A new chapter is up!! YAY!!! Sorry if I took so long, but a lot has been going on. I start school again tomorrow (Sept. 8th), so you all will have to be a little patient with me, especially since I'll be working at an internship. I'll try to post new chapters as soon as humanly possible. As for this chapter, more conversation between Gaz and Zim; cute moments here and there. You'll see what I mean. Again, hope it's not OOC. So, enjoy!!

I don't own of any of the characters, only the plot and IZ t-shirts in my closet.

Hee.

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Gaz walked down the street, towards the familiar little green house that Zim lived in. It had to be one of the few times she was going by there without Dib; he probably decided to go out with his friends and blow off some steam, she thought. During one of the passing periods, she ran into her brother. Dib (who was in a very pissed off mood) told her how, because of Zim, he was stuck having lunch with the art teacher for the next few days. When Dib went into details about why exactly he ended up with this punishment, Gaz laughed in his face.

"Serves you right for being a moron."

Dib was already angry and he didn't need his little sister to intensify it.

"I try to save the world, and I get in trouble for it?! It's not fair!"

"Save the world? You just don't give up, do you?!"

"Gaz..."

"Zim wasn't the one going around soaking people, Dib! Besides, from what you told me, Zim didn't do anything to deserve being tortured by you."

Dib glared at her.

"I forgot...you're defending evil aliens now, right?"

He didn't say anything else to her, and just stalked off to his last class. That was a sure sign that he wasn't going home with her this afternoon.

"This is too perfect," she said to herself, walking off to her class.

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There are those stupid lawn gnomes, Gaz thought to herself, as she approached the weird house that was dwarfed by the larger buildings that surrounded it. She never quite understood how Zim could've thought that putting a bunch of weird crap and signs that proclaimed 'I Love Earth' on his front lawn would help him blend in with humans. Then again, she mused, look at his stupid disguise. Gaz was able to walk past the gnomes without them shooting lasers at her, and decided it was a good sign that Zim was going to go along with her idea. Either that, or the stupid things were malfunctioning.

She got to the door and rang the bell.

"Well, here goes risk number two."

The door opened, but no one was there. Gaz walked in anyway, and was surprised to have something jump at her, making her fall to the floor on her back. She looked up and saw a small, green, cute puppy staring at her.

"Hi," it squealed to her. "You're the big head kid's sister!! Want a burrito?"

Gaz slowly sat up, rubbing the back of her head.

"I remember you. Gir, right? You're Zim's dog-robot thing."

"Yaaay!! You remembered!! Weeeeeeee-hoooooo!!!!"

Gir jumped off Gaz and ran around the living room, screaming his little head off. She just sat there and watched.

And watched.

And watched.

And watched some more.

After about ten minutes of this, she got a little bored.

"Okay...um...is Zim home?"

The strange, little dog thing stopped dead in his tracks.

"Want me to get him?!"

Gaz shrugged.

"Yeah. Thanks."

She watched him run off, in search of its master. She got up off the floor and looked around the room.

"Just as strange as the outside," she muttered, as she took a seat on the couch. As she waited, she thought about her little plan and her real motive behind it. I do want to help Zim out, she thought, but is it bad if I have more to gain? And what is taking Zim so long?

"This could take a while."

She pulled out her Game Slave and started to play.

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Zim was in his room, lying on his bed and looking at the ceiling, again. He heaved a big, heavy sigh. He had no desire to ever get up from his bed; he just wanted to lie there and wait for death or some kind of disaster to come take him away...which ever came first. He grabbed a pillow and buried his face in it.

Zim had gotten home, and rushed to his lab to plan a grand scheme for world conquest, as was his habit everyday after school. But he soon was reminded that there was no need for that planning anymore.

"Whatcha doing," Gir asked when he went down to the lab, while sucking on a Pixie Stick. He kept peeking over Zim's shoulder and made slurping noises.

