Hey you guys,

How are you doing out there?

Thanks for the reviews/follows/favorites, and yes, the last chapter was kind of heavy.
It didn't really occur to me until you pointed it out in the reviews, and it made me wonder why my writing is always so sad.
I still don't know, maybe it's just because I'm sad most of the time as well, hehe.
Or maybe I want to shine a light on subjects with a stigma attached to it, which is important to me, for I have to deal with stigma on regular basis and it sucks, big time.
It shouldn't even exist.

Either way, on to the next chapter.
I wanted to write about them planning the mission, but then I got into the flow, and like always when I get into the flow, things happen, hehe.
But it was long overdue, or at least, the last scene.

So, enjoy this chapter and feel free to leave a review, it always makes my day.
Stay safe out there and till next time, my friends.

Later!

Chapter 38

Ten minutes earlier…

"By the Gods, what were you thinking?", Modo grumbled with a shaking head as he dragged Oliver through the tunnel.
"Accusing him of rape, honestly. And what was that whole 'I fight monsters or I die trying' thing about, huh?"
Oliver tried to keep up with the grey-furred giant, but he stumbled multiple times, although he did manage to stay on his feet.
"It's my motto", he answered the question somewhat sheepily.
"Well, that motto almost got you killed just now. You should consider changing it", Modo snapped at him, still shaking his head in disbelief, but also shock.
Shock of seeing his young bro like that.
This whole thing didn't make sense, at all.

Without really thinking, he pulled on Oliver's arm to make him walk even faster, but this time, the human tripped and with a dull thump, he fell to the ground.
Modo rolled his eye before he turned around to grab him again, but the ice-cold look written upon Oliver's face when the man looked up at him made him stop, for some reason.
"My motto is more than just a motto, you know. It's a lifestyle, one that is forced upon me the moment the fish set foot on this planet. Their arrival changed everything. Everything. I lost so many people, friends, family… I watched them die right in front of me and I vowed to myself that I would fight monsters in their name for as long as I'm breathing. To make sure that they didn't die in vain."
Modo's frown got deeper as he studied the man's face for a brief moment, and he had to admit, his devotion was admirable.
To kill Plutarkians, that is.
"Vinnie ain't no fish. He's not the monster you say he is."

When all Oliver did was flash him this annoyingly meaningful look, one that told 'You're still in denial. I get that. But you'll see that in the end, I'm right', Modo let out his breath in annoyance.
There was no way of getting through to this man, that just became painfully obvious.
He was undoubtedly under the impression that he was genuinely doing the right thing, and maybe he was, except for the whole Vinnie incident, that is.
"Look, man, I get it. I lost a lot of people too. But I never stopped trying to see the good in people."

"You're a soldier. You fight monsters, too. You of all uh… people should understand what I'm saying here", Oliver contradicted.
"I fight for freedom, not revenge", Modo answered shortly and he bent over to grab Oliver again, who tried to dodge his hands.
"I can walk by myself, I don't need a chaperone…"
"Oh yes, you do. Apparently, you do stupid things without one. Like provoking my best friend to kill you, for instance", Modo grumbled between gritted teeth, and without real effort, he snatched the man off the ground.

But when he turned around to continue the walk through the tunnel, he almost bumped into someone.
Someone small, yet her aura was so strong it almost sucked the oxygen out of the tunnel.
"What did you just say?"
Her voice was as sharp as a knife, and Modo almost flinched under her fiery gaze.
"Pip ma'am, I ah… I didn't see you there…"
"What did you just say he did?", Pip repeated her question with slightly trembling lips, and she put her chin in the air to tell Modo that this wasn't the time to be polite, or reluctant for that matter.

Despite her obvious anger, something was different about her.
She seemed… sad, actually.
Or maybe that didn't cover it.
Maybe heartbroken came closer.
But instead of telling her that, or asking if she was okay even though it was obvious that she wasn't, Modo just shoved Oliver forward.
"Why don't you explain to her what you did, huh?"

Oliver immediately reached out his hands to Pip, his eyes glowing with concern.
"Pippa, my dear, are you okay?"
Pip's eyes followed his hands and soon landed on the ruptured skin on his knuckles, wounds that were obviously caused by punching something, or someone, over and over again.
Judging by his bruised face, that someone had punched him back, but that didn't ease her growing worry, not even the slightest.
As her frown got even deeper, she slapped his hands away, not able to put on a facade any longer.
Not even with someone who once was very dear to her father.
"Don't touch me. What did you do?"

