Biker Mice From Mars Fan Fiction ❯ Of (Biker) Mice and (Wo)men ❯ Chapter Five ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter Five

Charley wasn't sure what she'd find when she and the guys headed up after the garage closed for business. She half-expected Alley to have sequestered herself in her bedroom again, and was therefore surprised to find her sitting in the middle of the living room floor, busily assembling the pieces of her dresser. She was so focused on her task that she didn't seem to realize she had company.

"Heeey, somethin' smells goodup here," Vinnie said from behind Charley, snuffling the air hungrily.

Alley jumped, dropping the screwdriver she was holding. "Oh. Hi, guys," she said, glancing at the clock. "Um, give it a few more minutes. Dinner should be ready soon."

"You cooked?" Charley asked in surprise.

"Eh, think of it as a peace offering." The blonde flashed the mice a tentative smile.

Modo made his way over. "You don't need to do that," he rumbled, taking in the scattered furniture pieces surrounding her. "Me 'n the bros could've put 'em back together for you."

"Nah, that's okay." Alley ducked her head and offered a shrug. "You were nice enough to cart them up here, the least I could do was reassemble them. I'll probably need help with the bed, though. It's a little too big for just one person to handle."

"Great!" Charley cut in. "How about you guys take care of that while I go wash off my work?" She grinned impishly at Alley and disappeared down the hall before her cousin could protest.

And Alley suddenly found herself alone in the room with three very large, very intimidating, heavily-armed alien mice.

Sensing her unease, Throttle stepped forward. "Modo, grab the headboard and hold it steady. Vinnie, pick up that frame piece and hold it while I screw the brackets back in place," he ordered in his best commander voice, and they snapped to obey. "Mind handing me those tools?" he asked, pointing, and Alley leaned over to grab the hex wrench set, tossing it to him. He caught it and got to work, and the next five minutes were filled with silence as the mice worked to reassemble the bed frame.

"So, um, the mattresses are still in the garage?" Alley asked after a while.

"Yep. Too big to get through the doorway. We'll have to cart 'em up the fire escape," Throttle replied.

Alley nodded. "Thought as much." She hesitated, then added, "Thanks. For, you know, going to all this trouble for me. Especially after the way I, uh, acted."

"No problem, Sweetheart! Anything for a pretty lady," Vinnie replied, flashing her a wink.

Alley wasn't sure how to respond, but a ding sounded from the oven just then, saving the need. "And that'll be supper!" She scrambled to her feet, wiping her hands off on the back of her shorts as she escaped to the kitchen. Vinnie watched her go, gawking at her backside with open appreciation until Modo smacked him across the back of the head with his metal hand.

"Ow! Damn it, Modo, yer gonna give me brain damage!" Vinnie complained, rubbing his skull.

"A little late for that," Throttle snorted as Modo sniggered.

"A little late for what?" Charley entered the room, still toweling off her damp hair as she eyed them curiously.

"Nothin'!" Vinnie jumped to his feet, approaching her with a smirk. "Want a little help with that?"

He reached for the towel, but she rolled her eyes and lightly smacked his hand away. "I can manage, thanks."

"Come and get it," Alley called, and they all made a beeline for the kitchen. Where they promptly stopped and stared, not sure what they were looking at. "Uh, what the hell is that?" Vinnie asked. "Where're the dogs?" He ducked when Modo took another swipe at his head. Only to run into Throttle's tail as it whipped around to smack him on the nose.

"Don't be rude," the golden mouse scolded. "Those aredogs."

Vinnie grumbled a short apology as he moved back to a safer distance.

Alley glanced down at the platter of food on the table, uncertain. "Well, uh, I tried something a little different. I just wrapped the hotdogs in crescent roll dough and baked them. They're good that way. Crescent rolls taste better than plain hotdog buns."

"They smell pretty good." Modo stepped forward to pick up a steaming roll, gulping it in two bites. His single eye widened. "Whoa, mama. They taste pretty good, too!" And he grabbed a second helping.

That was all the encouragement needed; the mice descended on the platter like a pack of jackals while Alley hastily backed away to give them space. She stood beside Charley, leaning against the counter. "Think there'll be any left for us?" she asked, amused.

Charley laughed. "We'll be lucky. I hope you made enough. Those three have black holes where their stomachs are supposed to be."

"Ah. Is that to make up for lack of good table manners?"

"We canhear you, you know." Throttle fixed them with a dry look over his specs.

Charley blew him a playful kiss. "That's the idea, Sweetheart," she teased. To Alley, she asked, "Think we can jump in there without risking a finger?"

Her cousin giggled. "There's a second batch in the oven. I wouldn't chance it. Those teeth look sharp!"

Throttle huffed at her and turned his back, making Charley laugh again.

"Save some room for dessert. I bought a cheesecake," Alley told them.

"No cheese!" came an immediate trio of protest.

