Epilogue: Daybreak

Sheen woke up to an angelic face smiling down upon him. Her cocoa colored skin shone with an inner radiance and her braids hung down perfectly symmetrical, not a strand out of place. Startled to see her, with no clear recollection what had knocked him out, he beamed and reached for her. And she slapped him across the face.

"What the hell is your problem?" Libby snarled.

"Libby!" Jimmy cried and yanked her back before she hit him again. She growled and Cindy intervened. Sitting up, Sheen beheld Carl, who beamed; Jimmy, who was anxious but still relieved; Cindy, who didn't appear to care one way or another; Aseefa, who was scowling but also relieved; Nesmith, who was actually eating a banana (ha); and Pinter?

Pinter levitated, fretting. Aseefa moved aside and the Emperor was behind her.

"You're awake!" the Emperor said. "The cure worked!"

"Of course it did," Sheen said. "What cure?"

"You were poisoned," Jimmy said, scowling. "How much do you remember?"

"Uh..." Sheen paused.

"Enough to remember that you've been messing around with another girl behind my back?" Libby snarled.

"Not that," Sheen said.

"Now that you're awake, after you've had sufficient time to recover, you'll be returning to Earth," Jimmy said and then frowned. "Aren't you?"

Jimmy released Libby, huffing and rubbing her arms, and she folded her arms across her chest. The look on her face reminded him of the burning sensation swallowing Dorkus's poison. It almost made him wish he was poisoned again, just to avoid her fury.

"Uh..." Sheen stared at his best friends, whom he hadn't seen in months. He looked at the Emperor, Aseefa, Nesmith, Pinter, and then at Doppi, who was saddling into the room. On Earth, he was no one. He was Jimmy's sidekick, a role he hadn't minded, but no one hung on his every word. No one thought he was the be all end all. He was just a kid. There was a lot less pressure on Earth, but...there was no prestige.

On Zeenu, everyone adored him. On Earth, he had good friends, friends who had gone across the universe to rescue him. But...

"Don't you want to return to Earth?" Nesmith said softly.

He had good friends here too. He loved running around with Aseefa, Nesmith, and Doppi, and having no school. And if he left Zeenu, he'd have to leave them behind. (Not to mention go back to school). Well, maybe not Nesmith because Nesmith had wanted to return since he'd met him, but everyone else would be gone. His heart wrenched. How could he decide?

"You can't tell me you want to stay here," Libby said, hands on her hips.

"You can always visit," Jimmy reminded him.

Sheen stared at the group again. Thinking hurt his brain and this involved pretty deep thoughts. His gaze settled upon Jimmy and stayed there. Jimmy was staring at him with a combination of hope and worry. He didn't really want to go back...but...

"I don't know what I want," he said aloud. "Here, I'm the Emperor's adviser..."

"That's right, Sheen," the Emperor piped up.

"But you belong on Earth," Nesmith commented.

Sheen didn't look at him. Jimmy's face fell and, as usual, his emotions were there to read like an open book. And as usual, Jimmy's emotion state affected him more than anyone else's. Libby glowered and Cindy looked apathetic, but he and Cindy had never gotten along and he ignored her. He glanced at Carl, whose lower lip was quivering.

"Boy, don't tell me we went all that way for nothing," Libby snapped.

"On Earth, you would be among your own kind," Aseefa said sorrowfully. She didn't want to let him go anymore than he wanted to go. But his friends, aside from Libby who looked homicidal, would be disappointed if he didn't return. Grimacing, he settled on Pinter, the sore thumb in this equation.

"What are you doing here?" he said.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Pinter said. He was floating by the Emperor, as if he were using him to defend himself. The Emperor moved closer and stood by Sheen's bedside table. Jimmy and Libby were still on the other side of Sheen's bed, although Cindy and Carl were further back, with Doppi, Aseefa and Nesmith closer to the door than his bed.

"And to tell you there is a banquet being held in your honor tonight," the Emperor said. "To celebrate your joyous return from the dead."

