Disclaimer: Don't own TMNT. I just own Maggie and my originals.
A/N: All right. Now it's time to get on to what I know will be one of my favorite parts of the story. I really had a lot of fun writing this part of the story. It really gave me a chance to show what a weird sense of humor that I have in somewhat tense situations. If no one knows what I mean, just read ahead and you'll get it. :D
Chapter 5: Why me?
Shit, I forgot how hard his head is. Next time I better just use a 2x4 or something and I won't break my hand, Casey groaned to himself.
He shook his sore fist, trying to alleviate the pain that was steadily running through it. But that only lasted a few seconds before his mind had to turn to preventing more pain from affecting him. It came in the form of Maggie, who had taken those few seconds that Casey used to relieve his pain to get over the shock she felt at seeing her brother punched by his best friend. When she did overcome her shock, Maggie's reaction became nothing less than instinctual and almost brutal.
Letting out a yowl of outrage, Maggie shoved the human away from her prone brother as hard as she could. It really didn't do much, as she had nowhere near the mass and height that Casey possessed. But it was still enough where she could get him to take a few steps away from Raphael so that she could insert herself between the two.
She took her position while Casey was trying to recover from the girl's sudden attack. He was going to ask her what was going on and then stopped short when he saw what Maggie was up to next. Which really didn't turn out to be a very pretty picture as far as he was concerned.
From where she stood, Maggie hissed at the human with full fury, her body already responding to the outrage that was registering in her mind like wildfire. Her fur immediately flared out to its fullest length in an instinctive attempt to make the girl appear larger to her 'opponent' while her ears tilted back in an aggressive posture. Her claws on both feet and hands were unsheathed and extended to their furthest length. At the same time, Maggie was baring her teeth and curving her lips into an lethal snarl that promised Casey Jones intense pain if he dared to come any closer to her and the Turtle she now guarded.
This time, her warning came across clearly to the human, who hastily backed away from her. Needless to say, Casey was quite surprised to see the cat-girl take such a position against him. Though he had seen her upset at her brothers from time to time, he had never seen her like this. When she was in this attitude, Casey thought she actually looked ready to kill something, namely him. And that actually scared the human enough that he wisely kept his distance from his companion until he could find a way to calm her down.
That just better include something that'll keep me from being her latest scratching post, Casey thought as he warily eyed Maggie's sharp claws.
If there was one thing he was certain of when it came to the cat-girl, it was that she knew how to fight with what she had. Though he had never seen her in action for himself, he had seen her handiwork left behind on others and that had not been pretty. Raph himself carried a long scar on his leg that had been received when the two were still young. That scar, though it had been given to Raphael when Maggie was only a child, was a testament to what she could do now as a teenager.
It also proved that her claws could go through even tough Turtle hides without any trouble. And with that as a case, it was a good guess what she could do to human skin with only cloth as protection. Meaning that if Casey made one wrong move, he would be shredded in no time.
"Just take it easy, Magnolia," he said gently, holding his hands up to show he was staying unarmed," I'm not gonna try to hurt ya or anyone else. I just had to do what needed ta be done."
The look her face instantly told Casey that she didn't believe that for one moment. She truly believed that he was lying when he said that. Any trust that she had in him had now dropped well below zero and it was going to take a lot before he could convince her that he was only trying to help.
I'm probably gonna have to become a saint or somethin' before this furball believes anythin' I have to say, Casey thought to himself.
The entire time he was trying to think of something to say or do, Maggie was watching the human man with the utmost scrutiny. She took every motion as a possible threat, every twitch as a sign that he might try to pull a trick on her. Everything was subject to debate until she was completely sure what he was up to.
For Casey, he really didn't know what to think when it came to how Maggie was eyeing him. Even if she was just confused about his intent and was trying to protect her brother, part of him honestly wanted to tell her off. He knew that what he had done was the best course for them all. He knew what would happen if they just tried to stand around this place, trying to coax Raph into cooperating.
Instead of listening to them, Raph would just get frustrated and try to lash out at them. Then in no time at all, they would have a major fight on their hands. Even if he was drunk and extremely disoriented, Casey had the feeling that Raph would still be in command of some of his ninja skills. Someone didn't have that kind of stuff hammered into them from infancy without having at least something become an instinct. Which might have been a good thing if he were really in trouble, but not when the people he was fighting were only trying to help him.
