For Bryan:

Thank you for showing this world how to look past our "precious little lives," take on both "the world and the universe", deal with our own" infinite sadness," while "getting it together", only to deliver our "finest hour" when it really counts.

And most of all, thanks for teaching an old heartbroken fool how to believe again. (Sorry GF fans – this was years before the show aired) I can only hope this small tribute can, at least, slightly live up to your masterpiece.

Special thanks to SuperGroverAway, whom contributed several ideas towards these stories, as well as allowing me to borrow from their own excellent GF mythologies.

"Hey…"

Dipper Pines turned around to see Wendy Corduroy standing over him with her arms crossed. To his surprise, the lanky lumberjane closed her eyes as she took a knee before him, bringing herself to his level. Wendy made a fist and brought it up towards Dipper as her emerald eyes softened.

"…you mean a lot to me, man…"

The shock faded from his face as Dipper brought his hand up to meet hers.

"You, too…"

As Wendy stood back up, she reached out with lightning speed and plucked Dipper's trademark blue-pine-tree cap from him. Dipper quietly gasped, reaching out for his snatched possession in reflex, only to have something light and brown planted on top of his head.

"Ugh!"

Confused, Dipper tried to clear his sights, as Wendy proudly placed his cap on top of her crown of thick red hair. She placed a hand against her side as she adjusted her prize with one eye shut. He reached up to validate his suspicions as the scent of Wendy's perfume entered his nostrils; his alarm quickly became mirth.

"It's Wendy's trapper hat! She gave me her hat!"

He looked at her with grateful brown eyes as Wendy nodded to confirm, "Something to remember me by…" The ginger took another step towards him with an open hand, "Oh, and this…"

As Dipper glanced down at her empty hand, Wendy gently took a hold of the freshly-christened thirteen year old and brought him close in a warming embrace.

"What…?"

He raised his head, finding that Wendy was peering down at him with a dimpled smile. Dipper could have sworn to hear his twin sister gasp in delight. As Wendy brought herself closer, she closed her eyes and puckered her lips.

"Omigosh! Omigosh!" Dipper thought. "She's gonna…she's gonna kiss me goodbye!"

Trying not to lose himself in the excitement, Dipper followed suit, shutting his eyes as he awaited his crush's parting gift.

"This isn't the way it happened…"

"What?!"

The nagging voice played out in Dipper's mind again, "This isn't the way it happened, remember? Wendy is supposed to give you that note from everyone in Gravity Falls…"

All of a sudden, the small boy could feel something cold and slimy travel down his cheek. Dipper opened his eyes to see that Wendy had changed. Her freckled flesh had transformed into scaly green skin. Her adorable toothy grin was now filled with jagged, crooked teeth as she drooled rapidly. Her shining emerald eyes were now cat-like, reminding Dipper of Bill Cipher's sinister gaze.

"No!" Dipper tried to squeeze out of the Wendy's grip as she licked her lips with an extended pink tongue.

"Hmm…" the monster growled. "You look good enough…to eat…"

Wendy's jaws unhinged, stretching out over Dipper's head. As he felt the first pinch, the frightened detective let out a blood-curling scream:

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

He waved his arms and nearly jumped into the air. As he landed, Dipper no longer found himself in Gravity Falls, but back in his bus seat. He glanced around the vehicle, seeing that every set of eyes were solely focused on him. Even the bus driver altered his rear view mirror to see what the commotion was about.

"Uhh…heh-heh…" Dipper nervously rubbed the back of his head as he apologized, "Sorry – Sorry about that, everyone…"

As the world went back on with their business, Dipper let out a sigh of relief as his tiny form sunk back into the worn out cushion. With his brain moving at a million paces a minutes, he reached into his front pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Dipper unfolded the sheet and re-read the scribbled note as he had dozens of times throughout the week:

"Hey, dweeb!

This might sound stupid, but there's this thing happening on February 29th called "Fallers' Day." Kinda like how Summerween is a second Halloween for Gravity Falls, this acts as a Valentine's Day Part 2, but once every four years.

It may be super-lame, but I thought that maybe you might dig coming here for the weekend to celebrate with me. Included with this note is an one-way ticket for the bus to Gravity Falls. We'll get the other one back home later on. It's the same line that you and Mabel used to come here last summer. Please tell your sister not to be upset for ditching her in Cally, but I'm lucky I could afford your ticket, yet alone two of them.

