Disclaimer: (which I forgot to put on chapter one) I do not own TMNT and sadly never will own them. If I did, there would be a heck of a lot more of Angel.
A/N: Okay, before you start reading this chapter, I have a few things that I need to inform you of: I had a plan when I started the first chapter, but it sort of evolved. This second chapter takes place before the first chapter(which I'm editing), maybe about a week or two, I'll decide that as the story progresses. Think of the first chapter as a trailer. I will be getting back to that... sometime. I hope. I have a plan for it.
Now that that's out of the way... enjoy.
The sliding door made a slight creaking sound as Angel slowly eased it open. The night air was still, not even a breeze disturbing the hideous green curtains that Angel's cat had clawed up all the countless times he used them as a ladder to get to the top of the shelf.
"Angel?" the voice startled her before she had a chance to slip out. She turned, her hand still on the door, to face the old woman who had come out of her bedroom. Angel winced slightly, wishing her grandmother hadn't caught her about to leave by the balcony. "I thought you'd quit going outside at this time?"
"Grandma, I'm gonna be fine. I'm just feeling a little stir-crazy. That's all."
Her grandmother wrapped her bathrobe more tightly around her waist, not heeding Angel explanation. Angel prepared to slip out to avoid any orders she didn't want to follow, but her grandmother didn't tell her to get in her room. She only surveyed the living room, with its littering of beer cans and old newspapers and shook her head at her son's sloppiness, before meeting Angel's eyes again. "Your friend was here. Yesterday. I didn't get a chance to tell you because you came home after I fell asleep."
Angel paused, unable to leave with this bit off information hanging in the air. "Friend?" she asked, thinking Casey. "Was it Casey?"
"It was that boy with the dragon tattoo," she answered and Angel felt the first growing sensation of dread creep in the pit of her stomach as ice worked its way down her spine. Dragon tattoo? Why were the Purple Dragons coming to her house? She thought she was done with them.
"He did? W-what did he want?" Angel asked, not informing her that she knew plenty of people with that tattoo. And her grandmother hadn't met any of them before.
"He wanted to talk to you. Honestly, Angel, don't look so surprised! All the time you spent out, you've probably" Her grandmother rubbed the toe of her slipper on the worn floorboards, before turning to go back to bed. "Goodness this place needs cleaning. You'll help me in the morning, won't you Angel?"
She didn't wait for an answer, just walked slowly back to bed leaving Angel to disappear like she knew she would.
Angel watched her grandmother's retreating form, then stepped out onto the rusty metal balcony that creaked under her weight. Her hand reached out to steady herself as she began the climb down the fire escape, her teeth set in determination, refusing to let anyone, Purple Dragons or not, ruin things.
Above her unnoticed, the boy leaned down over the roof of the next building, black hair blowing in the wind.
...
Casey Jones was having a long night. In the past hour, he'd already stopped half a dozen or more attempted robberies by the Purple Dragons. And that was just the past hour. Why were the Purple Dragons so active?
On his good nights, he usually put a stop to about five and that was over the course of the whole night.
"Yo, Case, ya okay? Ya look a little down." Casey turned to his friend standing right behind.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Raph," he answered, feeling exactly the opposite. He knew Raphael would see through the lie and didn't care. His limbs were aching from all the bruises he'd been getting and his head felt like there was a giant bowling ball sitting on top of it.
He really needed to get more sleep.
He gingerly traced his finger along the most recent of his battle scars: a three-inch gash along his forearm. One of the punks had gotten a lucky hit in with a switchblade earlier that night.
It wasn't deep enough to need stitches, thankfully, but man! it stung.
At least it's stopped bleeding.
Casey hoped the goon spent at least a month in the prison hospital, but he had a lingering, dark suspicion that the guy wouldn't need more than a day.
Raph's eyes followed his finger and grinned. "Aw, ya got a boo boo, Casey?" he mocked. Casey rolled his eyes and playfully punched Raph in the shoulder.
"Shut up, would ya? Nuthin' a FirstAid kit can't patch up!" He grinned, then looked ruefully at his broken hockey stick. "Can't say the same for this, though."
"Well, maybe if yer a good boy, April'll get ya a new one for yer birthday," Raph said, not sounding interested as he ran his eyes over the street.