Since she was just an inexperienced kid, Maggie didn't know any of this. She just knew that her brother was drunk and that he needed help. But this time, in trying to help him, there was a finer detail that came with dealing with Raph. She couldn't handle him the way she would if he were sober. That would get her nowhere. She just didn't realize that while Casey did. He knew that she would just end up getting hurt by Raph in the end. And he knew if that happened, then Raph wouldn't be able to forgive himself and Maggie might well lose her trust in him. Good enough reasons in Casey's opinion that he should tell Maggie off in order to get her back under control so they could do this right.
On the other hand, Casey didn't want to do anything that would get Maggie mad enough where she might actually take a swipe at him. If she did, then he knew that he was going to have to defend himself. He knew that she might be able to handle herself in a fight, but he knew that he was definitely more experienced than she was and that gave him an advantage. With that, Casey knew he could do some serious damage to the feline child just as she could to him. Not something he was looking forward to, considering the fact that he would have to explain any harm that came to Maggie to the rest of the family.
Casey knew they would probably be mad enough that he had let Raph go and get himself drunk. They'd probably blow a couple of fuses over the fact that he had just told Maggie and no one else. But he knew that they would all downright kill him if Maggie were harmed in anyway. She was the only girl and the baby of the family and when it came to her safety, her mentor and brothers were very serious. Anyone who crossed the line, even a friend like Casey, was bound to be the receiving end of some major pain.
Or rather, he would be facing more later on. Right now, there was still the threat of Maggie's claws to deal with. He still had no clue as to how he was going to do that. He had already tried acting like he was harmless. That obviously wasn't a ploy that worked on Maggie, who just kept glaring at Casey.
As the seconds ticked off, Casey knew that he was going to have to think of something and fast. The longer they were here, the closer it came to daylight. If they were here until day came, then two things were going to happen. One, they would be unable to travel on the surface as they had before. That meant that they would have to take an alternate route through the sewers, which not something Casey wanted to go through more than he could help it.
The second thing that would occur was that the rest of Maggie and Raph's family would come looking for their missing members. During the late hours of the night, when no one was due to be out on a patrol except for Raph, there was the cover of everyone being asleep. No one would notice that a certain pair of young mutants were missing.
When morning came though and everyone woke up, that was when the trouble would start. Then the rest of the family would find out that Maggie and Raph were gone and would go looking for them. It wasn't certain that they would come looking for the pair in this area, as none of them would have any idea of just where to look. But the fact was that that they would still come searching for their missing family members and it was a good guess that none of the others would be happy at having to do so.
But that was all something to consider later. Right now, it was time to still find a way to calm down the cat before she went berserk on a poor human. Which would have to be soon, because Maggie looked like she really was about to lose it.
Much to Casey's surprise and relief, Maggie chose another route instead of attacking him as he suspected. Instead, she spoke and seemed to be demanding an explanation out of him. One that Casey was glad to give if it meant that he wouldn't end up as a scratching post.
Why'd you do that?! Maggie had finally demanded, jerking a claw at her unconscious sibling.
"I did it 'cause it was the quickest way to help," Casey answered.
How is hurting my brother the quickest way to help?! Maggie snarled.
Taking in the way she was glaring at him and pointing at Raphael's bruised face, Casey rightly guessed that Maggie wanted to know how knocking her brother out helped. Probably in her mind, she saw as a problem. Maybe even as a way of slowing them down as she thought they would have to wake him up again in order to get going.
You are so naïve, kid, Casey thought, You can act tough all you want when you're around your brothers and give me a lifetime of heart attacks in one night, but this time, you're dealing' with something you don't understand.
Wisely, he didn't say any of this aloud. Casey had the feeling that it just might provoke Maggie and send her over the edge. Instead, he would have to use his head for once and try to make things as clear for Maggie as possible. It was really the only way that he was going to get anywhere with her at this point.
"If I didn't knock him out, then he would've kept on arguing with us until he either sobered up again or Doomsday hit. And frankly kid, I don't feel like waiting for either one," Casey explained.
