It's been a while but here is a new chapter :)

One of my fics called 'Homeschooled' (it's a Gotham fic) is completed, have been working on that for the past weeks (check it out if you're a fan of that show).

I got approached by Wattpad and Webnovel over the past month who want one of my stories on their site/app, still contemplating if I should do that or not.

So that's where life has been in the writing world.

Anyways, hope you enjoy this new chapter and many thanks for the reviews/favs and alerts :)

The Last Chance Garage

Charley looked at her sister-in-law anxiously awaiting her answer. She wanted to know rather sooner than later what Isabel's plans would be for the rest of the evening so she could rest easy and place all of her focus on her friend, who was currently lying in her bed.

"Throttle seems fine for the time being, he's still awake. But like I said, I,-"

"It's fine, Charley. I understand. I'm not sure what I'll do yet, but you can focus all your attention on your friend." Isabel interrupted her with a weak smile. Charley nodded with relief, thanked her relative and went back to presumably her bedroom.

Stoker turned his head back to the woman behind him, watching her calmly, wondering what she was going to do. Stay at the garage or head back to the motel.

"I'd be more than willing to ride you back to the motel, Isabel. If that's where you want to be." Stoker offered her warmly.

Izzy tilted her head back to look up at him. "You mean, on your motorcycle?" She asked it ever so carefully.

"Well, it wouldn't be mine. My gorgeous set of wheels is still in need of maintenance, remember? I'm sure Vinnie wouldn't mind if we borrow his ride." The former general said with a wink. However, just when he thought he was getting closer to his goal, the goal of driving through Chicago with a beautiful woman behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist, he saw a look of fright behind Izzy's eyes.

The woman shook her head and put on that fake smile he'd seen earlier. "No, it's fine. I'll just stay here for tonight. Charley offered it, I'm sure I can sleep on her couch or on the floor if necessary. In case she needs help."

The latter part sounded like a poor excuse to Stoker. Of course her help would be welcome if Charley needed it, but would she really need help in the first place? They were all there to help out if needed. Stoker wasn't expecting all of them to go back to the scoreboard, not while their bro had been caught in an explosion. He had an inkling she simply didn't want to be riding along with him or any of them for that matter. He didn't understand it, was she still afraid of being alone with them? Yet, here she was standing alone with him in the kitchen. Just like when they were alone in the spacecraft. She didn't come across as afraid back then, nervous certainly, but not afraid. He had to confront her, he knew she was making an excuse and he was set on finding out why.

"Is it because of us?" He asked, which came out more blunt than he wanted to.

"Us?" She repeated.

"My bros and I. Come on, beautiful! What does it take for you to realize we don't mean you any harm?" Stoker intended to sound angry but the only emotion he managed to express was hurt.

Izzy seemed taken back by his words. Sure, she was aware of the fact how her behaviour towards them must be compared to Charley, but she didn't know how much of an impact it actually had on them. The others didn't seem that fazed by her reactions and Charley had only told her how Modo truly struggled with it, but now judging by Stoker's reaction, it seemed he felt hurt by it as well.

Izzy shook her head and Stoker eyed her with confusion. "I know you don't. That's not it." It wasn't them? What could be the reason she was so adamant on not having him, or any of them for that matter, bring her back to the motel?

"I don't know if this is considered cliché on,- Mars. But rest assure that, it's not because of any of you, it's me."

Stoker raised his eyebrow. "You'll have to do better than that, darling."

"Okay, look,-" She sighed and she stepped away from him, looking at the wall as she spoke. "It's the motorcycles."

"The bikes?" This still didn't explain anything.

Izzy nodded. "I don't know if Charley has told you about, how,-" She paused and cleared her throat and Stoker felt her emotions shift. "How Sam, my husband, died?"

She didn't have to continue her story. Suddenly it was as clear as day to Stoker, why she didn't want them to bring her to the motel. It wasn't because of them, because they were Martian. It was because of Sam's accident. God, he felt like an idiot. Only a moment ago he was the one who noticed the impact Throttle's accident had on her behaviour. But not once did he stop to think in what other ways it could have changed her. When he told her he was willing to ride her back on Vinnie's bike, that was the moment a look of fear appeared in her eyes. Stoker thought it was because of them, not because of their motorcycles.

