You Are My Freedom…The finale'
Charley lay on the bed in Willow's room rocking and cradling her heartbroken daughter. It had taken nearly two hours to finally calm the child's torrent of tears to small shaking sniffles.
Nothing Charley could say would really offer much comfort. She was still in shock trying to deal with the fact that she had been so wrong about the kind of man Throttle was. Never in a million years would she have guessed that he would reject his own child? A child that was a part of them both, a child, that she thought, had been conceived in a deep unbreakable love. Her own, broken heart, would have to be mended later. Now she had to concentrate on keeping Willow whole.
Throttle had almost broken the door down when he came back and practically knocked Vinnie down going into his bedroom and locking himself inside. Vinnie tried to find out what could have possibly been so bad. Had Charley actually had ended their marriage. Did she tell him she'd fallen in love with someone else?
"Yo Bro. Whatever she did you can't handle it like this." Vinnie leaned against the door hoping he could get some kind of response but still not a sound.
Vinnie sighed in frustration. Since he wasn't going to get any answers from Throttle, he would go to Charley and see if she would tell him what had happened. He couldn't believe that she would hurt Throttle seeing how much she loved him back then. It was 15 years, but he'd seen the depth of Charley's loyalty. What she had given up to help all of them, all of Mars. A woman like that couldn't change no matter how long it had been.
Charley heard the knock on the door and looked down seeing that Willow had finally fallen asleep. She eased her body free and pulled the covers over Willow's small shoulders.
She glances at the hall mirror and didn't even try to make her face look like she hadn't been crying.
"Who ever it is, you've come at a really bad time."
"It's me Charley girl, Vinnie. Please let me in."
Charley snatched the door open and seeing Vinnie standing there she couldn't help but throw herself in his arms. Vinnie didn't say anything. He moved them further back into the room and closed the door with his free foot, never letting go of Charley, not that he could have pried her off with a crowbar.
They stood in the middle of the room until Charley stop crying enough to take a breath.
He wiped her cheeks and gave her a smile.
"You wanna talk now?"
She leaned her forehead against his shoulder and chuckled a little and nodded yes, "Come on, let's sit."
Her arm wrapped around his waist and she pointed to the large black leather sofa closest to them. They got comfortable and Vinnie brushed Charley's tussled hair away from her red eyes.
"I'm not gonna try and beat around the bush or try to slickly get what's goin' on outta ya.
Throttle came back totally destroyed. "What happened? Did you dump him?"
Charley jerked her head and looked at him like he'd just stabbed her in the heart.
"Dump him? The only thing that kept me together, was knowing that it didn't matter where we were. I was his wife and I was going to be that until the day I died. It's too bad that my feelings were so one sided."
Vinnie was more confused than ever, "Okay, something is way wrong here. You still love the guy then…whaa?"
"Come with me I have to show you something." Charley stood up and walked to Willows room. Standing right by the door she looked over at Vinnie and moved her head for him to come next to her while holding a quieting finger to her lips to make sure he did make a sound.
Vinnie walked over next to Charley and peered over her shoulder. He had to wait until his eyes got use to the dark and just then Willow turned exposing her sleeping face.
Vinnie instantly understood just what had happened. "Wow, she's really beautiful. Did he…?"
Charley pushed Vinnie back and closed the door not wanting to wake Willow, she having just settled down.
Charley encircled her own waist and walked back to the couch sitting down with a depressing thud. Vinnie followed waiting for his question to be answered.
"He took one look at her and asked if I knew I was expecting before he left. I tried to explain why I didn't tell him, but he just walked out."
Vinnie shook his head, "Being Throttle it's the only way he could react."
Charley turned and glared at him with dagger sharp enough to kill, "What are you saying. You agree with what he did. Turn and leave his only child crushed. I don't care if he was ashamed of her, he should have been man enough to at least say something to her." Charley was fuming and a split second from throwing Vinnie out.
