An Open Mind

by Ashes2

Just because two cultures don't mesh doesn't mean they have to clash, and Charley is about to get a first hand lesson in how Martian women prefer their men. On a trip back to Earth from Mars Charley awkwardly and frustratingly falls in love, Martian style. Takes place during 'Return to Mars'.

2. Family

Firstly, I want to assure everyone that I have not forgotten this fic at all. In fact I work on it quite regularly and all the chapters are at least partially written. I am, admittedly, a slow writer, On top of that, I have a story in my head that I worry is beyond my writing ability, so I revise constantly because I want to get it right.

My beta, theherocomplex, is the reason this fic is at all readable. Thank you so much!

I started writing the sequel to this fic. Originally I meant it to be a kind of exposé on the social fitting together of a group relationship, but it's coming out to be something else entirely. Because, try as I might, I cannot get over that these dudes are friggen telepathic! I wish more fanfics addressed what this would mean to their society and people would get along with each other.

In any case, part two is up. I refrain from using the word 'chapter' as I do not find it accurate. This is not a linear story. More like the same story told four times over, each time starting and ending in a different place, depending on where the most relevant points are for each character. Chapter four is kicking my butt, because apparently I'm obsessed with gender rolls, be they from real life or fictional societies. (who am I kidding, just look at my tumbler. That is almost the only thing I post about.)

On that topic I started a Biker Mice blog, going by the name Really Sexy Martians. For, you know, more reasons than just looking at gifs Martian muscles. (...tbh that's totally the reason.)

There are some subtleties in this part that differ from part one. If you see these, I urge to keep in mind that this from the perspective Of another character, and he has a different opinion than Charley. Additionally, I'm not much of a purest when it comes to cannon, and anachronisms make me smile. So you may find several references to modern technology that was not necessity available in the early nineties.

Also, every be aware that there is a Biker Mice mobile game coming out soon! Buy it. Give them your money. It shows the fandom is still alive and they might give us more stuff!

Hope you like it. Please review.

---

Once upon a time there was a tall gray Mouse who crash landed on an alien planet in the middle of a football game. He met a pretty alien girl and rescued her from a thug - a thug who was clearly not from her closed-off world. He fell in love with the girl five minutes after he met her. It was storybook perfect, ridiculous in its simplicity, with all his most adolescent expectations fulfilled.

That was the story Modo liked to tell himself. It was so easy to think in this way. He'd known other Mice who tended to be stark realists about the universe, but he wasn't raised that way. His parents taught to him to expect the Goddess wanted him to be successful and be prosperous. So, the most natural course of thought for him was this avenue he amalgamated from all the adventure tales he'd heard as a child. He would fight the bad guy, rescue the girl, live happily ever after. It left out the truth's messy details. It was a story that he would repeat on those painfully warm summer nights at the scoreboard when he couldn't sleep. Nights when he wondered, regardless of his actual feelings for her, if they would ever see General Carbine again. She was so far away, and they had accepted so much responsibility for this little blue world. While he knew it was good and right and honorable for them to do so, there were still moments when he would prefer to not feel like they had to chose between Earth and Charley, or Mars and Carbine.

Although Modo had never shared with the general anything more than a friendly hug or two (a deliberate choice on his part), there was a distinguishable budding affection in his heart for her that he'd been nursing for years, a slowly opening seed he cautiously dared to water when the days of endless battle nearly drove him to the most frustrating ends. He ached for a woman. Not only for the physical reasons, but as a partner to their triad. He wanted a lover for his heart as well as his desires. Modo knew his bros felt the same way. Vinnie was clearly hurting for affection, and was not shy about letting everyone know.

Throttle was another story.

Modo had long suspected that their tan bro had been shirking tradition and gone off on his own with Carbine, even before they had had any agreement with her. It would be a lie to say he didn't feel a little jealous, but he didn't blame Throttle. It was good that one of them was close to her. Typically, the intention by doing this is to cause the inevitable feelings of attachment to grow between the three of them and their soon-to-be lover. In some ways this action violated tradition, but over all it was understood. Modo could wait for his turn. After all, it wasn't as if they were expected to remain celibate before finding a serious partner. Just not so emotional. There was an old saying amongst his people: boys could do what they wanted, but men had responsibilities. In his experience a person's technical age didn't define which side of that fence they fell on. It was only action, how much and what kind, that proved the distinction. There would have to be a talk between him and his bros to reach an agreement on what they all wanted.

But all those assumptions came from before they were captured by the Plutarchians and sent to a POW facility on the other side of the solar system. After years living under the Plutarchians' care, they eventually managed to escape during an unscheduled prison riot. The Goddess must had been with them that day, because somehow they were able to find a Martian Metrocruiser, stuffed into storage and forgotten about, and make their alleviating way back home. From the direction they had been traveling, however, they had to make a pass by Earth. Although Earth was further inward in the solar system, the orbits' of Mars and Earth had been on opposite sides of the sun. And the Plutarchians, who refused to let even a small handful of prisoners escape, tracked and shot them down. The had been gone so long that everyone they knew likely thought they were dead, and when they were finally so close to their home, by sheer dumb luck they landed on Earth rather than Mars. But on Earth there was a caveat that Modo and his bros knew but had forgotten about.

On Earth, there were women in droves.

They discussed it while riding through Chicago on that first day. Cautiously, they would explore this world, opening themselves up to whatever it was willing to offer. So long as they were stranded here, what was the harm anyway? They would even go as far as to be willing to go their separate ways with Earth women, as it was apparent to them that was how these people preferred things. And why wouldn't they? These people had none of the imbalance between the population numbers of the two sexes that, someway or another, his people had always managed. Modern times may be a bit extreme, but Cave Mice had run into this problem before. Sometimes, they could only blame themselves for creating it.

They met Charley that night. After that, for him there was only her.

Their dark haired ambassador to this world, she invited them into her life after only a moment's hesitation. None of them felt any grudge against that, as she was one of only a handful of humans having known first hand that there was life outside their tiny water covered planet. So much peace this place had known. Alongside that there was such purposeless violence. They had fallen in love with Earth just he fell in love with Charley. Their human girl tied them to this world. And eventually they chose together that they could not leave Earth to the Plutarchians as long as Charley still made that world her home.

Throttle, as much as he threw out that their mate was to be Carbine, had fallen for her too, after a fashion. He resisted harder and longer than Modo ever could. There were consequences to mind-walking with the inexperienced. It having been done only one time shouldn't have been an issue. Modo could only surmise that humans were of a weaker mind than any of them could guessed. After one Terran year Modo knew what had resulted. Those filigree flashes of thought, images of her from stolen glances, slipped into his dreams so delicately he barely noticed them until they crowded him min completely.

Did Vinnie notice? Or was he acting on instinct and impulse as he most often did?

Against his better judgment, Modo began to make it a point to spend time with her alone. He would stay long after his bros left, helping Charley clean up the kitchen or finish up a late night project in the garage. On occasion it would be late enough that she would make up a cushioned nest for him on her living room floor and insist he spent the night. Some nights we would stay. Others he would leave. Never could he decided which was more painful.

On the nights he stayed, he usually retreated back to the scoreboard before anyone woke up. A few of those mornings, he was less than successful.

Vinnie was pushing himself up from the couch, clearly having slept there. His pelt stuck out at odd angles around his shoulders and neck. With an exasperated sigh, he sleepily rubbed at his eyes.

"You're killing me here, bro," he accused.

"Yeah..." Modo was still standing at the door, having just closed it as silently as possible. Not silently enough, it would seem. "Not any worse than I'm killin' myself."

Vinnie scoffed. "Good for you. 'Cept some of us don't have such good memories keep us company on these kind of rough nights."

"And that's my fault?" He threw a metal hand at himself, wincing slightly as it bounced off his sternum. "Don't blame me just 'cause you're all talk."

Modo focused on the two pink eyes narrowing aggressively at him.

"You know that's not true. It was a numbers game that not everyone can beat, brother." He spat the last word venomously. "Besides, why do you bother wasting your time when you don't even know if she could handle your huge ass." He gestured dismissively at Modo.

Modo clenched his fists, taking a step forward. Having this fear thrown in his face did not make for a happy Mouse.

"You..."

"Guys!" Throttle called out. He leaned against the bedroom door frame, arms crossed and brow furrowed. "It's too early for that shit. Let it go."

Vinnie harrumphed and pointed his eyes at a couch cushion without further argument.

The tan Mouse sauntered over to his bro and placed a friendly hand on his shoulder.

"What are doing, man? You know that can never work. You're just making it harder on the rest of us. We made promise. As long as Carbine's alive we gotta keep that promise."

Modo closed his eyes and shook his head.

"I know. I know all that, Throttle." Pressing flesh fingers into his forehead, he continued. "You think I want this? I want to put an end to what this fish are doing to this world. I want to get rid of everyone who works for them, just so I know that there no more threats to Earth. I want to get my hands on that transporter, go back to Mars, find Carbine and finally start my life!"

"We know, bro." Throttle's hand tightened reassuringly. "We all feel the same way. But you're just throwing yourself into temptation. I don't want to mess around with Charley-girl. She's important to us."

"She's important to me to, man. Don't talk to me like I don't think about the consequences. But you gotta understand, you went off with Carbine, right?" Throttle clenched his jaw at that. "Oh, don't give me that, bro. Like we couldn't tell. You know what it's like to be pulled in when a woman pays attention to you. You gotta have some sympathy, right?"

"Carbine's not an alien. There's nothing we'd have to tiptoe around with her."

"Charley's hotter than Carbine." Vinnie offered his two cents, his voice muffed from the pillow he held over his face. Modo schooled his features to betray no opinion, while Throttle yanked the pillow off and outwardly glared at him. "What? It's true! Look at her hips to waist ratio. A perfect seventy percent. That ain't just me. That's science."

Throttle shook his head threw the pillow back at him, turning to Modo.

"You're messing with all of us, bro. You really want to take this back home to Carbine?"

"That ain't fair, Throttle."

"It's the truth."

"Aw, lay of him Throttle." Vinnie jumped in again. "The guy just wants a girl that reminds him of the old lady. Charley's got a temper that comes pretty close."

"Exactly whose side are you on?" There was a slight growl that Modo heard sneak into Throttle's words.

"I don't know! I haven't decided."

"Well, what are supposed to do? Flip a coin? We're not trying to decide what movie to watch or what to eat tonight. We're talking about who we might be spending the rest of our lives with."

"Charley is here with us now," Modo quipped.

"We made a promise to Carbine first."

"But what if we didn't?" Modo continued.

"Modo..." Throttle warned.

"I know we did. But if we didn't, where would you be with Charley-girl?"

Throttle didn't answer.

"Come on, man. I want to know where you stand with her. Can't you just give me that?"

"She..." Throttle sat down on a chair by the window, rubbing his eyes under the specs. "Walking down that path with Charley has got a lot more issues than you guys are willing to admit. This planet...these people, they do not give anything up to their women easily. Two generations ago a human woman had hardly any social standing outside of who her husband was. A century ago they couldn't even own property in their own name." He gazed at them both, imploringly. "You want to take someone from that kind of background and put them in a place where they have all this expectation to be a decisive clan leader?" He shook his head. "I'm not saying she couldn't do it. What I'm saying is that it's unfair to think she'd be okay that just because we are. But you know what?" He threw his arms outward. "I might be wrong. She may be completely fine with all that. But it doesn't matter because we already have a girl back home." He looked directly at Modo. "This conversation is pointless. Get your act together, man. Charley's great and all, but we're not going to be on Earth forever."

Defeated, Modo muttered an agreement. He couldn't argue with his bro's logic. She was their guide here on Earth. They all needed her. Charley was great. Really great. But she was a friend. Only that one small connection could be acceptable. A promise was made and must be kept. Throttle was right. They could not give in to what he desired of her. The dishonor was unacceptable.

"Hey man." Vinnie called. Modo plopped down next to him on the couch. "I know it sucks. Believe me, I get it."

Modo hung his head in his hands.

"What if it was just me?" he asked. "Just for a while. She and I could do our thing and then when we're done here I go back Mars and do everything that's expected of me."

Throttle raised an eyebrow.

"You really think that a good idea, bro? With all this...stuff you got going on for her, you could just back off and pretend it never happened. We have to deal with her, too. I don't know about you Vincent, but I can't handle all that. It would drive me crazy. I love Charley-girl. We all do. But we can't love her like that."

Modo exhaled roughly. His chest and shoulders ached. He felt an empty, cold oppressive hold over him. Modo was not a guy with much skill in the way of vocabulary, and he knew it, but he could put a word on this feeling. He named it despair.

"There is no getting around this, bros." Throttle's firm voice allowed for no argument. "Charley-girl is a friend only."

And reluctantly they agreed that she never could be more than that.

---

"I slept with Charley."

When Vinnie finished that sentence, Modo felt his heart drop to his stomach. His fists shook with rage.

No. No!

Vinnie could not have done what he had just confessed to doing. He was a lot of things, but there was no way that even he wasn't that disrespectful. Or stupid.

Modo could understand his bro was desperate. He was lonely and scared and wanted the same thing that they all did. To wake up in the morning with a warm female body pressed against him. To smell on her fur the scent of his bros and know that they were a complete clan, fully equipped for survival. To watch her belly swell with life and to shout at the Plutarchians that they could take everything they wanted from Mars, and the Mice would survive. They would endure. They would thrive.

Fate had never quite matched up well with the trio when it came to women. It was, however, fair to say that had become the way of things for so many Cave Mice in modern times. No one bothered to spend the traditional two Martian years (or almost three Earth years, as Modo had found himself still thinking in terms of Earth time) exploring a possible partner's mind and heart. It was now too costly to take as much time seeking out the kind of psychic compatibility that made a stable relationship. His grandparents would have not been pleased. A generation ago it would have been unthinkable for two people to rush into anything serious. They would have followed the convention of the times, pair off and slowly, telepathically, taking stock of each others souls.

His mother had told him of a time when she was young and her family's adherence to the old ways of Goddess worship had lost them friends on many occasions. They lived in an urban environment. It was a place of wealth and ease, where social attitudes had been taking on a rapid evolution. They were told to let go of their silly superstitions and accept modern ideas. The Goddess was an invention of a more primitive time, when life was more precious and staying alive more difficult. We Mice are a space-faring race now, they would say. It was time to put away such childish ideas and let men and women live in equality with each other. The old ways were demeaning to men and put too much responsibility on women.

But then the slow invasion of the Plutarchians began and the female population had dropped to frighteningly low numbers. Then men had lived and died their entire violent lives never knowing the touch of a woman.

There was always the obvious alternative, he knew. And many had taken it, if for no other reason than to ease the frustration of living in a time where the gender ratio was so skewed. But that bothered him. There was, of course, nothing wrong with men seeking each other out for comfort, as long as it was a voluntary choice rather than act of hopeless desperation. He knew he was fortunate to have always had women in his life. His mother, his sister, and later his niece. In his greed, Modo always hoped the Goddess would grant him a wife as well.

Even if she was from another planet. He could accept that.

He would happily accept Charley. She had eyes like the sea and a heart just as deep. Modo loved the way her toned muscles showed through her alien skin. His hands ached to touch her arms where the thin fur was just barely visible in the right lighting. However, he was all too aware that if they did not tread carefully they could scare her off and would end up losing her forever. Not to mention there was tradition involved in which order they would approach her. Modo, as the one who first initiated their desire of her, was expected to begin the official courtship. Throttle would be the last, because he was their leader. It was his duty to them to make certain everyone was settled and comfortable. Emotions usually ran high in the beginning of these arrangements. The leader was needed to make certain that there were no misunderstands between the group. If there were, he would stay in the background, seeking only general affection from their new lover, until all could be resolved. By default Vinnie should have been second. By common sense Vinnie should have stayed the hell away from her.

Everyone, even Vinnie, knew how little self control he had.

The evening after Limburger escaped back to Earth in his now damaged transporter, Throttle came to his bros and told them Carbine couldn't wait anymore. She would accept the position she had been offered and take all the responsibilities that came with it. And she too would forge a marriage based on the old ways of Goddess worship, likely with some set of Liiashlau more befitting of her new social status.

Even though there hadn't been much of a mutual attraction or psychic connection between her and Modo or her and Vinnie, in these times a guy took what he could get and was grateful for it. A connection could grow later on. It often did when one was in a relationship with a set of men who had a liiash union. Originally, when they found themselves back on Mars, there was so much relief between the three of them. As soon as they got their hands on Carbine they would finally begin the courtship that they had agreed to so long ago. Leaving Charley behind hurt all of them, but still they could find hope in what they thought would come next.

Fate wasn't nearly so kind.

After being captured by their own people, (twice!) accused of treason by the very woman they were most excited to see, breaking out of prison, chasing down an escaping Limburger, randomly discovering a chained up Charley-ma'am dangling from a cliff and almost being tossed into a bottomless pit...well, all Modo wanted to do was ride off into the sunset towards his mama's cave and take a nap in his old bed. After a day like that, being around both of those woman at the same time was just far too emotionally exhausting for him.

In the end they took Charley to his mother's to give her some peace and he stayed at the freedom fighter base trying like hell to avoid Carbine at all costs. Maybe she was doing the same, because he never once saw her there.

To him, Carbine was...well, she was a perfectly acceptable woman and under any other circumstances he would be proud to make her a part of his clan. But his heart had wandered away without his consent. He knew that of the three of them, it would be him that would come to desire her last. Modo didn't want to make Throttle wait like that, but Modo could not simply turn off his feelings.

Over the next two days everything he had assumed about their relationship with those two women turned out to be completely wrong.

