I've been looking forward to this chapter for a long time. I might return and tweak it later, but overall I'm really happy about it. Thanks for being patient and supportive. ^_^

Chapter 14: Midnight

Noelle smoothly swayed her hips and closed her eyes as she concentrated on the mythical music harmonizing in her ears. She dipped the bristles of her fan brush into a compact glob of blue paint before she lifted it up to the canvas, eyes focused as she glided the brush across the board in little "X" patterns to construct the sky. She wasn't sure what her landscape would turn out as this time, but that was what made painting so exciting and enjoyable to her. An unfamiliar world would be forged before her eyes, and she'd be able to behold another enigmatic place without having to venture out of her room. Of course, the idea of departing from New York City one day and being able to experience all the extraordinary sights Earth had to offer would be a dream come true, but at the moment she was content with just observing forests and oceans on her easel.

A tap on her shoulder caused her to flinch before she fearfully turned around and came face-to-face with her father. Noelle laid a hand over her pounding heart and exhaled in relief, grateful that he had made it back home without being discovered by the Kraang. Master Splinter had taught her to always be alert, something which she clearly needed to work on if she didn't want to be captured by an enemy.

"Welcome home dad," Noelle greeted as she yanked her earbuds out and clicked her iPod off, torn as to whether or not she should hug him. When he made no effort to embrace her, she tucked her hands behind her back and waited for him to speak. She knew she should've known better than to expect him to actually want to make contact with her, but nevertheless the little flame of anticipation inside of her had held on before extinguishing itself.

"Hey kiddo. Glad to see the house is still in one piece," Felix tiredly joked, the edges of his eyes crinkling up in amusement. He appeared slightly more energetic and not as pale as he had before his flight.

"I even cleaned it up for you," she added on with a hint of pride in her voice. She hoped that he would be pleasantly surprised by her taking care of his home so he would have something clean to return to when he returned.

Unfortunately, his response wasn't what she hoped for.

His smile turned down, and Noelle swore she could see sweat appear on his forehead. "Please tell me you didn't touch anything in my room or study. I'll be screwed if you did."

Stung by his accusing tone, the blonde teen lowered her gaze to the floor in bleak disappointment. "No, I didn't."

Felix's shoulders slumped forward in relief. "Thank God. I have a deadline coming up in a few days, not to mention that I'll be flying down to Texas sometime next month for a few new advertising projects."

Her eyes lifted up in shock as her brows furrowed in disbelief.. "Already? You just came back though."

"Well, that's how it is kiddo. Sorry I've gotta take off so soon, but I usually travel out somewhere at least once a month. I prefer meeting face-to-face with my clients, not to mention I work better when I'm not always at home." He stifled a yawn and pushed his spine inward until he heard a satisfying pop, all the while not even bothering to perceive how discouraged his daughter seemed. "Anyways, you'll probably be back home by that time, right?" Felix ruffled Noelle's hair before he roamed away from her room and trudged down the stairs with heavy steps.

Noelle gloomily stared at her canvas while biting her lower lip to prevent it from quivering. So she did what she had done so many times before; she ignored the ache in her heart and painted, all while pretending that everything was right in her world.

[][][]

"Great, another dance. Man, these things are always lame," Casey grumbled as he tore a yellow flier off a nearby locker and studied the eerie black font with a look of disgust. "It's not even on a weekend this year. How are we supposed to have fun?"

April rolled her eyes as she, Noelle and Irma strolled along beside him towards the school's entrance. "Nobody is making you go, Jones. Stop complaining."

"Well I, for one, tend to avoid these immense social gatherings when given the chance," Irma stated in a matter-of-fact tone while adjusting her glasses. "The food is mediocre at best, and the music is positively nauseating to listen to."

"Irma, it's really not that bad."

"What about you Blondie? Do ya dig the whole dance thing?"

Noelle thought back to the last time she'd actually attended some sort of school dance, but she couldn't recall ever going to one. When she was a little girl her grandma, aunt and uncle were the ones who usually took out her trick or treating because her parents simply couldn't be bothered to leave their work and take her to some childish party. She was grateful for being allowed to walk around the block and gather candy, but a part of her envied the kids who were able to hang out with each other.

"I've actually never been to one," she admitted. "I think I would actually like to go though. It might be fun."

