Alright guys…either I'm doing something wrong or you're just not liking what you see. It's okay if you don't…but let me know. I mean…are there things I should change? Are there things that are missing that are so painfully obvious it makes you want to hurt me? Its okay to say yes…my bf does all the time, lol. But really…reviews as well as criticism are welcome. I like to know when I'm doing something wrong.  Until then I have to keep posting because I already wrote the damn thing and the bf's going to start questioning my sanity if I have this fic laying around that I'm not doing anything with. Thank you for your time!

Disclaimer: Don't own a thing. Own my character and the idea of the story…but that is all!

Chapter Three

Silence was deafening. Alex had always known this fact to be true in some corner of her mind but never knew the extent of that truth until now. When she and Michelangelo had returned he had gone off in search of Donatello and that was the last she had seen of the four brothers and their Sensei, Splinter. She knew they were…somewhere. She would hear the occasional raised voice or muffled groans, all of which made her incredibly curious. But either than those few noises there was only the silence.

Alex shifted positions on the couch, folding her legs beneath her. In front of her the screen of the television sat, reflecting her figure. She didn't feel like watching anything. Even if the silence was a little overwhelming, the thought of turning the television on just didn't appeal to her. She looked at the clock on the VCR. It was already six. Almost time for supper. Would it consist of more left over pizza? Maybe she could do something to prevent that from happening. An idea slowly started forming in her mind. Michelangelo had said his brothers were bringing back groceries.

Making sure she was truly alone she reached for her bag, pulling it up on the couch beside her and digging through it for a pair of jeans and a light tee shirt. When she found what she was looking for she set it aside and dug further, wondering what else Casey had thought to pack for her. Her hands brushed against something cool and flat and she smiled, pulling out a thick CD case. "Remind me to thank that man the next time I see him," she murmured as she stood and traded her comfortable pajama pants and sweatshirt for a pair of low rise, boot cut jeans and a n incredibly worn white tee shirt with red sleeves. She had bought it from a thrift store but it sported the Florida logo; a sun of bright yellow on the right and several rainbow-colored vertical stripes across the chest.

It was in the process of pulling on that tee shirt, standing in the middle of the wide-open living room with her arms raised and her back and dark pink scantily covered breasts completely exposed when she heard a sharp intake of breath. Cursing vividly she yanked the shirt down the rest of the way only to see Raphael staring back at her, his dark eyes wide and a smirk playing at his mouth. "Uh…hi," he said.

Alex could feel the red rising in her cheeks. "Is there anyway that you didn't just see that?"

"Nope. But-." He took a few steps closer to her. She could see a thin layer of perspiration clinging to his dark skin and for the briefest second rebellious thoughts of what that skin might taste like under her tongue flashed through her mind. She was shocked by them, but not in the least bit appalled. Something about this mutant, his actions, his attitude, drew her like a moth to the flame. "I can act like I didn't see anything if you want."

She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, trying to push the lustful images from her mind. "Really?"

"Sure, why not." A brief smile flashed across his face and she could faintly see a fire leap into his eyes but before she had a chance to determine what it was, the fire was gone, replaced by a teasing glint. "Of course…I'm gonna spend quite some time dreamin' about it."

She was shocked to say the very least. She didn't know whether to laugh or act incensed by his unexpected statement so she settled for somewhere in-between, ducking her head to hide her flushed cheeks. "Coming from someone who hardly knows me don't you think that's a bit forward?" she asked uneasily, wanting to kick herself for sounding like such a stuffy old woman.

Raph's grin widened but he also retreated a step, realizing he had crossed a line somewhere. "Yeah, I guess so. I…ah," he stalled, pointing helplessly towards the direction she assumed he had come from, "better get back to training. See ya." He beat a hasty retreat, almost as if he were afraid to stick around much longer.

