DISCLAIMER – First up, my undying thanks to Pacphys for filling me in on life in the AK. Alaska, that is. Without her insight and wherewithal, I would have had Gabby mushing doggies instead of driving a SUV. As before and as it will always be, I don't own any of the TMNT's. Gabby, Jordan, and Mindy are my only commodities and they bring in zilch, other than whatever comments you, the reader, decide to bestow upon my grateful self.

Chapter 8 – Simply Put

As the performer sang, she seemed to be the very essence of control. That is, if one dismissed the gradually increasing shake of her gloved hand that held the microphone. She mouthed the words to the first song perfectly, her facial expressions reflecting the mood of the music as she went through the motions.

Tricia dared not look at anyone. She was terrified. If anyone from management found out about the switch, two people would be out of a job – and she knew that her friend would never sing in Fairbanks again. She could only hope that those sitting in booth eight would last through until intermission. Then, all she would have to do would be to hurry back to the dressing room, wipe the makeup off, then get dressed back into her uniform, returning to duty and then feigning sick.

Yeah, as if she wasn't already missing.

Her job was toast.

Yet, she felt emboldened to help Gabby out. Earlier, she had finally learned what no one else had, and that was Miss A's first name.

Gabriella! How beautiful, Tricia had thought initially.

Just the same, Gabby didn't give her much time to dwell on that fact, as she quickly pushed Tricia down into the vanity chair. Hurriedly, the mutant began to apply the pale foundation to Tricia's face.

"Just remember how I perform, remember how I come out and how I greet the audience. Don't make eye contact with anyone – especially with those in booth eight."

"Why not?" the girl had asked innocently, trying to remain perfectly still as green fingers applied the nearly white foundation to her face.

Gabby stopped for a moment, eyeing Tricia. Should she tell her? Sighing, Gabriella knew that she had already gone against so much of what Leo had taught her. Maybe Gabby was didn't want her children learning ninjitsu, but if there was one thing she would do right, it would be that her family's life as ninja would remain secret, no matter what.

Even if it cost her Mindy and Jordan.

"Those that want to take my children away are sitting there and they know me. They'll be able to tell that I'm not the one singing."

"But, I'll be like thirty feet away, how will they know...?" Tricia countered.

"Look," Gabby gazed hard into Tricia's face, "please trust me on this; they'll know, they're very smart, very clever, and…well, just don't look at them." Gabby whispered in frustration. "Also, try to act confident and not think about what you're doing. Getting nervous won't help you – or me. Do not engage with the audience, either. Ignore anyone wanting a special number."

"Oh, you can be sure of that. Even on my best day I don't sound at all like you." Tricia's eyes widened as if to emphasis her words.

"And keep your eyes still so I can get this makeup on you!" Gabby smiled as she tried to trace around the girl's eyes with the liner. Her hand shook as she dragged the black grease pencil around Tricia's lids. Gabby was horribly nervous, yet she shoved as much of it back as she could. Although she had not sensed anyone mentally reaching out to her from the nightclub, she wasn't going to take any chances, either.

Finally, after applying the lipstick, she was done; a record setting five minutes and Gabby had the make-up on Tricia.

"You look great, paler than I do, but great," Gabby smiled. "Now, for the costume." She quickly removed her knee-high boots and then, as Tricia shoved her feet into the footwear, Gabriella nearly ripped the lavender and purple dress off from its hanger.

She then gave one more bit of advice to the girl as Tricia slipped the dress on, "If you see any one from booth eight leave for any reason, I want you to create a disturbance." Silence suddenly filled the dressing room. It was perfectly clear what Gabby was asking her to do. She then continued, "I know what that will mean for you – and for me. But, they cannot leave the nightclub, not easily anyway. I need borrowed time and it's the only way I can think of getting it. I assure you, they will know soon enough that I'm not the one singing and try to leave the nightclub quickly, so you better think of what to do beforehand."

Tricia nodded solemnly. She swallowed and then asked Gabby, "Will – I see you again?"

