Hearing the front door close, Gabriella slowly poked her head out from the bathroom. She listened intently since she was too far back in the hallway to see the door. She cautiously stepped out of the room and slowly, quietly made her way up the hall towards the living room. She could see out the dining room window from the edge of where she stood in the hallway. Don was walking along the path towards the big house. She waited. At one point, he paused and turned back around and stopped, unsure of continuing on. She held her breath. Then, he shrugged and resumed his progress towards the house. After a minute or two, she watched as Don reached the patio area. He continued on towards the back of the house where the rear doors were. Soon, Gabriella saw him slide one of them open and disapper inside.

"Good, he's gone!" she muttered, letting out a breath that seemed stale for the length of time that she had held it! She went back to the bathroom door and locked it. They, she closed it so that if anyone were to come back to check up on her, they would think she was still in the bathroom! At the very least, it would give them something to do and give her a little more time!

Gabrilla had no intentions of getting anywhere near Riahna or her family. They had TAILS and blue hair!! That had truely freaked her out. The professor should have been more forthcoming about them to her, she seethed, but then she thought maybe he didn't know about their oddities. She realized it was rather a contradictory thought since she herself would be considered an oddity within certain circles. At least she didn't sport a tail, though! Between Riahna's outburst, the tail, her blue hair, AND that bloody sword, Gabriella decided quickly she wanted nothing to do with any of them! She figured there had to be a way off Mike's property through the redwoods.

Gabriella was very adept at anaylizing people and she was more than sure that either Don or someone in the family had something to do with the blood on the sword. He was just a little too detached with the comments he made, especially when he implied the sword's use. The fact, too, that he knew immediately the word she had been trying to remember just seemed weird. Ninja? Who would have even thought of that word? It seemed to roll of his tongue a little to easily - and that terrified Gabriella more than his temper did!!

Thinking that Don could be a ninja didn't make sense to her, but it did frightened her! For a moment, she entertained the thought. Gabriella had managed to watch a few rare Asian movies when the professor was unaware or had gone to town. She always thought they were entertaining and not to be taken seriously. The violence of the movies were a big turn off for her. Those movies were just plain fiction and that's all they were! Ninja's didn't exist anymore, anyway - what was she thinking?? She laughed out loud at the thought that Don could be one. "Absurd!" she exclaimed. He was just trying to scare her with that stupid sword. Clever way of getting back at her, though, she had to admit.

Gabriella went into the bedroom and tried the window by the bed. She would not be able to exit the front door, not the way it was situated facing the back of the main house. She would have to climb out through the bedroom window, which faced the redwood preserve. A perfect cover, all in all, she thought cheerfully!

The window was locked, so she felt the top of the first half and turned the clasp to open, but the window still wouldn't budge. There was something there, though, that seemed out of the ordinary for a window. " Hmmm...." Gabriella muttered. She stood up on tiptoes and looked at the top of the window sash. "Was that a wire under the lock?" she asked no one in particular. It looked like it was placed within the framework of the window, mostly concealed, except at the lock. She wondered if the window was electronically monitored, which gave her a start. If it was and the alarm was active, someone at the house might have already been forewarned when she opened the lock! Considering her television viewing and all the spy movies she loved to watch, she felt along the framework of the window molding.

" HA!" she exclaimed aloud as she found a raised area on the bottom left side. She pushed it in and then the window popped up a little! Out of paranoia, though, she quickly walked back into the hallway and peered around towards the front window to make sure that no one was coming. Don was out by the patio, now, with a cup of coffee talking with another one like himself. " Must be Mike!" she figured. "Turtles! Good golly, how'd they get like that anyway?" she asked herself. She was as much a mystery to herself as they were to her, but Gabriella had never considered herself one of many! It all seemed too overwhelming!

Turning back into the room, she made her way to the window and completely opened it up. Taking the screen off, she slipped out quietly. Carefully, she closed it and replaced the screen. Turning quickly around and pressing herself up against the outside wall of the cottage, Gabriella crouched to a squat. She could taste the salt air and the coolness of the morning. It felt good to be outside and in the daylight, no less. She then noticed for the first time the true wonder of the Redwoods that towered above her. The magnificence of the trees stole her breath away and for a moment she forgot why she was there. She could now see how tall the really were and they were more than impressive, they were mesmerizing! But, suddenly, Gabriella heard voices!! One of them sounded like Don's! She almost panicked but kept it under control as she decided what to do next. The voices were getting closer! Gabriella ducked in behind some tall shrubbery and quietly made her way to the perimeter fence, careful not brush up against the bushes in case the noise alerted him!

