#ForgetFalls

[realmsalot]

Oh, How Forgetful Of You

Fic Summary

After Stanley Pines falls through the portal, saving his brother in the process, Stanford has to make the hard choice of leaving him behind, reconnecting with his ex-assistant, and dismantling the portal. But after attending the equally fake and pitiful funeral held for his twin, Ford gets consumed by guilt and starts to remake his decision. Only for it to be unknowingly taken from him.

There's a hole in his mind where his brother should be...

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Or my take on a Reverse Portal AU! Specifically about why it takes Ford thirty years to get Stan back. Enjoy!

Ao3 link

next chap

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Chapter 1 Morse

Chapter Summary

It's a beautiful day at the Gravity Falls Cementary and a too-small group of people gather around a meaningless grave...

Or Stanford attends Stanley's funeral.

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It's a cold March day in Gravity Falls. A chill breeze in the air and a fresh layer of snow on the ground glistens in the cool sun. And yet, the signs of the upcoming spring are as clear as the current sky. The snow is a mere inch on the ground, nowhere near its height earlier in the year. There are starts of new growth on the deciduous trees in the area, and there are songs from a few individual birds of migrating species that came back a tad early.

It's a beautiful day. 

Even at a funeral, he acknowledges that. He's pretty sure everyone else there does as well.

Stanford Pines stands in front of an empty grave, with a hollow coffin waiting to be put in by its side, and staring at the name of his twin brother etched on the headstone. 

He knows that the death date on the headstone is wrong. It says that his twin had died last week when the Stanley Mobile had careened off a cliff and was later found with no body inside. When he sent it off that cliff with a cut of the breaks, a quick hot-wiring of the car, and the heaviest chunk of firewood he had on the pedal. 

Stanley loved that car. 

Ford remembers the face - the smile that Stan had when he first bought it at sixteen. “With my own money too, Sixer!” Stan had exclaimed. He remembers Stanley shoving him into that car for the first time before they went for a drive, where they drove it way too fast with the windows down and shouting Kings of New Jersey at the top of their lungs to celebrate. He remembers watching Stanley leave in that car through closed curtains, yelling about how he doesn’t need anyone before disappearing for ten years.

Ford remembers the last time he got in that car, screwdriver in hand, looking around for a moment and seeing stolen motel bedding on the back seats and trash on the floor consisting of fast food wrappers, bags of convenience store snacks, and crumple piles of losing lottery tickets. He remembers looking through the glovebox in search of some form of identifying information for his plan only for a plethora of fake IDs to spill out. He remembers pulling down the driver’s visor so it would be less obvious that no one was driving the car and… just sitting there for a while. Numb.

Stanley lived in that car. 

And now, thanks to Ford, the only things left of that car are a burnt pile of metal in the dump, the license plate sitting on a table in his cabin, and an old photo he stole from the driver's visor. 

‘The plan wouldn’t have worked if I wasn’t the Stanley Mobile,’  Ford reminds himself. ‘There is simply no other car that would be believable for Stan to die in.’

The death date on the headstone is wrong, but Stanford doesn't know what the real date would be. By the time Stanley had come, Ford was so paranoid and sleep-deprived that he didn't know what day it was anymore. But he should know. Ford should know the date. Ford should know the date he sent his twin brother to his demise. And he hates that he doesn't. 

A hand touches his shoulder, and Ford is startled from his recently encrypted head. He looks over. It's Ma. And she's staring at the headstone, too. They stay silent for a while. 

When Ford saw her arrive, he was honestly surprised she came alone. He had assumed that she would somehow drag Filbrick or Shermie along, but no. She came alone.

The only other guest that came, aside from Fiddleford who came here for Ford not Stan, was an IRS agent. (Ford is pretty sure he heard the agent whisper to the coffin, "I know you're not dead," while glancing at Ford. ) 

‘Did Stan really have no one?’

"Did ya see him," Caryn asks, breaking the heavy silence. "Did ya see him before he died?"

"Yes," he answers truthfully. She already knows that he had asked Stanley to come up here. But she doesn’t know that there isn’t a body in the casket. She doesn’t know what happened to her son. She doesn’t know anything– all because Ford is a terrible son who couldn’t tell her the truth when she called asking if Stanley had come by yet.

"Did ya two talk?" And he knows what she's hoping for. He knows what she's hoping he'll say. 

Yes. We worked it out. We talked things through. We apologize to each other. He died knowing his twin loved him.

