#timetrapped au

[aceofstars16]

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

[artforinfinity]

So.... uhhh them

Calling this the timetrap au!

#timekeeper cookie #croissant cookie #string gummy cookie #strawberry crepe cookie #poison mushroom cookie #gingerbright #skater cookie #cookie run #cookie run ovenbreak #cookie run kingdom #cookie run au #again sorry croissant is pale on camera i didn't color her well #timetrap au

[incorrectinfinity]

Revised version of Timetrap game night.

YEAH....

#timetrap au

[sleepsentry]

Any feelings/ideas about the timetrapped AU? Basically, the kids getting sent back in time through shenanigans to the younger versions of their grunkles (pre or post reveal, I frankly love both concepts)

Love the idea! Never read any fics or thought too hard about how it could play out in full. There's a lot of different possibilities and the fanart is very cute usually. B]

#gravity falls #gravity falls au #asks and answers #not art

[kirbyofthestars]

You have to understand I am deranged for the Pokemon AU I made. (Notice the Timetrap AU reference in the second image?)

IDK IF YOU SENT THIS TO THE RIGHT PERSON BUT OH MY GOODNESS THIS IS SUPER CUTE

#mdnl #saltdnl #letterbox

[donutpwns]

Journey to the Roots - Part 1

\o/ -- Part 2

So this was inspired by some fanart for this au by @illustratedacorns beep and @artsycrapfromsai boop. Go check out both of them, they’re both really great artists.

Her head was pounding; it felt like she’d drank a gallon of Mabel-juice with a Smile Dip chaser and was hitting the critical crashing stage. She groans, struggling to pull the collar of her sweater over her face and escape to Sweater Town until the feeling passed. Her stomach feels like it’s about to turn itself inside out. “Diiiiiipper, I’m dying!” the whine is out before she can even process the thought.

“No clue who Dipper is, kid, but if you’re going to die, could you do it somewhere else?” The voice is oddly familiar but most definitely not that of her brother.

Mabel’s eyes widened and she’s scrambling to get out of Sweater Town. “WHAT?!” her collar tugs down to only cover her mouth; she has to blink rapidly as she looks around where she’s at. She’s—wait, how did she get in the Stanley Mobile? And why was there so much more trash—ooh, new surprise tacos! She reaches to grab one only to have her wrist grabbed by a large hand. Oh. Right. The source of the voice. That was a thing. She traces up the arm, clad in a grimy red jacket that looked like a crime against heat as well as fashion, to the owner of both it and the voice. “WHAT?!” she screams again.

The circles under his eyes are much less pronounced with only the beginnings of crow’s feet at the corners, though they’re currently narrowed at her. His face is unshaven and unwashed; his hair is long and greasy and brown. It’s a little unnerving how much he resembles her dad. He drops her wrist at her second scream and lifts both hands in a telltale ‘no harm’ gesture.

“Easy, kid. You’re the one that broke into my car, if anyone should be screaming, it’s me.” He’s frowning at her before sighing. “Listen, if you’re trying to rob me, you picked the wrong target. I’m broke as they come.”

“Gr-Gr-Grunkle Stan?” her brain is spinning. Why was Grunkle Stan so young? It didn’t make sense. Something weird was going on; Dipper probably had the answer in the journal. No, wait, Grunkle Ford took the journal back. Oh, hey, Grunkle Ford would probably know what was going on.

Stan lifts a bushy brow at her; he’s got the look he gets whenever Dipper comes screaming about a new conspiracy theory. “No clue what a grunkle is, kid, nor how you know my name. But if this is a bit, it’s a weird one.” He reaches over her and opens the passenger side door. “If you work for someone that I owe money, tell them I ain’t gonna be paying up to a kid. Now scram.”

Mabel notices for the first time that the car doesn’t seem to be in Gravity Falls; it’s late at night and they’re parked in a sleazy looking alleyway between two large buildings. The air is icy cold when it hits her face. Gravity Falls doesn’t have any buildings this big. Ohh noooo. “Hot Belgian waffles…” she swears before grabbing the door and slamming it back shut and smashing the lock down. “Nope, nope! Not going out there, nope, hahahaha!” she turns back to Stan and jabs a finger towards him; he barely pulls back in time to avoid a good nose poking. “Younkle Stan! We have some weird stuff going down!”

“Youn—What are you on about?” he’s leaning back, back against the driver side door, twisted at the hips. “Kid, I don’t know you, so whatever you’re after—” he jumps when she scrambles to her knees in the passenger seat and leans super close to him.

This time he can’t escape the nose poke. “You! You’re Stanley Pines, you have a twin brother named Stanford and another brother named Grandpa Shermie—well, Grandpa isn’t part of his name but that’s what Dip Dop and me always called—NOT IMPORTANT!” she has to slam her hands on the middle console to de-distract herself. “POINT! You’re my great uncle but usually you’re all old and junk but now you’re young which, like, is not even close to the weirdest thing I’ve ever seen but it is definitely in the top fifteen, right after the time I found out my favorite boy band was made up of a bunch of clones grown by this real jerk who didn’t let them go outside but then I kinda did the same so—” a hand clamps over her mouth and she’s licking it on pure instinct.

Stan jerks his hand back at the same time she starts gagging; when was the last time he’d washed his hands?! “Holy shit, kid! Slow it down.” He starts wiping his hand on his jeans, which were about as filthy as his jacket. Grooooss. “Okay, okay, so you know more than most of the sharks I owe.” His eyes widen in a realization and it’s Mabel’s turn to jump back when suddenly he has a fist in her face, golden knuckles catching what little light the streetlights give. Wow could he put those on super-fast. “Did they send you to threaten my family? To let me know that you know who they are? Cause I don’t give a shit if they’re a bunch of assholes, nobody messes with my family! You hear that, you little punk?”

Her head’s spinning from so many swears, also the pounding headache that still hasn’t really gone away. Her eyes water before she can really process it because hello Grunkle Stan is threatening to hit her. She gives a loud sniff and mimics his hand gesture from a few minutes ago. “C-c’mon, Grunkle Stan. It’s—it’s me, Mabel! Your favorite great niece?” she pushes on her cheeks, trying to make her eyes as wide and cute as possible. “Don’t you remember me?”

Stan was doing his best to look unimpressed but she can see him cracking. After a moment, he gives a huff and lowers his fist. All the air seemed to deflate from him with the movement; she’s frowning as he slumps so far into the seat that his knees are pressed to the console. He groans, rubbing at his eyes with one hand. Mabel takes that as a good sign to relax. She shifts in her seat so she’s sitting cross-legged, taking the time to tug her sweater over her knees.

Well. This was awkward.

With a sigh of her own, paired with a pout, she reaches for the surprise taco she’d seen earlier. It’s practically grease-glued to the fast food bag it was in; when she finally peels the paper bag away, she sees a receipt similarly stuck to the taco wrapper. She doesn’t recognize the name of the restaurant listed at the top of the nearly translucent paper. Then her eyes fall on the date and she drops the taco entirely.

“81?! Is this taco right, Stan?!” she winces when Stan jumps at her shout, swearing even more at the way his knees banged into the steering wheel. Okay, so maybe she should stop yelling in an enclosed space with someone that didn’t seem to know her. Dipper may have been right about that. Not that she’d ever admit that. She was the Alpha Twin and therefore always right forever. But if this receipt was right, then that meant that Stan hadn’t forgotten her, this Stan hadn’t met her yet!

Stan was rubbing at his knees, frowning. “Of course it’s—how did you not know what year it is?” he’s reaching for her as if to feel her forehead before seeming to think better of it. “Are you, I dunno, sick, kid? I can give you a ride to a…hospital or something. I might have some quarters for you to call your parents?” his hand returns to rubbing at his eyes, “Shit, a kid breaks into your car and you offer her a ride. Going soft, Stanley…”

Mabel leans forward, checking the messy floorboards for a tape measure. She doesn’t remember seeing Blandin or messing with a time device. And wasn’t she with Dipper before…whatever happened? Huh. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember exactly what she was doing before waking up curled up in the front seat of the Stan Mobile. She remembered breakfast with Stan and Dipper; she remembered dressing Waddles in the new sweater she’d made him. She remembered wanting to show Grunkle Ford the new finger puppets she’d made him: one for each of the Mystery family to try to get him to warm up to everyone else. Everything else is fuzzy and makes her head hurt to think about.

“Where are we? Like…are we in Oregon?” she’s hopeful; if she could get back to the Mystery Shack then maybe Grunkle Ford could figure out what was going on. Plus if Dipper was here too that’s where he’d go so that’s where she needed to look for him.

Stan gives a bark of a laugh, “Where—Okay, actually, never mind. I’m going to stop asking questions cause you’ll just scream and start talking nonsense again. Oregon? Nah, Arizona, kid.” His mouth twists for a moment, “…fuck it, one question. What’s in Oregon?”

“Home! Your home, and mine and Dipper’s for the summer. Though I think it’s technically Grunkle Ford’s house but, like, you’ve paid the bills for like thirty years—or you will after—WAIT!” her eyes go wide and she has to slam her hands on the console again. “This is before! Which means you and him haven’t! So maybe if we get there before there doesn’t have to be an after and we can fix everything right now!” she’s grinning, imagining what things will be like if her grunkles were the best friends they were supposed to be because twins are supposed to be the best of friends. Like her and Dipper, they were going to be together forever once she found him again. Yeah! “I need you to take me to Gravity Falls!”

“…did you say that’s where Ford is?” Stan’s face is softer, like when they went fishing with him or when Ford first stepped out of the portal. He shakes his head, the look lost with the gesture, “No. Listen, if you know anything about my family, then you know I’m the last person my brother wants to see.”

