Author's Note: Sorry for not getting this in on my birthday. My Internet connection wasn't working right.

Birth of Something New

3:30 p.m. The front door opened to reveal that the children had arrived home from school.

"But the thing is I just know that the Johnson couple was feeding the werewolf the whole time!" Dib exclaimed as he shut the door behind them. "I've heard them over in their backyard, saying 'Oh, good boy, Spot. What a good dog!' I know they don't have a dog! And neither do their neighbors!"

Gaz spoke to him for the first time all day. "Maybe they were talking to a stray."

"A stray werewolf!" Dib asserted, "I'm going to find him tonight, Gaz! It's going to be a full moon, and I'm going to get proof!"

Gaz looked up in sheer surprise. It was not like her brother to forget this particular day. But then, she did not exactly enjoy his company anyway, so she turned back to her game.

4:00 p.m. Gaz drifted into the kitchen to inspect the cake her father had left her. Extra sprinkles. Just the way she liked it. Gaz, happy birthday! Love, Dad.

5:00 p.m.

"I think I'm ready, Gaz!" Dib called ahead as he came back down the stairs. "I've got my camera, extra batteries, my flashlight, my night-vision goggles…and my hoodie, because it's really cold out there. Well, I'm off!" He started for the door.

Gaz eyed him expectantly. "Forgetting something?"

He turned back to her and thought. "…Goodbye?" He reached the door, but looked back at his sister once more. "Oh, yeah, I'll be back hopefully by seven. See ya, Gaz!"

Gaz stared in his direction long after the door had shut behind him. Her brother had…forgotten her birthday? Insecurely, she huddled back on the couch and continued her game.

5:30 p.m. She was growing hungry for dinner. The girl rose from the couch and headed to the kitchen to browse the pantry's contents. She came across some pasta…eh, it was a special day; why not make a more elaborate dish? Gaz set some water to boil and readied the sauce. She then eyed the cake on the table. It was sure to taste amazing around…oh, 6:15 sounded good.

5:45. Gaz sat down to dinner alone…as she quite often did. Not that it upset her particularly. At least she didn't have to listen to that constant ramble—"Hey Gaz! I think I found some Bigfoot dung in the garage!" "Gaz, did you know the Schwartzes have a haunted refrigerator?" "Zim almost had me today, Gaz, but I escaped him!"

That last one caught in her throat. She had not clue why, but the idea that Zim nearly…got Dib before made her pasta turn in her stomach. When did he say he would be back again? Seven?

'Wait, wait, what am I worried about?' Gaz thought to herself. 'Dib is just out on one of his stupid paranormal trips. And why would I worry about Dib? Besides, he'll be back.' She nibbled, nervously, on another noodle.

6:15. She thought she had best start on that cake. Having finished the pasta and put some away in the fridge for Dib, Gaz cut the cake and dished a generous helping for herself. Lots of sugar. Perfect. She bit eagerly into her own name. Forty-five more minutes of having a birthday alone. Suddenly that seemed like quite a while. But at least it was enough time to take down the evil Hamlord and save the village. While she saved that virtual town, Dib was off "saving" the real city or something. The girl rolled her eyes.

But…but why had he come to mind again? She shrugged and bit down into "Birth—". Birth. Hers was nine years ago today. A number of months ago Dib had turned ten. Not that anyone she knew remembered. Maybe the Infected Eardrum Network remembered…maybe that Agent Shadowybutt or whoever…Dib always did love talking to him…he was like—Dib's only friend or something…and even he didn't always believe Dib…

But wait! This was her birthday—why was he on her mind? And speaking of her birthday and her brother, where was her gift from him? Just because she never gave him anything, she would not receive anything? She finished her cake and stomped off to the living room. Forty-five more minutes and she'd show him…

6:30. The Hamlord was finished. Inwardly congratulating herself on a job well done, Gaz saved the game and eased back. She wondered if her brother had gotten proof of his werewolf yet. Probably not, and she'd never hear the end of it. "I almost had him, Gaz! I took a picture, but the flash didn't go off." She wondered how many times that happened to him. Must be frustrating…at least if she failed to beat the Hamlord she could restart the level, but he—There she went again, thinking about him. She was without him for only a half-hour more; why not enjoy it? And…was she just sympathizing with him? What had turning nine done to her?

