A/N: Hey guys! Hope you guys are liking this story so far. Please remember to review and to keep showing love! Good news- I'm willing and able to do stories on request now. Drop me an idea for a short story/ one shot in my PM box and if I like it, I'll give you a shout out and write on the idea. I'm happy to see what you guys come up with and to get just a little outside of my head for writing ideas.
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Leo frowned. Any human that wasn't instantly afraid of them left him suspicious. He'd accepted that normal human behavior to fear anything that was new and unexplained. So this Becca woman, who was poking and prodding Mikey while he stood like a statue and struck poses, unnerved him greatly. He'd understood quickly that Sara was like Donnie, smarter and quicker to catch on and to be able to comprehend that they were people faster than most others. Becca on the other hand seemed pretty much like any of the other humans they'd encountered.
Her acceptance left him with questions, but he opted to just observe her for now, to continue to treat her like any other victim. They would sort out where she would go, which would preferably be outside of the city and convince her to never speak of them again. If she refused, they would give her some of Donnie's serum. They would convince her, while she was basically mesmerized, that this had all been a dream. That she'd simply had her apartment broken into, ingrain that she wasn't safe here.
Unfortunately, it looked like Mikey had other plans. Leo was sure that his littlest brother was flirting up a storm with Becca. He tease and joked, not out of the ordinary, but the way he was posturing for the woman left his intentions much too clear.
He couldn't exactly fault Mikey though. It wasn't every day that they came across anyone who accepted them, even if they'd just saved their life. Rarely there were humans that would be able to tolerate being around them, and even fewer who could become friends and family. Leo didn't believe that this woman would become either. He wanted to be done with her as soon as possible. The only thing stopping him was the genuine smile on Mikey's face.
He'd known Mikey hadn't been his normal perky self for a while, but he didn't know why and Mikey hadn't come to him. Seeing him smiling like he was at Becca was the only thing keeping Leo in check. Mikey obviously trusted this woman, somewhat. Leo would respect his brother for now, but they needed to get out of here soon.
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Becca was swirling around him, asking questions, and Mikey couldn't have been happier that he'd started working out with Raph. For the first time ever he was honestly proud of his body. He emphasized his reactions when Becca touched him and smiled at her, amazed at her curiosity. He could tell she wasn't completely comfortable with his brothers, mostly Raph and Leo. Leo's leader glare was getting to her and Raph sheer size seemed to cow her. He lost her attention for a moment when Donnie embraced Sara and they exchanged a quick kiss.
He smirked at her astonished look. "You guys are together?" She asked. He could hear and see the shock in her voice but he didn't pick up on any disgust. "Yeah, we're engaged, actually," Sara beamed, untying her mask and wrapping it around the top of her thigh. Donnie gave a satisfied grin and swayed a little with Sara when she stood up, both of them facing Becca and Mikey. "You guys are getting married? Oh my gosh, that's so cool. How did you guys meet?"
Sara laughed a little then said, "Kinda like this, actually. But I kicked my bad guys' asses and I punched Donnie." Mikey laughed as Becca's mouth dropped open and she sputtered trying to think of something to say. "It hurt, too," Donnie supplied with a laugh. Mikey was familiar with the warning signs of jealousy and he cut in, trying to win back Becca's attention. "You should see her when she first knocked Raph on his shell, Sis is awesome, I'm telling you." Becca looked to him and the Leo. "She kicked his but?" She said pointing to Leo. Everyone let out a laugh, except Leo. Becca turned red and Mikey jumped in. "Nah, that's Leo. He's Raph," he said and shoved a thumb at Raph.
Raph threw up his hands as the mistake was corrected and mumbled something about not ripping Sara's shirt ever again. Through the bruising Mikey had to admit she could get pretty wide-eyed as she looked between Raph and Sara. "Banshee kicked his ass?" She said again and this time even Leo chuckled. Sara turned red this time and she put in her two cents. "Sara, Becca, my real name's Sara."
"I'm sorry to interrupt all the festivities, but we need to go through the procedure and get her relocated." Leo said as if he was completely put off after a spurt of humor. Mikey frowned heavily at him. He accepted Leo as their leader, but damn, couldn't he see how awesome this was right now? Instead of looking to Leo, Becca turned around to look at him. "Procedure?" She asked, now frightened. Hesitant, Mikey reached out to touch her shoulder. "You know that you can't ever tell anyone about us, right?"
