Hello again my dears ( W.W.T) here once more and I'm really happy with how this chapter came out. I'm afraid I did have a little fun at poor Chair and Modo's expense, but I feel like things are finally at a point where things are going to start picking up between them relationship wise. Also did some more Character background for Chair and had some fun with my own take on a bit of Martian culture. Also I don't actually speak Finnish (the bit in here is almost all google translates work) I do however like Apocalyptica and I think the Finnish language itself is actually pretty neat. On a side note if you like Bmfm romance fics with well written Oc's I would highly recommend Quikening's – Of (Biker) Mice and (wo)men they've recently added another Chapter and its awesome. That being said/written please enjoy the next chapter of Mars needs mates.

Disclaimer: ba Ba BA BUM! Drum roll if you please, and now the legalities Bmfm not mine my Oc and the story idea itself however is, I make no money from this it is for fun and entertainment purposes only.

[Chapter 7] (Cause every time we touch I get this…Um… feeling)

Chair woke up slowly rubbing her face against the softness of her pillow a moment her nose picking up a pleasantly musky scent as she breathed in that Chair couldn't quite place.

The niggling feeling of something not being quite right gradually began to pervade her subconscious, but Chair was so comfortable and warm she really couldn't be bothered to try and figure it out right that second.

A soft rumbling snore suddenly shaking the pillow beneath her cheek had Chairs eyes shooting open in startled surprise ,as she looked down and realized she wasn't laying on the pillow or comforter in her apartment but was instead draped rather haphazardly across the well sculpted and soft fur covered chest of a sleeping Modo .

(What in the world?) Chair thought groggily as she glanced around only to find the other occupants of the room in similar sleeping arrangements themselves. Vinnie was half slouched over a sleeping Charley his face level with the small of her back his arm draped across her waist and his tail wrapped loosely around them both. While Throttle listed heavily to the side the top of his head brushing against charley's her hair threaded slightly around his antenna.

(Must have dozed off during the movie) Chair thought foggily, as she tried to rise from where she was currently sprawled across Modo like he was her own personal Martian mattress. Only to became aware of a heavy weight draped across her lower back hampering her escape.

After a bit Chairs sleep fogged brain managed to work out that it was Modo's mechanical arm pinning her against him. Unfortunately Chair's bladder chose that moment to make her prominently aware of its existence, it's near painful demands adding a bit of desperation to her continued efforts to extract herself.

Sliding sideways Chair managed to move herself part way out from under Modo's metal arm although know she was more or less almost straddling him cowgirl style in her attempt to free herself, but the new position afforded Chair enough leverage that she was finally able to actually shift the heavy mechanical extremity enough to maneuver out from under it the rest of the way.

Chair sat up with the intention of quickly climbing over the grey furred male and heading to the bathroom. Only to freeze as she scooted back and instantly became aware that her body wasn't the only one making early morning demands, as a rather large and firm ridge suddenly pressed up against her.

Chair flushed scarlet just as Modo Opened his eye to stare groggily into her own. unsure of what to do at being caught in the horrifically compromising position Chair stared into his face in growing Mortification, as awareness slowly replaced the befuddlement of sleep in his gaze and Modo became aware of just where she was sitting and what exactly was pressed against her, his eye widening and his mouth dropping open without sound as he gaped at her.

"Uh…Good morning." Chair started awkwardly as he stared at her in complete shock.

"Um yeah …I wasn't …. This definitely isn't what it… That is… I…um…I really… really half to pee." Chair said slowly, as she broke eye contact with the frozen male, shifting to the side and sliding off his lap as Modo continued to stare at her without blinking.

(Honestly at this moment Chair wasn't even sure if he was breathing.) But she wasn't sticking around to check, as soon as her feet hit the floor Chair immediately turned to exit the room, her cheeks flaming crimson as she fled in search of the bathroom.

Modo sat in stunned silence starring into the space that Chair had previously been occupying without actually seeing anything, as his brain continued to try and process what had just taken place moments before.

