Thanks for the reviews.

Ngrey, in answer to your question about Skoodge I honestly have a hard time writing him. I even have a hard time sometimes with writing Gir or Mimi. If he is in a story it will be for a short time since I'm sitting here mostly scratching my head with writing, Skoodge. Thanks for the dialogue compliment between Dib and Gaz.

Dib placed his arms down as he saw the blush cross across Gretchen's cheeks. He normally would of ignored this or walked in the other direction, but last nights mounting frustration upon another frustration made his mouth tighten.

"What?"

Gretchen's face flamed up more as she went head to toe on him. He wasn't wearing anything tight. He wasn't shirtless, but it almost made her giggle. "What?"

"Practice is over with. You've improved." Dib gave up. He didn't want to hear her idle stupid girl crush fantasy about him. "Gaz would be pleased."

"What about you?"

"I'd be pleased to have people continue walking through that door instead of dying." Dib answered honestly.

"Am I ugly?"

Dib bared his teeth as he stopped to turn back to her as a look of disbelieve crossed his face. "Why in the hell are you asking me this question?"

"Don't you like me?"

"Yes I like you. I think of you as a friend. Nothing more."

Gretchen caught her reflection in the mirror. "I can name more then a dozen girls in school who are so beautiful, which included Zita. You know, girls that you'd be interested in. I wouldn't count your sister here."

"I hope the hell not."

"Am I ugly?" She asked again.

Alright. How is he supposed to answer this one? He never found her personally attractive. He found her plenty nice, but he was never attracted to her. "Haven't you dated before?"

"Blind date. Mom fixed me up. Disaster and it was with... Iggins." She kicked the ground.

"Oh you poor girl. Your mom could of done better than that." He didn't want to encourage her, but he didn't want her to feel horrible about herself as he truly studied her. "When I say this, this doesn't mean I'm interested in you. I will tell you the truth. You're cute and when you are out there with the same confidence you are showing in here. Guys will see it. Trust me."

"Just not you."

"No. Because all I see in you is a friend." Offering her a small smile.

"Better then being the enemy." She remarked with her head in the air. "I'm gonna practice some more."

"Good, just don't overdo it."

Brian was overlooking the entrance door from higher level where he was. Everyone who sat or stood there had a clear view down, but no one had a clear view up. He wasn't tired from last night after retrieving Gaz. He hardly needed that much sleep in his life in the first place, but right now he wouldn't mind a pick me up just to feel a bit more alive. This was more boring then going to school day in and out. The building was musty smelling for the most part while the school just smelled more led based paint, if that made any sense to anyone. It always smelled like dollar store paint.

Thinking of the chemicals in paint and how many layers he once peeled off in his old pre-school, he was alerted by the door clicking open. Placing his weapon at the ready to shoot any intruder he had to do many takes when he recognized the two individuals that came through the door.

"We know someone's up there! Well we hope so still. Don't fire! It's Mack and Joan."

"Were you followed?" Brian called down.

Smiling, they both ran up the stairs to meet up with him. "No, man! We know the drill." Mack said.

Still dumbfounded, Brian told them that Dib was inside showing them in and telling a relative new person to go and guard the door. "Uh hey guys, guess who's back." Brian ran off to the training area to grab Dib. "Dib, guess who left the Irken's clutches."

Halting both their practicing, Dib and Gretchen came out to find Mack and Joan surrounded. They looked beaten up and clawed. "How did you escape?" Dib inquired as he approached.

"We fought an Irken chick... Was she a chick, Joan?" She nodded. "Well she was put into our cell because she was punished for being a traitor or some shit. Anyhow one of the tall green dudes comes in makes fun of her... Oh he said her name was uh..."

"Tak." Joan interjected. "There is no love it seems for this female with how she was treated, but we didn't care because she was the enemy, and turned out to be our ticket out of there if we hold our own against her. The tall guy comes back and has her put into another cell and frees us."

Running his hand through his hair, Dib groaned internally. They caught Tak and found her as a traitor. Fuck! Dib then stepped forward to grab Joan's hand to examine her hand, wrist and arm along with her neck.

