Settling In (Open)

[Nostalgia Chick]

(ooc: March 1st. Morning. Open to injured & children members of Critic's army. And anyone who came with to guard them as well as cook, clean, etc.)

Roses led the injured members including Nostalgia Chick and Chester into the new medical wing so they could rest. Harvey meanwhile led the rest of the group into the living room. Thanks to a mixture of magic and science Roses's home was now bigger on the inside than the outside just like Critic's home. Littlefoot and Freckles headed upstairs with a group of the kids knowing they were grounded for their stunt. Tender Heart followed to keep an eye on them. Brock headed into the kitchen deciding to make some breakfast or at least a snack for everyone. Harvey, Nani, and Willie sat down.

Harvey was glad he volunteered to be a part of this. He could rotate with someone else if he wanted to fight later but for now he was happy keeping Iheart and the others safe here. He turned to Nani.

"I'm glad you're back. You made the right move bringing Lilo here. I know she missed you a lot. And this way you guys get some time to catch up." said Harvey.

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Nani smiled at him.

"I'm glad I'm here too. I just don't know what I'd do if I lost Lilo. I'm just glad neither army got her while I was gone. But now I'm free and i wont' let anyone seperate us again." said Nani.

XXXX

Willie smiled at them both.

"I'm glad everyone's safe. Except for..."

He trailed off not wanting to mention "the incident". It was practically banned from mentioning it at the other house and people had agreed out of respect for Critic.

"I don't believe we met. I'm Willie by the way. Pleased to meet you Nani." said Nani.

XXXX

Medical Bay:

Roses got Chick and Chester into cots. Roses went off to help others get settled.

XXXX

Chick sat there and thought. Her burns hadn't healed completely from the last big battle she was in. She'd come here temporarily to heal. She didn't want to be separated from the Critic especially now but she didn't want to be a target either. But she could tell Critic would have ordered her to go if she hadn't. Ever since "the incident" he'd been very over protective of her, Iheart, and others close to him. She wished she could be there for Critic and hoped the others back there were helping him.

XXXX

Chester had similar thoughts wishing there was way to redo that fight somehow. But there wasn't.

[Pepper]

Pepper, Darla, Bambi, Lilo and Kiara went upstairs knowing they were in trouble and grounded for their affairs in trying to rescue prisoners. IHeart and Cinema Snob meanwhile were tended to by both Roses and Angry Joe, seeing how sick/injured they were. Elsewhere 90's Kid, Morpheus and Lottie came here to help out in anyway possible

Kitchen

Morpheus came into the room smiling. He had been a lot happier since the prisoners return and residement here in Roses' house. He never asked for a better chance to spend time with Nani and Lilo this way. He sat down next to Nani and looked over to Willie. He then spoke himself "Sorry. Forgive me. I saw you two were talking and well..." He smirked to Nani and held her hand "I could not help but remember how much I missed you also"
XXXXXX

Well the children are all upstairs with Tenderheart. Which a relief honestly. This was a great idea to have them all here Lottie thought as she also entered the room. She was quieter than Morpheus was and went to sit right next to Harvey. She flinched at the mention of "the incident" but forgot about it quickly and looked to Harvey with a flirtatious grin
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Elsewhere 90's Kid was moping from the other side of the table. He saw IHeart and Chester's conditons and got extremely sad over it. Poor homeless and Heartbabe were kaput from their injuries and were very messed up from it. Cinema snob looked better but he had a strange feeling around him, like a paranoid state he never escaped from. The teen drank a diet coke from the refrigerator and sighed.
XXXXX

Medical Bay

Like Chester, IHeart was extremely tired when arriving and went right to sleep. The poor girl hadn't spoke since arrival and when she did it came out in a fearful murmur. The teen was bandaged and cleaned up thanks to Angry Joe's determined cleaning and healing but she was still pretty messed up.

Cinema Snob however was sitting upright and couldn't sleep. He just stared at the front wall and allowed his thoughts to run wild. He came here willingly and demanded Critic to take him off his position as Second In Command, and also demanded that Spoony would be second in command despite the assurance that once Snob was fixed he could take the job back. Snob shouted protest and demanded Spoony take his job and eventually Spoony relented and took the job. That was recently and Snob felt more free than he had in a long time. "Roses. I did not regret quitting second in command. I really didn't. I still don't"
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Upstairs

"This sucks" Kiara complained immediately. Kiara went over to the small seat and complained a bit more "This really sucks. We were just trying to help and THIS is the payment we get. Talk about gratitude" Kiara sighed, tail thrashing angerily and her eyes narrowed.
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"We actually kind of deserve it. We were going to get killed if not for Critic" Lilo said sadly. She was quiet on the way there, she was content with Nani being here but was not content with being grounded. That said, she could care less, she did what she wanted to do, which was get her sister back. She was happy with that and if that meant being grounded then so be it.
XXXX

"Lilo's right. We're safe now and we got the people back. I think we did ok. Sure we nearly cost our lives but hey! At least we're safe now right?" Pepper encouraged. She was surprisingly chippy about being grounded. This gave her more time with Darla and Freckles which was exactly what she wanted. She was with her sisters. She could care less. She would've prefered not having to be grounded but it came with perks at least.
XXXX

"Kiara. We kinda shouldn't complain we're in no position too" Bambi snapped annoyed with the rebelling cub. Bambi was not happy with being grounded either but the cub made him grateful. It meant Kiara didn't have to cause such fusses around the area. It annoyed Bambi that he had to deal with her. He hoped tenderheart would say something to shut her up.
XXXXXX

"I'm just glad we're away from it all. I think we all just need a break" Darla confessed. She was going stir-crazy from all this nonsense of fighting and battling. She was happy she was safe and with her family. Being grounded might be bad but Darla was too upset about her family's condition to care. Sure she knew Patch and Penny were safe whereever they were but she wanted things to be consistant. It was unfair.

(OCC: Is this alright? Let me know kay!)

[Nostalgia Chick]

Kitchen:

Nani smiled as Morpheus.

"I'm so glad to be back. I missed you and Lilo, and everyone so much. I'm glad you were here. You were able to keep her safe when I couldn't." said Nani.

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Willie grinned seeing them both together.

"Well I'll leave you two alone. I know love when I see it." said Willie.

He grinned getting up and walking out to leave the pair alone.

XXXX

Harvey paused as he smiled as Lottie joined him. He grinned taking her hand.

"I'm glad you agreed to come here. I know we haven't been able to spend much time together. Now we don't have to focus on the war and we can spend more time together." said Harvey.

XXXX

Willie walked over seeing 90's Kid and smiled sitting next to him.

"Don't feel so bad friend. We rescued our friends. We won. I know some of them are hurt but they'll heal. And they're finally home where they belong." said Willie.

Well not all of them. One hadn't made it. Ma-Ti. He sighed. Not even he was powerful enough to revive the dead. But at least most of them had made it back.

XXXX

Brock joined them and nodded.

"Willie's right. Iheart, Nani, Chester, and Goggles are back where they belong with us. And soon we'll make them pay for taking them from us." said Brock.

XXXX

Medical Bay:

Roses paused turning to Snob and smiled.

"I still think you were wrong. No one blamed you for anything that happened. Not even what happened to-

Roses trailed off sad. She had gotten to know Ma-Ti quite these past couple months. At least enough to care about him. And now he was gone. She sighed turning to him.

"It's your decision. And I respect it. Even if I don't agree with it." said Roses.

XXXX

Chester yawned as he turned to Iheart. He saw joe finish bandaging her up. He walked over to her and hugged her. He knew it had hurt her, Spoony, and Critic the most as they had been the closest to him. He paused turning to Joe and hugged him as well. He'd seen Ma-Ti talk to him a few times. He was trying to help but tears were starting to form in his face as he sat down on his bed again.

"I can't believe he's gone. I know he gets made fun of a lot because of that ring. But he had more heart than anyone I know. I never thought we'd see him again. And then he came back. And I saw you and Critic and everyone genuinely happy again. I know Critic and everyone tried to move on and I think there were times you guys were happy. But now he's gone again. I miss him. They took him away from us again. They need to pay!" said Chester.

He stood up so suddenly his knees gave up and he nearly fell over clutching the bed. He still hadn't recovered from his wounds. Sure he was afraid of both armies and he wasn't much of a fighter. But neither was Ma-Ti and he'd died twice to help them. They couldn't get away with this. They couldn't. He just collapsed unable to hide his tears. Why did it have to be Ma-Ti? It should have been him. He knew he was one of the weak links of the army.

"It should have been me. Not him." whispered Chester.

He was unaware Joe and Iheart had both heard him as he was too upset.

Upstairs:


Littlefoot shook his head.

"I actually agree with Kiara. Sure what we did was wrong but they didn't have to punish us for it. They certainly weren't going to do anything if we hadn't gone." said Littlefoot.

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Tender Heart shook his head.

"You did want to do a good thing but you weren't prepared. You could have been hurt or kiled like..."

Tender Heart trailed off unable to finish that sentence.

XXXX

Freckles paled at Tender Heart's words.

"I can't believe he's gone. He was so nice. He was a little sad Iheart was a prisoner but I understood that. And they didn't even get to say goodbye." said Freckles.

She paused hugging Darla and Pepper.

"I'm glad that wasn't either of you. I couldn't bear it if something happened to you." said Freckles.

