Dib stepped outside to look up at the twilight sky. He couldn't see the stars behind the veil of city light pollution. He wondered if he would see an alien spaceship entering the atmosphere.

"What are you going to do?" Steven asked as he descended the porch steps and stood in the small backyard with him.

"I don't know," Dib replied. "I guess I'll fight."

"One man against an alien army?"

"Sure," he glanced at Steve and forced a smile. Steve didn't return it, staring up at the orange-tinted sky.

"I wonder how long."

"Probably soon," Steve replied. "Should we warn people?"

"What good would it do? You've seen what he alone can do, imagine an army of him. He's right, we don't stand a chance. Besides, who would believe us?"

"No one."

"I'm going home to feed Ellie," Dib said, checking his phone for the time. "She's probably starved by now."

"Dude, your cat is like, twenty pounds. I don't think she'll be starving any time soon."

Dib couldn't help but laugh. "Do you even know how cats work?"

"No. I'm not ashamed of that."

Dib shook his head, smiling. "We're all going to die and you're fat shaming my cat."

Steve shrugged a shoulder. "I could make a tasteful thick pussy joke."

"You're a fucking mess."

"You always know just what to say." Steve grinned. Dib shook his head and started to leave but Steve caught his arm, then promptly released him. Dib paused to look back at him.

"Hey, Dib," he rubbed the back of his neck and dropped his gaze. "Uh, I wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For.. Being a friend to me, all this time."

"Hey man, you were there for me through all of my shit, divorce and.. all."

"Yeah.. Yeah."

Dib turned to face him, sensing something important. "What is it, Steven?"

His friend smiled and looked up at him. "Just wanted to say thanks, and all. Your friendship means a lot to me." He stared talking fast. "I know you're not.. I mean, you were married and you're, uh.. Well just it means a lot to me that you're here. And you mean a lot to me."

"Oh," Dib raised his brows and quickly put on a more serious face to hide the surprise. "Oh, yeah, no I got you. Um, yeah I'm not.. I don't, uh, I mean," he cleared his throat. "You're a good friend to me. Just a friend, you know. But I'm glad you told me."

Steven nodded and Dib reached out to bump his arm. He glanced up and offered a small smile.

"Thanks. Just wanted you to know. Not to make things uncomfortable or anything," he laughed and then coughed to cover it up awkwardly.

"No, I got it, thanks. I'm.. uh, I'm sorry. That I'm not-"

"No, don't apologize, I knew. I know. I shouldn't have said anything," Steve replied quickly.

"It's ok. Really. I'm glad you did."

The two men stood in a lengthy silence, gazing up at the sky, before finally Dib gave him a nudge and turned to go. He fished his keys from his pocket and let himself out of the backyard through the gate.

Ellie didn't greet him at the door when he got home, sulking in another room. Dropping his keys on the counter, he took down two cans of food and mixed them into her bowl with a little dry food. She ran at the sound of the cans but ignored him as she ate, keeping to traditional cat pissy-ness. Dib gave her a rub anyways before carrying himself to the bedroom and stripping out of his dirty clothes. He stood naked in the doorway, looking around the room slowly. All the familiar items looked so foreign under the light of impending doom. Everything seemed so small, so unimportant. A few things suddenly seemed very important. Dib padded down the hall and grabbed a towel from the bathroom, wrapping it around his waist on his way to the kitchen. He took the ultrasound off the fridge and turned it over, finding his phone in his coat pocket and dialing the number on the back.

"Hello?" Her voice, just as beautiful as it ever had been. The cast of sadness about her after the baby had somehow made her more beautiful, if not tragically so.

Dib's throat caught and he knew she was about to hang up. "Liss."

"Who is this?" she asked after a pause.

"It's Dib," he replied, then quickly, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry for everything that happened. You never deserved any of that."

"Dib, don't do this," she sounded exasperated. Exhausted. Dib wondered if she ever felt rested these days. "It's over, don't do this."

"I just wanted you to know that I don't blame you. For any of it. I want you to be happy."

She didn't respond and Dib wondered if she'd hung up. Finally, "I'm trying. I'm finding myself, and what makes me happy. You should too."

He smiled as tears spilled down his cheeks, catching in the stubble of his abandoned face. "Thank you. Bye, Liss."

"Bye, Dib." She hung up and he set the phone on the counter. He turned the ultrasound over again and brushed a thumb over it before placing it atop his phone and going to the bathroom to shower. As he lathered his shaving cream and drew the razor across his chin, peering into the anti-fogging mirror beneath the showerhead, he thought about these everyday little things. What do they mean when you don't have every day anymore?

He stepped out of the shower feeling somewhat refreshed and dressed for bed. There was nothing else he could do tonight.