Chapter Fifteen

The bright sunlight that poured in through the white lace curtains broke into Leonardo's eyes and he inhaled deeply as he slowly opened them. He pushed himself up into a sitting position on his bed and stretched his arms up toward the ceiling, groaning as his stiff muscles pulled and twisted. He brought his hands back down to his neck and shoulders and rubbed at them, wondering how his body stay curled like it did for so long. He groaned again as he straighten out his legs, being careful not to move to fast and cause injury to himself.

"God, do I need to exercise or what?" Leonardo said to himself, then he started to laugh. He hadn't been doing any training of any kind for months. He had wasted all of his time and energy on the negative acts of revenge and jealousy, and his body was reminding him of it all over again.

Then his eyes started to wonder around the bedroom, and Leonardo felt as if he was seeing it all for the first time. Everything seemed new to him, from the off-white walls to the shiny oak dressers, the posts on his oak bedframe, and right down to the deep green carpeting. Even the potted ferns and spider plants that were spread around were new, and he could feel the life force radiating off of them. For the first time in five years, Leonardo felt at one with his surroundings.

Leonardo then brought his eyes down to his left hand and noticed it was still closed up in a tight fist. It was then that he remembered everything that had happened, and he quickly opened his palm and discovered the Rune stone was still there. But as he looked closer at it, the once brown stone was now black, and it started to fall apart, until it was nothing more than a pile of dust. Leonardo swung his legs around and leaned his hand over the small cylinder trash can that sat between the bed and the night stand. After he watched the broken pieces of stone disappear, he sat back up and began to brush his hand on his leg when he noticed something else.

" I think I'm in need of a shower and a change of clothes too." He said to himself as he looked down at the jean shorts, white tank top, and the opened blue and white checker buttoned-up shirt he had been wearing since the evening of the barbecue. He even noticed the grains of sand that were still stuck to his bare feet. Leonardo again laughed at himself, then rose from the bed and headed for the bathroom.

Donatello sat at the dining room table, his head leaning on his hands over the magazine article that Angie had given him. He had read the story dozens of times, still feeling uneasy about the German doctors' motives and their unconscious houseguest. Donatello's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a repeated crunching noise. He looked up at Raphael, who was sitting across from him, thinking that his brother was finally eating his breakfast. Raphael was instead stabbing at his dry toast with the end of the butter knife repeatedly, spreading crumbs on the table with every hit. Donatello raised his head, then entwined his fingers and rested his chin on his thumbs, and continued to watch Raphael. He knew Raphael was already upset with Leonardo, but he had sunk farther down in his depression during the last couple days, and even though Donatello wanted to help his brother, he knew that Raphael would never open up to him.

"What?"

Donatello blinked a few times as he realized Raphael had been staring back at him. He lowered his hands and leaned away from the table.

" Uh, nothing. Sorry."

Raphael responded with a grunt as he flung the knife into the tub of butter and proceeded to eat his toast dry. Donatello sighed, then closed the magazine and pushed his chair backward as he prepared to stand up.

"How's things with Angie goin'?" Raphael said with a mouthful of toast.

Donatello's eyes widen. " Fine?"

Raphael snorted as he took a gulp of orange juice. " Are ya sure about that? You don't sound like it."

Donatello scooted his chair back to the table and rolled the magazine up in his hands.

"I just didn't expect you to ask me something like that. I was slightly shocked."

"Yeah, I figured." Raphael laughed, then his focus went back to the toast on the plate in front of him. Donatello stayed still for a long time, wondering if he should say something back to his brother. He knew Raphael was trying to reach out to him, but Donatello knew the disagreements they had in the past were keeping Raphael from going any farther. Donatello decided that he wasn't going to let another one of his brothers fall apart, and if there was one thing that he had learned from Angie, it was how to be more compassionate toward others. He gathered up all of his courage, then began to speak.

" Hey Raph?"

His brother lifted his brown eyes up, but said nothing.

" Look, I know you and I haven't been exactly close over the years, and that we don't see things eye to eye, but I just want you to know that I care about you."

Donatello could see the confusion in Raphael's face, but he continued talking anyway.

" If there is ever a time when you need someone to talk to, I'll be there for you. Or if you need to vent out some anger. Anything. I mean it."

Raphael then made a look of disgust. " Man, she's turned you into a freakin' wuss."

