Author's Note: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaack. ;) What is up my fellow readers? :D Did you miss me? 'Cuz I sure as hell missed you! XD Man, I am never leaving my laptop while I go on vacation ever again! Dx I don't know if it's just me and my weird self, but writing on notebook paper just doesn't flow as well as it would on a computer screen. I tried finishing up this chapter while I was on vacation in my notebook, but I got as far as maybe three paragraphs before I got totally frustrated and decided to wait until I got back. Which was TORTURE! Dx But, it gave me a chance to relax and enjoy time with my family and I have to say, I really a week of not having to get up and go to work. :D I really hope my family decides to something like this again next year 'cuz I thoroughly enjoyed it. :3

Alright! Lots of people to thank for reviewing for last weeks chapter. XD I wanna give a super huge thanks to CrazyGeekyLove, Laurenadel story's, Ninjanoodles27, SleepingSeeker, adventuresstime, turtleformer66 (for reviewing for both Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 :D), Sunstar Writer, Lara, and last but not least shika93, who gave my story a whopping FIVE REVIEWS! You absolutely ROCK, shika93! Thank you, thank you, thank you! x3 I'd also wanna give a big thanks to Laurenadel story's for all the fabulous ideas she gave me while I enjoyed my vacation and I'd also like to thank Sunstar Writer for giving my story a read. :3 I'm glad you're all enjoying the piece I'm working on and hope you stick with me till the end!

Also, I'd like to point out to Sunstar Writer that yes, I have in fact watched the Ninja Rap video back when I was in high school. It totally made me die and you're right, it should be something everyone should get to experience just because of it's pure goofiness. XD

Alright! So without further adieu, let's get on with the story! I had so much fun writing the bit with the turtles at the ending and hope it tugs at your guys' heartstrings like it did with mine. TwT Also, my deepest apologies if Mikey sounds a little OOC. He's not as loved as Leo, Raph, or Donnie seeing as I love their personalities and characters more than I like Mikey's goofiness, but that doesn't mean I totally hate Mikey. I love the little goofball! x3 I'm just not used to writing dialogue for him. So I apologize sincerely for that. Dx But other than that, I hope you enjoy the chapter! :D

Disclaimer: I don't own the Ninja Turtles or the rights to songs by Pitbull or Justin Timberlake.

Yeah, you read that right. A certain turtle's gonna be shaking his booty to a song one of those artist sings. Any guesses on who? ;) Guess you'll just have to read and find out!

Enjoy the fic!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

"The Waiting Ones"

Chapter 9

Confessions

Wednesday Afternoon

"Alright, let's get this party started!" Sam cheered, clapping her hands with enough enthusiasm as a high school cheerleader. Smiling from ear to ear, she slung her blades over her shoulder and started to take off in an excited sprint, only to have her body jerk backward in a light tug.

"Wrong way." Talyn pointed out, casually pointing in the other direction.

Sam peered over Talyn's shoulder and noticed that she was indeed correct and that the direction she was originally going was not the way to the gymnasium like she had thought it was. Chuckling sheepishly, Sam rubbed the back of her neck in a nervous gesture as her cheeks stained a very light shade of pink.

"Hehe, right. I knew that."

Talyn rolled her eyes and laughed, already with a comeback in mind. However, she was quickly cut off by a rough tug in her arm, making her nearly fall forward as Sam dragged her down the hall with the eagerness and giddy expressions of a young child dragging her parents inside a toy store.

"Come on! I wanna get their early enough to go over a few more practice routines before they start holding the auditions." Sam smiled – her ears deaf to the sound of the squeaking and screeching of Talyn's shoes as she struggled to keep up with Sam's pace.

"You know, for someone who was so unsure about whether they should try out for the team or not yesterday, you sure seem pretty fired up today, Sammie." Talyn pointed out, bringing her bag closer toward her chest so it wasn't slamming against her hip.

"What can I say? Practicing all last night really got me pumped. Let's see Renee try to deny me a spot on the team now." She grinned, a determined glint flashing in her Christmas green eyes.

"You sure your little Italian stallion Leonardoisn't any indication as to why you're so full of pomp and circumstance today?" Talyn asked, her lips curling into a devious grin.

