A/N: Okay, THIS is the last chapter, I swear. Because... I didn't mean to actually pick up another—just read the stinkin' chapter. Thanks, by the way, to all of you who reviewed, and to those who said I should write another chapter... THIS IS YOUR FAULT!
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Promise?
Marlene laughed as Roz and Cube told her another story from their travels cross country. It had been a long month, but the pair had finally made it to New York. And even after their grand adventure, which is a story for another time, they were hardly tired.
"...But then we got here, and it was okay. I told you, mom, we can take care of ourselves." Cube, the oldest of the two, had tried to convince his mother that they were old enough to be on their own before, and with a slew of new otters, mostly very young, the old aquarium in California felt very crowded. What better place to go than to be with their mother and friends! Speaking of which... "So... where are the penguins, anyways?" The male asked, edgy curiosity in his voice.
Of course, the highlight of their visit. She didn't expect any different. Telling them to stay there, she went in search of her friends, who went with her to California once, and got a very big surprise when they discovered she had kids. Throughout all of that, it was obvious they all got along really well, especially Kowalski and Cube... and Roz and Skipper. When her brother was certain Marlene had gone, he and Roz got to talking, and eventually the pair hit a sore spot on their trip.
On the way to New York, when they were somewhere in Ohio, they were ridding in the back of some guy's pick up truck. He was there, with his daughter, and they seemed to be having a great time. Unfortunately, it reminded Roz of her own father... And when she brought this up with Cube, he only laughed. "Sorry, Roz," He said, patting her on the back while she looked very offended. "But you and dad never had a strained relationship like those humans. You were closer than that. Heck, even he and Renni were closer than that."
That set her off. She had only meant that they spent a lot of time together, it didn't matter how close they were relationship wise, or how strained things were between them. The pair kept arguing from then until they entered New York... and the ride to New York City wasn't really any different. Except for the fact that she started ignoring him unless it was important. "It's not like every time I say something I think about it, Roz. I mean, really, every... time..."
That's when his voice started to fade out. But she wasn't really worried or scared. This always happened when she thought about her father.
He looked down at her, that amazing pride sparkling in his eyes. "Excellent, Roz! Now, try to defend this!" She smiled and got into a defense stance, before he rushed at her. The move looked complex, but all of her training was paying off, and she evaded it easily... with a simple pirouette. The move was enough to dodge him, but he still spun back around to try and attack her again. Her eyes lit up as she leaped over him like she was playing a game of leap frog. Zee bit the ground a little harder than he would have liked, but a smile was still pasted on his face. "You still want to be a dancer, huh?"
Roz twiddled her thumbs in a shy manner. "Is... that okay, daddy?" He laughed loudly and stood up, then in the same movement he scooped her up in his arms.
"Of course it is! I love you, Rozzy, no matter WHAT you do." She positively beamed at him, giggling and wrapping her arms around him. "Unless you want to be a lawyer. We'd have to talk about that first. And you don't want to be a dentist... too much biting. Oh, and if you ever even think about being a politician, we're disowning you from the family." He said, throwing in a cheerful wink.
She knew that no matter what, her father would always love her, but it was nice to have his approval anyway. "I love you too, daddy."
Roz shook her head and cleared the thoughts from her mind. It didn't matter though. She could still hear his voice, all the sweet words he'd told her that day, and any day, echoing in her head. Why couldn't she just forget? Cube stared at his sister. This had happened a few times before on the trip to the zoo, and loads when they were in California... especially after their dad died. He reached out to touch her, but she just sat still... emotionless and unmoving.
"'Kay guys, check it out! They just showed up!" Marlene strolled right inside of the cave, leading the way for the four penguins, who looked really excited to see the pups. Kowalski rushed up to Cube, who jumped from Roz's side to greet him. Skipper was expecting a hug around the middle from the youngest one... but for some reason, it didn't come. "Roz? Rozzy?" The young otter didn't say anything, and Skipper was starting to get concerned.
He was happy to see her, but seeing her like this... she was the one to have a smile and cheerful words. This was just depressing."Come on, Cadet. You didn't come all this way to just sit around, did you?" Her eyes, so much like her mothers, blinked up at him, some tears falling from them. She heard him... though not at first. At first, she heard her father... Saying nothing, she pushed her way out of the cave, and rushed out of the habitat. Skipper and Private only watched in shock. What was wrong with that girl? Marlene shrugged, saying that she seemed fine when she left.
