I am legit tearing up as I write this. You guys might think I'm such a pansy, but you guys really have no idea how uplifted I have gotten not only because of the reviews of this story, but the overall reaction; the fact I have people shipping my story. Posting it on websites and telling people nationwide how awesome it is and what not (modesty), it has seriously been the most amazing experience of my life. To everyone who reads this story, regardless of if you've reviewed or I've responded to you or not, you seriously have made my world and are truly the reasons I pushed through to get these chapters up so quickly and make them as best as I possibly could, re-reading them every time before I post them, reading each and every one of these reviews . . . it's just been freaking amazing!

But enough of my ramblings of appreciation! It's story time!

Enjoy.

Chapter 37
"Resolutions: These Final Moments"

Zim's eyes widened.

Was that . . . Was that even possible?

As the possibilities raced through his head, Gaz looked up, to see his face contorted in a calculated expression, like always when Zim was working or thinking of something. She waited, patiently, but nervously. Gaz knew well it was possible that she had finally burnt them out. Never before had she used them like she had back in that room, so it was definitely a possibility. And Zim had always said that she'd probably lose them eventually, it had just taken a while. 2 years was a long time, sure, but still. She had never pushed them that far. Not even back in the arena on Irk.

Or maybe the arena had placed her on the edge, and she hadn't given herself enough time to recover, what with using them during army training, when she had defended herself and tried (succeeded) to melt the weapons and bullet that had been fired at her, it had simply broken the barriers and had used up the rest of her powers. It seemed Zim was thinking along those same lines as a solemn expression appeared on his face as he looked down at her, nodding.

"It's quite likely," He told her, opening the door with his PAK appendages. "I'll do a full scan later, but it is very possible you've finally burned them out of your system."

"Cool," She said pleasantly, as he set her down on the bed.

Zim's brow rose as he retrieved clothing for her. He had honestly expected to her to be disappointed, since she had sort of grown an attachment to her powers.

Gaz smirked at him. "I've got the last of Iggins out of me now."

Well. He certainly hadn't thought of it that way.

At once he smirked in relief, placing the clothes next to her on the bed, bending over to kiss her hungrily, possessively, his tongue intertwining with hers. Gaz found energy to respond as she laughed, doing odd things to Zim's body. But he ignored those urges, pulling away with a smile, kissing her on the forehead.

"That is certainly one way to look at it," He said, giving her another peck on the mouth. Then he moved, gesturing to the clothes. "Alright, let's get you dressed."

"And you're positive nobody else saw me naked?" Gaz pressed, eying him cautiously. Sure, Gaz had no insecurity problems about her body, but that didn't mean she was going to go around flaunting herself in front of other people. And she was definitely not comfortable with the idea someone might have seen something, if not everything, without her permission. It kind of pissed her off, really.

Zim smiled at her reassuringly. "Not a soul. And if they did, I will ensure I have their eyes ripped out of their heads and have their heads bashed in until they forget about it. And it'll be easy to tell, as they will be the ones staring at you like you're a goddess."

Gaz rolled her eyes, beginning to unfasten the jacket. "You're so-."

"Truthful?" Zim interrupted, smirking at her with narrowed eyes, giving him a slightly evil, suggestive look. "Amazing?"

"I was going to say 'obnoxious', but that works too." She joked lightly, smirking at his pout.

"Let's just get you dressed." He muttered, scowling at the pile of clothes as she laughed.

Dib stood uncomfortably on the steps, looking down at his shifting feet as he felt many glares on him. He was very glad his father had been left at the underground base, with the few members of the Swollen Eyeball who were unable or just did not want to come. After all, even at the time, it was very possibly a suicide mission. They weren't going to force anyone to come just so they could have more man-power.

Tak completely ignored the looks, focusing on MiMi as she rested, pitying the poor thing like a concerned mother. She sat down on the steps of the place, refusing to have enough respect for the Swollen Eyeball to stand and eye them like Dib was (not), as she waited for Zim and Gaz to come down. After a few minutes of Dib shuffling beside her though, she became annoyed and grabbed his hand, jerking him down and forcing him to sit.

