BTY Chapter 8
~* Leea's Pov 8:05 pm* ~
I pace around the garage waiting for Raph to come and meet me. I'd taken off the medical boot to test my ankle this morning and found it easily walkable. I'd even done a round of punches into Raph's bag and found that even with the bouncing movements of my stances I can still box.
Brigit had left the lair with me to drop by her apartment and the dorm to get clothes and I now wear a white tank top and black skinny jeans.
"What're ya pacing for doll?" I jump practically out of my skin and whip around to face Raph and his now amused expression "jeez why ya all tensed up?"
"Cause I've got a creepy feeling that says something bads going to happen" I tell him after smacking him upside the head, cringing internally at the superstitious nonsense I just divulged.
"What the- what was that for?!" Raph asks me after I've smacked him, I glare at him.
"For every time you've called me doll that I've missed" I say innocently through my glare, I grab his helmet from the bike and hand it to him. I'm holding the jacket he let me use Tuesday night and hold it out to him. "You might want this"
"Nah you wear it, looks betta on you anyway" he says as he walks over to a cardboard box next to the tool box. Raph pulls an old and battered trench coat out and try's it on with a nostalgic smile. "Used to wear this thing when I was fifteen years old, back when we first met April"
"Not that I don't enjoy watching you go all soft and nostalgic just so I can blackmail you later but don't we have a hockey masked maniac to get to?" I ask him with wry smile to let him know I'm kidding about the blackmail. He turns to me and sighs, rolling his eyes as he puts on the motorcycle helmet, suddenly he notices my unbooted foot.
"Hey weren't ya wearin a boot?" he asks curiously, I shrug, reaching up to touch the braided bun to make sure its secure.
"I took it off this morning and it feels fine even after bein chased around the sewers by Liz for an hour yesterday" I tell him light toned, Raph waves it off and wakes over to the motorcycle, swinging is leg over the side and motioning for me to get on behind. I try to ignore the thrill of going on another ride and walk over, mimicking his movements. I shrug the jacket on and put my arms around Raphs waist to hold on.
"Ya ready doll?" he asks me as he kick starts the bike, I smack him upside the head as best I can with him wearing the helmet again and find myself grateful that he can't see my smile.
"Damn right, lets go! By the way don't call me doll" I shout to him, he doesn't wait for my answer before peeling out of the garage, nearly going into a wheelie on the way out. I laugh and hold onto him a bit tighter. I feel the slightly to big helmet shift and reach up to fix it.
Suddenly I hear a loud screech behind us and after checking the side mirror Raph's arm shoots back and grabs the side of my shirt, pulling me against his shell roughly.
As he pulls forward into the intersection and swerves to the side, I put my arms around his waist and hold on tightly, having no clue what's going on.
"Don't let go of me!" he shouts back at me, I nod and forget he can't see me.
"What's going on?" I shout up to him, he shakes his head and tells another motorcycle that swerves around us, quite nearly hitting us, to fuck off as he goes after it. Raph slips between cars and follows the man with the duffel bag strapped to his back all the way into Central Park, all of a sudden it hits me.
It's Casey.
"That son of a bitch!" I shout in surprise and anger as we roll to a stop just outside of a clearing where Casey's already parked. Raph is off the bike and already storming toward Casey before I can even move. when I can though I pull myself off the bike and go after Raph, getting in between the two hotheads who've again started to stare each other down, yet again I find myself smushed as I try to push them apart.
"Whoa hey Wai-"
"You a moron or something? Ya coulda killed us!" Raph growls reaching past me and shoving the black haired man back as he continues to ignore me.
"You ready to fight me freak?" Casey shouts, not even acknowledging me. I see him pull something from behind him as I try again to get his attention and see a pair of short bats.
"Raph watch-" I start to warn him but Casey swings one of them with me still between them at Raphs head and the turtle catches it, looking at it and them at him. "Out.."
Raph nudges me out of the way as he turns the bat in his hand to read it.
"A Jose Canseco bat? tell me, you didn't pay money for this" he says mockingly as he pulls me behind him, Casey swings the other one and hits Raph hard in the shoulder.
"Two fer one sale pal" Casey says cheekily, shrugging his shoulders a bit as Raph stumbles. Casey goes to get another hit in but I jump between them again and start trying to calm Casey down.
"Look from what I saw last time you seem like a good person, we're all on the same side here" I say calmly as Raph picks himself back up and seethes a few steps behind me. Casey looks down at me and glares a snarl escaping him as he rips off his mask.
