I watched as they were getting ready to leave, the teens talking quietly by the door, our turtles coming out of the dojo. The other turtles were waiting for Leonardo, who was in the bathroom. After a few moments he came out. Instead of heading towards the others, he kind of shocked me a little bit as he walked towards me. And why did he look embarrassed?
"Caitlin, may I ask something of you?" He quietly asked me as he stopped in front of me.
"Sure, what did you need?"
"I...I need nothing." He said in that same, quiet, embarrassed voice. "But Lotus she..."He took a deep breath "She may require some new sheets."
"I think I can manage that." I told him with a smile. It was an easy thing to ask for, why was he so embarrassed by that? Men, they drove you crazy sometimes. All but my personal nut case anyway.
"You don't fully understand." He looked at me for the first time since he started this conversation. "We-"
"You ready or not!" Raph called to him. "The night isn't getting any younger you know."
He just closed his eyes and sighed. "Please, keep what you find quiet, for her sake, and watch over her while I am gone."
He was just confusing me even more, but there wasn't time to go digging for answers with Mr. Impatient over there. "I will, I promise."
He just nodded and joined the rest of them. "What was that all about?" Donnie asked me as he crutched over.
"None of your business." I told him.
Leonardo heard the brief exchange, and shot me a grateful look.
"All right then." Leo said. "We all know what to do, right?" They all nodded their confirmations. "Then, if there are no questions, let's get to it."
They all began to walk towards the teens, who were all still gathered by the door. But when the other turtles drew closer, they all blocked the way, Ty in the middle and his team flanking him on either side. All of them with their arms crossed. "Not just yet." The eldest boy said as he looked over the turtles in front of him, who looked back at him in shock. "There is still one more matter that needs to be addressed."
"Jeez, you give the boy a chance at leadership and his head swells up like a balloon." Raph grumbled. "Now what?"
"Simple, Dad." Thane answered him, then turned his own gaze at the group in front of him. "I'm putting in a formal complaint. Black is my color. I earned the right to choose it and wear it. And I resent the fact that you guys are running around putting a bad name to my color. The only one who is going to fuck up in black, is me."
"We also resent the fact that you disgrace our Fathers by wearing a color that was assigned to you by someone you now all fight against." Ty added. "We all feel that is something that belongs in the past with your, dark side." He looked at his Father who had sported a knowing grin, and Ty returned it. "It's time you wore your rightful colors."
And Lavi stepped forward, pulling out a brand new blue mask from her belt as she approached Leonardo. "It would be an honor, and my pleasure, to present to you this mask. You've more than earned the right to wear it." She told him as she unfolded the cloth.
Ari came up next with an orange one, Thane with red and Dante with purple. All of them opened and ready to wear.
The stunned looks on the faces of the adults standing in front of those teens brought a smile to my face, and a few sentimental tears to my eyes. "Did you know about this?" I whispered to Donnie.
"No...I didn't..." He seemed as shocked as I did, so did the others actually.
Leonardo looked at Lavi, his eyes wide, then they blinked rapidly. "No child, the honor is mine." And he and his brothers knelt down in front of them. She quickly took off the old mask, threw it onto the floor with a slight sneer, then carefully tied the new one around his face. Then she took his hand and guided him back to his feet.
"Now that looks so much better on you." She smiled. "Less gloomy."
The rest of the teens stepped back then, and the others also stood up, wearing their new colors. "Now, we can go." Ty said as he stepped aside.
Raph quickly wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. "'Bout fucking time." (sniff) "Keep delaying like this and we'll never get this shit done." Cris just looked at him with a knowing smile and a raised brow. "What?" He grumped at her.
"Oh...nothing. Nothing that you would admit too anyway...you big softy." And she began to walk out the door.
"I am not!" He bellowed as he followed her.
Leo followed them but paused long enough to place a hand on his childrens' shoulder. "Well done you two." He murmured before he walked on.
"Thank you." Leonardo finally was able to get out, even if he did choke on it a bit. "We will wear them with honor."
"I know you will, because you already have that honor." Ty replied.
Then the rest of them left and the lair was once again quiet. I sighed as I watched the door close, they were all growing up so fast... "I'm going to go check on Lotus." I told Donnie, who was wiping the tear stains from his glasses.
"Yeah, I'm going to the lab to keep an eye on things. Let me know if she needs anything."
"I will."
I walked over the room and knocked on it before I opened it. She didn't look up as I quietly stepped in, but she was awake. I could tell from the soft sounds of her crying that came from the bed. I quickly walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder and she turned to face me from the fetal position she was in. "Lotus...what's wrong hon?"
"I wish he did not have to go." Came her quiet answer. "Or that I could go with them."
Now this, I could relate too. "I know." I sat down on the bed next to her. "I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to go out with them, but I hate to say it, fighting isn't my strong point."
"Not that I devalue your sentiment, but it is more than that." She sighed as she wiped the tears away. "I fear so much that what they face may be more than they can handle."
I smiled at her then. "You really do have it for him, don't you?"
