Gideon had packed everything into the rental trailer. He had hidden his amulet in the fairy hollow. He had said goodbye to everyone, human and nonhuman alike. He had gotten in the car with the Pines and his sister.

And now they were driving down to California. It all felt so surreal.

For much of the drive, Dipper sulked, missing Waddles. Greyson would take care of the pig, but Dipper was still going to miss him, and he made sure everyone knew it. Gideon didn't dislike Waddles anymore, he had to admit — but he was glad he didn't have to share a car ride with the pig. He didn't say anything like that to Dipper, of course, but he was thinking it.

Mabel, when she wasn't consoling Dipper, sat quietly sketching in her sketchbook. Gideon was impressed that she could do that without getting carsick. And he didn't mind the lack of conversation. It gave him time to look out the window and think.

But the drive was a long one — about eleven hours. So Gideon didn't just look out the window. He talked to people, and napped, and helped pick out the places to stop for meals. The adults switched out driving every once in a while. But they didn't want to drive the whole way in one day — Sam and Camille had done that last month, and they didn't want to do it again — so they decided they would stop in Reno, Nevada, for the night.

Even knowing that the drive would be two days, everyone was excited to get to California. Grace in particular had this look of anticipation Gideon had never seen from her before. Like she was longing to go back to her family.

Well, of course she was. She was a wife and a mother now. She had a family to go back to.

That thought made Gideon nervous. He knew that Grace loved him, that she wanted to give him a place to stay. . . but would Gideon really be able to fit in with her family? A mom, a dad, two young boys, a baby girl. . . and the tall teenage brother?

He tried not to dwell on his worries, but in a long car ride with little else to do, it was hard. He stared out the window, watching the heavy snows of Gravity Rises give way to the light snows of Reno. That was one thing he'd miss: the snow. And he's miss his amulet, and the forest in general, and the space.

But he wouldn't miss his abusive situation. Or the memory wiping. Or the loneliness.

The group stopped for the night and slept in a cheap hotel. The next morning, everyone was understandably groggy. But they still had about three and a half hours to go before they reached their destination. So they got into the car and started driving once again.

The snow disappeared almost entirely as they drove further. It was a wonder Mabel and Dipper had handled the snow in Gravity Rises so well, because California had done nothing to prepare them for it. And even worse, the trees alongside the highway started to give way to buildings. And Gideon remembered another thing he wasn't happy about: Oakland was a city. Gideon didn't want to live in a city!

"Gideon? Are you okay? You look grumpy."

He glanced at Grace, who was sitting next to him in the backseat. He considered saying he was just tired, but then decided against it. "I'm just. . . going to miss the forest."

"I get that," Grace said. "But don't worry. We still have plenty of places to get out in nature. You've gotta see the redwoods."

"Redwoods are cool!" Dipper said. He was in a better mood today than yesterday, despite the car ride. "You'll love them, Gideon."

Gideon smiled. Okay. Maybe he wouldn't just be trapped in a city.

For the last hour of the drive, Gideon's thoughts turned from trees back to his worries from yesterday. What if Edward hated him? What if Grace's kids hated him? What if their giant dog attacked him or something? Grace had promised that the dog was a sweetheart, and she had shown Gideon cute pictures of her family on her phone, but still.

And, on a more serious note. . . what if the courts decided Gaston should keep custody of Gideon? What if he was taken away from Grace? Even if he did stay with Grace, what if they couldn't find a suitable way for Gideon to finish eighth grade, and he had to be held back a year? He refused to fall behind in school just because of some stupid ancient magic.

They got closer to Grace's house. Grace got more and more excited; Gideon got more and more worried. "Hey, Charlie," said Grace. "Breathe. It's okay."

He forced himself to take a deep breath.

Grace directed the Pines through the smaller streets as they got closer. Instead of going into the taller, dense buildings of the city itself, they went up into a neighborhood that had decently sized houses. Gideon relaxed a bit. There were trees in people's yards and along the roads, and the area didn't feel crowded with buildings.

"There!" said Grace. "It's the third house down on your right."

The Pines pulled into the driveway. "All right, everybody out," Sam said. "Gotta stretch our legs!"

Mabel and Dipper got out, then moved the seat forward to let Gideon and Grace out. Gideon had been feeling cramped in that backseat; he stretched his arms up.

"We'll start unloading," said Camille. "You two go and see everyone."