“But he’s in danger, Younkle Stan!” she bites her lower lip. When did Bill first start talking with Ford? “Aghhhh, Dipper would know when everything happened.” Her stomach was starting to twist again. Was Dipper okay? Maybe she’d been sent back alone. Oh, he had to be so worried about her. Him and the grunkles and Soos and Wendy. She has to rub at her nose as another loud sniff escapes her. It was hard to be optimistic when she was all alone. “We gotta get to Gravity Falls. We gotta!” she turns her eyes, cute set to full wattage, back to Stan and sticks out her bottom lip.

Stan stares at her for a long moment. He looks down at his lap then pulls down his visor, looking at a tiny map of the United States with most of the states crossed out. Arizona was already crossed out, huh, that was weird. But Oregon wasn’t, score. “…you say Ford’s in trouble? And going there will help you and him?”

Mabel nods so hard that her pounding head threatens to make her puke. “Yup! And my brother, Dipper! He’s my twin, like you and Grunkle Ford. And if I’m here then he’s gotta be here too cause, like, we never time travel without each other or go on adventures alone. So if I’m here he’s probably there cause that just makes sense. Or if he’s not, he will be cause that’s where I’m going so that’s where he’s gotta be going too. Right? Right!”

Stan’s mouth twists again and he drops his head back against his seat. “I really am going soft. Fuck it. Pretty sure there’s no warrants for me in Oregon. And if Ford is in trouble…” he shakes his head before giving Mabel a hard look. “I can’t believe I’m doing this, but fine. I’ll get you to Gravity Falls. But once we’re there and I’m sure Ford isn’t about to keel over, I’m bouncing. You got that, Mabel?”

Another bout of near-puke-inducing nodding. “Right! Thank you so much, Younkle Stan!” she can’t help climbing over the middle console to wrap her arms around his neck, nuzzling him with the force of the hug. “Eee, I get to go on a road trip with Stan! Dipper’s gonna be so jealous when we meet up.”

“Alright, alright, get off.” Stan pushes her back to the front seat, brows furrowed. “There’s no way we’re related.” He sighs before starting up the car. “Whatever. Let’s get this over with.”

-----------------

He’s freezing, cold down to his very bones, with a pounding in his skull. It feels like Bill has put his body through a ringer then locked him in a deep freeze. He groans and tries to push himself up, only to feel his hand go through something insanely cold and wet. His scream is high pitched as he scrambles up, blinking repeatedly to clear his vision. For a moment he thinks he’s gone blind as all he sees is white until he realizes that. Oh. Snow. There’s snow everywhere.

He was on the porch of the Mystery Shack and there was snow everywhere. No wonder he was so cold. He wipes his wet hand on his shorts, eyeing the outline of where he’d stuck his hand through. The snow had drifted nearly halfway up the door, haphazardly cleared like someone had kicked at the snow. Which sounds like something Stan would do; how long had Dipper been outside?

Sudden weather issues and memory issues? Geez, he hoped no one had gotten ahold of the memory gun; that was the last thing he needed. He was going to need to check with Grunkle Ford, see if he’d ever seen something like this before. Also, get something for his head. It was hurting bad enough to make him feel kinda sick, especially when coupled with how cold it was. Definitely not good weather for shorts and a T-shirt. He might have to finally give in and wear one of the sweaters Mabel had made for him.

Wrapping his arms around himself and rubbing at them, he stumbles his way to the front door. When he tries to open the door, however, he finds it locked. That’s…weird. Why would it be locked? Stan’s definition of home safety was a bat and his knuckledusters. Also why would they lock Dipper out? He rolls his eyes; Mabel must be playing a joke on him. “Real funny, Mabel. Yeah, let’s lock Dipper out. We’ll see whose laughing when I sneeze all over you.” He brings his fist down on the edge of the doorframe, “Hey! Let me in, Mabel! It’s cold!”

Instead of Mabel’s grinning face, he’s instead greeted with a crossbow in his face. Another high pitched scream and his sneaker slips on snow when he tries to jump back from the weapon. Cold bites into his butt and thighs; his stomach gives a lurch at the sudden drop. “Wh-wh-wh—”

“Who sent you?! How did you find this place?!” the holder of the crossbow yells at him, poking his head out of the doorway. His eyes are bloodshot, hair sticking out in all directions, and even from a distance Dipper can smell that he hasn’t showered in at least several days. He looks even more tired than Dipper remembers seeing him yesterday, the bags under his eyes deeper and darker than usual. But even with that, and the extreme scruff on his cheeks, he still looks younger.

Ford takes another step out the door and lines up the bolt with Dipper’s head, “I said: who sent you?!”

Dipper put his arms over his head, “Ahh! My name is Dipper Pines! I’m your great nephew, please don’t shoot me!” oh god, he was going to be killed by his grunkle. His idol of the summer was going to kill him with a crossbow. He was going to—wait, why hasn’t a painful but hopefully swift death came yet? He peaks his eyes open; Ford is giving him a suspect look, but the crossbow has been lowered just a bit. “Grunkle Ford?”

Ford scowls and lifts the crossbow again. “Show me your eyes! Your eyes! Before I put a bolt through that stupid hat!”

Eyes—oh! Oh, of course! Dipper pushes up to his feet, trying not to slip while doing so. He uses his hand to push his hair out of his eyes. “Look, see! Normal eyes! No yellow, no slitted pupils! I am not possessed by Bill!” that is apparently the wrong thing to say, as Ford’s eyes go wide and somehow even crazier.

“How do you know who Bill is?!” Ford takes a small step back inside. “This is a trick—a-a shape shifter or-or something. Trust no one, trust no one.”

Dipper lunged forward to try to keep up. “W-wait! I’m not a shape-shifter and I’m not working with Bill! I’m—well, I think I might be from the future, considering this isn’t exactly the Mystery Shack and—listen! I’m Shermie’s grandson!” he’s still shivering, but it’s easier to ignore the cold in favor of not getting locked out by his paranoid grunkle. “If you let me in, you can examine me however you need to prove I’m a normal human.”

Ford narrows his eyes at him for a moment before taking another step back and gesturing towards the inside of the house with the crossbow. He never stopped pointing it at Dipper’s head, but he’d take the victory of not being in the freezing cold.

Dipper was pretty sure he’d never seen the Mystery Shack so messy, bar maybe when Gideon destroyed it or when the zombies attacked. All the fake attractions and souvenirs were gone, replaced instead by piles and piles of books and loose papers. Dipper has to step over a pile of what looked like elongated bones, only bright purple. There’s also lots of drawings of triangles pinned to the walls, most with red Xs drawn across them or Ford’s paranoid mantra of ‘TRUST NO ONE’ written in dripping ink.

Okay, so he’d thought they’d been exaggerating how insane Ford was when they’d told him about the portal accident. This was…concerning. Even Dipper thought this was excessive. He didn’t really like seeing his great uncle like this. The number of times he’d imagined meeting Ford back in the days when he was writing the journals, he’d always pictured him as very similar to the Ford he knew. Excited in the same manic way that Dipper could get when there was a new mystery; fun and ready to play board games when not on an adventure. This wasn’t nearly as fun as he would’ve thought it would be.

Ford was peeking out the blinds even as he kept the crossbow pointed at Dipper. “Take a seat, kid. I have a lot of questions, as you can imagine.”

Dipper casts another look around the living room, eyeing the books that seem to take up every inch of the couch. There’s a stool in the corner, but there’s something that looks like half melted lime Jello on it and dripping down the sides. “Uhh, I’d prefer to stand?” despite the cold, Dipper can feel himself sweating under his collar. He wants to ask for a towel for the rapidly melting snow on his butt or a blanket to fight the still-present cold, but he’s honestly afraid to see what said items would look like given the state of the house and Ford himself.

“What?” Ford looks around, as if just noticing the mess that was his house. He seems to still have a small sense of decency as his cheeks turn a deeper red than just that from the cold and he points the crossbow towards the floor. “Oh, right. That’s—” he clears his throat and raises the weapon once more, “Never mind all that. You said you’re from the future?”

Dipper starts to nod furiously only to stop when it causes the pounding in his head to flare up. Ohhh, yeah, no. Can’t do that. Verbal confirmation then. “Yes! Or, at least, I’m pretty sure this the past. Well, relative to where I’m from, or when I’m from, heh.” He snorts at his own joke—Mabel would’ve loved that— before catching himself and straightening his posture. He mimics Ford’s throat clear, “Ahem, right. Yeah. My name’s Dipper, Dipper Pines. I’m from the year 2012.”

Ford’s frowning that deep frown he always got whenever Dipper first started asking him questions after he stepped through the portal. “There was the anomaly in the time readings a few years ago...my theory that time travel was possible, even though Fidds said…” His voice trails off into something too low for Dipper to hear before clearing his throat yet again. “Right. So, you’re my great nephew from 30 years in the future. Let’s say for the sake of argument that I believe that, given it is theoretically possible and you do bear a passing resemblance to Sherman. What are you doing here?”

Dipper hesitates, trying once more to push through the headache to remember what he’d been doing before waking up on the porch. Stan had made them Stancakes in the morning. Soos had showed him the new parts for version 2.0 of the rocket golf cart that they were going to work on come the weekend. He remembered wanting to show something to Ford and going to punch the code into the vending machine, but he can’t remember actually doing that. His stomach is twisting itself into knots as he tries to chase the memories that seem to be melting away like the snow on his shorts. Something had distracted him. What—

“Easy, kid.” A hand catches his shoulder, halting the swaying he hadn’t realized he’d been doing. Ford looks almost worried as Dipper tries to swallow down the nausea and dizziness that had suddenly taken over. “You’re white as a sheet, kid.”

