Chapter 10
The four ate breakfast by the pool on another sun drenched morning.
Modo put a hand to his stomach. "I gotta say, it's nice to be feelin' back to normal!" he announced.
Charley laughed and picked up the plates, "I'll go throw this stuff in the washer."
"I'll bring the rest," Modo called after her, grabbing the other bits and following.
Throttle looked at Vinnie across the table. He knew he needed to say something now whilst he had the chance, but was unsure of quite how. He slouched back in his chair. "So, what did you and Charley girl get up to yesterday?" he asked matter of factly.
Vinnie looked at him, a little surprised and suspicious, but kept his cool. He shrugged. "Aw you know, just hanging out."
Throttle nodded. He paused before continuing. "You two've been hanging out a lot lately," he remarked with innocent observation.
Vinnie looked at him again, trying to figure out if Throttle was implying something or not. He laughed. "Well you and Modo were busy doing your own thing, if you remember!"
Throttle smiled. "Yeah, yeah," he dismissed acceptingly, "I just meant… in general."
Vinnie narrowed his eyes a little, studying Throttle's face for a sign of accusation. He slouched back in his own seat. "Yeah so what? We're just having fun," he replied a tad defensively.
"Uh huh," Throttle's voice was impassive. He shifted in his seat and sighed. "Look, I know it's none of my business," he started.
Vinnie raised his eyebrows, "Yeah?" A hint of irritation in his voice.
Throttle considered his words. "Just, be careful," he sighed, "it might not-"
"-Hey, thanks but I don't need your opinion," Vinnie cut in, now clearly irritated.
Throttle held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not trying to tell you-"
"-Yeah? Well it sure sounds that way," Vinnie interrupted.
Throttle sighed again. "Look, Vinnie, I don't wanna start something here. Just hear me out, OK?"
Vinnie tilted his head, disinterested, but listened. "I don't wanna get involved and I don't wanna know what's been going on, OK? I just don't wanna see either of you get torn up over this."
Vinnie folded his arms, his expression softening a little. Throttle sat forward, folding his arms on the table. "Trust me, I know what it's like to be away from someone you care about, it doesn't work when you're on different planets."
Vinnie looked at him, his body slumped in recognition of his words and he looked away. "Yeah," he simply agreed.
Throttle eyed him with concern as Charley and Modo appeared again. They relaxed as breakfast got down. Vinnie and Charley floated on the pool rings, chatting and laughing. Throttle watched them thoughtfully.
Modo noticed and knocked his can against Throttle's arm, diverting his attention. "Hey, you OK?"
Throttle glanced at him, "Yeah. I'm just worried about those two," he nodded his head to them.
Modo frowned, not following. "Worried about those two? Why?"
Throttle rubbed his head with one hand and sighed. "I think… something's goin' on between them."
Modo stared at him, looking at the duo in the pool before returning his stare to Throttle. "With Vinnie and Charley?" His voice was shocked and confused.
"Yeah. I just spoke to Vinnie and he didn't deny it, just got defensive, and they've been spending loads of time together here, don't ya think?" Throttle looked at him questioningly.
Modo thought. "Well, yeah there's no denyin' that," he contemplated, before shaking his head and sighing heavily. "Why's he goin' messin' things up, he knows the deal, it's not fair on Charley-" he started, getting angrier at the reality of the situation.
"-Hey easy, easy," Throttle stopped him, keeping his voice low. "You know how much he cares about her. I just don't think they know what to do now it's… happened. But I think we should keep out of it."
Modo looked over at them, and back to Throttle with a pained expression. "Yeah, you're right, I just hope they know what they're doin'," he sighed apprehensively.
Throttle nodded in agreement, "Me too Modo, me too."
Modo hung his head, shaking it again. "Vinnie, you sure don't do things by halves," he said to himself.
Throttle snorted in irony at the comment. "That's Vinnie."
Vinnie and Charley dried off on the loungers as Modo and Throttle went to grab more drinks from the kitchen.
