Chapter 7

(Leo POV)

"How is she?" I stepped forward into Alexa's room where Donnie was checking to see if she would wake up today. An IV was stuck in her arm and her face was twisted in discomfort.

"No change." My brother rubbed the back of his neck before sighing and standing.

She was collapsed in the yard after Don told us we could go home, but we did find a dart in her arm. Unfortunately, what was in the dart is a mystery. Don walked over to me and laid his hand on my shoulder.

"She'll pull through this." He told me before walking out.

I sat on her rolley chair in front of her desk and took her hand. Her skin was so cold and her hand was trembling. The images of how my brothers and I found her flashed in my mind. If I could've got there sooner. If I could've told her…

"I'm so sorry, this happened." My hand brushed her cheek, and that knot of worry strangled me. I needed her to wake up. At times I was able to get that knot down, but it was always there, like it was trying to take me down. I knew the only way it would be gone was if Alexa was well again.

My thoughts were pulled to Alexa as she started to thrash about and screamed. That screeching sound was filled with so much pain, that I thought I could almost feel it. I sat on the bed and held her close as I tried to comfort her through her attack. Unfortunately, this was beyond painkillers. They wouldn't work. I hated this, not being able to do anything.

"Alexa, you're okay." I whispered to her trying to get her to calm down and make myself believe it.

"Leo!" She cried as she gasped for air and tried to rip away from me.

I held her still as the shock of what just happened hit me. She spoke! She was coming around.

"H-help!" Alexa sobbed.

"It's going to be alright, I'm here." I told her before turning my head to call Donnie, but found him already rushing in.

"Leo!" Alexa belted out again.

Even though she sounded like she was in agonizing pain, she was going to wake up.

(Alexa POV)

I heard him again! Leo called for me again! Where was he? Was he escaping? That doesn't make any sense though because I watched them all die. Bishop murdered them right in front of me, just hours ago. Maybe this was some sort of trick, right? It had to be. I shut my eyes and pressed my curled body into the cement wall of the cell I was locked in. Leo's words got louder and clearer as I focused.

"I'm here." His voice was calm and reassuring.

"Leo!" I called out and waited for him to answer, but none came. "Where are you?"

I pulled into myself further and tried to hold onto that tiny bit of hope that was slipping away. I've been here for months.

"Please, wake up. There's nothing to be afraid of. We're all here, your family, waiting for you." Leo said again, but I couldn't hear him. "Just open your eyes."

Oh man, I'm losing it, but I continued to follow his voice. My mind raced as it got quieter and the smell of the place changed. Now I felt a soft bed beneath me and sweat on my forehead.

"Come back."

He sounded so sad. Wait, was he crying? I just focused harder and fought harder until I felt Leo's arms wrapped around me. Was I home?

"Leo?" My voice was hoarse and quiet, but Leo heard it and adjusted himself so he was next to my bed.

"Alexa, Lexa, you're awake." A smile lit his face as his hands held my face gently.

"What do you mean?" My brows furrowed. I was with Bishop and he murdered the turtles…Leo was supposed to be dead. With that thought I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried. How was he alive? Donnie was pealing me off of Leo and I gave him a hug too. "How are you guys alive?"

"You were unconscious for almost an entire month." Donnie started.

I shook my head. "No, Bishop had me, he had all of us. It was just a little while ago that he murdered you four."

"It didn't happen." Leo told me.

"It did. I watched as you four slowly died and…" I couldn't even explain what I saw; it was too terrible.

"I can prove that it was all just a bad dream." Donnie said.

"How?" I asked not believing him.

"What did Bishop do to you?" He asked. "Any wounds that would be on you?"

I took a look at my wrists and then my shoulder, they were okay. Not a scratch on me. All this reality mumbo jumbo was seriously screwing around with my head. "How?"

""It was the dart that hit you. It had a serum in it that, in simpler words, traps you in your worst nightmare." Donnie explained.

I shook my head. "No way, I swear it really happened. Bishop was trying to track you guys and somehow he was able to find you guys. I don't know how he did it without me telling him anything. Honestly, I did everything I could to keep you four safe and, and, I failed." I rambled as Leo pulled me towards him and I rested my head on his plastron.

"It's over." Leo told me and I nodded.

We all got quiet for a moment while I thought to myself. Everything seemed normal here. I was in my room and I had my ninja turtles nightgown on. Hmm. Maybe I was really back. I sighed into Leo's embrace and heard someone running up the stairs making me jump and sit up. Mikey appeared at the door allowing me to relax. Raph was right on his tail and grabbed Mikey by his bandana tails.

