A.N.—Okay, here is a Skilene one-shot. I know I'm a little late in getting it up...seeing how Valentine's Day was yesterday and everything, but, anyhow, here it is. I hope you enjoy it! :D
Operation: Valentines Day
"I know that file is around here somewhere." Skippsy murmurs as she searches through a huge pile of messy paperwork that she has dumped onto the floor from the filing cabinets and some boxes. "So why the deuce is it that I can't find it?!" She growls and dumps another box full of papers into the disarray.
Trixy, Mairssa, and Rachel watch her curiously. "Um, Skippsy, ma'am, what exactly are you searching for?" asks Trixy.
Skippsy looks up at her and then back at the chaos on the floor. "I am looking for a pale pink file folder that should be labeled 'Operation: V-Day.' Have any of you seen it?"
"May I ask, ma'am, why you would have a folder full of WWII contents?" Marissa asks.
"What?" Skippsy gives her a confused look before realizing what Marissa was thinking. "Not that V-Day, Marissa. I was running out of ink so I shortened Valentine's Day to V-Day. The folder should to be about Valentine's Day. And so, now that that's cleared up, have any of you seen it?!" Skippsy dumps a sixth box into the mess.
"Do you mean that carpeta rosa on la televisión?" Rachel asks as she takes it down from up on top of the TV.
"No, Rachel. The file has nothing to do with rose carpet." Skippsy says as she continues to hunt through her papers.
"I said nada about carpet, Skippsy. I said carpeta rosa, or pink folder." Rachel waves the file at Skippsy. Skippsy face-flippers.
"And where did you say that you found that again?" Skippsy asks as she takes the folder.
"On top of la televisíon." Rachel replies.
Skippsy nods with a sigh. "Of course, I must have laid it up there when I found it the other day. Thank you." She then goes over to the table, completely leaving behind the gigantic mess she had made.
Trixy and Marissa both look at the floor. "Um, Skippsy, shouldn't we get all the papah cleaned up first?" Trixy asks.
Skippsy shakes her head. "No, it needs re-organized anyway. But, it should be fine until tomorrow." She opens the file and takes out the contents. The contents being a picture of Skipper and a picture of Marlene and many lists. Skippsy grabs her calendar and looks at it. Tomorrow indeed will be Valentine's Day, just as she was thinking. She smiles.
Trixy frowns. Whenever Skippsy said something about leaving something somewhere until tomorrow it typically meant that it would get moved not necessarily tomorrow...normally more like the day after the day after tomorrow, or one of them will have to clean it up. "We could just clean it up really quickly and then re-organize it latah." She suggests.
Skippsy closes the file. "No time. Now come on, girls, I have a mission for tomorrow to explain."
"Tomorrow?!" Exclaims all three girls. Skippsy turns and gives them strange looks.
"Yes, tomorrow. What? Is there something wrong with tomorrow?" She asks.
"You could say that, sí." says Rachel. "I, for one, am busy. I have a date with Alejandro planned."
"And I'm busy, too! Private and I are going to go do something togethah. He refuses to tell me what, though, but we are doing something." says Trixy.
Skippsy sighs and looks at her lieutenant. "What about you, Marissa? Why is tomorrow a bad day for you?"
"I have to help Kowalski write a letter to that girl in England that he likes." Marissa growls, obviously not liking what she had to do.
"Wait, I thought you hate him?" Skippsy asks.
"I do." She says. "But, Kowalski has an ingredient that is vastly essential to my experiment and he has promised to give it to me if I help him."
"Of course." Skippsy rolls her eyes. "Well, then I suppose that Operation: Valentine's Day will be a solo mission, that's fine with me." she says.
Trixy raises a flipper. "Um, Skippsy, can we at least hear what the mission is about? Even though it'll be a solo one for you?"
Skippsy nods. "Sure you can." She takes out the folder contents again. "It's about getting Skipper and Marlene to hook up already. Which I doubt they ever will unless they get a small push in the right direction, that is what Operation: Valentine's Day is."
