This is sort of an add-on to my story, Between a Rat and a Hard Place. I made a slight mention of Mace/OC and found myself quite liking it really. I've pretty much defined where they stand with each other and hinted at how their relationship panned out, but I wanted to write it out for the fun of it. This takes place when she's fourteen, about to turn fifteen, and their relationship from how they meet to when they break up.

So, I don't own Mace or the Biker Mice from Mars series. I do own Nega though. Gotta love the girl.

Between a Rat and a Hard Place 3

"That hurts!" Nega yelled angrily at the medical attendant looking over her. The male mouse simply rolled his eyes and pressed the rag doused in antiseptic harder against her hip. She winced in pain, but reframed from howling out again. She gritted her teeth and tried to find something to look at in the small room, shelves crammed with medical supplies on the level of what you'd find of a first aide kit "Fuckin' butcher."

Really, it hurt even before this sorry ass treatment. Getting a drill shoved into your hip several times wasn't fun, but at least she was getting paid a bonus for entertaining her 'employer'.

Flance was a rare thing on Mars these days. He was a wealthy rat. Literally, he could swim in his money if he wanted to, and his home was more of a castle than a mansion. It sat atop a hill overlooking Renset, one of the few cities that had both rats and mice in it, and none of them known for their good natures. Even Flance, who was getting on in years, had been an assassin, though had now retired.

She'd heard of this place. It was a where immorality ruled, and she had never considered moving here until she'd been assigned to it. When she saw the notice board of the Mercenary Guild, she noticed that the old man was hiring mercenaries as bodyguards, she figured she'd have a decent chance of getting hired, after all she could fight. A couple months with regular paychecks, not to mention free room and board, had seemed the perfect way to get her feet wet.

She still owed money to the Guild for the years they'd 'trained' her when she'd run to them as nothing more than a beat up kid with nowhere else to go, and until it was all paid back, she worked for them and there was no getting jobs where they didn't receive a cut. Of course interest had collected by quite a bit, so she had quite a bit that she still owed.

Taking this offer seemed great. The employer was rich, a rat, and was offering a place away from the Guild. She'd be getting paid and not having to worry about digging herself even deeper in debt by eating their food, sleeping on one of their cots, breathing their air.

Actually, the air probably was the next on the list that they would charge her for.

Of course, she hadn't known that guard had actually meant entertainment, leaving her to have to fight for the amusement for the old bastard.

The stitches were sewn up quickly, bandages were slapped on, and the chocolate colored mouse told her almost gleefully that there would most definitely be scarring before moving off to do something else.

She narrowed her eyes and wondered if anyone would believe her if she said she had pulled the trigger on her gun on accident.

"You did fight pretty well today," a voice said to her right.

She twisted around lightly to see the rat she'd gone up against earlier that day standing in the doorway. There were some bandages on his arm were she had bitten him, but aside from that, he didn't look to bad. She knew there were some scratches on his stomach, but he'd obviously changed out of the tattered shirt, into a new one, hiding the damage.

"Guess you passed the job interview," he stated.

"Job interview?" she repeated. "Why do I get the feeling that's not the last time I'll have to prove I can keep a job?"

"Ah, most of it really is just making sure this place doesn't get busted into, but yeah, old man Flance gets bored pretty easily.

"Hasn't the guy ever heard of T.V.?" she asked. "We get it off Earth about as easily as the radio."

The rat chuckled.

"You want to get something to eat?" he asked. "Dinner is about to be served up in the servant's quarters."

Nega lifted an eyebrow at him.

"You just shoved a screwdriver into my hip and tore my flesh out," she told him incredulously. "What makes you think in the seven hells I would want to eat with you?"

He laughed lightly and ruffled her hair, taking his arm away just in time as she tried to swing at it to make him leave her alone. She overbalanced lightly from the cot she was sitting on and as she steadied herself she noticed he was still snickering at her.

"What's so damn funny?" she snapped as she slid down from the cot and glared up at him. It did not do much though, as he was just over a foot taller than her. Small stature, and she hadn't had much of a growth spurt yet, he towered over her. It took everything she had to remind herself that size didn't matter and she had beaten him, and it didn't even help much.

"Don't take things so personally babe," he stated. "Everyone here is just out to make some cash. Be more practical."

