Hearty replies to the people:

Inugomegirl: It was more that she wasn't sure HOW to tell him than she didn't want to.
Gewlicious: "His Marlene" would have told him. You think you know a person. Er... otter. Whatever. And I know the line is cliche'd, but it's one of the few cliche's I like. As for Skipper confessing... Well, you will see, won't you?
dragongirlj: Then the supplimentary chapter I'm posting right after this is dedicated to you! Hooray! As for Xiao Ren... I keep thinking her story over. I even drew her as a human. And now I think I might just have her story come to pass. -_- Which I'm slightly dreading, because... well, she's so annoying! Even more than Mort. And I figured I might as well guess between Theory and Therum, since I... completely spaced it. Spacey me! ^o^

A/N: I seem to have father issues... In my stories... huh. Well, whatever. That one was kinda long, but it's almost over, I think only one more chapter to go after this one. Plus a bonus supplementary story that'll be posted sometime after this one about how Marlene and her... spouse... partner... guy met. He'll have a name in this chapter, I swear. I had to go back and edit this one, because I realized I didn't wrap things up between Skipper and Cube, and they need closure too. I am THINKING about putting up a picture with Marlene, Roz and Cube, human, but it would be on DA... I dunno, I might. ALSO, I had to edit this one again, because there wasn't any interaction between Marlene, Cube, and Roz this whole time, and no one told me! Which sucks, and is annoying. The interaction part. Not you guys. I love you guys.

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Chapter Seven: Coming To Terms

"Are you okay?" She asked after a little while. They still hadn't made it back to her room, since they were walking slowly and taking their time.

It took a while before anything was said. "Better." He thought about this for a second. "Ish." Roz could understand that.

"Frustrated?"

He didn't answer. Only because he knew he was. Well, he was a little. "How could she not tell us about you?" He looked down at her. She raised her eyes at him so she could see him clearer.

"She didn't tell us about you." Skipper stopped and looked at her, watching as she walked a little ways without him. "She would send us letters, with little pictures to tell us how she was doing. She mentioned some furry nuisances, and a really big alligator once... but not you guys. And you're like her other family now." Skipper supposed this was true, and rushed to catch up with her. "Keeping us separate I guess was her way of dealing with things." She smiled back at him shortly before skipping into the darkness, and as he got closer he saw she was in a deep embrace with her mother. This time, however, he saw the scene for what it was. A mother, who hadn't seen her children in who knows how long, reunited with them. And Roz, happy. Rozalin was happy. He stepped close enough to hear her talking to Marlene. "...best birthday ever, truly. But do you have to leave so early in the morning?" Her childish inquisitiveness got the better of her, and she found herself both sad and happy at the same time. On the one hand, she got to see her mom on her birthday. On the other, her mom had to leave her very soon.

The older otter looked down and sighed. "Well, I suppose I could stay here... But then what would New York do without me? I am, after all, the best show they've got." Marlene teased. Her daughter laughed, thinking of what the big city would do without their star otter.

"They'd get over it." She answered smartly. That made Skipper chuckle, and both girls turned to look at him. He waved, but still hung back, not wanting to really interfere with their mother daughter bonding moment. Marlene bent down and whispered something to Roz, who looked a little put out and angry, but accepted what was said. "Alright. You'll come to say goodnight, right?" This time, she was addressing Skipper, who looked to Marlene for permission. She did something between a shrug and a nod, and he agreed to see the girl later. "Good. You too, Mom." After another quick hug, the young otter left, leaving just Marlene and Skipper alone.

It was a little chilly outside, and the moon's reflection shimmered and shined on the surface of the pond. A strange chill rose up Marlene's back as she remembered the last time she stared at the full moon. "Roz said you reminded her of her father." She said, after a long time. Skipper didn't know what to say, so he just nodded. "This is where we met, actually." A soft chuckle left her lips. "And... the moon was full. Azai told me to dance. And I did."

