Hi! sorry its been a long time since I've been on! I'm deciding to redo my other stories too since they...need...work hehe. Anyways heres a new one-shot! Enjoy!

Marlene gathered her paints together and put her easel right beside. The air outside was rainy, dark, and loud. The thunder crackled and tornado sirens echoed in the distance. Marlene couldn't sleep, that was why she decided to turn on her light (which flickered every once in a while) and paint. There was only one problem.

What was she going to paint?

She felt that it would take the whole night for her to figure out what to draw. Unless...

She shook her head. Of course drawing him would be fun but it would be embarrassing if he walked in and saw her drawing him. I mean the flat head would give it away.

As if to answer her thoughts, thunder crackled. Of course! Why would he walk in here? It would be so strange with the weather blowing everything to pieces.

She picked up her paintbrush and put it in the black and began to paint. By 2:00 she had him almost done, all she had to do were the eyes. The handsome, deep, ocean blue eyes...

The otter went to dip a smaller paintbrush into the blue closest to his eyes (although no color could compare...) But when she looked up she found herself staring into the eyes she was dreaming about.

She yelped and jumped back, shocked at the intruder at her doorway.

Skipper put up his flippers and widened his eyes, clearly showing alarm. He was dripping wet, and his feathers were ruffled from walking in the storm. "Calm down Marlene" Skipper said comfortably "I'm just wondering what the heck you're doing at 2:00 in the morning."

Marlene breathed calmly again, the lights starting to flicker again. "I'm painting" she answered, thunder rumbled and the sirens started to slow down.

"Really?" Skipper asked, obviously less alarmed but more intrigued "what are you painting?"

Marlene put her paws behind her back and used her foot to push the easel so it faced the opposite direction of Skipper entirely. "Nothing."

Skipper raised and eyebrow "Nothing? You're painting nothing?"

"Yes."

"How can someone paint nothing?"

"I don't know, but obviously it's possible if I'm doing it."

"You don't know how to paint nothing yet ur doing it?"

"Yes."

A minute of silence passed by and Skipper's eyebrow rose some more. He sighed. "If it is some spy-"

"No Skipper, trust me, it isn't."

Another minute of silence passed by, Skipper was still suspicious but decided to leave it at that. "Alright fine...but remember you need to sleep."

"Okay" MArlene said, her heart was still racing and the idea that Skipper almost saw her painting and that he was in the room with her alone.

Then the lights went out and didn't come back on. Marlene was nervous, she was afraid that all the world could hear her heartbeat. Even the one who was still in the habitat with her.

"Oh sugarplums (A/N I know thats a christmas saying he has but whatever :P)!" Skipper said "do you have any flashlights?"

"Uh yeah, there around where you are, on the counter" she answered. She could here shuffling from his direction, then heard this slight buzzing sound (which must've been the flashlight) but no light came. The thunder rumbled now angrier, the sirens got louder, and the lightning lit up the room with an eery blue and white shade.

"I think the battery is out" Skipper said as more lightning flashed.

The night went on and Skipper and Marlene just sat down next to each other on her rocky counter. They were silent, though the weather wasn't, and the room was pitch black when the lightning wasn't flashing.

Skipper looked up as more lightning flashed and saw...himself?

He became puzzled and waited for more lightning, to get a better observation of it. When more lightning came he realized that it was just a painting.

His mind clicked.

"Uh, Marlene?" Skipper asked.

"Hm?" Marlene mumbled, she was now lying down trying to sleep.

"Out of all things, why did you want to draw me?"

Marlenes eyes shot open "it was the first thing that came to mind" she lied.

"Why?" Skipper asked still puzzled, clearly wanting to get to the bottom of this.

Marlene sat up "because..." she mumbled "I..." How was she going to say this? Skipper looked at her puzzled but with no military force he usually had, there was almost concern in his face. The lightning flashed and the thunder now was rumbling like mad. The sirens seemed to be shrieking at the top of their non-existent lungs. "Because, I love you."

There she said it. Now let the ignoring and teasing begin by the commando. But to her surprise, Skipper smiled and said "good."

"What?" she asked confused, the weather must be messing with her head.

"I said good" Skipper said, was there some nervousness in his tone? "Now I don't have to say it myself."

Silence followed that, neither one knowing if that was a good or bad thing. Little did they know that as the lightning flashed, as the thunder rumbled and shook that habitat, and as the sirens whirled around New York, they were moving closer...and closer...and closer...

Until they finally kissed.

So did you like it? Thank you for reading and again I apologize for all of these delays hehe... but during the summer I will definitely work more on these, PLeAse ReVIeW! Ciao!