A/N: This is the end. But it's a little far from my last Skiju story yet.

Skipper joins Julien in the park at the cusp of darkness. He looks gorgeous - as always - but dusk lighting does him a favor. He kneels on the blanket to smooth out the wrinkles. His rear is now directly in Skipper's line of sight. He squashes potential dirty thoughts, he needs a clean start to this relationship.

Skipper approaches and settles a flipper between his shoulder blades. Julien smiles and arches slightly into the touch. It still surprised him, for someone so tactile, the caliber on which he is touch starved.

"Hello. I would wait forever, sky spirits allowing, but I'm glad we are being on this date at last."

"It has been too long since the last one, hasn't it?" Skipper kisses his cheek. "I missed you, honey."

Julien leans into him and purrs. It's a relief to be in his presence. Away from all the hullabaloo, he relaxes. He sits on the blanket next to Julien and sets out their meal. They chat about trivial this and that as they eat. A couple of times it does veer into deeper territory, such as Skipper's ruined past relationships.

"So this Lola is here now?" Julien wrinkles his nose. "Is she what I was smelling on you?"

"I'm sure she did it on purpose to bother whomever I was seeing. I assure you, I feel nothing of consequence for her."

"Lola was not deserving of you. If she is bugging you, she can be speaking to me," Julien threatens. Skipper chuckles. However, he knows a provoked Julien is a chaotic force.

The park is peaceful and calm as they chat. He discovers Julien faced more difficult trials as King of the lemurs than he could have imagined, from attempted assassinations to wars to attempting to satisfy his people. Julien gradually adjusts his position until he's supporting his weight on his elbows. Skipper lays his head on Julien's belly and closes his eyes, just listening to the lemur talk. Julien idly strokes his feathers.

There's a rustling that he barely hears over Julien's chatter. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots Lola in the tree nearby. She signals him. She has eyes on Archie, and the trap has been laid.

Julien curls around Skipper, pulling back his attention. "I am thinking of the desserts."

"I'm not in the mood for sweets, but you can go ahead."

Julien deflates. "I am not meaning the ones you eat."

The tables have turned. It's usually Julien who misunderstands idioms and other figurative language. Skipper is amused by his mistake. He can blame it on the distraction. Skipper presses himself closer to Julien's side. Julien head dips, just the right amount. Skipper places a kiss on his lips for the first time - then another, and another. A full blown make out session unfolds beneath the pale light of the waning crescent moon. Under the spell of Julien's loving lip movements, Skipper doesn't mind who might be witnessing.

Julien nuzzles his neck. Skipper feels the caress of his tongue on his feathers and gasps. Julien suddenly pulls away. Perhaps he's not ready to take it a step further yet. Skipper looks at him.

There's an odd expression on his face, somewhere between confusion and distress. His hands are shaking. He wraps them around himself to hide it.

He gets to his feet, slow, his gaze distant. It's like he's in a trance. "I must be excusing myself to use the nature's calling."

"Of course."

Skipper watches him disappear into the dense reeds by the pond. He's unnerved now that he's alone in the night. The Creature could be stalking around. He should be vigilante, in case the others require assistance. He regrets allowing Julien to go off.

"Get a hold of yourself soldier. Julien spent most of his life on a wild island, with enemy fossa at all sides ready to rip his limbs off." He'll be just fine... Right?

To divert his nerves, he packs the basket and rolls up the blanket. He decides they should just head back. This was a mistake.

"Hey Julien hurry it -"

Skipper stops in his tracks. The sounds of critters in the park have gone completely silent. He surveys the area as far as his eyes can see. There's no sign of Kowalski, Lola, or anyone else. His heart pounds at the door of his chest, his years of training deserting him in an instant. He takes a defensive stance.

"Show yourself coward."

There's a yell by the pond, "Help me! Oh... Oh no! G-get away!"

It's Archie. Skipper's chest tightens around his race heart. His voice came from roughly the same direction Julien went. He belly slides through the grass and shoves his way through the reeds.

He can hear unearthly snarling. It's followed by soft whimpering. Then a deep, rasping voice says, "Skipper... Protect Skipper."

"I'm sorry I'm sorry! I was just fooling around you know - I didn't know that chemical I threw at him was acidic… I won't hurt him!"

"Eliminate threat… for… for Skipper."

A shadowed figure looms over Archie. He's sobbing now, and a comparatively gigantic clawed hand is holding him down. The other is raised to strike.

"Stop!"

The Creature looks at him, and Skipper's heart leaps into his throat. His eyes gleam, the coloration shifting with every minor twitch, from amber to gold to reddish. However, Skipper would recognize those sunburnt eyes anywhere.

"It's me, your Skip. Please don't do this, you're better than this!"

Julien's expression softens. "Skipper?"

His grip on Archie loosens. The raccoon wriggles free and dashes away. Ropes loop around Julien at lightning speed and pull him to the ground. His expression shifts back to outrage, as he squirms and growls. Kowalski jumps on his back. "Victory! Good work distracting it, sir."

Skipper lifts a wing. "Wait - don't!"

"Huh? But this is clearly the night creature -"

"You don't understand, he's actually -"

With a howl, the monstrous Julien throws Kowalski off and snaps the ropes. He roars at Kowalski, then escapes through the weeds. He's charging toward the zoo. In his reckless state, he might hurt anyone that gets in his way.

He helps Kowalski up, and they make haste in pursuit of Julien.

They arrive to a strange scene. Julien has a hold around Lola's throat as she's dangled in the air.

