Breaking the Rules

AMY:

I screamed and covered my ears as Leo spun back into the room. Andrew continued to fire the gun wildly, shooting at the air. Then, suddenly, the lights went out. There was a gasp, and a hard thud, but not much else.

A moment later, the lights flashed back on. I shielded my eyes for a minute. When I looked again, I saw Michaelangelo and Leonardo both standing over Andrew. Leo's sword was at his throat. I gasped and ran to him instinctively. "Leo, no!" I cried, resting my hand on his arm. "No, please!"

He glanced at me and I saw that he was calm, not angry like I'd expected. Mike rested a hand on my shoulder and gently pulled me back. I didn't fight him. Leo turned his attention back to Andrew. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Andrew stared back at him with fear-filled eyes. "I'm Amy's boyfriend."

Mike looked to me for confirmation, his eyes widening with shock. Donny appeared next to him and I felt my heart skip a beat as I recalled that I had said nothing to him about Andrew. In fact, I'd flat out lied about not having a boyfriend. Donny didn't look shocked, though. And he didn't seem angry.

"How did you get here?" Leo asked.

"I brought him," Sasha answered, taking a long drag on her cigarette.

Leo turned and glared in her direction. "Put that damn thing out and tell me what the hell possessed you to do that."

She pulled the cigarette from her lips and crossed her arms loosely over her chest. "Amy made no attempt to get ahold of him and he's been worried about her," she snapped.

"She made no attempt to get ahold of him because she was told not to, remember?" he shot back at her. "And put the damn cigarette out. I told you you're not to smoke in here."

Defiance in her eyes, she dropped the cigarette on the floor and ground it into the rug. Leo tensed and pulled the katana away from Andrew's throat. "Mike, Don, stay here," he ordered. "Sasha and I need to have a little talk." He gestured toward his room with his sword. "Now!"

His voice left no room for argument, and Sasha tossed her hair as she turned and led the way into the other room. The door slammed behind them. He was mad, and he wasn't trying to hide it. I wondered why he hadn't just ripped into here right here. Because he's Leonardo, I answered myself. He's all about honor and dignity and he wouldn't shame her in a crowd of people if there was any way to avoid it.

LEONARDO:

"I want you gone," I growled at her.

She didn't seem the least bit interested. She inspected her nails and glanced over at me, not bothering to make eye contact. "You wanna put that away?" she suggested, gesturing loosely toward the katana still firmly in my grasp.

"No," I shot at her.

She rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, then looked up and smiled at me. "What are you gonna do, Leo? Cut me with it?"

Fury surged through my veins. Do not allow anger to consume you... it will only cloud your judgement.

My judgement was clouded. And I didn't give a damn. I'd been told before that I was somewhat overprotective. I believed it. It made my blood boil to think of what she'd done to my brother. Not that he was innocent of the offense. But she took advantage of his weakness. Took advantage of him. She'd exploited his emotions, with the sole intention of causing him more pain. It was evident that she had known exactly what she was doing. That pissed me off beyond words.

And I had allowed it. That hurt even more. Raph had warned me about her from day one, and I hadn't wanted to believe it. I chose to believe her apologies, her pleas... and all of them had meant nothing. She hadn't cleaned up. Hadn't gotten a real job. I doubted she went to the narcotics anonymous meetings she'd promised to attend. Why had she even told me about her problems in the first place?

But I knew the answer to that question. Deep inside of me, I knew, though I hated to admit that I'd allowed her to play me like that. Manipulation. Deception. She knew I would find out. So she came to me, and lied through her teeth to prevent me from realizing the truth: that she was a great actress, nothing more. She didn't want to change. And she didn't want to leave. But why?

A few months too late, it was painfully obvious why. Maybe she wanted him, badly enough to wait. Except I didn't believe that for a moment. It was little more than a flickering thought. She didn't give a damn about Raphael. More likely, she was angry. Angry because whatever relationship they had had when he was eighteen hadn't worked out. She'd wanted it to. And now, she wanted revenge. Or maybe it wasn't that clean-cut. Maybe she had just wanted to prove how much he needed her. Or how much she thought he needed her. She seemed likt the type to get a thrill out of exercising her control over men, and Raph was the perfect challenge for a woman like that. But whatever her reasons were, they were wrong.