Gabriella slipped under the top railing of the fence and quickly skirted around a large tree, just as the voices reached the house. She knew it would take a few moments for Don to get the locked bathroom door open before realizing she had slipped out. So, she took advantage of the few minutes she had and ran as quickly and as quietly as she could towards the interior of the forest. She felt exhilerated as she went full tilt through the redwoods. She wanted to laugh just from the thrill of not being hindered by someone calling her back, the way the professor would do. She was totally unprepared for how fast she could run. After ten minutes, she was surprised that she had not tired, but instead felt she could run that way for another ten minutes - or longer!

All she wanted was to go back home. Maybe she really couldn't get off the property, but at the very least she would have some time of solitude. Over the past sixteen hours, she had been under constant supervision, except in the restroom on Don's jet!

When she was in one of these moods back in Connecticut, Gabriella would steal herself up to her attic. She would spend hours up there thinking, dreaming, planning, sometimes enacting the musicals she loved so much! The professor had even given her discarded world maps from the college to give her more places to 'visit'! He encouraged her imagination and even tried to get her to write about some of the places she drempt about. But, writing down her thoughts bored her since it took too much time. Her mind worked far too fast for her to even type it out. No, it was far more engaging to dream about these foriegn lands than to chronical her thoughts. The attic became her little world to get away from the stresses of leading a life of recluse.

The only stress she actually had back in Connecticut was that she was so house-bound. The backyard was large enough to exercise in, but the bushes weren't tall enough along the side to keep away the prying eyes of neighbors. Only at night could she venture out there. The professor's rules, again. Maybe that was the stress she had; all his rules. His paranoia, his fear of her being found out! She had accustomed herself to deal with it over the years, but she remembered too well as a teenager how stifling that lifestyle was for her. She could go out in public, but she was forced to wear that cape, the cape that Don took from her and hidden - or threw away. Whatever he did with it, she no longer had it as her safety net. Gabriella momentarily felt her face hot with anger over what he had done! She ran faster still through the woods!

She missed the professor terribly, but over the course of one day she was realizing how much freedom she was enjoying being with Don! What a contradiction. One minute she was terrified of him, loathing his harshness, angry with him for taking her away from the professor and her home. Then, in the next moment she was appreciating him. What was with that, anyway? That stopped her in her tracks. What was she thinking that she could actually get away from here on her own? What was she doing out here in the woods? It would only be a matter of minutes before Don realized she had hoodwinked him. More than likely, by now he had figured it out! What little she knew about Don, he would not be too amused with her! He would search for her until he had successfully tracked her down. Gabriella was smart enough to recognize that attribute in him!

It was then that she asked herself, if she did in deed manage to get off of Mike's property, where would she go? She was three thousand miles from Connecticut and not a dime in her pocket! It also occured to her that she was now lost!

Gabriella turned around and saw nothing but trees, big trees at that! And it was heavily shadowed because the tops of the redwoods blocked out most of the sunlight! She turned a three-sixty and realized to her horror that she didn't even know what way she had come from! " Great!" she groaned,"I'm lost! How could I be so...." then, she heard voices! Her heart leaped in excitement and then plumeted when she realized it was Don's voice and he was not necessarily very happy at the moment. He was calling for her! She turned around and faced the direction the voices were coming from. Someone else was with Don, she could hear a different voice, and it seemed to be trying to convince Don of something. Mike? She panicked!

What would Don do to her when he found her? She wanted to be found, but not necessarily by him. Not with the way he handled her willfulness back in Connecticut and when they first landed in San Jose. Quickly, Gabriella ran to her right, remembering that she had walked in a straight line out towards the forest. She knew from the sound of the voices where Mike's property was and that it went pretty far west in that direction. So she decided that if she ran horizontal to it and then head back, she would find the perimeter fence. Hopefully, she would make it back before those tracking her would find her!

She took off, trying not to make any noise. The needles on the forest floor softened her steps, so that helped. She ran faster, leaping over fallen logs like the deer she saw last evening. The voices seemed farther away behind her, but their intensity seemed to have picked up. Had they heard her? She ran faster still! It would have been easy to panic at that point, but finally after about ten minutes, Gabriella slowed down. She wasn't winded, but she realized that she may have overshot Mike's property. "Darn!" she complained. " Now I'm more lost than before!" The voices behind her were silent. She couldn't hear them anymore and she wondered if maybe they had gone the other way, thinking she had double backed.



