Leg: Chapter four! Someone start a party! We ACTUALLY updated this again!
Arm: Leg, sometimes you worry me, you know that?
Leg: I know… ::grins:: Well, you should all know we don't own the IZ cast.
A Strange Twist of Fate: Chapter Four:
Jazz sighed as he sat down at his computer. He opened up a file he had told himself that he'd never touch again after he had finished it all those months ago.
"We're sorry, Jazz, but we had to punish him for what he did!" Red said as he walked up to him from behind.
"He broke the law, Jazz. Hell, we know he was lying to us, but we let him off easy," Purple stated as he walked up next to Red.
"I know he broke the law, okay?" Jazz said moodily as he scanned the file one last time. He had written it when Zim had returned to Irk. It was sort of like a journal entry, to him.
"We know you're upset about Zim finding someone else, Jazz," Red began, "but don't take your anger out on us."
"Look, Red, I knew from day one that Zim would never love me, okay? So quit it with your pity party and go somewhere else," Jazz demanded quietly.
"You knew from day one that Zim would never feel the same for you? How come?" Purple asked.
"I knew that he only saw me as a friend. Plus," Jazz began, remembering a small little detail. "I never got the chance to develop anything other than friendship with him because the two of you had to banish him. Not once, but twice," Jazz said as he tried to read his file. When were the Tallest going to get the hint and leave him alone?
"Oh, so it's our fault that you never got the nerve to Zim your feelings for him?" Red asked cynically.
Jazz sighed and put his head in his hands, as if to keep the words from his ears. "No," Jazz answered quietly.
"No? It's not our fault?" Purple asked. "We tried setting you two up, remember?" he continued.
"Yeah, I remember it vividly," Jazz replied. "And I appreciated your efforts, but I knew Zim was never meant for me," Jazz stated.
"Oh, how's that so?" Purple inquired.
"Because I knew that Zim would never be truly happy with me, even when he first landed on Earth a little more than five years ago, after he met Dib," Jazz said slowly.
"Was Dib the human Zim was—" Red began before Jade cut him off with a nod.
"Dib was the only human who saw through Zim's disguises. They were big time rivals, and then, one night, they both changed. Dib because depressed, and Zim grew used to Earth, and knew, deep inside of himself, that he was falling for Dib, no matter how much he had hated to admit it," Jazz explained.
"How do you know all of this, Jazz?" Purple asked.
"Because Zim told me," Jazz answered. "And now, if you'll let me, I want to tell Zim something I should have told him since the beginning," Jazz said as he headed for the galactic communicator.
"Why bother? You know he doesn't feel the same," Red pointed out.
"I owe this to myself. I helped him decide to go back to Earth. Plus, Zim should know," Jazz said as he punched in Zim's line.
Zim was sitting down at his lab, trying to get over what had happened today, both good and bad, when his communicator went off and told him he had an incoming message. He blinked in surprise when he saw Jazz. "Jazz!" he stated in a hushed voice once he got over his shock. "What are you doing? You know I'm not allowed to contact anyone on Irk!"
"It's okay, I got permission from the Tallest to contact you…. Look, Zim, I need to tell you this before I never get the chance to again. I'm sending you a copy of a file I wrote when you were back on Irk for those few days or so. It should explain everything," Jazz told him.
"I don't understand, Jazz, what does the file say that I don't already know about you?" Zim asked, sounding a little hurt.
"It's only this one thing I've kept from you, Zim, but it's a huge secret," Jazz said as he looked off to the side. He needed to get control of his growing emotions.
"What is it, then?" Zim asked, getting slightly impatient.
"I love you," Jazz forced out in a voice barely above a whisper.
Zim stared at the screen blankly before the words finally absorbed in his brain. "You what?" Zim asked finally.
"Damnit, Zim you heard what I said," Jazz replied.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner, Jazz?" Zim asked, now concerned for his friend.
