Nirvana
AN: The second chapter, as I promised. Since I didn't fully update the "newer AN" in the last chapter here's the rest of it. Thanks to Scribe of Turesa, Eskimo-Otter, and Jet for giving this story its current reviews.
"I'm sorry," Jezebelle whispered, watching Leo wrap his right hand down a few inches past the wrist. He'd put small Band-Aids and Neosporin on the claw marks she'd left behind. "I really am." his brown eyes were so transfixed on the lining up and wrapping of the bandage over the area of the wrist that she didn't think he'd look at her. Cautiously Jezebelle nodded her head into Leo's bandaged arm, waiting for a response. It always made her feel uneasy when someone didn't answer her right away, and this wasn't helping.
Knowing she caused those marks, albeit inadvertently, she wanted a sign to know he was okay. It would ease her guilt. "Leo?" Jezebelle tried weakly, the bandage making a sharp ripping sound as he tore it with his teeth. She flinched at the noise. "Are you mad at me? I…it was an accident. I didn't mean to." at last he sighed and her heart dipped down back into her chest instead of clogging up her throat.
"I'm fine." that very well could be a lie, she knew. Jezebelle had watched them all, despite how short of a stay she'd had, and knew he could be very stoic when need be. It was like a safety mechanism for him; he trained to protect his family, and lost his emotions to be a war general for his brothers. He was their eldest, the leader-in-training, and handled this situation like it was nothing—just a scratch—because if he panicked the little brothers might squirm with discomfort. The hardness of his face came from more than just age; he looked like he had literally trained himself into a warrior status and maintained the physique she saw now for the mental security of his own self and the safety of his little brothers.
He may only be twenty, may be a turtle, but he was a man. She briefly wondered what things he'd seen, what things he'd done, being the eldest and a mutant; being the biggest walking secret ever. "Well if it'll ease your face how 'bout a 'thank you' instead?" for the first time since they'd returned home his expression wasn't focused so much on thought, and wasn't so dark and hard. It was curious, light, even a touch amused. "You looked like you were going to bite me when I tried to apologize," Jezebelle explained, "so I figured I'd try a different route." his eye ridges were still high, indicating he was unsure.
"Thank you." Leo's head shot up cautiously. Sure April had hugged him but this hug was different. Back then, with April, he was a teen that didn't care about hormones—he had a friend, someone other than family!—but now he was…he was different. Grown. And the person hugging him wasn't a human; the person hugging him was a mutant woman that had been through things he couldn't even begin to imagine, but a mutant woman nonetheless.
Giving birth, for one, was something Leo was glad he'd never be able to experience, but she had already done it. Whether it was willingly or unwillingly he wouldn't know…not until she was ready to talk about it, anyways. She'd been completely changed from human to cat, and he found it amazing she didn't die in the process! Her body was warm and he eased his neck down into a natural position, feeling the buzz of her purr tickle his plastron. It was a comforting feeling, almost like holding Klunk to his chest; seemed like cats and their purrs could melt problems away, or at least temporarily cause them to disappear.
"You saved my life, and I'm thankful. I have a new start now…I've had one since you rescued me. I can't let this flashback crap scare me into not living. I'm alive, Leo, I'm alive!" she smiled. Leo gave her a soft smile, and put his bitten, scratched hand to her shoulder affectionately.
"It's not in me not to help anyone that needs it." Leonardo explained, giving her shoulder a small squeeze. She smiled.
"Well, thank you." Jezebelle kissed his cheek. Her heart thundered as she did so. It'd been so long since she was on the outside…with people who would be nice to her and protect her. Was that too fast? Was she somehow warped and sick with her affection, too giving? She didn't think so, but in the back of her mind something came out of the haze…a book, it looked like a book…maybe she'd read something about traumatic people that attach fast or something.
Regardless of what caused the fear in her she thought Leo deserved the kiss. Jezebelle didn't feel that she was wrong either; she had to be out of her teens by now, she knew that much, so she shouldn't feel so bashful. She was an adult…or probably was…really close to it anyways. Gently padding out of the room Leo just stared, the thoughts he dared not say to her circulating in his head again as she laid down near her child. Her child, Orion, was sleeping peacefully after a small sedation from Donnie; none of them knew why but the little cub went absolutely berserk at Maeleyn and Mikey's presence.
