Daddy
MICHAELANGELO:
Leo spent days meditating, and getting himself "back to normal." It was obvious that Sasha breaking the rules was not what put him over the edge. It went a lot deeper than that. The rules had been broken before. It irritated him, but he got over it. He didn't normally need to spend a day and a half locked in his room in perfect silence.
When Raph came home, two days after the baby was born, the slowly-easing tension shot through the roof again. I was relieved to see him, for the simple fact that I could know he was okay. But there was something distinctly wrong with him. I knew it from the moment he appeared. He exchanged quick glances with Kat, looked away, and disappeared into his room. He spent the next four days there, and said almost nothing the entire time.
Kat went back to her regular schedule of being gone all the time. We didn't know where she was, and we knew better than to ask. She'd always had a long list of things to do. It wasn't until I caught her on the internet, looking at apartments in Ohio, that I started to get really worried. But it was none of my business, and she and Raph both made that clear in their silence. Neither one of them spoke, and they avoided each other at all costs.
I wasn't sure Raph even noticed that there was a new addition to the "family". He didn't say a word to Amy, although he did afford her a glance every now and then, on his way back and forth to his room. He didn't eat, only drank alcohol. Wouldn't come out to practice or watch TV or do anything for that matter.
Amy, meanwhile, was happy. Actually happy. I'd never seen her smile the way she did when she first came out of her room, holding the newborn baby. Salome was her name. Amy explained that it meant peace, and I thought she had named the child well. For the first time in the months we'd known her, Amy looked to be at peace with herself.
"Hey, Donny, have you seen...?"
"Shh!" Don silenced me. I stopped for a moment, and looked around the room. Then I continued in silence. Amy and Salome were asleep on the couch. I knew how little sleep Amy was actually getting lately, and I didn't want to bother her.
I smiled as he saw the two of them, then turned my attention to Donny again. "Have you seen Leo?" I whispered.
He shook his head. "He emerged from his cave earlier this morning," he mumbled. "But I haven't seen him since then. I think he may've gone up to the surface."
"Mmm," I sighed. "Okay. You wanna go up? I'm kinda bored. And I gotta find him."
He glanced at the still figures on the couch. "I dunno," he mumbled.
"She'll be alright," I assured him. "Raph's here."
He shot me a pathetic look. "Raph's in his own world right now, you know that."
I smiled faintly. "Yeah. But he's still Raph. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. Besides, what kind of trouble is she going to get into sleeping?"
He cast a doubtful glance at Amy and Salome, then sighed as he stood to his feet. "Okay. But I don't wanna be gone for very long."
RAPHAEL:
Something is wrong...
No shit, Raph.
No, I mean something's wrong... Something here. Something doesn't feel right.
Yeah, whatever.
I opened my eyes. The darkness in the room was thick. I prodded in the corners, but felt nothing here. I was alone. No. I wasn't alone. What the hell was that? It was a lot like the feeling of being watched. Annoying, because you knew it was happening, but couldn't see how. I breathed deep, trying to bring my thoughts back from the darkness I'd submerged them in. I concentrated on the stillness.
I was alone. Whatever that feeling was, it wasn't in here. But it was here. It was in the lair. What was it? I stood slowly, feeling a slight headache, and reached for my weapons, laid out on the bed. I tensed as the feeling washed over me. I knew it, now. I could identify it. It was danger. Something dangerous was here.
I wondered if I was alone. I figured Amy and her baby were here, even if no one else was. What kind of danger? A fight? A confrontation? I kept my weapons in hand just in case...
AMY:
I awoke slowly to a gentle touch on the side of my face. For a moment, I wasn't sure where I was. I could feel Salome on my chest, but I wasn't in bed. Oh, that's right. I was on the couch. "Amy?" a whispered voice called through the layers of sleep. I moaned softly as I shook away already-forgotten dreams.
"Donny?" Why was he waking me up?
His light touch feathered over my hair. I smiled, still half-asleep. He always made me feel so protected. Waking up to his touch reminded me that he watched over me even while I slept. That he was always there. "Come on, Ames, wake up."
I jerked awake with a force that instantly woke the baby sleeping on top of me. The sight before me took the breath out of my lungs. I'm dreaming! I desperately fought to calm myself. I'm still dreaming. I must be dreaming. Oh God, please let me be dreaming!