A snort from Vinnie broke the silence a few minutes later as Charley shifted in her sleep one of her feet connecting soundly with his upper thigh causing the white mouse to instinctively tighten his arm and tail around her as he sat partway up to try and get his barring's.

This startled the sleeping mechanic who jerked in surprise, her hair snagging against the Martian leaders antenna as she did, Throttle yelped as the mildly painful sensation pulled him out of a sound sleep sitting up and rubbing absently at the sensitive appendages on top of his head a moment ,

Before glancing over just in time to watch as Charley in her half-asleep state tried to disentangle herself from Vinnie's grip only to roll over and fall off the side of the couch with a surprised yelp.

" Whoa…You ok Sweetheart?" Vinnie asked groggily, glancing down over the side of the couch and flinching internally at the look she gave him from her prone position on the floor; as he reached down to help her up.

Charley still not awake enough at that second to try talking merely gave him another dry look in response, before taking the offered hand and pulling herself back into a sitting position with a small groan.

"I'm Fine." She muttered standing up the rest of the way and giving a small yawn as she put her arms, above her head and stretched, her back releasing a small series of audible pops as she did.

"I'm going to go get some Coffee going and start on breakfast. Hope hotdogs and scrambled eggs sounds good to you guys because I'm afraid I don't have a whole lot else on hand at the moment." Charley said looking around at the small group.

"Hey where's Chair?" Charley asked looking around the den when she didn't spot her among the other occupants.

"Did you see where she got off to?" Charley asked glancing over at Modo curiously.

Modo simply made an odd sound in the back of his throat, while continuing to stare off into space his expression unreadable.

"Uh? You ok there big guy?" Vinnie asked reaching over and passing his hand back and fourth in front of the other males face, glancing back at the other two in the room and shrugging in confusion when this seemed to have no effect on the dazed male.

Modo sat quietly another minute before finally seeming to come back to himself blinking as he looked around the room and quickly stood, his cheeks pinkening as he muttered something about needing some air, before briskly walking out of the room, much to the bafflement of the remaining occupants.

"What do you think that was all about?" Charley asked her tone bewildered as she turned to face the other males.

" I'm not sure." Throttle answered starring after the retreating male thoughtfully.

"But I have a feeling our missing guest has something to do with it." he added glancing back at the other two in the room.

[Chair]

Chair leaned over the small vanity sink and splashed some cool water against her face, before chancing another look in the mirror her cheeks flaming bright red again, as her brain replayed the events of this morning in high definition, for what felt like the hundredth time since she had fled the den moments before.

"Ok Chair get a grip girl, you can't stay in here all day. Guys get morning wood all the time... it's not poor Modo's fault that you just happened end up accidently sitting on his." Chair muttered out loud to her reflection.

Taking another steadying breath as she turned to exit the bathroom Chair's hand hesitated on the doorknob an extra minute before she mentally braced herself and stepped out to find the others.

Chair followed the sound of voices and the scent of cooking eggs into the small kitchen to find Vinnie and Throttle chatting amiably across the kitchen table to one another. While Charley alternated between turning hotdogs on a small griddle and cooking up scrambled eggs on the stove.

Chair felt an odd mix of disappointment and relief when she didn't immediately spot Modo among the others in the kitchen, immediately missing the large mouse's comforting prescience but equally not ready to face him yet after the embarrassing events of earlier ether.

The smell of fresh brewed coffee wafted through the air and teased Chairs noise as she stood hesitating in the doorway, the aroma finally drawing her further into the close confines of the garage's small but homey kitchen.

Throttle and Vinnie who we're whispering back and forth to each other suddenly broke off from what appeared to be a very animated discussion to offer friendly good morning's to Chair as she moved into the room.

Charley alerted to the other females appearance, by the males enthusiastic greetings turned from the stove and caught Chair's eye.

"There you are! We were wondering where you went." Charley said with a smile.

"Oh um…yeah sorry about that I really needed to use the bathroom" Chair said in a quite tone of voice fighting against the urge to blush as her brain tried to go on replay again.

