A.N. - There will be a part 3 ^^

Part 2

Skipper then waddles into the room. "Alright, crisis averted."

Kowalski sits up and looks at him. "Really?" He attempts to look around Skipper for Skippsy.

"Really." Skipper nods. "She's not happy, but she's no longer headhunting."

Skippsy waddles in and snorts. "Headhunting, bah." She looks at them. "Skipper and I will discuss your punishments later this evening. For now, though, Marissa, you take Kowalski's bunk and Kowalski sleeps in here. And don't either of you get any ideas." She looks at Kowalski. "You're still standing next to the chopping block." She glares.

"Yes, ma'am." Marissa nods and gets up from the lab bench.

"Take a trash can over with you, just in case." Skippsy says.

"Wha-what?" Kowalski looks at them confused. "Is she sick?"

Skippsy snorts and looks at him. "Yeah, she caught a little parasite from you. Eventually it's going to cause her to throw up and get pretty moody. And you know, I hope she throws up on you her first time." She harrumphs and waddles out of the lab behind Marissa.

"Ignore her, Marissa is fine." Skipper rolls his eyes. "Go ahead and get prepared for lights out." He says and follows his sister out.

Skippsy snorts as she drags a trashcan over to the bunks. She glances at Skipper. "What?"

"That's my bunk." He says.

"Eh, don't care." Skippsy shrugs. "We'll be talking most the night anyhow."

Skipper sighs and sits at the table and watches.

Skippsy comes grumbling over and sits down. "I can't believe my lieutenant has been sneaking out for six months." She sighs. "And then lied about it...And then thought a breeding program cover up was the best option. She's smarter than that!"

"Well…" Skipper shrugs. "Fear makes you stupid, doesn't matter if you're a skipper, a private, or a scientist." He sips his coffee. "They made what they thought was the best decision."

"Nearly anything else I would have preferred." Skippsy sighs.

"What? No points for creativity?" He chuckles.

Skippsy looks at him hard. "You wouldn't understand, Skips."

Skipper frowns. "What are you talking about? And don't give me none of that classified kipper, give me the whole enchilada, we're same rank, and you're my sister. Spill it."

Skippsy turns away again and takes a deep breath. "Skipper…."

"No no, you started, you're going to explain." He crosses his flippers.

"After you left Antarctica...I was captured by the humans and sent to a surplus zoo, Skipper." She glances at him. "You know what happens in a bad one of those? You're forced into breeding programs. Then if there are too many offspring, either they are sold off or killed…" She takes a deep, shaky breath before continuing. "I've been through the breeding program...It's not pleasant."

Skipper stares at her. "But you don't have any…" He stops and narrows his eyes.

Skippsy turns and glares with watering eyes. "You're right, I don't have any chicks. Know why? Because the one I had at seventeen went over their quota! They fed him to the seals, Skipper! To the freaking seals!" She growls. "Then they decided I was one female too many and they shipped me to your zoo…"

"Skippsy….I didn't know…" He looks at her open beaked.

"Of course you didn't." She snorts. " I didn't want anyone to know...To think if he'd lived, he'd be older than the Privates…" She shakes her head a little. "So you wonder why I got so upset still, Skipper?" She glares.

Skipper shakes his head and lays his flipper on her shoulder. "No...But we still have to be reasonable…" He sighs. He still is mentally on the fact that he had been an uncle...Even if it had only been for a small while.

"I know...They just….Surfaced some bad memories." She sighs.

Skipper rubs her shoulder and thinks in silence for a moment. "—I have an idea."

"Yes?" She lifts her head a little.

"We trade teammates. You have Kowalski for two weeks, and I'll tend to Marissa." He says. "And no lab privileges as well."

Skippsy considers this and hides an evil smirk with her flipper. "I actually like that idea."

Skipper looks at her. "And both must be returned in one piece back to their team, still breathing."

