Usually, Leonardo's dreams were fleeting, practical, and short. He envied Mikey sometimes, who always had long, complicated dreams to share with his brothers over breakfast, waving his hands around wildly as he described in detail the fantasy worlds his brain had created. If Leo dreamed, it was like watching clips of his everyday life; swinging his swords during training, snippets of an argument with Raphael, meditating in his room. He worried sometimes if something was wrong with his mind, or if maybe he just was too focused on real life.

That night, however, Leo dreamed he was on patrol. He moved silently through the city, feeling the wind whip around him as he sailed through the air. He was searching for something, but he wasn't sure what. His eyes scanned his surroundings, taking in the information and filtering through, searching for any hints as to what he was even trying to find. He always felt like it was right around the next corner, but he would get there and there would be nothing. He didn't wake suddenly, instead just slowly seeped from the dream into reality, nowhere near any kind of resolution. It left him aggravated and groggy.

Leo was in that sort of half-sleep when the phone ding!'ed, letting him know he'd gotten a text. He didn't react right away, trying to decide whether it was real or not, and it took him several minutes to pull himself out of the dark clouds his dreaming had left him in. The text, no surprise, was from Sam.

How can you stand being up this early all the time?

He stared at the words longer than should have been necessary. She never answered him from the previous day, and he'd spent half the night wondering if he'd said something wrong. The thought that she might be in danger had crossed his mind, but he pushed it away stubbornly, knowing he had no way of finding her even if he did somehow find out she was in trouble. He spent the night tossing in bed, frustrated without even knowing why, and had apparently carried that on into his subconscious as well.

He debated briefly whether he should answer her, or make her wait. He sighed, uncomfortable with the thought of playing games like that, even if she seemed to be able to.

It's not so bad. It's quiet. How come you're up?

He stayed in bed, waiting for her reply with his eyes closed. He didn't have to wait long.

Just couldn't sleep. Had a bad dream.

Leo typed out his reply quickly. He was finally getting used to the buttons.

Huh, me too.

While he didn't want to play mind games, he also wanted to hint that he was a bit upset. She ended up dropping the subject for an easier one.

Got plans for today?

Just the usual. Work, chores. You?

He had told her that he worked security, leaving out for which company, and she hadn't really bothered him for more. He supposed that if he had to put a title on what he and his brothers did, it would be some form of security. She probably pictured a broad, muscular guy in a black tee shirt that read 'SECURITY' on the back, and Leo had chuckled at the thought that she'd only be partially wrong.

I've got the day off, so mostly just hanging out at home. Then later I've got a date.

Leo froze as he read that last part. He had no claim on her, not even close, but thinking about her going on dates, talking to someone new… He was uncomfortable with the unjustified jealousy that washed over him so suddenly.

He forced himself to type out a quick Have fun, not caring if he sounded a bit salty.

He looked up at his door as he heard his brothers in the dojo, getting ready for training. Had it really gotten that late? He dressed quickly, strapping his swords to his shell easily as he walked out into the hallway, leaving his phone on the bed that, even in a rush, he'd taken the time to make up. Leo came in and started stretching, pointedly ignoring his brother's odd looks. Even Raph had beaten him to there, which almost never happened.

Donnie and Mikey exchanged looks before shrugging. Leo sleeping in every once in a while was something they could forgive easily enough. Though they had noticed some odd behavior lately, they had faith in their brother. Raphael, however, was suspicious, especially after yesterday's episode. Something was definitely up with Leo, but for once Raph didn't want to push too hard. Leo obviously didn't want to talk about it, evident by the way he didn't miss a beat after stretching, throwing himself right into some light cardio. If anyone knew what it was like to want to keep something just for himself, it was Raph.

Leo tried to focus. His brothers didn't bug him about sleeping in, which was helpful, but his mind just wouldn't hang onto his training the way it usually did. The frustration he felt from his odd dream kept seeping back in, so that even clean strikes with his katanas seemed unsatisfying. He started over-thinking his movements instead of just letting them flow through, setting him up to make more mistakes. Sets that he'd gone through a million times didn't feel right anymore, so he compensated by pushing himself even harder.

The image of Sam that Leo had created in his head kept flickering before his eyes. He imagined long dark hair, and dark eyes that he could get lost in. He kept seeing her face, her mouth moving, saying she was going on a date except he couldn't hear her voice. The image of the text on his phone's screen flashed over and over. Then somehow it changed, morphed in his mind to add the words with someone normal at the end.

At that point, Leo's frustration came to a head and he lost control of himself midair, hitting the ground awkwardly on his plastron. His brothers rushed forward, Raph hefting him up into a sitting position.

"That's it," the red-clad turtle exclaimed, crossing his arms over his chest, "fess up."

Leo stood, brushing himself off. He kept his voice calm when he spoke, determined not to lose any more control over himself. "Leave it alone, Raph." He moved to brush past his brother, but Raph caught his arm and held on.

"You ain't yourself, Leo."

Leo finally looked Raph in the eye, catching him off guard as he jerked his arm free without breaking eye contact.

