Alice swore that nothing had ever hurt more in her whole life than the headache that pounded through her brain until it forced her to come to consciousness again. It felt like hands a thousand times stronger than hers were attempting to awkwardly and forcefully massage her temples. She pushed her eyes tighter together as if she could force herself back to sleep and make it go away.

"Hurts?" The male voice coursed with a sweet naivety and slight accent that brought back memories of when she used to travel to the beach with her dad for a day of surfing.

She went to answer him but the vibrations that her own vocal cords sent through her hurt just as much. Alice moved her arms to help her sit up but as the blood rushed to her head the pain intensified.

"Woah woah don't force it!" A large hand pressed gently on her shoulder; a suggestion to remain lying down but not forcing her to. "You took a couple of pretty intense hits to the head last night it's bound to hurt. There's also a pretty nasty bruise on your eyebrow."

"Yeah I can feel it," she choked out. "So... you are..?"

He chuckled quietly. "I'm the guy who saved you."

The memories of last night slowly trickled back to her and a small giggle slithered out. "You were the guy getting his ass kicked before I showed up."

He went quiet for a moment. "Yeah well...I won in the end that's what matters."

She smiled and started shake her head loose of its drowsiness and ache. She felt that hand squeeze on her shoulder again, this time for her attention.

"Before...before you open your eyes. I have to ask you something."

"What?"

"Please don't scream."

Alice's mind suddenly began to race with all the possibilities. She'd never heard a request quiet like that and every horror movie possibility raced through her mind. The anxiety and anticipation caused her body to vibrate with the shivers and his hand quickly pulled from her. He had taken that offensively. Whatever it was he was afraid of her seeing he was very sensitive about.

"I...will try," she told him promising nothing. If he was a murderer she didn't want to offend him; that would only provoke him.

Her eyes fluttered a few times as her own body came into focus. She was lying on the linoleum floor of a kitchen that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in weeks. The dust coated her finger tips and felt thick against the side of her face. A pale light poured in through the dirty window and was the only light she could find as none of the lamps were turned on. It was obvious that wherever this man had brought her it had been abandoned. More horror movie scenarios screamed through her mind as she slowly turned to face him.

Alice didn't scream but there was no stifling the gasp that escaped her as her hand shot to cover her mouth for fear of offending him. He stood half hidden in shadows but the clothes he had been wearing last night were discarded in the corner allowing him to make out his entire shape. She could see the green of his skin in the pale light. The feet with only two large toes there to balance. The hands with three fingers. The giant shell on his back...

"What... what are you?" she stammered out when she was finally able to find her voice again.

He scratched the back of his bald head nervously accidentally nudging the orange bandana that came around his eyes.

"Would you believe I'm a human shaped giant mutated turtle?" He offered her a crooked smile as he shrugged. He knew Donnie had told him about a better word for human shaped but he could never remember it.

"Mutant," she confirmed unable to take her eyes off of him. "Like... a mutant."

He shrugged again and maintained his smile hoping it helped. "That's what they tell me."

Alice's jaw couldn't seem to pull itself back up as she stared at him. She kept blinking thinking that the image of him would disappear and she'd come to in her bed. That this would all be a dream. Or a nightmare. Her brain hadn't quite decided which yet. So the best she could do was fill in the blanks.

"Why would you bring me to..wherever here is?"

"I couldn't just leave you there," he told her. "What if one of those guys came back? Or someone worse?" He then gestured to the dark empty building as his eyes glittered with untold imagination. "And this is my secret hide out! It could use a little touching up but seriously, add a secret entrance somewhere and I'm practically Batman!"

She couldn't help but let a smile twitch the corners of her lips as he spoke. So full of energy and dreams. Whatever he was he acted just as human as anyone she had ever met.

She watched him with wary eyes. Examining his childish manner and his strange attire. She remembered how he'd looked with the normal clothes that he had been wearing earlier that were currently in a pile on the floor. Now he worn nothing but protective leather padding, a bandana and belt. For a second she wondered if that meant he was naked. Then she even questioned the strangeness about a giant turtle finding a need to wear anything. Alice sighed heavily; everything about this situation was strange and thinking about the specific things that made it so would only drive her nuts. She wasn't even sure she actually believed that this was happening.

