So...I honestly wasn't planning on adding the extra fluff into this bit of the story like I did - my original idea was to keep this part much more cut and dry. But once the ideas started rolling in...it wouldn't stop...my fingers just kept typing...and before I knew it, I had a cute, fun little addition that I never really expected to write.

The Moral of the story: I guess sometimes when your writing takes you places you weren't anticipating, it can end up being for the better. :)

I hope you all enjoy this "calm before the storm". Happy Reading!

I have to admit…feeling the wind in your face and the sun on your skin can do a lot to lift your mood. And at the moment, my mood was soaring; I'd eaten, showered, changed clothes, repacked my backpack, and was now gliding easily through the crowded city streets on the back of my Harley, slipping in and out of traffic as deftly as a ninja turtle through the sewers. The freedom was intoxicating and completely relaxing, in spite of the fact I had to keep my head on a swivel for both inconsiderate motorists and evil Foot assassins.

Raphael had insisted on following me to the surface, despite my continually reminding him that he needed to rest. And in true Raphael fashion, he stubbornly waited with me until Pops arrived, and even then I had to argue with him to stay behind while I left to clean up and grab my bike.

Finally, after having reminded him at least a half-dozen times that I had Leo's tracker in case I ran into trouble, and promising on Pops secret pizza sauce recipe that I'd be extremely careful, Raphael begrudgingly let me go.

Well…at least…that's what he told me. I still have a sneaking suspicion he followed me the whole time…but I honestly can't prove it.

I dunno…maybe I'm just paranoid.

Thankfully, there hadn't been a Foot member in sight when we returned to Pop's shop. I was extremely grateful for this, as my fear of Pops getting drug into this whole mess had intensified quite a bit as of late. Pops, on the other hand, wasn't the least bit bothered by it; he was more concerned about how exhausted I looked and whether running around in the sewers was detrimental to my health.

I did my best to quell his concerns about both (which was about as easy as convincing Raphael not to follow me) and promised to take at least a weeks' vacation to recover once this whole mess was settled. This seemed to sate him (at least for the time being), and once I'd cleaned up, gathered my things, and said goodbye again to my beautiful cat (who apparently had made herself right at home while staying with Pops), we drove to a point about a block away from my apartment where Pops dropped me off so I could pick up my motorcycle.

That short trek to the garage was quite nerve-racking, in spite of the fact that I was walking in broad daylight. I constantly felt like a pair of eyes were watching me, but thankfully I never saw anyone who looked suspicious or threatening in any way. I was able to slip in the small side door of the garage with no detection, and my motorcycle appeared completely untouched since the last time I'd seen it. Still, I was careful to look her over to make sure nothing was out of the ordinary before firing her up and sliding out into the mid-day sunshine.

I drove randomly for a short period of time, simply to assure myself that I wasn't being followed. Then, once I was convinced I wasn't being tailed, I decided to make a quick stop for gas, then headed toward the address Raphael had indicated I should meet him at once I was ready. From there, he'd said he would show me where I could gain access to the sewers with my motorcycle; apparently there were old access tunnels to a makeshift garage Donnie had created. This was where they stored the notorious "Party Wagon" and a few other vehicles Donnie was toying around with, so it made sense to store my bike there until we headed to TCRI later that evening.

So as I pulled up to an old, seemingly abandoned water treatment facility, I glanced nervously around for any sign of my red-bandana-wearing companion. For several minutes I saw nothing…then, as I slowly drove around one side of the buildings, I saw one of the old, warehouse garage doors slowly begin to open.

I watched hesitantly, somewhat surprised to see that the inside of the building remained largely dark and empty despite the bright, mid-day sun shining down. I also took note that the few windows available to allow natural light into the buildings' interior has seemingly been frosted over; and the few overhead light fixtures I could see near the entryway were oddly without power.

It all made me feel strangely uneasy, in spite of the fact I was supposed to meet Raphael here. What if something's happened?

What if the Foot somehow know…and now it's a trap…?

What if….

Suddenly, I noticed a shadow near the entryway. It was large…a little too large for a normal person…and I slowly released a sigh of relief as I saw Raphael's head peer out from the darkness, his amber eyes shifting back and forth sharply before he finally motioned me inside.

I pulled my motorcycle into the darkened warehouse, cutting the engine and allowing myself to coast in under the garage door so as to keep the grumbling echo of the motor to a minimum. Raphael pulled the door down quickly behind me, then flipped on a single overhead light after sliding the doors' lock into place.

He slipped over to me rather quickly, his amber eyes flashing with curious scrutiny as I stood up, stretched, then slid off my bike and stepped over beside him. I watched him regarding me, his eyes seeming to take in every detail of my form before they finally met my own inquisitive gaze. At this point, I raised a questioning eyebrow, smiling slyly as I crossed my arms across my chest and tilted my head slightly to one side.

"What's wrong? Am I not dressed in the appropriate attire to take on the Foot clan?"

Raphael scowled at me, his eyes flicking somewhat uncomfortably off to one side before he responded.

"What do you think am I, Tess? The ninja fashion police?"

I couldn't help the laugh that burst from my mouth, and I quickly covered my face with my hands to control my giggles.

"No…but you were looking me up and down like something was wrong."

Raphael growled, fidgeting awkwardly as he took a half-step back from me.

"It's just…an awful lot of…black."

I smiled slyly, glancing down at the attire I'd chosen; black running shoes…comfortable, black denim jeans covered by my worn pair of plain, black leather riding chaps… a black long sleeve t-shirt covered by my black motorcycle jacket, and black, leather fingerless riding gloves covering my hands.

