Chapter Eleven:
Part One
Linda turned her Camry into the driveway of the Turtles home, and gasped almost as loud as Angie did.
"Look at this house! It's beautiful!" Angie exclaimed.
Linda nodded, then slowly pulled her car around and parked it near the other opening that led out onto the street. As they got out of the car and reached into the backseat, Angie smiled and winked at Linda.
" There won't be any reason for you to make a quick escape, Linda. Nothing is going to happen. You have too many friends on your side."
Linda then realized what she had done. " I know I shouldn't worry, but I feel really weird about all of this." She stuffed her towel into Angie's black backpack and zipped it up. As Linda stood up, she adjusted the top of the bathing suit as she had done all the way from the city.
" I feel so self-conscious in this thing!"
Angie then stood up, flinging the bag over her shoulder. " You should be so lucky as to have the tight stomach for it! Me, on the other hand, I need tummy control." She patted the front of her black suit just above her light blue jean shorts.
" What are you talking about?" Linda laughed as they walked towards the large glass doors. " You're not that much bigger than me. You look fine, and besides, when did you ever care about that?"
Linda found her answer as Michelangelo and Donatello opened the door and walked out onto the porch. A huge smile spread across Angie's face as she ran up the shallow steps, jumped into Donatello's arms, and planted a kiss on his lips. Linda couldn't help but feel a bit envious as she watched them nuzzle each other, but she quickly turned her jealous thoughts into happy ones, and instead felt thankful that her best friend was happy.
"I'm really glad you came!" Michelangelo said as he wrapped his arms around Linda as she joined them on the porch. " I was afraid you weren't going to show up."
Linda pulled away from Michelangelo's embrace and patted his cheek. " I said I would come, and I did. I don't go back on my promises."
Michelangelo smiled and grabbed Linda's hand. " Come on! We'll give you guys the grand tour!" He dragged Linda through the doors. Donatello walked behind Angie, holding onto her hips as they entered the entrance way.
" Do you want to see my room?" Donatello whispered into Angie's ear, which caused her to blush and giggle.
" Don! You are so terrible!" She whispered back, lightly smacking his arm.
"Hey!" Michelangelo shouted. " Cool it, you guys! Or you'll be spending the day in separate corners."
Donatello and Angie laughed as they walked ahead of Linda and Michelangelo. As Linda took her first step out of the entrance way, her eyes went directly to the wooden flooring under her now bare feet.
"Wow. This flooring is beautiful." She said as she noticed her reflection in the wax.
"Yeah, and it's a bitch to take care of too!" Michelangelo laughed.
" I'd imagine so." Linda then let her eyes wonder over to her left, where there was a small room and with a wrap-around hallway that led to another room.
"That's our computer room." Michelangelo said as he noticed where Linda's eyes had gone.
"That's MY study, thank you." Doantello quickly corrected his brother. " You go in there and mess up the computer."
Michelangelo responded to Donatello by sticking out his tongue, then pointed at the hallway passed the study. " Our laundry room is behind there, along with the guest bathroom." His finger then moved to the opposite side. " There's the guestrooms. You girls can stick you junk in there."
Linda grabbed Angie's bag then walked into one of the rooms and set it down on the bed. She looked around at the decor, which was done in various shades of blue. She peeked around the corner and looked into the neighboring room. It was basically the same as the first one, but done in green. She walked back through the door and meet back up with the others. " Your guestrooms look like they belong in a fancy hotel, minus the mint on the pillows."
Michelangelo shrugged. " That's Leo's fault. The rest of us wanted to knock the wall down and put in a pool table."
Linda laughed slightly as her eyes then followed the banister of the wide staircase as it spiraled around to the open landing above them. She saw a hint of a hallway and guessed that's where the Turtles room where located. She brought her eyes back down to the large doorway that lead into the huge living room. She walked closer to the door frame to get a better look. The first thing that drew her attention were the Turtles weapons and masks that hung above the fireplace, but she then noticed something odd about them. Small cobwebs had began to form around Michelangelo's nunchucks, Raphael's sais, and Donatello's bo, as had a layer of dust. But Leonardo's swords were clean, free of any obstructions that might turn and tarnish them. Even his faded blue mask was dust free. Linda suddenly found herself smiling, remembering how much pride Leonardo put into his swords, and she was happy that he still put that effort into them even though he never used them anymore.
A loud growling sound startled Linda and she turned around.
