I'M BACK :D
And slightly tired...brain...fried...like...bacon X)

So, Tunica has bee kind enough to do a love '100th review' little comic strip thingy for us ! :D It's very cute, you will love it...And I can only put it up on my DA account tomorrow ^^; I want it to scan properly so you can see the cool little details she's done. So yeah, the link will be put in the next chapter as well.

In the mean time, we have new chapters today ;) Just for the fans. Because I love you guys.

However, when you see how the next chapter ends, I believe the love will slowly disappear into the smoggy air around me...


"Excuse me. I'm wondering if you could help me with something."

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"I…uh, I need a really nice suit."

The clerk gave him a strange look, "Well, you definitely came to the right place."

Dib hated clothes shopping. Picking up clothes for the baby or for family, that was okay. But clothes shopping for himself? Sigh.

He strolled through 'Mr and Ms London's Top Model Society', in search of a simple, nice black suit that he could wear to the wedding, now moved to next week. What a bother.

He decided that today was most likely the only day he could actually do it. Skoodge and Tak were busy trying to reconstruct what Skoodge thought was the crib. They couldn't repaint the room yet as the paint was going to be wet for the next few days and repainting it now would lead to an even bigger, irreversible mess.

Gaz and Johanna were out for the entire day. Gaz was getting her final fitting done for her wedding dress and was going to sort out the Reception Hall, hoping they would let her have the wedding next week...at a price, of course.

And Zim, who was his biggest concern, was currently asleep on the couch after Dib 'wooed' him into taking a nap. All it took was a warm cup of tea (with some natural sleeping agents in it, unbeknownst to Zim) and a good massage. The alien was out within minutes.

Dib knew that Zim was under the impression that he was still going to this wedding. In actuality, he wasn't. The baby's due date was too close for him to be allowed to go anywhere. With the wedding now being pushed back a week, Skoodge suggested to Dib that it would be better for Zim to rest at home. Zim's nausea attacks would be at its worst these next few weeks and his cramps would soon become unbearable.

Dib shuddered. Thank God they decided to do the C-Section. He couldn't begin to imagine what birthing the child would have been like.

Skoodge had already programmed the computer systems downstairs with all the information and equipment they would need for the procedure. It took the Irken a good fifteen hours of straight, painstaking work, but it was done. Now it was just a matter of waiting till the baby gave Zim the message that he or she was ready to come out. Dib was still trying to mentally prepare himself for that.

In the meantime, Dib had to deal with this overly chirpy store clerk who was showing him a disgustingly bright blue suit with white edgings.

He smiled politely, "Uh, it's a bit bright."

"But it suits you very well, sir. It matches your build nicely and goes with those stunning black locks on your head."

He looked away, trying not to blush. What a sales pitch, "Could we rather try something in black?"

She sighed, "Men have no sense of fashion. Always simple, boring colours. Come along, sir."

Dib followed, his hands tucked into his dark navy jeans, sighing. He really hated clothes shopping.

He toyed with the idea of just wearing his old white suit. The one he got married in. But alas, it wasn't fitting him right anymore. And Zim's black suit which was worn on their wedding day was very small. Zim was an incredibly skinny man (well, when he wasn't expecting) which meant Dib could never borrow any of his clothing. This seemed to please his husband quite a lot.

He looked around, the idea of him looking for his own suit sounding better than having this young fashion-obsessed teen looking for his new 'Fung Shea', when his eyes caught a new sight.

"Hang on a minute," he muttered, the clerk stopping.

He walked over to the woman's section, ball gowns and evening wear decorating this aisle. The teen gave an embarrassed look, "Oh, he's one of them. Hmmm, I guess…that's….er, doable."

"I didn't expect to see you here," he said gently, smiling.

Zita turned around, holding a full length pink number in her hands. Dib nearly jumped, noticing the purple ringer around her eye!

"My God! Your eye! What happened?!"

She looked away, eye contact now a thing of the past, "It's nothing Dib. I…I just ran into one of the hospital sliding doors yesterday like a twit."

He held her cheek, bringing her face up to get a better look, "I've seen many nimrods run into those doors at work and they never left marks like this. And it's an old one too. It's already changing colour."

She pulled herself away, moving to another section, sneering, "Just leave it alone, Doctor!"

He followed quickly, "I will not leave it alone, Zita. Who did this to you?!"
"Dib, it's none of your…" she tried. Dib turned her around to face him. He looked serious, but tried looking a bit calm so she didn't get scared. He held her hands softly, "Zita, please. I'm your colleague, your co-worker. And more importantly, your friend."

She looked at him, ashamed. She pulled her hands free, but stayed standing in front of him, "I…I've gotten myself into some trouble, Dib."

"What kind of trouble?"

"I…I'm behind on some of my payments. My house, my car…so…" She was struggling here. Dib placed a hand on her shoulder. Her lips trembled as she shut her eyes, "So I got some…outside help."

Dib closed his eyes. He was afraid of that, "How far deep are you if they're already beating you, Zita?"

She shook her head, "They told me I could pay them back when I had the money, but now they're starting to get impatient. The eye was an accident, Dib, you have to understand…!"

Dib gave her a look, "How much do they want?"

She looked away, "$10 000."
Dib nearly choked on the air around them, "You were that badly in debt!?"

He placed a hand on his mouth, not realizing how loud that probably sounded. She turned back to him, "No, but they…they added on some interest."

"Some? Zita, we have to go to the authorities about this!"

"And then what, Dib!? I go to jail for not paying taxes! I can't go to jail! I've heard the stories!" she pulled herself away from this situation.

Dib followed, practically jumping in front of her, "Wait a second, Zita."

She looked at him, the bruise really getting to Dib. He sighed, "Why didn't you come to me?"

"Why would I drag you into my messes, Dib?"

"Because of how many times I've dragged you into mine."

"Family issues don't compare to this."

"Oh, if only you knew," he mumbled. "Look, I…I can help you out, but you must promise me to leave these guys alone afterward. I will get you a nice accountant to help sort out your taxes. No more back-alley methods, okay?"

Zita shook her head, her short hair whipping slightly, "I could never ask you to pay for my mistakes, Dib…!"

"You didn't. I offered. Look, I have an emergency account…"

"Which I'm sure is put aside for family emergencies and not dumb friend ones."

"Well, that hurts my feelings," he pouted.

She gave him a look, "Why?"

"I always thought we were family, Zita," he smiled gently. Her eyes went wide. Dib felt himself tense. Was that the wrong thing to say?

Zita lunged herself at him, giving him a big hug. He nearly toppled backwards into an undressed mannequin. "That has to be one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me." She looked up at him, "And again, you're taken! That's just not fair!"

Dib gave a laugh, helping her off him. He smiled, bringing out his chequebook. He scribbled a few things down into the blank spaces and tore it off, handing it to her.

Her face lit up, a comfort sweeping over Dib. She was almost back to normal. She gave him one more big hug and a kiss on the cheek, "I owe you a million good case files for this!"

"I'll keep that in mind," he smirked.

She was off running, probably off to the bank. Dib gave a sigh, "Please, let her be okay."

The annoying clerk reappeared next to him, holding a very elegant formal dress. Black, of course. He gave it a strange look, then looked at her.

She looked a bit rattled, "What? Too long for you, sir?"