Chapter 7 of You Get Used To It
Burning Sacrifices
Enjoy!
Mikey stared out the kitchen window. She sighed when she saw heavy raindrops beginning fall to the ground. Her frustration was quickly mounting while she was waiting for Leo and Raph to return with an injured Don. Not wanting to wake Devon and not wanting to leave him alone she had sent both boys to carry their companion back so that she could tend to his wounds. She had no time to let her mind wander because from what Raph said, they would prove to be gruesome and she should prepare herself. She was shuffling around to find the supplies she needed. Mikey was very familiar with the process that would commence when the wounded male returned. She pulled open a drawer and pulled out pliers and an unused lighter. She cursed herself for not taking Leo's necklace before he left so that she could begin heating it; it proved to be a long process. When he had left, they had no time to think, though. It was so sudden and everything had happened so quickly. Instead, she pulled a towel out of the linen closet and dampened it in warm water. Lastly, she retrieved three painkillers and a glass of water. She positioned each of the supplies on the kitchen table and sat down in one of the chairs to wait.
Raph and Leo stumbled into the apartment several long lasting minutes later struggling to move Don into the apartment. Mikey quickly went to them and helped them set him down. "Raph," she handed him a towel and ordered him instructions, "expose the cut and hold this against it hard. Do it quick and do not ease your grip." Raph nodded and Mikey took note of Don's pale flesh. He was loosing blood and he couldn't go much longer without falling unconscious. Luckily, though, he seemed to be well alert--a good sign. She touched his face gently. "Hold on, okay? I need you to hold on," he swallowed and nodded slightly to acknowledge her. Raph then applied pressure to his cuts and she could look at him no longer.
Instead, she turned her attention to the other male in the room and tried to remain calm in the situation. If she lost her control, the entire group could become frightened and if she kept her cool and confidant air, she would help to keep them at ease. Everything was riding on her. "Alright, Leo, I need your necklace. Oh, give him that medicine on the table." Obediently, he removed his necklace and handed it over to her. She secured the cross charm of his necklace in the pliers and shook it to be sure she had a good grip. Next, she produced a flame with the lighter and held it to the cool metal. The three of the teens in the room who had already experienced the process waited impatiently for the metal to warm enough to do what it needed to. The newcomer, though, stared at the flame with wide, fearful eyes. The process brought a past experience back into Mikey's mind as she anxiously waited.
*-* "Hey, Mikey, Where are you?" Leo returned from a trip to get supplies with Raph. He made a quick lap around the apartment and couldn't find her. 'Oh God Shredder!' Leo was quickly jumping to conclusions as he flung open the bedroom door to reveal Mikey kneeling on the floor head bowed and a knife in hand. At the sound of him, her head quickly snapped up to meet his face.
"Shit, Mikey!" she jumped at the volume of his voice and cowered away. "Mikey, you listen to me! Let me see what you did!" he demanded.
Mikey held out the insides of her forearms to Leo who sighed in frustration. He went to her and knelt in front of her. He was somewhat frustrated with Mikey's attempt at something he wouldn't admit. More, though, he was frustrated with himself. People would tell him 'it's not your fault' but what do you do when it is your fault? he questioned. They hadn't been living together long and Mikey was still trying to get a feel for the new life she was living, disbelieving of the sudden turn her life had taken. Before her kidnapping, she had been a girl clinging to her good life and happy youth. Now, she was flung into an adult world that wasn't yet ready for her bestowing her with the inability to cling to her childhood. He was hoping she could get used to it before it destroyed her, unfortunately, he had been wrong. Worse, though, she was struggling fruitlessly (Heehaw, Erin, I thought I would throw that in there) to get used to living with Leo now that she felt so deeply betrayed by him. "Oh god," his voice shook as he took in the deep scrape the knife had freshly formed into her appendages. Gently, he took her arms in his hands and pulled them closer to his face for inspection. "Oh, god," he repeated.
