Gravity falls : I am … Stan pines !

Narrator's POV

"I'm not really sure it's a good idea for Mabel to have magical powers and a weapon."

It was morning, Stan was having breakfast with the kids while waiting for the employees.

"Trust me, Dipper, a kid with a stun gun and magic powers is more legal than a 9mm on him, haha," Stan explains with a little laugh.

This morning, he had given the twins bracelets containing his blood and a paper with the glyph combination for teleportation.

Stan had felt a bit bad for Dipper and Mabel after the incident with Gideon, so he decided to give them means to defend themselves.

Of course, he wasn't planning to teach them dangerous glyphs like touch petrification.

Mabel would likely accidentally petrify herself.

Stan had simply shown Dipper and Mabel how to effectively use each glyph, like growing flowers that could put an elephant to sleep or becoming invisible.

Basically, nothing he considered too dangerous, like the photon particle beam he had used on Belos.

'If it's Dipper, he can surely use the glyphs responsibly, right?'

While thinking this, he hadn't paid attention to Mabel, who was scribbling a plant glyph on the table before touching it.

*BAM* A huge plant broke through the ceiling.

"Hehe, sorry, I wanted to see how big a flower could get..."

'Yeah, Dipper's right, I'm gonna have to educate this child and set some rules about magic in the house,' thought Stan, unable to hold back a sigh at the situation.

[I think you'll be taking another break soon, haha], GIFfany's mocking voice resonated beside him.

Stan rolled his eyes at the mocker and started repairing Mabel's damage, but was interrupted by the sound of finger snapping.

"Why are you wasting time like that? Can't you just do what I do?" the Collector, who was eating nearby, fixed the damage with a snap of his fingers.

"Not everyone has reality-warping abilities," Dipper explains while observing the room restored to its original state.

"Can you teach me to do that, huh??" Mabel immediately latched onto the Collector with pleading eyes.

"Not really, it comes naturally to me, kind of like eating or other stuff," replied the Collector after some thought.

*Ding*, phone ring.

'Oh sweet Jesus, it's Camila.' Stan picked up his phone and quietly moved away from the kids' chaotic zone.

The Collector gave him a look that screamed "help me," but Stan pretended not to notice.

'Mabel won't kill him, and I like seeing them socialize,' Stan concluded mentally as he left.

'You'll pay for this, irresponsible father, but wait a minute... I can just teleport, right?' The Collector vanished from Mabel's arms, face completely red with embarrassment.

He had gotten into the habit of abandoning the teleportation option when Stan caught him. The reason? Stan could just teleport to follow him, but the Collector had completely forgotten that Stan was an anomaly among humans.

....

[Hi Stan, I hope you're doing well], Camila's maternal voice came through clearly on Stan's phone.

"Yeah, and you? I hear a bit of worry in your voice," Stan replied honestly.

Camila paused before letting out a sigh and finally expressing her concerns.

"I see... You wanted to send your daughter to summer camp, but she disappeared?" Stan took on a very serious tone.

[Exactly, but the police want to wait a bit longer before reporting her as missing.]

'Despite my intervention, Luz finally reached the Boiling Isles...' It seemed some events were truly destined.

Unfortunately for Camila Noceda, Luz's replacement had been taken in by him.

"I'm coming to help you distribute search posters. I'll be there in a few hours."

[Are you sure? I don't think you're currently in Gravesfield...] Camila seemed clearly embarrassed.

She probably wanted to refuse Stan's help, but Stan knew that when a strong woman calls a man in a difficult moment, it's not to find a solution, but for support.

Camila was one of those women. She had lost her husband when Luz was still young, but she had managed to raise her alone.

Unfortunately, her daughter had now disappeared.

Although Stan knew where Luz was, this mother didn't.

'She must really be panicking,' thought Stan.

Like her daughter Luz, Camila is a... special person, so she doesn't really have many friends outside of her colleagues.

'I need to strike while the iron is hot,' thought Stan with a smile of anticipation.

"I'm not far anyway, and it's my pleasure to help someone as kind and lovely as you." Stan felt that his compliments, even awkward ones, had touched Camila, as he clearly heard her surprise.

[... I have to hang up... I... I FORGOT A PIE IN THE OVEN!]

'Too cute, she doesn't know how to lie, hehe.' After putting away his phone, Stan returned inside the Mystery Shack in a better mood.

....

Stan's POV

"Hi Terri, can I get a summary of events concerning the laboratory?" I settled comfortably at my desk.

"Finally, here are the problems encountered during the portal creation according to Dr. Frakes' theory, as well as the restoration of your brother's portal."

I observed the well-organized paperwork and nodded in satisfaction. It seems Lilith should learn a bit from Terri, but there's a difference between managing a laboratory and an entire organization.

"Thanks, I'll see if I can find a solution to our problems." I started reading the documents one by one.

I see...

Terri encountered a similar problem to her mentor. If Dr. Frakes didn't have enough energy to keep his portal open, Terri had too much.

She couldn't regulate the amount of energy needed for the portal to function properly, despite Arlecchino's help.

I think I'd need to inject the energy myself using my magical powers, or advance the study on Vee's race.

"The other option would be to contact The Old Man McGucket to give me a hand. Ford himself needed his help with his portal," Stan thought out loud.

"Who is The Old Man McGucket?" asked Terri, curious. I thought for a moment before deciding to explain.

"So, you're telling me he's a future partner of your organization, but you pushed back his recruitment to later?" After hearing part of Old Man McGucket's story and what he was capable of, Terri seemed slightly annoyed that the solution to her problem had existed all this time in Gravity Falls.

"Sorry, I've been... busy," I said, slightly embarrassed by Terri's accusing look.

"Sigh... Ok, I'll go see him about joining our projects. But what will his salary be?" asked Terri, preparing her things to find McGucket.

"Double your salary, and tell him I have an interesting place where he can live for free." As Terri was about to leave, she stopped in her tracks.

"WHAT? You really think he's worth that much?" Terri looked at me, not hiding her shock.

It must be said that Terri's yearly salary is about 100,000 dollars, so double for a veteran scientist. But, I'm willing to double McGucket's.

It's not like I'm short on money, I always have more every second thanks to Arlecchino.

"It's not fair, I demand a raise!" I shook my head in disapproval.

"You have huge potential, Terri, and you're young, but The Old Man McGucket is currently more experienced and more competent, so request denied." I do indeed have a lot of money, but you need a source of motivation to keep employees in line.

I should also inform Terri to keep her salary confidential. I prefer to avoid paying Soos and Wendy more.

Cheap labor is hard to find, and I prefer not to have only robots around me.

Grrr After growling in annoyance, Terri finally left to search for McGucket.

"Arlecchino, I have a mission for you." I turned my attention to Arlecchino, who was sitting in front of a holographic screen.

"Do you need help?" She turned to me.

I should really fix her temperament. She's too cold, but modifying her personality now would technically be a violation of her privacy.

"I want you to take care of a monster for me." I showed a page from journal number 3.

Now I just need to finish this paperwork concerning Arlecchino and then, here I come Camilla Noceda... No, I mean finding Luz Noceda. Her poor mother is dying of worry.