Gio: Oh, okay.

Stitch: Meega and Lilo go often over summer, on free days, no cousin-rehabbing or chores.

Gio (Sighs): I wonder if I'll get to rehab a cousin.

Lilo: Don't worry, Gio, you will get your chance. After all, anything can happen in summer!

Jumba: Little girl having point again. It seeming like summers are much chaotic, but being normal in this ohana.

Pleakley: It's like how my favorite sitcom says, summer is in full swing!

Frenchfry: Summer busy, but good for meega. Meega suggest middle afternoon is best. Lunch at noon, long linez!

Gio: Say...thanks for this trip.

Jumba: You being welcome, bigger boy. You becoming family I not mind visiting every summer if you feeling like it.

Pleakley: Jumba's right. You're only 15, but you clearly can take care of yourself well enough, and once you're old enough to leave home after high school and such, you are bound to change many minds, and have vacations.

Gio: Well, this might be the only time I ever get to see you all, but maybe I will travel again soon.

Lilo: That'd be awesome for ya, Gio. Maybe you could send us pictures from your future travels!

Gio: I'll make a mental note!

Stitch: Yay! Weega go watch movie now?

Frenchfry: Meega thankz you, Gio for dinner, but meega goez home to relax. Zee around, ih?

Gio: Wait...don't forget dessert!

Frenchfry: Dezzert?

Gio: Yes! (Brings them out)

Lilo: Gosh, I forgot we didn't finish the cake! And are those éclairs?

Gio: Yep.

Jumba: They be looking puffy.

Pleakley: If I remember right, there's cream in those éclairs?

Gio: Yep!

Frenchfry: Meega couldn't refuze dezzert! (So, Frenchfry and the others joined in to eat dessert)

Gio: Well...thoughts?

Lilo: Those eclairs are really good!

Stitch: Ih!

Pleakley: Like clouds of cream...

Jumba: Not being bad.

Frenchfry: Meega likez them. Very yummy!

Gio: It took me a while to get them made fresh!

Lilo: I bet!

Frenchfry: Very zoft. Meega pleazed and happy. (Stretches) Meega thankz you for dezzert.

Gio: It was my pleasure to make the entire meal. And..I learned something today...

Stitch: (Tilts his head curiously) Learned something?

Gio: Yes...I need to let go of my fears. You see, I was afraid of you, and all aliens when I came here...but now...(holds Stitch's hand) I feel so much better around aliens.

Lilo: That's great to hear!

Stitch: Ih. (Smiles warmly at Gio, squeezing his hand back gently)

Frenchfry: Meega happy to zee you ztrong and brave. Ohana not leave anybody behind.

Stitch: Or forgotten. (Nods in determination and happiness)

Gio: Stitch...I'm sorry for myself freaking out when I met you.

Stitch: Meega forgive you already. Lilo explain when meega were confused and hurt.

Lilo: Me too. I forgive you too!

Gio (hugs Lilo)

Frenchfry: That makez heart warm and happy. (Yawns once) Sorry. Meega need to go home.

Gio: It's been nice having you here!

Frenchfry: Thankz. (Shakes hands with Gio, and hugs Lilo and Stitch) Zee you around, ohana! (Leaves seat with a wave, smiling at Jumba and Pleakley) Good night!

Jumba: See you around, my little chef.

Pleakley: Good night, Frenchfry.

Lilo: Bye, Frenchfry!

Stitch: Ih! (Then speaks Tantalog for a bit, and Frenchfry nods before Stitch switches back to English) Bye, cousin!

Gio: Stitch.. Why do you consider the other aliens cousins?

Stitch: Weega all made by Jumba. Weega related on some level, so weega call each other cousin.

Jumba: 625 is being right. All the experiments are part of me in ways, having part of my DNA, but still being themselves. Experiments being individually different, but still being ohana.

Gio: Oh...(nods)

Lilo: (Stretches) Now what? I don't think Nani will be back until late.

Gio: Well, I better return the movie.

Pleakley: Do you want me to drive you? Biking in the dark is a tad dangerous.

