Disclaimer: I do not own Lilo & Stitch or any of the characters therein.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:
VAY'S HONOR

Pleakley nearly went to pieces when Le'Kruune beckoned his mother into his bedroom again. It took three guards to escort him back to his cell. Vay was devastated by her son's pain, even though she knew it was only sympathetic pain for herself. Le'Kruune noticed that she was troubled, and inquired about it.

"Why, Vay, whatever is the matter? Are you ill?" He spoke softly as he settled down onto the bed beside her. Vay sat silently on the edge of the bed, chin in hand as she stared into space. When she didn't answer, he reached out to her, brushing a long claw seductively down her back. She shuddered.

"Talk to me, Vay. I'm listening. Tell me your troubles, and I'll make them all go away. You know I have the power to do that."

Vay turned around to face him. "Then let us go," she whispered, looking desperate. "Stop torturing us and let us be! If not myself, then at least let Wendy go. I'M the one you want, not him."

"Not true," said Le'Kruune. "Wendy happens to have something very important of mine, and I want it back."

"You mean the ZY with the weapons input? He destroyed it! I helped him destroy it! It's gone for good! You've been torturing my son for nothing." She said this last sentence with contempt before turning away from him again. Le'Kruune grinned. "If you say so, my dear. I will let him go, in due time. However, you have to understand that the stakes are higher now. The cost of his well-being is skyrocketing each time he tries my patience. I can only put up with so much before I explode. Even I have my bursting point." He crawled across the bed to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She shivered, partly from the coldness of space and partly from feeling his hot breath on her neck. The fabric of her lingerie was thin, and the movement of air through it made her feel naked.

He buried his face in her hair and inhaled deeply. "God, you're intoxicating!" he purred, pulling her back to him. "Come… let's not waste any more time." He leaned back until he was lying down, dragging Vay down with him. She did not resist. He slid thin fingers up and down her sides, working the silky garment off her body. When he finished, he tossed it aside. He rose up on his knees and looked down at her, pleased by what he saw. Vay said nothing. She just stared back at him unblinking, waiting for him to make his next move. He laid down on top of her. She inhaled sharply from his combined weight and size, but recovered quickly. The previous night had given her plenty of time to get used to it again.

Le'Kruune took his time, moving slowly as he nipped at her bare flesh, tasting her every curve and contour before coming back up to her lips. He kissed her deeply, sliding his tongue into her mouth to caress against her own. Vay moaned painfully as he pressed himself against her. She still ached from earlier, but pretty soon the passion overrode the pain and she was in ecstasy once again. She would be ashamed of herself later for having enjoyed it. It felt like she was betraying her son. She didn't want to do this any more than he wanted her to, but she would much rather enjoy it for what it was instead of thinking of it as a form of rape. When Le'Kruune was done, he rolled over onto his back, sighing self-satisfactorily. Vay lay still beside him, staring up at the ceiling.

* * * *

At breakfast the next morning, I noticed that Mother looked a lot paler than she had the night before. When I asked her if she was okay, she simply shrugged and said that she hadn't gotten much sleep. She insisted that it wasn't Le'Kruune's lust that had kept her up, but his snoring. I doubted this, but I didn't question her further. She didn't want to talk about it, and I didn't want to bother her. Later on when she went down to the cleansing station to take a bath, I took the opportunity to talk to Le'Kruune alone. I was invited into his suite to watch the holo-screen and have a snack, and I accepted. He did not join me, though. Instead, he seemed to be busy with paperwork at his desk in the corner. After a while I got up the nerve and went over to him.

"What do you see in my mom?" I asked him, as calmly as though I were requesting the time of day. He set his papers down and turned in his swivel chair to face me.

"I beg your pardon?"

"What do you see in my mom?" I repeated, then blushed slightly when I realized how that sounded… as though she were some kind of unsightly beast. "I mean, why do you keep… pursuing her?"

"Are you blind?" he said, answering my question with one of his own.

"What?"

"Good Lord, and deaf, too?" he feigned shock, and I frowned at him.

"Forgive me," he added, sounding sincere, "but what I meant was, have you ever taken a good look at your mother? Can you not see why she is so desirable?"

Something in me squirmed. He was treading on forbidden ground again, and this time he was trying to pull me in with him.

"No," I replied flatly. "Listen, Le'Kruune, I don't know what's taboo or not on YOUR home planet, but where I come from, most people do not look at their mothers that way, or any other family member at that. It's just wrong."

Le'Kruune smiled sinisterly. "Of course, I didn't mean it quite like that. How else do I make it clear to you? Just for a moment, try to picture your mother as a stranger. Then look at her again. From a stranger's point of view, you will see what I mean when I say that she is an absolutely stunning specimen of womanhood."

