Tw: Major character death. ?

Prompt from anon "Mabel dies and she comes back as a ghost"

Mabel was bored.

Despite everything that had happened, she couldn't help it. Being like this- being all alone in a house full of people who couldn't see her, was boring. She had tried to communicate, she'd even tried possessing an old sock like Dipper had done earlier that summer, but her hand just phased through.

It also hurt. Dipper was a mess after it happened. He wouldn't eat or even talk. He never looked either Grunkle in the eye anymore. Mabel thought that maybe Grunkle Ford could help Dipper, but at least Ford's twin was still alive! Mabel was...

Gone. And she wasn't sure how to get back.

She shuddered to think of the day everything had gone to dust. It was symbolic almost. The day that they saved the world was the day her family fell apart. She recalled with horror the feeling of Bill's cold hand and the way he casually snapped his fingers and then suddenly everything went black.

Then she was floating. She was floating above the entire scene and she could hear her Grunkle's screams of desperation and see Dipper's stubbornly set jaw as he demanded she stop playing around and wake up. Mabel please, wake up!

It made her want to cry. She learned pretty quickly she wasn't capable of crying. That didn't really bother her though. What bothered her was...how? How had she returned? Why was she here? Why couldn't she talk to her family?

These questions pounded in her head and it hurt so much because she couldn't answer them! She couldn't help her family.

Mabel felt like a failure.

A failure that couldn't fix anything, uselessly hanging to the side as she watched her family struggle with their loses in solitude from even one another.

...

Dipper was staring at the ground again. Mabel wished she knew what he was thinking. There was nothing cool on the ground- except wood. Mabel groaned and turned over in the air until she was staring at the ceiling. At least the ceiling had something going for it- even if it was miscellaneous fluid stains. She stayed like that for what felt like hours until she couldn't take it anymore. She turned back over and stood right in front of her brother, screaming,

"C'MON WHY CAN'T YOU SEE ME!? STOP STARING AT THE GROUND! THERE IS NOTHING ON THE GROUND!"

Dipper didn't move.

Okay, so maybe Mabel was feeling a little stressed. I mean, why wouldn't she be?! Her Grunkle Stan was struggling to remember much of anything. {There was progress, but it was slow going.} Grunkle Ford had forgotten Dipper was supposed to go home at some point and that their parents would need to be informed that Mabel was dead sometime in the near future. Actually, did Grunkle Ford even know that they didn't live with Grunkle Stan year round? She wasn't sure.

Nothing was being solved and it was peaking her frustration with this whole 'dead' thing to the breaking point.

She just wanted them to SEE HER. Her hands were clenched and she screamed towards the sky. It was a wordless cry, just trying to stem some of her anger at her situation.

"Gah!"

She stopped and blinked open her eyes to see Dipper on the other side of the room, mouth gaped open.

Mabel looked down.

She was pulsing, a furious shade of red, her entire body engulfed in the glow. She looked up again right into Dipper's eyes.

"Ma- Mabel?" He whispered.

She grinned and squealed, "DIP-DOP! YOU CAN SEE ME?!" Her face twisted in confusion.

"You can see me? How...?" She stared at her own arms, which were still pulsing softly. Then her smile returned, eyes glowing with excitement. "I don't care! Dipper! you can see me! Finally!" Her face abruptly turned serious, "If you ever consider raising me as a zombie again, I will bury your corkboard in the dirt. As soon as I figure out how to move things." She smiled again and floated closer. Dipper was frozen, eyes wide.

"M-M-Mabel!" He seemed to break out of his shock and went in for a hug- he'd missed her so much- but his arms went right through her. She giggled,

"Don't! That tickles." She held out a hand instead and Dipper, after a moment, let his hand hover above hers. She looked up from where their hands were pretending to be linked and gasped.

Dipper was crying.

He hadn't cried...not even at the funeral- as if nothing had sunken in properly, but now tears streamed down his face in waves. Mabel frowned,

"Dipper, I thought this was a good thing! Why are you crying?!"

Dipper sniffled and gave her a watery smile. "Heh. I- Mabel I thought I'd lost you." He gave a tense chuckle. "Guess you're another mystery now, right?" He examined her hand closer.

"I don't understand! You don't seem to fall under any of the other classifications for ghosts..."

Mabel rolled her eyes. Well, he got over that fast. "Nerd."

He laughed. "Dork." His eyes widened. "Mabel! Do you think Great-Uncle Ford and Grunkle Stan...?"

Mabel clapped her hands together, "let's go find out!" She zipped through the walls. Dipper was laughing from behind her- the elation of having his sister back was exhilarating in a way he hadn't felt in a long time.

Had she only died a week ago? He wasn't sure. Felt more like an eternity to Dipper.

Mabel quickly glanced Grunkle Ford in the kitchen, staring into a cup of coffee dully. She waited until Dipper was beside her. She needed him to introduce her!

Dipper walked into the kitchen and cleared his throat. "Great-Uncle Ford?"

Ford jumped and his fallen face quickly switched to that of a supportive smile. "Dipper! You're here! What...you look so happy. What happened?" Ford's brow furrowed and Dipper laughed,

"Well, um. I'm not sure but I'm actually here to make sure this is real and not a figment of my imagination..." Dipper rubbed at his neck uncomfortably at that last bit but quickly gestured to the doorway.

"Introducing! My sister."

Mabel popped from behind the doorway, appearing in front of her grunkle with jazz hands. Ford jumped ten feet in the air- which seemed to relieve Dipper to no end.

"Tada! I've been here for so long Grunkle Ford! You have no idea how relieved I am that you can see me finally!" She suddenly changed expressions to that of annoyance.

"And if you EVER consider suicide again I will cling to your leg and never let go. As soon as I figure out how to cling to things."

Dipper gaped at her exclamation and Ford paled, but she seemed to move on and was smiling again. Ford was shaking, one hand resting over his mouth.

"M-Mabel?"

Crap- now both the nerds were crying! Why!? This was a good thing!

"Yeah! It's me!"

Ford sat back in his chair in amazement...

"He kept his end of the deal..."

Mabel blinked in confusion but Dipper gasped.

"Bill! You asked him to bring her back!"

Ford nodded. "Of course, he would go and cheat me one last time. He knew this was not what I meant." Ford considered his great-niece for a moment before breaking into a grin.

"But it's a start. Mabel, I think I know how to bring you back."

And why did I make this?

I don't think it's going to continue- apologies anon.

I'm sorry that it sucks- I don't really write Dipper and Mabel and this prompt was so sad. LIKE SO SAD. I couldn't leave it as her just staring at her family falling apart though so she returned kinda! and UGH she is so OOC.

If anyone wants to take this idea and finish the story just be sure to credit me and the anon and have fun with it!

I mean...I don't know why you'd want to copy off my crappy work...ahem. Anyway. Hope you enjoyed reading this...? Whatever it is anyway.