He smiled and brought his hand to rest on the side of my face. His skin was soft, warm. Real. Too real to be a dream. I struggled to take a breath. Help! Donny, please, help! My voice wouldn't work.
Salome began to cry. His eyes fell to the infant and a confused look crossed his face. "How old is she?" he questioned. "Is she yours?"
I couldn't answer. I couldn't move. I gasped in a quick, terrified breath as he touched the baby's hand. "She looks just like you," he whispered, answering his own question.
I still couldn't make my mouth work. I tried to back further into the couch, my arms circling my child protectively. No! This isn't happening!
The words from a conversation long ago echoed back in my mind. "I'm scared, Donny."
"Why?"
"What if he finds me?"
"He's not gonna find you down here, I guarantee it."
"But what if he does?"
"Then he'll have four ninjas to get through before he can get to you, Amy. That's no easy task."
Where were they? Where were the guys! Did they leave me here alone? I could feel myself panicking. "How old is she, Amy?" the man whispered again. I was shaking, still struggling for air. He smiled down on Salome. "She looks like she can't be more than a few days old."
His dark eyes met mine. "Is she ours, Amy?" he breathed.
The words sent a jolt of electricity down my spine. Ours. Fear flooded through me as memories of the courtroom flooded to my mind. Custody battle. Mother versus father. And he was the father of my child. No! You have no claim over her!
My breathing came staggered as he reached up to touch the side of my face again. Suddenly, I found my voice. And I screamed.
RAPHAEL:
I heard her scream at about the same time I opened my door. It took a fraction of a second to take in the scene. A man I hadn't seen before was kneeling next to the couch, apparently trying to quiet Amy. Amy was lying down, cowering under his touch as his hand rested on her cheek. Salome was on her chest, screaming in a typical five-day-old infant fashion. The fact that none of my brothers were racing into the room alerted me that Amy, her baby, and I were home alone.
He didn't know I was there, until he was sprawled over the coffee table. I afforded a quick glance at Amy, who had instantly stopped screaming with my approach. She was unhurt.
I didn't even notice the other figure in the room. But I heard the unmistakable sound of gunshot, and it wasn't coming from the man looming over the couch. Had I been anyone else, there would've been no way he could have missed killing me. He had me at point blank. But the combined speed of sound and my reflexes were faster than the bullet. Lightning quick, and I jerked back. I stumbled over the coffee table, but couldn't regain my balance before I crashed to the floor. Shit! I was defenseless now, and I knew it.
I heard the gun fire again, but there wasn't much time for me to move. I certainly didn't have time to stand. I rolled, and felt fire rip through my shoulder as I rose to one knee. I pulled my unhurt arm back and flung the sai at his wrist. In the brief glance I caught of the shadowed figure, I noted that he had a broken arm cradled against his chest.
My weapon clashed against his, and a shot went off in the air. It gave me a few seconds to regain my balance. I ignored the pain surging through me and braced, switching the remaining sai to my strong arm. I had to get that gun away from him. Damn it, I hated guns.
I made a move toward him, but a scream from Amy cut me off. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man standing over her yank the baby out of her arms. She let him take her, rather than engaging in a tug of war with the fragile life. I saw the panicked look on her face as he handled the child more roughly than was safe. The baby, wrapped in a bath towel, was held in the crook of his arm. His other hand dropped to his waist. A knife flashed, and I froze.
The gun was still pointed at me. I tensed, ready to dart out of the way if he pulled the trigger. He didn't. He was just threatening me, keeping me from moving. "Drop the weapon, freak," he threatened. "Not that it would do you any good."
Reluctantly, I let the sai slip from my hand. It clattered against the floor, like an explosion. I couldn't take the risk. Especially not when I wasn't at full strength. I was impulsive, yes. But I wasn't stupid. The figure holding the gun moved slowly toward the couch. "So you're Raphael," he grinned.
I stared at him. "Yeah," I shot back. "Who the hell are you?"
He smiled. "I was a friend of Sasha's."
His choice of words struck me. "Was?"
"She OD'd on heroin last night," he grinned. "Very sad."
I glared at him. The words didn't surprise me, and they created no emotion. "You don't seem to broken up about it."
"Neither do you."
"I don't claim to be her friend," I growled.
"No. But you hold claim to be the best lay she ever..."