"Nega," she snarled at him.

"Hm?"

"Nega, it's my name."

"Don't like babe?" he asked teasingly.

She sighed. She was short, dressed like a boy, and if it weren't for the fact that she had developed into her body at least a little, she imagined she would have looked like one too. She wasn't really what anyone would call a babe.

"You're a rookie," he stated and walked out the room.

"What?" she snapped and followed after him. She ran after him in the hall, ignoring the pain in her hip, and wove around him, forcing him to stop. "What did you say about me?"

"You're a rookie," he repeated. "It's obvious that this is your first job."

"How could you tell?" she asked, her stomach tying itself in a knot. She tried to believe that her tone did not really sound that unsure of herself.

"You were intense, not only the way you fought, but just the vibe about you. The look in your eyes… you were terrified of loosing. So, you grew up in the slums too?"

She nodded her head, slowly.

"Don't feel bad," he said. "Just about everyone here did. Loosing meant getting killed so often it's normal to have that reaction." He smiled at her. "Keep in mind though, you need to be a little less personal here. It's just a job."

If it hadn't been for his reassuring tone, she would have sworn he was making fun of her. But the way he spoke, she had a feeling he was honestly relating to her. He didn't look more than nineteen or so, but she just knew somehow that the gap between them was even wider in experience than in years.

"See you later kid," he said and ruffled her hair again.

She snorted and decided she wanted some painkillers.

---------

Her room was small, but honestly better than she thought it'd be. She had been use to billets where there were about twenty cots and several other females to have to share space with, but her room had only two beds and a thin metal trunk at the end of each. There was also a bathroom that she promised herself she would use later to change her bandages.

In one of the beds someone was already laying, tail flicking lazily off the side and her face hidden by a book.

"Hey," a feminine voice stated but didn't look over at her.

"Hi," Nega said, and it seemed that was the end of the conversation. She slipped her canvas bag off her shoulder and tossed it into her trunk. Nothing more than a couple of extra pairs of clothes and a cleaning kit for her pistol, she figured she didn't need to worry about sorting it out.

"You the one who beat Mace today? Nega, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

The book was set aside and the woman she was sharing the room with sat up. Nega stared, feeling that if Mace called her a babe, he must have never seen this female rat. A body that would have looked very nice in a pin up, she was clothed in black tights and a blue denim skirt, dark green tank top, and a short sleeve brown jacket along with boots and fingerless gloves. Her albino body seemed exotic from her pink eyes and fur that was pure white. Hair was tied into a long braid and her bangs held out of her eyes with goggles setting on top of her head.

In comparison to her, Nega suddenly, clothed in her tan pants and black t-shirt, felt about as good as a burlap sack.

And the woman was tall too.

"The name's B.B.," she said. "Congratulations."

"For what?" Nega asked.

"For what you did to Mace," she answered. "The best way to get respect around here is to win your first fight, and luckily Mace has such a good reputation around here, no one is going to think twice about one loss on his record sheet."

"He's good huh?"

"Better than average," she replied with a shrug, "but not like some of the large brutes around here. No, it's that boy's charisma that makes him who he is."

"Charisma?" Nega asked. "Are you kidding?"

"Hey, when you can get the large guys to like you, there's a lot of your own fighting you don't have to do. He's even got some of the mice talking nice to him, and we usually just tolerate each other."

"Why would Flance hire mice, anyway?" she asked and frowned. "I'd never work with one willingly, even if it meant my life. What are those idiots good for besides making our life hell?"

B.B. stood up and stretched, and Nega immediately looked away. She was young, and a girl, but even she found herself a little attracted to this beauty. The men must have dogged her steps all the time.

"Actually," she said as she settled back down on her bed, "Mace is what you could call a data collector in a way. He loves learning about other cultures, and is quite good with the communication equipment here. He started as a little technician, but ended up handling a lot of the equipment. I'm sure Flance would love to put him in charge, but Mace isn't the type to take responsibility if it cuts too far into his free time. One thing he'll never give up is his study time."

"Sounds sort of strange," Nega commented.

"It's smart," B.B. replied. "I'm going to tell you one thing right now Nega, you find an opportunity, take it. If you're a merc at your age you must be tough despite your size, but use your head too. Any true rat survives on their wits, and not their body."

