Disclaimer: The first portion of this storyâs dialogue largely taken from http://gravityfalls.wikia.com/wiki/A_Tale_of_Two_Stans/Transcript
Wrote this story because I couldnât stand the thought of the Pines twins 1.0 (how I refer to Stan and Ford--Dipper and Mabel would be Pines twins 2.0) no longer being friends.Â
 *Note: This story was largely written by me, except for parts taken from the link above, which I added a few things to to sound more like a âstoryâ instead of a âscriptâ.  (part thatâs âallâ mine starts at * *Stan felt as though...). Also, I mention âtwenty fiveâ years.  I know Ford yells at Stan about what he did âthirty years agoâ, but I assume that that meant when Stan accidentally broke his perpetual motion machine and kept him from getting into that college.  I took five years off to account for the time between then and when Ford moved to Gravity Falls and reunited with McGucket and then contacted Stan and all of that. ;p
*Note 2 None of this is what they call âshippingâ.  Ford and Stan are brothers, and even though they (particularly Stan) might not say the word, they do love each other.  Theyâre brotherâs for goodnessâ sake.  That other stuff is just disgusting.Â
Gravity Falls characters, etc. created by Alex Hirsch.
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A Tale of Two Stans Two: Reconciliation
The Secret Service Agents left, and Stan turned to Dipper and Mabel.
âAll right, kids, it's been a long day and me and my brother have a lot to talk about. Why don't you hit the hay, huh? â
Dipper stood looking up at his new-found great uncle, a pen in one hand and a notepad in the other. Stan shuddered as he realized that his great-nephew reminded him a bit of the nosy town reporter, Toby. âBut-but-but--, it's the author! â Dipper cried. Â âI've been waiting so long to ask questions aboutââ
Stan placed his hands on both of the younger set of twinsâ heads and turned them toward the front door. Â âI said. Hit. The hay! Â â
Looking defeated, Dipper headed upstairs with Mabel beside him.
Ford watched them go. Twins!  He thought. I canât believe Iâm a great uncle⌠and to twinsâŚjust like Stanley and meâŚ
 Later that evening, Stan and Ford were standing in front of the mirror.
Stan found it hard to keep back a tear. Â There he wasâhis brotherâstanding right beside him. Â Aloud he said, âLook at us. When did we become old men? Â â
Ford grinned. Â âYou look like Dad. â
Stan cringed. Â âUgh, uck, don't say that!â
The two shared a laugh, and then Ford suddenly sighed.
âOkay, Stanley, here's the deal. You can stay here the rest of the summer to watch the kids. I'll stay down in the basement and try to contain any remaining damage. But when the summer's over, you give me my house back, you give me my name back, and this Mystery Shack junk is over forever. Ya got it? â
Stan couldnât believe what he was hearing. Â âYou really aren't gonna thank me, are you? â
âFine.â Stan said, suddenly angry. Â âOn one condition: you stay away from the kids; I don't want them in danger. âcause as far as I'm concerned, they're the only family I have left ! â
He turned and headed upstairs. Â For a moment he stopped and looked back at his brotherâthe brother heâd tried to get back for so many years. Â He stood right there--with his back to Stan, not saying a word. Â *Stan felt as though Ford may as well have been still been on the other side of the portal. Â He wouldnât have admitted it, but he felt his heart break. Â Sighing, he headed upstairs to see if Dipper and Mabel were asleep.
When Stan got to his great niece and nephewâs bedroom door, he heard talking. Â
Too exciting a day for them to be asleep. Â Stan thought. Â He heard Dipper say,
âEh, I'm sure they'll work things out. Â â
Mabel answered him, âDipper, you don't think we'll turn out like Stan and Ford, do you? â
âWell--what do you mean? â
âI mean, they used to be best friends, but then they got all stupid--â
Stan felt as though a pin pricked one of the broken pieces of his heart.
âCan you promise me you won't get stupid? Â âMabel continued.
Dipperâs voice came jokingly, âNot stupider than you, dum-dum. â
Mabel laughed. Â âGood night, stupid. Â â
âGood night, stupid. â
Stan saw the light go out under the door.
Stupid. Â Yeah, stupid. Thatâs how Iâm acting. Â Stan thought.
No youâre not, came another voice. Youâre in the right here. Â Youâve been trying to get your brother back all this time, and this is how he repays you? Â By telling you to get out?
Itâs Fordâs house. Â I was just here trying to fix the portalâ
Yeah, and not a thanks or anything.
