BTY Chapter 6
~*Brigit's POV 5 hours later*~
"Okay, So after I twist I grab your wrist and-" I grab Leo's hand off my shoulder, twisting it quickly. I kick him in the ankle to throw him off balance just enough for me to kick him in the chest and push him over, He lays on the floor coughing.
"Y-Yeah just like that" He pushes himself up on his elbows, once he catches my eye he shakes his head.
"Don't apologize either, I can tell your about to by the look in your eye!" He says, pointing at me non-accusingly, I'm about to deny it when I hear the elevator door ding open and with it voices shouting at each other.
"I'm just saying that next time you dig up a plan to use me as bait or a distraction whichever the hell it is, don't leave me out of it!" I hear Leeann yell from the living room.
"First off, ya weren't bait! You were a distraction! Besides if that ass in a hockey mask hadn't have gotten in my way it would have gone off without a hitch!" Raph yells back at her, I walk to the door and slowly crack it open. I see Leea and Raph standing in the living room. Raph with his arms over his sweatshirt covered chest with jeans and boots and Leeann with a happy go lucky puppy sitting practically on her feet. her arms crossed over her chest like a harried mother. She looks the same as when she left except for an overly large black leather jacket and being soaking wet, her face tilts little in a 'Hmm guess what' kind of way.
"Oh yeah! Like the entire warehouse coming out to beat the crap out of us was totally part of your plan, and speaking of which. you say that like you'd told me the plan before you left me alone on the dock with four drunk bastards" Her tone feigns serenity and I know she's either going to start really sticking it to him or she's going to walk away and fume but I think everyone knows by now that Leea doesn't back down from a fight unless it's with family.
"I said the code words we use on Mike! Ya can't tell me you didn't get an inkling of what I was doin' or did you get so caught up in savin' the puppy that you left some room in your head for stupid to get in along with stubborn" He says, his tone condescending. I cringe at the insult and shake my head as Leeanna shifts her weight to the left, a scalding look that basically has a voice of its own on her face.
"Don't you ever talk to me like I'm stupid, moreover don't you ever straight out call me stupid again if you know what's good for you." She glares at him harshly and he scoffs, prompting her to continue
"Secondly, How am I supposed to know a code word that you made up with your brother long before you even met me? You said bird in a cage and walked away! I'm sorry your double meaning didn't work! I'm sorry that while you were busy trying to do god knows what I was a little busy keeping four thugs from hacking off the ear of a defenseless puppy and trying to keep Casey from beating four Purple Dragons' to death! I'm sorry that while you were busy fighting with the guy that was attempting to take out Purple Dragon's, same as you I might add, that I was freezing my ass off in the Hudson! God! I'm so sorry that you even had to get paired with such a stubborn girl that's, as you so pleasantly put it, is going to be a bitch to train!" At this Raph looks shocked but Leeann just narrows her eyes at him, just barely masking the tremble in her voice that she gets whenever shes truly upset, she's an angry crier "What? You didn't think I heard your little rant from underneath the dock? Geez if you thought that of me why didn't you just say it to my face instead of insulting me when you thought I'd ran away?"
She stands there for a second waiting for an answer but when it doesn't come she shakes her head and scoffs.
"Ugh I'm done, I'm going back to the dorms. When the girls wake up tell'em where I am"
"Wait!" Raph lunges forward and grabs the sleeve of her coat as shes walking away "look I'm sorry, I'm an ass, I shouldn't of said anythin' "
He says apologetically, Leeanna's eyes widen a bit in surprise and so do mine.
"Uh.. n-no it's fine, I-I shouldn't have yelled at you in the first place" she says, looking only a bit like a more feminized version of herself because of the faint blush that now adorns her face.
"I um.. I'm goin ta bed.. Night.. I guess" I hear Raph say just before Leea snaps out of her blushing girly look and nods, clearing her throat as she starts to slip the jacket off her shoulders.
"Here you might want this back" she says, but Raph shakes his head and pulls the sleeve back over her shoulder.
"it gets cold here at night, ya goin to need it more then I will" Raph lingers a moment more before briskly walking away, as soon as he turns I see a bright red flush on his neck.
"huh" I say, blinking and crossing my arms, a thoughtful expression on my face as I take a step back, right into a rather hard chest.
