Bonding with my father had been something I had needed, even if only a momentary distraction from the situation.

Later that night I sat by my father as we watched some television in the ship. Pleakley had remained in the house, but David had returned to his parents to be with Nani and Lilo. I was beginning to pine for Lilo and Jumba noticed. I was too distracted to concentrate on the movie he was watching.

He scruffed my head, noticing my distance. "She'll be back tomorrow, 626. Even if larger sibling keeps away, you are knowing little girl is stubborn and persistent. She'll find a way back."

I nodded slowly.

"What say?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Hm?" he gave me a perplexed expression. "What, 626?"

"To Naanee. Tomorrow."

"You are not having to talk to her if you do not wish to. I will do the talking."

I looked down. "Not tell. About meega."

"We have to be real, 626. Not knowing how much longer can be keeping this from family."

I closed my eyes. My father was correct.

I was beginning to lose control of myself. It was getting to a point now I started recognising the signs. Like that chair I kept seeing. Even though I didn't understand the purpose behind it, I knew it was something bad. And once I was forced into it, there was no getting out of it.

I don't know how I knew that... but I sensed it. I wasn't a psychic, but I'd had a very bad feeling about that chair for a while now. I could cope with finding out who that voice belonged to, but that chair scared me more than anything.

I had to do what I could to avoid it. The only question was how.

I lay awake staring up at the ceiling early the next morning. In a few hours, Lilo would return home.

Hopefully.

I'd fallen asleep clutching her letter to my chest. Jumba was snoring beside me. When it became too much of an assault to my hearing, I got up quietly and left his bedroom. I didn't go outside but instead made my way to where my old banged up cruiser was located and sat down in front of it.

It was keeping me going; the thought of flying with Lilo inside of it. The look on her face as she pressed herself against the glass, looking to the streets below. Heck, I'd even let her fly it if it meant seeing that smile on her face again. That same one I'd seen after we'd won the dance contest.

That smile kept me strong. I really did not know what I'd do if anything happened to her as I just couldn't imagine a life without her in it. She was my world, my everything.

Often I recalled the moment we first met. Her startled face as she turned around, seeing me sitting there and then the look of astonishment when I spoke 'hi' back to her and hugged her. I was unlike anything she'd ever seen and that had fascinated her.

Very little progress had been made on the cruiser. Jumba said it would be restored for my birthday but I doubted it would be ready in time with what was happening. Even so, it didn't bother me that much. The current situation was more important and I knew that. I just wanted things to go back to how they were. At this stage I didn't know if that was going to happen as it looked highly unlikely and that pained me. I missed how things used to be. It seemed like only yesterday Nani and I were getting along so well yet now she wanted Lilo away from me. She thought I was dangerous and she was scared of me.

I was glad I had most of the family on my side, support wise. Jumba was keeping me strong and I was thankful for that.

Because without him I knew I'd be lost.

"Ready 626?"

I sighed.

A few hours had passed now and David was due back with the girls now at any moment. I'd noticed the agents had been keeping a closer eye on me lately and it made me feel very uncomfortable. The agent that had been beside Nani when I'd morphed and had pointed the gun at me was keeping his distance. I refused to look at him.

My ears perked up, causing my father to eye me. "Them?"

"Ih..."

I sighed. He picked me up.

The car pulled into the driveway outside, followed shortly after by the sound of footsteps and a distant cry.

"Lilo!" I cried, recognising the sound. The door flung open and my angel stood before me. Jumba let me down and she ran into my arms.

"Stitch! I missed you so much!" she cried, hugging me tight.

"LILO NO!" A loud cry came from behind, Nani suddenly rushing forward with David. "GET AWAY FR–"

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Jumba roared at that, blocking her from approaching us. "Let them be!"

Nani looked mortified, but David held her back. "He's fine now Nani, look."

I looked at Nani from over Lilo's shoulder, holding her tighter against me and rubbing my paw through her soft hair as I held her head against my shoulder. She stared back at me and I could sense her fear building.

The agents stood around us and with all eyes pinned on me I felt like I was the enemy, not Chopsuey. Not the 6-26B's. Me.

David's mother and father suddenly entered from behind. I had no idea they'd also come. I'd met them before, but it was years back. They didn't know the truth about us – that we were aliens. From the looks on their faces I didn't even think they knew what was going on.

