NOELLE EVANS FC Gravity Falls @yukinokuro17
OPEN COMMISSIONS 𝄀 PATREON (NSFW)
Story part one (UPDATE 2024)
Noelle Evans was born in the late 40s and early 50s in Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey. She was the youngest of three brothers: Jonah, Flynn and Dennis. She was only a year and a half older than her brother Dennis; they were twins. Her mother Stella was a waitress at the family-run beachside bar-restaurant "Moshtop" where they served the best milkshakes and ribs in the state. Her father Henry was a prestigious astrophysicist born in New York who moved to New Jersey as an adult in search of new beginnings. Henry's past was a complete mystery and he never wanted to reveal anything about his side of the family, so much so that he changed his last name to Evans as soon as he got married and his children also adopted that last name. Despite this, Stella noticed that Henry got tense when asked about his origins or his particular job, as well as having clear paranoia when he was alone. At the same time, he wanted to have four children because he believed that 4 was the perfect number. The reality was that he was obsessed with that number, but it was no problem for Stella. The family lived quietly in one of the houses closest to the beach with Noelle's maternal grandparents and their cat, also a ginger, Whiskers. They were a well-known, beloved family, characterized by all the members being ginger for generations. Everything was going as normal, until one day Henry disappeared without a trace after a business trip. He had to go away from home for a few months to a place called Gravity Falls to investigate certain matters. Stella stayed at home taking care of the children who spent the day at the beach, swimming and playing with each other to make their father's absence more bearable. Everything went down the drain when Stella received a call from her husband in Oregon asking for her help. The man sounded nervous, tense and desperate, so she left the children with her grandparents and urgently left in search of her husband on the other side of the United States. The children spent months without hearing from their parents, but their grandparents tried to distract them with everything they could, but tacke four such young children was very difficult. Noelle and Dennis were too young to notice, but Jonah and Flynn asked their grandparents every day if they knew anything about their parents, and every day they were told no. Luckily, it all ended with the sudden arrival of their mother two and a half months later. But something was wrong: she was alone, she seemed confused, and there was no sign of Henry. Her parents asked her if she was okay, but Stella was unable to articulate a word because she was half-asleep and disoriented. They didn't understand how she could have crossed the entire country back in that state. They sat her down and her children welcomed her. They asked about their father, but she was unable to answer anything coherent. The grandparents, Jonah and Flynn, noticed this, but they didn't want to bother her any more, so they let her rest. Henry never came home, and his disappearance added to the strangeness of his already mysterious persona. Despite this, they always left the door to his office open as a symbol that maybe one day he could return, but he never did. When Stella recovered, she left several things she had been carrying in her suitcase in her husband's office and no one knew exactly what they were and no one dared to ask. From that day on, Stella began to suffer from some kind of mild amnesia that forced her to write down important things so as not to forget them, so she used a diary that she kept on her bedside table. Given Stella's condition, the family wanted to leave Henry behind and not investigate any further than necessary for fear of the consequences. The Evans family was always known for its great intelligence and ingenuity, and those four brothers were no different. Each one grew up standing out in a specific field, being unique and special. The problem was that the brothers were so different that they often clashed over their ideals and tastes, but it was undeniable that they loved and supported each other a lot. Each one showed a piece of their world to the other and thus they fed off each other. They had a healthy competition and it usually ended in laughter. Jonah grew up being an enthusiast of role-playing and epic fantasy, Flynn being a lover of theater, acting and Dramaturgy and Dennis a great lover of sports both physical and mental, as well as being a talkative debater. As for little Noelle, she wanted to follow in her father's footsteps and one day be a great astrophysicist. She was fascinated by the universe, its intricacies, mysteries and the possibility of the existence of multiple universes and dimensions. She fervently believed in the multiverse, just as her father once did. Noelle got that taste as a child when she searched his office when no one was looking, where she found piles of books talking about the multiverse and the possibility of traveling between them through space and time. Since that event, she did not stop reading and informing herself about it. You could say that Noelle thought that, by following in her father's footsteps, she could feel him close after having lost him 6 years ago. The sad reality was that Noelle never knew her father, because he disappeared when she was barely 1 or 2 years old and all she knew about him was through hearsay and thanks to his notes in several of his books. In one of the astrophysics books she took from the office, she found a folded map of the United States where certain places where her father traveled as a young man were marked and where he noticed a great supernatural charge. Among them was a place called Gravity Falls in the state of Oregon marked in a powerful red, something that caught her attention because it was the first time she saw that name on a map. Still, she thought she remembered hearing that name from her mother's mouth once while she was sleeping, so perhaps it was important. Around that time, Noelle began to wonder about her mother's amnesia and when it started. Her grandparents explained that it was after she returned from searching for her father. They could never explain it and the doctors simply ended up diagnosing it as traumatic shock. It made some sense, but it didn't satisfy the little girl's curiosity. That was how the conviction to find her father and solve the mystery of his disappearance began.
Noelle had a very good childhood marked by personal and educational achievements. At the age of six in elementary school, she met two charismatic twin brothers named Stanford and Stanley Pines. One was extremely intelligent and fascinating and the other was an energetic hurricane full of dreams that took her out of her standards. The three became great friends from that day on. They played and hung out together quite often, although the twins also went their own way and Noelle made two more friends named Maggiore (Meg) and Katherine (Kate). Ford and Noelle realized that they had similar tastes, both had a great passion for anomalies and paranormal things. They became best friends and excellent rivals at school. With Stanley everything was fun and shared dreams, she liked that he was so imaginative and positive, he always infected her with that spirit of improvement. One day, in the playground, Stan gave Noelle a compliment saying that her hair shined as much as the sun. A simple compliment, but one that caused Noelle's feelings for him to begin to change. The friends grew into their teens. Their relationship remained close in early high school and by that point they had shared many moments together. Around this time, it was when Noelle began to realize that her feelings for Stanley were changing. By the age of 15, she began working at her mother's restaurant-bar to try to help out the family and save some money for herself.
