Foster
Disclaimer- I don't own Invader Zim, Squee! JtHM, or Judging Amy. I don't own Jhonen Vasquez, either. I believe he owns himself, but I did see something on the Internet where someone tried to buy him…whatever.
Try not to be too harsh on this story; I've never written one quite like this and I did this mostly on impulse. (Read: My friends harassed me into it.)
So review or don't, oh doomed ones.
(Here's the story!)
Judge Amy Gray sat calmly before the case in her small, Connecticut Juvenile Justice courtroom. Well, perhaps 'Calm' was a lie, as she struggled to maintain her professional composure. This case was just so terrible! It was a neglect case, which happened fairly often, but what was so shocking about this was that this was a tiny eight year old boy named Todd Casil, who was so lonely and afraid of the world that he had been in a mental hospital. While he was there, it was revealed that the cause of his problems was severe neglect and emotional abuse. Mrs. Casil was under the influence of so many drugs that she didn't even know her own name, let alone anything about her son, including his very existence! Mr. Casil, however, was much worse, blaming his son for everything wrong in his life, frequently trying to get rid of the child. Todd himself was an adorable, timid child with big, sad brown eyes, who couldn't understand why they 'scary people in suits want to take him away from Mommy and Daddy'.
It was a bad day, to say the least, and it took a lot of effort not to cry when little Todd asked his parents when they could go home; their response?
Mrs. Casil: "Who are you, little boy?"
Mr. Casil: "This is all your fault, s..son."
The case ended with the two adult Casils hauled off to prison, and a crying Todd taken to DCF (the Department of Children and Families) to be placed in foster care. It was a bit of a consolation when the DCF representative promised that her mother, Maxine would be the one to handle such a delicate case.
"Judge Gray?" The voice of Bruce Van Exel, her CSO, brought her back to reality.
"Huh? What is it, Bruce?" She asked absently.
"I've called a twenty minute recess before the next case, you look like you need it." He said understandingly.
"Thank you, Bruce."
-------------------------------------------------- DCF
"When can I go home, social worker lady?" Todd asked, "School's out and Pepito's probably wondering where I am."
"Who's Pepito?" Maxine asked.
Todd thought a minute, "Pepito's the anti-Christ. His daddy's the devil."
Maxine stared. This was not something she expected to hear… "Really?" She managed.
"Yeah. His mom's nice, but his dad's always trying to get me to join his soulless army of darkness. That's before the aliens came, though."
"Aliens?"
He nodded, "Scary neighbor man was right; it was a Tuesday."
"Allllriiiiigggghhhht…"
------------------------------------------------ Soon
"So, Maxine, what's the story with the kid?" Her boss, Sean Potter asked.
"Worse than I thought, Sean. We need an accepting family, and one that's not exactly normal. Todd Casil is obviously traumatized, and seems slightly delusional. It took about an hour to get him convinced that there was nothing in my office to maim or kill him, and the answers I got talking to him were, quite frankly, disturbing. I haven't found anyone on my lists that seem right."
"Weird, huh? I just approved a very young couple as foster caregivers this morning, and they don't come much weirder than that man."
"What man?" She asked, "And why would a young couple want to have a foster child rather than one of their own?"
"Well, apparently they both had very bad childhoods and wanted to make sure they were up to the task of parenthood before starting with a baby." He handed her their file.
"Dib Patrick Membrane and Dr. Jessica C. Membrane. Both age 23. The husband is a… Do I have this right? A Paranormal investigator/supernatural exterminator?" He nodded, she continued reading, "The wife is a physician with a successful family practice, and they've been married for four years. Good god! That man has an enormous head!"
"I know! And he's so scrawny! I wonder how he holds it up! Anyway, they seemed like nice people, and the wife had a younger brother who was insane."
"Really? Do we have a record of him?"
"No, files say, she hasn't seen him since their parents divorced. The mother took her, and the father took Johnny halfway across the country. Apparently the sister was keeping him stable, because the kid had a psychotic episode a month after they moved away, and disappeared shortly after turning fifteen."
