Author's note: I haven't been seen here for a while, so... sorry about that. My 'Dressed to Impress' story will be getting an update soon (I hope). I hope you all enjoy!

It had started like any other normal day, well… normal for the mice at least. Waking up at the Quigley score board, a quick look over their precious bikes and then a ride over to Charley's for breakfast. They were now forbidden to sleep over at The Last Chance Garage, since the last time they had left Charley with a repair bill that took two weeks to pay off, and the mice with more than sore egos.

Breakfast was one of their favourite meals, especially if Charley made it. She had introduced them to a lot of different Earth foods, like pancakes and a full fried breakfast. Of course, over those two weeks, she'd introduced them to a horrid thing called cereal and porridge. Yuk!

They had arrived at Charley's, and were surprised to find that she was already busy. But then again, the bills for The Last Chance were coming up soon, so she was probably getting as much done as she could before someone came looking for money. She had looked dead on her feet, and the mice had taken pity on her.

"Charley ma'am, why don't take a break?" Modo had asked politely.

"Yeah, me and the guys can do this for you," Throttle had assured her in the husky voice that usually worked on her.

"I can't, Throttle. I've got the carburettor on this thing to replace, and then I've got two bikes to look over," Charley protested, rambling as she moved over to her desk.

"Hey, Charley-girl," Vinnie chuckled as he grabbed hold of her shoulders. "We can take care of a car and a couple of bikes."

But Charley would not budge from the garage, insisting that she needed to get things done. However, it soon became apparent to the mice that Charley was overtired, as she was beginning to mess up on the simplest of tasks. They soon started to worry if she was going to inadvertently hurt herself.

Eventually, Vinnie had gotten bored of trying to persuade her to rest and picked up her helmet from the side. He held her with his tail, gently pushed the bike helmet onto her head and then slung her over his shoulder. Although she was too tired to fight against his restraint, she did not take kindly to being thrown over his shoulder like a rag doll.

"Throttle and Modo can take care of the garage," Vinnie promised her. "You, and I, are getting some breakfast."

Throttle smiled as he watched Vinnie walk off with Charley. The white mouse might not have been his first choice, but perhaps he was the best one. He knew that Charley would probably fall asleep while they were riding, but that didn't matter. As the pair left, he turned to Modo.