Oliver lowered his hands.
"He hurt you. I couldn't just let that slip."
Pip took a deep breath through her nose as she ran a trembling hand through her messy black hair.
"Who hurt me?"
Oliver opened his mouth, but a somewhat raw voice broke the silence before he could.
"Where is he?"
They all looked at Stoker, who now popped up behind Pip.
Modo flinched when he heard his wheezy breathing, which was nothing but another confirmation that his coach was in a bad shape.
He did, however, just answer the question, for he knew exactly who the brown-furred leader was talking about.
"Outside with Throttle."

Without saying another word, Stoker pulled up his pants and limped further into the tunnel, trying very hard not to use the cane he was carrying with him, but unfortunately for him and his ego, he wasn't able to walk without it.
Modo swallowed with difficulty, for it saddened him to see Stoker struggle with his injuries and he watched the brown-furred mouse go with his heart pounding in his chest.
But again, he said nothing.
He knew Stoker wouldn't want him to.
Besides, there was another pressing matter that needed his undivided attention, for Pip opened her mouth again the moment Stoker was out of sight.
"Who hurt me?"

Oliver glanced at her, a frown on his face.
"I think you know who I'm talking about."
Pip gnashed her teeth, her eyes still spitting fire.
"Why don't you just answer the goddamn question?"
Oliver was starting to get annoyed too, simply because, again, he had to deal with someone who didn't seem to understand what he was referring to and that while to him, it was so painfully obvious.
"Who do you think? Vinnie, of course."

Modo glanced at Pip, curious as to how she was going to respond, for he still had no idea what the hell was going on here.
Or well, not entirely.
Pip clearly hadn't either, for she blinked her eyes a few times in surprise when Oliver said the white-furred mouse's name, but then that frown that seemed to define her returned again, and she folded her arms.
"You're wrong."
Although Modo never believed that Vinnie was what Oliver accused him of, he still felt a hint of relief when the -obvious- main subject of the awful accusation didn't confirm this crazy theory.

Oliver, however, wasn't amused by it, but he managed to cover it up and he shot Pip a sympathetic look, one that chilled her to the bone, Modo could tell.
"You're not ready to admit it, I get that, but…"
"No, it's not that. You're wrong because he didn't hurt me. I hurt him, actually…"
She trailed off, and her eyes darted to Modo for a brief moment, as if she was scared that he would be mad at her for hurting his best friend.
But Modo was no mouse who judged easily.
Not without knowing the details.
He wasn't Oliver, after all.
"It's okay, Pip ma'am. Why don't you tell us what happened? There's obviously some kind of misunderstanding."

As he was talking, the grey-furred giant peeked at Oliver from the corner of his eye, only to see the human male stare at Pip with a blank face, his lips parted and for the first time since the incident, there seemed to be a hint of remorse visible in his brown eyes.
Pip's eyebrows twitched as she stared at her feet, her arms wrapped around her upper body and Modo knew that despite Oliver's accusation being unjustified, something had happened between his white-furred friend and the human female.
Something unpleasant, judging the sadness that made her two-colored eyes dull, and Modo almost told her that she didn't have to tell them if she didn't want to.
However, he said nothing, for he needed her to clear Vinnie's name, and no matter how much it pained him to see her like this, seeing Vinnie like that had hurt him more.

Pip took a deep breath, but it was Oliver who broke the almost suffocating silence.
"He kissed you, you pushed him away, you had a little heart to heart and then you broke his heart", he breathed, his earlier confidence now suddenly nowhere to be found.
Pip looked up with a jerk, her mouth in a tight line but there was a hint of surprise simmering in her eyes alongside the still present anguish.
"How do you know that?", she eventually managed to bring out with a hoarse voice.
Oliver bit his lower lip, and his eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he lowered his gaze.
"Shit… He was telling the truth…"

That took Modo's attention, and he grabbed Oliver by the shoulder and forced him to look at him.
"He told you what happened and you still accused him of rape?", the grey-furred giant breathed in disbelief, and his one eye flickered red a couple of times.
Oliver swallowed with difficulty when he saw Modo's rage, unlike earlier with Vinnie, the sight of an angry Martian Mouse now did seem to frighten him.
"I didn't believe him… Oh my God… what have I done?"
Modo's still flickering eye wandered over his face, his lips slightly trembling.
"You took the wrong turn, that's what you've done."

