Little Dipper

Restoration

Ford looked back at Wax Stan. "It's quite the work of art, isn't it? Practically professional. I'd like to meet the artist."

"You have. You made her and her brother cry." McGucket said flatly.

"Oh..." Ford groaned. "I'm doing really bad at this family thing, aren't I?"

"Considering how all you had to say about your family during college was that they were all swindlers, I'd say you're doing about average." McGucket replied.

"...You remember that?" Ford looked at him.

"Thanks to Gideon's potion, I remember everything." McGucket said, nodding. "And we have a lot to talk about, starting with your ego."

"My...ego?" Ford frowned.

McGucket sighed. "Don't play dumb. You never got zapped. Let's not beat around the bush, old friend."

–

"Okay, so I propose...cupcakes!" Mabel grinned.

"Cupcakes?" Gideon asked.

"We can put the potion in each individual cupcake! It'll be perfect!" Mabel clapped her hands together excitedly.

Gideon smiled. "Alright, cupcakes it is."

"Oh, but I need to get cake mix. We can go do that now! Grunkle Stan!" She ran off to find him.

"Good of you to provide a distraction." Bill walked over to Gideon. "Things got...tense. Ford's not going to thank or apologize to anyone, it seems."

"I figured that she would need something fun to do. The board game the other day turned out to be a life-threatening situation and she just needs something with a little less adventure." Gideon sighed softly, smiling a bit.

"Speaking of 'a little less adventure', how's your mom doing?" Bill asked.

"Well, it's been interesting. Preston came over to help her out, since my father is, well, practically bed-ridden lately. I'll have to make sure he gets a cupcake, or give it to him in his drink tomorrow." Gideon frowned. "I'm just...concerned about how he'll react to it."

"I'm more concerned about Ivan." Bill remarked. "Any idea who he was?"

"No, not yet. Oh! But McGucket might!" Gideon headed inside.

"...and that's where your problem lies. You've been so rooted in your insecurity about your hands that you push aside your family, your friends, and bury yourself in your own ego so much that you completely disregarded, say, my dream of starting a computer company." McGucket was saying as Gideon stepped in.

"...I suppose that was...inconsiderate of me. I even laughed at it." Ford said glumly. "I'm sorry, McGucket. I was supposed to be your friend, but I only saw you as something to raise me higher."

"Exactly. Now, see, you CAN apologize." McGucket crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And you have a good many apologies and thank yous to give."

"If you're talking about to Stan and Bill, I will not." Ford said stubbornly.

"Excuse me, McGucket?" Gideon walked over to them. "Before he leads you into a neverending loop of stubbornness, could you tell me if you remember who Ivan used to be?"

"Oh, Ivan? He was a guy working at a carnival! He had seen and been through some pretty horrible things, so I offered him a chance to erase it all." McGucket turned to him. "I think...it would be best to just let him have a fresh start. Some of things he told me about, I wouldn't want to remember that if I were him."