Disclaimer – I only own the dust bunnies collecting at my feet, that and any unpaid bills because I'm too involved with writing stories to write checks. Nevertheless, my gratitude and appreciation to everyone who finds this story interesting enough to read, and most, assuredly, to those who were kind enough to leave a review. Those generous readers are – Masline, Beth Hart, Ramica, Chibi Rose Angel, Pacphys, Kaya Lizzie, Katana Babe, XXXElektraXXX, Lunar Ninja, Mewfew, Jessiey Landroz, Kellie Fay, Ninja Neo, and Reluctant Dragon. Thanks, guys, for the encouragement and all of your wonderful comments.. I love you all! Be blessed
Also, Beth Hart (Leo Oneal) and Reluctant Dragon helped beta this chapter for me. Thanks guys:0)
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Chapter 20 - Dumb Luck
Mike and Don walked in silence as they made their way back to the lair. Each clutched the item they had gone topside for, lost in thought, as their feet automatically took them into the sewers. As they sloshed through the underground pipes, neither turtle knew what to say about what had transpired at the apartment. Yet, one thing was certain, Raph's sudden grief had brought to light many thoughts that they had conveniently pushed aside.
Their day-to-day living, the continued conflict with the Foot clan, all of itplayed an intricate part during the past several years in keeping the focus off the loss of their friends. Yet witnessing how deeply their older brother grieved over April's death, the force of his anger and rage he inflicted into the floor of her apartment, caused them to reassess their own intense feelings. Consequently, each turtle obsessed silently over his own personal grief as the two brothers made their way back home.
Finally, just before reaching the entrance to the lair, Mike stopped, causing Donnie to do the same.
"What's wrong, Mike?" Don asked, concerned, and yet he knew what his brother was feeling.
Mike, his face downcast to the refuge-strewn floor of the sewer, finally looked up at his purple-masked brother. With his eyes glistening and a voice thick with emotion, he said, "Just miss her, I guess."
Nodding in affirmation, Don remarked solemnly, "Me, too, brome too."
"I miss – Casey, too," Mike added glumly, swallowing the golf-ball sized lump in his throat.
Shaking his head, Don remarked, "Raph, more than anyone of us; those two were like twins, except…one was green."
Mike chuckled a little, sniffing and wiping his hand across his snout as he added, "And reptilian, can't forget that, Donnie."
"Hard not to, bro," his brother chuckled lightly in return.
"Wonder where he ran off to, though," Mike mused, "I mean, it was so weird the way he just took off like that, after the funeral. I know he loved her and all, but..."
"Remember, Mikey, Raph loved her, too. Case didn't take it very well when he found out about it." Don said, "In fact, I remember April telling me how she told him to mind his own business, to leave Raph alone." Shaking his head, "Not that she felt for Raphael in the same way, but - well - she understood." Don sighed, "Maybe just seeing Raph brought it all back to Casey, that he was competition."
"Yeah, but April wouldn't pick Raph over Casey, just doesn't make sense, not where she's human and all. It was bad enough we lost her, ya know?" Mike lamented.
"Well, unless we find him again, guess we'll never know for sure," Don remarked, and then he nodded towards the main tunnel that led to their home, "Anyway, best we get inside, before Raph arrives. I'd hate to have him sense our mood right now. He'd have to know we saw him earlier at Ape's."
"For sure, dude, that's one turtle I don't wanna mess with!" his brother exclaimed, and then the two made their way into the short access tunnel and down through the opening into their lair.
Soon, the two brothers were inside their home, the bright expanse of the abandoned subway station a startling contrast to the darkened sewer tunnel they were in just moments before. Where they stood at foot of the ladder, both could see that Leonardo and Beth were in the kitchen. Mike grinned, "Hey, you two making dinner?"
Leo turned around and smiled, "Lunch, actually. Hamburgers okay?" he asked, slicing tomatoes as he did.
"Hey, anything'll do right now, I'm starved!" Mike exclaimed happily.
Donnie nudged him and said, "Raph's right, Mikey, you're always starved."
"S'what I'm all about, bro!" Mike replied cheerily.
Beth, who was tending to the hamburger patties in the frying pan, noticed the pack of beer in Mike's hand and the other item in Donnie's, "Guess your shopping proved successful?" she asked.
