A/N: Here's the next chapter, sorry if it's a bit long, I just had a bunch of ideas and happened to be by my laptop. Please review!:D

Kowalski stared at the sobbing penguin in front of him with great remorse. 'Maybe this wasn't the best idea..' Kept ringing through his mind, increasing the guilt, and soon he couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't think we should have done this this early, Private." He said, putting his flipper on the little penguin's shoulder. "Maybe we should continue another day.."

Private looked up at the strategist thoughtfully. Maybe it was just too early...

After...the incident, Kowalski couldn't bear to see the little penguin like that, so he thought of a plan. He decided to try and give the private therapy in hopes that it would ease the pain, but now, as the first session ended like this, it only seemed to make things worse.

"I guess you're right, K'walski.." He said, wiping the last of the tears that stained his cheek. "Sorry it didn't work out today..."

The guilt inside the strategist was eating away at him. 'Maybe this whole thing was just a stupid idea.'

He turned to the video camera, which he wanted to use to keep logs of each session, beside them, turning it off and placing it on the floor.

"Don't be sorry, Private," He said in a reassuring tone. "I..know, it's hard, what you're going through. He was my best friend, and to this day I still can't help but think of what happened, how...we could have done something.. But with what you two had...I know it'll be really hard for you,"

Private looked up at him, tears daring to form again. But he managed to hold them back as Kowalski continued.

"But, hopefully, this will help, and soon we can all begin to forget what happened.." He said, more than a hint of hope in his words, as he waddled outside the lab, leaving the Private alone. He let his head sink down and the tears fall again.

"I don't want to forget you..."

3 am. 3 am knew Private very well. It was the time where he would finally be able to sleep, only to wake up, five minutes later, screaming and in a cold sweat.

3 am. It was always 3 am...

Well, here he was, once again. 3 am, cold sweat, eyes soaked. What seemed like a tragedy was just a normal night now for Private.

He sat upright in his bunk, burying his face in his flippers, as he did every night. He sat there for a few minutes, letting the tears run down his face. When he finally managed to gather the strength to leave his bunk, he sullenly waddled over to the fridge. He opened it to find that it had been stocked with their favorite food, mainly Private's, as Kowalski probably wanted him to be a bit happier. Private smiled a bit. Kowalski was always taking care of him now, after what happened. It reminded him so much of Skipper. He sighed and moved back to his original spot in the chair. Nothing even sounded good to eat. Private worried about his lack of food and sleep before, but now, it all just seemed normal for him.

He sat alone at the table, trying to gather his thoughts. About his session with Kowalski, about everything, about Skipper. It still seemed like a complete shock to the little penguin that what happened, actually happened.

It certainly wasn't long ago that the incident happened, though Private felt like he had spent an eternity suffering for it. He picked himself up and moved to the calendar hanging loosely on the wall, reading the month over and over, as if it had some special meaning. But now, all it seemed to do was bring back horrible memories. He kept reading it; there was something about it. August...August... It was calling out to him..

His head shot up and his heart sank even deeper. He remembered..

In his mind he pictured a lone Skipper, sitting calmly on top of the tower overshadowing the zoo. He remembered climbing up there, expecting an annoyed Skipper to just push him away, as he usually liked to be alone up there. But he didn't. In fact, he seemed to welcome his presence. Private remembered every word spoken as if it happened not 5 minutes ago.

"Ello, Skippa!" He said, sheepishly as usual around Skipper. The leader turned and smiled, moving over so Private could sit next to him. The young penguin happily obliged, and now the two sat on the tower, enjoying the horizon slowly fade from view into the darkness.

"It's beautiful..." The young penguin whispered out, still staring into the sunset. He looked over at Skipper, who he just noticed was watching him. When their eyes met, Private's quickly shot away, with a blush following his cheeks. Skipper smiled.

"It is, isn't it?" He heard him say. "I always like to come up here during this time of the year, August... It's always so calming. And everything is so beautiful, just looking at it makes me smile." Private smiled now, too. This was a side of Skipper no one else knew, and it was nice for Private because he knew he was the only one that could bring out that side.

