You guys, thank you all so much for the love by reading this story. Also for feedback and suggestions.

You really are the best support one can have.

Alright, time to put some focus back on the developing relationships.

Especially considering how two tiny cliffhangers happened in the last chapter.

Enjoy!

The scoreboard

It was a comfortable weight, not too heavy and not too light. It was warm and soft and the fragrance reminded him of a flowery meadow. A deep breath in, a long breath out. It began at his feet, tiny jolts prickling him, all the way up past his legs and through his abdomen, where it lingered for a couple of intense seconds.

The tingling sensation swirled in his stomach, causing his tail to curl itself around that mass resting on top of him. It tickled his sides and across his chest until finally stopping at the tip of his antennas.

The only thing left to do was move forward and wrap himself up in that blanket of sweetness. He could feel the pillowy cloud hit his nose and he inhaled deeply.

Not once, not twice, but as often as he could, he kept breathing in the fragrance until he was drunk.

It was familiar, natural and pleasant. Extremely pleasant. Something else stirred inside of him and he moved his hands until he was certain it would not be able to leave him.

A low growl escaped his throat. That ancient urge, which was common amongst his species, reached the surface. Ready to give in and take that which he deserved.

He yearned for it. He needed it. He wanted to engulf himself and drown within the ocean of that sweet golden aroma.

"Throttle?" The cloud of flowers suddenly spoke.

"Yes." He replied.

"Throttle,-"

"Take me..." He whispered.

"Throttle!"

The tanned mouse opened his eyes and frantically looked around him. Quickly his vision adjusted and he was face to face with Izzy, her brow furrowed and her expression troubled.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

Where was he? Throttle turned his head and noticed that they were still on the couch, but in a rather awkward position. Last thing he remembered was closing his eyes after he had connected with Izzy's mind.

But to answer her question. No, he wasn't sure if he was alright. Without hesitating he uncoiled his tail from her legs and moved his arms away from her body. Luckily, she had the same instinct and slowly crawled back to situate herself on the other side of the couch.

His heart pounded heavily in his chest and he was having trouble keeping his mind in check.

"You were making noises and I woke up on top of you." Izzy said and a pink shade coloured her cheeks. "I tried to wake you, but you kept muttering as if you were in pain. I thought you were having a nightmare."

A nightmare? He wasn't sure what he'd been dreaming of, but it didn't feel at all like a nightmare. Throttle was about to reply when something caught his eye. There were markings on her arm.

Five long lines. Scratches? Holy Goddess, had he done that?

"I'm so sorry, Throttle. I must have fallen asleep." She then added.

Out of the two of them, she shouldn't be apologizing. The tanned mouse bit the inside of his cheek. After all, he was the one who'd pulled her against him while she was almost knocked out.

Heck, if she hadn't woken him up, he probably would have done some unspeakable things. Even now her intoxicating scent clung around him and he could feel the urge to claim it building up within a certain area.

"That's alright, babe. Don't be sorry." Quickly Throttle stood up and he scratched the back of his neck nervously.

She shook her head. "It's not alright. I don't want you to think I was trying to use you as a...distraction, because of Sam."

It was weird, but as she said the word distraction, it felt as if someone was stabbing him in his guts. He wasn't quite sure what that was about, but what he did know was that he needed to calm down for a second.

"I would never think that when it comes to you." And he meant that. Mostly because it had been him initiating and sort of directing her actions towards him since the beginning.

"Thank you. For earlier, when you helped me talk about it. Somehow that Martian way of communicating, it does make it easier." She replied with a quick smile. "I,- uhm, may I ask you something else?"

After the way he'd behaved, she could ask him for the moon for all he cared and he would throw a lasso around it. "Go ahead."

"Would it be okay for me to stay here for a few more hours. I,- I need some time to think how I'm going to tell all of this to Charley." Her voice cracked for a second, but then she cleared her throat.

How was he suppose to deny her that small request? Apart from the fact he had to make sure not to let himself get tempted by her presence. He nodded his head.

"You can stay as long as you wish."

Izzy didn't answer him except for a short bob of her head. She followed his example and stood up as well. "I think I'll just walk around for a bit."

With that said, she stepped away and Throttle's eyes followed her until she vanished into the direction of Stoker's spacecraft. The tanned mouse shuddered and inhaled sharply.