When they started high school, the friends were separated into different classes, but Noelle did not lose contact with the brothers, even so, their relationship inevitably became more distant. The friends shared some school subjects and continued to talk normally, but their paths began to diverge. Both Ford and Noelle continued to share knowledge and had the illusion of entering the University of their dreams together when they finished high school, which years later would be the West Coast Institute of Technology specifically, causing both friends to compete for the place. As for Stanley, Noelle ended up admitting that she had been in love with him for quite some time, but she had no plans to confess for fear of being rejected or ruining their friendship. Those feelings were only known to her family and her two friends who supported her, but her brother Dennis never approved of it, since he did not like Stanley. Despite these turbulent feelings, Noelle was grateful to Stan for all the good things he had brought her: like the simple fact of learning to enjoy life and downplay her ambitions, which sometimes only brought her headaches. The two Pines brothers had really taught her a lot and she took the best from both of them. Despite being deeply in love with Stanley, she knew that she could not reciprocate her love because he had been in a relationship with a classmate named Carla for quite some time. This was added to her list of reasons for not confessing. Noelle wanted to continue her relationship with him in the best way possible, but it was undeniable that seeing him with another girl hurt her, so she tried to distance herself and focus more on her studies. From Stanley's perspective, at first he saw her as the brainy friend who was just like Ford, but later he could see how interesting Noelle really was, since the chemistry between them was perceptible by anyone. At first glance they seemed very opposite, but deep down they were very similar. Noelle had a strong but sweet character and knew how to handle and put Stan in his place as well as make him think. She was persistent and a good companion, and he liked that about her: that she accepted him despite everything; despite not being special like Ford. What he did not understand or know yet was that he was much more special to her. Stanley spent all those years thinking that Noelle liked his brother and not him, but everything changed during the last year of high school.
One of those days, Stan made a bet with Ford: if he managed to pass the final physics exam on his own with a good grade, he would owe him a favor and if he failed he would owe Ford a favor. They sealed the pact and got to work, but Stan found it impossible to concentrate, he didn't even know where to start. So he wanted to ask Noelle for help, since he knew firsthand that it was her favorite subject. He went to look for her during break time thinking she would be in the library studying or taking notes for her exams, but no. He found her sitting on a bench reading those stupid books about the multiverse.
He approached her and surprised her from behind, making the girl jump and turn red as a tomato when she suddenly saw him. Stanley used his charms to coax her, and sold her the story that he wanted to be a better student and prove that he didn't need to copy his brother in order to pass and be just as brilliant as him. Noelle knew Stan too well and knew that he was up to something, but she still accepted because it was a good opportunity to spend more time alone. Since Stan was dating Carla, Noelle had especially distanced herself from him and he noticed it, so he also thought it would be nice to resume their relationship and find out why they were estranged; although he was beginning to have doubts that it could be because of feelings for him.
During those weeks, both of them returned to their usual close relationship, although it changed when Carla was around, making it more obvious that something was going on. Noelle invited him to her house or to Moshtop to study while they drank a smoothie made by herself. Sometimes they would also go for walks and talk about the future on the beach while watching the sunset. Their conversations were quite long and intense, but they liked being in each other's company. Thanks to all these moments and also the change in age, Stan began to notice Noelle a little more and, although he continued to see her as a friend, the possibility of that changing in the future arose.
During that time they got to know their current "selves" better and saw that they got along quite well in business: Stan had the gift of the gab to sell and create and Noelle the cunning and intelligence to keep the business afloat. In a study session at her house, Stan drew a smiley face on her left hand during one of his explanations. Noelle was surprised by this gesture. "Do you like it? I call it "Smileys"" said Stan laughing. Stan was definitely good at sales, even if they weren't his creations. Noelle let him know and Stan took note. During those sessions, there was a certain tension in the air, but no one had the courage to take the step. They were in the last days of high school and final exams were approaching. Noelle was still fighting for a place at West Coast Institute of Technology and knew she still had time to present her project to the jury that would come at the end of the week, but she had invested more time in being with Stan than in focusing on her future. He always brought out that irrational and messy side of her. That same afternoon she wanted to do one last study session before the final exam in physics, so she set out to go get Stanley. She was relieved to know that Stan was no longer with Carla, but she also felt bad for feeling that way. It was overwhelming, but she was amused to know that Stan pushed the truck of the hippie that Carla left him with off a cliff. She liked his crazy things, even if they almost never ended well. Because of this change in events, she was reconsidering for the first time telling him how she felt before the end of the course. Everything had improved and she felt closer than ever to him, but she also felt that it was a bad time. Her head was in a mess, so she decided to let herself go.
She walked through the halls carrying the books and notes she made with Stan those weeks and repeating over and over the words she wanted to say to him. She arrived at the place where he was and found him laughing with several classmates. She wanted to approach him, but when she heard that they asked him about her and if he was thinking of making her his new girlfriend, Noelle immediately hid behind a wall. Stanley laughed and denied it, stating that he was only using her to win a bet and nothing more.
Noelle's heart sank and far from crying or feeling hurt, she became furious. She walked towards him, who turned white when he saw her coming from afar, she stood in front of him and without saying a word, she tore into pieces all of Stanley's notes and all of his progress for the exam. Stanley could swear that Noelle's emerald gaze burned his soul. After that, she turned around and went back the way she came with the intention of leaving the Institute and not seeing Stan again, but he followed her "Noelle, wait! It's not what you think!" until he managed to grab her arm and stop her. He apologized a thousand times to her saying that what he heard wasn't true and that he was really grateful that she had helped him and had patience. That he liked the time they spent together and that she was a very good friend. Noelle snorted lightly and turned back to him with her heart in her mouth. She wanted to slap him, but instead, her heart spoke for her at last. She confessed to him that she had been in love with him for years, that she was tired of hiding it and that she needed to get it out to move on. She told him that she was often benevolent to him thanks to what she felt for him and he took advantage of that without knowing it "I thought you were a good person... but I was wrong. You're just the idiotic and lying version of Ford." She slammed all her books on his chest and finally left there with her feelings on the surface and tears threatening to come out. Stan was left blank at that, at that point he already suspected that Noelle liked him, but it was painful how she confessed. However, the worst was yet to come. By the end of the week, Noelle focused only on her project and ignored Stan. Ford knew that they had argued about something, but he didn't pay attention to it, just like Noelle was very busy with her project. In addition, his relationship with his brother also suffered after seeing that their destinies would distance themselves.
The day of the science fair finally arrived. Noelle and Ford had brought their projects the day before and rehearsed their presentations together. They were both nervous, but they encouraged each other, even though they were competing for the same spot. During the fair, Noelle watched Ford's project fail ridiculously and missed him. She felt terrible for her friend because she knew the potential he had. After that, Ford left and Noelle didn't see him again for the rest of the day. When her turn came, she did her best, but it wasn't an exceptional job for the time she spent with Stan. That was only her fault, so she agreed not to get the spot either. However, she caught the attention of several good universities who offered her a spot for the following year, so Noelle had options.
Noelle was happy about her accomplishments, even though it wasn't exactly what she wanted. She thought that maybe she should work things out with Stan before she left for California with her brother at the end of the year. She was still angry, but she wanted to end things on a good note. She decided to go to the Pines' house in search of him.