He then waited and watched for a reaction from Maggie. At first, he was sorely disappointed. She just remained as she was, glaring and hissing at him. She showed no outward signs of accepting Casey's explanation. Inwardly however, it was an entirely different story.
On the inside, Maggie was digesting what Casey had told her and as much as she hated to admit it, he really did have a point. Knocking Raph out while he was drunk had been the best route to take if they wanted to avoid a major fight with him. Even when he was sober and in one of his better moods, Raph could still argue up a storm when he wanted to be stubborn. He would never admit when someone else was right and concede defeat to them. He would keep arguing his own point until someone either grew frustrated with him and gave up or they knocked some sense into him the hard way.
Under normal circumstances, that might have been all right. But now, when they were in a place that was known to their enemies and alone without anyone knowing where they were, it wasn't safe to allow that to happen. They had to get out of here and back home as soon as possible.
Maggie knew that and it was one reason why she was so upset. As Casey already suspected, she thought that knocking Raph out would only slow them down. They had to be able to get him to walk on his own two feet while they supported him if they were going to get him out of here at any pace. If he was prone, that meant they either had to stay here until he woke up or they had to carry him out.
But at the same time, even though she was tense and upset, part of her kept siding with what Casey had done. She didn't have to like the fact that he had hit her brother, but it had only been to help him. To help prevent anything else unpleasant from occurring, like it seemed to have been doing all night.
Finally, Maggie decided to take Casey at his word. If he were only doing what he thought best for her brother, then she would accept that. Even if she thought that he could have found a better way to get him unconscious than knocking him out like he had.
She started to calm down, her fur and ears easing back to their original positions as she sheathed her claws once more. The snarl on her face slowly faded away to allow a more accepting expression to take its place. There was still a trace of suspicion of course, but it was only moderately evident at this point.
Now that she wasn't on the warpath anymore, Maggie finally turned her gaze away from Casey and towards her unconscious brother. It was the first time she had bothered to lay eyes on him since he was knocked out. And somewhere deep inside, she was wishing that she didn't have to.
He was a complete mess. His trench coat was in complete disarray, with only arm sleeve still completely in the sleeve while the other was only halfway on the arm. It was stained with the dribble of his beers and traces of the vomit that he had thrown up a few moments before.
The fedora that Raph often wore when he was on the surface now lay on the floor amid the many bottles. It had been knocked off after Casey had punched the Turtle. Like the coat, it was stained from tonight's ventures and would probably take several rounds of washing before it was close to being wearable again.
That much applied to the rest of Raph as well. His body, like his clothing, was caked in sludge from walking in the sewers, beer that had dried on his chin and one cheek, and vomit that was still clinging to his mouth. But these were nothing compared to the one thing that was now drawing Maggie's full attention. That was the bruise she could already see forming around his jaw.
From experience, Maggie immediately knew that where Casey's fist had impacted was most certainly gonna leave a bruise that was already forming. How bad it would be depended on how much force had been used to hit the Turtle. Though judging from the way her brother had literally flown into the wall and how quickly he was knocked out, Maggie guessed that it would end up being pretty bad.
One thing that Maggie knew for certain was that even if it had been to help him, Raph wouldn't be too happy with Casey for hitting him like that. She knew that the first chance he got, her brother would find a way to get back at his friend. Most likely in the form of leaving a few marks of his own when he and the human got into another of their sparring matches.
If he asks me where that mark came from, I'm still gonna tell him, Casey, Maggie warned.
Casey wasn't sure what she had just told him and personally, he really didn't care. He was just glad that Magnolia had calmed down enough that she wasn't going to try to take him apart. So he only nodded to Magnolia when she gave him her warning and left things at that.
Maggie shrugged at his eased acceptance of her warning. If he wasn't worried about what Raph might to do him, then that was his problem, not hers. She had done her best to warn him after all. Whatever came afterwards, he was on his own and that was that.
So what do we do now? she asked.
"We're gonna have to get him outta here and back to your place. That means we gotta lift him," Casey answered.
Maggie nodded, but she already knew that pulling off such a feat would not be easy. She knew how heavy her brothers were and how hard it was to move them by lifting. Each one of them weighed a great deal more than the average human, thanks to the shell that all the Turtles carried on their backs. Add to that a large reptile's natural weight in muscle and bone, and there was a heavy Turtle on one's hands.
