I do not own Lilo and Stitch, Kim Possible or American Dragon: Jake Long. Zee is my OC.

Losing the Finder

Lilo exchanged looks with Stitch, who seemed just as panicked as she did. Reuben misread Lilo's expression as one of fear rather than panic. "Hey, it's alright, Lilo. Nothing can escape Finder. We'll have 000 in custody before you know it. You won't get hurt again, I promise."

"I'm not scared for myself," Lilo said quickly. "I'm...just worried 000 might do something to Gantu."

Yeah, that is totally going to convince him that Zee is a good person, Lilo scolded herself.

"G can take care of himself." Reuben nudged Lilo in the opposite direction of where Gantu had gone. "Now go home. I'm going to help Gantu."

"I could help," Lilo offered.

Reuben frowned sternly. "Lilo, 000 has already harmed you once. I'm not to risk your safety. That goes for you too, cuz. Go home and stay there until we give you the all-clear. Understand?"

"I understand," Lilo mumbled.

"Understand," Stitch repeated.

Reuben nodded in satisfaction and raced after Gantu and Finder. "Naga choota," Stitch muttered.

Lilo moaned and ran her hands through her black hair. "You're telling me. How could we have forgotten about Finder, Stitch?"

Stitch shrugged his shoulders. "Accident."

"Yeah, an accident that may cost Zee her freedom," Lilo said miserably.

"Save cousin!" Stitch insisted.

"I know we have to save her, but Finder can find anything!" Lilo thought frantically. "What blocks a sense of smell? A really dirty sock?"

"Naga."

"Nose plugs?"

"Naga," Stitch repeated.

"Er... a cold?" Lilo suggested desperately.

Stitch perked up. "Jelly!"

"Petroleum jelly! That's it!" Lilo exclaimed. "I'll get the stuff, you go help Zee. I'll meet you at the hula school. Let's do this!"

Stitch saluted Lilo. "Ih!" he agreed and the two friends went their respective ways.

...

Zee was not having a fun time. She leaned against the rough bark of a tree, panting heavily. Finder was still on her tail and Zee had no idea how to lose him. "Maybe he'll tire out soon," she said aloud, although there was a good chance she would tire out before the experiment. Zee took one more gulp of air before running again.

She charged through a section of bushes and quelled a shriek of surprise when she nearly crashed into Stitch. "Don't do that! You scared the blitznak out of me!"

"Soka," Stitch apologized. He sniffed the air intently. "Cousin coming!"

"I know that!" Zee hissed. "Why do you think I'm running for my life?"

Stitch grabbed her arm and started tugging her through the trees. "You know, I can't run forever!" Zee protested. "You're his cousin. How are you supposed to elude something that was designed to find anything?"

"Lilo has plan," Stitch assured her. "Have to meet Lilo at hula school."

"I hope it's a good plan," Zee remarked. "One wrong move and I'm toast."

There was great crash that sounded too close for comfort. Gantu was moving closer. Stitch picked up Zee and took off running. "Goobaja!"

...

As Stitch carried Zee to safety, Gantu was growing increasingly frustrated. He grunted as another branch whacked him in the face. "Where is she?"

Reuben jogged beside Finder, who was sniffing the ground intently. "Come on, cuz. You can catch that lump of jelly."

Finder's nose twitched and he pointed east. Gantu threw his arms in the air. "She's running circles around us!"

"We'll catch her soon enough," Reuben said confidently.

Gantu sighed wearily and the trio bolted through another clump of shrubs. His communicator started to buzz and the captain was relieved for the brief distraction. "Hello?" he answered.

"Have you apprehended her yet?" the curt voice of the Grand Councilwoman asked.

Gantu winced, strong memories of the time when he had to transport the then-prisoner of 626 coming back to him.

"She is proving hard to catch," Gantu admitted hesitantly.

The Grand Councilwoman sighed. But she could not blame others when she herself had not been able to contain 000. "I believe the experiment Lilo has deemed Finder will find her eventually. That is his main function. Keep at it. She can only run for so long."

"Yes ma'am." Gantu signed off and continued the chase.

...

Lilo stood on the steps of the hula school surveying the surrounding area with concern. She smiled with relief as Zee and Stitch came tearing towards her. "Gantu coming!" Stitch said urgently.

Lilo handed Zee a small container of petroleum jelly. Zee held it at arm's length, eyebrow raised. "I give up. What am I supposed to do with this?"

"When Finder finds you, stuff that right in his nose. It'll block his sense of smell, and then you can escape," Lilo explained. "It's better that you do it. If Finder catches Stitch and I trying to sabotage him, then everyone will get suspicious."