Donatello's mouth dropped, then he shoved his chair back as he stood up. " Dammit, Raph! I try to open up to you and this is what I get! Why do I even bother with you?"

"Donnie."

"What!" Donatello then saw the big smile that sat on Raphael's face.

" I was just messin' with ya." Raphael chuckled as Donatello slowly sat back down. " You really need to lighten up, bro."

Donatello then joined in Raphael's laughter as he buried his face into his right hand. The sound of footsteps pounding down the hallway upstairs stopped their laughter, and Donatello turned his head as Michelangelo bounded down the stairs and across the foyer to the guest rooms.

"Was that-" Raphael started to ask before Donatello stopped him.

" It was just Mikey."

" Why does he have to sound like a freakin' herd of cattle when he runs through the house?" Raphael finished off his orange juice, then headed to the kitchen for another glass.

" Mikey!" Donatello's voice echoed through the foyer, stopping Michelangelo from opening the door. " I already checked on her this morning. No change."

Michelangelo's smile faded from his face as he slowly walked back to dining room and slumped into a chair next to Donatello. Raphael moved back to the other side of the table, shaking his head as he watched Michelangelo rubbed at the bandage that was wrapped around his arm.

" I still can't believe you brought her here."

"Hey, times are different. It's not like she's gonna wake up and scream at the sight of giant talking turtles, Raph," Michelangelo said as he recalled the time when Raphael had brought April down to their old lair in the sewers years ago. " Besides, if we had dropped her off somewhere else, how do you know those Germans dudes wouldn't have nabbed her again?" He then scratched at his forehead. " I still don't get why they were after her."

Donatello opened the magazine back up and shoved it under Michelangelo's nose. " Mikey, was this the guy that was in charge of those gunmen?"

Michelangelo looked at the picture Donatello was pointing at and wildly nodded his head.

" That's the guy!"

Raphael leaned over the table and studied the picture of the mutant tiger. " Who is he?"

" His name is Jonathan Gershin. He's the leading biologist over in Germany, not to mention a Grade A nutcase."

"He's a scientist, but he goes around kidnapin' pop stars?" Raphael shook his head as he lifted his glass. " The guy needs a new hobby."

"So what does he want with Mandy, Donnie?" Michelangelo asked as he grabbed a banana from the bowl of fruit that sat on the kitchen counter.

" Well, that's the thing. I knew he was heading some sort of research team on the mixing of human and mutant DNA, and he-" Donatello then stopped as he heard music coming from the living room. " Did you guys leave the stereo on?"

Raphael and Michelangelo shook their heads and answered no at the same time.

" I'll go turn it off." Michelangelo bit into the fruit as he headed for the doorway to the living room. The soft music grew in volume as he walked closer to it, and noticed that it was a CD that was playing instead of the radio. Michelangelo silently ate his banana as he listened to the soft alto voice of the singer, and as he wondered who she was, he found the CD case sitting upright on top of the floor speakers. He grabbed the case and went back into the dining room.

" Does either one of you own a-" Michelangelo turned the case sideways. " Fiona Apple CD?" He held the case up so his brothers could see the picture of the artist's large blue eyes.

"Who?" Raphael answered as Donatello took the case from Michelangelo's hand.

" Mike, the only person in this house that listens to Fiona Apple is-" Raphael and Michelangelo watched as Doantello's eyes grew wide before he finished his sentence.

"-Leo."

The three of them exchanged nervous glances, then Donatello and Raphael jumped up from the table and pushed past Michelangelo as they ran to the entrance of the living room. Michelangelo slowly joined them and hid behind Donatello as they all looked around for Leonardo.

"Where is he?" Donatello whispered as Raphael took a step into the living room.

" He ain't in here!" Raphael exclaimed. He then turned his head to the right and found himself face to face with the blade of a sword.

" What the fuck!" Raphael jumped backwards and clutched his chest as his heart beat raced from fear. The blade lowered down and they watched as Leonardo grabbed his stomach while he laughed uncontrollably.

"After all these years, I can still scare you with that!" Leonardo continued to laugh as he walked back to the couch. He sat down, placing the sword across his lap, then grabbed a spray bottle and a white rag off of the floor. Leonardo then wiped the cleaning solution off of the sword, and he could feel his brothers' eyes watching his every move. He rose his head and studied their expressions. Donatello stood with his eyebrows raised and his arms crossed, Raphael was shooting daggers with his eyes, and Michelangelo moved his head to the bass beat of the music while he finished the banana he was eating.

