Chapter 1: A Picnic Lunch

Kowalski gets the fish hatch open and then looks at Marissa. "Maybe we should go instead through the front door…" he suggests with an anxious look at the bundle in her flippers.

"It's fine, Kowalski. I've got it," she says as she starts down.

"But you might get dizzy on the way down!"

Marissa glares at him. "I'm fine. Look, see? Already on the floor!"

Kowalski nods and hurries down the ladder after her. "I just...I don't want anything to go wrong," he says and taps his flipper-tips together with a small, apologetic smile. "Sorry."

"Kowalski…" she sighs. "It's going to be fine. This is nature, not science. Nature has dealt with this sort of thing since the very beginning of time. Plus, Skippsy is going to make frequent check ups on it and how we are parenting. It's going to be fine."

"So we thought of 75% of our other inventions and you know how THOSE have went!" he exclaims.

Marissa shakes her head and continues to the lab. "As I said, nature versus science. Now go get that pen you've been praising and raving about."

"Right, right." Kowalski nods and slides into the lab. He drags out a small play-pen with wooden sides and rails and some quilts layered on the bottom. "Rico made it mostly, I just found a picture online, and Private made the quilts," he says excitedly. "And Skipper tested it to make sure it is strong enough and won't just collapse when we sit it in there."

Marissa gently runs a flipper along the upper rim of the pen and nods. "It's perfect, Kowalski." She smiles. She then softly sits the bundled egg in the center and covers it more.

Kowalski nods and then plugs in a cord. "And it isn't too high-tech, but I added an electric blanket so we can keep it at a nice, constant temperature as though it was in an incubator so you-we don't have to sit cramped over it all day."

"That's great...Though, Kowalski…" She looks at him. "It's supposed to hatch at any time now. It is a bit late to try an incubatory approach."

Kowalski just waves the statement away. "It will still enjoy having a warm nest as a nearly naked chick."

"Of course." She nods and then leans her head on his shoulder with a small smile. He leans his head on hers as they look at their little egg.

After a few minutes Marissa sighs and lifts her head. Kowalski looks at her. "What's wrong?"

"I should go back to Skippsy and the others, but…" She looks at the egg.

Kowalski nods understandingly. "I'm sure she is okay with you staying here with us until it hatches. I mean, you're a mother now and you wouldn't want to possibly miss your chick hatching."

She nods and leans her head on him again. "Point made…"

"Plus you are still supposed to be resting. Your hormones are still settling down." He nods and softly rubs her back.

"I feel fine, Kowalski. You're the one acting like your hormones are out of order." She sticks her tongue out at him.

Kowalski nods and rests his chin on her head. "I'm just nervous."

"Maybe you need another shot in the buttox with that anxiety medication the vet has," she snorts.

"Mhm, no thank you." He chuckles. "I believe we should test the waters with this one chick before we risk having more."

Marissa nods. "Great, we're on the same page."

Kowalski nods and kisses her head. "Do you ever talk to your mom anymore?"

"No...I haven't heard from her since I joined the military. She told me she wasn't going through the stress she had with Dad with me too and locked the door behind me." She looks at him. "You?"

"On the holidays usually…" He nods. "Maybe we should find out her number and you could try calling her. Surely after all this time she will be more reasonable."

Marissa looks at the egg. "I don't know…"

"I'll ask my parents if they still are in contact, I'm sure they probably are." He smiles at her and rubs her back.

"Fine…" she sighs.

Kowalski smiles at her softly. "Would you like for us to go have lunch in the park? I'm sure the fresh air will be good for both of us and the egg after that time in that room."

Marissa nods. "That sounds good, yeah." She smiles at him and then looks around. "Where is everyone anyway?"

"Private texted me that they were going on an overnight recon mission outside a possible Blowhole lair," he sighs and looks away.

"Oh." She nods and softly holds his flipper. "Well, there will be other missions. Let's go have that lunch," she says, kissing his cheek and getting the egg.

Kowalski nods and grabs a few fish from the fridge and puts them in a basket with a bottle of white wine and some glasses from his lab. He also stuffs a blanket into the basket as well and waddles over to her with a chuckle. "We could nearly sit the egg in here too."

Marissa gives him a look and shakes her head. "Not even funny. It would smell like fish."

"Mari, we're penguins, it is going to smell like fish anyhow."

"Yes, but it doesn't have to smell that strongly," she says and hugs the egg closer to her chest.

Kowalski softly pecks her cheek. "Come on then," he sighs. "I believe we really do need that time out in the open." He helps her up the ladder before following her up. The two then waddle, flipper in flipper, to their special spot in the park. Kowalski spreads the blanket over the grass before Marissa sits down with the egg in her lap.

"Lunch isn't very fancy, but it was a fast grab." He smiles at her as he gets out the fish and wine.

"As long as this time you didn't accidentally grab the beakers you were testing poisons in again, I don't mind." She chuckles.

Kowalski awkwardly rubs the back of his neck. "I thought we agreed to let that go…"

"We did." Marissa nods and adjusts her glasses. "But it never hurts to remember so you do not make the same mistake again."