I turn around to find Leo standing there, rather close to me actually. I laugh a bit from nerves as I automatically observe his position. He's not quite half a foot taller than me but I still have to look up at him, he's got one arm against the door frame and is looking out the same slit I was. He's slightly bent over me and I feel my heart start to beat like a frantic hummingbird has taken its place. He looks down at me once he's realized that I turned around and I look up into his onyx eyes.
"Are you okay? Your face is red, are you tired?" he asks, confusion lacing his features. I stutter a bit, I suddenly notice that my hands are pressed against his plastron and I frantically ask myself how they'd gotten there as he continues. "If you are then we'll end your training here for tonight and you can rest for tomorrow"
"O-okay" I respond simply, my brain trying rationalize this reaction to the turtle. Leo nods, giving me a tiny smile and opens the door, walking around and past me through it. Which leaves me with the only option left that will calm my nerves.
A distraction AKA a conversation.
I turn without looking at Lizzie and Mikey, where they sit beside each other just talking in the corner and go directly to where Leeann sits on the couch, stroking the puppy's head and looking like she might doze off I plop down next to her.
"Hey Leea! What happened in your training session?" I ask, desperately hoping she'll answer me. She jumps and flinches in pain, letting her head plop back against the top of the couch. unknowingly brandishing a new set of dark purple bruises settled over the upper part of her collarbone. She sighs, chuckling a bit.
"Training session? More like the vigilante mission from hell" She says with a slight laugh as she begins to explain.
~* 5 hours earlier, Leeann's POV *~
"You comin Doll? " Raph asks me without looking back, we'd just gotten off his motorcycle at a creepy looking warehouse. I'm still sitting on his bike the helmet that he forced me to wear still sitting awkwardly on my head, due to it being too large. I swing my leg over the side of the bike and stand, ignoring the soreness to my ribs as I reach up and pull the helmet off, glancing upwards at the darkened sky and the warehouse standing before us. Music and loud voices pouring from inside.
"Yeah Red I'm comin, by the way don't call me Doll" I say blandly, taking the situation and the bizarre training method. Trial by fire then huh? Works for me, I get to practice on something other than a punching bag.
"I'm goin round the back, you meet me there but go directly through and tell me what you see" Raph says, starting toward the door. I raise an eyebrow at him, highly suspicious of his methods all of a sudden.
"I don't mean to question your teaching methods but isn't that a bit dangerous? Won't someone notice I'm not like the rest?" I ask him as we near the door, he sighs and shakes his head.
"All the dopes in there're probably drunk off their asses by now so they ain't gonna notice a thing'less you make yerself noticeable, hmmm…" Raph's tone drops off as he admits this and he looks me over for a moment before jogging to the bike and back, holding a large leather jacket and throwing it to me. "Put that on an none o'those guys'll even know your there"
I nod a little bit and walk on, slipping the jacket on and pulling up the hood, the thought crossing my mind that the jacket reaching down almost to my knees might be a little noticeable but I bite my tongue on the words. I pause near the door, taking a deep breath and trying to get rid of the nagging in my gut that this isn't going to end well. I step forward resting a hand on the doorknob, ready to turn it when Raph grabs my arm, pulling me back a step. He stands there awkwardly for a second, that same look in his eyes from when he had carried me into the hospital adorning his gaze.
"Be careful, and try not to draw any attention."
"Okay Red, Uhm.. you.. can let go of me now" I respond, raising an eyebrow at him when he continues to grip my elbow gently. He lets go and I quickly pull it open as quietly as I can and step inside, my face completely hidden from view by the hood sewn into the jacket. "Holy cluster fuck... "
I immediately see about fifty Purple Dragons standing around and cheering enthusiastically at some kind of ring in the middle of the room. I shudder at the sounds of dogs snarling and attacking each other and know exactly what's going on.
I begin to make my way to the other side of the room like I was told, seeing the back door situated exactly across the room from the door I've just entered. I remember what Raph said and quickly start my way across the warehouse, taking in the details of the room along with the number of affiliates, sticking close to the walls and shoving my hands into my pockets. I stop though when I hear a pained yelp from a room to my right and can't help but investigate.
I walk toward an office like room and lean against the door frame to listen in on the conversation within.
"Hold the damn thing still you bozo!" A man who's obviously drunk off his ass shouts, I hear another yelp this one sharper and then the snarling bark of a puppy. I hear the same man shout in anger and something crashes inside.