He did, in a rather surprised, ungraceful movement. She let go of his hand, placing it back on MiMi.

"You were annoying me," She informed him, not looking up from her precious SIR unit.

Dib smiled weakly. "Sorry."

Tak just rolled her eyes, ignoring him again, now that he wasn't acting to so stupidly. His fingers were fidgeting in his lap, sure, but at least it wasn't as noticeable.

Then Dib coughed and his fist pounded against his chest, to clear it.

Tak's brow rose as she looked at him. "Is the smoke finally getting to you?"

Dib shook his head, coughing a few more times before answering her, his face a bit red from the momentary lack of oxygen. "No, I think it was whatever Gaz shoved down my throat while you and Zim were fighting."

This startled her entirely. "She . . . She force-fed you something? And you don't even know what it is?"

He shook his head, shrugging. "Well, I figure she'll tell me eventually. And I doubt Gaz is trying to kill me. It was probably just some sort of thing to make me less stupid or something." He joked, smiling at the sky. "She would do that."

Tak's eyes narrowed, looking away. She murmured, to herself, too quietly for Dib to hear, "I'm not so sure . . ."

About twenty minutes later, the doors open, Zim still carrying Gaz. The two stood as he approached them, stopping beside them.

"I am going to kill them," Zim informed them, bluntly.

Dib's eyes widened. "You can't kill them!"

Zim's brow rose. "Why not? They are a nuisance. They will only continue to cause havoc where havoc is not necessary. In this new Earth, the Swollen Eyeball is no longer necessary."

Dib shook his head, frantically. "That's not the point! Zim, I know these people. I can't just let you kill them!"

"Then what do you propose I do, Dib-monkey?" Zim demanded, glaring at him.

Dib hesitated, looking at Gaz instead. "Do you mind, Gaz?"

Zim growled, but Gaz ignored this, sighing and nodding. "I'll find out later anyways. Put me down."

Reluctantly, Zim placed her down on the steps. Tak, figuring that she too was not invited, sat down next to her.

Besides. She wanted to talk to Gaz anyways.

The two boys walked a ways away from the two females, down the steps, walking towards where the Swollen Eyeball were tied together in groups of about six per bundle. Gaz watched them, not particularly interested but lacking something else to do.

Tak cleared her throat then, making Gaz's eyes shift to the female beside her.

"Dib says you made him swallow something you put down his throat." She informed her, getting right to the point. Her eyes narrowed. "What was it?"

Gaz made a face, debating on whether or not she should tell her. So she changed the subject. "How long are you going to live, Tak?"

Tak's own expression contorted into one of disbelief. "Why does it matter? And you didn't answer my question!"

"Answer mine and I'll answer yours," Gaz retorted, eyes darting to the boys and then back. "And keep your voice down. I don't want them to hear."

Tak's brow rose, but she complied. "I'm going to live my lifespan of an Irken. So, effectively, since I'm not in the army anymore or doing anything dangerous anymore, I'm immortal."

Gaz nodded. "Good . . . That's good."

"Now answer my question," Tak insisted, glaring at her. "What did you give him?"

She smiled down at her hands. "You're familiar with the Pill, correct?"

Tak's eyes shot open. "But . . . That's impossible, not to mention incredibly dangerous! And you don't have that kind of access to Irken technology!"

"I don't." Gaz agreed, gesturing to Zim. "But he does. He designed a formula specifically for humans and they sent two; standard protocol."

"I know why they sent two!" Tak hissed, looking completely thrown. "But what about the side-effects this could potentially have on Dib? If something happens, I'm not able to help anymore!"

"There was a mistake in the Pill," Gaz informed her, quietly, keeping her eyes on the boys as they two seemed to be arguing. "It conforms easier to the male human body and gave me pains that Zim found a way to get rid of. But the point is-."

"It would cooperate with Dib," Tak breathed, looking down at MiMi, who was looking up at her master with matching surprise. "He'd . . . He'd be okay . . ."

