Chapter Text
“It all started when my brother wanted to play a nerd game but I didn’t. So, he eventually started to play with my great uncle who liked to hide away in our basement but the game kind of spread out of there…”
August 3, 2012
Mabel was super excited. She had spent all morning finishing up her Ducktective sweater just for the finale premiere and now she was going to experience it with her two favorite people. If she could, she would have knocked Grenda over with her hug when the other girl knocked on her door, that was how much excitement she was feeling.
“Thanks for coming over to watch tonight's Duck-tective finale, Grenda!”
“Of course! I'm so invested in the lives of these characters!”
Both the girls turned when Stan exited his room. Mabel had expected the typical ‘casual wear’, read underwear, he wore around the house, but seeing him in the full suit he wore for the Mystery Shack was a surprise.
“Hey-hey, look at you! Someone's all dressed up.”
Stan fixed his shirt cuffs as she stopped next to the girls, “It's a big night. I think we all remember where we were, when we learned Duck-tective was shot.”
Mabel suppressed a shudder at the last episode cliff-hanger. It had been such a shock to see her hero in such a terrible situation. Hopefully this finale would save his life and answer the question how who had it out for their beloved avian detective.
Her pondering was broken by the sound of the alarm she set and she shook herself out of the melancholy.
“Viewing positions, everyone!” Mabel led the charge to the living room.
Only the living room was not the viewing party room she was ready for. The couch and T.V. were covered in graph paper; the floor was also riddled with it. And in the middle of the nerdy mess sat Dipper and Ford around their game board.
Mabel glanced at the clock on the wall and tried not to feel the impatience and worry bubbling up inside her. They still had time.
Mabel moved over the paper carefully, “Dipper, could you maybe move this to another room?”
Dipper did not seem to be listening.
“No dice!” Ford said as she shook his hand, “We ran out of room in the basement and we're going for a world record! Now, dice!” With that he let his hand fly and dice rolled across the board, “32, yes! 7,000 points damage!”
Dipper laughed at that and started to write something on the nearest sheet of paper, “You got me!”
Mabel frowned and glanced at the clock again. Time was ticking away.
“Oh, why, why with this?” Stan pushed his way past her and glared down at his twin, “You wanna break a record, Ford? You already got it for world's nerdiest old man.”
“Hey, at least I'm not all keyed up to watch a kid's show,” Ford shot back.
Mabel was already seeing the big fight coming as the two started to trade insults at each other.
“Grunkle Stan, it starts in a few minutes!” She warned, hoping it would get her uncles to not fight. Unfortunately, it seemed to only make the problem worse.
Stan reached for the paper taped to the T.V., but Ford grabbed the arm.
“Move that and pay the price.” Ford threatened.
“Oh, what, fifty magical dwarf dollars?”
The minutes were ticking down. Mabel turned her back on the scene and started to try and figure out how long it would take to get to Grenda’s house. Maybe they could watch the rerun of it when it came back on in an hour or so?
Her thoughts were brought back to the scene when she heard Dipper yell. Stan was holding a bag that she presumed was for dice over his head. Both Ford and Dipper looked alarmed as the bag thrown to the ground.
Mabel only could watch as a plastic box falls out and a weird shaped die begins to roll. The bright blue entrancing her as it moves across the floor before stopping right next to her feet. She only gets a glance at what it shows on top, an hourglass, before her world is engulfed in light.
The next thing she knows she is standing outside in the dark. The air is colder than it should be in August and there is no Shack around. A sound behind her draws her attention and she can only stare as a man drags himself out of the water of a bay. She almost wants to run until she sees him collapse on the shore.
December 2, 1982
“And then you opened your eyes and I said hi and now we are here.” Mabel finished with a big breath. Halfway through her story she had started to talk down to her shoes. Now that she had stopped, those shoes were the most interesting article of clothing she had ever seen it seemed.
Stanely sat back in his chair, having finally sat down when he realized how long her story was going to be. Now he had to process on what he had just heard. He had told her that whatever she said would not be half as weird as what had happened today, but now he was not so sure.
This kid just claimed to have time traveled.
“Are you mad?” Mabel asked her shoes.
“No? No, why would I be mad?” Stan leaned forward in the chair and looked at the girl confused.
“’Cause I lied and didn’t say where I was from.”
“Honey, I don’t think you could have told me where you were from without some kind of proof. But that doesn’t explain how you knew about me and Ford.”
Mabel made a face, “My Grunkle and his brother…are…well…” She waved her hands at him.
Stanley stared at her, waiting for her to go on.
