Under Wraps Part 2
I suppose a sequel wouldn't hurt. XD
The following morning she awakened to a sun-filled room, dressed, hair mussed, and everything was just perfect. It just seemed to be too perfect. She pushed down her comforter and rolled off the bed to get ready to take a shower. She pulled off her shirt and unzipped her sport bra before wandering around the house half naked to fetch a clean towel from the linen closet. Strangely, she felt refreshed, like she'd already cleaned up this morning.
Once in her bathroom, she ran the taps and turned on the shower head, letting it heat up. Then she slipped out of her shorts and panties before draping her fresh towel on the rack. Steam slowly filled up the room while she brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her locks. Satisfied with her gleaming teeth, she put her toothbrush down and prepared to hop in the tub, but her attention was caught by something trickling down her leg. She propped up her foot on the toilet and peered down at her thighs. An opaque fluid was leaking out of her body. She touched it and brought it up to her nose, sniffing the foreign liquid. It didn't smell bad or particularly pleasant and suddenly she suffered a flashback…
In a heartbeat she jumped in the shower and scrubbed herself from head to toe twice, washed her hair, and shaved every inch of her skin it seemed. If what she thought happened, had happened, then she wanted every trace of the demon off her. It was impossible not to cry, so she sobbed her heart out, believing that a monster was targeting her. But who could she go to for help? She'd be the laughing stock of New York! After shutting off the taps, she wrung out her hair and wrapped herself in her towel and rushed into her living room where she left her purse on the chair. She rummaged through it until she found her cellphone and dialed a friend that she could trust. Unfortunately, she went straight to voicemail. She chose her words carefully and began leaving a message to her friend, "Cassie? It's Bethany…um, please call me back right away. I have to talk to you about s-something. Just please don't say anything to anyone else. This needs to be a secret, okay?"
Raphael took it very easy the following morning and did not participate in sparring, which confused his brothers. It was rare, unless he was sick, that he refused to spar. Mikey was knocking on his door constantly, trying to engage him, but Raph refused. He just wanted to be alone for a while.
Eventually, Leo insisted that Raph sit through a physical with Donatello. At first Raph refused, but then all three of his brothers ganged up on him and pushed him into the lab where Don started tests. Raph complained and bitched as Don attempted to take his temperature.
"C'mon Raph, it's not going to kill you," Don chuckled.
"I ain't sick! I'm tellin' ya!" Raph barked.
"Well you tend to be proud when it comes to being ill, so Leo says suck it up. Either put this in your mouth or else," Don threatened.
Raph shouted in his brother's face before laying down on the table, "Fuck off!"
Annoyed, Don planted his hands on his hips. "Raph, we can do this one way or the other." When he received only a groan from his brother, Don shrugged and stepped around the back of the table and laid a hand on Raph's thigh in an attempt to move it.
Slightly panicked, Raph sat up, "Keep that thing away from my ass! Fine! Here…" He ripped the thermometer out of Don's hand and put it in his mouth. It was probably better if he humored his brothers this way before they get suspicious. He sat there while Don continued taking vitals.
"Geez Raph, if your arms get any bigger, I'm going to have to build a new cuff for this." Donnie was having a hard time getting a proper reading with the blood pressure monitor. "You start lifting vehicles or something?"
"I'll take that as a compliment," Raph replied, a smirk gracing his features. "Maybe you should take a couple workouts with me, build up those scrawny arms, bro."
"I am currently within my desired muscle mass, thanks."
"Ya kidding me? I can fit one hand around your bicep, fingers touchin' and shit."
"I'm not looking to be a meathead. I'll leave that to you."
Raph could only laugh, "Yep, you'll always be a lanky nerd."
Don took the cuff off and ordered Raph to stand. "Just another quick test and a few questions. You went out last last night, did you get hit in the head by someone?"
"No." Raph slid off the table and stood up while Don produced a stethoscope and placed it above Raph's plastron. It was hard to hear his lungs, but just above the chest plate and the side where the most skin was exposed was the easiest.
