:Sweatdrops at Sa-chan.: You're scaring me... I know, lots of people don't like OCs just for the sake of being paired up with copyright characters. I usually don't either, usually because I expect another sequel to come out and then they'd create cubs for Kiara and Kovu or girlfriends for Timon and Pumbaa. I usually try to stick to as close to the series as I can... I usually only write fics for shows that are cancelled and then I can write what went on from there and invent new characters as well.

Anyway, I really don't expect another Lion King sequel on the way (real shame, too), so I figured, eh why not? And I've wanted to write a Timon romance thing since before I finished writing Son of Fearless Buzz. And I don't really do slash. So, sorry if this fic isn't going in the direction you guys like it (or just Sa-chan), but it's what I want to write about. Otherwise, everyone else seems to like it so far. :Points at brownies and glass of milk from Jedi, birthday cake and glass of milk from Mina, and chocolate pretzels and a bottle of Grape Pucker from her buddy Stormie.:

PS... if I ever become a true Mary-Sue... I want someone to hit me. Hard. UPDATE: Removed Great Timon lyric.

Chapter 2:

Pumbaa trotted across the desert, humming cheerfully as he and Timon grew closer to the oasis. Timon was fanning himself with his paw, lying on Pumbaa's back.

"Pumbaa, do you think you can speed it up? I'm fried," Timon said, looking back at Pumbaa. He felt Pumbaa had stopped, so he sat up and turned around, climbed on top of Pumbaa's head, and looked down at him. "I said 'speed it up' not 'slow it down.' This is the exact opposite of what I said. Why'd you stop now?"

"We're home!" Timon looked ahead and smiled when he saw the oasis was only a few hundred feet away.

"We're home..." Timon echoed. "Whoo-hoo!" Pumbaa started running towards the oasis at top speed. Three meerkats were climbing the outer trees for some fruit half the size they were. One meerkat pulled a piece off the branch, and then some movement caught his eye. He looked out towards the desert and smiled as he saw Pumbaa running towards them.

"It's Timon and Pumbaa!" he said. The other two meerkats looked and waved at them.

"They're back for a visit!" the second meerkat cheered. Pumbaa skid to a halt to look up at the tree-climbing meerkats.

"Hey, guys! Simba doesn't need us babysitting anymore!" Pumbaa waved.

"Are you serious?"

"Spread the word, we're home!" Timon called up to them. The third meerkat grabbed a vine and swung ahead to tell the good news.

"Look out below!" the first meerkat called down as he and the second meerkat dropped two pieces of fruit down towards them. Pumbaa got directly under them and pierced one with his tusk. Timon tried catching the other one, but it dropped on him instead. It crumbled and spread sticky fruit juice all over his fur. "Whoops. Sorry, Timon!"

"Are you OK, Timon?" Pumbaa asked as Timon licked some juice off his paw, then he smacked his lips, tasting it.

Timon grinned, "Mmm... a bit sticky, but yeah." The meerkats in the tree grabbed some vines and swung ahead to meet with the rest of the colony. Pumbaa followed them on the ground. As they neared the stream, they heard the colony singing. Timon smiled, slid off the front of Pumbaa's snout, and raced ahead of him. "Oh, baby, they're singing my song!" Timon said as he ran ahead. Pumbaa grinned and ran after him. Timon ran ahead and stopped when members of his colony greeted him. Pumbaa showed up and received the same greetings.

"Welcome back, Timon and Pumbaa!"

"Good to have you back!"

"OK, back up, guys! We gotta breathe, y'know!" Timon said as he lightly pushed some meerkats out of the way. He dusted himself off, still sticky from the fruit juice. "Tell Ma I'll be over in a bit. I gotta wash this sticky juice off before she decides to work on my hair again."

"Too late. There she is," Pumbaa said as the meerkats parted, revealing Timon's mother.

"Ma."

"Timon." Timon smiled and rushed over to meet her. Ma opened her arms and hugged Timon when he reached her. "Is it true? Are you really staying, Timmy?"

"Yeah. I'm home, Ma." Timon moved to let go, except his fur was stuck to his mother's.

"Timon... when was the last time you took a bath?"

"This morning," Timon said, trying to pull apart from her. "I got clobbered with fruit juice."

"Fruit juice? Hmm, I wonder..." Ma took this chance to smooth out Timon's hair.

"Ma!" She smoothed his hair out, making Timon looking a little foolish.

"Ooh, fruit juice works better than bug juice," Ma said, admiring her work. Timon managed to pull away, rubbing his fur. Pumbaa snickered at Timon's hairdo. Timon stared back at Pumbaa as he ruffled his hair up the way he normally has it.