[Pepper]

Kitchen

"We missed you far more believe me. Especially me and your sister. Speaking of which, I'm afraid my efforts weren't completely successful. She was extremely different without you. She was far more anxious and someone gave me a complaint that she screamed in the night. I fear she may have traumatic stress. Now that you're here with us, perhaps things shall turn out in our favor" Morpheus responded, smiling and yet his tone was neutral. He then cringed slightly at Nani's response, feeling she was blaming herself "You would've attacked properly if not for the villain's cowardly attacks upon yourself. You mustn't blame yourself"
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90's Kid looked to see Willie and his smile came back with some effort but the surfer showed some more signs of regret at Willie's words. According to both Harvey and Linkara, Ma-Ti did not make it during the fight, killed by Malachite and magic. Knowing how close they all were with the teen, 90's Kid heart ached for the boy. But he made no effort in mentioning it, knowing it wasn't allowed anymore since Critic's announcement to move on. 90's Kid nodded with a sigh "I know dude. I'm glad we won but still... Chester really risked his life. He looked like in total bad shape. And IHeart and Snob didn't speak since they got here. Those villains probably really got to their heads. I sometimes wish I was cool enough to get a blood-gun and shoot those jerks" He said with a angry tone, his face in some sort of well-attempted scowl.
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Lottie happily smiled "Of course I would agree to this. I'd spend anytime with you as much as possible. I'm also glad that will be able to spend more time together instead on focusin' on this terrible war" Lottie held Harvey's hand tightly and looked a bit upstairs and sighed "I'm so relieved that the kiddies are with us. This stuff is too dangerous for little darlin's like them" She turned back to Harvey and responded with another smile, one that was more concerned than happy "I don't mean to pry but Linkara said you haven't been well when I myself was captured. What happened, dear?"

Upstairs

"Thank you Littlefoot! At least someone agrees with me! You guys did nothing until we did something! At least we gave a effort instead of thinking of a---" Kiara's rant stopped the minute Tenderheart spoke. She was about to object again but the unspecified mention of Ma-Ti made her feel a bit more aware of the situation. Sure they made a effort but it didn't go unpunished, especially for that teen who was pretty much their leader. The cub calmed down and put her head down sadly "That's true. We WERE close to getting killed. That poor guy.... I really liked him"
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"Me too. Poor Ma-ti. I miss him so much already" Lilo said tears threatening to form again. The girl went over to Tenderheart and sighed "If that happened to Morpheus or Nani I'd be pretty much happy with being nothing more than a pile of dust. I wouldn't know what I do if that was them. We couldn't save him" Lilo bent her head and covered her face, starting to cry
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Bambi's ears drooped at the mention of Ma-ti. Like Freckles, Bambi also got to know Ma-Ti a tad, mostly because of IHeart's efforts in comforting him. The deer sat down a bit more and responded "He was a good person. Why did they have to do that? They could've just captured him or just injure him but.... It's not fair! He didn't deserve it! He was nice! IHeart cared about him! He cared about us! I hate this war! I wanna go home!" Bambi started crying right then and there
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"We're trying to get home Bambi. Hey, hey! Don't cry! We have each other! It'll be ok!" Pepper responded, desperate to lighten the situation even though a harsh reality was shown upon them. Pepper then focused her attention on Freckles and Darla, and Pepper group-hugged alongside them. The pup frowned and hugged the two female pups as much as she possibly could. Pepper nodded "Me too Frecks. If something happened to you, Darla, Rolly and Cadpig, I'd be pretty devastated too. I won't lose you guys, not if I can help it that is" Pepper sighed in sadness
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Darla's tears streamed "That poor person. Bambi's right, he didn't deserve that. I can't believe those villains were so cruel enough to do that" Darla then hugged Pepper and Freckles right back as Freckles spoke about being happy that it was them being hurt. Darla nodded "I'm glad we're all together. We were lucky. I'm never going to let you guys get hurt anymore. I'm glad we're safe and away from it all. I think we need to just be here and stay away. It'll be more of a effort then"

Medical Bay

Snob nodded. He respected that Roses prefered to have him stay in his position but Snob knew he was no longer in position to take or make orders. He was done with it. He prefered either staying to help the children or going back as a unpromoted soilder. He hadn't decided that part yet but he knew that he had to rest and recuperate. He would decide his future in the war later. For now, Spoony was the perminant and new second in command, helping Critic with anything they could and the man sighed. His face shriviled at the mention of Ma-Ti. Snob wasn't as close as Critic, Spoony and IHeart were but he was similar to how Linkara handled it, sad and determined to move on. Snob really cared for Ma-Ti and wished for him to have a better ending that what was given to him. "I know you guys don't but I do. I've seen things god never should have created. They... They tortured Chester. They beat up people. They laughed at our unclean faces. They mocked us. It was a hell I never wished happened. I should've never went there by myself. It was hell Roses"

He breathed, closing his eyes and one would assume he was remembering his time as a prisoner "I still am glad you respect my decision. Sure you don't agree with it but I'm glad you didn't chew my ears off like Spoony did"
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Joe sighed as IHeart sat up shocked to see chester hug her so quickly, only to politely take it. Joe hugged Chester tightly and the man breathed as he heard the bum begin sniffing and ranting. Joe immediately noticed Chester's shouting and he went over to help Chester get back in bed but not before hearing Chester's response of "It should've happened to me" and Joe's heart tinged with terror and anger. The man went over and held onto Chester's shoulder gently. Joe responded "No it shouldn't of. Don't say stuff like that. It's not going to help you or us. You mean a lot to us Chester. You were so strong back there, don't give up now" He sighed in anger "But you're right. Ma-Ti being taken from us was hard and now that it happened again, we might never be the same but we can't blame ourselves, we need to blame the people responsible and take back what they stole from us. A friend. Now we'll get them to pay, trust me" He patted Chester "Now rest. You deserve a break. A long one" He then went to IHeart, who seemed to be extremely concerned for Chester and looked into her eyes and said "Whatever happened with you that made you stop talking, you're going to have to talk to someone soon ok? Don't hide it in anymore. We'll help you. If not me than maybe talk to Harvey? I know for a damn fact he missed you or talk to Chester cause you guys stood together and all that"
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IHeart was a bit shocked that Chester was quick on his feet but she smiled slightly and hugged Chester right back. She still didn't feel like speaking her thanks or regret but Chester said pretty much what she wanted to say. Ma-Ti's death was precisely why IHeart stopped speaking. While Chester ranted, IHeart played the memories of Ma-Ti through her mind. The day where Ma-Ti first called her pretty, the day where Ma-Ti helped her out with her bad leg, the day he returned from death, the confession of his love for her, her first kiss. IHeart looked down at the sheets and hugged them as tight as she could, pretending it was ma-ti right now. Out of all the people she wanted to see once freed, it was Ma-Ti that stuck out the most and now he was gone. She was lonely. She was without her heart. Her life seemed to have less meaning. That is until Chester confessed that he wished to be killed instead of him and that caused her eyes to turn right to the crying bum. IHeart was angry now. This bum was the strongest person in the prison group and he was now broken and needed someone. It was her turn to pay the unspecified debt she had with him. IHeart loved Chester much more, even if she enjoyed him as a friend before but now she was determined to protect him like he did with her. She needed to be strong now. He was now the broken one.

Her concerned gaze didn't go unnoticed and Joe told her that one day she would have to speak her displeasure. Her thoughts of talking to chester were not going to happen, Chester had enough on his plate. As much as Joe was a great friend, she much prefered talking to her most trusted uncle Harvey. She missed him a lot. It was obvious the two were always close and talking to him about her pain seemed much easier. IHeart would think on doing just that. Even if it meant dropping down a rant or two.

[Nostalgia Chick]

Kitchen:

Nani grinned at him.

"I know. I hope no minds if I stay out of battles for awhile. I can train but I don't want to stay and spend as time with Lilo and you as I can." said Nani.

She paused as he tried to make he feel better. She shook her head.

"We were ambushed. We tried our best. But there was too many of them. But that's over now. I just hope I can make it up to her." said Nani.

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Willie nodded.

"But they're here. That's the important thing. They'll get better in time. And we'll make them all pay. I wish I was there though. I'd have squashed them like pancakes. But we'll get them all back for what they've done." said Willie.

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Harvey smiled at her.

"This war has taken too much from us already. We've lost time together. Poor Ma-Ti has lost his life and Jasmine was captured. But I'm glad you're here." said Harvey.

He paused as she said he wasn't himself when she was captured. He frowned knowing Linkara was trying to help but he hadn't wanted to worry Lottie.

"I didn't want you to know. It wasn't a pretty sight. I missed you so much and I started drinking to numb the pain. Linkara, Linksano, and 90's Kid helped me though. And having you back is even better." said Harvey.

Upstairs:

Littlefoot, Tender Heart, Freckles

Littlefoot sighed hearing Tender Heart mention Ma-Ti.

"You're right. He tried to talk us out of it. And he only went to help keep us safe. It's not fair. He was so nice, so friendly. He was one of the nicest humans I've ever met and now he's gone. Just like my mother." said Littlefoot.

Tears were now flowing freely as he sat down sadly. If he had to do it over again he'd have waited.

"We should have brought more help. We should have had a plan. That could have been any of us and he paid the price. I've learned my lesson. I'm not leaving this house again. I'd just get in the way." said Littlefoot.

He looked at the ground sadly.

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Tender Heart paused his heart breaking at their sadness.

"It will be alright. Ma-Ti sacrificed himself to keep Spoony and the rest of us safe. So we could fight on and win this war. If either of the villain armies wins we'll be killed. Or enslaved with the rest of the world. We can't let that happen." said Tender Heart.

He paused turning to Littlefoot.

"Everyone can help. You just have to train how to fight, or help out the medics. You can't just rush off on your own. That won't help anyone." Said Tender Heart.

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Freckles hugged Pepper and Darla before pulling back and sighing. Tender Heart's words brought some comfort. She knew the bear was trying. But they had screwed up and Ma-Ti was now gone.

"Tender Heart's right though. We can't just hide out here. We must have been brought here for a reason. To help. Somehow. And I want to help. Even if it is being a medic." said Freckles.