Smiling a little, Gabby replied as her eyes watered just a little, "No – you will not. They know I'm here so to stay anywhere in town will be unwise." She hugged Tricia then, hard, as she choked out, "But I want to say that you have been a wonderful friend; I just wish I could have been this open with you before now."

Tricia hugged her back and then declared, "I'll miss you, too, but you better get going. I think that pre-show music's on its second loop already."

A minute later and well past the time she should have already been on stage, Gabby was running out to her car from the back door of the nightclub. She tried not to slip on the snow-covered asphalt, mindful that she had very little time for mishaps. It would not take long for her family to know that she eluded escape once again.

Although the wind had died down, it was still well below freezing, causing her to shiver under her multi-layers of clothing.

"Some spring!" she lamented sourly, pulling her hood tighter against her as she hunched further into her heavy winter coat.

Now, as she climbed into her car, she prayed that it would start. Engaging the ignition, the vehicle grunted once, spat a small cloud of black smoke out the tail pipe, and then roared to life. Gabby cheered just a little bit.

As she carefully drove her SUV around the parking lot and towards the exit, she spied a shiny black new Chevy suburban parked towards the back among the other patrons' cars. It was an obvious rental and not a lightweight as far as expense goes.

Therefore, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who would drive something like that.

"Don!" she seethed aloud, "of course, I should have known."Gabby clenched her teeth in frustration, wondering just where in the world her uncle did not go. "Maybe Antarctica – at least they don't have roads there!" she grumbled under her breath.

As soon as she had the car on the road, she drove as fast as was possible along the snowy ground. There was a good fifteen minutes of travel before she would make the house and it worried her that she might already be too late.

"If he's taken my kids…so help me, I'll make that turtle's life so miserable!" she spat. As she drove the treacherous roads, she took a curve just a little too fast. The car slid a bit before the snow tires grabbed the road again, causing her to mutter with eyes wide, "But killing my self first certainly won't help me do that."

Back in the nightclub, Tricia was doing an admirable job of filling in for Gabby as she lip-synced to the first song. "Five more and I can take a break!" she thought to herself. "How does that girl do it three times a week? I'm exhausted already and I haven't even finished the first song yet!" Yet, she knew it was because she was nervous and that alone was taking its toll on the girl's resolve.

Moments before Tricia went on stage and grateful that she alone handled her own music, Gabby had switched the tapes from orchestra to the combined orchestra/voice. It was what the club used as background music whenever Gabby was not working. It helped to advertise her and to give people something to listen to without the proprietor having to pay for a group to come in to do the job. She wasn't too sure how many songs were there, but Tricia seemed to know what order they were in. Hopefully the girl would be able to end her first set just before a long instrumental intro.

Now, as Tricia 'sang', the crowd of patrons seemed to be accepting her, unaware that she was not The Enchantress. Where most were already inebriated, it was easy to fool them by the costume, the make-up, and the well executed, if not nervous, mimicking of the song's words.

So far, it seemed the girl's performance was going well.

It was obvious that Tricia had paid attention during Gabby's past performances. Her love for the music shined forth from her with each strain from the orchestra and with each pre-recorded song that featured Gabby's voice. Tricia closed her eyes, trying mentally to block out the crowd and especially to quell the rising trepidation growing within her. Booth eight was her primary focus, yet it was becoming her main obstacle, causing her to quake even more in nervous anticipation.

She knew that Gabby was NEVER nervous on stage. It would not take much for the staff to recognize the difference and cause them to wonder. Moreover, if those in booth eight were as alert as Gabby had described them, Tricia was going to be found out and sooner than she or her friend had hoped.

By the halfway point in the first song, those in booth eight did indeed see something different. By the end of the song, Don suddenly declared through clenched teeth, "That's not Gabby!" and immediately dove his hand into the inside pocket of his coat.

"Are you sure?" Mike questioned, worried that yet, again, his niece had outfoxed them. Truly, he wanted out of the chase, he wanted his life back, and he wanted to save his marriage.