"Oh, I know, Skips." Skippsy chuckles. "I won't harm a little feather on his head. Let's wait until morning to tell them, though." She says.

Skipper nods and thinks. "Shall I make—"

"—No!" Skippsy looks at him. "I don't want another case of food poisoning, Skipper. I'll make us something, alright?"

"Nuh uh." Rico then chimes in, waddling past. He shakes his head looking at them. "I 'ook." He snorts and waddles into the kitchen.

Skippsy chuckles and watches him go past. "If you ever want a sergeant trade, I'll trade Rachel for him. It'd be nice to have someone who can and wants to cook around for a change."

"No." Skipper snorts and sips his coffee. "He ain't up for trade, sister."

"And seriously, neither is Rachel, but it still is nice though." She shrugs. Skipper rolls his eyes and waddles over to the table. "Come on, Skips! Can't take a joke?"

Skipper gives her a look and sits down. "No."

The next morning, Skipper and Skippsy glare at the coffee maker. "You made the last pitcher." Skipper mutters.

"No, you made the last pitcher." Skippsy says. "There wasn't anymore to put in it."

Skipper groans and leans his head on the table. "But I can't be out!"

"Hate to break it to you, but we drank it all." She sighs. "So you all will be having a coffee run no doubt."

Skipper nods and sighs. "Does Marissa have anything she needs to get from your habitat before we switch? If so, we'll use Kowalski while we can."

Skippsy nods. "She'll probably want to get a few things, yes."

"Alright, then I'll rouse them, you drop the bomb, then I'll take my team out to get my coffee. We'll meet back here for the switch."

"Alright, sounds like a plan." Skippsy nods and shakes her mug above her head, trying to get out the last few drops.

Skipper waddles over to the bunks. "WAKE UP!" He shouts.

Private and Rico roll out of their bunks and stand at attention. Marissa lifts her head and yawns and stretches.

"Get yourselves woken up, we need a coffee run." Skipper nods to them before waddling over to the lab and knocking loudly on it. "Up and attem, soldier!" He then waddles back to Skippsy with a nod.

Kowalski opens the door, looking bedraggled and tired. He goes and stands beside Marissa and the bunks.

Skippsy waddles over with her flippers clasped behind her back. "Skipper and I came to a consensus last night. For two weeks, the two of you will switch teams. There will be no lab or science time for either of you, though."

Marissa and Kowalski exchange glances before nodding. "That seems...A bit lenient actually." Marissa says.

Kowalski looks at her with wide eyes. "She means fair!"

"Are you saying you want a harsher penalty, Marissa?" Skippsy says.

"No, just stating an observation, ma'am." She shrugs.

"Then you better watch that beak of yours before it leads me down the road of thinking of a worse option, capiche?" She snorts.

Marissa nods a little and glances at the trash can.

Skippsy follows her look and nods. "Go on, holding it in doesn't help and won't last."

Marissa slides off then for the bathroom.

"DON'T SLIDE!" Skippsy gasps and face-flippers. "Our supposedly two most intelligent teammates, can't even handle a pregnancy right. That's pure instinct!"

"That's the problem. They use their brains, not their guts." Skipper nods.

Skippsy looks at him. "It should be common sense! Hmm, there is a fragile developing egg in my midsection area, I will throw myself upon it and rub it all along the ground! I mean, seriously?! What sense does that make?!"

"It's their first, Skippsy! They haven't had to learn about all this yet." He sighs.

"You'd think they might have researched as soon as they had found out." Skippsy grumbles and crosses her flippers.

Skipper shakes his head a little. "We'll swap you two out after the coffee run. Come on, men." He motions towards the ladder and starts up it. Rico and Private follow close behind him, but Kowalski lags behind. He looks towards the bathroom silently.

"Kowalski, go on before they leave you." She sighs. "She's fine, just experiencing her first bouts of morning sickness."

"So it's normal?" Kowalski looks at her.