Becca frowned but nodded. "I mean it, Becca, you can never tell anyone, not your mom and dad, none of your bestest of friends, no one, ever." Mikey looked into her eyes, hoping she would understand. "Okay, Mikey," she said softly.
"Promise?" He asked her. He needed to hear her say it. She nodded. She gave a small smile. "I promise, Mikey." He felt her lean into his hand and suddenly his body felt shaky. "So where are we going?" She said with a smile.
"Not 'we'." Leo practically sneered as he said, "You."
Mikey felt the urge to punch the living shit out of Leo. Becca again looked between him and Sara, searching for help and information. Mikey caved a little bit and got Becca's attention again. "Leo is our leader, Becca." Mikey told her, agitated. "It's his job to keep us all safe, and sometimes he can be a little rude when he meets someone new. It's just because we have a lot of people who want to hurt us and the people close to us." Best to get the truth out there, Mikey thought, although the glare from Leo let him know Leo had gotten the insult.
"Oh," Becca said, surprised. Sara stepped in. "You said that you don't have any family, right?"
"Well, my dad and brother are still kicking it but Dad kicked me out."
"So you can't go to him then?" Sara softened.
"No," Becca's solemn answer came. Mikey felt a pang in his heart. He wouldn't know what to do if Splinter turned him aside. The thought itself was scary. "Do you have any money saved up?" Sara asked.
"No, but I do have this place rented out for another two months… My dad didn't send me off with much money…" Becca's voice was getting tight and he looked to Sara. Usually he would feel bad for even thinking of asking her for money. For Becca, though, he was willing to consider it.
Sara met his eyes and nodded. Mikey's hope fell when Sara looked to Leo though. Becca's head spun between them all. She was aware that they were communication without words but was lost to the conversation. Leo frowned. Sara glared. Raph grunted with some amusement while Donnie stood back and watched critically. Sara put her hands on her hips and shot daggers at Leo with her eyes. Leo stared back, not giving in. Finally, the silence was broken as Sara, clearly now in a rage stomped over to Leo. "She is a victim, an INNOCENT!" Sara barked and Mikey watched as Leo was caught off guard. He was a little too, he hadn't noticed her temper flaring to this point during the showdown.
"Sorry to bring this up," Sara tossed to Becca with a hint of sympathy before turning back to Leo. "She was almost RAPED last night. Look at her, Leo! She's been scarred out of her fucking MIND! Purple Dragons broke into her place, ransacking it, with a gun in their possession! She called me, panicked and needing help! You cannot dictate that the help she's going to get is going to end here! Hell, she's less of a threat than I was when you guys took me in!" Sara raged. Leo, to Mikey's surprise, had the decency to almost look ashamed.
"She's right," Raph barked. "This girl here was spooked so bad she threw a katana into a door, Leo." Leo looked to Donnie for help but Donnie made a 'Sorry, dude, you're on your own here,' gesture by picking up his shoulders and opening his hands to the ceiling and putting them back down. Leo looked at Becca and Mikey put both of his hands on her shoulders as she stood with her back to him. Leo took a step and started on a second when Becca jumped a step back. "I-I'm sorry!" She squeaked.
Hearing the fear in Becca's voice set Mikey off and he pulled her against his plastron. Somehow a more irrational part of his brain than was normal, declared that Leo was a threat and needed to be dealt with before he took another step. Mikey growled a deep and low warning.
*)O(*
Leo, the one with the two katana and the blue mask, had taken a step towards her and she'd almost lost her shit. She'd rushed to apologize, trying to make up for whatever ground she had been trespassing on and took a step backwards, closer to Mikey. It was weird how Leo scared the living shit out of her, but not Mikey. Well, that was until a menacing growl came from behind her as she was tugged against something hard.
