Chapter 27
Soos burst into the shack store lobby, the hanging bell on top of the door ringing like an alarm, and he began shouting.
"Dudes! Dudes!" huff huff huff "We gotta go help Dipper!" huff huff huff "He's in trouble!"
Wendy stood up from her seat behind the register. "What happened?"
Stan walked up to Soos. "Deep breaths, Soos, Deep breaths. Now slow down and tell us, what happened?"
Mabel ran down the stairs. "Did he fall in the pit? Is he in the forest? Where is he?"
"He's in the tank at the police station!"
"WHAT?" Wendy was incredulous. "Why? What did he do?"
Stan rolled his eyes. "I better go bail him out. Wendy, you mind the shack, I stand a better chance of getting him outta there than you."
Wendy ran up to Soos and grabbed his shirt and got right in his face. "WHAT did he DO?"
Soos caught his breath. "Robbie tried to sucker punch him, but Dipper punched him back, bloodied his nose, then Robbie tried to throw him down but then Dipper gave him a right hook and BAM! Robbie went down for the count! It was awesome! " and then Wendy gave Soos a very angry look with clenched teeth. "...Well...not so awesome. Kinda...kinda bad actually...actually...AWESOME BAD!" and he gave a high five to a smiling Mabel who had been right there listening.
Wendy threw off Soos and went towards the door.
"No Wendy, you won't help. Stay here and mind the shack, that's an order!"
"Order schmorder! I'm going..."
"I'm the only one with the dough to bail him out. What are you gonna do, huh? Beat up a cop?"
"Depends, I might beat up Dipper!"
"NO, you stay here, they will only release him to a legal guardian, that's me, not you. I won't come back without him, I promise."
Stan, Mabel and Soos left, with Wendy standing alone in the lobby with begging eyes. "But...but..."
...
The police station had only been a few blocks away, and Tambry used her best jog, shopping bag and all to get down there as fast as she could, running across streets against red lights in between cars and dodging pedestrians.
She ran up the station steps and entered the protected waiting room area, breathing hard.
"Yes ma'am, are you reporting something? Do you need help?" said the female police sergeant through the speaker built into the bullet proof glass.
"Uh no, I'm here for Dipper Pines? He was just brought here but he's innocent! Robbie Valentino..."
"Oh, OK young lady, we know all about that. Are you the legal guardian that ..." and she looked down at a clipboard. "...Mr. Soos was supposed to fetch? What is your name?"
After answering questions about her address, phone number and her side of the story, she was told to have a seat and to wait to hear about his status, if he was going to be booked and released, or held overnight. They had to wait for a legal guardian. She sat down on a long bench against the side wall of the lobby. She looked around, having never been here before and looked with ill feelings at the most wanted posters, court dates, and other reminders that the real world was sometimes an ugly place.
Oh Dipper. You don't belong here. I'll get you out of here somehow!
...
The station lobby door opened again and Tambry looked up. In walked Stan Pines, Soos and Mabel.
Oh no, Wendy will be with them no doubt. Will she...wait...where...
The lobby door closed behind the trio. Mabel ran over to Tambry as Stan and Soos walked up to the glass window sergeant and introduced themselves and began the twenty questions she had already gone through with Tambry.
"Tambry! Are you here for Dipper too?"
"Yeah Mabel. Yeah. Is Wendy...?"
"She's watching the shack."
"Oh. Whew!"
"Whew? Like in, you and her are not getting along lately...?"
"You might say that..."
"'Cause of my brother?"
Tambry looked up at Mabel. "Uh..."
"It's OK Tambry. I know."
"Know? Know what?"
"Tambry..." She looked around and then whispered. "I know about you and Dipper."
"What? Me and Dipper what? We're just friends! Honest Mabel! Please don't tell Wendy that we're..."
"Shhh!" and Mabel looked around again. "I won't tell Wendy anything. It's all right ok? I stay out of my brother's business. Your status is between him and Wendy. But I just wanted to...to thank you for being here for my brother. I heard what he did to Robbie."
Tambry smiled. She was completely surprised by Mabel's kind and understanding outreach and smiled at her, and Mabel smiled back in sympathy.
"Any love of my brother's is a friend of mine." And then Mabel grasped Tambry's hand and squeezed.
"Any...love of your brother's...?" Tambry was confused.
"Has he kissed you yet?"
"What? No! No he..." Tambry looked at Stan and Soos who were still busy talking across the room and then looked down. "Right now it's...it's just...well... it's kinda one sided right now. But I think...I hope someday he...he..."
"He is. He does. He says your name at night in his sleep."
"He does?" Tambry looked like she just won the lottery.
"Yes. Well, just once so far. But I can tell when someone's got my brother hot and bothered heehee! Bothered brothers are the most fun haha!" and she winked.
Tambry stopped smiling. "Mabel...Mabel what if Wendy finds out?"
Mabel took a deep breath tilting her head and raising a hand to her chin, looking to the side.
"Well then, things could get pret-ty ugly."
"Yeah. That's what I'm afraid of..."
Then Mabel smiled. "But at least for this particular situation, I know what we can do! Come with me!" and she grabbed Tambry's hand and pulled her to the door.
"Soos! Tambry and I are going across the street to the clothing warehouse! Be right back!"
Soos shook his head. Chicks and clothes, even at a time like this. That's Mabel!
...
"Damn it! I can't stay here any longer, this sucks!" Wendy locked up the cash register and then locked up the rest of the shack, and then went outside, hung up the CLOSED sign on the door and hopped on her bicycle, and started pedaling to town, fast.
...
Mabel and Tambry entered the warehouse, and went to the service desk.
"May I speak to the manager please? It's very urgent!"
"Just a moment miss."
While the service attendant went for the manager Mabel turned to Tambry and told her the plan.
"Get out your phone Tambry. This will be the most important blog you ever made!"
The Manager approached. "Oh! You are the young lady that was protected by the young man they arrested." Mabel turned to Tambry and smiled, wiggling her eyebrows.