This was a miracle to her at the moment. Weeks of wracking through her brain to try and figure out a way to help Dib sustain his life. She had started to come to the conclusion she was probably going to need Dr. Membrane's help (gag) but now that Gaz had found this . . . very illegal solution, she didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Gaz was appropriately baffled when the female beside her suddenly had her in a hug, making Gaz completely stiffen and freeze, eyes wide with shock. She looked down at the girl, who was hugging her with her eyes closed, her face unreadable.

"Thank you," Tak stated, very quietly, reluctance but sincere gratitude in her voice.

Uncomfortably, Gaz gave her a little pat on the back, struggling to keep her face from looking disgusted, so as to avoid Tak being insulted. After all, they were probably going to end up as in-laws eventually. Tak released her, her face still serene and expressionless.

Gaz have her a warning look then, all seriousness showing into her expression. "I know Dib likes you and that you want him to be your salhm. But I'm not going to let you hurt my brother, Tak. The reason I stole that extra Pill and force-fed it down my brother's throat is so I wouldn't have to deal with his death. And I'll keep doing it. I know Zim will figure it out eventually, but I'll deal with that when the time comes." Gaz pointed a slender, sharp finger at her. "If you tell Zim, or anyone else besides Dib, what I did, I will hunt you down and kill you. Is that understood?"

Tak's brow rose, but she nodded. "I understand. When are you going to tell Dib?"

"You can, if you want to." Gaz offered, shrugging. "After all, you and Dib are going to be . . . eh . . . yeah."

Well, Gaz thought, wanting to smack herself for her words. Now I know how Dib feels when addressing mine and Zim's relationship.

Tak nodded thoughtfully, looking out at the two still bickering boys. "Yes . . . I suppose that would be best for everyone."

"A good way to start off a relationship," Gaz commented, casually, smirking. "Telling your significant other that their sister made them immortal and you're going to be stuck together forever."

Tak snorted, nodding. "An interesting way, at the very least. But don't you think he'll ask you after a while?"

Gaz shook her head, glancing at her brother with a hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Probably not. Dib knows by now that if I don't offer an explanation to him, he isn't going to get one."

Tak scowled down at her lap and did not say anything, her hands stroking MiMi.

Gaz noticed, reading her easily. "Dib also knows I'm never intentionally mean to him. It just comes out that way." She paused, eying her hands. "And you shouldn't fidget. It's annoying."

Tak's head snapped up in surprise and slight anger. "I'm not fidgeting!"

"You hide it well, I'll give you that, but it's still fidgeting," Gaz said quickly, in a low tone so the now approaching boys could not here her. Tak scowled a little further, but the expression slipped to monotonous upon seeing the two returning.

Zim looked a bit disapproving, but Dib was really who caught her attention. He was shifting, nervously, as he tried to hide his discomfort. Gaz's eyes narrowed when he caught her suspicious glare and he quickly averted his gaze to the side, as if unaware of her presence. Tak, too, seemed confused about what was going on, her gaze shifting between all three of them. Gaz locked eyes with Zim, who gave her a look that insisted he was not going to speak first.

"What's going on?" Tak demanded, breaking the silence.

Dib cleared his throat bravely, looking to his sister and female companion. He spoke quietly, so that the prisoners (even though they were a ways away) could not hear him. "The Swollen Eyeball is going to remain alive."

Gaz's eyes narrowed, as she knew that was obviously not the whole story.

"And?" She demanded, suspiciously. A fear was beginning to creep up on her already weary body. She did not need all this unnecessary anxiousness right now! "Come on, Dib, just spit it out!"

"I'm," He cleared his throat again. "I'm . . . going to be moving with them, in a reserve, so that I can keep an eye on them 24/7 and make sure that they don't try anything stupid. It . . . won't be much of a life for them, but at least they'll be alive, right?"

"Well wherever you're going, I'm going too." Tak insisted, crossing her arms in a manner that allowed for no question about her decision. "I'm hardly going to stay here."

At first, Gaz still did not see why he was so nervous. But a few short minutes later, she froze as she realized the potential problem. Her teeth began to grind together as she locked gazes with her brother.