"W-What?" Sam stammered, her cheeks tinted a dark shade of pink. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about. Like I told you before, I just really like the name. There's no little 'Italian stallion' as you put it in my life right now."

"So he's a big Italian stallion?" Talyn cocked her eyebrow suggestively, not caring that her glasses were on the verge of slipping off her face from the constant bounce in her hurried steps.

"Talyn!" Sam immediately released her grip on Talyn's arm, feeling as though someone had splashed hot water in her face. As the two came to a complete stop once they reached the gymnasium, Talyn quickly adjusted her glasses and laughed, slapping Sam's shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"Relax, Sammie, I'm just messing with you. I think it's great you're so full of energy. You're like Sonic the Hedgehog on speed."

Sam chuckled amusingly at Talyn's geeky humor before placing a hand on her lower abdomen. "I am still a little nervous about trying out though. I just hope I don't fall flat on my face in the middle of my routine."

"Just don't think about it too much. The more you think about all the things that could go wrong, the more you psyche yourself out. Trust me, Sam, you're gonna do fine."

"I hope so." Sam cringed, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly as both her and Talyn passed through the double doors that lead inside the gymnasium.

Immediately, Sam's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she took in the sight of a handful of girls performing stretches and going over a few practice routines with their skates on. While some looked like they could've used a little more time practicing their balance, others carried off a series of tricks and stunts Sam didn't know were even possible to perform on skates.

But what really set the bundle of nerves in her stomach was that nearly each and every girl in the gymnasium was rough and powerful with their moves, making them all look like Amazon warriors gliding on a set of wheels. It was enough to make Sam's stomach flip uncomfortably as she watched the competition with fear eminent in her eyes.

What the hell was she doing here? Did she honestly think someone like her – someone who just found out about the sport not even a week ago – could go up against girls who looked like they had been Jam Skating for nearly half of their existence? She wasn't a Jam Skater, she was a figure skater. She was used to graceful, almost ballerina-like movements that made her look like a delicate butterfly – a delicate butterfly that could easily get crushed, no demolished by these strong, fierce girls with their boisterous steps and authoritative movements. Who was she kidding? Even if Renee had a giant lesbian crush on her, there was no way in hell she was going to snag a spot on the team. Whether she practiced all last night or for a whole month straight, there was no way Sam could ever Jam Skate better than the betty's on blades practicing in front of her.

This was a mistake. This was a huge, gigantic, horrifying mistake.

What did I get myself into…?

(-)

Handful of ass, I'm trying to hold on

Girls gone wild, all night long

She had no bra and no thong

One more shot, baby it's on

Leo cringed and stuck his tongue out in disgust, changing the station on Mikey's boom box to a station that he hoped played less raunchy-sounding songs. How people could listen to such vulgar music, he would never know. It seemed like the topic of sex and breakups were the key thing to making a hit song nowadays – what from all the music he had been listening to since he woke up this morning. Did well-tamed lyrics mixed in with a catchy beat just not exist on the radio anymore? After all, that's all Leo really wanted to listen to – a good song that he could maybe move around and dance to. A song he could introduce to Sam that would push them into another session of steps and rhythm – whether it be fast-paced or slow. Just them and the beat of the music with the stars winking down at them as they entered into their own little world of freedom and expression….

Leo felt his lips tug into a small smile as he grabbed the two slices of whole-wheat toast that had just popped from the toaster and set them on a folded napkin. As he reached for the butter knife, he could still feel the warm embrace of Sam's arms wrapped around his neck, his nose filled with her intoxicating scent that made his heart race wildly inside his chest. The events of the other night were truly sensations Leo had never felt before and if the blue-banded turtle wasn't currently walking on air at the moment, he'd be a little overwhelmed at the sensations he was feeling. Excited. Free. Proud. And most importantly … happy….

Absentmindedly, Leo brought his hand up to his shoulder, remembering the feeling of Sam's soft, fleece blanket he had draped over his body to keep himself both warm and hidden from her line of sight. He remembered using it to keep warm before he fell asleep and he remembered folding it neatly before setting it on the foot of his bed when he awoke to go over his early morning katas. Just the mere memories brought a smile to Leonardo's face and it quickly hit him that the remnants of last night were in fact not a dream. They had really happened. And that, alone, made Leo feel like he was on top of the world as he spread light butter on his two pieces of toasts and listened to the current song playing through Mikey's speakers.

