Homeward Bound

by Beeder

After being faced with an impossible choice, Angel must decide who she truly is and where she truly belongs: in the human world above or the mutant world below. In an epic conflict between heart and head, she discovers where her true loyalties lie. Follow up to the story Angel Wings.

2. Chapter 2

p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"April's apartment was totally decked out before we even arrived. It had streamers, balloons, bowls of various candies, candles lighting the entire room instead of lights and what appeared to be an at-home spa set-up in her kitchen. I gawked. April just giggled. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "I had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen when they found out you had tried to skip your birthday and I planned style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLeo only called me an hour or so ago, so I didn't have much time to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut I think it turned out well, don't you?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "No pink," Irma noted approvingly. "That's good. I can only stand pink for so long before I go bonkers. If we plan to finish everything tonight I'm gonna have to have a clear mind" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "And what all did you have in mind?" I queried, wary of their answer. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "Oh, nothing much, dear. First dinner, than a spa night, doing our nails, then watching a movie. By the time the movie gets finished we'll drop you off at the lair. You're all theirs for the rest of the night."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "Oh, bother." I moaned good-naturedly. "So what's for dinner?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "Chinese Takeout." Replied Irma enthusiastically. "And I ordered plenty, so you'd better actually eat somethin' tonight. You look like you're made of skin and bones, girl."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "To be fair, I've been literally eating like a bird for the past five months and let me tell you, that's not much to live off of. Even for me." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "I can tell, hon, now let's get you into the shower."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in; tab-stops: center 4.0in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "But...food."span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" "Food will have to wait. You stink and I won't be able to hold my breath for much longer so get in there!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" I rolled my eyes, but I complied, locking myself in the bathroom. My large wings were awkward in the small shower. I bumped against the wall multiple times and knocked over the shampoo bottle at least a dozen times. Eventually, after scrubbing every inch of my body, I was done. I was clean. And I was hungry. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" I entered the room in my pajamas, the bottom of my pants dragging on the floor as I walked. I realized with a start that I had missed being around people, missed hearing the sound of other peoples' style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe five months by myself had helped me recover from the trauma of my capture and now I was back and I needed to rebuild the life I had here before this all style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIrma gave me a smile as I walked in, tossing me a soda style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI caught it easily./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""About time you showed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril ran down to the lobby to get our food delivery, but she'll be up style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhile we wait, you and I can pick out a movie and get started on the spa stuff" she said, making a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI raised an eyebrow and sat down next to her on the couch./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Irma, you wouldn't touch anything even remotely related to a spa with a ten foot pole before I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhat happened?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""I did," answered a voice from the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril was there, expertly balancing at least half a dozen boxes of takeout in her arms and sliding the door shut with her foot while simultaneously tossing her room keys onto the little table she had beside the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"With you gone, I had no one to have a girls' night style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSo, Irma became my next style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was quite fun, actually!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDid you know you can curl her hair and it looks absolutely gorgeous?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"Irma shrieked in protest, but I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"No way!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI simply must see this."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDefinitely style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI'm leaving," huffed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe stood up and made for the door, but I squeaked and grabbed hold of her wrist, preventing her from style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""No, no!" I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"I won't subject you to that kind of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAt least, not tonight."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""That's right," she affirmed, sitting back down and giving me a mischievous grin. "Tonight, we get to work on em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"you/em."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""What?!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""She's right," said April firmly, shoving a box of food into my open style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe aroma wafted out from the box and filled my nose, making my mouth style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril continued, "You've had the last five months to yourself and skipped out on your style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanUntil the boys are here breaking the door down—"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Which might not take too long," muttered Irma under her breath./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""—then you belong to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSo let's see… I'm going to start with your hair, then do your nails, then your style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIrma, can you start preening her wings?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI don't want any yucky feathers messing up my look when I'm done."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"Excuse me? /emYuck!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNo style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI'm not pulling out any moldy style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNuh-uh." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Guys, that won't be necessary, really!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI always preen before a long flight, so I'm clean, thank you very much. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBesides, my feathers are all black, remember?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou wouldn't be able to tell the difference style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd my feathers are not moldy!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Okay, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFair enough," agreed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIrma just shrugged and went back to eating the chicken she had started nibbling on from one of the many boxes now cluttering the coffee style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"So I start with the hair, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSimple."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""What are you going to do with my hair?" I asked warily, leaning away from her slightly. She just chuckled, taking the unopened box of food out of my hand and pulling me up into a standing style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI grabbed for the food, but she swatted my hand away and shoved me back toward the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""First I'm going to trim it and maybe give it some style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNothing style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust a little style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen I'll figure out what I want to actually do with it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""But I want em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"food!/em" I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe tsk-tsk-ed at me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Then you should have started eating when you had the chance, sweetie"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""I was defending my feathers from your unnecessary and completely unscrupulous comments!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""That was Irma, not me, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSpeaking of Irma… Irma!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanCan you put the movie in and get to the opening scene?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Sure thing, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShould I just pick one?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMake it a long style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe need an actual excuse to keep her here for more than an hour if we want to keep her away from the boys" she called, putting her hand on the small of my back and leading me into the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI heard Irma style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI couldn't help but chuckle, too./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""You guys are making it seem like you're going to have to actually fight them to keep me here." I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril winked at me, but then a sad look came over her face as she began to get the small vanity ready for her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI sat on the edge of the bath and turned my back towards her, lowering my wings so she could get to my hair, and waited for her to speak./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""They've missed you, Angel," she said at style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI could hear the pain in her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"More than they care to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou've become such a huge part of the family, such an important person to all of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut to them style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIrma and I are their connection to up here, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut you, you are with them all the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou got to know them in ways I'll never style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou're… Oh, how do I say this?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanUm, let me put it this style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI know it was months ago, and I hope you'll forgive me for bringing it up, but when you were taken from by Hun and his cronies…"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI flinched involuntarily as she said style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril, not noticing, started brushing through my hair as she style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"… the boys were style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNo, they were beyond style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey were style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI'd never seen them so style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd then they got you back and… Oh, I wish you could have seen the change in style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI swear it was like looking at totally different style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey were so happy and were actually laughing again. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was so funny to see them get so protective over you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Funny?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanTry borderline annoying." I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril just smiled./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""I know after a while, not letting you go anywhere unaccompanied was probably a little frustrating, but can you blame them?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey let you out of their sight for three minutes and suddenly you were gone for what might have been style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey weren't willing to go through that style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd then they could tell that something was off with you, and that bothered style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou should have heard the midnight conversations Leo and I had as he tried to explain to me what you were doing and I suggested what he do about style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe was so worried, em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"is/em so worried, about style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut you were past the point of our aid and needed some time on your own, we could style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen, in the nick of time, Splinter suggested you take some time to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanEveryone agreed, but then you said you'd be gone for so long…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""The boys have been without you for far too long and it really was only by Mikey's good graces that we actually got you style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI wish you could see the change in all of them like I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey need style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust as much as you need them."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril wasn't offended by my silence, for which I was grateful, and she gave my shoulder an affectionate style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI leaned my head on her hand for a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen she was back to brushing my hair and the moment was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNot gone, just style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanEventually she had me sit on the counter with my hair over the sink so she could cut it (somehow managing to avoid clipping my wings in the crowded space, thank goodness).span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen she added some goo here and other nasty-smelling liquids there, then had me sit absolutely still for a few minutes while she let it style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSeveral steps and many different hair products later, my hair was successfully trimmed and highlighted here and there with a gorgeous tawny style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril looked over her work approvingly, occasionally tugging a curl here or there to separate it from the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFinally she said, " style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou're done style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLet's go get some food and I can start on your nails."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Deal!