Author's Note: This took forever to update! I'm sorry, my loves! I hope I do the waiting justice with this chapter! Enjoy! And Cassidy is the only character I own!
Chapter 3: Turtle Tales
"Go for the weak spot in his armor!" Donnie exclaimed as he typed across his keyboard, his green eyes plastered to the screen. A few seconds later, his accomplice came swiping in with a longsword and sliced through the army waiting for her. "Careful...careful..." he warned as Cassidy pressed the buttons on his other laptop, her legs crossed Indian style and her focus on winning the battle.
"Get a little piece of that!" she smirked as she smoked a few skeletons and pumped her fist in the air. They had been playing for a few hours, neither willing to get up from the computers. Donnie enjoyed spending time with her, even if they were both in front of a screen. It was what he was used to, what he was comfortable with. And she seemed perfectly fine with that.
"Yes! We won!" Donnie leaned over and high-fived her, smiling from ear to ear. Her eyes were almost sparkling, and he stared for a long moment before his brother broke his eye contact.
"Donnie...She has to at least call her father, tell him that she's staying with a friend for a few days..." Leo spoke up logically, placing his hand on Donnie's shoulder.
"He wouldn't notice even if I did..." Cassidy replied, her eyes falling to her hands that dropped from the laptop. She closed it and set it on the table, glancing over to the eldest turtle and noticing the sad look of sympathy in his gaze as he watched her.
"I'm sorry," he finally answered quietly, nodding his head and turning around.
"Hey, Leo?" Cassidy stood up and limped over to him, and he turned back to face her patiently. "Thank you...thank you for saving me and letting me stay here...I really appreciate it. You didn't have to, but you took me in..." His face slowly spread into a kind smile as he bowed.
"I wasn't going to leave you out there to those perverts...we're much better than that," he stated. She bowed back, mimicking his movements. Leo leaned towards her and dropped his voice low. "Besides...Donnie talks so much about you...it's good to finally put a face to the name...and we're glad you're safe...Donnie would have been devastated if we had been any later to save you..." Cassidy's eyes widened as she stared back at the tech genius, who was trying to pull up something on his main frame. She vaguely felt Leo's hand on her shoulder for a minute as she kept her eyes trained on the other turtle.
"He..." she began to speak.
"Cares..." Leo finished for her, catching her tender gaze at Donnie before releasing her shoulder and smiling as he walked off past Raphael, who had April slung over his shoulder. When they couldn't go out to meet her, April was worried and came to meet them at the lair, where she proceeded to yell at them for a good fifteen minutes about thinking they were laying dead somewhere. However, all it took was one hug from Raphael, and her anger melted like an ice cream cone in the desert. Now, the two of them were wrestling. Well...April was trying to jump on him, and Raphael was easily throwing her around like a doll and making sure he didn't hurt her in the process.
"Let me go!" April squealed with a laugh, smacking the brute's chest with her fists. He shook his head with a smirk and bounced her on his shoulder, which prompted a groan from her. "I want to go talk to the new girl...please?" Raphael groaned at the puppy dog tone in her voice, knowing that she was going to get her way. He looked into her eyes and caved, setting her down and ruffling her hair. She smacked his arm and moved towards the pretty girl with the purple hair. She hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her since she got there.
"Hey there!" she began in a friendly tone.
"Oh, hey! You have to be April..." Cassidy smiled wide and put out her hand, which April shook gladly. "When they talked about you, I didn't know you were the same April from the news..." The older woman blushed softly and shrugged. "I watch you every day! Your segments made my uncle lose 30 pounds!"
"Well, I'm glad they help someone..." April mumbled with a sigh, and Raphael frowned when he overheard her. He walked over and nudged her with his elbow, his way of showing affection. She glanced at him and smiled appreciatively.
"April...don't think like that," he said, his voice as soft as he could make it. "They'll see your potential. You're a great reporter!"
"Thanks, Raph..." she sighed and nudged him back. His lips tweaked upwards without actually smiling as he moved over to the couch and sat down to watch television.