Stan thought of the mirror image of himselfâaside from the glasses Ford had had to wear since he was two and a halfârunning with him on the beach at the Jersey shoreâmaking forts in their bedroom, and how he would have punched the lights out of any jerk who made fun of Fordâs six fingered hands when they were kidsâŚ
I canât be stupid. Â Stan told himself, knowing his brother might not feel the same way. Â I canât.
He went back down the stairs to the now empty living room. Â Taking a deep breath, he headed for the door that led to the shop.
There it was -- that vending machine. Â For years Stan had watched people punch the buttons and get things out of itâonly he himself knowing what was really behind it. Â
âOkay, Stan. Â Itâs now or never.â
He felt as though his legs were suddenly made of lead as he made himself go over to the vending machine, punch in the code, and watched the machine swing away from the wall.
He drew another deep breath (why did he have to keep doing that?) and went into the staircase.
Each step got harder. Below him, he heard scuffling, and Ford mumbling, âWhat a messâŚâ
Finally he reached the bottom step. Â Ford stood with his hands on his hips, looking around. Â He had taken the dark duster off to reveal a sweater. Â Over one of the control boards, Stan saw not only the duster, but a large gun of some sort.
Ford turned around. Upon seeing his brother, he blinked slowly. Â âStanley.â
Stan looked at the floor. âIâI wanted toââ
Just wish him a good night and leave.
âWould you shut up!â Stanley snapped.
Fordâs brows drew together. âIs there something wrong? Â â
Stan returned the look. âYes! Â Yes, thereâs something wrong! Â Youâreââhe bit his tongue a momentâDonât be stupid, Stan.
He looked his brother in the eye. Â âYouâre hereââ
âWell I wouldnât be here if you hadnât opened the portal.â
âAghââStan smacked his face with his palm. âWould you let me finish, Poindexter? Â This is hard enough!â
Ford folded his arms. âAll right, finish.â
Stan drew a deep breath. âLookâI know youâre the smart one. IâI didnât mean to mess up your motionâwhatever machine  back when we were in high school, but I didâand Iâm sorry.  Itâit was an accident, but I should have been more careful.  â
Stan was too busy trying to think of words to notice Fordâs shoulders sink a bit.
âIâI wasâI was jealous. You were the one with the smarts, and I was just your dumb brother. Â Besides, Iââ
Darn it, Iâm not good with this mushy stuffâŚ
âYou what, Stanley?â Ford asked. Â This time Stan did notice the tone of his brotherâs voice soften a bit.
âIâI didnât want our team broken up.â Stan said, finally getting the strength to look into his brotherâs eyes. Â âYou were my best friend, and I couldnât stand the thought of you leaving.â
Fordâs eyes widened, and then he abruptly turned his back to Stan.
Stanâs heart sank. âWell, next month Iâll make notices that the Mystery Shack is closing. Â IâI just wanted to tell you I was sorry about that wholeâbreaking your machine, and ruining your life--thing. Â â
He turned and took a step toward the stairs.
Stan stopped and turned his head. Â âYeah? â
âPlease look at me, Stan.â
Stan turned around. âWhaââ
Ford had taken his glasses off, and Stan could see that his brotherâs eyes were watering. Â âIâIâm sorry too.â
Stan was confused. âSorry? Â What the heck are you sorry for? Â â
Ford grinned and let the tears fall down his face. Â âWell for one, hitting you as soon as I came through the portal. Â â
Stan shook his head. âI deserved it. Â â
âNoâno you didnât. Stan, how long were you working on opening the portal? Â â
Stan shook his head. âI donât knowâsince--not long after you got sucked into it, I guess. Â â
He grinned. Â âBut of course if it had been you working on it, it might have taken like a month instead of twenty-five years. Â â
Ford chuckled and took a step closer to his brother. Â âAnd all that just to save me. Â â
Stan felt his face get hot. âWell, what can I say? Â I kinda protected you ever since we were kids. Â I had to get you backâthere was no one in whatever whack job dimension you were in to protect you-- Â â
He looked over at the large weapon that was on the control board with Fordâs duster. Â â--though maybe you didnât need protecting. Â â
âThat took a while to find the parts to build.â Ford said, looking in the same direction. Â âThat first year or so in that dimension were hardâandâI wished that you were there with me. Â â
 Now it was Stanâs turn to get tears in his eyes.