Because the interior of the forest obscured the sun, Gabriella didn't know how much time had gone by. For a while, she had wandered around, hoping to get her bearings. She'd look up at the trees, trying to determine if it was true that moss grew on the north side of them. What she found was, moss grew wherever it wanted to when there was continuous shade! It was a frustrating discovery at best. Finally, Gabriella decided to just sit in one spot and hope that, evenutally, she would be found! At that point, she didn't care if it was Don!

She had been sitting on the log for quite a while. She was getting hungry, so she assumed it was around lunch time. There were birds chirping and a couple of squirrels were playing hide and seek along the sides of a large tree. Gabriella was anxious to be found, but she was also enjoying the solitude. She was calmer, now, albeit somewhat worried about her predictament. She scolded herself for being so obstinent.

" What is it about me, anyway?" she silently asked herself. " Why do I rebel all the time?"

She was giving herself a royal tongue lashing, getting up at one point to kick at a pinecone in frustration! She knew, and there was no question about it, that the professor had given in to her too many times. Gabriella would get him to comply with her demands and then, after the fact, she would chastise herself for being so stubborn. Still, her self flagellation never did much to discourage her the next time they had a meeting of wills!

After a time, Gabriella realized that the forest had become quiet! The birds had stopped their singing and the squirrels had disappeard up the large tree they were playing in. The back of her neck bristled, as if she felt eyes upon her. Gabriella stiffened. Was that a movement to the left? She didn't look at it, but allowed her peripheral vision to see. No, that was another stump, but resting against a tree. Or, was it? Stupid shadows, she couldn't tell a stump from a bear out in this darkly shadowed forest. She stood up and stretched, casually turning around as if working the kinks out of her. As she did so, she surveyed her immediate area. Remaining outwardly calm, she saw something that was not there before.

"Hmmmm...." she thought to herself. " If Don wanted to really scare me he'd sit beyond the shadows and ....what? What could he do then?" He could let her imagination do whatever it took to terrorize her, that's what he could do. And, for a moment, her imagination was working full throttle!! She decided to concentrate on getting back to the house.

" Okay, if I was walking towards the house from where I had been, and then turned right as I faced it and then turned left, I should at least come to the cliff side of the property! " She spoke aloud softly, only to try to break up the deep quiet of the woods.

Seeing the coastline up this high would be a treat, but she would much prefer just getting back to the house - Don and all! She was getting really hungry by now and figured it must be past lunch time. Golly, had she been out in the forest that long already?

Then, no sooner had she turned towards what she thought would be the cliff area, she saw it. Standing about fifty yards from her, beautiful and tawny, was a moutain lion!! It saw her equally as well, too, as if it had been stalking her! Gabriella was mesmerized by it's beauty, but then it snarled and started walking towards her. She was instantly alarmed!

Gabriella might have been house-bound in Connecticut, but she had studied enough about wildlife from the professor to know that this creature was not to be fooled with. Her time in Montana had also educated her that wildlife was indeed what it was - wild!

She quickly looked around for some makeshift weapon. She spied a branch that had fallen from a smaller redwood. It was big enough to offer her protection but not so heavy that she couldn't handle it. The staff-like branch was relatively straight, given a few bumps here and a slight curve there, and was approximately five feet in length. Gabriella picked it up quickly and felt it's weight. She could manage it, wrapping her fingers easily around it for purchase. She pointed it at the animal, which had adavnced to half the distance from her than it orignally was. She yelled at the cat and made like she was going to toss the staff at it. The creature stood it's ground, obviously not impressed. It growled at Gabriella again and resumed it's advance upon her.

So, she stooped down, not taking her eyes off the lion, and picked up a pinecone. She threw it at the animal. The cone smacked it square on the nose and the animal took off, but it stopped after about 10 yards. It was too interested in her to be thwarted by a simple pine cone! The cat turned again and this time seemed determined to advance more quickly in her direction. Gabriella was ready, terrified, but ready just the same! Holding the staff in both hands, raising it at an angle above her head and a little behind her, she was poised. Her heart pounded as if it would jump clear out of her chest. But, she was hoping to, at the very least, hit the cat hard enough to discourage it from any further attack!

