Thank you so much Spaceflora, sarah johnson and Madeline and guest for your reviews! I'm glad you liked the first chapter :)

And many thanks to everyone who gave the first chapter a chance by reading it.

Hopefully you'll enjoy the second chapter.

Enjoy!

The Last Chance Garage

The four guys waited on top of the roof of the Last Chance Garage. Charley's orders, of course. Actually that wasn't entirely correct. She had told them that once her brother's bike was dropped off, they could come down and check it out.

She'd told them to wait upstairs in her room, but the mice wanted to have good look and thus took it upon themselves to watch from the rooftop.

Modo stood tall with his arms crossed over his chest. Vinnie was eagerly leaning forward to get a good look at the motorcycle and Throttle stood next to Stoker, interested but respectfully standing aside to let Charley handle matters without any prying eyes.

"See anything yet?" Modo asked the youngest mouse.

Vinnie's tail went back and forth, his fingers tapping impatiently on the concrete. "It's covered. From the look of things it ain't a sports bike. Figures, not many can handle one."

Modo rolled his eyes and stepped a bit closer to the edge. Charley stood in front of the garage, nervously shifting her weight from one foot to the other. The truck, which had finally pulled up, was a dark grey. To Modo and the others it seemed like a regular truck, but the gentle giant noticed a change in Charley's demeanour.

"Ey, Throttle. Check it." He motioned for his brother to come closer. Throttle and Stoker both walked up to stand next to him. Even Vinnie had pushed himself back to join the others.

"Something's up." He noted and Modo nodded.

"You want to head downstairs in case there's trouble?" Stoker asked Throttle, feeling slightly concerned for Charley. But Throttle shook his head.

"I don't believe she afraid, it's something else." The leader said but he couldn't quite figure it out. He narrowed his eyes and watched closely as the scene in front of them unfolded.

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

Charley's heart pounded in her chest and slowly it began to rise all the way up to her throat. There it was, her brother's thunderbird. But the moment the grey truck got closer and she spotted the license plate on it, her heart practically burst out of her chest. She uncrossed her arms and took a step back.

She had been under the impression that her brother's bike would be brought by someone from the will and estates office. However the truck belonged to somehow she knew very well, someone she hadn't seen since the funeral.

The truck stopped and for a moment the driver nor Charley made a move. Eventually the door opened up and Charley's breath hitched, forming a lump in her throat. The person who stepped out of the vehicle was a woman.

A woman with honey blonde hair with a hint of gold caused by the rays of the sun. She closed the door behind her and walked up to Charley, who still stood frozen in her spot.

"Hello, Charley." The woman said with a small smile. Charley blinked and finally managed to clear her throat.

"Hi, Izzy." The mechanic replied.

Both of them couldn't utter another word. Instead they fell into each other's arms and held each other as tightly as they could.

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

The four mice standing on the roof of the Last Chance Garage were unsure what to think of what they'd just witnessed. Various thoughts were going through their minds. Some serious and some completely inappropriate.

"Whose the babe?" Stoker asked breaking the silence amongst them.

"I'm not quite sure." Throttle replied rubbing his chin. "Have we seen her before? I could have sworn I've seen her somewhere before."

Even Modo was unsure if the woman, who'd just gotten out of the truck, was someone familiar. Charley seemed to know her. Quite close from the look of things actually. But the grey mouse wasn't entirely certain.

"Why are we still here?" Vinnie suddenly said stepping towards the door. "Let's get down there."

"Whoa, whoa, Vincent! Hold on a second." Throttle exclaimed grabbing his brother by the arm. "Just cause she knows Charley girl, doesn't mean she knows about us."

"Besides, it looks as though Charley could do without us for the moment." Modo stated, glancing down at the two women who'd finally let go of each other.

"What about eavesdropping?" Vinnie suggested looking at Modo and Throttle. The two slightly older mice eyed each other and found themselves quite susceptible to that idea.

"Guys! They're removing the blanket covering the bike." Stoker waved at them from the edge of the roof. The other three hadn't even noticed their former coach sneaking away from them.

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

"I had no idea you'd be the one to bring Sam's ride." Charley admitted as she climbed onto the back of the vehicle.

The woman known as Izzy stopped for a second to look at the other woman.

"I wasn't. But,-" She paused and took a deep breath. "It felt right, you know?"

Charley could only nod. They both grabbed a corner of the blanket and with one big pull it fell from the bike, revealing a Triumph Thunderbird. Unfortunately, it wasn't in one piece. In fact the damage on the motorcycle showed that it had clearly been in an accident. Charley's hand trembled as she touched the seat.

"They didn't fix it?" She asked.

"No." Izzy replied quietly. "They weren't allowed to. Evidence and such."

Charley walked over to her and grabbed her hand. "Are you okay?"

Izzy pressed her lips in a tight line but nodded. "In a way, you?"