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Medical Bay:

Roses sighed.

"If you ever want to talk about it you can talk to me. Or talk to someone. Keeping it bottled up isn't healthy. You might beel better to talk about it." said Roses.

She paused and she leaned forward and pulled him into a hug.

"You're my friend Snob. Friends always don't agree with each other but I always back my friends." said Roses.

She pulled back and grinned. She heard Chester's outburst and looked at him sadly. She saw Iheart was still silent as she sighed.

"Iheart hasn't said a word since she got back here. I wish there was something we could do for her." said Roses.

And Chester's outburst worried her. He'd apparently was braver then they'd all given him credit for. He'd been tortured to spare them pain.

"And poor Chester. He protected all of you especially Iheart so much from what I've heard from Grimhilde, Ace, Nani, Rachel, Lottie, and you." said Roses.

XXXX

Chester sighed as Joe came over to him helping him get back into bed and put a hand on his shoulder.

"But it should have been me. Ma-Ti had that magic ring. He had friends. He had Iheart. I'm the expendable one. It should have been me." said Chester.

He was taken by surprise as he suddenly got a slap as he looked over shocked to see Nostalgia Chick.

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Nostalgia Chick heard Chester feeling sorry for himself as she had enough. She walked over and slapped him as he looked at her in surprise.

"How dare you? We were worried about you Chester. Especially 90's Kid. He was a wreck with you gone. And he's still upset with how hurt you've gotten. If you had died I don't think he'd be the same. And neither could Ace, Iheart, Nani, and the others who were in that dungeon with you. You made quite the impression on them. They all view you as a hero. We all do now. You're our friend and I won't have you putting yourself down. You got that?" said Chick.

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Chester was speechless hearing about 90's Kid nearly broke his heart. He knew 90's Kid was his friend but he hadn't realized how hard the guy had taken his capture and injuries. And about how he was viewed as a hero made him smile a little. He just nodded silently to Chick in amazement.

[90's Kid]

Kitchen

"I'm sure no-one will have a problem with you staying to train and spend time with Lilo" Morpheus said, smiling and seeing how responsible his love really was. He sighed and responded gently "I hope so also. She really has it hard. She was so glad to see you she didn't even faze when I told her she was grounded. I think she feels accomplished" He let out a smile at that, feeling immensely glad that lilo was content with being with her sister. Morpheus rubbed Nani's shoulder as he admitted something else "Your sister means a lot to me too. If there is anything I can do to help you with her, just let me know"

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90's Kid's scowl turned into a sad face once more as Willie talked, desperate to cheer him up. The young man knew of the giant's intentions and appreciated them enough to cheer up a little. The man turned to Willie and patted the man's shoulder in friendship, a silent thanks for being kind to him. 90's Kid smiled at the mention of squashing the villains down like pancakes and nodded "You'd rock at the fight. I wish I was there too. But you're right, they're back and that's what's important dude. Poor homeless, he seemed so upset, he wouldn't even talk to me. Willie, dude, be honest. Was I a bad friend for not helping Chester's rescue?"

It was then the guilt of 90's Kid showed its true colors, for he let go of his glasses and 90's Kid's eyes were shown to be full of tears. He was like many of the children, just the oldest one out of them all and he seriously didn't know what to do. He felt bad. He felt like a bad friend. He turned to willie, hoping his answer would help him feel better.

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Lottie smiled back at Harvey "So am I dear. I promise to spend as much time with you as I can, now that we're here that is" Lottie's grin widened a little before Harvey confessed that he felt so upset about her disappearance he couldn't help but feel depressed, he missed her that he drank to numb the pain. But having her back, along with the support of 90's Kid, Linkara and Linksano cheered him up and he didn't want to make her worry about it, which was why he didn't tell her before. Lottie wasn't unsympathetic at all, she understood well and it showed in her gentle expression. She wasn't happy that Harvey hid from her but she wasn't going to dwell on it forever. She kissed his cheek and responded "I understand, Harvey. You were upset, I probably would've done the same thing. Next time tell me alright? I won't keep secrets from you if you don't from me, deal?" Her smile was teasing, like she was trying to fool around even if this wasn't a laughing matter. Lottie wanted Harvey to trust her. This was a good step to start in.

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Upstairs

Littlefoot crying caused Kiara's soft side to finally kick in, the cub went over and hugged the poor dinosaur assuringly. Although she wasn't happy with being grounded still, maybe the punishment would make them more aware that they needed to be careful. For now, they were upset about Ma-Ti and the children, including Kiara herself, felt guilty over what happened. Kiara after she hugged Littlefoot walked over to Tenderheart and bent her head down humbly "I may not speak for all of us, Tenderheart, but we didn't mean to cause so much problems. We're really sorry. We'll do everything we can to never do it again. We only wanted to help. That's why we did it. But it was bad, I understand, and we wanna make it up to the others. Or at least I will"

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Lilo stopped crying when Tenderheart encouraged them that Ma-Ti died only to allow them to live. Lilo's heart snapped with guilt by that point and the hawaiian girl's tears still flowed but she did show her face and saw Kiara vouch that they were sorry and they would try better. Lilo nodded and responded after Kiara "I'll do my part too, by training and being careful. I never wanted anyone to get killed but now that someone has I'm not gonna let it happen again"

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Bambi's sobbing did not stop. He felt so guilty and the mention of Littlefoot's mother instantly reminded him of his own mother. Of how Ma-Ti and IHeart told him that she was dead, and that he was supposed to be safe here only to not be. Bambi didn't even listen to Tenderheart's words of comfort, because they weren't the words he needed or thought he needed. "But littlefoot's right, we really screwed up! I still want to go home! I'm useless here! I can't do anything right! I couldn't even save my own mother from death! What good can I do saving anyone here?!" He then began crying some more, causing a disturbance in the room

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Pepper however was too encouraged with her fiery determination to let her emotions get down. Her sister's needed her and Ma-Ti's sacrifice to her would go in vain if she didn't make her life worth living. She let go of her sisters, seeing Darla like Bambi but Freckles just as determined as Tenderheart was. That caused her to jump onto the bed and say enthusastically, trying to get the group's attention along with cheer up the crying children in the group. She shouted "Hey! This isn't the way to talk! Ma-Ti wouldn't want it this way! He'd want us to do what we can to prevent slavery from happening! I have my sisters, Darla, Cadpig, Freckles and my brother Rolly here, and I'm not going to lose them! No way am I gonna sit around and do nothing. We may have done a mistake but we can always fix it with doing good! We can help find supplies, find medical stuff, find loose change, anything! With all of us, we're just as important as the others! We may be small but we can make a difference. I'm sure we'll pull through this bad time!" Pepper turned for the others for support

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Darla was about to object to Freckles' idea of helping out instead of hiding like she wanted, but Pepper running to the bed and talking some sort of speech seemed to catch her attention. She was shocked her sister was so quickly straight-forward but then again she always was. Darla couldn't help but smile at her older sister's amusement and watched to see any reaction from the others, before turning back to Pepper talking and seeing if the others would respond. Darla hoped that the others would cheer up by Pepper's encouragement.

Medical Bay

Snob felt a little bit like he was talking to Roses' the same way he would talk to his mother, but she had a point. He didn't need to hide anymore. He was safe. Roses was his friend. Snob trusted her. She trusted him. It was alright now. He hugged her back with a smile as she hugged him and said that she was his friend no matter what. Snob then responded "I'll talk to you about all of it soon enough. It's the least I can do" He then turned to see IHeart wounded and silent, Snob's sadness returned and he responded to her in a whisper "It's because of two things. One, she was tortured to no end, both physically and mentally. Two, she was lonely and waited so long for Ma-Ti, she told me that as we were going home that she couldn't wait to see how ma-ti was doing. Only for me to tell her he was dead, she stopped talking to me and everybody else since then. I don't know what to do for her either"

He then saw chester and his heart broke for him "Yeah, Chester was the bravest one of all of us. He's more of a man than I'll ever be. He shouldn't put himself down like this---" Suddenly Chick surprised everyone with a sudden slap across the face to chester. Snob's face dropped in shock and he commented out loud, with a hint of shock in his voice "Damn chick. Remind me to keep being confident while you're around"

XXXX

Joe was about to say more when Chick slapped chester across the face. That shocked the video gamer more than anything in this room, Joe didn't comment a single thing, only stared at Chick as if she had three eyes. Joe snapped out of it through time and turned to Chester, checking his cheek. Although the cheek would be red, it wasn't serious, but it sure as hell looked like it hurt. Joe nodded eventually "Although I wouldn't of hit you, Chick has a point Chester. We were worried about you Chester and we care about you. Especially 90's Kid. He's talked non-stop about you ever since your capture. IHeart, she may not say it now, but she cares about you too. Right IHeart?" Joe hoped this would make IHeart talk, even a little, his face full of hope she would respond

XXXX

IHeart was sick of it. Sick of all the talk about death, depression and Ma-Ti. Although she never wanted to forget ma-ti, right now she was handling the fact he was gone once more and all the mention of it were really not helping. Chester's admitting that he was the expendable member made the teen look at him in shock. Chester was far from expendable, he was by far the most useful person in their group of prisoners. She felt pretty expendable compared to him and her face went red with embarrassment as she thought that, she knew Ma-Ti would never want her to get killed to save him. If anything, Ma-Ti would be glad to die just so she would live. As she thought that, tears streamed down her face and she hugged the sheets even tigher, desperate for ma-ti's hugs once more. She suffered to see him, only to realize from snob that he was gone. No more Ma-Ti, no more of her love. She then saw Chick slap Chester and IHeart made a loud cry of shock, covering her mouth agast that Chick would dare hit him. IHeart would've said something if she wasn't so astounded by Chick's blunt message. She eventually stopped looking and went back to staring at her sheets when Joe spoke.