"Sense her, Mike; what do you 'see'?" Don exclaimed in trite sarcasm, the fire in his eyes nearly illuminating the dark interior of his hood.

Mike had only to focus for a brief second before realizing the truth of his brother's words. Almost at the same time, every person sitting in booth eight became instantly agitated.

"She did it again, damn that girl!" seethed Raph, clenching his fists and almost pounding the top of the table with them in frustration and anger.

"Don, the kids; you need to get the kids!" Cassie begged as she turned to face her husband, her hand gripping his arm pleadingly.

"I know, Cass, just hold on." Don had punched speed dial on the phone and soon Thomas answered, his visage clearly defined within the framework of the small video screen. "The fox is running, repeat, the fox is running." Don spoke softly into the device, "Cop the chicks. Place the bait where she can see it and have the spy running. We'll meet you at fly time in thirty." Then, Don snapped the phone closed, ordering, "Everyone out, now."

Seamlessly and in well-trained order, the six gradually eased out of the booth in sporadic numbers. First one, then two, then after a moment one more, followed by the remaining two, until all six were on their way and heading for the door.

As Tricia noticed movement along the back of the nightclub, she realized the time was now to do something drastic. She had to cause a commotion that would draw attention away from her and to those that were now trying to leave.

Suddenly, in an instant, everyone's evening changed. As Tricia stopped singing, she pulled the hood from her head to reveal who she truly was. In the next second, she yelled above the music, pointing as she did to the group making for the exit, "Stop them - there, those people trying to leave, they're kidnappers!"

The barkeep almost dropped the drink he was preparing when he realized The Enchantress was not The Enchantress, but Tricia, her assistant and one of his servers. At the same time, several of the bouncers looked around feverishly for whomever it was Tricia was talking about.

Not stopping to question the validity of the girl's statement, as soon as they spied the six hooded figures heading for the front door of the nightclub, security rushed the group.

They tried to intercept quickly, hoping to minimize the disturbance and get things back on track once more. However, one of the six that was trying to leave the lounge swiftly ducked down below crowd level and out of sight. As one bouncer approached that location, the man suddenly disappeared from view, lost in the sea of people. While the customers were asking each other in loud, confused voices about what was going on or what was happening, two more security personnel tried to stop the group, only to meet the same fate as the first bouncer did.

There were no exchange of blows; the men just simply seemed to trip and fall flat on their faces.

Leo whispered to his son as Seth caught up with the rest of them, "Good job, Seth."

"I don't think they were expecting a tail." he quipped in reply.

"No, I don't suppose they were," his father grinned back as he and his family pushed their way through a crowd of startled humans to their exit.

Still shrouded within their hooded coats - Don and his team muscled their way through the wall of people, keeping Cassie in the middle where she did not have the advantage of a carapace and plastron or even a tail. Several more alert patrons tried to stop them, only finding themselves as equally 'floored' as the bouncers were.

Soon, all six from booth eight were outside of the building.

In less time than it took Tricia to shout out her warning, the ninja team had successfully neutralized the human blockade and made it outside to safety.

Not wasting a moment, they headed for the parking lot in back and to the rented black suburban parked behind the building. Aware of the slippery nature of snow, each member helped the other along, thereby avoiding any mishaps along the way. Yet it was Cassie who almost went down, with Don and Raph both grabbing her up before she did.

"Hate snow, horrible stuff," she grouched, eliciting a chuckle from both her husband and brother-in-law.

"You should try it as a reptile!" Raph sniggered as he dragged her along.

"I am part reptile, Raph, why d'ya think I hate it!" Cassie snapped back irritably. Then, as an afterthought, she glanced at her husband, "And if Gabby doesn't make it in time, I'm holding you responsible!"

"Me, why me?" Don looked askance at his beloved, all the while running for the suburban.

"Because - this was your plan - that's why!" she replied, her voice staccato-accented with her running.

Soon, all six were at the car.

