Moonlight
Chapter 8
Splinter had seated himself opposite Janine. Leonardo and Raphael had immediately seated themselves next to her. Donatello had sat next to Raphael, leaving the seat near the door open. Although they normally waited for the whole family to be seated before beginning a meal, Splinter indicated that they were to start without Michaelangelo. No one asked why.
Splinter was pleased to note that everyone was on their best behavior. Raphael and Leonardo were attending to Janine's needs, making sure she had all she wanted to eat, and not pestering her with questions. Donatello appeared to be quietly observing her, but was doing so in an unobtrusive manner. Janine seemed fairly comfortable with the attention being paid her and was eating with a considerable appetite. Splinter wondered when she had last eaten. Michaelangelo had offered her something last night, but she hadn't been interested.
Michaelangelo finally joined them after about 10 minutes. Raphael looked up as he walked in the door. "Hey Mike, what's up? Have a hard time getting up this morning?"
Michaelangelo stopped in his tracks, his face screwing with anger, "Why you- -!"
"Stop!" Splinter glared at Raphael. "You will do the dishes and clean the kitchen after breakfast."
"But Master! I--!"
"No buts. You were told not to make any comments." Splinter turned to look at Michaelangelo. He looked to be vacillating between anger and embarrassment. "Please join us Michaelangelo."
Leonardo turned around in the chair, a sympathetic look on his face. "Come on Mike, your breakfast is starting to get cold." He pushed the chair out for him.
Keeping his eyes on the floor he walked over and sat down. Splinter touched his shoulder briefly, "Michaelangelo, this is Janine Smith. Janine, as you already know, this is Michaelangelo."
"Hi Michaelangelo."
He tried to look at her, but couldn't make eye contact. "Hi," he said flatly.
He reached for the stack of pancakes but Donatello beat him to it. Carefully removing a couple pancakes from the bottom of the dwindling stack, he spoke up, "I made some smiley face pancakes for you."
"Really?" Michaelangelo perked up and held his plate out. Donatello angled the serving spatula and dropped them on the plate, smiley faces pointed towards his brother. "Cool! Thanks Donnie!"
"No problem. I thought you could use a pick-me-up."
Michaelangelo's face fell and Raphael snickered, elbowing Donatello in the side. "Nice one!"
Splinter sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling. Raphael let out a yelp as someone's foot connected with his right shin. He glowered at Leonardo who was giving him a "You should know better," look.
Donatello's eyes went wide and he stammered, "I didn't mean THAT! You know I wouldn't joke about that. I just thought that it would be a nice surprise. Really."
"Its okay. I know you didn't mean it." Michaelangelo began buttering the pancakes. "Would someone please pass the syrup?"
Leonardo picked it up from where it sat next to Janine and set it by Michaelangelo's plate. He picked it up and doused the pancakes liberally. As he reached for the sausage he asked, "And would someone please explain why I seem to have woken up in an episode of The Twilight Zone?"
Donatello spoke up, "Hmmm…that sounds like about as likely an explanation as any. Everyone here seems to believe that the wolf you brought home last night, and the young lady seated at the end of the table are one and the same. But we haven't actually heard from Janine on the issue yet."
Everyone turned to look at her. She froze, fork halfway between the plate and her mouth. A piece of potato slipped off it and landed with a ketchup splat on the edge of the table. She set the fork down and wiped up the mess with her napkin. Putting her hands in her lap she looked up at everyone. "Well, it's a long story. But yes, I am a lycanthrope."
Raphael looked confused. "Lycanthrope?"
"Cool! You're a werewolf?" Michaelangelo blurted.
"Michaelangelo! Don't speak with your mouth full." Splinter admonished him.
He swallowed, "Sorry. So how did you become a werewolf Janine?"
"I was born one. My whole family was the same way. We--." Her words trailed off and her eyes began to fill with tears. Her breathing became ragged and she closed her eyes tight, bowing her head forward and hunching forward.
Responding to her obvious emotional pain, Splinter swiftly rose from his chair and walked around the table to her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her as he used to do with his sons, but he wasn't sure if she'd appreciate being hugged by an almost complete stranger. Instead he carefully laid his hands on her shoulders. She straightened up a little and began to breathe a bit easier. He began to carefully work at the knots in her shoulders. She let out a ragged sob and pressed the napkin to her face, tears beginning to flow freely.
The Turtles looked on in silence. They really didn't know what to do to help comfort her, so they kept quiet and continued their meal. Raphael shot Michaelangelo a dirty look for triggering her tears, but his eyes were downcast and he didn't notice.
Janine's sobbing continued for a few minutes, slowly tapering off until she was dabbing at her eyes and apologizing for her behavior. Leonardo had left the room for tissues and set a box full in front of her. "Its okay."
"There is no need to apologize. Crying is a very healthy thing to do, so is talking." Splinter patted her shoulders and moved back to his seat. He looked around the table. "It looks like most of us are done with breakfast. Let us move to the living room so Raphael can clean the kitchen."
Raphael rolled his eyes but began quickly clearing the table. Michaelangelo attacked the last of his food with renewed effort and the others rose to their feet.
Janine smiled crookedly and wiped at her eyes. "I must be a mess. Where is your restroom?"
"Leonardo, please show her the way."
"Right this way," and he guided her out.
Splinter wondered exactly what it was that caused her to burst into tears. Obviously something involving her family, but what?
(Thanks to Kali for suggesting Raphael's "What's up?" comment!)