This mildly concerned the eldest, and Donatello, and confirmed what he was thinking. The cub didn't have such feral reactions for him, Splinter, Donatello, or Raphael. Just those two…almost like he was targeting them. Jezebelle was cuddled up next to her cub after changing her position, the two sleeping side-by-side on the couch. Her child was tucked into her breasts, paws extended out, lying flat on his stomach.
Something was wrong, that was obvious. A child missing and separate from her roughly two days doesn't just "get away", to Leonardo it smelled like a somewhat-effective baiting. It felt like a trap. After all, if she had been thrown in the river why wasn't he? And how did Orion mysteriously end up in the line of their roof jumping?
None of the events that had suddenly turned the hysterical mother's emotions and life on her head added up logically. They did add up to something bad though, and Leo knew it all too well. If it seemed unusual, it was a trap, if it was too convenient, it was a trap, and if it finally gave you the sense of vanquished evil or final peace, it was a trap. But how could he tell her? The mutant mother's face was tucked just so, barely resting at the side of the little one's face, and it had a soft, big smile on it.
He hadn't seen her smile like that since she'd gotten here, and was pretty sure she hadn't smiled like that for at least a year. It was nearing one in the morning and the eldest decided to hang up his katanas and get to bed. Practice would start in roughly five hours. "Bed, Donnie," Mikey was already rubbing his eyes and turning off the main TV; a small, welcome hush fell over the underground home in nearly an instant since the TV had been turned off. Don's turn; the genius pouted but Leo crossed his arms over his plastron, leaning crookedly on his little brother's doorframe to watch various menus pop up as the genius saved his work and powered down his beloved machine.
Maeleyn had already convinced—to politely put it, Leo never liked to remember she practiced blatant, playful seduction on his little brother—Raph to go to bed, knowing Leo would come after him, too, if not willing to turn in for what was technically the new morning. The leader made one last stop, checking the two sleeping mutants on the couch. His stomach wiggled oddly at the sight of the unmoving cub; Leo couldn't even see an indication of breathing from the cub but maybe the fur obscured the general raising and lowering of the body. That or Jezebelle did, the mother still wrapped tightly around her escaped child. He flushed lightly at the sight of her; the cub made the curvature of what breast amount she had in that form very apparent due to how he laid, and just how close Jezebelle snuggled him. Leo felt almost guilty for looking.
Almost. He was twenty years old, why should breasts bother him? Leo was beginning to damn his mind for picking out positive, attractive qualities about the guest—such as her mutant status, the fact that she was a woman (a mature woman), her amusing purrs and cat mannerisms—because women shouldn't be the forefront of his mind. Sure it happens because he's a guy but his mind should really be focusing on trying to predict what these hiding enemies were planning. There was little doubt in him releasing the missing Orion was an enemy ploy to distract her, or coax her out in the open where the job could be finished.
If she died he'd failed, and his word would go unfulfilled as he did not protect her to the best of his ability. Leonardo had been the eldest for too long, the protector, to let someone—her, an untrained, vulnerable female—walk blindly into a trap. The blanket whispered as he unfurled it and gently placed it over the two; Orion didn't move, but Jezebelle readjusted herself into the back of the couch. Her yellow eyes blinked once, sleepily, and stared up at him. "Goodnight Leo," Jezebelle yawned, snuggling her head into the spot between the arm and the back of the couch, tucking her right hand around Orion.
"Goodnight Jezebelle." the cub failed to stir, even at his voice. This disturbed him, too, because no such 'hard sleep' sounds came from him. He was actually silent, deadly silent. Everyone made sleeping sounds, Leo knew, even Splinter! He started towards his room, gently pushing the door open to hang his katanas on the hooks adorning his wall; these hooks were a mere two inches from the ink painting Splinter had made him to note passing from the genin rank to the chunin level.
Leo sighed, relaxing into his sheets. His brain couldn't seem to shut off. Why hadn't Orion moved or tried to bite him, even looked at him when he put the blanket over him? There should've been some reaction. He thought hard over this until three in the morning when his sleep-starved body simply gave up so he could rest.