I immediately side step to look through the crack in the slightly ajar door, seeing a rather small white and tan pit bull pup, running around the room with blood on the side of her head. One man with no hair is bent over, holding his hand and the other is chasing the poor pup with a bloody pair of scissors.
Again my mind puts two and two together and the animal lover in me gets pissed. I kick the door open with my unbooted foot and everything stops inside the room.
Both men look at me and the pup sees her chance to escape and does. Then I feel her jump up on the back of my legs, desperately trying to claw her way up my jeans. so I bend down and scoop her up, never lowering my glare from the two assholes now staring at me like I'm a ghost.
"Who the fuck are you?!" The man with a bleeding hand shouts at me, jarring me out of my angered silence. I flick him off and grab the door handle, slamming it shut quickly as I look around the crowded room to be sure I hadn't attracted the wrong kind of attention. The puppy whimpers and burrows into my chest, rubbing her paw against her bloody ear, getting the red on her paw as well. I slowly reach up and rub her head, careful of her ear and though she's hesitant she quickly presses against it.
I see that no one has taken their eyes off the fight so I go the extra mile and jam the door with one of the folding chairs sitting at the edges of the room. As I turn to go I hear the room's occupants pounding on the door and walk away as quickly as I can, feeling the rooms focus shifting as the pounding gets desperate. I feel confident with the drunken state of the crowd. I know that they haven't yet figured out what's going on as I finally finish the walk to other side of the warehouse. I pull the jacket sleeve down and wipe the blood off of her head a little.
I open the back door quietly and quickly shut it, Officially shaking from the scene I'd witnessed with the pup who's now decided to lift her muzzle and lick my chin briefly, snuggling against my chest once more. I freeze in my tracks, fear prickling my scalp as I smell the water and quickly realize we're on a harbor.
"Shit.." I say quietly to myself as I feel a large hand grab my arm, I turn and lift the opposite fist to deliver a punch but lower it once I see Raphael.
"So what did ya see?" he asks me impatiently, I start to explain the dog rings and the layout as I remove the jacket and hand it back to him. Careful not to drop the pup, his eyes darting directly to my cargo He smacks his forehead and runs his hand down his face in exasperation. "Dammit, I shoulda known ya'd do somethin stupid"
"Excuse me? They were cutting her ears off! You tryin to tell me I shouldn't have saved her? Like you wouldn't have? I've seen you with Joey" I ask, glaring angrily as I thrust the jacket at him and he catches it. Raph looks like he might say something but stops suddenly and smirks, leaning forward so his head is directly beside mine.
"Bird in a cage" he whispers quietly, as the door to the warehouse behind me bangs open. I look toward it and then turn back to Raph to find him gone.
"What in the fuck was that supposed to mean?" I whisper to myself as I turn back to the four Purple Dragons who're now circling me like sharks.
"I think it means you got somethin of ours sweetheart" The bald man from the room says to me as he steps up, getting uncomfortably close. He towers over me by at least a foot and a half and I quickly notice the bandage around his hand, stained red with blood from the puppies bite. His pals start to advance but I hold my ground and the pup starts to growl menacingly as they close the circle around me, I smile a little upon seeing the wound the pup gave him.
"She obviously doesn't think she belongs to you buster " I say, my tone cold. The bald man lifts his hand suddenly and cups the bottom of my chin, I try to jerk my face away but he tightens his grip.
"Who gives a shit, it's just a dumb pit" One of the other men says cutting off the ring leader. I hold the pup in one arm and knock the bald man's hand off my face as I turn and glare at him.
"I could say the same thing for you, 'cept that this pit is probably smarter then you'll ever be" I reply. I turn around and surprising them all as I shove through the group. I begin to walk away, thinking I might actually get away without having to fight. Then I feel a hand drop on my shoulder and whip around, bringing my free arm up and back hand the bald thug across the face with a resounding SMACK. "back off or this is gonna get uglier than you are already"
"Why you little bitch" He says chuckling as his friends step toward me again, I hear the telltale sounds of police sirens and see people start to stream out the door I'd just vacated. In seconds I spot Raph fighting in the fray trying to escape the oncoming police. He's trying to keep them here, get as many of them arrested as he can. I, having just been watching Raph, just barely dodge when the bald man swings at me.
I cradle the pup to my chest as I keep dodging, kicking one thug in the stomach as he comes at me from the side, thinking feverishly of a strategy to fight one handed.