Leo jerked his head up and seemed utterly amazed at the sound that came from Mikey. Rebecca sure was. She wasn't versed in turtle sounds but it sure sounded like a warning to her. Or a threat, she added. Leo blinked, looked down to her and mumbled something as he closed his eyes and released his fist at his sides. "No," Leo sighed. "I'm sorry." She wouldn't call the next breath a sigh, it was too pointed, like one someone would use to calm themselves. "Fine, Code O'Neil," Leo said exasperated.
Banshee- er- Sara, who was poised to intervene had a smirk on her face and high-fived Raph who also had a smirk on his face. Donnie, Rebecca was coming to understand, was the calm one in the group. Seemed odd since Rebecca thought that the calm one should have been the leader but then she remembered what Mikey said about Leo being rude around new people. "What the hell is Code O'Neil?" She asked plainly. Mikey squeezed her shoulders and she had to crane her next back to look at him as he leaned over her a little. "It means that Leo is going to stop being an ass now," he teased.
"We still need to get us out of here," Leo stated. Everyone seemed to synch back up and Rebecca was completely confused. "Let's go ahead and get you a weekend bag packed, m'kay?" Sara said to her. Obviously, she was leaving, she just didn't know where to. She wasn't getting an answer to that question, though. When Sara opened her drawer, she felt heat swim up her neck and start to attack her cheeks. "I-um- All my clothes are in my laundry baskets." She admitted.
Sara bustled with her, packing a couple changes of clothes into a luggage bag. Rebecca silently thanked Sara for being there. She kept up little conversation, answering most of Rebecca's questions but pointedly ignoring all of the questions pertaining to where they were going. Then one time, almost like an afterthought, Sara asked if Rebecca had any pets. "Do the birds at the park count?" Rebecca answered with a laugh, gaining one from Sara, too. "Any plants then?"
"No…"
"We'll be able to come back, maybe one more time, so grab anything that is important to you, okay?"
This is what it took for everything that had happened to sink in. She was leaving and she wouldn't be coming back, or when she did, this wouldn't be her place anymore. She was going to lose everything that was here. Rebecca looked around, worried to leave anything at all behind. She'd worked hard to get all the things that she had. All the money her dad had given her had been earned through her job for him, money he hadn't given to her when she got paid. She'd had saved some money but most of it went to her bike and other material things like her clothes, cell phone, and jewelry. She'd had no idea that she'd be kicked out by her dad and it was happening again. She was being told to pack a bag and leave as soon as possible.
Rebecca was one for adventure. She loved going for runs through the park, hikes in the woods, mountain climbing, things of that nature. She thought that she was always up for anything unexpected, but this was threatening to shatter her world like a snow globe falling off the mantle. The fragility of her world was unnerving.
"Becca?" Sara said, pulling Rebecca back to reality. She wouldn't be broken that easily, she told herself. "H-How much space do we have in the car," Becca asked, taking another look around. Sara laughed before smothering the sound behind her hand and took a more serious position. "We're not using a car," Sara clarified.
"Then how are we getting to wherever in the hell we're going?"
"We're taking the high road," Sara joked again but the humor was lost on Rebecca. "Uh, we'll be running on the rooftops, one of the guys will carry you. You…You'll have to be blindfolded," Sara said sadly. Blindfolded? Seriously? Rebecca screamed inside of her head. "How is that going to work with my face like this," Rebecca asked, worried.
"We'll tie it loose, but it's just a precaution. You have to understand the way the guys think. They have lived in the shadows their whole lives. They only have a few friends that are closer to family and they can't put them at risk for just one person. I've been there, honey," Sara added, a little softer, "I-I have a fierce aversion to blindfolds but Donnie held me tight and I made it there in one piece. You'll be just fine."
"Of course she will be, I'm going to carry her," Leo said evenly.
Um, hell to the fucking no, Rebecca thought quickly. If she had to stay here and face another break-in or go roof hoping, blindfolded, with Leo she would choose door one, please. "No way," Mikey protested. Rebecca agreed. "Oh, really," Leo sneered. Beside her on the floor, Sara sighed. "Why don't you just tell us who you want to carry you, Becca? Save these two from going at each other."
"Mikey," Rebecca answered quickly. Raph scared her way too much, Donnie would probably be carrying Sara, and if it was between Leo and Mikey, Mikey would win. Mikey did a victory arm pump and winked at her. Mikey would probably win every time, Rebecca thought to herself.