"Hey, you ok? Is your head hurting again?"

Alice flinched away when he reached for her face to take a look and the hurt crossed his face instantly. She could understand. He had saved her and he felt that she still feared him because of what he was.

"I'm...I'm sorry," she stammered out nervously. "It's not you...no it is, but I...I don't like people touching my face." She looked at him feeling the need to make that connection as she explained so that he could see her honesty. "People touching my face... I find it very intimate and submissive." She seemed lost for a moment and tried to make a show of faith. She reached up and lifted her bangs away from her forehead and offered him a small smile. "How does it look?"

Mikey couldn't help but stare at her for a moment as he took in her features. She was absolutely adorable. Her hair was short and shaggy, and a bright crimson red that couldn't possibly be natural. The colour only made her piercingly blue eyes that much more prominent against her pale face. Her eyes were large and doe like, accentuated by a petite nose and a small yet full mouth. It was hard to tell her body type behind the baggy jeans and the large long black coat. But what kept him staring was the small awkward smile that pulled up on one side of her face while her lips pressed tightly together.

Letting out a small snicker he stepped more into the light for a closer. "It's not pretty dudette," he told her truthfully. The skin was swollen around her eye and was already starting to darken and yellow.

Her smile faded slightly and he reached out to her offering to help her up. Mikey could see the hesitation cross her face but regardless she took his hand gently and he pulled her to his feet. "I'm sure as cool as hanging out at my super awesome hideout is, now that you're awake you probably want to get home."

Alice nodded her agreement.

Mikey didn't walk her home as much as follow her. He kept to the roof tops nearby in order to keep watch on her but also to keep out of sight of any of the night owls still up and about. He noticed that she kept looking around every once in awhile trying to spot him but frowning delicately when she would fail. She never once encountered anyone else but he stayed hot on the watch just in case. She didn't actually live too far away from where he had first met her, and not as far from where he was staying as he thought. She stopped in front of a large apartment building and slowly fumbled for her keys in her coat pocket.

"What're ya doin' here."

The voice startled Michelangelo causing him to jump slightly and to retreat into his shell as much as his body structure would allow. He turned to gaze at the shadowed figure behind him and gulped.

"Hey Raph," he said awkwardly with a strained nervous laugh. "Nothing just, you know, fresh air dude! It's good for you!"

Raphael just continued to stare at him and Mikey could tell that his hot headed brother wasn't buying a word of it. Granted Mikey had never been the best or most convincing liar. It didn't help that Raphael had always been one of the most observant of his brothers. Splinter had attributed that to his raw emotions; said it made it easier for him to recognise real emotions in others.

"I'll give ya one more try bro," Raphael told him with a smirk as he lifted a figure to show the count.

"Ummm," Mikey could've tripped over his own thoughts at the moment. It was so obvious that he'd been lying he wasn't even sure what the point of playing along was. "Foot ninja shot me with a poison dart...and uhhh the only antidote was somewhere on the surface. But you don't drink it or anything you had to spray it into the air and uhhh breathe it in. Cures you faster and such." Mikey offered him a small smile and waited to see what Raph had to say.

He responded with a small smirk and a slow pity clap. "Bravo bro, dat was much betta." He dropped his hands but his smile remained. "Now whadda ya really doin' out here?"

Michelangelo heaved a sigh and his shoulders slumped. "Wouldn't believe that I'm out on patrol?"

"Notta chance."

"Well I..." Mikey scratched the back of his head as he tried to come up with an excuse. A real one. But nothing came to mind. He sighed heavily and looked away from his brother. "I ran away. And before you can say anything I'm not going back!"

Raphael laughed. "Why in da hell would I make ya go back? I hate it dere too."

"Well I..." Mikey prepared to explain himself but Raph held up his hands in a mock defense.