Cube rubbed his head and stepped forward. "Mom... When you left... see, we got to talking, and..." Marlene scowled at her only son, and stepped up to him, asking him what he did to the girl. "I didn't do anything! Why is it that... uh..." He stopped short at the dirty look his mom gave him. "I mean... We were just talking, and I kinda... mentioned dad." Marlene's expression left her face... all expression left her face. She looked like Roz, it was kinda creepy. "She got this weird look on her face, like the one you have now, and then you guys came in." His mom looked away, and she thought about the situation. Roz was very sensitive about her father, she knew that, even though he died such a long time ago.
But Marlene understood the hurt. She pushed Skipper forward. "I think... you should go talk to her." He wasn't so sure about that, however. If she ran away from him, wouldn't he be the last person Roz wanted to see? At all? The otter just pushed him again, telling him to go before she got lost or into trouble. She knew what she was doing. Roz needed him now, more than she could even imagine.
Every morning
Every night
You watch over me
Like the sun in the sky
Every morning
And every night
Will you promise me you'll be my guardian light?
The penguin left, not sure what he was supposed to do. If the girl didn't want to talk to him, who was he to make her? He looked around and finally spotted her, leaning against the zoo clock. How she got up there so quickly was a mystery to him... then again, most things about the girl were.
Promise that we'll stay for the sunset
And when the moon shines through the darkness
We can find the path that leads us home
And on the way you'll
Maybe
Sing me a song
Promise that you always will be there
Hold my hand if ever I'm real scared
Help me stand up tall if I fall down
Make me laugh away all my bluest days...
Roz looked away from the sky. Even though they were in New York, city of lights (and noises), she could see the moon, and even a few stars, very clearly. The sight was nice, but it made her miss him more. She wiped her eyes as she heard the sliding and tapping of penguin feet.
"Roz?" The girl looked back at him, and smiled. How much had he heard, she wondered, but didn't say anything out loud. "I know you're upset... I just want you to know... I'm here, if... you want to talk." It sounded really lame, he knew it, but it was all he had thought of between the otter habitat and her. "I mean, I don't know what you're going through, but--" She fully turned around now, staring, brown eyes piercing.
Neither made a movement while she considered the penguin, but that was okay. It wasn't awkward. "Don't..." She stopped, and he took a step closer to her, watching as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Don't make any promises... you can't keep." Was all that she said. Skipper took a few slow steps toward her, and patted her on the head. It was an odd thing to say, really, and he didn't understand it. But he assured himself that he would never do that to her. Not if he could help it.
A sudden pounce on his middle told him the girl was feeling a little bit better. She held him tight, and he squeezed back, assuring her that he would be there for a while. It definitely made her feel better, to know that he wasn't going anywhere. And maybe he'd be there for a while. Roz smiled and closed her eyes. Her father was gone, true, but... She opened her mouth, and, to Skipper's surprise, began singing again.
How could you promise you always would be there?
Why'd you have to go away somewhere?
Every morning into every night
Do you watch over me like the sun in the sky?
Am I all alone or standing in your light?
I wish that I could
Maybe
Sing you a song... tonight
The penguin looked down at her, understanding a little bit more, and was about to say something he figured was comforting. He never got a chance to, though. Roz spoke up first. "Skipper... Would you mind if I stayed with you tonight?" Skipper grinned down at her and nodded, glad to be there for her whenever she needed him. The pair descended from the clock tower, and Skipper couldn't help but feel that Marlene was completely right. Even though he'd never tell her that.
You promised me we'd stay for the sunset...
End!
A/N: The song is "Promise Me (Rika's Song)". Look it up on YouTube, it's from the old Digimon series. Not the new ones, 'cuz I stopped watching this show when I turned... fourteen. This is the only cartoon I've actually STOPPED watching. I just like this song, and that's all. Anyways... Roz is having some father issues, and Skipper helps out. I want to do a different type of fanfic, but I'm really apprehensive about it. Feedback, REVIEW, please! After this, NO MORE! I'm SUPER DOOPER SERIOUSLY! (…ugh, i'm so not serious.)