Author's Note: So, basically, I stink at deadlines. So here's a chapter two days after it was due (oops).

This is still pretty dark, but it'll get better. Disneyland can't stay unhappy forever!

By the time Chris had finished his story, it was so late in the night that it could have been considered morning.

Andy had stayed quiet throughout its entirety. Not even his face gave any indication of what he was feeling. Chris, on the other hand, had cracked under the horror of these things. Several times, he had to stop and clear his mind before continuing. Chris's eyes had filled with tears, and he had only allowed one or two to spill over. He didn't deserve to cry. All tears over Alice belonged to Andy. But Andy never budged.

Chris had scarcely noticed Andy's unwavering countenance until he was finished speaking. They both stared at one another for a long time without saying anything at all.

When the time for silence had passed, Chris was first to speak. "Andy?"

"No. Just… no."

"Andy, I'm so sorry. If I had any other choice, I—"

"Shut up." So he was angry.

"Andy, please, you don't understand. I would have told you sooner if I could! It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

"Chris, it'd be best to just be quiet for a minute." The two boys sat in a stoic quietness as Andy thought about the situation, putting his head in his hands and gripping his hair as if he was going to tear it all out.

Chris didn't know what else to do but look at his best friend in his agony. He tried to imagine what he was feeling. Betrayal, guilt, regret, shame, sadness, anger… the list could go on. But Andy, for now at least, stayed amazingly silent.

After a long period of nothingness, Andy looked up again at Chris. His eyes had turned red and wild from restrained tears, his hair stuck out every which way, his lips were turned into a strict frown, and his brow was wrinkled. He couldn't look directly at Chris, but would cut his line of vision from the floor to his hands then back again. Then he spoke.

"So, all this time, huh?" It was so quiet, Chris almost missed it.

"I, uh, yeah. I've known since that night."

"Be quiet, Chris. It's my turn to talk." Uh-oh. "Do you have any idea what I've been going through? Any idea how I'm feeling now?" He clutched his shirt where it covered his heart. "I'm in pain, Chris." He sighed and took a second to collect himself. "Every day I put on a mask like I'm okay. But I'm not. I'm never okay." He stood up and paced around and spoke up when he began again, "Do you know how much I've wondered and blamed myself for her leaving? Every day I wake up and spend an hour trying to convince myself that I'm worthy of getting out of bed. But I'm not. Alice would have yelled at me for not going to work, so that's why I go. She's why I try. The Alice I knew would have seen value in me. But now she's gone. And whatever illusion I had of a best friend is gone, too." The sting of the insult was visible on Christopher's face. "Don't look at me like that. You knew what you were doing. I can't trust someone who keeps secrets from me!" The last bit was screamed, causing Chris to flinch with every word.

"Andy, did you not listen? This hurt me, too, man. It tore me apart to keep stuff from you, but what was I supposed to do? I walked into this; I didn't ask for it. I couldn't just tell Alice's secret, although I just did. But it was to regain yours!"

"Well, congrats, Chris. Not only did you betray Alice's trust, you betrayed mine."

The two boys stared at each other, Andy with anger and Chris with desperation. Andy finally resorted to pacing around the room before he finished the conversation off. The next time he spoke, it was calm and ordered. "Chris, I forgive you."

Chris lit up. "Andy, thank you! I knew—"

"Wait. I said I forgive you. I understand what you did and why you told me. But I know now that I can't trust you."

"But I don't get it. I tried everything to keep my word to both you and Alice. I lied only to protect you. I tried to do everything so you might figure it out yourself. I stayed with you and tried to encourage you when you were down. That has to count for something!"

"And it does. I forgive you. And in no way am I saying that this friendship is over. But in light of what's happened, we're going to have to work to become best friends again. I'm sorry, Chris."

Chris, after a few moments of shock, uttered, "I'm sorry too, Andy. We'll work it out."


In somewhat of a desperate attempt to keep their friendship intact, Wilbur and Lilo had decided to meet that night for dinner at Wilbur's house. That way, they might have a night away from Stitch, whose attitude about Wilbur worsened with every moment they spent together.

Wilbur picked up to-go food from Tony's and brought it home, not-so-gently reminding Lewis to get out. It would probably be their last night alone for a while, and Wilbur had a lot on his mind.