I raised the sword under her chin and for a moment, she froze. "Don't fucking tempt me, Sasha," I warned. I could feel myself losing control, and I didn't like it. But I'd never been so furious in my life as I was at this woman standing in front of me.

She stared at me, seemingly amused. "My my, aren't we tense," she smiled. "Such language..."

I kept the sword at her throat for a moment longer. I didn't like the taunting look that suddenly flashed across her eyes. "You're starting to sound like Raphael."

"Leave Raphael out of this," I growled at her.

She backed away from the sword, and I lowered it. But I remained ready. I wasn't entirely sure that she didn't have a weapon of her own. "Well, that's what you're really mad about, isn't it?" she grinned evilly. "It's not about Andrew."

"You broke the rules, Sasha."

"Yeah, I'm good at that," she smiled, twisting the knife. For a moment, I considered putting an end to her miserable life right here and now. Jesus, Leo, get a grip! I warned. This isn't like you!

"I want you out of my house," I threatened.

She approached me. I tensed, ready to defend myself at the first hint of danger. "You're so tense," she laughed, her fingers trailing over my arms to my shoulders. Nerve endings screamed at the sudden and unexpected sensation. I braced, ready to cut her hands cleanly off her arms if she made any move against me. "You need to get laid, you know that? Just like Raph did."

That put me right over the edge. In one fluid movement, I had grabbed both of her wrists, dropping the sword, and spun her around. She tried to kick at me and I slammed her to the wall, pinning both of her legs against it with one of mine. "I ought to kill you right now, Sasha," I growled at her.

She laughed quietly. "Now, don't you think that's a little extreme?" she choked. The side of her face was pressed hard against the wall. She was having difficulty breathing, much less talking. "It's not like I raped him, Leonardo," she taunted. "He wanted it."

Stop her! my subconscience screamed at me. Stop her now before she says something that really causes you to lose it!

"You should've heard it, Leo," she continued. "Then you'd believe me. The way he moaned when he..."

"Tell me, Sasha," I interrupted her. "What the fuck gives you the idea that I'm interested in your sexual escapades, with or without my brother?"

She managed a slight laugh. "Can you fuck like he can, Leonardo? Make me scream like he does? I could make it worth your while if you just let me turn around..."

I turned her around... and threw her to the floor. She landed face down, on her hands. In a flash, I had my katana again. I turned her with my foot so she was on her back. She fought me, and I ended up using enough force to send her halfway across the room. I held the tip of the katana to her throat. "I'll make you scream, Sasha," I whispered harshly. "But it'll only happen once. And you'll never speak again."

AMY:

Andrew stood to his feet and looked from Mike, to Don, and back again. Mike and Donny exchanged glances. I saw a silent conversation pass between them. Mike gave one last, half-interested look in Andrew's direction before picking up the pizza on the coffee table. He said nothing as he headed for the kitchen, leaving me standing between Donny and Andrew. I swallowed hard as nervous tension crept over me.

"So you're pregnant," Andrew mumbled. His voice had a dangerous edge to it.

I bit my lip. The answer to his question was pretty obvious. I was nine months pregnant, after all. "So whose kid is it?" he shot. "You fuckin' somebody behind my back, and tellin' me no all the time?"

I hung my head in shame. Andrew knew nothing. I wasn't sure how he could even be considered my boyfriend when I'd never really wanted anything to do with him. I only knew him for a week, after all. Sasha had said it would help, but every time I was with him, all I felt was fear. He was pushy, and arrogant, just like my father. And he reminded me of him so much. From day one, he'd pressured me for sex. And from the start, I'd refused him. I knew how it must look, now that I was pregnant.

"Lay off, Andrew," Donny defended me. My eyes opened in shock. He knew his name? How did he know Andrew's name?

"Yeah, and what the fuck do you care about this slut?" he demanded. Don tensed noticeably. "Was it you she was screwing? Is that why you..."

"Andrew please," I begged, cutting him off.

