The Long Road (Stanford Pines x Reader)
Chapter 4
Y’ALL THIS ONE WAS/IS A ROUGH ONE. I had a lot of writers block with this chapter, but I think I finally accomplished fitting in everything I wanted it to have! Also just for clarification, a lot of things that happened in this chapter will be discussed more thoroughly in future chapters! (Aka Ford’s perspective.) Thank you everyone so much for your patience and continued support!! With that, here is absolutely gut wrenching chapter 4!!
Also, last thing I promise, if you want to be added to the tag list, just comment!
Themes: Lying, Arguments, Strong language, Lotsss of bottled up emotions, Fiddleford gets traumatized by the portal, Ford over prioritizing Bill and his work over sleep/his wife etc, all the fun stuff! This chapter is very sad! But we will finally be back to the present in chapter 5!
You found yourself waking in the late afternoon, your bags now packed and in hand as you make your way out of Lizzy’s apartment. And although you were a nervous wreck to return home and confront Ford about last night’s events, you were also happy at the thought you’d be sleeping in your own bed tonight. You were hopeful that Ford would have a good explanation. Maybe he was drunk out of his mind, due to your absence, or maybe Fiddleford brought the two of them there after a breakthrough in their research. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it.
You keep your thoughts running as you settle into the passenger seat of Lizzy’s car. Your mind is a flurry of hope, worry, and anxiety as you mull over all the different possibilities of what happened last night.
Lizzy hops into the driver’s seat, her gaze flickering over to you as she senses your nerves.
“Hey,” she says softly. “Everything will be okay, alright? I’m sure Ford has a good explanation for everything. At least, he better.”
You let out a nervous sigh, once again fiddling with your wedding band as you try to steady yourself.
“I hope so,” you murmur, eyes drifting out the window as Lizzy kicks the vehicle in motion. “I really don’t know what I’ll do if he doesn’t.”
Lizzy places a sympathetic hand on your shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
“Let’s just focus on getting there for now, okay? Try not to imagine any worst-case scenarios until we actually talk to him.”
You give a small nod as she drives, the world outside becoming a blur of trees and late afternoon sun.
6:00 PM.
With a final turn down the gravel path, you arrive at the place you consider home, the cabin. The familiarity of your surroundings should be relieving, yet you find yourself on edge, tugging down on the beanie that rested against your head.
You unclip your seatbelt as the car hauls to a stop, Lizzy turning to give you a reassuring smile.
“I’ll drive around closeby.” she says. “In case things go, you know, not so great.”
You nod softly, thanking her as you grab your bags from the backseat, stepping out of the car. The gravel under your feet crunches with each step, your heart beating rapidly in your chest.
Taking a deep breath, you make your way to the front door of your home, a nervous hand twisting the knob and pushing it open. As you step foot into the familiar space, you’re surprised to find Ford in the living room. He’s seated on the couch, working on what seemed to be some sort of gadget on the coffee table.
He looks up as you enter, his expression casual with a hint of excitement.
“You’re back!” He states as he stands, approaching you with a warm smile.
You swallow hard, clutching your bags tightly as you regard him warily.
“I missed you, how was your trip? There’s so much I have to tell you, Fiddleford and I had a major breakthrough this weekend!”
Ford’s words are light and pleasant, and he looks genuinely happy to see you. A stark difference from how he was the night before. He steps closer to you, looking as if he’s about to pull you into an embrace, but you take a step back, releasing your bags from your grip.
Ford’s smile falters for a brief moment, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.
“Is something wrong?” he asks, his voice laced with concern.
“Where were you last night?”
He seems taken aback by your blunt question, a brow raised as he rubs the back of his neck.
“Ah… well I was here, working with Fiddleford, like I said.” he replies, gesturing to the gadget on the table. “Why do you ask?”
Your heart twists in your chest as you clench your fists, frown adorning your lips.
“Is that all..?”
Ford looks perplexed by your question, his eyes filled with concern as he takes a step towards you, his expression growing increasingly more confused and worried.
“What do you mean? Where else would I have been?”
You go to speak, but falter, looking down at the floor as you hold your elbow sheepishly.
“Nevermind.. It’s nothing, sorry.”
Ford pauses, his concern only deepening as he watches you avoid his gaze. He takes another step closer, his voice gentle.
“Y/N, please tell me what’s wrong,” he says, reaching out to touch your arm.
“You’ve been acting strange ever since you came through the door… Did something happen? You can talk to me.”
You swallow hard, before looking up to meet his gaze.
Ford’s expression is genuine, his grip on you squeezing gently as you gaze at him for a moment. This Ford was a huge contrast to whoever you had talked to last night, this was the man you knew and adored. Maybe you and Lizzy really did have too much to drink, and you mixed it all up with some other guy? It seemed too coincidental, but the way Ford was acting now made you second guess everything. He seemed totally unphased, and there wasn’t a single thing about his tone that would lead you to believe he was lying. This was still your husband, after all.
