The next morning was a white one, even more so than I had imagined. Four and a half feet of snow covered the ground and powdered the trees and barn. It was early, and a watery sunlight filtered through the blanket of clouds draped across the dawn sky. I stretched, surprised to find myself curled up on the ottoman I had been sitting on last night. Apparently I had fallen asleep at some point and not bothered to move into bed before I did so. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and yawning. Donnie was in the same position in the armchair he had been in when he collapsed last night; I smiled. I grabbed a spare blanket from the closet and draped it over him. He shifted in the seat, then settled into a more comfortable position, mumbling in his sleep. Mikey, still near April, had fallen asleep with his head resting on the cushion near her head and the rest of him leaning against the couch, his legs sprawled out in front of him. Leo and Raph were sleeping on the floor in Splinter's room.

I was the only one awake.

Dressed in jeans and an old winter jacket April had gotten me from a thrift store a few months ago, I slipped out of the house quietly and stood on the front porch. It had been protected from most of the snow last night, so only a few inches of snow dusted the wooden planks. My wings, poking out from the slits I had cut in the back of the jacket, quivered in anticipation. I spread them out, stretching them as far as I could. Donnie said I had a wingspan of 14 feet, and I was proud of the fact.

I leapt out into the frigid air and spiraled upward, pumping my wings. The frigid air bit my nose and made my eyes water, but I didn't mind. I leveled out above the trees and glided, barely moving my wings. I traveled west for five or six miles, then turned slightly south. After about eight minutes of flying I had covered over ten miles. I dropped to the ground, landing clumsily on a snow-covered dirt road leading to the nearest village surrounding our hidden abode. I would jog the last mile and a half so nobody saw me fly. Pulling a light cloak out from under my jacket, I draped it over my wings and shoulders and lowered my wings so they pressed against my body and looked less conspicuous. I jogged into the village, amazed at the beauty of the snow-covered buildings. They were small and simple, but with that simplicity came an indescribable beauty.

I entered the nearest convenience store and walked around, gathering supplies we needed at the house. Usually April would have done all the shopping, but seeing as she was couch-ridden for the next few weeks I took the responsibility upon myself. I gathered the items and walked to the counter, ready to check out. But I couldn't make myself move past there.

I froze, suddenly filled with horrible memories. Memories of evil men and heartless nurses and pink water. The last time I had interacted with people, besides April, had been right after my mutation. My breath sped up and a cold sweat broke out across my forehead. I gripped the bag of supplies tightly and turned on my heel, making my way to the self-check-out section. I checked out quickly, using the money from Aprils wallet that I had 'borrowed' to pay for the food and supplies. I had almost made it to the door before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Miss?" A voice asked. I spun around, eyes frantic, ready for a fight. The hand on my shoulder was attached to a bored-looking teenage guy with red hair, freckles, and huge glasses. I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding and relaxed. But only slightly.

"Did you want a receipt for that?" he asked, pointing to the bag in my hands.

"Did I want a… Oh! Um, no. Thanks, though. I'm good." I stammered.

I laughed nervously and backed away, running into the door in the process. The boy looked after me curiously, a question on his lips. I turned and ran, not caring what he thought. I ran until the village was safely behind me and took to the air, yanking the cloak from my back and stuffing it into the bag with the supplies. I flew just above the trees, keeping low and relatively hidden. The return trip took less time, but not by much. The whole thing had taken less than an hour, but that was an hour of being away from my family and them not knowing where I was.

As proven by the scowl carved on Leo's face when I got back.

He was on the front porch, arms crossed, frown in place, and a glare in his eyes. I landed on the front step of the porch, barely missing the wall of snow that had fallen on the ground during the night. I met his gaze warily.

"Where were you?" he asked, terrifyingly quiet.

"Getting these." I said, tossing him the bag of groceries. He caught it easily and, without even looking at its contents, set it on the ground beside him. He never dropped my gaze. He was unhappy with me, I knew.

"Why didn't you tell anybody you were going?" he demanded.

"You were all asleep and I didn't want to wake you up. I thought I could take care of myself…" I started, but Leo cut me off.

"You thought you could take care of yourself? You thought you could protect yourself, take the world one on one? Angel, what if you had gotten hurt?! What if something happened and we weren't there to protect you?! What would you do then, huh? That was stupid, Angel! What do you think we were doing here? Worrying about you, that's what!" he shouted. I bristled.

"Leo, I'm not a helpless baby! I can fend for myself." I growled. His eyes narrowed.

"No, you can't. You wouldn't last five minutes on your own." He said matter-of-factly.

"But I did! I lasted a whole hour on my own and I came back just fine, Leo! Look at me!" We were shouting at each other at this point.

"But what if you hadn't?" he whispered, the fire suddenly gone from his eyes. The anger turned to desperation as the thought took form in his mind. "What if you hadn't come back?" he asked, "What if you had gotten hurt and I wasn't there to protect you? What if you needed me and I couldn't come? Or what if you had come home, but you were hurt and broken and in pain and I had to stand by as you suffered, knowing I could have stopped it? I…" He looked at me, fear in his eyes, searching for an answer to his fears. Then I understood; I remembered.

I remembered the nightmares.

A few nights ago, when I had spent the night talking to Leo, he had explained his nightmares to me. They were always the same.

"I never remember how it starts," he had told me, "I just remember hearing screams as you guys are taken away. We had been fighting and the lair is a mess, everything broken.I turn around, looking for you guys, but can't find you.I hear the screams and try to follow them, but they change direction with every step I take.First I hear Mikey, then Raph, then Donnie, then you.The screams are filled with pain and despair and...horror.Utter and complete horror.

"I run. I follow one of your shouts as you're dragged off by the enemy.I run faster and faster, but no matter how fast I run I can never catch up.I feel so…useless.Then I find you.If it's Raph, he's in a cage hanging from the ceiling.If it's Donnie, he's beaten and unconscious on the ground.If it's Mikey, he's chained to the wall and surrounded by guards.If it's you you're tied up and hanging from the ceiling.I try to help you, but a huge wall of glass surrounds you and I can't reach you. I have to stand there and watch you suffer…

"It's unbearable. I want to help you, but I can't.I feel so helpless, so useless, and I can't do anything about it."

"Leo, I never realized how much you wanted to protect us." I had said after a moment of silence.

"It's more than that, though." He corrected. "I needto protect you. It's not just that I want to protect you; I need to protect you and keep you happy and safe"

That's when I finally understood why he was so angry, why he had been waiting on the freezing porch for me to come home after disappearing and not telling anyone where I was going. He was afraid that his worst fears had come true. I felt terrible.

"Leo, I… I'm so sorry." I apologized with all the sincerity of my heart. I walked up to him and took one of his hands in both of mine. "Look, Leo. I'm right here, and I'm okay. You can stop worrying now, see? I really am sorry for disappearing like that. I was wrong to do that. Will you forgive me?"

Leo sighed, "Of course. Just promise you won't do that ever again?"

"Cross my heart." I said. He smiled, relieved.

"Oh, good." I saw his shoulders lift and his face brighten visibly. " Now let's get back inside. Donnie will be happy to get these supplies."