April 22, 1987

Andy and Piper were best friends. They were born on the same day at the same time and though they weren't related by blood, they shared a special tie and fell in love. It wasn't long after though that Piper discovered her secret and a horrible twist, and she started to avoid Andy. Every time he asked her to go somewhere or to do something together she had an excuse. Finally, Andy got angry and cornered Piper.
"What's the matter with you lately?" He demanded. Piper only hung her head. Andy put a hand on her shoulder and gently lifted her chin forcing her to look at him.
"Piper, we've known each other all our lives, we have a bond."
"I know that's part of the problem." She whispered.
"Piper, I love you!" Andy blurted-emotion overwhelming him. Piper started to cry.
"Andy, I love you too but do you know what will happen if we stay this close?" As he looked into Piper's eyes he did know but he didn't care.
"We'll find a way to make it work." His voice was quiet and desperate. Piper pulled a paper from her pocket and waved it under his nose. He snatched it from her fingers. He didn't need to read it, he knew what it said. He ripped it in two and pushed it back in her pocket.
"Andy!" She cried in horror.
"Piper." His eyes darkened and his voice was expressionless.
"Can we afford this?" She asked in the same tone of voice. Andy leaned close and kissed her, softly, persuasively. He was more powerful than she was and she couldn't resist him. She put her hand in his and he led her away.
Here begins The Curse......

April 22, 1997

Piper Andrews looked nervously at the sky. She glanced at the piece of parchment she'd taped back together. Tears began to flood her eyes. She was so frightened. It was ten years ago to the day. Would it really happen? How could something that had felt so right be so wrong? How could that one night she and Andy had spent in each others arms cause so much harm? They'd only been 21. There was only one way to reverse it if it did happen and Piper had no clue how to go about it. If only she wasn't so alone, but their daughter had died at birth, Andy was dead....A clap of thunder brought her back to the present and she screamed. Fresh tears streamed down her face. She walked blindly to the tree on her front lawn and traced the design. She and Andy had carved their names. "Piper Andrews and Andy Howe-Together Forever" Sat nestled in a heart. They'd believed it at the time. She looked back at the dark clouds rolling across the sky. Clouds she and Andy had caused ten years ago. Yes, it would happen. Piper ran into the house, grabbed her jacket, locked the door and ran to the only place she knew of where she might be able to get help. The Last Chance Garage.

Charley opened the door to the terrified face of a beautiful, blonde, young lady. Her brown eyes were filled with tears.
"Charlene?" Piper asked. Charley stared.
"Piper?" Her voice was incredulous. "Oh my gosh! I haven't seen you since high school!" She hugged her. Piper shifted her gaze and shuffled her feet a couple of times. She pulled her blonde curls back then piled them on top of her head and let them go. A nervous gesture Charley recognized. Her smile faded.
"Piper? What's wrong?" She asked.
"I've done something terrible!" She blurted. Her face crumpled as she burst into tears. Charley drew her inside and urged her to sit down.
"Tell me what's wrong, start from the beginning."
"There's no other place to start." Piper sobbed. Just then Throttle, Modo and Vinnie walked in. They gazed at Charley and Piper in surprise.
"Guys this is my friend Piper. I haven't seen her in 15 years!" They nodded to her. "Piper this is Throttle, Vinnie and Modo," she pointed to
each in turn, "The Biker Mice From Mars."
"Mars?" Piper whispered.
"Oh not this again!" Modo put his hand over his eyes.
"Yes, Mars." Charley confirmed. "Now tell me what happened." Piper looked at the three mice apprehensively. "They're friends too, maybe they can help." Charley assured her.

