"Yesterday was so surreal." Private rubbed at his eyes. "I thought Fuchsia was just a normal penguin mother, not... a lab escapee or anything." He shook his head. "Did that really happen?"

"Yes it did." Skipper grumbled. He was most unhappy with Fuchsia, even more so because he'd stayed up all night just to make sure the extra security measures were working. He glared at the back of Fuchsia's head. Kowalski smiled, head bowed. Skipper didn't notice. Fuchsia was sitting with Petey, who was trying to continue sleeping no matter what his mother did or said. "Oy." Skipper called. Fuchsia ignored him. The commanding officer cleared his throat. Still, she didn't reply.

"Um, may I suggest calling her by name, Skipper?" Private asked quietly.

"No, you may not."

"For what it's worth, Private, I think that's a very considerate suggestion, thank you." Fuchsia smiled at the Private and stuck her tongue out at Skipper. Rico hopped down from his bunk, his doll under his flipper. "Morning, Rico." He babbled at Fuchsia, plopping into his seat next to Kowalski, peering curiously at his invention of the day. "Petey, come on. Wakey wakey." Petey rolled onto his front. "No, this isn't going to work." Fuchsia scanned the lair thoughfully, her gaze lingering on Skipper. She smiled lopsidedly. "Petey, Dada wants you."

"Dada?" Petey queried, raising his head interestedly. He squirmed until he could smile at his adopted father. "Dada!" Skipper groaned and smacked his head down on the table. Petey hopped to his feet and skidaddled over. Private shifted over and helped Petey up onto one of the bricks they used for seats. "Dada! Hello!" Skipper sighed.

"Hello, fluff ball." He muttered. Fuchsia lay back down on her pile of bedding.

"I'm on strike today."

"I don't think so!" Skipper sat upright, temper reigniting. "Unfortunately for us, you're part of this habitat now and I'm in charge here!"

"You're in charge of your penguin commando unit or whatever it's called, not me or Petey. So, if I go on strike, so does Petey, which means he's free to spend his day with whichever one of you he pleases." Petey beamed at Skipper. "Apparently, that's you. Good day." Fuchsia turned her back on them. Private looked excitedly to Petey. Skipper nodded at him, putting him on the first shift of baby duty.

"Want to get some popcorn, Petey?"

"Pop, pop, pop!" Petey agreed.


Fuchsia had gone to Marlene's after her lie-in, winding Alice up by skipping back and forth between the two habitats. Private had spent the morning with Petey until Skipper ordered Kowalski to look after the tot. "Tone down the explosions, Kowalski." Skipper insisted. "I'm not dealing with any tantrums. Rico is to take over after lunch."

"Skipper?"

"What?"

"It was not Fuchsia's fault, everything that happened. Don't be angry at her that misfortune laid itself heavily upon her shoulders."

"Kowalski, you know I don't care much for sob stories." Skipper marched out.

"Well then, Petey, looks like it's me and you. Um... let's, uh... play chess, I'll teach you to play chess. That'll work." It didn't work. Petey nearly choked on a bishop, complaining when Kowalski took it away. Instead, they played catch and hide and seek and any other childish game Kowalski could think of. He was very surprised to find the pasttimes rather enjoyable. "Nine, ten! Ready or not, here I come!"

"Ah, wazzat?" Rico was in the doorway.

"Hide and seek. Care to join us?" Petey popped up from under the desk and smiled. Rico nodded, extending the game to the rest of the lair. Kowalski helped Rico on his shift as well, something Skipper wasn't happy with. "Skipper, you'll be surprised how much fun you for can have playing games with a child."

"You'll be surprised how far I can kick you if you don't get your feathery backside topside for training."

"Ay, Skipper."

"Rico, where do you think you're going?" Kowalski and Rico shared looks and then vanished, leaving Skipper with Petey. "Get back here! That's an order! Insubordination!"

"Nation!" Petey repeated cheerily. "Dada! Dada, play!"

"No. No play." Skipper started to walk off. Petey toddled after him. "No."

"Dada! Play! Pwease!"

"No, Petey, no play." Petey scrunched his little face up. "PRIVATE! FALL IN!" However, Private didn't appear. "What is this?" Skipper clambered up the rungs and peeked out. He couldn't see any of his men.

"Dada! Wazzat?" Petey called. Skipper dropped back down, expecting Petey to be pointing up at the hatch, but he wasn't. He was pointing at the TV screen. "Big fishy!" He wailed, stomping his feet and flapping his flippers.

"I'm a mammal!"

"Blowhole!"

"Greetings, Skipper! I have your pen-gu-in friends here! Say hello!" The dolphin villain moved to one side, a steel box wrapped in chains. There were tiny holes in the top for air, but that was it.

"What do you want now, Blowhole?"

"Revenge!"

"Aside from that?"

"You think you're so clever, don't you, Skipper?"

"I don't think. I know. I'm coming for you, Blowhole." The dolphin cackled and squeaked with laughter.

"And how are you going to do that? You're all alone! And your son is with you!"

"Petey!" The box rocked back and forth. "OK, I take the sarcastic remark back; you're not a cyborg dolphin or a hologram, but if you do anything to hurt Petey, I will harpoon you into a volcano!" The box shook again.

"Mama!" Petey cried. "Dada, Mama! Help Mama!"

"And you can't leave little Petey on his own now, can you, Skipper?" Blowhole smirked victoriously.

"You sent Janna."

"Yes, of course I did. She had the skills and I had the smarts."

"Don't kid yourself, you jumped-up sardine!" Fuchsia yelled.

"Someone shut her up! I will see you soon, Skipper. I can't wait to meet your son!"

"He's not-" Skipper started, but Blowhole shut down the connection. Petey looked to Skipper pleadingly, sniffling. "Oh great. Typical penguin luck running true to form. Kid, I don't know how much you can understand of what I'm saying." Petey stared at him blankly. Skipper growled, annoyed. "If Dada," he forced himself to say, "says no, that means no. Do you understand?" Petey blinked.

"No mean no." He repeated carefully. "Dada say no. No mean no."

"So, you've got to do exactly what I say, yes?"

"Yes mean no?"

"No. No means no. Yes means yes." Petey frowned.

"Mama?"

"We'll get your mama, fluff ball, but I need to know you can be good."

"Dada?" Petey paused. "Go... wi' Dada?"

"Uh... yeah."

"Dada... help Mama?"

"Yeah."

"Me help Dada help Mama?"

"Yeah..." Petey squealed excitedly, jumping and clapping. He threw himself at Skipper, knocking him flat in a hug.

"Dada!" Skipper patted Petey on the back. "Yay, Dada! Ta!"

"It's alright, Petey." Skipper found himself saying. "Dada's got this."


Hahaha, ACCEPTANCE! Happy New Year!