He doesn't have it in him to lie to her again.

"We talked," he starts scenes of that night flash in his mind. 

Stan's face filled with hope as Ford talked about their old childhood dream. The way it fell when Ford told him to sail away. 

"We argued..."

I'm giving you a chance to do the first worthwhile thing in your life and you won't even listen!

"We fought..."

Stanley’s scream as he kicks him back dowses the anger for a moment, and Fort starts to apologize. And then Stanley punches him in the face, and it all comes back.

"And then he..."

Stanley had pushed over the danger line. Now all Ford can see is the fear taking over his brother’s face as he floats up to the open maw of the portal. And Ford stupidly calls out for him to do something. To not let his creation- his mistake eat him. 

And Stanley does. 

He doesn't hesitate to jump and push Stanford away from the portal. Consequently pushing himself in. And all Ford could do was watch as his self-made monster ate Stanley. 

"...he left."

It is silent again for nothing but a moment before Caryn starts to sob. She pulls Stanford into a hug that he weakly returns and cries into the hand-me-down suit his father gave him. Ford's eyes don't leave the headstone again until long after the mostly empty coffin is buried. 

He had killed his brother. 

- .... .- - .----. ... / .. - ..--.. ..--. / -.-- --- ..- / ..-. .. -. .- .-.. .-.. -.-- / .-- .- -. -. .- / ... . . / -- . / .- ..-. - . .-. / - . -. / -.-- . .- .-. ... / .- -. -.. / .. - .----. ... / - --- / - . .-.. .-.. / -- . / - --- / --. . - / .- ... / ..-. .- .-. / .- .-- .- -.-- / ..-. .-. --- -- / -.-- --- ..- / .- ... / .--. --- ... ... .. -... .-.. . ..--. ..--..

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A/N:

This was originally going to be a long one-shot but I decided to split it up into chapters after Tumblr posted an early version of this chapter early. Don't write your fics directly on Tumblr Moblie folks! Anyways uh, if you're reading this as soon as this chapter is released chapter 2 is done. You won't be seeing ch 2 until ch 3 is done as well though.

I hope you enjoy the chapter! It's gonna get worse before it gets even a crumb better. Comments/Reblogs are always appreciated even if I don't always reply to them. Love ya all <3<3<3

[realmsalot]

Oh, How Forgetful Of You

"Did you see him," Caryn asks, breaking the heavy silence. "Did you see him before he died?"

"Yes," he answers truthfully. She already knows that it him who asked Stanley to come up here.

"Did ya two talk?" And he knows what she's hoping for. He knows what she's hoping he'll say.

Yes. We worked it out. We talked things through. We apologize to each other. He died knowing his twin loved him.

He doesn't have it in him to lie.

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Or my take on a reverse portal au. Enjoy :)

Edit: So this isn't done yet. I was writing this on Tumblr mobile and thought I saving this in my drafts when app decided to post it! So now I guess this is sneak peak for a really long oneshot I'm working on. So enjoy I guess. I will appreciate any feed back on this. Don't write your fics directly on Tumblr.

Edit Edit:

Started posting the actual fic. It's a chapter fic now. Ao3 link

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It's a cold March day in Gravity Falls. There's a fresh layer of snow on the ground glistening in the cool sun. And yet, the signs of the upcoming spring are as clear as the current sky. The snow is a mere inch on the ground, no where near the hight it was earlier in the year. There are starts of new growth on the deciduous in the area and songs from a few individual birds of migrating species that came back a tad early.

It's a beautiful day.

Even at a funeral, he acknowledges that. He's pretty sure everyone else there does as well.

Stanford Pines stands in front of an empty grave, with a hallow coffin waiting to be put in by its side and staring at the name of his twin brother etch on the headstone.

He knows that the death date on the headstone is wrong. It says that his twin had died last week, when the Stanley Mobile had careened off a cliff and was later found with no body inside. When he sent it off that cliff with a cut of the breaks, a quick hot wiring of the car and the heaviest chunk of firewood he had on the pedal. Stan had loved that car. Ford remembers the face - the smile that Stan had when he first bought it at sixteen. He remembers Stanley shoving him into that car for the first time before they went for drive, where they drove it way too fast with the windows down and shouting kings of New Jersey at the top of their lungs to celebrate. Ford remembers the last time he got in that car, screwdriver in hand, and looking around for just a moment and seeing stolen motel bedding on the back seats and trash on the floor consisting of fast food wrappers, bags convince store snacks, and losing lottery tickets. Stanley had lived in that car.