"Yep, always is, m'lady," Mike bowed formally.
She turned her attention to the newly arriving turtles, asking, "How can you walk inside the stores, I mean, you have a coat and hat, but what about your legs?" Beth observed the garment-clothed turtles as they took off their outerwear, but not before she saw that the coats hung a bit short down their legs.
Don replied, "We're ninja, plus we wait until the store is mostly empty, watch for pedestrians…" and then Mike interrupted.
"And use the back door that faces the alleyway. That's a sure-fire way of getting in without the general population noticing green legs," the orange-banded turtle explained with a grin. "Plus, we sometimes just sneak in, grab what we want, and leave the money where the item was. It's as plain as day someone paid for it, that is if the grocer finds the money first."
Beth smiled at their ingenuity, her attention now back to the meat patties again, and turning them over as she asked Donatello, "And what did you bring back from the junk yard, Don?"
"A printed circuit board, something for my computer." Don answered, "I'll know in a little while if it's what I think it is. I'm hoping it will make my computer run faster."
Beth was amazed with these reptilian friends of hers, so intelligent and so very much like any human. She smiled at the two and then went back to cooking the hamburgers again.
Earlier, after he had calmed her from Raph's outburst, Splinter had retired to his room for some personal and private meditating. However, he had easily sensed his sons' return. Extricating himself from his lotus sitting position, he then stood up and walked towards the exit. Opening his compartment door, he looked out and instantly felt the unsettled emotions coming from Donnie and Mike. Yet, there was more than just the old feelings of grief and loss, there was something more.
"Donatello, Michelangelo, I wish to see you in my room, please," the old rat requested. With Raphael still not back, he wondered if his two sons had come across him during their errand. He watched as Mike walked into the kitchen and slipped the six-pack of beer into the refrigerator, while Donnie placed his procured electronic board on the coffee table in the living room. Then, as the two made their way towards his bedroom, Splinter slipped back inside to await their arrival.
As the two turtles walked into his room, Splinter lit his incense sticks, blowing out the match he used, and then placing it into a glass receptacle. Next, he padded over to his bed, slipped onto it, and folded his legs back into his favorite lotus position once more. At the same time, his sons seated themselves on the floor in front of him, crossing their legs in similar fashion and then facing their master.
"Tell me of your excursion topside," the rat asked simply.
Donatello knew that his father often had clairvoyant capabilities and it was obvious that, with what he and Mike were feeling earlier, his master had sensed their emotions. "We visited April's apartment, Sensei."
"And…" Splinter asked, knowing that there was more.
Mike answered, "Raphael was there, Master."
"And…" the rat asked again, "this time you can be more forthcoming than just giving me short answers," he insisted, his tail tapping beside him along the bed in mild impatience.
Both brothers replied, "He was crying."
Splinter sighed and rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. Nevertheless, even though their answer was shorter than their first two responses, the weight of what they shared carried far with the ninja master. "I see, and how long did you observe him?" he finally asked.
"Until we sensed his awareness of us, Master," Donatello said, "Then we left as quickly as we could."
"Yeah, Master Splinter, the last thing we need is for Raph to find out we watched him cry, he'd be our worse nightmare for weeks!" Mike added sheepishly.
"Indeed," their father concurred, "yet, he did cry, you say?"
Nodding in dual agreement, both brothers said in unison, "Yes."
Splinter was silent for a long moment, contemplating the news that his sons had brought back to him. He was pleased that Raphael had finally come to terms with his grief, and maybe it was because of the girl now residing in their lair. Still, he also knew that his temperamental son had many layers to his emotions. Considering what he now knew, it wouldn't surprise him in the least if his second oldest came back in a worse mood than when he left.
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As Splinter conferred with Donatello and Michelangelo about Raphael, Beth and Leo were finishing up with the meal preparation. Leo had the tomatoes sliced and the lettuce washed and ripped into hamburger-bun sized pieces, with medallions of onions sitting nearby on its own plate. Beth was just finishing with frying the last round of meat patties in the frying pan, while the rest of the hamburgers were stacked on a platter and sitting on the table behind her. Considering his success with breakfast, Leo had allowed Beth to do the honors for lunch. She was more than willing, if only because she enjoyed cooking whenever she was in the mood to do so. For some strange reason, she felt rather good and cooking appealed to her for the moment.
