Note: Rated T for no reason, really... I'm just a paranoid teen. Yes, this is slightly based off the episodes. Don't worry! I change things to make it more interesting. Such as, leave other characters behind in certain scenes so Mabel and Dipper would be alone. Hint. Hint.

I changed Mabel just a TINY bit. I absolutely adore her silly personality, but I wanted to change it up a bit. I made her more like me, in a way. She's still just as crazy, but only around Dipper and people she's comfortable with. Otherwise, she's shy. I wanted to make her more mysterious, too, since this is an AU where Dipper doesn't really know her. One day I realized her seemingly infinite joy could just be her hiding her secret pain for something. I decided to use that in this story because she's an orphan. (Sad awwwwws). And, even though I mostly write in Dipper's P.O.V., there will be some Mabel.

I know my writing is terrible, but I hope you like my first fanfic!

Disclaimer: If I owned Gravity Falls, I probably wouldn't be writing a fanfiction. So no, I don't own it.

Chapter 1 - Tourist Trapped

Dipper

Ah, Summer... a time of rest and relaxation... unless you're me. My name is Dipper. The girl about to puke is my best friend Mabel. You're probably wondering why we're running from a creature of unspeakable horror. Rest assured, there is a perfectly logical explanation.

I had just gotten off the bus to Gravity Falls. My Great Uncle Stan was there to greet me, and he showed off his so called 'Mystery Shack'. He transformed his home into some sort of tourist trap. I really don't understand how he makes money off that. I wasn't really paying attention until I saw who worked there. I was introduced to Soos and Wendy, but no one mentioned the girl who was off sweeping in the corner.

"Who's that?" I finally asked, pointing to the girl.

"That's my sister, Mabel." Wendy responded.

"Why is she in the corner?"

"Stan doesn't want her to scare off the customers." Wendy shrugged.

"How can she possibly be scarier than all this?" I referred to everything Stan put in the shack.

Wendy just shrugged again, and went back to her magazine. I continued to stare at the girl, who seemed to be robotically sweeping in the same spot ever since I got here. Finally, Stan decided to show me to my room. I stared at it for a moment. But, before I could ask why there were two beds (there had to be a reason since Stan was too cheep to get two for no reason) he slammed the door and left. I heard footsteps coming back a few seconds later. But instead of Grunkle Stan, I saw the girl who was sweeping.

"H-Hey, roomie..."

"Wait... what?" I said blankly.

"I'm your new roommate!" she gave a weak smile.

"What? Why?!" I yelled.

She shrinked down and winced. "S-Stan doesn't have any other rooms to spare. He s-said we have to stay here together..."

"And he didn't tell me?!"

"I... guess not..." she whispered.

I groaned and fell onto one of the beds. I assumed it was mine, since the other seemed to have someone else's belongings.

"Um... my name's Mabel." she said, standing next to me with her arm out for shaking.

I ignored it and responded in monotone. "Dipper."

She gave me a weird look. "That's your name?"

I waited for the laughter. "Yeah. Go ahead, make fun of it."

"Why would I make fun of it?" she stared at me. "It's original. It's nice."

I gave her a questioning look. "Really?"

"Yeah! I like it!" she smiled.

I couldn't help but smile back. "Hey, why are you staying here?" I finally asked.

She looked down, as if in shame. "I've got nowhere else to stay. I'm... an orphan."

"What?" I said jumping up from the bed. "But Wendy said you were her sister."

"Well, technically we're not related. Her family just raised me since I was a baby, so she calls me her sister. But, her family ran out of space for me one day, so they found me a temporary home here!" She spread her arms out, gesturing to the attic we were currently in. "Sure, it's not the best place, but it's better than the streets!"

I couldn't believe how optimistic she could be. "So... you're going to be here with me the entire summer?"

"Unless Stan finally gets sick of me, then yes!"

"Do you know why he never talks about you?"

"Probably just thinks I've got brain issues. Everyone else does. Even Wendy thinks I'm crazy. She won't admit it, though." she sighed.

"I don't think you're crazy. I definitely think you're weird," I heard Mabel laugh. "but not crazy."

She smiled. "Thanks, Dipper. Hey, can I call you Dippin' Sauce?"

"No."

"Okay... DIPPIN' SAUCE."

"MABEL!"

She laughed. "Okay, okay. G'night Dipper."

I smiled, as I went to bed.

"Hey, Dipper?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we be friends?"

"I guess so, why?"

"I've just... always wanted a friend. Thanks."

I smiled. "No prob- AH!" I screamed as she suddenly wrapped me in a hug.

"Love ya, Dippin' Sauce!" She laughed again, as she went to her own bed.

I rolled my eyes and laughed as I began to fall asleep. Maybe this summer wouldn't be as bad as I thought.

Wait... did she just say she loves me?

I woke up to find Mabel already making her bed.

"Mornin' Dippin' Sauce!"

"Hey, Mabel?"

"Yes, Dippin' Sauce?"

I rolled by eyes. "Did you hear... crying last night?"

