This first chapter below? That damn near killed me. D8 Longest thing I've ever written in my entire life!
Worth it though. Well, ladies and gentlemen, here goes a endeavour that's probably going to exhaust me by the end of the month. At least I had fun writing this, and I hope you have fun reading it!
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Rose groaned, straightening for what seemed to be the thousandth time today. She turned on the faucet, pleased to see that water came running out clear and cold.
And someone banged on the door, spoiling the moment entirely. Rose grumbled angrily and hobbled towards the door, her ankles sore from balancing her whole weight on her toes all day. She opened the door, and stopped short of introducing herself. Instead, she said nothing, her mouth open in a perfect O.
"Miss me, sugar?" the tall mouse in front of her asked. She stared at him dumbly, before she suddenly raised her fist to strike his cheek. He caught her, smiling, and pulled her against him, wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.
"Oh God, where were you?" Rose mumbled. He sighed.
"I can't tell you. I'm sorry."
"Okay." She snuggled against him, willing to ignore where he'd been if he stayed with her for just a little while more.
"How are the kids?" he asked, performing a bit of a waltz until he manuevored indoors and shut the door.
"Rackette's doing wonderful. She has two kids, they're wonderful, you should see them."
"And Modo?"
Rose's lower lip trembled. "I don't ... I've got no idea where he is. There was a shift in power and something happened and he was captured by Plutarkians. Oh, God, he could be dead." She started to cry, and he stroked her face.
"He's alive, Rose. We taught that boy well. He's alive."
"I wanna believe that, Gamut, I do, but .. I haven't heard from him in so long. Surely he'd at least try and contact me once."
"Maybe he can't," Gamut suggested. "He might be offworld somewhere, like Saturn or Orion."
"Maybe," Rose said. She tried to wrap her arms around her husband's chest, but only succeeded partly. "Oh, Gamut.. I missed you. We missed you."
"I know, sugar." He held her tightly, closing his eyes. "And you're gonna miss me more."
"Wha-" she started, staring at him in shock when he let her go. "Where are you going?!"
"Sugar, I'm taking a huge risk seeing you like this." He looked down at her, sorrowfully. "For both of us."
"Why? Where are you living?" She pressed her hands to his chest. "Baby, I can't take it if you leave again. Please, please, don't do this to me."
"Sugar..." He pressed his forehead to hers, bending his antenna away from hers. "You gotta accept this one answer- if I tell you where I am, and you come running after me like you always do, damn you, you and Rackette and Modo and our grandchildren will die. All of them. Including me. I've been forced to work for dangerous people, Rose. I can't have you being roped into the same thing."
"Gamut.." Tears ran down Rose's cheeks. "Okay. Okay. I'll wait for you."
"Thank you, sugar." He smiled. "Ssshhh. I have a opportunity coming soon."
"Oh, baby," Rose said, and bent her head against Gamut's chest, sobbing. He held her for a while more, then let her go. He reached into a pocket and pulled out a metal ring, red with a white stone.
"I'm gonna come back for this," he said firmly, pressing it into the palm of his wife's hand. "Keep it safe for me."
"Okay." She smiled through her tears, and waved as he swung onto his bike and rode off. "Damn you. Damn you, you bastard. I love you."
Two years later...
"Rackette!" Rose shouted. "Did you water those plants like I asked you to?"
"Yes, Momma!" she shouted back from her perch on the roof.
"All right," the elder grey mouse murmured. "Rackette's painting the roof, the dishes are- Oh!" Rose bent down to pick up a leaf from a plant. As she did so, a object fell out of her pocket and onto the floor. She picked the object up, staring at it. Tears starting brimming in her eyes as she placed the red ring back in her pocket.
"Dammit, Gamut.. when are you gonna come back for that?" she wondered out loud.
"Momma!" Rackette yelled from her perch on the roof. "Someone's coming!"
Rose hurried outside, and gasped.
Three bikes were headed straight for her house. This was a normal occurence since she did sell mead and maps as of late, but it was the bikers themselves that startled her.
"Oh God, Modo!" she shouted and ran towards them, with all her might. "Where have you been?!"
"Momma," he said, stopping and getting off his bike. He opened his arms wide and caught her in a bear hug. "Oh Momma, I missed you.."
"You missed your curfew," Rackette said lazily, swaggering up to them.
"Both of you," Rose said, her voice muffled by Modo's bulk. "Quit it."
"Hi, Miss Rose," Throttle said, grinning widely. "It's good to see you again."