Nega arched her eyebrow and she giggled.

"Well, you know what I mean. So, what made you decide to come to homey little Renset?" she asked.

"First job," Nega answered. "I'm not much more than a guard. I needed to pay back the Guild as soon as possible. Now that I've learned everything their teaching, I want to pay them and move on with other things. This was the best way to do it."

"Ah, I see. Well, good luck with that," she said.

"We are paid to kick the crap out of each other all the time?"

B.B. laughed.

"No, that's more orientation than anything else. At least, the ones that Flance officially sets up. More often than not he'll just wait for a fight to break out by itself, and it happens enough to keep him happy. But a guard is an easy job. You'll have a five hour shift of rounds to make every day and sometimes watch duty after dark. But aside from that, it's nothing much. The rest of the time, you're pretty much free to do as you please."

"What about you?" Nega asked.

The albino rat's eyes twinkled.

"I specialize in a different sort of entertainment," she replied and stretched lightly to emphasize her point.

"You're a pros-"

"I don't do any business in the room Nega, don't worry," she replied with a laugh. "See, it's better than the streets, and the boys like having someone who gets checked regularly and they know is clean. Of course, I can handle myself in a fight too, or otherwise I wouldn't be here."

"Oh," she said, her voice small.

"I imagine tomorrow will be long for you," B.B. said in motherly tone, and somehow it fit her. "You should get some sleep."

---------

As the weeks passed, Nega found herself actually getting comfortable in her new home. The place was the most comfortable she had ever lived in, and there weren't often times that she found herself needing to leave to go into town. The mansion was more of a city in itself, plenty of food shipped in, a place to sleep every night, and as B.B. had put it, plenty of 'entertainment to find'.

The occasional fight would break out in the halls, and she found herself drug into a few of them. It was the norm around here, but while before in her life a fight had meant getting robbed or killed or something like that, this was more for the fun of it than anything else. Heck, there were people who even had bet on them, and she was kinda proud to know some of them had been on her.

Even the work was easy once you got the hang of it. The term guard was obviously just a joke, but it did come with some responsibilities. Making sure no one broke into the place to steal anything, but more often than not a card game or two would happen while keeping watch.

Seriously, why try to rob the place when you could just get hired?

Flance was interesting too. An elder rat who probably only had a few years left in him, he obviously wasn't too concerned with things like money anymore. His spending would have definitely broken him if he was younger, but by the time he ran out, he'd probably be dead anyway, so he didn't seem to care. He bought his employee's loyalty with money, but his generosity made everyone more then willing to sell out to him.

Nega would sometimes dislike the fact that she was one of the youngest ones there, but most people didn't treat her that way. Aside from the occasional newbie or kid comment, everyone respected the fact that she had the exact same job as everyone else, and got paid just as much. Everyone there was a professional.

She was due for her first night watch in about fifteen minutes, and was getting ready to go. B.B. was gone, no doubt 'working'. She felt a slightly blush creep over her face. The fact that the thought of what her roommate did for her money kept on embarrassing her reminded her of the fact that she still was a kid, no matter how much the world had forced her to grow up fast.

Leaving the room and walking briskly to the tower she was supposed to stay at for the next few hours, she made sure she had a little spare change still in her pocket. Actually, she was getting pretty good at the card games lately, especially this interesting Earth game called Black Jack.

It was a bit breezy, but her fur would keep her warm, even on a cold night like this. She settled herself on a crate serving as a chair and made sure the binoculars were close by.

She was just wondering who was going to be her company for the night when she saw Mace slipping through the door. She found herself groaning slightly and told herself that this evening was suddenly looking to be a lot less enjoyable.

"Well, hey there kid," he said. "Didn't know you were going to be here."

"Shove it," she said, barely even putting any feeling into it. She didn't want to encourage him by seeming like she was eager to argue with him.

If there was one thing to make living there perfect, it would be if Mace suddenly fell off the face of the planet. He seemed to take pleasure in teasing her any chance he got, and it happened only too often. She strongly suspected it was some form of petty revenge for loosing to her, but mostly because she couldn't think of any other reason.

He didn't say a thing, but she got the distinct impression that he was snickering at her in the safety of his head.