Hope you decide to come, Dipper. I know it's only for the weekend, but it would be really awesome to have you here for all the festivities. Not to get all mushy on you, dork, but it just won't be the same without you.

Love,
Wendy

PS: I just upgraded my cell, but had to change my number. This is the new one - 617-831-0229. Send me a text once you know what's up. Later!"

Dipper held the note against his chest; the same amount of excitement and anxious overtaking him as the moment when he originally opened the letter. He could recall everything that had led to this moment, the first being Mabel's reaction to the wonderful news:

"You're crazy, Dipper!" the metal-mouthed pixie exclaimed as she threw her sweater-covered arms into the air. "There's no way in heck Mom and Dad are going to let you go back to Gravity Falls! Especially without me coming, too!"

"Oh, come on, Mabel!" Dipper followed his pouting sister around their shared bedroom. "It's only for the weekend. And Wendy really wants me to go. She even already paid my way…"

"Do you really think they'll care about that?" Mabel placed her hands on her hips, "I love Wen-Wen, too, but maybe you forgot what happened at Christmas? Mom is just coming around to "liking" Wendy, but do you honestly think she'll let the two of you go off on your own?"

"Maybe not at first," the younger Pines twin looked at the ground, "But maybe if you get my back when I talk to them about this – you know, an old fashion twin double-team…"

Mabel threw a hand out, "And why should I? There wasn't a ticket in there for me; only you! And we always do these things together, Dipper! It's not fair!"

"I know, I know, Mabel…" Dipper eased, "But you read her note. Wendy already apologized about that. That, and…" The cautious boy steadied his glance, "Well, doesn't this seem kinda different?"

"Kinda different?" Mabel repeated in confusion.

"You know," Dipper hesitated. "Wendy is asking for me to come back to Gravity Falls, alone, to share this "Fallers' Day" thing with her…"

"Stupid ol' fake Valentine's…" Mabel mumbled under her breath.

"…and that just seems different from how she usually is with this sorta stuff…" Dipper turned away from his twin in embarrassment. "I was just thinking that maybe Wendy spending Christmas with us changed things for the better…" He held the note up as evidence. "Maybe this…is like the next step…"

"Dipper," Mabel sighed and shook her head, "Don't be getting all weird and clingy on Wendy again. Just because she sent you this doesn't mean that's what she's looking for…"

"Probably not," Dipper admitted. "But I should check it out, right? Besides, you know what that day is to Wendy. When's the next time I'll be there to celebrate with her?"

Mabel's face lightened, "Well…"

Dipper knew he was getting to her. As a closer, he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, "And to be honest, I can't do this without you, O great matchmaker-extraordinaire!"

Almost instantly, Mabel's attitude changed. "You're right, Dip. You're going to need all the help you can get on this one." She used both thumbs to point at herself, "And Mabel's just the gal to get things done!"

"Great!" Dipper clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly, "So, what's the plan?"

And so, after many hours of prying, pleading, and compromising, Dipper had been granted permission to return to Gravity Falls. While his father had been easily won over, recognizing what the mischievous redhead meant to his son, his mother remained unsure. It was only hearing countless lectures on "do's and do not's," her expectations while being away from home, and swearing up and down to check in on certain times on the dot, Dipper was given her blessing.

The memory came forth at the most appropriate time, as Dipper's wrist watch began to beep repeatedly. He dug into his right pocket, pulled out the temporary cell phone he had been given, and hit the button to quick dial. Within seconds, Dipper heard his mother's overly-concerned voice.

"Hey, Mom…" he greeted as he was hastily bombarded with dozens of questions. "No, I'm okay. No one bothered me on the bus. Nah, it's not really that cold out; not yet at least." He looked out the bus window to see a familiar sign pass by:

"WELCOME TO GRAVITY FALLS!"

Dipper relayed the note back to his parent, "Yeah, Mom, we actually just entered town right now." As his nervousness grew the closer he came to his sweetheart's location, the boy tried to end the conversation. "No offense, Mom, but I have to get ready. Wendy'll be waiting for me at the bus stop. Yeah, yeah, I'll make sure to tell her. I'm sure she'll appreciate hearing that from you guys. Okay, Mom, we'll call you in a few hours. Love you too. Bye."