" You guys can sit down, you know." Leonardo pointed to the other couch across from him. Donatello was the first to move, then Michelangelo. Raphael stayed behind and leaned against the doorframe.

" Raph, come on. You too." Leonardo motioned at his brother with his hand. Raphael gritted his teeth together then slowly moved to the couch to join his brothers.

Leonardo didn't speak right away. He moved the cloth over the blade of his sword and watched the light reflect off of its metal surface. After checking over the blade to make sure he didn't miss any spots, Leonardo gasped the long handle and outstretched his arm to his left side, feeling the weight of the sword in his hand. Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo then watched as he leaned the sword against the couch with the other one. Leonardo took a deep breath as he positioned himself on the edge of the sofa and placed his palms together.

"Okay, where do I start?" His question was directed at himself, but Raphael butted in.

" Start out by sayin' what a jackass you are, then go from there!"

Leonardo then surprised his brothers by nodding his head in agreement. " Yeah, you're right, Raph. And I finally realized what I've been doing to everyone, and how much I've been hurting you guys."

"That ain't even the half of it, bro," Raphael crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. " And there ain't nothin' you can say to us to make it better, either!"

Leonardo could feel the angry vibes Raphael was putting out. " I know that. I can't change what I did. All there is to do is learn from my mistakes, and somehow make things better for the future."

Raphael was about to speak again when he saw a few tears drop down Leonardo's face, and it made him ease up on his aggression.

" It was wrong of me to close myself off from you guys. You guys are my family. I don't know I would have done if you three would have walked out on me." Leonardo's tears began to fall faster and he wiped them with the back of his index fingers. " All I can say is I'm sorry, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to make us a family again. I want to forget everything and start over. I love you guys."

" Aw, hell, Leo!" Michelangelo sniffled back his own tears, jumped up from the opposite couch and pulled Leonardo to his feet. He then grabbed his brother in a tight hug. " Why do you have to make me cry all the time!"

Doantello stood up and smiled, wiping away a few tears of his own. He moved over to his brothers and joined in. " I'm glad you're back, Leo. We really missed you, the 'real' you."

" So did I." Leonardo said as he and Donatello shared a laugh and a hug. They all then turned to Raphael, who was still sitting down, acting like he didn't care about what was going on.

As Leonardo looked into Raphael's eyes, he could see the mixed emotions his brother was feeling. He moved over and knelt down in front of Raphael.

" You know what, Raph?"

" What?" Raphael responded sharply.

" I don't expect you to accept my apology. I think out of the three of you, I hurt you the most. Our relationship with each other was growing, and we were so close. You don't know how much that meant to me, and I know it meant a lot to you, too."

Raphael knew Leonardo was right, but he moved his eyes away from his brother. " Whatever."

Leonardo ignored Raphael's response. " Please, Raph. Just give me another chance. I want to forget everything and start over again. I want to make things right between us."

Raphael turned his head away as tears began to well up in them. He didn't want to believe the sincerity in his brother's voice nor did he want Leonardo to see his watery eyes. He felt Leonardo grab his hand and it made him turn his head back. He stared into Leonardo's eyes, then took a deep breath and let down his guard.

" One more chance. But if you fuck this up again, I'll kick your ass!"

Leonardo laughed as the tears rolled down his cheeks again and he pulled Raphael to his feet. They held onto each other for a few minutes before they felt another pair of arms around them.

" I love group hugs!" Michelangelo gushed as he rested his head on Leonardo's shell. He then pulled Donatello over, and the four of them held onto one another, once again feeling like the family they had always been. And Leonardo had never felt more thankful for his brothers in his life than in that moment.

"Oh, my head..."

Mandy moaned as she rolled over onto her left side. She flickered her dark blue open as she lifted her right hand to her head, then moaned again as her finger touched the stitched up gash that ran down to her right temple. It was then that she saw a mutant turtle staring back at her.

"How ya doing?"

" What the-!" Mandy shot up to a sitting position on the bed she was laying on and she pushed herself up against the head board. She placed her hands up to her chest, feeling her heart beat inside of her head.

" Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out like that." The turtle said with a smile. " I just still can't believe it's you! In MY house!"

Mandy winced again as she let her body relax. " What are you talking about? What happened?"

The turtle gave her a weird look. "You don't remember? Those German dudes with the guns, they, like, tried to kidnap you, but I rescued you!"

