Gabby found six tiny cameras. She went over to the equipment wall and took one of the bows. She then went over to one of the cameras, stood on her tip toes for more height, and poked the dimple gently. She then carefully tapped the surrounding area and noticed a different sound.
"HA!" she declared!
Then Gabby realized that her amusement level was at an all time low. Shaking her head, she looked back at the camera. If not for her self control and fear of what would have happened, she wanted to stick her tongue out! But, she did nothing.
Once she had the Bo in her hand, Gabby decided to work with it. At least she could be doing something constructive. She was somewhat weakened with the scant amount of food that had been offered her. Yet, doing something.....anything.....to ease the boredom was better than sitting on the floor listening to her stomach grumble.
Starting with the Bo, Gabby swiftly put it through its paces. Under the watchful eye of Leo, she had kept to the rhythm and pace that he had dictated to her. Now, there was no one to tell Gabby what to do with it and she decided to see how fast and hard she could actually work it.
Don was watching the monitor. He had not seen Gabby work anything yet as he had been gone the first two weeks of her training. The moment his niece started to swing and jab the Bo around, he sucked in his breath and whistled. Raph came in to see what was going on and nodded, "Yep, she's a natural!"
"Leo said she was quite proficient, but I never imagined she was this good!" Don exclaimed as he was transfixed with what he was watching on the view screen. "Gad, can she work it!"
Gabby moved feverishly, imagining Jason receiving the damaging end of the staff. She parlayed as if he was trying to come back with equal force, which only intensified her return. She swung it around to sweep his 'legs', and then brought the Bo back to her quickly. She took it behind her just as fast, adjusted her hold as she then brought it over her head to crush his skull. In a split second, she leaped up and did a forward mid-air somersault to land opposite of the imaginary Jason, deftly sweeping the staff horizontally one-handed as if smacking him across the backside. The exercise did much to expend the pent up anger she was harboring. But, it only scratched the surface. In her mind, all she was doing was bruising him. So, she decided to take up a more formidable weapon - the Sais.
This time, Don let out a whoop as he watched Gabby parlay the Sais. He saw her swift lethal intent, wondering how Leo or Mike had been able to teach her it so soon. Mike came into join Don and Raph and noticed the monitor. "Wow, she must really be ticked off!" he commented.
"Yep, sure looks like it!" Raph concurred.
"Why? Isn't this how she's been working" Don asked, looking back at his brother.
"Well....not that hard or fast. She's out for blood!" Mike commented, his brows furrowing as he watched an apparently very angry Gabriella.
Gabby stabbed the imaginary Jason several times and then many more times after that, seasoned now and then with a few hard kicks. Her expression was hard and serious. Her intensity increased, but there just wasn't any satisfaction. Finally, she remembered the punching bags! They were rock hard, but she was able to manipulate them quite well with hand to hand combat during her training. She placed the Sais on the floor and went to activate the wall to expel the bag.
With her first kick, Gabby managed to actually get the bag clear over the top of the support beam. However, it hit the edge of it and bounced back toward the left and swung down at a right angle to her. Gabby was not expecting it and it slammed into her left shoulder, sending her sprawling to the right along the floor. Angrier than she had been before, she leaped up to a stand and came back to the bag full force. Doing a three-sixty, Gabby jump-kicked the bag with her left foot and sending it back up and to the right. It came over at her quickly in an awkward circle, but she was ready for it. Swiftly taking up the Sais from the floor and in a blinding single moment, she did a forward thrust with the weapons. She quickly impaled the rock-hard punching bag with both Sais - stopping its trajectory.
A wave of satisfaction swept through her as she felt the initial resistance and then surrender of the material as the Sais penetrated fully. She stood there and observed the weapons as they stuck out of the bag, wondering if Jason's torso would have been as hard to impale. Then, with her energies sapped from the strenuous workout and weakened by her lack of food, Gabby sank to the floor. An intense flood of nausea overcame her and Gabby thought she was going to be sick. Looking back at the bag and recapping the last forty minutes, Gabby finally realized what Don had been talking about. She was more than a match in strength and skill with Jason. She could have easily killed him in that car! As she thought about it, she remembered deliberately holding back when she initially flat-handed him in the face! She had been shocked when she saw how hard he bounced into his seat and against the door! He had proved to be no match in resistance to her! Gabby felt ashamed that she had used her skills to injure! She could have easily just taken his wrists and held him indefinitely. However, understanding the immediate threat to her honor and not having enough experience using her new skills in the 'real' world, she had overreacted. Yet, she tempered her personal chastisement. Jason had no business doing what he did and deserved some sort of rebuttal from her. Still, maybe Don could help her learn how to disarm and dissuade without injury.