Chapter 8
Splinter had seated himself opposite Janine. Leonardo and Raphael had immediately seated themselves next to her. Donatello had sat next to Raphael, leaving the seat near the door open. Although they normally waited for the whole family to be seated before beginning a meal, Splinter indicated that they were to start without Michaelangelo. No one asked why.
Splinter was pleased to note that everyone was on their best behavior. Raphael and Leonardo were attending to Janine's needs, making sure she had all she wanted to eat, and not pestering her with questions. Donatello appeared to be quietly observing her, but was doing so in an unobtrusive manner. Janine seemed fairly comfortable with the attention being paid her and was eating with a considerable appetite. Splinter wondered when she had last eaten. Michaelangelo had offered her something last night, but she hadn't been interested.
Michaelangelo finally joined them after about 10 minutes. Raphael looked up as he walked in the door. "Hey Mike, what's up? Have a hard time getting up this morning?"
Michaelangelo stopped in his tracks, his face screwing with anger, "Why you- -!"
"Stop!" Splinter glared at Raphael. "You will do the dishes and clean the kitchen after breakfast."
"But Master! I--!"
"No buts. You were told not to make any comments." Splinter turned to look at Michaelangelo. He looked to be vacillating between anger and embarrassment. "Please join us Michaelangelo."
Leonardo turned around in the chair, a sympathetic look on his face. "Come on Mike, your breakfast is starting to get cold." He pushed the chair out for him.
Keeping his eyes on the floor he walked over and sat down. Splinter touched his shoulder briefly, "Michaelangelo, this is Janine Smith. Janine, as you already know, this is Michaelangelo."
"Hi Michaelangelo."
He tried to look at her, but couldn't make eye contact. "Hi," he said flatly.
He reached for the stack of pancakes but Donatello beat him to it. Carefully removing a couple pancakes from the bottom of the dwindling stack, he spoke up, "I made some smiley face pancakes for you."
"Really?" Michaelangelo perked up and held his plate out. Donatello angled the serving spatula and dropped them on the plate, smiley faces pointed towards his brother. "Cool! Thanks Donnie!"
"No problem. I thought you could use a pick-me-up."
Michaelangelo's face fell and Raphael snickered, elbowing Donatello in the side. "Nice one!"
Splinter sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling. Raphael let out a yelp as someone's foot connected with his right shin. He glowered at Leonardo who was giving him a "You should know better," look.
Donatello's eyes went wide and he stammered, "I didn't mean THAT! You know I wouldn't joke about that. I just thought that it would be a nice surprise. Really."
"Its okay. I know you didn't mean it." Michaelangelo began buttering the pancakes. "Would someone please pass the syrup?"
Leonardo picked it up from where it sat next to Janine and set it by Michaelangelo's plate. He picked it up and doused the pancakes liberally. As he reached for the sausage he asked, "And would someone please explain why I seem to have woken up in an episode of The Twilight Zone?"
Donatello spoke up, "Hmmm…that sounds like about as likely an explanation as any. Everyone here seems to believe that the wolf you brought home last night, and the young lady seated at the end of the table are one and the same. But we haven't actually heard from Janine on the issue yet."
Everyone turned to look at her. She froze, fork halfway between the plate and her mouth. A piece of potato slipped off it and landed with a ketchup splat on the edge of the table. She set the fork down and wiped up the mess with her napkin. Putting her hands in her lap she looked up at everyone. "Well, it's a long story. But yes, I am a lycanthrope."
Raphael looked confused. "Lycanthrope?"
"Cool! You're a werewolf?" Michaelangelo blurted.
"Michaelangelo! Don't speak with your mouth full." Splinter admonished him.
He swallowed, "Sorry. So how did you become a werewolf Janine?"
"I was born one. My whole family was the same way. We--." Her words trailed off and her eyes began to fill with tears. Her breathing became ragged and she closed her eyes tight, bowing her head forward and hunching forward.
Responding to her obvious emotional pain, Splinter swiftly rose from his chair and walked around the table to her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her as he used to do with his sons, but he wasn't sure if she'd appreciate being hugged by an almost complete stranger. Instead he carefully laid his hands on her shoulders. She straightened up a little and began to breathe a bit easier. He began to carefully work at the knots in her shoulders. She let out a ragged sob and pressed the napkin to her face, tears beginning to flow freely.
The Turtles looked on in silence. They really didn't know what to do to help comfort her, so they kept quiet and continued their meal. Raphael shot Michaelangelo a dirty look for triggering her tears, but his eyes were downcast and he didn't notice.
Janine's sobbing continued for a few minutes, slowly tapering off until she was dabbing at her eyes and apologizing for her behavior. Leonardo had left the room for tissues and set a box full in front of her. "Its okay."
"There is no need to apologize. Crying is a very healthy thing to do, so is talking." Splinter patted her shoulders and moved back to his seat. He looked around the table. "It looks like most of us are done with breakfast. Let us move to the living room so Raphael can clean the kitchen."
Raphael rolled his eyes but began quickly clearing the table. Michaelangelo attacked the last of his food with renewed effort and the others rose to their feet.
Janine smiled crookedly and wiped at her eyes. "I must be a mess. Where is your restroom?"
"Leonardo, please show her the way."
"Right this way," and he guided her out.
Splinter wondered exactly what it was that caused her to burst into tears. Obviously something involving her family, but what?
(Thanks to Kali for suggesting Raphael's "What's up?" comment!)