"Mem not crazy!" Dib scrunched himself in a corner and stayed there. Something was horribly wrong but he didn't know what. His arms curled over his head like he could protect his brains or keep them from falling out. Someone was trying to steal them. Steal the insides of his head and splatter them over the ground for everyone to laugh at.
All alone. All alone. Nobody gonna help.
Nobody care.
"Dib?"
His whole body flinched and he blurted, "Crazy! Not!"
The voice was so beautiful, why did he feel so sick about it? Like being wrapped in a nice warm blanket and then vomiting all over it. Something wrong. Something bad. Bad things coming.
"Bad!" he cried. "Bad run!" The beautiful voice should have a chance to escape, to not get caught in whatever hell was coming. "Believe run run!"
"Dib. I know you are afraid, but do not lash out at Dulcie."
Of course would never ever why would think you that? Good Dib being sick. Good Dib.
Small warm hug. Realer than blankets. Do not hit, do not strike, do not defend. Small warm hug good thing. Sick is less. Moving arms but hugs… how? How… forgot how to.
"I'm really sorry we had to do it, Dib. I'm so sorry." Small warm hug leaking pitter patter tears.
Don't leak, sick getting better. Maybe bad things not coming? Don't leak. "Leak. Sickless."
Cool hand on his forehead. Don't look up. Tense, tense, snapping point. Beautiful voice touching him, body screaming all different things. "I'm going to tell you who's here, Dib. My name is Teles Pepper, and I am here. Timothy Pepper, my husband, is also here."
Oh. Husband. Oh. Heart stab. Heart rend. Oh. Oh why? Why stars? Why never good things, only shatter?
"My son, Lewis Pepper. My daughters, Cayenne and Dulcie Pepper. We have a very important question for you. Will you listen?"
Scramblebrain shatterheart, how answer? Moaning, only moaning. Can't help listen, but how answer? Will fail! Will fail beautiful voice asking importance.
Oh beautiful voice. Just voice, no words, voicing silk and honey sounds. Body stops screaming. Different. Something… something…
Oh.
Oh.
Sobs. Sobs filling lungs from bottom up, crowding out the throat. Beautiful voice knows things. Secret things. Beautiful voice sees the hurted places. Tired places. So very tired, beautiful voice. All alone.
Beautiful voice knows, beautiful voice knows what alone is like. And tired. And hurt. So sad, why so sad? Don't be sad, beautiful voice…
"Mom! Be careful!"
Music turn. Waking sharp. What?
Song quieter, carefuller. Song, it's A song. Right word found.
Song sings but not just song, now. Other voices talk alongside song.
"You're not crazy. I've lived with sirens most of my life and now I'm a ghost. What you've been researching and chasing after? It's all real."
"I'm sure sure good kid. You. You, good kid. Means really well. Mistakes, yeah, yeah, but mistakes us all. We do."
"Zim isn't here. He never was. He died a long time ago, just like you said. It was just Arthur, playing a part."
"Dib, we want you to be part of our family. Lewis is my big brother first an' always but will you be, too?"
Head in hands. So much pounding in the head, so much tearing in the chest, so much sobs. Words keep on, song keeps on, singing Dib seen. Dib known. Dib cared for. Open seat at the table, Dib's name on the chair. Open door with laughing and loving inside. Come, Dib. Room with Peppers for the Membrane.
"We can help you keep making sense of this. As long as you like."
"Bet you bet you don't get a lot of lot home cooked, do you?"
"We're not just going to abandon you now."
"I promise I'll be a better little sister."
Dib lifted his arms. Like baby. Please. Help me, help…
…..
Dib lifted his face from his desk, rubbing bleary eyes. Arthur sat across from him, expression guarded, wary, as if expecting Dib to pull a blaster on him any second.
So tired. Yet, at the same time… refreshed?
He couldn't remember it properly. Blurs and scraps were all he had of the last couple days. Fortunately, security footage captured everything in his labs and he was able to see exactly what had gone down.
Even with the footage muted his body seized up every time he saw Teles and Arthur enter the testing chamber to begin another round of deconstruction. He'd only gone through that footage once and he could hardly bear it then.
Instead he pored over the three five-hour sessions that the Pepper family had spent calling him back from the edge, scrutinizing minute details. Absorbing and re-absorbing the healing words, unmuting short segments that had been marked as "within safe auditory range" to listen to her voice again. Teles Pepper.
He had fallen hard for her at first, that much was clear. Yet somewhere in the midst of the Pepper family surrounding him, his perception of her role in relation to himself shifted. He was not ready to slap an official label on the feeling, after all what mother had he ever known? It had only ever been his father there, at a distance. Half the time he suspected he and his sister were cloning experiments, but he'd never been able to dig up proof.
"How did this even happen," he muttered, running his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time. "What kind of natural disaster are you people? Together?"
A wry grin like a slash mark curved up Arthur's face. He lifted his shoulders once and dropped them, shaking his head.
"You should all be separated permanently for the sake of anyone you come across." Dib slumped back in his chair. He didn't mean it, of course, and anyway he doubted anyone who tried would be able to succeed for long.
Arthur was still smiling like he found everything Dib was saying funny. In spite of himself, Dib allowed a weary smile. "Still. You all kept your end of the deal. I'm on the hook for life, it seems, but aside from that little addiction, all brain scans say I'm running at peak performance. Better, even, than I ever have."
He glanced back down at the feed, freezing it for a moment. He drew more reassurance from the uneasy expression on Kay's face and the stiff, withdrawn posture Lewis held than they would ever know. All Peppers had agreed and would help, but not all Peppers were at ease with the idea of making him a part of the family. This was no concerted effort to hoodwink him, this was a real family, made up of differing personalities and viewpoints, offering him a place with them. Or, at least, a chance.
