Dedicated to Mumma Morning – one of the most courageous women I have ever met.
You are my Charlie and Carbine all rolled up in a big chocolaty goodness!
Three-Mouse Night
Find your own island escape. Even if it's just the one in your hearts.
BMFM owned by their Creative Geniuses.
Disney references copyright to the other mouse
Winter.
The word brought so many images to Charlie's mind as she gazed out the window of the Last Chance Garage, a warm blanket tucked around her shoulders.
Pristine snowflakes falling gently over her parents' lawn as she shared a cup of eggnog and Grandma's home-made cookies with her golden retriever Bowser.
Sledding down the now white hills at the local park with her best friend Johnny-Boy, screeching with laughter as they ran aground into an embankment that stopped their sled in its tracks and sent them tumbling into a huge pile of snow. They rolled around with glee, tossing powder in the air as their antics left mutant angels in the snow.
Or that time Papa-Joe took her and old Yeller out hunting and she was so upset over the wild goose that he had winged, that he had to take it home to Grandma and she splinted it's wing. And the goose got better and fatter from all the love Charlie showed him and she named him Mr Pillows because he was as white and plump as one of Grandma's duck-down pillows.
Charlie paused in her reminiscing and made a face.
'Well done Charlene, you've just melted every lousy Christmas movie you've ever seen into an imaginary childhood for yourself!' she thought as she eyed the cup of warm alcohol in her hand.
"Vinnie, have you added a little something-something to the mulled wine?!" she demanded loudly over her shoulder to her husband.
"No. Wasn't moi!" he replied cheerfully from the sofa.
He sounded slightly blurry to her ears, like he wasn't quite on this planet. Not that that was unusual in itself, he was either on one planet or another at some during the year, but it was more like the meteor...meta...metaphorical version she was trying to referential...reference...refer to.
"Aw crap, I think I'm tipsy with a side order of fuddled"Charlie commented to herself.
There was only one other culprit who could be responsible for the frat boy behaviour.
Turning from the window, she put the glass down on the nearest surface and walked in a half-walk, half-hop motion to the kitchen.
"SPLINTER! I mean STOKER!" she bellowed from the doorway, grasping the door frame with both hands to steady herself.
"Wrong mutants" Modo commented happily, his pupils slightly dilated as he smiled warmly at her.
"Are we mutants? I always thought we were aliens" Throttle commented as he lay topless across the kitchen table, making weird purring noises as Carbine ran her fingers through his back fur.
"We could be both, or nothing at all. Maybe we are beings of pure energy who just needed to feel the physical universe once again to remind us of all our many parts" Carbine commented, engrossed in making spirals and crop-circles on her husband's back.
The entire Earth population of Martian mice were currently living at the Last Chance, as the scoreboard was now too cold even for the naturally insulated Martians. It was so bitter that Charlie and Vinnie had ditched the upstairs bedroom to join the others in the living room to form a large makeshift nest, where they could all snuggle together and benefit from the combined heat.
"Where is that wizened miscreant?" Charlie demanded, surprised she could get out a whole sentence, let alone one with so many big words.
The mice were impressed too, their ears perking up at the unfamiliar words.
A gloved hand emerged from behind Carbine and waved around for a bit.
"No need to swear Charlie-girl" Stoker drawled as he used Carbine to hoist himself up.
"Trust me, you'll know when I start swearing" Charlie retorted, pushing herself off the doorframe toward him.
In the state she was in, it had the misguided effect of landing her squarely across Modo's lap and she clung to him as she desperately fought to steady herself.
Modo scooped her up into his arms and held her until she could mentally right herself.
"What did you put in the wine?" Charlie growled at Stoker, clinging to Modo as her mind and body fought over who knew the best shortcut to the direction known as up.
"Woah! She's never this angry unless Vinnie does something really stoopid!" Modo commented dryly to the almost comatose Throttle.
Throttle merely grunted in reply and motioned for Carbine to continue her ministrations on his furry self. Stoker mentioned Carbine exploring the terrain on his back once she had conquered the Realm of Throttle and she agreed, as long as the Land of Carbine's Foot Calluses was visited by Stoker in equal measure.
Charlie realized she was perfectly content in the big lug's arms as all the steam to punish Stoker left her body. She settled her arms around his neck and cuddled into Modo's chest, letting out a sniffled sigh.
"I feel like I'm stuck in a nightmare of auditioning for Frozen 2. I'll never be warm again!" she mumbled against his chest.
Modo pulled her closer and ran a soothing hand in circles round her back.
