I sat on the steps of the porch beside Donatello watching as Mikey burned the videotape of himself we'd taken from Abigail.
"At least Abigail is out of her monster hunting business with the network. Your plan was kind of genius. The news will be making fun of her for months," Donnie said with a deep breath.
It wasn't entirely my plan but to keep it short, I distracted Parker while Donnie slipped inside the van, grabbed the videotape and opened the containment chamber. Mikey led the Green Man into the woods and Casey took the animal's spot. News reporters arrived a couple hours later, cameras locked onto the back of the trailer where Abigail had been excitedly announcing the capture of what she had thought was the Green Man. All in all, Casey did well in making Abigail look like a complete fool.
"And somehow, I don't think she'll give up so easily. Even after making her look like an idiot on live television… She'll keep hunting," I said, "She's crazy."
"She almost killed you," Donnie raised a brow with a stern expression.
I shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal. Yes, Abigail had me at gunpoint and frankly, I don't ever remember being on the wrong end of the barrel like I had hours earlier. She stood ten feet from me, ready to pull the trigger and kill, just to get her hands on Donnie who she thought was her infamous Green Man. My brother wasn't the real animal, but that would have made no difference to Abigail. My family was different and different was always a dangerous term in this screwed up, muddled world. Different attracted the wrong kind of people, people like Abigail. People like the Foot and the Shredder. Different can get you killed. That's why April and Casey were so rare. Friends my family and I could depend on with no worries of them showing the outside world what kind of creatures existed underneath the streets. I knew there were hundreds of Abigail's out there, all would want to get their grimy hands on my family. So yes, I was going to stand in front of that gun. I would have taken a bullet because that's what I promised myself the very night Splinter took me in. My family came before me.
"She would have taken you," I turned to him with a frown.
My brothers eyes softened and he looked down at the ground, "I suppose I messed up on that one."
"It wasn't like you tried to get shocked Don," I sighed. "It was a like a… Miscalculation."
"Miscalculation? You could have died, Jade. Abigail had her finger on the trigger and we both know she adjusted it so that there wasn't a net leaving that barrel. What if she pulled that trigger before you could do anything?"
Donatello was ashamed. I could see that clearly.
"Donnie, there's nothing wrong with the younger having to protect the older sometimes," I watched my brothers brows furrow slightly. "It's what family does, you know?" Especially ours. We risk our lives every time we step out of the lair and we end up saving each other like… A dozen times a day."
It was an exaggeration but it was damn near close. It's what we did all the time and it took Donnie a moment to understand that I was right.
"I suppose… I owe you a thanks then?" He turned a small smile.
I grinned, "I mean, I guess if really want to."
My brother rolled his eyes, his lips turning upwards more, "Thanks, Jade."
The top of my head nuzzled under his chin and I could feel Donnie pull away with laughter vibrating in his throat, "Anything for you big brother."
At that moment, coincidentally, Mikey turned around and "Awwed" the sight though he seemed completely unaware of the conversation leading up to it. It was then that the front door of the farmhouse opened. April and Splinter joined us just as Casey came down the driveway finally stripped of his Green Man suit. He still had dirt and grime spread evenly on his skin, especially his face.
"Did you guys see that?" He called as he got closer, "They're gonna be making fun of Abigail for months!"
"Outstanding performance Jones. Ya really knocked them dead," I clapped, almost sarcastically.
"A lot of the news stations are making Abigail look like a joke," April leaned her shoulder against the mast of the porch.
Donnie turned over his shoulder, "That's because she is."
"So Mikey," I switched my attention to the orange banded turtle who had just finished burning the tape, "when you have rules about keeping a low profile next time, are you actually going to follow them?"
Mikey peeked over his shoulder with a sinister grin, an answer that didn't need to be spoken. I rolled my eyes but couldn't help but break into a short chuckle.
"I should hope so Michelangelo," Splinter said with a furry brow raised.
"Oh, uh… Ya. Of course, Sensei." My brothers response wasn't very reassuring but I couldn't expect anything less from him. It was Mikey after all.
"Did you really just ask Mikey if he was going to follow the rules?" Donnie asked without any hint of surprise.
I shrugged, "I can dream, can't I?"
He groaned, "Dream harder."
"Hey guys," A new voice broke the conversation. Leo and Raph came around the side of the farmhouse.
In Leo's hands was the pair of time consuming katanas that had been keeping both brothers MIA from the Abigail incident the entire day. But damn, I think it was worth it, "Woah! You guys made those?"
Raph nodded, "Not too bad, huh?"
Leo held up one of the katanas unsheathed in front of us. Almost perfect. Imperfections were minimal.
"Maybe you should both quit being ninja's and be blacksmiths," I grinned.
"Nice try," Leo murmured gratefully as he sheathed the sword. There was a short moment of silence that followed. I could sense that Leo was going to say more, "You guys… I think it's time we went back to New York. To finish what the Shredder started."
I didn't think there was even a moment of thought put into it. Everyone nodded. We'd been gone for far too long.
It was time to go home.