Mandy then laughed at the turtle. " So does that make you my knight in shining armor?" Her laughter continued until she saw the look of shock in his eyes. He then smiled as if he knew something she didn't.

" Something like that!" He then extended his hand out to her as he continued to hold his smile. " Name's Michelangelo, Mikey for short."

Mandy looked down at the turtle's hand, then slowly grabbed it. " Mandy." The turtle shook her hand so fast it made her like she was riding on a bumpy road.

" I know! I know everything about you!" The turtle then took a deep breath. " Your full name is Amanda Marie Anderson. You were born in Wisconsin on October 11, 1979, but moved to California when you five. You were discovered at a talent show at a shopping mall at the age of twelve, and you recorded your first album at thirteen."

Mandy blinked her eyes and felt completely dumbfounded. " Okay..."

" I also know that your fav color is purple, that you have three dogs, you're the youngest of four kids, and you like butterflies!"

" Okay, you have been reading way too many issues of Teen Bop!" Mandy said as she stretched her legs, trying to ignore how star stuck Michelangelo was.

" I've seen you in concert like ten times! I have all of your videos on tape! I've seen all of your HBO specials!"

"Yeah, I get it. You're a big fan." Mandy turned her eyes away from Michelangelo, and began to look for a way out of the bedroom she sat in.

" Speaking of butterflies," Michelangelo scooted the chair he was sitting in closer to the bed. " Did you get that butterfly painting I sent you last year? It was supposed to be like a birthday gift, but I didn't have the money to send it right away, so it was a little late. I hope that-"

"Okay! Geesh, you talk way too much!" Mandy placed her hand back to her head as she felt another stinging pain shot through it.

" Sorry," Michelangelo apologized. " But did you get it?"

" Look, Mikey," Mandy pushed herself to the edge of the bed. " I know you mean well, but the truth is that I never open my fan mail. I'm too busy. I've been in and out of recording studios and on the road since I was fourteen. I may see one or two things that fans send me, but other than that, I never have time for it!" She then saw the disappointment in Michelangelo's eyes. " I'm sure it was a beautiful painting though. Thank you."

A smile crawled across Michelangelo's face as he shyly turned his head in embarrassment. " Your welcome, I guess."

"Hey, is there anyway I can get a shower or something?" She pulled at her blonde hair and stuck out her tongue at the dried blood that ran though it. " This is so gross."

" Yeah, I'll show you. Come on!"

Later that day, Leonardo had joined Splinter in the greenhouse and was helping the old rat in the delicate task of trimming the Bonsai trees. Splinter had taught Leonardo the art of penijing when he was very young and from that had sprung Leonardo's love for plants. Even though Splinter adored the Japanese form of the Bonsai trees, he preferred to use the much larger Chinese version of the tree, especially after his eye sight had slightly depleted. As they worked, Leonardo asked Splinter question after question about what went on during his forced slumber, and he would also repeatedly apologize to his sensi for his actions. But after a few warm smiles from his father, Leonardo closed his mouth and just enjoyed their time together. After four hours of work, Splinter began to feel tired, and Leonardo suggested that he return to the house and rest. Splinter had only been gone a few minutes when Leonardo heard the sounds of the greenhouse door opening again.

" Hello? Leo? Are you in here?"

Leonardo lowered his large hedge clippers and peered around the leaves of the dogwood bush he was standing behind. He saw a flash of blonde hair sitting on top of a lavender tank top before he heard Christina's voice again.

" There you are! I was beginning to think your brothers were full of crap!" She started down the wooden walkway as Leonardo sat the clippers on the ground and moved out from behind the bushes.

" Chris, what are you doing here?" Leonardo asked, feeling very nervous about seeing Christina's face again, but knowing he had to clear his conscious by confronting her.

Christina looked around as she spoke. " Well, I just wanted to say goodbye to you before I left."

" What? Where are you going?" Leonardo asked as he lead her to a circular stone table, and they sat down on similar stone stools.

" I didn't get to tell you the other night but I going back to California and work for my dad. I'm finishing college out there too." Christina pulled her sunglasses down off the top of her head and then straighten out the flyaway hairs with her fingers.

" Yeah, about the other night," Leonardo sighed as he spoke, but he stopped speaking when Christina shook her head.

" Please don't tell me you're sorry, Leo. I understand why you did what you did."

" You do?"

