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aceofstars16 · 7 months

Text

Next chapter is up! It's the climax...hehehe

Ford takes a drastic measure to stop Bill…

You can read on AO3 or below the cut

Chapter 10 - Desperate

“This was no accident, Stan; you did this!

“And until you make us a fortune, you're not welcome in this household!”

“Stanford? Don't leave me hangin'. High six?”

Stan looked up at the window, looking desperately at his brother. Then the curtains closed and he was alone. For a moment, the word seemed to grow dark. Then he yelled up at the window.

“Fine, I don’t need you, I don’t need anyone!”

“So why should you help him now?”

The thought entered Stan’s mind, unbidden, but he couldn’t entirely reason away. Ford had pushed him away. He had left him to his own devices. And now he had called him here because he needed help. When Ford hadn’t helped him in his desperation. When he was just a kid…

“Would he do the same for you now?”

Once again, the thought felt disconnected to the scene, but it was something Stan had wondered. Had Ford changed? Had he realized he'd made a mistake in pushing Stan away? Or had he changed so much that none of the brother he remembered remained?

“Stanley?”

The voice echoed around the dream, then everything started to fade away. In a blink, the memory was gone and Stan was looking up at the ceiling. A hand shook his shoulder and he batted it away.

“I’m up, I’m up.” Truthfully, sleep still clung to him. The thoughts in his dream were still ringing in his head, planting seeds of doubt in his mind. Which only grew as he sat up and saw Ford looking at him, a frown etched on his face. The eyepatch he had been wearing was nowhere to be seen.

“Good, I...I need your help with something.” Ford looked at the ground as he spoke. There was an edge to his voice that made Stan uneasy.

“You want me to tie you up again so you can sleep?” It was the logical assumption. Ford still looked exhausted, and sleep could only be good for him. Even if it meant having another frustrating conversation with the stupid triangle guy.

“What?” Ford glanced at him and shook his head. “No, it’s…something else.”

“What is it?” Stan could practically hear Bill mocking him, telling him that Ford only wanted him to come to his house to send him away again. Was he finally going to learn the truth?

“I…” Ford let out a breath, still not looking at Stan. “Come on. I…I need to show you something first.”

So much for answers. Trying to push aside the disappointment, Stan stood up, shaking the remnants of drowsiness from his body. “Uh…lead the way I guess.”

Ford nodded and stood up, not even looking at Stan. Then he headed out of the room and lead Stan to a bookcase, with an elevator behind it.

“Woah…this is fancy…” Stan muttered. It was hard not to be a little jealous that Ford had a nice house with an elevator when he only had his car.

Ford hit a button in the elevator and it descended, the silence only broken by the rumbling of the mechanics. And as the seconds ticked by, Stan could feel a weight growing in his chest. The door opened and he was immediately met with a room full of a bunch of machines that he didn’t understand. It looked like a nerd’s paradise. So it made perfect sense for Ford.

“Hope you don’t expect me to work any of this stuff.” Stan placed a hand on one of the machines.

“Don’t touch-!” Ford snapped, and Stan quickly removed his hand, feeling a spark of annoyance as his brother’s aggravation. Why bring him here if he was worried about Stan messing something up?

“I…” Ford shook his head. “Sorry. I just…I need you to understand that this is dangerous.”

The heaviness in Stan’s chest grew. “Is this what the kids were talking about?”

Ford looked at Stan in confusion, then it cleared and he sighed. “Yes, it’s…one of my biggest mistakes.”

Stan swallowed down any resentment at knowing that Ford leaving him behind wasn’t his biggest mistake. However, the thought was quickly chased away as Ford pulled a switch, resulting in a cavern outside of the room lighting up.

“Woah…what’s…?”

“It's a trans-universal gateway, a punched hole through a weak spot in our dimension. It connects to…Bill’s domain.” Ford huffed. “I suppose I should tell you about Bill.”

“The weird triangle that wants to take over the universe?”

“What? How did you-?”

“Dipper told me while you were gone. Granted, it sounds like something out of a TV show or something, but…” Stan paused, not sure if he wanted to admit that he'd talked with Bill while Ford had been asleep.

“He’s real.” Ford said, glancing at the portal. “And I need your help to get rid of him.”

“Me? What do you want me to do? Punch you really hard or something?” Stan couldn’t imagine how he was supposed to stop something that lived in Ford’s mind.

Ford let out a strained laugh. “No…not…not exactly.”

There was silence for a moment.

“Stan…” Ford looked at him, maintaining eye contact for the first time since he had woken Stan up. “I need you to promise me that you will do what I ask of you. No matter what.”

The words hung in the air. Stan found himself frozen in place. There was something in Ford’s gaze that made him hesitate. He couldn’t pinpoint it at first. Then it hit him. Ford was scared. No, not scared. He was terrified.

“What…what are you wanting me to do?” Stan could barely get the words out. He had never seen Ford look so…shaken.

