Welcome one, welcome all.
I'll keep it short this time :)
It's time for Stoker and Izzy to head back to the Last Chance Garage.
Enjoy!
The motel
It was time to head back to Charley and his bros. Stoker knew that technically he was under no obligation to do so. But he had taken Charley's bike without permission and he also rushed off without telling anyone. Sure it had been a fight, fright, flight moment or whatever it was called, but Stoker felt he at the very least had to apologize to Charley.
He watched quietly as Izzy collected her things. She couldn't stay at the motel any more. Stoker wouldn't let her and she didn't need any convincing that this place was no longer safe. Unconsciously, Stoker's hand moved over the pocket on the inside of his jacket, the location where he had safely stored Izzy's gun.
She asked him earlier to return it to her. But he didn't want to and luckily he managed to distract her by asking her questions about what had happened. More specifically who that man at the door had been. After she had finished her story, Stoker promised her that he wasn't going to tell Charley about what Sam had done in the past. That didn't stop Stoker from getting angry and upset thinking about it. His distraction plan had worked though, Izzy hadn't ask about the gun no more after their conversation.
Now there was the matter of getting both cars and Charley's bike back to the garage. It was clear to him that he wouldn't be able to sit in the same vehicle as Izzy, as he would have to drive either her or Charley's car. He wondered if Izzy was worried about the man who worked for this Mr Morden. Stoker knew too well about guys like this and chances were he was probably lurking around somewhere. Maybe he'd go as far as to follow them all the way to the Last Chance Garage. But one thing was certain, Stoker was going to drive behind Izzy in order to keep an eye on anybody dumb enough to follow them.
"You about ready, gorgeous?" He asked as he was itching to leave this place.
Izzy raised her head and nodded at him. "Just about. There's not much to take with. Where did you say you parked Charley's bike?"
Stoker pointed his thumb to the right. "Around the corner. We'll drive the cars there and then set it on the back of Charley's truck."
"Sounds solid. Let's get going then." She bent over and grabbed her suitcase. But before the two made their way outside, Izzy stopped at the door and looked up at Stoker.
"Thank you. Again." She said.
Stoker felt his fur tingle and his stomach fluttered. "Only for you." He winked. "And I promise, I'll keep this between us."
Izzy smiled at him once more and opened the door of the motel room.
The Last Change Garage
Stoker wasn't the best when it came to driving four wheels. Carbine had often told him that if he was planning on 'borrowing' any vehicle, it had to have two wheels. No more and no less. Reason was probably because he treated four wheelers like a motorcycle. Jumping off cliffs, doing tricks mid-air. Wheelies didn't work, he learned that the hard way.
His eyes darted back and forth between the car mirrors. The left, the right and the rear-view one. The brown furred mouse was trying to do too many things at once, keeping an eye out on the road ahead and at the same time focusing on any potential cars following Izzy. After five minutes he decided it was probably best to give up and instead keep his gaze on Izzy's truck. It didn't take long for Stoker to realize that what he had been doing was rather pointless. It was obvious that this Mr. Morden was after Izzy, even if the reason was unclear. Although if it hadn't been for Sam Davidson, the creep wouldn't have even known about her. Stoker clenched his fists around the wheel, causing his knuckles to turn white.
Even though Izzy asked him not to tell Charley about Sam's past, he knew for sure that Mr. Morden was already aware of Charley's existence. The man must have checked everything and everyone that had to do with Sam. Wasn't that how it worked? It was certainly the way how exploiters worked on Mars and he doubted humans were any different.
The Last Chance Garage came into view and Stoker took a deep breath. He was planning on keeping his promise to Izzy, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to keep everything a secret from his bros. He waited for Izzy to park her car before he drove up right next to her. First things first now, he had to deal with the aftermath of yesterday.
Stoker climbed out of the truck and made his way to the back, ready to take Charley's ride and bring it inside. But he was stopped by Izzy the moment he set foot on the tire, ready to hop in.
"Why don't you go ahead? I'll take care of Charley's motorcycle." She told him.
The tall mouse threw her a funny look. Actually it was more of a 'don't let me go up there alone' look. The former rebel leader scratched the back of his head. He really had no intention on going back to his bros alone. They would surely skin him alive and therefore he was kind of hoping Izzy was going to be his safety net in all of this or his shield at the very least.
"That might be too heavy for you, beautiful. Let me help you with that and then we'll both head upstairs." He said instead.
Izzy straightened herself and crossed her arms. "You think I don't know how to handle a motorcycle?"