Alley blinked in surprise.

"They reallydon't like cheese," Charley explained with a chuckle.

"Oh. Well, cheesecakeisn't really the same thi—"

"No cheese!"

She snorted. "Stubborn much?"

Charley slung an arm around her shoulder. "That's okay. They don't understand what they're missing. Just means more for us, anyway."

"That is an excellentpoint."

"Oh, I see an opening! Wish me luck; I'm goin' in!"

"Mind your fingers!"

~*~*~*~*~

"I dunno about this."

The cousins leaned out of Alley's open window, staring down at the street where the three mice stood, propping up a set of plastic-wrapped mattresses and arguing over the best way to get them up the fire escape to the second floor. "You sure they can handle this?" Alley sounded more than a little doubtful.

"Aw, it's sweet of you to worry about their safety," Charley teased.

She snorted. "Who said anything about theirsafety? I'm more worried about the apartment falling down around our ears. I mean, look what happened when they tried to get the bed frame in here!" They glanced at the bedroom door, which was now sagging on its hinges, with a good-sized chunk missing out of its frame and several dents in the opposite wall.

Charley winced despite herself. "Well, wouldn't be the first time they've put holes in my walls," she muttered. "The building hasn't fallen down yet."

"Oh. Thank you. I feel somuch more reassured."

"Heads up, ladies!" Throttle's call was the only warning they had before the trio sprang into action. Quick as a wink, the golden mouse scrambled up the rickety fire escape and landed nimbly on the metal platform outside the window. He greeted Alley's startled expression with a smirk, before waving to Vinnie, who'd followed him halfway up and now hung precariously from the ladder, using his tail to anchor him. The white mouse gave a short whistle in response; from the ground, Modo hefted the long, heavy mattress over his head as though it weighed no more than a sheet of paper. Vinnie grabbed at it, fumbled slightly before getting a firm grip, and hoisted it to the second level, where Throttle waited to catch and heft it over the side of the railing and onto the platform. The girls scrambled back as he shoved it through the window, just in time to catch the boxspring that Vinnie had hoisted at him.

All of this was accomplished in a matter of moments, leaving Alley gaping in wonder. "Whoa," she breathed.

"Told ya." Charley nudged her playfully, but even she looked impressed.

"You guys are like acrobats or something. You should join a circus if you ever decide to switch careers," Alley teased. Throttle looked pleased by the flattery as he maneuvered the boxspring into the bedroom.

Charley sniggered. "Except they'd probably manage to blow up the circus."

"Har dee har," Throttle sniffed as he stripped the mattresses of their plastic wrap and helped the women position them on the waiting frame. "There, mission accomplished. Now let's go watch some James Bomb!"

~*~*~*~*~

"You bored or somethin'?" Vinnie asked when he caught Alley attempting to stifle a yawn for the umpteenth time.

She flashed him a weak smile. "Sorry. Guess spy movies aren't really my thing." She'd figured thatout fifteen minutes into the first James Bomb film, having never watched one before. But she didn't want to be rude by asking them to change it. Movie night seemed to be a well-established tradition around there. Now that they were well into the third film, however, she was having more than a little difficulty keeping her eyes open. Of course, it didn't help that it was nearly two o'clock in the morning, and she'd had a very long and rather strange day.

"Go to bed, Alley Cat, before you fall off the chair," Charley scolded teasingly from her spot on the couch, with her legs draped over Modo's lap and head resting comfortably on Vinnie's thigh. Neither mouse seemed to mind being used as a cushion; Vinnie's fingers ran idly through Charley's mussed hair, absentmindedly caressing over her cheek and jaw, down to her throat and back into her hair, and she didn't seem to mind that, either. In fact, she looked as if she was about to start purring up a storm. The scene was strangely intimate, and Alley tried her best to ignore a niggling little suspicion that had developed in the back of her mind. She certainly wasn't ready to cope with ideas like that.

"Really, nobody will be offended," Charley continued, lazily shooing her cousin off.

Alley yawned again, not bothering to hide it this time. "Guess I probably should. I've got to go to the university today."

Charley looked surprised. "Are your classes starting already?"

"Nah. Next week. But I've still got a couple of forms to fill out, and I want to get a lay of the land, so to speak. I hear the campus is huge. There are twoof them, and I've got classes in both. It'll be easier to get to them on time if I actually know where they're located to begin with." She stood and stretched, working the kinks out of her muscles, before turning to Throttle, who had commandeered a kitchen chair for the evening and had turned it around to rest his forearms and chin on the back of it. "Sorry, I took over the armchair. You're welcome to it now," she said. "And thanks for all your help in getting me moved in. I appreciate it. It was … nice to meet you all."

Throttle chuckled huskily. "Once all the screaming and hysterics calmed down, it was nice to meet you, too," he teased.

Alley pulled a face at him, choosing not to dignify that remark with a reply.