The Things We Leave Behind (Gravity Falls Fic)

Chapter 31: The Logic of Magic

Saige's POV:

The next day, Asha, Marceline, Angel, and I were sitting around the dining table. Our newest guest, Cassie, was standing by, her tiny hands clasped behind her back and her kind, sweet face smiling innocently.

Marceline looked at Cassie but spoke to me, "So, you're telling me that this little girl was a butterfly two days ago?"

I nodded, "And now she's a girl."

Angel glanced between Asha and me, "And you guys are just letting her sleep in your room?"

Asha shrugged, "Well, where else is she gonna sleep?"

"And you aren't... fazed at all?" Angel asked me, directly.

I sighed, "I was... at first... but I'm not really... I'm just done with Gravity Falls and it's oddities. I'm not going to let it bother me anymore."

"Are you going to look into what might've caused Cassie to become... Cassie?" Marceline queried.

I shrug, "I'll let Dipper check it out. He'll love this. Besides, Cassie was a magic butterfly, it's not all that surprising that she could become a human."

Asha turned to me, "Really? How is that supposed to make sense?"

I raised my hands in the air, "Because magic."

"Oh," Asha surrenders, "Foiled again by the magic."

I meet the gazes of the Ooolanders, "See, guys, here's the thing. I have long since learned that there are some happenstances that cannot be explained by science or reason... I like to call those happenstances 'weird stuff.' And Gravity Falls is full of weird stuff."

I gesture to Cassie, "Case in point. And I mean, look at you two. You showed up on the roof of my cabin in the middle of a thunderstorm... from another universe. That's some pretty weird stuff. As you can see, I am well-equipped to deal with weird stuff. My job is literally to handle weird stuff. My history is chock full of weird stuff. Heck, I am weird stuff! I'm a girl that works for a top-secret government agency that sends me to other worlds to perform recon. My best friend is the daughter of Hades for pete's sake. And my past is almost a complete mystery to you guys, just like your past is a mystery to me, and yet I welcome you into my current place of residence with open arms."

Once more, I gesture to Cassie, "Sometimes the best way to explain the unexplainable is to just say 'because magic' and let it go, Frozen-style."

There is silence in the room.

And then Marceline begins to clap, slowly, "Lovely speech."

I nod, my expression serious, "Thank you."

For the first time since we woke up this morning, Cassie speaks, "So... I can stay?"

I sigh, "Yes, of course. My cabin is getting pretty crowded, though. Maybe I should get an inflatable mattress or a cot so I can set you up in the attic."

A huge smile spread across the little girl's face, and she tackled me, almost knocking me out of the chair, "Thank you, Miss Saige! You're the best person I've ever met!"

I blinked, "You know, you've only met four people."

Cassie didn't respond. She was too busy attempting to squeeze the life out of me.

I choked out, "Okay, okay, th-that's enough..."

She let go, still grinning.

I rubbed my throat where her arms had been, and then grimaced, memories of Bill trying to suffocate me returning once again. I shuddered, trying to shove those images back down into my subconscious.

"Saige?" Angel asked, a tone of slight concern in his voice, "What's wrong?"

I blinked and then shook my head, "Nothing, don't worry about it."

---

Bill's POV:

I hovered in my living space, absolutely seething.

There were two things that I really cared about in my life. My long, long life. And one of those things is about to be taken from me. I cannot let her slip through my fingers.

I will not let her slip through my fingers.

I despised that Riley boy for so, so, so many reasons. Reasons that a normal human could never understand.

Yes, I loved the girl, and yes, Riley posed a threat to that, but it was more than just envy.

I knew everything that went on in his head, I knew his motives, his past. I knew who he really was.

But... Saige would never believe me if I told her. She almost never believes anything I say. With good reason, I suppose.

I'll just have to show her.

---

Riley's POV:

I sat in my bedroom, writing in my assignment journal.

Saige was such a wonderful, innocent, pure spirit.

I could not let that demon corrupt her.