A full week after pushing Skipper off the obelisk, Marlene planned to drop by the penguins' HQ for a visit. Inside a plastic bucket she carried with her was a special surprise for Skipper and some of her other friends.

"Skipper? Guys?" she called out upon entering the HQ, Skipper then coming over to where Marlene was.

"Hi, Marlene," he said. "It's just me here right now. The boys went out for some recon work themselves since I'm still on the DL."

Marlene then felt the sudden need to reach out and give Skipper a hug, which she did; Skipper put up no resistance, and even joined in.

"I'm so glad to see that you're up and walking around already," Marlene said. "I have something for you."

Marlene reached inside the bucket and pulled out one of the nine rainbow snow cones that she had brought over from the stand in Central Park. Maybe it was just the way the lighting of the room was, but Marlene swore that she saw the smallest tear in Skipper's eye as she handed him his frozen treat.

"You left the zoo to get a snow cone for me?" Skipper asked.

"Not just for you, I've got enough for all of my closest friends," she replied.

"Well, it really means a lot to me that you went out and did this," Skipper said as he lifted his snow cone a little bit higher. "You know, this isn't just a snow cone to me, it's a symbol of success. Success for you, in that you were able to go outside the zoo walls; success for me in whatever small role I had played in it. It's almost a shame – albeit a tasty shame – that I can't just keep this snow cone up on a shelf to look at forever."

"Oh, Skipper, that's so sweet," Marlene said.

"You're right, Marlene, this snow cone is sweet," Skipper said as he took a bite of it, though he winked at Marlene because he knew what she really meant.

When Skipper finished his snow cone a short few minutes later, Marlene reached out and touched the cast on his left flipper.

"Can we talk about this?" she asked as she then sat down.

"If it would help you feel better," Skipper replied as he sat next to her.

"Skipper, part of me is ashamed to be here with you right now," Marlene said. "That's why it took me a week to even come here and face you."

"Face me?" Skipper asked. "Don't you know already that I hold nothing against you?"

"It's just that I couldn't face the reality of what I did to you," Marlene replied. "I hurt you."

"Marlene, you want to know the truth about something?" Skipper said as he placed a flipper around Marlene's back. "The injuries are a week old; they don't really hurt much anymore. But what's hurting me more than anything is seeing you unable to just let this all go. I forgive you, Marlene, now for God's sake, forgive yourself. Please let this go so I don't have to hurt anymore."

Marlene then realized that she didn't have much of a choice. Although she felt horrible for what she had done to Skipper a week ago, if forgiving herself was what Skipper needed her to do to feel better, then she'd have to do it.

"For you, Skipper, and only because I know it's what you want and what you need," Marlene said, "I will let my actions go. I forgive myself."

"Thank you," Skipper said as he began to give Marlene a hug. "You know, I'm glad to see you again. I've missed you the past–"

The other three penguins then suddenly returned into the HQ, and the lemurs were for some reason following behind them.

"Kowalski, I said I was putting you in charge of 'recon' today, not 'ring-tail,'" Skipper stated to his first lieutenant as the group entered.

"Sorry, sir," Kowalski replied. "They just followed us. You know how the lemurs are."

"Unfortunately, I do," Skipper said.

"Skipper," Marlene then said, "since everybody is here anyway, could you help me pass out my other snow cones to everyone?"

"Sure," he said as he began to distribute a few one by one from the bucket with his good flipper, Marlene also passing some of them out herself.

After the rest had been handed out, Marlene then took the last snow cone in the bucket, but Skipper was still holding onto one which he was helping to pass out. He looked around to make sure that everyone had one, which they did. Since he had already had his snow cone earlier, Skipper then brought the extra one back to Marlene.

"It seems that we have an extra one," he told Marlene as he began to hand it to her.

"Nope, that one's yours," Marlene said.

"But I already had mine," Skipper said.

Marlene winked at him.

"Like I said, that one's yours," she said.

Skipper smiled to acknowledge Marlene's friendly gesture.

"You know, Marlene, I don't think a snow cone is a symbol of success anymore," Skipper said. "You are. And you're a whole lot sweeter and you won't melt away."

"Skipper, you're the best," Marlene said as she gave Skipper a quick kiss on the cheek, the second time that she had recently done so.

Since they were too busy eating their own snow cones, no one else in the room saw it. As Marlene pulled away from him, Skipper smiled slightly, though he smiled a bit more on the inside.

"Come with me," he told Marlene as he led her behind a shelf.

"I'm sorry, Skipper, are you mad?" Marlene asked apologetically.

"No, Marlene, I'm not mad," he told her. "But that's the second time in recent memory that you've done that to me."

"And?" Marlene wondered.

"Well, this is all just so one-sided; one of these days I am going to have to make things even," Skipper said. "Of course, I'd be sure it's OK with you first."

Skipper probably never anticipated what Marlene's response would then be.

"Well, Skipper," she said, "whenever you're ready, come find me."

It was probably a good thing that Marlene had given Skipper two snow cones, for the second one suddenly dropped to the floor. And Skipper couldn't care less.

"I found you," Skipper said as he gave Marlene one quick kiss on her cheek. "But the second one I'm saving for Central Park."