Just a warning: This chapter is RIDICULOUSLY long and the ending is fluffy beyond all reason.
Enjoy!
The following Thursday was turning out to be pretty normal - breakfast, Sarah drew and Vanessa watched a show on TV while the guys did their training exercises, lunch and entertaining the masses. The real excitement began at the stroke of five o'clock, when the zoo closed - and Maurice popped into the penguin's habitat, looking very rushed but excited.
"The last leaf fell his morning - party's in an hour, if you'll bother yourselves to come this year." he said quickly, then left just as fast as he'd come.
Vanessa blinked. "What's he talking about?"
Kowalski explained, "Ever since they got here about six years ago, the lemurs have been under the impression that the season of autumn is a gift bestowed upon us by the 'sky spirits', for us to enjoy before the harsh winter begins - there is neither autumn nor fall in Madagascar, where they're from - not like here in North America. Anyway, when the final leaf of the tree next to their enclosure falls, they hold a huge party, supposedly in honor of the sky spirits. We never go - it interferes with our training schedule."
"Not that it really makes a difference, you can hear the noise from inside the HQ." Skipper said, annoyed at the memories.
"But, maybe we could go this year, Skippah?" Private asked hopefully. "What with the girls here and all..."
"Yeah, I'd be up for a party!" Vanessa agreed.
Skipper paused for a moment, weighing the options. All he could really think of was how the boys would act at five o'clock warm-ups... but it really seemed like they wanted to go, and he could only imagine how a party would help Sarah out somehow... well, if nothing else came out of this, he'd be able to analyze how well his team dealt with unfavorable consequences.
"All right, boys, put on your dancing shoes - we're going out tonight!" Skipper announced.
Almost everyone cheered excitedly and ran inside the HQ to prepare (Vanessa to primp and do girly stuff, the guys to set up the necessary security devices). There was, however, one unhappy camper in the HQ - and I'll give you one guess as to who it was.
Private noticed it first. As the others were getting ready, Sarah was sitting in her usual spot - alone and calm as ever. Concerned, he walked closer. "Sarah? Aren't you coming?"
"I don't think so." She said, shrugging. "It'll be nice and quiet here with everyone gone - I could put on some classical music or something later…" In spite of her casual tone, Private knew he saw a certain longing in her eyes - she wanted to go... but what would she do at something as loud and obnoxious as one of Julien's parties? Private suddenly came up with a way for her to go, the way she really wanted to.
"Maybe... you and I could, you know, go... together?" he said shyly.
Sarah felt a little jerk in her hand as the tip of her pencil snapped - thank God it was one of her old ones! - as she froze in surprise. Did he just ask her to go to the party with her?
"Like... together-together?" she said, trying to keep up her usual dry, sarcastic tone but not really pulling it off.
Private nodded.
Sarah only needed a moment to decide. She put down her notebook and broken pencil. "Well... that changes matters, right?"
Private beamed. "Great! Should we go over now? We could help Julien prepare for the party -"
Sarah almost said yes, then bit back her answer - there was something she'd been feeling the need to do lately, and now was the perfect time to act. "You go ahead - I'll meet you later." Private nodded. Just as he turned to leave, Sarah said, "Wait a sec - you guys got any soap anywhere?"
Private blinked. Soap? That was random... "Yeah, in the bathroom, there's a used bar on the counter and a couple new ones in the cabinet under the sink. Why?"
"Oh... you'll see." Sarah said slyly, shuffling off into the bathroom.
…
About an hour later…
Julien's party was just as loud and colorful as Private always thought it would be. Every animal in the zoo was there - Burt, the chimps, Bada and Bing, Marlene, even Barry the frog was there. He'd reformed from his evil-toxic-touch ways when Private had shown him some kindness and was currently wearing froggy-sized, sticky gloves on his arms and legs so that he could still jump around without hurting anyone.
Private was starting to worry a little about Sarah. She still hadn't arrived yet - had she changed her mind and decided not to come after all? Maybe he should go to the HQ and see...
"Private!"
He heard his name called out above the roar of the music. Private turned around, and sighed of relief when he saw Sarah easing her way through the small crowd on the sidelines. There seemed to be something different about her - he squinted his eyes. It finally became obvious when she was about five feet away.
"Your feathers are white!" he exclaimed. "That's why you needed the soap!"
"Yeah, the whole dark thing was getting a little old... I used up a bar and a half of soap to get all the Sharpie out." She said, proudly. Private laughed - he liked the new look.
