Throttle's heart stopped as he watched the car tumble over the side, crashing into the river below. It was the cliff on Mars all over again. All other sound faded away as he raced to the edge of the bridge, grasping onto the broken steel and looking down. It was at least a 20-foot drop. The car was still above water, but it was filling up fast. It took everything he had not to just dive in without thinking.

"Lady! Throw me a line!" his bike did so instantly. Throttle tied the steel-like rope around his waist before diving straight down. He hit the water hard, but came up quickly, gasping for breath as the rain beat down on his fac. All he could do was float with the current towards the car, grabbing onto the window frame and pulling himself up onto the hood of the car. "Charley! I'm coming!"

"Throttle!" He looked in to see Charley inside the car, holding onto a little girl. She lifted the girl up towards him. "Get Amy out first! I'm ok for now!" Throttle hesitated for a second before doing so. He whistled to Lady to pull the two of them up, as much as it pained him to leave Charley behind. The girl was holding onto him for dear life as they rose back up towards the bridge. Once they were back on the bridge, he took off his vest (which was soaked but it was the thought that counted) and draped it over the girl's shoulders.

"Ok sweetheart, I need you to go stand with Lady over there. I'm going back down to get Charley. Can you do that for me?" The girl grasped the vest tightly around her body and nodded, running over to stand next to the bike. Throttle raced back to the edge, taking a moment to assess. The car had almost disappeared, swallowed up by the black murky waves. Throttle cursed and jumped back down. By the time he was back on the car, he could see Charley was struggling to keep her head above water. Why was she still in the car? "Charley! C'mon!" he yelled frantically.

"My leg's stuck!" she cried, sputtering as water rushed over her face. Throttle cursed again as he climbed inside, taking a breath before going under. It looked like the steering wheel had Charley's leg pinned. He came back up hating the fearful look on her face. The water was rising quickly.

"I'm gonna try and get you free. Hang on."

"Not going anywhere." Charley nodded, trying to smile but failing. Throttle went under again, trying with all his might to find leverage underwater. But pulling on the steering wheel so it could shift enough was impossible. He opted to head back out the open windshield and stand on the hood of the car pulling on the wheel up. He grunted with the strain, but it barely moved.

"Th-Throttle!" He looked back towards Charley, just as she slipped under.

"No!" He dove headfirst back into the car. Charley was still struggling to get her leg free as the bubbles escaped from her mouth. He pushed and shoved with all his might, but nothing seemed to work. The seconds passed, terror and panic rising with each moment he struggled. He looked up with a start when he realized that Charley had stopped struggling. Her eyes were closed as he hair gracefully floated around her face.

"NOOOO!" he screamed underwater. Not again! I won't lose her again!

In a panic he activated his Nuke Knucks, aiming several solid punches at the wheel. The force broke it apart. Charley, fell back, floating free before Throttle grabbed her waist and dragged her limp body out of the now completely sunken vehicle. As soon as they broke the surface of the water, he yelled for Lady to pull them up. As they reached the bridge, he quickly swept her up into his arms, carrying her towards the center of the road. He was terrified as to why she had not stirred yet. As he laid her down, he could hear the pounding of his heart in his ears over the rain beating down on them. An image of his Charley, pale and unresponsive on the floor of the monastery crashed back in his mind.

"Charley? Charley please wake up." He cried, shaking her. What do I do? What do I do?

She didn't move.

"No…no, no, no! Please Charley, wake up!" he cried. He pulled her into his arms and held her close, sobbing into her neck. "Please…I can't lose you… not again…"

Movement shocked him as Charley suddenly lurched and began sputtering and coughing. Throttle pulled back with a gasp. She was alive! He had saved her! She coughed up a bit of water before her eyes opened weakly, looking up at him and smiling.

"Hey…how's that for a rescue?"

Throttle laughed wetly as he held her close again. He smiled to himself feeling her arms lock around his neck in gratitude. Sirens broke the moment as he could now hear them approaching in the distance. Throttle was startled when his helmet appeared next to him. Amy was there, holding it out to him, shyly.

"Auntie Charley said you guys are a secret. I thought you might need this." He took the helmet from the her as she scuffed the dirt with her foot shyly. "Thank you for saving me, Mista Throttle." She murmured sweetly before kissing him on the cheek. Throttle smiled.

"You are very welcome Amy." He said as he put his helmet on, just as the fire engines and ambulance arrived on the scene.

Everything became a blur after the emergency services arrived. After the paramedics checked her over and deemed she was ok, their focus shifted to Amy and the other driver. Charley felt the urge to strangle the guy when it was discovered that he had been driving while drunk, and escaped the crash with nothing more than a minor whiplash. Thankfully, Amy's worst injury was the small cut she got when the car fell into the river.

