A/N: I was going to post this last night, but it was storming here so bad that my power went out, I'm sorry. But here it is.

Alright, so here is chapter ten. I have a few things that I want to say; the first one being a thank you to my lovely friend Hollie for her drawing of Dib with his Irken tattoos, which is on her Deviantart page; her username is IrkenVampyer777 (I spelled it right this time haha) sorry about my typo last time, and I'm sorry that my link didn't work. So if you want to see it, then look her up. She has some pretty amazing stuff. She has also informed me that she plans on doing more in the future, when she has time. So let's all look forward to those. 3

Also, we are getting steadily closer to that lemon haha, and I would like your opinions. Would you like to see Dib or Zim as the dominant? I can't make up my mind, so I'll let you guys do it for me. Whoever gets more votes will be dominant.

AND, I realized ( and I'm surprised that none of you have said anything about it) that I have completely forgotten about Gir. Haha. Sorry. But since I'm already so far into the story, I'm just going to keep it the way it is. No Gir in this one, but if I write future ZADR fics, he will be in them. I'm sorry. I am a newbie, please forgive me.

[Captor of the Crazies: ahh my loyal reviewer. Haha, again, sorry for the typo but I'm glad you liked TheHolidays fanart. She is an amazing person. Be sure to let me know who you would like on top, Zim or Dib? ] [Monstre: First of all, forgive me for being new and slightly retarded, but what is AU? I have no idea. And I think I did mention this before in one of my earlier chapters, but yes haha, my characters are a little OOC. I know. And I apologize for that. For some reason, it's hard for me to NOT put myself into them. I try, and I fail. But I also like to imagine that in my fic, they have had years to mature and grow, so their personalities are a little different. When I think of it that way, I don't feel as bad. As for the typos, I do my best to catch them before I upload my chapters, but I'm not perfect. I actually do not have a beta, I never have. I don't like the idea of one. But who knows, I'm thinking about it. Maybe I will change my ways. And I am also very happy to know that you are a fan of A Perfect Circle, a better fan that me I must confess, I did not know his name. But all in all, thank you for the review, and thank you for the constructive criticism, it is very much appreciated. It's nice to hear all praise, but I do like to know what I need to improve. So thank you. I hope you are able to continue to enjoy my story in the future. ] [Chickens: Love the name by the way haha. And thank you, I'm glad you like it. And I agree, it was kind of fast, but the idea of him moping around forever just… depressed the hell out of me. And being someone prone to depression, I can't write it if it doesn't make me happy. But I am sorry. Though will Zim explaining why he did it, I hope that makes it a little better…?] [ToRRiS: ahh another loyal reviewer. I'm glad you're still with me, after making you wait haha. Getting ever closer. But be sure to let me know who you would prefer on top. I'm getting closer to that part in the story, so stay tuned.] [TheHolidays: I 3 you. I can't wait to see your drawing of Zim laid out on the floor, I'm really looking forward to it. ]

Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim or any of its characters.

Chapter 10

His footsteps echoed as he walked down the hall, his face set in blank determination. He had a feeling that he knew what this was about, and he wasn't going to let Pazak mess up his plans, no matter what it took. He came to the door sooner than he expected, before he was ready. He cleared his mind and stood in front of it for a second, taking a deep breath. When he had control of his face, he knocked. The door was opened by an Irken soldier who bowed to him as he walked into the room. He stopped at the steps to the platform. He didn't think they would be happy with him if he walked up and stood next to them, rubbing his height in their faces.

He stood at attention, with his hands clasped behind his back and waited for them to acknowledge him. They were standing on the platform at a large table, snacking on different types of doughnuts and sandwiches and candies. When they didn't appear to see him, he sighed and said;

"My Tallest." They looked down at him and narrowed their eyes.

"So it is true, you have grown taller. Seeing you through the meeting screens did not show your full height, but now I see that the rumors are true. I was beginning to think that you were avoiding us because you had lied about your height." Red said.

"Yes, we have not seen you in so long Zim, last you stood before us you were just a tiny thing." Purple added.

"My apologies, my Tallest. I have had many things to attend to since I have been home, I have not had much spare time in which to reward myself by meeting with you in person." Zim said, trying to put himself a little more in their favor.

"But you have had time to take your zakri for a walk in the gardens." Red said, staring him down. Zim could think of nothing to say, so he said nothing.

