Private returned to the cave feeling slightly disgruntled and very hot and bothered. Ruby was sitting down in the middle of the room with her flippers crossed. She looked up at him as he entered. "And where have you been?" She questioned.

"Oh, just mucking about in the forest," he snapped. "And let me guess, you've been busy planning your dream wedding over there?" He stood in front of her, suddenly angry, and she stood up. "I've got news for you though, Ruby, I am not looking forward to this occasion in any way. This is never how I pictured my wedding, and I do not want to be married to you. I am sorry, but I do not love you, and I will never have any romantic feelings for you. Ever. And I am not staying here. Even if I have to run away, there is no way I will waste away my life in this forsaken hunk of forest. I don't belong here, Ruby. Can't you see that?"

She took a breath and stood up, a flash of hurt in her eyes. "Listen," she said quietly, "I know you're upset. But this isn't exactly the ideal situation for me either. I want to fall in love with somebody too. I dreamed my husband would at least love me."

He sighed and scratched his head, his anger ebbing away. There was awkward silence for a few moments. Finally, he broke it. "I'm leaving in a couple hours."

"What? Why? Are you running away?"

"No, I'm going to see...Abernathy. With Tom." Private turned away and walked to the other side of their cave to gather up some extra food he could bring along with him. He knelt down, feeling Ruby's dumbfounded stare locked onto his back. "He told me that this penguin could have some answers for me. I'm supposed to meet Tom at sunset."

As he was picking up some fruit, Ruby walked over to him. "You might not want to bring anything," she advised, shaking her head. "People would get suspicious if they saw you leaving with him….looking like you're going on some sort of trip. Leaving anyway would seem scandalous enough, but it wouldn't help leaving with a guy who half the village already questions."

Private stopped in his track and looked up at her. "What do you mean, questions?"

She looked surprised. "You know, I forgot. I still keep getting this weird feeling you've lived here much longer than you have."

He still looked confused. "That's right," she sighed. "You haven't had any time with most of the villagers, so you never had a chance to listen to the town gossip. Well," she leaned in close, her voice barely above a whisper now. "You see, a lot of the townsfolk think that Thomas-Tom, that is, might be gay. I'm not sure why, but as long as I've known there's always been suspicions. Of course, he's good friends with Shift. Abernathy too, strangely enough, considering Abernathy was exiled a long time ago. Anyway, nobody's ever had the balls enough to seriously accuse him of anything. Too afraid of the condescension from Shift, I suppose."

Oh, the irony of this conversation. Private thought numbly. If only she knew. Probably better she doesn't though. "Who...who exactly is Shift. Is he like the leader here or something? Like….like a commanding officer of some sorts?"

Ruby blinked and leaned away. "Well, no. Not exactly. Not officially anyway. Everybody here seems to see him that way though. He's respected greatly, so he might as well be like the mayor around here. Even though he denies it, everybody looks to him for the answers. He makes most of the major decisions. With voting also, of course. His father was the same way, I here. Well, his father actually was the mayor. He used that title with pride. Shift, though….he got rid of that position when his father died and passed it along to him. Said he didn't want to end up such a….Well, apparently his dad was very strict, and almost tyrannic. Basically, he wasn't an easy penguin to get along with. He didn't really like….anyone."

Private stared at her as she talked through her little monologue. Interesting, he thought. I wonder who Abernathy was….And why he was evicted….Or exiled, I think she said. Hm? Oh, well, whatever. Who cares what word it was. Private, why are you talking to yourself? Oh, shut up, I think she's talking to you again!

He looked outside the cave entrance from where he was and saw the sun was about to set. "Well," he interrupted. "I'd better get going. See you tomorrow Ruby."

He stood up and worry crossed her features. "You better not be late for our wedding," she teased lightly. However, her voice gave away the fact that she actually was concerned that might happen.

"Don't worry," he eased, placing a flipper on her shoulder. "I'll be back." He hurried to the opening, a cluster of berries in his flipper. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Uhm, if anybody….asks about me, will you cover for me?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'll just say you're preparing for….your half. Or maybe that you're….I don't know, uhm….Oh! I'll just tell them you're out getting a feel for the land around and making preparations for the honeymoon! After all, if you're going to live here, you need to be acquainted with the territory."