Dipper shakes his head and takes a deep breath. What’s wrong with him? “I’m fine. I just can’t—I don’t remember how I got here.” McGucket hadn’t mentioned anything about physical side effects of the memory gun, just the affect it had on long-term memory retention. Why did he feel so sick trying to remember what had happened? He pats his pockets to make sure he didn’t have Blandin’s tape measurer again. Aside from some chewed up pens and a wadded up scrap of paper with ‘Wendy Pines’ written enough times to make his neck burn, he comes up empty. “I think I was talking with Mabel and—Mabel!”

He pushes past Ford, who lets out a very owl-like squawk as he nearly drops the crossbow, and rushes to the door. A blast of cold air hits him in the face—okay Outside was definitely colder than Inside— when he swings the door open, forcing him to squint as he scans the yard. How could he forget to check for Mabel? Oh god, if she was still unconscious in the snow…

The only tracks in the snow are from him and a kicked path that leads to a sign with big bold “STAY OUT” letters on it and barbwire on top of it. At the edge of the yard he can see what looks like rabbit tracks, but otherwise it’s all a blanket of untouched white. No other tracks and no Mabel-sized lumps. That’s both a relief and not. Dipper cups his hands around his mouth, “Mabel! Mabel, are you out there?!” his voice cracks on a yelp when a hand closes around his shoulder again, jerking him back into the house. He’s shoved back, nearly tripping over the pile of bones that seem to glow when his sneaker touches them. “Gah, Great Uncle Ford!”

Ford pulls the door closed and proceeds to lock a fairly frightening number of deadbolts. He’s got the manic look back on his face; his glare is enough to dry up Dipper’s indignation at being manhandled. “Calm down! Who the hell is Mabel?”

“Who—she’s Mabel!” he’s exasperated for a moment before, oh, right, past. It’s so weird to think of anyone not knowing who Mabel is at this point, what with the way that she seems to just be all the time. “She’s my sister; my twin. If I’m here, that means she’s probably here too. I’m pretty sure we were together before…before whatever happened.” He digs his fingers in his hair under his hat, still trying to fight past the headache and the nausea to remember what happened to his sister. “Ughhhh, why can’t I remember?! I had breakfast with her and Stan and then I wanted to talk to you about something but she was there and then—”

“Did you say Stan?” Ford’s voice cut through his own mania; he looks up at him to see a mix of anger and something soft warring on his uncle’s face. Apparently Ford has deemed him a non-threat as the crossbow has been hung up next to the door. “You know who Stan is?”

Dipper’s brow furrows before he remembers what Stan and Ford had told them. About their fight and the not seeing each other for ten years and then for thirty years because of the portal and the burn on Stan’s shoulder—Moses, Dipper had bugged Stan so much about that he was the worst— and the way the two glared at each other whenever they were forced to be in the same room. This was before the portal accident.

Dipper nods, rubbing at his arms. “I mean, yeah. He’s your twin brother. Mabel and I were staying with him for the summer.” He leaves it vague, not sure how much he should tell. You’d think after the thing with Waddles and epic Time Laser Tag he’d know how to handle being in the past. Plus the idea of telling Ford about him being trapped for thirty years hopping through dimensions makes him feel extra super sweaty.

Ford gives a huffing sort of a snort, “Your parents left you two with Stan? Once this is all done I’ll need to have a talk with Sherman about teaching his kids some sense.” He says it so casually, like it’s a practiced thing to dismiss Stan, and that irks Dipper a little but he keeps his mouth shut. Ford sighs and runs a hand through his hair; further messing it up if that was even possible. “Time traveling niblings. That’s gotta be too crazy, even for Bill…maybe. Damn it, all my notes about the time anomaly are in…Journal…”

It’s apparently Ford’s turn to sway. Dipper realizes, as Ford stumbles back against the door and begins slipping down the surface, that he might not be the only Pines that worked himself until he passed out. And if Ford paid as much attention to eating and sleeping as he did to his personal hygiene, then they were in all kinds of trouble. Dipper moves forward to try to prop his uncle up but only really manages to marginally slow down his descent to the floor where he proceeds to promptly start snoring.

Oh geez.

#gravity falls #timetrapped AU #timestuck AU #mabel pines #dipper pines #stanford pines #stanley pines #kainichivonwrites #fanfiction #fanfic #journey to the roots

[daretobeking]

Blog promo

haha i have no shame, wait thats a lie i just want asks UnU

@hws-gods-liechtenstein-prussia

A part of the hws-gods-au! Gilbert is a god of pride and memories, previously known as a god of violence and war. Erika is a little girl who found Gil and saved him from disappearing completely, and he became her older brother/father figure while Vash was gone.

@hwstimetrapped

An AU run by @tyberiousfiresrone and I, a ragtag group of people from various centuries brought together while they dream. Why are they here and what is their story?

@everywherenowhere

My art blog so I don’t have art lost in here, no posts on it yet but my asks are open to requests.

@ask-cohabitation-seborga

A part of the cohabitation AU! Savio is a faerie dragon working as a park ranger, something is different about his forest though. There’s a reason the path that leads there is closed off. No posts just yet, but my asks are indeed open :).

#blog promo #heheheh im a dumbass #Daretodoart #i require asks for my gremlin children to answer #hws-gods-au #hws-gods-prussia #hws-gods-liechtenstein #hws timetrapped #hws-cohabitation-seborga

[midnightthesans]

aye I didn’t know you had an au idea, what is it?:0

au name is timetrap. its set on surface, everyone is human (Like, also the main character) The sans is vance. the papyrus is K the undyne is Lieda (lee da) I have the designs, the magics, the *CHECK* The stats, and thats it.

https://picrew.me/image_maker/526485/complete?cd=3apHNzjOlI (Vance)

https://picrew.me/image_maker/526485/complete?cd=89hkIqgWf4 (K)

https://picrew.me/image_maker/526485/complete?cd=Qrs3lTKCzy

(Lieda) :)

[saiyanqueenreads]

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Gravity Falls Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Characters: The Author | Original Stanford Pines, Grunkle Stan | Stanley "Stanford" Pines, Dipper Pines, Mabel Pines, Fiddleford H. McGucket Additional Tags: Timetrapped Au, timestuck au, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Family Bonding, Mullet Grunkle Stan, rated for language, And probably future violence

Summary: She traces up the arm, clad in a grimy red jacket that looked like a crime against heat as well as fashion, to the owner of both it and the voice. “WHAT?!” she screams again. The circles under his eyes are much less pronounced with only the beginnings of crow’s feet at the corners, though they’re currently narrowed at her. His face is unshaven and unwashed; his hair is long and greasy and brown. It’s a little unnerving how much he resembles her dad.

---

His eyes are bloodshot, hair sticking out in all directions, and even from a distance Dipper can smell that he hasn’t showered in at least several days. He looks even more tired than Dipper remembers seeing him yesterday, the bags under his eyes deeper and darker than usual. But even with that, and the extreme scruff on his cheeks, he still looks younger. Ford takes another step out the door and lines up the bolt with Dipper’s head, “I said: who sent you?!”

#gravity falls #fanfic

[aceofstars16]

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

[artforinfinity]

I like to think I'm funny

#cookie run #cookie run ovenbreak #cookie run kingdom #timekeeper cookie #poison mushroom cookie #this was meant to be shitty so shhshshshs #uh #um #hi #timetrap au #shitposts

[incorrectinfinity]

i apologize if this is not the correct blog to ask this, but could you tell me about choc'o'clock? i'm... inchrested 👀 i never really considered that ship but it seems very cute!

THIS IS THE RIGHT BLOG!

So I randomly came up with it while designing for a lil AU I have called Timetrap and I was like "mehhhhhh Bonbon designed em sureee"

And then my brother was like "what if they kissed" and my life changed forever. I haven't really thought about them recently but whenever it gets brought up I go yay! Yahoo! Woohooo! Yippee!

Most of my art of them isn't very good unfortunately because it's old but my canon is still pretty good and soul crushing so if you want any elaboration on that I will gladly give you it!

#choc'o'clock #💌.asks

[artsycrapfromsai]

did a Timetrapped AU doodle

this is an idea i have for when the twins are reunited. Ford hears a knock on the door, cautiously opens it with Dipper also peeking out, Mabel and Dipper see each other, and Mabel tackles Dipper and they’re hugging and laughing and smiling.

Stan looks on happy for them, but also longingly b/c he wants the same thing for him and Ford, while Ford sorta just silently watches them, unsure and conflicted about his own feelings

#gravity falls #the pines family #timetrapped au #timestuck au #mabel pines #dipper pines #stan pines #stanley pines #stanford pines #the author #fanart #my art #doodles

[aceofstars16]

Chapter 11 is up!

Stan and the kids have to figure out how to cope with the consequences of Ford's plan.

Read the whole thing on AO3 or read the next chapter below!

Chapter 11 – Gone…

The world tilted. Ford was just joking, right? Granted, his brother wasn’t very good at jokes, but this had to be a joke. 

“Ha…n-nice one, Ford.” Stan forced the words out of his mouth, trying to believe what he was saying. That his brother was just messing with him. He aimed a light, playful punch at Ford.

Instead of laughing and rolling his eyes, Ford flinched and shuffled away from Stan, fear shining in his eyes as he looked at him with wide eyes. “I…I don’t know what…who are you?”

“Ford it-it’s me, it’s Stan. Y-your brother.” Panic washed over Stan. This couldn’t be happening; Bill couldn’t be right. “You know me. Stop…stop scaring me!”

Ford looked at Stan doubtfully. “I…I don’t know…” He shook his head and looked around. “What…what is this place?”

