When You Least Expect It! Chapter 3: Intruder Alert!, a ninja turtles fanfic

Disclaimer: Sorry for taking so long with this update. Writers block took up residence at my computer terminal. GAH!! Nope, still don't own 'em. Own Shari Brentwood, though. Need a body guard? I'll rent her out…oops, she just told me to…oops, I've only rated this fic to a PG13, so – ahem – I can't type out what she just told me. Anyway…moving right along….

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CHAPTER 3 – Intruder Alert

Shari looked at the invitation again. The time on the card said that she was to arrive at the Tello residence for dinner by seven o'clock. It was a good bet that, aside from just being gracious, Don only wanted to find out more about her. Knowing his suspicious nature, he probably thought it too coincidental that she – a government employee – ended up living so close to him. Yet, Shari knew that a coincidence was all that it was.

She mentally went over her list again. She was certain that Don's security products riddled his property. With what Shari was planning, she needed to review what she knew about them. Fortunately, Don had provided a wealth of safety information and security measures to the U.S. government. Because it was part of her job with Special Forces to compromise such installations, Shari understood just about each and every component he made. In fact, deciphering how he assembled his inventions had been a government-sanctioned assignment of hers. One thing that Don Tello never did was to let his buyers know how his systems worked! Yet, there had been a fear among her superiors that during Shari's excursions abroad, she and her team would come across equipment that were Tello Industry products. Therefore, it was prudent to understand just how they worked and how to override them.

Currently, she was mentally clicking off all systems with which she was familiar. With every manufacturer, there were certain attributes that linked their products together. Whether it was the layout of the circuit board or how they aligned the sensors, they followed a pattern, thereby, making it easy to find each system's 'Achilles heel'.

The trouble with Don Tello's, however, was that he added subtle differences with each product his company made. No two were alike, or so it seemed. His ingenious methods made it nearly impossible to find the one key that would fail each system. Consequently, Shari had devoted hundreds of hours to discover the oddity and quirk that linked all of Tello's products. It was so secret and so high priority within the Pentagon that Shari had been the only one with clearance to work on them. Now, with her retirement, she had to pass that information on to her replacement.

Yet, it didn't keep her from retaining such knowledge!

Additionally, with every product, there were gradual improvements which made its successor just a little more advanced than its predecessor. Shari had learned to recognize which direction these improvements would take so that she would know the best way to compromise them in the field. Given what she was planning on doing that evening, she was mentally reviewing what she knew about the latest perimeter warning systems that Tello Industries had manufactured. More than likely, he would have a completely different if not more advanced version for his home than what he had provided for the government.

Looking at the clock in her kitchen, Shari saw that she had about an hour before Don would be expecting her. Unless he had more information about her than he let on, he would not be assuming anything other than her punctual arrival. She had other plans, though, and a wry smile began to play across her face as she thought about it.

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"So, you think she'll come?" Raph asked as he sipped his Seven 'n Seven. He was standing by the expansive living room window that over-looked the darkening rose garden. It was almost six thirty and the day was slowly ebbing towards sunset. He watched the shadows as they lengthened through the grove of trees in the distance, not far from where he had first met the woman earlier in the day.

"Who knows? At the very least, she might if only to give me a piece of her mind for having you breaking and entering her apartment." Don replied casually, sitting down on the divan with his brandy-snifter in hand. He swirled the dark liquid within the glass orb, allowing it's oxygenation to enhance the flavor of the liqueur. Bringing the glass up to his lips, he sipped just a little of its contents, tasting the cordial seductively. He savored the experience with closed eyes and allowed the sweetness to caress his tongue. Then, nearly sighing in ecstasy, he swallowed the last of his portion. He then opened his eyes and found his brother staring at him.

"What?" he asked as if he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Nothing." Raph turned back towards the window, taking a sip of his drink from his own glass.

"That wasn't a 'nothing' look, Raph. What's wrong?" Don insisted.

Raphael turned back toward his brother and, with a lopsided grin, explained, "The way you drink your brandy, you'd think it was a woman!" and he chuckled as he noticed Don's reddening face.

