Leo's POV:
Lexi sleeps the entire ride home. Even when I lift her up to carry her to her room, she still doesn't even stir. It makes me both relieved and angry at the Dark Angels. They've hurt her so much and that's very clear. She's fatigued—both physically, and I'm positive that she's exhausted emotionally as well.
"Keep an eye on him," I tell my brothers wearily, nudging my head towards Shredder, who hardly hears me. "I still don't trust him."
"Dude, then why'd you let him free?" Mikey asks. I shift Lexi in my arms and shake my head at my younger brother.
"Lexi's orders." I glance over at Shredder again, who's now watching me. "Handcuff him or something." I'm not surprised when as Donnie takes the handcuffs out from the glove box, Shredder doesn't do more than blink to defend himself.
He'll do anything to prove himself worthy of our trust, whether trustworthy or not. I still don't trust him. But there is something that I feel; I feel like I should trust him...but I can't.
Or I don't want to.
That's a likely possibility. I don't want to trust Shredder because of all he has done to hurt not only the King Family but my own family. But my own instincts are telling me that it doesn't matter what he did before; what really matters now is that he wants to change.
But I can't take the risk.
"Bring him up with us to the apartment, but don't take your eyes off of him." And with that, I carry Lexi up the stairs of the apartment complex. As I'm walking, I hear footsteps catch up to me. I glance over to see who it is, and I notice a head full of bouncy red curls.
"You doing okay, Mal?" I ask, shifting Lexi in my arms again. She has her arms crossed around her chest, as if she's cold. I know that she isn't though, seeing that it's over seventy degrees even now at two in the morning. But I guess we're all feeling cold in one way or another.
"No, not really," she admits. "I mean...I just found my best friend beat up and torn apart. And I really want to rip apart the jerks that did it."
I sigh in empathy and nod my head.
"I...I know how you feel." I don't extend on that. If Mallory knows—if anyone knows, for that matter—all the horrible things I was thinking as I was chained helplessly to the ground, I'd lose my "calm, serene" reputation for sure. In all honesty, I don't blame Mallory. I want to rip Melinda to shreds too.
Once we reach the door, Mallory unlocks it and pushes through. All the lights are off. The smell is familiar: the smell of fresh laundry and a new cupboard both mixed together. Mallory doesn't leave my side as I push open Lexi's bedroom door and lay her onto the bed, tucking the sheets around her. I don't take my eyes off of her face as I do so, and as soon as I'm done, I take a seat in the chair next to her bed.
She's in terrible condition.
Bruises are on all the parts of her face and she has a black eye and dry blood everywhere. She has cuts and wounds of all sorts, and if she looks this bad from her face, I can't imagine how bad it really is. I'd seen Melinda kick her several times before calling the guards on us. Donnie is going to have to see how bad it is. But for now, I want her to rest.
I don't realize how long I have been staring at her for.
"I think she's still in love with you." Mallory's voice drowns me from my thoughts and I tear my gaze away from the poor girl lying helplessly, yet sound asleep.
"What?"
"I don't know for sure," Mallory says slowly. "We don't talk about it all that much; she kind of avoids the topic. But I think she still loves you." I don't know how to respond, so I just shake my head and look back to Lexi.
"I don't know why she would."
"Because you were in love," she snaps. "You both were."
"I still am," I tell her, biting the inside of my cheek. "And you don't know how hard it is for someone to hate you for saving their life; someone that you have been in love with and you were absolutely convinced that they loved you too."
"Lexi did love you!" Mallory's voice is rising. "You can't just assume that it wasn't real! Honestly Leo, I thought you were better than that!" Emmeline passes by the doorway (thank goodness). She quickly gives me a look of sympathy before calling out to Mallory.
"Mallory, honey, let's give Leo some time alone with Lexi." She says it very firmly, but her voice is full of compassion. I'm grateful to have the knowledge that at least one of the Kings doesn't hate me. Mallory's stare seeps into the side of my head, but eventually she stands up. It's abrupt and it frightens me a bit. Then, she leans in closer says one last thing.
"Did you ever think that maybe one of the reasons that she dumped you wasn't because she didn't love you, but because you couldn't understand why she did?" And then, she's gone.
It takes me a few minutes to process what she has said. And after I do, I realize that she's right.
I constantly told myself while Lexi and I were dating that I didn't deserve her. I told myself that she was a beautiful, strong young lady that I could never dream to even notice me (after getting past the fact that I'm a giant, green mutant). I truly didn't understand what exactly it was that she saw.
Hours pass by and Lexi doesn't stir, which I guess is good. When Rose knocks on the door, it's early in the morning and the sun is beginning to rise. From the computer chair, I glance over towards the door. Rose gives me a small smile and approaches. She takes a seat on the end of Lexi's bed.
"How is she?"
