CHAPTER 1

Wendy looked up from the splintery counter.

She had removed her flannel shirt, due to the heat wave which had struck Gravity Falls during the first week of summer. The air conditioning machine which she and Soos had forced Stan to install created barely enough cool air to keep her conscious, and the fan rotated lazily, the dusk light creating rotating shadows on the Mystery Shack's merchandise stacked walls. This left her feeling more sluggish than normal and batting her hand to create a tiny puff of breeze.

Soos had dealt with the heat by going underground like a mole, a typical Soos thing to do. He had offered to help Stan's brother with whatever it was he spent all day and night crafting, in the basement levels. She would be envious if the heat didn't stop her from achieving anything other than frustration and lethargy. Glancing at the clock, she watched the hands move in what appeared to be a moment of slowed reality. The idea of ditching work had occurred to her for the millionth time. But once again, the clock prevented her from doing so. The Shack would close its doors in a half hour, and Wendy didn't want to give Stan any reason for replacing her with Paz. The blonde remained too young to legally work the counter, but Wendy had long since learned not to put such things past her con artist of a boss. Not just that, but since Paz had begun to work at the Shack, Stan had grown a soft spot. Perhaps a result of her capitalistic drive, perhaps because the thirteen-year-old specialized in charming people.

The reason seemed obsolete with the knowledge that in a few minutes her torment would cease to be.

Then the doorbell rang, and Wendy sighed as she raised sweat coated head. Of course, someone would show up in the final business hour after a sluggish day. Putting on her "charming, cashier girl face", Wendy gaped at the two strangers. They were two incredibly familiar looking teens, both hauling luggage into the shop. The boy stood just a little bit shorter than her and wore a beaten up cap with almost all of the navy blue faded away. The girl stood just half a foot shorter than her companion, and wore a dark red, handmade sweater, with little black dogs all over it.

They both glanced at one another, stared back with broadening smiles and giggled in unison.

"Hey, Wendy…what's up?"

The boy spoke first, using a voice which resembled a boy she must have known a lifetime ago. But the voice, that signature squeak, had changed slightly. It became older, stronger, and more confident. Hearing it made it more difficult to inhale, and just staring at him felt breathtaking. But it couldn't be him. He was tall, slightly muscular, and he wore a smile of self-assurance which she didn't remember Dipper ever having access to.

But she could see the birthmark which had awarded him his nickname.

She stuttered for words, "Di-Di-"

Pacifica entered broom in hand. She looked ready to go home, but her exhaustion died when she spotted the twins. She bound over and wrapped her arms around the taller of the two.

"DIPPER!"

He blushed as Mabel commented on the blonde's affection.

"Well someone certainly missed you…"

The besweatered twin received her comeuppance when Soos charged across the gift shop and pulled her into a crushing hug. Gasped for air, causing Dipper to chuckle at her expense. Pacifica ended the embrace and began rattling off information as Dipper nodded his head good-naturedly. Wendy just continued to stare, finally able to get words out, and feeling guilty for the harshness of her tone.

"Why didn't you call?!"

For a moment, the fun had ended, and everyone was staring at her. Mabel squirmed a little with guilt while Dipper's face worked quickly to get the hurt away from it. Paz glared at her, and Wendy began to wonder why she let herself ruin everything? But he wiped it off his face with a cough and tried to restart the conversation with a gentle smile.

"We uh, figured that it would be fun to surprise you all. Sorry…"

His sheepish grin made her force her own, and she climbed over the counter to rectify the situation.

"Sorry Dippingsauce, I didn't mean to make you guys feel guilty. I've just...I've just really missed you guys…"

Mabel perked up at hearing those words, and before Dipper could tell her that it was fine, he had been pulled into a three-way hug.

Mabel wrapped her navy wool arms around the two of them, and spoke as though they were war refugees reunited after years of traveling the alps, "We missed you too Wendy!"

The redhead blushed almost as hard as Dipper did, but Mabel cared not. Instead, she pulled away and removed a map from seemingly nowhere.

Unraveling it with the energy and flare which could be expected from her, she gestured to points on the map wildly as she spoke, "Which is why tonight…we are going to CEL-LE-BRATE people! We're gonna hit all the Gravity Falls hot-spots!"