What was wrong with him? Out of every Freedom Fighter, he was the one with the most sense of self-control. Sure he still had it, but he could feel it fall apart with each passing day.

Ever since he realised he had feelings for her, he'd been trying to get closer. He'd even almost succumbed to a fit of rage when he caught Stoker's scent on her. Not to mention, he'd purposely linked with her twice in order to connect their minds on a higher level.

So far that hadn't really worked out, except for the part where he got to hold her against him. But that almost resulted into him giving in to his stirring desires. Without her consent.

Throttle looked up from the kitchen sink and into the direction where Izzy had been a second ago. He couldn't let that happen. That wasn't who he was. Yet he found it so incredibly difficult to restrain himself now that he had been so close.

He turned the water on and dunked his head under the tap, hoping his bros would return to the scoreboard soon.

Chicago

It was his own fault in a sense. He knew it was bound to happen at some point, especially after this morning when Modo told him about his feelings for a certain female mechanic.

So why did it have such an impact on him when he caught the two of them together in a rather intimate setting? Probably because he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

Vinnie had already suspected for a while now that his bro was in love with Charley. Since Stoker crash landed in the scoreboard, the grey mouse hadn't tried as hard to hide his fondness of the woman.

The white mouse didn't know what to do now. In a way unsure of how he really felt about it. One thing was for sure, it had left him feeling rather empty the moment he got on his bike and left the Last Chance Garage.

He didn't want to get in Modo's way. He cared about his bro, but he also cared about her in more ways than one. Vinnie wasn't so sure if he was willing to give her up, even if he knew the other mouse could make her happy.

Conflicting emotions were the worst. Actually all feelings sucked. Another thing that he was dreading was the talk which was bound to happen, due to him leaving the place in such a hurried and dishevelled manner.

Quietly he rode past Limburger Tower and for a moment he contemplated on going inside, head straight for the transported and beam up back to Mars. But what was he going to do there on his own? Mars might be his home planet but he couldn't call the place his actual home.

His home was wherever his bros were.

Vinnie decided that the best place to go as of this moment, was into the direction of that club. Though the sun was already setting and he therefore sincerely hoped they were long gone from there, it didn't hurt to check it out.

But the white mouse didn't get very far. In fact, within a minute he spotted a familiar biker coming his way. The two riders stopped a couple of feet apart and both opened their visors in order to acknowledge each other.

"Hey, baby bro." Stoker replied with a grin. "Where you heading to?"

Vinnie made a face. "You, actually. I tried contacting both you and Throttle but all I got was a big load of static."

"Ain't that sweet of you, well no worries, I am here now. Had to take care of some business, which ultimately took longer than I expected."

As Stoker talked, something caught Vinnie's eye. There was a rather large filled garbage bag behind the other mouse. He frowned at the sight of it.

"Do I want to know what's in that bag?" He asked.

Stoker's grin faded and he threw a quick glance over his shoulder. "More things I have to take care of."

He turned his head back to Vinnie. "And no, it is not a dead body. If that's what you were thinking."

You could never be sure when it came to Stoker. He was known as the baddest motor jamma on Mars. Though Stoker would tell you otherwise and claim it was the entire universe.

Therefore you could never be too sure what the mouse had been up to. They'd all had their fair share of war and killing. But not his former coach. He had done and seen it all and it had made him who he was today.

"Where's Throttle and Isabel?" Vinnie quickly asked.

The older mouse nodded towards the east. "Scoreboard. I sent them ahead a while ago."

"Alone?"

"Yes, alone. I didn't want them around for what I was doing." He then cocked his head. "Why you ask?"

Vinnie shrugged. "He's been acting a bit weird lately. I'm sure it's nothing."

But he wasn't so sure it was nothing. Throttle had been acting different lately. This morning he'd even raised his voice at him and Modo regarding Stoker's apparent affection towards Charley's sister-in-law.

Never before had their leader expressed his opinion regarding humans and Martians compatibility. His comments had hurt everybody's feelings. But something told Vinnie that Throttle hadn't been honest to them about it. He had seen the way he responded when Izzy or Stoker was mentioned in conversation.

Something was off and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Shall we head to the hideout then?" Vinnie suggested and Stoker nodded.

