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Chapter 6: The fourth one
Charley's kitchen
Charley took Isabel with her into the kitchen where it was quiet, bright and away from prying eyes. She was well aware that the guys would be able to hear her conversation with Isabel, as they resided in the living room. It didn't matter because the mechanic felt it necessary for them to hear what she had to say to her sister-in-law. Plus she had no desire to repeat herself to them, knowing very well they'd be curious about Isabel's response to Charley's explanation.
Isabel hadn't looked at Modo and Stoker as she followed Charley into the kitchen, but she could feel their eyes burning into her back. She quietly sat down at the table and folded her hands between her legs. Charley headed to the coffee machine and pointed at it. "Coffee?"
"Irish?" Isabel asked, referring to mixing the drink with some alcohol.
Charley smiled and pulled a bottle of whiskey from one of the lower cupboards. "Not sure if I got any cream though?"
"That's alright. Think I might leave the coffee out as well." Isabel replied dryly. Charley nodded and instead of coffee she poured Isabel a glass of whiskey.
"Thanks." Isabel took the glass and eagerly drank it in one go.
Charley set the entire bottle in front of Isabel who immediately poured herself another glass. She handed the bottle back to Charley who declined. "I'm good, Izzy."
Isabel let out a puff of air and took a swig from her drink. "I ain't."
"I know." Charley reached out and placed her hand over Isabel's. "You will be."
Isabel threw her a sceptical look but set her glass down nonetheless. "That loud noise we heard yesterday, coming from your bedroom,-" She paused and frowned at Charley. "You said, 'probably just some mice'."
Charley bit her bottom lip and averted her gaze. "Yeah, it was them." She looked back at Isabel who stared at the glass of whiskey in front of her.
"Bloody hell."
"Izzy, listen to me. I was going to tell you, but I didn't know how. Ask me anything. I promise I'll answer any question you have." Charley tried but the other woman didn't budge.
Isabel blinked, lifted the glass once more and drank its entire content. Without warning she stood up from her seat, Charley followed her example. Isabel cocked her head. "I know how this is going to go. You're going to explain to me who they are, what they are. How they are friendly, kind and wouldn't hurt a fly unless provoked. No, let me finish,-"
Charley had opened her mouth to interject but slowly lowered herself down into her seat again.
"That you were sceptic at first, but they proved themselves and now you consider them your friends?" Isabel leaned back against the kitchen counter. "That's what you're planning on telling me, aren't you?"
Charley had to admit that Isabel was on point with everything she'd just said. Was she that easy too read or was Isabel too smart? Either way she had to say more, add more details to the story because Isabel made it sound as if she was crazy for befriending four giant mice from outer space. Charley stood up and walked over to Isabel. The brunette took a deep breath whilst grabbing hold of Isabel's hands once again.
"I am and I stand by every word. They are good guys, Izzy. Look, I know that they are from another planet but they never showed any ill intend. I mean I have known them for a very long time. Spent almost every day with them since they arrived, I've even,-" Charley stopped.
No, she couldn't tell Isabel she'd actually been to Mars. This was already more than enough information, besides, Isabel wouldn't be here forever. She had her own life to go back to once Sam's bike was fixed. The most important thing was that Isabel kept the true identity of the guys a secret.
"But Charley, they are,- they're,-" Isabel struggled to find the right words. She could tell Charley was honest with her feelings and words regarding those creatures. She didn't want to insult her friend, but she still felt uncomfortable with everything.
"I don't know how to feel." She eventually said, but there was something else she did want to ask. "Did Sam know about them?"
The question surprised Charley, she hadn't expected Isabel to ask her that. But she was going to answer truthfully not knowing how Isabel would feel about it. "He knew of them. Their names, that they're my friends and that they help out at the garage from time to time." She didn't go into detail about Sam not knowing they were from Mars. Maybe purposely because it might help Isabel accept the guys for who they are.
Charley's answer caught Isabel off guard. Sam had known? She wasn't sure how to feel about this. Had she been kept in the dark on purpose by him?
"There is only one thing I want." Charley then said giving Isabel's hand a gentle squeeze. "And that is for you to be kind to them, they feel really bad about scaring you. For me, please?"
