Cataclysm -A Gravity Falls Fan Fic

Chapter Twentyeight- The Vending Machine

Dipper lies awake with his eyes wide open, dark purple circles under them.
He never slept.
It's 10 o'clock in the morning, and Mabel sneaks over to wake him up with some silly string, but frowns when she sees he's not asleep.
"Hey, Dip! Why the long, tired, almost scared face?" Mabel asks scratching her chin, oddly specific.
Dipper shakily sits up and yawns, stretching.
"It's...nothing," he sighs.
Mabel narrows her eyes at him, disbelieving.
"Dipper," Mabel whines. "We're supposed to tell everything to each other, remember?"
Dipper sighs again, looking down.
Tilla said I couldn't tell anyone about our conversation, Dipper thinks. But that doesn't mean I have to hide anything else from her.
"Alright," Dipper grunts. "I've been...seeing things at night,"
"What!?" Mabel gasps. "You didn't tell me you had night-vision powers! Cool!"
"No...not, like, literally seeing things. Seeing creepy things that shouldn't be there, like...glowing eyes and stuff," Dipper explains, rubbing his eyes. "And the other night, someone whispered...Mason,"
"What...? But nobody knows that's your real name except--!" Mabel starts.
"Shh!" Dipper whispers, covering her mouth just in case someone like Stan or Soos is nearby.
"--me, Mom, and Dad!" Mabel finishes in a whisper.
"I know...that's why I'm creeped out," Dipper starts. "I thought it might be Tilla, but how would she know my real name?"
"Tilla? But I thought someone took her down for good recently!" Mabel says.
"Ah...yeah, I-I don't know," Dipper mutters, wanting to get off the subject of Tilla in case she's watching. "It's probably nothing. Let's go,"
"If you say so! You know what you need!? You need some--" Mabel starts.
"No, I absolutely do not need Mabel Juice," Dipper interrupts her, playfully shoving her as they walk out of their room. Mabel pokes him, laughing as they walk down the stairs.
     Dipper is eating breakfast when they hear a knock on the door.
Mabel skips over and swings the door open, immediately welcoming the person in.
"Welcome to our humble abode! Would you like to make your way to our gift shop where dreams come true!?" Stan shouts, walking out of the bathroom in his underpants.
"Oh, my! Um, no, I'm actually here to see Dipper Pines," the lady says, uncomfortably.
Dipper glances up to see his new therapist, Alice.
He groans and pounds his forehead on the table.
"I'm his new therapist, Alice," she smiles. "Ah, there you are, Dipper!"
"Therapist!? Ha! He don't need no therapist!" Stan laughs, waving the thought off with his hand. "The boy's weird, but not that kinda weird!"
"Thank you!" Dipper exclaims, sitting up again.
"Sir, you did witness him shooting himself on stage and causing a public disturbance, correct?" Alice calmly replies. "And if he refuses to explain why, well, this is what happens,"
The room gets silent.
Stan stands there uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck, unsure of what else to say.
"U-Uh, I don't trust therapists! Get outta my house!" Stan yells, pointing. "You're the kinda person that would carry ladders around! And his life is hard enough without some nosy lady that's probably secretly some news reporter bombarding it!" Stan finishes, grunting.
Dipper happily smiles at Stan.
"I'm sorry, I hoped it wouldn't come to this," the lady sighs, standing up.
She holds out her I.D.
"I was ordered to come here by the town founder, Mr. Northwest, and the request, after further investigation, was approved by the state," Alice explains sternly.
"Hey, thanks Stan, but...don't worry about it," Dipper sighs, relenting. "I'll just answer the dumb questions,"
"Fine. Just come get me if there's any trouble. I'll be right in the living room," Stan grumbles, narrowing his eyes at Alice and rubbing Dipper's head.
Dipper laughs, and Stan walks away.
"Alright...make it quick," Dipper grumbles.
"He's a bit snappier than yesterday already," Alice subconsciously mutters, writing something down.
"What was that?" Dipper asks, eyes widening.
"Oh, nothing, sir! Alright...can you please give me your parents' phone numbers?" Alice inquires.
"Why do you need them?" Dipper questions, getting nervous and starting to sweat.
"Part of this process is getting their take on the ordeal too," Alice states.
"I would prefer we left my parents out of this, please," Dipper says sternly, unrelenting.
Alice sighs, frowning, and then smiles.
"Alright. Thanks for your time," Alice says, leaving.
"Um...okay...?" Dipper mutters, confused. "Welp, I guess that was it,"
"Did you see that snoopy lady!?" Mabel yells angrily. "She was staring at you like you were...Old Man McGucket or something!"
"Everyone has been lately," Dipper sighs, placing his head in his hands.
Mabel frowns, not knowing what to say, and pats his back.
     A few hours later, Alice walks back into the Shack, smiling calmly like always.
"Excuse me, Mr. Stan Pines?" Alice says, walking into the living room.
Mabel and Dipper are hanging out upstairs at this time.
"Huh? What are you doing here again!?" Stan grunts, standing up from his chair and taking a sip of his coffee.
"I'm here to take Dipper Pines back to Piedmont, California," Alice sighs. "We found his parents' number the hard way, and they request his presence,"
"What!?" Stan yells, dropping his coffee, spilling it all over the carpet.
"We rightfully informed them of their son's recent...behavior, and his hospital record," Alice states. "They want him sent back immediately,"