That just seemed strange to Skipper. What if he was some sort of weirdo, or needed her to be distracted so that he could rob her or something? He brought this up to Marlene, and she just laughed. "That's what I said. And then, he asked me the same question. So we both didn't trust each other equally." She looked back out at the moon. "And then... we did." She could tell the penguin didn't believe her, so she just rubbed her head. "It's hard to explain, Skipper." She didn't. And Skipper was perfectly alright not knowing. "When Azai Zho died... it was like everything started to fall apart. Family members had to be sent to other zoos. I had to be sent away." She sighed, not sure where she was going with that. "I am sorry, though." Marlene bowed her head. "About not telling you about them. About all of this. It wasn't fair to--"

"Forget it." Skipper said suddenly, making her jump and stare at him. "It's alright, Marlene. What's past is past. Besides." He looked toward the cave Roz had just disappeared into. "We have an appointment to keep." There was something in his stare. The way he looked just then... some sort of sense of deep dedication, Marlene thought. But she pushed it back before hugging Skipper tightly.

"And also... thank you." Skipper stood in shock, hands still at his sides, just listening to her voice. "Because of you guys... Well, you made it a pretty special day for everyone. Including Roz. Who, unless I am VERY much mistaken has taken something of a liking to you." She said, letting him go to look at his face. Skipper smiled at her bashfully and she stepped away. "Either way, I'm glad you guys stowed away with me." The two were about to head inside when two little furballs bounded out at them. Roz and Cube each grabbed one of their mother's hands and lead her away from Skipper, claiming something about a pre-bedtime walk. Marlene smiled and jerked her head, telling Skipper to go on without her. But he was the one to give orders, not take them, and followed stealthily behind.

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Marlene laughed. It had been too long since she had seen or heard her children, and she forgot how much she missed it. It was almost like watching a comedy or a play, too good to be true. Currently, they had asked her about her ideal birthday party. "...And clams... and candy!" She said, licking her lips at the thought of the sweet treat. "And it would have to be at night time, under a full moon, with lots of music playing." Roz looked confused, and asked her why. Her mother gave her a simple, kind smile, and held her closer. "Because... I want your father to be there. And I feel like he's with me more at the full moon." Skipper's heart skipped a painful beat, and he nearly stopped.

The youngest otter smiled a little bit. "You still miss dad?"

At this, Marlene had to laugh. "Only every day, Rozy. I look at you guys, and I see SO much of him in you... especially YOU, mister." She nuzzled Cube, who laughed. "And I expect him to be right next to me, all the time..." She paused a little, and her children scooted in closer to her. "I love him. More than anything, anywhere." She said, looking up into the sky.

Cube found this hard to believe, and asked her if she meant it. "Well..." She said, thinking. "I can think of two VERY BIG exceptions. But I can't remember who they are right now..." She almost fell again when the two pups started jostling her a very good deal. "Okay, okay, their names are... Booger," Cube smiled when she pushed him away, "And Snot." Roz laughed loudly when her mother picked her up and held her close. Cube grabbed her hand again, and they continued on. "And even if this imaginary celebration was in New York, I'd want all of my children there, and all of my family, and all of my zoo friends."

"And Skipper." When he heard his name, the penguin leaned in a little closer, making sure he was still in the shadows. Roz looked up at her mother, who was shooting her a questioning glance. Cube, however, was snickering and agreeing with his baby sister.

She only understood when Cube spoke up. "You know, since you love him and all." It was too dark to make out Marlene's expression from his hiding place, so Skipper couldn't be sure what Marlene was thinking. "Just admit it, mom. You're in love with Skipper now." He said, making kissing noises to his sister, who was having the biggest giggle fit.

"Cubert." Cube now knew he was in... at least a little bit of trouble. "Did I ever tell you about the time I fought a HUUUGE alligator in the mean sewers of New York?" He frowned and argued pointedly that there was no WAY she could fight an alligator in the sewers. That'd be scientifically impossible. The moon lit up Marlene's face just right, and Skipper could finally see it, perfectly set in a glare. That wasn't exactly what he was looking for. "Would you like to TEST that scientific impossibility?" She asked, the glare looking more dangerous as she smiled. The boy otter only shook his head, frightened of course, and his sister laughed hysterically. Cube just blushed and looked down to hide it, staying behind for a second to mutter about how true it was. Skipper watched the boy in quiet amusement. They were really something. Cube didn't have time to sulk about it, though, being scooped up and pounced upon by his mother and sister.

Marlene finally called it quits, and told them it was time to go to bed. Skipper raced ahead, sliding as fast as he could before Roz and Cube could get there. Unfortunately, he misjudged the range of his target and slammed his head into the wall of the entrance, thereby getting caught by the two pups. He did his best to hide his pain, which seemed to fool Roz and Cube into thinking he was just waiting out there for them. Skipper knew their mother, however, was a bit more shrewd. Luckily for him, she didn't say anything about it. Just offered him a helping hand up, and lead the way inside.

