"Anymore"
Author: Robert Brown
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by New World
Entertainment or Marvel Productions (except where noted, in which
case they were created and copyrighted by us or by another and we
have permission to use them). The author hereby gives permission
for this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user
as long as (1) no changes to the story are made without my express
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it
will be considered a violation of copyright law.
Author's Note: I don't know anymore. Seems whatever fanfic page I lurk around
long enough, I eventually write some fanfic for, whether solo or with my best
friend Francis. Ah well, the song in here is by Travis Tritt. I got the idea
for this fic after hearing it on the radio a little while ago. Comments and
such appreciated, but flames will be deleted with extreme prejudice. Till
next time, Happy Reading!
The war was over, finally. Limburger had been soundly beaten more times
than anyone there could count. Lord High Camembert had finally had enough of
his incompetence and ordered him back to Plutark to stand trial for failing
his planet. Not only that, he had decided to pull back from Mars, the scant
resources there not worth what he'd expend in trying to get them. The
parties held in honor of the Martians' victory had lasted long into many
nights. But all parties must come to an end, and that is where our story
begins.
At the Last Chance Garage, two Martian mice were sitting in front of the
TV, trying to ignore the loud fighting going on upstairs. "What the hell are
you doing Vinnie?" Charley demanded. "You're just being stubborn about this
whole thing!"
"I'm being stubborn?" Vinnie retorted arrogantly. "I'm just right,
and you can't accept it Charley."
"Right about what? I don't even remember what started this fight in the
first place, or whatever started our last ten fights!"
Modo sighed, turning up the TV to drown out all but the loudest shouts.
"It ain't right Throttle," he said, his eye glowing a very faint red as he
looked at his leader. "It ain't right what you're making Vinnie do."
"Keep it down Modo," Throttle said in a voice just loud enough to be
heard. "If Charley hears you talking about this I swear I'll never forgive
you."
"And what about Vinnie? Think he'll forgive you after all this?"
Throttle leaned back into the couch and took off his specs. "He will,
eventually," he said, rubbing his eyes. "After all, he's got Harley to help
him get over it."
Modo had been about to respond to that when a sound cut him off; the
sound of flesh striking flesh. Throttle and Modo were on their feet in an
instant. "You don't think he...." Modo began, but couldn't finish.
"Nah, you know Vinnie'd never hit a woman," Throttle said, shutting
off the TV.
Vinnie came running down the stairs, heading straight for his bike.
Even as he ran by, both his bros could see a red palmprint on his cheek,
standing out sharply against his white fur. "Vinnie, you all right?" Modo
called.
Vinnie paused a moment, his helmet in his hands, and looked at his
bros. He could see genuine concern in the big guy's face, and he faltered.
But when he looked at Throttle, he saw nothing but cold approval. "I'm outta
here," Vinnie said icily. "If that's all right with you, Fearless Leader."
"There's no need to make this personal," Throttle said calmly
"Don't you get it?" Vinnie yelled. "You made it personal the second
you put your feelings for Carbine over my feelings for Charley."
"Keep your voice down!" Throttle thundered. "So help me, if you mess
this up--"
"I won't," Vinnie said, cutting him off. "You saved my life more times
than I can count, and Vincent Van Wham always pays his debts." He jumped on
his bike and tore out the open garage door, leaving his helmet laying on the
floor.
Throttle and Modo watched him go. But where Modo wanted to go after
him, Throttle just turned away and sat back down. "How can you be so cold?"
Modo wondered aloud.
"I'm doing what I have to do," Throttle said simply.
"And what is that?" Charley asked, walking down the stairs. "Will
someone tell me what's going on here?"
"It's like this, Charley-ma'am," Modo began.
"Modo...." Throttle said in a low voice, the one word carrying a
warning even Charley could hear.
"No Throttle, it's gotta end now. My mamma always told me never to
come between a mouse and his woman, and that's exactly what you did when you
told Vinnie to break it off with Charley just so you can get back to Mars and
be with Carbine."
"What?" Charley stalked around in front of Throttle and grabbed his
ears, forcing him to look at her. "You're behind all these fights Vinnie's
been starting with me?"
Throttle winced as Charley twisted his ears, but he refused to back
down. "I'm keeping my promise," he said, staring her right in her eyes.
"The day we crash landed here I swore to both of them I'd get them home, no
matter what it took."
"And what if I wanted to go with you?"
"Like you'd give up your place, your mom, your whole planet just to
follow us up to Mars where things might not even work out for you?"
"That's my decision to make Throttle, not yours." She pushed him back
hard; so hard his ears were ringing. "Right now we gotta find Vinnie before
he gets himself killed." She dragged out her bike and put on her helmet.
"You guys coming or not?"
"I'm with ya, Charley-ma'am," Modo said, getting on his bike and
starting her up. "You comin' Throttle?"
Throttle slammed his fists down on his knees and then stood up. "No
matter what you think of me right now, you guys are still my top priority."
He sat on his bike and pulled on his helmet. "All right, let's rock--"
"--AND RIDE!"
In another part of the city, Vinnie was pushing his bike at top speed,
taking all kinds of risks. He was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, riding up
and down buildings, taking hairpin turns at full speed, and basically doing
anything and everything he could to push his luck. More than once, he thought
he'd finally pushed his luck too far, but his bike always acted to protect her
rider, bringing him to a safe landing.
