Dlbn: Hey there everyone! And welcome to another update of Keefvine! It's the first time I've updated on time (semi-on time) in a few weeks :O

Nbld: Well, with the closing of our other fic, we've had actual time to get to work on this quicker. So from now on, updates will be on time/semi-on time instead of so late it's not even funny.

Dlbn: Agreed!

Nbld: Review Corner! Thank you to SecretlyTTfanTT, kitty Tokyo uzumaki, Achlys/Servant of Time, Princess-of-Your-Doom95, Experiment G1T8L1, kyo, and sailingspace14 for reviewing! Here's some hammers for you to hit Membrane over the head with. Or anyone else you know that needs to be hit with a hammer :D

Dlbn: Like the woman on the show we're watching, who thinks she's pawning something like an i-pad…but it says Toshiba right on the back of it. Ergo, not an i-pad XD

Nbld: Precisely.

SecretlyTTfanTT: Aw, that sucks that you lost the USB for it :( (Or "memory stick" as my professors seem to want to call it) I'm a BB/Rae fan, too. It's pretty canon XD I'm not a fan of some of my earlier stuff, either. Thank you ^^ Membrane needs some sense smacked into his little ignorant head.

Kitty Tokyo uzumaki: I think Dib is feeling the same way about his father XD Awesome! Glad to hear you had fun! :D

Achlys/Servant of Time: That would explain it, you're right…hm…I wonder what happened to their mother in the show. I've read online that Membrane has her in a jar, or something like that. creepy -_- the nurse has definitely been subjected to a 'happy brain probe' ;) As for Simmons, he's an interesting person. For Membrane's right hand, he sure seems to believe in aliens a bit much.

Princess-Of-Your-Doom95: That's the way it normally is, I've learned. I know someone who's got the grades to prove that she's smart, but is a total moron in the common sense department.

Experiment G1T8L1: XD Thank you! You too! :D

Kyo: Thank you! ^^

Sailingspace14: Membrane has a 'I know better then everyone and I don't care what they say. If I say it, it's true' complex. Thanks ^^ I've got shirts, too. And the soundtrack for the first game, and a poster…I have a lot of Kingdom Hearts stuff XD The only plushie I bought with my own money was Demyx. The others were gifts…but I gave someone the money to get me Steve, so technically I bought him too…whatever. Schematics XD

Disclaimer: I only own Krill/Keyvine. Zim, Dib, Membrane, Gaz, and all other characters of Invader Zim are part of the canon Invader Zim universe. Therefore, they belong to Jhonen C. Vasquez. Who I am not. I make NO money off of this work of fiction.

000

Zim and Dib sat together on their bed once Dib got back from talking with his father. Keef and Keyvine sat at the table with Gaz.

"I can't believe dad won't listen to me." Dib said. "Still!"

"He's never going to." Gaz grunted. "Unless it's about science, or you bring him a live alien."

"I'd offer to go and see him without a disguise," Zim spoke, "but I don't want to become an experiment, too."

Dib kissed him. "I wouldn't let dad hurt you." He said. "Thank you for the offer, though."

Keef giggled. "I think it's a good thing he doesn't believe us." Keef said. "Then we'd have to explain why they wanted Krill, how we got to their planet in the first place, why they didn't kill us, how we got back…"

"Some questions are better left unexplained to my dad." Dib nodded once.

"I agree." Gaz said. "I tried explaining to him about a game convention once. I got nowhere."

"He let you go though." Dib said. "I remember that."

She shrugged one shoulder, not looking up from the game she was enthralled in. "I would have gone even if he'd said no, though. It's not like he'd notice anything."

"I can't agree more." Dib laughed.

Silence reigned in the room for a moment.

"I spoke to Simmons, too." Dib informed.

"What did he say?" Keyvine wondered.

"He said they didn't look like meteors either." Dib said. "Even thought he can't say it near dad, I think he's on our side with this."

"Glad someone around here has some brains." Keyvine chuckled. "I mean besides us, and your friends."