Alex was only able to tear her gaze from his retreating form until he had disappeared into the darkness of a large tunnel in the far end of the lair. Her heart was fluttering madly, so quickly that Alex feared for a moment as if it might actually take wings and fly away. Just the thought of Raph having dreams about her made her feel warm and oddly pleased. "Oh Alex, what's wrong with you? You don't even know the guy that well," she murmured softly, brushing her long bangs out of her eyes. She needed to get her mind off of him, off of what he had said.    

With a look of determination she tied her long blond hair up, grabbed her CD's and, praying fiercely for a CD player, went into the kitchen to scrounge up something suitable to cook.

*~*

Raph bit back a groan as his body slammed into the unyielding stone wall.

"Welcome to the floor bro," Michelangelo said amicably. He hadn't bothered getting up from the last time Leo had knocked him down.

Raph sat up, rubbing his shoulder. Previous argument forgotten he glanced ruefully at his younger brother. "Is it just me or is he bein' a bit on the brutal side tonight?"

"He's pissed at himself." Mike tilted his head back, receiving an upside down view of Don and Leo facing off. "He said some stuff to Alex, got on her bad side."

At the mention of her name Raph stilled, a picture of her slender back among other things flashing in his mind. "So ahh…how's she doin'?" he asked, trying to sound uninterested. The last thing he wanted to do was let his brother see how easily the thought of Alex distracted him. 

Mike shrugged. "She's coming around. She's still a little scared but she's got a pretty good reason to-." He cut off in mid-sentence and jerked up. "Dude…do you smell that?"


"Mikey-."

"No! Seriously. It smells like-." He stopped and inhaled deeply. "Food! Really good food!"

"Hey! Who's cooking?" Don called out, quickly dodging Leonardo's attack.

A clear, beautiful soprano voice carried to the training dojo and Mike smiled. "There's a cooking, singing woman in our kitchen. Later guys!" He started to jump up but Raph's hand on his shoulder stopped him. Using Mike as leverage the older turtle pushed himself up and took off for the kitchen. "Come on Mikey! I'll race ya!"

"That's not fair Raph!" the orange masked turtle yelled, stumbling to his feet and running after his brother.

Don put his bo away and shrugged. "At least they got over that fight they had earlier," he said, leaving Leonardo alone in the dojo.

Leo slipped his katana's back into their holders on his back and sighed. He hadn't seen Alex since she had snapped at him in the hallway. Something which he had deserved but now he was defiantly a little wary of being around her. 'Maybe I'll just stay here and meditate. I can always get something to eat later,' he thought. Just then the mouth-watering aroma of what Alex was cooking penetrated his senses and his stomach growled loudly. Wary or not, there was no way he could turn down something that smelled so good. Steeling himself for Alex's frosty dismissal or possibly worse, he followed his brothers to the kitchen.

Raph slowed as he approached the kitchen, silently moving into the doorway and staring in amazement at what he saw. His amusement turned to admiration and he leaned on the doorjamb, content to watch. The kitchen table had been cleared and set for six. The counters were actually clean and bowls of freshly chopped vegetables were arranged neatly on the scrubbed Formica tops. The floor had been swept, dishes had been put away. It didn't even look like the kitchen he remembered. And standing in the middle of it all, her angelic voice accompanying Sheryl Crow as one of her songs blared from the radio was Alex stirring something in a large ceramic bowl. Again he pictured her standing in the living room, her sweet, feminine body exposed to his gaze. God, he'd never seen anything that beautiful before.

"Dude. I didn't know we had that many dishes!"

Raph turned around to see Mike, Don and Leo crowded behind him, all of them staring into the kitchen in awe.

"I didn't even know that was the color of our counters," Don added to Mike's previous statement in a hushed voice.

Hitting a strong clear high note flawlessly, Alex whirled around and gasped, dropping the spatula she was holding when she saw all four of them standing in the doorway. Color flooded her high cheekbones as she smoothed a hand self-consciously over her hair. "Um…hi," she offered lamely. "I hope you don't mind. I…I guess this is kind of my way of thanking all of you for saving my life and letting me stay with you." She bent to retrieve the spatula and tossed it in the sink. "I know it's not much but it's all I could think of."