"Thanks," Grace said with a smile. She waved for Gideon to follow her, then started up the driveway.

The door opened before they got far. "Mommy!" cried a young voice. A small child came running out.

"Curtis!" Grace swept the four-year-old into her arms. "Oh, I've missed you so much!"

"Jojo up! Jojo up!"

That must be two-year-old Joseph. Grace put Curtis down (he immediately clung to her legs) and picked up Joseph. "Hi, Jojo," she said, hugging her younger son just as tightly.

The two little boys were so excited to see their mom that they didn't notice Gideon. That is, until Grace specifically pointed him out. "Curtis, Jojo, do you see that boy there?" she said. "That's Gideon. He's your uncle. Why don't you say hi to him?"

"Uncoh?" said Joseph.

"Yep! Go say hi."

Gideon had no idea how to respond to the two boys when they came running his way. "Hi," he said.

"Hi!" said Curtis. "I'm Curtis!" He then. . . kept talking. Gideon only understood every third word. But Curtis didn't seem to care, as long as Gideon (after a reassuring nod from Grace) said things like "oh" and "cool" every time Curtis paused for more than half a second.

Joseph lifted his arms. "Up!"

Gideon didn't know how to say no, so he picked Joseph up and balanced him on his hip.

Then he looked up.

And there was Edward. Kissing Grace.

Gideon stared at them. He hadn't seen Edward come out of the house. But now Edward and Grace were kissing like they hadn't seen each other for weeks — which they hadn't. Their arms were wrapped around each other, and they didn't seem like they'd be coming up for air anytime soon.

Well. It seemed to be Gideon's job to keep the boys occupied while their parents reunited.

"Curtis," he said, "Grace — I mean, your mom says you like Legos."

"Yeah! Yesterday I built a Lego train! Come see!"

"I would love to see," Gideon said. "But I don't think I can right now." Not only did he have luggage to bring in, but Grace and Edward were very much in the way.

Husband and wife finally broke apart. They turned to Gideon. Both looked a bit embarrassed.

"Hi there, Gideon," said Edward. "Welcome."

Gideon didn't answer at first. This was the man Grace had been forced to marry? Gideon had heard about him from Grace, had seen pictures, but it was still strange to see him in person. He looked so. . . normal. Normal brown hair in a normal hairstyle. Young, like he was in his mid-twenties. Average build, but decently fit. Casual clothes, like he was enjoying his Saturday off from work. Not only did Edward look normal, he looked. . . relaxed. Not at all like the stuffy rich man Gideon had imagined six years ago.

"Charlie," Grace said, "this is Edward."

Gideon swallowed. "Hi."

Edward smiled warmly. He'd just met Gideon, and he was already smiling like he was family? Well. . . Gideon supposed he technically was family. He just didn't know Gideon yet. But that smile said he did — or at least that he wanted to.

Joseph started squirming in Gideon's arms. "Dow! Dow!" he said. Gideon put him down, and Joseph toddled over to his dad.

"I've been following everything on the news," Edward said. "It seems like you were in the middle of everything that happened. But you didn't want to be interviewed about it."

Gideon found himself tensing up a bit. He didn't want to be interviewed here, either.

But that didn't seem to be Edward's plan. "When I asked Grace, she told me you helped save the world. So thanks for that." His smile took on a playful slant.

Gideon blinked. Was he. . . joking with him?

"You're welcome," Gideon responded. It came out stiffer than he meant. But Edward just kept smiling.

"Let's help the Pines with Gideon's stuff," Grace suggested. "Curtis! Do you want to help bring things inside?"

"Yeah!" Curtis replied.

The group started taking in Gideon's luggage. Sam and Edward took the heavier boxes. Grace carried Joseph on one hip and a light box on the other. Curtis proudly pulled the lightest suitcase behind him, with Dipper to help him keep it firmly on its two wheels.

Gideon really didn't have that much stuff — at least not stuff that he could bring with him from the Manor, like the books in the library. It didn't take long to bring everything in. Edward had gotten a room ready for Gideon during the weeks he'd waited for Gideon and Grace — and seeing the small room almost made Gideon tear up. What was with him today? Was he just tired after the long car ride?

They put Gideon's things down to be unpacked and sorted through later. Gideon dropped off his last load, then turned to leave the room.

Edward stood in the doorway. "What do you think?" he asked.

