Chapter Eight

"213...214...Here we go! 215."

Leonardo stopped in front of the door and turned around to face his brothers, checking their attire for the final time. Raphael was dressed in a black turtleneck with a khaki colored jacket and pant set, and black dress shoes. Donatello had on a black pin striped suit over a light-blue collar shirt, complete with a black and light blue tie. Michelangelo wore a dull yellow sweater vest over a collared gray shirt, finished with a matching brown jacket and pant set. Leonardo shook his head then began to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Raphael asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"I have never seen all of you this dressed up before." Leonardo continued to laugh. " My clothes look great on you guys."

Michelangelo scratched at the tweed brown pants he wore. "These pants are itchy!"

"I can't breathe in this thing!" Raphael stuck a finger into between the turtleneck collar and his throat, then pulled on the fabric.

"I don't know why you guys are complaining." Donatello said as he picked a piece of thread of his sleeve.

Raphael threw Donatello a dirty look. "You're used to it, professor. We ain't."

Leonardo let his laughter die down. "I'm sorry, guys, but it's a formal party, which reminds me. I have a couple of rules I want to lay down."

"Like what?" Raphael asked as he yanked on the neck of the sweater again.

"There are going to be a lot of socialites here, so I want you guys to behave, which means no cussing, Raph."

"Well, damn it all to fuckin hell," Raphael joked.

"Raph!" Leonardo yelled.

"I'm just gettin it out of my system."

Leonardo shook his head, then pointed at Michelangelo. "And no stupid jokes and/or pranks."

Michelangelo felt confused then looked at Raphael. " Do rich people not laugh?"

Leonardo took a moment and adjusted his grey sweater. "Ready, guys?"

"What a minute!" Raphael said. "What about Donnie?"

Donatello smiled and pulled on the lapels on the jacket. "Unlike you cretins, I know how to act around people of this stature."

"What? What's a cretin?" Michelangelo asked Raphael, feeling completely lost again. He then looked back at Donatello. "Stop using big words around me. My brain can't take it!" Raphael and Donatello then bursted into fits of laughter.

"Shush!" Leonardo held up his hand, then closed his fist and knocked on the door. A round of giggles erupted from his brothers, causing Leonardo to turn around and give them an evil look.

"Leo! You're here!" Christina's voice rang out into the hallway, causing Leonardo to turn back towards the door while the other three muffled their laughter.

"Christina! Hi!" Leonardo said through a forced smile, then moved to let his brothers go by him first. "I brought people."

"Great to see you guys again!" Christina hugged each one of the Turtles, after which Raphael made a face of disgust at Leonardo. Leonardo pushed him into the apartment, then allowed Christina to take his hand.

"Leo, you never said anything about my dress." Christina pouted as she led Leonardo through the door. Leonardo stopped himself from rolling his eyes and glanced down, taking note on the long, black dress with thin straps that clung to Christina's body like it had been painted on. Leonardo gulped loudly and then copied what Raphael had done by pulling at the neck of his sweater.

"It's uh, nice." He said as he gasped for air. Christina smiled wickedly, eating up Leonardo's reaction to the skimpy dress. She then lead Leonardo down the entrance hallway and into the large livingroom. Leonardo looked around, taking in the surrounding above the crowd of people.

The walls of the apartment were a deep cream color, as was the carpeting. The floor leveled down to a sitting area, where a bright white sectional couch sat in front of a large fireplace, which had mahogany paneling along the mantel and down the sides. Above the fireplace was a huge mirror, which from the carvings in the wood frame, Leonardo guessed was an antique. The dining area, which contained a small black table and four chairs, sat in the back near the glass patios doors that opened up to a long, wide balcony. On either side on the patio doors were hallways, one that was near the dugout sitting area that lead to the bedrooms and bathroom, the other lead into the kitchen. Light jazz music flowed from the stereo beside of him. Then Leonardo caught the scent of hibiscus, and then realized the apartment was covered in potted hibiscus flowers. He had grown to hate them, and smelling them only brought back memories.

"I didn't know you liked those." Leonardo said to Christina as he pointed to a nearby large ceramic pot on the floor.

Christina wrinkled her nose. "Oh, dear God, no! I hate plants! I always kill them. My cousin put all of those in here." She then edged closer to Leonardo and entwined her fingers into his. "I smell much better, don't you think?"

