This idea wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is. I'm also posted on AO3 if anyone prefers to read that site.

Story contains: Dad!Dib #Dib Dad is a good dad :)

The microbes started to blur together, their forms becoming indistinguishable. With a sigh Dib leaned back from the microscope, pushing up his glasses he pinched the bridge of his nose then rubbed his fingers along his weary and tired eyes. It wasn't that working at his father's lab was difficult, quite the contrary. What was tiring was trying to stay interested enough to focus. Dib knew that his dad knew something was up. He'd made enough minor careless mistakes for his dad to notice. But what could Dib say? 'Sorry, dad, I just find all this meaningless and boring, but don't worry it's not just this, I find my whole life pointless.' Yeah. That would go over well.

He finally had some sort of relationship with his father, he wasn't going to mess this up too. This work was all he had left. Dib passed through Hi-skool in a depressive emotional blur. When Dib was fifteen Zim left. Just up and left. No note. No warning. One day he just wasn't there. The house, Gir, his base, everything was gone like he had never been there to begin with.

At first it drove him mad with anxiety. He looked everywhere to find where Zim relocated his base. He scoured the news channels locally then in other states and countries trying to find any evidence that his nemesis was up to no good. However, all leads became dead ends. Dib then grew paranoid that the Armada was on its way and he glued himself to his telescope and radio listening for any communications from space, again nothing.

Finally, when he turned seventeen he came to terms with the fact that Zim was gone. Maybe he had given up, maybe Dib had finally worn him down and instead of admitting defeat he just left. Maybe he was recalled to invade another planet. Maybe he finally realized that Earth wasn't worth the trouble. Whatever the reason Dib would never know it and it drove him to depression.

He tried to fill the gap by becoming much more active in the Swollen Eyeball network. He went on more missions and did a lot of research on his own, but more often than not the cause of the reported sightings wasn't paranormal in nature, just abnormal, some weirdo like chicken-man causing people to panic. The few times he did find evidence of the supernatural, it just wasn't as satisfying. He showed his findings to the Swollen Eyeballs and they praised him but they all did similar work so it wasn't anything new or astounding to them. He tried showing others, but no one believed him even when the evidence was right in front of their face. Those who did believe him didn't really care.

He'd caught a ghost once and brought it into class. Half of the students thought it was a trick with mirrors and said they'd seen better effects in the movies, the other half shrugged and was like 'it's a ghost, so what?' Their reactions baffled Dib. Eventually he realized that even if he had managed to show the truth to them about Zim their reactions would have been the same. Some wouldn't believe him no matter what and others wouldn't be bothered to care. It was downright depressing.

After hi-skool he went to college finally convinced by his father to go into the field of SCIENCE. It only took him three years to gain multiple doctorate degrees in science related fields and he went to work for his father. He'd been working for his dad for five years now, at twenty-six there was barely anything left for him to discover in the science field. His dad found new experiments for him to work on and Dib did the work, but he'd long since run out of experiments to create on his own. Nothing held his attention. Nothing held his interest. He knew how everything worked so no new questions came to him. However, his brilliant mind let him easily take hold of any other project and work with it and solve it faster than any other scientist on his father's team.

But now he was finding it more and more difficult to focus. His mind looked at the task before him and just checked out. He would stare at the same sample, the same data for hours in a daze. When he was able to focus the answers and solutions came easily to him, so despite his slow pace his work was respected. That was until recently when he started making mistakes, not able to even focus enough to understand what the task before him was. To cover it up he would just blurt out or write down random formulas or scientific nonsense.

Dib felt like he was slowly dying. Lately, a thought kept coming up, one that he could unfortunately focus on. It was the solution his brain had come up with in regards to his current circumstance. If this slow death was so agonizing, why prolong it?

"Son!" Professor Membrane bellowed cheerfully as he flung the door to Dib's lab open.

Sluggishly Dib turned in his seat. "Yeah?"

His dad came over and tightly grasped his shoulder. "Son! I have something to show you," he said his voice conveying the excitement that his high-collared uniform hid from his face. With a sigh Dib slid off his stool and allowed himself to be guided down the hall. No doubt it was another project that his Dad thought would finally grab his attention. "I have given your situation much consideration," his dad continued as he guided him deeper into Membrane Labs. "You have grown well into adulthood and have become an accomplished scientist. You have completed this level of adulthood and it is time that you moved onto the next stage of your life. You, my boy, must begin thinking of the FUTURE!" He held his fist in the air.