"Come on, Modo. Let's get this done for Charley by the time they get back."

~~~888~~~

Charley felt a little better now that she'd had something to eat, but she was still worrying about the upcoming bills. Although she had managed to pay them last year, she hadn't had three Martian mice to cater for. Then again, it was because of those mice that she still had the garage to pay bills for.

Vinnie had bought them a couple of breakfast sandwiches, containing bacon, sausages, egg, mushrooms and tomatoes. He had given the mushrooms and tomatoes to Charley, they just seemed wrong in a breakfast. After he'd bought them breakfast, he'd taken her to a quiet spot where she could relax and possibly fall asleep.

At times, he had thought that she'd fallen asleep on his ride. She had laid her head on his back and her grip around his middle had slacked. Whenever she did that, he would wrap his tail just that little bit tighter around her and slow down, but only by just a bit. He didn't want her fall off when he was going round a corner because he was going too fast.

He revelled whenever she was with him. The gentle warmth of her on his back was enough to make his whole body tingle. The way she would hold onto him, even if it was necessary, could do something incredible to his stomach. And, for some reason, it just felt natural for his tail to wind around her, keeping her on his bike, keeping her safe, keeping her with him, and filling his tail with that same gentle warmth.

At the present time, they were both sitting on a bench, eating their breakfast. Charley was still very tired and had taken to resting her head on his shoulder. She was too tired to care about what this would do to the mouse's ego.

Had it been Modo instead of Vinnie, the grey mouse would probably have blushed himself red and would not have known what to say. Throttle probably wouldn't have cared, and would simply have enjoyed the moment of peace. Vinnie, however, was do his very best not to twitch with all the pent up energy that this small act was giving him.

Suddenly, there was the painful sound of tyres screeching on the tarmac road. Charley flinched slightly at the sound, and Vinnie scowled at the intruder that had upset Charley's rest. And then, the intruder showed himself.

It was Greasepit, one of Limburger's goons, and he was shortly followed by several others. As soon as he set eyes on the white mouse scowling at him, and the half-asleep mechanic beside him, Greasepit stopped with screaming brakes.

At this, Charley sleepily raised her head to discover the source of the commotion. She started when she saw Greasepit, and felt fully awake. She jolted to her feet, with Vinnie joining her in an instant.

"Ahhh, what we got here?" Greasepit asked rhetorically. "A little mousey with a girlfriend, ahhh so cute," he taunted.

"Why I ought'a-" Vinnie muttered through his teeth.

"Let's get back to the garage," Charley whispered, interjecting.

"Yeah, that's right mousey. Go back with ya tail between ya legs," Greasepit laughed.

Vinnie snapped at that comment. No one called him a coward. No one. He lunged at Greasepit He didn't hear Charley telling him not to attack, but instead focused on the oily thug.

Greasepit, although expecting a reaction, yelped as he saw the enraged mouse charging at him. He started up his quad and began to race off. When he heard the roar of a motorbike he knew that he was now in trouble. It was one thing to get away from a biker mouse when they were on foot; however it was a completely different thing to get away from one when they were on their bike. For one reason, it was a lot more difficult.

Vinnie weaved around and through the quads, his goal on reaching Greasepit. It was easy enough to swerve around any oncoming vehicles and dodge the fire that he was receiving. This was something he really enjoyed. The feel of danger brushing against his fur, so close it could almost nick his tail… a tail that was not wrapped around anything.

Shock suddenly filled the white mouse when he realised that Charley was not with him. Completely forgetting the chase, and filling Greasepit's insult for use later on, he pulled his bike into a 180 turn and raced back to where he had left Charley. He knew for a fact that she was going to give him an earful, and he had very large ears compared to humans.

Finally, he reached the stop where he and Charley had rested, and sure enough, there she was with her hands on her hips. She didn't bother to hide the annoyance that she felt. Then her face fell in surprise and fear. Vinnie could see that she was looking past him, and turned his head to see what had caused her concern.

Greasepit had come back for round two. This time, he had brought out a gun which he was spending no time in using. He sent a shower of laser fire into the street as he passed, and he was racing towards Vinnie and Charley.

Vinnie quickly turned back to engage the slime ball. Having a go at him once, Vinnie could put down to bravery, but coming back for another round Vinnie just called plain stupidity. And this time, he had his bike from the sound of the bell. He set off a couple of rockets in the idiot's direction. Greasepit managed to bail out before his quad blew up.

Vinnie laughed in victory. That had been too easy, but it was still a victory. Then he turned round to pick up Charley when…

