Hey y'all. Thank you so much for the reviews.
Hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas. I mean, for a lotta people Christmas isn't the most wonderful time of the year, but the most lonely time of the year. So I hope y'all were surrounded by people who you love and likewise. It's all you need, really.

When life leaves us blind, love keeps us kind.

Anyway, enough with the mushy talk and onto the next chapter. Enjoy! ^^

Chapter forty seven

Everybody stared at Chaz, but then Throttle sighed.
"Well, bro's, looks like we've got ourselves a little prince charming on his shiny white horse over here."
"Shame. I was almost starting to like the little guy", Modo answered dryly.
Chaz looked at them, a little puzzled. This apparently wasn't the reaction he was hoping for.
Kiwi gently made herself loose from Vinnie and walked over to Chaz.
"You can't be serious, right? You know there's no chance in hell I'm coming with ya, that I'm gonna walk out that door and leave my family behind..."
"Kiwi, you need to trust me. You need help", he answered softly, gently tucking her hair behind her ear.
Kiwi slapped his hand away, her face twisted in anger.
"Don't touch me. Don't you dare to touch me. I thought you were my friend. And yet, you have the nerve to betray me like this…"
Chaz looked a little sad by these words, but his face soon got blank again.
"I am your friend, can't you see? I'm doing this for you…"
But Kiwi shook her head, tears in her eyes.
"No. If you really were my friend, you would've understand…"
"So, this is your choice? Are you sure about that?", Chaz asked, a compelling tone in his voice.
"I choose my family, Chaz. I choose him. It will always be him, why can't you see that?", she answered softly.
Chaz his face darkened and shrugged.
"Fine. Just so you know, if they're gonna be locked up in Area 51, that's on you."
Kiwi's mouth fell open.

Chaz turned around and wanted to walk away, but a white tail snaked around his arm and stopped him.
"You really don't believe we're just gonna let ya walk out that door, now do ya, sweetheart?"
Chaz turned around and tried to peel off the tail, but it was no use.
"Hate to say it, but I'm afraid Vincent is right, prince charming. You ain't going anywhere", Throttle nodded.
"Yeah, we can't let ya just sell us out", Modo said softly, his eye glowing red.
"So, what are ya gonna do? Keep me here? You can't lock me up here forever…", Chaz called out triumphant, still assuming he had the winning hand.
But he couldn't be more wrong.
"Who said something about locking ya up…?", Vinnie asked slowly, his voice low, spinning his gun around his finger.
Chaz paled now, and Vinnie couldn't believe this guy. Had he really thought they were just gonna let him walk outta this house?
Honestly… Humans could be so stupid sometimes.
"Y-y-you're gonna k-kill me?", Chaz stuttered, trying to get away, but Vinnie was still holding him with his tail.
Kiwi also looked at Vinnie with a allarming look on her face. She was very angry at Chaz, but killing him… that was going too far.
Throttle walked closer to Chaz and looked down on him.
"Do we need to?"
Chaz didn't seem to have a answer to that question.
"Well?"
"N-no…"
"I don't trust this guy, bro", Modo warned his tan furred leader, but Throttle held up his hand.
"Me neither, Modo. But there are other ways to solve this problem…"
Chaz relaxed a little..
"Painful, yes, but not deadly…", Throttle continued with a low voice.
Chaz tensed again and he looked at Kiwi, a pleading look on his face, but Kiwi lowered her eyes. He'd brought this on himself, by himself. He shouldn't have threaten the mice. That was just the wrong thing to do. She knew now they weren't gonna kill him. What they were planning to do, was still a mystery to her, but what choice did she have? She couldn't let him sell them out. And no way in hell that she was gonna come with him. No way he was gonna take her away from Vinnie.
"P-p-painful?"
Chaz was looking at Throttle now, fear written on his face.
Throttle lifted his glasses and winked at Chaz, before he turned his gaze on Modo.
"Tie him up, will ya, big fella? I'm gonna prepare myself."
And he left the living room. Modo quickly walked to the garage to grab some rope.
Chaz glanced at Vinnie, but the white furred mouse was still having his gun in his hand and he looked back with a murderous look on his face.
The nerve of this guy. Touching his girl. Threatening them. Threatening him to take his girl away from him.
If he was the one who called the shots, Chaz would already be dead by now. But that's why Throttle was the leader and he wasn't, he knew that. He sometimes let his emotions getting the best outta him. It maybe felt like the right choice now… but what about later?

