Dlbn: Hey, everyone! This is a special chapter!

Nbld: That's right! It's the last chapter I'm posting from my weekend job!

Dlbn: So exciting. My family and friends are excited, everyone at my other job is excited, I'm excited, my friends from this job (minus one) are excited.

Nbld: Five years too long. But let's not make this nitro last five years and get to the Review Corner! Thank you to Invader Johnny and Zim'sMostLoyalServant for reviewing! Celebratory cake for you both!

Invader Johnny: It feels strange to write, honestly, but its a welcome change from the horrible family dynamics we're used to in Jhonen's work (including ZIm and Squee!)

Zim'sMostLoyalServant: Thanks. I kind of want them to be the kind of family that's always there for one another, but not afraid to annoy the heck out of one another. Like real siblings ;)

Disclaimer: I make NO money off writing this. I own Lahna, Ense, and Rya. Everything else is canon to IZ and thus belongs to Jhonen C. Vasquez.

000

Ense's house was rather descent. It was painfully obvious that he'd just bought an Earth house instead of making one. Then again, Lahna had to do the same thing originally, okay she faked it, and Zim only got the tech he got because the Tallest thought they were tricking him. Zim knocked on the front door as they stood nervously, waiting to be let in. The front door opened and a woman with coffee colored hair opened the door. Zim recognized her face instantly.

"Rya." He greeted. "Good to see you again."

"Zim!" She gave him a hug. "Oh, honey, you got so tall."

"N-No I didn't…" Zim rubbed the back of his neck.

"And I'm guessing this is Lahna?" She asked. "I haven't seen the Haven girl since she was just a smeet. Oh, where are my manners? Come inside!" She dragged them both in. "Ense! She called up a set of stairs. "You've got company!"

"Be right down!"

"Can I get you two anything to drink?"

"I'll take a beer." Zim offered.

"A soda?" Lahna wondered.

"Earth products only."

"That's fine." They spoke as one.

Rya grinned and led them to the modest kitchen.

"Isn't it funny? The universe is a lot smaller than we think it is, isn't it?" She asked, preparing Lahna's cup of soda and sliding Zin's beer to him down the counter. "We leave, you two show up in the new town we moved to. How funny. And you two found each other? I know you're military, Zim, and they wouldn't let your sister tag along, would they?"

"No." Zim shook his head. "And I'm not military no more. Destroyed half of Xa'ie."

"That was you?"

"I had the same reaction." Ense had his holographic disguise off and looked like his natural self. "It's just us here, you can take off the added security."

"I forgot mine was on to answer the door." Rya giggled, turning hers off.

"You would." Ense laughed. "Come, have a seat. I see you've made yourself at home already, Zim. Beer, really?"

"Hey, it's after five somewhere."

"It's after five here." Lahna offered.

"Exactly."

"So, let's dish." Rya stated. "You guys like Earth? How are things going here for you?"

"Earth's fine." Zim nodded.

"No complaints." Lahna stated.

"Other than Dib,"

"Scratch that. He's my only complaint."

"Things are good, other than him."

"Who's Dib?"

"Kid I told you about that pissed Junior off." Ense stated, taking a glass from his wife with thanks and taking a sip.

"Does he have a death wish?" Rya asked. "We know what happens when people piss you off."

"Hey, I'm not that guy anymore. Plus, he's a minor."

"Well, in that case, have someone else hit him with a bat."

"And that's why he's not allowed to touch the bats in class next time."

"Go ahead and try to explain that to everyone else." Zim took a swig of his beer, smirking.

"Shit."

Laughter exploded throughout the room.

"Okay, let's get the elephant in the room cleared out." Ense ordered. "We all didn't get here by accident."

Zim and Lahna exchanged a look.

"They banished me after the Xa'ie incident." Zim informed. "I escaped and begged for my old job back, they sent me on a false mission. I mean, I figured out they were full of shit years ago, so I didn't really believe them. Played along for a couple years, but they called and left me a message while I was in school confirming that my mission had all been a lie and I had been banished. Sent them a note back recording everything I accomplished while here up until that point, and that was that."

Lahna blinked. She hadn't heard the full story. "Where did they banish you first? You didn't tell me that part…"

He shrugged. "Food Courtia."

"You were a food service drone." Ense commented.

"Yeah a damn fry cook. An elite soldier reduced to dipping Vort dogs into oil and punching buttons on a register."

"No wonder you're so good at your job here."

"Job? You?"

"I'm shocked." Rya added.

"I need money. Ran out of credits." Zim shrugged. "I'm a cashier at the super market, but they stick me where they need me half the time. You'll see me around."

"I can't remember the last time you worked…"

"I've been on vacation." Zim stated.

"Oh."

"What about you, Lahna?" Rya asked.

