Mabel woke up groggy. That was to be expected, since she was still recovering from her time in the so-called moon. June had prescribed rest and plenty of sleep. Mabel didn't know how much opportunity she'd get to rest, since she and the other Symbols still needed to form the Cipher Wheel. But she'd try.

She shivered in the morning chill. She had gone to bed wearing multiple layers, but still, with the Museum's heating system running at half-capacity, the building was far colder than usual. But at least the system was running at all. After the barrier around town had appeared, Ford had brought multiple portable generators and plenty of fuel from his bunker to the Museum. It was helpful to have an uncle who stock-piled supplies in preparation for the apocalypse.

Her orange hoodie was bloody from last week, and they didn't really have a way to wash it. Mabel hoped they could save it; she loved that hoodie. But for now, she dressed in clean clothes and bundled up in a warm grey cardigan.

She had just finished getting ready when the door opened. "Good morning, Mabel," said Dipper, keeping his voice quiet. Mabel could still hear the happiness therein. "How are you feeling?"

Mabel shrugged. "Still tired. But my hand doesn't hurt anymore."

"Oh, good! Breakfast is ready if you want to come downstairs."

"Awesome." Mabel had eaten a meal late last night, but she was still starving.

"Oh, wait," Dipper said, "I have something for you! One sec." He went over to his side of the room and grabbed a blue and cream knit hat. "Ta-da! I knitted it for you! Fidds taught me how."

He held it out to her, and Mabel took it. "It's beautiful, Dip," she said. She put the hat on; it would help warm her ears in this cold house. "Thanks."

Dipper grinned and gave her a hug. She couldn't imagine how scared he'd been while she'd been gone. But she was back. She was okay.

The twins came slowly down the stairs, with Dipper matching Mabel's slow pace so he could help her walk if she needed it. She felt fine on her own, but she appreciated his closeness.

In the living room below, the three Valentino boys played a card game on the floor, and an unfamiliar woman sat on the couch, knitting a blanket. Mabel stopped halfway down the stairs and whispered, "Dipper, who is that?"

Dipper followed her gaze. "Oh, that's Gideon's mom. Good morning, Geneva," he called.

Geneva looked up and smiled at the twins. "Good morning."

When the twins got to the base of the stairs, Waddles came around the corner to meet them. "Morning, Waddles!" said Dipper, picking him up and squeezing him.

"Did he not sleep on your bed last night?" Mabel asked, realizing she hadn't seen the pig until now.

Dipper shook his head. "He's been spending a lot of time in the parlor. With. . ." He hesitated. "With Pacifica."

Mabel's heartbeat sped up. "She's here?"

"Yeah. She's a prisoner here. She's been helping Lee, since she can see his spirit without an amulet. But I don't know if. . . if she's willing to help with the Cipher Wheel. I've been avoiding her."

The Museum suddenly seemed three sizes too small. It was good to have all ten Symbols together, but — Pacifica? She'd — she'd tried to murder Mabel!

"You said she was in the parlor?" Mabel said, resolving never to go there.

"That's where she sleeps, yeah. She comes out to the kitchen to get food, but not with the rest of us. Melody can make sure you never run into her if you ask."

Mabel tried to keep her breathing steady. "Okay," she said. "Okay." It would be okay, right? Dipper and Melody and Ford were all here to protect her.

Waddles made snuffling noises and squirmed in Dipper's arms. Dipper put him down, and he immediately went to Mabel's side. "Thanks, piggy," Mabel said, crouching down and rubbing Waddles behind the ears.

"To breakfast?" said Dipper.

Mabel nodded. She and Dipper went in that direction.

Something in her periphery made Mabel stop. Someone was in the hallway. Heart pounding, Mabel turned.

It was Pacifica. She stood there with wide eyes. It seemed she had overheard the twins' conversation about her.

The girls' eyes locked. Then Dipper moved in front of Mabel to shield her. "What're you looking at?" he snapped at Pacifica.

Mabel's heart was pounding in her ears now. She stayed behind Dipper, not daring to move.

"Mabel, I—" Pacifica began.

"You don't get to talk to her," Dipper said.

"Dipper, wait," Mabel said. Pacifica's voice. . . it didn't sound normal.

Mabel moved so she could see Pacifica. The sight of the other girl made the pounding in her head increase, but she tried not to look away. Pacifica looked scared, but not. . . not hostile. Mabel locked eyes with her again, and silence stretched over the next few seconds.

"I'm sorry," Pacifica blurted.

Before Mabel could process her words, she turned and ran back down the hall.

Waddles left Mabel's side and followed her, but Mabel hardly noticed. She stared at Pacifica, whose blonde hair streamed behind her as she ran.

. . . What?

Footsteps behind her revealed Melody, who had seen the whole thing from the kitchen. "Are you okay, Mabel?" the housekeeper asked. "I'm sorry, I should've told you she was here."

Mabel felt disoriented. Did Pacifica just apologize? Pacifica? Apologize?

Dipper led Mabel into the kitchen, where Melody served oatmeal and yogurt. Ford and Fidds were there, too. "Where's Gideon?" Dipper asked.