Slipping into the driver's seat, Mike commented, "Well, sure am glad Thomas did the honors with the car rentals this time; I don't doubt that nightclub will sound the alarm once they know Gabby is missing."

"And the fact that phony singer made the commotion she did, I think they'll get a jump on it, too." Don mused. "So, as fast as possible, Mike, we need to get out of here. Even with the cover we put on the license plate, we don't need anyone ID-ing us."

In quick order, Mike had the suburban out of their parking spot and heading at a safe speed towards the street. The last thing they would need would be to have the car spin out before hitting the main road. That would do more than cost them time.

By the time the bouncers had managed to shrug coats on and give chase, the car was already taking a corner and disappearing around the bend. Unless someone had taken note of the cars in the parking lot, it was highly doubtful anyone from the club could offer a description of the suburban.

"So, d'ya think she'll get to the house before Thomas and Devon have things set up?" Raph asked as he shoved the hood off his head and looked back at his brother.

"He probably had everything good to go before I made the call," Don replied from the middle passenger seat, "Getting the kids into the car will be the easy part." He reached up and pulled down the on-board television from its receptacle. He then plugged the wireless receiver into an input jack as he commented, "Should have video feed in a minute or two."

"I hope Gabby makes it, Don," Cassie groaned beside him.

"Me too, Cass," Don soothed as he wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders, "We'll give her an hour to allow for weather and road conditions. If she doesn't make it, though…"

Sighing deeply, Cassandra nodded, "I know; we leave her behind." Silence filled the interior of the car, everyone high on adrenaline and somewhat subdued, too, with the prospect of abandoning the girl. It was not what they wanted to do, but Gabby had already set things in motion to that end, the moment she had left Mike's place five years earlier.

As Seth stared out the window, he appeared devoid of emotion. However, internally, he was roiling. He soon felt an arm grace his shoulders, but he continued to watch as the nighttime scenery swept by.

"The ball is in her court, now, son," Leo softly said, "We'll give her enough time to decide; I'm sure she'll choose wisely."

"But, what if she doesn't? What if she's – scared to do what we want her to do?" Seth turned to look at his father, a deep sadness etched in his expression.

"She has every reason to be frightened," Raph's voice boomed from the front seat, his irritation clearly felt. "With what she's put us through these past five years, if she was any other way right now she'd have to be comatose." Shaking his head, he muttered, "Five minutes with me ripping at her and she'll wish for death."

Gabby drove as fast as was safe to do so towards her home. Her heart felt as if it was ready to pound right out of her chest. How long had she been running like this? Five years?

"Seems like an eternity," she muttered aloud.

The emotions from earlier that she forced back, the tears she refused release when she initially sensed her family in the nightclub, now flowed freely. With the interior of the car warm against the frigid air outside, she allowed her tears to come. Yet, Gabby knew that as soon as she arrived at the house, she would have to wipe her face dry, least the moisture freeze solid on her skin.

As she neared her home, she saw tire tracks leading from the driveway and running back from where she came. She didn't remember passing any cars along the way where the streets were mostly deserted. "Did they get my kids the moment I left the house?" she wondered, and then her eyes went wide in realization as she exclaimed, "MARIE!"

Pulling into her driveway, she stopped the car alongside the snowy path leading up to her front porch. Barely remembering to apply the parking break, Gabby nearly exploded out of her car, running as carefully as she could in her thermal boots and towards her front door.

The moment she was inside, she saw Marie lying on the couch, fast asleep. "They darted her or drugged her, either way, I can't leave her," Gabby grouched silently. She shoved back her hood and raced into the hallway, storming into her children's bedrooms.

Gabby almost collapsed as she stood there. Empty, the beds were empty and it looked as if whoever had been here had taken some of Mindy and Jordan's warmer clothes, as well.

"NO!" Gabby screamed out-loud, "NO, please God, no, not my babies." Running her hands through her hair frantically, she cried now, deep racking sobs that shook her very being. "What have you done, what have you done?" She fell softly against the doorframe and continued to cry, holding herself as she did. "My babies, dear God, what am I going to do without my children!" she wailed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Gabby took one last look at Mindy and Jordan's empty beds and returned to the living room, still crying. Blinking back the remnants of her tears, she suddenly felt chilled, even with her coat on.

