#left hook!

“What’s a Time Baby?” Stan asked, skeptical. “Doesn’t sound so scary to me.”

Dipper rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Oh yeah, I remember him.”

“He’s the one who gave us the time wish to fix Soos’ birthday,” Mabel recalled. “He seemed a little cranky, but he can’t be all bad.”

“Wait a second, you two know about the Time Baby?” Ford cried. 

The twins grinned at him. “Uh, duh,” Mabel said, blowing a raspberry.

“We’ve time traveled a couple times this summer,” Dipper boasted. “Some time traveler wanted to revenge on us and got us dragged into Globnar in the future.” 

Flustered at the concept that two twelve year olds knew more about the Time Baby than he did, Ford struggled to compose himself. “I...I didn’t realize. Really?”

“The Time Baby is a tyrant,” Future Dipper declared, his voice full of resentment. “He’s the one who imprisoned my Mabel and when he attacked Gravity Falls he killed...” He looked at the Stan twins and the words caught in his throat. “The point is, we need to stop him. When the ship activates they’ll invade the town and secure the area. We can’t be here when that happens.”

Ford stepped forward. “We’ll use the bunker. That’s why I built it in the first place.”

Rolling his eyes, Stan scowled. “Spending another undermined amount of time in one of your underground bases, great. Are you going to punch me in this one too?” Not waiting for his twin’s reply, Stan looked at the twins. “Ok you two grab whatever you think you’ll need. We move out in ten minutes.”

“But what about Soos and Wendy?” Dipper protested. “We have to save them too.”

“And Robbie,” Mabel added. “And my friends Candy and Grenda.”

“Not to mention Pacifica,” Dipper continued. The twins looked at each other. “Wow, I never thought she and Robbie would make our list of people to save.”

Stan sighed. “Ok, we’ll get as many of them as we can down into the bunker. But I don’t know if we can reach them in time.”

Future Dipper pulled out his time device and grinned. “I think you can leave that to me,” he assured them. “After all I can been in more than one place at once. You four get to the bunker and I’ll meet you there with everyone else.”

By the time they made it to the bunker in the woods, Future Dipper had rounded up everyone they had listed. Wendy ran to meet them as they approached. “Dipper,” she cried. “What’s going on? And why is there some guy that looks like you’re older brother?”

“Um,” Dipper said, glancing at his older self. “It’s kind of a long story. Where’s your family?”

“Oh, don’t worry about them,” she replied. “They’re camping in Portland. I only stayed behind because I thought I had work at the shack.” She caught sight of Stanford and blinked. “Who’s that?”

“He’s Grunkle Stan,” Mabel declared. As she explained the whole thing to her, Stanford opened the bunker, grumbling to himself how he didn’t plan to have so many people take refuge and how it was meant for strictly professional purposes anyways and how no one had better touch his equipment. 

Down in the bunker, the large group tried to make themselves comfortable in the small space. “I wasn’t planning for so many people,” Ford declared. “There’s more room on the other side of the security room but it is extremely complicated and dangerous.”

“No worries,” Wendy said with a laugh. “Dipper totally mastered that thing last time we were down here.”

“He...what?” Ford stammered. 

“And we had to fight that shapeshifter dude and put him back in his ice tube,” Soos added. Then he shuddered. “I hope we don’t have to do that again.”

Ford rubbed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. “Ok, I am going to need a complete debriefing on what all you’ve been doing with my journal this summer,” he decided. 

Stan crossed his arms, upset that this was the first he was hearing of it as well. “You and me both.”

Eventually silence fell over underground bunker as everyone went to sleep. Future Dipper paced by the entryway, eyes fixed on his watch. They should have felt the tremors of the alien craft activating by now. Maybe the time line had already been altered? He glanced up and saw the Stan twins conversing quietly in the corner of the room. It was the kind of verbal shorthand typical only to twins where sentences didn’t need to be completed because the other already knew what was going to be said. Stanford scowled as his twin told him about what had happened since he left, choleric and unyielding, but there was a softness in his eyes that betrayed how glad he was to see Stanley again. There was unspoken bitterness between them but it was set aside in the face of a crisis.

Watching them made Future Dipper’s heart ache and he glanced over to where Mabel was sleeping. She lay curled up with Dipper on one side and Candy and Grenda on the other. So many regrets and so many unsaid things filled the hole she had left in his life and the weight of it all made him sick. Glancing at his watch again he sighed. Maybe there was one regret he could get rid of now.

