10. Demons
"It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles.
Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken away from you,
Not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell."
- Budha
The three large men were out of place as they stood inside the small T2 apartment in Madison Street. One was going through the computer, expertly hacking through security passwords and accessing to all the information he desired. Meanwhile, the other two were rummaging through every cabinet and every drawer they set eyes on.
"Have you found anything yet, Ingvar?" the fair-haired brother asked from the bedroom.
"Not really... She seems pretty ordinary," Ingvar started, typing away on the keyboard. "Although I gotta say, from these pictures and the files on her hard drive, she is one hell of a woman. She's beautiful, incredibly smart and she has great taste in music."
"You're supposed to be looking for leads on her connection to the scroll, not getting acquainted," he snarled as he joined the other two in the living room.
"Geez, Snorri, how about pulling out that stick you have shoved up your ass?" Geir said playfully, plopping down on the couch next to his twin brother and propping his feet on the coffee table. "There's nothing wrong in Ingvar showing interest in the girl. For all we know she may not even be linked to it."
"It's likely, Geir! Father sensed the scroll in this house."
Geir rolled his pale blue eyes. "If he can sense it then how come we have to search for it, huh?"
"Father says he can't anymore. There's some kind of energy blocking his telepathy," Ingvar explained. "Oh this is interesting..."
"What?"
He turned the computer screen to his brothers. Their eyes widened at the picture. The woman's lovely face was already familiar but what baffled them was the green creature sitting next to her and her son, grinning and hugging the both of them.
"Is that what I think it is?" Geir asked bewildered.
"If what you're thinking is that she's sitting with a giant humanoid turtle then you're thinking what I'm thinking," his twin muttered.
"But is what we're thinking correct?"
"I don't know but me thinks we should find out if what we're thinking is true or not."
"Shut up! You two are giving me a fucking headache!" Snorri snapped, annoyed by his younger brothers' childishness. "Ingvar, grab that computer and let's go back. I'm sure a certain female ninja might provide us with some enlightenment."
Leonardo rubbed his aching temples, scowling at the ruckus in the lair. There was so much noise he couldn't even listen to his own thoughts. He glanced towards the dojo over his shoulder and glared at the couple yelling at each other.
"I did it just like you told me to!"
"No y'didn't! I said kick, duck and punch, not the other way around!"
"I still hit you, isn't that good enough?!"
"No 'cause yer supposed t' be doin' what I'm tellin' ya!"
He tried to tune them out for the hundredth time since he sat down for his meditation practice, but there was just no way to ignore Raph's voice. Groaning, he rolled up his mat and joined Mikey in the kitchen. The younger brother was hunched over a bowl of cereal while reading one of his comics.
Leo wondered how he could read with all that noise. Mikey glanced up as he came in.
"Having trouble meditating, bro?" he asked knowingly.
"Yeah," he grunted, pouring himself some of the green tea he had prepared that morning. "Are they always like this?"
"Most of the time they actually get along fine... Well, at least now they do," Mikey started casually. "At first Raph wouldn't even talk to her, but I guess they sorted it out. You know him though, he's always looking for an excuse to lose his temper and, to be fair, Sage can be a little infuriating sometimes... I really don't think he should be teaching her to fight, it's gonna come back to bite him in his tail."
Leo considered his younger brother's words in silence as he took a seat in front of him, sipping his tea.
In the last few days he was home, he had gathered enough to realize all of his family had grown very much attached to the young veterinarian. Mikey seemed to be the closest to her, seeing as she was always hanging around him and she was also very comfortable with showing affection towards him, which Mikey seemed to be as well. Donatello was surprisingly at ease around her too and the two of them would frequently be found in his lab discussing scientific knowledge or working together to decipher the strange Norse scroll, something Leo was only recently told about. Even Master Splinter glowed with joy whenever Sage would talk to him or join him in his yoga practice.
