gravity-falls-dreamer

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 48: McGucket Manor

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 47 // Chapter 49 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 47 // Chapter 48 // Chapter 49 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 47 // Chapter 48 // Chapter 49 >

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Stan's old rickety car rattled its way up the mountain road. Stan sat behind the wheel, tapping his fingers in rhythm of the song on the radio. Ford looked out the window, a smirk still on his face as his mind raced, cheeks still tingling faintly from where Evalin kissed him. He barely registered the trees whizzing by, only for her laugh in the backseat to pull him back to reality.

Mabel sat sandwiched between Dipper and Evalin, trying to force a game of iSpy. “I spy with my little eye something... green!”

“Is it trees?” Dipper answered, rolling his eyes dramatically. 

“How did you know?! Are you a wizard?” Mabel gasped.

Evalin chuckled, amused. “It was going to be trees or grass, Mabel. Not many options in the middle of nowhere. Also, if you say something blue, I'm going to guess the sky.”

Mabel pointed at her, eyes wide. “That's not fair! You're magic and can probably predict the future!”

Evalin's eye twitched, pursing her lips. “I cannot predict the future. Literally no interest to me.”

Ford raised an eyebrow, interested. “What kind of magic does interest you then?”

Evalin's face broke into a wicked smile. “The fun kind~”

“You mean the chaotic kind that puts me in the electric chair?” Stan scoffed.

Evalin let out a quick laugh, leaning forward slightly. “Oh, absolutely~”

Dipper pressed his lips together. “Please don't shock Grunkle Stan while he's driving. I like living.”

Evalin waved him off. “I'm not going to put you guys in danger. I'll wait until we park first~”

Stan's eyes widened slightly as his eyes looked down at his gas gauge, seeing it over half. “I think we can drive for a while before I run out of gas.”

Ford chuckled, shaking his head. “Evalin, please don't threaten to electrocute Stanley unless he deserves it.”

Evalin scoffed, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms. “Party pooper.”

Stan rubbed the back of his neck. “Thanks, Sixer. As kinky as it is when she shocks the hell out of me, I don't feel like becoming a BBQ right now.”

Ford pressed his lips together as he deadpanned his brother. “On second thought—“

Evalin cackled as she lifted a pinky and pointer finger, electricity crackling between them.

Stan's eye twitched violently. “I will drive us off this mountain.”

“No, you won't~” Mabel chuckled as she patted him on the shoulder.

Dipper huffed. “So, why are we going to Old Man McGucket's house? That guy weirds me out and he smells like motor oil and old socks like... all the time.”

Ford turned back to face him, his expression serious. “Don't patronize Fiddleford, Dipper. He is a mechanical genius far beyond his years. Even after losing his mind.”

Evalin tilted her head. “I don't know. Mr. McGucket seems fine to me.”

Ford sighed before continuing, “Well, he is a lot better now than he was last year. He has been working on getting his memories back after years of self-inflicted mind-altering experiments.”

Mabel smiled brightly. “Yeah! And now he has cute raccoon babies!”

Evalin clasped her hands together. “Oh, sweet Sassafras and Pickles! Best babies~”

Ford shook his head, smirking as he sat back in his seat. “You can't kidnap Fiddleford's children, Evalin.”

Evalin sighed, clearly disappointed. “Fine. I won’t kidnap his raccoon children...today.” She turned to Dipper. “Don't worry, Dipper. I'm going to need you and your sister's help finding sweet innocent animals in the surrounding woods anyway.” She reached into her satchel and pulled out what had to be at least fifty sheets of paper, handing each of the kids a teetering pile of sigils. “As soon as you find an animal, tag it with a sleep sigil and bring it to me. I'll take care of it from there.”

“And what do you plan on doing with the animal?” Dipper asked as he looked over the sigils with a raised eyebrow.

Evalin smirked, something flickering behind her eyes. “I'm just going to check it over for Everred seeds. If they're clear, I can probably release them.”

Ford put his hand on his chin. “How are you going to tell the difference between animals that have eaten the seeds or not? Do you plan on cutting them open?”

Evalin chuckled, shaking her head. “I used to, but ever since I got my eyes stabbed, I can just shift my vision and spot the seeds inside.”

Mabel gasped dramatically. “YOU HAVE X-RAY VISION!?”

Evalin jolted. “What? No—Everred seeds have a unique energy signature which can be seen with magic sight. Ford's able to see them too—with his glasses.”

“Yeah, when he isn't staring at you, Evi~” Mabel snickered.

Ford choked on air, his hands flying to his mouth to cover his cough as if it would reclaim his dignity. “It's called observing, Mabel. Her metaphysical presence is quite... fascinating.”

Mabel's face cracked into a mischievous grin. “Mhm, whatever you say, Grunkle Ford~”

Dipper pressed a hand to Mabel's face. “Shut up, Mabel. You're making it weird.”

Evalin’s lips pressed together as her fingers toyed with the brim of her hat.

Stan grumbled, “Alright, that is enough out of all of you. We are finally at old man McGucket's house. Remember to keep your shoes on. Last thing I need is for one of you kids to get tetanus or something stupid like that.”

“Tetanus?” Evalin questioned, tilting her head from side to side in confusion.

Dipper waved his hand in the air. “It's a bacterial infection that makes your muscles freak out. It's super preventable. Stay away from rusty metal and if you do get cut or something, you can just go to a doctor for a shot.”

“I had to get a shot a few times in my life. It's no big deal,” Mabel added with a cheeky smile.

Evalin twitched uncomfortably in her seat, muttering, “I'll... skip on more shots, thank you.”

Stan parked the car in the driveway and looked back at her. “We should probably check to make sure you're caught up on your shots anyway. Don't want you to bite anyone and give them rabies.”

“I'll bite you,” Evalin warned, narrowing her eyes.

Stan wiggled his eyebrows. “Kinky~”

Dipper grimaced, unbuckling his seatbelt. “Gross, Grunkle Stan.”

“Yeah, Grunkle Stan! There are children in the car!” Mabel exclaimed as she scooted out of her seat after Dipper.

“Stanley, must you?” Ford groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Stan laughed hard as he took the keys out of the ignition. “Oh, come on! I didn't hear a no from Spooky back there!”

Evalin lifted a confused eyebrow. “You... want me to bite you?”

Stan's face split into a shit-eating grin. “From a feisty lady like you? Hell yeah!”

Ford rubbed his eyes under his glasses, exasperated. “Evalin, could you do me a favor and shock Stanley?”

A mischievous smile curled Evalin's lips as she lifted a pinky and pointer finger. “With pleasure~”

Stan's eyes widened as he scrambled out of the car. “You'll have to catch me first, nerd!”

Evalin went to give chase but Ford stopped her by lifting his hand. “Alright, that's good. I think he got the message.”

Evalin slouched slightly. “Aw, I totally could have caught him though.”

Ford chuckled, shaking his head. “I know you could have but sometimes the threat is more than enough to do the job. Now, let's go visit Fiddleford.”

Ford opened his door and exited the vehicle, Evalin close behind.

~n~

The family looked upon the Northwest manor, its grand exterior standing as a stark reminder of the Northwest family's former opulence. The sprawling structure looked pristine from the outside, its towering windows catching the last golden rays of sunlight.

Ford pressed the doorbell beside the large, ornately carved door.

Within moments, a soft whirl and click came from a hidden panel above the door. A small monitoring camera extended outward, its lens focusing on them as a familiar voice crackled over the speaker.

“Well, butter my biscuit, if it ain't the Pines family!” Fiddleford’s cheerful drawl came through, followed by a faint laugh. “Come on in, y’all! Door’s unlocked fer ya.”

With a mechanical hiss, the heavy door swung open, revealing the mansion’s interior.

Evalin blinked in surprise.

The contrast between the grand exterior and the lived-in chaos inside was... startling, to say the least. The polished floors and towering ceilings of the Northwest legacy were still present, but the room looked more like a mad scientist's workshop than a stately home. Inventions and prototypes were scattered on every available surface, stacks of blueprints spilling onto the floor. Oil stains marked the once-luxurious carpets, while gears, wires, and half-built machines littered the space.

Tiny critters skittered about, peeking from behind furniture.

Before they could take it all in, a sudden chittering sound caught their attention. One of the baby raccoons appeared from behind a cluttered workbench and dashed straight toward them.

Evalin squealed in delight as the tiny creature clambered up her leg with surprising agility.

The baby quickly found his way to her shoulders and up under her hat, curling into a little nest while cooing happily.

“Why, hello there, Pickles~” Evalin giggled as she adjusted her hat to fit the baby raccoon better.

Mabel gasped as her hands flew up to her face. “Evi, you are like some kind of woodland Disney princess!”

Ford chuckled while shaking his head. “Be careful or the little guy might get tangled in your hair.”

Evalin waved him off, smiling wide. “It's fine. I don't mind.”

“You actually like this crazy critter?” Stan asked with a raised eyebrow.

Evalin nodded firmly, a warm smile on her face. “Of course! Look at him! He's perfect~”

Stan blinked a few times, heat spreading across his face. Because, suddenly, he was utterly convinced how perfect the raccoon was. “Yeah, I suppose the little rascals are pretty adorable,” he answered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Ford's lips curled into a smirk. “I was going to say—I remember someone having a possum growing up named Shanklin.”

“Grunkle Stan, you had a pet possum?!” Mabel gasped, clasping her hand in delight.

“Named Shanklin?” Dipper added with a scrunched face.

Stan's face split into a wide grin. “Hell yeah, I did! Best possum in the world! Tied a knife to him and sent him after my enemies.”

Ford sighed while shaking his head, his smile never faltering. “Yeah, dad said he couldn't bring it in the house but Stanley always found ways.”

“I would have loved to have seen that one~” Evalin chuckled.

Suddenly, a door opened from across the room as Fiddleford emerged, wiping his hands on a grease-streaked rag, his face lighting up at the sight of them. “Well, lookee here! Pickles've claimed ya has his favorite human already, Miss. Evalin.”

Evalin beamed, stroking the soft fur of the baby raccoon as he chirped contentedly. “I'm good with this. Pickles and his sister are my favorite too.”

Mabel looked around for the other baby raccoon. “Speaking of which, where is the little girl?”

Fiddleford rubbed his neck, smearing oil against his skin. “Sassafras is layin' down fer a nap. She has a nasty bug and I can't be havin' her brother gettin' it.” His lopsided grin returned. “But, ta what do I owe such an honor fer the Pines family ta visit me?”

Ford cleared his throat before speaking. “Evalin here would like to forage in the woods surrounding your manor. I figured we could catch up in the meantime. Would that be alright with you, Fiddleford?”

“Well, tickle my belly! Of course, ya can, Miss Evalin! Let me know if there's anythin' I can do to help out!” Fiddleford bellowed while slapping his knee.

Evalin gave him a polite bow. “Thank you, Mr. McGucket. It shouldn't take us too long.”

Fiddleford chuckled while stroking his beard. “Why, Miss. Evalin, yur more than welcome ta call me Fiddleford if ya like.”

Evalin blinked a few times. Then she reached up and fiddled with the brim of her hat. “Oh... um... Thanks, F-fiddleford.” She lifted her hat and untangled Pickles from her hair before handing him over to Stan.

“Woah, hey there, fella!” Stan said as he adjusted the little raccoon in his arms.

Pickles immediately settled and went to sleep.

“Awww! Grunkle Stan! You're a Disney princess too~” Mabel swooned.

Stan furrowed his brow before walking away with his nose up in the air, Pickles nestled perfectly against his chest.

“Adorable~” Evalin teased.

Dipper rolled his eyes. “Come on, Evalin. We need to move if you want to scan the woods before sundown.”

Evalin nodded in agreement. “You're right. Alright, don't have too much fun without us~!” She waved her hand in the air as Dipper and Mabel followed her back outside, leaving Ford and Fiddleford to catch up.

~n~

Dipper ran up next to Evalin, flipping the sigils between his fingers as they stepped between the trees. “So how do you want to do this? You take on one half and we take on the other?”

Evalin kept her steps even as her eyes shimmered for just a moment as they shifted. “Pretty much. I'll probably head over to your side once I'm done though.”

Dipper raised an eyebrow, curious. “You think you'll be done before us?”

Evalin scoffed. “I know I will~”

Dipper's lips curled into a smile. “Why not make it into a little contest?”

Evalin's ears perked up, a mischievous grin crawling across her face. “Alright, little man. What are the stakes?”

Dipper pressed his lips together, instantly regretting challenging her.

Mabel, on the other hand, was all in. “If we win, you have to tell us one of your secret juicy stories from your mysterious past!”

Evalin put a finger to her lips in mock thought. “If I win, you little turds have to do the dishes every night for the next week~”

Dipper hesitated as his mind raced. Evalin was agreeing to all of this way too easy. He turned toward his sister. “Mabel, I'm starting to think this is a bad—“

“YOU ARE SO ON!” Mabel shouted as she reached out a hand.

Something dangerous flickered across Evalin's face. She reached out but instead of shaking Mabel's hand, she hooked her pinky around Mabel's.

“It's a promise~” A red ribbon shimmered into existence as it wrapped around their fingers before disappearing. Mabel blinked as she took her hand back, feeling the weight on her pinky.

“What the hell was that?!” Dipper shouted, throwing up his hands.

Evalin’s grin turned absolutely wicked. “No time to explain if I want to win~ M'bye~!” With that, she hopped from foot to foot before disappearing in a blur, leaves kicking up in her wake as her laughter echoed through the woods.

Dipper and Mabel both froze.

“Right... Magic,” Mabel groaned, slapping her forehead.

Dipper grabbed her arms in a panic. “Mabel! You just made a deal with a magic-user! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?! This is like Rule Number One in Every Magical Mishap Monthly!”

“Dipper, do you even know how dangerous it is either?” Mabel asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dipper hesitated as his lip twitched. “Okay, well, no, but! Mabel! We have no idea what you just got yourself into!”

Mabel crossed her arms and turned her nose to the air. “Well, I trust Evi so I'm not worried.”

Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose. “Damn it, Mabel...”

Mabel put a hand on her brother's shoulder. “Come on, Dip. Evi clearly loves us or why else would she save our butts? Besides, if it wasn't for her, those brownies would still be hiding your phone all the time.”

Dipper ran a hand down his face, sighing heavily before conceding. “That's... fair.”

Mabel grabbed his hand and started running. “So, unless you want to do dishes all week, we need to move!”

Dipper stumbled slightly as he was dragged along.

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[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 47: Quasar

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 46 // Chapter 48 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 46 // Chapter 47 // Chapter 48 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 46 // Chapter 47 // Chapter 48 >

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The study was quiet, save for the sound of Ford's pen scratching against paper and the Dimensional Scanner running against the far wall. The lamp at his desk flickered, casting long shadows across the blueprints and scattered notes.

Ford ran his hand through his hair, frustrated. He grabbed the paper, crumpled it up, and threw it over his shoulder into the ever-growing pile of discarded notes.

“The energy output from Evalin’s portal sigil surpasses the Aether Core’s limit by a factor of five. I can’t stabilize the flux without the Veilbreaker Nodes overloading—and if they go, so does the rift. Or worse.” He dropped his pen and rested his head in his hands. “She bends cosmic forces from Celestial beings like they’re thread and needle... while I sit here drowning in calculations that barely scratch the surface.”

He gripped his hair in frustration. “How do you do it, Evalin? How do you just play with forces far beyond human comprehension?”

He was interrupted by the sound of the elevator descending toward the study, his eyes shifting to the door as he waited to see who was on the other side.

The elevator arrived with a soft ding. Suddenly the door swung open with a BANG as Evalin dashed into the room so fast Ford could only see a blur.

She was on him before he could register what just happened. “Ford! Ford! Ford! StanandIweresparringoffinthewoodsandhecameupwithawonderfulideathatmighthelpmewithmycurrentissuewiththeEverredseeds!” Her words spilled out before she could stop them. She finally took a deep breath as her head spun, her steps staggering. “Woah... I need... air.”

Ford blinked, putting his hands out in a calming manner. “Woah, woah, Evalin. Slow down. I didn't understand a single thing you just said.”

Evalin took a couple deep breaths, steadying herself. Once she was good, she turned to Ford and smiled wide. “My bad. Stan told me to ask you about the Everred seeds so here I am!”

Ford raised an eyebrow, adjusting his glasses. “Everred seeds? Those things you were asking about at Oddity's? I'm sorry, Evalin, I've never heard of them.”

Evalin wiggled her finger in his face, winking. “See, I knew that which is why Stan told me to ask if you know them by a different name!”

Ford paused. “Stanley... thought of that?”

Evalin nodded, excited and practically vibrating. “Right?! Shocked the shit out of me too! It was so simple I never even thought about it!” She cleared her throat, preparing herself.

“Alright, so, Everred seeds come from a tree called the Everred tree. It looks like an Evergreen tree but red and the bark is all gross and wriggly as if it was made from flesh. The tree itself doesn't exactly grow from the ground. It grows from the bodies of living things. The roots burrow through the host, feeding on them slowly. Once the host dies, the tree takes over and matures.”

She waved her hand in the air. “They smell horrid at best, honestly worse than my severed hand from the Age Eater incident. The fruits are really tasty if you avoid eating the seeds because... well, you get it.”

Ford lifted his hand to his chin in thought. “That sounds vaguely familiar.”

Evalin's heart fluttered against her ribs as she held her breath.

Ford got up from his chair and walked over to his many bookshelves, scanning each of the titles. “I remember encountering a species of parasitic flora—something called ‘Sanguis Fir’—but the description… wriggling bark… fruit with volatile seeds…”

Eventually he pulled out one of the books and flipped through the pages. He stopped at a particular picture of a twisted tree with red leaves and black bark.

Evalin's face lit up. “That's it! An Everred Tree! Do you know where they are?”

Ford furrowed his brow. “Evalin... these trees are very dangerous. They are highly invasive and—“

Evalin waved her hand, interrupting him. “Yeah, yeah, I know all about them. Creatures eat the seeds and run off, living the rest of their short life just to sprout the tree elsewhere. The cycle continues until someone comes in and burns all the trees down and releases all of those angry souls.” She pointed at the page, smiling wide. “But you have them, right? They are here on Earth, right!?”

Ford jolted, overwhelmed by Evalin's energy. “Well, yes but—“

Evalin clasped her hands together. “Oh, that's wonderful!”

Ford blinked, trying to rationalize the situation. “W-wonderful? Evalin, what do you want to do with Sanguis Fir seeds? They are very dangerous!”

Evalin chuckled, stepping closer to Ford. “That's a little secret~”

Ford pressed his lips together. “Evalin...”

Slowly, Evalin reached up and cupped his face. Ford's breath hitched, his cheeks heating under her touch.

Evalin smiled warmly, her heart slamming against her ribcage. “Trust me. This is absolutely necessary for my work.” She started to pull his face closer to hers, her eyes shimmering. “Please, Ford. Tell me where the trees are and I will make it well worth your time~”

Ford's face exploded in a bright red as his eyes went wide. His heart pounded like a jackhammer in his chest. '“Make it worth my time”—what the hell does that mean? Is she... flirting with me? Blackmailing me?'

After a moment, he reached up and grabbed her hands, turning his head to the side as he cleared his throat. “Well, the last documented case was at the Northwest Manor just a few months ago but I personally saw to its destruction.”

Evalin's smile never faltered. “Now, Ford, you should know you can never be rid of the Everred trees unless you kill all the animals in the area to insure you have gotten rid of the threat.” She leaned in closer. “We both know you're not the kind of person to do that~ There are, without a doubt, Everred seeds still out there, waiting to mature into Everred trees.”

Ford furrowed his brows. “Evalin, this isn't just any dangerous plant. It's a parasitic weapon—and you're talking like you plan to harvest it.”

Evalin hummed, pressing into him more. “That's because I do plan on harvesting it, Ford. Besides, have you ever eaten the fruit? It's really sweet with a slight hint of copper. Absolutely delicious if you ask me~”

Ford tightened his grip. “Evalin, this is a crazy idea. I can't let you—“ His breath hitched as he thought he saw something slither in her shadow, dark and dangerous.

Evalin's smile faltered slightly. She spoke again, her voice sickeningly sweet. “Ohhh, Ford, you worry too much~ Don't you trust that I know what I'm doing by now~?”

Ford's eyes flickered over to her face, studying. Everything screamed at him to stop her, to tell her she was wrong and what she was doing was possibly catastrophic. But then she leaned in so close, her body flush with his. He could feel her warmth against his chest. His heart hammered against his ribs, stealing the air from his lungs.

She was too close. Far too close.

He could feel her breath against his chin as she looked up at him, his fingers twitching against her wrists.

Then she smiled, warm and dangerous, her cheeks dusting with pink as her eyes locked onto his.

“Please, let me show you what I'm truly capable of~” she purred, her voice dreamy and reverent.

Ford swallowed hard, words caught in his throat. He didn’t trust it. But damn it, he wanted to. Slowly, he let his hands travel down her arms and drop to his sides. “... Promise me you’ll be careful.”

Evalin's grin widened as she slid her hands up his chest, sending a shiver up his spine. “You are far too good to me~”

Her touch lingered on his chest for just a second longer than necessary—and when it was gone, the room felt colder. She turned on her heel and started to make her way toward the door.

Ford’s hand darted out instinctively, as if to stop her. “E-Evalin, wait.”

Evalin's steps came to a halt. She looked back at him, tilting her head with a smirk. “Hm? What is it?”

Ford froze. No matter how hard he tried, no words would come to mind. His fingers curled in slightly before he brought his hand to his mouth to clear his throat. “If you’re not in a rush, I’d appreciate your insight... on the portal. Please.”

Evalin looked him over and hummed. “Alright, how can I help?”

Ford hesitated before motioning over to the blueprints on his desk, scattered with notes, diagrams, and half-sketched sigils. “I’m having trouble controlling the output from your portal sigil. The flux exceeds the Aether Core’s threshold by a factor of five, and the Veilbreaker Nodes can’t handle the load.”

Evalin walked over to the desk gracefully and leaned over the desk beside him, her eyes scanning the notes. She rested her hand on the table, shoulder brushing against his, her focus razor-sharp. “Well, your problem is the lines connecting each of the Nodes. I told you we should just use my blood. That shit's stable as a conduit to transfer energy without overloading the nodes.”

Ford pressed his lips together. “We are not using your blood, Evalin. That is just barbaric.”

Evalin rolled her eyes, blowing a raspberry. “So dramatic.” She leaned closer to the sketches, tapping her chin. “Alright, if you don't wanna do blood, let's try the next best thing.”

She stood up straight and reached up to touch the side of Ford's glasses. His breath hitched as she drew closer. The world shifted around him as the magic of the room was revealed to him. His eyes landed on Evalin and her silvery-blue light that pulsed softly.

Without waiting for him to respond, Evalin dropped her physical arm as her light shifted. Her astral projection shimmered into view—a glowing arm of silvery-blue light. It waved at him with a playful flick of the wrist. “We can use this~”

Ford furrowed his brows. “What do you mean?”

Evalin chuckled as she turned back to the sketches. “We can use my... uh, magic soul goop? Gods, we need a better name for that.”

Ford put a hand to his chin in thought. “How about Metaphysical Bioluminescent Ink?”

Evalin raised her eyebrows in a delighted surprise. “Ooo~ Sounds fancy. I like that~”

She went to pat his chest but her hand phased right through him. A warm shiver went through his body as his soul shuddered.

Evalin's light flickered slightly as she jolted, withdrawing her hand. “Oh, sorry. I forgot I can't touch your physical body with my ghosty hand.”

Ford blinked a few times before clearing his throat, trying to shove his shivers down. “I-It's quite alright. Please continue with your explanation.”

Evalin looked back at the paper, ignoring the heat crawling up her neck. “Anyway, if I use my fancy soul ink as a wiring system, it should help regulate the power output so we don't overload the nodes.” She rubbed her face in thought. “Although, we should get a kind of protective casing or tubing to make sure the lines don't get disturbed. Last thing we need is a power surge and magical spillage. Trust me—cleaning up raw magic? Not fun.”

Ford chuckled, shaking his head at the absurdity. “Magic leaking everywhere? Yes, Evalin, I agree—that sounds like a complete disaster.”

Evalin smirked, shrugging her shoulders. “Especially since even I don't know what all I can do.”

Ford raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Evalin's light dimmed slightly as her eyes drifted to the side. “Well, I’ve only had access to this soul ink for less than a year. I've done some amazing and incredible things, there is no doubt about that. But... I know I can do so much more.”

Ford tilted his head. “I thought you said you've been using magic your whole life.”

Evalin nodded, her eyes trailing to the sketches. “Yeah, I mean, sigils and elixirs or whatever. But this soul ink? That was... introduced to me much later in life.”

Ford leaned in slightly, curious. “From your mentor?”

Evalin flinched, her light flickering violently. She cleared her throat, waving her astral arm at him, her mood shifting entirely. “Can... we focus back on the portal? I would like to go home sometime soon.”

Ford's fingers twitched at his sides. He wanted to push, to learn more about her mentor but... the way she spoke about them, the way her glow reacted, the way she wouldn't even look at him told him he should just leave it alone.

He watched her for a moment, studying the way her light pulsed and flickered.

“You... actually answered my question about the power output issue.”

Evalin nodded, not even looking in his direction. She realigned her metaphysical arm with her physical arm, her glow so dim that Ford could hardly see it against her body. “I'm glad. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to do some snooping around the Northwest Manor for Everred seeds.”

Ford reached out. “Evalin, wait.”

Evalin froze mid-step. Slowly, she turned to face him, her expression unreadable. “Do you have another question?”

Ford's brain started to scramble. ‘She’s upset over her mentor and she shouldn’t be going out to search for something so dangerous… Who knows what could go horribly wrong…’ He stuttered over his words as tried to come up with anything at all.

‘What did she say earlier?’

Her voice echoed in his mind. “I'll make it worth your time~”

Ford locked eyes with her, swallowing hard before speaking. “Earlier, you said if I helped you with the Sanguis Fir... you’d make it ‘worth my time.’ What… what did you mean by that?”

Evalin's eyebrows shot up, blinking. She stared at him for a beat—then shrugged with complete sincerity. “Whatever you wanted, really. Just make the request and I'll do it. That's usually what I mean.”

Ford felt his mind go blank as he tried to wrap his head around her words. “You—what?”

Evalin raised a brow, genuinely confused. “You helped me. I owe you. That's how it works, right? You ask for something, and I follow through. I could enchant something for you, help with research on something paranormal, fight a monster or two... whatever you wanted.” She tilted her head, watching him. “Why? Did you have something in mind?”

Ford opened his mouth and then promptly closed it. He watched the way her light began to glow brighter with interest. His fingers twitched, remembering the feeling of her cheeks under his thumbs. He swallowed hard, his throat going dry.

Carefully, he took a nervous step toward her. “I... have a theory about your... um... light. If it would be alright with you, I would like to test it.”

Evalin paused, her glow pulsing softly. “Alright, I suppose. What do you need me to do?”

The closer Ford got to her, the more her light flickered like static TV. Her eyes followed each of his hesitant steps, curiosity flickering in her gaze.

He stopped right in front of her. Slowly, he reached up his hands and gently grabbed her arms.

“Just... close your eyes. Can you do that for me?”

Evalin blinked before shutting her eyes.

Ford's eyes flickered over her face as if to memorize every inch of her. With a deep breath, he started to lean closer, bringing his lips closer to hers. His heart hammered against his ribs, his pulse so loud in his ears it was deafening.

‘This is a horrible idea… What if she gets scared? What if she doesn’t understand this feeling? What if… she runs?’ His grip loosened slightly as he let out a heavy sigh. 'No... I... can't risk that...'

Instead, he gently guided her head to rest against his chest. Once she was in position, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Evalin's light flickered slightly. She pressed her ear, listening for his heartbeat.

Th-Thump

Th-Thump

She let out a content hum. Slowly, she reached up and wrapped her arms around him in return.

Ford's heart fluttered and his grip tightened. Then he rested his head on hers, watching as her light calmed into a soft pulse.

Evalin spoke, her voice small but happy. “I like this a lot.”

Ford smiled a weak grin. “I do too.”

Evalin leaned back slightly to look at him. She studied him for a moment, her eyes flickering over every aspect of his face.

Then she reached up. She cupped his face, turning it gently to the side, her touch deliberate—measured.

Ford’s breath caught as his heart pounded frantically in his chest.

She rose on her toes, her face so close he could feel the warmth of her breath against his cheek.

“Wh-what are you—?” Ford stuttered. 

Then he felt it. Evalin's lips brushed the skin just beneath his eye, under the edge of his glasses.

Ford’s eyes widened, heart stalling—watching as her silvery light glitched, flickering violently, like a flame struggling against wind.

After a breathless moment, she lowered herself, looking up at him with a smirk. “Sorry for ruining your theory.”

Ford jolted, trying to speak—but nothing came out. He drew in a deep breath, steadying himself. “What... do you mean by that?”

Evalin tilted her head slightly. “You told me not to move but...” Her voice trailed off, eyes drifting to the side—mischief flickering beneath them.

Ford blinked—then laughed, deep and genuine, the sound echoing off the study walls. He shook his head, a grin curling at his lips. “Evalin, you didn't ruin anything.”

He looked at her—this unpredictable, impossible woman—and felt the storm inside him still. He chuckled as he pulled her in again, arms wrapping around her with surprising ease. “You are absolutely impossible.”

Evalin’s grin widened, her hands resting against his chest. “I'm glad my apology worked~”

Ford huffed out a laugh, his smile never leaving. “Yes, Evalin, your unnecessary apology worked, you chaotic quasar.”

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Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 46 // Chapter 48 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 46 // Chapter 47 // Chapter 48 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 46 // Chapter 47 // Chapter 48 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 46: Contact

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 45 // Chapter 47 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // Chapter 45 // Chapter 46 // Chapter 47 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // Chapter 45 // Chapter 46 // Chapter 47 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The warm morning light shone brightly through the forest trees with birds singing their songs as the world woke.

The sound of leaves and twigs crunched under Evalin's boots as she wandered aimlessly through the woods, her expression darkened by frustration. She gripped her thigh, feeling the holster under the fabric of her dress. She had spent all morning keeping a smile on her face as she made breakfast, poured coffee, and laughed at jokes with the family. The mask she wore finally slipped in the loneliness of the trees.

Her lips curled into a sneer as a growl rumbled in her throat. “By the fucking gods! What am I supposed to do?!” Her foot collided with a rock, sending it rocketing into the underbrush. “Without those Everred Seeds, I can't summon you! I'm so sick of waiting! I want to go home—NOW! Godsdamn it!” Her jaw tightened so hard it ached.

“I have no idea how long this portal is going to take! Granted, I'm enjoying working with Ford... He is so nice to me... It's so strange... and it's nice to finally share my work with someone who can actually keep up with me but...”

She tangled her fingers into her hair, gripping hard. “GODSDAMN IT! I don't have a backup plan if this doesn't work! Fuck!” Her nails dug into her scalp until she bled, her breath coming out short and uneven. “I don't even have those SoM assholes here to take my frustration out on! I can't lose myself now! Not after everything I worked so hard for!”

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly. “Why haven't you actually come to get me!? Is this some kind of stupid fucking test!? Gods! You are such a dick!”

Fire flickered at her fingertips as she snapped her fingers. She started swiping wildly at the air as if it would calm the storm in her chest. Her skin burned, her eyes stung but she didn't care. She needed to move, to destroy something—anything—to let it out.

A guttural growl clawed tore from her chest as she spun and kicked a tree, her foot slamming hard against the bark.

CRACK

Pain shot up her leg. She let out a snarl through gritted teeth, clutching her shin.

“Woah, what did the tree do to you?”

Evalin whipped around to see Stan standing in the path, his hands in his pockets. She felt her stomach twisted as she scrambled to her feet.

“S-Stan? What are you doing out here?”

Stan tilted his head up slightly. “Had a hunch something was up when someone didn’t finish her coffee this morning. Guess I was right.”

Evalin hesitated. Then she forced a grin, weak and brittle “Oh, come on, Stanley. I'm just on my daily nature walk. You know that. I assure you, nothing's wrong.”

Stan pressed his lips together as he gave her a pointed look. “Uh-huh. Tell that to the tree you just roundhouse kicked like a crackhead ninja.”

Evalin recoiled, reaching up and gripping the brim of her hat. She turned away as she pulled it down over her eyes.

Stan watched her for a moment. Then he stepped over, stopping right in front of her. “You wanna talk about it?”

Evalin's lip twitched. “No.”

Stan didn’t flinch. He just crossed his arms and let out a long, casual sigh. “Then don't. I'm not gonna make you say shit you don't wanna say.”

Evalin paused. Slowly, she looked up at him from beneath the shadow of her hat. Silence stretched between them.

Then she let out a breath and released the brim of her hat, her hands falling to her sides. “Thank you, Stan. For not pushing... like Dipper and Ford do.”

Stan smiled a warm lopsided grin, shrugging. “Hey, your business ain’t my business. I get it. Some days, I don’t wanna deal with people either. Totally normal—even for a chaos gremlin like you.”

Evalin let out a snort, the tension in her shoulders easing just a little. “Wow, thanks, Stan. Very gentleman-like of you.”