"But won't the captain catch me?" Zee asked worriedly.

Lilo shook her head. "Finder's really fast. I'm pretty sure Gantu will be having a hard time catching up. You just have to be quick."

Zee twirled the container around in her hands. "Alright. You guys go back to your house. I'll meet you in the attic."

Lilo and Stitch saluted her. "Good luck!"

"Thanks." Zee watched as the two hurried back to their house. "I'll need it."

...

The alien hurried all the way back to the bushes by the forest, where she transformed into her true alien form. The last thing she wanted was for Finder to see her in her human disguise. She crouched among the trees, listening intently.

Please let Finder find me first, please let Finder find me first.

Relief filled her when the experiment crashed through the bushes and stopped a few feet away from her. He locked eyes with Zee and stood on two feet, honking loudly. Zee jumped out and tackled the creation to the ground, removing a glob of Vaseline from the container and rubbing it on the thing's nose. Finder pushed her off and whimpered, pawing at his nose frantically. Zee grinned at the thick coating of the clear jelly on Finder's nose.

Victory! Now to get out of here before the giant comes along.

"Aloha!" Zee taunted and darted back into the trees. She jogged all the way back to Lilo's house and took her usual route to the attic window. She collapsed on the mouldy sofa and transformed into her human form. "I'm alive! That was a genius plan, kid."

Lilo grinned with relief. "Thanks. That was definitely a close one."

"Ih!" Stitch agreed. "Be more careful."

"I'm being as careful as I possibly can!" Zee protested. "Exactly how long will Finder be out of commission?"

Lilo thought for a moment. "At least a day or two."

"That's it?!" Zee cried.

Lilo shrugged. "There's not much else we can do about Finder. But don't worry. We have two days to think up a solution to your problem."

"It better be one big solution," Zee muttered.

...

Gantu pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "I don't believe this."

Reuben stood beside him, staring at the snuffling experiment with disbelief. "She's good."

"Unfortunately," Gantu muttered before pulling out his communicator. He dialed the Grand Councilwoman, dreading delivering the bad news.

The Grand Councilwoman's face flashed across the slim red device. "Captain? What's the status?"

Gantu found that he had no words to describe the situation. So he simply turned the device around and showed her Finder and his stuffed-up nose. She stared for a moment before gritting her teeth and closing her eyes.

"She got away again. Of course. The experiment that has been programmed to find lost things could not catch her. We must take drastic measures," the Grand Councilwoman said firmly. "I will come to Earth immediately, and we will undergo a full search."

"Yes, your Highness," Gantu said, relieved she was not angry with him. "I shall inform Lilo about your arrival."

"Is the child aware that 000 is definitely on the island?"

"I'm afraid so," Reuben spoke. "She came to the beach to say hi to Gantu and saw him chase after Finder. She definitely put two and two together." The sandwich-making experiment grinned. "But she wasn't even concerned for her own safety. She was worried 000 would harm G."

The Grand Councilwoman smiled. "Yes, that is just like Lilo. It will be difficult to keep her and Stitch out of this mission, but it's for the best."

"I'll check on the two right away," Gantu assured the leader of the galaxy. He was touched that the girl worried about him, but also concerned that she put his safety above her own.

"Good. I will be seeing you shortly. Good day, Captain Gantu."

"Good day, your eminence." Gantu shut the device off and glanced at Reuben. "I suppose we should also take-uh..."

"Finder," Reuben supplied.

"Yes. We should take Finder to Jumba to see if he can be fixed."

"Sounds good. Come on, cuz. We're going to see Lilo and Stitch."

Finder cheered up and hurried after the duo. Cousins!

...

Lilo and Stitch came down from the attic and were about to head for their dome when Pleakley called them. The two friends hurried into the living room. "Yeah, Pleakley?"

Pleakley smiled with relief. "Oh good. Gantu called and wanted to make sure you two came home like Reuben told you to."

"Well, we're here." Lilo smiled. "Was that all?"

"Oh! There was one more thing. Gantu wants to know if you can call your little hero friends and tell them about the situation. He thinks it would be a good idea if they came down here to help with the search. We do need all the help we can get."

Lilo twisted her hands nervously. "You want me to what?"

Pleakley raised an eyebrow. "Didn't the Grand Councilwoman ask you to alert other heroes about 000's escape?"

"Yeah," Lilo said reluctantly.

Pleakley knew what the guilty look on Lilo's face meant. "You haven't called a single person, have you?"

"No," Lilo admitted at the same time Stitch said, "Naga."

"And why not?" Pleakley demanded.