"I'm fine," Leo replied, his tone low. Once again, he walked out of the dojo before training was over.

What he'd wanted to say to his brothers was that he didn't feel like himself. He'd wasted so much time over the last 24 hours, not to mention the last few weeks, thinking about a girl he could never have. He knew how it was going to go now that she had someone in the real world; she'd stop texting Leo, and forget about the fantasy friendship they'd built up. And Leo would be left, still swinging swords around in the sewers of New York waiting for the next Bad Guy to come along so they could save the city in secret again.

He was making his way to his room to meditate a while when Master Splinter stepped out of the shadows and into his path.

"I saw what happened during training, my son," he said, watching his eldest carefully with his large, black eyes.

Leo sighed, his shoulders dropping in defeat. He could dodge his brother, no problem, but not Master Splinter. The old rat could see right through him, could weasel out any and all of his secrets with ease. Leo didn't bother trying to withhold anything, just lead his sensei to his room and plopped down on the bed, the springs of the weathered mattress whining. Splinter waited patiently for him to start.

"I've… begun to really realize lately just how… Separate we are." He was struggling for the words to describe feelings he really didn't understand yet.

"Separate," Splinter repeated slowly, nodding for Leo to keep going.

Leo sighed again, frustrated with himself for getting into this situation in the first place. He should have never answered that first text.

"It's just that there are so many things that we won't ever get, even with how far we've come, and the rest of life just seems… Long, suddenly." He'd never actually thought these things before, but as he spoke he realized it was all how he truly saw it. Talking to Sam, and now probably losing Sam, made him realize that there just wasn't much to look forward to anymore. Sam had given him something to look forward to each day, something outside the norm, and continuing without that was going to be difficult.

"I am assuming you are referring to the human girl you've been communicating with," the old rat said, catching Leo off guard. Before he could ask how he'd known, Splinter waved his hand dismissively. "Lucky guess," he explained, smirking as best he could with the way his mouth was shaped.

Leo looked away, his face heating up slightly. "I should have known better," he confessed. "We aren't normal, and no one wants a relationship over the phone."

Splinter ran his claws through his scraggly beard thoughtfully. "Miss April accepts you the way you are. Even the police accept you, since you have proven yourself to them. This phone girl would do the same." He sounded sure of himself, like there was no question.

Leo almost snorted, wanting to say that April would never want to date one of them, but kept his mouth shut. He hadn't even known he really liked Sam until she'd sent that one text, opened that door, and now suddenly he'd lost her. It was all moving so fast, his head was spinning.

Splinter moved to leave the room, wanting to give Leo his space. Right before he walked out of the room, he half turned to look at his son. "This life doesn't have to be just what you are given, Leonardo. It can be what you make it, also." He closed the door behind him quietly.

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Sam took her sweet time getting ready, staying in the shower longer than usual, and being extra careful applying the little makeup she wore on special occasions. She spent several long moments just staring into her closet deciding what to wear, and with which shoes. She switched out the bar in her left eyebrow with one that was less obvious, and chose a shirt with a low neckline all around so that the tattoo on her spine peaked out just a bit. She left her hair long and flowing, thanking good genes for the natural wave it had.

Despite the lazy pace she'd taken, she was ready with still at least a half hour before she was supposed to meet Jon at the restaurant she'd suggested. It was a quiet little Italian place a few blocks away that had lots of ambiance and few people on a weeknight. After so many days at Louis' a quiet night was exactly what she needed, and her date seemed nice enough. She'd met him while she was working the day before, and the timing just seemed right. What better way to prove that she wasn't attached to Leo than to see someone else?

She'd brought it up to Leo more for herself, trying to close a door with him that she hadn't meant to open in the first place. She hadn't expected to feel that bad about it, but his curt reply had cut a little deeper than she was comfortable with. She'd spent the rest of the day checking her phone and shoving her disappointment back when there were no new messages. The last 24 hours had been exhausting for her, and all because of someone she'd never even met.

Checking her phone again, she noticed that it was almost time to head out. Against her better judgment, she opened the conversation with Leo and swiped down to reread some of the older texts from the last couple weeks.

Tell me a joke.

She'd sent that in the middle of the day once while it was slow at work.

Hmm. Knock knock.

She had rolled her eyes, but played along.

Who's there?

A broken pencil.

She had pursed her lips as she replied, trying to figure it out before he could answer.

A broken pencil who?

Oh never mind, it's pointless.

She'd snorted and called him a dork, and he'd replied with a smiley face with the tongue sticking out. Thinking back on it, Sam realized there just weren't any people she could be silly with. Even Cass, who wasn't exactly the most serious person, demanded a sort of maturity from everyone around her, probably unwittingly, but still. She didn't expect jokes from Sam, and that just wasn't the person she was around Cass.

A sense of loss washed over her as she reread more texts. How could she be missing someone she'd never had? It didn't seem right.

Impulsively, perhaps her fingers rebelling against her, she sent Leo a text.

Knock knock.

