It had been two weeks since Dib and Bridget started working on their search for Zim. They had went back to all of Dib's documents on the little alien and personal tape recordings but so far, nothing new had come about, leaving Dib to feel even more hopeless than before they started.

Dib heaved a sigh as he tossed a photo of Zim onto a pile of papers. "We're never going to find him…" He lowered his head in defeat. They had even gone to the lengths of revisiting Zim's address, but nothing was there. "We should just give up." He shrugged.

Bridget scowled at him, over a journal entry Dib had wrote in regards to Zim. "Dib, you pursued him all these years, why give up now?"

He shook his head slightly. "I don't know… Maybe it's for the best. Maybe I should let go of my childhood, ya know."

"This is not just a childhood obsession though… He was a real being… And clearly you were important to him, otherwise he wouldn't have invested so much time into you."

Dib thought on it for a moment, a pink blush spreading over his cheeks. "Me, important, to Zim? Hah…" He chuckled sarcastically.

Bridget diverted her eyes from Dib, back to the journal and flipped the page. Dib was silent as she scanned over the next page. A soft giggle left her afterwards, bringing him to raise his brow.

"What are you talking about?"

"This… 'Dear diary, I don't know why but lately I've found that when Zim is angry he is kind of cute-'"

"Hey! Don't read that one!" He grabbed ahold of the note book ninja style. "I thought I had um… Ripped all of those out…" He clutched the book close to his chest, refusing to make eye contact with her.

"Seems like someone had a childhood crush" She smiled. Dib glared at her. "Did not! He was an alien, I'm a human… How would that even be possible?" He asked and threw his hands up in a dramatic shrug.

"Chill, I said crush, not relationship… You take everything so serious." She teased and stuck her tongue out at him. "I think that's cute."

Dib gave her a 'what the fuck' face. "Would you stop calling me that?" He asked, before searching through one of the boxes. He had never realized how much he had on Zim until now… Wow, he kind of felt like a stalker.

"Here" He took out his last recording. "We should listen to this… I recorded it when Zim started acting strangely…"

"Or, we could take a break." She suggested as she began to box up older documents. "We've been working at this for hours now…" After she was done she looked up at the alarm clock. "Heavens! I have to be getting home soon or I won't make it into work tomorrow."

"Is that really something you would regret?" Dib asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh, come on now. I know it's rough but, at least it's a step."

"A step?" Dib asked, as he stood. "A step?! Look around you… My apartment is shit. The water is cold, the ceiling is cracking, the lights don't work and I'm pretty sure there are rats living in the walls! How is this a step? This is a backslide…"

Bridget took a moment to look around… He was right. The only lighting in the place was the candles he had lit. The ceiling was cracking in various places and if one listened closely, they could hear the scurry in the walls. She frowned slightly as she too stood.

"Yes, it's a step just like my ol beat up car is a step. She's got a lot wrong with her but she provides me with what I need for now. This apartment is doing that for you."

Dib gave her an annoyed look. "You are too optimistic… It freaks me out sometimes."

"I didn't think you could freak out a freak!" She mused.

"You have never been turned into bologna before…" Dib countered.

"Nope!" She cheerfully exclaimed. "But really, I must get going. I'll see you tomorrow." She grabbed her purse and leaned in to place a kiss to his cheek.

"Uh…" Dib stared at her speechless as she made her way to the door. She gave him a wave and another smile before she left.

He raised a hand, placing it to his cheek. No one had ever kissed him before even if it was just on the cheek… It confused and intrigued him that she might actually have a thing for him, of all people.

He shuddered. "That's a scary thought…" He shook his head afterwards and knelled down to box up all the remaining documents left out. They were placed under his bed afterwards minus one picture.

He kicked off his shoes and laid on the bed, staring at the photo in his hand. Like most of them, it had been one he snuck of Zim. This one however, Zim was grinning in it, he was probably priding himself in one of his schemes at the time.

Dib's fingers gently ran along the picture and he sighed. "I believed you… I believed you could do it…" He muttered then turned his gaze to the window above his bed. The stars were out and Dib wondered if somewhere out there, Zim was staring at the same nebula field as he.

;-;

Not my best work I'll admit. Started this last night when I was drunk. Tried to finish it sober lol But review anyways if ya want. It'll mean a lot to me.

Next chapter I'm gonna try to include Zim himself, if not him Gir will definitely be in it to help piece together this puzzle!