Prologue
"Wait..... Wait..... Just a little bit further" The pregnant female Irken was willing the egg inside her to wait until she had landed. In the immense amount of joy she was feeling at seeing Zim after all these months, she was growing distracted. At the prospect of seeing him, she didn't even think he might reject her, or have forgotten about her. She just set the coordinates to look for where Zim lived, and when it did, she just sat back. Occasionally she would start breathing quickly, and pain would contort her face. Then with tears in her eyes, she would hold her stomach, and begin talking to herself again. She was hoping beyond hope that the egg would be able to wait until she landed and gotten comfortable. Relief washed over her as she saw Earth.
***********************************************************************Later***************************************************************************
"Gir! I order you to stop squeaking that infernal pig!" Zim was trying to upgrade his Pak, and trying to make Gir stop squeaking his pig, but he could not do them both at the same time.
And then, to add to the racket and distraction, the bored voice of the computer boomed out, "Visitor at the door."
Zim paused from working. /What the.....?/ Zim thought to himself. /Why didn't the gnomes get them?/ Zim sighed, then grudgingly put his Pak back on. He walked over to the elevator, got inside, told the computer to take him to ground level, and began to ascend. When he got out, thoroughly annoyed, he put on the contacts and wig. Still pondering why the 'visitor' was not considered an intruder, he warily opened the door, expecting to see a human. What he saw knocked him off his feet, but, luckily for him, the spider legs from his Pak caught him just in time.
There was a female Irken, she had large large lavender eyes. Zim recognized her. "Tis?! What the... What happend? You're... You're.... You're fat! What the fuck happened to you?!"
Her eyes shone with joy, turning to increduality. "I'm not fat, idiot!"
"Then how....?" Zim was genuinly clueless.
"Oh, gee Zim, I wonder." She began sarcasticly. "Hmmm... Maybe it was caused by what we did that last night we were together."
Realization struck. Suddenly, it all came back. "Awwww, FUCK!" And then, the egg took the perfect chance to end the conversation (A/N: it already ended anyway but you know what I mean....). Agony contorted the features of Tis's face. She screamed in pain. And of course, Zim was STILL in shock, so he did nothing. However, in some remote, distant part in Gir's mind, he knew he needed to do SOMETHING, so he threw his rubber pig at Zim. Which was just enough to bring him back to reality.
"Fuck! What to do? What am I supposed to do?" Zim was frantically racking his brain.
"Take...... Me...... Inside....." Tis said in a barely audible voice. Every word was painful to her, but he obviously needed help on how to help her.
"Huh? Oh yeah! Of course!" He said. /Why didn't I think of that?/ he thought to himself as he gently picked her up. "Shhh, shh, its okay... You're going to be okay... Don't worry, I'm here." He was being so uncharacteristicly tender with her. Although he knew that she was feeling alot of pain, he had no idea the immensity of it. He could only get an inkling of an idea as Tis screamed and sobbed, her body convulsing and twitching. He took her inside, and gently layed her on a bed.
************************************************************************Meanwhile********************************************************************
Dib let the binoculars drop from his grasp. /Did I just see what I think I did?/ Dib was shocked. He couldn't believe it. He just saw a female Irken nearly give birth... He had heard what was said between Zim and Tis... /So, Zim has a family now./ He thought. /This should be... Interesting./ Curiosity overcame the boy, and since he figured Zim was off gaurd, he set off to get a closer look.
*****************************************************************************Later*********************************************************************
Tis was cradling a small egg, keeping it close to her body. Zim was watching her, smiling. He was still rather shocked, but joy overtook. Unconciously, he had fine tuned all his senses, ready to protect his love and his unhatched smeet against anything that could threaten them. Tis was just about to go to sleep when a SIR unit with aqua eyes took the egg with unbelievable swiftness. It was just opening its mouth to say something but before he could, Tis promptly took the egg from his grasp, and knocked him off the bed.
"You stay away from here Gir!" Zim yelled, enraged that Tis had been bothered, and that the egg had been taken. Gir's antenna drooped with sadness. He snapped out of it quickly saying, "Oooooh, who's the lady?"
"Just go Gir!" Zim was livid with him.
"Awwww, okay." He said and then went to the living room, plopped down on the couch, and turned the TV on to watch 'Idiot Trauma Center'. Currently there was one on where a thin man with bright red spikey hair and glasses was recuperating from an operation to get a perhanna out of his stomach.
"Good. He's gone now." Zim sighed. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Fine." She said. After Gir had surprised her with his 'attack' on the egg, she had been roused, and was now sitting up in bed, keeping gaurd. She was looking around the room, turning her head. She looked out a window, and saw Dib staring at her. Quite bewildered, she froze. "Zim..." She said quietly. He turned his head and saw him too.
