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

Did You Ever Really Care?

Elizabetta and her oldest son had a hard time speaking to each other. She never seemed to know what to say to him, and he never really tried engaging. Still, she wanted to talk to him so badly. He was her son- her oldest. He had been only ten when she'd last seen him.

And now, as they walked along their tunnel - a winding blue road with void everywhere else (not an optimal situation) - he was almost an adult. Seventeen. He had changed. He was kinder and more patient, but the years of all that had happened showed on his face. Dark, dusty red clouds seemed to form under his eyes, making him look like he'd just been crying. And where had she been all that time? Dimensions away. And where was she when they were in the Dream Dimension- at home?

Not with him. And he was in his room, hiding from her criticism and harsh remarks. Elizabetta loathed herself for all those years wasted, treating her son like he was nothing more than someone she had to fix. Bill had warned her so many times, separated her from Zace so many times, and told her that she had to change how she treated the kid. By the time William and Ben had arrived, she had tried to change. Zace didn't seem to see it. Again, he'd close himself in, quiet and angry. He'd snap at his sibling when they caused him the slightest annoyance. When Zace was nine, he'd gotten so mad at his mother, he screamed until his powers - his pyrokinesis - went out of control. A fireball struck her face, burning it. As she screamed, she didn't hear her son running out of the house. He came back hours later after Bill finally found him, his eye red-rimmed and his breathing sharp. He hardly spoke after that, and never held her hand or hugged her.

Then, a year later, the fire happened. She couldn't find her sons, even though she screamed until her voice was hoarse and ran until her legs almost gave out. She caught a glimpse of purple against the teal, but it disappeared before she could follow. She collapsed to the ground, sobbing and waiting for the fire to consume her. Then a portal opened under her. She didn't know where they came from, but she assumed it had been another demon's magic, trying to save as many as they could. Her last words to her oldest son had been, "I hope this isn't how we always are." Foolish words of a foolish woman. Of a horrible mother. She spent years ruminating on her guilt, drowning in her depression and self-loathing. And now, just as she had her family back, she was fighting every urge to not break down sobbing, praying for the Axolotl to relieve her of this pain. Even if she knew, and the Axolotl himself knew, that she'd never deserve it.

"I'm sorry." Elizabetta's words broke the silence.

Zace stopped, looking at her in confusion. Elizabetta choked on her words. That couldn't even begin to express how she felt.

"For everything- all that I said to you. Every moment I criticized or scolded you. I'm sorry. I can't even express how horrible I feel for all I did to you. I had told you that I wanted to make you better. That I-I wanted to make you good for a good life." She forced herself to look into her son's eye. "I should've been making a life good enough for you."

Her son stared at her in utter shock. His eye glinted and his hands trembled.

"When Terrence died, I was terrified of losing anyone else. Of anything bad happening to those I loved. I thought that what I was doing was out of love, but I was cruel. You were- you are a child. You had always been my child. And I can never take back anything I said, or how cold I was. I know that, and I don't need you to accept what I'm saying." She clasped her hands together, not noticing the tears falling down her face.

Zace felt his cheeks, which were wet to the touch. His breathing hitched as he listened.

"Still, if you would let me try again, I'd never ask anything of you, ever. I want to be your mother. I want to try better. But... I-I accept if you can't forgive-..."

Zace hugged his mother.

The last hug he'd had with her was when she'd first seen him after all those years. He hadn't hugged back. He just didn't understand. But now, seeing this - hearing her say this - he cried. He clung to her and sobbed, not minding her black hair covering his face. Elizabetta couldn't move for a moment. The feeling of her son holding onto her, like a small child afraid of a storm, was unusual to her. Then, she hugged back. Even when she pulled from the hug, she swore she'd never let him go.

'Please, never take them from me.' She thought.

It took a while, but they eventually started walking again, knowing their mission. Soon, they found a strange area with a white ring around it. Zace tilted his head in curiosity and stepped forward. He was immediately pushed back by some sort of forcefield. "Salt." He concluded, crossing his arms. Salt and spells with unicorn hair could block demons of all kinds, such as them.

"There's something in there." Elizabetta said, looking into the ring. It looked like a rusty grate. Something told her that they needed to get to it. Zace sighed, knowing that their magic would have no effect on the salt. An idea suddenly came to him. He could do something to move the salt that any human could do. He stepped as close as he could and smiled. "Zace, dear, what-"

Zace stomped right next to the salt.

The ground shook more than it should've for a stomp. The two demons stumbled a bit. The salt had been moved ever so slightly, shaken off its perfect ring. Zace stomped again. The ground shook more this time, and thin cracks lined the surface of the path. The salt moved some more.

The base of the path broke, sending cracks rushing through it. "Zace!" Elizabetta yelled in concern, backing up to her son. The demon noticed and winced in fear. If it broke, it could send them into the void and they'd be... Holy Axolotl, that couldn't happen. The salt had moved enough for them to get themselves into the broken ring. "Get in! Now! Get in!" She yelled, practically shoving her son toward the grate. The cracks broke through the rest of the path, making it all crumble into the void. Zace grabbed the grate, his hands fumbling, and pulled it off. He practically fell into it, and Elizabetta followed.

Zace was too startled to activate his flight, and landed on the dark ground. He screamed through gritted teeth as his palms skidded onto something sharp. Elizabetta landed on her feet, nearly falling to the ground. She saw her son hold his hands to his shirt, breathing sharply.

"Dear, show me your hands." She said, her voice firm as she created some light orbs. The demon hesitated, then held out his hands. The ground felt like glass, making deep gashes in his palms. Elizabetta winced a bit and reached out. Zace snatched his hands away, feeling blood drip to the ground. "I can seal them up so they can heal quicker." She said.

Cautiously, he held out his hands again. As gently as she could, Elizabetta held them and her hands glowed a bit. White magic sealed up the cuts, holding them together. "See? Better." She smiled, patting his head. Zace held back a cry and nodded. He felt like he was still just a little kid. "I'm alright. I'm good." He mumbled, standing up. The cloth around his knees was torn from the glass, but he seemed alright.

"What..." Zace stepped forward. "What is that for?" He asked. In front of them was an old-fashion lever. "Looks like we're in a hotspot for Flintgold's magic." Elizabetta mumbled. Her voice dripped with her hatred for the monster. Zace tilted his head a bit and grabbed the lever. "If it's turned this way, and this is all in Flintgold's favor, maybe turning it will put something in our favor?"

And with a nervous sigh, Zace pulled the lever, and everything shook around them.