Forgotten Falls. (Gravity Falls AU) {Complete}

Connection. -

~1 week later~

As Pine-Tree stepped into the portal, his heart rate skyrocketed. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to go against Bill again? Maybe he shouldn't... Maybe he should just stay away from Mabel... and when he returns to the nightmare realm he should tell Bill what he's done and ask for his forgiveness.

NO! Mabel is his age, surely she can't be too bad. She seemed nice when they first met. Maybe... Maybe Bill was wrong... About her at least.

The boy shook the thoughts out of his head and started walking towards where he met Mabel. His heart was going 100 miles per hour, his palms were sweaty, and his head felt fogged.

Suddenly his legs buckled underneath him, causing him to fall to the ground, but before he could hit the dirt below he was pushed back up by a few gnomes. "Heh. Thanks guys." Pine-Tree said. The gnomes said 'you're welcome' and scurried off. Except one, Jeff stayed behind, leaning up against a tree. "You good, Pine boy?" He asked jokingly.

"Oh, yeah- yeah I'm okay." The kid responded.

Jeff cocked an eyebrow. "Ya sure? You look paler than normal."

Pine-Tree sighed... He wasn't okay. He was terrified. He deliberately disobeyed Bill Cipher. How could he not be horrified?

"No... I'm not okay... you know that girl you tried to make your queen, Mabel? I ran into her yesterday while I was leaving and I spoke to her for a little bit. But when I went home.. I didn't tell Bill. I still didn't when I came back!" The boy sat down next to the gnome. "What am I going to do now? I don't want to get into trouble... Bill will punish me and give me nightmares when I fall asleep... He might not even let me come back here. But at the same time I want to still talk to Mabel even though it's wrong... I just- I'm scared and don't know what to do..."

"Well that's quite a predicament you got there Pine-Tree. I don't really know what to say." Jeff said. He thought for a moment, going over scenarios in his head. "I think you should just follow what you think is best."

"That's good advice- if I knew what was best. It's like my brain is 50/50, ya know? I would never want to betray Bill but- I also have so many questions to ask Mabel... I'm just- so conflicted."

The gnome put his hand on the kid's back. "I think you should go ask the human your

questions and if anything seems off or dangerous about her, go tell your parent- er Bill... and ask him to forgive you. If everything goes fine... What Bill doesn't know can't hurt him..." said Jeff with a grin on his face.

That little chat built up Pine-Tree's confidence. "I guess you're right. If she is bad... maybe it would be best to tell Bill, he can protect me then. If she is good, there's no reason he has to know. Thanks Jeff!" He said, standing up and straightening his clothes.

"No problem, kid! Don't forget to keep your eyes open for a potential queen for us gnomes!" The gnome replied.

"Got it!" Pine-Tree said, running off towards the spot he met Mabel. When he got to the small clearing, there she was. Sitting on a tree stump, waiting for him.

"H-Hello, Mabel." The boy said, cautiously walking up to her. She turned her head around and a welcoming smile appeared on her face. "Hiya, Pine-Tree! I was starting to think you weren't going to come and I wasn't going to see you again!" She said, getting up and facing him.

Pine-Tree rubbed the back of his neck. "Why'd ya think that?" He asked her.

"Well, I've been kinda chasing after boys for a while now and when I arranged dates, some of them wouldn't show up." She explained. "I don't know why I was worried. This isn't a date- not that you're not... well...- there's just something about you that seems more brotherly than boyfriend-y. If you get it."

Both stood there awkwardly for a minute.

"Don't worry. It's uh- it's fine... so... how's life been?" Pine-Tree asked, breaking the silence.

"Oh it's been alright, I had to sneak past my great uncles in order to come here. They never let me in the woods by myself." She explained. "They're paranoid."

The boy tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean 'paranoid?"

"Well ya see, I used to have a twin brother. His name was Dipper. I don't remember much of him but my Grunkle Stan said one day he followed me into the woods and never returned. I didn't know much about him... but- I've just been feeling kinda empty, ya know?"

Pine-Tree nodded. "I've never had siblings myself but Bill said when I was five I somehow got hurt and lost my memory. So- I uh- may not get what you feel exactly but that also made me feel quite empty." He put a hand on her back. She looked over towards him with her warm smile. She could tell they were going to be good friends.

~A few hours later~

"So he randomly just appeared out of a portal that he built 30 years ago and your great uncle Stan got working again because he was the one that pushed him in there?!" Pine-Tree asked, clarifying what he heard.

Mabel laughed. "Yeah! I can't believe you actually got that, that story is so strange and weird and unusual, how in the world did you understand it so fast!?" She asked.

The boy rubbed the back of his neck and started playing with the blades of grass beneath him. "Well- it's not the weirdest thing I've heard. Bill always tells me these weird stories and teaches me how to do weird things."

"You keep talking about this 'Bill' guy, is he your uncle or father or something?" Mabel asked curiously.

"Uhhhh- I don't know. I mean- I guess he would count as my father. He takes care of me and teaches me things. Though- he punishes me if I break his rules, which I don't like..."

Mabel groaned. "I hate it when my great uncles punish me. It SUCKS! They tell me to go to my room and don't let me leave for a period of time! But luckily, I'm an Angel and haven't received a punishment in years!" She exclaimed proudly. "What about you? What are your punishments like?"

The boy thought for a moment. "I haven't gotten a punishment too recently but when I was younger Bill would give me these really horrible nightmares..."

Mabel looked confused. "What did he do to give you nightmares?" She asked.

"Well- I think he would put a finger on my head and I'd fall asleep. I'm not sure though."

The girl was at a loss for words. She didn't know what he was talking about, she thought either she heard wrong and didn't understand or that he remembers wrong and doesn't get it. Amidst her thinking she realized the sun was practically down already. She quickly got up.

"I have to go, my great uncles are going to be worried about me! I'll see you next week? Same time?"

Pine-Tree nodded. Smiling and waving at her as she ran off back home. When she was out of sight a wave of sadness casted over the young boy. He didn't know why he was sad, but he was. He felt alone. He's never had someone who was so interested in what he had to say before. It almost hurt to see her leave. He wanted her to stay.

But there was something else about her too. A sort of... connection... he had to her. It made him want to be near her for reasons he hadn't the slightest clue.

What was this connection he felt?