Leonardo, for the first time in a long time, was late for breakfast. Donatello was up sipping his first pot of coffee, looking at his eldest brother's empty seat. For the moment it was only him that appeared to be up; Raphael was still snuggled up to Maeleyn, Mikey was snoring with the door open, and Jezebelle and Orion were stretched out on the couch. Despite his technological achievements Don felt accomplished being able to say he was up first this morning. He grinned lightly, sipping his coffee with more satisfaction.
About ten minutes later Leonardo stumbled in. Donatello could tell by the darker discoloration under his eyes that he hadn't slept well and the genius had an inkling as to why. Now it was just the two of them—Donatello made sure to check that Jezebelle and the cub were still sleeping—so maybe he could swap suspicions with the strategist, the watcher. "I noticed something weird yesterday," started Don nonchalantly, sliding his half-empty coffee cup across the kitchen table. Leonardo yawned and attempted to straighten up, to look awake, leaning forward on his elbows to listen.
"Enlighten me." Leo mumbled in his sleep-deep voice.
"When I sedated Orion yesterday to save Maeleyn and Mikey some tip-toeing the needle didn't go all the way in. I lowered the plunger for show." his elder brother immediately straightened and opened his brown eyes wide despite their puffy, almost bloodshot-looking nature.
"What?" was he serious? But what would cause the needle to be unable to penetrate? "Are tiger skins not as easy to penetrate?" Leo asked curiously. On the logical side, the one he wanted to stay on, the combination of skin and fur could impede the needle from entering.
"If he was bigger, maybe, and if I had picked a different spot, maybe, but injections aren't impossible. I'm telling you something stopped me. Something hard." Don explained. Leo felt his heart drop. What he had been thinking was right! Something was wrong with Orion. "And if my thinking is correct we could be in trouble…big trouble, Leo."
"So what am I supposed to tell her Don? I don't think 'we suspect your son to be something other than normal and feel that the family is at risk, can you leave?' is a good thing for her to hear!"
"Talk to Splinter about it if you must but I'm telling you, if I'm correct you're going to have to make a choice real fast about family or…or her." Leonardo knew he wasn't going to call her 'animal' or 'mutant' that would be too ignorant for him (especially with him being a mutant) but he looked like he was going to say something else. That's why he substituted 'her' instead. What Don had said alarmed him though; usually Donnie was never such an extremist. This could only mean, Leo thought, Don had found something bad. Something that could harm the family.
"Hey," Mikey yawned, walking into the kitchen, "where's mama kitty and the terrible tiger?" Leo felt himself begin to panic, like an instinct. She shouldn't be out, his brain screamed, something's happening! Something's wrong with her child! and what had she done? Isolated herself with that child, or just moved into a different room because something had woken her up. Leo prayed it was the latter. True turtle luck! he thought as a growl escaped him, Don just gets done confirming his suspicions and she goes off.
He stopped short of the dojo as Mikey and Donnie checked the other rooms. It was his fault, wasn't it? "Stupid!" though he wanted to hit himself but he slammed his fists sideways into the dojo wall just before the door. Splinter slid the door open, sensing some sort of discomfort; around the same time he questioned Leonardo Michelangelo jumped down from the second floor, the clothes Jezebelle had worn draped over his arm.
"Bad news bro," Mikey warned. "She's not in the second story and definitely not on the ground floor and wherever she went she didn't take her clothes." he offered out his arm as proof. Leonardo's warm brown eyes hardened as they swept over the purple hat, white robe, and gloves. Didn't she know it was freezing out there, that she had to stay alive to protect her child? Then again…maybe she just needed to stay alive for her; Don was suspecting the son to be something abnormal like he was.
Maeleyn came out seconds later. "Mikey said he's looking for Jezebelle. What's wrong, where is she? What did you do?" her questions ran together and Leo was only able to distinguish that she was blaming him, poking into his plastron with her finger impatiently. He couldn't believe her, the audacity!
"Me?" cried Leo incredulously, "what did I do?" if anything he was the one that looked out for her! Maeleyn was back their playing nympho to his brother!
