The eight quickly and quietly made their escape away from the girl's apartment. Jade looked behind her to make sure they weren't being followed. She reached out, searching the thoughts of the Foot in their apartment. They were messing up their apartment to scare them, teach them a lesson. She shook her head, facing down as she watched her feet as she walked. Leonardo kept a firm hand on the small of her back, guiding her towards a manhole close by.
"What about all our stuff? Our CDs, clothing, books! My books!" Fiona gasped looking towards her older sister as her eyes swelled with tears. Jade smiled out of the corner of her mouth and step away from Leo's hand placing her own firm hand on her sister's back.
"They weren't taking our stuff Fe. Just looking for us. We'll go back there in a couple hours and get our stuff. Find a hotel for the night." Jade said towards her sister's who all nodded in agreement.
"No." Leo said crossing his arms.
"No? What do you mean no?"
"You're not getting a hotel Jade. They'll find you."
"He's right, if you use a credit card it's very easy to track you." Donnie added.
"They're tracking us now?" Jacqueline said with a look of denial.
"Donnie's right, if they know where we live they're most likely tracking us in other means by our credit cards, social security, cell phones…um.." Lexine started. Jade stopped dead in her tracks as her face turned white with fear.
"Mom…" She said in almost a whisper. "Have the Foot ever left New York?" She said turning back towards Leo. He hesitated at first and she rushed over to him gripping his biceps. He narrowed his eyes at her as she shook him. "Have they?!"
"Not that I know of." He said grabbing her arms to release her grip. She did with a sigh.
"Why would that matter?" Donnie asked.
"Our mother. She lives in Boston still. He wouldn't go to the lengths of capturing her to get to us?" She question in a worry look towards Leo.
"Who wouldn't?" Raphael asked stepping closer to her.
"The Foot's Master."
"The Shredder?" The turtles said slowly.
"The what now?" Jacqueline said in an amused expression.
"The Shredder. He's this like eight foot creep with pointy things coming off his lame cape that he thinks is all Darth Vader-esk and it totally isn't! Darth Vader would own the Shredder!"
"Focus Mikey." Donnie said shoving his younger brother.
"Oh yeah…Sorry bro. Anyways!..." Donnie rolled his eyes.
"Anyways, he's been trying to kill us for some time now. He was supposable dead, thanks to Leo." Donnie said with a smile towards his eldest brother. "But for some reason, he just doesn't want to stay dead."
"Creepy…" Fiona and Lexine said in unison.
"In more than one sense of the word yes. Extremely creepy." Donnie added.
"So, they're after you because of your powers?" Leo asked Jade how stood listening to all this hugging her arms close to her body.
"Yes. I would rather die for them than see them get turned into some science experiment for this Shredder." She said looking solemnly towards her sisters. Leo understood completely nodding his head. He'd do everything and more for his brothers. Die over and over again for them if he had the chance, without a question. She turned, brushing Leo's arm and turning him closer to her. "Really Leo, its too much trouble for us to stay with you, you have a big enough family already without having us around. We'll be fine."
"I insist." He said as his eyes looked into hers. She felt safe and secure in his eye sight, like nothing was going to happen. She felt herself smiling and stopped immediately.
"Well, thanks." She said walking away from him back towards his sisters.
"Well, we're not going to get them off your tail if we keep standing around up here." Donnie said breaking the silence. Leo nodded and opened his arm for Jade to go first as they walked.
"Found one dudes!" Mikey yelled from an alleyway.
"Good job Mikey." Leo said rubbing his head. "C'mon, it's down here."
"A sewer?" Lexine asked disgusted.
"Yeah. It's not that bad, really."
"Ha, yeah…Well, we don't usually go into sewers." Fiona said in a nervous laugh.
"Fuck that." Jacqueline said looking into the hole and backing away. "I'll take my chances with the Foot."
"Afraid to get a little wet?" Raph whispered harshly in her ear as he nudged her shoulder as he pasted her. She growled under her breath igniting her finger. Jade licked her two fingers and put it out rolling her eyes.
