Welcome one and welcome all,
Hope you had a good Christmas. My grandfather passed away the day before Christmas Eve (we knew it was coming, but it always hits even though you know). So, I am officially done with 2020, as I reckon most of you are probably.
Anywho, hope all is well with you guys. A little (overdue) Christmas present from me to you all.
It is a long one...a really really long one...You'll see.
Enjoy!
Edited 28th Dec: I added an extra (long) scene,
because you guys made me realize the jump between the last two scenes was too big.
The new scene is between Throttle and Izzy's talk and the ending.
In record time Throttle and Stoker made it back to the Last Chance Garage, taking every short cut the tanned mouse could think of as well as riding through a red light twice. Despite the good news that Izzy was found, the words rather wet worried him greatly as his mind immediately went back to their first meeting when he thought she'd been planning on drowning herself.
What if that had been the case just now? He wondered if Stoker had even noticed Modo's words, but it was clear the older mouse had something else on his mind entirely and that was to get to Izzy as quickly as possible. Her disappearance had scared the living daylights out of him, so much in fact that even Throttle thought his coach was seriously going to lose it if they would never find her. But they had and she was in one piece.
The second they reached the entrance of the garage, Stoker jumped off his bike leaving the vehicle to park herself while he made a run for the staircase. His heart beating rapidly in his chest as he grabbed hold of the doorknob and turned it. He had no idea what he would be greeted with the moment he walked through that door. Was she really okay? Had anything happened to her? And where had she been?
He flung the door open and stumbled inside, his eyes frantically searching for her. There she sat on the couch, a blanket draped over her shoulders and a cup in her hands. As soon as he entered, Izzy turned her head and locked eyes with him. Her hair was wet, hanging in long, slightly wavy, tresses down her back.
Quickly she leaned forward and set her drink down on the coffee table in order to greet him but by the time she was ready to stand up, the hazel mouse was already at her side. Stoker raised his arm and touched her cheek with the back of his hand.
Izzy, can you hear me?
The corner of her mouth twitched and she smiled, followed by a short nod. Stoker exhaled loudly and pulled her into his embrace. She could hear him. For a minute there he'd thought somehow the connection between them had been broken for whatever unknown reason. But it hadn't.
With his arms wrapped around her as tight as he could, Stoker pressed his nose against the side of her neck and inhaled deeply. Her scent, his scent, mixed together at that particular spot that told everyone she was his and his alone.
"I thought I'd lost you." He whispered softly and he felt her head move.
"I'm sorry." She told him.
Stoker pulled back and placed his forehead against hers. "No, I am. I should have noticed you going, but I didn't. I promise you it won't happen again."
"Stoker, you can't focus on me all the time and even if you had seen me, I still would have left the scoreboard."
Her words shocked him as soon as they crossed her lips and entered his ears. Leaning back, he looked at her with confusion. Although he had a pretty good inkling as to why she had walked out of the spaceship in the first place, he didn't understand what she was saying to him right now. She had wanted to leave? Did she mean forever? Is that what would have happened if the others hadn't found her?
"I don't understand, gorgeous. What do you mean leave? Do you mean,- me?"
Izzy saw the turmoil in his burgundy eyes and soon distress bubbled to the surface. There was panic and fear. He thought she was planning on leaving him. Break up their relationship and disappear out of sight without ever telling him. But that wasn't what she meant at all.
"No! Stoker, of course not! I,- not you. That's the last thing on my mind. Honest." She moved her hands and cupped the lower part of his face. Her hands cold and Stoker shivered as she touched him.
Her brow furrowed with concern and she glanced over his shoulder at her sister-in-law. "Charley, would you mind if I use your bedroom so that we may talk in private?"
Of course Charley didn't mind at all. It was clear they needed some alone time. The minute Stoker sat himself on the couch and began talking to Izzy, it felt as if all of them were eavesdropping in on their conversation. They needed privacy and besides, she, Modo and Vinnie already knew what had been going through Izzy's mind after she'd left the scoreboard.
"Take all the time you need." The female mechanic replied.
Right as Izzy was about to get up and take Stoker with her, Throttle's voice sounded from the other side of the room. He'd been standing there, leaning against the wall for only a couple of minutes, but he had heard the talk between his coach and Izzy.
And even though he knew they needed to talk, he himself had been very worried about her as well. Now that it was clear nothing bad had happened to her, Throttle felt it was alright to ask for a little clarification regarding the situation.
"We were really worried about you. Why did you run away like that? Do you realize what could have happened and where did you go exactly?"
Izzy turned her gaze towards the tanned mouse, there was a hint of anger there, not only in his voice but in his demeanour too. Throttle's eyes were always hidden behind his glasses, but his emotions were visible enough for everyone else to see. She understood what he wanted from her, but Stoker was more important and besides, the others could explain it to him too.
"Charley will tell you." She answered a bit coolly. Without delaying any further she pulled the hazel mouse with her towards the staircase and ascended towards Charley's bedroom.