"What the hell, Dib?" Joan screamed snatching her hand back.

"I want you to think. Both of you. Did they knock you out? Did they put anything inside of you?" Dib urged before he was about to grab Mack's hand where he always had a wrist watch on.

"Well, they took us on the ship, put us in those cells. Nothing injected, but he did knock us out when he was freeing us." Joan answered.

Eyes wide, he grabbed Mack's hand taking the watch off him, and turned it over for everyone to see that something was placed into his skin. "I know this wasn't here before, Mack." Dib stood back. "Grab a weapon we are leaving now!"

Dib had to run to Gaz's room to get her up but stopped in his tracks when the place was flooded with Irkens. Gaz didn't have a window in her room, she just didn't have another escape route like she did in their old hide-out. They were outgunned and Zim made sure to bring as many of his soldiers with him. Dib prayed that Gaz will be safe at least.

Seeing a short pudgy solider approach him with somewhat sleepy eyes, he indicated to someone behind him to do something. That something put Dib roughly on his knees with a couple of their guns at his head. Dib refused to show any fear. He showed hatred when Zim made his appearance finally. He scanned every face there before walking over to, Mack. "Cut it out of him. He's not needed anymore."

Roughly grabbed, the tracker was taken out of his skin like a shark ripping through flesh making him cry out in pain. Dib tried to get to him, but was pulled back.

"I wouldn't do that, Dib-monkey. You have your sister to think about." Zim reminded him.

"I know and you'll never see her again since I sent her away." Dib lied.

Chortling, Zim came close enough to him with a smile so malicious, Dib even thought he was going to kill him for a second. "That little worm child downstairs was really helpful before the end. She's still here. I would know this anyhow since I did mark her last night. True it isn't as strong as that tracking device, but I know when I'm near her."

"Stay. Away. From. My. Sister." Dib grated out.

"Keep him quiet while I go to my intended." Zim turned to where he caught her scent. "Oh and Dib, if you call out, there will be so many lives in danger."

Gaz couldn't understand what was happening inside her. It felt like a swirling vortex at times rushing through her bloodstream. It was a headache within itself as she opened her eyes up to mutter something unintelligent out before rushing out of bed the moment she spotted Zim in her room making her grab the nearest next to her and hurling it at him. Where the hell is her knife or gun when she needed it? She always had it handy.

"I placed them in the other room." Zim told her. "How are you feeling?"

"What the hell did you do to me?" She shouted reaching for something else and throwing that. "What the hell is your problem, Zim?! No girl on your planet wants you so you want to force another kind to be with you?" Grabbing a decidedly heavier object she chucked it at his head even angrier that he caught it.

"There is no one else like you, Gaz. I should know." Zim said calmly coming towards her. He never seen her eyes become so wide before.

"Dib. Where's Dib? Where is my brother?" She demanded. "If you hurt him or killed him I will..."

"I know the speech, Gaz, and rest assured I won't just as long as one thing."

"No." She shook her head. "You know I can't believe you. My brother has been my whole life! You won't understand because you don't know what family is like! Sure he annoyed me and I wanted to hurt him and stuff, but NO!"

"Gaz, I..."

She continued in a lower voice to hopefully make him understand something. "My brother doesn't know one thing, he doesn't know that some time after I was born, and my mom showed me to him, he said that he was my dad and mom. He swore to protect me always. Told me he loved me then. The only reason why I truly didn't do all the stuff I swore to do to him was because out of anyone, he never left my side even when I'm nothing but a murderous bitch."

In all the time he's known her, he never seen her break down. She never broke down when her father died. She was nothing but this impenetrable wall. Placing gentle hands on her shoulder, he had to assure her. "No harm will come of him at all or Earth. I will leave your brother and Earth alone for now on under one condition. You agree to be my Queen."

Snapping his arms away from her, she punched him hard where his squeedly spooch is. "What?!" Her eyes were wide open again as she continued that question over and over as she kept hitting him.

