To Blouper, for being the bestest of all the best people in freaking hystory. To Knockknocktimerico, for being my pal and for being such a good writer, to Ponytail30527, for being so INCREDIBLY nice, and to Halfhuman123, and to Dragongirlj for reviewing.

Misconceptions

Marlene feels the wind blow hard against her. She grips her paws more tightly trying to stay on. In hopes of staying as far away from the fast road beneath her, she holds her breath despite how much she felt like screaming. Her eyes water both from the effort of holding her breath so long, the fear of falling, anger, and something else she couldn't place. Anger she had felt before, both subtle and strong, but she felt it. This, this was new.

She had been mad at Julien many times before, that was nothing surprising. Sometimes she was ticked at Skipper, often because of his constant cocky attitude. She had been furious at Rhonda for using her as a tissue. And now, for the first time since she could remember, she was mad, no, infuriated with Kowalski.

How could he have just left her? No warning, no good bye, no nothing. She supposed that she sort of had in a way forced him to allow her to come, but she had been trying to be a good friend.

The anger rises again as she remembers. And then, it's replaced by that weird feeling that she hadn't felt before. Maybe a bit, but so small she hadn't cared much for it… but now she did.

What was it?

It wasn't good, that was for sure.

Marlene feels more tears mount. She blinks rapidly, managing to hold them back. Her paw begins to slip so she freezes in place. It would not be good to fall right now. She sneaks a peek down.

The road was barely a blur. It was amazing how fast Kowalski could drive. Her heart beats faster, feeling like it wanted to jumps out of her throat. This hadn't been one of her greatest ideas. Of course, as big a jerk Kowalski was being at the moment, she still couldn't allow him to be by himself. He and the rest of his team might try to pretend that they could take on everything, but she had a feeling that this time Kowalski would need her help.

Although, maybe he didn't need her, maybe she was just complicating things. Marlene feels her grip slackening, edging her closer to the sharp road beneath her. Kowalski was smart, he was able to detect a threat when it showed up, and he had gotten rid of her…it was simple logic.

Marlene begins to fall down, her left foot hanging only a few inches from the road.

But he's not always right.

Marlene gasps as she realizes how close she was to falling off and scrambles to grab on again. Hitching a ride beneath a car had been the only thing she could think of at the time. Kowalski hadn't stopped so she just ran to the taxi and held on to the bottom. She couldn't tell if she regretted her brilliant decision, or if she was proud of herself for managing to hang on this long. If it weren't for all the thoughts running through her mind this might actually be enjoyable in a way. At the least it was thrilling, and when was the last time she had felt so much excitement, good or bad?

Just think of this as your own secret mission. She could do that. Keep watch over Kowalski as he went on his crazy operation. Not only Kowalski, but also the egg. If anything, she had to come to make sure he didn't drop it along one of his many unnecessary death-defying moves. Of course, first she would have to manage to hold on through the whole ride, and she wasn't sure if she could do that for much longer.

Kowalski gets off of the taxi for a while, looking carefully around. Coast was clear. He rubs his eyes wearily. Driving all night was finally getting to him. He takes out his calculations from the burlap sack with a sigh, rechecking to make sure they were correct.

Everything seemed to be in order.

Kowalski closes the door behind him and goes into the building. He hides behind a trashcan in order to get a better view of the place he was in; there were various young humans walking around, some in their near twenties, others in their teens. A few older ones ambled among the crowd with the air of importance that teachers always seemed to carry. Kowalski spots a large flashing sign up front. The red letters on it changed continually, dictating the student who would drive the directed plane.

Hitching a ride with a student plane driver was one of the drawbacks that Kowalski had to face do to the absence of the rest of his teammates. But he could manage. The flight he was waiting for would leave in about three hours, it would take him to the area he pinpointed on the map, where he would (he hoped) meet the mother eagle again and return her egg.

Of course, than there would still be the whole matter of facing Skipper…and Marlene. They probably wouldn't be too happy for what he had done. He shakes his head. There was no time to think about that, he had to focus. Forget how mad Marlene would be, how much she probably hated him, Marlene…oh, yes, and Skipper. Yes Skipper would probably be mad too, but Marlene... Stop thinking about her! Yes, that's what he had to do. Stop thinking about Marlene, trusting Marlene, whom he had betrayed. Who might not even be angry with him as much as saddened that he had…Stop it!

Focus! Remember? The map, the plane, getting there, the forest, arriving, accomplishing the mission, the map, the plane, getting there, the forest…

Kowalski's eyes close involuntarily and he has to slap himself. Well, there were three hours left, maybe he could sleep for a few minutes while he waited.

He finds a safe spot between a bench and a giant potted plant. He places the burlap sack beneath him like a pillow and rests his head against it. His eyes close and he quickly falls into a deep sleep.

Marlene stood rubbing her sore arms after the long ride. She sees Kowalski jump off of the taxi and dive quickly into the building's entrance; the only thing in his flippers was the burlap sack. So then…where was the egg?

Kowalski wakes up with only fifteen minutes left till the plane left (Not much of a plane really as much as a small aircraft). He jumps up swiftly and land on both his feet with the burlap sack at his side. He looks alertly around and makes sure no one is looking before getting ready to spring out from behind the bench.

Sudden realization strikes him though, and he stops mid-jump, stumbling and almost loosing his balance. The egg! Where was it?! Hadn't it been beside him…no, it hadn't. He had left it in the taxi!

