Sweetest Treasure

Summary: The Bros returned to Mars, leaving Charley behind and heading into an unending war with the Plutarkians as the humanoid fish seek to destroy the Freedom Fighters once and for all. They battle endlessly to turn these greedy fish away from Mars and from Earth, working tirelessly for little to no reward. But wait, who is this beauty they have stumbled upon and why is she so familiar?

Important Notes: A doe is a female mouse. Buck is a male mouse. I figured that it would be interesting to use different references to gender in this story.

He sat upon a finely crafted machine that shone white in the bright, unforgiving glare of the sun. Even seated, his six foot form was intimidating. He was hunched forward, his large hands, clutching the handle bars and feet plastered firmly on the cold, hard Martian rock. His eyes were hidden beneath dark shades but there was no mistaking that he was eyeing them with a stern, cold look, a look that would send most running. His thick thighs were encased with rough blue denim, his feet encased in hard leather and nothing but a sleeveless leather jacket that barely covered his back to protect him from the harsh Martian winds. His tail, as long as he was tall weaved through the air behind him. There was no chance of missing the threatening aura he was creating.

And yet the tail lowered, its movements gentled as they approached. His fingers released the handlebars and he slowly dismounted his bike to stand at his full height. His head tilted to the side, his expression gentle as he eyed her. He approached without hesitation, his very presence demanding obedience. The male holding her released her to the gentle giant without protest and she soon found herself in powerful arms, softened only by the thick, long fur that protected his body from the cold, unforgiving winds. She eyed him with awe, a look he returned as he eyed her but she could never compare to his beauty. His fur was beautiful; a soft brown that was so pale it was almost yellow in colour. Tan was his colour; a rich, creamy colour that suited him in every way, from his beautiful face to his compassionate attitude.

"Rest easy, my girl, you are safe now."

She felt safe in his presence and she knew he had the power to protect her. She could trust him just as she could trust the handsome males that had saved her from the pain of before. She clung to his leathers needing to assure herself he was real. He smiled, a gentle, patient smile and held her close allowing her to feel his warmth and heartbeat. Content for the first time in her life she smiled. She was not afraid anymore, she knew even in her sleep this male would protect her and so she succumbed to her body's needs and allowed darkness to slowly take her.

The small doe slumped in his arms, exhaustion finally taking its toll. By the Gods, she was beautiful. Her fur was a rich auburn colour and her eyes the strangest colour of green. It marked her as special. It marked her as theirs. The large forms of his friends pressed close as they too took in her beauty and Throttle had to admire the striking contrast of their furs. His friends, white and grey respectively looked prefect next to her and Throttle knew she would be better still curled up between them in the safety of their arms. They would work to heal her, to reassure her that she was safe.

"Does she even remember?" The white mouse asked, his tail twitching nervously behind him. "Or have the Plutarkians done irreparable damage?"

"I think she's too exhausted to think of anything at the moment." The grey mouse replied. "Let's get her home. We can worry about the future then."

Her shriek echoed through the cavern, hands were trying to pin her and she fought them off as best as she could. The hands released her and she scrambled back, terror controlling her every thought and action. She expected punishment for her resistance as she covered her face with her hands waiting for the blows and knowing she could not resist.

But she felt no pain. Instead there was patience and warmth. A mind tentatively touched hers, filling her with love and the idea of safety and protection and patience. Behind that mind were two more, both as powerful as the first but waiting patiently, giving her all the time she needed.

She dared a glance beyond the safety of her hands and blinked in surprise as she met the warm glow of red eyes, eyes that would normally be behind the safety of shades, but for her he had lowered them. There was nothing but sympathy and love in the expression he graced her with as he kneeled not a foot from her, not reaching out, just waiting for her to make the first move.

Glancing behind him were her two rescuers, the grey and white, the mountain and the speedster, both who made the Plutarkian's life hell as they fought against impossible odds to free her. And the tan before her, his cunning had been the reason for her rescue in the first place, he'd devised how to get to her, how to distract those monsters and was now holding his bros back to give her time to adapt and to choose.