"Oh...but isn't something like that kind of more Skippah's and Marlene's choice?"
"Yes, but I am choosing for Skipper, since he and his paranoid self, I highly doubt, ever will choose the right answer." Skippsy says. "Now, while I'm doing some last minute planning, can one of you clean up this mess? This HQ's a wreck." She then goes over to a hidden control-panel and pushes the button for the elevator. And then takes the slow elevator down to her level, Level 17.
Trixy, Marissa, and Rachel exchange looks. "Too busy!" Marissa shouts as she quickly slides away to her lab.
"Sí, same here!" Rachel exclaims as she slides over to some bombs that 'needed polishing.'
Trixy sighs; once again, she is left with 'clean-up after Skippsy' duty. "I suppose that I'll do it." She sits down among the scattered paperworks and starts putting them in stacks based on alphabetical order and their contents' contexts.
Skippsy takes out a few of the lists, the ones that were options for a solo-mission. They are ideas for plans A–Z. "Hmm...well, I could start with this one, though I doubt that it will work; Skips is just too paranoid. So, how about...no. That won't work either." She looks over the whole list and then at the other lists. "Agh! None of these will work!" She slams them down on the table. Skippsy takes a deep breath to calm herself. "Well, I guess that just means that I'll have to improvise, like always."
She goes towards the elevator, but then notices a green post-it note on the back of a list. Skippsy stops and reads. Then, she grins with a small giggle. "Oh, this one. This one will work perfectly." She takes the small post-it note and then goes to the elevator, leaving another scattered paper mess behind to be cleaned up later.
The elevator arrives back to the main level just as Trixy finishes organizing the last few papers. "Ha! Finally!" she laughs with glee as she puts the boxes away and shuts the filing cabinets. Skippsy steps out of the elevator.
"Alright, girls, I'll be back in a few. I need to get something's for Operation: V-Day, okay? But, real quick, Marissa, there's some organization needed on level 17, and while I'm gone, you're in charge, too. And Rachel, don't explode anything while I'm gone, comprende?" Skippsy says. She then hops up and out if their fish-hatch entrance.
"Trixy, there's some paperwork that needs your assistance on Level 17." Marissa says after Skippsy is gone.
"B-but, Skippsy told you to do it, Marissa!" Trixy says with a frown.
"Yes, but she also left me in charge." Marissa gives a sly grins.
Trixy gives her a glare and then sighs and goes down to Skippsy's level. "I hate being a private sometimes, I really do." This paper mess was not nearly as bad as the first one. Actually, this one wasn't even a mess. All the papers were in a nice pile on the desk, except for one or two sheets on the floor. Trixy picks these up and places them in the tidy stack with the others. She then puts them all back into the pink file folder and sits it back on Skippsy's desk.
She then goes back to the elevator. "Still, though, I am getting quite tired of playing janitor. They'll be lucky if I don't make a huge mess of my own for them to clean up." She shakes her head with a sigh. "Or what if I went on strike? No, that would be insubordination. And it's not like Skippsy knows that I'm the one doing all the cleaning. She probably thinks that Marissa and Rachel are doing it, or that we're doing it all togethah as a group effort, like we are supposed to do." Trixy sighs again. The elevator reaches the main level, for the third time that day so far, and Trixy steps out of it. And since she has nothing else to do, she picks up a novel of her's that she has been trying to find time to read all week.
Skippsy returns to the HQ about an hour later with a backpack full of things. Marissa and Rachel approach Skippsy as she enters. Trixy continues to read the story and doesn't even notice Skippsy's re-arrival. "So...what's in la mochila, Skippsy?" Rachel asks.
Skippsy shrugs. "Nothing much...just what I'll need for the mission tomorrow." She then goes overe to the elevator and goes back down to her level. The she shrugs off the backpack and sets it softly on her desk. She opens it and puts the pink folder in it as well. "Yes, everything I'll need tomorrow." She grabs the bag once again and goes back into the elevator. Once she is once again on the main level, Skippsy sits the backpack right under her bunk, the very bottom bunk. She then looks at the clock. Time sure had flown by, it is already practically lights-out time.