"This ain't your fight doll, go back to the Lair so I can teach this guy a lesson. you tried settlin things nicely now it's my turn ta do what I do best" Raph tells me, I turn to give Raph a look pleading for just one minute more. I turn back to Casey who looks like he might just pop a blood vessel only for him to try barrelling through me to get to Raph. I try to stop him, and steady myself basing my stance to weigh myself down with my hands on his chest.
"Teach me a lesson? That's it ya freak I've had it with you!" Casey shouts in a rage, shoving me hard enough to the side that I fall on my ass on his way to storming Raph
I catch Raph snarl something along the lines of calling Casey a fuckin prick then hear a resounding thud and within milliseconds Raph and Casey are grappling on the ground.
I wince as I lay there, my ribs protesting at the rough treatment than before, still just a tad bit sore. I groan and sit up as the pain fades, seeing a green and pale blur rolling around on the grass of the clearing, the light from the lamps the only thing making them visible. I frown at the sudden inability to see properly and notice that the light from the street is blocked out more than it was by the trees surrounding us. I'm up to a crouch when I first notice the first black blurs moving in and out of the trees.
"Uh Red?" I mock whisper to them, so the people circling us won't hear. The two brawlers don't stop, only keep slugging each other and calling each other names. I push myself to my feet and walk over to the brawling men. I grab Reds trench coat collar but before I can pull him off they turn so violently that they pull me down with them.
I'm underneath them both when I finally lose my patience, lifting my fingers to my lips I give my shrillest whistle yet.
"Raph! Casey! We got company!" I shout as loud as I can with two full grown men on top of each other and on top of me.
They stop suddenly and look around at the now rapidly approaching black clothed circle of people.
All but one wear a mask, and the one that isn't wearing one is the woman that Raph notices first, growling one word loudly as he pins Casey with his fist still poised to strike even though I'm still pinned beneath them both.
"Karai"
"Foot ninja, attack!" she commands, her voice soft and pleasant as she gives the mob her order, I quickly wriggle out from beneath the boys as the ninja swoop down on us and the fight begins.
After about ten minutes of nonstop ninja I reach into my pocket and take out my phone. I know immediately that we need back up and I hit the emergency call button. Brigit picks up after two rings.
"Leea? Where'd you go? Dinners gonna b-" she starts to ask before I interrupt her with a yell as a foot ninja comes sailing through the air aiming a kick at my head, needless to say I duck.
"Back up! We need it! Leo, Don, and Mikey need to get their asses to Central Park now!" I shout into the phone, not really noticing how panicked I sound. I've never gone up against this many people before and it's messing with my head.
Hanging up and putting the phone into my pocket as I dodge another fist and roundhouse kick another ninja in the stomach. I look around to find Raph and Casey back to back as if they'd fought together forever, glaring as I question why they couldn't have just done that before.
~ * Brigit's pov * ~
Leeann hangs up and for a moment my I'm stunned but I snap out of it and clamber out of the quest room to the railing, gripping it with white knuckles. I don't stop to wonder what she'd meant by 'we' instead, I just decide to get everyone's attention.
"Earth to all mutant turtles! We have to get to Central Park now!" I shout loud enough that Leo and April come out of the kitchen, Don from the lab and Mikey and Liza from the dojo. I run to the stairs and take them two at a time. Leo walks up to meet me and catches me when I trip myself up four steps from the bottom.
"Whoa Brigit, what's wrong? Why do we need to go to Central Park?" he asks me, he's clearly confused. I tear myself from his grip and go to the elevator as I explain. "Lee just called me freaking out, she's in a fight and practically screamed at me that they need back up"
I watch as the guys features straighten into seriousness, Leo grabs my shoulder calmly and directs me toward the couch but I pull myself from his grip.
"No! Don't even tell me I can't go with to help! She called me for help and that's exactly what I'm going to do! Do you realize how much it takes to freak Lee out?! Do you realize what it takes for her to ask us and you guys to risk ourselves? That's like the chances of Raph begging for you to come save him!" I ask him knowing that's what he was going to say, he stops and processes what I've said then nods.
"Lets go, all of us " he says with a look to Liza and the rest.
~ * Leea's pov ten minutes later * ~
I groan when for the second time a fist catches my face by surprise. I lash out angrily and hit him square in the temple, knocking him unconscious instantly and feeling a zing of pride at the one shot knock out.
