The Ties That Bind
A/N: Yep, I'm finally writing another Truth and Lies spinoff. It took me forever, but now I feel like it's time for me to get my butt in gear and finish these spinoffs. This one will feature Raph and Lucindra and how they met. I hope that you all like it.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot to this story.
Summary: Wanting to get away from her drunken mother, Lucindra Monroe escapes her house. After an encounter with some Purple Dragons, she meets Raphael and finds someone who can relate to how she's feeling. A Truth and Lies spinoff.
Lucindra Monroe slammed her math book shut and headed downstairs to see what her mother was doing. She found her mom on the couch with a bottle of gin on the table watching the news. The reporter was talking about April O'Neil's disappearance. Lucindra hadn't been close with April but she had talked to her a few times and once sat at the lunch table with her and her best friend Irma Langenstein.
Her mother turned her head and spotted Lucindra. "You get your homework done?" she asked.
"Yeah just finished it," Lucindra lied.
"Good. Can you believe this shit? That girl's been missin' and no cops have found any leads. The world's going to hell, Lucindra. You understand?"
Yeah, Lucindra understood that pretty well. Her own life was nothing but hell with a dad who walked out on her and her mother when she was little and her mother doing nothing but drinking and bringing men home to sleep with. She just wished that she had a family who cared about her. Not wanting to talk to her mom or see any more of the news, Lucindra headed upstairs, opened up her window, and snuck out. She figured it was better to be secretive about it since she knew her mom wouldn't let her go out considering what had happened to April. Still, Lucindra needed a break right now from everything that had been going on.
She left her apartment and headed out into the night. She wasn't sure where she was going to go, but she just knew she needed to walk and savor her freedom. What had happened to April was terrifying to think about, but Lucindra knew she was tough. She could handle anything that came at her. Just as she was walking by an alley, someone whistled at her.
"Hey, sweet thing, want to party with us tonight?" a voice asked.
Lucindra gritted her teeth as Fong and the rest of his Purple Dragon groupies came out of the alley. She knew them from school, and she couldn't stand them. They always thought they were so tough when really they were just as messed up as everyone else in this world.
"Sorry, I'll pass," she replied. "I'm not into partyin' with guys who have ugly tattoos."
"Too bad, girlie," Fong said. "You could always get a tattoo of your own. I think it would look sexy on you. You should put it on your shoulder."
"Or she could put it on her neck," Tsoi chimed in.
"Nah, I think she should put it on her boob," Sid added. "Then when she needs to prove she's one of us, we'll see her knockers."
"You're disgusting!" Lucindra spat and tried to get away, but Fong grabbed her arm.
"Hey, why in such a rush to leave?" he asked. "We were just getting started on our party."
"Let go of me!" Lucindra snarled. She rammed her elbow in Fong's stomach, causing him to double over. Then she jerked her knee up and hit his chin, causing his head to fly back.
Fong growled and ordered, "Get her!"
Sid and Tsoi moved in. Sid grabbed her from behind, but she rammed her head back and hit his nose. Tsoi made to grab her next but she jammed her knee into his groin and started to run. She didn't notice Fong's leg as he stuck it out to trip her up. She fell hard, and before she could get up, Fong had her pinned to the ground.
"Wow, a feisty one," he said. "I really admire you for that. You'd make a perfect fit for our gang."
"I'd rather commit suicide!" Lucindra snarled.
"You won't feel that way once I'm done with you," Fong said. "In fact, you just might enjoy it."
"Get the hell away from her, Fong!" a voice said from the shadows.
"Stay the hell out of this!" Fong ordered.
"Oh, I'm already in it!" the voice said and stepped out of the shadows to reveal a guy in a turtle costume.
"It's one of the freaks!" Tsoi cried.
"You're one to talk, ugly," the Turtle retorted. He pulled out some pitchfork like weapons as Tsoi and Sid came in for an attack. Lucindra watched as the Turtle took them down easily. Using this distraction to her advantage, Lucindra poked Fong in the eyes then wiggled out of his grasp and punched him once again. He dove for her, but the Turtle used a throwing star to distract him, and Fong missed her. Once the other two Dragons were down, the Turtle hurried over to Lucindra.
"You gotta come with me," he said. "You don't want to be involved with this mess."
"I'm not goin' anywhere!" Lucindra snapped. "I can take 'em!"
"Too bad, sweetheart, I'm not lettin' them hurt you," the Turtle said. He grabbed her and threw down a smoke bomb, obscuring them both. Lucindra coughed, and when the smoke cleared they were on a rooftop.
"What the hell was that for?" she demanded.
"I just saved your ass," the Turtle replied. "Shouldn't you be thankin' me?"
"Hey, I had it under control," she told him.
"Yeah, until Fong had your ass pinned," the Turtle reminded her. "You were lucky I happened to be there."
"Just stay out of my business, okay?" she snapped.