Don't be so quick to walk away

Dance with me

I wanna rock your body

Please stay

Dance with me

Leo glanced up at the boom box with a raise of the eye ridge, noticing that his foot was absentmindedly tapping to the beat of the music. He knew instantly who the singer was as well as the song, seeing as Mikey tended to fill his music player with songs from hit pop artists such as this. He wondered if Sam was familiar with this tune. Most likely, seeing as he remembered this being one of the Top 40 music hits back in the early 2000's. Maybe Leo would bring it up to Sam when he saw her later tonight.

Tonight…. Leo thought, feeling that oh-so familiar pang in his stomach. Only this time, he relished the feeling as he continued to the listen to the unfamiliar song.

Glancing over his shoulder to make sure he was in fact still alone in the kitchen, Leo cranked up the volume just a few notches and released a nervous breath. Letting the upbeat tempo of the song travel from the tips of his fingers down to the balls of his feet, he released the tension in his body and moved, imagining him and Sam dancing under the pale moonlight, sharing twin grins on their faces as sweat trickled down their bodies. He'd shift his legs and she'd sway her hips and the two of them would be lost in their own little world—a world that inhibited just the two of them as they danced on into the night….

"Not funny, Raph! I know you're the one who took my boom box, so give it back!"

Leo yelped almost like a frantic puppy as his legs tangled together and nearly made him fall flat on his shell. Immediately, he reached over to turn off the boom box, but his rushed actions caused him to nearly knock the thing into the sink, making the blue-banded turtle hiss frustratingly. By then, the song had come to a close and Leo slowly and almost painfully glanced over his shoulder, feeling his heart ram dangerously inside his chest at the rather dumbstruck look on Michelangelo's face.

"M-Morning." Leo greeted almost pathetically.

"Uhm, morning?" Mikey's confused gaze flicked from his older brother to the boom box set next to the sink. "Were you the one who took my boom box?"

"My music player died." Leo pointed out lamely, his body still hovering over said boom box.

"So you took it without asking?"

"I didn't want to wake you up."

Michelangelo raised a curious eye ridge before chuckling softly to himself and crossing his arms over his plastron. "Taking things without the owner's permission? That's not your forte, Leo. I knew it was only a matter of time before you crossed over to the dark side. What's next? Rummaging through Donnie's hentai collection on his laptop?"

"Actually, I figured I'd do that after I lose my virginity to a prostitute under the 59th Street Bridge in the Bronx," Leo retorted with a roll of his eyes, moving away from the boom box and walking past his younger brother toward the dojo.

"No glove, no love, bro. STD's are no bueno." Mikey chuckled before letting his lips tug into a devious grin. "Oh, and Leo? You might wanna work on your popping and locking before you try out for 'So You Think You Can Dance'."

"Mikey!" Leo growled, lunging after his brother only to have the orange-banded turtle twirl and do the Running Man out of his reach.

"Can touch this, dude! Hahaha!"

(-)

"Alright, ladies, let's huddle up! C'mon, we're burning daylight chatting about what kind of dress you're gonna wear to Homecoming. Let's hustle, hustle, hustle!" Jackie screamed, clapping her hands clamorously to grab everyone's attention as they formed a small group in the middle of the gymnasium.

Talyn immediately whipped out her Handycam before giving Sam an encouraging fist tap, allowing her to join the group of other girls while she filmed the events unfolding. Although Sam was still utterly nervous, she felt a little more at ease after going over a few practice moves for a good twenty minutes. Her legs no longer felt like jell-o and her heart slowed to only a slightly quickened pace rather than speeding at a thousand beats per second. Thinking about the events of last night helped a little too as she thought about what she would be telling Leonardo after the tryouts would end. She was determined to bring him nothing but good news and that pushed her to give it her all and wow the judges, which made Sam's lips curve into a firm grin.