Without warning, she flopped backwards onto the grass with a dull thud, one arm flung over her face to shield her eyes. “I just... want to go home.”

Stan looked down at her, his expression softening. After a pause, he lowered himself beside her, settling in with a quiet grunt. “What about that portal you and my brother are working on?”

Evalin exhaled through her nose, the sound sharp and bitter. “It's... going. Slow as snails though.” Her lips twitched. “I've never been away from home this long. It's... fucking horrible.”

Stan leaned back on his hands, staring up at the swaying canopy. “Yeah. I get that. Being away from home... not knowing if you'll ever get back...” He glanced at her, his voice softer. “It eats at you.”

Evalin peered out from under her arm, her eyes studying his face. “You know how this feels?”

Stan huffed out a weak laugh. “Do I ever.” He laid back against the grass, his hands folded behind his head. “Back when Sixer and I were rambunctious teens, I was dicking around one of his fancy science-y thingies. Some kind of endless motion machine or whatever. I fucked up and broke it. Tried to cover it up and pretend it didn't happen.”

He sighed heavily. “When Poindexter went to present it to the fancy college people with a stick up their asses, they were less than impressed and he was denied his dream college. He found an empty bag of toffee peanuts by his experiment and knew it was me.”

His eyes drifted off to the side. “I didn't mean to break it but that's not how he saw it. He thought I was trying to sabotage his chances of getting into that fancy-shmancy school. We... got into an argument. Our old man overheard and blamed me for the whole thing. Kicked me out of the family home and told me that I wasn't welcome back until I made a fortune.”

His voice dropped into something much quieter. “Stanford couldn't even look at me after that day.”

Silence stretched between them as Evalin studied him, her eyes scanning his face. “Kind of had to fend for myself after that. Lived out of my car, did a bunch of side jobs, scammed a bunch of people, ended up in jail a few times. You know, normal stuff.”

Evalin shrugged slightly while nodding as if she understood that.

Stan chuckled. “You been to jail, Spooky?”

Evalin shifted uncomfortably, her eyes drifting to the side. “Not exactly.”

Her hands reached up and gripped the brim of her hat, her jaw tightening.

Stan noticed and he lifted an eyebrow, curious. “What? They don't have a magic jail where you're from?”

Evalin pulled her hat over her eyes. “Where I'm from, there is something called the Society of Magic. Magic law enforcers that didn't like a little witch like myself hiding out in the woods away from their rules, doing my own little thing.” Her voice grew quiet. “I don't even know what I did for them to try and rip out my soul like that.”

Stan sat up suddenly. “They WHAT?!”

Evalin felt a horrible twist in her chest as she tried to even out her breath. “Y-yeah. Where I'm from, there is a procedure called the Anima Severance. Most magic-users call it getting 'sev'd'. They put you in front of this giant Anima Crystal... shoot a beam into your chest that pulls out your soul. Leaves you a husk. A mindless puppet. All you can do after that is follow orders.”

Stan ran a hand through his hair, trying to make sense of the nightmare.

Then a familiar buzz echoed in his mind as a slithering voice crawled into his thoughts. 'I remember that day very well. She looked so beautiful that day~ Just like now.'

Stan rubbed at his ear, trying to clear the sound. But his eyes lingered on Evalin—the way the sunlight danced through her crimson hair, freckles scattering across porcelain skin.

He suddenly felt heat crawl up his spine. Realizing how inappropriate his thoughts were, he slapped himself on cheeks a few times.

Evalin looked up at him, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Woah, you good? Didn't know talking about my near death experience would make you smack yourself.”

Stan shook his head firmly. “No, no, it's nothing like that. It's just—“

A loud cackle echoed in his mind. 'Ohhh, Stanney-boy! You feel it, don't you? That flutter in your chest? Reach for her. Go on. You know you want to~'

Stan rubbed his ear as if it would silence the sound of a mosquito buzzing, swallowing hard. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' His hand twitched, and before he could stop himself, he reached out—fingers brushing hers.

Evalin blinked a few times, staring down at their hands before letting out a long sigh. “Why does everyone in this dimension have a fascination with touching? Is that normal?”

Stan flinched slightly, his mind scrambling to come up with an answer. “Uh, yeah. Totally normal. It’s like... I dunno, comforting or something. People do it all the time when someone talks about... you know, soul-ripping trauma.”

Evalin rolled her eyes, allowing him to continue to hold her hand. “This planet is so weird.”

Stan chuckled, more to himself than her. “Yeah, well... you get used to it.”

Evalin snorted, unbothered. “So says you.”

They both stayed there for a moment, staring up at the leaves swaying in the breeze.

Stan could feel her fingers twitching slightly against his. His eyes trailed over to her face, studying her. The way her whole body tensed, the way her jaw twitched, the way her eyes stared off into the distance.

He looked down at their hands and back up at her.

“Is this... actually okay?”

Evalin raised an eyebrow, her eyes flicking over to him. “I assume so? Why do you ask?”

Stan froze, his mind racing.

The voice returned, low and dripping like sweet syrup. 'What's wrong, Stanney-boy? Aren't you enjoying this? Or do you notice her anxiousness? As if she can't sit still? Why don't you ask why she was trying to fight a tree?'

Stan blinked a few times. After a moment, he scratched his nose. “Hey, Spooky, why were you fightin’ some tree anyway? Looked personal.”

Evalin sighed as her eyes drifted off to the side. “Promise not to judge?”

Stan deadpanned. “You literally wash my clothes. What right do I have to judge you?”

Evalin chuckled as she nodded. “Alright, that is very fair.”

She took a deep breath before speaking. “That whole not being able to get my hands on Everred Seeds from Oddity's really pissed me off. I really needed those. Like... more than life itself right now. I came out here to blow off some steam but it's kind of hard to do when there are only trees out here. Not exactly something I can throw hands with.”

Stan raised an eyebrow. “You came out here to... fight something?”

Evalin let out a long sigh. “Yeah. I'm so used to fighting my whole life that I use it as a crutch to let out my stress. I honestly haven’t had a good fight since I got here. It’s starting to mess with my head, y’know?”

Stan tilted his head slightly. “What about that battle you did against the demon baby? The one where we woke up and it looked like you took a blood bath.”

Evalin scrunched her nose in thought. “Wha—? Oh! That imp? Yeah, that was more like a beat down than an actual fight. The only excitement I got out of it was fighting ley lines of the planet and still winning. Other than that, boring. 1 out of 10 stars at best.”

The voice in Stan's mind purred. 'Ohhh, that must have been so hot! Too bad we missed it~'

Stan let out a weak laugh. “If that's how you end up after a tussle, I'm scared to see how you are in a real battle.”

Evalin snorted, a smirk curling her lips. “You would shit your pants~” She shook her head. “Don't worry. I would never hurt you guys. Your family has been so good to me. That's why I keep trying to make it up to you guys.”

Stan felt something twist in his chest. He watched her for a moment, debating if he should be flattered or afraid—or both, considering the last time she fought, she looked like she walked out of a slasher film.

The voice in Stan's mind chuckled darkly. 'Aww! Look at that! My little sweetheart cares about your little family! Why don't you make it up to her? She wants to fight so why not give her one? Turn it into a game! She loves games~'

Stan hesitated. Then, without warning, he got to his feet, pulling her up in turn.

Evalin stumbled for a moment before catching her balance. “Sweet stars, Stan! How about letting a lady know before you yank her off the ground?”

Stan gave her hand a quick squeeze before letting go, a wide smile on his face. “I was thinking, Spooky. If you are looking for a fight, why not fight me? I've seen my fair share of brawls. You said so yourself that I have some fighting instinct or whatever.”

Evalin paused for a moment. Slowly, she put a finger to her chin as if in thought. “I did say that... But Stan, I would absolutely wipe the floor with you, you know that, right?”

Stan wiggled a finger at her. “We'll make it into a game. You like those, don't cha?”

Something dangerous flashed behind Evalin's eyes as her lips curled up slightly. “I do~” She leaned in closer. “Alright, big boy. What are the rules?”

Stan's grin widened. “Hell yeah! So, here are the rules. No hocus pocus. You’re very clearly overpowered and we gotta keep this fair, ya dig? Also, whoever loses owes the winner one favor. Sounds good?”

Evalin tilted her head side to side in mock thought before giving him a sharp nod. “I like this game~ Sounds fun~”

Stan took a step back and squared his shoulders, motioning for her to ‘bring it on’. “Come on, Spooky. Let's see what you got!”

Evalin flashed a smile and darted around Stan, her steps quick and deliberate as she analyzed his stance. She had speed on her side, but Stan's solid frame and confident footing made it clear that brute strength was his greatest advantage.

Stan made the first move, lunging with his arms outstretched, aiming to grab her. Evalin slid underneath and kicked him in the back of the knee, forcing him to falter. He stumbled a little bit before catching himself.

Evalin giggled as her grin grew wider. “Come on, Stan. You're gonna have to be quicker than that!”

Stan chuckled, his smile spreading on his face. “Oh, I'm just getting started, sugar tits~”

Evalin dashed so quickly Stan didn’t see her move. He hardly had time to react before Evalin spun a kick toward his side. At the last moment, he threw out his hand and grabbed her by the leg.

Evalin put her hands on the ground as she used his grip to balance herself as she used her other leg to kick, making contact with his stomach. He grunted as her boot connected with his gut, staggering—but the grin never left his face.

Evalin pushed off the ground, doing a flip to get back up to her feet. Not wasting a single moment, she was back on him. Just as she went for a quick jab to his ribs, Stan blocked it with ease, his forearm meeting her fist before he went for another grab.

Evalin threw herself backward but Stan got her by the wrist, yanking her flush against him. Their chests collided hard. He grinned, eyebrows waggling. Evalin blew in his face, making him chuckle.

Then she dropped her weight suddenly, sidestepping around him. She put her boot on his back and shoved hard, forcing him to let go.

Stan stumbled forward before catching himself. “Damn, Spooky, you're a feisty one!”

Evalin's grin split wide. “Oh, you really have no idea~”

With that, she charged at him with all the speed she could manage.

Stan turned just in time to see Evalin's knee smashing into his chest. He coughed out air as he landed on his back.

Evalin stepped on his chest, her boot firm.

Stan looked up at her. Her hat shadowed her face but he could see it. Her smile stretched too wide—feisty, unhinged, like she was toying with prey.

She pressed into him, leaning forward slightly. “Looks like I won~” she purred, her voice dripping with sickening sweetness.

Stan's breath hitched.

His mind stirred as a cackle echoed in his head. 'Ohhhh, sweetheart~ I knew you were still in there somewhere~ Isn't she just perfect?' It sighed, dreamy and unapologetic. 'My Chaos Goddess~'

Stan felt heat crawl across his face. He shook it off and grabbed her by the ankle. “You haven't won yet, crazy lady~”

Evalin expected him to pull her leg but instead, he shoved, hard. The sudden balance shift forced her to fall forward, landing right against his chest, knocking the wind from his lungs as her face landed inches from his. He didn't waste him as he locked his arms around her waist and upper back, his grip like iron.

Evalin blinked a few times before she started to try and wiggle her way out. Her arms were locked at her sides and she couldn't get a good footing, her boots scraping against the dirt.

Stan let out a laugh. “Just give up, Spooky! I've won this round!”

Evalin's jaw tightened, fiery determination in her eyes. “Like hell I'd give up!”

She reared her head back and swung down hard.

THUNK

Their foreheads collided. Starbursts flashed behind his eyes as he was completely stunned.

Even the voice felt that. 'WOAH! NOW THAT'S USING YOUR HEAD, SWEETHEART!'

Stan blinked a few times, collecting himself as he shook off the daze. He cleared his head and looked up at Evalin, loosening his grip. Fresh blood trickled down her forehead and her eyes were completely unfocused. She slumped forward slightly, leaning her head against his face.

Panic flared in his chest. He immediately let her go and eased her onto the grass, kneeling beside her, eyes wide with panic.

“Woah! Evalin! Are you alright?!”

He shook her shoulders, trying to wake her.

Evalin stirred slightly before her eyes fluttered open. Slowly, she brought a shaky hand to her head. “Ow... Did... I win?”

Stan let out a sigh of relief and chuckled. “I'm pretty sure you lost that one, sweetie.”

Evalin pressed her lips together. “I knocked myself out, didn't I?”

Stan's grin widened as he nodded. “Oh, yeah. You were out cold for a second there. Scared the shit out of me.”

Evalin started to laugh, unrestrained as it echoed through the trees. “Of course, I would do something like that! Godsdamn it!”

She rubbed her forehead, smearing the blood. “Alright, you win, Stan.” She looked at her hand and grimaced at the blood, a chuckle slipping through despite the sting as she wiped her hand clean in the grass. “Yesh, really did a number on myself.”

Stan huffed out a laugh, shaking his head, his smile never leaving. “You are the craziest bitch I have ever met in my life.”

Evalin flashed him a smirk. “I take that as a compliment~”

Stan rolled his eyes as he laid in the grass beside her, his lips still curled into a grin. “It is. Means you fit in with our crazy family.”

Evalin’s eyes widened slightly but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she just laid in the grass, her breath easing. They stayed like that for a while, just looking up at the sky, enjoying each other's company.

After a moment, Evalin finally spoke up. “Thank you, Stan. I really needed this.”

Stan chuckled, his heart fluttering. “You're welcome, Evi. Not my norm fighting a girl but as long as it makes you happy, I guess I could take a beating from you every once in a while.”

Evalin let out a laugh. “I appreciate that a lot, thank you.”

Stan felt warmth spread across his chest as his lips curled into a gentle smile.

Evalin reached into her satchel and pulled out her healing salve. She popped off the lid, took a generous amount and smeared it on her forehead. The gash closed instantly, leaving no mark behind.

Stan raised an eyebrow, smirking. “That stuff really does work wonders, doesn't it?”

Evalin nodded as she closed the lid and tossed it back in her bag. “Saved my ass a time or two.” She rolled on her side to face him. “Wanna hear the secret behind it?”

Stan's eyebrows shot up. “You're gonna tell me and not your crazy merchant friend?”

Evalin chuckled, amused. “Phames never had the balls to fight me before and I'm feeling generous.”

She leaned in close enough for Stan to feel the warmth radiating off of her body. His breath hitched as heat spread across his cheeks.

Evalin grinned wide. “It was never about the herbs I use. The secret is in my saliva~”

Stan scrunched his face. “You have... magic spit?”

Evalin chuckled, nodding. “Well, that and magic blood but whatever. I chew the herb with the correct attributes and charge it with my magic laced saliva.” She leaned back against the grass, her arms behind her head. “And now you know. Don't go telling people though. I don't want to spend the rest of my days chewing herbs for eternity for some crazy miracle cure.”

Stan watched her for a moment before a smile spread across his face. She trusted him with this? Of all people? His heart gave a weird little thump—one he wasn’t sure how to feel about.

Suddenly, the buzz in his mind came back full force. 'WHAT THE FUCK!? YOU TELL THIS BLOCKHEAD A SECRET YOU REFUSED TO TELL EVEN ME!? REAL BITCH MOVE!' The voice took a deep breath even though it was still clearly seething. 'You are so lucky I need you more than life itself... Hey, Stanney-boy, I want you to tell her to ask your nerd of a brother about the Everred seeds. Tell her it might go by a different name or something.'

Stan blinked a few times before turning back to Evalin. “Hey, Spooky, you know those Every Red seeds you were talking about earlier?”

Evalin looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. “You mean Everred seeds? What about them?”

Stan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever they're called. Have you tried asking my brother about them? He might know something or other.”

Evalin rubbed her cheek, her eyes drifting to the side. “Well, he didn't seem to recognize them when I said it so I doubt he knows anything about them.”

Stan rubbed the back of his neck. “But what if—and I'm going out on a limb here—What if it goes by a different name or something?”

Evalin blinked. And then blinked again. Once. Twice. A third time.

Then—a huge grin spread across her face. “Holy shit, Stan! You're right! I never even thought of that!” She grabbed the sides of his head and forced him to face her. Her face was so close he could feel her breath against his squished cheeks. He felt himself warm under her touch. “You're an absolute fucking genius! If this works, you might have just saved my ass!”

Then she wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him in for a tight hug against her chest. His breath hitched. His mind went completely blank as he froze. He could feel Evalin's fingers clenched against his scalp as he heard her heart race.

Then, he smiled wide, wrapping his arms around her and burying his face under her chin. “Hey, I can probably come up with more good ideas if I get rewards like this more often~”

Evalin chuckled, giving him one more squeeze before letting him go. She scrambled to her feet, practically vibrating. “I'm going to ask Ford right now! Don't wait up!” With that, she hopped from foot to foot before disappearing in a blur.

Stan blinked, his hand out as if to still feel her warmth. Then he sighed and leaned back against the grass, a cheeky grin curling his lips as he folded his hands behind his head. “You did real good, Stanley Pines~”

The voice purred in his mind. 'Very good indeed, Stanney-boy~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 45 // Chapter 47 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // Chapter 45 // Chapter 46 // Chapter 47 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // Chapter 45 // Chapter 46 // Chapter 47 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Just stumbled upon your tumbler. What is your gravity falls fiction about?

Gravity Falls: Dreamer takes place a year after the events of the original Gravity Falls. The main character, Evalin Dreamer, was spit out of a Portal Potty, coming from a dimension far way but still in the Gravity Falls universe.

She has to try and survive Earth rules as well as a very nosey family would want to learn her mystery while she tries to find a way back home. This poor girl just wants to be left alone so she can use her abilities to return to where she belongs while looking for someone who was lost to her.

There are mysteries upon mysteries but every line has a purpose and is sometimes referenced to in later chapters.

Thank you so much for your question!

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 45: Farewell, Old Friend

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 44 // Chapter 46 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 44 // Chapter 45 // Chapter 46 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 44 // Chapter 45 // Chapter 46 >

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Ford continued to browse the impossible space called Oddity's when something on the floor caught his eye. A magnifying glass with a switch on the side. He picked it up and looked it over, intrigued.

Stan leaned closer. “What cha got there, Sixer?”

Ford turned it over in his hand a few times, studying it. “I'm not exactly sure.”

He brought it to his eye and the lens shimmered slightly before an image appeared before him. Through the magnifying glass, he could see the shop from an aerial view. He could see the top of shelves as well as himself looking through the magnifying glass. He watched as Stan pointed directly at his visual point.

“What the hell is that?”

Ford looked up to see a floating ghostly green eyeball staring down at them.

Evalin overheard the commotion. Her eyes snapped to the ceiling, recognition flashing. She scanned the shop—then locked eyes with Ford, the magnifying glass still in his hands.

Phames approached Stan and Ford from behind and clasped a hand on each of their shoulders. “Lookie here! It seems you have found the Eye-Spy Glass! An amazing artifact made by Dreamer herself!”

Stan recoiled as he stepped back. “Oh, shit! Is that going to blow up on us?!”

Evalin furrowed her brows as she strode over, the kids close behind. “Not everything I make explodes, jackass.” Her eyes flickered over the magnifying glass. “That is probably one of the most impressive enchantments I've ever made.”

Phames smiled wide. “I agree! It shows you places you have been and if you flip that switch on the side, it'll show you places you've never seen!”

Mabel gasped dramatically. “That sounds AMAZE-BALLS!!!! I want to try!!!” She snatched the Eye-Spy Glass from Ford's hands and looked through it.

Ford reached out instinctively. “Mabel, wait—”

The lens shimmered slightly before shifting to an image of a girl's room.

“Hey! That's my room back in Piedmont!”

Dipper leaned over to see too. “Well, I'll be damned. It is. I know those gaudy boy band posters anywhere.”

Mabel flipped her rainbow hair. “Oh, Dipper, don't act like you don't like their music too.”

Dipper pointed at her, his eye twitching. “I do not and I will die on that hill.”

Evalin chuckled weakly. “Come on, Dipper. I literally hear you singing some weird song in the bathroom when you decide to bathe like once a week. Proud of you for discovering soap, by the way.”

Mabel snickered, her hair shifting colors to a watery blue. “Me too. I was starting to think that Dipper actually likes to smell like a sweaty gym bag.”

Dipper shot her a pointed look while pressing his lips together.

Ford reached over and took the Eye-Spy Glass from Mabel's hands. “Alright, let's not break the enchanted artifact please.”

The lights began to sway back and forth. Evalin and Phames both looked around and then at each other.

Evalin spoke first, furrowing her brow. “No fucking way...”

Ford raised an eyebrow. “What's... wrong?”

Phames smiled wide, patting Ford on the back. “Looks like you just got yourself an Eye-Spy Glass courtesy of Oddity's itself! Lucky you!”

Ford blinked a few times. “I... don't understand.”

Dipper piped in, tilting his head. “Wait, how does a building dictate what is given away for free or not?”

Evalin rolled her eyes as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. “Geez, Dipper, have you not been paying attention? Oddity's is alive in its own right. It chooses what gets given away and what doesn't.”

She looked up at the swaying lights. “Though I am a bit offended that it would give away such a powerful artifact for free.” Her grip tightened on her satchel. “You’re sure as shit not getting this bag back though. I traded it fair and square.”

Phames’s laugh echoed throughout the shop. “Don't worry, little Dreamer. You have been waiting years for that bag. No one is going to take it from you.”

Ford looked over the Eye-Spy Glass again. “So, I get to keep this then? No drawbacks.”

Evalin patted in on the chest. “All yours, so says the shop. Have fun being a little peeping tom~”

Ford's face turned red. He coughed into his hand before turning away. “I assure you I have no intentions on using this for such perverse means.”

Evalin snickered mischievously. “Mhm, if I see a floating eyeball in the shower, I know who's on the other side~”

Ford choked on air as he blushed all the way to the tips of his ears. “Evalin!”

Evalin, Stan, and Phames laughed. Dipper just looked disgusted.

Mabel tilted her head in confusion. “Why would—?”

Dipper immediately covered her mouth. “DON'T ask that.”

Ford grumbled to himself,  “Wonderful, now my family thinks I'm a pervert.”

Dipper sighed and patted Ford on the arm. “Don't worry, Grunkle Ford. We will never think you are as bad as Grunkle Stan.”

Stan flashed him a grin. “Though I would like to see you try~!”

Ford grimaced, turning away from his brother. “I'm more than fine, Stanley. Thank you.”

Something on the shelf behind them caught Evalin's eyes. Her face split into a mischievous grin as she reached over to grab an old wooden mask. Its expression was hollow with holes for eyes and a matching gap for a mouth.

“Hey, Stanley~”

Stan looked over just as Evalin slid on the mask. Suddenly, its face morphed, twisting and contorting, its smooth surface warping into a grotesque, terrifying visage. Its eyes widened into gaping voids, its mouth stretched into a monstrous, jagged grin.

Stan damn near jumped out of his skin as he clenched his chest. “JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!”

Evalin roared into a laughter that filled the shop, wild and unrestrained. She had to hold her sides as she slipped the mask off. “Holy shit! That was so worth it! You should have seen your face!”

Stan stood back, his breath coming out ragged and uneven.

Phames shook his head with a smile. “Now, Dreamer, that wasn't very nice to scare the man with a Fear Face.”

Ford raised an eyebrow. “Fear Face?”

Evalin finally caught her breath as she tossed the mask in the air. “This little puppy scares the shit out of anyone who looks at the person wearing it.”

Stan looked between her and the mask, then a huge shit-eating grin plastered on his face. “Oh, man! That was horrifying! If I was old, I definitely would have died of a heart attack! I want it!”

Evalin cracked an amused smirk. “You want this ?”

Stan smiled wider. “Hell yeah! It would be perfect for Summerween next year!”

Something mischievous flashed behind Evalin's eyes. “Alright, you've convinced me. I'll get it for you~”

Stan's eyebrows shot up. “Oh, shit, Spooky, really?”

Evalin shrugged, smirking. “I don't see why not. I'm always up for a little chaos~”

Ford exhaled through his nose. “Why do I feel like this is going to backfire in the worst possible way?”

Mabel was already reaching for the mask in Evalin's hands. “Can I try!? I wanna be the cutest scariest sparkle witch there is!”

Evalin lifted it out of her grasp. “I feel like this might be a bit much, even for you.”

Dipper placed a hand on his sister's shoulder. “Pretty sure you are already the scariest sparkle witch there is.”

Mabel clasped her hands together. “Aww, bro-bro! That was the nicest thing you have ever said to me!”

Ford chuckled, shaking his head. “Mabel, sweetie. I don't think that was a compliment.”

Stan plucked the mask from Evalin's hands. “Aw, man! This thing is freaking sweet! I can't wait to try it out!” He went to place the mask on his face.

However, Evalin placed her hand over his cheek and nose. “Yeah, don't do that in front of the kids. You will give them nightmares for years.”

Stan blinked a few times, his face warming under her touch before he pulled away and laughed it off. “Alright, alright, Spooky. Whatever you say.”

Evalin leaned back a little and looked over her shoulder at Phames. “How much?”

Phames put a finger to his chin, mocking a thought. “Twelve sigils.”

Evalin narrowed her eyes. “Ten.”

Phames’s smirk grew. “Deal.”

Evalin reached into her bra and started going through her paper sigils. “Let's see. Three spinny sigils, two explosive trap sigils, four paralysis sigils, and a new sigil, the tickle sigil. Mabel came up with that one.” She put them in a nice stack and handed them over.

Phames nodded as he took them. “Always a pleasure doing business with you, Dreamer.”

He looked over the tickle sigil, running his finger over the lines. His eyes darted over to Mabel. “So this was your idea?”

Mabel beamed brightly. “Uh-huh! We usually use it against my brother but I hope it works out for whatever mischief you use it for, you rapscallion~”

Phames tucked the sigils away, humming as his eyes lingered on Mabel. “You know... this shop needs someone like her someday.”

Evalin furrowed her brows, offended. “Oh, sure, take her . Not the witch who makes more than half of the shit in here.”

Phames ruffled her hat and hair. “Oh, Dreamer, we already tried, remember?”

Evalin pressed her lips together. She huffed as she turned away.

Ford raised an eyebrow. “Evalin, what is he talking about?”

Evalin exhaled sharply. “I tried to hide myself in the shop one year. When the shop went to teleport to the next area, I phased through the floor and got left behind.”

Stan barked a laugh. “Haha! Sucks for you, Spooky!”

Evalin's eye twitched. She lifted a pointer finger and a pinky before jabbing it into Stan's side. Electricity shot through his body.

“YOWZA!” Stan rubbed his side as Ford chuckled, shaking his head.

“That wasn't exactly what I was talking about. What did he mean that Mabel would be perfect for the shop?” Ford asked.

Phames placed a hand on Ford's shoulder, a smile on his face. “Well, I'll need someone to take over the shop one day. I think that little one would be perfect for the job! When she is old enough, of course.” He turned to Mabel. “Would you like that, O' sparkly one?”

Mabel beamed as she threw her arms in the air, sparkles falling from her fingertips. “Hell yes, I do!”

Phames’s face broke into a wide smile. He reached into his pouch, pulled out a silver bell, and handed it to Mabel, clasping her hand in his. “Hang this bell in your house. Whenever it rings, you'll know the shop is in your dimension. Then you can come and visit!”

Mabel grasped the bell and held it to her chest, her grin never leaving her face. “You got it, Mr. Oddity!”

Phames chuckled as he tousled Mabel's hair. “Phames is more than fine.” He looked around the shop, noticing the flames from candles starting to die down as the sun began to set.

“Looks like it's about time to close down the shop,” he hummed to himself.

Mabel's smile faded. “Wait, doesn't that mean you're leaving?”

Evalin waved a hand in the air. “Yes, Phames has many, many places to be, planets to see, deals to make, right, Phames?”

Phames’s lips curled at the corners. “Exactly. Can't stay in one spot for too long. The shop gets a little antsy.”

Dipper crossed his arms. “How does the shop decide where to go next?”

Phames shrugged. “Not up to me. I'm just the caretaker.”

Ford tilted his head slightly. “So you're saying you have no idea where you might be ending up? The next area could be dangerous and you have no control of it? Isn't it lonely?”

Phames laughed, patting Ford on the shoulder. “The shop will never choose a dangerous spot. That much I can always count on. As for being lonely, never. I have many customers from all across the stars. I always enjoy seeing each and every one of them. Meeting new ones as they stumble across the shop and reconnecting with old ones makes the job worth it.”

He wrapped an arm around Evalin's shoulders, giving her a quick hug.

Evalin patted him on the arm as if to return the gesture. He let go as he walked over to the counter, the Pines family following close behind.

“Alright, let's finish checking you all out, eh?”

Mabel placed the Rainbow Hairclip on the counter as Dipper added an elongated box.

Evalin raised an eyebrow. “You are still going to get the Scribe's Quill?”

Dipper shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. “Yeah, having a pen that writes things by itself is still pretty cool even though it tried to write all over my face.”

Mabel snickered. “Honestly, it's an improvement.”

Dipper shot her a side-eyed glare. “Okay, wow, rude much?”

Evalin snorted, her lips curled into a smile. “Just keep paper nearby when it's out and you should be fine.” She turned her attention to Phames. “Alright, what do you want for them?”

Phames grinned wide as he gestured to the kids. “From the girl, I just want what kind of masterpiece she can conjure with the Rainbow Hairclip.”

Mabel beamed brightly as she grabbed the Rainbow Hairclip from the counter. She fastened it to her hair and thought hard. Suddenly, her hair started to change colors into pink and purple fluffy-looking clouds. She twirled, her grin growing with each spin.

“BEHOLD! THE MOST COLORFUL WITCH YOU EVER DID SEE!”

Phames chuckled as he gave a nod. “The perfect payment. The Rainbow Hairclip is all yours.”

Mabel squealed as she ran in circles, her hair changing into different colors of the rainbow.

Phames shook his head before turning to Dipper. “And from the boy, I want to hear a tale of one of his many adventures.”

Dipper's eyes widened as his face lit up. “Wait, you actually want to hear one of my stories?”

Evalin leaned on the counter. “Honestly, me too. What kind of story do you have?”

Dipper jolted as he turned to Evalin. “Wait, you do too?”

Evalin chuckled out of her nose. “Of course, Dipper. Why do you seem so surprised?”

Dipper narrowed his eyes. “You never asked for one before.”

Evalin tilted her head in confusion. “Am I supposed to?”

Mabel rolled her eyes. “Boooo, Dipper story.”

Dipper shot her a dirty look. “Don't ruin this for me, Mabel.”

He cleared his throat before putting his hands theatrically, a huge grin on his face. “Alright, let me tell you about how I trapped the horrifying Gremloblin! There I was, trying to find an attraction for the Mystery Shack. A REAL attraction, not the fake gaudy ones Grunkle Stan has on display.”

Stan furrowed his brows. “Hey! Those attractions rake in REAL cash!”

Evalin waved her hand at him. “Sh, I want to hear this.”

Dipper's smile widened as he returned to his story. “So, I went out to a spooky-looking part of the forest and built one of those tiger traps to capture any beast really.”

Ford raised an eyebrow, impressed. “You caught a Gremloblin in a Trou de loup? Ingenious—if slightly... questionable.”

Dipper nodded sharply, excitement buzzing through him. “Exactly! I didn't put a punji stick on the bottom because I was trying to capture a beast, not kill it. Imagine my surprise when I found the Gremloblin in my trap! I put a sack over its head and dragged it back to the shack with the golfcart.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “But when I had it on display, I may or may not have accidentally caused this couple to go insane...”

There was a moment of silence.

Suddenly, Evalin laughed so hard that she had to hold her sides. “Oh my stars! Dipper! That's hilarious!”

Ford rolled his eyes as he chuckled. “Good lord, Evalin. Anyway, what happened next, Dipper?”

Dipper sighed. “Well, they went to the hospital and we never heard from them again. They're probably fine. The Gremloblin was released by Mabel. Thanks for that, by the way.”

Mabel huffed. “He was an employee and deserved a break too!”

Ford's eye twitched. “... What?”

Evalin wheezed. “Oh! This is too good! This sounds like a hell of a chaotic story!”

Dipper folded his hands behind his head. “Yeah, that was one crazy day—but hey, monster trapped, mission accomplished.”

Evalin wiped a tear from her eye, breathless from laughter. “Seriously, Dipper—I needed that. Remind me to ask you for more stories.”

Dipper beamed brightly as he shoved his hands in his pockets. “You got it, Evi. I've got stories for days!”

Mabel playfully shoved his brother. “You mean years worth?”

Phames chuckled with a nod. “That was a fine story, my boy. Payment received.” He clasped his hands together. “Looks like we are all squared away. Thank you for shopping at Oddity's!”

Evalin sighed, her smirk faltering slightly. “It was nice to see you again, Phames.” She turned toward the door waving. “Until next time.”

“Dreamer,” Phames called out. Evalin paused before looking back at him. He was smiling warmly, his eyes shimmering. “I'm glad you found a family of your very own.”

Evalin froze entirely as she felt a warmth twist at her chest. Her eyes flickered over the Pines family and then back to Phames. Slowly, she reached up and grabbed the brim of her hat.

“I... suppose so.” With that, she walked out of the door of the shop.

Each member of the Pines family smiled, a strange warmth filling their chests.

