A/N:This is disgraceful. I wanted this done by Thanksgiving. So much for that whole idea. But oh well, the timing isn't going to stop you all from reading, right? Sure hope not J Because things are about to get good….

Tricky

Though he'd told Charley that he could easily handle the prejudice of one narrow-minded, self-righteous woman, Modo decided that even a man like himself needed a break from it every now and then. There was handling it. Then there was being endlessly bombarded by it in underhanded ways that would turn anyone's stomach. And Bernadette wasn't just turning his stomach. She was tying it in triple knots.
As soon as he could, he snuck out the back door, needing to breathe, to feel the cold air in his lungs burning away the hate and anger trying to cloud his mind. He let the door close softly behind him, went around the house and leaned against the wood siding with a sigh.
"Fancy meeting you here," a low, female voice greeted him.
He screwed his eye shut and bit back a foul curse. So much for getting away from it all.
"Oh, relax," Cassie said with a laugh. "I'm harmless."
Opening his eye, Modo rolled his head to the side to skeptically regard the woman. She was leaning against the house not far from him, wrapped in a thick wool coat, her stocking cap pulled over her hair and a cigarette between her gloved fingers. She lifted it, taking a long drag and exhaling the smoke slowly. She looked harmless enough.
"Nate and I had a little chat this morning. And regardless of what my sister thinks of me, I would never stoop so low as to get in the way of the one man that might stand a chance at making her happy." She turned to look at him, all coyness wiped clean from her face. "I love my sister, Modo."
He wasn't entirely sure what to say. She'd taken him off guard. Not many people, aside from Vinnie, could manage that.
Cassie lifted a foot, putting the cigarette out on the heel of her boot and tossing it into a garbage can. She pushed away from the house and came to stand in front of him, tilting her head back. "I love my sister…but I think she needs to get a few things figured out. And I want to help her figure them out. She's not going to like me much for it and it might be confusing for you, but just go with it, okay?"
"I-." Modo started. It might confuse him? He was already confused.
Cassie patted him on the shoulder as she turned to go inside and still he couldn't manage a thing to say. Part of him wanted to run for it. A phone call to Throttle could have 'Lil Hoss there in a matter hours. Sure it might look a little off, a bike making its way down the freeway with no rider…but he'd be able to put some distance between himself, that nasty aunt of Charley's and whatever antics her little sister was up to.

Then there was the other part of him. The part that was downright curious.

He bided his time, still not up to being in a room with Bernadette. Instead, he enjoyed the chill serenity of the wintery afternoon, watching his breath fog in front of him and listening to the lazy traffic of the neighborhood – a dog barking, the occasional car passing by, the scrape of a shovel on the paved sidewalk. There was a peacefulness that existed here that one would never find on Mars. Or in Chicago for that matter. And moments like this, Modo enjoyed.
Finally, knowing he could no longer put off the inevitable, he went back in, shrugging out of his coat and hanging it with the others in the back entryway. He could easily pick out Bernadette's voice from the others. She seemed to be constantly talking, always having an opinion at the ready.
Charley came around the archway into the kitchen, looking slightly frazzled. "Hey, there you are," she said when she saw him. "Hungry? We're about to sit down to eat."
"Sure am, Charley-ma'am. Just…needed to get some air."
Sympathy clouded her eyes and she took his hand. "I'm sorry about her. Really, I am. She's got no filter."
He shrugged, wincing when Bernadette's voice raised an octave as she instructed Nate on how to properly set a table. "Not much someone can do about a person like that," he muttered.
Charlie hummed softly. "Except maybe help them jump off a cliff."
Her words were so unlike anything he'd ever heard Charley say before that he couldn't help laughing. "Easy there," he leaned down close to her, dropping his voice so as not to be over heard by anyone. "Pretty sure there's no cliffs in Wisconsin."
A blush spread over her cheeks and her eyes glowed with suppressed mirth. "There's a big lake. All we'd need is an ice auger…"
Her voice drifted away and the humor in her eyes faded, replaced by something he couldn't quite place. All he knew was that it made his stomach knot – and not in the unpleasant way that Bernadette did. In a way that made him want to haul her into his arms and kiss her senseless.
"Modo," she whispered, swaying slightly towards him.
He reached for her arm, gripping it gently. He told himself it was to steady her. Instead, he was pulling her closer, aching for the distance between them to just…go away.
"Charley, honey? Could you be a dear and grab some silverware?"
Her mother's voice seemed to snap her out of her trance and she moved back a step, blinking several times. "Um, yeah mom," she called back. She looked up at him for a moment, her brows slightly drawn, then went around him to do as her mother requested.
Modo waited for her, still trying to figure out what exactly had just happened. That look on her face-. Had she wanted to-?
No. Modo shook his head and frowned. Charley saw him as a friend. Not a whole lot more than that as far as he knew. So what had that look meant?
Charley started back out into the dining room and he followed her. Everyone was already taking their spots around the table. There were a few vacated seats at one end and Modo noticed that Bernadette had placed herself as far from that end and possible.
Good, he thought. It's not as much distance as I'd like but it'll do.
Charley made her way around the table, setting silverware beside plates and Modo took one of the open chairs. Cassie was immediately beside him, sliding into the seat and reaching for one of the open bottles of wine.
"Want some?" she purred after pouring herself a glass. She leaned toward him and Modo tensed, automatically seeking out Charley. She was standing beside her father; her hand paused in the act of placing a fork beside his plate, her hard gaze on her sister.
"Um, no, thank you, ma'am," he replied kindly.