"Where?" She demanded, venomously. When he looked away again, she repeated her question more forcefully. "Dib, where are you going?"

"Well I mean they could hardly be somewhere where they were constantly reminded of what Zim was doing! That would only make them all the more rebellious to the reserve!"

"Dib!" Gaz shouted, angrily, getting to her feet in a fluid, rather pissed off motion, her fists clenching at her sides.

Tak leaned away from her, a brow rising as she wondered how far she should let this go before she should probably intervene. However a few seconds later her surge of adrenaline wavered and Zim, much to Dib's annoyance (although really, he knew he needed to seriously start getting used to his brother-in-law now that things were seemingly over), was next to her before Dib could even react. Zim caught her in his arms and set her down carefully on the steps again, speaking in a gentle but warning manner.

"Do not push yourself," he ordered her, sitting down next to her with his arm around her shoulder. "You are hardly strong enough to stay awake, let alone move around right now. I will take you back upstairs if you don't control yourself."

For a moment (a blissfully hopeful moment), Dib thought Gaz was going to argue with him. Maybe even hit him, if she was pissed enough. But much to his disappointment, she only glared at him, complying nonetheless. Dib resisted a scowl but not for too long, as he was immediately amused by Tak scooting away from the couple almost unnoticeably. He coughed, hiding a relapse in his control, a laugh nearly escaping from his mouth. But unfortunately, that brought his sister's attention back to him, a piercing glare he flinched away from.

Dib sighed then, submitting. "I want to set it up . . . in Africa."

Gaz did not say a word. Simply stared at him. Then she composed herself, shaking off the initial shock.

"Well, I'm sure I could always find some way to visit, then." She insisted, a scowl on her face as she came up with solutions. "And Dad would be with you, right?"

"Yes," Zim replied, for Dib. "Every member of the Swollen Eyeball, nurses, janitorial men and whatever other low-labor form that hasn't abandoned the organization included, will be locked within the Reserve."

She could sort of understand why he'd picked Africa. It would probably be in a remote, disguised area too, so that natives and tourists alike could not stumble upon it and cause problems within the setup.

"There's a catch though, Gaz," Dib admitted, reluctantly.

He was very close to just not telling her, but she'd find a way to kill him for it later if he just ran off without saying anything. She'd probably find some way into manipulating Tak into doing it. Even if the she-Irk was hard to get to do anything, let alone for a sibling of his, Gaz could convince anyone anything. And Gaz would be much more merciful then Tak probably would be. Mainly because Dib was Gaz's sister.

And Tak couldn't give a damn about who anyone was when she was pissed off.

"What?" Gaz demanded, expression acidic again.

Dib noted she was probably almost about to stand up again, as her body was tense. But with a reminding squeeze around her shoulder from Zim and an equally as sever look, she relaxed, if only slightly. It was weird. All his life, Zim had found and used every means of opportunity to bother Dib. Now, he was here, going along with and even supporting his idea, all while restraining his sister so that she would hear Dib out instead of strangling him. Even more surprising was that Zim then turned to Dib, nodding for him to continue. It made Dib slightly uncomfortable, feeling like his former arch-nemesis (a status that had been decidedly changed about five minutes ago) was handling this situation more maturely then he was.

The Membrane boy straightened himself slightly. Unknown to him, Tak's brow rose as she (and somehow only she) noticed, but did not say anything. Dib was determined now. He was not going to let Zim beat him about this. He was going to be the most damn compliant brother-to-the-Empress-of-the-New-World that he could be. No way was Dib going to let Zim look like a better person here! Dib was going to be so freaking nice and supportive to those two from now on, Gaz was going to start getting suspicious!

Dib cleared his throat as he continued, his newfound confidence giving him a stabler voice. "The Reserve will be on total lockdown, to prevent the Swollen Eyeball from attempting something of like what Tak did, with MiMi, about the defense system."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait," Gaz said, waving her hands for him to stop. One went to her forehead, Zim eying her worriedly, as her eyes flashed up to Dib's in disbelief. "You're locking yourself inside with a bunch of people who probably want to kill you right now? Absolutely not!"