"You… you accused him of what?", Pip stammered as Modo's words now made their way to her brain, and after blinking almost in slow motion, she raised her burning eyes.
Oliver flinched under her intense look, but Pip was having none of it and she grabbed his hand.
"What did you do?", she demanded, referring to the wounds on his knuckles before she let his hand go again, and Oliver quickly put both his hands in his pockets.
"I uh… I just… I thought…"
He trailed off again, desperately searching for words and his eyes darted to Modo before he lowered them.
"I took the wrong turn."
"What the hell does that even mean?!", Pip exclaimed, grabbing her head in both frustration and confusion.

"I jumped to conclusions… I saw how upset you were when you came back, and I just… snapped, I guess", Oliver explained unhappily.
Pip stared at him, her brain quickly connecting the dots.
However, instead of yelling at him like Modo expected her to do, she panicked.
"Oh my God, I can't believe this. You should've come to me! You should've asked me… Oh my God, you have no idea what you've done…", she babbled as she started to pace back and forth, shaking her head and Modo had to admit, her sudden behavior change was alarming, to say the least.
For some reason, it felt like he was kind of missing the point here even while it seemed to be right in front of him, but she didn't.
She obviously knew something he didn't, but just when he was about to ask her that, the sound of footsteps made them all three look up.

Throttle stepped out of the shadows, and Modo's heart skipped a beat when he saw the look on his tan-furred friend's face.
Frankly, he had never seen his friend looking this… lost, for lack of a better word.
As if all the despair due to everything that had happened to them finally caught up with him.
But then his heart skipped another beat, and another one, for in Throttle's arms lay Vinnie.
Entirely motionless.
"Oh, momma, is he…", Modo gasped, but Throttle already shook his head.
"No. Just out cold."

Pip stopped her pacing the moment she saw Vinnie, and slowly, she made her way over to him, her eyes wide open and her breathing heavy.
When she reached him, she raised her hand, as if she wanted to touch him, but she seemed to change her mind and her eyes wandered over Vinnie's bloody face as she lowered her hand again.
"Vinnie…"
It was nothing more but a whisper, but Vinnie stirred the moment she said his name.
Her scent tickled his nostrils, and a frown appeared on his face, although his eyes remained closed.
"Togetherness is all I'm after…", he mumbled, and his left ear twitched.
Tears filled Pip's eyes and she put a hand over her mouth to stop herself from bursting into tears by seeing him like this, which was in vain.
"I know, Vinnie, I know… I'm so sorry…", she sobbed and laid a hand on his chest.
The right corner of Vinnie's mouth curled up.
"It's okay. No pieces left. Me neither. Broken. Foolish to have hope… All alone again…"
His already weak voice became softer with every word he spoke and soon thereafter, his face relaxed as he drifted back to sleep again.

Both alarmed and confused by hearing Vinnie speaking these words, for it was so out of character and thus they didn't make sense, Modo caught Throttle's gaze.
But instead of looking confused as well, the tan-furred mouse looked just as heartbroken as Pip, and so did Stoker when he popped up behind Throttle.
Modo wrinkled his nose when he realized that beside Oliver, he seemed to be the only one who was standing in the dark here.
It was something that happened quite often these days and usually, he didn't care that much, but this time it was different.
"Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on here?", he asked, thereby breaking the somewhat ominous silence.

Throttle opened his mouth, but Stoker beat him to it.
"Now isn't the time, big fella. We need to plan the mission. For now, that's all that matters."
Without waiting for a response, he clapped Throttle on the shoulder.
"Come on, he can sleep it off in my bed. As for the rest, briefing in five."
And with that, he limped past them to the door, soon followed by Throttle with Vinnie still in his arms.
When Throttle passed Modo, he shot him a somewhat helpless look and Modo just nodded back, telling his tan-furred friend that he didn't blame him for following Stoker's orders.

It was then that Oliver grabbed Stoker's arm with eyes burning in regret.
"Stoker, I'm…"
"I suggest you let me go if you want to keep breathing", Stoker told him flatly without even looking at him, and Oliver let the brown-furred mouse go as if he was on fire.
After standing there for a few seconds, conflicted about whether to teach Oliver the true meaning of Martian Thunder or not, Stoker eventually decided to continue his way and soon, he and Throttle were out of sight again.
Modo gnashed his teeth in annoyance, cursing the war for being so time-consuming, but that feeling soon vanished again the moment his gaze landed on Pip.

