Hi! Here's the second chapter - again, feel free to tell me if anybody's too much out of character, especially Kowalski. Again, all the names way in the beginning are all names of my friends in real life. All my friends have much cooler names than me, I'm just Jill...

Kowalski showed Katrina around the base while the others did recon. He showed her where the bunks where - they'd carve one out on the bottom, he decided - and the TV. She kept holding onto his flipper and ran her other hand along any surface she could find, "seeing" it. Well, almost any surface.

"Careful!" He said pulling her hand away sharply. "That's a fusion incinerator!"

"What is a fusion incinerator doing in your home?"

She had a point.

Anyway, this went on for a while, until the two of them finally sat together on the makeshift couch.

"So," Kowalski said eagerly, "What's happened with the rest of our friends? Simeon? Chelsea? Katie?"

"Well, Simeon was transferred a while back, we have no idea where he is. Chelsea mated with Jason, remember him? He's changed a lot, not nearly as much of a jerk as he was before. Katie's with a male who came after you left, his name's Elias. They have a son named Jared… I hear scribbling. Are you seriously writing this down?"

Kowalski stopped, a little embarrassed. "Yes."

Katrina giggled. "I always liked that about you. You really pay attention."

He put down the clipboard and pencil. "Yes, um… speaking of which, I've been wanting to ask you something."

"What?" She leaned a little closer.

"Well, uh,…" How did one say this? "Have you been, well, seeing anyone?"

She grinned. "No, I haven't been seeing anyone. Or anything, really."

Kowalski blanched and slapped himself. "Oh my… I'm so sorry! I forgot!"

"No, no, it's all right." Her smile faded. "But really, I haven't been dating anyone at all. No one's ever asked me, and how could I ask someone if I don't really know if I'm actually facing them or not?" she paused and took a breath. "You?"

"Negative. There aren't really any females in the whole zoo, except Marlene down the way, she'll be here in approximately 6.7 minutes with a cake and flowers to welcome you."

There was a long silence. Finally, Kowalski said very softly:

"I never really forgot you, Katrina. And I certainly never forgot the day I had to leave."

She sighed. "Neither have I…"

*FLASHBACK*

"But, Kowalski, I don't want you to go!"

In just a few minutes, the stupid humans were due to take her first and best friend away to who-knew-where, and who knew when they would see each other again?

"Neither do I, Katie, but what can we do?" Even with half his down feathers still on, he had such an intelligent sounding voice.

She started to cry into his chest as he held her tightly. The only thing separating them right now was the thin wires that made up Kowalski's cage.

"No, no tears." he said comfortingly. Kowalski pulled her face up and wiped her cheeks with his own flipper. Tears continued to stream down her face, out of those milky-blue eyes that would never see his own tear.

Katrina was so close now. He needed to tell her how he felt, to show her, but how? There was no time for options, no time to consider the consequences and outcomes…

Kowalski bent down a quarter of an inch and, between the cold metal bars of that stupid cage, gently kissed her beak. She gasped, but soon enough just held him all the tighter.

They pulled apart and just held each other until they heard the beeping of a truck backing up.

*END FLASHBACK*

And here they were, still holding each other.

"Katy," Kowalski said, and she smiled at the nickname only he and her parents could use as he struggled for the right words, "I know you must have changed in these years, I know I have. But… will you still give me a chance?"

He certainly had changed, she thought. A military man, with so much more courage than the awkward chick she'd known before…

She could only nod. He smiled.

Kowalski held his flipper to her cheek and pulled her face towards his. Even he was surprised at the sudden bout of courage. Katrina closed her eyes, though it really made no difference… she could smell his breath…

BOOM!

"Hi new neighbor!"

Kowalski and Katrina jumped about a foot. The visitor gasped and stopped in her tracks.

"That would be Marlene." he said irritably and blushing under his feathers. The ONE TIME he didn't want science to be correct… it had already been 6.7 minutes.

Katrina chuckled under her breath at the sheer awkwardness of the situation.

"Yeah," Marlene said confusedly, "I'm just gonna… go…"

"Wait!" Kowalski got up, leading Katrina. "Marlene, while you're here, this is our new resident, Katrina."

"Ooh! Finally, another girl!" Marlene held out a paw to shake. Katrina obviously did nothing but say, "It's good to meet you, Marlene."

Said otter looked even more confused and looked at Kowalski for an answer. He mouthed, "She's blind!"

Her mouth formed an O, but soon shrugged it off. As always, looking for the best in everyone. "Listen, Katrina, you even need some girl talk, or to get away from these army guys for a while, just go down this door here -" Kowalski led her to it, and Katrina ran her flippers over it " and just walk straight down, it leads to my habitat."

"Sounds great!" Katrina said.

Marlene put the cake and flowers on a table and left. But right before she closed the door, she heard Kowalski's frantic whisper:

"Don't tell Skipper!"

...

Later that night, Katrina went to get a drink of water before bed, and, having an unusually good sense of hearing, overheard a hushed conversation between the guys. It was about…her?

"Not much to look at, but she seems sweet enough." Skipper commented.

"Yep." Rico agreed.

"Skippah, that's not very nice!" Private said bravely, but Katrina noticed he neither confirmed nor denied Skipper's statement.

Kowalski said, with badly veiled indigence, "I think she's absolutely beautiful."

She smirked triumphantly when she heard a stunned silence from the others.