Summary:
As Steven starts to wonder more about what his mother might have been like, Lion begins acting strangely. Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel are having mother-related woes all their own.
"Hm…" Steven perched a hand against his chin, deep in thought. The Mystery Shack's vending machine had a lot to offer, and he wanted to make sure he made the right choice for a snack. Fortunately, he had plenty of support on his side when it came to making such a momentous decision.
"You got this, Steven," Wendy smirked from her spot at the counter.
"Thanks, Wendy," Steven nodded, his attention still devoted to the machine. "It's just so hard to choose though! I mean, I could get a bag of chips, which would be tasty, but I always get chips. Shouldn't I be living life to the fullest and trying new things?"
"Dude, if that's how you wanna roll, I totally recommend the new spicy pretzels in row seven," Soos cut in. "They're easily the most dangerous thing in there, trust me."
"Hm… good point…"
"If you still can't make up your mind, why don't you ask your buddy over there?" Wendy nodded over at Lion as he strolled over to the ice cream freezer. As he bluntly pressed his muzzle against it, Steven groaned, already knowing all too well what his pink pet was asking him for.
"Ugh, Lion Lickers?" Steven cringed. "Lion, those are gross. No offense." Disgruntled, Lion padded off, flopping to lie down on the other side of the gift shop as he fixed Steven with an annoyed glare all the while.
"You guys better hurry it up," Wendy advised. "We have to close up for the night soon."
"Yeah, you don't want Mr. Pines chasing you out with the hose again like last time," Soos added, frowning.
"Well, I wouldn't mind, but Lion doesn't really like getting wet," Steven flashed a knowing grin Lion's way. For his part, the pink beast only briefly, dryly regarded him before letting out a low growl before he made a point of curling up to go to sleep. "Hmph," Steven crossed his arms. "Looks like somebody's being a grumpy-grump today."
"Well, he is a cat–sort of," Wendy pointed out. "They can be pretty temperamental little guys."
"Or in Lion's case, a big guy," Soos added, chuckling. Steven laughed along with him, but only for a moment as a conversation coming in from the other room caught everyone's attention.
"So we got the waterfall back and saved the town," Mabel wandered into the shack, cordless phone in hand. She wore an excited grin as she detailed the events of the summer so far to whoever was on the other end of the line. "And then we solved this big huge conspiracy and found the eighth and a half president and then we almost went to space–and almost died–and then we-"
Mabel stopped short, her smile slowly fading as she paused to listen to the harsh-sounding voice on the other side of the phone. "Oh," she said, her shoulders dropping a bit. It wasn't lost on Steven, Soos, or Wendy when she let out a small, disappointed sigh as she absently twirled a lock of her hair. "R-right. Uh… sorry… Yeah, I… I'll get him."
She sighed again when she pulled the phone away before calling for her brother. "Dipper!"
"Yeah?" he asked, poking his head into the gift shop.
"Mom wants to talk to you," Mabel said as she held the phone out to him.
At the mere mention of their mother alone, Dipper froze, his eyes going wide. He quickly played off his alarm, however, when he noticed the group that was standing behind Mabel, watching curiously. "Uh… Y-yeah, ok," he hesitantly took the phone, steadying himself for a second before he offered his mother a terse, tense greeting. "H-hello, Mom."
Whatever she had to say to him was lost on all the others, though Mabel could hear a little as she stayed close by her brother's side. To Soos and Wendy, this entire conversation seemed strange, from the way the twins kept exchanging unease, almost anxious glances, to the way Dipper could barely get a word in edgewise as their mother continued hotly rambling to him about something .
To Steven, however, this was all so fascinating .
He stood by, watching the twins with wide eyes as they spoke to their mother, an experience he'd never had and never would. It was so intriguing, to the point that he hardly even noticed just how unusual his friends were acting. He hardly even noticed just how much they didn't really want to be speaking to her at all.
"Y-yes, I have been," Dipper nodded, clutching the phone like a vice. "I know… But I-" He stopped short, suddenly paling at whatever his mother was telling him. "N-no! You don't have to–Mabel was just kidding about all that stuff, you know how she can get!"
Mabel let out a scoff at this, fixing her brother with a frustrated glare that he all but ignored as he continued pleading with their mother. "Seriously, Mom, we're fine. You don't have to come check all the way up here to check on us–" His dread evened out into something akin to resignation with whatever his mother told him next. "Yeah, no, right, of course. You're way too busy for that anyway, I forgot." He scowled down at his shoes as he sullenly returned her farewell. "Yes, I will. T-thank you. Bye."
The moment Dipper hung up, he finally let out the loud, irritated groan he'd been biting back the entire call. He shoved the phone back into Mabel's hands as he stormed over to the other side of the gift shop, ranting all the while. "'Ugh! She drives me nuts ! 'Make sure you're keeping up with your summer studies so you can get into an ivy league someday' this and 'Stop reading those mystery novels, they'll rot your brain' that. Even when we're several hours away, Mom's still acting like she can control every little thing we do!"
"Well, hey," Mabel shrugged, forcing on a small smile. "At least she sort of listened to some of the stuff I was telling her about this time. Until she told me to 'stop making up wild stories again' anyway…"
"Yikes…" Soos spoke up, frowning. "No offense, dudes, but your mom sounds sort of… intense."
"'Intense' doesn't even begin to cover it," Dipper huffed, crossing his arms. "Our mom is probably the most stubborn, overbearing, bossy woman on Earth."
" But ," Mabel piped up as her already wavering smile widened. "She only acts like that because she really loves us a whole, whole lot!"
"Yeah," Dipper bitterly scoffed under his breath. " Sure, she does…"
Steven, on the other hand, was more than ready to enthusiastically agree with Mabel. "It sounds like she really cares a lot about you both. It's nice that she calls in to check on you every now and then while you're so far from home."
"More like she calls to nag ," Dipper countered, rolling his eyes.
"Aw, come on, man," Wendy said, smiling. "Steven's right. Sure, your mom sounds like she can be a little over the top, but who's mom isn't? From what I remember about my mom, she was the same way."
A long beat of silence passed as the others slowly took in what she'd just said. In the end, Steven was the one to finally voice the question all of them were thinking. "Wait… Wendy, your mom isn't around anymore?"
Wendy nodded, sighing. "Yeah," she looked away, loosely rubbing her arm. "She went out driving when it was raining one day years back. She got into a really bad wreck and, well, you can probably figure the rest out."
Sad silence filled the gift shop once more, though this time, Wendy didn't let the others linger in it for too long. "But it's ok," she assured, putting on as much of a smile as she could manage, especially for the kids. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I miss her a ton, but… I've learned to deal with it and live without having her around."
"I know what you mean," Steven spoke up. "I don't really know what it's like to have a mom around at all since mine gave up her physical form to have me."
The twins offered him a set of sympathetic glances and Soos did much of the same. "Oh man, dude, I always kind of forget you don't really have a mom…"
"Yeah," Wendy added, frowning. "At least I got to have my mom when I was a kid. But if I'd never had her, not even any memories with her… man, I couldn't even imagine. But you, Steven? You're still so upbeat despite all that. You're pretty tough."