Charley was lying, face down on the ground. She wasn't moving. Behind her, the walls of the building were riddled with holes.

Vinnie felt his heart stop.

She couldn't be… She couldn't be…

Vinnie was hardly aware of leaving his bike. It was just a bike. He gently picked Charley up and turned her over. There were two spots on her shirt, spots that were rapidly turning red. Her head lolled to a side, and he reached out to cup her face. He didn't notice how badly his hands were shaking.

As his hand touched her face, Charley frowned slightly and her eyelids twitched. As he carefully turned her to face him, she opened her eyes by a crack. As if she had a small understanding of what he wanted, she forced her head to move slightly and she rested it against his chest.

Vinnie took in a deep breath to steady himself and rested his forehead on hers. He could feel her hair, that soft, chestnut brown hair, parting slightly to surround his antennae in the softness. He closed his eyes and again inhaled deeply. He could smell the breakfast sandwich on her faint breath, mixed with her spearmint toothpaste, the delicate scent of the perfume that she would lightly dab around her collarbone, and the musky odours of sweat and oil from working beneath a machine.

He wondered if she had said something when she'd been hit. Had she screamed? Had that been the last sound that she'd made and he'd missed it? Could she really just fade away like this?

Vinnie's mind raced back to Mars, back to that last day with Harley. She'd been taken by Mace, the no good Martian rat who had been a spy for the Plutarkians. She'd disappeared just like that, without a shred of proof that she'd been there at all.

Could Charley really just disappear just like that as well? She was so fiery, so full of life, wit and… she was the reason he hadn't gotten himself killed on Earth. She was the ice to cool his temper, the weight that brought him back down to the ground, and the one that kept his ego under control, for the most part. She was the gentle warmth on his back as he rode, the secure feeling that was wrapped around his waist, and most precious thing that he kept safe as he wound his tail around her.

She could just fade away… she just couldn't.

"Vinnie…" Charley whispered, her voice barely audible. "Hospital…"

The white mouse's eyes flew wide open. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it?! If he got her to the hospital, then she'd be okay. Everything would work out.

Without a second thought he stood up, holding Charley securely in his arms and had tentatively wrapped his tail around her for extra support. He looked around for his bike, but wasn't about to go running anywhere with Charley. He whistled sharply for his bike and, sensing his distress, it came flying over to them.

Vinnie rode like a deranged demon of the tarmac. He didn't care whether the light ahead of him was green or not, he would swerve around anyone who got in his way. All that mattered was getting Charley to help, and that was all that mattered.

Soon he was at the building, at that glorious building. He stopped his bike just outside and ran through into the waiting area. He paused there, but only for a second, to find someone who could help her. He saw a group of people who apparently weren't doing anything, and he rushed over to them.

"Help, someone please help. She– she got shot," Vinnie explained hurriedly.

"Okay, sir, if you'll put her down on here…" the doctor instructed, moving out of the way so he could lay Charley down on the bed they had been standing next to.

"Okay, we have a young female, Caucasian, with two bullet wounds, one to the upper abdomen, and one to the lower thorax. It looks like she's lost a lot of blood," the doctor observed, shining a penlight into Charley's eyes. "Pupils are dilated, her breathing's weak."

"She's going into shock, let's move people," another exclaimed as they rushed Charley into a room.

Vinnie was about to follow when someone stood in front of him, their hand laying across his chest. He stared at them and then back to the doors of the room and then back to the person. He knew that they were saying something, but he could make all the words out properly.

"They'll… what they can… can't go in… someone to call… them here… phone down the… and some seats… let you know…"

Vinnie numbly turned and walked down the corridor. He wasn't too sure where he was heading. Some had mentioned calling someone else… but who? Who could he call? Who would he want to call? Who would want to know—

Vinnie grabbed the nearby phone and phonebook and began flicking through it. The Last Chance Garage had a phone, didn't it? If only he could find the number… if only his hands would stop shaking!

A nearby nurse watched Vinnie struggling with the phone book and could hear him muttering 'Last Chance' over and over again. She stopped what she was doing and came over to help him. She had seen him coming in with Charley and knew that he was probably calling friends or family. She gently eased the book away from him and found the Last Chance Garage number. Guessing that he probably wouldn't have dialled it correctly, she punched in the number and then handed the phone to him.

Vinnie thanked her absentmindedly, and focused on the ringing sound in the phone. Someone had to be there… someone had to pick up!

