Summary: Cassidy Holloway, a 22 year old waitress whose life is about to turn upside down. Family, trauma, friendship and possibly… love. So much can happen in a few short years. But it's easier when you're surrounded by those who are family. Set after the 2014/2016 Michael Bay TMNT films.

A/N: I do not own any part of the Ninja Turtles corporation. All credit for the turtles and the rest of the TMNT characters. I do not own any brand names seen in this story. All credit goes to their respective owners. I only own my OCs.

** These are the revised & reworked Chapters of my first ever FanFiction. These are probably still trash but I enjoy writing them. Thanks to anyone who's stuck around, I'd love to hear your input!**

Trigger warning: There are some triggering situations and implications below. Please read with caution.

Chapter 2: On and Over

It's finally Friday and Cassidy just finished throwing a hoodie over her head and slipped on her Vans when April called.

Bum dum bum, dib be dum

"Hey April, what's up?" The phone shoved between her ear and shoulder as she reached into the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

"Hey! Okay, slight change of plans," Cass's brow kitted, damn, I was really looking forward to tonight.

"Everything okay?" Trying to shake off her over active imagination and stop playing every possible bad scenario in her head, April continued.

"Everything is perfect, just my bike got a flat tire and the chain broke on my way back from work. Donnie picked me up, so I am already at the lair." Something that sounded like the crinkle of a chip bag was heard before April shushed Mikey and told him to wait a second. Cassidy couldn't help but laugh at his antics over the phone, that boy is entertaining.

"—Raph agreed, and said he'll be there around 9pm to pick you up. He asked to leave your fire escape window open." Wait, what? Cassidy must have blacked out at some point because how was Raphael brought up?

"Oh, okay, that's fine…wait, how does he know I have a window with a fire escape?"

April outright ignored the question entirely and simply said, "I'll see you in a bit girl!" Then proceeded to hang up and Cassidy was still trying to digest the information of Raphael coming to pick her up. Unscrewing the cap to her water, she leaned against her counter and thought back to the past few months.

After meeting the guys, Cass has gotten closer with each brother in her own way. Mikey is definitely the most lovable and accepting, he clung to Cass in the beginning claiming that he was the nice one and kept their friends coming back. Donnie is the most intelligent, and began showing me all the items he's built and constructed such as the T-Phone, the security measures, the way he's able to access almost anything within a certain radius, all very impressive. Leo was a bit more hesitant, him and Raphael had been civil but kept their distance, or at least Raph did. Leo and Cassidy bonded over their shared interest in Kaiju movies and both being fanatics for horror films. Which had left Raphael, he was an enigma, the brothers would make jokes about how he was the 'muscle,' the 'brute,' of the bunch and each time they'd either get a look or, if it was Mikey, a swipe to the back of the head. Cassidy chuckled remembering the last time they were all together and how Raph landed a good one on Mikey, leaving April to baby Mikey by giving him ice cream and wrapping him up in everything blanket she had in her apartment. Cassidy knew there was more to Raphael than he led on and there was just something about him that caused her to figure him out. She wanted to know everything. She wanted to be his friend.

Popping the cap back onto her water, she glanced at the clock, there was about an hour until Raph was supposed to be by. After looking around her dark apartment, she figured might as well watch some television before he shows up. Which led to her being about forty five minutes sucked into one of her favorite movies, Hellboy, when she heard something hit her window.

Tick, tick

She wrapped her blanket a little tighter around her shoulders as she looked over towards the window. She gasped slightly at the way a huge silhouette enveloped her entire window, a glint of silver shining within the reflection of the moon. His sai tapped the glass again.

"Come in!" Cass called, lifting from the couch and throwing her blanket down as she heard him grunt and curse under his breath as he made his way through her window.

Cassidy entered in her kitchen to grab some gifts she had packed away for the brothers and when she turned around, she was enamored by what she saw. She's never been in a room alone with Raphael and the air around them was…strange. She wasn't uncomfortable, but she felt at a loss as to how to break the ice.

"S'ya like Hellboy?" His question was gruff and she wasn't quite sure how to read into his question. Was there something wrong with liking Hellboy?

"Uh, yeah, it's one of my faves," Cassidy tossed before tugging her hoodie down and grabbing the bag of gifts off the counter. His only response was a deep hum, and she couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad reaction.

