Disclaimer: I don't own the turtles, I just play with them. The Celestial Café belongs to me, and any similarity between any real people or places is totally coincidental.

Before the fic Author's Notes: The Important announcement that was originally here has been moved to the Misadventure's LJ. Feel free to respond there, or here.

FunFact:Austin's last name was originally going to be Teller. I changed it while writing the first chapter because… well… I decided I didn't like it anymore. It became Bridger, named after one of my favorite fictional characters, Capt. Nathan Bridger, from the TV show SeaQuest DSV. Here's hoping they someday release it on DVD. (RIP, Jonathon Brandis. I always wanted to marry you...)

Misadventures of the Mentally Unstable

Chapter 10

Italics areAustin's thoughts or flashback

There was an unsettling air about Level B. Dr. Adair was gone. He hadn't been seen for a couple days, which probably meant he was away from the Institute. It didn't happen very often, but usually when it did, all the kids breathed a sigh of relief. It meant a break from the tests… the torture. This time though… this time something was different. Austin didn't know what it was, but she could feel it with every breath she took. Something was going to happen. And it was going to happen soon. Spending all this time surrounded by the weird and unnatural, she'd developed a bit of a sixth sense. Nothing quite like what Adair thought she had, but enough so that she knew there was something different. The energies floating around Level B tonight were charged, electric. It was going to happen very soon…

She sat up on her bed, listening. Looking across the dimly lit hall, she could just make out Jeremy standing at the glass, staring intently down the corridor. He felt it too. She jumped out of the bed and raced to the glass panel. Jeremy looked at her and grinned, his eyes dancing in the dark, and his sandy blond hair reflecting the blue 'locked' signal that meant his door was securely closed. Further down the hall, she could see the dark shapes of the other cell's inhabitants as they all came to stand at the windows. Something was definitely going to happen…

There were only five kids left down here, including Austin. Last week, Sadie, the little red-skinned girl had disappeared… no one knew where she'd gone, but Austin knew she wasn't dead. No, she'd been moved someplace where she'd be more easily contained. The girl's claws had grown sharp enough to break the glass. She'd broken out twice in the past month, despite being drugged. Austin shuddered to think where they'd taken her. Anyplace that could hold her had to be infinitely worse than the Greensage Institute.

Harold, the grey furred boy was still here, but his sister had been "removed" from the program a month ago for reasons unknown to Austin. Harold had taken it hard, retreating into himself and not speaking to anyone since. Austin really couldn't blame him though. She knew what it was like to lose a sibling, but the loss of Harold's sister hadn't affected her much so Austin didn't dwell on the subject. It was just one more item in a long list of reasons why Adair had to die, in her opinion.

There was a dark haired boy in the cell next to Jeremy who was rumored to be part demon. He looked normal, but the stories circulating around Level B said that when he drank human blood, he prophesied the end of the world. She had no way of knowing if that was true, but every time the boy was returned to his cell he shook with fright, and then stood in the shower for at least an hour crying and washing his own mouth with soap. Austin was guessing if the stories were true, he wasn't drinking the blood of his own free will. She wouldn't be surprised if Adair himself was shoving it down the boy's throat. And she didn't want to know where the blood was coming from...

The last occupant of Level B was a blond haired, blue eyed, grim faced girl that looked to be about Austin's age. Her name was Marina, and she'd arrived only a few months before Austin. They'd never been allowed to speak, but Jeremy said she was WaterMagi. Austin had been extremely interested in learning about Magi. Apparently there were four separate Magi races, one for each element: Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. The powers of the Magi were passed down from mother to daughter, or father to son. Only women could be WaterMagi, and only men could be FireMagi. EarthMagi and AirMagi were more common, and both sexes could control the powers. But Magi were still extremely rare, no matter which element they controlled. They were a dying race, and with each generation the powers faded. How Adair had managed to find one, let alone capture her and take her from her family, Jeremy had no idea. The doctor must have covered his tracks extremely well, otherwise there would have been a gathering of WaterMagi at the institute, and they would have made The Great Flood of the Bible look like a spring shower in an attempt to get one of their own back.

After all the things she'd seen at the Institute, nothing held surprise for her anymore.

Now, all five of the Level B prisoners were standing at the glass windows, watching. Waiting. Praying to whatever deities they believed in that help had come at last.

"We're getting out of here, Munchie." Austin stole only a quick glance at the ghost beside her. He was watching the hallway just as intently as she was.

