Planet: Mars

Location: Freedom Fighter Headquarters

With one final twist of the wrench, Charley let out a pleased sigh as she wiped her brow before reaching for a rag to clean her hands with.

"There, new weapons installed." She smiled as she turned to face Scythe and Lance. Scythe had light blonde fur with honey blonde hair that was in a taper fade haircut, while Lance had dark grey fur with black hair in a buzz cut. Their team had returned from an altercation with some Plutarkians the day before, and their poor bikes, Echo and Thrill, had taken quite the beating. Harley had had her hands full dealing with the injuries, so Charley had taken it upon herself to fix up the poor machines. "I also replaced Echo's clutch and tightened the chain, so she should be good to go. Thrill had the worst of it. I had to basically replace the entire crankshaft and both of her tires. Just bring her back if you notice something is off again." Scythe visibly relaxed as he let out a sigh of relief, while Lance dropped back against the wall.

"We really owe you one, Charley. Thanks." Scythe moved from his position leaning against the workbench to his bike, gently stroking the handlebars as Echo let out a series of beeps. He chuckled as he looked back at her. "Throttle wasn't kidding. You really are a good bike jockey."

"Did you doubt?" Throttle was fiddling with a radio communicator as he sat at an angle to catch the light better, as he glanced up at his fellow Fighter. "I told you guys my sister is the best." Lance chortled as he stood up from the wall.

"We get it. You have the best sister on all of Mars. You can stop bragging. Seriously though, thanks." He directed the last part to Charley. "You're just as good as Harley." Charley smiled at the praise as she began to pack away her tools.

"Well, I am the best bike jockey in Chi-town," she paused. "Well… was, anyway." Scythe at this point had seated himself on Echo, and was leaning forward on the handlebars.

"You ever thought about going back?" he asked. Charley turned to him. This was the first time anyone had asked her that. She glanced over at Throttle, who suddenly appeared very focused on the volume adjuster of the communicator. She turned back to the other two mice with a soft smile.

"In the past, maybe. But, I've got a family here now. So I think I'm sticking around for a while." She smirked as she closed her toolbox and returned it to its designated spot on the workbench. "Besides, I still owe those Stinkfaces some payback." She ended with a devilish smirk. That sent all the mice in the room laughing.

"Amen to that!" Lance cheered as he climbed aboard Thrill. "Well, we better report back to our team. Thanks again!" And with that, the two of them left the garage area. Charley watched them leave for a moment before a soft voice broke through her thoughts.

"Did you really mean that?" She turned to see Throttle had put the communicator down and was staring at the ground, fiddling with the screwdriver. "About staying on Mars?" Charley beamed at him as she strode forward, before roughly mussing up his hair with her hand. Throttle let out a grunt as he tried to duck out from under her and ended up tumbling out of the chair. Charley laughs as he grumbles at her, before he joins in on the laughter. She holds out her hand to him, pulling him up when he takes it before poking him on the nose.

"You're my family now Throttle. And I go where my family goes." She uttered softly. Throttle grinned as he leaned in for a hug which she gladly returned. "C'mon, let's go find Modo and Vinnie." They separated and left the room together in search of their bros. Other Freedom Fighters greeted them in the hall way as they passed.

It had been four days since their return to headquarters. And four days since the rest of the Freedom Fighters had finally come around to her. Charley suspected it was because she was now officially recognized as an honorary Martian, or clan member? Either way, they were now a lot more open to chatting with her. Some of them still kept their distance, but that was alright. She certainly couldn't expect EVERYONE to like her.

She had kept an eye out for Mace, but it appeared he had been sent on another recon mission the day before they returned, and wouldn't be back for another 3 weeks. Which was fine with her, really. He still gave her the creeps, and she wasn't ready to face him yet.

They heard Vinnie before they saw him.

"Ooooo, I just can't take it anymore! I need some action! A fire fight? A race? SOMETHING!"