I hear the roar of a motorcycle coming right up behind me and take a glance, seeing a hockey masked man stepping off an old beaten up Harley. only to be grabbed by baldy and yanked over to him by the front of my shirt as his friends bolt.
"Time ta bust some heads" the man on the cycle says as he swings off and chooses a baseball bat from a black bag attached to the side of his bike, his black hair falling just to his shoulders.
The pup wriggles in my arms and then jumps to the ground, running to hide behind a pile of nets. The bald guys hand moves from my shirt to my throat and I gasp as visions from the night we met the turtles flash in my sight.
"Alright you masked dope, drop it or her luck runs out" Baldy orders, even though I can tell he's just a bit nervous about the newcomer. The man in the hockey mask still advances but slower now that he sees the situation.
"Aw come on now Henry, that's pretty low even fa you, usin another gang member as a hostage" he looks me up and down and I just know that he's smirking behind that mask of his "'specially one who looks that good"
"Back off alright? I ain't here to get hit on, and I'm especially not here as an affiliate" I say, finally gaining back my composure and grabbing the Baldys, or henrys rather, hand from my throat and twisting it harshly not giving him any warning now that both of my hands are free. Hockey mask sees his opening and lunges, swinging his bat like a mad man and thwacking Henry upside the head with it, giving me just seconds to get out of the way.
I duck and weave, side stepping to give the guy a clearer opening and hit the rusted metal guard rail at the docks edge and am immediately reminded yet again of my inability to swim.
I take a step away from the rail, my ears picking up a prolonged yell that I suddenly realize is getting louder as well as closer and duck just in time to avoid getting my head bashed in by a bat. It bends the railing easily and I know that would have busted my head clean open.
"The hell was that asshole?! You tryin to kill me or something? "
"Ya really thought I'd believe ya when ya said ya weren't a Purple Dragon?" hockey mask laughs as he swings again and I just barely dodge, stepping back and hitting that rail once again. I see the rest of the Purple Dragons who'd surrounded me and blanch at the bloody mess they are.
The next time he swings I grab the bat and grit my teeth, my hand sore from catching it full power just inches from my temple. I catch a glimpse of Raph just as he looks at me and see him start to make his way over all the while fighting off the other thirty affiliates surrounding him.
"Why can't you pull your head out of your ass and believe me?! Not everyone's a bad guy!" I shout, thoroughly pissed now. The guy twists the bat out of my hand and shoves it against my collarbone, pushing me harder against the guard rail. I shove back against the bat, remembering it only take twenty pounds of pressure to break a human collarbone. ((Ahem, if I may, real quick Authors note: that's actually accurate! Cool huh? Learned that from my martial arts teacher! Anywho moving along)) I feel fear prickle my scalp again as I hear the waves hit the bottom of the dock and push against the bat desperately. I hear the guardrail creak under our combined weight.
"Cuz yer a criminal, granted a hot one even wit the bruises, but still a criminal!" He says cockily to me, I feel a groan fighting its way up as the adrenaline wears off and my ribs begin to protest again. the boot making my stance awkward as I start quickly losing this battle of strength.
"Listen to me very carefully, I'm not a gangster and we're both on the same side! I came here with him!" I say, trying to stay calm as I nod to where Raph is now fighting a familiar looking red haired man. I look down at where the pup is now snarling into the hockey man's jeans and tearing them apart quite effectively "Do you think if I were an affiliate I would have saved the puppy?"
At this the guys grip lets up just slightly and he looks me over, weighing his options before looking over his shoulder. He watches Raph kicking the snot out of some Purple Dragons, who obviously came to gang in on his fight with the Red Head. Raph glancing over at me every few seconds. I catch his eyes and nod to him to let him know I'm alright and he returns it, though he doesn't look like he's stalled his efforts to get to us.
"Guess you check out then chickee" the masked guy says as he takes the bat from my already bruising collarbone and steps back. He then extends his hand to shake mine and I reluctantly return the favor. "The names jones, Casey jones "
"Wish I could say it was pleasant meeting you" I raise an eyebrow at him and take back my hand. "The names Leea"
"Like as in the Star Wars chick with the buns?" he asks with a slightly annoying laugh, I glare my tolerance for his sudden shift from psychotic to jovial pissing me off.
"Noo, as in Leeanna shortened to a nickname jackass" I say slightly agitated, leaning down I detach the pup from his pants leg and scoop her up.