Leonardo faked another smile, then walked ahead of Christina, dragging her behind him, and searched the apartment for his brothers. He spotted Raphael and Michelangelo near the dining table, filling their plates full of finger food. Donatello had found a few fellow teachers and was busy talking about the University. Leonardo then let out his breath and relaxed, knowing for the moment that his siblings weren't embarrassing him. Christina then jumped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You know, since your brothers are occupied at the moment, maybe you and I can sneak away somewhere more-" she slowly ran her finger down the front of Leonardo's sweater.

"- seclusive."

Leonardo began to laugh nervously as he tried to move away from Christina's lips. "Uh, why don't you introduce me to some of your friends first?"

Christina smiled then pulled away. "Oh, I'm sorry. That was rude of me, wasn't it. Okay, come on. " She grabbed his hand and led him through the crowd.

Linda sighed deeply, staring into the bumps of her bedroom ceiling, and listened intently to the talking and mindless laughter of her cousin's guests. She had told her cousin that she was going to stay out of the way, and Linda was defiantly sticking to her word. But the rumbling in her abdomen was not letting up, and she realized sooner or later she was going to have to eat. Linda growled loudly and slammed her fist into her bed, then jumped to her feet and cracked open the bedroom door. She peeked around the wall, wondering if anyone would notice her if she walked really fast to the kitchen. She took a deep breath then headed through the crowd with her head down. She was near the kitchen when she suddenly slammed into someone.

"Hey! What's the big friggin' idea?"

Linda recognized the gruff New York accent right away and her head bolted upright. "Raphael?"

Raphael stared back at her, as if he was trying to remember who she was. "Linda?"

Then she heard another familiar voice ring out from behind Raphael. "Linda? Where?" Michelangelo's head peered over Raphael's shoulder, then a huge smile covered his face.

"Linda!" He pushed Raphael out of his way and grabbed Linda in a bear hug, lifting her feet up off of the carpeting. Her eyes were still wide with shock as Michelangelo put her back down.

"What are you guys doing here?" She asked as she straighten out her white tee shirt.

"I was wonderin the same thing myself." Raphael looked down at her bare feet and gray yoga pants that completed her outfit. "You defiantly ain't here for no party."

"No, I'm not. I was just on my way to the kitchen-"

"Move! Move! Go that way! Hurry Up!" Donatello shoved the three of them into the kitchen before they even realized he had come up behind them.

Linda crossed her arms and frowned. "Donatello! What on earth is going on here? Why are you guys in my apartment?"

Raphael eyes grew big as he suddenly discovered the connection, while Michelangelo opened his mouth without thinking.

"Well, Leo got invited by this girl he's been seeing to this party-" Raphael slammed his hands over his brothers' mouth before Michelangelo could finish.

"What?" Linda let her arms drop as she started to look around the crowd.

"Linda, wait," Dontello pulled her back away from the doorway.

She looked back at Donatello, then took a deep breath. "So, the guy my cousin has been seeing for the past month was-Leonardo, and now he is here. Right now, in the next room."

Donatello lowered his head down. "I was hoping I would find you. I figured everything out when I walked over to the mantle and noticed your father's sword was mounted on it."

Linda buried her face in her hands, sighed deeply then pushed her hands over her pony-tailed hair, feeling her long bangs brush her cheeks. She glanced among the three turtles, not really sure what to say to them.

"Oh, man!" Michelangelo then exclaimed, finally putting the pieces together. "Your cousin is Leos' girlfriend!"

" Dammit, Mikey! Shut up!" Raphael swung his hand at his brother. "Have some friggin compassion, you moron!"

Linda held up her hands. "It's okay, Raphael. I would have to face all of this sooner or later." She glanced back into the living room. "I'm just going to go back into my bedroom now." She turned back toward Raphael and Michelangelo, wearing a small smile on her face. " It was nice to see you two again."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Michelangelo offered. " You know, if you want to talk?"

Linda smiled again. "I don't know if I'll talk much, but yeah, you can come with me."

She then left the kitchen, stopping by the table and grabbing a plate of food, then waited for Michelangelo to catch up with her. Then they continued down into the hallway, and Linda never took a glance back.

"And these are some old friends of my parents," Christina said. " Harry and Denise Richardson. They own most of the Hamptons area and rent out the beach houses and condos."

Leonardo felt as if his teeth were going to break from holding his fake smile for so long. He didn't really know what was worse: Meeting tons of boring rich people, or the fact that Christina kept whispering dirty comments into his ear. He shuddered as her long fingernails ran across the back of his thigh as she talked to the old couple in front of them. His eyes wondered around the apartment, once again looking for his brothers. He found Raphael and Donatello coming out of the kitchen and decided to make a break for freedom.

