Friendship

C/By: Kenjaje

Edited/Revised by: raVen

(Phase also created by raVen)

Chapter 5: An Eavesdropping

The room was slightly quiet as Stitch's cerebral scan took place. Stitch, the subject, sat on Jumba's worktable near the computer, idly kicking his legs that loosely hung over the edge. A metal bowl from the kitchen was put on his head, which was hooked up to the computer with one cord, and hooked up to the toaster (also from the kitchen) with another.

Jumba sat in his chair to Stitch's left, monitoring the computer and surveying the results-in-progress that zipped by on the screen. Lilo and Angel sat together, watching the scan take place, and Phase took her place among the piles of gadgets that littered Jumba's room, searching through them and finding anything that caught her fancy. All three looked at the toaster and pinged.

"Ah, scan is completed, can be removing helmet, 626." Jumba said taking the pieces of toast that sat in the toaster.

"And…what does the scan say?" Asked Angel.

"Well, scan such as this requires deep analysis. Will be focusing on it after Academy meeting." Jumba said, eyeing the toast in his hands. Stitch placed the "helmet" next to the computer and hopped off the table, where he went to Lilo and Angel.

"How are you going to analyze toast?" Lilo asked. Jumba looked at her as though she'd lost her mind, but then realized what she was talking about, and let out a chuckle.

"Silly little girl, toast is not for analyzing; all data is on computer." He told her.

"Well then…what's the toast for?" Phase asked.

"Simple." Jumba said, taking a bite. "Forgot to eat breakfast." All of them gave him a look, which he responded to with a sly smile and shrug.

"Did Jumba find invention yet?" Stitch asked.

"Invention? Oh, for meeting. …No, have been looking everywhere all day and still not able to find. Am just going to have to bring something else along." He replied, shutting the computer down. Just as the computer closed, a rumbling noise came from outside. "Sounds like bigger girl is home from work." Lilo's eyes bolted open with surprise.

"Oh no!"

"What?" Asked Phase with concern.

"You!" Lilo exclaimed. Phase glared. "No, no, sorry—it's just that my big sister doesn't like new cousins in the house. If she sees you, she'll freak."

"Does…that mean I need I to leave?"

"Nope…we just gotta hide you for a little while."

"Your room?" Angel suggested.

"That's the first place she'd look." Lilo said quickly, trying to think.

"Nani coming inside." Stitch warned, as he heard the front door opening.

"May I suggest laundry room? Last load was done yesterday, perhaps 600 can hide there for little while." Jumba suggested.

"It'll have to do." Lilo said. "But…how will we get her downstairs without Nani seeing her?" Jumba let out a laugh.

"You are forgetting? 600 can get there in second through Tetra-space." Jumba turned toward Phase. "Is big room with wishy-washy machine, should be somewhere in that direction." He told her, pointing to his door.

"I don't remember this being a part of the One, True Place deal…" Phase commented.

"Sorry. I forgot to tell you that if you want to stay the night, we have to ask my sister. We'll come get you when the coast is clear, ok?"

"Oketaka." She said, and disappeared instantly.

"And until then, we've got to keep her occupied until we can ask her." Lilo said to Stitch and Angel.

"Eh." They replied. After they were tired of capturing each other's flag, Angel brought up the point that if they were going to find Phase's One, True Place, they would have to do it the next day, as it was already five by the time they were done. Lilo had been counting on Nani being out until about eight; not six-thirty. Their whole plan of smuggling Phase for the night had been shut out, so they were forced to improvise.

"The toaster's missing!" Nani announced, as though she were searching for the first imperfection in the house, just Stitch, Lilo and Angel all came down the stairs. Nani's hours had apparently shifted her a bit on the yelling side.

"Uh…we needed it. Jumba needed an extra appliance for his scanner." Lilo reasoned.

"What scanner?" Nani asked, slumping on the couch.

"Stitch is having cerebral problems, so we're checking to see if he's ok."

"Lilo, you don't need a scan to tell that Stitch is funny in the head." Her sister commented cheerfully.

"Hagaba!" Stitch retorted. Angel pointed and leaned against the wall next to the stairs, laughing. "Chooga mataba." Stitch grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Not mental problems, cerebral." Lilo said, petting Stitch on the head. "At least, I don't think he's having mental problems…"

"I'm just teasing, Lilo." Nani apologized with a sigh. "Sorry I'm so grumpy. I just had a rough day. You know I didn't mean it Stitch."

"Chimito." Stitch said, as Jumba came down the stairs, wrapped in a giant overcoat, and wearing a pair of big glasses over his front pair of eyes with a big nose and edible-mustache attached, which he invented for stress-relief purposes.

