I felt like there was more to tell, so here's a surprise second chapter. Reviews are appreciated.

Roots and Kindling

When amorous teenagers have a private space for any decent length of time, they're willing to overlook some things. Does this house look haunted? Doesn't matter. Does this futon clash terribly with the rest of the decor? Absolutely, but it's serviceably soft. Pacifica was more than serviceably soft, and Dipper was silently congratulating himself on turning the sitting room overlooking the graveyard into a sort of base for his work at the manor. He was especially glad he'd thought to put in a piece of modern furniture.

Pacifica received a message from Mabel as she sat astride Dipper's lap. Scratch behind his ears. He's like a cat. He kinda freezes and his brain shuts down. It's fun! She chuckled quietly as she read it aloud.

Mabel definitely spent more time talking about the intimate side of her brother's and best friend's relationship than they did. Dipper and Pacifica did think about it often - usually late at night when they were apart - but they were both entirely too shy about the subject to really talk about it, except for the few occasions when they would drop hints solely to mess with Mabel.

Dipper commented that no one had done the "ear thing" to him in years and suavely proposed that she try it for science.

Pacifica needed no invitation, of course, and put Mabel's suggestion to work immediately. Dipper responded positively, stroking his girlfriend's neck in a way that always resulted in happy shivers.

Lately, when the young couple's makeout sessions would reach a fever pitch, they were always sure something new would happen. But in the end they'd always hit the same invisible barrier. Hot, sharp breaths would tumble over their lips and dissipate in the comparatively cool air as their eyes silently asked "what now?"

Instead of letting their bodies answer the silent question, they would rest their foreheads against each other, close their eyes, and wait for the inferno to burn low. Eventually they'd open their eyes to gaze on a burning face, then share a relatively chaste kiss and a smile. They wouldn't directly acknowledge the fire, but they'd silently tuck the embers away for next time.

So it went. They probed with eyes and hands, but they always retreated somewhere safe. There was no reason to believe that today would be different. As he caught his breath between kisses, Dipper wondered for the hundredth time if Pacifica wanted him the same way he wanted her.

For the hundredth time, Pacifica wondered the same thing. Their prolonged lip-locking had gotten her warm enough to remove her sweater. After the unnecessary garment popped over her head, Pacifica found her favorite nerd staring at her with wide, unreadable eyes. He toyed with the hem of her camisole and Pacifica's mind raced. When was the last time he saw me in something this casual? Her heart leapt. Was this it? The tipping point? She really had been overheating, but if Dipper were to take it as an invitation… She pulled his face to hers with unusual ferocity, and a giddy, needy sensation thrilled through her body as Dipper ran his hand halfway up her back, lifting the flimsy cloth that had fanned the flames. As Dipper crushed her body against his, the fire in her chest raged higher than ever. Something was happening.

Or it might have, if Pacifica's phone hadn't trilled with a new text from Mabel.

Did it work? Pacifica smiled and shook her head impatiently, putting her phone down and returning her attention to her boyfriend's lips, but she failed to make contact before Dipper's phone vibrated as well.

You better not hog her all night. We have serious sleepover stuff to do! Do you want her to be awake at all tomorrow? Dipper laughed at his sister's antics. "She's threatening to keep you up all night."

"Doesn't she always?" Pacifica smiled, her face flushed and nerves still singing as the carnal tension began to fade.

"Good point." Dipper agreed. He soon received yet another text.

I've got a proposal for you. If you bring her home in the next half hour, I'll do my best to sneak her into your room when she's ready to fall asleep. I get to wear her out with girl talk, you get cuddles. That's teamwork, bro! Time management! Synergy!

Dipper blushed deeply as he read Mabel's proposal. He wasn't sure if Mabel was serious about assisting a late-night rendezvous under their parents' roof, but after what had just happened, the possibility of Pacifica in his bed was more intriguing than ever. Even if Mabel's offer was bogus, guilt compelled him to take her home. He knew Mabel had missed Pacifica almost as much as he had. The young couple agree to take pity on Mabel and departed for the Pines residence.

On the drive home, Pacifica smiled wistfully and wondered what might have happened if Mabel hadn't interrupted them. If she hadn't been so focused on the road, she might have noticed Dipper glancing at the clock unusually often.

Pacifica got as far as the curb before Mabel essentially tackled her.

"C'mere Fancy!" She squealed into the blonde's ear before yanking her across the lawn and into the house. Pacifica had just enough time to pop the trunk and shout something to Dipper about her bag before she disappeared inside. Dipper just smiled at his sister's enthusiasm before retrieving Pacifica's designer luggage from the car and hauling it inside.

If he was lucky, Mabel might let his girlfriend out of her sight long enough to allow them a quick goodnight. If not, well, she'd be there for a week. Mabel had to go to work eventually.

But if he was really lucky… well, he didn't want to jinx it.

Dipper was reading in bed when his two favorite girls entered through the twins' shared bathroom.

"Here she is, as promised!" Mabel declared.

