You guys, thank you all so much for your reviews!
We're already 18 chapters into the story now, it is time for our Martian mice to reveal a thing or two.
But also let's not forget it's pretty obvious other things are also about to happen. Some action packed things, if you will :)
For now, enjoy this chapter!
The scoreboard
"So, are you going to tell us where the two of you have been last night?"
Throttle stood in front of Vinnie with his arms crossed. Charley had left the scoreboard over twenty minutes ago, with one of their mattresses for Izzy to sleep on. Now the tanned mouse might have withheld some information regarding the soft object him and Modo had carried down the steps to place in Charley's truck. The female mechanic may have joked about their smell better not being on it and he in return might have responded with an innocent look, but the truth of the matter was that it just might have been his bed instead of a spare one. It was one of the few that was still in tact and besides, Charley said she was going to clean it, didn't she?
"The two of us? Last night?" Vinnie frowned at his bros. He was desperately trying to come up with an believable response. He had still been asleep when Charley had asked Stoker about their outing last night, to which the older mouse had replied a rather simple answer. Unfortunately, Vinnie had not been there to hear it, otherwise he would have had a perfectly good excuse to tell Throttle and Modo.
"We know you were out, bro." Modo replied. "You weren't exactly quiet when you returned in the early hours of the morning. Your bike is the loudest one of all."
"Hey,-" Vinnie countered. His bike was his pride and joy, one of the reason why it was the bright vibrant colour that it was. Something people would remember after seeing it once. Just like him, his ride needed to make a good impression. "Don't insult her. She had nothing to do with this."
"Yeah, so my question again, where were you and Stoker?"
The white mouse shrugged. "I don't see why I'm getting this third degree. It was Stoker who wanted to go out, so I joined him. If you want an answer you should just ask him."
"We would have, only he left almost the exact moment when Charley arrived. He took your bike, by the way." Modo explained. He still thought it weird that his former coach had run off like that and with Vinnie's bike nonetheless.
Vinnie let out a loud groan. "Awe, are you kidding me?! He took my baby? That mouse, I can't believe he's going over there again."
"Going where again?" Modo repeated the latter word. Vinnie's eyes widened.
"Uh oh."
"Uh oh, indeed." Throttle clenched his jaw. He didn't even need Vincent to tell him where Stoker had gone off to. He was pretty certain he knew where his former leader currently was. Charley was probably going to give him an earful the moment she'd arrive at the garage. "I don't understand that mouse. I mean, I understand what he's feeling regarding Isabel, but this is going to get out of hand at some point."
"Oh, that's where he's at." Modo said. "Maybe it's not such a bad thing though? I've never seen him like this, with any mouse, not even with,-" He paused an his eye flicked towards Vinnie. "One thing is for sure, Charley's not going to like this. But if miss Izzy is okay with it?"
Vinnie bit the inside of his cheek. One, because of the comment Modo made which was obviously about Harley. Second because he knew Stoker had more than one reason for going to Izzy. But he wasn't allowed to tell his bros that. This sucked. Things would have been much easier if there were no secrets, about anything whatsoever. If this whole Morden matter was going to go on for too long, he was going to spill the beans. Even if that meant an angry Stoker. However, he was more worried about Charley, she will be devastated to hear about Sam's shady past.
"I don't even know why we're talking about this. The fact that he feels something for her, doesn't mean it will lead to something. We don't even know if Martians and Earthlings are compatible. It's a waste of time, if you ask m,-" Throttle's voice slowly drowned down due to the looks Modo and Vinnie were throwing him.
Never before had their bro talked about this subject before. Not even when to put an end to Vinnie's endless flirtations with Charley. So why he felt the need to all of a sudden make such a remark was something neither mice understood. Not to mention they also did not like what Throttle was saying. It sounded almost as if he was against the idea of humans and Martian mice mixing together.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to,-" Throttle began.
"It sure sounded like you did, Throttle." Modo replied, a sad frown forming on his brow. The tall grey mouse walked away without saying another word.
The tanned mouse turned his attention to the other mouse next to him. "Vinnie,-"
But Vinnie shook his head. "I don't know where that came from Throttle, but even I know that wasn't a nice thing to say. Especially because one of our dearest friends is an Earthling. Not to mention you know how some of us feel about her."
It was strange to hear Vinnie basically telling him off. Usually the words which came out of his mouth had to do with different topics. But Throttle reckoned it wasn't only Modo's feelings which he'd hurt with his words.
"I think I'll go and check if Charley's reached the garage yet. Maybe I'll get a hold of Stoker and see if he's willing to give me my bike back." Vinnie answer shortly before also disappearing out of sight.