Private nodded. "Right, well, I'll be off then. Thanks, Ruby. Bye." He left and headed immediately towards the village's campsite. He ate a few of the berries along he way, feeling anxious. It took about ten minutes to get there, considering he was walking slowly. By the time he did, he had eaten half the berries and the sun was just starting to set. He looked around for Thomas, but couldn't find him, so he sat himself down on a bench.

Most of the other penguins were busy milling about and chatting. A few passing by kindly greeted him, but other than that, no one bothered him. In the five minutes it took Tom to show up, he had already eaten the rest of the berries. In fact, he was popping the last one into his mouth just as Tom showed up. "Sorry," he mumbled guiltily, his voice slightly muffled from the food. "I did bring these for the way there, but well…." He looked down at the barren cluster of stems in his flipper. "I got hungry…?"

Tom chuckled. He seemed to be in a good nature, at least. Then again, he usually did. He sat down carefully next to Private. "That's alright," he told him. "We'll find food on the way there." They sat in silence for a few minutes. "The sunset is lovely, isn't it?" He murmured, smirking and glancing at the slightly smaller penguin beside him. "Almost as lovely as you," he breathed. Private's feathers turned crimson. Is the whole trip going to be like this? I'm not sure if I hate it…or if I love it.

He gulped and looked away. "D-Don't you think w-we should g-get going, then?" He stammered.

Tom nodded, and stood up, holding out his flipper. Private stared at him, eyes wide, before delicately slipping his soft flipper over his. "Come on," Tom said to him. *"Allons-y."

*Didya catch the Dr Who reference? x) If you didn't, and you don't know what it means, Allons-y means "let's go" in French. If you are a fellow whovian, I was just watching Dr Who, and I was re-reading chapter nine, and for some reason Tom just kinda reminded me of the 10thdoctor. I felt allons-y fit here.

On the way there the two of them didn't talk much. Well, actually, Thomas talked quite a lot, but Private wasn't really sure what to say. All he could think about the whole hour it took them to find the place, he couldn't stop thinking about the last time he had been in a forest….with Tom….

"Here we are!" Tom called out, suddenly lunging ahead of Private into a hanging screen of leaves and moss. Private followed him curiously. There was a small space which wasn't exactly a cave, but had the cover of an outcropping rock. In the corner, sitting beside a small clear pool of water, was an elderly looking penguin. Most of his feathers were gray. The ones that used to be white were even lighter gray; they almost appeared silver.

"Abernathy!" Tom greeted, approaching the older penguin with an easy grin. Private followed behind cautiously. This penguin looked as if he was around the same age as Shift. Perhaps they knew each other?

"Ah, hello there, Thomas." Abernathy smiled and accepted the offered hug before gesturing for him and Private to sit across the pond from him. "Who is your friend?"

"Oh, this is Private." Tom told him. "He's….seeking your help. I thought you could tell him your story….maybe give him some advice."

Something unexplainable flashed in Abernathy's eyes and he nodded before turning to look closely at Private. "What seems to be the matter, young Private?"

Private slowly explained his story, conveniently leaving out the fact that he was in love with one of his friends back home. He did tell him about his predicament with the wedding, with the re-population, and also with his issue of sexuality.

Abernathy smiled sadly when Private told him. "My heart goes out to you," he rumbled sympathetically. "I do not know if I will be able to really help you…." Private looked down in disappointment. "However," he continued. Private looked back up quickly. "I would be more than willing to share my story." He shared a glance with Thomas before beginning.

"You see, I've known about who I am for a very long time. I grew up just….knowing." He sighed. "I grew up side by side with Shift, your leader now. We were the absolute best of friends. I was an orphan. His father willingly took me in; he liked me. At the time being, that is. Of course, his father didn't know about my sexuality. Only Shift did. And he accepted me for it. It was his father who established the ordinance outlawing….homosexual relationships or actions of any kind. It was because of two males he found kissing. He then had them hanged….publicly. For all to see. Everybody had to watch; we didn't have a choice. Of course, I was still young. Only a teenager. I was devastated, heartbroken, and traumatized. Of course, Shift was there for me. He kept my secret, and comforted me. Told me it was all going to be okay."