"It smells great," Don said, reassuring her flustered nerves. "Did you need any help?"

"Actually-."

Before she could say another word they were already helping, setting food on the table, digging through the fridge for various things and for the most part doing the rest of Alex's work for her.

Turning back to the oven, Alex grabbed a mitt and opened the stainless steal door. The pleasant sound of sizzling met her ears. Now this was what she had been waiting for. It had been years since the last time she'd had nachos like this.

Two large trays sat on the racks under the burning glow of the broiler. Both were laden with golden tipped tortilla chips. Shredded Monterey Jack cheese had been layered on top and was now melted and bubbling. Alex had left the top sheet plain and added peppers, onions and a few jalapenos to the bottom sheet.

"Whadaya got there?"

Alex tried not to smile at the sound of Raphael's rough accent behind her. She pulled the two trays from the oven, setting them on the range to cool then she turned the oven off. "Cheese chips," she answered, putting the mitt back on the counter and facing him with a small smile, trying to remain as calm as possible. At least on the outside. "Technically nacho's but I've never called them that."

Raph stared at her, his dark holding hers. Alex knew right away that she lost. It was happening just like it had last night and moments ago in the living room. Her heart started beating faster, a reaction to his nearness. "You want to try one?" she asked in a voice that did not sound like her own.

He gave her a slow, easy grin. "Sure."

Not sure of what exactly was driving her actions, Alex picked out a chip from the nearest tray and held it to her lips, blowing on it lightly to cool it. His eyes followed the action, hunger blazing to life in their smoldering depths.

"Here," Alex said innocently. She held the cheese-covered morsel up for him. His lips brushed her fingers and she shivered, involuntarily leaning closer to him.

"Let's eat guys. I'm starving!" Mike exclaimed, startling Alex. She quickly backed away from Raph, feeling the heat of mortification creep into her face.

Raph's smirk widened at her obvious discomfort. She actually looked really cute when she was embarrassed. Wanting to see if he could further brighten the adorable blush staining her cheeks he said, laying on a subtle hint of suggestiveness. "So am I Mikey." 

Alex's bright eyes went wide and the faint pink color brightened to a vibrant red. Grabbing a sheet of chips, she dropped her gaze, walking hurriedly to the table. Suppressing his laughter, Raph followed her. It didn't surprise him at all that she sat in between Mike and Don. She probably thought she was safe there. It was going to be fun proving her wrong. He took a seat next to Leonardo-right across from Alex.

When Alex raised her head and saw him he couldn't resist grinning. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. Suddenly her eyes narrowed dangerously and she kicked his shin under the table.

"Ow! Hey, what the hell was that for?"

"Well you keep looking at me like that!" she shot back, "What did you expect me to do?"

Around them the others snickered, wisely choosing to stay out of the fray. Alex glared at Raph, refusing to look away. She felt like she had just signed her own death warrant. Judging from the look on his face maybe she had, but she was not going to let him see that she was scared. He had worked her emotions over enough for one day and she was tired of not being in control of them.

"If you weren't a woman-," he growled threateningly.

Alex slowly leaned forward. "You'd what? Kick my ass? Go for it Raph."

Splinter chose that moment to enter the kitchen. Hearing the tap of his walking stick on the floor Alex sat back in her chair, crossing her arms smugly over her chest as if to say, "haha you cant threaten me anymore!" To add insult to injury she smiled and made a face at him.

Mike broke down laughing uncontrollably as Don and Leo tried hard not to. Across from her Raph rolled his eyes and made a sound of disgust. Alex almost would have believed that he was actually angry if she hadn't seen the briefest flash of a smile cross his face.

"My…what is the occasion?" Splinter asked as he walked slowly over to the table, moving to the chair at the end between Mike and Leo.

Mike jumped up, pulling out the chair for his master. "Alex cooked for us. It's her way of saying thank you for saving her."

"That is very kind of you child. I for one could most definitely use a break from left over pizza."

