Need a drink? - [Male OC X Ford Pines] - Complete

29: Goodbyes

I suddenly wasn't stone anymore as I hit the ground hard. I stood up, looking around to find myself in the middleb of town. I ran towards the shack. I soon came across my informally adopted family before I reached the shack. "Kids! Ford! Stan!" I hugged each of them in turn but they didn't seem very happy. Ford even tensed when I hugged Stan.

Stan looked up at me with a friendly half smile that reminded me of the day we met back in first grade. "Hi, there..."

I held his face in my hands and forced him to look at me. "Stanley..." No recognition, only confusion, entered his face. I let him go. "Wh-what happened?"

Ford put his hand on my shoulder. "We had to erase his mind to defeat Bill. It's all gone. Stan's..." Ford hung his head.

"No..." I turned back to Stan. "You have to remember us, Stan. We've known each other our entire lives. You're my best friend. You're... you're like my brother, Stanley..."

Stan shook his head. "I'm sorry..."

Ford sighed. "Stan has no idea, but he did it. He saved the world. He saved me." He kneeled down next to Stan. "You're our hero, Stanley." Ford hugged Stan before helping him up.

Dipper led the way to the shack, Mabel leading Stan, Soos following. Ford rubbed his arm and I took his hand. Ford looked at me with tears in his eyes. I touched his face. "We'll figure this out, Ford," I said quietly. Ford set his hand on mine on his cheek and gave a small nod before pulling my hand away.

Dipper punched the stuck door of the Mystery Shack down. We all walked into the living room, Dipper and Mabel holding Stan's hands.

Stan looked around. "Hey, this is a real nice place you got here." I stood with Ford, watching Stan interact with the twins.

Dipper looked up at him. "It's your place, Grunkle Stan."

Mabel sounded desperate. "Don't you remember? Even a little?"

Stan sat down in the recliner. "Nope. But this chair hugs my butt like it remembers. Ah." He looked at us all. "Hey, why the long faces? You guys look like it's someone's funeral."

Dipper looked at me and Ford. "We saved the world, but what's the point? Grunkle Stan's not himself anymore."

Mabel looked at us. "There's gotta be something we can do to jog his memory."

Ford shook his head. "There isn't. I'm sorry. Stan's gone."

"I know my Grunkle is in there somewhere. There's gotta be something around here that can help bring him back." She grabbed her scrapbook, sat next to Stan in the recliner and opened it. "This'll work! This has to work! Here's the first day we came to Gravity Falls, Grunkle Stan. And here's a macaroni interpretation of my emotions." She flipped through the pages.

Dipper pointed at some of the pictures. "That time we went fishing? That Summerween we spent together? The hot air balloon you made with Uncle James? Don't you remember anything?"

Stan shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know what this is or who you are or-" Waddles jumped up on Stan. "Gah! Quit it, Waddles! I'm trying to remember my life story!"

Dipper and Mabel gasped. Dipper's eyes went up. "What did you say?"

Stan lifted Waddles. "I said get Waddles off of me."

Ford gasped. "It's working..."

"Keep reading," I said with a smile.

Soos wiped his eyes. "Skip to my page! He needs to remember our boss-employee relationship!"

Stan pointed at Soos. "Hey, just cuz I have amnesia, don't go tryin' to give yourself a raise, Soos."

Dipper smiled. "It's happening! Keep going!"