As Vinnie turned his bike around, Stoker eyed him closely. Seeing his youngest bro out here on his own, surprised him. To his knowledge he'd been with Modo and Charley. Hadn't Stoker told them they didn't need no back up support at the club?

Maybe the white mouse had grown impatient with waiting or was there something else going on here? There was only one way to find out and it would also divert attention from what Stoker had taken with him from Dreamland.

"How's Charley doing?" He asked after a minute had passed.

Vinnie didn't immediately reply. The moment his coach mentioned Charley's name his mind went back to why he was out here in the first place. A part of him wondered if Modo was going to come after him.

"She'll be fine eventually. I still can't believe any of it." Vinnie shook his head. The latter part meant for basically everything that happened today.

"It's been quite the day, but Charley is a strong woman. And let's be honest, she's quite used to these things because of you guys' appetite for adventure." Stoker added with a low chuckle.

But the other mouse wasn't quite sure about that. "I don't know, man. The whole news about Sam having faked his death came down on her like an avalanche. I don't think I've ever seen her that shocked."

As soon as those words crossed his lips, Stoker immediately hit the brakes and stopped without warning. What did Vinnie just say?

"Sam Davidson faked his death?"

"You don't know?"

"Does it look like I know, Vincent?" Goddess. Did Izzy know? Was that why Morden lured her to him by kidnapping Charley? Because of something involving this piece of information?

There really had been no time to even ask Izzy what was discussed between her and Morden. All Stoker wanted, after he'd saved her, was getting her out of that place and somewhere safe. He had to in order to take care of business, which was getting rid of that piece of vermin as quick as possible.

"Oh boy." Vinnie cursed himself.

Him and his big mouth, he really did not want to be the one to tell Stoker about Sam. But there was no way out of that now. Besides, he didn't know that much aside from what Charley told them.

"The place we were at, where Charley was taken to. It was Sam's apartment. Apparently he didn't die in the accident. But don't ask me how, I have no idea. Turns out he's been here for a while. There were pictures of him, his family and even one of Izzy. Which reminds me,-"

Swiftly, he reached into one of his pockets, pulled out a folded picture and handed it to Stoker.

The older mouse glanced at the photograph, then his eyes widened and he clenched his jaw as he recognized the woman. Seductive and alluringly, she looked at him over her shoulder. Stoker felt warm and swallowed the lump in his throat.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise. He was already aware of what Izzy had done in order to pay for her husband's debt. The evidence of it was currently lying in a garbage bag right behind him on his bike.

Without commenting he folded the picture again, but this time didn't return it to Vinnie.

"The thug who kidnapped Charley let it slip through that Sam is no longer alive. Though we don't really have any proof of that." The white mouse continued. "We found her in quite the state, if you can imagine."

Oh, he could do more than imagine. But what he really wanted to know was if Izzy already knew about this. Stoker honestly did not want to think about it. This whole new bit of information pushed him into a state of selfishness. No matter the outcome, all he wanted was her and for her to want to be with him.

Sam faking his death could jeopardize that. He knew it was dishonourable to think like that and it was incredibly unfair to the woman and friend he cared for, but that was how he felt about it.

"We better get going." The hazel mouse said stoically as he started the engine again.

The Last Chance Garage

"Anything?"

"Nothing." The tall grey mouse replied after trying to contact Vinnie through Lil' Hoss.

After his bro had left the garage, the mood had obviously changed and Modo didn't like it one bit. He'd finally gathered all of his courage to tell the auburn haired woman how he truly felt about her. Dared to reveal his secret, despite the fact she was hurting after what happened at Sam's apartment.

But she assured him that he could tell her, whatever it was he wanted to share. Nothing he would have to say could hurt her. Because he was Modo. Her friend and saviour. And thus he did. He'd told her he liked her.

She pecked him on his cheek, close to his mouth and when he placed his hand behind her head to pull her in for an actual kiss, she didn't stop him. Even though Vinnie interrupted them before anything else might have happened, for that split second Modo felt on top of the world.

"I can't believe this..." The woman sighed under her breath.

"Charley girl, I,-"

"Modo, I'm sorry." She replied with a shake of her head. "I don't want to hurt your feelings and no, I don't regret our kiss."

Her lips formed a small smile before stepping towards him and placing her hands against his broad chest. "But seeing Vinnie react like that, it seems as if he's feeling hurt."

