Chapter 10

The brunette pales. "Mikey, how long were you standing there?"

He doesn't answer, instead throwing his arms around her in a bone-crushing hug. She barely has time to blink before the youngest turtle pulls away again, his expression hurt. "You left us," Mikey accuses.

"It wasn't my fault," Alex says wearily. She sags onto the cot again, closing her eyes. "I was going to tell you guys, but if I had, they would've-"

Donnie slips an arm around her, and she buries her face in his neck. "She really did it to protect us, Mike," the genius explains. "If it had been me in her place, well...I would've done the same thing."

Donnie doesn't miss the way that Alex stiffens beside him, and he certainly doesn't miss the feel of her tears on his shoulder. A muffled sob escapes her mouth.

Mikey's eyes widen, and he's at her side immediately. "Alex...I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry, dudette."

Alex sniffles, and it's a moment before she looks up at the freckled turtle. Her face is tearstained, her nose red. "I'm sorry too," she whispers as Mikey pulls her into a hug.

"Just let it all out," he advises. "It'll make you feel better."

"I don't deserve this," she mumbles. "You guys should hate me right now. You have a right to."

"What?" Mikey asks, shocked. "We could never hate you, Lexi! You're our friend. More importantly, you make us food."

A little huff of laughter is his reward for that. Alex gives him a watery smile. "Food is important," she agrees.

The orange-banded turtle nods, all seriousness. "And I think you owe us some right now."

Now she laughs outright. "Okay," she manages. "What do you want me to make?"

"Hmm." Mikey thinks for a minute, then his eyes light up. "How about some of your famous five-alarm chili?"

Before Alex can respond, footsteps pound on the floor outside the lab. Raph comes running in, his expression hopeful. "Don, I heard her! I heard Alex! I-"

The hothead's excitement fades as he takes in the scene before him. There's not the blonde-haired, green eyed girl he's looking for, but the blue-eyed brunette from Tennessee.

Raph's face falls. "Oh," he says dully. "I'm...sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." Without another word, he turns and leaves the lab. The slam of his bedroom door echoes through the Lair.

Mikey winces. Donnie touches Alex's arm. "He needs to know," the genius tells her quietly. "He's hurting, Alex. He's hurting badly."

She shakes her head. "I can't tell him yet, Don...I-I need to wait until we get Leo back."

"Why?" Donnie asks. A touch of anger flares up in his eyes again. "What's so important that you have to wait that long? You want to hurt him more?"

The brunette's lower lip quivers slightly. "No...I need his help, and I can't guarantee that he'll help me if he knows who I really am."

"You need his help?" Mikey echoes. "For what?"

Alex takes a deep breath, deciding to make the leap of faith. "I need his help to bring Leo back." As quickly as she can, she explains the plan she's been formulating with Master Splinter.

Donnie and Mikey, to their credit, aren't as shocked as Splinter was. In fact, it's almost as if traveling into other peoples' minds on a regular basis is an everyday occurrence for them. Donnie is nodding thoughtfully and taking notes on his T-Phone, and Mikey is listening without interrupting, his fingers tapping out a beat on the edge of the cot.

When Alex concludes her story, both brothers are silent. Donnie is the first to speak. "So you think that the way to get Leo to wake up is to return his chi to him?"

"It makes sense," she replies. "I mean, he got sick because he gave it away, right? Sensei said that the chi would still be in our bodies, and if we can give it back..."

Mikey's baby-blue eyes are shining. "He'll wake up!" he finishes. "Lexi, you're a genius!"

"I know," the brunette says, grinning.

"Does Leo know that you've figured it out?" Donnie asks.

Alex bites her lip. "I haven't visited recently," she admits. "With learning the Healing Hands and trying to figure out the rest of the preparations, it's been a little busy for me."

"The next thing you need to do, then, is tell him everything," the genius recommends, sitting down at his desk.

"Everything?" she repeats, her blood freezing in her veins.

Donnie nods, his expression becoming solemn. "He has a right to know, especially if you're going to be in his head."

The teen's eyes close, fear spreading over her like a tidal wave. Actually, telling the leader is the last thing that she wants to do. She knows that Leo is level headed, but how far is it until his breaking point?

And she might be a little scared. She got lucky with the way that Mikey reacted. But based on Donnie's reaction to her secret, how will Leo feel? His top priority is making sure that his brothers and father are safe and happy. When he finds out that she's the one who broke Raph's heart, what will he do?

Mikey's gentle touch on the brunette's shoulder jerks her out of her thoughts. "It'll be okay," he murmurs, holding her close. "No matter what happens with Leo, I'm here for you."

In that moment, Alex has never been more grateful. She smiles fully at the youngest turtle, laying her head on his shoulder. "Thanks, Mikester," she whispers. And maybe, just maybe, the fear shrinks a little at his affection.

TMNT/TMNT/TMNT/TMNT

Taking a deep breath, she opens her eyes, her weariness already fading as the soothing aura in Leo's mind washes over her. Warmth settles onto her mind like a blanket.

"You haven't visited in a while."

The accusatory tone in the leader's voice makes Alex flinch. "Sorry about that," she replies quietly, affecting her drawl again. "I've been working on a plan with Master Splinter. We're almost ready to get you out of here."

Leo's face splits in a smile and he uncrosses his arms. "That's great!" he exclaims. "Thanks, Alex!"

"No prob-" The brunette's reply is cut short as she realizes what he just said – and what she just did. The blood drains from her face.

"I knew it." His eyes harden, the scowl returning. "How long did you think you could keep up that charade?"

Alex bites her lip, desperately trying to think of a way to do some damage control. "Leo, I can-"

"Explain?" he finishes. "Yes, please do. Explain why you thought it was a good idea to just run from your problems. Explain why you hurt Raph like you did. Explain why I should still trust you with my family's lives."

This is exactly what she was afraid of. There's pain in her head now, increasing as Leo's anger grows. "L-Leo, please..." But he doesn't calm down. She's being torn apart from the inside. For the first time, Alex sees the anger – the raw power - that he hides deep within himself. And she's terrified.

With all the force of a hurricane, Leo forces her from his mind. The last thing she sees is the rage in his eyes.

And then blackness consumes her.

Author's Note:

Aw, shell! That did not go how she wanted it to.

I wanted to kind of deepen Leo's character a little. And it's not out of the realm of possibility that he has anger as bad as Raph does. He just keeps it buried where his family won't find out about it.

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