Gabby thought back to the karaoke bar and how Seth had impressed upon one of the patrons to not touch him. No injury was sustained by the man, but he knew immediately to back off when Seth had grabbed his wrist. It was painful at best with no bones or skin broken in the process. However, even with the way Seth demonstrated a non-injury hold, Gabby felt Jason still might have used Gabby's response to his advantage. But, would Mike had believed him if there hadn't have been so obvious an injury to Jason as the broken nose? It was a moot point since that was not what happened. The nose was evidence that Gabby had indeed injured him. Would he sue Mike? Any one else might have, but Mike was wise in giving Jason time off and with pay, no less. Hopefully, Jason's long-standing relationship with him would defuse any interest in that area.
Don watched the monitor as his niece slumped to the floor. He watched as she looked back at the bag. He was very adept at discerning body language and in that moment he saw the look of horror on her face. Not knowing exactly what had motivated the force of her workout, he had a pretty good bet it was one of two things - Jason or him. Since Jason was the reason she was in this situation in the first place, he reasoned that it was more than likely the boy. Don leaned into the monitor and adjusted the viewing angle with the toggle on the camera control. He zoomed in on Gabby's face and saw anguish. "Good!" he thought to himself.
Raph came in after taking a break. "Hey, what's happen'n? Has she quit working?"
Don replied, "Gabby's realizing something very important about why she's down there!" He continued to watch as she stood up.
Gabby tried to remove the Sais from the punching bag, but they were held fast by the sturdy material. She yanked harder, pushing against the bag with one hand as she pulled one of the Sais in the opposite direction. The bag moved around, pulling her with it, but the weapons remained fast.
Don had to smile at her, the look of frustration clearly evident on her face. It seemed comical to him, watching Gabby get pulled around. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the bag refused to give up the Sais.
Gabby looked around, realizing in self consciousness that the cameras might be taking in everything - which they were! But, unable to remove the weapons, Gabby admitted defeat and sat back down on the floor. She hugged herself and dropped her head into her chest in the familiar pose she took when she cried.
Her back was to the camera, now, but Don saw her shoulders shudder in response to her sobs. It was Tuesday morning and the time to release her was at hand. But, Don would do it himself. It had been the hardest act of discipline he had yet to impose upon her. He had not really wanted to 'banish' her, but collectively he and his brothers knew it was necessary. After Raph's imprisonment decades ago after killing someone and maiming others, then losing his fortune in a seemingly endless cycle of litigations, they couldn't let Gabby off with just a warning. Mike or Don could lose everything just based on who and what they were if Jason took Gabby's assault on him to court! Worse, her one act alone could seriously endanger the equality with humans they all enjoyed.
Gabby heard the upstairs door open, just as she was trying for the third time to remove the Sais from the punching bag. She worked furiously, but to no avail. She sat down on the floor, defeated and chastised before Don entered the gymnasium room. Gabby wanted to cry, but she held herself in check.
Don looked at the punching bag and then over at his niece. "Been busy?" he asked coolly.
Gabby didn't say anything at first; her thoughts were on the cameras and knowing he had probably seen everything. "Guess so. "She replied feebly. She looked up at him and felt his condemning gaze. She looked back down, unable to face it.
Don walked over to the bag and easily removed the Sais.
She stared at him in disbelief.
Don saw the look of surprise on Gabby's face and told her, "You tried too hard!" Then, he offered her his hand to help her up. Gabby thought about not taking it, but decided that she wasn't in a position to get stubborn. She was hungry, tired of the gym, and she missed being around her family. She took his hand and felt him effortlessly pull her up to a stand. They stood there silent for a few moments; she looking down at the floor and Don looking at her. He wanted very much to hug her right then to reassure her that just because she had messed up, it did not lessen the importance she had within the family. Still, he had a great responsibility to ensure her obedience.
"Gabby, the hardest thing for us to do was to implement this punishment. But, as I said Saturday afternoon, we cannot afford to allow anyone to violate the 'no harm' rule! There are no exceptions!"
Gabby nodded, though she still felt that Jason deserved it.
"During the three days that you were in here, did you come to any conclusions about your actions?" Don asked quietly.
She had thought long and hard about that. Gabby knew she could have severely injured Jason, whether he deserved it or not. It would have been disastrous for everyone if that had happened. She replied, her voice soft and contrite, "I could have killed him."
