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

Epilogue 1: Happiness Has Always Been You

"Mabel was right. Ice cream is the BEST!" Zace smiled, taking another bite of the ice cream in front of him.

Ida smiled, nodding at his observation. She looked around Greasy's Diner, her heart warming up. Gravity Falls had truly changed after all these years. People were kind and treated others with respect. It was so beautiful to her. Of course, there were some people that reminded her of how others once treated her. However, those kinds of people were looked down upon now. It felt like more justice than any Judge could deliver.

While all the other patrons saw a human family, they saw each other for who they truly were. Demons and a ghost. Ida wouldn't have asked for it any other way.

Zace never knew that such a happy life could be his. Black-and-white striped gloves covered his burned, scarred hands. Slight makeup covered his face, and his dress' red and gray fabric glistened in the summer sun.

Ben hadn't been happier in years. His dark blue hair still covered his scar, still giving his goth look. The star on his cheek was pure white, but Ben saw it as a mark of honor. He had to get new glasses, since his old ones broke.

William loved life in Gravity Falls. He hardly remembered the Dream Dimension, so this felt like his first, real home. His messy hair was never fully combed, and his mind never really focused, but he was happy. He never took off the two purple bracelets Ida gave him. The townspeople would say that flowers and small animals around him seemed to thrive when he smiled.

Gravity Falls finally seemed to be the place Lily had always told Ida of. A few days after everything had settled, Ida went to the cemetery.

Thomas Micheals died from lung failure.
Lily Micheals died in a car crash.
Donna Smith died from alcohol poisoning.
Ethan Smith died from a drug overdose.

Ida had seen her own grave often. For years after her death, her old bullies came by. They'd steal or rip apart flowers Thomas and Lily left. They'd break toys her half-brother wanted the half-sister he never really met to have. The only reason she had her rabbit was because she managed to pull it into the specter plane.

Eventually, her tormentors moved on. Her two remaining friends were her only former classmates that still visited her. Even they eventually left. Ida watched as they grew into adults, then waited pointlessly for them to arrive.

With no one to remember her, time forgot about Ida Nica Micheals.

But, when she looked at it that day, she didn't feel sad. She felt determined. One way or another, she'd let people know the story of Ida Micheals.

Every day, "Irene Ceaser" visited the park - her favorite place - and told anyone willing to listen about the life of Ida. Soon, word spread and Ida Micheals was no longer a memory of the past.

Gravity Falls was finally home.