Dipper kept
a close eye on Kleeo after she was born. The Time Wars were still burning down
to an end, and the world was tumultuous enough that a single innocent baby
could be too easily lost. Luckily for anyone who might have done her any harm
in numerous worst-case scenarios, she grew up whole and healthy and relatively
untouched by the final stirrings of rebellion and the chaos of a newly-built
government with an oversized immortal alien Time infant at its head. She did
quite well for herself in fact, building a career and a family with the
cheerful head-on determination so common to his Mizars.She
did, of course, have some help from her best friend and
brother-in-all-but-blood, Tyrone Pines. Dipper knew Time Baby was watching, of
course – Bill, however long past, and all his power and the threat he had once wielded
had always made the temporally-gifted being rather nervous, and Alcor was
technically the inheritor of much of that – but as far as he was concerned, the
enormous entity could go suck a pacifier. As long as neither party made any
overt moves against the other, both were content enough to leave the other be.
Kleeo was under Alcor’s protection, and that was simply part of the unspoken
understanding.Then
one of her daughters had a son, and the day he was introduced to the child
Dipper heard his name, saw a flash of his future, and nearly laughed himself
sick. He refused to tell anyone why, and instead appointed himself Chief
Babysitter and Teller of Tall Tales. The boy grew up on stories of far-off
times and places, and just enough hints of minor prophecy come true that he
believed in his Great-Uncle’s self-proclaimed “Foresight,” despite the official
refusal to acknowledge such a gift as truly existing at all.The
day he graduated Time Academy and was granted a basic rank in the Corps, Uncle
Tyrone made sure to visit, extend his congratulations, and whisper another ‘prophecy’
to him.“Time
Travel brings interesting opportunities. One day you’ll meet your gam-gam from
long ago. I’ve told you about her before. Don’t look for her; she’ll know you
when she sees you.”He
left Llolph to accept further congratulations with big shiny eyes – he always did
have an emotional streak a mile wide when it came to family, however he tried
to mask it with military stoicism – and popped himself into the mindscape the
moment he was out of sight.There
he proceeded to laugh himself sick again.No
wonder their bluff had worked.Gam-Gam indeed.