Mabel ran after Evalin, a huge grin on her face. “Oh, Evi! You finally admit it!” Dipper bowed his hat to Phames before following his sister, his lips curled into a smile.

Stan stretched before giving Phames a two-finger salute. “See ya around, Wonderbeard. Good luck... wherever the shop tosses you next.” With that, he exited the shop.

Ford turned to Phames, smiling warmly. “Thank you for today. It has been extremely enlightening for multiple reasons.”

Before Ford could walk off, Phames put a firm hand on his shoulder. “Take good care of her, young man. Show her what it means to be loved by such a wonderful family.”

Ford hesitated for a moment before nodding sharply with a smirk. “Of course. You have my word—she’s one of us now.”

Phames patted him on the shoulder a few times before waving him off to follow his family. Ford strode toward the door with a look of a warm determination. Phames watched the door close, a knowing smile still on his face as the shop began to shimmer slightly before disappearing entirely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 44 // Chapter 46 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 44 // Chapter 45 // Chapter 46 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 44 // Chapter 45 // Chapter 46 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 44: Oddity's

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 43 // Chapter 45 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 43 // Chapter 44 // Chapter 45 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 43 // Chapter 44 // Chapter 45 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Evalin pushed the door open, a small bell going off at her arrival as the rest of the family followed close behind her, stepping into the cozy, naturally lit shop. Inside, the air hummed with strange magic, and the walls were filled with countless curious artifacts and treasures from strange and distant worlds.

A loud booming voice filled the shop.

“Well, well, well! If it isn't the Witch of the Woods!”

They all turned to see a man behind the counter. He had broad shoulders, a thick braided beard, kind eyes that twinkled with far too much knowing. His burgundy tunic was embroidered with gold thread, his belt weighed down with various pouches and tools, his entire presence exuding a warm, steady strength.

Evalin smiled warmly. “Hello, Phames, it's nice to see you again.” In a few short strides, she made her way over to his open arms and hugged him tightly.

Dipper and Stan's jaws collectively dropped as Mabel beamed brightly. Ford adjusted his glasses, his eyes narrowing slightly, lips unreadable.

“I haven't seen you in so long, Dreamer!” Phames exclaimed, patting her on the back. “Thought something happened to you.”

Evalin stepped back, rolling her eyes. “You literally say that every time I come in here.”

Phames laughed bellowed through the store. “You know better than most that time doesn't work right here.”

He turned to the Pines family. “And you are with humans? I'm surprised at you.”

Evalin pressed her lips together in mild annoyance. “Phames, this is the Pines family,” she explained while holding her hand out. “The one playing with his glasses is Stanford but you can call him Ford. The other one who was absolutely just picking his nose is his twin brother, Stanley but he goes by Stan. The two children are Dipper and Mabel.” She turned to the Pines family, gesturing toward Phames. “Everyone, this is Phames Oddity, owner of Oddity's.”

Phames’s face lit up with a broad smile. “Welcome to Oddity's! A trove of treasures you never knew you craved—until now! It's wonderful to meet you all!”

Mabel jumped up and with zero volume control, she shouted, “Hi, Phames! I like your shop here!”

Phames’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at Mabel's outburst and he started to laugh. “Oh, this is a bubbly one! Has a little bit of magic in her too!”

Mabel giggled and then wiggled her fingers at Phames, sparkles falling from her fingertips.

“Oh! Look at that! A Sparkle Spell for a sparkly girl!” Phames exclaimed while his grin grew wider before he turned to Evalin. “I thought you said you were never going to take on an apprentice.”

“She isn't my apprentice,” Evalin rebutted, rolling her eyes. “I'm just... helping out since they gave me a place to stay.”

Phames raised an eyebrow. “You're not at your cabin? I'm surprised at you.”

Evalin threw up her hand, exasperated. “Yeah, me too. I'm still trying to find my way home.”

Phames leaned in closer to Mabel. “You're in good hands. That witch protects things she loves with everything she has~”

“We totally love her too~” Mabel beamed so brightly, it looked like it hurt a little.

Phames laughed as he stood up straight to ruffle Evalin's hat and hair. “You always had a soft spot for kids.”

“I will fight you,” Evalin hissed, her eye twitching.

Phames pinched her cheek lovingly. “You and I both know that isn't true. Where else are you going to get your wares?”

Evalin pressed her lips together as she adjusted her hat.

“That's really low, Phames,” she grumbled before narrowing her eyes at him. “Why are your ears like that? You look weird.” She reached up and gave his ears a sharp tug.

They elongated into pointed tips with slits, flicking slightly as they were revealed. Phames gently batted her hands away, chuckling, “Oh, you know, just trying to look human in front of humans.”

“You're not human?” Dipper asked, perking up.

Phames’s eyes flickered over to him, studying for a moment before smiling wide. “Look at this one! You have quite a few adventures under your belt, don't you?”

Dipper jolted before he shoved his hands in his pockets as he nonchalantly looked back over his shoulder. “Yeah, I’ve battled your common supernatural creatures—ghosts, gnomes, unicorns with attitude. Just another Tuesday.”

“Don't be so modest,” Evalin interrupted, waving a hand lazily in the air. “You turned a curse into a side quest and even figured out how to overwrite my written sigils.”

“Ohhh! That is no easy feat, young man! You should feel quite proud of that one! Not many battle Dreamer's sigils and survive,” Phames chortled, tapping his nose.

Evalin shot him a look, pressing her lips together as she threw her arms in the air. “Come on, Phames! I have never killed anyone with my sigils before! Name one person!”

Phames’s laugh filled the shop again, shaking the merchandise slightly. “Oh, come on, Dreamer. I'm just messing. No need to get so feisty.”

Evalin's lip twitched but Phames ignored her as he turned to Stan. The two just stared at each other.  Then they clasped their hands together in a firm handshake.

“Oh! Strong one this one is! Markings of a hero! You, sir, have fought your fair amount of battles too!”

Stan mirrored his grin. “You know it, buddy! I do like to think of myself as a bit of a hero~”

Phames patted him on the shoulder before letting his hand go. “The best hero who has given up more than his fair share, huh?”

Stan jolted but before he could question, Phames turned to Ford.

Ford studied him for a moment. Then he smiled, bowing his head in a greeting. “Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Oddity.”

Phames smile widened. “A very wise man, polite too. You must be the brains in the family, eh?” He leaned in closer. “You've seen the stars, haven't you?”

Ford's eyes widened in surprise. “How did you—?”

Suddenly, Phames began to sniff at the air around Ford. Ford stiffened, leaning back slightly, his eyes flickering with unease.

Phames turned to look at Evalin. “You have your scent on this one, Dreamer. Fancy him, do you?”

Ford choked on air as his cheeks turned red.

Evalin's eye twitched so violently she thought it was going to pop out of her warming face as she growled, “Phames...”

Phames turned back to Ford, studying him. “Not how you described him—taller, for one. And not nearly as ‘silly’ as you claimed.”

Evalin’s jaw clenched. “Phames. Don’t.” Her tone was so sharp it could have cut diamonds.

Phames looked over at her to see her seething. He straightened up and placed a hand to his chin, tilting his head. “My, my, you are in a mood today!” He clasped his hands together. “How about a little free crafting? Might soothe that fire in your veins.”

Evalin's ears perked up. She relaxed slightly, watching him closely. After a moment, she asked, “Do I get to keep what I make?”

Phames flashed her a smile, his playful demeanor returning. “Now, Dreamer, you know that's not up to me.”

“Please be kind to me today. Things have been... very rough lately,” Evalin huffed as she looked up at the ceiling. She turned her gaze back to Phames. “Alright. I'm ready when you are.”

Phames’s grin widened as he put his hand out to give her the go ahead.

With quick steps, Evalin walked past him, her eyes flicking over everything in the shop. Then she started to gather up a bunch of different items and set them down on a clear table that was off to the side. Intrigued, Ford and Mabel followed her.

Dipper and Stan stayed back for a moment.

“So, tell me,” Stan started, leaning over to Phames with his voice low. “Why did Spooky throw her arms around you when we walked in? Is it some kind of secret discount handshake or something?”

Phames laughed, patting Stan on the shoulder. “Don't tell her I told you this but, back when I first met her, I told her I wouldn’t trade unless she gave me a hug first. She’s done it ever since. ”

“And Evalin just does it willingly?” Dipper questioned, skeptical. “I'm sorry but that sounds very... sketchy.”

“Not if you know her like I do,” Phames answered with a smile, tapping his nose. He looked over at Evalin as she started to organize her collected items. “That girl’s had next to no real contact her whole life. Barely a hand on her shoulder, let alone a hug. If a simple embrace helps her remember she’s not alone? Then yeah—worth it every time.” He softened his gaze slightly. “So, Evalin is her name, huh?”

Stan snapped toward him. “Wait, you're saying she never even told you her name?”

Phames chuckled and shook his head. “Nah, that little witch has secrets upon secrets and she holds them close. Though it is a bit strange she chose to tell humans of all things.”

“Why is that so crazy? I mean, she's human too, right?” Dipper inquired, tilting his head.

Phames nodded, a smile still curling his lips. “She's human but that's not how others see her.” His tone dropped slightly. “They only see a menace.”

Stan smirked as he barked out a laugh. “Oh, she’s a menace alright—the best damn kind. Fits right in with us lunatics.”

“I'm glad to hear that she finally found a family all of her own,” Phames boasted with a wide grin on his face. “Treat her well. A girl like that? Only comes around once in a thousand stars—and she burns brighter than most.” With that, Phames walked off, his hands behind his back.

“Do you think he is telling the truth?” Dipper asked in a low whisper.

Stan flipped up his hands. “Who knows? He seems as kooky as she is so he might actually know what the hell he’s talking about.”

Dipper and Stan shrugged at each other before wandering the shop.

~n~

Evalin picked up a metal gauntlet, looking over it carefully before grabbing some nails with odd markings on the top.

“What are you working on?” Ford inquired as he leaned in, fascinated.

Evalin kept her eyes on her work as she spoke. “Well, I was thinking of making some kind of punching weapon. These nails here are actually an old enchantment of mine called Explosive Nails. Like the name says, they explode when you hit them. The harder you hit them, the bigger the boom.”

Ford tilted his head as he picked up a nail and turned it in his fingers. “So you have made these nails too?”

“Yeah, a long while ago,” she answered with a nod. “They are probably the most popular thing I make for this shop. To be honest, I was surprised I found any at all. They're usually gone and I have to restock them every visit.” She furrowed her brows as she concentrated. “If I could bend the nails so that the head and tip of the nail are facing the same way, I think I could make an explosive gauntlet which would be pretty cool.”

Mabel perked her head up. “An explosive gauntlet!? That sounds freaking awesome!”

Evalin couldn't help but to smirk. With the snap of her fingers, a flame appeared on her pointer finger. She refined it to a blowtorch and started to heat up the nail. Once it was hot enough, she picked it up and tried to bend it. Her skin burned violently as she forced it to bend but she dropped it when her hands shook too much from the pain.

She looked down at her burn marks. “Ow...”

“Evalin! Are you alright?!” Ford exclaimed, stepping closer to assess the damage.

Evalin waved him off. “Calm down, Ford. It's not that big of a deal.”

Ford flinched at the sharp scent of burning flesh. “Evalin, seriously—”

“Stanford.” She cut him off. “I got this.” She dug into her satchel and pulled out a container of fast healing salve. She untwisted the lid and stuck her fingers inside. When she pulled them back out, her fingers were completely healed.

“She used that stuff on me before,” Mabel explained while nudging Ford with a smile. “It works like magic! Well, it probably is, which is awesome!”

“And what exactly is this made from?” Ford inquired, lifting a curious eyebrow.

Mabel shrugged. “Some weird herb she finds and chews up.” She turned to Evalin who was focused on trying to bend the nails again only to end up burning herself more. “Hey, Evi, what is that fast healy stuff made of?”

Phames walked up behind them, eavesdropping. “Yes, I would like to know that too.”

Evalin didn't even look up. “I told you, Phames. I will tell you when you have something to trade for that information.”

“So secretive but I suppose that's fair. I'll find something you want for that secret,” Phames sighed but his smile never left.

“You could have had it if you would have traded that for the Bottomless Satchel but noooo,” Evalin grumbled, scrunching her face.

Ford watched as Evalin burnt her fingers again before turning to Phames. “Do you happen to have a few sets of pliers?”

Phames gave Ford a bright smile as he dug into his own pouch and pulled out two pairs of pliers, handing them over to Ford. “What do you plan on doing with those, hm?”

Ford took one of the nails and held it between the two pliers. “Evalin, try heating up the nails now.”

Evalin's eye twitched but she moved her flame under the nail.

Phames let out a sound of surprise. “Well, look at that! You learned how to free cast and you are listening to someone else's advice!? I'm very proud of you, Evalin.”

Evalin froze, her entire face twitching as the flame suddenly sparked violently. She turned toward Phames slowly, staring daggers into his soul. “Go away. You talk too much.” She narrowed her eyes. “Also, don't call me that. It feels weird when you say it.”

Phames, taking no offense to her glare, laughed. “Come now, Dreamer. I've known you for thirteen years and just now learned your name. Let me have this one thing.”

Evalin pressed her lips together into a thin line. “I won't answer to you if you call me that, Phames.”

“Why wouldn't you want him calling you by your first name?” Ford asked, tilting his head.

“Probably because she wasn't the one to give me her name,” Phames explained, shaking his head with a smirk. “There’s a reason you never told me, isn't it?”

Evalin glared at him one last time before turning away. “Shoo, Phames. You're bothering me.”

“So feisty today,” he laughed as he ruffled her hat and hair. “Much better than the last time I saw you. You look healthier too. Like you actually have been eating.”

Evalin slammed a hand on the table. “Can I work or are you going to continue to patronize me on my bad eating habits?”

“Alright, alright, I'll leave you be for now,” he chuckled, putting his hands up in mock defense. “Besides, it looks like that little Dipper boy has found the Scribe's Quill and I should go make sure he doesn't get stabbed in the—“

“Ouch! What the hell!?” Dipper shrieked from somewhere in the shop.

Phames sighed as he turned to tend to the teen.

Evalin watched him go with an annoyed look before turning back to her work. “Alright, that should be hot enough.”

Ford squeezed the two ends together, bending them to face the same way.

Evalin let out a relieved sigh. “Good, it worked. Now, hold it next to the gauntlet's knuckles so I can solder it on.”

Ford nodded as he obeyed. Evalin's flame refined back into a blowtorch as she started working again, bright sparks flying all over the place.

Ford turned his head away. “Don't look directly at the light, Mabel. You will burn your eyes.”

Mabel looked up at him, confused. “But Evi is.”

“Yeah, well, let's say I had a special kind of procedure done that allows me to do shit like this without issue,” Evalin huffed, moving her face closer so she could see better.

Ford kept his head turned away but lifted an eyebrow. “What kind of procedure prevents optical protection from intense ultraviolet light?”

Evalin's flame went out as she looked over her work. “The kind where I got a big ass needle in both of my eyes.” She sighed a weak laugh. “Fun times. Got a real spa treatment that day.”

“You got a shot in both of your eyes!?” Mabel gasped dramatically.

Evalin looked at her for a moment before nodding her head toward the shelf. “You see that basket behind you? Grab one of the clips from in there.”

Mabel tilted her head in confusion but turned around anyway. She dug through the basket and pulled out a white hairclip with a rainbow charm on the end. “What's this?”

“Rainbow Hairclip,” Evalin explained with a smirk, amusement flickering behind her eyes. “Not my making but I still think it's something you would like. Try it on.”

Mabel looked over the hairclip before fastening it to her hair. As soon as it clipped, her hair suddenly changed into a beautiful array of watercolors, shifting like liquid light.

Mabel gasped so hard she could have sucked up all the air in the room. “OH MY GOD! I AM THE RAINBOW SPARKLE QUEEN! NOTHING WILL STAND IN MY WAY OF MAKING THE WORLD COLORFUL AND SPARKLY!” She ran off with the clip in her hair and sparkles shooting from her fingertips.

Evalin chuckled softly, shaking her head.

Ford watched as Mabel ran off. “Is that... safe?”

“Yeah, completely safe. It only changes the colors of her hair. Nothing else.” She nodded before turning back to the gauntlet. “Now, can you hold another nail? I want to add one to each of the knuckles for maximum damage.”

Ford nodded as he grabbed another nail with the pliers. Evalin lit a flame under the nail.

After a while, Ford spoke up again. “It appears you have quite the extensive knowledge when it comes to crafting.”

Evalin shrugged, unbothered. “I suppose. I've been doing stuff like this my whole life.” Her shoulders sagged slightly. “It kind of makes me miss home.”

Ford went to say something but Evalin's fire flared up again. He jerked his head away so as to not damage his eyes. He sighed, his voice low. “I haven’t given up on finding Elaris, Evalin. We’ll get you home. I promise.”

Evalin rubbed her cheek with her free hand, smearing soot across her cheek. Her voice dipped into something softer. “I know, Ford. Don't... worry about it. I'll find my way home... one way or another...”

Her flame flickered as she sent her thoughts through the mental bridge, letting them drift despite her hands working.

“It's been... a few months now... I wonder how everything is back at home... Those SoM assholes have probably gone through my stuff by now... I wonder if that's where you are...” She felt the weight on her pinky, a reminder of the only hope she had. “I know... you're looking for me... I just don't know... how to reach you...”

She paused for a moment. “I was thinking about jumping out of my body and yeeting myself into the portal sigil but... then I won't have a body to summon you with... And... I've never left a planet without your help before... Not gonna lie... I have no idea what would happen if I even tried but... I don't want to end up bodiless like you either... Pretty sure I would be useless to you without one...”

Her head perked up. “Hey, Phames, you got a sec?”

Phames turned to her, a cloth in hand as he cleaned Dipper's inky face. “Of course, Dreamer. What can I do for you?”

Evalin waved her hand to extinguish the flame and adjusted her hat. “You got any more Everred Seeds?”

Phames looked around the shop. Suddenly, the lights flickered slightly. He sighed before turning back to Evalin. “Nope, looks like you took the last of my stock during your last visit.”

Evalin pressed her lips into a thin line. “Well, that's fucking great... Those are back on Elaris and aren't going to help me here.”

Phames furrowed his brows and gave her an apologetic grin. “Well, Dreamer, if I ever run into those again, I can hold them off to the side for you.”

Evalin turned her attention back to the gauntlet. As her lips twitched, she shoved it on and slammed her fist into the table.

BOOM

A huge explosion blasted her back arm first, flinging her into shelves where products rained down on her.

“Evalin!” Ford’s voice cracked as he bolted after her, already imagining the worst. “Are you alright!?”

Dipper, Mabel, and Stan also heard the explosion and ran over to check on Evalin. Phames pressed his lips together as he watched the scene unfold. Ford grabbed Evalin by the arm as he lifted her out of the pile.

Evalin looked at him for a moment before pulling back and standing on her own two feet. “I'm fine. It barely hurt.”

Before anyone could say anything, Phames walked over and grabbed the gauntlet from her arm. When he removed it, everyone could see the damage; bruises, cuts, and blood dripping down her arm.

Evalin pulled her arm back, her face cross. “Wow, thanks for that, Phames. Real helpful.”

Ford, Stan, Dipper, and Mabel's stomachs collectively dropped as they saw the damage.

Evalin found her healing salve on the floor, scooped a generous amount, and smeared it up her bloodied arm. The wounds stitched shut before their eyes, muscles knitting together like time rewinding in fast forward.

She shook out her arm before looking up at the ceiling. “So, do I get to keep the gauntlet?”

After a silent moment, the lights swayed side to side. A huge smile split her face as she turned back to Phames and held out her open bag. “In it goes~”

Phames sighed before dropping the gauntlet into the bag where it disappeared into the darkness. “I’m guessing the shop passed on it because of what it did to you. Another dangerous artifact you have made there, Dreamer.”

Evalin flashed him a mischievous smile. “Don’t care. It’s mine now~”

Mabel, who was quiet this entire time, started yelling. “WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!”

“You just blew yourself up and now you are going to keep the thing that almost killed you!?” Dipper added, throwing his hands wildly through the air.

“I've made more dangerous things than this. This was just fun~” Evalin scoffed, her grin never leaving her face.

“This was FUN?!” Stan blurted, incredulous. His mind buzzed for a moment as if it was laughing but he ignored it. He was more focused on the crazy woman in front of him.

Ford adjusted his glasses, studying her. “Is there a way to make it... less destructive for the user?”

Something flashed behind Evalin's eyes as she smiled wider. “Oh, good! At least one of you sees the value in my work!” She put a finger to her chin in thought. “I mean, I'm sure if I could get my hands on some Dark Matter crystals, I could probably ease the drawback by absorbing the initial expansive force. Not something that can be found in this shop because it's 'too dangerous' but definitely something I could look into.” She walked off, deep in thought as she continued to browse through the shop.

Mabel trailed behind her, asking, “Hey, when you get that punching gauntlet of death fixed up, can I try it?”

“That is literally the worst idea I have ever heard,” Dipper grumbled as he followed his sister.

“Which means I really need to find a way to make it safe enough for Mabel to use~” Evalin snickered.

Dipper groaned dramatically as Mabel beamed brightly. “You are the best witch ever, Evi!”

Stan leaned over to Ford, keeping his voice low. “You are encouraging this? You know she's a crazy broad, right?”

Ford rubbed his cheek before turning to his brother. “I'm not encouraging it. However, we both know neither of us can stop her so maybe I can guide her to be a little safer about it. At least she is thinking about it.” His eyes flicked back over to Evalin who was already pulling more things off the shelves.

“She didn’t just hurt herself,” he murmured, eyes narrowed. “She made a scene to mask her frustration. Those Everred Seeds weren’t just important—they were something she really needed. And without them… she spiraled.”

“So, what?” Stan asked, rolling his wrist in the air. “That was her throwing a magical hissy fit?”

Ford nodded sharply. “I have a few theories of why that is but for now, all we can do is guide her. If we get in the way of her path, she might shut us out and that would be more dangerous than anything.”

Stan pressed his lips together. He watched as Evalin smiled at Dipper and Mabel but something was off. Her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, as if she was holding herself together by a thread.

He let out a sigh and placed his hand on Ford's shoulder. “Well, I guess it's up to us to make sure she doesn't burn the whole world down, huh?”

Ford looked back at Stan and nodded with a smirk. “Exactly. She's family now and we need to make sure she knows what that means.”

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Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 43 // Chapter 45 >

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WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 43 // Chapter 44 // Chapter 45 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 43: Haunted

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 42 // Chapter 44 >

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WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 42 // Chapter 43 // Chapter 44 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The hum of machines and the occasional whirl of a drill filled the air of the lab.

Evalin moved meticulously as she carried a metal panel closer to Ford as he checked over the schematics.

“Place the panel here please,” he said as he gestured toward the other pieces.

Evalin stacked the panel right on top before dusting off her hands, a grin curling at her lips.

“I've never worked with anyone on a project like this before.” She clasped her hands together as she swayed her hips from side to side. “How exciting!”

Ford's eyes drifted up at her, smiling warmly as his heart fluttered in his chest. “I'm looking forward to this as well.”

Evalin turned to him, her smirk never leaving her face. “So Mabel said you made a portal before. Wanna tell me about it?”

Ford's smile completely faded as pressed his lips together. His eyes trailed to the floor. “I suppose I could.”

He took a deep breath before speaking. “A long time ago, in my first round of younger years, Fiddleford and I built a portal to the multiverse. It was amazing. Years of studying, planning, and work went into it. It was my greatest achievement.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, growing quiet. Evalin’s eyes flickering over his face, confused by his contradicting tone. After a moment of studying him, her eyebrows together as she muttered, “You don't seem very excited about it though.”

Ford huffed out a dry laugh. “Well, there were quite a few incidents with it. First, Fiddleford got sucked in due to a gravitational phenomenon during our first dummy test.” His jaw tightened. “Only his head went through the portal but... whatever he saw... changed him.”

He slipped off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “He left the project after that. I didn't hear from him for years. I had no idea what happened to him until I found out he essentially started a cult in order to forget painful memories.”

Evalin tilted her head slightly. “I'm surprised you didn't stop him.”

Ford rubbed his mouth, his gaze never meeting hers. “I had... other issues I was dealing with.” His voice was tight as if the memory hurt to talk about.

Evalin watched him. After a moment, she knelt down in front of him, looking up at him from underneath. “What happened?”

Ford studied her, contemplating on telling her everything. But something deep in him forced it back down.

“I was... haunted.”

Evalin lifted an eyebrow. “Haunted?” she repeated.

Ford nodded sharply once. “By a demon.”

Evalin froze, her eyes widening slightly. She felt her pulse start to pick up, but she inhaled and exhaled slowly to calm her nerves.

A moment of silence stretched between them before she spoke.

“A demon, huh?” she asked as her eyes flickered over his face again. “What did the demon do?”

“What didn't he do?” he huffed, shaking his head. “He promised knowledge beyond human comprehension, to show me how to build something beyond our world. Hell, at one point, I even called him my friend. Then... I found out the truth...”

He grew quiet again. After a moment, he continued. “He wanted me to build a portal so he could enter my dimension and take over the multiverse.”

Silence filled the space between them.

Evalin blinked a few times. Then her eyes drifted away as she reached out through her mental bridge to no one. “Sounds like something you would do... But...” She tilted her head. “You said you have never been to Earth before...” She rubbed the side of her face. “This... just doesn't make sense... You said you have never heard of Stanford before either... I know you would never lie to me... I just... don't understand.”

Ford's voice cut through her thoughts. “He wouldn't let me destroy the portal. No matter what I did, he knew how to get around it.”

He rubbed his forehead. “I was going insane trying to get a leg up. Eventually I called Stanley to help me by hiding my work from the demon. But... we got into a fight.” He sighed heavily. “I realized, in the end, it's my fault we fought. I was so caught up in my own hubris, I put everyone and everything in danger. Eventually, our fight turned physical and we tussled. I said things. Stan said things. It was an absolute mess.”

He hesitated, his hands trembling. “Then— Stan shoved me past the safety zone. I know now he didn't understand the danger but... that day... I was pulled into the portal where I stayed for 30 years.”

The lab grew quiet again.

Evalin's eyes stayed locked onto him as if she was trying to figure something out. She reached up and cupped his face.

Ford's breath hitched. Slowly, he looked up at her.

Her expression was soft and gentle, albeit a little awkward like she was trying to be comforting but didn't exactly understand how. “Hey, it's okay. You survived. You went out, saw the unknown, and made it back stronger than ever. If that happened to anyone else, I'm sure they would be dead.”

“That is true, I suppose,” he huffed, smiling weakly as he leaned away from her hand slightly. “However, I missed out on so much. Time on Earth kept going. Mom and Dad passed away. I missed my brother's, Shermie, wedding as well as the birth of his child. Then I missed the twin's birth and most of their childhood.”

Evalin curled her fingers slightly against his cheek, her eyebrows firmly knitted together. She studied him for a long moment.

Ford's face softened. He reached up and grabbed her hand from his face. “I know you don't understand. I appreciate you for trying.”

Evalin pressed her lips into a thin line. Something about this really bothered her, twisting at her chest.

The tone in his voice, the sag in his shoulders. It all felt... bad .

“How can I fix it?”

Ford's breath hitched. Slowly, his eyes met hers.

She was serious, filled with determination. “How can I fix whatever you are going through?”

Ford's lips curled into a soft smile, his heart fluttering. Then he shook his head. “You can't.”

Evalin's face twitched violently, her lips curling into a sneer. “To hell I can't!”

Ford's eyes widened as his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Evalin continued, her grip tightening in his hand. “I'm a powerful being with magic and knowledge beyond the mortal mind! How DARE you tell me I can't do something!”

He watched her for a moment.

She meant every word and, for some reason, that shook him. This woman was willing to try and change the timeline for him.

He placed his other hand over their already interlocking hands.

“Evalin, I'm not doubting your abilities in the slightest. I'm sure you have something in your magical arsenal that could rip apart time itself, right?”

Evalin pressed her lips together as she looked down to the side. “Well... No... but, I would figure something out.”

Ford lifted an eyebrow, curiosity playing at his mind. He shook away the thoughts and smiled at her. “No, I don't want you to change time for me.”

Evalin physically recoiled, rage burning in her stomach.

He chuckled, low and quiet; a sound that loosened something inside her as he continued. “Yes, I've gone through all of those horrible things but if I changed any of them, I wouldn't be the man I am today. I never would have met you.”

Evalin’s breath hitched. Her chest felt tight—too tight.

A memory surfaced in her mind.

“I’m glad you went through all of it... Because if you didn’t, we never would’ve met... And, well— I’m really glad you’re here, sweetheart.”

The room felt suffocating. She couldn't breathe. Everything screamed in the silence.

She reached up and grabbed the brim of her hat tightly as if it could save her from this.

Her voice came out shaky, tight like a rubberband about to snap. “I— I—“

Suddenly, there was a soft musical tone. It sounded distant and muffled.

Evalin blinked for a moment, caught off guard.

Ford raised an eyebrow, releasing her hand. “I believe that is your phone. You should answer it.”

Evalin hesitated. Then she let out a shaky breath as she reached in her satchel and pulled out her phone with a swift motion. The screen lit up with a picture of Dipper.

She pressed the green button to answer. Slowly, she brought the phone to her ear. “H-hello?”

Dipper's voice rang out from the other side. “Hey, Evi, there is a fairy out here saying she knows you and has some important news for you. You think you can come up here before she tries to spirit away Mabel?”

Mabel's voice rang out in the background. “Oh, come on! I can be a fairy princess!”

Evalin's lip twitched as she growled. “Dipper, tell that fairy that if she likes her wings attached to her body, she won't hurt a single hair on that girl's head.”

There was a moment of silence.

Ford looked at Evalin in shock. He studied her face; the way her face twitched, the furrow of her brow, tightness of her jaw.

Before Ford could say anything, Dipper's voice came back, uncertain. “She heard you. You're on speaker phone.”

“Good. I mean it. I'll be up in a moment,” Evalin scoffed, her words sharp. She hung up the phone and turned back to Ford, her voice tight. “Looks like I'm being summoned.”

Ford hesitated for a split second. “You have relations with the fairies?”

Evalin looked off to the side, mildly annoyed. “Yeah, I do them favors and they work for me. I do the same thing at home.”

He watched her for a moment, swallowing hard to try and dislodge the lump in his throat. “You seem... aggressive toward them.”

Evalin's eyes flickered to him before shifting back to the side. “Not them specifically. It sounded like the little fae needed a reminder of who she was fucking with,” she sneered, her voice sharp as it cut through the air like a blade.

Ford leaned forward slightly, his face twisted in concern. “Evalin... Are you alright?”

He went to reach out for her but she turned away suddenly, not seeing him. His hand hovered in the space she’d vacated, fingers curling into a loose fist. After a moment, he let it fall.

Evalin started toward the elevator. Each step was heavy, making her hair and hat bounce as her dress swayed at her hips.

She paused in the doorway, glaring over her shoulder. “Aren't you coming?”

Ford's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He blinked a few times before trotting over.

Evalin entered the elevator first, Ford trailing behind her. Silently, he pressed the main floor button and the elevator whirled to life as it ascended.

His eyes wandered to her as she stood in complete silence, her hat shadowing her face.

He reached up and tapped the sigil on the side of his glasses. The world shifted around him.

He froze as he looked at Evalin's light. It was crackling and glitching violently, sputtering as if it was trying to explode.

Something flicked in the corner of his vision. His eyes traveled down to her shadow. For just a moment, he could have sworn he saw something... slithering.

Ford’s breath caught as his scientific mind scrambled for an explanation—but none came. Before he could say anything, the elevator made it to the main floor and opened.

Without waiting, Evalin stepped out and ascended the small staircase to the vending machine in the Mystery Shack Gift Shop, Ford close behind.

~n~

“What do you mean you don't want to take me to the Fairy Kingdom anymore?!” Mabel shouted as she waved her sleeves in the air. “You were just saying I would make an amazing Fairy Princess!”

The fairy trembled as she tried to keep a smile on her face. “Yeah, I get I said that but I also want to make it home in one piece and—“

Evalin walked through the door, her eyes sharp and cold, each step like a judge approaching the stand.

The fairy’s wings faltered mid-flap, trembling as she dipped into a bow. “Lady Evalin, I have come to make a report!”

Dipper raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “Lady Evalin? Report?”

Evalin didn't even look at him. “The fae is in my debt after saving their village quite a few times now.”

“You saved the fairies?” Mabel questioned, tilting her head slightly.

Evalin inhaled and exhaled, exasperated. “Yes—and now they owe me.”

Ford studied Evalin, the sharpness in her tone... the way the fairy seemed to shrink in her presence. This side of her was something else entirely—and it unnerved him.

Evalin's eyes landed on the small fairy. “Well? What is it?”

The fairy hesitated before speaking. “That shop you told us to look out for... it has arrived in Gravity Falls.”

Evalin's eyebrows shot up in surprise. Something shifted in her demeanor as she let out a breath. “Oh? So Oddity's is here? That's actually good news.” She turned her attention back to the fairy. “Where did it manifest?”

The fairy pressed her fingers together, slowly perking back up as she noticed the tone change in Evalin's voice. “A back alley behind the bar The Rusty Nail.”

