Return to Falls

Chapter 01

His name was Bill. The four-lettered name of the dream demon was enough to send anyone who met him into an anxiety-induced frenzy. The very heart of Gravity Falls, Bill's chosen place of conquest, had shaken so violently during Weirdmageddon it was a miracle recovery was possible. Mabel succeeded, but Dipper Pines had spent the past five years refusing to accept anything his therapists said to him since their advice traversed the lines of: "If this happened, you got through it. Beating yourself up over what you could've done differently does nothing for you but keep the pain fresh." He always noticed their emphasis on "if", as if going through literal Hell with his friends and family was imaginary. Recovery wasn't an option. It was, ironically, a mystery.

For so long, nightmares of Gravity Falls robbed Dipper of his sleep and eventually his sanity. He couldn't believe Mabel successfully talked him into returning. She used the excuse that Grunkle Stan had promised the best Summer imaginable to make up for the last time. Dipper, however, knew that meant they'd be working hard and earning money they wouldn't get to keep.

All though there were still several things to work through, he found himself on the bus with his twin sister snuggling up against her pig, Waddles. Being the only two on the bus, he figured he could create a list of pros and cons about the trip.

Pros: Grunkle Ford had a whole line-up of inventions ready to be tested and, God-willing, approved for use. Dipper was more than excited for those upcoming experiments. Soos, alongside Candy and Grenda, had prepped their attic room for a Summer stay and were ready to party. That was where Mabel's excitement lied. Cons: literally everything else. Even seeing their old friends left a sour taste in his mouth. While most were excited to see the twins again, the person they didn't hear anything about was Wendy.

Because facing the end of the world left them emotionally scarred, they thought it'd be best to keep their distance from Gravity Falls and all things associated with it until they were self-proclaimed mature enough to go back. This included cutting off contact with everyone there. As sad and hard as it was, it was necessary. Dipper wondered if Wendy had been hurt as a result. Any sane person would've been.

"Mabel, get up." Dipper said, nudging his sleeping sister. "We're here."

Dipper mistakenly poked Waddles, upsetting the hefty pig and sent him running towards the exit. Mabel woke up immediately after and sprinted after him. For a pig of impressive size, he was remarkably fast. The chaos forced the driver to stop the bus about a block from its destination. Because Gravity Falls was in the middle of nowhere, the threat of being hit by a vehicle was non-existent.

As the twins stepped off the bus they were greeted with two heavy hands rubbing the tops of their heads. Grunkle Stan shouted, "It's about time you two knuckleheads came back!"

"We missed you too, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel said back.

Dipper noticed the increased number of wrinkles across his Grunkle's face. The sight made him feel slightly bad for not being a frequent visitor. Or at the very least, a decent great nephew. They weren't getting any younger, after all.

"Why're you looking so glum, kid? This is supposed to be your best Summer ever!" Stan said. "What? You think 'cause you got some facial hair you're better than me? Huh?"

"Sorry, Grunkle Stan. Just lost in thought." Dipper said.

Stan rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah, what else is new? All right, let's get back into town! We're starting your vacation off right by having a cookout at the Shack!"

"Grunkle Stan? Cookouts cost money." Dipper said sarcastically. There was a shoe waiting to drop, he could feel it in his bones.

Instead of responding directly, Grunkle Stan returned the sarcasm and said, "Jeez, Dipper. Your voice is so much deeper now. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a man." It was Dipper's turn to roll his eyes. He wasn't sure how or why he didn't see that remark coming.