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: Ok, this chapter starts out with the regular flashback, then we move to third person Leo and Don. This section jumps back to the previous night after the turtles return home, then forward to "present time" first person Austin. If that makes sense. If it doesn't… oh well. Too bad for you.
FunFact: Dr. Adair is still very much alive, to those of you who have wondered.
Misadventures of the Mentally Unstable
Chapter 11
Italics areAustin's thoughts or flashback
"You don't need to do this, Austin. There's other ways… You already have a diploma."
"No way, Devon." Austin glared at the ghost floating next to her as she walked up the gravel path to the old red Craftsman style home that probably hadn't been re-painted in 20 years. She was trying hard not to pay attention to the scenery. It had been nine years since she'd seen this place, and she had no intention of staying long enough to get reacquainted with it. "There's no way in hell I'm living out my life as 'Betty Krinkle'. Where the fuck did you come up with that name, anyway? If I'd have cared what anyone thought, I'd have been laughed out of that high school."
"Still… we can find a different name. One that isn't so silly. You don't have to do this!"
"You've been nothing but a pain since I told you I was coming back here. What's wrong, Devon? It's not like I'm going to stay here. I just want my birth certificate, then we're gone. They can't throw me back in the Institute. It burned to the ground, remember? And I turned eighteen last week, so they can't force me to live with Terri and Bill. We'll be gone in less than five minutes."
"Austin, listen to me." Devon's voice turned firm and she stopped to look at him. His jaw was firmly set, and she realized that there was something more going on in his head then he wanted to admit. "You don't want to do this. Just get back in the cab, and we'll go back to California."
"What are you hiding, Devon? What's so bad about this place that you don't want me here?"
"It has nothing to do with this place…" He looked like he wanted to say more, but the clanging of a screen door tore Austin's attention away.
She looked, and standing on the dirty sun bleached porch no less than a few yards away, a woman stood. "Can I help you?" Terri was old. A hell of a lot older than Austin remembered her. The last time she'd seen her mother was ironically, in the exact spot where she was standing now. But the few strands of grey in her hair had grown, and now instead of a distinguished streak, there was a full head of grey. The hard lines in her face spoke volumes of her life. If Austin didn't know better, she'd think that the years had been even worse to Terri than they were to her. The woman on the porch looked like she'd been drug through the depths of hell and come out stronger on the other side. She was strong, firm. She was not a woman to be messed with.
This was not the Terri that Austin had thought she'd find. Images of the small, scared woman in the thin nightgown at the bottom of the stairs had filled her mind; and the same small, scared woman that stood in a pretty sundress and watched her daughter scream and cry as she was taken away in a black car that read "Greensage Institute" on the side.
Austin took a step towards the porch and looked up at the woman who'd abandoned her nine years ago. She said nothing. There was so much she'd planned on saying; yelling, cursing, accusing her mother of leaving her to die in that hell. But now that the moment was here, there seemed to be no words that could sum up all she was feeling.
"My god…" Terri gasped and covered her mouth. "Austin…?"
Austin nodded once, her expression cold, hard.
"My god, you're alive… you're alive!" Her face broke out in a smile that Austin felt no urge to return. Terri flew down the stairs unexpectedly and pulled Austin into her arms, laughing and crying and running her fingers through the long brown hair that hung in limp curls at Austin's back. The touch stunned the younger woman for a moment, but then she reacted violently, wrenching herself out of her mother's grasp.
"How dare you?" Austin screamed. "How DARE you even think of touching me like that?" Terri stepped back, visibly shocked, tears of happiness still clinging to her cheeks. "Do you have any idea what you put me through? I didn't come here for some happy family reunion, Terri. I only want one thing from you."
Terri started to tremble, and clutched a hand to her chest. "Austin…?", was all she could say.
"My birth certificate. I want it, and then I'm leaving."
"Your…birth certificate?" Terri blinked as if she'd never heard of such a thing. Her mind was racing with emotions. Her baby, her little girl was home. But this wasn't her little girl any more. She realized with a start that she didn't know who this young woman standing in front of her was. Her baby had died. Probably back in that horrible institute… and she knew it was her fault. Years of blaming herself were finally being justified and she fought back a sob of grief. The moment she'd dreamed of for almost a decade was turning into the nightmare she always knew it would be.