Lilo arrived and they plopped on the couch together with paper plates and plastic utensils in hand and began their uber casual meal. Their conversation started out slow at first, but as they began to remember how close they were, it carried on without either one of them trying. Passing the time was far too easy.

Lilo shared stories about her current job search, and about how she had taken care of the toys once when Andy and Chris had plans. "Much different from children," she pointed out, "But much more entertaining."

Wilbur, too, mentioned his job and how it had been improving, especially since Andy had been coming less and less often with Alice's disappearance.

It really was odd. Wilbur now seemed to hardly notice anything about Alice anymore, since Lilo was there, now. She had filled the void in so many ways that he had thought Alice could have, but in retrospect, he had just needed to wait. Lilo, despite the fact that they had agreed to be friends (although it was an awkward halfway point between being friends and being in a relationship), had done so much for him. And every time they met, he felt stronger and stronger in this way.

And now she sat in front of him, laughing at his story with no judgment, no holding back. She was completely comfortable, wearing ripped jeans and a paint-splattered tee shirt that read "Moses Puloki Hula School." It was times like these that made her the most special to Wilbur.

And Lilo was just happy to finally talk with Wilbur. It had put more strain on their friendship with Stitch's arrival, and it was causing her all kinds of stress. But once they were finally together, it showed that he still valued her as much as he did before Stitch ever came.

She could take a step back and compare what life was like before and after Stitch's arrival. It had been awful when Stitch was away, and she was glad to see him, but with her busyness with Stitch, she had missed an entire new light that was cast onto her and Wilbur's relationship: that of possible romance.

She had considered it once or twice before because he had mentioned it, but never had she really had the intention of following through on that whim. She was waiting for when the heavier topics of conversation would inevitably turn up, then she would casually mention it. Or at least try.

Wilbur was the one who brought the subject up, as normal, however. He took a long breath and looked into her eyes the way that no one else ever had. While she used to get a bit scared by this, she had learned to like it. He brushed a hair out of the way of her makeup-bare face and set it behind her ear. He said nothing, but just sat with a stupid grin, examining every detail of the beautiful visage in front of him.

When Lilo opened her mouth to talk, he began, "I know I've mentioned this before, but I always think it worth mentioning, Lilo. And I know what you're going to say. But while I have flirted around before, I think that what I feel now is… different. You're different. And you know, we could work around Stitch. I'd learn to handle the situation. But you're worth it. And I wish you'd let me take that chance."

"Yes."

He froze. "Yes?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't get all mushy on me before I change my mind."

He beamed. He took her hands in one of his and used the other to tilt her chin upwards. "How's this?" he asked smoothly before moving in.

Both hearts were pounding and minds were racing as they moved forward to meet the other in a kiss. They had waited for this for so long, even if the feelings had been suppressed. And the time they had spent without each other had been unbearable. But it was nice to know that they could pick up where they left off. Better yet, it was fun to at least try this to see if what they were doing was best. It was freeing and right. But then, something unexpected happened.

Wilbur was yanked backwards by the shirt and off the couch, onto the ground. Thinking he fell onto the ground, Lilo looked like she might laugh at first, but frowned and moved to action as soon as she realized what had happened.

Somehow, Stitch had found Wilbur's house, broken in, and managed to knock him to the ground just in time to "protect" Lilo. He possessively sat in front of her now, baring his teeth and ruffling his fur in defense as Wilbur sat bewildered from the ground.

An exasperated, tired-looking Wilbur stood, covering the two below with his shadow. "That's it," he muttered. He started to head outside. "Either you choose me or Stitch. It's obvious neither one of us likes each other, and he certainly doesn't like me hanging around you. So until you choose, I'm going to have to stay away from you. I just can't stomach this anymore."

He darted outside, undoubtedly going to his secret hill, leaving behind a very confused Lilo and a contented Stitch.


TARGET LOG ENTRY #5

Target: Christopher Milne Robin

Approximate Height: 5'10''

Approximate Weight: 130

Skills: encouragement, hard work, faithfulness

Notes:

-lives with Andy Davis and their childhood toys

-currently at an impasse with Andy Davis

- important to his friend group

-works at Tiana's Place

Recommended attack tactic: Blunt force attack during his late night walk home from work. Target is usually defenseless and unsuspecting.