Charley shared a glance with Throttle, both rolling their eyes as they entered the room. Modo was seated on his bed reading a book, though from his facial expression, he seemed really annoyed and not at all focused on the book. Vinnie, on the other hand, was sprawled out on the floor spread-eagled. Charley crossed the room to stand over the white furred mouse, placing her foot lightly on his belly and pressing down slightly. Vinnie winced as he looked up at her.

"Charley-girl, please don't make my suffering worse!" he implored her. Charley smirked but removed her foot regardless. Her hair had fallen down in front of her face and she blew it out of the way, heading over to the dresser to find a brush.

"In case you've forgotten Vinnie, you aren't the only one who's had their mission time docked." Modo grumbled, giving up on his book and closing it. Throttle patted his grey furred comrade on the shoulder.

"C'mon you guys, its only for three more days." He tried to sound chipper, but they could all hear that he was also affected by the forced time off. Vinnie let out a loud groan and covered his face with his hands.

"Three more days?!" Vinnie whined. "I don't think I'll even last ONE!"

"Keep griping about it, punk, and I'll add another week." All four of them turned to the doorway, where Stoker stood with his arms crossed. With that threat looming over his head, Vinnie immediately shut his mouth. Stoker smirked before shaking his head. "Anyway, I came to find you three. Modo, Rimfire is on the line again, along with Primer. Throttle, Carbine is on comm 2. Vinnie, Harley was looking for you." Charley turned to see her bros faces light up as all three of them leapt to their feet to go and speak to their relatives or significant other. She barely contained a chuckle once they were gone. Stoker turned to her with a smile.

"Honestly, when it comes to family or love interests, those three have the attention span of a gold fish." He groused. Charley laughed as she brushed her hair.

"That's not a bad thing, is it?" she asked, before wincing as she caught a particularly bad tangle. She groaned once more as she tried to work the brush through it as gently as possible. "Hey, think you can give me a hand here?"

"Oh…um, sure." Stoker replied as he walked over, taking the brush from her hands. "Here, have a seat, it will make it a bit easier for me to reach." She turned and sat on the corner of the bed, allowing Stoker to start brushing her hair. "I saw Scythe and Lance on the way here. You fixed up Echo and Thrill well." He remarks quickly. Charley smirked.

"Don't tell me you also had doubts about my abilities, General?" she taunted. Stoker sniggered.

"Not doubts per say. Just grateful for the fact that you ended up with us." She snorted.

"Where else could I have ended up?" She felt him start to braid her hair back as she heard him hum.

"Well, there's the Sand Raiders I saved you from, the Rats. You could have ended up back with the Plutarkians. Or in the belly of a Sabersquid." She cringed at the thought.

"Ok, you've made your point." She admitted. She could practically feel Stoker's smirk.

"Aren't you glad for your knight in shining armour?" She guffawed at his statement, before a thought came to mind.

"Wait, where did you learn to braid hair?" Stoker sniggered.

"Had two younger sisters growing up. Had to learn to save myself from makeover parties." His voice shuddered slightly on the words 'makeover parties', causing her to laugh. "Oh yeah, laugh at the horrors I experienced." He said sarcastically, just as she felt him finish off the braid. "There, take a look." She stood from the bed and glanced at the mirror. Stoker hadn't done a bad job, pulling her hair back into a neat braid that would keep it out of the way for the rest of the day. She sighed.

"I really should just cut it," she muttered. "It's more trouble than it's worth."

"I think you look gorgeous." She froze, not sure if she had heard right. Stoker seemed to fumble for a second, awkwardly clearing his throat. "Not that I was, ya know, LOOKing, really…" As he trailed off, she glanced at his reflection, where he was awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, trying not to look at her. She tensed for a split second, before her mouth ran away from her.

"You're not so bad yourself." She replied before her mind caught up. Almost too scared to do so, she took a quick peek in the mirror. Stoker had frozen, eyes wide as he gazed at her, his arm still up at an angle from where it had been leaving his neck.

The silence stretched for a long time. Then a knock made both of them jump.