Just as she thought the beast was going to lunge, something whizzed by her head and smacked into it, bringing the animal to the forest floor with a dull thud! It didn't move.

Gabriella just stood there staring and trembling, frozen in a combined state of terror, surprise, and amazement. Still poised with the stick, she waited for the animal to get up, but the thing that had hit it had taken out part of it's head! It was gross, but she realized the animal was dead and for that she was grateful.

" You alright?" a voice asked as it ran past her to inspect it's kill. It was the one who had been with Don on the patio. Mike, Gabriella thought weakly.

Gabriella couldn't talk, couldn't move, she was paralyzed with fright. She had been ready to defend her life, but considering her current mental state, she would have been that animals next meal if it hadn't had been for Mike!

" That guy's been harrassing my property for weeks. Good that you found 'em, Gabby!" Mike said smiling. He had his weapon, now retrieved from the body of the lion. It looked like two round sticks, each about two inches across and about twelve inches long, hooked together with a chain. The sticks were lightly stained with the lion's blood.

" Hey," he asked, concerned as he walked up to her, " You okay?" Mike could see that Gabriella was not responding to him. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. He stood before her, he was about her height, and waved his right hand in front of her face. She blinked.

"I think I need to sit down" she said weakly and that's what she did, shaking as she sat on the forest floor. She didn't let go of the staff, though, but hugged it to her defensively. Looking around as if she expected another cat, or worse - Don, she squeaked out, " How'd you find me?"

" Oh, we found you a while ago. Just waiting for you to decide to come home, s'all!" Mike answered as he wiped the blood off the sticks with some leaves he had picked up. As he did so, he watched her and smiled.

She heard the word, 'We', but then realized what else Mike had just said. Gabriella turned towards him and just stared. Finally, collecting her wits, she asked, getting a bit riled at the thought, "You mean - all this time that - thing - was stalking me, you were .... watching?!"

Mike laughed, slapping his thigh, "Yep! Pretty entertaining, too!" and laughed some more.

"Well," Gabriella said sarcastically, struggling to stand up, " I'm glad I could be the movie of the week for you!" and started off indignantly back to where she thought the house was!

Mike stepped quickly, reaching out and grabbing her arm, turning her around, "Whoa, young lady, wrong way! The house is in this direction! Follow me!" he smiled and pulled her to the left. "Pretty easy to get spun around in this place. Need a good sense of where-yer-at! And, that would be me!"

"I thought your house was in the other direction?" Gabriella asked, looking back, as he led her quite firmly by her forearm. She noticed the strength in his hand and he barely had a grip on her as it was! Finally, after Mike was convinced she would not bolt, he let go of her and gave her a cheerful smile, taking the lead.

Gabriella followed this strange brother of Don's. He was certainly more upbeat, that was for sure! She noticed he didn't make a sound as he walked along the forest floor. either! Her steps were quiet, but there was some padding noises left in her wake. Yet, Mike almost moved like he was floating!! Gabriella was also impressed with how he took out that cat. " What are those things called?" she asked regarding the sticks.

"Oh, these?" he held up the chained sticks, " Nunchukas! Their my 'weapon' of choice!" and he sniggered at her!

Gabriella had to laugh at the way he degraded what was most certainly a dangerous article of violence. " You use it very well!" she commended appreciatively.

" Well thanky, ma'am! Glad ya' noticed!" and he sped up the pace a bit. Gabby noticed that his shell was quite interesting, but it was marked with obvious strikes from a sharp instrument, like a sword! His arms were similarly decorated and she wondered what in the world did he do to earn such scars!

After a while, Gabriella could hear other voices again and so she unconsciously slowed down. Though she had become somewhat accepting of Don, the very idea of socialising with a whole group like himself was just not in Gabriella's game plan for the moment! She was still freaked out by Riahna and whatever it was that Don did to warrant having bloody sword in the guest house!

Mike could sense she had fallen further back from him, so he turned around to face her, allowing her to slowly catch up with him. " Waz' up, Gabby?" he asked, concerned.

She looked past him towards the sound of voices. At first she didn't want to say, not sure if she could maintain control of the panic that was now growing at an alarming rate. She asked softly, her voice nearly quivering with anxiety, "Is Don there or has he been following us, too?" She looked dreadful to Mike, like she mortally feared his brother. He approached her calmly, smiling big.