"What the fuck do you want?" I demanded, cutting him off. I could hear the cold fury in my own voice. Blood ran from my shoulder, warm and wet. It trickled down my arm, and over my plastron, slowly seeping from the wound. "If this is about Sasha..."
"Sasha served her purpose," the teenaged boy answered casually. "She's no longer an issue."
I saw Amy rise slowly to a sitting position. Tears glistened in her wide eyes. "Daddy, please," she whispered, pleading with the man holding her child.
The word sent a shock wave through me. Daddy? Holy shit. How the hell did he find us? Sasha served her purpose. Rage burned steadily in my chest. Damn her!
I turned my attention to Amy's father. He was obviously the one in charge. "So what's the plan, jackass?" I snarled.
"I'm going to take my daughters, and leave," he informed me, his voice steady.
Amy gasped. "No!" she cried. I could feel her eyes on me, begging silently. Fury surged through my veins.
"Over my dead body," I growled at him.
He smiled. Evil, threatening. "That can be arranged," his partner threatened.
I felt another presence enter the room. I couldn't see or hear him, but I knew he was here. Who? I concentrated for a moment, running through faces in my mind. Not Leo. Mike? Yes. Someone else, too... Had to be Donny.
I glared at the intruder and gave my allies a chance to get into position. "I'm not gonna let you walk out of here," I warned.
"You don't have a choice," the man holding the baby reminded me. He turned his attention to Amy. I could feel the gun aimed steadily at me. "Get up," he ordered her.
Oh, Amy, don't try anything stupid...
MICHAELANGELO:
She looked helplessly toward Raphael. He was bleeding from his shoulder, the thick red liquid oozing down his plastron. He didn't move. The hardened look on his face displayed no pain. I moved silently through the room, taking care to stay in the shadows. It was a good thing Donny had decided to turn out the lights when we left. We needed the element of surprise to avoid danger to ourselves, and we had to get this over with fast if we wanted to keep Salome safe.
"Amy, stand up," the man commanded again. His voice left no room for argument.
Amy gasped for breath as her eyes locked with her father's and she noted the knife resting near her child's chest. Her gaze darted back to Raphael. He nodded slightly, indicating that she should obey. Good. This was playing out well. Just as long as she didn't freak out. Trust Raphael, Amy... Trust us.
It was blind trust. She didn't know we were here. I knew Raph did. I had felt his eyes on me from the moment I walked in. Not that he had physically turned and looked at me, but it was the same feeling. But she was obeying him without knowing what he did. Tears overflowed from her eyes as she rose to her feet. She was shaking, and she bit her lip, obviously trying to force the panicked look from her face. Her father smiled warmly and gently handed Salome to her. "Good girl," he approved.
Good boy, I thought. You just signed your own death warrant.
I was about ten feet away from the armed man standing behind the couch. I closed that distance in about a second and a half. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amy gasp and duck, covering Salome as Donny used his bo to vault over the coffee table. He crashed into her father and she scrambled to get away as he fell into the couch, face first.
I grabbed the wrist of the teenage boy. He only had one arm that he could use, so it wasn't much of a fight. The gun went off, firing up at the ceiling, and I threw the guy to the ground, on top of his cast. His head hit the floor, one arm useless and the other locked with mine. I twisted his good arm behind his back, my knee holding him down firmly. He didn't want to let go of the weapon. "Dude," I sighed, "don't make me break your other arm."
He let go.
DONATELLO:
I backed off and let the man rise to his feet. I knew he was armed. And I could've taken him right there, and avoided a fight. But the truth was, I was very interested in the prospect of kicking his ass. Calmly, methodically... and without mercy. My own thoughts struck me, but only for a moment. No anger, Donny. You'll kill him.
So what. He deserved to die. He'd had no mercy on Amy... why should he expect any from me?
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amy take a few steps back, right into Raphael. She gasped, but he grabbed her upper arms before she had a chance to spin around. She looked back at him, and seemed to relax a little. Cold fury was on his face as he watched me. Take care of her, Raph. This guy's mine.
No argument. He moved Amy behind him, but made no move toward me. He just watched calmly, ready to get involved if he was needed. He cringed slightly at the blood flowing steadily from his shoulder, but the look of pain was quickly subdued. Behind the couch, Mike yanked the teenager to his feet. Our eyes met for a fraction of a second. Gun's gone. It's all you, bro.