"I'm willing to give your brother an army and a few devices; more then enough to ensure the Swollen Eyeball will be kept under control." Zim said, trying to reassure her, so as to keep her calm.

But she waved a hand for him to be quiet, having eyes only for her brother. "Why don't you just make somebody else watch them? They're not your responsibility just because you know them, Dib! Most of these people are old enough to be our grandfather! You're not their baby-sitter! You shouldn't be volunteering to stand around so that these people who hate you (or did you forget that?) can stay alive!"

He gave her a sad expression. "Gaz . . . I can't just let all these people die when I know that there is something that I can do about it."

Gaz shook her head furiously, as if the information was too much for her. She buried her head in her arms, curling her legs up against her as she took breaths to calm herself. Dib grimaced, feeling her pain, positive it showed on his face. He felt kind of bad for Zim and Tak being present for something that really should've just been him and Gaz, but he guessed by the fact that neither of them were leaving, they could handle it without being uncomfortable.

Finally, she sighed, "You try to play the hero too much, Dib. Now look where it's getting you; stuck in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of crazy people."

"Dad always did say I was going to end up somewhere like that anyways," He joked, remembering that one time he'd been sent to the 'Crazy House' as a child and seeing his Dad there, apparently having expected him to show up eventually.

Gaz snorted, amused, but refusing to show it. "So how long are you going to stay there, till all those stupid old people die?"

"Not all of them are that old," Dib insisted. "Some of them aren't that much older then me. But yes. That, or until they all come to terms with the fact Zim is now in charge."

Gaz noticed only a slight bitterness to the sentence and it made her smile just a bit, glancing between Zim, who was smirking at Dib's irritation (though it was only minor) and Dib, who was giving her a brotherly smile. Maybe those two could cooperate with one another.

After all, she thought, resisting a larger smile, now they have plenty of time to work things out.

"It'll all be planned out thoroughly, Gaz, to ensure safety and efficiency." Zim insisted, holding her to him just a bit more, in a comforting gesture. "And you will be able to call your brother as much as you like over the transmissions I'll have set up in his base, er, home."

Gaz made a face of dejection, but acceptance. Dib was definitely not going to change his mind, so she was going to have to deal with this. And besides, it wasn't like she had to worry about the Swollen Eyeball outliving him or anything. Her father was really the one that was worrying her at the moment, but Gaz was positive that that problem could be worked out too, with time.

"Well," Tak said, breaking the silence. Her voice was laced with sarcasm as she leaned on her hand, glancing boredly between the three. "This is turning out just oh-so-freaking-dandy. And I don't know about any of you people, but I am exhausted. Is there any possibility I could just go to sleep in one of the hundreds of unused rooms in this damned castle?"

Dib nearly groaned, his hand going to his face.

Leave it to Tak to be blunt in a potentially delicate situation.

But Zim was compliant, being far too used to the brash ways of his fellow Irkens. Even if Tak wasn't wholly Irken anymore, she was raised as one, there was no disputing that.

"Yes, of course," Zim said, picking up Gaz and standing. "Follow me, I'll show you to your rooms you'll be staying in until the Reserve is finished. It shouldn't take too long. Probably around a few weeks, for planning and innovating. Meanwhile, I'll keep the Swollen Eyeball under the guards watch and move them into the latest updated prison. They won't break out of there, that's for sure."

Gaz didn't have to ask why they couldn't just stay there, even if she wanted to. A prison was no place for Dib's heroes, the people he (hopefully no longer) idolized. A Reserve was a thousand times better than a prison, especially if Dib was helping design it. After all, for all he knew, that was going to be his home for a while too. Maybe even his permanent resting place. Looking over at Dib and Tak following behind, nearly brushing arms and rather obliviously close together, she wondered when exactly Tak would choose to start that conversation.

