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Chapter 9: Hurt and Comfort

Marlene ran into her cave and jumped onto her makeshift bed. She lay there crying into her pillow. (It's cliché. Who cares?) She still couldn't believe it. All this time, she had thought that Skipper thought better of her. But she was wrong. And it broke her heart.

She sat up and wiped her eyes when she heard a knock. "Uh, can you come back later?"

Skipper poked his head into her cave. "Marlene, can we talk?"

Marlene had never heard him speak so gently. She looked him over and saw emotions she didn't think were possible in the leader-penguin: guilt and agony. She was too upset to ask what was wrong.

She stood up, crossed her arms, and blinked rapidly. "What's there to talk about?"

Skipper sighed and waddled up to her. "Listen, Marlene. I didn't mean to hurt-" He stopped. The pain on his face increased. "Were you crying?"

Marlene figured it would be obvious. Her eyes were probably red. "Why would you care?"

He seemed taken aback. "Why wouldn't I care?"

"Don't act like you care!"

"What do you mean?"

Marlene swallowed the lump in her throat. "Connie told me what you really think." Her voice was breaking. "I know you...you think I'm useless, dumb, naïve." She squeezed her eyes shut. "And what you said, back there, just confirmed it."

Skipper put his flipper gently on her shoulder. "Marlene, I never-"

"You never what!?" the otter snapped, jerking Skipper's flipper off. "You never really cared? Never even wanted to see if I was alright!? Did the others make you!?" She felt her tears roll down her cheeks. "Well, it...d-doesn't even matter."

Skipper wiped her cheeks with his flipper. "Please, don't cry, Marlene." He paused, then shook his head. "I don't know why on earth Connie would say that, but it ain't the tiniest bit true."

Marlene wiped her eyes. She had never seen the leader-penguin act so gentle and sweet. He must have been telling the truth.

He took her paws in his flippers, and she gazed into his deep blue eyes as he said, "I know what I said, back there, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

"Then why'd you say it?" Marlene sniffed.

Skipper sighed. "I don't know. I guess I just didn't want to admit it."

"Admit what?"

He looked her in the eye. "I'll admit that you can be naïve, but there's a lot more to you than that. You're beautiful, smart, outgoing. Everything wrapped up in a nice little bow."

Marlene melted. Did that mean...? She wanted to tell him the truth - that she loved him - but the words were stuck in her throat.

"I... I love you, Marlene," Skipper told her. "That's what I didn't want to admit...until I saw tears in your eyes."

Marlene couldn't take it anymore. He loved her, and they were so close... She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Skipper wrapped his flippers around her torso and pulled her closer. When they let go, Marlene was smiling, awestruck. She could tell that Skipper felt the same.


"Not to sound rude," Connie said to Kowalski, "but, uh, whaa am I here?"

She and the penguins - minus Skipper - were in Kowalski's lab. Kowalski was standing in front of the others, holding a perfume bottle with an orange liquid in it.

The scientist sprayed the 'perfume in Connie's face, and she coughed.

"That's why," Kowalski answered.

Connie sniffed the air and grimaced. "Yuck! It smells like outhouses and mayonnaise!"

"Ew!" Rico exclaimed, waving his flipper in front of him.

Private pointed to the bottle and asked, "What is that stuff?"


Cliffhanger! XD