The next few seconds went so fast, I barely had a chance to register what was happening. I felt a stinging pain across the side of my face. I gasped as blood immediately rushed to my cheek. I hardly saw Donny move, but when I looked up, he had Andrews his arm twisted behind his back in a position that looked painful. There was a snap, and Andrew fell, Donny on top of him with one knee in his back.

"Not in my house," he growled low as Andrew cried out in pain. "You do whatever the hell you want out in public. But in my house, you watch your fucking mouth and keep your hands to yourself!"

I gasped. I'd never, in all the time I'd been here, seen Donatello get mad. But he was obviously furious. He jerked away from Andrew just as Sasha came out of the bedroom, screaming. "Fuck you, Leonardo!"

"Get the hell out of my house, bitch!"

I gasped. I'd never heard words like that come from Leonardo, either. God, what was happening here?

"Fine!"

"And don't you dare come back!"

"Oh, don't worry, you won't see me again! You're all just a bunch of fucking...!"

She saw Andrew on the floor. He was sitting now, cradling a compound fracture. I felt my stomach turn and looked away from the blood. Sasha gasped and glared first at Donatello, then at me. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't say anything to her. The burning skin on my face was too much of a reminder as to why he had ended up on the floor. "What the fuck did you do!" She was yelling at Donny and me equally. I cowered, but said nothing. She yanked Andrew to his feet and he cried out as she shoved him toward the entrance.

Leo stopped her before she reached it and spun her around. "You try anything Sasha," he growled, "and we'll hunt you down. So don't even think about it."

She jerked out of his grasp, fire in her eyes, and disappeared.

For a few minutes, it was silent. Then Donny approached me and rested a hand on my shoulder. I recoiled at his touch, and he sighed. "I..."

He turned away. Leo sat down on the couch and hid his face in his hands. I studied both of them for a moment, not sure what to think. "I'm sorry, Amy," Donny mumbled. "I just... kind of lost it."

I swallowed hard. In all of the quiet, gentle talks I'd had with Donatello, I'd completely forgotten how lethal he was. I mean, I'd seen him sparring and training with his brothers... but that was different. That wasn't dangerous. He wasn't trying to hurt them. "We both did," Leo admitted. He sighed and leaned back against the couch. His eyes met mine. "Sorry, Amy."

I shook my head slightly, the shock slowly ebbing away. "It's... it's okay," I choked. "I just.... No, it's okay. I really... I know he doesn't belong here."

"Is that why you never tried to get ahold of him?" Leonardo questioned.

I looked away. "That's part of it, yes," I answered. That wasn't the real reason, but that was part of it.

They didn't pressure me. I swallowed hard again. "I..." I stammered. "I'm gonna go, uh, lay down."

Donny nodded. I passed Mike on my way to my room. He didn't say a word.

ANDREW:

I spent the night in the hospital, doped up on morphine. The drugs weren't bad. They sure as hell took the pain away. I didn't feel a damn thing after that injection. Not physically, anyway. That wasn't counting the fierce anger that was burning in my blood. "They're fucking freaks," I mumbled to Sasha.

She shrugged, inspecting her nails. "I tried to warn you," she replied nonchalantly. "What did you think I meant when I said they weren't human?"

"Shit, I dunno. That they didn't act human or some shit. Not that they were mutant freaks!" She glanced up at me and smiled. She was amused by this. "You actually fucked one of them?"

She nodded, disinterested once again. "Couplea times. He was good too."

"Which one?" I questioned, amused that she was telling me this.

"You didn't see him. He wasn't there."

"Aw, shit," I smiled. "Woulda liked to've met someone who could fuckin' impress you in bed."

She smiled slyly, but changed the subject. "So what're you gonna do now that you know where they stay?"

I stared at her, shocked. "Whaddaya mean?"

"Well, it's pretty obvious that you were really interested in me taking you there. Why?"

"I wasn't interested in them," I assured her.

"No. You were interested in Amy. Why? You can't tell me you actually care where she's at. Did you want to fuck her or kidnap her or what?"

I grinned evilly. "Both. Though not necessarily in that order." A hardened look crossed his face. "You didn't tell me she was pregnant."

Sasha shrugged. "You never asked."