Raph would be no exception to this. But with him, there would be the added problem of trying to avoid sticking one's hands onto something disgusting. There was so much sweat, spittle, and beer stains clinging to his body and clothing that it wasn't even funny. Maggie knew for certain she wasn't looking forward to getting that mess all over her paws and she was sure that Casey didn't want it on his hands either.
But I guess we can't get around that unless we hose this idiot down. Hmm, too bad I didn't bring my water gun. That might have worked, Maggie thought with resignation.
"All right, let's get going. I got his head, you take his feet," Casey ordered as he moved closer to Raph again.
Why do I have to take his feet? They stink, Maggie demanded immediately, holding her nose in emphasis.
"His head is the heavy end 'cause its so hard, kid. I don't think you're strong enough to carry that," Casey shrugged.
Somehow, Maggie seriously doubted that. She had the idea that Casey didn't like the smell of Turtle feet anymore than she did and was just trying to find a way to get out of being near them. That made her fur bristle a bit, but Maggie struggled to keep that under control.
We don't have time to argue, she kept reminding herself, We have to get Raph home so we can make sure he's okay. After that, then I can get onto Casey about making me carry the stinky end.
So Maggie just nodded when Casey told her his reasoning. But she gave him a hard look that told him she would get him for this later. She wasn't going to let this pass for nothing and Casey really was an idiot if he thought such.
Her face scrunching up in disgust, Maggie tried to ignore the stink that was rising from her brother's feet as she lifted them up while Casey did the same with Raph's head and shoulders. Instead, she tried to concentrate on bearing her half of the burden and try to keep from dropping him while the two of them tried to adjust carrying his weight. But it truly was hard for someone with such a sensitive sense of smell to ignore something that reminded her fish guts that had been lying in the sun for a week.
I am so gonna have Don make Raph scented soap for when he showers, Maggie thought in disgust.
That was the last truly coherent thought that she was going to have for awhile. After that, all her attention was focused on making sure she didn't drop her end. Which wouldn't be easy, as Raph was heavier than Maggie had expected. Even if she was just carrying his feet.
In the end, the journey back would not be an easy one either human or cat girl. The burden that they carried together greatly slowed their progress and forced them to take the smoothest course possible. Hence, much to Casey's dismay, they were forced to keep to the sewers in order to get back to the lair and to stay unseen by others.
But how they ever managed the journey back would forever be a mystery to Maggie. As the one most familiar with the underground tunnels that was awake, it was up to her to once again navigate their course. That was not particularly easy for her, since she hadn't ever tried to get from the old home to the new one before. That didn't stop her from trusting in her instincts though and with that, plus a major dose of luck, she managed to steer them in the right direction.
The pair was to discover however, that getting back home would be the least of their problems. It was what they have to face there that would be the major challenge. For there were two things that had to be done when they got back. One was getting Raph down the ladder into the lair without dropping and thus badly hurting him.
That was managed when they decided to lower him down on a rope. Since she was more familiar with the lair's layout, Maggie had volunteered to go find the necessary tool. So after gratefully setting Raph down and leaving Casey to watch over him for a moment, Maggie had slid down the ladder and back into her home.
The second problem came when she reached the bottom and was greeted by a most unwelcomed and terrifying sight. For standing at the bottom of the ladder were none other Splinter and the remaining Turtles. Each one of them was wearing an expression of anger that could have very well been potent if it were possible for looks to kill. They were all glaring at the newcomer, who had already started to wish that she could have just stayed in bed.
A/N: Well, well. Looks like these two are really gonna be in for it when Splinter and the guys are done with them. Can't be sure if I should feel sorry for them or just sit back and watch them squirm. Sounds mean I know, but hey, even as a writer, I can feel torn on which opinion I should be siding with.
*starts checking notes* Well, I'm happy to say that chapter 6 of this story is already in the works and should be done sometime within the next couple of months. And I know that I promised a rewritten update for Journey's End, but I'm afraid I have to postpone that until further notice. Classes are going to be starting again next month for me and I need to get ready for that if I'm to be prepared for school. (please shoot me now X_X) But I'll get that out as soon as possible. Until next time, thanks for reading and I hope that everyone enjoyed it.
