CHAPTER FOUR

Lilith put her foot on the brake as she finally entered the Turtles' garage, almost giving Raph an anneurism when she pretended that she was going to hit his bike. She slammed her foot down, sending Mikey's face smashing into the window. Donnie and Raph, who had braced themselves, laughed as Leo fell over, smacking his face on the plastic headrest of Lilith's seat.

Lilith smirked, then turned worriedly when Leo didn't get up. "Leo?" she asked, standing and walking over to his face-down form. "Leo, you okay?" she knelt next to him and he groaned. She lifted his head a bit and blinked when she saw the proverbial stars in his eyes. She gently slapped his face. "Leo, snap out of it. I'm pretty sure I didn't brake that hard."

Leo blinked and shook his head. Lilith let go and rocked back on her haunches, satisfied. "Good, you're not dead." Leo shook his head again, blinking. "Momma?" Lilith sighed. Raph and Donnie exchanged a glance, while Mikey, who had recovered, just stared, grinning. Without warning, Lilith pulled her hand and made a slapping motion, narrowly missing Leo's nose.

Said turtle stared for a split second before rearing back in surprise. "Damn." Raph muttered. "I thought she was actually gonna hit 'im." Leo blinked a few times. "I'm good!" he called. Lilith nodded. "Good. I thought I was going to have to drag you in there." She grinned good-naturedly, but Leo scowled. "Whatever." he muttered, standing and getting out of the truck. Lilith shrugged.

Donnie and Mikey got out, followed by Raph (who had claimed the front seat, much to Leo's displeasure) and Lilith. "What's his problem, Raph? He was happy enough to see me when we met. And if I hadn't been in Alaska when that whole stone general incident happened, I bet he'd have been happy to see me then, too." Raph shrugged. "We had a friend, Karai, who betrayed us. Now Leo thinks everyone 'cept April and Case is out ta get us."

Lilith nodded. "Ah. I see. And Leo had feelings for Karai, I take it?" Raph nodded, slightly taken aback. Lilith frowned. "I see. It's take a lot to break someone's trust of others completely." Raphael paused, then asked, "You know that from experience?" Lilith glance at him. "Raph, I'm nineteen. Of course I know this from experience." Raph held up his hands in surrender.

"Oh, hey, do you like my new big-ass Ford F-150? I also got a job I don't fuckin' hate, and I got to keep my dad's place!" Raph grinned. "Nice." Lilith nodded, smirking.

Leo called, "When you guys are done crying over your truck, will you come on?" Lilith shrugged, grinning. "Come on, we don't want to make him wait."

They walked at the slowest speed they could to get to the turtle's living room.

April, Casey, and Splinter were waiting with Donnie, Mikey, and Leo. Leo cast them a withering glare when they arrrived. "You sure took your time." Raph shrugged. "Well, the garage is kinda messy, and we didn't wanna trip. Don't ya always say betta safe than sorry?" Leo began to form a retort, but just then Splinter stated, "Now is not the time for argument, Leonardo." He added to the rest of the group, "There has been increased Foot activity, especially in the downtown area."

"What else is new?" Casey asked. April slapped him. "Shut it, I just bailed your ass out of jail. I'm mad at you." Casey fell over with the weight of the blow. "Ow." he mumbled. "Whyyyyy?"

"Because you're an asshat, Jones." Lilith replied. "An asshat." Casey looked up and grinned. "Oh, hey, Lilith. Long time no see." Lilith snickered. "It might have been because you were busy playing bad boy. How was the slammer?"

"Now that's just mean." Casey whined. Lilith raised an eyebrow. "That's what happened, isn't it Jones?" Casey moaned and stood up. "Why do you insist on calling me that?" Lilith smirked. "Because you're an asshat." Casey smirked devilishly. "I must be the sexiest asshat ever if you refuse to admit your feelings by calling me by my first name."