Throttle groaned deeply and dropped himself on the armrest of the couch. He'd made quite a fool of himself. More than a fool, a real bastard if he was being honest with himself. He honestly didn't know why he said it. He didn't care at all whether or not Martians and Earthlings were biologically compatible. Okay, maybe that wasn't true. Izzy had asked him the thing, if he knew if humans and mice are compatible. Thinking back to their talk made his fur tingle for a second. He still didn't know why she had asked him that question.
Had she been genuinely curious? Had she asked that question for herself or for Charley perhaps even? Throttle couldn't imagine the latter, Charley cared for them and if it was something she wondered herself, she would ask them and not let somebody else do that for her. So what if Izzy had asked it for herself? The tanned mouse shook his head. No. No, Izzy couldn't possibly see them that way. Sure, she wasn't scared anymore. She even talked to them without her heart beating nervously. In fact, she seemed comfortable with all of them now. Some more than others.
He thought back to yesterday when all of them were at the scoreboard and Throttle noticed Stoker had gone to talk to Izzy, far away at the back of the room. He hadn't heard what their talk had been about, but he had seen his former coach grab hold of Izzy's wrist. She didn't seem pleased with it, angry almost, as he recalled. What was going on between them and why was it so easy for Stoker to talk to her compared to him?
Throttle stopped his trail of thought and looked down at his hands, which were clenched into fists. The mouse sighed, relaxed his shoulders and spread his fingers. He knew very well what his problem was. Had he not lost his breath the first time he properly met her? Had his stomach not lurched when she collided against his chest and he caught her scent up close? When she was at the scoreboard for the first time, had he not followed her every move? How his pulse increased when she was with him in Charley's bedroom, touching his fur to make sure he was alright?
Throttle took his glasses off, rubbed between his eyes and groaned deeply. He was such an idiot. He knew very well why he had made that comment earlier, which upset Modo and Vinnie. It had nothing to do with the differences between species and whether or not humans and Martian mice were biologically compatible. It all came down to one perfect and simple explanation. With every fibre in his being he was trying to deny it, but he had to stop fooling himself. He had feelings for Isabel.
The Last Chance Garage
"What do you think?" Stoker had said to her, after she'd asked him if he'd come over because he was worried about her being alone.
Izzy wasn't expecting him to answer with a question of his own. But it was rather clear what she thought, wasn't it? Why else would she have asked him? Somehow a lump still managed to form inside her throat as he asked her that. His voice low and husky. She was afraid of his answer, even though she knew almost a hundred percent his answer was 'yes'.
It was obvious he'd come over to check on her the very minute he learned Charley had left her alone at the Last Chance Garage. He'd already made it clear to her before that he was planning on protecting her no matter where or when. After all, he was convinced that Charles Morden was already aware of Charley's existence or anybody else who was a part of Sam's life. And because Stoker knew she was all alone, he probably thought she would be an easier target for Morden and his henchmen.
But that was not the reason why Izzy's heart had begun to increase its speed or why her breath hitched in her throat. There was something else which worried her now, and that was the comment Stoker made before she asked him why he'd come over. His comment about not being able to sleep either since his arrival on Earth and that it hadn't been because of his friends being a couple of loudmouths. The way he stared at her as he'd said that didn't help much either. It was an intense stare into her soul.
"I told you already that you don't have to do that." Izzy replied. Her words indirectly answering his question.
"Well, I'm sorry, sweetheart. But you don't get to decide what I will and will not do." Stoker countered. "It's not a crime to check on you."
He was right. It wasn't a crime. Not in the way he was doing it anyway. But truth of the matter was that his behaviour was making her more paranoid than she already was. Heck, she'd been awake throughout most of the night because of what happened at the motel yesterday morning. When Stoker had so gallantly protected her. The thought had crossed her mind on what could have happened if Stoker hadn't been there. It was something she'd rather not think about. At least she would have had her gun to protect her, but that was no guarantee for coming out unscathed.
"I know and you're right. It's not that I don't appreciate it, Stoker." She sighed.
"But let's face it, you coming here, alone and announced, people will begin to think that something is wrong. How will I be able to keep Sam's past a secret from Charley, if you plan to keep checking up on me whenever you feel like it? And what about the guys? Surely it will raise a few eyebrows?"
Stoker shrugged. "Honestly? They spend a lot of time with Charley anyway. Hardly a day goes by without them spending at least a couple of hours together. You think me joining in on that behaviour is going to raise fur?"
"Raise fur?" Izzy repeated the words, which was obviously the equivalent of raise a few eyebrows Martian style. "Okay, so maybe nobody will think twice about it."
But even Stoker had to admit to himself that the way he left the scoreboard just now might have seemed a little suspicious. Charley comes over and he leaves almost immediately. Even if his bros didn't care much about his behaviour, surely Charley would have something to say about it. She wasn't necessarily the type of person who questioned every action, but she knew their crazy behaviour better than most women did and he was already on thin ice with her at the moment. Maybe he should come up with a back up plan just in case.
