He didn't know why he did it. He was just so happy, so relieved to see her. He'd been searching for her for two days, and his morale was quickly dropping. But then she was there. One moment, he'd been searching the forest for her; the next, he was standing in front of her.

It was her. It was her!

"Mabel!" He hugged her; and when she pulled back, he got a good look at her face.

Kiss her! cried his brain in a rush of excitement.

So he did.

It was a moment of bliss. His lips on hers, his hands on her shoulders, his brain on fire as the hormones rushed through it. It was like nothing he'd ever felt before.

But then it was over. Mabel pushed him away and jumped back. "What are you doing?" she asked. Her voice was alarmed, even a bit horrified.

Gideon's bliss evaporated. He stared at her. "I. . . I wanted to kiss you," he said lamely.

She blinked as she processed this. "You need to ask," she said, as if this were obvious. As if he had broken a well-known social rule.

"What?"

"You need to ask before you kiss me," she said. She still looked shocked, but her eyes were firm.

"Oh." He hadn't thought of that. He'd thought. . . well, he didn't know what he'd thought. He'd just acted. Not something he usually did.

In his rising embarrassment, he said, "Then. . . can I kiss you?"

"No," she said vehemently.

He stared at her.

She deflated. "No," she said again, much quieter this time. "I'm sorry, but. . . no. I'm not ready for that."

"Oh," he said again. He wished he could be more eloquent, but his brain could only think in single syllables at the moment.

His excitement at seeing Mabel was gone. He was still really happy to see her, but that feeling was crowded out by his embarrassment. And by a touch of resentment. Why couldn't she just kiss him?

"Can we, um, go?" she asked. "I — I'm ready."

For the first time, Gideon looked around him. They were outside the library. The metal door, with Gideon's flashlight still wedging it open, was right there. How. . . ?

He glanced back at Mabel's face and saw triumph there. "I got us both here," she said in response to his confused look. "This is my world."

Though he was still embarrassed, he found himself smiling. "You saved yourself."

"Don't sound so surprised," she said. For a moment, he worried he'd broken another social rule and offended her, but then she smiled again. "Yeah. Yeah, I did. But I couldn't have done it without you to snap me out of whatever spell was on my mind."

They smiled at each other for a moment — though they couldn't seem to meet each other's eyes. Mabel's cheeks were flushed; Gideon probably looked the same, based on the heat in his face.

His unwelcome kiss — what was he thinking? — was only made more awkward by the next thing he had to say. "Well," he said, "um, well, I. . . I can only levitate one person at a time. As — as you know. So, um, I have to — to carry you."

Her pink cheeks turned red in the awkwardness. "Oh. Um. Oh."

"You can ride on my back," he said. "If. . . if you want."

"Oh. Okay."

He turned around, cursing himself as he did so. What an idiot. He'd seen that she didn't want to be in a relationship with him. He'd seen it in her own perfect fantasy world! What had possessed him to kiss her?

Hormones, his unrepentant brain replied. You're a teenage boy. It's natural.

His cheeks grew hotter.

"Should I wear the backpack?" Mabel asked. Huh? Oh, right. His backpack. Gideon took it off and gave it to her. Then she climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and lifting her legs so he could link his arms under her knees. An innocent piggyback ride, made a million times more awkward because of Gideon's dumb hormones.

He walked to the door, sticking his foot into the gap and pushing it open with Mabel's help. He bent down to grab the flashlight, then handed it up to her. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"I want to live," she said firmly.

It wasn't quite an answer to his question, but he was happy to hear it. He had no idea what she'd gone through these last two days. But from that sentence alone, he was sure it'd been hard.

The darkness on the other side of the door, a contrast to the morning sun, pressed in on Gideon as he stepped past the door and let it close behind him. He didn't mind darkness, usually, but in this moment his mind cried out for him to go back. Go back and live in the sun! There's no sunlight where you're going. Go back.

He didn't listen. That sun was fake. He needed to go back to the real world, activate the Cipher Wheel, and take his home back to the real sun. His sun.