The others watched as the two of them disappeared out of sight and as soon as the door was closed, Charley let out a deep sigh. Modo was standing behind the auburn haired woman. His arm wrapped around the front of her chest as she stood there leaning against his chest with her back.
Vinnie had been quiet throughout everything. It was then Throttle noticed something about the youngest mouse. Something he hadn't seen earlier. His white fur was fluffy, albeit hardly noticeable unless you knew what Vinnie looked like after taking a shower, which wasn't a thing that happened on a daily basis. A blue towel hung around his neck and shoulders.
"What happened to you?" Throttle asked his bro. He had spotted Izzy's hair still being slightly wet, but it would seem something similar had happened to Vinnie as well.
"Went for a swim, obviously." Vinnie retorted, grabbing hold of each end of the towel and moving it from left to right behind his neck.
"Anybody translate that for me?"
"We found Izzy at one of the lakes up north." Modo explained. "Having a swim."
Throttle frowned. "A swim, really?"
"That what she said afterwards. We had no idea at first, we thought she was in trouble. Charley called out to her and when she didn't respond, well,-" The grey mouse nodded in the direction of Vinnie who stepped forward and hit his chest.
"I jumped right in without even thinking twice." He proudly stated.
"Charley shouted at him to get in there and save Izzy."
"What Modo means is, she yelled just as I was already running towards the water's edge." The white mouse crossed his arms.
"And just as Vinnie surfaced right next to her, Izzy screamed from the top of her lungs." Modo pressed his mouth into a tight line to stifle a laugh. "In the end we're not really sure who saved who from thereon."
The white mouse rolled his eyes as Modo finished the story. It was clear he was the one who'd been trying to save Izzy, even though she said she'd not needed it. She explained to them she was simply enjoying a swim, as water always calmed her down.
Throttle wasn't sure how much to believe of this story. He did believe it happened, there was no doubt about that. But he wondered if Izzy was once again telling to truth. The situation looked an awful lot like his first encounter with her. When she'd taken off her shoes and was about ready to walk into the water. Only this time he hadn't been the one to find her. If he had, he probably would have yelled at her for acting so reckless and dangerous.
"And the reason why she left the scoreboard?" He asked. "Was it that letter?"
Charley nodded. She had apologized to Izzy for not telling her about Sam's letter. It had been her intention to destroy it, along with the microfilm. But she hadn't gotten to it yet. It wasn't until Vinnie showed them he'd seen Izzy drop it, that Charley realized Stoker had taken it with him instead of leaving it at the garage.
"So Stoker hid it on purpose?"
Charley shrugged. "I don't know. It was obvious he never wanted Izzy to ready it. I reckon it fell from one of his pockets at some point while we were in the ship. But I had no idea the letter was with him."
Of course she didn't. Throttle wasn't really surprised at the behaviour the former freedom fighter was displaying. Anything that came close as a threat to him and his relationship with Izzy, was something to be eliminated in some kind of way. Sam was not even alive and the mouse felt threatened by it. Although, admittedly, Throttle also didn't like the way Sam addressed Izzy in his letter.
It was clear he had known about her stripping for money at Morden's club. And whether or not that was during the time she was still there, Sam asked Charley to never mention to Izzy that he had known about it. That was wrong. Throttle couldn't think of any excuse that would justify Sam's behaviour. He for one would never forgive him.
In a sense Throttle actually understood Stoker a bit more than he initially thought. The tanned mouse tilted his head back and averted his gaze towards the stairs, wondering how the conversation between Stoker and Izzy was going and what it was they were discussing exactly. Aside from the story he'd just heard, he had a hunch they had more to talk about than her running off.
::::::...::::::
She hadn't let go off his hand, not even when they'd walked into Charley's bedroom and Izzy closed the door behind his back. He watched her closely and quietly, heart pounding rapidly and the palms of his hands were beginning to perspire a little. Truth was, he was concerned. Worried with what she was going to say to him. About Sam, about that letter. What she'd been thinking while she was missing for all those hours.
The room was dark, only a small beam of the setting sun entered through the window, drawing a long golden streak on the floor. Stoker had no idea how to start this conversation, therefore he kept his mouth closed even though there were a lot of things he wanted to ask and there was one question in particular.
Was she still set on coming with him to Mars?
He couldn't possibly imagine the letter having that kind of effect on her, but if there was one thing Stoker learned over the years is that you never knew what might trigger one into changing earlier made decisions. Thinking about it immediately sent a wave of anxiety down his back. Despite having made comments over the past week that he would totally understand if she eventually decided to not come with him, now he wasn't so sure about that anymore.
"You know why I ran off, don't you?" Izzy said, her eyes locking with his. A question to which she already knew the answer thanks to Charley, but she had to hear it from him.
"Sam's letter to Charley." Stoker answered right of the bat and the woman nodded.
"The letter,-" She paused and swallowed the lump that formed in her throat.
