Wow, this is the THIRD TIME I've uploaded this story. I find that immensely amusing. XD

I've given this story some major changes. As you can tell, the prologue is more or less based on the deleted scene where Marlin tells Nemo a story. I love that deleted scene, especially the lines, "The ocean came and took Mommy away?" "That's right. It did." It is just so touching and heartbreaking. And, having gone through a similar loss (it's been over a year since my Dad died; wow), the whole story-telling thing, the incident being a memory instead of an eyewitness account….it just seems to fit more when the characters are human.

Also, I'm not changing their names. A few names I had worked out were cute: Matthew=Marlin, Danae=Dory, Natty=Nemo, etc. But there were some names, like Anchor, Chum, Crush, Squirt, and Gill, that I couldn't figure out a good parallel for. So I took the lazy way out. Go figure. XP

But it is still a humanized AU fic, and it still takes place on the Texas coast.

And, don't worry; the rest of the story isn't going to be written in pure dialogue form. I'm just experimenting a bit.

PARACANTHURUS HEPATATUS FTW.

---Prologue---

"Daddy? Why am I so different?"

"Different? Well…what do you mean, Nemo?"

"All the other kids in our neighborhood have two arms and two parents. I don't."

"Oh…well, son, I…I don't know if you're old enough --"

"I'm six years old, Dad! I can handle it!"

"Well…I guess…the psychologist did say that I should tell you when you started asking….okay, Nemo. Come here, and I'll tell you."

"Okay."

The creak of a floor, the sound of a young lad crawling into his father's lap.

"You comfy?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Good. Well, first off, we didn't always live here in Lake Jackson."

"What?! But I've always lived here! As long as I can remember!"

"Well, you were a little baby when we lived there. You and your brother and your two sisters."

"Wow! I had a big family, didn't I?"

A chuckle. "Yes, Nemo, you did. At that time, we lived on the beach at Galveston --"

"It was a BIG house, right? Right over the ocean!"

"Well, it was over the ocean, but it wasn't too big."

"And there were packs of HUGE, HUNGRY sharks swimming under you!"

"No, no, no. There were only a few baby fish and some blue crabs."

"Aww…"

"We lived happily next to a roaring volcano --"

"A volcano?! Really?!"

"No."

"Oh. That wasn't funny, Dad."

Another chuckle. "I'm sorry, Nemo. The truth is, it was a normal beach house, on a normal stretch of beach…but it was just perfect for me, Coral, and our kids."

"Coral? Was that my mom?"

"Yes, Nemo. Coral was your mom."

"What did she look like?"

"She was so beautiful. The most beautiful woman I had ever met. She was a marine biologist, just like me. I remember…we met at an aquarium, looking at some clownfish. Apparently, we both liked clownfish the best."

"I like clownfish, too!"

"That's my boy. I remember being taken aback by her eyes…they were red, just like yours."

"Wow! I have my mommy's eyes! … But … but then … the Corporation came and took her away?"

A saddened sigh. "That's right, Nemo. It did."

"Wha…what happened?"

"Coral and I had just put you and your brother and sisters down for a nap, and were standing outside, watching the ocean. But then, we heard a low growl, coming from the living room. We ran back inside, and saw a man. He had yellow eyes, like a barracuda. He was lean like one, too. He kept growling, like an animal; his lips peeled up in a snarl, and in that quick second I saw that his teeth were sharp and white, like small knives."

"A Stalker."

"That's right. A fifth-series Stalker, too. I handed Coral the cell phone I always kept in my pocket, and I told her to go outside … but she was so worried. For you and your siblings. I could see in her eyes that she wanted to run to you, to cover you and protect you from the Stalker."

"The Stalker was in the way?"

"Sort of. There would've been no way she could've gotten to you without him seeing her. I told her you'd be okay; I was slowly reaching for the handgun we kept in a nearby drawer. I didn't want to lose her … or you."

"What did Mom do?"

"She looked into my eyes … she mouthed 'I love you,' to me … that was the last time I ever looked into her eyes … she ran, straight towards the nursery. The Stalker, he … he roared!"

"Like this? RAWR!"

"No, Nemo … it was much louder. And scarier. It was no laughing matter, either."

"I know, Daddy. I'm sorry. I won't joke about it ever again."

"You're forgiven, son. May I continue? Or have you heard enough?"

"I think I can handle a little bit more … "

"I forgot about the handgun and ran at the Stalker, who had darted towards Coral. I punched him in the nose, but that didn't hurt him any. It only made him angrier. He punched me in the stomach, then picked me up and threw me out the window! I was lucky I landed on a sandbank that was sticking out of the water, otherwise I would have either been crushed or drowned."

"What happened then?"

"When I woke up, I found that I was in a stretcher. I screamed for Coral, but I couldn't see or hear her anywhere. There were so many policemen, ambulances, detectives … they were looking for the Stalker, but they never found him."

"What about mom, and my brother and sisters?"

"I saw your mom. The Stalker had … well, he had hurt her. A lot. And she … she didn't make it."

"My siblings?"

"They didn't make it, either."

"What about me?"

"Well, when the nurses put me into the ambulance, I thought you were all dead. I cried."

"You? Cried?"

"I was very sad when I thought about a life without any of you. But then, they brought you into the ambulance with me."

"What did I look like?"

"Well, you were so little, I could hold you in my arm. And the Stalker, he had tried to take you away. I don't know why. But, for some reason, he got scared and dropped you. You were very lucky that it only ruined your arm; your brain could've been seriously hurt."

"So they had to take off my arm?"

"That came when you were a couple of years older, but yes. At that time, your arm was just in a cast. And you were crying, because you had been so scared. But … I touched your head. I told you it'd all be okay, that I'd never let anything happen to you. And you calmed down."

"And that's why I'm so different?"

"Well, yes, but I wouldn't call you different…just very, very lucky."

"And then, when we got all better, you became a comedian as well as a marine biologist, and we moved here?"

"That's right."

"Wow."

"Well, Nemo, it's getting late. Time for bed."

"Aww, I don't wanna go to bed!"

"Well, then, I guess you can stay up, and you just won't go to school tomorrow…"

"Good night, Daddy!"

A creak of the floor, the sound of a young boy excitedly leaping from his father's lap, running down the hallway into his room, and jumping under the covers.

The father follows, tucking his son under the covers, kissing his brow, and turning out the light. He returns to the chair he has been sitting in, thinking about his dead wife.

"Oh, Coral … Nemo's going to school tomorrow … I won't be able to protect him. How will I be able to keep him beside me? How can I make sure he won't join you too soon? I love him, Coral, and I know that you do, too, from your spot in heaven. But I can't let him go … he's all I have left … "

Taa-daa! If you read it, feel free to review it! And, please, if you'd like to critique it…do it politely and maturely. Flames don't get your point across, and swearing doesn't help you make your point.