A/N: All right. Now it's time to get on to what I know will be one of my favorite parts of the story. I really had a lot of fun writing this part of the story. It really gave me a chance to show what a weird sense of humor that I have in somewhat tense situations. If no one knows what I mean, just read ahead and you'll get it. :D
Chapter 5: Why me?
Shit, I forgot how hard his head is. Next time I better just use a 2x4 or something and I won't break my hand, Casey groaned to himself.
He shook his sore fist, trying to alleviate the pain that was steadily running through it. But that only lasted a few seconds before his mind had to turn to preventing more pain from affecting him. It came in the form of Maggie, who had taken those few seconds that Casey used to relieve his pain to get over the shock she felt at seeing her brother punched by his best friend. When she did overcome her shock, Maggie's reaction became nothing less than instinctual and almost brutal.
Letting out a yowl of outrage, Maggie shoved the human away from her prone brother as hard as she could. It really didn't do much, as she had nowhere near the mass and height that Casey possessed. But it was still enough where she could get him to take a few steps away from Raphael so that she could insert herself between the two.
She took her position while Casey was trying to recover from the girl's sudden attack. He was going to ask her what was going on and then stopped short when he saw what Maggie was up to next. Which really didn't turn out to be a very pretty picture as far as he was concerned.
From where she stood, Maggie hissed at the human with full fury, her body already responding to the outrage that was registering in her mind like wildfire. Her fur immediately flared out to its fullest length in an instinctive attempt to make the girl appear larger to her 'opponent' while her ears tilted back in an aggressive posture. Her claws on both feet and hands were unsheathed and extended to their furthest length. At the same time, Maggie was baring her teeth and curving her lips into an lethal snarl that promised Casey Jones intense pain if he dared to come any closer to her and the Turtle she now guarded.
This time, her warning came across clearly to the human, who hastily backed away from her. Needless to say, Casey was quite surprised to see the cat-girl take such a position against him. Though he had seen her upset at her brothers from time to time, he had never seen her like this. When she was in this attitude, Casey thought she actually looked ready to kill something, namely him. And that actually scared the human enough that he wisely kept his distance from his companion until he could find a way to calm her down.
That just better include something that'll keep me from being her latest scratching post, Casey thought as he warily eyed Maggie's sharp claws.
If there was one thing he was certain of when it came to the cat-girl, it was that she knew how to fight with what she had. Though he had never seen her in action for himself, he had seen her handiwork left behind on others and that had not been pretty. Raph himself carried a long scar on his leg that had been received when the two were still young. That scar, though it had been given to Raphael when Maggie was only a child, was a testament to what she could do now as a teenager.
It also proved that her claws could go through even tough Turtle hides without any trouble. And with that as a case, it was a good guess what she could do to human skin with only cloth as protection. Meaning that if Casey made one wrong move, he would be shredded in no time.
"Just take it easy, Magnolia," he said gently, holding his hands up to show he was staying unarmed," I'm not gonna try to hurt ya or anyone else. I just had to do what needed ta be done."
The look her face instantly told Casey that she didn't believe that for one moment. She truly believed that he was lying when he said that. Any trust that she had in him had now dropped well below zero and it was going to take a lot before he could convince her that he was only trying to help.
I'm probably gonna have to become a saint or somethin' before this furball believes anythin' I have to say, Casey thought to himself.
The entire time he was trying to think of something to say or do, Maggie was watching the human man with the utmost scrutiny. She took every motion as a possible threat, every twitch as a sign that he might try to pull a trick on her. Everything was subject to debate until she was completely sure what he was up to.
For Casey, he really didn't know what to think when it came to how Maggie was eyeing him. Even if she was just confused about his intent and was trying to protect her brother, part of him honestly wanted to tell her off. He knew that what he had done was the best course for them all. He knew what would happen if they just tried to stand around this place, trying to coax Raph into cooperating.
Instead of listening to them, Raph would just get frustrated and try to lash out at them. Then in no time at all, they would have a major fight on their hands. Even if he was drunk and extremely disoriented, Casey had the feeling that Raph would still be in command of some of his ninja skills. Someone didn't have that kind of stuff hammered into them from infancy without having at least something become an instinct. Which might have been a good thing if he were really in trouble, but not when the people he was fighting were only trying to help him.