"You doin okay doll?" Raph shouts to me for the fifth time, I roll my eyes as I roundhouse one black clothed man into another.
"For the last time stop callin me doll! I'm just fine!" I shout back at him, my gentrified accent seeping into my voice as I do. Him and Casey have been fighting side by side like they were born to and I can't help but wonder why they couldn't have fought together before so none of this might have happened.
"Are you sure you are fine?" a haughty Japanese male voice asks behind me, I whirl around just in time to duck from an incoming sword.
"Yep, pretty sure? Are you?" I ask the man in black, he yells some sort of battle cry and lunges at me sword first. I dodge to the side and grab his wrist as it goes by, digging my nails into the pressure point there.
He drops the sword but grabs my shirt in his other hand pulling me over his shoulder and flipping me onto my back on the ground, the air knocked out of me, I try desperately to breathe through sore ribs and asthma. I should have brought my inhaler..
The man quickly straddles me and pins my hands above my head with one hand and holding some kind of object with a sharp tip to my throat with the other.
"I believe you should rethink your current status" he says cockily, I try to buck him off but he's sitting on my legs so I can't move them to regain any leverage. As he lifts the weapon above my heart I feel it respond by thudding frantically. I try harder to pull one of my hands out of his grip and just as he's about to plunge the thing into my chest he's pulled off as if he weighs nothing.
I only have to wonder for a few seconds before I see Donnie standing over me, a hand stretched out to help me up. I take the offer and he pulls me up quickly to my feet.
"Are you okay?" he asks gesturing to my neck, I frown but then touch the spot where the weapon had been and pull my hand back, just a little blood there.
"Yeah I'm fine, took you guys long enough though! Did y'all stop for pizza!" I ask him, he rolls his eyes tossing a small object into my hands as I wheeze. I imediately recognize the inhaler and nod gratefully, taking a puff.
"No, just couldn't get through traffic fast enough with the van " he says with a shrug as another guy comes at us, Don jabs him in the stomach with his Bo and the guy falls. To my right I hear something about a split kick and multiple overly relieved requests to see it again from Raph.
I look around and find that everyone but Sensei and obviously Owen's here. Mikey and Liza are fighting together and Leo and Brigit are to. As April takes on a group of her own and Don leaves me to go fight with her.
After a moment of silence and no one coming after me. I wonder why they've suddenly decided to leave me alone but then I hear a rustle of leaves behind me and whirl around.
Right in time to receive a left hook to the jaw from the woman I saw earlier. I'm surprised by how hard this girl can hit and I don't have a chance to do anything but block and dodge because then she goes into an all-out flurry of moves that I can't barely keep up with.
~ * Brigit's pov * ~
"You doing okay over there?!" Leo yells to me, I kick another man in the back of the head. Somehow during the fight more people wielding pipes and other assorted items with dragon tattoos managed to join to the fray, we've taken down the majority of both but we're still outnumbered.
"I'm okay!" I shout back, cringing apologetically as the man falls. Leo turns from the four ninja he's fighting and points at me with his katana.
"Don't feel bad kicking these guys butts they aim to kill and if you give them the gift mercy they'll take advantage" he shouts to me and turns back to face his four, I hear him excitedly tell them to bring it on, then taking care of them in a pinch when they do.
A couple feet away I see Raphs friend as he realizes we've come to join them. He looks around his gaze lingering on Lizzie, Leeanna, me, and April. A hand put dramatically on his chest as he rafiki punches some guy in the nose.
"Ooo!, who are all the babes?" he asks, I see him look at Lizzie and Mikey glare at him. I smirk happily at the protective display as he flips, kicks someone in the face effortlessly and lands blocking the guy's view of Lizzie.
'I so called it!' I think to myself, a hand drops on my shoulder and I grab it, twisting and flipping the man over me.
When he lands I take off his black mask and see he's nothing more than a boy and let go.
The kid stares up at me with bright blue eyes and sandy blonde hair that barely reaches to his ears and eyebrows.
"Why would you..." the kid asks, not moving at all. I smile at him.
"Little kids shouldn't be fighting" I say pleasantly, I extend my hand to him and he grasps it as I help him to his feet.
"But.. We were sent here as back up by Hun for Karai to sedate you and take you and your friends to Master Shredder, why would you not kill me when you had the chance?" he asks me, I can't help but be reminded of my little brothers when he tilts his head in confusion. My heart speeds up when he says sedate.
