I don't own TMNT, 2003 version or otherwise...
"Ok, so then you'll need to go into a pose like this... That's right, now just extend your left arm out in front of you…" Leo was helping her get a few new yoga poses down before he and his brothers left for the night's patrol. They had been working for almost two weeks, and she was feeling much better. Even Master Splinter and April would help, pulling her into the dojo and meditating or stretching with her whenever they had time.
"Come on meathead, it's already past nine." Raph's voice floated through the door, but he remained outside, keeping his distance.
"Is he ever gonna get over that fight we had?" She sat up and glared at the space beyond the dojo walls that held the obnoxious turtle.
"You know, you could just talk to him, start a conversation."
"I tried! Three days ago, we were in the kitchen and I started talking, I even started apologizing, but he just walked off." Leo sighed, expecting as much from his volatile brother.
"Raph can be… difficult. For the "toughest" of us four, he can be real sensitive." They both laughed a bit before Leo bowed to her, she returned it, and he waved as he jogged off to the sewer tunnels that led up to the world above.
Jane watched him leave, sighing and wondering what to do now that she was all alone. (April had taken Master Splinter up top to her shop to look through a bunch of new kinds of teas she'd just got in.)
Getting up, she wandered over to the tv station, flipping on one of the multiple screens to see a very blonde news reporter standing in front of a still-smoldering building site. She was about to wander over to the kitchen when the screen changed to show a different reporter (but still a bottle blonde that was covered in way too much makeup) talking at her from in front of a familiar street.
"I'm here in front of the old Judea Theater just moments after the fire marshal and his crew left. Reports still give no sign as to the origin of the fire, but witnesses say they saw a young boy of about eighteen fleeing the scene. Here is a composite sketch provided by the police department. If you have any information, please call…"
She punched the pause button on the TV, and the remote slipped from her hand to thud to the floor. Phil's face stared at her from the screen, glaring out of his ratted old jacket's hood. He looked haunted, thin and troubled. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen until it started to blur from lack of blinking.
She scanned the room to be sure April and Master splinter hadn't returned while she was distracted. After assuring herself she was alone, she darted to the hallway that held the lab that had kinda become her room. The pain in her side nothing more than a dull throb after all the work she and the others had put into healing.
She paused at the thought of the others. Wouldn't they worry? Wouldn't they tell her that going out alone was as foolish and stupid as she could get? But, it was Phil…
She shook her head. She owed it to Phil. She never should have yelled at him. Never should have let him leave. She had to make it up to him and this was her chance.
She couldn't explain why she took his burning their once upon a time home as a cry out to her for help, but she couldn't think of it as anything else.
You don't know who he is anymore. Last you met, he was on his way to becoming a big-time criminal. Maybe it's a trap. She shushed herself, not wanting to hear how gloomy the situation looked, even from herself. You're still in love with him, aren't you?
No!
You are, and now you're just going to run out on the only true friends you've ever had just to run into his waiting chains.
Just shut up! He needs my help, I know it…
You just want someone to need you. Well guess what? No one needs a pitiful orphan. It'd be better for everyone if you just left now before causing them even more trouble.
Jane hated the voice that always jumped out at her from her own mind when she finds herself at a crossroads in her life. But she had no argument for the last thought. All she'd done for the Hamato family was put them out of a lab and cause them grief. It was better that she leave.
She shuffled to the lab and gathered up her things. A small bag that Leo had given her. A package of tea that Master Splinter had given her to help keep the nightmares away. A stuffed beagle that Mikey had found and proudly presented to her. A set of new clothes that April had bought her. A first aid kit jokingly made for her by Donnie. And the old mask that Raph had used to bind her wounds. It was sitting on the table beside her bed when she'd woken up that first night, and Raph had made or dug up a different one to wear, so she had taken it as a momento. Besides, there were still blood stains on it. No good to the tough turtle now that it was stained, right?
She strapped on her knife holders and looked around the lab that had been more of a home to her than even the Judea. She would never forget this place, or the strange people and mutants that inhabited it.
Leaving the lair for the first time since being rushed in bloody and dying, she placed a piece of paper on the kitchen counter and left.
"You have to talk to her! Stop ignoring the fact that you like her and just say something!" Leo and Raph were lagging behind Mikey and Don to hash out the "Jane problem" while the other two pretended they didn't hear.
"First off, I don't have ta' do nothin'. Second… Who says I like 'er?!"
"Oh please Raph, it's obvious. You blush whenever we talk about her, you insisted on being the one to carry her to the lair the first night. You even gave her your mask! Don't think we all didn't notice that the one you're wearing now is two shades darker."
"Yeah, and my red sheets have a big strip cut out of them!" Mikey piped in, turning around to point a finger at his second oldest brother. "You owe me a new set of sheets dude, and I want superhero ones! With Turtle Titan if you can find em'!" He struck his "Turtle Titan" pose and laughed, turning around to argue with Donnie about whether or not sheets existed with his dopey face on them.
"You don't know what yer talkin' 'bout." He stormed off, beating the others to the lair. When they'd caught up, they thought that he'd found bug on the counter or something, with the way he was staring at it.
"Whatcha got there Raphie? Did Leo leave out some of his cooking again?" Mikey ducked, narrowly avoiding Leo's swing. He turned to counter the attack, but stopped when he noticed Leo wasn't looking at him, but at Raph who'd turned around to face them, holding a piece of paper.
