Categories > Cartoons > Biker Mice from Mars > Dating Charley
I have yet to read a Rimfire + Charley fic, so I wrote one. Enjoy! :D
Dating Charley
A Rimfire + Charley fic
By: Starblade (My Biker Mice from Mars avatar)
Rating: PG (or PG-13, just to be safe.)
Chapter 1: Dating Game
Rimfire glared at the Biker Mice, then at the seven tickets on the table. All Miss Charley had wanted was for the Mice to attend a ballet with her --a production of Sleeping Beauty. But the other Mice --Throttle, Vinnie, Modo, and Stoker-- were not about to go to a ballet performance for anyone --even Charley! Unfortunately, this attitude had caused Charley to leave the scoreboard with tears forming in her eyes, leaving behind the seven tickets.
Looking from Charley's retreating form, then back to the Mice, and then the tickets, Rimfire made a quick decision. He grabbed two of the tickets, his jacket, and his bike helmet. Then, he sprinted to catch up with Charley.
"Where ya goin', Rim?" Modo asked his nephew. The cream-colored young Mouse turned back, still glaring at the four adult Martian males.
"To make Miss Charley happy again," he answered. He turned around again, following Cherley out of the scoreboard. The four adult Mice looked at each other and frowned.
Outside, Rimfire caught up with Charley, moving to walk side-by-side with the sad Earth female. She looked to her right and saw him. She stopped walking as he turned toward her, giving a reassuring smile.
"Hi, Rimfire," she sniffed. "What do you need?"
"I would like to join you at the ballet, Miss Charley," he bowed graciously to her. "That is, if you don't mind..."
"'Mind'?" Charley smiled back. "I'd love to!" Then she frowned. "But what about..."
"'Tickets'?" he grinned. He showed her the two he had picked up. "Got 'em right here!"
"Rimfire, you sweet angel!" Charley exclaimed. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. The youth blushed shyly as the woman embraced him. Already, his plan to cheer her up was working out well.
~~*
"That was beautiful!" Rimfire grinned. He and Charley rode back to the scoreboard, talking about the ballet all the way. The young Martian had never been to a ballet before, and the idea of a story told entirely by dance was interesting. They talked of their favorite parts, and where ballet came from, and the story, itself.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rim," Charley smiled back. "And I'm happy you went with me. I'm just sorry the others didn't come, too." Her smile became a frown.
"Don't be sad, Miss Charley-Ma'am," Rimfire said gently. "I'm sure they would've gone with us if they had been given time to really think about it."
"I suppose so..."
Soon, they arrived at the scoreboard. Charley and Rimfire dismounted from her bike and looked upward at the windows in the huge sign.
"They're probably watching us..." Charley said.
"Probably..." Rimfire agreed.
"So, how about we give them something to watch?" Charley grinned.
"Oh?" the young Martian cocked his head and gazed at the human woman, listening to her with interest. His smile got bigger as she whispered something in his ear.
"Well?" she asked. "What do you think?"
"I LIKE it!" he laughed.
"Okay," Charley grinned. "Let's start..." She leaned forward, her lips coming ever closer to his.
Up in the scoreboard, the four adult Martians waited for Rimfire and Charley to return. They watched from one of the windows in the sign, catching sight of the two of them as they arrived on the back of Charley's bike. They waited impatiently for either Rimfire or both of them to come up.
"What are they doin'?" Modo asked as they watched the two.
"Looks like..." Throttle began. Then his eyes widened in shock.
"What?" Vinnie asked. He was having trouble seeing over Modo and Throttle's heads. Stoker barely managed to squeeze in between the huge gray Mouse, and the golden-furred leader of the Biker Mice.
"They look like they're kissin' to me," Stoker answered Vinnie.
"/WHAT/?!?" Vinnie screamed.
"SSSSSSSSSsshhhhhhhhhhh..!!!!!" the other three shushed him, each with a hand over the white Mouse's mouth.
"They'll hear us!" Stoker whispered urgently.
The four of them watched as Charley and Rimfire's kiss got deeper as they held each other in a tight embrace. Her arms were around his neck, and his arms were around her waist, his hands moving up her back as he deepened the kiss.
"Oooooohhhhhhhhhh...." Charley moaned softly as they kissed harder. "Rimmmmmmmmmmmmm........"
"Miss Charley....mmmmmmmmmmmm......" he breathed softly.
The four in the scoreboard could only watch in shock as the younger Freedom Fighter shared an embrace with the Earth mechanic, an embrace that threatened to become something more.
"W...w...why..." Vinnie just stammered. "Why /him/?"
"Looks like ya waited too long, Punk," Stoker commented.
"B...b...but..." was all Vinnie could get out.
Down below, Rimfire and Charley finished their kiss and broke away. Charley hopped on her bike and grinned at Rimfire.
