"Everyone ready?" Skipper whispered.

"All ready, Skipper." Kowalski whispered back excitedly. Nobody objected.

"Private, you get the honour of going first." Skipper ordered. Private still didn't understand why Skipper was being so nice to him these days, not that Skipper normally wasn't nice to him, but was being extra nice. Ever since he'd woken up in Blowhole's office – he'd been told a box containing one of Kowalski's confiscated inventions had fallen on him – Skipper had been acting like that. Private assumed he must have done something especially nice but just couldn't remember what it was.

"Oh, alright." Private shrugged and started down the tunnel, Skipper directly behind him. "Thank you, Skippah."

However, they'd barely gone a quarter of the way through the cramped space when Skipper recognized the sound he dreaded every time they built a tunnel. Skipper pulled Private backwards as a few grams of loose soil sifted down from the roof, and barely a second later the rest of the roof followed. Immediately Skipper started shuffling back down the tunnel, wondering if there was a way they could possibly cover up this one when a familiar glowing red eye appeared, looking down through what had once been shallower section of tunnel which now revealed bright sunlight. Skipper groaned.

"A tunnel? Really?" Blowhole demanded, "Foiled by a tunnel!" Skipper frowned. He was quite certain they hadn't reached the fence yet, "Alright, get out of there." Blowhole ordered, and Skipper got the sense that the escape attempt wasn't what Blowhole was so annoyed about. It was then Skipper noticed the dark object that had shielded them from most of the rubble, and caused the collapse to leave a clear route to the surface. Reluctantly, Skipper and the team climbed up through the hole, just as they heard another section behind them collapse. It was then that Skipper noticed the dark object in the tunnel was actually a tyre, and it was attached to Blowhole's car. Apparently driven being driven over had caused the tunnel to collapse, "See what you've done? You've probably set me back fifteen minutes at the minimum!" Blowhole huffed and called for a group of lobsters to start work on getting the car out of likely the largest pothole it had ever been or would get stuck in. They only managed to make it worse, which was when Skipper noticed he and the other escapees were being largely ignored.

"Uh, this probably isn't the smartest thing to ask," skipper spoke, but regardless his curiosity had gotten the better of him, "but…"

"I don't care if you escape now." Blowhole replied irritably, "You could say a lot of things about Hans, but he had the right idea, who knows how he knew about it ahead of time." Skipper just looked at Blowhole in confusion, then a slight smile spread across his face as he realized what Blowhole was talking about, though it turned to a grimace when Skipper remembered how Hans had discovered it, "Haven't you heard – no, of course you haven't – the Allies have landed at Normandy and will probably reach here any day!" Immediately a cheer erupted among the ranks, "I'm getting out of here while I still can, especially with my name tied to Manfredi and Johnson's," He added as if he couldn't understand why they were connected, "I doctored my first report on Hans' 'demise' to fit me. I've given Kazoo command, so now you can practically just walk out of here."

"But what about revenge for your eye…" Kowalski began to ask before he was silenced by a kick from Skipper.

"No time, maybe we'll meet again sometime, we'll see what happens." Blowhole replied hurriedly, still more concerned with fretting over the car than Skipper and the escapees. The realization that he could simply walk out of the camp finally hitting them, the prisoners suddenly turned around in a mad rush for the barracks, now they'd be able to pack at their leisure since any resistance Kazoo could put up would be little more than a joke.

"Francis!" Doris called, running up to her brother, "I thought I'd missed you!"

"Almost." Blowhole replied, "I guess there was a good side to Skipper's inopportune escape attempt. Don't stare at us, get the car back on the road!" Blowhole snapped at the lobsters.

"I'm going to miss you." Doris replied sadly, giving her brother a goodbye hug, "Do you think we'll see each other again after the war's over?"

"It's kind of unlikely…" A tear began to well in his sister's eye, "Yes, absolutely. No doubt about it." Doris smiled.

"Did you get around to making the call?" Doris asked.

"Yes, I did," Blowhole replied, his expression making it clear he was slightly unsure, though at the same time accepting of whatever his sister's request had been, "Rhonda's going to pick you up in town in about an hour – I'll drop you off. Dad said he's happy to have you back…"

Kowalski, who was almost out of earshot when he heard this immediately turned around in disbelief.

"Doris!" He exclaimed, walking back towards the pair, "What's he talking about, we're going to New York…" Doris shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Kowalski, I'd meant to tell you earlier but I hadn't been able to get the nerve up." She spoke quietly, looking down guiltily. Then something changed and she looked up, meeting Kowalski's eyes, "Everything's been so confusing these days, and now I've finally gotten some thinking done, and I've realized I'm not sure you and New York and running away is what I want. There are just so many things I don't understand… It's time I made my own decisions and I've just made one."