Kiwi looked at Vinnie and decided he wasn't gonna kill Chaz within the next minutes, so she quickly followed Throttle, who was in the kitchen, sitting cross-legged on the floor.
"Throttle, what are you gonna do to him?", she asked while kneeling down in front of the tan furred mouse. She couldn't see if he had his eyes open or closed because of those damn glasses, but he did gave her a little reassuring smile.
"I'm gonna erase his memory."
Kiwi's mouth fell open.
"You what?"
"Just like I said it, babe. No worries, he'll be fine after. He just doesn't gonna remember this."
"Is… is it really painful?"
"Not really. That was just to mess with his head a little, I mean, he did have the nerve to threaten us in our own house. Besides, if I want this thing to work, I need him to be scared. It makes this thing a whole lot easier if his brain wants to forget about the whole thing too, ya know? For self protection..."
Kiwi slowly nodded, fiddling with her fingers.
"I never knew you could do this…"
"I never did it before. It's not that easy. And it can be dangerous to mess with the brain like that."
"Oh… That doesn't make it any better, ya know?"
"But I don't really have choice, now do I? Well, if it's up to Vinnie, we kill him. But that just ain't who we are…"
"I know… But… You sure you can do this?"
Throttle reached out to her, grabbing her hand gently.
"You're such a piece of work, ya know that, babe? I mean, the guy threatens to take you away from here, to sell us out and you're still worried about his safety. A sign of a good Freedom Fighter. You don't let yourself get blinded by anger. That's good. That makes you special."
A warm feeling crept over her. The pride in his voice made her eyes fill with tears. Him saying this meant the world to her.
"Thank you…", she whispered.
"Don't worry, babe, I won't hurt him. Just let him think I will."
Kiwi nodded and slowly rose on her feet again.
"I'll let you prepare yourself. Take all the time you need… I will delete that picture on his phone in the meantime… Oh, and on his computer", and she left the kitchen. Jesus, what a mess. It was just one of those days…

When Throttle walked back into the living room, Chaz was sitting tied up in a chair. He was as pale as a sheet and pure fear was written on his face. Kiwi was sitting on the couch, staring at her feet and avoiding any way of contact with her ex boyfriend. Vinnie was sitting in front of Chaz, hanging in his chair while sharpening his knife. He almost never used it, so it was still sharp as hell, but it was all about the psychological effect it had on Chaz. Modo was sitting on the other side in one of the big fauteuils, tabbing his metal fingers on the arm rest, while staring at Chaz.
Throttle stopped in front of the boy who looked up at him with watery eyes, sweat on his forehead. His antenna's started to glow red and without saying a word, he bent forward and made contact with the human guy's head. Chaz his eyes grew wide for a moment, but then they closed and his body relaxed. Throttle was leaning on the armrests of the chair with both hands, a concentrated look on his face.
Kiwi was staring at the scene, when suddenly a familiar scent filled her nose. Vinnie dropped on the couch next to her and pulled her in his arms.
"Don't worry, doll, he'll be fine", he whispered in her ear. Then, he rested his chin on her head and they both watched how Throttle was doing his Mindwalker thing.
After a few minutes, Chaz his eyes flew open again, but they looked empty. Throttle broke the connection, breathing heavily. Apparently, it had cost him a lotta energy. He stumbled back, but Modo quickly caught him and helped him on the other couch.
"You okay, bro?", the gray furred giant asked worried, but Throttle nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, fine. Just a little dizzy, that's all."
Chaz suddenly rose on his feet and turned around. His movements reminded Kiwi of the Sims, jerky and rectilinear. He walked to the door, opened it and disappeared in the dark.
"Where's he going?", Kiwi asked a little urgent.
"Home. I told him to go home and go to bed and when he's gonna wake up in the morning, he won't remember a thing about today", Throttle answered.
"Yeah, no sweat, sweetheart. Next to a huge headache, prince charming will be fine", Vinnie said softly, ruffling through her hair.
"That sounds a lot like hypnose…", Kiwi said hesitantly.
"It kinda works the same way", Throttle answered.
Kiwi leaned against Vinnie, and a big yawn escaped her mouth.
Vinnie smiled and gently lifted her.
"Come on, doll, lemme bring ya to bed. It was a long day…"
Kiwi snuggled against his chest and buried her nose into his soft fur.
"That's the best idea I heard today…"
"You expected less? Come on, sweetheart, you know I'm full with good ideas."
"Yeah, yeah…", Kiwi sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Your hands are freezing, babe…", Vinnie said softly when he gently put her back on her feet in her bedroom. "You cold?"
Kiwi nodded, shivering a little. She was so tired all of a sudden, probably a come down from the adrenaline.
Vinnie wrapped his arms around her.
"What you need is a warm bath…"
"... is you…", Kiwi said at the same time.
Vinnie smiled and looked down on her, his eyes twinkling.
"You're tired, doll, what you need is sleep."
"Vin… I would never do something behind your back, you know that right?", she whispered.
He looked a little surprised.
"I know… Why you say this?"
"Chaz tried to kiss me, and I froze but I… I would never…", she stuttered, but Vinnie lay a finger on his lips. Her beautiful, soft lips.
"Ssshh… I know, sweetheart, I know. I never said I didn't, right?"
"No… thanks… for the trust. Means the world to me…", she answered sleepy.
Vinnie shook his head with a loving smile.
"Come on, you're almost falling asleep just standing here. Let's get you outta these clothes…" and he slowly undressed her.
Kiwi was wobbling on her feet, but she looked up at him and bit her lower lip.
Vinnie saw the look in her eyes and his lips curled into that arrogant smile.
"Oh, you naughty girl…", he whispered, but he grabbed her pyjama and quickly put it over her head.
After that, he kissed her gently. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, but Vinnie didn't burdge.
Honestly, for a mouse that was known for being not restraint, he succeeded pretty good to keep himself under control, Kiwi concluded when he was laying her down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. He tucked her in and rubbed her cheek lovingly with his thumb.
"Will you stay with me tonight? Please?"
She hated to sound so… pleading. She always had respected his bromance with the guys and respected his wishes to sleep in the guesthouse. But sometimes, like now, she had these moments of weakness and she just needed him.
But to her relief, the white furred mouse quickly undressed and slid under the blanket. She felt his strong arm wrapping around her waist and she pushed her back against his strong chest. His tail wrapped around her ankle and he buried his nose into her hair.
"Just one night…", he murmured, already on his way to fall asleep.
He was tired too. She had seen his right eye was standing a little towards his nose when he came back from his mission, one of the last, but small side effects of his brain damage. And a clear sign that he was tired. No surprise there. It was his first mission after all, after that horrible day.
"Vinnie?"
"Hmmm…"
"I love you…"
"Loveyatoobabe…."
Kiwi smiled in the dark.
"Vinnie?"
"Hmmm.."
"Maybe we can… ya know? Tomorrow?"
She could feel him smile against the back of her head.
She smiled too.
"Night, Vin…"
"Night, babe…"