She couldn't help it. Her eyes filled with tears, she could hardly believe she was safe, that the men she loved most in this world had come for her and had stayed, despite her hysteria. Trembling, she dared to reach out, wanting to touch. Throttle understood, his hand clasped her, his fur so soft she could hardly believe it belonged to a warrior. The moment she made contact and realised he was real she rushed forward, surprising herself with her own audacity as she all but flung herself into his arms. She did not know what the etiquette for Martian Mice was, maybe she did wrong throwing herself as a male mouse like she did, but Throttle understood and clearly didn't care. His arms wrapped round her slowly, as if he was terrified, he'd hurt her or frighten her but she felt the opposite, she felt so safe and protected. And then two pairs of hands dared to touch her and her tears of shocked relief turned to tears of joy.

She was finally safe.

She'd broken down the moment she had woken. Startling Vinnie who was laying protectively beside her as Throttle and Modo cased the cave and secured it from the storm and unwanted intruders. They all felt her terror, it overwhelmed their minds, brought forth their own memories of pain at the Plutarkian's hands. They could not imagine the pain she suffered. They did not want to, but they had to ease it somehow.

'Pain, hurt' echoed around their minds, pushed into their thoughts by an inexperienced telepath who did not yet know how to control her ability. Their minds were forming a protective shield around hers, preventing her thoughts alerting nearby threats and helping her subconsciously learn to control her ability.

'Stay back bros, she is terrified as it is, seeing three massive mice in front of her will frighten her even more.' Throttle warned, he felt his bros reluctantly fall back to stay against a cave wall as he slowly lowered himself to his knees before her. 'Look at me Charley-girl, I am not your enemy.'

He waited, his heart all but broken as he watched her curled up like a child, hands in front of her eyes to shield her from the horror she'd experienced and still expected to experience. When the pain she expected did not come, a beautiful green eye peered at him from between those long, delicate fingers. He saw and felt her shock before tears filled her eyes, her fear and relief were so strong that he didn't know which one dominated, was she scared that he was an illusion or was she relieved that he was here. And Vinnie was right, she had not said a word yet, they did not even know if she remembered them, could she simply be relieved because they weren't Plutarkian?

She reached out, her hand shaking so badly he didn't hesitate to reach out and clasp it in his own, to try and offer some of his own strength. The moment he touched her he felt an emotion so strong it shook him, she was so relieved and thankful that she'd thrown herself at him. He sensed her wariness as if she'd something wrong but to Throttle it was the most joyous thing he'd felt since this whole incident had begun. Their girl was in his arms, his family almost complete. He just had to help her heal and embrace her new identity.

Slowly he brought his arms around her, frightened that his arms closing around her would make her feel restrained and threatened. Instead she melted in his arms, her relief all encompassing now. He felt his brothers come up behind him, their hands cautiously reaching out to touch her. She sobbed and they shared concerned looks, but they felt joy from her. They didn't understand, they dared to hope she was so happy because she remembered them and knew she was safe but they dared not trespass her into her thoughts to find out if this was true. Perhaps she was only happy because she was safe.

'We will wait until she is ready to talk before, we ask her.' Throttle thought.

'She is exhausted.' Modo commented.

Vinnie, taking the initiative pushed the suggestion of sleep into her fragile mind. Within a few minutes they felt her relax enough to sleep.

'What do we do?' Vinnie continued the conversation in their minds, daring not to speak lest they awake their sleeping treasure.

'We wait and help her overcome the pain and despair she suffered at their hands.' Throttle answered.

All three thought the same thing.

She is worth the wait.

When she awoke, Throttle was tending a fire, his chest strangely bare as his leather jacket was missing, his black bike sat behind him, reflecting the reddish glow in her gleaming paint job. Vinnie was gone but his red bike sat nearby with Modo's purple ride. Modo, himself, was laid beside her, his large body a massive warm shield behind her protecting her from the cool stone but she felt overly warm when she realised, he was half nude as well, his jacket missing too. Beneath her, a bed made of their jackets, revealing the reason for the half nudity, they had put her comfort before their own.