If he thought that Oliver's face paled when Stoker told him to keep his hands to himself, it now turned out that it was nothing compared with Pip's face, for it was almost grey as she stood there, staring at the ground with clenched teeth and shallow breathing.
It was as if she was in shock or something, and a bad feeling washed over Modo when he saw the way she was standing there.
"Pip, are you… are you okay?", he asked a bit hesitant, and although he suddenly felt this urge to just pull her in his arms, to tell her that everything was going to be okay even though he knew it wasn't, he remained where he was, for he knew she wasn't that fond of someone touching her.
A logical response considering what she had been through.

She didn't respond, though.
Not even so much as blinking her eyes, and Modo's worry grew.
"Pip?"
"This is all my fault…", she whispered, and without his well-developed hearing, Modo most certainly would've missed it, but he didn't and he shook his head.
"I don't believe that."
And truly, he didn't.
Not after seeing the way she had looked at his young bro just now.
She would never do anything to hurt him, not on purpose, that is.
However, she seemed to believe otherwise.
"I rejected him… He was… He was just so…", she faltered, tears filling her eyes again as she looked at Modo almost pleadingly.
"I never should've walked away…"

Modo studied her face with a furrowed brow, but then he let out his breath.
"With all due respect, Pip ma'am, but you lost me. I have no idea what is going on. All I know is that I've never seen Vinnie this upset, and that it has something to do with Mister Knucklehead over there who jumped the gun thanks to his fantastic motto, so how could this possibly be your fault?"
Oliver heaved a sigh as he slid down the wall, his legs suddenly not able to carry his weight anymore.
"He's right. It's my fault. I thought I was doing the right thing, I thought I was protecting you but I lost myself in the righteousness that drives me these days."

But Pip let out a sound that was a mixture between a sob and a moan, and again, she covered her mouth with her hand as she attempted to stop herself from completely collapsing.
"He opened up to me, he told me about… Oh god, and I just walked away…", and she burst into tears.
This time, Modo didn't even give himself time to think about her possible boundaries and he pulled her in his arms, providing her the warm shelter she obviously so desperately needed right now.
Instead of pushing him away, Pip just clung to him, her body shaking with weeping.
Oliver watched them from a distance with defeat written upon his face whilst Modo just held the crying human girl.

After a little while, Pip finally calmed down a bit, and Modo gently removed his arms before he brushed her messy black hair out of her heated face.
"Pip…"
"He was abused as a kid", Pip blurted out before he could say what he wanted to say, and when she saw his eye growing big, she quickly continued.
"He told me that, all to get through to me that I wasn't alone. That he knew, that he understood how it's like to be… raped."
She almost gagged when she spoke the last word, but she managed to recover herself and she turned around to Oliver, who stared at her as if she fell out of the sky.
"He was vulnerable. And then you accused him of being the same monster that broke his spirit when he was only a child…"

Oliver's bruised face darkened, but Pip now looked back at Modo, who was still processing what she just told him.
"I know it's not my story to tell, but you deserve to know what is going on here. You care… All Martian Mice seem to care… It's rare. But precious. So, so precious…"
She rested her hand on Modo's cheek for a brief moment before her face hardened and she turned around to look at Oliver again.
"From now on, you're dead to me."
And with that, she walked away.

Oliver glanced at Modo, who still stood there, entirely frozen.
"Modo, I'm…"
However, he didn't get the chance to say what he wanted to say, for the grey-furred mouse seemed to snap out of his trance the moment Oliver said his name and he held up his hand.
"I don't wanna hear it."
And he too walked away.
Oliver followed him with his eyes before he heaved a heartbroken sigh and he lowered his gaze.
"...sorry. I'm sorry."

…

Whilst all this happened in the tunnel, Charley sat in the so-called room that was her temporary bedroom, staring at the device in her hand.
She knew she had to make the call, and not only to ask how things were going in the camp, but she felt somehow reluctant to do so.
As if talking to the one that came closest to a father after losing her own would confirm that she had made the wrong choice by leaving her people behind.
Although she had managed not to show it whilst it happened, Carbine's hostile behavior had rattled her, and not just a little.
All she ever wanted was to help and to be treated the way the light-grey-furred Martian had done was a tough pill to swallow, even for her, although she guessed that no one really liked the feeling of not being welcome.
And then there was the whole Throttle situation…

Shaking her head, for she didn't want to think about him right now, she took a deep breath and pushed the button next to the small screen.
While she waited for the connection to be made, her heartbeat increased with every second but just when she thought she couldn't hold it anymore, the face of Ben appeared on the screen.
"Charley! I was wondering when I would hear from you", he smiled into the camera, and by only seeing his warm eyes, by only hearing his friendly voice, Charley burst into tears.
Ben's face darkened and he leaned closer to the camera, his brown eyes now filled with concern and a hint of shock by seeing the person who was like a daughter to him so distressed.
"Charley, sweetheart… What's wrong?"