"Hey Charley, I've been looking for..." Harley inquired as she entered the room, before pausing at the scene. "Uh…is everything ok?" She asked hesitantly. Stoker cleared his throat oddly.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I'd…better get going. Got…some stuff to do." And with that, Stoker made a hasty retreat. Harley barely had time to scoot out of the way before he practically bulldozed out the door. She watched him for a while before spinning back to Charley.

"What just happened?" she demanded. Charley blinked, replaying the events in her head before groaning and dropping her face in her hands.

"Uh fink wuh woauh flerding." She mumbled through her palms.

"What?" Charley peeked between her fingers, seeing a thoroughly confused Harley with her brow raised and head cocked to the side. She moved her hands to her cheeks, which were now burning.

"I think we were flirting." She repeated in a small voice. Harley blinked twice.

"You…and Stoker?" The was a beat of silence. "Well, I can't say I saw that one coming." Charley groaned as she sat down on the bed before falling back.

"What was I THINKING?"

The next two days were horrendously awkward. And Charley was fairly certain that half the base knew something was up. She and Stoker had been avoiding each other like the plague. More than once one of them would enter a room where the other was, and immediately find some excuse to leave it as soon as possible. Meal times were twice as bad. When everyone congregated in the mess hall, Charley and Stoker would find themselves on opposite ends of the room. It caused many a raised eyebrow amongst the recruits. Each time it happened, Charley wanted to die of embarrassment. It all came to a head after dinner on the second night. Charley had been standing with her bros and Harley when some other recruits bumped into her sending her sprawling…right into Stoker's arms.

Charley was certain her face was as red as Stoker's and she fumbled to get out of his grasp as quickly as she could, mumbling an apology. Stoker did much the same, before speed-walking away and disappearing down the hall. Charley watched him leave, feeling the knot in her stomach tightening when she heard Throttle clear his throat.

"Ok, what's going on?" he demanded, crossing his arms. "You and Stoke have been acting weird for days now." He pointed out.

"Yeah, Charley-girl, what gives?" Vinnie added. Charley squirmed under her bros' gaze. She turned to Harley, who only gave her a sympathetic wince. Charley gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tight.

"Stoker-and-I-flirted-with-each-other." She said all in one breath. She heard nothing, so she opened one eye to peek at the bros. They were all staring at her, jaws dropped…then they burst out laughing.

"Oh man, good one Charley-ma'am!" Modo chortled, wiping a tear from his eye. Vinnie had practically fallen over with how hard he was laughing.

"Yeah, that was priceless!" Vinnie howled, slapping his knee as he bent over laughing. Throttle was still quietly giggling when he caught the look on Charley's face. His laughter died down as his face fell. Vinnie and Modo caught on to their bros revelation as their faces turned to shock.

"You…you weren't kidding, were you?" Throttle breathed. Charley's shoulders hunched as she shook her head, unable to look him in the eye. She grimaced when Throttle approached her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Are you ok?" he asked earnestly. Charley nodded, then shook her head.

"Yes. No. I don't know. I mean, the two of us have barely spoken since I got here. We barely know each other." She face-palmed. "And he's the Resistance Leader, for Pete's sake! I'm just…some nobody Earther." As she said the last part, Throttle's grip on her shoulders tightened and he pulled her forward in a hug.

"Hey, don't say that. You're not nobody, Charley." He pulled back, before guiding her to a table in the corner of the room. She spotted Modo, Vinnie and Harley quietly leaving the hall so they could talk in peace. Once they were both seated, Throttle placed a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Ok, how about you start at the beginning?"

So, she did. She explained what had happened two days ago, as well as what little interaction they had had with each other prior to the incident. Throttle sat quietly as she did so, listening intently. By the end, she was feeling a lot more relaxed about it all. Until her brother spoke up.

"Do you like him?" she tensed at the question, her throat tightening.

"I…I find him attractive, definitely, but…" She trailed off again moaning. "Throttle, we barely know each other. And like I said before, he's the General!" To her shock, Throttle shrugged.