Gio: Yes, please. (gets up and begins clearing dishes)

Lilo: Come on, Stitch, let's watch some tv!

Stitch: (Nods) Coming.

Jumba: Well, I am going to do some computer researching in I and noodlehead's room. (Leaves kitchen after Lilo and Stitch)

Pleakley: Hey, Gio, I can't speak for Nani, but I am sure she will be proud of you once she hears that you're not afraid of aliens anymore.

Gio (nods and exits house with dvd)

Pleakley: (Starts up X-Buggy) Alright, here we go. (Drives off, seatbelts secured, heading to town) So, do you think you'd be okay if there's family chaos and such? It's normal around here.

Gio: Thanks for the ride.

Pleakley: It's no problem, Gio. You haven't answered my question through.

Gio: Well...after a while, I'd go crazy...

Pleakley: But?

Gio: That's it.

Pleakley: There are ways to take a break from the chaos, really. Music, the beach, hiking. Trust me, I'd gone crazy sometimes from the stress and the chaos, but reading magazines and making clothes, it's kind of nice to turn the brain off for a few moments.

Gio (nods): Have you been in chaos before?

Pleakley: (At a stop upon a red light and looks over at Gio with a chuckle) Plenty of times yet eventually I turn out better than before, having learned some things I'd never thought about until then. Chaos may be messy but it is also endearing at times.

Gio: Well, I usually try to avoid chaos.

Pleakley: I can believe that, but families do have some kind of chaos, not all the same, but still chaos. I mean, you must have overslept accidentally on school mornings sometime, yes?

Gio: Nope, that's never happened to me before.

Pleakley: Really? There must have been a day of chaos somewhere in your past years of life. I mean, I hear New York City is one of the most craziest places let alone being one of the busiest places of the world.

Gio: Well, you can just call me lucky then because I never had issues before.

Pleakley: I'll give you that, but sooner or later, you will experience chaos, ohana style.

Gio: Well, if anyone tries to give me trouble, I'll just defend myself with a weapon.

Pleakley: Just in self-defense emergency, understand? I know Nani gave you a similar lecture, but that doesn't mean that I can't do the same thing. And by ohana style of chaos, I mean, like catching experiments or oversleeping and missing a important occasion.

Gio: Oh...

Pleakley: (Smiles and looks ahead) Ah, here we are. Blockbuster. Don't be long, Gio.

Gio (grabs DVD and gets ready to go inside): Thanks for the ride!

Pleakley: Of course! Now, hurry up, I can't leave Lilo alone in Jumba's hands much longer! (Shakes his head in resigned amusement)

Gio (gets outside and drops movie in drop box): Done! (gets back in jeep)

Pleakley: (Turns jeep around carefully and quickly, heading back through town to home) That's new to me. I didn't realize that movie places has drop boxes like the library.

Gio: Well, I think it's easier that way.

Pleakley: (Nods with a hum) That makes sense. After all, who knows what kind of technology would be awaiting for Earth in 10, 20 years?

Gio (chuckles): It better make our lives easier.

Pleakley: I agree with you on that.

Gio: Well, let's get back home.

Pleakley: Yep. (Drives some more before seeing the house in the distance, and then parks in its designated space) Alright, we're home! (Then looks up to see a very bright zooming star in the sky, hearing faint giggles, and grins lightly) Looks like Lilo's favor has gone well. Sparky and Topper really looks bright up there.

Gio: Who are they?

Pleakley: You met Sparky earlier when he visited, but not Topper. He's literally a star. A star shaped experiment, technically.

Gio: Can I meet Topper?

Pleakley: Lilo knows where he lives, why, she knows every true place where every experiment lives, thanks to her album and computer!

Gio: Well, let's go find Topper!

Pleakley: Whoa, now, Gio, you can find Topper anytime, but he must be tired after glowing so much tonight, posing as a comet/shooting star of sorts within Sparky's aid for Nani and David to witness, through I have a feeling that Nani wished for something even if stars don't have wishing powers for they are actually planets many, many light years away.