"I don't do it like that!" Don complained. He defensively sat his glass down on the brass and glass coffee table before him. Leaning back against the divan with his arms draped across the back and then crossing his legs, he remarked, "I enjoy my drink, yes, but I know how to enjoy it the right way!"

"Hmm…if you'd enjoy women the way you did that drink, you'd be a little less lonely, too!" Raph laughed again.

Don glared at his brother and shook his head, "Maybe you need the company more than I do!" He didn't appreciate the comment at all. Don had just lost probably the only woman he would have felt comfortable with to cancer. It was a hard loss, but one that he was coming to terms with just the same. Considering his history of failed if not deadly relationships, women were not as necessary as they once were when he was younger.

"Why's that, brother dear?" Raph sipped at his drink.

Regaining his composure, Don replied good-naturedly, "Because, you're the one who's put a sexual emphasis on the way I drink my brandy. It was the farthest thing from my thoughts, but it seems as if you're the one preoccupied with it!" and now it was Don's turn to laugh.

Raph laughed in kind and turned back around to watch the shadows of the approaching night deepen throughout the back yard. "I've had enough of women, both reptile and human. Why go to the bother of inviting this government employee to dinner, though?" he turned to face Don once again.

"You said she needed a job and I may have one for her." Don reached over towards his glass, snatching it up and taking in a larger than normal swig of the brandy. This time he nearly challenged Raphael by swallowing the liquid in one gulp. He smiled triumphantly. His esophagus was burning like a wildfire. However, he'd never own up to it, not with Raph's gaze firmly entrenched on his as he watched.

Satisfied that Don was suffering, Raph asked, "So, what kind of job do you have for her? After all, you did say she was a secretary to that General whathaveyou…."

Don replied, slightly hoarse from the brandy, "General Tallen. She told you that she worked classified."

"Yeah, she did and then said something about killing me if she told me anything about it. But, you know that's just a bunch of talk. Yeah, as if she's Navy Seal or someth'n." Raph chuckled and then took another drink from his glass. He noted that he was going to need a fill-up soon.

"Well, she threw you! She can't be your ordinary, run-of-the-mill file clerk. What I saw five years ago in that gym was someone well trained in martial arts!" Don's voice reflected awe and one being very impressed with the memory.

Raph swung his head back around in shock, "What? You think she's ninja? Come on, Don…that gal's anything but ninja. She might know a thing or two about protecting herself, but she ain't no ninja." Raph nearly choked on the words as he laughed.

"Didn't say she was, but how many women in your lifetime have had the ability to throw you like this Shari Brentwood did?" Don asked casually.

Raph didn't answer, but turned back around to face the window again and took a gulp of his drink. His back stiffened as he considered Don's words. He worked the inside of his jaw as he thought about what he said. He noticed his glass was empty now. He looked at it hard and wondered about getting himself another drink or wait until Don's guest arrived. He knew it was only ten minutes later than what it was ten minutes ago – and he was antsy. Why, he didn't know, but he did know that Don's comment had changed his attitude in an instant.

It had been years, two decades actually, since that first encounter in New York. That very first encounter his family had with the Foot. April's apartment had suffered terribly from the aftermath, but he had suffered even more. Yet only one Foot soldier had been sent to challenge him – and a girl at that! He had nearly laughed at the idea when he first saw her – and she was good, too! He had to admit to that, although it took years for him to realize it. The girl had expertly shadowed him along the rooftop until she was nearly on top of him. Raph's own personal proximity alarm had warned him. Maybe it was an offshoot from his basic animal instincts with ninjitsu enhancements, but it had saved his life, that much was certain. She had been ready to decapitate him, too! Had he not turned around at the last moment and deflected her strike with his sais, she would have.