"Why do you care, anyways?" she replied heatedly as she quickly pulled her arms away shifting moods as an inner switch went off inside of her. He shook his head, disbelieving what he just heard. She wouldn't honestly think he would stop caring, would she?
"Mikey," he whispered, "I have to burn those shut." Her eyes widened in fear.
"Please, no," she whispered.
"Mikey, did you really expect to put those damn gashes in yourself and not expect them to be closed somehow? You have no choice. Besides that, did you honestly think I wouldn't try to do something about this?" he questioned her.
"I thought I would be gone before you had a chance to do anything," she admitted.
"Would you really wish that upon me? Would you really want me to find your lifeless body with the knowledge that there was absolutely nothing I could do for you," he searched deeply into her thoughts.
"Well, no, I wouldn't want that," she admitted reluctantly.
"Well, then, come on," he carried her into the other room so that he could seal her lesions. Needless to say, she never attempted anything like that again.-*-
"Mikey, it's heated," Raph informed her, pulling her from her memory.
"Yes," she licked her finger and touched the metal, "that it is." Mikey began to prepare Don for what was to come. "Don, I know this is going to hurt a lot but without it things will be worse. Do you understand?" He nodded to her and began to prepare himself as well.
"Okay, Raph, on three move the towel," the boy did as instructed and on the count of three promptly removed the cloth. Quickly she located two side-by- side stab wounds on the outside of his abdomen and pressed the scorching cross to it as hard as her strength would allow. At the sensation of burning metal, Don groaned and turned away. "Don, have you ever been in a fight before?" she asked trying to distract him.
He shook his head, "never."
"I'm sorry that this was your first, but it could have been much worse. You have to learn somehow," she talked more to keep him alert than to make conversation. "So, how did this happen?"
"I was distracted by trying to be aware of everything around me. The guy was on top of me before I knew what was going on. He got in a couple of good hits and, well, cuts before I could react. Then I started to take control, hitting him back. In the end, I lost," he slowly recapped the fight, unable to talk quickly.
Mikey looked at Raph. "You didn't jump in?" she eyed him fiercely.
"Mikey! You said yourself that he has to learn. He'll be fine; he'll bounce back," Raph calmly reasoned with her.
She sighed frustrated. On one hand, she knew he had to learn but on the other was it worth this much blood shed for the sake of 'learning'?
She remembered the last part of the healing process and decided to explain it now to take up time. "Alright, Don, I'm going to tell you something we didn't know about this back when I had to have my own cuts burned."
"T-this happened to you?" he tried unsuccessfully to keep his voice stable.
"Yeah, it did," she whispered. "All three of us have gone through it at least once. Anyways, though, it will take at least a couple weeks before it scabs over completely. When it does, you need to pull off the scab. After that, a new scab will form and you just need to let that one heal."
"Wow," he mumbled simply.
The conversation paused and Mikey waited impatiently, feeling that something was wrong. She shifted uncomfortably trying to decide on a plan of action and gently pulled the charm away from his flesh. She murmured a curse and then a prayer under her breath. The cross, at this point, was doing nothing to close the wounds. Mikey squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tentatively reached her hand forward. With the heel of her hand, she pushed the metal flat down onto Don's body, pushing it with all of her strength. She bit her lip in an attempt to stifle the scream of pain her body wanted to let out.
"Mikey! What are you doing?" Raph shouted at her when he realized her hand was on top of the cross, sandwiching it between herself and Don.
"It wasn't working," she choked out as evenly as she could. "It's almost done."
After the burning was finished, she pulled her hand away from the metal and looked at it quietly, studying the burn as tears quietly sprang to her eyes. "Here, I'll clean everything up," Raph offered weakly as he cleaned up all of the materials they had used.
Mikey leaned in and gave Don a teary kiss on the cheek and she lightly apologized before she mumbled good night to all of the boys. She walked into the bedroom and curled up in the warm blankets as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. "Mikey," Leo whispered through the dark.
She rolled over, "what? Is something wrong?"