You shovel all of your thoughts and suspicions down as you sigh, placing a hand over the one he had rested on your arm.
“It’s nothing, I promise,” you say, cracking a soft smile as you lean into him. “I just missed you a lot. It’s good to be home.”
Ford’s eyes soften at your words, and he pulls you closer to him, gently enveloping you in his arms. He holds you close, one hand rubbing soothing circles on your back.
“I missed you too,” he murmurs, his voice soft and gentle. “More than you know.”
Your ears and cheeks turn red at his words as he pulls away, just enough to meet your gaze, his eyes searching yours for a moment before he speaks.
“So, you uh, need help with your bags?”
A soft blush covers Ford’s cheeks as you smile once more, your hand reaching to cup his cheek, thumb grazing the skin underneath.
“Sure, although I wanna hear everything you wanted to catch me up on while I unpack.”
If somehow possible, Ford’s cheeks turn an even darker shade of pink as you touch his face, his gaze flicking down to your hand before coming back up to meet your eyes. He then clears his throat, voice slightly strained.
“Y-yeah of course,” he stammers, his hand coming up to rub the back of his head. “We can talk in the bedroom while you unpack.”
“Sounds like a plan.” you say with a chuckle, grabbing both of your bags and handing one to Ford, placing a quick peck to his cheek before pulling away.
A small, boyish smile appears on his lips at your gesture. He quickly takes the bag you handed him, keeping his eyes on you for a moment before looking down at your luggage in his hands.
He clears his throat once more, his voice betraying a hint of nervousness as he speaks.
“Right, let’s go then.”
Ford then begins to lead the way to the bedroom, you trailing along behind him.
As you both enter your shared room you begin to unpack your bags, Ford chatting away excitedly as he helps you with your things, pulling out your clean clothes and placing them in the closet.
You smile at his enthusiasm, but you can’t help but notice the bed as you unpack. The sheets are just how you left them, pillows fluffed and blankets tucked into the edges of the frame.
“Did you get any sleep while I was gone?” you ask, shutting a drawer after you’ve placed a pair of jeans inside.
Ford pauses mid-sentence in his excited explanation, faltering as his glaze flicks from the bed to yours.
“Uh, well… no, I didn’t,” he admits, his voice laced with a hint of guilt. “With all the work Fiddleford and I’ve been doing, I guess I just forgot about sleep.”
You frown deeply as he moves to continue helping you unpack, your arms falling to your sides.
“Ford..”
Ford pauses again, a flicker of guilt in his eyes as he senses your disapproving tone.
“Just promise me that you’ll at least come to bed tonight. Okay? I worry about you when you aren’t getting any rest.”
His expression softens, gaze full of guilt and affection meeting yours. He nods in agreement, a sheepish smile crossing his face.
“I promise.”
Over the following nights, Ford makes a point of coming to bed, holding true to the word he gave you the night you returned from Lizzys. However, the pattern you had desperately hoped for doesn’t last long. The old habits return quickly, Ford abandoning the bedroom in favor of work in the lab for days on end. Days soon turn into weeks, weeks into months, and so on. You find yourself lying alone in bed each night, your mind filled with anger and frustration. Sometimes, you’re kept awake by the bright flashes and rumbling from below. A part of you wanted to stomp down there and give him a piece of your mind, to leave him and this broken marriage behind, but another part of you yearned for Ford. You longed for the day you’d see him emerge from the lab instead of Fiddleford, or the day he’d prioritize you again. Even just a simple acknowledgement of your presence, other than “hello, how are you”, would do. You missed how things used to be. You missed him.
But the day never came.
You were too stubborn to be the first to break the now built-up tension, after all it was Ford’s fault the two of you were in this predicament anyway. At least that’s what you told yourself, feeding into the false hope that things were going to somehow magically improve.
The same cycle repeated itself, leaving you feeling helpless and abandoned.
Until one night.
You found yourself lying alone in bed yet again, your head laid on what was once Ford’s pillow, his scent no longer attached to the fabric. The sounds of the lab seem louder tonight as you toss and turn, grunting in annoyance. You glance towards the clock on your nightstand, the glowing numbers reading midnight. Frustration mounts within you, the lack of any attention whatsoever from Ford wearing you down.
Suddenly, an extremely loud whir from the lab forces you to sit upright, your heart pounding in your chest as your irritation gets the best of you. Finally, you’d had enough.
You throw back the covers in an aggressive motion, swinging your legs over the bed. You pad across the room, your bare feet touching the cold hardwood floor. Each step you take fuels the growing anger in you, your patience thinning.
