Disclaimer: I do not own these mice. *damn....*

A/N: This is something I had to write the other night. I kinda got the inspiration from a story called "Primal Scent" by Interpidwarriors (What is, btw, a really good story!) and sort of had a dream of this story. I write this so fast, 'cause I did it on my own language and just translate it afterwards to English (sound dangerous?).
Sorry to everyone who are reading my stories "Who needs help?" and "Those three little words":
#1: I have a problems with language, so I write veeeeeeery slowly (got the point ^^;?).
#2: The computer I use to write those stories is broken. So all the files are there... but they are done! (And I just hope there isn't any memory fail there...) So when I get that one from the "computer-garage" I'll be posting a chapter to "Those Three little words". "Who needs help?" is a more tricky case: My muse dumped me. But if you have any ideas on that, I would kindly accept any.

Please enjoy, and try not to fall on my grammar errors (Beta? What's that?) ;) And of course: critiques are always welcome (Even I think this story is bit naive, but dunno?) Thanks! -NightLight

THE SCENT.

Written by: NightLight

It was an ordinary week in the city of Chicago. Well, almost ordinary; everyone was surprised of the warm weather. Month had just turned to May, and already it was over +20 celsius degrees outside. It seemed that everyone in town had woke up to summer at the same time. This meant busy time to Charley Davidson, owner of the Last Chance garage. Everyone wanted their two-wheeled rides to shape as soon as possible. So there was much work and Charley was happy: last winter was colder that usual and it had keep people quiet and there wasn't so much work as well. Heating bill, not to mention all the other bills were a big stress on Charley's neck. Until this summer came and the busyness had picked up again. There was almost more work than Charley could take, but luckily she had three Martian friends to help her around. They helped us much as they could, as much as their enemy Lawrence Limburger let them.

Charley still had to work like a maniac, literally: For the first time in her history on Last Chance, she had to skip her own personal needs, beyond the pleasure of the customers. Few of these were like sleeping, eating, cleaning up, laundry and worst of all: her personal hygiene. Of course Charley had sometimes before cut these needs for day or two, and she wasn't a girly girl to complain, and handle it like a professional. Sometimes it just would have been nice to take long shower, drink morning coffee in peace, put some makeup on and so on. But those busy mornings she just quickly took a shower, brushed her teeth, but work up clothes on and head to down to the garage with piece of bread on her hand. In evenings (that usually slipped to late nights) the routine was most likely: quick grab of food, quick shower and straight to the bed.

Her Martian friends had tried to make some sense to her head to take even a one day off per week, but no: Charley didn't want to quit. Not now when there were customers waiting. She did her job without complaints, so she could pull through of those bills. She was determined about that.

Even if the daily routine included shower, she wasn't smelling her best. Heavy-duty work, plus on top of that the heat inside the garage was closer to +30 celsius.

Guys tried not to remark this fact, although Vinnie find it hard and he sometimes almost slipped out something nasty. Lucky for Vinnie, Modo and Throttle got their youngest brother kept on line and most worst conflict were avoided. Grey and brown mice knew what kind of stress hardworking woman was under. Not that Charley did not know the fact that she was not so attractive, she just ignored it simply because she did not have time to think any nonsense.

Days passed by with lots of work, and just when Charley started to believe that it would never stop, the amount of work clearly started to decrease. She finally had a good night sleep, when one morning she had only one motorcycle to fix. It took her only that morning to do it and before noon she was done. Charley sighed in relieve, went for a shower and dressed up little bit better than usual. She finally got a chance to use a fragrance she had gotten from her friend for a christmas present and put also little amount of mascara on her upper lashes. She walked down to the garage feeling good. Down in the garage she walked to front door and looked outside. "What a weather!" She thought. Not a one cloud up on the sky and warm summer breeze crossing her face. She closed her eyes and smelled the summer, smiling to her achievements. She turned around and looked happily the area she had worked so hard last weeks: when ever it was old truck or guys bikes or customers bike. Even if the most important thing was that she had her bills payed, she sure was happy that the biggest load of work was over and most of the people were out of town on their vacations. There was a pleasant silence over the neighborhood.

