Gravity Pines

Part 39: Time

They were lost after that day, the Pines family torn left and right. The whole town felt the loss as people gathered together the next week. It began with a few, the closest to him, but as time rolled on, everyone eventually stood beside the closest to him. Even those who had no idea who they were honoring, because they either were visiting, could not stand by as every single citizen stood at their statue.

Where some felt loss, others had anger replace that sensation as two such souls pushed and shoved their way out of the crowd.

" You were suppose to watch over him! You should have fought harder! " Pacifica Northwest, rich, beautiful and amazingly a whole different person because of Dipper. " I knew I shouldn't have trusted you with him! " Harsh words, spoken in fear of this all being the truth now.

" What makes you think I didn't?! Who are you to-- " Wendy Corduroy, a life changed by Dipper, saved without his knowledge.

" I loved him too! And now I will never even hear his voice again! " Wendy froze as did Pacifica, eyes looking away and more pulling others to turn away as well. Respect, and loyalty to the friends all had come to know.

" You... " All Wendy could do was feel every bit of herself shattering over and over. Everything she knew was changed with just one soul leaving her life. Ford and Stan would stand nearby with Mabel pulling the two other women into her arms, hugging them close with Grenda and Candy joining in. Sobs leaving Pacifica and small whimpers escaping Wendy, every one of them shedding tears as the town felt the pain of the truth taking hold.

After the week, Ford and Stan worked tirelessly to finish their work, pouring their attention into every detail before Stan slammed a chair out the open window and onto the personal road built below.

" What's the point?!  We failed! We let that freak take him from us and... we failed! " Stan fought back his tears but would find a gentle hand on his shoulder. Robert stood right there as if having appeared out of thin air to rescue a bit of the family he had left.

" You didn't fail. You and Ford were like fathers I could not be for Dipper, the kind he needed to really shine. Just like Mabel, you guys gave everything for them. " Though he tried, Stan still pulled away and found himself gripped by Ford by the shoulders.

" Stanley, we need to focus, right now that "Freak" is building his power back up and when he will break through is impossible to calculate. "

" Calculate? Calculate? " Stanley felt a surge of rage, much like before upon being corrected in the pyramid. " You lost the only kid who ever saw more in us than our old man and you are worrying about calculations?! Do you have any soul left in that thick he---! " Suddenly Stanley was pulled off Ford as each brother prepared a fist for the other to plant proper. A soft yellow glow would tug them to either side of the room as Bill walks out from the back room.

" Look, you two are both ready to snap... and Stanley I know you are brazen but this will get you nowhere, and Ford... you need to go spend some time to let yourself break down. I know you two a lot better than I wished but I also know Dipper. He would be ashamed that the two best ?Gruncles he could have ever hoped for are ready to beat each other up so easily. " Sure enough, unlike what Ford predicted the day after Dipper had been taken from them, Bill retained the body double of Dipper, cept for a few key alterations of course.

" You! Why did you put him right in that psycho's path! Was this your plan!? Did you use us all to get a damn body?! " Stanley had not calmed his anger yet and the direction seemed whatever was at the top of the pecking list for that room.

" I have no idea how I got this body! All I know is for those few minutes we spent bonded I... " Soon an expression hit Bill's face that would be all too human, all too Dipper. " I felt everything, I saw everything, he trusted me for... her. " Bill's voice lowered as his pained expression seemed almost to hurt him physically. Yet everyone in the room knew what a sacrifice like that meant, how deeply he cared was no show.