Rating: M

Pairings: Charley/Stoker

Summary: Stoker comes for a visit but the guy's are in Detroit, so Charley offers him a bed for the night, it's an offer a lonely mouse can't refuse

Disclaimer: Don't own the Biker Mice; I just do this for fun.

Authors Notes: This is my first foray into Biker Mice fanfic so please be kind. So why Stoker and Charley? Why not, Stoker's a good-looking mouse and I like to be unusual with my pairings. This is an amalgamation of the two incarnations of the series.

It was midday and Charley had finished her days work, she was just contemplating shutting up for the day and heading down to Lake Michigan for some well deserved, mice less, R and R when she heard a bike engine growl to a halt.

"No" she muttered "not now"

"I'm closing in a couple of minutes, can you come back tomorrow?" she called out. A black clad biker stood in the doorway,

"Aww and I've come all this way to see you, and the bro's" said the biker,

"Stoker! Hang on, let me close the door and pull the shades," Charley cried. When the garage was shaded, the biker pulled off his helmet,

"Hey Charley how's things?" Stoker asked, Charley hugged the handsome, older mouse tightly.

"Things are fine, it's so great to see you again but if you're looking for the guy's you're out of luck, they're in Detroit, Napoleon Brie and Hairball are causing havoc in the Motor City", she replied. Stoker sighed, all that way from the desert, in the blazing sun and in that black suit for nothing,

"I knew I should have called ahead," he said,

"Look stay here, they should be back tomorrow, I have a spare bed you could use or you could stay at the scoreboard, I'm sure they wouldn't mind" Charley said. Stoker thought for a minute, he didn't want to head back so soon, he didn't want to admit he was getting old but that ride had hurt and a bed sounded too tempting.

"Ok, you talked me into it, but don't let me stop you doing whatever it is you're doing" he said, all thoughts of a swim in Lake Michigan had gone the moment he took his helmet off.

"It's nothing that can't wait" Charley replied, she could swim in the lake anytime, a chance to spend time with Stoker, without the Biker Mice or the regenerator project getting in the way was too tempting, "besides, it'll give me a chance to look over your bike".

"You don't have too," Stoker protested. Charley waved a hand,

"I don't mind, it's not like you can take it to an ordinary garage, it won't take me long," she said as she picked up her tools and walked over to the bike. Stoker admired her from behind as she bent to wipe some dirt off the tank of his bike. Easy mouse, he reprimanded himself, I know it's been a long time but she's doing you a huge favour here, you don't want her kicking your ass all the way back to the desert with some very angry Bro's waiting at the other end for you.

"Charley, do you mind if I..um..soak in the tub for a while? Eight hours on a bike is not good for these old bones" he said with a laugh,

"Go ahead, I was going to suggest it", she said with a wink. Stoker wrinkled his nose

"Is it that bad?" he asked,

"Not so as you'd notice but sand is falling out of your fur and I dread to think what's in your hair" she replied. Stoker chuckled,

"Message received and understood" he said,

"Drop your clothes outside the door and I'll wash them for you" Charley called after him,

"You don't have to" he protested.

"What's the point of having a bath if you're going to put dirty clothes back on, anyway I was going to do the laundry at some point today" she replied,

"Ok you win, you'll have to let me repay you somehow" he said, Charley chuckled,

"Don't make promises you can't keep" she yelled back.

Stoker groaned as he submerged himself in the water, oh Gods and Goddesses that felt so good, he couldn't wait for the day he could do this on Mars, float lazily in one of the rivers. His Grandfather had told him stories of times he'd gone swimming in a river outside Syria Planum but that had been a long time ago, about one hundred years ago. That's why he had to get this damn regenerator built so Mars could have it's rivers back and the Martian Mice could slowly rebuild what the Plutarkian's and Catatonian's had stolen from them, their world.

Stoker woke with a start at the knocking on the door,

"Stoker you ok? You've been in there for a couple of hours" Charley's voice came through the door,

"Yeah babe I'm fine, just enjoying the water, say you wanna come in and scrub my back?" he asked. He heard her chuckle outside,

"Easy boy, you get any hotter and the bath water will boil" she replied. What on Mars had possessed him to say that! His brain must still be sleep fogged, well, at least she hadn't screamed and called him a dirty old mouse, living with Vinnie must have made her immune to innuendo. He scrubbed himself clean and hauled himself out of the bathtub, towelling himself dry he glanced in the mirror, he looked better and felt more Martian after his long soak, ready to take on the Plutarkians and the Catatonian's. There was definitely a spring back in his step as he made his way to Charley's spare room, as he dressed he wondered why the Earther mechanic didn't have someone coming home to her every night? She was talented, attractive, any mouse worth his fur could see that, loving, caring, so why was she alone and tending to the needs of four Martian Mice?

He left the spare room and sniffed, she was cooking, he sniffed again, Chilli, rice, tortilla's, his stomach growled, when was the last time he'd eaten a proper meal? She was spoiling him, if he didn't have the future of a whole planet resting on his shoulders, he'd never leave this garage again. He wandered into the kitchen just as Charley was putting the food on the table,

"I was just about to call you, sit down and help yourself" she said,

"Charley, you really don't have to do this you know" Stoker replied as his stomach growled again.

"You wanna tell your stomach that?" she laughed "can you get the beer it's in the fridge" she asked. Stoker raided the fridge and joined her at the table, they began to eat in amicable silence. This was really nice, thought Charley, nice to cook a meal that wasn't hotdogs and root beer, for someone who actually appreciated it, she knew they guys appreciated what she did for them but the occasional 'Thanks Charley, that was really nice of you' would be welcome sometimes. Stoker was hurting, she knew it, he was longing for some normality, someone to come home to, someone to laugh about the day with, someone to hold him and tell him everything was going to be ok, she's love to be the one he came home to but that would never happen, not while the Plutarkians and Catatonian's were here.

Stoker sighed with pleasure, his stomach was full, he was clean, his clothes were clean, his bike had been tuned up and he had a beautiful woman looking after him, for a day that started pretty crap, it was turning out to be a day made in Heaven. Just one more thing would make this day unforgettable, but could he bring himself to make a move?