A/N: Clueless Private, jealous Marlene, cornered Skipper, hurt Kowalski and amused Rico. Title: Rumour has it by Adele.

Chapter 2 – Rumour has it

~Private's POV~

Sundays are my favourite days. The training is always short and after it we have all the time in the world to do as we please, well as long as Kowalski isn't eager to test a new invention. But I don't mind! He seems so happy while doing it. He always waits for Skipper's opinion and is over the moon when he prises him...which is quite rare. I know that most of Kowalski's inventions are good, it's just the fault of...bad luck, I guess. I don't like his 'scientist mood'...he's rude then. But he's nice when he spends time with us and doesn't think about science or Doris. Yesterday, Kowalski was quite depressed because of her. I was worrying about him the whole evening, couldn't sleep at night. I thought that Skipper was anxious too, since I heard him tossing and turning in his bunk. But before Rico burst into the H.Q, Skipper had mumbled in his dream. It went like this: "No Doris...Kowalski must never know." I don't know what this means. Maybe Marlene can help me.

I was thinking about this all while entering Marlene's habitat. " 'ello Marlene!", I greeted her, noticing that she was still in her bed, "Are you alright?" "Yes, I just had a bad night because of your night race." She sulked and sat up. "Oh, I'm sorry, Marlene. It wasn't a race, more a fight...penguins against a haunted car, sort of..." I giggled a little and told her the story. She joined me and we laughed for a good while. As we stopped, I moved to the topic of Skipper's sleep talk. Marlene frowned and jumped out of her bed.

"So, it's true! I can't believe he's doing that to him!" I tilted my head while making her bed, just...a habit of mine. I couldn't stand messy beds and Marlene didn't look as if she even thought about taking care of it. "Doing what? I beg your pardon...but I'm not following you."

I looked confused at Marlene as she paced up and down the length of her cave. "Julien told me that Maurice talked to the chimps. They heard Shelly telling Pinky that she chatted with Doris. She said that Skipper has his eye on her! I didn't believe it at first but now everything makes sense!" I tried really hard to follow what she was saying but I failed, way too much information.
"...who told whom?"
"Private!"
"What? I got lost!"
"Okay, it's not important. What counts is that this news is confirmed. Skipper wants to snake Kowalski's girlfriend."
Finishing my task, I turned to my friend and gasped. "Snake her...like throw her to the terrarium?"
"No! Like take her away from Kowalski, Private." The otter waved with her hands, irritated, probably at me but I wasn't sure what she expected from me. I felt sorry for Kowalski but I couldn't understand what it had to do with Marlene. I stated, as a matter-of-fact: "Well, Doris and K'walski aren't really a couple..."

"But she's Kowalski's crush and Skipper is..." Marlene stopped in the middle of the sentence. She wanted to say that Skipper was her crush, I was sure about it. How she watched him, looked for his company. But I guessed that she wanted to keep it a secret. Finally, I heard her finish the sentence: "...he's an idiot. We have to handle. Where are the penguins now?" I tapped my flipper on the beak, recalling what my friends were doing before I had left our home: "Skippah and Rico are playing card games and K'walski is finalising his new invention in the laboratory."
"Come on!" She cried and dragged me back to my habitat.

~Skipper's POV~

I was winning at Canasta Rummy against Rico, looking at the door of the lab from time to time. Kowalski should leave that musty room and spend some time with me...us. Then, the fishbowl moved, Marlene and Private came in.

"Good idea, Private. Marlene can join us.", I smirked but noticing Marlene's rage the smirk faded away. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong! You're asking what's wrong! You'd tell us what's wrong with you! Betraying Kowalski! Your best friend!" She got furious. I got on my feet and came up to her.
"Stop yelling and don't throw meat at me. I would never-"
"You have an affair with Doris!"
I heard Private's gulp and Rico's prolonged "Uuuuuu..." sound.
"What the heck?! I have never even talked to that dolphin."
"You did yesterday." Marlene hissed.
"And you dream about her..." Private added quietly but after my glare he hid behind the otter. My own soldier! He would feel my wrath later. But until that I needed to come up with an excuse.
"It was a mission and its aim and details are-"
"That you shit on your friendship. What kind of friend, leader, penguin are you?!" The girl kept interrupting me.
„-classified.", I finished my sentence. Marlene sighed and I thought that she was gathering more energy for another blow.

However, the blow didn't come from her but from the side of the lab. The door burst open and Kowalski came out, holding a horn-a-like thing. "I finalized the ear-dropper.", he's voice was shaking. I couldn't read much from his expression.
"What does it do, K'walski?" Still hiding behind the otter, Private peeked over curiously.
"Allows to listen to conversations behind solid walls, eavesdropping, goes like clockwork...I have just tested it. Now, all of you leave me alone with Skipper..."