And now, thanks to Ford, the only things left of that car are a burnt pile of metal in the dump, the license plate sitting on a table in his cabin, and an old photo he stole from the drivers visor.

The death date on the headstone is wrong, but Stanford doesn't know what the real date would be. By the time Stanley had come, Ford was so paranoid and sleep deprived he didn't know what day it was anymore. But he should know. Ford should know the date. Ford should know the date he sent his twin brother to his demise. And he hates that he doesn't.

A hand touches his shoulder, and Ford is startled out of his recently encrypted head. He looks over.

It's Ma. And she's staring at the headstone, too. They stay silent for a while.

When Ford saw her arrive, he was honestly surprised she came alone. He thought for sure that she would somehow drag Filbrick or Shermie along, but no. She came alone.

The only other guest that came, aside from Fiddleford who came here for Ford not Stan, was an IRS agent. (And Ford is pretty sure he heard him whisper to the, "I know you're not dead," while glancing at Ford. )

Did Stan really have no one?

"Did you see him," Caryn asks, breaking the heavy silence. "Did you see him before he died?"

"Yes," he answers truthfully. She already knows that it him who asked Stanley to come up here.

"Did ya two talk?" And he knows what she's hoping for. He knows what she's hoping he'll say.

Yes. We worked it out. We talked things through. We apologize to each other. He died knowing his twin loved him.

He doesn't have it in him to lie.

"We talked," he starts. Scenes of that night flash in his mind.

Stan's face filling with hope as Ford talks about their old childhood dream. The way it fell as Ford tells he to sail away.

"We argued..."

I'm giving you a chance to do the first worthwhile thing in your life and you won't even listen!

"We fought..."

Stanley’s scream as he kicks him back dowases the anger for a moment, and Fort starts to apologize. And then Stanley punches him in the face, and it all comes back.

"And then he..."

Stanley had pushed over the danger line. Now all Ford can see is the fear taking over his brother’s face as he floats up to the open maw of the portal. And Ford stupidity calls out for him to do something. To not let his creation- his mistake eat him.

And Stanley does.

He doesn't doesn't hesitate to jump and push Stanford away from the portal. Consequently pushing himself in. And all Ford could do is watch as his self made monster ate Stanley.

"...he left."

It's silent again for nothing but a moment before Caryn starts to sob. She pulls Stanford into a hug that he weakly returns and she cries into the hand-me-down suit his father gave him.

Ford's eyes don't leave the headstone again until long after the mostly empty coffin is buried.

He had killed his own brother.

.-- .... .- - / -.- .. -. -.. / --- ..-. / .- / -... .-. --- - .... . .-. / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..-

Stanford had contacted Fiddleford not long after Stanley went through the portal.

He needed help to finish the mind encrypter because it was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open and he knew that as soon as he closed them, Bill will come out and destroy it. He needed the mind encrypter to be finish and fast. He didn't know how much longer he could wait. So he went back to his ex-assistant, who (unfortunately) knows how to make machines that affect the mind best.

Ford was prepared to beg, having just lost a brother and just reached a breaking point that even his pride couldn't get to. But to his surprise, Fiddleford readily agreed. That was the second time that week someone whom he wouldn't want to see his again helped.

The mind encrypter got done in record time, and Stanford's mind was finally safe.

Then, for some reason, Fiddleford stuck around.

Then, for some reason, Fiddleford started acting like they're friends again.

[realmsalot]

Oh, How Forgetful Of You

Summary

After Stanley Pines falls through the portal, saving his brother in the process, Stanford has to make the hard choice of leaving him behind, reconnecting with his ex-assistant, and dismantling the portal. But after attending the equally fake and pitiful funeral held for his twin, Ford gets consumed by guilt and starts to remake his decision. Only for it to be unknowingly taken from him.

There's a hole in his mind where his brother should be...

-------------

Or my take on a Reverse Portal AU! Specifically about why it takes Ford thirty years to get Stan back. Enjoy

Ao3 link

prev ch -- next ch

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Chapter 2 A1Z26

Chapter Summary

Soon after the corpseless coffin went into the ground, there's a conversation in a car parked in front of the mysterious cabin in the woods...

Or Fidds convinces Ford to grieve for his brother.

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Stanford had contacted Fiddleford not long after Stanley went through the portal. 