…
The party was a blast. Private didn't try to force Sarah onto the dance floor so they didn't dance much, but that was okay - neither of them were really into Julien's mix of music anyway. Plus they got the best seats for some of the most fun moments of the party - when Skipper challenged Julien into dancing into any song of Skipper's choosing. Julien ferociously accepted the challenge of course, and he was finally able to get the best of Skipper when he managed to fantastically pull off Katy Perry's "California Gurls." Later on, Skipper got a challenge of his own - Vanessa brought her own CD up to the DJ and dragged Skipper onto the floor, where they danced to their song - "You're the One that I Want" from Grease. Private ended up getting a little action on the dance floor when he begged Skipper to let them do their dance routine (Skipper, Kowalski and Rico preferred to call it their "synchronized-rhythmic-exercises"), which went along suspiciously well with one of Skipper's favorite songs - "Secret Agent Man" by Johnny Rivers. Private even had an opportunity to impress Sarah, when he ended up at the bottom of the penguin totem pole and had to launch Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and himself six feet into the air so they could simultaneously double-twisted-flip and land squarely on their feet.
Finally, a slower song came on. Maurice, the DJ, had purposefully waited for a slow song since he knew there weren't many girls in their zoo. Ironically though, all the penguins managed to find a partner - Skipper and Vanessa, Kowalski and Marlene (there were a few raised eyebrows over this) Rico and his doll (his date for the evening), and Private and Sarah. Actually, there were only two entirely non-penguin couples on the dance floor - Maurice (who'd given the turntables to Joey, a surprisingly good DJ, for a while) and his new girlfriend Darla the baboon, and Mort with a replica of Julien's foot he'd had since the king's run-in with Dr. Blowhole.
As the song played the first verse (Private wasn't sure what song it was), he wasn't entirely surprised to discover Sarah didn't know how to slow-dance. She hadn't really been to a party before, much less danced at one.
"It's no really that hard, I'll show you." Private said kindly. He took her flippers and carefully put them around his own neck, inadvertently pulling her closer as he did so. Sarah felt a tiny shiver go up he spine when she felt Private's hands on her waist, gently guiding her to the left, then to the right, swaying in time to the music.
Sarah liked this dance… but what she didn't like was how she could feel everyone staring at her. She felt like she and Private were on display or something! Sarah tried her best to focus on Private and not the crowd around her... it became increasingly easier to do so as the song progressed. She chanced a look at the other couples: Kowalski and Marlene were talking like the friends they really were; Rico and his doll were kissing (or at least, Rico was kissing her); Mort and the foot kind of scared her; Maurice and Darla looked uncomfortable (considering the difference in size) but happy all the same; best of all, she saw that Skipper was holding Vanessa very close - her head was resting on his chest and he was stroking her back. Content, Sarah looked back up at Private... she'd never noticed just how blue Private's eyes were, or how his beak always had a little curve to it, even when he wasn't trying to smile...
The song ended. Private, sensing her ever-decreasing-but-never-disappearing discomfort, quickly led her off the dance floor.
"I'm sorry, I know you didn't want to dance, but-"
"It's fine." Sarah said. "I actually kind of liked it. I just don't know how everyone else can get so intimate when you know everyone's watching you!"
"It is quite crowded tonight, I agree." Private said. He looked up at the clock tower to check the time. Wait a minute…
The clock tower!
Private beamed and grabbed Sarah's hand, jerking her towards the entrance of the zoo. "WHOA! Private-!" Sarah shouted in surprise.
"I've got an idea! Follow me!" he shouted back excitedly.
Sarah still was quite unsure of what he was doing but felt she'd do anything to get out of this crowd. She followed him out of the lemur habitat.
Private led her to the bottom of the clock tower, near the right corner, beside a trash can. Sarah didn't think this spot was particularly romantic or anything.
"Where are we going?" Sarah said, getting a little impatient.
Private smiled slyly and pointed straight up to the bell of the clock tower. Sarah looked up - leading up to that spot was about fifty feet up unblemished, unadorned concrete.
"Maybe you haven't noticed..." Sarah said in her classic sarcastic tone, "but I'm not a ninja like you guys are. How am I supposed to get up there without throwing your back out somehow?"
"You don't have to be a ninja at all to get up there." Private said. "You just have to know one of us."
"Huh?"
Private waddled over to the trash can and touched a wad of ABC gum. Sarah wrinkled her face - that was kind of gross.