The man lunged at me and I stepped out of the way, leading him into the center of the room. One swift move and I could kill him. He wouldn't feel a thing. But as appealing as that sounded, I knew there was a better way.
I dodged his futile attacks effortlessly, toying with him. "So your Amy's father?" I questioned.
He stopped and glared at me. "Yeah. And who the hell are you, freak?"
"I'm a friend of Amy's," I answered.
With one fluid movement, I hit the back of his wrist, knocking the knife out of his hand. It was plenty hard enough to make a bruise, but not enough to break bones. Before he knew what had hit him, he was against the wall, pinned by his neck with my staff across his throat. He gasped and choked, struggling for air. "And I've been dying to meet you," I growled low.
I allowed him to push me back. He dove for his weapon and I let him retrieve it. He lunged at me again and I sidestepped, bringing my bo into the soft cushion of his stomach. He doubled over and I brought my knee to his face before shoving him back. He stumbled, trying to regain his balance, but didn't fall. I twirled the staff and held it to the side. I could take him without the aide of any weapon. I only kept my grip on the bo out of habit.
Still defiant, he slashed at the air in front of me. He was bleeding heavily from his nose. I wondered if it was broken. If so, that had been entirely too easy. I spun behind him, hooking his ankle, and brought him crashing to the floor. Still aware that he could potentially have a gun, I stepped back and watched him carefully for any signs of movement. He pushed himself up with his arms, dripping blood from his face to the rug, and reached for the knife again. Stupid. Just plain stupid.
MICHAELANGELO:
"You see that?" I gestured toward the man, bleeding from his nose and clutching his stomach. I glanced at the boy I was holding and guided him around the couch. I shoved him down onto the cushions. "If you don't wanna look like that, I suggest you stay put."
I didn't think he would move. Even if he did, he was unarmed, and that made him pretty harmless. Even if he decided to attack Donny, I knew my brother could take him and Amy's father down simultaneously without even breaking a sweat. I walked to where Raph and Amy stood, aware of the eyes that followed me.
"You okay?" I asked.
Raph glanced toward me. It was as if he'd snapped out of a trance, and suddenly remembered that he was bleeding all over the place. He looked at his arm for the first time. "Yeah, I think so," he mumbled. "Hurts like hell though."
I didn't find that hard to believe. "Amy, do me a favor," I told her, calmly. Her eyes met mine. "Go put Salome in your room, where she'll be safe, and get me a damp towel, okay?"
"No, Mike, I'm fine," Raphael protested.
I couldn't help but smile. "You've been shot, Raph. Has it occurred to you that you're dripping blood on the rug?"
The thought hadn't occurred to him. He looked down, somewhat surprised at the blood that was now running down his leg. Amy left. I watched her, and glanced back at the boy on the couch. His eyes followed her, but he quickly looked away when he saw me staring at him.
"Damn," Raph cringed. "That's a lot of blood."
"Yeah, I know," I agreed. "You need to sit down."
He slouched against the wall and raised his hand to the wound as he slid to the floor. I inspected him carefully. He wasn't gushing blood. In fact, the bleeding wasn't as bad as it looked. He was in pain, but he'd lived through worse. He'd be okay.
He clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes closed. For a moment, it was quiet. I looked back at Donny. He had Amy's father pinned to the floor. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I knew it wasn't pretty. He was unhappy about this intrusion, to say the least.
He backed off and let the man rise to his knees. He was bleeding from his mouth and nose, clutching his chest. I cast a concerned look toward Donatello. He was really being cruel about this. Not that I blamed him, but I was getting worried that he might be losing control. His eyes met mine, and I questioned him. He looked away without giving me any kind of response.
DONATELLO:
"What the fuck are you?" he choked as he stared at me.
"I should as you the same thing," I growled back. "What kind of animal would hurt a child the way you hurt your daughter."
"What Amy and I do is none of your business," he snarled, defiant.
I yanked him to his feet again, and held him with one hand by his shirt, my other hand holding the wrist of the hand with the knife. "No, asshole," I corrected. "Amy didn't do a damn thing, except get born into the wrong family. It was all you."
"Fuck you," he spat.
I tried to subdue my emotions. This was business. This was justice, not murder. There was a difference. The difference was in my attitude, and my motive.
