Answers
The images of the black-coated men haunted him. Like a pack of hungry wolves, the members of the Swollen Eyeball peered down wickedly while their cheshire grins gleamed in the surrounding darkness. Unlike the other scientists, these these men were evil creatures, wanting nothing to do with scientific prowess but only to abuse him until their implacable lust for superiority was satisfied. They looked down ominously, fangs dripping with anticipation. He knew what they had planned for him. They had been discussing it for months now. But the reality of the situation was finally starting to sink in.
Zim felt the sweat drip down his neck as one of them approached. Baleful and forbidding, the dark-coated figure held up a syringe. The outer metal coating shined against the fluorescent light. Pink liquid floated inside, swirling as the man took a purposeful step. He brought the mixture to the Irken's arm, injecting it into his skin. Too exhausted and desolate to fight back, Zim only winced as the needle punctured his tissues. He grimaced. The burning sensation feeling like wildfire while it spread.
When it was done, the man stepped back awaiting the results. At first, nothing happened, and Zim stared back at them blankly with a vacant expression. His lips curled into a reptilian smile. His confidence growing.
How pathetic, he thought, a spark of valiance reigniting within him. How could they fail at something so simple?
He poised himself, ready to strike at the first human foolish human enough to lay a hand on him, but then the effects started to become apparent. He felt his knees grow weak, and it wasn't long after that that his vision started to fade. He stumbled backward, hoping to savor whatever was left of his brooding insult, but it was already too late. The world around him had already begun to fade. And he felt dizzy, stumbling over his own two feet before landing face-first onto the cold, unforgiving table.
The faces around him chuckled and they continued on with their work. They reached in to investigate further and he felt his confidence leave him. His body struggled in defiance, but despite his efforts he could not move. He wanted nothing more than to lash out at them. To extract vengeance for all the torment and endless experiments he had to endure. But it was pointless. They had him right where they wanted him. And the last thing he remembered was being forced down while a series of hands rolled him over and strapped him to the table.
Weeks later
Zim awoke with a jolt. Bolting upright, he struggled to shake off the remnants of the frightening nightmare.
A dream? Was it a dream? Where am I?
He jerked his head about, expecting to see the men from the Eyeball still standing there in front of him. But instead he found no one present at all.
They're gone? he questioned, letting out a quick a sight of relief. But how? How can this be? Where have they taken me?
He whipped his head around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. The room around him was dim, but convivial like an intern's cluttered study. And the paint coating the walls was mostly dull in color; green everywhere except for the floor and surrounding machines. And instead of heartless appurtenances set aside to torture him, in their place was a collection of robotic experiments lining the counters.
I...I don't understand, he pondered, feeling very confused. The procedure. The labs. I was...
He looked down at his body, expecting to witness the brutal aftermath of the autopsy. But to his surprise, he found nothing appearing to be missing. He brought a hand to run along the fabric of his uniform, freshly laundered and carefully fitted back over his body. It clinged to him like a well-tailored suit. A second skin he had grown accustomed to over the many years.
Strange, he wondered, feeling the familiar layers between his gloved claws. I could have sworn they experimented on me. He moved his hands freely about the area, feeling for any abnormalities.
"There should be something. Some sort of clue that would-"
He froze when he came across it.
Stretching out his collar, he discovered a staggered trail of freshly sown stitches, tracing all the way from the base of his abdomen to the very tip of his collar. They zig-zagged in a gruesome pattern, standing out horribly against the sharp contrast of his skin.
W-what?! What is this?" He felt his lower jaw tremble at the sight. "H-how did this happen? WHO is responsible for this?!"
There was a set of footsteps behind him.
"I am, I'm afraid," replied the professor, greeting him in a cordial manner. He decended down the stairs and approached the alien calmly. "I hope bringing you here didn't cause you too much trouble. You were in critical condition when we pulled you from the labs."
Zim's lips curled into an aggressive snarl. "YOU!" He backed away into the farthest corner. "You were the one experimenting on me. YOU were in charge of those people!"
The professor lowered his head shamefully. "I do apologize for the way those so-called scientists treated you in the labs. But I can assure you no more harm will come to you here." He strode over to a nearby desk and pulled out a rolling chair. "So then," he started, taking a seat. "Zim was it?"
"Eh?" The Irken twitched his head in confusion.