The next morning, she woke up from the feeling of his fingers sliding softly over her skin. She slowly opened her eyes with a small smile around her lips.
"Morning, sweetheart… Somewhere, deep down in my brain, I have this vague memory of you almost begging me for some morning exercise... ", her macho mouse whispered in her ear, while his hand slowly crawled under her shirt.
Kiwi smiled and she wanted to turn around so she could look at him, but he stopped her, still holding her tightly. She could feel his breathing against her ear. She could feel his strong arm around her, one hand that was now covering one breast. His strong, muscular chest against her back. His tail holding her legs.
So, he wanted to play the bossy macho mouse? Fine by her. But not without teasing him back.
She suddenly pushed her lower body against his, feeling how he was almost ready. She moved her hips, rubbing against him, and she could feel the effect. His body tensed and his breathing accelerated. He grabbed her hair and pulled back her head. She smiled. He kissed her neck, his lips made their way to her ear and he suddenly set his teeth in it. A bittersweet pain jolted through her body and she closed her eyes.
"So, tell me, Kiwi…"
Oh man, that voice.
Saying her name.
"How do like your morning exercise?"
He was still pulling on her hair, his lips close to her ear, his hand still under her shirt, his fingers brushing her skin.
She wasn't cold anymore. Jesus, hell no.
"You want it to be sweet, mushy and romantic…?", he continued, while kissing her neck between the words.
Her heart started to beat faster. His hand now slowly made its way down, into her pants...
"...or rough and dirty?" and he bit her again at the same time his fingers slid inside of her.
Her body gave the answer. Apparently, she wasn't the type for sweet, mushy romance. Well, sometimes she was. I mean, every girl needs her dose of romance once in a while. But when he bit her, when she felt his fingers, her whole body suddenly caught fire, well, if that was possible, that is. It was the best way to describe it. Her body wanted it rough. She loved it. Just as much as she loved this mouse.
"There's your answer", she whispered, and she yanked herself free, rolled over and ended on top of him. Now she finally could look him in the eye.
And oh boy, he was ready, alright.
His ruby red eyes were burning with lust and desire, his lips were curled into that arrogant, but also dirty smile.
Kiwi gave him a mischievous smile back and slowly took off her pyjama shirt.
"You know how I like it…", she whispered with a hoarse voice.
"Down and dirty…", he answered, his eyes darkened and he grabbed her hips.
"Yes… but this time… I'm the one calling the shots…" and she leaned forward.
He held in his breath for a moment and they both stared into each others eyes. But Kiwi couldn't hold herself back any longer. And she kissed him hungrily, eager to feel him everywhere. He had no problem at all to give her what she wanted.
After all, there was nothing in this world he wouldn't do for her.

"Morning, bro's!"
Throttle and Modo looked up and saw their younger bro almost bouncing into the kitchen, a big grin on his face. He walked to the fridge, grabbed a can of rootbeer and closed the door with a bang. A muted tinkling sound came outta the fridge, clearly something broke because of the force with Vinnie was treating the poor thing, but the white furred mouse hardly noticed. He opened the can and drank it empty.
Throttle and Modo shared a puzzled look. Their bro was way too cheerful for this time of the day. He usually wasn't exactly a morning person…
They had noticed he hadn't slept in his own bed. So add that to the fact he wasn't moody like he always was in the morning… That could only mean one thing...
Vinnie burped loud and threw the empty can in the sink, grabbed a chair while turning it around and sat down, his arms leaning on the back of the chair.
"I missed the warning about Tornado Vinnie this morning…", Modo said slowly, a little annoyed because of the noisy entrance of his younger bro.
I mean, he wasn't really a morning person either...
"Me too, bro. Me too", Throttle nodded, but with a slight amused look on his face.
"That's because I'm unpredictable, bro's", Vinnie answered proudly.
Throttle almost choked in his rootbeer.
"Since when do you have so such much self knowledge?"
Vinnie shrugged, not even the teasing from his bro's was gonna spoil his mood. Not today.

