Hey you guys...

Thank you so much for the reviews!
They always brighten up my day, no exception.

Not much to tell, so let's just continue the story.
Enjoy! ^^

That night, Vinnie tiptoed down the stairs, only to find his bros fast asleep on the couch in the small office slash storage room adjacent to the workspace of the garage.
As always, Modo's obnoxiously loud snoring made his eardrums rattle unpleasantly but for once, he didn't care, and he quickly put on his helmet as he mounted his precious bike.
It was as if she knew that silence was in order here because she didn't beep at him to greet him, something he was grateful for.
Throttle was a light sleeper, so a loud beep coming from his bike would definitely wake him up.
And if he woke up, he would stop him.
He didn't want to be stopped.
All he wanted was to see her.
And so here he was.
The great Vinnie Van Wham.
Sneaking.
Ugh.
The things he did for love.

Using his feet, he pushed his bike outside through the small front door.
The very one which henches he oiled earlier today out of utter boredom, something he was now suddenly very grateful for.
So even boredom could bring great things.
Who would've thought?
It didn't take long before he was outside, and after quietly closing the door behind him with his tail, he started his bike and sped away.
Maybe the sound of his engine would wake his bros, but he didn't have anything to worry about.
Not now he was already outside.
Not with him being the fastest out of the three of them and who had, if he may say so himself, some pretty mad bike skills.
They would never be able to catch up with him, and a smile curled his lips.
Freedom at last.
Time to see his girl, and driven by this almost childish excitement, he put the pedal to the medal.

…

Moments ago, she had been sort of peacefully asleep, but now, Charley was twisting and turning in her bed.
Ice-cold blue eyes came to haunt her out of nowhere, and soon thereafter, she was back in that room.
Back to lying helplessly on the table while the man rested the sharp edge of his scalpel on her belly.
"No…", she mumbled as she turned on her other side, sweat streaming down her face.
"No, please… Vinnie…"
But just like he hadn't been there during that horrible moment in real life, he also wasn't here with her in her nightmare.
If only he was, all so he could save her from reliving this moment.
After all, he was the only one who could.
Save her.
"Vinnie, please… help me."

With her face twisted in a grimace of sheer terror, she rolled on her back, her fingers clamping the somewhat rough hospital blanket with so much strength that it hurt.
However, it was nothing compared to the pain she now felt when the killer made the cut in her dreams, and she opened her mouth to let out the scream that bubbled up.
Back then, she hadn't been able to scream.
Her body had checked out right before she could, a thing she was grateful for.
But the rules in Nightmare Land were different.
Here, she couldn't pass out.
Here, she was forced to endure all of this without having the escape to the comforting nothingness that had swallowed her the moment the pain became too much.

But right before the scream could actually leave her mouth, there was this sudden scent tickling her nostrils, and a confused frown appeared on her face as she tried to take a deeper breath between her rapid and irregular ones.
She knew that smell by heart.
It had saved her once before and many times after that.
But why was it here?
Her mind must be playing tricks with her, as it now did whenever she closed her eyes.
As she was racking her brain about what the hell was going on here, the scent became stronger and stronger, and a shiver ran down her spine when an appeasing warmth dried up the cold sweat.
When a comforting light chased away the seemingly never-ending darkness she was currently surrounded with, and her hands that were still holding the sheets relaxed a little as the warmth spread through her veins, comforting her at the same time.

There was actually only one person in this entire universe who had this quite bizarre effect on her.
Who was able to calm her down when she was feeling this scared, and her eyes flew open.
A shock went through her body the moment she gazed into beautifully ruby-red eyes, which looked back at her with such an intensity that it almost took her breath away, and a soft whimper escaped her lips.
"Vinnie…"
"Ssshhh", and he rested a finger on his lips.
"No one can know that I'm here."
Despite her current mental state, which could best be described as fucked-up, Charley's lips twitched when she heard him say that.
"'Cause you shouldn't even be here in the first place", she whispered with a hoarse voice, referring to their first meeting.
Oh, how much she loved that rebellious side of him.
Without it, they wouldn't even have met.
Without it, her life would be still empty and cold.
Without it, she would still have been trapped in her solitude.
One thing was for sure - she would be forever grateful for whoever had given him these deliciously defiant genes.

