TMNT
Farm House Part 3
Chapter 13
Author's note: I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. Send help. I do not own TMNT.
Thank you for all the reviews. They give me life.
Something about Leo not being able to trust Ashley set off a bug inside everyone else. Without even realizing it everyone was watching the girl closely, analyzing everything she did from the moment they met her to now. The eldest of the turtle wasn't done trying to get her to open up, but it usually ended with him losing their staring contest. No one knew what Donnie was doing in the barn, but whenever Ashley came went in with April he was always working on the van. And with their break coming to a quick end, they weren't anywhere near the truth.
It was late, Donnie was working in the barn, typing away on his laptop when Raph snuck up behind him. "Lookin' at porn, Donnie?" Raph spoke suddenly. Donnie jumped out of his shell while a high pitch scream escaped his lungs.
The genius quickly regained his composure and glared at Raph, "No. I'm doing research on Ashley."
Raph took a closer look at the screen, "Find anything?"
"I think I did, actually." Donnie brought up an article of a little girl being held by her mother, the girl looked like she was seven with long and wavy, long dark brown hair and blue eyes.
Raph read out loud, "Detective Patrick Dawn died under mysterious circumstances on June 8th, foul play is suspected. He leaves behind a grieving wife, Emily, and their only child, Haley."
"I ran Haley's face through some software that aged her to Ashley's age and they look a lot alike." Donnie showed off the picture, confirming that the little girl in the article and the girl that they know now are the same people. "I did more research into her dad's death and besides finding out that it was The Foot Clan that killed him I also found sealed records."
"Sealed records of what?" Raph asked almost shouting.
"They're adoption records, Raph. Ashley/Haley was never their daughter. They adopted her after she was abandoned at a church a few months after she was born. And the mystery doesn't stop there." Donnie pulled up a few more links, "Haley and her mother moved away from New York to go live in Chicago with Emily's family and legally changed Haley's name to Ashley."
"Why?"
"It doesn't say, but I think they were receiving threats and that's why they left. Ashley's mother was killed by the Chicago faction of The Purple Dragons, but that's the interesting part. Emily left Ashley a will, explaining everything. Her adoption, how Patrick died and who killed him. And how there was a man in New York who would help her if she ever needed it. Care to take a crack at who that man is?"
Raph shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, "Santa Clause?"
"Oliver Holland." Donnie paused for dramatic effect, "He is not Ashley's uncle or a traveling journalist. He's an agent for the, get this, C.I.A."
Raphael's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide. Donnie pushed it shut, "But wait there's more."
"How much more is there?"
"Prodigy martial artist more. When Patrick died, she was seven, but she already had a red belt in the local dojo she attended. By the time she finished middle school she received her fourth stripe on her black belt, she was starting Jiu-Jitsu, was active in kick boxing and was the star defensive player on her soccer team."
Raph felt his stomach sink, "What happened?"
"Her mother was murdered during her freshman year of high school." Donnie brought up the article of her childhood home in flames with the bold, huge letters saying that her mother died tragically in the house. "After the funeral, Ashley dropped out of the high school there and came here."
"To get revenge for her parents." Raph finished Donnie's thought, "Did your research pull up anything about her biological parents."
Donnie sadly shook his head, "Unfortunately, no. She was literally left on the steps of a church, no note or anything. I've tried digging deeper, thinking that social services may have found something, but they stopped searching when baby Haley was adopted."
"That could also be why she's back in New York." Raph spoke under his breath, but Donnie caught it and gave his brother a curious glare. "Think about it Donnie. She lost her father, but she had her mother to fall back on. But after she died Ashley had no one, she essentially lost her identity."
"So you're saying she came to find the person or people who abandoned her, to try and find herself? After she kicks The Purple Dragon's butts?"
"Wouldn't you?" Raph straightened himself out and stretched his arms before turning on his heels.
"Where are you going?"
"To talk to Ashley."
"Oh okay." Donnie turned back to his screen and then immediately got up, sprinted towards Raph and blocked his exit. "No, no, no, no that is a very bad, bad idea!"
Raph's voice matched his bored expression, "Why?"
"Think about it shell for brains, something like this could trigger something deep inside Ashley's subconscious. She could end up seriously hurting us or worse April and Casey. We have to approach her about this subject very delicately. Promise me Raph that you won't talk to her about this. Feel free to tell Leo and the others…just leave Mikey and Casey out, I don't trust their big mouths." Donnie rambled, but when Raph didn't reply the genius turtle shook his brother by the shoulders. "Promise me Raph!"
Raph pushed Donnie's hands off of him, "Fine. I promise." Donnie sighed and walked back to his desk. "Oh and Donnie, if you ever shake me like that ever again I'll pound yah."
Author's note: Weird place to stop, but ask if I care. Review!