"No," he pulled her hand out from under the covers. He smoothed burn cream onto her palm gently and she was pleased that he did. Her burn instantly began to improve. When all of the cream absorbed into her skin, he put her arm back under the covers and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose. "Sweet dreams," he murmured onto her lips as he gave her a gentle kiss.
"Good night," she replied and curled back into the warmth and security of her bed.
~
"Mikey," Don awkwardly poked Mikey in her sleep. "Wake up, woman."
Mikey groaned her protest at the jabbing. "What do you want, Don?"
"Get out of bed, we're leaving for the lake," he demanded.
"Oh," she sighed and curled back up. "Where's Leo?" she questioned.
"He went to put gas in the car and we're supposed to leave in an hour," he poked her again.
She slapped his hand, "I get the picture, Mr. Demanding."
He smirked at the nickname, "No, that's Leo, he's the one demanding that we leave."
"Oh well," she threw off the covers. "Where's my son?" she looked around.
"He's running laps around the apartment somewhere," he pointed outside the door. She sighed at this, even *she* didn't have that much energy. She looked at Don and suddenly realized he was moving around the apartment with ease. "Hey! You look like you're doing well," she commented.
"Yeah," was his weak reply as he covered his burns with his hand. "It hurts a little but I can still move around and everything."
"That's good," she commented.
"Yep," he looked over his shoulder, "well, alright, I'm on babysitting duty. I better go tend to the little one."
"Alright," she laughed, "I'll pack what I need and I will be right out." As soon as Don left, Mikey walked into the closet. She pulled out her school backpack, and filled it with tank tops, shorts and her bathing suit. She was relieved that she didn't need to pack anything else. The family that owned the cabin stocked it for them when they knew that she and Leo would be coming. They filled the cupboards with food, the refrigerator with drinks, and the bathroom with shampoo and towels. She smiled, they were like the parents she didn't have anymore. Devon even called them Grandma Mary and Grandpa Louis. Well, that isn't really how he pronounces their names but it is the intent. The thought of Devon reminded her and she pulled out another bag and filled it up with everything Devon would need for the next week while he stayed with Annabel.
"All packed," she announced when she walked back into the living room where the boys were waiting for her.
"Good," they all sighed in unison.
"How's your hand?" Raph questioned.
"Oh, it's fine," she looked down at her burn. She looked up startled when she saw it was bandaged. She hadn't even thought of that! "Oh my gosh! Don, I forgot to bandage your cuts."
"Mikey, don't worry, it's done," he pointed at Leo.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome," he said.
"Alright, we will leave you two to say good bye to Devon," Raph picked up Leo's bag to carry it down to the car and Don followed suit and picked Mikey's up in his arms.
"Devon, come here," Leo called and Devon quickly came running. Mikey picked him up in her arms and Leo followed behind with Devon's things.
After the first knock Annabel quickly opened the door to shuffle them into the apartment, "I know you're in a hurry, kids, so I won't keep you."
"Thank you, again, Miss Anna," she said using the name for her out of respect.
"Oh, honey, it's no trouble. Thank you for letting him stay with me," she smiled her warm smile.
Mikey turned her attention over to Devon, "Alright, baby, daddy and me are going away for a little while and you're going to stay here with Miss Anna. Won't that be fun?"
Devon looked at Annabel out of the corner of his eyes. "No!" he said forcefully. Everyone in the room laughed and Mikey kissed Devon's face. "Mommy loves you. Be good for Miss Anna."
"Love you," he replied.
Leo took his son in his arms and gave him a quick kiss, "Don't give Annabel any trouble, big guy."
"Okay," he said.
"Bye, kid," Leo set him down on the ground and took Mikey's hand to lead her out of the apartment. "Thanks again," he called over his shoulder as they left.
Everyone piled into the small car for the 6-hour drive. The car remained quite the entire way other than the quiet music coming from the radio speakers. They stopped once for food and once for gas and continued with their smooth almost uninterrupted trip. The trip in the car, Raph thought, was almost as important as the actual vacation because then he had time just to let his mind wander about anything. Anything but home, that is.