"Completely normal." She nods. "Now shoo." She waves him towards the ladder. He reluctantly finally climbs up. Skippsy sighs and waddles over to the bathroom and knocks lightly. "Marissa? How's it going in there?"

There is a flush and Marissa waddles out. "It went gross…"

Skippsy softly looks at her and rubs her back. "Well, you'll probably be doing a lot of that between now and when you lay the egg. But it's worth it in the end." She smiles a little at her.

Marissa nods a little and sighs. "Okay…"

"Now let's go get your things and say your goodbyes to the others." Skippsy smiles at her. "It'll be over before you know it...But I will say nothing is going to be the same for you after this; nothing is going to be the same for both of you...All of us, really." She sighs. "But first things first, no belly-sliding unless you want to risk miscarriage, birth defects, or weak egg syndrome." She gives her a look as she helps her up the ladder.

Private grunts as he squats at the bottom of the penguin tower. "H-how much longer?"

"That depends on Kowalski." Skipper grunts with a glare up to the penguin in his shoulders. "Rico, Kowalski is working on the alarm, right?"

Rico looks scrutinizingly up at Kowalski. "Mhmm…" He then bites Kowalski's toe.

"CURIE'S MITTENS!" Kowalski exclaims and almost loses his balance. He glares piercingly at Rico. "RICO!"

Rico smirks and snickers. "'Ipper or'er."

"Kowalski! Get your tail into gear! I don't think Private can hold this stance much longer." Skipper shouts as he glances down at the younger, trembling recruit beneath his feet.

Kowalski grumbles to himself as he returns to concentrating on the alarm. He then hops down with a snort. "Fine. It's unarmed."

"Fish and chips, man, it took you long enough!" He shakes his head and nods to Rico. "The lock." He orders as he hops down from Private who collapses exhaustedly on the floor.

Rico coughs up the paperclip and unlocks the door. He then pushes it open for his teammates. Skipper takes point and holds out his flipper. "Flashlight me." He is given one and starts forward. "Kowalski, get the private."

Kowalski picks up Private and follows his two other teammates inside. He's mentally not even there.

Skipper shines his light down the aisles with a concentrated frown. "Ah hah!" He then exclaims. "Four man ladder, men."

Private groans to himself and climbs up onto Kowalski's shoulders. Rico comes up under Kowalski and Skipper climbs up his teammates to the top where he stands on tiptoe to grab his coffee. "Might as well grab another, no telling how often Skippsy and the others will be over now." He mutters, mostly to himself as he grabs another canister. He then hops down from them.

"Rico, our tab." Skipper says as he already heads for the door.

"Oh! Skipper! Skipper, they're back! They are back!" Private then squeals as he sees a stack of Peanut Butter Winky boxes.

"Eh, what are?" Skipper asks as he turns and looks.

"The Winkies, sir!" Private nearly bounces up and down. "Can we get a box?" He looks at his commanding officer and gives him his best puppy pout.

Skipper looks at him and at the candy bars. "Sure, go ahead and get a box. They must have sold their recipe to a new owner or something." He shrugs and continues out the door.

"Oh yay!" Private squeaks as he gets a box and happily hugs it close.

Rico hacks up the money and lays it on the counter before sort of shoving Kowalski out the door after the others. "S'ow poke." He mutters.

"I'm waddling, I'm waddling, Rico! Sheesh!" Kowalski grumbles, throwing his flippers, up in the air.

"Cou'n't 'ell." Rico shrugs as he waddles behind him.

Skipper glances over his shoulder. "Stop lollygagging, you two." He yawns. "I need to get this coffee brewing before I fall back asleep."

"But weren't you up all night, Skipper?" Private says.

"Exactly my point, Private." He yawns again.

"Wouldn't a nap be better then?" The young one asks.

Skipper glances at him. "Skippers don't nap." He then picks up his waddling pace.

"Well they certainly sneak a few minutes every so often…" Private murmurs to himself and shakes his head.