As she tried to control her still rather rapid breathing, her green eyes roamed over his peculiar yet handsome face, taking in every detail, for she knew what was next.
She didn't blink, she simply didn't dare to, beyond scared that she would miss it.
She couldn't miss it.
Not after yearning for it so badly as she did.
As always, he didn't disappoint, and the left corner of his mouth curled up into that maddening crooked smile of his.
"You just know me so well, Miss Davidson."
His voice caressed her eardrums, the vibrations of it chasing away the last remains of fear and doubt.
Holy shit, he was here.
He was really here, and before she even realized it, she burst into tears.
She didn't want to, but she was just so outrageously happy to see him, and she reached out to him with shaking hands.
All she wanted was to have him as close as possible.
To feel loved again.
To feel whole again.

The eyebrow on the unharmed side of his face twitched in response, and while burying his teeth in his lower lip, he sat down on the edge of her bed.
Soon thereafter, warm arms carefully wrapped themselves around her, providing her the warm and safe shelter she so desperately needed ever since the man took her.
And finally, after feeling utterly unsafe and so very alone for days, her sore body relaxed.
Finally, she was able to breathe again.
Home.
She was home.
As an inevitable result of finally feeling safe again, all of her walls came crashing down all at once.
It was as if she just now fully realized what she had been forced to endure, and with that came the emotions.
There was disbelief, a spark of relief, fear, anger, but mostly just sadness.
So much sadness, and she clung onto Vinnie almost desperately as she cried.
Cried like she hadn't cried in a very, very long time.

Only feeling her fragile body shaking against his with every sob, along with smelling the salt of her tears dripping on his black hoodie was almost enough for Vinnie to break as well.
But of course, he didn't.
He had vowed to himself that this time, there would be no more weakness.
Only strength.
He had to stay strong for her to get through this.
But it was hard.
Harder than he initially thought, actually.
"Gosh, sweetheart, you have no idea how good it feels to have you back in my arms again", he mumbled as he buried his nose in her hair, trying very hard to keep his promise to himself.
No breaking, Vincenzo.
No.
Breaking.

Sniffing up her scent, he noticed that she still didn't smell the same as before, which had probably something to do with her hormones and hospital shampoo.
Still.
Even though it was different, it was still enough.
More than enough, and he let out a shaky breath as he tightened his grip around her while making sure he wouldn't hurt her.
"I thought I lost you…"
Much to his annoyance, his voice faltered dangerously, even more so, it broke when he said the last word, and he clenched his teeth as he tried so hard not to break as well.
He was doing quite a good job, but then he made the stupid mistake of closing his eyes.
It was only for a few seconds, all to stop his eyes from burning, but it was enough, for the moment he closed them, the image of her lying on that table, cut open and looking deader than dead forced itself upon him once again.
Along with it came the sheer agony he had felt when the killer revealed the sight of her lying there by stepping aside.
It crashed over him like a falling building, taking down his defenses all at once, and his fingers grazed Charley's side before they took her hospital gown in a tight grip as he kept fighting the dark hole that was getting closer and closer, all ready to consume him.
No, no, no…
…don't cry.
Just don't cry.

Some might say that it would be good or at least healthy to vent some of his agony, if only to release some of the pressure before he might possibly explode, and sure, maybe that was true.
Even he couldn't deny that decreasing this unsustainable pressure on his soul would probably do him some good, but the thing was…
He was scared.
Scared that once he would give in, he would never be able to stop.
That his tears would literally crush him, next to that, he didn't like to cry in someone's presence.
He rather cried when he was alone, preferably under the shower.
Sure, Charley wasn't just someone, and it wouldn't be the first time that he laid down his defenses in her presence, but it just didn't feel right to do so right now.
She needed him.
He could practically taste it in her scent.
The gruesome flavor of trauma, one that was all too familiar.
He didn't want her to worry about him either.
It didn't really occur to him that being in pain together could only strengthen the already unbreakable bond they shared ever since they met, and so, he miraculously managed to keep his emotions right where they belonged, namely deeply hidden in the deepest bowels of his soul.

