Goodness I've been on a roll recently. Just finished this chapter last night and I think I'm about half-way through the next one :) Though sadly I've hit some writer's block. :(

Anywho, thanks to iNatsuBlueCyan789, Snow Wolf Alpha, TubaChick101, Jess Marylin, the Guest reviewer (remember i DO accept anonymous reviews!), and ImmatureChild for reviewing the last chapter! As of right now it's the most-reviewed chapter of this story! :) Thank you so very much. Now can I cross my fingers for 50 by chapter 15? :)

Also I'm happy to say that so far this month this story has had over 1,000 hits. That's the first time it has happened! Needless to say I'm very excited about this and I'm glad you are taking the time to read this, you're all amazing!

Before we get into the next chapter, I would like to disclaim that if I made any mistakes in regards to the Catholic faith I would be happy to edit it in order to correct any wrong information.

If anyone is interested, I have images of the girls' Halloween costumes on my profile as well as many other images. So check it out if you are so inclined! :)

Well let's get this started. :)

Disclaimer: I only own my OCs and the plot.

… Sunday morning; Church of St. Bernard…

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Avariella stood silently behind her grandmother as she conversed with the others that attended their small, Catholic Church as they slowly migrated out of the building in continuance of their day. Her grandmother offered everyone a warm smile and wishes for a good week for them and their families. Many of the other attenders would linger for several minutes to converse with her, asking Nana about how she was doing or any other form of small talk. Occasionally, some of the passer-bys would engage Ava in conversation as well. Many would ask the generic questions of how she was doing recently or how school was progressing.

The surrounding atmosphere of the church was one Ava was accustomed to. Ever since she was little, her mother and grandmother had made a point to raise her Catholic. Every Sunday morning, she would get dressed up to attend mass alongside her family and once they moved up to Newport, her mother was all-too eager to enroll her in the all-girls Catholic school in the area. However, Avariella always suspected that her mother made sure to bring Ava up in such a way as an attempt to keep her one daughter from making some of the choices she did as a teenager. Ava knew her mother never regretted having her, she made a point to let Ava know that was not the least bit true, but she knew having a child as young as her mother did could not have been an easy thing for her to do. Logically, it made sense to the brunette that her mother took the actions she did when it came to raising her, all her mother wanted was for Ava to have a good life.

Waving at a young couple as they exited the church, Clara turned around to face Ava. She smiled warmly at her.

"Come on sweetie, it's time to go home."

Ava nodded and smiled in return, walking towards where she and her grandmother had hung their jackets. "Did you want to go out for lunch?" she asked while handing her grandmother her jacket.

Grabbing the piece, Clara shook her head. "No sweetie, I was thinking that we could have lunch at home."

"That sounds nice," Ava replied with a smile as she slipped on her own jacket.

Taking a quick glance at the church, the brunette smiled again before pivoting on her heel and walking towards the large wooden doors located at the front of the structure. Reaching forward, she opened the door for her grandmother, just moments before the priest reached for the door.

"Father Leven," Ava greeted with a smile, stepping aside to let the priest enter the church.

The man smiled in return. "Good morning, Avariella." He turned to face Ava's grandmother, nodding slightly. "And good morning to you as well Clara, I trust the both of you are doing well."

Clara nodded, "Yes Father, we are. I must say I enjoyed today's sermon very much, very enlightening."

"Why I thank you for the compliment Ms. Weller. I am glad you enjoyed it."

Clara smiled, "No Father, thank you. I look forward to attending next week's service."

Father Leven smiled again. "That is something I always like to hear ma'am. I hope the two of you have a good week."

"Thank you," Clara turned towards Ava. "Come on sweetie, let us go home."

Nodding, Ava turned to wave farewell to the priest before descending the small flight of stairs that led to the awaiting sidewalk. She soon fell into step beside her grandmother as the two of them began to walk down the street towards their home.

"Did you have fun at the dance last night?" Nana questioned while glancing over at her granddaughter.

Looking back, Ava nodded. "Yeah, it was fun."

Nana smiled. "That's nice dear, I'm glad you have made some nice friends."