She arrived at the Pines' house in the late afternoon. Ford was the one who opened the door and told her everything that had happened on the porch. She noticed how her heart broke, she couldn't believe that Ford had allowed her brother to be thrown out of the house for supposedly boycotting his project. "There are more important things than a stupid project, Ford. I understood that when I met your brother and you more than anyone should know it... but I see that you don't." She was sure that Ford could have entered the West Coast Institute of Technology in some other way, so she saw what she had done and allowed as terrible. In a few days, she had been enormously disappointed with both brothers. Noelle didn't let Ford explain himself and left there totally devastated. She couldn't believe that she couldn't rebuild her relationship with Stanley and that she would possibly never see him again. She spent the whole way home crying and regretting not having acted sooner. When she arrived, she wiped her face with the sleeves of her sweater as best she could to avoid awkward questions and went inside. It was almost dawn, and Noelle was watching TV in the dining room, wearing her pajamas and next to her now old cat Whiskers. She couldn't sleep, her eyes were red and swollen from crying. At that moment, she heard someone knocking on the door and whispering her name from outside. Noelle approached and looked through the peephole: it was Stanley. When she saw him, she hid behind the door under the peephole. She put her arms around her legs and listened to what he had to say in total silence, all she could hear was her heart beating faster. "Come on, Noelle. I know you're there, on Fridays you always watch movies until late." The girl hesitated to answer, she was still very hurt, but at the same time she wanted to try to fix things. "What do you want, Stanley...?" She tried to tell him as seriously as possible. The boy smiled and said, relieved, "I'm glad to hear you." Right after, he apologized again for everything and told her that he really had a great time with her and that maybe they could have been something more in the future, but that it would be best if she didn't get together with someone like him. She deserved someone better who wouldn't lie to her or cheat on her. "I want you to know that you've been my best friend along with my brother and I hope you find someone who's worthy of you." He then slipped a smiley face under the door drawn in pencil on a piece of paper that said "Never change, you're great" next to the drawing. Noelle took it and instantly started crying as she listened to Stan drive away in his car, never to return. She couldn't sleep for the rest of the night, but at least she could say goodbye to Stanley, for now.
Two days later was graduation and the atmosphere was tense and cold for Noelle. Everything felt strange without Stan there, or maybe it was just her impressions. After graduation, Ford approached Noelle to congratulate her for having received so many invitations to several prestigious universities and regretted not having kept his promise to go together either. He wished her a good future and when he was about to leave, Noelle hugged him and Ford hugged her back. They were both going to miss each other a lot, but something told them that their paths were going to cross again at some point, just like with Stan. It is true that Noelle was still very angry with Ford, but he was her best friend and she also felt sad knowing that they would not go to university together as they had wanted since they entered high school. After the ceremony, Noelle went home to rest, still regretting that in a few months she would leave her life in New Jersey behind and would have to decide which University of California she would attend. During that summer, he continued to work at the Moshtop with his mother and sometimes he thought he saw Stan walking by the beach, but he thought it was just his imagination. He also spent more time with Kate and Meg and they went on a mini-vacation together. It was around that time that Kate told him that her sister Dona and Noelle's older brother Jonah were dating. As for Noelle's siblings: Flynn had already been in college in another state for several years getting a degree in performing arts to one day be a successful actor and came to visit from time to time, Jonah stayed in New Jersey, working and trying to start his own family with Dona, and Dennis waited a year for his sister to finish high school so they could both go to college, although he still didn't know if it would be the same one. In the meantime, he got his driver's license and worked to get a used Volkswagen van that he really wanted, which he let Noelle do the body designs for. The days went by and summer was ending, so Noelle had to choose a university. She chose one that Dennis also had the chance to enter, so it would be less of a problem for both of them, but Noelle was not completely convinced of her choice. In any case, the plans had not changed and at the end of the summer, they would leave for California.
Finally, the day of departure arrived. Both siblings packed their bags with all the essentials and Noelle took all her savings. Before leaving the house, she entered her father's office for the last time to say goodbye. She took several more books to read on the long trip and some yellowed notes piled up on a shelf that she had never noticed until that day. They both finally said goodbye to their family and friends and put all their things in the trunk of Dennis's van. That was the last day that Noelle saw Ford and they would not see each other again until much later.
The trip was long but fun, although sometimes uncomfortable. Along the way, they stayed overnight at hippie campsites where, especially Dennis, she made very good friends from all over the United States. Noelle spent her nights looking at and drawing the sky, thinking about what her life would be like now that she was so far from home. About that and about Stanley: she couldn't stop thinking about him and his well-being.
Dona and Cédric ///// Troy and Amanda
After a long trip, they both arrived in San Francisco, California, a few weeks before the start of classes to adapt to their new home and have everything ready for the start of the course. They stayed in a student apartment near the University, sharing it with a pair of twins of the same age as Dennis called Amanda and Troy, from Oregon. Both turned out to be very kind and friendly and it didn't take long for them to get along and get along with each other. During those days while Noelle finished arranging her space, she noticed that her brother and Troy had a very close relationship with each other, like a connection. It wouldn't be long until Dennis would confess to his sister that he thought he liked Troy, but that he was confused about his sexuality. Noelle simply advised him to go with the flow and not say no to anything if something came up. Shortly after the start of the course, both boys began dating. As soon as Amanda and Noelle became very good friends. In addition to the fact that they were studying the same degree, they also shared a room, so they were destined to be very close. The course began with the presentation. Noelle was nervous about seeing so many people, she never liked crowds, but there seemed to be a lot of interesting people and there was a serious atmosphere despite everything. The first few weeks of class Noelle tried to adapt to the new pace of work and to her peculiar classmates, each one more brilliant and curious than the last. However, none of them could overshadow her. As expected, Noelle was still an excellent and outstanding student, although she was not a prodigy by birth, but by effort and perseverance. This would end up raising envy and lies around Noelle. She never had problems making friends, despite her introversion, but it was impossible to deny that when she began to shine above the rest she lost the possibility of having more friends besides Amanda. Even though her loneliness was becoming more pronounced with the passing of the years, she tried to be her best version with others, but without letting herself be stepped on. She spent some time with Dennis and his group of friends, but she didn't really like them, and one of them was very intense and annoying towards her. The hazing was present for the first years, but Noelle dealt with it as best she could. Over time, she noticed that the University was very cold: everyone was arrogant and thought they were superior to the rest, starting an ego fight that had no end. There really was no true love for knowledge. Noelle and Amanda grew apart over the years and only talked a little in the apartment, but their relationship was no longer close and the twin's excuse was the comments about Noelle. Disgusting and sexual comments spread by all kinds of students in her degree, even from higher years. Noelle was disgusted to know what was said about her and wanted to report it to the director, but that had no effect. It was undoubtedly her worst stage, but at least she was doing incredibly well academically and she still had her brother and Ford's contact. One day she would call him. Meanwhile, she paid her share of the rent with her savings, but soon it would start to run out, so she looked for a part-time job in a somewhat touristy cafe near the city center. As for Dennis, it was not a bed of roses either. As soon as his studies were going very well and so were his friends. He got a small job as a mechanic and gained more experience and management. As for the sentimental part, everything went down the drain. Three years later, he broke up with Troy and he made Dennis lose some of his so-called friendships with his lies. Their love was so fleeting that it came and went, and that made the tension in the apartment grow and become unbearable. It got to a point that the twins stopped paying the rent, leaving all the responsibility on Noelle and Dennis. That totally broke their relationship and the twins left the apartment as they could not stand the disputes, taking distance and separate paths from the Evans brothers. Noelle and Dennis were left alone and could barely afford to pay for the flat, so they needed new tenants. They put up some posters around the area and asked interested students to see if they could get along, and they did, more or less. A rather noisy and brazen couple came to live with them. There was no harmony with them from the start, but they tried to put up with them for a few months. Dennis moved his things to his sister's room and they shared it from then on. Noelle was more focused on her future projects, so she didn't pay much attention to the new and indecent tenants, but Dennis did. He never really got used to their presence or routine and luckily, other residents complained and kicked the couple out. Over the years, many more tenants came through, but at least they had a pleasant relationship with them.
