Chapter 19

Zim tried to stay above the water as best as he could. He struggled against the rapids and he kicked and he tried to swim but it was so hard and he was getting so tired. His head went under and he tried to keep his hands up but they went under with the rest of his body.

The poor, little Irken was tossed around under the waves, the water quickly eating away at his skin. He wanted to cry out but that would let the water enter his mouth and then only Irk knows what kind of damage it could have done to him. So he was tossed about and crashed into rocks that were at the bottom of the source of water.

Suddenly, he was rocketed up and out of the water by a jet of air. But his joy was soon replaced with distress again because there was nothing to catch him. Zim fell back into the water and he kicked to try and stay at the surface as best as he could.

He kicked at the water like he had learned most human did to stay up and he tried to paddle himself to shore but there was no land and he was all alone. The water slowly ate away at his skin and he wanted to cry out in both pain and for help so badly. He wanted to cry out so very badly that… He did.

"Help!" Zim cried, though he didn't expect anyone to help him, let alone answer. "Help! Gir! Any human! Brooke!"

The water around him began to chance colour. First it was a horrible, sickening, shade of pink, so bright that it was blinding. Then it went to a blue and then green, like his skin. That made it so that he was sure that no one would be able to see him, even if they could have before. Then it went into a red colour, like blood, and he felt even more terrified than before. Then the colour turned black like death and he was so scared that he felt that he had to call out again or no one would ever hear him.

A wave came up and lapped his face and Zim hesitated calling out. But that was something that he would regret because more waved began to beat him.

Then his head went under again and he hit a rock and his mouth opened and he felt the pain as it went down his throat. This time, when he surfaced, he didn't hesitate to scream out loud for help to come and get him.

"Help! Anyone! Gir! Minimoose! Brooke!"

A hand gripped his and Zim was lifted out of the water by it. It pulled him up and the pain was gone instantly.

He opened his eyes, one at a time, and looked at the water below him. It was still black but the waves were getting calmer and calmer until, eventually, there weren't any left at all. Zim sighed in relief and then looked up to see who had saved him.

Zim expected to see Gir or Minimoose, seeing as only they could fly. But he didn't see either of them. Instead he was staring into the smiling face of Brooke as she hovered above the water and held his hand tight in hers.

She was just floating there, in mid air, and holding him tight in her hand so that he wouldn't fall into the black waters of the ocean underneath. Zim saw her smile at him and, just then, she looked so much nicer than he had ever seen her before. She looked like she could have been a happy girl with not a care in the world and so much love in her heart that, had it been tranquilizer she could have killed an elephant with one kiss.

"You called?" she asked, still smiling.

Zim gulped. "Uh… yes… I guess so…"

Then suddenly he felt so light. Zim felt light gravity no longer applied to him and he was so over whelmed that he turned to Brooke to give him answers to explain why he felt like that. But she just smiled and then she did the last thing that he wanted her to do just then.

She let go of his hand.

Zim waited for the sting of the water to come onto him but it never did. And when he heard her laugh out loud he opened his eyes to find that he was floating too. He was flying without anything to help him. Zim was actually flying!

He floating up in front of Brooke and looked into her face as she smiled at him with her eyes closed.

"How? How is this possible?"

"Does it really matter?" Brooke said as she took his hands. "It's happening. Do you truly need the specifics of how such a wonderful even is occurring?"

"Yes," was his answer.

Brooke pushed his hand up to his neck and then slowly let go. She wrapped her arms around his neck and moved in close. This made Zim go quite red. Her eyes opened and her smile softened. Then she leaned in and so did he…

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zim opened his eyes and sat up. He sighed and pulled the blankets off of him.

Brooke had convinced him to try and sleep. She had told him that it was a refreshing thing to do and, even though he'd tried before, he did it because she asked. And this time he really liked how the results came out. He felt refreshed and happy and all sorts of weird things that he'd never felt before.

Zim hopped out of his new bed and walked out of the room that he had slept in deep in his base. He crossed the hall and stopped at Brooke's room door. Slowly he pressed his antenna to the metal and he listened to see what she was up to.

It didn't really come as a shock that he hear typing sounds. Brooke often worked on the computer late at night. He heard her typing away on the computer and then he heard the occasional scribbles of her pencil when it came into contact with her paper and drawings.

Then Zim continued through the hall. He passed Gir's room and then went to the elevator. He really wanted to tell the Tallest of how refreshing a sleep was. He thought that maybe they might like to try one.

"Computer. Take me to the communications room."

The computer sighed. "Fine."

Zim waited as he was taken there.

When the ride stopped he stepped out and gapped at what he saw. Wires were broken. Computer panels were smashed. Flooring tiles were out of place and dented. The walls were marked up so badly it would take him forever to get them clean again. His entire communications room was completely destroyed. (Kim: the culprits… unknown? Hmm…)

Zim fell to his knees and cried out. "Ah! My base! My beautiful base!"

He felt a hand touch the top of his head. Zim looked up to see Brooke, standing there in a pair of black pyjamas with a black top and purple dot in the centre. She smirked down at him. He just looked up at her.

"Looks like someone got in."

He nodded sadly.

Brooke leaned down, her hand still on top of his head. She smiled at him, her eyes closed. It was the same way that she had in his dream. "Well, I'll help you clean this up. OK?"

He nodded.

"Then we'll dance like piggies!" Gir landed on Brooke's head, coming from who knows where. He danced a little bit, aggravating the teen.

Zim smirked but he also moved back in the process.

THE END

Kim: I liked this one! And I didn't kill you at the end!

Brooke: What is with you and making me kiss?!

Kim: I dunno…