"Good lord! How old were they?"
"When their parents split? Well, Dr. Membrane was thirteen, and her brother was eleven. There's nothing suspicious to link to the sister, in fact, she and her husband seem like nice people, and background checks don't show anything to worry about. Not concerning them personally. In fact, they solved a disappearance case local police had given up on, so they're probably good at thinking on their feet."
"Alright, if you think they're the right people, call them and have them come talk to me."
"Will do."
----------------------------------------- Elsewhere, That night
"Hi, honey." Jessie said cheerfully as her husband stalked in late from work.
"Hi." Dib mumbled.
"What's the matter, baby?" She asked, "Usually you're in such a good mood when you come back from these sighting points!"
"Do you think I'm wasting my life?" Dib asked, flopping down on the couch next to her.
"Of course not!" She snuggled close, and let him bury his face in her curly black hair.
"My dad still does." He said.
"Your dad is a moron. The world may think he's brilliant, but he has yet to come up with any significant cures and what's the point of 'Super Toast', anyway? I mean, what's the difference between it and regular toast? Invent some super coffee, or super chocolate, and I might care, but really, what has he done with his life that gives him the right to criticize yours? Besides, "Super Toast"? Puh-lease! What a dumb idea!" She stopped, blushing, "Oh dear, I was rambling again… Why didn't you stop me?"
He laughed, kissing her. "You're cute when you ramble, and besides, you put up with mine!"
"Yeah, but I don't mind your rambling; usually, it leaves you in a better mood afterwards." She grinned, "Besides, I think you're cute when you ramble!" She laughed, then pulled a face.
"What's wrong?" he asked,
"Oh, I just realized that we've been married for over a year now and we're still acting like newlyweds! How funny is that? And all those 'normal' kids we went to skool with have terrible marriages!"
He nodded, "Well, we got lucky." He sighed, "Mmmm…I love the way you smell; honey and almonds…" He kissed her neck.
She grinned, "Down, boy. Speaking of lucky, I got a call from Gaz today, and she and Zim are back from their honeymoon. So they're coming over for dinner tonight. And that's not even the best part!"
"No?" Dib was intrigued. Normally, the fact that their longtime best friend, and his sister coming back would be the big order of the day.
She shook her head, "Nope! We're going to have news for them! I got a call from DCF today at the office; we've been approved for a foster child!"
"Really? Already?"
"Yeah! They thought that we would be the most suitable candidates. His name's Todd, and he's eight years old, and we might be able to keep him!"
"That's great! So… why are we the most suitable?"
"They were going to explain it tomorrow when we pick him up." She replied. "It could be because I'm a doctor."
"Maybe." He agreed, "Things have been pretty slow at work while Zim's been gone, it'll be nice to have my partner back."
"So what's next on your agenda, luv?" Jess asked.
"Well, there've been these bizarre killings around this one area. The weirdest part was that the blood was always gone. Until now, there have been no survivors, but now there's this one girl who saw what did it." He said.
"Go on." She encouraged, looking slightly troubled.
Dib hesitated a moment; even after all these years of Jessie listening to him, he was still wary from a whole life of most people calling him crazy. Jessie never had. Even teasing, she knew it was a sore area, so she was careful with her words. She said her brother had had trouble with certain words, too. Bigger problems, mostly with words like 'wacky'.
"Well," He continued, "She said it was a huge, hideous monster. Scarier than anything she's ever seen. It had hundreds of mouths, several claws and tentacles and things. She said it drank the blood with parts of the people… I was thinking Zim and I could catch it and study it, like we did with the Demon of Versailles."
Jessie suddenly felt her entire body go cold, and she was seized by an inexplicable feeling of dread. "Dib… please don't! This thing…I have a horrible feeling about it…"
He gave her an odd look.
"Please," She said softly, eyes going strangely glassy, "If you have to go after it, obliterate it completely. I have the worst feeling that it does horrible things even when it's captive…gaining power…taking things it oughtn't. The only way to stop it is to kill it completely." She looked down, "Look, I don't know why, I just don't like this. I need you to trust me without knowing why."