"That dogs a jinx, you know that right?" Casey says, flinching as he looks at her like she were a black cat with the number 13 on her collar.
"Oh? And whys that?" I ask as she licks my chin again and I scratch her under the chin, making her tongue loll to the side in contentment, Casey frowns.
"She's only got one ear, a dog with only one ear is bad luck, My cousin Darrel has an American Bully Pit with one ear and ever since he got him he's been in nothin but pain and accidents " he says as though everyone knows this, I frown a moment but then I smile sweetly.
"That's a good name for you isn't it sweetie? Jinx, do you like that?" I ask her and she adjusts herself so her paws are on my chest and she's practically sitting up on her own to lick my entire face in excitement. I realize that her tail is only a gnarled and bloodied stub and feel a stab of sympathy enter my heart as I remind myself to have Donny check her for infections
"Yer goin to have to do betta then that Raphael!" I hear an angry sounding man yell in anger, I look over to see Raph facing down four more Purple Dragon's and one massively muscled red head and put the puppy down immediately on the pile of nets she'd been hiding in earlier.
Casey's already over there and I'm on my way when I hear an enormous loud growl beneath the dock. I stop in my tracks and just seconds after it's like dynamite went off and a huge hole is created beside me, so close that it sends me into the water. I desperately grab onto an almost broken board and cling for dear life as more fighting and snarls fills my ears, along with what sounds like relieved greetings from Raphael.
I start to pull myself out of the water but my ribs scream when I try, pushing the rumors about the hundreds of sharks rumored to have integrated into the Hudson out of my mind as I whimper a little in fear.
"Don't you dare look down, Leea don't you dare look down" I think to myself but I find myself glancing down anyway to find myself hip deep in murky and blackened, freezing cold water. I listen to the fight and hear a new voice joining the mix but just as it sounds that 'Richard' is outnumbered I hear him tell his opponents that he'll be seeing them again soon. The sight and sounds of Purple Dragons running away and right past the hole almost deafening. Suddenly I hear two counts of "Oh no ya don't " and then the telltale sound of a collision somewhere.
"Geez! Will ya get offa me?!" I hear Casey shout, I hear footsteps on the dock.
"If ya hadn't of gotten in my way I could stopped Dick from escapin! Who the hell are ya anyway? Wayne Gretzky on steroids?" Raph shouts angrily, I hear a third set of foot falls much heavier than those of the two bickering vigilantes.
"The names Casey jones and you, Greeny, owe me an apology " Casey says with a cockyness that irritates the shit out of me, I roll my eyes.
"Greeny? How many brain cells did you put to work on that one smart ass " I think to myself,
"Greeny? Really? How long did it take ya ta think that one up wise guy?" Raph says his tone infinitely sarcastic, I gasp when something big brushes against my leg, my earlier thoughts on sharks rushing back full force.
"G-guys?" I say much quieter then I'd meant to, but they keep going like a pair of two year olds
"Aye! I could use some help here!" I shout as loud as I can with fear constricting my throat and my ribs burning with abandon from hanging on for so long. I shiver as I realize the waters now up to my waist. Franticly I look up at the board I'm clinging to only to realize that it's steadily breaking off from the dock and quickly look around for another lifeline. I see a rope tie from one of the boat hooks hanging off the bottom of the dock and reach for it, latching onto it just as the board breaks and I go under. I pull myself up above the water and cough up some that I swallowed in the process.
"Hush you two! I heard something" A somewhat gentler voice demands, I try to form words but coughing takes that ability from me.
I look up and to my left where the hole is, Planning on trying to get their attention and see the pup staring down at me, she's holding herself on the dock as the two knuckleheads start to argue again. She whimpers and watches me upside down, her sawed ear bleeding into the water and her healthy one dangling. I finally take a deep breath and reach toward her to push her back up on the dock and she disappears, then I hear her start barking like crazy.
"Ay mut will shut- hey where'd the hot chick go? " I hear Casey say, I roll my eyes in disgust.
"she's probably back by my bike, that stubborn little- s'goin ta be a bitch ta train her" I hear Raph rant angrily, I narrow my eyes my fear forgotten for the moment, I open my mouth to retort but suddenly I feel something smash into my leg hard, pinning it to the harbor wall and causing me to shout in pain.
"The literal fuck was that?!" I ask myself frantically, as I try to move my leg but whatever's there isn't budging.
