Shattered, Repaired, Renewed: Chapter 5

When Carbine breaks up with Throttle, he needs time to heal. Charley offers the space and acceptance he needs. And maybe more....

Disclaimer: I don't own BMFM

Chapter 5

Throttle and Charley spent the night curled on the couch together. When the James Bomb movie ended, the tan mouse looked down to see the human girl peacefully sleeping against his chest. He didn't have the heart to move her, and so he got comfortable and slept beside her. He woke up several hours later to the sound of the communicator going off. A glance at the clock revealed it was six in the morning. He groaned at the sight, moved to get up, and found that he couldn't, as he and Charley were thoroughly wrapped around each other.

She had turned in the night and now lay on his chest, their arms circled each others waists, and damned if his tail wasn't around her leg! The mouse blushed at their position. The communicator went off again. He quickly got untangled and tucked the blanket back around Charley, heading over to answer. "Shades here, what's up bros?"

"'Bout time you answered, mouse!" Modo said.

"Hey, now, if he was a little busy, we probably shouldn't have interrupted," Vinnie said gleefully from beside his bro on the road.

Throttle rolled his eyes. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Vincent. We were sleeping."

"Together?" The white mouse asked suggestively.

Throttle's voice edged with annoyance now. "Was there a reason you called at six in the morning?"

Modo decided to save his bro and answered the question. "Just callin' to let you know, we had a good run last nig"-he broke off nervously. He figured their girl wouldn't really approve of outright bounty-hunting for her sake. "Um, Charley's not up, is she?"

"No, still sleeping."

"Good, she needs all the rest she can get. Be sure she takes her pain meds; you know how she is about that sort of thing."

Throttle couldn't keep the smile out of his voice. "You know I will. Now, about that run last night?"

"Oh yeah, the slime-wad has been scrapped off Snowball's shoes"-

"Don't call me Snowball!" Vinnie almost screeched in indignation.

--"and tossed to Chicago's finest jail cell," the grey mouse finished proudly. "But me and"-

"Don't you say it!!"

--"me and my bro here are pretty beat so we're headed back to the 'board for some shut-eye. Give a holler if you need us."

"You got it bro. And thanks for taking care of that for her," Throttle said. "I don't want her worrying any more than she already does."

"Aw, it weren't nothin'," the mouse said. "Later bro!"

"Later." Throttle put the communicator back up and headed back to the couch. He paused a minute, debating whether he should get back in with her or take her up to the bedroom and head back to the board himself.

Charley stirred, the lack of warmth waking her. "Mmm. Throttle?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you, Charley-girl," he said, kneeling down beside her. She looked at him owlishly, blinking like she couldn't quite believe he was awake. "Why're you up?"

"Just took a call," he said. "Nothing to worry about."

"Oh. Okay." She made to sit up, wincing as her many bruises protested. He reached out to help, grabbing the aspirin from the coffee table and getting a drink of water from the kitchen. She smiled tiredly as she reached to take the pills, "You know, someday you'll make someone a great wife."

"Oh, shut up," he laughed. "You don't have to get up yet you know, its Sunday."

"Sunday?" The one and only day she took off from the garage.

"Sunday."

"Oh. Then why are you up?" She said with a sleepy frown. He smiled. Pain killers, no matter how little or how much, made Charley loopy. "I just got a call, but I'm going back to sleep in a minute. You want me to take you upstairs? You'd probably be more comfortable."

"Are you coming with me?"

"I'll take you upstairs," he said.

"No, dummy," she scolded, "I mean, are you gonna sleep with me again?" He couldn't help his consternation at the question. "You want me to sleep with you?"

She looked almost upset. "You don't want to sleep with me?"

"No--yes---I mean, I'd be fine sleeping by you, Charley," he blushed as he answered.

"Okay. Lets go then." She stood, nearly falling down at the pain in her ankle. He shook his head, scooping her up into his arms. She giggled like a girl, tucking her face into his shoulder as he went up the stairs. Throttle resigned himself, smiling at the human in his arms. "You know, I don't think its right how often we end up sleeping together."

"Yeah," she said sleepily. "And nothing ever happens. Its enough to really frustrate a girl."

He almost dropped her. "What?! Charley? What did you say?"

The Martian didn't get an answer, as she had fallen completely asleep. He shook his head. He must have been hearing things. He put her to bed, and with some hesitation, crawled in beside her.