Dib finally realised he had been spotted, so he made a run for it. However, Zim and Tis were too quick. They lept out of the bed, sprinted toward the window, and jumped out. "DIB! You evil little basturd!!" Zim was positively furious, as was Tis. Dib, on the other hand was terrified. He was even more so when he felt two pairs of arms wrap around him and push him to the ground. He just closed his eyes, feigning unconciousness. He felt his heart thumping in his chest as he was lifted by Zim.
"How pathetic," said Zim scornfully. "Faking unconciousness... Tisk, tisk, tisk....How cowardly."
Dib's face burned. He snapped his eyes open, "I am not a coward!" He said indignantly
"Oh, really?" Tis raised a non-exsistant eyebrow. "Then why you were acting unconcious?" She asked him.
"Ummm... Heh heh, I was just resting my eyes." He couldn't understand why he was embarrassed about his actions.
"Right...." Zim and Tis said in unison, both skeptical.
There was silence. Soon they were all in Zim's (and now his new family's) house. Zim was absolutely enraged. Once they were inside, Dib was uncerimoniously dropped. Zim began.
"WHAT DO YOU THI-"
"Zim," Tis cut him off, glaring at him.
"Wha-" He began, then cut himself off. "Oh." He suddenlly realised he had been walking on the grounds of a mother. It was her that had layed the egg, and since Dib had seen it, it was her job to inquire Dib. "Right... Sorry."
"That's quite alright. Now, please... Hold the Earthling." Zim did as she said.
"Now, Dib is it?" Dib nodded. "Okay then. What do you think you were doing?" Anger overtook her, but she remained calm.
"I was... Spying." His voice was more timid than he wanted it to be.
"On Irk, it isn't right to be spying on the /personal life/ of another. I don't believe it to be acceptable on Earth either. Am I right?"
"....Yes...." He still sounded more scared than he wanted. /What's wrong with me?!/ he thought angrily. /I have to stop showing weakness/ He silently resolved.
"Then why did you do it?" She no longer sounded so angry. Just curious.
"..." Dib averted his eyes. "....I.... I guess.... I guess I was just.... Curious...." "I mean, I spy on him anyways... I... I... I just want to know his weaknesses, that way I can stop him before he conquers Earth. Earth IS my home." His voice was strong now, and he was looking her in the eyes.
Tis suddenly looked pained. She looked at Zim, who promtly dropped Dib and, with concern etched in his face he hurried over to Tis and hugged her.
"What's wrong?" He was quite worried about her. She said nothing. "You can tell me /anything/."
"Can I tell you... The truth?" She looked away from him.
"Well, of course... Aren't you supposed to...?" He said, rather bewildered with what she just asked him.
"Okay. Sit down... This ought to be hard." She said quietly.
Zim plopped down on the couch, looking quite puzzled. /I wonder what she's going to tell me?/ he thought. /She's acting like its going to be bad... Will it be?/ Zim was getting worried now. Soon though, his pondering ceased as he heard her clear her throat. He met her eyes. They looked sorrowfull, pained. He was growing more worried by the second.
She looked like she regretted ever saying she would tell him. "You aren't on Earth to take it over-"
"Of course I am! The Almighty Tallests-"
"Don't interrupt!" She nearly screamed. "Now, I will continue." She cleared her throat. "You aren't on Earth to conquer it." She paused. "Your on it..." She sighed. "Your banished on Earth, Zim. You're not an Invader."
Zim opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was numb with shock. Part of him was screaming in protest, the other (larger) part knew she was right. That part knew all along. /I can't believe this.../ /Well, actually I can... We love each other, she wouldn't lie to me./ Zim was so deep in thought he didn't realise Tis hugging him, or Dib staring at him, open-mouthed.
Part of Dib was laughing at Zim. /I win Zim. You lose. You couldn't have won anyways, but still..../ Another part was sympathising, /Your an outcast of an un-fair society... Just like me./ He too was deep in thought. So deep, he didn't realise this was his chance to escape. He just stared.
After a little while, Tis went over to the bed, and picked the egg up. She brought it over to Zim. "Zim. Look. This is our child. Be glad we're on Earth. It'll never have to grow up the way we did. It'll grow up with love and caring. Knowing love. Knowing what love is. It'll never be lost or confused like we were. It'll grow up with actual parents. We'll give it the childhood we never had."
Zim's eyes cleared. He looked at the egg, then at Tis. He smiled weakly. "You.. You're right.. It'll have a good life.. I.. I.. I know it will.. And we'll tell it all about Irk.. So it'll know.." He was talking weakly, trying to stop the sobs that threatened to surface.
