Thanks to everyone who read or reviewed the first chapter! Robyn's words were in italics when I started writing this chapter, but there are several interspersed flashbacks that are also italics and I thought it looked too busy.
Priorities
"Hello?"
"Hi, Robyn. It's me."
"April! Oh, thank God! Are you all right? I've been worried sick! No one has been able to reach you, nobody knew where you were or if you got out of the building..."
April winced. She'd waited three days before she called her. It was far too long to wait, she knew that, but there really wasn't anything she could have done. "Yes, yes, I'm okay! I'm so sorry you were worried but I haven't had any access to a phone until now." Her fingers tightened around one of the cheap pre-paid cell phones that Casey had bought. Mikey insisted on calling them "burn phones" which he (and he alone) found way too entertaining. "It's like we're ninjas and spies!"
"Don't apologize – I'm just glad you're all right."Robyn gained control over her initial burst of relieved tears. She sniffled a bit and April could picture her palming away the dampness on her cheeks the way she always did. "Were you home when it happened?"
"No, I was...staying with a friend out of town. It's kind of remote so I didn't hear what happened right away." That was the story she'd decided on, anyway. Sort of a retreat – you know, leaving her phone, computer, and every single personal possession behind while she did some sort of technology-free cleanse. She shook her head in disgust. Even she didn't buy it, but it was the best she could do.
"Where are you?" her sister asked.
April hesitated minutely as she thought, eyes darting around the dusty farmhouse. Someone was chopping wood out by the barn. The sharp sound of the ax shivered through the chilly winter air. "Somewhere in Massachusetts. I'm not sure exactly where." Well, at least that was true. Casey had been the one driving and she had fallen asleep after they'd crossed the state line.
"Do you need me to come? I was about to buy a plane ticket anyway...the insurance adjustor keeps calling me, and I've been talking to the police every day. I would have come sooner but I was babysitting my friends' kids while they were traveling and I couldn't leave."
"No, I'm fine. Really, Robyn. I'm okay, I wasn't hurt, and I'll take care of things." She could hear her sister crying softly again and she sighed, slumping in her chair. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't call."
"The police said there was a gas leak."
A towering form in razor-sharp metal, flame-red eyes and a savage bass laugh rumbling louder than the thunder, steel clashing against steel, the smell of blood saturating the rain-soaked air. Leonardo was heavy against her, the tacky heat of his blood soaking through her clothing. She shuddered at the feeling but only held him tighter, refusing to let him go. Foot ninja poured through the windows like black rain, sinister and silent. Later, she would wonder how she managed to half-carry a barely conscious Turtle down the stairs and through her shop on her own – but right then, all she felt was her terrified heartbeat pulsing along her limbs, giving desperate strength to her arms and making his muscular weight feel light.
April closed her eyes for a moment. "Yeah, that's...that's what I heard. The building's destroyed, so we'll probably never really know." One thing could be said about the Foot: they were efficient. No charred, black-clad bodies had been left behind to be found by the fire inspector. April had started wondering what would happen when the inspector determined that no bodies at all had been found. Would the Shredder believe they had all been killed? She had seen far too many of Splinter's soap operas to know that death was never certain until you saw the body (and even then, it wasn't quite a guarantee) but maybe they'd get lucky. Maybe vicious ninja assassin cults never watched "General Hospital".
The bigger question was, what would she do when it become public knowledge that rumors of her death had been greatly exaggerated? Or would it even matter? Had she even registered on the Shredder's radar or was she just some human blip eclipsed by the four Turtles he was determined to destroy?
"Well, it was an old building. I suppose it was only a matter of time before something broke beyond repair," Robyn was saying. "Was anyone else hurt?"
April glanced over at the sleeping Turtle on the couch beside her. "Not that I know of." The lie tasted bitter in her mouth.
They stumbled out into the night. Leo's arm was still draped over April's shoulders, and she staggered as she tried to find her footing in the dark alley. She made it three steps before Leonardo lost his slippery hold on consciousness and became dead weight against her. She couldn't compensate for his sudden collapse and she fell to her knees with jarring force as he dragged her down. "Guys, help!"
"Aw, shell – he's out," Raph said. He darted an anxious glance over his shoulder at the burning building as he crouched down. "Give him to me. Hurry." Donatello and April helped the red-masked Turtle settle his unconscious brother on his back. "Don't get used to this, Bro," he grunted, hooking his arms beneath Leo's knees. "This is your first and last piggyback ride."
Don hovered close and kept Leo from falling backwards as Casey extended his hand to April to help her up. "You okay?"
She winced, brushing gravel from her jeans. "Yeah." Casey kept hold of her hand and pulled her along as the first shriek of sirens pierced the air.
Despite their injuries, the pace the Turtles set forced Casey and April to jog to keep up. Their speed saved them. Mere moments after their escape from the destroyed antique shop, the ground bucked beneath their feet and a thunderous explosion ripped through the air. Raphael lurched beneath his burden and would have fallen if Don hadn't caught him. Chunks of charred, flaming debris pelted the ground and thick, hot smoke engulfed them.
April choked back a sob, blinking stinging eyes. Casey, Splinter, and the Turtles stared at her in dismay. "April..." Don murmured.
She shook her head, angrily swiping away her tears, leaving streaks of soot and blood on her cheeks. "We have to go!" she said, willing her voice not to shake. A second explosion shook the air like an aftershock, and they turned and fled as fast as they could, staying close to dirty, graffiti-covered alley walls.