âSure, I suppose I got tougherâand it wasâan interesting place to studyââ
Stan rolled his eyes. Aw, come on, Poindexterâyou can take the nerd out of the dimension, butâŚ
ââbut I was alone. Â I know it sounds corny, but it felt like a part of me was gone. Sometimesâwhen I had to fight off things with that gunâI imagined that you were there beside me. â
The tears fell down Stanâs face. Â He quickly brushed them away with his hands, but he knew his brother had seen them. âIâI always felt that way, tooâwell, the part of me was gone, part. Â I wasnât going around fighting monsters with a hugeâgun thing. Â â
Ford looked at the floor a few seconds, his brother catching the grin on his face. When Ford looked back up at Stan he said, Â âI know this will probably sound silly too, butââ
Stan put on a look of mock surprise. Â âWhat? Â Youâre going to say something silly? All right, who are you and whereâs my real brother? Wait, come to think of itâmost of those nerd words you always used sounded silly to me--â
Ford chuckled. Â âWould you let me talk, now, knucklehead? Â â
âCould weâumâwell, like our niece saidââ
Stan didnât let Ford finish. He took a step closer and flung his arms around his brother. Â Fordâs arms immediately went around Stan. Â As the two âhugged it outâ as Mabel has suggested they do earlier that day, Stan felt the broken pieces of his heart come back together.
Five seconds longer than Stan would admit he felt comfortable with (because after all, he wasnât good at that âmushy stuffâ) he held his brother at armâs length, looked into his eyes a moment, and then looked around the room.
âYâknowâI know this is a good place to have your âmad scientist labâ and stuff, but itâs no place for you to stay. Â Thereâsâa room upstairs that I think used to be yoursâyouâre welcome to sleep up there if you wantâI mean, itâs your house and all. Â â
âThatâs another thing, Stanley. Â â
Stan got apprehensive. âUhâyeah. Â â
âWhat I said aboutâwell, the houseâand the Mystery Shack being over and allâwell, how aboutâwhile Iâm doing my research, maybeâif I find something interestingâI can bring it back here for one of your attractions. â
One could almost see the dollar signs floating around Stanâs head. Â âR-really?â
âReally. Â Iâwonât bring anything back too dangerous, though, I promise. Â â
âPhew.â Stan breathed, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand. Â âThatâs good, âcause once I let Mabel run the shackâand I found out later that Dipper brought back thisâthingâthat was supposed to make people see their worst nightmares or somethingâanyway, I almost got sued.â Stan shuddered at the thoughtânot so much of the creature, but the getting sued part-- Â âThat would not be good. Â â
Ford covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head. Â âAlways the one for the money, werenât you, Stanley.â
Stan shrugged. Â âWell, I told you how the Shack got started. Â I needed to eat, for cryinâ out loudâand pay your mortgage, by the way. Â Anyhowââ his tone became a little softerâfor Stan, anyway. Â âThank you, Sixer. Â I canât tell you how much I appreciate that.â
Ford smiled.  He hadnât been called âSixerâ in so longâŚ
Stan turned and beckoned to his brother. Â âCome onâthat room upstairs in kind of dusty, but Iâll bet itâs more comfortable than down here. Â Besides, Iâm pretty sure Iâve seen things crawling down here, and considering what may have come through that portal, I donât want to think of what they might have been. Â â
Ford looked back at the portal, then back at his brother. Â âOkay, Stan. Â Iâve slept in dirt, so Iâm guessing a bit of dust wonât hurt me. Â â
He stepped on to the stairs.
âSay, is my âExperiment 78â still in that room? Â âFord asked.
âWhat? Â Oh, you mean that weird rug? Â NoâDipper had Soos get rid of it when he wanted to have that room for his own, then he changed his mind and moved back in with Mabel. Â â
âAh, okay. Â Thatâs too bad. Â I have another question thoughâwhy do the kids call you âGrunkleâ? Â â
âYou couldnât figure that out, Poindexter? Â Well, I donât remember if it was Dipper or Mabel, but they were maybe eighteen months or so old, and Shermyâs son introduced me as their âGreat Uncle Stan. HehâI guess âGreat Uncleâ was a bit of a mouthful for a kid that littleâit came out âGrunkleâ. â
âI see.  And what aboutâŚâ
Stan smiled as he listened to his brotherâs next question and opened the vending machine door into the shop. Â He had a feeling that it was going to be a long night with all of his brotherâs questions, but he didnât mind. Â For the first time in twenty-five years, heâd be talking to his twin brother.
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