"Sedate? With what?" I ask franticly, thinking of Lizzie and Leeanna. He reaches into his belt and takes out a syringe full of a silvery white liquid and I recognize it as a standard anesthetic. "Well shit, Leea's not going to like that at all"
"Who's Leea?" the boy asks just before he goes rigid and his eyes roll up into his head, he falls forward and I catch him. Leo's standing behind him looking like he has no emotion whatsoever.
"What the hell was that?" I ask him frustrated, glaring at Leo, I lower the boy to the ground and put his mask back on, and making sure he's still breathing first.
"Don't take pity on these guys, they'll take your mercy and stab you in the back with it" he says solemnly as he goes off to fight some more. I look around and see Liz fighting a behemoth of a man and Leeann just barely matching a woman in all black at the edge of the clearing. I immediately start fighting through the mob to get to Liz, knowing Leea can manage.
~ * Liza's Pov Moments before* ~
I hit another man in the pressure points Mikey had shown me. Somehow we've gotten separated and now I'm facing down one of the biggest men I've ever seen in my life.
I gulp when he charges at me like a bull and I jump out of the way, he misses completely and looks around for me.
By that I know he isn't the brightest crayon in the box and he turns around running at me again, but this time he grabs my shirt as it passes him and lifts me off my feet.
I start to kick and punch at him but he grabs my wind pipe and cuts off all noise I might have made to get someone's attention.
I glance to my right and see Leea fighting some Japanese chick and I try harder to get her attention but just then I'm slammed back first into a tree as his hand tightens more. I dig the nails of one hand into his elbows pressure point and the nails of my other hand into the tree just because that's what I happened to grab.
I glance at Leeann just as she looks at me and see her turn from her fight. She starts toward us but the chick whips an arm around her neck and holds her back just as I feel my head going numb and my lungs burning.
I feel a prick at my neck and struggle more as I realize he's injecting me with something, it's starts out as an ach spreading all around my body till I don't know if I can take it but then my whole of it goes numb.
I lash out with my semi limp hand and catch his mask, pulling it off his face. He's got to be about 35, with tears in my eyes from the lack of oxygen I notice from his expression that he looks almost sorry that he's choking me but I don't have time enough to examine my theory before I pass out.
~ * Leea's Pov 3 minutes earlier * ~
"My father requests the presence of you and your friends, will you come willingly?" Karai asks me sweetly as she continues to keep me on my toes. I grit my teeth in frustration, I feel my heat of my glare as I continue to watch her. My braid long having fallen out of the bun and swinging around me wildly, I just hope she won't pull a cat fight move for it. "You know I originally came here to procure Raphael and the masked vigilante but imagine my delight to see two out of the seven objects of interest for my father and now that you've been so kind as to bring the others I thought I would thank you personally, you could say that because of you I'll be killing two birds with one stone... Literally "
I watch her movements, creating a road map in my head of her fighting style. I get more and more pissy by the second at her mention of killing Raph and threatening the others. I look around and find that the others have already pretty much taken out her whole squad with a satisfied smirk.
"Tell your daddy I said to fuck off" I tell her once I find her rhythm, I duck under her fist at the critical moment, shouting angrily as I send an uppercut into her in the jaw. Her head snaps back and I twist, sending her a hard back kick to the ribs. She falls back on her ass and stares up at me in shock.
"What? Can't take a hit sweetie?" I ask her, intentionally trying to piss her off because of the whole sneak attack thing. She glares at me and flips back onto her feet.
"I can take a hit, the question is can your friends?" she says, pointing somewhere to our left, I look and see Liza backed up into a tree and held there by the throat by a man twice her size, she's looking at me, she's terrified.
My eyes widen and I start to take off in her direction when a slender arm goes around my neck and tightens till I can't breathe, I grit my teeth once again.
I'm determined not be near suffocated twice, so I pretend to let myself drop as though I've passed out after a moment and she lets me fall with a dark laugh, but then I sweep her legs out from under her.
I don't wait to see if she stops herself from falling, I take off in Liza's direction and unwind the manriki Raph had made me bring tonight, twirling it above my head, unleashing it to wind around the bigger man's neck.
I pull him off of her and surprise him enough that he drops Liza, who must've have passed out already. I dodge around the man as he tries to wrench the chain from his neck and I drop down beside Liza, my fingers going to her throat and wrist. The pulse is still going strong and I smile in relief, that is until my hand on her throat comes back with the barest amount of blood on it.