"I was just like you at your age," he continued as he opened the double doors that led them into a large room. In the center was a pod that his dad led them to. "I thought there was nothing more to accomplish for myself. It wasn't until I began focusing on the FUTURE that new ideas and experiments came to me. Since we both have entered the field, advancements have progressed much faster than they did when I was your age, so I had to start this project for you earlier than I anticipated. However, I believe you are ready," he said and released Dib to stand behind the pod. Standing proudly with his hands on his hips he waved one hand grandly over the pod. "Go ahead, Son, open it up!"

Dib looked up at his dad brimming with excitement. He repressed the sigh so not to ruin whatever this was for his dad. Reaching out he pressed the release latch and the pod lifted. Not even having enough energy to get his hopes up, Dib looked inside. For the first time in a long time, emotion crept onto his face.

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion as he looked down at the tiny form sleeping inside.

"It's a girl!" his father proclaimed and when Dib looked up his father released a small confetti cannon in his face giving him a multi-colored beard. "Congratulations!"

The loud noise startled the little girl awake and she blinked a few times looking up at the figure staring down at her.

"Her eyes are purple," Dib said numbly, though this sensation was new. It wasn't the normal numbness but one born from shock.

"Yes," his father hummed with mild interest. "A slight side effect that can occur during the cloning process. Much like your sister's hair, it is a slight genetic mutation that is more common to occur in females. The mutation is purely pigmental in nature so there is no need to worry."

"Wait, clone?" Dib asked his head snapping up. "So this baby is another clone? So she's my sister too?" Dib asked having long ago discovered and come to terms with the origins of his existence. It was actually Zim who helped him normalize that tidbit of information. Zim couldn't understand why being a clone upset Dib so much. He was a clone himself and felt it was something that made him feel superior. Zim's acceptance and almost approval of this information greatly helped Dib accept it himself, not that he ever admitted it to the green menace.

His father laughed loudly and came around the pod to clap him on the back. "Ha! Such humor. No, son, she is your clone, genetically altered to be female. You should have better luck with a female, they tend to be less insane," he said with a laugh, slapping Dib on the back again.

"Mine?!" Dib squeaked staring wide-eyed down at what was essentially his daughter. The baby with large purple eyes and a full head of spiky black hair blinked back at him. As he stared her face scrunched up and her thin unhappy wail filled the air. "What do I do?" Dib asked slightly panicked, his hands flailing in nervousness. "I can't…Dad, I can't…" he blabbered.

His dad chuckled and reached into the pod to pick up the crying baby. He thrust the wailing creature into Dib's arms and afraid that she would fall Dib took the baby, holding her like she was made of paper and he was afraid of crushing her. The moment Dib held her in his arms, her crying stopped. Big wet eyes peered wearily up at him. Dib held his breath and a feeling of dread and doom filled when he realized that he was being judged by the baby. He wasn't… he couldn't… she wouldn't want him.

In the next moment everything in Dib's life changed. Those big purple eyes sparkled and a wide toothless grin appeared on her face. The most joyous sound Dib had ever heard bubbled up from her lips as she giggled in delight and tiny little fingers reached up towards him.

Almost on their own, his arm shifted so he could poke at her small hand. Tiny fingers grasped his finger firmly and she squealed in delight. Dib felt something in him melt and fill up the hole inside of himself. He fell in love with her in that moment. His vision sharpened, colors became brighter, and his sluggish brain swirled into action. This tiny living creature had accepted him. She was happy to see him. He'd never felt this way before.

He'd found his focus. He found something he could devote himself to once more. He loved her and he was going to be the best damn dad on the face of the Earth. He would shower her with love and attention. He was going to show her the wonders of the world. He would show her the mysteries of the world. He would encourage her and believe her. He was going to be everything for her that he had wanted for himself.

Professor Membrane had been successful in renewing life into his son. However, the result was not what he expected. For himself seeing that he could be cloned inspired him into creating new feats of science. He wanted to advance science so his offspring would have more knowledge. For Dib, however, it didn't renew his love for science (he never really loved it to begin with) but it did renew his love of life.