"Deep breath," Don said and listened while his brother sucked in a lungful. When everything was finished, he patted Raph on the shoulder. "You were right, not sick. I'm thinking this is psychological."
"You ain't plannin' on cutting open my head next are ya?"
"That thought has crossed my mind in the past," Don teased and dropped the stethoscope on the table. "So what's bothering you? You're not sick. You skipped sparring. You're verbally insisting you aren't sick, which is a clear indication that-
"Stop! I said earlier there ain't nothing wrong!" Raph interrupted.
"And you're getting defensive. C'mon Raph, I can read your body language and you're argumentative. If it's something serious, I can keep it in confidence from the others."
Before Don could get Raph to spill it, the angry turtle already exited the lab, pissed and ready to break something. Don gathered up his medical equipment and put it back on the shelf by the first aid kit before leaving the lab himself. Leo was out in the living room, awaiting the verdict. Mikey wasn't really paying much attention, but turned down the volume on his computer game so he could listen in.
"Raph's in perfect health. It's gotta be psychological. Something's really bothering him. I tried to get him to talk to me, but maybe I'm just the wrong person. The last time Raph was seriously anti-social like this was Splinter's passing, so I can't see why he's acting this way now." Don took a seat on the couch.
Leo nodded. "Maybe he'll talk to me."
"You can try, but your track record with him is pretty sketchy."
"True, but he always refers to me as Splinter-junior. Maybe I can reach him the same way dad did if I choose my words carefully."
"Give it a shot, bro," Mikey interjected, briefly pausing from playing to encourage his brother, "And if you fail, I can try next!"
Leo gave a half smile, amused and nearly face-palmed himself. Raph would probably bury Mikey before he managed to get the hot head to answer anything. "Huh…okay then. So did Raph leave?"
"Went to his room," Mikey said before returning to Prop Hunt and cursing that he got killed by a hunter.
It would probably be a difficult conversation, but Leo figured giving Raph a bit of space for now was best and he would approach him later when he calmed down some. So he waited until the evening to confront him.
Raph was ready to depart for a walk again, likely to clear his head when Leo approached him, "I'm going with you tonight." He refused to let Raph say no and shot down every single one of his complaints. The stubborn turtle eventually caved and Leo was now hopping rooftop to rooftop, watching his brother's every move. They went a few miles, occasionally stopping to look at the sights and listen to the humans chattering below, before finally parking themselves on top of a factory. Leo leaned up against one of the smokestacks while Raph stood a few paces ahead of him, both were staring up at the clear sky.
Raph had contemplated all day. He told himself last night that he would never tell a soul about the girl, but his emotionally reckless nature would never allow him to do that and the longer he kept it in, the harder it would be to keep it concealed. He looked for the north star. It was his favorite, as was Splinter's. On the nights where the four of them traveled together, they would always stop to admire it in honor of their father. When they were kids, Splinter used to point out the constellations as best he could through sewer drains and tell them stories.
It must have been ten minutes of silence. Leo knew exactly what Raph was looking at. It couldn't be helped. Leo also loved looking up at the stars, but he knew he needed to get down to business and find out what was going on. However, before he could fire off a question, Raph offered to spar.
"Sorry I missed practice this morning. Wanna give it a go now?" Raph asked, ripping his weapons out of his belt.
Leo didn't respond immediately, but thought about trying another method. If he sparred with Raph now, there might be an altercation or Raph would be too fired up to converse. "Not right now."
"Huh? Serious?" Raph questioned. He was stunned since Leo always met his challenges.
"Yeah. Figured you wanted a break today, so I'm giving it to you. I just wanted to get out of the lair tonight. You know, fresh air and a bit of company I guess." Leo knew it wasn't exactly the truth, but it did make Raph put away his sais.
"Not like ya."
"This morning you weren't like you either. Maybe we're both just having an off day."
"Yeah, I guess." Raph rolled his eyes. He knew Leo had joined him tonight for a reason. Perhaps now was as good a time as ever. But how could he begin?
