Hey there, my dear readers.

As usual, thank you so much for the reviews.
I feel so humbled by the fact that there are so many people out there, people from all over the world, who are reading my story.
Not just that, they're even liking it!
And to top it all off - they even take time to share their thoughts with me.
It's crazy, that's what it is.
It blows my mind every time.

So, I bet you guys are getting awfully tired of me saying this, but thank you!
So, so much.
There are simply no words to express my gratitude.
And that also goes for my more silent readers out there. :)
I appreciate each one of you.

That being said, on with the next chapter!
It took me a while to finish it, I had to overcome this major writer-block, partially because I was struggling with the language barrier.
That happens sometimes.
Anyway, let's go and enjoy the crazy ride this chapter has to offer!

Chapter 9

It was strange, actually, what a silence could do to a person.
Especially a silence such as this one.
It somehow made Charley forget how to breathe as it pressed on her entire body like a leaden blanket.
Or maybe it was just because someone was holding her at gunpoint.
The fact that that someone wasn't human made it even more complicated.
They say there's a first time for everything and of course, that's true.
But there are certain things in life one didn't want to experience and if Charley had to guess, this was one of those things.

"Who are you? And who do you work for?", the tan-furred alien with a bad mood demanded, thereby breaking the silence with his unique voice.
After reading many novels, as the secretly hopeless romantic she was, Charley always thought that a guy with a husky voice such as Throttle's was like a dream, using the mysterious sound of this particular voice to bring the lady in question to a whole other dimension, but as always, reality was so much different.
So much uglier.
Because right now, all he was to her was nightmare material instead of some wet dream of a lonely female writer and she swallowed with difficulty, not able to take her gaze away from the gun he was still aiming at her.

The finding that his hand didn't even slightly tremble made her even more terrified, knowing he wasn't fooling around here and that he really wanted her to answer his questions without even thinking about lying.
Well, it was all she ever wanted as well.
But she just clammed up like an oyster protecting its pearl.
Luckily, there were persons present in this room who weren't as easily frightened by seeing a gun as she was.
In fact, it seemed to have a whole other effect on them and it had nothing to do with fear but all with anger.

Again, a gust of wind was all she felt before his scent whirled through the air around her and soon thereafter, Vinnie blocked the view of the gun and its owner by positioning himself in front of her.
Even though she couldn't see his face, for he was standing with his back towards her, she could almost feel his anger coming off his body like waves of electricity, waves so powerful that it made a shiver run down her spine, and that while she wasn't even the casualty of his anger.
Thank god she wasn't.

"You better put that away, bro. Someone might get hurt… if ya know what I mean…"
And there was that voice again.
But it sounded even more threatening now, which reminded her of one of those documentaries about wolves she had seen on Discovery Channel.
Or well, about the part where the voice actor told the bored viewers that wolves acted on primal instinct and primal instinct only.

Perhaps now wasn't really the right time to think about some vague wildlife documentary, after all, there were more pressing matters going on right now, but it somehow helped her to calm down a bit.
Because apparently, not only wolves liked to follow their primal instinct.
As it turned out, mice from outer space did as well.
He really cared for her, now did he?
What a strange feeling.
To have someone around who would even catch a bullet for her.

But her beloved white-furred hero wasn't the only one who clearly thought that their fearless leader was crossing a line here, for another low voice joined the conversation which was hardly a conversation, but more like a 'throwing threats to each other's heads competition'.
Well, what do you know…
She made a rhyme.
"I'm with Vinnie in this one, Throttle. You're my bro and I respect ya, but this… this ain't how you treat a lady… Most certainly not in my presence", Modo told his suspicious leader as he popped up next to Vinnie, also with his back towards her.
Phewie.
The testosterone levels were way too high here.
It sure as hell didn't help Charley with snapping out of this trap of mortal fear which she was currently stuck in, all helpless, not even while the two others were obviously on her side in this one.
This was most uncomfortable, not to mention inconvenient.

After all, them confronting Throttle with his actions was exactly the kind of distraction she needed to make a run for it.
But no…
All she could do was just stand there, entirely frozen.
Again.
Whoever said that alien encounters were exciting couldn't have been more wrong.
It was more like dying over and over again while shitting your pants.
It was disgraceful, honestly.
Or maybe that was just her experience.

Unfortunately, unlike her, Throttle was neither impressed by his two bro's standing up to him nor by meeting her, which was also an alien encounter, or wasn't it?
Technically, it was.
Why was her brain constantly taking sideways like this?
Shit, how hard could it be to just focus on the aliens, huh?
They were standing right in front of her, goddammit.
One job…

"Come on, guys, think! Why is that detective alone? Why is he here, all of a sudden, while we managed to keep him at a distance for over more than a year already?", Throttle asked his two beloved bro's, making Charley's heart skip a beat or two.
This was most accurate, actually.
Above all, they were good questions.
But then again, he was a leader.
He knew what he was doing.
Unfortunately.
Or maybe she just didn't like him because she didn't handle authority very well.
One less charming character trade, but hey, nobody's perfect, although her beloved hero, or maybe she should say his ego, obviously wouldn't agree.

Charley tried to clear her throat, all to stop him before this conversation could continue because it wasn't really turning in the right direction.
Or at least not in her favor.
She could understand where he was coming from, heck, she would've been just as suspicious as he was right now, if she was standing in his shoes.
But the problem was — he couldn't be more wrong.
Unfortunately, clearing her throat apparently required cooperating muscles, which she hadn't, at the moment.