“Stan, can I talk to you?” Future Dipper asked, coming over to them.

Ford looked up. “Yes? What is it?”

Future Dipper jumped a little at his response. “Oh, sorry I meant Grandpa Stan.”

The Stan twins exchanged a look of surprise. Future Dipper was a lot different than they had realized. “What is it kid?” Stan asked, stepping forward. 

“Well, I...” The young time traveler hesitated and looked at Ford. 

Getting the hint, the author stood up. “It’s alright, I know when I’m not wanted,” he declared with a little laugh, moving to the far end of the room. 

After he left, Future Dipper looked at his boots, shuffling uncomfortably. Stan felt uncomfortable as well. After all, the kid’s younger self had declared his undying hate for him only a few hours before. For all he knew the older Dipper still had some beef with him “Um, something you want to tell me?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“I’m sorry,” Future Dipper mumbled.

“Huh?” Stan gaped at him. Future Dipper’s shoulders were hunched over as he continued to contemplate his feet. 

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “For all the terrible things I said to you. I guess it was only a few hours ago for you but it’s been years for me and I’m sorry I yelled and said that I....hate you.”

Stan smiled wryly and put his meaty hand on Future Dipper’s shoulder. They were at eye level for once and it was a strange feeling, but a good one. “Kid, it’s ok. You were mad and with reason. You don’t have to apologize.”

“Yes I do,” Future Dipper protested. “You don’t understand. Grandpa Stan I said all those things and then you...and then I never got the chance to take them back.” He wilted and looked away, ashamed. Dark circles and worry lines around his eyes made him look older than eighteen and Stan wanted nothing more than to take whatever burden he was carrying off his shoulders. He knew better than anyone what it was like to lose a twin. Future Dipper looked up and set his square jaw firm. “I apologize for everything I said. It wasn’t my place. Can you forgive me?”

Stan laughed, a short, harsh chuckle. “Of course I forgive ya, Dipper.” He pulled the teen into a quick and firm hug and then clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

Future Dipper stumbled a bit, losing his footing under Stan’s strong display of affection. Laughing nervously, he looked up at his grandfather. “Ok, I won’t. Promise.”

A question hung in the air and Stan raised a brow. “Something else you want to say?”

Future Dipper looked away. “It’s about Mabel. I wanted to ask you, I mean since you didn’t have Ford for so long. Is it...? Does it ever...?”

Stan held up hand to silence his rambling. “First let me ask ya, how long has it been?”

“Two years,” the young time traveler admitted. He ran his hands through his messy curls. “Pathetic right? It’s only been two years and already I’m falling apart. I don’t know how you stood thirty!”

“It wasn’t easy,” Stan admitted. “And to answer your question--no, it doesn’t ever get easier. Not until they’re back and you’re one person again.”

Future Dipper hung his head. “I was afraid of that.”

Stan ruffled his hair with a grin. “Cheer up kid. There’s always hope. If I can get my bonehead back, I think anything is possible. Thought between you and me I hope she’s more grateful than Ford is.”

There was a rumble and the whole bunker shook like it was in the throws of an earthquake. Everyone woke up, startled by the movement. “What’s going on?” Pacifica asked, sitting up. 

“They’re here,” Future Dipper replied. 

“They certainly are,” a sinister voice gloated. Future Dipper and Stan turned to see Far Future Dipper step out of the tunnel leading to the security room. He dusted himself off and looked around. “Wow, it’s really a party down here.”

“Dipper, who’s that?” Wendy asked, her voice strained with fear.

Dipper swallowed hard. “The other future me. The bad one.”

“I really underestimated you, Past Me,” Far Future Dipper leered. 

Future Dipper growled and reached for his weapon, but before he could Ford already had his gun aimed at the intruder. “Everyone get back,” he bellowed and they stumbled to comply. 

“Great Uncle Ford,” Far Future Dipper called, smiling despite the deadly glare Stanford was giving him. “How good to see you again. Still alive, I see.”

“No thanks to you,” he growled. “I don’t know how you got down here, but I’m going to throw you out myself.” His gun hummed as it powered up. “In pieces.”

Future Dipper sighed, shaking his head in exasperation. “I forgot how ignorant you all are.” With a flash of yellow light he vanished. Ford lowered his gun, surprised. There was another flash of light and Dipper gasped. 

“Watch out!” he yelled. 