Joe asked if she cared about Chester, and that caused a extremely digusted face to show on the girl's face. How dare Joe question her care for one of her greatest friends? Of course I care about Chester you asshole IHeart felt like saying but she knew the only reason he was asking her so bluntly was because Joe wanted her to talk. That caused her to not talk even more. Joe questioning her was annoying, she got that plenty from the torture she endured. IHeart looked over to Chester and softened her disgusted look, went up and gave the bum a hug before nodding to Joe and irritably walk to her bed and turn away from everyone.

[Nostalgia Chick]

Living Room:

Nani smiled.

"I'm glad you're here. When they took you away I was so worried. And then I was taken away. I don't want to be away from you for that long ever again." said Nani.

She paused wiping away tears and wrapped her arms around him as he spoke next.

"But she won't have it hard again. I won't let anyone hurt my sister or keep me from her or you again." said Nani.

She smiled and nodded as he asked if there was anything he could do.

"You've done more than enough. But just continue to be there for her. You probably know if she's having nightmares or anything like that more than I would. I'm glad she had you." said Nani.

XXXX

Willie smiled.

"Well perhaps he needs time. From what I've heard he's a hero. He got hurt trying to protect everyone. It's probably just hitting him. I mean the poor guy probably acted so brave, took all those beatings to keep them safe. Most of them don't even have a scratch on them." said Willie.

He paused as 90's kid asked if he was a bad friend as Willie shook his head.

"Of course you're a good friend. But they had more than enough help there. Poor Ma-Ti died and that girl Jasmine got captured. Chester wouldn't want anything to happen to you. And I don't either. Don't blame yourself for what happened. Blame the creeps that took him and the others." said Willie.

XXXX

Harvey nodded and smiled.

"Thank you for being so understanding. It doesn't help that I lost someone else. Jasmine was right there. I should have done something but I wasn't fast enough. And now she's a prisoner." said Harvey.

He paused as she asked him a question and he nodded.

XXXX

Upstairs:

Littlefoot smiled as Kiara hugged him.

"Thanks. I just wish we could bring him back. I heard he died once before. But he came back and they said it was a miracle. I guess it's too much to hope for the same thing to happen again." said Littlefoot.

He sighed turning to Tender Heart as he nodded.

"Kiara's right. I'm not going off into danger without a plan. And without training. Or I could end up as a prisoner or worse. We were lucky the rest of us made it back safely." said Littlefoot.

XXXX

Tender Heart smiled as the children as they spoke.

"I'm glad you understand. The adults worried about you. They just don't want any of you to get hurt. But perhaps it's time you had training. They've been trying to protect you but eventually you may end up at a battle like last night. And you should be prepared." said Tender Heart.

XXXX

Freckles smiled at Darla and nodded.

"I agree. We should start training. If we prove we can protect ourselves and help them then maybe they'll let us fight in a few battles." said Freckles.

Granted she wasn't sure what she could at her size. Maybe being a medic would be the best she could do.

Medical Bay:

Roses smiled at him.

"Alright. But you come talk to me when you're ready. I don't want to push you." said Roses.

She paused as Snob mentioned how poor Iheart was tortured and Chester was putting himself down. She looked in surprise as Chick slapped Chester.

"Wow. I didn't realize she had it in her." said Roses.

She paused calling out to Chester.

"Joe and Nostalgia Chick are right Chester. You're one of us. You matter to us." said Roses.

XXXX

Nostalgia Chick felt bad for hitting him but it had gotten through to him.

"Everyone hear cares about you Chester. Stop putting yourself down. That goes for all three of you. You're not the only one who's been kidnapped and lock in a cell before. My should was hurt, and they stole my voice when I was in there. But I made it back thanks to you guys and the others helped do the same for you. I know it'll take some time to adjust what happened to you. But don't blame yourselves. It's Ask That Guy, Facilier, and the others who are the ones to blame." said Chick.

XXXX

Chester sighed and nodded.

"You guys are right. It's just I feel so useless." said Chester.

Chester sighed again as he looked at Iheart. She looked so broken, so hurt and it was his fault. He hadn't protected her.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I promised myself I'd keep you safe. But I failed. I wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry." said Chester.

[Kiara]

Living Room

Morpheus felt terrible as tears were shown on Nani's face and when she hugged him, he quickly hugged her tightly, and gently assured her with rubbing her back. He wasn't going anywhere and neither was she, they were together now, that was all that mattered. He smiled as he was told that he had done enough but keep what he was doing if he wanted to help. His responses were quick and simple "You will never lose me, Nani. I am with you now and I too will make sure it never happens again. As for your sister, I'll do anything I can for her too. She's safe as are you and nothing will tear us away" He put his head against her forehead assuringly, determined to make Nani know he was here now for her
XXXXXX

90's Kid's tears kept going as Willie told him that probably Chester was still suffering and needed time. It was incredibly sobering for him to have Chester, one of his best pals, be like this. The poor bum was from happy and gullible, to sober and brave, just like 90's Kid was sometimes. The army of Facilier was apparently very cruel to their prisoners, especially to ones that defied them. It scared him deeply what chester went through, not to mention it made him feel guilty. That is until Willie assured him he was a good friend and that he shouldn't blame himself, seeing the facilier army had the upperhand anyway. That made him angry. Ma-Ti's death was their fault for sure and Jasmine was now in the same horrible positions as Chester was, just in a different army. 90's Kid wiped his tears and responded "You're right Willie, it's just hard to see for me, but I gotta know Chester'll be ok soon. He just needs time, like the rest of us"
XXXXXX

Lottie nodded, glad that she was nailing the fact of being supportive. Then the news of Harvey feeling bad of Jasmine came through and shock came through the blond's body. Another captured? Oh no, that meant more rescuing. Lottie held Harvey's hand and responded "Oh my land. Don't blame yourself dearie. It wasn't your fault, and Critic will find a way to get her back surely" She then responded off-handedly "The villains probably didn't play fair anyway, so none of ya'll could've won"

Upstairs

Kiara turned to see Littlefoot gain confidence as well as herself when Pepper spoke more, but acknowledged what she said as the dinosaur commented that he would train to get better. Kiara then smiled as Tenderheart seemed to forgive them a bit more and comment that maybe it was time for training. She let out a cry of happiness, glad that she got to what she wanted all along, to just be there and help out by training. Kiara shouted happily "Sweet! I know we're grounded but that means we get more time to train! Awesome!" She meant that, it meant doing something more than waiting around
XXXXX

Bambi cheered up a lot more as Pepper and the other children spoke. Pepper's speech seemed to encourage them all and Tenderheart commented that he was happy they understood and it was probably time to train. Bambi finally smiled and responded "Tenderheart and pepper are right. We can't sit around, it's best we try to do something by being helpful or training!" Bambi felt a lot better and more confident now.
XXXX

Pepper finally got down the bed, seeing people paid attention to what she said and responded with a laugh to Freckles "That's the spirit Frecks!" She then patted her sister down on her back before turning to Tenderheart who agreed it might be time to train "Awesome! You mean we're getting another chance to prove ourselves? Even better than being at Roses!" Pepper hugged Darla and Freckles out of excitement and wagged her tail "Alright, now we're getting to business!" She then responded with a frown, not a sad one more of a curious one "Do you think they have kanine krunchies here? I'm starving now"
XXXX

Darla sighed, seeing there was no point in arguing with anyone now "Alright, Littlefoot, Kiara and Pepper talked me into it. I'll do my best in training or helping out. It's scary being here but I need to protect myself" She laughed hysterically the minute Pepper hugged then mentioned food. Darla felt that this was like back home, Pepper was just bringing it here to chicago and her happiness was returning. She commented to Pepper "Aw come on Pepper. First you mention being positive and working together, now you want something to eat!" She then laughed a bit more

Medical Bay

Snob shrugged at Roses' response to chick's basic slap. He didn't know that either but now that she showed it, he wouldn't want to cross her ever. Snob then called out in agreement to Roses' comment "What Roses said, Chester. You've been such a big help and you've always meant a lot to us. Don't put yourself down, you're a great dude" He then shrugged again and responded "Best I could come up with really" He then commented some more "It's been rough on him though to be fair, they pushed him around far too much. Not as much as IHeart though. The both of them were pretty popular to pick on for some reason" He pondered "I don't know how come they didn't pick on me, not that I wanted them to but I'd rather have them at me then at those poor two"
XXXXXX

"Exactly what I was about to say thanks Chick!" Joe said, deliberately trying to cheer everyone up. The gloominess was making Joe uncomfortable and he didn't want to spend his time feeling really uncomfortable. The man turned to see IHeart move back to look at Chester and then after a couple of minutes, she finally spoke, very fluently, as if she never stopped speaking. He smiled happily, seeing that progress was being made as IHeart finally spoke. Maybe it was because she didn't want Chester's apoligy to go unanswered or maybe she didn't want him to feel terrible anymore, all that mattered is that IHeart spoke but when she did she began crying and it made Joe's heart break for her. He sighed a bit, feeling terrible.
XXXXXX

IHeart was staring at the wall, lying down, when Chester apoligized. She didn't want him to go unanswered but she just didn't feel like talking at all. She did not think it was chester's fault and the only way for him to get that, was for her to talk. IHeart was a bit apprehensive but she moved to look at the others, sat up and stared a little at chester. She breathed a bit, looking at the floor, then back at Chester before making a final decision. She may have been upset but Chester was vunerable too and she needed to accept that she was not the only victim. IHeart's eyes filled with tears and responded "Chester, you don't need to apoligize. It's not your fault. It never was. Ma-ti...." The tears then flowed "Ma-Ti wouldn't want us to blame ourselves. It's best we heal and, maybe, move on" She wiped her tears but they kept coming "It's best for all of us actually. Ma-Ti did the most selfless thing, and even then he'd probably want us to be sure we're ok" She wiped her tears some more but small chokes came out and instantly, she began sobbing.