Piper sighed and tried to get a hold of herself. She took a deep breath and began a terrible story.
"Andy Howe and I were best friends. We shared the same birthday. If fact we even shared the same time. As we grew up we became closer and in high school we fell in love."
"I remember Andy." Charley added. Piper nodded and continued.
"Right after graduation I was rifling around in the attic," She paused,
"no one knows any of this...anymore." She paused again, swallowed and continued. "It seems millions of years ago a distant relative of mine and a distant relative of Andy's were lovers. They began messing around with some old spell book and transported themselves to another dimension." She paused again. "Oh, damn it! This all sounds so crazy!"
Charley put an arm around her.
"Piper, you're sitting beside three giant mice from another planet, who are fighting giant fish from yet another planet. It's not as crazy as
you think." Piper only understood about one word in three of this but she let it pass.
"In this dimension they somehow managed to get some old witch mad at them and she predicted some curse." She pulled an old, taped, piece of parchment paper from her pocket. She loathed it but never went anywhere without it. "Our ancestors chalked this up to nonsense and only kept it for a good laugh I suppose. A joke between our families. I suppose as years went by it was forgotten. I found this however and I studied it. I figured out what it all meant. I avoided Andy until I told him about it because I knew what would happen." In a chilling voice she began to read:

That's really creepy Piper!" Charley whimpered.
"What's it mean anyway?" Vinnie asked. Piper sighed.
"The first line, when you do the math, turns out to be 1987 when it starts then ten years into the future-the curse starts today. "PAAH" that's me and Andy. Piper Andrew, Andy Howe-this bitch knew we were going to be born millions of years ago! We were 21 and we both knew about this but Andy didn't care. We wanted to be together so badly but I was scared to death-I didn't want to be responsible for some old witch cursing the world! But Andy was more powerful than I was-persuasive-I couldn't resist him. We did get together and we had a baby girl. She died at birth."
"Powers?" Throttle interrupted her.
Yeah we sorta fed off each other. We had ESP and we're psychic and were connected to the Earth and Sky and the moon and some such garbage I don't fully understand. That one night, one blissful night Andy and I shared, because of our powers, ripped apart some barrier or time continuum and put the curse into effect. As was predicted. This storm is the beginning. This witch is going to destroy our world now! I don't understand LLDK and I suppose unless I figure that out and how they're supposed to help I'll have to wait until I die." Her voice broke. "On top of it all Andy is dead. Oh God!" She screamed. "I loved him so much and he's gone! Our baby is gone! I have nothing left!" Piper slid off the couch onto her knees, fell forward onto her elbows and sobbed helplessly, hysterically-and nobody knew what to do.

"Any ideas guys?" Charley asked quietly, helping the young woman up.
"First, I don't think Andy is dead." Throttle said. Piper was crying too loud to hear this. "What we'll do is go get Andy first. Then we need to study this curse a little more and try to figure out what will stop it.
The clue is there somewhere. You stay here with Piper, Let's ride." They all took off with Throttle in the lead.
"Where we going bro?" Vinnie asked.
"Where else?" Throttle grinned over his shoulder.
"Oh yeah!" Vinnie cheered. Happily, despite the danger the guys roared off for Detroit. Meanwhile while Charley was comforting Piper, Airik showed up.
"Piper!" She cried happily, running to the young woman. They hugged but Airik knew there was something wrong. "Piper, what is it?" she asked. Piper choked out her story again while Airik's eyes got bigger and bigger.
"What happened to Andy?" Airik asked. Piper dangled her left hand in front of Airik's nose.
"Five months later we got married. After thinking I had the flu I learned I was pregnant. Andy was ecstatic and he went out shopping for baby stuff." A sad smile crossed her face. "That afternoon a cop with a husky voice called me to say that Andy had been hit by a car and killed. He told me Andy's family had taken the body away. I got so sick over this I couldn't even go to the funeral. My mother put me in the hospital because she was afraid I'd lose the baby. What's even worse is not long after his parents died so I was never even able to learn where they'd buried him." Charley and Airik were crying with her now. First there was so much grief and now the horror of this curse.
In Detroit, the guys had stopped at a little doughnut shop. A young, handsome guy stood behind the counter. He had dark brown hair and green eyes. The few freckles splashed across his nose gave him a boyish look.
He grinned as the three bikers strode in the door.
"hey fellas! Nice to see ya!" They didn't say anything until Vinnie leaned on the counter.
"We need to speak with you." He told the young man. His voice low and tight.
"Yo, Vin, What's the matter?" Andy asked his eyes widening.
"We'll tell you outside." Throttle answer in the same tone Vinnie had used. Andy tore off his apron, stuffed it under the counter and ran out the door with the guys. Perching himself on a sleek black bike he looked expectantly at the three mice.
"Who ya after this time?" He asked.
"You." Modo replied simply.
"Why didn't you ever tell us about your past?" Throttle asked him. Andy looked dumbfounded.
"Me? What did I do? What past? What are you guys talking about?" He ended throwing his hands up in the air.
"What does Piper Andrews mean to you?" Vinnie sounded annoyed. At the mention of his wife Andy closed his eyes. He hadn't seen Piper in nine years. He missed her terribly, he still loved her more than anything, he'd always meant to go back but he didn't know how.
"What do you know about Piper?" He whispered.
"Only that she's scared to death about this curse, we need your help to help stop it since you apparently helped to start it and the poor girl
is heartbroken cause sge thinks you're dead." Modo told him.
"Ack! I forgot all about that stupid curse!" Andy exclaimed. Then another thought came to him. "What about my baby girl?" None of the guys knew what to say for a minute. Finally:
"She died at birth Andy." Throttle said as gently as he could.
"No!" Andy gasped. "And I wasn't there! I wasn't there for either of them!-Oh God shoot me now!" He moaned and dropped his head down across his handlebars. "I'm such a jerk!" He shouted.
"Well, at least you know it." Vinnie muttered. Throttle scowled at him.
"Don't help Vincent." He muttered back.
"What?! What?!" Vinnie exclaimed. Throttle just ignored him.

