Author's Note: Sorry about the wait. This chapter's actually been more or less done for a while now, only I'm not too proud of it... I'm not the best at writing action scenes, so this one gave me a bit of difficulty. If you have any critique to offer on this chapter, I could really use it. Read and review.

Dipper and Mabel's mystery hunts were rarely so organized, and rarely did the twins venture into the woods with adult supervision. Ever since Dipper discovered the first of Stanford Pine's journals, the mysteries usually came to them, and so insatiable curiosity would drive them to seek answers in a town full of questions.

Melody was beginning to feel that spark of curiosity herself; listening to Dipper go on about aliens as though they were more than just some wacko conspiracy theory, she'd might've thought they were just playing pretend if she hadn't already witnessed Gravity Falls' weirdness for herself- the encounter with killer animatronics and a psychotic, sentient dating sim character at Hoo-Ha Owl's Pizzamatronic Jamboree was something she wouldn't be forgetting anytime soon.

And now, because surviving a murderous animatronics kid's show wasn't enough for one lifetime, she was to delve into the wreckage of a crashed alien spaceship on an expedition led by a cadre of eccentric teenagers. Wonderful.

Soos has lived in this town with all the weirdness his whole life, Melody thought to herself. If he can handle it, so can you. Keep it together, Melody.

The hike through the woods took them about an hour, leading them from the Mystery Shack to the hills overlooking the town. The top of the hill presented an incredible view of the entire valley, and the distant cliffs joined by an old railway bridge, and the peculiar claw shape which made it look as though the mountain were hovering in midair- probably why the locals called them the "Floating Cliffs".

"This is it," Dipper announced, coming to a halt beside a rock at the top of the hill.

Melody took a look at their surroundings, but saw nothing but forest and mountains for miles- no sign of any crashed alien spaceships. Privately, she wondered if this particular adventure was indeed make-pretend.

"Um… where did you say this flying saucer was supposed to be?" Melody inquired.

"I don't think I did, actually," Dipper retorted. "Like Great Uncle Ford says; sometimes the strangest things are right under our noses."

Dipper then turned and placed both of his hands against the lone rock upon the hilltop, and pushed; when it failed to budge, Wendy walked up to lend a hand, and together they pushed it aside- revealing a metal plate with strange engravings upon the surface, embedded into the grass.

It was then that Melody realized why she couldn't see the UFO; it was right under her feet, so heavily overgrown that she'd mistaken it for an ordinary hill. But the hill's edges were much too rounded, too symmetrical to have formed naturally… and amid the patches of grass, her eyes caught the occasional glint of silvery metal, just barely visible beneath millennia of overgrowth.

Dipper dislodged the metal plate by reversing the polarity of his magnet gun, revealing a chute that lead deep inside the craft; someone had left an old rope ladder as a means to climb down. Dipper was the first to step down, followed closely by Wendy, then Mabel, and finally- with trepidation- Melody.

Inside the derelict vessel, the air was thin and smelled of mold. It didn't help that Melody was slightly claustrophobic as she followed the teens through the cramped, darkened corridors, ducking under cobwebs and stepping over the skeletal remains of the alien crew; a ghastly sight that sent a shiver down her spine upon first catching glimpse of the bones of crewman, still wearing it's space helmet and hunched over a console. Having remembered Dipper mentioning security drones, Melody nearly had a heart attack when she inadvertently stepped on a bone, snapping it in half with loud crack!; after this, couldn't help but glance over her shoulder every few steps, half-expecting one of the alien orbs to appear behind her, fearing that disturbing the remains might elicit a response.

But their journey through the downed saucer was met with little incident, aside from when the first entered- that old ladder wasn't very sturdy, as Mabel found out when a rung gave under her feet as she descended, causing her to cry out in alarm as she lost her grip and plunged towards the landing below- only to be saved by Wendy, who caught the younger girl by the collar as she fell, saving her from what would've been a fatal fall.

