Raph pounded on the door of Hope's lab, hoping that she was home. The metallic door echoed back loudly, sounding like the bass drum in a marching band. She wasn't answering her phone and he was starting to get worried. He'd let his hot head get the better of him and he may have blown his chance at the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"Hope? Baby, open the door!" He leaned against the door and called again. "I know you're pissed, but…" What else could he say? He was an idiot who liked getting himself into trouble?

"I'm sorry… I'm really trying to keep it together, but this I can't. The best way I know how to fix something is to hit it. Please… Open the door."

There was no answer. There was only him and his pathetic explanations. Maybe if he called her again…

Hope was power-walking down the street. She'd memorized the name and address of Donnie's attacker and was repeating it over and over under her breath. Now, she was going to take matters into her own hands. No clue what to say, all her speeches were a jumbled mess in her mind. She'd made the decision to wing it, which was not something she was good at. But that would have to do. She was now running on the dregs of her frustration at the whole situation. It was now or never.

Jumping in a nearby cab, she blurted out the address to the driver and sat back, chanting the name, "Matthew Hollins, Matthew Hollins." She was finally going to understand what went through that lunatic's mind.

Vibrations in her pocket sent Hope into a fit of exasperation. "Leave me alone, Raph…" She muttered to herself as she bashed the red button on her phone once again. She was not going to speak to him, he'd only talk her out of it, or worse, come looking for her.

The cab pulled into the curb outside a rickety old block of flats. She briskly paid the driver and stepped out into the area. It was plain to see that it was not a nice neighborhood. Litter blew in circles around her feet, and graffiti was strewn across every surface. What little people there were around, hung in corners, their eyes not quite focused on the world around them.

Hope suddenly felt very uneasy, but her mission was still a go. She headed to the closest building and was mildly uplifted to find the correct number on the door. She pressed the buzzer and a shrill noise rang out within the apartment.

Matt paused the movie he was watching, wondering who could be bugging him so late at night. Maybe it was Sandy, reconsidering the proposition he had given her earlier that evening. Oh God, he hoped so. He jogged to the door and peeked through the peephole. Definitely not Sandy, but she was a looker, and that was enough for him.

He opened the door wide so she could get a good look at him. She was tall, fair and blonde, three things he really dug in a woman. Her tits were too small for his liking, but that didn't matter as much. If she was willing to put out, he was willing to see how far she would go.

"Well hello there," he said suavely. "What can I do for you?"

Hope took a good long look at the weedy man before her, unsure of whether this was her target or not. He stood leaning against the half rotten door frame, gawking at her in such a way it made her skin crawl. His mousey brown hair was greasy and had a stale smell to it, as if he hadn't washed in days. The odor caught in her throat and she had to cover her nose and mouth to avoid gagging.

"Matthew Hollins?" She enquired from behind her hand.

Matt's smiled faltered a little. No one called him Matthew unless they wanted money. "Yeah? What do you want?"

"I- uh, well- um." This is what happened when Hope didn't plan out her wording carefully. She started to panic. All the pent up anger was dissipating to nothing and she was left with a blubbering mess of syllables.

She could see he was growing impatient as his foot tapped on the worn carpet within his home. Scrambling in her library, she grasped at as many words and phrases as she could, throwing together a makeshift pattern of words. "Do you- own a red- corvette compact…?" Was all she managed.

Shit… It's a chick from the insurance company. He should have known better than to think it was a booty call. Maybe she was bringing the check directly to him. You never know… It could happen.

"Yeah. It's in the shop though. I got in an accident the other day."

It took all of her effort not to snort in his face. Accident? Yeah, right.

"What happened in this accident?" She asked, finally forming a full sentence. He looked nervous, and for good reason, but she had to get the truth out of him. Feeling the anger bubbling up from within again, she held her breath in wait for his reply.

He hesitated. He couldn't tell her the truth, especially if she was from the insurance company. "I… Um… Hit some trash cans in an alley. I thought it was a shortcut, but it just really messed the car up."