"What are you doing here?" she suddenly blurted out. "The guys in communication don't get guard duty."

"Not unless they ask for it," he replied and sat down next to her. "I wanted to talk."

"But you just said you didn't know I was going to be here!" she exploded. "You liar!"

"True, what else have you noticed about me?" he asked with a disarming smile.

She groaned and looked over the wall into the city and saw nothing interesting happening. She checked through her binoculars just to be safe. Still nothing.

"Shit," she muttered.

"Oh, nothing to do but talk to me?" he asked. "Tough break kid."

"I am not going to be talking to you," she snapped at him. "And you are not going to talk to me. We are going to sit here and ignore one another, got it?"

"No," he told her.

"Why not?" she grumbled.

"Well, because you swell up so nicely when I get you angry," he told her. "It's cute."

"Will you stop with all the kid crap?" she asked.

"But you didn't want me to treat you like an adult," he said with a shrug.

"When did I say that?"

"When you said I couldn't call you babe."

"I wanted you to call me by my name!" she yelled. "Which you never have, by the way!"

"Call me Mace once, and I might consider it."

"What?" she asked, feeling much like a deflated balloon.

"You know, call me Mace," he answered. "Not creep, or asshole, or jerk, or bastard, or fucker, or-"

"Okay," she interrupted. "I get the point…Mace."

"Thanks Nega," he said and swooped down, brushed her bangs out of the way and kissed her forehead before she could even blink.

"Hmm, reflexes are kind of slow," he noted before she slugged him.

Her frustration seemed to have just snapped and she just jumped him, intent to beat the crap out of him. They rolled around on the floor for a few minutes, him laughing the whole time. She finally got him on his back, one hand clenching the scruff of his neck and the other raised to hit him again before she became strangely aware of the fact that his hands were on her hips.

She swallowed and he was smirking, his hand so close to her pistol that he'd have it before she could grab it.

"Okay, you win," she snapped and let him go, trying to get up. But his grip only tightened and she struggled uselessly. "Mace? Mace let go."

"No," he stated calmly and only shifted her slightly so he could sit up and wrapped his arms around her waist and back to keep her in place.

Nega felt her breathing hitch at being so close to this guy, sitting in his lap with her legs around him, and him HUGGING her. Heat flushed to her face and she told herself firmly that his head wasn't resting comfortably on her own.

"Stop," she said weakly. "Whatever this is, stop it."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you're scaring me," she replied, wishing her voice didn't sound so pathetic. This situation was bad enough.

"All right," he said and released her, but not before giving her another kiss on her forehead. "Anything you're not comfortable with, I'm not going to push it."

She scrambled away from him as fast as she could, determined not to look at him. He said nothing the rest of the shift, and she never plucked up the nerve to check to see if he was looking at her. The hours passed slowly, but when it ended, she ran from the tower, nearly knocking their replacements down as she went.

B.B. was back, but Nega thanked the gods the woman was already asleep. She didn't think she could have faced anyone at the moment.

---------

Whatever had come over Mace had obviously been a joke. He acted the very same around her as he had before. She wasn't sure whether she was relieved or not. The whole thing had been weird. Actually, she was pretty sure that was the first time she'd ever been hugged.

Oh fuck, what had she ever done to deserve him?

The only thing that had changed, is he never stopped kissing her anymore. Half the time she mopped the floor with him for it, the other half she got embarrassingly tossed aside, and she quickly learned that Mace was playing with her. It wasn't that he was really tougher than her, he just knew more, and his size helped him too. The only reason her reputation wasn't suffering is he always did it when he caught her alone, which in a mansion that held nearly a hundred different beings, it didn't happen too often.

She'd like to think it caught him off guard when he had found her at four in the morning, coming back from one of her night shifts and ready to go to bed, when he'd swooped in on her with a fast hi and she didn't even react to the peck.

He stared at her, waiting for a second before poking her in the arm. She glared at him.

"Hmm, not broken," he said before he bent down for another.

"I really wish you'd stop that," she muttered after he kissed her forehead.

"Why?" he asked. "You always use to get so angry when I did it."

"Because I'm not a child," she snarled out. She was tired and wanted to get some sleep.

"Care to prove that?" he asked, leaning over slightly, to look her eye to eye.

"I just want to go to bed," she snapped.