It put a damper on everyone's spirits when Mabel didn't even thank Wendy for saving her; if this trip was to mend their friendship, it was off to disappointing start.

Dipper distracted himself by focusing on the task at hand. Using a map of saucer's interior drawn up by Ford, he guided his friends towards the command deck, where he hoped to find an intact alien data core. Getting there was not to be easy, as many of the passages had collapsed or were otherwise blocked by doors that would not be pried open. Several times the group found itself at a dead end, forced to wait while Dipper searched the journal for a way around.

Eventually, they found themselves in the crew quarters, in one of the common rooms. With several corridors branching from this chamber, and no idea of which would lead them to their goal, Dipper decided then that everyone should take a break while he consulted the journal for a way out of this maze.

There was an arrangement of circular benches around a table in the middle of the common room, at which Wendy and Melody sat down to rest their feet. Dipper and Mabel took a seat across from them, the former with his nose buried in the journal as he attempted to make sense of Ford's maps, the latter simply glaring in Wendy's direction.

"It's too bad Soos couldn't come along," Wendy expressed. "He would go nuts for this sort of thing; you know… exploring a crashed alien ship."

"Believe me, I know," Melody replied. "I didn't want to tell him exactly where we were going… the look on his face when I told him I was going on an adventure with you guys in his stead was, just… heartbreaking."

"Maybe we can bring him back a souvenir? Something he can use for a new attraction; that might make him feel better," Wendy suggested.

"Like what?" Melody asked.

"Could always bring him back one of those alien skeletons… only I can't figure how we'd be able to carry one of them up the ladder…"

As Wendy and Melody chatted amiably, Dipper was finding it difficult to focus on the journal- not because they were being too loud, but rather that Mabel's unnatural silence and stone-cold glare was more deafening than if someone set of an air horn next to his ear.

"Mabel?" Dipper coerced. She ignored him, keeping her arms folded and her eyes focused on the two women.

"Mabel? Are you still with me?" Dipper asked again, gently nudging her shoulder.

"What?" Mabel replied in confusion; she'd retreated so far into the realms of her own mind that she hadn't noticed Dipper speak to her.

"What's up with you?" Dipper asked his sister. "Why are you constantly glaring at Wendy?"

"I'm keeping an eye on her," Mabel answered.

"Why? You think she's going to turn out to be the shapeshifter again, or…?"

"She might as well be the shapeshifter," Mabel snapped. "I've learned that there two sides to Wendy's personality; 'Cool Wendy', and uh… 'Not Cool Wendy'!"

"What the heck does that even mean?" Dipper inquired. Mabel was being ridiculous; he'd never known Mabel to hold a grudge against anyone, not even Pacifica Northwest back when she was picking on her. Dipper had been the one to push Mabel to settle that score, first through exposing the Northwest family conspiracy… and later through a mini-golf tournament before Mabel decided that "rivalries were dumb".

"Why didn't you thank Wendy earlier? For saving you?" Dipper demanded. "If she hadn't caught you, you could've been killed!"

At the mention of this, Mabel tensed up a little, turning her head to hide what Dipper assumed was a hint of guilt.

"Look, Dipper…" Mabel began. "I know why you really wanted to go on this trip, okay? But I'm not ready to be friends with Wendy again just yet. Not after what she did to you."

"But I forgave her!" Dipper asserted. "You've always been the one forgive and forget; when did we suddenly switch places!?"

"Just- let it go, Dipper…" Mabel asked of her brother. "Have you figured out where we're going yet?"

Dipper sighed, then hopped down off the bench.

"Okay, listen up everyone!" Dipper announced. Melody and Wendy ceased their conversation as to turn focus on Dipper.

"Looking at the journal, the only way to get to the bridge from here is through some kind of maintenance duct that runs below this deck," he told everyone. "There's an access hatch right over there-" (he pointed out a circular panel on the floor nearby)- "We have to be careful when we go down there; according to Ford's notes, security droids patrol those ducts. So keep your eyes open, but stay calm."