"Hey, don't go getting all worried about Donny!" he teased, " He's just a serious kind of guy and he takes his responsiblities - well - seriously! He made a promise to your professor and he wants to stick with it!" Mike explained, his hands on his hips. Then, he came closer and with a softened fatherly voice, he gave Gabriella some advice, his expression a bit more serious than before, " Let me tell you sum'thin, Sweetheart, you go sneaking off again like you did this morning and that'll get his goat faster than a butcher! Know what I mean? You follow his rules, and he'll be as happy as a clam and so will you! Go doing your own thing outside of those rules, well, just know that I warned you! Okay?!" Mike paused for emphesis. Then added, " Don can be a real lot of fun, has a great sense of humor, but as I said, you are his responsibility and he won't quit or give up on you! Just stick to the program and you and he will get along just fine!" Then, he brightened and added one more thought with a toothy smile, " By the way, the next time you see a floral display, don't go mess'n with the rocks!" and he laughed big at that and motioned for her to come along with him, leading the way.

Gabriella's face flushed. She hesitated momentarily, realizing that her fear of everyone knowing about Riahna chewing her out was realized. But when Mike looked back at her and smiled, she figured that it must not be that bad. She resumed her march behind him.

As she trailed him, she asked, " You didn't tell me if Don was following us!" But Mike was either too busy humming the song he had started a moment ago, or he chose to ignore her. Gabriella figured that Don was nearby somewhere, watching. It made her very uneasy and it did nothing to quell the knot in her stomach.

She looked around as she followed Mike, the voices getting louder. Finally, like the Biblical parting of the Red Sea, Mike's estate opened up before her. It was a sight for sore eyes. She nearly collapsed from the stress - and hunger - of spending nearly the entire day in the forest. Yet, she still felt that someone was watching her from behind and it unnerved her a lot!

As she followed Mike over the perimeter redwood fence, like the one she went under several hours earlier, she realized that it was well past noon and she was more than hungry, she was famished. She could smell food and that got her stomach churning. But she was thirsty as well. Mike went over to a table and took a glass, downing it's contents readily. He winked at Gabby and then moved off to stand next to someone she couldn't quite make out for the bushes that grew along that side of the patio.

As Gabriella approached the patio area, she finally noticed the people sitting around it. There was Riahna, busy with another floral project. Fortunately, the girl was too involved with her design to notice her, which was just as well!

Then, there was a young male who was catching the last few rays of the sun in one of the chaise lounges. He had a book over his face as if he were sleeping. He, too, sported one of those weird tails and blue hair! Must be one of Mike and Rahab's kids, like Riahna! She couldn't discern how old he was, but he seemed adult age. Gabby cringed inside at the sight of him.

What she saw next was a blue haired humanoid reptile like Riahan, but just a bit different, who appeared to be female by her physical shape. She must have been Rahab, based on what Gabriella had learned back in Connecticut when she ate at the Blue Pelican. Mike was off to one side of her, watching her and apparently waiting for something. What, Gabriella didn't know, but he had that look which said something big was about to happen.

Rahab then asked her, " Are you thirsty, dear? You want some lemonaide?" The iguanioid female was quite pretty, all things considered, and she sported one of those tails, too. Her facial features were a little more pronounced than her children's, though. Gabriella figured that Mike's 'imput' with the genetic attributes had influenced his kids' overall physical appearance. Riahna's and the young male in the chaise lounge had rounder faces, somewhat like Mike's - and Don's, for that matter! But, Riahna seemed leaner than her brother, somewhat similar to her mother's lithe built. Overall, Riahna was quite pretty to look at.

" Yes, please!" Gabriella replied to Rahab's offer and eagerly took the drink from her. Gabriella downed it readily and then gave it back, not expecting a refill, but that's what Rahab did. Not wanting to be rude, but most certainly not wanting to resist more of the same, Gabriella emptied that glass just as fast. She thanked her hostess and went to sit down on one of the chairs. That was when she realized how tired she was. She started to get up from the chair to go back to the guest cottage. She was exhausted from her outing and needed a nap.

As Gabriella was walking towards the little house, she heard someone tell her to stop! Gabriella recognized the voice - it was Don's!