"What are you talkin' about. Is that what you think. Cheese, Charley girl, I guess you don't know him at all, if you think that's why he left. He's not ashamed of the little girl. He's beating himself up because he thinks he deserted his responsibility again. It was bad enough he had to leave you, but not being here for his kid, to him is unforgivable. It's like what happened to his sister, happening all over again."
"Please tell me, what did happen, help me understand." Charley looked pleadingly at Vinnie.
"The fish heads were just startin' to take our land and most of the common folks didn't have a clue to what was goin' on between them and those bootlicks in our government.
But his mom worked at for the council and she got wind of what was going on. When she tried to tell anyone they shut her up fast shipping her to a work camp. Last thing she said to, Throttle, was take care of your sister. His dad had already died a couple of years earlier so Throttle did everything he could to keep them together. The guy was amazing. He was mother and father to that kid. I never saw a brother and sister as close as those two were.
"When things got really bad and we decided to join the freedom fighters he made sure she was at the base with us. But during a war there really ain't no safe place. He had to go out on a scouting mission that was pretty dangerous. She wanted to come too, but Throttle though she'd be safer at the base. By the time we got back the base had been hit hard and there were a lot of casualties. Willow was one of them. Throttle blamed himself for not being there, not that it would have made any difference, other then maybe he would have been killed too. It took a lot of years for him to forgive himself, even though there was nothing to forgive."
"Now here is his own kid and even though you were doing the best for him and for Mars he has lost so much of her life. Things he can never get back. Knowing Throttle, he's blaming himself for a situation that was just the result of a crazy war that has hurt a lot of people. To be honest, Charley girl, I'm not so sure he'll be able to deal with it all again. He might shut down to where nobody can get to him."
Unbeknown to Charley or Vinnie, Willow had awaken and quietly crept to the door having heard an unfamiliar voice talking to her mother. She smiled finally seeing the uncle Vinnie her mom had told her all those crazy stories about. But what he had said about her father gave her a mixed reaction. She was over joyed that he love her so much, but hurt that he was feeling so badly about not being in her life for so long. Shut down? That didn't sound good and her heart beat faster, terrified of what that could mean.
She dashed out of the room and fell down at Charley's knees, "I have to go to him mother. I can make him understand that it wasn't his fault. Please uncle Vinnie please will you take us to him."
Vinnie smile and held out his arms. Willow stood and walked over into a hug that felt so right. She could feel family in his warm comforting embrace. Vinnie place a finger under her chin, "If anyone can get to him it will be you, beautiful." He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"Okay ladies let go get this family together." Vinnie took Willow's hand and with Charley close behind they went to find Throttle.
Getting to his suite they saw that the door was left standing wide open. Vinnie reached behind and under his jacket pulling out a concealed blaster. He waved for the women to stay by the door and slowly moved toward Throttle's bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and he pushed it completely open. It was a mess with evidence that Throttle had taken his pain out on most of the furnishings. Vinnie didn't want to alarm Charley and Willow any more than he had to so he walked back out closing the door behind him.
"I have no idea where he could be, but I think we should get to him fast. We have to do this on the down low it wouldn't do for the Earth government to know that the Martian ambassador has gone a little bonkers. We gotta to find him."
"I don't know where to even begin to look," Charley said biting her lower lip in worry.
"If we were home I know what he'd do. Get on his ride and burn up the landscape, but I'm sure the security folks around here wouldn't let him just go strolling in the desert. In fact I'm surprised that they let us walk around here without a guard on every corner." Vinnie scanned the room to see if he could find any clues to where Throttle might have gone. The clothes he had been wearing where tossed on the floor.
"Well Maybe this place is so secure from the outside world they don't have to worry about anybody who is already in here." Willow reasoned.
"Vinnie did you guys bring your bikes?"
"Yeah, it might sound a little crazy, but we take them everywhere we go. You never know. Hold on for a sec." Vinnie walked over and hit a button on the small sliver box that sat on the hallway table.