Five years later, one night Noelle decided to call Ford to ask him how he was doing at university: Ford told her that he had already graduated and that he had earned a lot of money thanks to his thesis. Noelle was totally surprised, although deep down she knew something like this would happen: Ford was a genius after all. He also told her about his roommate, a strange guy like him named Fiddleford. He also explained that he had plans to move and buy a property in Oregon, so they would also be much closer. Specifically in Gravity Falls, since he saw a cheap piece of land at the bottom of the town. At that moment Noelle remembered it, her purpose since always. That name appeared in many of her father's notes and also marked in red on the folded map she found years ago. Noelle pretended not to understand and asked him why he wanted to move there, Ford explained that according to his research it was a place with a high level of anomalies and unexplained events, so he wanted to go there to check it out and investigate its strange nature. After an hour of talking, Noelle said goodbye and quickly called her brother Jonah to check if Gravity Falls was really the last place her father was before disappearing. If it was, she would have a starting point to begin her search. Jonah answered the phone and was excited to hear from his younger sister, they hadn't spoken for several years. She had been busy and apparently he was too, since he was going to be a father. He had just found out a few minutes ago that Dona was pregnant and he didn't have time to call anyone to break the news. Noelle was very happy because she was going to be an aunt, but she wanted to get back to the subject of the call. The girl asked him if he knew or remembered the place where his father went on that last work trip. Jonah insisted that she give up, it had been many years since his father disappeared, but Noelle told him that if he helped her with this she would not ask him about it again. Jonah sighed and thought for a few seconds. He said that the name was something like Gravity Out. Noelle got very excited and sent a thousand thanks and kisses to her brother before hanging up. She took out the map and looked at the red mark in Gravity Falls, being bigger than the rest. It was already a fact that her father went there and disappeared right there. Maybe that mark indicated that there was something much bigger in that place, waiting for her. She still had a few more years to finish her master's degree, so she took advantage of the opportunity to look up information about the mysterious place in her free time. She continued to talk to Ford more often, also taking notes of his experiences and encounters with strange beings. She worked mostly on her thesis and also at the cafeteria, where she met one of the presidents of an important aerospace agency with whom she got along, without knowing who she was actually talking to. The man gave her his card and told her that he would keep it in mind if she wanted to work for them in the future. Noelle also got back in touch with Meg and Kate after many years, catching up and promising that they would see each other at least once a year after finishing their studies. The years passed and Noelle had a little more information about Gravity Falls and its history, and she was days away from finishing college for good. She had already handed in her thesis on the scientific existence of the multiverse that had taken her so many years to finish, so she felt somewhat relieved and had more time to finally look at the yellowed notes she took from her father's office. The handwriting was different on several of them, some were definitely notes from her father and others from her mother. Her father's made sense, but her mother's were words without correlation, such as: "time", "universe", "end", "salvation", among others. It wasn't much, but with that and her own research thanks to Ford's discoveries, she could reach some conclusion. That night, Dennis came into the room just when Noelle had gone to the bathroom and saw all the research, papers and news that his sister had accumulated in those last five years. Dennis got angry and complained. She had to accept that her father was not coming back and that she had to get over it once and for all. For Dennis it was not important if he was dead or alive, he simply did not return to his family, so, in his view, it was an abandonment. Everyone in the family was suspicious of Henry's shady and probably illegal jobs, but Noelle seemed to ignore it and it was irritating. Noelle couldn't believe that her brother had such a negative opinion and perspective of their father, one he barely knew to dare to judge him so harshly. She simply packed her things and told Dennis not to meddle in her affairs anymore. Maybe it wasn't about her father anymore, but about herself: she needed to close that mystery once and for all. That night, Noelle slept on the couch and after years, she thought about Stanley. She had never felt such a need to be with him and talk about anything. She missed him, a lot. She sat on the couch and took out the drawing of the smiley face that Stan had given her a long time ago. She always carried it with her like a charm. In her calls with Ford, she never mentioned Stan, she was afraid of raising old disputes, so she carried the mystery of his whereabouts until years later.
The days went by normally and Noelle did not receive an outstanding grade on her thesis and that discouraged her greatly. Not only was it the work of a lifetime, but it was also her father's. That was a great insult and even more so after being told that her theory was based on fantasies and not on science and verifiable facts, something that was almost impossible to do with the poor and scarce technology of the time and even less with her null resources as a student. Noelle insisted on having a second opinion from someone who was an expert on the subject, so they put her thesis under review until further notice. Finally, university was over and Noelle was able to start looking for a new job. At the end and beginning of the following year, she left her job at the cafeteria and started working at a restaurant in the bar and dining area. In the meantime, she looked for a new apartment to move into with Dennis, despite the fact that their relationship had become strained. One day, she was cleaning the bar when she suddenly saw an advertisement on television of a man who looked very much like Stan with a clearly fake mustache, selling some product worthy of a teleshopping channel. Noelle thought about calling the phone immediately and checking that it was him, but the advertisement continued, turning out to be a newscast announcing that Stanley Pines had been arrested on charges of fraud, among other crimes, and that he had already been banned in more than 27 states and counting. Noelle was shocked to hear this; she couldn't believe that Stan's obsession with money, caused by his father, had led him to commit a crime. During her break, she called Ford to tell him about what she saw on the News, but the man didn't let her explain. He interrupted her by saying that he had found something very important inside a cave and that perhaps in the future he would need her help, so he wanted to know if he could count on her and her discretion. Noelle didn't know what he was referring to and Ford didn't seem to want to give more details either, so she just accepted and waited. Ford himself assured her that he would pay for her stay and for her services if she needed him in the case. Noelle was happy to hear that: she could work alongside Ford and in the meantime investigate that mysterious place on her own in search of clues about her father's whereabouts. After hanging up, Noelle returned to her work and her head kept spinning around Stan's state. She only hoped that at least he was not banned from California and that one day she could see him in San Francisco. In a few months, and pooling the salary of both brothers, they moved into a small apartment. During that time, Noelle remembered that she had that president's card and that maybe she could call to get an interview, but with her thesis still under review, she was not sure. One normal day at work, that man showed up claiming that he looked for her all over San Francisco to offer her the possibility of working with them again now that she had graduated. Noelle explained her situation to him and the man wanted to help her speed up the review of her thesis by doing it himself with his team. In exchange, she had to accept the interview. Obviously, she accepted.