"Well…er…" Lahna flushed. "I said something about the war that our DNA donors didn't like. Dad turned me over to the military. They spared me and sent me here to Junior. After they…well…one guard…um…"

Ense cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't make me say it…"

"Are you alright?" Rya put a hand on her shoulder. "I know what scum the military can be sometimes. No offense, Junior."

"None taken. I'm aware that we suck." He raised his beer in a mock toast before taking a long swig.

"Junior says I seem paranoid to him, and I'm going to end up moving in with him, honestly. But I'll be okay." She nodded. "Thank you."

Rya nodded. "You know, I married a soldier."

"I thought you and Ense were married?" Zim wondered.

"Oh, we are." Rya gave a small smile. "I'll explain once he tells you why he's here."

Ense cleared his throat. "When you got kicked out." He began. "I was pissed. I mean, they don't even bother to try with you, and suddenly you're out on the streets? I mean, once I knew Gram had you, I knew you were alright. But for real…"

"I crashed with Sila until her step father kicked me out." Zim informed. "I didn't go to Gram's right away, but I went for dinner every day,"

"So, I was told." Ense nodded. "But I was in a bad spot. Dad and I got into a fight and I stormed out. I swear to God, I was gonna deck the bastard. I went to Rya's, but she was out with friends, so her mother wouldn't let me in."

"Sorry. Mom's a real you know what."

"It's alright. She's not our problem anymore."

"What did you do? Kill her?" Lahna asked.

"No, we just don't speak." Rya giggled. "Go on, Ense."

"I met up with some old friends and we went out racing."

"Racing?"

"Drag racing." Zim stated. "He had a habit of it when you were like one or two."

"Soon as I got my license, my friends and I started burning rubber out on the back roads." Ense held his hand out like he was steering. "The wind in your antennae, the salty smell of the air out by the cliffs. It was exhilarating." He laughed. "But that night we got cocky. Raced on the main drag. The cops got us, but they let us go with court summons orders. Then my buddy got the great idea of 'we can't let them catch us 'cause we know what they're gonna do'. Like a damn moron, I agreed. So we fled that night. I called Rya to say I was leaving and that I'd be back, and we ran. God, I don't know how long we ran until we got to his cousin in Ix Nai. He got us over to Xa'ie and we hid out there. Fake names, fake IDs; the whole nine yards. We made a life there, working and making friends and all that typical new kid in town bullshit." He paused. "I hated that I left you two behind, I really did. That place was nowhere to raise a child; let alone a problem child like Junior."

"Hey." He complained.

"You know it's true." Lahna giggled.

Zim shot her a glare, but he was smirking as he brought the bottle to his lips again.

"Anyway. My buddy got stupid and stole some shit. Led the cops right to our place. They showed up and were like 'oh, hey, I recognize you guys from a police blotter. You two have warrants in Seoul. Let's handle that' and tossed us to the military." Ense shrugged.

"That's where I come in." Rya stated. "My husband worked at the base your brother was held in. I was walking to his office with a couple other soldiers for protection and Ense called out." She smiled gently at him. "They wanted to go 'teach him a lesson' but I was like 'I know him, calm down'. We got to talking and he told me his story. I tried to advocate for his release. My husband threw a fit. Beat the shit out of me that night. Just like he did every other night something went wrong at the base." She paused, as if reflecting. "Made up some bullshit to get me arrested and filed for divorce. Military wanted to break me, and they would have if Ense hadn't gotten in the way and acted as a damn shield."

He shrugged. "What was I gonna do? Let them hurt the love of my life? For real though." He took a drink.

"You're sweet. Reckless as all hell, but sweet." Rya turned to the stove to stir something.

"When they decided to banish me, I wasn't about to go without her." Ense continued. "I put up enough of a fight that they finally said fuck it and shipped us off together."

"I bet my ex was pissed."

"So how are you two married now?" Lahna asked. "Down here?"

"We landed in Cleveland, Ohio." Ense stated. "Made our lives there, got married. I had enough tech to get some readings. Didn't think anything of it when a ship came here a few years ago. But when one showed up last week or so, I got nervous."

"He wanted to follow it. Since we knew it was Irken, it was either someone banished or military." Rya stated. "Luckily, we followed his gut, or we wouldn't know about you two."

"You got a warrant for racing, fled the city, got caught because your friend is an idiot, stopped a soldier from raping your high school sweetheart and ended up marrying her after making a life for yourself on another planet?" Lahna asked.

"Well, yeah, that's the short of it." Ense shrugged.

"Either you're crazy or you're nuts."

"He's a Haven." Zim offered.

"So, all of the above?" Quipped Rya.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you."

Laughter broke out and, for the first time in a long time, Zim felt something he never thought he'd feel again; he felt home.