Vinnie turned to her. "You wanna hang out today, just me and you?" he suggested in a purely friendly tone.
Charley smiled, her expression suggesting it would be anything but purely friendly. "I'm not sure we could think of a good enough excuse?"
Vinnie looked to make sure they were alone. "Yeah, well, I'm not sure we need one, babe. I think they kinda suspect something."
Charley looked at him with concern. "What? How?" She kept her voice low.
Vinnie shook his head and opened his hands, "I dunno. Throttle was making comments about us spending time together and then started tryin' to give me sensible advice!"
Charley put her head in her hand. "Oh no."
"Bet he's said somethin' to Modo too. I didn't tell him anything though." Vinnie assured her.
"Great, we're gonna get that lecture at some point then," Charley groaned.
Vinnie shrugged, looking thoughtful. "Maybe not. Throttle did say he didn't wanna know, or get involved."
Charley looked more optimistic. "Good. Well, we can't keep it from them forever," she considered.
Vinnie nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Guess we should say somethin' soon."
"Yeah, soon." Charley repeated, a tad apprehensively. "Maybe we should hang out with them for a while first, before we disappear? We could take the boat out or something?"
Vinnie agreed. They hadn't hung out as a group since the whole Root beer incident. Throttle and Modo reappeared with more of the non alcoholic kind.
Vinnie called over. "Hey we were thinking, we could take the boat out? But no fishing."
Modo and Throttle nodded to each other. "We could take some lunch, put the music on…" Modo suggested.
"Sounds good." Throttle agreed.
"I'll go put some lunch together?" Charley offered. She walked off to the kitchen.
"Guess we'll need even more Root beer then!" Throttle chuckled, walking off to get some.
"Remember to-" Vinnie started.
"-Check the label, yeah, I know." Throttle called back dryly. Vinnie laughed to himself.
Modo got up. "I'll go get the boat ready." He walked off before Vinnie could make any more comments.
Vinnie followed the others to the kitchen. Throttle was returning with a crate. "Grab the other crate
Vinnie, would ya?" He nodded to it on the floor, walking off to the boat.
Charley was busy making sandwiches and cooking up some sausages and chicken thighs. Vinnie smiled to himself, stepping nearer and snaking his tail up to the worktop, where it wrapped round a piece of cut up chicken.
Charley noticed. "Hey! Get off, that's for lunch!" She tried to grab his tail, but missed.
Vinnie held the chicken up in his hand. "I'm hungry," he stated, biting into it.
"You've just had breakfast!" Charley cried. "And be careful, those thighs are hot."
Vinnie swallowed his bite and smiled knowingly at her. He laughed suggestively, "They sure are."
She smiled, rolling her eyes as he approached her, his eyes roaming over her. His hands clamped her sides. "Just like the rest."
She draped her arms around his neck and pressed against him, kissing him softly. Vinnie squeezed her sides. She pulled back. "Vinnie?" she asked, looking him in the eyes.
"Yeah?" He raised his eyebrows.
"Your meat's burning," she smiled, raising an eyebrow.
Vinnie let out a dirty laugh. "You said it."
"Well if you don't want a singed lunch, I need to sort this," she smiled, stepping back and turning the oven off.
Vinnie turned and picked up the crate of Root beer. "I'd better take this," he sighed. He headed out the door, reaching over with his tail and taking another chicken piece.
"Hey!" Charley cried, watching in exasperation.
The mice loaded up the sleek, white boat, which in truth was actually a yacht, as it bobbed slightly on the water. Charley soon followed with the lunch. They headed off mid morning, Modo steering. The deck was a light wood, there was plenty of room for fishing, with comfy chairs at the stern. Inside, the light wood continued, paired with ivory sofas and carpets. The lounge area formed a square, where a large TV hung on a wall. Behind was a modern kitchen and dining area. The lower deck housed the bedroom and bathrooms, whilst the upper deck had a large exposed space with loungers, and a covered outside space with sofas and tables. It was hardly a fishing boat. The space was vastly bigger than Charley's apartment and garage. They each took turns in steering, as they circled the island. They ate lunch on the upper deck's table, playing music and chatting and laughing as usual. When Throttle was steering and Modo stood chatting to him, Vinnie and Charley left the loungers and went to have a look below deck. The bedrooms and bathrooms were compact but still luxurious, the main one bigger than the rest with its own en suite and walk in closet.