"Because I knew you and Dib were perfect for one another," Jazz replied. "Look, Zim, I'm not hurt at all about what I saw today. Actually, I'm quite proud of you for telling Dib your feelings for him. You've grown so much, Zim, and I was lucky to be your bestfriend. I'll talk to you later, if the Tallest will let me do so again," Jazz said with a sad smile.
"Okay… Well, good bye, Jazz…" Zim said slowly, unsure of how he should be acting.
"Bye," Jazz repeated as he turned off the communicator. He turned to Red and Purple and rolled his eyes. Of course they would be listening in…. He felt better now, though, since he admitted his feelings too Zim. And whatever he didn't cover, well, that file would explain all to Zim for him.
Zim looked at the copy of the file Jazz had sent him. He was still shocked at the fact that Jazz loved him. His bestfriend told him something he had never expected to hear.
Zim opened up the file and read it with interest. He couldn't believe what he was reading, but he knew it was all true. He suddenly understood all of the little things Jazz had done, and a few other things finally made sense to him.
Then his shock went away, and Zim began to feel guilty. He couldn't even tell his bestfriend was in love with him, and not only that, but he could have put Jazz down nicely like he would have liked, instead of showing Jazz that he was not interested without meaning to. He could tell Jazz was hurt, though, there was just no way he couldn't be. Zim wanted to make it up to his friend. He just wished there was something he could do.
Zim finished the file and smiled. Jazz had let him go and he didn't regret it. Jazz was always behind Zim's actions almost one hundred percent, and he always led Zim in the right direction. Zim was going to miss their usual conversations whenever they had the spare time. Zim sighed as he went to work on his next week's homework. There had to be a way to keep in touch with Jazz…
Dib sat down on his bed and looked at his things. He was moving out, but there was still the question as to where he was going to move. There was just no way he was going to stay here. He knew he was able to take care of himself, he had done so since he was four.
Dib sighed as he got up and sat down in his computer chair. There was no place he could go without having to pay. Wait a minute, he could stay at Zim's place! He was beginning to think of how he would ask Zim if he could just as there was a knock on the door. He groaned, he knew whom it was before he even got up. He decided to not even get up and answer it.
"Dib, I know you're in there!" Membrane stated through the door. "Look, I know nothing I can say will make you trust me again, but we need to talk," Membrane continued.
Dib could hear the urgency in Membrane's voice, but he was still upset with his father. "Go away," Dib growled. He listened for his father to leave his door.
Dib sighed. His father really wanted to speak with him, but he wasn't going to give Membrane the chance to, yet. He looked down at his packed stuff and sighed once again. Dib wasn't being rational again, and he knew it. Maybe he should give Membrane a week before deciding to move out. That would also give him time to think about everything.
Dib picked up something off of the floor. It was a picture of Gaz and his mom. He felt tears forming in his eyes. They looked so much a like. Their mother was a video-game designer, probably what Gaz would have been, if her life hadn't been cut so damn short.
It's okay, Dib, a small voice whispered in his ear.
The picture and its frame fell to the ground, breaking the glass that was apart of it. His hands shook as he glanced all around the room.
You have to forgive Dad, Dib."G-Gaz?" Dib asked once he found his voice. His throat suddenly became very dry, and thoughts along the lines of "This is crazy! I can't be hearing Gaz, she's dead!" ran through his head.
Look, Dib, I don't have much time, so I want you to listen to me and listen good. I had to die in order to help fate along.
Dib could feel tears slide down his face. He wondered for a brief moment if he was crazy, but something reassured him that he wasn't. "Wh…What do you mean?" Dib asked quietly.
Everything will be okay. Mom and I are fine, but you need to talk to Dad and forgive him for hitting me. It was all my fault he didn't see me, really. But in order for you and Zim to get actually admit your feelings for one another, something devastating had to happen to someone very close to either of you. By some strange twist of fate, I was chosen.Dib tried to understand. He needed to ask her why something devastating had to happen.
Oh, that's simple, really. You two would have been too happy with just being friends. You would have confessed, eventually, but by then it would have been too late for you to be together.Dib nodded in semi-understanding and smiled somewhat.