Ford’s gaze flicked away. “I…I need your word first, Stanley.”

“Ford, what’s going on? What are you thinking? Please, talk to me!” Anxiety was growing in Stan’s body with each second. He didn’t know what Ford was thinking, but everything in him was screaming that it wasn’t good.

Ford swallowed hard. “I…I have to get rid of Bill, Stan. But I can’t do it without you.” He glanced up, looking at Stan again. The terror was evident in every line of his face – he wasn’t trying to hide it any more. But there was something else lying underneath it. Desperation.

“Please, Stanley. Promise me.”

Every bit of Stan’s common sense screamed at him to decline. There was something bad going down. This was not right. But the absolute desperation on Ford’s face stopped him from telling his brother that he was crazy and he’d never agree to do something until he knew what it was. Because Ford needed him. So, despite his better judgement, Stan found himself nodding.

“Alright…fine…I…” He swallowed and met Ford’s gaze. “I promise.”

Ford’s shoulder’s relaxed and he drooped in relief. “Thank you, Stanley…”

Stan tried his best to smile at his brother. “Yeah, so uh…what’s the plan?”

Swallowing, Ford dug into his coat and pulled out a gun of sorts. He fiddled with it for a bit, seeming to input something into it. “I need you to…take this and…” His fingers froze for a moment, panic crossing his face. Then he shook his head. “I need you to shoot me with it.”

“WHAT?!?” Stan stared at his brother in shock. “I’m not going to shoot you, Stanford!”

“It’s not a normal gun, Stanley. It’s…it’s just something that will get Bill out of my head. That’s all.” As he spoke, Ford held out the gun for Stan to see more clearly.

Trying to taper his dread, Stan looked at the gun. It definitely didn’t look like a regular gun, but still… “It won’t hurt you?”

Ford looked away for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before looking back at Stan. “No, it won’t hurt me.”

Stan found the words less than reassuring. But he trusted his brother. He had to. It would be okay.

“There is one more thing.”

The dread returned full force. “What?”

“To make sure that Bill is fully in my head, so he can’t survive, I need to let him take over my body.” Ford frowned. “And unfortunately, he knows what I’m thinking, so he will try to convince you not to do it. He will say anything, Stanley. But you can’t listen to him.” The desperation was back, creeping into Ford’s voice and covering his face as he spoke. “Do you understand?”

Despite the unease that had been haunting Stan since he came down here, he felt a resolve overwhelming him. This thing had been hurting his brother. And now he could get rid of it. “I understand.”

Ford nodded. “Good. Now…let me show you how this works…”

-----

Dipper woke with a start. Wind was battering against the windows, and as he sat up, a branch hit the house, resulting in a loud BANG. Which explained why he’d woken up.

Rubbing his eyes, Dipper looked around. It was fairly dark in the room, but there was a small lamp on, showing Fiddleford conked out on the table with the time machine. He vaguely remembered sitting down with Mabel and talking about Stan and Ford. She hadn’t seemed to learn much about what had happened between them, but Stan had told Dipper everything. Or at least, everything from his perspective. Mabel, of course, had been crushed, and Dipper himself couldn’t shake the uneasiness at how such a little mistake could tear twins apart.

Before they had had fallen asleep, they had promised not to let anything like that happen between them. Though there was one thing that Dipper found himself worrying about.

“We have to help them make up!”

“But, Mabel, we don’t know how that would affect the future!”

“But they need each other, Dipper!”

“I…I don’t know, Mabel. Maybe we should sleep on it.”

The hurt on Mabel’s face still haunted Dipper as he glanced at her. She was still fast asleep. It’s not that he didn’t want to help Stan and Ford, but he also didn’t want to do something that would destroy the timeline. For all he knew, if they did something drastic then they might cease to exist.

Sighing, Dipper slowly got up, careful not to move Mabel. He needed some water to help him clear his head. But as he walked by Ford’s room, he noticed that the door was open. And poking his head in, he saw that no one was inside. Where were Stan and Ford?

All thoughts of water forgotten, Dipper quickly made his way around the house, looking for the brothers. But they weren’t anywhere to be found. Which only left…the basement.

Memories of his last time down there played in his mind. He didn’t really want to go down there by himself again, even if Stan was down there too. Swallowing hard, Dipper made his way back to Mabel and gently shook her.

“Mabel. Hey, wake up.”

“No more Smile Dip.” Mabel muttered in her sleep and Dipper shook her again. This time she jolted awake.

“Huh? What? Dipper? What time is it?”

“I…I’m not sure. But I can’t find Stan or Ford. I think they might be…in the basement.” Dipper said, glancing in the direction of the bookshelf.

“Why would they be there?” Mabel muttered, sitting up.

“I don’t know but…with everything going on I…I think we should check it out.”

Mabel frowned. “Do you think Bill is doing something?”

“I don’t know…”

“Don’t mention that name.”

Dipper and Mabel both looked quickly towards the table.