Evalin grimaced. 'That fucking place again.'

She sighed before turning to Ford, who clearly had many questions. “Looks like you finally get to see Oddity's for yourself.”

Ford flinched, his fingers curling at his sides. “Evalin, are you upset?”

Her mouth twitched subtly as if she was being shocked, a storm brewing under her skin. Then she took a long deep breath and schooled her face.

“It doesn’t matter,” she monotoned. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready and gather bartering materials. Phames doesn’t take normal currencies and I have things I need to put up.”

With that, she nodded before disappearing in the hallway.

Dipper, Mabel, Ford, and the fairy all stared at the spot she once stood. 

Then, the fairy spoke up first. “Well, my work is done so I’m gonna get out of her before that crazy witch rips me in half.”

“Pshaw, Evi wouldn’t do that,” Mabel chuckled weakly before looking up at Ford. “Right?”

The fairy threw up her arms and started flying away. “Good luck with all of that. I’m not risking my wings with all of that chaotic energy. I’m out.”

She disappeared into the treeline, a trail of sparkles disappearing in her wake.

Dipper turned to Ford as well, furrowing his brow. “What happened to Evalin anyway? She looked madder than hell.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “I actually don’t think I’ve ever seen her that pissed off before.”

Ford blinked, shaking his head as he shrugged his shoulders. “I—I don’t know what happened,” he admitted as he locked eyes with the kids. “We were talking about my first attempt at making a portal and then she said she wanted to fix the past for me. I told her she can’t and that I’m happy where I am now. She didn’t seem to take that well and now she is mad as all get out.”

The twins winced at the same time, much to Ford’s surprise. 

“Well, there’s the problem, Grunkle Ford,” Mabel scowled, throwing her arms out. “You can’t just hurt her pride like that!”

Ford jolted as he stared at them in confusion. “What are you even talking about?”

Dipper steepled his fingers as his eyes drifted to the side. “Evalin doesn’t seem to like to be told that she can’t… do something,” he sighed before pointing his fingers outward.

“The other day, we were going to get icecream from the icecream parlor and they were closed before we arrived. When we went to leave, she disappeared for about 5 minutes and came back with three milkshakes from the shop. I’m pretty sure she broke in and made her own.”

Ford hesitated, pressing his lips together. “I might need to talk to her about breaking into local businesses to steal products.”

Mabel shook her head, chuckling. “Oh, Grunkle Ford. She didn’t steal. I watched her slip a $20 bill under the door. More than enough to pay for the icecream.”

He looked at her, furrowing his brows. “I’m not sure that makes me feel much better.”

She walked up and patted him on the arm. “That’s okay. We still got icecream and mine had sprinkles on it. That’s all that mattered.”

“That’s not what he meant, Mabel,” Dipper groaned, rubbing a hand down his face.

Mabel just smiled as she started to walk out of the room. “Whatever, I’m gonna get ready for this fancy shop Evi’s going to. It’ll be fun!” she whooped before disappearing around the corner. 

Ford sighed heavily. “I didn’t mean to upset her.”

“Nah, I think you’re fine, Grunkle Ford,” Dipper assured him. “I think Evalin’s in the wrong here and that’s something she needs to work on. Not you.”

Ford’s eyes drifted over to his nephew, studying for a moment before sagging his shoulders slightly. “I suppose.” He straightened up and turned toward the hallway. “I should get ready to see this Oddity’s shop as well.”

With that, he strode off into the hallway and disappeared into his room to get ready for the interdimensional store called Oddity’s.

~n~

Stan's car traveled down the gravel roads of Gravity Falls. Stan was behind the wheel, Ford in the passenger side, Dipper, Mabel, and Evalin in the back. Mabel leaned over her brother to look out the window much to her brother’s dismay.

“Mabel, if you wanted to look out the window, you should have picked a window seat,” Dipper huffed as he pushed his sister off of him.

“Where is the fun in that though, Dip-Dip?” Mabel snickered as she smiled wide.

Stan tilted his head back slightly, keeping his eyes on the road. “So, Spooky, what's so special about this shop anyway?”

Evalin shifted in her seat, still looking out her window. “Oddity's is an interdimensional odds and ends shop. All sorts of beings trade there.” She suddenly turned to face everyone. “Oh, none of you are demons, are you? Phames won't do deals with demons. He literally has a sign in the shop that says ' WON'T TRADE WITH DEMONS '.”

“None of us are demons, Evalin,” Mabel scoffed.

“Not unless you count Mabel being a sparkle demon,” Dipper snickered to himself.

Mabel wiggled her fingers at him, light twinkled from her fingertips.

Dipper shielded himself with his arms. “Damn it, Mabel! Stop doing that! It hurts my eyes!”

Mabel snickered to herself as she watched her brother suffer. The sparkles disappeared as she turned to Evalin. “Hey, Witchy Sensei, when you gonna teach me a new spell?”

Evalin tapped her fingers against her leg, thinking. “I haven't decided yet. You seemed to like that water breathing spell a lot.”

Mabel's eyes widened as she lit up like a Christmas tree. “HELL YEAH! MERMAID POWERS!”

“How are you teaching Mabel spells anyway?” Ford questioned, intrigued.

“Same way I was taught,” Evalin explained, glancing over at Ford. “Just kind of talk through the motions. Let her figure out the feeling of it. After that, it's all her.”

Dipper leaned forward to look around Mabel at Evalin. “Who taught you?”

Evalin froze. Her fingers twitched slightly against her knees. An awkward silence filled the car as they waited for Evalin to answer.

Instead, she leaned back in her seat. “Someone you'll probably never meet.”

“Are they, like, dead or something?” Dipper inquired, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

Evalin huffed out a dry laugh. “Yeah, no, nothing can kill that guy. Trust me.”

“Where is your mentor at then?” Mabel asked, tilting her head.

Evalin paused as her chest tightened. She forced herself to breathe as she reached up and grabbed the brim of her hat, gripping it until her knuckles turned white.

Then, she spoke in a quiet tone. “I... I don't know.”

Without waiting for anyone to respond, she rolled down the window and unclipped her seatbelt. The wind whipped through the open window, her dress flaring behind her like wings as she disappeared onto the roof.

Everyone collectively gasped.

“EVALIN!”

Stan went to slam on the brakes but Evalin peeked her head through the open window. “Don't stop. I would like to get there before Oddity's leaves for the year.”

Stan tried to wrap his head around what she just said when his mind began to buzz.

‘You should listen to her, Stanney-boy. She knows what she's doing~’

His jaw tightened. Slowly, he moved his foot from the brake and kept driving.

Evalin nodded in recognition before disappearing over the ledge of the car.

Ford, on the other hand, looked at him with wide eyes, shouting, “Stanley! What are you doing!? Pull over right now!”.

“She's fine,” Stan shot back, his grip tightening against the steering wheel. “If Spooky wants to be up there, let her. Clearly, she wants to be left alone.”

Ford jolted, looking at Stan like he had two heads.

‘There you go, Stanney-Boy~’ the voice in Stan's head purred. ‘Give her the freedom she craves. Give her the freedom that nerd won't. Trust me, she loves that shit~’

“Grunkle Stan! Are you crazy?! She's going to fall off!” Dipper refuted as he clutched the seat.

Mabel tilted her head, a smirk playing at her lips. “I don't know. Car surfing does sound like fun~”

“Hell no!” Dipper squeaked as his eye twitched so hard he thought it was going to pop out of its socket. “Jesus Christ, Mabel! You're just as crazy as she is!”

“Stanley! Pull over the damn car! Now!” Ford demanded, his tone urgent.

“I’m not pulling over and that’s final!” Stan shouted, his voice echoing through the small space.

The car filled with an awkward, uncomfortable silence as he kept his eyes on the road in front of him, his eyebrow twitching slightly. He could have sworn he heard something pushing through his thoughts but couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. He shook his head to shake off the thoughts so he could focus on driving and not the uneasy feeling burrowing in his mind.

~n~

When the car slowed down, Ford let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as Stan pulled into a parking spot at the Rusty Nail.

Evalin rolled off the roof, landing on her feet with ease. She flattened her dress before turning to the family as they exited the car. “Ready?”

Ford stepped forward, his hand reaching for her. “Evalin, will you please talk to—?”

“No offense, but we need to move.” Evalin interrupted, holding up her hand. “Oddity’s is only here for one day and I’m not going to miss out on anything.”

Ford froze, studying her closely. “Evalin… I’m sorry if I upset you.”

Evalin shook her head. “Don’t be. I’m fine.”

She looked back at the shop over her shoulder. “You wanted to see Oddity’s, right? Well, there are some strict rules about time constraints and if we don’t go now, you won’t be able to see everything.”

With that, she spun on her heel and stepped toward the totally inconspicuous door with a sign that said Oddity’s above it, not out of place or anything, as if it had always been there even though everyone knew it wasn’t. Dipper and Mabel shrugged and followed her.

Stan put a hand on Ford's shoulder. “Hey, Spooky is clearly in a mood. How about we let this one go, eh?” He patted him on the shoulder a few times before trailing after the twins.

Ford exhaled slowly as he lowered his hand before reluctantly following.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 42 // Chapter 44 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // <Chapter 42 // Chapter 43 // Chapter 44 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 42 // Chapter 43 // Chapter 44 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 42: Movie Night

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 41 // Chapter 43 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 41 // Chapter 42 // Chapter 43 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 41 // Chapter 42 // Chapter 43 >

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Evalin, Ford, and Mabel made their way down the hallway away from Evalin's room. They heard noise from the kitchen and followed it to find Dipper and Stan tapping snacks to each other.

“What are you two doing?” Ford asked, his eye twitching.

Stan continued to tape a bag of chips to Dipper. “Since we are going to the movies, I'm not paying snack prices. We are smuggling them in.”

Dipper pointed a finger at Ford. “Movie theaters are far too overpriced when it comes to snacks. It feels like a whole conspiracy to make the poor man poorer and the rich man richer. I refuse to support lizard people with something so mundane.”

Evalin tilted her head. “There are lizard people here?”

Stan flicked his eyes to Evalin. “Hey, there, white rabbit. You came out of your hide-y hole?”

She blinked, then something clicked.

“Oh! That's from Alice in Wonderland!” She tilted her head, her eyebrow raised. “Stan, I didn't know you knew how to read.”

Stan froze, completely blindsided. 

Ford wheezed as Dipper snickered.

Evalin looked between the three of them before turning to Mabel and shrugging.

“Yuk it up, you little shits. Yeah, I can read. I choose not to. Some of us live in the real world and not some fantasy magical world with hooka smoking caterpillars,” Stan grumbled.

Ford rolled his eyes, still laughing. “Stanley, I literally watched you yell at a gnome for five minutes straight for digging in the trash. We live in a paranormal environment. That's why I picked Gravity Falls in the first place.”

Stan pointed a finger at Ford. “Hey, I would have yelled a lot longer but someone had to be an NFL badass and punt that damn thing halfway to town.”

He gestured to Evalin, who snorted, her nose in the air. “Gnomes are literally the devil.”

Ford shook his head, his smile never fading. “Anyway, Stanley, you can't tape snacks to the kids. You're going to get caught.”

“Nah, Sixer! I'm loading myself up too!” Stan exclaimed as he lifted his shirt, showing snacks taped to himself, some of them falling off and landing on the floor.

Ford shielded his eyes from his brother from flashing him. “Goddamn it, Stanley, have some decency! You're going to traumatize us all.”

Stan bellowed out a laugh. “This is what a real man looks like!”

“Yes, Stanley. Truly, you’re a marvel of evolution,” Ford groaned dramatically.

Completely ignoring him, Stan winked at Evalin. “Don't think I didn't see you staring, Spooky~”

Evalin tilted her head, mumbling, “I was trying to see what kind of snacks you had. I'm worried the chocolate would melt against your body heat.”

Stan froze, his eye twitching.

Ford covered his mouth as he tried (and failed miserably) to stop his laughter.

Dipper sighed, “I wish we had a different method of sneaking in snacks that don't have the chance of having Grunkle Stan's hair in it...”

“Do you have anything witchy that can help us out?” Mabel asked, turning to Evalin.

Evalin blinked for a moment before looking up, a finger to her chin as she thought.

Before she could answer, Ford turned and put a hand on her shoulder, leaning in close to whisper in her ear, “You could show them that little treasure you keep with you all the time. That hidden bag on your hip.”

Evalin's breath hitched. Her head snapped toward him, her eyes scanning his face. “How did you—?”

Ford chuckled, tilting his head forwards slightly. “I've seen you use it more than once.”

Evalin pressed her lips together, thinking, 'Well, fuck, and here I thought I was being sneaky...'

He squeezed her shoulder gently. “I assure you, they won't be afraid.”

She studied his face, her fingers twitching at her side.

After a moment, she sighed before turning to Stan.

“Stan... I might have a better answer...”

Dipper and Stan lifted an eyebrow as Mabel and Ford smiled wide.

Hesitating, Evalin shifted something over her shoulder. With the tap of her collarbone, a beautiful leather bag shimmered into sight.

“Witchy stuff!” Mabel gasped, her eyes shimmering.

“How does an invisible bag help with all of these snacks?” Dipper asked, tilting his head.

“Yeah, it's so small. No offense, Spooky, but I don't think your fancy Houdini pouch is going to help us,” Stan scoffed, waving a hand lazily in the air.

Evalin's entire face twitched.

A moment of silence stretched as she screamed internally, 'These UNGRATEFUL—!! The sacrifice I had to do to get this FUCKING BAG—!!!'

Ford chuckled, stepping forward and adjusting his glasses. “Now, Stanley, you know more than anyone that size doesn't matter~”

“I know for a fucking fact you're not implying—“ Stan warned in a low tone.

Ford put his hands up in mock innocence, a huge smile on his face. “No, not at all! I would never indulge in something so juvenile~”

He placed a hand on Evalin's back, pushing her forward in encouragement and flashing her a smile. “Go on. Show them what it can do.”

Evalin paused for a moment, her eyes flickering over his face again.

Then, walked over to Stan with a sigh. She started to rip the bags off of his chest so quickly he hardly had time to respond.

“OUCH! SHIT! WHY?!”, he yelped as she collected a pile of snacks, removing the tape.

Ford and Dipper both chuckled. Mabel pointed at Stan. “Haha!”

Stan lowered his shirt, rubbing his chest.

Evalin ignored them as she started throwing the bags into her satchel. One by one, they disappeared.

Ford shifted his glasses, beaming as he watched. Dipper and Mabel both watched with wide eyes as Stan narrowed his.

Evalin stood up and went to the table, throwing more snacks into her bag, the satchel never changing size.

“Is that like... a Bag of Holding?” Dipper asked, a smirk playing at his lips.

Evalin paused for half a second before continuing to put more snacks in her bag. “Um... well.... It's called a Bottomless Satchel but call it whatever I suppose.”

Ford stepped forward, taking a closer look with a huge smile, adjusting his glasses again. His excitement shined bright as he finally got to watch the effects of Evalin's bag first hand.

“Fascinating! So this bag holds a paradoxical temporal pocket of space with no limitations of weight or mass?”

“Bless you~” Evalin teased with a smile.

Ford rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “I'm asking about the size never changing no matter what you place in the bag.”

Evalin's grin widened. “Oh, I know what you asked~”

Ford pressed his lips together, mildly annoyed.

Before he could say anything, Evalin continued, “To answer your question, yes, no matter what you put in here, it won't change the size, shape, or weight of the bag. As long as the item can fit through the opening, it can go into the void.”

“What does it look like inside the bag?” Mabel beamed, scooting in so close she squished against Evalin.

“You know? I never wondered that before,” she wondered as she looked up in thought.

She lifted the bag over her head and plunged her head inside, the opening of the bag landing on her shoulders.

“It's really dark in here,” she said with a muffled voice.

She popped her head back out, blinking a few times to readjust to the light, her head feeling lighter.

“Hey! My hat!”

She shoved her hand into the bag and pulled her hat back out.

Ford leaned in closer, practically vibrating with excitement. “Incredible! And how do you get specific items back out?”

Evalin finished adjusting her hat back onto its rightful place on her head. “Oh, that part's easy. Just shove your hand in the bag and think about the item you're trying to summon. What it is, what it looks like, what it feels like. Eventually, that item will touch your hand so you grab it and pull it out.”

“Did you make this bag yourself?” Dipper asked, tilting his head slightly.

“I wish,” Evalin snorted. “I don't have leather working skills, let alone sewing in general. I mean, I probably enchant a bag to do about the same thing but this one is so well made and I traded something pretty big for it so I'm using it to its fullest.”

“Oh? What did you trade for it?” Ford inquired, extremely interested.

Evalin paused, her eyes widening just a little. “Uh... just something I made. Nothing too fancy.”

“You literally just said that you traded something pretty big for the bag.” Dipper protested, raising a finger.

Evalin froze.

She snapped her eyes over to Dipper, pressing her lips together before reaching in her bra and pulling out a piece of paper.

“Oh, would you look at that? Another tickle sigil? How did that get in here?”

Dipper took a step back. “Grunkle Ford said you can't use your sigils on us!”

A wicked grin spread across Evalin's face. “I'm aware of what he said~”

She handed the sigil to Mabel and gave the command, “Get him, Mabel~”

Mabel beamed as she snatched the sigil from Evalin's hand.

Dipper's eyes went wide as he turned and ran. “Goddamn it! Not this again!”

“ACCEPT YOUR FATE, DIPPER!” Mabel cackled as she gave chase after her brother.

Evalin snickered as she watched the kids run out of the room.

Ford sighed heavily. “Evalin...”

Evalin waved her hand at him. “Hey, I followed your rules, didn't I~”

Ford pinched the bridge of his nose. “I feel like you are going to be the death of me.”

Stan got up and walked over to the fridge. “Hey, Spooky, you think you can put drinks in there too?”

Evalin nodded. “Of course. What do you got?”

Stan started pulling out liters of soda from the fridge as well as some water bottles.

Evalin placed each one in the bag without a second thought.

Ford tilted his head. “Will walking with the bag shake up the sodas?”

“Hell if I know. I've had this bag for like a few months? I haven't fully tested it myself yet,” Evalin responded with a shrug before sighing heavily. “I really wish I had it when I had to go two towns over just to do food shopping in peace. I wouldn't have had to carry all those heavy bags.”

Stan lifted an eyebrow. “You didn't drive at all?”

“She is from the middle of the woods, Stanley. She doesn't even know how to drive,” Ford explained as he adjusted his glasses.

Stan blinked then chuckled, “Wow, Spooky, we really need to get you out more.”

“Don't patronize me,” Evalin warned, pointing at him.

Ford stifled a laugh. “Yes, Stanley don't patronize the birthday girl~”

Stan threw up his hands. “Aw, come on! That's horseshit!”

“Weak, Stanley~” Ford teased as he bit back his snickers.

Evalin looked between the two of them, confused. “Is getting treated special all day on your birthday normal?”

Ford's smile softened as he nodded. “Yes, Evalin. Today is special because of you. A birthday is supposed to be a reminder of how special you are and that does mean all day.”

Evalin froze, blinking a few times. Then her eyes shifted to the floor.

“... Oh.”

“That's why we got one last surprise for you! You get to pick out what movie we are gonna go see!” Stan exclaimed as he took his phone out of his pocket and started scrolling. “The movie theater in Gravity Falls is playing three movies tonight.”

He showed her the screen. “Here you go, Spooky.”

Evalin leaned forward and looked at the options.

After studying the pictures, she pressed on Zombie Murder Island 3. “That one looks interesting.”

Stan looked at her choice, warily. “A zombie movie? Don't you see enough weird stuff on the daily?”

“So that means it's familiar~” Evalin teased with a shrug, smirking.

“She has a point and it is her birthday~” Ford chuckled, wiggling his finger at his brother.

“You're gonna use that every chance you get, ain't cha?” Stan groaned, running a hand down his face.

Ford flashed him a wicked smile. “Wouldn't dream of it, Stanley~”

Evalin studied Ford for a moment, noticing his shift. Her heart fluttered hard as her eyes widened slightly.

'That's just like—'

Heat crawled up her neck as her cheeks deepened in color. She reached up and fiddled with the brim of her hat.

Both of the men were oblivious to Evalin as they glared each other down.

“Alright, let's get everyone in the car and go see a scary nightmare movie for the birthday princess,” Stan conceded, rolling his eyes.

Evalin's eyes snapped over to him, throwing her hands up in the air and pressing her lips together in annoyance. “Do I look like a princess to you?!”

Stan jolted before bellowing out a laugh. “Not at all but you sure act like one~”

Evalin's eye twitched so hard she thought it was going to pop out of her skull.

She stuck out her pinky and pointer finger, electricity sparking between them.

Stan recoiled.

Ford stopped Evalin by grabbing her shoulder, chuckling while shaking his head. “Come now, Evalin. We are going to be late for the movie.”

Evalin puffed out her cheeks. Then, with a huff, she lowered her hand.

Stan clutched his chest, catching his breath. “Thanks for the save there, Sixer. I forgot she's an actual taser.”

“It would be wise not to forget again~” Ford chuckled, flashing a smile.

Stan shook his head. “Can we get going? We are going to miss the whole damn movie with all of your yapping.”

With that, he pushed himself off the counter and strode out of the kitchen.

Ford and Evalin exchanged a glance. Without a word, Ford motioned for her to go first. Evalin smirked and stepped forward, Ford close behind.

~n~

Stan's old, beat-up car rattled as he pulled into a street parking spot and threw it in park before getting out of the car, arms out wide. “Here we are! Gravity Falls movie theater!”

Mabel practically bounced out of her seat as she got out.

Dipper followed behind her, groaning, “Grunkle Stan, we know this is a movie theater.”

“Ah, but Spooky here probably didn’t~” Stan taunted, wagging a finger in the air.

Evalin blinked then shrugged. “Nope. Never been to one before.”

“You had TV where you're from, right?” Mabel gasped dramatically.

Evalin nodded, waving a hand lazily. “Well, yeah, but I never had one myself. Kind of defeats the whole living-off-the-grid thing.”

Mabel grabbed Evalin’s arm, already tugging her toward the theater. “Then we need to get you in there and have you enjoy the magic of cinema!”

Evalin stumbled forward before catching herself, shooting Ford a helpless look as the rest of the group followed.

“So if you didn’t have TV, what the hell did you do all day?” Stan asked after catching up.

Evalin looked up in thought. “Um, let’s see… stupid house chores, gardening, foraging, reading, spell work. You know, norm— oh. Okay, maybe that last one wasn’t exactly normal, but you get my point.”

She perked up. “Oh! I had a radio, so I’d listen to music.”

“Wow. Sounds like a real party at your place,” he snarked, rolling his eyes.

“Entertained me~” she scoffed, unbothered.

“That doesn’t take much~” he teased, flashing her a cheeky smile.

Evalin’s eye twitched, her smirk faltering. “I will shock the piss out of you, jackass.”

Stan put his hands up in mock innocence. “Come on, Spooky. You don’t wanna fry me in public, do ya?”

Evalin’s lip twitched. She puffed up her cheeks, quickening her pace

Stan’s grin widened, clearly excited about his win.

Dipper narrowed his eyes. “Is that Thompson working at the movie theater?”

“Oh! It totally is! Hi, Thompson!” Mabel shouted as he waved at the teen.

Thompson turned, shining his flashlight on Dipper, Mabel, and Stan. “Nope. You three? Out. My boss told me not to let you in.”

Mabel threw up her arms. “What the hell, Thompson!? I thought we were pals!”

Thompson shrugged, glancing over his shoulder. “Hey, I don’t make the rules. You’re all banned after the popcorn explosion incident last year.”

“Pfft. You got no proof that it was us!” Stan objected, crossing his arms.

Thompson smacked the flashlight against his palm. “Dude. We literally have security footage of you three stuffing the popcorn machine with, like, a metric ton of kernels.”

“Maybe you guys should stock more popcorn then,” Dipper argued, pointing at him.

Thompson shrugged again, shaking his head. “Not my problem, little man. I'm not losing money out of my paycheck just to let you guys in.”

“What would it cost to let them in?” Evalin asked, resting her face on her hand.

“I don't know... maybe a tHoUsAnD dOlLaRs?” Thompson snorted.

He chuckled at his own joke but Evalin didn't notice. Instead, she turned around and dug out a wad of cash from her satchel. The Pines family's eyes widened as they watched her count out the money. She pulled out ten crisp $100 bills before placing the rest back in her bag and turning back to Thompson.

“Deal's a deal, buddy.”

Thompson blinked, looked at her, then to the Pines family, then back to her.

“I didn't see any of you today,” he said as he reached out and took the money.

Evalin smiled wide. “Good answer!”

She turned back to the Pines family, smiling sweetly. “Let's go~”

“Hot Sugar Mama Alert!” Stan shouted with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Evalin pressed her lips into a thin line, eye twitching violently. “How many times do I have to tell you?! I'm not food!”

“Try a thousand more times, sugar tits~” Stan cackled.

“Goddamn it, Stanley. Leave,” Ford groaned, already pinching the bridge of his nose.

Stan strutted toward the theater, radiating smug energy.

Mabel threw her hands up in the air. “Yay! Witchy Sensei saved the day!”

“She literally just bribed our way in,” Dipper pointed out.

Mabel shrugged, flipping her hair. “Bribed. Saved. Same thing.”

~n~

As soon as they stepped in the theater, they were blasted with the scent of popcorn and spilled soda, a mixture of butter and sugar filled the air.

“So, Spooky, how did you get that fat stack of cash anyway?” Stan asked as he looked back at Evalin over his shoulder. “You rob a bank or something?”

Evalin shot him an incredulous look. “Stanley, you literally watch me work, like, every day. What are you talking about?”

Stan shook his head, waving his hands in the air in disbelief. “Nuh-uh, there is no way you have all that money from reading from your freaky deck.”

Evalin's eye twitched, mumbling, “Wow, such confidence in my abilities... Love that for me.”

“No one doubts your abilities, Evalin.” Ford interjected, his hand out. “We’re just a little confused about how you have so much money so fast.”

“You don't think I wouldn't use my sigils for my own gain?” Evalin snorted, nose in the air.

“What... do you mean?” Ford asked with a raised eyebrow.

The edges of Evalin's lips curled into a smile. “Alright, I suppose I can tell you now~ If you look under the folding table I use, you'll find a... let's call it a generosity sigil, on the underside~”

“Is that the same sigil you gave Grunkle Stan at the carnival?” Mabel asked, tilting her head.

Evalin nodded, her smile widening. “The exact one~”

“Isn't that stealing?” Dipper questioned, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Not at all!” Evalin beamed. “Tourists are already out here to spend money, right? My sigil just lets them feel a little extra generous so I might get a bigger tip here or there~”

She crinkled her nose at him. “Besides, you're one to talk about morality after trying to sneak a bunch of snacks into the movie theater which I assume is the same as stealing.”

“No! It's a stand against corporate—“ Dipper argued, pointing a finger at her.

Mabel interrupted him, “Blah blah, conspiracy, blah blah. Come on!”

~n~

After stopping to get their tickets, they walked into one of the theaters to find it completely empty.

“Where... do we sit?” Evalin asked as she scanned the empty seats.

Ford stepped up from behind her. “Looks like no one else is here to see this movie so we can sit wherever you would like.”

Mabel pushed her way through, shouting, “We should sit up front! Best seats in the house! Right in front of all of the action.”

“Actually, statistically, the center seats are best—perfect sound balance, optimal viewing angles—“ Dipper started.

Mabel interrupted him, “Come on, Dipper, the front is the best!”

“The front is literally the worst.” Dipper complained as he made his case. “You have to look up the whole time. I don't know about you guys but my neck already hurts thinking about it.”

Before Mabel could say anything more, Evalin stepped forward.

“I think we should listen to Dipper this time. A sore neck doesn't sound very ideal.”

Dipper paused for a moment before smirking. “Thank you, Evi.”

“Boooooo! Boring!” Mabel scoffed, throwing her arms up dramatically.

“Mabel, if you want to sit up front, you are more than welcome to,” Evalin chuckled, amused.

Mabel looked up in thought before conceding, “Nah, I would rather sit next to you and all of the snacks.”

Evalin rolled her eyes before turning to Dipper. “Alright, movie theater master, lead the way.”

Dipper smiled wider as he led them to the center row. He sat first, followed by Mabel, Evalin, Ford, and finally Stan.

Stan lounged out, propping his feet up on the row in front of them. “This is the shit right here. Not having to adjust my hearing aid just to watch a movie. Being young again is freaking awesome!”

Ford rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his smile. “Yes, being young again has been very beneficial. Although, I can't use the excuse that I'm too old anymore.”

The lights dimmed as the projector kicked on.

“QUIET! THE MOVIE IS STARTING!” Mabel shouted at the top of her lungs.

Evalin started digging through her bag. “Alright, let's see, toffee peanuts for Stan, jellybeans for Ford, gummy worms for Mabel, chips for Dipper, and... there it is. Chocolate for me~”

She handed out the snacks and drinks and everyone enjoyed as they munched away.

Just as they were getting comfortable, the light of a flashlight shone on them. Thompson held his hand out. “I figured you guys were going to try and pull something like this when I didn't see you guys get any snacks. Hand it over. I have to confiscate that contraband.”

Evalin sighed, placing fingers against her forehead. “How much would it cost for you to look the other way? Another thousand?” 

Thompson’s eyes went wide. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, that works.”

She reached into her satchel hidden against her side and counted out another thousand dollars before handing it to him. “Here, now, please. Go away~”

Thompson took the money with a nod. “Enjoy the movie folks!”

He turned to walk out when Mabel yelled out after him. “Lock the door! This is a private viewing now, sucka!”

Thompson saluted two fingers as he called out, “You got it!”

They heard a soft click as the previews started to play.

Evalin copied Stan and kicked her feet up, munching on her chocolate bar happily.

Ford leaned over, whispering, “Not to tell you what to do with your money but aren't you being a bit reckless with your finances?”

“Hardly,” she answered, waving him off. “I have more than I know what to do with. Might as well use it on people I actually like being around.”

Ford blinked a few times then smiled warmly. “Thank you, Evalin. You don't have to do that.”

“I'm aware. Clearly, I want to because I wouldn't have if I didn't,” Evalin snorted, unbothered.

He chuckled, shaking his head. “You are absolutely impossible.”

“Hey, you should see what I can get people to do for a bit of cash,” she grinned, taking a bite of her chocolate bar. “I got Soos to do a little weird dance shirtless for a hundred bucks.”

Ford blinked in bafflement, mumbling, “I… don't even know how to respond to that.”

Evalin just smirked. “Money well spent, Ford~”

Mabel waved her arms at them. “Stop with all the talking! The movie is starting!”

~n~

As the movie unfolded, Dipper and Mabel leaned forward with wide eyes, completely engrossed by the movie. Stan stuffed his face with snacks, grinning like a madman as he enjoyed himself. Evalin and Ford sat in comfortable silence as the movie played out, a content smile on their faces.

When the climax hit and the scene grew intense with over-the-top horror and comically bad effects, Evalin could barely contain her laughter.

She tried to muffle it, her shoulders shaking as she leaned into Ford.

Ford stiffened slightly before looking over at her, his lips curling into a smirk. “You’re laughing? At this?”

“Look at it! It’s just so... fake!” she giggled as she pointed at the screen, her voice low. “I mean, that blood looks like concentrated ketchup, and trust me, I’ve seen severed stumps, and that is not it.”

Ford took in the scene again, and then it clicked. Evalin had picked this movie because it was so laughably bad it was entertainment to her.

This woman—who had seen horrors beyond imagination, battled ghoulish monsters, and lived through nightmares—sat beside him, casually eating a chocolate bar as zombies got their arms ripped off, laughing like it was a rom-com.

Ford couldn't keep his eyes off of her as she giggled to herself, pressing herself against him slightly. His heart fluttered to see her smile so freely, to relax and enjoy life for what it was. His lips curled into a grin, and without thinking, he leaned into her in return, chucking with her as the ridiculous horror flick continued to play out.

~n~

They made their way out to the main lobby before making their way out to the car.

Stan sat the sleeping Mabel down and buckled her in as Dipper and Evalin got into the car from the other side. Ford sat in the passenger seat while Stan finally climbed into the driver's seat. He turned the key and the engine roared to life.

Then he threw his arm around the passenger seat to back out of the parking spot, catching Evalin as she smiled softly out the window.

“Hey, Spooky, did you have a good day today?” he asked, his lips curling into a grin.

Evalin turned to him, smirking. “I would have to say this is the best birthday I've ever had.”

Ford's ears perked up as a smile grew on his face, his heart fluttering. Dipper nodded approving as Mabel snored softly.

Stan felt his chest warm as he flashed her a lopsided grin. “Good, but don't expect to be treated like that all the time, princess.”

Evalin furrowed her eyebrows, growling, “I told you I'm not a princess and I will literally die on that hill.”

Ford chuckled as Dipper rolled his eyes.

“Whatever you say, princess~” Stan teased as he finished pulling out of the spot.

Evalin stuck up her pinky and pointer finger, a spark of electricity shooting between them.

Stan flinched before smiling wider. “Kinky~”

Evalin's eyebrow twitched.

Ford groaned dramatically, “Really, Stanley? Can you just.... not?”