"My birth certificate. I want it." Austin repeated coldly.
Terri's face paled and she choked out, "Why? Why do you want it?"
"Why do you think? I'm eighteen now. And unless I have that certificate, I can't do shit in the real world. Go get it for me. I'll wait outside." Austin wasn't used to giving orders, but she wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. And there was no way she was stepping foot inside that house ever again.
"Austin… please…"
"I'm not interested in anything you have to say, Terri."
They stood, looking at each other for a very long time before Terri finally hung her head in defeat. "Okay. Okay, I'll… I'll go get it."
Austin waited on the bottom step of the porch, leaning against the old rock column that held up the porch roof. Terri had been gone only a few moments before Austin heard the creak of the screen door again. She looked up to see the older woman standing just in front of the door, her body tense.
"Austin…"
"I already tol-"
"I know." Terri interrupted. The strength had returned to her face, as if she'd finally realized that Austin was no longer hers; realized it and accepted it. "I know you probably don't want anything to do with me… but I have to tell you this, Austin."
Austin turned her head away, but didn't say anything.
"I love you, Austin." The younger woman snorted in disbelief. "I thought what I was doing was for the best, you have to understand that. I know now that I was wrong… I should have realized there was something wrong at that place…"
Austin bit back a reply. She didn't want to get into this. She wanted the damn piece of paper, and she wanted to get out of here.
"Austin… Austin, please look at me." She finally did, meeting Terri's eyes. "Austin… I've always loved you. Your fa-.." She cut herself off. "Bill… he didn't want you. He wanted me to give you up. If there was one thing in my life I stood up to him for, it was to keep you. You have to know that, Austin."
Terri glanced down at the birth certificate in her hand. "Susan… she…" She swallowed back the lump in her throat. "She left you with us. And I loved you like my own daughter, Austin. You were mine. And I loved you…" Her voice trailed off.
Austin had pushed herself away from the pillar and had been reaching for the certificate when she stopped. Her eyes met the older woman's, and the words finally sunk in. Terri… Terri wasn't her mother. She snatched the paper from Terri's hands and stared at it. Her mother's name was Susan Rene Bridger. Not Terri. Susan. The older sister she'd never met wasn't her sister… she was Austin's mother.
"I know you don't remember… you were only two when she left you here. I'd meant to tell you Austin… but you were too young. And then everything happened so fast, and I lost you again… I'm so sorry, Austin. I wish I could make you believe me." Her voice was low and soft. She wasn't asking to be forgiven. And Austin didn't want to forgive her.
This revelation wasn't as shocking as some people might have thought it would be. Austin took it in stride. This was just another small annoyance in her life, compared to some of the things she'd been through. She turned to leave, the certificate tight in her hand.
"Austin…"
"Goodbye, Terri." And she didn't look back.
Donatello wasn't one for cursing; he found the whole concept to be a bit juvenile. Besides, Raphael used enough cuss words to more than make up for the ones his brothers didn't use. Every once in a while however… every once in a while a situation arose where there was nothing else that was appropriate to say, except a curse. Right now was such a time.
"Holy mother of God…"
Ok, so it wasn't the most creative curse ever, but it fit the moment. He stared at the computer screen, wanting to not believe what he'd just seen. It was too disturbing. And yet… he'd seen enough in his eighteen years to know that it was entirely possible that such a thing had happened. The cruelty of humans never ceased to amaze him. If what he'd discovered had actually taken place, then he now felt he had a greater understanding of the workings in Austin's head.
After arriving back home, he'd taken to the internet to do a little bit more digging into Austin's background. It wasn't just for his own comfort; Leo had subtly hinted that it might be helpful to know more about her. And finding things out was what Don did best. Although this time, he wasn't sure it had been such a great idea. He stared at the screen for a few more minutes then slowly stood up, closing the files he'd illegally downloaded. Sometimes he hated being so smart. It meant he found out things like this.
He turned the light off in his lab and unhurriedly made his way through the lair. Raph and Mike were watching some thriller on late night TV. Ironically, it had to do with illegal experimentations on innocent people. He stopped and watched for a few minutes, then quickly stepped away from the room, afraid he might be sick. Don made his way down the hall, then stopped in front of his eldest brother's door. He raised his hand to knock gently, but the door opened before his knuckles had even made contact.