Wendy raised a brow, "So what, the cave system?"

She accepted high fives from Pacifica and Dipper for that one, but Mabel shook their criticisms aside.

"Laugh all you want, it is I who shall be laughing when I school you all at the dance floor!"

Stan rolled his eyes, "If I was a few years younger I could teach you all a thing or two about dancing."

The old man began to sway with the nostalgic memory of 70's hits, and Mabel giggled before taking his arm in her own.

"-pfff-sure thing Grunkle Stan." She took her bag and gestured for Pacifica to follow. "C'mon Paz, we got a whole shipload to catch up on!" The blonde smirked at the Mabelesque metaphor but followed reluctantly as Mabel began to recount everything which they had done since their last phone conversation.

Soos followed eagerly, nodding his head along to the teenage girl gossip. Wendy would have been able to contain her laughter, had Stan not been boogieing into the kitchen. She turned back to Dipper and found him staring at her with fascination. She shrunk slightly under his gaze, feeling her cheeks begin to burn with his admiration.

Wendy thought she heard him say something, but he quickly coughed and began moving his bag towards the back hall.

"Where are you going?"

Dipper looked sad for a moment, but like before he hid it under that almost unnerving calm. "Guest room."

Her brow furrowed and she followed at a quick pace, "Wait, you aren't sleeping upstairs?"

The thirteen-year-old regained some of his old exasperation, "No I'm just dropping my bags here so that I can squeeze into a cluttered room, and share it with my teenage sister."

He raised an eyebrow, and for the third time this evening, she felt herself blush. "Oh. Right. Of course."

Sensing her mental face palming, Dipper held the door open, "You wanna take a look around? There's a lot of junk in here that Ford doesn't need anymore, and…well the more elbow the room the better."

Wendy stepped inside and her eyes swept the room as Dipper opened the couch.

"This uh…this is an impressive level of junk…"

Tapestries, half disintegrated books, and chests of strange items lay all about. Statues leaned against the rotting cabinet, and wisps of dust clung to the fan above.

Dipper smirked, "Yeah, it's kinda depressing that all this stuff will go to waste now that Bill has been defeated and the universe is in order."

Wendy gave her own smirk as she leaned against a cabinet and watched him unpack.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that Dippingsauce, just yesterday I saw a two-headed lizard." He looked up with a more natural smile on its face, "Was it orange or purple? Because if it was purple than all your hair is gonna fall out come morning."

She moved over to him with a questioning brow, only half certain that he was joking. "Is that so?"

Sitting down on the couch, she fiddled with mini-globe as she spoke, "Umm, this place is pretty cramped, I was wondering if…I mean, it would be kind of loud, but…well it just occurred to me…"

Dipper raised an eyebrow, and when she continued to stutter, he pulled her into a playful hug, "Yes Miss Corduroy, I WILL MARRY YOU!"

She elbowed him in the gut, and he toppled onto the floor gasping for breath between laughs. Wendy folded her arms after he laughed for an unnecessary length of time.

"You are such a little smart-ass…"

He grinned, "I'm not so little anymore…in fact, I'm big enough that you've finally started cursing while I'm in earshot."

She blushed again, "Oh, sorry."

He shook his head, "No need to apologize, Mabel and I aren't little balls of innocence waiting to be corrupted. I like you better when you act like yourself anyway…"

She stared at the carpet for a moment, before he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wendy, what did you want to ask?"

She smirked and sat up, "It's no big deal, I was just going to say that you would have more room if you stayed in the guest room at my house."

He took a moment to stare at her like she had grown a second head and then forced a smile. "I uh, I don't think…that your family would be very accommodating."

She gave him a challenging look, the tables suddenly turned. "Oh? They aren't that bad you know…"

He shrugged, "I know I just…I'd prefer to sleep here…that way if anything happens during the night…"

She raised a brow, beginning to remember how paranoid he could be. "Okay, that's fine. I didn't want to pressure you it was just an offer-"

"No I…I would take it. It's just that Grunkle Ford has been uh…well he's going to be training me over the summer."

