Love and Burden
by The Great Red Dragon

Chapter 2
As the clock in the Pelekai household struck 3:15 PM, the elementary school bus rolled into the bus stop. The doors hissed open, and the sound of two dozen chattering children increased noticeably.
Stitch stood off to the side and waved friendlily at the kids staring at him through the rear windows. Lilo had told him before that so many of her friends at school thought him so cool, and it felt nice to be admired.
Lilo emerged into the sunlight, carrying with her a backpack that was almost the same size as her. Demonstrating safety-rules learned in school, she took five careful steps away from the bus, and stood still while it rolled away. She waved at her parting friends before turning around and noticing Stitch.

"Did you have a good day at school?", he asked her.

Lilo nodded and dragged her bag over to him. She hugged him in a post- school ritual, and he accepted and returned the embrace.

"We got to work with clay in art today", she informed Stitch, as he took her backpack from her helpfully.
"I made a horse."

"Cool", Stitch commented as they began their way back towards the house, which was about a block away.
"Did you bring it with you?"

Lilo shook her head.

"We had to keep them in the classroom", she said.
"But we're allowed to take them home next weekend."

Stitch nodded.

"Did you do anything else?", he asked her.

Lilo scratched her head thoughtfully.

"Well, we're learning something new in math...I need Nani to help me with my homework."

"Why're you always asking Nani for help?", Stitch asked in humorous offense.
"You think I don't know anything about math?"

Lilo looked at him in doubt.

"What's a denominator?", she quizzed.

"A what?"

Stitch shook his head in confusion.

"You're supposed to be learning math, vocabulary", he said.
"Fine, you can ask Nani about your silly schoolwork."

Lilo giggled.
They continued their conversation as well as their walk, and their feet carried them faster than they thought, and before long, they stood at the bottom of the stairs that led up to the front door.

"-And that", Stitch concluded.
"Is why you should never hammer in a nail with a toothbrush."

Lilo smiled at his comedy and jogged up the stairs to ring the doorbell. Stitch arrived just as the door opened. Peka stood there, with an expectant look on her face.

"Stitch, you're here!", she said.

This got her questioning looks from both Lilo and Stitch.

"Sheesh!", Stitch said.
"I was only gone for ten minutes!"

"Is something wrong?", Lilo asked.
"Did something happen?"

Peka looked on nervously.

"I'd like to talk to Stitch...alone", she said carefully.
"It's important."

Lilo was about to demand why, but Stitch put his hand on her shoulder.

"Just a few minutes", he assured her.
"Wait upstairs and I'll be there soon."

Having heard this from Stitch, Lilo nodded obediently and picked up her backpack. She dragged it heavily towards and up the stairs, until she was out of sight entirely.
Stitch looked at Peka.

"What's so important now?", he asked her.

Carefully, Peka held out what she had been hiding behind her back: the damaged CD-player.
Immediately, Stitch looked alert.

"You broke Nani's CD-player?!", he hissed.
"Oh man, she's gonna be mad!"

"No!", Peka said.
"It's not Nani's...I found it."

"You found it?", Stitch repeated.
"Well, what's so wonderful about that?"

He took the object from her and opened the cracked cover carefully.

"Hey, it's the Scorpions!", he said.
"Have you ever heard 'Wind of Change'? That's a great song-"

"Stitch!"

Peka had raised her voice in tension, and it did its job in grabbing Stitch's attention. He looked at her, as if he were wondering if he had done something wrong.

"...What?"

Peka sighed guiltily and shook her head.

"I'm sorry", she apologized.
"I'm just kinda nervous..."

"You wanna sit down?", Stitch offered.

Peka nodded and did so...right on the floor. Stitch followed her example.

"Now...what'd you wanna tell me?", he asked.

Quickly, Peka told him about earlier, when Aron and Garon had reported seeing a 'monster' ["It looked like dad...only skinnier!"], and when she had investigated and found the CD-player.
After she had finished, Stitch pretty much knew what she was thinking. Still he decided to play dumb.

"So, what're you thinking?", he asked her, leaning back against the door.

Peka ran a hand through the fur on her head.

"What do you think I'm thinking?", she asked him in retaliation.

Stitch sighed.

"I think that you're thinking that there's another Experiment out there", he answered.
"Is that a correct guess?"

Peka nodded.

"Something like that", she said.

Stitch smiled at her.

"There's a lot of us winding up on Earth, huh?", he commented.
"Kinda strange how we all find our way to this planet."

"Don't you believe me?", Peka asked him, in a tone that suggested desperation.

"I believe you, Peka", Stitch assured her.
"Have you told anybody else about this?"

Peka nodded.

"I told Owen and Twyla about it", she said.
"But I don't think they really believed me..."

Her face fell slightly, and Stitch stood up. She looked up at him, and he held out a hand to her. She took it, and Stitch pulled her up helpfully.

