Epilogue – Night of the Final Day

Wendy and Dipper sat in silence upon the former's secret spot against the slanted roof of the Mystery Shack. The moonlight and starry night supplied ample light, allowing the two to see each other under the shade of darkness. A warm breeze caressed their worn figures. Sitting cross-legged, the two gradually ate the spontaneous picnic Dipper had made a short while earlier as they reflected upon the day's events.

The couple had worked in tandem in order to stop the wicked designs of the dream demon, Bill Cipher, and despite their victory, neither adolescent felt much like celebrating.

Dipper's mind jumped from place to place in an effort to find a solution to a nearly unconquerable predicament. As Wendy recovered from the attack in the dreamscape, the boy detective spent the remainder of the afternoon searching through his treasured Journal #3 in an effort to find a way to keep the cruel imp at bay. His brown eyes grew weary from studying every single note, with and without the black light, only to find that no other mention of Bill existed in the tome, except for the Author's initial warning not to summon him in the first place.

There was no magic defensive spell to be found, no protective ritual to be learned, or even a sort of shielding dream catcher to be built. In spite of his best efforts, Dipper could not find an assured way to keep his sweetheart safe in his absence.

He looked across the rooftop with a sense of regret and shame at his girlfriend as she continued to pick at her serving; a vast change in behavior for the girl that would normally encourage her mate to race to see who could devour their food the fastest. In the short, few hours since awakening from her nightmare, Dipper could easily notice a severe change in Wendy's demeanor.

The hyper-active, hormonally-charged lumberjack princess of mountain town legend had seemingly vanished. A quiet, more reserved ginger served in her stead. Her slender body appeared to shudder uncontrollably, even with the comfortable weather surrounding her. The once calming background sounds of the natural world made her jump and gasp at every utterance. Occasionally, the fifteen year old would stop and look over her shoulder, as if she already knew that the real-life boogeyman could whisk her away at any possible moment.

Worse of all, Dipper perceived that the markings under Wendy's green eyes, the never-fading symbol of Bill Cipher's otherworldly reach, had become more detailed. The bags had started to deepen, becoming a shade of blacken-purple contrasting against her pale freckled skin. He reached up and using his fingertips, traced his own indents as his heart sunk further.

"It isn't right; at least, I did this to myself! She didn't do anything to deserve those awful things…"

Wendy looked up from her meal to find her beau staring at her with starry eyes. In a panic, she dropped her sandwich and exclaimed, "Oh, no! W-W-What's wrong?! I-Is everything alright?"

Dipper leaned over, holding his hands outwards, "It's okay! It's okay! I was…just thinkin', that's all…"

"About what?"

"Well," he rubbed the back of his head, itching his dark locks as he rushed to come up with an suitable answer, "I was…thinking about how happy I am that you're okay…"

"Oh!" Wendy shrunk back, extremely embarrassed by her sudden outburst, "S-Sorry, Dipper," she apologized. "I – I don't know why I'm so jumpy…"

Dipper reached for her hand, feeling her tremble in his grasp, "Hey, we've been through a lot today." He smiled, trying to maintain a sense of positivity. "I mean, who wouldn't feel the same way?"

"Yeah, I guess…"

It killed the pre-teen to see his favorite redhead so shaken up like this. Bill's threats against Wendy constantly flashed in his mind, leading him to believe that there wasn't any way that she would be able to handle another encounter with the supernatural being, especially since it now knew how to exploit her most delicate secrets.

Dipper's thoughts went back to his studies earlier that day. As he made his way through the torn book, he recalled how all of the misfortunes over the last three days seemed to branch off of one another:

"Bill wouldn't have even known about Wendy if it wasn't for Gideon. But then, I wouldn't have gone to see him if Wendy wasn't there to encourage me. She was there because I apologized for that scene at Greasy's Diner with Robbie. And that happened because he saw us together in town while running the errands she meant to do the day before, when she got into the accident…"

He hated even thinking about it. Along with all of the terrible things that had occurred within the same period came what felt like a lifetime of cherished memories that Dipper wouldn't trade for anything in the world: hand-holding, bear-hugs, picnics and campouts, quiet walks and peaceful bike rides, and surprise kisses that turned frowns upside down.

Regardless, Dipper knew something had to be done. After everything that he witnessed in Wendy's dreamscape, he couldn't pretend everything would work itself out. She was worth too much to leave things up to chance and hope for the best.