"Um… thanks?" Steven smiled. Even if he wasn't exactly sure what was so 'tough' about growing up without a mother, something he'd gotten so used to he hardly ever thought twice about it anymore.
"You know…" Mabel said, staring thoughtfully down at the phone in her hands. "Hearing all that makes me feel kinda grateful for our mom. I mean, sure, she does fuss a lot and she isn't always the best listener. But at least she's still there for us, right, Dipper?"
Dipper sharply turned to his sister, drawing in a breath to answer before he swiftly stopped himself. He backed down when he met the questioning looks other others were sending his way, ultimately deciding against whatever it was he really wanted to say in favor of a soft, noncommittal, "Yeah, sure, whatever."
"She does sound like she's pretty great," Steven obliviously agreed. "Next time she calls, you've gotta let me say hi to her!"
"That's… a bad idea," Dipper apprehensively muttered. Mabel, on the other hand, was much more taken with such a suggestion.
"Yeah!" she excitedly exclaimed. "I have a feeling Mom would just love you, Steven!"
"Thanks," Steven chuckled. "I'm sure my mom would have loved you guys too! Maybe. Probably. I think?" His smile slowly faded as he paused for a beat. "I'm not really sure, actually. I just wish… I knew a little more about my mom. Just to know what she was like for myself."
Almost as soon as Steven said this, he jumped as something soft suddenly settled against the side of his arm. He looked over to find Lion, leaning his furry forehead against his arm without any sign of moving. Steven gasped, stars in his eyes at this unexpected show of affection. One that Mabel was more than happy to snap an adorable photo of for her scrapbook.
"That's a keeper!" she grinned as he proudly pulled the polaroid out of her camera.
"Blink if this means you love me," Steven whispered to Lion, watching him intently all the while. After a moment of silent, blank staring, Lion did exactly that–only after Steven gently blew in his face to force it along. "He loves me!"
As touching as this exchange was, it was soon broken by Stan as he sullenly strolled into the room. "Hey, hey!" he snapped when he got a look at the state of the gift shop. "What's everyone doing lazin' around in here? It's quitting time! And the sooner you all amscray, the sooner I can settle in to watch my show."
"You mean that old soap opera about that duchess?" Dipper asked, smirking.
"N-no!" Stan exclaimed, defensive. "And even if I did watch a show like The Duchess Approves , I would only do it for the deeply relatable characters and the gripping real-world commentary." He stopped, only for a moment, to meet the confused looks the others were all sending his way before he let out a frustrated sigh. "You know what? Forget it. Soos! Wendy! Close up shop, will ya!"
"You got it, boss!" Soos readily saulted.
"Uh huh, I'll get right on it," Wendy deadpanned as she took her name tag off and grabbed her jacket.
"And as for you, kid," Stan scowled down at Steven. "Hit the road! And take that frilly furball with you."
"Aw, ok, Mr. Pines," Steven begrudgingly agreed. "See you guys, tomorrow!" he waved to the twins as he headed for the door, with Lion padding along after him.
"Bye!" Dipper and Mabel called as they saw him off. Almost as soon as he was gone, Mabel gasped as she looked down at the phone again.
"Oh my gosh, I forgot to tell Mom about Lion!" she exclaimed. "I've gotta call her back so she can hear all about how adorable he is and-"
"No," Dipper flatly cut her off as he snatched the phone straight out of her hand.
'Ditto," Stan sourly agreed as he took the phone away from them both. "The last thing I need to hear is more of your mom yapping about how she doesn't 'trust me' or how she thinks I'm 'irresponsible' or a 'criminal'."
"But Grunkle Stan, you are a criminal," Mabel pointed out.
"Yeah?" Stan didn't bother arguing as he held the phone even further out of the twins' reach. "And your point is…?"
"And… all done!" Steven proclaimed as he finished taking the cushions off the couch to fashion a bed for Lion. "I made sure to make it extra cushy, just the way you like it!" While he smiled, satisfied with his work, Lion paid it little mind. Instead, he leapt up onto the loft to take up shop on Steven's bed.
"Hey! Get out of there, Lion!" Steven chastised as he ran up to join him. "This is the Steven bed, not the Lion bed."
Despite this, Lion didn't so much as budge, even as Steven tried pushing him off with as much force as he could muster. "Come… on! Whoa!" As he fell to the floor, Lion rolled himself up in the comforter, pulling one of Steven's many stuffed animals into his mouth along with it. "Hey! Sir Bearrington!" Steven scowled as he held his hand out expectantly. "Lion…"
To his relief, Lion dropped the toy before sullenly slinking off of the bed and back downstairs where he belonged. "You know, Lion, I usually love it when you act all cute like this, but it's kinda late and I'm really tired," Steven sighed as he climbed into bed and covered up. "But we can play tomorrow if you want, ok? Night, Lion!"
Lion only offered a soft snore as a response, one that Steven barely heard over his own sleepy yawn. "Love you…" he mumbled as his eyes began to grow heavy. "…in the morning…"
With that. Steven drifted off to dreamland. And what an odd sort of dreamland it was tonight.
When he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of a pale, bright sky above, with tall, oddly pink grass surrounding him on all sides. It was quite unlike anything he'd ever seen before, to the point that it quickly caught him off guard as he tried to take it all in.
"Whoa…" he thought, intrigued. "What is this place?"
As bewildered as he was, he soon reached another newfound realization. One that was much more alarming by far.
"I can't breathe!"
Sure enough, no air entered his lungs, despite his mouth hanging open, begging for it. Suddenly frantic, he tried flailing his limbs, only to find they were stuck under something heavy. Just as he was starting to running out of air, however, a familiar voice slowly began to break through the otherwise breezy silence.
"Steven…?" they called, their voice soft as the corners of his vision began to darken. "Steven?!"
" Steven !" Pearl cried, aghast at the sight before her. Most of Steven's upper body was securely pinned under Lion, with only his legs out, kicking wildly in a frenzied attempt to escape. "Steven! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Hang on! I've got you!" Pearl shoved her weight against Lion, who stoically remained firmly planted in place, much to her annoyance. "Ugh, Lion! Let him go!"
At a loss, Pearl switched tactics, moving to pull on Steven's legs instead. This proved much more effective, as Lion finally gave up and stood, freeing Steven and allowing him to take in a large gasp of air.
"Oh thank goodness!" Pearl grabbed Steven, pulling him into a tight, practically suffocating hug.
"P-Pearl!" Steven exclaimed, still breathless. "I can't-"
"Oh! Sorry!" Pearl blushed, quickly letting him go.
"What happened?" Steven questioned, disoriented.
"Steven, are you alright?" Pearl pressed. "Why was Lion sleeping on top of you?!"
"I don't know…" Steven looked over at Lion, curious and confused. "He's being a little clingy today. But that's 'cause I'm his favorite!" At this, Lion suddenly grabbed him with his paw and shoved his face into his mane. "See?" Steven asked, his voice muffled before he pushed himself away. "Wait… why are you here, Pearl?"