Since she was just an inexperienced kid, Maggie didn't know any of this. She just knew that her brother was drunk and that he needed help. But this time, in trying to help him, there was a finer detail that came with dealing with Raph. She couldn't handle him the way she would if he were sober. That would get her nowhere. She just didn't realize that while Casey did. He knew that she would just end up getting hurt by Raph in the end. And he knew if that happened, then Raph wouldn't be able to forgive himself and Maggie might well lose her trust in him. Good enough reasons in Casey's opinion that he should tell Maggie off in order to get her back under control so they could do this right.
On the other hand, Casey didn't want to do anything that would get Maggie mad enough where she might actually take a swipe at him. If she did, then he knew that he was going to have to defend himself. He knew that she might be able to handle herself in a fight, but he knew that he was definitely more experienced than she was and that gave him an advantage. With that, Casey knew he could do some serious damage to the feline child just as she could to him. Not something he was looking forward to, considering the fact that he would have to explain any harm that came to Maggie to the rest of the family.
Casey knew they would probably be mad enough that he had let Raph go and get himself drunk. They'd probably blow a couple of fuses over the fact that he had just told Maggie and no one else. But he knew that they would all downright kill him if Maggie were harmed in anyway. She was the only girl and the baby of the family and when it came to her safety, her mentor and brothers were very serious. Anyone who crossed the line, even a friend like Casey, was bound to be the receiving end of some major pain.
Or rather, he would be facing more later on. Right now, there was still the threat of Maggie's claws to deal with. He still had no clue as to how he was going to do that. He had already tried acting like he was harmless. That obviously wasn't a ploy that worked on Maggie, who just kept glaring at Casey.
As the seconds ticked off, Casey knew that he was going to have to think of something and fast. The longer they were here, the closer it came to daylight. If they were here until day came, then two things were going to happen. One, they would be unable to travel on the surface as they had before. That meant that they would have to take an alternate route through the sewers, which not something Casey wanted to go through more than he could help it.
The second thing that would occur was that the rest of Maggie and Raph's family would come looking for their missing members. During the late hours of the night, when no one was due to be out on a patrol except for Raph, there was the cover of everyone being asleep. No one would notice that a certain pair of young mutants were missing.
When morning came though and everyone woke up, that was when the trouble would start. Then the rest of the family would find out that Maggie and Raph were gone and would go looking for them. It wasn't certain that they would come looking for the pair in this area, as none of them would have any idea of just where to look. But the fact was that that they would still come searching for their missing family members and it was a good guess that none of the others would be happy at having to do so.
But that was all something to consider later. Right now, it was time to still find a way to calm down the cat before she went berserk on a poor human. Which would have to be soon, because Maggie looked like she really was about to lose it.
Much to Casey's surprise and relief, Maggie chose another route instead of attacking him as he suspected. Instead, she spoke and seemed to be demanding an explanation out of him. One that Casey was glad to give if it meant that he wouldn't end up as a scratching post.
Why'd you do that?! Maggie had finally demanded, jerking a claw at her unconscious sibling.
"I did it 'cause it was the quickest way to help," Casey answered.
How is hurting my brother the quickest way to help?! Maggie snarled.
Taking in the way she was glaring at him and pointing at Raphael's bruised face, Casey rightly guessed that Maggie wanted to know how knocking her brother out helped. Probably in her mind, she saw as a problem. Maybe even as a way of slowing them down as she thought they would have to wake him up again in order to get going.
You are so naïve, kid, Casey thought, You can act tough all you want when you're around your brothers and give me a lifetime of heart attacks in one night, but this time, you're dealing' with something you don't understand.
Wisely, he didn't say any of this aloud. Casey had the feeling that it just might provoke Maggie and send her over the edge. Instead, he would have to use his head for once and try to make things as clear for Maggie as possible. It was really the only way that he was going to get anywhere with her at this point.
"If I didn't knock him out, then he would've kept on arguing with us until he either sobered up again or Doomsday hit. And frankly kid, I don't feel like waiting for either one," Casey explained.