" Michelangelo, was that your stomach again?" Linda asked, thinking back to the time when she had stayed with the Turtles in their sewer home and had heard that noise on several occasions.
" Yeah," Michelangelo grabbed at his stomach and grinned. " I skipped breakfast so I could pig out on burgers!"
" You know what?" Angie said as she held up her hand. " We left my side dishes in the car."
"I'll go get them." Donatello let go of Angie and raced out to Linda's car.
Michelangelo then led the girls into the dining room and kitchen where they stopped and waited for Donatello before going out onto the patio.
When Donatello came back into the house, he set three large glass plates down onto the counter. Michelangelo peered into the saran wrap of one of the plates and wrinkled his nose at the triangle shaped food.
"What's that?" He asked as he pointed to the plate.
"It's baklava. It's a Greek pastry made with fyllo, walnuts, sugar and honey."
Michelangelo then made another face. " What the heck is fyllo?"
" It's a type of dough that's made especially for baklava." Angie opened up a corner and punched a small piece of the pastry. " Here, Mike. Try it!"
Michelangelo opened his mouth as Angie tossed the pastry into his mouth.
" Holy crap!" He exclaimed after the sweet taste hit his tongue. " Forget the burgers! I'm saving room for that!" He looked back at the counter and pointed at the remaining plates. " What else you got?"
Angie lifted the saran wrap on the dishes. " This one is called skorthalia, which is just mashed potatoes mixed with garlic and olive oil, and this is sparankorizo, spinach rice."
" Is that all Greek too?" Michelangelo chuckled. " Let me guess, you're from Greece, right?"
"No, I grew up in the Bronx. My family is from Greece." Angie smiled as she recovered the dishes. " I just know how to cook every single Greek dish out there."
" Yeah, I can see that by how big Donnie's gut's getting!" Michelangelo shoved his finger into his brothers side and poked it many times.
"Knock it off, Mikey!" Donatello pushed Michelangelo away and opened the sliding glass door that led to the back deck. " Ladies first." He backed away and let Linda and Angie pass by, then fell backwards as Michelangelo jumped in front of him. Donatello just shook his head and walked out onto the deck.
Linda and Angie felt stunned again as they walked out onto the deck, and they both gasped at the incredible sight. The wood that the deck was made from was cedar, and it was stained from the roof to the flooring in a beautiful golden red. Linda let her nose linger on the wonderful cedar smell, as it reminded her of the chest that once sat at the foot of her mother and father's bed.
The patio furniture was the next thing that caught their eyes. The four high-backed chairs, couch, and the glass pained table where made from a deep brown colored wicker, as was the rocking chair, which Linda immediately knew belonged to Splinter. Dark green cushions on the five chairs and the couch completed the set. Surrounding the patio furniture were several large ferns in ceramic pots, giving the atmosphere a jungle quality.
A breeze blew in from the ocean, and the girls heard several soft ringing sounds. They looked up to see wind chimes strung all the way around the porch. They were made from different metals, and varied in size, but they all chimed in perfect harmony.
"Did this porch come with the house?" Angie asked.
"No, the one below it did, and it was way too small for us." Donatello replied. " We built this one ourselves."
Linda once again looked around, taking in her surroundings with all of her senses. " Leonardo added the wind chimes."
Donatello and Michelangelo glanced at each other, not really knowing how to answer Linda's remark.
" Yeah, he did." Donatello spoke up first. " He also picked out the stain for the porch, the furniture and the plants."
"Well, I would say that your brother has a knack for decorating." Angie said as she smiled and snuggled up to Donatello. " Everything feels so harmonious and peaceful out here."
No sooner had Angie spoke when a football passed through the space between the roof and the porch railing, flew over their heads and smacked loudly against the back wall of the house. Seconds later, they all heard Raphael's voice booming from the beach below.
" Casey, you dumbass! I said throw, not punt!"
Linda giggled slightly as footsteps pounded up the flight of stairs, and Raphael appeared before them, followed by Casey and a mutant fox that Linda had never seen before.
"Hey! You're here!" Raphael forgot about the football and grabbed Linda in a hug, then stepped back. " I'm glad ya came."
"Vanessa? Hey! How are you?" Angie reached her arms out and embraced the mutant fox. " I haven't seen you in a while."
"You two know each other?" Donatello asked as he waved his finger between them.
" We go to the same gym." Angie said as she let Vanessa go.