I seethed a little at his words, but I kept my temper in check. When I thought about it, I knew that my mother was indeed quite gorgeous, and certainly highly desirable, even to men of other species. What I didn't understand, though, was why this particular man continued to lust for her. Surely he had other women who were willing to throw themselves into his bed? A man of his power and persuasion always had a way with women, even if that way was force.

"Well, I know she's pretty…" I began, but Le'Kruune overrode me. "Pretty!" he bellowed, looking amused. "Is that all? Just 'pretty?'" He chuckled heartily. "My dear boy, you are a card! Pretty - HA!!! You know your mother is more than that. Oh, yes. MUCH more than that. I recall that there was more than shock on your face when you saw her in that outfit!" My face burned from fury as I fought to keep myself calm. "But seriously, looks aren't everything, although they certainly do help!" He turned to shuffle some papers on his desk. "Yes, indeed," he muttered, half to himself. "Vay would make a fine candidate for Miss Universe. She would certainly have MY vote."

"So, that's it?" I asked. "You're only interested in a woman because she's got a pretty face? That's really shallow."

"Oh, no," Le'Kruune murmured, without looking up from his papers. "It's not just the pretty face I'm interested in, but the body attached to it as well." I clenched my hands into fists and struggled to keep them at my sides. I was surprised at how well I was able to control myself. But Le'Kruune was pushing it. I began to wonder if he was provoking me purposely. I wasn't about to give in, though. Not yet, anyway.

"That's still really shallow," I replied crossly.

"Is it?" he asked, feigning concern. "You know, Pleakley, those aren't the only reasons why I still long for Vay. She's quite the charmer, too, even when she's pissed off and trying to neuter me. Yes, and I might also mention that she's quite good in bed."

That did it… or should I say, that nearly did it. I felt something literally burst in my head, and wondered, for a brief moment, if I was suffering from an aneurism. The desire to kill him was strong… almost as strong as it had been when I had watched him kiss my mother. I wanted so desperately to rip his frigging head off with my bare hands. Instead, I remained silent, watching him write something in a ledger.

"I bet that must be hard for you to imagine… your mother, a creature of sensual design." He turned his chair again and looked me square in the face. "And I am amazed that you are handling this so well! I thought for sure you would have assaulted me by now, verbally if not physically. Especially when I said that your mother is good in bed!" He leaned back in his chair and studied me.

"Why, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about!" he continued. "By the look of you, I'd say you haven't even received your first kiss yet, excluding all the ones from Mummy over the years!" He chuckled to himself. My face grew hot with embarrassment, but I said nothing. Whether or not his words rang true was none of his business. He was half wrong, anyway. I HAD received my first kiss, and a second and third as well, but nothing beyond that, and only once was it a true kiss of passion.

Le'Kruune looked me over again. "But you're still just a kid, really. It wasn't THAT long ago when I saw you as a baby. In fact, I'd say it's only been… what? Twenty years?"

"Close," I replied. "I'm twenty-two."

"Ah, yes. That sounds more accurate… and still young enough to lose yourself to an innocent girl," he mused. He leaned back further and brought his hands together, steepling his fingers.

"You know, Vay was only nineteen when she had you," he told me.

"So?" I replied haughtily, wondering why the hell that mattered to him.

"So, that's pretty young to be starting a family, especially without being married first. Or am I mistaken about your people's moral beliefs?"

"We try not to pass judgment right away," I informed him. "Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone takes responsibility for them. My mother could have abandoned me, but she didn't. The thought never even crossed her mind."

"Such a valiant young woman, Vay," sighed Le'Kruune. "Yes, she accepted her mistake, even though it was a costly one. You really owe her big time for that."

I scowled at him. Why did he have to make me feel so guilty about the sacrifices Mom had made for me? SHE never tried to make me feel like I owed her anything.

"When I first met her, I was amazed that she was still single. I just couldn't believe your father had run out on her! A stunning creature like Vay… why, it's unheard of! It shouldn't have mattered that he knocked her up."

"Yeah, well… obviously he was a coward," I said, my voice rising in anger at the thought of him.

"Obviously," Le'Kruune agreed. He leaned toward me grinning. He seemed to enjoy poking around in sensitive subjects, and I had the feeling he wasn't about to quit anytime soon. "Tell me, Pleakley: was it hard growing up alone, just you and your mother? Or did you perhaps enjoy having her all to yourself?"

"Sometimes it was hard," I admitted, "but I think it allowed us to bond better than most mothers and sons."

"That's good to hear," he purred, leaning back again. "You know, I could very easily have been a father figure to you, if Vay had allowed it. She didn't, of course. She thought I would have been bad for you, and perhaps she was right. I certainly wouldn't have failed to make you into more of a man, though. No offense," he added, grinning smugly at me.