"Whose kid is it?" She didn't answer. "Is it one of those freaks?"

"So what's the plan now?" she questioned, changing the subject without answering.

I inspected her carefully, trying to decide if she was trustworthy. "Her father's puttin' out fifty thou for me to tell him where she's at."

She chuckled quietly. "Shit, that's nice. Wish I'da known 'bout that. 'Cept you better make sure you get the money before he goes. 'Cause they'll fuckin' kill him if he shows up down there. It's not like he can just go and shoot up the place and take her away. They're goddamn ninjas."

I shrugged. "Hey, that's his problem. Not mine."

She moved to the hospital bed, still in the emergency room, and sat down next to me. "So you gonna share all that money?" she cooed. "You couldn't have found her without me..."

I smiled and kissed her.

DONATELLO:

I knocked lightly on the door, not sure if she was asleep. If she was, I didn't want to wake her. "Who is it?"

"It's Donny. You awake?"

The door cracked open and she peeked out. "I, uh..." I stammered. "Can I come in?"

She backed away, opening the door further. I followed her into the room. She wrung her hands nervously as I closed the door. "I just wanted to say," I mumbled. "I, uh... I really am sorry I hurt your boyfriend that bad. I didn't really mean to... you know..." A nervous laugh escaped my lips. "... break his arm."

She shook her head and looked away. "Don't worry about it, Donny."

I studied her for a moment. "It's just that... He has no right to hit you. And certainly not here. I couldn't stand by and watch that happen to any woman, much less someone I..." care so much about? I caught myself. Accepting the fact that I was attracted to her had been an immensely painful process. I finally had accepted it, and that I couldn't change it. But I could keep it under control. I set boundaries, and I'd come nowhere near crossing them in real-life, although my thoughts were a different story. "...am friends with. But I did overreact." She said nothing. I smiled at the irony of my words. "Actually, to be perfectly honest, I'm a lot more sorry that I scared you than that I caused him some bodily harm."

She smiled faintly. "Thanks. I think."

I couldn't help but laugh. She remained quiet for a moment. "Um," she finally started, looking down and brushing her hair behind her ear. "You already knew about him, didn't you?"

It wasn't really a question. "Yeah, I did."

She turned and walked to the edge of the bed, where she sat down carefully. "You never said anything."

"It was none of my business."

Her eyes met mine. "Why?"

I sat down next to her, a little confused. "Why, what?"

"Why is...?" She looked away again. "Nevermind."

I reached up and brushed her hair back, over her shoulder, so I could see her face. "Hey, Amy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why didn't you ever call him?"

She was silent for a moment. "I was told that's against the rules."

I laughed quietly. "Geez, Amy, I never met anyone who takes the rules that seriously," I chuckled. She stared at me in confusion. "You could've called him. You just weren't supposed to bring him down here. You could've let him know you were alive."

She looked away. "It wasn't really something I was concerned about," she sighed. "And I doubt he was. He just... he was real jealous from the start. That's the only reason he cares."

I rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. She leaned into me slightly, the movement barely noticeable. I massaged a little harder and she sighed, hanging her head. "He was... all about sex," she explained quietly. "And he got mad, because I wouldn't... I wasn't interested in that."

"Why'd you stay with him, then?"

She shrugged. "I was only with him for a week before all that stuff with my father happened. Sasha was the one who hooked us up. She thought it might help me get over... you know."

"Yeah," I whispered, looking away. "I know."

"It didn't," she continued. "Of course, it wasn't exclusive. He was sleeping around. I think it was more that he was doing Sasha a favor than that he was really interested in me."

I glanced back at her, hanging my hands between my knees. "Why do you let anyone treat you like that, Amy?" I questioned. "You're worth so much more than that. You deserve more."

Our eyes met and she forced a smile. "Yeah," she breathed. "Except you're the only person in my whole life who's ever believed that."

I cringed inwardly at the cold truth of her words. "I'm so sorry, Amy."

She shook her head and looked away. "It's not your problem."

"Yes, it is."

"Why?"

