This is a story with a drawing! Look! mii-riam. deviantart gallery/?offset=24#/d5ccbhp (without spaces)
"For the last time, dad, I don't want to be a scientist!" Dib yelled at his dad.
"But son, who else could take over the Membrane Empire? I created you with my own cells to have someone to replace me when I pass away! Therefore you must study science now!"
"I want to be a paranormal investigator!" Dib screamed.
They have had a conversation like this dozens of times. Prof. Membrane tried to convince his son to become a scientist, while Dib tried to convince his dad that he has an own free will and he must be a paranormal investigator. Gaz always ignored them. But this time, it was different.
Gaz saw them arguing, and couldn't stand their yelling anymore. She was getting angrier and angrier while she walked to them and she screamed:
"What about me being a scientist? It's always (she said with her father's voice) 'Dib, take over my empire, no paranormal investigation for you', but what about me? Dib this, Dib that, never me!"
"Do you want to be a scientist?" Dr. Membrane asked surprised.
"Yeah, why not. Science have always interested me. I'm pretty good at beta classes. And, I'm guaranteed of a job then."
"That's a good solution! Thanks, Gaz!" said Dib happily, "Now I can continue with my paranormal investigation, with as main goal: Zim!"
Dib run to his room, watching videos from spy cameras or so.
"So… Let's start studying science! You can help me with my scientific work in my lab." Dr. Membrane said.
They spend the rest of the day studying and doing science. Gaz learned a lot, while Dib was buzzy catching Zim.
The next years, Gaz spend a lot of her free moments studying science, with or without her dads help. When she was able to choose her classes, she chooses (amongst other classes) Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Advanced Math. Gaz was one of the best students and later graduated with good grades. Her dad always was proud of her. Dib had taken the classes 'Paranormal investigation', 'Fake science', 'Troll physics', and 'Aliens: how to catch them'. Although he was one of the best students (there weren't many other students who took these classes), his dad wasn't proud of him.
"Fake science… how could you take that class?!" his dad sighted disappointed when he looked at Dib's schedule.
"You're never going to reach as much as your sister."
Dib was sad his dad reacted this way, but he didn't give up, even though he had never caught an alien or monster.
Years passed. Prof. Membrane had retired and Gaz was head of the Membrane Empire now. She had her own scientific television show. Gaz didn't look much different. She had grown taller, her hair was longer and she was wearing a lab coat all the time, what covered up her skull necklace. Dib wondered if she even still had that necklace. But apart from that, Gaz looked similar to her past self. Dib was working at a paranormal research center, but he was bad at his job. It was nothing like 'Dib's Wonderful Life of Doom'. Lucky for him, he got paid per hour instead of per captive alien. Dib still had never caught an alien, or a monster, or something like that. He still hunted for Zim, but not as much as he used to, because he hunted for other aliens too and Zim had given up about ruling the world a bit.
Dib hadn't contact with his father any more.
It was Gaz birthday.
"Here's your present!" Dib said, while handing over a gift. "Thanks!" said Gaz. When she opened it, she saw a transparent box with nothing in it.
"Uhm… What is it?" Gaz asked.
"Look through your extreme atomic microscope."
Gaz climbed up the ladder of that microscope.
"Awww, it's a Higgs-boson! Thanks!"
"What did err… dad gave you?" Dib asked, when Gaz was back downstairs.
Their dad came in the morning, now it was around midday.
"A clone machine," said Gaz exited, "It's also possible to combine and make DNA to create new species with it!"
"Sounds great." Dib said, not as enthusiastic as Gaz was.
A silence fell between them.
"Dad wasn't at your birthday four months ago, was he?
"No…", answered Dib, looking sad to the ground. "I haven't seen him in… what is it? Two decades or so. I wish he had more respect for my job as paranormal investigator. He's so proud of you, Gaz. I wish he was proud of me, too. A part of me wants to go back to the past and work in dad's lab just like you… but I can't."
"Why can't you?" Gaz asked excited about her plan, "Go work in the lab with me and dad! You can start tomorrow if you want!"
"I don't know about that, Gaz. I mean, I don't know much about science."