Looking down into those purple eyes Dib felt love, but also a small pin prick of pain. He'd seen purple eyes before, they were fake hiding red swirling orbs of mystery and awe, but the sparkling eyes of his daughter reminded him of Zim nonetheless.

Long ago Dib realized that he had needed the invader in his life to make his life worth living. He needed a goal, a purpose, something that only he could do. Looking down at his daughter and her purple eyes, that drive filled him once again. He was her father, loving her, taking care of her, nurturing her was something only he could do. She was the one to fill him with purpose. So he gave her a name that mirrored that, a reminder to himself to never leave her or neglect her.

"Miz," Dib cooed to the baby. "I'm going to name you Miz."

True to his promise Dib became a great father, if a somewhat clumsy one. He wasn't perfect and he made mistakes but little Miz grew knowing that her daddy loved her. Professor Membrane wasn't entirely happy with the outcome of his 'gift' as he hoped it would spur Dib into reconnecting with the scientific field. Instead Dib ended up transferring to a different section of Membrane Labs, one that would allow him to take his new infant daughter with him to work. He refused to let someone else or one of his father's robots be in charge of her care. He wanted to be there for her, to see her grow.

He ended up being transferred to the planetarium. The transfer had been difficult for him at first, an all too painful reminder of what he had lost. However, the work was solitary and simple. He studied the movement of the celestial bodies, tracked and analyzed satellite data and became the lead presenter for school field trips. Thanks to raising his own child, Dib became pretty good at balancing information and humor/silliness to keep the younger kids entertained on their visits.

Miz, for her part, loved her father dearly. She loved going to work with him everyday. The planetarium became her playground and she soon found something that she loved almost as much as she loved her dad. Space. Dazzling swirling nebulas, colorful twirling planets, twinkling beautiful stars and mysterious black holes. Space held wonders and beauty that dazzled the young child.

However, even young she was able to pick up on the fact that while her dad loved sharing his knowledge with her, encouraged her thirst to explore, always answered her numerous questions and listened with amused patience as she rambled off all the facts she knew, there were times when she caught him looking at the exhibits with sadness in his eyes.

She asked him once, when she turned five and figured herself adult enough to know what she knew to be a serious topic. She saw the reluctance he had to answer, but he had never brushed off her questions before and always answered her with the truth as best he could. So he answered as much as he had been able to.

"I lost someone a long time ago. Someone that meant a lot to me, but I didn't know it at the time. I didn't know how much I needed them until they were gone."

"Where'd they go?" Miz asked knowing by now every astronaut that had gone into space and wondering which one it was.

"I don't know, sweetie," Dib answered sadly. "But they are up there somewhere."

In her infinite wisdom and her understanding of adult topics, Miz took that to mean that the person that made her dad so sad had died. She heard other adults talking of such things as death in metaphors and the like. She knew what death was. Her dad and grandfather were scientists and though she felt it odd that her dad didn't explain it to her in simpler terms that his friend had died, she figured even adults had times when they didn't want to say exactly what they meant. Like when dad asked her how his cooking was. He wasn't bad but he wasn't good either. Auntie Gaz made much better pizza, but it was hard to tell her dad that when he looked so expectantly at her when she ate.

"It's okay, Dad," Miz said hugging her saddened father. "I bet they are watching over you even now," feeling a need to cheer him up she added, "I watch you all the time and you are really funny so I bet they like watching you the best."

Her father chuckled and feeling a sense of pride at accomplishing her goal she decided that they would go get ice cream after dinner as a feel-good treat for both of them. Her dad couldn't argue her logic and they both got large ice creams that night. Every so often after that she would still catch her dad watching the projected display of the galaxy with sad eyes, but Miz decided not to ask more or bring it up again. On the days he watched the stars with sadness were the days Miz paid extra attention to her dad. She gave him more hugs, told him more facts, and once she even let him enter her super cool, super secret fort she made in the back room at the planetarium.

It was only two years after that that Miz met her first alien. She always knew there was alien life out there, her dad had told her so. However, he said that Earth was very far away and not many of them liked to visit a place so far. The one that came that night had travelled a long way for a very important reason.

Not long after Miz realized her error from when she was a young, naive five-year-old. The someone her dad lost hadn't died and he wasn't her dad's friend. And by Orion's Belt she wouldn't let him make her beloved father sad a second time!