"And this is our place of dwelling for the next week," Leo declared as he pulled into the driveway of the cottage. Each of them were satisfied to be able to get out of the car and stretch their legs.
"I'll see you inside!" Mikey called over her shoulder and quickly sprinted up to the door leaving the guys to carry the bags. Each of them let out a noise at her and continued with the 'men work.' They would get revenge when it came time for the cooking and cleaning and the other 'women work' when she had to do it alone. Mikey pulled out the spare key and unlocked the door. She walked into the living room and turned on a light still laughing lightly because she didn't have to carry any suitcases. She was feeling quite pleased with herself until she raised her eyes to meet the figure sitting calmly in a rocking chair across the room. Mikey took in a deep breath and covered her mouth with her hand. Tears slid down her cheek as she muttered two words, "Oh Christ."
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A/N: Sorry for the long delay, people. The next chapter will take even longer for me to post because school starts on the second. Sorry people! I hope you like the chapter but it's late so I must be off.
Next chapter: Does Sex on the Beach do Mikey good or does it do her bad? Read to find out.
***Reader interaction:*** who was it in the chair? Hmm (Kelly you BETTER not answer this one)
My reviewers are the best:
Kelly Rox My Sox: I love the cute Devon scenes, as well. They are probably my favorites to write, who knows. Yeah, I felt bad about spoiling Don's birthday. Oh well. Thanks for telling me that the almost-sex scene wasn't raunchy. I was trying not to be raunchy. I'm actually trying to avoid sex because I mean, first I know nothing about it and second of all my friends are reading this. They may never look at me the same again. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Aaron: Why are you clapping and calling this chapter brilliant? Aah! Okay Thanks for reading Aaron. You know you're the best there is.
Tony: I WILL be famous one day! I swear! I can't believe you're discussing my writing with mike. Eep, embarrassing. Lol. Oh well. Thanks for your review and your support!
Ramica: I'm trying to be tasteful with the Leo/mikey situation. And I'm trying to consider what I would do in the situation. I hope I'm doing a good job with that. Yes, poor don. I bed I'm scaring the poor boy. Aah. Fight scenes are hard for me to write, I don't know, I've never been in a fight. But I am getting coaching about the fighting from a friend of mine so hopefully it will start showing up more often. Marriage? Is that what you really want?
Erin: Yes, I love Devon, as well. I don't want Leo and Mikey to be all mushy so that's good news for you. Love you, darling.
Rhonda: I'm glad I am impressing someone with this story. Yippee. Mikey and Jacks? Reconciliation? Funny you mention that. Okay, Leo and Mikey don't sleep on the mattress together for two reasons. For one, how many teenage couples sleep in the same bed every night? Not many. Mikey and Leo want to be as normal as possible, although they do have a son. Hmm. And the second reason is that how fair is that? Just cause Leo gots the connections he gets the soft bed? Nuh uh! Lol. Published? Naw! This is just fun practice. Thanks for the praise, though.
Heather: I'm glad you like the story so much. Lol I hate to admit it but there probably won't be a graphic sex scene because I wouldn't know how to even begin to write one, I know nothing about sex. I'm sorry. Naw, see, don isn't hurt too bad. Thanks baby doll!
Walking Contradiction: My favorite reviewer. I'm glad that I reached the perfect balanced combination with this chapter. Whoo! Yes, I admit, Mikey is very thoughtful but she does doubt herself a great deal. She can't help it, it's just instinct from living the way she does. You think the Mikey Leo scenes are well written? Good, I was worried about that. Lol impressiveness? Yippee!!!! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. I know don and Raph are slightly neglected but it's hard for me to throw that in there. I think I'm gonna do a chapter focused on the 'men' heehaw. Well okay. Thank you for reviewing, I hope you liked the chapter.
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!
Much love,
Krissy Hughes.