Stan’s chest grew tight. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. Ford…didn’t know him. He didn’t know what was going on or… “You remember your name, right?”

Looking back at Stan, Ford stared at him blankly. “You…said…Ford?”

Trying to take a deep breath, Stan was relieved to find that he could breathe, but it didn’t help him feel any better. “Stanford, that…that’s your name. And I…I’m Stanley, your brother.”

“Brother…” Ford mumbled, uncertainty still etched on his face.

“Y-yeah I-”

The ding of the elevator interrupted him. Spinning around, Stan saw the doors slide open to reveal Mabel, Dipper, and Fiddleford.

For a moment, they all just stared at each other. Then Fiddleford stepped forward, only to freeze as he saw the shattered remains of the memory gun. Rushing over to it he picked it up and looked at Stan frantically.

“What-what did you do to my memory gun?!?”

Stan stared at the man, his mind trying to wrap around what he was saying. “Wait…memory gun? You…you made it?” At Fiddleford’s nod, Stan jumped to his feet, ignoring the pain in his hand as he grabbed the inventor’s jacket. “So you know how to undo it right?”

“Wh-undo?”

“Grunkle Stan, what…what happened?”

Looking over at Mabel, Stan felt his grip loosening on Fiddleford’s jacket, but he didn’t let go entirely. “I…” The reality of what he had done dawned on him again and he quickly looked back at the man in his grasp. “You can undo it, right?

“Undo wha-?”

“Umm, excuse me, but uh…Stan? Who are these people?”

Everyone’s gaze turned to rest on Ford, who was looking at them in confusion.

Fiddleford quickly pulled himself out of Stan’s lose grip. “You used it on him? Why? What were you thinking?!? And what-?” He glanced at the gun in his hand and his face paled. “You…you didn’t…”

“You have a way to fix it, rig-?”

“You destroyed his brain!” Fiddleford stared at Stan in shock. “I…you can’t…there’s no way to get back that much information! Even if the gun wasn’t broken!”

Taking a step back, Stan looked at the kids. Mabel was twisting the sleeves of her sweater as she glanced at him. Dipper was looking between him and Ford, shock and betrayal lining his face.

“You said you wouldn’t…”

For a moment, Stan didn’t know what the kid was talking about. Then the conversation from a few hours ago came to mind. “Kid, I…I didn’t…”

“What? He just did it to himself? You said you’d never hurt him!”

Air grew thin as Stan tried to catch his breath. Dipper and Fiddleford’s hard yet shocked looks, and the complete and utter confusion of Ford and Mabel’s faces. “I didn’t-” Stan’s voice died as he realized that any excuse he could make was a lie. He had done it. He’d destroyed his brother’s mind.

Glancing at Ford, Stan stumbled backwards at the blank expression on his brother’s face. Ford, who had always been the smart one, who always knew what to do. His best friend…

Gasping for air, Stan shoved Fiddleford aside and bolted to the elevator, grabbing the door and slamming it shut. He could hear the screams of the kids, but he had already hit the button.

As the elevator started moving, Stan leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath, but his chest only grew tighter and tighter. Finally, the tension broke and a sob escaped him. Just one, then another. Tears built up in his eyes and the sobs came harder and harder until every breath was a sob. He could barely see as the door opened.

Stumbling into the house, Stan felt like the world was collapsing in around him. Through sobs and blurred vision, he forced himself to move, to get out of there.

Throwing the outside door open, he was met with bitter cold. The shock took his breath away, but he kept moving. He had no idea where he was going or what he was doing. What he should do.  Because he couldn’t outrun what he did. There was no going back. It was just like that stupid science fair. Only this time Ford was gone. And there was no way to get him back.

One foot in front of the other. That’s all Stan could tell himself to do. Until his knee buckled. Collapsing in the snow, Stan didn’t even try to stop the fall. His arms barely stopped himself from plummeting face first into the icy ground. As he tried to catch his breath, Stan’s body shook as tears pooled in his eyes and fell onto the snow. Cold seeped into his clothes. With each sob, his body shook harder and harder until every inch of him was shivering. But he didn’t care. He had only just gotten his brother back. He had thought maybe, just maybe they could’ve figured things out. Maybe they could’ve been friends again. But now he was gone.

And it was all Stan’s fault. 

-----

“I can’t believe him!” Dipper kicked the elevator doors, wishing they would open faster. But they were stuck waiting for Stan to go wherever he was going before they could do anything.

“Dipper…I don’t think Stan-” Mabel started and Dipper quickly looked at her.

“Then how do you explain all of this? Mabel, Stan has been lying to us since we first came here! And now this? We don’t know what he’s up to!”

Mabel bit her lip and glanced at the elevator then at Ford. “I…I don’t…Dipper, Stan can’t be a bad guy. I know him! He wouldn’t hurt his family!”

“I thought so too, but clearly we were wrong.” The words tasted bitter on Dipper’s tongue, but what else could he say? The evidence was right in front of them.

“Could someone please explain what’s going on?”

Dipper quickly looked at Ford, who had his brows furrowed in confusion. A deep unease grew in Dipper’s chest. In the little time that Dipper had known him – both in this past and in the journal – Ford had always known more than him. He understood things, he was smart, brilliant, even when he was paranoid. But now…

“Your brother used this on you.” Fiddleford said holding up the memory gun while glancing at Ford, emotions flickering so fast across his face that Dipper couldn’t tell what he was feeling.

“To…erase…my mind?” Ford frowned at the gun.

“It appears so…” Fiddleford said.

“But-agh!” Ford winced and gripped his head.

For a moment, Dipper froze, remembering Bill. If he could use Ford before…he could definitely use him now…right?

Fiddleford seemed frozen as well, but Mabel took a step forward. “Are you okay, Grunkle Ford?”

Despite her obvious concern for Ford, her voice had a hollow ring to it.

“I…yes, just a headache…and I’m tired…” Ford shook his head and blinked at Mabel. “Grunkle?”

“Oh yeah you’re-”

The sliding of the elevator door interrupted Mabel and Dipper quickly spoke up before she could continue.  “We’ll explain in the elevator. It’s…uh…”

“Complicated.” Fiddleford finished the sentence for him and Dipper nodded.

“Right…” Ford glanced at the elevator. “Perhaps I could have a nap first. I…I don’t think…I can...deal with complicated right now.”

Dread grew in Dipper’s gut at the mention of Ford sleeping, but saying anything would only confuse his great uncle even more. “Yeah, uh…sure!”

“Naps are good.” Mabel said, her voice still empty of its usual brightness.

Ford struggled to his feet, wincing. Despite his concern about Bill, Dipper quickly stepped forward and offered him a hand.

 “Ah…thank you…uh…”

“Dipper.”

“Right…” Ford frowned, as if trying to wrap his head around that being a name.

“And I’m Mabel, and that’s-”

“Fiddleford.” The inventor said, still looking at Ford in uncertainty.

“Huh…you could go by Ford too…” Ford mumbled as Dipper lead him into the elevator.

The ride up was quiet. Dipper was tempted to ask Ford if he could remember anything about what Stan had done. But the author was swaying on his feet, so he refrained.

As the door opened, Mabel slipped out first. “I’m going to find Stan.”

“What? Mabel, wait!” Dipper tried to grab her hand, but he was too slow and she bolted further into the house.

Torn between her and Ford, Dipper tried to tell himself that Stan wouldn’t hurt Mabel. He had no reason to be upset with her. Meanwhile, Bill wouldn’t hesitate to hurt someone. Even still, he couldn’t get rid of the anxiety gnawing at him as he led Ford to his room. The one reassuring thing was that Fiddleford followed him. At least he wouldn’t be alone if Bill showed up. Even if he didn’t really know the inventor, it was better than being by himself.

But as Ford collapsed on the bed and fell asleep, the only sound was that of his quiet breathing. Minutes ticked by and nothing changed.

Dipper glanced at Fiddleford. “I…I should find Mabel but I don’t know if…”

“I’ll keep an eye on him.” Fiddleford said, glancing at Dipper and giving a strained smile which Dipper tried to return.

With one last look at Ford, Dipper took a deep breath and headed into the hallway, hoping beyond hope that Mabel was okay.

-----

Mabel heard Dipper call out for her, but she ignored it. Just like she ignored the unease in her gut. She just knew Stan wasn’t bad, he was Stan. He had helped her when she was all alone, even though he didn’t know they were related. And sure, he wasn’t always the most law-abiding citizen, but he wouldn’t have hurt Ford on purpose.

It only took her a few minutes to surmise that he wasn’t inside. Unless he was in the attic, but from what Dipper had told her, there were only empty boxes up there. Plus, it was close to Stan - or really Ford’s - room, and she didn’t want Dipper to try to reason with her. At least, not until she’d heard Stan’s side of the story.

Which only left outside. In the snow. But Mabel didn’t even hesitate when she reached the door and flung it open. Stan was worth being cold for.

It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the brightness outside. Snow was falling again, though not as heavy as it had when she’d first arrived. Which made spotting Stan much easier than she’d anticipated. Though the fact that he was sitting in the snow in the middle of the yard helped too.

Stepping out from under the porch, Mabel quickly made her way to her grunkle, hugging her arms around her since her sweater didn’t do much to block the wind.

However, a moment later, she froze. Over the wind she could hear it. Crying. She had never heard Stan truly cry before. He always ran out of the room. But now…he wasn’t just crying. He was sobbing. So hard that it hurt Mabel’s heart to hear it.

Taking the last few steps through the snow, Mabel rested her hand on Stan’s shoulder. He immediately straightened and looked over at her.

“Kid w-what are y-you doing out h-here?” His voice wavered, though if it was from the cold or the crying, she couldn’t quite tell.

“I wanted to find you.”