The girls nodded in affirmation, equipping their magnet guns as a precaution while Dipper used his to pry open the hatch.

The maintenance tunnels certainly looked like they were meant to be used by the security droids, rather than the crew; the perfectly round tunnel was just barely high enough for them to stand up in, and was divided into segmented panels that could be removed to operate on the delicate circuitry underneath. They followed this tunnel for what felt like another twenty minutes until they came to another hatch, which Dipper blasted open with his magnet gun before clambering up.

"This is it!" He yelled triumphantly. "Everyone, get up here! We found it!"

The command deck was a domed chamber with a raised platform in the center, suspended above a nest of sorts; the skeletons of several aliens were to be found here, slumped over before the defunct consoles where they'd perished millions of years ago. Dipper paid them no mind, for he was drawn to the sight above the platform- a holographic map of the Big Dipper- and right beneath it, his prize; the alien data core sitting in it's cradle below the map... and protected by a blue force field.

"That's it!" Dipper shouted. He darted up from the hatch and ascended the ramp to where the core lay.

"How do we get it out of there?" Mabel asked, coming up beside her brother.

"There must be a way to turn off this force field…" Dipper pondered, his eyes scanning the room for some kind of switch or control panel that could remove this last obstacle.

"I know what to do," Wendy supplied, drawing her magnet gun. "Stand back."

They should've known it wouldn't be that easy. Wendy turned the dial on the back of the magnet gun, toggling the EM pulse before leveling it at the shielded data core and pulling the trigger. At first, her idea seemed to work; the magnet gun caused the force field to burst, allowing Dipper to scoop the core from it's cradle and stow it in his backpack.

Mission supposedly accomplished, the group turned to leave- that was when Dipper heard it; the familiar, warbling tone that announced the presence of a security droid.

Sure enough, the doors to the bridge hissed open, and not one- not two- not even three, but eight alien orbs floated onto the bridge. The orbs encircled the group of friends, cutting off their escape route.

"Nobody move!" Dipper whispered to his friends. "Just remember to stay clam- don't be afraid, and they won't be able to see you-"

"Can they see that thing?" Mabel suggested, pointing at the data core sitting in Dipper's pack. Dipper quickly zipped it up and threw it back over his shoulder, but one of the droids had seen him.

This droid was different than the others; it's hull was tinted jet-black instead of silver, like some kind of elite or command unit. Dipper saw it's triangular red eye flash, and he knew the droid was scanning him. He took a deep breath in an attempt to settle his nerves, hoping the droid wouldn't detect how scared he actually was… or the stolen data core he'd just hidden in his pack.

For the longest time, the droid didn't move. It remained where it was, hovering just a foot off the ground, it's gleaming black surface just inches from Dipper's face. The teenager could see his reflection, wearing a mask of fearlessness even as he began to perspire in the face of such danger.

Melody could see what was going on; that orb knew Dipper had stolen the data core. It was probably waiting for him to give it back.

"Dipper, it knows you have it…" Melody whispered. "Just give it back, maybe they'll let us leave…"

"I can't!" Dipper replied through gritted teeth. "Do you want us to have come all this way for nothing!?"

"I want us to make it home in one piece!" Melody replied urgently.

"Leave that to me," Wendy whispered next to her, showing Melody a devious smirk.

"Hey, 8-Ball!" Wendy shouted at the orb; the droid finally broke it's gaze with Dipper, turning it's attention to the other intruder. Wendy pointed her magnet gun at the command droid, and fired- the shot connected, and droid's shelled rippled with electricity as it's systems overloaded, causing it's repulsors to malfunction and send it spiraling into the wall.

The other droids detected the threat and prepared to fire their weapons, but Wendy was faster- she fired a second shot, then a third, then a fourth, and three more droids went down.

Wendy charged at a fifth droid, which fired at her and missed; she stood up behind it, and the three remaining orbs shot in her general direction, striking the one she'd ducked behind, which promptly fell to the floor and rolled away, several holes burned through it's chassis.