"She seems fine; hasn't woken up yet, but she seems..." I stop. How do I describe how she seems? Okay? Tired? Fine? I don't know anything, really. All I am is the ex-boyfriend that everyone feels pity for. And I hate being pitied.
"Somehow, she looks better," Rose comments softly, kneeling down next to Lexi. The brunette takes her older sister's hand and holds onto it. Rose's eyes stare down at Lexi's face in both relief and sadness. I understand both emotions.
"It's really weird," Rose begins, shaking her head the slightest bit. "You know...I feel upset right now. I feel sad to the greatest extent. Just looking at Lexi; beaten and bruised and broken, it hurts me. I'm so used to seeing her so...so strong and...not hurt." I can tell she's struggling with her words. "I mean...it's weird to see her helpless. It's really scary, to be honest. Lexi's always been the one that helps us when we're down. I don't think I even remember much of a time where I've seen her like this." She pauses for a long, long moment. "But I'm also relieved."
"You just said that you're sad."
"I'm both. I'm sad to see her like this, but I'm also relieved to see her like this." I must have given her a funny look because she quickly adds onto her words. "I mean...man, that sounds terrible. I'm not relieved relieved to see her like this; I'm just glad to see that she does have a breaking point."
"You've been seeing her breaking point for a while now," I remind. "Ever since Benj passed."
"I know," Rose responds, shaking her head again. "But this is different. Then, she had an emotional breaking point and that was really clear. But until now, I haven't really seen a physical breaking point. Now, here I see her all beat up and helpless...it's really odd." She pauses and groans softly. "This is really hard to explain."
"I think I understand." I don't really; I'm just saying that to keep her from making the situation even worse.
Rose nods and turns back to her sister. I want so much to just get down next to Rose and hold Lexi's other hand. I want her to wake up and listen to me tell her how much I love her, over and over again. I want to kiss her and I want to comfort her. I want her to know that she's safe with me.
But is she really? How could any of this even qualify as safe? She had been kidnapped by the Dark Angels and beaten to a pulp. And now, her father—Oroku Saki, the man who has been trying to kill my family for so many years—shows up, ready to be good again. None of this is okay, despite the fact that I want it to sound like it is.
"Leo," A voice calls. I look up towards Rose, but it isn't her who has spoken. Glancing towards the door, I find that Mikey is standing there with his arms awkwardly at his sides. I can tell that he's afraid for Lexi just as much as I am. We all are.
"Master Splinter wants us all home." He pauses. "All of us." I nod, without saying a word and get to my feet. I look down at Lexi one more time. Mikey walks over without saying anything and ruffles Lexi's hair softly. There's a ghost of a smile on his face. "I hope you're okay, Lex."
Before I know it, my brother and I are both leaping across the rooftops, trying to keep up with my other brothers. None of us say a word.
LEXI'S POV:
I wake up to absolute, utter silence. And pain; a lot of pain. But I'm used to that; what I'm not used to is the atmosphere. There's something different about the atmosphere. It isn't cold. I don't feel afraid anymore.
My eyes open and I find myself in a room that I recognize.
I am in my bedroom.
I'm home.
That means that I've been rescued; I've been saved.
I would have jumped out of my bed, right then and there, and sprinted towards my door. But I know that I'll fall to the ground on the first second of trying to walk. How long have I been out for? How long had I been locked away? And where is everybody?
"Hello?" I try to say, but it ends up sounding like a very weak croak. I doubt anyone hears me. I'm exhausted. In fact, I have to take a few minutes to catch my breath enough to say it again. "Hello?"
Nobody comes.
I look around my room and I feel a wave of comfort rush over me, despite the fact that I'm alone right now. My window is closed and the blinds are shut, but I wouldn't assume anything different, knowing my mother as well as I do. After being kidnapped for well over a week and finally returned safely home, I would hope that she wouldn't leave the blinds and windows open for anyone to see.
I try to focus on the injuries I can feel, but everything feels numb to the pain, so it's really hard to decipher. After lying there for well over an hour longer, I decide that the majority of the pain is located in the stomach area. I can feel dried cuts on my lip and the area around my eye hurts immensely. My wrists and ankles don't hurt, besides the fact that they feel sore. I most likely won't be able to walk for a few weeks.
I fumble around for my phone, but I can't find it anywhere. That's when I vaguely remember dropping it while captive by that Maneuver Man.
"Great..." I muttered. "Just perfect." I tried to call out several more times (each time didn't turn out to be more than a light croak). Out of patience and options, I decide what I'm going to do.
The trip to the carpet is a short, yet deadly trip. I manage to crawl out of my bed and land on the beanbag chair, but my stomach erupts with pain. I groan and bite my tongue to keep from shrieking; although maybe my cry will finally get someone's attention. After I recover from the fall, I begin crawling my way towards the bedroom door (which is shut...lucky me).