"What's happening, Devon?"

"Just wait… it should be any minute now… It's going to be so fucking awesome."

"Devon, wh-"

"Watch."

When it happened, she'd been staring so attentively at the hall that even though she knew something was going to happen, it took her by surprise when it finally did. Her room was supposed to be soundproof, but she heard the explosion. It started as a muffled roar, followed by a flash of light. Austin had to shut her eyes to keep from being blinding by the sudden firestorm that raced through the hall. Just before she lost her sight though, she swore she saw a huge chunk of metal fly past her window. There was a screeching, metal on metal as the security door that used to be on one end of the passageway now skidded to a halt at the other end. The fire died down and Austin was able to open her eyes again, though some sparkles were still dancing in front of them.

There was light coming from the end of the hall where the door had been literally, blown off its hinges, but no movement. Then, there was a crackle of the overhead intercom system, and a cheerful voice came over the speaker.

"Hello, my name is Lucas and I'll be your rescuer for this evening."

Lucas... Austin thought swiftly. That was the name of the boy on Level A. The one that could control fire... A FireMagi. He was a FireMagi, she realized now. She'd forgotten about him. She forgotten about most of the kids on Level A. Lucas continued to speak on the intercom.

"I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Matthew Adair for his gracious hospitality while we've been here. However, myself and some friends have decided we've had enough of his bullshit, and would like to get out of here. Raise your hand if you agree?"

Austin gaped, wide mouthed at Jeremy. He was grinning from ear to ear and waving his hand frantically in the air.

"Ah, that's good, I see most of you would like to get out of here as well. What about you? The brown-haired naked girl in the first cell. You want out?"

"Wave your arm, dipshit!" Devon laughed. He was in an exceptionally good mood, for good reason. Austin raised her hand mechanically and waved it once. She was going to get out… for the first time in four years, she was going to be free. She couldn't believe it.

"Ahhh, I see it's unanimous. Ready? Good, let's blow this joint. Literally." There was a maniacal laugh, and the intercom shut off.

And the doors opened. And Austin was free.

"And just what, exactly, the hell was that?" It figures that Devon had been watching. The little perv. I slammed the window shut that I'd been staring blankly out of. Raph was nowhere to be seen. He'd disappeared quick and left me steaming… in more ways than one. Half of me wanted to scream into the night at him to get back in here and finish what he started. The other half wanted to scream at him to never show his face in my apartment again.

"What was what?" I asked feigning innocence, turning to face the pissed off ghost next to me.

"Don't give me that bullshit, Austin. You. The turtle. What the hell?" His luminescent form was practically radiating anger.

"Ooooh, no. Don't you DARE try to put the blame on me. You're the one who told me to take that stupid bet."

"Oh come on, I didn't think you'd actually do it."

"Don't give me that crap, Devon. You knew I would. You were just on your petty little revenge trip because I shut you out earlier. You wanted to embarrass me. You just didn't expect me to enjoy it." I smirked at him as I lowered the bamboo blinds on the window. "I guess that one came back and bit you in the ass, didn't it?"

"He's not human, Austin!"

"Neither are you, anymore. But I still spend time with you."

"That's completely different and you know it."

"Oh boo-hoo. Get over it, Devon. Nothing happened."

"Didn't it?"

"What bug crawled up your dead ass? Nothing happened."

"And what if it does?"

"Jealous? He isn't really your type, Devon."

"That's sick. He's not human." Had he a physical form, I'm sure Devon would have taken me by the shoulders and tried to shake some sense into me. As it was, he could only float around in an agitated way and point at me for emphasis. "We don't need this complication. Tell him you don't want to see him anymore."

"No."

"Listen to me, Austin. He's only going to make things worse. Him and the others. I thought you wanted a normal life, Austin. How do giant turtles fit into a normal life?"

I bit back a scathing remark. He was right. I'd come to New York to resolve the last of my issues and get on with my life. But part of a normal life was having friends… and I didn't have any of those yet, thanks to Devon.

"They treat me like I'm normal…" I said softly, the fight dying in my face, my eyes turning to the ground. I wanted them to be my friends. I wanted it so bad it hurt.

"They can't be part of a normal life, Austin."

"Neither can you." I said the words so quietly, so quickly, I wasn't sure if he'd caught them at first. But when he didn't answer, I looked up into his face. I was amazed at the range of emotions I saw in his transparent features. He looked shocked. Hurt. Angry. Sad… and maybe just a little guilty.