Carbine was to be given the right of rulership for their burgeoning new government. That was no small honor. In the old days, women were groomed for such a position at adolescence. The upper social classes that provided the girls to govern and legislate in the name of those they served had been one of the first to leave Mars during the war. After they had been paid off by their Plutarchian malefactors, they had fled, leaving Mars to its fate. The embittered masses were left to fend for themselves, given only a limited assistance from the corrupt military. The people wanted a leader they could trust, a woman they knew who would both serve and fight on their behalf. It was a custom many were eager to return to, as the presence of an official Matriarch would ease the hearts and minds of the battered Mice. But it also meant Carbine would be called away from her would-be boys. A Matriarch could not be so involved with soldiers. They were an entirely incompatible social class.

It was still hard for them to think of Carbine as one of those refined elegant ladies. She was just as much of a soldier as those who she could no longer make her lovers. Modo was sure that with Carbine at the lead, there was to be several traditions whose relevance would be re-evaluated by their Matriarch.

So, on that night when a distressed Throttle broke down and told them of the situation, Modo was overjoyed, a fact which Throttle quickly remedied with a sucker-punch to the face. In a bizarre twist of events, Vinnie was forced to be the mature one and break up his brawling brothers before someone was actually hurt. What followed between them was a long discussion of how to approach Charley, if they even should approach Charley. She was an alien and may not even want them.

On the other hand...she was already their girl, and had been for years.

Every part of their society would expect the four of them to be together. On Mars, there would have been no questioning it. Stoker had given them all a stern talking-to when he landed on Earth the first time. Thinking they had gotten involved with Charley when there was a clear agreement with them and Carbine, he was angry with them, spouting out terms like 'dishonorable' and 'abandonment'. None of this went over well with Modo's sexually frustrated brother. The entire time Stoker was there, Vinnie looked for excuse after excuse to put down and ridicule their aging mentor. It was all cleared up eventually, but Vinnie always was the type to forgive slowly.

Karma was about to bite him in the ass, because if they lost their Charley-girl over his childish impatience, Modo wasn't sure he could forgive Vinnie for a long time.

There was a moment of time after Vinnie had spoke where Modo could not remember what had happened. Vinnie confessed and Modo reacted with all the patience of a charging rhino. Next thing he knew Throttle was pulling him off their impulsive brother, while said brother grunted in pain. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Modo noted that Vinnie did not try to fight back.

"Did you even say the prayer?" Modo shouted as Throttle held him back, his hand gripping the front of his chest-plate. "Or did you just rut into her like a feral rat?" He tossed the weaponous words out, noticing with satisfaction how Vinnie flinched at the accusation.

"Of course I said it." came a quiet reply through clenched teeth. "I said it and I meant every word. I know I screwed up, but I'm not some animal." He slumped against a cave wall, clutching at his left shoulder where Modo had gotten in a good hit.

"Vincent, you did more than screw up," Throttle said in a dark tone. "Your actions put Charley in a place between the three of us that she has no understanding of. You betrayed her trust. Do you even realize how careful we needed to be if we wanted her to work out with us?"

Without looking at his brothers, Vinnie nodded.

"Earthers hold their women down. They don't learn their true power. We have to be so so careful, or she's going to think that we just want to possess her, like some toy."

"But Charley's smart." Vinnie pleaded. "She'll get it, I know she will. She's not a small minded bigot and she isn't going to judge us like that."

"We can't make any assumptions." Throttle let go of Modo, who was just regaining his self control. "Every step we take needs to be coordinated carefully between us."

"You stay away from her!" Modo grunted. "You don't talk to her. You don't even look at her. Charley is off limits to you."

Vinnie scowled and stood up straighter, challenging Modo.

"Just for a few days, Vincent," Throttle reassured him. "Wait until we get back to Earth. It'll be easier for her once she's in familiar territory. Then we'll talk it out and see what she thinks."

Modo felt his arms flex involuntarily and his hackles stand on end. He spoke threw clenched teeth. "If she rejects us because you had no self-control, Vinnie, I swear..."

"Modo." Throttle spoke quietly, warningly, stepping in between Modo and Vinnie. "Let's be honest here. There are so many reasons why she could reject us. Most of them have nothing to do with our bro. We're all frustrated. We all want this to work. If you got some emotions about that to deal with, you don't do here."

Modo let out a long, threatening growl before turning on his heels and stomping out of the room, slamming the door behind him. However Throttle and Vinnie finished that conversation he didn't know, nor did he care. He was scared and angry. Vinnie was an easy scapegoat and Modo latched on the moment the opportunity presented itself.

The truth was that he was jealous of his chalky brother. Jealous that he had been intimate with her first. Jealous of how easily he flirted with her for so long. Jealous that out of the three of them, Vinnie had been the one Charley rode with the most. He would watch them, out of the corner of his eye, while Vinnie would wind his tail around her midsection, adjusting the tension there just a bit more than necessary. It was for her safety, the candescent Mouse claimed. Modo agreed with him, of course, but still he'd rather it had been him gripping her by the waist from behind with his posterior appendage.

He darted through the halls without purpose, ignoring friendly greetings and salutes by his fellow soldiers. He left the base, walking a ways until he was certain he was alone. Kicking and punching the dunes until his knuckles bled, he shouted at the sky and cursed his fate. A sob escaped his chest. The sand worked its way between the fibers on his arms, irritating his skin. He was certain he would be an impeccable husband, all piety aside. A burning urge to be pleasing to a woman, and the utter frustration of always being just a bit out of reach from one, grated at him. His good eye drifted heavenward towards the lavender sky. Phobos shone brilliantly. Deimos peaked just over the horizon. Modo cursed both of them, useless gods as they were. The two husbands of the Great Goddess glared back at him silently.

He wandered back to the base.

The overly bright lights of the medical ward normally caused him to avoid this area. He figured the less he stressed his remaining eye, the longer it would last. In this case, he thought it worth the risk. He found the doctor reading a lab report, the arms of her fourth husband wrapped loosely around her midsection from behind. Modo nodded at the man, whose name he couldn't recall. He nodded back. Giving his wife a small peck on the check, he retreated from the room.

"How's the new guy working out, doc?" Modo inquired once they were alone.

The ebony female smiled. "Well enough." She sat down on a nearby chair. "He says a liiash union isn't his style, but we'll make it work."

"Yeah. Maybe he's got the right idea. A liiash union doesn't exactly guarantee there won't be problems."

Trace gave a reassuring smile. "My first two don't seem to mind it."

"Everyone's got a different flow." He reclined on a hospital bed. "What do you know about hybrids?"

"Hybrids? Why do you ask?"

Modo cleared his throat and looked away.

"Oh. It's that Earther girl. Are you two..."

"Not yet. I hope we do. She's got a temper like grandma Sprite."

Trace smirked. "And that does it for because why?"

"Don't be like that. You don't know her." He put an arm over his face. "I can't help it. My bro mind-walked her and she got stuck inside. Now I don't know what to do."

"Sounds like a regular fairy tale."

Modo groaned. "It's been anything but."

The doctor gave her brother a long, hard look.

"I just want to know...could we? Charley and us? Or is it all just a moot point?"

Her brow furrowed at his question. "Oh Modo..."

"I think we could handle it, if it is. But, I mean...it's natural, right? I want to be the man I was taught to be. I want kids, Trace."

She placed her clipboard on a table. "I'm no expert in human biology. I can't say yes or no for sure. Not without examining at her myself. But..."

Modo pushed himself up on his elbows and waited impatiently for her next words.

"Their media has given us some cursory information. Humans have forty-six chromosomes. We have forty. This difference will make any kind procreation extremely difficult."

She was met with a hopeful grin.

"Difficult? But not impossible?" he breathed.

"Hybrids are tricky. You could have a thousand successfully fertilized zygotes and maybe a few of those will mature into viable fetus. And even if it does, then the main issue will be miscarriages."

Modo cringed. Could he do that to Charley?

"It's reasonable to assume most of them would happen so early in pregnancy she would not even notice there was a pregnancy. They often have an odd number of chromosomes, as opposed to most species, who have an even number. If there is a child, most likely it will forty-three chromosomes, halfway between Mice and Humans."

"Will it be healthy? Being different like that?"

"It's possible." Trace conceded.

"Could..." This was so difficult to ask. "Could it have kids someday? Or would it be...?"

"Sterile?" She offered. "It depends. The problem, Modo, is that most of the time hybrids cannot produce viable gametes. Because the number is forty-three, there isn't even pairs. The extra chromosome cannot make a homologous pair at meiosis, meiosis is disrupted, and viable sperm and eggs are not formed. However, if the child is female there is a more likely chance of fertility. That's always been the paradox with hybrids. Males are universally sterile. Females have more flexibility." She shook a finger warningly at her brother. "And don't go all religious on me about that. Good old fashioned evolution has just as much of a part to play. Life wants to survive. Even single-celled asexual organisms will fight tooth and nail to pass on their genes." Trace sat back in her chair. "Look, this is all speculation. I have no idea how compatible Mice and Humans are. No one does. Maybe if you could convince her to come in here..."

"No." He cut her off. "It's not...we're not really there yet. I just wanted know."

She nodded. "You can say your prayer. It couldn't hurt. If you want to believe in all that, it might help. You know that stuff really isn't my thing. Hasn't been since we were kids."

"You used to like it." he grinned. "Made you feel safe knowing there was always something out there watching out for you."

Trace shrugged. "Sure, when I didn't know there was anything else." She took a deep breath. "You really love this girl?"

"Yeah. So much I don't even know what do. I want to have kids with her, but I don't want to hurt her either. I don't even know if we can..."

Trace raised an eyebrow. "I would worry about that. You'd be surprised how elastic some part of the female anatomy can be when aroused. It's a universal constant among mammals."

Modo didn't look convinced. She reached out and took her brother's hand.

"I can only tell you my experience as a woman. I am no clergy. I'm not interested in the old ways beyond what is socially and biologically necessary for our race's survival. If you speak to her, calmly, patiently, and without expectation, you are more likely to get the response you're looking for. Don't push her. Just let her know where you are at." Her fingers squeezed. "Most women, ubiquitously, just want a sense of security. Provide that, and I don't see why there should be any issue."

Though he occasionally did not understand her complex and sprawling way of speaking, Modo took in his sister's words. His gaze swept over her sable fur. It glistened under the artificial light, shining a slightly bluish tint. How could any woman not feel secure surrounded by Cave Mice soldiers? They made sure their women were never malnourished. They were survivors, even at the worst of times.

But Charley didn't know much about that yet. She had always been the one to take care of them.

Patience, he thought. Patience and calm.

Maybe they could do this. Maybe Charley could be the lover they all wanted.

Modo took his sister's words for all they offered to heart. He thanked her and left. As he passed through the expansive halls of the base's cave, he let his mind venture towards hopefulness. Charley would be theirs, he reassured himself. They just had to present themselves as something desirable to her, something useful. She knew they were strong. She knew they were trustworthy. Surely she had to know they would all make good husbands.

He found Throttle and Vinnie where he left them, speaking quietly in the corner. Vinnie still cradling his shoulder.

"We decided on something." Throttle's gaze met his own. "We're backing off completely. Charley should only talk to you for the next few days. Take it as far as you like. We're leaving what happens next up to you."

Modo huffed and crossed his arms. "I don't see why you had to talk that out. It should have been assumed that I would anyway."

"Hey," Vinnie spat. "We're trying to give you your space, Mouse. You don't have to be such a dick about it."

"I'm the dick? Really?"

Vinnie started to sit up.

"Stop it! Both of you." Throttle ordered. "That isn't going to get anyone anywhere. Modo. What do you want do about Charley next?"

Eyeing his Liiashlau, Modo dragged a chair to Throttle's side and sat down. Elbows on knees, he spoke.

"She doesn't have any idea what's going on, right? So let's just not assault her it. I'll approach her when we get back to Earth. I'll go slow. Then the four us have a talk, and answer any questions she could have. The most important thing here is that we are supportive to Charley. Everything else comes second." He focused on Vinnie. "Everything. Got it?"

Vinnie ducked his head and scowled. "Yeah. I got it."

Modo grunted.

"Throttle, bro..." he continued. "You have got to stop being such a pessimist. I can't take it. I need you on this one, man. It's a team play."

"Yeah..." The tan Mouse scratch the back of his ears. "I have been cautious. Not without good reason. But you're right. We do this together." He took a deep breath as if finally accepting what she was for them. "For our girl."

Modo firmly nodded.

"I'll bring something up to her, nothing too serious. Just a talk. Maybe a week after we get back to Earth. I think this can all still be salvageable, We're just moving the calendar up a bit. Vinnie, you're a stupid selfish bastard. But I forgive you for that and I'm gonna trust you from here on out. We all gotta take care of our girl, and you will fall in line. This solo act ends. We're gonna start over. Like it didn't happen."

Throttle gave him a sideways look. "She wouldn't know what that means, bro. For all Charley knows we could just not being giving her a say in who shows up that night. It'll make her feel powerless."

"So we explain to her, real slow-like, if she says no or doesn't get why." Modo answered.

"But what if..." Vinnie quietly spoke up. "I'm just saying, what if pretty early on she says she only wants me and you show up?"

Modo narrowed his eye darkly. Envy, unbidden, creeped its ugly way to the forefront of his thoughts.

"I'm being serious! What I mean is, we have an order that we work in because that's normal to us. Modo, me, then Throttle. What if that order doesn't mean anything to her? Like what Throttle said."

Modo tossed his hands up. "I don't got all the answers. I don't know any more than you. All we can do about that is hope for the best." He braced himself for the next part. The two of them had a right to know as much as he did, which wasn't really much to begin with. "I spoke to Trace. She gave some...I guess kinda good news. It's that thing we're all thinking about but none of us have the guts say out loud. She said might have kids with her, maybe. But even if we did they could only have kids if they're girls."

There was a stillness between the three of them, lasting more than a minute, as the implications of this set in.

"So..." Throttle began. "The clan lives on through our daughters." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I don't see anything wrong with that. It'd probably be for the best anyway. But any boys..."

"Would be social outcasts," Vinnie finished. "At least as far as finding a girl. Who would what a guy who couldn't have kids?" He fidgeted in his seat. "I didn't know. Bros, I said the prayer. I asked the Goddess...I didn't what I was asking for. Oh gods..."

Witnessing the remorse of his Liiashlau, Modo felt the grip of his resentment loosen.

"We don't know what could happen," he said, trying to comfort them. "Let's just work off the assumption that the Goddess isn't that cruel. It might never happen at all. Trace said she was mostly guessing, and the only way to know for sure would be for Charley to see her in person."

"Guys, I don't think I can..." Vinnie covered his face with his hands. "I'm not sure if I can do this. I can't help bring a life into the universe knowing they would have to live like that!"

Throttle lay a hand on his distressed brother's shoulder.

"Mice have been living like that for decades. We've all figured out to live with less women around."

Vinnie frantically shook his head. "It's not the same thing. For the rest of us there was always hope that we could meet a girl. What you're talking about...no girl would ever want him. And it's not like this kid could just live on Earth his whole life. He'd be alone."

As Vinnie voiced what they were all thinking, Modo cringed. It was all he'd been thinking of when to spoke to Trace. The kind of people they would be bring into the universe, was it ethical of them to follow their own wishes without any thought of the consequences to others? His whole life he'd only ever wanted one thing: to get married, have some kids and live happily every after. But now, with the woman of his dreams before him, that fantasy seemed to be farther away than ever. He strove to take his own advice and trust his Goddess.

"Bro," Modo spoke up. "Sometimes Earthers don't even want kids. They're got all this stuff to prevent that. It's not the same on Earth as it for us." He rubbed a tired hand over his forehead. "I don't think it's an issue yet. The things we want...we don't know if she wants them too. We shouldn't talk too much about it without her involved."

With eyes rimmed red, Vinnie nodded.

"Look, I don't really know what to do here. I don't. I just think we gotta be prepared to be patient. We gotta to be okay with knowing she might say no to us. We gotta let her go if that happens."

Throttle gave him a hard look.

"That's hasn't been your normal tune for a while now. Why are you so cool with walking away now?"

If Modo were capable of hating his brother, he might have done so in that moment. The accusation was cruel in his eyes. Instead, he snapped his head toward Throttle and bared his teeth.

"I'm not! That's the last thing I want. But this ain't about what I want. It's about her." Modo stopped, scraping the top of his head with his long nails. "Let's just be honest here. The numbers ain't in our favor. Who knows if we'll ever even meet another girl who wants us. We've had two chances already. Maybe a lot of what happened was out of our hands, but the result was we couldn't find a way to keep 'em. The way I see it, we gotta be here for Charley, whatever happens. We gotta be something that makes her feel secure. And there's a difference between that and being overprotective. It's too easy to be the second one. So, for this, we move slow. Careful."

"Charley already sees us 'something that makes her feel secure'." Throttle cut in, eyes targeted at the gray Mouse.

"Bro," Vinnie shifted in his seat, still nursing his shoulder. "I know Charley cares about us and all, but I think Modo means something a little deeper than..."

"I know what he means. And I know what Charley feels."

Vinnie's ears quirked upwards.

"What? How do you..."

"Because, Vinnie..." Modo interrupted, meeting Throttle's gaze. "Our macho leader found himself tangled up in a mental knot. Now he can't get free without his dance partner's help. Only, she don't even know what's going on."

Vinnie's gaze shifted cautiously from Modo to Throttle.

"No way," he scoffed, shaking his head. "No freakin' way. Between that and Modo mooning after her for the better part if the last three years, you guys go after me because I'm the first one to make a move? That's messed up, bros."

"Don't even start, Vinnie." Modo warned. "Your actions were disrespectful to all of us. And Charley."

"Fine, I admit that. But I'm not the only one here who wanted what he wasn't supposed to have yet. You two," he pointed harshly at his brothers. "...are not being fair to me."

On principle, he wanted to disagree, hut Modo could not deny Vinnie's logic.

"The way things are going, we may as well just marry her tomorrow. It'd be a lot less painful for everyone."

"Vincent!" Throttle chastised. "She is not a Mouse. We can't just treat her like one and expect her go along with it all. You want to talk about fairness? That would be the least fair thing we could do to her. It would be cruel, at best, to tell her to let go of everything she's ever been taught was normal. We need to do this gently."