"M-me?" Pearl flinched. "Nothing! I was just, uh… w-well, you know how I always say, um… I just… uh…"
She anxiously trailed off, any and all excuses falling apart the longer Steven and Lion silently stared at her. In the end, she gave up, with no choices left to reveal the strange truth. "I like to watch you sleep sometimes. And by sometimes I mean… often."
Awkward silence filled the room, but only for a moment. Unsure of what to make of this revelation, Steven shook his head and announced, "Okie-dokie, it's time for everyone to leave Steven alone. I'm a growing boy and I need my rest."
With that, Steven marched back to bed and flopped back into it. Before he could even try to sleep, however, he soon found Lion standing by his bedside, staring down at him intently.
"Lion, that means you too," Steven grumbled, closing his eyes. When he opened them a moment later, not only was Lion still there, but Pearl was too. Frustrated, Steven grabbed a pillow, jumping to his feet to shoo them both off. "Rah! Rah!" he shouted, watching as both of them crawled away at long last. "Ugh…" Steven sighed, exasperated, as he lay back down. As tired as he already was, sleep should have come easy to him. Except…
He started when he felt a sudden weight moving onto his chest. "Wha-" he opened his eyes again, only to find Lion resting a heavy paw on top of him. "Lion!" he loudly complained as he shoved the pink paw away. Only for Lion to set it right back down in the exact same place. All Steven could do was let out a long, resigned sigh as he stared up at Lion, thoroughly annoyed.
"This is gonna be a long night, isn't it?"
"Ready…? Race!"
"Woo!" Mabel slammed the button on her controller down as the kart race began. Dipper was just a split second behind her from the starting line, and she didn't hesitate to playfully taunt him over it. "Uh oh, bro-bro, looks like you better wake those reflexes of yours up! Or else you might not win this time around!"
"Mabel, I've won the past three races now; my streak isn't about to end anytime soon," Dipper grinned triumphantly. "Still, speaking of waking up…" his smile faded as he noticed Steven's kart, in dead last as it drove straight into a wall.
Confused, the twins paused the game and stole a glance back at him. He was laying on his stomach on his bed behind them, with his face pressed against his controller while he softly snoozed. "Uh, Steven?" Dipper tried. Steven, however, stayed soundly asleep.
"Hey, Steven! Wake up!" Mabel shouted much more loudly. She went a step further by poking him squarely in the cheek, finally startling him awake.
"Huh?" Steven groggily mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up. "Dipper? Mabel? When did you guys get here?"
"Um, we've been here for almost an hour now," Dipper said.
"Yeah, and you were a lot more awake when we got here," Mabel pointed out, grinning.
"Oh, right," Steven nodded, as a long yawn slipped out. "Sorry. I'm just a little…" he trailed off as he nodded off again, only for Mabel to wake him up with another cheek poke. "Tired. I didn't really sleep that well last night."
"Why not?" Dipper asked, frowning.
"Well," Steven yawned again. "It's all because a certain lion of mine kept trying to sleep on top of me last night." He shot a dry glare back at Lion. Ironically, he was getting far more sleep than Steven had last night as he peacefully napped on the other side of the bed.
"Aw! He just wanted to cuddle!" Mabel brightly exclaimed. "I know what that's like. Waddles always wants to sleep on top of me all the time too! It's so precious !"
"Yeah, it was really cute. The only problem is that Lion's a lot bigger than Waddles is…" Steven sighed. "Between him and Pearl watching me while I was trying to sleep, I barely got any rest last night!"
"Wait, why was Pearl watching you sleep?" Dipper raised an eyebrow.
"I… have no idea," Steven blankly admitted. "But anyway, I'm so tired I could…" Once again, Steven's eyes slipped shut as his head lolled forward. While Dipper was ready to wake him up, Mabel ended up beating him to it.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" she grabbed Steven by the shoulder and shook him awake again. "Steven! I have an awesome idea! You should stay at the Mystery Shack tonight! That way Lion can't get in and sleep on your face and we can have the most epic slumber party ever!"
"Whoa, Mabel, that's actually a really good idea," Dipper agreed, smiling. "Though it probably won't be too much of a 'party' if Steven's that tired." He nodded back at Steven, who, unsurprisingly, had already started falling back asleep again.
"Wha-?" Steven perked up at the sound of his name. "No way. I'll totally stay awake long enough for us to… what are we gonna do again?"
"We're gonna have the slumber party of the ages!" Mabel excitedly exclaimed. "And it'll be great! We'll have snacks, do crafts, watch movies, have a pillow fight-"
"And most of all, sleep ," Dipper firmly asserted. "Right, Steven?"
All Steven could offer was an exhausted thumbs-up as he flopped onto the bed, far too tired to keep his eyes open for another second.
As planned, that night, Steven headed back down to the shack with the twins, backpack and sleeping bag in tow. He'd made it more than clear to Lion that he wasn't invited to this slumber party as he left him behind at the temple. And as Steven settled into the attic that evening, he was confident that he'd actually get some much-needed sleep tonight.
Though not without having a little fun first.
"Ok, Steven, this is one of the most important choices we'll ever make," Mabel began, her tone and expression both dead serious as she asked, "Should we make our friendship bracelets with beads or charms?"
"Oh, definitely charms!" Steven exclaimed, smiling. "That way they'll be even more special!"
"Agreed!" Mabel nodded as she set their tools out for the craft ahead of them. "By the way, you don't mind passing those mini-cupcakes over here, do you?"
"Not at all!" Steven happily handed her the tray of tiny cupcakes they had made earlier. "But only after I have another one," he laughed as he took one for himself and scarfed it down in one bite.
"Uh, don't you guys think that maybe you shouldn't be eating so much sugar right before bed?" Dipper glanced up from the book he'd been reading, concerned.
"What? No way!" Mabel scoffed. "Cupcakes are the number one pre-bedtime snack. All the experts agree!"
"And by experts you mean… you, right?" Dipper asked, deadpan.
"Yep!"
"Then there's pretty much no use trying to argue with that logic then," Dipper concluded, rolling his eyes.
While Steven and Mabel continued to work on their friendship bracelets, Stan poked his head into the attic to offer the twins usual nighttime greeting. "Night, kids."
"Night, Grunkle Stan," Dipper and Mabel called back.
Steven warmly did the same. "Good night, Mr. Pines!"
"...Hold it," Stan stopped short, opening the door just a bit wider to take the scene before him in. Including Mabel, Steven, and all of the craft supplies and snacks strewn all over the floor. "Alright, since when is there one more of you runts than usual?"
"Steven's staying here tonight, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel cheerfully informed him. "We're having a slumber party!"
"Oh yeah? Says who?" Stan asked. "Because none of you munchkins ever ran this little 'slumber party' plan by me first."
"Oh, please let me stay for just one night, Mr. Pines!" Steven practically pleaded. "I didn't get any sleep last night because Lion kept sleeping on me and I'm so tired and I need to keep up a healthy sleep schedule or else I won't-"
"Yeesh, kid, slow it down a second," Stan cut him off. "What'd ya say? That pink pest of yours keeps trying to use you as a pillow? Did I get that right?"
