Disclaimer: For those of you who haven't caught on yet... I DO NOT OWN THE TMNT! nor any of the movies named.
Author's note: I've been wallowing in writer's block for a long while now and mostly because I intended to end this story like two chapters ago with a hanging ending, but it didn't feel complete so I just kept on going. Finally an idea hit me over the head. Thinking about bumping my rating up to T. Advice on this matter would be appreciated.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed and sent me little bits and pieces for ideas that I'm now going to try to connect together and close this puppy up. Might take a while and a few more chapters, though.
Yay Katana-Babe! Ding Ding Ding we have a winner! I'm so glad someone finally figured out my title's message!
Read and enjoy, well...uh, actually... just read...
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Leo sat heavily down on the beat up blue couch next to his brothers. Don and Raph were debating which flick they would watch tonight. Mikey was on the other side of the Lair in the kitchen gathering snacks. Suddenly Leo's sixth sense buzzed inside his head. He instinctively turned around to glance over his shoulder into the Lair to see who was there...Nothing.
Don and Raph continued to argue about which movie they were going to watch. Mike hunted around the kitchen, muttering about popcorn. Leo turned back to the argument and settled into his seat to watch the exchange.
"We watched Gladiator last night, Raph," Don pointed out, "Besides what's the point in watching it if all you do is fast forward through the good parts to watch the gory ones?"
"The fighting is the good part, Don!" Raph retorted.
"Why can't we just watch Brave Heart?" Don asked, "plenty of gore in there for you, and a good story line for me."
"Because I'm not gonna watch little men running around in skirts no matter how good the plot, how gory the fighting, or how awesome you claim Mel Gibson is."
"Oh, Come on!"
"Gladiator."
"Brave Heart."
"Gladiator."
"Brave Heart."
"Gladiator!"
"Sahara," Mikey interrupted, setting the disk into the DVD player.
Don and Raph turned to Mike as the DVD menu loaded. They shrugged compliantly, then settled back against the couch to watch the movie.
Leo smiled and laughed internally at his brothers. But he couldn't help thinking that something was amiss in the Lair. He glanced over his shoulder again. His trained eyes saw no movement in the shadows, his sixth sense no longer felt that quickly passing presence but something was...different...
He gave their home another look over. Then he spotted it; Aaron's purse, a tiny messenger bag, left leaning against the small wall of the dojo area, near the beat up old punching bag. Had she left it here this morning? No, she hadn't brought it with her, or had she? His brain began to whirr. No, now he was positive that she hadn't had it with her earlier that morning. But then how would it have gotten there? Had she left it overnight? Nope, that didn't work either, she taken it to school on Friday because she had kept it in the Battle Shell during the toilet escapade... So then the only other option was that- his body stiffened involuntarily- She had come back.
Now his mind flooded with questions. Why had she come back? Why without their knowledge? Without his knowledge? Where was she now? Why had she left her things? Why hadn't she stayed? What the shell was going on?
"Hey, Leo," Mike said timidly, pulling Leo out of his thoughts and back into reality, "I know your technically the oldest and stuff, but seriously, dude, if you don't think you can handle this movie, we can turn it off..."
Leo glanced around room; the movie had been put on pause. He then looked quizzically around at his brothers who were all staring, rather concerned, at him.
"What?"
"You should have seen your face during this first bit with all the diseased people and the guy in the black robes attacking what's-her-name," Raph said, "you looked like this," Raph made a puzzled and disoriented expression and then widened his eyes with fake shock and let his mouth open a little for effect. Mike and Don stifled a laugh. Leo rolled his eyes and shrugged,
"I was just... thinking...that's all."
"Well, next time you put your thinking cap on, shove it down over your face so we don't have to see your enlightening expressions."
Leo was too perplexed to argue. He just gave Raph a lighthearted shove as he himself stood up from the couch. His brothers all settled back into the old couch's lumpy cushions; too enraptured by the movie to notice Leo wander over to the bag, pick it up and slink out of the Lair.
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Aaron dug her house key out of her jean pocket. All the lights outside and inside the house were off, leaving the front yard pitch black. Her nose was still stuffy and runny from crying. She sniffled and rubbed her nose with the back of one hand while groping around to find the lock on the front door with the other. The metallic sound of the key sliding into the lock carried through the silent night air. The click of the lock resounded through the empty house. Aaron stepped inside and jiggled the key loose from the front door's grasp. She knocked the door shut with her foot as she turned flipped a light switch on and continued on farther into the empty house.