"Yes, you could have." Don agreed, and then added, "But you didn't. Still, Jason would have a legal right to take this assault to court... you know that, don't you?"
Gabby nodded meekly, "Yes."
"Mike, and even I, could stand to lose a great deal - not only in wealth, but in our reputation and peace of mind! The Clan has worked very hard over the past few decades to develop a positive reputation among humans. One act alone can ruin all that we have accomplished." He let the last sentence work on Gabby. He saw one tear run down her face and he knew he had scored. " Now from this moment on, you will not talk in this room. If you need to say something, you will raise your hand. One word from you to me outside of that and you will do fifty pushups. Any sign of insubordination and you will do fifty more pushups. If I feel that you have overstated your insubordination, I will stop the training and you will remain in this room until the next day as you have for the past three - but with no food! Do you understand?"
Gabby swallowed and said contritely, "Yes."
"Also, all questions will be answered 'yes' or 'no' unless I request otherwise." Don added. He sighed, hating to be so tough with her, but from what he had seen from the monitor, she needed to be hobbled in spirit. Not broken, but certainly contained. He remembered Splinter doing as much with Raphael when he was an adolescent. The difference then was that Raphael loved Splinter as if he was his own father and the discipline was matched with his brother's obedience. How Gabby would respond where she had only been here at Mike's for three weeks would be interesting at the very least.
"Now," Don said," Rahab has fixed lunch and the rest of the family is waiting for you to join them."
Gabby raised her hand.
Don asked, "You wish to say something?"
She nodded her head. "Okay, you may speak."
"Do you want to know what really happened?" she asked, sheepishly looking up at her uncle.
"At this point it would be a mute understatement, regardless of your reasons for hitting Jason. If he chooses to go straight to litigation, his injuries alone could land you in jail! I think it wouldn't matter what 'really' happened. Now, lunch is waiting!" And he stood off to one side, sweeping his right arm towards the stairs, imploring Gabby to use them.
The mood around the table was subdued, but not completely quiet. Riahna was talking with Don, telling him about all the fun she had at the beach the weekend before. She talked about how she and Gabby had gone swimming together, totally understating the rescue completely. Don knew the details, but chose to go along with his young niece's perspective.
Gabby ate silently, rarely looking up at anyone. She was famished, but fought to not wolf down her food. No way would she eat as if she were starving. After a while, the food took the edge off of her hunger and then it wasn't such a struggle to eat calmly anymore.
Listening to the less-than-boisterous discussions, Gabby quietly enjoyed being back with the family, but was extremely uncomfortable all at the same time. She chanced to look up at one point and found Raph watching her. Gabby couldn't discern his expression since he didn't have one at the time. It was almost as if he had been looking right through her. She refused to meet his gaze again after that.
The professor was not as talkative as he usually was. Gabby couldn't decide if maybe he was a bit under the weather or maybe as disappointed as everyone else seemed to be with her. She swallowed her frustration back down as she finished the last of her meal. She thought about getting up and leaving for her room, but decided to wait until some of the others started to leave first. From her experience with Leo, she saw the same sensei qualities in Don. No way was she going to invite him to tell her she had to wait for permission to leave.
After a while, most of the family had left the table, except for Don, Gabby, and Devon. Devon and Don were engaged with a discussion on Gaele's recent discovery of a little known gene that seemed promising in bridging the gap between humans and humanoid reptiles. Gabby listened impassively, tired of sitting at the table but not wanting to give Don the opportunity to tell her sit back down.
After a while, Don looked over at Gabby and asked, "Gabby, aren't you tired of sitting at the table?"
She replied in the way she had been told to in the gym, "Yes."
"Then, why don't you leave?" he asked.
"Not sure if I can." she replied.
"You can leave!" he stated sharply.
With that, Gabby stood up and cleared her dishes and took them to the kitchen to rinse them off. Devon watched her and as their eyes met, he shook his head at her as if offended. As quickly as she could, Gabby charged up the stairs and into her room, closing the door sharply. She wanted very much to lock it, but Gabby decided that it wouldn't have been a good idea. Not with how easy it was for everyone to get in regardless.
Her bed felt like heaven! She languished in it for nearly an hour. At times she cried just to release the pent up emotions from her experience. Other times she would get off the bed and look out the window. The sky seemed overcast and threatening to rain. Gabby hoped that it would, but then thought of the professor and knew that Raph or someone would have to fix him his dinner in the guest house. No way could her surrogate father walk the distance to the main house in wet weather!