Burning Sacrifices
Enjoy!
Mikey stared out the kitchen window. She sighed when she saw heavy raindrops beginning fall to the ground. Her frustration was quickly mounting while she was waiting for Leo and Raph to return with an injured Don. Not wanting to wake Devon and not wanting to leave him alone she had sent both boys to carry their companion back so that she could tend to his wounds. She had no time to let her mind wander because from what Raph said, they would prove to be gruesome and she should prepare herself. She was shuffling around to find the supplies she needed. Mikey was very familiar with the process that would commence when the wounded male returned. She pulled open a drawer and pulled out pliers and an unused lighter. She cursed herself for not taking Leo's necklace before he left so that she could begin heating it; it proved to be a long process. When he had left, they had no time to think, though. It was so sudden and everything had happened so quickly. Instead, she pulled a towel out of the linen closet and dampened it in warm water. Lastly, she retrieved three painkillers and a glass of water. She positioned each of the supplies on the kitchen table and sat down in one of the chairs to wait.
Raph and Leo stumbled into the apartment several long lasting minutes later struggling to move Don into the apartment. Mikey quickly went to them and helped them set him down. "Raph," she handed him a towel and ordered him instructions, "expose the cut and hold this against it hard. Do it quick and do not ease your grip." Raph nodded and Mikey took note of Don's pale flesh. He was loosing blood and he couldn't go much longer without falling unconscious. Luckily, though, he seemed to be well alert--a good sign. She touched his face gently. "Hold on, okay? I need you to hold on," he swallowed and nodded slightly to acknowledge her. Raph then applied pressure to his cuts and she could look at him no longer.
Instead, she turned her attention to the other male in the room and tried to remain calm in the situation. If she lost her control, the entire group could become frightened and if she kept her cool and confidant air, she would help to keep them at ease. Everything was riding on her. "Alright, Leo, I need your necklace. Oh, give him that medicine on the table." Obediently, he removed his necklace and handed it over to her. She secured the cross charm of his necklace in the pliers and shook it to be sure she had a good grip. Next, she produced a flame with the lighter and held it to the cool metal. The three of the teens in the room who had already experienced the process waited impatiently for the metal to warm enough to do what it needed to. The newcomer, though, stared at the flame with wide, fearful eyes. The process brought a past experience back into Mikey's mind as she anxiously waited.
*-* "Hey, Mikey, Where are you?" Leo returned from a trip to get supplies with Raph. He made a quick lap around the apartment and couldn't find her. 'Oh God Shredder!' Leo was quickly jumping to conclusions as he flung open the bedroom door to reveal Mikey kneeling on the floor head bowed and a knife in hand. At the sound of him, her head quickly snapped up to meet his face.
"Shit, Mikey!" she jumped at the volume of his voice and cowered away. "Mikey, you listen to me! Let me see what you did!" he demanded.
Mikey held out the insides of her forearms to Leo who sighed in frustration. He went to her and knelt in front of her. He was somewhat frustrated with Mikey's attempt at something he wouldn't admit. More, though, he was frustrated with himself. People would tell him 'it's not your fault' but what do you do when it is your fault? he questioned. They hadn't been living together long and Mikey was still trying to get a feel for the new life she was living, disbelieving of the sudden turn her life had taken. Before her kidnapping, she had been a girl clinging to her good life and happy youth. Now, she was flung into an adult world that wasn't yet ready for her bestowing her with the inability to cling to her childhood. He was hoping she could get used to it before it destroyed her, unfortunately, he had been wrong. Worse, though, she was struggling fruitlessly (Heehaw, Erin, I thought I would throw that in there) to get used to living with Leo now that she felt so deeply betrayed by him. "Oh god," his voice shook as he took in the deep scrape the knife had freshly formed into her appendages. Gently, he took her arms in his hands and pulled them closer to his face for inspection. "Oh, god," he repeated.