"Yeah, I have…"

… Night; Rooftops…

Landing firmly on the concrete roof, Raphael's amber gaze quickly turned to face his human friend, Casey Jones, as he landed a few feet behind him. Raphael was looking forward to tonight, him Casey and him had managed to get a lead on a possible drug deal going down. Based on what they heard, the two parties were supposed to meet in ten minutes at an alleyway just off Sullivan. The red clad turtle was looking forward to the chance to bash some Purple Dragon heads without having to deal with Leo the entire night.

Running ahead, Raphael soon landed upon another rooftop that overlooked the alleyway where the deal was going down. His amber gaze intently watched the trash-strewn alley below him, waiting for any signs of movement as he expertly swirled his sai around. Casey stood beside him, hockey stick resting on his right shoulder as his blue gaze peered out from behind his hockey mask.

"Hey, looks like the party's about ta start." Casey said, tensing himself up for the fight ahead.

Raphael smirked, firmly grasping his sais in both hands. A lone person in a deep brown trench coat was walking down the alley. He was obviously skittish, his eyes constantly darting around the surrounding space. The turtle assumed he was in serious need of a fix of whatever drug he was taking. Glancing towards the other end of the alleyway, his amber gaze was met with two other men. One was wearing a shirt with its sleeves ripped off, displaying the large dragon tattoo on his left arm. The other was clad entirely in black with black combat boots and a black leather jacket to stave off the chilly October air. The two gang members advanced towards the lone man until the two groups met at the alley's center.

The two vigilantes tensed, readying themselves for the approaching conflict. Amber eyes glanced back at a set of blues. The two men nodded at each other and within a singular blink of the eye, both warriors descended to the alleyway below, landing only a few feet away from the three men.

Raph smirked; he had always loved this stuff. "Ain't it past business hours?"

The jittery one took a step back, his eyes going wide at the sight of Raphael. Casey twirled his hockey stick before narrowing his gaze upon the two dragons.

"Goongala!" roared the burly man as he charged forward, wildly swinging his hockey stick around.

Amber eyes darted toward the gang's "consumer" as he attempted to get away. How cute, he actually thought he had a chance to escape. Raphael smirked, trusting that his human friend could handle the two Dragons until he returned and chased after the jittery one. Pulling a couple shuriken from his belt, the turtle quickly threw them, the stars landed right in front of the man, who whirled around and gasped. From where he stood, Raphael swore he could see his eye twitching. He grabbed both of his sai.

"Now… we can do this tha' easy way or tha' hard way…" he smirked, obviously enjoying himself. The man broke out into a sudden run, attempting to get away once more.

Raphael laughed, "I love it when they play hard ta get."

… Three Hours Later…

Done with the night's patrol, Raphael ran across the rooftops towards the lair. It had been a rather busy night for such a short patrol… aside from the drug deal there was an attempted rape, three break-ins, and four purse-snatchers. All of them were easily disposed of by the two vigilantes and tied up for the cops to pick up. Raphael's muscles were sore and he was looking forward to a nice hot shower and crashing on his hammock for the night… hopefully getting at least a few hours of sleep before morning training.

As his feet planted on the next rooftop, the turtle swore he heard his Shell Cell ringing… Wondering who would be calling him at this time of the night, he quickly grabbed the object and answered.

"What's up?" he greeted, if Mikey was trying to crank call him again he swore he was gonna…

"Hey… It's me… Ava."

The turtle halted as his breath caught in his throat for a split second. "Um… hey…"

"Um… Can you walk me home?"

"Uh…" Raph muttered.

"You said to call you if I didn't have anyone else to walk with… right?"

Raph nodded, "Oh yeah, I rememba'…" He turned around. "Where are ya?"

"I'm at the corner of Bleecker and Perry… I'm heading towards Eleventh though… there's a small park there."

"I know where that is, give me a minute an' I'll be there."

"Okay, see you soon." Ava replied before hanging up.