"Fine, but let me take you home first," he offered.
"I can go there myself," she replied.
"Oh, so you can hop the rooftops?"
"Well, no, but if you let me down, I can walk from here."
"Not gonna happen," he said.
"I'm not gonna let some strange guy in a turtle costume take me home," Lucindra declared. "I don't even know you. What the hell's your name?"
"It's Raphael but everyone except for my dad calls me Raph," he said. "What's your name?"
"Lucindra," she answered. "And don't you dare call me Lucy. I hate that nickname. One of Mom's boyfriends used to call me that, but he learned his lesson real quick."
"What did you do?"
"I punched him right in the face," she said proudly. "He never called me Lucy again."
"Okay, so if I can't call you Lucy, what can I call you?"
"Cindra works just fine," she answered.
"Great. So, what were you doin' out at night?"
"I needed to get away from my mom. She drinks a lot, and I just can't stand bein' in the house with her. She always brings home different guys, and I just can't stand it."
"What about your dad?"
"Don't have one. He walked out when I was three."
"Damn. That sucks."
"Tell me about it. So what were you doin' out here? Tryin' to fight crime or somethin'?"
"Actually, I was lookin' for a friend of mine," Raph answered. "Her name's April O'Neil and she just went missing. You heard about that?"
"Yeah, it's all over the news. I go to school with her. We weren't close but she was always so nice to me. I sat with her and her geeky friend Irma at lunch once."
"Just once? Why?"
"I got annoyed at Irma 'cause she kept talkin' about all the guys she wanted to date. It got on my nerves, so I never sat with them again."
"Oh, I see."
"How do you know her?"
"We rescued her from some guys who were tryin' to kidnap her. They got her dad, but they really wanted her all along. We managed to rescue him though."
"So, are you close with her?"
"Yeah, we're all pretty tight."
"Who's we?"
"Oh, me and my brothers."
"Do you have a dad?"
"Yeah, but we don't have a mom. April's kind of like our sister in a way. We were just havin' fun and then April had to go home. Then her dad calls us and tells us he hasn't seen her. We tried lookin' for her, but we couldn't find any leads. So, we've been goin' out separately, hopin' that maybe we'll find somethin' or that we'll find her."
"Well, I wish I could help with that."
"I know you really need to learn to defend yourself more. I bet I can help with that. My dad's been teachin' me and my brothers martial arts, and I think it'd be good for you to learn it, too."
"I can defend myself just fine!" she snapped.
"Yeah, you're good, but you could be better. You can't let someone like Fong get the jump on you like that again. I can seriously help with that."
"I'm not weak!"
"I never said you were, Cindra. But even people who know basic self-defense could always learn more. I just wanna protect you. I'm tryin' to be your friend."
She sighed. Lucindra hated being treated like she was weak, but Raph had a point. She really needed to learn how to defend herself against those thugs or they'd take advantage of her again.
"Okay, you got a deal. When do you wanna meet up?"
"How about the same time tomorrow? I'll give you my number so you can call me if you have to reschedule. I know you're in school, so you'll probably have to have time to get your homework done first."
"No problem, Raph. Thanks for the number. I'll call ya if I needed anythin'. Are you sure your dad will be okay with this?"
"He probably won't be, but I'm not gonna tell him for a little while. It'll just be between you and me."
"Great. I can't wait to hear more about your family. But I do wanna ask you somethin' else. What's with the turtle costume?"
"I'm actually a mutant, but you'll get that story next time. You ready for me to take you home/"
"Yeah, I guess," she replied.
"Okay, climb on." He lowered himself down so she could climb onto his shell. She put her arms around his neck, and he took off across the rooftops as she gave him directions to her mom's apartment. She enjoyed the trip across the rooftops. It gave her such a thrill, and she couldn't wait for Raph to teach her how to do it, too. When they reached the fire escape outside her window, she felt a little disappointed and wished that she could stay in this moment forever.
"I guess this is where I get off," she said gloomily. "Thanks for havin' my back, Raph. I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome," he said. "Same time tomorrow?"
"You know it," she answered. She waved to him and climbed into her window. As she turned, he waved to her and headed across the rooftops. She waited until she couldn't see him anymore and then closed her window and got ready for bed. She was definitely intrigued by him and couldn't wait to learn more from him and about him. Sure her family was messed up, but at last she had someone who was there for her and who probably knew what it was like to have hard times. With that last thought in her head, she got into bed and fell asleep, looking forward to a new day and what it would bring with Raph by her side.
A/N: Whoo Hoo! One down, two more to go. I'm so glad I was able to finally get this one out. I'm definitely happy with it and hope that you guys are too. Feel free to leave a review, and have a shelltastic day. And if you want to check my other stories in the Truth and Lies series, they are: Truth and Lies, Holding Out for a Hero, Hole, and More Than Words.