Well, no. Stoker did not think that. In fact, he knew very well the woman knew her way around a bike. Besides, Stoker knew better than to insult a woman on her strength. He learned that on multiple occasions throughout his life. Especially with his niece Carbine, who always reminded him that she was the one in charge, most of the time.
Luckily for Stoker, the others had already noticed the two of them pull up with the cars. Vinnie was the one who announced himself first by sticking his head out of the window and shout at them, actually it was mostly directed at Stoker.
"There you are! We have been looking all over for you!" He shouted then he paused and cocked his head. "Say, why are you with,- Hey!"
Somebody pulled Vinnie away from the window and this time it was Charley who appeared. "Stoke, if my bike as but even one scratch on it, I swear I will kick you all the way back to Mars!"
Dang it. Stoker cursed under his breath. This is what he feared would happen. He doubted Throttle and Modo would treat him any differently. He glanced over at Izzy whose eyes had widened to the size of saucers. She obviously wasn't expecting her sister-in-law to shout like that. Charley moved away from the window and Izzy lowered her eyes towards Stoker.
"Boy, she is really mad at you."
Stoker grimaced. "Thanks, sweetheart. I'd rather face the anger of my bros than Charley."
Izzy actually chuckled at him. "Are you afraid?"
"Apparently you and I do not know the same Charley. I'd better get up there, you stay here." The hazel mouse replied with a deep sigh. He straightened himself and walked away from the truck. This was a matter he indeed rather faced alone and not drag Izzy into.
As Stoker made his way into the Last Chance Garage, somebody else was making their way down from Charley's home. However, the two mice never crossed paths. Whereas Stoker was making his way up a set of stairs, the other mouse was making his way down via the side of the building, through the use of a fire escape.
Throttle steadied himself against the wall as he reached the ground. Even the littlest of efforts seem to cost him most of his energy. Oh, he did not enjoy being in this position at all. He looked over at the truck where he spotted Izzy making her way to Charley's bike. When Throttle and his bros heard the clear sound of two large cars approaching the garage, they all knew who it were. But instead of being relieved, which Charley was despite her yelling at Stoker, Throttle felt highly irritated.
He waited for a couple of seconds, catching his breath and mentally preparing himself to make his way over to Izzy. Everybody else was so occupied with the return of Stoker that nobody had noticed him climbing out of Charley's living room. He hadn't planned on doing this, but after they all realized that Stoker and Izzy were arriving together, Throttle felt the need to hear an explanation. He chose to went out on his own and ask Izzy while the others were busy with his former rebel leader.
With a strong stride Throttle went to the truck, ready to ask multiple questions which were on his mind. But when he arrived at Charley's car a soft sound caused him to suddenly halt. It came from the back and it was clear the noise was coming from Izzy. Carefully Throttle placed both of his hands on the side and he pulled himself up to take a look.
She stood with her back in front of him and it seemed as if she was occupied with Charley's motorcycle. But the soft sobs were coming from her and it was clear that she was crying. Throttle stood there dumbstruck, unsure of what to do next. Why was she upset and what was he suppose to do? Announce himself or quietly leave without alerting her?
However, Izzy made the decision for him. She raised her head and exhaled deeply before turning around, in the meantime wiping her cheeks dry with the back of her hand. Throttle froze and that was when Izzy notice him.
She screamed, short but shocked nonetheless. "Bloody hell,-" Her face turned red. "You scared the shit out of me." She exclaimed and Throttle jumped into the back of the truck.
Honestly she had scared him as well by shouting, but he wasn't planning on telling her that. "Sorry, Izzy. That was not my intention."
Frankly he was getting fed up with the fact that he managed to scare her every time he was near her. Apparently Stoker no longer frightened her. No, that part was very obvious to Throttle and he didn't like it very much.
"Are you feeling alright?" He asked her. Which he realized was a dumb question the moment it crossed his lips.
"I'm fine. Just tired." Izzy replied. Throttle didn't buy it. He knew what those words meant, even Martian females used that excuse.
"Look,-" Throttle sighed. "I know we haven't talked a lot and all of our encounters have been rather,- extreme and unusual." He added, referring to the first time he officially met her.
The first time Throttle met Charley's sister-in-law, he thought she was trying to kill herself by stepping into a fast current at the beach beneath a pier. He'd jumped in and thus saved her from immediate death. For Izzy it was the first time any of the mice had made a physical contact with her and she had trembled beneath his touch. The second time he was in close proximity to her was at the scoreboard where he avoided all contact with her. And the third time he was unconscious. Not to mention he'd also apparently hit her as she'd tried to slap him awake.