Shutting his own phone, Raph quickly shoved it back into his belt and turned on his heel in the direction of Bleecker. Glancing up, he groaned as it began to rain. Little droplets of water cascaded from above and began its assault on everything below… including Raphael, making the turtle groan once more. His feet pounded against the cold and wet concrete roofs below as he traveled over the several rooftops separating him from Ava's current location. Once his gaze landed upon a small cluster of trees, he knew he had found where Ava said she would be. Looking all around, Raphael soon saw Ava sitting patiently upon a bench… along with a young couple sitting on the bench a few yards away. He sighed as he pulled out his Shell Cell to call Ava. Thankfully, he only had to wait a few moments before he watched Ava reach into her purse to pull out her own phone.

"Hello?" was the greeting she gave; Raph could see her blue eyes glancing around the small park. "Raph?"

"Yeah, it's me…"

"Where are you?"

Raph smiled, "Look ta yer left, I'm on tha roof."

The turtle watched as Ava glanced in the direction he told her. Once her gaze landed on him, he could swear he saw her smile.

She offered a small wave. "I see you." She glanced towards the couple, seeming slightly surprised to see them there. "I'll walk to the other side of the building."

"Thanks."

Hanging up his phone, Raphael walked to the other side of the roof he was standing on and waited until Ava walked into the alleyway. Her blue eyes glanced up at him and she waved again before looking at the fire escape. She seemed to be thinking about trying to pull the ladder down and climb up. The brunette jumped once, completely missing the bottom rung of the metal ladder. Jumping again got her no closer to her objective. She crossed her arms and watched the metal ladder, as if sizing up an opponent. Raphael laughed slightly; the serious look seemed so foreign on her face. With a swift movement, Raph leapt from the top of the building and landed right beside Ava.

Avariella shook her head, "You could have just walked down like a normal person."

"Hey, I'm not exactly normal ya know."

Ava smiled. "True… Sorry if I bugged you tonight. April had to keep me later than normal because her boyfriend was out for some reason." She shrugged, "And he just got back as I was leaving so…" She shrugged again. "I called you."

"I can see that," Raph responded before leaping up to pull down the metal ladder. "So who's April?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm and composed.

Ava walked forward to grab a rung. "She's my boss over at the shop I work at." She began to climb up the ladder until she reached the first landing. Her blue gaze landed on Raphael, watching as he also climbed up the ladder behind her.

The turtle nodded, his face completely void of any sort of extreme emotion while he was practically screaming on the inside. "Ah, okay."

"Yeah, she's really nice." Ava added as she continued her way up the fire escape. "She even let me take this camera for a fraction of the price… though I'm sure she wanted to give it to me for free."

Following the brunette until he reached the building's roof, Raphael allowed himself to smile. "Well that's good that ya have a nice boss. 'Specially since ya most likely ain't gettin' paid much… it bein' a first job an' all."

"Oh… she's not paying me," Ava replied with a shake of her head. "She's a… family friend and I just wanted to help out."

Raphael raised an eyeridge. "Really?"

Ava nodded.

"Well that might explain why she tried ta give ya that camera fer free."

"That makes sense… though I would have felt bad if I didn't pay anything for it." She shrugged. "That's how my mama raised me." Her blue gaze wandered all around her, taking in the surrounding rooftops and the light emitting from the street lamps below. "Um… how exactly are we getting back to my apartment?" she questioned while tilting her head slightly to the right as she turned to face Raphael.

Raph smiled. "You'll see."

Ava took a small step towards the turtle, her eyes brimming with question. "Should I be worried?"

"Well that depends… do ya trust me?"

The brunette nodded softly. "Yeah…"

Raph smiled and turned so his shell was facing her. Motioning towards his shell, he glanced back at her. "Well then hop on."

Avariella stood there for a moment before lightly shrugging. She walked forward and hopped onto Raphael's shell, she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his midsection. Resting her chin onto his shoulder, she slightly tightened her grip.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Smiling, Raphael took a few steps backwards before running towards the edge of the building's roof. Ava tightly shut her eyes and tightened her grip only mere moments before he leapt over the building's edge. Once she felt him land upon the next roof, Ava hesitantly opened her blue orbs only moments before he leapt again. They flew through the air from rooftop to rooftop. With every leap, Ava felt her smile grow larger and before she knew it, she was laughing. Moving throughout the city like this was exhilarating. She loved it! Her eyes eagerly took in her changing surroundings. Part of her wished she could capture such a feeling… such a sight… on film. However, she knew that there was no real way to capture the way she felt right now, at this very moment, with a mere picture. It did not matter if a single image could be worth one thousand words; she would need far more than that to explain this sensation properly. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. She wanted to akin it to how she felt while she was running… but it was on a very different level of freedom, one she had never experienced during any of her runs.