“Yeah, Grunkle Stan, that was gross. There are kids in the car,” Dipper complained, crossing his arms uncomfortably. 

Evalin tilted her head in confusion. “I don't understand.”

Ford froze, his eyes going wide.

Stan's smile turned absolutely wicked. “Ooo, baby~ I can teach you what kinky means anytime~”

Dipper looked horrified while Evalin just looked confused.

Ford choked on air as he had to fight for his right to breathe. “STANLEY, JUST DRIVE US HOME AND STOP HARASSING EVALIN!”

Stan laughed so hard that he woke up Mabel.

“Are we at the Rainbow Factory?” she asked, her eyes barely open.

Dipper patted her on the head. “Go back to sleep. Stay sane for the both of us.”

Mabel slouched back into the seat as if she was never awake in the first place.

Stan laughed most of the way back to the shack, much to Evalin's confusion and Ford's exasperation.

~n~

The car rolled up on the Mystery Shack, the night wrapping the area in a dark blanket as owls hooted off in the distance, the world preparing for bed.

Stan put it in park before jumping out to grab Mabel, scooping her up with ease and holding her against his chest as he walked her inside.

Evalin went to get out but the door wouldn't open.

She juggled the handle a few times but nothing happened.

She frowned deeply, looking out the window. “I've been trapped...”

Ford chuckled as he watched her struggle with the door and opened it from the outside. “Here you go, Evalin.”

Evalin shuffled out of the car, grumbling, “Get locked in the car on my apparently special day. Love that for me…”

Ford examined the door. He had to cover his mouth to hide his laughter. “Looks like you were done in by the child lock.”

“I'm not a child,” Evalin corrected, puffing her cheeks up in irritation.

“The car doesn't know that~” Dipper teased as he strode by, smirking.

Evalin pressed her lips together, narrowing her eyes. “You are so lucky your sister is asleep right now.”

Dipper chuckled before turning to walk toward the shack. “So says you but I have figured out how to bet your little tickle traps!”

Evalin raised an amused eyebrow. “Oh, really? Alright, what great and powerful method do you know?”

Dipper tapped his forehead and he flashed her a knowing smile. “I have figured out that if you disrupt the sigil marking before it touches you, it'll null the sigil's power. I learned that when Mabel tried to tag me with one this morning and I fought back with an open-lidded marker.”

“And that actually worked?” Ford asked, his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Yeah, you got me this time, little man,” Evalin snorted with a lazy grin. “To beat a written sigil, you just have to draw over it or mess up the lines somehow. That's why I like to engrave my sigils but you kind of can't do that on the fly.”

Dipper spun around to face them, a huge victorious smile on his face. “You mean I was actually right?!”

Evalin blinked, furrowing her brow. “Why do you ask so surprised? I already told you you're a stupid smart kid. Freaks me out sometimes.”

Dipper's smile widened as he turned back to the shack.

“I was right!!” he shouted as he ran inside, fists in the air in triumph.

“You might have fed his ego a little too much,” Ford chuckled, shaking his head as he watched his nephew run inside.

“Eh, I'll let him have this one,” she conceded with an amused look on her face. “Not a lot of nonmagic users know that one so it's still very impressive that he was able to figure out that one on his own. Being brave as shit doing it too.”

“What do you mean?” he asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

“He literally faced down his crazy sparkle demon sister with nothing but an open marker,” Evalin boasted with a smirk. “Kid's got a set of balls on him, that's for sure.”

Ford laughed through his nose, shaking his head. “Ah, yes, Dipper is one of the most courageous kids I know. He has fought ghosts and demons alike and yet still has to go to bed on time or he is very cranky.”

“This family is so interesting,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “You have Stan who is resistant to magic. Mabel who can use magic. You, who understands magic more than most humans I've met. And Dipper who stands against it all. It is quite fascinating.”

Ford lifted a suspicious eyebrow. “There is a lot to pick apart there. First of all, Stanley is magic resistant?”

Evalin blinked at him, surprised, “Did you not know?”

“What?! No!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

Her eyes widened slightly before she shifted her gaze to the ground as she mumbled, “Oh... Um... Well, I have seen him take a gift the fairies have left him and brush off their little trickster spells.”

Suddenly, she perked up before adding, “Oh! There was another time when he totally ignored the call of a Rusalka.”

Ford tilted his head before putting a hand to his chin in thought. “A Rusalka? Living in Gravity Falls? Weird, I thought they were only in Europe.”

“Well, it doesn't live here anymore~” she snickered with an impish grin.

“Why? What did you do?” Ford questioned, his eyes watching her.

Evalin froze for a moment, pressing her lips together, then shrugged.

“Who knows~? Maybe I made it where it couldn't hurt you guys and maybe I didn't~”

Suddenly, she pointed up to the sky. “Oh, would you look at that? Bedtime.”

She patted Ford on his chest. “Time to make my sneaky getaway~”

With that, she tapped herself on the collarbone and completely disappeared.

Ford sighed heavily as he reached up and tapped the side of his glasses to activate the magic-seeing sigil. “I can see you.”

Evalin's light paused and then turned toward him slowly. She tapped her collarbone again, her body shimmering slightly before coming back into vision, her lips pressed together. “Wow, take away my fun. How rude.”

Ford chuckled, shaking his head. “Thank you for keeping the family safe.”

Evalin's lips curled into a gentle smile. “Well, I like this family. You guys are hilarious and worth keeping around, you know?”

Ford rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the smirk on his face. “We are blessed that you have decided to take us under your protective wing.”

Evalin clicked her tongue and pointed at him with finger guns. “Hey, if you are ever down for that payment, you know where to find me~”

Ford paused for a moment, blinking. Then he realized what she was talking about. Slowly, he put out his arms.

Evalin smiled wide. She ran up to him and placed her ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat with a satisfied hum.

Ford wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head. They stood like that for a moment, completely comfortable.

After a few seconds—

“Thank you, Ford. For everything.”

Ford's lips broke into a soft smile.

“Of course, Evalin. Happy birthday.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 41 // Chapter 43 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 41 // Chapter 42 // Chapter 43 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 41 // Chapter 42 // Chapter 43 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 41: Presents

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 40 // Chapter 42 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 40 // Chapter 41 // Chapter 42 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 40 // Chapter 41 // Chapter 42 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ford led Evalin back to the shack, her hand still firmly in his as they walked through the trees.

She smiled the entire walk, the prism pendant around her neck catching the light, casting tiny rainbows as she moved.

Ford stopped right in front of the screen door and, with a final squeeze, he let go of her hand.

He grabbed the door handle, looking over his shoulder at her. “Are you ready?”

Evalin nodded, a smirk still on her face.

Ford flashed her a smile before opening the door to the Mystery Shack Gift Shop.

Melody was at the counter, counting the cash in the drawer.

When she saw the two of them, she smiled warmly. “Hey, you two!”

Evalin gave a polite bow. “Hello, Bosslady Melody.”

Melody shook her head with a sigh but still smiled. “Evalin, how many times do I need to tell you? It's just Melody.”

Evalin chuckled, a tinge of mischief in her tone. “A few more million times for sure~”

Ford raised his eyebrow. “I see you are still doing well at your job.”

Evalin shrugged, a cocky grin on her face. “What can I say? I take my jobs seriously.”

Ford tilted his head. “What other jobs have you had?”

Evalin froze, her eyes widening.

Something flickered in her expression—just for a second.

Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

“Oh... um... Just odd-end jobs. Nothing really worth a damn.”

Ford went to ask more but Evalin turned to Melody.

“Look what Ford made for me! Isn't it super pretty?”

Melody leaned in to see the pendant that Evalin was pointing at.

She hummed in approval, nodding.

“That's beautiful, Evalin! You really outdid yourself, Mr. Pines!”

Ford's face burned as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yes, well, she seemed to like the prism display I made for her the other day so I wanted to make her something that she could have with her always.”

Evalin smiled wide, enjoying Ford's reaction.

Melody chuckled, amused. “Well, I shouldn't keep you too long. I think the others are waiting for you in the living room. Happy birthday, Evi.”

Evalin smirked with a nod. “Thank you. See you later, Bosslady Melody!”

With that, she strode toward the swinging door that said 'Employees Only', Ford close behind.

As soon as she stepped into the living room, her eyes widened.

There was a handwritten banner hanging above that said, 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EVI!' as well as some balloons scattered throughout the room.

Dipper, Mabel, and Stan sat around the dining room table.

Their faces lit up as they saw Evalin walk into the room.

“Happy Birthday!” Dipper and Mabel said in unison.

Stan pulled the string of a party popper.

POP!

Evalin's eyes widened, her fingers twitching at her sides.

She was frozen in her spot, unsure how to react.

Ford noticed and came up behind her, his fingers wrapping around her arm.

Evalin looked back at him, a warm smile spread across his face.

He gave her a quick arm squeeze before letting his hand slip away.

Evalin turned back to the others and gave them a weak smirk.

“Um... Th-thank you. You didn't need to do all of this.”

Mabel threw her arms in the air. “Of course we did! Everyone deserves to have a good birthday!”

She bound over and took Evalin by the hand, pulling her toward the table.

Sitting Evalin down with a plop, she shoved a couple of wrapped boxes in her hands.

One of the boxes was smaller, well wrapped in the most perfect way possible.

Dipper pretended to buff his nails on his shirt. “Yeaaaah, that one's from me~”

Evalin carefully took the wrapping paper off to reveal a picture frame.

Inside was a picture of stars with the date on it.

She tilted her head, tracing her fingers over the constellations.

Dipper beamed as he pointed at the picture.

“That is what the sky would have looked like if you were born here in Gravity Falls today thirty years ago.”

Evalin’s face lit up, her smirk widening.

“Wow, Dipper! This is really cool! So, this is what the sky would have looked like if I was born here on Earth?”

Dipper smiled wide. “Exactly! Well, here in Gravity Falls but yeah! I figured you would like to see what the sky would have looked like that day and now you have it framed.”

“What a well thought out gift, Dipper,” Ford complimented, nodding in approval. 

“Not as good as mine is gonna be!” Mabel scoffed before leaning in closer, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Open mine next! Open mine next!”

Evalin looked over to see the other box.

It was held together by tape, glue, glitter, and sheer determination.

She chuckled as she shook her head.

With the crazy box in her hands, she started to unwrap it.

When she opened the box, she froze.

Her stomach plunged as her smile completely disappeared.

In the box was a small yellow star-shaped pillow.

Memories started to flood in.

“…You possessed a man, walked all the way out here… just to give me a pillow?”

“You’re—gods, you’re the biggest idiot ever—”

“HEY! EXCUSE YOU! I am literally the best gift-giver you’ve ever met—”

Her lips twitched violently.

Her eyes stung.

A smug grin flashed in her mind.

“Nailed it.”

Mabel's voice cut through, small and hesitant.

“Evi?”

Evalin looked up, tears running down her face like waterfalls.

Her hands shook as she gripped the pillow so tight her knuckles turned white.

When she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out.

Her throat locked up—tight, suffocating—like invisible hands were squeezing the air from her lungs.

A voice deep in Stan's mind piped in, observing the situation from Stan's eyes.

'Uh oh.'

Stan's ears perked up as a shiver shot up his spine.

“Uh oh?”

Ford, seeing Evalin's shoulders start to shake, reached out his hand.

“Evalin? Are you alright?”

Before he could touch her, she turned to him.

His breath hitched as he froze completely.

Tears soaked her face, her jaw tight.

She clenched on the pillow, her hands trembling as she held it to her chest.

She was trying so hard to smile but it was clear that she was hurting.

Before anyone could say anything, she reached up a shaking hand and tapped her collarbone, disappearing in an instant.

The entire room gasped.

Dipper was the first one to speak up. “What the hell just happened?! Evalin can teleport?!”

Ford's fingers twitched in the air, still reaching out where Evalin once stood.

Then, he heard the sound of footsteps rushing out of the room followed by the slam of a door in the distance.

He furrowed his brow, lowering his arm.

“No... She can't teleport. She just turned invisible.”

Stan jolted, eyes wide.

“She can do that!?”

Mabel held her hands to her chest. “Did.... Did I do something wrong?”

Ford looked down at his niece. He could see her hands shaking as she tried her hardest not to cry.

Sighing, he leaned down and placed a hand on Mabel's shoulder.

“No, Mabel, you've done nothing wrong. Evalin must have gotten overwhelmed. She hasn't had a family before so this must be a lot for her.”

“She's never had a family before?” Mabel asked as she studied Ford's face for a moment. “But... we’re her family now.”

Ford gave her a small smirk.

“That's right. And because we are her family, we need to be patient with her when things like this happen. Would you like to come with me to try and talk to her?”

Mabel sniffled and nodded.

“What should we do?” Dipper asked, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

Ford looked at the doorway Evalin ran through and then back to Dipper.

“Go ahead and get ready to leave. Mabel and I will get Evalin.”

“How do you expect to find someone who literally just turned herself into a ghost? Whole new meaning to the name Spooky,” Stan scoffed, throwing a hand up.

Ford tapped the side of his glasses, activating the magic sight sigil.

“Evalin made me these enchanted glasses and I can use them to find her, as well as see full color in the dark.”

Dipper's eyebrow shot up.

“She made those for you? Did she use the same drawing technique she has on the roof?”

Ford nodded firmly.

Mabel's face lit up with interest regardless of the tears.

“Can I try them?”

Ford watched the small pink light in Mabel's chest flickered slightly.

He chuckled, tousling her hair. “Not right now, sweetie. Let's go talk to Evalin first.”

With that, he led the way out of the living room to Evalin's door.

~n~

KNOCK KNOCK

“Evalin? Can we talk?”

There was a moment of silence.

Then—

Click

The door slowly swung open on its own.

Ford and Mabel looked at each other.

With a nod, they walked inside Evalin's room.

To the naked eye, the room was abnormally dark save for one string of fairy lights that constantly twinkled like the stars.

More books filled her bookshelves as they started to pile on her dresser with all of her ingredients and tools that she had been collecting.

A herb rack was installed on this ceiling where many plants were hanging to dry, replacing her old method of stringing them to the ceiling with twine and tape.

In the high window sat the prism Ford gave her alongside beautiful crystals.

On her bed was a mountain of pillows.

However, Ford saw more than Mabel.

He could see the glowing sigils she had carved around her room.

Some above her closet, a few on her dresser, the door frame was filled with them.

On the wall was one sigil that wasn't completely done quite yet.

Ford's eyes flicked back to the bed.

There was Evalin's light, so dim, buried in her pile of pillows.

He couldn't see her body but he knew that light anywhere.

Mabel watched as Ford approached the bed cautiously.

Her eyes flicked between him and the bed, not seeing what he saw.

Taking just as cautious steps, she followed him.

Ford sat on the bed, talking to what Mabel saw as an empty space.

“Evalin?”

Mabel's eyes widened as she realized that Evalin was in that empty space where she couldn't see her.

She squinted but it did nothing.

Evalin's light dimmed more under Ford's gaze, pressing smaller.

He gave her a small reassuring smile.

“Evalin. Mabel and I came to check on you. Everyone's worried about you. Can you tell us what happened?”

Evalin didn't respond, didn't even move.

Ford's smirk faltered.

He turned to Mabel and motioned her to talk to Evalin.

Mabel swallowed hard.

“Evi.... Are you mad at me?”

Evalin's light flickered brightly as her head snapped up.

“What?”

She tapped her collarbone, her body shimmering back into existence.

Her eyes were red and puffy, her face flush and twisted in confusion.

“No! Why would I be mad at you?”

Mabel blinked, tilting her head to the side.

“But you ran out of the room after you opened my gift?”

Evalin full body recoiled before throwing a hand out.

“Mabel, that had nothing to do with you. That was—“ She looked down to the side. “Something else...”

Ford raised an eyebrow but stayed quiet.

Mabel studied Evalin's face for a moment.

“So... you're not mad at me?”

Evalin sharply shook her head.

“Godsdamn it, no! You didn't do anything wrong.”

She locked eyes with her.

“I don't think I could ever actually be mad at you, Mabel. You are far too sweet for any of that.”

Mabel smiled warmly as she threw her arms around Evalin. “I'm so glad you're not mad at me!”

Evalin jolted for just a second, the sudden weight shifting her slightly.

She placed a hand on Mabel's back. “Sweet stars, Mabel...”

After a moment, Ford leaned forward a little.

“Evalin, would you like to talk about what happened?”

Evalin's grip tightened around Mabel.

She pulled down her hat, covering part of her face as her light dimmed slightly.

“No.... I don't...”

Ford watched her for a moment.

Then, he reached out.

Evalin flinched as Ford touched her shoulder, her light flickered for a moment.

“That's okay. We are here for you if you ever want to talk about it, alright?”

Evalin's light froze before curling like normal.

She didn't say anything.

Only nodded.

Mabel shifted herself to sit in Evalin's lap.

“Would you like to continue your birthday celebration?” Ford asked, smiling warmly.

Mabel perked up, throwing her hands in the air as sparkles flowed like waterfalls.

“Yeah! We have one more surprise for you!”

Evalin looked at Ford, then Mabel, and back at Ford again.

Ford chuckled softly. “No, it's not a trick.”

Evalin narrowed her eyes, studying him.

After a moment, she sighed. “Fine.”

Mabel went to get up but was stopped.

Ford and Mabel both gasped.

Evalin wrapped her arms around Mabel and pulled her in for a hug.

“I'm sorry I made you feel like you made me upset. I hope this hug proves that...”

Mabel froze for a split second before patting Evalin on the head.

“No hard feelings. I'm just glad I still have my Witchy Sensei.”

Then she turned and wrapped her arms around Evalin in return.

“Besides, I freaking love hugs!”

Evalin chuckled weakly. “Yes, I'm very aware.”

She gave Mabel a quick squeeze before letting go.

“Alright, get up. I need to shoo away all this cosmic dust out of here.”

Mabel climbed down off the bed.

Evalin waved her hand in the air as if she was swatting a fly.

The area around began to lighten up, the evening sun shining through the high window.

She shifted out of the bed herself, hopping to her feet, rubbing the sadness from her eyes.

Ford gave her a gentle nod following her out of the bedroom.

Before the door shut, Mabel looked back one final time.

In the middle of the bed.

Where Evalin was sitting.

The little yellow star pillow sat.

Mabel's smile grew wide, the door shutting with a soft click.

She skipped down the hallway after Evalin and Ford as they made their way back to the living room.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 40 // Chapter 42 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 40 // Chapter 41 // Chapter 42 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 40 // Chapter 41 // Chapter 42 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 40: Birthday Morning

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 39 // Chapter 41 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 39 // Chapter 40 // Chapter 41 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 39 // Chapter 40 // Chapter 41 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning sunlight streamed through the kitchen window as Evalin started her usual coffee routine.

She moved gracefully around the kitchen, the soft clink of her coffee grinder and the rhythmic movements of her hands creating a peaceful, familiar rhythm. She was in her own little world, lost in the simplicity of the morning.

She smiled down at the empty mug in her hands.

'I hope Ford got sleep last night. I feel bad for keeping him up so late...' she thought as she tilted her head with a weak smile. 'He did send me off to bed to keep working...'

Heat rose in her cheeks as she sighed, 'Can't believe I fell asleep at the desk like that though. How embarrassing…'

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she smiled down at her cup again.

'I should do something nice for him...'

Then her gaze softened, her smirk faltering as she called out through her mental bridge.

“I wish you were here to enjoy this with me though...”

When she didn’t hear a response, her grip tightened on her cup.

“I'll find you again... And when I do—“

“GOOD MORNING, EVI! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”

Mabel ran over and tackled Evalin in a hug, nearly knocking her over.

Evalin stumbled forward, catching herself on the counter.

She turned to see Mabel's beaming face shining up at her.

Something softened in her gaze and she smiled back, placing a hand on Mabel's head.

“Good morning, Mabel.”

Then she paused, realization hitting her as she muttered, “Oh, right, birthday. Um... thank you.”

“Good morning, Evi. Happy birthday,” Dipper announced as he entered the kitchen, his hands in his pockets.

He chuckled as he saw Mabel's arms wrapped around Evalin

“Looks like my sister has already attacked you this morning.”

“Ah, yes, I have been attacked by the sparkle gremlin this morning,” Evalin sighed with a smirk as she patted Mabel on the head.

She turned back to Dipper and added, “Thank you for the birthday wishes. I appreciate it.”

“No problem, Evi,” Dipper said as he flashed her a smile.

Mabel quickly spun Evalin away from the counter and started pushing her out of the kitchen, shouting, “Alright! You have officially been kicked out of the kitchen~!”

“W-wait! Mabel—!” Evalin stuttered, her boots skidding slightly against the floor.

Mabel kept pushing, her strength far greater than her size suggested.

Within seconds, Evalin found herself unceremoniously shoved into the dining area.

Dipper followed soon after, carrying the French press, a coffee cup, and creamer.

“We are going to make you the best birthday breakfast ever!” Mabel called out before disappearing back into the kitchen.

“Relax and enjoy your day off. Let us take care of the rest,” Dipper added with the tip of his hat before turning and following his sister back into the other room.

Evalin stood there for a moment, still processing what had just happened, grumbling, “What… what the hell?”

Her eyes flickered to the French press left on the table.

Shaking her head, she exhaled through her nose, finally sitting down.

'Okay? I suppose getting kicked to the curb is normal for an Earth birthday, huh?'

Just as Evalin was pouring in her creamer with a satisfied hum, Stan stumbled in the living room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Evalin, still focused on her coffee, didn’t immediately notice him.

Stan blinked, watching her for a moment as something tugged at the back of his mind.

A faint buzz—not quite a sound, not quite a thought—pricked at his awareness.

For a brief second, he felt like someone was there as if someone was watching this moment with him.

He frowned, tightening his grip around the small blue gift bag in his hands.

'Weird,' he thought as the sensation faded.

With a quick shake of his head, he slapped on his usual grin and strode forward with his normal bravado.

“Good morning, Spooky!”

Evalin perked up, turning to him with a gentle smirk curling her lips.

“Good morning, Stanley.”

Stan’s chest tightened—just slightly.

He wasn’t sure why, but he pushed the thought aside, flashing her a grin as he held out the small blue bag, tissue paper sticking out of the top.

“Here, happy birthday!”

Evalin blinked, eyeing the bag suspiciously as she tilted her head to the side.

“What's this?”

Stan paused.

“Uh... a birthday present?” he confirmed as he studied her for a moment before furrowing his eyebrows. “Don't tell me you haven't had a birthday present before.”

Evalin pressed her lips together, muttering, “Well, excuse me. I haven't celebrated my birthday since I was like... five. I completely miss it some years. The concept of a birthday present might be a little jarring for me.”

Stan hesitated before rubbing the back of his neck slowly, and grumbling, “Of course, I'm the one stuck explaining the idea of a birthday present to a hobbit woman.”

Evalin's eye twitched, her lips pressing in a tight line.

Stan sighed heavily and held the gift out for her to take.

“Just open the damn gift, you socially disabled witch.”

Evalin narrowed her eyes slightly.

Then she reached out and took the bag.

Her eyes flickered at Stan, then the bag, and back up at Stan again.

“This isn't going to bite me, is it?”

Stan jolted like he was burned.

“W-what the hell? No! Just—For fuck's sake!”

Evalin studied his reaction for a moment longer before exhaling sharply through her nose and turning her attention back to the bag.

Slowly, she started to remove the tissue paper to reveal a box.

She took it out and looked it over as if it was a new species.

“What... is this?”

“It's a cellphone,” Stan explained. “I talked to Sixer about it yesterday and we thought it would be best if you had your own phone. This way we can get a hold of you when you decide to disappear.”

Evalin blinked, her fingers curling around the box.

Hesitating, she opened it and was greeted by her own reflection staring back at her.

Carefully, she removed the phone from the box.

As soon as she touched the screen, it flickered to life causing her fingers to jolt back as if she touched something hot.

Stan rolled his eyes as he stepped closer to her, chuckling at her naivety. 

He flicked his finger across the screen, unlocking the phone.

“Look, I had the boy program the thing with our phone numbers so you can call or text us if you want.”

He started swiping through the menus before mumbling, “Huh, I guess Sparkles downloaded some games on here too. What is that? Some cafe game?”

Evalin blinked as she tapped the icon.

The screen rotated as the game booted up.

Her eyes flickered across the screen as she followed the instructions, tapping the buttons to make her avatar move to start cooking and serve virtual food to virtual customers.

Slowly, a smile crawled across her face.

Stan studied her for a moment, his heart fluttering in a way he didn't fully understand.

“You like that?” he asked as the corners of his lips curled into a grin.

Evalin hummed in agreement, her eyes locked on the screen as she tapped away.

Stan chuckled, shaking his head.

“Alright, Spooky. Don't let the game consume you like that.”

He tapped the home button on the screen and the game closed.

Evalin blinked before her eyes snapped up to him, stuttering, “H-hey!”

Stan laughed as he reached up and ruffled her hat and hair.

“You'll be fine. You can play more later.”

Evalin puffed up her cheeks and crossed her arms.

“Wow, show me something cool and then take it away. What a dick move. Rude.”

“Oh, come on, Spooky. At least check out the other features. Watch.”

He took out his own phone from his pocket and showed her.

“Here, I can call you.”

He tapped his screen a few times before he brought the phone up to his ear, listening to the dial tone.

Suddenly, the phone in Evalin's hands started to go off.

She jumped, startled.

Stan ran his finger across the screen over the green phone icon.

Then he gently guided her hand to bring the phone to her ear, his smile stretching as he watched her face.

“Hey, there, hot stuff~”

Evalin's eyes went wide as she heard his voice over the phone.

She blinked a few times, her gaze flickering between Stan and the phone.

Then a grin spread across her face.

“Woah! Okay, this is really cool! It's like a mental bridge without the possible backlash or invasion of my most personal thoughts!”

Stan lifted an eyebrow then he shook his head.

“I'm gonna assume that's some crazy magic mumbo jumbo but yeah, sure. Noninvasive. You can choose to answer or ignore the call. Or you can just text,” he chuckled, enjoying her reactions. “Welcome to this day and age, Spooky~”

Evalin smiled wide.

“This is so cool! Thank you, Stan! I love it!”

She looked down at the phone and then back up at him.

“Do... I give you something in return?”

Stan's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“What? No! It's for your birthday!”

He scratched his nose as he teased, “However, a kiss on the cheek would be nice~”

Evalin blinked, tilting her head slightly.

“Is that... normal for gift giving?”

“Oh, yeah, absolutely~! A big wet one, right on the cheek~” Stan affirmed with a wide smile.

Evalin hesitated for a moment before she started to lean in, puckering her lips.

Stan's eyes widened slightly as he watched her move closer.

'Holy shit, she's actually doing it!' he thought as his heart hammered in his chest.

Something buzzed his mind, deep, out of reach.

Then—

PST

They heard the sound of the vending machine moving in the Mystery Shack Gift Shop.

Out emerged Ford as he walked out and entered the living room, dark circles under his slightly red eyes.

As soon as he saw how close Evalin and Stan were standing, he froze mid-step.

“Am I interrupting something here?” he asked, his face twisted with exasperation. 

Evalin leaned over to look around Stan.

“Stan said I need to give him a kiss on the cheek for the gift he gave me.”

Stan looked back at Ford, a huge shit-eating grin on his face.

Ford's eye twitched violently.

“Evalin, stop. Don't do that. Stan, you're a dick,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Evalin blinked in confusion.

Stan, on the other hand, burst out in laughter. “Oh, c’mon, Sixer! Just having a little fun here~!”

“No, you're trying to get something out of this when today's supposed to be about her. You're being a dick,” Ford hissed, narrowing his eyes.

Evalin watched Ford for a moment, studying him before looking over at Stan.

She stuck out her pointer finger and pinky before poking him in the side.

A shock of electricity shot up Stan's body, making him just a foot.

“OW! YOU HAVE A BUILT-IN TASER!? WHAT THE HELL, SPOOKY?!”

Ford’s eyebrows shot up.

He looked at Stan—who was still mid-jump, eyes wide—then let out a sharp breath and clamped his hand over his mouth, trying (and failing) to muffle his laughter.

Stan snapped his head toward Ford.

“ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME!?”

Evalin watched the scene unfolding in front of her.

Then she burst out laughing.

Ford and Stan both froze for a moment before they both eased into a smile.

Stan was the first to respond, mumbling, “Geez, Spooky, didn't expect you to be an agent of chaos.”

“I enjoy the entertainment~” she chortled as her laughter quieted to a chuckle.

Stan shook his head but couldn't hide his smirk.

“Remind me not to piss you off or you might light me up like a Christmas Tree.”

Ford raised an eyebrow, amused.

“This has been... enlightening.”

Stan shot him a look, grumbling, “Don't be getting any crazy ideas, Poindexter. The last thing I need is to be shocked like I'm in the electric chair.”

Ford laughed, hearty and full.

“I wouldn't ever imagine doing that to you, Stanley~”

A wicked grin spread across Evalin's face as she lifted her hand, her pointer finger and pinky out.

“I would~” she purred as electricity sparked between her fingers. 

Stan’s eyes flicked between Evalin’s sparking fingers and her wicked grin before letting out a weak chuckle. “Of course you would, Spooky.”

Suddenly, a loud booming voice rang through the air.

“BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST BITCHES!”

Mabel bound into the dinning area, her hands filled with plates of waffles and sliced peaches, a can of whipped cream under her chin.

Dipper followed behind her with plates and silverware.

“Mabel, language,” Ford scolded, furrowing his brows.

Mabel beamed at him, her smile wide.

“Sorry, Grunkle Ford. I'm just excited for this awesome breakfast we made!”

Ford snapped his head at Stan, narrowing his eyes.

“This is your fault.”

Stan threw his hands up in defense.

“Hey! This isn't on me! I rarely say bitches!”

Evalin snickered, knowing damn good and well this was her fault.

Without saying a word, she strode over to the table and took a seat.

“What are we having?” she asked as she looked out at the spread.

Dipper smirked.

“Mabel and I made some peaches and ice cream waffles for your birthday breakfast.”

“I forgot to grab the ice cream!” Mabel gasped.

She dashed out of the room before anyone could respond, only to return with a tub of ice cream and a scoop.

“Let's get this party going!” she shouted as everyone took their seats.

Mabel stacked waffles together, threw on peaches and ice cream, topped with whipped cream and a handful of glitter.

She placed the plate in front of Evalin with a flourish. “BAM! For the birthday girl!”

Evalin blinked for a moment.

She took her fork and poked her food a few times before finally taking a bite.

Her eyes widened as soon as the sweetness touched her tongue and a bright grin spread across her face.

Then she wiggled in her seat, doing a little food dance.

“I assume it's adequate for you?” Ford smirked, his heart fluttering as he leaned in slightly.

Evalin nodded with a sweet smile, clearly enjoying her food. “Mhm~”

Dipper looked at the container Mabel got the glitter from.

“Uh, Mabel? This isn't edible glitter.” His eyes snapped up to her. “This is normal glitter.”

Mabel blinked a second then looked over at Evalin. “Um... Evi?”

Evalin’s chewing slowed as she met Mabel’s gaze.

After a few moments, she shrugged and kept eating.

Stan burst out in laughter.

Ford exhaled sharply through his nose.

“Evalin, don't eat that. The glitter won't digest properly and you will get an upset stomach.”

He went to take the plate away but Evalin was faster.

“No, you don't! This is good and I'm going to eat it~”

Stan couldn't stop laughing. “Sweetie, you're going to shit sparkles if you eat that!”

Evalin looked up in thought. “I don't see the downside to this.”

“Goddamn it...” Ford groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Evalin cut a bite and loaded the fork holding it up. “Try it! It's really good!”

Ford furrowed his brow. “Evalin. I'm not going to—MM!”

Evalin shoved the fork in his mouth, a bright smile on her face.

Ford chewed slowly, the glitter grinding against his teeth like sandpaper.

He swallowed with great reluctance.

“That... was awfully invasive of you,” he grumbled as he took a napkin and started wiping the glitter off his tongue.

Stan laughed so hard he had to hold his sides. Mabel joined in and even Dipper snickered.

“The flavor is good though, right~?” Evalin beamed at Ford, glitter sparkling in her teeth.

“Yes, the flavor is good,” he affirmed, rolling his eyes dramatically. “I just prefer not to eat plastic with my food.”

Evalin chuckled, taking another bite, her smirk wide.

Ford shook his head, sighing heavily.

This was going to be a long day.

~n~

As the morning stretched into the afternoon, Evalin slipped outside, feeling the familiar pull of the woods calling her. The calming nature of the woods was a dramatic contrast to the chaotic household.

As Evalin disappeared beyond the treeline, Mabel turned to the rest of the family.

“Alright, fam, we have more work to do! Dipper and I need time to wrap up the presents.”

Stan raised an eyebrow. “You kids haven't even done that yet?”

Dipper pressed his lips together. “Well, we were just told yesterday about Evi's birthday so we might have been more focused on getting the present, not so much how we were going to wrap it. Was kind of working on a time crunch.”

“I just threw everything in a bag and gave it to her.” Stan scoffed.

Mabel threw up her hands.