"Wait for it..." Private said. He pushed down on the 'gum' (a cleverly painted bit of metal). There were a bunch of mechanical sounds and a penguin-sized portion of the concrete wall slid into the ground, revealing an elevator of Kowalski's invention.
Sarah's eyebrows flew up. "I have to admit - that's pretty cool."
Within a minute or so, they arrived at the top of the building, near the huge bell. Sarah was out first - when she saw the view, she couldn't help but gasp.
"Oh my God... you can see the whole zoo from up here!" she exclaimed.
"It is a nice view, isn't it?" Private agreed.
She smirked at looked over at him. "Makes good distance for surveillance, right?" she said. Private nodded.
Sarah looked up into the sky. There was a crescent moon tonight - it seemed huge from up here. Sarah randomly stuck her flipper high in the air, reaching for something.
"What're you doing?" Private said with a small smile.
"Trying to reach the moon, of course!" Sarah said, as though it were painfully obvious. She glanced back at him. "Don't just stand there - gimme a boost!"
Private smiled and, after Sarah put down her flipper, eased her up so she was standing on his shoulders. She reached up again, but soon lost her balance and sent them both to the ground with a synchronized "OOF!"
Private sat up. There was never really a dull moment when he was with Sarah - when he noticed she was still laying on her side and was making some sort of forced gasping noise.
"Sarah!" he cried, terrified she was hurt, and was about to flip her over when Sarah held out her flipper, stopping him, and rolled onto her back, still making that weird sound. There was nothing wrong with her - she was laughing. Private knew he'd never heard her laugh before - not the way she was now, taking deep gulps of air and snorting out gales of unadulterated laughter. Private didn't really know what was so funny, but he started laughing too, and soon, both of them were unable to breathe, rolling around on the concrete and fell into silent cheese-out. (1)
It took about ten minutes for them to calm down. Both of them were still lying on the concrete, right beside each other. Sarah chanced a look at Private, and got quite a start when their beaks were about a half-inch apart. Her first response was to back away, but then her dad's words filled her mind:
"You'd be in more danger of heartbreak being with a toothpick..."
She didn't really feel the need to think it over. She looked up into the sky and scooted her body a little closer to Private's. He was surprised by this, and very slowly and shyly put his arm around her. He looked up to the sky too, and caught a glimpse of something bright shining in the NYC night sky.
"Ooh! There's a star out tonight!" he said excitedly.
Sarah shook her head (which was resting in the crook of Private's shoulder) and said, "It's probably just a helicopter."
They waited for well over a quarter of an hour, watching the light, but it never moved even a bit. In fact, it almost seemed to twinkle…
"Actually, Private, I think that is a star!" Sarah said, amazed. There weren't many stars in Boston, either - especially not in the indoor penguin habitat.
Private jostled her a little. "Told you!"
Sarah gave him a endearingly dirty look and admitted he was right.
Private paused. Seeing that star made him remember something.
"Speaking of stars," he began, "it's so odd... I've had the same song stuck in my head for about a week now, and I can't even remember where I first heard it."
"Huh." Sarah said, enjoying the star's presence.
Now that Private was reminded of it, the song got stuck in his head again. He quietly sang:
Starry, starry night
Paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer's day
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul...
Sarah froze. Didn't he realize... that was HER song... her heart-song!
Shadows on the hills
Sketch the trees and daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills
In colors on the snowy linen land...
She looked up at him, overjoyed but at the same time a little frustrated he wasn't getting it. His guy-ness had to show up at some point, she thought to herself. Maybe she should help him out - Sarah knew he wasn't the only one hearing strange songs…
She sang over him:
Just a small-town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Just a city boy
Born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere
Private stopped singing when she started and looked down with wide eyes. When she was finished, Sarah looked up. She had a tear in her eye.
"You…" Private sputtered. "You - that was-"
"I know." Sarah said simply.
Something in his eyes told Sarah he finally got it.
"I - was - hearing -"
Sarah nodded.
Private beamed and hugged Sarah tightly. He felt Sarah's tear fall on his feathers.
He tenderly kissed the top of her head. Without any though process whatsoever, Sarah's flippers flew up and redirected Private's face so that they were kissing beak-to-beak - a first kiss for both of them.
It lasted about five seconds, then Sarah suddenly let go and sat up, leaving a dazed Private still laying on the ground. Sarah was blushing like a tomato - not that you could tell over her feathers, but still, you get the principle.
"Oh my God..." Sarah said to herself.