"But if something has upset you, maybe I can help?" He tried.
That managed to pull a small smile out of Izzy. "That's very kind of you, Throttle. But, aren't you suppose to be in bed?"
Throttle blinked at her, caught with surprise by her question. "Uh,-"
The upper right corner of Izzy's mouth twitched slightly. "Charley was right, you guys really are stubborn."
There really was no arguing with that statement and Throttle knew it. He cleared his throat. "I feel much better." Which was only half true, he did feel better than yesterday but he was far from back to his normal self. Even now he had to ignore the throbbing sensation he felt in his legs, indicating the need to sit down.
"Do you need a hand?" He nodded at the bike behind Izzy.
"If you promise you will go back to bed or at least rest afterwards." She told him sternly.
Throttle smiled and together they removed Charley's motorcycle from the back of the truck. It was a small gesture but to Throttle something rather significant, because for the first time since Izzy had come into their lives, their interaction felt normal. Almost the same way how he felt around Charley. Well, not exactly the same, something felt different.
They parked the bike in its original spot in the garage. Just in time as Throttle really started to feel faint, not that he was planning on showing it to anyone. "Back where it belongs." Throttle said and he placed his hand on Izzy's shoulder.
"For now." The woman replied. The sarcasm did not go unnoticed by Throttle, nor the fact that he was touching her and she hadn't flinched, screamed or had an increase in her heartbeat. As it turned out, Throttle had been wrong about Izzy still being afraid of him.
"The sooner we get Stoker's ride fixed, the better. A mouse is nothing without his bike." The tanned mouse told her.
"So I've noticed." Izzy turned her head and smiled at him. It was a kind smile. A smile that didn't necessarily mean anything, but Throttle felt something stir. Something he had felt more than once over the last few days. His mind said to remove his hand from Izzy's shoulder, but it was as if it was glued stuck to her.
"Uh,- Izzy?" He uttered and the honey haired woman cocked her head.
"Yes?"
::::::...::::::
Carbine never made him feel that way. Maybe that was because she was family or because they were the same species. But at the moment Charley was scaring him more than his niece ever did. The auburn haired mechanic stood in front of him with her arms crossed the moment Stoker reached the living room. Both Modo and Vinnie were standing in the back, their expressions giving them away that they found the situation rather humorous.
"Hello, beautiful." Stoker flashed a smile, but of course Charley wasn't buying his flirtatious routine.
"Cut it out, Stoker." She said to him and inwardly Stoker flinched. "Look, as you might have noticed, yes I am upset about the fact that you took my bike without asking."
Vinnie covered his mouth to stifle a chuckle, but Modo couldn't hide the snort coming from his nose and for a moment Charley threw him a glare. The tall mouse cleared his throat and quickly sat down in the windowsill.
"I know you rushed out because of what happened between you and Isabel, but we have been very worried about you." She added, her demeanour finally softening.
"I wasn't!" Vinnie interjected raising his hand in the process.
"Me neither." Modo added.
Charley sighed annoyingly. "Throttle was worried."
Stoker glanced over the woman's shoulder at his friends. Modo shrugged and Vinnie shook his head. They were very lucky Charley decided to keep her attention on the former general this time.
"There was no need. I just needed to,- needed to get some air and gather my thoughts." He explained to her. "I am very sorry I took your motorcycle without asking, gorgeous. I promise it's still in perfect condition. Not a scratch on it."
"You swear?" Charley arched an eyebrow at him.
"If there is, I'll pay for it."
"With what?"
She had him there. At least she did not appear to be as upset anymore.
"Speaking of Throttle,-" Vinnie suddenly noted as he turned his head around and let his eyes scan the room. "Wasn't he right here just a minute ago?"
::::::...::::::
Throttle could not believe what he was hearing. What in the world had his former leader been thinking? He had removed his hand from Izzy's shoulder a few seconds ago, after she'd told him all about what had happened between her and Stoker.
The tanned mouse knew the two of them must have met at some point, seeing as they arrived at the Last Chance Garage together. But to actually hear her tell him that they spent the late night and morning together, really irked him to his core. Never would he have thought Stoker to be that careless, especially after everything that happened.
Izzy on the other hand couldn't tell what was going through Throttle's mind, but it was clear that he was upset with something she had said. She moved her hair behind her ear and walked up to him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Throttle immediately replied, basically repeating the same lie Izzy had told him after he had caught her crying in the back of Charley's truck.
