A Hero's Love.

Chapter 2: Survival or Death?

Limburger was up to his old tricks again, this time he was trying to use some new device of Carbuncle's that produced artificial earthquakes to the intensity that would destroy the city. Charlie had been dropped off by the guys near the device in hopes that she could disable it, in true blue belly fashion it was near the Limburger Tower, which wasn't being effected at all, but in all the panic the only ones who had noticed were the mice and their flame haired friend. She worked away at the device trying to get through to what she thought looked like a control panel or at least the wires that connected to one. Sweat rolled down her brow as she worked and she kept wiping it away with her sleeve, she found herself actually worrying about what Vinnie would think of how she looked when they picked her up again. Her right hand instinctively reached down and fingered her small portable radio that would enable her to contact the guys when she was done. The mice at present were pulling off their usual stunts fighting off Limburger's goon squad, "Probably risking their lives again without a thought of who's gonna pick up the pieces, but at least they're better than most men I know." she thought and shrugged, she loved them all and adored Vinnie even though she'd never told him but they did cause her a lot of worry all the time. She cut through a small purple wire and the earthquakes suddenly stopped. She heaved a sigh of relief and looked around to see if she was still alone, she was so she kept going, "Maybe I can re route this thing so it wastes the tower."

Vinnie turned a corner after a goon who was getting way too close to Charlie, there was no way he was going to let them find her let alone hurt her, not whilst he was around. He sped up and raced towards a piece of building on its side that had been stopped by what looked like a bus, for him it would be a ramp that would get him a good aim at the goon's engine. He took the ramp at high speed as usual and then took his laser gun from his side, took aim and blasted the buggy into non existence. He was so close to Charlie's position he couldn't resist going her way just to check she was okay, he knew she'd radio if there was trouble but he didn't want to trust that alone he took the next corner around the tower at about the same speed he took the ramp and it was then it happened. Fist he saw Charlie and then Grease-pit taking aim at her, she hadn't noticed so he went to shout to her, but just before he did he heard a shot from behind him and his back tire blew out. His bike slipped out from beneath him and he hit the road hard. Ignoring the pain he looked up at Charlie and then at Grease-pit, both were staring at him. Vinnie forced himself to his feet and started to run just as Grease-pit came back to his sense and took aim at Charlie again.

"CHARLIE!" Vinnie ran for all he was worth and reached her as the four shots were fired, Charlie's hands covered her mouth in shock and she could barely make a sound, he was still standing but his eyes were wide and his posture was tense. After what seemed like minutes but was only seconds he fell to his knees and Charlie cried out as she rushed to catch him.

"Vinne?" she asked quietly, fear in her voice, her whole body shaking, she turned him onto his back, held the back of his head with one hand and placed her free hand on his face, "Vinnie!" she said more urgently. "Oh god, Please no, Vinnie please . . . speak to me!" Her voice became more panicked every word she uttered, there was blood everywhere and it was making a sizable puddle underneath the fallen hero. Her only reply was a pained expression on his face and slow shallow breathing.

"Charlie?" she heard a faint voice coming from somewhere that sounded like Throttle, "Charlie, we can't find Vinnie, is he with you?" She didn't reply, she heard him but didn't reply, "Charlie? Is something Wrong? Charlie-girl?!" Charlie shook her head to clear it when it registered that if they were to have a chance of saving him at all then she would have to get the guys, she numbly reached down to get her radio.

"Throttle?"

"Charlie, oh man you had me worried there, are you all right, is Vinnie with you?" Throttle asked as he and Modo headed their bikes in her direction.

"Yes, but you have to listen he's hurt we have to get him to a doctor." Charlie said barely holding back the tears threatening to fall.

"Hurt?" Throttle looked over at Modo with a worried look on his face, "Charlie we're on our way, we'll be right there, I want you to keep talking, now what happened Charlie-girl?" Throttle did his best to keep calm, from the sound of her voice what ever had happened to his bro it was bad and they had to get there fast, but she had to be kept talking to keep her mind off any shock threatening to take over.

"I. . .I was working, trying to rig the quake device, and, and the I heard this crash near me, I saw Vinnie hit the ground hard, then he started running towards me screaming my, my name, Grease-pit was aiming a gun at me and I froze. Vinnie reached me and I heard him shoot, then. . . then he. . . he. . ." She burst into tears and held Vinnie's head close to her chest rocking back and forth as she sobbed.

"Grease-pit?!" Throttle almost yelled, they were still too far away and with Vinnie down he and Charlie would be easy pickings, "Charlie is he still there?"

"Huh?"

"Grease-pit is he still there?" Throttle yelled.

"I. . ."

"Yeah," said a sickeningly familiar voice, "See ya stinkin' rat," a shot was heard over the radio and Charlie screamed as the blood flowed straight from his heart, she looked up and saw the oily creep take aim at her, she could do nothing, she heard a shot.