"Devon, I'm… god, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." I was horrified. I cupped my hand over the mouth, but the damage was already done. I'd never said anything like that to him before. I may have thought it… but never would I have said it out loud… I loved Devon. I needed him around. I owed him so much… What was wrong with me?

The anger took over his face once again and he crossed his hands over his chest. "Get rid of him, Austin. You don't need him. You don't need him, and you don't need his brothers. I've worked too hard to get you here. We don't need this, complicating things."

We. He should have said 'We'. 'We've worked too hard…' or even 'you'. But no… no he said 'I'.

I knew how I should have responded. I should have stood my ground. I should have faced him and told him to go to hell. I should have told him that it was my life, and I was going to live it how I wanted. But I couldn't. All I could do was stand there and hang my head. I didn't trust my voice to speak, so all I did was nod, my arms hanging limply at my side.

"Austin… this is for your own good." His voice had softened, but it was still firm, in control. "You know that, don't you? You can't get caught up with people like that again. Remember what happened last time? Remember what you had to leave behind when you finally left?"

People like that. He didn't mean mutants. He meant people who cared about me. People who treated me normal. People who would have died for me. I hadn't left because I'd wanted to; I'd left because Devon told me I should. Because he saw I was drifting away from him, and he needed to sink his hooks back in before I was out of his grasp. I was young, stupid, and still in the mindset that Devon knew best. So I'd left… And to this day, I'd regretted that decision. If there was one thing that could have snapped me back into anger, it was that sentence, right there. My head flew up, my eyes blazing, and my jaw set firm. It surprised him. I could see him recoil at the sudden change in manner. "What I left behind? And what did I leave behind, Devon? People who loved me? A family? We all escaped from that Institute together, and I was happy with them! But you. You. You couldn't have that, could you? You had to get me away from them! You want me to have a normal life as long as it doesn't include being normal!"

They had been my family after leaving the Institute. I refused to go home, and most of them didn't have one to begin with. We helped each other stay alive, and stay free. But even among them, I was by myself. Devon always kept me at a distance, and I'd foolishly thought it was because he was protecting me. I'd stayed with the others for four years. Then, just before my seventeenth birthday, I left. I still remember the look on Jeremy's face when I walked out the door…

I took a step forward. Devon took a step backwards; probably a habit left over from a life gone by. Everything seemed to be coming back to me all at once. The last few days… the last few weeks. The last few years. It had been building. I'd known it had. It had been building since that day I'd left Jeremy and struck out on my own, and now after the stress of the last couple days it was all spilling out.

"I was happy there, Devon! Can you even possibly get that through your head? I was HAPPY! And you made me leave!"

"Austin… I…" He seemed at a loss for words. I'd never blown up at him before like this, and I knew I was being harsh. But sometimes, things just need to be said.

"I can't have a normal life, Devon! I can't have one because of you! No matter where I go I'll never be normal until you get out of my life!" The words seemed to echo through the dim apartment, with a finality that I really hadn't meant. I know I didn't mean it. I didn't really want Devon gone, did I? But yet I'd said it. I'd said it loud and clear, and he'd heard. If there had still been blood running through his body, his face would have gone pale. He stared at me, in such shock, I wondered if perhaps I'd killed him. Again.

He said nothing, only looked at me. I stood shaking, partly from anger, partly from horror at what I'd said. I wanted him to react. I wanted him to yell at me, and call me names and tell me what to do. That would mean everything was ok. Everything would be fine, and we'd both calm down and apologize, and talk like civilized people. That's how our arguments always ended. But he said nothing…

And then he vanished.

He'd never done that to me before. He'd never just vanished after a fight. But our fights were never like this. We shouted, we cursed, and we said things we didn't mean. But I'd gone too far this time, and I knew it. It was like a lead weight had been dropped in my stomach. There was a sudden tightening in my chest, and I had to catch myself on the computer desk, else I would have fallen over. My jaw tightened and I thought that if I even made one sound, every emotion in my body would be let loose, and I wouldn't be able to stop the flood of tears that threatened to flow.

"Devon?" I cried weakly, knowing he wouldn't answer. He was gone. But he'd be back, wouldn't he? He has to come back… he won't leave me here. He won't.

But I couldn't convince myself. With a hoarse cry, I crumpled to the floor. Tears began to flow, and I pressed myself against the wall, underneath the window. He'd be back.

I closed my eyes, hugging my knees tightly to my chest. And I cried. He had to come back.