Isabel looked into her sister-in-law's turquoise eyes and gave in. "Okay."
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Charley's living room
"She fainted when she saw Vinnie?" Throttle gave his bros a quizzical look after they'd told him what happened during his absence.
"Hit the ground like a brick." Modo nodded.
"I have to say it was rather satisfying seeing another woman fainting because of Vinnie, especially because this time it wasn't thanks to his charm." Stoker smirked and nudged his elbow against Vinnie's side.
"Ey, you don't know that." Vinnie retorted. "Subconsciously she might have swooned because she couldn't handle the Vin machine."
"She screamed her lungs out, handsome." Stoker snorted. Vinnie huffed and crossed his arms.
"It's all a matter of time, trust me. They all fall eventually."
"Like your ego." Throttle chuckled. He turned his head towards the kitchen and looked at the closed door. "So, she's seen Vinnie and now also you." He moved his gaze to Stoker again.
Stoker scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Yeah, she did. At least my good looks didn't cause her to faint." He directed the latter bit at Vinnie who huffed again.
"Maybe she was already used to your smell, as you stalked her yesterday like a typical,- stalker."
It was Stoker's own fault really. If he hadn't followed Isabel to her motel, hiding in her own truck without her knowledge, the others probably wouldn't feel the need to keep pestering him about it. Suddenly all eight ears perked up and heads turned to the kitchen.
The four mice jumped from their seats and straightened themselves. Isabel and Charley hadn't been in there for that long, was everything alright? Had they finished their conversation already? Should they stay put or should they go downstairs to their bikes and leave quietly?
Charley appeared in the opening of the door but closed it behind her as soon as she'd stepped over the threshold. The guys were eyeing her closely, some more eagerly than others. Charley knew they must have picked up on some of the conversation she'd had with Isabel, but how much of it she was unsure.
"Okay." She began. "I'm just going to keep it short and simple. I basically told Izzy about who you guys are and where you're from."
"She already knew that, I told,-" Stoker interrupted her, but quickly shut up when she threw him a look. "But go on."
"I don't know, guys. She just needs time to accept the fact that there is life on other planets and the fact that my best friends are from outer space. It can be a lot to take in. But she promised me she'll treat you with kindness and respect."
Charley looked at her four Martian friends, eager to see their reaction. Modo still looked uneasy. He was there when Isabel fainted and he was the one who had carried her up the stairs. Charley knew he felt the most insecure about himself. Mostly about the way that he looked, which was completely different from how he was on the inside. Scary on the outside, sweet on the inside.
Throttle was his cool and collected self. Out of everyone he had had the least interaction with Isabel and perhaps that's why he didn't seem fazed by Charley's explanation in the slightest. He listened carefully though and took in every bit of information Charley was giving them.
Vinnie on the other hand looked relieved and Charley could only hope he wasn't going to get some crazy idea in his head about trying to impress her sister-in-law. She knew better than anyone how flirtatious Vinnie was. Even though it hardly impressed her, she still didn't like it whenever he acted that way towards other women.
In the meantime Stoker had managed to slip away from Charley's view. While she was busy looking at the others, he had sneaked around the living room towards the kitchen door. With the help of his tail, he quietly circled it around the doorknob and turned it carefully.
However, Throttle was well aware of his former coach's antics and he placed his hand upon Stoker's shoulder before he could fully open the kitchen door. The tanned mouse shook his head. It took a second but Stoker eventually let out a sigh and unwrapped his tail from the knob. Throttle was now. No matter how much Stoker wanted to look at Isabel, it wasn't the right time.
"Let's go back to the scoreboard for now." Modo suggested softly.
"Should we? I mean, she knows now? There's no need to walk on our toes." Vinnie said and even though Modo knew the white mouse had a point, he still felt uneasy. Not only for Isabel but for himself. Maybe he wasn't ready to hear that woman scream her head of once she'd laid eyes on him.
"I think I'll join you." Stoker said. Even though he was reluctant to leave. He wanted to personally show Isabel they were good guys. Nice and kind, that there was nothing to be afraid of even if they came from another planet. But enough was enough, even he could see that.