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI can definitely eat one-handed if I need to." I said eagerly, not bothering to look in the mirror at my new style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril frowned slightly, but I was too focused on getting to the food to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIrma had picked one of my favourite musicals as the movie and I squealed in style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""How'd you know?" I asked style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe shrugged, slurping a noodle in a most un-ladylike style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Lucky style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI had heard you sing it enough times before you went to your five-month time-out session to realize you probably liked it" she style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI frowned, realizing that the first time Irma had met me was during a time where I had been still recovering from the whole capture style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe had barely known each other for three weeks before I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"I grabbed a box of food and a fork and began eating before April or Irma could demand I stop em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"again/em to do something totally less important than eating food, like finding pajamas that actually fit and didn't drag on the floor when I walked or style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou never knew with these style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe ended up watching the movie for a good hour before April remembered she wanted to do my nails and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAfter some finagling, I was able to convince her that doing my nails was not an option./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Besides," Irma piped in, eating her third fortune cookie, "We both know that she'd scrape them off the second you left her alone long style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt's what I do."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"April frowned at me, but I just held up my hands in the I-surrender style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"You know she's right, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI'm sorry, but it's style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou know I never wait long enough for them to dry before I do something so I always end up with nail polish in my hair or on my wings and not on my nails. And that stuff never comes out."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNever" confirmed Irma, lifting her foot into the air to reveal a bright pink splotch on the outside of her style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril gawked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""When did you use bright pink nail polish?" she asked, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIrma grimaced./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Seven years ago, when I was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI haven't grown since then and these are my favourite shoes."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""You've had those shoes for seven years?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Eight, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe first year I was too in love with them to even take them out of the box, let alone wear style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhen I finally did begin to wear them, it was mostly inside the house and only a precious few times outside on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt wasn't really until I hit high-school that I started wearing them all the time"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""As in, literally all the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI don't think I've ever seen the chickadee without them" said a voice from the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAll three of us spun, only to see an upside-down Mikey hanging from the fire-escape above our floor so he could see in through the window, which was propped style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIrma shrieked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""No! You don't get her yet!" she cried, scrambling for the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMikey, realizing too late what she was doing, reached for the window but, in doing so, lost his grip on the fire-escape and crash landed on the metal mesh style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanA tangle of limbs and gear, he finally managed to stand up, only to see Irma latch the lock to the window from the inside and slam the blinds style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMikey pounded on the glass in despair./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""But we're ready!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou've had your turn and now it's style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanShe's our sister, for crying out style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDon't family count for anything?" he style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanInside, Irma stubbornly crossed her arms and yelled through the glass./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""She may be your sister, but she's my twin, so BACK OFF!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe get her for at least another hour and a half."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Not cool, man!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanPlease? I—ow!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"There was the sound of a smack, followed by a rumble that sounded suspiciously like Raphael, who had, presumably, been hiding up on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI strained my ears to listen./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Jus' let 'em have her until the movie style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt's not like she's disappearin' again anytime style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was your idea to send her over here in the first place, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNow ya gotta deal with it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""But I don't want to deal with style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI want my little birdie back!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""We all do, shell-head, but you gotta let girls have their style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt's, like, an unspoken rule or somethin'.span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBesides, April'll bite our heads off if we don' let em finish whatever stuff they're doin' in there."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""But I—Oh, blast style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou mean we have to…? Aw, man!" Then, speaking loud enough to be heard normally through the glass: "Okay, you guys can keep her until you're style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust make sure she gets over to our place as soon as possible, okay?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Sure thing, Mike!" assured Irma, turning back toward style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI giggled./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""You guys were right about having to fight to keep me here."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Well, seeing as we're now on borrowed time, why don't we get going?" suggested style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"If you insist upon me not doing your nails, let me at least do your makeup."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""If you must."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"It went like that for the rest of the evening: me eating food while April tried patiently to get my makeup on, Irma sitting on the couch laughing at me and feeling glad April wasn't trying to put makeup on her, and the movie playing softly in the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanEventually April did succeed in her task, though I didn't bother to look at myself too long in the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI thought of myself as a plain girl, and whoever it was that was looking at me was most certainly not plain and therefore could not be style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAfter the movie was finished, we all agreed to play a card game and just chat for a while before I headed back to the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""So what's your plan now?" Irma asked, playing her UNO style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI shrugged./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""No style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust keep going on with life like normal, I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI'll have Donnie help me get registered for some online classes so I can finish my junior year and eventually graduate high school."