"It doesn't seem so bad. C'mon don't be buncha girls." Jade smirked dropping down into the darkness of the sewer. Leo dropped down in next a little closer to her body than he expected. She fell forward a bit, but he grabbed her around the waist to keep her balanced. She turned and looked at him as he smiled shyly at her, removing his hands.
"That first steps a doosey." He joked trying to make the situation less awkward. She smiled with a light chuckle. That ripple making goose bumps along her skin as his hands left her. God, what the hell is that? She said in her head irritated at her body's reaction. This reaction, this feeling she got from him even when she was in his head searching his thoughts, whenever their eyes made contact she felt like something more than just a strong connection of powers. It felt different, and made her feel uneasy.
Raphael jumped down next looking up the manhole at Jacqueline who still had no intent to jump down.
"C'mon, it's not bad. Don't be sucha baby." He said to her. She growled and jumped down making an exaggerated slash trying to get him wet. He moved out of the way spraying her sister with cold sewer water. Jade turned around towards her sister that looked back at her with wide eyes and mouth agape.
"Jade, I didn't...That was supposed…" Before she could finish Jade narrowed her eyes controlling the water around her, splashing her sister back. Raphael chuckled and Jade shot her gaze towards him, who instantly stopped.
Mikey was next to drop down, catching Fiona. She smiled as his arms fit perfectly around her waist. Mikey blushed as she walked away from her and Leo nudge his shoulder. Mikey shrugged and walked away with a happy strut. Donnie and Lexine were next as Lexine insisted he carry her. Her shoes were new and she wasn't going to get them dirty. Jade rolled her eyes at her girly possession consumed sister.
"You're sucha priss Lexi." Jade said rolling her eyes.
"Am not!" She said as Donnie held her in his arms. "Don doesn't mind, do you?" Donnie smiled and shook his head.
"No, you barely weigh anything."
"Haha, I wouldn't go that far Donnie." Jacqueline said trying to wipe the grime and sewer off her shirt the best she could as they walked. Raphael couldn't help but chuckle as she got frustrated with the stains on her baby blue shirt. "This is never going to come out." She said under her breath.
"Yes it will! Gezz, you two and you're clothing. I got stuff on my pants, shoes and shirt and I haven't complained once." Jade said shaking her head in disappointment at her sisters.
"Yeah really!" Fiona added.
"Shut up Fiona. Lexine said.
"You shut up." She shot back.
"Oh, good come back Einstein you think of that all by…"
"Girls!" Jade said shooting a glare over at her feuding sisters. She turned her head back in front of her with a sigh. "Twins."
After a few moments of walking Leonardo stopped in front of Jade and put a hand up for the others to do the same. Jade looked at him in question as he started to speak.
"No one besides me and my brother's know the location of our home. This is for safety reasons. So, if you don't mind can you all close your eyes? We'll guide you until you can open them again."
"Are you kiddin' me?" Jacqueline said crossing her arms.
"Just do it Jackie." Jade said closing her eyes and putting her hand out for Leo. Leo smiled as he took it. He guided her hand to rest on his shoulder at he walked ahead of her. He felt a shiver up his spin as her soft skin touched his.
Jacqueline and the other's did the same. Raphael put her in front, putting his hands on her shoulder directing her in the right way. Mikey did the same but keeping Fiona a little closer to his body than Raph did with Jacqueline.
"Should I be trustin' you right now?" She asked over her shoulder.
"Depends." Raph said in a small hint of mischief.
"Depends on what?" She said as she tripped over a pipe. He grabbed her with one arm, hooking his arm around her body pulling her back into his plastron. She put her hand on his that clenched the fabric on her stomach. She took a breath, sliding her hand off his. "Wanna be careful there big guy! I'm fragile!" She said pushing herself off him, keeping her eyes closed. He chuckled.
"Fragile? Yeah…I bet."
"Hey Raph." Jade said over her shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"You know what it feels like to touch a hot stove?"
"No…what kinda question…" Just as Jade asked him, Raph threw his hand from Jacqueline's shoulders as her body heat raised in temperature. "Ow!"
"I tired to warn you." Jade said with a grin knowing her sister was doing the same.