When Jupiter Redwood is sent to Gravity Falls to spend the summer with her great aunt Lenzee, she leaps at the opportunity to finally prove to her parents that monsters and legends exist. She can hardly believe her luck as she meets a pair of twins...
(A/N: whoo boy, this is it guys. Here's the finale. I'm not crying, YOU'RE crying!)
The bus pulls up to the curb, bringing an aching sadness with it. Dipper and Mabel turn towards us one last time, sad smiles on their faces. I blink rapidly to keep my tears at bay.
"See you kids next summer," Stan tells them, hugging them both. "Try not to die as you travel the world, got it?"
"We love you too, Grunkle Stan," Mabel chuckles sadly.
"Take care of each other," Ford says, embracing Dipper and then Mabel. "Don't grow up too fast."
Mabel comes to me, hugging me full force. I return it, squeezing my eyes tight to prevent myself from crying. I'm gonna be so bored without her whacky personality and fun ideas.
"Thank you, Mabel," I mumble. "Thanks for giving me a chance. Thanks for welcoming me with open arms the moment you saw me. Thanks for being my friend."
"What's not to like about you?" she snickers in response, her voice breaking slightly. "You're funny, you're smart, you're brave, you're kind, and you kissed my brother!"
"Mabel!" I hiss, panic setting in. "Don't bring that up now, I'm trying to say goodbye to you!"
"Wait, she did what?" Stan asks, grinning. He's about to say something more, but Ford puts a hand on his arm and stops him.
"Sorry," Mable chuckles. "Don't hate me."
"I could never hate you, Mabel. You're literally my best friend. Stay safe as you travel."
"Have fun in your last year of high school."
She lets me go, allowing Dipper to approach me. He reaches into his pocket, taking something out.
"I kept forgetting to return this to you," he admits, opening his hand to reveal my necklace.
"Keep it," I say, closing his hand around it. "You can give it back when you come next summer. This way you'll have no choice but to survive any crazy adventures you have."
He pulls me into a hug and my efforts to prevent myself from crying are absolutely futile. I'm going to miss him so, so much.
He removes his hat as we finally let go, using it to block our faces momentarily as he gives me a brief kiss. He places it on my head, pushing the brim down over my eyes. I laugh, tilting it up again.
"I'll exchange the necklace for my hat when I return," Dipper explains. "Good luck with your senior year."
"Thank you."
I try to smile as they board the bus, waving through the window. I join Stan and Ford in pursuit of the bus, shouting farewells and goodbyes their way. We finally stop as they pull too far ahead of us, the bus taking them on their long journey home. Funny how things change.
And so, here we are. We've reached the final page of this story. The summer's over, the bad guys are defeated, and the battle has been won. I've made friends, lost family members, and become something incredible. I came here as just a normal teenage girl with an obsession with the strange and the unknown, and now I'm staying here as a part of the world I adore. If I had known what would happen before I arrived here, would I still have come? Even with every pain, every heartache, every tear that I shed? Absolutely. People are worth dying for, and they're also worth living for. I don't mean just being alive, I mean actually living. I've learned what it really feels like to live life and have it mean something to me.
I've discovered many things in my time here. I've discovered magic, secrets, monsters, and lore. I've learned about trust, friendship, loyalty, and love. I've experienced pain, suffering, sacrifice, and loss. I've found my heart, my home, my soul, and my life. I've found me.
Goodbyes are hard, and I've never had to say so many of them. I had to say goodbye to Arlyn, to Spunk, to Mabel, to Dipper, and now to you. But the best part about goodbyes is that they don't have to be the end. Just because a story is finished, doesn't mean it's over. There will always be more to tell, regardless of whether or not I share it with the world. If you ever miss me, you can come back to this story, where I'll be waiting with a smile. As long as my story still lives, I promise you...
It's not over yet.
The End
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(A/N: There it is, folks. It's finished. Honestly, when I started this story, I never really thought about it ending. There's gonna be some special features, behind the scenes, and extra content that I'll be releasing soon, so you have that to look forwards to. A gallery of the art I did for this fic, both released and never before seen, will be included either here or in the special features book.)