As for Raphael, well... it appeared as if he was bestowed with a different sort of treatment all together. They would either be at each other's throats, bickering until one stormed off, or if in the same room together they would automatically find ways to be touching each other. Leo clearly remembered the very compromising position he found them in the other night, and he would be lying if he didn't admit it had bothered him a little.
Sage was a wonderful woman. He was very much captivated by her just like Raph seemed to be, but there should be boundaries, and the last thing he would allow was for his hot-tempered brother to disrespect her, whether he saw him as leader again or not.
Leo was brought from his brooding by a flustered Sage barging into the kitchen. He hid his blush behind his cup of tea, growing extremely nervous because of her choice of attire. His eyes trailed over the form-fitting leggings clinging to her shapely legs and perky posterior, moving up her toned abdomen marred only by the now faint pink scar of her shot wound, and the short sports top showing a little too much cleavage.
How the hell can Raph concentrate on teaching her how to fight when she's wearing that?
"Your brother is absolutely insufferable!" She huffed angrily. Her hair was pinned in a high ponytail but her rebels curls were slipping and some were sticking to her flushed cheeks and sweaty forehead. She was frowning but her sea green eyes were burning with playfulness.
"What, you're just figuring that out now?" Mikey chuckled and Leo noticed his blue eyes looking her up and down as well. He grabbed her hand with a smirk, pulling her into his lap, the comic book long forgotten. She squealed giggling. "You shouldn't be walking around like that, babe, you're living in a house full of male turtles!"
Sage threw her head back laughing. "I think I trust the male turtles more than the male humans, thank you very much!" she quipped back jokingly. Then she patted his cheek lovingly, making him grin wider. "I like them a lot more too!"
"You shouldn't pamper her so much, Mikey. She's terrible," Raph grunted as he joined them wiping his neck and shoulders with a towel. He pulled a cold bottle of water from the fridge and downed it greedily.
"She's my princess, of course I pamper her!" Mikey replied cheerfully, nuzzling her shoulder.
"Princess?" He scowled playfully. "She ain't no princess, she's a monster!"
"Hey, I resent that! I am far from being a monster!"
"Ya wore me out just with yer naggin', Sage!"
Sage rolled her eyes hoping off of Mikey's lap, who whined playfully. She poked Raphael in his plastron replying, "I don't nag you, Raphael, you're just sour because I managed to knock you down."
"You knocked down, Raph?" Leo stared at her astonished. Sage had a strong shape but she was very lean. She looked like she didn't weigh any more than a hundred pounds.
Raphael's face turned crimson, but he purposely ignored Leo. He turned to the vexing woman instead, growling at her smug smile. "It wasn't fair an' ya know it! You distracted me!"
"Oh now I see...!" Mikey sniggered behind his hand which got him a swat on the back of his head by his older brother. "Hey!"
"Don't hit your brother! It's not his fault if I'm a particularly distracting woman," she teased.
"I said it before an' I'll say it again - yer terrible!" He threw his hands up and left the kitchen to escape from her. "I'm gonna take a shower."
Sage chuckled, gazing longingly at his retreating form. She failed to see the frowns on the other two turtles as she opened the fridge to look for something cold to eat. Pulling out a pre-made fruit parfait with Greek yoghurt layers, she sat down in the chair next to Mikey.
"I talked to Damian this morning," she said, looking at her best friend with a smile. "He says he wishes you were there, it would be more fun."
Mikey beamed. "Really? Oh shell, I miss him so much! Can I talk to him the next time he calls? Pleaseeee!"
"Of course, Mikey."
"Who's Damian?" Leo asked curiously.
"My son."
"Oh." He blinked. "I didn't know you were married..."
"Happily divorced actually," she corrected, smiling.
"You can say happily again," Mikey grumbled through a mouthful of cereal, making her chuckle.
Leo tilted his head to the side, watching her intently. Sage briefly noticed he had very beautiful dark blue eyes. They were kind, but she could see the shadows dancing behind his superficial mask of collected self-control.