"It's ok Charlie-ma'am, the summer will be here before you know it. We just gotta hang on a little bit longer" he murmured reassuringly as he stroked her back.
As Modo's calming tone infiltrated her mind, Charlie found herself more and more relaxing, drifting off into a semi-drowsy state. Modo leant back in the chair and rocked her back and forth, talking to her until he was sure she had fully settled.
She felt like she was in a comfortable hammock, swinging gently in the tropical breeze and bathed in the warmth of the sun. Not the type that turned you into a pink lobster, more like pre-sunset, perfect balmy conditions type of sun. You know that type, the one you see in the island escape brochures...
Charlie sat up suddenly and blurted out "Brochures!"
It was so random that the entire kitchen full of mice started laughing their heads off.
"And a good brochures to you too" Stoker quipped.
"Shut-up Splinter wanna-be!" Charlie grumbled good-naturedly at him.
The noise caused Vinnie to wander into the kitchen to investigate and he grinned at the excitement on his wife's face. He was familiar with that look. It usually meant something exciting was about to go down.
Still perched on Modo's lap, she noticed her husband's presence and grinned at him.
"Brochures!"
"Brochures" he replied, smiling contentedly at his sexy Terran. He loved it when her crazy side reared its head.
Charlie put her arms out to her husband and he obligingly took her from his brother's lap.
Swinging her up close to his face, he gave her his best pirate impersonation.
"Where too me hearty?" he drawled as he waggled his eyebrows at her
Laughing, Charlie pointed to the living room.
Vinnie carried her through the kitchen door and into the living area, where he unceremoniously fell onto the sofa. Giggling, Charlie managed to untangle herself from her husband and sit upright.
Spying her electronic tablet charging on the corner table, she launched herself across his lap to grab it. Seeing his wife's derriere draped across his legs, Vinnie proceeded to lay some impromptu bongo beats on her extremity.
"Vinnie!" she shrieked happily, trying to avoid dropping her tablet as she fought off her husband's wandering grip.
Mercifully, he quit and she draped his arm around her shoulders as she snuggled into his side. Turning her tablet on, she started eagerly swiping through island destinations as Vinnie hooked a blanket around their legs.
"Fiji...Jamaica...Bahamas...Thailand...oooh Thailand, perfect" she burbled with excitement.
Typing in some extra information confirmed the only thing that would dampen her spirits. There was no way she could afford six airline tickets and accommodation in Thailand at peak pricing.
Disappointed, she pushed the tablet off her lap onto the sofa next to her and hid her face in Vinnie's armpit.
Putting his hand under his wife's chin, Vinnie drew her face upwards.
"What's wrong sweetheart?" he asked, his gorgeous face wrinkled with concern.
"I need to get us out of here Vinnie. We need to go somewhere and thaw out for a week. But I can't afford the airline tickets and hotel" she replied miserably.
He planted a small kiss on her lips, moving to her cheeks and finally to the corner of her ear.
Under his ministrations, Charlie's despair started to evaporate. Sighing with pleasure, she let him nibble the cold away from her heart, even if it was just for a little while.
"Sweetheart, why don't we just take the rocket?" he whispered in her ear.
Charlie pulled back and looked at her husband incredulously.
"You serious?" she asked hopefully.
"Book the hotel. We'll take care of the flight plans" he replied, pointing at her tablet.
A smile bigger than the entire Last Chance spread its way across her face.
"I will...in a bit!" she shrilled in excitement, pulling his head down in a searing thank you kiss.
It took Charlie over two hours to book the accommodation. One of them was spent researching and booking accommodation. The other was spent upstairs as the exchange with Charlie left Vinnie a little bit overheated.
Charlie made a quick call to Chef Andy to confirm it would be okay for the bikes to stay with him for a week. He was thrilled. And so were the bikes judging from all the beeping and excited circling they did around the garage door.
They broke the news to the rest of the gang over dinner. Once the whoops and high fives came to a conclusion, Charlie ran through packing suggestions and answered any relevant questions she could.
The issue of whether there would be hotdogs and root-beer for purchase became a heated topic of debate, which would have lead to an even more heated rumble that threatened to destroy the living room entirely.
Charlie resolved the situation by threatening to leave them all behind and just go on holiday with Carbine and Vinnie, who had managed to stay out of the altercation.
Charlie proudly thought it was a result of his latest bout of maturing, but it was actually due to the fact that he had discovered a solo root-beer at the back of the fridge and hidden in the kitchen to consume it.
Deciding an early night was the best option for their planned morning flight, and as it was too cold for the mice to head out and start packing, Charlie urged her husband and guests to bunk down and get some shuteye.