"Why do you care, anyways?" she replied heatedly as she quickly pulled her arms away shifting moods as an inner switch went off inside of her. He shook his head, disbelieving what he just heard. She wouldn't honestly think he would stop caring, would she?
"Mikey," he whispered, "I have to burn those shut." Her eyes widened in fear.
"Please, no," she whispered.
"Mikey, did you really expect to put those damn gashes in yourself and not expect them to be closed somehow? You have no choice. Besides that, did you honestly think I wouldn't try to do something about this?" he questioned her.
"I thought I would be gone before you had a chance to do anything," she admitted.
"Would you really wish that upon me? Would you really want me to find your lifeless body with the knowledge that there was absolutely nothing I could do for you," he searched deeply into her thoughts.
"Well, no, I wouldn't want that," she admitted reluctantly.
"Well, then, come on," he carried her into the other room so that he could seal her lesions. Needless to say, she never attempted anything like that again.-*-
"Mikey, it's heated," Raph informed her, pulling her from her memory.
"Yes," she licked her finger and touched the metal, "that it is." Mikey began to prepare Don for what was to come. "Don, I know this is going to hurt a lot but without it things will be worse. Do you understand?" He nodded to her and began to prepare himself as well.
"Okay, Raph, on three move the towel," the boy did as instructed and on the count of three promptly removed the cloth. Quickly she located two side-by- side stab wounds on the outside of his abdomen and pressed the scorching cross to it as hard as her strength would allow. At the sensation of burning metal, Don groaned and turned away. "Don, have you ever been in a fight before?" she asked trying to distract him.
He shook his head, "never."
"I'm sorry that this was your first, but it could have been much worse. You have to learn somehow," she talked more to keep him alert than to make conversation. "So, how did this happen?"
"I was distracted by trying to be aware of everything around me. The guy was on top of me before I knew what was going on. He got in a couple of good hits and, well, cuts before I could react. Then I started to take control, hitting him back. In the end, I lost," he slowly recapped the fight, unable to talk quickly.
Mikey looked at Raph. "You didn't jump in?" she eyed him fiercely.
"Mikey! You said yourself that he has to learn. He'll be fine; he'll bounce back," Raph calmly reasoned with her.
She sighed frustrated. On one hand, she knew he had to learn but on the other was it worth this much blood shed for the sake of 'learning'?
She remembered the last part of the healing process and decided to explain it now to take up time. "Alright, Don, I'm going to tell you something we didn't know about this back when I had to have my own cuts burned."
"T-this happened to you?" he tried unsuccessfully to keep his voice stable.
"Yeah, it did," she whispered. "All three of us have gone through it at least once. Anyways, though, it will take at least a couple weeks before it scabs over completely. When it does, you need to pull off the scab. After that, a new scab will form and you just need to let that one heal."
"Wow," he mumbled simply.
The conversation paused and Mikey waited impatiently, feeling that something was wrong. She shifted uncomfortably trying to decide on a plan of action and gently pulled the charm away from his flesh. She murmured a curse and then a prayer under her breath. The cross, at this point, was doing nothing to close the wounds. Mikey squeezed her eyes tightly shut and tentatively reached her hand forward. With the heel of her hand, she pushed the metal flat down onto Don's body, pushing it with all of her strength. She bit her lip in an attempt to stifle the scream of pain her body wanted to let out.
"Mikey! What are you doing?" Raph shouted at her when he realized her hand was on top of the cross, sandwiching it between herself and Don.
"It wasn't working," she choked out as evenly as she could. "It's almost done."
After the burning was finished, she pulled her hand away from the metal and looked at it quietly, studying the burn as tears quietly sprang to her eyes. "Here, I'll clean everything up," Raph offered weakly as he cleaned up all of the materials they had used.
Mikey leaned in and gave Don a teary kiss on the cheek and she lightly apologized before she mumbled good night to all of the boys. She walked into the bedroom and curled up in the warm blankets as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. "Mikey," Leo whispered through the dark.
She rolled over, "what? Is something wrong?"
