A/N: Hello. Don't worry, I'm still working on the 1940's fic. This is just ideas I have for future fics. Maybe they'll be short stories or maybe I'll devote more time to one or two of them and make them their own seperate fics. Now that said, let's get to the first one and the one I'm really looking forward to writing. Zim in the wild west. A showdown between Zim and Dib gets interrupted when Gaz touches a strange item Zim dropped, causing him to get locked out of his base. Trying to find a solution, he goes to the siblings' homestead, only for his intentions to be misunderstood much the the dismay of Gaz, putting both parties in a rather interesting predicament.


The sun was staring to set, casting the victorian styled base in a silhouette. Zim pounded once more on the door in desperation. He was bruised, hungry, frustrated and the coyotes would be coming out soon. Gir next to him giggled and began pounding and kicking on the house too. Clearly he was not understanding his master's dilemma.

Zim turned to him and stared at the little robot before sighing and asking, "Gir. Can you by any chance hack into the base's systems and see why it's not responding to Zim?"

For a second Zim didn't think Gir heard him or didn't know how to do what he was asked, so seeing the sir unit nod obediently surprised him. There was silence for a second then Gir's eyes flickered wildly.

"System error detected. Reboot complete... Registering new master.."

Zim's eyes widen at the SIR unit's findings, panic starting to take hold as he realized what happened.

"New master registered. Mistress Gaz." The robot completed, his eyes going back to normal and his tongue sticking out dumbly.

"New mistress?!" Zim turned to the base and kicking it shouting, "Zim is your master not a stinking human you worthless pile of scrap!"

Then as if it took offense (and it did) the base opened up the hidden panels, pointing several guns at Zim, "Intruder detected."

Zim grabbed Gir and ran as fast as he could. Once he was certain they were out of the range of fire he stopped and put him down, trying to catch his breath.

"Again! Again!" Gir jumped up and down wanting his master to give him another ride.

It seems Gir was unaffected by the reboot. Which makes sense, Gir was defected and always turning off his wireless connection to the base. Zim sat down in the dirt, watching a tumbleweed go by as he thought about the day's events.

Zim was in the middle of town, fixing to poison the town's well when that stupid sheriff, Dib stopped him. How he hated him. Not only does he and his sister know he's an alien, but he's sworn his duty as sheriff would be to expose him and send him to P.T Barnums freakshow in a glass jar.

Before he knew it both he and Dib were caught in a showdown. Zim grazed Dib in the arm, but he wasn't so lucky either. At some point his communications device that allows him to talk to and run the base while he's out must have been dropped. They were both aiming for each other and ready to pull their triggers when they heard it.

"What's this thing?" He heard the Dib-sister ask before she yelped as she was shocked, ending the fight between the two men.

Both dropped their weapons and ran to her, Dib with worry for his baby sister and Zim wrenching the device out of her hands. It had been badly damaged by one of Dib's bullets. But it could still be salvaged. He would need to fix it in his labs. The Membrane siblings we're starting to leave as he took off, eager to get home.

That shock must have been the reason the base reset itself. And it must have read Gaz-human's handprint as she had been the one holding it. He could try and fix his device and reset it but that would require something that was very valuable and hard to get.

Gold.

As it is, his base's power supply was running out. It was only meant to run for 10 years and he had been on this filthy planet for 9 years. Zim could easily use another power source to keep his base from shutting down but that would require large amounts of gold. He had tried stealing it once from a bank but he had been stopped by Dib.

One year left and he's locked outside. Zim can't go in the control room to manually reset the base without the handprint to open the doors.

Then a thought crossed Zim's mind and he slowly started to smile evilly. Zim's pak opened up and produced a large alien looking butcher knife. If the base needs Gaz's handprint then so be it.

"Mini-moose!" Zim watched as his faithful horse trotted to his side. Mounting the horse, he gave his mane a pat and ordered, "Take Zim to the Dib-family's home."

In a cloud of dust they were, gone, leaving Gir behind to moan, "But I wanted to ride too."


Gaz untied her apron and wiped the sweat of her brow. Dinner was done, not that her Pa or brother were home to enjoy it. Pa was out, overseeing work as usual. After Dib took her home and fussed over her, making sure the alien device didn't seriously injure her or took over her mind, he was satisfied she was fine and left.

'Probably went to the saloon, drowning his sorrows and trying to tell everyone that would listen about the space man trying to take over.' Gaz thought.

At least he's still alive. That fight between him and Zim was the ugliest one she's seen yet. She noticed the device Zim had dropped. Determined to stop them from killing each other, she picked it up with every intention of stealing it until Zim agreed to go home.