Skippsy turns to her team, who are busying themselves with their own little hobbies, or whatever they did. "Lights-out in ten, girls...and Marissa, if you stay up late again tonight, you won't just be putting one quarter in the 'All Nighter' jar, but you'll be putting a whole dollar in it, capish?" She says looking directly at her lieutenant. Marissa nods.
"Yes, ma'am." She replies.
Skippsy nods. "Alright." She looks back up at the clock. "Lights-out in five...four...three..." She begins to count down as Trixy, Marissa, and Rachel quickly scramble into their bunks. "Two...one...goodnight, everyone." Skippsy flips a switch and the lights go out. She then climbs into her own bunk.
The next morning Skippsy wakes early. Earlier than she normally woke, which was already quite early. She looks at her still sleeping team with a smile. They were so peaceful looking, laying there in their bunks, quiet and calm and not arguing. Too bad they were never like this when they were awake. Skippsy then goes over to her coffee machine and gets herself a cup of joe and sticks a sardine in it. She drinks it fairly quickly and then draws a quick note for her team. Lastly, Skippsy grabs her backpack and hops back up through their fish-bowl hatch.
She leaves their little green zoo coup in their garage and instead slides to the Central Park Zoo. Skippsy quickly thinks of whether she should be pushing Skipper of Marlene more. Which was probably the easiest decision she had ever had to make. Skipper of course would need more of a push than Marlene.
Skippsy slides up to the penguin habitat and hops down into their HQ. She looks around and sees Skipper sitting at his table drinking coffee. Of course. His team is still asleep, which is very reasonable since it is only 0600 hours. "Hello, Skips." Skippsy says.
Skipper looks up from his coffee at Skippsy and gives her a questionable look. "What are you doing here?"
Skippsy rolls her eyes. "I won't answer that until I get a decent greeting."
Skipper rolls his eyes. "Fine. Good morning, Skippsy. Now, what the deuce are you doing here?"
"I am here on a mission. A self-assigned mission."
"And what mission could that possibly be?" Skipper takes another sip of his coffee.
"You'll see soon enough." She replies. "Say, Skips, would you happen to know what time Marlene usually gets up?"
"And why would you need to know that?" He asks giving her a suspicious look.
Skippsy shrugs. "Just curious."
"She normally gets up somewhere between 0615 and 0645 hours." He stirs his coffee with his fish and takes another sip.
Skippsy nods and then without asking, takes a seat at the table in front of Skipper. "Do you have any plans for the day?"
"What?"
"You heard me." She says giving him a look. "Do you have anything planned for today?"
"N–yes."
"N–yes? Is that a no or a yes? It sounded like both to me."
"I do have something planned."
"Oh?" Skippsy gives him a unbelieving look. "And what would that be? A solo training session? A marathon of 'Shirtless Ninja Action Theater'? Lounge time topside? None of those count, by the way." Skipper doesn't answer and Skippsy gives a small laugh. "Well, since your schedule has suddenly opened up for today, I have a plan for you."
Skipper narrows his eyes, untrustingly. "Which would be...?"
"Oh...it's nothing too difficult..." She gives a smile. "It's very simple actually."
"I don't see what you're getting the halibut at, Skippsy." He finished his coffee and stands up. Skippsy stands up as well.
"Well, I know a little someone who probably does not have any plans for today also. A little someone you would know."
"You're talking in riddles again. And you know how I feel about that."
Skippsy rolls her eyes. "Yes, I do. And no, I don't care."
Skipper rolls his eyes and crosses his flippers. "Then just get to the point for kipper's sake."
"Fine." She sighs. "Marlene. You should go spend Valentine's Day with Marlene."
"WHAT?!"
"You heard me." She smiles. "And if you won't do so willingly, I will use force."
Skipper raises a nonexistent eyebrow. "Oh yeah? How?"
"I'll kick you to her habitat myself, if I must. And I'll stand there the whole time making sure that you don't run out on it."
"I won't do it." Skipper crosses his flippers.