"You son of a bitch if you'd stop fighting for two seconds you'd have realized that I'm underneath the damn dock!" I shout angrily, finally gaining the sense to use my other leg to kick whatever is pinning my leg off. After a moment of silence Casey's head appears in the hole with a flash light that he blatantly shines in my face.
"Oh! There ya are sweetheart! Thought you'd ditched us!" He says with a small wink, I scowl and turn my head away from the light, rolling my eyes in annoyance as he's suddenly yanked from the hole with a surprised shout, a huge scaled head replaces his.
"Miss, if you'd please take my hand I'd gladly pull you to safety" a proper and kind voice tells me as his head retreats and a scaled hand takes its place. gathering all the courage I can muster at this point I force myself to let go of the rope with my left hand and grab his, his hand easily dwarfs mine and I'm slowly and gently pulled directly below the hole.
Once there another scaled hand reaches out to me and I grab it, in one swift movement I'm lifted from the water and set down gently on the dock. I look up to find Casey staring at me weirdly as a less than happy looking Raphael kneels beside me, grabbing my arm which had apparently gotten cut in the explosion and inspecting it. I thank the giant alligator man and Raphael, then looking back at Casey who's still staring awkwardly.
"What?! What could possibly be so interesting about me that you just have to stare?!" I snap at him in irritation as the pup comes over to me and climbs up into my lap, moving so she rests her head on my chest and falls asleep. I stand up with Raphs help and he glares at Casey.
"Stop starin at her chest man" Raph says, his tone deadly serious as he settles his jacket around my shoulders again, helping me put it on and zip it. I look from Casey to Raph and back at Casey, finally realizing what Casey must have been staring at.
"Why you son of a- " I start to say through gritted teeth, raising my hand to slap him. He jumps back and would have fallen into the hole if the alligator guy hasn't been there to stop his descent though personally I might have just let him fall in.
"No that ain't it! You just look familiar now that I'm gettin a good look at ya is all " he says, still staring but looking more like he were trying to place me this time.
"Yeah right" Raph mumbles with a chuckle, Casey turns and glares at him.
"What was that freak? I didn't quite hear ya with all ya ugly in my face" he says snarkily, I groan as Raph walks right up to him and they immediately start to argue again. I feel the pup nuzzle my neck and smile.
"She seems to enjoy your company" the kind voice from before says to me I turn to my left and find the 7'8 alligator standing there, reaching over gently to pet her head and instead having Jinx turn and start enthusiastically licking his clawed finger.
"Yeah I guess she does" I reach up and pet her unmarred ear, the gator looks down at me curiously as I stare at the hole.
"If I may ask, why did you not simply swim to safety?" he asks me, I shrug a bit and sigh.
"I never learned how" I laugh a little bit and he nods, looking a little bit surprised. Before he can ask more I continue with a question of my own "I never caught your name"
"My name is Leatherhead, yet Raph and the others have taken to addressing me as LH" he says with a no doubt unintentionally intimidating smile as he reaches out to shake my hand.
"Mines Leeanna but everyone just calls me Lee, Leea, or Leeann" I say, shaking his hand with a smile, he treats me as though I were glass. although I don't usually like being treated like some easily killable flower I think that he does it with good reason.
"Well Leeanna, might I then ask how you came to be beneath the dock." LH asks me, a curious glint in his yellow eyes I blink, having come to the conclusion that he'd been the one to break the dock. I open my mouth to explain but shut it when Casey starts to yell obscenely loud.
"You wanna fight freak?! Friday, Central Park! Lets see who comes out on top then" he snarls angrily, I roll my eyes with an annoyed sigh, closing them and pinching the bridge of my nose as I hear a shove and then the sounds people rolling around and cursing at each other.
"Shall we?" I ask LH, my tone holding a slightly fake positive note, I open my eyes and LH chuckles.
"Please Leeann, allow me" he responds with a courtly bow, walking over to the brawling men and, grabbing them both by the collar, easily pulls them apart and holds them off the ground. I walk over as he sets them down and situate myself between them, thinking it might clear their heads if they had something between them to focus on. Casey though stands there and seethes, looking right over my head and completely ignoring me as he charges forward toward Raph.
I put a hand on Casey's chest when he lunges forward, pushing me roughly into Raphs chest so hard that the turtle has to grab my shoulders to keep me from falling over. Surprise taking over both Raphs and my features by how angry he is.
"Jeez calm down Jones.." I say, he looks down at me and then at Raph.