Minutes passed, but she didn't stop crying.
It got even worse, as far as that goes, making Vinnie conclude that just holding her wasn't enough.
Not this time.
No, this time, she needed a little more, and so he gave it to her.
Gradually, his hands drifted from her back all the way up to her head before his fingers slid into the mess that was her hair.
A soft sigh was heard between her sobs when his fingertips stroked her scalp, telling him he was on the right path, and as gentle as he could be sometimes, he lifted her head.
Her swollen eyes remained closed, and the sight of her face twisted in pure pain that came with being traumatized nearly pushed him over the edge once again, but he managed to swallow back the tears that made his throat burn.
"Charley… My sweet Charley, you are safe. I will never let this happen again…", he whispered as he rested his forehead against hers.
"I will make sure you will be safe for the rest of your life… No one's gonna hurt you ever again… Not while I'm around…

Seeing her pain was literally unsustainable, and he squinted his eyes as he pressed his slightly shaking lips on hers, all to give her the most tender kiss he had ever given her.
Her grip around him tightened even more as she eagerly kissed him back between her tears, and while his tongue gently slid over her trembling lower lip, Vinnie activated his antennae.
The blue light transformed the room from dark and scary into a warm and cozy place, which was good.
She needed to know that she was safe, forever and always.
There was just no way in hell that he would let this happen again.
As he deepened the kiss, he focussed on calming down the storm of emotions whirling inside of her, the very one he now felt as if it was his own when he made contact with her once again.
All to restore the connection that wasn't really broken but wasn't whole either.
It was stained with trauma, clouding her mind and therefore their connection.
Luckily, he knew exactly what to do.
And so he did.

…

Ten minutes later, Charley found herself lying next to Vinnie in her hospital bed with her arm draped over his deliciously muscular stomach, feeling a little confused.
It was only moments ago that she had been utterly inconsolable, but then Vinnie had kissed her, and then…
She sniffed softly.
"What did you do?"
Vinnie, who lay on his back with one arm holding her and the other one resting above his head, glanced down at her through his lashes.
"What do you mean?"
Charley snuggled a little closer to him before burying her nose in the soft fabric of his black hoodie.
"I'm feeling… better. Still not good, but still… Better. So what did you do?", she asked quietly while secretly sniffing up his scent.
"I know you did something."

Vinnie's fingers lightly stroked her back as his gaze wandered back up to the ceiling again.
"Just another Martian Mind Trick. No biggie, doll."
Charley furrowed her brow when she heard his allegedly nonchalant tone of voice, which told her that whatever he did was the exact opposite of 'no biggie'.
For a brief moment, she contemplated if she should let it go, for he obviously didn't want to talk about it, and she…
Well, she had promised to both herself and him not to be that infuriatingly meddlesome woman again.
The flip side was, however, that if she kept her mouth shut, she would never get the answers she wanted simply because he never gave them by himself.
Besides, him doing mind tricks on her made her fully entitled to ask questions…
…right?
Right.
"So what did you do? It's not like you took away the bad memories, I mean, they're still there, but they just feel less… intense. Less real."