"If you're worried about his behaviour, Stoker was really supportive and apologetic about the whole thing. He was simply looking for a place to crash. A place where he figured he would be alone."
That really did not calm him down one bit. Stoker went into hiding in Izzy's motel room. A place neither Throttle nor Vinnie and Modo had been before. Stoker deliberately had gone there because he knew no-one would be able to find him. Throttle honestly wondered if Stoker had been secretly hoping that he would catch Izzy there at some point.
"But you were there." Throttle stated.
"I was." Izzy confirmed once again.
"So why did he go there to be alone, if he wasn't going to be?" The tanned mouse asked.
Izzy cocked her head with confusion. "You make it sound as if he knew I would pop by?"
She had caught him red-handed. Throttle knew Izzy had left the garage because she wanted some time alone to gather her thoughts and wasn't Stoker already gone by that time? Throttle paused and looked at the woman in front of him for a moment. There was no way it had been a conjured up plan, knowing Stoker it was clear the mouse had left on a whim.
"You know, the other day, Charley told me about you guys. How you're all different and unique. For example that, Modo might appear as the most scary looking one, but has the biggest and kindest heart of all."
Throttle cocked his head and arched an eyebrow. But he didn't interrupt her. Thus Izzy continued.
"She also mentioned that you are the one who watches over everyone. To make sure they are all safe and sound, despite the condition you're in." She paused for a second and gave the mouse one look over. "I guess she was right. You ready to head upstairs?"
Throttle was at a lose for words. Shocked at what Charley had told her sister-in-law about him and also surprised that Izzy decided to tell him that. He felt his cheeks heat up. Awkwardly he cleared his throat.
"That's kind of her, what did she say about Stoker and Vinnie?" He asked as Izzy was already making her way towards the stairs.
She halted and turned her head towards him. "Lose cannon and an absolute fruitloop."
::::::...::::::
Vinnie's question got answered a few seconds after he had asked it. Both Throttle and Izzy appeared from downstairs receiving a couple of odd looks as they stepped into the living room.
"Well, I guess that answers my question." Vinnie muttered as he leaned against the wall.
Ignoring everyone, Izzy walked over to Charley and gave the woman a hug. "I put your bike back in its place. Not a scratch on it." She told her.
Charley glanced at Stoker over Izzy's shoulder. The older mouse flashed her yet another smile and Charley eventually let out a deep sigh, deciding it was probably for the best to let it all go. After all, her bike was fine, Stoker was back and Izzy's appearance blew away any other worrry she might have had.
"Thanks, Izzy." Charley replied.
"No problem. Uhm, however, I kind of need to talk to you for a moment. Do you have a moment?"
Charley nodded and pulled her sister-in-law with her towards the kitchen, leaving the four mice alone in her living room.
As soon as the two women were out of sight, Throttle directed his attention to his former general.
"Heard you spent the night with Izzy?"
"He what?" Vinnie and Modo both loudly exclaimed. The white mouse pushed himself away from the wall and Modo followed his example.
"You sly dog! You work faster than any cave mouse." The youngest mouse laughed and he hit Stoker on his back. "How did you manage to do that?"
Stoker tried not to blush at the accusation. Obviously nothing had happened between him and Izzy, but the way Throttle said it sure made it seem as if something had.
"Not like that, Vincent." His bro quickly corrected him. "What I'd like to know, is why you went there? Although I probably know the answer,-"
"Look, I don't know why you are so upset. It's not like I did something wrong. Can we drop this?"
"No, we can not drop this." Throttle retorted. "I thought we agreed on,-" He suddenly stopped as he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder. It belonged to Modo.
"Maybe you should let this go? Also, you two continue this and Charley and Izzy will most definitely hear you." The tall grey mouse said to him calmly.
If Throttle was feeling like his former self, he would have no trouble talking this over with Stoker in a more civilised manner. But currently he wasn't feeling like himself, perhaps his head was still scrambled up due to the explosion he had been in.
Modo gave another gentle squeeze with his hand and Throttle decided to follow his brother's advice, slowly he relaxed and let out a sigh. "Fine. I'll drop it."
"Thank you." This came from Stoker. "So, how's the head?"
Throttle gritted his teeth and threw him a glare. Stoker immediately raised his hands defensively. "Alright, alright, forgive me for asking."
"Stoker is right though, Throttle." Modo threw his leader a concerned look. "Now that Miss Izzy is here, you can ask her to check on you if you're feeling unwell."