"Damn, alright already. I was joking anyways."

"Well, don't. Not when it comes to Charley. Not now."

Vinnie harrumphed, and did not reply.

"How long have you known?" Throttle asked Modo. "About me and Charley-girl?"

"Come on, man. I've known for a while. You think that doesn't affect us?" His stone-colored ears dropped a fraction of an inch. "I could've told you what happened, I don't know, maybe about a year after. But you weren't willing to talk and I wasn't going to push you. I figured you'd come to us when you were ready." He glared at Vinnie, unsure why he did. "'That was the original plan."

"Maybe," Vinnie growled. "It's better to have things out in the open." He threw his hands up in the air. "When have we ever tried to hide anything from each other, anyways? This is all such bullshit. I was honest. I told you guys what was going on. I didn't keep it from anyone..." He looked at Throttle. "... or pussyfoot around..." Garnet eyes flickered to Modo. "I was up front and real. And my bros go off on me for it. I won't admit I did anything wrong. Was it bad timing? Fine, yes. Hell yes. Was I gettin' in your space, Modo? You bet your gray ass, and that was a little fucked up of me to do. But compared to you two? At least I did something. Better than sittin' around, moping about what I can't have. Both of you guys are guilty of that." He slumped back, crossing his arms. "I don't care what you all say. Charley ain't the type to run away just 'cause things get a little hairy."

Modo's antenna pitched forward as he activated the feather-light ribbon of congruity, enkindling uniformity in their thoughts.

Normally, this was Throttle's job. But Modo, sick and tired of their arguing over what should have been such a simple concept, decided to take Vinnie's advice and act on his desires. He hoped his leader would understand, and not take it as an act of challenge. Immediately Modo saw the unclenching of Vinnie's jaw, the loosening of his arms. Throttle, absent eye-contact, allowed Modo to continue without hindrance. Though, he deliberately added his own intention to the mix. A small, liquid abstraction of thought, avulsing agreement from all those who met it.

This was one of those things they would have explain to her when the time came. In their culture there were occasions when a little bit of mind control was allowed, solely among adults, and only when it had been previously agreed upon. In a liiash union, consent was implied. There was trust enough between them to make room for such things. And Vinnie...well, he had was always been the type to fall in line at the slightest touch, but left unchecked he would quickly revert back into the wild child they had known as kids. Modo and Throttle learned to recognize the signs long ago. He would start out indignant, expecting attention from anyone who could hear him speak. From there, it would only get worse. Words to be followed by actions, poor choices made in the attempt to prove everyone else wrong. So these days they stopped him at the first sign rebellion, even if he had an convincing opinion.

With this entente firmly secured in place, Throttle retreated, mentally demanding Modo do the same. He delayed for a moment.

Unless you got something useful to add, Modo sent Vinnie. You can keep you outbursts to yourself.

After that, they both obeyed. Modo to Throttle, and Vinnie to both of them.

"Are we done with all that now?" Throttle spoke calmly, casually. "Are we all ready to be on the same page?" The other two nodded. "Good. Because at this point, we have a choice. We could let anger and resentment just take over, and see if that makes anything better. Or we could try to be a little more understanding. None of us did this on purpose. I'm guilty of not thinking that maybe humans could be that oblivious to their own capabilities. Modo didn't think we would be running into someone so deeply compatible with his needs in the first hour we were on Earth. And what going through your head, Vincent?"

"I thought she would say no." Vinnie hung his head. "Charley always says no. I'll do something flirty and she brushes it off and tells me it's never gonna happen. That's what she always does. But she didn't, and I lost control."

Again, Modo felt that unwilling forgiveness creep up on him.

"Modo, I want her," Vinnie rushed out. "I don't think I can give her up. I'll do whatever it takes to give you what you need. I just can't let her go."

Modo sympathized with his brother, knowing that if the time came he would likely feel the same afterwards. How could either of them move on after that?

As usual, Throttle sought to hold them back.

"Whatever happens, bro, we have to go along with what she wants. It's Charley's game. We're just the players."

Modo scratched the back of his ears, wishing (not for the first time) the he had taken up a more unsavory habit, like smoking. He have to settle for his own self discipline to calm himself.

He decided to move forward.

"Are we all clear? Anyone got anything else they want to say?" Though neither of them said anything more, Modo could feel Throttle's hesitation. But if his bro wanted to talk about it, he would have said something. If Vinnie was paying attention, he would have noticed it too, but the white Mouse was too caught up in his own distractions to see the extent of his bros' minds. "Alright, then. We all agree, this here is my space. I'm settin' the pace for the next move. No one got a problem with that, right?" More silence. "Fine. Nothin' more to talk about then." He crossed his arms, daring them them to continue the conversation.

Throttle nodded, stood, and left. Vinnie stayed where he was, eyes following Throttle until he was gone.

"Look," He piped. "I really tried to be respectful. I said the prayer, I kept my distance. I really don't know what else I could have done."

Modo lifted an eyebrow.

"I mean, except for that."

Modo let out a long breath, finally letting go of some of his jealously.

"What was she like?" he dared to ask, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Soft." Vinnie sighed. "So soft. All that skin, man. It's totally different. And the whole time...it was like...I don't know man, like she was a little heartbroken. The way she held on to me." He covered his face with his hands. "I just wanted to jump in and screw the consequences. I wanted to look into her mind and fix whatever it was that was bothering her. But most of all I just wanted to hold her."

Modo felt his breathing pause.

"Did you?"

"No. I let her do what she wanted, but I kept my distance. But damn, let me tell you, it was hard. You'll see what I mean when she comes around."

"You think our chances are good here? Be honest, bro. Don't sugar coat it for me."

"Yeah. I do. When has Charley-girl ever turned us away. I mean, aside from when we've broken something expensive."

Modo chucked. "Yeah, there's that."

Vinnie stood, slowly and carefully. "So...we good?"

"Yeah, bro." He nodded. "We're as good as we're gonna get."

Vinnie threw his brother a crooked smile and exited the room, noticeably limping.

After he was alone, Modo dropped his head into his hands and gave a grunt of frustration. At this point there was nothing left to do but wait. He hated waiting. He'd much rather have an experience than sit around doing nothing. But at the same time he knew Trace's advice would pay off in the long run. Patience, she had said. He would comply. He would take a risk and assume that this would work out for all of them.

There was much that he wondered on. What would she expect of him? What was reasonable in Human sexuality? He knew little more than what television had taught him and his bros, but they all knew that to be unreliable. What was found there was either an exaggeration or fantasy. Television was a parody of real life, not an example. And he doubted his limited experience with Mouse women would be of much help. He wasn't sure it would have been useful to him even if he had been courting one of his own race.

The advantage of having a sister was that most women knew other women. Thus, by his association with her, he had found himself two or three times in that place that had become so well-known and sought after by the male Cave Mice population. When a women comes to a man, demanding 'Take off your clothes, I'm lonely', what could he do but obey? There was a time when Modo naively thought this was the way to attracted a mother for their small clan. His sister corrected him, explaining that these girls were typically those younger ones who usually more interested in play than marriage. It seemed to him such a shame that Vinnie never encountered one of these. Maybe the exposure would calm him down a bit. On the other hand, it might make him worse.

In any case, he knew now what he truly desired in a woman. And he would never again make that mistake.

Modo rose to his feet and left the room. He wandered through the base, finding himself in one of the larger caves where various salvaged and re-purposed ships were being worked on by the engineers. The mechanical sounds of power tools and clanking metal filled the air. He saw Charley. Her exotic eyes were as wide as the moon-gods. The technician she was speaking to explained his repairs, gesturing to various components. For a moment he couldn't help but stare. Modo truly believed everything about her was flawless.

But, as was often the case him and women, he was jolted back into harsh reality faster than he was comfortable with. Carbine was here. From her deliberate stride, pacing towards his Earther, he could see that she was taking action. To what end, he did not know. Modo wasn't sure it was his place to ask.

Before either of them could see him he ducked behind a corner, peaking his one good eye out around the edge. From his perspective he could see Carbine's eyes, glossed over and crinkled with sadness. Charley just looked confused. They didn't appear to be arguing. That was a relief. Nothing good came of women making enemies of each other. On his planet several wars had broken out that way.

"Uncle Modo!"

He jumped, whipping his head to the direction of the voice. Rimfire, cheerful as all hell, jogged toward him, a ridiculous grin plastered on his muzzle.

"Did you hear? I'm going to...what are you doing?"

He realized what he looked like, with his back and palms pressed into the wall. Modo clearly looked like he was hiding. But he was out in the open, with nothing obvious to be hiding from.

"Uh...nothing." He crossed his arms, trying and likely failing to look casual. "What you going to do?"

"Oh! I'm going with you to Earth. I'm taking the ship back after."

"Yeah?" Modo smirked. "Think you can make it without crashing this time?"

"Hey," He thumped his uncle on the shoulder. "You crashed too!"

"We were shot down. Half the ship wasn't working."

"So was I!" Rimfire rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I mean, sorta. I did what I could."

"Yeah, yeah. Landings on Earth might be jinxed anyway."

Rimfire laughed at that. Modo glanced back to the direction of the two women, seeing they had left. What had they spoken about? Had the conversation ended on good terms?

Rimfire tilted his head to the side before speaking again.

"Mom said you have a girlfriend. Did she mean Charley?"

Modo's thoughts were interrupted but the sly accepting grin of his nephew. Modo was not impressed, and made certain to show it on his face.

"That's not how you talk about her. You got to be more respectful."

Rimfire waved a dismissive hand. "I am. When I talk to her I use all the verbal bells and whistles."

"Just 'cause she ain't in the room doesn't mean you just stop." He shook a finger at the kid. "Take my advice on this kid. It's just not good enough to do the polite thing 'cause that's was expected. You gotta want to do it. It don't mean nothing, otherwise."

"Fine." Rimfire rolled his eyes. "Are you guys with Charley-ma'am?"

Modo let his gaze drift downward, focusing on the carved stone floor.

"Not...yet. It's complicated."

"Complicated how? She didn't ask you? "

"Earth is a different kind of place, Rimfire. Guys usually do the asking." Even as he said it, Modo was not certain how accurate that statement was.

"Oh." Rimfire mulled that over. "So...are you going to? Ask her?"

"We're getting' there. No point in rushin' things. Our way of doing things isn't exactly normal for her."

"What's normal then? For humans?"

Modo gave a small lopsided shrug.

"That's something I'm still learnin' myself. For now, I'm just tryin' to do right by my girl." He folded his arms behind his head and tilted his gaze upwards. "Let me tell you something, kid. When you meet a girl, however it turns out, whatever you feel driven to do...your motivations have got to be for her. Everything else is something you find a way to work out, but your girl is your priority. You find a way to love her, and she'll find a way to respect you. We all gotta meet halfway. That's how these things work out."

Rimfire nodded, taking his uncle's advice with the same not-quite-understanding that he took all his elders' advise.

"Well, that's good to know, I guess." he stammered. It seemed the conversation had gotten too serious for the kid. "I gotta go meet some people. We're going to go jumping the ravines."

Modo gives a halfhearted smile, recognizing the poor excuse for what it was. He watched his nephew trot off.

He is unsure where to go from here. In truth, Modo felt as unsure as Rimfire looked when he gave the boy his advice. A girl was no simple simple thing. Not before the Plutarchians came, and even more so not now. She can drive a man to the edge of himself and convince him to keep going. And Modo would, happily, eagerly, if it won him her approval. That was his mission now. To be the kind of man the man that she would accept.

He pushed off the wall, pacing down the cave. They would be leaving in a few hours. Maybe he could help prepare the ship.

When he walked through the ship's doors, he was not surprised to see his bros, having just finished loading up their bikes. The low undercurrent of their consciousness' had prodded at him for the last few minutes. He knew they were somewhere close by, but did not concern himself with the details.

Vinnie grasped his bike's handle bars with gloved hands, his face covered in tension. It seemed being locked inside this box with Charley-ma'am for the next few days was not something he looked forward to. Modo resisted the urge to scoff and throw out some sarcastic comment. Didn't he want this? Wasn't this what he was trying to create?

Throttle leaned on the wall some ways away. His arms were crossed and his expression sour. Modo could guess what was bothering him. He sauntered up alongside the tawny Mouse.

"You see Carbine?"

Throttle gave Modo a hard look, kicking his heel at the floor.

"It wasn't the best. How we ended it," He answered. "There's a lot of...unresolved stuff still out there. She tried to talk to me about it. I just can't do it right now."

"That why Vinnie's so tense? It's bleeding over?"

"In part. He's got his own stuff to deal with."

"Yeah..." Modo leaned back a bit. "Hey!" he shouted to Vinnie. "You okay over there?"

Vinnie's eyes wouldn't meet his bros'.

"Oh, sure," he sulked. "I'm fan-fucking-tasic. Look at the size of this thing!" He gestured outward. "How am I supposed to avoid her in this tin can?"

"Just figure it out, Vincent!" Throttle barked. "Don't talk to her. That's all you have to do."

Witnessing his brother's rare temper was startling for Modo, and Vinnie, who cringed and spoke not another word. An angered Throttle was best to be avoided.

"Bro..." Modo hushed, placing a calming hand on Throttle's shoulder. Modo felt the tension in his torso dissipate a fraction.

Modo watched as Throttle sculpted his face into an apologetic frame, mutter something unintelligible, and leave the loading bay. The two remaining Mice could see him from their vantage point as he plopped down in one of the chairs in main control. Vinnie looked at him, and they came to a silent agreement to stay out of his way as much as possible.

Vinnie resumed strapping in their bikes. Modo dug around for busy work of his own.

Charley came aboard the ship some two or three hours later. None of them were quite ready for it. Rimfire, his bros, and Charley all settled into the control room.

Space travel fascinated her. She paid careful attention to every mundane action they took, watching over his shoulder as he began the slow process of starting the engines. She asked Throttle what he was doing as he activated the the artificial gravity, and grumpily he muttered an answer. Charley moved away from him and poked Vinnie in the shoulder, commenting on how they much have a way to prevent the hull being penetrated by micrometeors. His bro jumped and squeaked something about magnets before crossing his arms and building up a wall of defensiveness between them. Charley gave a little huff sat down in an empty chair next to Modo. He could tell she was tying to ignore their odd behavior and when they were in the air she was glued to the windows.

He did not want to look at her. Deep in his belly burned a small fire, crafted from fear and anticipation. Was this real? Was she going to accept them? Would she bear their children and grow their food, acting as their guide to this life, while they kept her safe from harm and fought off any possible enemies? Could he have the life he wanted since he was old enough to understand what that was?

He did not feel stable. Charley glanced at him, probably noticing how he kept glancing back her, none too discreetly. Stealth never was his greatest skill.

Her eyes shifted around the room quickly, before uncomfortably meeting his.

"What?" she tossed out bluntly.

"Uh..." Modo shifted back to the controls, guiding the ship from atmosphere. "Sorry. I wasn't...it's nothing." He knew he was more obvious than he meant to be.

He should cook for her when they got back to Earth. Maybe she wouldn't see it as any -more than a small gesture of courtesy. After all, who didn't like to be brought food? In this case, though, Modo had a deliberate purpose. It was a little primitive, if he thought about it too much. But there was something to be said for giving proof to woman that she could be provided for. The traditional offering of meat and water was given often by men to the woman they meant to attract. He did not expect her to understand consciously, but his hope was that he could tap into a base primal need to be provided for that he assumed all women across the galaxy had.

He heard her snort.

"Is this the same 'nothing' that has Throttle all worked up and Vinnie so on edge? What's going on with you guys?"

"Nothing's going on." Even he could hear the waver in his voice. "We...we're ready to get back back, you know? Who knows what stinkface has gotten up to without us there to kick his tail."

She quirked up a disbelieving eyebrow. "Uh-huh."

Well, his mama always did say he was a poor liar.

Charley ran her thin delicate fingers through her scalp, her eyes were fixed on the stars outside the window.. "Just...you don't have to keep things from me. I know you're all trying to protect me from something."

His hands froze on the panel in front of him. "What makes you say that, Charley-ma'am?"

"Because it's what you always do. I'm a big girl. I can handle it, whatever it is."

He wanted to believe her. It would be so much easier than these layers of strategy they had agreed upon. But he would not do that to her. Better to be slow. Like how his fathers taught him.

They were a set of assiduous Liiashlau who spoke with a thick Lowlander accent and insisted on following every tradition passed down to them from their own fathers. When he was old enough they told him all that would be expected of him, and he, bright-eyed and eager, was determined to show them he would be everything they required.

That was before they were vaporized by Plutarchian bombs.

He shook his head, dislodging the hateful memories. He had no desire to dwell on the most painful parts of his past.

"You, uh...you liked the take off?"

He immediately saw her light up. He may be a terrible liar, but he knew how to distract. Modo let her rattle on, guessing at the workings of the propulsion and electronic systems. He couldn't have confirmed or denied her hypothesis if wanted. Turning it on and making it go was one thing, but actually knowing how it worked? It was not in his wheelhouse. So he nodded and let her speak. Besides, it was natural for women to be so cerebral.

Over the next day, everyone went about their business. Mostly it involved trying to alleviate the boredom. Space travel was inevitably dull. Modo decided to pass his time by shining up the chrome on Little Hoss. His calloused hands didn't mind the rough polish or how it caked on his skin. He was a soldier and he didn't mind a bit of hard work. It made him feel useful. His bike beeped in appreciation as he finished up.

"Modo!"

His head snapped up at the sound of his name. Vinnie had come barreling in, his face frantic and his arms gesturing wildly.

"It wasn't on purpose, okay? I know I'm an idiot sometimes. But this wasn't what I meant to do!"

"What?" Modo stammered in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

Vinnie all but threw himself at Modo. "I didn't...I didn't mean to. You have to believe me!"

"Mean to what?"