Leo then continued, "You know, dad was always one to hear out our every problem. I remember when I had my fear of heights. I was too terrified to tell him for the longest time because I thought he'd see me as weak, but the day he found out on his own, he started training me and climbing tall objects until my fear was non-existent. I spent months overcoming my fear and after that, I always told dad everything I was afraid of. It wasn't until he died that I realized how terrified I was of leading the family without him. I always had him for guidance and now I have to look to myself. He was our first leader and now I can understand the pressure he had gone through to watch us and care for us. He suffered most when we were hurt or confused about our hidden lives. And now I'm wondering, before we get to a point where I'm worried for your mental health, are you willing to tell me what's bothering you? I'm very patient. If it needs to wait another few days then-
"No…it can't…" Raph muttered under his breath.
"What?" Leo asked, intent on hearing clearly this time.
"It can't wait," Raph repeated and squeezed his eyes shut.
Overly concerned, Leo padded across the roof, now standing by his brother and placing a hand on Raph's shoulder. "Take your time."
It was eating Raph up inside and he could feel his emotions now running rampant. Leo was going to kill him, but if he didn't say it, his conscience would do worse to him mentally and at least his body would heal from the beating he surely about to receive. Stress was rising and his heart-rate was flying.
Leo could feel his brother's body start shaking, as though he were about to suffer a serious panic attack or go into hyperventilation. "Maybe you should sit."
"No, Leo…I did s-something…awful…" Raph stammered.
"You gotta get it off your chest before you pass out." Leo was literally watching his brother pale before him. "Raph?"
"I, I just…Leo,"
"Calm down, one word at a time," Leo encouraged gently.
All the bitter emotions Raph suffered suddenly burst through the surface and he finally admitted, "Leo, last night…I raped a girl."
The admission hit Leo like a ton of bricks and at first he refused to believe it. "Raph? What do you mean? Are you saying…"
"Exactly what you're thinking! You have no idea how much I wanted to kill myself this morning!"
Leo let go of his brother's shoulder and walked out in shock and disbelief, "Raph…y-you raped someone?! What? Why?! Is she all right?!" He was pacing and throwing his hands up in the air, "Fuck! Fuck!"
Raph flinched several times when Leo cursed. It was extremely rare to hear those words roll off Leo's tongue. He stood there, looking like a fool and deservingly so. But getting the truth out gave him some relief, at least temporarily. He watched as Leo walked in circles, trying to take in the news, but the fearless leader was struggling with the revelation. Raph closed his eyes again in shame. He disappointed himself and now his brother. He was only glad Splinter wasn't alive to see how far he'd sunk. "Leo…I'm s-sorr- UGH!"
A very hard strike to Raph's cheek sent him flying.
Leo was livid and he threw such a heavy punch to his brother's face, that Raph crashed into the smokestack, breaking away several chunks of brick and mortar. Then the angry turtle slowly approached, admonishing his younger brother, "You're banned from going to the surface. I cannot believe you stooped to the level of a common thug. I'm so ashamed of you."
Raph could feel blood trickling out of his mouth and nose and he even spit out a tooth. Leo has never struck him so hard before and if it were in any other situation, Raph would have drawn his weapons and fought back. This time, he just couldn't, having accepted the consequences of his actions. "Leo, please…I know what I did was wrong!"
"You got that right! But Raph! Do you understand how serious this is? For her? She's the one who's going to suffer the most! Women are very sensitive and it only takes one incident to fuck them up for life!" He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled quickly. "You do also realize you may have seriously exposed us, right? Did she see you?"
"Uh…"
Leo smacked his forehead, "She saw you."
"Pressure point to the neck, I doubt she'll remember anything!" Raph cried.
"Fat chance. Women remember things like this. We have a serious, serious problem now." Leo growled and he stomped across the roof until he was by Raph's side and bent down. He ripped the sais from Raph's belt, "An honorable warrior once carried these. You're no longer worthy." He then stuffed the weapons in his own belt. "C'mon, we're going home to discuss your future and we're telling Mikey and Don because they have the right to know. Say your goodbyes to the city, because I'm grounding you permanently!" Leo then waited for Raph to get up, without extending any assistance. He remained glued to his brother's side as they traveled back to the lair. No words were exchanged.