[Harvey Finevoice]

Living Room:

Nani smiled at him.

"You had better. But I know you're one of the best fighters this army has. You can't stay here forever. They'll need you. To fight with them. To train them. I can't be selfish. I want you to stay here but that's not fair to the rest of the army. I want you to come visit when you choose to go back and I know you will." said Nani.

She smiled as he put his head against hers and she smiled hugging him.

"I don't want to lose you but there's no guarantees. Ask That Guy, Facilier, and the others could find out about this house and then it won't be so safe anymore." said Nani.

XXXX

Willie pulled 90's Kid into a hug surprising himself. He was a former villain and yet he was starting to become attached to this army. He hated seeing anyone being upset.

"It'll be alright. He'll be back to his old self in no time. You should try to look on the bright side. You got your friend and your girlfriend Rachel back. Not everyone was that lucky." said Willie.

Poor Ma-Ti. People had taken it hard. Especially Critic, Spoony, and Iheart. Iheard hadn't spoken since she come back. He didn't know her that well but he was worried about her. About everyone. He wished he could wave his hand and bring Ma-Ti back. But he didn't have that kind of power.

XXXX

Harvey looked at her and smiled.

"It's hard to not to. If I was only quicker I could have pulled her away with me. But I'll try." said Harvey.

He nodded.

"I know. I suppose I should be grateful there weren't more. I don't think I could handle if you had died that not. Being seperated from you was bad enough. If I'd lost you I'd be as incosolabe as Iheart. I wish there was something I could do for her." said Harvey.

XXXX

Upstairs:

Littlefoot frowned as he realized something.

"Wait. We're grounded. Where are we supposed to train? They're not going to let us wander off." said Littlefoot.

He sighed wondering what they could do.

XXXX

Freckles smiled at the others enthusiasm. They'd train or be medics and help out. She paused hearing Littlefoot's question and frowned.

"He's right. And it's not like the adults are going to train us. They don't want us to get hurt. I know. What about the basement? We can train there. We could just tell the adults we're just playing and they'd leave us alone." said Freckles.

XXXX

Tender Heart paused at the suggestion. He heard Freckles and well he didn't think it was right to lie. But they wanted to train so they could help. And there wasn't anything wrong with that. He would just supervise them and make sure no one got hurt too badly.

"I don't like lying. But you're right. They wouldn't let you train. So if we do this then we do it right. I don't want any of you getting yourselves hurt. We should practice with wooden swords and fake weapons first until you get the hang of it." said Tender Heart.

He chuckled as Penny mentioned she was hungry.

"well why don't we go downstairs? I'm sure they'll be making something." said Tender Heart.

Tender Heart smiled heading to the door. Littlefoot and Freckles followed him as they headed downstairs.

Living Room:

Brock walked out of the basement. He'd left his Pokemon down there to eat as there was enough room for them all to stretch as well as eat. Thanks to one of Linksano's gadgets he'd been able to pull food from other dimensions including Pokemon food. And Kanine Krunchies that he heard the dalmations liked. And other favorite foods of all the members. Linksano had a device in both houses so Brock had used to make a meal and left it to cook while he fed his Pokemon. BUt now he was back to make the finishing touches.

XXXX

Littlefoot, Tender Heart, and Freckles arrived downstairs smelling that food.

"Kanine Krunchies. They do have it." said Freckles.

She grinned smelling that familiar smell.

Littlefoot grinned seeing some green food from the Great Valley as he grinned.

"This is great. I can't wait to eat." said Littlefoot.

XXXX

Medical Bay:

Roses wished there was more she could do for Chester, Iheart, and Snob. She knew Joe was trying to help as she looked at him sadly. At least Snob was talking to her. Chester was blaming himself and Iheart had barely spoken. She looked in shock as Iheart spoke to Chester and started sobbing. She was about to walk over but Chester surprised her wrapping her into a hug. It was clear the two had gotten really close during their captivity.

"It's not fair. This shouldn't have happened. They had 9 captives in all and only Ace, Grimhilde, Chester, and Iheart were the ones that were badly hurt. And Ace and Grimhilde healed pretty quickly. This shouldn't have happened. We shoudl have gotten them out sooner." said Roses.

She sighed mentally kicking herself. She turned back to Snob.

"Because they meant so much to us. Iheart especially. Chester's our friend but I think they just punished them both because they were easy targets. And they knew they were hurting all of you and the rest of us more by just hurting them and leaving the rest of you untouched. Those creeps just make me sick." said Roses.

XXXX

Chick just watched as Iheart broke down and spoke. She even started to cry. She was about to get up but decide against it. These burns hadn't completely healed and she shouldn't be up and about much. Mrs. Potts and Splinter had insisted on her staying in bedrest for awhile. To her surprise Chster hugged Iheart and she smiled. She hoped the two of them were able to get past this somehow.

XXXX

Chester looked at her saying it wasn't his fault and Ma-Ti wouldn't want us to blame ourselves. When she started to cry he nearly lost it. He pulled her into a hug crying himself.

"Don't cry Iheart. I'd bring Ma-Ti back if I could. I wish I'd found that stupid Comic cron thing." said Chester.

He meant the Necromicron but he wasn't really good at remembering the right words anyway. He just held her close but not to close not wanting to aggravate her injuries.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better. I tried but I wasn't strong enough." whispered Chester.

He knew she'd try to say it wasn't his job to protect her or he'd done enough. But he still felt bad she was so hurt. He smiled at her sadly.

"You're right about one thing. Ma-Ti wouldn't want us to blame ourselves. Or be miserable. Our wounds will heal. I know you'll miss him. We all do. But we can't be sad forever. I don't want you to forget him. I'd never ask you to do that. But we should try to move on. And be happy. If not for our sakes. Then for his. He died to keep us safe. We should honor him by not letting those creeps get away with what they did. And by not letting them crush our spirit. I'm a coward by nature. Part of me wants to just lock myself in my room and never come out. But that's not what Ma-Ti would want. But I can't do it alone. Will you help me?" asked Chester.

They were both wounded physically and mentally from their capture. But maybe together they could work their way to being normal. Or as normal as they could in this war.

[Pepper]

Living Room

Morpheus took down what Nani said and realized she was right. One way or another he had to face the fact he must go back to the army if they needed more people. He wasn't happy about this in the slightest, but he knew that she was right. It was a war and that included sacrifice, even if he preferred not doing that at all. He turned to her and hugged her back when she hugged him. He then spoke "You are right. I do have to return, but now is not that time. Until then, I shall help you and Lilo feel safe again" He gave her a big loving grin "Do not think of the future now. Let us think of now" He then sighed "If they do have the chance of finding us here. Then I shall fight to my last breath for you and Lilo"
XXXXXX

90's Kid was shocked to have gotten a hug, let alone from Willie. He did take the hug and put his face in his new friend's shoulder, too upset to speak. He listened to Willie and realized that all it took was time, patience and loyalty to heal the wounds Chester seemed to have. 90's Kid let go eventually and wiped his tears and nodded. Willie was correct, the time of healing would be accomplished throughout the time. He was glad to have Willie to cheer him up. "You're right dude. Chester needs me still. I'm going to continue what I've been doing dude" He then breathed as Willie mentioned Rachel "If I lost Rachel man, I don't know if I would handle it. I can't imagine what IBabe, IHeart I mean dude, is going through right now" He was obviously mentioning IHeart but he always called her IBabe instead and he saw Willie's confusion so he explained it. The thought of how much IHeart was feeling was uneasy to think about.
XXXXXX

"Trying is better than doing" Lottie teased "I got that from your friend Linkara. Somethin' about Star Wars. Weird thing that is" Lottie shrugged, she was just trying to lighten the mood but it seemed Harvey needed more support and she was determined to give said support. The blondie's eyes widened as he told her that IHeart was not doing well since her return, insolably mourning Ma-Ti and Lottie had her fears that the poor teen would not be the same. Also, she felt much more grateful that she and Harvey still lived. It broke her heart hearing IHeart's sadness and the minute Harvey said he wished to do more for her, Lottie immediately got a idea. She leaned in more to Harvey and responded "I'm grateful for you too dear and I want to spend all my time for you. But IHeart needs you, so if you wanna go visit her I'm perfectly dandy with that" She then smiled "In fact, I'll go with you"

Upstairs

Kiara turned to hear Littlefoot object due to the fact they were grounded but both Freckles had a idea to just pretend play and secretly train, with Tenderheart willingly approving of it even though it was lying. The cub turned to the puppy and responded "Great idea freckles. We'll just quote unquote play and use plastic or wooden swords and weapons until Tenderheart thinks we're ready" She gave a happy and grateful nod to Tenderheart before continuing "I know we screwed up but in order to get better we need a chance. So we'll be careful but train anyway" She then chuckled at Pepper and then saw everyone go down, and suddenly she felt her stomach growl. She giggled "Hey what do you know? I'm hungry too"
XXXX

Both Lilo and Bambi had nothing further than agreement to share. Lilo was more quieter now and Bambi was smiling, the two thought this was great. They could train without getting caught, despite being grounded. The two of them really felt they were going to do better this time. Then Lilo's stomach growled and she said "I'm hungry too. Let's find something" Bambi just nodded and the deer as well as the hawaiian girl followed all the others willingly
XXXXX

Pepper was about to object when Freckles suggested playing in disguise of training, and although Tenderheart didn't like it, he accepted. Pepper then whooped for joy, because now they had a chance of doing good and being better. The bear then answered Pepper's prayers of food and she wagged her tail happily. Hopefully she WOULD get kanine krunchies. Pepper practically ran downstairs. Darla had nothing to add, other than a happy supportive smile, and a hungry look in her eye. Darla was quiet and decided it was just the fact she was hungry and so Darla followed the other children downstairs.