"Trust me, you're not missing anything," Casey scoffed as they exited the facility. "Like I said, super lame."

"Don't speak for everybody, Jones. I've been to a few that weren't bad." April paused for a moment in thought before her eyes suddenly lit up. She linked arms with Noelle, an innocent grin plastered onto her face. "Well guys, we're gonna take off. See ya later!" Casey and Irma shot perturbed glances at the redhead as she guided her confused friend down the street and into a narrow alley behind Antonio's Pizza restaurant. Once she was certain that they were alone, she eagerly beamed at the other teen.

"Let's have the boys go with us!"

"Oh, you mean to the dance?"

"Of course! I mean, these events are pretty cool, but I haven't enjoyed them as much as I could because I just end up going alone or with the wrong people. The turtles have never been to one, and they won't even need to disguise themselves because everybody will think they are in costume. Besides, it could be a good experience for you too."

Noelle took a moment to consider the idea, and realized that she really didn't have an excuse to not go. Of course, she wouldn't be entirely comfortable dancing in front of so many people, but maybe she didn't have to. Besides, it would be nice to feel like an actual teenager and spend time with friends.

"I'm in. I'm not really sure what to do for a costume though."

April smirked. "We'll worry about that later. For now, we need to focus on bribing the boys, especially Raph." She pointed at the aromatic building behind her, and the girls shared a sly smile.

[][][]

"So, you guys interested in going to a Halloween dance?"

The boys all glanced up from their slices of pizza and eyed the red head in bewilderment before each of their faces morphed into diverse expressions. Mikey appeared positively elated, Leo was trying to discern the though, Donnie blushed at the notion of going to a dance with his human crush, and Raph just seemed annoyed.

"I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Oooh! I wanna go!"

" O-okay April, if you want me to."

"No."

April folded her arms and icily glared at Raph. "Oh, come on. Are you seriously going to stay down here by yourself while we're out having fun?"

"I didn't agree to it either," Leo asserted. "I'm not too keen on the idea of partying with a bunch of people who could easily discover our identity. I'm not going to put my brothers' lives in danger."

"Really? You're going to be around people who are all dressed up on Halloween and you're worried about being discovered? If anything, they'll think you guys have awesome costumes."

Raph snorted. "Oh wow, thanks for the compliment."

"Well, I'm going!" Mikey declared as he devoured another greasy slice. "I wanna par-tay!"

"What is all this talk of a dance?" Splinter entered the den with a cup of steaming tea and glanced at Leo for clarification.

The leader awkwardly cleared his throat. "April here was just telling us about a party taking place on Halloween night at her school. She invited us all to attend."

"Sensei, it's just for a night," April practically begged. "Besides, people will just think they're wearing costumes."

"Hmmm." The aged rat gazed down at his tea for a moment before his eyes lifted and focused on the blonde girl. "Noelle, what do you think about all this?"

The bashful teen froze, unsure of how to properly answer him. " T-This might be a lot of fun for all of us. I think we'd all enjoy ourselves, and if anybody grew even the least bit suspicious we would come right back." She wasn't sure if he was buying her argument or not, but he didn't oppose her or appear displeased. Instead, he nodded his head and sighed in defeat.

"Fine, you may go."

An enthusiastic cheer echoed within the room as Raph groaned.

"However, you must all be home by midnight."

Leo raised a brow ridge in confusion. "That's fine, but why? I mean, we're always out really late anyways."

"Halloween night is known for mischievous activity, so the police force will be doubled. Therefore, to avoid becoming unnecessarily involved in situations you should be back in the sewers by the stroke of midnight."

"Makes sense to me," Donnie agreed. "I guess all we really need to do now is pick out some costumes, and boy do I have one in mind!" He did his usual nerdy laugh and ventured over to his lab like a mad scientist with a secretive experiment. April watched her best friend retreating into his work space and rolled her eyes.

"Well, there's no telling what he'll get up to, and I guess if the boys wanna dress up there isn't any harm in doing so. Anyways, we should come up with our own costumes, right?" The red head playfully jabbed the blonde, prompting a smile out Noelle.

"Sure. I'd love to!"

"Yeah, come on Raphie! We've gotta do ours too!" Mikey teased as he poked his irritated brother's face. Raph proceeded to growl and grind his teeth as Leo joined in the fun.

"Hey, since I'll be Captain Ryan you can be my subordinate. Won't that be fun?"