With a determined breath, he activated his amulet and stepped off the landing. He wouldn't bother with the stairs. Mabel felt lighter now that they were in the air; that was good. He floated downwards, and the dark blue surface of the moon came into view. They had to get through that, and it would hurt.

Speaking of pain. . . "Mabel," he said, "does your hand hurt?"

A beat of silence. "No," she said, sounding surprised. "It hasn't hurt since Charles kidnapped me." Then she took a hissing breath. "Oh. Now it hurts."

Gideon nodded. "I think it's going to hurt a lot worse once we get out of here. I'm going to take you right down to the forest and call for the hamadryads to help you, okay? They should be able to help with your hand and with whatever this prison did to you. But try not to scream in pain. I don't want anyone to realize we're leaving."

"Okay," Mabel said, sounding nervous.

"It's going to hurt leaving the moon, too," Gideon said. "See that blue surface below us? We have to pass through that, and it somehow simulates pain. It'll stop hurting once we're through, but it'll take at least five minutes. Maybe ten."

"Oh," Mabel said. "I thought we'd be out of the moon as soon as we stepped through the door."

"No. We're in a hollow sphere now. I'm just lucky I found the door to your world when I first came in here."

She took a deep breath. "Okay. Let's do this."

Gideon descended until his shoes brushed the surface. Even with his shoes on, pain seared through his feet.

"Hold on tight," he told Mabel. "Once we're through, we only have my amulet to keep us in the air."

Then he fell. He didn't cancel his amulet magic; rather, he used it to push himself down. His feet burned, and he had to push with both his magic and his muscles to get his legs through the dense barrier. Mabel held on to him; she hadn't touched the surface yet.

Then, when Gideon was up to his knees, Mabel's feet hit the surface. She gave a surprised gasp of pain. "I know," Gideon said, his voice strained. "Just hold on."

He kept pushing down, and the pain spread through his body. Mabel whimpered quietly in his ear as they went.

It seemed to take a little shorter than last time, probably because they had gravity on their side. Gideon vaguely wondered how Gravity Rises still had normal gravity as it floated through space. It was probably part of the magic of the township, but he still wondered how it worked. That train of thought gave him something else to think about besides the burning pain.

"Almost there," he told Mabel just before their heads were submerged. "Hold your breath."

Their heads slowly passed through the surface. The pain dissipated as they left the moon.

At first, since Gideon was still pushing down with his magic, he and Mabel fell at an alarming rate. But Gideon slowed to a hover, then pointed himself like an arrow to the forest below. He flew like a bullet to the ground.

Mabel's whimpers died off, and her head drooped onto Gideon's shoulder. She clung to Gideon's neck, but her grip seemed to be slackening.

Oh, no. Was she about to fall unconscious? She'd fall off his back if she did. Gideon flew through a gap in the trees and stopped, hovering horizontally over the snow so that Mabel's weight was on him. Then he slowly rotated and laid Mabel on the ground. Her weak arms released his neck, and he quickly landed upright beside her, levitating her back into the air before she spent too much time in the cold snow.

"Help!" he called. "We need a hamadryad to help us! My friend is hurt! She's a Symbol, and she might be dying! Please, someone help!" His yells weren't panicked, but they were as loud as he could make them. Surely someone would hear.

Mabel gave a piteous moan at his shouts. She was at least semi-conscious; that was good.

"Please," Gideon called, "can a hamadryad help her?"

A woman appeared beside the trees. It was June. "I'll help," she said.

"Thank you." Gideon took his backpack off Mabel's back — his coat was in there; he'd need it — and then levitated Mabel into June's arms. Mabel moaned again as June held her.

"Wait here," June said. "I don't know how bad the damage is or how long it'll take, but there should be some heat mushrooms nearby for you."

She and Mabel disappeared into the trees.

Gideon watched them go, anxious thoughts running through his head. What if June couldn't help her? What if nine days in the life-draining moon was too much, and Mabel never recovered? How could Gideon remember Mabel's hand injury but not think that Mabel might fall unconscious once they were back in the real world? He shouldn't have let her ride on his back; he should've just carried her. That would've made things more awkward, but at least she wouldn't have been in danger.

