He had found her outside, leaning against the marble with her head tilted up toward the stars.

"Pacifica?"

She abruptly turned around to face Dipper, who gave an awkward smile and closed the door gently behind him.

"What are you doing out here, dummy? The party is inside." Pacifica smirked. Dipper shrugged and came up beside her, folding his arms on the marble top.

"Meh, I'm not much to party. Trust me, something paranormal always happens." Dipper said off-handedly in which Pacifica laughed.

"Really? Like what?"

"Well, let's just say that one involved in clones. Of me."

"What? No way," Pacifica began, "Another Dipper? Hah, I'd go crazy." She joked.

"Heh, well it was pretty crazy. And all just because I wanted to dance with someone." Dipper smirked at the memory and just for a moment, Pacifica thought she heard a bit of sadness in his voice.

"How'd that go?" She said slowly, glancing at him. At that instant, Dipper's cheeks flushed red and he coughed nervously.

"Oh…uh, not so well," He said looking away, "but that was some time ago. Doesn't matter now." He then gave a small smile before saying, "Guess I learned it was just easier to be myself."

Pacifica nodded and turned her attention back to the sky. "Sounds better than being a complete fake," She sighed before adding, "That's too bad though. I mean, who would miss dancing with a dork like you."

"Thanks for cheering me up." Dipper said sarcastically before Pacifica nudged his arm playfully. A silent moment passed between them, with only the sound of nearby crickets and the distant chatter behind the glass doors. They gazed at the stars quietly until Dipper decided to break the silence with a question.

"Well…will you dance with me?"

Pacifica instantly snapped her eyes to his smiling face, genuinely shocked by his question. Seeing her shocked expression, he scratched behind his head awkwardly before extending his other hand to her. Pacifica's eyebrows creased as she looked down at his hand and when she finally looked at Dipper, a small smirk crawled on her lips.

"Okay, Dipper. Just one."

"That's Sir Dippingsauce," Dipper said as he took her hand and made their way to center of the pavilion.

Pacifica laughed and said with a raised eyebrow, "Oh? So we're changing names now?"

Dipper shrugged. "I guess so. Let's see…what did your dad say your middle name was again? Elise, was it?"

Pacifica blushed, "Yeah, it was my grandmother's name."

"Well, Lady Elise it is." Dipper declared before he suddenly spun her around and then pulled her back to him. "What do you think?"

"Not the most creative…but it's perfect." Pacifica smirked, feeling her heart flutter.

The clouds have edged away from the face of the moon, casting light onto the two of them as they slowly swayed to the distant music coming from inside the mansion. A slight, cool breeze passed between them, urging the two press closer to each other, her hands wrapped around his neck and his hands around her waist.

But at that moment, Pacifica suddenly tensed, in which, of course, Dipper noticed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

Pacifica was suddenly glad they were outside, where it's dark and away from the crowd. She could feel her embarrassment stain her cheeks.

"W-what if someone sees us," Pacifica said seriously as she looked at him from under her bangs. "My parents will-"

"Pacifica. Don't worry," Dipper said and then shrugged. "Sometimes…we just have to enjoy the moment."

Pacifica shook her head and smiled a bit. "Right," she replied, though she knew she was already in deep trouble with her parents as is.

The two were quiet for a while and simply embraced each other's warmth. However, a brief moment later, Dipper smiled again and suddenly said, "You look nice, Pacifica…" He then stopped himself and stammered, "I-I mean, not that you usually aren't…"

Pacifica stared at him in disbelief. Things were getting odd quickly.

"You're not good…at this, are you?" Pacifica said, though she was not really sure what "this" was.

"W-what?" Dipper stammered, "I-I don't know what you're talking about…" he nervously laughed while Pacifica rolled her eyes.

"It's okay…this is actually the first time I've ever been so close to someone. Let alone dance."

Now it was Dipper's turn to stare at her in disbelief. "Really? Doesn't like rich and foreign guys come to these parties?"

"Oh sure. Tons of them. And every year, my parents see to it that I mingle with them," She then sighed before adding, "But I now realize, they only pretended to like me because I had money."

But when she suddenly got quiet, Dipper's eyebrow arched in curiosity. Seeing her face change into a sober then thoughtful expression, he asked, "What is it?"

"All this time…I thought money could make problems go away. And that the only thing that would hold me down would be myself. But I was wrong. The Northwest name was holding me down."

She paused a minute before saying, "But after tonight…I think I can change that. I want people to like me for me. Not by money or my parents." She then blushed before she added softly, "And you Dipper, are the first."

Dipper's eyes widened and felt his cheeks burn. He noticed that they had stopped dancing and he caught himself staring into her green eyes-no, more like sea foam green. Suddenly, she let go of his hand and pulled him into a hug. Completely caught off-guard, Dipper staggered back a step and Pacifica's grip tightened. Unlike the first hug, this wasn't out of a sudden impulse after just being chased-by-a-vengeful-ghost; rather a hug that actually felt genuine. Slowly pulling away, Pacifica grinned shyly at his stunned, beaming face.

"Uh…can I pay you to pretend that never happened?" She asked meekly, handing Dipper a loose dollar bill. Dipper glanced down at the money before he suddenly clutched his stomach and erupted in laughter. Pacifica was taken back by his reaction and immediately frowned.

"What's so funny? You don't want it?" Pacifica waved the dollar bill in front of his face which failed to stop his short bursts of laughter. She crossed her arms and muttered under her breath, "Typical Pines."

Nose in the air, Pacifica began to turn from him until she felt his hand on her shoulder and she turned her face to him. In one swift movement, Pacifica felt his kiss on her cheek; a soft and gentle peck. Her face immediately brightened a rose pink and felt her heart skip a beat.

"Let's not pretend." Dipper whispered and gave a lopsided grin. At a complete loss of words, Pacifica simply stared back at him and finally, returned the smile. Dipper scratched behind his head awkwardly and began to walk backwards saying, "So, I'll see you again soon? You know, if you're not grounded or anything."

"You bet on it, dork." Pacifica promised, placing a hand on her hip.

"Right!" Dipper said before bumping into the door behind him and chuckled, "Okay, see you later."

"See you later." Pacifica said, giving him a small wave.

It was at that moment did Pacifica Northwest felt something warm in her heart. A feeling so foreign to her, that she didn't know whether to embrace it or be frightened by it. One thing for sure, she knew that things were going to change for her. The start of a new path and a new friendship.