Silence was broken, as Charley heard distance voice of three motorcycles. She still wasn't disappointed at all, because she knew these bikers. She also knew that these bikers didn't mean a trouble for her. Well, mostly. These guys could quite far fix their bikes on their own. Only the fine tuning and the tool loan was what they usually needed.

Charley walked away from the door but turned around the face the incomers, whom just cruised inside the front door. But there was only two bikes, instead of three.

"Hello Charley ma'am" Said grey furred Modo, who first got of his bike: "Wow! And this place is shining!"

"Thanks Modo" She said as she smiled to her achievements. She had time to clean up all the mess not only in garage, but also in upstairs where only the washing machine was still rolling.

"Hi Charley-girl, and Modo is right. So I suppose all the work is already and finally done?" Brown furred mouse asked smiling as he got of from his Harley Davidson-like bike.

"Yup! Just got thru the last one, this morning..." she said proudly. But her face expression changed to interrogative, "Where did you guys leave Vinnie?"

"Congrats for that ma'am. And Vinnie... Ah... That's kinda part of the reason we came..." Modo started, but let Throttle to continue, knowing he would do it better: "His bike failed him on the way we were to patrol. We came to ask you to borrow some tools? And maybe want to join us?"

Charley laughed slightly, and continued: "Why wouldn't you fur-brains just call me?"

"Well we knew you have been busy with customers these past weeks. So we didn't want to disturb you." Throttle told, as Modo added: " And Vinnie was too embarrassed about it"

Charley burst out for a laughter and smiled, "Of course"

She turned around to pick up the tools and her helmet, and walked towards Modo's bike "Can I ride with you?" She asked Modo, who nodded to approval.

"It's nice to see you have slept well, ma'am" Modo praised Charley as like gentle man would, sitting on his bike and making room for Charley. Although Charley was always stunning to their eyes, everyone of the three bikers were little bit of concerned Charley's endurance through those busiest weeks on garage. Charley's basic appearance had been dark circles around the eyes and messy hair on a pony tail.

"Thanks big guy. I feel much better now too," Charley smiled sitting on the back of Modo's bike.

"Have you done something else for your appearance as well?" Throttle asked looking toward the gleaming mechanic.

"Nothing special... just the usuals I use to do before this mess, they call work, came by" Charley smiled towards Throttle, who smiled back behind his specks. Charley really looked like she was radiating new energy and vitality. She also smelled delightfully nice to their sensitive noses.

"Shall we get Vinnie?" Charley asked and boys nodded to agreement. They started their engines and headed out the same way they just had arrived.

It took only about fifteen minutes when two mice and Charley reached a street, where in the side of a road was a red racer-kind bike parked. Crouched next to the bike they could see Vinnie, trying desperately concentrate to find the source of the leaking oil on the side of his bike. When Vinnie heard the two bikes to approach he stand up and turned towards them. His face changed in a fraction of second from bright, to slightly disappointed. Even that Charley couldn't hear him at the moment, she read from his lips a familiar sentence: "Oh man...."

Modo and Throttle parked their bikes on both ends of Vinnie's: Modo on the front of the racer, and Throttle on the back of it. Vinnie turned towards Throttle and whispered: "Why would you take her with you? She is already busy".

Charley heard the sentence and laughed slightly. Normally she might have picked a fight from that, but today it went straight from one ear to an other. It couldn't spoil her day. "No, Vinnie I'm already done the days work" She put her hand on Vinnie's right shoulder and turned disturbed white mouse around. Vinnie looked at Charley and saw straight that Charley had put some effort to her appearance: " Oh Charley-girl! You look..." He awkwardly ended his sentence.