"You try to keep everyone in line, and to your morals! You fight with Raph; you nag Mikey for being too silly, and dictate Don's computer hours! Who's to say you didn't just nay-say her out of the lair?"
"I do those things because they're my brothers and despite conflicts I look out for them! You'd know that if you got your face off Raph's—"
"Leonardo!" Splinter walked into the living room and for a moment the two were hushed, "go in the dojo and we will talk." normally he would fear the tone and emphasis he'd just invoked from his father but not now. He was on high alert, but why? Maybe this is what Raph felt like last year when they fought the Shredder in his stronghold, sliding through the door to save everything that mattered to him—his mate. But it couldn't be the same thing because he didn't love her…well; he hadn't known her enough to love her. "I'm going," he promised his father after the look lovingly steeled.
"Guys get on the TV, on the computer, do something. She needs to be found."
"Rodger!" Mikey saluted, flopping onto the nearest couch cushion and reaching for the remote. "Gross," he turned the remote over. "Hey dudes, we got blood. One of 'em was bleeding."
"Oh great…" Leo growled.
"Come," Splinter persuaded, "we will talk while your brothers use other means of searching."
"Yes, sensei."
She carefully ascended the rooftops, noting the weather was significantly warmer than last night, even if a small chilly breeze persisted. Jezebelle winced, finally standing on her two back feet like a human—her swollen right wrist couldn't take the walking pressure anymore! The oozing blood had ebbed to a few droplets that beaded up past the wound when she wouldn't pay attention, and she absently licked the puncture wound as she scanned the rooftop. If memory served her right she'd seen a small shack-like structure that could hold the two of them for the time being. Four roofs over she found the shack she was looking for; it was much bigger than the cage back in Misellus Corp by far, but smaller than what humans would want to live in by far.
"C'mon honey. Mommy found a place to rest." the shack had an old-fashioned lock, she analyzed it; it could probably be picked with her claws. Jezebelle let the claw on the first finger push past her fur and stuck it experimentally into the round center of the lock. A few minutes of jiggling and listening to the metallic scrape on the inside and she was in. The shack smelled of must, clothes, and faintly of flowers; boxes marked 'Stevenson' were pushed up near the top right corner nearest the door, and about four were there, a horribly neon green rug with a tape label of 'Anderson' lie in the dead center of the three foot by six foot shack. It seemed like this shack was full of things people didn't want or had left behind, and someone had put them in here in case they wanted their items back.
Jezebelle thanked whoever was up there watching over her. She could use these things. Immediately she began to fish through the four boxes that belonged to these alleged 'Stevenson' people and found clothes to spread out on the concrete floor to trap warmth; it would take the hard bite of chill away some. Orion began to knead the bright rug, purring as he half-rolled into the socks and stretched out shirts Jezebelle had aligned to hide the concrete floor. For the moment he was pacified; Jezebelle took to rooting through the four boxes (two of which were clothes, one was a bed set, and the other had unclaimed, small furniture and accessories like disassembled lamps or silverware) to find clothes for the two of them to wear.
Idiotically she had left what clothes Michelangelo had given her, and now she was starting to regret it. Those clothes were more than just fabric; they were a kind act, they were someone—for the first time in nearly two years—that cared. And they smelled like their house; a place that was warm and safe, out of human reach. Clothes too large to fit them were used to blanket the floor, so rooting through the boxes wasn't too hard; Jezebelle ended up finding an off-the-shoulder gray top with black lace trim and a bit of extra lace wrapping around the short sleeves. It was a nice fit, and she'd found long-legged black pants with a belt to keep her warm.
A small polo could fit Orion, and she draped it over the box to keep from losing it. Jezebelle curled up next to her son, who was flapping a sock between his hands and nibbling on the toe part. She was starting to miss the feeling of having other people—males, harmless friends—around. It felt just like being in the cage again. Cold, alone with her child, trapped by smells that made her sick. And what would she do for food? she hadn't even thought about that…
Maybe her leave was premature but when she heard them talking about her son she had to leave! The way they spoke it sounded like they were going to do something to him, and she wasn't about to let people manhandle her son, not twice. Not when she could physically do something about it this time! "I love you baby," Jezebelle nibbled his flicking ear and he gave a musical 'mreep' at the touch, rolling over to stare at her with perfectly golden eyes. "And I'm not going to let anyone hurt you."