"Usually I'd take offense to that Master," Mike said as he sat back down and eagerly rubbed his hands together, "but this looks way too damn good to complain about."

Alex blushed at the compliment, her blue eyes sparkling with warm pleasure. For the rest of supper she remained quiet, content to play the casual observer. It was part of the reason she had pulled this all together. She'd never actually sat down to a family meal before. She had never had a family to do such things with. The people who had taken hers had sent her to live with a man who had started brutally training her in the art of combat as soon as she was old enough to learn. After that she had been sent to a military type of private school. She was never allowed to socialize with the few other students on the premises and took all of her meals in her room. Thank God she had escaped from all of that.

She listened to the flow of conversation around the table, finding the easygoing banter among the four brothers and their Sensei very amusing. They shared such an amazing bond. Alex hated to admit it but she was slightly jealous. She would have given anything to be close to at lease one person in her life time without having to fear for her own life. Maybe…maybe she still had a chance. She looked around the table at the five mutants, her gaze landing on one in particular. Leonard. If she wanted to be close to any of them she had a few things to fix first.

Gradually the food disappeared and there was nothing left but six well satisfied stomachs. Ales stood and started to clear the table when Splinters hand at her wrist stilled her. "You have cooked. It is only fair that my sons should take care of the cleaning."

"Oh no," Alex protested over the pained groans of her new friends. "I don't mind…really."

"Nonsense child. Besides…while you were out with Michelangelo I believe the others prepared something for you in your absence." He nodded towards the doorway. "The room across from Michelangelo's. Down the hallway opposite the one Leonardo and Donatello occupy."

She turned surprised eyes on Don, Leo and Raph. "You-."

"Go. We shall clean up in here," Splinter insisted.

Hesitating for a scant second, Alex nodded and left the kitchen. She went to the living room and grabbed her bad, a thrill of excitement rushing through her. Whatever was in that room could possibly be just an old mattress on the floor for all she cared. What mattered to her was that the three had gone out of their way to make a place for her. It made her feel special and she didn't get a chance to feel like that very often.

Taking a right down a hallway she had yet to be in, she easily found the room Splinter had been speaking of. She reached around the corner after pushing the door open, furthering her anticipation in her search for the light switch. Finding it, she flicked it up, bathing the room in the soft glow of warm light. Alex took a caution step into the cozy area, a smile slowly spreading across her face. "Oh wow-."

On the floor, tucked in the corner under a massive Pink Floyd poster was a large mattress. The comforter consisted of a king sized, faux mink blanket. It was black with a massive, brightly colored Japanese style dragon slithering up the middle. A collection of pillows, consisting of the same hues as the dragon were thrown carelessly at the head of the makeshift bed. Next to the bed was a small claw footed table and on top of that an ornate antique lamp with a shade of brown, gold and green stained glass. A deep green area rug covered the cold floor. There were two small dressers against the wall, each made of dark cherry oak. On one was a larger version of the bedside lamp and on the other a simple CD player. Posters from old 80's movies ranging from horror to comedy decorated the wall opposite her bed and even a full-length mirror had been added. It was more then she could have ever asked for.

"Do you like it?"

Alex whirled around to face Donatello and, without thinking, threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "It's perfect!" she released him spun around, once again taking in the view of her new room. "Where did you guys get all this stuff?"

"We have connections," he said, still blushing from her unexpected show of emotions. "The movie posters are Mikey's. He's got a pretty extensive collection so I highly doubt he'll notice them missing."

"And the Pink Floyd?"

"Raph's idea."

"This is really great Donnie. Thank you so much." She smiled and he blushed harder, not used to such attention from a young female.

"It's no problem. Really. You needed something better then the couch."

Alex laughed softly. "I could have used the couch a few more times. That thing is really comfy. So…um…where's everyone else?"

Don leaned back against the doorjamb. "Raph and Mikey went top side to check out you apartment and make sure no one had tried to break into it."

At the mention of her apartment Alex's shoulders drooped slightly. "I wish I could have gone with them. There's some stiff I'd like to get out of there if I'm going to be here for a while."