Back To Living Room

Kiara let out a joyous sound as she saw a big steak laying in front of her, the cub went over and responded with her mouth full "This is great! Love your steaks already!" Kiara then chewed hungrily and continued eating as such. Bambi however was much more polite as he saw a small salad like bowl near him and he gave a shy-like grin, as he took the bowl and ate it. Lilo on the other hand saw some fruit nearby, such as grapes and pineapples and decided to eat it, taking a bowl and a seat near Brock and went to eat.
XXXXX

Pepper on the other hand was super excited "Sweet! Kanine Krunchies! I've been waiting for it's delectableness forever!" Pepper then allowed Freckles to get her bowl of krunchies and Darla to eat before she began gobbling up her dog food. Pepper looked around the house then back at the food and responded "These krunchies are better here than at back home. That's saying something honestly. Still like eating it in london too though"

Pepper continued to eat. Darla let out a laugh, amused with her older sister before turning to Freckles "Wow. Pepper sure is excitable since our mission. I guess she's just trying really hard to be positive" Darla ate more of her food and made a yummy sound before responding "This is so good. Love kanine krunchies"

Medical Bay


Snob nodded as Roses complained about how unfair it was for IHeart, and he completely agreed. It wasn't fair. At all. He and his friends deserved so much better than this. Snob was glad to be not as unstable as IHeart seemed to be and he nearly cried too when the poor teen started sobbing but allowed some tears to flow when Chester hugged her. It was terrible. Snob just wanted to know why. Why did they hurt them so much? Especially IHeart? Then came his answer, from roses own anger. Roses responded that it was because they knew the two were very close with the majority of them, particularly IHeart and it was true. It WAS because IHeart meant a lot to them and if she died, it would tear all of them apart. The snob turned down, wiping his tears and growled out "They're not creeps. Creeps just say weird things and act as anti-social as possible. This..." He pointed to the crying bum and teen "This is torture. This is sadism. If I didn't believe in evil. I do now" He sighed "They're not creeps. They're just downright despicable, evil, cruel dickheads"
XXXXXX

Joe however wasn't angry as snob was. He actually was horrified. If they were this cruel to IHeart, heaven knows what happened to them all. It was a wonder how Nani wasn't affected or Goggles was that affected. The villains really were as cruel as they claimed to be, and what was worse was the fact the enemy army was probably not giving one or two damns of how damaging the effects might be for them. Especially IHeart, it was as if the final straw broke her back. Joe went over to Chick, silently checking her wounds before turning to IHeart and sighing sadly. He turned to Chick "Damnit. I wish I could just wipe her mind clean off of all that torture she handled. Chester too"
XXXXX

IHeart sobbed more, allowed Chester to hug her and with her wounds warning her to be careful, she hugged back getting as close as she could without hurting herself. The teen sobbed so hard, feeling as if her heart was breaking, and in a way it really was. The girl heaved as Chester hugged her, trying his best to comfort her and he apoligized about Ma-ti, wishing he would get the necronomicon even though he mispoke it. She tried her hardest to calm down and eventually the bawling began to cease and she listened to Chester more, still saying he could've protected her better but didn't and apoligized more. She wanted to badly say it wasn't his fault, just take the blame and make it easier for him but she was in so much pain she just allowed him to say the things he said. She looked up only when Chester sadly smiled at her, his tears streaming down his face. The girl listened more, eyes widening at Chester's request, and his speech that she was right in the fact Ma-Ti would not want them to blame themselves nor be miserable. She was glad Chester wasn't asking her to forget, but to move on. IHeart looked to the floor, taking the bum's words in and thought long and hard about it.

It took a while but IHeart knew it was best she tried to move on with her life, to continue her relationships with her friends and family. Even though she was too committed to Ma-Ti she knew one day she would just accept the fact he was gone. She needed to heal now, to help herself, to help her living relatives and friends. Eventually after thinking it over she turned to Chester and gave a serene look. It was no smiling involved but it looked more positive than previously. With some tears still streaming, and with a hint of heaving from previous sobbing, IHeart spoke again "Yes. I will help you. We both need to help each other in order to get better" She sighed, holding her necklace in sadness "But it's so hard. I want him back. He... He was everything to me"

[Nostalgia Chick]

Living Room:

Nani smiled.

"Then until that day we should spend as much as time we can." said Nani.

She paused seeing Lilo and some of the kids come down. She smiled walking over to Lilo and hugging her before getting some food and sitting on the other side of Lilo.

"I'm glad you're ok. You were very brave for trying to come after me and the others. I know I can't stop you from running off into danger. I've tried before and you never listen." whispered Nain.

She chuckled at that. She had tried several times but she was always off with Stitch or Pleakley or Jumba, sometimes all of them to catch the experiments. abefore continuing.

"Just promise me you'll be more careful in the future. I don't want anything to happen to you." whispered Nani.

She smiled as she began eating her food.

XXXX

Willie smiled at him.

"I wish I had someone like that. My family's all gone. I only stole the Miss Harp because I was lonely. I didn't realize it would ruin Peaceful Valley. I was used to getting my way and I overreacted when they tried to take her back. I guess after my parents died I've just been so alone. But now I'm not so lonely anymore. I have new friends here. And I want to be the good guy for a change." said Willie.

He smiled glad 90's Kid was cheering up a little.

"I'm glad I could help you some. I've haven't really cared about other people aside from my family before. It's new experience for me. I would like us to be friends. I haven't really had one before." said Willie.

XXXX

Harvey chuckled at her quote.

"Well I've heard about that from the kid before too." said Harvey.

Lottie had succeeded in lightening the mood a little. He listened to her as she spoke again. Saying Iheart needed him too and she wouldn't mind him going to visit and she would go wtih him.

"Thank you for understanding. She's like the little sister I never had. I wish I could take all the pain away from her. It's bad enough she was hurt but to lose Ma-Ti on top of it. It's got to be killing her. And then there's poor Chester. He was braver than we all expected. Although I guess I didn't get out of the battle unscathed." said Harvey.

His wound was healing nicely and barely noticeable. He was glad Lottie wasn't making a fuss about it. He smiled at her.

"Shall we?" asked Harvey.

He took her arm and headed down to the medical bay.

XXXX

Freckles grinned at Peper and Darla as she ate Kanine Krunchies with the others. She chuckled at Darla.

"She certainly is. But I'm a bit excited too seeing Kanine Krunchies. The other dog food they got before this just wasn't the same." said Freckles.

She grinned as she kept eating.

XXXX

Littlefoot smiled as he kept eating some plants as he sat with the group of kids on the flor. These were good. They tasted like they'd come out of the Great Valley.

XXXX

Tender Heart was next to them eating some fruit as he grinned. They all needed something to eat. It took their mind off what was going on.

Medical Bay:

Roses sighed

"You're right. They're not creeps. They're villains. It's what they do. They kidnapped Patch, Morpheus and Chick. Then they hurt Morpheus and Chick. They stole Chick's voice tempoarily and made us think Patch was dead. Then they stole Iheart, Chester, and the others. They captured you. They hurt Grimhilde, Ace, Chester, and Iheart. THey killed Ma-Ti. They've hurt us and made us suffer for too long. We have to stop this." said Roses.

She couldn't but feel angry and a little sad. Whether together or as two armies the villains had hurt them badly. They had to find a way to stop them and fight back.

XXXX

Chick turned to Joe and nodded.

"I think it's time we have some counseling. Not just for them. But Snob too. And the others who were captured. And that probably should include Morpheus and me. I've just tried to push it to the side but maybe I should talk to someone too. The only people I could think of are Splinter and Mrs. Potts. I have a feeling they could be great counselors for the army. What do you think?" asked Chick.

XXXX

Chester smiled as she finally spoke. He knew they were both hurting but would get better in time.

"Thank you. I think I'm going to get out of here. I don't want to go back to sleep again. All I have is nightmares. I just want to have some happy memories." said Chester.

He smiled at her.

"And you should want the same. Let's go upstairs. Get something to eat. If you don't feel up to talking then we could bring it back down here if you like." said Chester.

XXXX

Harvey walked in with Lottie and saw how close she and Chester were. They had become even better friends during their captivity from what he'd heard from Nani and the others. He walked over and hugged Iheart. He didn't know what to say really. What could you say to someone who'd just lost their boyfriend? So he just held her but not too tight.