Cassie gave a little pout and put the bottle back, then took her glass and sipped daintily from it.

Kati bounded over to him and hopped up in the other chair. "I wanna sit by you, Modo."

"Katrina, please," Bernadette said, ignoring Modo entirely. "That is hardly sanitary. Go sit by your father."

"I want to sit by Modo," Kati insisted.
"Nate, could you please tell your daughter-."
Nate smiled dangerously at his aunt before cutting her off. "If she wants to sit by Modo, she can sit by Modo."
Bernadette snapped her mouth shut, favoring him with a glare before turning her attention back to her plate.
Modo kept his comment to himself. He was happy that Nate had so easily put Bernadette in her place but he couldn't help the twinge of disappointment that Charley wouldn't be at his side.
There was minimal conversation, mostly kept between Florence, Nate and Charley, as the food was passed around and heaped onto plates. It was more food than Modo had ever seen in one place – turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, yams, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole. He had no idea how Florence had managed to throw it together as quickly as she had and respected the woman on an entirely new level because of it.
"So, Modo," Cassie murmured after he'd managed to clear half his plate. "Tell us about Mars." She toyed with her fork, smiling at him and reaching out to touch his arm lightly.
He swallowed a mouthful of food. "Not much to tell, really. It's my home and there's a war goin'on there-."
"A war?" Cassie gasped dramatically, her grip tightening on his arm. "You poor thing. Is that why you're here?"
"Cass, really," Charley muttered. "I'm sure Modo's not in the mood to talk about war."
"I suppose," Cassie said thoughtfully. Then her smile was back in full force. "Well, let's skip that then. Is there any special lady waiting for you up on Mars?"
This time, Modo nearly choked. He took a large swig of water from his glass and cleared his throat before answering. "No, ma'am."
"I find that incredibly hard to believe." She was stroking his arm now, her fingers playing over his fur. "Charley, don't you find that hard to believe?"
"I find it hard to believe that you're insisting on this unsavory conversation," Bernadette interrupted, her tone dripping with disapproval. "This is a dinner table, Cassandra. It is no place to talk about something as distasteful as aliens. I would ask that you have some respect and pick conversational topics with some appeal."
Modo watched Cassie force back a glare and as much as he wanted to admire her for it, he felt a bone deep trepidation. Judging from the flash of the young woman's eyes, she'd found her aunts words to be a challenge. A challenge she couldn't resist.
"So you're a mouse then? For real?" she asked, still favoring him as the topic of conversation.
Modo shifted uncomfortably, opening his mouth to answer her just to be interrupted once more by Bernadette.
"Rodents really don't belong at the table. They should be in cages," she muttered as she cut her turkey and took a dainty bite.
"Bernadette, that's enough," Florence warned.
"Modo won't fit in a cage," Kati said matter-of-factly, frowning at her father when he hushed her.
"Modo's not a rodent," Cassie argued. "He's a hero. He should be treated like one." She turned to him and pressed her chest against his arm. "I personally find you amazing."
"Amazing," Bernadette spat. "Really, I wanted to have an enjoyable Thanksgiving but if this is-."
"You could have just stayed home," Cassie chirped kindly, her fake smile firmly in place. "Maybe Modo would like to give you a ride home. I could come with-."
Suddenly, Charley pushed back from the table, setting her napkin aside. "Excuse me," she muttered before turning and nearly running for the stairs.
"Well, that would explain why she's so thin," Bernadette huffed.

It took every ounce of willpower Modo had not to respond to Bernadette's contemptible implication. Every word his mama drilled into his head regarding manners and the right thing to do came screaming at him, one after another. Every the woman deserves to be put in her place was met with a never raise your voice to a woman.
Before another argument could break out or the fragile control he maintained snapped, Modo pushed away from the table and went after Charley. It was the one time in his entire life that he'd left a table without being excused.

She couldn't get ups the stairs and away from the entire scene fast enough. And it wasn't just her aunt. Oh, she wished it had just been her aunt. But no, things couldn't be that simple. It was Cassie.

Seeing her sister was one thing. Seeing her sister cozy up to the man she had just recently figured out she had feelings for was another thing entirely. The emotions it stirred within her clashed violently with the one's that had just come to light earlier that morning. And she knew what it was. Jealousy. Nasty, consuming, jealousy that left a bad taste in her mouth and made her feel horribly shaky.

She closed her bedroom door behind her, feeling a shred of relief once there was a barrier between herself and her family. Resting her head on the cool wood, she forced herself to take calm, even breaths. She should pack. She should pack right now before anyone else showed up, throw everything in her blazer and drive away from everything, just like she'd done after graduation.

A knock sounded lightly on the door and she straightened, looking at it as if it had betrayed her.

"Charley?"