Charley wasn't sure how she felt. Seeing Sam's bike was one thing, but to see it in its current state awakened multiple emotions within her. Standing here side by side with Isabel was also something she had not been expecting. To her knowledge, Isabel had left after the funeral back to her home country. They hadn't really kept in touch, Isabel said that she couldn't. At least that's how it had come across to Charley.

"Let's bring her in." Charley said and Izzy nodded.

After ten minutes, the two women had managed to get the motorcycle off the truck and inside the Last Chance Garage. Charley situated it next to Vinnie's ride for the time being.

Isabel walked around for a second, admiring each of the individual motorcycles. "Business is going well, isn't it?" She asked.

Charley wasn't sure how to reply seeing as these bikes were currently in no need of a check-up, thank goodness for that. Not to mention fixing them cost her money instead of actually receiving any.

Although she did have to take a look at Stoker's bike because apparently it had gotten damaged during landing. She could only imagine the work which was in store for her.

"As well as can be. How about we go inside? Have some coffee?"

"I'd like that. Let me park the truck closer to the garage for a moment, I'll be right up."

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

"What's happening?" Vinnie asked impatiently looking up at Throttle.

"If you keep asking then I won't be able to hear them." The tanned mouse replied as his ears moved.

Out of all of them Throttle had the best hearing, which was quite handy considering Charley and her friend had gone inside of the garage with the bike. He could at least hear if they were still there or had gone inside.

"Wait, I see her." Modo pointed at Isabel walking back to her truck and getting in. "You think she's leaving?"

"I hope not." Stoker grinned mischievously, watching the human female's every move.

He narrowed his eyes and looked on as Isabel drove the truck backwards. For a second he thought Modo had been right with his assumption that she might be leaving, but then she turned and stopped the car right next to the garage.

"Whoa, guys! Someone's coming!" Vinnie hissed from the door leading into Charley's bedroom. He stumbled back as it flung open revealing Charley.

"Why are you guys still here?" She asked nervously.

"Uh, you told us to wait, sweetheart." Vinnie answered.

Charley gave him a confused look, but then remembered that it had been her who ordered them to wait up on the top of her building.

"Okay, but you can no longer stay here. Izzy is coming back and I can't have you four snoops lurking around."

"Lurking?" Vinnie gasped dramatically. "I don't lurk."

"Actually, you always lurk, Vincent." Throttle laughed.

Stoker finally decided to step away from watching Isabel and joined the others in conversation. "Izzy, huh? How come I've never met her?"

"Oh no." Charley groaned. "Please, don't. I can't deal with this."

She turned to the others. "Can you guys fill him in about all of this, while I go back to Isabel?"

The three mice looked at each other, they could tell Stoker a great deal but somehow they got the feeling Charley was talking about her female friend as well.

"No offence, Charley girl. But we have no clue who Isabel is."

"She's,-"

"Charley?!" You up there?" Another voice suddenly emerged from the female mechanic's bedroom.

Everybody, but in particularly Charley, froze. She quickly stepped back through the door and yelled. "I'm coming!"

She quickly poked her head back outside and looked at the mice with pleading eyes. "Please, don't come downstairs to the living room. I'm sure you can find your way down from up here."

With that said she went back inside and slammed the door behind her, leaving the four guys alone on the roof once again.

"Okay, I'm obviously out of the loop here. What's going on?" Stoker placed his hands on his sides.

Throttle began to explain to Stoker why Charley had been acting in such an incredibly nervous manner throughout the entire day. The former Freedom Fighter was already aware of the fact that Charley's brother had died in an accident a year ago. The motorcycle, which the other woman had brought there, had belonged to Sam Davidson and was the very same bike with which he crashed and died.

"Wow." Was all Stoker could say after Throttle had finished.

"Great, now that that's done. What are we going to do?" Vinnie asked.

"Climb down?" Modo suggested.

"Ah, man. What about the whole eavesdropping plan?" It almost sounded as if Vinnie was actually whining.

Throttle shook his head. "Charley is going to kill you if she finds out."

Vinnie shrugged. "That's not a no."

He immediately reached for the door and went inside before anybody else could stop him. In fact, not even all of them tried to. Stoker followed the young mouse's example and sneaked right in after him.

Throttle sighed deeply. "You've got to be kidding me."

"You ain't the least bit curious?" Modo asked.

Throttle took a bit too long to answer that question. Of course he was curious, he wanted to know what Charley girl was currently discussing with her friend of whom he was still sure he'd seen somewhere before. If only she'd told them who she was, the name Isabel or Izzy did not ring a bell.

"Best keep them out of trouble?" He said to Modo, who answered his question with a grin.

The two of them quietly went in after Stoker and Vinnie, who had already taken up a spot behind Charley's bedroom door to eavesdrop on the women. They'd moved it slightly ajar, so they could listen more closely. Throttle approached them softly from behind.

"And?" He asked.