"It's nice," Gideon replied. "Thank you." It was much smaller than his room back at the Manor, but Gideon wasn't going to say that.

"Make yourself at home," Edward said. It was a standard phrase, but Edward said it in all seriousness.

Then he withdrew.

Gideon stood there in the middle of the room. He was in a weird form of shock. There was just. . . so much. He couldn't process it.

He sat down on the bed and didn't move for a few minutes.

Then Grace appeared in the doorway. "Hey," she said. "The Pines are about to leave. Do you want to come see them off?"

That got Gideon to move. He didn't know when he'd see the Pines again — although with how close they lived, he doubted it would be long. That was a nice thought.

Grace led Gideon outside, where the Pines were standing on the driveway. Also outside with them was Duke, Grace and Edward's Great Dane. Dipper had draped himself over the big dog in a big hug, and Mabel was rubbing Duke's ears.

Mabel saw Gideon, and straightened. "Gideon," she said. There were tears in her eyes. "This is amazing."

She only said those four words, but Gideon could hear everything else she was saying behind them. This was amazing because it was safe. Because it was place where Gideon could live without fear, without demons, without torture. Mabel and Dipper had both seen evidence, in different ways, of what Gideon's life had been like before. And now they both looked at him with tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces.

"Yeah," Gideon said. "It is."

Mabel hesitated for a moment, but then Gideon opened his arms, and she gave him a hug. "I'm so happy for you," she whispered.

"I'm happy for you, too," he said. "Go ahead and go home. You deserve it."

"We don't have a dog, though," Dipper said, giving Duke one last scratch behind the ears. "You're lucky."

"I'm sure you'll have more chances to pet their dog," Camille said.

"Yeah!" Dipper lifted Duke's chin. "I'll be back, buddy."

Duke wagged his tail.

The Pines got in their car and drove off. Gideon and the Prewitts waved goodbye until the car was out of sight. Edward held up Joseph, who was waving with both arms and would've fallen if not for his dad's strong hands. Grace held Curtis's hand, and they waved together.

Then the Pines were gone. "They're a good family," said Grace.

"Yeah," said Gideon.

As he said it, he looked around at the four people in front of him. Five, if you counted the baby growing inside of Grace.

This, said his brain. This is a good family, too.

He went inside with them. Not wanting to unpack just yet, he sat on the couch. Duke the Great Dane immediately climbed up beside him and laid his head on Gideon's knee.

Another wave of emotion washed over Gideon. He rested a hand on Duke's head.

"Uncoh Gideon! Look at my train!" Curtis lifted up a Lego creation with multiple colors that vaguely resembled the shape of a train.

"That's really cool," Gideon said.

Curtis grinned, happy with the praise. Then he got onto the couch on Gideon's other side.

Gideon sat there between his nephew and the dog. He could hear Edward talking to Joseph in another room. And Grace was somewhere in the house, too.

The surreal feeling from yesterday returned. Or, it had never quite left, but now it was really strong. There was no way this was happening. No way this was Gideon's life.

Grace appeared at the edge of the living room, coming from the hall. And she smiled at her brother.

Well, maybe. . . maybe this was his life.

Gideon sat there on the couch, petting the dog and listening to Curtis talk about Legos. He felt completely overwhelmed.

But in the best way possible.

~~~~~

Sam unlocked the door. Opened it. Flicked on the entryway light.

Mabel stared. Seeing the inside of her house was like seeing a scene from a half-remembered dream.

She took a tentative step inside. Almost like she was afraid. And. . . maybe she was. After all, the last time she'd been living happily with her parents, it had turned out to be a magical illusion from a spell that was killing her.

"We're back," Dipper said softly.

Mabel turned. "This isn't—" She suddenly felt stupid, but she had to ask. "This isn't magic? This is real?"

Sam gathered his daughter into his arms. "This is real," he said. "You're here. You're safe."

Mabel's heart swelled, and the joy leaked out of her eyes.

Dipper went into the living room and lay on his back on the floor. "We're home," he said to the ceiling. "We're home."

"Yes," Camille said. "Welcome home."

Mabel's brain still wasn't sure it believed that this was happening. But Mabel was too happy to really notice. She hugged her dad, and then her mom. They were real. They were safe.

She was home.

After everything that had happened. . . after months of adventure, danger, magic, terror, triumph, and everything in between. . . Mabel Pines was finally home.

END OF SEASON THREE