“NOT ENOUGH LOVE! It needs to be wrapped with love!” She pointed at Stan dramatically. “That's it, Grunkle Stan! You're stuck on movie research duty!”

“What?! That's a job for Sixer!” Stan protested.

Mabel crossed her arms.

“Nope, Grunkle Ford has a new job!”

“Which is?” Ford asked as he raised his eyebrow nervously.

Mabel clasped her hands together. “DISTRACTION! You need to keep her busy so she doesn't come back until we are ready!”

“I don't see why I have to be the one who—“

Mabel cut him off with a quick clap of her hands, a shit-eating grin on her face.

“No time, Grunkle Ford! We all have our jobs and this one is yours!”

She patted him hard on the back. “You got this! Just give her the old razzle dazzle!”

“Mabel, I don't know if this—“ Dipper started but Mabel unapologetically interrupted him too.

“NO TIME!”

She pushed Ford out the door, slamming the door behind him.

Ford let out a sigh. “So glad my family loves me enough to kick me out of my own damn house.”

He adjusted his duster jacket and threw his hands in his pockets.

“Alright... I'm doing this for her birthday...”

With that, he took a step toward the woods.

~n~

The birds chirped in the trees overhead as Ford followed the same path Evalin took. 

However, the farther he went in, the more he realized he wasn't catching up to her.

He furrowed his brow before taking out his phone and sending her a quick text message.

'Where did you go?'

After waiting a moment for a response to never come, he sighed and kept walking.

Then his ears perked up as he heard a sudden noise.

'Is that... singing?'

He followed the sound, scanning the area for the source before eventually stopping in front of a tree.

'The sound's coming from... above?'

His eyes flicked up.

Then, his breath hitched.

Standing on one of the high branches was Evalin, her hand on her chest as her voice rang out through the area.

A song playing from her phone, slow and seductive.

“Wanna be your muuuuuse~

Wanna be your muuuuuse~”

Ford inhaled sharply, his mouth going dry.

A strange, electric prickle danced across his skin, impossible to explain.

The sensation hit him in waves.

His heart hammered so hard against his ribs that he thought his chest was going to burst.

Evalin, however, didn't even notice he was there.

“Let me be your truth~

Wanna be your muuuse~”

Without warning she took a step off the branch, letting herself free fall.

Ford's eyes widened as he shouted, “EVALIN!”

He moved under her, ready to break her fall.

Evalin heard Ford yell and stretched out her legs, letting them catch on a branch.

Her body swung and her arm reached out, swinging her in a different direction.

Ford watched in awe as she worked her way down the tree, fluid, like she had done this time and time again.

His chest ached from how hard his heart was hammering.

His breath came out sharp, uneven, and his hands were still half-raised, fingers twitching uselessly, even though she had already landed—completely unbothered.

He stared at her, then at the tree and back at her again.

Evalin tilted her head, genuinely confused.

“Ford? What are you doing out here in the wilderness?”

Ford sucked in a slow breath through his nose, pressing his fingers to the bridge of it.

Then, finally—

“Evalin,” he exhaled, voice tight.

There was a short pause before speaking again.

“What. The actual hell—” His eyes flickered back up to the tree. “—was that?”

Evalin blinked, then looked over her shoulder as if only now registering the drop.

“Oh, that? Just a little tree-climbing. It’s fun!”

Ford’s eye twitched.

“That wasn't tree-climbing, that was free-falling with style at best.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose with one hand as he gestured to the tree with the other.

“You jumped from a twenty-foot height with zero hesitation!”

Evalin gave him a lopsided smirk.

“Well, yeah, I knew I’d land fine.”

Ford clenched his jaw, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

“I—Evalin—do you ever stop and think about what would happen if you didn’t land fine?”

“Not really,” she hummed, tapping her chin.

Ford groaned, turning away as if he physically could not look at her for a second. “Of course not.”

But then, before he could even begin to lecture her about impulse control—

“Were you worried about me, Ford~?” she teased, smirking.

Ford froze.

His fingers curled slightly at his sides, tension running through his shoulders.

“Of course I was. You just jumped from a tree like it was nothing.”

Evalin beamed, stepping closer, her cheeks dusting pink.

“You've watched me jump from the roof of the shack and this still gets you? That’s sweet~”

Ford pointedly ignored the way his face felt entirely too warm.

“That’s not the takeaway from this.”

Evalin just laughed. “Relax, Ford. I’ve done this a million times!”

Ford let out a long, slow sigh. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

A mischievous smirk crawled across Evalin's face. “You’ll get used to it~”

“I highly doubt it,” he grumbled.

Evalin chuckled, patting him on the chest. “Alright, alright, I'm done picking on you for now.”

She placed a hand on her hip, a smile playing at her lips as she leaned toward him.

“Seriously though, why did you come out here anyway?”

Ford blinked a few times before he remembered.

He dug through his pockets and pulled out a small velvet box.

Evalin raised an eyebrow, watching.

Ford turned to her, his lips curled into a smirk.

Heat started to crawl up his neck but he ignored it as he handed Evalin the box.

“Here, I made this for you last night after I finalized the first draft of the portal.”

Evalin blinked, her smile fading.

Slowly, she reached out and took it.

She looked over the box carefully, feeling its smooth texture against her fingers.

After a quick sniff, she finally opened the box.

Her eyes went wide.

Inside the box was a beautiful pendant.

The light reflected off the sides, casting small flickers of rainbow light.

Ford leaned forward slightly, watching Evalin's reactions.

“It's a prism pendant. I cut it last night but it should work just correctly.”

He removed the pendant from the box and held it up in the light.

A rainbow flashed across Evalin's face.

Her eyes shimmered as her lips parted slightly.

“Ford.... it's so.... beautiful...”

Ford felt his heart flutter as he smiled at her warmly.

“I'm glad you like it.”

He undid the clasp, stepping closer. “Here, I'll help you put it on.”

Evalin hesitated, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

Ford chuckled as he leaned forward, his hands going to either side of her neck.

“Yeah, I figured this would be a little new for you.”

As he fiddled with the chain clasp, Evalin noticed Ford's face was so close that she could feel his breath on her face.

Her eyes flickered over his features; the way his eyebrow furrowed slightly, the concentration in his eyes, the way he bit his tongue as it stuck out of his mouth.

He looked... so silly.

The stern scientist who was so serious all the time... looked silly.

Just so he could help her.

Something flickered behind her eyes.

Heat shot from her chest, crawled up her neck, and across her face.

Ford, oblivious to the chaos he was causing, clasped the chain together.

He adjusted the pendant making sure it was just right, his fingers brushing against her skin.

Her breath hitched, her heart pounding like a war drum.

Then, he stepped back, admiring his work as he smiled wide.

“Perfect.”

Evalin touched the pendant, her fingers running up the cool sides as she felt the angles.

Her gaze flicked to Ford.

He looked so soft and warm, his eyes flickering with admiration.

Tears started to form behind her eyes but she wiped them away.

Then, she smiled.

“I love it.... Thank you, Ford.”

Ford felt his heart flutter, his chest squeezing as warmth filled him.

He reached out and moved a strand of hair out of her face.

“Happy birthday, Evalin.”

He went to pull his hand back but Evalin reached up and caught him, leaning her face against the palm of his hand.

Ford felt his heart hammering away in his chest as he watched her every movement.

Her eyes locked onto his, studying, searching for something that wasn't there.

Something dropped in her expression.

“What's wrong?” he asked as he tilted his head in confusion.

Evalin smirked and shook her head. “It's nothing.”

She pressed his hand against her face.

“I want to thank you... for the gift.”

Ford chuckled, rubbing his thumb over her cheek.

“Evalin, you don't have to thank me. It's for your birthday. I'm just glad you are happy with it.”

Evalin studied him for a moment.

Then she reached up and placed both of her hands on the sides of his head.

Ford's eyes widened as he froze.

Slowly, Evalin guided his head downward, turning him slightly.

She pressed his ear against her chest.

Ford felt his whole body heat up, his face completely red as pink dusted the tips of his ears.

Just as he was about to say something, he heard it.

Th-thump

Th-thump

Her heartbeat, steady and strong.

Slightly uneven with a strange deep hum in the background.

Her grip tightened slightly as she whispered.

“Thank you, Ford.”

Ford was frozen.

He let out a shaky exhale.

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her.

He squeezed slightly, pressing her into him.

“Y-you're welcome.”

Evalin hummed, stroking his hair lightly.

They stood like that for a while.

Suddenly, Ford's phone went off.

He hesitated as he reluctantly pulled back, not wanting to leave her warmth.

“I should... get that...”

“I suppose,” Evalin sighed, loosening her grip, a smile still on her lips.

Ford leaned back, clearing his throat as he took his phone out and unlocked it.

There was a message from Mabel.

“ALL READY FOR THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!”

Ford chuckled, his cheeks still red from before.

“Looks like they are ready for you.”

Evalin tilted her head slightly.

“Ready for what?”

Ford smiled at her, his heart finally starting to calm down.

“A surprise~”

He gestured for her to follow. “If you would accompany m—“

He felt her hand slip into his, her fingers entwining with his.

He looked at their interlocked hands and then up at her.

She was smiling warmly, soft, gentle, endearing.

Ford swallowed hard.

Then, a grin spread across his face.

He squeezed her hand and without another word, he led her through the woods, back to her loving family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 39 // Chapter 41 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 39 // Chapter 40 // Chapter 41 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 39 // Chapter 40 // Chapter 41 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 39: The Portal

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 38 // Chapter 40 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 38 // Chapter 39 // Chapter 40 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 38 // Chapter 39 // Chapter 40 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The machinery of the lab hummed around them. The familiar sound of light beeping, a noise Ford has fallen asleep to way too many nights, echoed in the background. The large window reflected back at them, showing him one of the biggest mistakes in his life.

He hasn't been down here for months.

And yet, here was Evalin, dragging him down to the lab, burning brighter than a star just because she wanted to show him something.

And he followed her.

Like a moth drawn to a flame.

Ford let out a long sigh, the realization dawning on him.

'That's why she calls me a moth.'

Evalin released his hand and started going through the cabinets.

Ford watched her for a moment before speaking up.

“What are you looking for?”

Evalin opened a closet door, shouting, “There they are!”

She pulled out two sets of rope, clutching them in her hands.

With quick steps, she strode over to the control panel and threw the rope on top before taking off her hat and placing it in the rolling chair.

Then she lifted something over her head.

As soon as it left her hand, her satchel came into view.

Ford's eyebrow shot up into his hairline in surprise.

'I knew it! She does carry that everywhere!'

He barely had time to register that before Evalin turned to him, her light flickering with excitement.

“Are you ready?”

Ford jolted, the hair on his neck standing on end.

“R-ready for what, Evalin?”

Evalin strode over to him, raising her hands to cup his face, her glow burning brighter.

“I'm choosing you to see something absolutely amazing~”

Ford's heart slammed into his rib cage and, for a moment, he couldn't breathe.

Heat shot up from his chest, up his neck, and all the way to his ears, a pink tinge dusting the tips.

His mind emptied, not a single thought behind his eyes.

Evalin patted him in the chest before turning toward the door.

She pushed the button next to the door which shot open with a pst.

The sound snapped Ford back to reality.

“Wow, you really know your way around my lab. Still sneaking around the house at night, I see?” he teased, trying to lighten and ground the mood.

He watched as she walked through the door, her pace quick, her steps bouncy as she radiated excitement.

Not ignoring him but it was as if his voice didn't even register as sound to her.

“Evalin?” he called out before following her through the door.

Evalin immediately ran to the far wall where she tied one of the ropes to the wall pipes.

She pulled as hard as she could to make sure they were sturdy.

Then she ran over to Ford and grabbed his hand, tugging him after her.

She guided him to a spot next to the rope.

Ford furrowed his brows.

“Evalin, what are you showing me that warrants all of this? Is it really that dangerous?”

Evalin smiled, her light flickering sporadically as something sparkled behind her eyes.

“Don't worry, Ford! I've done this loads of times!”

She wrapped the rope around his waist a few times before tying it into a series of knots.

Then she ran off to the opposite wall and removed a piece of paper from her bra before looking back at him with a wide, ecstatic grin.

“Alright! We get about a minute on this baby! Hold onto your glasses!”

Ford's eyes widened as he saw the paper in her hand; the portal sigil.

“EVALIN! WAIT!”

But it was too late.

Evalin slapped the sigil against the wall.

Then she ran back over to him in an inhuman blur, tying the other rope around her waist tightly.

Ford's eyes flickered over her.

She was panting, wide-eyed, hands trembling with excitement.

Her glow burned white as it sputtered against her body.

CRACK

Ford's head snapped to the opposite wall.

His eyes widened as a silvery-blue light spread in a line up the wall.

Slowly it spread open in a gaping maw.

The wind began to pick up, pulling debris into the hole.

Ford couldn't take his eyes off the scene in front of him.

“Evalin! What have you done!?”

Evalin barked out a laugh, spreading her arms out wide

“I'm showing you, Ford! I'm showing you my work! Isn't it beautiful?!”

Ford felt the air start to drag him in.

He had to hold his glasses in place or else they would be lost to the void.

“THIS IS—“

Evalin jumped.

The pull immediately took her.

“EVALIN!!!”

The rope pulled taut.

Evalin dangled at the end of the tether, reaching for the portal.

“Don't you see it, Ford!? Look!”

Ford followed her finger to the portal.

His eyes widened and his breath hitched.

Beyond the portal were swirling nebulas of gold churned in the distance, vast and spiraling.

Clouds of cosmic dust curled lazily through the darkness.

Entire galaxies spread across infinity.

Twinkling stars seemed to sparkle with life.

This was it.

This is what Evalin was working for.

All she wanted.

And now Ford saw it too.

He looked over at her.

She was reaching out so hard she was straining, her hair whipping wildly in the vortex of air.

But that's not what had Ford's attention.

Her light was vibrating, the swirls being pulled violently into space.

It glitched on and off her body as if it was trying to leave her physical form behind.

Ford saw it.

Her soul wanted out.

Suddenly, Evalin pulled out her blade from her thigh holster, its metal glinting against the light.

Ford's eyes widened.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!”

“Don't worry, Ford! I'm just gonna touch it!” Evalin shouted over the violent winds.

Ford felt his stomach drop down into the depths of hell.

He reached out to grab her arm.

“EVALIN! THAT'S SUICIDE!”

Evalin shook her head sharply, her glow flickering violently.

That's when Ford saw it.

Tears—

—Sucked up into the portal.

Ford paused.

Cautiously, he gave himself more line from the rope.

He didn't stop until he saw her face.

Then, he froze.

Evalin was crying.

A wide smile still on her face.

She looked as if she was gazing at her whole reason to exist.

And gods, it was beautiful.

Suddenly, she cut her rope.

Ford didn't even have time to yell out for her before she got ripped up toward the portal.

Her body flailed through the air like a flag in a storm.

Then, Ford heard her.

She was... laughing.

Like she was having the time of her life.

Just as she drew closer to infinity, the portal snapped shut.

The sudden gravity shift dropped Evalin to the ground, where she rolled a few more feet before skidding to a stop.

Ford caught himself.

He saw her lying there on the floor, not moving, her back to him.

She wasn't moving and her light was dim.

“EVALIN!”

He ran forward.

YANK

The rope went taut.

Ford reached down to the knots at his waist, struggling to get them loose as he growled, “Goddamn it! How many knots did you do!?”

He got the last one loose and stumbled before catching himself again.

He quickly ran over to her, sliding on his knees as he skidded up next to her, hands on her arm as he shook her, panicking.

“Evalin! Are you okay?!”

Suddenly, he froze.

Evalin's shoulders were shaking, her light flickering back to life.

She rolled onto her back, laughing as she held her sides.

Then she threw her arms up, smiling so wide it looked like it hurt.

“FUCK YEAH! LET'S GOOOO~”

Ford stared.

His heart pounded in his ears, adrenaline still surging through his veins.

His hands hovered just above her, fingers trembling with the phantom memory of almost losing her.

She was laughing.

She had almost died, had thrown herself into the unknown with reckless abandon, had cut her own goddamn safety rope—and she was laughing.

His mouth opened but no words came out.

His mind raced.

'What the hell just happened? What the hell just happened? What the hell just—'

Finally, his breath caught up with him.

He slammed a palm against the floor beside her, his other hand gripping her shoulder.

“Evalin,” he rasped, his voice teetering between fury and disbelief.

She grinned up at him, chest still heaving from laughter.

Her glow flickered erratically, her eyes shining like she had just touched the face of the universe itself.

“Ohhh, you should’ve seen your face, Ford—”

“You almost died!” His voice cracked.

Evalin tilted her head, smirking.

“But I didn’t~”

Ford’s grip tightened.

He sucked in a sharp breath, his whole body trembling with unspent energy.

He wanted to shake her, to yell, to demand what the hell she was thinking—

But more than anything?

He wanted to understand.

He swallowed hard, staring deep into those eyes still alight with frenzied wonder.

“…Why?” His voice was quieter now, raw. “Why would you do that?”

Evalin blinked, her smile twitching at the edges before softening.

She looked toward the empty space where the portal had been.

For just a moment, her glow dimmed.

“…Because,” she murmured, “I wanted to feel it.”

Ford’s stomach twisted.

She turned back to him, grin returning, but something fragile lurked beneath it.

“And stars above, Ford—” she sucked in a breath, electric with exhilaration, “it was beautiful.”

Ford exhaled, running a shaking hand down his face.

Finally, he leaned his head back, staring at the ceiling, still catching his breath.

“…You are unbelievable.”

Ford barely had a second to react before he felt a sharp tug at his sweater.

His breath hitched.

Evalin’s fingers twisted into the fabric, her grip firm, her knuckles brushing against his chest.

She was still grinning, still glowing, but there was something different now, something much more intense.

His heart slammed against his ribs.

Evalin’s eyes flickered up to him, amusement dancing behind them, but also something else—something wild, something unshaken by the near-death moment they had just shared.

Ford swallowed hard.

“Evalin,” he managed, not trusting his voice.

She tugged again, just enough to make him dip forward slightly.

He inhaled sharply, caught off guard.

She was close—too close.

He could feel the warmth of her breath against his neck, could see the way her eyes gleamed, alight with something unrelenting.

“Wasn’t it beautiful?” she whispered against him.

Ford’s mind spun as he thought of the portal.

The infinite stretch of golden nebulas, the spiraling galaxies, the sheer impossible wonder of what he had just witnessed.

But right now?

Right now, all he could see was her; grinning like she had just touched the face of a god, shaking with the excitement of a near-death experience, glowing like a collapsing star, chaotic and brilliant and so, so alive.

He barely had time to react before Evalin leaned forward, pressing her head against his chest.

He stiffened, unsure how to react.

Her weight was light, barely there, but the gesture was so sudden that his breath stalled.

She wasn’t speaking.

She was listening.

Listening to his heartbeat.

The realization made something twist deep in his gut.

Then—a sigh of relief.

He felt it more than he heard it.

The way her shoulders eased, the way her grip on his sweater loosened slightly.

Because she could hear it.

His heart, hammering, just like hers.

The same rush, the same exhilaration, the same raw, untamed energy coursing through his veins.

“You understand now, don't you, Ford? You understand my work.”

Ford slowly looked down at her with wide eyes.

Her fingers were still curled into the fabric of his sweater, her head still resting against his chest, but Ford was no longer seeing her.

He was seeing the endless expanse of the multiverse.

The stars, the swirling nebulas, the infinite possibility.

And he could reach it.

They could reach it.

Together.

Evalin smiled against his chest, her voice humming with excitement.

“This is what we are going to use to build the portal. You and me. We are going to build a portal between Earth and Elaris!”

Ford’s mind raced.

‘This is it… This is the answer… A portal that won’t rip random holes through reality—one that wouldn’t shatter spacetime into unstable fragments. No blind leaps. No risking everything for the unknown.’

He paused for a moment, his eyes searching hers.

‘Because this time… I have her… This brilliant mind… This powerful force of nature who isn’t afraid of standing at the edge of infinity and stepping forward.’

He could feel it now; that same intoxicating pull Evalin had when she reached toward the stars—toward something greater.

For the first time in decades, Ford wasn’t looking into the multiverse with fear.

He was looking at the future.

A shaky hand reached and cupped Evalin's face causing her light to flicker wildly.

For a moment, his eyes studied her face; the sparkle in her eyes, the wide smile grinning like a madman.

Then, the corners of his lips curled, elation flickering behind his eyes.

He brushed his thumb against her cheek, making her glow glitch.

“Evalin, you're... brilliant.”

His voice was horse with excitement.

His fingers curled against her face softly.

“Let's do it. Let's make this portal.”

Evalin's heart fluttered as her grin widened, a breathless moan escaping her lips.

A sting formed behind her eyes.

She shook it off and gave him a sharp nod.

Ford shifted and gently helped her up to her feet.

As he was adjusting this duster jacket, Evalin flung her arms around him.

The sudden shift almost knocked him over.

She buried her face in his chest.

“You believe in me. You actually believe in me.”

Ford froze.

Then, he lowered his arms and wrapped them around her, pulling her in close.

“Yes, Evalin, I believe you.”

Evalin's grip tightened.

She looked up at him, smiling bright, her light flickering.

“Thank you, Ford.”

Her face softened, her light dimming slightly.

“I'm so glad I got to show you.”

Ford's smile widened as his eyes locked on hers.

“Me too.”

They gave each other one more final squeeze before reluctantly letting go.

Evalin smoothed out her dress before she held her hand out to Ford.

Ford paused only for a moment, his eyes flickering between her hand and her face.

His heart thumped in his chest.

With a nod, he slipped his hand in hers.

Her grip tightened as she flashed a smile one last time before turning and leading him out of the lab.

She stopped in the observation room to gather her hat and bag before taking Ford back to the elevator.

Her grasp stayed firm as if she let go, he was going to float away and disappear into the portal they left behind.

~n~

The elevator whirred to life as it started to ascend.

She took a few deep breaths before speaking again.

“Alright, what I was thinking is that you build the basis for the portal, something that can hold the power of the portal sigil,” she started as she brought a finger to her chin, looking up in thought. “I was thinking that maybe we could use a gravitational field of some kind so we don't get sucked up into the unknown.”

Ford chuckled, finally calming his nerves.

“Yes, getting sucked into the unknown wouldn't be ideal.”

Evalin giggled, light and carefree.

“No spinning out in space for you~ I would have to save your ass from spinning in the void.”

She spun her fingers in the air, singing, “Wheeeeee!”

Ford exhaled, shaking his head but he couldn't help but smile.

“You're impossible,” he muttered, his words filled with endearment. 

Evalin's grin widened as she squeezed his hand.

“I know~”

The elevator stopped at the study.

As soon as the door opened, Ford stepped out, face filled with determination.

“Alright. Let's get to work.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 38 // Chapter 40 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 38 // Chapter 39 // Chapter 40 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 38 // Chapter 39 // Chapter 40 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 38: Sigils

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 37 // Chapter 39 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 37 // Chapter 38 // Chapter 39 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 37 // Chapter 38 // Chapter 39 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The elevator whirred as it descended down to the study.

Ford's heart hammering in his chest with excitement as he stepped out, his duster jacket fluttering behind him.

“Evalin? Are you down here?”

He scanned the room for a moment without a response before reaching up and tapping the side of his glasses to see in the dark.

Once he confirmed she wasn’t in the room, he sighed heavily as he tapped the sigil again and watched the room return to normal.

He flicked on the light, the dim light flickering slightly in the dark room.

Slowly, he strode over to the back where the Dimensional Scanner sat, still running on the last segment he left it on.

His hands glided over the keyboard as he adjusted the coordinates to a different segment.

However, this time, his hands weren't so heavy.

There was a smile on his face, a weight lifted from his shoulders, a worry eased from his mind.

‘She’s really trying to compromise for us, giving us a chance to show her what it’s like to have a family,’ he thought, his chest fluttering. ‘She knows so much more than she lets on and, honestly, having her around has been such an enlightening exp—’

“GOTCHA!”

Ford jerked so hard from someone grabbing his sides he almost jumped out of his skin.

He spun around, clenching his chest, his gaze darting around the empty room.

Quickly, he reached up and tapped one of the sigils on the side of his glasses.

The world shifted around him and he saw Evalin's light flickering in front of him.

“Evalin?!”

Evalin cackled, her form flickering as she dropped her invisibility.

“Oh, my stars, Ford! You should have seen the look on your face! I scared the shit out of you!”

Ford took a moment to catch his breath.

Then he crossed his arms, waving his arm in the air.

“Yes, yes, you got me, you chaotic quasar.”

“Ooo! I like the sound of that one out of all the nicknames I've been given! Very fitting~” she drawled as she lifted an eyebrow, smirking.

Ford rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the smile growing on his face.

“Alright, fun's over,” she teased before nudging him with her shoulder. “How is the whole home search going?”

Ford's grin faltered slightly as he shook his head.

“Still nothing but I’ll continue looking.”

Evalin tried to stay smiling but something dropped in her expression.

“Hey, I appreciate you. I really do,” she started before her voice dropped quieter. “Thank you, Ford. For doing this for me.”

Ford's heart fluttered against his ribs.

He cleared his throat as if that was going to stop the heat rising in his chest.

Slowly, his smile widened.

“Of course, Evalin. You deserve to be happy.”

“I'll be happy when things finally make sense again and I can go home,” she snorted before looking over at him.

“Speaking of which, you got an idea on how we’re gonna build this portal?”

Ford paused for a moment, bringing a hand to his chin in thought.

He looked over to the chalkboard near the wall.

With a quick swipe of the eraser, he clears a section and picks up a piece of chalk, his mind already racing.

“The last portal I built relied on salvaged alien technology and ran on a highly unstable radioactive power source,” he started, sketching a rough diagram of the original design.

He tapped the drawing with the chalk.

“This led to severe instability, reality distortions, and an unanchored trajectory. This time, we're doing things differently.”

He turned to Evalin, eyes gleaming with determination.

Then, he quickly sketched another diagram, outlining two interconnected nodes—one on Earth, one on Elaris.

“The problem, of course, is power.”

He leaned forward, pressing the chalk to the board with a firm stroke.

“Without a radioactive core, we need an alternative energy source capable of sustaining the gateway without risk of a collapse—or an explosion.”

He turned back to Evalin, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“And that’s where you come in.”

Evalin raised an eyebrow.

“You want to power the portal using sigils, don't you?”

Ford nodded, smiling wider.

“Not just sigils—your sigil grid. The one you designed to absorb solar energy and distribute power throughout the Shack. If we modify it to generate and funnel a concentrated energy flow directly into the portal, we could bypass the instability issues I faced before.”

He paused, his gaze flickering with excitement

“We’ll be the first to create a magic-tech hybrid interdimensional bridge. Completely controlled. No blind leaps into the unknown. No accidental collapses.”

Evalin furrowed her bows, forcing her smile.

“As much as I love the fact that you believe in my work like that, it isn't going to work. My sigil grid won't be powerful enough.”

Her eyes shifted as she looked to the side.

Ford's smile faded and he shook his head in disbelief.

“Why not? Your work is absolutely amazing!”

Evalin felt heat crawl up her neck but she shoved it down.

She reached up and fiddled with the brim of her hat.

“Okay but like.... this is the multiverse we are talking about. As someone who has studied it longer than I have, you KNOW the multiverse doesn't like anyone being the rules of reality.”

She shifted uncomfortably.

“I.... uh... have something that....”

Her grip tightened.

“Well, we are going to be dealing with reality bending so... like...”

She pulled at her hat harder.

'Goddamn it, Dreamer. He has proven himself trustworthy! Just fucking tell him! You know you want to share this with someone!'

She swallowed hard.

Then she reached into her bra and pulled out a parchment paper.

Slowly, she handed it out to Ford.

Ford took the paper carefully, clearly confused.

“What's this?”

Evalin hesitated, her eyes not meeting his.

“That's... some of my life's work...”

Her heart thumped against her ribcage.

“It's.... a portal sigil... Very very illegal.”

Ford’s grip on the parchment tightened.

His breath hitched, his mind already analyzing the markings, the intricate weavings of forbidden knowledge staring back at him.

This wasn’t just a sigil; It was a blueprint for breaking reality.

His stomach twisted as he thought about the gravity of that realization.

His fingers traced a single line, his voice dropping to a murmur, “…This configuration… it would anchor the spatial tear before the breach even forms.”

Evalin watched him carefully, studying his responses in silence.

Ford blinked, his mind racing.

'It would regulate dimensional turbulence at the source. That’s… That’s brilliant.'

Slowly, his gaze lifted to Evalin.

Her eyes were interested as if waiting to see his reaction.

Ford swallowed hard, his throat tight.

“…Evalin,” he said carefully. “Where did you learn this?”

Evalin lifted her hands behind her head, her eyes never leaving his.

“You might not believe me,” she said, her voice light as she tried to hide her growing smile. “I’m completely self-taught~”

Ford was speechless.

His mouth opened and then shut, not a single word coming out.

Evalin tilted her head from side to side.

“So, you know how I told you about the SoM? The Society of Magic? How I told you they make a bunch of rules that are dumb and I refuse to follow?” she started to explain before tapping the paper in Ford's hand. “This is one of the many things I have made that made me a target for them. All because I wanted to do something they couldn't. Something they didn't have the balls to do. To try and do the impossible.”

She chuckled, shaking her head.

“My life's work made me a fugitive in their eyes.”

Ford looked over the sigil, his grip tightening.

“Why? What makes this sigil so different from the other ones you make?”

Evalin paused for a moment.

Then, she smiled wide, something flickering behind her eyes.

“Since you haven't run away or tried to kick me out after knowing I'm a fugitive, I can tell you the nature behind that sigil.”

She leaned in closer, her hands clasped behind her back.

“Ford, do you know what a Celestial Being is?”

Ford blinked, words slowly forming on his lips as he murmured, “I'm... not sure.”

Evalin tilted her head, her smirk curling slightly.

“A Celestial Being is pretty much a god of the multiverse. Think space god.”

She walked over to him, stopping right next to him.

She leaned even closer and looked over his face to gauge his reaction.

“That sigil? That’s written in the language of a god, Ford.”

Her smile widened, dreamy and reverent. 

“I have created sigils using the power of the gods~”

The words hung in the air for a moment.

Ford stiffened, fingers tightening around the parchment as if it might disintegrate in his hands.

His mind scrambled for an explanation—any explanation—that made sense.

But there wasn’t one.

His eyes flickered across the sigil again, tracing the intricate patterns, the deliberate structure.

This wasn’t just advanced magic.

This wasn’t even forbidden magic.

This was something else entirely.

Slowly, he swallowed hard, voice barely above a whisper.

“…Evalin, do you understand what you’ve done?”

Evalin didn’t back down.

Her smirk only widened as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

“Oh, I absolutely do~”

Ford’s lips parted, but no sound came out.

He turned back to the sigil, scanning it again, but his thoughts were a storm.

‘Celestial energy… the power of a god. And she crafted a sigil from the language of beings who don’t just manipulate reality—they dictate it… Write the rules of the multiverse.’

He forced himself to breathe.

‘How is this even possible? How did she come up with such a configuration to bend reality itself? What is the actual power source? Is it her? Is it her magic?’

His breath hitched, catching in his throat.

‘How powerful is she?’

Slowly, his eyes drifted over to her. 

Evalin was smiling sweetly, a pink tinge dusting her cheeks.

He stared at her for a moment longer before his breath finally steadied, his fingers relaxing as his analytical mind took over.

He exhaled slowly, pressing his fingers to his temple, grounding himself.

His thoughts, once chaotic, started falling into place.

‘This changes everything.’

After a long pause, he finally spoke.

“…And you’re telling me… you just made this?”

His voice was measured and controlled.

Evalin lifted her arms behind her head, grinning ear to ear.

“I found the letters, deciphered them, made them my own. Just me and a lot of sleepless nights~”

Ford let out a sharp breath, his expression unreadable.

Then, he turned back to the sigil, muttering under his breath, “The structure... it would stabilize the dimensional breach at the quantum level before the tear even fully forms.”

His fingers traced a section of the paper.

“And this—this wouldn't just anchor it. It would... synchronize it. Locking coordinates into place without the need for reactive course correction…”

His heart pounded in chest like a war drum.

Finally, he looked back at Evalin, his eyes gleaming with something intense—something worse than danger.

Excitement.

“…You are either the most brilliant mind of our time… or the most reckless.”

Evalin beamed, her cheeks deepening in color as she let out a breathy sigh.

“Ohhh, Flattery, Ford? Careful, you might make a girl swoon~” she purred as she spun in place, practically vibrating with pride.

“Here, for you~”

She whipped out a paper sigil from her bra and handed it to him.

“That's another one I have made. It's a gravity reversal sigil. Just don't use it outside because it stops working after about 10 minutes. Then gravity takes back over and you'll either be in space or plummet to your death~”

Ford took the paper, his hands trembling slightly.

He looked it over, inspecting the parchment, noticing how the sigil glowed dimly.

Evalin smiled wide as she swayed in her dress.

“That's a strong one but, hell, you're smart enough not to die from it~”

Ford paused for a moment.

“Why are you giving me this?”

She clasped her hands together in excitement.

“Because you’re not afraid~” she moaned.

Her eyes shimmered as she reached up and caressed her face.