Izzy was looking at him, waiting for him to answer her question if Charley had informed them about the accident.

"It was Modo actually." Stoker told her, remembering how he only found out about how Sam had died a couple of days ago.

Isabel nodded, not really minding who it was that told him. It was more important that he understood, at least she hoped he did.

"It's just the bikes then?" He asked again. Just to be sure so. The others would surely laugh at his behaviour, acting like an insecure mouse in front of a woman.

"Would you feel better if I said it was you?" She cocked her head at him. Was that a small smile on her face? Was she making a joke? Stoker leaned his body against the kitchen counter.

"That's not funny, sweetheart." He scoffed but a chuckle escaped him. "But, I get it. And thank you. For saying it's not because of,- this." Stoker swooped his tail around while pointing at his antennas and ears.

"I'm getting there. It's still something special though." She replied and Stoker smiled at hearing those words. "And maybe one day I'll sit on a motorcycle again. Just,- not, now."

Stoker stepped away from the counter and moved to stand in front of Izzy. "Honey, as a mouse whose seen the dark side of life, and has a fair share of cuts and scars of his own. I know you will."

The way she looked at him, was a look he could not describe for he had not seen it before on her. But it made his heart race even more so than usual. He wanted to give her a hug. Wrap his arms, his tail, basically everything that could be used, around her body. But if he did that, the world would be too small to contain his emotional response. Even now he had to reel himself in, keep the breathing through his nose to a minimal. Sure, he was getting better at it, but now that she was smiling again it was hard to ignore her scent making its way into his nostrils. It was his own fault, he should have stayed a few steps back.

"I'll go tell Charley I'm not leaving tonight." She said and Stoker nodded vigorously.

"Yes, sounds like a plan. Fine, fine plan." He cleared his throat and stepped aside to let her pass. He watched Izzy walk out of the kitchen and when he figured she was finally well out of earshot, did he let out a loud groan. He quickly went to the sink and turned the knob to splash cold water into his face.

"Easy, Stoke. Easy." He mumbled softly.

Later that night

Nobody left the garage that night. Not Charley, Izzy nor any of the mice. Of course Throttle wasn't able to leave even if he would have wanted to. The tanned mouse opened his eyes, the room darker than it had been the last he'd open them. Had he fallen asleep? Hadn't Charley's sister-in-law told him to not fall into slumber for at least an hour? He jolted up but a sudden pain in his head knocked him back into the pillow.

"Throttle, you awake? How are you feeling?"

He recognized the voice as that of Vinnie's, apparently he wasn't alone in Charley's bedroom.

"I'm not sure. Why are you here?" Throttle said groggily.

"Everyone's here. Well, Charley and Izzy are downstairs. But Modo and Stoker are here too, they're outside on the roof. We're keeping watch on you in turns." Vinnie explained as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

It was unnecessary in his eyes, but still Throttle was thankful his bros were there and hadn't gone back to the scoreboard.

"What time is it?" He asked. Vinnie glanced over his shoulder at the clock hanging on the wall behind him.

"A bit past midnight."

This meant that Trottle most certainly has fallen asleep at some point. Was the throbbing sensation he was currently feeling in his head a good or a bad sign?

"My head hurts." He eventually said. Throttle wasn't one to complain about pains or show weakness in any sense or form, but he knew it was also pointless to hide it from his bros. If they would find out their leader was hiding things from him whether it was pain or worries about something, they'd never let him hear the end of it.

Vinnie nodded and stood up. "I'll go get Charley." He said. Throttle closed his eyes as the door creaked in the distance.

The white mouse walked down the stairs and headed over to the couch where Charley was currently sleeping on. Vinnie knew he told Throttle he'd get Charley, but seeing her asleep in a fetal position on the couch made him think of other things. He crouched down beside her and gentle swept her auburn hair out of her face. He inhaled deeply, smelling her woody scent with a hint of rain. Vinnie wanted to crawl under the blanket with her. To feel the touch of a woman on his furry skin was something he longed for. With one final stroke against her cheek, Vinnie stood back up and walked to the chair to wake Isabel instead, surely Throttle wouldn't mind as she helped him in the first place.

