CHAPTER TWELVE

OHANA MEANS FAMILY

Nani couldn't stop crying, and neither could Pleakley. Both sobbed into each other's shoulders, while Jumba covered his eyes with his arm and silently cried. Cobra Bubbles fingered his sunglasses, and looked over at a picture of him and Pelekai household at Thanksgiving, with him holding up the thanksgiving turkey, all ready to be served.

"Liiiilooooo…Stiiiitch…Niiiick…" Nani sobbed. "Why? Why?" Pleakley managed to get out in between sobs. "Is all my fault…could not save them…" whispered Jumba. "It's MY fault." said Cobra, his voice hollow and empty. "I couldn't stop Hamsterviel. I was the one with the gun and I couldn't do anything."

"Hey! We're back!" "Ih! We're back!" "Did you miss us?" "Hi."

Lilo, Stitch, Nick and 421 stood in the doorway, looking very happy, very relieved, and very much alive. Nani jumped up and ran to Lilo, picking her up and twirling her around in the air. "Lilo! You're okay! You're okay! Oh, Lilo, I was so worried that you and Stitch and Nick were…were hurt…" "We're okay." said Lilo, crying tears of joy. "We missed you." Nick said. "Ih." said Stitch, running over and hugging his beaming creator, who gently hugged his creation back. "I missed you, my son." He said. Pleakley jumped up and down, whooping. "They're ALIVE! THEY'RE ALIVE!" Cobra cleaned his sunglasses, then threw them on the ground and ran over to Nick, looking down at him.

"What happened?" "421 almost killed Gantu with his light aura, but I begged 421 to stop, and when he did Gantu was so grateful he let us go." Upon hearing that Cobra smiled broadly and bent down, extending his hand. "Then I think I should be saying thank you." Cobra Bubbles said. Nick immediately shook. "It was the right thing to save Gantu, and it was really nice of him to let us go." "You must have really touched something inside him." Pleakley said. "Yeah…maybe I did." Nick thought. "Maybe I did."

Nani put Lilo down, and Stitch walked over to her, hugging her tightly. She hugged him right back, and looked at Nick. "Nick, I think you're really a part of our ohana now." "Stitch…I know you're jealous of me." Stitch's eyes widened…then he nodded. "Ih." "And I bet you're afraid that I could replace you." "Ih." "You also kinda hate me because you think that I might have gotten Lilo endangered, right?" "IH." said Stitch, clenching his fists. Nick sighed sadly and looked down at the ground. "But Stitch…"

Nick looked up. He was crying slightly, a single tear falling down his cheek. "You and Lilo are my ohana…and I love you. You're my best friends, my family…I owe you so much. Stitch, I always was jealous of YOU, of your powers. You can protect the ones you love. For a while…I couldn't. And Lilo, you always seemed so brave and noble, and I felt I never had a chance to show I could be as brave as you."

Nick wiped his eyes. "God, I feel so dorky…I wished that I had had what you had…but now I get it. I had it all along. I had bravery and strength and nobility and all that in me…but you, Stitch, Joe and the others…I needed you guys to help me tap into it. I could never have saved my family without Joe and the others. I could never have stood up to Gantu…if you guys hadn't been in danger. I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier that I needed you more than you needed me."

Stitch was silent. Then he walked over to Nick and hugged him gently. "Nick achi-bagga." "What?" Nick asked. "He says you're his friend." "I…am?" "Ih!" said Stitch, pulling away and grinning. Nick grinned right back. "Taka, Stitch. Taka. You rock." "Naga. YOU rock." said Stitch. "And you know what?" said Lilo. "What?" "It's nice to be needed by others, Nick. But you know…sometimes…it's even nicer when you're needed…in a family."

"So…I'm…I'm really a part of your ohana?" Nick asked, his voice barely audible. "Yep!" said Lilo. "Ih!" said Stitch. "You bet." Nani said. "Absolutely!" said Jumba, chuckling. "Indeedy-doo!" said Pleakley. "Their word is good enough for me." Cobra Bubbles said, managing a small smile. "Muh...mahalo, guys…" Nick said, crying tears of joy. "Mahalo…"

He turned to Lilo and Stitch. "Hey…you guys can play the guitar, right?" "Yep." "Could you teach me how to play?"

Lilo smiled, and took him by the hand. Stitch took him by the other hand. "Sure. It's up in our room. You really wanna learn?" "Yep!" "Teaching is good. Yeah…good." Stitch said, and the three walked up the stairs, towards Lilo's room.

About ten minutes later...

"Okay…now hold it like this."

"Like this?"