"He's right! Just find something meaningful to report on. Find a big story," Cassidy added. April couldn't help but smile as she heard Raphael's booming laughter from the couch. "What did I say?"
"I had a huge story...but I couldn't report on it..." April answered, joining in on Raphael's laughter. At Cassidy's look of utter confusion, April took her arm and led her over to the couch, sitting her down next to Raphael and taking a deep breath.
"This is the story of how I met the turtles..." The reporter began, and Cassidy's eyes widened with interest as she settled in for the tale, Raphael's attention riveted from the wrestling match on television to stare at the woman he was growing attached to. All of the other turtles and even Splinter came into the living room to listen in on what April had to say. Even though they all knew the story, had lived through it, it was fascinating hearing it from a storyteller's mouth. Without even thinking about it, Donnie sat at Cassidy's feet, his large shell resting back against her legs comfortably. Everyone sat transfixed as April wove this wonderful tale about seeing a large and wonderful creature with two daggers who saved her on the docks when she saw the Foot Clan, being taken hostage in a subway station but being saved by these four amazing vigilantes, and one of them was the same hero from the docks...how in the beginning she had been looking for that perfect story to be promoted to a real journalist position but that quickly dissipated when she found out the truth.
She spoke of insane and impossible things, of when people told her she was nuts for saying she saw turtles who were like humans. Her first meeting with the turtles was almost like an amazing dream, she said. Except for the parts where she fainted and Raphael threatened her. Any time Donnie heard Cassidy make a noise, he would glance back at her, and he noticed how invested in this story she was. His hand moved up onto the sofa, where he softly took her hand in his and held it. She looked down at him and squeezed his hand, keeping hold of it as they both looked back towards April. She was in the middle of talking about the lair attack, and the room grew somber. She hesitated and looked down at her hands, her eyes troubled.
"I take full responsibility for what happened that day..." she whispered to the family. "I know it was my fault that Sacks found the group. I should have been more careful, and I felt absolutely horrible. I still do. I almost cost Splinter his life...as well as all of the turtles..." Raphael stood and walked over to her, pulling her into his strong arms full of support. Donnie took advantage and came to sit next to Cassidy, still holding on to her hand and intertwining his large three fingers with her tiny five.
"It's okay, April..." Raphael murmured, his voice turning cold and angry. "Sacks and Shredder have a merciless brutality and determination...you had no way of knowing. I blamed you that day until I saw how far you were willing to go to help us and save us...you almost died trying to get Shredder's focus off of Leo on that roof..." April looked up at the turtle embracing her, and wiped away the tears that were starting to fall.
"Finish the story...for Cass..." Donnie requested, his body close to hers on the couch. Cassidy looked up at April with soft, inquisitive eyes that prompted her to nod and clear her throat. Raphael kept holding her to keep her calm, though Donnie suspected another, bigger reason.
"Yes...sorry...so after the lair was attacked, Raphael and I knew that we had no time to lose..." April launched back into her story, pulling everyone's attention back in. Cassidy's hand squeezed Donnie's tightly as April got to the part where they found Leo, Mikey, and him being drained of blood. Donnie looked at her, his eyes momentarily afraid as he remembered how he felt that day. She sank into his chest, her hands moving around him to hug him close, and he wrapped his arms around her. He instantly felt comforted by her being there, and he sighed deeply. He didn't even think about the fact that he was touching someone so close, let alone hugging her. He needed that comfort. He nodded for April to continue when she stopped to watch them, and she nodded, continuing with the snow chase.
"So...all of that was so those men could take over the world...they were willing to hurt innocents to do it..." Cassidy shook her head against Donnie's chest when April had finished a little while later. "It's cruel."
"That's Sacks and Shredder..." Leo answered her. "Those are two men you never want to come in contact with. They are truly evil. They will do whatever it takes to get what they want."
"She'll never come in contact with them," Donnie assured fiercely, his body suddenly tense and his voice growling. Leo stared in slight surprise at the change in his younger brother. He'd expect that from Raphael, but not from Donnie. He was such a kind and mellow guy that no one would ever suspect an angry side to him at all.