He drifted to sleep two hours later, and Jezebelle used her teeth to rip off the cuff of a pair of pants to use as a bandage on her swollen wrist. I must've startled him when I woke him up so suddenly…I didn't want to give Leo and his brother a chance to convince me to stay, not the way they were talking, she thought as she cleaned her wound one last time before fixing the bandage to her wrist. How long could she stay here?, Jezebelle wondered. Weren't Leo and the others professional ninjas, didn't that mean they could track her? Would they make her return, even if she didn't want to?
She busied herself with quietly tailoring and making a tail hole in the jeans, pondering where the best place was to get food. They'd passed a couple of shops last night but she didn't have any money! "What am I gonna do?" damn. Seemed like she was back in a corner, again! Wait a minute…Jezebelle dug through the fourth box that belonged to 'Stevenson' and began to put the lamps together, poking through whatever else might be in there.
The lamps were in decent condition, and with a bit of polishing up the silverware could be sold as a nice set. She could probably pawn this stuff, and get a little bit of eating money out of it! Maybe the cloud hanging over her wasn't as dark as she thought.
"Hey yo, Johnny, it's Devin. Got somethin' over here bro!" when Johnny wasn't obeying Shadow's every demand he was on the street craftily pick-pocketing to keep income circulating in the Purple Dragon's gang. Shadow was pretty stingy, and the "co-owner" wasn't always sending gifts. Not to them, but always to Shadow. He was away right now so Johnny was commanded and required to oversee all procedures and report them to Shadow. The radar screen on the computer continued to beep and Devin kept a keen eye on it, as he was the lead in the technology faction in the group.
For some reason two beeping dots were on screen, not one like planned. Something must've triggered Orion to disobey, or to go against the programming. At the moment, as Devin closed down the radar window, he was in stasis mode, feigning sleep. Temperature was a normal one hundred degrees and occipital output was turned off, his eyes closed for "sleep". The emotions could've overridden the programming but they would have to be extremely strong! Devin rubbed his chin curiously, it seemed plausible. Who had the other chip though?
"Better call the boss," he considered. Johnny didn't need to be here to see one extra dot. Devin dialed the boss, wondering why one dot wasn't moving and one was. The two dots were almost on completely opposite sides of the grid, so what had Orion bitten that would go to the heart of Manhattan while the stationary one was on the west side? A small bout of panic overcame Devin; what if Orion had bitten a human?
What if that human, then, decided to go to the doctor and inquire what that terrible bite mark might be, and why it was swollen? Could these chips be tracked? Despite being a decent technology handler Shadow didn't totally inform him of what they were dealing with, and he was worried that his neck could be on the line. Or that Shadow would off him for being panicky because the panicky ones crack to the pigs. There was only so much he could do with what tech they had; just because they stole it doesn't mean it was in good condition – whatever they stole was usually damaged in the act, if not by human than by those weird city protectors that no newspaper seemed to catch.
He was beginning to think Shadow didn't let them steal the good stuff because then they'd be able to track him and figure out why he wanted this cat back so bad. What could this guy be hiding? "Hey boss, sorry to interrupt but the chips have been placed. Unfortunately there's some sort of malfunction…it's either with the cub or the computer. It's showing two dots."
"Thanks for the update Devin, I'll get back to you with my opinion. I'm visiting a friend. I should be back by noon, if not late evening. Keep an eye on it for me."
"Yes sir." both dots were moving now. The one in the center of the screen was making its way towards the northern side of the center area. What could be down there? Devin wondered. He thought of what teens and tweens thought of as the "Stock-up Strip" a line of restaurants (both drive-through and sit down) and convenience stores.
Pulling up the second, closer radar screen that had a few white-named popular points he figured out where the carrier of the second chip was going. McDonalds.