Noticing Chairs gaze straying briefly to the coffee pot with a hint of longing Charley chuckled before nodding to one of the cabinets above it.

"Cups are on the upper right hand side of the left cabinet help yourself, the guys don't appreciate the taste, so it'll be nice to not be the only one drinking it for a change." she added with a smile.

Chair smiled back gratefully and made her way over to the cabinet next to the coffee pot, belatedly realizing the cups where going to be just out of her reach ,even if she stood on her tip toes.

Chair briefly contemplated asking one of the others for help before deciding to just try and manage for herself, giving a small jump (that only served to draw the amused gaze of the two mice at the table.) Chair just managed to brush her fingers against edge of the ceramic mug she was trying to grab.

Making a small frustrated sound in the back of her throat at the failed attempt, Chair looked up at the elusive mug in annoyance.

"Need a hand there doll?" Vinnie asked with unveiled amusement, as Chair studied the open counter beneath the cabinet a moment before turning her back to it.

"No thanks" Chair said absently as she braced her hands against the counter top and hoped up backwards to site on the edge twisting slightly to reach behind her and snagging the handle of the cup she'd been trying to reach.

Chair waggled it victoriously in the white furred Martians direction as she hopped down, a triumphant grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Vinnie snorted in amusement at the small bit of showboating, while Throttle gave an approving grin at the quick problem solving.

"Resourceful, I take it you've had to do that before." Throttle added with a Chuckle as Chair made her way over to the coffee pot.

"Short girl problems, in the land of the tall it's adapt or cry." Chair replied with a shrug a smile curling the edges of her mouth as she measured out a healthy sized dose of the caffeinated liquid.

Chair carefully made her way over to join the two males at the table attempting not to spill any of the heated beverage as she did.

Sitting down at the table next to Throttle Chair wrapped her hands around the pleasantly warm exterior of the mug and turned her attention to the two males as she waited for the contents to cool enough for her to risk a sip.

"So what's up this morning?" Chair asked, almost immediately regretting her poor choice of words, as an image of Modo's stunned expression while she straddled him flashed through her mind.

Chair immediately shifted her focus onto the steaming mug in her hands and tried to clear her head again.

(You know you think he's cute when he's flustered …and among other things this morning he was definitely… flustered) the little voice in the back of Chair's head whispered perversely as she stared into the inky contents of the ceramic cup, causing her to tighten her hands around it in irritation at the stray thought.

(Great on top of already constantly invading the poor guy's space, now I'm a closet pervert when it comes to him as well) chair thought belatedly as she absentmindedly took a sip of the still too hot liquid right as the subject of her thoughts entered the room.

Chair unprepared for the sight of Modo when she had just been thinking about him, the way she had ,startled and swallowed a much bigger gulp of the still scalding liquid then she had originally intended, her gaze briefly locking with his own surprised one across the room.

The Coffee burned a scalding trail down Chairs throat causing her eyes to water as she gave a pained croak at the blunder her face turning a dark shade of red in distress.

Chair attempted to breathe through the discomfort coughing fitfully as she did and after a few minutes she finally managed to regain a modicum of control as the worst of the irritation passed.

Chair slowly became aware of a firm hand patting against her back, blinking to clear her blurred vision Chair glanced up expecting to see ether Throttle or Vinnie next to her only to find herself staring directly into Modo's concerned face as he crouched over her.

"You ok?" He asked his hand resting lightly between her shoulder blades ready to start up patting again if she needed it.

(Damn he's fast ) Chair thought distantly as she looked up at him in surprise her heart giving an odd stutter at his close proximity.

"Fine" Chair wheezed managing a small nod as she stared at him hoping that anyone noticing the blush still staining her cheeks at that moment would blame it on left over heat from the coffee and nothing else.

" You sure?" Modo asked a frown twisting the edges of his mouth as Chair slowly sat back up from where she had hunched over the table during the worst of the coughing fit,

Chair a bit self conscious under the close scrutiny nodded again ,swallowing with some apparent difficulty before replying.

