That season finale huh? The last scene though? Who goes from, "We've just lost everyone and everything we've ever known." to "ooo hot chocolate" and "awesome!"? So wrong.
I stared at the cup the robot man was holding out to me.
"Hot chocolate? I just saw the Shredder murder my Dad. I just saw my planet sucked into a space hole thingy, and you think I want hot chocolate?!"
The only thing keeping me from putting the smack down on the shiny jerk was that he'd just saved the rest of my family.
"Oh yes. Of course. I'm sorry, I just, well… What do you do for someone that has just endured such a tragedy?"
Leo spoke softly from the middle of the room, still focussed on the screen where everything used to be.
"Nothing. There's nothing you can do. I'm sorry Professor, you saved our lives and for that we thank you but," he turned flat eyes of ice to the robot dude, "is there somewhere we can be alone? We need some time before we can handle anything else I think."
No duh.
"Absolutely. Just follow the lights in the corridor. They will lead you to available quarters."
Leo managed half a bow before gently taking Donnie by the arm and leading him to the door, like a man pulling a mannequin across the floor. Casey and April followed right behind, they looked like the only thing keeping them up was each other. I searched for Raph. He was at the back of the room, facing the wall, his head bowed and shoulders shaking. I nearly lost it then, instead I walked over.
"Raphie?"
Suddenly all I could see was Raph's plastron, yellow, scuffed and echoing with his heartbeat. I held on to him just as tight, I needed that sound right now.
"Mikey…."
I've never heard Raph so broken, not even after the Krang invasion last year. But we still had hope then didn't we? He sniffed wetly, loud in my ear.
"C'mon little brother." As if I was the one holding us up.
We shuffled to the door, trailing behind the others into the bright shiny corridor. Too bright, too shiny. It reminded me of a Krang lab. *choke* Leatherhead.
No one said anything until we reached a set of doors where the lights stopped. Leo stepped forward cautiously, the doors slid open. Grocery store doors. The room inside was just as bare as everything else we'd seen on this ship so far, but there was a big, round bed in the middle.
"I don't think I can sleep Leo." I was surprised when April spoke up. Leo carefully guided Donnie down onto the covers, then strode over to the humans. One hand on Casey's shoulder, he used his other to guide April's face away from the boy's chest.
"I don't either, but right now, I don't think any of us are up to more than resting," his face crumpled, "and mourning."
That did it, we all started crying. One by one, Leo led us to Donnie and the bed until we were all piled in together. Knotted up, we clung to each other, weeping, trying to squeeze the pain out. Casey for his Dad and sister. April for her Dad, Aunt and who knows how many others. Me and my bros? Ice cream kitty, Murakami, Slash, Karai!...chichi…. I was clenching my teeth so hard, I half expected them to crack. Then, a gentle hand, just sitting on top of my head. I managed to open my eyes enough to look up.
Leo was still standing, not making a sound, just twin lines of tears running down his face. All I could think was….What now?