Raph huffed at the two turtles and shook his head. "Ugh, you guys are such nerds."

Noelle observed her friends in contentment, pleased that they wouldn't have to be trapped underground another year during such an enjoyable event. She wondered what each of them, (except for Leo), would end up dressing as. She herself didn't have a clue as to what she'd be, only that she hopefully wouldn't draw unnecessary attention.

"For real, let's go. I have a bunch of neat ideas!" April repeated with her dimpled freckles pushed up. She turned to the brothers and waved at them. "Hey, we're gonna take off now. See ya!"

Raph grunted in response while his brothers returned the gesture.

"Bye guys!" Mikey called out. "Let me know what you come up with!"

April stuck her tongue out. "No way! It's gonna be a sur-prise!"

"Ha! Then mine will be too!"

"Ugh, why are you guys so loud? Shut up."

[][][]

Noelle tucked a strand of hair behind her ears as she attempted to familiarize herself with the stranger reflected back at her. Just like Mikey had with his human disguise, she reached forward and gently tapped her fingertips against the glass object in astounded disbelief, as if she expected the surface to ripple and reveal somebody different. "I can't believe this is me," she breathed out in awe.

"You look great! My aunt did a pretty good job." April beamed at her friend's transformation. She thought Noelle was already naturally pretty, but her aunt had definitely worked some magic on the quiet girl's appearance.

Straight blonde hair had been twisted into lovely curls that were pinned up by fake purple flowers against the back of her head while a few strands hung over her shoulders. A violet dress hugged her waist perfectly before draping down to the floor with a few inches of cloth encircled around her feet. Her elongated sleeves hung off her wrists, revealing the interior color of white that matched the lace lined up along the collar, which tastefully displayed her ivory neck and collar bone before scooping down to the top of her chest. A silver circlet adorned with purple jewels and whimsical curls encircled her forehead, giving off the feel of medieval royalty, and her ears has metamorphosed into pointier ones to complete her 'regal elf' look.

Noelle blinked and watched how her false eyelashes gave her the facade of being some sort of porcelain doll. Her lips were a light shade of red, and mauve eye shadow had been coated on her eye lids. She wondered if anybody would even recognize her, and supposed that it wouldn't be such a bad thing if that were the case. People at school barely knew who she was, so it wouldn't make such a difference anyways. She tore herself away from her reflection before she felt conceited and took a few steps over to April, who had dressed herself as Little Red Riding Hood. It was a very flattering look for her, and the red head actually seemed to be content wearing a mini scarlet dress, black shoes, white tights, and a little alabaster apron that encircled her waist. The crimson hood covered her head and was tied at the neck. Both of the girls had been given the costumes from April's aunt, little hand-me-downs that had been saved and cared for nearly a decade. The woman had been a seamstress when she was younger, and kept her work for years after.

"She really is very talented," Noelle agreed with a grateful smile as she folded her hands over the front of her dress. "I can't thank her enough for her kindness."

April just grinned before heading to the bathroom door. "She totally enjoyed herself, probably because I usually don't let her give me makeovers unless I know for sure she's having a bad day or something. She should've just been a makeup artist or worked in a salon or something."She pushed the door open and allowed her friend to exit first. "Now, let's go see what the guys are up to."

The two girls walked down to the den to meet everybody else before leaving for the party, and came upon an interesting sight that had both of them in giggles. Donnie had successfully transformed himself into Frankenstein's Monster, with the square black hair on his head and bolts protruding from his neck. He was flustered as Captain Ryan and a pirate continuously poked his bolts while pretending to be zapped every time. Dracula moped on the couch, entirely displeased about being dragged to an event that seemed so lame, and Jason Voorhees pouted right next to him. Splinter observed his sons with an amused twinkle in his eyes. He was grateful that they would be able to venture above and feel like everybody else for one night without being harshly judged for their appearance.

"You guys all set to go?"

The boys all stopped what they were doing to pay attention to the girls. Donnie looked like he was about to melt as soon as he saw April, his cheeks flaring a bright red. "April, you look ama-"

"Hey, you guys look great!" Leo interrupted with a thumbs up. Casey wolf-whistled, earning a glare from Donnie, while Raph grumbled about them taking forever.