After gathering all of her things up, which included her 'carry on' that had her clothes, cell phone charger and a pair of extra shoes inside, and her jewelry box with all of her legal papers stuffed inside, Rebecca was ready. She had her purse strung around her shoulder and looked to Mikey, worried. He smiled at her, reassuring her that everything was going to be okay. Then he reached behind his head and untied his little strip of orange fabric. Her blindfold, she realized. She stood still as he tied it around her eyes, the knot on the side of her head so she couldn't see.
"I'm going to pick you up now, okay?" All she could do was nod. She could feel him next to her. His body was close, he had only a faint musty scent and his body gave off heat that pulled her closer to him. When his hand touched her leg, she stopped herself from jumping. His other hand grabbed her ribs, right below her breast and she worried he would grab her by accident. "Ally-op," he said as he lifted her up. Rebecca fought the urge to protest as she came up off the floor. Mikey's arms felt overly large and steady. He didn't grunt when he picked her up and after cradling her head on his bicep he pulled her closer to him.
She didn't know the name of the chest plate on turtles, and she made a small note to ask Sara sometime; but that sucker hurts when you're sandwiched against it. She pulled her arm free and Mikey relaxed his grip a little. This position wasn't any better though and she struggled trying to find a good position for her arm. "Hold onto my shell," Mikey told her softly. Fumbling, she felt his face then reached back and grabbed the top of his shell. This was much more comfortable as he lifted her a bit higher in his arms. "I'm going to jump a lot, but I promise you won't fall and I won't let go of you, Becca."
"You better not," she said, breathless. Mikey chuckled and she could feel the vibration it caused through his plate thing in the front. "Yes, ma'am," he replied and then started moving.
At first, it was just walking, and he told her they had to get to the roof first. She stayed quiet, listening, and feeling every move. "You ready?" He asked suddenly.
"No," she squeaked.
"Hold on," Mikey whooped and she could tell he was running now. She wasn't jostled. It felt like a hard sway from side to side. Cold air, which hadn't been too bad before now, stung her face, and she buried her head practically in Mikey's neck to fend off the cold. "Last chance to quit," he stated. Rebecca let go of her purse with her free hand and brought it around to grab onto Mikey's shell with the other hand. She squeezed tightly. If she was going down, so was he, she determined. Then she felt it. He jumped, the upwards motion startling her. Once they arched and started going down, she felt her ass trying to climb up through her mouth. She let out a squeak and clenched Mikey's shell in her hands. The land was smooth and she barely felt anything besides being a little heavier than a moment ago. Then he was running again. Then he jumped again.
She'd had no warning this time and she let out a noise that was almost a scream, almost a gasp. "Fucking shit muffins!" She gasped when they touched down again. "Warn me, please!" Mikey's laugh was loud. "Ready," he let out and another jump came. No, not ready, never ready, Rebecca hissed inside her head. How much longer did she have of this, she wondered. "It gets easier the more you do it," Sara said, obviously closer than Rebecca would have thought. "Does Donnie give you any-"
"Ready?" Mikey interjected then jumped.
"Fucking warning?" Rebecca finished.
"Not really. I don't piggy back too much anymore."
"You run?"
"Yeah, it's taken me months to be able to keep up during normal runs."
"That's just cause you're slow," Mikey teased.
"It's cause you'd outrun a damn cheetah," Sara tossed back. Mikey forgot to warn her and she felt the amazing sensation of her innards trying to exit via her mouth yet again. "Warning," she hissed.
"Sorry," Mikey said softly. The next dozen jumps were all preempted by a 'Ready' and she soon relaxed her hold on his shell.
When they stopped, she was curious. Had they arrived already? The sound of something scraping alarmed her and she was set down on her feet. "I'm gonna drop you down to Raph," Mikey instructed.
"Drop me down? Down where? Why do I have to be dropped?" Rebecca panicked.