Charley shook her head as she let out a sound that was a mixture between a sob and a laugh, mostly because she was highly embarrassed by herself.
"I'm sorry, Ben, it's just… I'm just so happy to see you", she stammered, still shaking her head and quickly brushing her tears away as she attempted to calm down again, but it was kind of hard, actually.
"It's good to see you too, although I wish it was without the tears. What's going on? Are the boys treating you well?", Ben asked worriedly, still leaning with his arms on the desk in his lab and eyes glistening with sympathy.
"They do, in fact, their behavior is impeccable", Charley sniffed and she wiped off her nose with the sleeve of her blouse, her body quivering under the pressure of the sudden wave of homesickness that washed over her.
"It's just… I don't know, I think I made the wrong choice to come here…"

Ben's frown got even deeper.
"What makes you say that?"
Again, the warmth he was able to put in his voice was enough for Charley to cry even harder, which made her unable to speak and she buried her face in her hands as she let out the tears that were burning behind her eyes ever since that moment she had left the camp in such a rush.
Leaving everything that she knew behind only to follow her heart had been harder than she initially thought, and the things that happened after that had only made things more complicated than they already had been.
She had tried to keep her head up, but right now, she simply wasn't able to, and so she gave in to her sadness, if only for this moment.
There wasn't really another choice.
"It's okay, Charley. Just let it all out…", Ben told her soothingly as he patiently waited for her to calm down again.

After what felt like an eternity, Charley could breathe again and after wiping off her face, she looked back at the device with swollen eyes.
"I promised myself I wouldn't cry", she chuckled a bit uncomfortable as she glanced at Ben before she lowered her gaze again.
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to worry you."
"After everything we have been through together, I figured you should know by now that you don't have to apologize for showing your emotions. Now, tell me what happened. Maybe I can help you with something."
Charley flashed him a small smile in gratitude for not judging her, for always believing in her, but then she let out a shaky sigh.
"I met Throttle's girlfriend. Or well, I'm not sure if she's his girlfriend, but she sure as hell acts like one. I don't think I ever met someone so hostile and possessive…"
While she was talking, the image of Carbine standing in front of her flashed before her eyes.

"You take what is mine and yet, you have the nerve to tell me that we're on the same side. How stupid do you think I am?"

Listening to Carbine's ice-cold voice echoing through her head, Charley suddenly realized why this particular specimen had been able to upset her the way she did.
"Or maybe I do. She reminded me of Max, actually."
Again, Ben's face darkened, and he sat back upright in his chair while shaking his head in remorse.
"I never should've let it come that far. If only I stood up for you when I had the chance… goddammit!", he spat the last word angrily, which was at odds with his calm and friendly character.
He was obviously still feeling guilty for his part in the story, but Charley never blamed him for doing what she asked him to do, namely keeping his mouth shut.
Besides…

"You didn't. Have a chance. No one really had…", Charley mumbled, rubbing her face while suppressing a yawn.
She was just so tired.
"Not until he came, that is…"
He.
Throttle.
Her savior.
It was as if Ben could guess her thoughts, what was both scary and so like him.
"Perhaps you should save him the way he saved you. He's obviously in the same predicament as you were with Max."

Charley looked up with a jerk, her green eyes wide open.
"What? You're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting, or are you?"
Ben blinked his eyes a few times, but then it dawned upon him and he quickly shook his head.
"No, I don't mean you need to kill her. God no. Just talk to him. Tell him that you understand. Tell him how you feel…", he added meaningfully while giving her that look of his, the one that told her that he knew perfectly well what was going on between her and the tan-furred mouse.
"Or did you already tell him?"
Charley lowered her eyes, a blush coloring her cheeks red.
"No. Not really, that is… I never told you this, but right before we had to leave camp, something happened… He uh… well, to just say it bluntly, he rejected me. He chose her over me, and I just… Well, let's just say that my temper got the best of me."