Gio (nods): So...do you like Earth life?

Pleakley: (Chuckles) Can you blame me if I told you that I used to dislike Earth strongly, thanks to mosquitoes and tricky sea life?

Gio (laughs): For real?!

Pleakley: (Smiles sheepishly as they walk up the stairs to the front door) Yep. But now as I have lived here...for one, almost two years, I feel way more comfortable, being true to myself here than I've ever felt back on my old planet. Don't get me wrong, my family wasn't abusive or anything, it's just...I don't know...they weren't big on affection or physical hugs like Nani and Lilo...

Gio: What is your family like ?

Pleakley: (Sighs heavily) I never knew my father. He passed away when I was very little. My mother, well, she's a well-meaning person yet somehow she wants everything perfect...She has been pestering me on and off to get married and settle down ever since my other siblings has been having successes with their careers. My sister is practically CEO of a my planet's galaxy while my brother is practically having a office job, computer stuff of all things.

Gio: Oh, Pleakley. I...I...had no idea aliens had families.

Pleakley: So, you see why Stitch's so passionate about his cousins because we're all the same. We have families, friends, dreams, ideas, and feelings.

Gio: I...I do.

Pleakley: (Smiles reassuringly) That's good to hear, Gio. Somehow I have the feeling that you're going to have the best summer you'll ever have in your life.

Gio: Remember how I was afraid of aliens before?

Pleakley: Oh, yes, and to think, you haven't gone through a entire week yet. It's incredible how the mind and heart changes on a whim.

Gio: You see...I was scared at first because of all the alien movies I've seen.

Pleakley: Oh! They always exaggerate those things! Yes, it's true that some aliens are green-skinned, other aliens are artists, and I suppose they couldn't resist making crop circles as part of their art, and for the kidnapping part, only criminal aliens dare to do that, breaking the law as you see, Earth were off limits, being a protected sanctuary of sorts.

Gio: But...Dr. Hamsterveil tried to hurt me. He's evil!

Pleakley: Hamsterveil is one of the criminal aliens. He broke the international law. He intended harm on Lilo, on you, on the experiments whom is all protected by the law for the Grand Councilwoman has the final word about it.

Gio: And In 5 years, he'll be dead!

Pleakley: Indeed. (Opens the door to see Lilo and Stitch sleeping on each other, the tv on yet droning faintly, and smiles) Looks like dinner had tuckered them out.

Gio: Shall we carry them to their beds?

Pleakley: Let's do it. You take Stitch, I will take Lilo.

Gio: What if he cuts me in his sleep?!

Pleakley: He's a deep sleeper. He's like a puppy.

Gio (Carefully picks him up): He looks cute when asleep...

Pleakley: (Cradles Lilo in his arms and whispers) Indeed. Come, we better put them to bed. (Walks into hallway to tube elevator, stepping into it with Gio following behind, and once the pressure pad clicks with recognizance of Pleakley's DNA, the tube elevator goes up into Lilo and Stitch's spaceship dome loft bedroom) Stitch's bed is the higher one on the right. (He heads to Lilo's bed, putting her down, smiling as Lilo unconsciously grasps Scrump nearby, and draws the blanket over Lilo, just below the chin)

Gio (places Stitch on his bed): Boy, what a day...

Pleakley: Yep. (Pats Gio's shoulder) They will be fine. I am sure they will have some good dreams tonight. Let's head down. (Heads to the platform of the tube elevator while Gio pulls over Stitch's blanket, up to the neck, and turned around to join Pleakley, glad that the stars and moon was enough light to see the room and such without need to use the switch for the wall lights)

Gio (exits Lilo's room): What an Ohana this is...

Pleakley: (Stepping off platform on main floor as it zoomed down from the loft bedroom) I would go though all of this all over again as this ohana is part of my life. You shall be quoting the family motto sooner or later. Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten.

Gio (sighs): I'll admit this has been fun and all, but I still have A LOT to see before I can say the motto a lot.