Marissa sighs and sits with her elbows on her knees. "How long does one of these usually last?"

Skippsy shrugs as she does a flipper-stand against the wall. "It's different for different penguin breeds. For us, it'd be about….Two months?" She shrugs and wiggles her feet in the air for a moment to keep her balance. "Then about a month or two for the egg to hatch."

"How do you know so much on this?" The scientist asks as she watches her.

"Well...I was a mother for a short time...My chick didn't make it, but that was long ago. At least what I learned there, we can put to use to make sure your and Kowalski's toe-biter is healthy and makes it to adulthood." She smiles a little.

Marissa's jaw drops. "Was Benjamin…?

"No, it was before Benny." She shakes her head. "A few years before Benny and I did anything…" She sighs.

"Have you told Ethan?" She asks.

"I'd rather never tell him, but no I have not yet." Skippsy tries some almost push-ups in her current position. "I'll tell him if it ever seems like we might get serious."

Marissa nods some. "That's smart."

"Smarter than sneaking out at night and doing things in the park where you could be seen by some poor baby critter that y'all'd've scarred for life." She says and gives her a look.

Marissa opens and then closes her beak as she hears the fish hatch open. "...I guess they're done finally."

"Skips probably fell asleep while they were there." Skippsy says as she cartwheels back onto her feet.

"I did not." Skipper snorts as he hops down the ladder. "Kowalski had to recall his brain from Rainbow Pony Land or wherever it was."

"It certainly was not off in a land of ponies, Skipper." Kowalski scoffs as he hops down after Skipper.

Skipper rolls his eyes. "The point is, your noggin wasn't on the mission where it should have been, soldier. Doesn't matter where it was, don't care." He sits the coffee on the counter. "I understand your world is topsy turvy now, Kowalski, but you're going to have to learn to balance it. You have to have your mind always on what your body is doing at that moment." He pounds his clinched flipper into his other. "Otherwise you might not survive a mission to be able to be there for your chick, comprende?"

Kowalski hangs his head a little and nods. "Yes, sir…"

"Good, now go grab what you need and get ready to go with Skippsy." He nods and starts his coffee maker. Skipper then looks at Skippsy. "Remember, I want him back in one piece and of sound mind."

"You know I can't promise that, Skips, but I'll keep it on the backburner." She sticks her tongue out at him.

Skipper shakes his head. "Always one for theatrics." He mutters before glancing over at Marissa. He waddles closer to Skippsy and lowers his voice. "So, uh, what all is she allowed to do?"

"No heavy lifting, nothing on her belly, no caffeine, nothing too labor intensive, but she still needs to do light exercise." Skippsy thinks. "Like she is just not allowed to get out of breath. No strong chemicals."

"Alright." He nods.

"Oh, and she may start cravings, it is best for her to get those because she will probably crave nutrients her body is low in that are necessary for the egg." She says. "Plus, otherwise she will be moody, and she's going to be moody enough as it is. Pregnant women get crazy."

Skipper looks at the scientist. "I'll keep that in mind."

Skippsy nods and looks at her scientist as well. "I'll have my group investigate on the zookeepers' plans."

"Good, do that." He nods again and sits down.

Skippsy nods and then waddles over to the lieutenants. "Alright, Kowalski, wrap it up. We need to be leaving."

Kowalski nods and Marissa hugs him. "Be careful." She says.

"I'll be fine, you be careful." He says seriously.

"I'll be great, I brought my computer and playstation." She smiles and kisses his cheek. "Finally I can catch up on my games."

"Lucky you." He sighs and rubs her back. "I'll be in the dragon's lair, possibly wearing barbecue sauce."

"Skippsy isn't that bad." She shakes her head. "She's just like an overprotective mother to the three of us, and well, I don't think any mother wants to hear their kid got knocked up."

"You're right they don't." Skippsy says and motions for them to hurry up. "I've got a phone call meeting in an hour, we don't have all day."

