Pacifica froze immediately. There he was, in all his dysfunctional glory. Dipper Freaking Gleeful.

He looked exactly as he did when he left a little over a year ago. Same tousled brown hair in the same exact style. Same clothes, black dress pants, same blue collared shirt that left little to the imagination. The only thing that was different, was his heart. Cold as ice.

"I'm surprised what she did to the room." He startled her by saying, although she wasn't sure he was talking to her. Even his voice had that same coldness and edge like it did before. "Although I can't imagine why she stayed."

Pacifica felt her hands clench into fists. How dare he!

"After all," he continued, his back toward her. "The whole marriage was a facade, but I can understand her not wanting to face her parents."

Pacifica resisted the urge to slap him. Either he truly didn't know she was there or he was baiting her. And although she hated it, it was working.

"Wouldn't you say, Mabel?"

Of course, he thought he was talking to his sister and not his fake fiancé. Of course. Now seemed like the better time to let him know who she was.

"I dunno, after all, maybe she believed you were coming back." Pacifica crossed her arms over her chest and watched Dipper's movements. She watched that the muscles in his back tensed ever so-slightly.

Pacifica could have sworn she heard him murmur an 'oh shit' but she couldn't have been sure. Maybe he did. Maybe. "Anything to say?" She shook her head. "Doubtful. Funny, you always had such a knack for words, how come there is nothing to say now?"

"Oh, Pacifica," he murmured with a shake of his head. "Of course you feel you have been wronged."

"What do you mean 'feel'?" She demanded. "it isn't based on feeling, dumbass, it's based on the basic and very blatant facts that were provided."

"Ah, it seems you've taken a page out of my book." He nodded, finally turning to look at her. "After all, it was I who taught you that using phrases like that verbally disables your opponent."

Pacifica uncrossed her arms and clenched her fists at her side. It would seem that words came easy for him, she was wrong.

"Or, perhaps you've forgotten." He replied easily with a shrug. "You look well."

"So do you." Pacifica replied with a tight-lipped mouth.

"Something about being free to roam wherever you want," he chuckled.

"You put your family through hell," she stated angrily.

"Twas ever thus." He laughed aloud after those three words.

"And you don't seem to care at all." Pacifica finished.

"And you're really surprised?" He scoffed. "I thought someone told you about me, Pacifica. After all, don't you think you would've figured this out by now?"

He was being so cruel. He really didn't care at all. All those moments they shared and it actually meant nothing to him.

"So why come back at all?" She asked. "If being free is your thing then why come back?"

For once he didn't have a quick-witted response ready. It gave her a little bit of satisfaction knowing she'd caught him off guard.

"No answer?" Pacifica rolled her eyes. "You didn't come back for your family, and you sure as hell didn't come back for me. So why?"

"That's something you wouldn't understand, Pacifica." He sighed. "And I wouldn't waste my time trying to explain it to you."

"Of course, because your time is so valuable." She snorted.

"Believe it or not," he flashed a grin, "My time is terribly valuable."

"Price of being famous." She replied. "Your fault."

"I don't think it's being famous, Pacifica." He shook his head. "Just successful."

"And how, if I may ask, did you get this success?" Pacifica raised a brow. "Sleeping with everyone in power till it got you to the top?"

Immediately after the words were out of her mouth, Pacifica expected him to frown or lash out, but no. His reply was even worse.

"Something you would know about, wouldn't you say?" He chuckled. "Think about what you say before you say it. Especially if it applies to yourself. Hypocrite."

"So you're saying that you have slept around with people to get to the top?" Pacifica dodged his remark, even though it stung.

"Of course not. I'm not desperate." His tone was laced with ice.

Oh Pacifica was so close to punching him again. But she needed to get somewhere with him. If this conversation continued, she had a small chance to dig deeper at him and figure out why.

A small chance. But a chance indeed.

"You're insinuating that I'm desperate?" She demanded.

"Of course not, Pacifica." A smirk crawled onto his face. "I'm stating it."

"I'm not desperate." She crossed her arms.

"Oh? Then riddle me this, why are you still here?" He gestured to the room, and Pacifica knew what he was talking about. "You knew it was over, so why even bother to stay?"

Pacifica found that the words were trapped in her throat. She hadn't expected him to go there, she had expected more banter and arguing. But she was wrong once more.

"Unless, oh no," he closed his eyes briefly and shook his head sadly.

"What?" She demanded.

"Unless you expected me to come back." He sighed. "Come back to you."

Pacifica went silent, thinking about everything that led up to this exact moment. Was he right? Is that why she stayed?

No, she stayed because she had made friends with his family and was helping them through their hardships.

He had to be some crazy egomaniac to assume that she stayed for him and him alone.

"Well?" He asked. "Is that the reason, Pacifica?"