"We'll all go." Throttle exclaimed and he threw another look at Vinnie to make sure he would join them.
"Alright, alright." Vinnie replied.
Charley watched her friends slowly descend down the steps towards their bikes. When she turned around she spotted Isabel standing in the opening of the kitchen.
"They're leaving." She said to her sister-in-law.
Isabel nodded. "I heard. Perhaps it's best if I leave for today. That way they can stay here with you. I mean technically I'm the one whose imposing on the situation, not them."
Charley didn't tell Izzy that she fully agreed with that statement, she didn't want Izzy to feel bad. Instead Charley shook her head. "I have no doubt in my mind that soon everything will be back to normal." She walked over to Izzy and gave her a hug. "How about we start fixing up Sam's ride?"
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Later that night
The two women spent most of the day talking while Charley worked on a bike from one of her customers. Isabel, who had not a lot of knowledge when it came to mechanical work, helped out where she could. She didn't mind getting her hands dirty and it gave the two an opportunity to talk.
"I believe that's enough work." The auburn haired woman said as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "How's about we call it a day and have some root beer and dogs?"
Isabel arched an eyebrow. "Root beer and dogs?" She repeated.
Charley bit her bottom lip. "Sorry. Habit. The guys live for that stuff."
"Sounds like an awful diet."
"Somehow it doesn't show." The mechanic chuckled.
Isabel smiled. Of course she noticed the way Charley's friends look. Toned and muscled, as if they were not living on root beer and hot dog. Charley spoke of them as if she had known them her entire life, which Isabel knew she hadn't. Isabel wondered how it was possible for her sister-in-law to care so much for them.
"I think I'm going to go back, if you don't mind." Isabel said.
Charley shook her head. "That's fine. See you tomorrow?"
Isabel gave her a thumbs up as she walked out of the garage towards her car.
::::::...::::::
Throttle had no clue how he managed to lose three times in a row. Thanks to that losing streak he was now outside near the pier getting a couple of dogs for tonight's dinner. Everyone had a huge appetite and frankly he was rather unsure how he was going to get all of those dogs back to the scoreboard in one piece. Perhaps he should just take off with the hot dog cart instead of bringing home a bag. In the distance he could see the vendor standing right at the start of the pier.
But then he also spotted something else. A large dark grey pick up truck. Now it wasn't that uncommon to see these type of vehicles in Chicago, but Throttle had seen this car before and knew it belonged to somebody in particular. Therefore, instead of heading to the hot dog vendor, he went towards the vehicle.
"Empty." He noticed the moment he was a mere couple of feet away. Throttle turned his head and looked around the area but the owner of the car was nowhere to be seen. She had to be around here somewhere.
He drove towards the end of the pier and glanced down at the beach area, which at this time at night wasn't crowded at all. Throttle narrowed his eyes and caught sight of the woman he'd been looking for. He went back to the pick up truck and parked his bike right next to it before descending the steps towards the beach.
When Throttle made his way down to the water side, Isabel was already gone. "She couldn't have gotten that far." He muttered to himself.
He walked towards the edge where the water met the shore and looked left and right. He noticed the outline of a person standing underneath the pier, about to make their way into the water. Without giving it a second thought he made a run for it. Uncertain what was going on, but worried that whoever was dumb enough to go into the water beneath a pier could only have a certain death wish.
As he'd suspected the person walking into the water was none other than Isabel. Throttle reached out with his tail, wrapped it around her waist and yanked her back. The honey blond woman collided against Throttle and she let out a loud gasp.
"What the,-" She looked up at him and her eyes widened. The tail around her body was a dead giveaway who had just pulled her away from the water.
"Now, now, don't scream." Throttle immediately said to her as it seemed like she was going to. "I know you and I haven't met yet, but I assure you I mean no harm."
Isabel blinked her bright blue eyes at him. "You're,- you're the fourth one?"
With "fourth one" she meant one of the four Martian mice. Charley had mentioned there were four of them, or had that other mouse mentioned it? Isabel couldn't exactly remember, there had been a lot of information given to her in one day. Too much.