"Your name, or at least that's what my son calls you." He placed one of the warm cups of tea he was carrying in front of the alien. "I have many questions to ask you. I was hoping you would be willing to answer them under much more civilized terms."
Zim glared at the man incredulously. "Why should I discuss anything further with you human?" he spat spitefully in response. "I could spare us both the time and rip out your entrails now, if you'd like."
Ignoring the comment, the professor leaned back in his chair impassively. "There must be much more we can learn from each other," he retorted, bringing his tea cup closer to his chest. "I was curious why you came to Earth in the first place. Why settle here? It must have been quite a journey from your home planet."
Zim stared at the man in contempt. Don't fall for his tricks. Don't succumb to the human's lies. Remember your training. "Save your breath stink beast!" he responded vulgarly, turning his head away. "I REFUSE to answer any more of your questions until you or your DISPICABLE dirt child have released me from this horrible nightmare!"
Unfazed, Membrane took another sip of tea. "It seems odd that such an advanced creature, such as yourself, would choose our humble little planet for destruction," he continued, taking a moment to pause for effect. "Surely there must be somewhere else in the galaxy that has much more to offer."
Zim narrowed his eyes in disgust. "The Tallest entrusted ME with this mission, and I will ensure that it sees its end! This planet will be ripe for destruction, and I WILL destroy everything on it. Including you and that horrible Dib creature."
"You know it was my son who pulled you from the autopsy."
The Irken stiffened. The Dib. The Dib?! He felt his claws tighten into fists. "That horrible little worm-weasel is the one to BLAME for all this mess! HE was the one who turned me over to the Earth authorities in the first place! I will grind him into PORK DUST for what he has done! NO one harms Zim and gets away with it. NO ONE!" Feeling his muscles twitch with rage, he turned back to the professor. "Where can I find him?"
Knowing full well what was on the alien's mind, Membrane leaned back in his chair. "Oh I'm sure he's out chasing vampires or other whimsical nonsense at this hour," he answered calmly. "He'll return later. But in the meantime, why don't you and I get to know each other better?"
Zim's eye twitched again. His muscles ached at the chance to rip something apart. He wanted to take out his anger on something. ANYTHING he could. And the human was the only thing in standing in his way.
He made an effort to summon his metal spider legs, but his pak didn't respond. He turned around to realize the device was still locked up. Sealed shut with a metal strap.
"Just a precaution," added the professor sipping his tea.
Frustrated, Zim slumped down like a child. "Fine." Pouting, he stared at the cup of tea placed in front of him. He reached out, gripping his palms around the surface.
It felt warm to the touch.
"What is it you wish to discuss?" he asked.
The professor leaned back again. "Why don't we take it from the top." Crossing one leg over the other, he brought his cup to his chest. "Just start from the beginning."
The Irken paused and then tightened his grip on the ceramic. The steam that rose up bristled around his chin. He let his gaze fall to his hands.
"...I was Irk's finest invader."
Meanwhile
Dib sat irately in the school cafeteria. Festering in silence, he watched his fellow classmates go about their day, chatting mindlessly to one another about the miniscule trifles of student life. He flumped down onto the table defeated. "I don't get it Gaz. I just don't get it," he grumbled, folding his arms under him. "How can everyone act like nothing's happened? It's like they all just forgot about him. Like he never even existed."
"Maybe they just don't care," Gaz interjected sharply, annoyed by her brother's constant sulking. She was relatively close to achieving a perfect score on her new game and would rather not have her annoying sibling screwing it up again.
"But this was supposed to fix everything! To be the big moment of my life! My first real breakthrough. It wasn't supposed to fizzle out like some dull, boring news story."
Gaz sighed and smashed the pause button on her game. "Dib, don't you think this has gone on long enough?" she asked, turning over to her brother.
Dib stared at her blankly. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is...you've won. Zim is captured. The world knows aliens are real, and there's nothing more you can do to prove it. Can't you just be happy and move on?"
Dib sat up straight, crossing his arms over reprovingly. "I guess I can't."
Grumbling, Gaz went back to her Gameslave.
Dib ignored her and turned his attention back to the rest of the students in front of him. He frowned in frustration. Maybe Gaz is right, he thought, letting out a miserable sigh. Maybe I AM expecting too much from them. He looked back down at his tray and searched his mind for something else to concentrate on when a small, frail shadow fell over him.