"Not bad for a boat!" Vinnie remarked, looking around.
Charley opened doors and peaked inside. "Still better than mine," she groaned.
Vinnie shrugged her comment off. "Doesn't matter what it looks like, it's what you do in it that counts," he smiled, giving her a look.
She smiled at him and sighed. "Just sleep," she muttered bitterly.
Vinnie raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Maybe not for long, Sweetheart."
Charley laughed, embarrassed. "Is that right?" she teased, resting her hands on his waist.
He slid his hands round hers. "I'm kinda hopin' so," he smiled. She looked at him, running her hands up his abs to his chest, stepping up to him, sliding them around his neck. She kissed him hard, pushing him into the bedroom wall. His hands slid lower to the base of her back. She broke away from him, both of them breathing heavily.
Considering a thought, she looked down, a smile at the corner of her mouth. "Just so you know," she started, then looking him in the eye. "I'm… fixed up, you know?" She tried to explain, a little embarrassed.
Vinnie frowned, not understanding for a second. When he suddenly realised what she was trying to say, his eyes widened. "Oh! Right!" He nodded, swallowing. He looked out the doorway down the hallway and back to Charley, who was smiling at him. "You mean like, now?" he asked nervously.
Charley looked at him, shocked. She laughed, flustered. "No, not now!" she blurted.
Vinnie relaxed. "Oh, I thought maybe you wanted to-" Vinnie started, before Charley interrupted.
"-Not here!" Charley cried, keeping her voice low. "The others are up there! They'll be wondering where we are as it is!" She gestured above them.
Vinnie chuckled, "Well wherever it is, I ain't gonna complain!"
Charley smirked, "Let's think about that later, hot stuff, come on." She ushered him back to the upper deck, where they took their seats on the loungers once again. Throttle and Modo appeared oblivious to their absence, unless they were just keeping out the way, Vinnie mused.
They moored up early afternoon. Modo sorted the boat whilst Throttle, Vinnie and Charley bought the stuff they'd taken back to the main area. They put the leftovers back in the kitchen. Once Throttle had left, Charley reached out to Vinnie's arm, he turned to face her. She bit her lip and looked at him. "So, you wanna go somewhere? Just us?"
"Yeah sure. Where you wanna go?" Vinnie smiled.
"Maybe we could go back to the waterfall?" she suggested.
Vinnie grinned. "Whatever you want, Sweetheart."
She stepped closer to him. "Maybe we can have another think about, what we were talking about?" she suggested in a lower tone.
He raised an eyebrow, eyeing her. "OK," he smiled, feeling a little nervous.
"I'm gonna go get a shower," she smiled.
"Yeah me too," Vinnie nodded, following her out of the kitchen, his mind starting to race.
Throttle and Modo were walking past the pool with a ball. "We're gonna go shoot some hoops," Throttle told them, knowing they wouldn't want an invite.
"Yeah, we're gonna go get showers and, maybe go for a ride." Vinnie told them, with no further explanation.
"See ya later," Modo called. They were clearly asking no questions. He and Throttle exchanged a look, as did Vinnie and Charley.
"See ya guys," Charley called after them. "Oh, they so know," she groaned.
Charley pulled her dress back on after her shower. Underneath, she put on underwear, instead of her bikini. She looked at herself nervously in the mirror. There was no going back now.
Vinnie took a deep breath as he pulled his vest top back on. He'd decided to put his jeans on, beach shorts just weren't right. He couldn't help but feel apprehensive as he knocked on Charley's door.