"Because I..." love you. I choked. The words didn't form. I didn't let them. Jesus, Donny, knock it off! She's fourteen years old! She's a child! A child having a child. Right. I kept forgetting. I looked away from her, unable to stand her pained expression. "I care about you, Amy," I mumbled. "And I don't want to see you get hurt. And if you keep treating yourself like that, other people are going to take it as an invitation to treat you that way."

There was a long silence. I sighed. "Hey, Amy?"

"Yeah?"

"You ever look up what your name means?" She was silent. "You looked up Salome, did you ever think to look up yours?"

I glanced over at her and saw her staring at me blankly. "No."

I smiled sadly as I stood up. "You should do it some time."

I leaned over her and kissed the top of her head. Then I left her to ponder my words.

MICHAELANGELO:

Hours passed. Nothing changed. There was a deathly silence in the lair. Raph didn't come home. Kat didn't come out of her room. After talking to Amy, Donatello retreated and hadn't been seen since. And Leo was pacing back and forth in the living room.

"You okay?" I asked, concerned.

He glanced at me and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He wasn't fine.

I glanced at the clock. "It's almost ten. You wanna go up to the streets?"

He considered that. Then he nodded.

For a long time, he said nothing. I wasn't surprised. But the silence was making me nervous. "You think they'll come back?"

Leo stared at the ground passing under our feet. "I don't know. It's possible."

I shuddered at the thought. Not that we couldn't handle an intrusion. But we all knew the dangers we'd face if certain people found out where we stayed. Hell, anyone who knew was a threat. Even April could be manipulated or, god-forbid, tortured into revealing that information to our enemies.

"Think they'll tell anyone?"

We walked a few steps, and Leo looked up. "You want an honest answer?"

I knew what that meant, and I sighed. "So what do we do?"

He shook his head and turned his gaze to the sky. "There's not a whole lot we can do," he mumbled. "Except stay on our guard until something happens. And try not to let Amy panic about it, because I'm sure she's probably thinking the same thing."

We were quiet for a moment. I glanced at my brother. "Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"You really freaked out today. I don't think I've ever seen you get like that."

He kept his eyes down. "Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

He sighed deeply. "Yeah, Mikey, I'm alright. I've just... I'm kind of a mess right now. She just put me over the edge and..."

He stopped. "You and Donny, both," I mumbled, looking away. "I know why Donny freaked out. Why did you?"

He shook his head and sighed again. "It's not something I can talk about, Mike."

"Is it Raph?"

"Raph, Kat, Amy... hell, it's everything. There's just a lot of stress and I've been trying to avoid it rather than deal with it." He glanced up at me. "I hate feeling like this, Mike."

"Like what?"

"Angry. And just... stressed."

I was shocked. It was very unlike Leonardo to be angry or stressed. Especially as a condition, rather than a temporary emotion. "Why are you angry?"

He breathed deep. "I'm pissed off at Raph, and at Sasha and whoever the hell that was that she brought down with her. And I'm trying not to let it affect me, but I don't think it's working. And on top of it all, I don't think I've really slept in the past two weeks because I'm worried about Amy."

"What about Amy?"

He shook his head and stared down at the ground. "I'm worried that when she has this baby, it's just gonna cause problems. I mean, not for us or anything. I just think she'll see it as a problem. And I'm scared to think of what she'll do to get away. She's only fourteen, Mike."

The words were somewhat reassuring. At least he wasn't saying what I had expected him to say. In all honesty, I was a little concerned about Amy, too. But in a different way. "Hey Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"Not that it's really... any of my business or anything but..." I glanced at him. "Do you think there's anything going on between her and Don?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I mean," I continued, "it's just that... I'm worried about them. If..." I sighed. He had to know what I meant, without me trying to explain it. "I just don't want this to all blow up, Leo."

"Yeah, I know. But I don't think it's anything more than a strong friendship. And if it is..." We locked stares. "We're just going to have to trust his judgement."

A shadow in an alley caught my attention. I'm not sure exactly why. There were plenty of homeless people who frequented the alleys in New York City. But this one was different. It felt different. To that sixth sense buried somewhere inside of me, it felt... wrong. "Leo," I directed, nodding toward the two faintly outlined features.