"Went down the wrong tube and was still a bit too hot is all." she whispered hoarsely glancing around with a touch of embarrassment as she noticed the others staring at her in mild concern as well.

Modo's hand hesitated briefly above her shoulders as he took a step back , slowly dropping back down to his side as he continued to watch her a moment longer .

Before His gaze shifting to the cup of coffee still clasped in her hands, his eye narrowing slightly in thought ,before he turned and made his way over to the sink grabbing a drinking glass as he did and filling it with cool water from the tap, then making his way back to Chair, and sitting down beside her

Modo placed the glass on the table and slid it across to her, Chair her throat still feeling as if she'd tried to down a shot of boiling lead accepted it gratefully, pretending not to notice when Modo's tail subtly shifted the cup of coffee out of her direct reach.

Chair slowly sipped the water enjoying the almost immediate relief she experienced as she did, while trying to sneak glances of the gray furred male next to her, out of the corner, of her eye.

In all honesty Chair was still rather embarrassed over the events of that morning but she supposed if Modo (who seemed relatively unruffled at the moment) could find the will to ignore them then she could.

Besides she liked Modo he was a Sweetheart, and she really didn't want things to get awkward between them all of a sudden, all because of a little mishap.

(I don't think little is the right word for that) the voice in the back of Chairs head piped in.

(Damn it shut up inner pervert) Chair thought vehemently back at it.

(Oh great I've finally gone off my rocker and I'm arguing with myself) Chair thought immediately afterwards.

Chair slowly became aware that Modo and the others were back to staring at her in concern again, as she left off on her inner monologue and turned her attention back to the world around her once more .

"Uhm…Sorry guess I spaced out for a second or two there." Chair said with a touch of embarrassment her voice cracking a bit at the end and causing her to cough slightly.

Chair waved Modo off as he leaned towards her concerned again, and simply took another drink from the glass of water he'd brought her, the cool liquid helping to sooth the irritation in her throat once more.

Setting the almost empty glass back on the table as she finished Chair cleared her throat a bit before focusing back on the others again.

"I swear I do not understand your cultures obsession with drinking bitter flavored boiling liquids." Vinnie said as he watched Chair drain the last of the water in her glass.

"I take it that means there's no Coffee or Tea on mars then?" Chair replied quizzically her voice having only the barest rasp to it this time.

"Not exactly." Throttle answered picking up Chairs discarded cup of coffee and giving the contents a small sniff as he did.

"Martian mice have a pretty strong sense of smell, and that ties in fairly closely with how things taste for us as well. I'm assuming for you this probably has a pleasant scent maybe even sweet, but I can pick up a slightly bitter tinge to it that makes it seem rather…unappealing." Throttle finished setting the cup back down gently on the table as he did.

"Huh and here I thought, I learned all about your super noses the first month we met. When on top of you guys complaining if I put on anything stronger than deodorant, almost every scented candle and strong scented soap I had went missing. But I didn't realize they were so sensitive even Coffee smelled bitter to you." Charley said in surprise over her shoulder as she scooped eggs and Hotdogs onto a large plate before setting it in the middle of the table absently smacking Vinnie's fingers away from it, as she continued to look at Throttle curiously.

Vinnie rubbed at his fingers irritably a moment, his expression slowly turning sly as he watched Charley out of the corner of his eye , his tail sneaking over the side of the table and trying to snag one of the hotdogs only to have Modo's mechanical arm suddenly come down to rest on it, before it reached the plate.

" Yeoch!" he yelped shooting a glare sideways in the grey mouse's direction ,who merely smiled back in return as Charley turned back around to Glare at a suddenly sheepish Vinnie in irritation.

"You guy's sense of smell is really that strong? "Chair asked looking over at Throttle as Charley in lieu of scolding Vinnie over his impatience instead tugged him(protesting as he went) out of his seat by, his ear and forced him to help her gather up plates and cutlery for everyone at the table.

"Yeah it is." Throttle replied with a shrug as he glanced over at her.

"Wow guess it's a good thing I don't wear any perfume or scented lotions then." Chair said as she started to lean across the table to grab the cup of coffee with the intention of pouring it in the sink, Only to blink in surprise when Throttle pulled it further out of her reach.