Raph felt severely guilty and couldn't bring himself to disagree with the punishment. He deserved it and more. He only wished he could take back what he'd done. His stomach was in so many knots when they reached the sewers and every stride he took towards home grew heavy under his burden. Once they set foot through the entrance, Mikey was all over them, asking questions, particularly about Raph's swollen face.
Leo took the lead and immediately sent Raph upstairs, much to Donatello's concern since he wanted to treat Raph's wounds. After the broken turtle disappeared, Mikey cornered Leo.
"Dude, what gives? Raph needs lookin' after!"
"Trust me, he doesn't. Guys, go to the lab, we have some chatting to do," Leo said firmly and he led the way to the lab, brothers in tow.
Don and Mikey looked at each other, each somewhat nervous and Mikey blurted out, "So…how did Raph get injured?"
It seemed like hours before Leo came knocking on Raph's door and Raph gave the okay for his brother to enter. "It's open."
Leo set foot inside, still looking pretty stern. "The guys are well aware now. You can come downstairs. We still have a lot to talk about. Let's go."
Raph eyed his weapons at Leo's waist, feeling pretty low about losing them. He wouldn't dare attempt to take them back and so he got up off his bed and followed his brother back downstairs. Don and Mikey were both still in the lab, looking pretty glum. Michelangelo was so shocked that he couldn't say anything, nor look his brother in the eye. He plopped himself down on a chair so he didn't have to see Raph's face at his level. Don didn't have an issue with making eye contact, in fact he approached Raph, his anger slowly welling up and he balled a fist.
Raph didn't see it coming, the hard strike to his gut. Don was usually pretty level-headed, but he clearly was overwhelmed with emotion and even spouted out his frustration, "You fucking scumbag…" The hit caused Raph to double over. It was surprising, a hit from Don was rarely ever this powerful. Still, he took it like a man and didn't throw any punches back, but he did take a seat on the medical table and waited for Mikey to take a shot at him.
It never happened. Mikey was far too hurt to even strike his brother and Raph felt even worse about himself. All eyes were on him, as though they were expecting him to give some sort of speech, but Leo began the conversation.
"So, the guys agree. Raph, your punishment starts now, however they did disagree with me about keeping you grounded permanently. But, we decided that you need to complete a serious act of honor in order to earn back your respect and to get your weapons. A simple apology won't do, so only time will tell."
In twenty-four hours, it was the first bit of relief Raph's had, but proving himself was going to be hard. What could he possibly do to make up for such a painful sin? He sighed, "I'm sorry, guys. Uh, for putting ya in this situation. I'll do my best to make up for it, even if it kills me."
Since Raph wasn't screaming or shouting like normal, Leo could tell he was being sincere and finally allowed Don to treat the cuts and bruises on his face. All four of them stayed in the lab while Raph's mouth was cleaned out and disinfected. He was given an ice pack for his eye and cheek and Don immediately fired off more questions, without any regard for his comfort.
"Did you injure her at all? Cuts, scratches, bites, bruising?"
Raph shook his head, "No, I took it easy. No injuries."
"Was she a virgin?"
That was a shocking question. Raph hesitated to answer.
"Was she?" Don repeated.
"Pretty sure she wasn't," Raph replied sheepishly. He was so glad his face was swollen, it saved him a red sheen. He awaited the next probing question.
"Did you get rid of every trace of your presence? Fingerprints? What about anything she had on?"
"Wiped down the house, tossed her clothes several blocks away, cleaned her up, and put her to bed in a similar outfit. Should look like a dream when she wakes up." Raph let out a groan.
Don's eyebrow rose, "You say you cleaned her? Every inch?"
Raph nodded, "Every inch." He saw how suspicious Don looked, "What?"
"Let me ask you one more thing of dire importance. How to put this lightly…did you ejaculate inside her?"