"Ready?" He turned then, his bulging arms still folded over his chest and his shorts riding low on his hips. Cassidy couldn't help the way she eyed him up like a piece of meat, he was remarkable. Raphael hadn't noticed and inched closer to the window and nodded his head out towards the night sky.

"Yeah," she nodded, heading towards him when she watched his eyes shift to the large leather sack that sat in the corner of the room.

"Ya box?" His voice was so deep and she wanted to hear him ask questions all day. Mentally chastising and telling herself to get a grip. Shrugging, she said,

"Use to, I miss it, but I've dived into yoga recently." She couldn't understand why she had to elaborate, he asked a simple question, why couldn't she respond with a simple. 'Not anymore.'

Another 'hmph' and grunt was heard when she remembered that April said he needed a new bag.

"Hey Red, Ape said you needed a new bag, would that one work?" She gestured back towards the bag with her thumb as she adjusted her grip on the bag of gifts. The way he looked at her made her heart thump wildly in her chest

"Sure."

"Great, you can come back anytime to pick it up." Cass offered a smile, hoping to get him to crack, she knew he had more than just a grumpy face. She's seen him laugh and she wanted to experience him like that more often.

The silence between them carried on for a few brief seconds before she noticed he had a cloth held in his hand, she motioned to the fabric and watched as his grip tightened around the material.

"Ya gotta put this on 'till we get to where we're goin'." He made no move to walk towards her and kept his distance. Taking a step forward, she turned to give him the opportunity to wrap the red fabric around her eyes. As she felt him move, she silently thanked April for warning her that this was normal and not to be thrown about not being able to not see. She understood why the brothers were keeping private and respected their decision. With that, she relaxed and focused on her breathing, her senses such a smell and touch skyrocket. She felt him, large and brooding behind her, yet she knew she could trust him. He's given her no reason to not to, so as soon as his hands left after tying the knot, Cassidy jokes.

"Alright big guy, I'm all yours," her tone was snarky and was rewarded by a deep chuckle, and she was upset that she didn't get to see that scar on his top lip stretch with his smile.

"Let's go doll."

She wasn't sure how long it took, but her senses quickly became jumbled due to her lack of sight. Cassidy never, truly, realized how reliant she was on her sight and mentally checked to make an effort to push her other senses. With her senses heightened, she felt how strong he was, the way his texture changed from the soft skin of his neck to the sacred flesh of his bulging arms. She smelled the ever changing aroma of New York City as they jumped from rooftop to rooftop. One scent stuck out from the rest and it was all him. Raphael smelled everything dangerous, spicy and manly. It was by no means a bad smell, but it made you well aware of the fact that he could be deadly. She thrived in his grasp, never having felt so light and cared for in such a way, bonkers she knows, but the feeling never faded. All too soon, he stopped, his arm letting her go as she slid down the front of his body. Using her hands to brace against his chest, she steadied her feet until she felt his grip on her arm.

"We gotta drop," he said as he tugged her elbow and she felt the air change around her. Where are we? She tried to rely on her senses, but the only thing she knew was that they were up high because the cars below sounded distant and she could feel the cool sweep of the late night wind.

"Okay," she answered, but she couldn't help the sudden flutter of butterflies in the pit of her stomach at the idea of 'dropping.'

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she wasn't sure but she kept the mantra on repeat in her head, I can trust him, I trust him, I. Trust. Him.

Raphael didn't give her a chance to second guess her decision until she was lifted back into his arms and she felt the air around her change. They were falling, but she never once felt like he was out of control of his body. She felt the air whoosh past as her nails dug into his traps as she buried her face into his neck. Her breath came in hard, deep breaths until she felt his body stop again. He sat her down again and she wondered if they were in an alley, she sniffed, it smelled like one and the traffic bustled from somewhere close behind her.

"Don't move," was his only command as she heard what sounded like, metal scraping across concrete until silence again. She couldn't help but jump at the sudden feel of his hand on her shoulder and no sooner did she flinch, did his hand disappear.

"M'sorry, I didn't mean to flinch," she mumbled nervously, hoping that he hadn't taken her sudden reaction as a bad thing. She wanted him to like her, yet…her reasoning wasn't as innocent as it should be. He was magnetic.

