As I walked with Stitch in hand, Garrus came up to me and asked, "Hey Shepard, can I be on this one. I'd like to say goodbye to the little guy. After all, he did save my hide back in that cave."

I smiled warmheartedly at him, "Of course you can Garrus."

Samera was standing in the way of Joker, "I too would like to say my goodbyes to Stitch as well, commander."

"You're more than welcome to Samara."

Passing by her, I saw the planet coming into perfect view. I hoped they were there. Not for my sake, for Stitch's sake. For all of our sakes. It would be nice to do something good for once. Something small and yet so meaningful. Joker pointed and said, "There it is, Fastener's Rest. You sure they're here?"

I looked at Joker worriedly, "Why do you ask?"

"Cause I'm trying to get somebody on the line and I haven't gotten anybody."

E.D.I suddenly piped in, "Jeff, I am scanning asari com signals coming from the planet surface.

"Asari?" Joker asked confused. "Well, alright get me a com channel open on that frequency."

"Done."

Joker wiped his mouth with nervousness. Me and Stitch both looked at the planet with hardness and concern.

Joker fixed his Cerberus hat and spoke, "This is SSV Normandy. Requesting docking with Fastener's Rest."

A female voice came over the com, "This is Fastener's Rest - SSV Normandy are sensors are indicating that you are a Cerberus vessel. Explain before docking."

Joker just looked at me shrugging his shoulders.

I decided this needed my touch, speaking into the com, "We have cargo that needs transport to Fastener's Rest. Live cargo."

There was silence and then we all heard the female voice, this time with more military hardness, "I am unaware of a live cargo transport from Cerberus. SSV Normandy you are ordered to turn back now!"

Samara came over and asked, "What's your name, dear?"

"I am not allowed to give out…"

"This is Samara, tell your superior that an asari justicar is asking permission to enter the docking bay on this Cerberus vessel."

The voice got nervous, "Yes ma'am!"

The crew going down to the planet surface waited for a confirmation hearing the same voice from before, eight minutes later. "SSV Normandy you have permission to dock. Hanger 2297. Be advised that all living cargo must go through a security scan and must be put in a cage."

Stitch cocked his head, "Cage?" He stuck out his tongue and grumbled at the word.

Garrus looked at Stitch speaking into the com as I watched most of the crew come in the elevator with Mordin and Jacob joining the others. Garrus's voice was hard and deep, "We have no holding equipment for him. He's not a danger."

"I can vouch for that." Samara said smiling at Garrus.

Garrus nodded back at her.

The female voice cam on again, "Very well SSV Normandy. Make sure that it is under control or we will be forced to take precautionary actions."

"Understood." Samara said back.

Her and Garrus both joined me at the docking doors. I had Stitch with me like a baby. He had his arm around my neck and waved goodbye to everybody.

Tali was first holding his head pressing her mask against his face. She said kindly, "I know we didn't know each other but I hope you find what you're looking for."

Stitch dragged his tongue up her mask leaving an excessive amount of slobber on her face mask. She acted very unexpectedly saying, "Oh, you're so cute even when you're gross!"

Grunt was smiling. He rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah, sorry for trying to eat you earlier."

Stitch snapped his sharp teeth at the tank-bred krogan and said, "Never again, stupid head!"

Laughing a bit, Grunt said jokingly but depressingly, "I guess so."

Mordin nodded his head saying, "Jumba Jookiba."

Stitch's eyes got real wide. "You know him?"

Mordin smiled that crafty smile of his. "I know of him. Many of the things I studied he studied too. Good to see his masterpiece -" taking a deep breath, "returned."

I dared not ask. This is was probably something he wanted to share just between them.

Thane just waved with a smile.

Zaeed, Kasumi, or Miranda weren't there. Jacob stayed silent. He had a Katana shotgun though, just in case.