He then waited and watched for a reaction from Maggie. At first, he was sorely disappointed. She just remained as she was, glaring and hissing at him. She showed no outward signs of accepting Casey's explanation. Inwardly however, it was an entirely different story.
On the inside, Maggie was digesting what Casey had told her and as much as she hated to admit it, he really did have a point. Knocking Raph out while he was drunk had been the best route to take if they wanted to avoid a major fight with him. Even when he was sober and in one of his better moods, Raph could still argue up a storm when he wanted to be stubborn. He would never admit when someone else was right and concede defeat to them. He would keep arguing his own point until someone either grew frustrated with him and gave up or they knocked some sense into him the hard way.
Under normal circumstances, that might have been all right. But now, when they were in a place that was known to their enemies and alone without anyone knowing where they were, it wasn't safe to allow that to happen. They had to get out of here and back home as soon as possible.
Maggie knew that and it was one reason why she was so upset. As Casey already suspected, she thought that knocking Raph out would only slow them down. They had to be able to get him to walk on his own two feet while they supported him if they were going to get him out of here at any pace. If he was prone, that meant they either had to stay here until he woke up or they had to carry him out.
But at the same time, even though she was tense and upset, part of her kept siding with what Casey had done. She didn't have to like the fact that he had hit her brother, but it had only been to help him. To help prevent anything else unpleasant from occurring, like it seemed to have been doing all night.
Finally, Maggie decided to take Casey at his word. If he were only doing what he thought best for her brother, then she would accept that. Even if she thought that he could have found a better way to get him unconscious than knocking him out like he had.
She started to calm down, her fur and ears easing back to their original positions as she sheathed her claws once more. The snarl on her face slowly faded away to allow a more accepting expression to take its place. There was still a trace of suspicion of course, but it was only moderately evident at this point.
Now that she wasn't on the warpath anymore, Maggie finally turned her gaze away from Casey and towards her unconscious brother. It was the first time she had bothered to lay eyes on him since he was knocked out. And somewhere deep inside, she was wishing that she didn't have to.
He was a complete mess. His trench coat was in complete disarray, with only arm sleeve still completely in the sleeve while the other was only halfway on the arm. It was stained with the dribble of his beers and traces of the vomit that he had thrown up a few moments before.
The fedora that Raph often wore when he was on the surface now lay on the floor amid the many bottles. It had been knocked off after Casey had punched the Turtle. Like the coat, it was stained from tonight's ventures and would probably take several rounds of washing before it was close to being wearable again.
That much applied to the rest of Raph as well. His body, like his clothing, was caked in sludge from walking in the sewers, beer that had dried on his chin and one cheek, and vomit that was still clinging to his mouth. But these were nothing compared to the one thing that was now drawing Maggie's full attention. That was the bruise she could already see forming around his jaw.
From experience, Maggie immediately knew that where Casey's fist had impacted was most certainly gonna leave a bruise that was already forming. How bad it would be depended on how much force had been used to hit the Turtle. Though judging from the way her brother had literally flown into the wall and how quickly he was knocked out, Maggie guessed that it would end up being pretty bad.
One thing that Maggie knew for certain was that even if it had been to help him, Raph wouldn't be too happy with Casey for hitting him like that. She knew that the first chance he got, her brother would find a way to get back at his friend. Most likely in the form of leaving a few marks of his own when he and the human got into another of their sparring matches.
If he asks me where that mark came from, I'm still gonna tell him, Casey, Maggie warned.
Casey wasn't sure what she had just told him and personally, he really didn't care. He was just glad that Magnolia had calmed down enough that she wasn't going to try to take him apart. So he only nodded to Magnolia when she gave him her warning and left things at that.
Maggie shrugged at his eased acceptance of her warning. If he wasn't worried about what Raph might to do him, then that was his problem, not hers. She had done her best to warn him after all. Whatever came afterwards, he was on his own and that was that.
So what do we do now? she asked.
"We're gonna have to get him outta here and back to your place. That means we gotta lift him," Casey answered.
Maggie nodded, but she already knew that pulling off such a feat would not be easy. She knew how heavy her brothers were and how hard it was to move them by lifting. Each one of them weighed a great deal more than the average human, thanks to the shell that all the Turtles carried on their backs. Add to that a large reptile's natural weight in muscle and bone, and there was a heavy Turtle on one's hands.