"You weren't kidding earlier?" Dipper closed his book with a look of mild surprise. Pacifica smiled shyly over Mabel's shoulder.

"Hey, you got her here within the time limit. Just holdin' up my end of the deal." Mabel shrugged innocently.

"I think she's fallen off the matchmaking wagon again." Pacifica observed in a stage whisper.

"Hey, I just love love." Mabel shamelessly admitted. "Besides, you guys are adorable together! Imagine the kids you'd make!"

"Oh, so that's what it's all about. Just trying to get those teen pregnancy numbers up, huh?" Dipper suggested wryly.

"I mean, on the one hand, it's way too soon for you guys to have a kid, but on the other hand, I wanna be Auntie Mabel, like, yesterday. So you do what you want." She finished with a saucy wink.

"Goodnight, Mabel." Dipper said flatly.

"Night bro-bro. Night Fancy. Be good! Or don't!" Mabel left with a final waggle of her eyebrows, closing the bathroom door behind her. Even knowing Mabel as well as they did, the young couple still found her boldness amusing.

Pacifica sat on the corner of Dipper's desk, looking over his notes so that she didn't have to face him. A nervous energy had coiled in her stomach as soon as she saw her handsome boyfriend in bed.

Dipper had been nearly ready to turn in for the night, but he suddenly felt wide awake. Pacifica's outfit was having quite an effect on him. She wore the camisole from earlier and a pair of soft and expensive-looking pajama pants that hugged her hips. Notably absent were the telltale white straps of a bra. Dipper's mouth started to feel oddly dry.

"I'm kind of worried she'll take our clothes and shove us in a closet some day." Pacifica mused. "It's like she doesn't realize we're dating or something." She joked.

"Matchmaking by assault and kidnapping. Classic Mabel." Dipper laughed.

"Has she told you about that weird idea she has for you two to do a spooky magic act at the Manor? Where you act like Gideon Gleeful and freak people out with the whole twin thing?"

"The 'Telepath Twins' bit? Yeah, she's way too into that." Dipper looked uneasy, though he couldn't keep a trace of amusement off his face.

"I mean, I figured you wouldn't go for it, but did you see the outfits she designed?" Pacifica demanded. "They're amazing. You could rule the world in an outfit like that."

"It's acting though. I'd be terrible at that." Dipper cringed.

"Would you be mad if I had the outfits made for you guys?" Pacifica pleaded. "Mabel's totally got the legs for it. If you don't want the world, you can at least rule me when you're wearing it." She offered, making an attempt at innocent doe eyes which Dipper found more amusing than arousing.

"I dunno." He teased. "I'm not sure if 'ruling' you would fit the persona she was describing for the characters. I think she said 'intense, mysterious, and incesty.'"

"Ruling people sounds intense and you have plenty of experience with mysteries. Just leave the incest out and we'll be fine." Pacifica shrugged playfully.

"I'm pretty sure I'm more awkward than mysterious." Dipper chuckled.

"Mmm. Tall, dork and handsome." Pacifica recited cheekily. It wasn't the first time she'd used that line, and it wouldn't be the last.

Dipper's reaction was typical - he tried and failed to look stern, then smirked and delivered his usual response. "C'mere blondie. I wanna see if your roots are showing." His smirk always melted into something softer, and she treasured the knowledge that Dipper couldn't even pretend not to care for her. He was the best part of her world for a reason.

So the routine went. Even though he'd "inspected" her roots countless times before, she never refused his invitation. Pacifica crossed to the bed with a smile, knowing what would come next. Dipper welcomed her with open arms and Pacifica sighed contentedly as they wrapped around her shoulders and a few dextrous, gentle fingertips whispered over the crown of her head. "Hmm. Still blonde. Very convincing." His voice was soft and teasing.

"It's real and you know it." Pacifica murmured. She would never tire of Dipper's fingers in her hair. She could feel a hint of his breath on her scalp as he intently perused her silky locks. "Can we lie down?" She quietly requested.

Dipper wordlessly turned to stretch over the mattress, taking her with him. The young couple lay together in his bed for some time, enjoying the closeness and warmth.

Initially Pacifica had hoped that they might continue where they'd left off at the manor, but the long day was finally catching up with her and she found her eyelids growing heavy. "I guess I should go." She sighed and spared a frown at the door of the twins' shared bathroom.

"You don't have to." Dipper was so tired and enthralled by the way Pacifica felt in his arms that he was willing to give Mabel's suggestion a shot.

"Won't you get in trouble if I stay?"

"That assumes they find out that you stayed. Mabel implied she'd cover for us somehow."

"Yeah, she's got the bathroom light on and the door on her side is cracked so you can see it." Pacifica smiled as she explained Mabel's clever ruse, which she had dubbed the Midnight Rendezruse. "She said your parents would just assume I was in there if they ever checked. And she said if we slept facing the wall with you on the outside no one would be able to see me."