Dib, I have to go now. Remember, stay away from my games.That made his smile even wider, but that was when Dib woke up from his dream. Dib blinked confusedly. It was dark in his room. He looked around his room; all of his things were still packed. Dib figured he must have fallen asleep while packing.
He thought back to the dream. Did he really hear Gaz? Should he listen to what he had been told to do in his dream? It was really strange. The dream seemed so real, almost too real, to be just a dream.
Well, dream or not, he was going to do as Gaz told him to do. He got off his bed and walked out of his room, being careful not to knock into anything. He glanced at the clock next to his bed, it was still fairly early. Membrane must still be shooting his show. Dib sighed. How was his father going to act around him now that that he thought Dib hated him?
Dib figured he'd worry about that later. Right now, he was starving. He decided he should make something simple so he wouldn't have to clean a mess of dishes. He picked something up and made it. Dib thought back to…whatever that whole thing with Gaz was. If something like that hadn't happened, he and Zim wouldn't have gotten together? That didn't compute with him. If he and Zim cared so much about one another, he thought with a smile, then they should have gotten together eventually.
Something inside of him argued against that. Logically, what Gaz had "told," him could have happened, but what he thought was logical as well. That small part argued, saying that he would have never let it slip like that if he was never that upset, and that Zim would have never confessed at all, for fear of his life.
Dib shook his head and ate his dinner. He could dwell on this later.
"Oh, you're still here," a voice said from behind him, making Dib nearly choke on his food. "I thought you would have run away by now."
"Well, maybe I wanted to eat first," Dib replied. He tried to hide the hatred that he still felt, so that he wouldn't suddenly jump on his father's case like he had done earlier.
"Look, I know I was wrong. I've been wrong about how to raise a family since your mother died," Membrane said as h sat down across from Dib. He tried to make eye contact with his son, but Dib looked everywhere else but at him.
"So you've finally realized that? Good for you," Dib stated sarcastically.
"I can't believe I've been so wrapped up in my work that I couldn't see how much you and Gaz grew. Just this morning I realized how much Gaz was like your mother," Membrane admitted.
"Who do I remind you of, then?" Dib asked, surprised at himself that he had asked.
Membrane shook his head. "Most people would think I'd say me, but you and I are nothing alike, besides the fact we love science," Membrane stated. "Our interests are different, and we only slightly act the same every once in a while, but we are never truly alike."
"Yeah, I noticed that as well," Dib stated quietly.
"Damnit, I wish I could make up for all the lost years, Dib, to change the way I had acted. I never wanted to become the one thing my own son despised the most. I know you most likely could care less, but I had to let you know," Membrane said as he got out of the chair and headed out of the kitchen.
"Dad, wait," Dib heard himself say without thinking about saying it at all.
Membrane stopped moving at the word "dad." He looked back at his son, who turned and finally made eye contact with him. Membrane could see the conflicting emotions making their battle through Dib's eyes. "Yes, Dib?" he asked cautiously.
"I…I just couldn't…" Dib had no idea what to say.
"Oh, and as for you and Zim, I don't care what the two of you do when I'm not around, okay?" Membrane asked.
Dib nearly broke out into a wide smile. His father accepted his relationship! Dib nodded to his father. "We'll try not to get too close when you're around," Dib heard himself say.
Membrane smiled (well, you couldn't really tell by just looking at him, but he was) at his son and left to go to work. Dib sighed. That went easier than he thought it would….
Zim was dying to contact Jazz, to as him every question he wanted to know the answer to. He couldn't though. Man, this was driving him crazy. He needed to speak with someone other than Gir.
Zim looked at the time. He told himself it wasn't so late, but the second he did so, he yawned. Zim got up and stretched. He wanted to talk to someone intelligent, someone who wasn't Irken. Well, he could contact Dib, but he wasn't sure if Dib was awake at the moment. They did have skool tomorrow, after all.