"All right," he said and she cried out in surprise when he swept her up in his arms and started to walk to his room.

"What are you do-" was all she was able to get out before he kissed her, but on the lips this time. Her eyes went wide, but she didn't fight it.

It felt sort of nice.

They must have been close to his room, because in no time they were inside of it, and he was laying her down on his bed, removing her boots before attending to his own.

"Where's your roommate?" she asked, simply because she needed something else to distract herself with whatever was going on. She was a little worried. There was only one bed.

"I have a single room," he replied with a laugh. "Won it in a bet."

She nearly squeaked when he removed his shirt and climbed in with her.

"Mace!" she shrieked as he lifted her shirt as well, but only by a few inches. He ignored her and rolled on top of her to keep her from getting away.

Nega felt her breathing hitch as Mace stroked her stomach. Heat flushed to her face and she gasped softly as he nuzzled at her neck.

"M-mace," she whimpered.

"Mmm-hmm?" he mumbled against her.

"What are you doing?"

He chuckled but didn't give her an answer, instead gently nipping her throat, causing her to gasp. She clenched his fur in her hands, not sure if she wanted to push him away or hold him there.

Something in her head told her she shouldn't be so passive, that every second she just let him do what he wanted it was going to be harder to get him to stop. But she couldn't get it though her head why he was doing it in the first place.

He lifted her shirt up a little further, fingers grazing her sports bra and she yelped, trying to push him away from her, but her attempts were futile, and only seemed to amuse him further.

"Oh yes little one, try to stop me… if you can" he breathed in her ear. "If you want to."

She groaned at the sultry words, and the idea of what he wanted started to become clear.

"Why?" she whined. "I'm just a kid."

She couldn't bite back the groan when he gently squeezed one of her breasts through her bra.

"Don't feel like one to me," he stated and licked her neck. "Don't taste like one either."

"Just go to B.B.," she said quickly. "She'd be happy to."

"That one?" Mace asked. "Why? I want you."

"Want… me?" she repeated weakly then suddenly bucked into him. "Ugh!"

"Oh, you like that?" he asked as he gently tugged at her ear again with his teeth.

She felt tears prickle in her eyes. She was terrified, and of so many things it was crazy. Need was swirling inside of her, and she felt a very odd sensation in her lower stomach that she found herself liking. She knew what sex was obviously, but she'd never done anything like this. Mace… he was her first kiss, and seemed very determined to become her first fuck too. Only, his determination was scaring her. Would he force her?

The thought made her suddenly feel like she was back on the street, the one she'd clawed her way out of because she knew what happened to the females that were old enough to sleep with but not strong enough to defend themselves.

"Mace stop!" she screamed and pushed harder, causing him to pause in his ministrations and look at her.

He seemed genuinely surprised by her tears and frightened look.

"Nega?" he asked and she shook her head.

"Don't force me," she pleaded, too scared to care she was acting like a child. She was one dammit! "Please… just stop."

"Okay," he said soothingly and simply lay down next to her. His hand withdrew from her shirt and straightened it before his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her to him in a hug. "Lets just get some sleep."

She was too surprised to say anything. Instead she slowly ran her hands over his chest before tentatively closing her eyes and buried her head in his chest.

"Why are you doing all of this?" she asked softly.

"What?" he asked, his chest rumbling lightly against her hands.

"Being so nice? Why'd you stop?'

"Because you asked me to," he said, his tone suggesting how pointless he found her question.

"I… I don't understand," she said.

His arms tightened and he was kissing her again, his tongue tracing her lips to ask for entrance. She opened her mouth uncertainly, and awkwardly tried to keep up with his pace. It was slow, and sensual, and the only thing that moved besides their mouths was his tail as he wrapped around one of her knees to drag her leg over his hip. Everything he did was gentle, letting her stop him if she wanted.

"I want you," he said softly when he finally ended the kiss, leaving Nega feeling very flushed. "I figured that was pretty clear. You've obviously never been flirted with as a kid."

"That crap was flirting?" she asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah," he said with a shrug. "The whole teasing the girl to show you how much you like her is fairly routine at your age."

"And how old are you, asshole?"

"Old enough to use the direct approach," he said, "and then you started to cry."

"I…" she attempted to speak, but received yet another kiss on her forehead.