Hope began to laugh. Slowly at first, building up until she was slapping her knees in maniacal snorts.

That was it. The final straw. This lunatic had lied to her face while Donatello was lying in hospital, fighting for his life. She now fully understood why Raph reacted the way he did. She wanted to punch this goon square in the jaw, this very second.

"You're lying, man! You're lying right to my face!" She howled, her face bright red and ribs aching. "I know what you did!"

Matt felt all of the color drain from his face. She knew? How? He needed to get rid of her. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said obstinately, then he tried to shut the door in her face.

Instinctively wedging her boot into the doorway, Hope caught him off guard. Her uncharacteristic bout of laughter had subsided and her lips faded to a thin line. "No. I just want to talk." Her brow furrowed, leaving a stern expression upon her face.

"I've got nothin' to say to you, bitch," he sneered as he tried to force her out. She was a lot stronger than she looked and she kept her foot securely inside the door.

"I just want to know why," Hope blurted out, aware that this was not going to help matters. She didn't feel like she was in danger, exactly, but if this guy was willing to run down an innocent person just for being different, who knows what he could do to her.

"You're one of those fuckin' mutant lovers, aren't ya?" He challenged as he pushed harder. "Don't you get it? They're freaks! Stealing everything that humans have worked to build! So what if I took out one of them? It had no business being up here with us! Now I don't have to look at his ugly mug ever again!"

"That's it?! That's why you tried to kill him?" Hope stopped pushing the door and it snagged hard on her boot, causing her to yelp out in pain.

Tried? So the freak wasn't dead? Well, even if he lived through it, he wouldn't know it was him. Ever since that other turtle had assaulted him, Matt had kept his distance from Donnie, but it still annoyed him that he had been there. He had no business being there with them. Just seeing him made Matt sick to his stomach. No one could pin this on him.

Except the girl. She knew. She could call the cops, and he'd go away for a so called 'hate crime'. Unless he shut her up. He threw the door open and grabbed her arms, pulling her roughly inside.

The shock of her body being forced so violently into the apartment made Hope scream out. She intuitively jerked her limbs to break free, but her endeavor was futile.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" She yowled in a voice that had never been heard before.

"Shut up!" Matt sneered as he dragged her farther into the apartment. The neighbors knew better than to come around, even if she made a lot of noise. He kicked open the door to his bedroom and threw her onto the bed, figuring that if he was going to waste her, he might as well take her on a test run. Couldn't hurt anything.

She screeched and tried to claw at his face. Feisty little bitch… He struck her hard across the face, momentarily stunning her. It was enough for him to climb on top of her and pin her down, using his weight to keep her immobile. She smelled so good… He kissed her neck as he held her arms above her head. It was going to be tricky getting them both out of their pants, but this wasn't his first rodeo. He could manage it.

Her ears were buzzing from the strike. She felt like she was watching the whole scene unfold from above. It wasn't happening to her. It couldn't be. All control had been seized from her now. She screamed and kicked, but her efforts were met with his stony cold sneer. He knew what he was doing. She knew what he was doing.

Hot, fiery tears poured down her petrified face. She wanted to keep struggling, but eventually it dawned on her that this piece of work was going to do his evil deed regardless. He held both her wrists tightly with one hand and somehow managed to pull down her pants and underwear with one swift jerk from his other hand.

"Please don't do this…" She whimpered with one last pleading sob.

Matt was so close, he could almost taste it. She was so tiny that he wasn't sure if he would fit. But he would make himself fit. This was all about him, after all. He didn't really care if she was comfortable.

Suddenly, something huge and strong wrapped around his neck, cutting off his airway. He felt himself being lifted into the air and thrown against the wall. He didn't have any time to recover because the mutant was on top of him in an instant.

"You worthless piece of shit! I'm going to fucking kill you!" It screamed irately as it drove his fist into his face over and over.

Matt knew this voice, knew this face… It was the turtle. The one who had put him in the hospital after he had a little 'talk' with its brother. He couldn't believe this was happening again. The thing wrapped its large hands around his neck and started squeezing the life out of him. He struggled and tried to call out, but there was nothing he could do.