Dipper turned to his right side, towards the seat occupied by his backpack. He picked it up, set it on his lap, and began to explore its contents for the umpteenth time. The teen burrowed pass the extra sets of clothes and supplies to a container sealed up tight. Dipper explored the package from every possible angle to ensure it was still in good standing.

Inside of the holder was a makeshift gift for Wendy – something that he had whipped up in a hurry with some minor assistance from Mabel. Once Dipper's inspection was complete, he heaved in relief and slid the container back into his knapsack. Granted, the sleuth knew that it wasn't the fanciest gift, but something had his favorite ginger would definitely appreciate; a small token of thanks for allowing him to share this day with her.

Suddenly, the bus came to a halt. Dipper lightly bumped back and forth in his seat due to the momentum. He clutched his backpack tightly to ensure the safety of Wendy's gift. All at once, the other passengers scrambled to gather their belongings and make their way from the vehicle. Wishing to wait out the traffic, Dipper reached back into his inventory and readied himself for the colder winters that Oregonian weather had to offer.

He threw on a fluffy blue jacket and took out two zipper-up leg extensions. Dipper attached them to the cut-off of his shorts, effectively turning them into full-pledged khaki pants. The middle-schooler was forced to wait to modify his outfit due to the usual California heat that he was accustomed to. With the bus near empty, Dipper swung the rucksack over his shoulder and made his way towards the exit; his tiny heart pounded like a jackhammer with each step taken.

Once off the bus, he hopped off the staircase and found himself surrounded by countless groups of rejoicing gatherings. They embraced, kissed, and snuggled together to fight off the harsh February chill. As Dipper passed through in search of his partner in crime, the same message could be hear over and over:

"Happy Fallers' Day!"

"Happy Fallers' Day, baby!"

"Oh, sweetie! Welcome home! Happy Fallers' Day!"

Snowflakes floated down on the breeze, adding to the thick white layer covering the terrain of Gravity Falls. Through the tiny amount of sunlight shining the overcast, Dipper noted that the snow sparkled like a million little diamonds across the withered greenery; it was the perfect scene for a heartfelt reunion…

…except that his lumberjack princess was nowhere to be found.

Dipper moved pass the groupings, desperately looking up and down for Wendy. "Any minute now," the love-struck explorer told himself, he would hear that low-key voice call his name – he would be blindsided as a gangly arm would reach out of the crowd and pull him lovingly into a super-tight bear hug…

…but that moment never came.

No one amongst his fellow travelers questioned the pint-size traveler that hiked to the end of the road and hoisted himself up into the guard rail to gain a better view of the scene. Not one person noticed as he waited for almost twenty minutes, his hopes rising and falling any time a new face entered the scene. One by one, they all left; most of them arm in arm, leaving him all alone in the wilderness.

With his psyche a mixture of nervousness and dejection, Dipper looked at his wrist watch to check the time and went back to rubbing his shoulders to fight the ever-growing shivers. Despite the odds, he half-heartedly expected his not-so-secret love to sneak up behind him and shout gleefully in his ears, "GOTCHA!"

But it didn't happen…

"Where is she?" The crafty auburn-haired beauty was indeed known for her pranks (and even more so for her tardiness), but this was something different altogether. "Did she get detention in school or a flat tire or something?" Dipper couldn't quite put his finger on it, but his inner instincts were on high alert – something was definitely wrong with this picture.

He stretched his legs outwards and went back into his pocket to retrieve his cell. As he flipped the phone open, a voice called out to him from the distance.

"I'm going to take a guess here, but you're Dipper, right?"

Dipper looked up to see someone walking towards him. He squinted past the falling snow to see a tall, lean teenager in a varsity jacket. His dark hair was poofed upwards in spite of the downpour. His hands were tucked deep within his red and white lined coat. The initials G.F.H.S. were monogrammed across his left breast and shoulders. The teen's tight-fitting blue jeans squeaked with every moment of his legs. His pure-white sneakers were muddied due to the mixture of dirt and snow splattered across the ground.

In Dipper's opinion, the older boy looked like he had stumbled out of a cheesy 1980s rom-com.

"But then again," the stranger stepped closer and flicked Wendy's trapper hat. "I'd know this old thing anywhere…"

Dipper hopped off of the rail as his curiosity grew, "Who are you? And how do you know my name?"