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Angel, dear, you have no way to do style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs far as the school system is concerned, whoever you were before you mutated is style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou'll have to start from scratch, I'm afraid" said April, giving me a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI groaned./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Aw, great!" I cried./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""What? The card or the whole having-to-redo-high-school deal?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Yes!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBoth, I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI mean, look at it, Irma!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNot only do I have to endure preCalc again, but I have to draw four stinkin' cards because April here is a little stinker."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Little?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou're the tiny one here, dear."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"Suddenly there was a buzz from April's cell style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanEveryone style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen, answering the phone, April started to laugh to herself as she heard whoever it was on the other side begin to talk./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""It's the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou have approximately three minutes to get to the top of the roof before Raph storms in here and steals you himself, apparently."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""He'd never fit through the window." I said, calling his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThere was the sound of a static-y em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"'oh, yeah?' /emfrom the phone and I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMaybe I was wrong on that style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Okay, then, I guess that means I'd better get style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI need to take extra care to not mess up this new look of mine, now don't I?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd that means it'll take longer for me to get to the roof."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBetter get goin' then," Irma admitted, giving me a quick style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI hugged her back style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen, after hugging April and thanking them both for the wonderful evening, I hopped out the window and into the night style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"I hadn't been in the air but a few seconds before something huge crashed into me and sent me flying sideways, pinning my wings against my back and rendering them style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI screamed and braced myself for impact, but my screams turned to giggles as Mikey turned our tumble into a controlled fall onto the neighboring style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe landed on his back, spinning from the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFinally we came to a halt and I sat up on his chest dizzily, still laughing./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Good to know you're still alive," I said, standing style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe winked at me from his spot on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI tried to take a few steps backward so I could help him get up, but my dizziness overwhelmed me and I tripped over my own style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanTwo impossibly strong hands caught my elbows and kept me from style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI looked up at my walking safety net./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Thanks, Leo"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""No problem, stinker" he teased, helping me to my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI shook my head to clear the last of the dizziness away./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""I'm not a stinker!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApril and Irma both insisted I shower before they fed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd then April insisted she do my hair and my makeup and she was about to find pajamas that actually fit me but then you called and—"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Wait, April did your hair?" demanded Mikey, scrambling to his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph came over to join in the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSuddenly standing between the three massive turtles I began to feel very style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNot that I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI always liked feeling small anyway./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLook!" I turned and lowered my wings so he could see my new hairdo in the dim style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLeo's eyes widened and Mikey straight-out style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI pretended to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"It's not like you never saw me do my hair," I chided./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Yeah, but It's just so…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Beautiful?" Leo style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanA slight blush crept up my cheeks at the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBefore I could stammer out an answer and make a fool of myself, Leo's shell-cell began beeping style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe pulled it out of his belt and looked at the screen, his gaze style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"We've got to go," he said style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Mikey, I'm sorry but your party is going to have to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDonnie said there's something fishy going on down at the docks and we need to get there ASAP."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Well of course there's something fishy at the docks," grumbled Mikey, folding his arms. "They're em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"docks/em! There will always be fish there."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLeo, ignoring Mikey's quips, turned to me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Do you want to come, Angel?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI know you just got back, so it's totally up to you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIf there's trouble, I want to be there to fix style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBesides, it's about time I got back in the swing of things," I assured style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe nodded once./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Are you going to fly?" he style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI rolled my eyes and took off into the air, smirking as I watched them topple over from my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI made it to the docks with a few minutes to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph and I made it before Leo and Mikey, so Don had some time to give me a run-down of the situation before the fighting style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanApparently he had picked up some weird signals coming from em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"under/em the water in the East River that were unlike anything he had seen style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe wanted to check it out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""So you called off Mikey's party on account of some weird fish-calls?" asked Raph style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDonnie frowned and pulled his goggles over his eyes, pulling up his holographic computer style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe pressed a few buttons until a recording came up. It didn't sound like much, just a bunch of static intermixed with random clicks and whistles./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""If those are fish noises, then Animal Planet needs to rethink their show," he said. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"The dock itself was pretty dismal, many of the boards going out to the river cracked and all of them slimy and wet with moss to some style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph and I started patrolling the edge of the dock while Don checked the water. Leo and Mikey showed up a few minutes style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe hadn't been there for three minutes before a man stepped out of the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe was a tall, gangly creature with mouse-like features and a bad style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe wringed his hands nervously as he looked at the Turtles, then he saw me. His pale yellow eyes lit up as his gaze met mine, and I felt my skin crawl in style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""You came," the man said simply. He giggled nervously, wringing his hands even style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI thought they were going to unscrew at the wrists and fall off at his feet. "I d-d-didn't think you'd actually style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThis is great!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Why did you want us to come in the first place?" asked Leo dangerously, his katana ready in his hands. The others were similarly style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""I-I-I was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanTo deliver a m-m-m… a m-message," he style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""What's it say?" Raph barked, taking slow steps toward style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe man flinched and backed away./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""I'm n-n-not sup-p-p-posed to actually s-say style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust g-g-get you to listen to it."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""And how are we supposed to listen to the message if you won't tell us?" asked style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"I mean, Donnie's smart and all, but even he can't listen to telepathy thingies." Then he turned to Donnie. "Right? You can't…"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDonatello just rolled his eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"You/em don't hear the message," said the man, suddenly sure of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe stood straight and stopped wringing his style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs we watched, the frail mousey-man who stood before us em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"transformed /embefore our very style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe grew taller; his chest and shoulders grew broader; his pasty white skin grew darker and darker until it was a deep chocolate-colour; he filled out and became style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe wore nothing but sturdy camo pants and combat style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanGone was the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBefore us stood someone who could be a body-builder, an Olympian, a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe spoke again, his voice now style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"They/em fight style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanem style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"You /emhears the message."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"With a start I realized he was looking directly at style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHis eyes were the different, now a dark brown, almost black color, but now they were filled something other than fear: pity, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWithout a word, the Turtles circled around me and looked at the man who had suddenly become a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust as silently, dozens of men began slinking out of the shadows of the dock, some even climbing up from under the soggy dock style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey weren't anything to be afraid of individually, just low-lifes and punks with big sticks that hung around deserted corners late at night, but the sheer number of them would provide a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Angel," Leo said, turning his head a fraction so I could hear him but never letting his eyes leave the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"You need to get out of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAs soon as they start attacking, take to the sky and don't stop until you get to the lair, understand?"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI gulped./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Sure style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou sure you can handle it here?" I asked, making half and attempt at a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLeo never got the chance to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe goons all attacked at once, charging the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOnce the fighting began, I took to the sky as soon as the guys were clear, but I hadn't made it twenty feet before I felt something wrap around my ankle and tug me down to the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI landed in a huff, nearly twisting a wing when I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI scrambled for the chain around my ankle, but it was all tangled style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSuddenly, a pair of big, black hands covered mine and dragged me to my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe man who had refused to deliver the message held me up a few inches above the ground and for the millionth time I cursed my legs for being so style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI tried to kick him, but he spun me around so my back was to him and pinned me in a massive bear-hug-like grip that pushed all the air out of my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI heard Donnie yell something at me, but I was too focused on trying to suck in some air to really hear him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""You don't have to be like this, you know," whispered the man into my ear as he began walking backwards toward the end of the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Like em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"them/em."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe nodded toward the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen he added quietly, "Like style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe're not normal, are we?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSomething is different inside our genes, inside our style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanFor them, they're half-human, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou're style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI can be whatever I want to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut we're not happy with that, are we?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOh, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe want to be em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"normal/em!" He hissed the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe were almost to the edge off the dock and I was truly desperate for style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI could see black spots at the edge of my vision and my struggles to get free were becoming weaker and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe chain attached to my ankle, I noted vaguely, was also attached to a two-hundred-pound weight at the end of the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"Suddenly he dropped style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI fell to the ground, gasping for air. The man looked at me blankly. Then, out of nowhere, he knelt down beside me, took my face in his hands, and kissed me gently on both style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLooking me directly in the eyes, he said just loud enough for me to hear, "Little style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust think about it, okay?"