You guys, thank you all so much for reading this story. Also for feedback, suggestions and love.

You really are the best support, I'll keep saying it.

I won't tell you how far away we are from the last chapter of this story, but yes there is one coming...and I've already written bits and pieces.

For now though, enjoy this new chapter!

The darkest of blue covered the night's sky. The moon was bright, but unfortunately the city light's made it difficult to see the stars properly. Had they been in a field or near a lake, it would have been much easier to spot the nearest of planets with the naked eye.

Izzy was standing in the middle of the stadium, glancing up at the sky above her. The air was nippy even with her jacket on and she crossed her arms over her chest to warm herself.

The roaring sound of a motorcycle approached her from behind and she waited until Stoker reached her to turn her head towards him. He opened his visor, threw her a wink and handed her the spare helmet.

"Ready, beautiful?" He asked.

She traced the bike with her eyes. Even though she'd been on one twice today, she still felt anxious about climbing on. The hazel mouse noticed her hesitation and moved his metal tail towards her waist and coiled it around her once. Giving a slight and gentle tug, to pull her closer to him.

"We don't have to go." Stoker told her soothingly. "We can still go with Vinnie's suggestion and make our way to the top of the scoreboard?"

For a moment Izzy turned her head to glance up at the massive object, where Vinnie and Throttle currently were. The loud sounds of blasters going off and the occasional cheer still echoing in her mind.

Although Vinnie's option was a good one, she didn't feel like staying there and going back to the Last Chance Garage wasn't an option. Aside from the fact she didn't want to spend the rest of the evening talking about Sam or her past with her sister-in-law. Something told her there was a reason the white mouse had left Modo all by himself with Charley.

But she also didn't want to stay at or near the scoreboard. The tension between Stoker and Throttle still lingered there and even a small discussion such as wanting to leave almost set the two off again.

The thing she wanted most of all was to just get away and with that she meant really get away. It was Stoker who opted to leave the stadium entirely. Take one of the bikes and just drive around Chicago until they reached a place she wanted to stay a while. Which was actually what they were going to do.

Izzy put the helmet on and climbed behind Stoker, whose tail was still encircled around her waist. "Anywhere you want to go, gorgeous?" He asked.

There were a lot of places she wanted to go. But there was one that popped into her mind immediately. Perhaps because she was sitting with him on Charley's bike or maybe because it was the place where she'd first told him about her past.

It would be a good place to ask him everything she wanted to know. Not to mention freshen up and rest as well. "Remember the place where you told me about your adventures on Mars?"

Stoker blinked with surprise and was suddenly beginning to feel a bit warm under his clothing. He knew exactly what she was talking about. It was where they'd spent the night together, after he'd accidentally touched her mind.

Going there meant they would be completely alone. Away from the others. The older mouse gulped slightly, as improper thoughts entered his mind. Had he also not touched himself there, after watching Izzy emit soft moans during her slumber in the early morning?

But who was he to ignore that which she desired? Stoker nodded and started the engine as Izzy wrapped her arms around his waist. He could sense she was afraid of the bike, however with his tail coiled around her body, he could keep her safe.

"Hold on, babe."

:::::::...::::::

He watched and listened until the red dot of the motorcycle's backlight disappeared out of the stadium. The tanned mouse inhaled deeply, standing next to an open window with his arms crossed.

A disconcerting feeling hit him as he saw Izzy climb on Charley's bike, right behind his former coach. He had no idea where they were off to and that was probably for the best. But not knowing made him feel just as worried, if not even more so.

Where would they go, what would they discuss. But most importantly, what would they do? A vision of the two of them lying somewhere together, their bodies intertwined in a passionate dance of synchronised rhythm. Sounds of pure bliss and ecstasy. Something he had almost felt a few hours ago when he was drowning in her presence.

Throttle swallowed the lump in his throat and stepped away from the window. In the meantime, the youngest mouse had finally destroyed the last recording of Izzy's dancing routine.