A knock at the door told Gabby that Don was ready for the afternoon training session. She was already in her dogi and had her hair up in a pony tail. She opened the door and there stood Devon!
"Ah, hi." she said weakly, surprised.
"So, you clobbered Jas, huh?" he said dispassionately.
"Hmmm, yeah." was all she could get out. She felt completely intimidated by her half-brother all over again.
"I saw him yesterday. He's not too happy with you, ya know." Devon said. His eyes were glazed over with disappointment and disgust.
"I'm not too happy with him, either!" Gabby managed to say, her voice a tad edgy.
"I don't understand you, Gabs. Last week he saved your life and this week you thank him by busting his nose up? What gives?" Her brother asked.
Gabby looked at him and decided that someone, anyone, needed to know, "He wanted more payment than I was willing to give!"
"Yeah, right. I know him - he would NOT do that. Not with anyone from this family. He'd know I'd clean the floor up with him and Seth wouldn't rest until his face was a permanent fixture in some wall!" Devon decried.
"Believe what you will. I was there; you and the others were not!" Gabby protested, her voice rising with the last sentence.
Devon sighed and then told her, "Look, regardless, there are better ways to handle situations like that than breaking someone's nose. Maybe when it's my week with you we can go over things like that, eh?" He saw how serious she was and wondered if maybe, just maybe Jason had taken advantage of a situation. He remembered too well the pool parties he would have and how Jas would stare at Gaele. Devon would 'playfully' punch Jason in the arm and tell him his sister was not interested. Gaele never complained or indicated that Jason had done anything to offend her, so Devon let it go and forgot about it.
"I'd appreciate that!" Gabby replied, giving a weak smile. Even though Devon hadn't believed her, at least he was willing to go part way with her. Offering to show her how to protect herself and still stay within the dictates of Clan rules gave her a feeling of hope. The worse part of this whole experience was the people who supposedly loved and cared for her didn't want to know what really happened. How hard would it have been, anyway, for them to listen to her? They could still abide by the rules, they could even have implemented the punishment, but to just listen to her would have made all the difference in the world to Gabby.
Devon nodded, "No problem. Guess you better get going, though. Don did ask me to get you."
When Gabby reached the floor of the gymnasium, she saw that Don was meditating. As she did with Leo, she stood along the walkway near the equipment wall. Gabby waited for a good five minutes before Don stirred and rose to a stand.
"Come on to the floor, please." he directed. Gabby did as told and quietly padded over to her uncle. She bowed respectfully, the way Leo had taught her.
Don smiled and bowed back, then saying, "I'm going to see how much you have learned over the past two weeks while I've been gone." he told her, "I've received mostly positive reports on your progress. However, no report can make up for actually witnessing it. You'll be going over the various tools of the trade, so to speak, as well as moves that you have learned. Then after dinner I will review what you know about Clan rules." His expression was flat and unreadable. "Tomorrow, I will expect you here by six A.M. sharp!"
Gabby spent the next several hours demonstrating to Don what Leo and Mike had taught her and what she improvised on her own. He seemed to be pleased with her, based on the slight smile he allowed. She was tired by the time he called it quits. She had complied with everything he had asked of her, including remaining silent or answering a simple yes or no to questions he would give to her. When asked to expound on something, Gabby tried to use as few words as necessary. But, not once did Don ask her about Jason. It was frustrating for her, but she rested in the fact that at least Devon had an idea of what took place!
Don was pleased with his niece's obedience. He was still not happy about having to take a hard line with her, but it seemed to have been the only way - as proven by her progress. There had been tremendous growth on her part, albeit, there were some shortcomings yet to be straightened out.
Dinner was wonderful for Gabby. She was still feeling the pangs of going the last few days with very little food and the menu for that evening hit the spot for her. Mike had barbequed steaks, which he finished cooking just before a cloudburst opened up, and Rahab finished it off with potatoes, vegetables, and a salad. Raph opted to have his dinner with the professor, so Gabby decided to join him. She had a pleasant time being with her two 'fathers' and Raph seemed to have warmed back up to her. She wanted so much to tell him what she told Devon, but until Raph asked, she wouldn't volunteer it. Unless he made a comment about what Jason had said. But, no such statement was made, so Gabby let it be.
The rest of the evening with Don was spent going over the rules with a little extra time spent on the one she recently broke. Don was just as stern as he was originally, but when he asked if she had any questions, he was taken aback with what she asked him
"How do I protect myself against an octopus?" That was the closest she came to telling Don what had really happened between her and Jason.