Zim shuddered in disgust.

"If you must know, I'm trying to figure out how to bring DOOM upon the heads of these filthy creatures!"

Zim then went back to his work, trying to ignore Gir.

"Oooooooohhhhh....," was the reply. Gir sucked on his candy and looked at Zim for a couple of minutes. "Why you doing that?"

Irritated, Zim turned back to Gir.

"Because it's part of the mission, Gir! To take over this disgusting planet!!"

"Oooooooooohhhhh...."

Gir continued to eat his candy. Another thought occurred to him, but before he could say anything, Zim turned to him.

"What now, Gir" he roared. The little robot stopped sucking on the candy straw and looked up at Zim.

"But it's over, remember?"

"Eh?"

"I heard you talking to The Tallest last night. It's over, isn't it?!"

It dawned upon him what Gir was talking about. All he could do was stand there, steadying himself by holding on to his work table.

"It's over, it's over, it's over...!!!"

Gir left the lab singing, leaving Zim alone. He dropped the tool he held in his hand and heard it clatter on the floor. He sunk to the floor, pulled his knees to his chest and put his head down.

"What's wrong with me," he said himself. "Am I so pathetic that I am now repressing my failure?"

He stayed in that position for some time, just feeling crappy and incredibly sorry for himself. Finally, he was able to get up. He took the elevator upstairs and went into his bedroom to lie down. And he was still lying there when Gir bounded into the room.

"Guess who's here," asked the little robot, jumping on Zim's bed.

"Stop jumping on the bed, Gir. And what are you talking about?"

"Dib's sister is here!!" He stopped jumping. "She's pretty, too!"

Zim took the pillow off his face and gaped at Gir.

"She's here?"

"Yup, and she wants to see you!" Gir started jumping on the bed again.

Zim sat up. He had completely forgotten that the human had invited herself to his base!

"Gir!! Stop jumping on the bed!"

Zim threw a pillow at him, missing him completely. He wanted to tell Gir to get rid off the girl; he didn't feel like dealing with anyone, especially the sister of his enemy. Before he could figure out what to do next, he heard a light knock at the door. Both Zim and Gir looked up, as it slowly opened to reveal a slightly amused Gaz standing in the doorway, with her arms crossed.

"Were you thinking of coming down anytime soon, or did you want me to come to your room?"

All three heard a beep coming from downstairs. It sounded like a microwave...

"Yaaaay," squealed Gir, hopping off the bed. "Buuurriitttoooo!!"

He ran out the door to get his snack, leaving Gaz and Zim alone. Zim just stared at the girl, wondering what was going to happen. He then realized something was wrong.

"Zim?"

He slowly turned his head and there on the nightstand, laid his contact lenses and wig. He had taken them off when he came into his room earlier, and had just forgotten them. Zim's reaction did not escape Gaz. He was obviously freaking out because she was seeing him without his disguise. She saw him reach for them, half of him hanging off the edge of his bed.

"Zim...you don't have to do that."

He stayed frozen, still reaching for his disguise, but his attention on Gaz. She started to walk towards him.

"I know, Zim. I've always known. How do you think I knew not to hit you with water yesterday? You don't need that stuff."

After a few minutes, Zim finally put his arm down, but kept looking at Gaz. He was leaning so close to the edge of the bed, that when he attempted to get up, he lost his balance, fell off his bed, hit his head on the corner of the nightstand and fell on the floor, flat on his face. Without meaning to, Gaz started to snicker. When Zim wasn't getting up, she started to feel a hint of guilt.

"C'mon, I'll help you," Gaz offered, holding back her laughter the best she could.

Zim was embarrassed and angry; he just stayed where he was.

"No! Go away!!"

"Stop being such a baby," she said, stooping down to help him up.

"Leave!!!"

Apparently, that did it. He heard the door slam shut and footsteps.

She was gone. And that was perfectly fine with him. Or at least, it should have been.