He stared at her for a moment then let out a shaky sigh, his body hiccuping as he did so. “Y-you should go b-back i-in. It-it’s cold out.”

“I’m not leaving.” Mabel said determinedly, crossing her arms. He was silent, so she figured she might as well ask. “What…what happened in the basement?”

Stan slumped, curling in on himself, but he didn’t answer.

“Grunkle Stan?”

“I…” He shook his head. “What d-does it l-look l-like? I…I destroye-” His voice broke and he looked away, his shoulders shaking as a quiet sob broke through the wind.

Dread pooled in Mabel’s stomach, but she brushed it aside. That wasn’t the whole story, she knew it. “Why?”

Stan’s arms tightened around his body and he took a shaky breath. “H-He…F-Ford a-asked me t-too…”

“He did?!?” Mabel couldn’t stop herself from blurting out. If Ford had asked Stan to, then that meant she was right. Stan wasn’t bad, he was only helping his brother. But… “Why?”

Sighing, Stan swallowed hard then dropped his shoulders. “H-he…he s-said it was t-the only w-way to g-get rid of B-Bill…”

“Did it?” Mabel looked wide eyed at her uncle. She didn’t know much about Bill, but from what Dipper had told her, he was bad news. So, if he was gone…

With a halfhearted shrug, Stan shook his head. “I-I don’t know…m-maybe but…” He trailed off. When he spoke again, it was barely a whisper. “F-Ford is g-gone and-” His voice cracked again as another sob escaped him.

 It was too much for Mabel. Without hesitation, she flung her arms around Stan and hugged him.

“It’ll be okay, Grunkle Stan.”

“H-How? M-my brother is…h-he doesn’t r-remember-”

A sob cut off his words and Mabel hugged him even tighter. She wished she could just chase away all of his sadness and make him feel okay again, make everything okay. But she couldn’t. And she knew from firsthand experience how scary and terrifying it was to lose your twin. Maybe it wasn’t quite the same, but being separated from Dipper for a few days had been one of the worst experiences of her life. And Stan had helped her through it. So now, it was her turn to help him.

“I bet we can make him remember!” Mabel put all of the conviction she could muster into her voice and it seemed to do the job because Stan looked up at her.

“K-Kid I-I appreciate the c-confidence but…y-you heard F-Fiddleford…t-the memories they…they’re gone…” His head fell down in defeat.

Pulling her hands away from the hug, Mabel gently grabbed his head between her hands and lifted it up so he had to look at her.

“Grunkle Stan, Ford is your brother! Your twin! I know how close me and Dipper are, and maybe you haven’t seen Ford in a while but if anyone can help him remember it’s you!” As she spoke, Mabel felt her confidence growing. Memories weren’t gone forever, no matter what some stupid gun might do.

The smallest smile grew on Stan’s face, but it fell after a moment. “I-I don’t know kiddo…”

Mabel quickly shook her head. “Well, you might not know, but I do! Ford’s memories aren’t gone. We just have to help him remember!”

Stan looked at her, uncertainty etched on his face.

“You can’t give up on him, Grunkle Stan. We have to at least try, right?” Mabel gave him an encouraging nod, and the despair on his face lessened.

“I…” Stan closed his eyes for a moment then sighed and opened them again. “I...a-alright kiddo..I…I don’t k-know if it’ll work b-but…I…I guess I…I could t-try…”

“That’s the spirit!” Mabel grinned at him, then flung her arms around him and hugged him again. “And I’ll help you!”

Stan slowly returned the hug, gentle at first, but then he squeezed her tight which made her grin even more. “Thanks, kiddo…”

Mabel would’ve been fine with staying like that for ages – even if it was freezing – but after a few moments, a door slammed shut and she pulled back to glance at the shack.

Dipper was looking around frantically, and when he saw her, he drooped with relief, only to frown when he saw Stan. “Mabel, what are you doing out here?”

As he spoke, Dipper made his way towards them, despite being even less equipped to deal with the snow that she was. “I found Stan! And he told me what happened!”

Dipper looked skeptically at Stan. “What did you say?” He asked, his voice taking on a suspicious tone.

Mabel opened her mouth, but Stan beat her to it. “I-I’ll tell you a-all of it k-kid. B-but we better g-get you two i-inside first.”

“That sounds like a great idea to me!” Mabel said, grabbing Stan’s freezing hand and pulling on it. “We can cook some of the food me and Grunkle Ford got and fill Dipper in on the plan.”

“Wait, plan?” Dipper asked.

Mabel grinned at him. “Yup! We’re gonna get Ford’s memories back!”

-----

“I don’t know, Mabel…”

Stan heard the doubt in Dipper’s voice and tried not to think about how he shared the same concern. As much as he hoped Mabel was right, he still couldn’t help but feel like he wasn’t that lucky. It would be fitting for his life if Ford was gone for good…but still…he had to try. After all, he was the reason Ford was like this. And besides, Stan wasn’t one to give up without a fight. Even if this wasn’t the kind of fight he could use his fists for.

A sizzling distracted him from the kid’s conversation and he quickly stirred the pot of soup that they had put on the stove. The warmth from the gas flame felt amazing, but his hand was also burning in the way it only did when it had been completely frozen and was slowly being warmed up. Unfortunately, it wasn’t exactly a foreign feeling for him.

“I think this stuff is just about ready.” Turning to glance at the kids, Stan was relieved to see a hesitant smile on Dipper’s face. After telling him what Ford had said, the kid had relaxed a little, though neither of them knew if Bill was truly gone. All Stan knew was that Mabel had run to check in on Ford and he had been fast asleep.

“Great! I’m starving!” Mabel said, pulling out a few mismatched and hopefully clean bowls and spoons.

They divvied up the food – and left some for Ford and Fiddleford if they wanted any later – then dug in.

Mabel had only taken a few bites before she spoke again. “So! Remembering memories…do you think if you just told Ford your memories, then he’d remember?”

The few bites of soup that Stan had eaten grew heavy in his stomach. He hadn’t exactly been around Ford for the past ten years. And some of the memories before that weren’t exactly…pleasant. But…when they were kids… “I don’t know…I guess I could try.”

Dipper hummed in thought. “I really don’t know how helpful words are. I mean, it could work…” He swirled his spoon around a bit, lost in thought but after a moment he spoke again. “I know pictures always help me remember things better.”

“Like my scrapbook!” Mabel grinned tapping her head. “I knew making scrapbooks was a good idea!”

“I don’t exactly have any pictures…” Stan said, knowing that the only one he has was of him and Ford when they were boxing.

“You don’t have any scrapbooks?” Mabel looked disappointed, and Stan couldn’t blame her. Sure, maybe Ma had some, but she was states away and he wasn’t exactly allowed in Jersey anymore…

Shaking his head, Stan opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by Dipper.

“Wait! There are a bunch of boxes in the attic. Do you think…there might be some pictures up there?”

 “Honestly? I have no clue.” Stan looked at his bowl, not really wanting to voice his doubt that his brother would’ve keep any memorabilia from their childhood.

“We could look!” Mabel said. “And I’m sure we could find some other things. We could also ask Fiddleford if he has any pictures or memories. And we can look around the house too!”

“Yeah, that might-” Dipper sat up straight. “The journal! It’s missing pages but it has some drawings. It might be able to help!” He pulled out his copy of Ford’s third journal.

Both kids turned and grinned at Stan, who did his best to smile back. He still couldn’t completely squash the fear that this would all be for naught. After all, he didn’t exactly have a good track record of fixing his mistakes but at the same time he knew that he couldn’t give up. This was for Ford. And despite everything, Stan couldn’t give up on him. Especially not when Mabel and Dipper were so confident. Who knew, maybe they would change his luck for the better?

Doing his best to squash down the doubt in his chest, Stan pulled out the journal Ford had given him. Dipper’s eyes widened and Stan felt a small smile growing on his face. He handed the book to Dipper and nodded.  

 “Let’s see what we can rummage up in this nerd shack.”

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

[aceofstars16]

The Epilogue is up! After over a month (or five years, if you are counting the first seven chapters lol), this story is finally finished!

Thanks to everyone who read, reblogged, and liked it!

The whole story can be read on AO3 or you can read the epilogue below:

Epilogue

June 20th

This had officially been the longest day of my life. I already wrote about what happened in the past (Man I was really freaking out about time paradoxes, huh? Good thing there is such thing as a Time Wish!) but I thought I should fill you in on what happened after me and Mabel got back for the second time.

First, much to my surprise, the Mystery Fair was still going on! But it was different than the one Stan had put on before our time travel adventure. The biggest difference was that there were way more scientific booths around. You could actually learn things! But not all of it was different. Stan still had his dunk tank, and it was still rigged. Aside from that, most of the activities seemed a little safer (maybe the safety signs were actually real…but knowing Stan, they could still very well be fakes). I was pretty sure that the science and safety were Ford’s doings, and that was confirmed when we found our grunkles on the grounds.

What a reunion! They were so thrilled to see us that Stan practically tackled us in a hug.  What had only been a few minutes for us was thirty years for them! But true to their word, they had plenty to tell us, with more promised after we get some sleep (as if I’ll be able to sleep! Okay, Globnar did kind of wear me out, but my brain is still going a mile a minute.)  However, the pictures in the hallways of the two of them on a boat make me think a lot of their stories are going to involve sailing.

But the-

Okay, Mabel keeps begging me to let her write some. So I’ll pass it on to her for a minute.

