The portal roared to life and Ford stumbled into the lab, coughing from the smoke and disoriented from the journey. His eyes darted around — the familiar walls, the strange faces. He straightened his coat and cleared his throat.

—"Hello, Stan... hello, kids... wait—kids?" He blinked at Dipper and Mabel, clearly thrown off. "Eh, never mind."

Without wasting another second, Ford reached into his coat and pulled out a worn photograph.

—"I need to know — do any of you recognize this person?" he asked, urgency thick in his voice.

Stan leaned in first, adjusting his glasses.

—"Can't say I do... but somethin' about 'em looks familiar..."

Mabel gasped

—"Wait! That looks like the person who owns the cute clothes shop by the woods!"

Dipper nodded.

—"Yeah, everyone talks about them! They're super nice."

Ford’s heart skipped.

—"Where?"

Moments later, he was rushing down the crooked streets of Gravity Falls, the photograph nearly crumpled from his grip. The town hadn’t changed much — wild woods, leaning signs, familiar winds.

Then — the shop.

There, behind the window, you stood, arranging colorful displays, your movements gentle but full of life. Ford stopped dead in his tracks, a painful lump rising in his throat. You looked different, yes, but you were still you — unmistakably you.

His eyes caught the glint of something: a ring on your finger. Their ring. The very same one he had slipped onto your hand with trembling fingers years ago.

Emotion overwhelmed him, too much, too fast. His vision blurred, the world tilting.

You turned, sensing his presence. Your eyes locked, and time seemed to stutter and stop.

Ford swallowed hard. His chest heaved once, then again. Tears filled his eyes before he could stop them. With a voice raw from too many years of silence, he stepped forward and whispered:

—"I'm back..."