Thinking back on what she had read in Sam's letter pained her. Even though she had already told the story to Charley and the other two mice when they found her, retelling it now in front of Stoker was difficult. She knew how he felt about Sam. He'd voiced his opinion on her husband more than once. It was almost as if he hated him more than she did.
"I'd been wondering if Sam had known about the things I'd done after his supposed death. Clearing his debt, working for Morden. That letter answered everything and then some. Things I wanted to know and at the same time things that I didn't want to have an answer to." She averted her gaze and glanced over Stoker's shoulder as she stopped talking.
Something soft touched her chin, followed by a gentle tug. With his thumb and index finger, Stoker moved her head slightly so she would look up at him again.
"But, why did you leave?" He asked, emphasising the word why.
What had it been in that letter that caused such a disturbance within her. Something he apparently couldn't solve, otherwise she wouldn't have left in such a hurry and for such a long time.
"It hurt a lot reading what Sam wrote, Stoker. Especially the part that he knew about everything. The dancing at Dreamland in order to clear his debts,- he still had the audacity claiming to love me deeply before asking Charley to never tell me about it." Her breath shuddered.
"I simply wanted to be alone for a little while. Process what I'd read, clear my head. Think about the decisions I'm about to make."
"Think or rethink?" Stoker asked carefully.
But Izzy didn't answer, instead she walked away from him towards the window. The hazel mouse watched her standing in that beam of light, highlighting the hints of red and gold in her hair even more. He went to stand behind her and wrapped his arms around her body, his tail loosely circling around her leg to feel an extra sense of comfort.
"Both." Izzy said softly. "I purposely went for a walk, that way I knew it would be more difficult for you guys to find me. I know how it sounds, but I needed to be alone."
Stoker closed his eyes and squeezed her tight. "If,-"
He licked the outline of his mouth. "If we hadn't found you, would you have come back to me eventually?"
Yes. "I would have." She assured him.
The fact he heard her in his mind was once again a far better reassurance than her verbal response. Placing his chin on the top of her head, Stoker sighed deeply. "Never could have imagined falling in love would make me such a,- a,-"
"Insecure fusspot."
"Insecure?" He frowned. That wasn't a word he would ever use to describe himself. Did he worry a lot about everything that had to do with her? Absolutely. But insecure? Never.
Stoker removed his arms and turned her around to face him. A couple of ideas sprung to mind to show her how wrong she was with calling him insecure, but now wasn't the time for that. Especially seeing as they weren't alone or somewhere private. Charley's bedroom was not the place for the things he had in mind.
"All show you insecure once we arrive on Mars." He said it with a smile, but Izzy didn't return it but her mouth did twitch a little.
"About that," She replied instead as she looked up at him. "That's what I need to talk to you about."
There was that sinking gut wrenching sensation in his stomach again. Stoker didn't like the way she phrased that, like she was planning on saying something he didn't want to hear. He lowered his eyes and felt the need to step back, not willing to listen to her.
"Stoker,-" Her voice was soft, but he shook his head.
Izzy placed her hands behind his neck and pulled him towards her. "Please, listen."
"No. Whatever you have to say regarding Mars, it can wait until we're there." He grabbed hold of her waist, gently, trying to hold her off. "We already talked about this and I'm not letting a voice from the dead change something that you wanted in the first place."
His words were harsh but he wasn't going to take them back. Samuel Davidson was dead and still he managed to influence the people around him. Charley, Izzy, even the fate of Mars. And although the latter was a good thing, Stoker wasn't going to allow Sam to have control over him and his mate. She was his now.
Mine.
Izzy kept a firm hold on him, although she would never be strong enough to keep him from doing whatever he wanted if he set his mind to it. Whether that was walking away or something drastic such as throwing her over his shoulder and taking her out the window, onto his bike and towards his spaceship. But of course he didn't, that all depended on what she was going to say eventually.
I love you, Stoker.
Immediately his eyes opened wide and he stared at her intensely.
I love you.
Her voice was crystal clear in his mind. She said I love you. Stoker cocked his head and searched her emotions just to be sure he wasn't hearing things. He'd told her more than once already that he loved her with all his soul, but so far she hadn't said it back to him. Until now. Why now when he felt she was about to break his heart?
"Look." She said pointing at her head. "If you don't want to hear me explain, then look."
An hour later
Modo stared at the television. His mouth slightly agape and his eye practically glued at the images he saw before him on the screen. She was so beautiful, though she was always beautiful no matter what she was wearing, but her beauty was even more evident now.
Her hair was pinned up, something she didn't really do a lot unless she was working on their bikes and those luscious bouncy tresses were getting in the way. There were sparkly things hanging from her earlobes, very different from the type of jewellery Martians wore in their ears. Her dress was a deep lavender and low cut at the back. He wondered if she might still have that dress somewhere, for if she did he would love to see her in it once more.
Charley was walking, or hopping it looked like, with a broad smile on her face. Music played in the background and there were multiple people walking, talking and some even dancing.