Miranda had timed it so that Shadow—as he liked to be called—visited while Heinz took Jezebelle out to her gymnastics competition. Every text message made her want to pack a small bag and run, to not see him again. His last was I'm passing the old Spector house, and she knew this was it, almost like judgment day…except the judge was more like an executioner. She knew, due to his style, and personality, whatever favor he asked wasn't going to be pretty. Part of her was hoping he'd park at the house he'd bought and walk to her house…if he walked slow enough Heinz could come home and demand he leave, or call the cops.
But that wouldn't happen, she knew, because it would be too perfect. A sleek, black Honda pulled up in her driveway moments after she wished she'd called the cops, or asked Heinz to stay home instead. She saw his dark, perfectly combed brown hair emerge first, then his long, pale face that lead down to average-sized shoulders donning a black suit. That's why he was called Shadow—despite his "methods" of making things disappear—he was infatuated with black. "Miranda, Miranda…it's nice to see you again." it took all she had to willingly let the creep into her house, to let him step inside and sully the very purity of her house.
"You look good, as always." he brushed a blonde lock fondly out of her face, smile growing the more he thought of how that blonde hair used to splay so nicely, so messily across his bed. Or her bed, whenever they wanted a quickie.
"You said you had news?" Miranda swallowed to beat down the sensation of vomiting in her. He shouldn't be touching her…she was different now. Wiser, unfeeling for his devil smile and sweet promises.
"Yes," Shadow smiled, showing off the twinkle in his beautiful brown eyes that looked like half-melted chocolate topped with honey. "What if I told you that I found her?" he clapped his hands together softly, interlacing his fingers and sounding quite salesman-like, "what if I told you that you never actually messed up? That you could see her again, and that she's alive and well?" her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Could it be true? It might be; she could tell when Shadow was lying and at the moment he wasn't. A long-lost daughter—even if she married into having her—was excellent leverage, hardly anything else down here would've been worth a trip for him.
Shadow operated in such a way that only the top priority could convince him to take a plane. Little else could cause him to smile so. "That…" Miranda felt somewhat dizzy, grabbing blindly for the small table in the foyer to hold herself up. "That's amazing! Where is she? Can I see her?"
"If you help me out, yes, you'll get to see her all you want."
"What do I have to do?"
"I want you to write a letter. Address it to Manhattan, New York, to April Jones of the Second Time Around antique shop. It can reach her there."
"You came all the way here only to get me to write a letter?"
"No, that would be stupid!" Shadow gave a small laugh and wiped a finger across his nose as a habit. "I want you to come with me. She'll want to see her mother."
"But what about Heinz and Jezebelle?"
"I'll have an associate explain to them you went to New York for an important business matter. If they want to come, they can." Shadow waited for a response. His pretty, radiant Miranda looked speechless, and near giddy with excitement. "However I would like the letter to precede you so wait until I call you to send it."
"Is she alright? Why do I have to wait?"
"Where she was living kind of jangled her nervous. She's still pretty messed up. Had a fight with some friends she was rooming with or something." Shadow lied out of his ass but a text from Devin had confirmed she had moved since early this morning. Who knew why she left? "And, you know," he added in false sympathy, "she hasn't seen you in so long…don't you think it would be a little odd if you just sent it to her out of the blue?"
"Isn't it out of the blue as it is? I mean…I haven't seen her in two years!"
"Yes but with her moving around she might look over it, or see it as a trick by one of her roommates. Wouldn't put much stock in it, would she?"
"No," Miranda rubbed her arm softly. She wouldn't, would she? What kind of person was she now? Miranda wondered. Could Jezebelle finally see her as her mother now, or would she still be thinking of Jetta that had been dead for four years? "No she wouldn't."
"Exactly. So…I'll mail you an outfit and let you know when I'll be getting your tickets, okay?"
"Mailing me an outfit?" Miranda repeated confusedly. "Why can't I wear what I have?"
"It's easier than bringing a bulky suitcase with you. That and I always give you nice gifts, don't I? It'll be something she likes, I promise." he'd like it too. To appease her crooked frown Shadow gave his brilliant white smile, one that had one her over nearly four years ago. Miranda's shoulders slumped, a sign of caving in.
"Alright."