"I can teach you!" answered Gaz.
"But I don't want to give up on paranormal researches."
"That's ok, you could work part time in the lab, for just a few days in the week."
"But what about dad? Do you think he's ok with me working in his lab?"
"We'll see about that."
The next day, Dib was very nervous to work in the lab. He stood there with Gaz. Dib was glad she was with him, he didn't dare to meet his father alone, after all these years. How would his dad react? Would he still hate his son? Would he even recognize him? Dib's appearance was chanced through the years. He was, of course, taller than before and his hair was longer. His emoticon on his shirt now had a tongue sticking out its mouth. He also had some piercings through one ear, like those piercings that 'Toasty goodness' on deviant Art draw so well. No, Dib decided his dad would still recognize him, even when he was wearing a lab coat.
Gaz was trying to learn Dib something about science, but he was too nervous to pay decent attention. Professor Membrane visited his daughter in the lab often, he probably would come today too, to discuss some scientific things.
Dib heard footsteps. "Here he comes!" Dib squeaked nervously, while trying to hide behind Gaz. Most people would be glad to see someone they hadn't seen in years, but this was different. It was professor Membrane. He could be angry for a very long time, like his hate for Santa.
"Hi Gaz", greeted the old Membrane while walking into the lab. He had grey hear now, had shrunken a little bit, but he was still wearing his lab coat.
"It's a good day for science today, don't you think? I remember back in my time…
Wait! Who's that?! Dib? Is it really you?"
"Yes…" answered Dib when he stepped next to Gaz.
"What are you doing here?!" For such an old man, he was screaming very loud.
"Get out of my eyesight! I told you I wanted to never see you again!"
That hurt Dib. It hurt him so much he was almost going to cry. He felt like a rock was thrown in his stomach. His father was still mad of him. Secretly, Dib had hoped his dad would have forgiven him for not choosing science and that he would be happy to see him again. But unfortunately, that was not the case. At all. It was more like the opposite of Dib's hopes.
When Gaz saw that Dib was almost going to cry, she laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Dad, don't be so mean to Dib. He has finally seen the light of real science, aren't you happy about that? He's gonna work here in the lab for two days per week, deal with it."
"Never!" prof. Membrane screamed, while trying to walk away so fast as he could, which was quite slow.
"That could have gone better." said Dib when his dad was gone.
"Yes… Let's continue with science, shall we?" answered Gaz, disappointed about her dad's
After work, when Gaz and Dib walked out of the lab, they saw professor Membrane and he said: "Good work today, Gaz! And if you see your brother, who certainly is not my son, tell him that I hate him!"
Dib walked next to Gaz, his dad saw him but just ignored him.
When their dad couldn't hear then because of the distance, Gaz felt pity for her brother and hugged him. Dib hugged her back, while saying: "I told you this was a bad idea!"
Gaz was afraid that her idea wasn't as good she thought at first. She felt guilty for coming up with it.
"I'm sure it will get better."
She definitely hoped she was right.
Surprisingly, it did got better.
The next few days on the lab, professor Membrane didn't yell as much to Dib. He ignored Dib, but he tolerated him.
The real improvements were a few weeks later, when the old Membrane even talked to Dib sometimes. Not long after that, his dad sometimes gave compliments to Dib. The two days in the week in the lab became three. Dib got better in science. It gave him confidence, which caused him to also do better at his paranormal job; he proved that a certain alien really was an alien and came on Mysterious Mystery's. They actually believed Dib and didn't make fool out of him this time.
On one good day, his dad said to Dib: "I'm sorry how I yelled to you the first time we met after twenty-two long years. I just… had to get used to you, working in the lab. I'm proud of you. For your science, but also… for your achievements on the paranormal."
'That was hard to admit', he thought.
He hugged Dib and said: "Welcome back to the family, son."
'Son…' thought-sighed Dib, just like how he sighed 'partner' in the episode 'Vindicated'.
Finally he was accepted.
A/N:
I wrote this on a tablet! Cool, isn't it? Would you please be as kind as to leave a review on the story? BTW, this is my first non-ZADR fanfic.