Nani looked frantic, I could hear her slightly start to hyperventilate. "He'll do it again Jumba, he'll change! Like he did before!" she grabbed at her hair. "Please...!"

I knew nothing I could say would change her mind. I saw one agent put his hand over a gun. Once I saw that I snarled loudly, fur bristling and he paused.

Enough was enough. They went silent and backed off in shock. I quickly hoisted Lilo onto my shoulders and bolted out of the door. Nani tried to grab Lilo but I turned to face her and stared directly at her. She was aware that I was much stronger than her and she backed off when she saw my expression. If they weren't going to allow me to be near Lilo, then I would force them to.

Lilo didn't say anything, but simply clutched my fur tightly as I ran away from the house.

I ran for a while. Along the beach. Past Pudge's grotto. I kept going. Further and further until we reached near the end of the beach. Lilo was quiet. She had no idea what I was doing, but I knew she trusted me.

I came to a halt in a small clearing. Putting Lilo down for a moment, I punched away rocks and overgrown branches, before pulling her in behind me and then scaling up a small cliff. We reached the top. Lilo had never seen this area before.

I spied a motel up along the road there. It wasn't unlike the one I'd stayed in with Jumba. Looking around, I carried Lilo across the road before bolting across to there. Nobody seemed to be around and I looked out for security cameras. Upon seeing none, I darted forward and punched open a door to a room, shutting it quickly behind us and placing Lilo on a bed. The place was old and outdated.

She looked around. "Where are we, Stitch? What are you doing?"

I knew what I was doing was bad, but I didn't care. I needed her. If I had to be selfish in order to be with her, then I would.

"Stay here, with me, ih?"

"Why Stitch?" she asked.

I gestured to myself. "No allow me near you. But I look after you here, ih? We stay."

"For how long?"

I went quiet. "For as long as need to."

"Oh... um. Okay?"

I could tell she was confused so I elaborated. "Stay with Stitch, we no go back. I look after you, feed you, care for you now. Meega – not Nani. Not anymore."

I looked out of the window, before pulling the curtains shut. I heard soft padding behind me before I felt Lilo wrap her arms around me.

"Stitch, what are you doing?"

"What I said, Lilo."

"Stitch..." she said gently, turning me to face her. "You know we can't stay here. This isn't like you."

"Ih! I can do this Lilo!"

She shook her head. "Listen to yourself. I think you're very stressed, just like Nani. It's making you act funny. She was acting funny too."

I went quiet at that. "Lilo... do you think, Stitch being irrational?"

"With this?" she gestured around us. "Yeah, kinda... but I know why you're doing this. I understand."

"You do?"

"Of course I do."

I closed my eyes, walking over and sitting down on the bed. She watched and her expression fell as a tear plopped down on the blanket below me.

"Stitch..."

I looked at her before I couldn't hold back any longer. I broke. She rushed forward and held me as tightly as she could.

"I cannot d-deal with this Lilo!" I cried into her. "They see me as enemy now! I'm not! Chopsuey is enemy, and Jumba gang! Go to get gun to point at me, Stitch saw! Why Stitch considered enemy?! I'm not bad, Stitch good...!"

"I know... I know..." she soothed me. "They are all wrong about you..."

I drew in a stuttered breath. "All... want do, is spend time with you. I'd never hurt you. They think I will!"

"They don't see it how I do and they don't understand you the way I do," Lilo said gently, rubbing my back. "I need you. They think us being apart will solve the problem. But how can that be when you need us to help fix the problem?"

"I-Ih..."

"Stitch, I won't ever let my sister take you away from me. I would rather die than allow that to happen. You have my word on that."

I felt her slip her hand into my paw. "I love you. And I want to be with you when we are older. You've cared about me as much as my parents did and you were the very one I needed when they died, Stitch. I didn't think things would ever get better... and then you came along. I don't care if you're different to me... or if we have to figure out something life changing to be together... because you make me happy and I can see past those things. I'm not like everybody else, Stitch. If that makes me a freak, I don't care because everybody else sees me as a freak anyway. They have since I was young."

"Stitch is a freak," I said softly, looking at my paws. I extended my extra arms and looked at those as well before showing Lilo.

She just ran her hands along my extra arms.

"So am I. We belong together and if the world won't accept us... then why don't we make our own instead?"

I stared at her at that. "You are amazing, Lilo. Truly."