This was about Amy, and all the things she'd been through. It was about all that he'd gotten away with for so many years, and the people he might hurt in the future... Amy included. This wasn't revenge, and it wasn't to satisfy the anger I felt. This was penalty for the crimes he'd committed, against a child.
I flung him to the floor and took my weapon in hand.
"No!"
In an instant, Amy was standing between us. She pressed her hands against my shoulders, holding me back. Broken and barely conscious, the man used the distraction to slowly reach for the knife on the floor. He was slow, and it would take him a good ten to fifteen seconds to do anything with that knife.
I used that time to study Amy. She stared at me, her eyes pleading. No...
"Please," she whispered quietly, her tiny hands against my skin. "Please. Don't kill him."
I said nothing. His fingers closed around the knife. I could feel him move; Amy was totally unaware. The reality of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. She was standing between us, pleading for his life, and he would sooner attack her than give up this fight. He had to get through her to get to me, and the knife in his bloody hands was evidence that he had every intention of doing that. My eyes flickered toward him. You bastard...
"Please, Donny. No more bloodshed."
God, Amy how can you say that?
I'd never reveled in the idea of killing. In fact, it had kept me up at night, more often than I cared to admit. We'd been taught to kill. In self-defense, and for the sake of protecting others. Protecting her... As long as he was alive, there would be the danger that he might take her away to god-knows-where. If he took her out of New York, I'd probably never find her. I'd sworn to prevent that, and I knew I couldn't let it happen.
Would I be here next time? If he came back, with reinforcements? He knew where we stayed, and that alone was danger enough to eliminate him. Eliminate... That word tasted bitter. What the hell are you, an exterminator? He's a human being...
No. This was not a human being. This was a monster. Images flashed, whispered words echoed in my mind. "That was the night... I know it was. I could feel it..."
Rage burned the backs of my eyes. Her pain rang in my ears as visions pounded my mind. "Oh, God, make this stop! Make this pain stop!"
She stood in front of me, her palms pressed to my shoulders, a pleading look on her face. "I can make it stop, Amy," I whispered, just barely audible over the beating of my heart.
She heard me. She knew what I meant, too. Tears brimmed her eyes. "No, Donny, please," she choked, shaking her head.
"Oh God, I wanted it!"
"Amy, it's not..." I whispered.
I didn't have a chance to finish. The man lunged at us, struggling to his feet, the knife slashing the air. I grabbed Amy's arm and yanked her aside. The blade caught my arm, but didn't do much damage. He had no strength to put into his blow. I grabbed his wrist and twisted it. In the blink of an eye, I had him against the wall again. His head fell forward, and he gave up the fight.
I stared at him, hardly able to breathe through the thick fury between us. "I'm so ashamed. God, Donny, I'm so ashamed!" He deserved to die. He deserved the most painful, slow death I could come up with. So why wasn't I able to make that killing blow? So easy... A fraction of a second more, and it would be over. I could end it all, right now.
Except this isn't about you, Donatello. It's not about your anger and desire for vengeance. It's about Amy.
I felt eyes burn into my back. Raphael, Andrew, Michaelangelo... Amy. Her hand came to rest on my shoulder again, but she didn't say a word. God, how could she do that? How could she even ask me to walk away? Surely her pain couldn't be any less than what I was feeling. How could she be so forgiving?
It was then that I realized just how strong she was. Through the months that I had known her, I had only gotten a glimpse of her inner strength. Through her decision to keep her child, and her slow and painful healing process... the flashbacks, the nightmares, the visions that still haunted her... she'd come out of that dark tunnel with forgiveness. Mercy. God, how could she?
And she still hadn't totally recovered. The pain wasn't all gone away. She still awoke screaming in the middle of the night... But she was here, silently pleading for his life. Why?
I glared at the creature in front of me. Blood trailed down his face in thin streams. I swallowed hard. I wanted to end this. I had a right to end this. And a responsibility...
"Please. Don't kill him."
Blinded by the emotions raging in my chest, I could not begin to evaluate what my brothers thought about this. Neither of them were stepping forward to stop me. Neither one was getting involved. My fight. My decision. No... not mine... Amy's.
Damn him. Damn him to hell.
I grabbed the man's shirt and spun around, throwing him to the floor. He fell, and didn't get up. The boy on the couch was staring with wide eyes. I turned the man with my foot and pressed the tip of my bo into his throat. This time, Amy did not get involved. She stood back and watched, chewing her lip. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the tears streaming down her face.
