Two days later, the superblimp arrived over Monterey, California. Marlene was elated.

"I think I see the aquarium!" she said with joy as she pointed toward the complex she had spotted off in the distance. "It is the aquarium. I've never seen it from the sky before, but I'd know that place anywhere. I can't wait to see it again!"

"Well, you'll have to wait just a little longer, I'm afraid," Kowalski said. "With all the humans around, I just can't land the superblimp in the middle of a tourist attraction. We'll have to wait until nightfall to land when the aquarium is closed."

"It will only be a few more hours, Marlene, so don't be too disappointed," Skipper said. "Besides, we'll be here for two weeks, so that means you'll be able to celebrate your birthday with your parents."

"And with you," Marlene added.

"Yes, and with me," Skipper smiled.

The group then spent the next several hours sightseeing up and down the coastline, as well as doing a little fishing in the bay. The five were truly enjoying themselves as the hours passed and the sunlight waned.

At around 9 p.m., commotion was heard outside of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's otter habitat. There were thumps, bumps, and several unfamiliar male voices.

"Ray, what's going on out there?" Lynne turned to her husband and asked.

"I'll check it out," Ray said as he began to walk out of the habitat. "If I don't make it back, wait a few months before you remarry, OK?"

"Ray!" Lynne exclaimed as she chased after him. "I'm coming, too."

When the otter couple made it outside, they were shocked at what was before them.

"My word, it appears to be some sort of alien craft," Ray stated. "I don't believe my eyes."

Suddenly, climbing out from the strange-looking contraption, Marlene appeared.

"And I don't believe mine either," Lynne said with a smile. "Marlene! Marlene!"

"Mom!" Marlene exclaimed, seeing her mother running toward her, as she herself began running over.

They soon met in the middle.

"Oh, Marlene, I have missed you so much," Lynne said, crying, as she embraced her daughter for the first time in more than a decade. "I love you, Marlene."

"I love you, too, Mom," Marlene said as she held onto her mother. "I love you, too."

From behind, Marlene felt another pair of paws wrap around her.

"How's my favorite daughter doing?" Ray said as he gave Marlene a squeeze.

"I'm your only daughter, Daddy," Marlene replied with a smile as she wrapped one of her paws around him. "At least I think I still am."

Ray nodded.

"You remember how I used to tell you that as a kid?" he asked.

"You used to say it all the time," Marlene replied. "It's a memory that I've kept close to my heart – how could I forget?"

"You've grown a little," Lynne then commented. "But I could still pick you out of a lineup of 1,000 otters."

"Really?" Marlene asked.

"A mother will always know her own daughter," Lynne replied. "Besides, how many other otters have a lucky white foot?"

"Come on inside, sweetie," Ray said as he dried his eyes with a paw. "We've got so much to talk about."

"You've got to meet my friends first," Marlene said as she gestured to the nearby group of penguins, who had stood aside to give her and her family a moment to reunite together. "Come on over, guys."

The four then came waddling over and stood in a line next to Marlene.

"Mom, Dad, meet Kowalski," she said as she introduced the team's options man to her parents.

"Ah, the one behind the aircraft that nearly gave me a heart attack," Ray said as he stuck out his paw for Kowalski to shake. "And the one whose gut told me that my daughter was still alive. It's a pleasure to finally meet you in the flesh – er, feathers."

"Likewise, sir, less the part about the feathers," Kowalski replied. "And sorry about not letting you know that we were coming – the decision to not go back to New York was kind of a spur-of-the-moment change."

"No worries," Ray replied.

"I knew you sounded tall over the telephone," Lynne said as she approached Kowalski.

"So I've been told," Kowalski replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you, too."

"And this is Rico," Marlene said as she introduced the next penguin. "He doesn't talk much, though."

"Hi," Rico greeted as he waved a flipper and strolled over.

"Next, this is Private," Marlene continued. "He was the perennial cover animal of the Central Park Zoo brochure before he was beaten by a little mouse lemur last year."

"It's good to meet you," Private said as he waddled over to Ray and Lynne. "Hey, I'm kind of embarrassed to ask this, but we've had a rather long flight and I kind of need to–"

"Down the hall and to the left," Lynne answered.

"Thanks," Private replied, blushing, as he waddled quickly into the otter habitat.

And then there was just one penguin left to introduce. A tear came to Marlene's eye as she looked over at him.

"And this is Skipper," she said. "He believes in some far-out conspiracies and loves to barge into my habitat unannounced, but he is the most honorable and most dedicated penguin that you could ever know. He's afraid of getting shots from the zoo veterinarian, but would gladly take a bullet for those he loves. He beats me at chess all the time, but would never harm a hair on my head. He's stubborn and he's loyal. He's driven me crazy and he's saved my life. He's more than you could ever ask for."

Marlene then placed a paw behind Skipper's back and led him forward.

"Mom, Dad, this is Skipper," she said. "And he's my best friend."

And so ends the longest full-length fanfic I have written thus far. I hope you enjoyed it – it sure was a lot of fun to write. Truly Skipper and Marlene can get through anything if they rely on the bond they have between them.

Two fun facts: First, briefly mentioned by Skipper in the second chapter (and referred to again by Marlene in the third), the story of US Airways Flight 1549 is true. On January 15, 2009, pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger successfully landed an Airbus A320 in the Hudson River following engine-killing bird strikes. Second, it should be noted that the triangle formula stated by Skipper in the ninth chapter, which was also stated by Private in the "Paternal Egg-Stinct" episode and by the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz, is not actually mathematically correct.

Lastly, I would like to take a moment to thank my reviewers. Previously, this had only been a tradition on my long-term writing "projects," but I've now decided to extend doing this for any story I write that has chapters or segments published on more than one day. While I value all of my readers, I especially value those who take the time to comment on my work. As this relates to East of Nowhere, 15 individuals have so far submitted a total of 53 reviews through the ninth chapter. Listed by order of their first review, I thank the following: Dark Fox's Shadow, EppopinkfangirlXDXDXD, AnnaConda1209, SkullDestroyer, Emperor King93, xDark-Winged-Angelx, Beastial Moon, jackandjill2, Toon92, Historian1912, ABSOLute Chimera, Kristen, lovingSkipper, Skilenefan3oh3, and POMfan44.

-GrandOldPenguin
Saturday, March 19, 2011
6:31 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time