He had underestimated her, as well, and he knew she was a she! Though her flack jacket tried to conceal her form, her feminine shape was not hard to miss. That was his first clue. At the start, he was somewhat amused, thinking that maybe she had been an initiate sent in to prove herself. He allowed her to advance on him, eager to see what she knew. He was cocky; something that Leo always accused him of but he always flatly denied. He learned that day that Leo had been right! Early on in the battle, he discovered her moves were clean and well trained. He had been impressed, even pleased, as if he were the master assessing an aspiring student's ability. However, he learned quickly enough that this Foot soldier was anything but a student. The way she moved, the efficiency with which she countered and anticipated each of his return strikes had told him that he was up against someone equal to himself – and maybe even a little bit better! It became a rude awakening, making him take notice of just how desperate his and his family's existence was in trying to stay alive. She represented the very thing that wanted to snuff it all out and he would have killed her that day if she hadn't had almost beaten him to it.

"Not many, that's for sure." Was all Raph would say to Don's question. In fact, being the only one, the female Foot soldier from two decades ago remained in a category all by herself. For a moment, Raph wondered what had become of her. Maybe in his family's subsequent battles they had met again but unaware. Possibly, she had been killed during one of the skirmishes they had with the Foot. With their faces hidden by their doji, Shredder's army of ninja warriors was impossible to discern from one another.

"Well, either way, I'm hoping Shari take the job. Your ex needs the help and what I'll pay this woman should bring her around to accepting my offer." Don mused.

"Does Rahab know you're doing this?" Raph asked as he sat his glass down on the coffee table and took one of the chairs across from the divan. He decided he'd wait until the woman arrived and then join her in a drink – provided she did, that is.

"Ah, no, I haven't gone that far with it, yet. But, with four kids to handle – including your hyperactive son – she needs the help." Don sat his now-empty glass down next to the other one, leaning back against the couch once again.

"You know how Rahab feels about humans!" Raph snorted out, "She's never been at ease with any of 'em; only tolerates the maid because you insist upon it. They give her the creeps the way they look at her and all." Raph shook his head, "I don't know, Don. Maybe you need to talk with her about it before you go making this woman an offer."

"I've already talked with Mike and…" Don began to say, but the beeper tucked inside his jacket went off. "What the…" He took the gadget out of his inside pocket and looked at it. "The north gate's been compromised! Who in blazes…." Don now stood and quickly made for the doorway that lead down a hall towards the north end of the house, "Someone's broken through my defense measures!"

Now Raph was in step with his brother, "Good thing Mike and Rahab left earlier with the kids. She'd freak if she had to go through another episode like what happened nine years ago at your other house."

"No kidding!" Don seethed. The two turtles scrambled down the hallway, each grabbing one of four decorative swords displayed along one wall. Soon, they went out a far door and into the night towards the direction of the intrusion.

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Summer was soon to arrive, but there was just enough bite from the fast retreat of winter to put a reasonable chill in the outside air. Raph wasn't too happy about it, either. "I thought you said these defenses of yours were impenetrable?" he grumped, shrugging his shoulders up against the coolness of the night.

"They are! Not even the government knows about 'em!" Don seethed irritably.

They both walked silently through the deepening dark of the estate, keeping to the shadows almost instinctively. They were keenly aware of their surroundings, but noted nothing out of place. Yet, something had triggered Don's pager alarm.

The pager had shown Don what point in the fence had been compromised. However, upon their inspection, there wasn't anything amiss. Both Don and Raph took opposite directions along the rod iron barrier, their acute night vision and senses on high alert. After a fifteen-minute search, they returned to the point of origin and concluded that whatever it was, it had not succeeded in breeching Don's security.

"Maybe it was a raccoon?" Raph suggested, hiding his smirk as he scratched his snout.

"Maybe…but I doubt it." Don replied warily. "Very odd. Hmm…I wonder." Then, he declared, "Might have been a decoy! I think we need to get back to the house!"

The two started towards the expansive home. "Remind me tomorrow to call in my security team again." Don asked Raph, "Try as I might to live normally, I don't think that will ever happen."