"Jeans, is that your official dress code for putting out?" she teased, smirking at him.
Vinnie smiled, feeling his cheeks heat up. "I just never imagined the first time we… well, that I'd be in beach shorts!" he explained, a tad awkwardly.
Charley looked at him with mock suspicion. "Just how far back have you been imagining that, then?"
Vinnie gave her an unconvincing look of virtue. Charley shook her head and raised her hands. "Forget I asked that."
They made their way down to the beach, where they mounted Vinnie's bike. They drove up the familiar pathway to the spot where they had stopped before.
"Hold on," Vinnie told her, as he revved his engine and made the jump across the pool to the grassy area on the other side.
"Well that saved some time," Charley remarked, dismounting and taking off her helmet. The scenery was just as beautiful as she remembered. She walked over the grass, where rocks of various sizes stood, to the rocky edge of the turquoise pool, taking a photo and looking around. She could now see the waterfall in its entirety, falling into the water in a white haze, the spray dampening the rocks either side. The cascade roared continuously in the background as the sun lit up areas of the pool though the tall trees. She sensed Vinnie behind her and turned her head, smiling to him. He put his hands on her waist from behind and nuzzled her neck, causing her to giggle slightly. She leant her head back into him. "It's good to be back here," she sighed happily.
"Sure is," Vinnie agreed, his breath against her neck. "Just you and me, well, apart from the wildlife."
Charley smiled, her neck tingling, sending a shiver down her body. "I can live with that," she murmured, pressing back against him, causing his jeans to tighten.
They stood for a few seconds, feeling each others breathing quicken. Charley could feel Vinnie's hardness against her. She turned, draping her arms around his neck. She swallowed, her heart thumping, knowing what was about to happen. He tightened his grip on her waist as his heart also pounded, his chest rising and falling. He looked her over before pulling her towards him and kissing her hard. She held the back of his head as she hungrily kissed him, their tongues now well in sync, until they finally broke apart.
"It's been a long time since I…was in this situation," Charley breathed, biting her lip.
Vinnie raised his eyebrows. "Not as long as me, I bet."
She smiled, her hands dancing in the fur at the back of his neck. "That's a big downside of being stranded on another planet, huh?"
He looked at her, his eyes now darker. "Not any more," he smirked.
Charley smiled wickedly, reaching up and kissing him once again, grabbing his top in her fists. Vinnie held her tightly, his hands sliding down, holding her ass over the thin material. They kissed wildly, his hardness pressing into her, causing their breathing to become ragged. Her hands gripped his sides as they both panted between kisses, before he pushed her forcefully backwards into a large smooth rock, causing his body to crush hers. They groaned at the contact, her hands desperately running over his chest, roughly pulling at his top, which was soon discarded. One of her hands ran up his back whilst the other held his ass over the tight denim. His hands ran up her sides roughly, slowing as they outlined the sides of her breasts. One hand cupped her over her dress, whilst the other slid under the skirt, up her leg to her thong, and round to her ass. He squeezed it firmly, causing her to arch into him and moan into his mouth, as his hand caressed her smooth, warm skin. His other hand then ran down and under her dress, grabbing her other cheek. She gasped as he kneaded it, her hands roaming his sides and down his abs, finding his belt and starting to unbuckle it.
Vinnie took a deep breath as he continued to kiss her feverishly. His hands came back to her dress and snaked back up her body, until he came to her large breasts that were bound by the elasticated top. She could feel his warm hands on her through the fabric and bucked against him, wanting to feel his hands on her body. Her hands had undone his belt and jeans and were now threatening to venture inside. With one rough tug, the fabric was pulled down to her waist, exposing her firm breasts, which bobbed slightly at the action. Vinnie looked at her with hungry eyes. Before she had time to think, his hands lifted her body, shifting her up the rock. His hands held the underside of her legs and his mouth was suddenly on her breasts. She panted heavily, making little noises as his tongue snaked over her. She moaned quietly, grabbing the fur on his head. He sucked in a breath, looking at her like a tiger would its prey. "You are so fucking hot," he whispered, bringing her down and to his mouth again.