And so, all she could do was listen when the tan-furred mouse continued, obviously focusing his attention on Vinnie now, although she wasn't really able to see what exactly he was doing.
"Lemme give you one clue. It all started when you met her, Vinnie. Now please, use your brains here, just for this one time, man. It's so painfully obvious, it almost burns my eyes out."
"They're already…", Vinnie started, but Modo elbowed him and the white-furred mouse cleared his throat before he continued.
"Well, since it's so super obvious to you, why don't you enlighten us, huh, genius? Ya know, for those who are a bit slower on the uptake here…"
Shit, he was really pissed.
As in — really pissed.

Despite that it somehow scared the shit out of her, Charley noticed that she was slowly starting to climb back out of the hole that was called sheer terror, mainly because she was beyond curious about Throttle's theory.
Dammit.
It really was a lethal streak.
"She's O'Neill's partner. And you, Vinnie my man, walked right into her trap."
Wait, what?
Her personal alien hero seemed to be on the same level as her.
"What? That's ridiculous, man", he spat out, shaking his head in disbelief.
The way his ears were happily flapping along was cute, to say the least, but again, now wasn't really the time for having thoughts like this.

"Is it? Or is it just a brilliantly planned move from Chicago PD?", Throttle contradicted, and even though she couldn't see his face, she just knew he had that look again.
That cold look.
Now it was Modo who shook his head.
"Nah, they ain't that smart… right?"
Despite the fact that he was still far from amused, doubt was clearly audible in his heavy voice and it made Charley's heart flutter in her chest while she still just stood there, entirely frozen.

She so didn't want to find out what would happen if Modo would switch sides.
Two against her beloved knight in shiny fur.
Shit, the last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt because of her.
But she still wasn't able to move.
This was crazy.
But mostly fucking annoying.

"Well, apparently they are. This is well-thought and thoroughly planned. It has to be. Maybe they're even more on to us than I originally thought… I mean, they even knew exactly who to pick to make this plan work…", Throttle mused out loud.
"Now what's that supposed to mean?", Vinnie snapped as he took a few steps closer to his leader, both his hands clenched into fists, but as far as she could tell, Throttle still didn't budge.
Well, one could say a lot about how the tan-furred leader currently handled things, but he was brave as fuck, she had to give him that.
His next words only confirmed that.
"Look, Vinnie, no offense, but you're just… easily distracted when it comes to the ladies…"
"I am not!", the white-furred mouse protested, deeply insulted that his friend was even suggesting this, but Modo cleared his throat and even Charley could see the meaningful look on the grey-furred mouse's face from this angle.

A groan in frustration escaped Vinnie's lips before he looked back at his leader again.
"Okay, maybe I am. But she's different. And I'm telling you, she's not the enemy here."
"She played you, bro. I'm sorry to break it to you, but it's the truth. Painful, yes. But the truth."
Played him?
Well, excuse me?
That was quite the accusation he threw at her.
But despite the pang of anger that now accompanied the fear, she still wasn't able to move, although there was nothing else in this world she wanted more right now than asking that over-biting tan-furred jerk if someone ever told him how unhealthy it was to be so paranoid.

It was as if Vinnie could guess her thoughts, which wouldn't be the first time, by the way.
Maybe he was able to read minds, who knew?
Stranger things had happened today.
That was, if anything, an understatement.
"You're being exceedingly paranoid here, fearless leader. No offense", he added somehow sweetly, which was actually quite impressive given the fact how angry he still was.
His entire presence was like a thunder cloud, ready to unleash hell without mercy.
"I trust her. That has to mean something, especially after everything we've been through together."

But Throttle shook his head, and since Vinnie had moved closer to him, Charley was now able to see that he was still aiming the gun at her.
"You're blinded by love, bro. She's…"
"I looked inside her head", her knight in shiny fur blurted out before his beloved leader could continue with spitting out whatever stupid brainchild he wanted to share this time and a deadly silence followed.
"You did what?", the tan-furred leader eventually brought out, and for the first time since she met him, he actually looked shocked.
Yeah, you did what?

Truth be told, his response scared her.
It must be bad, if it even shocked that callous leader of theirs.
But Vinnie only shrugged, clearly not as impressed.
"You heard me. I looked inside her head."
"But that's against every…"
"Spare me the lecture, Throttle. She's reliable, and that's final", Vinnie spat out with twitching ears, now obviously very close to losing control.

Again, there was that silence.
That awful, scary, and smothering silence and the most simple thing as breathing became more and more difficult, somehow.
The first black spots started to dance before her eyes, but thankfully, she was still able to see that Throttle finally lowered his gun.
Apparently, whatever Vinnie meant by 'looking inside her head', it did the trick.
Obviously.
Unfortunately, the beep in her ears was back without warning, chasing away the relief she knew she would've felt if this whole thing wasn't starting to get on top of her.
Took her long enough.

She closed her eyes for a moment, in the hope it would help to stop her head from spinning, but Modo's heavy voice made her almost jump out of her skin before she had the chance to at least try to calm down a bit.
"Before we continue this conversation, what do you wanna do about mister Nosey over there?"
Charley's eyes flew open and as she still stood there, frozen like a statue, her gaze wandered over to the grey-furred alien that was now standing close by the window again.
How the hell did he get there so fast?

She blinked a few times, but the black spots were still there and the high beep seemed to become even louder.
"He's still outside?"
She knew it was Throttle's voice, for his mouth was clearly moving, but it sounded so… tinny.
Like a robot.
"Yeah. Still searching the parking lot for whatever he thinks he will find here."
The low tones of Modo's voice made her eardrums rattle, somehow, it felt as if he was screaming in her ear using a megaphone, but according to the big shadow close to the window, he hadn't even moved.
This was peculiar, to say the least.