"Ih."

"Now what?"

"Strum it like I do."

Hmm…hmm…

"Okay, uh…"

Hmmmmm…hahummmm…

"Uh, wrong way. More like THIS."

Hmm…hmm…

"And don't' forget to use these."

Twist-twist-hmm…hmm…

"Okay, uh…"

Twist-twist-hmmuh…hmm…

"Almost got it!"

"Watch."

Twist-twist-hmm…hmm…

"You try."

"Okay…"

Twist-twist-hmm…hmm…

"I did it! I did it!"

"Great! Now try this…"

Twist-hmm…hmm-twist-hmm…

"Okay, uh…"

Twist-hmm…hmm-twist-hmm…

"Great! Now try THIS!"

Twist-twist-hmm-hmm-hmm-doooooo…

"All right."

Twist-twist-hmm-hmm-hmm-doooooo…

"I did it!"

"Bootifah!"

"Yeah, that was cool, Stitch."

"Hey, have you guys heard of the band Barenaked Ladies?"

"Naga."

"No, why?"

"I've got a song I always wanted to play…but I need to remember the tune…"

Then Nick's watch suddenly hummed to life, and a song began to play.

BGM: Falling For The First Time, by Barenaked Ladies

"Hey…that's it!" Nick said. "Okay, one…two…one two three four!" '

I'm so cool, too bad I'm a loooseeer…
I'm so smart, too bad I can't get anything figured ooouuut!
I'm so brave, too bad I'm a baaabyyy…
I'm so fly, that's probably why it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

I'm so green, it's really amaaaziiiing…
I'm so clean, too bad I can't get all the dirt off of me!
I'm so sane, it's driving me craaaazyyy…
It's so strange, I can't believe it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

Nick stood up, jamming on the guitar, with Lilo beating out a drum ryhtmm on a toy drum and Stitch playing another guitar.

Anyone perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost,
Anyone plain can be lovely, anyone loved can be lost!
What if I lost my direction? What if I lost sense of time?
What if I nursed this infection? Maybe the worst is behind…

Nick jumped in the air.

"It feels just like I'm falling for the first time!" he sang out.

"Yeah it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!"

I'm so chill, no wonder it's freeeeziiing…
I'm so still, I just can't keep my fingers out of anything!
I'm so thrilled to finally be faaailiiiing…
I'm so done, turn me over cuz, it feels just like I'm falling for the first time!

Anything plain can be lovely, anything loved can be lost…
Maybe I lost my direction, what if our love is the cost?
Anyone perfect must be lying, anything easy has its cost…
Anyone plain can be lovely, anyone loved can be lost!
What if I lost my direction? What if I lost sense of time?
What if I nursed this infection? Maybe the worst is behind…

Then Nick belted out the guitar solo end to the song, and then the music finally ceased. Lilo looked at Nick and smiled. "You're a natural!" she said. "Just like Stitch!" "Nah, it took Stitch about what, fifteen seconds, not even, to figure out how to play?" "Ih." Said Stitch, with a tone of pride. "But I wonder…how did the watch know what to play?" Nick thought. "Maybe it IS important…maybe it's got a mind of it's own…ah, I don't care." Nick looked at his ohana sitting across from him and smiled. "I'm just gonna enjoy my time with my ohana, and worry about this watch later. I've got a jam session to play in."

Nick fingered the guitar strings and looked up at Lilo. "Hey Lilo, could you teach me "Burning Love?" he asked. "Oh, you bet!" said Lilo. "Here, hand me the guitar. Now first you gotta…"

Then 421 bounded into the room, happily laughing. "What, you like music?" 421 smiled. "Okay, you can be the drummer." "I wanna be the drummer." said Lilo. "I thought you'd wanna be the singer." Nick said. "Okay, then I'll be the singer. Stitch, you wanna be the drummer?" "Ih!" "Okay, 421 can be bass." Nick said. "Okay! Okay!" said 421. "Now, you were saying, Lilo?" "Oh, right! Okay, first hold the guitar like so then adjust these…"

And so began a new part in the adventures of Nick, Lilo and Stitch, now with a new friend by their side and the promise of great times ahead, they would face whatever threat came…but they'd face it…as family. As an ohana.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Well, that's the end of the first part of my story. Nick's gonna face a new type of threat soon, but with his ohana behind him, he can conquer anything!

Or can he?

You'll just have to find out. It's definitely NOT going to be your average "adventure on an island" experience! And don't forget to read and review! I've got to take a little break.

So aloha! That is, untiiiilll...we meeeeet...agaaaaain!

ngrey651