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWith that, he shoved the weight over the edge of the dock and into the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI barely had enough time to suck in one last breath before my chain dragged me off the edge of the dock and into the freezing East style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"The weight hit the bottom of the river within seconds—the part we were at was only about forty feet deep, after all—but the pressure was still style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMy head felt like it was going to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI screwed my eyes shut in an effort to keep them from popping out of my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIn the midst of all this I heard a strange sound in the quiet of the river: the sound of two pebbles being hit style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanTo a normal person it would sound like just that, but I recognized it as the call of the black scoter, a seabird with a unique style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe clicking sound was followed by eerie wolf-like call of the loon. It was a strange sound to hear at the bottom of the East River, but what the calls were saying (thank you, mutation skills) interested me style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""…don't have to be like this your whole style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou can be em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;" style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou can be with your family style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIsn't that what you want? To be with them again? I can make you style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI can take away your style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou don't have to be like this your whole life…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""…help style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou can help style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe can help each style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou just have to let style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI, Baxter Stockman, promise not to hurt you any more than in necessary to make you style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust please, let me help style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI can help you…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"The two voices chirped at the same time, but I was able to make out both style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI didn't register what they were actually saying because I was too focused on my head feeling like it was going to explode, but something told me it was very style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanJust when I was ready to accept my fate and die on the bottom of the river, something broke the chain holding me to the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI began floating upward, but stopped a good twenty feet below the surface—my wings were dragging me style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanUsually so waterproof, the rush downward had gotten through my outer layers of feathers and drenched the soft inner style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNow my wings felt like fifty-pound weights on my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI couldn't swim upward—they were too style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"Suddenly a pair of hands gripped mine and I was rocketing style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMy head broke the surface and once again I found myself gasping for style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMy wings started to pull me back down again and Raph grabbed my arm, hoisting me back up style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe was treading water, but he could easily support both my weight and his. Leo, too, was in the water with style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMikey and Donnie were still on the dock taking out the last of the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLungs still heaving, I tried in vain to make my way to the wooden structure, but my wings were deadweight, even when I tried to flap them and push me style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph grabbed me and shifted me until I was laying on his shell, arms wrapped around his neck, while he paddled toward the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLeo was right behind us, making sure I didn't all style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOnce we reached the dock, Raph handed me to Mikey, who pulled me up onto the dock and laid me down on my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMy chest heaved and filthy river water gushed out of my mouth, burning my lungs and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI hadn't even realized that I'd swallowed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Vital signs are way off but slowly style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanCore temperature rising back to style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBlood pressure style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAdrenaline levels still high…" Donnie said, crouching over me and using his techy thingies to make sure I was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI began shivering violently, though whether it was from being wet or nearly drowning I couldn't style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Oh, angelcakes, you're gonna be alright, okay?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWe're gonna get you all patched up and you're going to be just fine," assured Mikey hurriedly, peeking over Don's style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph and Leo, who had finally pulled themselves out of the river and onto the dock, were taking off what gear they could to wring the water out of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""The kid isn't back for ten minutes and yet she still manages to almost drown in the river."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""It wasn't her fault," chided style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph just rolled his eyes. After making sure I could count backwards from twenty and that I knew my ABC's, Donnie let me stand style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMy wings and clothes were still dripping wet, so instantly there was a puddle of murky water at my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI pouted./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""April would kill me if she saw the state I was style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd I just took a shower, too!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanNow I'm going to have to do that all over again just so I can smell somewhat decent."span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMy voice sounded scratchy. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Can you do that at home?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI know we don't have all the fancy stuff that April does, but we've got everything all nice and clean for you and I've got a killer party all set up and I've been waiting for this day for months, little bird, and—ow!" Mikey was interrupted by a smack on the back of the head from Raph, who had come style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""She's got the idea, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou mention the party one more time and I'm gonna…"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Got it!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanGot style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou don't have to be so pushy about style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanGeez"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"Leo came style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"Before any of that happens, do you guys have any idea who that man was?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe one that transformed, or whatever it was that he did?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Baxter Stockman," I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDonnie looked at me sharply./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""How do you know that?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"Suddenly I was very reluctant to tell them what I had heard in the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI hadn't had time to really register anything that had been said, but something told me that if I told the guys about what I had heard that I would never get the chance to really sort it out for style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSo I bent the truth a style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""He told me style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRight before he threw me into the river."