He emerged from the forest, not looking one bit happy! Gabriella stood stock still, terrified by the expression on his face. It was even worse than what she remembered on the plane back in Connecticut! She didn't know what to do, but she thought of running to the cottage and locking herself inside. Gabriella was fast - faster than Don or Raph had expected, actually - and she remembered how easily she eluded them back in Connecticut. She subtly shifted her position to make for the guest house, but as she started to move, Don instantly interpreted, almost shouting, " Don't even think you can make it! Just stay where you are!" She froze!

That had everyone looking up, but for Riahna. Devon took the magazine off his face and sat up to see what was going on. Mike had moved over to Rahab and rested his arm across the back of her shoulders affectionately. They stood side by side observing Don advancing on Gabriella. Mike only said, " She's in for it now! I think she would have had a better chance with that couger!!" and smiled.

Rahab punched him one in his plastron, not happy with the amusement he was getting out of his niece's predictament, " That couger should have been enough punishment!"

Mike just sniggered, "Naw, not even close!" Then, he walked towards Don.

Don was passed the point of angry - he was livid! His eyes glared at the red haired annoyance that had caused him to waste much of the day looking for her. He had that sword with him, too!!

Gabriella froze in her track, her eyes wide in abject fear - terrified of what Don was going to do - whatever that was. How much of what Mike told her was bluff and how much was true? What did he imply about warning her? What horrible thing could Don do to her? After all, the professor had put a lot of faith in him to take care of her, albeit she hadn't made it too easy for him. To hurt her would be counter productive, at least that was her reasoning! Still, that look he gave Gabriella nearly had her on the brink of hysteria! "So much for getting used to these creatures!", she choked silently.

Don's steps were determined and sure as he came right towards Gabriella. He tossed the hilt end of the sword to Mike, who deftly took it and headed to the cottage, passing Gabriella with it. As he made his way by her, he whispered to her, " No talking back to him, if you want to see tomorrow!"

Gabriella cringed inside as Don closed in on her position. She tried not to cower at his approach, but she couldn't help but lower her head out of reflex. He suddenly grabbed her by her right arm and hoisted her up on her toes. Then, he marched her forcibly towards the house and then through the opened sliding door, practically dragging her. She still had her staff, amazingly enough, despite the walk back through the forest. She tried to put it down, but he ordered her, "You're going to need it, Gabby!" he growled, continuing to looking straight ahead.

She was getting pretty peeved at everyone shortening her name! Only the professor had rights to that and if one more person called her Gabby, she'd let them have it. Except for Don. Right now, Gabriella wouldn't care what he called her, she was completely intimidated.

He led her through the family room and over to a small hallway. There were three doors in that hallway, one of which he opened up. " Down the steps!! NOW!" he barked.

Wasting no time, Gabriella shot through the doorway, not knowing what to expect. But it was certain, she did not want to stand there and argue with Don! The look on his face was terrifying and he meant business!

She took two steps at a time. It was dark and she started to panic. She hated the dark and what was worse, she didn't know where the floor was. But with Don right behind her, she didn't dare stop! All of a sudden, she felt the steps level out as they ended and she almost fell flat on her face. The staff she was carrying fortunately caught the floor and kept her upright. Then, the lights went on and she could see for the first time what the room was.

It was a gym! A very large gym, but a gym nonetheless. However, as Gabriella's vision sharpened with the sudden light, she noticed along the stair wall, a series of large open and shallow storage shelves. Despite her predictament, the items in the shelves piqued her curiousity. Collecting herself and knowing that Don had just come off the last step of the stairs, she slowly walked over to it. What she saw were nunchukas like what Mike had used to kill the couger, more swords like what Don had tossed to Mike a moment before, some strange three pronged fork weapon - which looked hideous to her, and an assortment of knives and metal stars. There were different swords that had simple hilts and others that were more elaborate. There was also staffs much like the one she was carrying, but more refined and beautiful. Don watched her. He watched for the realization to hit her. It didn't take long.

Remembering the few Asian movies she had watched in the past, Gabriella, in a whispered voice that almost choked, cried out, " You are ninja!" and from the sheer exhaustion of her ordeal and stress that day, collapsed in a heap to the floor.

She woke up lying down on her back on a mat, her head slightly elevated with a small pillow, her face up! Gabriella opened her eyes and wondered where she was. Then, she remembered and she noticed Don sitting up next to her on the right. She watched him. She watched him for the longest time and noticed that his face seemed peaceful. He was in deep concentration, his eyes were closed. His breathing was steady and slow, like he was sleeping. Don's legs were crossed under him and he had his hands laying across his lap. His back was straight. He also had his coat off! She noticed that an ugly scar ran haphazardly down one arm. It made her wince, thinking of the kind if injury it must have been to have made it. Maybe that's why Don always wore a coat, Gabriella thought!