Someone knocked on the door.

"Come on in!" Dib called.

The doors slid open to reveal Gretchen and the other GLASS members. The braces-clad girl was at the front of everyone, probably the one who had knocked. She grinned broadly. "We heard you were hurt." She said. "So we figured you just got back."

"Of course." Keyvine said, uncaring.

"Come on in, guys." Dib offered.

It was a silent understanding that the four lovers and the gamer wouldn't say anything about what had happened when the others entered. The GLASS members hugged everyone hello and sat down in various areas of the room.

"So what hurt you?" Morla asked Zim.

"Oh, one of the quakes made me fall." He answered. "I slammed into a piece of machinery in Keyvine's bunker."

"Ouch!" Gretchen said. "Torque said your ribs were broken?"

"Only a little." Zim shrugged. "Dib got hurt too."

"Not as badly." Dib shook his head, kissing Zim on the forehead. "It's just a bruised arm. No biggie."

"Are you two okay?" Dirge asked Keef and Keyvine.

"No injuries to speak of." Keef said with a confident smile.

"Because they were buckled up." Dib whispered to Zim.

Zim giggled, nodding in agreement as well. Then again, it was Zim and Dib's own fault for not strapping themselves in once Zim sat on his lap.

"At least no one is seriously hurt." Morla said. "Most injuries don't go beyond broken bones."

"Of people here?" Dib asked. "I guess my dad used some highly scientific stuff to patch everyone up?"

"Standard medicine." Gaz informed.

"The Professor hasn't been seen around a lot lately." Gretchen said. "He vanished into the depths of the labs that we're not allowed in once the original quake hit."

"When the meteors crashed?" Dib asked.

"They were crashing for days." Morla said. "The most recent one was yesterday. They've been going since a couple days after we left your safe house." The last sentence was directed at Keyvine.

"I think they know that." Gretchen laughed. "They were underground, not on a different planet."

The four lovers exchanged knowing looks at one another. Their friends would never know.

000

Professor Membrane called for a meeting the next day. Everyone was required to either show up in the main presentation room, or to tune into the TVs or radios in their rooms that were on the same frequency as the loud speakers in the presentation room. Zim, Dib, and their friends managed to score seats in the presentation room, but probably only because of their close connection to the Professor. Everyone that was still in the hospital wing, which included Torque, was required to stay there. Jessica, Brian, and Rob had elected to stay with Torque through the announcement, but the GLASS members joined Zim and the others.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen…" An announcer spoke. "A man who needs no introduction! The man whom without, the world would fall into chaos! Toast of the town…Profess-o-o-or Membrane!"

"Sounds like a WWE wrestling match." Gaz grunted.

Dib and Keef snickered, but the joke was lost on the two disguised aliens. Professor Membrane stalked across the stage to a large standing microphone. The room erupted into cheers that practically broke Zim and Keyvine's sensitive antennae. Confetti and streamers exploded once he reached the stand, coating the crowd. Professor held up a hand to silence the crowd. The cheers died down in a matter of moments.

"Thank you, thank you." Professor said.

"Egomaniac." Dib muttered.

Zim stifled laughter.

"As everyone is aware, the meteors have caused a lot of damage in the town." Membrane said. "I think we are all aware that repairs need to be made, but we can not start until the radiation levels are down to a safe point, where we can all go out and fix everything up."

"There aren't any radiation levels." Dib muttered.

People near them hushed him, ignoring his words and turning back to stare slack-jawed at the Professor.

"How long do we have to wait?" A man in the audience asked.

Membrane chuckled. "I'm glad you asked!" He said. "I have devised a device that will suck the radiation levels out of the air, until the level of radiation is the average for this city."

"Which is pretty high already!" A teenager from Dib and Zim's English class called out.

That caused laughter from the others in the audience. Since it wasn't something really arguable, Membrane laughed as well.

"Yes, I suppose so." He said. "Perhaps I should suck radiation out so that the levels are lower then the average of this city."