"Martian thunder, that's what he's gonna find here. Let's finish that guy, once and for all", Vinnie grumbled, or at least, that's what she thought he said.
Unlike Modo's, his voice seemed to be coming from miles away, which was strange, because as far as she knew, he was still standing close to her.
She could still smell him, after all.
"Easy, adrenaline mouse. For now, we'll just wait and see. Maybe he'll leave. Don't lose him out of your sight, big fella, while I will talk to our beloved little brother over here about the meaning of the Martian law. "
"By no means, boss man."

Charley wasn't sure why, but it appeared that this whole thing with Throttle was the final straw, at least for her.
The mice were already moving on with their daily business as if nothing ever happened, which was infuriating, to say the least.
If only she could do the same.
Dizziness suddenly washed over her quite unexpectedly and just like that, she was able to move again.
"I ah… I think I need to sit down for a minute…", she mumbled into nothingness, wobbling on her feet, but when she tried to walk to one of the chairs at the other side of the room, she suddenly felt how disoriented she actually was and after stumbling a few passes, her legs just gave out and she dropped on her knees, alarming three macho alien mice at the same time.

"Whoa, sweetheart, you okay?", Vinnie breathed as he rushed over to her, but somehow, his presence made her beyond anxious all of a sudden and so, she backed away, as far as that was possible while sitting on her knees.
"No, stay away from me… Please, just… don't…", she panted, closing her eyes, again, in the hope that would help to clear her head a bit.
Which it didn't.
Just like the last time.
Dammit.

The fact that the air seemed to get thinner by the second didn't really help either and her eyes flew open again, only to see Vinnie crouching closeby as he used his tail to keep his balance, obviously granting her wish to keep some distance, but it was hard for him, she could tell.
The concern that was written upon his face was the biggest clue and she looked at him with pleading eyes.
"I just wanna go home… Please… just let me go home…", she literally begged him and if she wasn't this upset, she would've been ashamed of her behavior.
But she just wasn't in control.
Not anymore.
This whole thing was just too much.
Way above her paygrade.
Aliens.
By the Gods, what was she thinking?
Damn that damned curiosity of hers.
But the moment the last word left her mouth, she could already read the answer in his peculiar yet enchanting eyes.
'I can't.'

And there it was.
Sheer panic, in its ugliest form.
The same she had felt when she was drawn towards Earth like a moth to the light after almost being blown into smithereens.
Why in the world was the air so thin here?
Hadn't they heard about something like climate control on Mars?
Or maybe they didn't depend on oxygen the way humans did…
Well, she did.
She was a human, after all.
And she knew one thing.
She needed to get the hell out of here.
As in — right now.

Without warning, she jumped back on her feet and ran towards the front door, which was quite the challenge with being dizzy as she was right now.
Still, she miraculously managed to reach the door before anyone else did and when her fingers enclosed the cold doorknob, she vaguely heard Vinnie call her name.
Of course, she ignored him and yanked the door open, somehow surprised that he hadn't caught up with her yet.
After all, he was like some super alien hero and she was just a human.
Just a stupid and very naive human.

Haunted by panic, she ran down the stairs that showed up behind the door, almost losing her balance from time to time, but she still managed to make it downstairs without breaking her neck, which was actually quite impressive, she had to give herself that.
You go girl.
There was another door at the bottom of the stairs and she practically burst right through it like some kind of maniac, mainly because of the speed she had gained after running down the stairs like that.

Entirely blind to her surroundings, she just ran into the hallway that the door led to, only wanting one thing — to get out of here.
To get some fresh air.
To go home and pretend all this never happened.
Yes, please.
But just when she was about to fly around the corner, praying that the exit would be there, something wrapped around her upper arm like a snake and before she could even comprehend what the hell was happening, she got pulled through another door, one that was on her right.
One she hadn't seen, blinded by panic as she was.
No…

The thing closed behind her with a loud bang, only feeding her hysteria, making it rise to an astonishing level and she opened her mouth in a reflex, to let out a scream, if only to vent some of the sheer terror that was rushing through her veins instead of blood right now.
But someone very strong pushed her up against the wall and put his hand over her mouth, right before the first sound could escape her lips.
"Ssshhh! We don't want O'Neill to hear ya, now do we? Or anyone else, for that matter."
Jesus.

Breathing heavily against his hand, Charley looked at Vinnie with her green eyes wide open and despite everything, she caught herself being scared that he would be mad at her for running away.
For being this overly dramatic woman.
Which was pathetic, really.
She had every right to be upset.
Aliens, holy shit.

Still, she quickly searched for his eyes and when they finally locked, a hint of relief eased her anxiety a bit, for all she saw was concern and a fragment of regret.
There was something else, too.
Something she couldn't exactly put her finger on.
"I'm gonna remove my hand now, but I swear to God, please don't scream, okay? I have very sensitive ears and I'm kind of attached to them", he huffed, clearly out of breath after chasing her down the building.

All she did was nod, for there was nothing she wanted more than for him to remove his hand, simply because it made her even shorter of breath than she already had been before he caught her.
Slowly, the pressure on her chin and mouth decreased and soon, his hand was gone.
Fresh, cool air almost hit her in the face like a wave and she gratefully rested her head against the cold wall while taking a few deep breaths to fill her burning lungs with precious oxygen.

Her green eyes quickly took in her surroundings, she wasn't sure why, but maybe she did it to find a way to escape, even though she already knew there was no way in hell that she would be able to fight Vinnie off.
And maybe, just maybe, she didn't even want to.
Which was… disturbing, to say the least.
What was happening to her?

