Future Lizard Parents

"Rachel...Rach, hey Rach, wakey wakey."

Rachel opens an eye and looks at Marissa. "Qué?"

"Could you watch Atlas? I need to go get supplies for the lab."

"Why can't Kowalski or Trixy watch him?" She yawns, stretching. "You know I don't like kids."

"I know...But I just thought...Well, I hoped maybe you'd be okay spending a little time with him?"

Rachel pulls the cover up over her head. "Sorry, Mari, but no...I don't do kids."

Marissa sighs. "Fine, alright, sorry for waking you..." She hops down to arouse someone else.

"Marissa, I'll watch the little ankle biter." Skippsy calls over to her, poking her head out from the kitchen.

She jumps and looks at her. "Oh, I didn't know you were up."

"Eh, couldn't sleep. He's asleep, right?"

Marissa nods. "He is; I just don't know how long it'll take to get these chemicals."

"Gotcha. Yeah, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thanks." She nods and heads up the ladder.

Skippsy sips a cup of juice and waddles over to the bunks. She taps Rachel on the shoulder. "Rachela Antonio, up and attem."

Rachel flinches at the use of her full name. She turns and looks at her. "Did I do something?"

"Come sit with me, we need to talk."

"But its night time, that's sleep time." She yawns.

"I didn't say please, Rachel. Now get your tail over here before I drag you over." She says, going to the fridge.

Rachel slinks out from the bunk and over to the table with a drawn out sigh.

"Want something to drink? Juice, coffee, whiskey, milk?"

"I thought you were cutting back, señora?"

Skippsy shows her her cup. "Just straight juice, I'm being a good girl. Now what would you like?"

"Juego works for me, too." She shrugs.

"'Kay." She refills her cup and pours Rachel one, bringing both over to the table. "Now you want to tell me what that was about between you and Marissa?"

"Nada to talk about, Skippsy." She sips the juice. "She just woke the wrong penguin for babysitting."

"Yeah, okay." Skippsy gives her an even look. "You might not like kids, but you should still pretend to like them. You like Trixy."

"Trixy is hardly a chick anymore, Skippsy, she's a young adult. She's not as fragile."

"So you're bothered by the fragility of chicks?" She says thoughtfully.

"I just don't like them. Even if I did, wouldn't be able to have any myself."

Skippsy looks at her softly. "But Marissa and Kowalski are both working on how to...fix you."

"But it won't fix the sterilization even if they get rid of the weird dimension thingy in me." She sighs. "Not that I've ever wanted kids anyhow."

"And you don't want them because...?"

Rachel shifts uncomfortably. "They ruin everything."

"Elaborate." Skippsy sips her juice.

"I had to break up with Alejandro because he wanted them and I didn't..."

"That's got nothing to do with kids, that's just differing opinions. Plus you know he said he was good with not having any to be with you."

Rachel sighs and sinks down in the chair avoiding eye contact. "They're so breakable..."

Skippsy still looks at her.

"You know how impulsive I am...They're just not safe around me. They'd get broken." Her eyes tear up.

Skippsy comes around the table and hugs her from behind . "Rach, did something happen before?"

"M-my cousin!" She starts crying. "It was an accident, I didn't want it to happen! But it was all my fault!"

"Hey, hey now, it's okay. Shh, shh, it's okay." She rubs her flipper. "Rachel, you were little I'm sure. You're more mature now, you wouldn't break little Atlas."

"But I might! Then Mari and Kowalski would be devastated and he'd be all broken!" She cries.

"But you won't." She hugs her closer.

"You don't know that."

"I know you and I know you'd do anything it took to keep the little ankle-bitter safe."

Rachel sniffs and goes quiet, sipping her juice.

"But if you'd like, we could start giving you practice."

"Practice?"

Skippsy nods and moves back to her chair. "A pet. We'll get you a little lizard egg that you can hatch and tend to like it's your own little one, build your confidence, you know?"

Rachel thinks about this. "That doesn't sound that bad..."

"And if there's a guy you're interested in, you could recruit him to play daddy to your little lizard." She shrugs with a wink.

"Shouldn't I ask him first?" She tilts her head.

"You could, but it's not like men really ask to get a girl pregnant." She shrugs, sipping her juice. "They just run on pure instinct. So use your own instinct on the matter I say."

Rachel nods and slides away from the table and off to the lab.

Skippsy just patiently waits. She goes over and picks sleeping Atlas up from the crib and holds him, gently rocking him. "Such a cute little future nerd." She smiles but then the smile fades the longer she looks at the chick. She shakes her head and sits him back down, gently tucking him in. She looks over as Rachel waddles in hugging a mostly asleep Manfredi like a teddy bear.

"Rico, put me down, I'm still sleeping..." he mumbles sleepily.

"Wrong psycho, Manny." Skippsy chuckles.

"Huh?" Manfredi rubs his eyes and looks at Skippsy before looking up at Rachel and blinking. "Well I'm fifty shades of confused."

"Well, it would seem Rachel has chosen you to be the surrogate father to the pet lizard she's getting."

"Woah, woah, woah, what? Father? Hello, put me down please!" He starts to squirm.

Rachel instead hugs him closer.

Skippsy tries to hide her amusement. "Well, you flirted with her first, Manny. I'd take this as her way of asking you out, capiche? Now you willing to play daddy to her baby lizard, no penalty if you say no. Just, I doubt you'd find another chance of getting her to think of you as boyfriend material ever."

Manfredi glances at Rachel and sighs. "Alright, fine. I'll punch my ticket on this crazy train."

Rachel squeaks and nearly squeezes Manfredi. Skippsy now can't contain her amusement. "Rachela, be careful!" She chuckles. "You'll break Manfredi!"

"Oh!" She gasps and drops him. "Lo siento!"

Manfredi sighs from the ground. "Yeah, yeah, it's fine. You can thank Rico that I'm used to this kinda thing, toots."

Skippsy smirks. "In the morning the three of us will go by the pet store, alright? Y'all can pick out a baby to liberate from the humans and then y'all are its parents."

Rachel nods and looks down at Manfredi. "I guess I should put him back?"

"He would probably appreciate that." She chuckles. "Really, he's small enough you could practice swaddling."

"Don't give her any more ideas!" Manfredi exclaims as Rachel yanks him up into another cuddle.

"Eh, you'll be fine." She smirks, sipping her juice. "Guess you didn't expect her to be a cuddler. To be honest, I didn't either."