Something seems off...

Chapter 7

Dipper and Mabel had both dragged a chair from the kitchen and had positioned themselves on either side of the kitchen's door. The gift shop's sign had been turned to the “Sorry, we’re closed” side on common assent, the twins not even having to discuss it. Protecting the brother's privacy, while still having an excuse to eavesdrop on them, seemed to be the most appropriate thing to do. Now, stationed silently and with stony faces, they listened in to the quiet conversation. Neither of the brothers broke out fully, but Wirt's strained voice and Greg's unnaturally serious tone were enough to convey the stress the two boys were going through.

When the younger brother's voice started to crack, Dipper had to stop Mabel from leaping out of her seat to rescue him. He held her down and whispered sense into her as Greg's voice gradually returned to normal.

They stayed there so long that Stanford actually came up to check on them, in case the stuffed wolf's head had suddenly decided to come back to life and corner them in the kitchen. Dipper got up to stop him before he came too close, and dragged him by the sleeve into the hall for some privacy.

“Could you just give them time to sort themselves out? Please, this is important.”

He crossed his arms over his broad chest.

“Dipper, the circle's drawn and everything’s ready to start the analysis...”

“Just give them a few minutes, they need to get over this, and decide what they’re going to do next.”

Sighing, Ford unfolded his arms.

“Fine, but they have to be down there in less than an hour.”

“I can’t promise anything.”

“Well, try to make it so. I've got research to get back to.”

He made his way back to the gift shop. Dipper watched him retreat with a murderous glare, yet trying to understand the man. He knew how studies as deep and enthralling as his could affect your relation with other people; he had experienced it himself, being confronted with the choice last year. His sister or studies? He chose to remain with his family in the end, but even if he had made a different decision on that day, he would have still stayed in contact with her, wouldn’t he?

He knew that he couldn’t compare their relation with Grunkle Stan's and Ford's, theirs being by far way more bumpy than their own. He tried to convince himself that he would have never sunken as low as him, but it kept coming back to the same basic facts. Ford was too similar to him in too many ways, and he was the incarnation of that other choice he had turned down. In consequence, he had turned into a different person, seeing the flaws where before he had only seen a gleaming sheen of brilliance.

He returned to his seat, slightly calmed by his quick mental spiel. Mabel had, as always, read the conflicting emotions on his face as easily as she could knit a pig's sweater.

“Are you all right?” she whispered to him.

He tried a weak smile in her direction.

“I’m fine. I just needed to figure a few things out, but I'm better now.”

“If you say so.” she replied, unconvinced.

They stayed there quietly until a crashing was heard from the gift shop, followed by a pained howl which sounded suspiciously like : “My money! My precious money !”

They simultaneously leaped up to placate their Grunkle's impending mental breakdown.

The man had been put to bed with a wet towel over his searing hot forehead when the brothers from another timescape made their appearance. Greg was eagerly hugged by a worried Mabel as soon as he set foot into the room, but Wirt was quickly caught up moments later in the wool-covered arms. Even Dipper had been recruited, without even having wanted to in the first place. They finally formed a huge bundle of love and compassion that remained there for several minutes, to the girl's satisfaction.[1]