Dib sighed, "I'll take your word for it. Your intuition on these things is usually right, anyway."
She smiled, relieved, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "I just don't want to lose you too…"
"I know, dear." He put is arms around her and she closed her eyes, luxuriating in the feelings of calm and safety when she was with her husband. They brought each other peace. They both knew it, though those words were never spoken.
That was what made their marriage so perfect, really. Her personality was that of a nurturer, slightly scarred by the thought of failing to save her brother, and losing him; her parents divorce had turned her from a confident teenager to a scared, lost young girl seeking something safe after her life had been torn apart. Basically, Jessie needed to have some anchor to keep her world spinning, and someone to love. Dib, however, was a protector, slightly amoral at times, with only the best of intentions at heart, but had a wounded spirit because nobody had ever believed in him. He had the need to protect somebody, and the need for a purpose. Neglect had driven him to depression before, which had led to he and Zim becoming friends. What Dib needed was for someone to make him feel needed; like he wasn't some failure, or burden. He needed to be somebody's champion, somebody's soulmate. His heart was starved for love and affection, and he had an inferiority complex to boot.
Their strengths and weaknesses complimented each other. Jessie loved Dib completely and unconditionally, soothing his inner pains and boosting his fragile ego. Dib thought Jessie was perfect, someone who deserved to be protected from anything bad in the world. Even if they should have a disagreement, he would never raise his voice, or (god forbid) his hand to her. After hearing her talk about how bad things had been before and after her parents' divorce, Dib promised himself she'd never be hurt like that again. Jessie promised herself Dib would never be alone again. That no matter how the world tried to shoot him down, she would never let him forget what a great man she knew he was.
They were both good people, with good senses of humor, courage, and a deep, abiding loyalty to friends, family, and most of all, each other: Jessie was cute and quirky, always ready to cheer up a patient or a friend with a joke or a story. She never failed to come through for anyone, even at her own expense. She was tactful and slow to judge, never setting a label to a person, or condemning someone she didn't know. Yet she was thoughtful and creative, and good with advice to those who asked. She was a faithful wife with eyes for no other man. Dib was very outspoken, but tried not to be overly offensive. He could be a little impulsive, but could think well on his feet. He had a mischievous streak, and a healthy mastery of sarcasm. He was loyal and protective of friends and family, and would give his life or more for his wife. He was intelligent, but also physically fit, if a bit on the thin side. He was a good worker, and an honorable man who never forgot any commitments. He was stubborn and adventurous, which could be a good thing, and resilient. He was a dedicated husband who held on to his wedding vows and firmly believed in the sanctity of marriage.
You'll never see two people more in love. So when Dib saw his Jessie worried as she was about this particular case, he was inclined to believe her. So, despite his disappointment at giving up a fascinating adventure, he replied. "I won't go, then, Jessie-bear."
"Thank you, Spike." She whispered.
"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Both turned to look at the door. There was a knock.
Jessie got up. "I think that might be our neighbor."
Dib nodded, "Yeah, I recognize that evil cackle. Jhonen's on a sugar rush again."
She smiled, shaking her head, "Which reminds me, you two have a poker night this Saturday, right?"
"Yes. I nearly forgot."
She opened the door.
Jhonen raised his hand in the air. "BEHOLD! I have your WATER BILL!" He cried, then looked around, "Ummm…yeeeaaahhh…the mailman put it in my mailbox by mistake." He added.
She raised an eyebrow, cheerful grin widening, "Thanks, Jho. How're the comics coming?"
"Just started working on another exciting Filler Bunny! Unfortunately, I've got writer's block for now, so I went to Roachy Mart for another battle with the Devil. I think he's starting to get predictable, though. Turns out he's just not THE devil, just one of the spawn of the Jersey Devil out on his own."
"Uh…Bummer?" she ventured.
He nodded, "Why can't my life be interesting?" He asked. "Just a little something interesting, that's all I ask!"
