Disclaimer: I wish I owned the Turtles. I don't, though. This is very sad to me. Austin and Devon are mine though.

Before the fic Author's Notes: Just for future reference, I'm sort of combining the different turtle-verses here. The basic history is the same. Mutagen plus baby turtles equals large green ninjas. The Shredder is human, not Utron (In fact, no Utrons in my story). Unfortunately, he's still alive and kicking, in my universe. And extremely pissed. The turtles have experienced dimension hopping, time-travel, and all that fun stuff, so they're no strangers to weird and wacky. The Purple Dragons are still street thugs that the Foot do their recruiting from. Hun does not exist, because no man should be THAT freakin' big. April and Casey live together above the Second Time Around shop, but are not married. And she never was a reporter. My universe is a beautiful amalgam of the insane and bizarre. But y'all could probably have figured that out on your own…

Oh yah. And there be some strong language toward the end of the chapter. Some f-this and f-that. Just to warn you.

Misadventures of the Mentally Unstable

Chapter 3

Italics Austin's thoughts

"Wow…" An hour later, I still sat cross-legged hugging the pillow to my chest. I absently picked at the fringe on the side while I stared at the amazing creatures in front of me. Their story was fascinating. But then, why wouldn't it be? Glowing ooze, mutations, giant rats, and talking ninja turtles. They could make a fortune by selling their story to some movie producer. Of course… then they'd probably be dissected and studied. And that would really suck.

"You can understand our need for secrecy, Austin." Leo told me gravely, as if reading my mind. "If we were exposed to the public, the consequences would be unfathomable."

Unfathomable, I thought to myself. Who uses words like that?

He continued, shifting his weight uneasily in his chair. "This is an uncomfortable position for us to be. We obviously don't know much about you, so-"

"So you can't trust me." I finished for him quietly. I sighed and finally released my choke hold on the pillow, setting it in my lap. This day was getting better and better. What the hell were they going to do with me if they didn't trust me?

"Don't think of it like that, Austin. It's just that… well…" Don seemed to fumble for the words, but the red-clad turtle that had joined us fresh from the shower butted in.

"You're right. We don't trust you."

"Raph!" Mikey looked offended and patted my knee from where he sat next to me. "I trust you, Austin!" He gave me a mischievous grin and I prayed to god that this giant turtle didn't have a crush on me. That would be just my luck. I attract all the weirdos. It takes one to know one though, I suppose.

"Don't misunderstand us, Austin. We want to trust you." Leo looked apologetically at me. "But things just aren't that simple."

"I understand…" And the sad thing was I wasn't just saying that. I honestly understood. Living my entire life with a secret of my own that kept me from being close to anybody… yah. I completely understood. "So… what are you going to do with me?"

Leo sighed and looked to his brothers in turn. "We're not going to hold you prisoner, Austin. We'll take you home at any time you wish. All we want is your word that you won't reveal us to anyone. It's all we can ask from you right now."

I swallowed hard and looked to each of the turtles. All they wanted was my word? It had been a very long time since anyone had put that much faith in me. And I could feel from the intense looks, that they would hold me to it. There was no backing out of this. And to be honest, I had no intentions of betraying them. I mean… they'd already saved my life. It wasn't polite to stab the back of the man…er… turtle… that had saved your life. I nodded once and stood carefully, making my decision. My head was still throbbing, but not quite the jack hammering pain that it had been only an hour ago. Leo stood also from his chair across from me and I reached out my hand cautiously.

"You have my word, Leonardo." He hesitated only a moment seeming to gauge my quick acceptance, before taking my hand, gentle but firm. As his eyes locked with mine, I had the uncomfortable feeling like he could see into my soul. I felt naked beneath his gaze, and it took all the willpower I could muster to keep my eyes on his. It lasted for only a second, yet seemed to take ages to end. And then, just like that, he smiled and nodded. What the hell was that?, I wondered, smiling nervously.

"I hope that we can become friends in time, Austin."