"Modo- Modo, let me go, honey. I need to hug other people too." Modo let her go, and she turned to wrap her arms around Throttle and Vinnie. The she noticed the slim woman sitting on Vinnie's bike behind him. "Who are you?"
"Charlene Davidson," the woman said, removing her helmet. Rose held back a gasp at her obviously alien features.
"You're human," the grey mouse said. "In all my years I never thought I'd get to meet a human."
"Hi to you too," Charley said, smiling. Rose hugged her as well, reasoning that if her son associated with this woman she had to be of at least decent standing.
Inside, thirty minutes later, food had been served and eaten with gusto, and Modo was just finishing the story of how they got to Earth, and what happened there.
"So Charlene's your mechanic?" Rackette asked, interested.
"Yep. The best in all of Chi-town." Charlet puffed up slightly at Modo's praise.
"SuH humans," Throttle said as he set down his glass of mead.
"Huh?" Charley asked.
"Explain later," the tan mouse said quickly. "This is really good mead, Rose. Where'd you buy the stuff?"
Rose snorted. "No way. I made it."
"Momma!" Modo stared at her, shocked. "That's illegal!"
"I sell it too," Rose added, grinning at the trio of shocked faces. "What? Nobody is going to prosecute me out here. It's the only liquor you can buy that's actually worth what it's priced at."
"Still, it's illegal," Modo said firmly. "You shouldn't be doin' it."
"Hhhmmm," Rose said, in a warning tone. Modo wisely stopped pressing the subject, but he didn't have any more mead either.
Rose sighed, stretching her arms high above her head. "Well, I am full and exhausted. How about you four?"
"We're good," the three Biker Mice and Charley replied in unison.
"I think I'll take this glorious mead and park on the couch, if'n you don't mind," Vinnie said. "Where do you keep your action movies?"
Rose smiled. "Top shelf. Don't spill it or I'll kill you."
"Yes ma'am," Vinnie muttered.
Rose .. rose and headed up the stairs. As she did so, she stumbled, caught herself on the rail, and the red ring again fell from her breast pocket. She picked it up, examined it and put it back in her pocket.
"A wedding ring, Momma?" Modo asked, rising.
"I found it," Rose said quickly. Modo narrowed his eye slightly.
"Are you sure you found it?"
"Yes, Modo." She smiled at him, but it wasn't heartfelt.
"Because if you're getting remarried, I can deal with that. I mean, it's been a while since Dad left and I'm sure he doesn't care-"
"Don't you say things like that about him!" Rose said sharply. She went up to her son, grabbed his chestplate and pulled him down slightly. "Don't ever say anything like that again, got it?"
"Yes, Momma," Modo said softly. "I'm sorry."
"Hummm." She whipped around and stalked back up the stairs, reminding herself over and over again that she loved her son.
"What was that about?" Charley asked Modo, coming out from the bathroom. Modo sighed.
"It's a long story," he replied. He headed up the stairs to his old room, leaving a confused Charley to guess as to who 'he' was.
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Rose sighed, flopping a arm across her forehead. It didn't suprise her that Modo still harboured anger against his father, but ever since Gamut's visit Rose's love for him had been renewed. She regretted Modo's feelings, but she had long ago learned that Modo would feel whatever the hell he wanted to, and only by serious persuasion would he change his mind. And Rose wasn't in the mood for serious persuasion. She just wanted to sleep...
"Take that back!" Modo shouted from downstairs. There was laughter, grunting, and then the sound of breaking glass. Then ominous silence. If they'd only just keep quiet!
"You're paying for that," Vinnie said.
"You broke it!" Modo exclaimed.
"You started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Oh, God." Rose hauled herself out of bed, tromped down the stairs, grabbed two brooms and threw them at Modo and Vinnie. "Now will you keep quiet? You two are worse than toddlers!"
"Sorry," they mumbled.
Rose went back up the stairs, her body complaining in earnest that she'd been working too hard. Again, she flopped down on her bed, rolling over onto her stomach. She closed her eyes, welcoming the invitation of sleep-
"If you hadn't broken it we wouldn't have to clean it up!" Modo bellowed. Rose squeezed her eyes shut, silently cursing her son to remain forever mute. It didn't work.
"If you hadn't started it we wouldn't be having this talk in the first place!" Vinnie shouted back.
"BE QUIET!"
There was absolute, peaceful, silence. Rose smiled blissfully, and slept.
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Cookies for reviews! ^.^
Next chapter we get to see how- er, probably shouldn't give it away. heh. Just know that the next chapter won't be nearly as long as this one.
