I'm back! No, I haven't fallen down a well, been enslaved on a planet ruled by apes, or joined the witness relocation program.
Author's note: I've decided not to write the lemon. It just doesn't seem to fit in with this fic.
Disclaimer: If I owned Lilo and Stitch, the series wouldn't have that "one place where you belong" crap. But I do own 188, 189, and 002.
NOTE TO THE GREAT RED DRAGON1: No, 188 isn't acting very vicious. Remember, this takes place a long time ago. WAY before Survive the Night. 188 was different back then. 189 isn't supposed to be vicious.
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I never liked the rain till' I walked through it with you
Every thunder cloud that came was one more I might not get through
On the darkest day there's always light and now I see it too
But I never liked the rain till' I walked through it with you
(Clint Black, Like the Rain)
'You do realize what you've just done, right?' the little voice in 188's head nagged him. He recognized it. It was called Conscience and the little bastard had been screaming at him all night not to do what he'd just done. But 188 could always silence Conscience and this time was no different. 189 had found a key early that night and let 188 out of his prison. Instead of trying to escape as logic dictated, they'd gone right back inside.
Luckily there were only two experiments in the other cages and both were mindless destroying machines with the combined IQ of a lettuce leaf. They couldn't talk, let alone spy.
Conscience was saying something about Jumba finding out, and something else about how disgusting he was-sleeping with an experiment he just met two months ago. 188 didn't really care. He glanced at 189 lying beside him. Two of his arms were loosely draped over her, and one of her paws still hung onto his chest fur. Their tails were entwined.
188 sighed into her neck. Since they'd met, he'd been dying to see what her fur felt and smelled like. It was just like he'd imagined-like sea water with a hint of sunshine underneath it. Which was strange since 188 had never smelled the sea or been in the sunlight.
Now that she'd fallen asleep, 188 closed his eyes to do the same. It would be a while before he'd have to sneak back into his cage. For once in his life, everything seemed perfect.
There was no way anyone would ever know.
Neither had any idea how the events of that night would alter both their lives-for the worst.
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"188!!!"
From the tone of Jumba's scream and the way he was walking with a deliberate stamp, 188 could tell one of two things had happened. Either their secret had finally been discovered, or a nuclear war had started.
The scientist's face had darkened several shades of purple, and he was panting furiously. 188 was sure he was going have a heart attack right then and there.
"You," Jumba sputtered, pointing a shaking finger at his experiment, who just smiled coolly up at him. "This is worst thing you've ever done! I TOLD YOU TO STAY AVAY FROM 189!!"
188 shrugged, his face the picture of innocence. "Me? What did I do? I haven't seen 189 in weeks!" It wasn't a complete lie. It had been two weeks since that night, and she hadn't come to visit him-something that had him worried.
Jumba slammed his fist into the reinforced glass, seemingly oblivious to any pain. "Don't be playing dumb! You know vhat I am talking about."
188 gave up his lie. "Yes, I do. Go ahead. Shock me."
"This isn't something I shock you for and forget about. You slept vith her!" To his surprise, 188 laughed.
"There was very little sleeping involved, Jumba."
For once, 188 was glad to be locked up. If the glass hadn't been separating them, Jumba surely would have snapped his neck.
"Do you realize how serious this is? 189 is pregnant!"
188s smirk vanished. Instead, his face took on a look of shock, his jaw dropping. Pregnant? "Are you sure?"
"Is usually the case when she's eating salami covered in honey and throwing up in morning." For a split second, it looked like he was going to smile.
"Let me see her," 188 commanded.
"No."
"What?"
"Are you deaf? I said no!"
"Tie me, shock me, bring her here, I don't care how you do it. Just let...me see...189." 188's voice dropped to a tone that said "I'd love to rip out your vital organs, but I'm controlling myself to get what I want." Jumba shook his head, almost enjoying 188's desperation.
"002 is taking care of her. Usually an experiment pup vould be joyous occasion-problem is, you are it's father and you are dangerous! So you vill not see 189 and you vill not talk to her."
"I have the right to see my own mate!" 188 yelled.
"Just be thankful I am not neutering you with kitchen fork."
188 winced involuntarily. Distressing him seemed to help Jumba's mood, and he left. He had another punishment in mind. Also, an experiment pup on the way-even if it was related to 188-was a cause for celebration. This was going to be interesting.
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Experiment 002 was one of the oldest in the lab, both in age and temperament. She was like a mother or grandmother to the experiments. Sometimes they came to her with problems, and 002 considered it her duty to help them. But she'd never dealt with something like this before. As much as it shocked her who 189 had been seeing, 002 knew the last thing she needed was to be lectured.
After talking with 002, 189's fears about herself were relived, if not erased. She knew that she was Jumba's first water experiment and that he considered her too valuable to kill. Besides, he placed the blame solely on 188 and for that, 189 was annoyed with him. She heard stories about how 188 had crippled 187 and left him traumatized. How he'd butcher anyone who got too close, play with your mind to make you let him out.
'But I let him out and I'm still alive,' 189 thought. She trusted him completely. And contrary to what everyone said, he hadn't seemed like a killer at all. He'd been gentle with her, as if she'd break under fear or pain.
Why did Jumba treated him horribly.
That brought up another worry to her already strained mind. When this pup was born, how would Jumba treat it? No doubt he'd already decided it had 188's instinct to kill, even before it had formed a brain. 189 knew that most likely, he'd toss it in a cage and strap a shock collar around it's neck. It was a sickening thought, but she didn't put it past him.
With a sigh, 189 her claws through her stomach fur, speaking to the pup inside.
"You might have been conceived in a cage, but I won't let you live in one."
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A few days later, she managed to sneak into the cage ward for the first time in two weeks. She noticed Jumba had replaced the standard lock with a high tech one, one that needed his handprint to open the cage.
189 rapped on the reinforced glass, whispering 188's name urgently. There was a stirring in the darkness, and the next second he was against the glass.
"Is it true?" he whispered.
189 nodded grimly. "Yeah. But don't look so excited just yet." She told him her horrible theory.
When she finished, 188's paw drifted to the collar around his neck, threatening him with it's very presence. The thought of their child growing up with it, living like he did...
"We've got to get out of here."
to be continued...