For a moment there Throttle had forgotten that he'd promised Izzy to head straight for bed after helping her putting Charley's bike back in its place. But he did not feel like going back to bed, he'd been lying on his back for the majority of the day already.
"I feel fi,-" He began, but Modo cut him off with a glare. He could not fool his bro. Reluctantly Throttle headed towards the couch and lied down. "Happy?" Throttle said to Modo, who gave a short nod of approval.
The four mice each took a place to sit in the living room, patiently waiting for Charley and Izzy to return from the kitchen. But not all of them had the patience to wait. Vinnie tapped his foot impatiently, his stomach made rumbling noises in the background. Sure, he had eaten about two hours ago, but a mouse of his size and bravado needed to have something at least every couple of hours. How else was he going to maintain his impressive physique?
Stoker had his eyes glued on the kitchen door, staring intensely, practically trying to mentally force the door to open up for him. He was certain Izzy was discussing things which had to do with leaving the motel. Though he knew she would not mention one thing about Sam and the gambling debt he had left Izzy after he'd died. Despite the fact that the debt had been paid for, if he had to believe Izzy, she did not want Charley to learn of it. The memory of Sam had to be preserved as she remembered him.
Like Stoker, Modo also sneaked a peek every once in a while at the kitchen. Not because he wanted to know what the two women were talking about,- alright, perhaps a little bit. But mostly because he wanted to spent more time with Charley. The last couple of days had been different than most and he had to thank both Izzy and Stoker for that. Charley was now learning more facts about the Martian's biology, and at the same time Modo was having trouble containing that side of him. For that he also blamed Stoker.
It was quite a sight to behold. Four Martian men sitting in a human female's living room, patiently waiting and not making a single move to leave. Throttle let his eyes wander, resting on his bros from time to time. He was not going to find rest here. Everyone, himself included, seemed to be occupied with the two women who were currently talking behind closed doors.
Normally they would ride around town, eat hotdogs and drink some root beer. Maybe even harass Lawrence Limburger for fun, but the big fish had been quiet for quite some time now. Now that Mars was no longer threatened by the Plutarkians, at least not as intensely as a year ago, Earth was a more primary focus for them. Perhaps they should drop by sooner or later, make sure he was still alive.
Throttle grunted and pushed himself up. "How about we go back to the Scoreboard tonight?"
The other three mice turned their heads towards Throttle. But none of them replied, at least not immediately.
"You sure you want to do that?" Stoker was the first to open his mouth. Out of everyone Throttle had expected him to have no desire to leave the Last Chance Garage.
"I figure Charley and Izzy deserve some privacy. They probably want to spend some time together." Throttle replied.
Surprisingly Stoker actually nodded at this. The others did not know about Izzy's background or what happened this morning, but even the older mouse figured the woman needed some alone time with her sister-in-law and Stoker would do anything to see a smile on Izzy's face. Besides, there were many ways to make sure nobody in their right mind would come by and bother them.
"If you feel up for, we'll go back." Stoker said as he stood up from his seat.
"Uh,- just a minute guys."
Both Throttle and Stoker looked at Modo, who had just spoke. The two eldest mice frowned at the gentle giant.
"You don't want to, big guy?" It was Stoker who asked this.
Modo wasn't sure what to say, in fact he'd spoken up on a whim without thinking this through. It was true that he didn't want to leave. He'd quite enjoyed spending time with Charley, closer than they'd ever spent before. There was a time where he was able to shut his feelings out and block any thoughts on the matter. But it was becoming difficult. More difficult than he thought it would ever be.
It was Vinnie who replied for him. The white mouse was no mind reader, but he understood Modo's reaction perfectly, as he felt the same way. "I think Modo wants to make sure it's safe enough for Throttle to travel. I mean, it has only been about twenty-four hours since he flew like a football."
Stoker and Throttle looked at each other, missing the short interaction of thank you between Modo and Vinnie.
"Looks like the rookies don't want to leave?" The hazel furred mouse replied.
Throttle could not believe this. Had he been missing something? At that moment the kitchen door opened up and both Charley and Izzy walked out. They stopped the minute they caught the eyes of four tall Martians looking their way, as if the two women had caught them during an act of misbehaviour.
"Why you all looking at us like that?" Charley raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms suspiciously. "Is something going on?"
Sorry it's been so long guys,
Hope you haven't given up on the story yet!
Would love to hear more of your thoughts or what you'd like to see happen :)
Until next time!