But he stopped as Izzy wasn't in the chair. Vinnie turned and glanced around the room. He perked his ears and listened, trying to locate the woman's whereabouts. He caught the sound of Charley's breathing, but nothing else. Was she even still in the house, he wondered?

Vinnie tried the kitchen, even knocked on the bathroom and checked the small balcony in the back but she wasn't in any of those places. Eventually he stuck his head through the opening of the staircase which led to Charley's workplace and that's where he found her. Izzy was sitting on a chair, but half of her body was leaning on the surface of the desk she sat at. As Vinnie approached her, he noticed she was also asleep. A rather odd place as she'd been sitting in the sofa chair in the living room for most of the night.

"Yo, Izzy." Vinnie said in a loud whisper. He placed his hand on her shoulder and shook it gently. Immediately Izzy's head shot up, her eyes wide and a soft gasp escaped her lips. When she saw who it was who'd woken her she quickly rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"Oh, it's you, Vinnie." She pushed the chair back and stood up. "I couldn't sleep, so I came down here. Is everything alright?"

Vinnie didn't really care for the reason why she'd decided to come down here, despite finding it a bit odd. "Throttle woke up. He's got a headache, not sure if that's normal or not." Izzy nodded and motioned for him to lead the way.

However when they re-entered the living room and were about to head up the steps into Charley's bedroom, Vinnie suddenly halted. Izzy turned her head and gave him a puzzled look.

"I'm just gonna check on Charley. You know, inform her and such." He said bit it sounded rather vague. If anything she would have expected him to get Charley first regarding Throttle and not her. Without replying Izzy ascended the steps and knocked on the door before entering.

She pushed the door open slowly, not knowing if Throttle had fallen back asleep. But when she entered he was sitting upright in bed, without his glasses.

"Charley?" He asked.

"Isabel, actually." Izzy told him and she shut the door behind her. Throttle didn't reply and wondered whether or not Vinnie had somehow done this on purpose.

"Vinnie woke me up." She added as she walked over to the bed. "He told me you had a headache."

Vinnie had woken her up? Throttle shook his head. "He shouldn't have done that. I'm sure it's nothing serious. Wasn't Charley available?"

The moment he said it, he realized that hadn't sounded very kind at all, which was quite unlike him. "Sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Izzy gave a small smile and stood next to him. "He found her sleeping on the couch. I'd fallen asleep in the garage, but he probably thought I was awake. If you want, I could go and get Charley?"

Instead of giving an answer Throttle moved aside to let Izzy sit down. Before she did, she reached over to grab his glasses. "Let me put these on for you." She said. Izzy sat next to him and carefully put Throttle's glasses on him.

The tanned mouse blinked as his vision returned. When he looked up he looked straight into Izzy's face. The corner of her mouth twitched and formed a grin. "Better?" She asked.

Throttle noticed how tired she looked. Her eyes were red, which somehow made the blueness of them even more vibrant. Like the oceans on Mars, back when there used to be oceans. He inhaled ever so slightly, just enough to get a tiny whiff of her scent, but not too much. It was warm and soft, like a sunrise. He noticed there was a spot on the side of her face, somewhere between her cheek and nose. It hadn't been there earlier when they were at the scoreboard.

"What happened?" He pointed at his own face and Izzy raised her hand and touched her cheek. It was quite embarrassing really, for it was Throttle who'd tapped her cheek when he was having a fit earlier when she examined him. It seemed the man had no recollection of accidentally hitting her.

"You don't remember?" Izzy carefully asked.

Throttle wasn't dumb, he knew her question could only mean one thing. His eyes widened.

"Me?"

Izzy confirmed it with a nod. "You hit me. By accident, of course. It's alright, these things can happen when someone is knocked out."

The tanned mouse couldn't believe himself. Even if it had been an accident, he'd never hit a woman before. Let alone someone who was trying to help him. Someone who was related to one of his best friends. What if he'd somehow activated his nuke chucks. Throttle bit his bottom lip, that was something he didn't want to think about.