Dib and Tak were shown rooms that were relatively close to Gaz and Zim's, on that side of the wing (Zim claimed to have fixed them into the security while he had been up here with Gaz; she and Tak both knew it was a big fat lie, but neither of them called him out on it). Thankfully, Skoodge had informed Zim that the security was fixed and back up to date, which started a bit of an argument with Tak and Zim about her breaking what he built and her retorting with the fact he should build his toys better. Both Membrane children were curious; if these dangerous, superior weapons were called 'toys', then what were the real 'weapons'?

With a shared look, they decided not to ask.

Dropping them off in front of their rooms, Zim informed them that they would have clothes delivered up to them soon, so that they could bathe themselves. He then politely excused both himself and Gaz, as he insisted (despite her protests) that she needed to rest, and that Zim had a hell of a mess to clean up now, thanks to Tak's 'little trick', which earned him another smug sneer from her before he spun around on his heel and left them.

Dib was currently in his room now, removing his trench-coat and tossing it on the bed. It was then he heard something 'clink' on the floor and he turned, looking down with surprise. He bent over, eyes narrowing at it, pinching it between his fingers and holding it up to his eyes.

It was a little black, metallic, sort of bead-looking thing. It looked harmless. Maybe some broken piece of a weapon or something . . .?

"Huh," He thought, tossing it aside, into the small trash-can in the room, which landed inside with another 'clink'. "Must have gotten on me during the fight."

It was at that time Tak came barging into his room, beginning to go through his room, like she was looking for something. Dib stared at her in surprise and she ignored him, continuing her search (surprisingly, without MiMi, but Dib guessed her SIR unit was probably resting in the other room), before shaking his head and getting over his initial surprise.

"Tak," he demanded, "What are you doing in here? And why didn't you knock first? I could've been changing or something!"

She did not stop, continuing to open drawers and looking around. "Well, I thought I'd not knock, since you never minded intruding on me." Dib scowled at her and she probably knew it, since a small smirk appeared on her face. "But if you must know, I'm looking for anything that might help me with a few of MiMi's repairs that need to be done." She huffed, closing the last of the drawers. "Well, I suppose I expected as much. I guess I'll have to ask Zim for something, as no doubt he's always fixing that insane little defective SIR unit of his."

"Oh," Dib then yawned, heading into the bathroom. Their clothes had arrived a few minutes ago, although Tak obviously had not changed yet. He grabbed his pile, speaking over his shoulder as he walked. "Well, I'm going to take a shower. Feel free to keep looking in here, I guess."

"Mm," She grunted, looking around, as if she had every right to be in his room. Dib just smiled, shook his head, and closed the door (careful to lock this one, just in case she decided to try and look in the bathroom, too).

Tak heard the shower start and was about to leave when she heard a vibration. She stopped and looked around at its consistence before locating Dib's cell-phone, which he'd left on his bed. She picked it up, a brow rising.

"One missed call," she muttered. It then vibrated again, but only once this time. Then both brows rose. "A new text message?"

She did not hesitate to flip his phone open and read it, carefully, noting the Caller ID a bit scornfully. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to read. A moment later Tak was responding, her slender fingers working easily as she carefully worded the reply. Once it was sent, she went through Dib's history, deleting the missed call, and then into his texts, erasing the message and the one she'd sent in reply before tossing the phone back onto the bed, heading into her own room and lying down on the bed, stroking the tired and worn SIR unit that curled up beside her.

"Oh, MiMi," She sighed, her fingers caressing her companions ears. "It seems I still have to take care of a few things."

SO.

Epilogue, sort of, next chapter.

It's later. Not much later, but still.

So, don't you like how there's only one chapter remaining, and I've still got twists up my sleeves?

All the questions I could think (remember) to answer are in the next chapter.

Th-The last chapter.

. . .

(resists tears)

I-I'm g-g-gonna have to t-talk to you guys later!

Until th-then! *sniffle*

. . . .

!

ALSO, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, THINGS ABOUT THIS STORY YOU WEREN'T CLEAR ON, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO LET ME KNOW AND IF I CAN'T ANSWER IT IN THE STORY, I'LL ANSWER IT IN THE REVIEWS!