“Finally~ Another human who could understand and appreciate my work~”

Ford felt heat rise in his face, unsure how to handle her reaction.

With a shaky breath, he slid the paper in his pocket.

“Oh, um… Th-thank you, Evalin...”

He exhaled sharply, shaking his head, but the smallest smirk tugged at his lips.

‘God… she really is brilliant.’

He turned to her completely and placed his hands on her arms.

“Can you show me how it works?”

Evalin let out a breathy sigh as she smiled sweetly, her face turning a deeper red.

“I was hoping you would ask that~”

She plucked the portal sigil from his hands, waving it in the air like a prize as she strutted through the study.

“Currently, this sigil is set up in one location out in space. I don't have a lot of control over it right now so it is just in the one spot above Elaris looking out to the stars. Had to use the good old illegal gravity reversal sigil to get that bitch up there.”

She shrugged, still grinning as if she couldn’t stop smiling.

“That sucked because it kept trying to take me instead and let's just say, I've had some pretty close calls to death on that one. Thank the stars I always have so many sigils on me at one time or there is no doubt in my mind I would have splattered on the ground somewhere~”

She grinned wider, clasping her hands together with dreamy delight.

“I'm so glad you're not afraid. To share this with someone! What a wonderful feeling!”

She turned back to Ford, swaying her hips side to side.

“I'm trusting you with something big here, Ford! I'll show you! Come on!”

Suddenly, she ran over and grabbed his hand, her grip firm as she dragged him toward the elevator.

Ford stumbled as she pulled harder with each step, stuttering, “E-Evalin! Where are you taking me?!”

Evalin squeezed tighter, practically vibrating.

“Down to B3 to show you. That big open space that's down there is perfect! And there are good tethers and ropes. Seems like the most stable in this place anyway~”

She yanked him into the elevator and pressed B3.

The elevator whirred to life and the two of them descended farther.

Ford watched Evalin with wide eyes.

He had never seen her like this before.

She was excited, practically vibrating.

With curious hands, he reached up to tap the sigil on his glasses but hesitated for a split second.

'I just.... have to see...'

Slowly, he tapped the sigil and the world shifted before him.

His breath hitched, frozen.

Evalin's light burned so bright it almost hurt to look at.

The silvery-blue color swirled around her like liquid stardust.

He stood stunned as the elevator stopped at B3.

As soon as the door opened, Evalin started pulling him again, her heart hammering in her chest as her eyes sparkled with the wonder of the multiverse.

And Ford had no idea how much danger he was actually in.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 37 // Chapter 39 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 37 // Chapter 38 // Chapter 39 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 37 // Chapter 38 // Chapter 39 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 37: The Plan

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 36 // Chapter 38 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 36 // Chapter 37 // Chapter 38 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 36 // Chapter 37 // Chapter 38 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The summer sun shined high in the sky, casting warmth on the Pine's family backyard.

Dipper sat on the porch steps, book in hand.

Mabel burst through the Mystery Shack’s screen door, radiating boundless energy and a scrapbook in her hand.

She plopped down next to her brother.

“Dipper! You need to see the updated version of the Summer Scrapbook!”

“Mabel, you don't need to show me every time you get a single page done,” Dipper huffed, rolling his eyes dramatically. 

Mabel nudged Dipper with her shoulder.

“Sure I do! Got to keep my bro-bro up on all of my fancy work!” she boasted as she flipped the book open and started to go through the pages. “Here is the time Grunkle Ford found out it was me who was turning all of his socks inside out. KERPRANKED! And here is the time we stole a painting from Bud Gleeful with Grunkle Stan!”

“Mabel, I was there, remember?” Dipper groaned, running his hand down his face.

Mabel's face beamed brightly as she turned the page.

“And here is the time you dressed up as a wolf/weasel hybrid just to fight off a scary lizard chicken!”

Dipper felt his stomach drop as heat rose up to his cheeks.

“MABEL! BURN THAT PHOTO!” he shouted as tried to snatch the book out of Mabel's hands but she was too fast.

“No way in hell, Dip-Dip! That and the picture of Evi covered in fairy graffiti are my favorite photos in the entire world!” she cackled, pushing her brother back with her free hand.

Dipper reached over Mabel but couldn't quite grab the scrapbook, his fingers just brushing the cover as he shouted, “Come on, Mabel! That's embarrassing!”

Before the fight could escalate more, Stan walked out of the shack, scratching the side of his face, the Nix's harp in his hand.

“Woah, I wish I was warned you two were fighting. I would have brought out the video camera,” he chortled, a wide grin stretching across his face.

“Grunkle Stan, this is hardly a fight. Dipper just wants his wolf costume picture back,” Mabel teased, still holding Dipper back with ease.

Stan waved a hand in the arm, smirking as he stated, “Don't worry, pumpkin. I have copies for blackmailing reasons.”

“You’re officially my favorite criminal~” Mabel snickered with an impish grin.

“Why?!” Dipper complained, throwing up his hands.

Stan pointed at him, warning, “In case you ever decide to turn the kitchen into a science experiment again.”

Dipper leaned his head back, groaning, “A guy creates ONE potato bomb and now he can't live it down.”

“I told you to add glitter. No one can be mad at glitter!” Mabel taunted with a smirk.

“Yes, they can,” Dipper deadpanned, narrowing his eyes at her.

“I will never believe that,” she rebutted with a wave of her hand, sparkles falling lazily from her fingertips.

Dipper rolled his eyes before turning to Stan and asking, “What's up with the harp?”

“Isn't that the instrument from that hot/not hot river monster?” Mabel asked, grimacing.

“Yeah, Spooky asked me to fix it up last week. I finally fixed it. Now I just need to find her to give it back to her,” Stan explained, inspecting the harp in the light before looking down at the twins. “Have you kids seen the crazy lady?”

Before they could respond, a voice rang out from above, shouting, “Up here!”

Dipper, Mabel, and Stan looked up to see Ford peering over the edge of the roof, a wide grin on his face.

“Woah, Grunkle Ford, what are you doing up there?” Dipper asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

“I want to be on the roof too!” Mabel exclaimed with a smile before running into the shack to make her way to the top floor.

Ford chuckled, still peering over the side of the roof.

“Evalin had agreed to allow me to watch her sigil work on the shack.”

“You're letting her do magic voodoo on the Mystery Shack?” Stan questioned, squinting his eyes slightly.

“It's not Voodoo, Stanley. It's her sigil work. You should come up and see for yourself. It's quite fascinating,” Ford encouraged before disappearing back over the ledge.

His eyes shifted back over to Evalin who was bent over, a blowtorch flame flaring at her fingertip.

Her face was scrunched with focus as she finished another sigil before looking up at the sun.

Bringing a finger to her chin, she started to mumble at herself, “Alright, so if the sun is out 12 to 13 hours a day on this planet, we are going to need a battery for overnight. This is for a whole damn house. It isn't small like my cabin. I'll have to set up conduits so the power can be distributed properly throughout the house.”

She scratched the side of her head in frustration, grumbling, “That means I need to draw up modules in specific locations throughout the house just to get power.”

Ford sat comfortably as he watched her with an excited smile.

“This is quite impressive, Evalin. So, this sigil array—it's channeling ambient solar energy? Or are you using another energy source?” he inquired, his mind running wild.

Evalin didn’t look up, her focus locked on the sigil.

She muttered something under her breath before finally answering, “It's called a sigil grid, Stanford. And yes, I'm using the energy from the sun to—“

The window to the roof opened and Mabel came tumbling out.

Evalin immediately reached out her hand to catch the falling child, exclaiming, “Woah! Easy there, sparkle gremlin. Don't step on the sigil lines. They WILL burn your toes.”

Mabel's eyes flickered from the sigil lines up to Evalin, a huge smile growing on her face.

“You doing witchy magic doodles?”

Evalin blinked before she helped Mabel stabilize herself and pushed her over to Ford.

“Close enough. Now go sit down with Stanford, please. I'm working.”

Dipper and Stan climbed out of the window too.

Evalin pressed her lips together, grumbling, “Please tell me you're not here to interrupt me too.”

“Woah, what is happening here?” Dipper asked as he looked at the sigils before crawling onto the roof while Stan sat on the window sill, dangling his legs over the edge.

“It's called work,” Evalin sighed, gesturing down to the sigils. “As I was saying just a bit ago before everyone stumbled out like clowns scrambling out of a clown car, this is a Sigil Grid. My own creation.”

She shrugged, shaking her head as she added, “Most magic users are too stupid to do something this complex without the whole thing blowing up but that's because they are cowards with no power control.”

Ford raised an eyebrow, asking, “I take it that most practitioners aren't as refined in their technique?”

Evalin let out a dry laugh.

“Those weenies would piss themselves if they saw this~”

She started to pace around the roof, avoiding the sigil lines with ease and using the tip of her boot to point out sigils as she explained them.

“This big boy in the middle is an energy absorption sigil. I drew this one specifically to go for the sun's energy,” she explained before dragging her foot next to the line connecting to another much smaller sigil. “This one siphons small amounts of energy through the conduits and distributes that power to these smaller modules so the energy can be spread throughout the whole house but it looks like I need to make a few more sigils to make sure this works. An energy storage sigil to act as a battery for overnight, a redirection sigil so things don't overload, and a bigger siphon sigil that goes into the ground just in case there is extra energy that we don't need.”

She looked up in thought, adding, “Not sure if that is necessary but it never hurts. This place doesn't have my other energy stabilizing sigils so this would be more so I don't accidentally bow the roof off of the shack.”

Mabel threw her hands up, shouting, “Raise the roof!”

Evalin rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

“If I mess this up, we’re looking at either a blackout or a small rooftop explosion—neither is ideal.”

“Yeah, let’s NOT have another roof incident, thanks,” Stan snorted.

Dipper pressed his lips together as he muttered, “Pretty sure we don’t need a second sun in Gravity Falls either.”

Evalin hummed, deep in thought.

“I've never made a sun before...” she mumbled before a smile spread across her face as something flickered behind her eyes. “Now THAT one sounds like fun~”

Dipper deadpanned, “Don't do that. It's hot enough as it is.”

“That is very true... Another time then~” Evalin teased as she tilted her head side to side.

“Hey, Spooky, I fixed the thing for you,” Stan announced as he pulled out the Nix's harp from inside the window.

Evalin's face lit up as she quickly dashed over to check out his work, her smile growing wide.

“It's perfect! Thank you, Stanley! You are a lifesaver for sure!”

As soon as Evalin took the harp from his hands, Stan felt the pressure around his pinky release with a light fizzle.

He rubbed his hand where the promise ribbon once was, mumbling, “So, I got my soul back?”

Evalin didn't even glance at him as she looked over the harp.

“Hm? Oh, I didn't take your soul but, yes, you are free now~ Thank you for your help.”

The tips of Stan's ears turned pink as he rubbed the back of his neck before he flashed her a shit-eating grin and finger gunning her, teasing, “You got it, sweet tits~”

Ford's eye twitched as he groaned, “Don't call her that, Stanley.”

Stan burst out laughing.

Evalin began to strum the harp, the sound ringing out beautifully.

“You know how to play that?” Ford inquired, eyebrows raised.

Evalin shrugged, her fingers plucking the strings absentmindedly.

“Not yet but it's also not the first instrument I've had to teach myself how to play so it shouldn't be too difficult.”

Dipper raised an eyebrow.

“You have learned how to play a Nix's instrument before?”

“Yeah, I learned how to play a lute before too. That was extremely difficult, but totally worth it.” Evalin snorted, not paying attention.

Dipper tilted his head with a smirk.

“So, you do know a lot more than you are saying.”

Evalin froze, realizing what she said.

She pressed her lips together and pulled her hat over her eyes, mumbling, “Mabel, sweetie, come here please.”

Mabel perked up and skipped over.

Evalin bent over and whispered in Mabel's ear before pulling out a paper from her bra.

She handed it to Mabel, who started vibrating with excitement.

Mabel turned to her brother and fully sprinted, shouting, “TICKLE SIGIL ATTACK!” before slapping the sigil on Dipper.

The effects were immediate as Dipper felt muscle spasms all throughout his body, making him laugh uncontrollably.

Stan and Mabel both howled out with laughter as Evalin snickered to herself.

Ford rolled his eyes and got up to remove the sigil from Dipper so he could breathe, grumbling, “Evalin, I told you not to use your sigils on the kids.”

Evalin barked out a laugh and pointed at Mabel.

“I didn't do shit! Mabel slapped Dipper with the tickle sigil!” she claimed before shrugging, a shit-eating grin on her face. “That sigil wasn't even originally my idea. That was Mabel's idea.”

Mabel nodded approvingly, adding, “I have the best ideas~”

Ford pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning, “You two are horrible together.”

“I beg to differ~” Evalin argued with a smirk as she tousled Mabel’s hair.

“We are the greatest witchy team out there, Grunkle Ford! Bow before us!” Mabel shouted as she pointed down to the ground.

Ford didn't even dignify that with an answer as he rolled his eyes.

“What did my brother mean by the promise is over?”

Evalin hesitated, her grip tightening on the harp.

“Oh... that. Well, I needed him to do something for me and it was pretty important so I made a promise with him. Simple~”

Ford raised an eyebrow.

“And what did Stanley get in return?”

Evalin flashed him a sharp grin.

“A night with Lady Luck~”

Ford choked on air.

He slowly turned to his brother, his expression darkening.

Stan looked at him back, wiggling his eyebrows with a shit-eating grin on his face.

“What in god's name did you do, Stanley?” Ford demanded, his face twitching slightly.

Stan's smile widened.

“I got to play games with her all night~” he drawled, enunciating each word.

Ford felt his stomach hit the ground as his whole face twitched.

Evalin shrugged, unaware of the damage Stan was causing.

“Yeah, because sitting with you as you played Poker was lots of fun for me.”

Ford's head snapped to her.

“Wait... what?”

Stan's laugh echoed through the air.

“Holy shit, Sixer! You should have seen your face! I wish I had a camera!”

Ford pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning, “Goddamn it, Stanley. You are such an ass.”

Dipper took a closer look at the sigils, his mind racing with theories.

“Where have I seen these symbols before?” he asked before looking up at Evalin. “Evalin, what did you use to make these?”

Evalin blinked.

Then she reached up and fiddled with the brim of her hat.

“Well... since this is more... technological, I had to use a different alphabet to make the sigils.”

Ford’s ears perked up as he leaned forward, intrigued.

“You can interchange the base symbols for your sigil work? I'm assuming each alphabetical sequence produces a different result then?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Evalin explained with a nod. “Some alphabets are better suited than others. It all depends on what I'm using it for.”

“So what alphabet did you use for this one?” Dipper questioned, pointing to the sigils.

Evalin hesitated.

Her fingers twitched against the harp as she cleared her throat, her cheeks dusting pink.

“Well... I used... Stanford's alphabet.”

Stan furrowed his brow.

“The scribble in the journals?”

Ford shook his head.

“No, Evalin has never seen the journals. Those were thrown in the Bottomless Pit at the end of last summer, remember?”

Stan rubbed his head.

“Last summer is still a little... fuzzy. You know, between the memory gun, time shenanigans, and whatever the hell that deer was saying to me—“

There was a moment of silence.

Evalin blinked, her eyes flickering over the family.

'Woah... This family is actually quiet for once? Whatever happened last summer must have been pretty shitty.'

Ford rubbed the back of his neck, mumbling, “Right, my apologies, Stanley.”

Evalin's eye widened slightly.

'Woah! Ford is actually apologizing to Stanley?! What the fuck happened last summer?!'

Ford cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

“Anyway, yes, Evalin has seen my work before apparently. One of my old research papers from college appeared in her dimension one day back when I was still testing out different ciphers. Supposedly, she deciphered it and is now using it as a basis for technological sigil designs.”

Evalin's shoulders eased a little, as she smirked.

“Yep~ The sigils made from that alphabet work really well for stuff like powering my fridge and freezer as well as infinite hot water for showers. So, thank you for that, Ford~”

Stan blinked, the gears in his head turning.

“Wait... so you're tellin' me, all of this doodle work is so we get free power?”

Evalin hesitated for a moment before answering.

“I mean, yeah. You wanted to see my sigil work—so I went all out. Stanford said I could go big, so... I did,” she explained before a smirk crawled across her face as she added, “Gives me the chance to show off why my sigil work is so powerful~”

Stan's smile grew wide.

“You beautiful genius! This is amazing! Now we don't have to spend thousands of dollars because of all of the power my brother's nerdy lab uses!”

Evalin heard a memory of a voice echo in her head.

“HOLY SHIT—YOU INSANE FUCKING GENIUS—”

Something tugged at her heart as a small smirk curled her lips, heat rising in her chest.

For just a moment, she softened.

Then she shook her head, a normal smile plastered on her face.

“Yeah, yeah. You're welcome. Now you see why I'm the most powerful sigil user in all of Elaris~”

“You've talked about that before. What is Elaris?” Dipper asked, tilting his head.

Evalin froze, realizing what she said.

Without missing a beat, Ford cleared his throat, stating, “Elaris is the planet she is from.”

Evalin reached up and pulled on her hat.

'Godsdamn it... I have such a big mouth around these people...'

Mabel smiled brightly.

“Is it pretty on Elaris? It sounds like a gorgeous name!”

Evalin paused as her gaze landed on the young girl.

She studied her for a moment, eyes flickering with something unreadable.

“Yeah, Elaris is beautiful,” she whispered with a small smirk as she turned her eyes up to the sky, the sun warming her face. “I can’t wait to get back home.”

Mabel's smile faded entirely as something twisted in her chest.

“Wait... you're not staying here?” she asked, her voice small.

Evalin blinked, confused.

“What? N-no, I need to go home,” she explained as she gave Mabel a weak smile. “I don't belong here, Mabel. I have to go home.”

Ford's jaw tightened as he looked away, his heart knotting against his ribs.

Mabel's eyes widened in disbelief, murmuring, “But you do belong here.... You're a Pines… just like us.”

Evalin shook her head slowly.

“Mabel... I'm not—“

“There has to be something we can do!” Mabel shouted as she snapped her head to Ford.

Evalin paused, her smile faltering as she felt a strange feeling in her stomach.

Ford kept his eyes to the side, resting his arms on his knees.

“I have already asked her to stay but it’s her choice.”

“So that's it?” Stan grumbled, crossing his arms. “You fix up the shack, play house with us for a while, and then go back to your lonely life in the middle of nowhere. You just go and disappear?”

Evalin snapped her head over to him, her lips pressed together.

“Wow, okay, fucking rude much?”

She stood up tall, placing a hand to her chest.

“I was in the middle of work before I came here. Granted, I'm not sure how I landed here in Gravity Falls but I would still love to get back home.”

Her eyes narrowed at Stan before adding, “No matter how lonely that life might be to you.”

She exhaled through her nose, calming her tone before continuing.

“Don't get me wrong, I appreciate everything your family has done for me and I'm trying to make it up to you guys. I've been trying to make myself useful to you all in any possible way I can.”

Her voice grew quiet.

“You are all wonderful people and probably the best group I could have ended up with.”

She pulled at her hat again, muttering, “But I have work to do.”

The whole area grew quiet.

Not a single one of them said a word.

Ford pressed his lips together, gaze unreadable.

Mabel clutched her sweater as tears started to swell in her eyes.

Dipper shoved his hands in his vest pockets.

Then—Evalin spoke up again.

She swallowed hard, fingers tightening on the brim of her hat.

“However...”

The word hung in the air.

Ford’s gaze sharpened as she continued.

“There is something I’ve been working on that might allow me to come back whenever I want...”

She exhaled, running a hand through her hair.

“But.... It’s a lot of work, and I have no idea if I can actually pull it off by myself...”

Ford immediately stepped forward.

“What do you need done?”

Evalin hesitated, her gaze shifting over to him as she studied his determined face.

Her jaw tightened as she tangled her free hand in her hair and started scratching in frustration.

She mumbled under her breath, “This is absolutely fucking crazy...”

Then, she moved the hair out of her face before addressing them again.

“Okay, let's say I can make a portal but it's unstable and I can't control where it leads to without an anchor. Let's also say we could somehow manage to make an anchor here in Gravity Falls.”

She rubbed her face, thinking, 'Fuck, this is such a horrible idea but...'

Her eyes flickered over the Pine's family faces.

“Look, when I get home, I'll pull some strings and complete the portal from my side... making a bridge between Elaris and.... uh....”

“Earth?” Dipper supplied with an arched eyebrow.

Evalin pointed at Dipper, confirming, “Right... Earth.”

She turned back to Ford.

“That way I can come back at any time and I can still get my work done.”

She flashed a weak smirk before adding, “Then, everyone is happy, right?”

Something flickered behind Ford's eyes as he studied her.

He couldn't stop the smirk from curling against his lips as he whispered, “Extremely.”

Mabel smiled wide as she turned to Ford.

“Grunkle Ford! You've built a portal before! You and Evi can make it together!”

Evalin raised an eyebrow.

“You actually made the portal that you traveled through to the multiverse? I thought you just fell through a random tear in reality.”

Ford stiffened, his expression darkening slightly.

“Yes... I have created a portal,” he faltered, his voice measured, but there was something heavy in it. “It was very... dangerous.”

“So is the rest of the multiverse, what’s new?” Evalin snorted, waving her hand in the air.

Dipper narrowed his eyes.

“How do you know so much about the multiverse?”

Evalin immediately shook her head.

“I've seen things, Dipper. A lot of things. I... I can't tell you how but I need you to trust me on this...” Her voice dipped low, quiet. “Please...”

Dipper was taken aback by her sudden genuineness.

He swallowed hard and nodded, filing all of his questions for another time.

Evalin let out a sigh of relief, a smirk curling her lips as she whispered, “Thank you...”

Ford crossed his arms, a smirk growing on his face.

“Then let’s get to work.”

Before anyone moved, a voice rang throughout the air.

“Woah! There you dudes are!”

Everyone blinked and looked over the edge of the roof to see Soos on the ground, a big goofy smile on his face while he waved his hands.

“I've been looking everywhere for you guys! You having a rooftop party without me?”

“No way, Soos! We wouldn't throw a party without you on your birthday!” Mabel bellowed out.

“Does our birthday gift fit you?” Dipper inquired as he leaned over the edge, his lips curled into a smile.

Soos gave them the thumbs up.

“It fits perfect! That's actually why I came to find you dudes! I'm closing the shop early today. Me and Melody are going to go play laser tag with the new equipment!” he stated as he hopped into his pickup truck. “See you dudes later!”

With that, he drove off the parklot and disappeared down the winding road. 

Stan rubbed the back of his neck, grumbling, “Damn, mid-July already? This summer’s flying by.”

Evalin blinked, looking over to Stan.

“.... What did you say?”

Stan paused.

His eyes shifted from side to side before landing on her again.

“Um... it's already mid-July?”

Evalin looked down for a moment in thought before turning to Ford.

“What is today?”

Ford hesitated before adjusting his watch.

“July 13th. Why do you ask?”

Evalin froze for a moment, blinking quickly.

Then she rubbed her cheek.

“Well... That means I turn 30 tomorrow.”

A silence filled the air.

Then—

Mabel shouted so loud Dipper almost fell over.

“TOMORROW IS YOUR BIRTHDAY!?”

Evalin jumped, her grip tightening on the harp, exclaiming, “Sweet stars, Mabel! Volume control! Learn it at least a little!”

“So... tomorrow is actually your birthday?” Ford questioned with an arched eyebrow.

“Yeah. Guess I forgot again. At least I recognized it before instead of days later. I've done that a time or two,” Evalin answered with a shrug, unbothered.

“You forgot about your birthday?” Dipper asked, incredulous.

Evalin adjusted her hat, her gaze shifting down to her work.

“Yeah, I guess. Don't really celebrate it so it's whatever.”

Mabel snapped her head at Evalin so hard, it was surprising that she didn't give herself whiplash as she shouted, “YOU DON'T CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY?!?!?!?!”

Evalin winced as she covered her ear.

“Godsdamn! Volume control! Please!” she pleaded, rubbing the side of her head in pain. “Shit... keep this up and my ears will start bleeding.”

Mabel ran over and clutched Evalin's dress.

“Why don't you celebrate your birthday?! It's like... the best holiday ever!”

Evalin blinked.

Then she let out a dry laugh, smirking.

“Holiday? Mabel, please. It's not that big of a deal. Besides, celebrations are with other people. Kind of don't have that in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere.”

Mabel studied her for a moment, her eyes flickering over her features.

A realization hit her hard, one she couldn't even say out loud.

Instead, a huge grin spread across her face.

“Don't worry, Evi! Me and Dipper will set you up with the best birthday ever!”

Evalin gave her a weak smile.

“Mabel, don't trouble yourself. Seriously. It's not a big deal,” she muttered before turning to Ford with a serious look. “I can meet you down in the study after I put this harp somewhere safe.”

With that, she started toward the edge of the roof.

Ford stepped forward to stop her.

“Evalin! Wait!” he shouted before motioning to the window. “This way is safer.”

Evalin furrowed her brow before lifting her eyebrow.

“Ohhh, you mean 'boring?'” she mused.

Her eyes traveled past him and up toward the tip of the roof above them.

A mischievous smile stretched across her face as she stepped away from the edge of the roof.

It looked like she was going to use the window but instead, she hip bumped Ford and ran up to the tip of the roof.

Ford felt his heart lurch and his stomach drop.

Dipper tightened his jaw.

Stan smirked as something buzzed in his mind.

“You gonna swan dive off the roof, Spooky?”

“DO A FLIP!” Mabel shouted at the top of her lungs.

Ford felt his chest tighten as he begged, “Evalin! Don't—!”

Evalin didn’t even glance back as she let out an amused giggle.

Then, she stepped off the roof, spun in mid-air, and landed on her feet with ease.

She didn't even look back up.

Instead, she smiled as she stepped into the shack, strumming the harp in her hands.

“WOOO! What a fucking woman~!” Stan whooped with a wide smile.

Ford groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, groaning, “You are all going to be the death of me one of these days.”

Mabel came up and patted him on the back.

“Don't worry, Grunkle Ford. You keep Evi busy while Dipper, Grunkle Stan, and I come up with a plan for Evi's birthday. We aren't going to let a single birthday go uncelebrated!”

Ford looked up at his family who were all smiling at him.

Slowly, he nodded and got to his feet, ready to start the next step of their plan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 36 // Chapter 38 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 36 // Chapter 37 // Chapter 38 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 36 // Chapter 37 // Chapter 38 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 36: Morning After

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 35 // Chapter 37 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // Chapter 35 // Chapter 36 // Chapter 37 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // Chapter 35 // Chapter 36 // Chapter 37 >

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning light filtered gently through the RV’s windows, casting a warm glow over the bed as the world outside remained still. Evalin rested on the bed, pale, tired, but breathing and still alive.

As she felt the sun on her face, she stirred, her eyelids fluttering open, the weight of exhaustion still pressing heavily against her very being.

Her body ached with the faint, persistent thrum of overexertion—a painful reminder of the previous night’s battle.

Slowly, she started to move.

Everything hurt.

'Ow... I really did a number on myself last night...'

Her jaw tightened as she lifted her hand to her face, looking at the burn marks.

“How embarrassing. If you could see me right now, you would NEVER let me hear the end of it... Ugh, I can hear you laughing at me right now...”

Then, she heard a faint sound.

'That... wasn't a laugh. Was that.... a snore?'

She blinked a few times, turning her head.

That's when she saw Ford slumped forward in his seat beside the bed, his head resting near the edge of the mattress.

One hand resting in his lap, the other firmly wrapped around hers.

His face, so normally so composed and sharp, was relaxed in sleep, the lines of worry etched into his brow softened by exhaustion.

Evalin watched the slow and steady rise and fall of his shoulders as he slept.

'Did... Did he stay here all night with me?' she thought as her eyes narrowed, studying his sleeping face as if it had the answer. '...Why?'

She laid back, noticing the amount of pillows around her.

Her face lit up immediately with delight.

'Aw, sweet! I have all the pillows~! That's awesome!'

She looked over at Ford again, who was snoring softly.

Something twisted in her chest, something she didn't really understand.

Then, with her free hand, she gently lifted his face and pushed a pillow under his head with her foot.

Her jaw tightened as she moved, the pain a subtle reminder of her mistake but dulled with each passing moment.

'There, he should be more comfortable now.'

She tilted her head as she studied him; the softness of him in his sleep, his gentle snores in rhythm with his breathing, the way his fingers twitched against her hand.

A smirk curled at her lips as she thought, 'Wow... I never expected another human to be so.... cute.'

Heat immediately rose in her chest, creeping up her neck.

'Godsdamn it... Not this again....' she groaned as she pressed her lips together.

She reached up with her free hand and touched her cheek.

“This feeling... feels like... you... but it doesn't?” she thought as her jaw tightened, her chest twisting. “I... don't understand... Why do I feel like this?”

Her eyes flickered back to Ford before adding, “...Is it because he is human too?”

She pinched the bridge of her nose, annoyed.

Just as she did, Ford began to stir awake, his eyelids fluttering open.

The morning light spilling through the RV’s windows stung his tired eyes.

For a moment, his mind was sluggish, tangled in the remnants of restless dreams.

Then reality crashed in like a wave, sharp and unrelenting.

Evalin was alright.

He turned his head, his breath catching as he saw her awake, her pale face tilted toward him.

Relief hit him first as Ford instinctively tightened his grip on her hand.

Evalin blinked, watching, not sure how to react.

Ford studied her face, memories of last night flooding in.

Evalin standing in the middle of a makeshift battlefield, covered in blood.

Her collapse.

Stan carrying inside, her limp legs dangling as he walked to the RV.

Ford's heart skipping when he found Evalin's pulse, weak but steady.

The way he stayed with her all night.

Watching.

Waiting.

Hoping.

Searching for any sign she was coming back to them.

Whenever her brow furrowed as if she was caught in a nightmare, he would squeeze her hand.

His rational mind had told him she needed rest, to stop obsessing over her well-being.

But he just... couldn't.

Now, seeing her awake, her eyes meeting his, a knot formed in his throat.

She looked so fragile in the morning light, her usual strength muted by exhaustion.

But she was there.

He swallowed hard before speaking.

“Evalin?” he rasped, his voice rough with sleep and lingering worry. “You're... awake?”

Evalin blinked, her eyes softening for a split second before snapping her face away.

“Yeah... I'm up,” she mumbled, her cheeks dusting pink.

Ford's lips curled into a relieved smile.

He squeezed her hand gently.

“I'm glad.”

“You act as if it was that easy to kill me,” Evalin snorted, ignoring the heat crawling up her neck.

Ford let out a tired chuckle, shaking his head.

“I suppose we wouldn't be that lucky, right?”

A smirk curled Evalin's lips.

“Now, you're getting it~”

Ford sat up, his hand slipped from Evalin’s grasp as he stretched his arms over his head.

Her fingers twitched slightly at the loss.

Ford blinked, momentarily surprised.

Then, he reached out slowly and grabbed her hand again.

Evalin's eyes flickered over to their hands then back to the wall.

Her voice came out small.

“I like this.”

Ford's heart hammered against his ribs as his smile widened.

“Me too.”

Pink dusted over Evalin's cheeks.

She reached up to pull down her hat, noticing it wasn't there.

She immediately started looking around, slightly panicked.

Ford perked up in response.

“Wait, I have it,” he muttered as he reached down under his chair and pulled out her hat before holding it out for her to take.

She blinked, confused by his actions.

Slowly, she took her hat, settling it back onto her head, feeling the familiar fabric.

She looked back at Ford.

“Thank you for keeping it safe,” she whispered softly.

Ford squeezed her hand, his tone gentle.

“I know it means a lot to you.”

Something twisted deep in Evalin's chest and she forced herself to shove it down.

Slowly, she gave him a silent nod.

After a beat, Ford’s expression turned more serious, something clearly weighing on his mind.

“Evalin... What happened last night?” he inquired, his smirk fading.

Evalin's shoulders sagged slightly.

She took a deep breath, readying herself before rambling, “Well, after the imp knocked you guys out like a sack of potatoes, we got into a... heated discussion. It threw hands. I slapped back harder than it expected. Standard stuff.”

“It didn't render you unconscious?” Ford asked, assessing her.

Evalin scoffed, rolling her eyes, “Hell no. I'm a lot stronger than that stupid thing.”

He leaned over slightly, raising his eyebrow.

“So what was the bleeding?”

Evalin hesitated.

She pressed her lips together.

“Well... the little shit decided to use the ley lines of this planet against me. The imp might have been connected to this land or whatever. Never fought a whole damn planet before. That was a little crazy.”

A smile curled her lips as she added, “Good to know I can though~ Absolutely wild .”

Then she let out a dry, humorless laugh as her fingers gripped around the sheets, her grin twitching too sharp.

“The little shit tried to eat you. Right in front of me!” she cackled, throwing a hand up before adding, “Ha! What a fucking idiot!”

Ford's eyebrows shot up in surprise, muttering, “It... what?”

“Tried to turn you into a science sandwich. I think it wanted a power boost just to try to beat me,” Evalin explained as she waved a hand lazily through the air before her face split into a wicked grin. “Like it ever had a chance~”

Ford studied her for a moment before smiling.