Her gaze wandered through the room and she soon concluded it was a dressing room, probably one of the many this stadium had to offer.
If she wouldn't be finding herself in the precarious situation she was currently stuck in, she would've been excited by the fact that she was standing in the same room where the Cubs prepared themselves for a game.
But the sad truth was that she was stuck in this precarious situation.
And the Cubs already seemed to belong to a whole other life.
One she couldn't go back to, according to some alien mice coming from Mars and the characteristic, revolting feeling of homesickness made her gasp for air quite unexpectedly.

"God, Vinnie… why didn't you just erase my memory…", she rasped with a hoarse voice without thinking as she closed her eyes, feeling very sorry for herself right now.
The only good news was that the dressing rooms in the stadium were air-conditioned and slowly, the sweat on her face started to dry up, leaving a sticky layer behind.
God, she really was in desperate need of a shower.

"I tried, ya know. I really did. But I couldn't."
There was just something about the way he spoke these words that brought her back to reality in only the snap of a finger and her eyes flew open when she suddenly became very aware of her surroundings again.
Of how his strong and mouth-watering body was pressing against hers.
Of how his scent lingered in the air around her and just like that, the pressure that was on her chest ever since Throttle had pointed that gun at her lifted and vanished into thin air.

After blinking a few times, her vision became sharp again and she soon looked straight into his mesmerizing red eyes.
"Why?", was all she asked, her heart still caught up in a race with an opponent that wasn't even there.
It seemed to be just as delusional as she was at the moment.
This was, without a doubt, the most insane day in her entire life.

"Because you're doing something to me. And I just couldn't stand the thought of losing y… that feeling…", he answered her question honestly while holding eye contact and shit, she was already close to drowning in the red flames again.
She still didn't miss his slip of tongue, though.
Which literally took her breath away.

"Some might call that selfish", she mumbled a bit dazed, already feeling how that haze of passion was slowly filling her head again, whether she liked it or not.
Her eyes lowered when the left corner of his mouth went up and her mouth became dry by only seeing a fragment of that disarming and sexy as hell smile of his.
"I never said I wasn't."
Oh.
Well, at least he was being honest, right?
Right…
As she still stared at his lips, her gaze fixated on the way his skin -including the fur- wrinkled at the corner of his mouth, she heaved a sigh.
A long, deep, and shaky sigh.
As if by magic, his smile vanished like smoke in the wind and she couldn't help herself but feeling a bit… disappointed.

Furry fingers grabbing her chin in a gentle grip broke her out of her trance and she looked up, only to see him looking back at her a bit sad, matching her current state of mind.
"I'm sorry, Charley. For everything. I just… I didn't think things through. I never do. Big mouth and irresponsible, remember?", he chuckled a bit uncomfortable, but his little smile didn't reach his eyes.
"It was stupid. Immature. And now, it's too late. They know who you are. Throttle is right, I ruined your life…"
There were so many questions she wanted to ask him, but somehow, only one made it out of her mouth.
"You do know that you can't keep me here as your prisoner forever, right? I mean, that garage is my life, Vinnie. You can't take that away from me. You just can't."

His fingers let go of her chin and now tenderly wiped a few wandering strands of her hair out of her still heated face.
"I know. We'll figure something out. You have my word on that."
"Bikers honor?", she asked with a small voice, shivering under his touch, even though it was ever so slightly.
This time, a real smile appeared on his face, one that did reach his eyes.
It made them twinkle like stars in the sky.
"Bikers honor."

As the seconds ticked by, they just stood there.
Looking each other deeply in the eye while the already familiar electric field gained intensity, mostly fueled by their bodies pressing against each other.
And then there was his scent…
His everything, actually.
His entire existence.
God knew she had to ask him, no, demand him to explain what the hell was really going on here.
That he needed to tell her about those Plutarkians he had mentioned right before hell in the form of Throttle broke loose.
That he needed to explain to her what he meant by 'I looked inside her head'.

That he needed to promise her, over and over again, that she would be safe from now on, for she wasn't able to survive another near-death experience like the one she had been through today.
Or maybe she should tell him that he did something to her as well.
Something she never knew even existed.
That she didn't blame him, even though some might say that she was being stupid and naive.
And the list went on and on.

But she didn't.
She simply couldn't.
Again, she was entirely crippled.
But this time, it wasn't because of fear.
No, it all had to do with him being overwhelmingly sexy.
This is starting to get a habit, isn't it?
One she sure as hell didn't appreciate.

"We should go. O'Neill is still out there and Throttle, well… He's having a really bad day… We really shouldn't be testing his patience like this…", the white-furred Martian broke the loaded silence with that maddening raw voice of his and Charley's breathing increased again as the low tones almost made her eardrums rattle, sending pins and needles all over her body.
"He's having a bad day? Geez, I hadn't noticed…", she muttered, fighting the urge to close her eyes as her entire body quivered under the pressure of the electric waves that still, as it seemed, hadn't reached their peak.

Which was actually quite astonishing and she couldn't help herself but wonder what it would feel like if they would.
Well, knowing her, she would probably faint or something like that.
After all, she wasn't really her usual calm and unshakable self today.
No shit.
I mean, hello?!
Aliens.
Enough said.

Again, movement below his white-furred snout caught her eye and she lowered her gaze, only to see that the smile she was already addicted to was back, this time in full splendor.
"If it makes you feel any better, he ain't always like this. He's usually quite the laid back kinda guy…", he told her, but she hardly heard it, for she was currently entirely caught up in watching his lips forming the words.
How his teeth slightly stroked his lower lip from time to time, going through the millions of teeny-tiny white hairs that covered the area between his lip and chin.
How his tongue made contact with the back of those same teeth to create certain sounds without cutting itself on the sharp edges.
It was actually so weird that he was speaking her language...