"Morning, guys!"
Kiwi walked into the kitchen, her hair still wet from the shower, with a dreamy expression on her face.
"Oh momma…", Modo sighed. They were way too obvious about it. Some things he just didn't wanna know. There wasn't anything he wouldn't share with his bro's, but their sex life, well… No need for that.
Vinnie glanced at Kiwi outta the corners of his eyes and winked at her, while wiggling his eyebrows and biting his lower lip.
Kiwi blushed and gave him a shy smile back.
Throttle chuckled. Yeah, it was obvious these two had one hell of a night. Very obvious.
The human girl was humming a song while opening the fridge. The smell hit her immediately, but before she could process what it was, a broken jaw fell outta the fridge and ended up at her feet. She looked inside and wrinkled her nose.
Pickles. Great.
"Okay, who's closed the fridge too hard… again?", she demanded, while turning around and setting her hands in her side.
"You even need to ask that, Kiwi ma'am?", Modo chuckled.
"Yeah, I think we all know who's responsible for that… again", Throttle smiled, while looking at Vinnie.
"Hey! I can't help it Earthlings make things so fragile that it already falls apart by only looking at it!", the white furred mouse protested.
"Yeah, sure, blame it on us. These kinda things only seem to happen to you, Vinnie, so what's that saying about you?" and Kiwi rolled her eyes, but she still had a smile on her face. Even this couldn't ruin her mood.
This morning had been… so wonderful.
Vinnie saw it and smiled proud.
Throttle and Modo shared another look and Throttle sighed.
"Okay, Romeo, that's enough. I was thinking, why don't we go for a ride today? All of us…", he added while looking at Kiwi, who froze for a moment.
Sure, practise was going fine. But she still wasn't feeling confident on a bike. Was she really ready to go on the road? She'd only practised in the big garden so far...
"Great idea!", Vinnie exclaimed. "No sweat, sweetheart, you got this."
Kiwi sighed and started to clean up the mess.
Yeah, sweetheart… you got this.

She didn't got this.
She was sitting on the bike and the mice were waiting for her to start the engine. But she somehow was scared. She wasn't sure why. She had practised with Vinnie many times now and things were going fine. But only in the garden… Maybe that was what's making her anxious. Also, she had this strange urge to proof herself towards Throttle and Modo. What if she let them down?
Vinnie noticed her hesitation and jumped off his bike, a determined look on his face. He climbed behind her and his strong arms wrapped around her waist.
"You can do this, babe. It's not that much different than riding in the yard. Besides, we've got your back. So, enough with the lingering", he added firmly, and Kiwi tensed. She recognized the tone in his voice. He was up to something.
And how right she was.
He quickly started the bike and grabbed both of her hands that were already on the handlebars. She tried to pull them back, but he was too strong. His left hand grabbed the clutch, his foot shifted the bike into first and he opened the gas. The bike came into movement, not too fast, but fast enough for Kiwi to breath in sharply. What the hell was he doing? But she found out soon enough. When the bike gained speed, he jumped off, so Kiwi had no other choice than to take over control and she drove into the yard, yelling at Vinnie.
"VINCENT VAN WHAM, I'll get you for this!"
Vinnie smiled arrogant and jumped on his own bike.
"Promises, promises…"
Then, he looked at his bro's, who were shaking their heads.
"What? It worked, right? Trust me, otherwise we would be here for another hour, waiting for her to start that damn bike, since she seems to think you can start it by only staring at it. Sometimes, she just needs a little asskicking…"
He smiled his most charming smile and hit the accelerator, making him almost fly outta the garage, his bike roaring loudly.
His bro's followed him, still shaking their heads. But when they saw Kiwi was now riding circles in the yard, a confident look on her face, they realized Vinnie was right. It was very clear that Vinnie's stunt was exactly what she'd needed.
"Alright you mamma jammers!", she yelled happily while driving towards them.
"Let's ROCK…"
"...and RIDE!", the mice finished in unison, smiling about her enthusiasm.
This girl kept surprising them. They were happy they'd found her. She really was a piece of work.

When they were outta town, that somehow went surprisingly smooth, the road ahead of them was completely empty.
Vinnie popped up next to Kiwi.
"Alright, sweetheart, time to speed up."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"What, no, I…"
"You're driving 30 miles per hour, doll, hardly even exciting", Vinnie pointed out dryly.
"What's wrong with driving 30 miles per hour?", she asked, but she already regretted that question.
"You really ask Vinnie that?", Throttle chuckled while driving up next to her.
"Yeah, stupid. You don't have to answer it, though", she added hastily, while giving Vinnie a quick glance before turning her attention back on the road again. But it was too late.
"I'm the king of speed!", Vinnie cheered while popping a wheelie. "The road is my empire! Obey! Obey, or feel the heat of my burning rubber! AAAOOWW!"
"Puhlease…", Throttle sighed, shaking his head.
"We really gotta cut his TV hours", Modo agreed.
Kiwi, ignoring all this, let out her breath and slowly gained some speed.
And more.
And more.
At first, it felt scary. As if she could lose control any moment. But then it dawned on her. She knew what she was doing, right? To her surprise, Vinnie turned out to be a good teacher. Maybe a little impatient sometimes, but that was exactly what she needed. So, why would she lose control?
And she suddenly felt something change. The invisible blockade, that was holding her back, was gone. And for the first time she rode a bike, she really enjoyed it. To realize such a powerful machine did exactly what she asked, the wind that was pulling on her clothes, it all gave her a feeling of complete freedom and power. She really was doing this. She gained even more speed and let out a happy cheer.
"THIS IS GREAT!"
"Aaaooww, you're doing it, Kiwi, you're really doing it!", Vinnie cheered back, pride clearly hearable in his voice.
"Way to go, Kiwi ma'am!", Modo yelled.
Freedom.
This was how freedom was feeling.
And Kiwi howled happily, driving her bike with confidence now and finally, she felt complete.
She had a home.
She had a family.
She had a place where she belonged.
And for the first time ever, she felt happy. Satisfied. That annoying voice that used to be in her head every day, every hour, every minute, that was always whispering that her life sucked, that she sucked, was gone.
Finally, it was gone.