While the two tended to their tasks, the buns toasted eagerly in the oven, only a minute away from extraction and their own participation in the meal. Other parts of the meal, such as sliced watermelon, carrots, and a large saucepan of baked beans, were already on the table and ready for serving.
Suddenly, Leo turned away from the counter with the plate of tomatoes in his hand, just as Beth turned away from the stove with the last hamburger patty balancing precariously on the spatula she was using. Both had been so involved with their tasks, that they hadn't realized the close proximity of the other. In one fluid motion, though, the moment he realized the impending disaster, Leonardo sidestepped out of harms way, thereby avoiding bumping into Beth.
Realizing the near miss, Beth's eyes went slightly wide, and then she giggled over the accident that almost happened, "That was close," she exclaimed.
Leo had to chuckle as well, "I'll say. That would have been messy; trying to clean the floor of tomatoes, and the meal wouldn't have been the same, either. A hamburgers without a slice of tomato seems kind of – weird."
They both laughed a little and then went back to their appointed task, each rushing past the other in their effort to finish preparing the meal. However, their near collision had positioned them closer than they were before; resulting in the barest of touches as Beth's right arm, and Leo's left, brushed against each other.
Beth startled as she felt the roughened texture of Leo's reptilian skin. She had only held his hand, but his arm had more texture by comparison. Yet, instead of repulsing her, the sensation of leathery, scaly skin heightened her awareness and curiosity about him.
In turn, Beth's soft, smooth textured epidermis invigorated Leo, a sudden chill coursing through him, and creating a desire for more. He turned and looked at her as she hesitated ever so slightly in placing the last hamburger on top of the other cooked patties. Beth seemed to shake a little bit but she still managed to keep her composure. Yet it was obvious to Leo that she had felt something, too.
As she turned back around, he looked at her, catching her attention and causing her to glance back at him. He smiled.
Noticing his inviting expression, Beth's face flushed with emotion and, with slight embarrassment. She swallowed, nervously working the spatula handle in her hand, and wondering what Leo was thinking. She saw his gaze meet hers, the deepness of his eyes drawing her in. She licked her lips and seemed as if ready to drop the spatula and race for the bathroom, but...she didn't. Somehow, Beth used what little she learned earlier from Splinter to take control of the situation, or at least enough to keep from losing control, as she was so often doing of late.
"What's – wrong, Beth?" Leo asked softly, recognizing the subtle insecurity in her face. Gently, he walked up to her, slowly, so as not to alarm her. He wanted to reach out, to touch her arm again, maybe even to hold her, but he resisted. He would wait until he saw her accept his approach. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her, or to assume what she was feeling.
With big eyes, the girl looked at Leonardo and her breathing quickened just a little. He could tell she seemed torn, confused, maybe even a little frightened. He had to remember the horrific things she had gone through. To think she would be ready for romance this early would be an obvious mistake - and Leo wanted to avoid making any mistakes of that nature with Beth.
"It's – all right, Beth…I…won't hurt you, you do know that, right?" he cooed softly, trying to reassure her.
Nodding, she swallowed a little, her voice breathy and light, "Yes, of course you wouldn't, it's just…" Of course, he wouldn't, she kept repeating to herself; he's Leonardo, a mutant turtle, a kind-hearted soul, someone who had tried to calm her when she was totally losing it earlier. How could Beth even see him as harming her - or anyone else, for that matter?
She forced herself to relax, then, she allowed whatever feelings she had tried to suppress earlier to surface in her heart. She tried to follow Splinter's advice and not be afraid of things, or of them. Did he say anything about emotions, about – love, though? Beth couldn't really recall. Suddenly, a small smile began to play along her mouth, brightening her facial features just enough to cause Leo to smile in return.
"I know…it's…I mean, the feeling…it's kind of unexpected, huh," Leo concurred, sensing her burgeoning attraction to him. The words of his sensei, warning him about his feelings for her, faded from his mind as the turtle's instincts kicked in. There wasn't any way for him to ignore how he felt. It didn't matter if they had only known each other for less than two days; Leo knew what he felt was real. Regardless of what his father had said, the mutant's heart said otherwise. "Do you feel what I feel, Beth," Leo asked, his voice even softer than before, huskier as emotions overwhelmed him.