As she watched Jackie skim through the clipboard she held in her hands, Sam couldn't help but notice the other jam skaters seated behind the table in front of her and the other girls – all surveying them with critiquing eyes. Not counting Jackie, there were two other judges seated behind the table: a senior with unnaturally fire red hair and a piercing on her left nostril … and Renee.

Sam nervously gulped down the lump in her throat before the sound of Jackie's authoritative, yet spunky voice echoed across the whole gymnasium and Sam immediately snapped out of her nervous reverie.

"Hello, hello, hello, ladies." Jackie grinned, her eyes skimming from girl to girl. "Welcome to tryouts. Now, before we move on to holding the auditions, let me give you all a little introduction before you decide to sell us your souls and step into our own little replica of Hell."

Sam raised a quizzical eyebrow, glancing back and forth to see if anyone else had found that statement a little on the odd side.

"My name is Jackie Colbert. If you've seen us perform before, I also tend to go by the name of Full Metal Jackie. Yep, just like the war movie. Let that be a hint to all you gals that I take practicing for our performances extremely seriously. Getting a spot on the team will be like being recruited into the military. We train hard three days a week as well as early Saturday mornings. So if any one of you chickadee's don't wanna give up your precious little beauty sleep, then do us all a favor and step out now. I don't wanna give you a spot on the team if you're not one hundred percent committed to what we do and what we strive for. So, anyone thinking of backing out?"

Sam glanced over her shoulder and scanned the group, noticing that not a single girl had gotten second thoughts and got up to leave. After Jackie had noticed this as well, her lips formed into a lopsided grin before she brought up her clipboard.

"Excellent. Alright, here's how we're gonna do this, ladies. These are my co-captains, Ashleigh Summers and Renee de la Rosa. What they're gonna do is play some songs on that boom box right there"—she pointed at said boom box set on the judges table—"while you girls jam and show us what you got. When I blow my whistle, the girl I call up will begin her routine and show us her stuff while de la Rosa and Summers judge her on her balance, coordination, and ability to freestyle. When I blow my whistle again, that girl will stop and move on for the next girl to bust a move. When everybody has had a chance to show us their skills, we'll discuss our decision in a group huddle while everyone waits in the hallway. After we've come to a conclusion, we'll call everyone back in and announce our newest jam skaters. Does that make sense to everyone?"

A series of nods answered Jackie's question before she smiled jubilantly and clapped her hands together. "Alright, so let's get started! Ashleigh, will you be a dear and pump up the jams?"

The redheaded girl nodded and smiled as she cranked up the volume as loud as the boom box would allow it to go, filling the gymnasium with a pulsing dubstep beat that made Sam's heart race with excitement. While Jackie glanced down at her clipboard, she brought her whistle to her lips and blew on it forcefully, catching everyone's attention. "Brittney MacGowen, you're up!"

Sam stood back with the other girls and watched as Jackie went down through the list of names on her clipboard while she and the two co-captains studied the competition. While Ashleigh and Jackie weren't very good with their poker faces – giving away obvious hints when they liked a girl's moves by flashing them impressed smiles or providing them words of encouragement when their turn had ended – Renee was quite the mystery girl when it came to what she liked and what she didn't like. After watching the fifth girl perform, Sam noticed Renee still hadn't even cracked a smile or a frown since the auditions started as she jotted something down on the piece of paper in front of her, leaning back and whispering something in Ashleigh's ear. For some reason, the action made Sam all the more nervous and she nearly jumped a foot in the air when the whistle blew clamorously through the gymnasium.

"Samantha Jones, you're next, hon!" Jackie called out, making Sam's heart palpitate furiously inside her chest. With a nervous gulp, she skated toward the middle of the gym, feeling a handful of eyes staring judgingly at her; making her hands shake apprehensively. As she glanced over from Jackie, to Ashleigh, to Renee, she could hear the sound of her heart thu-thump-ingdeafeningly inside her eardrums, making it difficult to hear the tempo of the music blasting through the speakers and Sam instantly started to panic.

What was she going to do? What the hell was she going to do! How can she dance in perfect rhythm if she couldn't even hear the song that was playing? What in the hell was she thinking? She shouldn't have come. She shouldn't even be here!

Just let all your worries drift away … and dance….