"I do..." And she tried to sit up, and winced in pain. I frowned at that.
"Are you alright?"
Now she was looking embarrassed, even went so far as blushing. "I am fine...just a little sore..."
I narrowed my eyes at her, I was starting to get a little suspicious by that point. He was alone in here with her after all. "Time to check your bandages." I told her and she just nodded. I pulled the covers gently away from her, expecting to find a blood soaked bandage and a few popped stitches, but didn't. I did notice the blood on the sheets though, and some on her. For a second I almost freaked, thinking she had some internal bleeding we had missed, until I remembered the embarrassment from both parties, and this would more than likely explain the trip Leonardo took to the bathroom earlier. Now I know why he wanted fresh sheets for her.
I looked at her with wide eyes and met her embarrassed look. Then I grinned at her. "I should yell at you, but I'm not. I'm actually happy for you. You are very lucky to hold on to it long enough to lose it to the one you love. Most of us aren't that wise anymore." The poor girl was blushing so hard she could replace Rudolph in front of Santa's sleigh. "Let me get some washcloths, and some new sheets. We'll get you squared away." Then I winked at her. "And I won't even tell Leo what you were doing in his room."
She blushed some more, then actually smiled at me. It was the happiest smile I've ever seen come from her, it literally lit up her face. I laughed and reached over and gave her a warm hug. "Welcome to the joys of being a turtle mate." I told her before I stood up to get the previous mentioned items, and some pain killers. Girl was going to be a little sore for a bit down there.
When I got back, she was in that somber mood again. Just staring quietly at the wall as she laid there on her side. I sighed as I placed the bowl of warm water down on the nightstand, then placed everything else I brought next to it. "It's more than him going out there tonight, isn't it." I quietly asked her as I soaked the washcloth in the water.
"Yes, and no. I do fear for him, that part is true. I understand he had to go, and feel that maybe I pushed him into...what we did. I regret that now a little."
"Lotus," I sat down next to her hand handed her the cloth so she could clean herself up "if I know him, and he seems a lot like our Leo, he wouldn't have just done what he did because you wanted him too. May have played a part in it, yes, but I'm sure that wasn't the only reason."
"What other reason could there be?"
"He loves you, my dear. And he wanted to show you that one time before he went. He knows what's at stake just like you do. He agreed to it, because he felt the same way." I helped her up into a sitting position, and she winced a little. "Don't ruin what you two did in your mind, because as I see it, you both were justified."
She just looked at me a moment, then smiled again. "I did not look at it that way..."
"I noticed." I steadied her as she began to wash up, her embarrassment at one of us seeing her like this pretty much gone. Well the women anyway, not so sure if she'd be happy if Raph or Mikey were helping her right now.
I watched as she moved, her injury was rapidly becoming less of a burden to her and I felt it was time to get her out of the sick bed, for more than just that reason. She needed to keep her mind off of certain things, and laying here alone wasn't the way it was going to happen.
"I know all of your stuff got ruined, but I scrounged up a few old clothes lying around. I think they should fit you." I smiled at her. "One of the advantages of having such a large family I guess. I think it's time we got you on your feet, don't want you becoming a permanent fixture on this bed."
"Thank you. It would indeed be a relief to be able to move around again."
"Well then," I handed her a towel "why don't we do that and see how bad we can make Donnie blow a gasket while doing it."
She laughed.
.
.
I stood on the top of the warehouse nearby, looking out over the docks and towards the building we were going after. My arms were crossed as I thoughtfully took everything in, the slight breeze wanting send my mask ties flipping around, but not quite strong enough to do it.
"Is there something about becoming a leader that sucks all the fun out of life?" Ari asked as she moved closer. "Cuz you look like MR. Doom and Gloom right now."
"Just thinking is all." I smiled down at her. "I'm still not really sure how I got stuck with this."
"Better you than me." She grinned. "I'd make a horrible leader."
"Not so sure I won't." I told her with a wry grin.
"Oh, I think you will. Your too much like Uncle Leo not to be one." She looked behind her then, at the small groups of ninjas that had been assigned to us. "The scouts just came back, the others are in position. Shouldn't be much longer before we go in."
I nodded, looking back out over the docks. "Dante."
"Yes Master?" I just glared at him and he grinned back. "Sorry, I couldn't resist..."
I rolled my eyes, wondering if Father had went through the same crap when my grandfather assigned him this so called honor. "Run a quick scan. Make sure our point of entry is still available."
He did. "Yeah, it is. So far anyway."
I figured as much, but was stalling for a bit more time honestly. I waited, more than a little tense on top of that rooftop. Waiting for that call, waiting to start the first mission I was to lead and hoping I could pull this off. Then, after what seemed to me hours but was only a few minutes, it came. "Go time." Dante told me as he held a hand to his headset, once again borrowed from his father.
I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves. I looked at my team, and met four calm, determined gazes. Not one of them flinching at what was about to happen. "Then let's get to it." I told them before I flipped off of the side of the building, with my team spinning right behind me. It was time to see if Father's trust had been well placed, and we were determined to show him it was.