"What do you want to do about it?", he asked her.

Peka thought for a moment...and when she looked back up, her face was still blank.

"What can we do?"

Stitch looked up at the ceiling for a moment, before replying with a simple;

"Why don't we ask Jumba about it?"

"Well, duh!", Peka said to herself; it seemed the obvious answer.

Stitch motioned for her to follow him.

"C'mon", he said.
"I'll bet he's in the observatory."

Peka faltered in her steps.

"But didn't he say that he was working on something very important", she said, as if reconsidering her will to progress.
"He said he didn't want to be disturbed, unless it was something important."

"Well, another Experiment seems pretty important to me", Stitch replied.

Peka's eyes met his own, and she looked at him sternly and seriously.

"You do believe me, don't you?", she asked, in a tone that demanded an honest answer.

Any and all amusement dropped from Stitch's face. With a solemn voice, and without hesitation, he replied;

"I believe you, Peka. I really do."

At these words, Peka's face brightened with a smile of relief.

"Thanks, Stitch."
Jumba adjusted his many-eyed welding goggles and clicked a button to start the torch. He leaned over his "operating" table and began to spark and fizz away at a damaged remote. Over at the other end of the observatory, Pleakely was sorting boxes onto a metal shelf. He was wearing a flower- decorated shirt that looked ridiculous, even in Hawaii.
Jumba didn't even have to look up to know that his assistant was doing something wrong.

"Zat doesn't go zhere", he said loudly over the noise of the torch.

Pleakely stopped in mid-action, about to put a cardboard box containing tools on the top shelf.

"Well where does it go?", Pleakely called back in his naturally-shrill voice.

Jumba sighed, but it was drowned out over the interfering sound.

"Read ze labels", he replied.

Pleakely looked at the box, and realized in embarrassment that it [as well as the others] had been neatly labeled, their indicated their location.
He had just rested it on the second-to-bottom shelf when an audible knock was heard at the door to the observatory.

"See who it is", Jumba ordered, and Pleakely scuttled over and clicked the door open.

There stood Stitch and Peka, looking up at him.

"We'd like to talk to Jumba", Peka informed.

Pleakely nodded irritably.

"Is this another conversation that I can't be part of?", he asked.

Peka was about to apologize, but Stitch spoke before her.

"Yeah, now get outta here."

Pleakely rolled his eye and sucked his teeth before sulking out the door.
Peka looked at Stitch with a bit of anger.

"That wasn't very nice of you", her eyes said.

"You said this was important", Stitch's eyes retorted, and he closed the door behind them.

Jumba hadn't paid attention to anything except his work since he had called to Pleakely. Peka came over and patted him on his leg to introduce their presence.
Jumba ceased with the sparking and removed his goggles. He looked down at the intruding with question.

"You two", he said.
"Vhat do you vant?"

Stitch climbed on the table and observed what the doctor had been working on.

"This is what was so important?", he asked in disbelief.
"This is why you didn't want to be disturbed?"

"No, no, I've already finished ze other thing", Jumba assured, picking up the remote.
"Zis is for ze satellite receiver; I vant to vatch ze History Channel."

He aimed the device at a nearby television set, clicked a button, and a perfect, fuzz-free picture appeared: the battle of Normandy.

"Success!", Jumba congratulated himself.

He switched off the TV and directed Stitch and Peka to a pair of plain classroom-chairs.

"Now", he began, once they were settled.
"Vhat vas it zat you vanted to see me about?"

Peka gave Stitch a glance that signaled for backup [if necessary] and went into the same story that she had told Stitch.
Jumba listened carefully to watch she had to say. He leaned on his elbow while she talked, and nodded after she had finished.

"So...you believe zat there's another Experiment about?", Jumba questioned Peka after the tale was told.

Peka nodded, almost reluctantly.

"I don't think there's any other explanation", she said.

Jumba nodded.

"Perhaps ze little ones only imagined zat zhey saw this?", he asked in possibility.

Peka shook her head.

"No, I don't think so", she said.
"...Call it experience, but Aron and Garon haven't ever actually described one of their 'monsters'...I think that they really saw this, and it wasn't just their fantasy."

Jumba nodded again and stood up.

"Vell, forgive me for not supporting you", he said.
"But I don't believe zat another Experiment would find its way here."

"But...what about the others?", Peka asked.
"Isn't there a chance that they would've...?"

Jumba shook his head.

"Not likely", he said simply.
"As far as I know, ze remaining Experiments fled ze lab once I vas captured. I tried to contact zhem several times, but without success."

"But Owen stayed behind!", Stitch objected.
"Why wouldn't anybody else?"

Jumba sighed.

"625 stayed behind because he was afraid to leave ze refrigerator", he said.
"Besides, vhen you were zhere, you saw nobody else, right?"