"You guys ever had alcohol before?", Kiwi asked nonchalant.
With a loud bang, she set a big bottle on the table. After driving for hours, Kiwi had suggested to take a motel. They all could use a little change of environment, even if it was just for one night. You know, like a small vacation. The mice had agreed, always in for something new. So, here they were. Sitting in the biggest room the motel owned, big enough for six persons. Six human persons, that is. So, three big Martian Mice and one small human girl fitted in perfectly.
It had a small living room with a open kitchen, three bedrooms and a little bathroom. But it was good enough.
Modo looked curious at the bottle, slowly coming upright on the small couch he was chilling on.
"Alcohol?", he mumbled, and he grabbed the bottle to study it. Then, he looked at Kiwi with a blank expression on his face.
"I have no idea what this is, Kiwi ma'am."
Throttle dropped on the couch next to Modo and the gray furred giant handed him over the bottle. Their fearless leader looked at it for a moment, then shrugged, also clueless.
Vinnie jumped over the back of the couch and pushed himself between his bro's, snatching the bottle outta Throttle's hand.
"Gimme that."
Of course, he didn't had the patience to study the bottle, no, he just opened it and smelled. His nose wrinkled.
"Ugh, you sure you can drink this? I mean, it really stinks…"
Kiwi laughed when she saw the disgust expression on his face.
"You really think I would give ya something…", but before she could finish that sentence, the white furred mouse put the bottle against his mouth and took a big gulp.
His bro's watched him closely when he swallowed it. His cheeks turned red and tears jumped in his eyes.
"Woa, this is…", he managed to squeeze out between coughing, and he pulled his bandana when he felt the drank burning down in his throat.
Kiwi giggled. Of course, she could have warned him that taking a sip that big of whiskey wasn't that much of a good idea...
But hey, where's the fun in that?
"What is it, bro? You okay?", Modo asked worried, looking at Vinnie's red cheeks.
"Kiwi, what…", Throttle started, but then a big grin appeared on the face of his younger bro, making the tan furred mouse closing his mouth again.
"This is awesome!", Vinnie cheered, taking another sip and gave the bottle to Modo.
"You really should try it, big fella."
Modo hesitated, but then followed Vinnie's example. The big guy almost spit it out again when he felt the burning in his throat, but managed to keep it inside. His face twisted into a disgust expression and Kiwi burst out into laughter.
"Oh momma… Kiwi ma'am, what on Mars is this?", Modo coughed, giving the bottle to Throttle while wiping off his mouth.
"It's called whisky. One of the many alcoholic drinks we have on Earth. We drink it when we have something to celebrate, or when we go out, or to…"
'Ease our pain…'
She quickly cleared her throat, no way she was gonna say that out loud.
"Anyway, I thought me riding a bike was a good enough reason for celebration. Me, I'm more of the whine type, but this was all I could find now."
Throttle sniffed at the bottle and shook his head.
"No way I'm gonna drink this. It smells like trouble."
Kiwi stared at him. He really was a leader, now wasn't he? Because he was right. Alcohol, most of the time, meant trouble.
Throttle gave her a meaningful look, but Kiwi felt somehow a little bit rebellious. She had lived in the darkness for so long. Now, it was time to start living again. To be the girl she was before she lost her parents.
"Trouble, 'ey?", Vinnie asked, rubbing his chin. But then, his face lit up and his grin almost split his face in half.
"I'm a trouble magnet and don't you know it", and he grabbed the bottle again.
Kiwi giggled and quickly walked to the kitchen to grab some glasses.
Suddenly, Throttle was standing behind her.
"You sure this is a good idea?", he whispered.
"Ah, Throttle, lighten up. I can promise ya nothing that bad can happen", she smiled at him.
"Nothing that bad? What do ya mean, babe?"
"Worst case scenario; we get drunk. Come on, Throttle, live a little. Just let go off… everything. Just for one night?" and she looked up at him with pleading eyes.
Throttle sighed, knowing he couldn't resist those damn puppy eyes.
"Okay. Okay. Guess I'm just gonna have to trust ya on this one…"