Don looked at her and sighed. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. Nodding, he said as he looked at her, "Tomorrow, I will show you."
"HA!" she declared!
Then Gabby realized that her amusement level was at an all time low. Shaking her head, she looked back at the camera. If not for her self control and fear of what would have happened, she wanted to stick her tongue out! But, she did nothing.
Once she had the Bo in her hand, Gabby decided to work with it. At least she could be doing something constructive. She was somewhat weakened with the scant amount of food that had been offered her. Yet, doing something.....anything.....to ease the boredom was better than sitting on the floor listening to her stomach grumble.
Starting with the Bo, Gabby swiftly put it through its paces. Under the watchful eye of Leo, she had kept to the rhythm and pace that he had dictated to her. Now, there was no one to tell Gabby what to do with it and she decided to see how fast and hard she could actually work it.
Don was watching the monitor. He had not seen Gabby work anything yet as he had been gone the first two weeks of her training. The moment his niece started to swing and jab the Bo around, he sucked in his breath and whistled. Raph came in to see what was going on and nodded, "Yep, she's a natural!"
"Leo said she was quite proficient, but I never imagined she was this good!" Don exclaimed as he was transfixed with what he was watching on the view screen. "Gad, can she work it!"
Gabby moved feverishly, imagining Jason receiving the damaging end of the staff. She parlayed as if he was trying to come back with equal force, which only intensified her return. She swung it around to sweep his 'legs', and then brought the Bo back to her quickly. She took it behind her just as fast, adjusted her hold as she then brought it over her head to crush his skull. In a split second, she leaped up and did a forward mid-air somersault to land opposite of the imaginary Jason, deftly sweeping the staff horizontally one-handed as if smacking him across the backside. The exercise did much to expend the pent up anger she was harboring. But, it only scratched the surface. In her mind, all she was doing was bruising him. So, she decided to take up a more formidable weapon - the Sais.
This time, Don let out a whoop as he watched Gabby parlay the Sais. He saw her swift lethal intent, wondering how Leo or Mike had been able to teach her it so soon. Mike came into join Don and Raph and noticed the monitor. "Wow, she must really be ticked off!" he commented.
"Yep, sure looks like it!" Raph concurred.
"Why? Isn't this how she's been working" Don asked, looking back at his brother.
"Well....not that hard or fast. She's out for blood!" Mike commented, his brows furrowing as he watched an apparently very angry Gabriella.
Gabby stabbed the imaginary Jason several times and then many more times after that, seasoned now and then with a few hard kicks. Her expression was hard and serious. Her intensity increased, but there just wasn't any satisfaction. Finally, she remembered the punching bags! They were rock hard, but she was able to manipulate them quite well with hand to hand combat during her training. She placed the Sais on the floor and went to activate the wall to expel the bag.
With her first kick, Gabby managed to actually get the bag clear over the top of the support beam. However, it hit the edge of it and bounced back toward the left and swung down at a right angle to her. Gabby was not expecting it and it slammed into her left shoulder, sending her sprawling to the right along the floor. Angrier than she had been before, she leaped up to a stand and came back to the bag full force. Doing a three-sixty, Gabby jump-kicked the bag with her left foot and sending it back up and to the right. It came over at her quickly in an awkward circle, but she was ready for it. Swiftly taking up the Sais from the floor and in a blinding single moment, she did a forward thrust with the weapons. She quickly impaled the rock-hard punching bag with both Sais - stopping its trajectory.
A wave of satisfaction swept through her as she felt the initial resistance and then surrender of the material as the Sais penetrated fully. She stood there and observed the weapons as they stuck out of the bag, wondering if Jason's torso would have been as hard to impale. Then, with her energies sapped from the strenuous workout and weakened by her lack of food, Gabby sank to the floor. An intense flood of nausea overcame her and Gabby thought she was going to be sick. Looking back at the bag and recapping the last forty minutes, Gabby finally realized what Don had been talking about. She was more than a match in strength and skill with Jason. She could have easily killed him in that car! As she thought about it, she remembered deliberately holding back when she initially flat-handed him in the face! She had been shocked when she saw how hard he bounced into his seat and against the door! He had proved to be no match in resistance to her! Gabby felt ashamed that she had used her skills to injure! She could have easily just taken his wrists and held him indefinitely. However, understanding the immediate threat to her honor and not having enough experience using her new skills in the 'real' world, she had overreacted. Yet, she tempered her personal chastisement. Jason had no business doing what he did and deserved some sort of rebuttal from her. Still, maybe Don could help her learn how to disarm and dissuade without injury.