That caused some city officials to pout, but they didn't say anything back to membrane in retaliation. Either they couldn't argue either, or they just knew it wasn't smart to annoy him.

"But all joking aside, ladies and gentlemen, this device should be fully operational by the end of the week. Then I will send out some lab mice out to see how they survive, to make sure the levels are low. Then we can finally repopulate the city outside of this biometric dome!"

Cheers erupted again. Dib rolled his eyes. There was no radiation…well…other then the normal levels of the city. His father was talking out of his backside again.

"Any questions?" membrane asked.

Dib started to raise his hand, but Zim grabbed his wrist and forced it down.

"Don't." His alien boyfriend said. "Just don't. It's not going to get through to him."

"I'm just wondering…"A woman spoke. "What if the machine doesn't work?"

People gasped and inched away from her, repulsed that anyone would question an invention of the Professor.

"It's a Membrane Labs special." Membrane spoke. "Like the specialty pizzas at Bloaty's, there has never been one that has failed. And there never will be."

"Damn right!" The man in the 'Bloaty the Pig' mascot for Bloaty's Pizza cried out, waving a chubby arm.

People whispered amongst themselves before another man raised his hand.

"Once everything is safe and we go out, how do we know where to start?" He asked.

"A long way off, sir." Membrane said. "But I would first suggest going to your own homes and fixing them up. Then we'll work on important buildings. A timeline for reconstruction will begin later on. Our focus right now is on making it safe to go out and begin." He smiled under his lab coat's collar. "Any more questions?"

No one spoke.

"Construction on the machine will be finished by Friday. Expect another big announcement at that time." Membrane said. "Thank you."

As he left the stage, people began cheering a third time.

"He's so full of it." Dib said. "What is he going to do when the machine doesn't work, because there's no extra radiation to suck out?"

"Beg for forgiveness for screwing up?" Zim asked, massaging Dib's knee.

Dib laughed.

"Let's go back to our room." Zim offered. "Take our minds off of things." He winked.

"But…Zim…your ribs…" Dib protested.

"We went three weeks or so without it." Zim said. "I think my ribs can take second base for a bit."

Dib smirked. "Lead the way."

000

Zim rolled onto Dib's chest to snuggle in for the night a few hours later.

"My ribs are killing me." The Prince informed.

"I told you we should wait until you heal." Dib said, kissing his boyfriend's forehead.

"It's fine." Zim giggled. "No one said I can't have fun while I recover."

"No." Dib laughed. "I'm just glad the nurse didn't send anyone to 'check up on you' today."

"Lucky us." Zim said. "I'd hate to be interrupted."

Dib laughed, pulling Zim close. "I love you, Zim." He said.

"I love you too, Dib." Zim leaned up and kissed Dib's cheek. "I can't wait to see your father's reaction on Friday. When he learns that there isn't any radiation to be concerned with."

"Maybe I should show him." Dib muttered.

"Huh?"

"Go outside and tap on the glass near his work station."

"But you'd be in the bubble, so it wouldn't matter." Zim argued.

"Damn…"

Zim laughed. Obviously, Dib hadn't thought the somewhat logical plan all the way through. "Maybe you should stand outside the bubble and call your dad on your cell, then tell him to look." Zim offered.

"Actually, that makes more sense…"

"I'm kidding."

"I'd love to see his reaction to it…"

"I was kidding, Dib." Zim reinforced.

"He'd probably freak and sent a Haz-Mat team to bring me back and run scans…"

"Dib!"

Dib finally looked at him.

"I told you I was kidding." Zim said. "I don't think you should do that at all. You're just going to make him mad."

"Yeah, I guess." Dib sighed. "Still, it's fun to think about."

"That it is." Zim chuckled.

Dib snuggled in closer to him and yawned. "I'm ready for bed."

"So am I." Zim said. "And some pain killers."

Dib laughed. "I'll be sure you have some in the morning." He said. "I don't want to move…"

"Me neither."

Snuggled together for the first time in a long time, Zim and Dib soon fell asleep.