"RUN!" Wendy shouted.

Everyone scattered- but in the chaos, they forgot that the only way back to the exit was through the maintenance hatch- and so they ran through the doors that the droids had opened. Melody followed Dipper though one tunnel while Wendy took off after Mabel, who'd gone down another.

By then, the command droid had recovered from Wendy's attack; it reengaged it's repulsorlifts and hovered back up off the floor. Around it, the other disabled droids got back up as well, all except the one Wendy had tricked them into shooting at, which was permanently damaged.

They gave pursuit, with the command unit taking three regulars in pursuit of Dipper and Melody, while the other three took off after Mabel and Wendy.

Wendy saw that they were being chased and began firing her magnet gun wildly back at their pursuers. At the same time, she tried to keep her eyes on Mabel, who had a good head start on her.

"Mabel! Where are you going!?" Wendy shouted at her.

"I don't know! What happened to Dipper!?"

"They took another tunnel!" Wendy replied as she caught up with the girl. The orbs were still behind them, and gaining fast.

"Let's just find Dipper and Melody, and get out of here!" Wendy insisted.

He two girls took a right at a T-section ahead of them, hoping it would bring them closer to their friends, who'd taken a door on the right side of the bridge.

Elsewhere on the ship, Dipper remembered too late that all the corridors leading from the entrance to the bridge were blocked. As such, he and Melody found themselves running into one dead end after another, doors that wouldn't open or were otherwise blocked by debris.

"Dipper, please! Just give them back the cube; maybe they'll leave us alone!" Melody pleaded with the teenager as they continued to flee.

"It's too late for that; they've already marked us as a threat!" Dipper retorted. Cursing their luck, Melody stopped and rounded on their pursuers, taking aim with her magnet gun. She fired, striking one of the orbs and knocking it down once again-

-Only for one of the others to open up, the halves of it's spherical frame parting like a clamshell, revealing a mass of metal cables that lashed out at her. Melody fired back at it, but missed, and the metal tendrils wrapped around her wrists and ankles.

Melody cried out in alarm as the droid reeled her in like a fish, imprisoning her with it's shell, which had turned translucent. Desperately, she pounded her fists at the inside of the orb, but the material was much less fragile than it looked, and would not yield.

"Melody, no!" Dipper cried out, pointing his magnet gun at the orb; in that moment, he let his guard down, forgetting that there were still two more droids following them. They quickly caught up, coming to hover on either side of the droid that held Melody; surprised, Dipper panicked, shifting his aim between the three orbs. Before his frantic mind could decide which one to shoot, the black command orb opened up as well, grappling the teenage boy with it's metal tendrils and pulling him in just as it had Melody. Dipper's magnet gun clattered to the floor as he struggled in vain to fight the tentacle's grip.

"Dipper!"

From inside the orb, Dipper looked up. Mabel and Wendy were at the far end of the hall; upon seeing their friends captured, both girls began firing wildly at the security orbs. Neither managed to hit anything, and Wendy's magnet gun eventually overheated, causing her to drop it as it burned her hand- and in that moment, the last two orbs came up behind them and scooped them up just like their friends.

Satisfied that the intruders were contained, the orbs convened and set off down the hall towards the brig, the screams of their captives echoing through the halls as they were carried off to their doom.

All things considered, it could've been a lot worse.

Dipper expected the droids to take them straight to the hangar for transport to the alien homeworld, like they'd done with Ford. Instead, the three teens and Melody were dropped off in a jail complex adjacent to the hangar.

Dipper could see why as they drifted through the docking area- the automated prison droids he'd seen before were damaged. It looked as though someone- probably Ford- had been down here recently, cracked open the hulls, and stripped them for parts. Sure enough, Dipper noticed a toolbox had been left at the base of the wall- along with something else. An old, familiar laptop, abandoned by it's owner next to the toolbox.