"Look what?" Charley looked Vinnie teasingly same time as she placed her hands on her hips. The greatest respect from white mouses mouth might be that he was stunned about something else than himself. Mild redness spread to Vinnie's face. Although nobody couldn't see it, his face told the story: He was impressed. Everyone else, except Vinnie fell to laugh. Vinnie crossed his arms and pouted.

"So it's the oil leak I said we need to check on, last monday?" Charley changed the subject already knowing what was the problem with the bike.

"Umm... yeah." Vinnie said, still a pout on his face.

Charley looked towards Vinnie shaking her head with disbelief, still on her face you could read beyond miles: "I told you so!", but mechanic kept her tongue. Maybe Vinnie's ego had enough for the day, and there was yet to come the fact that she really could fix that leak faster than any of the three mice.

And so, after about five minutes Charley took her hands away from Vinnie's bike, looked up to her friends cleaning her hands to a towel.

"Voilá! That should hold it." Charley snapped mice away from their talk, that were standing few meters away form her.

"You are the best ma'am" Modo said with a smile to mechanic, where Vinnie added: "...And she knows it"

Charley looked up to Vinnie and again shaked her head to him with disbelief, that made Throttle to push Vinnie little bit closer to where she crouched. Vinnie growled to Throttle, but then softened his face and helped mechanic to stand up. "Mm... Thanks sweetheart" He said and added even more silently: "You are really the best..." Charley smiled with a nod to approval. Modo and Throttle smiled, because the disaster was just eliminated.

"But really guys. You three are the best. Without you I would have not made it thru of the mess I had in the garage!" Charley looked up to every one of them. They really were friends on their places, when you needed them.

Vinnie stood there in front of her with his helmet on. Charley came closer and pushed a button in the side of it, hoping to open its visor. And when she did Vinnie smelled it: A very strange odour. Odour that made his heart pump faster and butterflies charge in his tummy. Vinnie was like somebody had hit his head with a brick, and didn't even react when Charley hugged him. He felt like he was stunned of the scent that kept floating to him. Finally he wake up from his brief coma, and realized to hug the girl back. "No problem Charlene..." He got out from his mouth smiling like he was on some drugs, and his heart pounded fastly. Charley didn't react to strange tone on his voice, but was bit surprised that the white mouse called her by her real name, instead of "Sweetheart" or something like he usually used. She ignored it and kissed gently Vinnie's cheek. Vinnie startled a bit of her approach and turned his head, so the kiss landed on the corner of his mouth, making the white mouse turn red. Charley smiled to his stumbling, but still moved on towards the rest remaining mice, kissing and hugging them as well.

When Charley moved further, Vinnie realized that scent moved also further. That scent that made him go insane... it was on Charley? His face had disbelieved look, but still he felt the heat under his fur, and felt like there was molted lava instead of blood running through his veins. He had a sudden urge to take a shover, a cold one. Soon he heard his brown furred bro's distance voice:

"Ok, let's head to the garage," Throttle said, making a mental note of Vinnie. He sat on his bike and looked quickly towards Modo whom had similar concerned look on his face. They knew that Vinnie had a crush-on towards their mechanic friend, but that somehow Vinnie had been able to keep that to appear as a light -and sometimes not so light- flirt. Charley sat behind of Vinnie, after he got himself on bike. Every move on Vinnie's body told to the leader mouse that everything wasn't now ok.

"Are you alright Vinnie?" Charley finally asked the question they all wanted to ask.

Vinnie breathed heavily few times, just to realize it didn't help at all.

"Yeah. Of course I am." He triend to sound convincing, and started his engine. He shut his helmet visor, and relieved that he could now breathe little easier. Modo shrugged his shoulders to Throttle and they started their engines as well.

They started to head towards the garage, and drop it for now. Still the Leader mouse was determined to do one thing as soon as possible: This should be sorted out with Vinnie.

Well, I hope it wasn't all bad? Hyvää yötä, as we say in here when we go to sleep ;) -NightLight