And that's what he saw it…

It shone in the sun's rays as soon as he turned the page. At the mere sight, a desperate plan started to form in the back of his head. The ultimate nuclear option; it was the definitive solution to an unworkable problem.

However, it would come with a terrible price: while it would promise success against Bill and save Wendy's sanity, it would also destroy everything good that had come to be as well.

He became watery-eyed at the thought. Was this the only way? Why were the fates always plotting against him, leaving him in the center of a near-impossible choice, especially when involving the teenaged dream he loved with all his heart?

As several different voices faded in and out of his sub-consciousness, Dipper could make out that of his portly nemesis as he mocked the boy from behind unbreakable glass:

"What is truly important to you?"

Dipper shook his head clear, bringing him back to reality and Wendy waiting on the Mystery Shack rooftop. He had planned this dinner-date as a sort of last hurrah, trying his best to soak in everything in the atmosphere, chalking every last detail to memory. The lad glanced at his wrist-watch, taking note that he only had a few minutes more until he had to bring his plan into fruition.

"W-Why do you keep l-l-looking at your watch?" Wendy asked, forcing a half-smile, "Y-Y-You got a hot date or something?"

He returned the sentiment, burying all of his angst and anxiety beneath his surface, "No way! There's no better place than right here with you…"

She beamed as Dipper cleared his throat, ready to execute his objective, "Listen, I –"

Wendy reached into her flannel shirt and pulled out a shiny object, "H-H-Here, I got this for you…"

Dipper watched as her arm staggered with nervous twitching, She held her hand right over his opened palm, only to have it involuntarily jerk away at the last second, missing her intended goal, sending the gift clattering into the shingles of the roof.

"Oh, man!"

Her boyfriend searched around until his fingers made contact with the unknown object, "I got it! I got it!" Dipper gripped the item and bought it up to his face.

"I was g-g-going to wait until the day you left for h-home," Wendy stuttered, "B-B-But after everything that's happened, I-I-I figured why wait any longer – no time like the present…"

It was a golden circular locket, somewhat aged and dulled. Linked together with a small, matching thin chain, Dipper detected a tiny gap in the right side. He used his fingernail to pry it open, only to gasp out loud at the sight inside.

"Oh – Oh, Wendy…"

Inside of the locket was the selfie picture that they had taken together at sunset at the Gravity Falls Lake the night before. The illusion given by the serene surrounding, making the two seem older and more mature than they really were, would be preserved for all time.

"Do you like it?" Wendy looked away in awkwardness, "It was…my mother's. She gave it to me as a child, and always said I should give it to someone I really care about…"

Dipper was left speechless. His eyes grew wet. This wasn't part of the plan. If anything, it only made things even harder for him. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around the girl and squeezed as hard as he could. He was filled with tender warmth as he felt her do the same.

"So, I'll take that as a y-y-yes?"

He pulled back, nodded, and held the heirloom in his hands, "Can I – Can I put it on?"

"Of course, d-dweeb!"

Dipper removed his hat and slid the necklace over his head. The cold steel gave him a slight chill. The circle portion disappeared into his vest.

"N-Now…" Wendy held her green pendant up for him to see, "…we match!"

A gentle beeping went off, forcing Dipper to look back at his wristwatch. He had two minutes left! He had to act now! It was the only way! Her last chance!

The tween let out a sigh. Part of him wished he could have been honest with Wendy about his intentions, but he already knew the truth. There was no way she would have let him go through with it. He would have been reminded that they were best friends, partners-in-crime; truly inseparable despite the odds. She would have told him that she was fine even with her recent physical change; for him to ignore what he could see and focus on what he was being told instead.

After seeing her relentlessly-traumatized state, or more so, how it refused to relent, he knew what he had to do, no matter how much it hurt deep down. He wouldn't accept her living in an edgy, broken state for his sake.

Dipper glanced up at Wendy's eyes as they shone like little jewels in the night sky. He was ready to sacrifice anything he had to in order to guarantee that she would be protected...

"Listen, Wendy," He saw the panic in her face. "Nothing's the matter!" he calmed her. "I just wanted to say something that's been on my mind..."

"O-Okay, go ahead."

He heaved, closing his eyes for a moment, before he began, "Well, I just wanted to say that not counting all of the recent craziness, how much the last couple of days meant to me –"

"I feel the same way, Dip, but what –"

"Hang a sec, okay?"