"It's amazing up here.." Private agreed, scooting closer. The night seemed so perfect, so serene and wonderful.

"You know why I come up here, though?" The leader asked. "It reminds me that no matter what happens in this world, there's always a silver lining, something to keep striving for." He chuckled lightly before moving closer to Private. "It... kinda reminds me of you."

The little penguin turned even more red, but the smile on his face grew. Every one of his words was perfect, and it melted Private to the core.

"Really, Skippa?" He asked nervously. Skipper nodded and began to speak.

"You're always there for the team to show them there's always a lighter side to things. You can do what no one in the team or even in this zoo can do. You can make us smile, just by the simplest gesture. You can turn our worst mood into the best day. You have a gift, and I don't want you to ever lose that."

Private was beaming. If he were any more red, he'd be glowing. He couldn't believe his ears; that was the nicest thing anyone's ever said to him. He couldn't take it anymore, he jumped into Skipper's arms and enveloped him in a hug. Skipper was surprised at first, but he hugged back. The way Skipper caressed his back, the feeling of his breath on him, all of it felt so...right.

"Don't worry, Skippa.." He whispered. "I wont.."

Private sat on his bed, crying more than ever now. He hadn't remembered when he started but he didn't care; He should have known thinking of the good times would just hurt him more right now, but he couldn't help himself. He just missed him so much...

He heard a metallic door open, and turned around quickly to see Kowalski standing in the doorway of his lab. He had a look of concern on his face.

"S-sorry, K'walski.." He said in a tired, raspy whisper. "Didn't mean to disturb you."

Kowalski moved closer to the little penguin, sitting down next to him on the bunk. "Don't be. Just let it out, Private. It's okay." He said, patting Private softly on the back.

This was also a new side of someone Private hadn't seen. Kowalski usually was never good with emotions or love or any of that. It was all just some scientific formula for him. But now, he completely changed that. Just for Private.

"I-I Just miss him so much, K'walski. Why can't things just be like before?" Private said lowly, finally breaking down after that last sentence and burying his face in the strategist's feathers. Kowalski just let him cry on his shoulder. He didn't have anything to say to that, mainly because it was what he wanted, too.

After some time passed, Private managed to cease the tears and sit down with Kowalski in the middle of the room. For a while, it was dead silent. But Kowalski, who had been observing the depressed Private for about 10 minutes, finally cleared his throat nervously and spoke.

"Private..?" He called out softly. "I think it's in your best interest that you perhaps eat something. You haven't for days.."

The little penguin looked up, but only for a second. "I'm not hungry.." He heard the strategist sigh quietly. It wasn't a sigh of annoyance, but a sigh of deep worry.

"Sorry.." He whispered before bowing his head down lower. He had his eyes closed for what seemed like the longest time, but after a while he was awoken from his trance by Kowalski, who had just grabbed several Peanut Butter Winkies and other foods from the fridge and threw them down on the table.

"Please, Private. Eat something.." He said, "You need to.."

For some reason, Private felt like he was getting angrier. Why couldn't Kowalski just drop it?

"I don't need to.." He replied, a bit of annoyance in his voice. The scientist shoved the food closer to the little penguin, overwhelming him with the scent of sickly-sweet candy and fish.

"Yes. You do." Kowalski said. It almost sounded like a command. Private was getting sick of this. He just wanted to lay down and go to sleep, but it didn't seem like his friend was going to give up on him soon. He sighed deeply.

"K'walski, no.." He said, pushing everything away. Kowalski continued to push it back towards the young Private, who was getting angrier by the second.

"Private! You need to eat, you're not well and it's really-" Kowalski managed to say before Private interrupted him.

"Kowalski! No!" He yelled out, shoving everything off the table and onto the floor. He couldn't hold it inside anymore, he was just...mad. Mad at Kowalski right now, mad at himself, mad at everything.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" He screamed, already on the verge of tears. Kowalski grabbed Private's shoulders and the young penguin could now see the tears forming in his eyes.

"I already lost one team-mate, I'm not losing another!" He yelled.

Everything went silent.

Hope you like it so far, please give me your input!