Very First Time

(I'm actually amazed that there are very few Marlice stories on the POM fandom; they are such a great pairing. So, I figured that I should spread the love of this pairing, because this needs more of it.)

Marlene sat outside her home in the Otter Habitat. She was thinking again... about how her love life was never really that good. "I don't understand. Whenever I am able to find someone, they are never who I expect them to be." Marlene sighed; she learned that when she was going out with Fred, but found out that he was unable to play Spanish guitar. All she wanted was someone who could be everything that she wanted: someone who was smart, loyal and always be able to show her what she desired. But with her luck, that seemed very unlikely even when it counted most. "How will I ever be able to find who I'm looking for, when there is no one who can be what I want them to be?" Marlene asked, sadly. She looked up at the starry night sky briefly and went back inside, thinking that her dreams would never come true.

Maurice sat nearby, looking out at the Otter Habitat from where he was at the Lemur Habitat. He was thinking about her... none other than Marlene. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but she always seemed to amaze him. She was so dependable and honest; she was never afraid to say what she thought and was always ready to do the right things for others. He looked over at a picture of her that he always kept with him. "If only you felt the same way that I do, Marlene." Maurice said, silently. He placed the picture down and looked over at the habitat again; he always wondered when Marlene would ever see what he saw.

"Maurice, are you okay?" Maurice could hear a familiar voice ask. He looked behind him to see that it was Julien, who sat down next to him. "Not really." Maurice responded. This surprised Julien; he knew Maurice was never really one who was ever down this much.

"Is something wrong?" Julien asked. Maurice looked up to see that Julien was genuinely concerned; this was a side of Julien that Maurice rarely saw. "I always think about Marlene. I'm not sure why, but I just can never seem to get her out of my head." Maurice explained. Julien was surprised; he always thought that he was the one for Marlene, but he never suspected that Maurice thought about her like he did.

"What is it you like about her?" Julien asked. Maurice looked up at him and sighed. "A lot of things. I like how she is always so honest and never afraid to help others. She's just someone that I cannot imagine this place being without; she just somehow seems to complete all of us in her own way, especially me." Maurice explained. Julien started to smile; he could tell that there was a feeling Maurice had for Marlene that he never said out loud.

"You really like Marlene, don't you?" Julien asked, looking at Maurice. "More than that. As hard as it is to say this, I... actually love her." Maurice responded, but stopped himself after realising what he said. Julien looked at him amazed, and then he started to think; maybe Maurice was the one that Marlene really needed.

"Why don't you go and tell her that? She might not have had such good past times, but maybe you could be able to change that for her." Julien explained. Maurice stared amazed, and then smiled; he was happy that Julien was very encouraging. Without saying anything, Maurice immediately headed off while Julien watched on with a smile.

As Maurice slowly looked inside Marlene's home, he could see that she looked very upset. But he must have been standing too close, because Marlene looked up to see him. "Maurice? What are you doing here?" she asked. Maurice slowly came inside and sat down to her.

"What's wrong, Marlene?" he asked. Marlene looked to see that he was looking at her in concern, and sighed sadly. "I've been thinking, Maurice. Whenever I feel like I've found the one, they're never what I thought they were. I don't think I'll ever find the one." Marlene said, sadly. Maurice was alarmed; he knew that wasn't true, and he had to convince Marlene of that.

"That's not true, Marlene." Maurice said. Marlene looked up at him in surprise. "What do you mean, Maurice?" she asked. "What I mean is that the one you need is the one you might least expect. That... is me." Maurice explained. Marlene stared at him, surprised.

"W-what did you say, Maurice?" she asked. "That's right. I don't know when, but I found myself really coming to like you. You're pretty the one that anyone would be lucky to have; no one would want to not to be with someone like you. That's how I feel about you; I can be who you need, and the one who can change what you think." Maurice explained. Marlene smiled as she listened to this; she was realizing that he was right.

"I wouldn't imagine this any other way, Maurice." Marlene responded happily. Maurice smiled at this; he had a feeling that this was going to turn into something amazing, that could change their lives for the better.