Well, what mattered was that they'd made it here safely. Gideon's mistakes hadn't stopped Mabel from getting to June.

He shivered in the winter wind. In his backpack were his vest, coat, and gloves, which he put on; he also had a bag of heat mushrooms, so he didn't have to look for the ones June was talking about. Even with all his gear, though, he was still cold, and he wished to be back in the warm summer sun in Mabel's fake world. Not that he wanted to go back in there, but. . . who knew how long it'd be before he saw the real sun again?

June and Mabel were gone for about half an hour. While they were gone, Gideon hovered above the snow and looked up at the sky and its unfamiliar stars. He wondered for a moment when those stars were going to disappear, but then he realized they weren't going to. The township wasn't moving through the dimensions anymore. Its power source had escaped.

Mabel's moon was changing, too. Now that its victim was gone, it changed from a dark blue color to a neutral white one. The cracks that formed the pine tree faded, and new cracks with no particular pattern replaced them. Gideon was glad the moon was still here (it'd be hard to see without its light), and he was doubly glad that it was no longer killing his friend.

Gideon had said he didn't want anyone to realize they were leaving the moon, but with the color change, everyone would know Mabel had escaped. He wondered if Bill, in Lincoln's body, was watching. What would the demon do now? As far as Gideon knew, the Mystery Museum was still a safe place for the Symbols. Once he and Mabel got back there, and once Gideon helped Lincoln possess someone else's body, they would be able to form the Cipher Wheel. There didn't seem to be much Bill could do.

That was a nice feeling. After the stress of the last week, it was good to feel like Gideon and the others held the advantage.

Well. . . they held the advantage if June could heal Mabel. Gideon couldn't shake the paranoid thought that the hamadryad's powers wouldn't be enough. He tried not to think about worst-case scenarios, but it was hard. Especially because he was also trying not to think of the mortifying embarrassment of kissing Mabel when she didn't want him to.

Both of those forbidden subjects chased each other around Gideon's head. And in his exhaustion (which had been absent since he'd flown up to Mabel's moon, but which was now settling back onto his brain), Gideon didn't have much energy to monitor his thoughts.

You have to ask, Mabel had said. He'd never thought of asking to kiss someone. It was something that just happened, wasn't it? The more he thought about it, though, the more he realized he didn't have much experience. He'd seen his parents kiss, but never for long, and never with passion. He'd heard about kisses in movies, though he hadn't seen many himself; when he watched movies at all, he didn't like romantic ones.

He really had no idea what he was doing. So he just went for it. But apparently that wasn't okay.

He wanted it to be okay, though. He wanted to kiss Mabel. He'd gone through so much for her. Didn't he deserve it?

With that thought, he scowled at himself. Mabel was dying, and he was whining about how he deserved to kiss her? Of course he didn't. He hadn't been able to save Mabel; in the end, she'd had to do it herself. If she didn't want him to kiss her, then that was her choice. He certainly didn't earn it.

And the more he thought about it, the more he realized. . . relationships probably weren't something you earned in the first place. Not like earning a prize.

He didn't know. This topic wasn't something he'd ever bothered to learn, because before Mabel, he'd hardly ever thought about it.

Eventually, he was spared from his thoughts by June and Mabel reappearing below him. He heard Mabel's boots crunch in the snow, and he immediately flew back down to the ground. Mabel was on her feet, holding June's hand and leaning on the hamadryad. She looked tired, but awake. Alive.

Gideon couldn't resist a relieved smile. "Mabel. You're awake. How are you feeling?"

She looked down at her snow-covered feet as she considered her answer. Gideon realized that she was back in her pine tree shirt and orange jacket. The change must've happened magically when they'd exited the moon; Gideon hadn't noticed until now. The jacket had bloodstains on its sleeves from last week, but Mabel wasn't currently bleeding. That was good.

