Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles, I just play with them. Austin, Devon, and Jason, and everyone who lives on Terrace Blvd. is mine though. Wheeeeeee.

Before the fic Author's Notes: Muahahaha! The chapter you've all been waiting for! Austin has an orgy with all four tur--… uh… I mean… wait. Sorry, that was my own private chapter that will never see the light of day. So don't even ask. Forget I said anything. What I meant was… You, the readers, finally find out how Devon dies! … just a warning, it isn't pretty. No turtles in this chapter, but there will be lots and lots of turtles in the next chapter. My flashback lasted a little too long, and if I don't post what I have, you readers won't get any more until Wednesday at the earliest. So enjoy.

Fun fact: Austin's birthday is June 15th. I think I'll try to add one little fun fact every chapter. You know, things that don't really impact the story, but are nice to know. If I remember, that is.

Misadventures of the Mentally Unstable

Chapter 4

Italics Austin's thoughts or flashback

"Austin! Hey, Austin!"

The little curly haired girl looked up from where she was laying on her floor. Crayons were spread out in a semicircle off to her right side, divided by color. Reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and so on. Jason had told her she was 'anal', but she didn't know what that meant. It must mean she liked color coding things. Cause she did that a lot. Right now, though, she was coloring a picture to give to Devon to hang on their fridge. On the bottom of the picture was written in large sloppy letters, 'My Family'. There was a little crayon figure Devon, a crayon figure Jason, and a crayon figure Austin. And they stood in front of a little crayon house next to the big crayon sea. Ok, so they didn't really live RIGHT next to the sea, but it was within a ten minute drive. Austin liked living with Devon and Jason. They were nice and never fought and never hit anyone.

It had been a long car ride two summers ago. Devon had taken her from her parent's house and they'd gotten into a station wagon packed full of boxes. Jason, her brother's friend, was in the driver's seat, and he grinned at Austin and ruffled her hair and asked if she was ready. With a smile, she clutched her little stuffed dog and nodded. "Off we go, then!"

She was too excited to sleep. It was the middle of the night, and she was in a car with Devon and Jason! When she'd asked where they were going, Devon told her simply, "California." California. Wow… that was a long ways away. At least she thought it was.

"Where's California?"

"It's on the other side of the United States, Munchie. It's going to take us a while to drive there. We'll have to stay at a couple hotels along the way, but I think you'll like it when we get there. Jason has a house by the ocean and we're going to live with him." Devon had smiled and beeped her nose. "You and me, Munchie. We're going to be together forever."

But it wasn't Devon or Jason calling her name now. It was Jimmy from next door. "Hey, Austin, you there?"

She could just barely see the top of his head from out her bedroom window and she grinned and jumped up off the floor. She ran the few steps over to the cushioned window seat, hopped up, and leaned out. A cool summer breeze flowed in and she could smell the salty sea air of the Pacific Ocean. Little Jimmy Tenner's smiling face beamed up at her. "Hey, Jimmy, what's up?"

"You're coming to my birthday party tomorrow, aren't you, Austin? I'm turning six, you know!" The proud look on his face made Austin giggle and she nodded.

"I'll be there! Devon's coming too, but Jason has to work." Jimmy's face fell just a bit, but he was still smiling.

"That's ok. As long as you're there." Devon and Jason were like big brothers to Jimmy. His mom was divorced, and his dad wasn't supposed to come around to see him. They'd become like a second family for Jimmy and his mother, Alice. In fact, this whole neighborhood was like a second family. Austin knew all the adults by name, and all the kids along the street played at each other's houses regularly. It was nothing like where she had lived before. The kids ranged from the youngest (Jimmy) being five, almost six, to the oldest (Sally Thompson) being 15. And all of them would be at the party tomorrow. It was going to be a lot of fun. Austin, herself, had just turned seven the month before, and the party had been huge.

"Definitely." She smiled and Jimmy turned to go.

"I gotta get back before mom finds me gone. See you tomorrow!" He ran off toward his back porch then gave Austin a last wave before running inside.

With a cheery smile and a skip in her step, Austin left her bedroom with the crayon picture in hand, to show her brother and Jason.

-

The party was certainly just that. A party. Loud screaming children running around a beautifully decorated backyard. There were games, food, drinks, party favors, every kid's dream birthday. Presents were piled high on a table, just begging to be torn open. The sun was shining down on the lovely little coastal home, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. There was an underlying current of excitement, as the kids all waited for what they knew was coming soon.

The birthday cake. This wasn't just any birthday cake. This was a homemade, melt-in-your mouth, velvety dark chocolate beauty with hazelnut cream frosting, made by Terrace Blvd.'s very own Trisha Bailey. Trisha was a pastry chef at one of the finest five-star restaurants in the city, and a living legend on their block. She made birthday cakes for every child on the street, every year, every party. No cake was ever the same. Austin's cake had been a white chocolate tiered, with fresh strawberries and sugar sculpted butterflies. Jimmy's cake promised to be an absolute delicacy as well, with little white, milk, and dark chocolate leaves decorating the edges.