He stopped and studied them, burying his hands deeper in the pockets of his trenchcoat. One of the figures raised the lid of a garbage dumpster, the other dropped something in. "I don't like that," I mumbled.

"No," Leo whispered back. "Neither do I."

We let the couple leave and walked into the alley. Leo looked around for danger while I lifted the heavy lid. In the dim light, I caught a glimpse of their deposit. I felt my stomach turn and for a moment, I thought I was going to be sick. "Oh, God, Leo."

"What? What is it?"

"It... was... a baby."

I backed away, hanging my head. Leo looked into the dumpster and back at the teenage couple that we could now assume were the parents. They were walking away, hand in hand. Laughing. Leo's head lowered a fraction, like an angry dog preparing to attack. The look on his face turned to cold fury.

I felt a chill run down my spine. For the first time in my life, I was seriously intimidated by my brother. I didn't need a reminder about how dangerous he was. Leo could kick my ass, and I was no amateur. But he was always controlled. He normally didn't get angry. Raphael, sure. But not Leonardo. He'd start to get angry, then go off and meditate for a few hours and come back refreshed and totally controlled. I'd had a hard time believing him when he said felt out of control. But now I could see it in his eyes, and it scared me.

"Uh, Leo?"

"Come on," he growled.

He was gone when I reached into the garbage and retrieved a bloody, lifeless bundle. It had just been born. God only knows how they'd killed it. But it was definitely dead. I wrapped it carefully, trying to avoid the blood, and hid it inside my jacket.

I think I half expected Leo to set up an ambush and beat the couple senseless before they knew what hit them. I hoped he wouldn't do that, though. We watched their path and ran ahead of them, hiding in the shadows of a dark alley. I set the child on the ground and Leo and I exchanged glances, a silent agreement passing between us. I nodded and pulled one of the nunchucks from my belt, shrugging off the jacket in the process. In the darkness, disguises made no difference. I held one handle in each of my hands, the chain between them tight, and positioned myself next to Leo.

The couple was unsuspecting as they passed us by. Lightning quick, Leo and I lashed out at the same time. He caught the woman around the waist and mouth. That was safe. She wasn't likely to struggle hard enough to break away from him. I didn't take the risk with the man. I caught him around the neck with the chain on the weapon and yanked him back into the shadows. He choked and gagged, but didn't manage much more as I stepped aside and "guided" him to the ground. He fell flat on his back, grasping at the air in attempt to keep himself upright.

The woman fell on his chest. She didn't even have a chance to look up before he'd pushed her away, scrambling to get to his feet. "Jesus Christ! What the fuck are you!"

A knife flashed as he lunged at me. I saw red and blue strobe the alley walls. Crap. There must have been cops nearby. I diverted the knife effortlessly and hooked the man's legs out from under him he crashed again to the ground with Leo's katana at his throat. The man swallowed hard, and didn't move. Leo stepped back, retracting his weapon. The man was paralyzed with fear, the gut reaction to fight brought to an abrupt stop. Leo turned. The woman huddled against the wall. She screamed as he approached, and I noticed that at some point (I had missed it) Leo had picked up the bloody newborn.

I stared, noting the fire in my brothers gaze. "Here," he growled low. "It's a little boy."

The woman screamed again as he laid the child on her chest, but she'd backed herself into a corner, and the only way out was toward Leonardo. She didn't move. I heard footsteps, warning of how close the police were, and afforded one more quick glance at the scene before disappearing quickly and silently into the shadows.

AMY:

A-M-Y

I hit enter and waited.

AMY (f) English
"beloved" from Old French aimée

I stared at the screen blankly. Beloved. I never knew that. I'd never thought to look up the meaning of my name. I read over the words again, and hit the back button on the browser. The pale purple screen stared back at me. Behind the Name- the etymology and history of first names...

I looked once again at the box where my name was still typed out. I rested my hand on the mouse, and highlighted it. Then I returned my fingers to the keyboard.

D-O-N-A-T-E-L-L-O... Enter.

DONATELLO m Italian
Pet form of DONATO. The Renaissance sculptor Donato di
Niccolo di Bette Bardi was better known as Donatello.

I studied the words, a little surprised that they were even in this database. Donato. It was highlighted as a link to another page, and I clicked it.