While she was talking, she could feel his abs slightly contract under her arm, making her almost regret that she was, again, making him feel very uncomfortable with her questions.
The poor guy obviously had much to suffer under her lethal curiosity, as did she under his aloofness whenever she came too close.
"I just took off the sharp edges of your trauma is all", he shrugged, shifting his weight as the tip of his tail began to do that little dance again.
You know, the one it always did whenever her beloved white-furred lover got a little nervous.
At the same time, his hand slid up to the back of her head, and soon thereafter, she felt his fingers weaving into her messy hair.
As always, this seemingly simple movement had about the same impact as a lightning strike, but she also knew that he was doing it to distract her and thus, she ignored the spreading goosebumps as well as she could.
"How do you know how to do all this? I mean, doesn't playing mind games require a peaceful and focused mind?"
Which he obviously didn't have.
No, his mind was everything but peaceful and focused.
She didn't even need to say it out loud for him to understand what she was getting at.
After all, no matter what people might say about him, she knew that he did possess a healthy dose of self-knowledge.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips, and the warmth of his breath spread through her hair to become one with the heat of his fingers that were still resting on her scalp, and she secretly shivered in delight.
"You watch too many movies, sweetheart."
Despite that she was already so close to being overwhelmed by his presence, it was exactly these types of comments she needed to stay down to Earth, and her jaw slightly tightened as she playfully poked his ribcage.
"And you are dodging my questions again, sweetheart."
Although she made it look like she was joking, there was this serious undertone audible in her voice.
One that told him that she wanted him to take her seriously.
That it wasn't just simple curiosity anymore.
That all she wanted right now was to connect with him on a deeper level, all to know that he was really here and that he wasn't going anywhere.
That whatever the future might hold, they would be able to get through it…
…together.

It was a tone he didn't miss, but childish as he could be sometimes, he just had to vent at least some of his frustration and displeasure before he would give in, and he raised his eyes to heaven.
"Ugh, that curiosity of yours is gonna be the death of me someday, I swear", he groaned between clenched teeth, but it was all for show, she could tell.
Or maybe not even for show.
Maybe he just needed a little moment to grab himself together, or to find the words to tell her whatever he was about to tell her, for she knew it wasn't pleasant.
Nothing about his past was pleasant, after all.
It was all one painful and disturbingly dark mess.
So, she gave him the time he needed, but not without playing along, which she did by looking up at him with fluttering lashes while giving him one of her most innocent smiles.
All to tell him that he could take all the time he needed, as long as he would eventually tell her how in the world it was possible for him to be such a skilled Mind Trickster Thingy.
It just didn't add up.

After casting her one last swift look, Vinnie stared at the ceiling for a little while before he finally said something again.
"Okay, you're right. I didn't take lessons. Someone once told me I'm too restless to be a Mind Walker. I personally think he meant I'm just too cool for it, but that's beside the point. The point is…"
He trailed off, and Charley fiddled with his hoodie while she waited for him to continue, keeping her eyes lowered as she knew that looking at him could chase him back into his shell.
"The point is that I picked up a few things here and there when uhm… when Stoker did these same Mind Tricks on me. He did that to uhm… well, to keep me sane, I guess…"
Charley frowned, trying to recall where she had heard that name before as it sounded familiar.
It soon dawned upon her.
Throttle had mentioned the leader of the Freedom Fighters when he told the very brief version of their story to her and O'Neill back at the scoreboard.
It seemed ages ago, really.
But that also wasn't the point.
The point was that again, her knight in shining fur was lowering his walls for her.
It made her feel special, something she desperately needed after being humiliated by that awful man in that room, and that while she was actually clueless as to what Vinnie was trying to tell her here.
"What do you mean, to keep you sane?", she asked quietly, her hand now under his hoodie and following the lines of abs in a non-sexual way.
There was only love at this very moment, all to make him feel safe and secure.
To create a safe environment to be vulnerable.
Vinnie heaved a sigh in defeat, and without letting go of her, he rolled over on his side so he could look at her, which he did.
The pain in his eyes took her off guard, as it always did.
It just was so… pure.
So real.
So relatable, too.
"Every mouse has a breaking point, ya know. We all reach that awful point of no return eventually. Even me. I won't bore you with the details, but my past isn't only fucked up because of the war. That was more like the icing on the fucked-up cake that is called my life. So yeah, eventually, it all became too much. And I broke. Hard. Stoker helped me get back on my feet again. He took off the sharp edges and thereby guided me away from the edge of the cliff. The same place where I know you were standing, too, only moments ago…"