"I don't see how that makes any difference. Besides, isn't the point of dating getting to know the other person?" Charley felt the blood leave her face as Throttle backpedalled. "I'm not saying you should start dating him! I mean- what I meant was…" he trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose between his fingertips for a moment before facing her again. "If you find Stoker attractive, and he finds you attractive, then I see no reason why the two of you can't hang out to see if this goes anywhere." Charley couldn't believe her ears. He was actually encouraging this? Her face must have shown her bewilderment, because Throttle chuckled,

"Look, you guys are both adults. What you decide to do together is no one's business but your own. Besides, if you think there might be a chance at happiness with him, then I'm certainly not gonna stand in your way, sis." He ended his statement with a smile. She sat there, stunned, before focusing on her fidgeting hands.

She could admit, when Rimfire had crash-landed in the scoreboard with the 42-year old General, she had taken note of his features. For his age, he certainly wasn't unattractive. And he was certainly charming. Of course, he had also been near twice her age in the future…

Here though…he was only a few years older than her, still charming…and definitely someone she could see herself with… maybe.

She…wasn't entirely sure what to do now. Stoker's single comment could have indicated he found her attractive, but it could also have been an innocent remark. Then again, his reaction said otherwise. After a few moments, she leaned against Throttle, who caught on quick and gave her a hug.

"Thanks Throttle." She murmured.

"Any time, sis."

That night, Charley had difficulties sleeping. The conversation with Throttle had settled her some, but she was still being haunted by her thoughts. She wondered if she was crazy to even consider this. She still had no idea if she was changing anything by being here, and she wasn't sure if potentially starting a relationship with Stoker would make things worse.

She sighed, giving up on getting any more rest that evening, and quietly left her room. It was still about an hour before dawn, so the base was dead silent. She snuck through the hallways, intending to go to the garage to work on Comet, when she noticed with a start that she wasn't alone.

Stoker was seated in front of one of the many monitors in the room, leaning forward against the desk. He looked positively haggard as he stared at the screen, motionless. He suddenly let out a rough sigh as he dropped his head into his hands, rubbing at his eyes before leaning back in the chair, eyes closed. Charley bit her lip as she contemplated leaving, but it didn't sit well with her to leave Stoker like this. So she decided to announce herself.

"Stoke?" she called softly. Stoker jerked and raised his head towards her, where she could spot the dark circles under his eyes. "What are you doing up?"

"Just keeping an eye out for any Plutarkian activity. What about you?" He replied as he got up from the chair, stretching and causing his back to pop. Charley winced in sympathy.

"Couldn't sleep." She responded. Stoker seemed to pause as he studied her for a few moments. Charley wondered what he was thinking.

"…is it because of me?" he asked quietly. Charley was taken aback.

"What?" she asked softly. Stoker shook his head, keeping his gaze away from her as he continued.

"Listen, Charley, I wanted to apologize. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I acted inappropriately. I'm sorry." He spoke softly. Charley was shocked, but as she studied the mouse, she couldn't help but smile. Here he was apologising because he assumed he had put her in an awkward position, but she was almost just as guilty. She felt a warmth building in her chest. She fiddled with her hair as she thought about what she was going to say next.

"…I didn't think it was inappropriate. I…actually kinda liked it." Stoker turned to her in shock, eyes wide. She kept her gaze on him, hoping he understood. After a few moments, his shock faded and he gave her a lopsided smile. As the silence stretched, she remembered her original goal, and threw a glance at the garage before turning back to Stoker. "Hey, would you like to go for a ride with me? It's still really early so no one will miss us. Besides, you look like you could use a break." Stoker seemed to consider for a second, glancing back at the monitor before turning back to her with a smile and a nod.

"I'd like that." He affirmed. And together they made their way to the garage, gathering their helmets and mounting their bikes. As they left base, Stoker made a motion that he wanted to take the lead. Curious, she went along with it, following behind. As they drove, the sky was beginning to lighten, the approaching dawn making itself known. After a while, Stoker took a right, heading up a hill that seemed to lead to a cliff face that would grant them an amazing view of the sunrise. Charley bit back a smile.