Still in a daze, Private frowned confusedly. He felt exactly the same as that one time he'd been enjoying a butterscotch lollipop and Skipper had yanked it away, telling him there were no sweets before bed allowed…
Private wanted his lollipop back.
He sat up and turned Sarah back towards him, looking her gently in the eye before kissing her again.
Sarah slowly closed her eyes and put her arms around Private's neck, just like he'd shown her when they danced - Sarah felt a flipper on her lower back and another on the back of her head, both pulling her closer.
…
At that exact moment, Skipper was still in the lemurs' habitat, at the party. It was almost one in the morning - his team, at least, should really get back soon.
The song changed - he recognized it immediately, it was one of Private's absolute favorites... maybe they could wait until this song was over...
Wait... where was Private, anyway? He hadn't seen him or Sarah for at least an hour. He looked around - they weren't even here!
He got off the dance floor and stood on top of the lemurs' plastic volcano, looking all over the zoo. He thought he caught a glimpse of black and white on top of the clock tower...
"HEY! RICO!" Skipper yelled down at the party. Rico, who'd been doing disturbing 'grind' dance moves with his doll, looked up. Skipper made a motion indicating he wanted the binoculars.
Rico gagged them up and deftly threw them to Skipper, then immediately resumed his twisted (literally - ew!) dancing. Skipper shivered a little, seeing this, then pointed the binoculars towards the top of the clock tower.
He was prepared to see a lot of things - what he wasn't prepared to see was Private and Sarah, alone at the top of the clock tower, kissing passionately. Of course, that is what he ended up seeing.
He fell off the volcano.
…
At about the same moment Skipper stopped watching, Sarah and Private broke apart, gasping for air.
"Wow..." they both said at the same time.
For the first time in the last hour, Private noticed the music coming from the lemurs'. He smiled when he recognized it:
Your lipstick stains
On the front lobe of my left side brains
I need when we collided
You're the one I have decided
Who's one of my kind…
Private stepped away and held out his flipper. "Care to dance?"
Sarah smirked. "Not the way you showed me before - that's not a dance, that's a slow-mo hug!"
She grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, beginning some sort of swing-jive-lindy hop thing. Private caught on quickly, really enjoying it, and realizing for the first time how well this song fit the two of them…
Hey soul sister
Ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain't fair, you know
Hey soul sister
I don't wanna miss a single thing you do-oooo…
Tonight...
Only too soon, the song was ending. During the final "heys", Private bent over a little and literally swept her off her feet, spinning her around and holding her securely in his arms. Sarah laughed again out of pure joy - she'd never been this happy in her whole life!
As the song ended with "Tonight..." Private slowed down and stopped spinning, kissing her one more time. He wished his night would never end…
He heard clapping. Lots of clapping - he nearly dropped Sarah when he looked away from her and saw Skipper, Kowalski, Rico, his doll, and Vanessa looking at them with huge smiles and applauding. Rico wolf-whistled. Private and Sarah blushed - Private hastily returned Sarah to her feet.
"All right, you two turtledoves," Skipper said patronizingly, "time to go home before you go flying off on Cloud Nine."
"Seriously?" Sarah said. Private was thinking the same thing, but knew better than to question Skipper (even in non-team-related matters like this)
"It is getting late..." Private said regretfully. So much for this night never ending.
Sarah didn't like it, but eventually agreed and walked back to the HQ with everyone else - lagging behind with Private by her side.
As the rest of the penguins (and the doll) went inside the HQ, Private and Sarah stayed outside for a moment, holding flippers.
"Good-night, Sarah." Private said.
"Good-night, Private." Sarah replied. Private looked around, then at the unmoving fishbowl, then quickly kissed Sarah one last time that night. He leaned in close and whispered:
"I love you."
Sarah, who'd gone through enough tonight to not be entirely surprised by this, simply replied, "I love you too... but to we really have to be so clichéd about it?"
"But the clichés are half the fun!" Private argued jauntily "I mean, why fix what isn't broken?"
Sarah didn't really have a good answer. For now, she was happy.
(1) Yeah... at my school, instead of saying someone was laughing, we say they were 'cheesing out'. Thought I'd put it in here for some reason.
Private's Song: "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey
http:/ www . youtube . com/watch?v=rfUYuIVbFg0
Sarah's Song: "Starry Starry Night" performed by Josh Groban
http:/ www . youtube . com/watch?v=sI8fsi_aJ3c&feature=related