The ringing of the phone woke me the next morning. I almost wished that I'd forgotten what had happened last night, but I hadn't. I'd dreamt about it, replaying it over and over in my head. When I woke, there was no doubt what had happened. Devon was still gone. And I was sore.

Sleeping on hard wood floors is not a pleasant experience. I pulled myself to a sitting position, groaning at the aches in my muscles. My sleep had been restless, fidgety. My face felt like I'd been grimacing all night, and only now were the muscles beginning to relax in a prickly, painful way. Through blurry eyes I looked over at the ringing cordless handset sitting on kitchen counter. Never before had standing up seemed to take so much effort. I stumbled to the phone, just barely managing to pick it up before the answering machine.

"Hello?"

"Yes, may I speak with Sheila, please?"

I groaned. I'd gotten up for a freakin' wrong number. I growled into the phone, "Wrong number." And then I hung up.

I stumbled towards the bedroom, holding my head in one hand. I just needed a hot bath. A nice hot bath, and then I'd call for Devon, and he'd show up, and I'd apologize, and we'd be fine. I wouldn't even allow myself to think of what I'd do if he didn't come back.

I stripped off the clothes that Donatello had gotten from that friend of his, and tossed them on the floor. I'd wash them and get them back, if I saw him again. I swallowed back that thought. Devon had been right. Four giant turtles weren't going to fit into my life, if I wanted to live normally. I could finally think a little clearly with Raph gone. A ghost, I could work with that. I'd done it most of my life, and I could continue to do it. But… he was right. I couldn't keep seeing them. I couldn't be friends with them. I'd have to tell Leo. Of all four of them, he'd be the one that understood. And Raph… well… he'd leave me alone if Leo told him to. Yah, right. I'd just have to cross that hurdle when I came to it.

I picked up a brush from the top of my dresser and stepped into the bathroom. As I looked at myself in the mirror above the sink, I realized that maybe warding off Raphael wouldn't be that hard. All I had to do was invite him over right now, actually. He'd take one look and probably run screaming. I stared at my reflection, wondering when the last time was that I'd looked this bad. The bandage on my forehead was half falling off, and the dark bruising around the stitches was covered in bloody ooze. My bloodshot eyes were puffy and it was obvious I'd been crying. My hair… oh god, my hair. The long tangled brown curls fell everywhere in a frizzy mess. I realized I hadn't combed my hair in over two days. It was going to hurt like hell to get all the knots out.

I cringed and dabbed at the stitches with a damp cloth. First things first, get rid of the blood. When that was done, I tossed the hand towel into the hamper. It took me almost ten minutes to get all the tangles out of my hair, but I finally managed. Then I finally, mercifully, I slipped into the hot scented water that filled the old fashioned claw foot tub. If there was one thing I loved about this bathroom, it was the tub. It was huge, and on more than one occasion, I'd shared it with an eager lover.

A brief flash in my mind of Raph in the tub with me sent me blushing, and I banished the thought. No, that was going to end right here and now. No more lusting after the turtle. But… the tub IS big enough… I sighed and closed my eyes, sliding deeper into the water. It was time to think about other things.

Like the phone number sitting on the end table. Today was Monday, so I should call. I'd taken this whole week of vacation for this specific reason. And the longer I put it off, the harder it would be to call.

What if she doesn't want to talk to me? What if she doesn't even remember me? What if she hates me? What if she's been looking for me? What if, what if, what if. It was all a question of what if.

Susan Bridger had abandoned her family when she was eighteen. The last time I'd seen her, I was two. I don't even remember what she looked like when she left. Devon had told me stories though. Stories of how pretty his sister had been. How she could light up a room with a smile. And she'd always been so creative, so graceful. She'd done ballet, piano, art. She excelled in everything. She was everything I wasn't. But she'd loved me, and it had been hard to leave me. Devon said she'd kissed me goodbye with tears in her eyes, then left before she could change her mind.

I wanted to find her. I wanted to know if I even had one family member who still cared about me. If she had tried to find me… I'd been a runaway. I'd hardly had any contact with my old life, and if she'd looked for me, I wouldn't have known. Now it was time to find out.

Devon hadn't wanted me to find her. At first glance, I'd thought it was because of the same reason he didn't want me to get close to anyone. He was jealous. Jealous of his own sister. But… I'd realized it was deeper than that. The things he said, the way he said them… I'd realized that this time, he was afraid of me getting hurt. He didn't want me to find Susan because he knew something I didn't. He knew she wasn't going to want me back in her life. Not after all this time.