He yanked Modo's shoulders down, causing the tips of their antenna to connect. The sudden rush of information was dizzying, made more so by the fact he was not prepared for the stream. In most cases this was a violating act, to force one's mind upon another. Even between a liiash union, when that gate was fully opened so abruptly, without any warning, it was not comfortable. A mind can be a delicate thing. It must be treated gently, with respect.

Regaining a sense of himself, separating himself from Vinnie mentally, Modo then shoved his bro off, taking sharp deep breaths. His head ached.

"W...what..." Modo tried to speak. "What did you do?"

"It wasn't on purpose! She didn't give me a choice."

Vinnie had told her. In the worst possible way, Vinnie had explained. Or at least he had given her just enough information to be able to put the pieces together. Oh Vinnie, what have you done? Why now? Why do you always have to have the worst possible timing?

Modo had to think. He wanted to rage at his brother, but there wasn't time for that. Vinnie told her to talk to him. She would be coming soon. He had to prepare.

"Get out of here."

"Modo..."

"Go away Vinnie, I don't have time for you." His arms shook with barely restrained anger. Charley was coming and he had to be ready. He had to...he was going to cook for her when they got back to Earth. He could do that now.

Modo roughly pushed Vinnie aside. He heard the white Mouse knock into the wall and ignored it. He had to get to the kitchen. Maybe there was just enough time to re-hydrate the small valuable portion of deishou wheat, which his mother had pressed into his hands before he left. Likely for this very purpose He opened a cupboard, grabbed to two handfuls out of the bag and threw them into a pot. He splashed a bit of oil on them and left them to simmer. Opening the cold storage he saw several pieces of jiinash. One of his sister's husbands had hunted and killed the beast, offering him a cutting before they left.

"Just a bit home, you know? Never know how long it's gonna be before you get back."

He had to remember to thank the man, and repay him with some similar gesture. It comforted him to be reminded that family could always be counted on.

Modo skewered the meat, placing on the rotating spit above the glowing artificial heat source. Leaving it, he returned to the deishou wheat, trying to recall what his mama had shown him to do for flavoring this food. Allowing the meat to cook only halfway, he then cut it up and tossed it in with the deishou so it soaked up the oils. He followed his mama's instructions, allowing the jiinash to simmer in with the wheat. It was just finishing when he heard her soft footsteps.

A rush of adrenaline gave him the extra push.

Modo swallowed his his fear and ventured a question.

"Hey, Charley-ma'am. You hungry?"

---

There were some who found peace while staring into the vast reaches of space. Modo was never one who counted himself among them, but in this moment he found himself doing just that. He reclined on the hard bench, staring out the floor-to-ceiling window. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be alone. Here in the hallway, he might see one of his bros or he might not. He preferred to leave that up to the Goddess. For now, he would let himself be comforted by the memories of the last few hours.

He gently slid into her mind, unsure if she was fully consenting or not. Staying at the surface, he presented his perspective of events, allowing her to lead him.

Modo cringed. In hindsight, it was unfair of him to expect her to take control. Charley, whose world had no understanding of the effect other people could have on each other with only the slightest bit of effort, was just so unknowing of everything he had been trying to do. This was what men did on Mars. He presented himself to her, for her to accept or deny. She had already accepted them as a whole. Now he would offer himself to her individually and see where it went. Did she understand that at all? In any case, it seemed that instinct had taken over for her, because barely a moment later she was making demands of him with both her body and mind that Modo was more than happy to obey.

He felt her tiny hands on his great arms, nails digging into his flesh. He had always thought human nails to be quite thin, incapable of causing even the slightest pain. He knew that was untrue now, but it was nothing unbearable.

He had never kissed a Human before. He suspected Vinnie had. They both knew what Throttle had gone through years before. The sandy Mouse had shared his memories with his bros afterwards. It had been such a raw, fearful time in their lives, back in the early days of when they first became soldiers. It was from those experiences that Modo had at least an idea of how it would work.

Her hands slid upwards, pulling at the base of his neck. His long antenna allowed there to be a comfortable amount of space between them, if she did not desire any kind of closeness at the moment. In a display of respect, Modo had utilized this to the fullest capacity. But it seemed Charley did not require it.

He roughly palmed his face. A slight tingling spread out over his chest and shoulders. Modo felt crowded by the intensity of his own emotions. Everything he felt, everything he experienced...it was too much. More than he thought could happen yet. She was supposed to be resistant to them. Afraid or angry that they should expect so much from her. Not at all the open-hearted gentle creature he encountered.

Maybe, one day, she would allow him to create the same protection-link Throttle had with her. Then he would understand her mind.

She sat across the table from him, wiping her hands clean. Her eyes held no fear, no judgment. Only approval. Only the promise of permission.

"It's just..."

Then heard it. Hesitation. Just as he knew he would.

"...I don't know what I'm doing here."

He resisted the urge to wrap her up in his arms, to dust her face and neck with chaste kisses, to smooth her hair back from her forehead and swear to never leave her side. Knowing just how unrealistic such an oath could be to keep, he opted for something a little less severe. A vaguely familiar phrase with an equal amount of resolve. Her response had nearly been his undoing.

"...Modo. Just be exactly what you are."

He had been so shocked. But should he have been so? Vinnie warned him. Vinnie saw what she would do. That was one of the most unexpected components of this situation: their short-sighted impulsive brother. He knew what they did not. He owed Vinnie an apology, as much as Vinnie had owed him one earlier.

The feel of her around him! The pressure. He could barely stand it! Modo wasn't sure he would be able to. Charley was speaking now. Something about control? Yes, control is definitely something he should be focusing on. In his defense though, having the woman he'd been literally praying for now moving just so deliberately in his lap did not make for much self-control on his part.

He jerked upward without permission. In that moment, it was so effortless to forgive Vinnie. He had to. To hold this grudge for one second longer would make him the ultimate hypocrite. Luckily for him, Charley was equally forgiving.

Everything Vinnie had said was just so undeniably true. She was...soft. Her skin, her expression, her hair. Modo felt like there should be a higher language for it. Far more developed than anything an uneducated soldier like him could know. But if there was, he didn't know it. All he had were formless ideas, the memories of the experience. He couldn't begin to describe it. There were things about her that were not at all like a Mouse. Things he didn't have words for.

"Yes...I'll let you."

His mind went blank. His hands were on automatic. Nothing could have stopped him from his target. But as he looked down at her lust-colored face, his damp tail twitched in agitation and he remembered. Even though he heard what his sister had said, even though he felt her stretch and adjust to him just moments before, he was still afraid. Charley was the only woman he had been intimate with that he had a chance of keeping. He could not scare her away.

In the end, it was his fear that outmatched hers. And at her urging, he pushed forward, placing himself in her hands.

He tilted his head back, resting on the metal wall. She had begged him. When it happened, he was certain he misunderstood her. Didn't she have any idea what she did to him? Couldn't she see the command she had over him? His distracted mind could not understand why a woman would give up her power like that. What she was offering was something he'd never experienced before. And as he laid her on her back beneath him, ignoring the part of his mind that insisted he was taking what was rightfully hers, she allowed him to dominate her completely.

He did as she asked, but he'd been so baffled. In a moment of haste, and possibly poor judgment, Modo decided to act in the position she had placed him in, and seek out the answer himself.

For a second he could feel nothing but her experience of him. This part was familiar. And yet...not so much. The softness of his fur. The warmth of his breath. Gods, her skin was sensitive. He angled though it, looking for something deeper. Some explanation to what she wanted. Through her mind he chased after the singular idea. He was frightened to find how easy this was to do to a Human.

When he saw her opinion of her own gender he was sharply reminded of what kind of person he was dealing with. To be woman on Earth came with inherent vulnerabilities that he was not used to associating with females. She asked these things of him because that was simply her idea of normal. He could respect that. He would comply with that. Maybe, later on he would open up completely and ask for the things that would satisfy him the most. But until then his woman required him to embody strength. He was happy to do so.

Although her expectations gave him pause, he could see there truly was nothing wrong with a woman letting someone care for her in this way. Perhaps that was something his people had lost.

For a moment, he wondered what kind of wisdom from his mothers time might have been forgotten.

"Is it ever difficult?" she asked. "For men, I mean. To share like this?"

How could he be truthful to her? How did he go about explaining the reality of their lives to her, when she was just barely beginning to let her guard down? He decided to be as honest as possible.

"Yes," he wanted to say. "Sometimes it is. But none of this is new for us. We know how to manage ourselves."

He didn't say that, of course. He opted instead for something he thought would make more sense to her.

Modo could not believe, still, just how reasonable she had been, how fearless his Charley was. He really should have seen this coming. They had gone on so many ridiculous adventures together. When had she run or refused any danger? How many times had she been shot at, kidnapped, or dropped of a building? She was the very picture of an untrained civilian. Things like that were never anything she was prepared for. But that never stopped her. She was here, with them, arguing every time to go with them, no matter how life-threatening it was.

Maybe, being with them was easy in comparison.

He didn't want to leave. As he sat there on the bed, trying uselessly to explain to her why he had to, he found he would rather take a page from Vinnie's book and just ignore tradition and honor. With her eyes, Charley pleaded for him to stay. He had to look away or risk losing his resolve. His space was done. His bros would expect that and he had to follow through. And, though he desperately wanted a more permanent link-up with her, he knew if he tried to create one now their small clan would be at even greater risk of falling out of balance with each other than they already were.

Why had he mind-walked with her? Twice! In hindsight, it was deeply selfish of him.

He should not be opening his mind to her right now. It was impulsive and inconsiderate of him to do so during their first time together. If he were capable of more complex thoughts at the moment it would had occurred to him that a Mouse woman would have pushed him away, or call him an impatient child. Feelings can be heavy things, whether physical or emotional. Through his vague unfocused shame, Modo brought to the surface a single centered thought. What was the extent of what she could handle? At what point did his actions stop being enjoyable to her and start diverging into the realm of 'I don't want to do that again'. He had to admit he did not yet know if she could handle the full weight of what he felt for her.

The scent of a Human was never something he thought about. Their race had a fairly mild odor that never pulled his attention one way or the other. But in that moment her smell drove him to the edge of reason. Her wispy redolence was as distracting as it was enticing.

He broke the connection before it became too strong.

If she understood, would she be angry at him? He lost control, just like Vinnie, and dug himself deep into a hole that shouldn't have been allowed to exist. Modo crossed his arms and shivered. Whether it was from cold or shame, he did not know. He would have to confess to her what he did wrong. Maybe he would have to explain why it was wrong to her. Maybe she would think he was silly for for even caring. But that was irrelevant. He made a selfish choice and had to admit it to the one he wronged. Even if she didn't understand it.

His knuckles slid against the skin of her thighs as he yanked down her pants. A bright, painful burst of lust overtook him, and he desperately wanted her scent all over him. He wanted the universe to know that he was hers. Where better to start then that divine place where all life begins? Like her, he was moved by instinct alone. Grasping and clawing at his own soul, as well as her garments, he moved with the prowess of a starving animal. He swallowed the sacred taste of her. He scratched his buck teeth at her alarmingly small nub. His fingers could almost wrap around her thighs completely, so great was the size difference between them.

His woman was everything he'd dreamed she would be. As she gasped and struggled to free herself from his grip, Modo only pressed his tongue deeper, curious to see how far he could reach. He could barely hold in his glee as his tail snaked up her leg. He heard his name whispered on her lips...

Oh gods, Charley. Modo feared he could have no restraint with her, but there was a protocol to follow. A code of conduct he people had followed since civilization began. Her time between the three of them should be balanced. This had to be respected. He knew this. And he wanted his bros to be happy. But this woman, who had somehow both crept and bulldozed her way into his life, had caused him to question himself on so many levels.

His wrists ached. He looked down and realized he'd been clenching the edge of the bench so hard he neatly pressed small finger-shaped dents into the edges. Taking a deep breath, he let go. There would always been a need for self-control, he reasoned.

She did not feel like anything he was familiar with. He did not know how to describe it. Only that the experience of her was beyond anything that he expected.

"...please touch me."

He hesitated at her command, of course. But it did not matter. He would accommodate her needs, regardless. It would appear she needed him to forget his restraint. Maybe it was a Human thing, he guessed. Because if she were a Mouse, she would have likely demanded he only show more. His people's women were often controlling that way.

There was so much he did not know what to make of her, so many things he needed to ask. The next time they were alone together he would have to open up this line of communication between them. He truly did love her. And like he said to his brothers, they would have to find a way to keep her. How could he provide for, or be something reassuring to, what he did not understand? That would be his next move, he decided, in the fragile raw cocoon of a life they would make for her. It was so essential that everyone just understand each other!

Modo felt a sharp rupture of anger, caustic and abrupt. He closed his eyes, realizing this emotion was not his. Separation was the key. It couldn't touch him so hard if he kept it compartmentalized. He clenched his jaw and followed that ribbon, seeing where it led.

Throttle's customary warmth was not present, having been replaced by this torrent of emotion. His bro was not alone. Modo could sense the subtle glow that accompanied one of his triad whenever they spoke with another. He was with...Charley? And that anger he felt...Throttle directed it at himself. He discarded idea of tracking them down and intervening. They needed to talk just as much as anyone did. Him interfering wouldn't help anything.

"...hey."

Modo jumped. He felt a bit childish when he saw who it was. Vinnie sat down on the bench next to him.

"How you doing, bro?"

Modo shrugged, slightly annoyed at the white Mouse for intruding. Sometimes a guy just needed time to himself to work shit out. Did Vinnie even notice Throttle just now? Or was he completely oblivious?

Vinnie reclined back, folding one arm behind his head.

"You think Throttle's okay?"

Well, it was good to know Vinnie paid attention sometimes. Vinnie gave him a sideways look, clearly having sensed his frustration.

"We'll find out, I guess." Modo slouched against the cold metal wall behind him. "I'm not getting in on whatever they're talking about. Not unless I see a good reason. A bit of emotion is something we expected. If Throttle wants us there, he'll let us know."

"Yeah, but..." Vinnie focused on the metallic floor, textured for traction. "What if she does? What if Charley's not ready for that talk?"

Modo cringed inwardly. He hadn't considered that. There was no way to know, he surmised. He exhaled. They could only trust Throttle, let him decide if they were needed. He had a protection-link with her, even if it was not consensual. It was a thing that was once an ancient custom among their kind, but had fallen out of use until the Plutarchians came. Throttle would know what she needed. They could rely on that. At least he hoped they could. As long as Throttle's fears didn't get in the way of what could be a perfectly good start to a relationship.

"We'll just have to wait and see." His mind flashed back to Charley, when she had lain beneath him.

Her smooth arms slipped around his neck. The gentle scent of her threatened to overwhelm him. His instincts demanded more, but the logical part of him knew it was not time for that yet. They needed time to ease into each other. Only then could he even think of showing her the true extent of a Mouse's stamina.

"Am I being disrespectful?"

He couldn't help but laugh at that. If she only knew! Her respect was hardly the issue. Not with his resolve threatening to crumble every time he looked at her. In all fairness, though, it wasn't as if she had all the assumptions he and his bros had. They were the products of a society that had developed this relationship structure as a coping technique for the rough unpredictabilities of a dangerous life. Her people wouldn't see what he saw. When she sat in his lap and begged him to touch her, she had no idea what that meant to him. How could she? Charley didn't know how hard it was for him. These things needed to be done slowly. People should not just let themselves go, to act on whatever urges they had. A lasting relationship allowed for the time to explore and let trust develop. He had already done the quick-tumble thing with other girls. He knew what it felt like to open his heart and then be forgotten later on. That wasn't what he was looking for here.

Modo knew it was irrational and probably never going to happen, but he wanted things to be perfect with her. He wanted to be perfect for her. And he knew he had to start by keeping an open mind to her lack of understanding. She had pushed him a little. In any other circumstance that would be disrespectful. But she had no way of knowing that. She had no experience to draw from that would explain to her just why what she did was unfair to him. So he let it go. It was a small misunderstanding, at best. He'd rather have a flawed Charley than no Charley at all.

"Not really," he lied, hoping she didn't notice. "But you certainly like to push the boundaries." He allowed a sliver of truth to leak through.

"...you were right. About Charley-ma'am." He felt Vinnie's eyes, could sense in the back of his mind the attention his Liiashlau paid him. "I...I tried to hold back. And I wasn't very good at it."

Vinnie chuckled. "You totally banged her, didn't you?"

As if he didn't know that already! For all that Modo had convinced himself that a civil sit-down needed to happen with him and Vincent, he was ready to give that adolescent another beating.

"That's disgusting! I didn't...bang her. I..." His voice caught in his throat. These were words not easy to say. It was more than admitting a misjudgment. This was a confession. Just as Vinnie came to his brothers and confessed what he had done, knowing full well what the result would be, Modo had to do the same. This was how trust must manifest in a Cave Mice clan, or they would be lost and their family dissolved. He seen it happen before. All of the pressures of the outside universe would come creeping in, and they couldn't be honest with each other, then slowly mistrust would arise. "I held her in my arms." Modo felt the slight sting of his thick nails pressing into his palms. "And I let her do what she wanted. I touched her when she asked me to." His eye closed. "...I tasted everything she had to offer and I did it without asking."

"Modo..." Vinnie paused, understand the seriousness of what his brother was saying.

"It wasn't...it wasn't completely perfect. I think we both had these moments where we didn't get at all what the other person wanted or meant. But it was...good. As good as I think it could have been. And when it was done, I walked away. Everything inside was screaming to stay there with her. Spend the rest of this trip inside her, I didn't want to stop for nothing." He shuddered as his head jerked up, his wild eye startling Vinnie. "I can't let her go either. I don't know if you got that from me or if you developed it on your own."

"Yeah. I get it, man." Vinnie kicked his legs out and stretched. "Maybe more likely you got that from me." He smirked. "Who knew you'd be the one without the self-control, huh?"

"I get what you meant earlier. She doesn't really say say no. Maybe it's just the way Humans are."

What Throttle had suggested months ago flashed in Modo memory.