Mabel froze, but she quickly shook it off. "You probably just had one of those real-sounding dreams!"

I saw right through her fake smile, but a didn't call her out on it.

"C'mon, let's go outside!" She said, starting to drag me by the arm.

"Aren't we gonna have breakfast?" I said, trying to get out of her grip.

For a moment, she just stared at me. "Oh, yeah..." She said, as she started pushing me downstairs.

I saw two plates of pancakes set on the table, and sat down immediately. Mabel just stopped and watched from the stairs.

"Aren't you gonna eat?"

She just shook her head, and started to hide behind the bars of the stairs. Stan walked in, and sat at the other side of the table, eating the other pancakes.

"What's Mabel gonna eat?" I asked, curiously.

"Why do you care?" Stan responded. I simply shrugged as he spoke again, "She just doesn't eat when we're eating." He whispered. "She's new here and still... uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?" I asked. "She called me Dipping Sauce last night."

Stan's eyes widened. "Last night? What did you do last night?"

"Um... you made us sleep in the same room?"

Stan stared off into the distance. "I did? Oh, yeah." Stan shrugged. "Maybe she's just more comfortable around you. You know, you having the same birthday and all."

I jumped up. "We have the same birthday?"

Stan stared at me. "Yeah, you didn't know that?"

I turned my head back to the staircase, where Mabel had disappeared.

"When she does eat though, she doesn't eat a lot. Like she's... starving herself." Stan stared off into the distance, before shrugging his shoulders.

I thought about Mabel, realizing how thin she looked even with her giant sweater on. I had heard about eating disorders before, I was suddenly worried for the girl I had just met. I finished my pancakes in a hurry, and ran outside to meet Mabel.

"Hey, Dipper!" Mabel waved.

"Mabel, did you eat anything?"

She took a step back. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you eat breakfast?"

Mabel shook her head. "I'm fine, Dipper."

"That wasn't my question, I asked you if you ate."

Mabel began to laugh nervously. "Dipper, it doesn't matter. Can't we just-"

I groaned. "Mabel! Why can't you just answer the question?!"

"I..." Mabel sighed. "You don't understand..." she whispered.

"Oh, I understand plenty!"

I stomped away into the forest, completely ignoring her calls for me to come back. I angrily muttered things, kicking almost every tree I passed by.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Ding!

What was that? I went back to the last tree.

Ding!

Was that... metal? I soon discovered a secret hatch. I gasped in amazement upon seeing a book, with a "3" on a six-fingered hand. I was fascinated immediately as I began reading through the journal. I stared hard at a page saying, "Trust No One". I wondered weather or not to believe it.

"Hey, Dipper?"

I jumped, screamed, and hid the book from sight all at once. I was shocked to find Mabel right behind me. How did she get there so... quietly?!

"I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have tried to avoid your question, but I swear I'm not starving myself or anything! I'm just uncomfortable around... Hey, what's that?" I realized she was pointing to the book behind my back.

"Uh, nothing!"

"Can I see?" Mabel was getting excited... not a good sign.

"Mabel, please don't!" I shoved the book farther from her.

"I wanna see!" Mabel lunged at me, trying desperately to grab the book.

"No!" I yelled, trying to swat her hand away.

"Dipper, I- AH!" Mabel was on the ground, crying. It took me moments to realize I had just slapped her face... hard. "M-Mabel! I'm so-"

"Liar!" She screamed. As she stood up I saw the red mark on her face. "You're just like WENDY, and STAN, and everyone else! This is why I don't have friends, because they're all LIARS!" She then fell back to the ground, whispering, "And I always believe them..."

"Mabel, I-"

"Leave me ALONE!" She ran away, covering her red and tear-stained face. I had never felt more guilty in my life.

I was so relieved when Mabel finally returned. But, I was shocked when she came back with a... boy.

"What happened to no friends?!" I yelled.

Mabel glared at me and I shrunk down, before she calmly responded, "Norman is different. Unlike you, he doesn't HURT me."

I instantly felt horrible, but at the same time I was worried for Mabel. There was something off about Norman... and I intended to find out what.

I decided to consult the journal, and found out about Gravity Falls zombies. There where tons of spooky stuff about this town. I instantly feared for Mabel, and asked Soos what I should do.

"I believe you, dude. I'm always noticing weird stuff in this town." Soos said. "But you gotta have evidence. Otherwise, people will think you're crazy!"

I wondered if Mabel ever saw something supernatural. Maybe that's why people call her crazy.

"Hey, just wondering, why are you so worried about Mabel?" Soos asked.

In all honesty, I wasn't sure. But I was, and I was going to save her from the zombie no matter what! Wait... where was she, anyway?

Mabel

"Mabel... there's something I need to tell you."

"Oh, Norman," I smiled. "You can tell me anything!" Please be a vampire. Please be a vampire.

"Just... don't freak out. Keep an open mind!"

That's when I realized my boyfriend was a bunch of gnomes... who wanted ME, a 12 year old girl... to marry them.

"Look, guys, you're really sweet and all. But, I'm a girl, and you're gnomes, and it's like, what?" I tried to let them down easy.