"I won't. I keep my glasses and beakers on different sides of the room now," he says as he uncorks the wine.

"Oh, that's good." She nods.

Kowalski nods and pours the glasses. "Anyway...Marissa there is something I was wanting to ask you while we are out here."

"Mmh?" She looks at him as she has the fish already halfway to her beak.

"Marissa, we've known each other a while now...Despised each other for years, dated for a few months and now have an egg…."

Marissa stares at him. "Yeah so?"

Kowalski smiles and gets a little box out of his feathers and opens it. "I know it is pretty basic. I plan on finding you a more modern version soon…But...I…"

She stares at the pebble in the box and then at him and then back at the box.

"But I was wondering...If you'd...Erm...Marry...Me?" He looks at her with an awkward, hesitant smile.

Marissa still stares at him and the pebble for a moment as though what he just said was in a completely different language.

Kowalski's smile starts to fade and he looks at her. "M-Marissa?"

"You...Want to marry me?" she then stutters quietly and looks at him. "After all the insults and the bullying?"

This time Kowalski is the one staring and blinking for a moment before he gives her a strange look. "Well, yes, I do or I wouldn't be asking would I?"

"B-But…" She looks away. "But I'm not nice. You deserve a nice girl."

"Marissa…"

"I-I know we have a chick together and all...But I never thought you'd want to be this committed to me. I-I...I'm not a good choice. I'm a horrible choice. I'd make a terrible wife, I'm too mean!" she exclaims.

Kowalski gets her flipper and shakes his head. "No...No, you're not. Marissa, you were mean in the past because you were hurting. You're not a bad choice. I love you, I want to marry you, Marissa, I do."

Marissa looks at him anxiously. "I...I love you too...But…But...There are better girls out there."

"But I don't want to marry a 'better girl,' Marissa, I want to marry you. Just you," he sighs and rubs her flipper.

She looks at the pebble again and then nods. "I...I will marry you...But I hope you know what you'll be getting into. I'm not an easy penguin to live with."

Kowalski chuckles and kisses her cheek. "I knew what I was getting into the moment I realized I loved you. It will be a challenge, but you're worth it."

Marissa looks down at her egg, shaking her head a little. "I'm not...But if you're willing to put up with me as your wife, I'd be an idiot to say no."

Kowalski then softly hugs her. "You really need to send a message to that Commander Gray about seeing a therapist."

"But I don't need a therapist." She shakes her head and hugs him.

"You don't want one, but you should see one," he sighs and kisses her head. "But I will find you a nice ring eventually, I promise."

Marissa shakes her head. "I like the pebble." She smiles at him. "It's beautiful."

Kowalski smiles at her and nuzzles her neck. "But I will still find you a ring. You can't wear and show off a pebble."

"No, I guess I can't." She smiles a little and leans her head on his shoulder. He puts his flipper around her and holds her close to his side. He then gets his fish and finally eats it.

"Kowalski."

"Yes?" He looks at her.

Marissa is staring at the egg. "It's moving."

"Moving?" he repeats and looks at it. He then begins to get it out from the blanket to check it.

"Is it hatching?" she asks.

"Well...If it is trying to right now, it hasn't broken through the shell yet."

"Maybe we should go back to the HQ now just in case," she says, standing up. "This is not a sanitary condition for it to hatch into."

"Yes, but do we really want it getting amniotic fluid all over the lab? That doesn't come out of anything easily," he says, looking at the egg.

Marissa nods and looks nervously at the egg as it begins to crack. "Do we need to help it?"

"No, it should be capable of hatching itself….I think." He frowns thoughtfully.

"But what if it gets too tired and has a heart attack from not being strong enough and it trying too hard?" she asks panickedly.

Kowalski looks at her now worriedly and then at the egg again. "Maybe we should help it after it gets started."

Marissa nods and watches it. Kowalski lifts the egg and looks it over. They then just sit and anxiously watch the egg for nearly an hour before a little hole appears near the top of the egg. Kowalski carefully helps the chick open the hole further. Both he and Marissa stare down into the hole at the little naked chick. Kowalski then carefully picks the chick up out of the shell.

"It's a boy." Marissa then smiles.

The chick wiggles a little in Kowalski's flippers as he wraps the blanket around it. It chirps and blinks its eyes open and looks blearily at them.

"He's got your eyes." He smiles and picks a piece of eggshell off of the chick's shoulder.

Marissa then gets the bundled chick from Kowalski and holds him close. "Our little Atlas…" she says and smiles widely and kisses the chick on the head. The chick sneezes and then squeeks and wriggles in her grasp.

Kowalski chuckles and gets closer to them. "Atlas after the Greek titan or Atlas after a robot in that game you play?"

She shrugs and gives him a look over her glasses. "Does it matter? His name will be Atlas and that is that."

"So it was after the game character." He nods and chuckles.

Marissa rolls her eyes and looks at her little green eyed chick with a smile. "You'll have to forgive your father, he has the tendency to be an idiot." The chick only chirps and reaches for her glasses.