The sun wasn't quite up when the occupants of the Last Chance started to emerge from the large pile of bedding in the living room. Yawning and stumbling into each other, they somehow managed to find their way into warm clothing and head off in individual directions to do the necessary packing.
Reconveying at the Last Chance, they rode the bikes to Chef Andy's restaurant and then ordered a large taxi for the trip to the airport. Upon arrival, they pulled their luggage out of the taxi, tipped the driver and stood in a circle, waiting blearily for instructions from Charlie.
Charlie uttered a few swear words and smacked her palm into her forehead, before ordering everyone to pick up their luggage and follow her. Without question, the five semi-frozen Martians shuffled after Charlie as she led them to the taxi-rank and waved down the nearest multi-occupant cab. Ushering everybody aboard, she instructed the driver to head for Quigley Field.
The taxi arrived at Quigley Field and unloaded its passengers, including the red faced human.
At this point, Vinnie decided it would best if he took over loading the luggage and passengers onto the Martian ship and give his frazzled wife a chance to regain her composure. He fired up the engines and plotted a course for Thailand, selecting a spot the ship could be camouflaged and still get transport to their accommodation.
They landed near a remote village and bribed the local fishermen with some Martian hooch to transport them to one of the bigger tourist islands. From there, they travelled by water taxi to the resort Charlie had selected. It was just the right combination of near and far. Near enough they could hit any of the tourist hotspots at any given moment without too much trouble, yet far away enough they could kick back and relax away from the noisy crowds.
They spent the first four days thawing out by the pool and trying out the available water sports on the beach. They would wake to a large breakfast by the pool, followed by a leisurely walk along the beach to their favourite rental shack, where they hired several jetskis. They would spend the remainder of the morning and early afternoon racing up and down the water, playing various versions of tag.
On the first day, the jetski owner almost had a heart attack over his guests' antics, but soon realised that the machinery was in more than capable hands. A hefty deposit and visit to the Martian spaceship left him more than happy to allow his guests to carry on their acrobatic activities.
After they had their fun on the ocean, they would return to the resort to drink cocktails and eat lunch, before jumping in the pool and battling it out in such classics as chicken‑fighting (minus actual chickens), Marco polo and bobbing heads, a version of aquatic whack‑a‑mole. After Modo and Vinnie nearly gave each other concussion, Charlie called the game off and suggested they try water volleyball instead.
It was a great idea for the first hour, but after Carbine pounded the ball so hard that it knocked the lifeguard out of his seat and into the pool, and the bellyflop contest sent a tidal wave so powerful that it turned the children's pool into a wave pool (much to the kiddies delight and the parents dismay), the group were eventually banned from any activity in the water other than swimming, or floating.
Deciding it was time to do some exploring, the group hired a taxi and headed out to one of the night markets. The Martians had a peaceful time exploring the market compared to other tourists, as none but the bravest of the hawkers and touters would dare approach the hulking mice and the no‑nonsense General.
Charlie wasn't having any such luck as her friends, as the hawkers were completely at home doing what they do best to her– harassing foreigners to buy, Buy, BUY their merchandise!
Modo solved the problem by putting her between Throttle and himself, until Charlie's fiery disposition had a chance to rear its head and start scaring the daylights out of anyone stupid enough to approach her.
They wandered into the food section and split up briefly to check out the unusual variety of fruit, vegetables and insects on offer. While Charlie and Carbine were purchasing a fresh dragon-fruit juice for each of them, and the biker mice were trying out Jing Leed (cricket) on a stick, Stoker discovered the Durian. Amazed by the relish at which the stall owner and other customers were consuming the fruit, he purchased a couple and took them to show Charlie.
When the stench from the fruit hit her nose, Charlie nearly threw up in her juice and Carbine turned a colour so pale she almost disappeared.
"Dammit Stoker! How can you NOT smell that?!" Charlie demanded, pointing accusingly at the fruit in Stoker's hand.
"You bunk with enough unwashed male freedom fighters in a room for as long as I did, and you get used to anything" Stoked commented dryly as he examined the spiky fruit.
Throttle returned with a Jing Leed stick for Carbine when the Durian odour hit his nose.
Swearing in Martian, he shoved the stick in his wife's hand and spun a quick 360 and headed in the opposite direction, dragging Modo along with him, muttering something about fresh air.
Spying something new in his wife's hand, Vinnie slipped up next to Charlie and went to take a sip from her proffered juice, when his nostrils started twitching.
"Hey old timer, why are you holding the equivalent of a hedgehog and arsehole's love child? Do you need some deodorant for your armpits?" Vinnie asked, trying to hold his breath in between talking.
"Careful punk, or I'll stab it into your head!" Stoker growled, juggling the fruit in his hand.
"No do! No do!" the nearest stall holder said loudly, waving his finger at Stoker.
"No do? What does he mean?" Stoker asked Charlie, looking very confused.
"I remember reading that it's illegal to hit someone with that fruit. You can actually go to prison for it" Charlie explained, pinching her nostrils shut with her fingers. "Stoker, seriously, can you please get those away from here!"
Stoker merely shrugged, but wandered back to where he had purchased the Durian. The stall holder was more than happy to show him how to open the fruit and consume the interior. The taste was like a combination of cream cheese, onion sauce and sherry on his palate and he enjoyed it enough to try another one. Not as good as a hot dog, but definitely not bad either.
After the food section, the gang checked out the clothing and trinkets section of the market where they picked up some cheap items for the summer. They left the market and wandered down one of the main streets, checking out the nightlife and eateries along the way. Finding a lively bar with a decent selection of local and western style cuisine, they settled in for a late dinner and drinks. When the band started playing some tunes they recognised, the entire gang joined the group on the dance floor, bumping booties with various inebriated tourists and locals.