"It's horrible, right?" Charley said to him. Her head resting on his chest as they were sitting on the couch watching the television.
"Yes, horrible,-" Modo whispered, not really paying attention to what she was saying.
"Modo!"
"What?" He immediately replied finally averting his gaze from the square shaped object.
The female mechanic stared at him but quickly let out a chuckle. "Never mind."
The video they were watching was something which meant a lot to her and it felt good to see Modo look at her as if she was the most gorgeous thing on this entire planet. Even though in truth, Charley didn't like the colour of the dress she'd been wearing that day, Izzy had assured her it suited her skin tone. Seeing the way Modo reacted, she'd probably been right.
"Oh, there they are." She suddenly said sitting a bit more upright. Modo glanced over his shoulder at the staircase behind them, as did Throttle and Vinnie. But there was nothing there.
"The video, guys." Charley sighed as she nodded at the screen.
The music changed and the camera zoomed out to reveal a couple walking to the centre of the room. A man wearing a dark grey suit and a woman wearing a white dress which reached the floor, hiding her feet. The bride and groom.
"Hot da,- Ow! Hey!" Vinnie yelped loudly as Throttle just smacked the back of his head.
"Language, Vincent."
"Language?!" The white mouse huffed as he leaned back against the side of the couch. "I was giving the lady a compliment."
The lady, Vinnie was referring to, was none other than Isabel Davidson. Throttle let out a sigh, but kept a close watch on what was happening on the screen in front of him. He'd stopped his youngest bro from speaking his mind which had not been entirely different from his own thoughts as he saw the honey haired woman making her entrance.
She was mesmerizing, to say the least. There really was something about a woman wearing a white dress and hair adorned with multiple flowers. It was like watching a fairytale unfold right before his eyes.
"Charley!" Izzy shouted and waved, followed by. "You better catch this!"
The bride turned her back towards the camera and Charley appeared on the screen once again. She was smiling awkwardly.
"Catch what?" Modo asked.
But Charley shushed him. "Sh, you'll see."
The crowd of people started to count down from five and at one, a big lump of flowers was thrown into the air, hurtling towards a certain female mechanic. Without any effort she raised her arms and caught the bouquet. The camera once again zoomed in on her face, which had turned into a shade of red.
"Flowers?" The grey mouse arched an eyebrow and Charley nodded.
"It's a tradition, whoever catches the bride's bouquet is the next one who will get married." She explained.
"What?" His eye widened and he felt his own cheeks heat up. Was it getting warmer in here? But Charley's attention had already returned to the screen.
"They looked happy, didn't they?" She said, her voice sounding much quieter all of a sudden and wasn't difficult to understand who she was talking about.
The tape they were watching was a recording of her brother's wedding. She'd been talking about it with Izzy just before Throttle and Stoker showed up, but they never got to watch it obviously. After a couple of minutes Charley asked the others if they were willing to watch it with her, at least until the others would come back down again.
None of the mice had really known what to expect. Earthen weddings were not like the once they had on Mars. For one, they did not involve throwing flowers. Sure they threw things, but those weren't flowers.
In fact, it was safer to hide during those kind of ceremonies than participating, unless you had something to prove which a lot of Martian Mice did. Nobody really backed down when it came to grenade tossing. The mouse who won got to kiss the bride. A tradition which was still appreciated by all to do this day. Well, almost everyone except for the bride usually.
"I guess." Modo replied answering Charley's question. "He sure is smiling a lot. Miss Izzy too. She looks gorgeous. If Stoker sees this he will lose it."
He said it without thinking about it, but the change coming from his girlfriend was noticeable. Sam was her brother after all, and the guy had done horrible things, not only to Izzy but to Charley as well if you thought about it. But despite all of that, he was and would always be her brother. A memory Charley wanted to treasure, at least the good ones.
At that moment, the door at the top of the stairs opened up and Charley immediately paused the tape and turned the television off. It was Stoker who descended first followed closely by Izzy.
"Sorry for keeping you guys waiting." She apologized as soon as they reached the bottom of the steps. "Did we miss anything?"
For the remainder of the evening they watched a movie packed with action and explosives, naturally, with a hint of romance albeit not that present. Charley and Modo stayed in their spot on the couch, her head still resting on his chest as he let his fingers roam through her hair. Throttle sat on the other side of them, his feet propped up on the coffee table. Normally Charley would yell at any of them who dared to do so, but not toady.
Vinnie was still on the floor resting his back against the armrest, shouting throughout the movie every time something excited happened. Of course, Modo joined in whenever that happened. The former rebel leader was sitting on the floor as well but in front of the armchair in which Izzy was seated, one of her legs dangling next to him, which he stroked absent-mindedly.
It was as if nothing had happened.
Throttle threw a glance in the couple's direction every now and then, wondering what happened upstairs. He'd tried to listen in, but after a couple of minutes their talking had stopped. Now that he knew Stoker bonded with her, he reckoned they'd talked telepathically. That alone made him all the more curious.