Me, Garrus, and Samara walked off the Normandy into the customs area. There were four armed asari commandos waiting on us. They were just flabbergasted to see a justicar in the flesh. The commander snapped out of it and said to us, "Welcome to Fastener's Rest."

I looked at them suspiciously, "I though this was a human colony?"

Watching them closely, they tightened their grip on their weapons, "It's a very large colony. Humans and asari both live here. Fastener's Rest is a co-species colony. There are over 2 million asari citizens who live here and nearly 5 million humans. The Alliance and high command are in a joint operation to see that this colony is kept safe. I'm sure you'll see more than a fair share of Alliance marines in the main hub as well as commandos on watch."

Looking around with that hard stare along with Stitch perched on my shoulder. He twitched his head around much like a hawk. He was looking for something. He spurted out, "Lilo?"

The commando commander pointed at the thing, saying angrily, "I told you to have that thing in a cage!"

I tried to be patient knowing force was not an option here. "He's very well-trained ma'am."

Stitch let out this time, yelling out to be heard, to the others beyond the customs checkpoint. "Lilo?!" She was no where in sight. I could feel him getting tense with fear.

The commandos pointed their guns saying, "You have ten seconds to get back to you're ship or we start firing!"

Paragon Choice: "Please, he's very sick! If you don't let me in, he's going to die! You hear that sound he keeps making? You just going to sit there and do nothing while he dies?!"

Samara: "This animal is important to me as well. The code states that if someone doesn't do their all to help a life form; not an immediate threat to them, others, or does not hinder them in any way, its just as bad as murder. And you all know what the code states about murder."

Stitch: He drops off of my shoulder on his back with his tongue out, jerking his leg.

Renegade Choice: "Oh the doc's going to be mad. He was waiting for this thing too. Now he's not going to be able to keep it stable. Oh well, I'll just tell your bosses it was your fault that I didn't get in and why he went savage - and wreaked Fastener's Rest."

Garrus: "I've seen what this thing can do. Trust me, you don't want to be on it's bad side."

Stitch: Hopping of my shoulder, he showed his teeth and flashed his onyx-colored claws at the asari guards.

The commander waved her rifle, "Alright! Just get him in there and I expect you back out here in half-an-hour, Earth time, or we're coming in there looking for you!"

I picked Stitch back up and perched him on my shoulder, "Thank you."

The group and I walked up to the first visitor information center just outside of customs and I asked for Lilo. There seemed to be three in Fastener's Rest. Two from the Hawaiian islands and one from the Filipino islands. For awhile, we walked way longer than half-an-hour. Knowing why, Garrus and me both looked at Samara who just had this wide, nice smile over her face.

There were a lot of kids at Fastener's Rest. I let Stitch even play with some. We all smiled knowing soon we would have to part ways. He let them pet him and seemed to have fun for hours. It was only a few minutes but the group and me all looked at it warmly. I think it reminded us of why we were out here doing what we do. Stitch waved back to the kids when we left and they were so happy to have met him.

The first Lilo we found was in her late 50's and was very kind to us. She invited us in for a very lovely herbal tea. She fell in love with Stitch giving him just as much attention as any kid from earlier. It made me sick thinking that the collectors could hit this colony too. I saw the buildings hollowed out where people once lived and insect swarms buzzing all over. I saw the little kids from earlier in my mind, frozen with screams of horror on their faces. Looking down at Stitch, he smiled back up at me with that wide ,toothy grin of his and I made a big smile of my own trying to conceal my adamant concern.

After that, we came upon a civilian structure. It was white and rectangular like most colony buildings but was a tad smaller. Stitch went out front and looked at it as it sat apart from all the rest. There was grass all around it and looked empty except for a little, brown-skinned girl who was sitting on the front steps, playing with a strange toy that seemed centuries old. It was a hand-made doll. A faded green with yellow hair. She was playing with the doll's hair when she looked up at us with sad, lonely eyes.

Stitch's ears popped up and his arms went wild at the sight of the girl's face, "Lilo!" He ran at her as fast as he could.