Even Leo had a bright shade of red spreading across his cheeks and Mikey was so embarrassed that he tried to occupy himself by tinkering with a gadget laying out on a desk. But Donnie; he was calm, free of any blushing, and completely serious.
Raph swallowed hard, "I…uh…" He paused. There's no way he could answer this in front of them all.
"C'mon Raph, answer yes or no," Don demanded.
"All right! Fine…yeah. I did."
All of his brothers groaned, especially Leo. Don just sighed and dragged his fingers down his face. "That was a brilliant move." The statement was heavy with sarcasm. "Leo we have an even bigger problem now. Raph, did you even consider the consequences?"
"We're two different species, not like I can knock her up!" Raph growled.
"That's not the problem! Now she has dna evidence of our existence! All she has to do is go to a police station or a hospital and they will use a rape kit on her! Once the doctors find out the dna isn't human, there's going to be a manhunt for unidentified creatures! The theory of alien will come to fruition, that's for sure!" He turned towards Leo, "We gotta find her and bring her here before she goes to see a doctor, if she hasn't already. I need to flush her out!"
Mikey jumped to his feet, "How do we find her?"
Don cleared his throat, "Only one who knows where she lives is Raph."
Leo didn't want to take Raph out of the lair, but he had no choice since Raph didn't have the address. They needed to find the girl immediately and remove all traces of their existence from her body. "Fine. Let's move now. We gotta get her fast though." He placed a hand on Raph's shoulder and squeezed, "You're to stay by my side until we reach her house. Otherwise, expect a beating from all three of us later."
Bethany curled up in her blanket. She never received her call back from Cassie, as to be expected. Cassie was out on her vacation in Pennsylvania and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. So she must have been very busy. For now, Bethany brought her blanket around her body even tighter and hunched down on her couch, hoping that there would not be a repeat of last night. Do demons attack the same humans? She had no clue. Her television flickered as the heavy winds continued to blow. They were expecting a huge storm tonight in New York. Luckily it was a Saturday, so she didn't have to worry about walking to work in the morning, but she dreaded being home alone right now. That demon, whether it was real or not was horrible and she wasn't sure she would be able to sleep tonight, worried it will reappear.
She had tea heating up in the microwave, one with lots of caffeine to keep her up. When it was ready, she quickly fetched it and crashed back on the couch to continue her tv marathon of Big Bang Theory. It was all reruns, but whatever. She loved it and it forced her to focus on something else. A few episodes in, she started to notice the lights in the house would flicker more often and eventually it affected her tv. She kept her phone close just in case she needed a flashlight, but she prayed that the power would stay on.
Then the rain came crashing down and she heard sheets of water sliding down the roof. She groaned when the power seriously flickered, then a lightning bolt and some thunder rumbled through the sky.
And then, the power shut off. Bethany was sitting in total darkness with her blanket clinging to her body and her phone in hand with the flashlight going. She was terrified, not of the rain, but whatever could be lurking in the dark. She felt so childish for feeling that way and remained glued to her couch, listening to every sound that rang in the dark. It was mostly rain and thunder. She felt okay, knowing that it was all storm and no creature.
That net of safety dissipated when she heard a small item fall in another room of her house. It scared her and she jumped out of her place on the couch, turning in the direction of the noise. Only the flashes of lightning and her phone provided her with a visual of the living room. Bethany called upon her courage and slowly made her way towards the noise. She shut off her phone and used the dim storm lighting to guide her through the house until she reached the sitting room. There wasn't anything there from what she could tell and she quickly turned on her phone again and sent the light in every direction of the room. She spotted the source of the noise. One of her ceramic frogs fell to the floor and cracked. "Awe…my frog," she whined and crossed the room to pick it up. Luckily the frog itself did not crack, only the pedestal so it wasn't too noticeable when she put it back on the coffee table. "How did you fall anyways?" she muttered.
