Cast Away

Chapter 1

(Dipper pov)

I groan in pain feeling something heavy jump on top of me and peeling my eyes open I see the face and mess of brown hair responsible for disturbing my peaceful slumber.

"Morning to you too, Mabel." I grumble.

"Stop complaining, dipstick, I'm not that heavy." She finally gets off of me and she somehow is already dressed for the day. "Come on! I have to work later and I want to go shopping and then we have lunch with Stan and Ford before they have to go out at sea."

"Both of them?" I lean up on my elbows as I look over at her. "But Stan is retired, and Ford only got back yesterday. He usually stays for a few weeks before he gets called out to sea again."

"They didn't give me any specific details, just said that they have to go back out later tonight."

I give her a knowing look, noticing how she's picking at her nails and she only does that when she's hiding something. "You were easdropping on them again, weren't you?"

"Just a tiny bit."

"Well what did you hear them say?"

"I couldn't hear a lot, Ford had the record playing to try and keep me from easedropping."

"Typical."

"But I did hear something about pirates and something about a 30 year old grudge but couldn't make out the specifics.....I thought I heard one of them mention the word demon too."

"Guessing the pirate they're being sent after is personal to Ford, really personal if it was a 30 year old grudge. That's a really long time.....demons huh....that could just be him spewing insults at whoever they're chasing. Has to be really important if it gets Stan out of retirement too."

"Yeah. So, like I said, get out of bed so we can go shopping."

I lay back running my hands over my face. "Mabel, please just let me sleep this once."

"You can sleep tomorrow, today we have family bonding things to do."

"That's what you said yesterday. You literally say that everyday."

"Get up right now before I tickle you so bad that you pee yourself."

"Fine fine, just get out so I can get dressed." I finally relent knowing that she's serious. She smiles in victory as she leaves my room shutting the door on her way out. I sit up swinging my legs off the bed as I rub the last of the sleep out of my eyes. With one last yawn I push myself off the bed and head over to my dresser.

Mabel and I have lived in Gravity Falls ever since we were 12 and our parents died in some sort of accident, that's the story that Stan tells us anyway. Nothing ever specific. Ford just avoids the topic altogether. Both our great uncles are or were part of the naval guard at some point. Stan is supposed to be retired and Ford is still part of it even though they're both pushing the ripe old age of 75.

Mabel loves their stories about the open sea and fighting pirates so much that she desparately wants to join in their footsteps but she can't until she's 21 so she is waiting until our birthday next month to join. I on the other hand have zero intent of joining. I love Ford's stories as much as her, but I can't imagine myself ever living them. I prefer to stay here on land with my books where I know for sure that I'm safe and won't get my throat slit by a sword or something like that. My preference to stay on land is the one thing that no one in this family seems able to understand no matter how many times I explain it to them.

I finish getting dressed and pull on my shoes as I head downstairs where Mabel is waiting for me. She ecstatically grabs my hand and pulls me out of the house down to the market. I smile watching as she goes from stall to stall buying different things, brushing off all the men that try their advances on her. When I few get too persistant I give them a good shove back and that gets them to back the hell off.

We spend hours at the market, her buying mostly crafting supplies along with a few skirts and dresses. I buy myself a few books that one vendor is selling but otherwise I don't buy anything. We both rush back home dropping our newly bought items off in our own rooms before we race each other to the diner to meet up with Stan and Ford.

Mabel cheers as she beats me there. She does a little victory dance as I put my hands on my knees trying to catch my breathe.

"Jeez.....I really need to work out more or something...." I mutter to myself before standing up straight again as me and Mabel head inside. We sit at a booth with Stan and Ford and we all just have lunch together, Ford telling about his newest adventures and Mabel talking about the crafting supplies she bought.

It seems like only a few minutes but soon enough Ford and Stan get up leaving, them both giving me and Mabel a hug before they leave the diner. Once they're gone Mabel sits across the table from me as she looks at me intently.

"Dipper, I got a huge favor that I need to ask of you."

"What is it?" I ask cautiously, knowing that if she's this intent about asking me then it's probably something that I am going to hate.

"So, you know how I'm working late tonight?"

"Yeah....."

"Well I kinda forgot until this morning that Pacifica's party is also tonight."

"What's the party for again?"

"Her parents trying to get her married to some rich asshole. Doesn't really matter who, they just want her married to someone with money."

"If you really want to go to the party, why not just get Carter to cover your shift?"

"I tried but when I called him he said his grandmother needed him to help around the house. And you already worked a double shift last week."

"So you can't go to the party is what I'm guessing. Does Pacifica know?"

"Yeah, I called her while you were getting dressed. And she came up with a great idea of how I can be at the party and at work at the same time."

"That's impossible."

"No it's not. Because all that needs to happen is you go to the party pretending to be me!"

"What?!" Everyone else in the diner looks over at us but I don't care. "I'm not doing that!"

"Please, Dipper? Me being there helps Pacifica not get betrothed to some asshole, it's why I go to everyone of her parties. Her parents let me because I'm her best friend, but they wouldn't let you with how you usually look. They know we don't come from money so they wouldn't ever let you in the front gates. But if you wore the dress I made for myself and with a wig and some other touches you would look like me."

"No! Nothing you say would ever make me do this."

"Please?" She folds her hands in front of her as she gives me her biggest puppy dog eyes. I groan to myself, those being my one weakness. She only does this whenever she really makes me do something I don't want to do.

"Fine. But you owe me big time after this."

"Thank you thank you!" She reaches across the table giving me a tight hug.

I sigh softly but can't help from hugging her back.