Christina leaned forward on the table and grabbed Leonardo's hands on hers. " Did you think you were the only one who knew how to use someone to get back at an ex?" She then laughed. " Please! You are talking to the QUEEN of users! Only this time, I was the one on the using end. But I know you did it only because you still care for my cousin."

" It's a sick way of showing it if you ask me." Leonardo shook his head. " I'm just so sorry you got stuck in the middle of it. I really didn't have any intention of hurting you or leading you on. I just noticed how crazy it made Linda and-" Leonardo stopped talking when he said Linda's name and looked into Christina's eyes. " How is she doing?"

Christina saw the hope in Leonardo's eyes and it made her heart ache. " Oh, hon. I wish I could tell you she's okay, but, she's not. She's- well-"

"What? She what?" Leonardo asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

" Linda said she's done. After what happened, she told me that she's moving on with her life and that you are nothing more than a memory."

The words that exited from Christina's mouth crashed into Leonardo and he felt a crushing pain in his chest. " She's- done with me?"

" I'm sorry Leo. I really am." Christina squeezed Leonardo's hands tightly and offered him a sympathetic smile. " You know, even though you never had any real feelings for me, I could still see what Linda had seen in you. You are such a gentleman, so respectful, and you are so loving and compassionate. And you are such a great kisser"

Leonardo could feel the flush in his cheeks as he turned his eyes away in embarrassment.

" Thanks, I think."

Christina smiled again and placed an open palm on Leonardo's cheek. " And if anything else, you proved to me that there are still good guys out there, and I hope I can find one just like you. I tired of playing around. I want something real." She then lowered her hand and stood up from the table.

" Well, I have to get going, Daddy sent his private jet out here and I know I'll be hearing about how expensive the fuel was bringing me home in it!" Christina leaned over and gave Leonardo a tight hug, then spoke softly into his ear hole. " If I were you, I wouldn't let her go. Fight for her. Linda is such a great person and you two were made for each other." As she pulled away, she gently kissed Leonardo on the cheek, then gave him a wink before walking back down the wooden walkway, and out the greenhouse doors.

Leonardo didn't move from the stone table for a long time. He thought about what Christina had told, and it fulled him with sadness to think that Linda had washed her hands of him. A few days ago, Leonardo wouldn't have care. He was weak and stupid then, and he would have just drank his problems away. But he was different now. He had destroyed that part of him, and he was never going to let himself sink that far down ever again.

As Leonardo stood up from the table and moved toward the door of the greenhouse, he again replayed Christina's words in his head, and he knew that it would take everything he had to win back the one and only person he had ever loved, just like he knew it was going to be one of the hardest thing in his life he would ever have to do.

Leonardo walked across the back lawn and around to the front steps of the house. When he moved up onto the porch, he made a mental note of how high the grass was and realized it had been at least a week or two since anyone had bothered to mow. Leonardo shook his head in frustration, and began to move off the porch when his eyes caught sight of something in the driveway that made him do a double take. There, parked behind Raphael's Mustang and Michelangelo's yellow Cavalier, was Linda's tan Camry. The nerves in Leonardo's stomach jumped, making him feel suddenly nauseated, and sweat started to build up in his palms. He looked at the front door, fighting back to urge of jumping into his Jeep and driving off. He may have wanted nothing more than a chance to talk to Linda, but he knew he wasn't ready to face her yet, and he defiantly didn't want to do it in front of anyone either. Leonardo took a deep breath, then opened the front door.

Once inside, Leonardo slipped out of his sandals and cautious peered into the foyer, seeing no one, but hearing voices and laughter coming from the living room. He walked across the wood floor very fast without a sound, as he had been trained to do, then quickly glanced into the living room before stopping just outside the doorframe. He stood still for a moment, making sure that no one had seen him, and he then recalled who he had seen: His brothers, Linda, Angie and the blonde girl that Mike had told him about earlier. Leonardo then looked around the corner of the doorframe, and his eyes went directly to Linda, taking in everything about her.

Her shiny black hair had grown out a little, and it now hung just below her shoulders. She wore a thin, white, long sleeve shirt that opened up to reveal a powder blue tank top under it and a pair of dark khaki shorts. Leonardo's eyes then moved down her thin, muscular legs to her light blue painted toenails, then back up slowly to her face. He felt an ache in his heart as he watched her throw her head back in laughter, then lost himself in her large brown eyes. Leonardo then felt a few tears beginning to build up and the ache in his heart increased, and as he continued to stare, he knew he was falling in love with her all over again.