How interesting, she thought. Sage had barely interacted with the older brother of the family so she knew very little about him, except for the few things the others told her. She could tell he was reserved though, and very old-fashioned too, it was clearly obvious. But there was something else in Leo - something dark. Even if he tried to cover it up, there was a large void and a large scar tainting his soul. Sage couldn't begin to imagine what could've done something like that to him, but she was a little curious.
"I take it he was a bad husband then?" he questioned.
Sage nodded nonchalantly. "I'll spare you the boring details but let's just say he liked to chase after every tail in a skirt more than the whole concept of being married to me."
"What an idiot," Leo said disgruntled.
"So I've been said." She smiled, her eyes dancing. "Where's Donnie?"
Mikey shrugged. "In the lab I think."
"Well, then I'm going to see him," she said getting up when she was done eating, stretching her arms over her head. "It's time we talk about me getting back to my life."
Mikey frowned. She wanted to leave?
Sage and the brothers were sitting around in the living room. Master Splinter had politely declined the invitation to join their discussion, claiming he was too old to meddle between his sons' affairs and they should learn to make decisions on their own because he wouldn't be around forever.
The conversation was not going down a good direction for Sage. Mikey and Raph were being particularly difficult about her wanting to go home. She understood their concern, but she had a life and job. If she had taken care of everything, she might've considered staying longer but she didn't so she couldn't just live in the sewers for the rest of her days.
"Your apartment was wrecked, babe," Mikey pointed out.
"I can get a new one," she said, facing the orange masked turtle sitting next to her on the couch with a resolution. "Money isn't exactly a problem in my family. I'll just go online and look for a nice place with better security."
"It ain't enough," growled Raphael. "I checked yer house two days ago, there's still Foot ninja's lurkin' around. They'll end up findin' ya eventually."
"Look, this isn't up to discussion. I have a business to run and Amelia can't handle everything on her own forever. She's very good with all the managing burocracy but when it comes to dealing with people she's absolutely useless. I also have Damian to think about. He might be on summer break right now but he's still in school and he has piano lessons he shouldn't miss."
Raph shook his head stubbornly. "No matter what ya say, it's too dangerous."
"Raphael..."
"I mean it, Sage! These people don't fool around, a'ight? They can seriously hurt you and Damian!"
"I agree with Raph!"
"Bloody hell, you too Mikey?!"
"Alright, everyone calm down." Leo stood up from his chair and raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. "We should figure out something that works both ways, so Sage can go back to her life and at the same time we can keep her safe."
Raphael snorted. "Yer not de leader anymore and ya sure as hell don't get t' lay out strategies fer us."
"Someone has to lead, Raph," Leo said calmly even though Raph's sneer was starting to get under his nerves. "Otherwise this is going to become an anarchy."
Instead of snapping, Raph gave his brother the cold shoulder and turned to Donnie. "What do you think, Don?"
Donatello swallowed dryly, looking away from the angry and shocked face of his brother, Leonardo, and facing Raphael. He wasn't sure how to feel. He knew Raph wasn't exactly appointing him as a leader because they had decided a while back they were done with following orders even from their brother. Yet, he couldn't help but to find his action surprisingly humbling. It was very rare for Raph to ask for someone else's opinion.
"I think," he began carefully, "it's only fair for Sage to have her life back. However, it would be best if one of us stayed with you. We could take turns in guarding your place. How does that sound?"
Sage nodded slowly, furrowing a brow. "Sounds fine. I love all of you so I have no objection to you staying with me," she said softly.
"Yeah, that's a good plan, Donnie." Mikey smiled flooding with relief as he pulled Sage to his chest, where she nestled her head. He glanced back his older brother, "Raph?"
"Sure, I can work wit' dat." He shrugged.
Leo abstained from adding anything else. He clearly understood his opinion wasn't wanted. He hung his head down clenching his hands and darted to his room, slamming the door.
Later, Leo was about to turn in for the night when there was knock on his door and he was surprised to see Sage walk into his room. She glanced around, admiring the soft beige walls decorated with Asian art and the large shelf full of books. There was vinyl record player on one corner, several vinyl cases neatly stacked next to it.