"Tomorrow night, then?" he grinned back.
"It's a date!" she laughed. She steered the vehicle out of the ballpark and back to the Last Chance Garage.
Rimfire stood there, watching her go. He grinned at their plans for the week that he and Stoker would be on Earth. This was going to be /FUN/! He made his way back to the scoreboard, whistling a nice little tune along the way.
The four adults said noting as Rimfire entered the vast room. Stoker, Throttle, and Modo were all too shocked to say a word, while Vinnie just glared at the younger Martian. Rimfire simply ignored them all, went over to his bunk, and went to bed, still whistling his song.
~~*
The next night, the guys were at the Last Chance. Charley was getting ready for her date with Rimfire that night. Vinnie, especially, looked nervous, scared, and heartbroken all at the same time. Modo had told him to lay off Rimfire. If the cream-furred youth was who Charley wanted, then they had no right to interfere. Vinnie just looked like he had lost everything.
When Charley came down, she was wearing a red, satin Chinese dress with gold dragons embroidered on it. Her shoes were red pumps, with red ribbons criss-crossing her legs like high sandals. Her jewelry was red and gold, glittering in the light.
There was a loud knock on the door. Like an excited teenager going out on her first date, Charley opened the door to a waiting Rimfire, who leaned casually against the outside wall. He was dressed in black slacks, a white shirt, and a pair of black dress shoes. A black, leather jacket was slung over his shoulder.
"Hi, Charley-girl!" Rimfire greeted with a grinned. "Ready for our date?"
"Of course!" she grinned back. Turning to the guys, she said. "We'll be late. Don't wait up for us." With the four adult Martians watching, she turned and left the garage, closing the door behind her.
"Did you hear what he called her?" Vinnie gasped in shock.
"Charley-girl," Throttle nodded. "Like we do. Or, at least, like you, Stoker, and I do..."
"He's never called her that!" Vinnie fumed.
"'Miss Charley', or 'Charley-Ma'am', or 'Miss Charley-Ma'am', but never 'Charley-girl'," Stoker agreed.
"What are we gonna do?" Vinnie wailed. He wanted his Charley-girl back!
"Don't know," Throttle replied. "But let's just see just how far they're gonna to take it..."
The others just looked at him. Was he serious? Let Rimfire and Charley go on like they were?
"I want to know just how far they're willin' to go..."
~~*
Rimfire and Charley sat in the Little Dragon Chinese restaurant, eating their meal and just talking. The owner of the restaurant, a little old woman known only as Grandma Fa, knew the secret of the Biker Mice. The Mice had saved her small granddaughter, Ling Li, from Limburger's goons, and the grateful old woman rewarded them by arranging an after-hours party at her restaurant. Hilarity had ensued as the Martian Mice ate with chopsticks for the first time. Grandma Fa invited the Mice to return to her restaurant any time they wanted. The Mice went to the Little Dragon restaurant when they wanted something fancy, often bringing Chef Andy with them.
Rimfire handled his chopsticks expertly, being the first of the Mice to master the art of eating with the slender, wooden utensils. Occasionally, he would feed Charley some of his Bourbon Chicken, while she would feed him some of her Mushu Pork.
As this was "after-hours" --the Little Dragon had closed early-- Rimfire was free to leave off his helmet. The sight of a human woman eating a late diner with a human-sized Martian Mouse would frighten most people. Perhaps someday, the Mice could walk among humans without having to disguise themselves. Someday.
Grandma Fa noticed the looks the two were giving each other, and she was puzzled. Wasn't the white one Charley's boyfriend? she thought. Why has she suddenly changed to one even younger than he?
Little Ling Li came into the room, rubbed her eyes and looked around. The five-year old girl, dressed in her pajamas and holding her teddy bear, caught sight of Rimfire and Charley. A big smile lit up her face and she ran over to them.
"RimRim!" the girl cried out. "Char-lee!" She leaped into Rimfire's arms, giving him a big hug.
"Hi, Ling," the young Mouse grinned. "And how are you?"
"Sleepy," the child answered.
"Then you need to go back to bed," her grandmother scolded. She moved to the table to retrieve the girl.
"But I wanna stay with RimRim and Char-lee..." the girl protested.
"For a few minutes," Rimfire smiled. "But then, you need to get to bed..."
"Okay..."
The four spent the next half-hour talking and playing. Soon --to the disappointment of Ling-- it was time for the girl to go back to bed. She hugged Rimfire and Charley goodnight, then went with her grandmother to their small living quarters above the restaurant. Rimfire and Charley went back to their dinner.
By the time that Grandma Fa returned, the two were ready to go.
"That was great, as always," Rimfire smiled.
"Yes, it was wonderful," Charley agreed.
"Always a pleasure cooking for you, dears," Grandma Fa smiled back. They waved good-bye to her as they left, hopping onto Rimfire's bike. They drove back to the Last Chance Garage.
