Triple Pines

We Built This Shack On Memories

Dipper shook me awake. "Ty, we're here."
I drowsily looked up to see he and Mabel were already standing up with their suitcases in hand, waiting for me to get my stuff.

The driver looked deeply annoyed. I felt my face flush as I fumbled for my bag and suitcase and quickly followed Dipper and Mabel off the bus.

   . . . . . . . .

"Oh, how I missed this old hunk of junk!" Mabel exclaimed, standing in front of the Mystery Shack with a growing grin on her rosy face. Dipper paused beside his sister and smiled fondly at the old cabin before walking up to the porch to ring the doorbell.

"I wonder how Soos and Melody have been." I wondered out loud as we waited for someone to answer the door.

As soon as the question escaped my lips, the door squeaked open, revealing Melody in her dark green question mark t-shirt and tan cap. Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Ahh!! You guys are finally here!!"

Mabel was the first to hug her (naturally)

Dipper and I both stuck to an awkward wave followed by a "Hey" (Hugging isn't really our thing)

"Come on in! I'll grab Soos, he's finishing up on a tour. It'll just be a sec." Melody said as she held the door open to let us inside.

The Shack was slightly dusty. When I walked in I was hit with the overwhelming stench of mildew, just how I remembered it. Just like old times.

Melody left the room and came back with Soos, dressed in his hand-me-down suit and fez from Stan Pines himself.

"Guys!" he exclaimed, immediately hugging all three of us at the same time in one giant bear hug. His buck-toothed smile grew wider than I'd ever seen it, I don't think I've ever seen him this happy.

"We've got so much to catch up on," Soos began after he finally releasing us from his embrace. Melody cut him off before he could get too excited.

"you all can unpack and we can chat over dinner," she suggested with a smile.

. . . . . . . .

Dipper and I had to share a room.

"No fair," he muttered as Mabel happily skipped away to unpack in Ford's old room, where she would be staying.

I wasn't any happier than Dipper was. The both of us grumpily stomped upstairs to the attic.
The attic was stuffy and warm. Usually you'd be thankful for that, but only on colder days.

After we unpacked Dipper and I headed downstairs and took a seat at the dining room table. The kitchen felt the same, but different. The counters were littered with things like a teddy bear cookie jar, a chicken-shaped timer, and a clock on the wall that looked like a pizza.
These additions to the kitchen must've been added by Soos's grandmother.

Mabel was the last to join the table. She had changed into fresh clothes and I could smell her sugary-sweet perfume.

The pizza was already on the table. When Dipper opened the box, a slice was already missing. (Soos declared himself guilty, which made everyone laugh)

After we finished the last slice, Soos stood up and tapped a plastic fork on the rim of a red plastic party cup, mimicking how a fancy person would do so with a spoon and a glass of champagne. "I have an announcement!"

Everyone fell silent, even though we weren't being loud to begin with.

Melody was smiling and holding Soos's hand as he said "Melody and I..." he said with a smile so wide his eyes were almost squinting. Soos couldn't seem to spit it out, so Melody said it for him, "we're engaged!"

Dipper choked on his soda, Mabel screamed at the top of her lungs, I sat with what I hoped to be a happy/surprised look on my face.

"Congratulations!" I said, Dipper nodded in agreement. We were drowned out by Mabel's outburst,"OHMYGOSHOHMYGOSHOH!!"

"I can't believe it! I knew it, I knew you weren't far from getting married- OH. MY. GOSH. Can I plan your wedding???"

Melody and Soos laughed.

"Well that won't be happening too soon, but I can assure that you're gonna be a brides-made!"Melody exclaimed.

Mabel's eyes grew so wide I'm surprised they didn't pop out of her skull. She looked like she was gonna cry. Knowing Mabel, she was probably going to head to her room and start making a glittery binder full of wedding plans.

Soos turned to me and Dipper, "and what about you guys being the best men?"

Dipper smiled but raised a questioning eyebrow, "Is that even allowed?"

"Traditionally, no" Soos nodded, "but who cares?" That made everyone laugh again.

. . . . . . . .

We hadn't been in Gravity Falls for a few hours, and already things were changing.

A/n: I know that this was kind of a short chapter, but hey, no complaining.

I randomly came up with the idea for Soos and Melody to be engaged and thought it was perfect!!!

And I'm excited to announce that I have the official first chapter of my Anti-Gravity AU finished! BrightnessWings19 is currently working on the cover for it, (which I'm super siked to see!) but I'm in no hurry, I'm still working on the overall plot for the "series" I'm calling it a series since each chapter is sorta gonna be like an episode

And lastly, I've had a few people ask me if I'm planning on writing a sequel for Dead or Alive, and that answer would be a no. I'm retiring from writing the Ghost!Dipper AU, but that doesn't mean that no one else can! If anyone wants to write a sequel for Dead or Alive or write for that AU, go for it, my only condition is that you give me some credit for the original idea :)

Thanks for reading, see you guys next week!

~Cath