"Hey, um...is anyone sitting here?"
The voice was timid, and Dib tilted his head up to see a girl about his age hovering over him apprehensively. "Sorry..." she squirmed, feeling a bit uncomfortable with the silence. "I can go somewhere else if it's too much troub-"
"No wait!" Dib held a hand up, snapping out of his daze. He motioned to the empty seat in front of him. "Please, take a seat."
She smiled and sat down gracefully. "Thanks. Everywhere else was full." After setting down her tray, she glanced up to look at him, staring with piercingly green eyes.
"Hey, you're Dib aren't you?" she asked, snapping him out of his perplexation.
He looked back at her agape. "Um...yeah?"
She was awfully pretty. With raven dark hair, smooth porcelain skin, and a dazzling bright smile, he was sure someone was playing a trick on him.
Her face lit up in excitement. "Wow! It's really great to meet you! I heard all about what happened with your dad. It must have been pretty difficult to stand up to so many people like that!"
"Oh...that..." Dib dropped his gaze to the table. He should have known she was there for his father. Why else would just a pretty girl sit down and talk to him?
The girl let out a slight blush and continued. "Well, I think it's a really great what you did. I mean, he may be an alien, but he's still a living thing, right?"
He stared back at her dumbstruck. "Huh?"
Noticing his sudden apprehension, she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oops. Sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have jumped right into that before introducing myself." She held out her hand. "My name's Clara. I'm a new transfer student here."
Dib eyed her suspiciously. "You're not an alien are you?"
Gaz instantly spat out her rice. Clara simply laughed. "What on Earth would give you that idea?"
Feeling embarrassed, Dib cast his eyes from the table. "Well, it's just that...There was this one girl that introduced herself the same way and-" He turned his head away, realizing he was confusing her even more. "N-never mind."
Great Dib. The one time an actual girl sits down and starts talking to you, you call her an alien. Real smooth.
She stared at him curiously. "Maybe I should start over." She removed her hand and placed it over her chest. "My name's Clara. I'm a new transfer student here from the UK. My parents wanted me to study abroad so I could get away from all the distractions back home. They seem to think I'm going through some sort of phase or something."
"A phase?" Dib repeated, somewhat stupidly.
She nodded. "Lately there has been a lot of talk about Lock Ness up north. Apparently somebody saw something in the water, but no one was able to confirm it. I went up one weekend to investigate. Didn't work out quite the way I'd hoped."
Dib fumbled with some of the food on his plate, still avoiding eye contact. "How so?" he asked.
"I ended up falling into the water and nearly freezing half to death. Pretty stupid of me, I know."
Dib nodded and paused a moment before lifting his head. "Hold on," he interjected, dropping the fork and holding a hand up. "Lake Lock Ness? As in the Lock Ness monster?"
"Yeah!" Clara's eyes lit up. "You're familiar with it? I went up early one spring looking for it to study the area for myself! My parents still think it was a dumb idea" She looked down at her hands in embarrassment. "They said I wasn't concentrating enough on school and sent me here to get my mind off my hobbies. I guess they forgot this is where an alien was discovered huh?"
Dib paused, staring at her in bewilderment. "Wait a minute," he mumbled, recapturing her attention. "So what you're saying is you...study the paranormal?"
Clara nodded. "Well, try to disprove it actually. But yes. I find it all very interesting."
Dib's heart begin to race. Was this for real? Was this girl really talking to him? He tried to remain calm while reminding himself that this could be too good to be true. One of his classmates could be playing a trick on him, or he could be hallucinating from the lack of sleep. Or dreaming. Whichever it was, he was going to have to play along until he knew it was real.
"So what you're saying is..." he started, making sure to keep his voice was as stable as possible, "you're interested in aliens?"
Clara looked up from across the table uncomfortably. "I've always hypothesized that they existed, but never could find any real proof." She began fiddling with the peas on her tray. "Everyone always made fun of me whenever I brought it up. They would point out that I never had any real evidence and would call me crazy for believing it. I'd always hoped I'd find something someday, but I guess you beat me to it." She looked up at him, a dazzling smile causing his heart to skip a beat.
He stared back at her, completely dumbstruck; his sister judging him harshly from the corner of his eye.