Fiddleford was blinking hard, but frowning at them.

“You know about Bill?” Dipper couldn’t help but ask.

Not meeting his gaze, Fiddleford nodded. “A little. I don’t remember much but…” He shook his head. “Never mind. Bill can’t be trusted.”

“We know that.” Mabel said.

“Which is why I want to go down to the basement to make sure everything is…okay.” Dipper said, trying to ignore the goosebumps growing on his arms.

“I’m not going down there again it’s…” Fiddleford trailed off. “Wait a second. How long have I been asleep?”

Dipper shrugged as did Mabel. “I don’t know, you were still awake when we fell asleep.”

“I remember working…and then…Ford brought me some coco…I never could stay awake after drinking a cup…” Fiddleford sat up straight, then grabbed for the bag that he had brought with him and dug around in it. “No, no, no! Where is it?”

“Where’s what?” Dipper and Mabel asked at the same time.

“My memory gun, it’s…it’s gone!”

“Your what?!?” Dipper blurted out.

A shadow grew over Fiddleford’s face. “I don’t know what’s going on but…” He let out a huff. “We have to find Stan and Ford.”

-----

“So, it shoots light or something?”

Ford could hear the uncertainty in Stan’s voice, but he did his best to ignore it. Stan had already agreed to his request, all he had to do was make sure that it went according to plan.

“Not light exactly, it’s complicated. But it does look like light.”

“Right…” Stan said, and Ford could feel his eyes on him. Ford knew that Stan wasn’t a huge fan of this plan. After all, despite what had happened ten years ago, Ford knew he wouldn’t want to wipe Stan’s mind. Not that Stan knew what the gun would do but…Ford knew that if he told him, he wouldn’t do it. And Bill needed to be stopped. This was the only way.

“Right. And there are a few things I…need to make sure you do after Bill is gone.” Despite his exhaustion, Ford found himself pacing. After all. that would aid him in letting Bill take over.

“Woah woah, what do you mean? You can just make sure they get done, right?”

Ford made the mistake of looking at his brother. He caught the concern in his gaze and quickly looked away., blinking a few times to try to ease the discomfort in his eye. “Yes, well…I will probably need to rest afterwards. And these things should be done as soon as possible.” It wasn’t a full lie. Ford would need sleep afterwards. It just…wasn’t the full truth either.

“Ford…” Stan’s hand rested on his back and Ford skittered to a stop at the familiar gesture. “Is there something I should know?”

For a moment, Ford considered telling Stan the truth. But he couldn’t. Swallowing he shook his head. “No…I mean, yes. After everything is done, I need you to make sure that the portal gets dismantled. Fiddleford should be able to help with that. And he can use parts from the portal to fix the time machine as well.”

“Okay…I can do that I guess…” Stan glanced at the portal and Ford followed his gaze before quickly looking away.

“Good. Make sure the kids get back and…” Sighing, Ford pulled his journal out of his coat. “I need you to hide this somewhere too.”

“What? Hide it? Why?”

“It…it has too much dangerous information in it. No one should ever find it. I’ve already hidden the other two.” Ford held the book out and Stan hesitantly accepted it, frowning.

“Doesn’t Dipper have one of them?”

Ford let out a breath. “Well, yes, but…that’s in the future. I…maybe Fiddleford should check my hiding place and make sure it can’t be accessed….” He muttered to himself, his thoughts going faster than his mind could keep up with. Shaking his head, he brushed aside his mutterings. “But someone needs all of the journals to understand the portal anyway, so it…it should be fine.”

“You sure?” Stan was looking at Ford again, doubt clouding his gaze.

Quickly looking away, Ford nodded. “Yes. I…I think that’s everything. I’m…I’m going to meditate. Bill used to use me that way. And if not…”

“You’re tired enough you’ll probably fall asleep anyway?”

Ford quickly looked at Stan as he said exactly what he was thinking.

“You look dead on your feet, Sixer. It’s not that hard to put together.”

“Oh…right…” Ford sighed, then gestured to the journal in Stan’s hand. “You can put that away. Focus on the gun right now. And remember-”

“The creep is gonna try to convince me not to shoot you. I got it, Ford.”

For a moment, Ford looked at Stan. Not for the first time, anxiety grew in his chest. He didn’t want to lose his memory. He didn’t want to forget everything. Panic started growing in his chest. Then a hand rested on his shoulder and their eyes met.

“It’ll be okay, Stanford. I promised, remember?”

There was nothing in Stan’s voice that left any room for doubt. Ford could trust his brother. For a moment, he opened his mouth, wanting to tell Stan what would really happen. And how scared he was. Then Stan grinned and patted his shoulder.

“Now, you go on and meditate or whatever.” He held up the memory gun. “I’ll get rid of that jerk.”

Ford’s gaze grew blurry and it took him a moment to realize that his eyes were watering. No, not watering – tearing up. He quickly looked away and nodded. “Right.”