~~*
Rimfire and Charley stood outside of the garage, once again, sharing an embrace and kiss good-night. The only witnesses were Throttle, Modo, Vinnie, and Stoker.
"'Ah guess we shoulda went with Charley-Ma'am to see that ballet after all," Modo drawled, watching his nephew and their human friend kiss passionately.
"You think?" Throttle commented sarcastically.
Charley entered the garage, waving good-bye to Rimfire as he mounted his bike and left, returning to the scoreboard. When he was out of sight, she sighed happily and closed the door. She turned around, only to find the other four Mice watching her.
"Oh!" she cried, startled. "What are you guys doing here? I told you we'd be late, and not wait up for us."
"We just thought we'd make sure you came home safely, Charley-Ma'am," Modo replied.
"We'll, I'm hope, safe and sound. Thanks for caring. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." She began to climb the stairs to her room. She turned briefly. "Good-night, boys."
"Good-night, Charley," the answered. She then continued up to her room and closed the door. The Mice just gazed at the closed door for a moment.
"Do ya think they're serious?" Vinnie asked.
"I don't know," Throttle replied. "They've only had two dates, so there's no way to really tell. We'll have to wait and see. Come on. Let's get back to the hideout."
The four Mice mounted their bikes and left the Last Chance. Each wondered if it really was Rimfire that Charley loved. And if it was, what could they do about it?
~~*
That was not the end of the dates between the two. Every night that Stoker and Rimfire were on Earth, Rimfire and Charley went out. They went everywhere: Movies, dinner, picnics, even night games at Quiggly Field. And each outing worried Vinnie more and more. He was losing Charley, and he did not know what to do about it!
One night, Rimfire and Charley sat on the roof of the Last Chance, having a night picnic and generally snuggling. He was gazing up at the red star that marked the spot in the sky where Mars shone brightly, and she took the moment to really study him. He was more muscular than he used to be, approaching the same build as Vinnie, and his face looked slightly older. His hair --brown, with a blonde streak down the middle-- was no longer the short bush it used to be, but framed his face in soft locks that reached past the nape of his neck, creeping toward his back.
He's no longer the nineteen year-old Rookie that he used to be, Charley mused. He's matured into a handsome young Mouse. How old is he? Twenty-one, I think. And still as sweet and kind and as much a gentleman as ever. A man /any woman would be happy to have./
She touched his furry cheek, and when he turned to look at her, Charley leaned over and kissed his lips. He sighed softly, deepening the kiss.
Below them, in the garage, Throttle, Modo, Vinnie, and Stoker sat watching a James Bomb movie. Well, the TV was on, but it was debatable whether or not they were actually watching. What they were really doing was discussing Charley and Rimfire.
"What are we gonna do?" Vinnie asked worriedly. He chewed on his bottom lip as he fretted over Charley and Rimfire's "romance".
"Good question," Modo replied.
"Too bad we can't turn back time and go with Charley to that ballet," Stoker said. "This wouldn't have happened if we had just swallowed our pride gone with her that night."
"Maybe we still can..." Throttle said thoughtfully. In his hand were the remaining five tickets to the ballet. Charley had originally gotten seven tickets because she had thought that Carbine would be coming. But an emergency on Mars kept the beautiful Martian general from visiting Earth. So, there was one ticket for Charley and each of the male Mice, with one left over.
"What are ya talkin' about, Throttle?" Modo asked.
"These tickets," he answered, holding them up. "They're for any showin' of the play. That means, ya didn't have to go on that one night. Ya can go on any night that the ballet is being shown. An', 'Sleeping Beauty' is being performed all this month."
"We can still take Charley out?" Vinnie asked hopefully.
"Yep," Throttle grinned. "An' since there are only enough tickets for the four of us, plus Charley, guess who has to stay at home?"
The other three looked at Throttle and slowly grinned. Tomorrow night, they would give Charley a night to remember.
~~*
Rimfire was busy getting ready for his next date with Charley. This would be the last one for this visit to Earth, and he planned on taking her someplace fun. Perhaps to the circus that had just arrived in town. He grinned, wondering if the old saying about elephants and mice were true. How animals so large could be afraid of animals that were so small was pretty strange.
Wonder if elephants would be afraid of /Martian Mice.../ he thought with a chuckle.
He never suspected that the other four Mice had come up behind him until Modo grabbed him in his large, strong arms.
"Hey!" Rimfire exclaimed, startled. "What are you doing, Uncle Modo!?!"
"You've been busy this week, kiddo," Throttle answered with a grin. "We decided that tonight, we were goin' to take Charley out, and you would stay home."
Modo carried his nephew to the couch and set him down on the seat. Vinnie turned on the TV, while Stoker gave him a bag of popcorn and a soda. Throttle popped a movie into the DVD player, and Vinnie handed the youth the remote.