Friends. How long had it been since someone had said something like that to me? I didn't have friends. I had acquaintances. People I knew. But a real friend? I hadn't had one of those since I was thirteen. I didn't let anyone near me, not close enough so that they could see how screwed up I really was. I had learned so long ago that Devon was the only friend I really needed. Nobody else gave a shit about me. I had made it this far on my own, and I didn't need anyone to help me along in the future. So what the hell was I thinking when I smiled and said,"I'd like that."

"Yah, that's all warm and fuzzy and great, but I got a question." Raphael, as I'd learned his full name was, slumped back into the other end of the couch crossing his arms over his… chest…? I was going to need to brush up on turtle anatomy. Is that what it was called on him? I suppose shell would work until I figured out what to call it. "You don't seem too upset by all this." He gestured to himself and their home. "Most humans freak out, but you didn't even do a double-take. Barely batted an eyelash." The contempt was layered so think I could practically see it. Wow. This guy didn't like me. …But I HAD landed on him. 150 pounds crashing down through a manhole on top of someone could make them not like you. And I know I'm not fat. Just a little curvy. But I'm certainly not muscular or lithe. I idly wondered if he'd like me better if I was small and petite and had thrown my arms around him yelling, 'My savior!' and laid kisses all over his face. He'd probably hit me if I tried it now. And judging from the well-muscled arms, I didn't want to be hit by him. Hell, I didn't want to be hit by anyone.

"I did throw up." I pointed out.

"Yah, I remember." He glared at me and I wanted to smack myself. Ok, so I'd be pissed at someone too if they flushed a toilet on me while I was in the shower. That's never fun. I just wasn't making any points with Raph, and it didn't look like I would in the future either. That's ok. I was used to people ignoring me, hating me, or just not caring that I existed.

I sat back gingerly on the couch, my head a bit tingly from standing up. "Look, I still haven't convinced myself that I'm not suffering from a drug induced hallucination. But for now I'll just tell you I've seen some freaky shit in my life, and there isn't much left in the world that can faze me." Good lord, they didn't know the half of it. Devon was only the start of the bizarre things that had found me throughout my life. Most of it I wasn't sure had really happened or if I'd imagined it, but I was sure Devon was to blame. If it hadn't been for him I wouldn't have ended up at that damn institution, and met all those other freaky kids… but that's a story for another day, like so many of my stories.

Raph narrowed his eyes at me, as if he could look more pissed. "C'mon Raph, lay off for a bit." Mikey turned back to me and grinned again. "You've heard our story, now tell us about you! What kind of music do you listen to? Movies? Hey, do you like video games? I've got a PS2 just begging for some 2-player action!" I stared blankly at him. One turtle wanted to beat the shit outta me, the other wanted to read my personals ad. Ok, so I was exaggerating on both counts. But still. There was quite a drastic difference between the two brothers.

"Actually…" Donatello's voice drew my gaze away to where he was seated off to my right. "I think Austin should rest for a while." Did I look that tired? Probably. I felt like I hadn't slept in days. Maybe the aspirin was finally starting to work. "If you're up to it, I'd say we should get you to the hospital… you really need a doctor to look at yo—"

"No!" An ice cold spike of fear slammed into brain. At the word 'hospital' my eyes had flown wide open and I started shaking my head. "No, no doctors. No hospitals." I tried to hide the suddenly frantic tone in my voice, but failed miserably. Don was visibly shocked, but the concern was still in his eyes.

"Austin, you hit your head very badly…"

"No doctors!" My voice cracked a bit, and I wondered if I looked as panicked as I felt. A sudden flow of blood pounded in my ears and I started physically shaking. They wouldn't force me to go, would they? They wouldn't… the turtles couldn't be that cruel… I hated them; Doctors, I mean. I was terrified of them. They always said they were your friend. They always said they wanted to help. And then they turned around and stabbed you in the back. Literally. With a needle and a sedative, and you woke to find yourself strapped naked to a table with four balding liver spotted scientists leaning over you studying you like an insect and taking notes on how many moles you had on your left leg and what shape they were and if it had any significant impact on your mental abilities. And that was on a pleasant day. …I've had bad experiences with doctors. Very bad.