Peka and Stitch both nodded in agreement. It all seemed true.

"I conclude", Jumba stated.
"Zhere is little chance zat ze other Experiments would locate us on zhis planet, as zhere is much universe to explore, no? Ze twins probably saw a dog or zome other animal, but surely not an Experiment."

With a nod, Jumba got up and returned to his work table.
Stitch and Peka looked at each other in debate-defeat. Jumba had made it seem so logically-incorrect that another one of their kind would find himself or them on Earth. Peka remembered Jumba pointing out to all of them, all 625 Experiments [Stitch wasn't created yet], places that would serve as havens if ever something should happen. They would've gone to those places, and randomly spread out. It was pure coincidence that Stitch had gone to Earth, and the arrival of the others was built on from there.

Stitch himself looked as if he thought the matter was closed. He got up from his chair and looked at Peka.

"You coming?", he asked her, motioning towards the exit door.

Peka got up as well. She and Stitch made for the door, ready to leave...when a sudden idea hit her.
She spun around, wondering why she hadn't thought of it before, and called out to Jumba.
He turned around to face her in surprise.

"Vhat is it?", he asked.

"Jumba!", Peka said.
"What about the Experiment that got away?"

Peka was sure that a sudden [yet quick] wave of shock passed over Jumba's face. His eyes widened, his mouth opened slightly, and his body convulsed.
Peka remembered. It wasn't 625 Experiments that had received the info on where to go if danger aroused...it was 624.
In the food court, on the training field, and everywhere else, Experiment number 541 had been missing. He was never seen, only by Jumba, who claimed that he was receiving a type of 'special-treatment'. Everybody had wondered and asked Jumba what the deal was with 541, but he had never told anyone.

Now, Jumba seemed to regain his composure. He straightened his working-vest casually and asked;

"Vhat about him?"

"You know what I mean!", Peka said.
"He got away! What happened to him? Could he be out there?"

Jumba pursed his large lips tightly.

"No", he answered sternly.
"I have taken care of him. Zhere is no reason to worry."

Peka tried to continue, but Jumba cut her off.

"I told you", he said, his voice rising slightly.
"I have taken care of him. Zhere is no reason to worry."

He breathed in deeply, and took his eyes off of the bewildered and surprised-looking Stitch and Twyla.

"Now please leave me alone", he said once his back was turned to them.
"I have much vork to do."

From behind him, he heard the two of them leave as the door clicked closed. Neither one of them would now deny that he was hiding something from them.
Jumba put a large hand to his brow and wiped a trickle of sweat off of himself.
In his mind, he was going over and over about what he had done in his past. He remembered his past-evils, and knew that he had done things that he shouldn't have.
Jumba picked up the remote he had been working on, and crushed it in his hand angrily.
He had always feared that his sins may catch up with him, but he had always told himself it was impossible. But now that the possibility of it had presented itself, he considered what danger it might bring along with it.
The mid-day had turned into a late evening. Lilo and Nani had already taken to bed, and Stitch, Owen, and Twyla were gathered in the living room. Peka, who was presenting her mothering-duties, lay in the small bed with the twins, who were snuggled up against her. A nearby lamp illuminated the pages of the book she was reading from, and Aron and Garon were listening intently, although a bit drowsy already.
She finished the final lines of 'Peter Pan' and shut the book. As expected, there came the usual "Read us some more!" from the twins.

"No, no", Peka said.
"You've got to get your sleep."

"Please, Mom...", Aron pleaded.

"We're not even tired!", Garon added.

Peka smiled at both of them.

"You will be", she stated and climbed out of the bed.
"Go to sleep now."

Aron and Garon knew from experience that there was no use arguing from that point on, so they gave up quietly.

"Okay...", Aron said in defeat.

"Fine...", Garon backed up.

Peka smiled again and turned off the lamp.

"I'll leave the nightlight on", she told them.

Peka leaned over the bed and hugged them both.

"I love you both", she whispered to them, and kissed them gently on the forehead.

"We love you too, Mommy", they said together, and hugged their mother back.

Peka let them go, and they snuggled up in the covers. She went to the doorway, and flicked on the nightlight as she passed it.
Once in the doorway, Peka turned around and faced her children, only dimly visible in the small light.

"Good night, you two", she said to them.

"Good night, Mommy", they replied, sounding very tired.

Peka blew them a kiss and closed the door quietly.

From the twins' bedroom, Peka went into the living room, where [as said before] the remaining Experiments were waiting for her.
Peka sat down on one end of the couch, while Twyla and Stitch occupied the other end. Owen sat in an aged recliner.
Peka surveyed her group. She was glad that Owen and Twyla were finally starting to believe her. She owed it to Stitch, who had backed her up after the episode with Jumba. Twyla had been more willing to believe her since Stitch did, and it was everyone's hunch that Owen believed because he was afraid of being left out.
But now, everybody seemed uncertain on how to start the conversation; all that was going on was a lot of eyes moving.