"Yea whateva toots, you know where I'll be Friday night if ya want ta settle this" he glares at Raph but then he smirks at me, giving me another once over "that goes for you too babe, After I take him out I might just take you out t-"
"Don't get sleazy" I admonish calmly as I slap him upside the head, I turn toward the building and head toward the bike. "you comin Raph?"
"I'm comin" I hear Raph say behind me, I don't turn around but I wave to LH.
"Hope to see you again LH, I can actually say it was pleasant meeting you" I say as Jinx shifts inside the jacket to get comfortable.
I get to the bike a second before Raph does and get on, putting one arm around her and leaving one free to hold onto Raph, Who gets on the bike in front of me without a word, handing me the helmet.
I put it on and hold Jinx securely to my chest as I put my arm around Raphs waist, Chills riding up my spine as the bike roars to life and he grabs my hand forcing it to tighten around his sweatshirt before the bike lurches forward.
I smile despite myself, enjoying the ride as we get on the main roads. Raph looks over his shoulder suddenly and smirks, I laugh a bit and he turns back around and starts to weave rapidly between cars, I gasp and tighten my grip as we narrowly miss a semi. I feel Raph laugh and even though I'm already thinking about what I'm going to say about him leaving me on my own against four Purple Dragon's and a hockey masked lunatic I have to laugh with him.
When we finally pull into the garage and he parks the motorcycle. he gets off and turns to face me as I swing my booted leg over the bike and cross it over my uninjured leg using only momentum. I'm about to open my mouth to start my interrogation but he beats me to the punch.
"Why didn't ya fight him?" Raph asks me bluntly, I shift my hold on Jinx and tilt my head at him a little in confusion.
"Who Casey?" He nods a little and I continue "We were on the same side, I didn't see a reason too" I look at him with a curious yet off put expression
"Speakin of, here's a better question, are you going to Central Park on Friday night?"
"Yea and you ain't comin doll I ain't takin the chance that he'll go crazy and try ta fight you too. ya saw what he did ta those Purple Dragon's, how he bowled ya over ta get to me" he says his arms crossed over his chest, he points at me as he speaks and I roll my eyes but he surprises me by suddenly grabbing my arm and helping up off the bike.
I turn my head and blush a bit at the gentlemanly treatment, I can't help but wonder from my experience with men built like Raph how someone so bulky can even be gentle at all.
I walk over to the tool box in the corner and pull out the first aid kit I'd noticed before, walking over to the workbench and pulling a swivel chair over to me. I sit and open the jacket, lowering a sleeping Jinx carefully onto the table.
I smile and stroke her white and tan fur as I open the kit and take out the gauze, bandages and peroxide. Jinxs eyes flutter open and she stretches on the table before looking up at me and then at the peroxide in my hand. In response she stands, walks closer to me and lays down again, leaning heavily against me.
"Its not him I'm worried about Red," I grab the peroxide and pet Jinxes head as I pour a small bit on her mangled ear and begin to clean it "by the way while we're on the topic of Purple Dragon's, why did you leave me alone with four of them to run off and do whatever? "
" I said the code w- is that the dog from earlier? " he asks, interrupting himself as he grabs a stool and brings it over to the table, sitting and watching me as I lay the gauze on her ear and apply the bandage.
"Nooo, I thought she was a cat! You saw her when I came out of the warehouse remember?" I say sarcastically, earning a scoff from Raph as I continue "Some assholes in the warehouse were trying to crop her ears for fighting"
"Does NYU allow pets?" Raph asks, his tone straight forward as though he didn't even need to ask if I were keeping her or not. I sigh as I tie off the bandage.
"I'm gonna keep her at the dorms as long as I can as soon as it's safe to go back " I inform him as Jinx looks up and licks my chin.
"What'll happen if they find her?" He asks me, out of the corner of my eye I see him lean against the workbench, still sitting on the stool.
"They'll give me a warning along with two days to find her a suitable home, if found in the dormitory after that they will expel me" I say reciting a line from the rule book I was given that I'd read out of boredom.
"What are you goin ta do for the days when ya at class" Raph asks, I shrug.
"I could probably ask Brigit to take care of her on those days" I say, scooping Jinx into my arms and turning to face Raph in the chair. Who I only now realize is only a few inches away from me, our knees colliding when I swivel to face him. I let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding and laugh just slightly, he just sits there and stares at me. I find myself unable to look away from his amber eyes until finally he clears his throat and turns the stool away from me, standing up and walking toward the elevator.
