A/N:….

Disclaimer: If I owned if I wouldn't have to have this.

It was later that night and Zim had joined me in my nightly roof top star gazing adventures. Mostly, we sat in silence, unsure of what to think, but then I decided to ask questions for closure.

''Why'd you leave?'' I asked.

''I told you already.'' Zim replied earnestly.

''Ok, so why'd you come back?''

Zim paused and then looked up at the sky and pointed to a star, as if to say something, but shook his head and said, ''Sometimes, you leave things because you think they're driving you insane, but in truth; it's being away from it that drives you insane.''

We were quiet for some time before I finally said, ''What happened to Gir?''

Zim looked at me and cocked an eyebrow. ''What do you mean? Gir's as stupid as ever.''

''No,'' I fixed my question quickly. ''I mean, why is Gir...you know...female?''

The lost look left Zim's face and a sheepish ''ohhh'' followed. ''It's new disguises!'' Zim beamed.

''I thought Gir was a guy.'' I said absently.

''Yeah, me too...'' Zim trailed. ''Apparently Gir was short for Girl.''

I had a soft smile on my face as I turned my gaze back up to the night sky before another thought crept into my mind.

''Zim, out of disguise, are you still really short?''

There was a long pause before Zim said slyly, ''Why, Dib Human? Are you going to use that information against me?''

I shook my head. ''Nahh. Although,'' I paused and felt my face get hot and I tried to find the right words. ''I will admit I'm glad you came back.''

Zim's humanish-disguised face clouded over and he looked over at me. ''Why? I made your life miserable.''

My smile faded as I remembered the worst times with Zim. Particularly when he turned us into bologna. ''Yes...Yes, you did.''

Zim looked even more lost now. ''So then...why? Are you out to dissect me again?''

I shook my head and looked back up at the sky. ''No, no, Zim...It's just you were a friend, I guess. My only one.''

Zim was looking at me like I was crazy. ''I made your life a living hell and you call me your friend?''

I shrugged and looked at him, no emotions ruling my face. ''Yeah, and you'd say the same about me for yourself.''

He nodded. ''Yeah, I guess so.''

I had him cornered; I could almost laugh at my own reverse psychology I had planned. ''Then why'd you come back?''

Zim looked away and didn't answer my question, and I assumed he had gone to ignoring me, when his distant voice broke into the silence.

His voice. As he talked, it seemed he was almost confused and hurt to be telling me at the same...he was distancing himself.

''The day I left,'' He began, unsteady and unsure. ''I had been getting fed up with my mission; you kept getting in the way, and I was going crazy.''

I looked down, almost feeling sorry for being so obnoxious.

''So, I tried to contact the Tallest and ask for a new planet to be assigned to...''

His voice trailed off and so did my thoughts. A different planet? He wanted to leave?

The only thing that could've taken me from that misplaced nostalgic state droned on, ''But when I finally got through on the transmissions after many 'false alarms', the Tallest sniped my questions.'' He paused and stared out into the dark before him, like he was trying to find the right thing to say.

''And...They told me I would have Earth or nothing. When I asked what they meant, they told me simply that; you have only Earth now. 'Earth will be your home, Zim, because your are banned from Irk. Forever. As for being an invader...you never were one.''' Zim choked and dropped his head, silent.

I sighed and looked away, unsure of what to do. Comfort him or leave him alone?

''I never really was interested in the part of taking over Earth,'' Zim said, voice muffled by his hands. ''I only wanted to please the Tallests. Those stupid bastards, I gave them my life and they would've taken it and dropped it to hell, for all they cared.''

Gaz's voice pierced into the unsettling blankness of Zim and I with, ''Dib, a stupid preppy looking blonde is here for that weirdo guy you're with!''

I hit myself on the forehead slightly. Gaz, what a charming girl.

Zim stood and brushed off his pants. ''Well, it's probably Gir wanting to go out for food or something as equally nauseating.''

Nodding, I stood as well and tried to figure out what to say when it dawned on me. ''Wait Zim.''

The former-Irken stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. ''What?''

''You never answered my question...Was Earth the only place left for you to go? Couldn't there be other planets for you and Gir? Or is there a reason you came back?''

Zim opened his mouth to defend himself, but he just stared at me, silent and unmoving.

Finally he smiled weakly and said, ''I came back because some things you can't live without.''

The meaning of that was lost on me as another question seeped into my mind. ''What do you look like now? I mean, out of disguise?''

Zim reached back with no emotion on his masked face and pulled up on the back of his head. It gave off easily and came sliding and removing itself with his hand.

His face, smooth and green as always, his eyes, large and the normal shiny red, his two antennae's, slightly drooping, and I was surprised to see he WAS that tall!

I wanted to comment on how much he changed without really looking different, but the only words that came out were, ''How'd you get so tall?!''

Zim didn't answer that one as he slipped his mask back on and left quickly, leaving me standing on the roof; alone, confused, but alive once again.

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A/N: For some reason, parts of this chapter and the last one don't make sense and I'm not really happy with some of it. The plot.....dun dun dunnnnnn...confuses even me, but be patient and I think it might make some sense somewhere along the line. Yeah ^___^ Gir is short for girl! LMAO o_O I just had to do that for some reason. And we all KNEW Gir would be a blonde! Fourth part coming.....AS SOON AS I WRITE IT! *Dramatic stance*....*puppy dog eyes* I need praise..please? n______n so I can keep going...Us starving writers, you know. We're all crazy and we live and breathe comments......*weird look*..what?