"Hey," Sara cut in as Mikey started to talk. "I did the same thing. I know it's scary, but Raph will catch you, okay?" Then like an after thought she added, "Just keep your arms up." Rebecca debated with herself. She couldn't jump cause of the blindfold. She couldn't turn back because they'd made it clear that more people would be back to hurt her. All she could do was trust them. "Fine, but," She raised her voice. "If you drop me, Raph, so help me I'll find a way to kick your ass!" Everyone broke out in laughter. She smiled to herself. "She sounds just like you," a voice said. It had to be Donnie. She wasn't familiar with him yet. "Please, no," Raph's voice sounded distance as he interjected with good humor. Mikey's hands came around her waist. "Ready?"
"No." It was useless.
He picked her up and counted to one. It should have been three because he'd said 'on three'. She let out a short yell as she fell. New, bigger hands gripped her waist painfully before releasing her. Rebecca stumbled a bit before a hand righted her. "You did great." Confirmation that it was Mikey was all that was needed. She drew back and punched him, landing a glancing blow on his chest plate. "You said three, asshole," she hissed and shook her hand. He laughed and took her hand. "You can walk from here."
Once she got her wits back, she took in a breath and almost gagged. Sewers, they were definitely in the sewers. Instantly every movie with a scene like this came to her mind and fretted about having to get into anything remotely wet or squishy. She held tightly to Mikey's hand and walked slowly. He'd building jumped with her in his arms, dropped her into the sewers safely but the idea of stepping on a pile of poop scared her worse than anything else. "It's okay," he told her. "The walkways are clear. Most of the water is clear most of the time."
"It's the sewers," she said, a little disgusted.
"I know, but once we get to the lair, it won't smell too bad."
"Don't listen to him," Sara said somewhere behind her. "Four guys live there, it smells worse," she joked.
"Not since we had it painted," Mikey defended. "Five coats of that paint and the smell can't get through."
"Looking at cement all day was boring. You weren't complaining when you started using every inch like a canvas." Sara tossed back. Rebecca felt safe inside of their conversation. It was clear that they were all close. It reminded her of her family.
A couple twist and turns later, Rebecca was sure she wouldn't be able to find her way out on her own. "Just one minute," Mikey said and then the sound of something sliding against something else could be heard. Mikey let go of her hand and she felt cold. Defensively she crossed her arms over her chest. Gentle fingers untied the mask from her eyes, and when it fell away, her eyes opened. She was blinded for a moment. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to see something. Mikey pushed her along, into wherever they were and Rebecca could make out a living room. She swept the 'lair', taking in the small part of the kitchen that she could see and three distinct hallways that lead to who knew where.
The walls had been painted, but it was the paintings that covered the walls that drew her farther in. All paintings, murals, clung to the walls and were so realistic that she reached out to touch one of a beach. No clear lines existed between the paintings and on the edges of the beach a new scene blended a few inches away. A sandy bank of a river that held two large boulders just left of the middle was held within a forest. Looking up you could see a large expanse of blue sky that went up the ceiling. Rebecca craned her neck back to see the gradually darkening sky leading to the ceiling full of stars and… three moons? She passed it as an artistic venture. More and more paintings covered the walls. Stepping to get closer to another one, she bumped something. A vine was held in a pot and she followed the tendrils to the painting of the forest where it was used as a 3-D medium that she'd assumed was painted.
Remembering what Sara had said she turned to Mikey. "You painted these?"
"Yep!" The pride was evident in his voice.
"How did you guys end up down here?" Rebecca wondered as she looked around some more.
"Come over here and sit down, the guys will explain everything," Sara prompted. Rebecca followed the instructions and sat down in the middle of the couch. Mikey sat on the floor in front of her and their amazing story began to flow, filling in questions she'd been wondering. All the stories they told her made her feel like she was listening to a fantasy novel. Leo and Raph had taken up residence on the second couch and Sara and Donnie had disappeared somewhere before coming back. All the while Rebecca listened to Mikey telling their story.
He was so energetic. Half of the story was told with his hands. He laughed often. He smiled even more than he laughed. He had a warm spirit. It seemed like he didn't know what a stranger was. If he'd been human than he would have been the prom king, for sure.
Finally, time had come and Leo cleared his throat. "You need to meet Master Splinter, now." Oh great, she thought, I get to meet a giant rat.
*)O(*
A/N: So, how are you guys liking it? Drop a review, please! Help meh! XD