"We gotta drop one more time than we can take that mask off." He called from somewhere to her right and she felt another press to her elbow, this time more gentle as she was led a few steps before he told her they were about to drop and to hold on tight. She did as she was told and as soon as they descended, the air dropped about ten degrees. She was thankful she wore her hoodie. She shivered as soon as her feet hit the ground and sniffed the air around her. Where were they? With one more sniff, she surmised that they were, indeed, in the sewers. The sound of metal scraping was heard again before a loud thumb jolted her entire body and chills went up her spine, not in fear, but more in anticipation. She was completely out of her element, submissive to the large brute behind her and she wasn't sure what was going to happen next. Her imagination betrays her in every way to only cause her heart rate to pick up even faster.

"Gotta'bout twenty steps further than we can take the blindfold off ya," he stated as she sensed that he was moving, the sound of sloshing water only added to the eerie atmosphere of the sewers.

"Ready?" His question jostled her from her thoughts as the sudden feel of his hand lightly gripped her shoulder to push her forward. With a quick step forward, they were moving, and the longer they walked, the more tense she felt. It was becoming too much without all her senses, she desperately wanted to see, look at the world that she just jumped into. Wanted to experience his world to the fullest. In her own way, she hoped that she'd be making this trek again. She wanted to get to know him, in his entirety and this felt like a literal step in the right direction.

"Close yer eyes, it's bright," his warning was sudden and gruff as they came to a full stop. The air around them was warmer, the smell had improved and there was a gentle thrum of music coming from somewhere. As soon as the knot loosened and the mask dropped, she was overcome by the sudden feeling of home.

"CASSIDYYYY!" Mikey was before her before she was even fully oriented and wrapped her in a crushing hug, twirling her around like a princess.

"Uh, Mike. Putt'er down." Raphael groaned before pushing past them and walking towards the far end of the room to join his other brothers. Something stirred in her as she watched him walking away, his shell, a beautiful disaster, made her want to get to know him even more. Shit. Shaking her head brought her back to the present where she turned her attention to the excited orange banded brother in front of her.

"Hey Mikey, I've missed you," he chuckled and wiggled his brow ridge suggestively with a shit eating grin.

"Missed ya too baby," he finished with a wink before Leo turned up from behind him and smacked him upside the head.

"Knock it off," he gritted before turning to Cass and plastering on a charming smile.

"Hello Cassidy, glad you could make it," he offered before bowing slightly then moving to wrap a heavy arm around her shoulders to lead the way towards the opened den.

"Welcome to our humble abode," Mikey chimed before he ran, jumped then did a backflip to land on the couch to quickly flip through the channels.

A deep "show off," grumbled towards her right where Raphael now stood with his arms crossed over his chest. That's when Cass remembers the bag of gifts that she brought.

"Oh yeah! I got you guys a gift—," Cass barely got the words out her mouth before Mikey's head did a full 180˚. He quickly bounded past her and toward the gift bag that laid forgotten where she was greeted earlier.

"Michelangelo," Leonardo called, clearly disappointed in his over-exuberant younger brother who was about to rifle through the bag of goodies.

"It's okay, Mikey yours is on top." Cassidy said as she smiled while watching Mikey look like a little kid in a candy shop. Adorable.

"Wahh! CASS! HOW!" His baby blues widened in as he gripped the game in excitement. April was right, he was a huge Crognard the Barbarian fan.

"You're welcome sweetheart," he wrapped her in a tight hug before depositing the gift bag into her arms and jumping back over the couch.

"Thank you," Leonardo began before Cassidy cut him off.

"Oh it's nothing, I had it laying around and April said he'd get better use out of it. Speaking of which, I also brought you two things as well." She dug in and found the small succulent plant and handed it to Leo. Then grabbed the small stack of motorcycle and car magazines and handed them to Raphael.

"I asked April what I could do to repay you all for everything you've done and I figured this was a good place to start. Not nearly enough, but there's always more to come." Cassidy shrugged but she could tell by the look on each of the brothers faces that the thought was more than what they ever expected. They exchanged a quick look before saying their thank you's and quickly flipped to look at their presents.

"And who do we have here," a new voice sounded from behind her and she knew it must be the infamous Master Splinter by the way that both Raphael and Leonardo's postures automatically straightened.

Slowly turning, Cassidy was met with the stoic expression of a large Rat. April wasn't kidding, at this point, it shouldn't be surprising. Next thing you know they'll tell me that aliens exist.