" Hey!" Chair said Shooting him an irritated look as she made another grab for the cup only to have the action repeated again this time by Modo who reached across the table to snag, then place it on his opposite side from Chair.

"What gives? …Why the sudden game of keep away? " Chair asked as she looked back and forth between the two mice in exasperation before trying and failing to reach around the large mouse to grab the cup again,

Chair realizing she wasn't going to be able to reach it, with Modo playing goalie settled for glaring up at him sourly as he continued to sit as if nothing at all had occurred his lips curling up at the edges in amusement as he looked back at her.

Charley noticing Chair's plight gave a wry snort before chiming in,

"Irritating Macho Martian Mouse trait five thousand and ninety two, they can be a bit over protective, in fact it can be downright annoying at times especially if they get it in their heads its somehow for your own good." Charley said her lips twitching into a sympathetic smile as she looked in Chair's direction.

" I'm not going to try and drink it again "Chair said in exasperation.

"I was just going to pour it out and wash the cup. One round of trying to flash boil my tonsils was enough for me this morning, Thank you very much!" Chair added throwing her hands up in the air and turning her gaze to the ceiling.

"Sorry" Modo said with a small laugh his expression anything but apologetic as he stood picking up the coffee cup ,reaching over to grab Chair's empty water glass as well placing both in the sink before sitting back down next to her again.

Chair narrowed her eyes at him and Throttle both, as the Martian leader grinned over at her unrepentantly as well.

"You boys are lucky you're fuzzy butts are kind of cute." Chair muttered darkly as Charley with the help of a reluctant Vinnie placed dishes and silverware on the table for everyone before sitting down to join them.

Modo gave a small shrug and continued grinning at Chair obviously amused by her continued annoyance with him. Chair decided the only mature way to respond to this behavior was by scrunching up her noise and sticking her tongue out in his direction.

This of course only served to make Modo grin harder and Throttle to laugh at her outright. Charley rolled her eyes at their antics as she began dishing out plates of food to everyone around the table.

"Alright you two chuckle heads quit teasing her, before I start spilling secrets on ways to get you to knock it off." She said pointedly placing a plate in front of each of them as she finished.

" Aw come on Charley-girl you know we mean well." Throttle said with a smile before taking a bite of eggs.

" I'd apologize again, but I honestly prefer when you don't suddenly look like you're trying to turn into a plum" Modo added sliding the plate Charley had given him over to Chair and exchanging it for her empty one.

Vinnie raised an eye ridge at this, sharing a brief look with Throttle before taking his plate from Charley himself.

Neather Modo or Chair seemed to notice the exchange as they started in on the meal shooting annoyed and amused glances, back and forth between themselves for a few more minutes, Chair's aggravation with the large mouse slowly beginning to wear off as the meal progressed.

"So?" Chair said thoughtfully as she studded her half-finished plate, breaking the comfortable silence that had briefly encased the group as they ate.

"You guys have mentioned a few things about mars now and Martian culture since I first meet you and I have to admit, I'm pretty curious about it" Chair said glancing around at the Mice and Charley as they looked up from their own plates of food.

"What exactly do you want to know about it?" Modo asked swallowing a bite of food as he looked over at her.

"Well?…"Chair hedged a long list of things running through her mind before she settled on one of what she considered the simpler ones.

"Let's start with names. Charley mentioned that it was Fairley common for you guys to be named after bikes and engine parts, and I was just curious how something like that came about." Chair asked glancing up into Modo's face as she did.

Modo paused as he tried to think of how to answer.

"well" … he started looking over at Throttle when he couldn't quite find a way to put it into words himself.

Taking the que Throttle started to explain drawing Chair's attention as he did.

"Having any means of transportation is pretty important on mars ,the planet even before the plutarkian invasion could be harsh and outright deadly in certain areas and traveling long distances on foot, inadvisable for any but the utterly desperate or foolish. "

"That being said Martian bikes are considered more than just advanced pieces of Machinery, before the war the majority of them contained some of the most sophisticated Ai systems Mars had to offer."