"I somehow find that hard to believe…", she eventually said softly after finally figuring out what he was actually saying and her green eyes wandered across his face, all the way up to his eyes and a shock went through her body when she saw how faint shades of black gradually turned the red flames a few tints darker, like high clouds blocking the red sun at the beginning of dusk.
A thing that seemed to happen when the tension that was brewing between them rose.
Must be an alien thing.

"But yeah… we should go… I don't wanna cause you even more trouble than I already did…", she managed to bring out, although it was quite the challenge with her mouth being as dry as an old leaf, all caused by seeing the lust swirling in his crimson eyes that seemed to get blacker by the second.
A little muscle close to his upper lip slightly trembled as his changing eyes darted from her eyes to her lips and back, which was already enough for her to almost collapse, right here, right now.

It was a very good thing that he was still pressing her against the wall, or maybe that was just the whole reason why she was so far gone already.
Shit, never had she thought that desire, just plain desire, could be such a martyr.
It almost made her sick, but in an exciting kind of way, which was so bizarre yet thrilling at the same time.
Or maybe this wasn't just plain desire.
Maybe she had never learned the true meaning of desire.
Well, she knew now.
Oh, she knew alright…

"So, tell me, miss Davidson — do you like challenges?", Vinnie breathed, every muscle in his body quivering against hers, telling her that despite that they really should, they weren't going anywhere.
Oh no.
As it turned out, her beloved alien hero over here was about to succumb to the higher powers that were clearly at work here.
Well, he wasn't the only one.
Though she had to be honest — she wasn't sure if she was ready for this tension to release, and not only because it was somehow addictive, making her yearn for more the moment it already became more.

No, she simply had no clue if her human body was capable of enduring such discharge, especially after everything she had been through the last couple of days.
Frankly, it made her a bit nervous.
Great.
Just great.
As if things weren't bad enough already, honestly…
"Depends on what you mean with challenges…", she beat him to his own game, mainly because he was, again, being erratic and therefore a tough act to follow, but also to buy herself some extra time to prepare herself.
Great idea and all, but how did one prepare for the unknown?
Good question.

A short breath escaped his lips, one that was somehow full of promise, which was strange, for it was just air leaving his mouth, but hey, nothing made sense today and Charley's breathing became heavier as well as her fingers took his black sweater in a tight grip in some feeble attempt to deal with the sharp tingle that made it feel like there was a burning hot stick poking her lower abdomen.
It was such a small movement, but her fingertips mildly grazing his sides while she did that was already enough for Vinnie's eyes to become entirely black.
Almost painfully slow, his fingers flowed down to her throat, stroking the sensitive skin and as a result, her heart started to make those weird jumps again.
Like a little bunny in spring…

"Well, living on the edge, you only live once, that kinda stuff?", he mumbled as his now dark eyes followed his hand every movement, as if he wasn't able to look her in the eye, a thing she couldn't blame him for.
This went beyond the definition of crazy.
It was then when his words finally made it to her by passion clouded brain.
Do you like challenges?
What kind of question was that?
Wasn't it obvious that she did?

Because here she was.
Almost being intoxicated by a mysterious creature coming from outer space.
One that made her, the big, fearless lone wolf, like putty in his hands.
No man had ever accomplished that, let alone a walking and talking mouse coming from Mars.
Not just that, she had risked everything for him.
So, yeah, it appeared that she was most definitely in for a little 'living on the edge, you only live once and that kind of stuff'.
If only she knew what he meant exactly.
So mysterious, this one.

The sensation of his fingers enclosing her neckline broke her out of her thoughts, for the soft pressure almost made her faint and she took a deep but shaky breath to stay here, on Earth, instead of wandering off into space, a place where passion and desire ruled.
But it didn't help.
Of course it didn't.
She was too far gone.
Miraculously, she still managed to squeeze out some sort of answer to his question, though.
"I ah… I guess?"

Her voice sounded so… heavy.
Raspy, even, and even she was surprised by the sound of it.
It was also the last push that this strange yet delightful electrical tension needed.
Or maybe it was just her giving him permission to do whatever he wanted to do with her that set everything on edge, all ready to explode, for that's what she just basically did.
Two simple words, spoken by a voice she hardly recognized, were enough for the field to suddenly reach its peak.

She had been curious about how it would feel.
Well, now the moment was there, she soon found out that there were simply no words invented to describe how it felt, but she might as well try, if only to make it more real.
It was… divine, perhaps almost magical, even.
As if the electric waves that had been pressing on both of them like a leaden blanket had entered her body and now rushed through her veins, forcing every cell it encountered to shrink until it was nothing more than a small, tingling pinhead pricking in her sinews.
And bearing in mind that the average human body had approximately thirty to thirty-seven billion cells, well…
You do the math.

As it turned out, she wasn't the only one noticing the huge difference in the atmosphere, here in this random dressing room, for the moment he heard her with desire soaked tone of voice saying these two simple words, her alien hero froze and considering his body was still entwined with hers, she could perfectly feel how he held in his breath.
After blinking almost in slow motion, he raised his eyes and they locked with hers while a smile appeared on his face.
It was a different smile, though.
Dangerously sexy, yes, but mostly boyishly naughty.
Or maybe just downright dirty.
Well, whatever it was, it forced her heart to beat almost faster than the speed of light, for she instinctively knew that this was it.
Oh boy…
Here we go.