"Uh huh," Steven nodded. "Which is why I need to get a night away. Please, Mr. Pines? I promise, you won't even notice I'm here!"
"In case you haven't noticed, kid, the Mystery Shack isn't a hotel," Stan scowled. "Though I guess it could be for one night, if you were willing to pay room and board."
"I don't have any money," Steven pointed out, frowning.
"Well then, I guess you better head on home and get used to that big cat of yours laying on your face," Stan said as he started to usher Steven out. "Now don't let the door hit you on the way out, kid."
"Aw…" Steven and Mabel sighed as their slumber party plans fell through. Or at least, they almost did until Dipper cut in just in the nick of time.
"Grunkle Stan, you're seriously not about to force Steven to walk all the way up to the temple this late at night, are you?" he asked critically.
"What? It's not that far of a walk. 'Sides, a little tussle with a wolf or two never hurt anyone," Stan shrugged, unconcerned. He was all but set in his decision, despite the disapproving looks the twins were sending him. His resolve ultimately crumbled, however, when he caught another glance over at Steven, who was offering him just about the most convincing, pathetic pout he could muster.
A pout that, unfortunately for Stan, even he couldn't resist.
"Ugh, fine ," he finally relented as he shoved Steven back into the room. "You can stay, but just for one night! And just for the record, I'm adding this onto your dad's tab."
"My dad owes you money, Mr. Pines?" Steven asked, confused.
"He does now," Stan huffed. "Don't be up all night you three. And keep the noise down! That goes double for you , Mabel."
With that, Stan slammed the door shut, grumbling grumpily to himself all the way back downstairs. Back in the attic, Steven and Mabel could barely contain their delighted squeals over their saved slumber party. At least until Stan shouted up at them to put a swift stop to it.
"I said keep it down!"
Steven and Mabel managed to drop the volume just a bit, though that hardly dimmed their excitement in the slightest. "Oh, this is so great!" Mabel exclaimed, beaming. "What should we do next? Play Tangler? Give Waddles a makeover? Make a blanket fort?"
"Go to bed?" Dipper suggested much more rationally.
"Oh, but it's still so early, Dipper!" Steven protested. "It'd be a waste to go to bed now. There's still so much to do and so many tasty treats we can eat!"
"Uh yeah, about that? Like I said earlier, you might wanna lay off the sweets this late, Steven," Dipper cautioned. "They can give you some pretty unhinged dreams. Just ask Mabel."
"Oh yeah, I have crazy dreams aaaaall the time from eating candy before bed!" Mabel chuckled. "One time, I had this dream where I was on a roller coaster, but I was riding a whale down the track and my hair was made out of rainbows! It was so cool!"
"Whoa, I wanna have a dream that cool!" Steven gasped, amazed. "Hand me more of those cupcakes, Mabel! They're gonna help me have the craziest, most awesome dream ever!"
"Yeah!" Mabel cheered, giving him the snacks. "We're keeping this party going forever !"
"Oh boy…" Dipper sighed, already exhausted. Because unfortunately, if this was going to be a long night for the two of them, then it meant it was about to be a long night for him too.
"Hey, you know what? I feel wide awake now!" Steven proudly proclaimed. "I must have been so tired earlier that I just overcame it and now my body thinks it's daytime again! I've conquered sleep itself!"
"All hail Steven the Sleep Conqueror!" Mabel declared. "Nighttime and snooze buttons tremble in his presence!"
Dipper shook his head as he tried to calm them down–a largely impossible feat at this rate. "You guys, that's not-"
"I couldn't possibly go to sleep now!" Steven said, completely confident.
"Me neither!" Mabel zealously agreed. "Let's stay up all night! Maybe even longer than that!"
"No," Dipper tried to protest, but once again, he was outnumbered.
"Yeah!" Steven cheered. "All night! All night!" Mabel joined him, drowning out Dipper's defeated sigh as he continued reading, trying his best to tune them both out. He only hoped he could do the same for the rest of the night, but as it soon turned out, he wouldn't have to.
Ultimately, "all night" only ended up being about an hour. Steven was the first to clock out as his exhaustion caught up with him, and it wasn't long before he was sprawled out on the floor, snoring soundly. Mabel wasn't too far behind him as she flopped onto her bed, drifting off as Waddles gently licked cupcake frosting off her face. Dipper couldn't help but grin, amused by the irony of it all as he clicked the lamp off and headed to bed last. And, soon enough, the attic was filled with nothing more than the moonlight pouring in through the window and the sound of soft, peaceful snoozing all through the night.
Or rather, through some of the night.
The bright sun was crisp and warm as it shone upon the tiny island where Steven sat across from Dogcopter, pondering over what his next move would be in their decisive game of checkers. After a moment or two, he proudly put his piece down in a maneuver that he knew would win for sure. Or so he thought. In the end, Dogcopter caught him by surprise as he set his chess down on Steven's checker, securing a sudden victory.
"I win," Dogcopter smoothly concluded.
"Oh what?" Steven asked, gawking down at the checkerboard. "That was a good move."
"Thanks."
"Dogcopter, how do you do it?" Steven questioned, amazed.
"How do I do what?" Dogcopter asked, cool and collected as ever.
"I mean, what's your secret? How'd you get so talented?"
"Don't focus so much on talent, Steven," Dogcopter advised. "Making art is all about communication. Look to what inspires you and then reshape it into something you love even more." He paused for a moment to eat his chess piece whole. "Don't worry about trying to be broad or appeal to everyone. Just be true to yourself, and people will appreciate your honesty."
"Whoa…" Steven said, utterly impressed. "Thanks for the advice."
"Of course. Oh and take a deep breath," Dogcopter said, suddenly flying away at an alarming speed.
"What?" Before Steven could even comprehend what was happening, the island beneath him abruptly crumbled to pieces. Still, Steven had the wits about him to take Dogcopter's advice as he drew in a large breath just as everything faded to black.
When his vision cleared, Steven once again found himself surrounding by the very same pink grass that had featured in his dreams last night. "Here again…?" he wondered. He knew from experience he wouldn't have any air here, so he held his breath as he peered a bit higher over the grass to get a better look.
Sure enough, the pastel pink grass seemed to stretch on for miles around him. The soft blades danced lightly against the warm, pleasant breeze somehow blowing through the peaceful sky, creating a calming atmosphere. Or at least it would have if that atmosphere had any air to speak of. "I don't know what this place is but it feels… familiar…" Steven continued to muse inside his thoughts. "Why can't I breathe? Wait a minute… Lion!"
With this, Steven began to struggle underneath Lion's weight outside of his dream. The noise from his muffled cries was more than enough to wake Dipper and Mabel up, even though they'd slept straight through Lion sneaking into the attic to begin with.
"Ugh… what's going on?" Mabel drowsily sat up. Her hair was a mess as she resisted the urge to flop back onto her pillow and drift off all over again.
"I don't know…" Dipper mumbled just as tiredly. He quickly jolted wide awake, however, upon spotting the alarming sight in the middle of the room. "Wait, Lion?!"