~~~888~~~

Throttle's ears perked at the sound of the phone going off, yet again. He sighed in exasperation. How Charley managed to get any work done, he'd never know. Also, if it was the same customer who had already called seven times, Throttle might well lose his cool.

He cleared his throat and picked up the phone. He seen Charley operate the phone several times and so he knew how to work it, and what to say.

"Hello, Last Chance Garage," Throttle recited, wondering if Charley ever got tired of saying it.

"Thr— Throttle?"

"Vinnie?!" Throttle frowned at the sound of the white mouse. "What's going on?"

"Hospital… now!"

Throttle was stunned. He had never heard Vinnie sound so distressed, or so incoherent. But the order of getting to the hospital had gotten through ever so clearly. Hopefully Vinnie could explain once he and Modo had arrived.

"We're on our way," Throttle assured and put down the phone.

"Who was that?" Modo asked casually, still tending to the bike he was working on.

"Better pack that up, Modo. Something's come up. Vinnie and Charley are at the hospital," Throttle explained quickly, grabbing his helmet and wheeling out his bike.

"Say what?!" Modo exclaimed as he too grabbed his gear.

"We'll find out more when we get there."

~~~888~~~

When Throttle and Modo arrived at the hospital, they found they didn't need to ask for directions. Vinnie was plainly visible, precariously perched on the edge of a seat. He was leaning over, resting his arms on his knees, his hands hanging limply, and staring persistently at the floor with fixed, wild eyes. He hadn't noticed his bros quietly coming to stand beside him.

Throttle didn't need to mind-walk to know that the white mouse was choking on some seriously raw emotions. He'd done a walk through that kind of thing before, and once was enough. And besides, he probably wouldn't have gained anything from the experience anyway.

With that path blocked off, Throttle took to observing Vinnie and felt his stomach clench when he saw a dirty red stain down his bro's chest. The fact that Vinnie was out here was proof enough that it wasn't his, so that only left…

"Where's Charley, Vinnie?" Throttle asked as he crouched down in the hopes of getting the white mouse to see him. "Where's Charley-girl?"

It took a few moments before Vinnie turned his head slightly towards the tan mouse. He stared at his leader's face and knew that he should be recognising what he saw, but only felt dazed and strangely drained of energy. It took a little longer for the question to fully register in his mind. When it had, he turned to look at the doors that they had taken Charley through and weakly lifted his hand to point in the general direction.

Modo looked over to the door and gently walked over to talk to the person outside, probably making sure that nothing inside was disturbed. The quiet whisperings between the two could be faintly heard by Throttle

Throttle turned back to Vinnie, who was starting to look like he was coming out of his stupor. The sudden thought about Vinnie's reaction to seeing blood on his chest did not appeal to Throttle, and he decided that the blood needed to come off.

"Come on, Vincent, let's get you cleaned up," he instructed gently, lightly pulling his bro's arms as he got up. "Modo's here to watch her."

Vinnie stood up without question and silently followed Throttle to the nearby men's restroom. Throttle set the plug into the sink and set some hot water running while he took some paper out of one of the stalls. When the sink was half full, he began to add cold water so it didn't scald his friend.

"Throttle…?"

The tan mouse turned the taps off and looked to his friend, who was finally looking at him, not staring blankly in the space he happened to occupy. He could still tell that Vinnie was in no state for a mind-walk and so decided that he would just have to let Vinnie tell him in the verbal way.

Throttle soaked some of the paper in the water, wrung it, and then passed it to Vinnie without a word. Confused by his actions, Vinnie looked downwards to his chest and saw the blood stain. And then, all the events came rushing back to him.

Vinnie closed his eyes and held his hands to his head. He could bare to deal with it, if she was…

"Vinnie," Throttle's voice broke him out of his reverie.

He looked up and stared at the paper. He took it without a word and moved towards the sink. He then proceeded to wash the majority of the blood… Charley's blood, out of his fur. He could feel his leader's eyes on him, watching, and waiting.

"Greasepit showed up," Vinnie stated after a while. "I chased him off, but him came back for another round. I didn't even know it had gotten that far. I just wanted to get rid of him… when I turned round I saw… Charley'd been hit. I got her up here as soon as I could and…" he trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"You did good, Vinnie," Throttle praised.

"I got her hurt."

"You got her here, that's all that matters," Throttle insisted, not wanting Vinnie to fall into a guilt trap.

"Yeah… I guess I did," Vinnie agreed with a ghost of a smile on his face. "She gonna be alright, isn't she?" Vinnie asked as he turned to look at Throttle.

"I hope so," Throttle stated. "Modo will probably know more than us, so let's get back."

~~~888~~~

So…weak. So… tired. So… bored.

Charley opened her eyes slowly, letting her irises adjust properly to the light in the room. It wasn't long before things came into focus. The first thing she noticed was the telltale signs of a hospital room. Turning herself slowly to get a better look around her, she found herself mildly gazing at a particular mouse.

"Vinnie…" she whispered, smiling slightly when he turned his attention to her.

"Hey Charley-girl," he greeted in a relieved tone. "How you doing?"

"I've been better," she admitted. "You?"

"Me?" he laughed quietly. "I'm fine, why would ask that about me, your macho mouse?"

"You didn't seem so macho back on the pavement," Charley noted.

Vinnie frowned in confusion. He thought back to the pavement and wondered what he did that wasn't macho. True, he'd been frozen to the pot until Charley had mentioned the hospital, but how was she to know that? She'd been all but unconscious.

"Next time you decide to mind-walk with me, would you mind being a little more restrained?" she asked lightly.

Vinnie felt his stomach slip through him and land on the floor. He'd mind-walked with Charley?! And, to make matters worse, he hadn't even noticed. The last time he'd made a slip like that had been when he was five years old. He suddenly felt himself turning red as he fearfully wondered what he'd inadvertently shown her. Oh, by the love of Mars, what had he shown her?!

"It's nice to know you're not as much of an egotistical flirt as you are on the outside. It was quite… insightful," Charley smiled wearily.

Vinnie found that, as much as he wanted to know what he'd shown her, he knew he couldn't ruin the moment for her by telling her that he done the entire thing by accident.

"Heh, no problem, sweetheart," he laughed, albeit somewhat nervously.

"Even if you did show it to me by accident," Charley continued. "I'm glad you did. I don't think I would have made it if you hadn't shown me."

Seeing that she already knew the truth, which sent another one of his organs to the floor, he realised that there was no harm in asking the all painful question.

"What did I show you?"

"How much you really do care about me," she replied. "And how heartbroken you would have been if I'd have died… just like you were when Harley was taken. Knowing that made me strive to stay alive… for you."

Vinnie smiled in earnest. Perhaps what he'd done wasn't as stupid as he'd first thought. And now, he knew that he couldn't hide the truth, and neither could Charley. And, somehow, he wasn't worried in the slightest.

Then Charley blinked sleepily and yawned. Vinnie smiled again and gently rubbed her arm with the back of his hand.

"Get some rest, Charley-girl. Rest up, and you'll be out of here before you know it," he promised.

With that, Charley smiled. She took his hand in hers and gradually fell asleep.