Pleakley: (Chuckles) That, I can agree with. It took me a while before I could say the motto by heart. Same thing for Jumba. Stitch was the fastest one of us, taking about three days before he first said it.

Gio (sighs): I just can't believe that I used to fear aliens...

Pleakley: Hey, stop beating yourself over that, Gio. You have faced it, and now it's in the past.

Gio: Uh...yeah, about that...(rubs back of the neck) I still fear NEW aliens upon first meeting them?

Pleakley: Oh, I see...I suppose that one would take a bit longer to wear out, but look, you mustn't judge a person by their appearance or take assumptions about them when Lilo talks about them. Here's a idea, you could ask Lilo to see her photo album of all the experiments that has been rehabbed so far, and then your other fear would be disappearing, yes?

Gio (yawns): Maybe tomorrow. I'm tired now...

Pleakley: Of course, I forgot to say that you can ask her tomorrow. And yes, we better get to bed. Tomorrow is a new day, and the summer is a future.

Gio: I just hope that it's not as crazy as today.

Pleakley: I don't blame you, Gio. (Yawns) Good night! (Heads off to his/Jumba's bedroom)

Gio (sighs): What a day...

(Gio heads to bed, knowing that Lilo and Stitch is asleep, and that Pleakley and Jumba is fine, heading to sleep or reading in bed, and that Nani won't get back home until a hour or two later, and Gio doesn't blame her about that, hearing things in school that date nights last a while.)

Gio (yawns): I got a whole new day tomorrow...(gets into bed) Ugh...(turns light off and sets alarm) Time to go...(lies down and falls alseep)

(The next day, it was a calm summer morning as the Pelekai-Jookiba-Pleakley household woke up, and much to Gio's surprise when he was getting over his waking up mood, Pleakley was first in the kitchen, whipping up pancake batter while glancing at the recipe book)

Gio: Uh...you're making a mistake with that...You didn't add baking powder so the batter looks flat.

Pleakley: Baking Powder? (Glances at recipe, and gasps) Oh, my goodness! I missed a step!

Gio (chuckles): I'll fix it...(takes bowl from him and adds baking powder)

Pleakley: Thank you, Gio. I got the plates and glasses. (Opens cabinet, bringing out plates and glasses, closing it back, and goes to table to set it all out)

Gio (finally finishes fixing batter): Now, we can make pancakes...(uses ladle and pours batter onto skillet)

Pleakley: Brilliant! I will get the condiments. (Heads to fridge and opens it to grab the bottles of honey, maple syrup, and strawberry-chocolate syrup)

Gio: Strawberry-Chocolate syrup? I don't usually put that on pancakes, and I don't think anyone does that.

Pleakley: I would think Nani would want to have strawberry-chocolate syrup on her pancakes to celebrate the fact that she and David had a successful date night. And besides, she said that she got the habit from her mother.

Gio (sighs): And that's a mother and father that I KNOW NOTHING about...

Pleakley: It may be just over two years now, but it's still painful. You may want to show that you're simply curious, not pushing them to say things about their parents. It's a sensitive topic in this house, and I am sure that your mother, being related and all, she would have some things to mention too, but all the same, be considerate, okay, Gio?

Gio: Alright...(prepares making some bacon strips)

Pleakley: Thanks, Gio. Now, let's see here. (Opens fridge again, glances at the upper shelf, and closes it again, looks to Gio) We have orange juice, lemonade, white milk, or water.

Gio: Well, just get any drinks now because it doesn't matter to me, really.

Pleakley: Alright. (Opens fridge again, bringing out large jugs/cartons of orange juice, lemonade, milk, and water, and puts them down on the table while closing the fridge back.)

Gio (Sees Stitch): Hey, Stitch!

Stitch: Aloha, Gio! Sleepa good?

Gio: Yes, I did...Listen, I...uh...Sorry for trying to kill your cousin last evening.

Stitch: Cousin Heckler? I not blame youga. He talks ear off with tauntings. He happy now with true place. He being dunked in water tank when people hit target after tauntings.