" Yeah, we use the steps machines behind this fat, sweaty guy." Vanessa stuck out her tongue and made a gagging noise, then laughed when Angie did the same. Her eyes then went to Linda as she smacked Raphael with the back of her clawed hand. " Aren't you going to introduce me?"
" Shit, woman!" Raphael exclaimed with a grin on his face as he grabbed his shoulder. " You're lucky I don't knock you out!"
" I'd like to see you try it!" Vanessa yelled back as Raphael turned to face her.
Donatello laughed as the two exchanged growls. " Vanessa, this is Linda."
Vanessa stopped and turned her head, and Linda saw the surprise in the mutant's eyes.
" You're Linda? As in THE Linda?" Vanessa grabbed Linda's hand and shook it.
" I guess so," Linda said as an uneasy smile appeared on her face. " I didn't know I had an official title."
" Raph told me everything," Vanessa then offered Linda a comforting hug. " Don't worry about a thing, hon. We're going to have a good time today."
" Hey!" Casey exclaimed. " We gotta enough people to play volleyball now."
"I didn't know you could count that high, Case," Raphael snicker as he picked up the football and sat it on the couch.
" How about I knock YOU out?" Casey said as he balled up his fists. Vanessa laughed and grabbed the volleyball that sat near the steps.
" I'll hold him down for you, Casey!" Vanessa then ran down the steps as Raphael and Casey chased after her.
Linda looked around again, then turned around to face Donatello and Michelangelo.
" Where is Christina?"
" She down on the beach." Donatello said as he pulled his sunglasses out of the pocket of his opened yellow and brown Hawaiian print shirt.
" Sammy and Taylor were trying to get her to go into the water with them," Michelangelo removed his t-shirt and threw it on the couch. " But she said, and I quote," He then spoke in a high pitched voice. " ' There is no way I'm going into that nasty Atlantic water! It's like swimming in piss!' She's lying on the beach trying to fry her skin now. "
Angie's jaw dropped as she turned to Linda. " I still can not believe she is related to you."
Linda said nothing, but shrugged as they made their way down the steep steps of the two story porch. She looked around at the rocky cliff that the house sat on, then looked down at the sand below.
" How high up is this, Donatello?"
" It's about fifty feet. Nice drop if you're planning on not coming back up."
The steps then stopped at a small platform, which contained a large stainless steel gas grill, two lawn chairs and a small table between the chairs. Linda then noticed that one of the chairs was occupied by an older woman, who was in the process of placing sun screen on the two children that stood in front of her.
" You remember April, don't ya?" Michelangelo asked as he pointed.
April stood up and smiled. " Linda! It's so good to you see you again!" The two embraced then stepped back as April held onto Linda's arms. " Oh, you cut your hair off!"
Linda laughed and pushed her hair behind her ears. " I guess I'll have to grow it out since everyone complaining about it."
" Don't you dare!" April shook her head. " It's makes you look very mature. You remember my daughter Samantha, don't you?"
The little girl, who Linda guessed to be at least nine, peeked out from behind April and shyly waved at Linda. Linda dropped down to one knee and waved back.
" Hello, Samantha. You probably don't remember me, but met you when you were very young."
Samantha smiled as she wrapped her long, curly red hair around her fingers. They were then joined by the young boy, who grabbed Linda's hand, shook it wildly and introduced himself in a thick Australian accent.
" I'm Taylor. Nice to meet you!"
" Nice to meet you too, Taylor." Linda looked back at April. " He's not yours, right?"
April smiled. " No. Taylor is one of Leo's students. One of the best from what I hear."
"You guys wanna play some volleyball?" Michelangelo asked as he lifted Samantha onto his shoulders.
" I do! I do!" The kids screamed in unison, and the group made their way down to the sand, where Raphael and Casey had just finished putting up the volleyball net. Linda looked over to her left, and noticed Leonardo, who was laying on his back on a beach towel with his hands behind his head and he had one knee bent with the other leg sitting across it. Her cousin was sitting next him, on her stomach and, from the tone of Leonardo's voice, they seemed to be engaged in a bitter conversation. Linda then noticed the strings of Christina's white bikini top were untied, and she watched as Christina pointed to a bottle of tanning lotion, then to her back. She heard Leonardo sigh loudly as he sat up and began to squeeze the lotion on Christina's back. He haphazardly smeared it around like he didn't really care. Leonardo then looked up as everyone walked by them, and even though he had sunglasses over his eyes, Linda felt him watch her. Leonardo then began to rub the lotion into Christina's back gently as he continued to watch Linda move past him.