"Hello, you must be Miss Cassidy Holloway. I have heard many good things about you. I am thankful my sons were able to assist you many months ago." His dark eyes and kind smile that held a warmth that could welcome anyone into his open embrace. He oozed the energy of a well respected father, she didn't expect anything else, he raised four large, skilled, mutant ninja turtles. She imagined that it was no easy feat and yet he must be so proud of his sons.

"Hi, you must be Master Splinter," Cassidy mimicked the bow that Leonardo was known for as she had learned that it was a sign of respect.

"Thank you for welcoming me into your home. I am forever in debt to your sons."

"My child, it is what they do. They do their diligence in keeping this great city safe for the innocent, such as yourself and Miss O'Neil." Master Splinter commanded a full audience and she felt each word soak into her skin. The way he said it with such passion and pride made her realize that the brothers risk their lives every single day to protect people like her. Cassidy was getting lost in her thoughts when she saw him move to brush his fingers through his beard.

"Ah, I believe pizza is here," and no sooner did he say that, April and Casey entered through the turnstiles, each carrying four large pizzas.

"Pizza's here," April beamed as she made eye contact with Cassidy and gave her a wink. Donnie appeared from somewhere, wiping his hands on a rag and offered to help April with the pizzas.

"Get ova' 'ere Mike!" Casey called as he set the rest on the counter top.

That was probably the most fun Cassidy has ever had at a family dinner before. There was so much laughter, banter and all consuming love just oozed from each member. Pizza was delicious and Mikey had made (with the help from April) the best chocolate cake Cass has ever had.

Stretching with a small groan as she felt her belly relax, her arms stretching high and back arching against the kitchen chair. The majority of the family had resumed to their previous spots out in the den when Cass caught a glimpse of something large shifting beside her. Raphael. She turned to catch him giving her the side eye and she couldn't help the small laugh escape as she saw his overwhelming mass made his chair look so small. Even though it was comical, she wiped the smile from her face as he cleared his throat, clearly taking her laughter as a misunderstanding and stood from the table. Cassidy didn't want him to think she was insensitive, and that she wasn't laughing at him when he turned to look down at her.

"Wanna tour?" She could get lost in those honey colored eyes as they stared straight through her. Damn, he's always so intense, she thought as he heart rate picked up, praying that he, or his brothers, noticed.

"Lead the way Big Red," the way his eyes went wide then softened could melt anyone's cold heart. She couldn't stop her winding smile as he nodded and started to head towards the direction of the den. Cassidy quickly stood and matched his long strides, both completely oblivious to the amount of eyes that followed them.

"S'ere's the garage," he motioned before walking through the door and into a large, open space. Different machines, tools, engines and turbos littered around multiple half built frames of potential vehicles, wait, is that a garbage truck?

"Wow, this is amazing!" She gushed, blown away by everything that this little family has created.

"En ova' here is Stella—," looking over her shoulder, she watched as he had turned toward the most gorgeous bike she'd ever seen.

"Did you build that?" Her question incredulous as the body didn't look entirely familiar but the craftsmanship was astounding. She turned, locking eyes with him before her eyes dropped to watch the way his lips twitched and fidgeted with his toothpick. Where does he even keep those? She'd never admit it, but that traitorous piece of wood plagued her dreams.

"Yeah, Don is the master of machines but I'm good with welding and understanding engines and stuff," he shrugged, as if that wasn't impressive in its own right. Yes, Donatello was very talented and practically a genius (Mikey's words,) but there was nothing easy about engines, turbos or how to build them from scratch. But, on a serious note, what could these guys not do? They were absolutely amazing and that was an understatement.

"Take me for a ride sometime?" The words left her mouth before she could even rationalize whether or not that was something she should even ask but something about him made her feel brave. She liked that.

"Anytime babe," he called, his voice incredibly deep as he finished with a wink, his arms stretched to take hold of Stella's handles and Cassidy was enamored by the way his muscles flexed in his forearms and trailed up to his massive biceps. Wow. After a few more minutes of small talk, they decided it was time to move on, and he turned them back towards the small hall they entered from.

He walked them through the entire lair, stopping anytime that Cassidy asked a question. He was so patient with her until his brothers would join randomly and his patience all but evaporated. They quickly left after a few jokes and jabs (mainly Mikey, I know, shocker) and walked through to Donnie's lab. Upon entering and then through conversation it was indeed confirmed that Donatello builds damn near everything and works to keep the lair running as smoothly as possible. Cassidy did learn that all of the brothers know how to weld, and understand basic wiring just in case they need to split and help Donnie fix anything. Even Donnie bragged on how Raphael was usually the one that helped when it came to the hands on fixing, mainly pertaining to the vehicles and heavy machinery. All very impressive, and honestly made Cassidy file away some key facts to revisit with Raphael at a later date.