"Already pulling out the romantic settings." She quickly cut the thought off. They hadn't agreed to anything yet. This might just be a place where he feels relaxed. She forced herself to think that that was all it was…at least until Stoker had proven otherwise. After a few moments, Stoker pulled to a halt, a short distance from the cliff. Charley followed by example, removing her helmet as she stood from her ride. Stoker got up and placed his helmet down on his seat, before gesturing for her to walk with him towards the edge of the cliff. Reaching the edge, he seated himself on the edge, bending his left leg to rest his elbow on it while his right hung over the edge. Charley sat down on his right side, both her legs hanging over the edge, she leaned forward ever so slightly as she studied the ever growing aurora of colours that announced the impending dawn. A crisp breeze wafted, and she closed her eyes as she revelled in it.

"I gotta ask." Stoker suddenly announced, making her turn her attention to him. "What was the first thought you had when you realized you were surrounded by alien mice?" he inquired, flashing her a smirk. She returned it before thinking about her response.

"Well, one of the first things I said to Harley was is she a talking Gerbil." She replied honestly. Stoker recoiled playfully, wincing.

"Ouch." They both laughed for a bit, before she turned back to the ever brightening sky, smiling.

"The second was that… you guys were more than I expected." She replied honestly, thinking back to when she had first met the bros, that fateful day in her garage. Looking back on it, knowing what she did now, threatening them with a wrench would have been totally useless had they been anyone else. She blinked as tears began to sting her eyes at the memory.

"What do you mean?" Stoker's query brought her back. She didn't yet trust herself to look at him, afraid he would immediately notice her change in mood, so she focused ahead as she answered.

"Well, after being with the Plutarkians for so long, I was almost expecting all aliens to be like them. Malicious, cruel and repulsive. Hearing that there were people who hated Plutarkians as much as I did was a relief to say the least. But the more I spent time with you all, the more I came to realize that you were the total opposite of those Stinkfaces. You're all so compassionate and determined. I guess, I was just really happy to have found a place with all of you."

It wasn't a total lie. When she met her bros, she hadn't yet known about the existence of alien life, but her dealings with Limburger and his goons had certainly affected the way she interacted with people. With each warning and intimidation tactic, she drew in on herself, eventually leading to that confrontation with Greasepit. When the bros had busted in through her window that night, her first thought was to deal with the new threat. Unable to process that they had just helped her with hers, she had jumped on the offense. It was only after they had confirmed they wouldn't harm her did she actually start to let her guard down, gradually letting herself grow closer to them.

That was when she began to see their humanity. The way Throttle would always check on all of them after a particularly taxing battle. How Modo would always compliment her on her achievements. How Vinnie would stop at nothing to make her smile. They were so vastly different to Limburger and his various goons, that for the first time since her Uncle had passed, Charley felt at home.

The silence stretched a bit after her statement, before Stoker heaved a sigh.

"You know, you stumped me, Charlene." Charley turned to him with a raised brow at the abrupt declaration.

"I did?" she asked, confused. Stoker nodded before continuing.

"Yeah. I mean, you escape from a three-year imprisonment by the plutarkians, practically fall into our laps, and within the span of three months, you've won the hearts of nearly every single mouse you've come across. To the point where Amelia Threemane officially adopted you. You're a great mechanic. You got Vinnie to calm down and helped him successfully woo a girl. You're almost too good to be true." He listed each reason as he was counting on his fingers, ending the statement with a chortle. Charley quickly looked away to hide her flinch as he, rather aptly, hit the nail on the head without intending to.

"…I don't know if that's meant to be a compliment or an accusation." She expressed honestly.

"It's…" Stoker paused, seeming to gather his thoughts. "Well it's a bit of both I guess…" he ended off lamely. Charley hung her head for a second. Wishing she could just spill her guts out and tell him everything…but it was still too soon. With a rough sigh, she gave him as honest an answer as she could.

"I know I must be a bit of an anomaly to you…but I really do care. About the Freedom Fighters, Modo, Vinnie, Throttle…you." She added softly. Stoker seemed to start next to her.