"Could you excuse me?" He asked and bowed his head to the couple in front of him and pulled free of Christina's grasp. Before she could protest, he pushed his way through the crowd and eased up to his brothers.

" We have to get out of here!" Leonardo exclaimed in a whisper as he appeared behind Donatello. " I think Christina is trying to get something going on tonight and I really don't want to be a part of it!"

Raphael looked back at Christina, noticing the tight black dress that covered her thin frame. " If you don't want it, I'll take it."

Donatello felt suddenly disgusted and narrowed his eyes. " Control yourself for once, Raph!"

" Come on. I'll just tell her we have an emergency." Leonardo said, feeling a bit jumpy.

"Like what?" Donatello asked.

"How about food poisonin'?" Raphael suggested, lifting his plate. "What the hell is this black shit, anyway?"

"It's caviar." Donatello blankly stated.

"What? You mean fish eggs? Sick!" Raphael gagged and went back into the kitchen. Leonardo and Donatello heard the roar of the garbage disposal as Raphael dumped his food into the sink. Leonardo then noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Mikey at?"

Donatello's eyes grew, then he smeared a smile onto his face. " He's here. He's around."

Leonardo stared into Donatello's eyes, as he had done many times before. " Donnie?'

" Stop that!" Donatello shielded his eyes. " I hate it when you pull that ninja mind crap on me!"

"Well, then tell me where Mikey is so we can leave!" Just then, Christina came up behind Leonardo and covered his eyes with her hands. The smell of her perfume rose into Leonardo's nose and his stomach violently turned in circles.

"Guess who?"

Leonardo was about to answer when his stomach turned again. He pushed Christina back and absentmindedly headed down the opposite hallway towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

"What's wrong?" Christina asked Donatello. "Is he okay?"

Donatello laughed slightly as he peered down into the hallway. "Food poisoning, I believe."

Once in the sanctity of the bathroom, Leonardo had lifted the toilet lid and emptied his stomach. He reached for the handle and pulled it, waiting for the flushing noise before falling backwards and sinking down onto the floor beside of the bathtub. He covered his face with his hands and held them there for a long time, not sure if he wanted to back out and face everyone who had seen him dash through the apartment. After what seemed like forever to him, Leonardo regained his strength and opened the door, just as Michelangelo walked out of the room across from him.

"Leo!" Michelangelo exclaimed, slamming the door shut behind him.

"There you are." Leonardo looked around his brother to the closed door behind him. "What were you doing in there?"

Michelangelo moved back into the door. " Nothing. Nothing at all. Were you looking for me? Are we leaving now?"

Leonardo stared at Michelangelo, making his brother feel uneasy, which Leonardo sensed right away. He grabbed Michelangelo's shoulder and pushed him out of the way, and then reached for the door handle.

"No, Leo! Don't!"

But Michelangelo's words fell on deaf ears. Leonardo flung the door open, and his eyes immediately recognized the red cherry four post bed and its matching dresser, desk and bookcase. The oriental rug and Japanese artwork that adorned the walls were also very familiar to him. His eyes then moved to the figure who sat crossed-legged in the middle of the bed.

"Michelangelo?" The figure called out. " That was fast! I hope you brought me something edible besides this-"

Linda stopped talking as she turned around, her eyes meeting with Leonardo's. She tried to find her voice but Leonardo beat her to it. He looked over at Michelangelo and glared at his brother.

" Well, it's nice to know that my own family is keeping secrets from me now!" He glared back at Linda before disappearing from sight. Michelangelo stood still as he watched Leonardo walk away, then moved back into the bedroom. He watched as tears gathered in Linda's eyes, knowing that his brothers' comment had hurt her deeply. She collapsed into the white comforter and sobbed violently. Michelangelo sat down next to her and rubbed her back.

" I'm sorry. I tried to stop him."

Linda looked up and Michelangelo through her tears. " I know. It's okay." Michelangelo grabbed Linda up into a sitting position and held her tightly, wishing he had done something differently. His own eyes fulled up with tears as Linda sobbed on him. Linda pulled back when she heard him sniff.

" Oh, Michelangelo. Don't cry." She gently wiped at his cheeks with her already wet hands. "I didn't mean to get you upset."

"It's not you. It's Leo." Michelangelo let go of Linda and wiped at his face. " It's just that ever since the war ended, and you left, I always hoped that you would come back and you guys would be together again, like it was before." Michelangelo took the tissue Linda offered him from the box on her night stand and blew his nose. "Leo has just been so different, and he acts like nothing ever happened. He acts like you never existed."