[IHeart]

Living Room

Morpheus nodded before Nani saw her sister come down to eat her food. As Nani talked to Lilo, the man smiled and allowed the two sisters to talk and make up. They needed/deserved a lot of that and who was he to moderate that? The man sat down next to Nani's opposing side and allowed Lilo to talk with Nani. The man just decided to eat himself and ate a small nutrigrain bar.
XXXXXX

Lilo felt her sister's hug and her thoughts of eating vanished for a moment, grabbing her sister in a tight hug before she eventually let go. Lilo had missed her and the fact her older sister was back was worth punishment over. As they both sat down Nani told her that she was brave for coming with the other children and that Nani was glad Lilo was fine. Lilo's expression did not change until Nani mentioned that there was no way to stop her from causing trouble because every time she did she Lilo wouldn't listen, that caused a giggle to slip out. She then nodded somewhat at Nani's request for her to be careful, as much as she didn't want to lie to her sister anymore, she didn't want nani to know that she and the other kids were planning to secretly train. She got that out of her head though and responded with hints of regret "I promise Nani. I know what I did was dangerous. I just wanted to get you out of there. I mean.... I didn't want to lose you. Like with...well mom and dad"
XXXXX

90's Kid listened to what willie told him and the teen-like surfer couldn't help but feel a tad sorry. Willie wasn't a bad guy, he just was alone and didn't know how to handle his loneliness, 90's Kid could relate to that somewhat. The young man turned to Willie and patted his back friendly-like as the giant admitted he was happier here, due to having friends now. Then Willie asked if they could be friends and 90's Kid grinned profusely at the idea of Willie as a friend. He nodded "Totally dude! We can so be friends. There's plenty of bro love to come around!" 90's Kid then pondered about Chester "Hey. I've been thinking. Can you use your powers to make special treats? Maybe we can give everybody a special dessert or something to celebrate coming here!"
XXXXX

Lottie nodded as Harvey mentioned Linkara and hearing that phrase before, she smiled and saw that her effort to cheer him up was working. He then commented that IHeart was like a little sister to him and that her pain made him feel terrible, especially since Ma-Ti was just rubbing the salt in her wounds of capture. Lottie nodded understandably, of course the poor girl was broken emotionally. It would be terrible for anyone to lose their love. Anyone would feel the way IHeart felt. She then frowned at Chester, that poor person was just as broken and hurt as IHeart. She then noticed Harvey admitting he got hurt but she barely noticed the wound so to her it wasn't really a big deal to make. Lottie took only one look to see that wound was healing up well and everything was fine, so she just looked back to Harvey's face and took his arm down the medical bay.
XXXXX

As Bambi and Kiara continued to also eat their food, Darla was busy eating and talking with Freckles. Darla commented with a giggle "That is true. The kanine krunchies are just better than the brands they have here in America. I can understand why Pepper and the both of us were worrying over it" Darla continued to eat but tried not to choke at Pepper's loud and amusing comment

"You're telling me Darla. These are the best! I never thought I'd eat this again! Lovin' it!" Pepper commented with her mouth somewhat full before chomping down on more kanine krunchies. Pepper then turned to the other children eating cheerfully and Pepper smiled, glad that things were settling down now


Medical Bay

Snob sadly nodded, also upset with the problems their army had thanks to the other armies. Roses had a good point. They needed to stop this. Enough was enough. That said, Snob didn't know what to do. Snob sighed and responded "Well what can we do honestly? Get more weapons and such? I've lost ideas ever since my capture. Maybe we should capture more villains, or interrogate villains we find on the street? I don't know" Snob covered his face in emotional stress and kept mumbling that he didn't know what to do and mumbling also that he felt bad.
XXXXX

Joe pondered about Chick's idea, but it didn't take him long to make a decision. He gave a sad smile and said "I think it's a perfect idea. This will get their emotions out and make the process faster. Also, you've handled a lot as did Morpheus, the two of you shouldn't hide and instead should talk about it. It's best for everybody honestly. Nothing is wrong with talking about your problems" He then smiled a little more when Chick suggested Splinter and Mrs. Potts "Those two are perfect. They may be with Critic but they can come here to for certain days so they can get a break too or something" He then saw Chester and IHeart walk side-by-side and was so happy that the two had each other. He also heard Lottie and Harvey come by but paid no attention to it now
XXXXX

Lottie came in with Harvey and teared up at how bandaged IHeart was. She was so hurt both physically and emotionally, Lottie couldn't help but feel both angry and terrible at her condition. How dare those horrible villains? She then saw IHeart and Harvey hug and she wiped a few tears away, trying not to make herself the middle and instead let the two talk. She turned to Chester and felt that he deserved some looking at for a bit. She went over, patted his back gently and responded "Harvey told me about how brave you were, Chester. If you need anything from me, just come by and give me a whistle, alright honey?"
XXXXXXX

IHeart nodded, not smiling at all even though Chester was. It was hard to cheer up still but she looked softer and less tired for some reason or another. She knew Chester was right that she should want to be happy and not be so upset with everything, the thought of being happy again sounded like a great thing to have. Though she wasn't sure if she was going to be content with being happy without Ma-Ti. That said, she had to try and she most definitely would. She then got up, holding her side due to it hurting still. She wheezed out "I think I should just go get food and bring it down here once we get upstairs. I don't think I should be moving around so much, Chester. Sorry. But we could still talk though. I'm glad that you're talking to me"

She then saw Harvey with Lottie and even though she saw a bit of lottie move to chester's side, she was consumed by the comforting arms of Harvey Finevoice. She heard him say nothing and she figured out that he probably didn't know what to say, and that was fine, he could just be there and she would be perfectly content. She may have missed ma-ti but Harvey and some other choice people were very close seconds. She wrapped her arms around Harvey and put her head on his shoulder, as if she wanted to be absolutely sure if he was really there or not. She stifled a sob and responded softly "I missed you Harvey. I thought I wouldn't live to see you again. I'm glad you weren't at the house when we got.." She said nothing more as she hugged slightly tighter than before, it caused her muscles to get sore but she didn't care. She then decided to talk more out of impulse "Harvey, you're really here right? Chester and I are safe right? You're safe with us right uncle Harvey? I'm not just dreaming?"

[Pushing Up Roses]

Living Room:

Nani smiled at her.

"I know. If it was the other way around I'd do anything to get you out of there. I don't want to lose you either. You're my O'hana. My family. I was so used to Stitch, Jumba, Pleakley, and even the other experiments being able to look after you. I'm glad Morpheus, Critic, and everyone here was able to help you and keep you safe." said Nani.

XXXX

Willie grinned at 90's Kid and hugged him before realizing he was squeezing too tight. He stopped grinning.

"Sorry. I've never really had a real friend before. I guess got too excited." said Willie.

He paused as he asked if he could make special treats like desserts.

"I think so. I haven't tried making food in awhile. Guess I could give it a try." Said Willie.

He waved his hand and several bowls of ice cream and banana splits suddenly appeared as he grinned.

"I did it. Oh I forgot toppings." said Willie.

Suddenly chocolate syrup appeared and was poured on him as stopped it with a wave of his hand.

"Well at least I can make good deserts." said Willie.

He waved his hand cleaning him up instantly as if it never happened. He chuckled.

"I guess I have to work on the toppings though." said Willie.

XXXX

Littlefoot kept eating silently although chuckled as he listened to the puppies. They were right. Food from home tasted a lot better than the food they had now.

XXXX

Tender Heart remained silent as he ate. Although he didn't like lying the children were only doing what they thought was right. And most of the captives had been returned safely. Although he still felt guilty. If he'd spoken up maybe Ma-Ti would still be alive. But he figured training them would be ok. After all if they had more training perhaps that rescue would have gone better.

XXXX

Freckles grinned as she kept eating. She spoke between bites.

"I'm glad they found these. I hope they can get more. Now that I've had these again going back to the regular stuff will be hard." said Freckles.

XXXX

Brock ate silently glad everyone was enjoying the food he had prepared. He looked in surprise as Willie made desert and grinned.

"Well at least I don't have to make dessert now." said Brock.

Medical Bay:

Roses sighed.

"We'll think of something. But I guess we're not here for planning. We're here to keep everyone here safe. It's up to Critic and the others for now." said Roses.

She paused and hugged him seeing he was upset.

"You need anything you let me know. If you want to talk, vent, or just need a laugh come get me. You're my friend and I want to help you if I can." said Roses.

XXXX

Chick smiled at him.

"Thanks. I'm sure they could come here for sessions. Maybe like a day or two a week would be good for us. I'm sure they could help anyone at Critic's house too. How are you holding up? With Ma-Ti gone. I think he looked up to you." said Chick.

XXXX

Chester smiled at her.

"Alright. Food is good. I'm a bit hungry actually." said Chester.

He paused as Lottie came to him while Harvey talked with Lottie.

"I'm not that brave. I'm a coward mostly. I just couldn't let them hurt Iheart. But I failed because they hurt her anyway. Guess I really spoke before thinking sometimes. But if I had a chance to do it over I wouldn't change a thing. Well except the part about Iheart getting hurt." said Chester.

XXXX

Harvey smiled at her.

"I missed you too Iheart. I wish I had been. Maybe I could have done something. I lost you and Lottie and the others that night. And it took so long to get you back. I felt so guilty being glad Lottie was back when you, Goggles, and the others were still prisoners. But now you're all back. And I'm not going to let anyone take you away again." said Harvey.

He smiled as she hugged him and he hugged her back.

"Yes. I'm here. You both are safe and so are Snob, Goggles, and the others. This isn't a dream. Your back where you belong." said Snob.

[90's Kid]

Living Room

As Morpheus just sat and listen, Lilo was talking with Nani. Lilo nodded at Nani's words "You're my ohana too, nobody gets left behind or forgotten. I kept that with me when I went in the battle. I swear if I thought Critic had a idea already I wouldn't of done it but it was taking a while, I couldn't help myself. They did keep me safe and kept me happy but they didn't have you. I'll try not to cause problems like that again though" Lilo then gasped as she saw tons of sundaes for everybody. Sundaes! Ice cream! Those were her favorite things! She then turned to Nani and responded sheepishly "Can I have the sundaes willie made? Or I can't cause of the punishment? Please nani! I wanted the one with the chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips!"
XXXXX

90's Kid choked as Willie hugged him but smiled when willie apoligized for it, letting him go, 90's Kid patted the giant's shoulder and responded "Not a problem bro. Totally fine. I crushed IHeart's back once when I was hanging out with her at Linkara's house. Happens all the time" He then smiled happily as Willie said he could make special treats and suddenly he gasped in awe at all the beautiful treats Willie made. 90's Kid took one look and grabbed a banana split with tons of vanilla ice cream with caramel syrup and whipped cream. That was his favorite kind of treat. He turned shocked to Willie's comment to make better toppings and 90's kid cried "No! It's perfect bro!" He then took a whopping bite of the banana split he took and smiled "Yummm! Rightous ice cream"
XXXXX

Bambi and Kiara didn't bother with the ice cream, they were spoling themselves with their huge lunches. They were enjoying that a bit more than the chance of ice cream. Pepper meanwhile was busy talking to Darla and Freckles, her two sisters. Darla was laughing as Pepper spoke with her mouth full and with some excitement. Darla tried to concentrate on eating but she was enjoying pepper's dynamic approach. Pepper stated to Freckles "Me too! Kanine krunchies are my gold mine! Blimy, I missed these so much! I hope whatever device sent them here can send more! Yummy-yum-yum!"