Just as she finishing replacing her frog, she heard something behind her and quickly spun around only to see nothing. Then her panic returned and she rushed out of the room and into her kitchen. The lights flickered once as she made it to the kitchen and she halted as she saw the outline of a being standing in front of the sink. She screamed at the top of her lungs and tripped over her own feet before crashing to the floor, phone sliding across the floor. She was frozen in place as the creature quickly moved towards her, but her voice worked perfectly fine.
"No! Please! Not again!" she cried and found her movement again. She scrambled backwards over her phone, which she reclaimed and quickly got on her feet. She raced through the house towards the back door, while the creature called out for her to stop and promises of not hurting her, which she called bullshit on. As she ran, she was dialing 911 and prepared to hit 'send' when another figure jumped out in front of her, frightening her again. Again she found herself on the floor, this time phone in hand and she nearly pushed the button when the figure from the kitchen grabbed her wrist and shook the cell out of her grip. The figure before her picked it up and pocketed it in pouch on his waist. She was overwhelmed with fear. There were two of them this time. "Why? Why me?!" she screeched.
Then one of the demons responded.
"Just take it easy. I promise, we're not here to harm you."
"That's what the demon from last night said! Right before he raped me!"
There was a moment of silence before the taller demon said, "Well that confirms it. She's the correct woman."
She felt a hand drop on her shoulder and cringed, expecting the demon to forcefully pick her up and repeat last night's events. But his grip was gentle, not like the bad demon she already met. He also had a very sincere tone of voice.
"Please just let us explain. Last night was awful, I know, but we're not here to torment you. We just wanna talk for now."
"Who are you…" she asked, voice nearly a whisper.
"You can call me Leonardo, or Leo, whatever. This is my brother in front of you, Donatello. We're not demons. Once the lights turn back on, you'll get a chance to see us properly."
Bethany's eyes focused really hard on the creatures, but it was too dark to see their features. Only a few minutes passed before the kitchen light flickered and then she saw them for a split second. She barely remembered what the first creature looked like last night, but now her flashbacks of him became more clear and she started to tremble.
Donatello attempted to take her hand to try and calm her, but she pulled away in an attempt to escape the situation. She was losing her voice as her body moved into convulsions. Don grew more eager to help and he tried to lay her back, but she started to thrash and kick. "We gotta put her out before she hurts herself."
Leo agreed and he quickly took hold of the girl's head, gently but firm and he pushed the same pressure point in her neck that Raph had used the previous night and she was out cold in seconds. Donnie gathered her up in a blanket and draped a raincoat from her closet over her while Leo put a pair of sneakers on her feet. Then they figured they'd take her purse with them so they could lock up her home. Then they both exited the home through the back door rather than the window they entered and joined Mikey and Raph in the back yard. The two youngest brothers were soaked from the rains and Mikey complained like crazy about it.
"I wanna get home already, I'm freezing!" Mikey whined.
Before they took another step, Leo removed the cell phone from Don's pouch and shined the flashlight on the girl. "This is her, right?"
Raph peered down at the sleeping woman, "Yeah."
"Good, let's get going. Don, Mike, get a head start. Raph and I will follow in a few minutes. See you at home," Leo said. He then waited for them to disappear into the night before focusing on Raph. "You know how terrified she was the moment she saw us?"
"That's the reaction we get from everyone," Raph replied.
"No. Not like hers. I had to put her out because she would have sent herself into a full-blown anxiety attack or worse. Other people usually faint for a few minutes or think they're delusional. Raph, you seriously altered her well-being."
"I don't know how to fix this, Leo! You said it yourself! Sorry isn't good enough, so what can I do?"
"I don't know, but it's not my problem. Right now the girl needs some serious therapy and I'm hoping Donnie can get her to come around and maybe, just maybe she can overcome this. Maybe, forgive you? I don't know…she's pretty traumatized." He looked out into the distance. "I think they got enough of a start, let's move. Oh, we're keeping her in Don's lab, so you aren't allowed to be in there unless one of us is in there with you, unless she becomes hysterical, then you are to stay out completely. The rest of us have to figure out a way to be around her without terrifying her more. Until we have that trust, just keep away." Leo then took off with Raph taking off shortly after.