Whew, it's been awhile, hasn't it? What with GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE (happy dance) and losing my muse for awhile it's been hard to write. But here's hoping I can update more now that I have some free time =)
Thanks to everyone who has read so far. If you haven't reviewed, please do. Reviews make me a happy camper =)
DISCLAIMER TIME! I don't own the bros, sadfaces abound. Please don't sue me, I'm poor. And please don't use any of my characters (Copper, Silver, Alloy, Lani, etc) without permission.
Charley winced as she examined the wreckage that was left of the bros' bikes. "Man…I can see my dance card is going to be filled for awhile."
Strong arms wrapped around her from behind and she could feel Vinnie nuzzle the top of her head. "We'll help ya, babe. In your hands, the bikes will be good as new in no time." Charley grinned and gently disentangled herself from Vinnie's embrace.
"Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't ya?" she asked, looking over her shoulder at him. "You and me, we still got some talking to do. Until then, no touchie. Comprende?"
"Aww, but sweetheart," Vinnie protested, "Don't you want these heavenly arms wrapped tight around you? We got some missed time to make up for."
"No touchie," Charlie repeated, going back to the bikes. "Or I'll hit you with a wrench."
Vinnie sighed happily. "Oh man, I missed you."
"I missed you too, Vincent," she whispered, refusing to look at him again lest she throw herself back into his arms. As wonderful as it was to see him again, the no-talking-for-two-years thing was still bothering her. It gnawed at her like a disease; all the anger and resentment she had felt for the past two years was threatening to bubble over any second. Especially if he just kept standing there looking sexy as hell and smelling just as good as she remembered, like musk and leather jackets…
Arms wrapped around her from behind again. Vinnie rest his chin on her shoulder, sighing softly at the smell of her. "I can't say I'm sorry enough, Charley. When I left, I didn't want to keep you from your life here. I wanted you to have a normal life again."
"That wasn't your decision, Vincent," she said, her voice brimming with hurt and concealed rage. "You knew how I felt about you and you left me. How was I supposed to have a normal life when my heart was broken?"
Vinnie felt his heart break a little and, for once, wished he had more brains and less looks. He didn't know how to express his apologies well enough. Then, inspiration struck. He turned her to face him, tilted her chin up, and touched his antennae to her forehead.
Charley wasn't sure what was happening at first. All she could discern were shapes, voices and colors spinning past her. Female voices laughed, male voices shouted and screams echoed far in the distance. A small child crying, being picked up and then running, running while rubble fell from the sky…A red-furred Martian female with sky-blue eyes, her hair tied back in a simple tail and smiling…then she saw her own face accompanied with a feeling of warmth, safety and…love. There was so much love associated with her face that she couldn't fully explain it. Vinnie's thoughts had been on her almost constantly: his mind showed she had never been far from his thoughts. Even when he was thinking of another female, he was comparing her to Charley and none of them ever measured up. Regret…so much regret for leaving, for never calling, just wanted her to live a normal life. He couldn't hide the truth from her this way, she thought, and was overwhelmed by a feeling of love and gratitude that he had let her in like this.
When he finally pulled away, Charley could feel tears streaking down her face. His eyes met hers and he smiled slightly before kissing her. She kissed him back and clung to him, fearing if she let go she would break apart and fly away from the feelings he had just shared with her. "You did miss me…" She whispered against his lips.
She felt him smile. "Oh, you believe me now?"
"Yep," she replied, smiling back at him. "You chauvinistic, macho pig. You really thought you were doing the right thing?"
"At the time, yeah," he muttered, rubbing his nose against hers. "I didn't want to trash your life any more than I already had, sweetheart."
"Silly boy," she said and placed a kiss on his nose. "Where's the fun in life without a little trashing?" Vinnie grinned and kissed her again, being more thorough this time.
"Ahem," coughed a voice from the door. Vinnie and Charley jumped apart, both of them blushing. Throttle stood at the door with a bemused smile on his face and one eyebrow raised. "How are the bikes coming, Charley girl? Modo's starting to get a bit antsy about Li'l Hoss."
"They'll be ready soon," Charley said, fighting back her blush. "Did you find the food ok?"
"Yeah, thanks for that Charley girl," Throttle said. "I missed those hot dogs more than I thought."
"Aw man, there's hot dogs and nobody told me?" Vinnie shouted, running for the door at top speed. Charley sighed and shook her head, hiding a small smile; one thing hadn't changed.
"So, now that we're alone…" Charley growled and threw a wrench at Throttle, who caught it easily and set it down on top of her toolbox. "Just kidding, Charley girl."
"I know, but it's the principle of the thing," Charley grumbled as she took up another wrench and glared down at Li'l Hoss. "You guys made one hell of an entrance today. Any reason you couldn't take a ship in?"
"Kind of got blown up," Throttle said, leaning against the doorframe and watching Charley work on the bikes. It was like watching a conductor: every move was graceful and had purpose, screwing on a loose bolt or fixing a broken fuel line.
"You let Vinnie drive again?"
"I resent that," Vinnie quipped, coming back in with a tray covered in hot dogs and two bottles of root beer. Modo followed him in, still nursing his own bottle. His red eye began to glisten as he saw the condition his darling bike was in.