"Have fun!" the four of them chorused, then left the scoreboard, laughing.
Rimfire looked bewildered for a couple of minutes, and then slowly smiled. He dialed the Last Chance Garage.
"Last Chance Garage," a female voice on the other end answered. "Charley Davidson speaking."
"It's Rimfire, Miss Charley," the young Mouse replied. "It worked: They're on their way. Be ready."
"I am, Rim. Thanks for calling. Talk to you later. Bye.
"No problem," he answered. "Bye." He hung up the phone and settled in to watch the movie, grinning as he tossed a piece of popcorn into the air and caught it in his mouth.
Things were going just as planned!
~~*
Charley answered the door when she heard the knock. There in the light of the bent lamppost was four grinning adult Martian Mice. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"What are you guys doing here?" she gasped. "And where's Rimfire?"
"Change of plans, Babe," Throttle answered.
"Yeah," Vinnie added. "Tonight yer goin' out with /us/!"
"What did you do with Rimfire?" she asked, glaring at them.
"Don't worry," Stoker replied. "He's fine."
"We just left him at the scoreboard with a movie," Modo added.
"Now," Throttle said. "If yer ready, we've got a ballet performance to go to." He held up the five tickets. "'Sleeping Beauty', I believe..."
"Yes..." she answered, dumbfounded at the turn of events. The four gallantly wave her to the door, escorting her out to the bikes. As she mounted behind Vinnie, they failed to notice her lips curl in a knowing smile.
~~*
Hours later, after dropping Charley off at the garage, the four Mice returned to the scoreboard, all talking about the ballet.
"That was pretty cool," Vinnie admitted. "The way they told the story just by dancin'."
"Yeah," Stoker agreed. "Very nice. I never thought about how beautiful human movement could be."
"An' how rich the human culture was," Modo nodded.
"Have fun at the ballet?" Rimfire asked, his voice pouting.
"Yeah," Throttle replied. "We had fun."
"Then going to see it with Miss Charley wasn't so bad after all, was it?"
"Nope," Vinnie grinned.
"We should go to see these plays with Charley-girl more often," Throttle agreed.
"Glad to hear it," Rimfire replied. He got up, popped the disc out of the player, and threw his empty popcorn bag into the trash, making sure the empty soda can ended up in the recycling bin. He yawned, turned to the other Mice, and said. "Good night, guys." He then went to his cot, laid down, and went to sleep.
Throttle, Vinnie, Modo, and Stoker just look at each other, flabbergasted at Rimfire's reaction. They had expected him to be upset, even angry --after all, they had just interrupted his date with Charley to take her out themselves. Yet, the youth seemed unconcerned over what they had just done.
"Ya know somethin'?" Throttle spoke up. "I think we've just been had..."
~~*
The next evening, Stoker and Rimfire was ready to go back to Mars. Charley and the guys stood in Quiggly Field to see them off.
"That was the most fun week I've ever had!" Charley smiled at the Mice. They looked at her, Rimfire, and each other rather sheepishly.
"Well, we're glad you enjoyed yourself," Stoker said.
"We'll do this again next time," Rimfire grinned. The four older Mice just looked over at him. "I mean, going to plays, ballets, and things --/together/!" They relaxed. "Sheesh!"
"I look forward to it, Rim," Charley smiled. The two Mice boarded the ship, and it lifted off. The Biker Mice turned to their human friend.
"So," Throttle began, "all those dates with Rimfire was just to get us to go to the ballet with ya, huh?"
"Yep," Charley smiled. "I knew that if you guys would just go and see it, you'd enjoy it. But you were too busy being Macho Mice to go with me. When Rimfire went with me, I decided to see if I could get you to go, and the only way I could think of to do that, was to start dating Rimfire. He agreed to help, and, well, you know how it turned out..."
"Yeah, we know..." Vinnie nodded.
"You spend so much time with us, Charley-ma'am," Modo added, "An' we never thought anythin' about it. If you and Rimfire showed us anythin' by this, it's that spendin' time together don't mean that we haveta do everythin' they way we like. We can enjoy things that you like, too."
"That's right..." Throttle agreed, and Vinnie nodded in agreement.
"I'm happy to hear that," Charley grinned at them. "So, anyone up for Chinese? Grandma Fa and Ling Li would be happy to see us..."
"Yeah," Vinnie grinned.
"Let's go!" Modo agreed. They hopped onto their bikes, Charley in her spot behind Vinnie.
"LET'S ROCK AND RIDE!" Throttle's voice echoed in the empty stadium. The Biker Mice from Mars raced out, heading for Chicago's Chinatown.
The whole way, Charley thought about her week with Rimfire, and a smile played across her face.