Next, they walked through the weapons room, library/ arcade, dojo, and weight room before meeting Master Splinter and bidding him goodnight as Leo walked him towards the large rice paper doors on the far side of the lair between the dojo and weapons room. Then they walked towards the bedrooms. Raphael explained that this was their newest lair and they were able to update and give each of the brothers their own space. Originally, the brothers had shared the same room for fifteen years and due to an ambush, they were able to relocate and spread out into their own spaces. Cassidy shared that she couldn't imagine sharing a room with three other people for that long, she adored her privacy and her room was her escape from everything. Raphael chuckled at that and said this was the weight room, obviously. The longer the tour went, the easier it was to talk with him and Cassidy was falling harder and harder. They peaked into each of the brothers rooms except Mikey's, Raph said he didn't want to scare her off just yet which earned him a hearty laugh before they stopped in front of his door. She sensed his body tensing and could feel his entire body decompress and work through his emotions before pushing the door open.

Stepping inside, it was cleaner than she expected, a hammock hung in the back corner. A punching bag laid in a sad heap beside his dresser. Yeah, April was right, he was desperately in need of a new one. There was a small shelf with comics, magazines, knick-knacks and what looked to be an empty reptile cage. The large dresser was rigged together with skateboards and miscellaneous knobs sat beside the sturdiest looking bed frame she's ever seen. Nothing like her hundred dollar Ikea furniture, this was made to last. A large red rug covered the center of the room and a TV was mounted to the wall opposite of his bed. It was quaint.

"Not bad Red," she called, making her way to the center of the room before plopping to sit on his mattress.

"Eh, it ain't much, but it's home." Another nonchalant shrug and a twirl of his tongue against the wooden pick that still protruded from his thick lips. Cassidy had to distract herself before he caught her staring, instead, she eyed his rug and started to count the frays. Simply saying she was impressed by everything he's shown her within the last hour or so, would be an understatement.

"What you do in your free time?" She asked, leaning back onto her elbows against his mattress, her hand plucking the soft fabric of a knitted blanket.

"Lift weights, work on Stell, kick Mikey's ass in Street fighter—," he fell off as he adjusted to lean against the door to his room, making sure the door stayed open.

"Looks like you read too," she offered, before pushing off to stand and walk towards his shelf of comics. Thumbing through the titles, she realized they had another thing in common.

"Looks like you need issues 3, 6 and 8 of The Last Guardian…" she continued to flip through the vast array of comics, recognizing a few that she read back in middle school.

"Yeah, they're a bit old but Mike and I were able to piece together what happened through the internet." His voice had gotten closer, and when she looked back over her shoulder, she saw he now sat at the edge of his bed, playing with a slightly deflated basketball in his hands.

"True, but there's so much you missed. Especially in issue 8 between Captain Arron and Mekka…I have them if you want to read them."

"Maybe s'next time, it's been so long I'd haft'a re-read them." He shrugged again and the air around them seemed to thicken. Blame it on her overactive imagination, but being in his space, learning so much about him, and his family, just made her want to dive even further into their world. She wanted to experience it all.

"Cassi! Hang out with me, I'm way more fun than that big meanie over there!"

Cassidy let out a loud laugh as Raphael chucked the aforementioned basketball at his youngest brother. The little shit was quick and avoided the throw but his wide eyes and yelp of surprise was comical.

"Oh Mikey," April appeared in the doorway beside him, elbowing him in the side as she said, "leave them alone." A huge mischievous grin on her face as she fixed Cass with a look as if to say 'we'll talk later.' Cassidy gulped. Oh no.

With the sound of springs giving way, Raphael stood and made his way out of his room, leaving both Cass and April behind. Cassidy couldn't bring herself to care as she sensed April staring as Cass watched the large brute walk out of his room. Yeah, he's magnetic and I'm drawn in. April stayed still, a knowing smile graced her face as she watched the scene unfold before her and she couldn't help but wonder if her and Cass's taste in men were similar.