"It's all right,' he said. "We'll both be around for a while. And I like a challenge."

"So I'm entertainment?" she asked. "B.B. is no good because she'll just say yes and charge you?"

"B.B. is no good 'cause I want you," he growled out. "I want to spend time with you, talk with you, tease you even, just to see your different reactions. I also happen to want to fuck you into this mattress until you're barely able to move, and make you beg me to keep going anyway."

She gasped and twisted her face away from him.

"Would you…"

"I am not going to force you," he insisted. "Ever, I promise. A man admitting he's so ugly, poor, weak, stupid, and basically useless that he can't persuade even one woman to be with him and he can only get one by raping her is pathetic in my mind. Anyone who does that needs to just be shot."

She was surprised by something that seemed like honor escaping his lips. She swallowed and wondered if this was such a bad idea.

"Nega," he said, his voice showing just the slightest bit of strain. "You need to stop rubbing against me or sleeping might be hard."

She thrust her hips into his a little more forcefully and he growled.

"Nega, I'm serious… if you get scared again-"

"Kiss me?" she asked and pulled his face to hers.

He seemed to understand he was receiving an approval and groaned as he invaded her mouth. The small bed seemed suddenly bigger as he quickly stripped her of her shirt and pants, pausing at her scarred shoulder. But he didn't ask about it, instead dipped his head and licked along it with the tip of his tongue.

"Ngh," she grunted and thrust the back of her head deep into the pillow, the sensations overwhelming her. "Mace… gods, Mace."

"Touch me," he said. "Go on little one."

She reached for him slowly, stoking along his chest. His chest was safe, she'd touched that already.

"Nega," he breathed. "You know what I mean."

"Um," she said then nodded. "Okay."

She was surprised when he grabbed her wrists when she reached for his belt.

"I guess you don't know what I mean," he chuckled. "That's okay, you'll learn."

He moved them around until he was sitting on the bed and had her straddling him. He had used his tail to move the pillow so it cushioned between his lower back and the wall, and used his hands to guide hers over his body. His chest, stomach, arms, sides, everywhere, and he moaned softly when she began to drag her nails into his fur.

"Yes," he hissed. "Like that."

"Mace," she whispered, a little unsure, even as she continued without his aide. "Why me… I mean… I'm kind of puny."

Really, there was no kind of about it. She was all of four foot and five inches. Her breasts were between a B and a C, and she had a feeling she wasn't getting too much more in either department. She hated being a runt.

"I just do," he groaned. "Just… Fuck!"

She'd just moved her hips a little to get more comfortable, but had felt the pleasure shoot through her as well when she felt his bulge press against her loins. She blushed as she stayed there, awed at how hard he was.

"NegAaah!" he yelled when she pushed herself harder against him before withdrawing and doing it again, wanting the pace and pressure. She felt herself starting to get wet at the feel of him, her body feeling light and sort of funny all over again.

"Mace?" she asked, uncertainly at his clenched face. "Am I doing something wrong?"

"If I didn't know better I'd swear you were teasing me," he growled and grabbed her hips to lift her a few inches off of him. "Stop. That feels great, but stop."

"Why?" she asked. "Don't you like it?"

Oh crap, maybe he was reconsidering. Why'd she have to be so stupid as to point out exactly why he should kick her out of bed?

"…insist on rushing," she heard him mutter before his hands and his tail whipped out and twisted around her. "Look, I am going to show you everything there is to know about making love, but you need to be patient. I am not going in my pants because you insist on running to the last part."

"Making… love?" she squeaked out. "Love?"

He smirked, somehow seeming warm and inviting when he did it.

"I'm your first," he responded. "Of course you're going to love me."

And while she was lay there, curled into his body, long after his hands and mouth and whole body had been stilled by sleep, she had to admit that she thought he was right. And she found herself hoping that he loved her too.

---------

Ta da! I bring you the end of this little chapter. There will be a second, when she's a little older and acting a bit more like the adult we know her as. I'm sure no warnings are needed that it's going to be a little less cheerful than this bit. Yes they are going to leave each other, but everyone already knew that.

And I hoped everyone liked B.B. A motherly prostitute for a roommate, just what every 14-year-old girl freshly out of training to be a merc needs.