Part of him was relieved that the human had left him (and his base) without making a big commotion but, at the same time, wished that she had insisted even harder on staying. It was a welcome distraction to the misery he had been feeling. Gaz had been treating him kindly lately, in her own, strange way. Still, it's a lot more than anyone has ever shown him (not counting Gir). But he had viciously kicked her out, and who knows if she would use that as a reason to make his life even more miserable? She'll probably side with that Dib-human, he thought.

Zim sighed and slowly pushed himself up. An awful pain went through his head. He felt something warm dripping down the side of his face and saw a purple smear on the floor. Blood. Damn, he thought. He had to have hit his head really hard for him to be bleeding. Help...he needed help.

"Where's Gir? I must summon him."

That's when he saw something that stunned him. There, sitting by the door watching him, was Gaz. She had never left.

"Are you okay?"

All Zim could manage was a weak nod, ignoring his bloody forehead. The human stayed, he thought, even after I yelled at her. Why?

Gaz got up, and sat next to him, looking a little concerned. He couldn't bring himself to face her; he kept looking straight ahead. When he didn't respond, Gaz gingerly put her hand under his chin and turned his head so he would face her. He was shaking a little, but she couldn't figure if it was from pain or fear. She looked at his wound and then with her free hand, found some tissues in her book bag to wipe the blood off his face. The gash was bleeding, but it didn't look serious in a life threatening kind of way. She pulled out a bandana from her bag, folded it up as best she could and placed it on the injury.

"Don't worry...it doesn't look so bad." Gaz gave Zim a small smile and put her hand on his cheek as if to further reassure him. Whoa, did I just do that, she thought. Shocked at what she just did, Gaz drew her hand back.

Gaz considered leaving; how hard is it to keep pressure on a bleeding forehead? At the same time, she knew would worry about the alien if she left now. Her thoughts were interrupted by a question.

"Why?"

Gaz focused back on Zim.

"What?"

"Why are you doing this?"

Not this again, she thought, keeping pressure on his forehead.

"Because you were gonna bleed all over your nice, clean floor."

"That's not what I meant."

She sighed and rolled her eyes skywards. Why me? Gaz looked back at Zim.

"Because having a friend won't kill you, and you look like you needed one anyway. Can you lie down? My arm is going numb."

Zim did as he was told, to her astonishment, but he put his head on her lap, which surprised her. Gaz's face slowly turned red, but she didn't push him off. He doesn't know any better, she thought, so don't worry about it. Zim's large ruby eyes stared up at her. He saw something in her eyes that he hadn't noticed before. They look so...warm, he thought.

"You didn't look repulsed just now when..."

Gaz shook her head.

"It's no big deal. I've seen worse."

"But the BLOOD!!"

Gaz shrugged.

"I've seen lots of that, too. And, no, it doesn't bother me that it's alien blood." She paused a beat. "I was wondering...how old are you?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I couldn't think of anything better to talk about and I just wanna know."

"Irken or Human years?"

"Human."

Gaz watched him as he appeared to be figuring it out in his head.

"I'm about 17." He paused. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Why do you act mean with other humans? You never seem comfortable around them."

Gaz was taken aback by the question. Had he paid attention to her before she got the nerve to talk to him? She didn't think he would have bothered to observe her.

"I'm not very good with people. I haven't had the best experiences with them, so I find it better if I keep them away."

"You seem comfortable with me."

"Maybe because you aren't human. Or maybe because you understand exactly where I'm coming from."

"Hmm," was his response. "How did you know? I mean, that I'm not...well, human?"

Gaz laughed a little and then stopped abruptly, not wanting to offend him.

"Well, aside from the constant rants from my older brother, I've seen you without your disguise a couple of times before, and I've seen enough in the time I've known you to know that you're not human."

"This doesn't bother you?"

"I'm having a decent conversation with you and helping you heal," she pointed out. "What do you think?"