"Ugh!" Steven shouted as he finally pushed Lion off of him. "Lion! My face is not your bed!"
"Steven, how did Lion get into the shack?" Dipper asked. He and Mabel hopped out of their beds, every bit as confused as Steven was by Lion's unexpected appearance. "I thought you told him to stay back up at the temple."
"Aw, looks like somebody was all lonely after not being invited to our slumber party," Mabel chuckled. She reached out to scratch Lion's chin, only to yank her hand back when he rejected her with a sharp, warning growl. "Whoa! Well excuse me, Mr. Night Owl."
"Lion, that's so not like you!" Steven scolded. "You love it when Mabel pets you! What's going on with you lately?"
This question went unanswered as the attic door suddenly burst open. Stan charged into the room, baseball bat in hand, ready to attack any and all intruders. "Kids, somebody's broken into the shack!" he shouted fiercely. "The front door was hanging wide open! I don't know how they managed to get past me, but when I catch that lousy, no-account beginner, whoever they are, I'm gonna-" He cut himself off the second he spotted Lion sitting next to Steven, and just like that, his panic fizzled out into aggravation. "Oh. Well I guess this is my fault then. I should have figured this would happen if I let you stay here, kid."
"I'm really, really, sorry, Mr. Pines!" Steven apologized. "I don't know how Lion managed to get in here, but I can promise you he's going home right now ."
"You're darn right he is," Stan scowled as he stormed over to Lion. "It's bad enough I have to babysit you for one night, kid. I'm not running a zoo here with that thing too! Now come on, pinky. Beat it." Lion simply turned his nose up at Stan, setting him off even more than he already was. "Oh yeah? That's how you wanna be? Well two can play at this game." Stan reached down to grab the pink pest by the ear, planning to drag him out of the shack himself. Instead, he only narrowly missed having his hand torn wide open as Lion suddenly lashed his claws out at him with a vicious snarl.
"Lion!" Steven gasped, appalled.
"O-on second thought," Stan backed away from Lion, aptly afraid. "He can stay. Heck, I-I'll even make him breakfast in the morning, yeah! Just as long as he keeps those claws of his far away from me."
The kids exchanged a disappointed glance as Stan quickly retreated, lest he incur any more of Lion's dangerous wrath. "Well, we can always count on Stan to be helpful in a pinch," Dipper crossed his arms.
"I just don't get it…" Steven frowned at Lion. "What's wrong with you, Lion? You're acting so weird. Weirder than usual, I mean."
Lion only responded with a loud groan as he flopped onto his side and rolled over onto his back. He looked up at Steven almost pleadingly as he exposed his soft, pink stomach to him. "Oh my gosh," Mabel whispered, stars in her eyes. "How can he be so cute ?!"
"Wait… you just wanted a belly rub?" Steven asked, confused.
"Oh come on," Dipper shook his head. "He couldn't have come all the way down here just so you could give him a belly rub. …Could he?"
Lion let out another soft roar, giving Steven more than enough of an answer. "You never let me touch your belly!" he exclaimed, delighted, as he rushed to rub his pet's stomach. Mabel hurried over to join him, but before she could get close, Lion suddenly grabbed Steven with his front paws and pulled him close. Startled, Steven struggled to free himself from Lion's surprisingly strong hold. "Ah! It's a trap!" he cried. "An adorable trap!"
"Steven!" Both of the twins rushed to try and save Steven. They didn't get far before Lion sent them a low, surly growl, as if he was warning them both to back off. After how unpredictably he'd been acting all night, neither of them needed to be told twice.
"What do we do? What do we do?!" Mabel asked, fretful. "We can't let Lion smoother Steven with hugs! No matter how sweet it is!"
"Well we can't let ourselves get mauled by an actual lion, Mabel!" Dipper protested.
"Guys!" Steven struggled to lift his head to catch a breath. "It's ok! I-I'm… fine!"
"Really? Because it honestly doesn't look like it," Dipper shook his head, doubtful.
"N-no! I'm-" Steven cut himself off as he blew some of Lion's fur out of his face. "Ok, Lion, you got me. Will you finally let me go now?" Despite his pleas, Lion remained resolute, refusing to release Steven for anything.
"Come on! Ugh!" As Steven tried to pull himself free from Lion's grip once more, he retaliated by pushing him down once again. This time, he took it a step further by digging his claws into Steven's back to make sure he'd stay put. "Ow!" Steven cried as he finally, forcefully yanked himself away.
"Whoa, Steven, are you ok?!" Mabel placed a steadying hand on his shoulder.
"Ugh, yeah I'm fine," Steven sighed, rubbing his back. "But Lion's not! That's it! You're on time out!" Refusing to let his pet get the better of him, Steven marched over to Lion and began pushing him out of the attic. Not that he got very far as Lion refused to budge even an inch. "Y-you're going outside to think about what you've done!"
"Uh, Steven? I don't think that's working," Dipper dryly pointed out.
"No, I-I just gotta—whoa!" Steven stumbled backward as Lion turned around on him. Fortunately, he didn't try to shove Steven's face into his mane this time, instead only giving him a surprisingly, strangely sad sort of look. His ears were flopped down, his eyes doleful and pleading as he purred of all things. A far cry from how beastly and brutish he'd been acting all night.
"He loves me!" Steven whispered with an enchanted gasp.
"And I love him!" Mabel added, just as enthralled. "He's so adorable I could die !"
"Yeah, you could if you get anywhere near him," Dipper scoffed. "Between taking a swipe at Stan and nearly suffocating Steven, I definitely don't trust this whole 'cute' act of his and neither should either of you."
"I know… But I just can't stay mad at that face!" Steven threw his arms around Lion in a wide hug. "You're a wonderful human being, Lion! Except you're not. 'Cause you're a lion." As Steven pressed his face into Lion's mane, a soft pink light suddenly started to radiate from it. While he didn't notice, the twins did, and needless to say, they had no idea what to make of such a sudden, magical shift.
"Whoa…" Mabel gasped, amazed.
"What the…?" Dipper frowned, bewildered.
No one was more confused than Steven himself, however, as he opened his eyes to find himself in the same pink grass from his dreams. And yet this time, he was awake–he knew he was awake. So how in the world had he gotten here?
With a sharp gasp, Steven pushed himself out of the grass–and out of Lion's mane. He fell back onto the attic floor, his eyes every bit as wide as the twins' were as they stared down at him, confounded.
"Steven, that was so cool," Mabel whispered, dazzled.
"What was that?" Dipper asked, incredulous.
"I don't-" Steven cut himself off as he looked at Lion once again. To his surprise, the place where his hand rested on Lion's mane was still gently glowing. After exchanging a brief glance with the twins, Steven sucked in a deep breath and plunged his head inside Lion's mane once more.
And, just like that, he was somehow back in the wide pink field from his dreams yet again. "I'm inside Lion's mane?!" Steven thought, shocked. Then again, it all strangely added up. He'd only ever dreamed about this place when Lion slept on him, after all. But to know that it didn't only exist, but it existed inside of his lion's mane, of all places… it was almost too bizarre to believe.
