Frostbite

Chicago is locked in the worst blizzard of the year, and when the Last Change Garage looses power, Charley has nowhere else to go.....

Disclaimer: .......what, its not self-explainitory?

Frostbite

Vinnie sighed in relief as the duct tape covered up the last break in the seal of the window. The knife of cold air coming out finally stopped. "That's the last one over here!" he called.

"Good," Modo said. He pulled back from stuffing part of the lining of the scoreboard with a towel. "I can't believe it gets so cold on this planet."

"Yeah, makes you wonder why humans settled here if the temperature drops this low," Throttle said as he finished wrapping the exposed pipes with the insulation Charley had bought them. He pushed out from under the sink and stretched out the kinks from his arms and tail.

As he did, Modo switched on the radio for the weather report. The signal fought through the storm, static crackling as it played. "It's a real frost-bite zone out there, dudes and dudettes! This blizzard's still going strong with no sign of stopping, so break out the snow shovels! We've got 20 inches of snow so far and we'll be expecting around 30 more in the next three hours. Temperatures will be dropping down to negative 22 degrees, with a wind chill of negative 30.

"Several parts of the city report power outages and multiple phone lines are down. The roads are icy, so your best bet is to batten down the hatches and wait this one out. You'd have to be crazy to go out in this! And now for some Metallicrank to help heat things up for ya!"

The familiar sound of a heavy guitar rang out as Modo shook his head. "Whoa Momma. I don't know how Charley-girl does it. No fur, just a parka and some mittens."

Vinnie shuddered at the idea of no fur. "Well, she is made of tough stuff."

"She'd have to be to put up with all the crazy stuff that goes on around here," Modo pointed out.

"No kidding"-Throttle suddenly jerked around to the door, his blaster in his hand by reflex.

"What is it?" Modo asked, slowly going for his own laser.

"I hear someone outside," the tan mouse said, moving closer to the door. The other two moved to flank him and provide back-up. They knew just how sensitive his ears were, and they were rarely wrong. They all heard the light tapping, more like a slow knocking at the door. It stopped and small thump was heard. Throttle slowly opened the door, glancing around. He frowned in confusion, "I know I heard something---Charley!!"

The human girl had collapsed to the floor, ice and water streaming from her thin jacket. Her skin was completely white, tinged blue with cold. The door was thrown open as the mice crowded to help. Throttle immediately knelt down, scooping her up in his arms as he called orders to his bros. "Modo, start running warm water in the tub. No hot water! It would put her in shock. Vincent, find some clothes."

Both mice scrambled to do as they were told. Throttle set her on the couch and started pulling off the wet clothing. She barely stirred as he pulled off her boots and socks, but clutched at her jacket when he reached for the zipper. "No," she whimpered, curling up in a ball. "Not that, please...."

Throttle felt his stomach knot in a combination of worry and anger at those words. If anyone had touched their girl, they were going to regret it. That thought was shoved to the side as he moved to soothe her. "Shh, Charley-girl, its okay. You have to take off the jacket, its too wet to keep you warm. We've got you, we're not gonna let anyone hurt you. Shh, Charley-girl." He couldn't help his scowl as he peeled off the soaked clothing. "What the hell happened to your coat?" He muttered to himself, not intending to say it out loud. He knew she wouldn't have stepped one foot outside in this cold without it.

"They.....they t-took it," she said, barely able to talk over her chattering teeth. He looked up to blurry green eyes that brimmed with tears. "I w-was trying to g-get here as fas-s-st as I could, the-the power w-went out and m-my phone died."

"At the garage?" He clarified. Inwardly, he swore a blue streak. With no power, the heater would have been out, and she had no other way to keep warm short of lighting the garage on fire. She must have been coming to the board to stay with them and wait the storm out. She nodded slowly, this time not protesting as he pulled off her shirt and jeans. "I couldn't g-get the truck...out, and my....my bike, I couldn't..." She closed her eyes again, her words slurring together. "Tri-i-ied to get through.....it jussst rang and rang....'m so cold."

Throttle winced as he saw the cruel marks on her skin, scratches and marks that promised to bruise badly. He tried to rub some circulation back into her feet. "Don't worry, we've got you now. Modo! How's the bath coming?"

"The tub just keeps sucking the heat out of the water without it being hot," the grey mouse said in a huff. He came back to the room, took one look at the nearly naked Charley and blushed bright red. "I-it...ah....Yo, Vin, where're those clothes at?" He squeaked out.