"I like your room," she said honestly.
Leo smiled politely. "Thank you."
Sage casually walked up to the shelf. She ran her fingers over the book covers, recognizing most of the titles. Some of them made her smile knowingly, and Leo shuffled his feet nervously as he watched her.
Aside from April once or twice, he never had a woman in his bedroom before. It was frankly nerve wracking.
"I've read pretty much all of these," she told him, losing interest in the books and meeting his eyes. "I figured you would be the type who liked romance novels with lots of samurais and knights and damsels in distress."
"How so?" he asked, feeling a blush creep up his neck.
"Let's just say I have a bit of sixth sense." Sage grinned when he chuckled.
"Did you want to talk to me about something?"
"Actually I just came to see if you were alright." Her smile lost some of its playfulness as she sobered up. "I don't like the way Raphael treats you... I think he's being an idiot."
Leo sighed, running a hand through his bald head. "It's to be expected I think... or at least I was expecting it... I knew he wouldn't be as willing to forgive me as my other brothers..."
His voice dropped into a low whisper, "I deserve everything he tells me..."
A hand touched his arm softly. He lifted his face only to realize Sage had moved closer and she was now in front of him, mere inches away. He could sense her warmth and smell her perfume. Lemons; she had been using his shampoo. Leo gulped.
"I can't understand what you felt when you hurt your brothers that day... but I do know you didn't do it intentionally. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Leo, you don't deserve it," she said kindly.
"Did they tell you?" he asked breathily.
"Raphael did," she answered nodding. "I know it may seem like he's angry at you for losing control but he isn't. He's hurt because you left... He feels betrayed because if you had stayed and talked to him about it he might've been able to help you... but you decided to isolate yourself from him. You ran away from the people who love you and will always accept you no matter. That was wrong, Leo, you shouldn't have done that."
Leo remained silent, releasing a breath he didn't know was holding. Her words were stirring up all the pain and self-loathing he had been holding on to. She could read everything through him with those eyes and he never felt so naked and so vulnerable. He wanted to let it all go and just cry until he had no more voice and no more tears, but he couldn't do that. He promised himself he wouldn't.
His breath hitched when Sage suddenly moved her arms around him in a gentle embrace. She stood on the tips of her toes, burying her face on the crook of his neck, her slow and warm breathing making his skin tingle. Hesitantly, Leo wrapped his arms around her frame as well. He fisted her black blouse, holding on to her as if his sanity depended on it.
"I don't know what to do...!" he murmured hopelessly. "They don't need me anymore, what am I supposed to do with myself now?"
"You move on. Work on understanding what is causing you so much anger and hate, work on fighting your demons." She pulled back slightly to give him a gentle smile despite the unshed tears swimming behind her eyes. "I don't know what happened to make you so deeply scarred, Leo, but you can't go back to who you were. The only thing you can do is to accept what has changed within you. Find something else that makes you happy. Get a new dream... I don't know! Find something you love and reach for it, don't let anything hold you back."
Leo awed at her. His heart raced in his chest, thumping loudly as a sudden warm and a foreign feeling began to creep inside of it, overwhelming him. He brushed her cheek gingerly, gliding his cool digits over the softness of her porcelain skin, and she smiled, disarming him of his every defense with that sweet smile.
"Better?" She asked, still smiling. Leo nodded dumbly, making her chuckle. He shook his head and cleared his throat.
"Thank you, Sage... for everything..." he whispered softly.
"No need to thank me, all I did was be honest with you," she said, waving off his gratitude and drawing back from him. You did so much more than that, he thought already missing her warmth. "I'll let you rest now. Goodnight, Leo."
After she left and he was already comfortably settled in bed staring at the chandelier hanging from the ceiling, Leo felt his chest ten thousand times lighter than it had been in a long time. As he slowly slipped into a sleep full of dreams about a certain woman with eyes like the ocean, in the back of his mind he briefly realized he had just fallen in love.