The room was a mess yet again, but he had no intention of cleaning it up. Vinnie could take care of that. Because there was something else on Throttle's mind. Something he had to do first before doing anything else.

He wasn't sure how he was going to do it though.

He had to contact Carbine. Talk to her, hear her voice, perhaps see her if that was possible. But the means to reach Mars were limited. The radio in the scoreboard wasn't strong enough to create a connection and he couldn't hop over to the Last Chance Garage at this time.

Even if he could, there was still the matter of needing one of Earth's and Mars's satellite to be in the right place. He'd need them in order to bounce a signal between the two planets.

There was however another way. Throttle turned his eyes towards the spaceship in the corner. If there was still a small amount of power present in the craft, he could try to send a message to Mars. Perhaps even establish a link strong enough to communicate directly instead.

"Guess that's all of them." Vinnie said approaching the tan coloured mouse. "Or did we leave that one tape in the VCR?"

Throttle shook his head. "You got them all." He assured him. "I'm going to see if I can contact Army base on Mars."

"Army base?" The white mouse arched an eyebrow. "You mean you're going to try and talk to Carbine?"

"Yeah."

"How?"

He jerked his head towards the Martian ship. "First I'll have to check if the power still works. If it does, I'm going to try and send out a signal."

Vinnie looked genuinely surprised. "Wow,-"

"Wow?" Throttle repeated.

"Honestly, I wasn't expecting you to do that this quickly. Especially after everything that has happened today. You sure you're in the right head space to talk to her?"

"What are you talking about, Vincent? Of course I am. It's not the first time I've talked to her."

His voice sounded on edge and Vinnie noticed it immediately. His bro was nervous, anxious even. Throttle and Carbine had been together for a long time, and though he didn't know a lot about their relationship, he honestly didn't care that much, he knew there was some struggle there.

Throttle hardly mentioned her these days. He was also sure that the two of them hadn't talked in a long while. There were times Throttle used to ride off to the garage to send a message to Carbine, but the last time that happened was months ago.

Carbine was one tough cookie. A beautiful female though, he couldn't deny that. But she was very opinionated and quick to judge. Heck, at one point she even thought they had betrayed Mars to the Plutarkians. That had scarred them big time, Throttle most of all, because a lot of the soldiers and even Freedom Fighters believed her.

But Vinnie wasn't sure about this. About Throttle contacting Mars. What was he going to tell her? Was he going to tell Carbine about Stoker being on Earth with one of their new spaceships? Was he going to tell her about Izzy and how he was discovering he had feelings for her? What if he was to tell her about the fight he had with Stoker?

She would probably want to know why, and if he were to tell her the actual reason was mate guarding, she was not going to take it lightly.

Telling truth was the best, but Vinnie didn't want to see anybody get hurt because of a problem they should be able to solve themselves. He certainly did not want Carbine to come and visit Earth while all of this was going on.

"You know, maybe we should wait. I mean, do you honestly think telling Carbine about this will make everything better?"

Now it was Throttle's turn to stare at the other mouse with surprise. Wasn't it Vinnie who told him that he had to do something about this? If he didn't want him to contact Carbine, than what on Mars did he want him to do?

"What are you talking about?" He asked him.

"I mean, do you plan on telling Carbine the truth? I mean she is going to lose it, knowing her. Don't tell me you've forgotten about how she treated us on Mars when we went there last. If it hadn't been for Charley convincing her we were the good guys here, we would have been executed?"

Of course, Throttle hadn't forgotten that. How could he? That whole trip had been one roller-coaster. Sure, in the end everything worked out for the best. They even kissed and made up. And he had a difficult time being back on Earth after that. A part of him had wanted to stay on Mars, but the planet was safer now compared to before. He had to take care of Earth Plutarkian problems.

"Or how about when she thought something was going on between you and Charley? Remember she came to Earth to make sure everything was alright. Sure, her and Charley became good friends after that, but let's not forget she always has a hidden motive behind everything she,-"

"Vincent!" Throttle shouted out loud and the white mouse shut his mouth.