Gaz put a hand on one of Zim's hands.

"It doesn't bother me at all."

A look of relief crossed his face.

They both got quiet; they could hear Gir watching TV downstairs. They both had been in the same position for some time. Zim was nodding off. Gaz wondered if the bleeding had stopped. There was only one way to find out...

"I think you stopped bleeding," she said, carefully looking under the makeshift bandage.

"Don't sound surprised! After all, I..."

"...Am Zim. I know, I know."

He gave her a small smile, which she shyly returned.

Gaz looked at her watch. 5:05. Still plenty of time before I need to get home, she figured.

"Can I ask you something else?"

"Of course. What do you wish to know?"

"What's wrong with you? You haven't been yourself. You look depressed when I see you at school and that thing with Dib... you just let him pick on you..."

Zim pulled away immediately. She had hit a nerve.

"Zim?"

He sat up and the bandage came off. The bleeding had stopped, just a bluish purple bruise on his forehead now.

"I have...uh...stuff to do. I think you should leave."

Zim got on his feet and opened the door. Reluctantly, Gaz stood up and got her bag.

"Ok. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

She walked out the bedroom, expecting him to say something, like "bye" or "thank you." The door slammed shut.

"There's gratitude for you," she muttered angrily, going downstairs.

Gaz came into the living room and found Gir still glued to the TV, with what looked like another burrito. He didn't notice her walk by or didn't hear her close the door as she left the house.

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"So, you came back."

Zim stood before a large rock that Penelope was sitting on. The moonlight seemed to shine directly on her.

"You can sit down if you want. The rock is big enough."

He found himself obeying her. So much for taking control, he bitterly thought. He sat there, with a melancholy look on his face.

"What's eating you?"

"Ahhhh!! Something's eating me!! Ahhh!!"

Zim jumped off the rock and started screaming, while waving his arms around in a panic. He collided into something and fell back. It was Penelope, and she stood over him.

"I didn't mean that literally. Get up. What I meant is what's bothering you?"

Zim sat back on the rock, with Penelope sitting next to him. He didn't talk.

"Are you going to answer my question?"

He still didn't say anything.

"I know you did not come back here to just sit on a rock." She paused. "Whatever you tell me doesn't leave this beach."

Zim looked at her.

"I swear it."

Apparently that was enough to convince Zim. He found himself telling this mysterious person everything about Dib, school, and the whole thing that happened with Gaz. But he didn't tell her everything.

"I don't see what's wrong with being friends with this Gaz girl. Why did you throw her out?"

Zim turned away.

"That's not important."

"Oh, really? Try me. Tell me why."

Zim couldn't help it; she had control in this world.

"She kept asking."

"Asking what?"

Zim turned back to Penelope.

"Gaz wants to know why I've been acting unusual, and I cannot tell the human I was..."

He couldn't get the words out; it was too much.

"Just say it!"

"I was fooled...tricked by my superiors. Now I'm banished from Irk and stuck on Earth."

There. He had finally told someone, even if she was an illusion.

"Why couldn't you tell Gaz that? I doubt she would have cared."

"But...but she's human!! She could turn against me and use that information!!"

"I think you're paranoid. She did help you when you got hurt, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And she didn't do anything that would make you think she was going to harm you, right?"

"Yeah..."

Penelope stayed quiet, as if thinking hard about something.

"When you said you wanted to die the other night, was that the reason behind it? The whole being mislead by your leaders, I mean."

"Yes," he said, knowing that it was only part of the reason. Fortunately, she didn't press him any further about it.

"I see. It's not going to hurt if you get close to this girl, human or not. And if you tell her the real reason regarding your behavior, I'm more than positive nothing bad will happen. You just have to give it a chance."

"Mmm," was his only reply.

Penelope stood up.

"Hey, you took a chance in coming back to see me."

She started to walk towards the water.

"I'll see you soon," she called to him, disappearing before his eyes.