A few months later, one day, she received a letter from her university. When she opened it, she saw that after a more thorough review, they had determined that her thesis was brilliant and that it provided a new and revolutionary vision in the field of astrophysics and the existence of the multiverse. Thus, they wanted to buy her thesis for more than half a million dollars. Noelle thought that the buyers were from the space agency, so she called the university and obviously accepted the money. After receiving it, she arranged a job interview as promised and a few weeks later, she began working as a researcher. With the money from her thesis, she bought a better house, near the beach that reminded her of New Jersey. At first, she moved in with Dennis, since there was plenty of room in the new house, but Dennis did not want to stay in his sister's new and luxurious life while he felt like a failure. Added to that feeling of frustration was the fact that he knew that Noelle was still stubborn in finding her father and that nothing would change her mind. So after a heated argument, Dennis packed his bags and his old van and headed off to New Jersey, leaving Noelle all alone in a huge house. She had achieved success both professionally and socially, but she was of no use when she was alone. Those were tough months, but during that dark period, she started writing scientific pamphlets which she distributed and gained prominence among the scientific community to which she had easy access. As a result, Noelle started giving talks at universities and conventions independently and sometimes also on behalf of her agency. At one of her talks, she met a burly but nerdy-looking man from Florida who seemed to admire her and knew her short but successful career quite well. The man, named Eduard, seemed very interested in getting to know her and during those days, he invited her to have coffee and a chat. It had been years since Noelle felt so comfortable with someone, her head had sunk so much in books that she had forgotten how to be a social human being. She liked Eduard quite a bit and felt some chemistry between them. By the end of the week, Noelle found out that Eduard was actually the new coworker she had been told about a few weeks ago. A transfer from another state who was going to be her partner and partner from now on in the investigations. The woman was shocked to hear the news, but even more so when she learned that Eduard had come forward to find out what kind of person she was going to work with. They both introduced themselves again and formally. They got along very well inside and outside of work and it was undeniable that something began to emerge between them, especially on the part of Eduard who showed more interest in her. Noelle had not fallen in love with anyone else besides Stanley, whom she still longed for and wanted to be with, but with the arrival of Eduard in her life everything became more complicated. She was afraid to move forward without having seen Stan again, so she tried to keep a certain distance so as not to get emotionally involved with anyone, for now.
A year later, Noelle received a call from Ford requesting her presence in Gravity Falls; the time had come to fulfill another promise. Once again, she kept her questions to herself and began to prepare everything for her trip, taking advantage of the fact that she was on vacation. The woman arranged everything along with her research and took the first bus to Oregon, destination Gravity Falls. During the trip, Noelle reviewed her research again and all the information she had gathered over the years to remember. She felt a little nervous and afraid of knowing that she was going to the last place her father had set foot in, but it was something she had to do. She distracted her mind by admiring the landscape through the window: it was beautiful and she wouldn't mind living in such a place for the last days of her life, although she certainly considered herself an urbanite. As she arrived at the town and passed the sign, she noticed an abrupt change in the load, making it heavy and overwhelming, even feeling as if she were being watched inside an already empty bus. Within minutes, she stepped out of the bus and spotted an adult Ford leaning against his car looking at the watch on his wrist. Noelle called out to him and ran to hug him. The friends were finally seeing each other again after so many years and Noelle couldn't hold back her tears of happiness. They both got into the car and drove until they reached the shack that Ford had built back then. As they got out of the car, Noelle stopped Ford and told him the other reason she was there: to find traces of her father. Ford had no idea that Mr. Evans had been in Gravity Falls many years before him, so he told Noelle that she could do her own research and in exchange she would share the knowledge her father had gathered during his time there. Noelle accepted, although she had already warned him that her father's research was incomplete and that she hadn't discovered anything as interesting compared to him. All information was little for Ford, and even less with what he had in hand. Ford warned Noelle about the locals and the dangers of the place, so she needed to be discreet both with what he was about to explain to her and with the investigations she would do on her own. She listened to his advice and decided to use a fake identity in case any locals asked too many questions.
Finally, they both entered the shack and Ford took her to his laboratory, which was full of strange objects piled up, half-finished structures and a peculiar blueprint that he showed her. His project was to make a trans-universal polydimensional meta-vortex portal. Noelle was fascinated by the idea and above all by the existence of a blueprint with the project already as a reality. She told him the obvious: they didn't have the technology or the knowledge to do something like that, but Ford assured her that he had everything under control and that they had already started. Part of the technology was being taken from an alien ship that crashed in Gravity Falls a few decades ago and as for the knowledge, well, he didn't give any explanations, he just said that he had it. Noelle had a bad feeling, Ford was hiding something from her. Ford assured her that everything would be fine and that he only needed her help with a few things, as for the construction of the portal he already had help. At that moment, a man with glasses and a lab coat carrying a toolbox emerged from behind the door. He was stunned when he saw the girl and smiled somewhat upset, asking who she was. Ford calmed him down "More reinforcements. My good friend Fiddleford, this is Noelle Evans. Astrophysicist, graduate in cosmology and particle physics. And a childhood friend." Noelle remembered that name, he was Ford's roommate at the University. She could notice the discomfort in the other Ford, clearly he didn't expect anyone else to help Ford in his top secret project, even so, she was very kind, so Fiddleford calmed down. From that, Ford made Noelle swear that she wouldn't say anything about what she saw in that room and she accepted, but with conditions: she could come and go whenever she wanted, since she had other matters to attend to in that place and that she would only help in the functional issue of the portal on a scientific and not mechanical level. They closed the agreement with a handshake and sealed the deal. Noelle stayed in the shack at Ford's insistence, studying with him the options they had to connect the dimensions through the portal. As they talked, she could tell that Ford had knowledge she had never heard of, and it became more and more apparent as the weeks went by. She felt that having that knowledge he didn't need her, but at the same time it seemed that Ford did need her so that he wouldn't saturate his mind with so many new ideas and to have extra help to count on, so she didn't ask questions about it. Noelle proposed to create a powerful and constant energy generator so that it wouldn't shut down or be unstable, and the best source of energy that existed at that time and had always been Atomic (nuclear), so they would need drums full of radioactive material. During those weeks they continued to get materials for the portal and work entire nights without sleeping. During that time, Ford's behavior sometimes varied, as if he were another person. Noelle thought it was because of the lack of sleep and the saturation of work, so she didn't give it any more importance. The project was moving slowly but surely and Ford dispensed with Noelle for a few days, since they were mainly dealing with the mechanical part at the moment and the scientific part would have to wait a bit. In addition, progress in that aspect was going in the right direction.