Kiwi was looking at Modo, who was telling passionately about his family.
One thing was very sure. Alcohol did make their tongues a lot looser when it came to tell her about their life on Mars.
"My sister was only sixteen when she got Rimfire, still living at home with us, and oh momma, that boy made my momma's fur turn gray sometimes. But that didn't stop her from loving him as her own son. We all had our hands full with that little wild man, even as a baby he was already getting himself into trouble all the time… Oh momma, how I miss those days…", he sighed.
"Remember that one day when I came over and Rimfire was rolling in the dirt outside?", Throttle chuckled.
"How can I forget? We had to go to a party later that night, needed to dress up all fancy and stuff… Rimfire kept whining he looked stupid, but my momma told him he didn't had a choice. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands and we found him rolling in the dirt like a saber squad taking a mud bath", Modo laughed, a nostalgic look on his face.
Kiwi laughed too, seeing the image of a small Rimfire with dirt all over him. And even if she already kinda knew, hearing him talking about Rimfire like this, this passionate, made very clear to her that Modo adored children. They clearly were his soft spot.
"Your momma was so pissed", Throttle smiled, taking another sip from his whiskey.
"Yeah, yeah, she was. She could be one dangerous woman sometimes", Modo smiled lovingly.
"Hell yeah, she was dangerous, alright", Vinnie muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, you would know", Throttle started and he looked at Kiwi. "Vinnie here was very good in getting on her nerves, sometimes."
"Geez, why am I not surprised?", Kiwi giggled.
"Don't know what you guys are talking about, she adored me", Vinnie smiled lazily, hanging on the couch with his legs wide, to drowsy to keep them together.
"She did, though. She loved you both as her own family. She was one special woman…", Modo sighed, a now sad expression on his face.
"I'm sure you miss her…", Kiwi said softly.
Modo nodded.
"You have no idea…"
"What about your sister? Is she... ", but Modo already shook his head.
"She died when Rimfire was six years old. She was sick. The one good thing about her dying is that war has been spared her. At least she didn't had to see what the Plutarkians did to Mars…"
"God, I'm so sorry, Modo…"
The gray furred giant gave her a sad smile, but said nothing.
There was a silence for a moment. Kiwi could feel her cheeks burn from the alcohol, a feeling she somehow had missed.
"What about you, Throttle? You mentioned a sister once?", she asked.
"Yeah, Ava was her name… She died with my parents when our house got bombed by the Plutarkians... ", the tan furred mouse sighed.
"Oh Throttle… I'm so sorry…"
"Don't be. It was a long time ago… But I sure miss them…"
Vinnie was awfully quiet all of a sudden and Kiwi turned her attention on him.
"And you, Vin? Brothers? Sisters?"
Modo and Throttle shared a quick look, knowing their younger bro never talked about his past. They hardly knew anything about his life before they'd met him.
"Do we really need to talk about family? Can't we talk about some more interesting, like… I dunno, sex?", Vinnie moaned, closing his eyes.
"No way, I ain't interested in your sexlife", Modo quickly said.
Vinnie opened one eye and glanced at his older bro.
"Who said I was talking about my sexlife, bro?"
Throttle quickly raised his hands.
"As far as I'm concerned, we ain't discussing anyone's sexlife, for that matter."
"Agreed. Come on, Vin.. Tell us", Kiwi pushed him a little bit further.
Normally, she wouldn't dare to. But damn you, whiskey.
Vinnie closed his eyes again, knowing he had to give them something. Everybody waited patiently, giving him time to think about what he wanted to tell them.
"A sister…", the white furred mouse eventually answered. He cleared his throat, still not very comfortable with this, but the alcohol somehow made it easier.
"A twin sister, to be specific."

He might as well have dropped a bomb. Throttle and Modo breathed in sharply and their head jerked into Vinnie's direction, their mouth hanging open.
Kiwi bit her lower lip, thinking about how to make him talk. But it wasn't necessary. The alcohol did the job for her.
"Her name was… Mireya… She's got missing when the war started, never heard from her ever again."
Kiwi needed a little time to process that.
Modo opened his mouth, but Vinnie pointed a finger into his direction.
"I swear to God, Modo, if you're gonna say 'you never told us', I'm gonna have to kill ya."
Modo closed his mouth again, smiling a little sheepishly. That was exactly what he was gonna say. Stupid indeed.
"So, she could be still alive?", Kiwi asked slowly, her brain slowly processing this whole thing.
But Vinnie firmly shook his head.
"No. She's dead."
"But…"
"She's dead, Kiwi."
She immediately closed her mouth. The way he said her name, so intense, well...
It was obvious her macho mouse was protecting himself by not having any sort of hope that his sis still could be alive.
"I dunno, bro, if she's missing, there's a slight chance she might be alive", Throttle mused without thinking. He closed his mouth, somehow surprised he said that. But this… whiskey thing made his head cloudy. Boundaries faded.
Vinnie's tail lashed through the air and he narrowed his eyes.
"Oh really? Yeah, well, now you mention it, bro… She's probably having a tea party with Harley. Ya know, that other girl that's got missing? The one I've searched for for months? The one who practically vanished into thin air? ", he snarled sarcastic, his fur a little bristled.
"Vinnie, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking…", Throttle said softly.
Dammit, he normally wouldn't have said that. This was a very touchy and painful subject for his younger bro.
"Obviously…", Vinnie growled.
Kiwi quickly snatched the bottle of whiskey.
"Okay, you guys had enough. Listen, this is the alcohol speaking, so don't get all riled up in here. I prefer to leave this room behind tomorrow in the same way we've found it."
Vinnie gave Throttle one more glare before he jumped at his feet.
"I'm gonna go catch me some z's", he growled and stumbled to his bedroom, clearly having troubles with the side effects of the whiskey. But he made it in one piece and slammed the door behind him with a loud bang.
Kiwi sighed and looked at Modo and Throttle, who also let out a heavily sigh.
"I can't believe I said that…" The tan furred mouse shook his head in disappointment.
"Hope… Hope is a dangerous thing…", Modo mumbled.
"Yeah… It is…", Kiwi nodded slowly. She got upright.
"Night, guys. See ya tomorrow. And thanks.. for being so open about your family. Really, means the world to me…", she mumbled, while walking towards the bedroom.

