Chapter Three
"Er, do you mind if I put Noah down to sleep somewhere?" Elena suddenly asked, jerking her captive audience out of the story. "The couch will be fine."
Mikey ran out to get a pillow and blanket out. Leo gently placed the small boy on the couch as Mikey added the pillow and blanket. Elena sat by him and looked down at him with a look of love to deep to fanthom. The Turtles watched silently as she kissed him on the forehead, each Turtle remembering that expression from when they were Noah's age.
The seven left the room to sit down in the kitchen. THere was an awkward silence.
"So what happened next?" Casey promted impatiently.
"We spent the night in the van," Elena gave Casey her odd calmly-amused glance. "Tom worked as a driver. He hid the five of us hidden in crates and propted Raph's bad leg on a small pillow. After we had traveled half an hour, he let us out. But have you ever had five-year-olds who have had to lie down for that long? It was chaos afterwards."
"We're free!" young Mikey exclaimed. "Lord Almightly, we're free at last!"
Donnie giggled.
"We're not free yet," little Leo told his younger brother sternly. "We still gotta long way ta go. Right?" He looked up at Tom and Elena for comfirmation. Tom nodded.
"Raph isn't up yet," Mikey asked, his joy overtaken with worry. "Is he gonna be okay, Elena?"
Elena picked Mikey up and placed him gently in her lap. "Of course," she replied, kissing him on the forehead. "It's just going to take a while. Now, listen boys, if we're going to get away from the Bad Place, we have to work together. THat means we each gotta do our part. Okay?"
The boys nodded.
"Good," Elena nodded. "You still have to stay in the van."
There were groans from the Turtles.
"I know it's tough," Elena put Mikey up and gazed lovingly at the three boys. "It's not fair, either. But you have to be brave. Will you do that for me? Be the brave men that I see in you every day."
The boys nodded reluctantly.
"I'll make you a deal," Elena grinned. "You be good today and tonight I'll take you to a playground. And you can play untill three in the morning."
Much to her surprise, the boys looked like they wanted to cry.
"What's wrong?" Elena asked concerned.
"That's how they got us the first time," Mikey said quietly, starting to cry. "Master Splinter took us. See, we never get to go outside much."
Elena pulled all three Turtles in a tight bear hug. She finally let go when the Turtles stopped crying.
"Who's Master Splinter?" Elena asked.
"Our father," Leo said proudly. "He raised us. He's been teaching us to be ningas. We're going to defeat bad guys like the ones at the Bad Place on a daily basis when we're all grown up."
"I have no doubt about that, honey," Elena laughed knowingly. "Tell me more about your father."
"He's a rat," Mikey said simply.
"You mean like a traitor or something?" Elena was confused.
"No," Donnie explained. "He's a mutated rat just like we're mutated turtles."
"Ah," Elena said. "Well, would you rather not go to a playground?"
"We should go," Leo said firmly. "Or we'll fear playgrounds forever."
"Now there's something you don't hear every day," Tom laughed. "Let's get this show on the road!"
Tom got in the driver's seat and sped off while Elena sat in the back with the Turtles.
"Where do you live with your father?" Elena asked.
"Underground," Mikey said simply.
"In the sewers," Elena looked slightly shocked.
"Yes," Leo looked up at the human girl uncertainly. "'Is that a bad thing?"
"Sewers aren't the cleanest places in the world," Elena replied. "So you boys live in the city?"
"WHat's a city?" Mikey asked.
"WHere you live, are there lots of tall buildings that seem to stretch as far as they eye can see," ELena explained. "They stretch so high, that they seem to touch the sky."
"Yep," Donnie affirmed. "We live in a city."
Elena looked up at Tom. "New York City it is."
"Do they know which Burrow?" Tom asked, looking at them through the rear-view mirror.
"What's the name of the playground Master Splinter took you to?" Elena asked, turning back to the boys.
"Don't know," Mikey gave his most boyishly innocent smile. "I was too busy playing."
"We're only five," Leo looked at the teenager apologetically. "We can we read some letters. I remember the sign, but I couldn't pronounce the words."
"Central Park," Donnie grinned proudly.
"Show-off," Mikey muttered.
"Manhattan, it is," Tom took off with an almightly lurch.
"Thanks for the warning," Elena muttered.
"Any time Lenie," Tom smirked, looking back at the girl.
"I hate it when you call me that," Elena grumbled.
After an hour, they went stopped at Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. Raph woke up about half an hour later.
"Raph's up!" Mikey cried, hugging his brother tightly around the neck.
Needless to say, Raph quickly turned a lovely shade of blue.
"Micaelangelo," Elena yelled, startled. "Let go of him. He can't breathe."
Mikey quickly let go, looking up at Elena guiltily. Elena scooped him up and hugged him reassuringly.
"Elena?" Raph asked weakly, a look of pain and terror in his eyes. "Where am I? What's going on?"