Sam's eyes instantly snapped open, not even realizing she had them closed in the first place. Those words … they were her words—her own advice, but they didn't emulate to the sound of her own voice. Instead, they carried off the same tone as Leonardo's voice, his words soft and gentle as she imagined him flashing her an encouraging smile, nodding his head in a silent offering of good luck.

The high-pitched blare of Jackie's whistle snapped Sam out of her trance as she shook her head and pursed her lips into a thin line. She had told herself earlier that she was determined to bring nothing but good news to her guardian angel and that's exactly what she was going to do—no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Curling her fingers into tight fists, Sam snapped her fingers and tapped her foot to the beat of the music, pushing her body forward before dipping down and coming back up in a popping motion as she swayed her hips and let the music flow through her veins. She glided on the wheels of her electric blue blades, spinning in a series of blurred twirls and adding a few moves she had learned from figure skating, such as a Salchow jump, a Toe Loop, and even an Inside Axel. When she noticed she hadn't fallen on her face yet, Sam mentally patted herself on the back, hearing the sound of Jackie's whistle echo through her ears before she ceased her little jam session, managing to land one more jump before she glided to a stop, flashing all three judges a jubilant smile.

"Thank you for your demonstration, Samantha. I look forward to hopefully seeing more." Ashleigh winked, her teeth flashing in a gleeful smile, which made Sam mentally squeal with excitement.

"You may join the others while we finish up with the other girls, Sam," Jackie informed, tapping Sam's arm as she skated past her and offering her a bright smile. "I knew you had potential, Sammie-girl. Banging performance."

"Thanks." Sam beamed.

And thank you, Leo….

(-)

"Alright, ladies, we're down to the final results." Jackie smirked, her hands placed proudly on her hips as she scanned the nervous faces before her. "Now after much, much, much, much consideration, I think my co-captains and I finally reached a verdict and narrowed it down to three lucky ladies. Each of us will call one girl who made the squad. As for the rest of you, we greatly appreciate you all taking the time and effort to show us your moves and wish you better luck next year."

Sam gulped anxiously, feeling Talyn lightly tap her on the shoulder to offer her hand. Sam smiled meekly and accepted it, squeezing the life out of her friend's palm like a pregnant woman trying to push out her newborn baby. If Talyn was in pain, she did a damn good job not showing it as both Ashleigh and Renee left their seats to stand next to Jackie, ready to announce the newest members of the squad.

"Alright!" Jackie started. "The first person we'd like to congratulate and welcome to the squad is … Sara Silverstein!"

A short, almost mousy-looking girl with dirty blond hair doubled over in shock before letting out a surprised cheer as she turned around and hugged the two girls that surrounded her while the gymnasium filled with congratulatory applause. Sam smiled, knowing that that girl was going to be accepted into the squad after watching her pop and lock with the skill of b-girl choreographer. As she watched Sara glide toward Jackie and the others to thank them for accepting her onto their team, Jackie shook her hand and motioned for her to stand next to her while Ashleigh surveyed the crowd and grinned before speaking.

"The next girl we're going to call is … Marissa Amurao!"

A slim, Filipino girl with even thicker glasses than Talyn squealed with delight, turning toward the audience and bowing respectfully as she awarded them with thank you's. Sam could feel her spastic heart thrumming violently in her chest and Talyn gave her hand a small squeeze before flashing her a comforting smile. It helped calm Sam down a little bit, but the feeling only lasted a good couple of seconds before her eyes glued to Renee de la Rosa – the last girl to call up the third member of the squad.

"And finally, our third newest jam skater will be…" She glanced back from girl to girl, her audacious poker face making Sam feel like she was going to die of a heart attack right then and there from too much anticipation. Feeling herself bite down on her lower lip, the tension in her shoulders only tightened when Renee's lips finally tugged into the smallest of grins Sam had ever seen.

"…Samantha Jones."

At that moment, time felt as though it had crawled into a complete stop, making Sam feel as though she were the only one capable of movement and she couldn't even bat a single eyelash. Had she heard Renee correctly? Did she just call her name? Her name? So … did that mean—t-that meant she was….