"Look," He let out a sigh. "You don't have to tell me how to treat the General, alright? I've known her for years. I'll be honest, I don't know what I'm going to tell her. But I do know that I have to hear her voice."

The two mice stared at each other for a while, until finally Vinnie opened his mouth again. "Alright. That I can understand. But just a suggestion on my end, Throttle. Not that I want you to lie to her,- just don't say anything that'll make her come to Earth."

He didn't have to explain himself any further. If Carbine came to Earth and saw Izzy, she would easily put two and two together just by looking at the human female. Women were scary that way. They just knew things.

The last thing Throttle wanted was for Carbine to attack Izzy. She had nothing to do with this. He'd been the one initiating everything. He was the one whose mind was screwed up at the moment. But he doubted Carbine would see it that way, even if Stoker had marked Izzy as his own.

Throttle clenched his fist and nodded at Vinnie. "I'll be careful. If I can make contact, that is."

"Well, if you need any help,- Don't ask me, because I'm not an engineer like the rest of you." The white mouse replied.

For the first time that day, Throttle grinned at his bro. It was still really weird to see him take the upper hand and give advice about matters of the heart.

"When did you become such a genius?" He asked.

"Me? I've always been smart, oh wise one. You guys just never listen to me because you think I'm all bravado and ego, twenty-four hours and thirty-one minutes a day."

There was truth in that. Throttle couldn't deny it. Of course they did listen to him, but most of the time he was the one giving the orders or advice. Vinnie was never the first option that came to mind and he was beginning to realize how unfair they had been to him.

"I guess I owe you an apology then?" He replied, but Vinnie shrugged.

"Just don't do anything stupid and you can buy the next ten rounds of dogs and root beer."

The tanned mouse shook his head as he walked away and headed towards the spacecraft.

As he pushed the cover aside and entered the vessel, he caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Warm, gentle and golden. Like the cloud that surrounded him earlier today. His heart felt heavy all of a sudden.

He should have expected to encounter Izzy's scent in her. She had spent a few hours in there and even if she hadn't, he could easily tell where she'd been.

Throttle walked through the cabin until he reached the control panel and the pilot seat. Traces of her flowery scent, mixed with Stoker's wooden musk hung in the air. He twitched his nose and sat down in the chair, as he covered the lower part of his face with his hand.

What was he going to do now? Would contacting Carbine really help him? Vinnie was right though, he had to choose his words carefully. But he also didn't want to lie to her.

No matter how much time he would spend thinking about it or how many different scenarios he concocted in his mind, nothing would work in his favour probably.

He leaned forward and flicked a switch, causing all the lights to switch on in the ship. At least there was still power left. Throttle did a quick maintenance routine to check how much energy the craft had left. Turned out it was a lot more than he expected. Apart from one, every other fuel cell was still full.

The spacecraft communication system might very well work. He pressed the green comm switch and turned the frequency knob until he hit the Freedom Fighter's base line.

"This is Throttle contacting Freedom Fighter's army base, General Carbine. Over."

Static sounded from the speakers, as well as white noise coming from the small screen in front of him. He clicked the comm button once again. "This is Earth contacting Mars's Freedom Fighter's base, do you copy? Over."

The screen suddenly moved, thick white and grey lines appeared, until they turned into a more solid shape. The shape of a Martian Cave mouse. A grey furred and black haired female.

Carbine. Throttle's heart pounded in his throat as he laid eyes upon her.

"Throttle, is that you?" Her voice echoed through the ship.

"Carbine? It's me. How have you been?"

"Is something wrong on Earth?" She asked instead of answering his question.

"Earth is fine, Carbine. I just,- I wanted to contact you." He admitted leaning closer towards the screen.

However, the woman in front of him didn't look that pleased. "It's been months, Throttle. Not that I've been very active on this end, I'll confess to that. But why now all of a sudden?"

Throttle moved back and frowned. "I should have contacted you sooner, I know. I'm sorry if I've upset you."