There wasn't time to wait for his reply anymore, so she slipped her shoes on and headed for the door. It was a quick walk to the restaurant, and when she got there her date was waiting patiently outside. His face lit up when he caught sight of her. He really did have a nice smile.

"You look beautiful," he said, eyes warm and sincere. Sam had a way of not trusting sincerity. Sincerity made people drop their guards.

"Thanks," she said as he went in for a quick hug, and then led her into the restaurant by the hand. They were seated, and without looking at the menu he ordered a bottle of wine that she probably wouldn't have been able to pronounce.

"Impressive," she said with slightly raised brows.

He looked almost embarrassed, smiling sheepishly. "I'm no connoisseur; I just know what I like." Sam shrugged, watching him as he studied the menu. She had to admit, he was pretty cute.

"So, Jon, what do you do?" The waitress came by with their wine, and she accepted her glass graciously. She took a small sip. It was sweet and crisp, and despite not being much of a wine person she liked it quite a bit.

Jon sipped his wine quickly before answering. "Right now I'm finishing up school, going for a business degree," he said. She liked that while he was talking to her he made the effort to look her in the eye.

"Ahh, a student. Which school?"

"Hudson U."

Sam resisted the urge to chuckle. A business degree from Hudson University was exactly the path her parents had chosen for her. They'd gone through several hoops and pulled all the right strings to get her an appointment with the right person in the admissions office, not that she'd really needed the help. That was the angriest she'd ever made them, when they found out she never made it to the appointment. It wasn't long after that she'd left, leaving just a note for her parents.

They ordered their meals, and covered the basic first date topics. Jon was sweet, attentive, attractive, and had a way of having all the right answers. Sam was surprised at how much they had in common. He even confessed that he'd seen her at Louis' a few times before he had the courage to actually talk to her. Sam rolled her eyes playfully at him.

As nice as Jon was, and as perfect as he seemed, Sam held herself back. This was exactly the kind of guy she could see herself really liking, which set off all the warning bells. Most of the guys she'd dated were more like her-just looking for a hookup, nothing serious. She was comfortable with that, no strings attached. Feelings were more difficult to swallow.

"So," Jon said as they were leaving the restaurant. "You mentioned you live nearby. Would it be okay if I walked you home?"

Sam considered it a moment, but quickly decided that she didn't have the heart to lead him on, even if it had been a while since she'd invited anyone back to her place…

"I think I'll be alright." She felt a pang of guilt seeing the flash of disappointment in his warm, chocolaty-brown eyes. "But thanks, I had fun tonight." Jon nodded, seeming to understand the message she was sending.

"I'll call you later," he said, stepping forward for one last hug. Even his hugs were perfect, not awkward or too tight. Sam almost changed her mind about not inviting him home. He gave her a small smile before turning and heading the opposite direction as her.

Sam sighed, digging out the pack of cigarettes from her purse. She lit one up before she started walking, and out of habit checked her phone. Still no reply from Leo. She walked slowly toward her apartment building, taking the occasional drag from her cigarette. She'd grown so used to having Leo around, it felt wrong that she was hesitating with him the way she was. Maybe having one small crutch wasn't such a horrible idea…

Hi.

She hit send before she could change her mind. She could let herself have something to hold onto, she decided.

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Leo had spent the day meditating in his room, feeling like a bit of space was what he needed. He had meant to answer the text from Sam, wishing he could ignore the subtle changes in their relationship, but ultimately he decided that space from her could do him good, as well. He planned on ignoring the one that just came through, also, when it occurred to him that she was supposed to be on a date instead of texting him.

A bit early, isn't it?

He worried that that sounded harsh.

Yeah, the date was a bit of a dud.

Leo smiled without meaning to. This shouldn't make him happy, but the fact that she'd had a bad date and came right back to him made little tendrils of hope well up before he could stop them.

Sorry to hear that.

He wasn't sure what she'd say next, but he was glad to have a long night of messages ahead of him.

Can I call you? I want to hear your voice.

Leo's eyes widened, staring at the words on his screen. Call him? He'd never even considered that before. What would they even talk about? His heart was racing. He hadn't expected to ever be put in this situation, but it made sense that she would eventually want more than just texting. What if it was too much? What if he didn't know what to say?

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. Despite his reservations, he was curious what her voice sounded like as well. There was also the chance that if he said no, she'd shut him out again, and that was worst case scenario at this point.

Taking a few more deep breaths, Leo cleared his throat and hit the green call button on the phone, holding it to his face uncertainly. While it was ringing, he nearly chickened out, but then-

"Hello?"

Her voice was clear and melodious, the kind that always went along with a pretty face. Leo was caught off guard by it.

"Uh, hi, Sam?" It was odd saying her name out loud. It was odd talking on the phone with someone. He'd have to remember to keep his voice down so his brothers didn't come to investigate.

"Leo. Wow, you sound…" She paused, and he heard her take a puff of her cigarette and exhale. "exactly like I thought you would," she finished, and he could hear the coy smile in her voice.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi everyone, just wanted to say thanks for all the feedback. I'm glad people seem to be liking this. :) Keep it up to keep me posting!