"I'm not sure Sheen should be feasting just yet..." Jimmy cautioned.

"I'm fine!" he insisted and flung the sheets aside. "Show me where the party is!"

"You're not going anywhere until we get a few things straight," Jimmy said coldly. The tone took Sheen aback and Jimmy looked at the Zeenuians. "Can you excuse us for a few minutes? This is rather personal."

"Of course," Aseefa said, inclining her head but shooting Libby a cool look. They filed out. Jimmy shut the door and glared at Sheen.

"You've been here for months and it's like we don't exist?" Libby snapped.

"I was having fun," he said. "It's like paradise. No school, no homework-"

"No father who's worried sick about you," Cindy interjected.

"No friends who have been alternatively trying to track you and being blamed for your disappearance," Jimmy added. "I told you not to take the rocket, Sheen."

Sheen shrugged. "Not really. It looked like you had left all those cards, but who can really tell who J.N. is?"

The look on Jimmy's face made Sheen freeze and then squirm like a naughty child. He didn't like when Jimmy got this angry. In truth, normally he didn't stay angry- he took care of whatever was bugging him. This time, Jimmy just glared. As Sheen stared from one friend to another, he saw Jimmy's expression mirrored. Sheen gritted his teeth- he had forgotten about his father. Although he supposedly had written letters to his grandmother, it was more like a diary than a pen pal.

"So I made a mistake," he said. "You can't tell me none of you have."

"Not everyone disappears for months without notice and then decides he doesn't want to be rescued," Jimmy snapped.

"I didn't say I didn't want it," Sheen hedged.

"You sure aren't acting like you're happy to see us," Libby hissed.

"I am..." Sheen said. "It's kinda hard to jump up for joy when you're all looking at me like I killed Goddard."

"Do you want to come home or not?" Jimmy said.

"You'd better want to," Libby threatened.

Sheen hesitated. He could understand their anger, although not entirely, but it was Jimmy's fury he found the hardest to deal with. Libby had a temper, although it was infrequent compared to Cindy, but he must have really upset Jimmy. His stomach knotted. He had never been on bad terms with his best friend before. Jimmy was the glue that held the trio together.

"Can't you ask me again after the feast?" he said, smiling weakly. Jimmy didn't smile back. His eyes flashed and Sheen shrank back. It was almost as if Jimmy became more when he was angry, like he doubled in size like an angry cat.

"No," he said. In a more neutral tone, he added, "Sheen, the only reason we knew where you were was because your space suit sent out a beacon...after it thought you were dead. We didn't know for six months what happened to you."

"All because you had to break into Jimmy's lab and steal his rocket," Libby snapped. "And then run off with some alien floozy-"

"We're not discussing that now," Jimmy hissed.

"I knew you'd find me," Sheen said. Jimmy looked unconvinced.

"We didn't know what had happened for six months and it turns out you were perfectly fine until this happened," Jimmy said. "You were having a ball and not even missing us. It was like we didn't exist."

"Like we didn't matter!" Libby snapped.

"Yeah, what have you got to say for yourself?" Cindy snapped.

"I'm sorry," Sheen said and forced himself to meet their gazes. They were in a circle around his bed. "Days turned into weeks and months and I don't know how to fix a ship. And I didn't know how to contact you guys and...I was having fun. It's not like I completely forgot. I told Nesmith about you."

"You told Nesmith about Jimmy," Libby said flatly.

"Yeah, but how couldn't I? He's so cool...even though he's glaring at me..." Sheen said.

"It was also my rocket you stole," Jimmy huffed.

"Yeah...about that...that rocket's not going anywhere any time soon..." Sheen said.

"I know," Jimmy snapped. "I saw."

"How long are you all going to stay angry at me?" Sheen said.

"That depends," Libby snapped. "Are you coming home or staying here?"

"I just woke up," Sheen protested. "How can you expect me to make a decision on an empty stomach?"

"I know I can't," Carl said and everyone glared at him. He shuffled his feet and busily made himself look smaller, an amusing task that mostly involved him ducking behind Cindy and Libby.