"I take it you found something?" Leonardo flicked the light off in his room, not seeming at all surprised to see Donatello standing there.
"Is it that apparent?"
"To me, yes. You've been growing more and more agitated over the last hour. I could sense it from all the way in here."
Don reached up and rubbed the back of his neck uneasily. "Yah… sorry about that. It's just… well… I've found out some pretty disturbing things."
"First, tell me this. Do you think Austin's going to be a problem? I need to know now, Don, before any of us get too close to her."
"It's not like that, Leo. I don't think we have anything to worry about, really. At least not from Austin. I mean… you were here. You could sense the same thing the rest of us could. She may have her secrets, but after what I found out, I understand why she's keeping them."
Leo sighed and motioned for his brother to follow. "Let's go in the kitchen. I could use some tea, how about you?"
Don nodded, and followed after his brother.
"So, start at the beginning." Leo set down the steaming cups of green tea.
"Well, I started looking into that school that she went to. The Greensage Institute, it was called. It wasn't a boarding school… It was a psychiatric hospital."
Leonardo raised an eye ridge and took a sip of tea, but said nothing.
"Austin was a patient there, but I don't know why. The hospital was run by some guy named Dr. Adair. This Dr. Adair… I can't find much information on him. I can't even find proof that he really IS a doctor. But… he was doing stuff to the kids." Donatello shuddered slightly and took a drink of tea, as if to calm his nerves and erase the images from his mind.
"I was reading up on the articles from the fire, and something just wasn't quite right, so I did more digging. When they were going through the rubble at hospital, they discovered lower levels of the building. And they found bodies..."
"Bodies? Of children?"
Don nodded. Leo was catching on quick. "Only a couple, but…"
"But what, Don?"
"I don't think they were human."
"Mutants?"
Don shrugged. "I'm not sure. You have to understand, I did a lot of digging, Leo. Most of the information I got wasn't in any official reports. I had to do a lot of reading between the lines and piecing together different stories to even get that much. Anyone who wasn't looking too closely wouldn't have been able to figure out that much."
"So… this Adair. He was doing genetic research?"
"Something like that. I followed some leads, looking into Adair's records. Like I said, there wasn't much to go on. But I finally found something."
"What?"
"Some video clips. They're short, and incomplete; I think they were salvaged from the fire… and I had to do some fancy hacking work to find them. But… well, as far as I can tell, they're legit. And I think one of them is of Austin."
Leo let out a long slow breath and closed his eyes. "Do I want to see these clips?"
"No. Look, Leo. I don't think we have anything to worry about from Austin. I think maybe we should forget this digging into her past thing, and just let things go. She's either going to be our friend, or she isn't. But if everything I've found out about her is legit, then I don't think we have to worry about her exposing us. She has just as much reason to fear scientists and doctors as we do."
Nodding slowly, Leo pushed his teacup away.
"Besides, Leo… I think one of us is already getting too close to her." Donatello jerked a thumb in the direction of the living room.
"Yes, I'm aware…"
"Susanne Carmine Fashions, how may I direct your call?"
"Yes… um… I'd like to speak to Mrs. Carmine, please?" There was a pause, and I swore the girl on the other end was trying not to laugh at me. I knew it wasn't going to be this easy, but I had to start somewhere. She was a famous fashion designer, and a Senator's wife.
"I'm sorry, but Mrs. Carmine isn't taking calls right now. I can forward you to her secretary though, and you may leave a message."
"Yes… yes, please do that." I almost wanted to breathe a huge sigh of relief. I wouldn't have to talk directly to her. I could just… leave a message. One that she'd understand, and then if she wanted to contact me, the ball would be in her court. This would work out fine.
There was a click on the line, then a few more rings, and then I heard, "Susanne Carmine's office."
"Yes, I need to leave a message for Mrs. Carmine. It's… It's very important."
"I'm sure it is." Said the prissy voice, in a tone that said she'd rather have a rusty nail shoved through her eye than take my message. "Unfortunately Mrs. Carmine is away from the office right now, and I don't know how long it will be until she checks back in."