"This is Commander Shaulzar. Has the ambassador asked for clearance to his bike?"
"Yes sirs. We couldn't allow him to leave the facility so he's riding in the empty level just below the garage."
Charley looked at Vinnie with one eyebrow raised, "Shaulzar'?"
"Vinnie blushed, "Come on, Charley-girl, you didn't really think Van Wham was my real last name. I thought it was cool at the time.
Despite the situation Charley had to giggled and shake her head.
"Okay, okay, let just get to Throttle." Vinnie quickly left in front of Charley and Willow hoping they didn't see the red glow escaping through the white fur on his cheeks.
As the elevator got closer to the lower level, the familiar sound of Throttle's still faithful metal companion got louder and louder. The door open and they could clearly see him tearing up the concrete floor. Charley watched and her mind slipped back 15 years and her heart jumped remembering how much she loved this hero from another world.
Willow looked from her mother to her very troubled father. She knew what she had to do. She walked down the long winding ramp and over to the small sidewalk and stood watching Throttle fly around the perimeter of the large open area.
At first he did notice her, but once he caught sight of her he slowed and pulled over to the side a few feet in front of his daughter. He sat on his bike without moving holding his head down. Willow wasn't sure of what he was thinking but she very slowly walked over toward him nervously rubbing her small hands up and down her arms.
She stopped right beside him and not sure of what to do next stood staring at his helmeted face. Throttle slowly turned his head and looked at his darling little girl. His hands reached up and pulled the helmet from his head habitually tossing the hair away from his eyes.
His hand reached out and the back of his finger gently smoothed down her tear-moistened cheek, "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Well, next to your mom, of course," he nervously chuckled.
Willow's lower lip trembled and her eyes where so filled with tears that she could hardly see him clearly. In a hush of a whisper, she managed a small, unsure, "Daddy?"
Throttle reached over and grabbed her completely up in his arms, "I'm sorry, baby. Please forgive me for not being here for you. I'm sorry I'm just so sorry. He openly cried.
Willow was in a complete state of ecstasy. She was with her Daddy and he loved her. Vinnie and Charley stood hugging each other and Charley looked up at Vinnie and he was trying to discreetly wipe a tear from his eye. She laughed and poked him in the side with her elbow, "Oh let it go Macho man, you're busted."
Vinnie shrugged his shoulders and squeezed Charley just a little tighter knowing that family was still the most important thing in the entire universe.
The time together was too short and before they knew it Throttle had to get back home.
They stood in the living room of their suite holding each other like they had 15 years at the Last Chance Garage. He kissed her eyes, ran his fingers through her hair and absorbed everything about her again into his heart.
"Gee whiz Mom and Dad, we're only gonna be gone for a week, cut all the drama." Willow giggled slipping her arm into the backpack filled with her things.
Charley gave Willow a mock frown, "You sure Mars is ready for such a little wise guy honey."
Throttle let go of his wife and grabbed Willow up and flung her over his shoulder, "I think we can handle this half pint."
A delighted squeal filled the room as Willow fruitlessly struggled to get her feet back on the floor.
Standing at the bottom of the ramp that lead into the spacecraft Charley smiled but even a week would be an eternity away from Throttle. Testing Willow's blood they found out that he Martian heritage was strong enough to deal with both the thinner atmosphere on her Fathers planet and the rich oxygen atmosphere on her mothers. She in essences was the symbol of the future of two worlds coming together in the start of a wonderful new adventure of discovery.
Willow hugged her mother and ran to catch up with uncle Vinnie to get settled for the exciting ride to her other home.
"You gonna be okay, Darling. They set up the new communication system at the Last Chance and you call as soon as you there. Man, I'm gonna miss you." He held her tightly.
She leaned her head back and straightens his collar holding back the sadness. "I'm gonna be just fine. I love you, Throttle."
He held her face and lowered his head to kiss her with all the tenderness and love that overflowed from his heart. "You are still my freedom, Charley-girl."
The End