The auburn haired woman sighed as she straightened, and wiped a hand across her brow, leaving an oily smear on her forehead. She wiped her hands on a rag as she made her way to the drivers side of the truck and turned the key. The engine roared to life, and she grinned, satisfied.
"Sounds like you fixed it Charley?" Asked Pete as he came into the garage. Charley turned off the engine and dropped the keys in his outstretched hand.
"She's purring like a kitten." Charley smiled. "Try and keep her that way for a while, yeah?" Pete grinned at her.
"Sure thing." He laughed, his body wobbling with the effort. Charley chuckled, but Pete had sobered fast. "You ok? You look tired."
"I'm fine." Charley dismissed him with a gentle wave of her hand.
"Really? Your eyes say differently." Pete's face creased in concern. Charley turned her back on him.
"Honestly Pete, I'm fine." Pete smiled sadly as he realised the cause of her tiredness.
"Still worried about them?" Charley looked over her shoulder at him and sighed.
"Stupid, isn't it. They've survived so much, and yet I worry about a routine trip to Mars."
"Well I can't blame you. They said it would be what, two weeks? And how long has it been now, four? Five?"
"Six and five days." Charley replied in a flat tone. Pete placed a consoling hand on her shoulder.
"They will be back. I'm sure they will." Charley gave a small smile. Pete pushed money into her hand.
"Hey, Pete! I don't need this, come on!" Charley protested, trying to give it back.
"Nonsense. You need it to keep this place open. Call it payment for the truck. You need all the help you can get what with Limburger breathing down your neck for this place. Decent people like you need to stay open." Pete said, his hands on her shoulders. Pulling her into a brief hug, he dropped a kiss on the top of her head and turned to leave. "And close up, you need the rest!" He ordered as he climbed into the truck. Charley laughed.
"OK, OK." She waved him out, then surveyed her garage with her hands on her hips. Try as she might, she couldn't stop the yawn that came out. Maybe it was a good idea that she had an early night after all. Dreaming of a hot bubble bath and a movie night, she closed the shutters on the garage and set the alarms, then trudged up her ladder and got ready for a bath.
An hour later, she lay on the sofa, ready to watch the latest James Bomb movie with a glass of wine and some double chocolate chip cookies. Her hair had been washed and dried and was tied up in a messy bun, and she wore an overlarge t shirt and slouchy thick socks. Her bath had completely relaxed her, and she had pampered herself completely, catching up on all the girly habits that she hadn't done for a while. Her nails shone, recently buffed and manicured, the polish smooth and deep purple. She had dug out some lotions from a Christmas present that she had never used, and had moisturised her whole body. Her face had been subjected to a face pack, and she felt clean, fresh, and cosy. She curled up on the couch and settled down to watch her movie, trying to ignore the fact that three people were missing from her lounge for her movie night.
As the familiar strains of the James Bomb theme floated across the lounge, the young woman tried to focus on the opening credits, and not on the fact that the two plush armchairs were missing two very large mice. Modo would sit across the one on the left, his long legs draped over the arm of the chair, one arm behind his head. Throttle would sit opposite him in the other chair, his feet propped up on the table in the middle as he slouched in the comfortable chair. Charley stretched her legs out and felt the unfamiliar space on the couch. Vinnie would usually laze on the sofa with her, his legs bent in an A frame as his head rested on the squashy arm, covering the seat in popcorn as he threw it in the air and tried to catch it with his mouth. The other two would poke fun at him, chuckling at his failure, and Vinnie would grin and brush it off, like he always did. Charley smiled at the familiar mental image, and squeezed her eyes shut as a pang of loneliness hit her. A single tear trickled down her cheek, and she opened her eyes with a little cough, angrily brushing the offending liquid away, then focussed on the movie.
It was late when the film ended, and the flickering screen cast an eerie light on her, curled up fast asleep on the comfy sofa. She jerked awake suddenly, then swore loudly as she realised that she had missed most of the movie. Sighing resignedly, she finished her wine and ate a cookie, then turned the TV off. A noise out in the garage made her halt on the way to bed. Turning slowly, she listened carefully. A small click, magnified in the silence, echoed around the quiet building. Slowly, Charley made her way back to the bottom of the stairs and picked up the baseball bat that she kept close. It was crude, but it would do until she could reach the blaster that Throttle had given her. Unfortunately, she kept it in the workbench drawer, on the other side of the garage. Silently, she crept into the kitchen, and slipped through the swinging door as quickly and quietly as possible. She stopped for a moment and let her eyes adjust to the gloom. She couldn't see anyone, and she quickly stole across the floor, keeping out of the patches of moonlight and moving with small steps.
As she reached the workbench, there was a slight noise behind her, and she whirled around to the right, her bat swinging. There was a loud crunch, and the bat came to a sudden stop. She tried to pull it back, but it was stuck. The lights flicked on, and Charley's mouth dropped open as she realised that her bat was held firmly in Modo's metal grip. He smirked at her, and easily lifted the bat out of her hand. Charley turned, and saw Vinnie grinning at her. Throttle stood by the light switch, his hand still on it as he looked at her, amusement twitching at the corner of his mouth.
"Hey Charley-girl." He murmured, and Charley felt her heart flutter. She stared at them, comprehension dawning on her face as they came closer to her. She waited until they got close enough, and then her hand snaked out quickly and slapped their arms, hard. All three mice winced and shrank from her fury.
"Six and half weeks! You told me two! No call, no message to say you were OK, nothing! I have been going out of my mind with worry! Didn't you even think about that? And you just show up, expecting everything to be alright? Well it isn't! I was worried sick about you guys! Where have you been?" She finished, out of breath, and her hands firmly planted on her hips. The mice hung their heads, looking for all the world like they were naughty school children.
"We're sorry Charley-ma'am." Modo said in a small voice. "Things took a little longer on Mars than we thought they would."
"We wanted to come back, we really did!" Vinnie protested as Charley raised an eyebrow at them, unconvinced.
"We missed you Charley-girl." Throttle murmured, raising his head. His green shades hid his eyes, but Charley felt his gaze piercing through her, and she felt her resolve crumbling. She knew she had to stay angry, but she just couldn't. Sighing heavily, she rolled her eyes.
"There's root beer in the fridge, popcorn in the cupboard, and James Bomb in the DVD player." She suddenly became aware that her t-shirt just barely covered her, and pulled at it subconsciously. "I'm gonna go get some pyjamas on. If you want chilli dogs, you'll have to go out for them." She called as she headed up the stairs. Vinnie and Modo high fived and immediately headed for the kitchen and the food it promised, but Throttle hung back briefly, watching the stairs where Charley had disappeared. Taking a deep breath, he followed his bros into the kitchen.
By the time Charley had got back to the lounge, the mice looked as though they had never left. They sat in their customary seats and were currently arguing about which James Bomb villain was best. Shaking her head at them indulgently, she turned into the kitchen and got a cream soda, then headed back to the lounge and stopped short. A rolling mass of fur, tails and boots threatened to destroy her furniture, and she sighed with a small smile. Vaulting over the back of the sofa, she landed softly on the plush cushions and turned the movie volume up in time for the opening credits. The noise stopped the brawl, and the mice looked at her guiltily. She laughed at the expressions on their face, and all three broke into big grins. They untangled themselves from each other and resumed their seats, and Charley calmed down, breathing out in a long sigh.
"Like you never left." She smiled, as the movie began.