"Dib?" Bridget asked as Dib seemed to go about his work tasks slower than usual. "Dib!" She called again when she got no response.

"Huh? What?" Dib asked, looking over to her as he restocked the boxes on the shelf.

"You look like a zombie… Are you okay?" She asked with genuine concern.

Dib rubbed the back of his head. "I didn't sleep good last night."

"Let me guess, big foot haunting your dreams?" She asked with a giggle. "Or maybe aliens abducted you?" She asked as she began kneading the dough for the upcoming order.

Dib sighed as he leaned against the counter. "Something like that…" He muttered. He lifted his gaze at the sound of a customer entering, and like every day, he routinely took their order and exchanged their cash for an receipt.

'What a drag…'

;-;

*several hours later*

"Hey, um… I get off early and I was thinking maybe we could grab a quick bite together before heading home?" Bridget asked, once their shift was over.

Dib shrugged his shoulders. "I… I don't know."

"We can take my car!" She offered him a friendly smile, and some much needed optimism in his life.

"Ehhh. Okay." Dib reluctantly agreed. Maybe getting out as just the thing he needed to clear his head.

"Great. Robbie, she's yours for the night… Keep the boys in line." She stated to another worker, as she slid her apron off. The man she was talking to gave merely a grunt.

"Alright… Where would you like to go?" She asked Dib, as they walked out.

"Anywhere doesn't matter." Again he shrugged.

"How about Krazy Taco?"

Dib raised a brow at that. "Sure."

;-;

Bridget watched Dib closely, as he stirred his food around in his plate. His attention was anywhere but on her. She bit her lip and let out a small sigh. "What's wrong Dib?"

Lifting his gaze slightly, Dib's eyes narrowed. "Why do you care?... No one has ever cared about me… Or even acknowledged me…" No one but Zim.

"Well… Maybe because I like you…" She admitted, rubbing her arm nervously, as a blush crossed her cheeks.

Dib had to do a double take, and gasped as he looked back up to her. "You like me?" He asked, as if it were such a foreign thing.

Shyly, her gaze met his. "Yeah… You're so nerdy, you're cute. Your imagination intrigues me."

"C-cute?!" Dib asked, face flushing a deep red. No one had ever told him that! "Uh. Uh. Uhhhh…." He stuttered.

Bridget let a giggle out, glad that she wasn't the only one nervous in this moment. "Yeah…"

"Even though I'm weird, a freak, creepy? There are people who like that…?" He was still in disbelief.

She rolled her eyes playfully, and reached across the tablet, grabbing his hand. "You're just loyal to what you believe in… It's not weird… Besides, one time, when I was little, I swear that I saw a U.F.O! No one believed me."

Dib's eyes widened slightly and he looked down at her hand over his. He swallowed deeply. "U.F.O… Oh! Yeah… U.F.O." He chuckled slightly. "Well, that's kind of what's been bugging me…"

"Aliens! I knew it!" She teased.

"Well, it's more like one alien… I mean… He's not an alien!" Dib exclaimed, though he found himself confused as to why he was protecting Zim's identity, especially since he probably was far from this planet.

"Oh?" Bridget asked. She had only met Dib a year ago when he was hired on at Orson's. She had no idea of who or what Zim was. All she knew was that Dib had a little bit of an obsession with the paranormal.

Dib sighed, pulling his hand out from under hers. "Zim… His name is Zim… I met him in elementary school… God I hated him, the moment I laid eyes on him… He made my life horrible! But then we went to highschool and… I don't know things changed; He became a friend rather than someone I wanted to expose…" He trailed off, looking back up to her. "You must think I'm crazy…"

Bridget stared at him for a long moment. "A little… But, anything's possible. Ya know, one of the boys in my History class, he was a werewolf. Never told anyone about it though but I saw him change one night under the full moon… There are things in this world Dib that do exist, and we cannot explain them nor can we prove their existence to others… This Zim… What was he like?"

"A real nuisance, he wanted to destroy Earth. I made it my mission to stop him every occasion… Then I was sixteen, the school year was over and he just disappeared… Said he had no purpose… Neither of us did… I still don't."

Bridget's expression softened. "What do you mean 'neither of us'?"

Dib gave a scoff, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was suppose to follow in my father's footsteps and become a scientist; a REAL scientist. But, that wasn't me and I couldn't do it… That's why I'm here. He kicked me out… Gaz, last I heard of her, she was working on programming her very own video game. Least one of us is gonna do something right." He blew out a annoyed breath, blowing his still unkempt strand of hair out of his face momentarily.

Bridget was silent and patience as he told her bits and pieces of before they knew one another… He had never opened up to her, or anyone until now. She leaned across the tablet slightly, and reached her hands out for his again. Dib raised a brow, then rolled his eyes and placed his into hers once more.

"Dib, life is like a puzzle; a really, really, big puzzle. We think we have it all together, and then we realize there is a piece missing. Dib, this Zim is a piece missing in your life. You should make it your mission to find him."

Dib looked at her in disbelief before letting out an amused chuckle. "You don't understand… He's probably eons from here..."

"BUT, what if he's not! What if he's here!" She exclaimed, enthusiastically. "Then you two could maybe, set a life for each other together! You know… Be each other's driving force?"

Dib shook his head. "No… He wouldn't want to see me even if he was here… I treated him as if he were a mere worm when I knew him… I treated him like his Tallests did…" He frowned, lowering his head.

Bridget pulled back slightly and frowned as well. "Maybe that's the thing he needs though, is to see you. Maybe the both of you need to show one another a new life, a new purpose… At least, give it a try… I don't like seeing you sad."

Dib thought about this for a minute. "Well, I wouldn't even know where to start…" He admitted.

"I will help you." She nodded. "It's just like being paranormal investigators!"

"Yeah… It is!" Dib looked up to her and grinned. "Okay. We'll search for him." He nodded affirmably.

Bridget leaned in to place a kiss to his cheek, of which created another glow of red in them. "Shall we go and start?" She asked.

Dib nodded as he stood. "Yes."

;-;

Now we're getting some where! :D Like always, please leave a review let me know if I should write more!