Still, that hardly meant Steven' didn't believe it.
When he pulled himself out of Lion's mane again, he didn't give Dipper or Mabel any chance to ask him any of their pressing questions. Instead, he took in another deep breath and shoved his face back into Lion's mane over and over again, if only to test it out. Each time, he was thrust back into the pink grassland, proving that the mane was indeed a portal. He couldn't help but laugh as he pulled his head out again, only to meet Lion's disapproving look while the twins stared at him in suspense.
"Sorry," Steven gave them all an apologetic grin. "I couldn't resist."
"So what's in there?" Mabel asked, overwhelmed with curiosity. "More of Lion's super-soft fur?"
"No, actually," Steven shook his head. "I don't really know how to explain it but, like… there's a huge field full of pink grass in there! Almost like it's a whole other world, one that doesn't really have any air in it, but it's still so awesome!"
"What?" Dipper asked, puzzled. "Steven, that's imp—Ok, you know what, maybe it's not impossible after everything we've seen this summer, but still. How could an entire world fit inside Lion's mane?"
"Who cares?" Mabel asked. "I wanna see it!" Taking in a deep breath, she shoved her face straight into Lion's mane, only for it to remain as solid and fluffy as ever. "Aw, what gives, Lion?" she frowned, pulling away from him. "You're really not gonna let me in to see your pink grass dimension?"
"Maybe I'm the only one allowed in there…" Steven proposed. Sure enough, he put his hand against Lion's mane, which lit up the second his fingers so much as skimmed.
"Well then go in there and check it out!" Mabel urged. "And tell us everything about it! Who knows what kind of other wild pink stuff might be in there?!"
"Uh, that might not be such a good idea, Steven," Dipper cautioned. "What if you get lost or run out of air or something?"
"Aw, Lion won't let that happen," Steven reassured. "After all, he did all this just so I could find that place. There's gotta be something in there I'm meant to see, right?"
"Oh! What if there's another, smaller version of Lion inside Lion's mane?!" Mabel theorized zealously. "And another Lion inside that Lion's mane! You know, like those cute little dolls that go inside each other."
"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out," Steven said, resolved. "I'm going in." Without any further ado, Steven fully leapt right into Lion's glowing mane, leaving a fascinated Mabel and a perplexed Dipper behind.
"Good luck, Steven!" Mabel called out after him. "Oh, and if you really do get lost in there, I call dibs on your Crying Breakfast Friends special edition box set!"
"Mabel…" Dipper scolded, rolling his eyes.
Steven didn't hear either of them as he popped back up amongst the pink grass. He kept his breath tightly held as he took a curious look around. "Am I… supposed to do something in here?" Steven pondered. After all, Lion wouldn't have been so insistent on showing him all of this for nothing, right?
He soon got his answer as he spotted something peeking over the grass in the distance. He moved closer to it, until he was finally able to make out the silhouette of a tree standing tall against the pale pastel sky. Fortunately, it didn't take him long to reach the base of the hill it was resting on, the only break in the grassy expanse in sight.
As for the tree, it towered over the field, with long branches lush with perfectly pink leaves. Even more intriguing, however, were all of the various items resting around the tree. Steven didn't get much of a chance to get a look at any of it however. Instead, he had no choice but to dive back into the grass, desperate to get a gasp of the air his lungs were begging him for.
The twins gasped, surprised, when Steven's head abruptly popped out of Lion's mane. They let him catch his breath, only for a moment, before bombarding him with all of their curious questions.
"So, what's it like in there?" Mabel pressed. "Did you find anything cool or magical or anything that looked like a tiny Lion?"
"Or was it just a huge empty expanse of literally nothing?" Dipper asked, skeptical.
"No, there's something in there!" Steven exclaimed. "It was a tree!"
"A tree?" both twins asked, confused.
"Yeah, and there was all sorts of stuff lying all around it."
"What kind of 'stuff'?" Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow.
Steven paused, unsure of how to describe any of what he'd very briefly seen. "Hold on a second," he said instead. And then, he took another breath and another plunge back into the world that awaited within Lion's mane.
Fortunately, he re-emerged at the exact same place he'd been at the foot of the hill. Pushing himself through the last of the grass, Steven scaled the hill, stopping just shy of its base to take in the peculiar collection surrounding it.
Standing at the far side of the tree's base, a tattered pink flag gently waved against the breeze. Hovering over one of the branches nearby was a bubbled gemstone, squarish, colorful, and secure. Steven even spotted the same pink sword he and his friends had pulled out of Lion's mane the other week, digging into the ground near the base of the tree. He didn't really remember putting it back, so he figured Lion must have reclaimed it, landing it back in its proper place here,
Even more surprising yet, however, was what was hanging from another one of the tree's branches. He recognized the black t-shirt as one of his father's, back from Greg's touring days, with a "Mr. Universe" logo brightly branded on the front. A large chest sat against the tree, with a photograph of both of his parents carefully propped up against it. By now, Steven's curiosity was beyond peaked, especially when he stopped short upon finding aVHS tape sitting on the ground near his feet. He picked it up, briefly looking it over before finding a label on the side, which simply read: "For Steven."
"For me?" Steven wondered, frowning down at the tape. "Who would put this here? And how does this huge place fit inside of Lion's mane anyw-" His thoughts stopped short when he quickly realized he was running out of air again. He panicked, turning to run down the hill, tightly clinging onto the tape all the while, until his foot caught on the edge of a small rock. Within seconds, he was on the ground, tumbling down the hill until he crashed back down into the grass below.
While Steven was exploring Lion's mane, the twins stood by outside, anxiously awaiting his return as seconds started to turn into minutes. "Uh… do you think he's ok in there?" Dipper asked, concerned.
"I'm sure he is," Mabel shrugged. "It's he, Lion?" She sent the pink cat a fond smile, only to be swiftly shoved away by a simple push of his paw. "Aw, love pats!" Mabel laughed as he kept her lightly pinned to the ground.
"Mabel, I don't think that's-" Dipper stopped short when Steven suddenly fell out of Lion's mane, gasping harshly as he landed on the attic floor.
"Steven!" the twins exclaimed, equally surprised.
"Are you ok?" Dipper asked, offering a hand to help him up.
"Um… yeah, I think so," Steven said, still a bit breathless.
"What's that?" Mabel nodded to the tape in his hands. "Oh! Is it a movie?"
"I… don't really know," Steven frowned down at the tape. "I just sorta found it in there, and it says it's for me, so I just… took it."
"But why would there be a video tape inside of Lion's-" Dipper cut himself off in the middle of his question, ultimately letting out a tired, defeated sigh. "You know what? I feel like that's definitely not the right question to be asking right now."
"You're right! The right question to ask is: can we see what's on it?" Mabel asked, offering Steven an eager grin.
Steven shrugged as he glanced over to Lion. For the first time all night, he finally settled down. As sure a sign as any that he'd managed to lead Steven to whatever it was he wanted him to find. "I don't see why not."