Wendy shook her head, allowing him to continue.

"Anyways, I wanted you to know that even though it sounds cheesy, but to me, all of this time spent with you was like, the best of my entire life…"

Dipper could see that the teenager was starting to tear up as well. He forced himself to continue, knowing that his time was fleeting.

"Despite only being three days, it was everything I had ever hoped for. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful it has been. Better than the best adventure! Greater than the most secretive mystery! It is so much like I imagined it to be that it's almost scary!"

He took her hand once more, "And it's all thanks to you, Wendy. You never judged me the way the rest of the world has. You always accepted me for who and what I am, and more than that, you loved me for it. It's something that I can't even begin to explain how grateful I am to you. It's like a gift I can never repay…"

"Dipper – "

Dipper clutched her hand tighter, "I guess what I'm trying to tell you, is that I love you, Wendy Corduroy. And thank you, for loving me, too. And no matter what happens, I wanted you to know that I'll never forget any of this! I'll treasure it always!"

He let go of her and sat up as a wave of sadness quickly triumphed over him. Wendy overcame her shock a second later, "Dipper, that was – I can't even – I love you, too…"

She took pause, seeing her cohort's now-depressed state, "But, Dipper –"

The twelve-year-old reached into his vest pocket, taking hold of the key to her salvation.

"Why does it sound like you're saying good-bye?"

He pulled out the cracked, halfway-repaired tape measure time machine as he met her eye-to-eye.

"Because…" Dipper pulled back on the tape, "…I have to…"

Wendy's eyes widened at the sight. As soon as she spotted the time machine, she immediately realized what he was planning. She lounged towards Dipper as he let go of the tape.

"No! Wait!"

Dipper watched as time slowed to a crawl. He raised his head to see Wendy coming towards him, with a distressed expression on her face, before coming to a complete stop; her lips forced out one last message:

"Please…don't…leave…me…"

At the sound of the upsetting plea, Dipper's heart was ripped into two. He had finally lost all self-control as he began to sob hysterically, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" He placed his face against hers, just as they had their first shared night in Wendy's hospital room. His warmed tears melted against her ice-cold ones frozen against her flushed cheeks. "But I don't know what else to do!" He closed his eyes, clipped the measure on his shorts, and used his thumbs to wipe away her remaining teardrops. "And I remember what you said about life and taking risks. I really do! But your life is worth so much more to me than a stupid risk!"

Dipper looked around to see that the world around them was starting to turn to an over-exposed white. He knew that he would disappear into the nether within a few moments.

"I'm doing the right thing…" The pre-teen sniffed as he tried to convince himself, "I'm doing the right thing…"

He gazed back into Wendy's eyes, forever expressing a look of disappointment and sorrow. Dipper appealed to the unmoving girl, hoping by some sort of miracle, she'd be able to hear him.

"Please don't hate me for this! Please! I hate this! You'll never know how much I hate this, but this was the only sure way I could think of! You'll be safe; I can promise you'll be truly safe…"

Still hanging on to Wendy, Dipper tilted upwards and brushed aside the red bangs hanging down from her brown trapper hat. And as his main squeeze had done dozens of times before in the last few days, he delivered his absolute favorite, a soft, but tender kiss to the center of her forehead; a fitting form of final farewell.

Shortly afterwards, Dipper could feel the redhead melt away in his arms as he was pulled into the past. The white light shortly overcame him completely.

"I'll miss you, Wendy…I really will!"

Seconds later, the tremendous heat started to grow fainter from his body. Random sound and noise returned to the universe. The blinding light faded away, bringing color back to his still-focusing eyes.

A voice called out for him, "Dude, how could you already miss me?"

As his vision returned, Dipper found himself standing before a very confused Wendy Corduroy in the Mystery Shack's Gift Shop. She raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms together.

"I haven't even left for the day yet!"

While struggling to catch his breath, Dipper examined Wendy from head to toe. The accursed bags under her eyes had vanished. Her posture was no longer nerve-wrecked or shaken. Instead, she stood full of strength, confident, and overwhelming charisma. A great weight was lifted from Dipper's shoulders as his Wendy had returned to her old self. The green pendant he had handcrafted for her was no longer found around her neck.