Her movement was reflected in the bikes gleaming paint job and Throttle turned, a gentle smile on his face when he saw she was awake and not hysterical.

"I am not the greatest cook." Throttle confessed softly, clearly afraid his voice would frighten her. "But I am frying some meat and making the equivalent of coffee, if you would like some." When she did not immediately respond he added, "I won't hurt you."

"I know." She whispered, her voice almost inaudible. She didn't know why she was so afraid, but she knew she was being foolish. Bravely she edged forward and sat beside him, her focus entirely on him, waiting.

He did nothing but turn, a soft smile on his face as he focused on the fire. "When I was trapped in their labs, I was terrified every day. Not for myself, I was afraid of dying but I was far more frightened of losing my family. Modo had his arm taken and Vinnie… well Vinnie was never the same, not really, his boisterous attitude hides a wound deeper than any cut. I remember when it was my turn, when they dragged me out of that room and to Karbunkle's lab. I fought but I knew it was fruitless, they would do what they wanted, we could do nothing to stop them, I could do nothing to stop them. They took my eyes. I vaguely remember the pain, I remember how much I wanted to kill myself, how I almost went mad with it. I was later told they took my eyes without anaesthesia. I knew they were telling the truth by my mind prevented me from remembering it entirely, it was so painful, so traumatising I'd made myself forget. I still don't remember everything that happened. But I can tell you one thing for sure. I am alive because of my family. They kept me whole, when I felt so incomplete and mutilated." Throttle sighed. "What I am trying to say, is believe it or not, I know what you feel and if you ever want to talk, I am here."

"Having a body part taken from you is the most harrowing experience, especially since they don't drug you beforehand, unless they dose you with chemicals that make feelings enhanced." Modo's voice cut in. Charley turned, Modo had not moved but was watching them cautiously, clearly wanting to move closer but not daring to. "Having something happen to your body beyond your own volition is the most terrifying experience, it changes you forever."

"You'll never be the same, but letting the experience destroy you means letting the Plutarkian's win and those slimeballs will never beat me, or us." Vinnie all but growled as he strode in, he held a tail in his hand, a tail that led to a small rodent like animal. It was dead, and had the palest of fur, so white it made Vinnie's fur look cream in comparison. It looked almost like an albino rat, but at least twelve times the size of an ordinary Earth rat. Vinnie noting her looking gave an apologetic smile and walked into a secluded area of the cave, where the wall naturally curled inwards created a small alcove that hid most of Vinnie and his catch from view. Vinnie could skin and harvest the animal there without her seeing.

They sat in silence for a time, only the crackle of the fire and the warmth of companionship. The three men not daring to move to close or to move to fast in case they frightened her.

"They came when I was asleep." She began softly, her head down hiding her expression but she peered at them from the corner of her eyes. Not one reacted to her words as if she had not said a thing, but she saw their ears flicker and knew they'd heard and were waiting for more but not daring to prompt or push for answer. "I didn't have much time to react before I was dragged from my bed and abducted from my home. They made me…" She shivered and bit back a sob. "They made me undress and forced me to lay on some medical bed. They kept injecting me and the pain was so intense. I didn't know what they were doing or even if there was a plan at all. Maybe they were just hurting me for fun. But one day, they did something…and it hurt so much. It was agonising, I just remember writhing and screaming as my blood burned and my skin, it was as if it was exposed to acid, bubbling…" She sobbed and then gasped as a tail touched hers, tan wrapping with auburn, squeezing reassuringly and offering courage, the first reaction to her story and a positive one. Relief flooded her and she continued. "When I awoke, I was like this… they kept laughing, saying they would make them pay, that they would make them suffer, that they'd make them watch as they tortured me."

"Who are they?" Vinnie asked softly, something like hope deep in his voice.