"Oh? What's he going to teach you?" Wendy asked disinterestedly she picked up a small, copper rhombus and played with it delicately.

Dipper replied as he began removing his clothes from his luggage, "Astrophysics, quantum mechanics, the scientific process…"

Wendy pocketed the trinket as she joked, "So he's teaching you to be EVEN MORE of a nerd?"

He gave her a scolding look, and she giggled at his seriousness.

"Laugh now oh unintellectual one…by the end of the year, I will be the smartest fourteen-year-old on Earth."

Wendy rolled her eyes at the claim as she stood and moved for the exit, then she turned back with surprise when her mind finally registered the entire sentence.

"Wait…the end of the year?"

He looked up with a sigh, and nodded, only half regretful for letting the cat out of the bag.

"You're staying…here," She pointed at the floor for emphasis.

He nodded.

"For the rest of the year?!"

He nodded again, and she ran a hand through her hair, "Why…why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, "Sorry, I just…I was going to tell you later. I don't know…I didn't get around to it."

She gave him one of the famous Corduroy frowns, and he wilted slightly under it.

"And Mabel isn't staying here the whole year, is she?"

He shook his head with a touch of melancholy, before forcing a smile and jumping to his feet. "Well no point in talking about it anymore, c'mon, I bet Mabel's ready to hit the town-!"

Wendy grabbed his collar and pulled him away from the doorway, "Wait a second…you two are going to be separated…and she's fine with that?"

He nodded for the millionth time and glanced up hopefully, "Can we please not talk about this?"

She realized what a sore spot this must be, and removed her hold of his collar. Nodding steadily, she felt her heart flutter when he gave her a genuine smile, and took her hand.

"Fantastic. C'mon I bet Pacifica knows all the best clubs!"

He was pulling her now, through the halls, her giggling at his enthusiasm as he rattled off about the fun they would have. They were both happy for a moment, free of anxiety for what felt like forever. She could envision the fun that they would have, and for too long she hadn't had this feeling. This feeling which only he could give her. The idea that everything would be fine because there was nothing the two of them could not face together. The moment that feeling returned to her, she wanted more of it.

But it was cut short when Ford stepped in the way and the teens came to a screeching halt.

He gave Wendy a cursory glance, before turning a smile upon Dipper. "Dipper my boy, it's wonderful to see that you've returned!"

The prodigy smiled unsteadily in return, "Thanks, Uncle Ford, I was just-"

"But of course! I just need a moment to catch you up on a few things."

Ford wrapped an arm around his nephew's shoulder strategically causing Wendy and Dipper's hands to break in their embrace. He cast a slight scowl Wendy's way, before pulling the silent Dipper towards the back room.

"Does he have to be such a jerk about it?"

She turned at the sound of the voice, to find Mabel standing just behind her, arms folded in disapproval. Wendy felt slightly shocked that Mabel could be so antagonistic but attempted to calm her down regardless.

The ginger shrugged and spoke casually, in an attempt to get the brunette back to her normal self, "C'mon, it's not that bad."

Mabel turned the glare upon her, only letting up in the least. The stirring resentment in the normally sunny girl's eyes startled Wendy and found herself at a loss for words. Does she blame me for Dipper staying the rest of the year? Does she think it's my fault? Did he choose to stay here BECAUSE of me? Sensing the tension, Pacifica entered and practically dragged Mabel into the front of The Shack.

"Umm…Mabel, I've got something to show you."

Giving Pacifica a thankful glance, the cashier girl turned and almost immediately bumped into Stan. He watched as she moved into the kitchen and grumbled about not being able to walk two steps without bumping into someone.

He followed her in and removed a beer from the fridge as she splashed water on her face to cool down. "Hey, don't blame me. Ford was the one who didn't want to spring for extra rooms."

Wendy sighed and sat down at the kitchen table, groaning and rubbing her now wet brow, "Why does everything have to be so difficult?"

The old man sat down popping open the bottle upon his twin brother's table, "That's just the way it is. Kids grow up, they start caring about useless crap, forget how fun it was to care about nothing."