Then I hear the sound of metal breaking and turn, only not fast enough. The man from before grabs me fully by the face and slams me onto the ground. My legs bending so awkwardly backwards that I think if he puts any more pressure on me my knees will snap.
"You seem to like pain little girl, taking on the shredders daughter like that" he says to me, I can tell by his tone he's not too smart. His hand covers my mouth along with my right eye and keeps me from spitting in his face as I'd like to.
I thrash to get my legs free and try for a kick but he catches my ankle. I try digging my nails into his hand and nothing happens.
I'm pushed further into the grass as he straddles my hips, breathing through my nose as I try again to buck and get him off of me. I feel panic setting in as memories flash in front of my eyes of both the first night we were here and other times. Once I realize it's useless I start shouting into his hand, only muffled curses coming out. I renew my efforts to kick out as he takes some kind of syringe with a huge needle from his belt and holds it up.
My heart rate quickens to a deafening pace as I kick harder, still holding onto my face. I look and see the manriki chain just a few feet away and reach for it.
"Master Shredder said to sedate you, don't move okay? I might hurt you if you move" he says gently, I start swearin into his hand as he brings the syringe close to my neck. I forget the chain and grab the hand with the syringe and struggle more, tears in my eyes as my terror of needles start to really sink in.
I push his hand away with everything I have but I know I can't hold him for long. I beat my foot against the ground as hard as I can trying to make as much noise as possible to draw attention.
I don't feel the tears spill over and go down my cheeks as suddenly the needle and the man plunges forward and hits my neck, sliding in partially before the man's torn away from me. As he lets go I slowly sit up, my eyes wide and the needle still in my neck. I see a silhouette in front of me with a slight band of blue around his head and know it's Leo but I don't pay him any attention.
I grab the syringe and pull it out against the frantic orders of the turtle before me, shaking as I do. I feel oddly calm as I stare at the thing in my hands, but as I realize the red on my hands is blood my head goes light and my sight blurs drastically. I drop the needle shakily and only when someone grabs my hands and forces them to stop moving do I realize just how out of control they were.
"Lee? Sweetie take deep breathes, you aren't getting enough air like that" I hear Brigit's voice and try to focus but my whole world turns upside down. Brigit let's go of my hands and grabs my face, wiping something off my cheeks. I realize I must be crying and then that the short sobs I'm hearing are my own. All of a sudden the sounds of fighting are gone and everyone's around us, Mikey by Liza, and Don going from me to her.
Leo drops down by Brigit and looks at me in concern then looks down at my lap and gingerly picks up the syringe I'm staring at, taking it away from my view. Brigit tries to coach me in how to breathe but I can barely hear her voice at all now.
Raph is suddenly there and Casey too. The red banded turtle kneels for a moment and says something I can't hear. then he's picking me up and carrying me somewhere. I jump when his voice shines through clear as day.
"Leea? I want you to count down from ten, can ya do that fer me?" he says calmly, I find myself clinging to him still crying, suddenly I smell something familiar and calm down a little ,letting the scent sooth my raw nerves.
I start to take larger breathes as we stop and he climbs into a large hippie like van. He sits on the floor of the van, his legs dangling out the back hatch but doesn't let go of me, his arms tighten around me in his lap and I start to relax muscles I hadn't even known I had.
"Leea, count with me okay?" he asks nicely, we start to count together now, me shakily and him shockingly calm.
10...I nod slightly and feel my breathing begin to return to normal
9..., I hear my crying stop completely,
8... My shaking slows and crawls to a stop, looking up at Raph as I calm down.
7... My heart starts to slows, the aching I feel in it from hyperventilating gone
6... I loosen my left hand around Raphs coat and try to move my stiff fingers to loosen them.
5... I relax the arm that's around his neck and have the sense to wonder how it got there
4.. I remember Liza and gasp, trying to get up but Raph doesn't let go.
"Finish counting, Liz's fine" he orders firmly, I nod, for the first time trusting him fully.
3... I reach up to touch my neck to see if the pain I still feel there will hurt more but Raph grabs my hand and stops me, holding it longer than he needs to.
2... I look up at him again right when he looks down at me. I realize how close we are just as I hear the others start to approach
1... Raph's eyes and expression change from bright, calm and concerned to Stoney, cold and inscrutable in a matter of seconds.
He sets me down in the back of the van as if he's only now realized something that I didn't and leaves me there as Brigit and the others come out of the trees.