The stranger bent down to his level, "My name is Russ. I'm a friend of Wendy's. She's running a bit late, and asked me to come pick you up."

"Wait a sec – " Dipper put his hands up, "Wendy asked you to come get me?" He thusly went into full-detective mode, "She told me that she would wait for me at the bus stop. What happened to her?"

Russ simply shrugged, "I'm not sure, buck-o. Wen called me about twenty minutes ago." The jock rolled his eyes and scoffs, "Talk about waiting 'till the last minute, eh?" He stood back up and motioned with his shoulder. "So, let's get going, little guy. It's freezing out here…"

The offer of a warm ride into town was tempted, but the situation just didn't sit right with Dipper. He continued on with his interrogation, "You said your name was Russ, right? I never heard Wendy mention you before…"

The towering high-schooler froze in his tracks. He slightly looked over his shoulder back at Dipper. "Well, to be honest, Wendy and I used to date." The boy rubbed his brown hair as he went on, "We kinda fell out of touch for a few years until recently when I came back into town. And so fate would have it, Wendy called in a favor, and here I am…"

With his story finished, Russ continued across the path, "Now, let's go, Dipper. The faster we leave this place, the faster I can take you to Wendy."

In spite of everything said, Dipper's feet didn't move one inch. Something was eerily wrong with the scene. Between the odd little twitches he displayed while retelling his story to his robotic-like movements, the varsity student before him definitely was more than he appeared to be.

"On second thought, Russ," Dipper hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders and began towards the opposite end of the highway. "Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I'll just hit up some family and friends here in the meantime. Tell Wendy I'll check in with her later on…"

As soon as Dipper turned away, a hand shot out and roughly snared his wrist, spinning him back around. He found himself face-to-face with an agitated Russ, who stared at him with beady eyes and gritted teeth.

"Kid," he tightened his hold on Dipper. "You're coming with me, like it or not…"

"NO!" Dipper tried to yank himself free with his loose hand, "Get off! Let go! Let me go!"

Russ laughed as he started to tow his struggling captive closer. "Just stop it, you little brat. It's not going to do you any good to fight back."

Still, Dipper refused to yield. He turned around and shouted in the emptiness. "Someone?! Anyone?! Get this maniac off me!"

The bully let out another chortle, "Dream on, runt. There's no one around for miles! I made sure everyone left before I approached you. It's just you and me…"

Faced with this grim reality, Dipper took action, "In…that case…" He threw all of his weight forward, taking Russ off-guard. While the bigger teen was stunned, Dipper pulled his leg back and delivered to a shattering kick to the stranger's unmentionables.

"BAH!" Russ instantly dropped to his knees, releasing his hold on Dipper. Now that he was freed, the adolescent did not waste a moment to flee the scene, heading deep into the woods behind the railing. However, danger was only moments away as he could make out the squeaky footsteps coming up fast.

"You little bastard! Just wait until I get my hands on you! You're going to be sorry!"

Dipper hid behind one of the near-infinite trees that surrounded the area as he watched Russ past by him. The athlete finally stopped, noticing the trail of tiny footprints leading into the snowy area past the highway.

"Heh! Now I gotcha…"

"Crap!" Dipper leaned back against his temporary shelter. "If I keep running, this guy will just track me down again. I have to lose him ASAP…" He looked back down at his freezing legs as an old trick Wendy taught him came to mind.

Without a second to spare, Dipper ran in circles around the tree, ensuring that they would remain connected to his current trail in an endless loop. From there, he took a deep breath and hopped from single foot to single foot towards the next set of timbers, making sure to lightly cover his singular tracks with a layer of snow.

Now that his trap was set, Dipper began to climb up the backside of another nearby tree, hiding himself amidst of its mighty branches. From his position, he could view the entire scene without fear of being spotted. Sure enough, Russ stumbled onto the area as he traced his prey's tracks. As Dipper planned, he watched as the brute traveled in circles alongside the mighty oak wood without realizing something was off.

"Wow!" Dipper looked on in disbelief, "I figured he was dumb, but this; this is like super-stereotypical jock-strap kind of dumb!"

After a minute of searching, Russ came to a halt and realized he had been had. "Dammit!" He threw his fist against the tree as a mound of snow sprinkled on top of him. "I can't believe I lost him!"