Abernathy closed his eyes. "Then there was that one fateful day…." He opened them again. "We were older, young adults. And I had fallen desperately, head over heels in love, with my best friend- Shift. It was the most amazing feeling in the whole world. We were the best of friends. Oh yes, so so very close, we were. Yet, at the same time, it was terrifying. I was so, so afraid that he would find out, and that he would hate me for it….in my head there was no way he could feel the same. Besides, he was already promised to another. He was engaged to be married. But one day, he was so stressed out about it. I thought it was simply because it was arranged, and he didn't know her that well. Or that it was re-wedding anxiety. Questioning it all, you know? I was wrong."

Shift paced back and forth in his room, flippers over his head. He felt like he was going mad. He was so stressed lately, he could hardly hear himself think. There were so many emotions, and so many feelings all running through his brain. He couldn't tell them apart really. He had only one certainty.

Abernathy walked inside and closed the door behind him. He rushed over to his friend and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, rubbing his back comfortingly. "Shh, shh, there there. It will all be alright. I'm sure you and Christina will be just fine. Maybe you don't love her now, but in time I assure you, you will. This is probably just the normal pre-wedding jitters anyway."

Shift pulled away and looked up at him sadly. "No, no, don't you see? I don't love her and I never will….Because….I am in love with somebody else."

Abernathy's heart drummed madly in his chest and he searched his best friend's eyes hastily. "Who?" His breath was hardly a whisper as his pulse thrummed on and on like an awakened drumbeat. (can you hear the drums, whovians?) Suddenly, Shift closed the distance, and their beaks were pressed together. An electric tingle raced all the way through their spines and into each other, as if they were suddenly bound together by some mystical energy.

Private stared at Abernathy in awe as he recounted this event. He continued, "From then on, we were secret lovers. He played the Romeo to my Juliet. Except, we lived together, and his dad was rarely present. Our months together were filled with days of joy and nights of endless passion. He stirred my heart and awakened my body in a way nobody ever has before. I'd like to believe I did the same. We were inseparable- even more so than before." He let out a weak, shuddering breath. "We were soulmates."

Private's heart clenched and he looked at Tom, who was already staring at him with an intense gaze of longing and….who knows what else? Private didn't. He looked away, embarrassed, and listened as Abernathy continued.

"We were happy. That is, until a certain unplanned night….His father was supposed to be away from home for a couple of days. But he came home early and decided to surprise us...He barged into Shift's room when he got home, while him and I were on the floor, kissing each other. I swear, he nearly had an epileptic fit. He immediately kicked me out….for good. He didn't punish his son, but rescheduled the wedding for sooner, and kicked me out of the village. Of course he didn't tell anybody why, so as not to shame his son. He would have tortured and killed me….like he did with so many others, but then he would have had to reveal that his son was also gay, and he would undergo the same treatment. Me and Shift….we never even got to say goodbye. Of course, by the sounds of it, Shift instills the same rules and….well, I know he has become hardened. Maybe he is not quite as bad as his father was, but he is still a changed penguin. He is the rightful ruler now. He could have changed the laws; he could have brought me back, or at the very least come to visit. But no." Abernathy paused, and there was a few moments of silence. Finally he resumed.

"Don't get me wrong. I have no resentment for him. I still love Shift with every fiber of my being, in every depth of my heart. I always will, until the day I die." He sighed. "I just hope he never forgets that."

Private felt a tear drip from the corner of his pale blue eye down his cheek and allowed Tom to wipe it away for him. He looked up at Abernathy desperately. "Please," he begged. "Please, you have to help me."

He shook his head sadly, his own eyes glistening. "I am sorry, young Private...There is nothing I can do to help."

"Please! Couldn't you just...just go and talk to him? He would listen to you, I think!" Private pleaded, his eyes huge now.

Abernathy just continued to shake his head. "I am afraid not," he sighed. "He wouldn't." His voice was barely audible. "I am so so sorry for your predicament, young Private, but there is nothing I can do. Perhaps it would be best for you to just live out your life here...maybe it will be a lie, but that is better than isolation...Go now….and good luck…."

Private gulped, tears now freely running down his face, and did exactly what Abernathy said. He left.

***Warning**There is a mature scene coming up soon depicting mature content between two males consisting of a lot of kissing/touching/oral. No penetration, but aforementioned content included*You can skip if it makes you uncomfortable, but some of the in-between dialogue and thoughts are important to plot and story.***

A sense of shame washed over Private as he sat there in silence. Him and Tom had found a cozy little den not too far from where Abernathy lived and decided to settle down there for the night. There was a lovely little pond with a beautiful waterfall pouring into it right outside the entrance. Currently, Private was seated at its edge, his feet dangling just above the crystal blue waters.