When Mikey laid eyes on Noelle, he found himself rendered speechless. All he could do was smile as he took in her appearance, and came to terms with the fact that his best friend was definitely the prettiest girl in the world.

"Ahoy lassies!" he called out before flourishing into a bow and removing his ebony hat. "I be the great Captain Mikey of the S.S. Sewer Apple. Yar!"

"That's gotta be the worst pirate accent I've ever heard," Raph groaned with an eye roll. "Let's just get going already."

Splinter stood up and bowed his head to everybody, a gesture in which they all returned politely. "Be good, my children, and remember to be home no later than midnight. "

"Hai Sensei!"

Leo posed with his gun prop pointed at the turnstiles and his head confidently tilted up. "Today, we are going to take over and became the victors of Halloween. We must conquer this night, for there won't be any other in which we can triumph over the darkness. Now team, let's move out!" He blinked in confusion at the silence that followed before he peered around and noticed he was the only one in the room.

[][][]

The high school windows glowed with multiple colors and vibrated from the emphatic bass of upbeat music. Numerous teens dress in various costumes were scattered across the facility's lawn with Styrofoam cups in their hands as they laughed and engaged in private discussions. The evening air was pleasantly warm, which made it the perfect night for trick or treating. The turtles hadn't really said anything, but it was obvious they were a little intimidated by the possibility of being caught.

When Noelle walked up the sidewalk with her friends to the school's entrance, she felt some of the apprehension melting off of her as the air of enthusiasm began to consume her. It would be her first Halloween dance, let alone a party. She'd missed out on so much growing up, but now she had the chance to make new memories and enjoy herself. She glimpsed at Mikey, who was practically shaking with excitement and grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He linked his arm with hers and they proceeded to gleefully giggle like little children.

The hallways were decorated with paper bats, skeletons, mummies and pumpkins to add to the festive atmosphere. Some of the students were leaning against lockers and chatting, occasionally pausing their conversations to nod at the group's costumes. The music increased in volume as they drew closer to the gym until it was almost deafening. When they finally reached the double doors, April smiled over her shoulder at her friends and pushed one of the doors open so they could fully view the gym.

"Welcome to to the Halloween Dance."

Tables concealed in a glimmering black table were located at the back of the room and completely covered with food and punch. A disco ball hung from the ceiling adjacent to numerous multi-colored lights that produced a rave-like atmosphere. The DJ stand was over to the side and encompassed by colossal speakers to easily spread the electronic music pumping up the atmosphere. Teens wiggled their hips and rocked their heads as they immersed themselves in the music.

All the turtles and Noelle could do was stare in awe at everything going on. She apprehensively studied the crowd and tried not to think of the possibility of being lost among the bodies and unable to be found by her friends. The thought of being alone in such a compact space caused her stomach to unpleasantly churn.

April gently grabbed her hand and began pulling her towards the center of the room, pushing through anybody who wouldn't move out of their way. "We're gonna dance. We need to loosen you up!" the red head yelled. She started twisting her body around and thrusting her arms up into the air as she did a "come-hither" motion with her hands to gesture for the others to join. Mikey kicked his legs out and pushed his hands up in an almost robotic fashion, Donnie joined April and followed her movements with a goofy grin on his face while Leo loosened his limbs in a similar fashion. Raph and Casey glimpsed at each other and shrugged before heading over to the food table, not really in the mood for dancing or making idiots of themselves.

Noelle anxiously inspected all the students swaggering and sashaying in the vicinity, and noticed that not one single pair of eyes seemed to be focused on her. She found it ironic that she used to want people to look at her so she didn't feel as invisible, and yet now she wanted anything but to be seen.

She was like a tightrope walker with a fear of heights who shuddered with each step she took, praying that the audience would just turn away and yet not leave her alone in such a hazardous situation. When Mikey's hefty fingers encased around hers and they made eye contact, she suddenly felt like a safety net had been securely fastened below her to prevent her from getting hurt.

When he encouragingly smiled and moved their arms back and forth, the rope began to lower so she wasn't so high off the ground.

The audience slowly turned their heads to watch her, their eyes lighting up at her new confident aura.

She giggled as Mikey spun her around, and the crowd cheered when she finally reached the other side.