The brown mouse cleared his throat. "You know, it might be an idea to come up with a story. If people were to get suspicious."
Izzy blinked at him. "I'm sorry?"
"I might have left in a bit of a hurry without giving an explanation." The Freedom Fighter continued. "You never know what they thought of that. A little back up plan might be a good idea."
"Might have left?" She could not believe what she was hearing. He had only just assured her there was no need to feel concerned or worried, and now with one sentence he had managed to completely turn that around.
A loud statical click suddenly echoed through the garage, followed by a voice. "Hello, Charley?"
Both Stoker and Izzy turned their heads at the sound of Vinnie's crackling voice coming through the radio a couple of feet away from them. They looked at each other. Why was Vinnie calling? Izzy grabbed the microphone and clicked on it.
"Hello, Vinnie? This is Izzy. Charley isn't back yet."
"She isn't? She left the scoreboard almost half an hour ago. Oh well, in the meantime, can you yell at Stoker for me? He took my precious baby with him without asking!" The white mouse sounded rather angry.
Izzy glanced over her shoulder at Stoker who didn't seem to care one bit about having taken Vinnie's bike without permission. The former Freedom Fighter took the microphone from Izzy and leaned against the table.
"Hi, rookie. Don't you worry about your ride. She's fine. I'll bring her back in one piece, I promise."
Vinnie scoffed on the either side of the line. "Yeah, yeah I know all about you and promises. I should have never come with you last night, you know that? Throttle and Modo were all up in my face about it. And before you ask, no I did not tell them we were at Charley's hou,-"
With his tail Stoker quickly switched the radio off. Crap.
He cursed under his breath. He knew he'd been too late with shutting Vinnie up, but the hazel mouse didn't dare to turn his eyes towards Izzy. She was already worried that his coming over would stir up questions, but this was something far worse. Him checking on her in the middle of the night, and with Vinnie. Oh, she was going to get pissed.
He heard movement coming from behind him and Stoker knew he was indeed a dead man. There was not much to do but turn around and take full accountability and explain what he and Vinnie had done last night. He knew Izzy would be more upset if he would lie to her.
With one deep breath the mouse turned around and looked at the woman in front of him. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes searching his for clarification.
She licked her lips. "You were here last night? With Vinnie?"
A nervous chuckle escaped his throat. "Well, I,-"
"Did you tell him?" She then asked. Stoker couldn't speak and that was all the confirmation Izzy needed.
The woman felt incredibly stupid. Stupid for trusting this creature from outer space. She felt dumb for spending the night at Charley's. She should have stayed away from her sister-in-law and not just because that henchman showed up yesterday. She thought the dealings with Morden were over. He got Sam's debt, what more did the man want? Now Vinnie knew about it and Izzy had no idea how good that mouse was with keeping secrets. She honestly doubted that he was, especially when it came to keeping something from Charley. They were a close knit group, all of them. Charley and the Martians.
"Beautiful,-" Stoker reached for her but she raised a finger at him.
"Stop. Just stop it." She turned her back on him.
"Please, let me explain,-" But Stoker stopped as Izzy was completely ignoring him. The blonde woman walked up the stairs towards Charley's living area.
He sprinted after her, both confused and concerned with her behaviour. What was she planning to do?
"Izzy!" He called sternly as he followed her all the way up the steps. The mouse stopped once he reached the top. Izzy was already in the middle of the room gathering things within her arms. They looked like clothes and a bag.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
Izzy stopped and straightened herself. "What does it look like I'm doing?" She snapped at him. "Mr knight in shining armour,-"
A what? Stoker had no idea what that meant, but it sounded incredibly sarcastic in his ears. For the first time ever since he met her, Stoker was beginning to get quite fed up with her behaviour. He had been nothing, if not, a gentleman to the best of his abilities. He had given her his trust and now she was shutting him out. Just when he was about to get closer than ever before. Okay, perhaps he was a part of the reason why she was angry at the moment, but he wasn't going to give up.
"Will you quit with whatever it is that you're doing and let me explain about last night?" Stoker asked as he made his way over to her.
The woman sighed and dropped her clothes on the couch. "You don't have to, because I am going to leave."
"Leave?"
What did she mean with leave? Leave and go where? Of course he understood the predicament she was in. He was a fool for breaking the very first promise he ever made with her. He knew very well what she was protecting. Izzy didn't want to ruin the memory Charley had of her brother Sam and at the same time she also didn't want to endanger Charley's life. It made sense from one perspective, but Stoker knew it was a futile point of view. Morden must know about Charley's existence based on Sam's dealings with him. No matter what choice Izzy was going to make for herself, in the end it would probably have no effect on Charley.