"So you said the dog is a her, how do you know that?" He asks me curiously and I give him a 'are you kidding me' look. "Yea Yea, stupid question, how ya ribs doin?"
"Okay I guess" I answer a little unsure of why he asked "Oh! Hey! You never answered my question, what exactly was the plan when you used me as Purple Dragon bait?"
"Don't start okay? I told ya the code words, it ain't my fault ya didn't hear'em" he says hitting the button to the elevator, I stand and walk over to him as the doors open and step into it.
"Not your fault? I heard them! I just I didn't know you had a code word or sentence or whatever for that situation before you left me there, so yeah it is a bit your fault" I say, chuckling in disbelief at his noncommital attitude.
"Well excuse me for improvising a little" he says his tone louder still as the elevator lowers itself.
"A little? I'd say a freakin lot Raph! That could have ended really badly for me and you know it!" I say, my voice rising as I glare at him.
"Hey! Be happy I even took ya wit me doll! Next time I won't " he shouts at me, I grit my teeth and try to take a calming breathe but fail miserably.
"I'm just saying that next time you dig up a plan to use me as bait or a distraction or whichever the hell it is, don't leave me out of it!" I say louder then I intended to as the doors open.
~* Brigit's p.o.v end of flashback *~
"Oh wow " I say, my eyes a bit wide after everything, I stand and go directly over to where I know they keep bowls and then go to the bag of dog food I brought from my apartment this morning. Joey hears the bag and comes running, he stops when he sees Jinx but decides that food is more important and bounds over to where I stand in the kitchen, nosing the bowl that Mikey had put out for him this morning but I nudge him out of the way. "Not for you Joe"
"Yeah, for the first time in my life all I want to do is just sleep for the next few days" she says from the couch as I bring over the bowl, the puppy on her lap looks up at me and then to the bowl and wags her stub quickly back and forth in excitement. She obviously wants to jump down and come get it but looks from Leea to Joey and settles in closer to the girl. I set the bowl down on the couch for her and she immediately inches forward and begins to eat, oblivious to Joey as he gently sniffs her from where he sits next to the couch, careful not to scare her.
"Then why don't you?" I ask her, laughing a bit as I watch her head go back against the couch and her eyes close.
"Cause I've got to watch Jinx and change her gauze every hour or so" she says quietly, I smile in a mother hen kind of way and pick bowl and puppy up off the couch and put both on the floor. Joey's nose following the puppy who now notices he's there and shirks away with a yelp only to be nudged by joeys muzzle comfortingly back toward the bowl. As if encouraging her to finish eating.
"I'll do that, you go ahead and get some sleep, isn't that what the doctor said just before big, bald, and ugly interrupted? 24 hours bed rest?" I tell her, pushing her over so that she kind of falls on her side on the couch, She nods but then shakes her head.
"Yeah that's what he said but I can't let you stay up with her, you weren't the one that brought her here in the first place" she says with a yawn, trying to push herself back up again but winces. I shove a hand against her shoulder to keep her down and grab a pillow from the arm chair, shoving it under her head.
"I don't care, you need to rest and I'm sure Donnie would agree" I say, she starts to protest but I grab the blanket from the top of the couch and lay it over her gently. She sighs a bit and her eyes drift closed, she mumbles another protest but then swiftly falls asleep. I straighten and smile a bit, Joey watching the puppy as she finishes eating. the larger dog laying down in between the coffee table and couch. The little pit bull looks from me to Joey curiously then sidles up close to the much bigger dog and licks his face before climbing onto his back and jumping up onto the couch, she wriggles beneath the blanket and I watch as her head pops out next to Leea's and she snuggles in and falls asleep.
I smile and walk over to the arm chair, I settle into it and prepare to wait an hour so I can change Jinx's bandages. All the while thinking about what I'd seen of Leea and Raphs exchange and her explanation of the events of tonight.
I think back to when Raph apologized, remembering how Leo and everyone else said that Raph never apologizes to anyone and never backs down from an argument. now that I think of it that's pretty much Leea's MO when it comes to a fight too.
"So why did you both apologize to each other?" I ask myself quietly, Joey comes to sit beside me, resting his head on my knees. I stroke his ear gently as I also realize what else was bothering me about Leea's explanation of tonight's events but I figure it can wait until the morning.