Hi!  Mabel here! Dipper forget to mention the best thing! Or, one of the best. Seeing Grunkle Stan and Ford again (and getting the tightest hug ever from Stan) still makes me grin. BUT the other best thing happened when we first made it back to the fair. True to Dipper’s word, we started looking for Waddles. Now, with how different everything was, I wasn’t sure where to look for the pigs. And I was starting to wonder if they even had pigs at this fair. But then I saw him! Waddles was in a pen, just like before! And I won him again fair and square. Now I have my pig and both of my grunkles! It’s the best day ever! Thanks Dipper!

Okay, Dipper here again. Yes, Mabel got Waddles again, and I’m okay with it, even if it meant giving up my day with Wendy. Oh, right, I need to fill you in on Wendy in this new future! She’s still around, in fact, she still works for Stan! (And kind of Ford too. He told me that she’s helped him and Stan investigate anomalies a few times!) Ford said something about not having enough money to buy a boat. So Stan had the idea to turn the house into a tourist trap (count on Stan to have the same idea no matter what changes in the past). Of course, Ford wasn’t a huge fan. But they needed the money and Ford realized it would be a good way to educate the public about anomalies.

And so, the “new” Mystery Shack was born! It’s definitely more educational than before – which Mabel says is boring – but Stan still creates his fake attractions. There is even a game to play where you have to figure out what is real and what is fake. It’s a lot harder than it looks!

Soos is also working at the Shack as a handyman. Something about Fiddleford (who Ford told me was actually Old Man McGucket! Though he looks way different than he did before) focusing on his family and his own inventions and Ford not having time to fix the little annoyances around the house. Plus, I think Ford can tell how much Stan enjoys Soos’ company, even if he’d never admit it!

I still can’t help but wonder what had happened in the past to result in Stan running the original shack. But when I mentioned it to Ford, he simply stated that some mysteries are better left unsolved. And, seeing how happy everyone is…it’s hard to disagree.

So, I know who the author is. It’s a little strange, realizing that the biggest mystery of the summer is already over. But I have a feeling there are still plenty more adventures to be had this summer, all of which I will document here. I can’t wait to get started!

Signing off for now (because Stan just poked his head in to tell us to “Get to bed you knuckleheads, or I won’t tell you about the kraken I fought with my bare hands.”),

Dipper Pines

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

[aceofstars16]

Chapter 13 is up! It's the last full chapter of the fic...we're almost there...

It's time for Mabel and Dipper to go home…

You can read the whole fic on A03 or this chapter below the cut.

Chapter 13 – Back to the Future

“I never was good with girls…” Ford frowned, his brow furrowed as he tried to remember more details about his childhood.

Stan poked Ford. “You can say that again. You and your kissing machine.”

Ford looked confused for a moment, then his cheeks grew red from embarrassment as he seemed to recall the memory. “How about we don’t talk about that-”

“You built a kissing machine?!? That’s amazing!” Mabel blurted. Relishing in both the details of her grunkle’s childhood and at this new information.

“Better than a leaf blower, right Mabel?” Dipper smirked, then laughed as Mabel punched him.

 “Hey, that leaf blower saved our butts!”

It had been almost a week since the memory gun incident, and Mabel was beyond thrilled at Ford’s progress. And even more relieved that Stan seemed to be doing better too. Sure, there still seemed to be gaps in his memory, but it was way better than it had been! Even Fiddleford had helped a little, filling Ford in on some of his college years. Though at the moment, the inventor was downstairs. Mabel had a sneaking suspicion that he was working on the time machine, but seeing as she didn’t really want to think about that, she pushed the thought aside.

“You have to tell us about the kissing machine, Grunkle Ford!”

“Oh, it was great, he even tried to hide it from me. But there wasn’t much he couldn’t keep from me.” Stan grinned and Ford pouted, his face growing redder.

“Let’s talk about something else.” He mumbled, then perked up. “You had a girlfriend, right Stanley?”

Stan let out a breath of disappointment, he clearly enjoyed poking fun at Ford. “Yeah, Carla.”

“OH MY GOSH! What was she like?!? How long did you date? What happened? Where is she now?” The questions spilled out of Mabel’s mouth almost faster than she could say them.

Stan chuckled and shook his head. “I thought we were supposed to be talking about Ford’s memories, not mine.”

“Well, they are kind of connected…” Dipper said, smiling sheepishly when Stan shot him a look.

“You asked her out our sophomore year…right?” Ford asked, his brow once again furrowed.

“Yup, though only at the very end.” Stan said, crossing his arms. “But then she fell for some hippie looser in senior year and I never saw her again.”

“Aww, that’s so sad.” Mabel frowned, then straightened up. “Maybe you could find her again!”

Shaking his head, Stan laughed quickly. “Nah, I bet she’s married off to that loser by now, or someone else. It’s not important.”

Mabel opened her mouth to object when there was a knock on the wall of the parlor.

Looking up, she saw Fiddleford standing there, holding the time machine.

“Uh…sorry to interrupt but,” he held up the tape measure. “I think I managed to fix this here time machine.”

“Really? You fixed all of the parts?” Dipper asked, seeming genuinely interested in the progress that had been made. However, Mabel couldn’t help but wish that it’d taken a little longer to fix.

“I think so. I tested it and everything seems to be worki-”

Mabel jumped in before he could say anything more. “Maybe you should double check it? And it’s getting kind of late, we should probably wait until tomorrow!”

“Mabel…we’ve been here for over a week…” Dipper said quietly, giving her a concerned look.

“But…”

“Your brother’s right kiddo.” Stan said, ruffling her hair. “You really should get back home.”

Mabel glanced at Stan, and despite his words, she saw sadness lining his gaze. “But…you still need us here! Ford still needs to remember more and-”

 “And thanks to you, I know he’ll keep remembering.” Stan gave her a smile, then crouched down to her level. “And of course, I don’t want you to go, but you have a whole life ahead of you. Besides, you’ll see us again. Faster than we’ll see you I’d imagine.”

 Biting the inside of her cheek, Mabel wrestled with her feelings. She knew he was right, but it didn’t make her want to leave any faster. “You sure you’ll be okay?”

Stan laughed lightly. “Yeah, I’ll be okay, kiddo.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Mabel glanced at Ford, who was smiling at her. She knew he was still healing but his smile was genuine and from what she had seen over the past few days, he meant it.

“What do you say, Mabel?” Dipper asked, holding out his hand.

Sighing, Mabel closed her eyes and tried not to think about how much she didn’t want to go.

“I’ll help you get Waddles as soon as we get back.”

Opening her eyes, Mabel saw Dipper smiling at her and she hesitantly smiled back. “Okay…”

Despite hating goodbyes, Mabel knew she couldn’t leave without one more thing. Turning to Stan she flung her arms around him, and he returned the hug without hesitation.

“Don’t forget to invite us to Gravity Falls.” She said quietly.

“I won’t. I promise.”

Pulling back, Mabel smiled at him before looking at Dipper then Ford. “I guess we should go but…”

“Awkward group hug?” Dipper asked.

Laughing, Mabel nodded. Stan pulled Ford into the hug and Dipper joined in. At the very end, Mabel even pulled Fiddleford in for a second. She wanted it to last forever, but after a few seconds, they pulled away.

“Here ya go.” Fiddleford held out the time machine.

Mabel looked at it, but couldn’t make herself take it. Instead, Dipper accepted it then looked at Mabel.

“Ready?”

Looking at the younger versions of her grunkles one last time, she took a breath and nodded. “Ready.”

Then Dipper pulled the tape measure out to the right time and let go. Mabel grabbed his hand and the world went white.

-----

It was quiet in the house. Fiddleford had worked on the portal a little more before realizing he needed to go back to his apartment to check on some things. Stan had let him borrow his car, leaving Stan and Ford alone. The kids couldn’t have left more than thirty minutes ago, but Stan missed Mabel. It was silly really. He knew she had to go; he’d told her as much. But she’d brought so much light to his dim world. Her absence made everything seem dark.

“Stanley?”

Ford’s voice shook Stan out of his thoughts. He glanced at his brother, surprised to see the concerned look on his face and even more surprised when Ford placed a hand on his shoulder.

“We’ll see them again.” Ford gave him a small smile.

Stan tried to return it, but it was easier said than done. He was thrilled that Ford was remembering more, and even more so that their connection as kids was slowly being restored. But deep down, he knew that there was still one gaping memory in Ford’s life that he hadn’t remembered. And Stan had no idea how his brother would react if he did remember it. Was it bad that Stan hoped he never would?

“I am curious…” Ford trailed off, as if not sure that he should continue.

Stan tried to brush off his worries. “‘Bout what?”

“Well…I remember college. Or at least, some of it. And I remember high school graduation. But…for some reason, you aren’t in any of those memories.”

Stan’s stomach dropped. Why couldn’t Ford be curious about something else? Swallowing, Stan tried not to let his anxiety show. “Eh, I was busy traveling…that’s all.” He tried for a carefree smile, even though he was feeling anything but carefree.

Ford frowned; his brow furrowed.

“Hey, don’t think too hard, remember? Don’t want any bad headaches!” Stan spoke quickly, hoping his desperation didn’t show through. Back when Ford had first started remembering, he’d gotten headaches, especially when he tried too hard to remember. Sure, it was a way to get him to stop asking questions but…it was a good excuse.

“Oh…right…though I haven’t gotten a headache in a few days.”

“Can’t be too careful.” Stan forced a grin.

Ford hummed and looked away, still looking lost in thought.

“Well, I’m getting hungry, maybe-”

“Stanley.” The seriousness in Ford’s voice effectively cut off his tangent. “I…something happened between us. What…what was it?”  

Swallowing, Stan glanced at the kitchen, wishing he could just ignore Ford’s question and do something else to distract him. And maybe he could but…what if Ford remembered later? And Stan couldn’t explain what happened? About how it really had been an accident?