April grabbed Noelle and Mikey's hands to form a circle, and proceeded to sway the upper part of her body so that all three of them would wiggle around together. Donnie linked himself in while Leo slid beneath their arms and into the center to bust some moves of his own. A large group crowded around the ring, cheering each person who stepped in the middle to show off their skills. People from outside the group of friends even joined in the fun until the beat ended and a round of applause echoed.

The misfit friends finally took a break for drinks and food, red-faced and full of laughter. It was only eight, so there were still three hours left until the party ended. A few teachers were chaperoning the dance, all of whom who gotten into the spirit and decided to sport their own costumes. Noelle waved at Ms. Miller, who was entirely displeased at not being able to relax at home like she had the past few years. However, she'd still made an effort in donning her fairy godmother costume and enjoying the holiday as much as possible so she wasn't viewed as a grump. She approached her star pupil, pleased to see the young girl happy and surrounded by a group of people.

"Happy Halloween. You seem to be in good spirits," the art instructor stated with a smile. "I'm glad to see you here. It seems like you're having a good time."

Noelle nodded her head eagerly. "I am! I have really wonderful friends!" Upon saying so, April walked up to her side holding a paper plate loaded with goodies. The red head smiled politely at the art professor.

"Happy Halloween Ms. Miller."

"And you too April. You girls look great. Enjoy the rest of the dance, okay?"

"We will!"

The teacher winced while walking away, wanting to kick herself for even remotely thinking that standing in high heels all night was a great idea. She didn't even bother forcing a smile for the other students who obnoxiously got in her way. If they wanted to make fools of themselves, then she'd just let them.

"Oh hey, it's that lady from the museum!" Mikey threw several brownie bites into his mouth without so much as batting an eye as he joined the ladies in staring after the older woman. "She seems nice."

"Actually I don't think she's really a people person," April thought to herself as she sensed just how irritated the professor really was. She kept her opinions to herself though, and followed the two over to the bleachers as soon as Noelle had filled her own plate. Raph and Casey looked completely stuffed as they lay across the bottom bench with their tongues hanging out of their mouths.

Leo smirked as he sat on the bleacher above Casey's head. "Well, you two seem like you're having a good time."

"More like a lame time," April scoffed before seating herself next to Leo. "Why aren't you two dancing or doing anything fun?"

"Because that ain't our thing, Red," Casey groaned while draping his forearm over his eyes. "Maybe I'm just not a fun guy."

"Well maybe you should be!"

"We are teenagers after all. The chances of having an opportunity like this are very slim to none, especially for us."

"Shutup Donnie."

"Don't talk to him like that!"

"Ooh, Red's getting defensive!"

"Everybody needs to calm down."

"I am perfectly calm!"

Noelle and Mikey scooted a few benches back to get away from the little argument that had become nearly audible over the music. All the blonde could do was chew thoughtfully on a celery stick as she watched her friends fight with each other, amused over how much she'd worried when she'd first witnessed all fighting. She'd definitely grown used to the dramatic spectacles.

"Dude, these guys are nuts. I bet Donnie is gonna win." Mikey popped a chocolate chip cookie into his mouth while Noelle's brows raised in surprise.

"Why do you think that?"

"Because he's the smart one! Raph and April have their little baby tantrums until they lose energy, Leo will just be ignored, and Casey is too lazy right now to do anything. Now, when D snaps he goes all out! Man, you should totally see him when I break something in his lab. I don't know why he gets all mad and stuff, like it's my fault, but I swear I can see little flames in his eyes or something. Totally spooky!"He shuddered.

Noelle chuckled and set her plate on the empty space beside her, making a mental note to not get on Donnie's bad side. The lights suddenly dimmed as the song finished playing, and the disco ball lights glimmered across the floor. Her and Mikey glanced around in confusion, unsure as to what was going on.

"Alright, we're going to slow things down for a little bit of couple dancing. Don't be shy! Grab the person you like and head on out to the floor!" the DJs voice boomed before the atmosphere was overtaken by a piano melody and a beautiful female voice. Noelle blushed at the romantic atmosphere and leaned forward with her elbows resting on her kneecaps. She couldn't help beaming when she saw April and a very red Donnie walk out onto the floor, leaving behind a a fuming Casey who was being laughed at by Raph.

Mikey studied Noelle and noticed how she watched the couples with a gentle look in her eyes. For some reason it bugged him to see her unable to do something that others were doing, and why she wasn't able to do it in the first place. He saw how April and Donnie were happily dancing even though they weren't a couple, so there really wasn't a reason why he and Noelle couldn't be out there with them.