"You are going to leave now," I growled at the barely conscious figure on the floor. I could've knocked him out with a simple touch to the back of his neck, or various other places. But I wanted him conscious. I wanted him to feel every minute of this.
"You are going to get up," I informed him. "And you are going to leave, and take Andrew with you. And if you ever come back, I am going to kill you."
I backed away, feeling the anger burn in my chest. I turned to the boy on the couch, who immediately stiffened. "If ever see either of you again, I'm going to kill you both. So keep each other accountable. Because I'll hunt you both down."
KATARINA:
I knocked quietly on the door before turning the handle. Amy was leaning against the headboard of the twin-sized bed, nursing her child. She looked up as I slipped into the room and shut the door behind me. A tired, sad expression was on her face.
"How is she?" I questioned, sitting on the edge of the bed.
Amy glanced down at the baby resting against her breast. Salome's eyes were open and she was looking up at her mother, suckling contently. "She's okay," Amy answered. "I don't think she's hurt. She quieted pretty fast when I sat down with her."
I nodded slowly. Amy raised her eyes to mine. "I gather they told you what happened?"
"I overheard," I mumbled. "They told Leo."
A worried look crossed her face. "Was he mad?"
For a moment, I was confused. "About what?"
"That I..." She looked away. "That I got involved."
I sighed. "Leonardo doesn't get mad easily, Amy, you know that. He was just upset that he wasn't here."
She was quiet for a moment. I studied her carefully. "Amy?"
"Yeah?"
"Why did you get involved?"
She looked away. "Because it was murder. And that's not right."
"It's not murder, Amy," I corrected. "It's justice."
She shook her head. "I couldn't let him do that. I had to stop him." She closed her eyes. "And actually, now I kind of... feel bad about it. Like I stopped him from..." She sighed. "I don't know, Kat. It wouldn't have given me 'closure' to see him killed. But I feel like it might have been good for Donny. You know? Like it was what he wanted."
"If he'd really wanted to kill him, you wouldn't have been able to do a thing about it."
She considered that for a moment. She had to know I was right. At any rate, she didn't challenge me. There was a long silence. "She's dead, you know," she finally whispered, drawing her knees partway to her chest and resting the baby against them.
I had a feeling I knew who she was talking about. "Sasha?"
"Yeah." Our eyes met again. "I knew she was... hitting on Raph. And I should've said something. I'm sorry."
I shook my head, feeling the ice creep over my heart again. "It wasn't your responsibility, it was his."
She looked away. "Well, I hope... she didn't cause too many problems for you guys. I... kind of feel responsible for her being here, you know."
I sighed. "No, Amy, it isn't your fault. They made their own decision. We just got caught in the middle of it. We both did."
She glanced up at me, her eyes sad and searching. "He cheated on you, didn't he?" she whispered. It wasn't really a question. I nodded anyway, and looked away. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," I managed.
"Well, even so... I'm sorry."
I closed my eyes and breathed deep, trying to push the emotions aside. She had been my friend, too. Of all the things I had expected Raphael to say... I hadn't considered that he and the woman who had been one of my closest friends would have hurt me like that.
"I really... don't know what to do with myself now," Amy sighed. "I mean, Sasha and I had talked about getting a place far away, out in the middle of nowhere. She was... saving money."
"No, she wasn't," I answered, forcing myself to look at her. "She was shooting it all into her arm."
Amy was staring down at the bed, shaking her head slowly. "Kat, she was... the only one I had... that I could count on."
I took her hand. "That's not true," I informed her. "And you know it."
She looked back at me with tears in her eyes. "No, Kat. You don't understand. I know you... don't like her. And I don't blame you. But regardless of what she did, she was there for me. I have no one now..."
I wanted to shake her. I really did. Did she not see what was so obvious? "Amy, you have friends here who care about you more than she ever did." She looked away. "Amy tell me Donny's not a better friend to you than Sasha was! He'd give his life for you, and you know that. Sasha turned her back on you, put you in danger. Hell, she led your father to your front door!"
"She didn't mean to do that," she protested weakly.
"Do you know that?" I challenged. I didn't give her a chance to answer. "And for cryin' out loud, Amy, do you have any idea what it must have taken for him to let your father walk out of here alive? To put himself, his brothers, and you and Salome in danger like that because you asked him to?"