The kids hurried downstairs as quietly as they could in the early hours of the morning, hoping not to wake Stan and annoy him any more than they already had. Lion and Waddles followed after them, curling up together for a nap in the corner of the den as the kids got comfy around the TV in preparation of their mystery viewing.
"Hey, dorks," Wendy greeted as she arrived for her early morning shift at the gift shop. As tired as she was, she offered the kids a warm smile, only broken by a brief, groggy yawn. "You guys are up awfully early. What, did you have a crazy slumber party and stay up all night?"
"Uh, yeah, actually," Dipper admitted, shrugging.
"Steven found a video tape inside of Lion's mane, so now we're gonna watch it!" Mabel explained, grinning.
"A tape, huh?" Wendy chuckled as she slung her jacket over her shoulder. "Mind if I join you guys then? Anything's better than having to open up the gift shop this early."
"Sure, Wendy. Let's just start it up here and…" Steven slid the tape into the VHS player, pushing play. He took his spot on the empty recliner, with the twins and Wendy settling in not too far away as static filled the screen.
A familiar image soon took its place: a wide shot of the woods near the temple. The bright sun shined through the trees, as birdsong filled the air, coming together to create a peaceful scene. The video cut to focus on the sky next, filming the fluffy clouds lazily floating through the cheery blue atmosphere.
More nature shots followed, from blades of grass waving in the breeze, to leaves hanging calmly from their branches. Things got a bit more intriguing when the Gem temple came into clearer view, however. The camera tilted down to where the house should have been, showing nothing but the warp pad and the temple gate, exposed to the open world around it.
Once again, the tape cut back to the woods, only this time, it panned over to a much younger version of Greg. His hair was still full and long as he attempted to climb a nearby tree, only to end up clumsily landing back onto the ground. Somewhere off screen, a soft voice let out a gentle chuckle, amused by his antics. "What are you doing?"
Steven took in a small gasp at the sound of that voice. He'd never heard it before, but he didn't need to to know exactly who it belonged to. Inside Lion's mane, this tape had been sitting right next to a photo of his parents. And if Greg himself was in this tape, then it only made sense that the one filming it was none other than… his mother.
Rose Quartz.
The tape continued to show Greg, fast asleep as he lay in the middle of a clearing as a squirrel sat on top of his stomach. Rose chuckled fondly at the sight, dropping her voice down to a whisper as she said, "Greg made a friend."
The moment was suddenly broken when the squirrel loudly chattered, abruptly startling Greg awake. "Wha–?!" he darted upright, scaring the squirrel off in the process. Rose laughed again, catching Greg's attention as he blushed, flustered.
Greg remained the focus of the next shot, standing against the forest as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Go on…" Rose gently encouraged.
"Sorry, I'm getting stage fright here," Greg admitted, glancing away.
"Tell us about yourself."
"Well… let's see here," Greg began thoughtfully. "My name is… Greg. No, no no!" he suddenly panicked. "This is all wrong!"
Once again, the tape cut, this time to a bird nesting high in a tree. "Ok, go!" At this, Rose tilted the camera back down to Greg. With a pair of sunglasses perched on his face and his guitar in hand, he seemed ready to put on some sort of performance. "They call me…" Greg trailed off, dramatically strumming his guitar. "Mr. Universe! Get ready, baby! You're gonna have the coolest dad this side of the cosmos!" Greg smirked as he played his guitar once more, singing along to his light riff. "Press the button, Rose!"
"Oh, right!" Rose exclaimed, hitting a button that caused a colorful stream to wash over the screen. "Was that the right one?"
"Uh… maybe?" Greg shrugged.
"Now, what does this one do?" Rose wondered. She pressed another button, sending a star iris to take over the screen, cutting to black.
When the screen cleared, Greg was sitting in the middle of the clearing, his back turned to the camera as he peacefully played his guitar. After a moment of this gentle, calming melody, Rose began to speak, not to Greg, but to someone else entirely.
"Isn't it remarkable, Steven? This world is full of so many possibilities. Each living thing has an entirely unique experience. The sights they see, the sounds they hear, the lives they live… are so complicated… a-and so simple…"
Steven leaned forward, tears already welling up in his eyes as a smile slowly spread across his face. To hear a message from his mother, a message meant for him … it was something he never thought he'd get, as much as he might have wished for it. But now, here he was, listening to every warm and loving word his mother had to offer him. Listening to everything he'd always longed to hear.
"And there's no place on this planet where that's more clear to see than right here, in Gravity Falls," Rose went on, panning the camera around to the trees. She gradually turned the camera in a full circle as she spoke, letting her shot land on the Mystery Shack down below for a moment or two. "There are things here that I've never seen anywhere else, things I could have never even imagined before we came here. So many strange, yet wonderful creatures and people… I can't wait for you to join them. This place is so special to me, Steven. I hope that it'll become just as special to you too someday…"
Rose paused, turning the camera away from the shack and over to herself instead. Her pink curls spilled over her shoulders, her eyes as bright as she spoke with both affection and intention. "Steven. We can't both exist. I'm going to become half of you. And I need you to know that every moment you love being yourself, that's me, loving you and loving being you. Because you're going to be something extraordinary." She pulled the camera a bit closer to her, a soft, adoring smile crossing her features as she said–
"You're going to be a human being."
"Hey, Rose!" Greg called from somewhere off-screen. Still, Rose looked to the camera one last time to offer her son one final, hopeful message.
"Take care of them, Steven."
The shot shifted one final time as Rose set the camera down. She headed over to join Greg, revealing her pregnant stomach, which he gently skimmed a hand against. The battery meter on the side of the screen was blinking low as the couple leaned in for a kiss–
And just like that, it was over.
Static crackled on the screen for another moment or two before it cut to black and the tape popped out of the player. In the silence that followed, not a single eye was dry in the den after everything they'd just heard. Still, Stan had no idea what he was about to walk into as he barged into the den, a steaming cup of coffee in hand.
"Alright, kids, quit loungin' around in here watching cartoons or whatever," he grumbled as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes. "It's time to open-" Stan cut himself off as the group around the TV all turned to face him, tears in each of their eyes. Unsure of what to say, Stan slowly backed out of the room, startled as Dipper suddenly got up and ran past him to hurry upstairs without another word. Mabel wasn't too far behind him, leaving Stan to do little but call after them, completely confused. "What the heck did you kids watch?"
When he didn't get an answer, he ultimately gave up, shrugging as he took a sip of his coffee and stepped back into the kitchen. Meanwhile, Steven couldn't help but smile as he pulled the tape out of the VHS, hugging it close. His face was still wet with tears as he looked at the label on the side of it, his name likely written there by Rose herself. True, he may never get to meet her; but at least he had this. At least he had her final message for him, filled with hope for his future, hope for his happiness, hope in him .
At least he knew how much she'd loved him, far before he was even born. And for Steven, that was more than enough.
"Steven, wait up," Wendy stopped him before he could head out. She finished wiping away her own tears, still wearing a smile as she stepped over to him and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Um… well, uh… You know, if y-you ever need to talk to someone about the whole… 'no mom' thing… you can always talk to me. I know how that feels, after all."