There was also something else on his mind and he doubted he was the only one thinking about it. He turned his head slightly and looked at Modo and Charley. Their female friend had taken the microfilm from Stoker as they left the scoreboard to look for Izzy. But since their return nobody had mentioned it.
They simply had to talk about it. They had to. The future of Mars depended on it. The fact that they managed to survive for so long and fought of many encounters was luck as well as skill and tact. But they needed a break after all these years, especially now that the planet was slowly rebuilding again. There was only one person standing between them and the future.
Two if you counted Modo, there was a high chance he would support his girl, maybe three if Izzy agreed with Charley on the matter too. That left the rest of them to vote against destroying the blueprints. Throttle was certain neither Vinnie nor Stoker would want to see it destroyed. They had to find a way to get that microfilm to Mars. They had to.
But where was the film? He didn't know. Charley hid it somewhere. Perhaps Modo knew where it was. As luck would have it, it was too late to talk about that now. The sun had set a few hours ago and soon everyone would turn in for the night. First thing in the morning he was going to call a meeting and discuss the fate of the microfilm and its contents.
Early morning
The soft whirring of an engine woke the tanned mouse up from his slumber. He opened his eyes and reached for his glasses on the floor next to him. The sun wasn't even up yet, who was awake at this ungoddessly hour? The sound was growing louder and pretty soon a roaring rumble echoed around him. But just as quick as it started it was beginning to fade faster and faster.
The only other mouse down there with him was Vinnie. Was he heading somewhere? Throttle yawned as he set his specs in place. However a white arm hung a couple of inches above him in the bunk bed. It seemed Vinnie was still asleep. Somehow he had a gift for being able to sleep through loud noises. If it wasn't Vinnie, then who could it be?
Throttle sat up straight and turned his gaze towards the front of the garage. There was someone standing there and though it was rather dark as no lights had been turned on, the tanned mouse could easily make out who it was. He set his feet on the ground and pushed himself out of bed. As he walked up to her, Throttle quickly noticed one of the bikes missing. Stoker's.
"Hey." He said quietly to Izzy.
"Hi." She replied, her eyes focused on the horizon.
Turning his head, Throttle looked at the clock hanging above the workbench next to them. It was around four o'clock in the morning. What was she doing up? She and Stoker had taken refuge in the living room last night, whilst he and Vinnie took the bunk bed downstairs. Charley was of course in her own room along with Modo. But it would seem sleep hadn't really been on Izzy's mind.
She looked tired, her eyes a bit swollen as if she'd been crying. In fact now that he saw her up close, he was certain of it. Throttle cleared his throat and placed his hands in his pockets.
"So, where's Stoker going?" He asked.
"Home."
Throttle frowned, not entirely sure how he was suppose to take that. He assumed she meant the scoreboard, but it sounded as if there was more behind what she was saying.
"Home?"
Izzy didn't reply. Her breath shuddered as she exhaled. Throttle caught a tear making its way from the corner of her eye and down her cheek, which she then quickly wiped away with the back of her hand. His eyes widened, Izzy wasn't talking about the scoreboard.
"Wait, Mars?" He tried again and this time he got a response.
"Yes."
Stoker was leaving for Mars now? The tanned mouse didn't understand. It was the middle of the night, well, way early in the morning at least. But why hadn't he told anyone? Why hadn't he woken them? But most of all...He turned his body towards Izzy who was still staring into the distance.
"Why aren't you with him?"
"There's still things I have to take care of first." She answered quickly.
What did she mean with that? Throttle furrowed his brow. Stoker couldn't leave for Mars. Not yet at least. There was still the matter of the microfilm. Mars needed those schematics. Suddenly his mind stopped and his stomach tingles nervously.
"Did he take the microfilm?"
Izzy turned her head towards him and caught his gaze. "No. I reckon Charley has it somewhere. Besides, she wants it destroyed. Maybe she's already done so."
This was too confusing for him this early in the morning. Stoker was on his way to take off to Mars, without the microfilm and more importantly without Izzy. The latter part was something he still did not understand. She had made it perfectly clear she was going to Mars, without or without any of their consent. But now she wasn't? Why?
Throttle parted his mouth and stared at her. His heartbeat increasing and a rather enjoyable shiver ran through his body. Had last night all been pretend? The smiles, laughter and touches between Izzy and Stoker? Or had this been what they discussed? That he was going to leave and she changed her mind to stay behind.
"Mars needs that microfilm." He continued.
He watched Izzy shrug. "I know. But you know Charley. She won't change her mind that easily."
It seemed as if the honey haired woman didn't care about those blueprints any more. Whereas yesterday she'd been curious about it. Even a part of him was certain she might support their desire to be able to take those plans to Mars. There was still time. Time to find that film, time to hand it to Stoker before he was leaving.
"You can change her mind." Throttle said to her. "Change it. For us, for Mars."