Then he sat down and crossed his legs. Looking up, he saw Stan giving him a thumbs up. That was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes.

-----

Stan watched as Ford sat there. He had never meditated before so he didn’t really know what to expect. After a few minutes he started tapping his foot.

“Stan, I can’t focus when you do that.”

Letting out a breath, Stan stilled his foot. “Right. Sorry.” It wasn’t his fault that his anxiety was building. After all, he didn’t know exactly what to expect, and just the thought of pointing a gun – even one without bullets – at Ford just felt wrong.

Time ticked on again. Stan tried to hold his tongue, but patience was never his strong suit. “How long does this normally take?”

A frustrated sigh escaped Ford. “Stanley, please this…this is hard enough as it is.”

Trying his best to swallow down his anxiety, Stan tapped his fingers on the gun. It wasn’t as loud as his foot, and Ford didn’t comment about it, so he figured it wasn’t too loud. As he did so, he glanced at the gun, his gaze resting on the screen at the end of it.

Wait. Why did it say…Stanford Pines? Wasn’t it supposed to get rid of Bill?

“You know, he doesn’t really trust you.”

Stan jumped at the voice, immediately pointing the gun at Ford. Because despite the voice being his brother, he knew that it wasn’t really him. His finger found the trigger, and he started to pull it.

“He didn’t tell you what that thing would actually do to him.” Ford looked up at him and smiled knowingly, which effectively stopped Stan’s finger.

“He told me it would get rid of you.” Swallowing, Stan started pulling on the trigger again.

“Ah, yes. But he didn’t tell you that it would get rid of him too.” Ford held up his hand and studied it. “Would be a shame for you to destroy your brother, wouldn’t it?”

The words made Stan’s skin crawl, and his finger stilled again. Then he shook his head, remembering that Ford had told him Bill would do this. He’d try anything to keep Stan from shooting him. “I know your game, triangle. You can’t fool me.”

Ford tapped his chin thoughtfully then grinned in a way that mad Stan’s skin crawl. “I’m not trying to fool you. I know what your brother didn’t tell you. He’s so desperate to get rid of me, that he asked his own brother to destroy his mind.”

“I…he wouldn’t…”

“Wouldn’t he?” Ford grinned. “Why else do you think his name is on that gun?”

Against his will, Stan found his hand lowering. He knew this had to be a game, just Bill trying to get into his mind too. But…Ford hadn’t exactly explained how this gun worked…

“That’s right...” Ford slowly stood up. “You are only a tool for him. He doesn’t actually care about YOU!”

At the last word, Ford lunged for the gun. Stan tightened his grip on it too late. It went clattering to the ground, a slight chinking sound filling the air as it did so. Stan lunged for it but Ford slammed him into the ground sending the gun skittering further away.

Kicking hard, Stan tried his best to shove Ford off of him.

“Oof, you are a fighter, huh?” Ford growled, then bolted forward.

Stan quickly swung out his leg, tripping his brother. Lunging forward, he reached for the gun. Something grabbed his leg and he kicked without thinking and thrust his arm forward, grabbing the gun.

“Give me that!” Ford screamed and in that split second, instinct took over.

Stan rolled over and fired.

Light erupted from the gun, hitting Ford right in the head. The scream that escaped his brother chilled Stan to the bone, but he couldn’t force his finger to leave the trigger.

The whirring of the gun grew louder and higher pitched. Then the bulb shattered, cutting off the light. Stan quickly threw the gun to the side, grimacing as a few pieces of glass cut his hand.

For a moment, Stan just sat there, catching his breath as adrenaline continued to pulse through his body.

A groan shook him from his shock and he looked at Ford.

His brother was kneeling on the ground, holding his head. Panic overwhelmed Stan and he quickly scooted forward. “Ford, are…are you…?”

Ford slowly looked up, his hands falling from his head as he did so. He narrowed his eyes in confusion as he looked at Stan. “Wha-?”

Stan sagged with relief. Deep down he knew that Ford was himself again. Bill wasn’t in control. “Oh thank goodness.” Stan couldn’t stop himself from reaching forward and pulling Ford into a hug.

Ford didn’t return the hug, and Stan realized maybe he needed a little space after having Bill in his mind. Leaning back, he let out a breath and smiled reassuringly. “You’re okay. I thought that stupid triangle might actually be telling the truth.”

“T-triangle? Wh-what?” Ford muttered, looking around in confusion.

“Don’t worry about him. He…I think he’s gone now. Come on.” Stan stood up and held out his hand, finding a real smile growing on his face. It was over. He had helped Ford, and Bill was gone.

“I…okay…but…” Ford looked at Stan’s hand then up at him, confusion etched on his face. “Who are you?”

#trapped in the past #gravity falls au #gravity falls #stanford pines #stanley pines #dipper pines #mabel pines #ford pines #stan pines #fiddleford mcgucket #timetrapped au #timestuck au #gravity falls fanfiction #aceo writes things

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aceofstars16 · 7 months

Text

The next chapter is up!

