To Which Our Future Holds (A ZaDr Story)

Chapter 5

Dib sat at the table the next morning finishing up some paperwork that he hadn't finished from the prior day. He was still feeling slightly drowsy despite his morning coffe so he hadn't thought much when his son dashed past him at the table, starting off his day completely full of energy "Morning Ash" Dib had greeted despite being nose deep in his work, "Bye Dad!" Ash called back still running full speed around the kitchen and heading for the door. It wasn't untill Dib heard it open that he was finally snapped out of his focus. "Wait, hold on a second. Ash! Where on Earth do you think your going?" turning back to his father Ash Innocenly replied "To school."
"Your bus doesn't come for at least another fifteen minutes, come back here and get some breakfast."
With a sad nod Ash set his backpack down "Okay"
Noticing Ash's disappointment Dib gave him a reassuring smile. "Dont worry, School will start soon enough." Ash nodded and sat down at the table
"Why are you in such a rush to get off to school this morning?"
Ash grabbed the box of cereal and poured it into a bowl. "I wanna get a new book" he said glancing over to his father. Dib raised an eyebrow "But we haven't finished reading your new one yet"
With a bite of his cereal Ash nodded his head "Yes I did, my friend helped me finish it already"
Dib felt fear slip under his skin like ice, it washed over his body and clung to his bones almost as if he had been plunged deep into a frozen lake. "They did?" Dib heard himself practically whimper.
With a cheerfull nod Ash took another bite of cereal "Mhm we finished reading it last night"
Dib's shoulders stiffened as cold beads of sweat slid down across his brow "How did they help you?"
Ash beamed, a cheerful grin across his face "He came and read it with me" he said happily taking another bite of cereal.
Dib almost seemed to dissappear within himself the fear gnawing itself deep within him dragging everything along with it, but Dib hadn't realized truly how far he sunk untill he heard his sons voice, now thick with concern "Dad?" He asked almost as if he'd asked the question many times before. "Ash.." Dib spoke his voice flat and void "Didn't I tell you that your friend was dangerous?"
Ash's brow scrunched up worryingly "Y-Yea but-"
Dib's momentary stillness of emotion started to crack at the seams, his voice raising with each word "Then you can't be friends with them, and you certainly cannot be letting them inside or following them!"
Ash looked down at the table feeling hurt for disobeying and upsetting his father
"Ash it's dangerous let a stranger into the house! What if he hurt you, or took you away again?"
Still looking down at the table Ash fiddled with his fingers "He promised he wouldn't, and he said that you just forgot.."
"Forgot What Ash?" Dib practically snarled at his son.
Ash looked up at his father tears well hidden behind his large eyes. "About being friends, and about the ghosts, and the vampires."
Dib pushed up his glasses and pinched his brow, the deep anger lost from his voice "This is enough Ash, no means no, you have to stop seeing this person." Dib let out a sigh not wanting to continue this conversation any further "Come on, it's about time we get you to your bus stop"

As Dib watched the bus drive off taking his son to school for the day he felt his shoulders drop.
"This guy came back?" Dib asked out loud to himself "And what is Ash talking about, ghosts and vampires?" Dib thought back on it for a while as he walked home. "Ghosts and vampires huh? I haven't thought about that kind of stuff since I was in school." Dib paused to look up at the bright overcast sky "Was this person maybe a classmate of mine?" Dib let out a heavy sigh "Either way I supose I should just call the detective, I'll let him make of this what he will.."

After ending the call with the detective Dib sat back in his chair thinking out loud to himself "What am I doing wrong? I truly thought that everything was finally starting to go well. But now.." Dib leaned over putting a elbow on the table and resting his head in his hands "I mean of course I can't think of any classmates I know that would potentially want to do me or my son any harm."
Dib paused looking back on his years of school "I mean, I can't even think of any of my classmates anyways. After Zim I kinda went off the rails I suppose, I never noticed anyone else. Even after we became friends."
Dib sat back in his seat placing both his hands on the table "Heck even after college when Zim had already left I never made an effort to get to know anybody."
"I guess I kinda still hoped that Zim would come back and sweep me off somewhere"
Dib looked around the room trying to find something else to focus on "I guess in the end I only got married because my father and Gaz told me to"
Dibs eyes seemed to soften in an almost amused and wistfull way "It's been what seven years? And I still forget the name of my wife."
With a pained smile parted across his lips looked up at the ceiling, tears burning up in the corners of his eyes "Maybe this is why I'm cursed" he choked out "I'm a married man with a son who was born out of pitty, my beautiful wife who's name I can't even remember is expecting, and yet here I am at a time in my life where I should be happy and ready to move forward, all I'm doing is sitting at my dining room table and crying over a stupid high school crush and wishing he was the one who was here with me." Dib's shoulders began to shake "How funny" he mused.
Tears fell began to fall heavily from his eyes and onto the table as Dib began to laugh out loud to himself, he hadent really noticed when his broken laughs had turned to sobs, but he remembered the hours of sitting alone, feeling every bit as broken as he had on the day that Zim had left.

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