The Pact
In the quiet hours early one Saturday morning there was a stirring in a humble New York City brownstone. The chill of winter had settled in waking a ginger haired woman in her late thirties.
"Damn, the central heat must have cut off again. Better make sure they're ok."
With a stretch and a yawn she wrapped a plush, lavender robe around herself and shuffled into the living room. The 'they' she referred to earlier lay in an amorphous pile beneath many blankets on the hardwood floor. With a sigh and a shake of her head she stepped over a few arms and legs to get to an electric fireplace nearby. Normally she didn't like to leave it on while everyone slept for safety reason so she could rely on the central heat. However her sleeping friends could not produce their own heat, so while stifling yet another yawn she turned the unit on.
The woman put a hand on the small of her back and slowly settled down on the couch. She rubbed a hand over her rounded belly as she observed her sleeping guests with fondness mixed with sadness. She snapped her head to her right when she heard someone else enter the living room. She smiled warmly at the tall, olive skinned man in a thick gray sweatshirt and flannel pajama pants.
"April, what are you doing up so early?" he asked. It was 2 AM after all and neither one of them had anywhere to go until much later in the day.
"The central heat cut off again so I got up to make sure they wouldn't freeze. Casey, if you're cold just plug in the space heater. It's in the closet next to your work boots." The man made a note of that as he ran his fingers through his long, black hair. With a heavy sigh he looked down at their slumbering friends on the floor before settling down next to April. He draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a peck on the cheek.
"You sure it wasn't the baby that woke you up?" he inquired, noting the attention April was giving her belly with her hands.
"Nah, the baby's been pretty quiet. She doesn't move around a lot until late afternoon mostly. I was actually concerned about them," she replied, nodding towards the pile of now slightly shuffling bodies. Casey nodded gruffly in agreement, frowning a bit.
"Uh huh, I get what you're sayin'. Donnie said that if they it gets too cold they'll go…uh…what was the word he used for it?"
"Torpid."
"Yeah, that's it. Kind of like a zombie state or something like that." April snickered at Casey's explanation as the image of turtle zombies flashed in her imagination. "Anyways, thanks for looking out, babe. I probably wouldn't have considered that," Casey chuckled, sounding a bit embarrassed. Looking down at his reptilian friends caused a tug in his heart. Without their ninja gear they looked so vulnerable. Their expressions in their sleep ranged from peaceful, restless, and exhausted. He smiled when he noticed the one female snuggling up to the eldest of the males, who seemed totally oblivious to the fact except for his right hand resting loosely on her shoulder. Casey's smile slowly melted away as less pleasant thoughts crept into his mind.
"You think they might head back to the lair tonight?" April whispered, bringing Casey's attention away from his inner conversation.
"Not sure. They may not be ready yet," came his response as he considered the current circumstances.
"Yeah, you may be right," April sighed as her exotic friends stirred once again. The first to awaken was Raphael, who was lying closest to April and Casey's feet. His brown eyes slowly rolled open before he got up with an irritable grumble.
"Mornin'," he grunted as he rubbed his eyes with his thick green fingers.
"Actually, it's only 2:30 so it's not quite morning yet. But it is good to see you're awake, Raph." April offered a warm smile which the still drowsy Raphael returned with a shrug of his shoulders. He carefully stepped over his still sleeping family, pausing only to briefly look down at his older brother and the female cuddled up to him. He made a face that April couldn't quite read and he headed down the hallway toward the bathroom.
One by one the others began to awaken with stretches, yawns, and a bit of grumbling. April figured they were feeling kind of sluggish because of the chilly conditions in the house. The heat from the electric fireplace might have been what woke them up.
"Morning, guys," April greeted as Casey helped her up from the couch.
"G'mornin' April, Casey," Michelangelo yawned before planning a chaste kiss on the human woman's forehead. "Watcha doin' up so early?" the youngest asked as he rubbed his hands over his still aching arms.
"April said the heat cut off again so she got up to turn on the fireplace so you guys wouldn't freeze," Casey explained as he gave his wife a playful pat on the bottom. Michelangelo gave a brief snort of laughter when April blushed.
"Good lookin' out, April!"
"No problem, Mikey."
After seeing that her turtle friends were doing all right April decided to go back to bed to get some well needed rest. She was eight months pregnant and tired easily carrying around the extra weight. She let Leonardo know that there was plenty of fresh fruit and cereal for them to have for breakfast.
"Oh, we weren't planning on staying for breakfast, April," Leo responded matter-of-factly as he gathered and organized his brothers' gear. Venus was already putting on her gauntlets and gathering her kunai. April noticed her furtive glances at Leonardo, who didn't seem to notice since his back was towards her.