THE END
Next Chapter: Harley's Return. Couldn't leave Vinnie without someone, could we? ^_~
Dating Charley
A Rimfire + Charley fic
By: Starblade (My Biker Mice from Mars avatar)
Rating: PG (or PG-13, just to be safe.)
Chapter 1: Dating Game
Rimfire glared at the Biker Mice, then at the seven tickets on the table. All Miss Charley had wanted was for the Mice to attend a ballet with her --a production of Sleeping Beauty. But the other Mice --Throttle, Vinnie, Modo, and Stoker-- were not about to go to a ballet performance for anyone --even Charley! Unfortunately, this attitude had caused Charley to leave the scoreboard with tears forming in her eyes, leaving behind the seven tickets.
Looking from Charley's retreating form, then back to the Mice, and then the tickets, Rimfire made a quick decision. He grabbed two of the tickets, his jacket, and his bike helmet. Then, he sprinted to catch up with Charley.
"Where ya goin', Rim?" Modo asked his nephew. The cream-colored young Mouse turned back, still glaring at the four adult Martian males.
"To make Miss Charley happy again," he answered. He turned around again, following Cherley out of the scoreboard. The four adult Mice looked at each other and frowned.
Outside, Rimfire caught up with Charley, moving to walk side-by-side with the sad Earth female. She looked to her right and saw him. She stopped walking as he turned toward her, giving a reassuring smile.
"Hi, Rimfire," she sniffed. "What do you need?"
"I would like to join you at the ballet, Miss Charley," he bowed graciously to her. "That is, if you don't mind..."
"'Mind'?" Charley smiled back. "I'd love to!" Then she frowned. "But what about..."
"'Tickets'?" he grinned. He showed her the two he had picked up. "Got 'em right here!"
"Rimfire, you sweet angel!" Charley exclaimed. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big hug. The youth blushed shyly as the woman embraced him. Already, his plan to cheer her up was working out well.
~~*
"That was beautiful!" Rimfire grinned. He and Charley rode back to the scoreboard, talking about the ballet all the way. The young Martian had never been to a ballet before, and the idea of a story told entirely by dance was interesting. They talked of their favorite parts, and where ballet came from, and the story, itself.
"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rim," Charley smiled back. "And I'm happy you went with me. I'm just sorry the others didn't come, too." Her smile became a frown.
"Don't be sad, Miss Charley-Ma'am," Rimfire said gently. "I'm sure they would've gone with us if they had been given time to really think about it."
"I suppose so..."
Soon, they arrived at the scoreboard. Charley and Rimfire dismounted from her bike and looked upward at the windows in the huge sign.
"They're probably watching us..." Charley said.
"Probably..." Rimfire agreed.
"So, how about we give them something to watch?" Charley grinned.
"Oh?" the young Martian cocked his head and gazed at the human woman, listening to her with interest. His smile got bigger as she whispered something in his ear.
"Well?" she asked. "What do you think?"
"I LIKE it!" he laughed.
"Okay," Charley grinned. "Let's start..." She leaned forward, her lips coming ever closer to his.
Up in the scoreboard, the four adult Martians waited for Rimfire and Charley to return. They watched from one of the windows in the sign, catching sight of the two of them as they arrived on the back of Charley's bike. They waited impatiently for either Rimfire or both of them to come up.
"What are they doin'?" Modo asked as they watched the two.
"Looks like..." Throttle began. Then his eyes widened in shock.
"What?" Vinnie asked. He was having trouble seeing over Modo and Throttle's heads. Stoker barely managed to squeeze in between the huge gray Mouse, and the golden-furred leader of the Biker Mice.
"They look like they're kissin' to me," Stoker answered Vinnie.
"/WHAT/?!?" Vinnie screamed.
"SSSSSSSSSsshhhhhhhhhhh..!!!!!" the other three shushed him, each with a hand over the white Mouse's mouth.
"They'll hear us!" Stoker whispered urgently.
The four of them watched as Charley and Rimfire's kiss got deeper as they held each other in a tight embrace. Her arms were around his neck, and his arms were around her waist, his hands moving up her back as he deepened the kiss.
"Oooooohhhhhhhhhh...." Charley moaned softly as they kissed harder. "Rimmmmmmmmmmmmm........"
"Miss Charley....mmmmmmmmmmmm......" he breathed softly.
The four in the scoreboard could only watch in shock as the younger Freedom Fighter shared an embrace with the Earth mechanic, an embrace that threatened to become something more.
"W...w...why..." Vinnie just stammered. "Why /him/?"
"Looks like ya waited too long, Punk," Stoker commented.
"B...b...but..." was all Vinnie could get out.
Down below, Rimfire and Charley finished their kiss and broke away. Charley hopped on her bike and grinned at Rimfire.
"Tomorrow night, then?" he grinned back.
