What's Done in the Dark…
Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT. I do own my own characters: Sarah, Chloe, and Josh.
Hey Everybody! My second chapter is up and I hope you all enjoyed the first. This story is before, during, and after the 2007 TMNT movie.
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Sarah awoke to the smell of pancakes, eggs, and sausages. She lay in the bed for a little while with Chloe before getting up and stretching. She looked around the room and focused on Donnie's computer. She sat in his blue rolling chair and turned the monitor on. Chloe sat next to her, gazing at the screen. Sarah opened a file about the Foot Clan. It contained information on individual members of the Foot. She was adding a person as Donnie came in.
"Who is that?" He asked as he peered over her shoulder.
"Ragon, the man Chloe attacked. I heard this woman"—she pointed to Karai—"call his name. I thought I'd help you out by adding another face to your files." Chloe growled deep in her throat at the picture of the man. "I know, Chloe. It's okay girl. Did you tell your brothers?" She turned to Donnie and he nodded.
"Yes, I told them. Mikey's making breakfast, come on!" Sarah limped slightly from the lab with Chloe limping heavily right behind her. Donnie told Sarah to sit at the table while he talked to Mikey in the kitchen. Sarah sat silently with Chloe beside her, waiting to meet Donnie and Raph's youngest brother. The smells of his cooking wafted around her and she didn't even notice when Mikey and Donnie came from the kitchen. She turned around swiftly but soon regretted her actions. Her head spun dizzily and she could hardly make out the approaching turtles.
"You must be Michelangelo," she said and stuck out her hand which he took firmly.
"Yeah, I'm Mikey! Nice to meet you Sarah," Chloe jumped up on Mikey and licked his face and he giggled. "Hey Chloe! I heard about you too. Dude-ette, I must say, that is one awesome leg!" Mikey took her metal paw and shook lightly. Chloe barked joyously and Mikey giggled again. Sarah smiled at them patted Chloe on the head.
"Where is your other brother?" Sarah asked Donnie who looked a bit surprised by the sudden question.
"What, how did you know?"
"You said 'them' not 'him'. So where is he?" Donnie's surprise turned to admiration. She was smarter than he would have guessed.
"Leo's talking to Master Splinter." Mikey interjected with a smile. "He had a fight with Raph when he found out."
"They had a fight about me!?" Sarah seemed horrified by this thought.
"It's okay, they'll use any excuse to fight. It was more of an argument anyways." Donnie reassured her with a hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath and looked towards the doors of the dojo. Sounds of early morning training were drifting through into the dining area. "I guess Leo's done talking to Master Splinter." Donnie said with a sigh.
When Mikey brought the food to the table, Leo came out of the dojo with sweat pouring down his body. He told them he was going to take a shower; not seeming to take notice of Sarah and her dog. Donnie frowned at his attempts at ignoring her but said nothing on the subject. Mikey was too busy stuffing his face to notice anything else. Sarah sat quietly at the turtles' table and ate slowly. Donnie couldn't help but watch her from the corner of his eye as they ate. She was graceful and polite, smart and caring.
"Hey Raph!" Sarah and Donnie called out to the red-clad turtle in unison. Raph waved and grabbed a plate and began covering it in food.
"Feeling better?" He asked before taking a bite. Sarah nodded and Chloe barked. Raph reached down and patted her on the head. "She eat table scraps?" Raph held up a piece of sausage and motioned to the dog beside him.
"Yeah, but just one piece." She answered and he held the meat out for Chloe who took it gently from his three-fingered hand, scarfed it down then licked Raph's hand.
"She eats like us!" Mikey exclaimed with a laugh. Donnie, Raph, and Sarah joined in.
They stopped laughing abruptly when Leonardo cleared his throat quite loudly. He stood at one end of the able, arms crossed and a serious expression plastered on his face. Raph sighed loudly and received a quick glare from Leo. Sarah sat in her seat, waiting anxiously for him to speak while he studied her carefully. "My brother tells me you were involved with the Foot when you were younger. Is this true?" Leonardo continued his glaring and Sarah nodded.
"I was captured by them. I was told my brother had taken out one or more of their men. He is a bit of a vigilante, if you wish. He does undercover work with the Foot and the Purple Dragons. He's prevented some major crimes from happening." Sarah had a proud air to her nervous voice that had Leonardo almost admiring her.
"What is his name?" Leo pressed. He sat at in the empty chair in front of him and crossed his arms on the table, leaning forward slightly.
"Joshua Hawkins, you may have heard of him. He sometimes works with another man…uh…"
"Casey Jones?" Raph tuned in and Leo shot him a wondering gaze. Where are you going with this, Raph, that look said.
"Yeah, that's his name! Josh talks about him all the time though I've never met the guy. How do you know him?" Sarah said in a rush.