McGucket, Dipper thought. What had he been doing down here? The old hillbilly, who was actually a brilliant mechanic and scientist, was no where in sight. The crazy old man wasn't in any of the prison cells, so either he was off exploring another part of the ship, or he'd just left and forgotten his things.

The four humans were sorted into separate cells; for some reason, Dipper was placed in a cell all by himself. The command droid made no effort to reclaim the data core from his backpack, nor did it confiscate any other their possessions. It simply dumped him in the first cell, then Melody in the one next to him, and finally Mabel and Wendy were deposited in the third. Force fields activated to keep them in, and the security droids left them- all except the command droid, which sealed itself inside Dipper's cell, not taking it's eye off the young boy.

"Mabel? Wendy? Melody- are you guys alright? Do any of you still have your magnet guns?" Dipper called out.

"I dropped mine!" Melody shouted back.

"Me too…" Wendy groaned, nursing her burnt hand. The skin of her palm had reddened and stung painfully as a result of the gun overheating, but it wasn't too serious. Mostly it just hurt.

"Mabel, do you still have your magnet?" Wendy asked. Mabel just shook her head, sat down, and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"I probably shouldn't have fried the force field like that," Wendy thought aloud. "That's probably what tripped the security systems."

Mabel said nothing. Privately, she thought that the older girl was right; and that made it her fault they were now stuck in this cell together. Perfect.

Wendy immediately set about checking over every inch of this shared space, looking for a way out- a ventilation duck, or something she could pry open, a control panel she could hotwire, anything- but there was nothing. They were stuck, for the time being. Maybe Stan and Ford would come looking for them once they realized they were missing… if they even knew where their kids had gone.

In the meantime, Wendy really hoped the orbs had no way of repairing those prison droids.

They were to remain trapped in the brig for hours. What little sunlight filtered in through the launch tube in the shuttle bay quickly began to fade, and Wendy assumed night had fallen.

All alone in his cell save for the orb, Dipper was beginning to feel increasingly uncomfortable as it continued to focus on him. He could see the other cells across from his- neither Melody, nor Wendy and Mabel had the orbs watching them. The others had all gone… only this one command unit remained behind to stare at him for hours on end.

Dipper, seeing few options for getting out, attempted to offer the orb the stolen data core- but it didn't even acknowledge Dipper having it in his hands, as he held it out in the hopes it would take it and release them.

This orb had piqued Dipper's curiosity; it was a different color than the others, and for some reason it was interested in him. Why?

He decided to consult Ford's journal again, which he thankfully still had in his backpack. He found the page on alien security orbs, checking it with the blacklight to see if there was anything written in invisible ink, but there wasn't; Ford didn't need to write in invisible ink anymore, not since he didn't have to worry about keeping things hidden from Bill.

Upon turning the page though, Dipper found something promising; a picture of another orb, only Ford had shaded this one in with his pen, as though to represent a darker color… like the jet-black orb currently hovering over him?

The page was headed "The Courser".

"'The Courser'?" Dipper read aloud. He took another glance up at the command droid- what he now assumed was actually this "Courser"- and then looked back to Ford's notes, and began to read.

Coursers- Modified security droids built for the purpose of locating and retrieving unique or unusual specimens from alien worlds. Seems to possess more sophisticated AI than normal drones, as well as multi-tools for repairing automated shuttles and more advanced life-support systems to sustain captives over much longer periods of time. Found seven Coursers on board crashed UFO; one in stasis, others heavily damaged, seem defunct. Accessing dormant Courser's protocols revealed primary directive- locate and secure one "Subject 618". Cannot determine who or what Subject 618 is.

Below this paragraph was a drawing of the Big Dipper, and written underneath that was "Subject 618". As he put two and two together, Dipper found his hand drifting towards the brand on his forehead…

Across the way, Melody had curled up in the corner of her cell, occasionally getting back up to anxiously pace the floor before sitting back down. Mabel and Wendy sat on opposite sides of their cell, with Mabel trying to avoid looking at her former friend.