Carbine shook her head at him. "I'm just surprised, that's all. I can tell you're contacting us through one of our newer models. I take it that means there is a certain brown mouse currently on your planet?"

"I think you already know the answer, General." He replied coolly. It felt as if she was deliberately pushing the conversation towards business, as she'd done so the last time they spoke.

"Is he there? I need to talk to him, though I'd rather kick his ass."

She was beautiful when she was angry. But Throttle felt slightly hurt that she didn't seem to be as happy to see him as he was seeing her. He wasn't even sure now if he was happy to see her again.

"Stoker is not here. He's out for the moment with Charley's sister-in-law." It escaped him before he realized and he mentally slapped himself.

"Sister-in-law?" Carbine repeated. "Don't tell me he is chasing some human female while he's there? Ugh, you know what? It doesn't matter, it's who he is after all. Please tell him to come back to Mars as soon as possible, we need that spaceship."

"Carbine,-" He said out loud this time and he could see her blink her brown eyes at him. "I called because I need to talk to you. I,- I've been thinking about you."

It felt like half a truth. He had been thinking about her, but mostly since the last couple of days because of a certain someone. Someone whose scent was currently clinging to the chair he was sitting on.

Carbine nodded. "I've been thinking about you too. And,- you're right. We have to talk. I want to talk to you as well. But,- now is not a good time."

Her expression softened for a second as she seemed to stare straight at him through the screen. "I am sorry."

"No, it's alright. I understand. You're busy rebuilding Mars as best as you can. It must be exhausting. I'm sorry we're not there to help." He told her and he meant it.

"Thank you, Throttle. I'll,- I'll try to contact you soon. I promise, okay?"

"Okay."

"Take care, soldier." She smiled softly. " Carbine, out."

The screen turned black and the static was back once again. Throttle removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, feeling more confused than he did before.

The motel

Her legs felt heavy as she reached the end of the stairs, pushing the door open to which the steps led. It was a different room than before, the other one was occupied, but the inside looked exactly the same. She reckoned they all did.

Stoker had waited in the parking lot as Izzy had gone inside to pay for a room for just the night. She didn't mind it, no matter how much the mouse told her he was going to pay her back somehow.

The room was cold and dark and for a moment she contemplated if coming here was a good idea? But she reckoned that it didn't matter where she was, everything would remind her of something one way or another.

"You okay there, beautiful?" Stoker's voice sounded directly behind her.

"It's a bit chilly." Izzy replied as she rubbed her upper arms.

It was clear the mouse was not bothered one bit by it. His entire body was covered in fur after all. A mischievous grin formed on Stoker's face and he watched her up and down from behind.

"You're more than welcome to use me as a blanket, my heart."

My heart...

It was Izzy's heart that skipped a beat as he practically whispered those two words. He wasn't wrong though. She actually did want to use him as a blanket and not just due to the cold Chicago air.

She'd asked Stoker to come with her, not only because she wanted to get out of the tense atmosphere hanging in the living area of the Scoreboard, but because she had some questions for him.

But before she could he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, let's go inside and get warm."

His deep voice made her forget for a second what it was she wanted to ask him. This creature from outer space managed to throw her off guard more than she could count. He made her feel things she hadn't felt in a long time. Not since,- Sam.

They entered the room and Stoker turned the lights on. There was a weird sort of tension hanging around them. As if coming here, alone, just the two of them, was some sort of secret. Perhaps in some sense it was. Being alone with him felt different now and she couldn't explain why.

She removed her jacket and tossed it on a chair.

"I thought you were cold?" The tall mouse commented.

She was. Izzy had no idea why she'd done that. Why was she acting up all of a sudden? This wasn't like her. The soft shuffle of footsteps came towards her and she didn't dare raise her eyes.

His presence was warm, and normally comforting, but now she was simply feeling like a bundle of nerves. Before Stoker had the opportunity to reach out and touch her, she opened her mouth to ask a question she'd been meaning to ask him since they left the Scoreboard.