Casey followed Raph's gaze and took in the figure of someone walking towards them, hands jammed in what looked like pockets. He could only make out long hair flapping in the slight breeze.
He couldn't see that well down the street in this kind of lighting.
Especially with a street lamp that was on the verge of dying between them.
It took him a moment to notice Raph was next to him anymore. His friend had slipped silently into the shadows. Of course. He wouldn't want to be seen by anyone.
"What kind of nut..." Casey began to back away, muttering something about people who were idiots enough to come out alone at this time of night, especially down such an unkempt street in this part of New York, when the lamp light illuminated purple hair done up in trademark twin ponytails and a ripped up teal hoodie.
His eyes widened in recognition.
"Angel?" he gasped, stepping forward.
"Ya mean that girl who was with the Purple Dragons?" Raph asked incredulously.
The girl froze, looking to Casey very much like a cornered deer. The mention of the Purple Dragons could not have made her feel comfortable.
He noticed she was already backing away, like she didn't want to be around them.
"Angel, relax. It's me... Casey," he explained quickly.
"Casey?" she said, sounding maybe a tiny bit surprised and not exactly thrilled to meet up with him. It was like she was back to her
"Yeah, it's me," he said, ignoring that fact. He felt a need to explain his friend's presence. "And Raphael. Raph. You rememba Raph, right?" He rubbed the back of his neck and twisted his mouth upwards in a grin.
"Yeah, I remember Raphael," Angel said, her gaze darting between them, taking them in. How could I ever forget? The words weren't uttered aloud, but the rhetorical question gleamed like a fire in her eyes. "So," she took a step back, half turning, but not quite facing away from them yet, "nice running into you, but..." She started to move away from them.
"Wait!" Casey took hold of her arm, just above her elbow, not roughly, but firm enough that she had to stop. "Hang on."
Angel spun to face them, looking irked. "You're not my babysitter, Casey!" She tugged away from his grip. "What is it? I'm in a hurry!"
"Nuthin'. I've just been worried about ya, that's all," he explained.
"Worrying about me never helps, Casey. I take care of myself," she reminded him.
"That's exactly what you said last time," Casey said. "You know what I told yer grandmother." Angel looked sharply at Casey and he read something in her expression that he couldn't place.
Her gaze dropped away from his face and he felt her eyes drift downward until they landed on his arm. "You got hurt?" she asked.
Casey felt Raph 's arm drape around his neck as he patted his shoulder in a deliberately embarrassing gesture. "Yeah, he got a little beat up our last encounter with the Purple Dragons."
"Get off me!" Casey shoved him away good-naturedly and put a hand protectively over the wound, hiding it from view. "I was gonna patch it up at home."
"Ya should see the other guy." Raph crossed his arms and gave a small grin directed at Casey.
"The Purple Dragons?" Angel asked. Casey noticed a change in her face, as she made a slight grimace.
"Happen to be rippin' off every store in half the city," Raph commented. "Plus, they've been goin' after some shipments at the docks."
Angel raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm so surprised," she said sarcastically. She rubbed the toe of her worn sneaker against the crack in the sidewalk and peered up at them, frowning, arms crossed. "Is it like a new record for them or something?"
"Yeah, it is," Casey said wearily. "I've never seen them this active. Or this obvious."
"Maybe it was their New Year's resolution. Knock off more convenience stores," Angel quipped. "Whatever it is, I'm done with them. If I never have to hear the name Purple Dragon again, I'll be happy."
She looked away from Casey, swallowing thickly and Casey shared a glance with Raph, wondering if she was keeping something from them.
"Angel..." he began, but Angel cut him off.
"NO!" she shouted, waving a hand to emphasize her point. "I'm fine! You want to worry about me? Then do me and the whole city a big favor and clean up the Purple Dragons!"
Casey felt his mouth drop open, surprised at her vehemence. Beside him, Raph stirred, looking startled.
He took a step toward her, but she backed away, then darted away. "Angel! Wait!" Casey instinctively reached a hand out to stop her, but she was already gone, swallowed up in the cavernous darkness of the alleyway. "Geez." Casey brought a hand to his forehead and squeezed his eyes shut. "Kid moves like a deer," he muttered. He exchanged a glance with Raph. "What the heck is goin' on with her?"
A/N Thanks for getting this far. The next update should come sometime in October... hopefully.