Charley swallowed with difficulty, and Vinnie took her head in a gentle yet firm grip, his red eyes burning with many things but mostly sympathy and determination.
"I don't want you to make the choice whether you want to jump or not. I don't want you to hit rock bottom. I don't want you to let the darkness of depression swallow you up until there's nothing left. It's just like I said - I'm going to protect you for the rest of your life. And maybe I can't take it all away, I mean, even us Martians can only do so much, but the least I can do is ease your pain. To keep your life endurable. And so I did."
Tears rose to her eyes as Charley gazed into the red flames that were his irises, and she knew the time had come to share the wealth.
She kept asking him to open up, to lower his walls, and here she was, still as tight as a clam.
No.
No more.
He deserved more than that.
He deserved to know her pain, too.
"This wasn't the first time that I stood on the edge of that cliff", she practically blurted out, and Vinnie's eyes flared up in surprise as he gently rubbed her cheeks with his thumbs.

He said nothing, though.
Unlike her, he didn't ask difficult questions or push her into a corner to tell him something about her past, to tell him why she was who she was.
No, all he did was give her this almost invisible nod as an encouragement to continue, along with a hint of the most caring smile she had ever seen, which was already enough for her to almost burst into tears again.
But she didn't.
All she did was open her mouth to tell him the one thing she vowed never to talk about again.
"My parents died in a car crash when I was twelve years old. One day they were there and the other day, they were just gone… just like that. After that, it was just me and my sister…"
The moment she said the word sister, her voice faltered dangerously.
Not just that, Vinnie's eyes slightly widened before he furrowed his brow.
"You never told me you have a sister", he said quietly as he fondly brushed a finger over one of her eyebrows, carefully avoiding eye contact for the same reason why she never looked at him when he opened up to her.
It really was crazy.
You know, how much they were meant to be.

"I vowed to never speak of her again, and yet here I am", Charley sniffled, and her hand slid down to the small ring she was always wearing around her little finger.
He had never asked about it, she now realized.
Boy, could she really learn a thing or two from him about respecting other one's boundaries.
"After my parents died, my uncle got custody. He flew in from New York so that we didn't have to move, and hired someone to keep the garage open until I was old enough to take over. In a way, one could say that he was a nice guy, and I dunno, maybe he was. But that's the thing, you know. I don't know. He just wasn't there. He was always working. All he gave us was a way to continue the life we knew, but he didn't actually take care of us. So I did. I mean, someone had to."
"And so you were forced to grow up all at once", Vinnie mumbled, his gaze fixed on the small mole underneath her right eye.
Again, tears burned behind her eyes when Charley realized for the umpteenth time how well he understood her.
How well he knew her pain, even without knowing all the details.
He really was a blessing in disguise.

Sure, she loved his wild and rebellious side, but this side of him, the one he didn't show that often…
…that was the side she had fallen in love with, even without knowing it was there at that time.
She had felt it though.
It was the reason why she had been so attracted to him.
He understood.
He knew how it was to be broken and alone.
"Yes. Yes, that's exactly what happened. But I failed, you know? I tried so hard to take care of us both, but my sister… she… she uhm…"
As a tear left her eye, Charley closed her mouth with a clap and there was this moment of panic.
Panic triggered by not knowing how to tell him this.
It was just too painful, too confronting, and her breathing accelerated.

Vinnie, however, remained perfectly calm, which was at odds with his hyperactive character.
Well, he did bite his lower lip, so maybe he wasn't as calm as he wanted to come across, but still.
It felt like he was calm when he gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
He still didn't look her in the eye, something she was grateful for.
She felt too vulnerable right now.
"Why don't you tell me her name?", he suggested, his voice slightly hoarse and Charley closed her eyes for a moment, her fingers still fiddling with the ring.
"I haven't said her name in years. I'm not sure…", she breathed, still feeling slightly panicked, but then there was his hand taking hers, and their fingers entwined.
Feeling his warmth, along with the tiny hairs of his snow-white fur tickling her skin was enough for her to find the courage she so desperately needed right now.
"Nova. Her name was Nova."

