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

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE:
CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME

It was not long after sunrise the next morning as Pacific Airlines flight 626 touched down in Los Angeles, bringing Nani, Lilo, Jumba and Stitch into California. For the entire flight, Stitch had had to be kept crated in the back with all the other pets, and naturally, this didn't sit well with him at all. Especially when the flight bore the same number as his own experiment number. In fact, it was he who had chosen that particular flight, and by lucky coincidence, it had been the only one bound for California at that time. Upon hearing news of the Kaizaxx' latest threat, and with the discovery of Pleakley's would-be suicide note, the entire ohana had unanimously decided to fly in to the golden state to be with their friend in his hour of need. Naturally, it had taken more than a little persuasion to get Cobra to agree to it, but in the end his staunch, stone-like façade had caved in to the empathetic heart beneath. As soon as it had been decided, Nani and the others had immediately begun making preparations for departure.

Now in California, they needed to find a way to get to Cambria, a small coastal community some two hundred miles north of Los Angeles. Outside of the airport, Nani made a remark about catching a Greyhound, and of course the newly liberated Stitch had taken her seriously enough to ransack the other animal carriers for a dog with some semblance to an actual greyhound. He only succeeded in terrifying all the animals, and even accidentally freeing a few.

"Settle down, Stitch!" Lilo yelled at him as he chased after an orange tabby cat. "Don't make me use the shock collar Jumba invented!" At that, he stopped dead in his tracks and obediently returned to her side. Lilo tried to put a choke chain on him, but he was resistant. After several hours of being cooped up in a carrier, he was not about to surrender his newfound freedom. Unfortunately, airport security were beginning to watch him like hawks, warning Nani to keep her 'dog' on a leash or face a fine. One glare from Nani was more than enough for him to accept the leash, though he sat there on the curb looking humiliated afterward.

"We still need to find a Greyhound going north," Nani muttered as she checked through a listing of the regularly scheduled stops and departures from their airport. Stitch looked up at her, his ears forward. "But - neema ganoochi!" he protested.

"I know you tried," Lilo told him, patting his head as she sat down on the curb next to him. "But when Nani said Greyhound, she meant the bus, not the dog. If we were gonna get there by dog, then we'd need a whole lotta dogs, and a sled, too! It would be a lot more fun that way, but it would also take longer, although I wouldn't mind that at all. We'll be going up the coast, so that means we'll be taking the scenic route the whole way."

"Igh - zizzy alaamna. Puih!" Stitch said, jumping up and waving his four arms excitedly.

"Yeah, but you don't wanna wear yourself out pulling the sled yourself. There'd probably be nothing left of you by the time we got there! And another thing: you might wanna keep those tucked in. Earth dogs don't have that many legs… except for the seven-legged Terrible Terrier of Scotland." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she added, "Most people don't believe he exists, but I do. I've seen him five times. He was vacationing in Honolulu when we went to that dog show. He was the one with the glowing red eyes. But he was smart enough to keep his extra legs tucked in, at least until after the show, when I saw him devour that Chihuahua."

"Aye-aye-aye, Lilo. Are you telling Stitch another one of your lolo stories? You know he'll believe anything you say, don't you?" Nani stood over her, looking exasperated.

"Of course!" Lilo replied. "And that's why he's my favorite puppy!" And with that she picked him up and gave him a tight squeeze. Stitch gasped and growled, but did not resist.

"Yeah, well… he's your only puppy. All your other puppies ended up running away from home, remember?"

"That's just because they weren't ready for the truth. I've seen horrors beyond your wildest nightmares, but when I told them about the Terrible Terrier and all his legs, and how he's been snooping around Hawaii for the past few years, they all got scared and probably headed for California, where we are now. I'll bet we'll run into Shnoodly while we're here. I saw him in a bunch of dog food commercials, so he must be living it up in Hollywood right now!"

Nani rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Somehow, I seriously doubt Shnoodly would want his face plastered all over the TV screen. Remember how he chewed the lens off your camcorder when you were trying to record him for that pet show? Oh, good! Here comes our bus now! Finally!" Nani saw the Greyhound pull in and grabbed Lilo by the hand, running to meet it. Nobody was very happy about the trip up the coast, as it included several stops and transfers along the way, some of which had hour-long waits between buses. Stitch was especially angry to be crated again, and at each stop made the most of it by running around in circles, chasing cars and squirrels until he wore himself out, then fell asleep in his crate for an our or two. Jumba was none too happy about having to pay extra for two seats, and complained extensively about 'primitive Earth transportation' for a good portion of the trip. Nani argued with him in favor of the bus system, as it was far better than the horse and buggy days that were not so very far in the past. Lilo, who had not gotten a wink of sleep on the airplane, dozed most of the way up to Cambria.