"Good, until then." Shadow pressed a picture into her hand and kissed her cheek before breezing away back to her car. Only after he left the driveway did Miranda turn over her palm and look at the picture. Her tattoo, in Shadow's handwriting, and she looked, transfixed, at the pale back with the bold 005 four inches below her right shoulder. Why did she have a number? Sure Jezebelle was good with them but she wouldn't want to get a tattoo of one!
Miranda had a bad feeling about this.
Able to text his co-owner on his phone despite being on a plane Shadow sent the text message, waiting for a reply from what was basically his fling. Women weren't the only ones who could be manipulative with sex. A small buzz tickled his hand and he opened the message; he could see what he'd sent and the co-owner's reply.
I think it's time we let Tigger out.
Of course. But I feel playful; let's not let him get her right away.
That would be fun, wouldn't it? If the cat was in danger those turtle things his co-owner talked about might come out, then they could nail two birds with one stone. Shadow grinned, texting back the 'okay' as he looked up briefly to the darkening sky, clouds full of snow. How long could Jezebelle last anyways, if she had allegedly left the terrapins? She'd need food, and a place to stay out of the chilly nights.
He received a new text, one from Devin. Curiously, Shadow opened it. The twenty-four year old couldn't help but laugh.
Hey boss, Mic just texted me on his break. Says a woman wearing black gloves, a black coat, gray top, and black pants walked in to get a couple of things off the dollar menu. Paid with cash and had bright auburn hair. Remembered her because she had yellow eyes; she told him it was because of contacts. Sound like your girl?
Yes, he texted back, she was always quick to think on her feet, and a bit of a smartass. Mark it on the map; we'll see if she comes back.
Yes sir, he shut his phone off to enjoy the ride. Seems like this would be over even before it could begin, and he'd stay a free man.
"It seems to me, my son, that your anger is directed at yourself, why is that?" for the longest time Leo said nothing, and merely gripped his kneepads with his hands, thinking. He was wondering if she was cold, and if the blood on the remote was hers (which Donnie was testing). Leonardo knew she had no food because Mikey had done inventory to see if she took any kind of provisions with her, and she didn't. So what would she eat? he worried, was she going to let herself starve? She shouldn't, not if she was looking out for her child.
Her wound also worried him. Would it get infected? "I…" Leo knew why, but couldn't manage to say it. Feeling that failure, that disappointment was one thing but verbalizing it was even worse because he was exposing himself. Showing his imperfection, which he knew he possessed despite his brothers thinking that.
If he showed imperfection he showed possibility to slack and lose one of his brothers on the battlefield. Didn't they realize he perfected himself for them, to protect them because he loved them? Obviously there were areas he could stand to perfect, like ones outside of ninja training that could serve him well. Like talking, expressing his worries and emotions correctly – usually they slipped out in an argument with Raph or he just clammed up like his little brother and kept them all to himself. He was beginning to think if he had simply talked to her, sat her down and discussed his suspicions with Donatello that she wouldn't have run off.
Leonardo felt rather stupid. If he wouldn't talk about his brothers like he did with Don about her child why would he do it to her? He was raised in a family that had been taught equality and that's not what he had shown her. The eldest felt undeniably miserable with guilt. "I failed you. I failed me…I failed her." he dug his fingers into the material of his kneepads. Splinter smiled warmly at him despite his clear distress.
"And do you think you failed when you rescued her? Did you fail when she found a good rest at last? Or did you fail most when she smiled after finding her son on an outing with the four of you?" Splinter really had a way to turn his son's dismal, self-pressuring thinking around. His eldest child was often so serious that he needed to be reminded of what good things he'd accomplished to bring him back to the fact that he can be happy, that they can be a fun family when no immediate danger lurked.
"No…I mean…yes, kind of. I yelled at Donnie for making her undergo testing to help her memories come back but I was just as guilty. I carried her through the door because she wouldn't go. I'm going back on exactly what I'm attempting to convey and protect! Who does that?"
"You did so with good intentions, my son. And you worried for her with good intentions, like a friend. A friend would be upset now, that she is missing, and even angry, like you. This is why we are talking." could she really be a friend already? So soon? On what grounds did he have to consider her friend, or even the other way around?