"Why? She might have a point, Throttle. I mean think about it? You don't know if there are more of these schematics or films lying about. Why should Morden be the only one who had it? We know he didn't make those schematics, he was a lot of things but he was no scientist, let alone an engineer. He knew his way around money and deals, not mathematics or even a toolbox."
Did she chuckle? Throttle didn't like this part of Izzy. When she pretended to not care and make a light joke out of things. It was like when he told her yesterday that he was in love with her and she brushed that off at first. Thinking back on it made the tanned mouse wince. It still hurt him deep down that she rejected him.
"I didn't take you for a quitter."
Izzy cocked her head. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me." Throttle's voice lowered. "A quitter."
"I'm not a quitter."
"Yes you are. You're staying on Earth, after you made that huge speech right in front of me that you were going to leave and nothing could change your mind. Stoker is heading back to Mars, the guy you supposedly love. You chose him over me and now you're letting him leave."
"As if you care about that." Izzy hissed, her eyes shooting towards the back of the garage, making sure that Vinnie was still asleep. "You never wanted me to leave in the first place, so why are you upset?"
Throttle blinked at this unexpected change. He wasn't expecting her to yell at him and she was making a good point. He wasn't upset with her, on the contrary, that surge of joy he'd just experienced was because he was happy that she wasn't leaving. No, he was angry because things were not going as he wanted things to go. Getting that microfilm to Mars was top priority and the quickest way was Stoker and the spaceship.
"I'm not upset. I'm worried, alright?" He then admitted. "I'm worried about my planet, I'm worried about what you staying here is going to do to Stoker's well-being or yours. Heck, I'm even worried what it might do to me if you're around me all the time."
None of those words were lies. He was worried about all those things. Then completely out of the blue, Izzy grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him with her back towards the bunk bed.
"Why don't you go to bed and we'll talk about this once everybody is up, okay?" She whispered as they got closer towards Vinnie's soft snoring.
Throttle stopped without warning and Izzy fell back against him. She tilted her head back to look at him. It was just like the first time they met. Him holding her, she staring up at him with those bright blue eyes that were deep enough to drown himself in.
"And what will you do?" He asked.
Izzy let out a deep breath. "Listen to me, Throttle. You don't have to worry about anything, okay? Stoker and I, we're fine. Everything is going to be fine eventually.
"You're not going to hurt yourself, are you?" It was out before he realized it, but it had been lingering in the back of his mind ever since he discovered the others had found her floating in a lake. "The others may believe your excuse that you went for a swim in the lake yesterday, but that's not the truth is it?"
"Don't be ridiculous and yes I actually went for a swim." She paused for a second. "You were worried I was doing something stupid. Like you did the first day we met under the pier."
"Can you blame me?"
Izzy scoffed and placed her hands against his chest. "You were wrong then as you are wrong now."
"Am I?" Throttle countered and she narrowed her eyes at him angrily.
"You know, it would be nice if you could give me a little bit more credit instead of underestimating my ability to deal with things."
She started to push him away, but something in her was changing. Her walls were crumbling. He saw it, he felt it, he smelled it. She was beginning to panic, but it wasn't directed at him.
"Please, we'll talk about it in the morning."
"It's already morning."
Now she was starting to get annoyed with him. She didn't want to deal with this right now. She didn't want to deal with him. But she had no other choice. He wasn't going to let her go unless she told him what happened with her and Stoker.
The tension in her body slowly disappeared and she started to lean into his hold on her. One thing was for sure, these mice were going to be the death of her one way or another. But with Stoker now gone, she had to handle this on her own and something told her that she could trust Throttle and that he was probably more than willing to help her.
"I need your help."
"My help?" He frowned at the abrupt request. What could it possibly be that she needed help with?
"You don't have to if you don't want to. If that's the case then please go back to bed and forget about this." She told him.
Yeah, that wasn't going to happen, especially now. It would seem the mask of sadness she'd shown earlier had left her completely, but her eyes were still staring at him big and pleading. Obviously something was going on and he'd rather be involved than have her push him away again, no matter what it was.
::::::...::::::
There was nothing in the garage and they had sought quietly and thoroughly. Despite not having found it, Vinnie managed to sleep through all of the noises they accidentally created during the search.
"Maybe we need an extra pair of eyes?" Izzy whispered nodding at the white mouse drooling from the top of the bunk bed, but Throttle shook his head.
"With Vinnie you don't get an extra pair of eyes, you get an extra pair of obnoxious loudness." He grabbed hold of her shoulder and pushed her away towards the steps. "Let's go upstairs and search there."
It was dark and quiet in the living room and they had to make sure it stayed that way. Charley's living space above the garage wasn't that big, but there were many nooks and crannies where she could have hidden the microfilm. At least Izzy hoped that's what her sister-in-law had done, because if she'd taken it upstairs to her bedroom to hide it, that was going to pose a problem.
"You keep an eye on the bedroom door, make sure nobody comes down." Throttle told her the second they got upstairs.
"Me? What if it's Modo?"