For someone so small and being another species, she was quite strong, Zim thought as he wrestled her to the bed ending up in their same position as the previous times.

"Zim! If you like a girl you ask her out on a date or give her flowers. You don't take over an entire planet, threaten my brother's life just to make me agree to be your damn queen!"

"I was getting desperate." Zim breathed out. "You keep holding everyone back at arms length and you have a brother that is determined to help out. What did you want me to do?"

"Oh, I don't know? Get a blow up doll." She sarcastically said trying to kick him. "Seriously! Are you always going to use those things on me?"

"You aren't even listening to me. All you are is nothing but violence."

Smirking, she almost laughed at him. "So you want me to be your queen and you'll leave Earth and my brother alone. Is that what you are telling me?"

"Yes."

"Seriously, Zim, get a blow up doll. I never wanted my vagina to be used in this capacity." Growling. "Get off of me. I won't punch unless necessary."

Allowing it, he sat on his knees as he watched her sit up. Zim knew she really didn't care for this planet, just her brother. If she was contemplating this, it was for his safety. "I honestly care for you, Gaz."

"What the hell is with this bite? I feel strange."

"It shows another Irken that you are mated with another. You are my intended. While the ceremony for us being joined is to solidify it, this shows another you can't be taken away from me. Also how are you feeling since you are saying you feel strange?"

"My foot is all healed up. I do feel stronger in spite of me sleeping a lot since I've been home. I uh sensed you." She kicked him. "You did that without my permission."

"It healed you and also I was afraid of you being shot since they had a hard time remembering what you looked like." Reaching out, he took a chance to touch her face hating the fact she turned away from him. "I couldn't lose you like that."

There was a question that needed to be asked. A question she hoped he would answer in truth. "If I do this, Zim, and you free this stupid planet and you spare my brother... Will I ever get to see him again?"

"I swear it, Gaz. I swear to it all." Zim responded as he started to breath hard.

Standing up unsteadily, she went over to a book of hers, and took out a tiny snapshot inside of it before pocketing it. "If you don't hold up your end, Zim, I swear I will end my own life." She coldly said as she rose her head up in defiance.

Getting up, he placed his arm around her shoulder. "I swear I will hold up my end. I don't want to lose you." Going to the door, he opened it.

Gaz scanned the room of all the Irken soldiers before her gaze fell on Dib's. They both stared at one another. Dib mouthed his objection to her making her run up to him and wrapping her arms around him. It was something she hadn't done in so long. She listened to him whispering in her ear begging her not to go. Telling her there is another way. Gaz shut her eyes squeezing them tight. She refused to cry, but she didn't refuse to share her heart with her own brother when she noticed that Zim had his soldiers pull everyone away from them. She told him finally about after being born and what he said, and how much that meant to her even when she didn't verbalize it out loud. She told him he was the bravest guy she knew. She didn't know when it will be the next time she would see him, she just knew for being the one that raised her, Dib deserved it.

"I have to go, Dib." Gaz whispered.

"I will find you and I will get you back. I promise you." Dib said giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead as he watched her stand up, and see Zim put his arm around her. "I will kill you if she's harmed." He added to Zim.

"I will never harm my Queen." Zim swore.

Gaz was guided out the door, looking back to Dib before putting her head down, and sniffing.

Dib had the urge to run after her. He had the urge to fight the remaining Irkens in the room as they made sure he stayed there. He was angry. He was afraid for her. Hearing the last soldier tell them that if they follow then it will mean certain doom for someone. Fearing more it would be Gaz more then even himself, he stood there like he was glued before he cried out running up to the roof at least to catch every Voot and shuttle go up into the sky.

In a cruiser alone with Zim, he turned to her to say, "Dib has received a parting present by the way seeing we don't need it anymore."

"What the hell did you do?"

"No don't worry. I know he use to like at least this one Irken. Tak was going to die in a cell eventually so we thought to just banish her entirely to Earth. She'll have the means to disguise herself at least. I'm not entirely without feeling." Zim replied.

"I still hate you." Gaz stated as she turned to look up towards the massive ship they were approaching.