"Oh, no, the heater went out again!" Sobbing, she ran through the living room, into the small dining area and then the kitchen beyond. Flinging open the back door, she raced down the steps and around to the side of the house to check the heater to see why it wasn't working. Wiping her eyes dry, she opened the utility box, switching the circuit breaker off and then on.

Nothing.

Several more times proved that, for now, the heater was a no-show. Gabby knew that it was acting up once again and she would have to wait until daybreak before anyone would come out to fix it, which only meant one thing.

Quickly, she went around to the rear of the house where she had stored several cords of wood. Where they were already chopped and good to go, she filled the canvas carrier with a generous load. Then, hoisting it up and as quickly as she was able to, Gabby returned to the house and the living room.

There in the corner by the sofa stood her cast iron potbelly stove. She dropped the canvas carrier, spilling the wood all over the floor in the process, and then reached over to open the metal door. It creaked audibly as she swung it wide, making her wince a little. Then, she began tossing the wood in, one chuck at a time, until every piece was secure within the stove. Next, she grabbed up some old newspapers. Crumpling them, she tossed them in as well and then followed up with a strike of a match to set them afire.

After closing the small, iron door and securing it, she went back to sit on the rug alongside the couch next to Marie.

Gabby's mind was now reeling with confusion and fear. Who had taken her children? Gabby knew that with her family in town and the fact that they were at the club, Don would have had someone else to do the job.

Thomas!

"Of course, Thomas is always ready to do Don's dirty work!" she seethed silently.

As she sat there, she looked around the room. She had yet to take a moment to see if maybe Don had left behind some kind of message. She half expected one, too.

"Bragging about his victory would be the perfect coupe de gras." she thought bitterly.

However, as she waited for the stove to heat the room, Gabby spied something out of the corner of her left eye.

Opposite from the couch and taped to the front of the small television screen was an envelope. She noticed the initials DAT printed in gold along the front.

Gabby swallowed nervously. The location was far too tempting and she knew that Don would do more than just leave a written account. She looked around for a camera, anything that would seem unusual to her. However, much to her disappointment, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. There were pictures along the wall there, but they looked as normal as they did before she left for work only a couple of hours earlier.

With her hands shaking, she gingerly scooted over to the television to peel the note from the screen. Sitting back, now, and facing the set, she then slowly opened the envelope. Gabby gently removed the card and opened it, reading the message inside.

As she read, tears filled her eyes again. They spilled over and trailed down her face as the enormity of the card's message weighed against her.

Simply put, she had thirty minutes from the time she opened the card to get her 'tail' out to the airport to hanger 'A' – that is, if she was ever to see her kids again.

She also had to bring the card and the envelope with her in order to get past the guard stationed there.

"How would Don even know when I opened the card?" she thought in frustration, pondering the logic of the restricted time. She realized, then, and based on how her uncle operated, that Don did indeed have a camera set up somewhere in her house; more than likely it was right in front of her.

She now glared hard in the direction of the television. She was just beginning to realize that, considering the proximity of the note, Thomas had obviously placed the micro-camera somewhere around the device. He had probably placed it on one of the pictures that were there on the wall.

Now, anger rose to her face like the emergence of a terrible sunrise. Just the same, there was still more to the note and as she read further, Gabby's rage began to dissipate, causing her to groan in despair.

Simply put, she was to return to California with the family. No bargaining and no threats tolerated. If she chose not to comply, then the family would consider her a viable threat to the children from then on, and treat her as such if she came around any of them again.

Gabby doubted very much that Don was bluffing. Treating her as a threat meant responding to her as a threat, which would mean her life.

She spat out an angry expletive towards the television, "BASTARD!"

Simply put, she knew she had lost the race and now it was time to pay the piper.