"Good", was all he said, although it sounded more like a growl, and before she knew it, his right hand already took the hair on the back of her head in a firm grip and after hauling her closer to him, his lips found hers effortlessly, perhaps even skilled.
This was most definitely not his first time.
Again, her brain took a sideway at the most unwanted moment and it was most tiring.
But despite being entirely intoxicated by him, she still caught herself wondering — how skilled was this macho mouse coming from Mars with an ego bigger than the entire universe?
Well, truth be told, she couldn't wait to find out and she kissed him back eagerly, perhaps even heatedly.

And just like that, they were back in that alley.
Or well, back at that exact moment before Throttle had called Vinnie over the radio, although it felt even more intense this time, a thing she never thought possible.
But there was just something in his entire appearance that literally took her breath away, even more than the first time they kissed.
As his lips did things with hers, things she never knew were even physically possible, Vinnie's left hand wandered down, making her shiver under his touch, but instead of continuing its journey to the place where she wanted him to touch her, more than anything, his hand was suddenly gone.
What the…

A small frown appeared right above her nose, but then a click reached her ears, one that was supposed to be soft but sounded like a gunshot instead, due to the state of higher being she was currently finding herself in and she flinched, although she realized at the same time that it was just him locking the door.
All to make sure that this time, no one was going to disturb them and she smiled against his lips while her hands made their way under his sweater.
Feeling the soft fur instead of warm skin like she was used to was strange, to say the least, but it somehow felt even better.

Her touch seemed to arouse the Martian even more, for his breathing became even heavier and his movements became more compelling.
It was clear that her knight in shiny fur wasn't planning on wasting any time, now entirely controlled by lust and his right leg squeezed itself between hers, forcing her, in turn, to spread her legs a bit, which she did, despite that every muscle was as tight as a drum due to the pins that were still there, teasing every sinew.
But he didn't stop there.
No, in one smooth movement, he used the same leg to lift one of hers, her knee pit now resting on his muscular upper leg as he secured his knee against the wall and while he was at it, his right hand already unbuttoned her pants without real effort.

Her heart now almost exploded out of her chest, really, only feeling the fur on his fingers tickling her lower abdomen was enough to make her squint and she whimpered against his lips, knowing this was only the beginning.
Without hesitation, his hand now made its way into her pants, slow yet targeted, making the pins prick even deeper in her nerves, putting a certain pressure on them that made her feel lightheaded.
Dizzy, even.

It was a feeling that went beyond everything, but as mentioned before, the white-furred Martian wasn't planning on taking things slow and without warning, he pushed two fingers inside her with just the right amount of pressure.
Which was nothing more than the long-awaited final trigger and it was as if every pinhead now burst out of its pincushion, all at the same time.
Kind of like a nail bomb that went off.
Holy-fuck-a-moly.

Her body convulsed against his by this beyond wonderful sensation and her eyes flew open while she gasped for air, thereby unintentionally breaking off the kiss, only to see him looking back at her with eyes as dark as the night and the left corner of his mouth slightly curled up.
Fuck, he was just so arrogant.
He knew perfectly well how good he was.
Because that's what he was.
And she knew now — this macho mouse coming from Mars was skilled.
Very skilled.

So skilled that whatever he did with his fingers now caused strange flashes of light in front of her eyes, a sign that told her she was close to fainting and she clung onto him, looking at him almost pleading.
It was strange, how he was able to make her want to beg for more while at the same time, all she wanted was for him to stop with whatever he was doing to her.
Well, it wasn't just strange.
It was actually quite bizarre.
Right on.

For the second time this day, dark spots appeared in her field of vision and she now buried her nails in his muscular arms, her breathing coming out in rapid breaths as the gigantic wave of pure pleasure threatened to crush her without mercy.
"Vinnie…", she panted, closing her eyes in an attempt to stop the inevitable as each muscle she owned now shook uncontrollably, but the dark hole came closer and closer and she let out a soft sound that came closest to a groan while softly banging her head against the wall, not knowing how to deal with all this.
Shit, this was insane.
Even beyond that.
But right before the darkness consumed her, he stopped.
Thank God, he did.
Goddammit, he did.

"Yeees?", he asked sweetly, stretching the word to make it even sound more innocuous, although his voice slightly trembled before it went one octave up right at the end, telling her that this whole 'nothing can get to me' attitude was nothing but an act.
No, it just became painfully obvious that she wasn't the only one in this room who was close to losing her mind.
Which was somehow good to know.
But holy shit, he sure knew how to make her go berserk, that's for sure.
His capriciousness was both a shameless turn-on and inflaming.

"You never told me what you… what you really meant with c-challenges", Charley managed to squeeze out between her heavy breathing, mostly because even though he had stopped moving his so-called 'magical fingers', his hand was still in the same place.
Gently rubbing the most sensitive part of her body.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips, the warm air stroking her searing lips and she shivered, which only resulted in another explosion of pins and needles, mainly because every movement she made gave more pressure on his hand.
On his fingers, which were still inside her…
Jesus.

But then, completely out of nowhere, he pulled back, taking his warmth and everything that defined him with him.
As disappointment, along with the slightest hint of relief, forced her to open her eyes, her leg slid down the wall.
Luckily, her dazed brain remembered just in time how to stand on her own feet, right before she collapsed.
Whewie.
That at least saved her from yet another degrading embarrassment, for she wasn't sure how many blows her already fragile ego could endure before it would simply vanish into thin air.
Her legs were still wobbly, though, and so she rested her hands against the cold wall for support as she watched him, silently and willingly.

At how he raised his brawny arms.
At how his delicate fingers reached over his shoulders to the back of his sweater.
At how he pulled it over his head in one smooth movement, making his ears flap.
At how he looked back at her, his raven-black eyes smoldering with arousal.
"Well, we have about two minutes before my beloved bro's will get suspicious and come look for us…", he told her with a little smile, one that was anything but innocent as he so-called casually threw his hoodie over his shoulder before taking the belt that was keeping his pants up between his fingers.