Charley met Vinnie's soft crimson coloured eyes. "Who do you think?" She asked. "They came for me to hurt you. They were recording their sessions all with the intent to show you, to make you watch them destroy something you loved."

Throttle felt his bros startle with him as they all looked at her hope filling their hearts.

"Charley-girl?" Vinnie dared ask.

Charley nodded, shyly, clearly afraid that they'd judge her for her new Martian appearance.

Throttle could not help himself, he all but pulled her into his arms. "By Deimos and Phobos, we thought we'd lost you." He whispered into her ears. She shivered, not used to their sensitivity but Throttle hoped the shiver had a deeper meaning.

"We had lost her." Vinnie answered, carefully approaching, wiping his hands on his jeans to get rid of the worst of the blood. "We could not bring her home with us, we had to leave her on Earth, now she can stay with us, where she belongs. The Plutarkians' are monsters who deserve to suffer, but they've given us an immeasurable gift, our girl with us forever."

"Vinnie," Modo snapped. "She suffered immensely, do not make light of…"

"You want me to stay with you?" A small voice interrupted.

Vinnie all but melted at the sight of those beautiful green eyes looking up at him. He fell to his knees before her. "Leaving you behind was the worst decision we've ever made, my girl."

Throttle saw those green eyes turn to Modo, the only one yet to declare his feelings. Modo sighed. "I won't say I wanted you to suffer but having you here with us, is a gift. Our species are a communal species, we build tight family group and you, Charley-girl, are ours." The possessiveness in his thoughts and voice could not be ignored. Charley's eyes were wide and Modo softened his expression. "Having you with us is a dream come true, I am just sorry you lost so much and suffered so much. Having you here should never have come with such a steep price."

Throttle agreed wholeheartedly. He gently gripped Charley's chin and tilted her head towards him. "Charley-girl, will you come home with us?"

Anxiety, joy, hope, wariness filled their minds before joy trumped them all.

"Yes!" She answered, a little too eagerly but the bro's felt such joy their hearts and mind sang with it.

Throttle released his girl and rose to his feet. "Let's go home."

"Weren't you cooking?" Charley teased.

"Throttle is amazing at lots of things, but cooking isn't one of them!" Vinnie laughed.

Throttle chuckled, not in the least bit insulted. "Ask me how to reverse engineer a device and I will guide you through it no trouble, but cooking, that is Modo's forte!"

Modo laughed and checked on Throttle's attempt at frying the meat. "Not burnt, fortunately."

"Hardy Har! Har!" Throttle retorted.

This argument was an old one, done for years, from when they camped for fun and for training, and when they were hiding and running from their enemy, using every crack and crevice as shelter. Throttle's cooking skills were the greatest joke going, something that brought a smile to their faces in the darkest of times. But now, a small feminine giggle joined the chorus of jokes and laughter at Throttle's expense and it was the most perfect sound and moment that the bros clung to that moment, realising just how perfect it was.

They were whole.

Sure, it would take some work to overcome the hurt and the pain but together they could overcome anything.

"But not Throttle's cooking." Vinnie commented.

"There is no way anyone can fix that." Modo added.

"Says the guy who set fire to his own tail." Throttle countered.

"A trip to the medical bay was far more preferable to eating what you cooked up." Vinnie said completely deadpan. The two stared at each other challengingly before all four roared with laughter.

Modo finished cooking and they ate well before remounting their bikes, Charley sliding back into her place behind Vinnie and feeling Vinnie's tail wrap around her waist.

"What will the other's think?" Charley asked softly, shyly.

"It doesn't matter what they think." Modo answered. "We're family and family stays together."

"Our family will love you." Vinnie added. "Though keep an eye on Stoker, that old man is way too friendly with the ladies."

"You already know my nephew, Charley girl. Our family all have manners and a great respect for does. They'll welcome you with open arms." Modo reassured.

"That they will." Throttle answered, his thoughts fond. "Alright bros, and lady, let's rock…"

"and RIDE!"