"Is that pitiful creature more important to you than your leaders?" Red asked, sneakily. Zim could not understand what he had done to cause his Tallest to be so dismayed with him.

"Of course not my Tallest. I merely thought that it would have been rude to call upon you so late and figured that I would wait until a more appropriate hour. I would hate to interrupt your… rest." He spoke smartly, trying not to smile. Red smirked, but Purple spoke.

"But you neglected to call on us today as well, we had to send someone for you." He said.

"I confess my Tallest, that I may have been a little fearful of meeting with you in person." He said dodgingly, thinking fast.

"And why is that?" Purple asked, cocking his head to the side as Red munched on another sandwich.

"Because I must be honest and tell you of the disrespectful tone that another great Invader has used against Zim and things that are mine." He said, amazed at his own genius.

"Explain." Red said, his mouth full of sandwich.

"I encountered Invader Pazak last night in the gardens. In one sentence he undermined your authority and threatened the life of my zakri. In Irken Invader handbook, number four hundred and ninety two, that is illegal and grounds for termination and or dismemberment of the pak." He said formerly.

"But Invader Pazak is also an advisor, as are you. The rules are different for advisors. We will speak with Pazak of this transgression, but he has also brought up the issue of your relationship with your zakri, Zim. This is an important matter to be discussed." Red said seriously. Zim remembered the night before, with Dib in the gardens. He remembered how Dib had kissed him… Pazak must have informed them. Zim's insides churned in anger. How dare Pazak tell the Tallests of his private… stuff with the Dib. He fought to control his face.

"Having sexual relations with someone who is not an Invader is not acceptable Zim. You know this. We do not interbreed." Purple said. Angry, Zim nodded silently.

"We expect to not hear of this again." Red concluded. Zim nodded again, looking at the floor to hide his uncontrollably defiant expression.

"Good . That is all. You are dismissed Invader." Red said, turning away from him in finality. Zim bowed and turned. The Irken soldier bowed to him and opened the door, Zim walked through it as quickly as he could without running.

I sat with Hak on the floor in my room, showing her all of my drawings of Zim. She was just as fascinated by them as he was, I was begging to think it was just an Irken thing. We were talking about how I used the pencils to sketch some of the darker parts of him when we heard the door open. I stopped in mid-sentence and ran out the door. I ran through the bedroom and into the meeting room to see Zim standing in front of his computer, turning it on. He wasn't looking at me.

"Zim, how did it go?" I asked. I could tell by his posture that something was wrong. Hak came in behind me, watching Zim. She walked up to him and looked up at him seriously.

"What can we do?" She asked. He looked at her, and for the first few seconds I know he really didn't see her. Then his eyes focused and he looked at her, his eyes narrowing in determination.

"I need you and Jeza to look in the archives and through our history of Tallests. Get me all the information you can on them, and zakris. When you have it, bring it to me. Pazak has no IDEA who he is dealing with." He said evilly. It almost made me smile to see that old spark in his eyes. This was the Zim that I knew, the Zim who fought and won.

Hak nodded and left, closing the door behind her. Zim bent down over his computer again, clicking different screens.

"Zim what happened?" I asked, wanting to know what the hell was going on. He didn't answer me, just kept clicking and typing. Frustrated, I walked over to him and grabbed his shoulder, pulling him up to me.

"Zim, what the hell is going on?" I asked him again, he narrowed his eyes at me and grabbed my chin in a grip too strong for his thin, fragile looking hands.

"Do not interrupt Zim when he is working DIB. You know better than that." He spoke, close to my face. I jerked out of his grip.

"I'm not your pet or your bitch Zim. When I ask you a question I expect an answer." I said testily. We stood, nose to nose, staring each other down.

"Zim is not ordered by you DIB. Zim answers to NO ONE. Do you understand?" He said, angry. I felt my temper rising.

"You know better than that Zim. We have always been equals, you and I. Us being here on this planet does not change that fact." I thought for a moment, thinking of his being Irken, and added; "You are not Taller than me Zim. We are equal in height also."