So yeah…a lot of black. But that's what bikers and ninjas are supposed to wear, right?

I lifted my head and smiled coyly, then raised a finger to correct him.

"But not all black…." I tilted my head to one side as I waggled my finger at him. "…look closer."

Raphael's eyes narrowed, and he acted as if he were about to speak, then suddenly I saw his amber eyes widen slightly in surprise as a sly grin slid across his handsome face.

Reaching forward, his smile broadened as he very carefully lifted the bright red bandana I had tied around my neck out from behind the collar of my jacket. He paused, rubbing the soft fabric between his fingers as he lifted one of the tails of his own bandana and compared the colors.

I smiled up at him, watching as his eyes ignited with that warm, inciting light I'd come to adore.

"It should be a perfect match. I used that piece of thread I found in your hat as a reference."

Shaking his head, he snorted a short laugh as he gingerly dropped the fabric and slid his hand over to my shoulder.

"Yeah…I'd say it is."

My smile widened as the butterflies in my stomach whirled themselves into a small tornado.

"What can I say? I think red's my color."

A seductive light flashed across Raphael's amber eyes, and my heart skipped a beat as he took a step toward me and slid his hand up to tenderly brush my cheek.

"I'm glad…it looks good on you…."

Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming exploded thought the warehouse, and I couldn't control the soft squeal that escaped my lips as I instinctively leaped forward into Raphael's body and wrapped my arms around his midsection. At the same time, he wrapped his arm protectively around me, turning slightly to the side to shield my body with his own as he drew one of his Sai with his free hand.

We both glanced nervously toward the sound that clearly neither of us expected, and after a moment I heard Raphael growl dangerously as his grip on me relaxed and he slid his Sai back into his belt.

"Dammit Mikey! Didn't I tell you to stay home?!"

I peeked around Raphael's arm, only to see Michelangelo slip bashfully out of the shadows to our left.

"Dude…I seriously thought you were joking! Besides, you said Tess would be…." He paused, his jaw dropping and his eyes suddenly widening as he realized we were still wrapped up in each other's arms.

Throwing a hand over his mischievous blue eyes, he quickly froze and tried to feign embarrassment, while at the same time he continued to peek shamelessly at us from between his green fingers.

"Whoa! Hold on you two! I didn't realize you were…ah…having a moment." He paused, lowering his voice as he dropped his hand slightly. "I can…uh…go, I guess…unless you…um…don't mind if I watch…."

Raphael and I both yelled at the same time, our voices echoing through the darkened warehouse.

"MIKEY!"

I let go of Raphael and slowly stepped back, my face immediately flushing as I bashfully cleared my throat and adjusted the red bandana around my neck. I then shot Raphael a quick glance, and watched as he too seemed slightly uncomfortable; but Raphael quickly hid whatever awkwardness he was feeling behind the irritation he had aimed straight at his younger brother.

"Mikey…I swear…if you don't knock it off, I'll make you wish Splinter had grounded you to the Hashi…for a month!"

At this, Michelangelo swallowed, genuine nervousness in his playful blue eyes as he lifted his hands placatingly and took a small step backward.

"Ok…ok…calm down, Raph." Mikey glanced pleadingly toward me. "Um…Tess…a…a little help here…please?"

I shook my head, sighing softly as I pointed a finger at Michelangelo.

"Only if you promise to behave."

Mikey threw his hands up in surrender, his head nodding like a bobble-head figure as his eyes shifted anxiously from Raphael to myself.

"I swear! C'mon babe…have a heart!"

I shook my head, then lifted my hand to touch Raphael's arm.

"You know…we do kinda need him tonight."

Raphael grunted, then shook his head and slowly turned away from his brother.

"Just go home, Mikey. There's nothing to see here. Tess and I are just taking her bike down to the garage."

Assuming the danger was past him, Mikey sauntered over toward us, his blue eyes flashing provocatively as he looked me up and down.

"Ohhh girl…I see how it is! You were holding out on me!" He paused, trying to look slightly disappointed. "I mean, have I ever told you how sexy…uh…I mean, how much I respect a woman who can ride motorcycles?"

Instantly Raphael whirled on his brother, and I have to say I was honestly stunned to see Mikey barely bat an eye at his brother's renewed indignation.

"Seriously…dude, calm down…I was simply paying the beautiful lady a compliment." Then again (to my utter shock) Mikey actually slid over toward his brother, lowering his voice to a whisper as he held his hand up by his mouth. "Just watch yourself, bro…biker babes are tough…." He hesitated, giving me a placating smile before turning back to his brother. "Personally…I think she could take you…."

I couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped my lips as I watched Raphael's expression change from annoyed to something I can only describe as angrily confused. He turned without a word to stare incredulously at his little brother for a few tense seconds…then literally palmed Mikey's face in his hand and shoved him roughly away.

Mikey squalled in surprise, but was somehow able to keep his feet under him, despite being thrown awkwardly off balance. Once he regained his composure, he crossed his arms across his chest and turned his pouty blue eyes toward Raphael.

"Dude…that was completely uncalled for." He shook his head, glancing at me with a wink as he started to playfully back away into the shadows. "All I'm tryin' to do is warn a brother…I'm just trying to help…but noooo…no one ever listens to Mikey…."

Like a flash of light, Raphael leaped irritably after his brother, but Mikey burst out laughing and quickly disappeared into the darkness…his voice echoing merrily as both he and it faded into the distance.

"See you at home, gorgeous…and I don't mean you, Raph!"