But I had to try. I had to make the effort, and if she turned me away, the least I could say was that I had tried.

The phone number seemed to mock me. I'd been staring at it steadily for almost an hour now. I had the numbers memorized; I'd memorized them before I'd ever written them down. It was almost noon, and I was starving, but I was afraid I'd throw up if I tried to eat anything. With a deep breath I picked up the phone. I dialed the number slowly, but just before I punched in the last digit, I turned the cordless handset off. I must have done that twenty times by now.

I wished Devon was here. He knew how important this was to me. He would have supported me through it, even though he didn't agree with my decision to contact her. But Devon still wasn't here. I'd called for him twice since getting out of the bath, but there had only been silence here in the "real" world. I was trying not to think about it. He'd be back…

I set my face in a determined grimace and picked up the phone again. I dialed quickly, giving myself no time to change my mind. When the phone started ringing on the other end, my heart skipped a beat. I wasn't sure I'd be able to form any words when the line was picked up, but at least I'd made it this far. There was a click, and a woman's voice.

"Susanne Carmine Fashions, how may I direct your call?"

After the fic Author's Notes: Muahahaha! Now enter, the elusive Susan. Yes, indeed, she is the same Sue Carmine from the TV broadcast in an earlier chapter. (Chapter 5, I believe. The Painted On Jeans chapter) Wife of a New York Senator. Sue went and got herself famous after leaving her family. Sorry for the lack of turtles in this chapter. I will make it up to you all in the next one, I promise.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Edited, please go to the Misadventures LJ for more info.

And now, Notes to My Reviewers:

Reinbeauchaser: I haven't actually tried my hand at writing NC-17 yet. I've thought about it… but I'm just not sure. I do like to see how steamy things can get without actually getting graphic. It's kind of a test of skills. If I can get all those readers worked up with just a little careful description, well then, my work here is done! Or… maybe that means it's just starting…

And Austin… poor Austin. I'm really screwing with her past here. There's still some more twists coming soon. Although, I'm saving some for the sequel. Afterall, the flashbacks are only covering the points that are relevant to the story right now. Next chapter we find out a little more about Austin's parents, and what's been happening to them since they sent her away.

Isis-Lament: Yah, I almost had to kick Austin for not kissing him. Mmmm, I know I would have. Considering her past… I'm surprised she didn't. But there's still the whole 'turtle' thing to consider. And his brothers were waiting for him. I mean, how awkward would it have been to be going at it on the kitchen counter only to have Mike or Don come in the window? Or worse, Leo? Hehehe. Hm… that might make for an interesting "What If" story…. ponders I just might have to get me an account…. ;)

Reluctant Dragon: I try to update at least once a week, if not more. I work 12-hour shifts and most of that time is spent brainstorming. (I'm rather good at what I do, if I do say so myself. It allows me a lot of time for story planning while I'm doing my job.) And then I write for an hour or so when I get home… and on my nights off, I spend almost all night writing. …Or trying to write. I get distracted by other fics and such…

And oh! I started out in the X-Men fandom! In fact, the first fan-fic I ever read was X-Men. …it was an NC-17 fic, and it was Archangel-Psylocke… I still remember it to this day. I guess it must have made an impact. ;)

Kellie Fay: Thanks for the review! I find that writing the Raph-Austin scenes always helps warm my room up a bit…. –g-

kaya lizzie: The sad thing is, Raph KNEW he had her. He could have pulled her into the bedroom and that would have been that, but he decided to toy with her instead. The arrogant sonuva… But, that's just part of the attraction, I suppose. And Austin is kicking herself right now… I would be too, if I were her. Because with an attitude like that, you just KNOW he's gonna be a good lover.

Amberli Raven: I'm glad you're enjoying the story! (I know I say that to all new reviewers, but I do mean it). I really appreciate the support.

fireandsun: Heh. Yes… Raph and poker… Mmm.. I'm glad I wrote that chapter now. I wasn't too sure when it first came out, but I think it's working in to the story fine. It also gave me some ideas for future chapters and stories. Perhaps later on, they'll get together and play again. Upping the stakes a little this time, of course….

The REAL Cheese Monkey: You're telling me! Raph sure seems to have a mind of his own in my story. I can hardly control him! Not sure I want to though… I like unbridled, uncontrollable Raph. That's the best kind of Raph there is.