"He and Geneva ate on the second shift with the Corduroys," Melody said. "Then he left. He said he was bringing Andrew here."

This got Ford's attention. "Andrew? Oh, good. Maybe he'll have the data we need."

"Data?" asked Mabel.

Fidds nodded. "We've been trying to reprogram the portal to send people back to our dimension. But we don't have the coordinates or anything like that. Maybe Andrew will know."

"Maybe he'll have my third Journal, too," Ford said. "I think it got left at the minotaur village when Lee and I were kidnapped. But. . . well, even if he has the Journal and the information we need, we'd still have to get more fuel. We have about eighty-five gallons left over from last time, which leaves us two hundred and fifteen short. It'd be a major operation to bring more fuel here, given all the rifts between us and the UFO."

"Right," Fidds said. "The Cipher Wheel is still the main priority. But if it's possible to have the portal as back-up, that would be helpful."

The conversation faded after that, and Mabel silently ate her food. It seemed Ford and Fidds were getting along, which was good. She wanted to ask them about the Cipher Wheel — how close were they, really? — but she quickly got distracted thinking about Pacifica.

Had she really apologized? Had Mabel misheard? If she had apologized, what exactly had she apologized for? Everything? She had made Mabel's life miserable for most of her time here in Gravity Rises. Could "I'm sorry" ever make up for that?

It all felt so surreal. When Pacifica had stabbed Mabel with the dagger, it had happened in only a few minutes. Mabel had felt dread and fear while she waited in the Hall of Mysteries with Dipper and the others; then, that fear spiked into panic as Pacifica attacked; then, all feeling was gone. The next thing Mabel remembered was a beautiful summer day in her fake world.

And now she was back. And Pacifica was here. And they had to work together to form the Cipher Wheel.

Mabel had no idea if Pacifica was willing to join them. Plus, though she knew they had to have Pacifica's help for the spell to work, she also shuddered at the thought of being so close to her attacker.

"Hey, Mabes," Dipper said once they'd finished eating, "do you want to come meet the perytons now?"

That's right, Dipper said last night that there were perytons here. Mabel smiled. Maybe they could take her mind off Pacifica. "Sure," she said.

Dipper led Mabel out of the kitchen. "They're in Ford's lab, or outside," he said. "We can get to the lab through the Hall of Mysteries so we don't have to go near the parlor."

He started walking to the Employees Only door. Mabel paused in the entryway, looking down the empty hall. Pacifica was down there somewhere.

"Mabes? You coming?"

Mabel took a deep breath. "Yeah."

