Gravity Rises (S3)

CW: Part Twenty-Six

Gideon had packed everything into the rental trailer. He had hidden his amulet in the fairy hollow. He had said goodbye to everyone, human and nonhuman alike. He had gotten in the car with the Pines and his sister.

And now they were driving down to California. It all felt so surreal.

For much of the drive, Dipper sulked, missing Waddles. Greyson would take care of the pig, but Dipper was still going to miss him, and he made sure everyone knew it. Gideon didn't dislike Waddles anymore, he had to admit — but he was glad he didn't have to share a car ride with the pig. He didn't say anything like that to Dipper, of course, but he was thinking it.

Mabel, when she wasn't consoling Dipper, sat quietly sketching in her sketchbook. Gideon was impressed that she could do that without getting carsick. And he didn't mind the lack of conversation. It gave him time to look out the window and think.

But the drive was a long one — about eleven hours. So Gideon didn't just look out the window. He talked to people, and napped, and helped pick out the places to stop for meals. The adults switched out driving every once in a while. But they didn't want to drive the whole way in one day — Sam and Camille had done that last month, and they didn't want to do it again — so they decided they would stop in Reno, Nevada, for the night.

Even knowing that the drive would be two days, everyone was excited to get to California. Grace in particular had this look of anticipation Gideon had never seen from her before. Like she was longing to go back to her family.

Well, of course she was. She was a wife and a mother now. She had a family to go back to.

That thought made Gideon nervous. He knew that Grace loved him, that she wanted to give him a place to stay. . . but would Gideon really be able to fit in with her family? A mom, a dad, two young boys, a baby girl. . . and the tall teenage brother?

He tried not to dwell on his worries, but in a long car ride with little else to do, it was hard. He stared out the window, watching the heavy snows of Gravity Rises give way to the light snows of Reno. That was one thing he'd miss: the snow. And he's miss his amulet, and the forest in general, and the space.

But he wouldn't miss his abusive situation. Or the memory wiping. Or the loneliness.

The group stopped for the night and slept in a cheap hotel. The next morning, everyone was understandably groggy. But they still had about three and a half hours to go before they reached their destination. So they got into the car and started driving once again.

The snow disappeared almost entirely as they drove further. It was a wonder Mabel and Dipper had handled the snow in Gravity Rises so well, because California had done nothing to prepare them for it. And even worse, the trees alongside the highway started to give way to buildings. And Gideon remembered another thing he wasn't happy about: Oakland was a city. Gideon didn't want to live in a city!

"Gideon? Are you okay? You look grumpy."

He glanced at Grace, who was sitting next to him in the backseat. He considered saying he was just tired, but then decided against it. "I'm just. . . going to miss the forest."

"I get that," Grace said. "But don't worry. We still have plenty of places to get out in nature. You've gotta see the redwoods."

"Redwoods are cool!" Dipper said. He was in a better mood today than yesterday, despite the car ride. "You'll love them, Gideon."

Gideon smiled. Okay. Maybe he wouldn't just be trapped in a city.

For the last hour of the drive, Gideon's thoughts turned from trees back to his worries from yesterday. What if Edward hated him? What if Grace's kids hated him? What if their giant dog attacked him or something? Grace had promised that the dog was a sweetheart, and she had shown Gideon cute pictures of her family on her phone, but still.