Marissa nods and kisses Kowalski full on the beak. "Be thinking of some name suggestions." She smiles and then pushes him away. "Now go on, moron, before I keep you all day."

Kowalski sighs. "I'd rather if you kept me all night. I'll see you in a couple weeks." He smiles a tiny bit before he follows Skippsy out.

Kowalski groans as he flops onto the floor. "Has it been two weeks yet?" He moans.

"Tomorrow it will be." Rachel says as she blows a bubble with her gum in the bunk. "Now get back to scrubbing the floor before Skippsy's back in and she makes it worse."

"I don't think she could make it worse." He snorts and starts scrubbing with the small toothbrush again.

Rachel laughs and turns the page of her upside down magazine. "She'll start putting weights on your back or sit on it herself...Or have me sit on your back as you scrub. Think, hombre, think! What would your Skipper do if in her place?"

Kowalski thinks on this for a moment. "He'd probably have me scrubbing with Rico chasing me with a flamethrower..."

"Bueno, you see? Things can always be worse." She turns the page again "Oh, that's pretty...I'll have to have Trixy read that later."

The scientist grumbles as he scrubs on the floor. These two weeks had been nothing but torture for him. Cleaning, posing for Rachel's painting, helping Trixy organize her bows, and training with Skippsy….He shivers before he scrambles to get out of the way of the elevator.

Skippsy steps out and looks around. "The floor's looking good, Kowalski, keep up the good work." She nods before waddling to the table. She pours two cups of coffee and looks at him again. "How do you have your coffee?"

Kowalski blinks and looks at her confused. "Come again?"

"You drink coffee, right?" She looks at him blankly.

"Erm….Yes?"

"Then how do you have it? Cream? Sugar? Milk? Fish?" She stares at him.

Kowalski thinks for a moment. "A little milk."

Skippsy nods and adds it to the cup. "Now come over here, I want a word with you."

"Yes, si—er, ma'am." He nods, dropping the toothbrush on the floor and waddling over to the table. He sits down and gets the cup, feeling his stomach twist anxiously. What had he done now?

The skipper stirs her fish in her cup for what feels like eternity to Kowalski before clearing her throat. "I hope you know that you and Marissa will have to get hitched now, right? I ain't having no soldier of mine have the chick of a deadbeat." She looks at him evenly. "I trust you wouldn't, but it will be easier in the long run for the chick as well since as it is it will be difficult going back and forth between zoos."

Kowalski looks into his cup of coffee at his own reflection. Marriage? Now that was something he had not thought of yet. "Of course…"

"Good. Now, I hope you don't have the feeling that I hate you, Kowalski, because I don't. Really. I am displeased by the actions of the two of you, but I do not hate you. I do think you are a decent match for Marissa and I'm proud."

"Pr-proud, ma'am?" He looks at her in shock.

Skippsy nods and sips her coffee. "Cupid couldn't have arranged a better match for her. She needs someone who can understand her, there aren't many men out there who could do that. I'm sure by now you know of her psych status?"

Kowalski nods slowly.

"Then you understand what I am speaking of." She says and stares into space a little. "She's struggled a few times….One time I nearly lost her to those struggles." She sighs and shakes her head. "She needs someone who will love her and help her overcome her battles in her mind. And I'm proud that she chose an intelligent penguin who will respect her and do such."

Skippsy stands up and clasps his shoulder. "I had to give you a hard time to test you. I had to make sure you were worthy and weren't going to chicken out."

"And I….?"

"You passed, and my treat I'll take you over a day early. Finish your coffee first." Skippsy smiles and then turns her head to murmur to Rachel. "He should be glad he's a male. In his current state, he'd never survive a year with us."

Rachel giggles and turns the page of her magazine.

Kowalski doesn't hear them as he hurriedly chugs his coffee and then scuttles to gather his things. Finally. This tortuous time was finally coming to a close.