Make a move stupid! Say something nice to her!
"Uh, listen...Clara," he stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck. His throat seemed to have suddenly gone parch dry. "If you're not doing anything later, I was looking to scope out this haunted house today after school. It's just on the other side of town, and is supposed to have a poltergeist or something preventing anyone from buying it. If you were interested, maybe we could-"
"I'd love to."
Dib felt his heart skip a beat. Yes? She actually said yes?! "Really? G-great!" Palms laced with sweat, he looked around for something to write on.
She handed him a napkin.
It already had her name and number written on it.
"Meet me there at eight," she said, her smile causing his heart to flutter a second time. There was a slight blush on her cheeks as she stood up. "But I have to be home by ten. Wouldn't want my dad thinking I got lost searching for bigfoot again."
He stared at her amazed. Who WAS this girl? He watched as she went to dispose of her tray before heading back to class.
He looked over at Gaz.
She looked just as dumbstruck as he was.
Later that night
Zim shifted through the contents of the cardboard box. It was an old ratty thing, something that hadn't been opened in years. He'd found it at the bottom of the boy's closet, buried deep under a mound of other useless objects. Its edges and corners were crumpled, indicating it hadn't fared well under the pressure. And the top segment had been covered in a layer of dust, which he'd promptly wiped off before opening.
In a fit of boredom, he had taken to the Dib-human's sleeping nook to explore all of the boy's lackluster personal belongings. The closet had been easy enough to break into. All he had to do was rewire its components until the electrical circuit overrode the mainframe. Once the security features had been short circuited, the door had popped right open without an issue.
He dug through the artifacts and sorted through anything that seemed even remotely interesting. Inside was an amalgamation of parcels. Articles, pictures, and other paper-like objects that, the human obviously deemed significant, were piled on top on one another, causing an jagged stacked pyramid to collect at the center. He stopped when he came across an old family photo.
Holding it carefully in his claws, he studied the photo. In the center was a portrait of a magenta-haired woman, holding on to what could best be described as a young, energetic Dib. He was climbing over his mother's shoulder while his younger sister, Gaz, glared irritatingly from their father's arms. The professor himself was in his much younger years, and seemed to be smiling happily as he held on to his family with pride.
Hmm. Must be from when the worm-baby was...an even younger worm-baby, Zim contemplated, before setting the photo aside. He was about to trifle through the rest of the belongings when a dark figure stopped him in his tracks.
"What do you think you're doing!" Dib questioned, staring wide-eyed from the hallway.
Zim sat like a frozen child caught with a cookie jar. "I'm a prisoner in your horrible household," he grunted contemptuously. throwing his hands out. "What else did you expect me to do all day?"
The human rushed in and dove to collect the mass of scattered papers throughout the floor. Shoving the Irken out of the way, he scrambled to pick them up like a kid who had just spilled a collection of live frogs across the science lab. He piled whatever he could into his arms, his whirlwind of chaos causing some of the papers to slip free and drift further away.
Zim watched as one of the clippings floated down elegantly in front of him and landed softly on a neatly, wooden framed newspaper article. He bent down to wave it away, picking up the placard underneath. It had been encased in preservative glass, keeping it safe from the collection of dust. And the article inside was slightly faded as if it had been previously exposed to sunlight.
He squinted to read the headline.
WIFE OF BRILLIANT SCIENTIST DIES FROM CANCER
Cocking his head slightly, he studied the article. Interesting, he thought, wondering why the human would keep such an insignificant thing in his collection of junk. It made little difference to an Irken what some lowly meat creature succumbed to in a fit of weakness, but perhaps it meant something else to the boy.
He was about to ask when the Dib human snatched it from his claws.
"Hands off the rest of my stuff, got it!" Dib shouted, dropping the frame back into the box and sealing it off with the lid. Some of the remaining dust puffed out as it was forced to escape. "I don't need you destroying anything else other than what you already have."
Zim scoffed at the accusation. "That was your female mother, was it not?" he asked, still curious.
Dib stopped a moment and felt something prickle hotly around his spine. "Be very careful what you say next space boy," he threatened with a venomous tone. "The Eyeball is still out there looking for a certain alien, and I could be obliged to help them out."
Zim scowled and turned his head from his rival. "Is that why you're always chasing down these paranormally things?" he asked, making a strange hand motion with his hand. "Are you hoping to one day see her again?"