"It's a date!" she laughed. She steered the vehicle out of the ballpark and back to the Last Chance Garage.
Rimfire stood there, watching her go. He grinned at their plans for the week that he and Stoker would be on Earth. This was going to be /FUN/! He made his way back to the scoreboard, whistling a nice little tune along the way.
The four adults said noting as Rimfire entered the vast room. Stoker, Throttle, and Modo were all too shocked to say a word, while Vinnie just glared at the younger Martian. Rimfire simply ignored them all, went over to his bunk, and went to bed, still whistling his song.
~~*
The next night, the guys were at the Last Chance. Charley was getting ready for her date with Rimfire that night. Vinnie, especially, looked nervous, scared, and heartbroken all at the same time. Modo had told him to lay off Rimfire. If the cream-furred youth was who Charley wanted, then they had no right to interfere. Vinnie just looked like he had lost everything.
When Charley came down, she was wearing a red, satin Chinese dress with gold dragons embroidered on it. Her shoes were red pumps, with red ribbons criss-crossing her legs like high sandals. Her jewelry was red and gold, glittering in the light.
There was a loud knock on the door. Like an excited teenager going out on her first date, Charley opened the door to a waiting Rimfire, who leaned casually against the outside wall. He was dressed in black slacks, a white shirt, and a pair of black dress shoes. A black, leather jacket was slung over his shoulder.
"Hi, Charley-girl!" Rimfire greeted with a grinned. "Ready for our date?"
"Of course!" she grinned back. Turning to the guys, she said. "We'll be late. Don't wait up for us." With the four adult Martians watching, she turned and left the garage, closing the door behind her.
"Did you hear what he called her?" Vinnie gasped in shock.
"Charley-girl," Throttle nodded. "Like we do. Or, at least, like you, Stoker, and I do..."
"He's never called her that!" Vinnie fumed.
"'Miss Charley', or 'Charley-Ma'am', or 'Miss Charley-Ma'am', but never 'Charley-girl'," Stoker agreed.
"What are we gonna do?" Vinnie wailed. He wanted his Charley-girl back!
"Don't know," Throttle replied. "But let's just see just how far they're gonna to take it..."
The others just looked at him. Was he serious? Let Rimfire and Charley go on like they were?
"I want to know just how far they're willin' to go..."
~~*
Rimfire and Charley sat in the Little Dragon Chinese restaurant, eating their meal and just talking. The owner of the restaurant, a little old woman known only as Grandma Fa, knew the secret of the Biker Mice. The Mice had saved her small granddaughter, Ling Li, from Limburger's goons, and the grateful old woman rewarded them by arranging an after-hours party at her restaurant. Hilarity had ensued as the Martian Mice ate with chopsticks for the first time. Grandma Fa invited the Mice to return to her restaurant any time they wanted. The Mice went to the Little Dragon restaurant when they wanted something fancy, often bringing Chef Andy with them.
Rimfire handled his chopsticks expertly, being the first of the Mice to master the art of eating with the slender, wooden utensils. Occasionally, he would feed Charley some of his Bourbon Chicken, while she would feed him some of her Mushu Pork.
As this was "after-hours" --the Little Dragon had closed early-- Rimfire was free to leave off his helmet. The sight of a human woman eating a late diner with a human-sized Martian Mouse would frighten most people. Perhaps someday, the Mice could walk among humans without having to disguise themselves. Someday.
Grandma Fa noticed the looks the two were giving each other, and she was puzzled. Wasn't the white one Charley's boyfriend? she thought. Why has she suddenly changed to one even younger than he?
Little Ling Li came into the room, rubbed her eyes and looked around. The five-year old girl, dressed in her pajamas and holding her teddy bear, caught sight of Rimfire and Charley. A big smile lit up her face and she ran over to them.
"RimRim!" the girl cried out. "Char-lee!" She leaped into Rimfire's arms, giving him a big hug.
"Hi, Ling," the young Mouse grinned. "And how are you?"
"Sleepy," the child answered.
"Then you need to go back to bed," her grandmother scolded. She moved to the table to retrieve the girl.
"But I wanna stay with RimRim and Char-lee..." the girl protested.
"For a few minutes," Rimfire smiled. "But then, you need to get to bed..."
"Okay..."
The four spent the next half-hour talking and playing. Soon --to the disappointment of Ling-- it was time for the girl to go back to bed. She hugged Rimfire and Charley goodnight, then went with her grandmother to their small living quarters above the restaurant. Rimfire and Charley went back to their dinner.
By the time that Grandma Fa returned, the two were ready to go.
"That was great, as always," Rimfire smiled.
"Yes, it was wonderful," Charley agreed.
"Always a pleasure cooking for you, dears," Grandma Fa smiled back. They waved good-bye to her as they left, hopping onto Rimfire's bike. They drove back to the Last Chance Garage.
