A.N.-So, everyone, here is the final chapter of The Mammalian Reptilian Revenge! I plan to start the side book of this and Stranded about Skippsy's time in Canada ASAP :D I hope you all enjoyed this one though ^_^

Chapter 21: Skippsy's Return

A little later the door slams. "Where the flipping kipper is everyone for Owyhee Dam!?"

Skipper sighs and looks that way. "In here." He calls and looks at Trixy. "Hope you're packed up."

Trixy nods some and gets her back pack. "Of course."

Skippsy waddles in, frowning. "I can't believe it! I got home and there were meerkats in the HQ! In my HQ!" She grumbles. "Rachel ought to know better...And where the kipper was Marissa?! No there!"

Trixy slides over to her and hugs her. "You're home!"

Skippsy sighs some and pats her on the head. "Yes, yes, I'm home...Finally."

"Please don't skin Skipper alive!" She continues.

"Why would I-What did you do?" She looks at him, glaringly.

Skipper clears his throat and drinks his coffee. "Went fishing. Nothing big." He shrugs.

"Well...I don't see what's so bad about that, Trixy." She says, calming down.

Trixy looks at Skipper and crosses her flippers. Skipper watches them and looks at Kowalski, who in turn just shakes his head. "I need to...Er...Check on something in the lab…" He quietly sneaks away.

"Eh, 'eah, me 'oo." Rico nods and slides after him.

Skipper watches them go with a long look before looking at Skippsy. "Alright, we lost the privates overboard for a little while, but obviously we found them and it all turn out shipshape." He says and sips his coffee.

"You LOST my private!?" Skippsy gasps. "Skipper!"

"Well, it's not like I made the storm come blow the off the ship." He gives her a look. "Not even Kowalski's weather doohickey was involved. Just good ol' mother nature taking us for a joy ride."

Skipper growls internally and clenches her flippers by her sides. "Anything else you'd like to tell me?"

"Marissa almost died today, but Kowalski is making her all better." Trixy nods.

Skippsy gasps. "Is that-Is that where your lieutenant went?!"

"Yeah." He sips his coffee. "Want some joe too? I have some of those little fishes that makes it, you know, twenty times better."

"Seriously?! I've just been told I nearly lost both my private and my lieutenant while I was gone and you're just going to offer me coffee?" She growls.

"Yeah...I mean, look, Skippsy, this is military. Things happen." He twirls the cup.

Skippsy takes a deep breath. "Give me the flipping coffee." She grumbles.

"That's my sister." He smirks and pours her a cup. "Just calm yourself. Marissa will be fine, and Trixy obviously is gleaming with health. No need to ruffle your feathers." He plops a fish head first into the cup and hands it to her.

Skippsy takes a long sip. "You're right."

"You bet your aces, I'm right." He nods.

"Now care to explain how the Owyhee Dam Marissa almost died." She sighs.

Skipper nods. "My lieutenant got kidnapped. Trixy volunteered her to assist in his rescue. We all were poisoned but were able to find enough antidotes for all of us except her...She chose to go antidote-less and made Kowalski take the last one." He sips his coffee. "Private's sister and Kowalski worked on an antidote and got one ready just barely in time so now she is here recovering."

Skippsy considers this and quietly drinks her coffee. "I suppose she has a reasonable alibi for why she was not at the HQ…."

"Probably it is." He nods in agreement. "I'll vouch for it to be considered one."

"Oh, zip it, don't think I've forgiven you for losing my private! She's not yours to lose! I'm the one who can lose her if she's to get lost!" She growls.

Trixy looks at Private and mouths, mocking Skippsy. Private holds his beak closed to try not to laugh.

"Well, you need to take that up with Mama Nature, Skippsy." He sips his coffee. "You must have displeased those 'sky spirits' Ringtail goes on and on about."

Skippsy groans. "Don't get me started on those sky spirits, Skips." She looks at him. "You don't have to hear about the nymphs we've ticked off from blowing up stuff from Mimi."

"Mimi being…?" He looks at her.

"Annoying vermin meerkat queen thing." She shrugs.

Skipper nods some and sips his coffee. "KOWALSKI!" He then shouts.

Kowalski pokes his head out from the lab. "Yes, sir?"

"Is Marissa in some sort of state Skippsy can see her?" He asks.

Before he can answer, Skippsy hops up. "I'm seeing her even if she's not in some state." She slides into the lab.

Marissa lays on the examination table, hooked up to a few different IVs and monitors, snoozing away. Skippsy waddles over and gives her a look over and sighs. "You did a good thing, Marissa." She says and strokes her head a little. "I'm proud of you, finally stepping up to the plate for your fellow penguin. Too bad I wasn't there to witness it." She sighs. "Get better soon. Don't bask in your happiness to be doctored upon by Kowalski too much, alright?"

Marissa looks drowsily at Skippsy. "No basking…"

"Yeah, so you say." She chuckles. "But you deserve a little basking, I just expect you back at the HQ as soon as you're well again, no sooner."

"Fine…"

"Good. But I am going to say the meerkats at the HQ was completely Rachel, right?" She sighs.

Marissa nods a little. "I guess...Didn't know…"

Skippsy nods some and sighs. "Alright, well we'll be going now. You get better, you hear me? I don't want to hear you died."

"Okay." She nods sleepily.

Skippsy nods and waddles out with a sigh. "Come along, Trixy…"

"Yes, ma'am." She says, getting her backpack. She gives Private a rushed peck on his cheek. "See you later."

Private blushes a little. "Bye…" He waves after her and sighs.

Kowalski watches Private for a moment before waddling back into the lab. "It should be just a few days I expect until you're...What are you doing?" He looks at her.

Marissa stops wiggling around and looks at him. "I still feel numb, I'm trying to feel normal."

"I don't foresee that helping much…" He says with a strange look.

"I don't foresee you forseeing anything. You're a scientist not a psychic." She wiggles again. "But I figured it could help since it stimulates blood flow."

Kowalski just shakes his head and sits at his workbench. "Alright, carry on." He says. "I'm working, so you could at least be a bit quieter about it."

"Maybe I'll start singing too. My throat does feel a bit weird as well." She sticks her tongue out at him.

"Don't start with me, Marissa." He says as he gets out some plans. "Go back to sleep."

"Maybe I don't want to sleep."

"Then I'll raise your sedatives." He says and gives her a look.

Marissa yawns. "I'll bite you."

Kowalski just gives her the look still. "Just go to sleep, you drugged psycho." He says as he gets up and adjusts her meds. "You'll feel normal soon enough, you just have to let it get out of your system."

"I know…" She sighs.

"Then sleep." He says.

"Kowalski?"

He looks at her again.

"Are we going to be friendly to each other around everyone else?" She mumbles, half asleep.

"Maybe we slowly start being more friendly...It's going to take some getting used to." He nods.

"Okay…" Marissa nods with her eyes closed. "Goodnight…"

"Goodnight, Marissa." He nods and sits back at the workbench and takes out a sheet of paper. 'Note to self: see how long she can actually stand to be nice. If longer than two weeks, but a dollar in the show off jar.' He nods and puts the sheet away. "Well...For sure, this will be an interesting experiment."