Author's Note: Randomly, I just want to point out, I know that Disney's Big Hero 6 came out somewhat recently. And I saw it. And I loved it. Love is probably still an understatement. While I loved that movie, and continue to love it and its characters (specifically Tadashi, of course), they will not be present in this story. I can't seem to fit them in anywhere (believe me, I tried). I've pretty gotten the rest of the fic planned out, and I'll probably finish it as planned. Depressing news, but true. If you want a taste of how I'd write the Hamada brothers, then I did a small one-shot on Tadashi. Not much interaction with Hiro, albeit, but at least it's something.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter!

Hercules had woken up this morning with full intentions of buying the ring at Ariel's after work. He knew he was going to go through with it, too, because he didn't give himself the pep talk in the mirror. He didn't need it.

He kept the down-payment in the pouch attached to his leather belt. He had cleared the afternoon after work to give himself plenty of time to get the job done. It was foolproof.

Apparently, however, he couldn't avoid his own nerves. It was a plan, and he was confident in that plan, but there was always the fear of doing whatever he had put off for a long time in the back of his mind. And that fear, somehow, had found itself on his face.

His co-workers asked him all day long if he was okay.

"It looks like you've seen a ghost."

"Do you need to sit down?"

"Hang in there, Herc. It's just a Monday."

He knew that no one really knew, but it seemed like they did. The way they knew something was unusual was too close to the truth for comfort. It was going to drive him insane by the end of the day.

But before he knew it, his shift was over.

He walked outside. The sunshine seemed too bright. It should have been darker. He felt that his secrecy could be better guarded by the night. It seemed too important to be exposed by the mundane sunshine.

Hercules crossed the Shopping District square conscious about every person who was present there. And there were a lot of people there. He tried to keep tabs at the way they looked at him and what they were doing. He wanted to make sure that no one and nothing could ruin this plan.

He basically tip-toed his way through the crowds to Ariel's. As he opened the door, the jingle of the small bell overhead sounded like shrill horns announcing his arrival. Thankfully, it looked like the shop was empty.

"Herc!" he heard Ariel say from the back. He saw her appear from behind rows of wooden shelves filled with antiques. "How can I help?" She walked behind her place at the counter. Normally, he would have gotten a hug, but Ariel hadn't been the same lately.

"Hey, Ariel," he spoke quietly. "Actually, I already know what I need. But I need you to be quiet and keep this a secret."

She raised one red eyebrow. "Hercules, is this for what I think it is?"

"Shh! Don't say anything." He took the envelope out of his pocket. "Just take the money. It's for that pearl and diamond wedding ring from the jewelry case. Size seven, please."

Ariel smiled. (Normally, she would have squealed.) "I'll be right back," she said with a wink, and she disappeared towards the back of the store.

Herc kept a cautious eye towards the front door. One time, Belle passed by the storefront and Hercules ducked down, mistaking the brunette hair for that of his future fiancée's. Ariel was back before he was brave enough to stand up all the way.

"Hercules? Everything okay?" Ariel said, remembering to whisper after she loudly said his name.

He stood up, embarrassed, and brushed himself off. "Yeah, uh, fine. Just thought I saw Meg. I have to keep this a secret, you know?"

Ariel smiled again at him. "Yeah. Oh, and here it is." Her smile grew and she handed him a heavy red velvet sack. "Inside is the box, and of course, the ring. You should be good to go."

"Thank you, Ariel. Really. Thank you so much."

"No trouble. Thank you. I'm just honored to know first." She touched his arm reassuringly. "I know you won't need it, but good luck. Meg's going to be thrilled."

He did his best to break his nervous expression and smile at her. "Thank you. I'll see you later."

"Later." She headed into the back of the store, and Hercules took his first steps outside.

It felt like he had sold a part of himself. In every good way, but still. That little red pouch held his future.

He suddenly was aware of holding the pouch out in the open and quickly shoved it into the leather compartment on his belt.

Even though it weighed less than a pound, the weight in the belt made him feel off of balance and unable to move. As he walked home, he felt like he was leaning.

About halfway home, he got curious. It really was burning a hole in his pocket and in his mind, and he had to reassure himself. The ring was his, and he was going to give it to Meg . . . soon. He wanted to see the box that he would open when he got down on one knee. He wanted to seal it in his mind as a fact.

No one had been around him much while on his walk home. It was around dinner time, and either people were in their houses eating or in the Shopping District. No one would be walking at this early time of night, either. He should be alright to sneak a peek.

Hercules figured that it might be best to look at it in plain sight, so he wouldn't be suspicious-looking. He sat down on a bench that was never really frequented or in a heavily visited area, and slid the smooth velvet pouch from his belt.

He undid the drawstring and shook out the most beautiful, tiny box he could have ever imagined. It was a rectangular, flawless, white box with smooth edges and a latch made of gold. It looked to be made of ivory. His hands started shaking immediately.

He slowly and carefully lifted the little lid to reveal the ring sitting in the middle of cush, deep purple velvet. Hercules didn't want to touch the ring itself for fear of hurting it somehow.

Holding it up closely to his eyes, he decided that it was perfect. Four pearls surrounded the main diamond and it was set onto an antique white-gold ring. It was sturdy, but elegant, like Meg. It was timeless, like he hoped their marriage would be. He was always in awe, too, that she could have such little fingers, even though she was only one ring size below the average. Maybe he was just used to his huge fingers, and the way that they completely enveloped Meg's delicate ones whenever they held hands.

The box snapped shut, put back in its pouch, and returned to the warm belt of its current owner. Hercules walked home with a spring in his step and peace in his heart. And for the first time in a long time, he had confidence. Real confidence.