Cindy arrived back on scene with Charley's tow truck moments after the emergency services, and the woman had been beyond relieved to find her little girl safe and sound. Little Amy could not stop spouting about how she had been brave for Auntie Charley and how cool Mista' Throttle had been. Cindy had turned to the two of them and dragged them into a tight hug, thanking them over and over. Charley couldn't help but giggle at the slight blush she could spot through Throttle's visor.

The paramedics had wanted her to go to the hospital with them, but Charley insisted that it was unnecessary, that all she wanted right now was to go home and warm up. Even through the heavy downpour, she could see Throttle keeping to himself on the outskirts of the crowd, keeping a careful distance from the authorities. But he was always watching her closely as the paramedics continued to fuss over her. She knew he was keen to leave before anyone started asking questions, and honestly, so was she. Cindy, Amy and the drunk driver were taken away in the ambulances, while tow trucks arrived to deal with the vehicles. At some point she realized that Throttle had gently settled her in the passenger side of her truck, loading Lady onto the back before getting in the driver's seat.

At this point, the evening's events finally caught up to her, and she felt absolutely exhausted. One minute she was watching the road ahead, the next, she woke up, only to find herself being carried into the living room by Throttle. She blinked in surprise when he glanced down at her with concern. Feeling a little embarrassed, she was just about to insist she could walk herself, and the manhandling was not necessary. However, she could feel how heavy her limbs were, so she didn't protest.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked softly, and Charley smiled up at him, even as a shudder went up her spine. She had refused the blanket earlier, but now it seemed the cold had caught up with her. She leaned into Throttle's warmth (holy cow, this guy was like a furnace!) She moaned softly in protest when he set her down, disappearing into her bedroom. He came back within a few moments, holding her comfiest pajamas and a pair of fluffy socks. He paused at her linen closet and grabbed two fluffy towels and a few blankets. He set the blankets down, grabbed one of the towels and wrapped it around her. Charley watched vaguely aware as Throttle took off her sodden boots and set them in the garage to dry, then began drying her off with the towel. Charley was confused. He had been outraged with her hours before, yet here he was, caring for her like a mother hen. Like he had done it a thousand times before. A quick glance up caused him to notice her expression and he stopped. "Uh…sorry." He clutched the towel close and watched her nervously. "Is…is it ok if I do this?" Charley nodded. Throttle moved slower this time, as if he was worried about scaring her. After he was done drying her off, he led her to the bathroom, taking the other towel, the socks and the pajamas with them. He set those down on the toilet lid and when he noticed how her legs were shaking, he raced back to the garage to grab the metal stool that she kept in the garage. He set that in the shower before turning to her.

"Take a shower and warm up. I'll be right outside if you need me." Charley could only nod, unable to find any words for his behavior. Throttle nodded and left the room. Charley removed her wet clothes and stepped in the shower on autopilot. She was very grateful for the stool, taking the stress off her legs. She hadn't realized how much she was shaking until the hot water hit her.

She honestly had no idea what to think of the situation anymore. Throttle was being so caring towards her, almost as he had known her for years. Before he had avoided making eye contact with her…now even the personal space didn't seem to have that boundary anymore. Yet only hours before he had been treating her like a burden. Talking down to her like she was some kid that had mindlessly wondered into a busy road. Charley had started thinking that, on some level, Throttle just didn't like her… maybe even hated her. So what the heck was going on now? She had no idea what his problem was at this point. She hoped to get some answers soon.

After the third time of nearly falling asleep in the shower, she dragged herself out, drying off and changing into the pajamas and socks Throttle had provided. She emerged from the bathroom to find he had set up a comfy nest on the couch for her. She heard his footsteps in the kitchen as he came back, holding a steaming cup of tea for her. Wordlessly, he helped her back to the couch, setting her up in the blanket pile and pressing the cup of tea in her hands. Charley's mouth was dry, she was feeling grateful, happy even, but coated in so much confusion. Just as she was about to ask, it was only then that she registered he was still soaking wet. He must be cold.

"Your turn to warm up now." She whispered to him. "There are more towels in the linen closet." Throttle started, as if he had completely forgotten about himself in the process of taking care of her. She raised a brow at him, before he nodded and headed for the bathroom. She drank her cup of tea quickly, listening to the sounds of the water.

She was startled awake when Throttle gently touched her shoulder. He was missing his vest, though he was wearing his jeans which still looked damp. His fur was a lot fluffier now.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"It's alright." She glanced at the clock, which read 1 am. "It's too late for you to go back to the Scoreboard. You can stay here."

"I…I already let the bros know where I am. They knew I was coming over, but I informed them of what happened while you were in the shower. They were ready to make the drive down, but I told them we were alright for now." He muttered as he began setting up his cot. Charley watched him for a while.

"Throttle." He paused in his work, turning around to face her reluctantly. "Thank you for saving my life… again."