Reality seemed to be failing now. She must have blacked out for a couple of moments, her subconscious attempting to shield her from living through this nightmare.

When she opened her eyes, a horrifying scene filled them. Most of the event was taking place from behind a huge turtle shell, but it didn't take a genius to work out what he was doing. Blood sprayed across the walls as his face was pummeled over and over.

She was going to lose him. He was going to kill this bastard, and even though she now knew that he deserved every single blow, she could not have Raph go to prison again.

"RAPHAEL!" She bellowed, her throat stinging from the harshness of the yell. "STOP!" Somehow she'd managed to pull up her pants and scrambled to his side.

He seemed to be in a different world, eyes glazed over, only the whites visible. Hope was close enough that a spray of hot red liquid coated her face, making her gag. She needed to get through to him. Bringing her arms out slowly to take hold of his swinging arm, she just brushed his skin before he swung his powerful fist round. It smashed into her face with such force that she was thrown to the ground. Her eyes rolled back into her head. She lay there, broken and helpless.

Everything was moving in slow motion. Raph saw his fist connect with her face, saw her fall back onto the ground, saw her go limp. His heart stopped and the red haze immediately fell from his eyes.

"Hope!" Forgetting about the unconscious sack of shit leaning against the wall, he pressed his fingers to her throat, desperately looking for a pulse. When he felt the steady beat of her heart under her skin, he thought he would pass out from the relief. "Baby… I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"Raph! I got here as fast as- Oh my God…" He turned to see Casey standing behind him. The flashing lights of his patrol car on the street illuminated the street with vibrant red and blue light.

"Casey… He… I didn't…" Raph couldn't pull his thoughts together. He was reeling and he didn't know what to do. All he could do was hold Hope in his arms and try to make her see it was all okay. Casey leaned over and checked for a pulse on the man.

"He's not dead, Raph. I'll call this in and you call an ambulance for your girl."

Raph nodded, dazed as he grabbed his phone. He was in deep shit, but he didn't care if he went to jail again. He only cared if Hope could forgive him. God knew he would never forgive himself.

A strong smell of disinfectant caught in Hope's nostrils, jolting her awake. She was aware that she couldn't move, some sort of tubes were attached to her body in various places. A crisp white ceiling focused in her vision as she stared up, wondering where she was. Her hands were numb, but she managed to flex her fingers slightly, bringing life them. What was going on? Her mind was completely blank.

Hazy images flashed through her head, dulling her senses slightly. She blinked a couple of times and attempted to look around. Jutting her jaw downwards she caught a glimpse of orange at her side. Her broken brain registered that this was Mikey, and he was fast asleep at her side. Darting her eyes to the other side of the small room, she clocked Leo dozing in a chair to her left. Her heart beating faster, and the steady pace of beeps sounding next to her rapidly increased. It slowly started to dawn on her that she was lying in a hospital bed.

Still, nothing came back to her. What had happened? Had there been an accident? Where was Raphael? Was he hurt? She opened her mouth to ask all these questions, but all that escaped was a feeble squeak.

Leo heard her stir and looked in her direction. Hope was looking around, dazed and confused. She must be freaking out, trying to piece together what was happening. He stood and came over to her, smiling disarmingly.

"Shh, it's okay, Hope. You're safe. You're in the hospital." He gently pulled up a chair and sat next to her. Both of her eyes were blackened and her broken nose had been set and bandaged. From what Casey had told him, it all could have been a lot worse.

Safe? From what? What had happened? She delved into the deepest reaches of her labyrinth like mind and frantically searched for some sort of anchor. But nothing came. The last thing she remembered was walking out in Raph at the lair. Where was he, anyway? She needed to know.

"R-Raph…" She managed to choke out, barely a whisper.

Leo closed his eyes, silently cursing his brother for being such an idiot. "He's giving a statement at the police precinct about what happened. But he's fine. If they don't indict him, he will be here soon."