She smiled, kissing me on the nose before sitting down beside me.

"Your birthday is coming up soon, so is Nani's wedding," she said gently before looking at me. "Do you think they will still go ahead?"

I sighed. I'd been dreading both events lately. I felt like nobody would want to come to my birthday and I couldn't even imagine how the wedding was going to play out. I'd probably be surrounded by guards the entire time and it would scare the guests. Perhaps I was better of just not going at all, despite being invited. I truly felt as though Nani wouldn't want me there with how she was being about me lately.

Lilo started stroking my back through the suit. Even if I'd taken her and run away it wouldn't be long until Jumba tracked me. I felt like clawing out the chip but I had no idea how far it was buried underneath my skin. I unsheathed my claws and went to press them into the back of my neck, making Lilo's eyes widen in horror.

She went forward to yank my paw away from my neck but I ended up shrieking myself when I felt piercing pain the moment I pushed into my skin. A throbbing sensation pulsated back there, and a ringing reverberated in my ears.

"Stitch...?" Lilo asked, hands up to her mouth in shock. "A-Are you okay?"

I cringed, holding my paw against my head until the sensation stopped. "I think so..."

"...What was that?" she asked quietly, holding her knees to her chest anxiously. "Do you think it's a good idea to be here now?"

I nodded. "Need this, Lilo."

"Okay..." she murmured, clutching onto me. I could tell she was nervous and scared, but she'd never admit it. I heard her stomach rumble.

"Want some food? Stitch go get?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"Stay... no move... okeytaka?" I instructed her and she nodded once again. Looking at her one more time, I ducked out of the door and ran from the room to search for something to steal.

Being small was both a blessing and a curse. In this case though, it was a blessing.

I easily ducked underneath cars and out of sight when I encountered humans. I'd discovered the motel had a vending machine with chips and cola inside of it, but it was in the main lobby. There was a receptionist in there and a few patrons were walking in and out with motel room keys. I'd have to find another way to steal food, considering I didn't want to be seen.

I felt like a criminal and kidnapper and I was utterly disgusted and ashamed of myself for what I'd done, but it was the only way to make them see I wasn't going to be forcefully separated from my best friend because of something beyond my control. I knew I wasn't either of those, but nobody was going to believe me now where they? Only my father maybe. I'd sooner jump off a cliff into the ocean than live without Lilo.

Nani was going to kill me.

Whatever. It was her fault I was forced to do this to begin with.

I looked around for a bit when the smell of hot chips drifted into the air. I poked my head out to see a bunch of tourists walking past the parking lot with the beverages. Once they had passed, I darted out and up the street.

A fish shop was in range.

I poked my head in the door and looked around. Nobody was at the counter and when the scent of cigarette smoke nearly made me retch, I realised the owner was on break out the back of the tiny shop.

Perfect.

Finding no security cameras, I jumped the counter and grabbed as much as I could carry in four arms. Enough to last us the day at least. I ran out of there as fast as I could, using my super-speed to get back to the room before anybody spotted me.

Lilo jumped when I entered. She'd been lying on the bed. I dumped the food down onto a small table by the television.

"What is all this? Where did–?"

I hushed her. "Never mind. Lilo bon chiba. Stitch naga bi begeta. "

She nodded at me again. I handed her a boxed burger and some cola. She looked at it for a moment before eating it slowly.

"Isa mocheeb?"

"Yeah... but... how did you pay for this?"

I bit my lip. "Didn't. Soka..."

"Oh..." she looked disappointed but continued eating. "Well, I just hope nobody saw you."

"Nah."

Lilo eventually finished her meal and had a drink. She put the rubbish into the bin and saved the rest for later.

"So what is the real reason for this, Stitch?" she asked me as she wiped at her mouth. "And no avoiding the answer this time because I know you are."

I sighed and lowered my ears. She frowned, but held onto my paw again.

"Lucha Lilo. Stitch naga boocha. But faamalee? Agents? See Meega as bad guy... chubi iga. Naga meega," I said, before swallowing and drawing in a breath. "Something bad happening to me. Well, aroomba micha nigicha aba tooka. When did... Naanee saw it. Saw me. So did agent. I change and naga in good way Lilo. That's why she take you away, run. And now, they all turn on me. See Stitch as enemy. I... cannot handle it."