"Your height does not matter DIB, you are not Irken, so it means nothing. You're just a DISGUSTING HUMAN. You have no status here, except as my SLAVE. It has always been your destiny. Go ahead and accept it now and you will be a lot happier." He said superiorly, smiling his evil smile. I knew he was baiting me, channeling his anger, and it was working. I shoved his chest and he stumbled back, catching himself on his desk. He snarled at me, in that metallic Irken voice. He shoved me back, but I was expecting it and didn't budge. It helped that I was heavier than him. Instead of pushing him again, I leaned into him, grabbing him sharply by the waste, and kissed him hard. He was surprised for a moment, stunned, before he grabbed my shirt with his hands and threw me back into the table. The edge of it hit my lower back hard enough to bruise. I winced, but then he was on me, kissing me and pushing me back into the table. He wrapped his sharp fingers in my hair, pulling me closer to him. I put one hand on the back of his neck and the other around his waist, bringing him almost on top of me. I couldn't touch enough of him. His clothes were getting in the way, and I was getting way too hot. He opened his mouth and I felt his jointed tongue sneak into mine. His tongue was hot and the texture was strange, but when he wrapped it around my own tongue I had a sharp mental image of his tongue wrapping around me like that in… lower areas. The temperature of my skin went up again and I could feel myself getting so hard that it was painful. I put my hands on his lower back and pulled him closer to me, grinding our hips together and kissed him harder. I felt his sharp intake of breath when I pushed into him and he bit my bottom lip with his strange teeth. It wouldn't bleed, but it would damn sure be swollen. I felt like I was drunk. All I could see was him, all I could hear was his panting, all I could feel was his skin on mine. I was eager, pulling him closer and closer and kissing him harder and harder. We had never been this far before, and without thinking, I slid my hand up the back of his shirt, feeling his smooth skin. When my hand made contact with his skin he stopped and pulled away so fast that it made my head spin. I stumbled a little, catching myself on the table behind me. I looked at him, confused. He was standing a few feet away, clutching at his chest and breathing heavily.

"Stupid Dib-human, ruled by your damn hormones. Zim cannot afford distractions! This is a dangerous time for us both. You must have patience. I have work to do. I do not have time for sex." He huffed, apparently annoyed. I gaped at him, almost unable to believe he was actually saying these things.

"Are you serious Zim? What the fuck? Fine, if that's true, then look me in the eye and tell me you don't want it too." I challenged, still clutching the table. I was hot and irritable, and my erection was outright refusing to go away. I couldn't think clearly.

"Of course Zim wants to." He said dismissively. "But there are more important things to do now. Zim must finish his work, mustn't let Pazak get what he wants, because then I will not get what I want, and what I want is more important than anything." He rationalized, still breathing heavily. I stared at him, trying to make sense of what he had said.

"Well what the hell am I supposed to do about this?" I demanded, motioning to my very stubborn erection. Zim looked down at me nearly bulging out of my pants in a way that almost made me self-conscious. He seemed very interested, and almost tempted, before he looked back at my face and said;

"Eh. Go take care of it. Zim must work." He said casually, as though the trash needed to be taken out or the dog needed to be walked or something stupid like that. He turned around, facing his computer once again and I seriously thought of choking him. Instead, I huffed loudly and said;

"I'm going to take a shower. Then I'm going to bed. Have fun working." I bitched. I was pissed. I stalked out of the room and into the bedroom, slamming the door behind me.

He sat down with his food at a table in the middle of the food court, so that the noise would mask the sound of their voices. She wasn't there yet, but she would be any second. He started eating, he was starving. He didn't have to wait long before she walked up and sat down across from him casually, as if their meeting each other was a frequent thing.

"Well how did they take it?" She asked, not looking at him but resting her green chin on her hands, with her elbows on the table.

"As I expected. They have probably already spoken to him about it. I'm sure he is not happy with me." He said, smiling down at his food.

"Good. The thought of him having…" She shuddered, then continued; "That kind of relationship with that filthy creature is disgusting. We need to separate him from it." Her antenna twitched in annoyance.

"Once I am Tallest, I will have it destroyed. As long as you help me get there, I will let Zim live and you may have him. I will have no need for him." He replied smugly, taking pleasure in her revulsion.

"But he does not does not want me. He completely blew me off at his coming home party. He made a complete fool out of me." She said, her face scrunched up in displeasure.

"Then return the favor. Use your imagination, I'm sure you'll think of something. I've heard that you are particularly talented in that area." He said, glancing at her. She looked at his face, trying to decide whether to be insulted or flattered.

"Fine. I will help you. What do you want me to do?" She said, reaching over and grabbing one of his fries. He watched her eat it and smiled at her.

"I have just the thing for you. You'll love it."