&&&&&&

When Charley woke up, she was in the bed alone. She frowned to herself. She distinctly remembered Throttle getting in with her---she blushed red like a fire engine. Oh god. She had actually told him to get in bed with her. Would the embarrassment never end?

The girl gingerly got up, throwing on a pair of jeans, socks, and a green tank top. Pulling out a pair of crutches she'd originally got when she was 17 years old from the closet, she headed down the stairs. She laughed out-loud when she reached the kitchen. "Now this is role-reversal!"

Throttle whirled around, desperately trying to hide the huge mess. Bits of eggs that he'd tried to crack without shattering littered the counter, flour was everywhere, bowls and spoons were scattered all over. He attempted to say something--anything--and failed miserably. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, Charley was laughing too hard to hear him. He huffed a bit, "I don't laugh when you cook."

"I'm sorry. (haha) It's not that." She pointed at his head. "You have flour all over your ears. You look like Vinnie!"

"Alright, them's fightin' words." He jumped at her, going to her sides and tickling her. She tried to smack him off, but was laughing too hard. She squirmed, trying to get out of his range, and suddenly tripped over her crutches. He tried to catch her and caught a crutch behind his knee, falling beside her. Both were laughing now, trying to pick themselves up. "This is pathetic," he finally got out. "Hold still and I'll help you up."

"Okay, oh ow, ow, ow!!"

"What's wrong?"

"Bruised hip," she said, wincing. He got them sorted out and lifted her up, placing her on a nearby bar stool. Despite the mess, he had successfully made scrambled eggs, bacon, and only slightly burned the biscuits. She applauded his efforts and later helped him clean up. She noted that he looked a little lost after they were finished, so she asked what his plan were for the day.

"Actually, I don't have anything to do today. The Tower's down and my bros are sleeping at the board. It should be pretty quiet today."

"They're still sleeping? Were they up late tracking that guy down?"

"Unitl six in the morning"--he paused. "You know about that?"

"I know you guys would never stand for somebody hurting me and not paying for it," she said. "Its just not in your nature. So is he in jail, or did Vinnie get creative?"

"No, thank the goddess. He's with Chicago's finest, in a lovely small room with the most beautiful veiw," he said in gleeful sarcasm.

She laughed, "So I guess that leaves you at loose ends." She thought a minute. "Hey, you know that new comic hero movie that just came out? How about we catch the matinee? It should be pretty deserted on a Sunday, so you could take your helmet off."

"Sounds great," he smiled. "Its ten thirty now, so how about we cruise the town until showtime?"

"Really?" she said excitedly. "I'd love to! I can never get enough of riding a Martian bike."

"Someday we'll get you the parts so you can make your own," he said. "Then you can stop drooling over ours."

"Oh don't tease me like that," she said, heading for the stairs so she could get dressed properly. "That would be the greatest gift ever."

&&&&&

They rode all over the city, through the subdivisions, the park, the iron works factory. She pointed out some of the local historic sites, like the home of Al Capone and the old moonshiners' run. Throttle was suprised that this city had such an interesting history. He told her about some of the old places in his hometown and the capital city, Brimstone. She listened with absolute facination to his stories. (Well, it wasn't just the stories that got to her. It was a guilty pleasure of hers, to listen to him talk. Hell, he could make 'pass the salt' sound seductive with that husky voice of his.)

They were having so much fun they almost missed the movie, barely making it for showtime. To their surprise, it was a double feature on Sundays, the new action flick paired with an old black and white classic. This time it was Casablanca, to Charley's delight. The mouse gave her a look of horror when he found out it was a classic romance. She got him to stay and watch with the promise that it had some of the best one-liners in the history of film. At the end of the movie, he had to agree with her. Some of that stuff had been priceless. How they got by with just a PG-13 rating, he never knew.

It was six in the afternoon and they hadn't eaten for hours, so Throttle suggested Chef Andy's for dinner. The dinner rush was just clearing out when they pulled up, only a gew regulars remaining as the two walked in.

"Throttle, Charley-girl, good to see you," Andy smiled. His look turned to concern when she pulled off her helmet and he saw the ugly shiner on her face. "Oh sweetheart, what happened to you? Baby-girl, you sit right here," he shooed both of them to the best booth in the store. "You need anything? An ice pack, a bandage, some aspirin?"

