April O'Neal was in a good mood today. No scratch that- she was on cloud nine. Casey, her on and off again boyfriend of the past three years had finally popped the question and put a lovely piece of antique diamond jewelry on her finger just a few hours ago. Before kissing her and going to work at the construction site where he'd gotten a job in secret over a month ago just so that he could get the ring and support her.

She walked by the window in her living room and giggled softly at her Casey. He wanted so badly to be a good husband for her and give her everything she could ever want. She just wished that the silly man would stop trying to break his own back and realize that all she wanted was him.

She stopped walking and looked down at the sparkling white gold and mine cut flower shaped cluster diamond ring.

"He really is something." She muttered to herself as the ring twinkled again. As if it were agreeing with her. She was about to head back to the bathroom to shower and get ready for her day when she heard the musical tone of the shell cell. It was Leo's tone. Old man by Redlight Kings.

It wasn't the sort of thing April would have thought Leo liked since he was the more quiet and somber of all his brothers but she recalled the secretive smile on his face the day he had programed the song into her cell. It seemed like forever since then.

But that was neither here nor there.

Walking over to the counter where she kept the cell she picked it up and flipped it open. "Leo?"

"Hey April. How are you?"

She smiled. "I'm good. You?"

"Could be better. But then again I could be worse."

"Your not in trouble are you?" April asked worriedly, picking up on something in his tone.

"Not in the conventional sense, no. But I do sort of need to ask you a huge favor. The type that doesn't allow room for questions."

April was quiet for a moment, unsure of how to respond to his condition for the favor. She knew Leo. Knew that once he asked, he'd owe her a favor in return. "Okay. What do you need?"

"The apartment next to you- would you mind renting it out to someone?" April blinked. The apartment next to hers? Would she mind renting it? She looked down at the ring on her finger again and smiled. The extra money would help put Casey's mind at ease and help pay for the wedding so-

"I don't mind renting it Leo."

"Good. Think of how much your going to charge for rent and I'll be on my way shortly."

"Uh...okay." April said before curiously asking, "Are you planning to move out of the lair?"

Leo gave a soft laugh from the other end of the line and reminded her sternly. "No questions, April." April was about to ask why he wasn't allowing her to ask questions, but the line went dead. Making a huffing sound she looked down at the cell and gave it her more ferocious glare. Why that little- He'd hung up on her! Well, she'd fix his little shell.

She'd call the others and see what was going on. But she couldn't just call anyone and ask. No, she'd have to talk to the least guarded of her sewer dwelling friends. Mikey.

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Mikey was digging around frantically under his bed trying to find the straightjacket that he and Raph had bought for Leo last year, but had never given to him, and all he had managed to find so far was moldy pizza, left over apple rinds, papers that he'd sketched on, a woman's pair of crotchless panties- He paused with them in his grasp and frowned.

How the hell had those gotten under his bed? And more to the point, Where had they come from?

He was pretty sure he didn't collect such things. Maybe they were Raph's and he was simply too embarrassed to have them in his room for fear that they might be discovered. Either that or he was really, realy, really shy about his tastes. He was about to toss the half garment aside to continue looking for the straightjacket when his shell cell rang.

He jumped and gave a startled little scream. Earning a near ear drum shattering bellow from Raph whom was in the room next door. "What did I tell you about screaming like a little girl Mikey!" Mikey flipped him off knowing that he couldn't see through the wall then grabbed his cell and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Mikey! Hi." April's voice sounded from the other end. Mikey pulled the phone back just a little bit and looked at it suspiciously. Why was April calling him? When Leo was MIA no less?

"Hi April. What's up?"

"I could ask you the same thing-"

"Huh?"

"I just got a call from Leo-" April said. Mikey made a choking sound and quickly got to his feet when April said. "He said he'd be on his way over soon." Mikey's heart stuttered in his chest and nearly stopped a moment before he went tearing out of his room looking for Don while advising April to either leave her apartment or call the National Guard to protect her until they could get there.

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Leo kept his head down as he and Tempest walked down the street together, his senses on alert yet he felt slightly distracted again with Tempest walking so close to him that he could reach out and touch her. And he might have if not for the fact that she was a little busy piercing her ears as they walked. Which left him carrying her things for the moment.

Not that he minded any. No what he did mind though, was her ears bleeding once she was done. Something in his shifted and strained at the smell of her blood. It was a peculiar feeling. Almost like being hungry yet not. He didn't understand it, but that didn't matter. All that mattered to him right then was that she was bleeding.

He stopped walking and slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her as close to him as he dared and brushed the dark strands of her silken hair away from one ear and then lowered his head so that he could run his tongue along the red, raw and bloody skin where she'd used the little peircing gun to push the sterling silver through her ear.

Tempest twitched and gripped his jacket as she felt the arm around her shoulders slip just a bit lower as he nuzzled her cheek then her chin to get her to turn her head so that he could lick the blood from her other ear. She twitched again as a shiver shot down her spine and he drew back a little bit, worried that he may have hurt her.

"Does it hurt when I do that?"

"N-No. Well, yes a little bit-" He drew back a little more, his arm starting to slip from around her when she said shyly. "But not exactly in a bad way." Leo stared down at her flushed face, noting the soft pink tint in her cheeks really made her new look work for her. And smiled.

He'd have to make her blush more often from now on.

Tempest cleared her throat awkwardly and muttered, "We should keep going." Snapping Leo back to reality.

"Yeah. We should." He said in a husky tone as he slipped his arm back around her shoulders as they both started walking again. They talked a little bit. Tempest finally asked his name and got a good laugh about where Splinter had gotten his name from. The two were so absorbed in each other's presence that they didn't notice that they were being watched as they passed an alley.

"Master Hun was that-"

"One of the turtle freaks walking with a pretty new friend." Hun said as he pulled out his cell phone and took a picture of the two as they passed his alley. Mistress Karai would be intersted in knowing that even freaks could hook up.