He felt ashamed because when hearing Abernathy's story, his seemed refreshing in comparison. He couldn't help think he was such a fool; surely there was no hope yet.

He heard Thomas approaching him from behind, and didn't bother looking up. He continued staring at his reflection even as the other penguin sat right beside him. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" He commented. Private finally looked at Tom, who was staring at the waterfall. His eyes seemed distant, and so full of emotion and a sense of almost...destitute nature. Tom turned to meet his gaze and sadly smiled.

Finally, Private couldn't contain it any longer. "Why did you kiss me earlier?" He asked bluntly.

Thomas blinked in confusion before realizing what he was talking about. When he did, his eyes became blank and he sighed before shaking his head in befuddlement. "I don't know what it is about you, Private….but something about you makes me feel like I am falling in love….all the time." Private gulped, and suddenly, Tom was leaning in.

Their beaks locked together softly, and Tom wrapped his flippers around the smaller penguin. He moved his mouth against, flippers running across Private's chest. Private shivered, and found himself pushing into the kiss. He flung his own flippers around Thomas's neck, pulling him down closer as sparks flew between the two.

Suddenly, Tom pulled away, his eyes sad, stood up, and walked back into the cave. Private hurriedly climbed to his feet and followed. "Tom!" He cried out. He approached him and spun him around to face him. "Thomas, what is it? What's wrong?"

"You don't love me," Tom whispered, cupping a flipper over Private's face and smiling sadly. "You love somebody else; I can see it in your eyes. You don't want me, you want him. Whoever the lucky man is."

Private shook his head. "Maybe Abernathy is right," he choked out. "Maybe I should just stay here and live a quiet, normal life...with Ruby...and you...Maybe I should just..." Silent tears fell from his eyes and his voice cracked.

"Shh! No," Tom urged, putting a flipper over Private's beak. "You mustn't say those things. You can never say those things, Private. You can't give up. Please, Private, promise me you will never give up."

Private shook his head and frowned, more liquid seeping from luminescent baby blue pearls. "I think," he breathed, "It would be easier for me and everybody else to just stay here. I think it would be easier…." His voice seemed to muffle out to a halt, and he leaned into Thomas's comforting touch. Tom drew away his flipper and grabbed both of Private's.

"It doesn't matter what you think," Thomas whispered. "It matters what you feel."

Private stared more deeply into his eyes. "And right now," Private gushed. "I feel that right now, I am here, and you are here. Nobody else is here, right here, right now, but you and me. And I feel that right here, right now, I want to kiss you..." His voice was silky, and it made Tom's heart melt, stop, and shake all at once.

Private pulled Tom to him, placing a velvety kiss on the corner of his beak before connecting their mouths. Finally, Tom threw his inhibitions out the window, and wrapped his flippers around Private's waist. He led him to the wall, pushing Private up against it. He pressed his tongue against his beak, begging for entrance. Private permitted it. He felt around the roof and sides of Private's tongue before colliding it with the other tongue.

He brought his flipper up the side of Private's leg, tracing patterns over his thigh and brushing just barely across his tail feathers. Their tongues now engaged in a fierce battle for dominance….That is, Private tried to somewhat control Tom's, but ended up just giving in and letting the other penguin take the lead.

With every touch, Private's feathers flamed brighter than they were before. Little jolts of electricity crawled up his spine and his legs. Tom broke away from the kiss only to say something. "It's time to pick up from where I left off last time." His voice was husky and low. His already dark eyes were darker with lust and arousal, almost black in color now.

He pressed his beak to the side of Private's neck, and Private leaned his head back to allow further access. His head was spinning, his legs were weak, and his lungs felt just about ready to collapse. His breath was coming in heavier and heavier, as if he had just run a marathon. He could feel himself starting to harden already. What is that? He wondered. That's never happened before.

Thomas trailed his beak all the way up Private's neck, ruffling the feathers in a way that made Private have to bite back a moan. He slowly dragged his other flipper up to Private's rear and started stroking his tail feathers. Private did moan this time, his whole body shivering and strange erotic sensations wracking his whole body with pleasure.

