Here's the deal. I, Tripenguinman, will write a chapter and then Ponytail30527 will write a chapter and we continue like that. Please enjoy.

LULU RETURNS

CHAPTER ONE

It was a slow day. Not many people visited the zoo on Sunday and if any at all, then they just took quick looks in the habitats and then moved on. No performing, no feeding except for the fish that Alice tossed in for their meals. Elli was bored. Marshal sat beside her, bored as well. Their dads and gone to do recon and refused to let them come.

They wished Rico was at least there to blow something up. That was always entertaining. They were sitting at the table in the penguin habitat. There were two discarded smoothes, a pack of playing cards; spread out across the table, and some dominos. They didn't feel in the mood for Private's love smoothes and the cards were boring before they even removed them from the pack. They had no interest in playing dominos or creating anything with them and every other thing seemed boring. Marshal was looking drowsy and Elli felt a little tired herself.

The day was dragging and though she felt exhausted, Elli couldn't sleep. She had tired many times to nap a little but she could only feel more and more exhausted (as impossible as it seemed) and sleep refused to overtake her. Marshal had even once resorted to punching the wall. After a few hits, he cracked his flipper and started running around, yelling about how it hurt. That had given Elli some laughs but it quickly wore off.

Finally, Marshal's head fell on the table and he was snoring in seconds.

"Lucky." Elli muttered.

She was feeling a little irritable and decided to try to walk it off. Before she could get up though, Marshal rolled over in his sleep and fell in her lap. She cried out as he landed. He was heavy! She grunted as she tried to move him off of her.

"Get off of me!" she finally yelled in his ear.

He rolled off into the floor and now that she was mad, that's where she left him. She emerged into the bright sun, blinking and shielding her eyes.

When her eyes had adjusted, she set off on her walk. She passed the lemurs who were lazing around in the sun, fanning King Julian. She passed the chameleon habitat and the elephant before reaching the monkey habitat. Maybe Mason could cheer her up. She turned and vaulted over the fence. But as she was waddling toward the monkeys, she heard more than one voice speaking so she stopped and hid behind the tree to catch the conversation secretly. Finally. She thought. Some excitement.

When she poked her head slightly around the tree, she gasped. There in Phil's arms was Lulu! She was speaking to Mason and Phil was speaking with his free hand.

"Why did they send you back, Lulu?" Mason asked

"They decided the monkey exhibit was too small at Hoboken so they sent me back to stay, isn't it great?!" she exclaimed excitedly.

Phil made a couple of gestures.

"Yes," Mason said, reading Phil's hands. "So you won't be moving back at ALL?"

"Yes, I'm so excited but there's something you guys need to know." She said, her tone changing to a solemn one.

Phil gestured and Mason looked at her confused.

"I'm, pregnant." she said

"WHAT?!" Mason shouted and Phil dropped her in the dirt.

Phil gestured so quickly that Mason asked for a replay.

"I was just about to ask that, Phil!" he said annoyed. "Gad! Of who?!"

"What do you mean: "of who?"?"

"Who is the father?"

"Um…" she began but Elli didn't hear it.

She ran. She was staring, wide eyed and feeling strange in the pit of her stomach. But as she ran, she couldn't stop laughing. Lulu, pregnant? It seemed so silly! And yet as she reached the penguin habitat, she had a serious feeling among her fit of giggles and she couldn't wait to tell Marshal and then she stopped. Lulu had whispered it. Maybe she wanted it a secret. But to Elli that didn't make much sense.

"Oh well," she said to herself. "If that's what she wants."

Then she promised Lulu and herself that she wouldn't breathe a word and headed in.