Dipper peeked at the calendar mounted on the wall behind Wendy. He had done it; the makeshift time machine had sent him back three days into the past. The sun setting in the distance was able to tell him that he had arrived just before she had gotten into the car accident with her friends.

"Are – " He wheezed further, "Are you alright?"

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?" Her concern for her young charge deepened, "Dipper, what's going on? Is something the matter?"

His stomach turned sour and began to churn. He seized his sides as they started to swell up.

"What was that? A side effect of the time travel?"

All of a sudden, the barely functioning tape measure time machine fell from his short pants, shattering into the floor in a million pieces. Dipper dropped to his knees, vertigo overtaking him, as he scooped his fingers through the pile of scrap metal.

"There's definitely no going back now…"

"Hey, buddy," Wendy bent down and placed an arm around her fretful friend, "It's cool; I'm sure Soos can help you fix…err…whatever the heck that thing was…" Dipper turned to face his crush, transforming her comforting nature into one of concern, "Dip, you're…you're changing colors on me. Kinda getting me worried here…"

The grumbling in the pit of his gut quickly began to feel like knife-like thrusts, making the poor kid nearly keel over in Wendy's arms. Nausea started to mount within him. The taste of bile came up in tiny, unnoticeable burps.

"What's happening to me? I've never felt like this while time traveling before. Maybe it's because the tape measure wasn't repaired the right way?"

He could feel something rising at the back of his throat. His cheeks started to become puffed up.

"Dipper! Say something!"

He tried to wiggle out of Wendy's grip, "Let…go..."

"What did you say?"

Left with no other choice, Dipper was forced to push her away, "Let…me…*GURGLE* go!" As Wendy landed on her jeaned bottom, he sprinted out of the Gift Shop and towards the nearest bathroom. He fell to the ground, bowed over the toilet, and retched for what seemed like an eternity…

"Ohh…"

Dipper opened his eyes and looked to his left and right, only to discover that he was now lying comfortably in his bed in the attic-converted bedroom he shared with his sister. His blue and white pine tree cap hung on the corner post above his head. His black sneakers and vest had been removed and placed neatly on the wooden chair by the desk in the center of the room.

"What happened?" Dipper groaned as he grabbed the side of his head.

"I was hoping you'd tell me…"

He lifted his head to see Wendy leaning one flannelled arm against his doorway. A calmed relief could be seen in her green eyes. "How you feeling, little guy?"

Although he was glad to see her up and about, a sense of gloom clouded his bearing as he was instantly reminded of what he was forced to give up. "Terrible," he replied.

Wendy walked over to the bed and took a seat, "I'll bet. You scared the living daylights out of me! So, what exactly happened? You didn't eat the 'shrooms in the woods, or something like that?"

"No, no!" Dipper denied, trying his best to avoid having any instance of the truth slip out, "I – uh – I think I got myself sick while doing an experiment…"

"Oh, okay then…"

"How did I get up here? I don't even remember what happened after I got to the bathroom…"

"How else do you think?" Wendy used her thumb to point at herself, "I carried you upstairs and put you in bed…"

"You – You did this?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" A surprised look spread about her face, "It wasn't like I was just gonna leave you down there. Besides, I needed to get you outta the way so I could clean up the mess!"

"Oh, man…" he bemoaned, as more was added to Dipper's already-guilty conscience, "I didn't mean to stick you with all that…"

"Don't be, man!" Wendy forgave, "Besides, it was a lot neater that the majority of the messes my brothers leave behind. Heck, I'm just happy you knocked me out of the way in the nick of time."

Dipper shrank back under his blankets, "Sorry about that…"

"Hey, it's better than being barfed on!"

Suddenly, Dipper remembered his current mission, "What – What time is it?"

Wendy pulled back her sleeve to look at her watch, "Well, you've been out for about an hour and a half. The guys came by to pick me up, but I told them I'd hang out here to keep an eye on you, just in case."

"Wait," Dipper interrupted, "They didn't pick you up?" He feigned ignorance, "Were – Were they mad?"

"Nah," Wendy waved her hand, "I told them I'd meet up with them later. We'd just probably – "

A series of tiny chirps started to emit from her jean pocket. She turned away from Dipper and reached for her phone, "Oh, hey! That's probably them right now!"

Dipper twiddled his fingers nervously as he already knew why they were trying to contact her.