Her hands were on his abs once again, sliding downwards, feeling every muscle. He pushed her dress downwards, using his tail to take it off completely, leaving her in just her thong. She was aching for him, her hands tugging at his jeans. Her mouth went to his ear. "I want you," she breathed, causing him to shudder. He grabbed her waist, pulling her down, as they clumsily made it to the grass, his body crushing hers as he kicked off his sneakers and jeans. His hand pulled her thong off roughly, as he knelt up and lustfully looked over her tight, tanned, naked body, her full breasts swaying slightly. He forcefully grabbed her waist, causing her to gasp and groan at his rough contact, desperate to feel him inside her.
She wanted him to have her, in any way he wanted, at this point. "Please," she moaned. "Vinnie… please." He never thought he'd hear her pleading for him to do her so desperately, and it made him wild. He wanted to say something, but it came out in a low growl, his eyes hungrily roaming over her body.
He gritted his teeth, pulling her aching centre towards him. She could barely form words as his hands ran roughly up and down her sides. His breathing was shallow and ragged as he finally pushed into her, pulling her down onto him. He groaned, unable to speak, his eyes trying to focus as he sunk into her warm wetness. She cried out as she felt him enter her, bucking upwards, feeling him sliding his length into her. She was so desperate for it, almost shaking with need. She panted and gasped, moaning as he filled her.
"Fuck," He swore quietly, stopping to compose himself, closing his eyes for a second before starting to move again, feeling her around him. She moaned loudly, grasping at him, feeling him push into her over and over. He kept hold of her waist, controlling the rhythm. He moaned, trying to keep himself in check, swearing to himself.
"Oh god!" She moaned, "don't stop, oh, Vinnie!" Charley moaned louder, with high gasps intertwined. Vinnie could only swear and remember to breath.
She gasped, 'Vinnie! Vinnie! Oh, oh! Right… there, oh god… Vinnie!"
His pace got more frantic, pounding into her, his groans getting more desperate. "Fuck, fuck!" He growled.
"Oh my god, oh, Vinnie, Vinnie! I'm gonna…" She gasped, her head rising up as she cried out and she bucked, her head crashing back, then frantically rising back up and crashing back again. her body writhing in pleasure.
Vinnie was done. "Fuck Charley," he clenched his teeth, a groan ripping from him as his whole body shuddered. "Fuck," he gasped again.
Charley panted, her body hot as she lay naked in the grass. She put a hand to her forehead. "Wow," she managed.
Vinnie ran his hands down his face, panting equally as hard. "You said it, Sweetheart," he smirked.
After a minute or so, Charley got up, walking over to the pool. "You coming in?" she asked, walking into the water until it covered her body. Vinnie followed, getting in. The water was warm, the sunlight shining on it in sparkling patches. They sat against one side, the roar of the waterfall distant enough not to be overbearing. Vinnie draped an arm round her, and she lent her head on his shoulder.
"I guess we should tell the other two about us, when we get back?" Charley contemplated.
Vinnie nodded and made a noise in agreement. "Yeah, it's gonna be pretty obvious when I'm not there most nights!"
Charley raised her eyebrows and looked at him, "Most nights?" Vinnie smirked at her. She thought, a concerned expression appearing on her face. "I'm gonna have to invest in a new bed."
Throttle and Modo had decided to play some sport on the bikes, out on the water. Throttle mounted his bike and started his engine, bringing it to life with a roar. A small yellow light on the dashboard caught his eye. It wasn't usually there, but Charley had made various changes and upgrades over the years, sometimes it was hard to keep track. He studied it for a moment, he didn't recognise the symbol, consisting of two wavy lines.
"Hey Modo, any idea what this means?" he called.