"No, Andy, its nothing, I'm fine," she said, unused to so much fussing over her.

The chef shot Throttle a look. "She'll take the aspirin, just half a pill," the mouse said. He then told the man the short version of what happened, and that the bastard was now behind bars. Andy smiled in approval. "Good. If he was still out on the streets I would have shot him myself. Nobody messes with my girl, here."

Charley looked at the older man with soft surprise. "Andy?"

He blusered a bit at her look. "What? You're a good girl, sweeter and kinder than anybody else I know. If I was a younger man, I'd court you myself. But since I'm not, I'll settle for being that annoying uncle you always wanted."

She smiled in genuine affection. "You'd never be annoying, Andy. Uncle Andy," she paused, testing out the words. "I like that."

"So do I, honey-girl, so do I," the old man replied. He then took their orders, waving off the money Charley offered. He brought back fresh hoagies, hot french fries, and two ice cold root beers. And half an aspirin, just like Throttle asked. As he set out the food, he watched the Martian and the Terran talking together. They were sitting close beside each other, laughing and smiling like he'd never seen before. They looked very much like--"I'm so happy you two finally decided to start dating. Not that you and Vinnie weren't good together," he said to the startled girl, "but he wasn't the right one for you. Now this boy here, he'll do right by you."

"Wha..." Both mouse and girl were stunned almost speechless. Throttle tried to set the man straight, "Um, A-Andy, we're"--he looked over to the surprised Charley--"we're not"--

"Don't worry, I won't say anything to your friends if you don't want them to know just yet," the old man said with a conspiratory wink. "But I know they'll both be glad for you. Don't let me interrupt your date!" He backed off with a cheerful wave, heading back to the counter to get another order ready.

"Date?" Charley said weakly.

"He thinks we're on a date. With each other," Throttle said in amazement.

She found herself blushing slightly, and looked away from him. She gathered her courage and hoped the timing wasn't off for this question. It might be too soon since Carbine. "Throttle? Would it be a bad thing if we were on a date?"

He slowly turned towards her, an unreadable look on his face. "What do you mean?"

She looked him in the eyes, "If you don't want to, I won't say another word about it. But could we call this a date? I've never had so much fun with a guy before. I've never connected with anybody the way I have with you. But," she swallowed hard, "I want more. If you say no, I swear I won't say anything to the guys"--she was stopped by his hand on her cheek, his fingers sliding back to run through her hair. She couldn't make out the look on his face to try and read his reaction. "Throttle?"

"Do you mean it?" he asked quietly. "You want to be with me?"

"Yes," she said.

"As my girlfriend?"

"Yes," she said, softer now.

It was his turn to swallow hard. "If we do this, and it doesn't work out, how can we get past that? I don't want to lose you as a friend."

"I don't want to lose you either," she said. "But I know that if I don't try and act on what I feel, I will regret it. And I don't want to live with regrets. So," she put a hand over his, still wrapped in her hair, "can we try?"

He looked down. Uncertainty reared its ugly head. He'd completely screwed up with Carbine, and he had no idea how. What if he screwed up with Charley? "I'll make mistakes"--

"So will I"--

--"and I'm not the best at being on time"--

"Neither am I"--

--"or remebering anniversaries"--

"They're over-rated"--

"I don't know how to be a good boyfriend"--he was stopped by her hand gently touching his helmet in mimicy of his hand on her face. "I don't know how to be a good girlfriend," she said. "I really don't have much experiance to go on. I'll make mistakes, and there might be times that I'll get so mad at you, or you at me. We'll fight and be stubborn and hardly see each other sometimes. And there'll be times when we're together, just sitting together, and we'll look at each other and think that we are so lucky to be with someone that cares about us."

He reached up and cupped her hand against his helmet. His eyes closed against the hope that was fighting with the memories of old pain and sorrow. "You really want me?"

"Yes. Do you want me?"

"Goddess, yes I want you"--he blushed a bit at his own double meaning. Charley was a very pretty female, after all.

"So this is our first date?" she said, unable to disguise the hope in her voice.

"Yes," he said, no small bit of hope in his voice too. "Our first dinner-and-a-movie date."

She held up her root beer in a toast. "May it be the first of many."

&&&&&&

One, maybe two chapters to go before this arc of the story is finished. Let me know what you think and please review!

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