Always (2/3)

34: not that lucky then

34
Pacifica

   When I woke up the next morning my body felt stiff. I suppose that's what you'd get if you decided to sleep on a wooden floor with a few blankets.

   I rose from the ground, feeling awfully sweaty. I walked quickly over to the front door, opened it, and left the house.

   I stood on the porch, feeling a cool summer breeze whip my hair around my face. The sky was as grey as I felt, a summer storm must have been on its way.

   Part of me, well most of me, wished that Dipper was standing next to me. That none of yesterday had happened, and everything was back to the way it was. I wished that Dipper wasn't marked for death, so to speak, and I wished that he and I were stable.

   I went back inside to find my phone. Maybe Dipper had called, left a voicemail, or maybe he even texted me. My phone was lying on the coffee table next to the couch, right where I left it.

   I grabbed it and looked at the screen. Messages from my parents, asking how the trip was going, a message from Gideon asking why Mabel was still here, but no texts from Dipper at all.

   Okay, Paz, give him the benefit of the doubt. I took a deep breath. "He most likely just fell asleep or something. Maybe he's giving me space after all."

   Nonetheless, I was worried about him.

   There was a small chance that he could've gotten hurt, there was an even bigger chance that the dumb creature could have found him and finished him off. I needed to make sure he was alright.

   I snatched my phone off its charger, grabbed my shoes and ran to the door.

   I managed to get my shoes on as I briskly walked in the direction of Gleeful Manor. If he was there, I could yell at him for scaring the hell out of me, hug him all at once too.

   While walking there took about fifteen minutes, I was finally there. I typed in the code for the gate, happy that Dipper had told me it prior and also happy that he hadn't changed it or anything, and quickly walked in.

   I almost forgot how long the driveway was if you weren't in a car, but I eventually made it to the door. I knocked loudly on the door, hoping that someone would answer immediately so I could go inside. It was already starting to drizzle, and I didn't want to get wet.

   When nobody opened the door, I tried myself and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was unlocked. I walked across the threshold and into the dimly lit house.

   Lo and behold, I saw a familiar shadow in the Gleeful family sitting room. Knowing that it could only be Dipper, I walked over and took a look at him.

   Sure enough, it was him, and he wasn't looking too good. He was sleeping in a chair, one of the worst possible places to even consider sleeping in, eyes closed, face paler than normal. Was he. . .sick? Dried blood was on his shirt as well.

   On the glass table nearest to him was a melted ice pack, a matchbook, and his phone.

   I looked back at him and sighed. He needed to be somewhere more comfortable than where he was. But there was no way I could get him back in his own bed all by myself.

   Knowing that there had to be a few butlers around, I sent out to look for one. I found one cleaning the Gleeful family library and told him what he had to do.

   He nodded and set off.

   I found my way into the kitchen and found myself something quick to eat. A maid came by and offered to cook me something to eat.

   "It's alright," I shook my head.

   "No, I insist." She replied with a kind smile.

   Soon enough, she'd made a platter of pancakes for me to eat. "Thank you." I said as she left the kitchen and went on to do whatever.

   After I'd eaten enough, I went upstairs to see how Dipper was fairing. When I got into his room, I saw that he was lying on his bed, sleeping soundly.

   I smiled to myself. Dipper was capable of making everyone in the room quiver at the sight of him, but he looked absolutely at peace when he slept. It was. . .kind of adorable.

   I walked over to his bookshelf and mulled over which one to read until he woke from his deep sleep. I came across many titles, most of them very old English literature, including Leo Tolstoy's famous War and Peace, before settling on a mystery-based novel.

   I took a seat in Dipper's desk chair and began paging through the novel, finally feeling eager to read for the first time since school let out. That felt weird.

   An hour or so passed before Dipper started moving in his sleep. His eyelids fluttered when he first tried to open them and he let out a soft groan. He sat up too fast and immediately placed a hand on his temple, groaning once more.

   "What. . ." he murmured softly, probably wondering how he got into his bed, as he glanced around the room.

   His eyes found mine but he chuckled at himself. "Okay, now I know I'm dreaming."

   "Hey," I whispered, placing the book on his desk.

   "You're actually here." He mused. "How? When?"

   "A couple hours ago." I informed him. "I didn't know whether you'd be awake and it's raining so I decided to stay and. . .you're not listening to me."

   "I am," he replied quietly. "I'm just amazed that you're actually here."

   "Oh."

   Dipper got out of bed and slowly made his way over to me. "Pacifica, I--"

   "I know." I looked down at the floor. "You're sorry. I know. But you scared me, y'know?"

   "I never do that, Pazzie, you have to believe me." He rambled, a trace of fear in his eyes.

   "I wasn't scared about that." I shook my head, standing up to face him. "I know why it happened, but you scared me because I didn't know where you'd gone to. I thought you could've been. . ."

   "Killed?" He raised a brow. "I didn't mean to scare you, honestly. I just wanted to give you space, I figured that was what you wanted."

   I nodded. "You should have texted me at least."

   "Didn't know if you wanted to hear from me." He chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "God, I look a mess."

   "I'm surprised you didn't clean yourself up." I commented.

   "I had things to think about." Dipper cautiously admitted. "But that's not the point," he took my hand in his and pulled me closer. "I'm going to say it now, okay? Pacifica, I'm sorry for everything that happened yesterday. And I'm sorry that you got hurt because of it."

   I closed my eyes. "Thank you, Dipper. Now, go take a shower, you need it."

   Dipper gave me a salute and walked over to the door that led to his bathroom. "If I'm lucky, you'd join me."

   "Not that lucky then, are you?" I shook my head, amused.

   "One day, I suppose." He called over his shoulder as he closed the bathroom door.

   "Sure, Dipper. One day."