His hands were shaking, she now saw.
Shaking.
That somehow didn't match with his carefree and refreshingly mischievous character and she took a deep breath in some feeble attempt to control her already out of control breathing.
Oooh boy…
He was clearly close to his breaking point.
And the strangest thing was — she couldn't wait for him to break.

Without really noticing, Charley let out her breath as she stared at his now unclothed upper body, her green eyes following every line of the many muscles he owned, all the way down to his hands that were now taking the belt off.
Again, the way his pants hung low around his hips, revealing the black band of his boxer was already enough for her to almost turn into a puddle of drool and a strange sound slipped over her lips, one that was a mix between a sigh and a moan.

At the same time, every muscle in the lower part of her body contracted, due to that sharp tingle that was back again, joining the thousands of small ones that were already there.
Never, ever, had she been this… turned on.
It was almost embarrassing, honestly.
If she had the presence of mind to think about it, that is.
Which she hadn't.
She was, as some liked to call it, entirely caught up in the moment.
Geez, I wonder why…

Slowly, as if in trance, she too raised her hands and after her fingers enclosed the soft fabric of her shirt, she pulled it over her head, almost praying it wouldn't get stuck in her earrings.
That would be so embarrassing.
And so… her.
But, as it turned out, miracles did exist because none of that happened.
After dropping the piece of fabric on the floor with a certain grace she never knew she had in her, she looked up at him from under her lashes.
"I suppose we better hurry then…"

Another one of those maddening naughty smiles appeared on his face and from that moment, it was as if time took a leap forward, for everything went crazy fast all of a sudden.
Before she knew it, they both had managed to get rid of their clothes -how the hell did that happen?!- and she jumped in his arms, wrapping her legs around his strong waist while she grabbed his head in a tight grip to reclaim his delicious mouth.

As he kissed her back compellingly yet somehow still lovingly, a fact that made her almost burst into tears thanks to her raging hormones, he carried her to one of the massage tables that were standing in the dressing room, his breathing heavy and irregular against her lips.
As the skilled mouse he was, he already made his way inside of her the moment he laid her down on her back and she grabbed the fur on his arms in a tight grip as she gasped in both surprise by this sudden action as well as in pure ecstasy, for the almost addictive wave of pleasure was already back in full force without prior warning.
Not even a red flag.
The low growl that vibrated in his chest the moment he entered her body was only the icing on this very delightful cake.

After biting in her lip, causing a jolt of bittersweet pain, Vinnie roughly broke off the kiss and straightened his back while his hands drifted to her legs, grabbing her knees in a firm grip as he picked up the pace.
The pressure of the electric field was back, unleashing a burning desire and Charley's breathing became shallow as she watched the way his muscles rolled under his skin and fur while he moved with a certain precision that didn't seem to fit him, but it did the trick anyway.

For he was able to exactly hit a certain spot inside of her that turned the wave of sheer bliss into an enormous tsunami and her breathing accelerated again before a moan escaped her lips.
Again.
Shit, she hardly recognized herself.
It wasn't like her to make noise while having sex, it always made her so… self-conscious, ashamed, even.
But with him, it was different.
Everything was different.
Holy shit, this was… otherworldly.

She somehow expected that her being entirely blown away by his skills would make him smile again, as the arrogant mouse he was, but it didn't.
No, he kept moving at a steady pace, his gaze lowered and his nose wrinkled in a way that she would almost call cute if it wasn't such a turn-on at the same time.
But then there were his teeth, already buried in the soft flesh of his lower lip again, a sign she was starting to recognize.
A sign that told her he was trying so hard to control himself.
As if he still hadn't passed his point of no return.
Maybe he hadn't.
Maybe he had.
Who knew?

Or maybe it was just him trying to stop the wave from reaching its peak, just like she did.
Wanting this, all this, to last forever, even though they both knew that was literally impossible, but hey, a hero and a wolf could dream, right?
Well, next to all those insecurities, she did know one thing now — she sure as hell wasn't the only one who was being entirely overwhelmed by a certain someone.
Strangely enough, this particular realization made her proud.
In fact, it was such a boost to her earlier faltering confidence that it was now her whose lips curled into a self-righteous smile.

That caught his attention though, and when he raised his black eyes and noticed her smile, the left corner of his mouth went up as well.
Not just that, his right eyebrow twitched as his eyes started to sparkle with vice, which basically transformed him from super sexy to super-duper sexy and her smile vanished like smoke in the wind.
After giving her another one of those naughty looks, one that told her he was obviously up to something, his right hand let go of her knee and slowly wandered across her upper leg before it ended up on her lower stomach.

And if feeling his fingers softly caressing her skin wasn't enough already, he suddenly leaned a bit forward, causing a slight pressure on the hand and therefore on her belly.
Which, in turn, made feeling him moving inside her even more intense than it already was -how the fuck was that even possible?!- and she arched her back while her hands grabbed the edge of the table in a iron grip, hardly able to endure this crazy enjoyment he was giving to her.
Holy shit times ten.
She wasn't going to hold this much longer, that she knew.
She was about to break.
Big time.

But, judging the way he looked at her, that was exactly what he was planning.
Of course he was.
He was in charge here, that was obvious.
And she…
Well, she kind of liked this role of being submissive.
Which was mind-blowing, to say the least.
She was a wolf, after all.
An alpha.
But not now.
Certainly not now.

