Fly Me To The Moon

She found herself on the phone, tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for him to pick up. Why she was doing this, she did not know. It just seemed as if anything was better then the gaming system staring at her from next to the television, the one that Dad had given her. He was as good as a distraction as any.

"Hello?" a deep voice came from the other phone's receiver. Gaz narrowed her eyes, though there was no one there to see it.

"Zim?" she said it, though not with much question in her voice. Who else would it be?

"Gaz?" the deep voice sounded surprised. It was quiet for a few seconds before Zim's voice came from it. "Why do you bother Zim?"

"I... was wondering if you would take a walk with me," the suggestion came out of her mouth before she completely thought about it. She had wanted to go for a walk and she would rather take one alone. The problem with that was every time she was alone it gave her too much time to think. She thought about sitting downstairs with Dib, but she did not want to talk to him.

She wanted something to be familiar.

But that definitely was not it.

"What?"

"Never mind Zim," Gaz sighed and hung up the phone. She had no clue what had gotten into her, from always hating and being annoyed of her brother's alien, to not minding him so much.

That makes no sense, it's not as if we have anything in common.

Instead of berating herself for lying (she never did that anyway) she headed into the living room to see Dib lying on the couch, fast asleep. She stared at him for a while before checking on the clock. Two thirty-seven. She went back in the kitchen and filled up a glass with water. She took a few sips from it before returning to the couch and standing above Dib. Almost from habit, she slowly held out the glass and tipped it, the water flowing over the side and down on to Dib's face.

His eyes opened, most likely from the water trying to get in them. She stopped when she saw her task accomplished.

"I'm going out," Gaz told him plainly. She didn't care much for what he would respond with, considering she really didn't have to tell him in the first place, and she left.

She did not have to tell him, but she wanted to. She wanted something to be familiar, but she wanted to not be pulled away from him.

Maybe... just maybe...

She did not hate Dib as much as she thought she did.

It was no longer snowing as it had that night. The air was still frozen, Gaz's breath made white fog as she exhaled. Streets and sidewalks had been plowed off and the snow removed to peoples' private properties. Overall, it was a normal snow day.

Completely normal. The world had not stopped.

That's funny.

"I thought you looked familiar."

Gaz stopped and without much interest turned to the person who had spoken. The dark-skinned girl stood about 5'8'' with short back frizzy hair. She wore a tank top over a thin long sleeve shirt despite the weather and jeans with clogs. Despite the lack of uniform, it did not take very long for Gaz to recognize her.

"Sandra, right?"

"And Gaz," Sandra nodded. "You never came back."

"I will, maybe," Gaz shrugged.

"Maybe is a relative term considering how you took it before," Sandra replied. "But whatever."

Gaz felt absolutely relieved that there was someone who wasn't going to ask insistent questions.

"Yeah," Sandra shrugged as well. "Well, that phone number is always open, as I'm suppose to say," she groaned, probably annoyed from hearing it constantly.

"I thought you stayed at the college," Gaz commented.

"I do," Sandra answered. "Does that mean I can't go out when I want?"

"It's a little far for a plain walk," Gaz pointed out.

"Yeah," Sandra grinned. "I was getting batteries, they ran out at the store closest to the college," she held up her purse and shook it, signaling the batteries inside. "So I decided if I had to go anywhere else, I might as well get a discount."

"That's good," Gaz agreed, suddenly remembering that she would have to change the brand of battery she got, for cheaper ones. When she used them again.

"Well, maybe I'll hear from you later then," Sandra shifted her purse on the other shoulder. "I have to head back."

"Hmm," Gaz responded as Sandra just walked off, waving as her back was turned. Gaz didn't watch her walk off, just continued walking, to wherever she was going.

"You!" the voice assaulted her from behind, causing her to stop and turn. Zim stood there, each breath escaping his mouth turning into white, though since it was not oxygen or water or anything like that, Gaz could only guess what it entailed. But at the moment she was more surprised at Zim's sudden appearance.

"Zim?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"What is Zim doing here!" he shouted at her. "You called Zim, then you hang up? What was that call, huh? Huh? Changing your mind? No one hangs up on an almighty Irken Invader! But you! You..."

He stopped, out of words and out of breath. Gaz just continued to stare at him.

"You wanted to take a walk...?"

Zim's question came out strained, as if he had been kicked in the stomach- or squeedly spooch- or whatever- to say it. He looked confused while saying it too. They both just stood there, staring at each other.

"I am taking a walk," Gaz responded coldly. "See?" With that, she turned and continued onwards.