Mabel and Ford venture out of the shack, Dipper and Stan stay behind. All the while, the younger twins try to uncover what happened between their grunkles.

You can read it on AO3 here or below the cut!

Chapter 9 – Past Mistakes

Mabel hadn’t seen Gravity Falls in the winter – but even if she had, she wasn’t sure if she would’ve recognized it now. Snow covered the roads and stores, and a few flakes were still falling, obscuring her view even more.

Glancing over at Ford, Mabel tried to figure out how to bring up Stan, seeing as Ford didn’t really seem very…coherent. He had swerved a few times while driving into town, and despite the sleep he had gotten, he still had dark circles under his eyes.

“Here, we can grab a few essentials before I go and find…” he trailed off and shook his head.

“Oooo, who are we-OH MY GOSH!” Mabel stared at the convenience store they had parked at. Despite the snow and the fact that it was actually open, she knew the store.

Ford winced at her voice and quickly looked around. “What?!”

“I’ve been here before! Well, kind of. It was abandoned and haunted then…or in the future? Huh…it’s the past for me but also the future, that’s so weird!”

For a moment, Ford just stared at her – which seemed to be his main response to anything she did – then shook his head. “Yes, well…come on. I don’t want to be out any longer than I have to.”

“Okay!” Mabel threw open the door and hopped out of the car, trying to ignore the freezing wind as it blew through her sweater. Ford followed and they both headed into the small store.

As soon as they got inside, Mabel beelined for the candy section. Sure, they needed some real food but there wasn’t any harm in getting some sweets too, right?

“I don’t think this is the kind of food we need.”

Mabel glanced up at Ford, who had followed her to the candy section. “Aww, come on. A little candy never hurt anyone.” Mabel gave him a big smile and for a moment he once again just stared at her. Then he let out a sigh.

“You can get one.”

��Yes!” Mabel pumped her fist, then started searching the isle. A familiar label caught her eye and she took a few steps away from it. Smile Dip. Never again. However, there were a lot of other candies that she had never seen before. Sure, she had caught sight of a few when her and Stan had stopped at gas stations on the way here, but she hadn’t asked for any because of their lack of funds. But now…

With her mind on candy, Mabel didn’t know how much time had passed. It took her ages to narrow it down to Ultra Butter Candy Caramel Blasts and Chocolate Glitter Bombs. Holding up both packages, she narrowed her eyes. Which one would she have a harder time finding in the future?

“Only one, remember.”

Mabel glanced up. Ford was standing there with a few essentials in his hands – bread, milk, some canned goods - all the boring food. Letting out a breath, Mabel settled on the glitter bombs.

Walking up to the register, Mabel could’ve sworn she’d seen the owners of the store before, but she wasn’t quite sure. After all, most of her memories of the haunted store were in Smile Dip land.

“Hello ther-” The lady at the register – Ma – froze when she saw Ford. “Are you okay there, mister?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Ford quickly put his items – including Mabel’s candy - on the counter.

“Are you sure, cause you look-”

“My uncle stayed up too late last night watching his favorite movies!” Mabel piped in before Ford could respond.

“Oh, I see. A good movie then?” Ma looked at Ford who just pushed the groceries towards her.

“Yes, fine. Now can we please check out?”

“Oh, uh, sure thing.” Ma started scanning items, but kept glancing at Ford. “Say, aren’t you that science guy who lives in the woods?”

Ford narrowed his eyes and Mabel quickly jumped in again. “Yeah! He loves his science!”

Ma looked at her and Mabel gave her a big smile, which seemed to satisfy her as she continued ringing up the items. Out of the corner of her eye, Mabel saw Ford frowning at her, but she ignored it.

“That’ll be $6.18.” Ma’s voice broke the tension in the air.

As she put the groceries in a bag, Ford pulled out some crumpled-up bills from his coat pocket. For a moment, Mabel wondered if he had enough, but thankfully he seemed to find what he needed as he placed a few bills and change on the table.

“Have a good day!”

“We will!” Mabel waved, but Ford just grabbed the bag and walked to the door. Quickly rushing after him, Mabel shivered as the cold air hit her again, but soon she was back in the car.

“So, where to now?” Mabel asked, hoping Ford would tell her who he was trying to find, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he just pulled out of the parking lot and headed further into Gravity Falls.

As they drove through on center of town, Mabel hummed to herself – a Sev’ral Timez song that had a way of getting stuck in her head. Finally, she decided to try again.

“Grunkle Ford?”

The car swerved a little and Ford glanced at her in confusion. “W-what?”

“Why are you and Stan so…tensey?”

Ford’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “That’s not a word.”

Mabel shrugged. “Okay, but why?”

“You can’t just add a ‘y’ to the end of a word.”

“I mean, why are you and Stan-”

“It’s none of your business!” Ford snapped, and Mabel found herself shrinking into her seat. She hadn’t expected an outburst, and if she was honest, it was a little intimidating.