Leo's words made no sense to Hope. Why would Raphael be giving a statement? Did he have something to do with her being in hospital? Just as she started to wonder why exactly she was there, a strong throbbing sensation passed over her face. Whatever was holding the pain at bay was wearing off now and she grimaced with the feeling.

"Wh-what…? Happ-d?" She tried, willing Leo to understand what she meant.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over the top of his head. "From what Raph and Casey said, you found the guy who hit Donnie and went after him. He was going to… well, he was going to rape and kill you, Hope. Raph went after you and…"

He paused, juggling with the option of not telling her the whole truth. In the end, he decided that she deserved to know. "He lost control. You tried to snap him out of it and he hit you. Gave you a concussion and a broken nose. Our friend works in the police force, so he's been able to help, but Raph's in big trouble."

She saved Leo's explanation in her head and repeated it back, over and over, until the memory, or at least partial memory, finally fit back into place like the last puzzle piece.

Blurry, inconsistent scenes plagued her vision. She tried vigorously to set them in the correct order, beginning with after she left Raph at the lair. Her eyes were going wild, flickering in and out of focus.

Once everything was back in order, she replayed the whole scene back. It felt surreal to see what was happening; she wasn't sure if it was a real memory, or if it may have been tainted by Leo's recollection.

As Raph's fist plunged towards her face, she let out a small yelp and squeezed the hand of sleeping Mikey next to her.

"Oh my god…"

Mikey's eyes slid open and he looked around blearily. Leo was about to go look for a doctor to give her something for the pain when there was a short knock on the door.

Casey Jones stood in the doorway, still dressed in his black police uniform. He had decided a long time ago that he could bring more order to the city through working with the police instead of against them. He saw Hope and a bright smile spread across his face.

"You're awake!" He declared, striding up to the bed. He gave Mikey a friendly fist bump and a nod to Leo before standing over the bed.

"I'm Officer Jones, but since you're Raph's girl, you can call me Casey."

Hope stared blankly at him. Raph's girl? Was she still his girl? Would she even be able to forgive him for this? She decided to wait until she'd seen and talked to him before making this decision.

The pain in her face felt like it had swollen to twice the size. Her eyes felt sunken in, like she was constantly looking through a tunnel.

She fished out some words and strung them together to get her point across. "Where… is… he…?" The fact that she was almost incoherent made it difficult for the others to detect the tone in which she'd spoken.

Casey took off his hat and ran his fingers through his head. "He's in the waiting room. They aren't pressing charges against him yet, but… he's nervous about coming in here." He hesitated a moment. "Listen, he feels awful about what happened. Can I get him in here?"

It was difficult to know what to think. Now that the memory was back in full swing in her mind, Hope could recall the look on his face when he hit her. It was an accident, true, however, the way he just lost control terrified her. He terrified her.

This wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to confront the guy who hurt Donnie, and find out what spurred his actions on. She found that out, and her mission was successful. She was grateful that Raph had rescued her, but at what cost?

She nodded her head slowly, letting Casey know that she was ready to see him.

Raph stared vacantly into his cup of coffee, now stone cold. He couldn't believe that this was happening. How could he have let this happen? He wanted to run back into the bar district and lose himself in booze, but he knew that Hope would never speak to him again if he did.

A light hand lay on his arm and he looked up to see Casey. He offered a reassuring smile, but Raph didn't feel reassured.

"She says you can go in, man." He frowned at the terrified look on his friend's face. "Raph, relax. She'll hear you out. Just be straight with her."

He swallows his nerves and followed Casey to her room. He had no idea what he was going to say. He pushed the door open, his heart bouncing around his chest like a hard rubber ball.

Hope glanced at Leo. "You-you're… going… to… leave… us… alone… right…?" She wheezed, struggling to get her words out.

The good thing about hardly being able to talk was, when he began to explain himself, she could listen without interruption.

A medley of thoughts went through her head. Would whatever he said be enough? Could she actually forgive this? Let him get away with it? It wasn't just the fact that he'd hurt her, it was his reaction. He went straight in for the kill, with no regard for himself or his future. Could she now have someone like that in her future?