"I'm incredibly sorry, Isabel. That shouldn't have happened, even if I wasn't fully conscious. I promise, I'll make it up to you somehow." And he meant it. If it had happened to Charley or Carbine, he would have promised the same thing. The woman in front of him gave him a smile and he suddenly felt warm.

"Thank you, Throttle."

"I should be the one thanking you." Throttle replied, for a moment he'd forgotten why she was actually there. Why had she come up into Charley's bedroom? But then he remembered Vinnie and the throbbing sensation in his head from when he woke up.

"The headache doesn't feel as bad as it had a moment ago."

Izzy nodded. "No pain at all?"

Throttle moved his limbs. He was still sore, that much was certain. He didn't feel sick nor did he feel like he was about to pass out again. He shook his head. "Nothing major." Then a loud rumbling noise sounded throughout Charley's bedroom. Izzy cocked her head sideways whilst Throttle cleared his throat with embarrassment.

"Mmm, seems my stomach disagrees." He muttered and Izzy chuckled.

"That is a good sign. However, I doubt I'll be able to track down a hotdog vendor at midnight."

At the mentioning of a hotdog, Throttle's stomach growled again, though he wasn't implying he wanted the woman to actually get food for him. Besides, even if she would be able to find a vendor, sure enough his bros would want some as well. Throttle shook his head. "I can wait until morning." His stomach immediately disagreed with him.

"I'm sure Charley as something in the house you can have." Izzy stood up from the bed. "Unless Martians only live on hotdogs?"

Throttle knew she was joking, she must be. Even someone like Izzy, with no knowledge of Alien life, would realize there were no dogs available on Mars. But not that that mattered, was she really planning on getting him something to eat? It was also now he noticed how calm she seemed. Last time she was in here with him and the others, she had trembled like a leaf.

It wouldn't be fair to ask her or assume anything regarding her sudden change of behaviour. After all, this is what they wanted. What Charley wanted. For things to return to normal, the way things were before Izzy showed up and discovered their existence.

"Anything aside from cheese." He said to her.

A frown appeared on her brow. But when he didn't reply or even smiled, Izzy realized he meant it. "Unexpected." She commented. "I'll have a look."

Izzy grabbed hold of the door handle but stopped as something had grabbed hold of her wrist. Her eyes trailed down to her hand and noticed the distinctive shape of a beige tail around it.

"Thank you." Throttle said from the bed and he retracted his tail from Isabel.

::::::…::::::

Vinnie sat on the armrest of the couch, looking down at the auburn haired mechanic lying just below him. Of course he'd lied when he told Isabel he was going to wake Charley up to inform her about Throttle. Come on, how could he wake a sleeping angel?

There hadn't been a lot of opportunities to have some alone time with her. His bros were always around and now with Stoker and Isabel being there, there was even less of a chance. Not that being alone with Charley in a room meant something was happening. Sure, they flirted, laughed and talked, but aside from that nothing else was mentioned. It was a sensitive subject, and not just for him.

Vinnie knew about Modo, how his bro really felt about Charley. Heck, they all knew, it wasn't a secret. The only one who didn't know was Charley. Sometimes Vinnie wondered if he held himself back at certain times because of Modo or because of something else. For a quick second the image of Harley crossed his mind.

His ears perked up and the sound of a door opening coming from his right, followed by the soft footsteps of someone walking. It was obvious they didn't belong to any Modo or Stoker, the steps were too light. Isabel. He quickly slid off the couch and stood up tall, ready to greet her and not act suspicious at all.

Izzy descended the stairs as quietly as she could. There were no sounds coming from the living room and she wondered whether or not Charley was awake by now. She found Vinnie standing next to the couch and from the look of things her sister-in-law was still asleep on the couch. What had Vinnie been doing all that time she'd been upstairs checking on Throttle?

"Is she awake?" Izzy asked Vinnie softly.

The white mouse shook is head and his eyes moved towards the female mechanic for a second. He very much wanted to let her sleep, so he motioned for Izzy to move into the kitchen. First thing the white mouse asked once they entered the kitchen was how Throttle was feeling.

"He claims the headache is gone, which I didn't fully buy." Izzy told him. "But the good thing is that he is hungry."