"Hey! There's my other bro, Leo!"

Leonardo snapped out of his daydream when he heard Michelangelo speak, and he then realized that he had moved into the middle of the doorframe and that everyone was staring at him, except Linda, who quickly turned her head away. Leonardo looked at Michelangelo as he spoke and pointed his finger to the young blonde girl that sat above him on the couch. Leonardo noticed that Mandy was dressed in a white T-shirt that read Green Dragon Board Wax and a pair of black shorts. The shirt hung loosely on Mandy's tall but tiny frame and he knew that they had come out of Michelangelo's closet.

"Leo, this is Mandy!"

Leonardo laughed lightly at the excited tone in his brother's voice, then shared a smile with Mandy as he walked toward her and took her extended hand.

" It's nice to meet you. How are you feeling?"

Mandy shrugged. " Okay, I guess."

Leonardo nodded as he glanced out of the corners of his eyes at Linda, but found out that she had moved from the couch and was standing in front of the five rack CD tower, looking through the Turtles extensive music collection. He watched her for a moment, then sighed as he turned around and walked back into the foyer. He could feel the eyes of his brothers on him, and Leonardo could tell from the hush in the room that they had already heard what Christina had told him earlier.

Leonardo had just exited the doorway when he felt a finger tap his shell through his shirt. He turned and found Angie behind him, dressed in a white peasant top and a long, flowing black skirt. Her brown hair was pulled back on the sides, and as she jingled as she moved. Leonardo looked down at the source of the sound and found a silver anklet with tiny bells on it.

Angie looked down to where Leonardo's eyes were. " It keeps away evil spirits."

"I think I could use one of those." Leonardo joked, and laughed as Angie giggled.

" How are you doing?" Angie asked as she grabbed onto Leonardo's arm as the walked outside.

Leo shrugged. " Fine, I suppose. I just feel, I don't know, lost or something. Do you know what I mean?"

Angie leaned her head to the side as she thought. " Is it because you feel like you wasted years dwelling on your anger?"

"I think you may have hit the nail on the head." Leonardo nodded as he led Angie around Splinter's greenhouse to a small storage shed. Angie let go of Leonardo's arm as he fished his keys from his shorts pocket and opened the lock on the shed doors. " I just don't know what I'm going to do now, Angie."

"About Linda?" Angie watched as Leonardo pulled out the lawn mover and checked the gas tank. " She's in a lot of pain. It will just take her some time to get over what happened."

Leonardo sighed. " I know. Christina told me what she said about me, and I don't blame her for wanting to move on. How could she ever love me again after what I pulled?"

Angie offered Leonardo a smile as she knelt down beside of him. "Linda still loves you, Leo. I know she does. She doesn't want to admit that to anyone, even herself. It will just take a little effort on your part to bring her back around."

"Which is what I want to do more than anything!" Leonardo replaced the cap on the lawn mover gas tank, then stood and wiped his hands on a rag that hung on the handlebar. " The only problem is I don't know where to start. This is going to be so hard."

"Even the biggest ring started from just a tiny pebble." Angie said, then laughed as Leonardo raised an eyebrow and smiled at her.

" I see Splinter has been sharing his worldly wisdom with you."

Angie nodded. " Your father is very wise. He knows what he's talking about."

Leonardo stood quietly for a minute, then wrapped his arms around Angie. " Thank you so much for everything you did."

"Your welcome." Angie said as she squeezed Leonardo tightly, then pulled away. She smiled again, then turned to walk away as Leonardo bent down to start the mower. She had taken a few steps then heard Leonardo speak again.

" This may sound strange, but I feel like I was supposed to meet you. Isn't that weird?"

Angie walked back over to Leonardo and shook her head. " Not at all. Fate puts people together for a reason. I know you understand that now."

Leonardo lowered his eyes and Angie could tell he was thinking. " I do, actually." He lifted his eyes back up. " I guess I have to leave my life in Fate's hands, huh? That really scares me though."

Angie laughed again. " Don't think of it as losing control of your life. Think of it as being free to live your life, and living it to the fullest, and not worrying about what will happen next."

Leonardo smiled at Angie's words. " Yeah, that sounds good." He then pulled on the cord and the motor of the lawn mover roared as he walked out of the shed. Angie smiled as she watched Leonardo for a few minutes, then she turned back toward the house.