* * * *

It was late in the afternoon by the time they made it to the little coastal town surrounded by pines. The sun had already dissolved into the ocean, but the last of its light allowed them a good look at their surroundings as they approached their final destination. Someone was waiting for them in a black Ferrari at their rendezvous point. It was not Cobra Bubbles, as they had been expecting, but another CIA agent who had been assigned to guard Pleakley. The man was far less pleasant than Cobra. He was as lively as a corpse, and this made his passengers appreciate Cobra a lot more by comparison. He said no more than was absolutely necessary, and they rode on in silence up into the wooded hills surrounding Cambria. At the end of a picturesque little lane, they turned onto a narrow dirt road that twisted and wove itself between towering evergreens, cypress and pines, until it reached the top of the hill. In a small clearing stood an unremarkable little white house. The garden surrounding it was overgrown with weeds and vines that climbed halfway up the front of the house and concealed its windows from view. It was nearly completely dark now as the gang followed the bobbing light of their driver's flashlight up to the dark and lifeless front porch. The man knocked and rang the doorbell alternatively in a sort of code, and after what seemed like a very long minute, the door opened, revealing Cobra Bubbles. Even indoors at nighttime, he wore his trademark Ray-bans, though behind them the others could make out his somber expression, though it was far more somber than usual. Something was wrong, Nani, Jumba, Lilo and Stitch thought simultaneously. Without even an exchange in greetings, they walked into the house, their driver helping to carry in their luggage. There was very little in the way of furniture or décor; only the bare essentials. As they looked around quietly, they couldn't help but wonder where Pleakley was at that moment, but just then they were all afraid to ask. Except for Stitch, of course. He curled himself up into a ball and rolled around the living room, then stopped when he bumped into Cobra's shins. He popped open then and looked up at him with one ear cocked. "Where Pleakley?" he asked, his eyes wide with childish curiosity. At this, Cobra sighed, took his Ray-bans off.

"Everyone, have a seat. There's something we need to discuss."

* * * *

"He did WHAT?!!" Nani shouted, looking hysterical. Beside her, Jumba stared unblinking at the CIA agent, all four eyes wide in disbelief, even though he knew he should have seen it coming.

"It vas in his letter," he conceded, remembering the farewell note that Pleakley had inserted into his diary. "He said he vould do it, but I never really believed that he vould. The little bugger von't even swat a mosquito that is drinking his blood. How he could go and do this is beyond my comprehending."

"Is he okay?" Nani asked anxiously.

"If by okay you mean 'alive,' then, yes. He is fine. But now it is obvious that mentally, he is not well at all. Physically, however, he is still recovering. He lost quite a bit of blood for a person of his size. I do wish you had found that suicide note sooner, Dr. Jookiba. When I found him, I thought it was already too late."

"But why would he wanna cut himself?" Lilo demanded, her arms around Stitch as the two sat on the floor in the living room. "He can't even stand the sight of blood, so how could he make himself bleed like that? Are you sure he didn't cut himself on accident?"

"I'm sure," Cobra answered flatly. "See, Lilo, he cut himself on purpose because he didn't want the Kaizaxx to do it for him. He wanted to be in control of his own life for once, even if it means ending it before they do. Do you understand?"

For a long moment, there was silence. All eyes were on the little girl, while her own eyes began to fill with tears. Staring at the floor, she nodded, ever so slightly, then shook her head. Then she buried her face in Stitch's fur, drying her eyes.

"It's not fair," she muttered, and everyone had to lean in closer in order to hear her. "Pleakley can't die. That's all everyone does is die. Or leave. We're his ohana now, and ohana means nobody gets left behind or forgotten. Sounds like he's already forgotten, though, because he already tried to leave us all behind."

Sitting nearby on the couch, Nani leaned over to lay a hand on her sister's shoulder. Angrily, Lilo shrugged it away. Two large, highly polished black shoes appeared on the floor before her, and she looked up to see Cobra towering over her, his Ray-bans and his stern, governing demeanor back in place.

"I think what Pleakley needs right now is a good talking to, preferably by someone who is good with negotiations. He needs to be reminded that he has family on this planet; people who would be forever hurt by his leaving them. He needs to know he's important to someone, and that there is a reason to keep on living. How 'bout it, Lilo?" He tipped his Ray-bans and peeked over the top of them at her. Lilo grinned wide in response.