"Me?" His voice was so small; Charley didn't dare look back at him for fear of actually confessing to everything if she were to see his expression.

"Well…yeah. You…the Freedom Fighters have become really important to me. So has Mars." She declared. It was not at all what she had been intending to say. But Stoker seemed to sense it as he let the topic drop.

"I just wish you could have seen it back then." His response had her turning her gaze back to him. His gaze was fixed on the horizon, and when she turned her head, she could see the sliver of the sun starting to rise. They watched it ascend in silence for a few minutes before Stoker sighed mournfully.

"This place is called Fair Grove. I used to drive out here all the time before the Plutarkians came. Watching the sunrise was always a sure fire way to improve my mood. It looks so different now." Charley glanced at him, seeing his head had dropped as a sombre expression now marred his face. She bit her lip as she thought of something, not entirely sure if it was appropriate but decided to hell with it.

"When the bros and I went to see Cynthia, we stopped for lunch at Attlewaki Plateau." Her sudden shift in topic made Stoker raise his gaze to her, giving her his full attention even though he was confused as to where she was going with this. "I was looking at that barren wasteland, trying to imagine what it used to be like. Throttle showed me a memory of when it was still green and alive." She ended, unable to look Stoker in the eye.

"He did, huh? Glad you got to see that." He replied honestly, having not caught the hint she was throwing out. Charley chewed on her lip for a moment before diving back in.

"You could…show me what the sunrise used to look like? If you want?" she finished. After a few moments she glanced at Stoker, who was watching her with wide eyes taken aback by her invitation.

"You…you sure?" he suddenly sounded so timid. He had dropped his leg and was facing her fully. Charley took a deep breath before nodding, turning to face him. Stoker seemed to pause for a moment before reaching out with his hand to just below her ear, guiding her forward as he closed his eyes and placed his now glowing antennae against her forehead.

In a flash, the scenery changed from view of a barren horizon to one overlooking a gorgeous lake. Trees similar to the Willow trees of Earth were swaying gently in a soft breeze, their dark magenta leaves reflecting in the water. Charley thought she caught the scent of sweet flowers in the air, mixed with the smell freshly fallen rain. Duck-like creatures flew down to the lake, settling on the water with nary a ripple. All while the sun rose over the horizon, painting the sky in several shades of red, orange, pink and yellow hues.

All too soon, the vision faded. Charley opened her eyes to see Stoker, who had pulled back just enough to ensure his antennae were no longer touching her. She felt like she should say something about what he had shared with her, but felt she couldn't get any words out, seemingly captured by his gaze. She vaguely noted that his hand was still at the side of her neck, his thumb stroking just underneath her ear.

Stoker had drawn back, only to be seemingly trapped by Charley's gaze. Her emerald green eyes shimmered in the light of the dawn. He realized he hadn't removed his hand from her neck, but couldn't bring himself to cut that bit of contact between them. He slowly started to lean in, his eyelids drooping slightly. He felt her drifting closer.

The moment was shattered when Stoker's handheld radio sparked to life with a shriek of static.

"STOKER COME IN. COME IN STOKE!" They hastily drew away from each other at Blade's panicked shout. Stoker grimaced as he pulled the radio up and pressed the respond button.

"Stoker here. What's wrong, Blade?" he probed, praying that it wasn't something serious.

"We just received word from one of the scouting parties. The Plutarkians are attacking Quiet Grove!"

The second Blade finished the sentence, Stoker shared a horrified look with Charley. In a flash, Charley was on her feet and sprinting towards Comet, who seemed to have either heard the commotion or noticed her rider's panic and drove to meet her, followed by Stoker's own ride. Stoker cursed as he rushed to his feet shouting into the radio as he raced to catch up to her.

"Dammit! Gather the rest of the Fighters and notify the Army! Charley and I are headed there now. And for Mars' sake, SOMEONE CALL THROTTLE!"

...um...

please review?

*proceeds to hide in a closet*