Stan was remembering. Not all at once. Never that easy.

Mabel said he'd saved the world. Dipper explained the memory wipe. Ford gave him the clearest version: he'd tricked a dream demon, and Bill had been erased along with everything in Stan's mind.

Somehow, pieces were coming back. A nickname here. A memory there. Fragments surfacing like old treasures from deep water. Ford called it a miracle. Stan called it a headache.

The hardest memories weren't the adventures or disasters. They were the people. The ones he loved. With a tired huff, he sank into his recliner and flipped on the TV. Ducktective filled the screen. Familiar somehow.

He cracked open a Pitt Cola and took a long drink, eyes fixed on the show. He wasn't sure why it felt important.

But it did.