One of the boys at the party had accidentally spilled his punch on Austin, so she was missing out on the current game of Tag in the yard. Instead, she was in the bathroom trying to rinse the blue stain out of her t-shirt. She was failing. With a sigh, she turned off the water and rung out the small spot down at the bottom of her shirt. It would just have to stay. She didn't want to miss the cake, so she'd better hurry. When she came out of the bathroom, everyone was still outside playing. Except for Alice. And… who was that? Voices coming from the kitchen. Jimmy's dad? What was his name… Gary… Grant? Austin couldn't remember. But she knew he wasn't supposed to be here.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Grady?" Ah, Grady. That was his name.

"I came to see my boy, Alice. And you ain't gonna stop me this time!"

"You're drunk, Grady. Get the hell out of my house, before I call the police! Don't ruin the party for Jimmy!" Austin was cautiously peeking into the kitchen now. Alice and her ex were standing on either side of the marbled island, the birthday cake sitting on a crystal platter directly between them. Grady was a large man. Much larger than Devon or Jason. And he smelled bad too. His dark greasy hair hung in a limp ponytail halfway down the back of his t-shirt that at some point in its existence had probably been white. There was mud all over his torn jeans, and he looked like he hadn't showered in two weeks. What should she do? Should she go get Devon? Devon would know what to do. She turned and fled down the hall, unnoticed by either of the adults, until she came to the back door.

"Devon!" she shouted. He turned his attention from the game of Tag, and walked over to her smiling.

"What's up, Munchie?"

She pointed back at the house. "Jimmy's dad is here and Alice told him to leave, but he won't!"

Devon's eyes narrowed and he patted her on the shoulder. "Stay here, Austin. I'll take care of this. Hey, Fred!" He gestured to the only other adult at the party. "Watch the kids for me, would you? I need to go take care of a small problem. Make sure they don't come inside."

"Hey, what's up man?" Fred looked at him quizzically.

"Grady." Devon mouthed and pointed toward the house. "I'll be back soon."

Fred nodded with understanding. It wasn't the first time one of them had to 'escort' Grady out of the house. Normally police threats were all that was needed. "Call if you need me." He turned back to the rambunctious game in front of him, but Austin didn't join in. She waited until Devon had gone inside, then quietly followed. It wasn't that she wanted to disobey her brother, but she was a curious sort, and wanted to see what happened. As she walked down the small hall, she could just make out Devon's voice.

"C'mon Grady, why don't you just leave? Come back when you've sobered up a bit, and we can talk like civilized people, ok?" Devon didn't want him to come back at all, but at this point he'd say whatever he had to, to get him to leave.

"What the hell do you know, you fucking queer? Don't tell me what to do!" Grady was pissed. Austin gasped at the bad words. "You ain't his father! I have a right to see my boy!"

Austin looked around the corner just in time to see Grady raise his fist at Devon, but Alice leapt forward and grabbed his arm. "No, Grady!" She was surprisingly strong for such a small woman. But not stronger than her ex-husband, unfortunately. She cried out in surprise when he yanked his arm free, then turning quicker than she or Devon could have anticipated, solidly punched her in the stomach.

"You ass!" Devon yelled and jumped onto Grady's back, his arms around the man's neck while Alice crumbled to the floor, panting for breath. "Get outta here, Alice! Call the cops!" She somehow managed to stumble to her feet, and ran out the door on the other side of the kitchen, the one that led to the living room.

Grady however struggled to get the smaller, more agile man off his back. His elbow connected with the wooden knife block on the counter, knocking it over. Austin's eyes went wide as she watched him pick up the large carving knife. Her face was frozen in an expression of horror as Grady brought the knife up, cleanly slicing the forearm around his neck.

"Fuck!" Devon hissed loudly and fell off him, cradling his now bleeding arm.

"I told you not to tell me what to do!" Grady screamed and lunged at Devon, the knife in his hand making an ungraceful sweep right across Devon's abdomen. Austin couldn't move. She hadn't seen the blow; Devon's back was to her. But she'd seen the sun glinting off the blade, and she'd seen the aftereffects. The drops of blood flying from the knife as Grady waved it around manically would be burned into her memory forever. She watched as a spray of blood, as bright red as rubies against the ivory of the frosting, dripped down the side of the beautiful cake.

Grady lunged once more, knocking the younger man to the ground and landing on top of him. He shouted incoherently and time seemed to slow for Austin. She could see the knife coming down. She could see it, but couldn't do anything to stop it. This was all a bad dream. It must be. This wasn't happening. If she closed her eyes… But it was happening. There was hardly a sound as the sharp steel was buried in her brother's chest.