Silence filled the car as they drove on which gave Mabel enough time to gather her thoughts and try one more time. “I’m sorry…I guess I just...wanted to know. Cause you are twins and, twins are supposed to be super close. I couldn’t imagine not being close with Dipper...”

For a moment, Mabel thought Ford wouldn’t answer, he just stared at the road. But then he broke the silence. “Sometimes things happen and people grow apart. That’s all.”

“That’s sad…” Biting her lip, Mabel couldn’t help but remember the times when her and Dipper had arguments. They had always managed to work them out. She couldn’t imagine anything that would make them grow apart like Stan and Ford.

Ford sighed but didn’t respond.

Mabel took that as permission to keep talking. “But Stan came to help you now, right? So maybe…you two could be close again?”

“I doubt it…” Ford said, keeping his eyes on the road. Then he spoke again, so quietly that Mabel could barely hear. “But maybe he’ll prove himself trustworthy this time…”

A grin broke out on Mabel’s face. Sure, it wasn’t the most optimistic answer, but it was something. “I’m sure he will!”

Ford glanced at her for a moment, and a shadow of doubt crossed his face before he looked at the road again. “We’ll see I suppose.”

At that moment, he pulled into a driveway and stopped the car, effectively cutting off any more discussion about him and Stan. “We’re here.”

Looking up, Mabel saw a small condo in front of them. “Your friend lives here?”

Once again, there was a moment of silence before Ford’s response. “Yes. Now stay here.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and headed out into the cold.

Mabel watched him walk through the snow. She knew she should wait, but that was easier said than done. Through the flurries, she could make out Ford knocking on the door and her curiosity was too strong.

Opening the car door, she quickly hurried after him.

“It’s not for me. I just need your help with-”

The guy at the door tried to shut it, but Ford put his foot in the doorway to stop it from closing.

“I ain’t helping you anymore, Stanford. Now leave me alone.”

As he spoke, Mabel couldn’t help but feel like there was something familiar about the voice, but she couldn’t place it. However, it was clear that there was tension between Ford and this guy.

“It’s not for me, Fiddleford, it’s for-”

“Hi there!”

Both men turned and looked at Mabel, who grinned.

“Stanford, who is-?”

“It’s a long story, but I need your help to get her and her brother home.” Ford glanced at Mabel, then back at his friend.

For a moment, Fiddleford just stared at Mabel. Then he glanced at Ford again. “What have you got yourself into this time?”

“I’ll explain as we drive. Please. I don’t…have the time to-” Ford shook his head and let out a breath. “Please.”

Fiddleford looked at Mabel again – who smiled at him – and sighed. “Fine, I’ll come. For the girl.”

-------

Dipper watched through the window as Mabel and Ford left. He couldn’t shake the tightness in his gut. He had only just gotten Mabel back; he didn’t like seeing her leave again so soon. And despite wanting to trust Ford, he knew that the author wasn’t entirely in his right mind.

“They’ll be fine.”

Turning, Dipper saw Stan looking at the door, a small frown on his face, but when he looked at Dipper, he smiled.

“Ha…yeah…” Looking back out the window, Dipper sighed.

“So…uh…how did you end up here, kiddo?”

Dipper looked at Stan again. “It uh…it’s a long story…” He realized that staring out the window wouldn’t actually help the time go faster, so he reluctantly made his way to the couch and sat down.

“Well, we got time.” Stan sat down on a chair and waved his hand. “So?”

Letting out a breath, Dipper looked at the ground. “It’s kind of stupid…I wanted a perfect day with this girl…”

“Ah, a crush, eh?”

Laughing a little, Dipper found himself relaxing, despite the awkwardness the question brought up. Unlike Ford, Stan was familiar…and despite being years younger, he still seemed like Stan. “Yeah…I uh…found the time machine from this time traveler. Kind of tricked him into setting it down for a bit.”

“A trick, eh? Sounds like something I’d do.” Stan grinned and Dipper couldn’t help but smile back. Yeah, this was still Stan.

“I set everything up perfectly, so I’d have the perfect date. And it worked but…” Dipper sighed and glanced at the window. “I needed Mabel, and when she helped me, she lost this pig that she got really attached to. And then we…got into a fight with the time machine and…”

“Then you ended up here?”

When Dipper glanced at Stan, he was surprised to see that his uncle was looking at the wall, as if lost in his own thoughts.

“Yeah…I ended up in the snow. I recognized the woods, but the shack looked…different and…then I met Ford…”

“He any different in the future?” Stan was still focused on the wall.

“Umm…well…I’m not…sure.” Dipper was still aware that he shouldn’t talk too freely about the future, but at the same time, he was confused. And talking about things usually helped him reason them out.

Stan quickly looked at Dipper. “What do you mean?”

“Ummm…I…I’ve never met him before…in the future. It’s…confusing. I don’t really know why.”