"You want to take someone from that kind of background and put them in a place where they have all this expectation to be a decisive clan leader?"

This was a fear of his he wasn't ready to acknowledge yet. It was possible it was a baseless fear to begin with. Outside of sex, she hadn't shown any submissive habits to them. When she wanted something, she told them. Charley expected them to follow through when there was an action that needed to take place.

Vinnie elbowed him in the ribs.

"Stop worrying, bro. She ain't gonna bail."

"That's not...I wasn't thinking of that. I mean...what if she doesn't want to be the boss?

"How is that even an issue? Charley's been the boss this whole time. It's her garage. She's the one who fixes our bikes, makes all the money. She cooks for us almost everyday. We wouldn't even have furniture at the 'board if it wasn't for her. When's the last time you have to wash your own clothes?" He looked out the window, at all the distant stars. "We took advantage of her. It wasn't right. But it ain't like she just rolled over and did it. She can be damn scary when she wants to be. I don't think we got to be too concerned with that."

Modo nodded halfheartedly. He wanted to believe Vinnie, but it was a struggle.

He touched her face with a hand that he hoped wasn't as shaky as he felt.

"Is this okay?" He wasn't sure he could handle the answer. "It's not too much too fast, is it?"

When she looked at him next there was a brief moment when he thought he had just made a terrible decision. She appeared reluctant, much like those other girls whenever he had asked to see them again. It was a subtle expression, just a shade below wanting to dart out the door before more conversation was to be had. Because this is what they always were. Women were happy to receive whatever was given to them, but to give back was often out of their comfort zone. She too, it seemed, would reject him.

"No, it's okay."

What? He had to have misheard her.

"...just a little different than what I'm used to."

He felt something break inside him. A part of his fears shattered with relief.

"This is a good thing."

She leaned into him, kissing him thoroughly. She was accepting him! He responded instinctively. With his arms around her, he spoke without thought. A question with no reservation.

"I want to be with you..."

Modo shifted uncomfortably.

"How do you find it so easy to be so optimistic? You don't know any of this will turn out."

"No, I don't." Vinnie grinned, shaking his head. "But I know what kind of person Charley is. I'm not worried because I don't think I have to be. Besides, it's not going to help anything if I do. Why stress out over what I can't change?"

It was a surprisingly pragmatic attitude, not at all Vinnie's usual position. Modo knew there was something deeper happening here. He could have dug it out, forcing it out of Vinnie. Modo owed him after that stunt he pulled earlier, forcing a physical connection between them.

It was probably better to let that go. A grudge against one of his bros never helped anyone. Throttle was right about that.

"This...this'll work out, right?" Modo haltingly asked.

Though Vinnie's face showed nothing, Modo knew he could feel a flicker of uncertainty popping up from the background of his brother's mind.

"It'll work out," Vinnie easily affirmed.

Modo nodded, slowly, acceptingly.

---

A day later, they were back on Earth. After an awkward farewell to Modo's nephew, they were left standing in the field next to their bikes, groping for words.

What Charley did next was probably one of the more attractive actions she could have taken. Throttle tried to speak. To what end Modo did not know. But he made an attempt and Charley took control, reminding them of an earlier promise extracted from Throttle and making her needs clear. Even when Vinnie slipped back into his thoughtless flirty self, she put him in his place, and caused him to obey. It was beautiful.

Although, yet again it was Vinnie she rode with. Modo could let it go this time, but he made a mental note to ensure that next time she would be behind him on Little Hoss.

After the two of them sped off, he and Throttle looked and each other and shuffled off to the board.

Modo plopped down on the couch and tossed a hopeful look to his bro. "What'd you think, man?"

Throttle was thoughtful, taking his time in answering.

"I think..." He busied his hands with organizing a box of drill bits that Charley had left there. "...that we're going to have it pretty good. Might not be an overnight thing, but we're on our way. We picked a great girl." He picked up a rag, wiping the grease off his fingers. "It's kind of strange, though. That she didn't pick us."

Modo shrugged. "She wouldn't have, bro. It ain't in her...I guess 'social vocabulary' is a good phrase to use here."

Throttle raised his eyebrows and threw Modo a cocky grin. "That's some big words, man. You sure know what they all mean?"

Modo tossed a couch cushion at him. Throttle laughed as he ducked out of the way, then scooped up the cushion and sat down on the couch, narrowing his eyes in thought. For a passing moment Modo wondered why Karbuncle bothered to mimic the red irises that all male Mice had, when he replaced Throttle's eyes. He focused on them through the green sheen of Throttle's glasses.

"I told her we could teach her."

Modo was yanked out of his thoughts. "Teach her what?'

Throttle ran his fingers through his mane. "She could be same as us. She could connected with us. I told her we'd teach her that."

That was an interesting proposition. Theoretically it was possible. As children, all Cave Mice are taught that any living being with a nervous system evolved enough to produce sentience would also be capable of telepathic ability. There were varying degrees of ability, of course, but the basic neurological components were always present. And while he hadn't heard of anyone trying to teach an alien Martian style telepathy, that didn't mean it had never happened.

"Do you think we can? How would that even work?"

"I..." Throttle let out a long controlled sigh. "I'm not sure, but it can't be much different than when we were kids."

"Throttle...our parents' would mindwalk and link up with us when we were infants. Some of the things we know we learned before we could walk."

Throttle gave him a sideways glance. "Now who's being a pessimist?"

Modo held up his hands in defense." "Okay. Fine. I'm just saying, bro. It won't be easy. How would you even relearn how to think? Because that's basically what she would be doing."

Throttle looked down at his hands. "I don't know. But do you really want to be with someone who doesn't know how to link up with us?"

Modo shrugged. "I made my peace with that a long time ago. Honestly man, I don't even care anymore. I got more with Charley now than I ever thought I would. I'm good with this."

Throttle thoughtfully mulled this over. After a moment he shook his head, clearly amused. "You ever wonder, Modo, if we would be this desperate if there were just more women around?"

"Nah, man. I don't want women. I just want her."

"Yeah." Throttle smirked. "I get that."

Cautiously, Modo ventured a question. "Is that what you felt with Carbine?"

The humor left Throttle's face.

"Look, it's just...you never really let us in what was happening there. I don't know how you did it, but that was some kind of crazy strong wall you built up."

Throttle didn't respond.

"Bro?"

Throttle stood up, pacing deliberately to the bedroom.

"Bro! Hey, wait!"

Throttle stopped. Turning his head, he spoke. "Later, okay? I'll tell you both everything. Just...not yet. I'm not ready for that yet."

Modo felt his shoulders drop.

"Uh...yeah, okay."

Throttle gave a short curt nod, walked into the bedroom and closed the door a little harder than necessary.

What was that about? He could understand if Throttle was feeling a bit sensitive about Carbine, but he'd rarely seen Throttle just get up and leave with no explanation. When it came to Carbine, his bro nearly always had a habit of secrecy. Modo didn't know where it came from. She was the only topic Throttle would not open up about. For whatever reason he had decided it was a taboo. But if Throttle said he would talk about it, he would talk about it. It would be in his own time, sure, but that was to be expected. One did not rush the alpha type of guy that Throttle clearly was.

Sighing, Modo picked up the TV remote and flipped the channels, eagerly seeking out a distraction. After some time had passed he heard the distinctive electronic whorl of Vinnie's bike. Loudly his bro burst in the door.

"Modo! Bro!" he announced with his arms outstretched. "Do you even know how fucking epic today is?"

"I can imagine you think so. What happened?"

Vinnie had the widest, stupidest grin Modo had ever seen on him. "First, I in was trouble. She didn't lay into me to bad, but I could tell that she wanted to. Then we started kissing and, man, it was perfect. I can't wait until I have her for a whole night to myself. No more of this holding back, you know?"

"That's up to Charley. Anyway, I wouldn't get too crazy right now. Throttle's in a funk about something."

"Why? What could he possibly be upset about? Now, of all times? We should drag him out here."

"No, Vinnie, wait!"

"Hey, Throttle!" Vinnie got up, making his way over to the bedroom door. "Come out of there, Mouse! We gotta celebrate!"

"Vinnie, leave him alone. Throttle's not in the mood."

"How could he not be in the mood? Do you guys even realized what happened today? We have a girlfriend! Us! All of us, together. What better reason could we have to get happy? We should get some drinks. Come on out, Throttle! We need beer!"

"Vinnie! Stop! Just trust me on this, okay? It's not a good time."

"Huh?" Vinnie stopped, finally, and turned around to face Modo. "Why not?"

"I don't know, man. Just give him some space, okay?"

"...yeah, sure." Vinnie moved over to the small mini-fridge against the wall, and took out three bottles of Zombie Dust. Charley had got them hooked on the stuff after they first landed, and while it didn't quite have the same gentle tang of the distilled dougu tubers they drank on Mars, they found beer to be pleasant enough.

Modo took the offered bottle and Vinnie placed the third on table near where they sat, should Throttle change his mind.

"What happened with you two at the garage?"

Vinnie took a gulp and smiled. "You remember that stuff I said about Charlie sticking around no matter what?"

Modo raised an eyebrow. "I remember you doubting your own words and refusing to say it out loud."

Vinnie ignored him. "She wants me, bro. I just know it." He raised his bottle in the air. "Gotta tell you bro, there ain't no better feeling in the world than knowing your girl wants you." He took a drink. "And Charley wants me bad. She had this look in her eyes. And just so you know, I really do get that girls need their own space too, but I think she had to push a bit more than she wanted to make that for herself. I think she was conflicted."

"You sure about that."

"Yes." Vinnie spoke firmly, with none of the barely hidden hesitation he had only a day ago. "Didn't she seem that way to you, when you were together?"

"I..."

Did she? There was so much about that experience he still hadn't fully processed. But there that small part of her he couldn't help but see as he waded through her mind. The part that whispered to him that she was clearly lost between wanting to indulge herself and follow the rules she was taught. At the end of the day, for her at least, there might always be the caveat that most humans did not always have a lot of respect for women who had multiple lovers.

"I'm not sure."

Vinnie watched him eagerly.

"I suppose...she didn't want me to leave. I knew I had to. But she was clearly uncomfortable with it. Is that the kind of thing you mean?"

"Yes! That's exactly what I mean! Bro, don't you get it? She wants us. So stop second guessing yourself and just enjoy it." He took a deep swig of his drink.

Modo found himself nodding along to Vinnie's suggestion. After all, his bro did have a point.

The conversation petered off, dissolving into a wash of ridiculous television scenarios Vinnie thought likely to happen in real life. Modo gently reminded him of the definition of 'fiction' through the use of his empty beer bottle and a cricket bat, Where they had gotten the cricket bat, neither of them could remember.

Over the next few days, they fell back into their pattern of scheduled patrols around Limburger Tower. No activity was detectable from their observation. Clearly the fish and his lackeys were still licking their wounds after their defeat on Mars. While the Mice were grateful there were no threats to Chicago to worry about, at the same time, they would have welcomed the action. After the past week, they were begging for distraction. With none to be had they were beginning to go a touch stir-crazy.

Finally, after two days Modo and Vinnie were relieved to see Throttle holding up the cheap throw-away flip-phone Charley had gotten each of them for emergencies.

"She called me," he stated simply. "She wants us to come over."

Modo popped up from their lethargic gaming on the couch, darting over to their bikes.

"What are we waiting for? Let's ride!" Vinnie revved his engine.

"Hey, you know we got to be careful about this," Modo cautioned. "There's still a chance she's not totally comfortable yet."

"Which one of us saw her last?" Vinnie countered. "Charley is cool with us, bros. And that's why she wants to talk to us now. So let's get going!"

Modo sighed, and looked at Throttle.

"How did she sound?"

Throttle shrugged. "Just asked us to come over. Said she cooked a full spread."

"Food!" Vinnie shouted. "More reason to get a move on!" Vinnie was out the door, tearing down the street before either of them could stop him.

"We going to let him win?" Modo smirked.

"Hell no!"

---

They followed, and passed Vinnie to the Last Chance Garage.

She was sitting in her kitchen expectantly, surrounded by the starchy foods she knew they loved, as well as a large baked ham.

As soon as Vinnie saw her, he scooped her up into his arms and twirled her in the air.

"Charley-girl!"

"Okay, okay! Put me down." Charley was less than pleased.

He complied, much to his bros' relief. But not before leaning his head into her neck and taking a long deep breath. She pushed him off of her.

"Look, there's dinner. Go eat something."

Vinnie dove for the prepared meal with as much eagerness as dove for her, scooping up a plate and shoveling more food onto it than necessary. Throttle followed behind, albeit with far more tempered reservation than his bro. Modo did the same.

After they had all gotten their plates, they sat down to eat. Charley hardly touched her own food. Modo could feel her eyes on them, watching as a scientist watches an experiment, coldly waiting for an outcome that matches or disproves a hypothesis. She was silent for so long he wondered if she would speak at all.

Finally he heard her voice.

"Is this what things are supposed to look like?"

The guys looked at each other.

"What do you mean?" Throttle ventured.

"This!" She gestured to the table. "I make you all food, then you go out and fight the bad guys. Then when you come back I patch you and your bikes up. Then tomorrow we do it all again. Is that normal?"

"Charley..." Throttle soothed. He reached out and took her hand "What's normal is that we all take care of each other. We'll fight for you, and we'll fight for your world."

"But we've been doing this already for so long! Did it mean anything to you guys before? Was it ever something you had to deal with?"

"Stoker thought we were together," Vinnie said. "Once, a long time ago. I mean...to anyone else from Mars, that's what it looked like."

She seemed to take that in carefully, nodding. "Was it...ever hard for any of you? Living like that, with me totally oblivious to it all?"

Modo exhaled. "Don't worry about that. It's all in the past."

"Not to me. This is all fresh new information. I have no idea what any of it was like for you guys."

"We...had some rough days." Modo answered. "Nothing we couldn't handle."

A compassionate look crossed her face, sprinkled with the barest amount of guilt.

"It wasn't anything you could have helped, Charley-girl." Throttle comforted. "It was just something we all had to go through."

Modo saw more than felt her squeeze his hand.

"I'm being obvious again, aren't I?"

Throttle smiled in response.

Seeming to relax, she let go of his hand.

"So...I've got some grown-up questions I need to ask." Charley leaned back in her chair. "How does this work, logistically? I mean...what exactly do you all expect of me?"

There was a moment of silence.

"Well..." Throttle answered. "What do you expect of us? I know, that seems like a cop out answer. But Charley-girl, you gotta understand, from our point of view that's the more important question. We're going to let you be the boss here."

She had stopped eating completely at this point. Modo watched as she gave them every ounce of attention she had.

"I appreciate that. But you've got to understand. I don't have a social model to work off of." Charley placed both her hands flat on the table, squeezing her eyes shut and letting out a deep breath. "I don't necessarily know how to react in a healthy way in a group relationship. Just tell me," She looked up. "What was normal when you were growing up? What did a functional family look like to you guys?"

"Before the Plutarchians, you mean?" Throttle asked.

"Yes, before them."

"Alright...in the old days, if you didn't live in the city, you wanted a big a family. A clan could be huge. Extended family always lived together. We keep track of how who is related to who by our mothers. Everyone knows who their mother is. A woman would have a number of husband or lovers. There's no rules on that sort of thing."

"Husbands or lovers? Meaning...either? At the same time? Or would they have one or the other?'

"Not exactly," Throttle continued. "I say it that way because in our language they aren't mutually exclusive concepts. We don't typically make lifetime vows the way you do here on Earth. People stay with each other for life most of the time. But it's usually implied rather than directly stated."

"So what you're saying is that by your standards we are basically married?" She did not sound happy at that.

"No, Charley." Modo interrupted. "What we're saying is that by our standards, being married or not, they aren't two separate things. Either you're with someone or you're not. There's paperwork about it, no laws like the way you all do. You're just...together. We don't make a big to-do about it all like the way a wedding is done here. People were mostly thinking about survival. It was normally that you found someone and you stayed with them. They weren't usually casual about being close with someone." He scratched the back of his head. "I mean...they were. But that was in the cities. Things were different there. We never really lived in places like that."

She tapped her nails on the table. "So...if I use the word 'boyfriend' or the word 'husband'..."

"In the language we grew up speaking we don't have two different words. It's all the same."

"Alright." Charley said cautiously. "But what about..." she whipped her hand around in a circular motion, gesturing to all of them. "Us. How do we...not get in each others way?"

"Babe," Vinnie chuckled. "I think you call them 'kindergarten rules' around here."

She looked at him blankly.

"You know," he continued. "Say please and thank you. Take turns?"

There was a visible shade of red emanating from her cheeks as she looked down and away.

"Aw, babe," Vinnie tilted his head. "Ain't nothing to be ashamed of."

"I'm not! I'm just...this is a little strange to me still, okay?" She closed her eyes. "Are girls on Mars ever uncomfortable with sex?"

"I've never seen that happen." Modo explained. "Where we grew up, women are expected to be powerfully sexual people. So much more than men. I don't think that's a species thing, so much as it is just the way we do things Mars."

"A cultural thing? Having nothing to do with biology?"

"Yeah. The way we see it, you can't have life without women. They do most of the work when it comes to kids. So we give them most of the respect."

She made a face. "Do you expect me to have to kids?"

Modo felt himself freeze, and tried to hide it.

"Only if you do, Charley," he responded softly.

She nodded at that, and let it go.

"So we take turns. Like a schedule? I hate to throw a reality wrench in this machine, but that doesn't sound like any fun."

"It's not like that, babe." Vinnie reassured. "Whatever happens is up to you. If I show up and all you want to do is watch a movie, that's cool too. Besides..."

"Guys don't want sex all the time, Charley-ma'am," Modo finished. "We see that a lot around here. Humans assume that so much. But I can tell you from first hand experience that's just not true. We all care about you so much, and we're probably never going to want to say no you." He smiled warmly. "But it isn't a constant thought like the media around here puts it. We think about other things too."

"Oh yeah?" she smirked. "Like what?"