"You made it! You made the squad!" Talyn cheered, shaking Sam's shoulder violently to snap her out of her powerful trance. Not knowing what to do, she looked up at Talyn and then back at Jackie and her co-captains, hearing the clamorous round of applause coming from the other girls who had tried out for the squad but weren't bestowed the honor of one of the three newest jam skaters.

She did it. She made the team!

As Sam rushed over to stand next to the other two girls who had gotten picked, Jackie clapped her hands together and took a step forward, her eyes flicking back and forth at all the other girls who hadn't made the cut. "Thank you all again for showing us your wonderful talents and kickass moves. Although you didn't get picked, that doesn't exclude you for trying out again next year. We look forward to seeing you all again and hopefully you'll be joining these three lucky ladies right here. Everyone make it home safely and better luck next time."

Sam couldn't help the beaming smile on her face growing wider as she watched Talyn close the LCD screen on her Handycam and rush to her side, squealing like a spastic fangirl. "I told you you'd make the squad, Sammie-girl! I told you! And to think, you doubted my wicked awesome foresight. Talyn 'The Psychic' Gray is never wrong!"

Sam could only giggle in response – her brain too busy processing all the excitement that she couldn't think of any words to say at the moment. As she watched the other girls exit the gymnasium, she felt a light tap on her shoulder that caught her attention, making Sam's eyes widen a fraction of an inch when she realized it was Renee who was standing right behind her.

"Congratulations, newbie," said Renee, providing Sam with the tiniest of smiles. "Jackie wasn't wrong. You really do know how to work those blades pretty well."

"T-Thank you," Sam stuttered, fumbling with her fingers. "I-I practiced till like midnight last night and some more before tryouts."

"Well all that practicing really paid off," Renee pointed out, going back to hiding behind her poker face. "Jackie wasn't kidding when she said joining the squad is like signing up for the military. Our practices can get pretty intense and if you don't pick up the routine right away, things can get mighty ugly. There's a reason we picked you three girls. You all show a sense of strength and determination that's a key factor to have when dealing with us…" She paused, her lips curling into a devious little smirk. "…Especially me."

Sam felt her body tense as she watched Renee sling her bag over her shoulder before turning away, glancing back to say one last thing. "Welcome to Hell, Samantha Jones. I'll see you at practice Friday after school."

And with that, she exited the gymnasium, leaving Sam frozen where she stood with absolutely nothing to say.

Wednesday Night

"It's a girl, ain't it?"

Leo surveyed the people below him before raising a questioning eye ridge and shaking his head. "No, I don't think so. For one, that person's muscle tone is way too burly for it to belong to a woman and—"

"—Not that, dumbass." Raphael spat, his arms crossed over his plastron before his lips tugged into a devious grin. "I'm talkin' 'bout the reason why yer always sneakin' off and being so goddamn secretive about it. Yer ass is getting' laid, ain't it? And that's why you ain't tellin' us shit 'cuz it goes against yer precious little honor. Am I right?"

"That's absurd even for you, Raphael," Leo pointed out dryly, his eyes narrowed in a soft glare before he turned his attention back at the passing bystanders. "Where I go every night is my business. I don't have to inform you guys about every little detail in my life, you know."

"It's called showing concern, Leo." Donnie indicated, leaning slightly over his bo staff while Mikey twirled his nunchucks absentmindedly.

"Yeah, and curiosity. For one, I'm still trying to figure out whether Raph's theory is true after I saw that blanket folded on the foot of your bed."

"You went into my room?" Leo spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes narrowed dangerously at the orange-banded turtle in front of him.

"Blanket?" Donnie raised a quizzical eye ridge. "What blanket?"

"The blanket Leo came home with last night. It's really soft and smells like cinnamon and apples. Really nice." Mikey smiled, remembering bringing the blanket up to his beak and taking a nice long whiff of the intoxicating aroma.

"Is that so?" Raph asked with a raise of the eye ridge, his lips curved into a curious smirk.

Leo – keeping his poker face up – shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "What? I found a blanket on my way back and it was cold, so I decided to take it."

"Bullshit. I find stuff all the time, but ya don't see me pickin' up used condoms and shit just 'cuz I found them on my way back home."