As 2am rolled around, Charlie decided to call it a night and head back to the resort, the smiling sweaty Martians in tow behind her. The group found a taxi willing to drive all of them back to the resort, and Stoker quickly claimed the front seat, while Carbine and Charlie ended up draped across Vinnie, Modo and Throttle's laps in the back seat.
Stoker started conversing with the driver, and the friendly Thai local happily gabbed away in his mixture of munted English and local dialect. The friendship was sealed with the gift of some Durian fruit from Stoker, which they promptly opened and consumed in noisy companionship.
The ride back left the rear passengers fighting for air as the smell from the Durian fruit perforated the entire taxi. There was a round of vocalised complaints in high voices as they pinched their nostrils and tried to inhale through their mouths.
Fed up with his lack of consideration for such close quarters, Carbine accidentally elbowed Stoker in the shoulder when she shifted position to open the window. Charlie couldn't be bothered pretending, she just leant over and smacked Stoker in the back of the head.
The driver thought the women were telling Stoker off for not sharing the Durian fruit so he good‑naturedly started handing the rest of the fruit behind him.
The biker mice started yelling in the negative and Throttle had to grab Carbine around the waist as she made a lunge for Stoker, determined to put him in a headlock. Charlie kept grabbing the fruit as quickly as she could from the driver and shoving them into Modo's lap.
"I don't want them!" he rumbled and glared at his sister-in-law, feeling betrayed in their normally harmonious relationship.
"Bear with me big-guy" Charlie begged, gripping Vinnie's bandoleers with one hand and tossing the fruit to Modo with the other.
Satisfied they had all the Durian, Charlie waited until the driver was distracted and then proceeded to toss the fruit out the window. One of her shots misfired when they went over a bump, and the Durian ended up going through the open window of a car. The unsuspecting owner was going to have a hard time working out where the funky stench was coming from.
The taxi pulled up at the front entrance and the driver smiled delightedly when Charlie shoved the fare and a large tip at him. At a signal from Throttle, Modo shot both arms out and pushed his brothers through the side doors. Throttle aimed Carbine's legs so she hit the ground running, while Vinnie merely scooped his wife into his arms and headed for the entrance. He set her down inside and took in great breaths of air-conditioned oxygen, the colour finally returning to his face.
Glancing around at the group, Charlie's lips twitched as she realised Martians could be green, just not necessarily all the time.
Stoker said goodbye to his new buddy and entered the lobby more casually than his counterparts. Grinning cheerfully, he waved a casual salute at them and headed to the elevator, stabbing the up button and leaning lazily against the wall till the lift arrived. The group followed and piled into the lift, stopping at their floor. As everyone exited and peeled off to their respective rooms, Vinnie noticed his wife was lagging behind and in no hurry to catch up.
Muttering something under her breath, she spun around and headed back to the lift, pushing the down button and impatiently bouncing on the balls of her feet. Vinnie started to pull his key card out when he sensed his wife was no longer behind him, and he turned to see her disappearing into the lift.
Shoving the card back into his wallet, he raced for the stairs and bolted down the levels in record time, emerging into the foyer just as his wife's lift reached the ground floor.
Charlie's mind was crawling. She was still wired from the night out, and knew it would be some time before she could sleep. Deciding it best to hang out in the foyer till she felt calmer, her gaze swept the selection of chairs, as she moodily tried to decide whether to sit, or pace out the emotional itch.
Her gaze stopped on one of the sofas that had a hunky white mouse leaning nonchalantly against it.
"Walk on the beach?" Vinnie offered, feeling the invisible electricity crackling off his wife's body.
Charlie's eyes lit up at the idea and she eagerly grabbed her husband by the hand, heading for the resort's private beach. They found a secluded part of the beach and sat down, the moonlight bathing them in silver rays as the cool breeze from the ocean eased some of the Thai heat.
Vinnie put his arm around his wife's waist and smiled contentedly when she rested her head on his shoulder. Beyond pleased with the results of his suggestion, he breathed in a sigh and closed his eyes, savouring the feeling of his beautiful Terran nestled next to him in such magical surroundings.
Charlie tried to settle, worked hard to keep the romantic feeling going, but her mind was still racing and her body was getting twitchy.
"What's wrong with me?!" she kept asking herself, getting more and more frustrated by the minute.
Turning her head slightly, she was able to see the silhouette of her husband, his eyes closed and a contented smile on his handsome face as he soaked in the night air.
Charlie's breathing increased rapidly and she felt a strong elevation in the crawling sensation, which now spread through her body.
Vinnie abruptly found a pair of lips latch onto his own and a pair of legs straddle him.
His eyes flew open and he found his wife staring down at him. Her eyes dared him to protest as her arms slipped around his neck and pulled him tight against her body. She continued to kiss him hungrily, nearly causing him to faint as she refused to let him come up for air. Driven by the heat and some instinct she couldn't put her finger on, Charlie continued too maul her spicy partner with hands and lips.
At some point, the itch subsided enough for her to ease the intense pressure on his lips. Vinnie, reeling from the unexpected onslaught on his senses, managed to suck in a few quick breaths through the side of his mouth and moan something garbled that ended in Vegas.
"What about Vegas?" Charlie murmured between feathery kisses, refusing to break the seal of their lips entirely.
"This is just how you were after Vegas!" Vinnie managed to get out, groaning as she shifted her weight more snugly over his shorts.
Remembering the footage Vinnie had taken after their return from Vegas sent a spine-tingling throb through her body, and the itch returned with a roaring alacrity.
"Knuckle down Martian-man, this itch just got hotter and I'm gonna need some help putting it out!" Charlie ground out, pushing her husband backwards into the sand.