6:35. "Mysterious Mysteries" was on, and nothing else came close to interesting. She sat on the couch with a bored scowl, watching a very serious-sounding bespectacled man introduce the lame show. Tonight's episode was on werewolves, coincidentally. Gaz raised an eyebrow in slight surprise at the first witness interviewed. The man looked shaken, haunted; and he had several awful scars on his face, like those from claws. Sharp, powerful claws raking his face—she had a brief vision of the same happening to Dib. She laughed, but more out of habit than out of urge. Somehow, the idea of her brother being injured by such a creature was not all that humorous to her now. What had been wrong with that cake? Or was it her new age that was making her feel like this? Suddenly, she hated being nine.

Seemingly out of nowhere, she happened to recall an old saying Dib had mentioned to her once: "The body renews itself every seven years." Was the same true for the mind? Was she one of those special cases in which the adage was true? She remembered, though, that even at under age one she had been rude and mean-spirited towards Dib, but it was not until age two that she became as abusive as today. And age two was seven years ago.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the witness on TV. "And at the full moon they get real crazy; them werewolves get super aggressive, and you don't want to take no flash photography. Them flashes just make 'em angry."

Gaz felt her heart in her throat. Dib had said it was a full moon tonight. And if he was going to take clear pictures at night, he was going to use a flash. What if…?

7:00. Finally. She couldn't stand these conflicting thoughts any longer. Why was she worried about Dib anyway? He'd walk through the door any second…

7:15. Gaz was fidgeting in her seat. "Mysterious Mysteries" had been over for fifteen minutes now, but the channel remained unchanged, despite the less interesting show now airing. Gaz was not interested in the TV at all, nor was she in her Gameslave 2. She stared at the front door awaiting her brother's return…willing him home…

7:30. What if the werewolf had gotten him? What if he was in the emergency room?

7:35. She was going after him. She had no idea where he had gone, but she would find him. She flew to the coat closet, grabbed her jacket, and headed for the door. She could and would beat up any werewolf that dared to hurt her brother.

It was 7:36 on the minute when she reached the door. It was 7:36 when the door unlocked and opened before she could do it herself. It was then that she was face to face with none other than Dib himself, smiling and without a scratch on him.

"Happy birthday, Gaz!" He excitedly thrust a colorful package into her arms and used his free hands to relock the door behind him.

"I—what—Where were you all this time?" she growled.

"Chasing down a werewolf," the boy grinned. "Open it."

She complied, and…

"Super Werewolf Piggy Hunter?" Gaz read aloud.

"You like it?"

"You…" she looked up, "…didn't forget?"

"My little sister's birthday?" Dib chuckled, "Come on, Gaz!"

"So, you weren't chasing real werewolves?" she said to be sure.

"There are none around here," he admitted with another smile, "I just had to wait in line for hours."

"Well, don't ever go after werewolves," she took off her coat, "Your stupid show said they're dangerous."

"Why?" Dib asked, "Were you worried?" He had meant it as a half-joke, but when Gaz stopped and looked sorrowfully back at him, his eyes widened.

"Gaz—you—you…worried…about…me?"

She headed again to the closet. "I was going out to get you."

Anyone at that moment could have knocked Dib over with a feather. Gaz returned from the closet, took a good long look at her brother…and a small smile overcame it.

"You—want some cake?"

"So, I don't really understand," Dib said as he sat down to cake and Gaz popped her game into her GS2. "If they're werewolf pigs, wouldn't they be just werepigs or something?"

Gaz began the game. "Well, they're pigs that turn into wolves."

"Ah…This is good cake."

"Yep."

And as Gaz thought, maybe Dib wasn't such bad company. At least he was company. As she finished Level 1, she remembered one thing more.

"Say Dib?"

"Yeah?"

"Um…thanks."