"Trust me, Modo is the easy one compared to Charley. He'll buy anything you say if you smile a little."
Which was true. Charley could always see right through you if you were lying or hiding something. Modo on the other hand was a sensitive guy, sure he could tell easily if his bros were trying to pull the wool over his eyes, but not if it was done by a woman.
Izzy took position near Charley's bedroom door as Throttle went to the other side of the room checking the drawers and shelves for anything big enough that could contain something as small as the object they were looking for.
Locating something that tiny turned out to be a rather difficult task. Throttle had the urge to simply shove all the books out of the closet as well as yank out all the drawers and empty them on the floor. But this was a delicate operation and it needed to be dealt with as quiet as possible.
"Anything?" Izzy whispered under her breath. Another human probably wouldn't have picked up on it but that was no problem for the tanned mouse. He shook his head.
It didn't take long for the soft tread of somebody walking on their toes coming up right behind him. It would seem guard duty was not meant as a job for Izzy. Throttle turned his head to see the woman standing behind him.
"Maybe we should just wake Charley up. Drug her or something." She suggested.
"Are you serious?"
Izzy shrugged. "Thinking about it."
She then let out a deep breath and slumped against the wall next to the bookcase. "We're never going to find it. It was a dumb idea to begin with, I should have thought this through."
"Hey, it wasn't a bad idea and it still isn't. If anything I'm surprised you came up with it." The tanned mouse moved away from his spot and stepped in front of her.
"You are?"
Throttle nodded, then cocked his head and smiled. "And a little concerned to be honest that your mind works like that."
That comment seemed to lighten the mood a little as Izzy returned his smile with one of her own. Throttle had been very taken back when Izzy told him the plan she'd come up with. Surprised and amazed at the same time.
It proved that she was on their side when it came to the future of Mars and everything she said to him in the garage about agreeing with Charley had all been a way to throw him off-guard so she could continue searching for the object.
The only fault in this plan was having no idea on where to find it. They had no clue where or when Charley could have possibly hidden it. She must have done it right after they'd found Izzy and had taken her back to the garage. Throttle doubted Izzy could recall all the places the female mechanic had been in the house. She had other things on her mind at the time.
"Can't you go and look in her head?" Izzy suggested. "I mean you've been in mine."
Immediately Throttle cleared his throat and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Yeah, that's not how it works. Besides, Modo will kill me or severely hurt me if I did that."
Izzy pouted her lips and ran a hand through her hair. This was incredibly frustrating and they were losing precious time. The only thing left to do if this would take too long was contact Stoker and tell him the entire plan was off and they'd have to try and obtain the microfilm in some other way.
The plan was for Stoker to prepare the ship's computer in order to copy the schematics on the blueprint and then return the microfilm in the morning. Ready for Charley to with it whatever she wanted. But it would only work if she was still asleep, the moment she'd wake up it would be too late.
"If you were a film, where would you hide?" Throttle asked hypothetically.
The woman squinted her eyes. "Seriously?"
"I thought you weren't a quitter?" The mouse countered and Izzy pressed her mouth in a tight line trying to hold back a snappy comment.
"Where films go, in a box." She replied.
As soon as she said a light went off in Throttle's head. It was probably too obvious, but it was something they hadn't checked yet. He walked away from Izzy and headed to the television set. He crouched down in front of it and reached for the box which read Sam's wedding. His fur tingled hopefully as he heard a slight rattle the moment he lifted the plastic container.
Quickly he opened the box and down rolled the small object containing the microfilm. He'd found it. Tossing the box aside, the mouse stood up and strode back to Izzy who was still standing in the bookcase eyeing him with a flabbergasted expression.
"I don't believe it." She breathed.
"Ma'am." Throttle extended his hand and gave the microfilm to her.
Izzy jumped up and threw her arms around him. Throttle slightly stumbled back but returned her hug swift and tightly. He had no idea how long he was holding her exactly, but he didn't want to let go. There was a little voice inside of him that said this wasn't going to happen again anytime soon and he had longed for this for so long.
He felt a sense of emptiness the minute Izzy removed her arms and took a step back. She looked up at him with a smile of gratitude and a slight discolour was visible on her cheeks.
"I,- uh, I guess I'd better get this to Stoker as soon as possible." She said softly. "Before the others wake up."
Throttle nodded. He was about to offer her a ride himself to the scoreboard. Make sure she'd get there safely and also perhaps to make sure her and Stoker were going to follow their plan and only copy the schematics before returning it to the garage.
But something told him it was a better idea to stay back and make sure nobody got suspicious should any of them wake up earlier than expected. A small wave of anxiousness hit him right there and then as he looked at the honey haired woman.
"Will you come back?" He asked quietly, taking a step towards her so he was only a few inches away.
Izzy tilted her head back a bit further and stared at him for what felt like the longest time. Then she smiled. "Of course I will."
"Okay. You'd better go quickly. I'll see you soon." Throttle replied, but gulped after he spoke.
