Don't Take The Girl (ZaDr Song Challenge #3)

"But… But Dad! He's an ALIEN! I don't WANT him to go! He'll ruin the entire trip," a small eight-year-old Dib whined at his father.

"Now, son. That's not a very nice way to treat your little foreign friend."
"Dad! For the last time, he's not foreign! He's an-"

"Look, son. I know you don't want him to go. But it's just a simple day at the park! What harm could he do? Besides, some day maybe you'll change your mind about having friends."

"I have friends!"

"Of course you do son. Of course you do. Now go get in the car." Dib cast a glare at the alien who was being un-naturally quiet and almost… calm. He was positive the only reason he wanted to go on the 'family trip' was to ruin everything. Or maybe study family behavior for his own sinister uses.

"Dad, please," he tried one last plea. "You can take anyone! You can... you can invite my entire class! Just NOT him!" But his father ignored him, as he was used to, and got into the car. Dib threw yet another hateful glance at Zim as they both followed suit.

"You better not ruin this for me, Zim. It's the first time I've seen my dad's
real face in a year."

"Zim won't, he promises."


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Ten years later the same boy and the same alien walked down the sidewalk, arm in arm. A smile grew on Dib's face, the closer they got to the drive-in movie theater.

They stayed back in the shadows for a moment so Dib could pull Zim close to him. He knew Zim was still uncomfortable with public displays of affection. But he couldn't help but want to kiss those soft green lips every chance he got.

Zim knew what was coming and had barely a second to grin approvingly at his mate before their lips met. Dib pulled him as close as he could without hurting him and let his body language show Zim just how much he loved him.

Just as the kiss would've ended naturally and gently, Zim was wrenched from Dib's arms. A man stood there, smelling of sweat and urine. He had Zim's thin arm pinned to his back in an awkward angle, and had a gun pressed firmly under his jaw.

"If you do what I want, I won't kill him. But no sudden movements, and you better give me-" He didn't have time to finish his sentence before Dib was desperately searching through his pockets for anything and everything he owned.

"Please! Don't take him! Don't hurt him!" He fished his wallet out and thrust it at the stranger. "My… my money! My credit cards, my keys, anything!"

The stranger's eyes shifted greedily down to the loot in Dib's hand. He snatched it with his gun hand, not caring enough to watch where he aimed it, and at the same time all but threw Zim back into Dib's arms.  He ran, leaving the two locked in a tight embrace.

"I could've taken him, you know. I was just in shock for a moment."

"Oh, God, Zim! I thought he was going to kill you!"

"Why did you give him all that stuff?"

Dib stared down at the alien's angry little face. "I can cancel the credit cards, Zim. There was only about ten bucks in that wallet. But I don't care about those things… I would've given anything to save you." And he meant it, with every fibers of his being. There was no one he loved more than this little green bundle of hellfire he held in his arms.

Zim smiled sweetly up at him. "Fine. But next time I'm killing him."


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Another five years passed and the two were as close as ever.

"Dib… Dib, I think it's time to go."

"Go where? It's three in the morning, I'm sleeping," the tired human replied in a groggy voice.

"DIB! He's pushing!"

"Who's push- OH MY GOSH!" He was wide awake now, adrenaline pumping. "Why didn't you tell me he was coming!?"

"I just did!" Zim drug his lover out of bed, barely giving him time to pull on pants.

They were prepared already; having known the baby would come any day now. A very, very specialized doctor had been flown in from, literally, across the galaxy. He was residing only across the street where the pair eagerly rushed in the darkness.

Dib continuously rang the doorbell until their doctor answered, antennae twitching in annoyance. The look on the young couple's face, however, told him exactly what he needed to know. Only moments later Zim was swept along to the delivery room for one. Dib could barely contain his excitement as he paced in the designated waiting area.

An hour passed before the news came in the form of a little blue blanket. A smile lit up Dib's face as he watched the nurse carry him past. The doctor wasn't in such spirits.

"The baby is fine, but… Dib, you'll have to leave. Zim, he's… he's fading fast. I'll do what I can, but…" he trailed off and looked away; not even brave enough to make eye contact.

No. Oh God, no. Dib fell to his knees, not daring to believe what he just heard. Zim was…? No! His hands came up to cradle his head.

And there he prayed. Something he hadn't done since he was a small boy. "Please, God! Take me! Take my breath, take my heart! I'll take his place, God! Don't let him die… don't take Zim!" Tears fell from his cheeks and splashed on the floor, one after another.

All those years he hadn't wanted Zim, he wanted to take them back! All those years he would've given anything to hear the very words that brought him to tears now… why couldn't he change that!? Why did his wishes have to be answered fifteen years too late?

His mind flashed back to that day at the park so many years ago. The day Zim had decided he wanted the two of them to be friends instead of enemies. The day everything changed. He wanted that back!

"Zim," he sobbed uncontrollably. "God, don't take him!"