Her brother was at a sleepover (thank goodness he had friends) and her parents had decided to go out for a date (she seriously believed they could use one, perhaps it would release some of the tension around the house). Aaron had been left alone under the assumption that she had hills and mountains of homework to complete this weekend and would actually spend part of Saturday night doing it.
She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. As she walked past the huge mirror that hung on the wall across from the stairs, she straightened her clothing and fluffed her hair in an attempt to look like she wasn't a broken dam from a flood of emotions. Needless to say it didn't really help. Her eyes looked puffed and her nose was as red as Rudolph's.. She sniffled again, then proceeded to the bathroom to find some tissues. Of course there weren't any. She grabbed a string of toilet paper and blew.
Still feeling crummy, she ambled back into the kitchen to find a snack. Checking the time on the microwave, the little green numbers told her it was 8:26. She tilted her head in amazement. She'd thought it would be alot later than that. Maybe Splinter's talk hadn't been as long of an eternity as she'd thought. The reminder of the talk sent her back into a cycle of thoughts she'd been through over and over on the way home. Each finishing with. What am I gonna do about it?
She had no idea what she was supposed to do. It wasn't like there was some organization for stressed out teens trying to get through a perfectly good life. She didn't have parents that beat her. Her life wasn't messed up by drug addicted realtives. She wasn't bulemic or anorexic. She knew what one was supposed to do to find help in all those situations, just not her own.
The entire thing felt stupid now. Why had she ever snuck into the Lair? Why had she told Master Splinter of the trivial problems that plagued her? They weren't big enough to count for anything. She needed to learn to stop acting like such a sensitive baby.
She didn't want to deal with her problems anymore; wanted them all to go away. If only there was a way to get out; to escape from her life if only for a little while...
Aaron flung open the door to the refrigerator. A horrible idea hit her as her rested on the first contents she saw on the fridge's shelves. Multiple bottles of beer sat in the back. She shook off the idea with a physical shake of her head. That was not the answer to her problem...
She opened the fruit drawer and pulled out a nectarine. Then again...
No, there's a reason alcohol is illegal for minors to drink.
But doesn't that mostly just apply for driving teens? You know, 'Don't drink and drive.' She wasn't going anywhere or operating any heavy machinery.
No, stop! She had never had so much as a sip of alcohol before. But she found the smell of it, disgusting.
She'd said before she wanted out, even if only for a little while. This could be her chance to take...a break, if you will.
She began washing the nectarine in the sink and dried it with a paper towel.
Alcohol wouldn't get rid of her problems just give her a little mental vacation. It's not like it was drugs she was getting into, right? People at school did it all the time. Heck! Kids younger than her got drunk every weekend.
She walked back to the fridge and opened the door to retrieve a bottle.
No! She stopped and shut the door like it was made of red hot coals.
What was she thinking?
She ran from the refrigerator sat down at the kitchen counter. The argument continued to go round and round her brain.
She bit into her nectarine.
To be unaware of the world...for a few moments. Unaware of all the troubles and problems she had to deal with. Gosh, that sounded good...
No one would ever know. Her parents would be out for another few hours at least. They claimed they wouldn't be home until eleven or twelve. She knew, or at least she was pretty sure her parents didn't monitor the stuff. They'd never had a reason to. She could get away with one or two. Even more if she wanted, but doubted the need for anymore than that. Besides, she'd only do it this once, then she'd go right back to being the emotionally flailing goody-two-shoes everyone thought she was. Well, the goody-two-shoes part not the emotionally flailing.
She stood up and slowly walked back to the fridge. She pulled the door open one last time. It felt heavier than before and it stuck for a split second like it was trying to stop her. But its efforts were futile and the door gave way.
She reached in to take one of the taboo drinks. Her hand faltered and drew back when her fingers touched a bottle, like a last resort to cling to her conscience's wishes, but in the end her hand wrapped itself around the glass container and slowly removed it from its chilled resting place.
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Author's note: I can proudly say I've never had alcohol and I think it smells disgusting, but this idea just struck me one day. I figured it would add a bit more drama and I have two ways I can go, both good options, But as usual I'm having trouble deciding. Your opinions would be most helpful; not that I can really ask 'gee, should she drink or shouldn't she?' that would be the dumbest question ever, but opinions would be helpful to the decision process.