Leo nodded and he gestured for Mikey and Casey to follow. The door closed behind them and Raph hung back, hesitant to approach. He felt like a cornered animal, facing down a threat, except that he was the real threat. He had snapped and she had been caught in the cross-fire.

Her face was swollen and there were black rings under her eyes. He wanted to rush over to her and comfort her, but he could see the distrust in her eyes. Maybe she was right to look at him like that.

"How… How are you feeling?" He asked lamely, at a loss for anything better to say.

"Sore," she replied sharply. Now that he was in the room with her, anger started boiling within her veins. She had no idea that she was going to react this way and it took her mildly by surprise. Why was he making small talk? Where was his apology? She could see the anguish in his eyes, but she had real physical pain and it was his fault.

He could sense her annoyance, but he was so unsure of what to say. He had no excuses, so he decided to just be forward. He couldn't meet her eyes; he deserve to do that.

"Hope… I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't… I wasn't in control… All I could see was the bastard about to…" He closed his eyes, the memory still painful to think about. "I wanted to make him as afraid as you were. I wanted to keep you safe, but I fucked it up. I will never forgive myself for hurting you. Never."

Tears slipped down his cheeks, but he did nothing to hide them. He was so ashamed. He genuinely wanted to die for putting her here, and the way she looked at him physically hurt him.

"Thank you… for… saving me… Raph…" She forced out, pressing her hand to her face. She recoiled it in pain and let her tears flow freely down her cheeks. "But… I can't… do… this…" Her heart physically ached from her own words. She loved him, more than anything, however the trust was fading rapidly and if this is how he was going to react any time she was in danger, how could she stay? How could she be with him? Her chest convulsed with her sobs and all she wanted was to be in his arms.

His chest tightened as her words came home to him. She was turning him away because of his damned temper, just as he had feared. Maybe it was for the best. If he stayed, she would only get hurt again.

"I… I understand. I'll just… I'll leave you alone. I'm… I'm sorry."

He turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him. His heart was crumbling like a sandcastle that sat too close to the shore. It would have been better if he wasn't at fault, but it was. He barely heard his brothers' calling to him as he rushed out of the waiting room. He just needed to clear his head.

After he left, Hope thoroughly broke down. The beeping from her heart monitor was swiftly increasing. She covered her face and ignored the pain from her wounds. She curled herself up the best she could and sobbed violently. He was the only person she'd even fallen for, and now she was pushing him away? Because of an accident? Bile rose in her throat as her mind raced. Had she made a mistake? She was about to lose a huge part of her life, all because she got in the way? Now she cried harder, clutching at her chest, willing him to come back. She had no strength left, her breathing became labored and she wheezed out his name. She needed him. All she desired was for him to hold her close and mend her ruined core.

Mikey was torn between following Raph or going to comfort Hope. After a few seconds, he decided on going in to see Hope. She sounded all kinds of distraught and he knew that Casey could handle Raph. He had brought Raph out of plenty of dark places before.

He poked his head inside the room and saw her burying her head in her hands. He ran up to her bed and wrapped his arms around her and held her comfortingly.

"Hope, what happened? Tell me what's going on."

"I can't! I can't!" She bawled into his plastron, clinging tightly to him. She felt weirdly comforted by his scent, as it had an echo of Raph. She was relieved that with the parting between them, that she hadn't been completely abandoned by his family.

She finally managed to calm herself down, her body randomly convulsing on occasion as it rid her of tears. Words starting to converge in her mind and she chewed the inside of her mouth until she drew blood. Swallowing the salty liquid, she ran her tongue over the wound. It took her mind off the throbbing in her eyes and nose.

"I left him. I can't do this." She muttered, twisting her hair around her finger and pulling tightly.

Mikey suspected that this is what had happened. There hasn't been any other explanation for why both of them were so upset. Raph was passionate and felt things more deeply than any of his brothers, so his heart was breaking for him. But at the same time, Hope needed to think about herself. Even if Raph had hurt her accidentally, she had still been hurt, and she was trying to protect herself.