"I feel like I'm on I Shouldn't Be Alive," I mutter to myself, shaking my head. "Benj must be laughing so hard right now." And I can picture it: my brother, laughing at how I'm practically reenacting an "I Shouldn't Be Alive" episode, right here in our own apartment.
I reach for the door knob several times before I can actually grab it, and once I do, I shove the door open. It swings and lightly hits the wall. I continue to crawl through the hallway, into the main room. Once I reach the room, there's still dead silence. This is really beginning to bug me...
I hear a high-pitched scream. The suddenness of it makes me scream as well. So me and whoever else is screaming, we just sit there, screaming for about fifteen seconds.
"Lexi!" Someone shrieks, and I scream again, flipping over and landing on my back. I shriek in pain and groan, shutting my eyes tightly as I try to recover.
"Ow..." I whimper.
"Oh my gosh." I recognize the voice as Rose's. "Are you okay? Do you need anything? What are you doing out of bed?"
"No one was answering me." I still haven't opened my eyes. Suddenly, I'm being helped up.
"I didn't hear you calling," she admits, and I finally open my eyes. The lighting takes a few moments to get used to, but once I do, I'm able to fully see my sister. She genuinely looks worried sick.
"I've been awake for over an hour," I mumble, rubbing my eyes. "Rose, how long have I been out for?" She lets go of me, but I instantly go tumbling towards the ground. She gasps and helps me up again, looking sheepish.
"Oops, sorry. I didn't know you couldn't walk. Here, let's get you over here to the couch so you can sit down." After sitting me down, she takes a deep breath and shakes her head. "You've been out for a day. We came and rescued you yesterday..." She pauses. "Should I call Mom and—"
"No!" She gives me a strange look at my outburst. "Rose, I just want to relax right now. You know how Mom is..." I'm almost pleading her not to call Mom.
"I really feel like I should call her..."
"Please don't."
"Okay," she decides wearily. "Who do you want me to call then?"
"Anyone but her."
"I'll call Noah," she decides, picking up the phone. "You want Mallory here too?" Although I really don't want Mallory freaking out, like I know she will, I also know that she'll never forgive me if I don't let Rose call her.
"Yeah," I say. "Noah and Mallory. That's good for now."
The next thing I know, I wake up to voices. I open my yes—still feeling groggy—and realize that Mallory and Noah are sitting on the couch in front of me.
"Oh shoot," I mutter. "I'm so sorry...did I fall asleep?" Noah laughs and raises his eyebrows, glancing over at Rose, who is standing in the kitchen, cutting an apple.
"Yeah," he chuckles. "Rose said that she turned around for three seconds to get you something to eat, and when she turned back around, you were snoring."
"I don't snore."
"She said you sounded like a grizzly."
"I said she sounded like a dog," Rose corrects, waving her finger at him.
"Like that makes much of a difference." I involuntarily let out a groan as I try to sit up straighter. All the laughter in the room ceases and everyone turns to me with fretful expressions on their faces. Rose puts down the apple she's cutting and heads over to me quickly.
"Maybe I should call Mom—"
"No!" I say, much harsher than I intend. "I mean...no. Sorry, but...no...I don't want everyone worrying."
"We're going to continue to worry until something is said about your injuries," Noah informs, crossing his arms and narrowing his gaze at me. I know what he's thinking. He wants me to go to the lair; check in with the turtles. I'm sure that that's what everyone wants, since they're the closest friends our family has. They want me to let them know that I'm awake and okay.
"Something has been said about my injuries," I say, turning away from Noah so I don't have to bear his "you know what I'm thinking" look. "They're injuries, they hurt, and they'll heal."
"Not quickly though; we don't even know what we're dealing with," Mallory points out, cuffing my ankles with her hands. "Noah, get her wrists. We're taking her to the nearest hospital."
"NO!" I screech, trying to wriggle out of her grasp. But if there is one thing worse that being captured by Mallory, it's being injured and being captured by Mallory. "No, please...I'll...I'll..." I search for anything to say; anything. I desperately want to stay out of the public's eye and I certainly don't want to be checked into a hospital that will likely ask how I received such terrible injuries. "Take me to the lair and call April down. She'll take a look since she's trained in that kind of thing, and then Donnie will do the stitches and stuff."
All is silent. I want to stare at the ground—avoid everyone's gazes—and just wait until someone says something. But to fortify my plead, I know I have to make eye contact. So one by one, I look up at each of their faces and look them in the eyes. Finally, a sigh comes from Rose.
"Why not?" she decides softly. "Injured girl's orders."
"Thank you, Rose," I whisper. And I mean it.
Mallory leaves to go call April, Rose leaves the room and Noah tries to entertain me. Rose has never been too good at that, and she knows it. But neither have I; entertaining isn't exactly our thing.