"Capable of learning and adapting from their personal experiences over time and developing their own personality's likes and even dislikes." Throttle explained.

"So you're saying your bikes are actually alive." Chair said thoughtfully as her mind briefly flashed back to Modo's own bike and some of the things she had seen over the past few weeks.

"So how does that tie in with the names?" Chair asked looking back at the group.

"Martian mice have a tendency to pick names based partially on things that hold importance for them, or have significant meaning" Modo answered looking over at her again as he did.

"Ok that makes since" Chair said

"But then… how exactly did Vinnie end up with his name?" Chair asked looking over at the white mouse as she did.

Vinnie shrugged his expression mildly uncomfortable as Charley who had been listening intensely to the conversation shifted her attention fully to him as well her own expression suddenly curious as she looked over at him.

" My dad was really found of old earth films" he muttered as he rubbed at the back of his head his cheeks a bit pink as he did.

"What like the Godfather?" Chair asked quizzically watching a grin slowly spread across Charley's face as Vinnie continued to squirm slightly under the female's scrutiny.

"You know Vinnie this is pretty good blackmail material, almost as good as that copy of your baby picture." Charley said grinning toothily at the white mouse.

'Come on Charley it's not…wait…my baby picture?!" Vinnie exclaimed immediately turning to the face the auburn haired mechanic next to him, who merely smiled mischievously back in his direction before turning back to eating her food.

" Hey Uh…sweetheart, I mean Charley I thought you agreed to give that back." Vinnie said his tone anxious.

"I did give it back" Charley said calmly taking another bite of her food.

"Oh well that's a relief." Vinnie said settling back in his seat.

"I just made a copy for myself before I did is all." Charley added glancing over at Vinnie as she did her eyes laughing at the expression that appeared on his face over her comment.

"So you guys watched earth films on mars?... Is that how you learned English?" Chair quickly asked before Vinnie could start in on Charley again.

" Bits and Pieces" Throttle said.

" It's a bit more complicated than that though,

There's actually a pretty wide range of diversity in languages and cultures on mars.. or at least there used to be..."

"But with the slow corruption and following destruction of Mars's own media sources, coupled with the availability and popularity of certain earth films and music over the last 30 years or so, it made English Fairley easy to adopt as a sort of universal filler for trade and basic communication in between different tribes, and groups on mars."

"Over time a lot of groups, a large portion of the mice population included, started speaking it almost exclusively actually." Throttle answered looking down at the table in thought and stirring through the food on his plate without really seeming to see it.

" So if you learned from different earth based entertainment broad casts, is English the only earth language you know?" Chair asked her fork pausing midway to her mouth as she looked over at the tan mouse and noticed the contemplative look on his face.

"No" Throttle said coming back to himself and glancing over at Chair in surprise at the question.

"We each know some Spanish along with French and Russian, and Vinnie actually has a thing for Finnish and German from some of the rock groups he was into when we we're kids" Throttle replied as he studied Chair thoughtfully a moment.

" Finnish?" Charley cut in quizzically as she raised one eyebrow while looking up at Vinnie.

"Älä katso tuolla tavalla, Apocalyptica on mahtava!" Vinnie responded in Finnish crossing his arms as he stared back at her ,Causing Charley to gap back at him in shock.

" Alright" Charley said blinking slowly back at him.

"I don't have a clue what you just said but count me in as sufficiently impressed hotshot." Charley added with an amused laugh, as Vinnie grinned back at her pleased with himself for being the one to surprise the sassy mechanic for a change.

"Now seeing as we're playing twenty questions and all that, and since you brought up names earlier, I've got one for you doll. How exactly you ended up getting yours to be precise?" Vinnie suddenly said turning his attention back to Chair.

Chair flinched internally but guessed she should have seen that particular question coming. Being named for parts of Vehicles and such might be common place on mars, but a piece of furniture you sit on was probably considered more than a little odd even in other parts of the universe.