Throttle sighed. "Yes, the fourth one. The name's Throttle and what was it you were planning on doing, if I may ask?"
"I,- I,-" Isabel stood there dumbfounded and frankly a bit afraid. This guy, or mouse, was unlike Charley's other friends. He didn't seem to care much whether she was scared of him or not.
If Charley had been here, Throttle knew he would have gotten an earful with the way he was currently treating Isabel. But for all he knew, he'd just saved her from drowning and if that had happened then Charley would have killed him for sure.
"Nobody told you the danger of currents around a pier? Or at this time of night?" Throttle said to the woman against his chest. "You could have been pulled under water."
Isabel placed her hands against him and tried to pushed herself out of his grasp. "I wasn't planning on taking a swim and will you let go of me?"
Throttle blinked a couple of times before taking his hands away from her arms and unwrapping his tail from her waist. He cleared his throat and removed his helmet as Isabel stepped back from him.
"Sorry." He said. "The name's Throttle, by the way." He extended his hand towards Isabel.
"You already said that." The woman replied, not taking her eyes of his face. The Martian in front of her wore a pair of glasses and had an earring in his left ear. Not to mention the same pair of red antenna's on top of his head like the other one.
Isabel wondered what he was doing here. Had he been following her or did he just happen to be in the area? Still, she had promised Charley to be nice to them and if he really thought she'd planned on hurting herself, which she hadn't, she could at least shake his hand.
"I'm Isabel." Her hand slightly trembled but she placed her hand in his nonetheless and gave it a quick shake.
"So I've heard." Throttle smiled. "Now about planning on taking a dip into the lake."
Isabel raised her hands. "I assure you, I honestly wasn't. I enjoy walking along the shore, sometimes I walk in a bit further but never too far."
It really wasn't Throttle's place to tell the woman off. She was an adult and perfectly capable of taking care of herself. But she was also Charley's family and had experienced loss only a year ago, who knew if it had left her traumatised? Throttle couldn't help but look at her, most of all at the scar which was on the right side of her face.
"In that case, I'll head back to the pier." Throttle was about to turn but stopped. "I'd feel a lot better knowing you were going back as well. Chicago isn't the safest place for a lady as you. Besides, you're Charley's family, it's my duty to make sure nothing bad happens."
This was all too much for Isabel to handle. She couldn't believe herself. A couple of hours ago she had fainted from the very sight of one of those creatures and now she was having an actual conversation with one of them. She needed a good night sleep. Had he called her a lady?
"Thank you, I guess." She said to him. "I'll go back to my motel."
Throttle nodded and put his helmet back on. Isabel walked past him without looking back and picked up her shoes which lied a couple of feet away them. By the time she turned around Throttle was gone.
::::::...::::::
The mouse leader could not believe what had just happened to him. This entire day was all over the place. First Stoker acting up followed by having an argument with Charley. Then Throttle himself went and tried to explain to Charley how Martian biology worked because nobody else had the guts to. After that they got a call from Modo telling them Isabel had discovered their identity and actually fainted.
And now here he was, saving Isabel from possible death. Touching her with his tail, holding her against his chest. Stoker had been right about her. She smelled like vanilla.
"Your order, sir!"
Throttle looked at the man behind the hot dog cart, who was holding up a big paper bag. He looked at Throttle with an incredibly annoyed look.
"Sorry." Throttle muttered grabbing the bag and driving away from the pier as fast as possible.
When he finally walked into their hideout in the scoreboard, the other guys were all crashed out in front of the television. Vinnie's head shot up the moment he caught a whiff of warm fresh dogs.
"Finally!" He yelled and jumped up. "You got lost or something?"
On some level Throttle had now wished he had. How was he going to explain himself about what happened at the pier? He couldn't help but look at Stoker. He just knew the former rebel leader would have something to say about it.
"Something like that." Throttle scratched the back of his head. He grabbed a dog out of the paper bag for himself and sat down on the armrest of the couch.
"You okay, rookie?" Stoker said to him. "You look a bit distracted. Annoyed you got your ass kicked with a card game?"
Yes. Throttle thought to himself, would have saved me a heap of trouble. "Don't sweat it. I'll get my revenge."
