Dib was sitting at his computer desk the next day thinking about Tak. They danced and made out the previous night at prom, and he wondered if it would be a burden to ask her out just the next day, he didn't actually have much experience with dates, per se. Immersed in his thoughts, he almost got startled by the ringing sound of his phone. He picked it up without even looking at the name on the screen.

"Hello?" Dib answered.

"Hey, Dib!" Tak greeted from the other side. Speaking of the devil…

"Oh, Tak! Hi!" Dib greeted her back nervously.

"Look, I was wondering if you wanna do something, today." Tak suggested.

"Uhm… Yeah! Sure!" Dib agreed. "What do you have in mind?"

"Uhm… I don't know. I was hoping you had something in mind." Tak confessed. "I'm kinda new to this 'dating' thing."

"Oh, don't worry. Me too." Dib laughed. "Well, I know it's kinda cliché, but do you wanna watch a movie or something?"

"That would be great!" Tak agreed. "How about tonight? There's this new horror movie I've been meaning to watch."

"Sounds great!" Dib agreed. "I'll see you there, then."

"Bye!" Tak said before hanging up the phone.

Dib stared at the blank screen of his phone for a moment before throwing his arms up in the air victoriously. He now had a date with Tak and nothing could ruin his mood.

As days passed, Dib was getting weirder than usual. He left the house more often and, at some point, he started leaving at night only to arrive the next morning. Gaz was starting to find that very suspicious. One night, when Dib was getting ready to leave again, Gaz couldn't help but ask…

"Where are you going?" Dib looked up at her questioningly. That was one of the rare moments that his sister actually spoke to him. "You've been going out too much, lately. Where are you always going?"

"That's not of your business." Dib replied dryly.

"Dib." Gaz retorted menacingly for Dib talking back on her like that.

"Okay, it's just that…" Dib trailed off. "Tak and I are…"

"Wait." Gaz turned off the TV. "You're saying you're dating Tak?" Gaz asked but Dib didn't respond, as the answer was obvious. "Aw, shit…"

"Look, I know what you're thinking." Dib started, ready to give her a moral lesson. "But-."

"Whatever." Gaz retorted. "I couldn't care less who you're dating, even if that person is Zim." Gaz said his name with venom dripping from her words. "It's Francine I'm worried about."

"What about Francine?" Dib asked raising a brow.

"She really likes you, Dib." Gaz said to Dib's surprise. He stared at his sister shocked before Gaz turned the TV back on. "Whatever. It's not like anyone can choose who you date."

Dib watched his sister not knowing what to say next. Feeling bad for himself, he picked up his keys in a bowl on the TV rack and got in his car, driving straight to Tak's place.

When classes started again, Gaz reluctantly told Francine the bad news. She was in shock and wouldn't stop crying when she heard that Dib was dating. Meanwhile, Dib got his paranormal investigator certificate while Zim and Tak got in a nearby college. Dib never shared any information about them, however. He knew that Gaz didn't want to know, after all. It was a rough couple of years trying to get over what happened in the past, but Zim still wasn't able to do so, Gaz, on the other hand, was still pissed at him, but started dating other guys as days passed. Dib couldn't help but wonder if she was doing that because she got over Zim or to get over Zim. Two years passed, and Gaz and Francine were lucky enough to enter the same college. Francine was able to get into an art skool while Gaz herself got into a design skool. They were lucky enough to get into a nearby college, that way they didn't have to go through all the moving process. However, a few days into it, Gaz got an unpleasant surprise…

"God dammit, Dib! Why didn't you tell me?!" She argued with her brother in the living room of their home.

"You wouldn't care about that, anyway." Dib shrugged. "And I only realized he was in the same college as you when it was too late."

"Great, now I have to stand that asshole for four more years." Gaz said referring to Zim.

"I didn't know you could hold a grudge for that long." Dib pointed out.

"You don't understand." Gaz shook her head. "I've been trying to forget him for two years, now. You don't know what I've been through because of him."

"Gaz…" Dib said as he noticed that his sister had start crying.

"What's going on, here?" Professor Membrane asked as the screen floated into the living room. "Son, why is your sister crying?"

Dib tried explaining himself, but Gaz was gone before he could open his mouth. Membrane figured it was Dib who made her cry.

"You're grounded." Membrane said.

"What?! But, dad…!" Dib tried protesting, but his father was already gone, so he just stared out into the blank with a pouty face.

As years passed, Gaz was able to successfully avoid Zim through all her college years. She got back home as she started preparing things to move to another place with the money she made on her game designing job. Zim, who just finished medical skool, was preparing to get his master's degree, but seeing Gaz again during those four years and seeing that she wouldn't probably ever forgive him, only got him out of place. He couldn't think of anything else but her. Dib was having a successful paranormal investigator career and decided to move in with Tak to an apartment building downtown. When vacations arrived after their graduation, Zim couldn't take it, anymore. He wanted to see Gaz, he needed to see Gaz. He took the path to the Membranes' household, ringing the doorbell when he finally made it.

"Oh, hello!" Professor Membrane greeted from the floating screen. "You're the foreign boy who used to study with my son and daughter, correct?"