"MOVE IT!" I heard Sarah's voice boom as she and Kristen shoved their way past Mikey and Raph. They literally tackled me with a hug and I could tell they were trying not to start their waterworks.

"Hey, guys." I smiled as I hugged them back.

"I was afraid that you were gonna pull a Bucky." Kristen laughed.

"Well for starters, I still have my arm so that's a good thing. Also I'm glad I was out for a month and not seventy-some years." I countered.

"We're just glad you're okay." Sarah said as she started to snicker.

"What?"

"Nice PJs." She pointed at my nightgown.

Mikey finally got away from Raph and hugged me. I answered Sarah as I hugged Mikey. "My mom got it for me. I say it's the only dress I'll wear."

Mikey let go and yanked at the cape that was attached to the back. "It's got a cape?"

I swatted his hand away. "Of course it does!" Donnie came back into my room with my parents. When did he leave the room? I shrugged it off and hugged my parents. HUGFEST! XD

"I'm so glad you're safe." Mom smiled as she and Jim hugged me.

"I'm allowed to get out of bed now, right?" I asked Donnie. He nodded and, with Leo's help, I got out of bed. I felt a little wobbly and lightheaded, but took a few breathes and made myself move. After we were down the stairs, I was okay to walk by myself. "When did you guys get back and how?"

"Alexa, we never left." Leo said.

"But, I watched you go into the portal." I told Leo, I loved him.

"That was the reality serum." Donnie walked ahead of us before returning with the assumed dart that trapped my in myself.

"It doesn't make any sense." I sat at the table and put my hands on my head.

"Dudette, I know it seems really really confusing, but we made sure you didn't go anywhere." Mikey gave me a worried look.

I studied everyone's face. They all seemed to believe that I was never with Bishop, and it was all in my mind. My mom placed a bowl of chicken broth in front of me and I slowly slurped it. Everyone's eyes were on me and I met each one, but someone was missing.

"Where's Taylor?" I asked.

"New York." Mom answered and Jim frowned.

Jim and I weren't fond of my father, I mean, my sister's father. "Oh I bet he asked if I was alright." I scoffed.

"No, he didn't." Jim said darkly.

"Why can't she see what he does?" I mumbled to myself.

"You know how she feels, Alexa. She wants her real father to be in her life, like he should be." Mom said.

"Why can't she see that he doesn't want us! When did he willingly say, 'I'm taking the girls this weekend to spend time with them.' When? When did he do that without you begging him to see us? You know better than me that he won't do anything unless it benefits himself." I shouted making my voice crack. He just aggravates me. Always having Taylor and my brother put me down because I don't talk to him. They're just brainwashed. Programmed to protect him, and for what? To have a picture perfect family? Ha, they wish.

"Why would you say that about your father?" Mikey asked.

"Michelangelo, you four were lucky that you had Splinter. He was always there for you all and loved you. I didn't have that. I had someone who didn't want anything to do with me because he didn't want children to begin with." I looked into his confused baby blue eyes. "He reminds me of the Shredder in a way, just less intimidating." Mikey flinched at the Shredder being brought up. "He was abusive, mentally, and tried to drill into our heads that we would need him to walk us through everything. It didn't work for me because I had you four. He couldn't break me because I'm stronger than he is."

"He sounds like an as…..a jerk." Raph said struggling not to curse. I guess my mom started to hit him for his potty mouth. She does that to my sister and brother. Mom gave an approving look to him as he let out a sigh of relief.

"He's more than that." I muttered and received a whack in the back of my head from my mom. "Ow!"

"Unfortunately, he's still your father." She argued even though she wasn't a fan of him either. She tried not to talk bad about him because she didn't want to persuade us from going to his house.

"Do we have DNA testing to prove it?" I rolled my eyes before putting my finished bowl of broth in the sink. Then I turned to see my mom glaring at me. I held her glare for five seconds before looking away. NEW RECORD! "Okay, I need a reality check. What really happened?" I asked as I sat down at the table.

"Don told us that he found out a way to bring us home, and you went down." Mikey started.

"We brought you inside and I started studying the dart and took some blood to figure out what he hit you with." Donnie explained.

"We decided to stay longer because obviously the Foot or Bishop were going to leave you alone." Leo finished.

"Steve and I found out when Raph called and drove down here." Sarah said.

I shook my head. "So Bishop never captured me."

"No." Leo answered.

"And the Foot are still here?"

"We're tryin' ta figure dat out." Raph said.