They didn't even notice Dib still staring at them. Finally snapping out of it, he made a run for the door, and left, sprinting all the way home, and never looking back over his shoulder. /I don't care if I was caught... I've gotta see Zim snap... He won't be able to take care of a kid... Heheh, this'll be good.../
"Wait..... Wait..... Just a little bit further" The pregnant female Irken was willing the egg inside her to wait until she had landed. In the immense amount of joy she was feeling at seeing Zim after all these months, she was growing distracted. At the prospect of seeing him, she didn't even think he might reject her, or have forgotten about her. She just set the coordinates to look for where Zim lived, and when it did, she just sat back. Occasionally she would start breathing quickly, and pain would contort her face. Then with tears in her eyes, she would hold her stomach, and begin talking to herself again. She was hoping beyond hope that the egg would be able to wait until she landed and gotten comfortable. Relief washed over her as she saw Earth.
***********************************************************************Later***************************************************************************
"Gir! I order you to stop squeaking that infernal pig!" Zim was trying to upgrade his Pak, and trying to make Gir stop squeaking his pig, but he could not do them both at the same time.
And then, to add to the racket and distraction, the bored voice of the computer boomed out, "Visitor at the door."
Zim paused from working. /What the.....?/ Zim thought to himself. /Why didn't the gnomes get them?/ Zim sighed, then grudgingly put his Pak back on. He walked over to the elevator, got inside, told the computer to take him to ground level, and began to ascend. When he got out, thoroughly annoyed, he put on the contacts and wig. Still pondering why the 'visitor' was not considered an intruder, he warily opened the door, expecting to see a human. What he saw knocked him off his feet, but, luckily for him, the spider legs from his Pak caught him just in time.
There was a female Irken, she had large large lavender eyes. Zim recognized her. "Tis?! What the... What happend? You're... You're.... You're fat! What the fuck happened to you?!"
Her eyes shone with joy, turning to increduality. "I'm not fat, idiot!"
"Then how....?" Zim was genuinly clueless.
"Oh, gee Zim, I wonder." She began sarcasticly. "Hmmm... Maybe it was caused by what we did that last night we were together."
Realization struck. Suddenly, it all came back. "Awwww, FUCK!" And then, the egg took the perfect chance to end the conversation (A/N: it already ended anyway but you know what I mean....). Agony contorted the features of Tis's face. She screamed in pain. And of course, Zim was STILL in shock, so he did nothing. However, in some remote, distant part in Gir's mind, he knew he needed to do SOMETHING, so he threw his rubber pig at Zim. Which was just enough to bring him back to reality.
"Fuck! What to do? What am I supposed to do?" Zim was frantically racking his brain.
"Take...... Me...... Inside....." Tis said in a barely audible voice. Every word was painful to her, but he obviously needed help on how to help her.
"Huh? Oh yeah! Of course!" He said. /Why didn't I think of that?/ he thought to himself as he gently picked her up. "Shhh, shh, its okay... You're going to be okay... Don't worry, I'm here." He was being so uncharacteristicly tender with her. Although he knew that she was feeling alot of pain, he had no idea the immensity of it. He could only get an inkling of an idea as Tis screamed and sobbed, her body convulsing and twitching. He took her inside, and gently layed her on a bed.
************************************************************************Meanwhile********************************************************************
Dib let the binoculars drop from his grasp. /Did I just see what I think I did?/ Dib was shocked. He couldn't believe it. He just saw a female Irken nearly give birth... He had heard what was said between Zim and Tis... /So, Zim has a family now./ He thought. /This should be... Interesting./ Curiosity overcame the boy, and since he figured Zim was off gaurd, he set off to get a closer look.
*****************************************************************************Later*********************************************************************
Tis was cradling a small egg, keeping it close to her body. Zim was watching her, smiling. He was still rather shocked, but joy overtook. Unconciously, he had fine tuned all his senses, ready to protect his love and his unhatched smeet against anything that could threaten them. Tis was just about to go to sleep when a SIR unit with aqua eyes took the egg with unbelievable swiftness. It was just opening its mouth to say something but before he could, Tis promptly took the egg from his grasp, and knocked him off the bed.
"You stay away from here Gir!" Zim yelled, enraged that Tis had been bothered, and that the egg had been taken. Gir's antenna drooped with sadness. He snapped out of it quickly saying, "Oooooh, who's the lady?"
"Just go Gir!" Zim was livid with him.
"Awwww, okay." He said and then went to the living room, plopped down on the couch, and turned the TV on to watch 'Idiot Trauma Center'. Currently there was one on where a thin man with bright red spikey hair and glasses was recuperating from an operation to get a perhanna out of his stomach.
"Good. He's gone now." Zim sighed. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
"Fine." She said. After Gir had surprised her with his 'attack' on the egg, she had been roused, and was now sitting up in bed, keeping gaurd. She was looking around the room, turning her head. She looked out a window, and saw Dib staring at her. Quite bewildered, she froze. "Zim..." She said quietly. He turned his head and saw him too.