"What is it?" Donnie asked as he went over to take it from Raph. He turned the paper over to the front and read the first few lines. "Oh…"
"Read it out loud Don." Leo instructed, and he cleared his throat and began with a shaky breath.
Dear Hamato Family, April, and Casey,
The guys are probably going to be the first to read this, as I doubt April will be able to pull Master Splinter away from all the different teas any time soon, so I'll start with you.
Donnie, I can't thank you enough for what you have done to help me get back on my feet. I'm sorry I was such a frustrating patient and never really followed your instructions. I'll keep the kit you made for me at my side in case I need it (well, next time I need it, there really isn't a question.) I'll never forget you, you Purple geek. Lots of Love, ~Jane
Mikey, You remind me of my little brother, Sam, and I never got to tell him how much he meant to me before he died, so I'll tell you. You're such a light in life and your goofy grin can bring me up no matter what. Love you Mikey, don't ever grow up, ~Janie
Leo, you're like the big brother I've always wanted, strong and ready for action, yet cool and calm when I need it. Don't let Raph get on your nerves too much, you guys need each other. Thank you for everything, ~Jane
Raph, I'm not really sure why you've avoided me these past few weeks, but I don't hold it against you. You are a great guy/turtle and it's because of you I'm alive today. You're the one I really regret not being able to say goodbye to in person, but I know that I wouldn't be able to handle it. Please don't hate me, or needlessly blame your brothers. And listen to Leo, he may be a know it all, but he really does care about you. I'm sorry we didn't talk more… ~Jane
Master Splinter, You and your sons are the closest thing to a family I've had in over five years. You have been so kind and wise whenever I needed it, and I couldn't ask for a better father figure when I'm without a father of my own. Thank you for everything (especially the tea) ~Jane
April, I never had a sister, but if I did, I'd hope she was like you. I can't believe how easy it was to talk to you about things I've never shared with anyone before. (By the way, nothing I said two nights ago is to be repeated. Ever.) Be patient with Casey, he tries. Love, ~Jane
Casey, we really didn't get to know each other much, but I've been able to glean how important you are to this family. Stay by Raph, but don't let the fact that you're both boneheaded boys get you into too much trouble. And don't forget to tell April how much she means to you, you've definitely found a keeper, so don't let her go. Good luck, ~Jane
Everyone, I've left to help a friend, but it was also time I stopped taking up space in Don's lab. I'm healed well enough to get by, and, had I stayed any longer, I'm not sure I'd have been able to leave you. Thank you for everything. Don't worry about me, and definitely don't come after me, I'll be fine.
I'll never forget any of you, you've all been a blessing in my life. Thank you,
~Jane
Everyone was silent. Staring at one another in disbelief.
"She's gone? Just like that?" Mikey looked close to tears. He and Jane had become close, bonding over video games and comics. He thought he'd finally found a sister.
"What are we gonna do? She's healed, but any major fighting and those stitches are gonna pop. Not to mention she wouldn't really be able to hold her own." Donnie sighed, leaning heavily on his Bo staff.
"What I want to know is, who's this friend of hers? And why did she have to go off and help them so suddenly?" Leo took the paper from Don, scanning it for any clues. All he found were a few wet blotches where her tears had made the ink run. He sighed at the sight. "I was actually kinda hoping she'd stick around. Not like she had anywhere else to go, and she kinda fit in perfectly here…"
None of them really knew what to do. She'd asked them not to follow, but they all had the same uneasy feeling. Something was off.
"Hey, the TV's on… She musta been watching something." Mikey led the group over to the screen, still paused.
"Who's that?" Donnie hoped that perhaps Jane had talked to another one of his brother's about a boy her age.
"No idea, but I'm guessing it's what set her off and made her wanna leave." Raph piped up for the first time since the letter's discovery. "Probably even the "friend" she was talking about." They nodded and Mikey picked up the remote from the floor, and turned the tv back to the beginning of the news story.
"I'm here in front of the old Judea Theater just moments after the fire marshal and his crew left. Reports still give no sign as to the origin of the fire, but witnesses say they saw a young boy of about eighteen fleeing the scene. Here is a composite sketch provided by the police department."
"Wait! Go back!" Donnie shouted, grabbing the remote from Mikey and rewinding it to the reporter standing by the building. He paused it, and looked to his brothers, pointing to a red flame symbol surrounding a purple dragon. "Is it just me, or is that The Foot and Purple Dragon symbols combined?"
"Ah shell… she's in trouble, isn't she?" Mikey murmured , looking to his brothers for their next move.
"Yes Mikey, she is." Leo sighed and turned toward Raph, who was re-strapping on all of his gear he'd tossed aside upon entering the lair. "We should wait for Master Splinter and April if we're gonna infiltrate the Shredder's lair."
"We won't need to bother with that if we can find her before she gets captured."
"You really think that's even a possibility at this point? That news report aired three hours ago, and it wouldn't have taken more than an hour for her to get ready… She's had quite the head start on us."
"That's no reason to give up on gettin' to her before they do." He gestured in a general upward direction, and turned on his heel to leave the lair and head up top. His brothers shared a glance before following, Donnie pulling out his shell cell to notify April and Casey of the situation.