"You can go with me and Leo tomorrow night if you want."

"Really? That would be great. Speaking of Leonardo, where is he?"

Don grinned. "Training. Where else?"

"He does that a lot?" Alex asked, turning her head slightly to the side inquisitively.

"Whenever he can."

Alex admired that. By the way Don said it she could tell how much conviction Leo poured into his training. He was strong, strong enough to help save her and she's repaid him by practically biting his head off. Guilt slowly started eating away at her as Michelangelo's words echoed in her mind. "Trust us."

"I should go talk to him," she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. "I think I owe him an apology."

Donatello nodded in understanding. None of them actually knew what Alex and Leonardo had fought about but they could tell by the tension that radiated from their brother that it hadn't been good. "The training dojo is out the hall to the left. You'll find him there."

            Reaching over and taking his hand Alex smiled, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thanks Donatello." She turned on her heel and went to find the eldest brother.

            In the darkness of the training dojo, seeing by the mere light of a single candle, Leonardo practiced his katas, moving with fluid grace through the exercises. He breathed steadily, concentrating only on his movements. Behind him the door slid opened unnoticed.

            Alex stood in the doorway, one hand resting on the solid frame as she watched Leonardo in silent awe. She had never seen someone move so effortlessly. She knew that when she had worked through her own katas she was graceful but her movements were not nearly as perfect as his. It was amazing. So amazing that she regretted having to interrupt him but the need to apologize for her actions was growing stronger and she couldn't ignore it any longer. She felt sick each time she thought about how she had reacted to his words. Taking a hesitant step forward, she carefully closed the door behind her, leaving it open only enough to allow a tiny sliver of light to filter though. "Leonardo?" she called softly.

            Hearing Alex's voice, Leonardo spun around to face her, his concentration immediately broken. "Did you need something?" he asked cautiously.

            Alex took a deep breath and crossed the room. She stopped in front of him, staring at him with wide, solemn blue eyes. "I…I'm sorry for the way I reacted earlier. I went a bit overboard and let my emotions get the best of me and…and I'm sorry."

            Relief washed over him in great waves, replacing his previous feelings of anxiety. "You don't have to be sorry Alex. I understand why you were upset. I should have chosen my words more carefully. I didn't mean to hurt you."

            "I know that now," she whispered, offering him a small smile. "Listen…um…I don't suppose I could join you?"

            Leonardo stared at the young woman in shock. "You know what I was doing?"

            She nodded. "I used to practice my katas daily when I was in…when I was younger."

            She had slipped and he had easily caught it but he stayed silent, allowing his curiosity to mull over what she had just said. She would tell them when she was ready and he accepted that, knowing it was all he could do really. Michelangelo had told them that she needed to learn that she could trust them. Now, as she stood before him, a fair-haired innocent beauty with a lifetime full of pain, he could see that not only did she need to learn but also she truly wanted to. Deep in those bright blue eyes lay a naked longing to have someone she could depend on, someone she could trust. He smiled tenderly. Well, now she had five someone's. "Sure, you can join me."

The bright smile that spread across her face melted his heart and made him incredibly glad that she had sought him out. Now that everything was behind them they could start again. He motioned for her to stand next to him and she did, her movements almost giddy.

Leo laughed. "How long has it been since you last did this?"

"Oh…years." She stretched her arms high above her head, exposing a flat stomach and wincing when the muscles in her shoulders protested, the aching skin around the gash on her shoulder pulling. "Nothing to strenuous if that's okay. I don't think I've gotten close to full recovery yet."

"You look much better," he admitted, "but we'll keep it simple."

As they began Leonardo watched Alex out of the corner of his eye, moving through the katas methodically. Her movements were stiff at first but as they progressed they became much smoother. The grace in which she moved gave the exercise a beautiful elegance. Her gaze remained focused straight ahead and her breathing was deep and even. He was mesmerized by her, wishing for the briefest second that he could stop and watch her-just for a little bit.