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""But Stockman died years ago," Donnie style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"It was in the papers for a while and every scientific mind mourned his loss, including style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe was an absolute genius!span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanOne of the greatest minds in biomechanical engineering to ever walk the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut like I said, he died in a car style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThere's no way it could have been style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWhoever that man was, he was most definitely not a human, let alone a dead one." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"I opened my mouth to protest, knowing full well that they would believe me if I actually tried to convince them, but something stopped style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMikey was the only one to notice my slight hesitation before I quickly changed my alibi. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Then I must have heard style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWith my adrenaline rushing the way it was and with how loudly the river was rushing, he could have said pretty much style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI guess Stockman's name somehow popped into my head while I was down in the river." I said, not meeting anyone's style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThey seemed to buy it, though Mikey gave me a curious look. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"We finally started making our way back to the lair, where I promptly took a shower and put on some old clothes I found in my style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThen Mikey led me into the front style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI don't know how long he had spent decorating the place, but it looked style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThere were balloons, streamers, pillows the size of me, and stuffed animals galore on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe had even made a fort out of couch cushions and blankets right in front of the TV just big enough for the two of us to fit in if we wanted,span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDonnie had cleaned up his computer desk so it wasn't the usual mess in the corner that I had gotten used style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLeo had disappeared as soon as we had arrived to update Splinter on what had happened, but he had finished and was talking with Raph on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBoth of them were sprawled out lazily on the assortment of cushions and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDonnie was still in his lab researching the details of stockman's death just to be style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI slipped inside the doors to his lab and left Mikey to get the food ready and the movie style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanSure enough, there was Don with his little laptop researching everything he could find on the late Baxter style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI glided over to him and gently, but firmly, shut the lid of his laptop, causing him to blink rapidly for a few seconds as he transitioned back to reality./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Really, Dee," I said as calmly as I could, "I was just imagining style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt must have been somebody style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLet's not worry about that right now, okay?span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMike's got this whole party planned and we would both be disappointed if you weren't there to share in the fun."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"Donnie chuckled and stretched his arms above his head, his muscles flexing just the tiniest style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI was struck once again at just how strong he was. "And I'm pretty sure you'd both kill me if I wasn't there style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanLet's get out there before the others realize we're gone," he said, moving his laptop to his work station desk and standing style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI followed him out of the room, but stopped at the doorway to the living room and leaned against the wall, looking inside. I smiled to myself as the purple-clad turtle settled down next to his brothers on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMikey came out with the food things and set them down on the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe had to swat his brothers' hands away as they tried to grab for the food, insisting that they should wait for me to start style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph made some joke and everybody started style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"As I watched these four turtles, four brothers that had taken me in so long ago, a memory stirred of my human family style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMy heart ached as I remembered them and I longed to see them style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe last time I had done that was last Christmas, and that didn't really style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd if what Stockman had promised me under the river was actually possible, that he could change me back to being human… I could go back to life with my family./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"But you have a family here,/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;" a little voice screamed inside of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI grimaced./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"But I have one up there, style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanAnd that's where I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanWith them, with people!, a/span/emspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"nother part of me argued back./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"em style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"But they've moved on without style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanYou wouldn't be able to fit in anymore. /span/emspan style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"It countered. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Hey, pigeon!" Raph called to me, spotting me there in the style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI shoved my arguing voices deep down into a bottle of emotion and screwed the lid on as tight as I style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI would deal with them style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI plastered on a smile and hopped over to where the Turtles style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Are we ready to get started yet?" I teased, settling on Mikey's style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHe grinned and hugged me around my waist./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""Now that I've got my personal lap heater, yeah" he said, throwing Raph a smug style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanRaph rolled his eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""You know you're gonna share, right?" he style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanMikey grinned mischievously./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;""We'll see about that."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-family: 'Arial',sans-serif;"The playful banter went on like that until the movie started, where it quieted down to a few quiet comments or jokes here and style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanThe cake Mikey had made was divine and I had more pieces than I probably should style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanBut each time I took a bite, the lid on my emotion bottle unscrewed just the slightest bit and I had to keep pushing it style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanDown, down, down./span/p