Brigit walks over to the van and pulls herself up to sit next to me as I recognize the scent on Raph as sage.
"You okay?" she asks, hugging me gently. I nod silently, not trusting my voice as I hear a couple of motorcycles start and watch as Raph and Casey drive past us and into the road.
Mikey climbs into the van holding Liza in his arms. He looks really really worried and I try to stand to go over to them both because, well, I am too but Don grabs my wrist and shakes his head as he climbs in and gets me into a seat.
"You just came out of shock you need to sit and drink water, stay here" he orders, throwing a water bottle from a compartment under the seat to me and gesturing to April and Brigit to make sure I do as he goes to examine Liza, whose still passed out in Mikey's arms. Leo comes in and gives something to Don.
"This is what they used, all of its still there, get it tested to see what we're dealing with please" he says making his order sound more like a request. Don nods and I see the syringe in his hand, my stomach turns and I look quickly away as April starts to clean the blood from my neck and collarbone.
I close my eyes and hold my expression in firm seriousness, in other words my poker face.
I can't help but wonder what made Raph leave like that. I can't help but think that maybe he didn't want to be seen like that with me. I'd felt so safe when he was holding onto me, like nothing could go.. wrong…
"What are you thinking! He's not interested, why would he be?" I laugh at myself, trying to keep the scowl off my face. Then wonder why the thought of him not being interested bothered me so much. I feel my stomach harden and I take a deep breath.
I hear the doors close and a moment later everyone's seated and the van lurches forward, heading back to the lair.
~ * Raph's Pov three hours later * ~
"Why the fuck does she get to me?!" I yell at myself in my thoughts, I couldn't believe I'd been about to make that mistake. I'm lucky everyone else came to the van when they did or I would've made a fool of myself.
Casey and I had stopped about an hour and a half ago and talked things out. I couldn't believe what he'd thought.
~^ flashback twenty minutes ago ^~
"Ya ain't bad for a hothead Jones" I tell as the conversation gravitates from beer to fighting styles to the fight itself. He laughs.
"Neitha are you Green! Aye you think Lanie'll be alright? She wasn't lookin to hot when we was leavin" Casey asks curiously, I shrug chugging the last of my beer.
"Er.. Her names Leea an' if I know Don I know he'll have her fixed up and ready to go in no time, 'sides she seems like a tough enough chick " I tell him, nudging him with my elbow. Casey nods with an agreed 'meh' and cracks open another beer, after taking a long draught he looks over at me as though he just remembered something he wanted to talk about.
"So, how long've ya been with short an' stacked anyway?" Casey asks me as we drink our beers at the harbor, I nearly spit out what I had in my mouth when his comment sinks in.
"Never, she ain't my woman" I tell him matter of factly, now it's Casey's turn to look shocked.
"How long have you known'er?" he asks me, I shrug.
"About a week or so now, why?" I ask him, getting a little irritated by his shock, his jaw drops.
"And you haven't tried ta-" I clap a hand over his mouth before he can say somethin he'll regret.
"I ain't tried anythin with her, in case ya didn't notice I'm a 6'0 talking Turtle ya nut case" I say to him as I let go of his face, I feel my curiosity get ahold of me and keep talking. "Why'd ya think she was wit' me?"
"Well from the way ya acted with her and how she acted with you, just thought you were togetha" he says with a shrug, I blink in surprise.
"Wait how she acts with me? How do I act with her?" I'm thoroughly curious now, I set my beer down on the harbor and watch Casey.
"Well, she seems ta trust ya and ya fight like an old married couple, sides she don't act like she just tolerates ya like most women. she seems ta actually enjoy the company even if she don't wanna admit it" Casey says with a laugh, I roll my eyes and sigh. He elbows me in the ribs with a little smirk. "an' you were pretty worried ova her in the fight and were the one to carry her away so I just assumed"
"Well I don't think it's anythin, someone that good can't like someone this damned so I'm sure she'll stay clear, she's smart like that" I say my tone going dark. Casey looks at me, looking a little concerned but I stand up and walk to my bike "It's late I got to go home, I'll see ya around okay?"
"Kay talk to ya later Raph" he says back to me, chugging the last of his beer before I've even cleared the area.
~^ end of flashback ^~
I'm pulling into the garage as I shake the memory of our conversation, the beer in my system screwing with my balance as I step off and stumble to the elevator. As it lowers itself down to the lair I think about the moment when me and Leea had been in the back of van.