Raph would be no exception to this. But with him, there would be the added problem of trying to avoid sticking one's hands onto something disgusting. There was so much sweat, spittle, and beer stains clinging to his body and clothing that it wasn't even funny. Maggie knew for certain she wasn't looking forward to getting that mess all over her paws and she was sure that Casey didn't want it on his hands either.
But I guess we can't get around that unless we hose this idiot down. Hmm, too bad I didn't bring my water gun. That might have worked, Maggie thought with resignation.
"All right, let's get going. I got his head, you take his feet," Casey ordered as he moved closer to Raph again.
Why do I have to take his feet? They stink, Maggie demanded immediately, holding her nose in emphasis.
"His head is the heavy end 'cause its so hard, kid. I don't think you're strong enough to carry that," Casey shrugged.
Somehow, Maggie seriously doubted that. She had the idea that Casey didn't like the smell of Turtle feet anymore than she did and was just trying to find a way to get out of being near them. That made her fur bristle a bit, but Maggie struggled to keep that under control.
We don't have time to argue, she kept reminding herself, We have to get Raph home so we can make sure he's okay. After that, then I can get onto Casey about making me carry the stinky end.
So Maggie just nodded when Casey told her his reasoning. But she gave him a hard look that told him she would get him for this later. She wasn't going to let this pass for nothing and Casey really was an idiot if he thought such.
Her face scrunching up in disgust, Maggie tried to ignore the stink that was rising from her brother's feet as she lifted them up while Casey did the same with Raph's head and shoulders. Instead, she tried to concentrate on bearing her half of the burden and try to keep from dropping him while the two of them tried to adjust carrying his weight. But it truly was hard for someone with such a sensitive sense of smell to ignore something that reminded her fish guts that had been lying in the sun for a week.
I am so gonna have Don make Raph scented soap for when he showers, Maggie thought in disgust.
That was the last truly coherent thought that she was going to have for awhile. After that, all her attention was focused on making sure she didn't drop her end. Which wouldn't be easy, as Raph was heavier than Maggie had expected. Even if she was just carrying his feet.
In the end, the journey back would not be an easy one either human or cat girl. The burden that they carried together greatly slowed their progress and forced them to take the smoothest course possible. Hence, much to Casey's dismay, they were forced to keep to the sewers in order to get back to the lair and to stay unseen by others.
But how they ever managed the journey back would forever be a mystery to Maggie. As the one most familiar with the underground tunnels that was awake, it was up to her to once again navigate their course. That was not particularly easy for her, since she hadn't ever tried to get from the old home to the new one before. That didn't stop her from trusting in her instincts though and with that, plus a major dose of luck, she managed to steer them in the right direction.
The pair was to discover however, that getting back home would be the least of their problems. It was what they have to face there that would be the major challenge. For there were two things that had to be done when they got back. One was getting Raph down the ladder into the lair without dropping and thus badly hurting him.
That was managed when they decided to lower him down on a rope. Since she was more familiar with the lair's layout, Maggie had volunteered to go find the necessary tool. So after gratefully setting Raph down and leaving Casey to watch over him for a moment, Maggie had slid down the ladder and back into her home.
The second problem came when she reached the bottom and was greeted by a most unwelcomed and terrifying sight. For standing at the bottom of the ladder were none other Splinter and the remaining Turtles. Each one of them was wearing an expression of anger that could have very well been potent if it were possible for looks to kill. They were all glaring at the newcomer, who had already started to wish that she could have just stayed in bed.
A/N: Well, well. Looks like these two are really gonna be in for it when Splinter and the guys are done with them. Can't be sure if I should feel sorry for them or just sit back and watch them squirm. Sounds mean I know, but hey, even as a writer, I can feel torn on which opinion I should be siding with.
*starts checking notes* Well, I'm happy to say that chapter 6 of this story is already in the works and should be done sometime within the next couple of months. And I know that I promised a rewritten update for Journey's End, but I'm afraid I have to postpone that until further notice. Classes are going to be starting again next month for me and I need to get ready for that if I'm to be prepared for school. (please shoot me now X_X) But I'll get that out as soon as possible. Until next time, thanks for reading and I hope that everyone enjoyed it.