"Nothing so far. They're in the kitchen, I think. Heard the sound of cups clinking." Vinnie replied with a hushed voice.

In the meantime, while they were listening quietly to the sounds coming from downstairs, Modo had taken it upon himself to look at the framed pictures hanging in Charley's bedroom.

He felt like James Bomb, trying to discover the identity of a stranger. He was just about to turn back to the others and give up, when he noticed what seemed to be a family picture. He grabbed it from the night stand and narrowed his eyes.

There stood Charley with her parents, followed by a few people he didn't really recognized but judging by their looks probably aunts and uncles. Then he spotted Charley's brother Sam.

They'd never met Sam, but then again they had only been on Earth a year prior before he passed away. Modo wondered if Charley had ever mentioned them to him, though he doubted it. If she had, they probably would have met at some point.

His eyes landed on the woman leaning against Sam. It didn't take long for the grey mouse to put two and two together. He turned his head to the others.

"Guys, guys." He whispered loud enough for them to hear. "I found her."

:::::::...….:::::::

"So when did you come back from England?" Charley placed a cup of coffee in front of her sister-in-law.

"Thanks. A week ago." Isabel replied placing her hands around the cup. "Stayed in a hotel."

Charley frowned at this piece of information. "Why didn't you stay with my parents?" But Isabel shook her head.

"Couldn't. It felt wrong. I mean I did hop on a plane and left almost immediately, didn't I?"

It's true. A day after the funeral Charley's mother had found a note from Izzy which said she was going back home to England. Her mother had felt both confused and angry at the same time. Charley can't say she didn't agree with her mother, but on some level she understood where Izzy was coming from.

"Do they know you're back?" She then asked.

"No." Isabel admitted. "I'm a scaredy cat, remember?"

Charley cocked her head sideways. "That is definitely not how I see you." And for the first time, since Isabel had arrived today, they both smiled genuinely at each other.

The moment didn't last very long because all of a sudden loud noises emitted from upstairs. Sounds of things running, falling or crashing. It was quite difficult to determine what it was they were actually hearing.

"Good grief." Isabel exclaimed. "Do you have a pet?"

Charley gritted her teeth and shot an angry glare at the ceiling. "Probably just some mice."

"Those sound like rather big mice then."

"They probably are." Charley muttered under her breath. What the heck could the guys be doing up there? Hadn't she asked them to get out? If this was their new idea on how to leave the Last Chance Garage, Charley was going to have some words with them.

By now the noises had stopped and after having stared at the ceiling for another full minute, Charley and Isabel continued their conversation.

"Charley, if I may pry?" Izzy began. "Are you planning on fixing Sam's bike?"

The thought had crossed Charley's mind when she first laid eyes on her late brother's ride. But if she was being honest with herself, she was unsure if she'd be able to. Fixing up wouldn't be the issue, but dealing with her own emotions during the fix up is what held her back. Apparently Izzy very much wanted to know the answer to this question.

"Am I right to assume that you want me to?" Charley countered and she watched Izzy avert her gaze.

"I know it's Sam's bike. Or was, as it's now technically yours but,-" She turned her head back to Charley. "I was sitting right there on the back when it happened. Maybe a part of me wants closure for it. But I'm not even sure I'll get that, even if you do plan on fixing it."

Honestly Charley hadn't thought of that. It wasn't in Charley's personality to not care about her family, but when her brother had died, he was all she could think of. In fact, a part of her blamed Isabel for surviving the crash and not her brother. Which was unfair and she knew it, still the feeling lingered somewhere inside her. And when Isabel had left after the funeral, she got even more angry. Charley lowered her head in her hands and sighed deeply.

"I understand you, really I do. But I just don't know what to do...yet."

She could sense her answer disappointed Isabel, if only slightly. Nonetheless Isabel nodded in understanding. "In that case I leave everything in your hands."

Relief hit Charley, but she knew it was only a matter of time before another touchy subject would emerge. There was no avoiding it. Isabel was her brother's wife for had been for a few years. Now she was a widow and still part of Charley's family.

Yet looking at her made her feel so many things at once that she couldn't focus or think about anything without the image of her brother popping up. She and Isabel used to get along so well before, could something as death really change that in a second?

"Charley?"

Charley looked up at her sister-in-law, who stared at her with a furrowed brow. "Are you okay? If you want me to go away, that's okay. Just tell me."

But Charley didn't want Isabel to leave. On some level she believed that perhaps having Izzy around for the time being was perhaps exactly what she needed. "No. Stay." She reached out and grabbed Izzy's hand.

Another crash came from upstairs and this time Charley's blood really started to boil. For a second she'd forgotten the tiny detail of her alien friends. A detail she probably couldn't, or shouldn't, hide from Isabel. But how was she going to tell her friend that her extended family existed of four tall male mice?

That's it for the 2nd chapter!

Hope you all enjoyed it.