"It stills hurts," Mabel said, looking back up at Gideon. "My hand, I mean. But June say it'll finish healing in a few hours. I'm really tired, too, but she says that should pass with a few nights of good sleep."

June nodded. "She was very fortunate," she told Gideon. "She was in there for a long time, but she only lost a small portion of her life force. Nothing that can't be recovered with some rest."

"How does that work?" Gideon asked. "She didn't have much time left before. . ." He glanced at Mabel and didn't finish.

June smiled. "The ancients created the magic. I imagine they wanted to ensure that the Symbols could escape and recover if they were struck by the dagger. Perhaps the spell works on a sort of time delay. For the majority of Mabel's time up there, the magic drained her life a little bit at a time; but in the end, it was going to take what was left all at once and boost us through the dimensions." She shrugged. "That's just a theory. I'm very glad we didn't have to find out."

"Me too," Mabel whispered.

"And life force regenerates? With sleep?" Gideon asked.

"It's energy. Spiritual and physical energy, but mostly physical. Give the body time to build up its strength, and life force will regenerate with it. From what I know about humans, sleep is a good way to do that."

Gideon and Mabel nodded. That sounded about right.

"Gideon," said June, changing topics, "I'm glad you came to this section of the forest. Will you fly Andrew to the Museum? He can help you form the Cipher Wheel."

Gideon didn't like Andrew much — he thought it was partly Andrew's fault that Mabel was stabbed with the dagger — but he couldn't let his dislike get in the way of the Cipher Wheel. "Can he help Lincoln possess someone?" he asked. "I'm supposed to use my amulet to make it happen, but I've never exorcised someone from their own body before. Would he know more about that?"

"If anyone does, it'd probably be him," June said. "So you'll help?"

"Let me take Mabel first," Gideon said. "I'll come back for Andrew; it'll be easier with only two people instead of three."

"I don't think you can carry Andrew on your back," Mabel said with a smile.

Gideon smiled back; he was glad she was feeling good enough to joke around. "No, he'll probably have to carry me on his," he said. That'd be awkward, but probably not as awkward as carrying a girl who just told you not to kiss her.

Speaking of which. . . "Can you get on my back again?" he asked Mabel. "You almost passed out last time; I wouldn't want you to fall."

"I can hold on," she said. June nodded in agreement.

Gideon gave Mabel his pack and bent down so she could climb on. "Will you come too, June? When Andrew comes?" Mabel asked as Gideon straightened.

"No, I'd lose connection with my tree if I crossed the rifts," June said. "But the hamadryads in your section of the forest should be able to help."

"I asked one called Ivy if she could chase the servants and Order members away from the Museum," Gideon said. "I wonder if she did anything while I was gone."

"If she didn't, I'm sure she's making plans," June assured him. "Let's see. . . your section of the forest should have hamadryads, gnomes, and perytons, to name a few. Gnomes are especially good at chasing people away."

Gideon had only seen gnomes once, when a teenage Grace had fought them off with her amulet after they'd tried to abduct her and force her to be their queen. Maybe they'd try to take all the servants as queens.

The thought made him smile. "Well, thank you again, June," he said.

"Thank you," Mabel repeated. Her voice was quiet but fervent.

Gideon jumped into the air; Mabel hung onto him as they flew. Having her this close made him want to kiss her again. He knew she was tired, but maybe. . . well, they'd have to cross the Museum's barrier spell from above. Maybe they could land on the roof, and maybe Mabel would say yes if Gideon asked to kiss her.

Now that the moon was white instead of dark blue, Gideon found it easier to see where he was going when he was flying. He still had to be careful, of course — he didn't think the servants would try to shoot the Symbols, but he couldn't count on that assumption. He flew high enough that he could barely see the Museum; then he dropped down to the roof, slowing before impact.

Mabel climbed off his back. "Thank you, Gideon," she said. "Thanks for saving me."

He shook his head. "You saved yourself. I just helped you get started." He paused, glancing at the snowy roof below them. The angle of the roof was uncomfortably steep, but he kept his footing. "Mabel," he said, forcing himself to look back up at her face, "can I kiss you?"