She got off the steps and slowly approached the blue dog. She began crying tears of joy as the two embraced each other in a hug just in front of the steps. They both dropped to their knees hugging each other. She kissed him on his head and said, barely able to speak, "I thought I lost you!"

Stitch told her as he had told me countless times, "Nobody gets left behind."

"But I left you behind, Stitch." The hurt in her voice more than evident.

Stitch smiled and looked at me for a moment. He looked back at Lilo. "But didn't forget about me. You safe. That's all that matters to Stitch."

She hugged him again, "Oh Stitch! I'll never forget you!"

That was when he let go of her and looked back at me with sad eyes and slowly looked back at her, "Can Stitch say goodbye?"

My heart ached at the word 'goodbye'. A word that I knew all too well.

Lilo looked at us, "Yeah!"

Stitch happily came over to us from Lilo slowly. The wind of the planet blew lightly and some of my tears were hidden by that fact.

He first went up to Samara. She bent down and hugged him with him returning the embrace. She said gently, "I hope you find peace Stitch. You are a wonderful spirit. I know you'll never lose that." Stitch went to say something but Samara quieted him. "You don't have to say anything to me. I know."

He walked over to Garrus as he bent down to be eye-to-eye with Stitch, "I was never good at this saying goodbye stuff."

Stitch struggled with the words as he said, "It's okay, lobster face. Stitch like you now. Good to know you have Shepard's back."

Garrus twitched his mandibles into a smile, "I got your back too little guy. Thanks for having mine."

He then came over to me. I knelt down as Garrus stood back up. "I'm really going to miss you Stitch."

"Stitch is going to miss you too Shepard."

In my mind's eye, I saw Lilo and him in a collector cocoon. "You ever need us for anything Stitch, you know my number."

Stitch's black, glass eyes filled with tears and we both hugged each other. Stitch said to me while we were still hugging each other, "Shepard ohana to Stitch now. Never forget you!"

"I'll never forget you either Stitch." I said hugging him tighter. "Take care of her Stitch. You need each other."

Stitch finally let go and waved goodbye as he ran to be with Lilo. They ran back into the house as an older lady with mocha skin came out and was talking to both of them. She hugged them and kissed them both lovingly. Figuring it was Lilo's older sister, I started to leave when the grown, adult lady ran after me. "Hey!"

Turning around, she flagged me down saying, "I just wanted to thank you for returning our dog to us."

Just looking at Garrus and Samara, I saw Stitch and Lilo were back in the building. A little insulted, I asked her rhetorically, "You think I'm that abstinent of what he is?" Folding my arms.

She looked away, "Oh. Then I guess you know everything then, huh commander?"

"I know he isn't a dog."

She put up her hand in front of her chest. She winced telling me, "He's been in the family a long time commander. At least ten generations."

Unfolding my arms in surprise, "What?"

She nodded her head holding back tears, "When I had to leave him it was the hardest thing I had to do. I had grown up with him myself when I was a kid just like mother and my grandmother. I knew him longer than I knew my husband. But I had to -" She seemed to punish herself in her own mind at what she was about to say next. "Leave him behind. I already lost my husband in that hurricane and I was afraid of loosing my daughter too." she looked back at the building. "I had to choose."

I understood her more than she knew, "Never an easy choice, is it?"

She shook her head agreeing with me, "I just hope that Lilo never has to make that choice."

I thought about not telling her. I though about saying no she wouldn't but I didn't want to leave Stitch, Lilo, or her with a lie. "Life and having an ohana is choices. Sometimes, they're not always easy but if your still willing to make them, then you never really leave anybody behind."

"Or forget them."

I smiled and nodded. She turned back towards the small living quarters and I just turned back around with my team. The mission was over and I felt better about myself and my team. I would never forget the little blue dog I met back on Earth. He would always be in my heart. I would always remember what I taught him and what he taught me. Ohana. Such a small, simple word with such big implications.

THE END