Donatello reached a hand toward me and I tensed in fright. He immediately stopped, his hand frozen still. I was ready to bolt, and he could sense it. All four of them could. I didn't want to, but it was an involuntary reaction. If Raphael wanted a terrified woman screaming and running away, he was about to get it. It wasn't their fault, and a small hidden part of my brain knew that. They had no idea what had happened to me in my past, or that I couldn't even walk within two blocks of a clinic without getting breaking into a cold sweat. The fear that had started to seep into my mind was now flooding my entire body, and any sudden movement or noise would send me into panic. They wouldn't take me to a hospital… they just wouldn't… I didn't like blood, but I wasn't scared of it. I wasn't scared of much. Spiders, snakes, bugs, chainsaw wielding maniacs. When I was sober and in good mind I could handle just about anything. But Don had to bring up the one thing that could send me into a blind uncontrollable terror just by talking about it. I didn't know where I'd go. I could see a couple doors, but I didn't know if they were exits. Not that it mattered. I'd run and run and run, and if I found a way blocked, I'd turn and keep running, plowing down anyone who was in my way, human or turtle. I wouldn't stop until I dropped from exhaustion or until I was dead, but I wouldn't go to a hospital. Never again.

The silence in the room was deafening, and the tension had skyrocketed. I was a bomb ready to go off. But how to defuse me? The turtles obviously didn't know, because no one moved. The only thing I could hear was blood pounding through my head.

SLAM! The sound of the door seemed to snap something in my brain and I was off the couch, running to god knows where. I tripped, but caught myself. I couldn't see anything, couldn't hear anything. The fear had seized my body and was acting of its own will. Adrenaline poured through my veins, giving me an unearthly speed and grace. I dodged, ducked, and ran, my instincts on fire. I passed something that made a sound. Was it a scream? A woman's voice? Was it mine? I didn't know. There was a door directly ahead, and there were shouts from behind, muffled by the blood pumping in my ears. I was out the door and there were no more obstacles. All I could make out was open ground, straight and solid but blurred by fear. Something wet was hitting my face. Tears? Possibly. I was free. I was away. That was all I knew. That I was too fast and they wouldn't catch me. Of course, like always, I was proved wrong.

There was a green blur from my left, and it felt like an elephant had decided to play soccer with my soft fragile body. We hit the ground and rolled a couple times, and there was a flash of pain and thousands of dancing lights in my head. The impact seemed to jar my senses and reason finally came back to my head. Well… as much reason as can be expected from someone like me.

"NO!" I screamed. "No doctors! No doctors!" I struggled and kicked and tried to twist out of his grip, but it did very little good. I was hysterical. I was pushed down on my back one hand pinned above my head. The other was grabbing desperately at the shell of the turtle on top of me, but a firm grip on my wrist held it in place. Let it never be said that these guys weren't strong. Or heavy. I didn't know which one it was, and I didn't care. I struggled more, but my screams were growing quieter, turning into whimpers and moans and choking sobs. I was tired. God, I was so tired, but I was scared shitless. And where the hell was Devon?

"Austin, calm down! Please, calm down! No doctors, I got it." Don's voice. I think. It seemed so far away, and I was still trying to escape.

"No doctors…" I was crying. The fight died in me when realized I couldn't go anywhere and I relaxed underneath whoever was on top of me. "Please, Don… no doctors…" My words ended in a whisper, and I closed my eyes hoping to still the tears flowing so freely.

There was a gentle touch on my head and I knew it was Don. He was feeling the bandage on my brow, probably to make sure it was still securely in place after the tussle. "Let her up, Raph." His voice was quiet, and in command.

"The hell I will. She'll run again."

"No she won't. Look at her, she's exhausted. You didn't need to tackle her like that. You probably did more damage to her head." There was a hint of anger in his voice and I had to bite back a bitter laugh. More damage? Unlikely. My mind came about as fucked up as you can get. I was just extremely good at hiding it. Well... until someone mentioned doctors or hospitals.

"Raph." Leonardo's voice from somewhere. "Let her go." There was a soft growl and a moment of hesitation, before he finally complied.

"Fucking psycho…" He muttered as he pulled away from me.