Raph chuckled, "Brilliant as you are, Don, you're just now realizing that?" The next thing he knew, Raph was shoved off-balance. "Hey, just stating the obvious, Mr. Tello!" he jested. He heard his brother laugh under his breath, but made no other comment, continuing quickly towards the house.

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After replacing the swords onto the wall display, the two turtles headed back towards the main living room. Raph noted his watch read that it was now seven sharp. They should be expecting their guest at any time. "Hey, she should be arriving pretty soon."

"Yeah, but if we have problems brewing here, I may have to send her home and…." Don started to say, but as he led the way into the living room, he stopped short, nearly causing Raph to slam into him from behind.

"Hey, keep going, Speed Bump!" Raph complained.

"Ah, maybe you need to come around me, Raph…you're not going to believe this!" said Don, his voice a whisper.

When Raph came from around his brother to see what he was talking about, what he saw in the living room occupying the same chair that he had earlier and holding a glass half filled with brandy was not what he had expected.

Taking a sip of the liqueur and then holding the glass up one-handed as if it were a trophy, Shari Brentwood casually smiled at them, smug and triumphant, "Well, boys, glad you could join me! I do hate to drink alone!"

Don could only smile and shake his head in amazement, while Raph glowered.

Shari was using his glass!

ACE1413 – Yeah, Shari gave Raph a real eye opener, that's for sure. Hard to say how this will 'run', but I'm hoping for some sparring here and there. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.

RAVENPHEOIXFIRE - Wow, been a while, Raven! How've you been? Glad you're liking this story. Shari is what I wish I was – interesting! :0) Well, I hope this chapter was as good. No action yet, but implied, I guess. Still early in the story, but evenutually I'll have some shell-kicking action – I hope! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.

PHOENIX-RISING – Humor, an elusive treasure when pursued, but when looking the other way has a habit of crashing into you. Yeah, I love it when it surprises me like that. Glad it gave you a lift, too! We can all use one now and then. Oh, I don't know about my par – I hate golf. Hmm… didn't mean golf? Okay…ah…you don't have to grumble, it's all right, really…please? starts to cry Hey, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed!

LADY VENOM2 – Yeah, after tossing Raph, I think she was owed. Can't make her too good, now can I? Heated discussions between two very stubborn and determined individuals? How can you even come to that conclusion? I sure hope so! LOL I've tried to bridge this story with several others I've written or had the pleasure of enhancing. I love continuity – a lot! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed!

BUSLADY OF SOCAL – Thank you SOOOOO much for that wonderful drawing of Raph saluting! Did ya see it on my ff.net page? Too cool!!! I added that salute last minute and I think it fit the situation perfectly! Hey, thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.

RAMICA – Nope, Shari doesn't like being bested, infiltrated, one-upped, or anything that makes her look inept. The fact that Raph and Don out-did her twice piqued her irritability. This latest chapter hints at what she's capable of when push comes to shove. It's only the tip of the ol' iceberg! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed!

VESTQUEX – Well, we're gonna have to take that coffee machine away from you and that coffeegrinder. I think you've been just eating the beans so I guess we have to take them away from you, too! Glad you like this story! You're on TV??? Hmm… Hookay…Well, again, thanks for reading and reviewing and try not to jump out anymore windows, 'kay? Be blessed.

DANCINGFAE – Yeah, Shari has a few tricks up her sleeve that neither Don or Raph know about. Of course, it goes both ways. Replacing the broken CD was a typical Don act, but getting it to her was strictly a Raph act, as demonstrated in Yosutebito Daughter! As far as keeping it interesting, that is why is has taken me so long to update! I've been suffering from writers block. Now, if I can just tear down the wall to Waking to a Nightmare, I'd be happy!!! Again, thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.

PRETENDER FANATIC – Slow chapters bug me, but their often necessary. Without them, the more active ones wouldn't be as much fun! I'm hoping, given Shari's job description, to get some shell-kicking action going pretty soon. Can't say when since I haven't a clue where this is going. Imagine that. Hmm… Yes, understand about lost reviews. Been there, done that! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! Be blessed.