"Oh really?"
"Yes."
Skippsy gives a slightly vicious grin. "Alright then, we'll just see about that, won't we?" She then, before Skipper could react, grabs and tosses him up the hatch. He lands roughly on the ice flow. "Now walk, Skipper, or else." She says as she hops up after him with crossed flippers.
"No. I won't."
"Yes. You will."
Skipper crosses his flippers and gives Skippsy a glare. "Move so I can get back inside." he orders.
"Nope." Skippsy shuts the hatch with her foot and sits on it, stubbornly with her flippers still crossed. "You're not going back in there any time soon. You, brother, are going to Marlene's."
Skippsy and Skipper then have a long minute of glaring at each other. Finally Skipper throws his flippers up in the air. "Fine. I'll go and wish her a happy Valentine's Day, but that's it." Skipper says.
Skippsy stands up with a short nod. And Skipper turns and waddles towards Marlene's habitat. Skippsy smiles as she herds her twin to Marlene's. When they get there, Skipper stops at the entrance. "Go on, Skips. You can do it...unless you're a complete coward." She says. Skipper gives her a small glare and enters the habitat.
Marlene is already awake in her habitat. She looks towards her entrance with a smile when she sees Skipper enter. "Oh, hey, Skipper." she says cheerily. "What's up?"
"Good morning to you, too, Marlene." says Skipper. He glances towards the entrance and Skippsy motions for him to go on. "I...erm...came to wish you a happy Valentine's Day." He glances towards the entrance again. Skippsy gives a reassuring nod and a smile.
Marlene blushes slightly. "Thank you, Skipper. Happy Valentine's Day to you, too." she says.
Skipper nods and makes towards he is slowly going to back out of the cave. Skippsy bars his exit. "Oh no you don't. Get back in there." She says as she gives him a decent shove into the cave again.
Marlene looks at Skipper curiously. "Back so soon?" She asks with a small laugh.
"Yeah..." He gives a small nervous laugh and rubs the back of his head with a flipper. "Yeah, I didn't really have a choice." He gives an annoyed glance at Skippsy at the entrance of the cave.
Skippsy gives him a large smile. Everything is going exactly to plan for plan: Post-it Note of operation: Valentine's Day. Skippsy gets back out her green post-it note and looks at it. It had three words on it total. "Force and Improvise." She mumbles as she re-reads the note. "Works every time."
Marlene gives another small laugh. "Really? Is there like someone forcing you?"
Skipper gives a glance at Skippsy, she shakes her head. "No, not at all." He replies. "I was just had forgot to ask if you...If you had...umm...what I'm trying to say is...Marlene, do you..." Skipper gives another glance at Skippsy. She gives him a nod and the motion to keep going. "I was wondering if you had any plans for today." he finally says.
Marlene looks at Skipper surprised. "No, I don't have anything planned." She says.
Skipper nods. "Would you like to,...ummm, do something with me?"
"Yes, I would love to, Skippy." Markene replies with a huge smile.
Skippsy takes a couple steps back out of sight. Her plan had worked. Skipper and Marlene were going to do something together for Valentine's Day. She then frowns. This was the perfect time for a team high-five...but that's kind of hard to do when your team is getting ready for their own Valentine's Day plans. She waddles away from Marlene's habitat and slides to her own HQ.
Skippsy takes the file out of her backpack and sits it on her desk. "Mission accomplished." she says as she stamps the top page of the file's contents and closes it again. She would go and file that among the accomplished missions in a few minutes. But first, she picks up her framed picture of Benjamin, her boyfriend who had died on a mission of a decent number of years back.
She gives a sad smile. "I wish you could have seen it, Benny. I have a feeling you would have gotten a kick out of it." She says to the picture. "Oh, and happy Valentine's Day, Benny." She runs her flipper over his face in the picture and then sits the photograph back down on her desk with a sigh. She then picks up the pink folder and waddles back to the elevator. She turns out the light of her level, and then gets into the elevator. Now she could spend the rest of her day reorganizing papers and cataloging mission files, until her team returns.