It hadn't gone unnoticed by her that when she mentioned Sam's fate earlier, none of the mice had responded with shock or surprise. Of course, Throttle already knew about it. She was the one who had told him. But neither Vinnie nor Stoker had seemed taken back by the news and she wanted to know why.

"Stoker, did you know about Sam?" She asked him quietly.

The mouse stopped and frowned at her unexpected question. "What do you mean, gorgeous?"

This time she tilted her head back to look at him. "Did you know that Sam faked his death? When I was yelling at you downstairs, you didn't seem fazed when I mentioned him or the fact that he'd been alive for the past year."

Oh, crap. He had an inkling this subject was going to come up sooner or later. Only he hadn't expected it to happen so soon. Truth was, Stoker didn't really want to talk about it and a part of him wondered if Izzy actually also wanted to.

The only time he'd seen her cry today was at the Dreamland, as that creep Morden had his filthy hand wrapped around her delicate neck. Had those tears been from fear of getting killed? Or had they been for her dead husband's secret?

"I knew about Sam. Vinnie told me on the way over to the Scoreboard." He admitted.

"Vinnie?"

Stoker nodded. "The goon who'd kidnapped Charley spilled the beans. Though Vinnie wasn't entirely sure if he was telling the truth. But your story confirmed it,-" His voice went soft as he lowered his eyes.

Izzy bit her bottom lip. That meant Charley knew as well. She wasn't sure if this would make things easier or more difficult once she would see her sister-in-law again. She turned her head away and stared into the distance.

"Is there anything I can do?" Stoker stepped in her line of sight, his eyes locked onto her with concern.

"Do?" The honey haired woman's voice trembled. "You don't have to do anything. You have already done so much for me, Stoker."

He stepped closer and placed his hand behind her head. "Izzy,-"

He thought something was wrong and was probably planning on comforting her. But that wasn't what she wanted. He'd seen so much of her vulnerability already, more than anybody else. But she was done with all of that. She didn't want him to see her shaking like a leaf anymore.

That she was a strong as he was.

"Look, I don't need time or anything cliche like that, if that's what you're asking. I've done my share of grieving a long time ago." Her blue eyes glistened as she looked up at him.

A part of him wanted nothing more than to believe her. But he could tell she was still hurt. Perhaps now even more than before. Sam had betrayed her not just once, but twice.

Stoker had heard her say those words before and even then he had doubts about their truth. It was okay for her to feel upset in front of him, yet still he saw the same facade appear on the surface.

"Nothing has changed." Izzy continued. "Sam is still dead. Sure, I thought it had happened a year ago, but I didn't know until today. So everything is still the same, isn't it?"

Stoker kept quiet and when she realised he wasn't going to answer her, she went on.

"He screwed up and I took care of that problem. Then he managed to screw up again, and I was once more expected to take care of the problem. And whatever it was that he stole from Morden, it's no longer important. Because neither of them are around anymore for it to matter. I closed the chapter of Sam a long time ago. And even though today proved otherwise, I still feel the same as I did before about it."

"It's alright to be angry,-" Stoker whispered, pressing his hand further against her head. "He hurt you more than any man ever should. There is no excuse for what he did, whether it was a year ago or up until recently."

"But I'm not angry,-" She said, placing her hands against his chest.

"It's alright to be." He repeated. "You are not to blame for what happened to him or yourself."

"I know I'm not."

"It's not your fault."

"I know that, Stoker!"

But the hazel mouse shook his head as he felt her trying to push herself out of his hold on her. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers.

"It's not your fault."

"Stop it,-"

"It's not your fault." He said once more, emphasizing each word clearly.

She trembled against him, her lips pressed together tightly. A soft sob finally managed to escape her throat. And then another. And another. Until she could no longer hold back the tears forming behind her closed eyes.

"How could he do this to me, Stoker? To Charley?"

He couldn't answer that question for her and now that Sam was really dead, there was no one left to provide them with the truth. It would always be a scar on her, as well as Charley. An invisible one. Those were the most painful ones of all and he knew it.