The mouse just shrugged. "It was nothing…"

Charley couldn't disagree more. "I'm glad you came back when you did, but…why did you?"

Throttle sighed. "To tell you the truth…I came back to apologize. And…to give you an explanation." She noticed the nervous expression that crossed over his face before he closed his eyes. "No more running." He whispered to himself. Charley scooched over a little as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"First of all, you had every right to chew me out earlier. You aren't a child, or some damsel in need of rescue, and I shouldn't have treated you like that." Charley waited for him to continue. "You…you said that you knew I was scared of you. And you are sort of right. The truth is I'm scared of the memories you bring up." Throttle leaned back and began playing with the necklace she had spotted around his neck a handful of times. "I didn't just lose my mom, back on Mars. I had a sister too." Charley's eyes widened. "Her…her name was Cyclone. She wasn't my sister by blood. My mom and I adopted her into our clan about a month after I first met her. My mom had only met her about a week before."

"Wow… she must've been quite something to have made that good of an impression." She commented. Throttle chuckled.

"Oh, she was. She was one of the most amazing people I've ever known. When she joined the Freedom Fighters, General Stoker, our mentor, assigned her to me and the bros," he smirked as he recalled the memory. "Vinnie, of course, immediately tried to flirt with her. This was before Harley. He was a real Casanova, or so he thought at least. I kid you not, she poked him right on the nose in response." He chuckled. "I have never seen Vinnie look so shocked before. His 'charms' had never failed him before, but Cyclone knew exactly how to handle him. 'Ease up on the machismo, kiddo.' She said. She ended up helping him court Harley, and he's been a different mouse ever since... well, he does still like to take a few hikes up mount-EGO now and then, but I swear she's the only reason Harley gave him the time of day."

They shared a laugh, and she noted how bittersweet Throttle's sounded. The smile fell from his face as he continued. "After Mom died… I was still too young to become the clan leader, and since Mom and I were the last of the Threemane clan, the Council tried to use some old Martian law to banish me. Cyclone stopped that from happening by agreeing to go through the Trial of Orthos, another ancient thing the Council loves to use to get their way. She won, and I've never been prouder." He shook his head and took a shuddering breath, looking away as if he were ashamed. "I was a jerk to her, before the Trial. We made up after a while, but I didn't want her getting hurt and I was sure there was no way she could win. I didn't want to lose her too…so I ended up pushing her away. And apparently I didn't learn my lesson because I did the same thing to you." A tear runs down his cheek. "She…died…6 months after that, saving Harley's life from a Rat. She pushed him off a cliff and fell with him. We…never found her body." His fingers tightened around the necklace before loosening, letting the charm rest in the palm of his hand. "This was all I could find. Stoker had given it to her. They had started seeing each other after the Trial. I think, out of everyone, he understood my pain the most."

Charley was stunned. Her heart was breaking all over again for these mice. She also felt ashamed of her own actions. She had been frustrated with the bros treatment of her, figuring it was just some kind of male dominating ego pride nonsense, but going behind their backs to prove them wrong had not been the solution.

We really gotta work on our communication. She thought.

"You remind me of her, ya know... in so many ways." Charley was pulled from her thoughts as Throttle gave her a bittersweet smile. "I think it's why I've been so…harsh. I've… been having nightmares recently, of the day she died. I keep seeing her, over and over again and I can't even safe her! I keep thinking that, since I couldn't save her…I can make up for it by keeping you safe. Fat load of good that did."

"I am so sorry Throttle." She whispered, not really being able to add anything else. She leaned forward and pulled Throttle into a hug, which he returned gratefully.

"I'm sorry too. You are your own person, and you deserve to be treated as such. I won't bother you like this in the future." Charley bit her lip, then pulled back a little.

"How about a compromise?" she posed. Throttle raised a brow at her, confused. "You say you want to keep me safe, and so far, you and the bros have done a pretty good job. But you won't always be around to protect me, and as you said yourself, you can't focus on a battle when you are worried about me... but I get the feeling that trouble is always going to find me Throttle, especially while Limburger is still in town and gunning for the Garage. So, here is my proposal: I promise to not actively go searching for trouble. That means no more Masked Motorcyclist type incidents, and no joining you guys in battle, unless it happens to find us while I'm with you. In return, you and the bros train me to fight, so that I am not helpless when trouble comes knocking. I can defend myself long enough to wait for you. Plus, if the battle happens to find us while I'm with you, I can actually contribute in a way that won't compromise your team dynamic." She finished her proposal and watched a smile spread across Throttle's face as he nodded.

"Yeah, I think that'll work." Charley gave him a brilliant smile and stuck out her hand.

"Shake on it?"

Throttle let out a chuckle, but reached over and gave her hand a firm shake.

"We'll start tomorrow."

And there was peace at last... mostly...

There is still a lot to come though...

Please review!