"We've met up a few times and decided to team up." Raph answered, not daring to bring up the Nightwatcher. Sarah sat back, seeming to analyze this new information. Leo and Raph both stared at her. That was the same look Don got when he was thinking! It was uncanny! She also had that speedy way of talking Mikey got when he was excited or anxious. Leo and Raph exchanged a glance and Raph smirked. The table fell into an uncomfortable silence until Master Splinter came out of his bedroom.
"Good morning everyone!"
"Good morning, Sensei!" The turtles called.
"A pleasure to meet you Sarah." He bowed slightly and Sarah stood and did the same.
"You must be Master Splinter. I've heard much about you from Donatello." She smiled and glanced over her shoulder at the purple-clad turtle who grinned sheepishly before handing Splinter a bowl and a cup. Splinter thanked him with a bow.
"I put on a pot of tea for you in the kitchen, Father." Leo told him and the elderly rat walked that way, leaving the others in silence. Sarah sat back down and resumed eating. Chloe's leg gave a metal clank against the cement floors as she lay down; laying her head on her front paws. The unusual silence was unnerving for Donatello. "So, Sarah, have you heard about the Nightwatcher?" The words just spilled out of his mouth and he noticed Raphael stiffen temporarily beside him. He raised an eye ridge in curiosity towards his brother's actions. Raph seemed not to notice.
"Yes, in fact, I heard he's been helping out around the city. Josh told me that Casey hangs around with him a lot. The folks around those parts of town are extremely grateful for their help, or so I've heard. Josh has pretty much given up round there 'cause of them. Says they don't need any help." Sarah stuffed a mouthful of eggs in er mouth and glanced around the table. Raph was tense, Donnie was curious, Mikey was excited, and Leo looked serious—big surprise!
"You say the Nightwatcher has been hanging around with Casey?"—Leo glanced thoughtfully at Raphael who glared and snorted as if the very thought of Leo suspecting him of anything was ridiculous. Leo narrowed his eyes and looked back at Sarah. "I would like to speak with your brother if you think he wouldn't be too scared." Sarah looked a little shocked at first but nodded. "I'll have to talk to him personally before that can happen. He hates phones." She explained.
"Well, you're not going anywhere until you and Chloe are better." Donnie ordered sternly.
"Who's Chloe?" Leo looked slightly alarmed.
"Relax Leo, Chloe's her dog." Raph said with his eyes narrowed towards his older brother. Leo looked down at the dog beside Raphael and allowed the slightest trace of a smile to grace his lips. He had always loved the relationship formed between a dog and it's owner. This one seemed to be no different than any other he had witnessed on the streets of the Big Apple. Her black and white coat looked soft and well taken care of and her eyes were bight and intelligent. Her metal leg was of great craftsmanship. "Who made her leg?" Leo asked, motioning towards Chloe who looked up at the mention of her. Sarah giggled.
"She knows you're talking about her. Josh made the leg initially and has adjusted it as she's grown but I do the regular maintenance. If it needs a total revamp then I'll take it to him. Other than that, I'll fix it. Our father was a mechanic and he taught Josh the basics. He left us before I was born. Josh hates him for it." Sarah glanced at the table, not wanting the boys to see the tears forming in her eyes. "I have two other brothers, Josef and Tyler. Tyler's the youngest, he's 14. Josef is 16." She smiled but they could all tell it was slightly forced. She stood and limped to the kitchen and washed her dish and dried it. The brothers shared a quick, empathetic glance before Sarah returned. Chloe had tried to follow her into the kitchen but Raph had held her back, not wanting her to strain herself.
Mikey jumped up suddenly, stating that he wanted to finish his video games before the morning news came. He knew Raph would forcefully remove said turtle from the room if he was in there when the news came on. The results of the news usually set the mood for the day between the two eldest brothers. Chloe limped heavily to follow Mikey to the couch. She hopped ungracefully on the lumpy, worn couch and laid her head on Mikey's lap. Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Sarah watched this show of affection with looks of amusement. "Looks like Mikey's got a new girl friend." Raph teased and leapt over the couch to land beside Chloe. She looked up at him with tired eyes and he stroked her back gently until she placed her head back in Mikey's lap.
Sarah and Donnie smiled. Leo was surprised by this open display of affection from Raph but he decided against commenting on it for fear of causing a needless fight. Donnie headed back to his lab which left Sarah and Leo in the kitchen together with nothing to say. "So, Leo, is it always this…calm?" Leo looked at her and saw a knowing gaze lurking in her eyes.
"Definitely not; it's usually chaos around here"—he lowered his voice to a whisper—"and Raph's usually the cause of it."
"I figured that; that's how Josh was with us. Tyler is just like Mikey—loud and proud—and Josef is the quiet one, but he's not as smart as Donnie." She threw a glance at Donnie's lab door.
"Where do you come in?" Leo asked curiously. Raph overheard the conversation and turned around on the couch.
"I…"
"Leonardo, may I speak with you?" Splinter said suddenly. Leonardo nodded and followed him back into his bedroom.