Roz and Cube were sitting up, talking and laughing with Private, Rico and Kowalski. As soon as they all saw Skipper and Marlene, they smiled and clambered to a respective corner, ready for bed. Skipper went to inform his men about the next day, and Marlene said good night to her two youngest children. "And I'll still send you letters as much as I can. Not every day, but enough. And..." She sighed, trying her hardest to hold back tears. "And I'll wake you up before I leave. I promise." Cubert wrapped his arms around his mother, holding her tight.

It was surprising how much he had actually missed her, how much he would miss her when she left. He had been strong this whole time, but he was still a child inside. "Will you come back again?" Marlene looked at him carefully, before he stuttered out, "I-I mean... you know.... l-later? I-If you can." His mother smiled and nodded, telling him she would try to come back if she could, but she couldn't guarantee that. He seemed to accept this and went to go say goodnight to the penguins, just as Roz cuddled up to her mom.

Cube sidled next to Skipper last, after saying goodnight and goodbye to everyone else. He told Kowalski that he'd keep working on the invisibility serum, but he couldn't promise anything, since it was all experimental. He would definitely keep him posted, though. Out of all of them, Cube felt as though he was going to miss Kowalski the most. He was the closest thing he'd ever really had to a friend. No one (save Roz) was as smart as he was, or understood him. All in all, he was glad to meet and befriend all of them, but conversations would be one sided without the taller penguin. The boy waited until Skipper unglued his eyes from Marlene to try and talk to him. It was sort of funny, knowing how Skipper felt about his mom. He was pretty positive that nothing was going to happen between them, though. Unless Skipper went crazy and did something hugely romantic for her. So, like he thought, nothing was going to happen. At least, nothing soon. "Hey, Skipper." He whispered when the penguin finally realized he was there. "I'm..." He struggled to get the words out. Finding them was never a problem, just... vocalizing them was. "I'm really glad you guys came. So, I guess... thanks." Skipper smiled at the boy and swept his flipper through his hair. He was a good kid. Smart as a whip, and extremely loving to his mother and sister. He looked back over to them, smiling a little as Rozalin and Marlene grinned back at him, then looked back at Cube, who appeared to be analyzing him. "You like mom a lot, huh?" He noticed. Skipper wasn't sure what to say or do, but he was pretty positive his face said enough. "It's fine if you do, Skip. I mean, you know her very well, so I know you won't hurt her. Actually, you'll probably still be friends with her for a while."

Wait... friends? For a while? Cube explained that unless Skipper did something really romantic, they were just going to stay friends. Of course, that's what he wanted... Or... maybe... He looked over to the girls again. Both were huddled against the wall, looking fairly content.

Nothing needed to be said between the two. Goodbye's were sad, and they talked a lot at the party. So it wasn't unusual that before long, Marlene fell asleep, leaning on the wall. Roz sneaked over to the penguins and Cube, who were all laying down on one side of the room now. They were mostly all asleep. All except for Skipper, who was laying awake, waiting for her.

"You're leaving tomorrow? With mom?" He nodded, not wanting to say anything in case he made the girl cry. Because... you know, she would... could start crying any minute. ('Monster trucks...' he thought to himself.) "Skipper? You'll take care of her, right?" The request seemed strange coming out of someone else's mouth. He took care of the whole zoo, Marlene was included in that. "Because sometimes she forgets to think, and sometimes she doesn't remember to take care of herself, 'cuz she likes to look after everyone else." Yeah, that definitely sounded like his Marlene. Good old dependable, caring, sweet Marlene. The one he always knew. The one who hadn't really changed to him. Not really.

Skipper sat up, and hugged the otter, receiving a great big hug (And a little sniffle) in return. "Don't you worry, Cadet. I will." They stayed like that for a while, being watched, unbeknownst to either of them, by Marlene, until Roz was just awake enough to curl up not to far away from Skipper and Marlene, and fall asleep.

And Skipper never did forget what he said. Not when they woke up early in the morning to get into the crate. Not while they watched Marlene saying goodbye to her family. And not through the entire trip home, when everyone stayed quiet until they got back to their respective habitats.

A/N 2: Will be going down to visit the 'rents this weekend, so I'm double updating, this chapter and the bonus story. I'll see you all on Monday or Tuesday!