Letting out a breath and trying to ignore the knots in his stomach, Stan gestured to the couch. “Might want to sit down…it’s…” He looked away. “It’s not…fun…”

Out of the corner of his eye, Stan saw Ford frowning, but he did as he was told, sitting down on the couch.

Stan expected him to say something else, but his brother was silent, looking at the ground. Trying not to think about the can of worms he was about to open, he sat down next to Ford and fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie.

“Senior year…do…do you remember any of it?” The words felt heavy on Stan’s tongue, but it felt safer than just going straight to the point.

Humming, Ford glanced at Stan, then back at the floor. “A little…I remember taking some AP classes…and not having a very good time at a school dance…” His brow furrowed and he glanced at Stan. “Did you dump punch on yourself?”

Stan let out a quiet laugh. “Yeah…some girl was a jerk to you, and I thought…it might make you feel better if you weren’t the only one with punch on your suit.”

A small smile grew on Ford’s mouth. “You always tried to cheer me up…”

Swallowing didn’t get rid of the lump in Stan’s throat. “Yeah…”

“So what-” Ford’s voice cut off.

Stan glanced at him and saw shadow pass over his face. Something had changed…and fear gripped Stan’s heart.

“My project…”

Just two words. But they were exactly the ones Stan was afraid of. “Ford I should-”

“It was broken…and…” Ford sat up straight and the anger that crossed his face made Stan shrink away. He felt like that seventeen-year-old kid again. So scared of a future without Ford’s support and companionship.

“You broke it.” The accusation hit Stan as hard as it had the first time, though Ford’s voice was more of an icy calm now, not the accusatory yelling of when they were teenagers. But one thing had changed. Stan had spent ten years living with the consequences of his actions. He knew what life was like without Ford. He could survive but…he didn’t want to lose his brother again. Not after he had just gotten him back, and especially not because of a stupid mistake he’d made when he was a kid.  

Forcing himself to look at his brother, Stan did what he hadn’t been able to do all those years ago. He told the truth. “I didn’t mean to, Ford. Honest. I…I was mad at the machine, and I did visit the gym. But I swear, when I left, it was still working. And I…” Looking at the ground, Stan sighed and shook his head. “I never meant to hurt you, Ford…I never wanted to…” He closed his eyes, trying not to let his emotions overwhelm him. “I was scared and…I…I’m sorry I ruined your future.”

Silence filled the room. Stan couldn’t bear to look at Ford, so he kept his eye closed. Waiting for more accusations, more anger.

Then Ford spoke.

“You didn’t ruin it, Stanely.”

Looking up quickly, Stan saw Ford looking at the floor, his gaze unfocused. A few moments passed before Ford continued.

“Sure I…I would’ve loved to go to West Coast Tech and maybe…maybe things would be different if I had. But…” Ford sighed and looked at Stan, regret lining his face. “I made some stupid mistakes too. With Bill and the portal and…” He looked away, frowning and for a moment, he didn’t speak. Then his shoulders drooped and he looked at Stan again. “And not standing up for you.”

For a moment, Stan just stared at him, sure that he hadn’t just heard what he thought he had. “You…” Swallowing he looked away, trying to wrap his head around what Ford had just admitted. It felt too good to be true and...it wasn’t as if Stan hadn’t messed up. Sure, maybe Pa throwing him out had been a little extreme. But Ford had been hurt, and he wasn’t the one that had thrown him out. “It’s okay you…you were upset and-”

“No Stanley. It’s not okay. You stood up for me countless times growing up. And Pa was wrong to kick you out. Even if it hadn’t been an accident you…you were just a kid and…you didn’t deserve to be kicked out.”

Stan couldn’t make himself look at Ford, though he could hear the shame in his voice, the regret from his past actions. Stan knew those feelings all too well. His emotions were going a mile a minute, he didn’t know what he was feeling. Relief? Confusion? Joy? It was all so much. He didn’t know what to say. Then a hand rested on his shoulder and Stan glanced up to find Ford looking at him.

Genuine concern glittered in his brother’s eyes. It was such a foreign expression on Ford’s face, Stan could barely maintain eye contact.

“You always had my back, Stan…even…even now, when you came here…after everything. You got rid of Bill and stayed up for days trying to help me remember my life. I…I’m sorry that I doubted you. And I’m sorry for not having your back.” Ford closed his eyes, regret lining his face before he opened them to look at Stan again. “Will you forgive me?”

Stan’s vision grew blurry as the words sunk in. Never in a million years would he have expected Ford to apologize to him. But if he was honest…it was something he had longed for his entire time on his own.  However, he knew there was something he needed to do too. “I…o-on one condition.”

Ford responded without hesitation. “Anything.”

The smallest smile grew on Stan’s mouth. “That you forgive me too.”

Letting out a quiet laugh, Ford pulled Stan into a hug, his voice thick as he spoke. “I think I can manage that.”

Letting out a small laugh – that turned into a hiccup – Stan returned the hug and tightened his arms around Ford. He ignored the tears on his cheeks as he mumbled a response. “Good. Cause the second option was way more embarrassing.”

This time, Ford laughed a little louder and Stan joined in. A wave of relief washed over Stan, taking with it all of the weight he’d been carrying for a decade. And for the first time since he had arrived in Gravity Falls, he truly believed that everything really was going to be okay.

-----

The world flickered into place. Sun replaced the snow, and the warmth on Dipper’s skin was a welcome change from the freezing cold he’d been experiencing for over a week – even if he knew that meant he’d have to deal with his sweating problem again.

“It worked!” Mabel said, looking around the forest, though there was a sadness still lingering in her gaze.

Looking at the time machine, Dipper noted that it looked just fine. Fiddleford had done a good job with it. “I guess we should-”

“There!”

A loud voice interrupted him and Dipper quickly looked around and saw two tall futuristic looking guys step out from behind the trees. They were led by the time traveler that Mabel and Dipper had stolen the time machine from.

Glancing at Mabel, Dipper held out the time machine. “Hey…uh…sorry we borrowed this, but we-”

“Do you realize what you did!?” The time traveler - Blar Blar? Something with a B – pointed at Mabel and Dipper.

“Look man, we did mean to get stuck, we just-”

“Mabel and Dipper Pines, you two are in violation of countless time crimes.” One of the other time travelers, Lolph, spoke up.

“Wait what?” Mabel looked at Dipper who found himself gripping the time machine tighter. He knew that messing with time might have its consequences, but he’d been trying not to worry about it. Now it was staring him in the face.

“The number of paradoxes that you two created will take ages to clean up.” The other time police dude, Dundgren, shook his head in frustration.

“We didn’t mean to-” Dipper started, but Mabel cut him off.

“Wait, clean up? You can’t! We just spent days getting Ford’s memory back. You can’t undo that!”

“We can and we will. As for you two-”

“But you can’t!” Mabel pleaded, looking desperately at Dipper then the time travelers. “Stan just got Ford back and they are happy!”

“Y-you two messed with time. Paradoxes are serious!” The B dude – Blendin? That sounded right - spoke up, pointing at them angrily.

“We didn’t plan to!” Mabel’s voice was shaking and Dipper quickly jumped in, not exactly sure what to say, but knowing he had to back Mabel up.

“Yeah, it was an accident. Isn’t there any way we can like…fix it but still let Stan and Ford stay together?”

“You c-can’t just fix time like that! It’s a delicate balance and it’s not like you have a Time Wish!” Blendin fumbled, his frustration evident despite the googles over his eyes.

“Wait, Time Wish?” Dipper and Mabel looked at each other.

“It grants the owner one wish, paradox free.” Dundgren said, his face stoic.

“Where can we get one?” Mabel asked, looking around the forest as if maybe they could find one somewhere. Though in Gravity Falls, finding something like that might not actually be too farfetched.

“You can’t just find one.” Blendin huffed. “A time wish can only be awarded to the winner of Globnar!”

“Globnar?” Dipper asked. It sounded just as silly of a word as Blendin was a name.

“Gladiator games.” Lolph said, hefting his gun. “The most intense games you will ever play. If you win, you get a Time Wish. If you don’t, your opponent decides your fate.”

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other. He knew that they’d messed with time, and it was their fault. But when he saw the desperation on his sister’s face, he didn’t hesitate. Stan and Ford deserved to be together. And Dipper would do whatever he could to keep them that way, and he knew Mabel would do the same. With a nod, they looked at the time travelers.

“Alright, we’re in.”

“What?!?” Blendin stared at them. “Y-you messed up the past and n-now you expect to just win Globnar to fix it?!?”

“You do need an opponent.” Lolph spoke up. “And the opponent has to agree to the challenge.”

“Uh…” Dipper looked at Mabel who was frowning.

“Blendin!” Mabel pointed at the stuttering time traveler.

“What?” Blendin stared at her. “You really think…”

“You are in for intense punishment for your slip up with your equipment. A Time Wish could be used to fix that as well. To shift all of the blame – and consequences – onto these kids.” Dundgren pointed out.

For a moment, Blendin pouted in thought, then a smile slowly grew on his face. “I do have the upper hand…training and experience watching Globnar…O-okay, I accept!”

-----

“A whole day on the beach without sunscreen, what were we thinking?” Ford laughed quietly as he looked the picture in his hand. Stan had shown him plenty of pictures, but this one was by far his favorite – a picture of both of them standing in front of their broken sailing ship, The Stan O’ War.

Stan let out a short laugh. “We weren’t thinking! Just having fun.”

Glancing at his brother, Ford couldn’t help but smile. Despite the emotional conversation they’d had not long ago, he felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. Sure, it’d taken him a while to remember the rift that had existed between them, but before that, he had noticed a tension in the air whenever him and Stan were alone. But now that tension had eased.