What seemed like only seconds after the initial departure, Ava began to see her apartment building come into view. Holding onto Raphael slightly tighter, her blue orbs watched as the roof she routinely spent so many nights atop of came closer and closer into view. Soon Raph landed upon the hard surface and Ava jumped off his shell and adjusted her top.

Glancing up at him, Ava smiled. "That was… amazing." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Is that how you normally get around?"

"Yeah, most of tha time," Raphael responded, leaning against the building's ledge.

Ava smiled again. "Well uh… thanks for taking me home. I'd ask if you could stay but it's getting late and I have school…"

Raph waved his hand slightly. "Don't worry about it. Ya get some rest an' I'll see ya soon."

"That sounds like a plan," Ava replied while walking towards the fire escape. Once she stood a foot away from the turtle, she reached out and gently embraced him for a few moments before pulling away. She smiled before walking towards the fire escape again. Before beginning her descent, her blue eyes turned towards the turtle and she smiled.

"Good night."

Raph nodded and stood up. "Nite…"

… Five Days Later; Eleanor Roosevelt High…

"So what are you doing for Halloween?"

Glancing up at Isabella, Ava put down her pencil, glad for a break from her history homework. She shrugged. "I was most likely going to stay home. Why?"

"No reason," Izzy replied with a small shrug.

"Going trick-or-treating with your sis?" Selena asked.

Izzy nodded. "Yeah, my parents are going somewhere with their friends. So I'm babysitting that night." She shrugged. "What are you doing?"

"Um… I think the same thing…" Selena responded before glancing over at Nick. "Unless someone wants to take Allie trick-or-treating?" she smiled sweetly.

Nick shook his head. "No way, I babysat last time. It's your turn."

Selena pouted. "Awww," she whined. "But…"

"No buts, you know our deal."

"Whatever," the blonde replied before sticking out her tongue. She quickly redirected her attention toward Izzy. "So can we join the two of you?"

Izzy nodded and smiled. "Sure, that sounds like a plan."

Selena smiled back. "Oh! We should totally dress up!"

"If you can find something," Nick added. "Most the stores are cleared of all the good stuff."

"Oh yeah…" Selena said, slumping her shoulders. "I mean we could still look." She shrugged. "No harm in that. So Ava, wanna join us?"

The brunette shrugged. "I dunno… I've never been trick-or-treating before…"

Selena gasped. "Never?!"

Ava shook her head slowly. "No… I normally just passed out candy with my mom back in Newport. We'd sit in the living room in costumes watching the Halloween specials on television."

"Then you have to come!" Selena exclaimed. "And we have to dress up! We'll find costumes for sure!"

Izzy smiled. "Well what do you propose we do about costumes?"

Selena shrugged. "I dunno… but we'll think of something. You can count on that!"

"And we all know what you're going as…" Nick quietly added, earning a nudge from his sister.

"Is it that obvious?"

Izzy nodded. "You've been going as the same thing for a few years now." The strawberry blonde said with a chuckle.

Ava tilted her head to the side. "What's that?"

Nick turned to face her. He smiled. "A cop."

"Really?" the brunette questioned. "How come?"

"Cuz I'm gonna be one when I grow up." Selena replied with a huge grin. "Just like my daddy."

"Just don't tell our mom that… I swear she'll have kittens when she finds out." Nick added with a shake of his head.

Selena sighed. "I know... she's always worrying about Daddy when he's on duty." She shrugged, quickly wishing to dismiss the topic. "Anywho…" her gaze wandered between Ava and Izzy. "You two have any idea of what you wanna dress up as?"

Izzy nodded and smiled. "I think I might look for a witch costume."

"Really?" Selena questioned. "Like a 'Wicked Witch of the West'?"

The strawberry blonde shook her head. "No, I was thinking just a real generic witch… without the warts… but not a slutty witch."

Selena nodded. "Okay, I think we can find something." She turned to face Avariella. "So, you havin' any ideas?"