Luckily, Ford's strange behavior stopped for a few weeks and Noelle wanted to take advantage of that respite to go investigate on her own. With her evidence folder and bandolier, she set out to investigate the town and surrounding areas under the name of Evie Williams. During her walk, she found an old burned and destroyed mansion that nature was reclaiming. She went inside out of curiosity and felt a strange vibe inside. Suddenly she began to hear whispers everywhere until the specter of a boy of about 18 years old with an iron mask appeared in front of her. It was one of the first paranormal encounters she had in that town and she didn't know whether to be excited or terrified. The ghost tried to scare her, but Noelle stopped him and began to pester him with questions, making him want to disappear. Noelle asked him to stay and promised that he would calm down, but that she needed his help. The ghost seemed annoyed with her presence, but he blew and agreed to answer her questions. Noelle asked him if he had seen a long-haired brown-haired man in a trench coat and blue eyes pass by that area more than 25-30 years ago. The ghost of the aristocratic boy thought back and thought he had seen someone like that lurking around, not only that place, but all of Gravity Falls decades ago. It was impossible to forget that annoying man who would ask questions to any paranormal being he came across, just like Ford had been doing since he arrived. The ghost explained that every so often, strangers come to try to give a logical explanation to everything that happens in Gravity Falls, but that, over time, they disappear without a trace and most likely the same thing will happen to Ford or herself. He clarified that this did not imply death, but even worse things; and that dark times were approaching. Noelle felt a chill when she heard that bad omen. The ghost did not want to answer when Noelle asked what he meant and finally disappeared, leaving more mysteries in the air. She continued on her way, encountering more strange creatures as the days passed and thanks to them, she was able to follow in the footsteps her father had done during the months he was there. She continued to help the Fords at night if they needed it and continued her search during the day. Asking around town, she discovered that her father stayed at a motel during the time he was there. That motel had been closed for years for unknown reasons, so it was easy for her to sneak in. She arrived at the room in question and upon entering she saw a scene straight out of a horror movie: bloody papers on the floor, shelves and furniture thrown and broken, the bed torn, etc. Noelle went inside and took some evidence. The walls seemed to have bullet holes. Maybe what happened to her father had nothing to do with anything paranormal after all. Her father's investigations led her to a cave with some scribbles and a strange triangular being painted on the walls, surrounded by what looked like a zodiac circle. It looked like some kind of dimensional demon that had made deals with humans for centuries. She went closer to look at it better and noticed that one of the symbols was a hand with six fingers, which caught her attention. Noelle drew the demon in her notebook and tried to look for the summoning words, but they seemed erased. With nothing else to do, she returned to the shack. At night, Noelle had strange dreams, more like nightmares with a curious voice that showed her distorted images and events. At one point she could see the triangular demon in front of her, talking to her as if they had known each other all their lives. He simply introduced himself and warned her not to interfere with “his plans,” otherwise he would make sure she would never wake up again. He said goodbye saying that they would see each other again in the future. Then Noelle woke up disoriented and somewhat scared, but she thought it was just a hallucination due to lack of sleep. The vacation was over for Noelle and she had to return to California as soon as possible. Ford took her back to the bus stop and she gave him a check with money and several notes she made for the project. He felt bad for not staying until the end, but she had a life apart and responsibilities. Ford did not want to accept the money, but she insisted and promised him that she would see him again as soon as she could, and that she could still count on her for whatever he needed. The two friends said goodbye and Noelle returned to her normal life for a few more months. For the rest of the year, Noelle returned to her routine and heard nothing from Ford. She got her driver's license and bought her first car. She went to New Jersey for Christmas, taking Eduard with her, as the man had no good relationship with her parents or anyone to spend Christmas with. Eduard didn't object, because by that point he was in love with her. Noelle was able to meet her nephew Cédric, who couldn't attend her birth. She also met her brother Dennis after their argument and saw that he was also about to start his own family. The two reconciled and were on good terms. Stella pestered Noelle with questions about Eduard and she clarified that they were just friends, although she was beginning to have doubts. She also couldn't help but think of Stan every time they talked about love, it was painful. After a few days, Noelle and Eduard returned to California. At the beginning of the year, Noelle headed back to Oregon to find out how the project was going without telling Ford. The two friends met up again and Ford was still seeing each other and was even happy to see Noelle again so soon. The portal was ready and in a few days they would do the first test. She stayed back in the shack and the nights she spent there became hellish. That demon appeared from time to time in her dreams and did everything he could to get her out of Gravity Falls, because he didn't want her to find out what his true plans were once the portal opened and somehow convinced Ford to close it forever. Noelle's head was saturated so she went for a ride in the car, this time just sightseeing. She arrived at a canyon with incredible views and fell asleep. Bill appeared in her dreams again and seeing that she ignored his warnings, he created a whole simulation with past events that were false, trying to make her believe that he was the one who killed her father. Noelle was not very convinced thanks to the bullet marks she saw at the motel, so Bill created a more convincing simulation mixed with reality. The reality was that her father was a supernatural investigator who worked for a while for the Government in New York, but he couldn't do everything he wanted and on top of that his ambition was enormous, so he wanted to get out. Obviously they didn't let him and he was forced to break the confidentiality agreement. So both he and his partner, who was his brother, stole much of the documentation and research and fled the state, going their separate ways. Since then, Henry, or rather, Dru Andersen, has been on the run from the government and his former bosses. He changed his name and adopted his wife's last name, creating a family that served as a cover for him. In the meantime, he continued his investigations and made money by selling it to unethical people from other countries, who used it to blackmail the United States Government. Dru was being a pain in the ass for the government, so he had to move to another state as soon as possible. Luckily for him, his brother contacted him and called him to investigate a small town in Oregon where paranormal things were happening. Dru saw it as an opportunity to get new information and more money. When he arrived, he went on a tour and also ended up in the cave with the paintings about Bill, but he was not the one who summoned him, but Ford. However, Bill distorted that so that Noelle would see that it was her father who did it, which was false. The simulation continued with events that never happened, such as Dru making a deal with Bill, mixing in Ford's experiences, but putting the image of Noelle's father on top. Despite the false memories, he continued to show her occasionally what did happen. What Dru really did was research Bill: what he was, where he came from, and his purpose in that dimension. All of his research was based on him. Over time, Dru and his brother caught the attention of the government, who soon showed up in Oregon. Both he and his brother thought about asking for help to hide out in another state for a while, so he called Noelle's mother as a last resort. They had never been so close to being caught and they knew that if that happened, they were both dead. Stella showed up in Gravity Falls and Dru told her the whole truth. She felt hurt and wanted to leave him, but she had no choice, because now she was part of everything. Everything got worse when the government arrived in Gravity Falls earlier than expected and Dru's brother