"This is stupid," Wendy snapped in frustration. "We can't just sit here; we need to find a way out of this dungeon!"

Mabel said nothing, choosing to ignore her as always. Her silent treatment was becoming increasingly frustrating under the circumstances.

"Mabel, please; can't you stop being mad at me just long enough for us to figure out a way to escape? We need to work together if we want to get out of this!" Wendy asserted.

"What am I supposed to do?" Mabel retorted.

"I don't know, just… help me think! If we put our heads together, we could figure something out…" Wendy said to her with a hint of desperation.

"Well, I got nothing," Mabel replied.

Wendy gave an exasperated sigh. "I get it; you're still mad at me. But don't you think you can forget that for a second, given the circumstance?"

"No," Mabel replied bluntly.

"Come on!" Wendy urged. "I did a bad thing; I know that, alright? I'm going to have to live with the guilt for probably the rest of my teen years, if not the rest of my life- and that's without you reminding me of it every chance you get!"

Wendy couldn't help it. She was angry enough at herself as it was; but she was getting tired really tired of Mabel, glaring at her every time she saw her with Dipper, refusing to talk to her… it wasn't just that Mabel wouldn't leave her alone; this girl used to be her friend. Mabel was almost as important to Wendy as Dipper; she'd always felt closer to the twins than any of her other friends. Mabel had a wonderful personality… she was sweet and kind, and unpredictable and funny; and it made Wendy feel that much worse to think that Mabel hated her.

"You hurt Dipper really badly that night," Mabel reminded her.

"I know!" Wendy replied. "But I know what's most important to me now, and it's not my stupid image; Dipper is the most important thing, and I'm trying to make up for not realizing that sooner."

Mabel's heart softened a bit at Wendy's words. She was starting to feel just a little bit guilty for not offering Wendy the benefit of the doubt, now that she was starting to sound truly sincere.

"It's just… Dipper's my brother," Mabel explained. "I want him to be happy… and I'm not sure if he can be happy with a girl who can't be seen in public with him."

"It's not like that anymore," Wendy repeated.

"But what happens when we start school this year?" Mabel inquired. "When you're around all those other kids? Are you going to try and hide it from them?"

"No," Wendy said instantly. "I don't care what anyone else thinks, I will never do that to Dipper again… you have my word."

Mabel remained silent. She was almost certain Wendy was being honest with her, but still… she couldn't help but be a little wary. Dipper was her brother, after all. He'd always looked out for her. Mabel, in turn, felt she needed to look out for him, especially now that they were going through their awkward teen years together… and since Dipper's first girlfriend had already proven herself less than 100% percent trustworthy.

"Come on, Mabel," Wendy pleaded. "You and I used to be friends… and I don't want you to hate me anymore, especially if we end up being stuck down here forever."

For the first time in days, Mabel smiled up at the older girl.

"I don't hate you," Mabel told Wendy. "I mean, I was really angry with you after what you did to Dipper… but 'hate' isn't in my dictionary. You know that."

"What about that chocolate with the white powdery stuff on top? Didn't you say you hate that stuff?" Wendy pointed out.

Mabel laughed. "Well, maybe there are some exceptions…"

"So… friends?" Wendy asked tentatively, offering her hand. Mabel took her hand and shook it.

"Friends," she replied. Wendy cringed as she took it, as the burn on her palm was still stinging.

"Here… let me help you with that," Mabel replied, noticing Wendy's burned hand. She took off her backpack, fished around a bit, then stopped; Wendy raised an eyebrow as Mabel's face reddened, and slowly she pulled out a small, dark object.

"Oops…"

It was a magnet gun. Mabel, it seemed, had stowed it in her backpack at some point and forgotten all about it. Wendy stared at the gun, dumbfounded that Mabel could've had it the entire time and not realized it.

"Well… looks like we just found our ticket to freedom," Wendy observed.

"Want me to bandage your hand first?" Mabel asked.