When I looked down at her she'd looked so sad, her face was wet from cryin and her eyes looked really bright, the blue standing out against the green. I'd wanted to do anything I could to make her smile... And it scared me, thinking that for a second she'd climbed my walls and made me show any emotion, let alone somethin like that!
So I left her sitting there, bleeding and probably still in shock in that van and took off to go drink with a guy I barely knew. who, not even four hours ago, I had been about to beat the shit out of.
I grit my teeth and before I can stop myself I punch the elevator wall as hard as I can. I look at my knuckle and see it bleeding but I don't feel the pain from it.
The doors slide open and I stumble in, the lights are all off except for the lab and the kitchen. I hear Leo, Mikey, Don and Master Splinter talking in the kitchen but when I look into the lab. I see Liza still asleep on one cot with Brigit sitting next to it, holding her hand and Leea sitting on the other with Owen on her lap.
Aprils tending to Liza and I can't help but smile when Owen squeals in laughter at something Lee must have done as he yanks the hair out of her head with both hands.
"Are you kidding? Look at the result from tonight Donatello" I hear Leo say unreasonably loud from the kitchen. I look back at Leeann briefly and see her look over to the door, a flash of curiosity passes in her eyes and she mouths 'what's going on' but I look away quickly and ignore her question as I walk over to the kitchen door, leaning against the frame.
The occupants of the kitchen either have their backs to me or they just don't notice me there. Don and Leo are staring at each other in that calm sensible way that tells everyone that they're trying to be reasonable but are still pissed.
"I think it would be a great help to have the girls go on patrol with us," Don says point blank, I think about it and I have to agree with him. I can see Leo doesn't like this idea one bit though by the stubborn look on his face.
"But they obviously can't hold their own against the Foot and the Purple Dragons. Both groups now know what they look like if they didn't know already besides they'll just get in the way like they did tonight" Leo says trying and failing to sound realistic. I'm surprised by how angry he seems by the idea of the girls joining us on patrol.
Master Splinter acknowledges me with a small and almost imperceptible nod which I return. Mikey's looking between the two and frowns at Leo's statement.
"The girls held their own just fine for their first official fight Leo, they did better than we did our first time out, besides they weren't exactly in the way. In fact I remember once or twice when I was Liz's way" Mikey reminds us, I raise an eyebrow when Leo's jaw clenches a little bit as if he were just trying to convince instead of knowing his position was the right one.
"Also statistically speaking if the girls hadn't have been there I doubt we would have made it out of that clearing alive" Don says, frowning at Leo's odd behavior.
"No Mike they didn't handle themselves better than we did, Elizabeth came home unconscious and Leea went into shock along with being affected by god knows what other problem she had where she just froze and let that guy almost drug her too. they're hardly ready for patrol, besides we could have handled ourselves just fine without them there" Leo says all this as though it's their fault that it happened, I feel myself start to glare slightly and Master Splinter shakes his head at me, again in a way that my brothers don't see. Then it hits me, he's examining Leo's behavior.
That's when I notice the sweat on my older brother's forehead and the clenched fists. Leo's pissed and usually it's only me that can get him that way but something about this must have got him going. This is when Mikey gives me the shock of my life by standing up from where he'd been sitting as neutral party, banging his chair back and openly glaring at Leo.
"Don't you dare say that like it's their fault because it's not, they did do better than we expected them too. I mean for god's sake Liza got choked and sedated Leo! Imagine if you had someone twice your size was squeezing the air from your lungs? And hell even you would freak if you had a syringe stuck halfway into your neck, and you're not even afraid of them, Leea is! As for what else happened there I'm not sure! But I know it isn't something you should be blaming her for. I'm not at all surprised that she went into shock" Mikey says all this in one angry and stressed out breath and my eyes widen at his tone, in fact everyone's do.
It's silent for a second but Leo's the one to break it, and when he does he manages piss me off even more.
"Actually Michelangelo it is their fault for not being able to prevent it from happening. If they can't prevent themselves from being overpowered or have underlying issues that keep them from focusing on the fight than they aren't ready for Patrol, and that's the end of it" Leo says, turning to leave the kitchen and seeing me for the first time. Mikes about to say something but I cut him off by raising a hand to curtly stop his words.