The twins went to find the perytons, avoiding Pacifica as best they could.

~~~~~

Lee followed Gideon when he left to go get Andrew. It's not like he had anything else to do. He told Pacifica where he was going, then left, keeping pace with Gideon easily. The two of them — one a spirit, one using magic — flew through the air.

Could Andrew help? Could Lee possess Greg? Would the Cipher Wheel still accept him in someone else's body? It was a topic Lee and Andrew had discussed when Lee was a prisoner in the minotaur village, but Andrew hadn't thought it likely to work. The Cipher Wheel would only work if each Symbol was a soul. Both spirit and body. There was a chance that Lee could have a makeshift soul with his own spirit and someone else's body, but Andrew wasn't sure if that would count.

They soon reached the minotaur village. Andrew was happy to see Gideon. Gideon explained that the trip would be fastest if he climbed on Andrew's back and levitated the minotaur while holding on himself. Or they could walk through the forest on foot, and Gideon could levitate Andrew and then himself over each rift.

"I'd prefer a faster trip," Andrew said. "I can carry you."

Andrew packed up, said goodbye to his family, and left his son Enoch with instructions to continue teaching magic to the others. Lee was glad to find out that the minotaurs were preparing for a fight. Hopefully a fight wouldn't be necessary, but it was good to be prepared.

"All right," Andrew said to Gideon, "let's go."

It was more than a little strange for Lee to see Gideon ride piggy-back on someone, but the boy climbed onto Andrew's back without comment. His magic surrounded Andrew, and the minotaur lifted into the air. Just like that, they were on their way back to the Museum.

When they got there, Ivy and the other hamadryads greeted them. They told Andrew that they'd chased away the servants and Order members. "Do you know where they are now?" Andrew asked.

No one did. Well, Lee had a guess — he'd found the places they were staying when he'd explored the town last week — but he couldn't communicate that at the moment.

"Someone should find out," Andrew said, "so they can't surprise us with an attack."

Ivy sent out a few hamadryads and perytons to go search — the hamadryads in the trees, the perytons in the air. Lee silently wished them well, then followed Andrew and Gideon into the Museum.

The others were happy to see Andrew (except Geneva, who had never seen a minotaur before and was therefore more nervous than anything). Ford and Fidds immediately asked Andrew to help them with their portal project, and Andrew agreed. He gave Ford the third Journal, which had indeed been left in the minotaur village, then followed the scientists down to the basement. Lee wanted to follow them and see what happened, but he decided to go check on Pacifica instead. Melody and Fidds had been spending some time with her, but she was often alone, and Lee didn't want that for her. She needed better company than her cruel hallucination.

She was lying on the air mattress, Waddles by her side, the blanket pulled over her head. Unusual for mid-morning. "Pacifica?" Lee asked. "Are you okay?"

She moved the blanket so she could see him. "She saw me," she said. "I said I was sorry. She just stared at me. At least she didn't run away." She closed her eyes. "I was the one who ran away."

Lee knew she was talking about Mabel. "You did the right thing," he said. "Apologizing, I mean."

"Shadow Pacifica's happy about it," Pacifica muttered. She sounded both annoyed and relieved.

"Yeah? What is she saying?"

"That I still have a long way to go, but at least I took the first step to forgiveness. She says she wouldn't be surprised if nobody forgave me, though."

It seemed that even as Pacifica changed for the better, this hallucination of hers still reminded her of her self-loathing. "Well, I think she's wrong about that last part," Lee said. "I think people will forgive you."

From the look Pacifica gave him, he didn't think she believed him. Admittedly, Lee didn't actually know if people would forgive her. He hoped they would, though. Especially if Pacifica agreed to join the Cipher Wheel.

There was a knock on the door. Pacifica got to her feet and opened it, revealing Melody. "Will you come out to the living room?" Melody asked. "Andrew's downstairs with Ford and Fidds, but Gideon wants to get all the Symbols together."

Pacifica hesitated. "This is it, isn't it?" she said. "Gideon's going to help Lee possess Greg, and then we — you — will form the Cipher Wheel."

Melody nodded. "This is it," she confirmed. "Will you come?"

Pacifica looked between Lee, Melody, and another spot in the room where Lee guessed Shadow Pacifica was. "I. . . I don't know."

"Pacifica," Lee said gently. "Look at me."

She did, but she glanced away when, presumably, Shadow Pacifica said something.

"Ignore her," Lee said. "Listen to me, okay? If I can, I'm going to possess Greg. But that's only a temporary solution. I'll only be in his body long enough to form the Cipher Wheel. And if it doesn't work. . . well, that's another issue. But the only way for me to get my body back, Pacifica, is if we defeat Bill. And once we do that — once I have my body back — I'll be able to help you. I'll be able to take care of you. But I can't do that unless you help me and the other Symbols form the Cipher Wheel."

Pacifica's eyes were locked on his as he spoke. Longing and hope were visible in her eyes.

"Please, Pacifica. Say you'll join the Cipher Wheel."

Her eyes left his face and traveled around the room again. Melody, though she couldn't hear Lee, waited patiently for Pacifica to say something.

Pacifica looked back at Lee. "You'll take care of me?" she said. "You and — and Ford?"

Lee hadn't thought about Ford. But he wanted to move into the Museum after this was all over, so it made sense that Pacifica had thought of Ford as a potential guardian as well. "I don't know about him," he said, "but I think he'll be willing to help. We'll take care of you as best we can."

Pacifica glanced in Shadow Pacifica's direction again. Lee wondered what the hallucination was saying. Hopefully positive, encouraging things.

It was a long minute before Pacifica said anything. Then—

"Okay," she said. "I. . . I'll do it. I'll join the Cipher Wheel."

~~~~~

Mabel and Dipper took their time going out to the living room. Mabel felt guilty; she didn't want to delay the Cipher Wheel. But. . . Pacifica was out there. Melody had told them that when she'd come to get them.

Melody had also told Dipper not to be rude. Dipper had scowled when she said that, the dark expression out of place on his usually happy face. "It's okay, Dipper," Mabel said, her voice a tiny bit shaky. "If she really is sorry. . . I think it'll be okay."

She didn't know if she believed that, though.

By the time the twins finally got out to the living room, it was full. The Symbols — Gideon, Ford, Fidds, Melody, Wendy, Robbie, and, yes, Pacifica — stood in the center of the room. Greg sat on the couch, looking extremely nervous, with Janice standing behind him. Geneva, Danny, and his three sons stood in the entryway, watching the Symbols. Andrew stood by the couch. Mabel assumed Lee was somewhere in here, as a spirit. That left only her and Dipper to join the other Symbols.

Grasping hands, the twins made their way to the other Symbols. Mabel briefly met Pacifica's eyes, and both girls immediately looked away. Behind Pacifica, on the table in the back of the room, Mabel noticed the three Journals.

She looked around the room, trying to keep her gaze away from Pacifica. Robbie gave her a shaky smile, but his eyes were mostly on his dad, who, as Melody had told them, was about to get possessed by Grunkle Lee. If everything went well.

Gideon was deep in conversation with Andrew, but he spared a quick smile for Mabel when he saw her. Like Greg, Gideon looked rather nervous. Mabel didn't blame him.

Once Ford saw that the twins were there, he cleared his throat. "I have an announcement to make. Sadly, we're not going to be able to reprogram the portal." He sounded disappointed but unsurprised.

"I don't have the information they need," Andrew said apologetically, "at least not in the numerical form they need it. The Cipher Wheel is our only hope. But we already knew that."

People nodded. The Symbols' backs straightened with tension.

For a moment, the room was silent. Even the youngest Valentino boy (who Mabel thought was about eight years old) made no sound.

"Well," said Andrew, clasping his hands, "we're all here. Let's get started."