"I'd appreciate that," Wendy answered, her palm still stinging painfully.

The Courser never knew what hit it. It was so focused on Dipper that it didn't even have time to signal the other security droids before it was hit by a magnetic pulse from behind. To insure that it didn't get back up this time, Wendy pried the droid open and fired a few more shots into it's innards, frying the alien machine for good… or so she hoped.

From there, it was easy enough to find their way back to the bridge, through the maintenance ducts, and back up the ladder to the hilltop. They all stopped to flop down on the grass and take in a breath of fresh air, relieved to have escaped from what seemed like an impossible situation. It was a beautiful night, with cloudless skies studded with stars, and a comforting summer breeze blew through the woods as the group hiked back to the Mystery Shack.

It was 9:00 PM when they walked in to the Gift Shop. None were more relieved to be back than Melody; the killer animatronics at the mall were one thing, but this… this experience had been something else.

"Well, you're probably scarred for life," Wendy suggested upon noticing Melody's dilemma; the woman was leaning on the counter for support, taking deep and even breaths in an effort to calm her heart from thumping painfully in her chest.

"Might I suggest you take a few hours to stare at a wall, and rethink everything?" Wendy added, mildly amused.

"Is this considered normal for this town?" Melody asked.

"More or less," Wendy replied. "Truth be told, I've only been dealing with this as of last summer. It's a long story…"

"Spare me, please," Melody implored. She'd just about had enough weirdness for one day. Maybe Wendy's suggestion of staring at a wall and rethinking her perception of reality wasn't such a bad idea.

"What about you and Mabel?" Melody asked. She'd taken notice of Wendy's right hand, which she'd seen Mabel bandaging earlier while they were trapped. "Are you guys… okay?"

"I think we will be," Wendy answered.

Well, there was some good news. Wendy and Mabel were on the road to restoring their friendship and trust in one another… and all it took was a harrowing and dangerous adventure through a derelict alien spacecraft to do it. And Dipper had gotten his alien space-core-thingy, which he'd eagerly taken downstairs to show his Great Uncle Ford. All in all… not a bad day, or… at least, it could've been much worse.

Soos was already asleep when Melody walked into the bedroom she shared with her fiancé. Not wanting to wake him, Melody changed into her nightgown as quietly as she could and carefully slipped under the covers beside… but Soos, being a light sleeper, snorted awake all the same, despite her best efforts.

"Melody?" Soos asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "When did you get back?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Melody told him. "Were you worried about me?"

"A little, but… not too much. I figured Dipper and Mabel would bring you home safe," Soos answered.

"You seriously entrusted my safety to a couple of 13-year olds?" Melody replied in disbelief.

"Well… sure. Those dudes are my friends… and, you know; they've saved my butt a couple times before. I figured you were in good hands," Soos explained to his bride-to-be, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"You weren't wrong," Melody informed him.

"So… how was your first adventure in Gravity Falls? On a scale of one to ten- 1 being boring, anything over 10 being too much," Soos asked her.

"Let's just say I'm all adventured out for a while," Melody answered.

"Anything bad happen?"

"I'll tell you all about it in the morning sweetie," she replied. "But right now… I really need some sleep."

Soos merely shrugged, giving his girlfriend a peck on the cheek before allowing himself to fall back on his pillow and drift off to sleep. Melody had a little bit of trouble getting herself to sleep that night… for a few hours, she just lay there, staring up at the ceiling, going over the day's events in her head, remembering every vivid, pulse-pounding detail. Being attacked by alien security robots had shaken her up, to put it lightly.

"Welcome to Gravity Falls," Melody whispered to herself. The days events had tired her; her ankles were sore from running, and her energy was drained enough that she finally was able to rollover in her spot and close her eyes, allowing herself to succumb to sleep.

Author's Note: Well... there it is. I promise, the next chapter will be better. Sorry to being gone for so long; I'll try to have a new chapter up within the next couple weeks. Until next time.