Linda felt another sting in her heart at the words Michelangelo said, then began to speak.

" I understand how Leonardo feels. I did the same thing when I left for Japan. I wanted to run away from everything and forget what I had just been through." She shook her head and held herself, feeling a chill run up her spine. " But forgetting what happens in your past doesn't make you a stronger person. Realizing what you have done, then learning from it, that is how you grow."

Michelangelo noticed Linda's body shake and went to her closet, grabbing a gray sweatshirt off of a hanger.. He handed to her then sat back down. " Leonardo didn't want to face what happened between you guys. All he could think about was you joining Shredder." He looked into Linda's eyes. " He has nightmares about you."

"Nightmares?" Linda asked, feeling very concerned.

" He dreams about you and Shredder being like, one in the same person. And he dreams about you attacking him."

"Oh, god," Linda felt the tears coming back. She then put on the sweatshirt and lifted her body off of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Michelangelo asked, trying to grab Linda's arm as she moved past him.

"I'm going to go talk to him." Linda said as she turned the door handle, and exited the room before Michelangelo could stop her.

Leonardo stood out on the balcony and leaned against the railing, dangling his fourth glass of liquor in his hand. He took big gulps, hoping he could get drunk fast so he could forget what had just happened. He winced as he poured the last of the liquid down his throat, feeling the burn of the alcohol singeing his esophagus. He turned to go back in and get another glass when he saw Linda stepping into a pair of black sandals and open the patio door. Leonardo swung back around, listening to the shuffle of her shoes as she took the seat on the chair a few feet away from him. Then came what Leonardo feared worse than anything: a long, and loud, uncomfortable silence. The only noise he could concentrate on was the traffic below them.

Linda figured that Leonardo wouldn't talk to her, so she gathered up the courage to go first, only she didn't know where to start. She then noticed the glass in his hand.

"When did you start drinking?" She asked, suddenly feeling really upset at him.

Leonardo glanced over at Linda, then turned his head back towards the night sky. " You cut your hair."

Linda looked down at the ground, wondering what made Leonardo say something so strange. She looked back up at him. " Are you drunk?"

He turned back around, leaning on his arm that rested on the railing and placed his closed fist on his hip. " And what if I was? Are you going to sign me up for AA?"

Linda face twisted in disgust. " Would you stop being so defensive! I only came out here to talk to you and-"

"Well, did you think that maybe I didn't want to talk to you!" Leonardo stood straight up, slinging the glass around in the air. " Or did you happen to think that maybe I had gotten over everything? That everything was okay, and that maybe we could get back together, and live happily ever after? Is that what you thought!"

Linda sat stunned, feeling as if the mutant turtle that stood before her was a complete stranger.

"What happened to you?" Linda asked in a small voice, feeling her heart break even more than it already had. "You're so different. I feel like I don't even know you anymore."

Leonardo glared at her, then slammed the glass down against the concrete. Linda jumped back as the glass flew around her feet.

"What happened to me! What happened!" Leonardo yelled as he stepped closer to Linda. " Don't you remember! Don't you remember how you betrayed your father? How you betrayed my brothers? Don't you remember how you betrayed ME!"

Linda fell backwards into the chair as Leonardo leaned towards her, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath. " Leonardo, please."

"How could you even live with yourself after what you did?" He asked, his brown eyes burning with fury as he stared Linda down. He noticed her body was trembling in fear and tears were building up in her eyes.

" Have you ever felt as if someone reached into your chest, grabbed your heart and squeezed it so hard that it exploded?" Leonardo raised a closed fist up to Linda's face. " Until you know what that feels like, I have nothing to say to you."

He stood back up and walked back towards the patio doors, slamming them so hard Linda thought the glass was going to break. She sat perfectly still, still hearing Leonardo's words ring through her head. Before she could even find the strength to move, the patio door opened again. Linda turned her head to see Donatello, Raphael, and a visible shaken Michelangelo come out onto the balcony and gather around her.

"We heard everythin that Leo said." Raphael knelt down and grabbed Linda's hand. Donatello sat down next to Linda on the chair and placed his arm around her shoulders. Michelangelo remained standing, looking down at the broken glass he had seen Leonardo throw.

"We're really sorry about him, Linda." Raphael continued. " And we just wanted ya to know that we're here for ya, no matter what that asshole says."

Linda placed her hand on Raphael's, feeling a bit strange that it was Raphael comforting her this time around. " Thank you."

Then Linda collapsed into Raphael's arms as the tears poured down her face.