"So, what do you think about your dad suddenly showing up?" Wrong question, Noah.
"Why would you ask that?" I exclaim, utterly astonished that that's how he'd start a conversation. "I'm bruised and broken...and you ask how I'm enjoying my villainous father returning from the dark side?" It's clear in my voice that it's a rhetorical question, but Noah—like Mallory—isn't afraid of my menacing voice. Anyway, I'm pretty ill...my menacing voice probably doesn't sound any bit more threatening than a newborn kitten asking for milk.
"Yes..."
I sigh and shut my eyes tightly, laying my head back and shaking it slightly.
"I don't know, Noah. I don't know." There is a silence.
"Well, you let him go."
"I didn't let him go."
"You ordered Leo to let him go." There is another silence. My eyes pop back open and I sit up as much as I can, trying to ignore the pain that is sprouting through my body.
"He...he let him go? Leo actually let him go?" I'm shocked. Over a decade of my father trying to kill Leo and his family...and he let the man go just because I had told him to do so. I'm utterly taken aback.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't he?" Noah pauses. "Okay, let me rephrase this conversation: he didn't exactly let him go...but he released him from the building. As far as I know, your dad is locked up under the watch of one if not all of the turtles. We arrived early in the morning and Leo told Don to handcuff him."
"And he didn't put up a fight?"
"Don? No, he's usually a pretty obedient guy when—"
"I meant Shredder." I swallow. "He didn't try to fight back?"
"No." Noah is quiet for a moment. "I know; we were all really surprised. But I think that he's serious about this whole good guy thing again. Aren't you happy about that?"
"He can't stop being a villain just like that," I say, ignoring his question. "That's...it's just irrational."
"Maybe it wasn't just like that. Maybe he's had time to think about it."
"How, by breaking into our apartment while we're out and reminiscing, wishing back the days when we was presentable?" I joke, chuckling softly without humor.
"Maybe."
Neither of us speaks for a while. I suddenly wonder why it's taking Mallory so long to talk to April. I'm about to mention my thoughts, when Noah speaks again.
"I know you're under a lot of stress," he says slowly. "And I know you're angry and scared and hurt and...and confused. And it's only natural to act out on those emotions. But Lex, I hope you know that lashing out those emotions on us isn't going to make anything better. It'll only hurt more people."
He stares at me for a long time, as if trying to make sure that I understand what he's saying. I nod stiffly after a while, just to wave his gaze away. More minutes pass by of silence. I have a lot of time to think.
Noah's right. He's absolutely right. Ever since I woke up, and much before that, I have been acting like the world's biggest brat. I have resulted to blame and pointing fingers and sarcasm and all the things I never like in a person. I have become the person I have only had nightmares of becoming. My heartbeat seems to stop as I realize that.
Maybe things aren't as bad with Leo as I thought they were. Maybe he's trying his best to show his love for me and be there for me and keep me safe and all I have done is shove him away and spit in his face and leave him to think about what he's done, when he hasn't even done anything wrong. Maybe I am the monster; maybe I am the problem. Maybe I need to apologize.
I glance over at Noah, staring at the floor, completely silent—totally unlike Noah.
Yeah; I need to apologize.
"Noah, I'm sorry..." The apology comes out awkward, like it's also a foreign concept to my lips. And that makes me feel about ten times worse. "I truly am sorry. I don't know what's gotten into me. With Benj and the whole breakup with Leo and...and everything..." It's then, in the middle of my sentence, when I realize another thing.
The breakup with Leo; it would have never happened if I hadn't have been a brat. If I hadn't have pushed him away...if I hadn't have hated him for saving my life; we would still be okay. It's my fault.
"Oh my gosh, Noah...what have I done? I'm a monster..." I whisper and I can't take any of the emotions anymore. I break down. The speed at which the tears run down my face surprises me. It's as if they are waiting for me to realize my mistakes, before actually rushing down my cheeks. But I'm even more surprised at how quickly Noah comes to embrace me.
He's considerate over my injuries and holds me so very lightly, but enough to make sure that I know that he's there for me. And to make sure that I know that he cares...and that he knows that I'm sorry. That makes the tears stream even faster, and with my injured arms, I put them around him and cry into his shoulder. I'm hurting, physically and emotionally right now. But I think they cancel each other out and somehow, the pain is numb to me. All I know is that I'm being held and that I can cry.
And I'm glad.
Fixing something isn't easy. But somehow, it isn't as bad when you know that you're the one who broke it.
A/N: Whoa...is...Lexi...actually...beginning to apologize? I told you guys it would come(: she is finally at that point where she is thinking clearly and recognizes how much she's been pushing people away (it only took her a near-death experience). Now let's see how she handles her dad being back in her life too. Good stuff, guys. Good stuff