Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls. If I did, it wouldn't have any fandom at all.

Author's Notes: Set after Season 2 Episode 10 Northwest Mansion Mystery, this fan fiction is free from major spoilers and only hints at the event (referred to as "party" and nothing else). Also contains a slight hint of Dipper x Pacifica but it could be interpreted as friend shipping if preferred.

NEW Spanish translation by BillErakDragonDorado (deviantART) on my profile here in FFN!

It was a silent night, and a rather boring one for Dipper Pines. Trying to suppress a yawn, he flipped through the pages of his journal. He wasn't in the middle of a research since he had read the entirety of it seven times already, but he needed something to keep him awake. Even though sleeping was a good idea, and his eyes desperately pleaded for it, he still wasn't in the mood to switch his lampshade off and doze off. Rubbing his half-open eyes, he flipped to the next page again, merely staring at it rather than reading it. He sighed and was beginning to really consider sleeping when he heard a faint knock from the door downstairs.

At first he thought it was just that woodpecker again, but as he listened it sounded more and more distinct every moment. Curious, and slightly confused as to who it could be at this late hour, he slipped the journal into his secret loose floorboard and, securing it with the lid, jumped down and made his way downstairs.

When he came to the bottom he looked around and felt for a light switch. He flicked one on and saw that Grunkle Stan was nowhere to be found. That's strange, he thought, but shrugged it off. He wanted to send the person back home and get this over with so he opened the door without hesitation.

What greeted his sight made him rethink his decision.

"Pacifica?" He exclaimed, his half-open eyes widening. He examined the blonde girl standing in front of him. She was wearing a fairly elegant outfit with a matching fancy hat, both of the hot pink color, but her hair that was forcibly tucked into it had loose strands that sprawled in all directions. Her face was stained with what looked like tears, and it looked depressed from all the mascara falling down on her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she wiped them off.

"Whoa, wait, what are you doing here?" He asked, concerned. "Are you okay?" Sure, she hadn't been the best person to him and his sister Mabel, and he still didn't fully embrace her yet, but they were making progress and seeing her on his doorstep in that state was something that awfully bugged him.

"I'm sorry for waking you at this hour," she apologized, hugging herself.

"Don't worry about it, I was awake anyway," he said, dismissing it. Realizing it was cold outside and she had probably gone through a lot, he opened the door wider and stepped aside. "Do you wanna go inside and...talk about what happened? Of course I wouldn't force you since you probably hate this place anyway, but-"

"It's all right. Thanks." She said with a nod, cleaning her shoes on the carpet outside before making her way in. She went to the sofa and sat on it, making herself as comfortable as possible, but she was still fairly saddened.

Dipper sat beside her, of course maintaining distance, but he asked again. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said, wiping her face again. Her sleeves were already stained but that was the least of her worries. she sighed and her gaze dropped to the floor below. "It's just that...my parents set me aside after the party. They scolded me and said somethings...I didn't like, and I wanted to go somewhere far from them for now."

Of course, it was to be expected. He responded with a slight nod, and without knowing what to do, decided to comfort her by patting her back. Pacifica looked up as she felt a gentle hand on her back. Any day she would have complained about it being him already, but that day, she let it stay and smiled slightly. Sadness was still evident in her eyes, but nonetheless it was a thankful smile.

"Thanks. I'm sorry for busting into your place like this. I thought you would have not allowed me after what my family did to all those townsfolk," she sighed, her expressions dropping again.

He chuckled lightly, hoping it would influence her to feel better. Feeling a bit awkward, he pat her back again. "Hey, it's cool, though I am surprised that you'd go to this "hovel", so to speak."

"I'm sorry about what happened earlier," she said.

"It's all right. At least you realized where you and your family went wrong, and you attempted to fix it."

Not more was said after that. A few silent moments passed by as Dipper removed his hand and placed it on his lap. With his head facing the opposite direction of Pacifica's, he still can't help but take quick, small glances at her. A part of him feels sorry for her, but the other feels doubtful. It was, after all, very hard to believe she was actually changing to a better person, and all in one evening. Or maybe, she didn't really need to change that much. He sighed inaudibly. He just wondered why, of all people, did she go to them first?

Or specifically, to him.

Blushing slightly, he cleared his throat and regained composure. He asked, "So...where are you sleeping for tonight?"

"Huh?" She asked, looking up from the floor. "Oh." Pacifica then realized she didn't really have a place to stay. She certainly didn't want to stay in the shack either, but it seemed like she had no choice.

"Fine, I'll be staying here if you don't mind," she said, standing up and brushing the dirt off her clothes. "I'm still not in the mood to see my parents. They're probably not looking for me anyway."

He looked at her sadly. He could hear the tone of sadness in her voice. But, trying to make the atmosphere more euphoric, he smiled and said, "Hey, you could sleep with me and Mabel in our room in the attic!"

Seeing Pacifica's reaction, he realized what he said and quickly added, "No, it's not the actual attic! It's a room in there that's perfectly clean. We don't really have bedrooms here, this being the shack and all..."

Partially, it was true, but after the carpet incident, he doesn't want to mention that room again. And he's pretty sure she wouldn't like it much either.

"All right, seems better than nothing. Although, you do have an extra bed right? I'd hate to share the same one you have." She said, faint blushes emerging from her cheeks as she looked away.

"Oh yeah!" Dipper answered, his voice cracking, as he looked away as well. His face was tinted with red that will give Mabel a run for her match-making money. "I-I'm pretty sure I can get Mabel to share my bed tonight, then you can have hers. Unless you want to sleep beside her, but that's a bad idea."

"No thanks then, I'll take the spare bed," she said jokingly, having her first laugh for quite a while.

"Alright, I'll be taking you upstairs, but you should really be careful of some of the wood sticking out. It might snag on your...dress or something."

"Oh, I'll hold up the ends then."

...

"Thanks again Dipper," she said, giving him a quick hug. Slightly surprised, he didn't mind returning the favor.