"Okay, just to make a list, we have a definite on Bishop, a maybe on Shredder, and still nothing on Hun and the Purple Dragons?" I looked at everyone and Sarah nodded. "Perfect, we need a plan before we lose them. We can't afford to be hit off guard again. So what's the plan?" I looked at Leo.

"Scout out the area, and look for any signs." He said and Mikey snickered.

"You sound like Leo." He chuckled.

"Well, that's not such a bad thing." I stood and leaned against the counter.

Sarah smirked and Mikey got control of his chuckling as the eminent threat popped back into my head. The Foot could be in our backyard, just like in "Wedding Bells and Bytes", it was Casey and April's wedding day and the Foot attacked. Don't worry they still got married and it was picture perfect.

"Search the forest as far out as we can cover during the night." Leo started.

"We need to keep this without the fighting. The important part here is to locate threat and prepare for what may happen." I added.

Leo nodded.

"I say we go in groups." I grabbed a piece of paper and started to do a quick sketch of the plan. "If it's agreed that Sarah, Kristen, and I could go, we'll have three groups." I looked at Leo for his decision and he nodded. "Okay, group one, Leo and Mikey take the right section of the forest. Group two…Don and Sarah you two take the left. Finally, I will go with Raph and Kristen. The three of us are going to go straight back." I drew up everything. "Everyone agree?"

Mikey raised his hand as if he was in school. "Yes, Mikey?"

"Why doesn't Kristen come with Leo and I?" He asked.

"Why?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Then they'll be one of you three in each group."

I smiled and shook my head. I swear he had to be OCD or something. "Okay, Kristen will go with you two."

"If anyone comes across something of interest, contact the rest of us." Leo ordered.

Nods and response of agreeance was passed around.

"When do we start?" Raph spun his Sai in anticipation.

"Once it's dark." I answered him as my hand went to his and he shoved his Sai away.

Sarah and Kristen went to go call their parent and tell them that they were sleeping over and I jumped in the shower quick before changing and returning downstairs. I had on a pair of shorts and my Iron Man T-shirt. Sounds of Mikey playing video games and Raph going at the punching bag echoed upstairs. In the kitchen Donnie was tinkering with some sort of circuit board. "Where's Sarah and Kristen?"

"Downstairs with Mike and Raph." He answered without taking his eyes off of his project.

I nodded and went to Leo, who was meditating in the family room. "Mind if I join you?"

He opened one of his eyes and smiled. "No, go ahead." He answered before closing his eye again.

I sat down next to him and went into a half lotus position and quieted my mind. I closed my eyes and "threw away" all of the negative thoughts I was having or came into my mind. At my school, we have a meditation class. Kristen tried it, but could never get herself to relax. I loved it! The teacher would talk in this calm voice about the meanings of all of the colors, and how we needed to embrace the colors. She also would have us make up a "happy place". Basically, it was an imagined place where you felt calm and at peace. She would say it could be your room or a faraway garden that didn't exist. What I always thought up was the same thing every time. I was in a field surrounded by trees. The wind would be blowing softly and the long grass would feel soft and would tickle my arms. The sun would be out, but wouldn't burn my eyes as I looked up at the sky. If I would sit up, there would be a passage that led to a small beach. Breathing in, I would smell the salt water and feel the mist as the waves would crash into the shore. Goosebumps would cover me and I'd return to my spot in the field. The golden sun would warm me and I would add Leo in my paradise. My heart raced against my chest as his eyes connected with mine. His hand reached out to touch my cheek. Wow, this was different. Usually, we'd just stare at each other. Never had he moved and surprise me like this.

"Hey Alexa." Mom's voice echoed in the field and Leo's hand left me.

My eyes opened as I jumped.

"Oops, sorry." Mom laughed.

I looked over at Leo and he had a slight smile on his face. Then my eyes went back to my mom who had her hands behind her back. "Whatcha got behind you?"

"Here." Mom revealed a small box and smiled. "I hope you like it."

She told me as I opened the box to see a sterling silver turtle hanging onto the matching thin chain. The turtle had intricate detailing on its shell and a ring was on its nose that held it onto the chain. Instantly, I took it out of the box and put it on. "It's beautiful."

"I've been holding onto it for a while now, and I was hoping you'd wake up so I could give it to you." Her face was clouded with worry.

I hugged her tightly. "It'll be okay, mom."

"It's dark! Let's get da shell outta here!" Raph shouted and I laughed as he went outside.

"Go teach those goons a lesson." Mom smiled. "Be careful."

"I will." I meant that to both. The Foot and Bishop would pay for what they did. As I headed out towards Raph, I saw my mom having a quiet conversation with Leo. Hmm. I wonder.