A/N So…I don't like Gaz. At. All. But I want to like her; that's the thing. Maybe one day I'll write a fic in an attempt to like her, but who knows. Anyways, enjoy the one-shot, reviews help, etc. I apologize for any OOCness you may feel while reading this story.

I do not own Invader Zim.

Hey, Soul Sister

"Dib Membrane?" the nurse asked from behind the counter. Dib nodded. "Hmm…" The nurse tapped the desk with her unusually long fingernails. She moved the mouse of her computer here and there, clicking and clicking until it irritated Dib to the bone. There was a slight shift in his position as visitors came and left the building.

"Yes, Gazlene is in a very unhealthy state," she yawned in a monotonous tone. "Eh, I guess it doesn't really surprise you, does it? You've been here quite a bit…but I'm obligated to say that to you every time you pop in." She coughed as she opened a drawer, reaching for a sticker with the words "SANE" printed on top.

"Here," she grumbled, plopping the sticker square on Dib's chest. "I think you know where her room is."

"Thanks…" Dib uttered in annoyance. He shoved his hands into his pockets and proceeded down the hallway. Lights flickered eerily in the surrounding area, where screams and coughs and mournful sobs pierced the air. Dib didn't shiver; he didn't flinch. It was something he was used to, being a frequent visitor and all.

Her room was to his left. The mental hospital didn't allow civilians to simply stroll into a cell without supervision, but Dib was the only exception. He was an acclaimed scientist and paranormal investigator, after all. Dib reached for the handle, opening the door to her room with haste. He gradually closed the door behind him, causing it to squeak.

She was sitting on the floor with a straitjacket firmly wrapped around her body. She lurked into a corner, enveloped in creamy ivory walls and ceiling and floor. Dib was still standing next to the door, still clinging to the knob even after the door was shut.

"Gaz," he finally uttered. Dib shook his head.

"What do you want?" Gaz hissed. She kept her eyes sealed, as she always did when Dib visited. She never glanced at him once, not once ever since she was admitted into the hospital.

"I want to help you Gaz," Dib stated, his voice neither harsh nor kind, but firm. He let his fingertips brush off the icy chrome doorknob, his arm gently falling to his side. Dib took a slight but solid step forward. "Gaz," he breathed, "let me help you."

Gaz sneered as she dug herself deeper into the corner. "I already told you," she growled lowly, "I don't need your help. I don't want it. I tell you this every time you come in and my mind is set, Dib. Just go."

Dib narrowed his eyes at his sibling, but it didn't make any difference since she wasn't even looking. He sighed with a steady breath, letting a moment or two pass between them. Gaz had her face in a scowl and her head cocked away from Dib. Dib watched as she shifted awkwardly in position.

"I don't hear you moving," she suddenly snapped as she moved her lips but maintained a stagnant expression. Dib moved, but it wasn't towards the door. For so long after his brief "conversations" with Gaz would he just give up and leave. For so long he and everyone around him would deem Gaz a lost cause. He was tired of it all. He was giving up on giving up.

And it all began with a single step towards his sister. He knelt by Gaz slowly, knowing that she was unaware of their proximity.

"Gaz," Dib whispered as he grasped her shoulder as lightly as he could. "Let me help you."

She flinched at his touch, finally opening her eyes in horror and rage. Gaz thrashed about aimlessly, spitting out every curse word in the dictionary and calling Dib everything under the rainbow. Dib stood up and merely watched in dismay as tired antagonism seeped out from Gaz's expression.

"Get out," she hollered, her voice in a sizzle. "Get out, get out, get out, get out. Get out now if you know what's good for you. I swear Dib, if you touch me one more-"

"What will it take to let me help you?" Dib asked as his voice showed evident signs of cracking. He stared Gaz down as she did the same. "Gosh, Gaz, what possible amount of pride do you have left? Why can't you just accept defeat? For once Gaz, can't you just accept defeat?"

Gaz huffed and let herself roll over as her head rested on the floor and her eyes went ablaze. Finally Gaz muttered, "Nothing, Dib, nothing. Nothing will allow even a single fiber in my being to accept your help. Where's Dad, Dib? Huh? Huh? Bring Dad over here and I'll let him help me. But you? Just shut up, Dib. Shut up. Shut up. Just shut up. You're wasting your time."

Dib snickered out of sheer sadism. "Dad?" he asked harshly. "Is that who you want, Gaz? For Dad to come and save the day so you can get out of this hellhole? Dad's not coming to save-"

"Shut up, Dib-"

"Dad's not coming to save you," he reiterated as he forced his voice to overpower his sister's. Dib leaned against the wall and gazed at the ceiling. "Dad's not coming," he uttered smoothly. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets, staring at the dim light that glowed softly. "Dad's not coming."

"You're lying," Gaz choked out in stuttering breaths, "you're lying Dib. Stop lying to me. Stop it."

"Oh wake up, will you?" Dib retorted hoarsely, giving Gaz a grimace that could astonish even her. "Honestly, Gaz, have you always been this ignorant? I mean, come on. It's been thirty years and Dad's never seen you face-to-face since grade skool. When he found out about your state of mind, he merely shrugged you off as a failed experiment. We're not his children, and he doesn't give a damn about me. He doesn't give one single damn about you too."

Then came tears. Real tears.

Dib hadn't expected Gaz to actually pay attention to what he was saying, but he supposed the bridge between Gaz and their "Dad" was no longer there. It was finally destroyed, finally. But the truth was hard to accept, and Dib knew the same laws would apply to Gaz.

Then came wails and sobs and anger and screams.

"Who visited you all the time since you got stuck in here?" Dib asked quietly and hesitantly. For awhile, Gaz didn't respond. She just lied there on the floor, letting her emotions pour out of her heart like bitter, bitter acid. "Not Dad," he stated in a husky voice. He inched towards Gaz, bending over and sitting by her side.

"I want proof," Gaz mumbled as she let her head hang loosely. "If you show me solid proof that Dad doesn't love me anymore, I'll let you help me."

Dib shook his head and mentally sighed. "You've been in here for five years, and Dad hasn't visited you once. Isn't that proof enough?" His expression softened, and for the first time for as long as he could remember, so did Gaz's.

"I want proof," she repeated firmly. Something in the back of Dib's mind told him that although Gaz was starting to ease up, she would not let that bridge break entirely.

Not yet.

Dib patted Gaz on the back in a tender gesture right before he stood up. "Alright then," he told her. "If you want proof, I'll get you proof." He walked towards that same icy doorknob and grasped it. "And I'll get you out of here."

Closing the door to Gaz's room, Dib shoved his hands inside his coat pockets. He marched down that lonesome hallway, where the same screams and coughs and mournful sobs pierced the air. The lights did their usual flickering as the nurses came and left accordingly. He passed by the exact nurse who was now spinning around in her chair from behind the counter.

"Dib Membrane?" she asked in a shrill squeak. "Are you leaving already? Don't you want to have your usual discussion with Gaz's doctor about how insanely insane she is?"

"Not this time," Dib replied in a crystal clear tone. He looked behind him, staring back at the desolate hallway of the mental hospital. He thought of their "Dad," and gritted his teeth. "Not this time, and any time ever again."