Stoker patted him on his shoulder. Suddenly he paused and his snout moved up and down. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Throttle. "What's that smell?" Stoker said out loud.
"Dawgs." Vinnie replied with his mouth full of tonight's dinner. "You forgot the mustard, Throttle!"
Vinnie was usually ignorant of what was going on when his favourite food was involved. But Modo eyed Throttle and Stoker warily. He saw Throttle's demeanour change the moment Stoker placed his hand upon the tanned mouse's shoulder.
It didn't take long for Throttle to jump out of his seat and Stoker hit the couch with his fist. Vinnie dropped his mouth, causing bits of hot dog to fall out and dropped unto the floor. Modo was unsure if he should jump between the two leaders or wait the situation out.
Throttle already had his arms raised in a defensive stance. "Nothing happened. She was at the pier, I thought she was in trouble, turns out she wasn't and I went to get the food."
Vinnie stepped up behind Modo. "Whose he talking about?"
"How come her scent is all over you, then?" Stoker asked angrily.
"I think they mean Isabel." The tall grey mouse said to Vinnie and the white mouse cocked his head.
"Isabel?" He made a face. "Throttle was with Isabel?"
The tanned mouse couldn't believe this. Nothing had happened and the way Vinnie said it made it sound as if he'd done something with her. He kept his eyes on Stoker who seemed more hurt than angry, but nonetheless the older mouse wanted an explanation and Throttle had no idea what he should say to make everything alright.
"I thought she was in trouble, okay?" He began his story. "I spotted her car down at the pier and then I saw her walking straight into the water. I thought she was going to hurt herself, alright? So I pulled her away." His story was meant for all of his bros to hear, but he mainly directed it at Stoker.
"I swear, Stoke, that is all. Look, I know your mind and senses are all screwed up at the moment, but believe me. I would never. I have Carbine remember?" At least I think I do.
That latter bit seemed to do the trick for Stoker lowered his shoulders and stood up straight. He looked at Throttle for a couple of seconds before shaking his head. "You're right. I'm sorry, man. I can't seem to think straight." The former rebel leader sat down again and leaned back in the seat.
Throttle let out a deep breath and followed Stoker's example. "Thank you."
Stoker bit the nail of his thumb before opening his mouth again. "She okay?"
"She's fine. Scared the crap out of her, of course. But nothing was wrong, a simple misjudgement on my part as it turns out."
Stoker responded with a nod. He was being ridiculous towards Throttle and all because of a woman. A human female. Charley's sister-in-law and a widower. What was he thinking? He'd nearly clogged the lights out of his brother because he smelled her all over him. Even now the very thought made his nostrils flare. He wasn't a teenager any more. If Vinnie and even Modo managed to keep a straight face in front of Charley, he should be able to do so in front of a woman he'd only met two days ago.
Martian biology was crap. Sure, on Mars it wasn't an issue. It was only natural to act upon it the moment you got a caught of that scent which sent you over the edge. Of course all mice produce a certain scent, each their own. But some just take you by surprise and there is nothing you can do about hits you like a boulder rolling down a hill.
You either roll along with it, run away from it or fight it. Although the later one usually has major consequences if you're still near said person who is emitting those scents. Still, Stoker had been there before. He threw a quick glance at Vinnie. There had been a point when both of them were practically fighting over the same woman. Although in the end Vinnie had won her heart.
In a way that had helped Stoker to slowly get over it, to the point where Harley no longer interested him. Perhaps that is what Modo was currently going through with Charley and Vinnie? Even though the two weren't together there was something there and Modo knew it. Stoker had to admit that the female mechanic resembled Harley in many ways. What if that was the reason that Vinnie was attracted to her and not just her scent?
Stoker let out a loud groan and stood up. "I'm gonna go and take a nap." He walked towards the table and snatched three dogs out of the bag.
"See you, rookies in the morning!"
Hope you all enjoyed that!
Until next time! Have a great day :)
Also, let me know how you feel about the whole Modo/Vinnie/Charley deal?
Would you like to keep them in a triangle mode or rather one of the two mice end up with her?