"B-But...uh...this...this can't happen!" Stan yells, rubbing his eyes, flustered. "He...he still has the rest of the Summer with me!"
"I'm sorry, but his parents have the right," Alice says. "We'll personally escort him there ourselves,"
Then, two agents walk in behind her.
"No...how am I gonna tell 'em...?" Stan stutters, his cap casting a shadow over his eyes as he looks down in defeat.
"Don't worry. He has till tomorrow morning to pack his things and say his goodbyes," she says, smiling.
With that, they walk out.
Stan is speechless.
He collapses back into his couch chair, and rests his face in his hands.
     Dipper and Mabel both have sock puppets on their hands, and are attacking each other with them, laughing.
Stan walks in, eyes glazed with sadness, though he's trying not to show it.
"Uh-oh, Stan came up the stairs! You did something bad!" Mabel laughs, poking Dipper with her sock puppet.
"Oh, yeah? I say we both split the punishment since you decided to go and share my birthday!" Dipper laughs, poking her back.
"Kids, I've...I've got some not-so-great-news," Stan starts, gulping, not knowing how to spill this.
The twins both notice his grave expression, and frown, waiting for his explanation.
"K-Kids...Dipper...listen, Dipper, you've...you've gotta go back home. You've gotta go back to Piedmont," Stan sighs, closing his eyes.
"What!?" Dipper gasps, sitting up. "You're joking, right? You've gotta be joking,"
"Your parents. They finally found out about everything that's happened to you, I guess," Stan mutters, shaking his head. "They want you back asap. That nosy therapist lady is taking you back herself tomorrow morning,"
Mabel and Dipper share shocked glances, and then Dipper turns back to Stan with pleading eyes.
"No, Stan, this can't be happening! You...you can't let this happen!" Dipper yells, clutching the sides of his own head.
"He can't leave! We just got him back...!" Mabel says, her hands folded together, tears already welling up in her eyes.
"It's happenin', alright!?" Stan snaps. Then he sighs, rubbing his hand across his weary eyes.
"I tried. But there's nothin' I can do about it," Stan finishes in barely a whisper, and then trudges out.
Dipper once again looks at Mabel, speechless.
Mabel and Dipper hug, defeated.
     Now Dipper is packing his things, angrily stuffing his things into his backpack.
Mabel sits silently on her bed in sweatertown.
Suddenly, she pops her head out of her sweater.
"Y'know what!? If you're going back, so am I!" Mabel states stubbornly.
"No...Mabel, you stay here. You still have the rest of the Summer to spend with Stan and your friends," Dipper chokes out, his voice cracking. "I don't wanna ruin it for you,"
"You leaving already ruins it for me," Mabel sighs. "May as well stick together,"
"What about Stan?" Dipper frowns, shaking his head. "No, you should stay,"
"I'm going with you!" Mabel cries, going back into sweatertown.
Dipper sighs and sniffs, fighting back tears.
      Dipper is rolling back and forth in his bed, unable to get to sleep.
This time it's not even because of the glowing eyes and whispers; it's because he knows it's his last night in Gravity Falls...maybe even for good.
Who knows if his parents will let him come back after this.
Suddenly, Dipper feels a tap on his shoulder.
He sits up, eyes wide, but no one's there.
Then he sees the silhouette of someone running out their bedroom door and down the stairs.
He almost gets up, but stops.
"Nope! I'm not being the stupid person who dies in the horror movie!" Dipper whispers, laying back down and pulling the covers back over his head.
"Mason. I know a way you can stay in Gravity Falls," he hears someone whisper.
Dipper gulps, not knowing what to say, and not peeking out from his covers just yet.
"Did you ever consider I'm here to help you? I've known this was going to happen for the past few days now," the voice whispers.
"Sure, I totally think you're here to help me, creepy-voice-who's-been-keeping-me-from-getting-sleep!" Dipper mumbles sarcastically, still hiding under his covers.
"Suit yourself," the voice whispers. "If you change your mind, meet me downstairs in your Grunkle Stan's secret lab. It has something to do with that journal of yours,"
After a few moments of hesitation, Dipper's eyes flip open.
He can't stand it anymore, and sits up, but the person is gone.
He jumps out of bed, charging his light powers just in case, and cautiously makes his way down the stairs.
He sees the silhouette standing in the gift shop area. He walks into the room.
"Alright, if you make a wrong move, you're toast!" Dipper says as confidently as he can. "A-And you better not be lying!"
The silhouette types in a few buttons on the vending machine, and to Dipper's disbelief, the machine opens, like a secret door, to reveal a hidden staircase. Dipper's eyes widen.
The...vending machine? That's where a secret passage is hidden!? Dipper thinks, suspicious feelings already growing in his gut toward Stan. So obvious, people see it everyday...yet no one knows about any of this. Well...I guess no one but Stan.
Dipper narrows his eyes, and hesitantly, he walks inside.

(Note: Here you go, another chapter!! Please excuse my slowness--my life has been crazy busy lately. 😰😴 Thanks for your unending support!!! 😄❤️ I appreciate you all so much!! Hope you enjoy the story as it dives into another plot line that can only be described as "feelsy". See you very soon!! 😁💕🐷
-Mabelwaffles127)