"I don't want to force you to come back with us, but I will if I have to," Jimmy declared.

"What happened to 'do you want to go home or stay here'? That sounds kinda like you're ordering me around," Sheen said.

"We saved your life," Jimmy said. "If we hadn't come here, you would have died."

"And this is how you repay us?" Libby snapped. "Running off with a monkey, a freaky slimy alien, and some girl with blue hair who needs to back off?"

"But if I come back to Earth, I have to go to school...and, you know...be normal again," Sheen said. Jimmy's expression softly slightly.

"And you could be with us again," he said. "Don't you miss Earth?"

"Yeah, but I miss a lot of things..." he said. "Like Ultra Lord...and the Candy Bar...and maybe not having Dorkus try to kill me every week- that was getting old real fast- and not having Princess Oom try to lick me all the time- and not feeling like I'm stuck in a really bad sitcom that just happens to be animated..."

Jimmy didn't speak. He stared at Sheen again; his gaze was making him uncomfortable. For a moment, he stared at his bedspread. He'd miss not having a house the dimensions of his head and everyone adoring him. But...it wasn't worth losing his friends.

"I'll come back," he said quietly.

"I think that's the most amount of time you've ever thought about anything," Jimmy said.

"Probably," Sheen agreed.

"And when you come back, we're going to have a long discussion about attempting to date alien girls," Libby warned him.

Sheen grimaced and didn't comment. The problem was that he liked both Libby and Aseefa, for different reasons. They were both strong, confident girls and Aseefa idolized him. Then again, once she discovered the truth about him, she might not like him as much. Libby at least liked him for his real attributes...or maybe not right now, since she looked pissed.

"So..." Carl said, to break the tension. "Who's ready to party?"

A couple hours later, everyone had arrived in the palace's dancing hall. Nesmith, Aseefa, and Doppi had dressed for the event. Pinter, as it turned out, was being offered diplomatic immunity. He was there too, looking out of place and uncertain. Cindy, Carl, Jimmy, and Libby, not having any suitable attire to change into, remained the same. And Sheen had managed to find a tuxedo, from where was anyone's guess.

"I hope you've learned your lesson," Jimmy said.

"No, not really," Sheen admitted. Jimmy glared. "Kidding."

"It's good to have you back," Jimmy said. Sheen detected a hint of coolness in his eyes, though, a warning not all was forgiven.

"We really missed you," Carl said. "It just wasn't the same."

Jimmy nodded. Libby continued to glower, arms folded across her chest. Cindy glanced at Jimmy and they exchanged a silent conversation before Cindy led Libby and Carl away. Libby didn't particularly want to go, judging by the venomous look she shot Sheen, but she allowed Cindy to guide her off.

"So, what's been going on in Retroville since I left?" Sheen asked.

"Nothing," Jimmy said curtly. Sheen winced. He was still angry. Usually, Jimmy's anger cooled after a while, but he must have really upset him. He didn't know how to make it right, either. Hesitant, he touched Jimmy's shoulder.

"Hey, uh, you can have half of what I make as the Emperor's adviser," Sheen offered. "Not that I make any money, but you can have half."

"This isn't about that," Jimmy said. "I realize you couldn't have contacted Earth after you left, but…didn't you miss us? At all?"

"I told Nesmith about you," Sheen said. "Doesn't that count for anything? Crazy monkey sidekick?"

From a few feet away, over by the punch bowl where bananas were stacked, Nesmith called, "I am not your sidekick."

"You hesitated before you said yes," Jimmy said.

"Yeah, but I said it," Sheen said. "C'mon, Jimmy. Isn't there anything you'd give up your friends and family for? Some science-y thing?"

"I'd never abandon my friends and family," Jimmy said.

"Not even for a Nobel Prize?" Sheen said. For a second, Jimmy's eyes lit up, and then he shook his head and scowled.

"No. We'll discuss it on the ride home," Jimmy said.

"Thanks for saving me," Sheen said. "Nesmith told me what happened."