Caring and gentleness came through his words as sharply as the blade from his sword. Beth did indeed feel something and just looking at Leo caused her heart to pound in expectation. The fears that she had about physical contact melted away, she longed for him to hold her. Yet, that little talk she had with herself while in the bathroom nagged at her. He was a mutant, a turtle, reptilian, and so alien to her own species that he could very easily have come from Mars. Nevertheless, he was still of flesh and bone, the way she was, and warmer to the touch than she thought most reptiles should be. Would his mutation mean he was half-human, thereby making him compatible to her? This was the main question that nagged at her and one that offered Beth a tantalizing hopefulness. Still, the more she gazed into his eyes, the stronger her feelings became, and the less fear she felt.
There wasn't any denying that she felt attracted to him, that much she was sure of.
Leo asked once more, almost afraid that maybe he had assumed again, pushed too hard, yet he felt compelled to know for certain, "Beth, do you feel…as I do?" As an afterthought, he allowed her some grace, "It's all right, you know, if you…well…if you don't or...can't. I'll – understand." He sighed, "After all you've been through and everything, I wouldn't blame..."
In that moment, Beth took hold of his hand and smiled again, appreciating Leo's willingness to concede if she could not return the feelings. Yet, she knew most certainly that she did indeed feel the same way. She stepped towards him in answer and, this time, Leo smiled wider in return. She continued to hold on to his hand, while his other hand gently reached up and carefully caressed her arm, the one that had brushed against his only seconds earlier. In response, she shivered, looked into his eyes, and then noticed his mouth; it seemed so much stranger from her own. She wondered if it would make any difference, but as he looked down at her with deep longing in his eyes, she dismissed it as unimportant.
As the oven began to smoke a little with toasting hamburger buns that were well on their way to charcoal consistency, Leo slowly leaned in toward Beth. Both of them angled their heads a bit in order to avoid bumping noses, their mouths expectant and eager. Leo could smell her sweet breath and she his as they came together, his beak gently cupping her lips in fervent embrace.
As it was, both of them were oblivious to the vapor-belching appliance behind them as it spewed forth its emissions with increasing intensity. Yet, just as Leo began to deepen the kiss, three things happened, and almost at the same time.
First, smoke, black as pitch, began pouring more furiously from the oven, filling the ceiling area of the kitchen with choking clouds of fumes as they ghosted towards the outer reaches of the lair.
Second, gasps rang out, echoing loudly within the brick-lined subway station, as Mike, Don – and Splinter – rushed out from the rat's bedroom to see what was burning. Nevertheless, the facially conjoined couple in the kitchen quickly took their attention away from the smoking appliance.
Third, Raphael had just slid down the ladder into the lair and at the precise moment when Leo kissed Beth. Landing on the lair floor and in a position that had him facing the kitchen, he had a perfect view to witness the sudden romantic gesture between his brother and the girl.
At first, he was momentarily stunned, but then, "Son of a…" Raphael bellowed out suddenly, flinging the bust of Elvis he had carried from April's apartment clear across the room in a fit of rage. The bust slammed explosively against the brick wall of the lair, breaking into a hundred miniscule pieces, and destroyed beyond even Donatello's ability to fix. Raphael then stormed angrily towards his bedroom in a huff. "Of all the stupid ideas, of all the dumb luck…" he ranted loudly and soon disappeared within the confines of the subway car that he called his own. Jerking the door shut behind him, and then with the sudden creak of springs, he let everyone know that, once again, Raphael was in a mood.
All Leo and Beth could do was to stand there in the kitchen with their hands firmly entrenched in each other's. They had jumped in surprise upon Raph's verbal outburst and immediately stopped kissing. Realizing that the other two turtles and the rat had also witness their kiss caused them to blush red with embarrassment.
For lack of a better term, they seemed as caught as a child's hand in a cookie jar would be.
Leo, however, sensed his master's disapproval. When he looked over at the aged rat again - and took note of his grinning brothers, he saw his sensei's tail snake irritably along the ground.
Yes, indeed, Master Splinter was certainly not pleased with him, not at all, in fact.