"Me thinks the turtle doest protest too much," Mikey said with a grin, making Leo's heart race nervously inside his chest and he began to feel claustrophobic with his brothers crowding near him with curiosity eminent in their eyes.

"C'mon, Fearless, spill."

"Just tell us, Leo," Donnie urged – his tone gentle and almost pleading. "Stop keeping us in the dark and just tell us where you've been running off to for the past couple of days."

"Yeah, bro. Tell us." Mikey piped up, making Leo shut his eyes and tighten his fists as he forced himself to face the ground before he let out a shaky breath and let his words spill from his lips.

"I-I got it from Sam, okay?" He spoke just above a whisper, feeling a sharp stab of guilt at the few seconds of silence that separated him from his brothers.

Donatello was the first to break the silence. "Sam?"

"Ya mean Casey's cousin?" Raph asked. Leo answered with a slow nod of the head, his shoulders tensing at the sudden rise in volume of Michelangelo's voice.

"I knew it! I knew that blanket had to be from a girl!" He cried, stopping for a moment while he pondered the newfound information. "Wait a minute, so all this time you've been sneaking off to go see Casey's cousin?"

"Yes," Leo admitted, his attention still focused on the ground beneath him. "Casey voiced his concerns to me while I was out getting some air about how he's worried that if Sam were to ever find out about his vigilante lifestyle, it would give her a reason to follow in his footsteps and put her life at greater risks. Because of this, he entrusted me to look out for her in case she runs into trouble and I've been watching over her ever since."

"And you kept this from us, why?" Donnie asked, raising a curious eye ridge before Leo spoke.

"I figured you guys would see it as me being hypocritical," Leo admitted, daring to look up into the eyes of his brothers.

"Has she seen yer face? What you really look like without blendin' in with the shadows?" Raph asked, his arms crossed over his plastron in almost an authoritative stance – a stance very uncharacteristic for the red-banded turtle.

"I've never fully revealed myself to Sam because I still want to abide by Casey's rules," Leo informed, wetting his lips before speaking again. "But she does know certain things about me such as my name and the Japanese customs we follow. She's also aware that I have brothers."

"Dude, you're making it really hard not to be seen as someone who totally went back on their word and did exactly what you told us not to do," Michelangelo pointed out while Don pinched the area between his eyes in frustration.

"Leo, you understand what you're doing is beyond risky, right? I understand Casey provided you with his blessing, but you can easily watch over Sam without having to interact with her. You're a goddamn ninja for Pete's sake!"

"I know, I know…" Leo cringed, feeling the tension in his shoulders pinch his nerves almost painfully. "It's just—when I'm with her, i-it's almost like she knocks down the shields I hold up and enters without me even realizing it. When I'm with her, I feel both strong and weak at the same time. When I'm around her, it's like a fog clouds my better judgment and all the secrets I have stored away are unlocked and released into the open. It's dangerous to be around someone who wills such actions but … but I can't seem to stay away…."

"Sounds like Leo has himself a cruuuush," Michelangelo grinned, doubling over in laughter while Leo's cheeks flushed a bright red.

"I do not have a crush, Mikey," he growled, feeling Raph slap a hand on the back of his shell.

"Didn't know you had it in ya, Casanova."

"Shut up," Leo snarled.

"So what's going to happen when she sees you in all your mutant, green, turtle glory?" Don asked almost acidly, making Leo stare up at him almost blankly while the purple-banded turtle crossed his arms over his plastron. "Humans never willingly accept us for what we are, Leo. They either scream and run in terror or pull out a weapon and try to beat the crap out of us. You've implanted this godly mental image inside Sam's head, making her think you're some kind of heroic guardian angel sought out to protect her. Well what do you think is going to happen when she finally sees her savior step out of the shadows, huh? Is she still going to treat you the same?"

"Well, she is Casey's cousin," Mikey pointed out. "I mean, it's not like she's gonna wanna kill us because we're not exactly … normal."