Tom opened his beak and slipped out his tongue, dragging down the way he came up until he reached his collarbone. Private wriggled beneath him and Thomas continued, lining up tender open-mouthed kisses all the way along his collarbone. He then moved to the front of his neck, and started nibbling just at the very base. One flipper came up to the nape of Private's neck and stayed there, cupped against the warm feathers.

Suddenly, Private felt himself being pushed onto the cave floor, and Tom was climbing on top of him. He felt his face flush and Tom stared down at him, breath heaving. Private pressed a flipper softly against Thomas's chest. "I-Ive never d-done anything like this before," he admitted in between gasps. "I don't think I'm ready to actually….well, uhm, you know, do the….umm."

Tom chuckled and swept his flipper across Private's face. "That's quite alright," he assured. "I find it adorable, actually….I find you, adorable…."

For an instant, Private pictured Skipper. Skippah…. What would Skipper think, if he saw this? Private blushed. Well, that would be awkward if it was anybody watching this. But, still…..if he knew…. He gulped. Stop thinking about that and just enjoy.

Thomas kept staring down at him. "Are you ready?" He murmured. Private nodded, and he lowered his head. He carefully began lining a path of kisses horizontally along his chest. Private gasped at the sudden contact, his mind racing. He closed his eyes, and suddenly, he was thinking about Skipper….

Tom swirled his tongue through the other penguin's feathers, and ran his flippers up to grab Private's. He rubbed them gently and continued downward. His beak ran down Private's stomach and lower abdomen. Private moaned loudly, bucking his hips involuntarily upwards. Tom glanced up, and thought about how deliciously sexy it looked to him when he did this. Private was still thinking about Skipper.

Tom slowly ran both flippers down Private's body and brought them hesitantly down to his pelvis. Private gasped as his erection slipped out of its sheath, and Thomas smirked at the sight of it while blushing. Private squirmed a little, his whole body feeling on fire as he quivered. Tom touched it with just the edge of his flipper and smoothly ran it along his entire length.

Private was now giving out heaving gasps as his whole body convulsed suddenly in a quake of new, intense pleasure and desire.

Thomas used his other flipper to touch the bottom, sliding it up and down very slowly. He was now rubbing both sides of Private's member, soft flippers brushing in opposite ways, gradually picking up speed.

What is this what is this what is what is what is what is what what what what what what what what. Those were the thoughts echoing through Private's skull as he gasped and heaved on the floor. In his mind, he saw Skipper there, touching him….kissing him….pleasuring him….And he felt dreadfully guilty.

In an instant, Thomas was nudging Private with his beak, and sliding his tongue all the way across. He made him endure a few more rough strokes as he continued to pulse and harden. He then slipped him into his mouth and continued.

Private cried out, opening his eyes finally as Thomas proceeded to engage him. He felt the scraping, the licking, the sucking, the blowing. He felt every slight and exaggerated movement of Tom's jaw, and he felt the pressure of his member bulging and pleading for release. This felt like insanity to him.

And yet, the waterfall gushed serenely in the background, adding a calm sort of ambiance to this intimate situation.

Finally, he purged himself just after Tom let him out. He lay there, gasping and shaking, as Tom pulled himself back up. His flippers began tracing every line, every inch, every tense quivering spot on Private's tired body. He kissed his forehead, and wrapped him up in his embrace.

Private closed his eyes, and returned the hug. They lay there in silence. He wasn't aware of anything going on until just before he fell asleep, when his brain dreampt its last conscious thought.

I wish it was Skippah.

*Next Time*

"Maybe you regret what happened between us, but I don't."

Private was beginning to wonder if he even knew what love was at all.

"That was then. This is now. And you have made a very bad mistake here today."

The world stood still as his soul whispered 'goodbye.'

Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And that little scene, eh? Don't worry...Pripper is still and will always be endgame. ;) I know...it was semi painful to write...because, it was honestly not at all what I planned. I did plan for the moment in the last chapter, when Tom confirmed Private's suspicions, and showed him why he was helping him...But originally I had planned for that to be a one time thing and for nothing to be between them at all afterwards xD. I don't know, sometimes when you're a writer, the characters sorta take a life of their own and string you along to events and reactions in your story that you yourself didn't even expect to happen. Well, anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review! It really helps, with morale especially. :)

xx~xCicix