After Dark

Chapter 17 - Homeward Bound

The days went by quickly as Mabel pushed herself to study and finish strong before the holiday break. Dipper and Pacifica had left on Sunday afternoon after they had broken the Ice about Gideon. They had broken out the ice cream, and after that many hugs and a few tears were shared. Dipper told Mabel it was just till Wednesday night after classes let out. She and Heather had both been cramming study sessions every night so they opted for Chinese take-out. Heather however had told her that Hannah had recovered just as quickly as Mabel had after getting the antidote shot. Mabel was relieved to hear that she had recovered so quickly.

Mabel got all her studies crammed in and managed to get a good night's sleep before exam day. She nailed her exams and thanks to Gideon she got top marks in the software portions of her exams as well. She had made great progress and felt far more at home using the GUI. Heather had done well. She had forgotten a few questions on her political sciences exam, but who hasn't. She still aced it.

The holiday felt far sweeter on the finished side of exam day. She sat on the bench watching the leaves fall in the park across the street. The cool autumn wind was soft but it had a bite to it today as the temperatures began to average lower as the winter solstice drew closer. The colors of the park wove together in brilliant hues as the sun shone down through the leaves lighting them up from the far side like a warm fire. Mabel smiled at the beauty. She had been having dreams lately where she could not find Dipper, Grunkle stan, or Grunkle Ford. Or ones where she made the wrong choice with Grunkle Stan and pushed the abort switch on the portal. In her dream, she had watched Grunkle Ford fall away back into the portal as he cried for help.

She wrapped her jacket closer around her shoulders as she shivered but not from the cold. She stared ahead just thinking...when was the last time she told Grunkle Ford and Grunkle Stan she loved them? If she had to think about it she knew it had been too long. She closed her eyes. She missed them...she missed their humor...those silly bickering old goats she thought with a smile. And Dipper...what would she do without his strength. He was her rock and gimbal. He kept her grounded. Every day he showed her what it meant to live with conviction. To stand strong when no when else did. His words were like a fire in her heart that kept this shooting star pointing skyward bound. He always said she was his joy. He would tell Mabel that her ability to hope and believe in others was something that took a leap of faith to understand.

The truth was she couldn't have done it without him. A tear fell down her cheek. His voice of compassion carried her through the deep valleys where friendships and relationships died. His praise and encouragement were an impetus, a driving force under her wings lifting her above the pain and the tears so she could soar above the valleys and over the mountains.

An arm settled softly on her shoulder shaking her out of her reverie. "Hey beautiful," said Gideon with a smile. He was wearing a stylish marron shirt and boot-cut denim pants that accommodated his dark leather boots. He wore a casual unassuming dark brown bull leather cowboy hat that's only flair was a braided leather band that was studded with small silver medallions as it rounded the inside of the brim before it curved upwards. He looked good! She turned to wipe the tears from her eyes. He watched her, his eyes not missing anything. He settled down on the bench next to her. He took a coffee out of the coffee holder and handed it to her with a smile as he watched her face carefully. She smiled at him gratefully. She took a sip of her coffee. It was a quad shot venti peppermint mocha with extra candy cane powder crushed on the top of the whipped cream. She smiled as the heat and the ethereal transcendent joy of holiday coffee hit her system. She knew it was just a system of chemicals in her body releasing the right chemical interaction telling her brain this feeling was great. She knew her love of coffee and expectation was releasing dopamine into her system and Gideon's arm around her making her feel loved and safe was releasing oxytocin into her system.