Far Future Dipper appeared behind Ford and slammed a knife into his left shoulder, making his arm go slack in pain. The gun fell to the floor and the large man stumbled back, favoring his injured side. “You may have years of experience to your advantage, Grunkle Ford,” Far Future Dipper sneered, saying the name like an insult. “But what you don’t have is advance control over space, matter and time--which means I’m in control here.” 

“Come here you twerp,” Stan roared. He charged, brass knuckles flashing in the dim light. Far Future side stepped the first few punches, but Stan was surprisingly light on his feet and managed to hit him twice in the gut and once in the head, stunning the young man. 

Stumbling back, Far Future shook with rage. “You’re going to regret that, old man,” he snarled. He vanished and Stan looked around, anticipating his reappearance. But Far Future Dipper didn’t change location once--he did it multiple times. He appeared to wink in and out of existence in six places at once, each time landing fierce punches to Stan, ending the attack with and spinning kick to the head, laying the old man out on the floor. Far Future Dipper stood over him, a sadistic grin spread across his face. “I’ve been waiting to do that for over ten years,” he panted. Turning around he held his arms wide. “Anyone else? I’m on a roll here.”

Everyone shrunk back, horrified at the vicious display of power. Dipper stepped forward, but his good future self came between him and Far Future Dipper, gun drawn. “Why are you doing this?” he demanded. 

“It’s nothing personal,” his older self replied. Then he chuckled darkly. “Actually it kind of is. But honestly, I’m just following orders. The Time Baby doesn’t want you mucking up the past and ruining the future.”

“The Time Baby?” Future Dipper stammered. “He sent you? But why would you help him after what he did to Mabel? To us?”

Far Future Dipper threw back his head and laughed. “Mabel? Why would I care about her?”

Ford eased the knife out of his shoulder and ground his teeth in pain as he clutched the bloody instrument in his right hand. Far Future Dipper had his back to him and appeared to have dismissed him as being neutralized. Mistake number one.

“If I do this for the Time Baby I get a time wish,” Far Future Dipper boasted. 

“But with that we can change everything,” Future Dipper reasoned. “We can set the timeline right and make it so we don’t loose Mabel and Stan and...”

The eldest Dipper snorted. “Why would I do that? I’m using the time wish to get what we always wanted--all knowledge and power. I mean, why would I waste it on Mabel when she did absolutely nothing to help us. Who in their right mind would give up all they ever worked for just for their dumb sibling?”

The phrase made Mabel sit up straight and she squinted at Far Future Dipper over her twin’s shoulder. “Bill?” she asked. 

“What?” Dipper asked. “Where?”

“No, that’s exactly what Bill said when he tried to get the journal from me. You don’t think you and Bill are...?”

The question couldn’t even be finished because the implications made both twins sick. 

Ford came at Far Future Dipper from behind, slicing at him with the knife. The thin man spun away and kicked his great uncle in the gut, bringing him to his knees. He vanished in a flash of light and when he reappeared he was behind Mabel, pulling the small girl into his firm grip. He had one arm wrapped around her chest and his other hand clamped onto her jaw. 

“Dipper, help,” Mabel cried. 

Far Future Dipper grinned at his younger selves. “Maybe I should just be rid of her now. It would save us all so much trouble.”

“You leave her alone,” Dipper shrieked. “Or I’ll--”

“Or you’ll what?” Far Future Dipper spat. “Of the whole family you’re the most pathetic. Lucky for me that’s all in the past now.” His grip tightened on Mabel’s jaw, threatening to twist her head and snap her neck at any moment. She whimpered and flailed in vain. “Just like Mabel is about to be.”

Dipper clenched his hands into fists, pushing so hard his nails threatened to draw blood from where they pressed into his palms. Running forward he swung as hard as he could. “LEFT HOOK!” He punched his Future Evil self right between the legs, bringing the man to his knees in pain. Mabel sprung out of his grasp and hid behind her twin. 

“You saved me,” she cried in relief. 

“This isn’t over,” Far Future Dipper growled through clenched teeth. “I won’t let you ruin want I’ve worked for.” Then he vanished in a flash of light.

When he was gone, the bunker exploded into applause. “Good hit,” Wendy said. “That has got to hurt.”

“You were great,” Pacifica added. 

Stan wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned. “Nice going kid.”

Dipper turned to look at him and torn between his grudge and his pleasure to be complemented by him, could only manage a mumbled “thanks”. 

“That was insane,” Robbie cried. “When did you learn to do that disappear and reappear thing?”

Future Dipper shrugged. “In about six years apparently. I guess the time machine I build in the future can stop time and teleport as well. Just one more thing to worry about I suppose.”