Below her, Clemson is bruised and tied up. He sneezes violently and trembles. He doesn't look well, but his eyes shine with dark hunger. He speaks with a congested tone, "That's it my pet. Kill her, punish her! She deserves it..."

Clemson's state obviously Lola's handiwork. Skipper recognizes the effects of her venom and style of detaining opponents.

Skipper carefully approaches. He unknowingly made a mistake telling the tale of his past with Lola to Julien during their picnic dinner. It had been a weight lifted from his chest, but at what cost?

Julien pants, "Helps Skipper - makes it better. Punish enemies so they don't hurt Skipper."

Kowalski gapes. "Wait. Is that - is that, Julien? Tesla's test tubes!"

"Language Kowalski!"

"Sorry sir."

"Yes it's him - I don't know how or why but ..."

Lola chokes and claws frantically at the hand around her neck. Skipper reaches out to Julien. He pleads, "Put her down, Ringtail, pronto! This isn't you! You're a good guy, you wouldn't want to kill anyone in cold blood. I know you... I trust you. This is wrong."

Julien growls. He looks baffled by Skipper's words. His eyes dart to Lola. His hold starts to slacken, and his predatory grimace fades.

"Wrong? Not helping?"

"That's it."

His grip loosens enough for Lola to slide out. She slumps to the ground, unconscious. Skipper slips past Julien to check and - she's battered but still alive.

Clemson manages to scoot an inch despite the bondage, but Julien stops him with a vicious growl. His eyes are wide in terror but he berates, "What a great weapon you could've made... Yet even in this feral state you're a sentimental fool!"

Julien whimpers and shakes his head as though trying to loosen something lodged in his ears. Skipper waddles closer and raises his flippers. Julien gently picks him up. Claws scrape his feathers, harmless, with careful reverence. Skipper strokes his muzzle, fear dissipating in the face of this revelation. He ignores Kowalski's panicked gasping sounds.

"It's alright my love. Tiako ianao." (I love you).

There's a low inquisitive growl from Julien. Despite the spectacle he makes with his drooling maw, livid, bloodshot eyes, and three-inch claws, Skipper isn't cowering. Julien is in there somewhere, and he won't hurt him.

"It'll be alright. No matter what it takes, I'll fix this -"

"Skipper! Oh sky spirits ... Did he hurt anyone?"

They turn to see Maurice. Julien wraps his muscular arms around Skipper and growls protectively. Skipper mutters, "To be honest, I could get used to this if you weren't so... Out of your mind with rage."

Louder, he informs Maurice, "Lola and Archie were injured, but they'll live."

"Good... Julien would never forgive himself..."

"Do you know what's going on?" Below him, Clemson starts to cackle maniacally, and a bolt of lightning strikes in the distance.

Maurice raises the can in his hand. He drips out the contents on his other hand, and a white liquid runs over it. "Julien has a terrible allergy to this raw gecko milk. Clemson has been sneaking it to him through this disguise."

Skipper notes with curiosity there's minimalistic art of an aggressively positioned lynx on the front. In different circumstances it'd be funny, that he was onto something there.

"Luckily there's a quick antidote. Catch."

Skipper frees his flipper and catches the small white tablet. He coaxes Julien to swallow it then jumps from his arms. He shrinks to normal size. He stumbles and Skipper wraps his flippers around Julien to steady him. Julien groans and clings to Skipper.

"I'm here, Ringtail."

Maurice drops the can at Clemson's bound feet. "What is the meaning of this?"

Clemson explains, "I had intended for him to kill or at least maim the penguins! Then I would heroically slay the monster and be named the true King of Madagascar! I was hiding in the sewer, but this..." he indicates Lola, "Monkey-thing lady figured me out... She's not nice at all."

Typical of Lola, to pursue the suspect and disregard any collateral damage that may have been caused. She abandoned Kowalski to attempt to handle the creature alone.

"You're insane," Kowalski states.

"A little."

"You had help," Skipper accuses.

"Right. Natalie, the lynx, got the plants off the black market. Savio took geckos from Hoboken's reptile exhibit. You see, the compound for this milk is from sap of a certain plant - it's like catnip for geckos! They lick it, stimulating the pollen that turns into sap. Crush the leaves, add the sap, mix with water and viola!"

"What about the other missing animals?"

Clemson shrugs. "Natalie is a scientist. She identified the allergy in them and used them as test subjects. Savio took care of them afterward."

Skipper can't help it, he slaps the insolent lemur. "You bastard. Innocent lives and for what?"

"Pfft! I wouldn't gotten away with it, if it wasn't for Julien's stupid feelings that he has for you! If only you rejected him like someone sensible. Pathetic."

"Maybe. But at least somebody loves him." Skipper is the one growling and sneering now. "Have fun dying alone, you heartless fiend."

Skipper slaps him again, this time hard enough to knock him out.

Still clinging to his side, Julien murmurs, "Nice one."

Kowalski asks, "Uhh... so, you and Julien, Skipper?"

Maurice crosses his arms. "Is there something I should know?"

"Heh... Well. Julien is - we're kind of... Boyfriends?" Why is he being such an idiot about this? Skipper brings a wing to rest on his own forehead.

Julien perks up, his tail fluffing. "Is it being official now?"

"If you want..."

"I want it very muchly!" Julien gazes at him affectionately and strokes his feathers. Skipper blushes. Julien whispers, "Izaho mbola tia anao kokoa." (I love you more.)

Kowalski and Maurice share a baffled look. They both shrug and smile at the pair.