"Got some," the white mouse said, bounding out to the main room carrying some clothing that the girl had left at the board. He saw Charley and growled at Throttle. "This is no time to get cozy, bro."

"I'm not," the tan mouse said with a look of reprimand at his friend. While things hadn't worked out between Vinnie and Charley, the younger mouse would sometimes still act territorial towards her if other males got too close. He pulled her back into his arms and walked toward the bathroom. "If the tub won't get her warm, I'll help her shower."

"You'll what?!" Modo asked in shock. Vinnie looked just as surprised.

"Bros, chill!" The tan mouse snapped. "This has nothing to do with modesty! If we don't' get her warm, she could go into shock and die. I'm not trying to cop a feel!"

Modo nodded, "Let us know if you need anything." Vinnie followed him to the bathroom, laying the clothes on the sink and turning on the shower as Throttle got out of his vest and jeans.

"Just don't do anything I wouldn't do," Vinnie said.

"There actually exists something that you won't do?" Throttle joked before sobering as he looked at the trembling girl, only her underwear left for the sake of modesty. He pulled her close to him, privately very grateful for the cotton boxers he still wore. "Don't worry, darlin', I got you."

Vinnie finished adjusting the water's temperature and with an odd look at Throttle, he left the room. Throttle quirked an eyebrow at his bro's behavior, but a shudder from Charley had his thoughts elsewhere. He put his glasses off to the side of the sink and helped her under the warm spray of water, holding her upright when her legs threatened to not support her. She shook and whimpered under the drastic change from cold to warm, holding onto the Martian for all she was worth. "Th-Throttle?" She blinked hard as her mind cleared a bit. "Where..?"

"Its okay, you made it to the board," he said. He turned her so that the water could reach her hair, rinsing away the dirt and-he shook his head in amazement as he saw bits of ice melt under the warmth. She gasped at the sensation, unable to stop shaking as her body began to recover. The girl suddenly pulled herself against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Ch-Charley?"

"You're warm," she said, her lips still quivering. "You're so warm." She nuzzled against the thick fur.

He gave a nervous chuckle. "I think that means you can stand some warmer water." He adjusted the knob and small tendrils of steam began to rise. Despite the steam, he made out the marks on her skin that were growing darker, and several patches of dirt and mud on her legs and arms. Using his tail to support her, he lathered up a washcloth and began to clean her. She jerked against him when he started to rub the dirt off her arm, wincing a bit as the soap stung her abrasions. The girl pulled back to give him better access, squeaking in surprise when he lifted her up to reach her legs. He immediately set her back down. "Did I hurt you?"

"N-no, just startled me," she stammered out.

"You're sure?" He asked softly. Gods, she looked so small. Not for the first time, he marveled that a person so delicate looking could hold the strength she did.

"Yeah," she said her voice more confident. She ruined that effect by a soft cry as he brushed against her left ankle. He knelt down and looked it over, declaring it badly sprained. As soon as the mouse looked back up at her, he knew he had to get out of the shower. She was flushed from the warm water, her hair streaming back, a look of perfect trust on her face. And those very soaked under-things did precious little to protect her modesty. "You feeling warmer?"

Charley nodded. "Do I have to get out?" She murmured sleepily.

He found a smile at how petulant she sounded. "Sorry, but the treatment for hypothermia is to get the patient warm and dry. Showers do not count as dry."

"Spoilsport," she muttered. He helped her rinse off and step out of the shower. She shivered in the cooler air and he hurried to wrap her up in a large towel. He was careful as he dried her off, trying to be mindful of her injuries. What had to be done next made the mouse blush so badly he was sure the red color would be on his cheeks for at least a week. She reached back and unhooked her bra, letting it fall to the floor, her panties following after. He tried to not look as he helped her into a t-shirt and a pair of cotton sweatpants.

As soon as everything was where it was supposed to go, his own clothes included, he picked her up again and took her out to the living room. Vinnie and Modo had not been idle. They had brought out almost every blanket they had to make a warm spot on the couch. Throttle set her down, wrapping several blankets around her. The girl shivered a bit as her body made to warm the covers, her eyes drooping shut.

"Poor thing," Modo said softly, moving to sit beside her. He wrapped his flesh arm around her to help warm her. Vinnie moved to the other side to help. Throttle stayed on the coffee table, pulling her feet into his lap to keep them warm. Their girl fell asleep a few minutes later.