"We understand." Jeff, the main gnome said. "We'll never forget you, Mabel... because we're going to kidnap you."

"Wha- AHHH!"

The next few minutes of gnome-fighting were a blur. But, next thing I remember was Dipper coming in.

"Norman turned out to be a bunch of gnomes!" I yelled.

"Gnomes?" Dipper asked. "Huh. I was way off."

As cheesy as it was, it was sweet of him to rescue me. And don't get me wrong, I'm grateful! He had somehow gotten a golf cart that we drove outta there, but the gnomes formed one giant gnome, and chased us back to the mystery shack.

"I have to do it..." I whispered.

"What?!" Dipper yelled.

"Please, trust me just this once." I begged him. I then faced the giant gnome. "Okay, Jeff... I'll marry you."

Jeff then presented me with his ring, and I took it and smirked.

"You may now kiss the bride!"

Out of the corner of me eye, I swore Dipper looked jealous. But as Jeff turned around I put a leaf blower on him - reverse style!

"That's for lying to me!" I turned the leaf blower up. "That's for breaking my heart!" I held the leaf blower up. "And this is for messing with Dipper!" I aimed, and fired Jeff at the rest of the gnomes.

The rest were lost without their leader, and scattered like rats.

"We did it!" I yelled immediately, and tackled Dipper in a hug. "Thanks for looking out for me."

Dipper hugged me back. "No problem."

"Hey..." I paused, and pulled away to face Dipper. "Why WERE you acting so weird around me and Norman? Were you, - dare I say - JEALOUS?!"

"Pfft. What? No way! I just... didn't want my best friend to get taken away by gnomes!"

My eyes shimmered with happy-tears. "Best friend?"

"Well, yeah, if you'll still have me. I'm sorry about the-"

I shushed him, and simply pulled him into another hug. We walked into the Mystery Shack, trying to ignore Stan's comments about us looking horrible. To our surprise, he let us each take something from the gift shop.

Dipper chose a hat, perfect to hide his birthmark. I was kinda sad he was ashamed of it. Oh, well... the hat looks good on him. I choose a - pause for dramatic effect - GRAPPLING HOOK! Despite Stan expecting me to choose a doll or something, I stuck with my grappling hook. Who knows? Might just save my life one day.

Dipper

I watched as Mabel played with her new grappling hook. Even though the journal said, "TRUST NO ONE", I'm gonna make an exception for Mabel. I mean, if you battle a hundred gnomes with someone, they've probably always got your back.

"Hey, Mabel, could you get the light?"

Mabel smiled, and aimed her grappling hook. "I'm on it..."

All I heard was breaking glass, and all I saw was darkness.

"It worked!"

I hadn't laughed so hard in years.

"I'd go over and hug you, but I don't wanna step on the broken glass." Mabel laughed.

I shrugged. "You can hug me in the morning."

"Yeah, but I want hugs now!"

I heard the creaking of her bed, and her footsteps on the floor. Yup, that girl was crazy. I waited expectantly for her to scream out it pain. Somehow, perhaps supernaturally, Mabel made it to my side of the room.

"I did it!"

"Yeah... now go back."

"But, Dipper! It's a miracle I made it here once! You want me to test fate again?"

"...Yes."

"Can't I just stay here? Please?"

I'm so grateful it was dark, and I couldn't see her puppy dog eyes.

"Please?" She whispered again, this time in my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and I swear she was TRYING to sound seductive... or something.

I groaned. "...Fine."

"YAY!" She yelled, lying down next to me.

I tried to stay as far away from her as possible, without falling off the bed.

"Goodnight, Dipper! Love you!"

I sighed. "Goodnight, Mabel..."

I closed my eyes and began to-

Wait, did she just say she loves me?

PLEASE READ! OPINIONS NEEDED!

Okay, so, I'm having trouble deciding how the Dipper/Mabel/Wendy relationship is gonna work for episode 5, and others. I need you to help me decide. So, I've thought of these possible scenarios... and I cannot decide which I like best.

1: Dipper simply thinks of Wendy as a sister, but Mabel just assumes he has a crush on Wendy, when really, Dipper likes Mabel. As in, Mabel is oblivious to the fact Dipper likes her. I think this would be similar replacing Wendy with Mabel, those times when Dipper acts all... awkward.

2: Dipper DOES like Wendy, and is oblivious to the fact Mabel likes him and is jealous of Wendy. This one seems closer to the real series, and would be the easiest to write, I guess. But at the same time, I want Dipper to like Mabel right away.

3: No jealously or confusion, Wendy is not part of the love interest thing. You might be asking where the fun in that is. True, while it may be a bit boring, I can turn all those Wendy/Dipper moments into Mabel/Dipper moments... somehow. 'Cause I don't know about you guys, but I'd love to see the Dipper clones fight over Mabel! And, if you do choose number three, which one should realize their feelings first? I'm thinking Dipper, since I usually write his P.O.V.

If you have anymore ideas, I'd love to hear them! Reviews and constructive criticism appreciated. Thank you for reading.