"Uhm… Yes. Listen, is Gaz home?" Zim asked.

"I guess so. Do you wanna come in?" The screen moved so that Zim could pass through the door, closing it behind him afterwards. "She's probably up in her room." Membrane explained.

"Thank you, Mister Membrane." Zim said before ascending the stairs to Gaz's room.

He arrived at the door but wasn't able to do anything for a couple minutes. He then finally gathered the courage and raised his hand, knocking on the door but nobody answered. Zim then invited himself in, opening the door to Gaz's room and peeking on the inside, but regretted his actions instantly.

Gaz was in her bed making out with a boy that Zim didn't recognize, and they were both half-naked. Zim slowly opened the door to make himself visible to the couple in front of him. The boy on top of Gaz shouted in surprise when he saw Zim standing by the door, startling Gaz.

"Zim! What the hell?!" Gaz exclaimed.

Zim just stood there heart-broken for a few seconds before running out the house with tears sprouting from his eyes.

A few days later, Gaz was having breakfast alone when her phone rang.

"What do you want, Dib?" Gaz answered the phone grumpily.

"Gaz, you need to go talk to Zim!" Dib exclaimed from the other end.

"And why should I do that?!" Gaz retorted, suddenly angrier. "You know, he really should get over me and move on with his life."

"That's the problem, Gaz. He never got over you." As Dib continued, Gaz couldn't believe his next words… "Which is why he's going to turn himself in."

Zim drove his motorcycle to Nasa Place. Hopping off and taking off his helmet at the parking lot, he slowly made his way into the building. When Zim finally passed through the entrance, he paused for a moment before starting to work on his disguise. He was about to take off his wig in front of everybody in the building when the door burst open behind him.

"Zim!" Gaz called as she ran up to him, slapping him across the face when she reached him.

"I deserved that." Zim said as he raised a hand to his burning cheek.

"Shut up! Let's just go." Gaz exclaimed as she took Zim by the hand, leading him out the building and back to her car and his motorcycle, leaving a trail of confused watchers behind them.

They drove back to Zim's place, where they parked their vehicles in front of the house.

"What's wrong with you?!" Gaz exclaimed as she gave Zim a piece of her mind in the middle of his living room. "What gave into your mind to do that?!"

"You really don't know?" Zim asked rhetorically.

"Really, Zim?" Gaz complained. "Well, that doesn't even matter, anymore. Clyde broke up with me after your little 'scene'. He didn't want a crazy ex-boyfriend on his back."

"Gaz…" Zim called. "You still don't understand. I meant it when I said that I love you. I've always had and always will."

"That's hard to believe." Gaz laughed sarcastically.

"Look." Zim started. "I must confess that I didn't feel nothing for you when I started that 'pretending to date you' thing, which was a low move I know-!"

"You bet that." Gaz spat, cutting him off.

"Let me finish." Zim raised his hand, motioning for her to keep silent, which she did. "… I never thought I would develop feelings for you in the middle of it… But I did. Not that I regret that, no. I only regret playing with your heart. I know I'm a huge jerk for doing that to you, but I still hope that, one day, you'll forgive me, because I fell in love with you and that's never gonna change."

Gaz took a moment to digest everything. It was a heavy moment of silence while she pondered about Zim's confession.

"You have no idea how much it hurts." Gaz started. "Being used like that." Zim looked down embarrassed. "I tried moving on, believe me… But the pain was just too much. All because I fell in love with you, as well."

"Gaz…" Zim started, not able to finish his sentence.

"I love you, Zim." Gaz confessed. "I always did, which is why I could never let go of that grudge I held for you… Moving on was very hard because I never felt the same for anybody I went out with."

"Gaz… I'm serious this time, okay?" Zim took a few steps towards Gaz, closing the space between them. "I do love you… Can… Can you forgive me? Can we… Start over?"

Gaz didn't think twice, she simply grabbed Zim's face and kissed him on the lips. Zim returned the kiss while hugging her waist. It was like a glass of water after years wandering through the desert. They stared at each other for a moment after finally braking the kiss.

"I'll give you just one more chance." Gaz threatened.

"That's all I need." Zim replied smiling.

They went back to kissing each other until things started heating up. Gaz pushed Zim to his couch before starting to work on her pants while Zim opened the fly to his own pants. Gaz sat up on him and kissed him before start moving. For Zim, it felt like everything was okay, again. He held Gaz all the way through, as if he was gonna lose her again only, this time, he really wasn't. Gaz collapsed on top of Zim after they reached their climax, and they held each other, panting from the previous work out before kissing again.

"I love you." Zim whispered.

"I love you too." Gaz smiled. "But you better never lie to me again, or I'll end you."

"Understood." Zim nodded.

They kissed each other, knowing that everything was fine again. It was like heavy chains unwrapped from their hearts. They never let go of each other that very day, staying together until the very end.

THE END.

A/N: After much consideration, I decided to put this story back up because I wasn't having any good ideas to rewrite it. :/ I will be rewriting Something Called "Love" though, but that'll be in the far future… '^.^