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I'm not saying it so you'll be sorry. I'm saying it so you'll think! Amy..." She raised her eyes to mine slowly. "Donny cares about you! You'd be a fool to..."
"I can't stay here, Katarina," she interrupted, her voice determined.
I don't know why, but the words didn't surprise me. I studied her carefully, silenced, and I immediately knew I wasn't going to be able to change her mind. "Why?"
She breathed deep and shook her head. "There's so many reasons, Kat." I sat waiting for her to continue. She sighed. "You know he'll be back. Maybe with reinforcements next time and I... I can't put the guys in danger like that."
I laughed to myself. "Amy, Shredder has sent the entire foot clan after them before with no luck. I don't think your father can match that."
She was staring at me with a blank expression on her face. "Who's Shredder?"
"My..." I hesitated and looked away. That was a wound I didn't want to rip open right now. "Never mind. The point is, they took out hundreds of trained martial artists, and I don't think your father is much of a threat in that respect. And the fact of the matter is, whether you leave or not, your father still knows where the lair is. He not going to be any less of a threat with you gone than he will with you here."
"That's not the only reason, Kat. There's a lot of things."
"Like what?" I demanded.
She sighed. "Kat, Donny's still talking about court and I can't..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes fell to the tiny baby in her arms.
"I have to leave, Kat," she whispered. "I have to get out of New York. Some other state where... where I know he won't find me."
I didn't have to say it. The doubtful look in her eyes told me she already knew. You're only fourteen Amy... You can't survive on your own. Society won't let you.
And I knew the answer to that problem, although I was hesitant to admit it.
"I can't convince you to stay here?" I sighed. It wasn't really a question.
She stared down at Salome and brushed her fingers over the side of the baby's face. She was asleep now. Quiet and peaceful. "Katarina, even if none of this with my father had happened... I..." She looked back up at me. "That's not the real reason, Kat."
I knew that. And I knew the real reason, too. She was afraid. I read the look in her eyes, and everything fell into place. "You're wrong, Amy," I mumbled. "I wish there was some way you could see how wrong you are. Some way I could show you that you need to stay."
"No," she whispered. "No, Kat, I can't stay. It's... It's gone too far. I just need to leave. For both of us. This isn't just a knee-jerk reaction. I've known it for weeks."
My eyes closed slowly. She was wrong, but I had no choice but to accept her decision.
"Where will you go?" I questioned.
She shook her head. "I don't know. West, somewhere. Somewhere he wouldn't think to look for me, where I don't know anyone and no one knows me. Maybe where I could... I don't know... change my name? I could do something like that, maybe. Or even if I had to stay at a homeless shelter."
I glanced at her. "I'd like to... go back to school," she continued. "But I know that won't happen. But maybe I could school myself or something and take my GED?"
She was begging me for encouragement. I sighed and buried my face in my hands. I listened to the silence and breathed deep. "Come with me," I mumbled after a long hesitation.
She stared at me, shocked. "Where?"
Our eyes met again. "I'm transferring to a school in Oklahoma. I don't think your father would look for you there."
Her jaw dropped. "Oh my god, are you serious?" I nodded once, slowly. "What about Raph?"
I didn't answer. My steady gaze was all the answer she needed.
I still loved Raphael. But I didn't respect him anymore. And I didn't trust him. I needed some time to really evaluate how I felt about our relationship. And I needed to do it without him nearby. Maybe it would only be for a few months. The lease agreement I would sign would guarantee that I'd be there for six months. After that... who knew. They had a school I'd been accepted to. I had a job there, transferring to our sister station. The cost of living was significantly lower. In a week, I'd be on a plane. I'd already made my decision.
"Why...?" she stammered. She looked away. I saw tears in her eyes. I had already cried a river, and I had no more to give. She glanced back at me. "Are you going to tell them?"
I shook my head. "I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to have to say good-bye."
The words stung. I breathed deep. "I have an apartment down there already, I just have to sign for it. You can live there, with me, like I did with Madonna before I turned eighteen."
"Who's...?" She stopped, realizing it didn't matter. Her eyes fell to the sleeping child in her arms and she took a few staggered breaths. I watched a single tear stream from her eye and down her cheek. In the long silence, she nodded.
END