"None taken," I growled in response.

"Good. You know you'll never get the girl if you keep hiding under your mother's skirt, or negligee, I should say."

"I don't intend to 'get the girl,' as you call it," I told him angrily.

Le'Kruune's eyes widened in shock. "Good Lord! Don't tell me you're…you're… 'contemplating' an alternative lifestyle! Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course."

"NO!" I shouted defiantly, going red in the cheeks. "I meant I'm not stooping to your level just to chase after some pretty tail! Your view of women as sex objects appalls me, especially when that woman is my own mother!"

"Alright, alright, there's no need to get all huffy about it," he said soothingly. "I'm not as shallow as you seem to think I am. I certainly don't view your mother as a mere object for my amusement, Pleakley. Far from it. She has a very charming personality, and she's a helluva fighter! Her skills in battle would put most of my troops to shame… and those same skills translate very well in the bedroom, if you get what I mean."

My blood boiled and I saw red. "WILL YOU STOP TALKING ABOUT HER LIKE THAT?!!" I shrieked. "She has feelings, you know, and you're constantly hurting them! You're also making me sick! We shouldn't even be having this conversation! It's wrong! And what you're doing to my mother is wrong! Why can't you just leave her alone?!!"

"Because she is mine now," he answered calmly, and I seethed. "She gave herself to me willingly in order to protect you. A very noble choice, although I hardly see the point of it. In the little time I've gotten to know you, I'd say you are nothing but a pathetic waste of sinew and flesh, not to mention all of Mummy's hard-earned money." He grinned wickedly, baring his teeth. "You should really be asking YOURSELF why Vay is in this predicament. She loves you, and Love is a heartless entity, to have let her succumb to this fate."

All of a sudden I was fighting back tears. I knew what he said was true… if it hadn't been for ME, none of this would have happened, and Mother would never have had to subject herself to this tyrant. But Le'Kruune was still wrong, and I told him so.

"You're the one who is heartless!" I shouted. "Because you cannot possibly know what it is to love! If you had even a shred of mercy in you, you would let the both of us go!"

"Wendy?!!"

I startled at my mother's voice, and spun around to look at her. She had just returned from her bath - she had a towel wrapped around her hair and she was wearing the same robe as before. The way it clung to her damp body caught Le'Kruune's attention, and he looked her up and down with a hungry eye.

"Finished with your bath, my dear?" he asked, standing up and striding past me to where Mom was standing. "I trust you are feeling refreshed and, dare I assume, ready to resume our activity of choice?"

"I suppose," Mother sighed, casting her eye toward the floor. "Although it's a little too early in the day for my liking. Besides, I had hoped to spend this time with my son."

"But of course," purred Le'Kruune, leaning over and taking her hand. "There is all the time in the universe for us to…socialize." His other hand snuck down to rest on her hip, and I fumed. He licked her cheek, teasing, before sealing his mouth over hers. Mother moaned in surprise. Oh, GOD, how I wanted to kill him! At least rip his manhood off so that he could never again partake in his favorite pastime. I struggled to remain still, though. I knew it wouldn't do me any good to attack him again, and even if I did, he might snap and take it out on Mom, and I could never allow that to happen. When he finally withdrew, she gasped.

"What are you trying to do, asphyxiate me?" she demanded breathlessly. "You could have left a little more breathing room, you know!" She tried to push him away, but he held onto her tight. One hand slithered up her side to the belt of her robe. He tugged furtively at it until it began to loosen. Mother realized what he was doing and slapped his hand away.

"Dammit, Le'Kruune! I SAID not NOW! And NOT in front of Wendy!"

"Oh, baby, you worry too much," he purred to her. "Wendy's a big boy. He can handle it. He's doing a marvelous job of it so far! Yes, it takes a high level of tolerance to accept that one's mother is a whore."

That did it. That REALLY did it that time! I lost it completely. To Hell with self-control, and to Hell with HIM!!! Without hesitation I lunged, knocking him down. He landed on his stomach, then twisted his arm around to reach me. I stomped and pounded on his back, and I bit his hand as it neared my face. He howled and rolled over, nearly crushing me. I managed to squeeze out from under him before he could get a grip on me. He was on his feet in an instant, drawing a plasma cannon out of a sheath on his belt and pointing it at my head. I froze. Le'Kruune gave a mighty roar and lurched forward. I screamed, thinking that this was the end. Le'Kruune continued to fall forward, until finally he hit the floor. The cannon fired once at my feet, and I leaped just in the nick of time. I looked at him, and was surprised when he didn't get up. He just laid there, motionless, as if he were…dead. I looked up at Mom, and gasped. She stood over him, panting, staring wide-eyed at the dagger she had planted in his back.