Propping her chin atop of her hands, Ava allowed herself to ponder the question for a moment. An image of strips of red fabric dancing softly in the breeze flashed across her mind, making her smile ever so slightly as she redirected her attentions towards her friends.

"Do you think we can find a ninja costume?"

… Halloween; Ava's room…

Standing in front of her mirror, Avariella smiled softly at her reflection. That past Saturday they had managed to find a ninja costume that fit her perfectly… the main pieces of fabric that made up the piece were a jet black, while other parts were a stunning shade of red. She wore a pair of black pants with red trim at the ends of the legs that led to a pair of black heeled boots. The top she wore vaguely reminded her of the kimonos that she had discovered that Japanese women wore. The bottom hem of the shirt was also made of the same shade of red fabric that made up the hem of the pants. In the bottom right-hand corner of the shirt there was a red symbol of a dragon swerving in an 'S' shape with what appeared to be little flames scattered around it. The hems of the neckline and sleeves also shared the same shade of red along with a strip of fabric that was secured around her midsection. Atop the encircling strip of crimson fabric there laid a four-pointed shuriken upon the left side of her body. Her forearms were covered with black fingerless gloves made of a thin black fabric and pieces of red fabric were tied loosely around her wrists.

Glancing towards her end stand, Ava reached forward to grab one last piece of red fabric. Lifting the fabric upwards, pulled it over her forehead before tying securely at the back of her head. The tails of the fabric flowed alongside her hair to just above her shoulder blades. Redirecting her attention back towards her reflection, Ava smiled at the finished product, running her fingers through her hair. As she began to contemplate sitting down to watch a bit a television, Ava heard a series of bangs upon the front door. Smiling, she quickly pranced over towards her desk to grab a small black bag, holding her cell phone and what Raphael called her "Shell Cell." Throwing the bag over her shoulder, she walked out of her bedroom and into the living room. Glancing to her left, she saw Nana sitting in her chair. The elderly woman's caring brown eyes shifted in her granddaughter's direction.

She smiled. "Going out with your friends sweetie?"

Smiling in return, Ava strode towards her grandmother. "Yeah, I'm going along with Lena and Izzy while they take their siblings trick-or-treating."

"That's nice dear," Nana smiled again. "You have fun now."

"I will Nana," Ava said with a small nod.

"Try not to stay out too late alright?"

"Don't worry; I should be back by eleven."

Nana nodded. "Alright, remember you have school tomorrow so get enough rest." She smiled again. "I love you."

Stepping forward, Ava gently hugged her grandmother. "I love you too." Another series of bangs rang upon the surface of the door, causing Ava to slightly shake her head. "Bye."

"Goodbye, have fun."

Waving farewell, Ava quickly made her way towards the door. Opening it, she was greeted by Izzy, Selena, and two little girls. One of them had stunning curly red hair pulled into two pigtails that barely grazed her shoulders with a set of deep brown eyes. She was dressed in an angle costume, complete with large fluffy wings. Standing behind her was Selena's little sister, Ava remembered seeing her briefly before the fall dance. Her dark blonde hair was pulled into a high ponytail and she was dressed in an adorable pink princess costume.

Ava waved at the two girls before glancing up at her friends. "Hey."

"Ready to get going?" Selena questioned.

Ava nodded. "Yep, sure am." Walking through the door, she softly shut it behind her and followed her friends towards the nearby staircase.

The red head pulled at the voluptuous floor-length skirt of Izzy's witch costume. "Izzy… who's that?"

Glancing down at her younger sister, the strawberry blonde smiled. "That's my friend Ava." She glanced up at the brunette, "And this is my little sister Nichole."

"And I'm Allie!" the one in the princess costume cheered as she pranced down the stairs.

Selena chuckled. "Yep, that's my sister alright." She glanced down at the two girls, who were already racing ahead of them. "Allie, remember what mom said about running inside?"

"I'm not supposed ta!" she yelled back before rapidly slowing down.

"Good," Selena called back with a smile. "I swear she has way too much energy sometimes."

"Remind you of anyone?" Izzy questioned, lifting up the blue skirt of her witch costume.

