Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to the original characters of Biker Mice From Mars. Only Victoria and Jesse are my original characters thus far. All other rights belong to the appropriate parties.

Author's Notes;

Hello everyone! I hope all of you are staying safe during these troubled times. So, I know that things ended on a positive note for Vikky and Modo in the last chapter. However, What about our new friend Jesse? We still have many questions for him, and I will try to answer those soon. I am thinking about giving him his own story very shortly, so please keep an eye out for that. I will try to get that out sooner rather than later.

Please read and review. Helpful critiques are always welcome.


Chapter 11: Where have you been?

Vinnie and Charley were the first to arrive at the scoreboard. Soon after, Throttle and Jesse pulled up. The two Commanders dismounted, and just as Charley moved towards the minifridge, she heard a loud crash. When the human turned back, she saw Throttle rubbing his jaw from his seat against the wall. Vinnie was standing in front of him, the slashing of the white mouse's tail directly contrasting to how still he was standing.

"Not holding back now are you, Vincent," said Throttle. He looked up at his friend—every fiber of his being yearning to stand and fight back. But the tan mouse knew that Vinnie wasn't playing around like usual.

"Damn straight, Throttle. I can't just look past what happened back at the garage, and you know that. And not just because of Modo or Victoria. But also for Carbine," Vinnie said and crossed his arms over his chest. "Trust me. I have a feeling she will do more than slug you." Vinnie turned away from his bro and moved to sit down.

"Now that the formalities are finished," Charley said dryly. She passed around rootbeers to the three Martians. "Jesse, what's your story anyway? The guys still haven't learned how to introduce me to new arrivals properly," Charley stated as she remembered when Rimfire and Stoker crashed in for a visit.

The halfling chuckled slightly, knowing how his bros could be all too well. "My apologies Miss. Charley. I seem to have forgotten my manners, as well. My name is Jesse Ratte, Commander and leader of the Nomad rat resistance of Mars. I worked with these knuckleheads during the war," Jesse formally introduced himself.

"Jesse's outfit was one of the best in the war. He ran a tuff ship, and his men were loyal to a fault," Vinnie explained to Charley, the pride evident in his voice.

"Yeah, till Mace happened. Right," Throttle growled. Jesse stiffened at the mention of the rat's name. If Charley didn't know any better, she would've sworn Jesse was starting to crack the bottle of rootbeer.

"We still had Jesse's guys in the last days, though, Throttle," Vinnie rebuffed.

"Not that it seemed to matter in the end. We're still suffering from the damage that Deep Pocket's actions have done to the relations between the Rats and Mice," Jesse said. He hadn't heard or mentioned his brother's name in almost ten years, and that wasn't about to change now. Charley could sense that there was more to the story. She knew Mace was a rat that disguised himself as a mouse to infiltrate the resistance, but it seemed like Jesse was holding something back.

"So, what are you exactly, Jesse?" Charley asked, confused. "Sorry, but you don't look like any rat I've seen. Then again, you don't look quite like these guys either," Charley said as she continued to scrutinize Jesse's features. "Are you just a different breed of mouse then?" That got a small laugh from Vinnie and Throttle.

Jesse just sighed before he let out a slight chuckle. He couldn't remember the last time he got asked this question. Just about everyone knew him on Mars. If not personally, then by his reputation. "Yes, and no Charley-ma'am. I'm a halfling, you see. My mother was a mouse who fell in love with one of the Nomad Rats. Not a very common couple they were, but it wasn't entirely unheard of," Jesse started. His memories drifted to the first few years of his life—the constant bullying and harassment of not just him but also his mother.

"When we were all kids, Jesse and Vikky were almost always trying to tear each other's heads off over something or other," Throttle chuckled.

"Yeah, I remember those fights. Didn't you guys give each other matching shiners once?" Vinnie asked. It wasn't till Jesse met the trio and Vikky that he'd ever felt like he belonged anywhere. They had had his back from the very beginning, and soon they were his family. Sibling fights included.

"You hit a girl Jesse? I thought you guys were all gentlemen," Charley gasped.

"We weren't men yet, Charley. Besides, she had it coming," Jesse chuckled.

"Though that shiner didn't stop him from trying to steal Vinnie's thunder," Throttle laughed.

"Hey," the younger mouse almost growled. "I was still getting the ladies, even with this guy around," Vinnie boasted.

"Oh really," Charley challenged with a hand on her hip, making Vinnie chuckle and scratch the back of his head nervously with a bright blush on his cheeks. The sight made the others laugh. It was the first time Jesse had seen Vinnie so flustered over a girl. Well, other than Harley. The memory of the young mouse mechanic dropped his spirits slightly. He still blamed himself for what happened to her.

"So, how did you end up as the leader of the Nomad rats?"

"By climbing the ranks and proving myself. Not an easy task when you're a half mouse, half rat freak," Jesse answered, a subtle growl in his voice at the insult. "Trust me when I say, my comrades didn't particularly enjoy serving with me at first." The first few years into his career, Jesse had to work twice as hard to earn the rats' respect. To prove to them that his mother's side didn't make him weak.