"Well, am glad to be seeing you home, and wish I could stay for dinner, but must be going." He said, making his way to the door.

"Going?" Nani asked harshly. "Going where?" Jumba paused at the doorknob and turned.

"Am going to Academy meeting. Have been looking forward to for months." Lilo noticed he had a small box in his left hand, and wondered what invention was so small.

"Maybe it's his Micro Storage Case." She thought.

"Well…how long are you going to be gone?" Nani began to sound irritated. "I have to help David at a luau in an hour, and with Pleakley gone to do his little status report or whatever, I need you be here while I'm gone!"

"Why not be calling one of those…what are they…babies-sittingers?"

"I can't call a babysitter! None of them will sit for Lilo anymore!"

"Nani…" Lilo tried to get her sister's attention.

"And besides, we have aliens in the house,"

"Nani…" She repeated, a little louder.

"I don't know if you need to be reminded, but the Council will get very angry at me if I-"

"Nani!" Lilo said in a prolonged scream. Nani's eyes darted down to her sister's height.

"What, Lilo?" She asked after taking a couple cleansing breaths. Stitch and Angel backed away from Lilo as a joke. "What?" Nani asked again, much more calmly this time.

"We can stay home alone." She said plainly. "That way we can keep Phase in the house and not have to worry about anyone finding out about her." Came the other part of the proposition in her mind.

"No, you ca-"

"Yeah we can!" She retorted sharply, stomping her foot. "It's not like we're going to break the house down or anythi-"

"Look, Lilo," Nani began calmly, leaning down and putting a hand on her sister's shoulder, "I partially trust you won't bring the house down while I'm gone—even though it happens nearly all the time—it's just…" She paused, picking the right words. "If Gantu, or Hamsterveil, or even another experiment attacks the house, I want at least someone to be at the house that's aware something like that can happen."

"Well, if anything attacks, I've got Stitch." Lilo reasoned. "And plus, we kicked Gantu's butt not too long ago, so he'll be out for a while anyway. And you said yourself that there wasn't a babysitter alive that wouldn't dare come near me," she said this with a little arrogance, "why not just let us stay home for…" She noticed the expression on her sister's face, one of an idea popping into someone's head. "What are you thinking?"

"There might not be a babysitter alive…" Nani said, trailing her words.

Stitch wandered casually down the hallway, heading toward the laundry room. Phase would be there, waiting for someone to tell her when the coast was clear—if she didn't go anywhere else by now, that is. Stitch stepped to the door, which was closed, and prepared to knock, but her voice caught his ears.

"You do have that amplifier ready, don't you?" Another voice; familiar, but it was low. He couldn't make it out. "Good. Be ready to give it to me." She paused again, that other voice came; Stitch craned his ear."I know you've…got eyes on me…I won't fail." Stitch pressed his ear flat against the door, trying to hear more, but her voice stopped.

"What was that…?" He thought, still pressed against the door, he heard a distinct and familiar tweet of an electrical device, but couldn't figure out what it was, though it was on the tip of his mind, just behind his forehead. He heard ruffling, and a quick pop sound, like bubble-wrap, then silence. He stayed, frozen against the door, watching the wall while he tried to piece together what she was talking about. "Amplifier? Eyes? Won't fail…at what?"

"…Is someone there?" Came her voice from behind the door. Stitch quickly wondered if he asked those questions aloud, but couldn't recall. "Hello?" Came her voice again, hesitantly. Stitch opened the door, acting as though he'd just arrived.

"Uh…Stitch came to tell Phase to go back upstairs to Stitch's room. Sorry for taking so long, did not mean to make Phase wait."

"It wasn't that long of a wait," she replied uneasily, "it wasn't boring or anything."

"You were talking to someone…who." Stitch wanted to say, but he didn't.

"Is anything wrong?" She asked, noticing his expression. He quickly changed it, as if unaware he had dawned it.

"Naga. Someone is coming soon. Nani and Jumba leaving, so someone else coming until Nani or Jumba return. Phase not have to hide once person arrives." Stitch told her.

"Who's 'person'?" Just as she spoke, the doorbell rang.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Nani said, as the doorbell rang a second time. She opened it quickly. The sky outside was nearing twilight, and the man standing in the doorway was almost a silhouette in contrast to the hazy, bright blue sky. "Come in." Nani beckoned. A tall dark, man stepped through the doorway, ducking as he entered. He gazed at Nani almost coldly, lowering his shades with his large hands.

"Let's get one thing straight: I'm not here as a babysitter; I'm here because the Council ordered me here under the promise that this family is under universal protection—is that clear?" Cobra Bubble's stern voice made Nani's smile open nervously.

"Right…" She agreed, closing the door.