Izzy was about to walk past him but suddenly stopped. She raised a hand and grabbed hold of his vest, pulling him down towards her as she stood on her toes. Her lips were warm and soft. The kiss was quick and by the time Throttle realized what just happened, he heard the garage door fall shut in the distance.
Outer space
The lights turned on as well as the gravity of the ship. Getting back into orbit went swift and smooth, easier than he'd anticipated. Apparently Carbine's suggestions on how to fix the ship worked like a charm.
Stoker inhaled deeply and relaxed his shoulders. He unbuckled the safety harness pressing him tightly into the leather seat before flicking the switch which turned on the spaceship's autopilot.
Standing up, he took a step forward, let out a deep sigh and placed his hands on the control panel throwing one last glance at the blue planet in the distance. Earth really was a wondrous planet. Naturally it couldn't hold a candle to Mars, but it wasn't for lack of trying.
How long would it be before he was going to set foot on it again? A month? A year? And what kind of year, Martian or Earthen? Questions that weren't that important. They could wait. Right now there were other things that deserved his attention. More specifically someone. The hazel mouse straightened himself and set his hands in his sides.
"This is going to stir things up for sure." He exclaimed.
"Most likely." A soft clear voice sounded behind him and he couldn't stop the broad smile forming on his face.
"And you know who they'll blame." He added.
"Probably you."
The hazel mouse turned around and settled his eyes on the honey haired female in front of him. "And I'll take full responsibility."
Izzy chuckled. "That's still up for debate. Throttle did help a little."
Stoker extended his hand and pulled her against him. They'd actually done it. There was no going back now. At least, not for a while. But she knew of the consequences. They'd discussed them extensively, even last night and right before taking off.
At first he thought she wasn't going to come with him anymore. He was sure of it even. But then she managed to convince him to listen to her. To look into her mind and see what she'd been thinking about during those hours she was gone.
"Fine, we'll make sure the others think it was all his big idea." Stoker replied with a grin.
Izzy chuckled and moved her hand towards her back pocket, pulling out a small object. "He did find it incredibly quick. If it hadn't been for him, I probably would have still been searching."
"Yeah, yeah, he is a brilliant one." Rolling his eyes Stoker took the microfilm from her and placed it in his vest.
"Just this once I'll forgive the fact that you gave him a kiss as a goodbye present."
The minute Izzy arrived at the scoreboard along with the microfilm, his heart jumped with joy. Izzy had managed to pull off her plan, but it soon became clear she didn't do it alone. The faint smell of his younger protegee hung around her, in a specific area he didn't appreciate at all. Even after she'd explained what happened, Stoker was still a bit annoyed.
"He probably figured out by now that I lied to him when I said we'd be back later."
She didn't feel good about lying to Throttle, especially after he'd helped her to find the microfilm. She'd already hurt him before by rejecting his feelings, but that hurt was unavoidable. Lying to him was different.
"Actually, I think deep down he already knew. But something tells me the fate of Mars means more to him eventually." Stoker assured her.
"How long until we get there?" Izzy asked, glancing over his shoulder into the vastness of space. The sight was incredible and the darkness felt rather comforting, as if she was floating in a dream.
"A while." He paused and stared at the woman in his arms.
He still couldn't believe that she was here with him. He exhaled deeply and his breath shuddered. In fact, his entire body seemed to tremble and his fur tingled. Things weren't going to be easy and he was a bit worried how his fellow rebels were going to react to him bringing a human female from Earth. But having her with him was more important than their opinion.
He was choosing a different path in life now. He'd always be a rebel leader in a sense, but as long as she was with him there was no way he was going to risk going back onto the battlefield. That was probably going to raise more fur than bringing Izzy with him.
"I know it's incredibly bad timing to ask this, but,- are you sure about this? It won't be easy. We can still go back."
Izzy shook her head immediately. "No. I'm sure. I don't know what will happen." She tilted her head back to look up at him. "But you're worth the risk."
Stoker raised his hand and stroked the side of Izzy's face, tracing the scar along her jawline. When he reached the end, he stopped and lightly traced the outline of her well defined lips with his fingers. The woman who'd captured his heart. When did he start to get so lucky?
"I love you." She whispered, her warm breath tickled his fingertips.
"My heart." Stoker lowered his head, placed his hand underneath her chin and captured her mouth with his.
That is the end of 'Family Matters'. But the mice and the girls will return in the sequel.
Everything that you missed being addressed in this last chapter will pop up in the new story.
As well as some love for our youngest mouse and other dangers and dramas.
Well, this has been a long run.
I started this story in the summer of 2019 and now at the end of 2020 it has come to an end.
I honestly hope I somehow managed to touch your hearts a little with my first biker mice fic.
A big thanks to all of you and your massive amount of support as well as kind words, feedback and amazing ideas.
This entire fandom meant a lot to me, gave me lots of smiles when I needed them. Thanks for the time you took reading this fic.
Until next time!
Flowangelic