She nodded, noting the touch of remorse in his voice. Profoundness had never been her bosses' specialty, but he took on his own kind of wisdom when addressing anything related to what went wrong between him and his brother. Although Ford had allowed Stan to continue living and utilizing his house for profit (mostly because he almost never left the basement), Wendy would have laughed at her own situation, apparently being the most immature of their little group, while simultaneously being the oldest. Dad would be mortified.

Stan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and raised a brow, "So…are you now that Dip's all grown up, when are you gonna make a move on him?"

Wendy stared at him with unblinking eyes, and he smirked slightly at her surprise. She grew irritated with his smugness and sat up.

"First of all, it is none of your business."

"I beg to differ, he's my great nephew. I wanna see him happy."

She ignored him, "Second, he's only a year older."

Stan shrugged and took another sip, "He'll be 14 in August."

"And thirdly, HOW DO YOU EVEN know ABOUT ALL THAT?!"

Stan rolled his eyes, "I was at last year's birthday party for the twins remember? I watched as you gave the kid googly eyes. Same reason you were pissed off at the Northwest kid earlier that week."

Wendy felt surprised that he had paid this much attention but chose not to give him the satisfaction of acknowledging it.

"Besides, you think I haven't realized how you act whenever he calls? You think I don't remember the way he acted after you yelled at his sister?"

She blushed and squirmed in her seat, feeling like a little child in front of her father.

"I might focus on more lucrative endeavors than other people's personal lives, but you couldn't be more obvious Corduroy."

Folding her arms, she repeated her original message, "None. Of. Your. Beeswax."

Stan tossed the can into a nearby bin, "Okay, alright. I'm not gonna tell you what to do."

He gave advice regardless as she got to her feet and moved to the doorway, "All I know is that if you put things off Corduroy…the world doesn't wait. It moves on."

She glanced back and watched as he removed another beer solemnly. Remembering the fast version of the backstory between him and his brother, she sighed and entered the hall. Dipper said goodbye to Ford out the corner of her eye, and they collided unexpectedly.

Rubbing her head, Wendy looked up from the floor to see a sheepishly grinning Dipper. He extended a hand, and she gave a vengeful smirk, before gripping his hand. Just as he began to pull her to her feet, she pulled the opposite direction and let her legs relax. He circled out as they toppled down. With him lying in a heap atop her, Wendy began to giggle hysterically as he struggled to get up.

"Where-*gee-hee-hee*-where are you-*AHAHAHA* going!"

He dusted himself off and shook his head, "Gwendolyn, Berble, Corduroy, you ought to be ashamed."

She giggled harder and wrapped her arms around his leg, "Never *pfff* said I wasn't."

He played along, crying out with fake panic as he dragged her across the floorboards and towards the entrance.

"HELP! Someone…there's a girl way out of my league, and she won't leave me alone! I think she's a zombie! It's the only logical conclusion!"

She laughed harder and harder, eventually swearing revenge when Dipper decided to pick up her water bottle and dump its contents on her. She sputtered and jumped to her feet, tearing after the retreating youth.

"YOU ARE DEAD PINES!"

She sprinted after him like a cheetah, nearly busted the screen door. Wendy stuck her tongue into her cheek as she bolted after him and outstretched her arms. Her eyes gleamed in the moonlight, her hair rushing every which way as she approached her unknowing pretty.

"TIME TO MEET YOUR MAKER!"

Dipper glanced behind himself just in time to be sent sprawling. The two of them rolled, and but Wendy managed to pin him against the gravel.

"You fought well young one…"

She smiled and ran her wriggling fingers down his sides.

"…BUT NOT WELL ENOUGH!"

He burst into laughter and kicked as she caused him to spasm with her tickling. He tried to protest, but it was buried in laughter and she gave a mocking "What was that? I can't hear you!" as she continued at twice the speed. His shrieks filled the night air, and Wendy watched him, realizing just how much she had missed the sound of his laughter. His smile was the most genuine thing that she knew of.

"Hey, five-year-olds!"

Wendy ceased her attack and looked up to find that Pacifica was sticking her head out the window of her limo.

"Whatever happened to trying to act like adults?"

She glanced down at the recovering Dipper, and he choked out a response, "Acting like an adult is for suckers."

She smiled and hoisted him to his feet. Bolting to the lengthy car, she raised her fist as though defying society, and repeated his response like a mantra.