"Well, Cobra said she was in Kauai, so Stitch and I thought-"

"A-ha!" Pleakley glared intensely at Lilo. "I thought so! Listen to me Lilo, 000 is not your responsibility. All you have to do is keep your eye out and call in reinforcements. We've told you multiple times that you and Stitch aren't to be running after 000. She's dangerous!"

"So were the other experiments, and we caught them," Lilo pointed out. Stitch nodded in agreement.

Pleakley shook his head. "Lilo, if you don't contact someone right now, I will take this to Cobra. You don't want that to happen, do you?"

Lilo sighed and slumped over to the computer in the corner of the living room. She began to type a new e-mail with Pleakley reading over her shoulder.

Dear Kim, Ron and Rufus,

There is an intergalactic fugitive on the run in Kauai and I have been asked to ask you for your assistance. If you are busy, then I understand. College students should put their studies as a top priority. But if you want to help out, you can. Again, I understand if you have more pressing matters to attend to.

Lilo and Stitch

She pressed the send button and glanced at Pleakley. "Happy?"

Pleakley patted her head. "Very. Now you just have to contact Jake Long-"

"Lilo!" Nani called from the front steps. "Gantu is here to see you!"

Lilo instantly brightened, grateful for the distraction. "Really?" She jumped off the computer chair. "I'll call him later, Pleakley!" She slid across the wooden floor and rushed out the front door. Gantu loomed over the house with Reuben on his shoulder. Cheering happily, she jumped the porch railing and hugged his tree-trunk like leg. "Hi!"

Nani watched from the steps, still slightly wary about the reformed alien. But she supposed if Lilo trusted him, then she did as well. If it was one thing her sister had, it was a good judge of character.

"Hello, Lilo. It's good to see you." Gantu smiled. "And you too, trog."

"Big Dummy," Stitch returned playfully.

"So, did you catch 000?" Lilo asked.

Gantu gave her a pointed look. "We did not. But that doesn't mean you and Stitch can go chasing after her."

Lilo quelled a sigh of exasperation. She didn't understand why no one was letting her and Stitch help. They proved themselves more than capable of capturing experiments. And it would be much easier helping Zee if the two were in on the operation. That way they could tell Zee all of the plans and she would be prepared.

Something rubbed against Lilo's leg and she peered down. Finder cooed happily. Lilo noticed his plugged nose and felt guilty. "You poor little guy," she said sympathetically. She bent down and scratched Finder on the head. "Don't worry, you'll get better soon."

Reuben smirked. "000 stuffed his nose full of petroleum jelly. We were hoping Jumba could do something about it."

"Jumba is hearing name." The evil scientist peered out the front door.

"Perfect timing," Gantu said. "We were wondering if you could fix Finder."

"What is wrong with 158?"

Finder looked up at his creator and happily hurried over to him. Jumba noticed the problem and shook his head. "000 very sneaky. But not be worrying. Jumba will be seeing what he can do for 158."

Jumba patted Finder on the head and the two went inside.

"Oh yeah," Reuben said suddenly, turning to look down at the little Hawaiian girl. "The Grand Councilwoman is on her way here."

"Great," Lilo said, feeling torn between happiness at seeing her and panic at having the leader of the galaxy so close to the intergalactic fugitive.

"Lilo!" Pleakley stuck his head out of the doorway. "Kim just wrote back and said she's on her way! I also took the liberty of calling your friend Jake Long. I had a feeling you wouldn't feel the need the call him as soon as possible."

Lilo made a slashing motion across her throat. The last thing she wanted was another lecture. But it was too late. Gantu narrowed his blue eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Lilo here thinks she and Stitch can find 000 on by themselves without any help. But we won't stand for it!"

Lilo stomped her foot in frustration. "Did you catch 624 experiments and turn them good? I don't think so! So why should 000 be any different?" Angrily she stormed around the house and went in through the back door, where she went to her dome. She collapsed in her bed and rubbed her brown eyes tiredly. Stitch scampered into the dome after her and perched at the foot of her bed.

"Now what?" he asked.

"Gantu's here. The Grand Councilwoman is coming. Kim Possible and Jake Long will probably arrive tomorrow morning," Lilo said miserably. "Jumba's probably fixing Finder right now. How is Zee supposed to hide on a small island like this with so many people after her?"

"Hide in water?" Stitch suggested.

Lilo frowned. "I suppose. But she would have to come out at some point, and that might draw attention towards her. We should get together and think of something. But for now, can you warn Zee that the Grand Councilwoman is on her way here, and some other heroes as well? You should probably explain who Kim Possible and Jake Long are."

Stitch nodded and left. Lilo sighed and closed her eyes.

The next few weeks was going to be torture.