"You don't know the half of it." I choked out, tears still fresh on my face. Rolling onto my side away from Don, I curled up into a tight ball. I needed help. I knew it. I've always known it. But somehow when Devon is around, he convinces me I'm really ok. I don't need help, it's just everyone else that's crazy. He's the one who grounds me. I can handle things better when he's here to help me. Why the hell wasn't he here right now? I felt a hand touch my shoulder and I wanted to scream at Donatello to leave me alone. But I couldn't. Because as much as I hated to admit it, it had been a long time since someone had shown concern for me. Don wasn't even human, but he seemed to care more than most people I've met. I wanted them to just leave me there. Leave me curled up in a sewer somewhere, and never think about me again. And another part of me was scared to death that they'd do just that. But who was I to them? Just some drunken psycho who was inconveniencing their lives. I couldn't handle this on my own. I needed Devon. God, Devon, please get back soon.

Strong arms picked me up. I fought them for only a moment before giving in to the embrace. My eyes still closed, still crying, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. I was a mess. How the hell had I let it get this far?

"C'mon, Austin. Let's get you back inside."

I could only nod weakly and hope my brother would return soon. He'd know what to do. He always did.

After the fic Author's Notes: Wow. –rereads what she just wrote- …wow. I let that get much much darker than it was originally intended. Not very much funny stuff happening in this chapter, but it's hard to make a mental breakdown seem funny. Austin has spent most of her life avoiding personal contact, and fighting the stuff that's happened to her in her past. On a normal, sane day, she'd get nervous and slightly anxious if anyone mentioned doctors. But the drunken night, bump to the head, and surreal surroundings she's found herself in caused something in her mind to just snap. Had Devon been there, he might have been able to head it off before it happened… but.. alas, he was off elsewhere. Is it wrong that I find satisfaction in putting my characters through hell? Probably. But I'm going to keep doing it. Austin will come out a better person for it by the end of the story. Or she'll be dead. Who knows? Even I don't know how this story will end. It writes itself. I am just the messenger. –smile-

Oh, and this is not, I repeat NOT going to end up as a DonRomance! fic. It's just that he recognizes that there's something seriously wrong with Austin's mental state, and is trying to be as gentle as possible until he figures out what's going on. And Raph is turning out to be much more of an ass then I originally intended. I'm going to have to do something about that. I don't hate Raph. He's my favorite turtle. Maybe I'll have to write in a cute little Mary Sue for him to boink as an apology.

Note to my Reviewers:

hazlov2004: Thanks! Glad you liked it!

BubblyShell22: Thanks for the review! As for Austin revealing her 'secret'… she's got many of them. The dead brother thing being only one of her issues. I'm sure at some point the turtles will find out. It just wouldn't be a good story if they didn't. –grin-

Lioness-Goddess: I was hoping the gay thing wasn't too subtle. I'm glad you got it. Poor Devon. But at least he got his little sister out of that environment. …for a while at least….. –thunder and lightening and evil laughter in the background-.

Dierdre: Your plea has been heard, and thus I grant you… the next chapter! Hehe. Again, thanks for the wonderful review. Most of the flashbacks in this fic are going to be really depressing. I'll try to slip a few nice ones in though. There's going to be a flashback involving the 'blood and birthday cake' scene… and I'm trying to decide if it's going to be horrifically disgusting and tragic… or a bit lighthearted and just semi-gross. It's a tough decision.

CrimsonCat: Yah, Bill Bridger has his own issues to deal with. Seeing as how two of his children have turned away from their families now, he's probably determined to make sure Austin grows up to be what he wants her to be. …Unfortunately, there's that little issue of Devon stealing her away. I wonder how he's going to react to that? Not good, would be my guess. –evil smile-

Isis-Lament: Yep, this is my first TMNT fic! Hopefully I'll manage to keep the guys in character through the whole thing. It's a real challenge, but I'm up to it!

kaya lizzie: Most of this stuff I just pull randomly from my head as the fic is going along. The shower scene was really fun to write. I had two original ideas for that. One would be Mikey, the other was Raph. I eventually decided it would be more fun to piss off Raph. Austin just can't seem to get on his good side, can she? Poor girl. Sorry this chapter got kind dark, but hopefully next one will lighten up a lot with the return of Devon.