It was another quiet night for the Tremaine girls in their house. Drizella was cooking away in the kitchen, and Anastasia . . . well, Anastasia was supposed to be helping. But she seemed content to lean her elbows on the counter and rest her head on her hands, watching her sister bustle from boiling pot to steaming pan. Drizella seemed content to be cooking on her own.

"Drizzy?" asked Anastasia quietly, but just loud enough to be heard above the bubbling and clattering.

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking."

"Oh no."

Anastasia looked up. "No, it's not a bad thing. I've just been thinking about the future."

Drizella scrunched up her nose. "That's unusual."

"I have thoughts all the time."

"No," Drizella said, pulling the pot off the eye. "I meant thinking about the future."

Anastasia shrugged. "I know what you mean. Since we've been at Disneyland, we haven't had to worry about living day-to-day like we did in banishment. And that just makes me think about what the future holds." She looked at her sister, who was still at the stove, facing away from her.

Drizella didn't seem to be affected by the sentiment. "Yeah. I guess you're right. What were you thinking about the future?"

"I mean, can we keep living like this? Will we just grow old, uninvolved in the community, still living together? And if not, when will things change?"

"Ana, it's only been a few months. Give it time. We'll figure things out. You know we won't go on like this forever. Enjoy it while it lasts."

"But I am figuring things out. Right now. I want to be able to plan and adapt as things come up. I really want a friend."

"I'm your friend," Drizella said, moving a cutting board with cooked chicken on it onto the counter. She said it like she was trying to reassure Anastasia, not defensively.

"Yeah, and that'll never change. You're my best friend. But everyone around here has something we've never really had, unless you count the villains. We have the opportunity to have a real community. We could find our place. We could have friends."

"We could fall in love."

Anastasia stood up straight. "Whoa there, sister. That's a whole other ballpark. I'm just talking about getting involved somewhere." She leaned over the counter to look her sister in the face. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

"N-no." She said it sturdily. "I was just contributing it to the list of things that could happen."

Anastasia paced around the kitchen. "I don't think so. I dunno. I just remember Mother. I mean, she told us that she loved our stepfather, but did she really? I just don't know if I'm comfortable with falling in love. I think I can see myself just being independent the rest of my life."

"Well, I certainly hope you don't lose your independence if you ever fall in love, because that's just not healthy."

"You know what I mean."

Drizella turned her head to the side. "Yeah, I know. I'm just saying, it could happen."

"I really just think that it's more of Mother's thing, and not mine."

"Whatever you say." Drizella plated the chicken and boiled vegetables and shared a quiet dinner with her sister.

He had waited for the call for a long time. He had tried to go on in the meantime, going to work regularly and act like nothing was different. But something was different.

Wilbur's life without Lilo in it was lonely. It was hard. It was unhappy. Besides all of that mushy, kissy stuff, Lilo was his friend. His best friend. And then Stitch had changed all that.

Wilbur didn't have much power to change the situation. He had told Lilo to choose. And apparently, she had some news, because she had called him. They were going to meet at Wilbur's hill that night, for the sunset.

Wilbur just prayed that Stitch didn't find his way out of Lilo's house again.

He didn't want to think about the talk they were going to have. There was no happy ending to their situation. Wilbur wasn't sure if Lilo liked him enough to keep him in his life when her childhood best friend, and probably still best friend, refused to give Wilbur his approval.

But all the same, he met Lilo at the hill in time for sunset.

She was there before he was. He didn't want to go up and disturb her, even though he knew he had to eventually. She looked like a painting, sitting up straight, back pressed against the tree, profiled in the setting sun. She looked resolute. Lilo was resolute. It was one of the reasons Wilbur liked her so much. She was reliable and she was trustworthy.

He knew that she wouldn't like it if he kept looking at her for that long, so he slowly moved his way up the hill.

Lilo must have heard his feet rustling the grass. She turned to face him with the pout she wore when she was thinking hard. "Hey," she said mournfully. Wilbur knew right away that that wasn't a good sign.

"Hey," he responded. He sat down next to her. Not too close. He looked at the sunset.

"I guess you know why I called."

He leaned back on his hands. "Unfortunately."

She looked down at her hands folded on her lap. "I'm sorry, Wilbur."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry. I tried to make something work that can't work."

She closed her eyes, leaning her head back onto the trunk of the tree. "This sucks."

"Yeah."

They were quiet for a long time. It was a heavy quiet, weighted down by all the hurt that had passed since they had seen each other last.

"You know, I've tried talking to him, Wilbur. I really have. He just can't understand the thought of sharing me." Wilbur huffed, and she looked up at his eyes, searching them desperately. "Wilbur, please. Try to understand. Stitch came to me at a time in my life where almost everyone was out to get me. Or so I felt, and so he felt. He's just trying to protect me. I'm trying to figure something out, believe me. I think we can still be friends, if we just make some sacrifices. I can come eat lunch with you on days I'm not working. We can hang out once a week or something. I just can't leave Stitch alone too much or leave him locked up. I love him too, Wilbur."

Wilbur just nodded. "I just thought, you know, nothing would change when he got here. I never imagined him hating me."

"He doesn't hate you," Lilo said. "He just doesn't understand you with me."

More silence. More drifting apart. More sadness.

"Do you think we can go on being friends? Just less romantic, less frequent ones?"

Wilbur, for the first time in the conversation, looked at her. "Sure." He tried to smile. "Anything for you, Lilo."

They hugged and parted ways without a word and without watching the sunset turn to darkness.