"Ya don't need ta explain nuthin' to me bro I understand. Hell, da less I know da better right?" Raphael held his small half smile and held out his fist to his younger brother. "I gotcha back Mikey."

Mikey smiled back and bumped the fist with his own. "Thanks dude."

He never expected that from Raphael. He'd spent most of his childhood being terrorized by him due to his anger issues. And a good chunk of his adolescence being bullied by and arguing with him. Lately though he had noticed a change in Raphael. Though they still argued on occasion he found most of his brother's anger was directed towards Leonardo. It was like nothing Mikey could do anymore would ever piss Raph off as much as Leonardo did. It had made him a far more tolerant brother. Though Mikey was sure the only reason Raphael supported him in his decision to run away was because he knew that it went against Leo and would probably hurt him greatly. Mike was willing to bet that if he had actually been on patrol Raph would've insulted the crap outta him and maybe even tried pushing him off the building.

"So what were ya lookin' at?" Raph asked nosily as he leaned over the edge to take a look.

"I uh...I was walking someone home," Mikey stammered out tripped over his tongue.

Raphael wolf whistled and turned back raising his eyebrows at Michelangelo suggestively. "I bet ya were. Well I won't keep ya looks like yer dates waiting."

"Huh? What?" Mikey leaned back over the edge and sure enough she was standing in front of her apartment door with her keys clutched tightly in her hand looking around expectantly. She had moved over to the side enough that there was a shadow cloaked space beside the steps near her.

He looked back to express his disbelief to his brother only to find that Raphael had already disappeared. Looking back to her he made his way down the side of the building quietly sliding into the shadows.

"Were you waiting for me?" he asked cautiously.

Alice jumped but recognised the voice as she turned to the shadows beside her. She could see his outline in the darkness and his big blue eyes staring back at her. Had she noticed that his eyes were blue before? She didn't know how she could have missed it they were absolutely beautiful. One of the purest blues that she had ever seen; it reminded her of clear and clean ocean waters.

"Yes I was," she replied simply. "I have to admit I wasn't sure you were still there anymore." She smiled gently at him.

"Well what's up dudette?"

A small tinge of red came to her cheeks lighting up her embarrassment. "Well, I just didn't think it'd be proper to leave without so much as a good bye or a thank you. I mean you never heard anyone say, 'Later Batman.' It's always 'oh my god thank you Batman when will I see you again'." Her smile turned awkward and he couldn't help but laugh; she was embarrassed about being a nerd.

"Well good citizen whenever you need me I will be there! When kittens are in tree I shall rescue them! Or you can always just try and remember your way back to visit me."

Alice was drawn in by his smile. "You're not what I expected," she told him curiously. "I mean I don't know what I would've expected from a giant talking turtle...but you're still not it." She giggled a little bit and Mikey was happy to see that she had relaxed around him. It made him feel calmer instead of fearing that she might sick the national guard on him the minute his back was turned. "But anyway, thank you very much for saving my life tonight..."

"Michelangelo," he filled in for her. "But everyone calls me Mikey."

She briefly questioned in her mind what he meant by everyone but shook it loose as none of her business. "Mikey," she ended feeling the taste. "Thank you very much Mikey." She held out her hand towards him hiding her apprehension. "Alice Moore."

He liked that name. "Nice to meet you Alice."

He took her hand in his and felt her jump slightly. It wasn't what she'd been expecting at all. She could feel the tough calluses on his fingers but below that the skin was soft. Her hand felt tiny between his large oddly shaped fingers but she held the best she could.

She turned to go into the apartment but caught herself and turned to face him again. "Oh...and uh don't worry. I promise I won't tell anyone about you. So don't worry about that okay?"

He never replied and she squinted into the darkness finding no trace of him. Alice blinked a couple times to see if he might reappear but her eye sight hadn't failed; he was gone. Disappeared into the night. She sighed heavily and hoped that he'd heard her. She really didn't plan on ever telling anyone that she'd met him. She didn't want anyone calling her crazy after all.