"well, if you want to be there for her now, come back with us." Throttle said a little more gently. Andy didn't give it a second thought. He put his helmet on and four motorcycles sped back toward Chicago. Three frightened females sat in the Last Chance and listened to the storm gain intensity. Charley and Airik were trying to comfort Piper despite all this.
"Where did the guys go?" Piper asked.
"They went to check on a hunch." Charley answered not wanting to get the already distraught woman's hopes up. A few hours later they heard bikes and Charley bit her lip as the guys came in.
"Piper. If we told you Andy was still alive how would you take it?" Throttle asked.
"What?" She asked incredulous although her eyes held an expression of hope. Andy Howe poked his head around the corner looking fearful and sheepish at the same time.
"Um, hello?"
"Andy." She whispered and her voice shuddered and shook as she said it. Andy knew he was really in for it from Piper and he began his explanation to many pairs of listening ears.
"We were married and soon after learned that Piper was pregnant. I'd gone shopping for baby things. But, I'd begun having visions and nightmares about this curse. I went a little crazy and had to get away.
To disappear. I called Piper, disguising my voice I told her I'd been killed and my family had taken the body. In reality my family knew nothing about it. I always meant to go back but I didn't know how Piper would take it or even if she'd want me back. I was too frightened. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. I still dreamed of Piper and," He paused and hung his head, "And the baby, but I didn't know how to come back." Nobody was condemning after this. Piper cried openly now. She flew to him. He caught her in his arms and hugged her but a moment later she pressed her palms against his chest and pushed away though he still held her. She balled her hands into fists and pounded on his chest, furious, loving him, but wanting to inflict the same pain he'd inflicted on her.
"I loved you!" She screamed at him. "All these years! I loved you! Missed you! Grieved for you! Cried on our birthday! Every holiday was HELL! I didn't know where you were buried! I grieved for our baby ALONE! I went into the hospital! I made myself SICK! I dreamed of you every night! Begged God to bring you back! And you were ALIVE!?!?" She continued to scream, cry, and pound on him. He held her and took his punishment. He wasn't normally the type to let anyone hit him, not even a woman but Piper was different and he knew he deserved it, and a lot more. He was only thankful that Modo for instance hadn't hit him or he probably wouldn't be standing there.
"Remind me not to tick her off." Vinnie said quietly, awed.
Finally, all of Piper's strength was spent and she sank to her knees. Andy let her go then drew her back to her feet. What he had to say next was very hard but he had to ask it. As he had so many years ago, he tipped her head up to meet her streaming eyes.
"Piper," he began. "I have to know. I know what you've been through, I know how hard it must have been but we are still married. Now, do you still love me? Do you want me back? If not I'll go right now. You have the final word-yes or no?"

