Ok, ok, ok... THIS is the story I've been wanting to write since I started this whole series! I can't wait to lay it out and see what you all think. Emma's such a great character and I've loved flushing her out against the awesome Eastman and Laird backdrop. If you're a first time reader, you might want to read 'How to Meet A Girl' and 'How to Treat a Girl' first to catch up on what's happening.
If not, I'm at least glad that you dropped in for a read! First-timer or veteran, read, review, berate, you know the drill. Above all, have fun and eat something tasty while you read.
(June, 2015) I'm OCD about timelines, remember.
"Smell THAT!" Michelangelo craned his head up close to the vent. "The smog, the cigarette smoke, the grease of fried food... the alleys filled with rotting fried food…" he inhaled deep. "Bros, it is good to be home."
"We haven't even seen it yet." Donatello pointed out from where he sat, playing cards with Leonardo and Master Splinter.
"But I can picture it already." Raphael sighed, kicking back in the corner. "And it's a thing of beauty."
The trailer jolted then, sending its mutated cargo sprawling dangerously to the left. It was quite embarrassing, when the cargo were trained in the martial arts. Raph yelled at Mikey to get his ugly butt off of him, while Leo and Don helped Master Splinter sit up.
"Mr. Jones seems to akin this truck to his motorcycle." Master Splinter sighed, folding his legs again. "Next time, April drives."
"Unless she and Emma decide to have another feminist road trip." Mikey's shoulders drooped. He always took on a forlorn look whenever Emma did something without him.
"You don't think they could've used a little break?" Donnie chuckled at him. "Five months in the same house with six guys. Plus, April had to get all of her rides back to the city from Casey."
"She probably needs her kidneys replaced." Leo joked dryly. "Only ten more minutes."
"If we make it that far." Raph growled, the trailer lurching again.
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"Wow." Emma stared up at the apartments, licking at her strawberry-banana cone. She'd ordered it hard-dipped in chocolate and could ill-afford distractions; but hey, the building was distracting. "Yeah, just… wow."
April shook her head in agreement, mounting the first front step. "I know. Not a brick out of place."
They glanced sideways at the charred face of their neighboring building. It began the strange and irregular pattern of injuries to the architecture all along the block. Their street had since been cleared and paved, but any actual housing repairs were slow going… but they were going because resources were actually not stretched thin. April had mentioned how all efforts to clean up territory under the Purple Dragons had been run out... the punks were doing their own. Whatever that meant.
'Well, it's not like we have to unpack anything." Emma perked, tugging at the drawstring bag pinching the sleeves of her shirt. Its bright stripes, coupled with the ice cream, just masked the dread she had been fighting to not feel the whole ride back into the city. Master Splinter's words from May echoed back at her and they were finally doing the thing she had always loathed- re-entering reality. Growing up, it had always felt like that, every time she had broken the surface of the waves. Leaving the slow, rhythmic world of the ocean behind…
"Might as well see if we got robbed." April twisted the key into their lock. "Casey wouldn't let me even come on the block when we came back."
Emma paused, letting ice cream drip down her chin. "So… where did you stay?"
"A hotel." April stated without batting an eye. "Just to get him off my back."
Emma nodded, getting control of her drip. "Better to keep him guessing."
"Shut up." April nudged the door all the way open. They hesitated a moment, delaying the inevitable. But upon entering, they found it dusty, yet untouched.
"We definitely got a guardian angel." April breathed in relief, taking the final gulp of her cone. Then sneezed.
'You think our angel could've opened a few windows." Emma gave her own cough, running a finger along the living room table. "I'll do the front, you do the back?"
"Deal." April gave a thumbs up. "We've got a good four hours before we meet up with Casey and the guys…"
Emma smiled at how April put Casey's name first. Love was blooming for those two. She saw it every time they argued. It was just a matter of time… Emma had already talked the brothers down at the mention of it. And taken the hose to Mikey when he had suggested a marriage purposal of his own. The goof... the adorable goof. Emma shoved the living room window up. Wonder what Mom's doing right now?