"I see… well… I really need to speak with her, so can I leave my name and the number she can reach me at?"
The secretary made me wait while she rustled around for a pen and message pad. I just knew she had it sitting there in front of her the whole time. She was only trying to piss me off. And it was working. After what seemed like an hour, she finally told me she was ready to take down a note.
In a pleasant voice I said "thank you", and gave her my phone number. "Please tell her my name is Austin. Austin Bridger. She'll know who I am." The secretary gave a little snort that she tried to pass off as a cough. Obviously, she thought very little of this person who was trying to get a hold of her rich and influential boss.
I politely thanked her again and hung up the phone, feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from my shoulders. A rather large part of me didn't want Susan to call back. If she called back, that meant she cared. I'd been alone for so long, the thought scared me. I had no idea how I'd react to her if she wanted to get to know me. I mean… I had almost no experience with the whole mother and daughter thing. What was I suppose to say to her? I had no idea.
Watching her on TV had made me hate her. She was always so well dressed, so prim and proper. And beautiful. Devon had been right, she was gorgeous. Tall, slim, graceful, blond hair and green eyes. The only thing I got from her were my eyes.
Everything else must have come from my father's side. My father. I suppose he was the only reason I hadn't followed Devon's advice and thrown away the phone number. I wanted to know who he was, but I didn't even have a name. It was blank on my birth certificate. I was a bastard child; fatherless. I wanted to find out who he was, and if he even knew about me. This was something I'd never shared with Devon. From the moment I realized Bill Bridger was not my father, I'd felt an almost overwhelming urge to find out who was. And Susan was the only who had that information. If Devon knew, he had been very good about hiding it.
I sat looking at nothing in particular, lost in thought. My eyes traced a small crack running along the wall without really seeing it.
"Devon?" I called out one more time, knowing he wouldn't answer. But maybe he was watching. If he was watching, but didn't answer, at least he knew I was trying to apologize. If he wasn't watching… well… there was nothing I could do about it now, other than go about my business.
I realized that I was hungry, so I stood up from the couch. I had just reached for the fridge when the phone rang. I froze. She wouldn't have called back this fast, would she? My thoughts raced. Should I answer? What if it was her? What if it wasn't? All I could do was stare blankly at the phone. What should I do?
I waited too long and my answering machine picked up. I heard my voice go through the recorded message and cringed. If it was Susan, then my message probably wouldn't make the best first impression.
"Austin's House of Kink, your pain is our pleasure. We're with another client right now, but leave a whimper, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible."
There was a beep and then a male voice chuckling. "I never get tired of hearing that, Austin." It was Ken. Oh thank god it was Ken. I could still change the message before Susan called back.
I dashed over to the phone and picked it up before he could leave his message.
"Hey Ken, I'm here! What's up?"
"Oh good! Listen, we got this guy calling the café asking for your phone number. He seems really insistent and just won't take no for an answer. What do you want us to do?"
"Who is it?" One of the troubles with being a manager was having to deal with all the freaks that came in the store. More than once customers had demanded my phone number because of some stupid little thing they found unsatisfactory at the café.
"All he said was his name was Mikey. He wouldn't give me a last name."
I found myself smiling before I could stop myself. I bit my lip and forced a frown instead. I'd made my decision not to get involved with him and his brothers. "Did he leave his number?"
"No, that's why I thought I'd call you. He didn't seem angry or anything, just… very insistent. I believe his exact words were 'Please, please, please, pretty please, with sprinkles on top'."
I sighed. "Go ahead and give him my number if he calls back. Don't worry, it's probably just a friend."
"Probably?"
"Yah, well, you know."
"Ahhh, one of those guys you never called back after a night of hot steamy sex?"
"Uh… Something like that."
"I knew it. You're such a tease."
"A tease doesn't give out."
"Oh, so you're a slut?"
"I plead the fifth."
Ken laughed and I had to smile. Of all the people working at the café, I liked him the best.
"I'll give him your number next time he calls. Thanks, Austin."
"No problem."
We hung up and I went back to the kitchen. I had just finished making a sandwich when the phone rang again. Licking a smear of mayonnaise off my thumb I picked up the phone, pretty sure it was going to be Michelangelo.
"Hey Mikey."