"Yes Andy!" She choked. "I do still love you and I want you back. I want our life together back." She tried to smile sadly and put her hand, gently this time against his chest. "I'm sorry." She apologized. He laughed with joy and hugged her tight.
"Oh baby it's okay. I deserved it!" They smiled at each other. Charley coughed.
"Um, I'm a sucker for romance but there's a bigger problem right now." She interrupted.
"Yeah the world is falling apart!" Airik wasn't trying to be cruel but it was the truth. Everyone sprung into action. Piper pulled the paper from her pocket. Everyone knelt around Charley's coffee table and they smoothed it in the middle and began reading it and discussing it and eventually fell silent in thought. Suddenly a thought came to Throttle, a disturbing thought, a horrible thought.
"You don't suppose...." He looked up and met Vinnie's and Modo's eyes. They read his mind.
"Aw, no!" Vinnie exclaimed, shaking his head. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!"
"Oh Mama!" Modo shook his head. Throttle looked defeated.
"Lawrence Limburger!" he began.
"And Doctor Karbunkle!" Modo finished. Charley smacked herself in the forehead. Airik gaped at Throttle in shock. Everyone knew what this meant and collectively groaned.
While six bikes roared toward Limburger Tower Piper came up with a question.
"How did you guys know where Andy was?" She asked. She hugged him tightly from behind.
"Oh we met him when we were after the buggy boys."
"Oh yeah!" Charley remembered. "you were at that little hotdog place we stopped at." Andy nodded.
"I'm just gonna stay outta this, cause I'm lost!" Airik announced.
"Don't worry about it Hon." Charley grinned at her daughter. Everyone stopped and glared loathingly at Limburger Tower.
"Are we REALLY doing this?!" Vinnie whined.
"I don't like it either bro but it's the only way." Throttle sighed.
"I don't understand." Piper spoke up. "What's so bad about this person? What's wrong?" By the time the guys stopped their explanation with Charley, Airik and Andy helping Piper was furious.
"And now we need their help?!" She yelled. "Oh I'm gonna be sick!"
"Feeling's mutual babe!" Throttle grinned at her. Just then lightning struck about 30 yard away, setting a couple trees and an abandoned factory on fire. It began to rain even harder and the thunder rolled menacingly. The sky got blacker and blacker and the earth under their feet began to tremble and crack.
"Aahh! You guys!" Airik yelled in terror. "We have to DO something!"
"We may have no use for Limburger guys but right now, we have no choice." Andy remarked. The bikes revved and everyone roared inside to Limburger's headquarters.
"What is the meaning of this outrage?!" He bellowed, pounding on his desk. Charley glared at him.
"Just shut up and listen fish face!" Throttle snapped. "This isn't our idea of a good time!" Karbunkle was cowering in a corner and Throttle pointed at him. "You! get up here too!" He ordered. Piper stared at the normally gentle Throttle sounding so angry. She knew why.
"I want to make this as fast and painless for everyone as possible!"
Throttle continued. "We can all go back to hating each other later but right now we have no choice but to work together!"