"She might not. But whatever Leo thinks he's trying to develop between him and Sam, I can tell you now there's no way in hell it's going to happen," Don snarled lightly, making Leo's chest tighten almost hurtfully. "You're the leader, Leo. You're supposed to lead by example and running off every night like this is not how a leader should act. What the hell do you think is going to happen between you two anyway? Different species don't interact intimately with each other because that's just it—they're different. That's why we stick to fantasies and daydreams, because it's the closest thing we're ever going to get when it comes to intimacy. No human is going to want us in that way and it's just another fact of life we're going to have to deal with."

"Hey, Donnie, calm down, will ya?" Raph asked, reaching a hand toward his younger brother before Donatello yanked his arm away from the red-banded turtle's reach. Silence carried off between the four brothers as almost sad, light brown eyes bore into darker brown irises before Don wet his lips and spoke in an even tone.

"A leader leads by example, Leonardo. Whatever you do, we wind up following you. Please don't travel down this path of false hope, because you're only going to find nothing but pain and disappointment at the end of the tunnel. Trust me, Leo … because I've been down that path…."

The blue-banded turtle new exactly what his brother was referring to, because for a brief moment, it made Donatello untrusting toward humans. Before Casey came into their lives, the brainy turtle had a crush on April, thinking that her acceptance toward their appearances was a sign that maybe—just maybe there was hope that they would all find love one day. But the deeper Donatello spiraled into love and adoration, it all shattered in an instant when the girl he thought would one day be the love of his life fell into the arms of another man, leaving Donnie both saddened and utterly heartbroken. For a few days, he didn't come out of his room – not even to tinker with his inventions in the comfort of his lab. It pained his brothers to see him like this and Leonardo vowed that he would do everything in his power to prevent such occurrences to never befall on his brothers again.

However, little did he know that he had found himself following his younger brother's footsteps and the mere thought of him and Sam losing that sense of closeness that was starting to develop since the moment they gazed into each other's eyes underneath the pale moonlight was enough to make Leo's heart break into the smallest of cracks.

Will you stop by again tomorrow night?

Definitely. Maybe I'll take you up on that movie offer.

Deal.

"Leo?" Michelangelo's concerned voice broke the blue-banded turtle out of his reverie, making him glance over his shoulder before staring off into the night.

"I … I need some time to think. I'll meet you guys back at the lair in a few hours…."

"Leo, I—" Donnie started, but his sentence was cut off when Raph laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small shake of the head before letting his hand fall to his side. Understanding the silent gesture, Donatello glanced back at his older brother before turning his back on him, watching as Raph was already scaling down the fire escape and Mikey was following close by.

Be safe, Leo, Don mused sadly, disappearing into the night while Leo shut his eyes and let the gentle breeze graze his face in silence….

Poor, Donnie! TwT And poor Leo! Dx I figured I'd throw a little sad moment in their since you guys got a taste of cutesy fluff in the last chapter. This was also kind of my little intake on how the 2k12 Donnie would feel after April falls in love with Casey. The creator's are so evil for doing that! Making Donnie have this simply ADORABLE little crush on April, teasing us viewers when we KNOW April's gonna one day crush his heart and leave him for the tough vigilante, Casey Jones. I'm both dreading and awaiting that dramatic episode in Season 2. Eek! x3 Haha!

Before I forget, since Renee was in this chapter, I'd like to point out Sunset Writer's review. I find it really funny that you and that girl had a similar situation that Sam and Renee share. I don't know if this really counts as spoilers, but later down the road, we are going to see the two develop a sort of sisterly relationship. Basically, the two get along like Leo and Raph and writing the interactions between those two is going to be a lot of fun seeing as I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE writing dialogue between Leo and Raph. XD Also, I'm interested to hear your predictions, turtleformer66 about which human you think is going to get with which turtle. :) I will give you all this one hint though ... Jackie Colbert is NOT one of the girls I have planned to pair up with any of the turtles. So there, that narrows down the list a little bit. ;)

Alright, it's past midnight and I have to be up at the ass crack of dawn to get ready for work, so I'll end the little disclaimer right here. :) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and get yourselves ready for Chapter 10. I'm predicting there's gonna be a lot of action and we also get to see Leo very, very furious... ;) So be ready for that, readers! And don't forget to leave more fabulous reviews to fill my already overly large ego! XD See you all next time!

DFTBA!

(Don't Forget To Be Awesome!)