Dead or Alive

Chapter 12: The Reunion

"After all this time you were just trying to get your brother back..." Dipper said quietly.

Stan, Ford, Dipper, and Mabel were all sitting in the attic. An uncomfortable silence had settled since Ford had finished off the story.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't believe you, Grunkle Stan." Mabel spoke up. She stared down at the floor in shame.

"sweetie, it's my fault for not telling you earlier. I should've tried to avoid this mess altogether from the beginning." Stan said guiltily.

"You've got that right." Ford mumbled with his arms crossed.

Stan shot a glare at him.

"You do realize that part of this mess is your fault too, right?"

"Nonsense, it's your fault for being so reckless to begin with!" Ford shot back.

"Please don't fight, guys!" Mabel pleaded, "Come on, can't you just forgive each other already?"

Stan and Ford exchanged a look of disgust at the thought of apologizing to each other. Ford finally stood up and stormed out of the room. Stan stood and stared after his brother, sighed, and turned back to the kids.

"We'll talk about this in the morning. It's been a long day, you kids need your sleep."

"But Stan-" Mabel began, Stan silenced her with one look.

"No buts except yours in bed." He snapped before leaving the room.

Mabel obediently flicked off the lights and crawled in her bed without bothering to change into her nightshirt. She sighed and turned to look at Dipper,

"What's gonna happen to us?"

Dipper sighed and crawled into his own bed,
"I dunno...it just feels so...weird."

"Well you did just come back to life."

"No, it's not that...I just feel...empty." Dipper mumbled to the ceiling. He sighed deeply
"Do you know what I mean?"

Mabel knit her eyebrows in deep thought at this question.

"...yeah. I think so."

Dipper swallowed and drew in another deep breath before finally asking "what's gonna happen to me?"

Mabel sat up and stared at him in confusion.

"What'dya mean?"

"This doesn't feel right." Dipper muttered, staring at his hands and clenching them tightly.

"I'm supposed to be dead, Mabel." he said quietly.

"...why am I alive?"

                     .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .

One thing didn't seem to change now that Dipper was alive- he still couldn't sleep.

He woke up around midnight.

The attic was almost pitch black. Dipper stood when his eyes finally adjusted to the dark. Now everything seemed so different, like he was looking at the world for the first time.

Dipper could feel the crisp cold seeping through his clothes and the splintering wood floors scratched at his bare feet.

He took one step and cringed as he heard a loud creak. He still wasn't used to all of this. Just a day ago he could pass through walls without a sound.

Mabel being the heavy-sleeper that she was didn't wake up, so Dipper continued across the room despite the various creaks he made in the process.

He wasn't really sure where he was planning on sneaking off to, maybe his regular spot on the roof. It didn't really matter to him where he was going, Dipper just wanted to get away for a while- just a few minutes.

After closing the door behind him, Dipper snuck down the staircase and paused when he heard voices.

He peered around the corner to find Stan and Ford talking in the dimly lit dining room.

"...what do you propose we do? Reverse the machine and just let the kid die again? What about his sister? Would would she think??" said Ford's exasperated voice.

"I-I don't know...but how could I possibly explain to their parents that Dipper is alive again?!" Replied a flustered Stan

There was a heavy silence. Dipper could imagine Ford shaking his head solemnly.

"I wish I knew how to fix this and I would if I could...we've just got to try and lay low for now, keep all of this a secret."

"And how am I supposed to hide a twelve year old?"

"Just make sure that nobody knows who he really is, make him a fake identity or something."

None of this really occurred to Dipper until he finally heard it right then. It all suddenly dawned on him how crazy all of it was. No- it was insane.

He felt as his his heart were about to burst out of his chest. His mind raced. Questions darted in and out of his mind until he felt like he couldn't think at all.

Dipper didn't know what to do, so he ran.

He ran down the hall, flung open the back door, and ran as fast as he could into the woods. The only thing he could hear was the distant shouting of his uncles behind him.