"It's ok if you guys want to chill here for a few days," Casey offered. "Besides, April could use the company while I'm workin'." Casey didn't want them to feel any pressure to leave, especially so soon after the funeral. Venus' eye's lit up and she seemed to like Casey's idea. Leo spoke up before she could pipe in.
"Thanks for the offer, Casey, but we really need to get back to the Lair to take care of some things. We appreciate the offer though." Casey simply shrugged at being turned down with a smile. Leo had a way of letting people down easy so he could spare feelings. Venus pouted a bit wishing silently that Leonardo would speak for himself when it came to rejecting the Jones' offer of hospitality. It took her a moment to work up the courage to speak up to the current head of the Hamato clan.
"Ah, Leonardo, if it's all right I would like to stay here with April for a day or two," the female turtle quietly suggested, noting the slightly irritated glance Leo gave her. Crossing his arms across his chest, he considered her for a minute or two before giving in with a small shrug. He figured she wanted to share some female bonding with April since she hardly got that chance living in a home surrounded by males.
"All right, but only for a day or two. We need you back at the Lair as well, Mei-chan, so don't get so caught up you forget about your obligations." Venus frowned a bit at his lecturing tone and blushed at his use of his personal pet name for her. She was kind of surprised he used it in front of others, since he normally didn't do that. She thought perhaps he felt comfortable using it in front of the human couple since his brothers were in other parts of the house. As of yet he hadn't used that name in front of his brothers.
"You don't have to lecture me, Leonardo, as if I am irresponsible," she grumbled as she frowned up at him. She had finally finished donning her shinobi gear and stood gracefully to her feet. Leonardo cleared his throat, a little embarrassed by his unintentional tone.
"I'm sorry, Mei-chan. I didn't mean to insult you or anything. I know you'll do what's best." Leo smiled and gave her a playful tap on her beak, causing her blush to become even more obvious. By now the younger Hamato brothers began to assemble in the living room. Without a word Leonardo tossed them their ninja gear. April gave each of the boys a hug good-bye before heading back to bed.
"You guys be safe," Casey added before following his wife. When the Turtles were all geared up and ready to go Donatello noticed Venus had settled down on the couch. She smiled brightly as she waved to the other four.
"You're not coming with us?" Donatello inquired with one leg dangling out of a window leading to the fire escape.
"No, but I will follow you in no more than two days. I've decided to keep April some company since Casey will be working twelve hour shifts the next two days," the female reptile explained.
"In that case, we should stay a couple more days too, right Leo?" Mikey asked, his voice overflowing with hope. He was in no hurry to go back to a place that held such bad memories that were fresh in his mind. He knew he had to face a harsh reality that he'd rather avoid until he was emotionally ready.
"Actually, Mike, only Venus is staying behind for now. We're still heading back before sunrise, as planned. The youngest brother looked pretty heartbroken by his oldest brother's response.
"You know, Leo, you got a lot of nerve deciding what we're gonna do for us," Raphael growled in irritation. "What makes you think we're in a hurry to go back to the Lair right now?"
"And you think I am? The thing is no matter how we feel we need to go back. The longer we put off the longer it will take for us to get our lives back on track."
"What about, Venus? She's part of this family too. Why is she staying behind?" Leonardo didn't feel like explaining to his brother that he though Venus could use some time with another female instead of drowning in testosterone as always.
"Raph, let's just go. We shouldn't impose on April and Casey any more than we have." Raphael appeared as if he was going to say something in response, but he changed his mind and merely scowled at his older brother. He also wasn't in the mood to argue, but at the same time he was highly annoyed that Leo, once again, decided what they all were going to do without consulting all of them first. He felt he was taking his leadership to tyrannical levels and he was not pleased at all. At the same time he knew that April needed plenty of rest in her present state. He finally grudgingly agreed to return to the Lair with his brothers. Venus flinched a bit when Raphael shot her a look before climbing out the window after the others. As she gathered up the blankets, sheets and pillows on the living room floor she heard the red masked turtle mumble, "I guess it pays to have a pussy when it comes to getting your way when dealing with Leo."
Anger flashed across her face as she folded the sheets. She found that statement quite insulting. The young shinobi sighed with relief after the brothers were finally gone. She had been having some serious thoughts bouncing around in her head since Master Splinter's death. She was glad she would have a mature female like April to speak to about her concerns from a female perspective. She smiled as she looked forward to what little, but much needed time she would get to spend with her friend.
*Next chapter: Venus shares her worries with April while the brothers start to piece their lives together without their father. It's not going to be easy.