"Well, since you're not busy, why don't you join us for dinner tonight? Gaz and Dib just came back from their honeymoon, and Dib and I have some good news you might like to hear."
He thought, "Depends. Do I smell Lasagna in the oven right now?"
She nodded.
"Then sure, I'll stay. Wait, when did they come back? I didn't see Zim's ship pull in across the street!"
"Around 3 a.m."
"Oh, I was at Roachy Mart then. Hey, did you two see that thing in the papers this morning? Apparently that mysterious beast made another wave of kills!" Jhonen said excitedly. "Must be a real bad fucker, neh?"
Dib frowned, "I was going to go after it, but Jessie thinks it's too dangerous."
Jhonen was silent for a minute. "Sorry, Jess… But hey, Dib, if you and Zim decide to go after it, I could help?"
"Well, as useful as your finger-blasting action has been before, I promised to leave this one to someone else." He replied reluctantly.
Jessie gave a forced smile, "Why don't you two talk while I go in the kitchen to finish making the dessert?" She ran off. Five minutes later, her singing drifted out through the house along with wonderful smells.
An awkward silence filled the room. Jhonen cleared his throat, "Ah…so… She's got a beautiful voice, Dib. You're a lucky man."
Dib nodded, "She's feeling guilty. She knows I still want to go after it. But she's scared, says this one's real bad, and you know it takes a lot to scare her like that. I have a feeling there's something she's not telling me, but I'm sure we'll talk about it soon. There's something about the way she talked about it… like it was something personal…I just want to kill it more now."
Jhonen shrugged, "Maybe later?"
"We'd have to obliterate it completely… down to the last tentacle…"
Luckily, a knock at the door interrupted his grim musings.
--------------------------------------- Later ------------------------------------
The five friends were all enjoying the reunion, talking about old times, plans for the future, and dreams fulfilled. Only Jhonen felt slightly lonely, seeing all of his friends present so deeply and madly in love with their spouses.
Not that he was looking to settle down, of course.
He just thought it might be nice to have someone who would always be there.
clink, clink
"Guys, Jessie and I have an announcement to make…" Dib started.
"We're getting a foster kid!" Jessie said happily. "We're picking him up tomorrow!"
There was silence for a moment.
"That's…um… great, Jessie." Gaz said, remembering the depression her sister-in-law had gone through after she lost the baby. "Really great." She gave her brother's wife a small smile. 'I only wish you had the courage to try again.' She thought. Jessie was one of the few people Gaz liked and trusted.
This went back to the eighth grade.
She'd been coming home from the bookstore alone, having picked out her book for a report.
A strange man had kidnapped her, raped and tortured her, and left her in an alley to crawl home.
Dib and Jessie had been there at the time, and at first, she was suspicious of their concern, but quickly realized it was genuine and warmed up to the two, who'd been determined to look out for her and take care of her in the state she was in.
It was comforting knowing that, for once, someone had her back.
Zim, at that time, was in traction after picking a fight with said stalker/rapist. In a fury, he had gone after the man without taking the time to bring a weapon.
Zim had won, but just barely.
A year later, they went out on a date, and had been together on and off until Zim finally proposed.
It was a complicated relationship.
Very complicated.
Gaz respected Jessie, but didn't understand why she seemed to blame herself for the death of their unborn child. Shaking herself out of these thoughts, she asked "How old is he?" in what she hoped was an encouraging tone.
"Eight. With black hair and light brown eyes. That's how the social worker described him, anyway."
"Sounds like the Dib, if you ask me." Zim supplied.
Jessie nodded, "The thought had crossed my mind." She admitted with a small smile.
"How are you going to explain Zim?" Jhonen asked, "No offense," He added, "But it's not every day you meet a six foot tall Irken paranormal investigator/supernatural exterminator."
"The HUUUUUMMAN has a point." Zim agreed, "My superior ZIM-ness is very noticeable even in my ingenious disguise."