"When I try explain, no listen. Just mad at me. No want to see past fear, so they keep you from Stitch. Don't want that, so I make them listen. Even if Stitch have to be an... uh... as- I mean, really big jerk about it."

I nearly swore in front of her. It was taking a lot of self-restraint for me not to.

"Big jerk?" she repeated, looking at me oddly.

"You know... taking you, run away from home."

"Oh... yeah..." she sighed into her knees. "That's... I don't know. It's going to be bad. What if Nani kicks you out of home?"

I had no response to that. Eventually I had to ask.

"Would Lilo let that happen?"

"No Stitch. But I'm just a kid. I have no control over what adults do and neither do you."

"No control over Stitch, Lilo. Stitch alien."

"But as long as you are part of our family, then Nani is in control. It's her house."

"I know..."

"Do you think they'll find us here Stitch? I mean like... you're not planning on staying here too long, are you?"

I shrugged sadly and she just sighed before turning on the television quietly.

I had wanted to remain here overnight truthfully. Part of me just wanted to leave them all forever and escape with Lilo but I knew that was impossible. It was also selfish of me. Selfish to take Lilo away like that. I felt ashamed, but at the same time I really had no idea what else to do. I'd done it in an act of desperation but I knew by this point there was probably no redeeming myself. It didn't matter though. It was far too late to repair the damage anyway.

The only way on from here was forward. To losing control and becoming a monster again. With what time I did have left well... I had to make the most of it somehow.

Even if that meant becoming the same alien criminal I'd been in the past.

Lilo was mostly quiet towards sundown. Jumba hadn't tracked us seemingly and I was glad about that. I had purposely avoided hiding in common locations. He knew me back to front so perhaps he knew I'd needed to do this. He was far more understanding of me than the other members of the family.

"Lilo want more food?" I spoke up eventually after an hour of silence. She'd eaten the fruit salad I'd stolen not long ago.

"No."

I could tell she was down from her tone and I put my head into my paws.

"Are you ashamed of Stitch? For doing this?"

She looked at me at that. "Yeah... I guess I am. I mean, I totally understand why you're doing it, but you know as much as I do that this is wrong. Nani probably has the police looking for us now."

I closed my eyes. "Stitch naga bad Lilo."

"I know you aren't, but doing this... I don't think the others will agree that you aren't."

We both jumped nearly a foot in the air when the phone started ringing. Lilo looked mortified.

"Uh..."

She was about to answer it but I reached out and grabbed her to stop her. "No... don't..."

The phone eventually rang out. She looked at me.

"Not supposed to be here Lilo. If answer, they know we in room. Big trouble. Might be calling to see if in room, somebody might know we here."

"Do we need to leave now Stitch?"

"Not yet..." I responded, shifting my ears forward to listen. "If we do, we leave by roof."

"What do you hear?" she asked me curiously, watching them move.

"Lots of things."

"Your hearing must be so amazing," she sighed. "What is it like? Being able to hear so good?"

"Annoying," I responded. "Constantly hear breathing, heartbeats. Everywhere I go. Had to learn to block out."

"It's still so cool though."

I looked at the phone, wondering why it had rang. When it started ringing again I became scared. Before I knew what I'd done, I picked it up. Mostly out of fear, but I needed to know why it was ringing just in case we had to flee.

I didn't say anything, just listened. Lilo looked at me in shock at what I'd done, and I gestured for her to remain quiet.

"Hello?" A thick familiar accent suddenly sounded. "Hello?"

I frowned, before my eyes widened. "Jumba!"

"Ah, 626! Excellent, confirms am finding you! I hacked into ancient phone system. Listen, I have not told larger girl where you are being simply for your sake. I trust little girl is safe though, yes?"

"Ih, of course."

"And what about you, any incidents?"

I knew what he was referring to. "No..." I mumbled, eyeing Lilo. "Not yet, anyway."

"Listen 626, am not having much time. Police have been sent out to find you and little girl. I lied to larger girl about location, but she is frantic, furious – all sorts of insane. Is going absolutely nuts. Probably was not best decision to leave but... too late now. I probably would have done same thing so cannot be blaming you. Be coming home as soon as you can though, this is bad. Needs to be fixed... by some miracle."

"I will. Lilo safe, I promise."

"Good. Be strong 626."

The line went dead after that. I wiped at my forehead, sweat starting to prickle against my fur.

