this backwards town would-

Then it hit her, the story she'd read in the newspaper a few mornings back.

"Mabel Pines, one half of the daring Pines Mystery Twins Team, has moved to Gravity Falls permanently to set up the headquarters for her school supplies and children's clothing design company."

Mabel. Pacifica hadn't seen her in almost a year, and hadn't seen the other half of the Mystery Twins team, Dipper, in two years. But, if anyone could come up with a crazy solution to a crazy problem, it was the Pines.

Pacifica turned off the water, stepped out of the shower, and began to dry off. She didn't know where Mabel was staying, that was the problem. That old Mystery Shack was a good place to start looking, though. The Pines' old friend Soos Ramirez and his grandmother were still living there. They'd probably know where Mabel was at.

Slipping into some jeans and a hoodie, Pacifica climbed down the greenery under her window, a skill she'd mastered the minute they had moved into the Country Club House years ago so she could have a bit of fun every now and then without her parent's micromanagement.

Shivering in the cold, she began the short hike to the Mystery Shack.

AN: Hi Guys! So, yeah, if you haven't guessed, this is five years later, and Mabel is getting ready to set up a Lisa Frank like company. I thought that would fit her best in the future, since she's a quirky creative person. As for Dipper, well if you read my Maury Show parody, you already know what he's doing. If not, you'll see next chapter. See you then! And "Stonebeau" is a parody of "Rockafeller." Stone=Rock Beau=Feller. Get it? No? *Ahem* Moving on.