Kowalski wiped down his flippers, leaving Rico and Private to rest. Rico had been a tough case, but the brainy penguin was finally done. He left the tent to find Skipper pacing outside, a path worn through the snow from his continuous walking. Skipper stopped when he saw Kowalski and crossed his flippers. Kowalski inclined his head.

"They'll be fine, Skipper," he said gently. "They're sleeping."

Skipper relaxed. "Good. In that case, let's get some fish. I'm half-starved."

Kowalski flinched. "Literally."

They both looked down at themselves. They had lost a lot of weight in their captivity, most of it muscle. They had just as long a road of recovery as their teammates sleeping in the tent. So they waddled off in search of food. The mess tent was heated by a warm fire carefully set in the middle of the tent. A hole in the tent allowed the smoke to filter out. There was a buzz of conversation that filled the tent as fish was passed around.

Skipper and Kowalski grabbed a healthy ration and turned to assess the room. The penguins were sitting around in groups. They knew none of them, and they were getting strange looks. One glance at each other, and they agreed to head back to the medical tent. It was better than the curious, judging stares. So they waddled away, their fish on plates balanced in their flippers. As they entered the tent, they were surprised to see Olek there, looking over Rico and Private. He turned as they let in a cold gust before the tent flaps settled back.

"Skipper," he greeted. "Aleks. Good to see you are eating. You look much too thin."

Kowalski shifted and nodded. "We could eat three times as much as this," he admitted awkwardly. "We didn't get much as prisoners."

"I can give you double rations for a week or two," Olek said. "Doctor's orders."

Skipper and Kowalski brightened. "That would be great. Thanks, Tata."

Olek smiled. "It is good to hear you call me that again, my sweetness. It has been too long."

When Skipper snorted at the nickname, Kowalski blushed. "It's a Polish term of endearment, Skipper. Remember? Tata's from Poland."

Skipper nodded, but he couldn't hide his amusement. Olek rolled his eyes.

"Silly American," he said. "Thinks only his culture is right."

Kowalski smiled, but he stared at the floor. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too. Why don't we take a walk?"

Kowalski's gaze moved to Skipper, begging with his eyes for permission. Skipper plopped down between Rico's bed and Private's and waved a flipper.

"Go on, Kowalski. Let me know when you're done."

Kowalski swallowed his three fish in record time then set his plate aside, nodded at his commanding officer, then followed his father out. They walked around the camp, not saying anything, and ended up at the banks overlooking the ice fields. There were penguins fishing out there with poles; they had given up chasing fish simply because they weren't fast and agile enough to catch them. The two penguins settled down and watched them fish.

"Your two subordinates, Rico and Private," Olek said, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "They are good at getting fish. No need for poles. They chase them and catch them."

Kowalski leaned back on his flippers. "Rico's always been good at catching fish. Private never had to learn. I guess that changed when they came out here."

"Private is very mature," Olek said. "But in the way that he had to grow up quickly. He has had pain recently. Lots of pain, physical and mental."

Kowalski flinched. "He knew about his parents. About their deaths." Olek waited, and his son sighed. "We tried to keep it from him. We didn't want him to know. I think that was a mistake."

"The same way I kept your mother's death from you," Olek said. "Sometimes you love somebody too much to want to see them hurt."

The lanky penguin lowered his head and began to trace patterns into the snow. Tears stung his eyes. "Mama was always sick. I heard others talking about it. But I never believed she would die. And then she died, and you lied to me, Tata. You told me she had gone somewhere to get better. How was I supposed to trust you after that?"

Olek breathed out heavily. "I loved her, and I missed her. It tore me to pieces to see her die. I tried to cure her. I researched around the clock, tried everything that might help, and still, she died. I could not save her. So, I tried to save you from the pain that was eating me alive. Can you forgive your foolish tata for thinking you were too young, too sensitive to handle the truth? It is a mistake I deeply regret. Please, my treasure, forgive me."

Kowalski sat there without a word for several minutes, watching the penguins fish for food. Then he turned and embraced his father, the tears pouring from a place of deep pain. Olek held him, nuzzling him, speaking words of comfort in his native Polish tongue. And for the first time, they mourned for Kowalski's mother together.

Kowalski could still see her warm brown eyes, so different from most other penguins, and he recalled her getting weaker and weaker. And as she did, Olek had withdrawn. But that was over now. It was as healing as what he'd done for Rico and Private, and he wanted nothing more than to stay in Olek's embrace for as long as possible. He was home once again, secure in his father's heart. And, despite their grief, it was the best feeling in the world.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Skipper swallowed his ration, wishing for more, but he forced himself to be content. He watched Rico and Private rest for fifteen minutes or so. Rico slept as he usually did, very still, poised to wake in an instant. And it was only now, as he sat in Rico's homeland, that he began to understand why Rico was always so alert. He had held Rico in high esteem, training Private and Kowalski (and himself) to be ready in an instant.

Skipper once considered that he'd done well, that his team was in top shape. But Private was now as still as his weapon's expert, breathing deeply, yet with the same awareness about him as Rico, for every time that Skipper moved, there was a subtle shift in both of them, as if they were analyzing the potential threat level in their sleep. They found none in Skipper, and in a way, it was a strange comfort that they knew him and trusted him so much.

