Who Laughs Last…

"Is it important?" Gaz pried eagerly.

"Um, kinda," Dib's voice was a tad shaky.

"So what is it—magic?" She smirked.

"Not in the way you'd think…"

"Is it one of Zim's little 'toys'?"

"Look, do you know where it is or not?" he demanded. If Gaz didn't know any better, she would be certain her brother looked a little—panicked. She was beginning to love this joke more and more.

"I already said no," she feigned agitation.

"Okay," the boy turned and continued the conversation to himself. "Okay, okay, calm down. I probably took it out the other day and dropped it behind my bed. If I just move the bed away from the wall…"

Gaz bit her lip to hold in the giggle nearly overwhelming her. When she felt it was well under control, she called after him.

"Oh, Dib?"

"Not now, Gaz!" The addressed was nearing the stairs.

"Did it look like—oh, say, a butterfly or something?"

Skidding, the boy could not make it back to her fast enough. His sister secretly reveled in the false hope on his face.

"It was a moth," his breathing quickened. "It was the same style as your skull necklace but it didn't have a ribbon. Do you know anything about it?"

"You know, I might have seen you with something like that a time or two," she lied. "Tell you what, I'll keep an eye out for it, okay?"

Dib was hesitant, obviously rather surprised at her offer. "Um, okay—thanks." He started off for his room again, but Gaz was not done teasing.

"By any chance, do you keep it in your special hiding spot?"

Dib looked back and furrowed a brow. "Uh, no."

"No, not under the pillow," Gaz allowed the evil smile to take hold. "The other hiding spot."

Her brother's face paled. "Gaz? What…what are you saying?"

"I'm just saying I'll keep my eye out for it," she grinned, "and maybe—if you do a few things for me—maybe it'll turn up."

"Wh-where is it? What have you done with it?"

Gaz crossed her arms. "Whoa, Dib. Try a different tone or something just might happen to it."

Dib was visibly sweating. "Okay, okay! Gaz, please, this isn't funny. I've had that pendant for a long time. It's really important."

"Then I guess you better play your cards right," the devious little girl reclined on the sofa. "First assignment: get me a soda and some AA batteries." She barely had time to blink before her frayed brother was out the door.

The rest of the weekend would then be spent in this same manner; the living room couch serving as Gaz's throne as she gave demands for soda, snacks, batteries; and not only anything else that struck her fancy; but in fact whatever else she could think of. By the end of those two days Dib had been run ragged, and the fact that his sister constantly teased him and fed him false hope of getting his pendant back did not help things at all.

Twenty Poop colas, ten pizzas, and countless other favors later; blessed Monday arrived, wherein Gaz would not be able to order Dib around for some time. Dib normally was not fond of the skool (aside from the chance to monitor Zim), but today he found Ms. Bitters' class to be a welcome refuge from his predicament. However, without the constant distraction of running errands his mind was free to obsess over his lost treasure. His teacher's repetitive "doom" lecture was largely ignored, but subliminally its message was feeding the pit in his stomach.

"Doom, doom, doom. Your future is bleak…doom…"

Loss of this one trinket would not directly doom the world, Dib understood, but it would certainly make it harder for him to save it.

Zim was rather proud of himself this day, having tricked some foolish human into teaching him the disgusting but intriguing art of firing spitballs through a straw. Gleeful at the prospect of this new, easy-to-obtain artillery, he wasted no time in trying out his new skill on the Dib. But his efforts were in vain, as today his target was distant, looking very concerned with other matters. The Dib-beast had more important things to worry about than his mighty enemy? How dare he ignore Zim and his spitballs of doom?

His mind elsewhere, Dib was slightly startled at being approached by a furious-looking Zim after school.

"Human-Dib-pig-cow-smell!" he declared. "I'll have you know that your master-to-be has acquired a new way of bringing about Earth's downfall and you have refused to acknowledge it!" He leaned into Dib's face in a jerking motion, but the boy did not bat an eye. "Zim demands to know the meaning of this!"

Dib nervously shifted feet, only flicking his eyes upward frequently, past Zim, to the door of the skool. After a while his nemesis began to follow his eyes, becoming increasingly annoyed when he couldn't guess Dib's intentions.

"What are you looking at? Tell me!" the alien screeched. He waved a hand furiously in the boy's line of vision and was rewarded with no acknowledgement. "Hey! Heyyyy!"

"I'm waiting for my sister," the kid finally mumbled.

"A sneak attack?" Zim misinterpreted. "Ha! You thought you could keep me wondering while your creepy sibling ambushed me? Well you fail! For I, the keen and perceptive Zim, has found you out!"

When Dib did not retort, the invader supplemented his last sentence. "—and has pre-empted your attack."

Before Earth's defender could react, the invader sprung on him and tackled him to the ground. Taken off guard, Dib tensed and did nothing to counter, which allowed Zim to get into optimum position for pinning him down. When Dib at last got his bearings, though, he blinked at his enemy…and smiled.

Surprised, Zim was confused for a moment, giving Dib adequate time to launch him off and reverse the situation. Having worried all day long, the boy was overjoyed to be participating in a distracting and familiar "activity". Pressed down on his back, Zim was unable to deploy any weaponry from his PAK.

"You filthy, smelly excuse for a—Get off of me!"

"Yes! I've got you now, Zim! Now you get to taste what us 'puny humans' are made of!"

But Dib's triumph was cut short when his current trouble came striding down the steps towards the two. Gaz observed the proceedings smugly; watched as her tormented brother enjoyed a welcome distraction from the stress of the day. A perfect time, she felt, to fray his nerves again.

"Dib! It's time to come home; I've decided I'd like dinner early," she demanded flatly.

Dib glanced back to Zim, and again to his sister, not believing his poor luck.

"Dib," the girl raised a brow impatiently. "We have a long list of things to do tonight. Better get a jump on it."

"Can it wait, Gaz? Please?" he begged.

Gaz glared at him crossly. "I said, 'I've decided I'd like dinner early.' What part of that don't you understand?"

"But this is important!" the boy tightened his hold as Zim began to struggle against his bonds.

"So is this, I believe." She reached calmly into her pocket—and drew out the moth pendant.

Dib's heart visibly leapt. "My—my pendant! Gaz, can I have it back—please? I'll still do all those chores for you tonight, I promise!" He broke into a sweat. "I just really don't want anything to happen to it."

"Which you will demonstrate," his sister insisted, "by coming home and getting dinner now."

"But I've got Zim in my grasp! Please oh please, Gaz? It's the fate of the worl—"

He was interrupted by a sickening crunch, and his own world came crashing down.