The rest of the night went along swimmingly as Cass took a deep dive in learning everything she could about this unique family. Cassidy listened and took all the information in stride, quickly falling in love with the small family and everything they were. Their life experiences, their insights, their training and love for one another, no matter how different each personality displayed it was all consuming. She was quickly feeling as a part of the group which was a little overwhelming to her as the concept of family was a bit far fetched in her own experience. Growing up, she never knew her father, she was raised by a single mother who was rarely at home. Cass learned to adapt and grew up quickly, but it was all thanks to her old neighbor, Mrs. Gordon, back in Ohio. Being a small town girl at heart, growing up and escaping to New York was one of the best decisions she ever made. She hasn't spoken to her mother in over four years and it was a relationship that she does not intend to mend. Too much has happened and her past is tainted enough. Fleeing to New York was Cassidy's way of starting anew, getting a breath of fresh air and finding herself. Now, look where it landed her? In a lair below the streets of New York with a unique family that was welcoming her with open arms. She wondered if this feeling, this overwhelming wave of emotion was what love was. That love and family is intended to go hand in hand and she found it in the unlikeliest of places, down in the sewers with four brothers and their father.

"April, I got your bike fixed," Donnie announced, coming into the main part of the den.

"Thank you Donnie, you're a lifesaver!" April tossed as she made to stand from her spot between Leo and Mikey to follow Don into the garage. No sooner did they leave that a look was shared between the brothers and a few snickers followed. What's that about? Concluding that it was nothing, Cass looked at the time, it was well past two in the morning and she should probably head out. Or at least she should have, she hadn't realized that she dozed off into the worn cushions of the couch until a gentle shake to her shoulder and a deep voice roused her from sleep.

"Ya wanna go home?" Raphael watched as her eyes fluttered behind her kids before opening fully to him. He felt as if his entire body froze when her gorgeous green eyes lit a fuse in him. With a grumble he waited as she shifted to stretch then stood shakily, looking around as if she wasn't sure where she was.

"Where's April?" Last time she knew, April had walked to the garage with Donnie and that was about, what? Over an hour ago! How had she slept that long?

"Leo and Don took her home about fifteen minutes ago. I told'r I'd take ya home as long as I swear that ya text 'er." She gently hummed and dipped back, stretching her arms high above her head and oblivious to the honey bourbon eyes that trailed her form. Raphael cleared his throat and made to walk around the back of the couch. Out of sight, out of mind, he chanted, as he internally counted to ten. There's something about Cass that just got to him and he couldn't figure out what it was. Yeah, she was gorgeous, long brown hair, gem-like eyes and a laugh that sounded like wind-chimes but…Frustrated, Raphael let out a quiet string of curses as he cracked his knuckles and twisted his neck to alleviate some growing tension.

"So," his attention was brought back as she called his name, "does this mean I get to ride Stella?" How could he say no to an offer like that? Especially with the way a smile broke out amongst her soft features and her eyes lit in excitement?

"Sure," a smirk plastered on his face as he gestured for her to follow and she all but ran to grab her jacket, throwing it on before meeting him back by the couch.

"Yes! I used to ride back home. I had a '93 Indian Scout that was handed down to me by my honorary grandad. He sadly passed away three years ago and I had to sell it to afford to move here." She rambled, not quite sure why she felt comfortable to divulge such privy information to someone who probably doesn't give a shit.

Instead, unbeknownst to her, Raphael cared a great deal. Way more than he felt like he should for someone he's only met a few months ago. He wanted to pry, but the way he saw her face falter made him lock up, which was unlike him. He was typically a blunt person, but meeting her made him hesitate. He proceeded to say nothing as he watched her fiddle with the zipper on her jacket, before he turned and headed towards the garage. She followed and took one last glance at the lair, wondering if she'd be welcomed back to such an amazing place. They entered the garage and her eyes followed the large shell move towards Stella.

She watched as he nudged the kickstand before rolling the large bike to face what looked like to be a large cinder block wall.

"Are we gonna do some Harry Potter shit and go through the wall?" She nervously giggled as his attention was turned towards her.

"Somethin' like that," was his only answer and the wave of apprehension flooded her entire system and her heart rate picked up.

"Should I cover up?" She asked and Raphael fiddled with his toothpick to stop from grinning as her small hands covered her face as if to simulate a blindfold, but he faltered at the sound of her small giggle and bright eyes. The sound of his deep chuckled sent a tingle straight to her toes and she craned her neck to get a better view of him in the dim lighting.