"No," he pulled her hand out from under the covers. He smoothed burn cream onto her palm gently and she was pleased that he did. Her burn instantly began to improve. When all of the cream absorbed into her skin, he put her arm back under the covers and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose. "Sweet dreams," he murmured onto her lips as he gave her a gentle kiss.
"Good night," she replied and curled back into the warmth and security of her bed.
~
"Mikey," Don awkwardly poked Mikey in her sleep. "Wake up, woman."
Mikey groaned her protest at the jabbing. "What do you want, Don?"
"Get out of bed, we're leaving for the lake," he demanded.
"Oh," she sighed and curled back up. "Where's Leo?" she questioned.
"He went to put gas in the car and we're supposed to leave in an hour," he poked her again.
She slapped his hand, "I get the picture, Mr. Demanding."
He smirked at the nickname, "No, that's Leo, he's the one demanding that we leave."
"Oh well," she threw off the covers. "Where's my son?" she looked around.
"He's running laps around the apartment somewhere," he pointed outside the door. She sighed at this, even *she* didn't have that much energy. She looked at Don and suddenly realized he was moving around the apartment with ease. "Hey! You look like you're doing well," she commented.
"Yeah," was his weak reply as he covered his burns with his hand. "It hurts a little but I can still move around and everything."
"That's good," she commented.
"Yep," he looked over his shoulder, "well, alright, I'm on babysitting duty. I better go tend to the little one."
"Alright," she laughed, "I'll pack what I need and I will be right out." As soon as Don left, Mikey walked into the closet. She pulled out her school backpack, and filled it with tank tops, shorts and her bathing suit. She was relieved that she didn't need to pack anything else. The family that owned the cabin stocked it for them when they knew that she and Leo would be coming. They filled the cupboards with food, the refrigerator with drinks, and the bathroom with shampoo and towels. She smiled, they were like the parents she didn't have anymore. Devon even called them Grandma Mary and Grandpa Louis. Well, that isn't really how he pronounces their names but it is the intent. The thought of Devon reminded her and she pulled out another bag and filled it up with everything Devon would need for the next week while he stayed with Annabel.
"All packed," she announced when she walked back into the living room where the boys were waiting for her.
"Good," they all sighed in unison.
"How's your hand?" Raph questioned.
"Oh, it's fine," she looked down at her burn. She looked up startled when she saw it was bandaged. She hadn't even thought of that! "Oh my gosh! Don, I forgot to bandage your cuts."
"Mikey, don't worry, it's done," he pointed at Leo.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You're welcome," he said.
"Alright, we will leave you two to say good bye to Devon," Raph picked up Leo's bag to carry it down to the car and Don followed suit and picked Mikey's up in his arms.
"Devon, come here," Leo called and Devon quickly came running. Mikey picked him up in her arms and Leo followed behind with Devon's things.
After the first knock Annabel quickly opened the door to shuffle them into the apartment, "I know you're in a hurry, kids, so I won't keep you."
"Thank you, again, Miss Anna," she said using the name for her out of respect.
"Oh, honey, it's no trouble. Thank you for letting him stay with me," she smiled her warm smile.
Mikey turned her attention over to Devon, "Alright, baby, daddy and me are going away for a little while and you're going to stay here with Miss Anna. Won't that be fun?"
Devon looked at Annabel out of the corner of his eyes. "No!" he said forcefully. Everyone in the room laughed and Mikey kissed Devon's face. "Mommy loves you. Be good for Miss Anna."
"Love you," he replied.
Leo took his son in his arms and gave him a quick kiss, "Don't give Annabel any trouble, big guy."
"Okay," he said.
"Bye, kid," Leo set him down on the ground and took Mikey's hand to lead her out of the apartment. "Thanks again," he called over his shoulder as they left.
Everyone piled into the small car for the 6-hour drive. The car remained quite the entire way other than the quiet music coming from the radio speakers. They stopped once for food and once for gas and continued with their smooth almost uninterrupted trip. The trip in the car, Raph thought, was almost as important as the actual vacation because then he had time just to let his mind wander about anything. Anything but home, that is.