The way her sister's name rolled over her tongue felt weird and uneasy, but at the same time, it felt good.
And suddenly, there were the words.
"She committed suicide. She couldn't deal with the loss of our parents, of what our life had become. And I couldn't stop it. I failed her, Vinnie, in so many ways. I was supposed to take care of her, I was her big sister and I didn't see it coming. I was too caught up in my own pain to see hers and I just… I just let my little sister down…"
Another tear trickled down her cheek, soon followed by another one.
And another one.
It was crazy that she even had tears left to shed after everything.
Warm arms wrapped themselves around her, and she pressed her face against his chest whilst his tail coiled around her ankle.
"Although I understand why it feels like it's your fault, I will still tell you that it wasn't. No one has the power to stop people from doing that to themselves. Not when they are that far gone. There was just no way that you could've prevented that from happening."

Although he definitely wasn't the first who told her that it wasn't her fault, he was actually the first one who she believed as he spoke from the heart.
Almost as if he had experienced the same thing…
"Who?", she merely asked between her sobs, and he shrugged as he tightened his grip around her.
"My mother."
"I thought she was sick."
"She was."
Oh.
"I'm sorry."
"Me too, sweetheart. Me too."

There was a long silence, one they filled with holding each other closely.
Despite her heartache due to ripping open some very old wounds along with the presence of the very fresh wounds, Charley heaved a somewhat satisfied smile as she snuggled even closer to her beloved knight in shining fur.
There were literally no words invented to express how good it felt to finally be safe again.
To have him in her arms.
To feel his warmth.
"I've missed you, so…so much…", she muttered while burying her face into his hoodie right under his armpit.
It really was astonishing that he always had this mouthwatering good smell on him, even under his armpit.
She had no idea how he did it, for she knew he didn't wear cologne or perfume, in fact, he once told her he hated it, just as he hated taking showers.
It must be another alien thing.

Vinnie brushed his fingers across her spine as he too heaved a sigh.
"I've missed you, too. I went full-on crazy without you. I just had to come see you."
Even though her upper body was wrapped into a thick bandage to protect her belly wound, his touch had just enough pressure to make it feel like his fingers slid over her bare skin, and Charley shivered.
But it wasn't only his touch that gave her goosebumps all over.
No, it was also the sound of his voice.
It was somewhat smoky, and there were just so many things hidden inside the almost melodious tones.
Not only did it make her sad, it also made her realize that there was still so much to talk about.
Also, she couldn't help but notice that there was something different about him.
It was very subtle, but she knew him well enough now to recognize the signs.
Something was eating her beloved Martian hero.
Something big.

Of course, she could just ask, like she always did.
But if she had to be completely honest, she didn't dare to, not this time, simply because she was afraid that it would be about the baby, and right now, she didn't want to talk about the baby.
She didn't want to shatter their peaceful bubble.
She didn't want to chase him away, not now she just got him back.
For now, and yes, she knew it was silly and utterly childish, she wanted it to be only her and him.
Him and her, and she hugged him even tighter.
However, much to her annoyance, her eyes became heavier and heavier.
This whole thing had cost her more energy than her damaged body had in it right now, but shit, she didn't want to go to sleep.
Not only because she didn't want to miss a minute spent with Vinnie, but also because she was beyond terrified of what was waiting for her the moment she closed her eyes.
Ice-cold blue eyes…
…dead babies…
…blood.

She slightly shook her head in an attempt to stay awake, and her fingers enclosed the soft fabric of Vinnie's sweater as her heartbeat slightly increased.
"Vin?"
"Hm?"
Charley stared with half-open eyes at the tiny spec of dust that was caught in one of the wrinkles in his hoodie.
"What… What happened to the killer?"
There was a long silence, and if Charley wasn't so close to falling asleep, she would have lifted her head to look at him, but she simply didn't have the energy for it.
In fact, she didn't even have the energy to keep her eyes open, but right before they drifted shut, Vinnie broke the silence.
"I killed him."
Her eyes slightly widened as a tiny shock made her muscles vibrate for a brief moment, but that was to be all.
Her body was done, and with his somewhat ominous-sounding voice echoing through her head, Charley fell into a deep and nightmare-free sleep.