Not that she had sought to find out. She had been delaying that phone call as much as possible. Dad was in jail, awaiting a trail that was of course taking a back seat to the city's reconstruction, but Mom? Emma could only guess where she was living or how she was keeping herself. Mom had depended on Dad for a lot... Emma sighed the worries back, moving into the kitchen. About jumping into the ceiling. "Wha-"
Man! Strange man in their apartment! He looked up at her with sharp hazel eyes and shoulder-length blond curls… and rumpled, disheveled clothing. Emma whipped her bag off her shoulders. "Hobo invasion!"
The guy's eyes went wide and he barely had time to raise his hands before Emma rained her knapsack on him. He went down easy and April rushed in to find him prostate on the tile, Emma's knee pinned to his back. "April, open the door and I'll roll him out!"
"Wait, wait, wait!' the man protested from the floor. "I come in peace, really! I'm sorry if this' forward, but after two months I thought I owed it to myself to at least…"
Emma and April looked at each other. April hunkered down to get a better look at him. "What'd you mean two months? Are you stalking us?"
He dared to lift his head. "Not you… her."
Emma stilled. April looked back up at her as she eased her knee off. "Me?"
"You're Emma Tomes."
"Dewitter." Emma couldn't correct him quick enough.
'Well that could explain why I haven't been able to locate you…"
"Randy." April let out her breath. "Let 'im up, Emma. Meet Randy Faulk, journalist for the Times."
Emma narrowed her eyes at this tidbit. "You open the door and I'll roll…"
"Oh c'mon!" Faulk was up now, dusting himself off. "After that face plant, you at least owe me a quote."
"We're rolling." Emma pushed him through the kitchen threshold, April having cleared the way. But Faulk dug his heels in. "Look honey, I'm just the start, ya'know. You don't think every media outlet in the city's…"
"I'm not your honey," Emma told him. "And not your next big scoop."
"You kinda are." Faulk spun, walking backwards. "Like it or not, nobody's forgotten how your dad…"
"Enough," April tapped her foot, holding the door open. "You heard what she said."
Faulk eyed her, continuing to be pushed out by Emma until he braced a shoulder on the doorframe. "Oh! I see how it is. Her flapping lips are already spoken for."
Emma looked over at April to share an eye roll. Only to find her roommate's chin jutting out at him. Faulk matched it. "Guess it's a pretty easy choice, who to interview for. Seeing as how her roomie's doing everything to climb the ladder at Channel 6."
"Ok, get out!" April reached in and gave the final shove.
"Is Thompson offering you double for it too, or is this a freebie?"
"OUT!" the girls slammed the door and did the chain. Emma waited for his footsteps to fade down the hall before she looked fully at April. By her expression, she didn't have to ask any questions. It was no secret at Channel 6 that she was April's roommate. She had made herself quite recognizable around the snack bar, whenever the situation called for her to be there. Or when it didn't and they just had those awesome turkey wraps with the garlic-chipolte mayo...
Bottom line, her identity would make it no secret of who her father was and what he had done during- and prior to- the invasion. But, had the network been giving April a hard time about it?
"I didn't think it appropriate to ask until we were settled back in." April picked at a nail, things growing awkward.
"But Thompson's been on your back about it? 'It' being an inside scoop on a traitor's daughter."
April's attention stayed on the nail, walking farther back into the apartment. "She's been on everybody's back, especially with the six-month anniversary coming up."
"So that's what I am." Emma huffed after her. "The six-month special."
"Don't be like that." April turned into the kitchen. "Everybody's looking for an explanation about how a branch of our own government could hide something like this. And think that it was for the good of humankind."
"I'm wondering the same thing." Emma reminded her.
"Ok," April held out a hand to calm her. Good luck, since there was no food item attached to it. "Say the word and I won't pressure you about it."
"Ok." Emma felt instant relief. "No… now, this might be a good time to…"
They had made their way back into the kitchen, where Emma opened up the fridge; and about gagged. "Ah… you remember that pork chop I was saving?"
"No." April looked over her shoulder. She made a face right along with Emma. "Ugh... Is it supposed to have hair?"