"Like Raphael, my son, you have this need to protect, and to see those you pick to protect safe in all matters. Could it be that you are so angry because she, herself, still feels unprotected, that she needed to run?" that…that made sense, Leo thought. Donatello had always joked he had zoological altruism. He wasn't too sure what that was but apparently it had to do with a sense of saving people and helping.
"Yes," he nodded numbly. "Yes…"
"And it appears to me that you are no longer angry."
"I'm not," Leo admitted, a little embarrassed. He could only hope to one day be as wise as his father. His father chuckled.
"Knock knock, hate to interrupt but I have news!" they saw Don's shadow past the close door and watched him shoulder it open.
"What is it, my son?"
"Surfed the local food places and camera caught her at McDonalds around noon." that was good, there was hope! Now they could narrow their search to the west side, as Mikey in all his observatory, distracted knowledge placed that particular McDonalds to be on the "Stock-up Strip" only the west side had. The wait was painful but Leo was going to cover some of the bases.
"Hey, April? Hi, it's Leo. Can you call if you see anything weird?"
"Leo? Hey, what's wrong? Are you looking for something in particular? Any sort of mutant business I should know?"
"No," Leo lied. If April knew about Jezebelle and found her first (and if Orion was still with her) there could be a chance of injury. Or she could scare Jezebelle away accidentally. "Just let me know if you see anyone dressed too warmly, or a big, odd-colored cat." he explained.
"I'm not sure what you're up to but I'll keep my eye out…I guess."
"Thanks April, I appreciate it. Bye."
"Bye Leo."
"Hey guys," Mikey's nervous tone coaxed Leo from the kitchen, and Don from his work station. Turning up the volume on the TV he let the news reporter explain what he'd just seen, or thought he saw, anyways.
"I'm Chad Fontaine from Channel Five here to follow up on disturbing news reports of a large, vicious tiger running rampant in Manhattan! As you can see here the power behind this escaped creature surpasses that of a normal tiger, what was once an upright lamppost, a nighttime aid, is now little else but broken glass and thin pieces of metal. And over here we have evidence that the creature may be jumping buildings. Lock your doors, folks, and stay inside! More as this story develops…" the cameraman zoomed in on a rooftop ledge that had been forcibly broken by something large, and the deep claw marks around the broken area.
Now Leo could really curse himself. No one needed to say it, but Mikey did, of course because that was his way of realizing things. Letting it sink in. "And let me guess," he pointed vaguely to the TV, "that's Jezebelle's baby daddy?" Maeleyn and Raph looked at each other and back to the TV.
"Son of a bitch," they both groaned. My thoughts exactly, Leo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"We have to find her before he does," Maeleyn insisted, trying to think where Jezebelle might go as a reflex despite this being Manhattan instead of Rhode Island.
"It'll be somewhere she can keep a kid, and possibly have to wiggle through. Cats can usually fit anywhere their heads can safely go in and out of; the rest of their body condenses to fit the space."
"Like that's going to help anything," Raph grumble. Maeleyn jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
"We'll do what we always do," Leo assured him, though he felt the same irritated hopelessness about not knowing where to start. "Block by block, roof by roof."
"While avoiding a large possibly turtle-eating tiger that's also looking for her and his kid." Mikey added, smiling widely despite the circumstances.
"Since we still have a couple of hours before we go on patrol let me whip something up to give us a chance at protection."
"Are you going to make us vehicles?" Mikey inquired excitedly, literally jumping towards his older brother. Donnie gave him an 'are you kidding?' look of incredulity.
"We could…you know, get some high-tech weapons." Raph tried. Maeleyn glowered at him. Any kind of modified, technological, non-sai toy thing made him frisky. She, for one, didn't want a frisky Raph right now. Especially if they didn't come home with Jezebelle…but then again, consoling sex might be good.
But there would be a heart of guilt in there knowing her friend was alone, possibly being assaulted by the elements and hunger. "Get to it Donnie, who knows how much time we have…" Leo waved him off. He'd offer help but usually when they tried to help Don he got irritated easily and wound up having to stay longer than the original time if he'd just worked on it by himself.
"I'll have it done before you know it."