"We'll tell him the truth!" Dib exclaimed. "There are too many lies in our society already!"
Jessie sighed, and nodded. "Can't be much harder than explaining that our neighbor is a superpowered cartoonist who drinks blood and can shoot deadly beams out of his 'conversation finger'." She acknowledged. "Or the fact that his foster-daddy chases unnatural beasties and that foster-mommy's a medium." She looked at her sister-in-law, "And then there's Gaz, who's a forensic detective, and we haven't even mentioned GIR, yet. Speaking of which, where is the little bugger?"
Zim shrugged, "Eh, he latched onto the bumper of a Domino's delivery vessel and I haven't seen him since. He's probably harassing the pimple-faced delivery-beast. He'll be back though…he ALWAYS comes back!" He sounded slightly disappointed about this.
"Speaking of GIR, he ate a few gutters and half of my garage door off of my Fortress of Doom™ at some point." Jhonen remarked. "If he continues to devour my dwelling, I will be forced to turn him into a steaming pile of hideous twisted metal." An unnatural gleam shone on his glasses.
"Eh?" Zim thought a minute, "Um, alright. I'll threaten to take away his television privileges or something. That usually works."
"See that you do." He advised, straightening his glasses. "By the way, I heard a rumor that we're getting some new neighbors on the other side of your house, Dib. The 'Diablos', I hear."
"Really?"
"Yep. So what's dessert?" He asked.
"Cherry Cheesecake."
"Yum!"
"You think they'll fit in here?" Gaz asked, "No offense, but in this little corner of the neighborhood, we're all a little weird. Considering that I deal with dead people on a regular basis, Dib and Zim hunt things most people ignore, Jessie sees spirits, and Jhonen's…well…Jhonen's Jhonen."
Jhonen grinned. "How very eloquent you are today, Mrs. Invader."
"I think anybody who moves in here is destined to be abnormal." Dib decided. "Even if they weren't before, they will be."
"The Dib-monkey raises a good point. Remember the LAST family in that house? One of them found out that they were part vampire, the wife took up an interest in collecting shrunken heads, and their daughter was a witch."
"They were pretty nice, though." Jessie pointed out.
"And what about the Voodoo priestess at the end of the block? And the werewolf a few houses down?"
"Maybe we should be worried. Is this an ok place to raise a kid? I mean, with a werewolf running around?"
"His girlfriend chains him up now." Dib replied, pausing a moment to realize the implications of that statement. "Umm… don't read too much into that…Besides, it's a lot better than where we grew up. Less assholes, nice houses with big backyards, relatively few cemeteries, and we're three states away from that people-eating monster."
"I've seen some of the victims of that creature." Gaz commented, "Frankly, not something fun to think of."
"Funny," Dib remarked, "There was a time when you would have liked that sort of thing."
Gaz raised an eyebrow, "I've mellowed in my old age."
Zim snorted, "You? MELLOW? I'm surprised you even know of the word!"
She glared at him, her gaze as ferocious as it ever was, and he 'eep'-ed and became silent.
"We should do this more often." Zim said.
"How about again tomorrow?" Jessie suggested, "Let Todd meet the whole family at once. Are you all free?"
"The whole family?" Jhonen asked, touched.
"Yeah." Dib said.
"That is, if you don't mind being lumped with a bunch of psychos." Jessie agreed.
"I don't think he'll have any problems fitting in." Gaz remarked.
Jhonen looked around furtively, "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
---------------------------------------------That night ----------------------------------
/ Dib's dream /
He felt himself stepping back in time, back to senior year in high school. He was going to Jessie's house, planning on surprising his girlfriend. No one was in the house, but he heard a guitar going all out in the garage. He remembered opening the door and finding Jessie inside.
"I see a red door and I want it painted black
No colors anymore, I want them to turn black
I see the girls go by dressed in their summer clothes,
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars and they are painted black
With flowers and my love both never to come back
I see people turn their heads and quickly look away
Like a newborn baby it just happens every day.