Ben raised his eyes to heaven, as he was all too familiar with Charley's notorious temper.
"What did you do?", he sighed a bit tiredly, but even despite that, he wasn't judging her, she could tell.
The blush spread across her face and soon, even her ears were burning.
"I might have shared a night with a certain white-furred someone…"
A deadly silence followed, and when Charley had finally mustered up the courage to glance at the screen, she could see Ben staring at her with his mouth dropped.
Not really knowing what to say, she just lowered her gaze again, waiting for the scolding she obviously deserved to come.
But it didn't come.

Perhaps it took him a little while, but Ben eventually managed to recover from the shock and he slumped back in his chair.
"Well, I suppose I should've seen that one coming. But either way, what's done is done."
A short breath escaped Charley's lips as she looked back into the camera with disbelief written upon her face.
"Really? Just like that?"
"Yes, Charley, just like that. Surprise, surprise, but even you are only human. We all make mistakes. It's how you make up for them that counts the most. So, tell me - how are you planning to solve this mess?"

Again, a sigh left Charley's mouth, and she shrugged a bit helplessly.
"Honestly? I have no idea. Nothing makes sense anymore right now. Throttle chose her, but Vinnie told me that Throttle loves me. I had a hard time believing that, but then he stood up for me against his girlfriend today… I've never seen him like that before, Ben. He was just so mad at her, it was almost scary…"
"Talk to him, Charley. I think he needs you more than you think", Ben simply said when she fell silent again, and who knew?
Perhaps it was, indeed, that simple.
"Okay. After the mission, I'll talk to him", she nodded, although she still wasn't entirely convinced that she had the nerve to actually do so.

"Mission? What mission?", Ben asked curiously, and Charley quickly brought him up to speed about everything that had happened so far.
About meeting Pip, about her brother, about Stoker, about everything, actually.
Which eventually brought her to the reason why she had called Ben in the first place.
"Stoker is in really bad shape, Ben. He's trying to act like it's nothing, but I see right through his macho mouse act. He's closer to dying than anyone here would like to admit. But I can't let him die. I can see how much he means to the guys, to Throttle… I don't think they'll be able to cope with losing him. It will shatter them. All of them. So, I was hoping you could help me with saving him? Just tell me what meds he needs and I'll make sure I'll find them… Whatever it takes…"

Ben rubbed his chin, obviously processing everything she just told him.
"With their ability to heal quickly, I'm kind of surprised that he's still not back to his old self, actually. The only thing I can think of right now, is that the wound closed before it got cleaned, which must have caused a nasty infection…", he mused out loud and Charley nodded, for his theory made sense.
"Okay. So, he needs antibiotics, right?"
"Yes, but that may not be enough…"
Truth be told, Charley didn't like the look on Ben's face and a nagging feeling of worry twisted her insides.
"What are you not telling me here?"
Ben leaned back in his chair and folded his hands behind his head.
"You need to reopen the wound to clean it, and leave it open until the infection is gone."

Charley closed her eyes for a moment as she squeezed the bridge of her nose.
"We need to perform surgery on him", she said flatly before she locked eyes with Ben again.
"And how do you suggest we do that without a doctor?"
"I can talk you through it. Really, it's not that big of a deal."
He probably said that to reassure her, but it didn't work, not even a little.
"For you, it's not. But…"
"Whatever it takes, right?", Ben cut her off, friendly though.
Remembering the despair she had seen on Throttle's face when he saw the shape his coach was in, Charley knew Ben was right and she heaved a sigh.
"Yes. Whatever it takes."

…

After writing down the meds Ben had told her to get for Stoker, Charley got off the bed before she stretched her sore muscles.
Despite the sadness that had overflowed her heart the moment she had seen Ben, she still felt a lot better after talking to him.
Not only did he tell her that everything in the camp was okay, but she also had a game plan again, and the first step was to go to the homemade kitchen to plan the upcoming mission.
For now, that was all that mattered.
And the rest…
Well, the rest will come as it goes.

As a big yawn escaped her mouth, she left the room but before she could make it through the small hallway, she bumped into someone.
Someone furry, and she looked up a bit surprised, for she had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed someone leaving the room next to hers.
Her heart skipped a beat when she looked straight into Throttle's face, and her hands turned sweaty instantly.
That was mostly because he looked even worse than before, something she never thought possible.
His entire appearance practically breathed despair, and she wasn't entirely sure why that was.
"Are you okay?", she asked without thinking, and she reached out to him, even though it was probably safer to keep some distance.
But she just couldn't stand the fact that he was suffering alone.
He didn't deserve that.