Wendy opened her flip phone and started to read her text message. As her green eyes moved downwards, he watched as her freckled face started to become distorted at the sight she had been sent, "Whoa…whoa…WHOA! MAN, OH MAN!"

"What is it?"

She held the phone in his face, "Take a look at this!"

Dipper looked past the shifting images to see the exact same wrecked van he had found his sweetheart trapped in days earlier. He acted surprised by the presentation of twisted metal before him, "Is that Thompson's van? What happened? Is anyone hurt?"

Wendy pulled the phone back and continued to read through the rest of the message. "According to Tambry, everyone is a bit banged up, but they're okay. Just wow! Thompson's mom is so-going to kill him for this!"

As she continued to review the photo, the gingered teenager froze up, as if she was locked into deep thought. "Wendy?" Dipper asked. "Did something else happen?"

His voice brought her back to life, "Hmm? No, it's not that. It's just…I had a real crazy thought…" She turned to face the bed-ridden boy, "If you didn't get sick earlier, I would be in the middle of that wreck along with those guys. And then, what would have happened…?"

Dipper attempted to steer the conversation in another direction, "Maybe you shouldn't think like that…"

"But, what if, Dipper? A person can go crazy thinking about that stuff…"

"Don't I know it…?"

She smiled at her friend, "You know, it's kind of funny. Even when you're not trying, you still find a way to keep me out of trouble, don't you? It's like you got some mad guardian angel/good luck charm genes going on!"

Dipper forced a laugh in an effort to sway any suspicion away from him. "Hehe…imagine that…"

Wendy rose to her feet and leaned over to rub his thick brown hair with affection, "And that's why you'll always be "my boy!"

Feeling as if the fates that offered him some sort of mere consolidation prize, Dipper fought against the uprising tears and produced a grin for Wendy's sake.

"I…I know…"

Sensing that he wasn't at 100% just yet, Wendy walked towards the exit, "Why don't you get some shut-eye, and we'll catch up later?"

"Sounds good…"

Just as the redhead was about to head out the door, Dipper called out for her one last time,

"Hey, Wendy?"

She stuck her head back inside the room, "Hmm…?"

He met her eye-to-eye, despite every instinct wanting him to turn away, "I just wanted to thank you again…for everything."

Wendy dipped her head in response, "Don't mention it, buddy. After all, if everything was reversed, I know you'd do the same for me…"

The twelve-year-old was almost left flabbergasted by her response, fully aware of the parallel lines that were being drawn between the different realities. He answered her in the best, yet most honest way he could:

"You bet your life on it…"

Wendy's smile broadened as she closed the door behind her. Dipper could make out the sounds of the lumberjack's boots as they faded into the distance. As soon as he knew Wendy was out of hearing range, the heartbroken boy covered his eyes and silently wept. He had succeeded in his cause; Wendy was safe and sound, and yet, there was still a lingering in his soul as he reflected on everything he had to give up to make it happen.

As he wiped away his tears, Dipper asked if he was being selfish in his thoughts. It was without saying that he would always cherish the fact that he and Wendy were best friends, but at the same time, it wouldn't be close to what they had previously had. The odds were nearly astrological in the chances of being able to regain the same type of connection ever again.

"I did the right thing..." He repeated his mantra over and over, "I did the right thing..."

Feeling depressed and emotionally drained, Dipper pulled up his comforter, only to have his hand brush up against something solid. Baffled, he lifted the blanket up to see a hard lump sticking out of his chest from behind his orange shirt.

"What in the – "

Dipper reached into the top of the shirt and pulled out the object. His eyes became saucers as his lower lip quivered in astonishment.

In the palm of his hand was the golden locket that Wendy had given him in the other timeline. Somehow, he had carried it back into this reality. Still in a state of disbelief, he pried open the treasure and peered at the picture posted on the inside. The faux-portraits of the happy couple, an open window to the world Dipper so desperately missed, offered him a much-needed amount of solace.

With his eyes left blurry by the tiny miracle, Dipper closed the locket, and held it close to his heart. He cried himself to sleep, hoping that in his dreams, he would be able to find that special place that they had shared, where he would be forever hers, and she would always be his…

January 23th, 2015 – March 30th, 2015

Special thanks to:

-Markmak for his infinite wisdom.

-ASofterGravityFalls/Avril-Circus/Steggmatt/Roboptables/SuperGroverAway/RySenkari for inspiration.

-MontyDragon for the art piece.