"Oh shit," Zim whispered to himself. "Man, what are we going to do about skool? Dib and I can't be hanging onto another like we were earlier!" Zim continued.
Zim cursed in a mixture of English and Irken. They didn't even think about this. And the whole skool pretty much thought they hated each other.
Zim shook his head. He needed to think clearly. He needed some fresh air. Putting his disguise on as quickly as he could, Zim headed outside and decided to go on a walk. This was a practice he always found relaxing. He let his feet move him without thinking of where he was going.
How were they going to act during skool? They most definitely couldn't act like a couple, Zim knew that some people considered two males being together "wrong," not considering the fact of how he and Dib treated each other when they met again. The skool was expecting them to be enemies. Did that mean they'll have to insult each other and sneak around?
Zim's brown furrowed. He would hate to act like that. He continued to look at the ground, not paying attention to where he was going. He didn't even look up until he bumped into someone.
"Excuse me," he and the other person said at the same time. Zim recognized the voice. He looked up to see that it was Carol.
"Oh, hey Zim," she said with a small smile.
"Hey."
"Were you going to Dib's house?" Carol asked.
Zim briefly panicked. "N-No, why would you think that?" he stammered.
"Oh, only because you were about to turn onto his street…. Look, Zim, exactly how close are you to Dib really?" she continued.
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Oh, stop bull shittin' Zim, I saw how worried about him you were when you kept hearing all those rumors about Gaz."
"You're point?"
"My point is that you wouldn't have been so worried about him if you really hated him," Carol responded coolly.
"Fine. I was worried about him, and I confronted him today as well, so don't ask," Zim ordered.
"I take it you two are together now," Carol stated slyly.
Zim gaped at her. "What?!"
"It's true, isn't it? That you and Dib have this hidden fling going on?" Carol asked him.
"Where did you hear that?" Zim asked.
"Don't you know? Everyone who was in Miss Bitters' class with you two thinks you are secretly in love," Carol explained. She watched as Zim growled something to himself. "Oh, I'm okay with it if you two really are. But you shouldn't keep an act, because it will eventually hurt both of you," Carol told him.
"Really?" Zim asked, forgetting that he was supposed to not care about what she was telling him.
"Yeah. Many relationships inside the high skool have crumbled because the two people kept an act. You really shouldn't care what other people think of who you're with, either," she continued.
"I'll…keep that in mind," Zim told her with a small smile.
"But it is true, right?" Carol asked. "I mean, you and Dib are together."
Zim nodded slightly, going against his first initial reaction. She smiled back at him, suppressed the urge to go "Awww," and waved as she walked off into another direction.
Zim thought about what Carol had said. Was what she said true? That if he and Dib were to keep an act, that their relationship (if you will) will crumble? Something inside of him thoroughly believed what she said. An act could seem so real that they could easily ruin their relationship.
Zim sighed. He didn't know what Dib wanted. He would have to talk to him about this, but it was late, and Zim knew better than to walk in the Membrane residence right now. Something told him that things with Membrane and Dib were on uneven ground. He knew they needed some time to straighten things out a little.
Zim headed home, knowing that he should get some rest. Today had been a very eventful day…he and Dib got together, Zim was banished again, and found out that his bestfriend for years was in love with him, and they still had to put up with skool.
Zim just hoped that tomorrow would somehow go the way he wanted it to. Dib, too, was thinking the same thing, and he hoped that somehow, he would understand things better. The two went to sleep that night, somewhat more at ease than they ever had for the past year, though, they were still a little restless. After all, who wouldn't be when they just confessed their love for someone who was sure to hate them for it?
Arm: ::winces:: It seems…off…
Leg: ::nods:: Oh well. That's the end of chapter four… Be glad we actually came up with one… Chapter five, however, should take a longer time, since there's something about this chapter that I don't like…
Arm: Yeah… Oh well! Time to type up that special tie in! ::covers her mouth:: Oops… I didn't mean to let that slip…
Leg: ::sighs and rolls her eyes at Arm:: Please review. It would make us very, very happy.