"That's right; ACTING LIKE AN ADULT IS FOR SUCKERS!"

Mabel opened the door for them and she dove in while howling like a wolf, as Pacifica told the unamused driver to take them to some place called the "Silver Owl."

*0*

As it turned out, the Silver Owl was an experimental club, built into the side of a redwood. Thus, one couldn't really "drive" to it.

Instead, the driver stopped in front of the correct tree, and they piled out to find a large rope ladder. Dipper took one look at the incredibly tall climb and turned to his twin.

"Age before beauty dear sister."

She gave a challenging smile, "Ladies first, Miss Yellow-bellied chicken."

He stuck out his tongue, and she began making chicken "bawks!" as he ascended at high speed. Mabel watched him for a moment, before following suit. Wendy noticed that Pacifica was watching Dipper climb with a love struck smile.

Well, of course, she didn't get over him, what did you expect? She was just as excited as you were every time they called. He texted her all the time. Feeling her face flush with envy, Wendy fanned herself and glanced back at the twins.

"Well…absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"What was that?"

Wendy hadn't realized she had spoken aloud and found Paz staring at her in confusion. The blond didn't look annoyed, though, which meant she must have genuinely misheard her. Probably too busy day dreaming.

If you can be daydreaming this late…I guess it would be regular dreaming. She was snapped out of her thoughts when she realized that Pacifica still awaited an answer.

Moving to the rope ladder, Wendy began climbing and replied with a grunt which may have been more honest than intended, "Just talking to myself."

When she reached the top of the ladder, she stared in surprise at the mingle of different people around the entrance to the ridiculous club. Since last year, the town had become even more of a tourist trap, what with all the urban legends about triangular demons. Slowly, she had gotten used to the more-than-average number of people roaming her town. She had even gotten used to the assholes with their video cameras, who came here to promote their reality TV shows about discovering the "unknown."

Still, she felt startled by the sheer number of party goers. She wondered how exclusive this club was, and why Pacifica had taken them here. When she had heard the blonde refer to places she enjoyed partying, they had all been very elite.

Shrugging off the insignificant questions, she turned and watched as Dipper helped Pacifica up. The rich girl's face had turned red, and he was even teasing her about it. Before she could find an adequate response to watching her crush initiate close contact with the most attractive girl his age in the town, Mabel came running up to her with a smoothie.

"WENDY! They have free food in there!"

That explains the crowd.

"Oh really…awesome. What flavor did you get?" She pointed at the light purple sludge within the Styrofoam cup, and even Mabel had trouble explaining.

"I…THINK…it's a grapefruit and grape fusion…"

Wendy nodded halfheartedly, watching as Dipper and Pacifica interacted. Get it together, you can't be this possessive over someone who you aren't even in a relationship with. A second voice spoke up, one which was considerably less annoying the chiding one, but, on the whole much, much scarier.

But I love him.

Shaking herself away from that terrifying thought, she realized that Mabel was giving her a strange look. Oh right, gotta stop zoning out like that.

Wendy turned her attention to the fast paced music within and then turned towards Dipper and Paz.

"HEY LOVEBIRDS!"

They both looked her way with red faces, and a grin spread across the mischievous redhead.

"Last-one-to-the-dance-floor-has-to-get-everyone-a-drink!"

She then broke into a sprint, moving too quickly to hear the chorus of "HEY! NO FAIR!" and the scramble to follow. Diving between groups of gossipers, she stamped across the dance floor triumphantly. Paz joined her almost immediately after, followed by Mabel. Dipper arrived at a loss for breath, and she clapped him on the shoulder

"Sorry dude."

She turned away, and then pretended to have just thought of something, "Oh and by the way, I'll have a strawberry."

He gave her a friendly "You will regret this" look, before removing his notepad and taking their orders like a dutiful waiter. Mabel asked for a cotton candy one, before darting into a so absurd dance that Wendy had to start laughing. The music dipped and heaved, with Mabel repeating her own (extremely inaccurate, but much more amusing) version of the lyrics. Pacifica ordered a banana one and danced beside Mabel with head banging, toe-stomping, zeal.