“But you and Mabel…know me?” The confusion on Stan’s face reflected Dipper’s own feelings.

“Yeah, we…we came to Gravity Falls to stay with you…but…you go by Stanford in the future.” As soon as he said it, doubt overwhelmed Dipper. “Uh…maybe I shouldn’t have…”

Stan shook his head. “Look, kid, I don’t know what is up with your future but…I’m sure there’s an explanation…right?”

As he spoke, Dipper started connecting dots, his brain going into overdrive. “Stan?”

“Hmm?”

“You wouldn’t…ever…hurt your brother, right?”

“What!? No, of course not! We might not be…talking much but I’d never do anything to Stanford!”

The passion in Stan’s words convinced Dipper and he quickly backtracked. “Right, yeah, sorry I just…I’m thinking out loud…”

Stan blew out a breath. “That…it’s fine…”

It was quiet for a few moments and Dipper found himself pulling out the journal and his pen, clicking it as he tried to figure out what in the world had happened in the past to result in the future he knew.

“Hey, kid?”

Dipper looked up from his most recent journal entry. “Uh, yeah?”

“Do you know why Ford is all…” Stan rolled his hand around, searching for the right word, but he couldn’t seem to find it.

“Um…y-yeah…or at least, a little.”

Stan sat up straight. “Really? What’s going on?”

Tapping his pen on the journal, Dipper tried to decide if it was a good idea to tell Stan. But then again, maybe Stan could help Ford. “He’s…there is this anomaly.” Dipper flipped in the journal till he found the page on Bill, then held it up for Stan to see.

Stan quirked an eyebrow. “A triangle? Really?”

“His name is Bill and he…Ford met him a while ago and…made a deal. Bill wants to bring his dimension here, or…something like that…and he’s trying to use Ford to help him get here.” Dipper found himself fiddling with his pen as he spoke. Just mentioning Bill set him on edge.

“Does…does Bill talk through Ford?”

Dipper quickly looked up. Stan was frowning at the floor. “How…how did you know?”

“I uh…when Ford was sleeping, he…talked to me.” Stan’s frown deepened.

“What did Bill say?”

“I…eh, just stuff…” Stan sighed and looked at the window. “Kid, do you know why my brother wanted me to come here?”

An uneasiness settled over Dipper at Stan’s redirection. Was he avoiding something? What had Bill said?

“Kid?” Stan was looking at him again, and the uncertainty in his face caused Dipper to look away.

“I don’t know. He didn’t tell me. He just told me a little about Bill after…” Dipper swallowed, not really wanting to think about that encounter again.

“After what?” There was an edge to Stan’s voice.

“Bill just…tried to get to the portal and I guess I kind of stopped him…?” Dipper rubbed his hand along the bruises that had started forming after his fight with Bill.

“You stopped him?” Stan asked, the shock evident in his voice.

“Heh…yeah, I guess?”

Stan let out a small chuckle. “You’ve got more guts than I thought, kid.”

Dipper tried for a smile, but it fell. There was still so much that he didn’t know, and despite wanting to trust Stan and Ford, he still felt like they weren’t telling him everything. But maybe Stan would tell him a little more.

“Stan?”

“Yeah, kiddo?”

“…why are you and Ford…upset with each other?”

Stan looked away and sighed. “It’s…a long story…”

“We have time.” Dipper said, using the same words Stan had used on him not long ago.

Shaking his head, Stan leaned back on his chair. “It all started ten years ago…”

----

“So, you’re from the future?”

“Yup! It was kind of an accident but…”

Ford was only vaguely aware of Mabel and Fiddleford talking. He’d told Fiddleford about his predicament, but now he was too distracted to partake in the conversation. After all, he had other problems besides getting the kids home. So he didn’t interrupt as Mabel spoke of the future. At this point, knowing facts about the future seemed trivial, and Fiddleford didn’t seem too concerned about it. That was a little odd but maybe he was too fascinated by it to think about the possible repercussions.

Blinking his eyes hard, Ford tried to ignore the throbbing in his head. It hadn’t been horrible when he’d left but now it was giving him more trouble than he’d like to admit. Plus, it was adding to his exhaustion. It was as if the few hours of sleep he had gotten vanished and he was going off of nothing again.

The car hit a patch of ice and slid. For a moment, Ford lost control of the car, but thankfully he got it under control again. However, the action effectively killed the conversation in the car.

“Maybe I should drive.” The wariness of Fiddleford’s voice was vastly different than the intrigue and curiosity he had used with Mabel.

“I’m fine.” Ford gritted his teeth. They were almost back at the cabin anyway; he could hold out for another minute or two.

Silence filled the car until Ford pulled in front of his house. Then Mabel started talking and Fiddleford engaged in conversation with her again. Ford tried not to let it get to him. He couldn’t entirely blame Fiddleford’s distrust of him after all, even if it did make him feel slightly unwelcome. Instead, he just grabbed the groceries and followed the two inside.