Selena glanced back and furrowed her brow. "Really? Who?"

Ava and Izzy quickly shared a glance, both breaking out into a small fit of giggles.

The blonde raised an eyebrow. "No seriously, who?"

"Don't worry about it Lena," Ava replied with a small shake of her head as the three teenage girls continued to descend the stairs.

Shrugging dismissively, Selena leapt over the last three steps in the staircase, landing firmly on the floor below. Turning towards the building's front door, she pranced over towards where Alexandra and Nichole were standing.

"So who's ready to go Trick-or-Treating?"

Both girls smiled and bounced on their feet. "Me! Me!" They cheered.

Selena smiled and opened the door, charging forward onto the sidewalk and dramatically pointed down the street. "Then onwards!" She proclaimed. "The candy is awaiting us!"

… Two Hours Later…

"See you tomorrow," Izzy said while reaching forward to embrace Ava.

The brunette smiled and walked towards Selena to embrace her as well. "Yeah, see you at lunch."

Selena smiled as she pulled away. The blonde turned towards her sister. "Come on Allie, time ta go home." Grabbing her sister's hand, she quickly turned to wave goody-bye at Ava. "See ya!"

"Bye," Ava said while waving farewell to her two friends once more. She turned on her heel and opened the building's door before quickly walking inside. The brunette did not realize just how easily the wind cut through the material of this costume… she was getting a little chilly in the late October air. Ducking into the building, she quickly made her way towards the staircase. Her shoes quickly tapped against the stairs beneath her as she swiftly made rose upwards.

Reaching her floor, she left the drafty staircase and proceeded to walk towards the door of her apartment. Once she reached the familiar wooden surface, she grabbed her key and reached to unlock the door. Turning the metal key, Ava scrunched up her face after not hearing the familiar click of the door. Twisting the handle, she was confused to find that the door opened easily before her.

That was odd… the door should have been locked. Her grandmother always made sure to lock the door before going to bed…

Ava quickly brought up her watch. It was past the time Nana normally turned in. The door should be locked right now…

Reaching forward again, she slowly pushed the door open fully. Her body involuntarily tensed up as she walked into the living room. Bright blues quickly took in the open space. The television was off and her grandmother did not happen to fall asleep in her chair.

Ava quickly glanced around again, swallowing past a lump in her throat.

"Nana?" she called. "You there?"

Standing there, the brunette heard no response coming from her grandmother. The apartment was entirely silent as Avariella stood there in the dark-encased room. Her gaze quickly landed upon her grandmother's door. Perhaps she simply forgot to lock the door. Everyone forgets to lock the door occasionally; it is not entirely strange for it to occur, even with Nana.

Gradually, she made her way towards the entrance of her grandmother's room. Turning the door handle, Ava slowly walked into Nana's room. No light was coming from the main bedroom. Glancing to her left, she saw no light coming from underneath the closed bathroom door. She felt her palms grow clammy as she glanced towards the open bedroom area. A sudden wave of terror washed over her… and she was completely scared to find out why.

Her thoughts quickly drifted towards her Shell Cell in her bag. Perhaps she should call Raphael… maybe he could help…

Ava quickly shook her head. It was most likely nothing, it was Halloween, and her imagination was probably just running away from her. There was no real reason to be disturbing him at this hour again. Unfortunately, she did not feel as certain about the decision as she slowly walked towards the room.

Suddenly, Ava halted as she felt a chill go through her and for the briefest of moments; she thought that someone had touched her shoulder. Whirling her head around, she was only met with vacant air.

Dropping her head slightly, Ava lightly massaged her temples. She was going crazy, that is all that was needed to explain this. She would simply walk into her grandmother's room and see her fast asleep. Then she would leave, lock the door, and turn in for the night, nothing more and nothing less.

So why did Ava find it so hard to take the final five steps that would lead her to her grandmother's room?

Taking a deep breath, Ava stole herself and slowly walked forward past the bathroom door and towards where she assumed her grandmother was. A shape Ava knew as her grandmother's bed slowly came into view as she progresses towards the dark space. She could barely see anything that was in front of her.

Turning to the wall on her left, Ava flipped the light switch. Her gaze turned back to the now light-filled room…

And she screamed.