"Nah, you've passed inspection. We trust ya." Her hands dropped at his omission and the grin that spread across her features made her cheeks hurt and they fell into a trance of taking in the others reaction before Raphael refocused.

"Get ov'a here," he motioned towards the dark bike that he stood beside and it was definitely custom and she wondered if she'd even be able to lift her leg over it without falling forward. The look on his face sent a jolt through her system and her confidence grew. Looking at him, she swung her leg over the seat and attempted to look cool but was quickly derailed as her shoe caught on the leather and she was thrown forward.

Oh shit, her heart was beating so fast, not because she just about ate his speedometer, but because his large hand gripped her thigh and stopped her body from vaulting forward. A lump formed in her throat as she cursed the way her entire body heated with just his simple touch.

"Gotcha," was her only word as she adjusted her footing and sat back into the extra large seat. He then turned and walked towards a large work bench and a set of lockers, giving Cass a needed minute to righten her thoughts and get her heart back under control. Way to go dumbass, smooth. She internally groaned at her utter clumsiness and was trying to hide her embarrassment with her sleeves. She was so lost in her mind she hadn't realized that he was offering her a helmet.

"Scoot," he gestured towards the handles to which she reached and pulled her body forward, almost sitting on the large tank, trying to give him as much room as she could. He climbs on easily, slotting himself before grabbing her shoulder to bring her back.

"Here," looking up at his command she saw he was offering her the helmet again.

"Heh, thanks," she nervously laughed as she placed the black helmet over her head and reminisced about the last time she wore a helmet like this. Suddenly, she felt him move, his arms encapsulating her in as he grabbed the handle bars which was when she noticed that he had a large, black leather cuff lace up over his forearms with little symbols on them. Her curiosity got the better of her as she reached and traced the delicate lines of one of the painted symbols.

"What do these mean?"

"Anger," the deep baritone of his voice vibrated against her back and she picked up on an edge in his tone as she switched to the other, repeating the simple tracing of lines.

"Strength." Two simple words, yet they seemed to hold so much meaning and she wanted to understand him. She wanted to solve his mysteries and bask in his comfort. He seemed to be the hardest, yet the easiest one to read all at the same time and that fact alone kept pulling her towards him. Purely magnetic.

Suddenly, Stella came to life, he revved the engine before he told Cass to 'push the red button' and as she pushed, the wall before them began to move and a rush of cool air whooshed in from a darkened tunnel.

"Hold tight," he commanded before they sped off into the dark and before she knew it, they had resurfaced and rode through back alleys and short streets. Getting lost in the maze of it all, she relaxed against him and as they broke onto the main road, she thrusted her hands up and let out an excited howl. The way the wind flowed through her fingers, the vibration of the roaring engine, and the feel of him made her feel invincible. Empowered. Safe. A sharp turn and they sped farther into the night where his yell was drowned by the every pacing city around them. Before she knew it, he made one final turn and was in the alley beside her apartment building. Her heart fluttered and her body felt as if it was floating. She hasn't felt that free since the first time she rode a bike all those years ago. Her reverie broke as Raphael shifted and the warmth he emitted dissipated at the loss of contact. An instant chill coursed through her system as she followed his lead and slid from the motorcycle.

"Wow, that was amazing!" She beamed, lifting the helmet away and made a feeble attempt to fix the hair plastered to her forehead.

His reply was slightly muffled before he lifted his visor and greeted her with his signature side smile, toothpick in its rightful place. They experienced a lapse in time as they became lost in the other, both mentally fighting with themselves on what to do or say next. They didn't want to say goodbye just yet.

"We should—," he quickly finished her thought.

"Go for anotha' ride sometime." His offer made her heart swell, as she began to count the seconds to their next ride.

"Thank you Raphael, for such an amazing night," Cassidy sighed in appreciation, and Raphael couldn't wrap his head around it.

"It was—," but before he could finish, a familiar tone sounded on his phone and he let out a groan.

"Gotta go…it's Leo,"

"Understood," she saluted with a wink, "have a good night Red." She patted his arm before attempting to hand the helmet back when he told her to hang on to it. Both excited over the prospect of a repeat of tonight.

"G'night Cassidy," she flashed him a smile from over her shoulder as she clutched the helmet to her chest before turning the corner out of his sight. His smile grew as he stood watch until he saw the light flick on through her window. He agreed, Yeah, tonight was a good one.