A half and hour through the katas Alex started to tire. One particular motion caused a grimace to flash across her features and Leonardo stopped, coming to her side and resting a hand between her shoulders. "Why don't you go get some sleep Alex," he suggested lightly.

"Okay." She gave him a tired smile. "Thank you Leonardo. And I'm really glad we got this whole mess settled."

He returned her smile. "So am I. Now go…you look like you could use the rest."

Alex was sure he was right. She didn't even want to imagine how she really looked. Probably horrid with massive bags under her eyes-at least that's how she felt. A bit reluctantly she left Leonardo's side, trying not to stumble out of the dojo in her state of complete exhaustion. As she passed by the couch she gave a halfhearted wave to its occupants who were watching television. "Night guys."

Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael returned her wave with distracted ones of their own. "Turning in?" Michelangelo asked.

Alex watched the three for a moment, amazed at how absorbed they were in the movie playing on screen. Allowing her gaze to rest on Raphael a moment longer, she wondered if he was thinking about earlier. Did he feel the same things she felt, the odd sensations, and the nervousness? With a sigh she turned to retire for the evening. "Yeah. See you in the morning."

"Night," the mumbled in unison.

Shoulders shaking with quiet laughter, Alex turned and started in the direction of her room. Once there she stripped down to a pair of short flannel boxers and a loose fitting Hard Rock Café tee shirt. Then she crawled under the thick fur blanket, sighing as the dark fabric slid over her bare skin, enveloping her in sudden warmth. Not long after she was settled, Alex drifted off to sleep.

It was hours later when she was jolted from her sleep by a nightmare that Danny had found her. He'd discovered where she was hiding, almost killed her new friends and was in the process of dragging her away, kicking and screaming when she had awoke.

Perspiration dotted her forehead She reached quickly for her bedside lamp, filling the room with comforting light. Her wide blue eyes searched the room, looking for the man who had so rudely disturbed her peaceful slumber but there was no trace of him. The only thing stubbornly lingering behind from the nightmare was the constant fear that seemed to plague her no matter how hard she tried to suppress it in the far recesses of her mind. Suddenly she was feeling very, very claustrophobic. She needed to get out of here. She needed to breath.

Alex pushed her blankets back, crawled from her bed and dug through her bag for a sweatshirt. Finding a hooded one of deep green she pulled it on and left the room, not knowing exactly where she was going but knowing it had to be above ground.

She crept out into the living room, her feet padding lightly across the concrete floor. Rounding the television, she came to an abrupt stop, stifling a gasp when she saw Raphael stretched out on the couch, legs crossed at the ankles, one arm tucked under his head serving as a pillow while the other lay across his stomach, hand resting over his sai. Alex knew right away that it would only take the slightest amount of noise to have him on his feet, weapons poised and ready. She held her breath as she moved passed him. Only after she had slipped her shoes on and ascended the short flight of stairs out of the turtle's home did she dare to breath again.

She picked her way through the tunnels, mentally keeping track of every turn, every tunnel so that she would easily find her way back. "How the hell am I supposed to get out of here?" she muttered as she came around the corner.

"You might want to try the manhole at the end of the tunnel," a rough male voice called out from the darkness.

Alex's heart leapt into her throat and a cold wave of fear swept through her. She waited, body tensed for the coming attack but nothing happened. Well, nothing she expected to. Somewhere in the darkness came a short scrapping noise. The faint smell of sulfur carried to her nose as a small flame briefly illuminated the darkness, casing dancing shadows along curved walls and exposing the ruggedly handsome profile of Casey Jones several feet away. Alex breathed a huge sigh of relief. "Jesus Casey, you scared the hell out of me."

He grinned, holding the match he had lit to the top of a cigarette that dangled from his lips. After taking a long drag he tossed the match aside, throwing them back into darkness. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." She moved towards him, her eyes adjusting gradually to the dark. "So what are you doing here?" she asked, leaning against the wall next to him.