"Wrong turtle."
"Oh… Uh.. Hey Raph…" My mouth went dry and suddenly the sandwich didn't look quite as good. I pushed the plate away and leaned against the counter.
"That's all I get is a 'hey'?"
"What do you want to hear?"
"You, screamin' my name would be a good start." His voice was low and I wondered if he was trying to hide his words from someone else who might be in the room.
Swallowing hard, I tried to keep my voice steady. "You think way too much of yourself."
"Mmm."
"What do you want, Raph?"
"Hmmm… weather's gonna be cool tonight. I'd wear a sweater if I were you."
"My apartment is heated."
"You're not gonna be in your apartment."
"And just where, pray tell, am I going to be?"
"Out. With me."
"I have other plans Raph, sorry." I was lying. But he didn't need to know that.
"I'll pick you up around 8:30."
"I'm not going out with you."
"I'll park my bike in the alley below your window."
"I'm not-… You've got a bike?" Damn! That sounded too eager. I slapped myself on the forehead.
"You. Me. Tonight."
"Raph…"
"Dress warm."
"Raph…"
"Austin."
"…ok."
"I knew you'd see it my way."
"Ass." Laughing, he hung up on me. What the hell was I thinking? Had I just agreed to a date? No. No, definitely not a date. Anything but a date. Just a friendly bike ride with a guy who… happened to be sexy as hell… despite the not being human thing.
Good god, what was I getting myself into?
After the fic Author's Notes: All information regarding the little reverse fic challenge of mine has been moved to the Misadventures LiveJournal. Go there to check it out.
Annnnnnnnd, finally. Austin's mother isn't really her mother! Her sister is! Hah! Wait… hmm.. that sounds like a bad Jerry Springer episode. Ah well. Which means, Devon is really her uncle. But she's always thought of him as a brother, and that's how it's going to stay. And yes, this has been part of the plot since before the story was even down in words. Wheeee. I'm just full of little twists, aren't I? Just wait til you find out who Austin's father is. …ok, I'll tell. His name is Joe Bob Smith Jr., and he lives in Alabama and wears wife-beater t-shirts and has a mullet. …Austin is going to be REALLY disappointed when she finds that out…
Notes to my Reviewers:
Isis-Lament: Devon is deep down a decent person. He's just grown a little too attached to Austin. He will return at some point, but for now he's off moping somewhere Outside Reality.
And Sue wasn't actually the newscaster, she was the woman that was being featured in the story. Sorry if I made that a little confusing. But hopefully this chapter clears it up more. Yes, Susan abandoned her baby and her family, and went off in search of her dreams. It's going to be interesting when she realizes her long lost daughter has found her.
Reinbeauchaser: Thanks for the heads up about the policy. I looked all over the FAQ and couldn't find anything, but I moved all the info to the LJ for now. I e-mailed them also, and explained the situation and asked what the policy would be in this specific case. I haven't heard back yet, but that's ok. I'm still going to do the challenge thing, just out of the LJ instead of did start out in the X-Men fandom, so there may be traces of that leaking into this world. Although I've always been fascinated by the fantasy and sci-fi worlds, and the TMNT provides a perfect breeding ground for all my little twisted plot lines.
Pi90katana: It's ok, I understand. I'm guilty of it myself. I'm glad that you're enjoying my story though!
Reluctant Dragon: And here's another update. I think this is one of my longest chapters so far, and I can't believe it flowed out as easily as it did. Hopefully the rest of the story will come out so nicely. I was really happy with how the dialogue turned out in this chapter. Yay for updates!
Sassyblondexoxo: Another SeaQuest fan! Yay! -cheers- I have to admit, I was still a fan even after they did the whole aliens/future, new captain thing. It was awesome. Here's a question. Do you remember the show Earth2, or something like that? It used to be on either right before, or right after SeaQuest, but I can't remember which. I loved that show, but it got cancelled mid-season, right after a cliffhanger episode. I was so upset about that… just curious if anyone else remembers that show.
And thanks for the recommendation! I'll go check it out as soon as I get a chance!
The REAL Cheese Monkey: Devon still has a part to play in this story, so he'll be back at some point. I love him too much to not use him a little bit more in the story. He's acting like a dick, but he means well, he really does.