"Why are ya so hellbent on makin the girls out ta be bad fighters? Ya know, one would think you'd be happy to have the extra man power for patrol but no your standin here sayin that they're injuries are their fault. " I take a step forward and Leo glares at me, I continue in a voice that's just above a loud whisper "As for the Purple Dragons knowing them they could wear disguises, they could help us on recon missions cause god knows we stick out like a green thumb, and ya know what mista high and mighty? I seem ta remember seein Leea take on Karai and holdin her own while Liz and Brigit were kickin some major ass so why are ya sayin they ain't ready when it's obvious that they are? "
I leave off with a question, I look at him expectantly not backing down. The two of us are inches from each other now, his eyes levelish with mine as Leo glares at me, his onyx eyes staring right into my amber ones.
"You don't understand Raphael-" Leo starts to say something but again I cut him off.
"I think I understand completely, ya scared too lead more than us four into a fight so ya makin every excuse in da book ta keep them from coming with us on patrol " I say with a slightly angry smirk "By the way don't full name me Leonardo, cause in case ya haven't been payin attention the last twenty one years, my name don't scare me no more and neitha do you"
"You know what Raph? I'm not surprised that you aren't scared of me but don't forget that when it comes down to it I'm the leader of this team, not you!" Leo says, his tone low and angry. Master Splinter stands and cuts me off with a look just as I'm about to give Leo a piece of my mind.
"I have made my decision, the Ladies will accompany you on patrol. We cannot deny them the chance to learn more of what's happening to them by asking questions in places you cannot enter, they will be disguised of course but my decision has been made" Master Splinter says with a nod that all but Leo return.
"But Sensei they're hardly trained like we are, they don't stand a chanc-" Leo begins but Master Splinter cuts him off the same way he did me.
"That is why from now on you will teach them offensive techniques along with finding them a weapon of their own to use, I fear with the Foot now wanting to obtain our guests that they will need all of the protection they can get, But do not forget Leonardo that my decisions in this family are in fact final" Splinter says with a tense look to his shoulders, again we all nod. Even Leo does, but as soon as Sensei leaves Leo storms out of the kitchen and up the stairs, I hear his door click gently shut.
"I don't understand, why was Leo so angry about us suggesting the girls join us" Don says with that 'I've got to figure this out' look on his face. I sigh and shrug, stepping out of the kitchen just as Mikey runs to the lab shouting a 'Hey guess what?!' As he goes in only to be ordered to hush by multiple women and Donatello from the kitchen, who then facepalms as Owens tired laughter can be heard.
I head for the stairs and up, pausing for a minute to glance down at the lairs first floor. We've come so far with our training through the twenty one years we've survived, and now to have disciples of our own just seems surreal. Let alone ones that, for the most part, already have a knack for what they're being taught.
I shake my head and go to my room, remembering when I'd gone through a sleeping in a hammock phase when I was seventeen and chuckling a bit. I walk into my room and lay down, falling asleep almost instantaneously.
~ * Leo's Pov * ~
"How can father even consider letting them go on patrol with us? It's too dangerous for April let alone for three women that have only been training for six days?" I rant in my head, I can't believe how angry I am but besides being angry I'm also worried, Raph was right.
I'm scared that if I lead them out on patrol they won't come back in one piece. I do have to admit that they are pretty good fighters for beginners even though I told my brothers they weren't ready.
Mostly I'm worried for them, I can't exactly put my finger on why but I decide that I'm going to split up the team when we go patrol. That way they will have the best shot at protecting each other when it's needed.
I stop myself, who should I team up with who though? I think of the faults and strengths of each team member and frown.
It only makes sense for me to pair up the girls with their teachers but for some reason I find myself dreading being paired with an angry Brigit, I can't help but shudder at the memory of her last glare after I knocked out the kid that attacked her.
No, I decide to pair her with Mikey because where she lacks in speed he has in spades while her strategic thinking will help Mikey focus as well.
I already know who I'm putting with Raph, Liza's apprehension to attack will be challenged by Raph and she'll probably want to prove herself while, again she'll force Raph to think of a plan before jumping into a fight if only because his protective nature will kick in with someone that's so much like Mikey.
Finally I decide to pair up with Leeann since god knows she's just a miniature feminine version of Raph, although she's more strategic than him I know for certain that she'd jump into a fight and get herself in trouble just as easily as he would. I also want to be sure that she can be trusted. It's the perfect chance to test her being that she does have a connection to the people threatening Brigit and Liz.
Don and April don't need to be split up because they've always been the more cautious pair on this team and haven't really had any problems, they fight like a well-oiled machine.
I sigh and settle down in my bed, having sorted that out helps me to drift off to sleep.