Jimmy's lips twisted. It wasn't a smile- closer to a grotesque parody of one. Sheen didn't like it. It was like Jimmy was close to him emotionally and yet the gap between them was more than he could bridge. The distance bothered him. He didn't really care that much for Carl, but Jimmy…

"You're welcome."

"I'll clean the lab for you," he offered.

"I'd rather you didn't," Jimmy said, his lips a moue of displeasure.

"Uh, I'll walk Goddard! I'll do your homework!"

"Sheen, with the amount of school you missed, you're going to have enough trouble doing your own homework," he pointed out. "You're going to have to repeat the grade."

"Again?" he groaned.

"You missed six months," he reminded him. "Not even summer school is going to help."

"Couldn't you make me smart again?" he protested and the look on Jimmy's face silenced him. He shouldn't be asking Jimmy for any more favors in the near future, not until he had forgiven him.

"We'll see," was all he said. Forcing a smile that looked downright painful, he said, "Shouldn't you be celebrating? This is your party, after all."

"Oh, yeah!" he said. He headed straight for the thickest group of party-goers and attempted to crowd surf. He'd miss it here, but…he could always visit, right?

He glanced back at Jimmy and Jimmy was smiling slightly. And Sheen knew, despite Jimmy's anger, he'd be good with him sooner or later. Libby would probably be pissed for a while after that, but everything should be okay. At least Dorkus was behind bars.

Dorkus paced the Tower of Twenty Years. He hadn't been placed in a luxurious penthouse. Instead, he was inside a small cell with iron bars and a sleeping guard.

"Hello?" he called. "If you let me out, I'll put in a good word for you."

The guard responded by slumping on the floor and banging his pike against the bars. The tip of it touched Dorkus's nose.

"I'll take that as a no," Dorkus said. He grimaced. Not only had his plan failed, but Pinter had left him. And now he had lost all credibility with the Emperor, not to mention Zeenu at large. Could this get any worse?

A bird landed atop the space between the metal bars of his prison. It looked like BeeBaw and Dorkus grimaced.

"Please don't tell me you're going to sing," Dorkus said. And, on cue, the bird opened up its many mouths and began caterwauling. Dorkus groaned.

"Remind me not to ask how things could get any worse," he muttered.

"Bye! I'll write! And send back lots of Earth stuff!" Sheen promised as Jimmy geared up to go. Nesmith was beside him and smiling fondly, both at the idea of leaving Zeenu and of Sheen's promises.

"What exactly were you and that Zeenu girl?" Libby snapped.

"We were just friends," Sheen said. "You know I'd never forget you."

Libby glared. She didn't look convinced.

"Just like you didn't forget anyone else?" Cindy said acidly.

"Just how long are you guys gonna hold this over me?"

"Long enough for you to make up all the school you missed and apologize to the town for making everyone think I somehow convinced you to steal my rocket," Jimmy said.

"Uh…" Sheen winced and looked at Nesmith, who was leaning back against the upholstery.

"You might want to do as he says," Nesmith said. "He was the one who rescued us, after all."

"But we're still friends, right?" Sheen said.

"Yes," Jimmy said. "Still friends."

"The three Amigops," Carl said.

"Okay, so, uh…where's the nearest rest-stop? 'Cuz I really have to go," Sheen said. In unison, the group groaned.

"Sheen!"

"You sure you were just friends?" Libby said.

"Duh," Sheen said. "You're my Ultra-Lady. And I only liked her 'cuz she reminded me of you. And Cindy. Which is kinda weird if you think about it, because Cindy and I don't get along. But she had your fierceness and your good looks…and Cindy's fighting abilities and…what was I talking about again?"

Libby grimaced. "Are you trying to flatter me or apologize?"

"I dunno," Sheen said. "Oh, hey, look, the sun's coming up."

Even Jimmy, at the ship's helm, looked up. The five humans and one ape looked through the large glass windows to watch. Directly overhead, Zeenu's primary sun was rising. It was daybreak.

Nightfall- November 12th, 2010- April 17th, 2011