wanted to take over the entire investigation and leave his brother to his fate. But before he could do so, a wild animal that he took captive for research, escaped from the cage in the motel room they used as a storage room and attacked him. Noelle's uncle fought back with a shotgun, but the animal grabbed him by the neck and took him deep into the woods to devour him. Dru and Stella found the mess just as they were about to pack up and leave town. But at that moment, the FBI surrounded the building and ordered them to surrender. According to Bill, Dru begged for his help, but he refused to give it to her. What really happened is that Dru emptied the briefcase and gave all the research to Stella. He asked her to transcribe some key words in her handwriting in case the government intercepted it. After that, they both said goodbye and he apologized. Dru used himself as bait to make Stella flee with all the information. Noelle's father left with the briefcase, but when they saw that there was nothing there, he was threatened to tell them where the information was, but he didn't say anything. Meanwhile, Stella started to flee in her car. She found a safe place and transcribed some words just as her husband asked her, not knowing that, during the escape and in her hurry, she had lost most of the papers. She was anxious for much of the trip and had a persecution mania that led her to have an accident. After that, her car broke down on the road and she was disoriented. A truck driver was the one who ended up taking her home, after stopping at the hospital. Bill ended the simulation, leaving Noelle confused, not knowing what was real and what was not. Still, thanks to that, Noelle began to put two and two together. If Bill was able to possess bodies through deals, as he supposedly did with her father, and give the bearer infinite knowledge, that would explain Ford's strange behavior and all that knowledge he possessed out of nowhere. Now everything made sense: Ford was being manipulated too. Unbeknownst to him, Bill had achieved exactly the opposite of what he wanted: to make Noelle realize his plans. The woman struggled to get out of the dream and when she did, she drove desperately back to the shack, she had to stop Ford from opening that portal.
On the way, she noticed that gravity was beginning to act erratically: that meant that the portal had been opened. Noelle arrived and saw Fiddleford getting into his car ready to leave, but she stopped him. The man told her that it was better to get away from all this, because it was very dangerous and would bring the destruction of the world. She did not find his words strange, because she believed it too. With determination, she called Ford who opened the door and abruptly brought her into the shack. He seemed extremely paranoid and angry. Noelle wanted to make him see reason: Fiddleford was right, that portal was dangerous and should never be opened again. Ford became even more resentful, he felt attacked and abandoned by his friends, but he froze when Noelle mentioned Bill to him. That confirmed his suspicions. She wanted to convince him to undo the pact with the devil and give up for his own good and for everyone else's. Ford became even more enraged and took all of Noelle's things, throwing them out into the street and kicking her out right after. Noelle stood on the porch trying to talk to Ford, but he didn't answer, he just wanted her to leave and not get involved. As for him, he wanted to move on, no matter the consequences. The woman picked up her bags and approached one last time to tell her friend that she was still counting on her for whatever he needed and to think about what she told him. Then Noelle dared to say something after so many years "Say hi to Stanley for me if you ever see him." Noelle returned to California with some doubts resolved, but with too much worry. She could only trust that Ford would eventually do the right thing. The months passed normally and with no news about her friend.
One day, having breakfast with Eduard at a cafe, Noelle saw in the newspapers that Stanley had died in a car accident. She felt like her soul had fallen to the ground; she couldn't, she didn't want to believe it. She hurriedly took her things and left for Gravity Falls again for the second time in a year, but he deserved it. After hours, she arrived at night and felt the atmosphere less heavy than usual for that place. When she parked, she noticed the obvious change that the shack had had compared to months ago. She stood in front of the door and knocked, trying to hold back her tears. Minutes later, a robust man reluctantly opened the door and was in a bad mood for having woken him up, but he was stunned to see the girl in front of him. "Good night, Ford" she managed to say. The man couldn't answer anything; Noelle, through tears, hugged him very tightly, not knowing that the person she was hugging was her beloved Stanley after many years without seeing each other. "I'm so sorry..." Stan felt his cheeks heat up. It had been many years since they had seen each other and she looked so different in his eyes. He hugged her back and held back the urge to tell her that he was okay and that he was Stan, but he couldn't, no matter how much it hurt him to see her like that. Once the hug was broken, he asked if he could come in and "Ford" said yes. Once inside, the change that the place was going through was even more noticeable: now it looked like a circus of horrors, a tourist attraction or something like that, but she didn't pay attention due to her condition. They both sat down and "Ford" wanted to offer her something, but she didn't have much. Noelle told him that it didn't matter and that she just wanted to keep him company. Among several topics they talked about, Noelle apologized for the last time. She confessed that she felt that she had failed both brothers: they were her best friends and she let the disputes and time distance them. She also felt bad for never having been able to look for Stan, although she tried for a while. She always wanted to fix things and tell him that she didn't hate him and that she still loved him like the first day. Noelle realized that she had never told Ford that she was in love with Stan, so she admitted it to him somewhat embarrassed and in tears. She thought it was a childhood love, but it still lasted over time and now she was heartbroken for having lost him. However, her heart would always be his. At that moment, "Ford" began to cry. Noelle approached him to wipe away his tears. "We will overcome it together," she hugged him again. "I promise," she said determinedly with tears in her eyes. "Ford" caressed the girl's hand while his eyes and smiles shone in the night. Certainly, Noelle was so affected that she was not able to recognize that she was dealing with the wrong twin, because that intimacy and warmth she only had with Stan. The man couldn't deny it, those words were possibly the most beautiful and sincere he had ever heard said in reference to him. It seemed really strange to him, because everyone had always called him useless, a nuisance, a swindler and a liar and over time he became everything that everyone thought of him. But Noelle could always see through that. Stan looked at her and felt his heart beat like never before in years. Maybe he was going to regret what he was about to do, but that gesture was simply Stan being Stanley. In a sigh, he shortened the distance between them, giving her a small and tender kiss on the lips. For Stan it was a relief for his heart, but for Noelle it was a huge confusion. The man had forgotten for a moment that he was no longer Stanley, but Stanford. After those seconds, they separated and Noelle's cheeks burned. She didn't know how to explain it, but she felt for a moment that that man was Stanley. The woman just smiled and took it calmly, kindly rejecting "Ford". Stan found the situation funny, Ford had literally been rejected without being present. But he had to pretend disappointment. He hushed resignedly "Sure, no problem" saying with feigned disappointment. The situation became quite awkward, so Noelle wanted to leave, but "Ford" told her to stay in the shack to rest. Noelle was undecided, but accepted, she felt tired and emotionally unstable. They both went to sleep in their respective rooms, but throughout the night there was a strange tension in the atmosphere. Stan felt like a fool for having done such a reckless act and really felt that he was unlucky in love. As for Noelle, she spent the whole night thinking about that kiss. Now that she had calmed down, she found strange all the change in the shack, in Ford's physique and personality. Maybe it was the product of depression from loneliness and now the loss of his brother, but the kiss... had been so warm that it was impossible for it to be from Ford, who calculated even feelings. Without reaching any conclusion, she went to sleep.