…

A bright light aroused Vinnie from his sleep, and he let out a soft groan while covering his eyes with his arm, deeply annoyed that one of his bros (he suspected Modo) had the audacity to open the curtains while he was still sleeping so peacefully.
Finally, he was able to sleep, goddammit.
So why didn't just let him?
"Leave me alone", he grumbled as he rolled onto his other side while trying to pull the blanket over his head, but he soon noticed that he couldn't as it seemed to be stuck on something.
Even more so, there was hardly any room for him to move, and a frown appeared on his face right before he opened his eyes.
But instead of seeing the now so familiar contours of Charley's little bedroom, he looked straight into the shocked face of a blonde-headed woman standing by the bed he was currently finding himself in.

The moment his red eyes locked with her wide-open blue ones, the clipboard she was holding slipped between her fingers and clattered on the floor, and Vinnie flinched as he now suddenly became very aware of his whereabouts.
Oh…shit…
He was still at the hospital.
He must have fallen asleep, comforted by Charley's warm body pressing against his.
That wasn't the plan.
Oh, man.
Throttle was definitely going to kill him now.

That was, however, a concern for later.
Right now, there were more pressing matters at hand, like the woman who was still gawking at him, for instance.
Almost in slow motion, Vinnie came upright as he held his hands in the air to show her that he meant her no harm.
"Please, don't scream. I'm not even supposed to be here", he said almost pleadingly with his ears lowered, fully aware of how stupid he sounded right now.
Of course he wasn't supposed to be here.
Wasn't that the whole goddamn point?!
Fucking hell.
And he claimed himself to be a smooth talker.

The woman just kept staring at him with her lips forming a perfect 'oh', and as he got further upright, he suddenly noticed that her eyes were, like, really blue.
Kind of like the ocean here on Earth.
Now that wasn't really jarring as he had learned that blue was a common eye color on this planet, but the fact that they looked familiar, however, was.
Narrowing his eyes, he leaned a little closer to her.
His gaze roamed over her face and her curly blonde hair before his eyes locked with hers again, and he tilted his head with ears twitching.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but do I know you?"

"You don't. But you do know her daughter."

Vinnie looked down at the source of the sleepy voice, straight into Charley's mildly twinkling green eyes.
"Morning, love. I suppose this time you really shouldn't be here, huh?"
A nervous laugh escaped Vinnie's mouth, and he shook his head, cursing himself for being so goddamn stupid.
"You've got that right, doll."
Charley propped her elbows under her body and pushed herself up as far as her wounded body let her, and while blowing a few strands of hair out of her already heated face, she gestured at the woman, also a little nervous as this wasn't how it was supposed to go.
It was too soon, too unexpected.
But as her dearest father always used to say - 'What's done is done.'
All she could do now was go with the flow and hope for the best.
"Vinnie, meet Ivy, Pux's mother. Ivy, meet Vinnie, my uhm… boyfriend."

It took her another few seconds, but then, Ivy finally snapped out of it, and with slightly flushed cheeks, she bent over to pick the clipboard off the floor.
"Nice to meet you, Vinnie. Please forgive my staring, but hearing about aliens and seeing them, well, those are two different things", she chuckled a little sheepishly as she flashed Vinnie a warm yet still slightly nervous smile, and after a short hesitation, she offered him her hand.
Vinnie, however, instead of shaking her hand like Earthers did when they introduced themselves, just stared at the somewhat delicate fingers of the woman that was Pux's mother, his brain making overtime as this, all this, just didn't make sense.
Taking his confusion for something else, Ivy quickly pulled her hand back and while clearing her throat, she pressed the clipboard against her chest, her eyes going from pillar to post.
To say that this moment was awkward was, if anything, an understatement, and Charley quickly rested her hand on Vinnie's shoulder before she gave it a gentle squeeze, knowing he wasn't being rude on purpose but merely confused.
"Ivy is a gynecologist."