"Elena saved us from the Bad Place," Mikey informed his brother happily. "She's going to take us home!"
Elena put Mikey down and scooted over toward the injured mutant. "Leo, hand me a can of V-8."
Leo obideiantly retrieved the can. "How are you feeling, Raph?"
"I'm okay," Raph replied, trying his best to look brave and tough.
Elena opened the can and helpled Raph drink it. "It'll make you feel better, sweetie."
"Donnie," Elena continued to give orders. "Get me the First Aid kit. Leo, bring me the garbage can."
THeir garbage can was a big brown paper bag. THe two young turtles retrieved the items. Raph finished the V-8 and Elena tossed it in the garbage can.
"Raph," I'm going to need to change your bandages," Elena explained as she unwrpped the wrappings.
"This way, they won't get infected."
Shortly after she finished, Raph fell asleep again.
"He's going to be just fine," Elena assured the remaining brothers. "He needs his rest, so you're going to have to be very quiet. Understand?"
The boys nodded. At lunch, they went through the drive-though and got three happy meals, and two adult meals. Elena woke Raph up to give him more V-8. Then he fell back asleep.
"Why do they call it a Happy Meal?" Donnie asked.
"I have no idea," Elena replied as she bit into her burger.
"It doesn't make you feel any happier," Donnie mused.
"Hey, it's food," Mikey shrugged. "Food sure makes me happy."
Donnie and Leo rolled their eyes. Tom and Elena laughed.
""Good answer," ELena smiled, giving the youngest turtle a noogie. "Good answer."
Mikey gave his brothers a superior smirk.
Later on, Tom pulled the van over.
"I have to run a few errands," Elena told the Turtles as she got out. "I'll be back in a few hours. Tom is in charge. You'll be good boys, won't you?"
"I don't want you to go," Mikey cried, hugging Elena around the waist.
"I'll be back," Elena promised. "I have a very important job for my brave little ninjas. I need you to watch over Raphael. Can you do that for me."
Elena had the stangest ability to give out jobs and make them seem like the most important task on the face of the Earth.
"We will," Leo promised.
"If Tom tells me you've been good, I'll have a surprise for you when I get back," Elena added.
She kissed each Turtle on the forehead.
"Make sure Raph gets his liquids," Elena reminded Tom. "Boys, I don't think Raph has ever met Tom. Help Raph understand that Tommy-boy here is one of the good guys."
With that, she left. Tom pulled into the woods and parked the van there.
"Who's for stretching their legs?" TOm grinned as he got out to open the van door.
After playing Duck-Duck-Goose, helping Tom with Raph and a game of "Fox, Fox, what time is it?", they all got back in the van.
"It's time to pick up Elena," Tom said as the drove off.
Tom drove right back to where they dropped off Elena.
"How were they?" Elena asked as Tom opened the back door for her.
"Very well behaved," Tom replied.
"That means that you get the surprise," Elena smiled as she pulled out a small rectangualr object. "THis is called a Game-Boy. You can play video games on it."
Elena shoved a box into the far corner and put the two remaining boxes gently in front of her. After showing the boys how to play it, she opened the two remaining boxes. They were both filled with some kind of pie with cheese on it."
"This is called pizza," Elena grinned. "Eat up, boys. When you finish, you can take turns with the game- I need to talk to Tom for a minute."
The three boys ate their first pizzas. THey finished the entire first box. It was the best thing they had ever had.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Mikey asked as they ate.
"I dunno," Donnie replied in between bites. "Must be important."
Leo knew that look Mikey had on his face. "DOn't, Mikey. It's a private conversation. We shouldn't eavesdrop."
"Spoilsport," Mikey grumbled as he took another slice.
"ASnd don't eat so fast," Leo added sternly. "You'll get sick."
Mikey stuck his tongue out at his oldest brother, which was full of already-been-chewed food.
"Mikey," Leo groaned.
The younger brother just smiled impishly.
"Oh, I can't take it anymore," Mikey said dramaticly, after ten minutes of glancing back at the door.
With out another word, he opened the back door, and closed it quietly a second later. He had a shaken look on his face.
"Mikey, what's wrong?" Donnie asked, worried.
"Elena's crying," Mikey said softly. "I'm not so hungry anymore."
Leo put a comforting arm around his little brother. "I'm sure she's alright."
"Elena's supposed to be strong," Mikey sniffed. "What if she can't get us home? What if we never see Master Splinter again?"
At that moment, Elena came in through the door. She noticed Mikey right away.
"Honey, what's wrong, sweetie," Elena had that motherly, worried look on her face.
"I'm sorry, Elena," Mikey babbled, hugging Elena with all her might. "I saw you crying and I got scared."
"Oh, honey," Elena gently stroked his head gently until he calmed down.
A/N So SORRY it took so long to update. I've had a major case of writer's block. Like running into a brick wall continuously. Big headache.