Dib felt his insides begin to boil. "I could ask you the same thing about Tak," he retorted, the words rolling spitefully off his tongue. He tightened his grip around the box's lid.
Zim frowned in response. "I fail to see how that's any of your business, Earth meat," he added irately. "Besides, that is a different matter entirely."
"Is it?" Dib asked, raising an eyebrow.
Zim ignored him and went over to climb up onto the windowsill. He flumped down on the edge with his back against the frame, staring out sternly into the night.
Choosing to let the subject finally drop, Dib uncoiled his grip and shoved the box forcefully back where it belonged. After closing the closet doors, he strode over to his desktop computer and took a seat. Waving the mouse around, he pulled up the login screen and entered his his password. He was just about to start a blank document when the Irken interrupted him again.
"Whatcha doin?" he asked irritatingly.
Dib prickled in annoyance. "I'm going to record my findings for the haunted house I examined," he explained derisively. "But I fail to see how it's any of your business."
Zim huffed again and turned back to stare at the outside world. He purposely ignored the boy out of petulance. Letting his imagination run wild, he looked upon the ill lit street.
Hours later
Dib awoke with a startle. Sitting up, he scrambled around to check his alarm clock. "8 AM. Geez, I must have slept through the whole night." He stretched and looked around his room. To his surprise, Zim was still sitting quietly on his nearby window sill. "You've been up there all night?" he asked, fighting off a heavy yawn.
The Irken steadied a moment, not looking his way. "I don't sleep, in case you have forgotten," he answered sternly, still staring impassively at the outside world.
Dib frowned at the response. "Are you thinking about Tak?" he asked, knowing it was probably not the best subject of choice. He already knew the Irken hated it when he brought it up, and part of him felt somewhat guilty for even asking.
Zim turned to him with blood-red eyes. The morning sun behind him had created an ominous contrast, illuminating the outside leaves with vibrant red, oranges, and yellows and making his facial features appear darker than expected. "What business is it of yours human?" he retorted, his piercing gaze driving straight through the human. "I thought we discussed this at length already."
"Oh come on," Dib egged on, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's obvious you miss her. Maybe you'll even feel better if you talk about it for once."
Zim shot him a disgusted look. "I have already discussed it length with your father Earth filth. That was quite enough."
The boy rolled his eyes. "But I pulled you from the autopsy didn't I? Doesn't that count for something."
"No."
"That still doesn't answer my question."
"And what question was that, Dib-stink?"
"What do you plan to do now that Tak is gone?"
The Irken paused a moment, unsure how to answer. He tilted his head up, the mid-autumn wind tickling his antennae as it passed by. "I did what was best for her," he responded, staring up at the sky. "That is all there is to discuss."
Dib felt a twinge of guilt as he stared at the Irken. He knew he was prying, but he couldn't help but be curious.
He uncrossed his arms, trying to weigh the outcome of what he was about to suggest. "You know..." he started, recapturing the Irken's attention. "There might be a way for you to contact her. I could get you back into your base..."
"You seem to mistake my tolerance for your questioning with openness to answer it Dib-worm," he returned judgingly. "Might I remind you that you and I are no longer bound by a truce?"
"Yes, I'm aware of that," Dib nodded his head. "But if you could just listen for one minute-"
"No" snapped Zim, stopping the human in his tracks. He hooped down from the window sill and took a few steps forward. "Why should I answer any of your incessant questions? So you can inveigle me into doing something else against my will?" He narrowed his eyes. "I don't think so."
Dib dropped his gaze to the floor, feeling the guilt rise within him. "Look, I know the way the Eyeball treated you, but I didn't realize they would be so barbaric. I just wanted to-."
"You wanted me strapped to that table," Zim continued, shoving a pointed claw into his face. "You wanted to see my guts spewed out like some horrid, gutted animal. You said so yourself Dib. You were going to show me what really happens when Irken's mess with humans. I believe those were your exact words, yes?"
Dib twiddled his thumbs guiltily. "But I didn't think they would be so cruel," he admitted, feeling the knot tighten in his gut even further. "If I had known they would treat you that way, I would have-"
"You would have what Dib?" Zim asked, cutting him off. He approached even closer. "If the scenarios were reversed, do you think my people would have treated you any differently? Do you think they would have shown YOU mercy if it were you under their control?"