"So, if this worked on me, chances are it will work on Mr. Pepper. I assume after your meeting with me, you'll leave to let Mrs. Pepper know it's time to work with Mr. Pepper?"
"Yes." Arthur leaned back in his wheelchair. "One would assume that after years of marriage she would know his deepest needs and desires."
Dib snorted. "One would assume, but that's no guarantee."
Arthur tilted his head. "Of course it's no guarantee, but she voiced her guess to the rest of the family and myself and we concur it is likely to be accurate."
"Well, what does he want?"
"According to Teles, Timothy wants to know that she really loves him, in spite of the curse bringing them together."
Dib shook his head. "Yeah, well, that's not something I can weigh in on. Haven't been around you all long enough to tell."
Looks like that's going to change,Arthur signed. I hope there's no hard feelings. You seem nice.
Dib's mouth quirked. "Nice" was the last word he'd have used to describe himself, but he could recognize an effort at friendship when it was extended to him. Truth be told, he could use someone like Arthur around and he might as well make that clear.
"No hard feelings. I'm sure I'll tell you all about Zim at some point so you understand exactly what happened back there." He cleared his throat. "Also. It looks like everyone's recovery is proceeding nicely, which is fabulous, but there's still an inordinate amount of work to be done in order to integrate the Peppers back into society. Not to mention helping me have some sort of result to show the trust fund so they unfreeze my assets."
Arthur raised an eyebrow, waiting.
"I've already offered Vivi a position managing my appointments and assisting me in my research. I'd like to offer you a contract to maintain the equipment in my labs. I could use your help designing new tech out of the alien scrap we scavenge, not to mention an extra brain on analysis of particularly difficult cases."
Both eyebrows were up now, but there was still a frown on Arthur's face. My uncle has first dibs on my help at the shop. He pause. I mean he gets my help first.
Dib rolled his eyes. "Yeah, of course he does. You don't have to live here. Give me one week a month in my labs, or every other weekend, or slow shop days, even. I just want to hear you're willing to work something out with me part time."
It's pretty far out, isn't it? I wasn't really conscious for the trip over but seems like we're in the middle of nowhere.
"Yeah. Well. I'm already working on a few ideas that might lessen travel time. Any other questions?"
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Do you have any intentions regarding Kay or Dulcie?"
"I might ask Kay to stop by for research purposes, but under the same terms as before; she has full veto power over any and all tests and I will explain them beforehand. Dulcie? I don't know. That dreamwalking ability is quite fascinating. I may ask her and Chloe to visit as well, if they are willing."
Arthur's head was tilted so far to the side it was nearly sideways, staring at Dib with impenetrable green eyes. "You are a very strange scientist, allowing us all this power and permission."
"Yeah, well, this is an exceptional case in every regard."
"According to our memories, most paranormal investigators prefer to cash their discoveries in for money or fame."
Dib snorted. "Arthur, I'm Dib Membrane. My father already left me a fortune and some clout from his reputation. Besides, I figured out a long time ago that not every paranormal being is hazardous to humans. There are some cases out there just trying to survive and get along. The deserve a helping hand, not life under glass." He shrugged. "Sure, I'd love it if my name quit being a punch line for jokes about insanity and sometimes I still struggle with what I want, but mostly I'm used to it. There's more important things than recognition."
"You do not smell of envy anymore," Arthur said quietly. "And you speak like it has always been this way, but we have scented the struggle far more often than you've let on. Until now."
Dib scratched his ear. "Yeah, well. I guess some things got clarified and reinforced in ways I didn't expect." He glanced back at Arthur. "How much longer are you in the chair?"
I can already wheel myself, now. One more day and I should be able to walk safely. His eyes twinkled. I assume you will want all the details of the superhuman healing rate.
"Of course."
Of course.
Dib waved a hand. "Alright. Go on, clear the treatment plan with Mrs. Pepper. And could you send Dulcie in? I have something I need to discuss with her."
Saluting, Arthur wheeled himself toward the door.
Dib rewound the footage, raising the volume just enough to hear his favorite part again.
"Dib, we want you to be part of our family."
….
"Vivi?"
Vivi lifted her head from the book she'd been reading aloud. Kay stood in the doorway of Lewis' library, biting her lip.
"Hey, Kay!" Vivi waved. "Come on in, we're almost finished."
"But they're just going to find out who their father is!" Lewis protested. "You can't stop there!"
Vivi elbowed him in the ribs. "It can wait a few minutes, can't you see Kay has something important to talk about?"
Lewis blinked. "How do you know? She hasn't said anything."
Vivi sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Boys. What can we do for you, Kay?"
With a nervous smile, Kay produced a single golden feather. "I, um. Arthur told me you did this for him once. I mean, took a feather I gave him and had it enchanted. Like an amulet?"
"Talisman. He had me make him a protection talisman. Sure!" Vivi crossed over to Kay and took the end of the feather, but Kay didn't let go.
"I want to help with the spell, too. Can that happen?" She glanced over at Lewis. "Privately. I want it to be something special and I need to talk to you about it alone, Vivi."
Sighing, Lewis floated past, kissing Vivi on the cheek and yanking Kay's ponytail before drifting out of the library.
Frowning, Vivi regarded the feather. "O-kay. So what exactly did you have in mind?"
….
Note: Updates! I am moving from Los Angeles to Houston next week so there might be a bit of a gap for a while as we deal with that, but this is still the home stretch of Flaws. Also I have opened a (pat reon) (with this same username)! I'll be gently reminding people at the end of each chapter from now on but that's all it is, a gentle reminder that it's there, not an obligation. The fanfiction will always be free! There are, however, other perks… Chapter title excerpted from Up All Night by Owl City.