He needed help to finish Project Mentem, a way to encrypt his mind – to get rid of Bill– and he was desperate. It was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open even knowing that as soon as he closed them, Bill would come out and destroy his potential chance of escape. He needed Project Mentem to be finished so he could encrypt his mind and get out of his self-inflicted hell. He didn't know how much longer he could wait. So he crawled back to his ex-assistant, who (unfortunately) knows how to make machines that affect the mind best.

Ford was prepared to beg, having just lost a brother, and reached a breaking point that even his pride couldn't overcome. But to his surprise, Fiddleford readily agreed. That was the second time that week that someone he thought wouldn't want to see his face again helped him.

Project Mentem was done in record time, and Stanford's mind was finally safe. 

(At least he thinks so. Bill hasn’t possessed him since he had encrypted his mind, but could he be lulling him into a false sense of security? Making him think he is safe only to take anything he has left away when he least expects it. "We should make the trip to the unicorns, and get some of their hair, just to be safe,” Ford said to Fiddleford one night.)

Ford had expected whatever friendship or kindness or something that Fiddleford somehow still had left for him to end after that. For Fiddleford to then turn around and never speak to him again. He had betrayed him after all and that’s what he would do. ‘That’s what you did with Stanley,’ His mind reminds him.

But for some unknown reason instead, Fiddleford stayed.

“Only if you agree to destroy that- that monster in your basement,” Fiddleford said. Wide awake from the first true night's sleep he had in so long and vengeful at that accursed machine he had made, Stanford readily agreed. (Whether because of Bill’s betrayal or Stanley’s death, he does not know. He just wants that thing gone.)

And now, a few weeks of recovering from what Bill had done to his body, planning on dismantling the portal, and a conflagrant fake death later they were here. Fiddleford is pulling his car in front of Ford’s cabin after his brother’s fake funeral.

The inside of the car was quiet during the ride, Ford did not want to talk, and Fiddleford was seemingly unable to find any words to say considering Ford had caught him opening his mouth to say something only to close it a few times. Now in front of his cabin, neither of them is making any sort of movement that suggests leaving the car, and it's just as quiet. And Ford's thoughts are getting too loud.

He had killed his brother.

‘I need to get back to work,’ he determines. Stanford starts to unbuckle himself when Fiddleford finds his voice. 

“So, I know this mornin’ you wanted to keep on workin' after the uh ceremony…” He pauses, taps his fingers on the steering wheel, and glances at Ford trying to see any change on his face. Ford grimaces. Yes, he wanted to continue working on dismantling the portal after the funeral. He remembers that this morning he had thought of Stanley’s funeral as an inconvenient pause in their progress of taking down the world-destroying machine. Stanley’s funeral, his own brother’s funeral, was an inconvenience! Even though it was he who had killed him. Stanford had killed his twin brother– 

“But,” Fiddleford says, cutting through Ford’s thoughts, “if you need time to mourn we could put it on hold for now.”

“We don’t have time for a break,” Ford says automatically because it's true. They need to dispose of the portal as soon as possible. It doesn’t matter that the house and his brain are now safe from Bill. It doesn’t matter that all three journals are now hidden away from Bill’s reach. “The portal is too dangerous to keep up. It could destroy the world!” He says more forcibly. His logical mind trying to keep down images of Stanley going through the portal that start popping up unwelcome. 

“I know that,” Fiddleford states. “Holy Mother Mary above, don't I know that, Stanford. But I also know that with the way it is right now there ain’t a snowball's chance in Hell that that there thing is gonna be activating anytime soon. Even if someone got your journals.” 

Fiddleford is right and Ford knows it.

When the horrid machine turned itself off after devouring his twin he was left a crumpled heap on the floor staring at the beast, but that didn’t last long. Adrenaline, which was from a mix of what was left over from their fight and what he got from almost being eaten himself, coursed through his veins, he called his twin’s name, and he went for the lever. But just as he is about to flip it, he finally processes what he sees left of the doomsday device he made. A damaged wreck with no hope of reactivating. He calms his mind and starts to think logically about this. He came to this conclusion.

Stanley Pines always had a knack for breaking everything he left behind, and for once Stanford Pines is grateful for it. 

Fiddleford leans over and puts a hand on Stanford’s shoulder. He meets his eyes. “Stanford, I know you hate to admit it but you're hurtin’ right now. You need time to heal from this.” 

He pushes McGucket's hand away. “I already had time. Stanley has been gone for–,” he doesn’t know how long, “And before that, he hasn’t been in my life for a decade! His death doesn’t change anything!” It doesn't, doesn't it? He unlocks the passenger door. Ford can just keep on living– working like he’s always done for the last ten years. He leaves the car. 