"And this is our place of dwelling for the next week," Leo declared as he pulled into the driveway of the cottage. Each of them were satisfied to be able to get out of the car and stretch their legs.
"I'll see you inside!" Mikey called over her shoulder and quickly sprinted up to the door leaving the guys to carry the bags. Each of them let out a noise at her and continued with the 'men work.' They would get revenge when it came time for the cooking and cleaning and the other 'women work' when she had to do it alone. Mikey pulled out the spare key and unlocked the door. She walked into the living room and turned on a light still laughing lightly because she didn't have to carry any suitcases. She was feeling quite pleased with herself until she raised her eyes to meet the figure sitting calmly in a rocking chair across the room. Mikey took in a deep breath and covered her mouth with her hand. Tears slid down her cheek as she muttered two words, "Oh Christ."
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A/N: Sorry for the long delay, people. The next chapter will take even longer for me to post because school starts on the second. Sorry people! I hope you like the chapter but it's late so I must be off.
Next chapter: Does Sex on the Beach do Mikey good or does it do her bad? Read to find out.
***Reader interaction:*** who was it in the chair? Hmm (Kelly you BETTER not answer this one)
My reviewers are the best:
Kelly Rox My Sox: I love the cute Devon scenes, as well. They are probably my favorites to write, who knows. Yeah, I felt bad about spoiling Don's birthday. Oh well. Thanks for telling me that the almost-sex scene wasn't raunchy. I was trying not to be raunchy. I'm actually trying to avoid sex because I mean, first I know nothing about it and second of all my friends are reading this. They may never look at me the same again. Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Aaron: Why are you clapping and calling this chapter brilliant? Aah! Okay Thanks for reading Aaron. You know you're the best there is.
Tony: I WILL be famous one day! I swear! I can't believe you're discussing my writing with mike. Eep, embarrassing. Lol. Oh well. Thanks for your review and your support!
Ramica: I'm trying to be tasteful with the Leo/mikey situation. And I'm trying to consider what I would do in the situation. I hope I'm doing a good job with that. Yes, poor don. I bed I'm scaring the poor boy. Aah. Fight scenes are hard for me to write, I don't know, I've never been in a fight. But I am getting coaching about the fighting from a friend of mine so hopefully it will start showing up more often. Marriage? Is that what you really want?
Erin: Yes, I love Devon, as well. I don't want Leo and Mikey to be all mushy so that's good news for you. Love you, darling.
Rhonda: I'm glad I am impressing someone with this story. Yippee. Mikey and Jacks? Reconciliation? Funny you mention that. Okay, Leo and Mikey don't sleep on the mattress together for two reasons. For one, how many teenage couples sleep in the same bed every night? Not many. Mikey and Leo want to be as normal as possible, although they do have a son. Hmm. And the second reason is that how fair is that? Just cause Leo gots the connections he gets the soft bed? Nuh uh! Lol. Published? Naw! This is just fun practice. Thanks for the praise, though.
Heather: I'm glad you like the story so much. Lol I hate to admit it but there probably won't be a graphic sex scene because I wouldn't know how to even begin to write one, I know nothing about sex. I'm sorry. Naw, see, don isn't hurt too bad. Thanks baby doll!
Walking Contradiction: My favorite reviewer. I'm glad that I reached the perfect balanced combination with this chapter. Whoo! Yes, I admit, Mikey is very thoughtful but she does doubt herself a great deal. She can't help it, it's just instinct from living the way she does. You think the Mikey Leo scenes are well written? Good, I was worried about that. Lol impressiveness? Yippee!!!! I'm sorry it took so long for me to update. I know don and Raph are slightly neglected but it's hard for me to throw that in there. I think I'm gonna do a chapter focused on the 'men' heehaw. Well okay. Thank you for reviewing, I hope you liked the chapter.
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter!
Much love,
Krissy Hughes.