With the enemy subdued for the moment, Dipper softly took out his cell phone to call in reinforcements. After setting the sound to "silent," he went on to shoot a text to Wendy:

"WENDY! THERE WAS THIS CRAZY JOCK-KID WAITING FOR ME AT THE BUS STOP! I NEED YOUR HELP! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

After the message was sent, Dipper shut the phone and nettled himself further into the treetop as he awaited his rescue. His eyes widened in absolute horror as a second later, he could hear something vibrating in Russ's pocket. The jock stopped in his tracks, took out his fancy smart phone, and chuckled. "Maybe I still have a chance to catch 'im…" He dialed something in his phone and stared at the bright screen as he awaited a response.

"No…" Dipper shook his head in disbelief. "It can't be! It just can't be!" He turned towards his own modest phone, taking a second to ready himself for more bad news. Sure enough, there was a message from Wendy's new phone number:

"DIPPER, BUDDY. YOU GOT IT ALL WRONG! RUSS IS A GOOD FRIEND OF MINE! JUST DO WHAT HE SAYS AND HE'LL BRING YOU OVER TO ME. SEE YOU SOON! I CAN'T WAIT!"

Dipper lowered the phone and gazed down at his newest nemesis. "What in the – what's going on? I've been talking with this guy all along? I don't understand – "

In spite of the numerous questions that sprang up at the moment, Dipper was sure of one thing: the only way he would be able to escape unscathed is if he got Russ to leave. But how?

"Come on, Dip!" He tapped the phone against his forehead. "Think, think!" He paused as he grasped that the key to his salvation was already in his hand. With a devious smirk, Dipper went back into his phone and hastily texted a new note to "Wendy's" number:

"SORRY, WENDY, BUT YOUR FRIEND SEEMS LIKE A TOTAL CREEP. I'M ALMOST DOWN THE ROAD ALREADY. I THINK I CAN FLAG DOWN THE BUS DRIVER IF I HURRY..."

Dipper waited as the message traveled down to Russ's phone. Alerted by a second vibration, the brute retrieved his phone and sped through the new message. His eyes lit up as soon as he processed the new information. "Like hell you are, shrimp!"

He took off like a bullet towards the road leading away from Gravity Falls. As he passed by Dipper's tree, he hurriedly bumped it with his shoulder, sending a tremor upwards. The quake nearly knocked the kid from his hiding spot, forcing him to dangle from the nearest branch.

"WHOA!"

Russ stopped, swearing that he could have heard someone cry out. After a second to check out the scene, he chalked it up to being the winter wind howling, and went on his way. In a few moments, the threat became nothing more than a blurry shape fading back into the hazy distance.

Dipper let go of the branch, falling back to the earth as the snow padded his landing. He began to pace back and forth, taking a moment to try to process this nightmarish scenario:

"So, hold up. This "Russ" guy is the one who's been responding to Wendy's texts? But for how long? Was he the one that send me that letter and ticket? And if so, why? What would he want from me?"

His first instinct was to call home and let them know what had just happened, figuring that his parents and Mabel would be there in a few hours to help him out of this situation…

"But what about Wendy?"

The single thought stopped Dipper in mid-dial. The wheels in his head continued to turn:

"There is a reason that this guy assumed Wendy's identity. Even when he had me in his clutches, Russ kept bringing up her name. Chances are that she's involved in whatever's going on, and I have to find out what…"

He held the phone at his side and sighed, "If I call home now, Mom and Dad will just overreact and demand I come home now. They wouldn't care if something's the matter with Wendy or not. I guess…I'm on my own for the moment…"

Tucking Wendy's cap firmly against his head for warmth, Dipper carefully began his journey back towards Gravity Falls, frantic to find out the mystery behind this strange occurrence. As he walked alongside the road, the detective opened his phone and began to search his contacts list.

"C'mon! It's gotta be here! Please! Please tell me I didn't erase it…"

His brown eyes grew large as he made his discovery. Luckily, he didn't take the time to delete Wendy's old phone number within the last week. As Dipper marched though the ever-thickening snow, he launched a new text in hope of reaching his crush in the nick of time:

"WENDY, PLEASE CALL ME BACK ASAP! SOMETHING STRANGE IS GOING ON…"