"Why would we want to or have to work together?" Limburger asked in a degrading voice.
"Because apparently, you two are the only ones who can help us stop the Earth from being destroyed due to a curse!"
"What would we care?"
"Well, for one thing, not that I'd be heartbroken, but you'd be dead!"
Vinnie snarled. Limburger thought about this and reluctantly agreed.
"Is there anything you've invented to mend a tear in the time continuum?" Throttle asked Karbunkle.
"The time continuum?" The doctor asked.
"Yes, the time continuum." Throttle went on to tell the story of how the curse came about. Karbunkle turned red as a beet.
"Whita?!" He exclaimed. "That ugly old witch?! I'd do anything to stop her!" He paused. "I do have something but..." A loud clap of thunder cut him off and everyone jumped.
"Well, talk man!" Andy cried.
"It's going to put everyone in danger!" Karbunkle protested.
"We're in danger now as it is!" Modo growled.
"What kind of danger?" Airik asked in a tight voice, raising an eyebrow.
"Well," The doctor creaked on, "Using this control I can send you back to that dimension, using this laser you can mend the tear which will in turn destroy Whita and break the curse. The moment you go that far back in time however all of us here will begin to age very rapidly, on accelerated time. Within five minutes well all die of old age."
Karbunkle looked uncomfortable.
"So we only have five minutes to do this?" Modo asked. The doctor nodded. "Will it affect anyone outside?" The doctor shook his head.
"So why can't we all just go outside?" Piper asked sensibly.
"It wouldn't matter because we've all been in such close contact with them now."
"I don't see as we have much of a choice." Airik spoke up. "You guys CAN stop this curse in five minutes and get back here. Otherwise we all simply die in this curse. I mean personally I'd rather take the chance."
Charley, Piper and Andy all nodded in agreement. The guys looked at each other. They didn't like it but knew Airik was right.
"Five minutes." Throttle reminded everyone quietly. They pushed the button and disappeared. Piper, Andy, Charley and Airik all sat back to back on the floor, refusing to watch each other get old. After a minute Limburger and Karbunkle were too weak to stand and collapsed onto the floor. Charley looked at her watch on her thinning wrist.
"One minute." She announced weakly.
The guys had landed in an alternate dimension in a large stone castle. Using animal instinct and their acute sense of hearing they easily found Whita's room and the rip humming and glowing there in the air. The witch was nowhere to be seen. Modo took the laser and began mending the rip. Throttle and Vinnie guarded him. As he was nearly done however the witch returned.
"What are you doing?!" She demanded. "No! Stop!" She cried in a desperate move to stop them a weak blast of magic knocked them off their feet but Modo was done and they all watched as she melted into a blob on the floor and vanished.
"That was way too easy!" Modo remarked.
"How much time do we have left?" Throttle asked picking himself up off the floor.
"Two and a half minutes." Modo answered tensely.
"Bro's?" Vinnie mumbled. "Hey guys? I'm stuck." He really was. The blast had knocked him down so hard his arm had become stuck in the floor.
"Can you break him free big fella?" Throttle asked Modo.
"It'll bring the whole place down!" Modo answered. They frantically pulled on him for a precious minute they didn't have before Modo finally had to blast him free. The castle began to shake. Stones falling around them and they had to make it back to the middle of the castle before pushing the button. Back in Limburger's tower things were going as well as could be expected.
"How long do we have?" Andy grated.
"One minute." Airik gasped. The guys kept running, dodging falling rocks.
"Thirty seconds guys!" Vinnie yelled. They kept running.
"fifteen seconds." Piper's voice was barely a whisper.
"five," Modo yelled.
"four," Charley choked.
"three," Vinnie couldn't have run any faster if he'd tried.
"Two," Andy fell back on the floor.
"ONE!" Throttle yelled jumping to the middle of the floor and pushing the button.
The guys weren't sure if they'd made it or not. They looked around at everyone still and silent. Barely more than skeletons on the floor.
"Come on somebody move." Vinnie begged. Before their eyes everyone began to look younger and younger. Skin became young and smooth again, Charley, Airik and Andy's hair turned full and brown again, Piper a golden blonde. Airik being the youngest groaned and blinked then sat up and held her hands out in front of her.
"Hey! I'm fourteen again!" She squealed then looked up at the guys who
all knelt to hug her. She shook Charley.
"Mom! Mom, wake up! They made it!" Piper and Andy stirred and woke too.
Everyone was even somewhat glad to see Limburger and Karbunkle revive. Throttle put the laser and the control on the desk beside a wheezing Doctor Karbunkle.
"Thank you." He managed with only a slight chill in his voice. His invention had saved everyone's life after all.
"Well, it's been real and it's been fun but it hasn't been real fun! So we'll go now." Vinnie cracked sarcastically. With Limburger too tired and weak to do anything for once they all left.
Back at The Last Chance everyone was enjoying a celebration root beer. The sky was clear and blue, it was nice and warm and all the danger was past. Andy swallowed and looked sadly at his wife.
"I'm sorry sweetheart. For disappearing, for not being there when you needed me, for when our baby needed me." Piper shook her head.
"It's all right. All that is past now. All that matters now is the future, our future, together." She smiled. Andy returned the smile and raised one eyebrow suggestively.
"Ya wanna try again?"
"Ooh!" Piper widened her eyes and tried not to giggle, Charley laughed and all three guys looked innocently away in other directions.