Vinnie gave a short nod. "Hungry, huh? I can fix that." His hand shot out towards the fridge. He jerked it open, causing something to fall out of the door and straight onto the floor. He winched. "Oops."

"You know, you could just simply wake Charley by shaking her shoulder instead of tearing up her kitchen." Izzy commented as she picked up the bottle of ketchup which had fallen to the floor.

Vinnie scratched the back of his head. Perhaps him volunteering to grab food for Throttle wasn't the best plan. He didn't even know what kind of food Charley had in her house. One thing was certain, there were no dogs or root beer.

"Maybe I should wake her?"

"Or you let me work and tell your friends about how Throttle is doing?" Izzy suggested instead.

That did not sound like a bad idea, in fact it sounded like a great plan. Vinnie didn't even bother to tell her, instead he smiled and headed out of the kitchen. With the white Martian mouse gone, Izzy began her search for something edible in Charley's kitchen.

::::::…::::::

The door of Charley's balcony opened up and Stoker, Modo and Vinnie stepped inside. Throttle was already sitting upright in Charley's bed as if he'd been expecting them. It became even more apparent when he crossed his arms the moment he caught Vinnie's eyes.

"Hey bro, a little birdy told me you're feeling better?" He said to Throttle as he tried to stay a bit behind Modo.

"Vinnie told us you woke up with a headache and that he went downstairs to get help. Did Charley ma'am leave already?" Modo asked.

"Isabel, actually. Apparently Vinnie woke her up instead of Charley." Throttle told them.

"Ey, Isabel seemed like the most logical choice." Vinnie shrugged. "She helped you before, ergo, best choice."

"Geez, Vincent. You're so insensitive." Stoker commented. Sure, if he had been in Throttle's position he would have welcomed Izzy with open arms. More than just arms, actually. But he'd seen the effect Throttle's condition had on Izzy. He'd even talked with her about it. He would have never forced her to come check on his bro.

"What? How does this make me insensitive? I did what was best for Throttle. Plus Charley was asleep, I didn't feel like waking her. Of course I would have if that had been the right decision." He quickly added.

"Never mind, you wouldn't understand." Stoker sighed. "I'd better check on her."

"Oh, I see what you're doing,-" Vinnie grinned and he wiggled his eyebrows. Stoker halted at the door and turned his head to the rookie.

"And what would that be?" He asked.

"Come on, am I the only one seeing what he's doing?" Vinnie looked at Modo and Throttle. The latter shook his head, of course he knew what Stoker was doing, but it was nothing important and he very much doubted Vinnie or Modo really cared what their former rebel leader was up to.

"He's doing the same thing you did when you decided to wake Isabel up instead of Charley."

Vinnie blushed and nervously scratched the back of his head. "Well, I,-" His eyes swiftly moved to Modo for a second, suddenly feeling guilty.

Before the conversation could continue Stoker quickly made his way out of the room and down the stairs. However, Isabel wasn't there and neither was Charley. He thought Vinnie said that Charley was asleep on the couch? He double checked by walking to the other side of the couch, where he found the blanket pushed aside. A loud burst of laughter suddenly came from his left. Not pausing a moment to think, he jumped over the couch and ran towards the kitchen.

Stoker grabbed hold of the door frame to stop himself from crashing inside. The laughter had come from the two individuals currently in the kitchen. Charley and Izzy. He took a step back and watched them.

Izzy was standing at the stove, at least he thought that's what it's called, lifting something with a big spoon thing before placing it back. Charley sat on a chair right behind her, wiping her thumb underneath one of her eyes. Was she crying?

"I know." Charley hiccuped. "Yet, you always obliged."

"I blame you for that. With your big eyes, hungry eyes." Izzy chuckled. "If Throttle doesn't want any of it, it's yours."

Charley smiled at her sister-in-law. "I've got no problem with that, perhaps I should tell him his dinner his ruined." And she pushed her chair back as she laughed once more.

Dinner? Stoker cocked his head and looked at Izzy again. She was making food for Throttle?

"It's the middle of the night, Charley. How can you be hungry?" Izzy shook her head and turned the knob on the stove. She turned around and locked eyes with Stoker.