She looked over at Marie and knew that it was not so simple. Gabby could not leave her friend behind and risk having the woman freeze to death. Despite the blazing inferno in the potbelly stove, Gabby could still feel the chill of the outside creeping its way into the house. It was going to take a while before the stove did its job. In the meantime, enough chill could threaten Marie's life. The cabin was not as weatherproof as Gabby would have liked it and she blamed herself for not making sure of that fact when she initially moved in.

Just the same, she knew Don now held all the cards and there wasn't any other course of action for her to take except to now play the game his way.

Gabby would never care to see another sunrise if she could not see her kids again. But, how could she leave Marie?

Suddenly having an idea, she scrambled up off the carpet and ran into the children's bedroom. Ripping both bed coverings off from each bed, she then raced back to where Marie was.

Then, she began piling all of it onto the sleeping Inuit woman. Marie had been a godsend to her, someone who had befriended her and had kept Gabby's secret for the past year. She dearly cared for the woman, but now she had to leave her and there wasn't even a moment to say good-bye to her.

When Gabby was done, she looked up at the clock on the wall and realized that she had twenty minutes to make the airport in time. Where the airstrip was on the west side of Fairbanks and she lived on the northeastern end of the town, that meant driving at least eight miles along snow covered roads.

"I'll never make it in twenty!" she moaned.

Just the same, she was not going to give up, either.

Snatching the note and envelope, Gabby went over and leaned down, giving Marie a gentle kiss on her cheek, "I promise to come back if I can," she whispered, "just to let you know I'm all right." She paused, stroking the woman's hair and taking a mental picture of the woman, before turning away and racing out the front door. She secured it tightly behind her and then ran towards her SUV.

If she hurried, she just might make it.

COMMENTS –

RAMICA – Sneaky is as sneaky does. Though she didn't have much in the way of training, Gabby does learn fast. At least, she learned enough to pull the proverbial wool over their eyes! Gabby might have ended up giving Jordan back, just to avoid having him come down sick. She's not heartless, ya know. :0) Ah, her family's ninja, so…well…you know now, though, don't ya! Didn't take them too long to find out Tricia wasn't Gabby. A little nod to you regarding PG. I always saw the farm as belonging to April's family. I find it too odd to consider it belonging to Casey. In fact, when the series mentioned that once, I thought someone had made a mistake! Ah well. A herd of turtles? What DO they call a large grouping of turtles, anyway? Well, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.

LUNAR-NINJA – Ah, it was going to happen eventually. Actually, it sort of surprised me that I hadn't done so earlier. But, I think the timing on it was better this way. As I'm thinking about it, I missed my chance of briefing over her various hideouts she had along the way. Just might do that in the next chapter or two. Nothing major, just in passing, so to speak. Yeah, all the TMNT's are older, based on the timeline I assumed Rahab was written in. But, they are older, so that means they can make mistakes more. Funny how you start off making mistakes as you grow up, only to keep making them as you get older. I keep hoping for perfection, but every time I look in the mirror, I'm thrown back to reality! LOL Anyway, glad your author alerts are back. Very frustrating when they go AWOL. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.

PACPHYS – Well, thanks so much for the intel on AK. I really appreciate it. I was joking about 'little heating pads' for the cars engine and tranny, but to find out that's what they are nearly had me doubled over. Who would'a thought, until my husband came home this evening and I told him and he acts like it's old news. GAH, guess I've been living under a rock! LOL, stripping Alaskans. HA! Smart girl, that Pacphys; figured out Gabby's plan. Poor Tricia; now she's out of a job, too. Well, as I was writing chapter 7 and came to that part in the story where Gabby hid in the shadows from Tricia, TPOTO came to mind almost instantly. So, a nod to one of my favorite plays, although unplanned at the time. :0) Gabby has been on remote as far as running from the family. After five years, she doesn't know how to stop it. She's afraid to go home and for obvious reasons. Who knows what repercussions there would be for her. However, she's heading for a turn in chapter 9! Thanks for all your help and for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.