Reaching the door, you pull on it, the sound of it creaking open adding to the building tension. With a huff, you step forward into the darkness and descend the stairway leading to the lab.
You press the button to the elevator harshly, stepping inside the metal contraption. As you descend further you hear the sound of faint yelling, along with a thud. Your stomach twists with frustration and anxiety, your mind reeling with possibilities of what the hell was going on down there.
Finally, the elevator doors slide open, revealing a blinding blue light behind the glass window of the lab. Your feet carry you quickly to the source, dashing through the entryway when all of a sudden, your shoulders are grabbed.
Your body stiffens as your eyes adjust to the lighting, revealing a disheveled Fiddleford in front of you. His fearful eyes search your panicked ones, his grip painfully tight.
“Fiddleford-”
“You’ve got to get out of here Y/N,” he states frantically, his voice shaky. “This machine will bring about the end of the world, it’s dangerous beyond comprehension. It should never see the light of day.”
The sound of your heartbeat fills your ears as you process his words. The seriousness in his voice and panicked look in his eyes were enough to send a chill down your spine. You take a moment, before stuttering out a few words.
“What? Machine? The end of the world..?”
Before you can finish your sentence, Fiddleford leaves in a rush, your frightened gaze moving to the source of the light.
In front of you stood what seemed to be some sort of portal, with your husband standing right below it.
You watch him as you stand there, dumbstruck by fear and confusion. You clench your fists before taking a firm step forward, swallowing dryly.
“Ford..?”
He stands with his back turned to you, mumbling something before yelling aloud.
“No, you know what… I don’t need anyone!”
Your legs tremble as you make your way towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
Ford jumps violently at the contact, his head whipping around to face you. His gaze widening for a moment, before turning cold and harsh.
“What..? What are you doing down here Y/N?” He snaps, his tone sharp and defensive.
Your gut clenches at his tone, your eyes brimming with tears as you finally break.
“What the actual fuck, Stanford!” You yell, hands formed into fists as you hold them in front of you.
“What is this?! This.. this thing?!” You yell, pointing towards the portal.
“This is too fucking far!!”
Ford’s eyes narrow, his irritation growing apparent. He stands his ground, stepping towards you and jabbing a finger towards your chest.
“This?” he replies, gesturing to the portal. “This is my life’s work Y/N! Everything I’ve dedicated myself towards for decades! Something you wouldn’t even understand the significance of, even if I explained it to you!”
His words cut through you like a knife, tears now streaming warmly down your cheeks. You grab hold of his wrist roughly, jerking him towards you.
“No!” you yell, your grip unrelenting.
“This is some sort of doomsday device you abandoned EVERYTHING for! That you abandoned ME for!”
Your voice breaks with that last sentence, your teeth clenching as you attempt to stifle your pain.
“I’ve stuck with you through everything, Stanford! When you lost Stanley, during those horrible years in college, through this!” You say, pointing to him and then to yourself with your free hand. “When you’ve practically neglected me as your wife, all of it! I stayed with you because I’m in love with you, Stanford!”
Ford’s eyes soften at your words, a strong flicker of guilt in his expression as you list all the sacrifices you’ve made for him.
“But I can’t,” your voice trembles with each word, your grip on his wrist loosening to where it falls back to your side.
“Y/N…”
Every emotion you’ve bottled up until now weighs down on you, your heart racing in your chest.
“I can’t do this anymore.”
Your tearful gaze meets his, his heart aching at the sight.
Ford looks as if he’s been torn in two. Flashes of guilt, anger, and concern, all etching across his face as he stands there, desperately searching for the right answer. And although you never in a million years would intend for him to be put in this spot, he knows he has to choose. The person who devoted their everything to him, or everything he’s ever devoted himself to.
Ford stutters out his answer faster than he can think, sweat beading against his forehead.
“This isn’t,” he pinches the bridge of his nose, his expression heavily conflicted. “This is something monumental Y/N, something that could change the course of existence itself. I have to do this,” as Ford continues, you feel your heart snapping in two, your gaze lowering to the floor as you attempt to take in what he is saying.
“I have to finish what I started, Y/N.”
Your vision blurs with heavy tears as the two of you stand there in deafening silence.
Your expression is filled with pure distraught as you lift your head, your gaze meeting Ford’s. Although he doesn’t return it, his eyes glued to the ground with a solemn frown on his lips. Your lip trembles as you lower your head once more, standing there for a few moments before forcing yourself to turn away.
“Okay.”
Your legs feel heavy with each step, every part of you screaming at you to stay. But deep down you know you can’t, it was time for you to choose yourself for once.
So with that you trudge on, out of the lab and out of the cabin.
The cabin you once considered home.
Thank you for reading! I hope y’all like how this turned out :)
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