I knew Jumba would understand. I was fortunate he did. I did this because I had to, not because I wanted to. I needed Lilo.

The girl stared at me as I put the phone down. "Was that Jumba?"

I nodded, climbing beside her on the bed and hugging her tightly. "I'm sorry. But... Stitch had to do this."

"Why though?"

"Because Naanee don't want me near you Lilo. Is only way to make see won't keep us apart."

"But is it, Stitch?"

I sat up slightly at that. She turned to face me.

"Sometimes running away from your problems isn't the best solution. Sure they might be so bad that you are too scared to confront them, but in reality you're just making them even worse. Because you won't face and conquer them, head on."

She reached out the stroke my ear. "I trust you Stitch. I know you'd never do anything to hurt me. And I know how much you need me. But this isn't right and you know it. I know you do. We have to go back. Nani might be angry but she's my sister and you can't just take me and run away. Now we both have to face the consequences of what might happen, and that could include the wedding being cancelled, or even your birthday. Wouldn't you rather fix this?"

I lowered my head. "Yeah... but it's not possible to now."

"Of course it is. Anything can be fixed."

"Naga Lilo," I shook my head, a flashback of my destruction of Turo coming to mind. "Some things cannot. Ever."

"Sure they can! You just need to try."

She would never understand. She was too young and pure. She only tried to see the good in everybody and everything, but in reality I was not a good alien. I could only try to be better and make up for what I'd done, but sometimes there was no fixing things. I would take what I'd done to the grave. I was never going to see my home planet again.

All because of my father.

I was suffering. Badly. And I knew I was.

I knew this was tearing me apart from the inside out. The only way was forward and with that there was only one outcome.

Death.

Because once the programming took control of me there was no stopping it. The very circle of trust I'd built up for years with my family – the same one that had changed my life – would be gone in the blink of an eye. My home. My one true place here on Earth with Lilo; the happy life I envisioned, where everything was perfect as we grew up together – gone. Crumbled down into nothing but ash and dust.

How could I continue to look forward to something that was going to just be destroyed anyway?

I couldn't cry anymore. I couldn't be happy, or sad. I had to stop feeling.

It was the only way.

The sun had set now and evening was settling in. Lilo was reading a magazine she'd found in a drawer.

I knew she had no idea what the words were, but there was nothing else to do. I watched her quietly, trying to focus on the television but I was bored as well. Eventually the local news had started to broadcast and a picture of myself and Lilo appeared on screen. The volume was low, but I caught everything said with my hearing.

"Kidnapped"..."Ferocious animal"..."Missing child"... "Danger"..."Wanted."

No, it was all lies. I wasn't ferocious! I wasn't a criminal damn it! I snarled, startling Lilo and turned off the darn thing, slumping down against the bed on the floor. Lilo hadn't seen the broadcast thankfully.

"You're right. They are all wrong about you!"

I didn't react to the voice this time. Instead, I quietly agreed with it.

"Listen to them. You make one small mistake, and suddenly EVERYBODY turns on you. Wants you captured. Locked up, like a criminal! All that love and care they showed you, just one big chain of lies right?"

I'm not a monster. I told it. I'm good.

"Oh, but do you think they care? Or understand that?"

No.

"Starting to see things the right way now, ey 626?"

…

"Stitch?" a quiet voice broke through. I looked up at Lilo as she approached my side. "Are you okay?"

I closed my eyes and looked towards the window.

"No Lilo," I muttered, running a claw through my fur, unblinking as I stared at the dim light outside.

"...I'm not okay."

Lilo put down the magazine and crawled next to me, hugging me from the side.

"It will be okay. We'll go back home in the morning, and talk to Nani."

I doubted Nani would listen. The police would probably be waiting to take me away. They'd never be able to touch me, but I was running out of options now. I was beginning to realise how stupid running away was.

I couldn't handle being treated like a criminal. That was past me, not current me. It felt like all my years of trying to be better would just be undone. Then what? We'd be kicked out for lying, and Jumba, Pleakley and I would be homeless. The Grand Councilwoman wasn't going to waste money putting us up somewhere. Earth was the only place we had and that probably wasn't going to last too much longer anyway with me on it.

I howled. I couldn't stop myself. Lilo jumped in fright beside me.

"Stitch..." she murmured, instantly humming a lullaby to me again. "Shh..."

She cradled my head into her arms until I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer, and fell asleep.