DONATO m Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
From the Late Latin name Donatus meaning "given". Several
early saints had this name. The name was also borne by two
Renaissance masters: the sculptor Donato di Niccolo di Bette
Bardi (also known as Donatello), and the architect
Donato Bramante.

Given. And the name of several early saints. Tears blurred my vision as I stared at the screen. I leaned forward as far as my stomach would allow and buried my face in my hands as the hot tears overflowed. "Amy?"

I jumped, startled, and spun around. Donny was standing a few feet away. "You scared me," I cried.

He took a step forward and rested a hand on my shoulder as he studied the screen for a moment. "You look up yours?" he asked.

"Yes," I whispered.

"What do you think?"

"I think my parents named me wrong."

He laughed quietly. I turned back to face the computer and he rested both of his hands on my shoulders, rubbing gently. "You should be in bed," he informed me.

"I know," I sighed. "But I can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"My whole body aches," I told him, trying not to sound like I was complaining. "And I'm having those damn cramps again."

He rubbed a little harder at the tensed muscles in my neck and shoulders. "Well, you've only got a few more weeks," he reminded me. "Down to three now, aren't you?"

I nodded slightly, fear creeping over me as I considered that. He must have sensed my uneasiness. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head and looked away. "It's just... I don't know." I sighed, glancing up at him. "I'm scared."

He squeezed my arms. "Don't be. You'll do fine."

"No, Donny, it's not really that," I sighed. He looked confused, and I watched him turn to lean back on the desk next to me. "You know how we talked about me going to April's? Before the due date?"

"That's the safest way to do it," he reminded me. "Seeing as I don't think you're gonna feel much like climbing a ladder and taking a three mile hike through the sewers when you're in labor."

"I know," I whispered quietly, staring down at the floor.

There was a moment of silence. "So what's the problem?"

I glanced up. "It's so stupid for me to feel like this," I muttered. "I mean, I haven't heard anything from him in months, right?"

Suddenly, he understood. He brushed his fingers along the side of my face. "It's okay, Amy," he assured. "It's not stupid."

Tears came to my eyes and I looked away. It seemed like I was always crying lately, and I hated it. "I just... I know he's not likely to try anything even if he knew... I mean, where I am and everything. And really what could he do?"

I was crying openly, and Donny sighed. He stepped away from the desk and pulled my head to his plastron. I felt his arms circle my shoulders and he held me to him. I cried for a few minutes, comforted as I rested against him. "I'm sorry," I finally sniffed, wiping my eyes. My abdomen clamped and I cringed. It was more of a discomfort than a pain, really. But I was sick of it.

"S'alright," he assured me. "I don't mind."

I smiled as I pulled away from him. "You know, you're getting pretty good at that."

"What?"

"Lying."

He laughed. "I'm not lying," he grinned. "I really don't mind. I'm getting kind of used to it."

That sounded like an insult, but the smile on his face let me know he wasn't trying to offend me. I shifted position, trying to take the pressure off of my lower back. "Maybe if I cry long enough, I'll tire myself out enough to be able to sleep," I suggested, a pathetic attempt at optimism.

He considered that for a moment. "Why don't you take some sleeping pills?"

"I've never tried any kind of sleep aid," I informed him.

He smiled. "Good. Then they'll knock you right out."

I eyed him carefully. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to take anything that could hurt the baby..."

"You should be alright," he promised. "Hang on a sec." He walked back to his room and returned with two pills. "Here," he offered. "These'll put you right to sleep, I guarantee it."

I took the tablets carefully and he helped me to my feet. "Go get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

I nodded slightly and hugged him before I left the room.

It took me about a total of three minutes to fall asleep.

***

A stab of excruciating pain woke me up in an instant. My eyes flew open and I nearly screamed as I tried to sit up, but failed. The pain was too much. I fell back on the bed, gasping for air. Something was terribly wrong. The bed was soaked, and the pain in my abdomen took my breath away. I tried to lie still, hoping that would ease the pain, since moving made it worse. Nothing helped. Oh God! Help!

Finally, I found my voice. "Help me!" I screamed frantically into the darkness. "Please! Help!"