~~*
Rimfire and Charley stood outside of the garage, once again, sharing an embrace and kiss good-night. The only witnesses were Throttle, Modo, Vinnie, and Stoker.
"'Ah guess we shoulda went with Charley-Ma'am to see that ballet after all," Modo drawled, watching his nephew and their human friend kiss passionately.
"You think?" Throttle commented sarcastically.
Charley entered the garage, waving good-bye to Rimfire as he mounted his bike and left, returning to the scoreboard. When he was out of sight, she sighed happily and closed the door. She turned around, only to find the other four Mice watching her.
"Oh!" she cried, startled. "What are you guys doing here? I told you we'd be late, and not wait up for us."
"We just thought we'd make sure you came home safely, Charley-Ma'am," Modo replied.
"We'll, I'm hope, safe and sound. Thanks for caring. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed." She began to climb the stairs to her room. She turned briefly. "Good-night, boys."
"Good-night, Charley," the answered. She then continued up to her room and closed the door. The Mice just gazed at the closed door for a moment.
"Do ya think they're serious?" Vinnie asked.
"I don't know," Throttle replied. "They've only had two dates, so there's no way to really tell. We'll have to wait and see. Come on. Let's get back to the hideout."
The four Mice mounted their bikes and left the Last Chance. Each wondered if it really was Rimfire that Charley loved. And if it was, what could they do about it?
~~*
That was not the end of the dates between the two. Every night that Stoker and Rimfire were on Earth, Rimfire and Charley went out. They went everywhere: Movies, dinner, picnics, even night games at Quiggly Field. And each outing worried Vinnie more and more. He was losing Charley, and he did not know what to do about it!
One night, Rimfire and Charley sat on the roof of the Last Chance, having a night picnic and generally snuggling. He was gazing up at the red star that marked the spot in the sky where Mars shone brightly, and she took the moment to really study him. He was more muscular than he used to be, approaching the same build as Vinnie, and his face looked slightly older. His hair --brown, with a blonde streak down the middle-- was no longer the short bush it used to be, but framed his face in soft locks that reached past the nape of his neck, creeping toward his back.
He's no longer the nineteen year-old Rookie that he used to be, Charley mused. He's matured into a handsome young Mouse. How old is he? Twenty-one, I think. And still as sweet and kind and as much a gentleman as ever. A man /any woman would be happy to have./
She touched his furry cheek, and when he turned to look at her, Charley leaned over and kissed his lips. He sighed softly, deepening the kiss.
Below them, in the garage, Throttle, Modo, Vinnie, and Stoker sat watching a James Bomb movie. Well, the TV was on, but it was debatable whether or not they were actually watching. What they were really doing was discussing Charley and Rimfire.
"What are we gonna do?" Vinnie asked worriedly. He chewed on his bottom lip as he fretted over Charley and Rimfire's "romance".
"Good question," Modo replied.
"Too bad we can't turn back time and go with Charley to that ballet," Stoker said. "This wouldn't have happened if we had just swallowed our pride gone with her that night."
"Maybe we still can..." Throttle said thoughtfully. In his hand were the remaining five tickets to the ballet. Charley had originally gotten seven tickets because she had thought that Carbine would be coming. But an emergency on Mars kept the beautiful Martian general from visiting Earth. So, there was one ticket for Charley and each of the male Mice, with one left over.
"What are ya talkin' about, Throttle?" Modo asked.
"These tickets," he answered, holding them up. "They're for any showin' of the play. That means, ya didn't have to go on that one night. Ya can go on any night that the ballet is being shown. An', 'Sleeping Beauty' is being performed all this month."
"We can still take Charley out?" Vinnie asked hopefully.
"Yep," Throttle grinned. "An' since there are only enough tickets for the four of us, plus Charley, guess who has to stay at home?"
The other three looked at Throttle and slowly grinned. Tomorrow night, they would give Charley a night to remember.
~~*
Rimfire was busy getting ready for his next date with Charley. This would be the last one for this visit to Earth, and he planned on taking her someplace fun. Perhaps to the circus that had just arrived in town. He grinned, wondering if the old saying about elephants and mice were true. How animals so large could be afraid of animals that were so small was pretty strange.
Wonder if elephants would be afraid of /Martian Mice.../ he thought with a chuckle.
He never suspected that the other four Mice had come up behind him until Modo grabbed him in his large, strong arms.
"Hey!" Rimfire exclaimed, startled. "What are you doing, Uncle Modo!?!"
"You've been busy this week, kiddo," Throttle answered with a grin. "We decided that tonight, we were goin' to take Charley out, and you would stay home."
Modo carried his nephew to the couch and set him down on the seat. Vinnie turned on the TV, while Stoker gave him a bag of popcorn and a soda. Throttle popped a movie into the DVD player, and Vinnie handed the youth the remote.