Another question was, why hadn't Morden gone after Charley so far? Why only after Izzy? Perhaps the only real way to stop this was to go out and find this Mr. Morden and make sure he was never ever going to bother Izzy, or anybody else for that matter, again. Get rid of the situation in Freedom Fighter Style. He knew for sure his bros would surely feel the same of he told them about it. Which was bound to happen now anyway.
"Yes, leave. I'm taking my car and I am leaving Chicago." Izzy explained. "I cannot believe you did that. I trusted you with my secret, Stoker. And now Vinnie knows? You told him within twenty-four hours!"
Stoker winched. Okay, her point was more than valid. Had that been wrong of him? Yes. But he knew a secret like this was bound to come out eventually. Why couldn't she see this for herself?
"Don't you think Charley will hear of it sooner or later? If you leave, what do you think will happen if Morden decides to come over?"
Izzy paused. There were multiple answers to that question and she didn't like any of them. Eventually she shook her head. "You don't get it. It's not just about Morden,-"
Of course it wasn't. Stoker knew what it was really about and he felt a great deal of jealousy bubbling up inside of him. "Oh, I do get it. It's about Sam and Charley's untainted memory of her precious innocent brother." He stepped closer as Izzy pressed her lips in a tight line.
Stoker understood it more than she was giving him credit for. He'd seen it himself so many times with his soldiers during the war. If parents knew what their children had been doing in order to free Mars from Plutarkian claws, they'd probably never forgive themselves. It was why so many relationships turned sour over the course of time.
"It isn't your choice to make whether or not she finds out about it!" Izzy countered, her cheeks red from raising her voice at him.
Stoker took a deep breath and blinked his eyes at her. "Maybe, but it's also not your burden to bear it. Sam made all of those choices, it is not your responsibility, sweetheart."
"I was his wife!"
"Yes and he really cared, almost succeeding in killing you along with him in a crash."
Izzy's fist came down against his chest in one direct hit. It didn't catch him off guard. Stoker saw it coming from the moment he finished his sentence. Another hit followed, and then another and another. He let her vent, let her release all of her anger and pain against his body. He didn't care. It didn't even hurt him. After a few seconds the punching stopped and he lowered his head to look at her. Her hands trembled against his chest.
"Izzy,-" Stoker said softly as he watched the lovely female in front of him flinch when he spoke.
"I shouldn't have come here. Charley would have lived her life in peace with you guys and never having to learn of Sam's stupid,- blasted,- bloody,- dumb,-"
"Hey, hey,-" He moved his arms, wrapped them around her body and pulled her close, as close as he possibly could. He made soothing sounds, soft and gently, whilst stroking her hair. "That's more than enough talk."
She felt stiff, her entire body still tense. Stoker closed his eyes and nuzzled his face against the side of her head. Please, Goddess. He pleaded to his deity. For once, just this once. Let her accept my embrace, the comfort I can offer her. It was all he wanted.
It seemed Stoker prayed hard enough, Izzy began to stir within his grasp and the mouse let out a soft sigh as he felt her arms slowly making their way around his waist. She pressed her hands against his back and rested her head on his chest. She returned his hug. Stoker tightened his arms around her, trying to ignore the sensations going on inside of his body. Thank you. He whispered in his mind.
They stood like this for a while. Stoker exerted a lot of self control to not let his feelings get the upper hand of him. Now was not the time to say something dumb and break the spell he currently found himself in. He'd waited long enough for something like this to happen and though it seemed as if it was nothing more than a hug of comfort, to him it was so much more. He knew it was much more than that. His antennas itched, wanting to reach out and connect themselves with the soul in front of them. Give shelter, safety and comfort.
"I'm sorry."
Stoker sighed inwardly and opened his eyes as Izzy's words pulled him back to reality. He kept his hand behind her head, his thumb continued to gentle caress her as he slowly pulled back. He could hear the pounding of her heart, sensing she was unsure what to make of him holding her like that.
"I shouldn't have hurt you." She added as her tongue quickly wetted her bottom lip.
Stoker huffed. "It hurts me that you keep forgetting how strong we are." He retracted his hand slightly from the back of Izzy's head until he reached the area below her ear and side of her jaw. He gave a slight tug. Goddess, how he wanted to kiss her.
"Stoker,-" She breathed.
"Yes?" He asked politely.
"I can't." She placed her hand over his, but kept the other behind his back.
No matter what she said, Stoker felt something else coming from her entirely. Scents did not lie and hers smelled sweeter than the most exquisite flower he'd ever seen back on Mars, and those were a rare sight to see. He kept his red eyes locked firmly with hers. He was so close, of course he didn't want to force her to do anything she didn't want to. But would she hate him if he tried to close the gap between them? He closed his eyes and lowered his head until he felt the softness of her lips against his own.
I certainly hope you all enjoyed that!
Let me know what you think :3
Have a great weekend and until next time!