Gabby thought back to the karaoke bar and how Seth had impressed upon one of the patrons to not touch him. No injury was sustained by the man, but he knew immediately to back off when Seth had grabbed his wrist. It was painful at best with no bones or skin broken in the process. However, even with the way Seth demonstrated a non-injury hold, Gabby felt Jason still might have used Gabby's response to his advantage. But, would Mike had believed him if there hadn't have been so obvious an injury to Jason as the broken nose? It was a moot point since that was not what happened. The nose was evidence that Gabby had indeed injured him. Would he sue Mike? Any one else might have, but Mike was wise in giving Jason time off and with pay, no less. Hopefully, Jason's long-standing relationship with him would defuse any interest in that area.
Don watched the monitor as his niece slumped to the floor. He watched as she looked back at the bag. He was very adept at discerning body language and in that moment he saw the look of horror on her face. Not knowing exactly what had motivated the force of her workout, he had a pretty good bet it was one of two things - Jason or him. Since Jason was the reason she was in this situation in the first place, he reasoned that it was more than likely the boy. Don leaned into the monitor and adjusted the viewing angle with the toggle on the camera control. He zoomed in on Gabby's face and saw anguish. "Good!" he thought to himself.
Raph came in after taking a break. "Hey, what's happen'n? Has she quit working?"
Don replied, "Gabby's realizing something very important about why she's down there!" He continued to watch as she stood up.
Gabby tried to remove the Sais from the punching bag, but they were held fast by the sturdy material. She yanked harder, pushing against the bag with one hand as she pulled one of the Sais in the opposite direction. The bag moved around, pulling her with it, but the weapons remained fast.
Don had to smile at her, the look of frustration clearly evident on her face. It seemed comical to him, watching Gabby get pulled around. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, the bag refused to give up the Sais.
Gabby looked around, realizing in self consciousness that the cameras might be taking in everything - which they were! But, unable to remove the weapons, Gabby admitted defeat and sat back down on the floor. She hugged herself and dropped her head into her chest in the familiar pose she took when she cried.
Her back was to the camera, now, but Don saw her shoulders shudder in response to her sobs. It was Tuesday morning and the time to release her was at hand. But, Don would do it himself. It had been the hardest act of discipline he had yet to impose upon her. He had not really wanted to 'banish' her, but collectively he and his brothers knew it was necessary. After Raph's imprisonment decades ago after killing someone and maiming others, then losing his fortune in a seemingly endless cycle of litigations, they couldn't let Gabby off with just a warning. Mike or Don could lose everything just based on who and what they were if Jason took Gabby's assault on him to court! Worse, her one act alone could seriously endanger the equality with humans they all enjoyed.
Gabby heard the upstairs door open, just as she was trying for the third time to remove the Sais from the punching bag. She worked furiously, but to no avail. She sat down on the floor, defeated and chastised before Don entered the gymnasium room. Gabby wanted to cry, but she held herself in check.
Don looked at the punching bag and then over at his niece. "Been busy?" he asked coolly.
Gabby didn't say anything at first; her thoughts were on the cameras and knowing he had probably seen everything. "Guess so. "She replied feebly. She looked up at him and felt his condemning gaze. She looked back down, unable to face it.
Don walked over to the bag and easily removed the Sais.
She stared at him in disbelief.
Don saw the look of surprise on Gabby's face and told her, "You tried too hard!" Then, he offered her his hand to help her up. Gabby thought about not taking it, but decided that she wasn't in a position to get stubborn. She was hungry, tired of the gym, and she missed being around her family. She took his hand and felt him effortlessly pull her up to a stand. They stood there silent for a few moments; she looking down at the floor and Don looking at her. He wanted very much to hug her right then to reassure her that just because she had messed up, it did not lessen the importance she had within the family. Still, he had a great responsibility to ensure her obedience.
"Gabby, the hardest thing for us to do was to implement this punishment. But, as I said Saturday afternoon, we cannot afford to allow anyone to violate the 'no harm' rule! There are no exceptions!"
Gabby nodded, though she still felt that Jason deserved it.
"During the three days that you were in here, did you come to any conclusions about your actions?" Don asked quietly.
She had thought long and hard about that. Gabby knew she could have severely injured Jason, whether he deserved it or not. It would have been disastrous for everyone if that had happened. She replied, her voice soft and contrite, "I could have killed him."
"Yes, you could have." Don agreed, and then added, "But you didn't. Still, Jason would have a legal right to take this assault to court... you know that, don't you?"