Austin screamed. The sound seemed to snap Grady out of his homicidal rage. He blinked, looking up at the little girl in the doorway of the kitchen, then looked down at the face of the man dying beneath him. With a cry of surprise and fear, he jumped back, horrified at what he'd just done. As Austin ran to her brother, Grady ran from the kitchen. She slid to a halt, practically throwing her self on the bleeding form of her brother. "DEVON!" She cried and clutched at his shirt. There was so much blood…And the knife…

"Austin…" His voice was soft and raspy, and there was blood bubbling at the corner of his mouth. "Austin..."

"Devon…?" She whispered, panic and fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Austin…" She could feel blood starting to seep into the knees of her jeans from where it was pooling on the floor. There was so much... it was coming from everywhere. "Stupid of me…"

Austin shook her head and bit her lip to keep from sobbing.

"Didn't think…"

"Devon?" She whispered again.

"Love you Munchie… I'm sorry…" He lifted a finger and gently wiped away a tear from her face, leaving a bloody streak on her face. "I'm sorry..."

"Shit! I'm sorry, Austin! Are you awake?" I pulled the covers up over my head in a response. "What happened? What'd I miss? Have you met them yet?" God he was a persistent little ass.

"Leave me the fuck alone." I mumbled through the blanket.

"It's ok, I already checked, they won't hear you. We can talk. They're all in another room. Practicing or something. Shit, you should see it Austin. They're like… martial artists or something. Cool huh?"

"Astounding."

"C'mon, don't be like that. You know I can't stay with you all the time. I had to be somewhere else."

I yanked the covers down and glared at him. The pale gleam of his translucent skin was all I could see in the darkness. Donatello had been nice enough to tuck me back in bed, close the curtain, and leave all the lights off in his lab. I was supposed to be resting. I think I'd only been here for about fifteen minutes before Devon had decided to pop back in. "Bullshit."

He sighed. "We've been through this, Austin."

"You left me! You fucking left me down here with a concussion, in the care of four giant turtles! What was more important than staying here to help me?" I hissed in a hushed tone. I didn't care if he thought they couldn't hear, I wasn't taking any chances.

"They weren't going to hurt you! I was here the whole time you were unconscious. I listened to them talk, I knew they wouldn't hurt you."

"Hurt me? They wanted to take me to a hospital! A fucking hospital!"

"Yes, but they didn't." I really didn't have a response to that, so I just stuck my tongue out at him. He only grinned. "And I'm back now, so we can get out of here, ok? Once they go to sleep, we'll sneak out, how about that?"

"I don't need to sneak out. They said they'd take me home when I was feeling better."

"Oh." He almost seemed disappointed. "Well, that's no fun. C'mon, let's sneak out anyway. You don't need them, Austin. You've got me."

"Yah, some help you were earlier. Go down the manhole, Austin! It'll be safe, Austin! If you fall and break your neck and die, we'll be ghosts together forever, Austin! Won't that be fun? What the hell were you thinking, Devon?" I was getting mad.

"Geez, lighten up. It was the first thing I saw! I'm sorry! And you didn't die. You're alive, and well, and let's just freakin' go home, ok?"

I rolled over, pulling the covers tight around me. "I'm going to sleep Devon. Stay if you want, but shut the hell up. I'm tired, and quite honestly would rather spend time with them, than with you." It was a bit harsh, I know. But I'd had a horrible day thanks to him. I don't know if he ended up staying or not. I was asleep in just a few minutes. If he was here, he was being quiet, and for that I was thankful.

After the fic Author's Notes: Just in case any of you are keeping track of ages here, Austin was almost five when Devon kidnapped her. I hate to use the term 'kidnap', but honestly, that's what he did. So she's been living with Devon, his boyfriend, and Mr. Fluffybutt for 2 years and 1 month approximately, which makes her just barely 7 in the flashback.

Oh. And now you know why Austin doesn't like blood or birthday cake. I wouldn't either, if I was her.

Notes to my Reviewers:

Sassyblondexoxo: Glad you're still enjoying it! As for a Mary Sue for Raph… it's tempting. It'd probably end up being a self-insertion though… cause, well, Raph is hot. I'd do him. (If my cousin is reading this, that comment was just for you. Turtle-love, baby. You know you want it.)

Mickis: An update! Just for you! … and the others who asked for it to. –grin- I'm relieved that people like my story so much. I was a bit worried when I first started posting it. But I've gotten a lot of positive response. Hopefully my future chapters will earn me more points in your book!

Pretender Fanatic: Yah, I'll be nicer to Raph in future chapters, I promise. Thanks for the review! Ego-boosts are good. They keep me writing.

fireandsun: Thanks! I'll definitely keep writing. Austin and Devon just won't leave me alone.

Kellie Fay: Sorry about the cliffhanger last chapter. But at least I know it leaves the readers wanting more. -grin-