And indeed, it didn't take long for his movements to become faster.
Rougher, too.
That, along with his hand pressing on her lower abdominal area was the final push she needed to fall off the cliff after balancing on the edge the whole time and while wheezing his name, she came, her entire body shuddering due to the characteristic, breathtaking phenomenon that was called an orgasm.

It was one like she never had before though, and she closed her eyes as the wave now washed over her, taking her to a place she hadn't been before.
A place she most definitely would like to visit again.
And again.
And again...
Oh, man.
She was, without a doubt, a lost cause.
Floating in a world where passion ruled.
A world where the word desire had a whooole other meaning.
One that couldn't be expressed in words at all.

While her muscles were still contracting because of this entirely mind-blowing experience, Vinnie took the soft flesh on her hips in a tight grip, and the raw jolt of pain that was actually disturbingly pleasant made her open her eyes again.
A thing she didn't regret, because it made her able to see things she wouldn't want to have missed for the world.
Like how he closed his eyes as it was now his body that convulsed against hers when he came too, for instance.
Or how he clenched his teeth, causing those same wrinkles in his nose as the ones she had seen before.
Or how about the way his ears happily twitched along with the rest of his muscles.

As he stammered something that sounded a lot like her name, his tail flicked through the air, which was nothing more than a nice addition to the current view she had.
God, he was just so… endearing, actually.
Sinister, sexy, naughty, erratic, cocky, a total badass, yes, most definitely…
But cute, nevertheless.
She kept that to herself though.
No way that he wouldn't thank her for calling him cute.
As in — goody-goody cute.
His ego would either kill her or run the other way while screaming its head off.

While he was obviously caught in some afterglow, a rare feeling of laziness washed over her and Charley let out her breath as her fingers fiddled with the snow-white fur on his lower arm, her heart slowly calming down to a slower pace.
Or perhaps it wasn't just plain laziness, but a certain calmness.
It was a bit confusing at first, for her body was still glowing from these latest activities, but she soon realized why it was.

And that was that despite all the bad things that had happened to her today, she was right where she wanted to be.
There was simply no other place she rather wanted to be right now but here.
Here.
With him.
Her mysterious savior, who wasn't so mysterious anymore, or well, not really.
He felt like home, actually.
Safe.

But just when she was about to tell him that, someone rattled at the door.
A shock went through her body, she just couldn't stop it, but since Vinnie was still inside of her, certain muscles enclosed certain things that weren't meant to be enclosed, not so soon after the deed at least and his eyes flew open as a soft gasp escaped his lips.
"Charley-girl, you're playing with fi..."
"Ssshh! Someone's at the door", she hissed back before he could finish that sentence -although her heart swelled up by hearing him calling her 'Charley-girl'- and he fell silent again, giving her a somewhat arrogant look before pointing at his big ears.
"See these? They ain't just big because it makes me look cute, okay? I'm perfectly able to hear that someone's at the door. Even more to the point…-", and he quickly pulled back and offered her his hand almost gracefully.
"-... it ain't one of my bro's. Which can only mean…"

"O'Neill", Charley said flatly as she took his hand and after pulling her upright, he snatched her shirt from the ground with his tail while giving her a meaningful smile, his twinkling eyes now turned back to their original red color again.
Meh.
"Yahtzee. But no sweat, sweetheart. I've got a plan."
Charley glanced at him before she quickly put on her shirt with her legs dangling over the edge of the table, still feeling slightly dizzy after all this.
"You do, huh? Now why does that not ease my worries, at all?"
"Beats me. I'm a lean, mean plan-making machine, after all."
So shameless.
My, oh, my...

"Did you really just call yourself a lean, mean plan-making machine?", she asked him after staring at him for a little while, but all Vinnie did was give her one of his disarming smiles that seemed to be his trademark when it came to dealing with trouble.
Or with someone doubting his sanity for that matter.
"I did. It's catchy, isn't it? Now get dressed. It's time for us to rock and ad-lib."
Of course his so-called 'big master plan' was to improvise.
And of course it was he who thought that improvising was sufficient enough to call it a plan.
It didn't even surprise her, which meant she was already way in too deep.
Well, that's nothing new.

Shaking her head in disbelief, but with the hint of a smile around her lips, Charley did what she was told, although her head was still spinning due to the fact that there didn't seem to be a single moment of peace and quietness in the mice's lives.
There was just no time to process all these occurrences that piled up on each other in a dazzling kind of way.
Kind of like a never-ending roller coaster.
She hated roller coasters.
Man.
Will her life ever be normal again?

So...
That happened.
Hehe.

It was the latest scene I was struggling with, there's always something with sex scenes that makes them hard to write for me personally, mainly because the last thing I want is to make it vulgar or something like that.
So, it's kind of hard to describe what is happening when you don't want to go into too much detail, especially for me, since I always love to write certain details (no shit XD), but, although it's far from perfect, I'm still kind of happy with how it turned out.

Sometimes, you just gotta let go, and it sure as hell was a magical experience for Charley, something she truly deserved after all the shit I put her through, hehe.
I can only hope you guys liked it too.
If not, that's okay.
I did the best I could, to at least capture the unique chemistry these two have, despite being two different species.

Anyway, the story is far from over, although I think we're getting closer to the end now.
But there are still so many questions that require an answer.
I suggest you just stay tuned. :)

I'm just gonna go and remove the 'short-story' note in the summary, for that's one mission that has gone wrong, obviously, bwahaha!
That brain of mine, honestly.
It never stops to amaze me, not even after 31 years.

Anyhoo, thank you for reading my story.
If you have time, let me know your thoughts regarding this -quite hot- chapter, always very much appreciated.
But most important - stay safe, be creative, and just be you.

Ta-ta!