“I got the towel.”
Mabel jumped and turned to watch as McGucket slid back into the kitchen. Stan sending the man a small glare.
“You got the worst timing, man,” Stan said.
“Sorry?” The Southerner did not look sorry as he carefully mopped up the spilled tea, “Don’t know what I interrupted but I hope it don’t affect my offer to stay the night.”
“Really?” Mabel looked up with hopeful eyes.
“Yes ma’am, I got a room ready for you and I am sure Stanferd won’t mind if I let Stanley have his office since he is gonna sulk in the basement study tonight.”
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Mabel squealed and hugged the skinny man around the waist.
Stan cringed, “I can just sleep in my car. I don’t want to make Sixer uncomfortable.”
“Nonsense,” Fiddleford laughed as he patted the child’s head, “He is just bein’ a big baby about things. By mornin’ I’ll bring him around.”
Stan was ready to protest more. He was sure he could scramble around in the back seat of his car to find enough money to get a motel room for the night. But Mabel had let go of McGucket and wrapped herself tightly around his arm.
“Please, Stan? Can we stay?” Mabel looked up at him with big round eyes and he felt his resolve dropping fast.
All he did was sigh, but that seemed to be enough for Mabel to take it as a yes.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Mabel was now hugging him like her life depended on it.
“Yeah, yeah, kid. Don’t say I never did anything for you,” He patted her back awkwardly.
“You two are just darn adorable,” Fidds laughed to himself, “Can’t believe you ain’t related.”
Stan made a face at his brother’s friend and then down at the kid. Mabel was looking up at him again, her eyes big and with that strange look that said she knew more then she was letting on. Which, he guessed if she was from the future, then she would be. Heck, she knew where Ford lived so she must have…
“Oh shit...” he whispered.
The pieces were clicking into place now. It felt like someone had let the icy wind from outside into the kitchen. Mabel said she was staying with her great uncle over the summer. Her great uncle who had a twin brother. A twin brother who was a big nerd and was arguing with said uncle.
He looked at Mabel again. Really looked at her.
How did he not see it before? The Pines curls; the way her nose curled up like Ma’s right at the tip?
“Oh Shit!”
“Language, Stanley. What’s got you in a tizzy?” Fiddleford’s words were ignored by Stan as he picked up Mabel and set her on his lap.
“Hi Grunkle Stan,” she said it so nervously.
“You’re my niece.”
“Great niece,” she corrected.
“I’m an uncle,” he laughed.
“Great uncle,” she laughed along.
“Sixer’s an uncle!” Stan was full on belly laughing as he hugged her close, “Holy Moses, this is amazing. And you are really from the future?”
“She’s from the what?” Again, Stan pretended the interloping Southerner was not there, “Will someone explain to me what in the heck is goin’ on in my kitchen?”
“Can it, Nerd, I am having a moment with my niece over here.”
Mabel giggled nervously at his outburst as Fiddleford sputtered, though she seemed to sober quickly. Stan felt her shift nervously in her lap as she turned to face the other person in the kitchen.
“I’m from the future, Mr. McGucket. That’s why I came here, I needed help to get back to my time. But I also wanted to help my Grunkle Stan and Great Uncle Ford reunite.”
Stanley expected a lot of things from a stick nerd. Mostly laughter about how time travel was impossible or maybe even kicking them out for trying to pull a very lame scheme on them. But seeing the man sit down, take off his glasses and rub them against his shirt calmly was not what he expected.
“She’s telling the truth, from what I can tell,” Stan said after a minute of silence, “I mean, I don’t have proof but she did know where you guys live and appeared out of nowhere in California.”
“I believe her,” Fiddleford said, “Believe me, I do. I mean, I don't think I have even properly introduced myself yet and when you seen the things I have while working in this town, you gotta believe I a lot of things are possible.”
Well, that wasn’t creepy at all.
Stan glanced at Mabel to see if she was thinking the same things but she was staring intently at McGucket.
“Will you help me?”
Fiddleford smiled gently, “Course I will, sweet pea. I’ll do my best. I just, until this moment, I didn’t even think time travel was possible.”
“Until they nerd it out, you are stuck with me kid,” Stan said and ruffled her hair.
“And I’ll make sure that you got a roof over both yer heads,” Fidds added.
Mabel smiled. It was a smile that made Stan’s heart ache a little, though he did his best to hide it. Mabel seemed to be safe now, even if it was not with the family he was expecting. And he was sure that his brother would figure out a way to get Mabel home once he heard that she was family.
Ford was smart like that. He would find a way. He had to. For Mabel.