Although it was hard to tell due to the glasses, she just knew he followed her hand with his eyes, and the moment her fingers made contact with the fur on his arm, he shivered.
But instead of backing away as she suspected him to do, a muffled sound escaped his mouth before he closed the gap between them and took her head in his hands.
After pushing her up against the wall, he leaned forward and pressed his lips on hers, only to kiss her with a certain hunger she had never experienced before.
This sudden turn of events left her entirely baffled, but she still had the presence of mind to kiss him back, for it was all she ever wanted.
To be with him.
To feel him.
To touch him.
And the moment his lips had made contact with hers, everything else was forgotten for now.
Time seemed to stop ticking.
Even the planet seemed to stop spinning.
All that mattered was him giving her the feeling that she was finally home again.
Finally safe again.

Unfortunately, he broke off the kiss way too soon for her taste, and whilst breathing heavily, she opened her eyes.
His face was still only inches away from hers and his scent whirling around her felt like a warm and soothing blanket.
"Throttle…", she breathed, but he shook his head and kissed her again.
As if he didn't want to go back to reality.
As if he just wanted to live in this moment forever and always, and talking would shatter that bubble.
His fingerless gloved hand slid into her neck whilst the other made its way into her hair and only feeling his fingers caressing her skin made her almost collapse, but she managed to stay on her feet.
Which had nothing to do with strength but all with that it would end this moment.
And just like him, she wasn't sure if she could bear that.

However, as always, reality seemed to catch up, like it always did and this time, it was her who pulled back, although with reluctance.
But she really didn't want to find out what would happen if Carbine found the two of them kissing here in this small yet cozy hallway under the ground.
Next to that, guilt was already pressing heavily on her conscience.
"Throttle, I… I need to tell you something…"
"You slept with Vinnie."
His voice was even huskier than usual, and for some reason, it gave her goosebumps all over her body.
Or maybe it were his words that managed to give her this severe reaction, which wasn't really far-fetched considering he, apparently, already knew her dirty secret.
"I know. He told me."

Charley blinked her green eyes in surprise, she just couldn't stop herself.
"He did?"
Throttle's lips twitched as if they were about to curl into a smile, but they didn't.
"Yeah, he did. I guess being on this planet affects us all… it changes us."
With her heart pounding in her chest, Charley's green eyes wandered over his face, all to try to find a clue about how the tan-furred mouse felt about this, but he was kind of hard to read.
Well, it was obvious that he wasn't exactly in a bright place, but the glasses complicated things.

"Aren't you mad?", she whispered, although she was afraid to hear the answer.
"No. Or well, not really. But someone once told me that life's too short to be mad all the time…"
A frown appeared between Charley's brows and without thinking, she raised her hand and took his glasses between her fingers.
When he didn't do anything to stop her, she slowly took them off and for the first time since she met him, she looked straight into his eyes.
His bionic eyes, to be exact.
His empty, bionic eyes.
There was nothing there.
Only red irises looking back at her without actually seeing her.

She wasn't sure why she expected to find anything, but she was still disappointed that there wasn't and with a soft sigh, she put the glasses back on.
"You should be mad. I did it to hurt you."
"Because I hurt you", he simply answered, and she shook her head, suddenly a bit annoyed.
"Why is no one angry with me for what I did? It was low and mean and…"
"Not who you are", Throttle cut her off as he brushed her cheek with his fingers.
"How do you know who I am? You hardly know me…", she muttered, closing her eyes due to his touch, for it gave her the feeling as if she was floating.

"It feels like I have known you since forever. A feeling that I have ever since I've met you…", Throttle mumbled, and his fingers took her chin in a somewhat stern yet still loving grip.
"I want you, Charley. I told you it would always be her, but it pains me to admit that I've lied to you. It is you who I want. It will always be you…"
Charley opened her eyes again, hardly able to breathe.
"You should tell her that."
"I will. After the mission."
"And then forever can begin…"
"Yes… Then forever can begin."

PS: Sorry, Wolftattoo, I know you're still angry about the whole Charley/Vinnie situation, and that you didn't want Charley to be with Throttle, but these two ending up together was my plan all along. I hope it doesn't bother you too much. :)