"I hope you don't, Cass," April included. "Sacks murdered my father in cold blood just because he knew too much..." Cassidy frowned grimly and nodded at the other woman.
"I'm so sorry," she answered understandingly. "I know why you didn't report on it now...I wouldn't have either..." She gave a warm smile to Donnie, who returned it. "So a hogosha is a protector spirit of sorts...April is your guardian?"
"Yes...she is..." Donnie nodded.
"So all of you are hogoshas to me, then..." Donnie was floored, his cheeks flushing as his mouth opened and closed.
"N-No...I-I'm...I'm not..." he stuttered, shaking his head profusely and giving himself a headache. Everyone else looked at her, and Splinter was smiling with kindness at the intelligent young woman.
"You are...you saved my life, Donnie...you turtles are my guardian spirits...like April is yours..." Cassidy replied simply, curling further into his chest. His arms instinctively tightened their hold on her.
"In...In that case...I'm not s-stopping...anytime soon..." he spoke haltingly into her hair. They were silent for a few moments before Leo nodded her head at Cassidy. Donnie braved a glance down at her and found the purple-haired girl asleep in his arms. He smiled at her, his heart fluttering, before looking back up at Leo.
"April's story must've tired her out," Leo smiled warmly at his hogosha, who was in the middle of a large yawn. "All of us, I guess..."
"I'll let her sleep in my bed...I'll take the couch..." Donnie was about to get up with the girl when Leo put up a hand to stop him.
"Nonsense...just sleep out here with her," Leo recommended. Donnie was about to object when he felt Cassidy's head push up under his. He sighed softly and nudged his head softly on top of hers. "See...you, stay..." Leo commanded gently with a smile.
"And I'll share with the big boy over here..." April joked as she smiled at Raphael, who immediately became a stammering and embarrassed mess. Mikey threw up his arm, telling her to pick him instead. "Relax...nothing will happen...he's too terrified that he'll squish me..."
"I'll...oh I'll give you a squishing you won't forget!" Raphael teased back as he swept her up into a tight embrace, walking the giggling woman into the turtles' bedroom. Mikey chased after them, huffing and rolling his eyes.
"C'mon, guys! We all have to sleep in there!" he whined, and Leo shook his head.
"She's right, though...he won't do anything...he's too terrified to make a move..." The leader cracked his knuckles.
"I think they both are..." Donnie agreed in a low whisper. "But at least Raphael is starting to warm up..."
"Get some sleep, little brother. I'll see you in the morning," Leo clapped him affectionately on the shoulder and walked into the bedroom, where the other three were all in a dog pile and playfully arguing about who gets what bed and where April would sleep. Leo sighed deeply and went to settle it.
"My son..." Splinter was finally alone with the genius. "You know we do not allow strangers to stay in the lair..." Donnie looked away with a grave expression, flinching and expecting the worst. Splinter watched him for a moment and the way Cassidy slept peacefully against his chest. He watched the way his son was holding her. The same son who didn't ever use physical contact or touching to show any kinds of affection or intimacy, even with his family. It warmed the rat's heart to see his son opening up. "However, seeing as how my conscience would not be clear to leave her to fend for herself while those men are still out there...I will allow her to stay here with us for as long as she needs to...I have a feeling that she won't be spilling our secret..." If Donnie wasn't scared that he'd wake up the sleeping beauty, he'd jump up and hug his father, which was not like him at all.
"Thank you, Father," he settled for an excited and grateful bow of his head, to which his Father bowed in return.
"Sleep well, Donatello." And with that, his father disappeared into his room to sleep, and Donnie was left alone to stare at Cassidy, brushing her hair the color of his mask away from her face. He smiled at it, glad that she chose his favorite color. This girl in his arms was not only okay with her internet friend being a gigantic turtle, but she felt comfortable enough to fall asleep against his chest on a couch. She trusted not only him, but his entire family, and that meant a lot to him. And so he watched over her for the next hour, his mind a whirling mess until his eyes finally drifted shut from exhaustion.