Gabby nodded meekly, "Yes."
"Mike, and even I, could stand to lose a great deal - not only in wealth, but in our reputation and peace of mind! The Clan has worked very hard over the past few decades to develop a positive reputation among humans. One act alone can ruin all that we have accomplished." He let the last sentence work on Gabby. He saw one tear run down her face and he knew he had scored. " Now from this moment on, you will not talk in this room. If you need to say something, you will raise your hand. One word from you to me outside of that and you will do fifty pushups. Any sign of insubordination and you will do fifty more pushups. If I feel that you have overstated your insubordination, I will stop the training and you will remain in this room until the next day as you have for the past three - but with no food! Do you understand?"
Gabby swallowed and said contritely, "Yes."
"Also, all questions will be answered 'yes' or 'no' unless I request otherwise." Don added. He sighed, hating to be so tough with her, but from what he had seen from the monitor, she needed to be hobbled in spirit. Not broken, but certainly contained. He remembered Splinter doing as much with Raphael when he was an adolescent. The difference then was that Raphael loved Splinter as if he was his own father and the discipline was matched with his brother's obedience. How Gabby would respond where she had only been here at Mike's for three weeks would be interesting at the very least.
"Now," Don said," Rahab has fixed lunch and the rest of the family is waiting for you to join them."
Gabby raised her hand.
Don asked, "You wish to say something?"
She nodded her head. "Okay, you may speak."
"Do you want to know what really happened?" she asked, sheepishly looking up at her uncle.
"At this point it would be a mute understatement, regardless of your reasons for hitting Jason. If he chooses to go straight to litigation, his injuries alone could land you in jail! I think it wouldn't matter what 'really' happened. Now, lunch is waiting!" And he stood off to one side, sweeping his right arm towards the stairs, imploring Gabby to use them.
The mood around the table was subdued, but not completely quiet. Riahna was talking with Don, telling him about all the fun she had at the beach the weekend before. She talked about how she and Gabby had gone swimming together, totally understating the rescue completely. Don knew the details, but chose to go along with his young niece's perspective.
Gabby ate silently, rarely looking up at anyone. She was famished, but fought to not wolf down her food. No way would she eat as if she were starving. After a while, the food took the edge off of her hunger and then it wasn't such a struggle to eat calmly anymore.
Listening to the less-than-boisterous discussions, Gabby quietly enjoyed being back with the family, but was extremely uncomfortable all at the same time. She chanced to look up at one point and found Raph watching her. Gabby couldn't discern his expression since he didn't have one at the time. It was almost as if he had been looking right through her. She refused to meet his gaze again after that.
The professor was not as talkative as he usually was. Gabby couldn't decide if maybe he was a bit under the weather or maybe as disappointed as everyone else seemed to be with her. She swallowed her frustration back down as she finished the last of her meal. She thought about getting up and leaving for her room, but decided to wait until some of the others started to leave first. From her experience with Leo, she saw the same sensei qualities in Don. No way was she going to invite him to tell her she had to wait for permission to leave.
After a while, most of the family had left the table, except for Don, Gabby, and Devon. Devon and Don were engaged with a discussion on Gaele's recent discovery of a little known gene that seemed promising in bridging the gap between humans and humanoid reptiles. Gabby listened impassively, tired of sitting at the table but not wanting to give Don the opportunity to tell her sit back down.
After a while, Don looked over at Gabby and asked, "Gabby, aren't you tired of sitting at the table?"
She replied in the way she had been told to in the gym, "Yes."
"Then, why don't you leave?" he asked.
"Not sure if I can." she replied.
"You can leave!" he stated sharply.
With that, Gabby stood up and cleared her dishes and took them to the kitchen to rinse them off. Devon watched her and as their eyes met, he shook his head at her as if offended. As quickly as she could, Gabby charged up the stairs and into her room, closing the door sharply. She wanted very much to lock it, but Gabby decided that it wouldn't have been a good idea. Not with how easy it was for everyone to get in regardless.
Her bed felt like heaven! She languished in it for nearly an hour. At times she cried just to release the pent up emotions from her experience. Other times she would get off the bed and look out the window. The sky seemed overcast and threatening to rain. Gabby hoped that it would, but then thought of the professor and knew that Raph or someone would have to fix him his dinner in the guest house. No way could her surrogate father walk the distance to the main house in wet weather!
A knock at the door told Gabby that Don was ready for the afternoon training session. She was already in her dogi and had her hair up in a pony tail. She opened the door and there stood Devon!