"I-..." Dib stopped and looked back at the Irken's livid expression. "Well, no... But I-"
"You are a FOOL to believe it would happen any other way Earth-stink!" Zim spat imperiously. "You're a naïve dirt child who has never had to deal with the reality of war. If I hadn't made a deal with your HIDEOUS father, I would have ripped your entrails from your guts while you slept. But I need his protection to survive. Without him, I cannot show my face on this planet anywhere without someone apprehending me."
Dib cocked his head. "Wait a minute. What deal?" he asked, trying to mask his timorous heart beat.
Zim straightened up. "If I restrain from destroying your planet, then your hideous father will return my base along with immunity from the rest of your kind. But in exchange, I will have to assist him with improving your pitiful excuse for technology."
"Seriously?" Dib stared at him sarcastically. "You're going to help us improve our technology?"
"It seems I have no other choice now do I?" Zim returned mockingly. "Unless you have a better option Dib-worm, I see no other way of going forward."
The two enemies stared at each other a moment, a bird chirping nearby being the only sound between them. Dib was the first to break the silence.
"Listen..." he stated, pulling out a disk drive from his coat pocket. It was the same one Zim had given him months earlier. "While you were held prisoner, I sort of...snuck into your base and scanned through your memory files. I saw everything. Down to the moment when you said your goodbyes to Tak." He tossed the drive to the Irken and lowered his head sympathetically. "I didn't want to believe you, when you said you were no longer a threat. I've been chasing you for so long...I guess I didn't want for it to end. And I couldn't live with myself knowing I was the reason they killed you."
Zim studied the device, eying the human. "You expect me to forgive you after all you've done?" he asked, narrowing his eyes incredulously.
Dib shook his head. "No. I just want things to go back to normal. Or at least what normal was between us before all this happened between us. Whatever that was."
Zim stared back at the boy in silence. "So what you are saying is, you want someone to challenge you." He twisted the device in his claws, understanding what his rival was asking of him. "And what happens when one of us succeeds? Are you going to throw me to the wolves again like one of your disgusting meat tablets?"
Dib bowed his head. "I don't know what I'll do again if I catch you," he admitted, shifting his gaze down to the ground. "But I would like the opportunity to try. I could put a stop to your plans, and you could try to destroy me. Who knows, you may even come up with something good enough to outsmart me next time."
"And who said I would let you put a stop my plans?" Zim questioned, a slight playful tone in his remark.
Dib rolled his eyes, noticing the small smirk in the alien's cheek. "So that's a yes?" he asked hopefully.
Zim squeezed the drive in his hand, anger still festering deep within. "You and I are destined to fight until the day we die Dib-human. Make no mistake about that." He squeezed his claws again until the drive was completely crushed into a dozen tiny fractured pieces. "Deal with your father or not, I want nothing more than to kill you myself with my own hands. You, and the rest of these disgusting meat creatures."
Dib felt the breath hitch in his throat as the former invader took a step closer.
"You may have proven yourself a worthy adversary for now Dib, but when the time comes, I promise you I WILL kill you." The pieces of the drive fell from his claws like snowflakes drifting to the ground. "I will grant you an honorable death, but when I do, you WILL see who is the stronger of us."
He put his hand out, waiting for the human to accept the deal.
Dib stared back at the Irken in silence. Some part of him felt like he was striking a deal with the devil. There was a peculiarness in the Irken's voice, but a playful note, almost as if he had the whole thing already planned out. It stirred strange feelings of apprehension, and at the same time excitement, in the boy. He wasn't afraid of taking the challenge. In fact, he had a feeling he would be stupid not to.
He reached his hand out, meeting the alien halfway. "You're on, Irken scum."
Author's Note: I planned on getting this chapter out before Halloween, but I guess I didn't make it in time. Oh well. At least it's out before Thanksgiving. I hope you all liked it. I worked extremely hard trying to capture what went on in the character's minds and what they would be feeling during every moment. And I'm sorry that there's no appearance of Tak in here, but you will likely see some of her the next chapter.
Also big shout out to Dib07 for letting me "borrow" Clara from another story. I thought she was a great match for Dib and wanted to include her in this one!
As always, tell me your thoughts! Till next time!