This should be a fun story - it's one I'm very excited about! It's a different format, but one that I think makes sense for how this story will be told. As always, any suggestions, comments, and ideas, please PM or review. Enjoy! - Euphonemes
Update (9/7/15) - After some thought, and LumiChan640's suggestion, I'll be opening this story for content suggestions. Chapter 2 is an example of how the chapters in this fic will look. I have several other chapters planned already, and an overall fic arc drawn out, but I'd like to solicit some other ideas for stories for these chapters. If there's a chapter you'd like me to write, I need: The character who will be telling the story in the chapter. And what the story will be about. Give as little or as much detail as you want. I can't promise I will write a chapter for every idea, but so long as it fits into the theme of this fic, then I will try to create something for you. Please provide your suggestions either through PM or in the reviews section of this fic. ~ Euphonemes
The Fire of Futures Past
He had planned for a quiet evening. Even the jungle bugs had listened to him, and kept far away from the campfire crackling behind their house on the hill. But the quiet would not stay for long.
He had tended the fire on his own, holding off an excited cousin from spraying lava as an igniter. It had been troublesome at first, but eventually, the embers took, and the flames had risen. Proud of his accomplishment, Stitch beamed as he examined the crowd his fire had drawn.
All cousins had been welcome, and the news had traveled at Sparky speed around the island. Most of them milled about the jungle canopy, just close enough to not miss any of the action in the ring of logs encircling the fire. Seats were at a premium, and a few scuffles and some of Heckler's favorite rude words were exchanged between several Experiments fighting over the last of the spots on the logs. The lineup in the circle would change throughout the evening, of that Stitch had no doubt, as cousins would beg, borrow, and steal their way to be closer to his fire.
Some of the log's seats would be pretty safe. Stitch was fairly confident he would not be displaced, nor would Angel, who shared part of his palm trunk. She giggled softly as somewhere between three and five cousins brayed angrily over the old stump —the last and perhaps the least comfortable option available. Reuben had somehow conned someone out of their seat. He had sneaked back inside to whip up an egg salad sandwich, yet had kept his place, now greedily eyeing the delight gripped firmly in his claws. And of course, no one would dare take the spot reserved for the little girl. Lilo stared off toward one of many stars in the night sky, half-coherently mumbling something about mind control and rock 'n' roll.
Jumba and Pleakley had elected to stand — though for how long they would continue to do so would be anyone's guess. The evil scientist was dangling Pleakley's blonde wig high above his head. Tentacles flailed impotently, which only elicited deeper laughs from Jumba. Nani was coming out of the house, snacks in hand, berating the portly alien for torturing his companion. As the scent of something sweet drifted by Jumba's wide nose, he graciously dropped the wig and raced to claim his inordinately large share of the treats. Cobra's car pulled up just as Jumba reached Nani, who ineffectually batted at him while he snagged several goodies. The CIA agent turned social worker, decked out in an atypical Aloha shirt, waved at Stitch, the only one paying enough attention to notice he had arrived. Stitch was glad to see Cobra had listened to his suggestion on casual attire for the evening.
Eventually, everyone regained a semblance of composure. Cousins and humans laughed and chatted, catching up, reminiscing, and enjoying the company. After an intense few years of tracking everyone down and finding them a place, the island was finally entering the doldrums of peace. Though they all lived so near to one another on this tiny island, time for talking —for really conversing — had been short. A small part of Stitch had been surprised that so many of his cousins had learned about his planned get-together, and a bigger part of Stitch was happily relieved.
Above, the stars turned. As expected, many of the seats around the fire changed ownership, though a few remained untouched by any other rear end. It took a long while, but the din of mingling did die away. The roar of a well-tended fire rushed in, and flames licking the inky black sky mesmerized the crowd. But only for a time.
Pleakley asked the question first. Stitch had almost done so, and he was sure many of the others were thinking it. The surprise of such high attendance existed concomitantly with the shock that he had not prepared to entertain such a gaggle of cousins. No games had been procured. No agenda for fun — a bureaucratic Pleakley suggestion — had been set. Fortunately, food was plentiful, as Reuben —mostly likely with the help of Bonnie, who had wormed her way onto a log — had gained access to some poor sap's bank account and went grocery shopping. Stitch wagered that with this sizable party, the mountain of bread and pile of sandwich fixings now filling every crevice in the kitchen would be gone by morning. Under his breath, he complimented Reuben's accidental forethought.
"What do we do now?" rose Pleakley's nasally voice.
He placed a pale tentacle on Stitch's shoulder. Devoid of an answer, he looked to Angel. She passed the silence to her right, and it traced out a ring of quiet which encircled the little snapping campfire. The silence flew right past awkward, and as it persisted, it almost assumed a holiness. The serenity of a campfire shared with good friends under the stars was almost untouchable, not meant to be soiled with banter and triteness.
Almost was never enough to stop Lilo. In a sacrilegious move, she leapt up from her log and broke the sacred silence with, "I know what we can do!"
Chapter 1
Let's Tell a Story
That riled Stitch's attention. "Ooh, meega love stories!" He nestled his sapphire fur closer to the fire, nearly falling off his seat. The tips of his claws glinted in the fiery orange as he pointed around the circle. "But who start?"