"You know what I mean!" Zim announced, striding up besides her. "I want answers! You do not request something of Zim then deny him! Zim denies!"

"Shut up Zim," she commanded, not looking at him.

He went silent. Gaz paused and looked over sideways at him.

"Zim?"

The irritated and disguised alien glared back at her. "What? What do you now ask of Zim?"

"Would you do me a favour?"

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Why? He asked himself. Why would I do this for her? The sparks ceased as he started a damage report on the internal engine propeller's hover chain. One reason came to mind, that he had long wanted to check Tak's ship and discover what she had done with it to make it powerful enough to compete against his base, when Dib decided to use it as such. Repairing it's flight compartments was an easy enough task, and it had nothing to do with inside the earth's atmosphere, so Zim decided even if he did as Gaz requested and make it able to leave the star's system, it wouldn't contrast with his mission.

Which was why he agreed in the first place.

"What do I do?" she asked him. He impatiently waved her off.

"Don't get in the way of Zim!" he exclaimed, continuing damage repair results. Gaz frowned, but all in all backed away and sat on a shelf nearby the spittle's side, where she was not in the way.

"What's space like?" she asked abruptly.

"What has got into your head to make you ask all of these questions?" Zim grumbled.

"What's space like?" Gaz repeated, stronger and louder.

"It's all that stands between the Irken Empire and the destruction of your planet!" Zim frowned.

"I mean the actual place Zim, what's it like?"

Zim scowled as he started to repair the floshtoon substance in the belt. "It's empty space between planets, stars, and random pieces of rock. Happy?"

"No," she stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Should've figured," Zim sighed irritably. "Nothing Zim does is good enough, is it?" The room went quiet as Zim continued to work.

"Thank you Zim."

Zim paused completely as he faced up towards her. "'Thank yooooouuuu...?' Are you okay?"

"I already answered that question," she narrowed her eyes.

"Not well enough for Zim's satisfaction," Zim retorted, continuing with his work.

"You wanted me to elaborate...?"

"Yes," Zim agreed. "Yes I did."

"Too bad," Gaz retorted, looking out the garage door.

"You!" Zim announced, feeling his anger surface again. How could this inferior being be such a hassle? "You bother Zim greatly!"

"Glad to be of service," Gaz came back slyly.

"Good," Zim nodded. "You should be happy Zim allows you to help."

"Actually," Gaz continued, "You're helping me."

"No!" Zim refused. "Zim is helping... Dib! And you... you are helping Dib! -I don't understand!" And in saying that he pushed himself away from the ship, reconsidering it again.

"You're helping me," Gaz restated. "What Dib gets out of this is only what I tell him."

"And what are you going to tell the Dib?" Zim questioned.

"Are you going to fix it or not?" Gaz gestured at the ship, eyes landing on Zim.

"Zim said he was, so Zim will!" Zim exclaimed.

He pulled himself back up to the spittle and continued. He went on in silence lasting about thirty minutes.

"You owe Zim now, you know," Zim mentioned off-handedly.

"I was counting on it."

Zim stopped and blinked at her. She seemed surprised herself, but quickly covered it. The sun was hiding itself behind the horizon.

"I have to go inside," Gaz mentioned, though she didn't move, watching Zim. Zim refrained a harsh comeback and thought everything over.

"I'll have to come over tomorrow to finish it," Zim said, standing up.

Gaz didn't look opposed to that, still sitting on the counter, her feet swinging slightly in the air.

"I'll be waiting," she shrugged.

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She actually could not wait for him to come. He had just left and she was waiting for him to come back. It was strange feeling, but for some reason, she liked it.

Gaz felt a weight being lifted off of her. Her father's death was hard, and maybe she didn't want things to change, but if they had to, the changes could still be good, right? Things could happen and maybe it would even be better.

Dib was doing things she had never wanted from him before. He was trying to take care of her, he was trying to make everything else easier on her, and he wasn't even asking for anything in return. Zim didn't understand, he was acting normal, he was being constant, but for once he was not annoying her to where she wanted to kill him.

Gaz could be nice to her brother. Gaz could spend time with Zim.

She could learn to change.

She would help Dib. He needed it. He had been right, they needed to stick together. A family was only as much as the people in it. He didn't have to know that was how she felt, but Gaz could try to help, try to understand.

And Zim...

The faintest trace of a smile touched the corner of her lip.

Gaz finally entered the house to see the message machine blinking.

"-Hello? Gaz, this is Doctor H. Taed. This is about your brother-"