In his haste, Kowalski runs out without caring whether anyone saw him. He toboggans quickly through the crowd, luckily his speed making him no more than an odd black and white blur. He gets to the entrance and looks frantically around, searching for the taxi. There were plenty of cars, but none were the bright yellow with the blond human inside them. He stands in place, not knowing where to go or what to do. He flips through his clipboard; he had never considered this as a possible problem before. If only he had placed that tracking device on the egg!

And then, the only thing in the world that he wanted to see appears before him. The egg, safe and not broken or cooked in a pan as he had assumed, in front of him. He gasps in astonishment and follows the arm that held it. And when he sees who's holding the egg he can't help but give a short shriek and jump back.

Marlene stood in front of Kowalski, her eyes showing exactly how much anger she felt. She holds the egg with one paw and places the other on her hip.

"Marlene?" Whispers Kowalski shocked. He nears her slowly in a trance-like manner, believing once more that this was a dream.

"But-but I-you, I mean, this is…the possibilities of this-how…when…umm…this-is this really you?" He stutters, unsure of what to say. He realizes then that perhaps this wasn't an odd illusion of his and suddenly what can only be described as relief and pure happiness fill him.

"Marlene!" He exclaims smiling hugely. Marlene places the egg down on the ground gently. She looks at him with narrowed eyes and steps closer. Pulling back her arm she hits him so suddenly he doesn't even have time to dodge.

Kowalski falls to the floor. He turns to face Marlene, stunned that she had hit with such force. He could feel the ache of a bruise spreading through the side of his beak, and though he had been hurt before this was different. It wasn't so much as the pain he felt from the hit, but the hate with which Marlene had struck him. He blinks rapidly, horrified to find his eyes watering. He wasn't a sissy; he would take this like a man.

Marlene walks closer to him and Kowalski backs up without standing, his eyes growing wider. He had no idea what to do, if Marlene decided to hit again he couldn't hit her back. And, as for dodging, well, he knew that she did have the right to beat him up if she wanted, he had messed up.

Marlene gets closer, her paws folded into fists. Kowalski holds back a gulp and opens his beak, feeling that he should get an apology in before she beat him to a pulp.

"I deserved that." He mutters, looking down. Marlene's paw appears in front of his face and Kowalski braces himself for the next hit. When none comes he looks at her and realizes that Marlene was now smiling warmly, her paw held out to him not to hit him, but to help him up.

"Yes, you did." She laughs smugly. Kowalski takes her paw hesitantly, but Marlene courtly helps him up and grins.

Kowalski takes a deep breath. He knew what came next.

"Marlene, I'm-"

"A big jerk?" says Marlene. Kowalski smiles grimly.

"Yes, but also, I want to say that-" Marlene holds up her paw shaking her head.

"I forgive you," She declares firmly, "if you promise to never do it again."

Kowalski nods solemnly. Marlene chuckles at his seriousness.

"Are you, by any slight possibility, bipolar?" He questions. He thought she would hate him forever, maybe even longer if by some statistical possibility emotions do live on forever. Marlene rolls her eyes and goes to get the egg. Kowalski follows, wondering once more how she had gotten there.

"Err, Marlene…" he trails off, still worried that Marlene's mood might turn for the worst again. Call him army man, but that otter could hit. Hard.

Marlene turns to him, still wearing that strange smile of hers.

"How did I get here?" She guesses. Kowalski nods.

"Simple," she states, "I held on to the bottom of the taxi and got to go on a little ride of my own."

Kowalski blinks.

"So then how did you-"

"Notice you left?" Marlene cuts off, "I got up in the middle of the night, went to check on the driver, and saw you trying to get away." She smiles sardonically, "Did you really think you could get rid of me so easily?"

"Perhaps I have been using the wrong formula…" Mutters Kowalski bemused. Marlene punches him playfully on the shoulder. Kowalski scowls at her, trying to figure her out. How inconsistent was this otter?

"So, do I get to go along with you still, or will you try to drop me off at another cozy little zoo?" Marlene smirks, "After all, I think I've proved to you that I can handle this, and after this little accident" she holds up the egg. " I think it's pretty clear that you need me."

Kowalski stares appalled. She knew? How had she figured it out? He thought he had done a good job of hiding what he was thinking. And, as much as he hated to admit it, she was right. She could handle it, and if it weren't for her the egg would be back on the way to New York by now.

"You're more perceptive than I gave you credit for." He mutters, turning back to enter the building, a hint of pride ringing in his voice. Marlene decides to take that as a yes and follows behind, feeling somehow like she had won, and that, in a way, Kowalski now knew exactly what she was capable of. Somehow, that thought made her feel like doing a smug little dance and skipping along, but she holds her head high and walks after him with only a bit of a spring to her steps.

"So how did you end up forgetting this little guy?" She teases as soon as Kowalski turns around to see if she was following.

"Err…"

Marlene smirks.

"Whatever happened to 'always organized'?" She pushes. Kowalski grimaces and decides to ignore her. Marlene picks up her pace until she's side by side with him.

"Has this happened to you before?" She asks. Kowalski looks sideways at her.

"No. Usually another team member takes over while the others sleep so that we can remain focused."

Marlene nods.

"Well, next time, just give me the wheel if you get tired all right?" Kowalski stares warily at her smirk, which only makes Marlene laugh again.

In her arms, the egg gives a small tug to the side. It was so small and imperceptible that Marlene doesn't feel it, but it was there all the same.

Side note, new community! Monsy's Choices, i know it sounds lame, but, join if you want! Send me a request and I'll add you :D Also, thanks to sudden inspiration from Skullshovel i now have a story trailer for this story which you can check out on my profile if you want. It has some from past chapters and a few glances at LATER AHEAD chapters :O So check it out!