"Food!"

"Takin' down stinkfish butt!"

"Sewing."

All eyes at the table turned to Modo.

"What?" He barked, gesturing to his bros' clothing. "You think those hole in your jeans patch themselves up? If weren't for me we would have run out of clothes a long time ago. I don't about the rest of you, but I'd rather have pants on while I'm taking down Plutarchians."

Throttle and Vinnie looked at each other, while Charley stifled a giggle.

"Fair enough, bro," Vinnie conceded. "Anyway, babe, you don't to got worry about a schedule. We've already got that figured out."

Her smile disappeared. "Don't I get a say in that?"

"Of course you do, Charley-girl," Throttle soothed. That's just for our benefit. To keep things balanced. It's helpful, but if it doesn't work for you, all you gotta do is say so."

Charley responded sharply. "Okay, fine. What is your schedule?"

"Modo, Vinnie, and me. In that order."

She took a deep breath. "We'll...try that out, I guess. So that starts with you, Modo? Because that hasn't been the order so far..."

"No. You're right. It hasn't." Modo confessed. "It's been a crazy mess. We'd like to start over. Could I stay with you tonight, Charley-ma'am?"

She appeared to want to say no. Clearly she was holding herself back. Was she afraid of offending them, Modo wondered?

"How about...tomorrow. We start this whole thing then, okay?"

"Yes," Modo breathed. "I swear I'm going to make you so happy."

He hoped he imagined her reluctance to accept his enthusiasm.

"There's something you've got to know," Throttle spoke up. "Something that's going to change around here. It has to do with how we fight. It's an old tradition, you see. A long time ago, and sometimes even now, it was normal for most of the guys in a clan to leave every couple weeks. They'd go hunting or patrolling. Things like that for the clan. But there was a rule. When this happened every woman would keep one of her husbands at home. She would never be left defenseless. We got to start doing that for you too."

"Oh, guys. Come on," she huffed, her eyes narrowed in frustration. "That's ridiculous. I can take care of myself. You all know that. You've seen me do it! How many times have I busted you out of a tight spot?"

"It ain't about that, Charley-girl. We know you're tough. Point is you shouldn't have to be. One of us is going to start staying behind with you."

"But won't that just mess you guys up? How long have you been fighting together? It's always all three of you."

"...not always."

"Enough of the time that is your normal. You start doing this it will just mess you up. Throttle, how many of your of those moves you have all the crazy names for do you need all three of you?"

Throttle didn't respond.

"You see? That just isn't an option. Look, I promise I'll keep my bazooka handy whenever you go out. But this isn't Mars. It's a very different environment with very different needs. You can't just have a blanket response to every dangerous place I might be in. That's unfair."

"Charley..."

"Look," she conceded. "I get where you're coming from. But let's just respond to every situation as that individual situation requires. "

Modo could feel the moment when Throttle gave in. It was like a spring stretched out to its limit, then, carefully released and allowed to coil back into shape.

"We'll let this go for now," Throttle said. "But things can't stay the way they are. Things between us have changed. This part has to change too."

Charley nodded, but Modo doubted she would let Throttle win. It was going to be an uphill battle, same as it always was with her.

Charley moved on. "Back on Mars, when Carbine spoke to me...well, she acted like she was sick of it. Dealing with people with saw her as the boss all the time." She leaned back in her chair. " Am I really the boss here? And do I have to be? Why can't we all just be, you know, equal?"

For all that he cared about Charley, that statement struck Modo as just bizarre. Wouldn't she want to be in control? Isn't that what women did?

Not always. Not on Earth, he had to remind himself.

"Ah...I mean..." he flailed for an answer. "That's not really..."

Throttle stepped in. "Ain't a tradition that we're used to," he carefully explained.

"None of this is a tradition I'm used too!" Charley tossed her hands in the air.

Throttle nodded. "Yeah. It's not exactly going to be normal for any of us. What do you need, Charley? How can we make this more comfortable for you?"

Modo recognized that gentle placative tone Throttle always used dealing with someone he didn't want to scare off.

"I don't want to to make all the decisions all the time. If something comes up, can't we just talk about it? Where I grew up when people are together it's supposed to be a partnership. I don't know how much of a hierarchy I can handle."

Charley wanted fairness. It was, he had to admit, such a reasonable thing to ask for. But did her definition of fair match theirs? Where exactly was that line drawn?

Modo spoke up. "You know, when I was kid, my dads told me that everyone gets frustrated in the beginning. We all want everything when it first starts. But no one can be a family by themselves. You gotta live with other people and we all depend on each other. So they told me you have to go really slow. I didn't know what they meant then." He looked at his bros. "It don't seem to me that this is unusual. We all got to find what the flow here is. Just 'cause something worked for another clan don't mean it's going to work for us. Just look at Trace."

"Who?" Charley asked.

"Modo's sister," Vinnie chimed in. "She's got four guys. Two of them are like us, with our kind of link. But the other two? They just kind of hang out, I guess."

Her brow wrinkled in thought. "Does...that link...it happens more than with just guys, right? Or are there rules about that kind of thing?"

"Not rules. Not really." Vinnie continued. "Not about how we all link up, anyways. That would be...weirdly controlling. Sounds like something a Plutarchian would do." He shook his head. "It's just...it all works better when families are shaped this way. It's easier. But there ain't no rules. Everyone's got a different flow."

"Would that happen between a guy and girl?"

"Not if they were together. Siblings sometimes. When that happens most people assume of them is gay, or just doesn't care about those details. It's kind of a generalization. Sorta childish, really. Thing is, with a liiash union, like us, those people usually end up dating the same person. But for someone you're with, there are other kinds of links to create. Better ones of for that kind of situation. 'Cause, you know, there's different emotions happening there. So people need to be pulled in different directions."

"So...all forms of polyamory are pretty much normal, have I got that right?"

"Basically." Throttle shrugged. "Within reason that is."

They had all long since stopped eating. Modo hadn't even noticed. Vinnie's plate had nearly been licked clean and Throttle had taken a few bites, pushing his food around more than consuming it.

"Bigger families meant a better chance of survival." Throttle went on. "There were sometimes when keeping a woman with child alive through the winter was impossibly difficult. There wasn't always enough food. In a large group everyone has different kinds of links with each other, but we can all feel it. A lost young life hurts everyone. Charley, everything we do evolved from a standpoint of continuing the family. We don't even have clan names because there once people who have tried to wipe out groups of Mice based on their lineage. We don't talk about blood ties to anyone if it doesn't involve our mother, and only because it's disrespectful to deny who your mother is. But even within that, you don't go around telling strangers who your family is. We get very cautious, because there's always been a reason to be." His eyes peeked out over the rim of his glasses. "Big families mean safety. What you call 'polyamory' was always the fastest way to grow a family.

There was a softness on Charlley's face he hadn't seen until now. Modo hop ed more than anything it meant she was beginning to understand.

"I may have been judging you all a bit harshly. It was only because I didn't get it. I'm going to be better from now on." Her eyes flickered to Vinnie's plate. "Feel free to get more if you're still hungry."

He flashed her a stunning grin before launching himself over to the stove.

"Is this what I have to look forward to?" She seemed to speak more to herself than him and Throttle. "A lifetime of the bottomless pit that is Vinnie's stomach?"

"You'll manage, babe." The side of Throttle's mouth quirked up. "We won't abandon you, no matter how much he eats."

She chuckled, and Modo savored the sound.

"Do you not want any of this?" She gestured to Throttle's nearly untouched plate. "I could make you something else..."

"Nah, don't worry about it. Ain't your cooking, Charley-girl. Guess I'm just not hungry."

Her eyes narrowed. There was no malice in her gaze. Just a search for the root of his self-restriction.

"I'll tell you about it some other time." he explained, pushing his chair back and standing up. "Thanks for dinner, babe. We should get going."

There was clearly some sort of silent conversation happening between Charley and Throttle. The tan Mouse seemed to sensed from her a need for solitude and she responded with something like relief. Modo wanted desperately to know what was going on.

"Wrap it up Vinnie, we're heading out."

"Aww! I'm not done eating yet."

"You know where the cling-wrap is," Charley called out. "Take it with you. Just try not to break the dish, okay?"

"En a minuh!" Vinnie was shoveling food into his mouth in a desperate attempt eat as much as possible before they left.

"Oh for God's sa...Vinnie! Just let me wrap that up for you." She stood, made her way over to him, and all but yanked the plate from Vinnie's hands.

Throttle turned to Modo. "Say what you gotta say, but follow her lead."

Modo could feel Throttle pressing into the link. It was a habit these alphas types had. Not satisfied with simply stating one's intentions, they often felt the need to mentally corner those under their command and force compliance.

Defensively, he crossed his arms.

"You don't have to tell me that."

Throttle nodded and backed off.

"...and don't spill it on your way back home!" Charley sent Vinnie off with several gallon-sized Ziploc bags of food.

Vinnie gave a nervous grin before backing into the garage. "Later babe! Don't miss me too much!" he shouted as he stowed the leftovers in his saddlebags. Throttle followed him out.

Modo stood, slowly, locking eyes her.

"I..."

I love you.

"I will protect you, always."

Why was it so hard to say? It wasn't as if he hadn't said it already. But as he attempted to vocalize it, some unknown emotion materialized in his chest, gumming up his ability to speak plainly.

He ignored it, leaning into her oddly shaped ear and giving into his more base desires.

"Can I stay?" he whispered. "Please, Charley..."

She stepped backward, out of his reach. The immediate sense of loss hit him hard. Her face was difficult to read, but one thing it was not was inviting. He would not convince her of anything today.

"Tomorrow." She spoke firmly.

Modo could only agree, though he hated doing it. Following his bros, he sped off into the cool Chicago evening.

---

He couldn't sleep that night.

They had long discarded those horrible child sized bunk-beds for a couple of more manageable full-sized mattresses. However, Vinnie insisted on keeping the ridiculous hammock. Modo tossed and turned all night. He remembered, with shocking clarity, the feel of her around him and how utterly different she was to a Mouse.

He made a weak attempt at giving himself a few silent tugs to relieve the pressure, finding it more disappointing than anything else. His own hand couldn't begin to replicate what she felt like.

Eventually, he threw off the covers and sat up with a sigh. He plopped down on the couch, flipping through the channels for a few minutes, before giving up on the late-night infomercials and reruns. He picked up his helmet from the rack on the wall, and climbed down from the board to his bike.

"Hey girl." He ran his hand over her seat. "Feel like going out for a ride?"

The engine revved in response as he straddled the bike.

Modo let her lead him around Chicago. She knew when his mind was focused in other areas and he was content with that. He took in deep breath after deep breath. The heavier atmosphere of Earth was startling after being back on Mars, even if it was only for a few days. But Mars was his home. It would always be easiest to re-acclimate to the world of his birth.

A notification popped up on his helmet's HUD, accompanied by the phonetic symbols that roughly translated into Charley's name.

Their helmets were capable of accessing Earth's computer network easily enough, and after trying out several Human-designed systems for audio communication they had settled on something called Talkatone. The program was sometimes a bit glitchy on Charley's end, but for Martian technology caused the least amount of bugs from any they had sampled.

"It's pretty late to be up, dontcha think, Charley-ma'am?" He winced at his own words. What a lame attempt at flirting.

"Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know."

He thought she sounded exhausted. And...there was just a hint of something else. A subtle waver in her voice. He almost thought it resembled fear. But that couldn't be true. Aside from the first night they met, Charley was never afraid him or his bros. He dismissed the thought. Clearly he imagined whatever it was he thought he heard from her.

"Could you come over?"

Hell yes! "Sure." He tried not to sound too eager. "Is everything alright?"

"Um...yeah. Everything's fine. Just...come over, okay?"

"I'll be right there. See you soon, Charley-ma'am."

Modo slammed the button on the side of his helmet to end the conversation so hard it was possible he heard something crack. But in all honesty, he would never have noticed if that was the case. She had invited him over! He hoped the implications of her invitation were what he thought. His girl was asking him over and now he was going to obey.

The next twenty minutes were a blur. He tore through the city with a recklessness that would make Vinnie jealous. Speeding through yellow lights and narrowly missing the curb on his wide turns, he answered his girl's call as quickly as possible.

As he approached her home, Modo saw that the garage door was open and Charley was leaning against a work bench. He could not see her face at first. At least, not very well. Mice, though blessed with excellent senses of hearing and smell, were not gifted with sharp vision. And he was even worse off having lost one eye. Thus, nights like this one where Hoss held more control of their destination than he did, had come to be fairly common between them. She gave two short beeps. A standard warning, when she saw what he did not. They pulled into the garage and he understood why.

Charley did not, at all, appear enthused to see him.

"We need to talk."

She spoke with a demanding edge. Modo winced and meekly followed her lead.

"...okay."

She led him inside, where they sat at the table in the kitchen. Her hands were folded in front of her, resting on the table. Emerald eyes were lowered, and he could visibly see the tension in her freckled arms.

"When we were together," she started, her voice flooded with resignation. "...you mind-walked with me. More than once."

Was that was this was about? He could understand that. It was a topic he meant to bring up anyway.

"Yeah, about that.."

"You affected me. Strongly."

What? Of course he affected her. That's what mind-walking did. Was she not aware of this? An ember of regret ignited in his chest as he was yet again reminded of how little she knew of Martian telepathy etiquette.

"Was that on purpose?" She eyed him with an uncommon intensity. Institutionally he shrunk back, unclear why he was being scrutinized in this way. "You do know you affected me, right?"

What was she getting at? What likely strange ideas had his human concocted up to fill in her gaps of knowledge?

"I...what? What do you mean, exactly."

"What I mean Modo, is that I don't think I would have slept with you if you hadn't done that."

Modo could not have been more confused. Of course that was the case. Was that not obvious? Saying it aloud made about as much sense as confirming the Earth sky was blue or that Martian sand was red. Besides, it was not as if he had the ability to cause her to feel something she was not already inclined to. Charley could had easily forced him out of her mind. Mind-walking does not happen without consent. It was physically and telepathically impossible. How could she not know this.?

Oh. Wait. He had forgotten an incredibly important point. Humans do not speak to each other directly with their emotions. They display them physically or verbally, but not through any kind of mind-link that could make everyone intentions infallibly clear. He had been communicating with her that way, back on that ship, but she was unaware. She had to idea what he was trying do. Her...telepathic muscles had no integrity. They were weak, having hardly been deliberately used before. When he mind-walked with her, his intention was to create a conversation, but the truth was she simply did not now how to use her voice.

Suddenly Throttle's words from that evening made so much more sense. If They were going to be with her, there were something that they needed to teach her, or there would only be more problems like this.

There was a part, deep within him, that longed for any kind of mental connection between them. Maybe not Throttle's Protection link, but some other variety. Something that allowed for two-way communication. A more modern expectation, preferred for those who wanted emotional transfer with their bedmates. A protection-link gave one party an idea of the others well being, but not much else. Maybe of they had established such a connection before, this kind of miscommunication would have never occurred.

On the other hand, it would have been far too soon to start up something like that. He was certain she would have said no. He needed to be fair to her. This line of thought did not fit that ideal. She was clearly not ready for anything remotely in that region yet.

"There is a bit of truth to that," he cautiously admitted.

She slapped the table with her hand, startling him and reminding him a bit of when Throttle occasionally did the same with his tail, striking the ground in anger.

"I knew it," she accused. "I know myself enough to know what would and would not affect me." Charley pointed a cruel finger in his face. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"Wha...how..." he fumbled around for words, grasping her meaning. "What exactly are you saying? Do you really think that I would...would..." He couldn't say it. It was too horrible to contemplate. Mice did not do that. Not ever. Even Sand Raiders, with their manipulative ways, would not stoop so low as to telepathically coerce sex from a woman. If they had any telepathy, that is.

Mice were a diverse race who spoke many languages, used multiple scripts, had clothing styles just as varied as Earth's, but if there was one unifying feature of Martian Cave Mice society, it was the unspoken presumption that to be a mother was a sacred undertaking. From that core idea that came the reasoning that the act which caused motherhood was, in itself, deserving of the highest respect. Sex, anyone would admit, was fantastic. But it was also viewed with veneration. To create a new life was to mimic the Goddess, who brought life to all of Mars. His fathers, who were natives of the flat Western Plains, once told him that in they language they grew up speaking the word for 'sex' and the word for 'sacred' were the same.

He did not know what he looked like in that moment, but if his face displayed even a fraction of the disgust he felt then surely she would know just how wrong she was!

Luckily, she seemed to. He watched her eyes slowly soften. With her elbows on the table she hung her head in her hands. "I just don't know what's normal here. I don't know if that's something your people do and what the boundaries on that are..."

"No! Charley, it's not what you think. Not at all." His hands were flat on the table as he leaned forward. "There's always a little bit of blending when you link up with someone. That's part of the process." He leaned back, dejected. "I didn't realize..." He closed his eye. "I'm seeing now that there's still so much I don't understand about you, and maybe even more that you don't understand about us. And it's really really to forget that Humans don't talk to each other the way Mice do." He opened his eye, reaching out to hold her cheek. "You use words and your faces, but then cut yourselves off from what everyone around you is feeling. I wouldn't know how to live that way." His hand dropped away, disappearing under the edge of the table. "If I thought, even for a second, that you didn't want me, I would have stopped. And if you don't trust me now, I'll stop." Modo stood. He felt dizzy. "I never meant to take something that wasn't freely offered, Charley-ma'am. I like to think I'm a decent empath..." He let out a long breath. "But somewhere along the way I wasn't paying enough attention to what you wanted. If you think I'm untrustworthy, I won't bother you no more."

Modo watched her open and close her mouth several times, clearly wanting to speak but holding it in. Her face contorted into remorseful crinkles. She fidgeted apprehensively, reminding him of a child expecting to be punished..

He didn't know what else to say. Lost between his shock and a burning need to prove his honor, he turned to leave.

"No, Modo. Wait."