He looked down at her, his deep hazel eyes regarding her warmly. "I'm here to ensure your safety babe." His grin widened when she laughed. "And ah…me and April got into it again."

"Your girlfriend?"

"Yeah. She's a tough woman to make angry but when you do-." He let the sentence hang; figuring Alex was a bright enough girl to guess the rest on her own. Silence fell. Casey took another drag of his cigarette.

"Hey," Alex said, breaking the silence. "Could I…um…could I-."

Casey chuckled softly as he reached into the pocket of his loose fitting jeans and withdrew a pack of cigarettes. Flipping the top up, he extended it to Alex and, after hesitating for a brief second, gingerly took on, allowing him to light it for her. "Beautiful woman like you smokes, huh?" he asked, watching her as she dropped her head back, closed her vivid blue eyes and exhaled a lazy cloud of opaque blue smoke.

"No," she replied after a while, once again opening her eyes. "I actually quit years ago. Apparently it's very bad for you."

"No kidding?!"

Alex laughed, dropping her gaze to the floor. She felt so foolish for falling back on an old habit in hopes that it would erase some of the stress, some of the pain.

"Didn't work, did it?" Casey asked understandingly.

She shook her head. Of course it hadn't worked. Nothing worked.

"What are you doin' up here anyway doll? It's kinda late."

Alex shuddered as her mind pulled up lingering images of the nightmare that had been responsible for her appearance in the sewers. "I…I couldn't sleep. I needed to get some air."

His smile was perceptive as he pointed down the sewer tunnel with a jerk of his thumb. "All the way down. There's a ladder leading topside, into an alley. On the right you're gonna see a fire escape. Take that up to the top." 

Resisting the urge to hug the taller man, Alex pushed away from the wall. "Thanks Casey." She flicked her cigarette carelessly aside and started for the end of the tunnel. "Oh yeah!" She turned on her heel, once again facing Casey. "Thank you for bringing my CD's down."

"No problem," Casey said, watching her as she disappeared up the ladder. He tilted his head slightly to the side, seeing no harm in innocently checking out Alex's shapely legs and the gentle flare of her hips. "Man…if I was still single-," he murmured appreciatively, leaning back against the cold, damp wall and took another long drag of his cigarette.

"Gross habit Case."

The dark haired man grinned unrepentantly, shaking his head. "Yeah, yeah. Quittin' a month ago doesn't really give you a right to comment shell boy."

Out of the darkness stepped Raphael, smirk in place, absently twirling a sai in his right hand. To the casual observer he may have looked calm and relaxed but to a long time friend it was the complete opposite. Casey could see the trace of anxiety well hidden in his friend's eyes and knew immediately what he was looking for. With a nod of his head in the direction Alex had just disappeared he said. "She's up top…building on the right."

"She went topside alone?"

"Cool it Raph. I spent the last few hours scanning everything within six blocks of this place. She's safe."

Raphael slowly relaxed, slipping his sai back into his belt as he felt the tension gradually seep away. He couldn't believe how worried he had been. He hardly even knew Alex ye he was following her around, making sure she was safe. It was so unlike him. He couldn't even remember exactly why he had got up from sleeping when she passed by him. Sleep at three in the morning sounded like a much better idea then chasing some female around. Unless, of course you had seen that female half dressed and standing in your living room as if she owned it. 

"You going to go after her?"

He thought about it for a minute. Why would he go after her? 'Because she's beautiful. Because you're interested in her. Because you wouldn't be able to live with yourself if something happened to her his mind silently ticked off. Sighing, he gave his old friend a tired grin. "Later Case."

"You like her, don't ya?"

His only response came in the form of a simple shrug then Raphael disappeared up the ladder, leaving Casey alone in the dark tunnels of the New York sewer system.

It took him minutes to get to the top of the building using the old fire escape. Once there he searched the rooftop for Alex, finding her on the opposite side. Her back was facing him, her long blond unbound hair blowing in the diminutive breeze. "Alex," he started after taking several steps towards her.