"I have to admit, I've been curious about that myself." Charley added as Modo and Throttle looked over at Chair as well.

"At first I thought it might be a nickname of sorts or short for something like Charity, but you've already said it's not. She said her expression thoughtful.

"Well… actually.. to be honest you're not far off the mark with Charity." Chair said hesitantly while trying to think of a way to explain finally settling on the simplest and to the point version.

"There was a bit of a mix up at the hospital and my name ended up being written down wrong ,nobody caught it until it was, too late to really do anything about it…That is without having to leap through some extensive hoops. So …my parents just sort of left it that way, and started calling me Chair instead of Charity." She said speaking in a rush and Trying not to look directly into any of the disbelieving stares she received in response to her vague rapid fire reply.

"Wait… seriously?! How exactly does something like that go unnoticed for that long?!" Vinnie asked incredulous.

"That does seem a little odd." Charley added study Chairs face a moment.

Chair shifted uncomfortably in her seat a moment before deciding to just go ahead and explain the whole story.

"You know I lived with my great grandfather …"Chair started trailing off as she took a moment to gather her thoughts.

" … My mother's parents died in an accident when she was in her late teens. My Great Granparents Gee-gee and Naua-naua tried to be there for her…but It seemed to hurt her too much to try and talk about any of it with them, so instead she ended up just brushing them off, and started going out more and more often with groups of friends …from what I understand it started off innocent enough a few party's staying out late every now and then, but then she meet my Father and things …just sort of went downhill from that point on."

" What had just been the occasional glass of beer turned into harder…stuff and when my Great Grandfather and Grandmother tried to get my mother to stop, and quit seeing my father she ended up running off with him instead."

" A year and a half later my Grandfather received a call asking him to come to the hospital. My Mother and Father were apparently both high and drunk coming back from a party, and had been in a car accident as a result. My Mother was also almost nine months pregnant at the time and ended up going into labor with me."

"She was so out of it from whatever she had been taking that night, That when she tried to tell the nurse she wanted my name to be written down as Charity in Italian which is Carita, it kept coming out as Chair Italy, and eventually… that's what the nurse wrote down."

"Is that how you ended up living with your Grandfather?" Modo asked gently, as he watched Chairs troubled expression as she stared down at the table not looking at anyone.

" No not exactly custady situations …at least on earth can be complicated and drawn out at times. I was temporarily taken away and given to my Grandparents for a while … eventually my parents regained custody of me again though, but they couldn't really seem to stay clean for very long periods of time."

" So I did end up at my Grandparents for one reason or another several times over the next couple years But I didn't end up living with Gee-gee fulltime until I was closer to seven… about a year after my grandmother had passed away.

"I'm sorry it took so long for him to gain custady of you." Charley said watching Chair sympathetically across the table.

"He didn't actually gain custady of me then, at least not until much later when my Mother voluntarily signed me over" Chair said.

" So…She voluntarily gave you up then?…but what about your father wouldn't he have had a say too?" Charley asked confused. Chair fiddled absently with her fork a moment her expression distant before finally answering.

"By that point my dad was long gone…family life wasn't really for him I guess, and What with the added stress of suddenly being a single parent coupled with the continuous problem of trying to figure out what to do about upcoming things like bills and food… my Mother began struggling to cope and sank deeper into the use of narcotics to the point where she was using almost all her money for them, towards the end she was unable to afford a regular babysitter so she started taking me along when she went to bargain with her usual dealer."

"Then one day she just couldn't afford to pay for the amount she needed in order to achieve her fix and her dealer offered to make a trade…he had a thing for kids." Chair said morosely her expression unreadable.

Chair could almost feel the tension in the group around her as she sat staring down at the table top while picking ideally at the food on her plate, startling slightly as the fork in Modo's hand suddenly snapped in two as he gripped it.

"She didn't" Charley whispered horrified as she stared at Chair.

" No…She didn't" Chair said as she stared down at the broken pieces of fork on the table her gaze shifting up to Modo's questioningly a moment before turning towards Charley again.