“-look familiar.”

As he walked in, Ford heard Dipper’s voice. He glanced up and saw the boy looking quizzically at Fiddleford, who seemed just as curious as Dipper.

“Best leave it alone.” Despite his growing lack of care at the security of the timeline, Ford found himself not wanting them to waste any more time. The sooner the kids could get home, the sooner he could figure out what to do about his own situation. Plus, he didn’t think Fiddleford would be overly fond of the kid’s future version of himself.

Everyone looked up at Ford and he swallowed in discomfort. “Fiddleford, the device is on the table there.”

For a moment, Fiddleford looked disappointed, but then he sighed and nodded. “Right, right, of course.”

As soon as his friend made his way to the table, Ford headed towards to kitchen. He didn’t necessarily want to waste time with groceries or food, but he also needed a break to compose himself.

Of course he couldn’t get even that. Walking into the kitchen and setting down the bags of groceries, Ford heard footsteps and looked up. Stan was watching him, but despite how close they had once been, Ford found he couldn’t read his brother’s mood now. So he ignored him as he put the perishable goods in the fridge.

“You didn’t crash my car.”

Ford froze - his hand on the milk - and glanced up at Stan. “Of course I didn’t!” The pain in his head and the growing exhaustion of his body resulted in his voice coming out sharper than he intended.

“Sheesh, relax…” Stan frowned and grabbed some of the food to put in a cabinet. There was silence for a moment then he spoke again. “Did everything go okay?”

“Yes, fine.”

“Are you sure, cause-?”

“I’m fine, Stanley!” Ford snapped. He didn’t have the energy to deal with his brother’s worry right now.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, then Stan’s face hardened. “Fine.”

He stormed out of the room before Ford could respond.

Letting out a sigh, Ford put up the rest of the food. Mabel’s comments about Stan kept coming back to him. As much as Ford wanted to believe Stan wouldn’t let him down, his brother’s current attitude towards him wasn’t exactly encouraging. Trying to shake the unease in his chest, Ford made his way back to the living room.

Upon walking in, Ford found the kids watching Fiddleford examine the time machine. His old friend was muttering to himself, clearly fascinated by the machine. Dipper was questioning him, as if trying to decide how he knew the inventor.

Despite not having the energy or desire to interact with anyone, Ford forced himself to walk up to the group. “Can you fix it?”

Fiddleford looked at him, a shadow passing over his face before he returned his gaze to the time machine. “I think so. But I don’t know if all of the parts are here…”

“I tried to grab them all…” Mabel said, worry crossing her face.

“It’s okay, Mabel, I’m sure we can figure something out.” Dipper gave his sister a reassuring smile and Ford shoved aside any resentment he felt at seeing the two siblings getting along.

“The parts are pretty advanced…” As he spoke, Fiddleford glanced at Ford.

It was questioning and Ford knew he was thinking about Crash Site Omega. Another trip, more time. Ford didn’t have the time or patience to plan a trip to the crash site. Plus, it was freezing. He might not even be able to find the entrance in this weather.

Shaking his head, Ford found himself grasping at vague ideas, trying to figure out a plan. “It’s too cold.” He muttered to Fiddleford, though the kids glanced at him in confusion.

“Then what…?”

“I’ll figure something out.” Ford snapped.

“Maybe you should get some sleep-” Fiddleford started, but Ford quickly interrupted.

“I’m fine!”

When his friend shrunk back, Ford felt a small stab of guilt. “I just…give me a few hours to figure something out…”

“I suppose I could help-”

Ford shook his head. “No, just do what you can with the machine. I…I need to think…”

Making his way to his room, Ford could feel their eyes watching him, but he ignored it. Voices in his head, strange looks, feeling out of place. By now, he was getting pretty good at ignoring all sorts of things.

As he walked into his room, Ford froze as he heard a snore. Glancing at his bed, he saw Stan asleep on it. Annoyance grew in his chest, but it deflated as quickly as it had come. He wasn’t going to be sleeping again any time soon, and he might need Stan later. One of them might as well be rested.

Sitting down at his desk, Ford pulled out his journal and started trying to work out what to do, writing his thoughts out as he did so.

I don’t care to even think about the future any more, it is not as if I can unlearn the knowledge I have-

Ford’s hand froze in midair as he glanced at the sentence. Unlearn. Forget. Fiddleford said that he had destroyed his memory gun. But…what if he hadn’t? It could come in useful. Maybe…

Jumping up, Ford knocked his chair over. Stan mumbled in his sleep but didn’t wake up. Glancing at his brother, Ford knew what he had to do. If he could. If Stan would cooperate. If Fiddleford hadn’t destroyed the gun. If he was right about Bill. It was desperate and…it was permanent but…what other choice did he have?

#gravity falls #gravity falls au #timestuck au #timetrapped au #stanford pines #stanley pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #stan pines #ford pines #gravity falls fanfiction #aceo writes things

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