When she walked inside, she saw Vinnie lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't look up when she entered the room and she let out her breath.
Poor macho mouse.
She crawled next to him and lay her head on his chest. Vinnie wrapped one arm around her, pulled her closer and planted a kiss on her head.
"You okay, macho mouse?", she asked, closing her eyes since the whole room was spinning.
Not that that really worked. She obviously had too much whiskey after being sober for so long.
Vinnie ignored her question and pulled her on top of him, grabbing her head and he kissed her roughly. His fingers weaved into her hair and pulled on it while his tongue slid into her mouth. She could feel his heat, his despair, all of his emotions when she kissed him back. His breathing became heavier and he kissed her even more hungry.
He was definitely not okay.
And really, she wanted to give him what he needed so badly on this moment. And if she wasn't feeling so sick all of a sudden, she definitely would've gave it to him. But she felt her stomach turn and quickly broke off the kiss.
"Sweetheart, what…", but she pushed herself off of him and ran to the bathroom.
Oh please, be on time, please…
She reached the toilet in time.
Thank god.
She almost puked the guts outta her body, tears jumped into her eyes while her hands clamped around the toilet seat.
God, this was why she had swore off the alcohol. She almost forgot. But she wasn't that good in handling alcohol. She remembered now...
Soft fingers brushed against her cheeks when they gently grabbed her hair and held it outta her face. Her white furred macho mouse sat down behind her, still holding her hair. He said nothing, but that was okay. She wasn't really capable of having a conversation right now.
When her stomach finally was done with throwing everything out, she leaned back against his strong torso, wiping off her mouth and sighed heavily.
"You okay?"
His low voice.
The feeling of his soft fur.
His scent.
His heart beating she felt against her back.
Everything made her stomach relax immediately. It was so weird, this calming effect he had on her. Really, it was almost magical. Maybe it had something to do with the connection.. She had no idea, but she was happy he did.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay… Jesus, this is why I never drink… This shit always happens to me…"
He noticed the slight embarrassed tone in her voice and his lips curled into a small smile.
"Come on, let's get you to bed…" and he gently lifted her in his arms.
She snuggled against his chest, sniffing up his scent.
"God, what is it that you're doing to me…", she mumbled, her eyes already closed.
Vinnie lay her in bed and tucked her in. He watched her for a while.
He saw her fall asleep.
He saw her soft skin.
Her shiny black hair, that was now curling over the pillow.
That cute nose of hers.
Those soft lips.
That small birthmark top left of her lips…
Never would he have thought he was gonna feel this way about a human girl. But fact was he did. The pain, the guilt about the loss of Harley slowly faded. It went back in the closet and he locked it away, like he always did. Jesus. By only watching her, he was able to calm himself down again.
He gently stroked her cheek.
"I dunno, Kiwi, really I don't… but you're doing the same to me…"

The next day, the mice and Kiwi drove back to Chicago in relative silence.
"You could've told us this whole alcohol thing gives you a huge headache in the morning, Kiwi…", Throttle pointed out dryly.
"Yeah, ehm, sorry about that, guys… I think I kinda let myself get carried away for a moment…", Kiwi smiled sheepishly. "Totally forgot about the hangover the next day… hehehe…"
"Well, this sure is the last time I ever touch alcohol again…", Modo groaned, his head filled with a thousand hammers.
Throttle drove up next to Vinnie.
"Listen, Vin? I'm really sorry I said that yesterday, I…", but Vinnie waved it away.
"No biggie, bro. Let's just forget about the whole thing, okay?"
"Okay, little bro, if that's what you want."
The white furred mouse clearly didn't wanna talk about this and popped a wheelie.
"Last one in Chicago needs to clean up the kitchen a whole month!", and he sped away, laughing loud.
"Ooohh, no way, this is one you ain't gonna win!", Modo yelled and started the chase.
"Sorry, Kiwi, but I gotta roll", Throttle smiled and before Kiwi could say anything, he was gone.
"Sure, I'll just drive the whole way back on my own, I mean, where is the fun in traveling together, right?", she called after them, but a little smile curled her lips.
She also gained more speed, but not to win the race. She wasn't stupid, ya know. There was no way she was gonna win that.