Modo came over, squinting at the light. "Never seen that before," he muttered, holding his chin with thought.
"Have to ask Charley when she's around," Throttle shrugged, as they headed for the water.
Vinnie and Charley finally appeared, later that afternoon. They'd planned to talk to Throttle and Modo about the situation. They dismounted Vinnie's bike, exchanging glances when they saw the other two on the beach. However, Throttle gestured them over to his bike when he saw them.
"Hey." he greeted. "Charley, I got this light come on, must be one of your extras, can you fill me in?"
"Sure," Charley replied, walking over and looking at the symbol. She stood up straighter, "Oh," her voice a little startled.
"What is it?" Throttle asked, concerned.
"Someone's trying to, um, contact you, through radio waves," her voice was a little flustered. "Turn your radio on."
"Radio waves?" Throttle asked, turning his radio on.
Charley pressed the buttons on his dashboard, going through the stations, listening.
Vinnie and Modo looked at each other, confused. "Who's gonna go to that trouble when we've got phones?" Vinnie asked.
"Because whoever this is, can't reach him that way," Charley explained, concentrating on the sounds.
"Thought pretty much every person on the planet owned a phone these days," Modo noted.
Charley looked up at them. "Well that's just it, they're not on the planet."
The mice looked at each other with shocked bewilderment as Charley continued to listen, the radio flicking through the stations.
Throttle raised his hands. "Hold up. You're saying whoever's trying to contact me is on another planet?"
"Could it be Mars?" Modo asked with concern.
Charley looked up again and gave a quick shake of her head. "No, it couldn't be that far away. This has to be coming from space-nearby space."
The mice looked at each other once again. "You mean a ship?" Vinnie asked.
Charley squinted, concentrating on the sounds coming from the radio, trying to recognise any messages. "Yeah," she replied, distracted.
Throttle thought. "Well they know I'm here, they know my bike's system, they wanna talk to me, gotta be someone we know really well."
Charley continued to go through the air waves. She looked at Throttle with realisation dawning on her face. "Do you think it could be-"
Just then a faint, serious voice echoed through the speakers, distorted by crackling. Charley gasped, pressing the buttons again. "Turn it up," she instructed Throttle. He turned the volume up as Charley managed to get a better signal. They all recognised the voice instantly as a looped message played.
"This is Carbine calling Throttle, do you read me?
The four looked at each other in total surprise. "Carbine?" Throttle cried, his mind reeling.
Charley ran a hand down her face trying to think straight. "She won't hear you until I make it two way, I'll need a minute." She gestured for Throttle to get off the bike. He did so hastily. She messed with some buttons. "Luckily I made this easy to activate when I put the system in," she muttered as she worked. The mice gathered round. "Got it!" she cried.
"Good work Charley," Throttle said appreciatively, putting a hand on her shoulder and getting back on the bike.
She pointed, "Just press that button when you wanna talk."
Throttle took a breath and pressed it. "Carbine, this is Throttle, do you read?" his voice anxious. There was no reply. He tried again a little louder. "Carbine! This is Throttle, do you read?"
There was a static noise before Carbine's voice came through. "Throttle! I've been trying to reach you for hours. Is everything OK?"
Throttle let out a breath in relief. "Yeah. Are you? What's going on?" he asked with concern.
"Everything's OK. I'm heading for Earth, I should be there within the hour, I'll explain everything then. Your coordinates read a small island off of the main land, is that right?" she asked, a tad bewildered.
"Yeah, I'll explain about that," he replied, feeling a little guilty that she had been trying to reach him whilst he relaxed in the sun.
"OK. I'll head there now. Carbine out," she replied matter of factly, turning off the channel.
The four exchanged looks. "Just when you think this week couldn't get any more surreal," Throttle muttered.
"Hey cheer up, you're gonna see Carbine after all this time!" Vinnie cried cheerfully, slapping him on the back.
Throttle jolted, smiling weakly. "Yeah but the problem is, whenever we see Carbine, it's never good news."