It was just a simple word, but that didn't lessen the impact of it, and Vinnie's lips slightly parted as his brain finally connected the dots.
Oh.
Plan Alien Baby.
She was here for Plan Alien Baby.
He remembered now.
It had been Pux's idea, one she had set in motion when Charley was being rushed to the ER.
All to protect their secret identity and to make sure Charley and the baby would have the best care possible.
It was a win-win situation, at least, according to Pux and later on also Throttle, once he had recovered from the shock that there was another human who now knew about their existence.
"A gynecologist", he repeated breathlessly, his gaze still fixed on the same spot where Ivy's hand had been only moments ago.
Slowly, his hand reached for the blanket and after getting it off of him, he stepped out of the bed with almost utmost precision.

He wasn't entirely sure why, but his heart was racing like hell, and sweat already started to form on his forehead.
Signs he knew all too well, and he quickly coiled his tail around his calf in some feeble attempt to comfort himself.
To stop the lurking panic attack from completely taking over.
"I ah… I need to go…"
Charley, who had been watching his every move with concern written upon her still slightly pale face, now grabbed his hand.
"Why don't you stay? Ivy is here to do an ultrasound to check if everything is okay, like she's doing every morning since I've been here. Maybe uhm…"
She trailed off, and after staring at her slightly trembling hand holding his also shaking hand for a brief moment, she raised her eyes and looked up at him almost pleadingly.
Or maybe just hopefully.
"Maybe you would like to meet our child?"

The air seemed to get thinner and thinner with every second that ticked by as his panic level skyrocketed to astonishing heights, and without really realizing it, Vinnie yanked his hand free.
"No."
That came out harsher than he intended, and casting her a sideway glance, he saw Charley staring at him with those big green eyes of hers, eyes filled with rejection and pain, and a pang of regret made his already racing heart skip a beat.
If only seeing the pain he inflicted on her with his awfully childish response to all this made him snap out of it, but it didn't.
Even more so, it only fed his panic, and he cleared his throat in the hope that the lump that was currently blocking his airway would go away, which it didn't, of course.
"N-No, thanks. I'll just leave you two to it, y-you know, to give you some p-privacy", he stuttered, and after giving her a somewhat apologetic look, he turned around and stumbled to the window.

"Vinnie, you don't have to go. I know it's scary, I'm scared, too, but… I just… I need you…", Charley said softly, her watery eyes fixed on Vinnie's back while he grabbed his helmet off the table next to the window.
"Please, Vinnie… Stay. I can't do this alone…"
Her voice broke, and for a moment, he seemed to hesitate.
But then, his tail flicked nervously and he shook his head.
"I'm sorry, I just… I just can't do this right now."
And with that, he gracefully leaped out of the window.
Ivy let out a soft yelp and she turned her head to look at Charley, her blue eyes wide open,
"Did he just jump out of the window? The window of the twenty-fifth floor, to be exact?!"

Charley merely slumped back in her pillow as she stared at the ceiling, hardly even hearing Vinnie's bike speeding away.
"He'll come back. He just needs some time…", she said softly to herself while resting her hand on her belly.
But it didn't sound convincing.
Not even close.
It was only last night that he vowed to protect her for the rest of her life, and she believed him as she knew it was from the heart.
He had meant every word of it, that she was sure of.
But she also knew he had his demons, and now, all there remained was one question.
One that left a bitter taste in her mouth, or maybe it was the answer that did.

Yes, he would do everything within his power to protect her.
To keep her safe.
He would die for her, she knew he would.
But would he be able to protect her from himself?
Of that, she wasn't so sure.
No.
Not sure at all…

Uh oh, trouble in paradise...
...again.
Sorry.
Hehe.
I can't help myself, I just luh-ove to write about drama.

At least the connection is restored, and more stories are shared.
Their bond should be unbreakable by now, but I can't help but wonder...
Will it be strong enough to survive this baby?
Will Vinnie be able to pull himself together once again, or will his demons win this round?
Questions, questions...

If you want the answers, I suggest you stay tuned.
I hope you guys liked this chapter.
Please feel free to leave a review, always very much appreciated, and till next time, my friends!

Later!