When he stood and extended to her his hand, her expression morphed into what appeared to be a mixture of happiness and terror. She swallowed the lump in her throat and played with her hair, her fingers yearning to keep busy so she wouldn't be too flustered to speak. Noelle tried to ignore the shaking of her legs and sweat on her hands as seconds passed by, and yet Mikey continued to patiently smile down at her.

"Do you want to dance together? You look like you want to. I mean, if you'd rather dance with Raph or Leo then-"

"It's not that." Noelle stopped playing with her hair and forced herself to gaze into his eyes. "I want to dance with you, but I'm just..." her voice and eyes somberly lowered. "...I'm really scared."

"Me too!"

She viewed him with so much disbelief that he burst out laughing. "Dude, I don't know how to waltz or anything! I mean, I'm pretty good at break dancing and stuff, but it's hard for me to actually go slow, you know what I'm saying?" He gestured down to the other couples. "I still wanna do it though. It'll be fun!"

Noelle apprehensively gaped at him for a moment before she slid her hand into his, hoping that he couldn't feel the nervous perspiration masking her palm. He merely grinned at her and pulled her to her feet before he guided her down seven sets of stairs and onto the dance floor. She lowered her head as her cheeks tinted a bright pink and she attempted to ignore Leo, Casey and Raph's eyes following her every move. She only made eye contact with the Leader, who offered her a nod and smile before he turned away and began talking to Casey. She mentally noted to thank him later for the distraction.

[Eagle Eye-Loss of a Twin]

When they reached the center of the floor, Mikey spun on his heel and bowed to her while fighting to keep a serious expression on his face. Noelle returned his gesture with a curtsy, secretly thrilled that everything seemed to be playing out like a fairy tale. She was by no mean a princess, nor he a prince, but perhaps she could pretend they were living in a story book for just one night.

Mikey's hand held onto her waist while the other gently clutched her hand, and when Noelle inspected his face she saw excitement glowing in his bright blue eyes. Her face heated at their close proximity, but she felt that the warmth came more out of happiness than love. She was so glad that she was able to have her first couple dance with her best friend, and judging by the way he was grinning he felt the same way.

"Hey, stand on my feet," he suggested, and she suddenly understood what he doing. Noelle giggled and she did what he said, finding the whole ordeal to be amusing. Her uncle had done this with her many times when she was younger, and it was still just as fun as she remembered. Unlike Nick though, Mikey moved much faster. The freckled ninja made a show of dipping her and walking around in a funny fashion. She heard other people chuckling, including April and Donnie. Some attendees stared at the odd pair, but she couldn't help not caring. She felt safe and happy, and there was nobody else she'd rather be acting silly with.

"I'm enjoying myself more than I thought," Noelle shyly admitted, her jade eyes sparkling from the disco ball. Mikey stared at her, and the strangest thing happened to him. His face felt like it was on fire, and his heart pounded like somebody was punching him in the chest. He definitely hoped he wasn't getting sick, because that meant being cooped away in the lair while his brothers were out having fun. He would definitely need to see Donnie later.

[+]

The song came to an end, and upbeat music once more suffused the gym. As more bodies filled the dance floor, the air began to faintly reek of sweat and body heat. Noelle stared towards the double doors, and realized that she needed to get some fresh air before she had a headache.

"I'm going to go outside," she announced to Mikey, who coyly simpered and nodded.

"It's like a volcano in here! Besides, I wanna see some more of the city before going home. Let's go tell my bros!" Before she could say a word he was dragging her by her wrist towards the rest of the group. She helplessly stared at the leader, who merely raised a brow when he saw the grin on his little brother's face.

"Mikey, what are you up to?"

Raph shrugged. "Probably nothing good."

"I'm gonna go walk around the city with Noelle. It's way too warm in here!"

Donnie coughed nervously, his face still red from dancing with April. "It, uh, actually is."

"Please? We'll be back at the lair by midnight." Mikey's impossibly blue eyes somehow enlarged themselves as he stared at his older brother with a quivering bottom lip. Unable to resist the powerful puppy face, Leo sighed.

"Fine. Just keep your T-Phone near you in case."