“Thank you, Evalin. You saved me and my family once again.”

Evalin's eyes flickered over his face, searching for something as she thought, 'I wonder if he would do the thing again...'

Heat curled in her chest as she felt her pulse pick up.

She looked away as her face turned bright red, mumbling, “...Well... There is a way to pay me back... for saving your asses...”

Ford raised his eyebrow, tilting his head in amusement.

“Oh? And what is that?”

Evalin hesitated, her eyes flickering over Ford once more to study him.

After a moment, she cleared her throat.

“...Sit in bed with me...”

Ford froze, blinking slowly.

His heart went crazy in his chest.

The pulse in his ears was far too loud.

Heat shot from his chest, up his neck, across his cheeks, and all the way to the tips of his ears.

He studied her for a moment, unsure if he’d heard her correctly.

Then he swallowed hard before asking in a strained voice, “... What was that?”

Evalin flinched, her eye twitching slightly.

“I said.... sit in bed with me...” she repeated, a little more confident this time.

Ford blinked again, unable to believe his ears.

For a moment, the entire world faded as his mind went blank, unprepared for his next action.

Slowly, he got to his feet.

With hesitant movements, he crawled up on the bed beside her, pushing the massive amount of pillows out of the way.

As soon as he settled, Evalin shifted, sluggish from the strain.

Calmly, she positioned herself to sit in his lap.

Then, she pressed her ear against his chest, the brim of her hat catching on his face before slipping off.

Ford froze, his mind emptied in an instant.

'I—I shouldn't have done this. She needs to be resting... She should—'

Suddenly, she hummed.

“I like this sound.”

Ford's breath hitched as his train of thought derailed.

Slowly, he looked down at her.

He swallowed hard, forcing himself to breathe.

“My... heartbeat?” he asked, his voice just above a whisper.

Evalin nodded, rubbing her face against his sweater, the soft texture against her cheek.

“Yeah. Your heartbeat,” she murmured as a smile curled at the corners of her lips. “I'll take this as payment for saving your asses again~”

Something twisted in Ford's chest.

Taking a deep breath, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer.

He rested his head on hers, smiling.

“A price I'm more than willing to pay.”

Evalin's heart fluttered as her smirk widening.

'Gods... This feeling is like no other.... What is it?'

Her fingers curled against his sweater, feeling the fabric under her skin.

'Is this... what it means to be human?'

Ford shifted slightly to get more comfortable, never loosening his grip.

Slowly, he started to stroke her hair, the soft curls tangling gently between his fingers.

His smile widened as he committed this moment to memory; the feel of her weight in his arms, the heat of her body against his, the rise and fall of her shoulders as she took each breath.

They sat like that for a while, enjoying the company of each other.

It was... nice.

Then—

“Hey, Ford?” Evalin whispered softly.

Ford shifted slightly to find her looking up at him with shimmering eyes.

His breath hitched as he suddenly realized how close her face was to his.

He could feel his heart slam against his ribs, each beat loud in his ears as his face felt like it was on fire.

Evalin smirked weakly, tilting her head against him as if she wasn't done listening to his heart as she mumbled, “I'm sorry I might smell. I really need a shower.”

Ford blinked.

Slowly, his eyes accidentally traveled down her neck and to her low-cut dress.

He immediately began choking on air, his face beet red.

“Well, shit, Stanford!” she shouted as she recoiled. “I know I probably smell but GODDAMN!”

Ford, fighting for his right to breathe, waved his hands.

“No, no, it—it's not—“ he stuttered as he tried to retrieve his dignity. 

Evalin watched him for a moment, narrowing her eyes as she pressed her lips together.

Ford caught his breath, his eyes locking on the wall as he mumbled, “You... don't smell bad.”

Evalin studied him for a second longer before huffing a laugh.

Then she shifted, getting off his lap and standing up with a grunt before stretching her arms above her head, a loud, satisfying POP from her back.

“Oh shiiiit~ That felt wonderful!” she moaned before peeking over her shoulder at Ford who was still sitting on the bed, stunned and red faced. 

She peeked over her shoulder at Ford still sitting on the bed, stunned.

“You might not think I smell bad but I sure do,” she stated, waving a hand lazily through the air. “I'm going to go take a well-deserved shower.”

She opened the door and paused, turning to give him one last look.

“Oh, and Ford?”

Ford's head snapped up, all of his attention on her, answering with a, “Yes?”

“No, you can't join me~” she purred, a wicked smile spreading across her face.

Ford choked on air, his face burning bright red.

Evalin cackled, her laughter echoing through the RV as she strolled out, the door clicking shut behind her.

'Wh- What was that all about?!' Ford screamed internally as he sat on the bed, trying his hardest to collect his thoughts.

~n~

After a bit of time, Evalin stepped out of the bathroom feeling fresh and clean even though her mind was elsewhere entirely.

She puffed out her cheeks as she pressed her lips into a thin line, her eyebrows furrowing as she thought, 'Okay... That didn't work out the way I wanted it to.'

She let out a long sigh as she adjusted her wet hair under her hat. 

“He isn't you. I... keep forgetting that,” she thought before chuckling to herself weakly, trying to control the hammering in her chest. “ I know you would have had no problem following me into the shower, you little weirdo~”

With even steps she stepped into the main area of the RV, rubbing her cheek absentmindedly.

Then, she paused as she found everyone looking at her.

She pressed her lips together as she slowly reached up and began to fiddle with the brim of her hat, lifting her other hand in an awkward wave.

“Um... hi...”

Stan was the first one to speak up from his spot behind the wheel.

“Well, look who's decided to rejoin the land of the living~” he teased, smirking wide. “Slept forever after that fight, eh, Sleeping Beauty?”

Ford, seated at the table across from Dipper, shot his brother a mild glare, groaning, “Damn it, Stanley.”

Evalin chuckled, waving her hand in the air.

“It's fine. Honestly, that's probably the longest I've slept in a while.”

Stan chuckled, tilting his head down as he kept his eyes on her.

“Well, if anyone deserves to sleep like they own the damn place, it's you, sweetie. You looked like something dragged you through hell and back—and you still got up,” he complimented with a shrug before adding, “That's pretty badass but maybe take it easy next time, eh?”

Evalin rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile.

“I don't know about that but—“

Mabel sprung up from her spot in the middle of the floor, a card clutched in her hands.

She bound over to Evalin with the energy only Mabel could muster.

“Evi! I made you something!” she shouted as she shoved the card into Evalin's hands.

Evalin blinked at the card, studying it for a moment, unsure how to react.

“It's a 'Thanks for Saving Our Butts' card!” Mabel beamed brightly before throwing her arms around Evalin in a tight hug, catching her off guard.

Then, she patted Mabel on the back, the card still tight in her grip, murmuring, “Thank you, Mabel. This is… unexpected.”

She opened the card carefully, her eyes skimming over the messages inside.

Dipper had signed his name with a simple “Thank you, Evi” accompanied by a small constellation doodle.

Stan's note was scrawled in his familiar, slightly messy handwriting: “Thanks for the save, Spooky!”

A small red heart was sketched beside it.

Evalin chuckled as she looked over at him with an incredulous smirk.

“Really, Stanley? A heart? Seems so unlike you~” she teased with a snicker.

Stan recoiled as he quickly looked over at the card, his ears turning pink as he shouted, “Hey! I didn't draw that!”

Mabel snickered, leaning over to Evalin to whisper, “I added it when I got the card back~”

“Goddamn it,” Stan groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Mabel, if you are going to make us sign the card, you can't change what we put in the card,” Dipper scolded his sister with a stern tone as he rolled his eyes.

Mabel waved a sleeve at him.

“Hey, man. I was just adding more love to the card~”

Evalin huffed a laugh, shaking her head as she turned her attention back to the card.

Mabel’s message was bursting with colors and glitter:

“To the most magical Evi ever!! Thank you for keeping us safe!”

She had even drawn a tiny unicorn and a shooting star beside her name, the joyful chaos of it perfectly matching her personality.

Finally, Ford's message caught Evalin's eye.

His words were written in neat, deliberate script:

“You are invaluable to us. Thank you, Evalin.”

Her throat tightened as something twisted in her chest.

She reached up and covered her face with her hat.

“Th-thank you... I mean it.”

“You’re welcome! You’re officially part of Team Pines now!” Mabel beamed, bouncing on her toes.

Stan lifted a thumbs-up in the air, cheering, “Hear, hear!”

“We mean it. We're glad you're here, Evalin,” Ford added with a smile, his expression soft and reassuring.

Dipper nodded, silently approving.

Without missing a beat, Mabel leaned down behind the counter and produced a box with a dramatic flourish.

“Ta-da! Feast your eyes, Evi! Donuts! We decorated them ourselves!”

She held the box up proudly, the lid open to reveal an explosion of color.

Each donut was smothered in sprinkles, glitter, and more frosting than was strictly necessary.

Evalin peeked out from under her hat to see the absolute mess of food before her.

A smile curled at her lips as she mumbled, “They’re, uh... beautiful, Mabel.”

“Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder,” Dipper snickered from his spot at the table.

Evalin rolled her eyes, ignoring him.

She reached for one of the chaotic confections, only to pause, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“Wait. How sure are we that this glitter is actually edible?”

Mabel waved a dismissive hand.

“It’s fine! Probably!”

Ford squinted at the donuts, adjusting his glasses.

“I’d say there’s a... 50/50 chance.”

“Not exactly the reassurance I was looking for, Stanford,” Evalin snorted, smiling weakly.

Mabel grinned, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

“Grunkle Stan and I spent all morning on them. Extra love just for you!”

“You mean extra glitter. I’ve got more of that stuff on my hands than frosting,” Stan scoffed, crossing his arms across his chest.

“You’re welcome!” Mabel shouted, her face beaming brightly.

Evalin let out a short laugh before finally taking a bite.

“...Tastes like sugar and questionable life choices. But mostly sugar.”

“Success!” Mabel cheered.

“Good lord, Mabel. You are going to give Evi a sugar rush,” Dipper pointed out with a teasing smirk.

“Hell yeah! I want to see a hyper Evi!” Mabel gasped, eyes shimmering with excitement.

Evalin chuckled nervously, putting the donut on a napkin and dusting her hands off of its many sprinkles, as she muttered, “Heh, thank you but trust me... no, you don't.”

Ford stood up and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“I’ve also tried my hand at something for you,” he proclaimed before reaching over and grabbing Evalin's French press filled with a full pot of coffee. “I do hope you like it. I’ve never used such a device before.”

Evalin paused as she raised both eyebrows in speculation.

“You... touched my French press?” she asked in a cautious tone.

Ford paused for a moment before clearing his throat again and continuing,  “Well, yes but! I wanted to make sure you had a fresh cup of coffee when you woke up. I assure you, no harm came to your French press.”

Evalin looked at the French press and then up at Ford with a weak smirk, mumbling, “I'm kind of worried about the coffee now.”

Ford's eye twitched as he shot her an unamused look.

“I'm teasing you, Ford,” she chortled before lifting a hand at the French press. “Now, please. I would like a cup of coffee.”

Ford narrowed his eyes but turned to grab a clear mug.

He poured the coffee, the dark liquid filling the cup.

Evalin leaned against the counter, grinning in a way that made Ford’s heart hammer against his ribs.

He continued, adding the swirl of creamer at the top with a hum at the end, just like she usually does.

Evalin chuckled, amused, until she saw black specks in the coffee cup.

She pressed her lips together, frowning deeply.

'Oh.... weeeeeeak.'

Ford smiled wide as he pushed the mug over to her.

“And there you have it. A fresh cup of coffee.”

Evalin's eyes flickered up to him and then around the room.

She took the cup with a forced smile although she was screaming internally, 'WEEEEEEEAK!'

She took a sip—and immediately fought the urge to grimace.

Swallowing quickly, she placed the cup down before looking up at Ford, who was watching her with a mixture of hope and nerves.

“Mmm, crunchy coffee~”

Stan burst out laughing so hard he almost fell out of his chair.

“Look at you, Sixer! Mr. Science and all his gadgets, and you can’t even make coffee!” he cackled, slapping his knee as he gripped his sides. 

Ford pressed his lips together, his eye twitching as his face turned red, grumbling, “At least I put forth an effort...”

Evalin reached out and touched his arm.

“It's okay, Stanford. Coffee is both an art form as well as a science. You just need practice,” she consoled him before giving him a small pat on the arm. “If you want, I can teach you when we get back. Get you on the right path to godly coffee~”

Ford exhaled deeply before looking up at her with a smile, mumbling, “I think I would like that.”

Evalin leaned forward with a teasing grin.

“First lesson? Those specks at the bottom of the cup right now? Those are coffee grounds.”

“I know what coffee grounds are, Evalin,” he deadpanned, slightly annoyed.

“Then you would know why they shouldn't be in the cup,” she purred before adding, “Crunchy coffee~”

“Thank you, O Wise One,” Ford crooned, rolling his eyes but unable to hide his embarrassed smile.

“I like to call her Witchy Sensei, personally,” Mabel chirped with a sharp nod.

Ford looked at Mabel, then over to Evalin while motioning to Mabel.

Evalin shrugged, her hands in the air, mumbling, “I have no idea where she got it from and now she won't stop calling me it.”

Mabel started waving her hands in the air, sparkles cascading down her fingers.

“I AM THE QUEEN OF SPARKLES! TAUGHT IN THE WAYS OF MAGIC BY MY ONE AND ONLY, WITCHY SENSEI EVI!”

Dipper shielded himself with his book, shouting, “Goddamn it, not the sparkles again!”

Mabel wiggled her fingers at him.

“SPARKLES!”

Dipper ducked under the table to avoid her and darted out the RV door.

Evalin tried to stifle her laugh but failed, her shoulders shaking.

Stan joined her while Ford rolled his eyes, a smirk never leaving his face as he watched such a loving moment with his family.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 35 // Chapter 37 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // Chapter 35 // Chapter 36 // Chapter 37 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // Chapter 35 // Chapter 36 // Chapter 37 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Fanart for Chapter 5 of my Gravity Falls Fanfic

Read that chapter on Ao3 here

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Gravity Falls: Dreamer Chapter 35: Battle

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 34 // Chapter 36 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 34 // Chapter 35 // Chapter 36 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 34 // Chapter 35 // Chapter 36 >

(TW: Brutality and Violence)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night air stilled.

Evalin rolled out her neck and shoulders before stretching out her arms as the Pines Family remained slumped over in their slumber.

The imp hovered, its glowing eyes widening in sheer panic as magic crackled along Evalin’s fingertips.

She reached under the hem of her dress and slipped out her blade with practiced ease before getting into a battle stance, a wide wicked smile on her blushing face.

“Oh, this will be so much fun~”

With that, she lunged.

The imp threw up a barrier—too slow.

Evalin shattered through it like it was nothing, the magic shattering with a sharp CRACK .

She swiped her knife wildly through the air, nicking the imp in numerous spots as it tried to dodge her relentless attacks.

“Come on, you little shit! You were so confident a little bit ago! Don't tell me you only know how to knock people out! I can do that shit too! Better than you can~!” she shouted as stepped forward with each swing, her grin growing wider.

The imp darted wildly, leaving streaks of dark blood in the air that splattered on the ground in small crimson puddles.

It hissed at her as it raised its hands and created a ball of darkness.

With a grunt, the imp hurled it at Evalin.

She flashed her teeth.

She waited for the very last moment before moving out of the way with a twist.

Something coiled and slithered within her shadow, shifting as if waiting for its moment.

Then, Evalin giggled.

Actually giggled.

“You need to be more threatening if we are ever going to have some real fun~!”

“You're a real bitch, you know that?” the imp growled, sharp teeth tightening.

Evalin giggled again, waving her hand in the air.

“Yeah, I've been told that a time or two~”

With a flick of her wrist, parchment pages slipped from her bra, scattering like falling leaves.

She looked back at the Pines family, still out cold, oblivious to the chaos unfolding before them.

“Too bad you guys will never see me like this. I'd scare the shit out of you and we can't be having that~” she chuckled as she tilted her head, smiling far too sweetly.

With a sharp spin, she turned back to the imp—then lashed out.

Her kick landed solid—bone crunched under her heel as the imp hurtled straight to the earth and into a sigil resting in the dirt.

BOOM

Shockwaves rippled through the ground and air, rattling trees and sending birds flocking from their perches.

The imp was launched backward, slamming into a tree with a sickening CRACK before hitting the ground and gasping for air.

Evalin moved, too fast for a human.

Suddenly, she was in front of the imp.

CRACK

Her foot swung out again and caught the imp in the side, slamming it back into the tree.

A growl escaped her throat as her eyes burned with excitement.

“Come on, you pathetic little shit ! I've been waiting for a chance to actually DO something and this is all I get!?”

The imp barely caught its breath before it launched itself away from her.

“What the hell are you?! You're fucking crazy, lady!”

Evalin's smile widened until it looked like it hurt.

Magic crackled at her fingertips, snapping and hissing like an untamed wildfire.

She swiped at the imp, grazing its skin.

Its flesh immediately sizzled.

The imp cried out in pain.

Then it turned to her with a hiss , its tail flicking violently.

With a growl, it switched to offense and started swiping at her.

Evalin dodged with ease, almost as if she was dancing.

Her cackle rippled through the air.

“Looks like you are almost taking this seriously~”

She quickly turned it around as her blade flickered in the air.

SLICE

The knife cut the imp in the arm, blood dripping onto the ground.

The imp jerked back, holding its wound, sneering at her with a hiss.

Then it lifted an arm into the air.

Its claw became completely encased with shadow, wriggling and writhing against its form.

Then it launched itself at her.

Evalin smiled a wicked grin.

Her hand snapped up, catching the imp’s claw mid-air before it had the change to even touch her.

Her grip ignited with silvery-blue light, searing into the imp’s flesh as she yanked it downward—mercilessly.

SLAM

The imp hit the ground so hard it bounced, landing with a thud as it gasped for air.

Evalin strode over and stared down at the creature, her smile fading.

“You're pathetic,” she mumbled as she turned her back to the creature. “Hardly worth the effort.”

She slammed her boot on a sigil—an explosion followed, hurling them in opposite directions.

The imp screamed as it was sent sailing through the air.

Evalin, on the other hand, couldn't contain her giggles as she squealed, “WHEEEEE~!”

She landed on her feet with ease and let out a breathy chuckle.

“I've missed doing stuff like that though so at least I'm getting some excitement out of this fight~!”

The imp eyes flickered between Evalin and the Pine's family.

As a last-ditch effort, it dashed toward the sleeping Pines family.

Evalin's grin faded slightly.

The imp hovered over to the closest family member which happened to be Ford.

Its glowing eyes flickered—wild, starving as its thin chest rose and fell in rapid, panicked breaths.

“I just need a little,” it rasped, blackened claws reaching for Ford's throat. “Just enough to fight this crazy bitch—“

CRACK

Something dark lashed out, cracking through the air like a whip.

The imp froze completely.

Between it and Ford was a dark, slithering tendril.

The imp's eyes followed it back to the source.

Back to Evalin.

Only to find more tendrils slithering from her aura.

Her eyes were wide.

Her smile was gone.

Then—

Her grin came back full force.

“Oooo, you really shouldn't have done that~”

CRACK

The imp went flying before hitting the ground and landing on another sigil.

BOOM

It was launched back in the air where Evalin's tendril lashed out and caught the imp by the tail.

She slammed it into the ground over and over again, hitting each sigil with an explosion.

Blood began to pour from her mouth but she didn’t seem to notice.

Her eyes were locked on the imp as it screamed out in pain.

After a moment, she held the imp up in the air by its tail before slamming it into the ground one last time.

Her tendrils lifted her into the air, dragging her along as if she were a ragdoll.

She loomed over the imp, her smile wide.

“Well, this has been... pretty boring. Nice try though~!”

Her tendrils were poised to attack.

Then—

SNAP

They struck the ground where the imp's head had been moments ago, stabbing deep in the dirt.

The imp rolled out of the way just in time as it stumbled to regain balance.

Its wide eyes looked over at the tendril in the ground, panting.

Quickly, it reached out and shouted, “I CALL UPON THE DARKNESS OF THIS LEY LINES OF THIS LAND! BIND MY OPPONENT INTO SUBMISSION!”

The ground shook as dark lines of magic began to circle around Evalin.

The magic formed an orb around her, trapping her inside.

But she never stopped smiling as if she wasn’t worried in the slightest.

No, this was much more exciting.

Her tendrils whipped violently, slamming against the walls of the orb.

The imp floated up from the ground, holding its still-bleeding arm.

“You can't break that! It's made of the ley lines of this area!”

Evalin tilted her head, her heart fluttering in her chest.

“Looks like you do have an actual challenge for me~” she purred, blood seeping through her teeth.

Spiderweb cracks formed on the surface of the orb, spreading with each whip of Evalin's tendrils.

“FINALLY! Something worth a fucking fight!” she cackled, her arms out wide.

Her magic flared—too much.

The tendrils twitched against her will for a split second as more blood poured from her mouth, dripping off her chin.

But she couldn't feel it.

She was too focused on the fight with dreamy eyes.

“Gods~! I haven't felt this good in so long ~” she moaned as she caressed her own face, her fingers smearing the crimson red across her blushing cheeks. “Give me everything you got so I can TEAR YOU DOWN AND DEVOUR YOU WHOLE~!”

The imp's eyes widened in horror.

“She’s absolutely insane!”

It shook its head as it started to float back away from her.

“Fuck this! I'm out!”

It turned and darted toward the water.

CRACK

…

Drip...

Drip...

Drip...

The imp gasped, staring down.

A tendril pierced straight through its chest.

Blood dripped from its twitching fingers.

The tendril coiled.

Without wasting another moment, it snapped forward.

The imp’s body soared through the air—before vanishing beneath the water’s surface with a dull splash.

Gone.

Evalin stood firm, her tendrils receding in her body with a hiss.

More blood began to pour from her mouth.

Her jaw tightened as her smile faded quickly.

“Fuck! Those ley lines resist HARD!” she thought as she wiped her mouth, crimson smearing on her arm. “Shit... not good... That took more magic than I thought. I guess I got a little too excited for such a disappointing fight…”

She spit on the ground, a glob of blood pooling by her foot.

“Yeah, I’m not used to fighting without you around to stop me so that kind of sucks,” she groaned internally before adding, “Alright, I need to find somewhere to hide for the night so I can—”

Suddenly, she heard something shift from behind her.

Her blurry eyes flickered over to the Pines family as they slowly came to.

'Tch… Figures they would wake up now.'

She tried to take a step but her knee buckled and the world tilted dangerously.

She lurched forward, barely catching herself before she fell in the dirt.

'Great.... Awesome... Love this for me...'

Mabel was the first one to sit up, rubbing her eyes, mumbling, “Wh- what happened?”

Her eyes scanned the area until they landed on Evalin.

“Holy shit! Evalin! Are you okay?!” She gasped, jumping up from her spot to run over to her.

Dipper groaned as he pushed himself up.

He looked up to where Mabel was referring to, his eyes widening as he saw Evalin too.

“Jesus Christ, Evalin! What the hell happened to you!?” he shouted as he quickly jumped up and ran over with his sister.

Evalin gave them a weak smile.

“I might have gotten a little carried away with the imp.”

Dipper looked her over, his eyes bugging out.

“Is that... your blood or the imp's?” he asked, his voice trembling.

“Both?” Evalin shrugged, trying to keep her balance.

Ford was the next to come to, his movements stiff.

Slowly, his eyes scanned the clearing where he found bent trees and deep gouges in the earth, still smoldering.

The faint glow of residual magic still lingered heavily in the air.

Finally, his eyes landed on Evalin, covered in blood and soot.

Her stance was off, her hands were shaking, and her body barely standing.

He got to his feet and ran over to her, his hands out, ready to catch her at any moment.

“Evalin... What have you done?” he asked, his voice wavering.

His eyes flickered over her body, assessing her damage.

Evalin's bloody lips curled into a smirk.

“Don't worry about it. I handled everything~”

Stan's voice called out from behind Ford, “Handled it!? Sweetie, you look like you went twelve rounds with a grizzly wielding chainsaw nunchucks!”

Evalin chuckled weakly, trying to hold herself together.

“Hey, I totally kicked the imp's ass!”

She flexed her arm and hit her bicep.

Blood immediately poured from her mouth.

Evalin spat on the ground, her balance faltering.

“I'm good... I'm good... I'm—”

Her knees buckled.

The world tilted.

And before she could finish, her body crumpled, darkness swallowing her whole.

“EVALIN!”

Ford's arm shot out and caught her right before she hit the ground.

His jaw clenched as a burning sensation shot up his arms but he ignored it.

“What happened?! Is she okay?!” Mabel gasped, her hands up to her mouth.

“She pushed herself too far. Her body's overheating,” Ford explained, his grip tightening as he winced through the pain.

Dipper’s wide eyes snapped to his uncle as he blurted, “What do we do, Grunkle Ford!?”

Ford hesitated for a moment before reaching up and tapping the side of his glasses.

The world around him shifted and he could see Evalin’s light pulsing softly as she lay in his arms.

It burned so bright, it hurt his eyes.

Reaching back up, he turned off the sigil on his glasses and let out a long sigh as something twisted deep in his chest.

“Let's get her back to the RV. We can monitor her there. The least we can do is make her comfortable as she recovers.”

Dipper threw his hands up as he shouted, “What are you talking about!? We need to take her to a hospital!”

Ford shook his head, pressing his lips together.

“Dipper, this is clearly magic related. They aren’t going to know what to do and taking her to an unfamiliar place will only scare the hell out of her.”

He looked down at her unconscious face and started to wipe off the blood with his thumb.

“We’ll help her get through this,” he whispered, his chest tightening. “Just like she helps us.”

Dipper wanted to argue more but something in his uncle’s tone made him stop.

Meanwhile, a voice deep within Stan's mind noticed the scene.

'Big oof there, sweetheart. Looks like you overdid it again,' it mumbled before pausing as if in thought. 'Hm, I wonder if I can get his big lug to do anything.'

It moved closer to his subconscious, slithering against the edges of his thoughts like fingers trailing just beneath his skin, searching for a way in.

'Hey, you should go pick her up and take her inside. She needs rest. Get her lots of pillows. She likes that shit~'

Stan shook his head.

He swatted at his ear as if a mosquito was buzzing too close.

Then he blinked as if he just realized something and his eyes flickered over Evalin's damaged body.

Without thinking, he walked over and crouched down to pick her up from Ford's arms.

Ford's hands followed for a moment, his fingers curling slightly in the air.

“Stanley? What are you doing? She’s really hurt.”

Stan shifted his hold on Evalin, his face scrunching from the discomfort.

“You weren't kidding, Sixer. She's really hot.”

“Grunkle Stan!” Dipper shouted in disgust.

Stan whipped his head toward his nephew, jostling Evalin in his arms, exclaiming, “I'm serious, kid! She's burning up like the damn sun!”

Ford's jaw tightened.

“Stop yelling. It isn't helping. Stanley, get her inside. Now,” he commanded, his tone sharp.

Stan hesitated for a moment before nodding.

The voice in his mind purred, clearly pleased although he couldn’t actually register it.

Instead, he shook his ear against his shoulder and turned toward the RV.

Ford watched as Evalin's legs swayed limply before she disappeared behind the RV door.

He sat on his knees for a moment before getting himself to his feet.

Mabel came up and held his hand.

“Did... Did Evi do all of this?” she asked, her voice trembling.

Ford scanned the space that was never meant to be a battlefield.

His grip tightened around Mabel's hand as his chest twisted before answering, “I... I believe she did.”

Dipper shook his head as he brought a hand to his forehead.

“Why? Why did she do this?” 

Ford furrowed his brow, his jaw tightening.

“She was keeping us safe,” he said finally.

“What?! How could you possibly come to that conclusion?!” Dipper shouted as he threw his arms out in disbelief.

Ford met Dipper's gaze, gesturing to the destruction around them.

“Look around, Dipper. The trees are scorched. The earth is torn apart. The air is still humming with magic. But us?”

He exhaled sharply before adding, “Not a single scratch.”

He swallowed hard, his voice dropping to barely a whisper.

“Every strike. Every burn. Every ounce of pain—she took it all. And left us untouched.”

Mabel's hand shot up to her mouth.

“Evi....” she murmured, tears forming in her eyes.

Ford gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Let’s go. She won’t understand yet... but she needs us”

Dipper and Mabel nodded in unison before following Ford toward the RV, their bodies still trembling in the aftermath of the battle.

~n~

Stan’s heavy steps rocked the RV as he carried Evalin to the backroom to lay her down on the bed to rest.

The voice in his head perked up.

'Gentle with that, knucklehead. She's precious~'

Stan hesitated, his fingers twitching.

'Can you hear me yet?' the voice hummed.

Stan looked around the room, rubbing his ear in confusion.

'Not really. Gods, you are so dumb. But I am stuck with you for now,' it huffed, annoyed.

Stan's eyes flickered down to Evalin laying on the bed, his chest fluttering.

Silence filled the room as he studied her.

Then the voice spoke up again.

'Yeah, she makes my heart race too. Well... What is considered to be my heart anyway~'

Stan’s fingers twitched at his sides.

The voice slithered closer, purring, 'What's wrong, Stanny-boy? You want to touch her, don't you~?'

It pressed against his subconscious, coiling tighter, heavy and smothering—like drowning in thoughts that weren’t his own.

'You should do us both a little favor and go for it. Touch her~'

Something cold slithered beneath his skin.

His fingers twitched, muscles moving without permission.

His hand hovered over her cheek.

Just a little more.

Just a little closer…

His rough fingers brushed against her soft skin.

'Isn’t that the good shit~?' the voice purred.

Stan recoiled as if burned.

He looked down at his hands, mumbling, “Why did I… do that?”

The voice cackled, 'Ha! I suppose she is still burning a little hot but that's not why you pull back, is it, Stanny-boy?'

It lowered its tone.

'You secretly like her, don't you~?'

Stan's heart raced, his mind buzzed.

He turned sharply, anywhere that he wasn't looking at her anymore.

The voice hummed, knowingly.

'That's alright. I can still work with this. Now go get her pillows. I meant it when I said she likes that shit~'

He ran a hand down his face, groaning, “What the hell is wrong with me?”

With a huff, he went throughout the RV to gather pillows and place them around Evalin.

As he did, the voice continued to think to itself, no longer addressing him.

'Looks like you've been living like a human around these losers, sweetheart.'

It paused for just a second before adding, 'Enjoy it while you can because this little vacation needs to come to an end soon.'

There was a moment of silence as Stan lifted Evalin's arm to place a pillow under her, unsure why he was doing it in the first place but not sure if he wanted to know right now.

~n~

The door to the RV opened as Ford stepped in, followed by Dipper and Mabel.

They made their way to the back room to see Stan throwing more pillows on the bed.

“Stanley, what are you doing?” Ford questioned, his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

Stan hesitated for a moment before turning to Ford.

“Getting her pillows. She's, uh… got this thing with pillows, right?”

Ford hesitated, his eyes widening as he studied his brother’s strange behavior.

“How do you—?” he whispered under his breath.

Mabel stepped into the room and gasped, “Oh, Evi…”

Dipper drew closer and made a strangled sound as soon as he saw her.

Ford looked down at the unconscious woman, noticing her pale skin and sunken eyes.

Her breathing evened out but she hadn’t woken up yet.

He let out a long sigh before addressing the room.

“Thank you, Stanley. I'll keep an eye on her tonight. You should all get some rest.”

He paused before adding, “It's been... a day to say the least.”

Stan hesitated before placing a few more pillows next to Evalin, mumbling, “Yeah... That sounds good.”

Dipper reached out and took Mabel by the hand as he whispered, “C’mon, Mabel. We should let her rest up. We can be there for when she wakes up, alright?”

Mabel nodded as she clenched his hand, trying to hold back her tears as she followed him out of the room.

Ford watched them go before turning his attention back to Evalin.

He reached over and placed his hand over hers, giving her a light squeeze before turning her hand over to check her pulse.

Stan's eyebrow twitched as he felt something ugly twist in his chest.

‘Ugh, I can’t watch this right now,’ he thought as he quickly turned and left the room.

With a groan, he popped down on the couch and stretched an arm over his eyes, his jaw so tight it ached.

The voice in his mind screeched, 'THAT NERD LIKES HER TOO?! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?! EVERYONE LOVE MY SWEETHEART CONVENTION!?'

Stan swatted at his ear as if it would stop the buzzing echoing against his brain.

The voice huffed, ignoring him.

'Alright, I need to think this through. If he actually gets under her skin, he is going to slow her down. Can't have that.'

There was a moment of silence, the voice deep in thought.

Then something clicked.

If the voice could smile, the grin would be wicked.

'Oh, I have the perfect plan~'

The voice chuckled, deep and low.

'Don't worry, sweetheart~ I'll get us out of here. As I said before, I promise to always come back for you~'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tumblr Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 34 // Chapter 36 >

Ao3 Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 34 // Chapter 35 // Chapter 36 >

WattPad Links: << Chapter 1 // < Chapter 34 // Chapter 35 // Chapter 36 >

[gravity-falls-dreamer]

Petach Natan from chapter 4 of the Gravity Falls: Dreamer fanfic that I wrote.

Artwork done by me: