(A/N: Chapitre vingt-trois, whoop whoop.)

After skool, Zim went home alone. Tak must have gone on before him. He felt a little concerned. When he got to his base and removed his disguise, he was relieved to find her down in his lab.

Oh, wait. No, he wasn't.

"What are you doing down here?!"

"Oh, nothing," she shrugged."Just keeping an eye on your defenses. You may want to keep in mind what Dib said, you know. Aren't you wondering what he meant by 'extra visitors'?"

Zim thought."Oh, the Dib is insane! That was likely a pathetic attempt at intimidation. But Zim is no coward! I have always topped him in the past, and nothing about that has changed!"

"Well...alright. At the very least, I think you should fix that fence of yours."

"What? Why?"

"Because any person on the street could enter your property! I'm only suggesting this for your well being..."

"..." Zim eyed her curiously.

"I'm just saying!" Tak argued, lowering her antennae.

"Alright, then...GIR! GATHER BUILDING SUPPLIES!" Zim shouted suddenly.

GIR fell down from nowhere with some building supplies. Even Zim was surprised by his efficiency.

"We havin' lunch?!" the robot asked. Of course.

"No!" Zim snatched the materials away."I must take care of something! Watch the base!"

GIR saluted quickly, then began spinning around, so that he could watch the whole base."WHOOHOO!"

Zim nodded, put on his disguise, and rode the elevator back up.

Tak sat on the floor, bored. She really didn't like where this was going. What with Dib being such a creeper lately, she didn't really know what to do. She supposed she would stay with Zim, but...even that wasn't going well.

Tak went from hating him to tolerating him to being interested in him to sort of liking him! Now she thought she was even starting to legitimately CARE about him!

She sighed.

"Really should have thought of a plan before I came back here..."

"Tak..."

Oh, no.

"Tak...!"

She heard it again. That was a voice she knew all too well.

She gasped, stood, and ran over to the elevator. It hurriedly made its way up.

XXXXXXXOUTSIDEXXXXXXX

"Hey."

"AHH!" Zim accidentallly hammered his thumb. He took a few minutes to nurse it before hissing at Tak.

"What is it?!"

"Skoodge was being creepy again," Tak told him."He kept whispering my name down in the lab. I think he's watched too many horror films. And, I have nothing better to do, so..."

"Fine! If you're going to just stay out here, plant that extra lawn gnome while you're at it! Bothering me..." grumbled Zim.

Tak picked up the gnome and stuck it into the ground. Its limp arms sprang to life, charged by the power of Zim's home. Wow, that was easy. So Tak sat down in the newly planted fake grass and watched Zim repair the fence. Hey, it was more entertaining than GIR spinning...

Zim tried to keep working, but it was hard to focus with Tak staring at him. When he looked over at her, she averted her eyes and played with her artificial hair. He turned back to the fence.

"...Tak...I have been thinking..."

Tak looked up.

Zim continued to speak as he sawed a wooden plank."I realize...that our 'relationship' harbors animosity...but...like you said...things have changed and..."

Tak's eyes widened as Zim glanced at her.

"...as the slime serpent of Planet Gooze sheds its limbs, so too do the possum men of hatred," Zim finished cutting the board."I just wanted to let you know that."

Tak made a disturbed face."...uh, yeah...mm-hmm."

"You understand, yes?"

"Sure I do..."

Tak twitched when she felt Zim's hand on her shoulder.

"Good." His eyes narrowed."I hope you consider that the next time you encounter the Dib-pig." (A/N: Why did he say that last part in a strained tone...?)

Zim got up and sauntered into the house. His lawn was now fully repaired.

Tak took a deep breath and gripped the blades of grass beneath her. Well, that was...odd. Zim had sure been acting strangely. Even for ZIM!

The female Irken rubbed her temples and hoped that her blush would disappear. She finally reentered Zim's base, her disguise switching off. She nearly died laughing at the sight.

"STOP! BEING! CREEPY!" demanded Zim. He was standing on top of Skoodge, and using GIR as a blunt instrument to whack him over the head repeatedly. MiMi and Minimoose sat on the couch and cheered.

Tak smiled as Skoodge cried out in pain.

She really DID like Zim.

XXXXXXXWITHSAIDDIBPIGXXXXXXX

"Oh, great!"

"What is it now, Dib?" groaned Gaz."Can't you see I'm in the middle of a boss?"

"Oh, I probably shouldn't tell you, Gaz," Dib waved her off."You wouldn't understand."

"Good. Shut up."

"I mean, I feel like I'm pulling Tak into a false sense of security!" said Dib, ignoring his previous statement."When the Swollen Eyeballs arrive, she'll be in grave danger! I'm only trying to protect her from approaching death!"

"Ugh...!" Gaz grunted, still pressing buttons.

She got off of the couch and began walking up to her room. Dib continued to monologue as her followed her.

"But perhaps I'm overestimating the situation! Perhaps Tak will still remain out of their grasp! I mean, it's not like she's connected to Zim at all."

Gaz paused her game and opened an eye."Sure, Dib, Tak shows up out of nowhere, Zim's fence has been damaged, she suddenly doesn't have a death wish on this world, you haven't seen her base, and as far as you know, Zim is the only other alien living on the planet. Yeah, Dib. They're not connected AT ALL."

She slammed her bedroom door in her brother's face.

(A/N: I say I'm going to make longer chapters, then write a SHORTER one? Wow. I have some explaining to do...

Uh...

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PLEASE REVIEW, FAVE AND FOLLOW! SMOKE BOMB! *throws smoke bomb down and disappears like a baller*)