She raised a tapered finger, motioning for him to be silent. "Hang on." A second later a jagged electric blue bolt of lighting off in the distance illuminated the sky. High above storm clouds hovered over the city, moving ever so slowly like a ghoul waiting for just the right moment to strike it's unsuspecting pray. The smell of rain permeated the air.

Raphael approached the young woman cautiously. He didn't want to crowd her or scare her off, even after what she had pulled at supper. In truth, he actually admired her spunk. Sure his leg still stung slightly but maybe he had deserved it, a fact of which he would never tell anyone.

"Did you know lightning travels from the ground up?" came her soft questioning voice, washing over his senses like a warm summer breeze.

He smiled slightly. "Nope, never knew that." He came up behind her. "Why did you come up here?"

She turned her head to the side, allowing him a view of her profile. "I…I had a bad dream." She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, releasing a humorless laugh. "It's amazing isn't it? That I can actually tell my nightmares from my life? Oh god…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said-." She hung her head as if she were ashamed of the words that had escaped her full lips. "I'm just tired."

Raphael knew she hadn't meant sleepy tired. No, she was tired of everything. The mysterious life none of them knew a thing about, the running…the fear. He could remember the many times he had felt like that. He could relate to what she was going through. Not entirely but he figured if he could just relate a little it would matter.

"Why did you follow me?" she asked, curious eyes staring at him as she turned around.

"I-," he stammered, searching for the words. Her blue eyes had thrown him and he was having difficulties remembering exactly why he was there. "Because I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Define okay," she muttered sarcastically. Her arms unwound from around her and she took another step towards him. Whether she did it intentionally or not he wasn't sure but his body immediately responded to it, his heart hammering in his chest, his breathing coming out slightly uneven. "Sometimes I wonder if all of this is just some huge nightmare that I'll eventually wake up from. That's what it feels like. I try to convince myself that it's not real and…jeez, what the hell is wrong with me." She retreated that step she had taken, pulling away from him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be unloading all of this on you. I don't even know you that well. I'm turning into one of those people that talk as long as there's someone to listen."

"Hey Alex." This time he closed the distance between them, placing strong hands on her shoulders, ignoring the sudden desire that flared up within him. "It's gonna get better okay?"

She cocked her head to the side, her blue eyes filled with such weary sadness. "Can you promise that though?"

He sighed. "No, I can't. But I can damn well try and make it better. Unless you're gonna try stopping me with another kick to the shin."

She laughed softly. "Sorry about that."

"No you're not," he said, smirking. "How about we go back down before we both get soaked? It doesn't look like the storms gonna hold off for long."

She agreed and in silence they made their way back down to the alley and through the manhole. Alex only made it a few steps before stumbling, too tired to hold herself up straight. "Come here," Raphael murmured, carefully picking her up and cradling her slim body in his arms. Warning signals went off in his head. These too he tried diligently to ignore, concentrating only on getting her back to her warm bed where she could get some much needed sleep. He fought with his unruly emotions as he approached her door, placing the half asleep Alex on her own two feet. "Get some rest okay? I'll make sure no one bothers ya in the morning so you can sleep in."

She smiled up at him, her gorgeous blue eyes clouded with what he assumed was sleep. "Thank you Raphael," she whispered. Her hand came up, resting lightly on his chest and he knew right away that he had mistakenly judged that look in her eyes. His heart slammed almost painfully against his ribs as she leaned up and fearlessly brushed her lips across his in a gentle, butterfly soft kiss. "Goodnight." She smiled once more, looking up at him through long sooty lashes then she moved back and closed the door.

 A million excuses for her sudden and unpredictable action leapt into his mind. She was tired, she was delusional, and she was probably over half asleep when she-. The excuses didn't work though. One prevailing though dominated his mind and left him shaken more then he cared to admit. She had kissed him-and she had meant to do it. With a shaky sigh he ran a hand over his face and quickly retreated to his own room where he could deal with these new, foreign emotions and hopefully be able to figure out how the hell all of this had happened. And why he suddenly felt as if his entire world had just been turned upside-down on him.