Lilith's eye twitched. "Ew. You just upgraded yourself from asshat to dumbass." Casey wiggled his eyebrows. "So, what I'm hearing is, you enjoy referencing my ass? Awesome." Lilith ran to the garbage and retched. "My bad." she said when she was done. "Jones, you have been promoted to Douchebag." Casey opened his mouth. "So you clean-"

April grabbed his head and threw him into the tire swing on the other side of the lair. "Don't even go there." she muttered, shivering. Lilith ran back to the trashcan. Raph winced. "That's nasty as fuck." he muttered. Leo snorted. "What, the puke or the fact the image of Casey being an actual douchebag into our heads?" Raph joined Lilith at the trash can.

"I'll take that as both." Leo muttered. "Which is surprising. I thought Raph had a stronger stomach than that." Then the image of Casey as one of those things popped into his head and he was right next to Lilith and Raph. Splinter looked confused. "What is a-Oh." he realized. "Oh. I suppose that's what they call them these days." The rat looked fairly pale and Donnie put a bucket next to him, just in case.

Mikey frowned. "What's a douchebag?" All puking stopped, April's beating of Casey stopped, and Splinter paused in his reaching for the bucket. Everyone turned. The three at the trash can twisted around, April looked up from where she had ahold of Casey's shirt, Casey lifted his head from where it had been lolling to the side, Splinter blinked and he looked over at his youngest son, and Donnie just stared.

"You seriously don't-?" Raph cut off Lilith's question by slapping his hand over her mouth. Lilith, understanding what had just happened, stated, "All in favor of letting Mikey keep his innocence by pretending that this never happened say I."

"I."

"I."

"I."

"I."

"I."

"I."

"I!" Mikey pouted. "But I wanna know!" Raph blinked. "Know what, Mike?" Mikey scowled and surrendered. Lilith wiped her mouth. "Now, where were we?" Splinter frowned. "You and Casey were in the middle of a heated argument." Lilith winced. "What was going on before that? I feel sick enough without going back to that hell." Raph put in, "We was talkin' about Foot ninja bein' asses. right?"

"Close, Raph. We were talking about increased Foot activity downtown when April slapped Casey onto the floor." Donnie put in. Lilith's eyes lit up. "Can we go back to that point?" April and Casey, back in the "circle," exchanged a glance before April slapped him. Splinter coughed. "Anyway, I have decided that it is safest if you stay below ground until Foot activity decreases again."

"What?!" Raph demanded.

"That's not fair!" Mikey whined.

"We should be kicking ass, not loitering around down here!" Lilith put in, bristling. Leo glared at her. "Why does it matter to you? You're not getting 'under-grounded'." he snapped, using a word that Mikey had made up, using the fact that they lived underground as an argument. Splinter stated, "Actually, I have requested that Lilith remain here for a few days, for safety's sake."

"By that, he means that I'm not allowed to leave because he'll lock me up if I try." Lilith stated bitterly. "Which is totally unfair, because Casey and April get to go home!" Splinter frowned. "Casey and April were not just spotted by a large horde of Kraang aiding the turtles." Lilith argued, "They have been before!" Splinter gave her a look.

"But they have been seen in New York multiple times. You just came back after one year. They will try to kill you because they do not know when or if you are leaving. If you are, they will want revenge before you do." Lilith snapped, "I thought you wanted me to stay here because of increased Foot activity in downtown?" SPlinter stumbled, "I-I do, but the Kraang are yet another problem to deal with!"

"That's just an excuse! Why do you really want me to stay here?" The other humans and the turtles watched in disbelief as their master and their friend went back and forth in their verbal banter. Raph muttered to Leo, without looking away from the argument, "Ten bucks Lilith wins the argument and runs off." A reply of, "You're on. My money's on Sensei." Raph snorted, "Teacher's pet." and they returned their attention to the argument.

Mikey whispered to them, "Dudes, I want in on this. Ten bucks someone jumps in to break them up." The three shook hands just as Splinter stated, "I want you to remain here for your safety!" Lilith's eyes flashed. "And what about April and Casey's safety? I don't see you trying to protect them!" Splinter growled, "April and Casey know how to defend themselves!"