"Why can't the past just stay where it belongs?" Her voice was but a mere whisper now, but he heard it perfectly.

"It will." He assured her as he placed his other arm behind her back, pulling her closer. "The past is the past. You may be reminded of it from time to time, but you are the only one that can stop it from interfering with your future in a negative way."

Izzy scoffed dismissively, but Stoker wasn't done talking. If anyone was an expert on dealing with one's past, it was him. To make it worse, he was the one who also caused a lot of his own haunted memories. But not her and he wasn't going to allow her to believe that any of it was her fault.

"You have every right to be angry. Furious, even. But you can't let hate fill your heart. As cliche as 'you need time' is, there is truth in that. But what you also must remember is that you don't have to deal with this alone."

He smiled for a second. "Remember what I promised you earlier, in the spaceship?"

A breathy sigh crossed her lips. "Oh, Stoker,-"

"I asked you, if you will allow me to be there for you. And as long as you do, I always will be there." He felt her head move slightly as he spoke.

"I remember."

"Good." He pulled back and stroked her hair as he stared into her bright blue eyes. "Because I will remind you again and again, my heart."

Stoker captured her mouth with his and held her as close as he possibly could. He wanted her, he needed her. Just as she had told him today that she wanted him in her life.

She'd chosen him. Chosen him to be her rock, to be her shoulder. She'd chosen him to hold her and kiss her, after being hurt and betrayed by a man she used to love.

She'd chosen him over his former protegee. Even after he'd been beaten by Throttle in a challenge for Izzy's love, she still picked him.

The yearning to lower his antennas and touch her was getting stronger by the minute. He inhaled deeply as she returned his kiss, and got hit by that sweet nectar that was her fragrance.

It was as if he was back on Mars, sitting next to a river bank bush with those small pink flowers in full bloom. She reminded him of a time long forgotten, a place where she had never been, but belonged just as much because he it was his home.

Everything tingled. All of his senses sharp. He saw that golden cloud, which was her scent, flowing around them. He could taste it on his tongue as he slipped it over the threshold of her lips.

Warm and soft. He wanted to claim her fully. Not just mark her with his own scent as he'd already done, but have her entire body and soul filled with his. He was going to go mad if it would never happen.

The Goddesses were really taunting him. How much longer was he to wait until he could feel her soft hairless skin against his?

His breathing was heavy as he broke their kiss. Izzy's cheeks were flushed as well as her lips, her own breathing just as shallow as his was. She wanted more. Dear, Goddess. He could smell it.

He clenched his fist around a part of her hair and tilted her neck to the side. There was his mark. Stoker moved forward and pressed his nose against that soft tissue of skin between her ear and neck. Adding more of his scent to her.

Her pulse throbbed only a few inches away from him and he opened his mouth to kiss the vein gently. A moan escaped her and he felt his body respond immediately. If he didn't stop now, nothing could withhold him from claiming her.

Suddenly he there was a pressure on his arms and he moved his head back a bit to look at Izzy, who'd been squeezing his upper arms.

"I want,-" She whispered. "I want,-"

Stoker gulped as his heart practically pounded out of his chest. He wanted to hear her say it. He'd heard her say it before, but this time the words would have a different minute.

There was no way he could stop the minute those words would cross her pink and well defined lips. Yet he still couldn't resist asking.

"You want what?" He asked hoarsely, staring into her bright blue eyes.

"I want,- you."

A loud gasp followed as Stoker lifted Izzy's lithe frame up from the floor and carried her towards the bed.

She was so beautiful. A wave of nervousness fell over him. Realizing that this was it. He was going to become one with her. One with the woman who knocked every sense out of his being just by being near him.

"Don't stop." She told him firmly.

A low chuckle escaped his throat. "Oh, I have no intention of stopping. That I can guarantee you, my heart."

I guess there's just one thing left for me to say after that.

I'd love to hear your thoughts...