" But… she didn't out right say no when he suggested it ether. As young as I was I didn't understand what he wanted with me, but… I could tell she was tempted to agree to whatever it was and it scared me…I think it must have scared her too, because that night she packed everything I owned and the next day she took me to my grandfathers and left me."

"I haven't actually seen or spoken with her since although, I know my Grandfather got in touch with her from time to time before he passed." Chair said softly, taking a bite of cold eggs as a morbid silence seemed to stretch between everyone when she finished speaking.

"I'm so sorry." Modo said softly breaking the sudden quite that had held everyone in its grip.

"Don't be" Chair said grateful to have the nearly suffocating silence come to an end, as she glanced up into his sympathetic expression.

It was probably the best thing she ever did for me, Life at the studio with my Grandfather was wonderful, I loved it …I have a lot of happy memories tied up in that old place, so I really can't regret ending up there too much." Chair said her tone picking back up a bit as Modo slowly smiled at her.

" Besides" Chair went on.

"Considering there's been a slowly escalating war, on your home planet for over nearly three generations now, I'm sure I'm not the only one in this room whose childhood had a few rough patches in it." Chair said standing to take her plate to the sink, reaching over to collect the pieces of Modo's fork as she did pausing and looking back up at him in surprise as her hand was suddenly engulfed by his much larger flesh one.

Modo looked as if he wanted to say something but didn't really know where to begin as he looked back at her the silence stretching between them as he continued to stare, briefly opening his mouth then closing it again wordlessly.

Chair her expression going from confused to contemplative, finally turned her hand over in his, giving it a light squeeze before slowly pulling away. Chair gathered up both their empty plates and carried them to the sink tossing the broken pieces of fork into the trash as she passed it.

Chair started to fill the sink with water with the intention of helping to wash up the breakfast dishes as the others at the table slowly followed suit by gathering up their own dishes. Chair washed and dried her own plate before starting on the others her expression thoughtful, aware of Modo's gaze on her the entire time as she did.

As if receiving the same unanimous que the others quietly divided up tasks to clear the remains of the meal, and store the left overs, as Modo slowly pushed away from the table and made his way over to stand beside chair silently starting to put away the dishes as she finished drying them.

Halting as he set the now empty coffee cup back on the shelf his expression turning thoughtful.

"Did everyone really just start calling you Chair?" Modo suddenly asked glancing down at the top of Chairs head.

Chair caught unaware by the abrupt question looked up from where she had been scrubbing at a stubborn bit of egg on one of the plates in surprise.

"Well No… Naua-naua, my Grandmother actually refused and always called me Carita instead." Chair answered her lips curling up fondly at the memory.

"And you're Grandfather?" Modo asked curiously.

Chair smiled warmly a moment as she answered.

"Gee-gee actually asked me what I preferred to be called when I moved in with him fulltime, and I told him to call me Chair. By that point it was what I was used to, and to me it was just my name, as much as bob or carol where anyone else's I guess…"

"Besides my Great Grandmother calling me Carita was sort of her and my special thing… and it honestly just hurt too much, to picture anyone else calling me it."

" So to this day for all intents and purposes, I'm Chair and I'm honestly ok with that, It's just part of what makes me…me." She finished handing Modo the last dish as she did and turning to start in on washing the silverware.

"I see… it sounds like your Grandparents were remarkably loving and understanding people." Modo said setting the last plate on the shelf, before starting to dry and put away the silverware Chair had already placed in the drainer.

"They were" Chair replied softly her gaze distant as she stared down into the contents of the sink in thought.

The two continued to work companionably side by side for a few more minutes, although Chair had another moment of surprise as she suddenly felt Modo's tail brush against the back of her legs before briefly wrapping around her ankle.

Chair glanced over at Modo in surprise, but he honestly didn't seem to be aware of the action as he continued to absently dry and place the last of the utensils in their designated drawer.

Curious but not really willing to draw attention to the brief touch, Chair went back to the task of rinsing the sink and wiping down the surrounding counter,

as she contemplated the conundrum that was the grey furred Martian next to her and his rapidly escalating place in her life.