A/N I am so sorry this took so long to upload and that it's such a short update at that. I'm trying to rekindle the inspiration I had for this story and... it seems to be working. So far anyway.

There have been some slight changes though, since I've been going over this in my head again. Most of the changes are to events that have not yet happened yet, but the most important change would be to the time line. Back in the A/N to chapter two, I said that these chapters took place about a week or two before the prologue... Well that sorta changed. Now I'm going to say that it's around a day, XD. I'll have to go back to that A/N and change it when I have the then... chapter four... when I wrote that I had a clear idea of where I was going with it and I hope I still have that idea... somewhere. In any case, I'm going to try and bring in the turtles next chapter.

Acknowledgements go to Merritt and Purplehood for being amazing, encouraging best friends as always. :D You guys are great!

Disclaimer: Pretty sure I've said this before, but I don't own TMNT and it's unlikely that I ever will. :(

"Well, well, looks like we just stumbled across two of our least favorite people."

Angel clenched her hands into fists, lips drawn back in a snarl as she glared at the Dragon. Casey slid the hockey mask in place over his face. "Yeah? Nice guys like you having enemies? I'm surprised."

The man frowned, before his smirk was back in place. "Funny, wise guy. Want to see how well you can joke with a fractured skull?"

"Tempting, but no thanks. I like my head in one piece," Casey answered as the gang member swiftly swung the bat forward and he brought his hockey stick up to block the blow. In a quick move, he brought the end of the stick up, ramming it into the man's gut. The Dragon staggered back, eyes wide, clutching his stomach, as he struggled to regain his breath.

It was almost as if that was the signal for them to attack and they surged forward at once. Casey glanced once at Angel, making sure she was near him, and Angel felt herself somewhat annoyed by the gesture. It wasn't as if she had never been in street fights before. In fact, she'd used to get into them all the time in her old neighborhood.

With a roar of fury, another gangster lunged for him from the side, aiming a punch for his temple and Casey barely managed to jump back in times to narrowly avoid taking the blow.

His fist's momentum kept the surprised man moving, even when he realized that his target was longer where he wanted him to be, and Casey quickly brought the hockey stick down on the thug's head.

One down and… Casey made a quick, mental survey of their opponents…make that… quite a few more to go. Yeah, this day had taken a very sudden downhill turn. "Yo, aren't you Dragons supposed to be nocturnal or something?" Try some bantering. See if he could catch them off guard.

Or maybe he was just being a fool.

He took a step back and narrowed his eyes, wishing he had his hockey mask in place. No matter how many times April told him that the thing (and he resented her use of the word 'thing.') made him look ridiculous, he knew it was intimidating.

Beside him, Angel suddenly gasped as her air supply was cut off, caused by one of the gang members behind her grabbing at the hood of her ripped sweatshirt and yanking backwards. She stumbled back a few steps before lashing out with her foot and someone cried out in shock and pain as her heel made contact with flesh a second before the fabric was released.

Angel spun around to finish the job, but the man had recovered himself slightly, managing to leap several paces back. Once more getting into a ready stance, the Dragon grinned wickedly, clenching his hands into fists and seemingly asking her to try to mess with him again.

Angel felt her lips curl into a sneer. What this guy really needed was someone to bring him back down to his own level, and sure, she had learned a few things during her last encounter with the Dragons, but the martial arts skills she had picked up on the streets had never left her. And what she could see was that this guy was one short step away from literally asking for it.

She was in the process of lunging forward, when Casey's hand caught hold of hers and spun her around. In that one brief instant, her momentum was redirected and she found herself being dragged alongside of Casey.

"Casey?" she gasped out. She yanked her hand out of his grasp, knowing that the two of them staying connected would only serve to slow them down. "What was that?"

Instead of answering, Casey pushed her forward so hard that she nearly stumbled and then stopped dead in his tracks, while she swiftly regained her footing.

Casey sent her a look. "Now's not the time, Angel. We gotta move!"

Angel sent him an incredulous glare. "We're running?"

"Unless you want to be roadkill, then yeah."

She dared to look behind them. Several of the downed Dragons were picking themselves up off the ground… and none of them look happy. They'd have bruises to show for this encounter, most definitely, but obviously she and Casey hadn't hit them quite as hard as they thought they had.

Her eyes went wide, before Casey was tugging at her arm again. "Move!" he said with an urgency she hadn't heard from him in a long time. She turned, following his lead.

"Where are we going?" she hissed.

"I have some ideas."

"Those ideas had better be good ones!"

Casey didn't answer, instead stopping so suddenly that she nearly collided with him. "Wha…!" she gasped, sliding to a stop.

"Listen," Casey said, grabbing both her arms and forcing her to look directly into his eyes. "I need you to keep going."

"Of course I'm going to keep going! What are you talk…" Her eyes widened as it hit her. "No! I am not leaving you!" She tore her arms out of his grip, slamming her fist down on his chest. "No!"

Casey caught her wrists. "Just go! I need you to get to April. If we both go, they follow." He released his grip on her wrists and yanked a hockey stick from his back.

"Casey…!"

"April," Casey repeated. "You know where she is. Get to April. Tell her to call the turtles."

There was a burning intensity in his eyes when he looked at her and, maybe that was why she did as he asked, but, when he shoved her away, she found herself stumbling forward without so much as a word in protest.

Casey, Casey, Casey. His name repeated itself in her mind as she tearfully pounded on the back door in that alleyway, not willing to risk being seen by going to the front.

For what seemed like the longest time, no one came to the door. Please, April, please be home.

She had no idea how to find the turtles without April, no idea what would happen to Casey if she didn't.

"Who's there?"

Angel pressed her face against the wood, searching for something that would make her known as a friend. "A-April?"

There was a pause and, for a moment, she was afraid that no one was going to come to the door.

"How do you know my name?