When the mice drove into town, Vinnie suddenly hit the brakes and opened his visor. His bro's almost crashed into him, but managed to stop their bikes next to their bro. Vinnie looked at them, pointing a finger in the sky.
"What is up with this heavy metal chorus?", he yelled, trying to get over the sound.
Throttle and Modo opened their visor and frowned. The sound of drills filled their ears. Something was being built somewhere, that was clear. Normally, that wouldn't alarm anyone. But since they were in the old part of Chicago, it immediately made them suspicious.
Throttle pricked his ears and followed the sound.
"Hey, look bro's, looks like they're building a new parking structure down the block…"
His bro's zoomed in with their helmets.
"Well, well… and guess who seems to be in charge, bro's…", Vinnie smiled. "Greasepit."
"Oh great, what is that oil leaking dumpster up to?", Modo sighed, his head still killing him.
"Good question", Throttle started and gave his bro's a knowing look, a little smile on his face.. "Say bro's. How about we go reserve ourselves a parking space?"
"Just the ticket to get rid of this headache", Modo nodded.
Vinnie pumped his fist in the air, ready for action. But then again, wasn't he always?
"Let's ROCK…"
"...and RIDE!"

"Quit time!", Modo yelled when they crashed through the fence that was surrounding the construction site.
"And we'll be glad to help punch ya out!", Throttle added when they stopped their bikes.
"Ahh, geez guys… The mousies wanna help out", Greasepit chuckled towards his goons, who all stopped their work. "I say wes takes a hammers and nail them!"
He grabbed his gun and opened fire on the mice, who quickly split up.
The goons also came into action, one of them drove towards Vinnie with a bulldozer. The white furred mouse pushed a button and his weapons came out. He fired a laser at the bulldozer, but it just bounced back. The goon smiled smugly, but Vinnie shrugged. He pulled back his handlebars and jumped into the air. When he was above the bulldozer, he grabbed a grenade and pulled the pin out with his teeth.
"No problem, then I just nail ya from the top!" and the grenade landed on top of the bulldozer.
When it exploded, the goon flew outta the cabin because of the shockwave and crashed against a wall, immediately knocking him out.
"Not so smugly now, ain't ya? Bwahaahaaa!" and Vinnie raced further.
Throttle was being followed by a forklift truck and he hit the brakes, so he could turn the tables. When he was driving behind it, he shot out a rope outta the front of his bike and the hook grabbed the forklift truck. Throttle popped a wheelie and drove backwards on just his rear tire, making the forklift truck topple over and the whole thing exploded.
Vinnie drove past three goons that were firing at him and punched them in the face, laughing loud.
"Toodles!"
When he drove further, he suddenly saw Greasepit standing, aiming a bazooka at him.
"Say cheese, moussie... ", he heard Greasepit's low voice and he saw his finger going to the trigger.
Vinnie smiled his most charming smile, because he saw something that Greasepit didn't.
Modo popped up behind Greasepit and fired his armcannon and the pile of stones that was standing behind Greasepit exploded, making the oil leaking guy fly away.
"Sorry, sleazeball.. But we just don't like cheese…"
He blew away the smoke from his gun, but all of a sudden he saw something that his heart made skip a beat.
And another one.
No…
There was a big hole in the fence, made by his shot. And on the ground behind it was lying a kid…
Unconscious.
Bleeding.
"Oh no…", Modo breathed and he quickly jumped off his bike and ran to the kid.
When he reached it, he fell on his knees. Tears jumped into his one eye.
"No… No, no, no…"
His hands were floating above the body of the kid, he somehow was scared to touch him. He was just a kid. A young boy, around ten years old. His brown hair was soaked with blood, his eyes were closed and… Modo felt a huge pain in his chest. This was his fault. How the hell could this happen? Nothing like this ever happened to him. He was fighting this war for so long now. But this… Oh momma… His heart shattered into a million pieces while he was just staring at the boy.
Suddenly, a big shadow fell over him and he looked over his shoulder. A crane came closer, a huge metal metal pipe was now dangling above the gray furred giant, who had no place to go, no time to run, because of the kid…
"Oh momma…"
But suddenly Vinnie flew through the air.
"AAAOOWW!" and he shot the rope that was holding the metal pipe. Before it could land on Modo, he shot again and the metal pipe flew away.
The white furred mouse landed and stopped next to Modo, who was still on his knees, the kid was hidden behind his big body, so Vinnie didn't saw it.
"Please… save the thanks, the applause, the expensive gifts…", he started, but Modo suddenly turned around and the first thing that hit Vinnie, was the agony on the face of his gray furred bro. Then, he saw the body of the kid and he breathed in sharply.
"Oh man…"

Oh man, indeed. Poor Modo. Is he ever gonna recover from this one? This is bad, alright.
And what about the kid? Is he gonna be okay?

Well, guys, I wanna use this moment to wish you all the best for 2019.
Another year to follow your dreams, to love the people around you, to have fun and most important; to follow your own path!
Do whatever you like, do whatever makes you happy.
A massive thanks to you all for reading my stories and supporting me, really, it means so much to me.
Hope 2019 is gonna be a good year, filled with good fanfics about our guys, may they never be forgotten!
Be careful tonight, stay safe and most of all; have fun!

Feel free to leave a review. Till next time, guys!
Later!

#fuckdepression #makechesterproud