* * *

"Charlie mam?" Charlie screamed at the top of her lungs as she woke and it took a while for her to get her bearings. The guys had made it to her and Vinnie in time, she had not been shot and most importantly Vinnie had not died that day, she had Ivy to thank for that. It had been two weeks since he'd been shot and he was still unconscious, the only improvement in his condition was that Ivy had taken him off the ventilator. Most of what she had just seen in her mind had been all a terrible nightmare, but one thing was horribly true, and that was the fact that Vinnie had been shot, almost killed, she looked over at the still motionless form and then turned to see who had woken her, Modo looked at her with tired worried eyes, his bionic hand on her shoulder, Throttle stood behind him with the same expression. She brought her hands to her face and for what seemed like the thousandth time she cried, Throttle and Modo engulfed her in their arms and comforted her as best they could but both knew there was only one person who could do that right now. They stayed like that for quite some time until Charlie thought she heard something but it was too faint to work out what it was so she stayed in her friends' embrace.

"Charlie?" a week and unsteady voice tried again a little louder this time. Charlie's eyes snapped open, she had heard it that time, but wasn't sure if she should believe it, she pushed away from the others who stayed frozen to the spot looking over at Vinnie's bed. She slowly walked over to his bed and bent down to touch his face, his eyes were still closed, she must have imagined it. Just as she was about to turn away, "Charlie-girl." She spun around and looked at him.

"V . . . Vinnie?" she asked still believing it to be a trick of her mind. A finger on his left hand twitched a little and his brow furrowed as he tried to open his eyes. After a few seconds they slowly opened and once they had adjusted searched the room. Charlie was speechless.

"Don't. . don't cry. . . Charlie, . . . please don't cry." he pleaded almost like a child in his weakened state. She tried desperately to hold back her tears for him, but found that tears of joy were even harder to hold back than those of sorrow, tears streamed down her face. She sat down on the chair beside him and held his hand.

"Oh Vinnie, I thought I'd lost you." she said between sobs, "why'd you do something so stupid?" she asked him quietly looking into his deep red eyes.

"I couldn't. . . let him hurt you Charlie girl, not you, I just couldn't," Charlie held his hand tighter as Throttle and Modo looked at each other silently agreeing to let them talk, to say what both men knew the couple had to say to each other, so they just stayed in the back ground.

"But you could have been killed!" she said even more quietly than the last, "why would you risk your life for me?" He slowly lifted his arm, wincing at the pain it caused him but carried on, he placed his hand on her cheek and used his hand to get her to come closer to him. She leant down and bent her neck so that he could talk into her ear.

"Because I love you, Carlene Davidson," he said weekly then he pulled her closer and kissed her gently on the cheek. Charlie pulled away slightly holding her cheek and blushing a little, then she smiled for the first time in two weeks.

"I love you too Vinnie," she said before kissing him on the lips, he put his hand on her cheek again and enjoyed not only the kiss but the meaning of what she'd just said Charlie pulled away once again, "just don't do it again okay." Vinnie chuckled, then winced at the pain it had caused his chest.

Throttle smiled at the touching scene it was about time the two of them got together, it was obvious they were crazy about each other from the moment they met, Vinnie always showing off in front of her, Charlie riding with Vinnie whenever they wet anywhere together.

"Hey bro," he said when he was sure they were done, Vinnie looked over and smiled at the sight of his two bro's, "how you feeling?"

"Like I've been shot bro," Vinnie said with his familiar sparkle in his eye that he and Modo had known since they were kids, "so when are we gonna go whip old stink fishes tail for this?"

"Oh no, your not going anywhere for a long time!" Charlie said sternly.

"Yeah bro," Modo said worriedly, "you got hurt real bad, your gonna need ta rest up for a change, let us deal with him and his goons okay Vinnie?"

"What no way, I'll be fine in no time you'll. . " Vinnie tried to sit up but it was too painful and he flopped back down again, "then again, I suppose a vacation's not gonna hurt for this mouse." The guys laughed a little at his sudden change of mind, but but frowned again when they realized Vinnie had drifted back off again. They let him sleep, Ivy had warned them that when he woke up he might just slip into sleep like a flip of a coin, besides she was coming over after her shift, which finished in a few short hours, they could fill her in and ask her about it more then.

Hah hah! Just to warn you Vinnie has always been my fav character, never did like the sane types, so it's doubtful I would kill him off unless I had a very good reason, like oh I don't know PMT, a bad boyfriend, kidding. There will be and I hope you liked this one. Toodles, Angel. P.s. If you haven;t already guessed I'm female and a hopeless romantic, I also like to torture my characters so beware bwa ha ha ha ha!