She melted against the door helplessly, the sound of Modo's voice making that ache deep within her so much more insistent.

"Charley's not here," she sang back softly.

"Aw, come on now, Charley-girl. It's just me. Open up."

And she would. Because it was him.

This was all so confusing. Yesterday, he'd been a friend. He'd been safety and security. Today, he was something else entirely – a man that stirred feelings in her that whatever emotions she'd had towards Vinnie or Throttle couldn't even touch. He wasn't dangerous – not in a physical sense. But whatever he was doing to her-.

She pulled the door open and let him slip in, closing it behind him. The room felt smaller with him in it. More intimate.

He turned to face her, concern clearly etched on his handsome features. "What happened down there, Charley?"
"It's…nothing," she hedged, looking at the floor and wringing her hands together. "My aunt is incredibly insensitive and I just…my sister drives me insane sometimes."
"Charley…that wasn't insane." His fingers pressed against her chin, forcing her to look up. "What's goin' on in that pretty head of yours?"
Of course he would have to use the word pretty. Of course he would have to weaken her further than she already was. "Modo, really. It's-." And suddenly, she couldn't do it anymore. She wasn't good at anything beyond friendship. She was a mediocre flirt at best. And she was a horrible liar. "She's interested in you," she muttered despondently.
His smile was slow and slightly shy. "Yeah well…that's pretty one sided considerin' I'm interested in someone else."
She went still, her heart hammering against her ribs. "You…are?"
"Yes, ma'am. Just happen to be lookin' right at her."
Her breath left her in a trembling rush. "You're not serious."
"Wouldn't have said it if I wasn't." His fingertips left her chin, brushing over her cheek bone and then settling at the nape of her neck. "Been interested in you since day one. Thought Vin might make a move and didn't say anything cuz' he's my bro and all…but ma'am, in all fairness, he didn't do right by you." His voice became nothing more than a deep lull, pulling her closer as he lowered his forehead to hers. "And I can."
"Modo, I'm no good at this," she attempted pathetically, knowing she was fighting a losing battle and not entirely sure why she was even trying. "I just started figuring all of this out this morning."
"My Charley givin' up before even tryin' somethin'? That don't seem right." His nose brushed hers and her breath caught. "Maybe we give it a shot before sayin' it's not gonna work, hm?"
She swallowed hard and after a second's hesitation, nodded. She lifted a hand, curling it over his wrist. "Okay."
His mouth brushed hers softly and even though it was nothing more than an innocent, searching peck, the effect was profound. She couldn't think straight. Her own legs would no longer hold her. Her heart raced, pulsating in her ears. She reached for him and he was there, his mouth slanting over hers as his arm came around her waist and pulled her close.
When they broke apart, both breathing heavily, she looked up at him in complete awe. He'd been here all along, right in front of her face. And she'd never noticed. Well, she was noticing now. With a breathless laugh, she pulled him back down, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him with every ounce of repressed emotions, every bit of abandon she was feeling.
His arm tightened around her waist. He was so solid, his muscles hard and corded, pressing against her in ways that made her ache to be touched by him.
"You're not still hungry, are you?" she muttered against his mouth, unwilling to move away from him. "Because we're not going back down there."
"Only thing I'm hungry for, darlin' is you."
His voice, a deep, sensual rumble, made her shiver in anticipation. She suddenly couldn't get enough of him. It was like something in her had been set free, something that had sat motionless within her for too long and was now starving for human contact, for a man's touch, for the intimacy of something more than friendship.
She pushed against him, trying to maneuver them towards the bed. Steps ahead of her, Modo's arm slipped low and lifted her until her legs were straddling his waist. She couldn't help it. She moaned at the sudden shift in position, her nails digging into his shoulder. His other hand was suddenly at her thigh, moving upwards in a painfully slow caress.
"Bed," she whispered and he nodded, starting for it with quick, powerful strides. He was a man with a purpose and the fact that she was his purpose made her head swim.
He laid her down carefully, lying down beside her. Charley slid her leg over his, pulling him down for a deeper kiss. But he pulled back, steadying himself on an elbow and looking down at her. He looked so serious.
"Charley-girl. I think…I think there's somethin' I need to ask you." He lowered his forehead to hers and closed his eye. When he spoke, it was an uncertain murmur that twisted her heart and brought tears to her eyes. "Are you gonna let me love you, darlin'?"
She swallowed, her vision clouding. She tried to find the words, tried to find her voice through the emotion stealing it away. "I will…if you can help me figure out how to love you," she whispered back.
He opened his eye and smiled down at her in complete understanding. Had he not known her past, had he not known how deprived of human emotion she'd been, the statement could have been offensive. He ran a hand over her temple and kissed her forehead, her nose, then very softly her lips. "If it takes the rest of my life, it'll be damn worth it."
His mouth hungrily stole over hers and she forgot how to think. She forgot about the family downstairs probably wondering where they were, the sister who seemed intent on making Modo her's, Throttle and Vinnie hundreds of miles away.

All that mattered was Modo and the things he was making her feel, the frantic drumming of her heart and the fact that they were alone behind a locked door where she had every intention of staying for the rest of the day.