"Sounds like a decent plan." Dipper nodded appreciatively. Mabel could be incredibly resourceful in matters of love. He was reminded of a certain no-budget puppet show and a Free Willy-style merman relocation.

"It does make sense. But what if they do find out?" Pacifica asked in a small voice.

"Well, my parents aren't as scary as yours." Dipper gently reminded her. "I mean, they don't have the money to ship me off to boarding school in Switzerland or something like that." Pacifica frowned. Her parents had made that threat after she opened the gates to the party, but thankfully they hadn't gone through with it. "I can't imagine my parents doing anything worse than grounding me, which probably wouldn't work now since I've got a job and a super-hot boss and a rickety mansion to stay in." Pacifica smiled weakly but Dipper sensed his girlfriend's concern. "And you're an adult now, remember? All you'd have to do is slap a cop or something and the Swiss would deport you, right?"

Pacifica's smile was much more genuine as she responded. "They're called gendarmes, and you've been spending too much time with your uncle if that's how you'd get home from Switzerland." Pacifica laughed.

"I have not spent nearly enough time with Stan." Dipper declared. "He still needs to teach me how to count cards."

Pacifica eyed her boyfriend dubiously. "Didn't he get you bolt cutters for your 18th birthday?"

"Yup. 'You never know when you might be hungry enough to borrow stuff without asking.'"

"Well at least you're prepared." Pacifica rolled her eyes fondly.

Many minutes of quiet conversation peppered with long pauses passed, and the young couple now laid side by side as Mabel had proposed, with the young heiress facing the wall. Pacifica never thought she'd enjoy having her nose a few inches from a wall so much, but it was surprisingly nice. The white expanse was there if she cared to open her eyes, but she was keeping them closed while she relished the feeling of Dipper's body pressed against hers.

Life was good. There was a blank canvas before her, a better man than she'd ever dreamed of at her back, and the faint, muffled strains of foreign pop music filtering through the door from Mabel's room.

Pacifica had never felt so content. She thought it strange that tears should pick such a happy moment to prickle at the corners of her eyes.

"I really like staying at your house." The words were quiet but surprisingly full of emotion. Pacifica turned over to press her head into her boyfriend's chest.

"Why? Does yours get crowded with all the servants?" Dipper quipped as he adjusted to his lady's new position. He felt a puff of air against his neck as Pacifica let out a sniff of mirth.

"No, this place just feels more like a home. You remember what my house is like. So big you get lost. It's like sleeping in a museum."

"A museum of dickery." Dipper agreed, stifling a yawn.

"I mean, I think about all the crap we have at home that's older than both my parents put together. All the shiny stuff that meant something to someone who's long gone - until a Northwest stole it from them." Dipper snorted at that. "All the walls and floors and furniture I wasn't allowed to touch." The tired girl continued with a sigh. "But your house… you can tell people live here." She concluded.

Just when Dipper thought she might have fallen asleep, another thought flitted into Pacifica's leaden mind. "There's only one thing I'm not allowed to touch here." Dipper could hear the smile creep into her voice, slow and wide. He waited for what he assumed would be a punchline, but she remained silent, tracing a finger in little circles over his chest. As tired as he was, he failed to pick up her meaning. "You." She whispered, turning her head to press a kiss against his neck.

Dipper squeezed her appreciatively. "One rule and you just had to break it, huh?" He smirked.

"I blame Mabel." Pacifica mumbled. "She's a bad influence."

"Mmm." Dipper agreed. "Good sister though." He added.

"Yeah. Good friend too."

"And hopefully a good lookout."

"Seriously though, if your parents find me in here are they gonna throw me out?" She worried aloud. Her concern wasn't so much avoiding trouble as it was staying in the Pines' good graces. They were good people - Dipper was proof enough of that.

"Nah. They'll make one of us sleep on the couch downstairs." He yawned. "Probably me."

Pacifica dimly wondered where that would leave her. Probably Mabel's room, where she technically belonged. Or maybe she could sleep in Dipper's bed. Dipper's bed was nice. It smelled like him. Though it wouldn't be as nice without him in it. She frowned. It would be terribly unjust for anyone to separate her from Dipper. "We've got all our clothes on. We're behaving just fine." She reasoned blearily. "M'not moving." She nuzzled her head against his chest obstinately.

Dipper ran a thumb over his girlfriend's nearly-bare shoulders. Her skin was warm and unbelievably soft, and her gorgeous, genuinely blonde hair pooled behind her, flowing over Dipper's arms like silk. In the space between his breaths, he could feel the delicate thump of her heart against his ribcage. "Me neither."

Pacifica's thoughts about Dipper's house feeling more "alive" than her own are based on my own experiences. I came from a house with carpet you weren't allowed to walk on and furniture you shouldn't touch, and I hope all of you get to experience a few evenings in a house that's never empty or quiet. I had some of my happiest moments in a place like that. I don't miss the person I was there to see, but I miss the way her family made me feel sometimes.

Also there was this one dick that called me Fancy because of my upper class roots. I thought it would be a perfect name to hand down to Pacifica.