The One He Protected///Gravity Falls Fanfic///TW in desc.

Have We Been Changing?

"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" She yelled, reflexively kicking at the man patching up the new scratches on her face. "Miss. Micheals, I advise you to sit still. And stop kicking me. It's inconvenient." Ford argued.

After the whole questioning, Ida had promptly gotten into a fight with an aggressive badger. And lost.

Mainly because she didn't want to kill the animal, or so she said.

Ford had offered to fix up the injuries, much to Bill's suspicion, but ultimately, his approval. Perhaps this was a step in a more... healing direction? It was alright. Calm, even.

Eventually, the cuts and scratches on her legs, neck, and face were bandaged up. She expected them to be fully healed in a day or two, due to her being a ghost and all. Left alone now with Mabel, the two didn't quite know what to talk about.

Awkward.

Mabel eventually cleared her throat, getting Ida's attention. "What's it like being a Judge?" She asked. Calmly, Ida said, "Hell."

Mabel stammered a bit in surprise, not quite knowing how to respond to that.

"However, it's the only way I can really stay here. Absolutely not going to be a Vengeful. That is even WORSE." She grumbled, poking at her bandaged knee.

"You said that the other Judges weren't very nice. What did you mean by that? If you want to tell me." Mabel continued. Ida shifted uncomfortably. Mabel looked down. "Sorry, I don't mean to intrude." She apologized. Ida crossed her arms.

"They think I'm stupid. Immature. Undeserving. Evil."

"Evil?"

"Can't blame them for the last one, if I'm honest." Ida laughed weakly, resting her face in her hands. "Really? I mean, you're intimidating and give off crazy vibes, but you're not EVIL." Mabel argued, her voice sweet and kind. Ida looked at her for a moment, her eyes confused.

Why was she being so nice to her? Was she really that oblivious to how chaotic-neutral-neutral-evil she was?

"I mean... I. I just can't stop being a Judge, no matter how much I hate it." She said, turning away. Mabel knit her eyebrows. "Well, I get you wanna stay with Bill, but you seem a bit... scared to stop being a Judgey-thingy?"

Ida curled one of her pale green highlights around her finger. "Yes. I'm afraid. If I stop being a Judge, I need to move onto the afterlife." She said, her voice cold and breathy. She hated admitting she was afraid, something that was not lost on Mabel.

Mabel tilted her head curiously. "Why? What would you need to be afraid of THERE?" She asked, leaning forward. Ida's hand tightened around her new curl. "Seeing my father and stepmother and half-brother." She whispered, her voice tense.

Mabel's expression softened to sympathy. "Were they... y'know...-" Ida swiftly shook her head. "They were wonderful people, and I love them more than you could ever know. What I'm nervous about is... that when they see me..."

She paused for a moment, choking back emotions. She hated to think Mabel could see the most vulnerable, soft part of her. Ida took a deep breath, and finished with, "That they're terrified of what I've become."

Her hands were shaking uncontrollably by that point. Her eye was clouded as she stared ahead. Mabel carefully put her hand on Ida's shoulder. Thankfully, Ida did not snap or recoil. She seemed to even be comfortable. She looked back to Mabel. "Anything else you want to know?" She asked.

"Can all Judges not fly?"

Ida looked back down at her shoes, inspecting the bandages along her legs. "No... just me." Mabel raised her eyebrows, immediately asking, "Why?"

The ghost girl looked at her with a blank expression. However, behind the eyes, Mabel could see pain and fear burning behind them. Awful memories she wished had not resurfaced. "As I said, the other Judges don't like me."

Mabel took a moment, then nervously asked, "What did they do to your wings?" Ida's wings drooped a bit, her halo seeming a bit less bright. "Clipped them."

There was silence for a few minutes, as the two simply stared at each other.

"Ida, I'm so, so sorry..." Mabel whispered, her voice quiet, like she couldn't breathe. Ida choked down whatever emotions she was feeling and waved her hand vaguely. "No, no, it's fine. Really." She dismissed, managing a sweet smile.

Ida leaned back, kicking her feet a bit. She seemed like a child. As much trauma as she went through, she was still innocent.

For a moment, Mabel swore that Ida did physically change into a younger form of herself. Just for a moment.

Happy. Carefree. Reckless and chaotic in a beautiful way. Mabel smiled a little, resting her arms on the table Ida was sitting on. "I guess we both haven't aged up, mentally, that much?" She asked. The ghost smiled down at her. "Well, of course. I see we both haven't changed very much. For me, it's age-regression and all that crap."

Mabel responded with a knowing nod. They both had their fair share of mental growing up, but it probably wasn't happening anytime soon.

Mabel perked up a bit, smiling. Her braces gleamed in the dim lights of the lab. "Friends?" She asked, holding out a fist. Ida immediately lit up, her halo only second to blinding. She quickly fist-bumped the girl. "Friends!"