She did not want to disturb him, but she realized she had to visit the restroom. Carefully, she surveyed the gym, looking for anything that appeared to be a bathroom door. She spied something that might be it and tried to roll away from Don..... only - he grabbed her - and hard, too!

" Hey! Wow, you startled me!" she complained.

" Too bad! Where were you going to?" he damanded.

" I have to go, okay?" she replied

He stared intently at her, then stated, " The last time you 'went', you 'left'! And not the conventional way, either." his steely gaze cut right through her! Finally, he pointed, "Over there, that second door. And there's no window to climb out of, so you can take your time!" he growled.

Gabriella got up and backed away from him, finally turning and making for the bathroom.

She did what she had to do, but then hesitated before leaving the room. She was mortally fearful of Don - more now that ever before! She wanted to return to Connecticut, but she was way out in California with no money and no transportation. Even if she did manage to get off the property, she had little confidence in herself to even make it to that little town before getting picked up by either Don or Mike - or worse!. Her emotions started up again within her, but she pushed it back down just as fast. Considering Don's revulsion to tears, crying would do her little good.

A few minutes later, she reemerged, but she was still famished. " I'm kind of hungry." Gabriella stated," Can I get something to eat, first?" She was famished, but she also hoped to distract whatever punishment Don had in store for her.

" No, we have work to do." he answered her flatly, standing up.

" Wouldn't we 'work' better after eating?" she parlayed.

" No!" he said sternly. There was to be no arguing with him. Gabriella's stomach growled, but she tried to ignore it. She asked meekly," What kind of work are we going to do, then?"

" You are going to work, I'm going to direct you! Go grab that staff you brought in with you!" he replied harshly.

She was standing about eight feet from him and decided she had had enough of being bossed around. She gathered her courage, her rage gaining strength. She was tired of being afraid. She blurted out defiantly, " You know, just yell at me or something, but quit telling me what to do!"

Next thing she knew, she was face down on the floor, her nose pressed into the hardwood and his knee in her back. "OW!!" she complained. " Get off of me!!" she wailed. He complied and hoisted her up fast. She backed away from him, rubbing her face, " What'd you do that for?"

" Why did you yell at me?" he asked calmly.

" Because I'm tired of being bossed around, that's why!!" she yelled again.

For a second time, she was face down on the floor, his knee hard in her back. How'd she get there so fast? He was then hoisting her up before she could complain.

" Why did you yell at me?" he asked again, a bit more pointedly.

Gabriella was getting really concerned now. Don was so quick! How she hit the floor so fast she couldn't figure out. She looked at him and he was looking right at her, but the look was amazingly calm. She answered meekly, cowed to near submission, " Because I'm angry!" and she took a few quick steps away from him, considerably afraid of him.

He smiled, " Good!"

She was confused. " What? My answer or what I just did?" she questioned.

" Both. You're indentifying with how you feel and you used a respectful tone. Plus, you're learning to discern my actions." Don answered. " Now, go get your staff!"

Gabriella was tired of seeing the floor up close and personal, so she skirted around Don and picked up her staff, not taking her eyes off of him. She noticed in that moment that he, too, had a staff, but it was from the equipment box along the wall. She wondered why he would have one.

No sooner did she wonder that, when he came at her, his bo held up over his head at an angel, aiming to hit her. She screamed, thought of running but realized it would have been too late. So she bought her staff up over her head in defense, holding it in across in front of her horizontally, closing her eyes and grimacing in anticipation. Don's staff came down at half strength and connected with her bo. Even though he had held back, the force of Don's hit sent a numbing vibration through the staff, smarting Gabriella's hands and sending her flying backwards and down on her posterior. She skidded about eight feet away before stopping. It had all happened so fast!

She screamed at him, " WHAT ARE YOU DOING - YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!"

" Good deflect, Gabby!" and he turned away to set up another run at her. She immediately got up and tried to walk off the floor, but he grunted and aimed his bo at her, shaking his head 'No'. He pointed the bo back to where she had been. Gabriella hesitated, Don glared, she moved back. " Now, let's do that again!" he instructed.