She seemed to be expecting the question, but not in a good way. Her eyes studied her feet. "No," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, Gideon, but I don't. . . I don't want to kiss anyone. I'm not ready for that."

Gideon's brain immediately fired up, claiming she was being selfish and mean for denying him. Gideon didn't say anything for fear of letting those thoughts out of his mouth.

"I want to be your friend," Mabel said. "I really do. I'm just not ready for romance. But — but hanging out, and hugs, if. . . if you still want them. . ." She trailed off.

"I'd love hugs," Gideon said, forcing a smile. Scars or no scars, he liked Mabel's hugs. "And. . . okay. I can just be friends."

She gave him a shy smile. "It's good to be friends. Right?"

"Right." Of course it was good to be friends. But he wanted to be more. And she didn't.

And he'd have to live with that.

But. . . "Mabel. . . do you know when you will be ready?" he asked. It was a stupid question, but he wanted to know.

It took her a moment to answer. "No," she said, "I don't. But. . . how about this? In a few years, when I'm fifteen or sixteen, you can ask me again if you can kiss me."

"And you'll say yes?"

"I don't know, but that's when you can ask." Her words sounded shy, maybe even a bit playful, but also serious. She was drawing a clear line in the sand, and she didn't want Gideon to cross it.

He didn't even know if he'd still know her in a few years. He certainly hoped he would, but. . . well, assuming the Cipher Wheel was successful, who knew what would happen when they got home and she went back with her parents? Still, this was her line. "Okay," he said. It hurt, but he said it.

"Thanks," she said. She gave him a hug. He hugged her back, almost mechanically.

"Can we go inside?" Mabel asked. "I want to see my family. And get some sleep."

"Right. Of course." He flew down from the Museum roof, and then lowered her to the ground. "Let's go in."

Suddenly, someone whooped in delight. Mabel jumped at the noise. She and Gideon turned around.

Outside the barrier stood a tall woman with dark skin and curly hair. Ivy! Nearby were a few perytons and other nymphs. They were cheering at the sight of Mabel and Gideon. Even the gnomes — stubby little creatures who resembled misshapen potatoes — made noise as they yelled and jumped up and down on the perytons' backs.

Mabel grinned shyly and waved at them. "They came!" she said to Gideon.

"Yeah, they did," he said. He couldn't resist a smile of his own.

The door to the Museum flew open. The people inside had been drawn by the shouting. And at the front was—

"Dipper!" cried Mabel. The twins ran to each other and gave each other such a tight hug that it was a wonder either of them could breathe.

"Mabel! You're alive!" Dipper was crying. "You're alive!"

Others — Melody, Ford, Fidds, the Corduroys, the Valentinos — came out to welcome Mabel home. Even Gideon felt tears of joy prick the corner of his eyes as he watched the reunion.

Or maybe they were tears of sadness. He wasn't sure.

A wave of loneliness suddenly washed over him. Mabel had her family now. She didn't need him.

"Mabel, you just missed it!" Dipper said. "The hamadryads came a few hours ago and chased away the servants and the Order members! They broke all their guns and sent them running! It was so cool! Oh, oh, and you've gotta meet my peryton friends! They're out back!"

The way the twins were standing, it seemed they never intended to leave each other. But Mabel made sure to hug everyone — even Wendy Valentino and her brothers.

Gideon felt an irrational pang of jealousy as Mabel hugged the oldest Valentino boy. He wanted to go somewhere else. No need for him here; Mabel deserved to spend time with her family.

While the others were hugging and crying and laughing, Gideon silently slipped away.

AN: Was this chapter a way for me to express my deep-seated belief that healthy relationships mean respecting people's boundaries and not going further than what they're comfortable with? Oh yes, it absolutely was. Gideon had no right to kiss Mabel when he'd seen evidence that she didn't want it, and I'm proud of him for realizing that. And yes, Mabel acted abrasively at first, but I will protect her from anyone who tries to hate on her for her final, healthy decision <3