Gaz looked at her hand and flexed her fingers. She hadn't expected that jolt of pain that shot down her arm. It was only after she dropped it did she notice it sparking. She felt rather foolish for not noticing it before but it still had the desired effect. The fighting stopped.

What a life. With her brother's obsession to his badge and Zim's antics, it's no wondered why she never married. Gazlene And Dibert Membrane were always eyed warily by the townspeople. Her father keeps reminding her that she's almost 22, close to being considered a spinster. Which secretly was perfectly fine with her. Gaz shuddered the thought of marriage to one of the locals, being stuck at home overrun with kids. But her father was insistent on the subject. He wants grandchildren to leave his legacy to. He's even brought home some of his investors, hoping a courtship would bloom.

'Sorry, Pa. That just ain't going to happen.' Gaz smirked as she washed up in the basin, remembering what happened to that Iggins' boy her father had tried to set her up with.

Chores done, fed and washed, Gaz sat at the settee. She had been looking forward to this all day. Picking up her book, she opened it at the final chapter. Finally. Some peace and quiet.

A thought that was interrupted when the door flew off the hinges. There stood Zim, some sort of blade in his grasp.

"You filthy human, touching what wasn't your's to touch. Either come with Zim and fix my base or I'll take the only thing about you worth any value. Your hand."

For a second Gaz thought he actually was somewhat intimidating. His face covered in shadows, teeth bared and a sharp weapon in his hand. He had grown since he first came to town, she noted. Now he towered over her and could possibly overpower her. But then as she thought about the busted door and her interrupted reading time, she grew angry. A familiar and embraced emotion.

"Like hell I will. Git on outta here and I won't have to doom you." Gaz sneered.

Zim was taken aback by her defiant tone.

He pointed at her, "You..You locked me out of my base. It's all your fault and Zim will fix this problem, one way..."

He held the blade infront of him, "Or another."

"I don't know anything about that alien mumbo jumbo stuff of yours and I don't care. It's your problem not mine." She shrugged.

Gaz headed towards the stairs, picking up her skirts so she wouldn't trip when she was forcibly stopped.

With one hand, Zim held her by the arm. He pulled her close and with the other hand he brought the knife to her wrist. Her eyes widened as the blade lightly brushed against her skin.

Zim growled, "Last chance, Little Gaz. Give me your hand now and Zim swears you'll be much happier than the alternative."

Gaz didn't have time to reply. Both Zim and Gaz jumped and a booming voice filled the room. They turned to see her father standing there. Zim quickly hid the knife as the patriarch of the Membrane clan circled them.

"After a long day listening to those miners complain, what do I come home to find?" Membrane asked, posture rigid and tense.

Gaz smirked as fear crossed Zim's face, "Zim can explain. You see.. I was.."

"Asking for my little girl's hand.." He finished for him. Zim gulped. One thing you never do with any species was threaten it's offspring.

Membrane's hand came down on Zim's shoulder, gripping it, "And you will have it."

"What?! Pa, he's wanting to.." Gaz tried to explain.

Membrane once again interrupted, "He's wanting to take your hand in marriage. And I couldn't be happier!"

Both Zim and Gaz spoke over eachother trying to reject the notion but it appeared her father wasn't going to accept any other reality, "I really wish you had asked for my blessing first. But seeing that passionate embrace, I understand completely. Ah, young love."

"But.." Zim tried to speak up, again being interrupted.

"You two can cozy up to each other later. Now we have business to discuss," Membrane started to lead Zim to the parlor, "As you may know there are certain benefits to being in the Membrane family."

"Actually, Sir, I wasn't..." Zim paused as something the older man said piqued his interest, "Benefits?"

"Yes. I own every gold mine in this area. And with Dib insisting on his career as a lawman, I'm in need of someone to help me run it."

"Gold, you say?" Zim's voice trailed off in thought.

Gaz could see wheels turning in the space creature's head. Realization bringing on a wave of panic, she tried to plead, "No Pa! You have to listen.."

Her father held up a finger and tsked her, "Now now, Gaz. You really shouldn't interrupt. Why don't you go upstairs. Me and your little foreign friend are going to have a nice long chat."

Zim chuckled darkly, "Yes, dearest, you should listen to your father."

Gaz stared, her heart sinking. Her corset suddenly felt too tight and she was struggling to breath. This couldn't be happening. Not like this, not with him. Shaking, she let her father shoo her out of the room. She cursed her brother for not being home, for ever starting a feud with Zim in the first place. She had a feeling by the end of the night, she was going to have a fiancé.

There was only one thought that crossed her mind as she sat on her bed.

'I should have just let him cut off my god damn hand!'


A/N: This is just a rough draft of an idea for my next fic. I also have and idea for the 50's and the 80's. Let me know if I should use this idea for the 1800's theme.