"We had a visit from the new bad guys," Throttle said. "Catatonians. After Stoker's Regenerator so they can revive their own planet and make a few gills enslaving us while they're at it."
"They sound charming," Charley drawled, wrenching Li'l Hoss' side panel back into place. Modo winced at the noise, his ears flattening down against his skull. Charley frowned and reached for something between the foot peg and brake pedal, pulling out a length of black cord with a silver-painted charm attached to it. "What's this?"
"Oh thank the Goddess, I thought I lost that in the crash," Modo said, gently taking Silver's present from Charley and tying it around his neck. Obviously it wasn't safe enough on his wrist.
"What is that, Modo? I haven't seen it before," Charley said as she turned to Sweetheart to replace her broken wheel gyro.
"Present from my little girl," Modo rumbled. "Ah dunno what I would have done if it was lost."
"She make it for you? That's so…" Charley paused mid-sentence, her wrench falling to the ground. "I'm sorry, repeat that for me?"
"Ah don't know what I would have done if it was lost," Modo repeated solemnly, hiding his grin behind another sip of root beer. Vinnie and Throttle sniggered quietly as they ate their fifth and seventh hot dogs, respectively.
"No, the bit before that." Charley glared at Throttle and Vinnie; she hated being kept in the dark.
"What, about mah little girl?" Modo asked, still fighting off a smile. He had missed teasing Charley ma'am.
"Yes, that! Since when do you have kids, Modo?"
"Just the one," he replied, slipping his hand into his breastplate and coming out with a picture Copper had given him when she went into the caves. It was of her and Silver laughing, Copper holding Silver on her hip with both of them waving at the camera. It had been taken during one of their visits to his Mama's place. He handed the piece of paper to Charley, watching her eyes go wide as she looked at the little grey-furred female. Her eyes were just like Modo's but she looked more like the red-furred adult she was holding on to.
"Damn…you think you know a guy and then it turns out he's married."
"We ain't married," Modo mumbled, his cheeks turning red.
Charley blinked at him once and then threw her wrench at him, barely missing his head. "Modo Maverick, you got a girl pregnant and you haven't married her? Does your mama know about this?"
"Ah didn't know Copper was pregnant!" Modo grunted, ducking the wrench before glaring at Vinnie and Throttle, who had broken out into full-fledged laughter at his expense. "She didn't tell me. And mah mama does know, she loves Silver."
"Silver, huh?" Charley said, taking another look at the picture. "Fitting, with the grey fur."
"Her mama's name is Copper, her uncle in Alloy and her daddy was Barium. Family tradition to name the kids after metals."
"Cute," Charley said, handing him back the picture. "She's pretty."
"Most wonderful gal I've ever met, excepting you, Charley ma'am," he grinned at her, his red eye looking at her fondly. Charley smiled back and gave him a brief hug. Modo had always been her favorite bro to hug: he was very gentle and warm and there was so much of him to hug.
"Now get out of here, you three. I'll get more done if you're not bugging me."
"Sure thing, sweetheart," Vinnie said, kissing her cheek and leaving some hot dog crumbs on her skin. "We'll be waiting."
"Brush your teeth while you're waiting," Charley grumbled, wiping her cheek and leaving a streak of grease there. "And maybe clean the kitchen while you're at it."
"Sure thing, Charley girl," Throttle grinned, playfully ruffling her short hair as he passed by. "We'll get outta your hair."
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Two hours, a blender explosion and a fight with the mop later, the bros stood outside the garage doors, waiting patiently for Charley to open the door so they could see their bikes. Well, patiently as biker mice could. Throttle was pacing, Vinnie was gnawing at his nails and Modo was toying with his new necklace, twisting it back and fourth and watching the silver paint change color from deep blue to lavender depending on how the light hit it. He wondered what Copper and Silver were up to right at that second, wondered if their home would be left standing after the war was over. They had had to leave most of their belongings there and Modo hoped it looked enough like just another rock that no one would look at it twice, much less bomb it.
The door rolled smoothly up, revealing a sweaty and grinning Charley with the three bikes. They looked just like new; Charley had even taken the time to give them a wash and wax so that they shone in the setting sunlight. "Oh yeah, who's bad?"
"You're bad, babe," Vinne grinned, grabbing her and kissing her before going over to Sweetheart. The red bike revved at him in greeting and did a short turn, obviously demanding that she be admired. Vinnie crouched next to the bike, crooning softly to her and looking her over. Throttle and Modo did the same thing, Modo nodding approval at the weapons upgrade Charley had given Li'l Hoss.
"They look great, Charley ma'am," Modo said.
"Yeah Charley girl, they look awesome," Throttle agreed, sliding onto Lady with a pleased grin. "Now let's go find some bad guys-"
"And kick their butts?" Vinnie asked, a wicked gleam in his eyes.
"Of course," Modo rumbled, putting on his helmet. "And we gotta look for Stoker, too. See if he made it here ok."
"We'll get to that," Throttle said, putting on his own helmet. "But for now, let's rock…"
"And ride!" They shouted in unison, roaring off into Chicago proper. Charley watched them go for a second before jumping onto her own bike, pulling on her helmet and revving the engine in one smooth movement.
"Hey, you cheese brains! Wait for me!"
Yeah, not the longest chappie ever but it's more of a transition than anything. Please review! =D