"Yeah, and what're we gonna talk about?" Reuben piped up. During the silence, he had turned his head away, primarily to hide the scarfing noises he made while devouring his egg salad victim. Bits of mustard clung to the underside of his cherry nose, dripping brighter yellow splotches onto darker goldenrod fur. Half the circle got a chuckle in before he wiped it away.
"A fine question," boomed the velvety deep voice of Cobra. The fire shuddered as he spoke. "Perhaps some thought from the audience?"
Fragments of Tantalog and broken English jumped between leaves of the jungle canopy. Stitch listened intently, hoping to construct a logical starting point from the jumbled mess. The noise rose, mimicking the crashing ocean waves that were not crashing tonight. The calm sea copied the sky above, and Stitch could watch the stars turn as his cousins shouted nonsense.
Above and below, the stars turned. Stitch looked to Lilo, whose eyes glinted as she watched the stars turn. The corner of her mouth twitched a few times, and she shook her head, maybe waking from some walking dream. "Hmm…." In an instant, the crowd fell silent. "Well, I've always wondered what would've happened to everyone if all of you hadn't found Earth."
The fragments jumped again. Jumba gave a clear voice to them. "What are you meaning, little girl?"
"Well, I mean, what if we weren't all here, right now? What if we could do whatever we wanted, be wherever, and see whoever? What if…." A pinky pointed to the stars. "…we could be up there?"
"Pah!" Jumba was quick to mock. "I have been being up there before, little girl. Is no fun, trust me."
"Well now, hold on there, Jumba. I kind of like where she's going with it," Pleakley came to Lilo's aid. "What if I hadn't been stuck with you on your mission to Earth?"
"Hmm…or what if my lab had not been being shut down…what could I be doing?" Four beady eyes sparkled with the tongues of the campfire.
"Yeah, and what if I could be out there, robbin' — I dunno, intergalactic banks or somethin'!" Stitch thought Bonnie was creepily thrilled at that prospect.
"Yeah, and what if!" was followed by many such thoughts for the next few minutes. Content to let it unfold without him, Stitch reclined on the log. He watched the top of his fire set the black sky shimmering. Pride swelled up again.
"Wait, wait!" Reuben cried. "We can't have all'a these different stories —that's too much! We gotta narrow it down."
Stitch was too enraptured by his pride to catch most of the conversation and whatever bickering took place. He did, however, take notice when Reuben spoke up again.
"But really, there's only one reason we found our way ta Earth, 'n' why we're not out in space already."
Pride deserted him as a chorus arose. "Blame him," came the accusatory finger-pointing at Stitch, who nearly recoiled off his comfy log. Luckily, Angel reflexively caught his back.
"Gaba?" Stitch offered, not bothering to cover up his confusion.
"Not sayin' that it's a bad thing we're here, cuz! But, y'know, be interestin' to think about if you weren't here."
It was at this point that Stitch lost track of who was speaking, as the jungle enlivened with chatter.
"Hey, yeah! What would've happened without Stitch finding his way to Earth?"
"What could you have done?"
"That could be pretty interesting…."
"Well then, let's talk about Stitch!"
Blue arms waved and pleaded for reconsideration, but the group just grew more raucous by the second. He may as well have tried to stop the stars from turning.
"Cool! I wanna start!"
Once upon a time, a little blue guy named Stitch—
"Now wait, you don't get to start! I do!"
"No, me!"
"Naga, meega boojiboo!"
"Nuh-uh, I should go first!"
They drowned out the noises of the warm campfire. Experiments hopped on top of their seats, clamoring to be the first to talk about what Stitch could have accomplished were he not tending this fire. Showing remarkable patience, Stitch waited as they settled it among themselves.
Reuben would be the one to close out the massive argument. "Okay, quiet everyone! Quiet!" He had booted a few cousins off the uncomfortable stump, and now stood, waving goldenrod arms as a conductor guiding his orchestra. "Alright then, we're gonna have a lotta people who wanna tell a lotta tall tales, aren't we? In that case, probably better ta say —"
Chapter 1
Let's Tell Some Stories
The entire jungle at once exclaimed, "Morcheeba!"
While everyone else buzzed with excitement as Reuben settled the group and prepared to conduct a symphony of "Yeah, and what if!", Stitch sighed and crumpled, hiding himself as best he could on the log. The quiet evening he had planned would be quiet no longer — not that he was terribly surprised.
Angel brought him back into his seat. She gave him a heartwarming smile, and he felt a little lighter. She pointed at the fire, whose reddened flames begged for tending. He reignited the fire, and she reignited his pride. As long as she stayed next to him on the log, he would be ready for this symphony.
"Now," bellowed Reuben, whose hands were raised, ready to open the first movement, "the question of the evening — who's gonna start?"
#
One more thing - Disclaimer: This story is a fictional work. Any references to any persons, living or dead, are coincidental. This fiction is intended for personal consumption. It is not intended for commercial sale or distribution. "Stitch" and all related media © The Walt Disney Company. All other media included in this work © Euphonemes.