Dib finally realised he had been spotted, so he made a run for it. However, Zim and Tis were too quick. They lept out of the bed, sprinted toward the window, and jumped out. "DIB! You evil little basturd!!" Zim was positively furious, as was Tis. Dib, on the other hand was terrified. He was even more so when he felt two pairs of arms wrap around him and push him to the ground. He just closed his eyes, feigning unconciousness. He felt his heart thumping in his chest as he was lifted by Zim.
"How pathetic," said Zim scornfully. "Faking unconciousness... Tisk, tisk, tisk....How cowardly."
Dib's face burned. He snapped his eyes open, "I am not a coward!" He said indignantly
"Oh, really?" Tis raised a non-exsistant eyebrow. "Then why you were acting unconcious?" She asked him.
"Ummm... Heh heh, I was just resting my eyes." He couldn't understand why he was embarrassed about his actions.
"Right...." Zim and Tis said in unison, both skeptical.
There was silence. Soon they were all in Zim's (and now his new family's) house. Zim was absolutely enraged. Once they were inside, Dib was uncerimoniously dropped. Zim began.
"WHAT DO YOU THI-"
"Zim," Tis cut him off, glaring at him.
"Wha-" He began, then cut himself off. "Oh." He suddenlly realised he had been walking on the grounds of a mother. It was her that had layed the egg, and since Dib had seen it, it was her job to inquire Dib. "Right... Sorry."
"That's quite alright. Now, please... Hold the Earthling." Zim did as she said.
"Now, Dib is it?" Dib nodded. "Okay then. What do you think you were doing?" Anger overtook her, but she remained calm.
"I was... Spying." His voice was more timid than he wanted it to be.
"On Irk, it isn't right to be spying on the /personal life/ of another. I don't believe it to be acceptable on Earth either. Am I right?"
"....Yes...." He still sounded more scared than he wanted. /What's wrong with me?!/ he thought angrily. /I have to stop showing weakness/ He silently resolved.
"Then why did you do it?" She no longer sounded so angry. Just curious.
"..." Dib averted his eyes. "....I.... I guess.... I guess I was just.... Curious...." "I mean, I spy on him anyways... I... I... I just want to know his weaknesses, that way I can stop him before he conquers Earth. Earth IS my home." His voice was strong now, and he was looking her in the eyes.
Tis suddenly looked pained. She looked at Zim, who promtly dropped Dib and, with concern etched in his face he hurried over to Tis and hugged her.
"What's wrong?" He was quite worried about her. She said nothing. "You can tell me /anything/."
"Can I tell you... The truth?" She looked away from him.
"Well, of course... Aren't you supposed to...?" He said, rather bewildered with what she just asked him.
"Okay. Sit down... This ought to be hard." She said quietly.
Zim plopped down on the couch, looking quite puzzled. /I wonder what she's going to tell me?/ he thought. /She's acting like its going to be bad... Will it be?/ Zim was getting worried now. Soon though, his pondering ceased as he heard her clear her throat. He met her eyes. They looked sorrowfull, pained. He was growing more worried by the second.
She looked like she regretted ever saying she would tell him. "You aren't on Earth to take it over-"
"Of course I am! The Almighty Tallests-"
"Don't interrupt!" She nearly screamed. "Now, I will continue." She cleared her throat. "You aren't on Earth to conquer it." She paused. "Your on it..." She sighed. "Your banished on Earth, Zim. You're not an Invader."
Zim opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He was numb with shock. Part of him was screaming in protest, the other (larger) part knew she was right. That part knew all along. /I can't believe this.../ /Well, actually I can... We love each other, she wouldn't lie to me./ Zim was so deep in thought he didn't realise Tis hugging him, or Dib staring at him, open-mouthed.
Part of Dib was laughing at Zim. /I win Zim. You lose. You couldn't have won anyways, but still..../ Another part was sympathising, /Your an outcast of an un-fair society... Just like me./ He too was deep in thought. So deep, he didn't realise this was his chance to escape. He just stared.
After a little while, Tis went over to the bed, and picked the egg up. She brought it over to Zim. "Zim. Look. This is our child. Be glad we're on Earth. It'll never have to grow up the way we did. It'll grow up with love and caring. Knowing love. Knowing what love is. It'll never be lost or confused like we were. It'll grow up with actual parents. We'll give it the childhood we never had."
Zim's eyes cleared. He looked at the egg, then at Tis. He smiled weakly. "You.. You're right.. It'll have a good life.. I.. I.. I know it will.. And we'll tell it all about Irk.. So it'll know.." He was talking weakly, trying to stop the sobs that threatened to surface.
They didn't even notice Dib still staring at them. Finally snapping out of it, he made a run for the door, and left, sprinting all the way home, and never looking back over his shoulder. /I don't care if I was caught... I've gotta see Zim snap... He won't be able to take care of a kid... Heheh, this'll be good.../