"Thought I smelled something." Stoker replied as he set foot inside the kitchen. "What's this I hear about Throttle getting dinner?" He tried not to sound jealous, there probably was a good reason why Izzy was making food for his bro.

"Apparently Throttle woke up and turns out he's hungry." Charley told him as Izzy grabbed a plate from the cupboard. "But seeing as it's the middle of the night,- well,-" She didn't finish her sentence, instead she nodded her head at Izzy.

Stoker looked over Charley's shoulder at the woman at the counter. From the look of things, and smells, it seemed that Izzy made burgers.

"Done." The honey haired woman exclaimed. She carried the plate over to Charley and handed it to her. "There you go."

"Thanks, Izzy. Excuse me, Stoke." Charley held the plate with both hands as she manoeuvred past him.

He watched her walk into the living room and up the stairs towards her bedroom. Stoker grinned. If it was up to Vinnie and Modo, Throttle would be lucky if he could manage to get one of those burgers. He then turned his attention back on Izzy, who stood at the kitchen table. He narrowed his eyes. Was there another burger on the table? He raised his eyes and caught her looking at him.

"Try it?" She said, though it sounded more like a question.

Stoker didn't know how to get to that table as quick as possible. He glanced down at the round shaped flat burger. It wasn't like a burger he'd seen before. Normally people on Earth served them with these round bread things, lettuce and those red slices of mushy things.

"It's rather plain looking." Izzy said to him. "But hopefully you'll like the flavour."

Stoker sat down on the chair and grabbed the burger with his hand, not noticing Izzy twitching her nose as he did that. He took a bite, hoping it tasted as good as it smelled. Could it be better than a hot dog? The old mouse realized he never really ate anything else when he was on Earth, aside from food you could get from those carts.

Politely he took his time on the first bite, but the moment he swallowed the piece he couldn't contain himself and within two bites the entire burger was gone. Stoker was certain about one thing, this was something he wished he'd eaten before. He looked up at Izzy who had an expectant look on her face.

"And?" She asked eyes wide. "Be honest."

If he was being honest, Stoker had no idea what to say. He tried to remember when the last time was that he'd had a home-cooked meal. Probably Modo's momma back on Mars. There really weren't any women in Stoker's life who made him dinner, that just wasn't the life Stoker had on Mars. It simply hadn't been possible for many many years. He wanted to give her the biggest compliment, even for something as making food. But instead of saying how much he liked the taste of the food or how good it was because she'd made it, he told her what he wanted.

"You wouldn't happen to have more of these anywhere, would you?"

Izzy's expression changed, surprise even an element of unexpectedness. Normally one would reply with, good or it was fine, even an I had better. Stoker didn't compliment her cooking skills by putting it into actual words, but with a flair of affection by asking for more of the same. She actually felt guilty that there wasn't any more to give him.

"Sorry." She told him. "But I'm glad you liked it."

Izzy reached forward to grab the empty plate. At the same time Stoker reached out, intending to stop her from cleaning up after him. But he made a calculated mistake in the process. Izzy bent over, leaving her neck exposed right in front of him as he himself leaned in. He shut his eyes as her vanilla like fragrance made its way into his nose and reached up all the way into his brain, activating his senses which were most in touch with the lust part of his body.

By the time Stoker realized what was happening, it was already too late. One of his antennas touched the side of Izzy's temple and flashes of memories and emotions flickered through his mind.

Laughing, anger, concrete, fire, explosion, blood, screams, Charley, a coffin, a man at a desk, numbers, alcohol, tears, money, fear, red light,-

"Stop!"

Stoker pulled free and he opened his eyes to find Izzy on the ground, rolled up in a foetal position. Stoker jumped up and the chair he'd sat on tipped over. He stepped back, his chest heaving up and down and his breath hitched. What had he done?

Her eyes twitched and slowly Izzy regained control over her body again. She reached up to the side of her head. It took a few second until her vision was sharp again and she pushed herself back up. She looked around the kitchen and for a second wondered why she was on the floor, but then the images she'd seen came back and she immediately searched for Stoker. However, he was no longer there. He was gone.

Dun dun dunn...Stoker accidentally had done what Throttle had warned him about.

What will happen next?

Until next time! And thanks for reading :)