Even Otter Things Have Happened

Plot Summary: Takes place after 'Otter Things have Happened'. Julien tries to make up with Marlene, but she doesn't want to. He enlists the help of the penguins to create a love potion for him, but things don't turn out quite right….

Disclaimer: The Penguins of Madagascar is the property of Dreamworks Animation Studios in association with Nickelodeon. I do not claim ownership of The Penguins of Madagascar.

Rated Teen (T) for Mild/Fantasy Violence, and Minor Suggestive Themes

Ahh Writer's block! So glad it only lasted so short. Thanks to miztah Han, as always, and to reviewers Sky Fireheart, xxAznPenguin, Poette O'Deal and to Storylover Alpha 01. It might take me a while to update on the next chapter though, writer's block is a pest *

~Triksterr206, Junior Member, DrunkenTavern

Chapter VI: Conflict

Marlene hummed beneath her breath as the Für Elise playing from her stereo added a bit of music to the dismal background. She was sprucing up her home since Fred would be coming back for their date later at six. She finished dusting the cabinets that were crammed into a corner, and went on to mop the floor. As she picked up the mop, something was caught on the edge of her eye. Looking up, she saw it was a picture she took of Fred, the new Fred, as she had come to call him, yesterday. Walking toward it, she wondered how this bumbling idiot was transformed into this dreamboat. She swooned as she thought of the change that happened, but something within her nagged at her thoughts. She remembered how doubtful she was that the Lovulator wouldn't work and Kowalski's hysteria when it did fail. Perhaps science could never decide true love. Skipper and his team tried to set her up, and how did that turn out? Julien tried to fight for her, but only messed it up himself.

She sighed and leaned onto a wall, picking up the photo of Fred as she did so. She gazed into it for a while, and started thinking. Do I really love Fred, or do I love what he has become? It all seemed strange to her, love, despite all her understanding of it, it confused her at times. She dropped the picture of Fred and thought of Julien, the lemur's face blossoming into her mind as the photo lightly floated to the ground. Julien, the self-proclaimed lemur king was in love with her, seeing as how he screamed it out to her yesterday morning. She considered Julien to be too egocentric and self-absorbed for anyone to love, but there he was, proclaiming love to someone other than himself. Perhaps Julien really has changed, and he meant what he had said.

Her thoughts drifted over to his right-hand man, Maurice. She was empathetic towards his suffering, the fact that he willingly obeyed every nonsensical whim Julien gave him made her feel pity for the aye-aye. She even wondered how Mort and Maurice had not given up on him the moment he asked them to carry him all over the zoo. She sighed deeply, still thinking about the lemur's confession of love. Guilt stabbed her heart as she remembered what she had said to his heartfelt declaration. But then he had that stupid love potion to try on her, and how did that turn out? Baboons were chasing her all over the zoo when he tried to spray it onto her. Love potions, and Lovulators, if only Kowalski had not bothered at all with … with …

Kowalski? Thoughts about the strategist penguin flooded into her mind as Julien faded away. True, he was likely to over think things, nevertheless they were still able to become friends. She winced as she recalled how she had almost pulverized him against the wall. Her thoughts then drifted over to Private, young and cheerful, he was the most similar to Marlene out of all of them; and Rico, well, that was a different story. Skipper's face then materialized in her head, taking her utterly by surprise. She remembered all his ramblings about how women were weak compared to men, his paranoia, that pompous attitude he had, it was all so annoying just to think of him. And yet, it wasn't so. Her thoughts drifted back to Fred as laughter bubbled forth from her throat. It was so silly to think of these things now when she ought to be cleaning, Fred would be arriving in half an hour. Still laughing, she picked up her mop and continued her work. So caught up was she in her thoughts about love that she didn't notice the shadows stir about her.

The laughter soon faded away as she silently continued on with her work, and yet the shadows moved again. This time she froze, her perception catching faint traces of movement in her home. Her paws tightened their grip on the mop handle, prepared to defend herself if it came to that. Could it be rats? They were always trying to sneak up at night to steal food or supplies. There it was again! No, it couldn't be rats, since the shadows moved about with blinding speed with a hint of deadliness. She had half a mind to run and call Skipper, but no, it probably wasn't anything at all, and he would just laugh and tell her to calm down. She nervously laughed to herself, maybe Skipper's paranoia was starting to get to her. Yes, that was probably it. A few moments later, she found out she was dead wrong. She opened her mouth to scream and possibly to run, but her shout was silenced as they were upon her.

*Same time, somewhere else…*

"Ahh good Maurice! Now dat de baboons have stopped chasing the lovely Marlene, we can now ask the smarty penguin to make anuder one!" said Julien as he hopped on his bouncy, propelling him upward once more.

"Your majesty, you really think a love potion is going to work?" asked the Aye-Aye, three feet below King Julien.

"Of course Maurice? Why wood you not be tinking so?"

"Since you already gave Mort away in an effort to date Marlene, and how did that turn out? Come on, you don't even miss him just a little?"

"Do not be worrying Maurice! I'll just be stealing him back when the silly penguins go sleepy. Ah, my foot is itching to kick that annoying Mort!"

"Love potions don't work your Majesty! It's just pure romantic fiction."

"Ah, but Maurice, don't you know dat da lovey potion is working! Did you see how dose baboons were chasing my girlfriend?"

"She isn't your girlfriend!" screamed Maurice. "Uh, yet, your majesty." He added in response to Julien's stare.

"I am to be having an idea!" announce Julien as he got off the bouncy after one final leap. "Girly-girls like da flowers don't dey Maurice? I'll just go ovah der, then pick up a bunch for my lovely Marlene!"

Julien leapt over the concrete wall of his habitat as he made his way to the Administration office, where Alice always placed a few flowers in a vase.

"Something tells me this isn't gonna end well." Sighed the Aye-aye as he settled down on the bouncy for a quick nap.