" Okay, what was that all about?" Linda heard Angie whisper, realizing that her friend had seen it too.
" All right," Raphael tossed the ball up and down. " Me and Mikey are team captains. Mikey, you go ahead and pick your people."
" Uh," Michelangelo tapped on his chin with his finger. " I want Donnie, Casey, Angie and Sammy."
" Man, with that group of losers, you are going down, bro!" Raphael laughed as he waved for Linda, Vanessa, April and Taylor to join him.
"Hang on!" Michelangelo ran over to Leonardo and Christina. " Come on Leo! You love volleyball!"
Leonardo looked up at his brother. " Sure. I'll play." He looked down at Christina, who held onto the straps of her top as she turned over.
" You know, I'm not really into sports. Too much sweating. I have bad knees too." She then shoved one of her hands up toward Michelangelo. " Plus, I just had my nails done." She patted Leonardo on the leg and smiled. " You go ahead."
" But, then the teams will be uneven." Leonardo replied with a hint of disappointment in his voice.
" Come on! Hurry up!" Raphael yelled over the roar of the ocean.
Leonardo sighed. " It's okay, Mikey. I have to get the grill going soon anyway."
Michelangelo nodded, then frowned at Christina as he turned and joined everyone by the net. Raphael tossed the ball at Linda who moved into the back corner. She threw the ball into the air and smacked it hard, sending it flying over the net where Donatello called it and bounced it back over. Vanessa dove under it, hitting it just before it touched the ground, and the ball barely missed the net. Samantha set the shot up, then Angie spiked it back down, just between Raphael's feet.
" HA HA! Who's the group of losers now, Raph?" Michelangelo laughed as he pointed at Raphael, who growled back in response as he sent the ball back over the net. Casey was up to serve and tossed the ball into the air and over the net.
" I got it!" Vanessa shouted as she positioned herself. As the ball came down, Raphael jumped in front of her and smacked the ball down into the sand on the other side.
" What the hell, Raph?" Vanessa screamed. " I called it!"
" Well, move faster next time." Raphael said as the ball flew back into his hands. Vanessa sighed and stomped away as Raphael sent the ball back to Linda. She got into position and got ready to serve when she looked over at Leonardo and Christina. She watched intently as Christina tried to get Leonardo to snuggle with her, and was miserably failing.
" What's the hold up?" Raphael looked at Linda, then followed her eyes to where his brother and Linda's cousin sat. He watched as Leonardo pushed himself out of Christina's hands several times, then, after looking up at them, suddenly wrapped his arms around Christina and proceeded to nuzzle her on the neck. Raphael narrowed his eyes and growled, then looked back at Linda, who was doing the same thing. He waved at her to make her eyes move away.
" Don't look. Just hit the ball."
Vanessa, who had also watched Leonardo, turned around and distracted Linda's eyes.
" Don't let it bother you, hon. Just play."
Linda once again lifted the ball into the air as she tried to push the images of Leonardo and Christina out of her head. She glanced over at them again, just in time to see Leonardo kiss Christina on the lips. Linda turned her head back, feeling the fire of jealousy burning its way through her body. Her hands trembled as she tossed the ball into the air, and then suddenly smacked the ball really hard and sent it flying across the sand, landing right in between Leonardo and Christina, and caused them to jump and fall backwards. When Leonardo pushed himself back up, his sunglasses were no longer on his face, and he threw a hateful look to Linda, who in turn gave him one right back.
" Damn it Linda!" Raphael whispered through his teeth as he turned and ran to get the ball. Linda turned her gaze away from Leonardo and looked over on the other side of the net. No one said anything, or even moved. Vanessa walked over to Linda and grabbed her shoulders.
" What did we say, Linda?" She whispered as she looked into Linda's eyes. " Don't let him get to you like that. Do you want to go back into the house?"
Linda took a deep breath as she felt tears welling up in her eyes and suddenly felt very foolish for acting out. " No, I'm okay now. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."
" Linda! The net is THAT way, dear!" Christina's voice rang out as Raphael returned with the ball in his hands. He rolled his eyes and mocked Christina, then shoved the ball back to Linda.
" Next time you fell the urge to do that, make sure ya hit her in the head." Raphael then winked and patted Linda on the shoulder. Linda smiled through her tears, then set the ball back up for another serve.