"Raph, check this out!" Mikey yelled, calling his attention back to the TV where Mikey was racing another car in a video game. Sarah seemed to be the only one wondering why the elderly rat wished to speak with Leonardo. Sarah made her way slowly to the couch and sat on the floor in front of Raphael. They seemed not to notice her but she didn't care. She was lost in her own thoughts, staring blankly at the television before her. Where do I fit? I'm not the antagonist like Josh, the brains like Josef, or even the merry maker like Tyler. Am I a leader like Leo? No, that's Josh again… Her thoughts left her feeling lonely.
When the turtles left for the dojo to train, Sarah occupied herself with Donnie's computer with his permission. She checked her e-mail where she found a message from Tyler saying something about a new video game. She then decided to research mutation. She was a big fan of the Theory of Evolution and once more delved into the subject with much knowledge. She took what Donatello had told her about their mutation and applied that to evolution. But, unlike normal evolution which occurred through a process known as Natural Selection, the turtles' mutation was accidental and caused by humans. It was chemical and therefore required the mind of a true scientist to understand it fully. Scientist she was not, but, she didn't need to be to occupy herself while the boys trained. She just needed a time consuming activity and she found it through research. Before she knew it, they were done.
Donatello returned to his lab after a quick shower to find Sarah sitting at his desk, fully engrossed in her research. He cleared his throat loudly so as not to frighten her. She glanced over her shoulder at him and gave a quick smile. "Hey Don!" She said, turning back to the monitor.
"What are you doing?" He asked curiously.
"Don't worry, Donnie, I haven't broken your computer." She smiled at him again and he leaned over her shoulder to watch her work. He breathed in the scent of her; lavender and ash. A strange yet alluring mix of scents. Donnie snapped his attention back to the screen.
"Natural Selection?" He questioned with one raised eye ridge.
"Yeah, it's an old hobby of mine. I was just doing some research to pass the time, nothing special. I've gone over this stuff a hundred times before." Sarah tried to make it sound like nothing special but Donnie caught that undertone of pride. The same undertone Raph got when he talked about 'bashing heads' with Casey. "Have fun training?" She asked, turning off the monitors before turning to face him fully. He looked away as she looked at him and her teasing look turned worrisome. "Another fight?" She asked and Donnie nodded.
"Yeah, Raph and Leo had an argument. Nothing big but Raph's pretty miffed."
"Can I talk to him?" Donnie looked shocked but nodded anyways.
"He's in his room; it's the door with the stab marks on it." Donnie pointed out the door. Sarah nodded and stood. She limped up the stairs and to Raphael's door. She knocked quietly then waited.
"Go away Leo!" Raph yelled, thinking his older brother had come to apologize.
"It's me, Raph. Can I come in?" Sarah spoke quietly.
"U, yeah, sure." Raph sounded almost embarrassed. Sarah opened the door and limped in, shutting it with her foot. She sat on the bed beside Raph and took a deep breath.
"Raph, what happened between you and Leo?" Raph growled at the mention of his brother's name. Sarah waited patiently beside him.
"We got into an argument, nothing new." Raph looked away from her. Sarah gazed at him thoughtfully.
"No argument is nothing; I know that from experience. Every argument can lead to something terrible. Disagreements lead to fights and fights only lead to trouble. Raph, you need to talk to him."—he glanced at her sharply—"You need to talk things out with your brother. Think about it this way: what if after an especially bad argument, Leo was hurt—bad—and you never got to apologize, how would you feel?" Sarah waited for his answer patiently.
"I guess I'd feel guilty but I can't talk to him. He's always lecturing me and the more he does the angrier I get." Raph explained.
"Lectures do get aggravating when you hear them constantly but try to see the meaning behind them. Try to listen, sometimes when he's saying one thing, he really means something else. People don't always say exactly what they're thinking. I know I don't; I'd get in big trouble I did that—we all would." She smiled at him and he just looked at her. She sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. He glanced down at her slim, white hand; surprised that she would touch him. "The only way to face a problem is head on. You can't find a solution if you're slinking around the problem. Just the same as saying you can't fight an enemy by staying in the shadows. You have to bring yourself and the problem into the light. That's the only way, Raphael." She sounded oddly like Splinter and Raph just stared at her.
"Thanks Sarah but I don't think I'm ready to face this particular enemy right now." Normally, Raph would have shoved all this guru stuff as worthless words but coming from Sarah, it sounded like genuine helpful information. She had a calming quality about her—the way she spoke, the way she moved, even the way she looked—and Raph liked that about her. She could calm him down and get him to see reason. No one else could do that.
"Okay Raph," She said before standing and limping to the door. She gave a quick smile before leaving which he returned slightly. He couldn't get over the fact that he had just been lectured yet he hadn't raised his voice once during the whole conversation. Leo would be impressed.
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Okay so, the boys are getting to know Sarah and are warming up to her. If I'm going too fast just tell me, I'll add another chapter in between; a few more days or something. Just tell me what I can do to make this story better or just tell me what you liked or didn't like about it.
-Phantom