It did seem that way. Even Modo had to admit it and it didn't mean he didn't understand it. On the contrary, if it had been the other way around, he would have responded the same as his bro had.

But the difference here was that he had told Vinnie about it. He had told him that he loved Charley and that he was going to tell her at some point. To his knowledge, Vinnie didn't express having a problem with it. All he had said was that he had assumed as much for a while.

"Do you want me to go look for him?" Modo asked.

Charley tilted her head back to look up. She couldn't ask that of him. Just because the white mouse had run off because Modo and her had a moment together, didn't mean it was their responsibility to go after him.

"No. You tried to contact him. That's more than we can do. Unless,- unless you think he might do something stupid?" She paused and search his eye for a sign. Some form of reassurance that he was okay with staying here.

Modo huffed. "Stupid? He will do a lot of things, stupid probably one of them. But if you mean something that involves hurting himself,- no. No, I don't think he will do anything like that."

He raised his good arm and caressed the side of her face. His fingers moving up and down, slowly and gently, until Charley closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

Vinnie's reaction had scared her, but she was starting to believe it was because she cared for that macho mouse and didn't want to hurt his feelings. After all, he always looked after her. Just like the others. She didn't want to hurt any of them.

And here was Modo, telling her how he cared for her, but in a different way than the others did. Was that the reason she didn't really know how to respond to his declaration? Because she was afraid of how it might affect the dynamic within their circle of four?

But the way he looked at her. The way her heart had fluttered in her chest when he caressed her like this. The way her breathing became short and rapid the longer he moved his fingers against her skin.

"I like you too, Modo." She suddenly said without realizing it. She opened her eyes again, a bit shocked at what she'd just let out.

However, the grey mouse stood there just as equally shocked at her words. It didn't take long for his expression to soften and he smiled at her warmly. For the second time that day he lowered his head and captured her lips with his.

The scoreboard

It was eerily quiet inside the hideout and not a sign of anybody else aside from Stoker and Vinnie. But Throttle's bike was there, which meant both him and Izzy had to be around somewhere.

With the garbage bag hanging over his shoulder, Stoker stepped into the living area and threw a glance around the room before sticking his nose into the air and sniffing.

There was no doubt about it, they had been right here. His eyes fell on the couch and he pressed his lips together, before setting the bag down on the floor.

Vinnie however paid no attention to any of it. He was glad to be back at the scoreboard, some place where he wasn't reminded of Modo and Charley being locked into an intimate embrace. Only now that he was thinking about it, he was actually disproving his own logic.

If he was being completely honest, he wanted to talk to someone. But seeing as Stoker's mind was elsewhere, there was nothing left for him to do but wait until Throttle would appear. Surely his older bro would know what to do. After all, he had the most experience with women. He gritted his teeth as he walked over the kitchen.

"Throttle!" Stoker suddenly yelled loudly. "Izzy!"

"I'm sure they're around here somewhere." Vinnie replied calmly as he opened the door of the fridge and took out a root beer for himself.

The other mouse twitched his nose. He felt anxious all of a sudden and he wasn't sure why. He didn't spare any time dwelling around like Vinnie was doing, instead he began searching around for Izzy or Throttle. Honestly hoping he would find Izzy first.

Stoker stopped at the Martian spacecraft parked in the corner, the object was covered by several sheets. Only he noticed some of them had shifted since last he was here. The entrance was completely visible now, but it hadn't been when he left the scoreboard this morning.

The ship was partially lit as he entered, but the light was soft dark orange and only coming from the front of the craft. Quietly he walked inside and it only took him a couple of strides until he found the person who had gone inside before his arrival.

Her legs were the first thing he spotted, hanging over the armrest of the pilot seat. A tight pair of denim jeans, showing off those long and shapely limbs. He couldn't help but grin as he reached the cockpit and turned slightly to look down at the woman sitting in his chair.

Eyes closed, mouth slightly agape and her body positioned sideways against the backrest. It seemed as if she was sleeping. The tall mouse lowered himself next to her and rested his eyes upon her frame.

The shape of Morden's hand, visible on Izzy's neck, clear and red. But that wasn't the only thing that clung to her skin. Throttle's scent was also obviously present around her.

He grimaced and inhaled sharply. He'd knew he shouldn't draw any conclusions, yet automatically he did just that. Especially after Vinnie's comment that their bro had been acting weird as of late.