He needs to work, not take a break. Working on his academics is what got him through the first time Stan left. Why wouldn’t working on the portal get him through now?

Southern not-quite-cussing follows him out. “Stanford Pines! I know you! I know that since the accident you haven't been letting yourself think about it much,” Fiddleford yells behind him. Ford stops and turns around.

“What is there to even think about,” Ford yells back. “Stan is gone! He’s been gone for ten years and has been such a non-entity in my life that I didn’t even feel the need to tell you that he existed until he had already left again!” Stanley is getting into his car and yelling about not needing anyone. Stanley is falling through the portal and trying to say something to Ford but is consumed before he can finish a sentence. “Stanley is gone again and that’s it!”

“And that’s it? Stanford.” Fiddleford has caught up to him and he puts one hand on Ford’s elbow. The other hovers next to his face for a second before falling onto his shoulder. They’re both outside Ford’s cabin just two yards from the porch steps. Since the morning the fresh snow that had dusted Gravity Falls has turned into an ugly, muddy slush and the wind now feels too cold for Ford’s suit. “Your brother is gone and this time you can’t change that. You can’t send him a postcard or give him a phone call or nothin’. He’s in a place where you can’t reach him anymore. You can’t reach out to him or take back anything you might regret saying to him. You need to process that. So please Stanford, take a break and mourn.”

“Your brother is gone and this time you can’t change that,” Ford’s mind echoes. ‘But that’s not true, is it? You could get him back,’ a small but dangerous part of himself replies. He shuts that part down quickly. There’s no logical sense to hope that Stanley is anything more than dead behind the portal. If anything he should hope that Stan really is dead considering how Fiddleford reacted to his peak through the portal.

He takes a steading breath and removes McGucket’s hands from his person. “Fine. I’ll take a single day–” Fiddleford gives him a look “–a single week off to mourn for my brother. But not a day more.”

“I suppose I’ll take it,” Fiddleford sighs and then gives Ford a small patient smile.

Just what kind of friend was he? Not telling Fiddleford that he had doomed his twin to the same fate he almost doomed him to.

Ford looks away from his friend. “I need to double-check my taxes. That IRS agent was giving me odd looks and I don't want any of Stanley’s trouble with them on me.”

“Yeah, you should do that. I tried talking to him at the funeral and even when I pointed out yer six fingers he seemed unconvinced,” Fiddleford says, taking a step back. Ford hadn't realized how close they were. “Now, I er have a book club meeting I uh have’ta get to, but just remember I’m here for ya.”

Ford frowns slightly at the mention of the so-called book club. It’s something that Fiddleford had apparently started going to after sometime after the first portal incident. He doubts it’s an actual book club because when Fiddford first mentioned it while Ford was still recovering from the lingering injuries from Bill, Ford’s interest in it was quickly shut down with excuses as to why he wouldn’t like it. His current theory is that it’s a cover-up for something, but he doesn’t know what it could be a cover-up for. Fiddleford is not one for big secrets after all. 

And yet. 

“I really do mean it, Ford,” Fiddleford says, making eye contact. “I’m here for ya.”

He is hiding something.

Ford wants to find out. He wants to ask or follow his friend and know what he could possibly be hiding from him. But Ford feels a deep tiredness in his bones and knows that if he does any of that, it could potentially start a fight, and he doesn’t want to fight with his only friend. So Ford smiles, and if there was a mirror behind the engineer he would see that it is a similar smile that his twin would give to him after he asked him if he was alright, and says, “Thank you, Fidds.”

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A/N:

Hey, remember how I said this chapter was done in the last chapter? Apparently, that was a lie. I kept going back and working on this while writing chapter 3. Wanna know another lie? Remember how I said I would post this chapter when the third one is done? Well chapter 3 isn't done. But I feel that we need a little escapism right now so I'm posting it. Chapter 3 is actually longer than I expected, but that makes sense considering how much happens in it. (I'm like halfwayish???? there.)

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the completely necessary chapter of someone telling Ford to take a goddam break because I doubt he would do so otherwise. I need you guys to know that in between Stan going in the portal in early February until Stan's funeral in like mid-to-late March Ford had been doing his damnest to keep his mind occupied, okay? Even when he was recovering from Bill. He's gonna need next chapter's break to really get consumed by the guilt. But yeah, see you next chapter.