I look inside myself and see my heart is black
I see my red door and it's heading into black
Maybe then I'll fade away and not have to face the facts
It's not easy facing up when your whole world is black!
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black, oh baby
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black, oh baby
No more will my green sea go turn a deeper blue
I could not foresee this thing happening to you
If I look hard enough into the setting sun
My love will laugh with me until the morning comes
I wanna see it painted, painted, painted black, oh
Black as night, black as coal
I wanna see the sun blotted out from the sky
painted, painted, painted black, oh baby
painted, painted, painted black!"
It was so strange seeing her sing a song like that, jamming out the intense song on the guitar. It was strange hearing the raw, chaotic emotions in her voice. But when he looked closer, he saw that her face was streaked with tears. When the song ended, she fell to her knees crying. She seemed surprised when he held her and asked what was wrong. That was when he found out that the song had been for her brother.
"They say he's run away. They say he's probably dead…" She sobbed, "I couldn't help him. I've failed him."
All he could do was hold her, kiss the tears away.
That day had been the first time they had made love. They had both been virgins, and it had been his awkward attempt to take away her pain.
The scene changed. Five months later, Dib, Jessie, Gaz, and Zim were in a dark cave.
The walls were damp as they walked in silence, each step progressively colder.
Jessie suddenly stopped, eyes wide. "We need to turn back, Dib, something bad is here! Something bad happened here a long time ago, and it's still here!"
"Huh?" He said, "No way! This is the chance of a lifetime! We could solve the mystery of all the disappearances over the years!"
"There are restless dead here, Dib. They say to leave. Something ancient and evil is here."
"Maybe we should." Zim said, shivering, "My Pak's sensors detect something indeterminable. That usually isn't good."
They were armed only with pocketknives and a few hunting daggers. In front of them was a huge old door. When Dib touched it, it crumbled to dust. Complete darkness greeted them in a cavern too large to be fully lit by their flashlights and lanterns. An adolescent boy stepped into the beam of Dib's flashlight. He was thin and dressed in black, with spiky black hair. They couldn't see its face. "Jessie?" He said.
Dib gaped, "Jessie! It's your brother! The boy in your pictures!" he exclaimed.
She didn't move. "Dib.. that's not my brother." She said slowly.
The thing gave a horrible screech, dashing at Dib. It raised its head and Dib could see that its eyes were sinister black pits and that its mouth was packed with huge fangs!
He felt rooted to the ground, and other things charged from the darkness.
A change seemed to come over Jessie, a strange, fiery spirit entering her eyes and she raced at the thing heading for Dib, holding a long knife he had never seen before. (A/N Hmmmm….. An insane look and an interesting knife… Now who does that sound like?)
Everyone fought until the last…thing was dead. Each thing had taken on the form of some beloved dead person, even Dib and Gaz's mom. Their blood was red, but a darker red than human blood, with swirls of an oily black fluid. The blood pooled on the floor, covering their weapons, their clothes, their hands, and their pale, shocked faces as each clung to their significant other. He had found out, after his first battle, the names of the creatures, and they had been able to provide grieving families with the remains of their loved ones, and expose the cause of death. That had been the first time the world believed him. That had been the day he found out the extent of Jessie's strange ability.
But in this dream, his vision was filled with the swirling blood.
The scene changed again, and he saw a tall, unhealthily thin, miserable looking young man painting a wall with blood. The man was Johnny. He turned to Dib with a tortured expression. "I have to keep the wall painted with fresh blood, Dib, or it will come out. It's stealing parts of me, Dib. I don't remember her anymore… It took her away from me! It's stealing what sanity I have left!" He appeared to be an adult, but his voice was that of a frightened child. "I wish someone would just switch me off…and fix me…"
This vision swirled, and he saw the wall breaking down, and a hideous monster escaping. He saw Johnny lying dead on the ground with a collapsed eyeball and a bullethole in his head. The dead man turned his head and gave Dib a ghastly, psychotic grin. "It never ends, Dib. I hope you're being careful, lest you end up like me! Lines must be drawn. Where does it all end? Who is friend and who is foe?"