Their commanding officer was thinking deeply, so he didn't realize somebody had come in until there was the sound of a throat clearing. Skipper turned, and he immediately tensed. It was his own father. The general that had demoted him for something he hadn't done, hadn't wanted anything to do with, yet he was the one punished, not Hans. The penguin in front of him hadn't even believed that a puffin was involved. It had stung then, but now it was like a blade twisting in his heart.

Buzz stared at him with the same silent scrutiny that he always had. Skipper stood tall, his posture immediately becoming defensive. The general scanned him then shook his head.

"I'm not going to attack you, son."

Skipper snorted, his eyes narrowing. "That's all you've ever done."

Buzz tilted his head. "I never meant for it to seem that way."

That made the younger penguin pause. He hadn't expected that. He'd expected to be screamed at for being foolish enough to be captured, and he had expected to engage in a shouting match to insist that it wasn't his fault. But this… This was new. There was still the serious air around his father, but his tone was almost gentle, compassionate even. Skipper relaxed his posture, tilting his head.

"Well," Skipper said slowly. "That's always how it's been. Nothing I did was ever good enough. I was never fast enough, never strong enough, never…" He paused then ground out the last word. "Enough. I was never enough for you. I always had to be better."

Buzz crossed his flippers and glanced over Private and Rico. "I didn't mean to put such undue pressure on you. I just wanted you to be your best. I guess when you reached your best, I didn't believe it, so I kept pushing."

Skipper huffed and looked at his own soldiers, unconsciously mirroring his father's stance. "I just wanted you to be proud of me. And you never were."

"Wrong," Buzz said. "I was always proud of you. Since the moment I found your egg, since the moment you hatched, I was proud of you, Skipper. I saw greatness in you. I saw that you would be a great penguin. And you are."

Those words were too much, and Skipper swallowed, trying to hold back his tears. It didn't work. They fell anyway, and he refused to look anywhere but at the resting penguins. "You don't mean that."

"I do mean that, Skipper," Buzz said matter-of-factly, his voice thick with emotion. "You know me. I have trouble showing affection. And you do, too. I guess that's my fault. But that Private of yours… He is good for you. For me."

Skipper laughed. "Private is the best thing that's ever happened to us."

"I'm glad you found your own son," Buzz replied. "It's helped you to become a real penguin."

"Son?" Skipper asked, shaking his head. "No. I never thought of him as a son. I was too young when he hatched. He's not our son. He's our little brother."

"Then becoming an older brother has helped you," Buzz said.

He placed his flipper on Skipper's shoulder, and Skipper turned to see, with great surprise, that he wasn't the only one crying. Immediately, they both ignored it, and Skipper scanned the face gazing so intently at him. He saw respect in those piercing blue eyes, so like his own despite no biological connection. It was something he'd strived for years to see, hoping for just one moment of approval, but he'd never received it before that moment. Or perhaps it had been there for a long time, and he'd just never seen it. It turned out to be the best feeling in the world. He'd always wanted his father's respect, and now he had earned it. The two penguins met each other's gaze and nodded once then turned to appraise the sleeping penguins. Only they weren't sleeping.

Rico blinked up at them, looking tired, and Private heaved himself up with great effort. He rubbed his eyes in a very childish manner, but the smile on his face was unmistakable. Skipper had been right to think that they were aware of their surroundings in their sleep. Buzz didn't seem surprised at their wakefulness, either.

"Soldiers," Buzz said.

"Good to see you've worked it out," Private yawned. His stomach growled, and he flinched. "I'm hungry. Rico?"

Rico grunted, sitting up with stiff limbs, then heaved up about fifteen fish from storage. Skipper eyed it greedily, but he didn't take any. Rico and Private tucked in, and Buzz watched with a smidgen of disgust.

"Useful ability," he said calmly.

"It's saved us more than once," Skipper agreed.

"Fish!"

They turned to see Kowalski and Olek walking in, looking bright and cheery. Skipper nodded at him, and Kowalski grinned.

"I'm starved," he said and grabbed a big fish.

"Did the general give you more fish?" Olek asked. "I haven't ordered double rations yet."

"Rico had them stored," Buzz replied.

"Ah."

"Hungry, Skipper?" Private asked, tilting his head back to swallow a particularly large fish.

"Yes," Skipper replied, eyeing the remaining fish.

"Then you eat, son," Buzz said. "I'll inform the mess hall staff of your double rations. You're too skinny, you and Aleks both. Medical orders, Olek?"

"Yes, General," Olek said. "But somehow I think they will get more than double rations from our two amazing fishers."

"Let them eat what they want," Buzz replied. "If you two can catch extra fish, you're welcome to feed them as much as they want. I want them back up to their usual strength. In a few days, what would you say to running some drills, Skipper?"

Skipper was shocked to be asked and not told that he simply stared for a moment. Then he saluted. "That's agreeable, sir."

"Excellent. You two eat up." Buzz then turned to Rico and Private. "And you two rest up. I've got business to attend to. Come along, Olek."

And the two penguins headed out, leaving the four teammates alone. They glanced at each other then Skipper picked up a fish. Private grabbed one and held his up quickly.

"To family!" he cried.

Rico grinned and held up his fish. "Family," he grunted.

After a moment, Skipper and Kowalski held up their fish and toasted. "To family."

And then they burst out laughing at the silliness of it. And each penguin thought how good it was to be together again.