He froze, unsure of why she would want him to stay.

I just...don't go yet," Charley's voice hitched. "I don't think you're untrustworthy. But at the same time..." Her words became hushed. "I'm starting to wonder if I can even do this. It all might too much for me."

He looked back at her over his shoulder. Charley's glistening eyes, were crowded with fear.

She bent her head down, covering her face with her hands. "Look, I get it. Okay? I already said I was in. I already told you all I could do this. Maybe I'm just more of a flake than any of us realized."

Her cynical tone cut into him. Modo did his best to ignore that. He approached her, kneeling on her cold kitchen tile, and gently tugging at her wrists. They came done with no resistance.

"Charley-ma'am, talk to me. Ain't no judgment here. What's got you so worked up?"

She wouldn't look at him. Her eyes darted every direction in that room but his.

"It's alright Charley-ma'am." He couldn't help himself. He reached out to touch her face, his thumb stroking her cheekbone. "I know I gotta admit I moved a bit fast that day. It wasn't right of me. But knowing that you knew, and that you weren't scared or upset about it all...It got real hard to think straight and maybe I didn't act much like a grown up."

"Does that...does it bleed over between you guys? What you all feel and your inability to hold back?"

"Yeah, it does."

"Then maybe we shouldn't mind-walk anymore."

He suppressed an urge to tense up, knowing she was only expressing her needs. There was nothing unfair about that. Still, it stung a bit to have his only available option to mentally connect with with her taken away.

At least for a while, he told himself. It's better this way.

"But...that doesn't mean..." She wrapped her tiny fingers around his wrist and pulled his hand down. "It doesn't change what already happened. Look, I don't know what this means, but...since that day, I can't stop thinking about you. Everything I do reminds me of you. Modo, I dream about you every night. Painfully realistic dreams." She clutched at her own arms and shivered. "I've never had an experience like this before. I might be panicking a little." She spoke apologetically.

A thrilling joy lodged in his chest, to know that his presence had lingered inside her mind for so long afterward. That did not normally happen after connecting with another so few times. It was encouraging to him to know that they had synced up so easily. But she would not see it that way, he knew. And, between this and what she had with Throttle...they had to learn to be cautious with the mental state of their Human. This only proved she had absolutely no barriers at all!

"I didn't know what was happening, or what it meant. But it scared me. All I knew was that I can't stop...wanting you. I still want you. A minute ago when I was confused and angry, I wanted you. It's all so overwhelming and I don't know what to do about it. I don't even know if I can trust myself not to do anything stupid."

Overtaken by an urge that felt all to similar to Vinnie's impulsiveness, he stood up and took her into his arms. The kiss that followed was a timid, questioning affair.

"Trust me." He spoke, hushed and rushed, begging her acceptance. "I swear I will never let you down." He nuzzled her neck, taking in her soft scent. "I will always take care of you."

He felt her sob and tense up in his arms.

"But this can't be right...how obsessed I am with you. Is this...something that happens normally?"

Modo gently rubbed circles into her back. "Sometimes. Though not usually so quickly most of the time."

"What does it mean, that it happened like this to me?"

He gave a halfhearted shrug. "You're sensitive is all. So We got to be extra care careful."

"It wasn't like this with Vinnie."

"Don't worry about that, Charley. We're all still finding our flow." He smoothed a few rebellious strands of hair back from her face as she looked up at him.

"But...this isn't anything bad, right? What's going on with me, it's not something I have to be concerned over?

"Nah, you're alright. You..." A sudden wave of shyness overtook him. "...you trust me, right?"

"Of course I do."

"...let me stay?"

A rapid progression of emotions colored her face. He watched and waited, his breath caught in his throat.

"...okay." she finally answered, and he wasted no time in getting to work.

Embracing her firmly, he lowered his mouth to her collarbone. He cautiously nipped and licked at her fragile skin as his left hand traveled down her spine. She responded to none of it. With his hand now resting on the swell of her hip, Modo could feel the tension in her muscles. He nuzzled under her chin. The skin there had a particularly strong scent. He inhaled deeply. The left hand moved lower, while the right threaded through the hair at the base of her neck. He felt that muscle strain here too, both in her neck and at her buttocks. The slightly hardened tissue rippled under her skin.

This wasn't working. He pulled back, holding her at arms-length. "Charley...you don't really want me here, do you?"

He watched her jaw clench and her eyes squeeze shut.

"No, Modo...it's not that." She took a step back, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry. I think I need a minute." Charley plopped back down in her chair. "You cannot possible understand how conflicting this is for me."

I could Charley-ma'am, if you weren't so uncomfortable opening your mind to me.

Modo shook his head to clear it of that traitorously selfish thought. He knelt down on one knee, reaching out and cupping the side of her face. "It's alright."

Was she leaning into his hand? No, she couldn't have been. How could he make her more comfortable? He had a limited list of ideas. He may as well put them to practice.

"Charley-ma'am, I know we said no mind-walking, and I'm going to respect that. But what about something else?"

"Huh?" She raised her eyes to meet his. "What do you mean something else?"

"Mind-walking is so direct. It's what people use when they don't have some other kind of connection in place. Or if they need to say something real fast and talking will take too long." He shut out that frantic memory of Vinnie and cleared his throat. "What I mean is...you really do trust me, right?"

She gave a singular slow nod.

"I can help you relax. I promise. You'll hardly notice anything."

Her scrunched up forehead effectively communicated her confusion. Modo slid his hand to the back of her skull, leaning forward and resting his chin on her shoulder. With closed eyes, he pressed a kiss into her neck, and retreated into his own mind. There was no cord linking his mind to hers. He could only assume there wouldn't be for some time. But Cave Mice were gifted with other methods in such circumstances. A bit less efficient, this was true. However, it should be effective enough. The familiar tingling began to overtake his forehead and antenna.

If a Human were to ask him to explain what he was doing, he wasn't sure he would know how to word it. There was an assumption among Cave Mice the these kind of gentle intimacies were to be felt, not explained away in rational left-brained descriptions. But metaphorically one could say that he created a cloud, egg-shaped and and transparent, with which he was to inflict a calmative, soothing mental state. An intangible miasma of tranquility. Unlike mind-walking, touch was not needed. Rather, proximity was the deciding factor. Anyone within arms-length would have been affected by it.

He hadn't done this in years, not since Rimfire and Primer were young children, begging to sleep next to him after a nightmare during his occasional visits home. Modo eased back into it as if no time had passed, although he had forgotten how strongly he could affect himself as well.

Less than a minute, and it was done. He leaned back to see her pupils dilated and lips parted.

"I feel like I just took a Valium." She shook her head. "What exactly was that?"

"Just wanted to help you relax."

"Well, thanks. That felt so good." She smiled at him. "And thanks for not holding anything against me, for what I thought earlier."

"I just want you to be okay."

She smiled. Humans had odd puffy lips. It was not unattractive, and they even felt quite nice once you got used to them, as he had found out several times before. But when they pressed against his incisors, soft and fleshy, he just about lost his self-control. He traced the sides of her torso with his fingers, stopping at her hips.

"Does this mean..." He struggled to speak. "...are you.."

"I think I'm tired of wanting you and not doing anything about it." Her arms circled his neck. "I want to know what this is supposed to feel like. Make love to me, Modo."

He wondered if it was even a good idea to continue after her strong hesitation. But she was insistent, and really, how could he deny his girl anything? He lifted her up against him by her bottom. She took the opportunity to wrap her legs around his waist.

He would give her what she asked for.

She gasped as he ground against her while he climbed the stairs . Kicking the bedroom door open with his heavy boot, he gently placed her on the bed, kneeling between her legs. Charley ran her hands over the latches on his chest plate.

"What's all this even for?"

"Huh?"

At first he wasn't sure she meant. But as he followed her gaze to his sternum, it occurred to him just how strange it must appear to see such an ill-placed hunk of software attached to his chest.

"It's uh...like a computer. For my arm." He glanced down at his prosthetic. "Karbuncle never had a chanced to finish it, so it doesn't always work right. Some friends cooked this up for me. It connects wirelessly to my arm to give it more processing power, faster reaction time, all that good stuff."

"But..." She unlatched the strap at his side. "You don't always need it."

"No," he confirmed. "I just keep on 'cause you never know what you might run into. Gotta be able to watch my bros' backs."

Her hands slid to his other side, unfastening the leather strap. ff"No one's back here to watch."

Together they lifted the contraption over his head, where Modo took the weight of it, dropping it to the floor.

His palms found themselves under her shirt, traveling up her back. With his flesh hand he savored the delicate peach fuzz he found there.

For what must have been the thousandth time he wished more than anything that his mechanical arm was more capable sensory input. He could discern a general idea of density and certain extremes of texture, but hardly more than that. She squirmed beneath his touch. Modo concentrated on the feel her ribs and the soft flesh surrounding them. It was the extent of his arm's capabilities.

Charley extended her arms upward and he took the hint, lifting her shirt over her head. She had nothing on underneath it. Had he not already been on his knees, the sight of her would have brought him to them. She was allowing him what no woman had, a second night together. Modo was a classical Goddess fearing Mouse, just as much as anyone could have been. However, he normally left the more religious displays of gratitude to Vinnie, who more closely walked that path of piety to begin with. And so, half out of habit and half from a genuine desire to so he whispered in the Western Plains dialect the ancient prayer all young Mouse boys are taught and expected to both utter and honor.

Great Goddess,

You have blessed me with the presence of your vessel

I give thanks for this sacred gift

May life bloom and thrive in your daughter's womb

Ever shall I act as their guardian and protector

Ever shall I give gratitude for your gifts of new life

He remembered what she said the last time, and tried to be what she needed. Modo exerted only the slightest pressure on her shoulders before she leaned back and scooted up the bed.

"What are you saying?" Her broad smile crept into her eyes.

"Thank you," he breathed. "...I'm saying thank you." Modo kissed the skin between her breasts, peppering his way down to her belly. He felt her hand run deliciously over his ear, causing it to twitch.

She giggled. "I think I might be in love with your ears." She repeated the action and he shuttered powerfully.

"You have no idea that feels like, Charley."

"Is it anything like this?"

She traced a feathery finger up an antenna. Modo gasped, gripping the comforter in his large hands for support.

"I...am going to lose control...if you keep doing that."

"Maybe I want you to lose control."

He strongly suspected she had no idea what that entailed. "Just...wait a minute."

Charley drew her hands back. Modo breathed long deep inhales. He looked up into her eyes, and couldn't help but be drawn to her smirking lips. The kiss he gave was a ragged uncoordinated mess. She returned it just the same and he fell in love with her just a little bit more.

The last time he was inside her mind there had been an image, unlabeled and purely subconscious on her part, of a man. It was no one in particular, just a perception. Possibly it was her idea of the kind of guy she wanted to end up with. He a was powerful, demigod of a man. Defending his woman from any challenges she might face, and yet when they were alone together he was as sensitive as they came. He would cook for her, take care of the kids for her. Fix the house for her. Everything that needed to be done he would take care of. This was a man who followed his lover around and catered to her with no care for his own needs. It was an archetype he was familiar with, since no matter how unrealistic it was, of course, the same category of person had often appeared in all the old myths and stories. In his experience, nearly everyone indulged in a fantasy similar to this. It wouldn't hurt, he thought, if he drew from this image for a few minutes.

He retreated into his own mind, projecting outward as he did before. There was no reaching into her. He kept his promise of separation. Instead Modo latched onto his memory of that image. He kept his projection paper thin. Had she the slightest inclination to see him in any other way, there would be no effect.

Charley pulled away from him, taking deep calming breaths. She peered up at him, eyes widening.

"Modo..." Her hands, starting at his temples, stroked downwards until they reached his chest. "You...are...perfect." Her lips met his snout for a brief moment. "Do you have any idea how perfect you are for me?"

The projection ceased. He felt momentarily lightheaded as he eased back into his typical mental state.

They continued to undress each other with anxious gentleness, catering to and caring for one another's needs in the process. She touched him eagerly, stimulating him to full stiffness. He did for her the same, entering her with his tongue at pace far more relaxed than their last encounter. And when she finally embraced him into herself, with him in a half reclined position on his back and she kneeling above his hips, he gasped at the relief that her enshrined warmth provided.

He knew what this was. It was the purely male experience of knowing that he was wanted. A woman desired him enough to call him back a second time. She had expressed a desire to keep calling him back for the foreseeable future. And if there were children to result from his clan, he would keep the vow that he had once made to his own fathers. His children would always be safe.

There was no way of knowing how much time had passed. He thrust up into her at her bidding, lapping at her breasts, running his tail up and down her legs. He knew only that when she palmed his fur on his chest, grunting his name, the scent in the air had changed and suddenly her torso was just a bit more limp than a moment ago. With a firm grip on her hips, he let go of his carefully crafted control. All of the rules his distant society placed on him to be the obedient husband melted away in a frenzied moment of abandon.

He released himself into her, clutching her fragile fur-less body to his chest. Slipping into his native tongue, he spilled forth the Goddess' prayer yet again. This time he added more epithets of gratitude and promise. He was determined to be all that she could ever need.

When her breathing slowed, she pushed up from his chest and looked into his face.

"That...was amazing." she smiled. "You're amazing." She pressed her lips to his jaw and snuggled into his side. "I don't ever want to move from this bed."

He held back his laughter, knowing she wasn't serious. And yet it fueled his pride to know she would speak these kinds of appreciative words to him.

"Please stay?" she murmured when he made to stand. "I know it's not your people's way, but...it's be nice to wake up with you."

Gods, could he? She had no idea how difficult this was for him. He felt his mouth go dry, and his finders and toes clench. Maybe, for her sake, he could try. Suppressing his own desires would most definitely be a challenge. But when she looked at him with with those insistent green eyes, how could he say no?

"...I...I mean..."

"What is it?" She sat up immediately, all trace of her former euphoria gone. Her shoulders slumped."Is asking you for that really so difficult?" Charley rested a hand on his leg. "You don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought..."

"I'll stay, he reassured thoughtlessly. Could he resist the temptation? "It's just...you really don't know what you do to me."

"Oh," she smiled. You're not done yet."

He looked away. "It's not supposed to be like this. It's supposed to be...you know...gentle."

She let out a childish giggle. "Well, gentle is nice and all, but it can be kind of boring. You want to be on top this time? I kind of like it when you're in control."

He tensed up at her confession. Charley noticed and her smile slowly evaporated.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

He didn't answer.

"Look, it's just about the position. You know, the angle." She ran her hand hand down his flesh shoulder. "I'm not trying to screw with your sense of gender roles."

"I know. But can we just..." He pushed past the part of himself that demanded the distance, and tried to settle in the comforting knowledge that he was in a relationship now. It was time to ease into the closeness that came with it. "Can I just hold you?"

He watched her watching him, narrowing her eyes, trying to understand him. Was she confused as to why he held back from sex? Or were his motivations and his people's customs becoming clear to her? The truth primarily was that he didn't want to start something when he wasn't sure if he could stop. And then he would want a mental connection with her. Anything really. He wouldn't care what kind. But Charley had already made her feelings on that clear, and he wasn't about to push his girl past her comfort zone.

"I just want to be close to you right now. Okay?"

"...okay." She nodded.

They wrapped their limbs around each other, soaking up each other's warmth, grasping for a cure for that small sliver of awkwardness that crept its way into their evening. It passed eventually, and they both slipped into sleep.

He awoke early the next morning, jostling her awake when he left the bed. She slumped her arms over his shoulders, pulling him in for a solid kiss before he left.

"I'm going to make you stay eventually," she mumbled, still half-asleep.

This time, he managed to sneak in the scoreboard rather quietly, slinking back into his bed with both of his bros still completely out.

---

Vinnie's face spread into a half-formed smirk, staring at him while he crunched into a piece of toast.

"So..." he started innocuously. "What was with all the good vibes from last night?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Modo replied.

"Hey, don't give me that BS. You were happy about something, bro."

Modo shifted his weight and avoided eye-contact.

Vinnie sniggered. "You and Charley got yourselves some sexy times, huh?"

"Why you always got to say it like that, man?"

"Well, how would you say it?"

Modo stared off dreamily, picturing her last night when, in her kitchen, she all but jumped into his lap. "I was with my girl."

"...that's it?"

"Ain't nothing else needs to be said."

"Man, that's boring. Why not spice it up a little?"

From the window sill, Throttle chuckled.

"You want to join in on this conversation?" Vinnie called out.

Throttle held up his hands in surrender. "Nope."

"You sure? Cause we got an open seat right here for whenever you wanna throw your two cents in."

Throttle scoffed.

"Come on, man," Vinnie taunted. "What would you call it?"

"Not even something I'm willing to talk about."

"Hey, now." Vinnie directed his index finger at Throttle. "We're all in this, bro. Really, what so you think?"

Throttle pointed his face out the window. "Not here to take sides."

"That's a cop out and you know it."

Throttle's eyes, barely noticeable behind the green lenses, drifted back to where the other two mice sat. "Alright. Truth is I'm in Modo's field. Keep it simple."

Modo elbowed the white Mouse good-naturedly.

"Yeah, yeah." Vinnie ceded the argument. "I'm probably gonna hear something about being more respectful to Charley-girl now."

"Yes, you are. That part ain't no joke." Throttle's stern voice left no room for argument.

"Hey, I don't got no problem about respecting our girl. I'll respect her all day."

"Cool. That's whatever, Mouse. So long as what you're doing actually looks like respect."

Vinnie's lopsided grin was all the reply they would get.

---

Their young family tested out what would become their routine. They all thought it best to give Charley some room for a day or two. And afterward, Modo watched as Vinnie crowded her space with his cocky attitude and self-assured grins. He nearly laughed out loud when she threatened to punch Vinnie in face if he did not tone it down.

By the end of that evening, their brother had adopted a slightly more meek disposition, and they were comfortable enough to leave him with her alone for a few hours.