But despite the bruise and Throttle's presence, there was something else there. Something more important that caused Stoker to smile a little bit.

His mark, hidden inconspicuous on that little area beneath her ear and jaw.

Right before he had kissed her, he had rubbed that small spot with his own scent. A sign that he wanted her. That she was his to claim.

Was it fair that he had done this without informing her? Perhaps on some level. But then again, Martian females never needed to give consent. Because if they didn't want you, they would make that clear before one could even mark them.

Stoker reached out and placed his hand on top of Izzy's knee. Immediately she stirred and her eyes opened with shock. He gave her a gentle squeeze and the moment she saw it was him, she blinked and her lips parted.

"Stoker,-" She jolted forward and threw her arms around his neck. "You're here."

Her embrace caused the hazel mouse to slightly tremble from both surprise and ecstasy. It was a welcome he'd hoped but never imagined happening that soon between them. Stoker pressed her closely and lowered his head to nuzzle the side of her neck.

"So are you." He replied fighting the urge to tug on her skin with his front teeth to emphasise his print.

"Are you alright?" She asked him. "You're not hurt, are you?"

It filled him with joy that she worried for him first instead of questioning what he might have done to Morden. That was something he still needed to tell her, although he suspected on some level that she was probably already aware of it.

Stoker pushed her back and winked. "Nothing can bring this mouse down. You really should realize that by now, beautiful"

He made it sound so light-heartedly, but she had been thinking about it ever since leaving dreamland. Despite Throttle reassuring her that Stoker knew exactly what he was doing, a part of her felt guilty.

Izzy bit her bottom lip. "We shouldn't have left you. What if something had happened?"

"You care that much about me?" He asked her softly.

The look she gave him made his heart jump. She tilted her head. "I will jump in front of you again and again, if I have to. Does that answer your question?"

Dear Goddess, how could he sit here and not take her right there and then in his pilot seat?

"I'd rather you didn't, if I have to be completely honest." Stoker told her firmly. "You asked me if I'm hurt? I am. Right here."

He grabbed her wrist and placed her hand against his chest, where his heart pounded heavily. "If you had died, I would have been inconsolable."

Her brow furrowed and expression turned sorrowful. "Don't say that, Stoker. After everything you learned about me,- especially considering what could have happened to you today, all because you wanted to help me. I'm bad news."

"Sorry, gorgeous. But compared to me, you ain't."

"But,-"

"Listen to me, Izzy." Stoker took a deep breath in before continuing.

"From the moment I saw you, I wanted to know you. And the more I learned about you, the more I realized how I much wanted to be near you. We both have a past that haunts us and I know you're going through a lot right now. Not to mention, I also recognize myself in how stubborn you are when it comes to accepting help or letting somebody else fight your battles."

He paused for a second as Izzy's bottom lip quivered slightly.

"But if you'll let me and, Goddess, please let me,- Let me be there for you. For you, I'm willing to risk it all."

Time seemed to have stopped. There was not a sound within the spacecraft except for that soft sound of two beings breathing together.

Izzy lowered her eyes and just as Stoker thought she was moving in order to back away, she shifted forward and closed the already small space between them. Her lips pressed against his mouth and he couldn't do anything other than accept it wholeheartedly.

Strong as he was, he slipped his arms underneath her body and lifted her out of the chair. A small gasp escaped Izzy's throat as Stoker set her down on top of the control panel.

The broken connection between them lasted only for a second as he claimed her mouth with his this time. The feeling of bliss was immense and he felt drunk every time he inhaled deeply to get hit by her scent.

He pulled back for a moment to look at her. She stared at him, with her deep blue eyes. Her cheeks flushed and lips red. She let out a deep and shaky breath.

Every voice inside him told him to continue on the path of passion, but not here. Not when the others were right around the corner. Stoker swallowed the lump in his throat. "Izzy,-"

But suddenly he paused as his eyes landed on a couple of small markings on her skin. Without asking, he reached for her arm and traced the lines with his fingers. They were scratches and he was certain they hadn't been there when he'd rescued her earlier.

"Who did this?" He asked his voice suddenly cold.

Cliffhanger?

Felt right...don't hit me, please.

I sincerely hope you all enjoyed that.

I would love to know what you all think.