The next morning, Noelle woke up "Ford" so they could go to Greasy's Diner for breakfast and then say goodbye. Stan thought it was okay and offered her a ride in his car. Noelle accepted. Stan thought about it and wanted to tell her it was him before she left. They wouldn't see each other again anyway and Noelle probably had her life set apart from him. While he was thinking about how to do it, he would send her signals. Noelle saw the license plate of the car and the change in the make of the car itself. She was increasingly convinced that it was Stan and she was willing to check it before she left. Stan looked nervous and tense during the trip, so much so that he turned on the radio under the excuse of cheering himself up a bit. The atmosphere inside the car became even more tense and Noelle felt that she was getting nervous too. Still, she was no match for Stan, he had been nervous since the night before, so nervous that he hadn't even tried to fix his appearance to look more like his brother. Noelle asked him about his glasses and "Ford" told her that he had been having a bad headache for days and that wearing them made him hurt more. Obviously the girl didn't believe him, Ford didn't take off his glasses even when he was sleeping. The girl tried to look at his fingers, but Stan suddenly stopped the car. They had arrived at their destination. It was not a good time to tell him the truth, not in public. They both went in and sat together waiting for their breakfasts. Noelle noticed that "Ford" had his arms hidden under the table, increasing her suspicions even more. Minutes later, they brought them their breakfasts and Noelle "accidentally" dropped her fork on the floor. They both went to pick it up and their hands brushed against each other. Noelle tried to look at the man's hands, but she was stunned looking at him. She felt a tingling sensation run down her back and her eyes began to shine. The man looked away and picked up the cutlery from the floor. She handed him over to Noelle and that was when her suspicions and intuition became true. Five fingers. That man was definitely Stanley. From that detail on, the others began to become more noticeable at first glance. Under normal conditions she would have recognized him immediately. A thousand questions crossed the redhead's mind: Where was Ford? Why had Stan lied to her? Why had he faked his death? Why was he pretending to be her brother? What was he doing in Gravity Falls? She had no answer, but the important thing was that she was with him and she would make the most of it. From that moment on, Noelle began to act as usual and that made Stan relax, since before he felt that she was analyzing him with every action he did. Noelle didn't want to put him in a difficult position by asking him questions that only Ford knew about, but it is true that she wanted to see him out of some trouble that she herself put him in for simple fun. Noelle told him everything she had been doing since they supposedly lost communication, after finishing high school and going to different universities. Stan listened attentively, amazed at how far his friend had come. "I always knew you would make it. You're bright as a star, Noelle." The girl smiled at that, blushing a little, and Stan swallowed, blushing as well. Noelle then asked him about him, and Stan tried his best to make up another story: he went to college and was expelled for being "too bright." After that, he ran out of money, was also kicked out of his home, and was wandering around the country until he reached that town. The woman laughed inside at the mockery of Ford, but the rest of the story seemed worrying to her. Had Stanley really been homeless all that time? Noelle noticed he was dejected and took his hand to reassure him. "Hey, I'm here. Don't worry." Stan smiled, still sadly, knowing that after that, Noelle would probably leave forever and he would be alone again. Noelle paid for both of their breakfasts and they left the place. The woman took the man's hand and they walked to the car in silence, like a couple of shy teenagers. Noelle couldn't stop looking at Stan now that she knew it was him, she wanted to kiss him and hug him, even if it was for one last time. They both arrived back at the cabin, now a mystery. Noelle wanted to take the step, she had to do it. She addressed Stan by his name and the man went completely cold. It was obvious that he would notice, but he stepped forward just when she was about to tell him. The man didn't deny it and accepted that it was him. He told her that he felt bad for having made her believe that he was dead, but it was something he had to do and he couldn't tell her the reason, not until he fixed it. The redhead approached and took his hands "I could never forget you... so, if you want me to stay, just ask me and I'll leave everything for you." Stan froze upon hearing that, he couldn't allow someone as wonderful as Noelle to leave everything behind for him, it wasn't fair or healthy and he would never ask her to. He made it clear to her with pain and sorrow in his voice, that he had caused all of this and that he was the only one who had to fix it. The woman tried to get the truth out of him because she felt it had to do with the portal, but Stan told her not to insist any further. Stanley was confused about his feelings because of the whole disastrous situation he was carrying, but he was clear that he didn't want to hurt Noelle any more. However, he didn't want her to leave even if it was the right thing to do. He wanted to be selfish, at least for a day. They both looked at each other and felt the attraction again and this time neither of them could control themselves. Almost instantly, they both kissed desperately, clinging to each other like a lifeline. They knew that it would have consequences, but it didn't matter. It was just them without any obstacles or people in between. They let their bodies speak instead of their words, venting all the desire they carried in their hearts. After a few hours, Noelle woke up in Stan's arms where she always wanted to be. She felt warmth and happiness throughout her being, but it was time to say goodbye. They both woke up and took a shower together, it was the happiest hours for both of them in decades. With everything ready and the suitcases loaded in her car, Noelle said goodbye to Stan with a hug and a small kiss on the lips, hoping that everything would be fixed soon and they could see each other again at some point. The man wished the same, she didn't know how much. Noelle made him really happy and that's why he wanted the best for her, something much better than him or the kind of life he could give her. Before leaving, she gave him her number in case he needed her and Stan did the same. They both squeezed their hand one last time and Noelle went to her car, but not before saying goodbye one last time "Goodbye, Stanley." She gave him a smile and got in the car. The afternoon air felt fresh, but it turned cold when Noelle drove away in her car. Stan stood there watching from the porch, as he let go of his only chance to be happy.