"Okay, so we're going," Mikey said, voice strained. "The question is: where?"
"I got a place we can lay low," Casey said determinedly. "But we can't keep goin' like this. You guys find a place to hide. I'll go get some wheels."
Don picked the lock on the back door of a second-hand clothing store and they filed quickly inside the cluttered storage room. Casey sprinted away, promising to be back soon. Raph settled against the wall and curled protectively around Leonardo. Don knelt next to him on the dusty floor, pulling off first his own mask and then Raphael's to begin a desperate attempt to staunch the bleeding from the worst of Leo's wounds. April huddled between Michelangelo and Splinter in the dark, took a deep breath, and refused to cry.
Robyn's voice cut through the dark, turbulent memory."Have you given any thought to what you'll do now?"
"I don't know what I'm going to do," she said with a sad little sigh, ignoring the guilt that plucked at her sleeve as she realized it was the first completely truthful sentence she'd uttered during the whole conversation. She'd gotten pretty good at telling it slant over the past year. "I'll probably stay with my friend for a while – at least until I can figure out how to rebuild or move or something so I can open the store again."
April could practically hear Robyn's eyebrows lifting. "You want to reopen?"
She did not want to have this conversation. Forcing her voice to sound light and casual, she said, "Well, I put so much effort into getting that place set up. And, you know, it was kind of nice having the old shop open again. Don't you remember running around that place when we were kids?"
Her sister didn't answer right away. "But, April...everything's gone," she said gently, sidestepping the attempt at diversion. "Is it even worth it? I know your contract with Dr. Stockman had some kind of non-compete clause in it, but that time has to be up by now, right? I don't mean to sound insensitive, but wouldn't it be better to cut your losses and go back to your own field?"
Robyn was right. April's initial contract with the Stocktronics corporation had stipulated that if she were to leave the company, she couldn't work for a competitor for twelve months. She couldn't explain why she had chosen to open Second Time Around instead of looking for another temporary job. All she knew was that it had felt right. "You're right," she said aloud. "I know what I'm doing hasn't made sense, and I know you want an explanation. You're not the only one. Aunt Nora has had a few things to say, too."
"Oh, Lord, I can just imagine," Robyn groaned sympathetically. "But please tell me you don't think I'm some cranky shrew who can't mind her own business. I just want to make sure you know what you're doing. Mom and Dad had the mortgage paid off and the insurance money would be enough to give you a fresh start. You don't even have to stay in New York if you don't want to. We grew up in the city, but we don't have any family left there now. Before you found out about the job with Stocktronics you were thinking about leaving."
"Robyn. You've always had a clear idea of what you wanted to do with your life, and you're doing it. I know how that feels. That used to be me." She tucked her hair behind her ear with her free hand. "But after running the shop for a while I realized that maybe I wanted something different out of life than I thought I wanted. I don't expect you to understand because you haven't felt that way. But can you at least believe me?"
"...Does it mean that much to you to stay?"
April didn't answer. She just stared out the smudged windowpanes. The brooding clouds had broken open and rain was spattering against the glass. Whoever was chopping wood wasn't letting it stop them. Probably Raph.
After Leo's fever finally broke, he sank heavily into deep, natural sleep. When the first heady relief passed, the full reality of what had happened came crashing down. She should have known that Michelangelo would be the one who noticed she'd slipped away. He found her in the kitchen, staring at the teapot sitting on a burner she'd forgotten to turn on.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
She blinked at him, wondering why he looked blurred around the edges until she realized silent tears were running down her cheeks. She quickly swiped the cuff of her sleeve across her eyes and took a deep breath, stopping her tears. "What for?"
"This is our fault," he answered, looking guiltily at the worn wooden floorboards as he entered the room. "If you hadn't helped us..."
"Mike. Stop." She stepped forward, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Look at me." He lifted his head, reluctantly making eye contact. "This isn't your fault. No matter what happens, I will never regret helping you. I meant what I said – you guys are family. I lost my store. I lost my home, and to be honest I have no idea where to go from here. But I saved you. We saved Leo." Her throat constricted, and her eyes stung with fresh tears as she realized anew what she had very nearly lost. "It was just a building. I'd willingly sacrifice a lot more if it meant saving my family."
Mikey startled her by slipping his strong arms around her to pull her into a firm hug, hiding his face against her shoulder. It hurt a little – the Turtles were usually careful to temper their strength around her but he was exhausted, battered, and scared. But she ignored the pressure and the blunt edges of his shell digging into her ribs and hugged him back. And she told him something that she had never said out loud, something that was long overdue. "I love you, little brother."
Robyn sighed into the phone, breaking the silence. "Look, April, I'm here for you. I can't pretend to understand, but that doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that you're all right. Anything you need, let me know. And if this is really important to you, then I'm behind you. Okay?"
A surge of affection and gratitude toward her sister warmed April from head to toe even in the drafty farmhouse. A sharp gust of wind rattled the loose window shutters, and Leo murmured in his sleep. April turned to look at him from her chair next to the sofa, huddled under his pile of blankets. The first bleak days where his life had hung in the balance were over, but he still looked young and very tired without his mask. The skin around his eyes had a bruised look, pulled taut with residual pain even in sleep. He shifted uncomfortably and a frown furrowed the smooth skin of his forehead.
April reached out and rested her hand very softly on his brow. She rubbed her thumb lightly over the little worry wrinkle between his eyes until the frown smoothed out and he slipped back into deep, dreamless sleep. A fond smile curled her lips.
"Thanks, Robyn. It's important."