Finally, it was Owen who broke the silence. Trying to sound sophisticated, he asked;

"Alright, what're everyone's thoughts on this matter?"

Stitch, Twyla, and Peka all received a cue to laugh, but restrained themselves, considering how serious the situation could be.
Peka leaned forward onto her elbows.

"Back on Turo", she began, clearing her throat.
"Did anybody ever see Experiment 541?"

Twyla shook her head.

"Nope", she answered.
"I was pretty close to Jumba, but I never ever saw 541; I think Jumba meant to keep him hidden...but he did mention him sometimes, though."

Peka was about to ask what Jumba had said, but Owen broke in with his own words.

"I heard that he was a real freak", he said.
"I heard he was seven feet tall, had seven arms, and one eye in the center of his forehead! He was so ugly that Jumba had to keep him hidden from others or they'd go blind!"

Everybody rolled their eyes.

"Where'd you hear that?", Stitch asked him sarcastically.

"Some guys told me", Owen said, as if these were very reliable sources.

"Really, you'd believe anything", Stitch scoffed.

Owen mouthed a distinctive 'shut up' at Stitch, and Peka continued before things turned nasty.

"What did Jumba say about 541?", she asked Twyla.

"And why didn't he tell me? I was pretty close to him the whole time as well."

Twyla shrugged.

"In the beginning, I was supposed to be like Stitch", she said.
"Y'know, the combat-type."

She held up a hand that held four powerful claws, strong and sharp enough to slice through most metals.

"He tried to improve my skills, but I guess I failed the test. But since I was the fighting-type, he let me in on some info."

"What?", Peka and Stitch asked her eagerly.
"What did he say?"

"Nothing much", Twyla admitted.
"He didn't tell anybody too much about 541...but from what I heard, 541 was a promising specimen."

Twyla looked sideways at Stitch.

"As far as I know, he was right below your levels", she said.
"He was a real fighting-machine."

Owen leaned forward in his chair.

"And he escaped?", he asked.

Twyla nodded.

"Not everybody knew about it, though", she said.
"I mean...you heard about it, right, Peka?"

Peka nodded.

"I remember Jumba being very upset", she recalled.
"He tried to hide the problem, but with a little eavesdropping, I was able to find out about it."

"Same here", Twyla said.
"I actually crawled into the airshafts to sneak on him."

Peka settled her head back with a look of confusion on her face.

"But it bothers me...", she said slowly.
"The way how I found out."

"What happened?", Stitch asked.

Peka took a deep breath.

"Well, I followed him into his private office...he didn't know I was there, of course...and I heard him talking very fast on the phone with somebody...about 541."

"What?!"

Everybody was very surprised at these words.

"He told somebody about 541?", Twyla asked in disbelief.
"I thought he kept every one of us secret!"

"He did!", Peka said.
"I mean, up until then...I couldn't hear all of the phone call, because Jumba came too close to my hiding place and I had to run before he found me. But still, why did he let somebody in on that? I mean, Jumba was the only person every Experiment had contact with, who wasn't an Experiment. We didn't even have a janitor or somebody did the dishes; Jumba did all of that!"

Stitch's face went grim.

"He went to a load of trouble to keep all of us a secret...so why let somebody in on us right then?"

Twyla sighed.

"I think there's a lot we don't understand about this...we need a lot more information."

A minute of silence followed this statement, in which everybody in the room was deep in thought.

"I think", Stitch finally said.
"That the only way to find out exactly what happened, is to ask Jumba directly."

"Ask him directly?", Peka repeated.
"Stitch, you saw how he reacted the last time!"

"We'll all go", Stitch insisted.
"We'll all go and ask him. He can't turn us all down."

"...Uh, guys?"

Everybody had turned to Owen, who had raised his hand.

"Excuse me if I just forgot...but why are we so intent on finding out about this 541?"

"BECAUSE HE MAY BE OUT THERE", everybody told him loudly in unison.

Owen nodded in embarrassment.

"Okay..."

Stitch leaned back heavily and sighed in exasperation.

"We'll ask him tomorrow", he stated.
"Now, I think we should get some sleep."

Peka turned around and stood up on the sofa to face the clock. It showed 10:30 PM.
Without much talk, everybody got up and made way for their bedrooms. Halfway out the door, Peka turned and noticed that Owen was still in sitting in the recliner.

"Owen, are you coming?", she asked him from across the room.

"Uh, I think there's something on TV that I want to watch", he answered.
"You go on ahead."

Peka lowered her head sadly. It seemed as if Owen hadn't noticed this.

"Okay...", she said quietly, and started for the bedroom, a lump of emotion forming in her chest.