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A howl echoed throughout the entire canyon, making a shiver run up Mabel’s spine even as she ran. Her legs were burning, her lungs were heaving, but she had to keep going. A growl sounded right behind her and she yelped and tried to push herself to run even faster. For a moment, she succeeded but then her legs tripped over the snow underfoot and she landed face first into the cold sludge. It was the end. After everything, she was going to die at the hands of this stupid dog - that wasn’t anything like the dogs she had grown up seeing.
But nothing happened. There were no teeth digging into her. She was safe, she was-
A scream broke through the silence and Mabel scrambled to her side in time to see the giant beast clamping its jaws around her grunkle.
“No! GRUNKLE FORD!” She tried to run after it, to save the only family she had left. But her legs wouldn’t move, her voice wouldn’t work. The world seemed to sway. Black started creeping all around her, sucking away any semblance of color, or warmth. Any feeling of safety was being siphoned away until she was floating in a freezing void.
“No…no. Please no!” Mabel cried out, desperately searching for anything familiar, any sign that things might be okay. But she was alone. “No…please-“ her voice broke and a sob escaped her mouth. The darkness was swallowing her, she couldn’t move, couldn’t see. It was seeping into every inch of her body and as she gasped for air, it was as if she was trying to breathe tar. Despair, panic, utter terror clung to her, only making her desperation for air worse. She needed help, but there was none…A tear felt down her cheek as she realized this was the end. All those years trying to survive and she was going to die alone.
Bolting upright, Mabel gasped for air. Her lungs burning as if she really hadn’t been able to breathe. Her entire body was shaking as every little detail of her dream seemed to grow in the darkness surrounding her. But…it wasn’t totally darkness.
Despite the panic racing through her veins, she could see the faint outline of the room around her. Not a dinky hotel room that Grunkle Ford had somehow managed to spring for, not a dark alley way, not a cold cave. An achingly familiar room. The attic.
Taking a shaky breath, the events of yesterday slowly started returning to her terrified brain. Stumbling through the portal, tired and confused and wondering if it was all just a dream. But it wasn’t…she was home, she was really home…and Grunkle Ford…
The dream came back and Mabel fumbled with her blankets in her attempt to race out of the room. There were so many times when Ford had been injured trying to protect her – and vice versa too – they had been the only ones there for each other and after years of traveling dimensions they had their fair share of scars. And it seemed the worry of losing her only family left was still engrained deep in her soul. That was all she could think of as she raced down the stairs – not remembering that she wasn’t alone anymore, that Dipper was here, and Stan was here, and she was safe. No, because if she had learned anything about other dimensions, it was that safe places could sometimes be the most dangerous.
Feet slamming on the landing, Mabel froze, realizing she wasn’t sure where Ford even was. How stupid! That was the worst mistake she could ever make! Head whipping back and forth, she tried to reason where he might be.
Then a light turned on and she spun towards it, the fear pulsing through her veins putting her on high alert.
“Mabel? What’s wro-?”
As soon as she saw Ford’s face, a wave of relief washed over Mabel and she flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight.
Back when she had first met Ford, his physical affection was awkward and uncertain, but now his arms wrapped around her without any words, pulling her close to him even as she felt tears falling down her face.
“Are we really safe?”
A hand ran through he hair. “Yes. We’re safe, Mabel. I triple checked.”
The words were assuring, but her body was still shaking like a leaf and as she tried to take a breath, it was shuddering and turned into a half hiccup, half sob.
Arms tightened around her and Ford started humming a quiet song that she never got the words to, but that he had always hummed for her when she was having a hard time. Closing her eyes tight, she tried to pretend that she was a kid again. That the nightmare had just been a silly thing her brain came up with and not something that very easily could’ve happened to her. Could still happen.
No, she couldn’t think like that, she was safe. But her brain was not so easily dissuaded and she tightened her grip on her grunkle. “Why am I still scared?”
There was silence for a moment, then a quiet. “Because what you went through…what we went through, is not something that is easily forgotten.” Another moment of silence. “But remember what I told you?”
For a moment, Mabel couldn’t grasp what he was asking, but then she recalled that night. Sitting in the alley, when she had been trying desperately not to cry. “It’s okay to be scared, it means you care.”
“Exactly. It…won’t be easy adjusting, but…we’ll get through this.”
Mabel took another shaky breath. “Promise?”
The arms around her moved until they were holding her shoulders and she was looking into her grunkle’s eyes. “Yes, I promise.” Ford reached up and wiped a tear away. “I’m here for you, and I know Dipper is, and…probably Stan too.”
A slightly forced smile made its way onto Mabel’s face and she tried for a small nod.
Ford returned the smile, but Mabel couldn’t help but think that it looked forced too.
For a moment, they just stood there in silence, but as it grew, Mabel found herself trying to fight a question in her mind. She wasn’t a child anymore. She wasn’t in danger. She was safe. She should just go back upstairs and try to sleep or…do something. But even the thought of going back to the dark attic brought chills to her skin. Biting her lip, she glanced up at Ford, who had straightened up a little and seemed to be scanning the room. Old habits die hard indeed.
“Grunkle Ford?”
His eyes quickly flicked to her, concern glittering in them. “Yes, sweetheart?”
The pet name was welcome, and Mabel knew he only used them in specifically hard times for her, as a way to comfort her. “Can…can I sleep with you? Just for tonight…”
A genuine smile grew in the corner of his mouth and he nodded. “Of course.”
It was just like all those nights in the past, after a terrifying fight, or being separated from her grunkle, or when she missed Dipper, or was reminded of how little hope there was of anything ever being safe again. It wasn’t comfortable, Ford was half on merchandise boxes, as the couch wasn’t quite wide enough for both of them, but they had slept in worse.
As Mabel rested her head on Ford’s chest, a gentle hand ran comfortingly through her hair, once, twice, before wrapping around her protectively. A moment later a blanket was pulled up right to her ear and a kiss was pressed to her head.
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
Snuggling closer to him, and the protection he offered – from both the physical and the emotional – Mabel could hear his heartbeat. It was strong and steady, and a reminder that she wasn’t alone. “Night Grunkle Ford,” she said quietly, sleep pulling at her even before he started humming. But before it overtook her, she managed to whisper out one more thing. “Love you.”
His arm tightened for a moment. “I love you too, Mabel.”
The terror of earlier was gone and this time, as darkness surrounded her, it wasn’t suffocating. It was safe, it was warm, it was welcome. She was safe. She was home.