So that answered one question. Seeing the sudden change in Jesse, Charley looked over at Vinnie, figuring out how to word her next question. She knew why the guys hated Mace. He had betrayed them and kidnapped Harley. So why did she get the feeling that there was more in it for Jesse?

"So, what happened on your end, Jesse? When Deep Pocket was discovered as a rat?"

"Aside from relations going to shit between Mice and Rats," Jesse growled. "The only one either side seemed willing to talk to was me, barely," the last word still held a soft growl.

"Why barely?" Charley asked further. There was that slight cracking sound again. Charley didn't know what she was asking, and the guys couldn't fault her for that.

"It's not that easy to explain, Charley-girl," Vinnie started, fidgetting nervously in his seat.

"Why not?" She pressed.

"Because Deep Pocket was my half brother!" Jesse snarled. The halfling's blue eyes burned as his temper suddenly flared, and he threw his rootbeer at the floor, shattering the bottle. Vinnie was on his feet in an instant, shielding Charley from any splatter and glass.

"You ok, Charley?" Vinnie asked the small human in his arms.

"Yeah, I'm ok, Vinnie," she replied.

Jesse had turned his back to the others, his hand covering his eyes and running through his hair as he tried to calm down. "I'm sorry, just give me a moment," he said and walked away with his tail furiously slashing the air.

"I'm sorry, guys. I didn't know," Charley started. Seeing how upset Jesse was made her regret her pushy questions.

"No, you didn't, Charley-girl," Vinnie consoled, lightly running his fingers through Charley's hair. He knew Jesse hadn't meant any harm towards her, but Vinnie wasn't yet ready to let go. "Mace was Jesse's brother on their father's side. But to Jesse, he doesn't have a brother anymore. He doesn't even call Mace by name now; he's only 'Deep Pocket' to him."

"Any time someone brings up the guy," Throttle chimed in. "That is the reaction they tend to get. Jess's relation to Mace is also why all Martians are barely willing to mediate through him. Only his reputation amongst his men and us kept him from being put on trial for his brother's crimes."

"Not that it seemed to help much beyond that," said Vinnie.

"He'd always been a problem after his mother died," Jesse said. "Claiming that he would never accept my mother or me. That he deserved more than to be the forgotten son of our father." He had managed to calm down and was now looking like a kicked puppy at Charley and the guys. "I'm sorry, Charley, I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. You couldn't have known about my connection to Deep Pocket. I'm just so used to people bringing him up and then dragging my name through the mud," he explained. A long silence followed as everyone tried to figure out what to say without causing more misunderstanding.

"Vinnie, you can let Charley-girl now," Throttle stated. Only then did Vinnie notice that he still had Charley in his arms, and they both nearly jumped apart.

'Smooth guys, real smooth.' Throttle thought to himself while suppressing a chuckle. Jesse just smiled at the exchange before he stepped forward.

"Again, Charley, I'm sorry for how I reacted. It was truly a pleasure to meet you, and I hope to see you around," the halfling said with a hand extended. Charley accepted the offered hand with a smile. Then she swooped in to hug Jesse. It took a moment, but the halfling let out a breath before returning the hug.

It wasn't a long one like he shared with Vikky, but it wasn't any less meaningful. From the corner of his eye, Throttle thought he saw Vinnie start to tense up. It was only for an instant, but just as the hug ended, Vinnie relaxed. However, a slight twitch of Vinnie's fingers did not escape Throttle's notice. Almost like he wanted to take Charley's hand as she stepped back.

"Hold up, bro. What's that about seeing us around?" Throttle asked. Jesse sighed again, his fingers lightly tracing the scar over his left eye then through his hair. A move that Charley figured was a nervous tick.

"I still have unfinished business, Throttle. I told you that back at the Last Chance," Jesse explained. The halfling's blue eyes seemed to ice over as a memory crossed his mind, but in a flash, it vanished.

"Unfinished business?" Vinnie perked up. His excitement was earning him the side-eye from Charley.

"Care to elaborate this time, bro?" the tan mouse pressed. The glare that Jesse sent the Commander was one that he had used more than enough times on his men. It was usually enough to stop any further questions that Jesse didn't want to answer, but not this time. Throttle just stood there, returning the glare and refusing to back off. Besides being the same rank, their shared history gave them more leeway with one another in these situations.

After a minute, Jesse finally sighed in defeat. "It's complicated Throttle, I'm not even sure that I'm on the right trail," Jesse started while running his hand through his hair.

"Mysterious pauses and inuendoes, the possible scent of danger," Vinnie was getting more and more excited. Charley, not so much.

"Cool your jets, hotshot," grumbled the human as she elbowed the white mouse.

"You know that we will help you regardless, Jess. All you have to do is ask," Throttle reminded his friend. The halfling looked back and forth between the trio and felt a weight lift from his chest.

"Thank you guys," he said. Charley suddenly came forward and wrapped Jesse in another hug. Throttle and Vinnie joined in this time, wrapping their arms over each other's shoulders. After a moment, they all stepped back, and the guys threw shoulder punches at each other to try and break up the sappy moment.

"Seriously though, bro, don't start any major tail whipping without calling us first," Vinnie said as he jabbed a finger at Jesse's chest.

"You got it, Vin-Man. Martian's honor."