Dlbn: Greetings, everyone! Welcome to the first update of March!

Nbld: I know I missed last weekend, but I had the flu and wasn't about to do anything, let alone update fanfics. I haven't touched my computer in like a week.

Dlbn: I've been working and doing stuff I have to do, at least,so I found some time to update mid week. There's a con this weekend I'm going to, so I don't think I'm going to be able to update between now and Sunday.

Nbld: So let's hop into the Review Corner! Thank you to Invader Johnny and Zim'sMostLoyalServant for reviewing! Pocky and ramune for you both!

Invader Johnny: He's slowly coming to grips with that reality, but I'm pretty sure he's considered Earth home for a while now. Since the banishment and all.

Zim'sMostLoyalServant: Thanks! I'm trying to throw backstory in without it becoming too much exposition, so I hope it's working out.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, Lahna, Rya, Gram, and Ense. I make NO money off writing this. What I don't own belongs to Jhonen C. Vasquez.

000

Zim lay awake in his bed later that night, thinking about the events of the week. He lost a friend, he gained back his brother. Gram would love to hear about this over the weekend. The weekend! Keef's party for Lahna was Saturday, finally. Earlier that day, he had suggested inviting over the Coach since he was new too, but they agreed that that could raise eyebrows and get him accused of favoritism and dropped that idea. Though the week started off with Zim wishing the party hadn't even been an idea in the first place, he was certain he was excited for it now. Maybe it was because he had his family back. A big brother he may have been, but Ense was more of a father than their father was, and Rya was more of a mother than theirs. He felt bad for Aya. Poor thing had no idea what was in store for her. But without her siblings around, he was certain his parents would try and mold her into the perfect child they wished they had but didn't get after three tries. Ense was the closest they had gotten to perfection, and he'd turned on them the moment they'd turned on Zim. It was humbling, in a way, that his brother would throw away his entire life for him. And for Rya. Zim knew firsthand what the Irken military and the soldiers in it were like. He was genuinely surprised that Ense hadn't been executed for interfering with Rya and the guard that had wanted to break her. Ugh, the thought made him sick. To think he was once part of an organization that condoned that type of behavior, and encouraged it, made him sick to his squeedly spooch. Almost as sick as it made him to see Dib every day. The boy no longer hung near their lockers with Dee or in the places Zim and Lahna and the others were likely to run into him at, but he still saw him in gym or lunch, and some classes. The boy was starting to take Caleb's place as his least favorite person in the world. Zim sighed, reaching for his phone to check the time. It was nine at night. His grandmother was probably still up. He dialed her number that he'd memorized, although it was saved as a contact and popped up after he put the first two numbers into the call screen. It rang twice.

"Zim?" She greeted, sounding a bit tired. "You're calling me on a weekday? How odd."

"Sorry, Gram, did I wake you?" He answered.

"No, you didn't. What's going on? Are you okay? Lahna? Has she moved in yet?"

"This weekend after Keef's party I'm going to help her move in. So's our new coach."

"Oh, so you did get a new coach…" She paused. "Why is he helping you?"

"We found him, Gram…we found Ense."

"…Now you're just pulling my leg, Zim. Not nice to do to an old lady like me…"

"You ain't old, Gram. And I ain't kidding you. It's really Ense. I'll make him call if you don't believe me."

"No, no, Mina, you wouldn't lie about this; I'll believe you."

"Thanks, Gram." He felt his heart and his pride swell at that.

"Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He and Rya made a life for themselves before we moved here."

"Rya, too?"

Zim told the short version of their story.

"Knight in shining armor. That sounds like your brother."

"I couldn't agree more. Neither could Lahna."

"Of course not." Gram chuckled. "The Haven Trio back together again…that must feel good."

"So good." Zim laughed. "After the week I've had…"

"What's wrong?"

"It's Dib…he…"

"Something happened between you two, didn't it?"

"Yeah, you could say that…"

"What is it?"

"We're no longer friends."

"Oh, that's terrible."

"You're telling me." Zim stated. "Made a show out of getting me into the halls and started a fight with me. I must have blacked out a bit, because Lahna grabbed me to stop me from decking the brat."

"Zim, he's a minor."

"I know." Zim sighed. "I feel like an ass for it." He sighed, wiping his face with his hand. "He called me a loser, said his new friends were better, said us not being friends was Dee's idea…"

"That doesn't surprise me. Go on."

"That's pretty much it…he wanted to stay friends with the others, but I guess they told him to piss off."

She laughed. "It does not surprise me in the slightest that you would be friends with people who would say something like that."

"They're just as hurt as I am. Gaz not so much because Dib is just her annoying older brother. But Gretchen is a wreck. She wasn't at the table for two seconds after he came over during lunch."

"Poor girl. She's the one that liked him, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is." He nodded. "But if you could imagine, she doesn't like him much anymore."

"I can't say I blame her…perhaps you could talk to his father?"

"It's just best to let sleeping dogs lie in this case, Gram. If I let him back in and he stabs me in the back again, I'm going to look and feel like a complete fool."

"It's sad when people throw away a long-term friendship over something as frivolous and short-term as a high school relationship." She sighed. "Truly pathetic, Mina."

"I know it is." Zim laughed. "Kid don't know a damn thing about loyalty. And when she gets bored with his ass and tosses him to the curb, I get to say I told you so."

"How juvenile of you."

"But absolutely worth it."

She laughed. "How have you been handling it?"

"Drinking."

"Zim…"

"I'm careful. And I don't drink a lot. Lahna basically lives here now, so if I drink too much, I've given her complete permission to kick my sorry behind to school and back."

"Good to know…"

"We have a party this weekend."

"Oh?"

"Keef wanted to have a welcoming party for Lahna so we're doing that. We could all use a little partying and cheering up after this nonsense."

"I agree. Just be safe, and don't let yourself do anything stupid."

"I won't drink around them. They're minors."

"How noble of you. Who are you and what have you done with my grandson?"

Zim laughed. "Just the new and improved me, Gram. That's all there is to it."

She let out a sigh of relief. "I'm really proud of you, Mina…"

"I know, Gram. Thank you."

"No thanks is necessary where pride is rewarded. You're like a son to me, Mina."

"I know." He stated. "That's why you call me Mina."

"You're right." She laughed. "Well, I'm getting tired, so I'm going to head off to bed, alright? I know you should too. You have class in the morning, right?"

"Yeah homeroom at nine, bus gets me around 8:30."

"So get some rest, and make sure Lahna does the same."

"She's already in bed."

"Good. Goodnight, Mina."

"Goodnight, Gram."

They both hung up. Zim shut off his phone and put it on his nightstand, curling over on himself to sleep.