It ran away, and the room was filled with fire. The fire dissipated, leaving no marks. Johnny sat up, bullet hole gone. In its place was a band-aid. His hair was gone, except for two antennae-like tufts.
The world rippled and he was in a child's room. The little boy was tiny, with big, teary eyes as his father continued to stick metaphorical knives into his innocent little soul.
"Little kid, I'm sorry nobody loves you. But just think about it, think of how miserable I am, and how much of that is your fault. I…" But the man never finished. He was struck in the back of the head with a toy robot. Johnny came out from under the kid's bed.
The world seemed to be put in fast forward, and then started up again. Johnny was talking; "The best most people can hope for is to better manage their damage. I'll be on my way, now. I still have a few things to take care of before I leave."
Total darkness surrounded Dib, and now he was watching the monster kill people, and then seeing Johnny sitting on his car, musing about how emotions were dangerous and he wanted to become cold.
Then clouds surrounded him.
He heard a voice; his mother's…
"Follow your heart. Something big is brewing. You must know what to do, or all you have built will be for nothing. Ashes to ashes, nothing is forever if you aren't willing to fight for it."
He looked down and saw Johnny alone and miserable, the child frightened and unloved, the beast running rampant, and Jessie crying in front of the graves of the child they had lost, and the grave of her brother, and her own mother. Zim and Gaz were arguing, and Jhonen was hitting GIR with a sledgehammer. A version of himself was down there, the one from the dream Zim had sent him as a child. He was a frivolous, egotistical bastard who had no idea what love was. Other worlds flew by, worlds of death, blood, fire. Worlds where he and Zim still fought, worlds where Gaz was dead, where he was dead, where he was suicidal, worlds where they all ended up alone. An endless sequence of horrible realities, each worse than the last.
The sky began to rain blood on all of the horrible images.
He saw his own dead body, alone in a coffin. An empty funeral; nobody bothered to attend. His motionless face was streaked with tears of blood.
"You know what you must do, Dib. Don't become your father. Remember this dream. There are universes where things are different, where you never met your wife. There are universes where there can be no improvement; where there is no capacity for redemption. Universes where you betray the ones you love, ones where you love nobody, where the child who is to come tomorrow becomes worse than Johnny. Your brother-in-law is not dead, but he has lost too much to truly live. He is on a path that will lead him to a fate worse than death if not stopped. You and your friends stand between your world and eternal damnation. It may not seem to amount to much, but the examples of a few can redeem the many. The ties you each have made keep you from becoming the things you are in other realities. Hold onto those ties. When the time comes, you will know what to do. I am proud of the man you have become, Dib. I love you all. Good luck."
Everything faded away, and his mother's voice left.
"Wait!" He cried, "What are you talking about?"
/ End the dream /
Dib sat straight up in bed, panting. The sudden movement woke Jessie.
"Hmmm? Honey, is something wrong?" She asked sleepily.
He stared at her, loving the way her curly black hair fell messily around her face, the way even when just awakening, her soft blue eyes gleamed with love for him. He remembered the world where Johnny killed her, not knowing who she was until it was too late; the world where he killed her; the world where she was crazy too, like her brother and he was all alone and bitter. He remembered all the good times in this world, the ways that even when this life was bad, there were always the sweet accompaniments of loyal and caring friends, and his loving wife.
"Honey?" Her voice brought him back to reality.
He smiled, "No, nothing's wrong. I just had an odd dream. Visions and memories, that's all." He kissed her, moving closer.
She smiled drowsily, hugging him, "Oh, is that it? You looked like you were a million miles away."
"I was. But I'm back now, and counting my blessings. I love you, baby."
"I love you too, spike."
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN Meanwhile
Meanwhile, not too far away, Johnny C. woke from an unwanted and unwelcome sleep, screaming.
Heh, I think that's a good place to stop for now. Review or don't, FFFFFfffffffIIIIIiiiiiiittttttHHHHyyyyy Huuumanns.