Vinnie eventually found himself on the shores of Lake Michigan, looking
at the twilight sky. "Man Sweetheart," he said, talking to his bike, "what's
happened to me? I mean, I'm the baddest mammajamma in the universe, the mouse
who put the 'dare' in daredevil, the Velocity Atrocity! And yet, just the
thought of going back to Mars without Charley.... It's making my insides
twist up in knots. If it's like this now, what about when I actually get back
to Mars?"
Vinnie's bike beeped and flashed its headlight in a comforting way. It
gently nudged him in his back, the seat sliding back to reveal a hidden
compartment. "Aww Sweetheart," Vinnie said softly, reaching into the bike and
pulling out, of all things, a guitar, and an acoustic guitar at that.
He sat down, leaning against his bike, idly strumming some chords. One
day, Vinnie had walked in on Charley listening to country music and singing
along to it softly. Naturally, he had ribbed her at the time, but she asked
him to sit down and listen to it. He'd complained that country music wasn't
macho enough, but she looked at him with "that look", and he knew he couldn't
resist.
Though Vinnie would never admit it to his bros, he'd found that the
music touched him in a way nothing else did. There were songs with more
energy than the most heated battle, and there were songs that struck a chord
in his soul with their simple truths. Even though he still preferred his
blaring heavy metal, when he was alone with Charley they would more often
than not listen to country.
This guitar had been a special gift to him by a man he'd saved from
Greasepit when Limburger tried to muscle him out of his business so he could
destroy the building and send the materials back to Plutark. At first, he'd
refused the gift, but when the man had also offered some music lessons,
Vinnie thought it would be a great thing to surprise Charley with.
"Some surprise," he muttered. He'd completed his lessons just before
they'd beaten Limburger completely, and just before Throttle had been
putting pressure on him to break things off with Charley. "Why doesn't he
get it?" he wondered softly. "My feelings for Harley at their best don't
hold a candle to my feelings for Charley."
Vinnie's fingers stopped in mid-strum, his words bringing a song to
mind. "Well, that's perfect for how I feel right now. Let's see if I can
figure out how to play this."
While he was experimenting with a melody, he failed to hear the approach
of three bikes. "I had a feeling he might be here," Charley said, cutting her
engine and coasting closer.
Throttle and Modo followed suit, shocked at what Vinnie was doing. They
shut off their face shields, looked at each other, and put aside their own
differences to say the same word at the same time, "Blackmail."
"Hush you two," Charley said. "I want to hear what he's doing."
Vinnie, completely unaware that he was being overheard, was finally
satisfied he knew the melody that he wanted. He started playing, letting
the music fill him as the song began to emerge from his lips:
"I can't hide the way I feel about you anymore.
I can't hold the hurt inside, keep the pain out of my eyes anymore.
My tear's no longer waiting, my resistance ain't that strong.
My mind keeps recreating a life with you alone.
And I'm tired of pretending I don't love you anymore....
Let me make one last appeal to show you how I feel about you.
'Cause there's no one else I swear holds a candle anywhere next to you.
My heart can't take the beating not having you to hold.
A small voice keeps repeating deep inside my soul;
It says I can't keep pretending I don't love you anymore....
I've got to take the chance or let it pass by
If I expect to get on with my life!"
As Vinnie closed his eyes, losing himself in the instrumental bridge,
Charley, Modo, and Throttle just sat there, totally speechless by what they'd
heard so far. Charley slowly slid off her bike and walked toward Vinnie,
careful not to disturb him. Still unaware of their presence, Vinnie brought
the song to a close.
"My tear's no longer waiting, oh my resistance ain't that strong!
But my mind keep recreating a life with you alone.
And I'm tired of pretending I don't love you anymore...
Anymore...
Anymore...."
Vinnie let his voice trail off as the final chord faded away. With a
start, he became aware he wasn't alone and scrambled to his feet. "Aww man,"
he whined, taking a few steps back. "I'm a dead mouse. I'm sorry Throttle,
I had--"
"No Vinnie, I'm sorry," Throttle said, cutting him off. "I had no idea
you felt this strongly."
"Yeah, Vin-man," Modo said, wiping away a tear. "I mean, I knew you
liked her, but I wasn't sure it was this serious."
"Hey, I had a reputation to protect," Vinnie joked, flexing his muscles.
But then he lookd at Charley and took her hands in his. "All joking aside
Charley-girl, you mean more to me than anything else. I'm sorry for all the
fighting that's been going on, but...."
Charley silenced him with a finger on his lips. "You don't have to
explain Vinnie," she whispered. "I know everything."
"I guess this means you're not coming home with us, huh?" Throttle
asked quietly.
Vinnie took Charley in his arms and looked at Throttle. "Man, I am
home."
A week later....
Throttle and Modo stood inside a Plutarkian transporter Charley had
gotten working, packed and ready to go back to Mars. "You two better not
be strangers," Charley said, her arm wrapped around Vinnie's waist.
"You can be sure of that, Charley-ma'am," Modo said with a smile.
"Hey Throttle, you better invite us to the wedding," Vinnie said with
a smirk.
"Only if you invite me to yours," Throttle countered.
Charley and Vinnie both blushed and held each other closer. "I'm
afraid you're a little late," Charley said.
Three eyes went wide with disbelief. "Never thought I'd see the day
someone tamed him," Modo chuckled. "Keep him out of trouble, Charley-ma'am."
Charley nodded and started up the transporter. The last thing they said
before they left is the one thing they'd all been fighting so hard for.
"RIDE FREE CITIZENS!" (
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