" Let's not and say we did, okay?!! " she countered angrily.

. He smiled. Despite how annoyed he was with her, he appreciated her spunk, but he wasn't going to give in. He proceeded to direct her hands with his words, instructing her on how to hold the bo. Don told Gabriella where to place her feet and sternly said for her to not to close her eyes. "When you fail to see your enemy, he can defeat you easily. Keep your eyes on me and stay focused!"

He charged again and she hesitated as before, wanting to run! But, she put her hands up with the staff in defense as he connected. This time, she kept her sights on him and, though she fell backwards once again, she did not skid as far this time. He had her do this routine many more times until she stood her ground. However, in frustration at being forced to something against her will, she finally declared, "I've had enough! This is ridiculous! What are you trying to do? "

"Train you, Gabby!!" was his reply. "Train you to have self control, self confidence, and to not be a burden!"

" I am not a burden!" she shot back irritably. " I was forced to come here, remember?!!"

Don just looked at her, " That's not what I meant. The burden is how you react to everything and your inability to protect yourself! That 'cat' would have had you for lunch if Mike and I weren't watching out for you! You had no business going into that forest alone!" he was getting mad, now, his voice raising, " And locking that bathroom door was irresponsible! I really thought that something had happened to you!! I had to break it down to get it opened!! " He glared at her and she recoiled.

"I guess only Raphael can open locked doors, huh?!" she said sarcastically.

Don glared at her, stating, "That's NOT the point I'm trying to make!" Finally, he calmed down, saying, " Gabby, I can't really blame you for behaving the way you do. I guess if any of us were prisoners in our own home..."

" I was not a prisoner!! Don't go calling me that!" Gabriella yelled, " and for your information my name is GabRiEllA! " She was near the edge, now, emotionally and not too sure she could hold back the deluge. Gabriella was tired, cranky, most certainly hungry, stressed beyond her limits, in a strange environment, and surrounded by people more different than she. It wasn't what she was used to; her comfort zone was completely gone! " I want to call the professor!" she demanded loudly, near to crying despite Don's revulsion to her tears.

" Can't, he's in surgery!" Don explained, his voice calm again.

Gabriella was alarmed, " Surgery? I thought he was just going for treatment?!"

" That was the treatment. He didn't want you to worry!" Don said, his voice soft. "You'll be able to call him tomorrow, but right now he can't have any calls. " he paused, and then said, " Why don't we call it quits for now, okay. We'll resume tomorrow morning."

" No, I don't want any more of this. No way...." and she threw her staff down onto the gym floor and walked towards the stairs.

Don beat her to it so fast, it was like one minute the path was empty the next he was standing in front of her, " Let me explain something to you, Gabriella, the 'arts is not something for fun, it's something for survival. Looking the way you do, without some way of defending yourself, you're the perfect target! The reason why my brothers, their children, and I can walk among humans, is because of our training!"

" You mean because you're ninja!" Gabriella sneered. He grabbed her face, gently, but firmly, and held it so she was forced to look at him. Her eyes widened in surprise and trepidation as he leaned in close to her. She could feel his breath on her face as he spoke to her.

" Do not let some Hollywood production that falsely portray us determine for you what we are. You have ninja blood in you from both your parents! It is in you as surely as it is in Mike's kids, Raph's kids, and Leo's son! Whether you like it or not, you are part of this CLAN and as co-leader of this clan, I will train you until I feel you can effectively handle any attack that may come your way! " He stared hard at her, his eyes piercing right through her - or though it seemed!.

Gabriella was stunned. "What did he say? In my blood, both my parents?" she thought to herself. " W- What do you mean? " she asked Don, her composure close to collapse. She didn't necessarily wanted to know, but the question could not be contained.

Don explained gently, but firmly, " You were born ninja, Gabriella! That can't be stopped or changed. You have the temperament and the natural gift for it, but not the training! That's one of the reasons why the professor handed you over to us. He couldn't manage you anymore!" He paused, then added, " But - WE can!" The emphesis on the last few words were said with severe intent. There was strength behind them and it was obvious Don meant every word!

Gabriella just stared. Her heart raced and her breathing became shallow. She felt faint, her head started to spin. Don grabbed her as her eyes rolled back in her head and she went limp. Then she was out. She was just too stressed.

Don sighed, not sure if telling her all of that was wise, but what was done was done. He carried her up the stairs. She was going to be more work than he had thought!