Medical Bay

Snob nodded relunctinately as Roses told him that they were here to protect others, not make plans. He liked that but he felt bad also, especially since now Goggles' words were getting to him. Snob breathed and just kept mumbling apoligies before Roses hugged him. Snob quickly accepted the hug, feeling like he needed one and smiled as Roses volunteered to be there for him, whether to rant, chat or have fun, she would be there as his friend. He breathed "Thanks Roses. I'll be sure to talk to you when I can. For right now though, I think I'm just tired and frustrated. I think I need some rest" He looked to Joe talking to Chick then turned to Roses and responded "I'm glad that the rest of the prisoners are alive though. It gets my mind over their safety"
XXXXX

Joe nodded "Yep. I'll send a message to Critic to suggest this idea to Mrs. Potts and Splinter and see what they think about this" He then listened to Chick's question of how was he handling ma-ti's death himself, due to the fact the boy admired him. Joe took some time to respond, it was a difficult feeling to answer, he felt terrible but he felt that the boy was at peace. How could he say that he was glad Ma-Ti was at a better place without upsetting anyone? He turned to Chick and sighed. Rubbing his eyes a bit before firmly responding "I miss Ma-Ti a lot. He was a damn good kid. But... I don't want to say anything offensive but we can at least assume Ma-ti's spirit is at a better place right? I wanted the kid to be happy, maybe he is now. I still miss him though" He then groaned "It sounded better in my head. I'm sorry"
XXXXXX

Lottie listened to Chester's comments and shook her head "You sir are far too modest. What you did was something was generous to IHeart. You didn't prevent her from being hurt but you prevented her from facing the pain alone, and that's worse than dealing with wounds. I can honestly speak for myself that not many people sacrifice themselves for someone else. You got a good heart sugar" She patted his shoulder and nodded as he commented despite the pain he wouldn't of changed his actions other than IHeart's pain "I believe you hunny. Trust me. You're braver than you give yourself credit for. Like I said, talk to me if you need anything" She smiled as IHeart and Harvey talked on, and she felt so touched by the connection the two had. It was touching to her. Regardless she turned to Chester and asked "You and IHeart have grown real close since capture huh? I mean I've heard you two were always buddies but still...."
XXXXXX

"No Harvey. Trust me, they outnumbered us anyway, they could've captured us anyway if you were there. And don't feel bad for being glad Lottie was back. She saved herself from being in more pain, I was glad she got away, I only wished I joined her but that's fine. I'm just glad I'm breathing and with the people I care about and trust" IHeart objected as Harvey spoke back to her of the fact he wished to have been there with them and that he felt terrible for lottie's arrival being the main thing on his mind. IHeart didn't blame him for being pleased his love was ok, she would've acted the same way if Ma-Ti was captured and he returned while others didn't. It was concern regardless. IHeart smiled softly as Harvey assured her fears, she did have a good feeling she was here but she was still relieved thanks to the singer's response to her.

She sniffed and tried her hardest not to start crying again, but her voice came out in a purely emotional and hurt voice "I'm so glad to be back with you Harvey. I was so scared. I thought we were going to die. I tried so hard to be brave, tried so hard to help everybody, I ended up being the punching bag. I thought they wouldn't let me leave without me becoming a corpse. I... I just kept wanting to come back so badly. Now Ma-ti's gone and I don't know what to do"

[Nostalgia Chick]

Living Room:

Nani smiled at her.

"I'm glad to hear that. I know you thought you were doing the right thing. But it was reckless. You didn't have Stitch or the others to back you up. All of you were just kids. I miss mother and father too. I know I haven't always been the fun big sister especially lately. But I worry about it. And then I almost lost you again. I don't know what I'd do with you. Promise me you'll be careful." said Nani.

She paused as ice creams appeared and she grinned.

"Of course you can have some. I know you don't like being punished but it's not for long. I couldn't stay mad at you for long anyway. But you know I just want you safe." said Nani.

She paused and was about to get up when deserts appeared before them. She looked over seeing Willie had created more and she chuckled.

"Well guess we don't have to get up." said Nani.

She grinned picking up a spoon and starting to eat her desert an ice cream sundae. She paused turning to Morpheus and

XXXX

Willie grinned sheepishly still feeling a bit bad but 90's Kid was ok . He grinned seeing 90's Kid was happy about the deserts. Willie picked up a banana split and started eating it as well. He saw Lilo wanted some and waved his hand creating more for Lilo, Nani, and Morpheus if they wanted them. He turned back to 90's Kid

"Thanks. I've always liked ice cream. It took me awhile to learn how to make all of these. If anyone wants anything else like pies or something I could make them too." said Willie.

He smiled glad he was helping cheer people up even just for a bit. He grinned taking another bite of his banana split.

XXXX

Tender Heart now finished with his food grinned taking some rocky road ice cream and turned to Willie.

"Thank you. This looks delicious." said Tender Heart.

He picked up a spoon and grinned as he began eating ice cream.

XXXX

Littlefoot was curious about the ice cream as he hadn't seen it before. But he decided to focus on his own food while listening to the three puppies talk. He was glad Cera was here but they hadn't spend much time together lately. He hoped his family, and the rest of his friends back home were okay. That they weren't here somewhere as prisoners like Lilo's sister Nani and the others had been He took another bite of food and munched wanting to finish his meal.

XXXX

Freckles grinned and nodded. She stopped sadly as she looked at the ground.

"This just makes me miss home even more. Mom, Dad, Roger, Anita, Nanny, and everyone else back home. Now they've lost thre three of us, Cadpig, Rolly, Penny, and Patch now. That's seven of us now who went missing. And with Cruella and Jasper now here what if they think Cruella kidnapped us again? I wish we could let them know we're ok." said Freckles.

She paused as she realized she'd started to cry. She didn't mean to bring the mood down but she was homesick. And when she was feeling bad she'd always gone to her mother and father before. But now they weren't here.

XXXX

Medical Bay:

Roses nodded.

"That's all I ask. When you're ready." said Roses.

She paused and nodded.

"Yeah. I guess Iheart, Chester, Grimhilde, and Ace were lucky they just got hurt. And didn't end up like..." said Roses.

She trailed off as it was painful just to think about. She'd gotten to know Ma-Ti some during the war. She hadn't been involved in taking over Molassia, searching for the gauntlet, or stopping the plothole. So this was the first time she'd really got to spend much time with him. And she sympathized with him. She'd become a friend to him and now he was gone.

XXXX

Chick nodded as she yawned. Mrs. Potts and Splinter would be a good addition to helping people out here. Even just for awhile. She paused as he spoke about Ma-Ti and she looked at him sympathetically.

"I hope so. Last time he got stuck in the plot hole. Maybe we should find out for sure. I mean what if his spirit is stuck somewhere again? He's done so much for ua and died twice to keep us all safe. He deserves to move on and be happy. Maybe we could ask the dark fairies and sorcerers like Maleficent and Willie. They might know a way to find out for sure." said Chick.

She paused as her stomach grumbled and she turned to Joe.

"You think you, Harvey, Lottie, and Roses could go bring down some food? I haven't eaten since last night. And I know Iheart, Chester, and Snob need to eat. Even if it's just something. I don't know about the others but we all slept through breakfast. And I don't know the last time any of them ate." said Chester.

XXXX

Chester looked at her and grinned.

"Now I know why Harvey likes you. Beautiful, talented, and just know what to say." said Chester.

He still felt bad but it was hard to stay mad at himself. Between Iheart and Lottie both of them were being so nice to him. Even Nostalgia Chick had said it wasn't his fault. He just wished he'd been able to do more. He smiled at her as she spoke again.

"Thanks. I've never been the hero type. I'm a coward. But I couldn't let them hurt her. But they did anyway." said Chester.

He couldn't help it as he'd started to cry as he could feel the tears coming as he wiped them away.

"I wish I could have stopped them from hurting her. She didn't deserve this." said Chester.

He paused and nodded.

"Yes. We were cellmates for awhile too. She's like the sister I never had. She was one of the few people who treated me kindly and with respect from the beginning. Others saw me as a coward or an idiot. And they'd be right. But she believed in me. And it's nice to have a friend like that. I think Iheart and 90's Kid are my closest friends. I don't know what I'd do if I lost either of them." said Chester.

XXXX

Harvey smiled at her.

"I know. I'd have ended up captured with you guys or probably hurt if I'd been there. I still wish I had. You, Lottie, and the others needed me. And I wasn't there." said Harvey.

Harvey nodded listening to her.

"You're right about that. I just wish we could have gotten you all out sooner." said Harvey.

Harvey then paused as she spoke again.

"I'm glad you're back too Iheart. If something had happened to you it would have hurt a lot of us. Sometimes I think you and Ma-Ti were the heart of this army. Losing was bad enough but if we lost you both I don't think I could have handled that. I don't think the others could either." said Harvey.

He paused looking at her and pulled her into another hug.

"You grieve, and you heal. But you will always have me and Linkara and Critic and the rest of this army. Ma-Ti is gone but we're not. We care about you too. Don't forget that." said Harvey.