"Don't be ridiculous, Doris." Kowalski scoffed, "You're coming with me to New York, you might have gotten some crazy idea in your head now, but it's for your own good…"

"So you say." Doris countered, and Kowalski was somewhat taken aback by her forceful tone, "I like you Kowalski, but in a lot of ways you're just the same as Hans, always telling me what I should do, how I should feel, the way I should act because you say it's right. You've never listened to what I want or how I feel…"

"Kid, this area's about to go to hell, the front's going to be right here in a couple of days, you're being completely ridiculous…"

"Kid?" Doris demanded, "Even now you aren't taking me seriously. I know what's going to happen, but I've got a family over here, maybe if you wouldn't just write me off as a pretty face with no brains for a second, you'd realize I care about them, and I want to be with them because my younger kid brother is going to need me if things get as bad as you say. And that, is what I think is right." Kowalski just shook his head as if he was speaking to Private and went to speak, but Doris interrupted, "And I'm not sure about you, Kowalski. I like you, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to decide to spend the rest of my life with you – because if I go to New York you'll be the only living soul I know and the only way I can talk to anyone. If you care as much about me as you say you do, you'll respect that…"

"Alright, Doris, this has just become ridiculous." Kowalski snapped, "I don't know what's gotten into your head, but you have no idea what you're talking about. You're coming to New York, weather you realize it's in your best interests now or not…" Kowalski's grip on Doris' wrist grew painful.

"Kowalski." Alius' voice interrupted. "I think the lady's made her decision." Kowalski turned around to snap something at him about it being none of his concern, but Alius beat him to it, "You can't force her – literally, you won't make it through the first town if she's fighting you the whole time." Kowalski looked to his Skipper who'd materialized about twenty feet away. His expression reluctantly agreed with Alius.

"He's right." Skipper concurred grudgingly, "I agree with you, Kowalski, she's your girl so she's supposed to come with you," Doris scowled at the 'supposed to' and Alius didn't seem to agree either, "But dragging her along will endanger the lives of the whole team. I can't allow it." Kowalski still didn't let go of her wrist, "That's an order, soldier. Rico's packed your stuff for you. We're leaving." Doris could see the calculations racing through Kowalski's head, till finally he came to the inevitable conclusion that Doris had him backed into a corner. She wasn't sure if he was more distressed that she wasn't going with him, or the fact she'd outsmarted him. He released her wrist, starting off in the direction of the gates Skipper was half way through.

"I hope you're happy with your decision." Kowalski snapped, but Doris' expression showed only unfaltering determination, "Bye." He muttered.

"Finally!" Blowhole exclaimed as the car groaned and rolled backwards out of the tunnel.

Doris rubbed her wrist, watching as Kowalski disappeared off into the trees. Alius remained tactfully silent, and Blowhole followed suit till her eyes finally left the woods.

"You alright?" Alius asked. Doris nodded shakily, then turned away from the woods entirely.

"Yes," she replied with a faint smile, turning to face him, "Am I happy with my decision? I don't think I've ever been happier." Alius smiled back.

"Glad to hear it." He replied.

"Thanks." She spoke, "Thanks for 'putting that crazy idea' into my head."

"I just outlined your options for you, ma'am. I was glad to be of service." Kowalski answered in that funny formal tone of his that made Doris crack a smile. For a moment they just stood in silence before Kowalski finally cleared his throat, "My team is going to be shipped elsewhere, but I hope we'll meet again some time."

"Yeah, hopefully in more pleasant circumstances." Doris replied.

"I don't want you to be late." He reached for her suitcase, "May I?"

"Why thank you." Doris answered and Kowalski loaded the suitcase into the car. As she stepped with one foot on the running board to get into the passenger seat she noticed Grant was standing a tactful distance away. "I can see you're more than just Captain and Lieutenant," she called across the camp. "Kowalski must be a swell friend to have watching your back."

"No doubt about it." Grant replied. Her attention returned to Kowalski as she slid into the passenger's seat.

"Thanks a lot," She repeated again with a grateful smile, "I know it's unlikely, but I hope we bump into each other some time."

"Glad to have helped. Best of luck, Miss Blowhole." Kowalski replied as Blowhole started the engine and resumed their course out of the camp. Doris waved goodbye through the rear window and Kowalski waved back. Soon enough the car disappeared out of sight. Kowalski's shoulders slumped.

"That was decent of you, Kowalski." Skipper spoke, materializing on his left. "It would have been taking advantage of her to say anything then."

"'real decent'?" Kowalski scoffed dejectedly, "I just couldn't get the nerve up." He accepted the bag of his few personal possessions Skipper handed him and the two started towards the gates, "I hope it isn't true what they say."

"What?"

"Y'know, that love only comes along once so don't let it slip through your fingers." The scientist replied with a sigh. Skipper shrugged to say he'd never heard of that one. "So where are we headed now?"

"Well," Grant replied, "My old Skipper said we're supposed to see if we can get Marlene out of the country, her cover's practically blown." Kowalski nodded quietly, his bag scuffing softly as it was dragged dejectedly along the dusty soil, "But from what I've seen of Marlene she's more than capable of doing that on her own, we'd probably only slow her down, so I'd say we're goin' wherever the action is." Kowalski nodded, trying to seem excited by the prospect of being in the heat of battle again, "I didn't say anything since, like you said, it was time for her to make her own decision and all, but Blowhole Sr.'s a bit of a piece of work himself, owns a factory of something, there's talk of some nasty stuff going on in there. I think we should probably head in that direction." Kowalski grinned. What Skipper neglected to mention was that Doris would make the perfect inside man if he could talk her into it (or get Kowalski to).

The End