Two days later, Throttle did the same. Modo was content to distance himself from both his Liiashlaus' minds. During this delicate beginning, he would find a way to keep his own head on straight. There would be plenty of time for sharing the effect of the woman in their lives later.

When the cycle returned to him, Modo began the day giddy with fear and excitement. But it progressed, joyfully, and the evening instead calmly fulfilled all the wishes he had. Charley accepted the Martian way. Following her lead was so natural. Long after she had closed up the shop and the sun had set, they laid together peaceably in her bed. It was a bit small for his liking, but they found a way to make do. She tried to wriggle closer to him. Modo attempted to still her by giving a gentle squeeze on her shoulder with his over-sized hand.

"Your hands are so warm!" Charley pulled his wrist to her cheek. "How come you guys never feel cold?"

He shrugged, half remembering the time his sister told him about their cold-adapted hemoglobin. "Not sure, really. Something about how my blood holds oxygen. I don't much remember the details."

"I'd like to ask her, if I ever meet her. You'd think I get a chance?"

"Of course, Charley-ma'am. I think she'd like you."

Charley grinned, but did not reply. She was quiet for so long he began to think she was asleep. In the silence of the room he could hear the faint rustle of the wind outside, and the subtle thumping of her heartbeat.

"Modo?"

He felt his ears twitch at the sound of her voice.

"I think...I need to ask you something," she continued, sitting up and facing him. "Last week, when we were together...did you do something to me?"

He wasn't sure what she meant, and the confusion must have shown on his face, because she continued without waiting for him to reply.

"I couldn't really tell in the moment, but afterwards, it was just like last time. Like I could feel my emotions being pulled toward you. I don't know if I could have stopped it, because the truth is I didn't even try."

So that's what she meant. Modo had taken her fantasy and applied to himself, leaving her to unable to turn away. It was his childish attempt to be pleasing to her. He hoped he hadn't gong too far.

"I have to admit, my first instinct was to get angry with you again. But on the other hand, I need to recognize that none of this is going to work if I don't start realizing that this is how Martians fall in love, isn't it?"

"Was..." His mouth went dry. "Was it too much?"

She watched him, eyes narrowed in calculation, before a slow and small grin tugged at her lips.

"No," she concluded. "I think I'm beginning to understand."

Charley nestled back into the crook of his neck, while Modo breathed a sigh of relief. This was the kind of honesty that they needed to have with each other. It bred both respect and trust. He took a moment to gather his courage before fearfully asking her the question that had plagued him.

"Do you want to have kids?" His voice shook. "Not right this second, I mean. But eventually."

She looked up at him, an eyebrow arched. "Modo...don't you think it's kind of early in on this thing to talk about kids?"

"...I'm sorry. I just...I always thought I would, you know? I never even thought about anyone elses feelings. It was always an assumption I just lived with, that I would be a dad. But I want to know how you feel."

Charley's expression softened. "Maybe. But not quite yet, okay? Anyway, how do we even know we can?"

He tried not to cringe at the thought. "My sister would. That's what she does. Helps people have kids, I mean."

Charley paused, her eyes unfocused.

"I'm not really sure if I do want that, to be honest. It was never in my plans. For me, it was always just keep the garage going, pay the bills. Everything I know my dad taught me. He took great care of me growing up, but I never had any great examples of a mom. I'm not even sure I know what that looks like." She sighed. "It's not that I don't want kids. It's just that I never thought about having them. I don't know, okay? I'm not even ready to think about that yet. I'm still getting used to this." She ran a hand up his arm, against the grain. He shivered. "I'd be willing to talk about it again a little while down the line...but not yet. It's still a bit much for me."

He could live with that answer. It wasn't what he was hoping for, but it was reasonable. Modo decided he would do best to distract himself, and her, from the seriousness of the conversation. And, to be honest, from her tempting curves.

He stood, scooping up his pants from the floor. "Come on." He held out his hand to her. "It's a warm night tonight."

"What?" She laughed. "First of all, no it isn't. Maybe for you and all your fur, but for the pelt-challenged like myself, it's a bit less than warm. And second, now? Why do you want to go outside now?"

"Just on the roof. You know, to look at the stars."

Charley exhaled loudly. Sharking her head with a wry smile, she took his hand.

"Just...let me get a sweatshirt or something."

She pulled one from her closet and followed him out. As they situated themselves, Charley sat between his legs and he pulled her her back to his chest, keeping her warm in his arms.

They sat together under the stars in silence for nearly ten minutes before he heard her speak.

"Can I ask you a question? It's kind of personal, I think. But I'm just not really sure what's going on."

"Does that mean it's about sex?"

"Am I that obvious?"

He chuckled. "It's alright Charley. Ask me anything."

"Okay. It's just that..." She trailed off. "...so, what is it exactly?" She gave a subtle smirk. "Is being on top not your preference?"

He threw her a sideways glance, matching her humor. "Is that what you think of me? 'Cause I can guarantee you, I'm all man. And eventually I'm gonna show you."

She giggled and snuggled closer. He felt a warmth spread through his torso. Modo bent his neck, nuzzling the top of her head.

"In all seriousness though, it ain't like that. It's just...I don't want to take too much. Not in the beginning. It's not proper, Charley-ma'am. We gotta be...gentle. Taking control like that is not something that happens early on. It's a trust thing. People gotta be ready for it before it starts."

She was silent for a long time after that. He watched her narrow her eyes in thought.

"Wow...of all the things." Charley shook her head. "But, really? I should have expected it." She grinned lightly. "General sex etiquette is, of course, bound to be a huge cultural difference." Charley hugged his arm, resting her head on his bicep. A small flame lit in his belly as he was in fact overwhelmed by the sheer deluge of arousal that he felt for her.

"Charley-ma'am?" He shouldn't say anything. Not yet. It was too early and she still knew so little of what they wanted from her. But he was weak. Weak with desire and impatience. With greed and love. He couldn't hold himself back anymore. "What Throttle did...with you, I mean..."

"What?" She lifted her head up to look at him. "What do you mean? We didn't do anything yet."

"No, I mean what he did. Not anything you did together. The link. The one he doesn't turn off."

"...oh. That." He felt her grip on his arm increase. "I'm still not sure what to think about that. Does it happen often on Mars?"

"Well...recently it has." He spoke truthfully to her. "What I'm trying to say..." He bit his lower lip with his incisors. "We could do that too, if you were okay with it."

He felt her stop breathing and instantly regretted asking for such intimacy.

"...Modo...I..."

"Never mind." he soothed. "Forget I said anything." He pulled her into his lap and rested his head on her brown hair, taking in her sweet scent. He should have known better. This was the way women were. He remembered what his sister had once told him so long ago.

"Sometimes girls just need a distraction. We all have hard lives right now, but it is actually terrifying being part of a group that is deliberately being targeted." She stopped, taking in a shuddering breath. "It's easier to feel something physical, than deal with the emotional. That's what they want from you. I know it's hard not to take it personally. But believe me when I say that they don't want anything long-term when they come to you and say 'I'm lonely'."

He tried to hear his sister's words. He tried to not be resentful of the one-night-stands he kept falling for. There was something deeply unfair to the whole situation. He couldn't quite describe what it was.

"Have you ever done that?" He knew he was intruding by asking her that, but he couldn't help himself. Trace already had three husbands, but how normal was this thing that women did?

She averted her eyes and he had his answer.

"I don't think anyone is perfect. We are all doing our best, and we live in the worst possible time." She reached out to hold his hand. Her soft voice offered explanation. "You men often say we don't make any sense. That we are heartless, hurtful, and only want to take and be taken care of. But none of that is the case. Not really. We are powerfully emotional creatures. I know you can feel that. You men, you either do something or you don't do it. There is no in between. But that's just not how most women work. Our experience of life happens in waves. We see connections in everything. And sometimes...we have to come to an idea slowly. It needs to feel right. When we have time to take in all of the factors, all of the variables, and see where it might lead...well, let me put it this way. What feels right today may not be what feels right tomorrow. You have to give women the space to come to their own conclusions." She smiled at him. "Even if the answer is one you've already figured out, a woman will look at the same situation as you, but she will consider it from every possible angle. And that takes time. You have to be patient."

Every possible angle. What kind of processing power did a female mind have? He kissed Charley's temple and tried to take his sister's advice.

"Don't worry about it." He rubbed her upper arms to warm her, feeling some of the tension leave her frame. "I shouldn't have asked."

She looked at him sideways, but didn't press the issue.

"What does it feel like?" she asked, changing the subject. "...being telepathically attached to someone for the rest of your life?"

The question took him off guard. He furrowed his brow and sought for an answer she would understand. "It feels...normal. When I was a kid, alone in my own thoughts, that was strange."

Her eyes squinted in confusion. Modo repressed a frustrated sigh. How could he go about describing this, in English, no less? These people had no words for the details, just vague umbrella terms that didn't begin to express the emotional aspects.

"Try thinking of it like this," he attempted. "When you were little, weren't there things you wanted to do, but you couldn't because you had to wait? Maybe it wasn't something that kids could do, or you just weren't able to reach it yet because it was too far away?"

Her eyes lit up. "Getting my driver's license or my first job, that kind of thing?"

"Sure. What did it feel like afterwards? Wasn't it better?"

She let out a hard scoff, looking away for a moment. "I guess. Most of time anyway. Dealing with a condescending boss, or paying car insurance when you work minimum wage wasn't always 'better'."

"Yeah. That might be true anywhere you go. But on the whole? You were in a place that showed other people that you were a bit more grown up now. People treated you different. You treat yourself different."

She began to nod slowly. "I think I get that. There's a kind of social status that comes after you form these bonds with people. You're more grown up now."

"Yeah, that's exactly that it's like. You're never the same again. In a clan, everyone has some kind of connection to the others. There's all different types. And when you grow up and starting choosing your own, it's a whole different playing field."

"How so?"

He shrugged. "More responsibility, more expectation from everyone to make good choices. Because when you invite someone in it affects the whole clan. But also..." His arms tightened around her. "More freedom."

She nodded. Modo was relieved. He wasn't always the most articulate Mouse. And this unbearable burning inside him was becoming more and more difficult to keep in check.

A thought occurred to him.

What was the benefit from continuing to do so? They had come so far in so short a time. Maybe it would be best now if he did not hold back so much anymore. Charley had already made it clear that she held no value in it. They had only needed to be open with each other.

He looked down at her.

"You want to go back inside?" he whispered.

"Yeah." Modo felt her shiver. "Does this mean you're going to leave now? Back to the board?"

He maneuvered through the window frame first. Charley accepted his hand as she followed.

"To be honest, I wonder if it'd be better if I did." He held her close. "But I'd rather stay. You alright with that, Charley-ma'am?"

She pulled him down in a kiss.

True to his word, he did not leave her that night. Instead, he made love to her again. She sat in his lap and used his upper arms for leverage, while he buried his his face in her shoulder, alternately kissing and nipping her collarbone. Modo argued with his hands, demanding they keep a light grip on her waist. It was not a battle easy to win.

He released into her with a deep shudder. After a moment's rest, he chose to become what she preferred, shifting his weight to tower over her. She accepted him with an angelic ease, and for one short second Modo seriously wondered if he could spend the rest of his life encased between her thighs.

He did not last as long the second time around, but by the sounds she made, he thought she seemed more than satisfied. This time when it was over he allowed himself a bit more time to recover, pulling her limp form into his lap, frantically pumping up into her. With her arms around his neck, she was mostly still, continuing that odd submissive role he didn't quite understand.

He released before she was brought to completion. Laying her down on her back, he nibbled her breasts until he felt himself harden again. Modo rolled over, pulling Charley up so that she straddled him, and ground into her core.

"Again?" She spoke with a bit of wonder in her voice.

He smirked. "I'm just getting started."

And so he continued, breaking any expectations she could have had. Exhausting her to the very brink. He held his own tiny piece of the Goddess in his arms. Even though he was barred from opening his mind to her, he knew this was the apogee that he had been chasing. Simply to be here and hold no part of himself back. That was his fairy tail ending. Against all the odds, somehow the gods had allowed it.

Charley collapsed on the bed, breathing heavily.

"There's no way that is normal." She gasped. "I didn't even know any guy was biologically capable of going for so long."

"Is it too much?" He ignored his back-minded burst of fear.

"It's just...I don't if I can do that every night! I don't think I'm built for that much stimulation."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "No one expects you too. Of course you'd have a night or two to yourself after. I thought all woman needed that after sex."

She looked at him blankly.

"Humans don't do that?"

"Not as a general rule." She pushed herself up on her elbows. "But after a night like this I'm going to start needing that if this is what I have to look to forward to!" Her eyes drifted shut as she snuggled closer to him. "You're not going to leave, right?"

"No." he reassured her. "I'm staying right here."

Modo tucked her into his side, his protruding face resting on her shoulder. More contented than he'd ever been in his life, he drifted to sleep.

---

She woke up before him. He felt her short nails digging into his fur, being worked into the skin of his arm and tracing patterns.

His breathing changed, and she met his eyes.

"...morning."

He rumbled deep in his chest as a reply.

"I'm so sore I can barely move." A euphoric grin dusted her face. "And yet I think I still want you. How crazy is that?"

In truth, he was completely spent, and wouldn't be ready again any time today. Maybe he could be later that night. Maybe. Though it was likely to be closer to several days at least, as was typical amongst male Cave Mice. However, if his woman desired him, he could make it work. He rolled onto his side, lowering his head to her neck. Charley squirmed under his nibbling teeth, arching her back and baring to him yet more enticing skin.

"Slow, okay? After last night..."

He understood her meaning. Licking his way downwards, Modo lifted her leg over his shoulder. He stopped at her navel, taking in a deep breath. The scent of both of them mixed together overwhelmed him with feelings of contentment. He felt like he was drowning in her. This was, as far as he could tell, the apparent manifestation of a life he'd wanted since he was old enough to think for himself. He knew in that moment that whatever happened with them and Charley from here on out, he would gratefully accept her choices.

No, not accept. He would support her. He would care for her. He would remember that she was the gift the Goddess granted him. She was who he had begged and prayed for. To only accept would never be enough.

Modo made it a point to be quite gentle. He palmed her hips, while she held tight to his wrists. Charley moaned his name, and it took every ounce of self-control he had to not devour her completely. She had requested soft. And slow. It was his obligation to comply.

He lost himself in her scent. Her warmth. Her gasping breaths. Eventually he felt her cool hands on his face, tugging at him to look up.

"I...I can't..."

Modo nuzzled at her inner leg. "That enough for you, Charley-ma'am?

"...more than enough!"

He burned with satisfaction.

"Come back up here. I want to cuddle."

Modo gladly obeyed. With one arm wrapped around his woman, he allowed himself to drift off again. She gently nudged him awake sometime later.

"They're going to be here soon." Her thin finger nails ran though the fur of his chest.

"Hm. Let them come." He would have been happy to spend the rest of the day in bed with her.

"You say that now, but as soon as Vinnie rides up, shouting to anyone who will listen how hungry his, you'll wish we got up sooner to make him breakfast."

"Hmm," he rumbled, knowing she was right. Reluctantly he peeled himself from her bed, and followed her downstairs.

"Pancakes all right with you?"

He nodded. Admittedly, even now after living on Earth for years, most Earth food was still either a novelty or a luxury. Grain was especially so, given that there hadn't been a large scale functioning farming industry on Mars since he was a child.

"Come on, then." She tugged at his flesh arm. "You make the coffee, while I get this done."

He happily complied.

Charley was halfway done with her cooking and the steam was just beginning to dissipate from his coffee cup when they heard the comforting roar of two obtrusive engines. Vinnie came through the door first, opening it so hard it rattled on its hinges.

"Babe! Your studly hero is back!"

"If you break my door Vinnie, not only are you fixing it, but you're not getting any breakfast here!"

Modo watch his Liiashlau cringe at the thought of going hungry.

"Aw, babe." He slinked up to her from behind, wrapping a gloved hand around her waist. "You wouldn't want me to starve?"

"Losing one meal's not going to kill you, Vincent." Throttle smirked from the doorway, his helmet under his arm. "It might even teach you some discipline".

"Hey, who's side are you on?

"I haven't decided yet." Throttle responded, with a solidly deadpan glare.

Modo nearly choked on the coffee trying to suppress his laughter.

Vinne pretended to not hear, instead giving all his attention to Charley. Modo watched them from the other side of the kitchen. He leaned against the wall while sipping from his cup. Throttle came up alongside him. He could feel the sand colored Mouse digging into his mind. Well-meaning it may have been, and it was hardly the first time that his bro had mentally checked up on him in this way, it was still a bit ridiculous. He wasn't a child. He could handle himself. And really, at this point there wasn't much to handle anymore.

He gave Throttle a mental shove. "I'm fine, okay? Nothing's going wrong here."

Throttle responded with a squared-off stare.

"You sure, man? I don't want you pushing yourself harder than you need to."

Modo let the experience of the last few days wash over him. How quickly had his longing been satisfied! It left him feeling both content and emotionally raw. He glanced over at her, his eye following the gentle curves of her torso. Charley put all of her weight on her right leg, causing her left hip to jut out as she flipped the pancakes.

"Yeah, bro. Everything's good."

Throttle followed his gaze, staring for a moment. Modo could literally feel his thought process. There was satisfaction there, and relief. It was tinged with the barest amount of impatience.

"You did good here, Modo. Don't think she would have opened up to us so easily, if it weren't for you."

With his metal hand Modo rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know about that..."

"Ain't nothing to be modest about, bro. It is what it is. This our family. Our clan. You helped create that." Throttle moved past him, sitting down at the kitchen table just as Charley set down a plate of pancakes. Vinnie was close at her heals.

How many of his prayers had the Great Goddess answered? How many impossible scenarios had been made real? He knew there was still so much more between them that could grow. They now had promises to keep, and promises that still needed to be made. So much work to be done and layers that needed to be built up between them. Eventually Charley would let them in, and they could have the standard flow of consciousness that every healthy clan had.

But for now, Modo was satisfied.