"Did Raph tell you about the invasion?" He asked softly. She nodded and he continued. "We were split up, and trying to find Master Splinter so we could get out of the city. When we found him, he was battling the Shredder, a really bad guy, and we saw him get hurt and thrown into a storm drain. Raph was freaking out, and he was pounding at the bars, trying to get to him. I tried to calm him down, he turned on me and tried to hit me. I stopped him, and convinced him that it was going to be okay."

He sat back and took her hands in his. Her hands were tiny and thin. No wonder Raph was so scared of hurting her.

"He was scared, and trying to cope with it. It was still scary, but he needed someone to pull him out of the dark place he was in. When he saw that guy about to hurt you, he wanted to save you, and he was afraid that he was too late. There might have been a better way, but he wanted to be there for you. I'm sorry that he scared you and that he hurt you, but please, don't think any worse of him for it."

She listened intently, head still pressed against his chest, nodding to show she was listening. When he reached the end she knew she'd made a mistake. But she must have hurt him so badly, and she knew he was stubborn. Would he accept her mistake?

"I was wrong," she stated numbly. "I need him."

Mikey grinned and squeezed her tight, conscious of her swollen face. "You need to tell him that. I can call him if you want," he said, pulling out his phone helpfully.

Hope quickly took his phone and dialled Raph's number. Placing the phone to her ear she waited for it to start ringing. What would she say? How would she convince him to come back? What if he refused? What if he'd decided he didn't want her anymore?

"Slow down Raph!"

Raph ignored Casey's entreaties as he pushed through the entrance of the hospital. He needed to leave him alone.

Casey just didn't get it. He had just screwed up the best thing that has ever happened to him, and he was smarting.

His phone buzzed on his belt, and he thought about ignoring it too. But Donnie's broken body appeared behind his eyes, and he picked up the phone. Maybe he had woken up? He looked down at the caller ID and saw it was Mikey calling him. He hit the green button and held up his phone. "This had better be about Donnie, you little piece of shit."

His harsh tone made her immediately hang up the phone and she flung it across the bed to its owner. She stared at her hands and shook her head, grasping at words in her mind. After a few moments, she'd complied a decision and she carefully spoke it out loud to Mikey.

"I'm going to let him cool off for a couple of days. If I take him back now, it's reinforcing that his negative behavior gets him what he wants." She exhaled gradually, bringing her eyes up to meet Mikey's. "And there's someone I need to see."

Mikey raised his eye ridges curiously. They were two stubborn people, so he knew it was better to just step back and let them figure this out on their own. "Who are you going to see?"

She pursed her lips, bringing them down to a thin, hard line. "The guy who hit Donnie." She knew he'd be around here somewhere, and she knew his name; it wouldn't be hard to find him.

Something odd was stirring inside her. It became a strong need to speak with him, to see what Raphael had done to him. It was unclear to her why she felt this way, but the urge was too strong.

"Help me find him?" She whispered to Mikey.

He thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Okay," he said. "I'll try to get it out of Casey. You're not planning on… You know… Getting even, are ya?"

Hope shot him a deeply offended look and narrowed her eyes. She replied sharply, obvious that she was not impressed with his tone. "Don't lump me into the same category as your brother." With that, she lay back down on the bed, turning her back to him, showing that the conversation was over.

Mikey felt twelve kinds of stupid for suggesting that she might be looking for revenge, but if it were him in that bed, that would be why he'd go looking for the creep. He stood and left her room, closing the door behind him.

Pulling out his phone, he called Casey. Raph was a thundercloud, but he was in at the lair, pounding the old punching bag into oblivion. That was good. Mikey preferred him to work out his sorrow and anger that way than in a smelly bar, or worse, in a chick's bed.

He asked where he could find the guy that hit Donnie and attacked Hope, then had to explain why he wanted to know. It turned out that they were in the same hospital, though he was surrounded by police detail and was handcuffed to his bed. He ended the call and wandered into Donnie's room. He'd give Hope the information tomorrow. When she'd cooled off a little.