Not much to say here. I had fun writing the begining of this chapter though.

Of all the stupid-!

Zim wanted to scream, yell, stomp, and punch something, but he couldn't for the very reason he wanted to do all of these things.

They were freakin' breaking into Dib's house!

Apparently the human wanted to get a few sentimental items he COULDN'T LIVE without.

"A STRESS RELEIF ALIEN THING!?" Zim asked in a hushed voice.

"Hey, that was the ONLY present Gaz ever got me EVER, I'm taking it with me!" Dib said in an equally hushed voice.

So far the only things Dib had to have looked like crap. Just a load of horse crap!

Zim looked around the room while Dib was gathering up some things. On Dib's computer desk was a picture of a very pretty woman with long, flowing, purple hair and sparkling, amber eyes.

"Is this your mother?" Zim asked, looking at the picture with interest.

Dib got up and grabbing the picture gently, nodding and saying, "Yeah, it is." Before putting the picture into the bag with the other things he was taking.

"She was very pretty." Zim commented, giving Dib another sad look.

"Was?" Dib asked, looking up at Zim confusedly. "She still is."

It was Zim's turn to look confused.

"What? Did you think she was dead or something?"

Zim could only nod.

"Well she isn't. She couldn't stand my dad's attitude towards our family and divorced him. Unfortunately the courts granted Dad full custody because, you know, he is Professor Membrane." Dib explained, looking in the bag at the picture when a thought struck him.

"Could you… take me to see her?" He asked.

Zim thought about it for a moment before nodding. "It can be arranged."

Dib smiled widely, looking happier than Zim had ever seen him before. "You would really do that!?"

"Shhhhhh," Zim hushed before nodding and saying, "Yes, yes I will, just don't get us caught!"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Dib said, voice once more hushed and he hugged Zim around the neck.

While they were there Zim decided he wanted to take Tak's ship with them, just in case membrane ever felt like going into the garage and found it. Dib argued that if he hasn't found it by now he wasn't going to but Zim didn't like taking chances, so he dragged it along with them.

Once back at the pace Dib personalized his room with all the stuff he brought along before going up to the house level to find Zim.

"When would you like to go?" Zim asked, taking a drink of soda.

"As soon as possible." Dib said, unable to take the grin off his face.

"We can go now if you want." Zim said.

"Yes I would like that!" Dib said excitedly. "It's been so long since I've seen her!"

"Then let's go." Zim said, taking Dib up to the top floor where his and Tak's ships were.

"So where does she live?" Zim asked, climbing into the ship and holding his hand out for Dib, which the human took as he climbed in as well.

"Out in the country, a few miles south of here." Dib answered, watching Zim intently as he started up the voot and they took off.

"Shouldn't take long to get there then." Zim said, maneuvering the ship in the desired direction. "Do you go to visit her often?"

"No," Dib said sadly, looking down at his knees. "Dad got full custody, and he didn't like us seeing her very often. I didn't even get to see her on mother's day."

Zim looked at Dib with sympathy and, reaching out, put a hand on Dib's shoulder, saying, "Well, you can see her anytime you want when you're with me."

Dib smiled happily at Zim, nodding in appreciation and saying, "Thanks, that means a lot to me."

They arrived there in fifteen minutes and by then the sun was setting. Zim landed the voot a few feet away and opened the door for Dib who climbed out eagerly and waited for Zim, looking confusedly at the alien when he made no motion to get up.

"What are you doing?" He asked, leaning against the voot to look at Zim.

"Well, I was going to wait here. This seemed kind of personal to you so…." He trailed off, averting his eyes.

"You can come with me, I'm sure mom would like to meet you, I write to her about you all the time." Dib said with a reassuring smile.

Zim grunted in objection but got out of the ship anyway, activating his disguise and cloaking his voot.

"Ready?" Dib asked, already starting the walk up to the house.

"Do people not like their neighbors in the country?" Zim asked, looking at how widely spaced each house was.

"No, actually they're friendlier with each other than in the city, probably because they have their space." Dib said, walking up the steps to the big porch, up to the door, then knocking.

"Hello?" The woman from the picture asked, answering the door.

"Hi Mom," Dib said, smiling widely.

"I haven't seen you in years!" Dib's mom said, putting a cup of tea in from of both Zim and Dib.

"I missed you." Dib said, giving his mom a small, comforting brush of his hand over her shoulder as she walked by.

"And I missed you." She said, sitting in a seat across from her son.

"This is Zim by the way." Dib said, motioning to the alien beside him, still in disguise.

"He doesn't look much like an alien." His mother commented, smiling at Zim.

"Well he can't walk around being green can he?" Dib asked, rolling his eyes playfully.

"Of course not," His mother said with a light laugh. "Could you show me what you really look like?"

Zim grunted uncomfortably, not liking this attention at all. He knew she was probably just playing around, but Dib might want him to-

"Go ahead Zim, Mom wouldn't do anything." Dib said, giving Zim a smile.

"You're predictable, Dib-beast." Zim said with a sigh before pulling his wig, ears, nose, and contacts out, his tan illusion disappearing.

Dib mother seemed momentarily shocked which made Zim uncomfortable, this state expressed by how his antennae wilted.

"That's adorable," Dib's mom said, causing Zim's antennae to perk up in confusion.

Dib also seemed surprised by his mother's reaction. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Look, his antennae," She said, pointing to the two stalks on top of Zim's head. "Just like a dog's ears."

Zim's antennae went back to resting though his expression was one of less than amused.

Dib only giggled which earned him a glare from the invader.

Dib's mother cast her eyes downwards sadly, making Zim's antennae perk up curiously. "What's wrong?" He asked which drew Dib's antennae as well.

"Mom?"

"You've been all over the news Dib." She said, looking at her son sadly. "Is it true what they've been saying?"

Dib was silent for a moment, his eyes gazing at the tea in front of him before he nodded, saying, "Bits and pieces."

"Which bits and which pieces?" His mom asked quietly.

"The… bit where I escaped from a mental institution and the piece where Dr. Arkham was murdered." Dib replied.

"Why?" She asked, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"It was me," Zim said instantly, saving Dib from having to say anything more.

"Why?" Dib's mother asked again.

"The meds they had him on." Zim said, explaining the effects the medication had on Dib.

"Did you kill the doctor too?" Dib's mom asked, looking a little scared when Zim nodded.

"He did it to save me though!" Dib jumped in, pulling up his long sleeved shirt to show his mom the remnants of the attack.

Her eyes widened. "He… did that to you?"

Dib nodded. "And other things, but I don't want to talk about it."

Dib's mother was by her son's side in an instant, hugging him as tears slipped down both of their faces.

"Thank you Zim. Thank you, thank you, thank you." She gently rocked Dib in her arms, letting him cry on her shoulder as she cried on his.

Zim shook his head, saying, "I have to look out for him, no one else is properly equip to handle his big head."

"My head's not big." Dib said, pulling out of the hug to glare at Zim as he whipped his eyes.

Zim gave Dib a smile, showing he was only joking which earned him a smile back and a playful punch in the arm.

Dib's mom smiled, knowing her son was in good hands with this alien.

More was meant to be in this chapter but I wanted to get an update out. Sooooo I'll try to write more for next time.