"Thanks dude!" Mikey ecstatically expressed before he grabbed Noelle's forearm and pulled her away like an excited puppy. She shyly waved goodbye to the others before following behind him. April watched the pair in amusement and took a sip of her punch.

[][][]

The streets were littered with little children eagerly running from each house to the next with buckets and pillowcases overflowing with candy. Parents ambled nearby with smiles on their faces as they watched their little ones showing off their goodies, occasionally stopping to take a picture that would probably be uploaded to social media later. Noelle felt envious of the families walking around together, as she'd never been able to have the same familial experience herself. As she looked at Mikey though, she realized that he'd never even been trick-or-treating. At least her grandma had taken her several years, and let her pick out her own costume too.

[Casper-One Last Wish]

They passed a few small shops before they rounded a corner and feasted their eyes upon one of the most iconic symbols in the entire world.

"Lady Liberty," Noelle breathed out in delight as she admired the colossal statue. "She's so beautiful."

Mikey stared at the iron statue in bewilderment as he admired how much of a giant she really was. Of course, he and his brothers had seen her before while out patrolling, but he'd never actually been given a moment to just look at her.

Noelle cleared her throat to draw his attention away and pointed over to one of the side piers. "Do you mind if we sit down for a few minutes? It's really nice out and I want to watch the water."

"Sure. I actually kinda wanna chill for a little bit too." They silently walked side by side down the ligneous flooring until they reach the edge and sat down in unison. The two of them exchanged a brief smile before facing Ellis Island, a moment of silence lapsing between them. Noelle's forearms encircled her calves as she rested her chin on her knees and appreciated the stars and lights illuminating the famous figure, and contemplated a thought she'd wondered about for a while.

"Mikey, have you ever seriously thought about leaving New York someday?"

The freckled turtle gazed up at the stars and silently thought about his answer for a moment. "Sometimes I do, but I don't wanna go anywhere without my bros and Sensei. "He tilted his head curiously towards her, and she swore she saw a brief flicker of worry in his eyes. "What about you?"

The sea breeze prickled her skin as she stared out at the water. "A few months ago, I would've said yes right away. I didn't really have a reason to stay except for my grandma and uncle. I want to see mountains, oceans, and forests, and secretly, I really want to just somehow fly." She gazed at Lady Liberty's torch and wondered how spectacular the view would be from such a height. "I wonder what the sunset looks like to her; I bet it's beautiful."

"Noelle?" The normally silly teen had a serious tone to his voice that captured her attention. "You know you're part of our family right? We all really like you: me, Sensei, Donnie, Leo, Ice Cream Kitty, and even Raph think you're awesome. If you ever do leave the city, you can't go without us, okay? Well, at least me."

Overcome with surprise at his words, all she could manage to do was wordlessly bob her head. A part of her wanted to question if he meant what he said, but she knew he did. Mikey wasn't somebody who would lie to her about a thing like that, especially when he said it so sincerely.

He watched Noelle's lips part as she nodded, yet no words came out. He saw how the moonlight made her hair glow, almost like one of those things that he'd seen around angel's heads. Her emerald eyes were enlarged and glittering as she watched him like he'd just given her the surprise of a lifetime, and he couldn't help saying what was on his mind.

"You look super pretty tonight."

The pink in her face deepened into a crimson red, causing Mikey to bite his lower lip to prevent laughter as her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Her reaction was so adorable to him that he couldn't fight off a smile.

"Yo, are you okay? Your face is the color of Raph's mask right now."

Noelle grew even more embarrassed when she realized she probably looked silly to him. She wanted to look away from him so he wouldn't focus on her anymore, but instead she remained completely frozen. When his arm was slung around her shoulder she felt herself relax a little more, but now her stomach was tumbling around.

"Thank you," she finally managed to say, smiling when he laughed and bumped the side of his head against hers.

"No problem dude! I mean it!"

As a nearby clock tower began to chime Noelle pulled out her T-Phone and gasped. "It's midnight!"

"Uh oh! Sensei!" Sharing a panicked expression they quickly stood up and ran over to the nearest sewer entrance in a frenzy. Mikey lifted the heavy cover off like it was weightless, and stood over the entrance with Noelle straight across from him. He bowed and she curtsied once more before they burst into giggles and she proceeded to start climbing down the ladder.

Mikey took one last look around the area and grinned. "Happy Halloween New York!" he yelled out, and then disappeared into the tunnels below.

[+]