"Oh, so I can't defend myself! That's it! What do you think I was doing in Alaska, scratching my ass? No! I was following a lead I got on the Foot clan!"

"I did not say that you couldn't defend yourself! But April and Casey have more training than you!"

"April has more training than me, and only because I taught myself! Casey just knows how to beat people with sticks!"

"And yet they both outclass you!"

"So you do think I'm useless!"

"I do not! I simply think that you should recieve more training before you go home!"

"So you think that I'm not good enough, that it?!"

"I never said that!"

"It sounds like that's what you're saying!"

Raph muttered, "I'm doubling my bid." Mikey and Leo agreed and turned back to the argument.

"I'm telling you, I just think that you should train before you go fighting the Foot!"

"Oh, so now this is sbout me fighting the Foot? We were just talking about how you think I should stay here like a useless little girl while April and Casey go home and you keep the guys from leaving!"

"Leonardo told me about your little hero 'leap of faith,' and you have no training. You could have died!"

"But I didn't! What does that have to do with me staying here?!"

"I'm saying that you are reckless, and if you are out there, without training, that recklessness will cause you to do something stupid!"

"Stupid! Now you think I'm stupid? Pick an insult and stick with it, Splinter! You've got three to choose from now! Useless, not good enough, and stupid!"

"I'm not trying to insult you! I am merely trying to prevent you from getting hurt!"

"Getting hurt by being stupid, useless, or not good enough?"

"Stop twisting my words! I merely wish-"

"For me to hide behind manhole covers? Sorry, but I'm not a coward!"

"I'm no coward."

"I didn't say you were! I'm saying that there is no way in hot, fiery hell that you're keeping me here because I don't have training that fits your standards!"

"You know what? Fine! Go where you wish! I'm not stopping you!"

"Thank you!" Lilith snarled, turning her back on her old friend and marching to the garage. Leo and Mikey handed Raph twenty dollars each. Raph grinned and 'pocketed' the money. "I'm too good." He then frowned as Splinter slumped slightly. "You okay, Sensei?" he asked, stepping towards his surrogate father. Splinter looked over, eyes sad. "I'm fine, Raphael. Just tired. I only wished to protect her."

The sound of Lilith's truck driving away filled the sewers for a moment before it was gone. Raph frowned. "Why'd she react so badly to being kept here with us?" Splinter sighed. "She reacted the same way when I originally requested that she stay. I had hoped that I could convince her, but..." Raphael cocked his head. "But why doesn't she wanna stay here?"

"I don't know, dude, maybe she's claustrophobic." Mikey suggested. "What does that have to do with her wanting to stay here?" Leo asked, raising an eye ridge. "Well, claustrophobic people don't like sewers, right?"

"Mikey, claustrophobia is the fear of tight, enclosed spaces." Donnie stated, eyes half-closed in an 'you're an idiot' fashion. Mikey gave him a dull look and Leo stated, "It means you don't like being cramped. Like that time you got buried in a pile of dirty laundry. Claustrophobic people wouldn't like that. Where did you even get dirty laundry, anyway? We don't wear clothes!"

"I'm not tellin' you..." Mikey muttered. Splinter interupted, "I believe that you should go after Lilith, make sure she arrives safely at home and remains safe." Raph nodded. "Sensei's right." Leo rolled his eyes. "You just want an excuse to go topside one last time before our under-grounding." Raph shrugged. "So what? That's a nice plus side, but I'd still like to be sure that our friend gets back okay."

"Who are you and where's Raph?" Mikey asked, poking Raphael's face. Raph put a hand on his face and shoved him. (remember the episode the lonely mutation of baxter stockman? just like that. ^.^) Mikey cried out as he flew over the TV and landed in a stack of DVDs. "Let's go." Raph stated cheerfully. "There's Raph..." Mikey muttered dazedly. "Three of him, actually... And birdies. I like birdies."