“I suppose so. Though…” Ford shook his head. “I do recall us not being able to sleep well for a few days afterwards due to the burns.”

“Eh.” Stan waved his hand, a grin on his face. “It was worth it.”

Glancing at the picture again, Ford tilted his head in agreement. “Agreed.”

“Hey, you remember when we got a bazillion splinters while trying to clean it up?” Stan held out his hands. “We had bandages covering our hands all summer!”

Shaking his head in amusement, Ford was glad when he realized that he did indeed remember that summer. “But then we put it in the water and it was finally floating in the ocean again.”

“Heh, yeah, that was a good day.” Stan leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes in contentment.

For a moment, Ford just looked at him. Memories played in his head, as if his mind was scrambling to find all of the pieces and put them together. It was a little disorienting, but compared to the first few days, it wasn’t bad. However, the one memory that kept coming back to him was the Stan O’ War.

“Do you know what ever happened to it?”

“Hmm?” Stan opened an eye. “What?”

“The Stan O’ War. I…I don’t remember what happened to it.” Ford frowned, glancing at the picture again.

“Oh…” Stan sat up. “Honestly? I don’t know. I had to leave Jersey not long after…well, I never saw it again after that.”

There was a wistful sorrow in his voice that Ford couldn’t help but relate to. Sure, he’d wanted to go to college. More than anything. But…he’d never hated the Stan O’ War. Back then, he supposed he would go to college and sail with Stan in the summers. Or at least return to it after he graduated. After Stan had been kicked out though, that dream had died. Replaced instead by Ford’s desire to make a name for himself. Even thinking about it made him cringe. Sure, making a name for himself in the scientific community still sounded nice but…he hadn’t reached that goal. And striving for it had cost him his relationship with Stan. Which he realized now was far too high a cost.

“I bet some other low lives took it.” Stan muttered, pulling Ford from his musings.

“Hmmm, maybe…” Ford looked at the picture again. “Do you think we could find another one?”

“What?” Stan straightened up, looking at Ford in shock.

“Oh…I don’t know…I mean…” Ford ran a hand over his neck, a little worried that it might be too late to make amends. But he had to try. “It’s winter now, but…maybe…one day we could find another Stan O’ War and…go sailing for a bit.”

For a moment, Stan just stared at him. Then he asked in disbelief. “You…you really mean that?”

Ford smiled at Stan and nodded. “I do. I mean, I’d have to figure out what to do with my house while we’re out. But those are details that we can work out later.”

A grin slowly grew on Stan’s face. “So, you’re saying that you want go hunting for treasure and babes?”

Laughing, Ford nodded again. “I really do. I…I’ve been on my own for far too long and…it’s long overdue.”

Stan punched him. “Yeah it is! Where should we go first? Not Columbia. I can’t go back there, oh maybe-”

A bright flash of light interrupted Stan, causing them both to jump to their feet.

As the light faded, a few figures slowly came into view. Ford didn’t know one of them, but the other two…

“Kids?!?” Stan spoke at the same time as Ford, and they looked at each other before looking back at Mabel and Dipper. Both of them looked a little more beat up than they had been when they’d left.

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel raced forward and hugged Stan, a grin lighting up her face.

Ford watched, a smile on his face, then surprisingly, she released Stan and hugged Ford too. He gently returned the hug before speaking up.

“What are you two doing here? I thought you returned - did the time machine not work!?” He looked around, only to see the machine in the hands of a man he didn’t know.

“No, it worked but…well…” Mabel and Dipper looked at each other, then back at Stan and Ford.

“It doesn’t matter.” Dipper said. “What does matter is-”

“We got you a Time Wish!” Mabel interrupted her brother, a grin lighting up her face.

“A…what?” Stan asked, clearly just as confused as Ford.

“A Time Wish.” The strange man spoke up, hitting a button on his watch. A moment later, a shining ball appeared, floating in the air. “It’s a wish that grants you the ability to change anything in history, paradox free.”

“That…” Ford looked at the orb with interest. He’d never heard of such a thing before. Then again, even if he had, he might not have recalled the memory yet.

“Wait, you can change…anything?” Stan was looking at the wish in awe.

“Yes. A-anything. These kids beat me…and won it…but they wanted to come and…give it to you t-two. And as I was reinstated, I’m here to give you two the wish.”

“They were going to ‘fix’ everything we went through!” Mabel jumped in. “But we couldn’t let them!” She glanced at Ford then Stan. “And now you can use it to…well…” Mabel looked at Dipper and the grey suited man. “I guess you can wish for anything.”

Wish for anything. Ford couldn’t help but feel skeptical. It sounded far too good to be true. “How do we know we can trust this…wish?”

“People will give a-anything for a Time Wish!” The man said. “It’s as real as Time Baby himself!”

“Time what?” Stan asked, which reflected Ford’s thoughts exactly.

“He’s this giant futuristic baby.” Dipper said. “But it’s real.”

“We wouldn’t give it to you if it wasn’t!” Mabel added.

Ford glanced at Stan and saw that his brother was already looking at him.

“Anything? What…what do you think, Sixer?”

For a moment, Ford considered all of the possibilities. Never meeting Bill. Understanding girls. Getting into West Coast Tech… Then he met Stan’s gaze. Stan had been through so much. And yes, Ford had too. But…he’d let his own desires get between them before. He didn’t want to make the same mistake again. So…

“You decide.”

“What? Ford, seriously, the kids got this for us and-”

“I am serious Stanley. I…” Ford closed his eyes for a moment, making sure he really did mean it. Then he opened his eyes and looked at Stan, resolution settling in his chest. “I want you to decide.”

Stan looked at him like he was crazy. “Why? I mean, you could change so many things and-”

“But I’m not the only one who would change things and…I want you to have what you want, Stanley. I’ve been selfish before, and I…” Looking at the floor for a moment, Ford found himself thinking about the memories he’d recovered. He regretted so many of them. But in this moment, he knew that this was one thing he wouldn’t regret. “I want to give you this.”

For a moment, Stan seemed too shocked to speak, but then he met Ford’s gaze and it melted away. “You sure?”

“Positive.”

Stan glanced at the orb. “So how do I…?”

“Just touch it and make your wish.”

“Okay…” Stan glanced at Ford one more time. Ford gave him a smile and a nod. For a moment, Stan just stood there, looking at the wish. Time ticked onward. Then, with a deep breath, he reached forward and touched it.

The world was engulfed in white. And as it faded, the world came back into view. Everything looked the same - aside from the kids looking a little more cleaned up than when they’d arrived.  

“Stanley what…what did you wish for?” It didn’t look like anything had changed. If Stan had wished for something in the past to change, Ford assumed the present would’ve looked different.

Stan shrugged. “Eh…I thought about a few things…” He paused a moment and Ford knew he was thinking about the perpetual motion machine. “But I realized that…even if I changed something, I had no guarantee that things would actually work out. We’ve gone through so much the past few days and…I like where we are now, so…I just wanted to keep things as is.”

Ford couldn’t help but be surprised. He didn’t know if he would’ve made the same choice, but at the same time, he wasn’t upset with Stan’s decision. Like Stan said, the past few days had been a lot. But things were better now and the future looked brighter than it had in a long time.

“Oh, and I cleaned these kiddos up some.” He ruffled Mabel and Dipper’s hair which resulted in them laughing.

A smile grew on Ford’s face. “I’d say that was a pretty good wish.”

“Yeah!” Mabel said, tossing her hands in the air.

“This is sweet and all, but these t-two need to get back to their own time.”

“Oh, right…” Stan said, his face falling. Ford stepped forwards and gently rested a hand on his brother’s shoulder.

Stan glanced at him and Ford gave him a reassuring smile, which he returned. Then he looked at the kids. “You heard the guy in the bodysuit.”

“Are you sure?” Mabel asked.

“Heh, I’ll be fine, kiddo. And I bet we’ll have plenty to tell you two when you get there.” Stan winked at them and Ford laughed, nodding in agreement.

“Definitely.”

“Okay…” Mabel hesitated for a moment, then looked at Dipper. A second later, they both attacked Stan and Ford in a hug.

For a moment, they just stood there, enjoying the closeness of family. It was a foreign feeling to Ford, but he had to admit, it wasn’t an unwelcome one. However, it couldn’t last forever. The kids stepped back and Dipper looked at Stan then Ford.

“See you later?”

Ford gave his nephew a smile and nodded. “We’ll see you both in the future.” He glanced at Stan who grinned.

“We promise.”

With a nod, the kids grinned back before stepping back. The time traveler pulled out his time machine and pulled the tape. Mabel and Dipper waved bye before once again disappearing in a flash of light.

For a moment, there was silence, aside from the wind blowing outside. Then Stan broke the tension. “So…about the Stan O’ War…”

Ford couldn’t hold back a laugh. Leave it to Stan to continue right where they had left off. Slapping his brother playfully on the back, Ford shook his head in amusement. “We can figure out all the details in time, Stanley. How about for now we just catch up? After all, I haven’t heard anything about what you’ve done for the past ten years.”

Stan let out a huff but he couldn’t hide the half smile on his face. “Alright, fine. But I’m saving a few stories for when we are on the boat.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Ford nodded, and has he did, a memory sparked in his mind. It was one that he'd recalled before, but he couldn’t help but smile thinking about now. Hesitantly holding out his hand, he recited the old saying Stan had come up with when they were kids. “High six?”

For a moment, Stan just stared at Ford, then a grin broke out on his face and he slapped his hand against Ford’s. “High six!”

#trapped in the past #gravity falls #gravity falls au #timetrapped au #timestuck au #stanford pines #stanley pines #mabel pines #dipper pines #stan pines #ford pines #gravity falls fanfiction