"OK, now that everyone knows we're back, I'm going to wash up. I expect a party when I get done!"

Timon walked away, past the rest of his colony and stepped into the water. He looked back at the group, who had walked away and were preparing to get the party started. Pumbaa walked off as well. Timon waded over to one of the smaller waterfalls and began to wash the juice out of his fur, absentmindedly humming to himself. He shook his head to clear it when he realized he was humming to the tune that female meerkat was singing earlier today.

"Just another pretty face... just forget about her, Timon. She's your typical meerkat female who sings and dances... well. Really, really well. And you're just dying to hear a woman besides your mother to say she loves you. Can't fall for someone on looks alone, you know. And you'll probably never see her again." Timon stepped out from under the water and waded back to the shore, where Pumbaa was waiting.

"Timon, are you talking to Buzz again?" Pumbaa asked, cocking his head.

"No, I'm talking to myself."

"About what?" Timon grabbed a leaf and used it to towel himself dry.

"I'd like to think my personal thoughts could stay personal, don't you?"

"Not when you say them out loud." Timon grimaced at his buddy, and then he shook his head. Pumbaa tilted his head to the side as he watched Timon start to walk away. "Aww, Timon, please don't act like that again. I thought you came to terms with Buzz's loss."

"I did."

"Then what are you acting mopey about this time?"

"I'm not acting mopey," Timon said with a hint of annoyance in his voice. He put on a smile for Pumbaa, lightening the tone of his voice. "I'm home with my family. Why should I be mopey?"

"Well, when we were leaving Pride Rock--"

"Blood's more important to me than staying with the lions and being the personal babysitter to the princess. She's a big girl now."

"Actually, I was talking about when you said Kiara and Kovu are lucky to be in love. You're lonely." Timon stopped, and then he grimaced again.

"OK, you got me there." Timon walked over to Pumbaa and climbed up onto his back. Pumbaa continued walking in the direction Timon was going. "See, I found this meerkat colony while we were looking for breakfast today, and one female stood out. She's a great dancer, and not a bad singer either."

"What's her name?"

Timon leaned forward, resting his elbows on top of Pumbaa's head. He let out a small sigh, "Zuri. Ah... blue eyes, blonde hair, she looked like she had soft fur..."

"Pretty?"

Timon shrugged, "Eh. She was cute."

Pumbaa looked back at him with a grin. "Timon...?"

Timon waved him off. "Pumbaa, there's no point of me going on about her. She doesn't associate with rogues... at least that's what her father said."

"But you're not a rogue."

"That's what I tried to say. He thought I was trying to get into the colony, so he gave me the boot before I could even introduce myself." Timon rested his chin in his paws. "So maybe I should just forget about her. She's probably not my type anyway."

"Timon, you don't give up that easily. Maybe you should try to get to know her, see what she's like, see if she has what it takes to be a missus."

Timon stood and started to pace on Pumbaa's back. He folded his arms behind his back and shook his head. "Nah, with her looks, she probably already has a boyfriend."

"What if she doesn't?"

Timon stopped pacing, and then he tapped his foot, the speed of the tapping increasing with each passing second. He let out a frustrated groan and pulled on his ears to the point where they might rip off. "Oooh, I can't stand not knowing!"

"So go."

"I can't. She lives back in the Pride Lands and we just got back home. What kind of logical excuse would I give the colony so they wouldn't ask questions about me leaving again so soon?"
"The truth?"

"Seriously, Pumbaa. What would I say?"

"You could say there's some things you need to take care of."

Timon scoffed, "Yeah, right. If Ma heard that, she'd wanna come along."

"Stop making excuses, Timon."

"I'm not making excuses!" Timon retorted.

"Are too!" Timon jumped off Pumbaa's back and stared at Pumbaa straight in the face.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

Timon stood on his tiptoes to press his nose against Pumbaa's snout. "Not, not, not!"

Pumbaa pressed his snout against Timon's nose. "Too, too, too!" Pumbaa then grinned, "You're scared of rejection, that's why you're not going."

"Not!" Timon stamped his foot in the dirt.

"Too!" Pumbaa stamped his front right foot in the dirt.

"Oh, yeah? I'll show you, Porky! I'm going and that's final! Cover for me!" Timon turned on his heels and marched in the opposite direction Pumbaa was facing. Pumbaa watched him march away, and then he grinned to himself.

"Just have to know which buttons to push," Pumbaa said to himself, then padded off in the opposite direction.

To be continued...