Dipper returned as the next song began, and Wendy took hers with a "Thank you, sir, marvelous work." He rolled his eyes and continued distributing the drinks.

Pacifica nudged him lightly, "You didn't get one?"

Dipper shook his head, "I was going too…but then I realized that I've poisoned myself with liquefied sugar and food coloring enough today."

The blonde rolled her eyes and was about to give her own smart ass remark when a shrill voice pierced the blasting music and chatter.

"PACIFICA ELISE NORTHWEST!"

The four, as well as most people in the club, turned and stared at the angry woman and distasteful man beside her. The Northwest clan. Wendy watched Pacifica start to speak, and then wilt when her mother grabbed her arm.

"B-But Mom, I was just-"

Priscilla Northwest tightened her grip, causing her daughter to wince, "Cavorting with ruffians that's what you were doing."

Preston lurked behind, poking his finger against Dipper's chest, "You must be the cause of this discord! I hope your happy young man."

Dipper gritted his teeth, and practically yelled his response, "You can't live Pacifica's life for her!"

The rich couple scoffed, and Preston shook his head. "You should have stayed back in California young man,"

Mabel's stepped forward with protest, "How do you-"

But Preston was gone, with two bodyguards crowding around him, his wife, and his frustrated daughter. Pacifica cast one last sorrowful look towards her friends, before disappearing out of the club.

The music and dancing resumed very quickly. The only change being that a few of the chatter-boxes now gossiped piteously about Pacifica, as though she was a character in a soap opera and not a human being who they should strive to assist. Despite the intense music, Wendy was able to hear Dipper growl beneath his breath. It sounded unnatural for him. Not unjustified for sure, but still a tad disturbing. Mabel gulped, before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon Bro-bro, it's been a long day…we should get some sleep."

He nodded slowly, and Wendy made way for them. They could see the Northwest helicopter pierce the night sky, its rotors slicing through the bright stars. Wendy could see the hopelessness on Dipper's face as he watched it, and it felt like a knife to the heart. The night air felt less refreshing and more uncomfortable. The Northwest's had sent their limo back home as well, so Mabel had to call Stan to pick them up. By the time that they had returned to The Shack, the twins were both close to dozing. Wendy tentatively gave Dipper's shoulder a light squeeze, and Stan spoke critically as a result.

"You're trying to wake him up, not think that a butterfly has landed on his shoulder."

Wendy rolled her eyes and looked back at Dipper. He looked so peaceful, so…well cute. She couldn't think of a boyfriend who she had stared at as he slept. But, much like everything else connected to Dipper, it was different. Stan sighed at her hesitation and shouted loudly.

"HEY LAZYBONES! WAKE UP!"

The twins jolted awake, with Dipper's hat toppling forth and causing his hair to look a touch weird while Mabel wiped the drool from her face and onto her sweater. Wendy giggled at their wide-eyed expressions and moved aside as they climbed out. Stan watched them stumble inside. Ford stood at the door, giving Dipper a disapproving glare. He made the young investigator stop and grilled him about wasting time, before allowing him entrance.

Wendy tried not give him a piece of her mind, at this point quite fed up with people being overbearing to her friends. Stan caught sight of her balled fists, and snapped her out of it before she did something she might regret, "Hey, you wanna drive back home?"

"No thanks. I've got my bike."

She turned away from Ford's vision and moved to her bike. Unchaining it, she took one last look at the shabby tourist attraction/living quarters, before peddling away in the direction of home.

Well…it happened. I'm not a big fan of artists being defined by one particular part of their career, but what the hell right? I promised a sequel didn't I? And since the series is probably weeks away from completion, it is now or never. Hopefully, this is a vast improvement from the original story (I will go back and edit that one sometime, probably soon). This is the last Wendip story I probably will ever write.

Ford isn't going to be a dick the whole story through, I don't believe in reducing characters to flat dimensions for the purpose of serving as an antagonistic force. We're just not seeing the best light of him in this particular chapter. Uploads will most likely be slow because I'm not sure in what direction I want the second chapter to go. Everything else is pretty much planned, the story will be 5 or 6 chapters long most likely.

Thank you all for reading, have a good day, and happy holidays to all!