"Ah, hi." she said weakly, surprised.
"So, you clobbered Jas, huh?" he said dispassionately.
"Hmmm, yeah." was all she could get out. She felt completely intimidated by her half-brother all over again.
"I saw him yesterday. He's not too happy with you, ya know." Devon said. His eyes were glazed over with disappointment and disgust.
"I'm not too happy with him, either!" Gabby managed to say, her voice a tad edgy.
"I don't understand you, Gabs. Last week he saved your life and this week you thank him by busting his nose up? What gives?" Her brother asked.
Gabby looked at him and decided that someone, anyone, needed to know, "He wanted more payment than I was willing to give!"
"Yeah, right. I know him - he would NOT do that. Not with anyone from this family. He'd know I'd clean the floor up with him and Seth wouldn't rest until his face was a permanent fixture in some wall!" Devon decried.
"Believe what you will. I was there; you and the others were not!" Gabby protested, her voice rising with the last sentence.
Devon sighed and then told her, "Look, regardless, there are better ways to handle situations like that than breaking someone's nose. Maybe when it's my week with you we can go over things like that, eh?" He saw how serious she was and wondered if maybe, just maybe Jason had taken advantage of a situation. He remembered too well the pool parties he would have and how Jas would stare at Gaele. Devon would 'playfully' punch Jason in the arm and tell him his sister was not interested. Gaele never complained or indicated that Jason had done anything to offend her, so Devon let it go and forgot about it.
"I'd appreciate that!" Gabby replied, giving a weak smile. Even though Devon hadn't believed her, at least he was willing to go part way with her. Offering to show her how to protect herself and still stay within the dictates of Clan rules gave her a feeling of hope. The worse part of this whole experience was the people who supposedly loved and cared for her didn't want to know what really happened. How hard would it have been, anyway, for them to listen to her? They could still abide by the rules, they could even have implemented the punishment, but to just listen to her would have made all the difference in the world to Gabby.
Devon nodded, "No problem. Guess you better get going, though. Don did ask me to get you."
When Gabby reached the floor of the gymnasium, she saw that Don was meditating. As she did with Leo, she stood along the walkway near the equipment wall. Gabby waited for a good five minutes before Don stirred and rose to a stand.
"Come on to the floor, please." he directed. Gabby did as told and quietly padded over to her uncle. She bowed respectfully, the way Leo had taught her.
Don smiled and bowed back, then saying, "I'm going to see how much you have learned over the past two weeks while I've been gone." he told her, "I've received mostly positive reports on your progress. However, no report can make up for actually witnessing it. You'll be going over the various tools of the trade, so to speak, as well as moves that you have learned. Then after dinner I will review what you know about Clan rules." His expression was flat and unreadable. "Tomorrow, I will expect you here by six A.M. sharp!"
Gabby spent the next several hours demonstrating to Don what Leo and Mike had taught her and what she improvised on her own. He seemed to be pleased with her, based on the slight smile he allowed. She was tired by the time he called it quits. She had complied with everything he had asked of her, including remaining silent or answering a simple yes or no to questions he would give to her. When asked to expound on something, Gabby tried to use as few words as necessary. But, not once did Don ask her about Jason. It was frustrating for her, but she rested in the fact that at least Devon had an idea of what took place!
Don was pleased with his niece's obedience. He was still not happy about having to take a hard line with her, but it seemed to have been the only way - as proven by her progress. There had been tremendous growth on her part, albeit, there were some shortcomings yet to be straightened out.
Dinner was wonderful for Gabby. She was still feeling the pangs of going the last few days with very little food and the menu for that evening hit the spot for her. Mike had barbequed steaks, which he finished cooking just before a cloudburst opened up, and Rahab finished it off with potatoes, vegetables, and a salad. Raph opted to have his dinner with the professor, so Gabby decided to join him. She had a pleasant time being with her two 'fathers' and Raph seemed to have warmed back up to her. She wanted so much to tell him what she told Devon, but until Raph asked, she wouldn't volunteer it. Unless he made a comment about what Jason had said. But, no such statement was made, so Gabby let it be.
The rest of the evening with Don was spent going over the rules with a little extra time spent on the one she recently broke. Don was just as stern as he was originally, but when he asked if she had any questions, he was taken aback with what she asked him
"How do I protect myself against an octopus?" That was the closest she came to telling Don what had really happened between her and Jason.
Don looked at her and sighed. He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. Nodding, he said as he looked at her, "Tomorrow, I will show you."