"Thanks, Wendy," Steven said with a grateful smile. "You know, it's… kind of weird. I never met her, but… I feel like I finally know her after watching that. But, it was only a few minutes, so… that's silly, isn't it?"
"Nah, man," Wendy chuckled. "It's really sweet. It's just… Wow," she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I can't stop thinking about that whole thing she said, about how you both couldn't exist at the same time? She knew what was going to happen to her, but she still chose you anyway. She really loved you, Steven."
"...Yeah," Steven muttered. "I guess she did…" The way his heart both soared and ached at the thought practically rattled him to his core. Indeed, his mother had loved him so much, to the point of giving her own existence up entirely.
To do that, to sacrifice that much, all for him… maybe she'd loved him too much.
"I wish I could have had the chance to meet her," Wendy continued, grinning. "She seemed like she was pretty cool."
"Same here…" Steven solemnly agreed. "By the way… I'm sorry again about your mom, Wendy. I bet she was really nice, like my mom was."
"She was…" Wendy said with a wistful sigh. "But like I said, it's ok, dude. We actually have a bunch of tapes of her at home just like your mom's. Ok, well, maybe not just like hers' but still. We have something to remember her by."
"Yeah…" Steven's smile slowly returned as he looked down at the tape in his hands. "Something to remember her by…"
"Anyway, I better get to work before Stan has an aneurism," Wendy joked as she headed for the gift shop. "See you later, Steven."
"Bye!" Steven called after her. By now, the sun was up, which meant it was time for him to get ready for the day too. He stopped just short of the door, however, when Lion gently bumped his head against his back.
Steven turned back to him, his smile turning a touch brighter as he gave his pink pet a tight hug. "Thanks, Lion," he whispered warmly. A happy sigh escaped him as he looked down to the tape one last time, his mother's words of wisdom still echoing inside his mind.
"Take care of them, Steven…"
Steven leaned his head against Lion's chest as he closed his eyes, clinging onto the image of his mother's kind, smiling face. For him, that image would only ever exist in photos and tapes, but maybe that was all he really needed. Because now he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his mother was always with him, wherever he went.
"Don't worry," Steven promised her softly and sincerely. After everything she'd given up for him, it was only fair that he return the favor. It was only fair that he did his best to live up to everything she wanted him to be. "I will."
Mabel already anticipated the state she'd find her brother in when she arrived in the attic–she wasn't too far from it herself, after all. Sure enough, Dipper sat on his bed, his knees curled to his chest as he scowled down at the family photo they'd brought from home. Neither of them had bothered looking at it all summer–the last thing they needed was a reminder of just how bad things had been before they left. But there was no avoiding it now, not after what they'd just watched, not after the unstoppable tide of conflicting emotions that came along with it.
"Dipper…" Mabel started as she hurried over to him. She didn't get a chance to say much more before he spoke up, his voice low, bitter, angry .
"It's not normal; you know that, right?" he asked, shifting his still-teary gaze up to his sister. "The way Mom treats us? The way she's always on my case about every little thing? The way she hardly ever pays any attention to you ? The way nothing either of us do is ever good enough for her? It's not right. It's not fair!"
"O-oh, come on, bro-bro," Mabel forced a smile as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "Nobody's mom is perfect. Ours is just… you know, she's just sort of-"
"Can you please stop making excuses for her, Mabel? Just this once?" Dipper coldly pulled his shoulder away. "You saw that tape too. You saw how Rose talked to Steven, how she smiled at him, how she told him she loved him? Mom's never done any of that for either of us…"
"No. Mom does love us," Mabel firmly insisted. "I know it. She just… has a hard time showing it."
"Sure," Dipper scoffed as he threw the photo back down onto the bed, shoving it away from him. "Just like Dad has a 'hard time' standing up to her. Or how they both have a 'hard time' even trying to get along with each other."
Mabel shook her head, desperate to come up with some way to turn this around. To convince herself that what her brother was saying wasn't true, even when she knew it was. "They're just… going through a rough patch right now, just like Dad said. That's why we're here, so they can spend the summer… you know, bonding and team building or whatever married people are supposed to do."
"I don't care what they're doing," Dipper said, finally wiping his tears away. "I'm just glad we finally get to have a break from both of them. Which is why…" He trailed off, sighing as he reached a decision. One he'd been toiling over for far too long now. "Mabel, I don't think we should tell Mom or Dad about what we've been doing up here."
"Huh?" Mabel asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, we can't tell them about how weird Gravity Falls is," Dipper explained, resolute. "We can't tell them about any of the monsters or magical creatures we've run into, and we really can't tell them about the Gems."
"Whaaaat? But why not?!" Mabel protested, aghast. "All of that stuff is so cool and amazing, and we're having so much fun–why wouldn't we want Mom and Dad to know about all of that?"
"I don't mind Dad knowing as much as I'm worried about Mom knowing," Dipper clarified. He paused for a moment, anxiously glancing around, as if their mother was somehow standing in some unseen corner, listening to every word he said. A ridiculous thought, he knew that; but after all of the eggshells he was used to walking on back home, he couldn't quite break the old habit that easily.
"You know how she can be," he finally continued. "Heck, Dad even told us it took weeks for him to convince her to let him come up here at all. If she found out we were messing around with monsters and magic and aliens, if she knew we were risking our lives every other day, if she knew we were actually having any sort of fun for the first time in our lives? She'd be up here in a heartbeat to put a stop to it all."
"You… you really think she'd come up here?" Mabel asked, suddenly worried. "That she'd take us home?"
"I know she would," Dipper sternly insisted. "She threatened to do it on the phone the other day. The fact that she's let us stay here this long is a miracle. We can't give her any sort of reason to change her mind."
"...I… I don't want to go home…" Mabel softly, sadly admitted. "Not now, not yet."
"Neither do I," Dipper agreed just as solemnly. "So… you know what we need to do, right?"
Mabel hesitated at the sight of the hand her brother was extending for her to shake. At the vow of silence he was asking her to share with him… a vow that could very well save them both.
It didn't take her very long to take that hand and shake it. And to use it to pull her brother off his bed and into a tight, much-needed embrace.
Both twins fell apart almost at the exact same moment. Mabel's sob came first, but Dipper's was shortly behind it as they slowly collapsed to the floor together, tightly hugging all the while. In the back of both of their minds, Rose's tape for Steven echoed, full of unconditional kindness and care. Filled with all of the things their own mother had never bothered showing them.
Filled with so many things they still found themselves endlessly, hopelessly craving all the same.
They'd tried so hard to forget about it all, to distance themselves from the troubles haunting them back home. Up here, hundreds of miles away, surrounded by new friends and new adventures around every corner, it was all so easy . Easy to smile, easy to laugh, easy to be themselves, easy to breathe . And in much of the same way, it was easy to forget just how truly fragile it all really was.
Which was why Dipper and Mabel both knew–all of the secrets they found here had to stay secrets. It was the only way to keep the fun going, to salvage the friendships they'd forged, to save their summer.
To stay here in Gravity Falls, a place that felt like home far more than their real home ever could.