"Have fun!" the four of them chorused, then left the scoreboard, laughing.
Rimfire looked bewildered for a couple of minutes, and then slowly smiled. He dialed the Last Chance Garage.
"Last Chance Garage," a female voice on the other end answered. "Charley Davidson speaking."
"It's Rimfire, Miss Charley," the young Mouse replied. "It worked: They're on their way. Be ready."
"I am, Rim. Thanks for calling. Talk to you later. Bye.
"No problem," he answered. "Bye." He hung up the phone and settled in to watch the movie, grinning as he tossed a piece of popcorn into the air and caught it in his mouth.
Things were going just as planned!
~~*
Charley answered the door when she heard the knock. There in the light of the bent lamppost was four grinning adult Martian Mice. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"What are you guys doing here?" she gasped. "And where's Rimfire?"
"Change of plans, Babe," Throttle answered.
"Yeah," Vinnie added. "Tonight yer goin' out with /us/!"
"What did you do with Rimfire?" she asked, glaring at them.
"Don't worry," Stoker replied. "He's fine."
"We just left him at the scoreboard with a movie," Modo added.
"Now," Throttle said. "If yer ready, we've got a ballet performance to go to." He held up the five tickets. "'Sleeping Beauty', I believe..."
"Yes..." she answered, dumbfounded at the turn of events. The four gallantly wave her to the door, escorting her out to the bikes. As she mounted behind Vinnie, they failed to notice her lips curl in a knowing smile.
~~*
Hours later, after dropping Charley off at the garage, the four Mice returned to the scoreboard, all talking about the ballet.
"That was pretty cool," Vinnie admitted. "The way they told the story just by dancin'."
"Yeah," Stoker agreed. "Very nice. I never thought about how beautiful human movement could be."
"An' how rich the human culture was," Modo nodded.
"Have fun at the ballet?" Rimfire asked, his voice pouting.
"Yeah," Throttle replied. "We had fun."
"Then going to see it with Miss Charley wasn't so bad after all, was it?"
"Nope," Vinnie grinned.
"We should go to see these plays with Charley-girl more often," Throttle agreed.
"Glad to hear it," Rimfire replied. He got up, popped the disc out of the player, and threw his empty popcorn bag into the trash, making sure the empty soda can ended up in the recycling bin. He yawned, turned to the other Mice, and said. "Good night, guys." He then went to his cot, laid down, and went to sleep.
Throttle, Vinnie, Modo, and Stoker just look at each other, flabbergasted at Rimfire's reaction. They had expected him to be upset, even angry --after all, they had just interrupted his date with Charley to take her out themselves. Yet, the youth seemed unconcerned over what they had just done.
"Ya know somethin'?" Throttle spoke up. "I think we've just been had..."
~~*
The next evening, Stoker and Rimfire was ready to go back to Mars. Charley and the guys stood in Quiggly Field to see them off.
"That was the most fun week I've ever had!" Charley smiled at the Mice. They looked at her, Rimfire, and each other rather sheepishly.
"Well, we're glad you enjoyed yourself," Stoker said.
"We'll do this again next time," Rimfire grinned. The four older Mice just looked over at him. "I mean, going to plays, ballets, and things --/together/!" They relaxed. "Sheesh!"
"I look forward to it, Rim," Charley smiled. The two Mice boarded the ship, and it lifted off. The Biker Mice turned to their human friend.
"So," Throttle began, "all those dates with Rimfire was just to get us to go to the ballet with ya, huh?"
"Yep," Charley smiled. "I knew that if you guys would just go and see it, you'd enjoy it. But you were too busy being Macho Mice to go with me. When Rimfire went with me, I decided to see if I could get you to go, and the only way I could think of to do that, was to start dating Rimfire. He agreed to help, and, well, you know how it turned out..."
"Yeah, we know..." Vinnie nodded.
"You spend so much time with us, Charley-ma'am," Modo added, "An' we never thought anythin' about it. If you and Rimfire showed us anythin' by this, it's that spendin' time together don't mean that we haveta do everythin' they way we like. We can enjoy things that you like, too."
"That's right..." Throttle agreed, and Vinnie nodded in agreement.
"I'm happy to hear that," Charley grinned at them. "So, anyone up for Chinese? Grandma Fa and Ling Li would be happy to see us..."
"Yeah," Vinnie grinned.
"Let's go!" Modo agreed. They hopped onto their bikes, Charley in her spot behind Vinnie.
"LET'S ROCK AND RIDE!" Throttle's voice echoed in the empty stadium. The Biker Mice from Mars raced out, heading for Chicago's Chinatown.
The whole way, Charley thought about her week with Rimfire, and a smile played across her face.
THE END
Next Chapter: Harley's Return. Couldn't leave Vinnie without someone, could we? ^_~
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