HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY to my fellow Americans. :D

Well, I will be updating this story every Monday. With any luck, I'll be able to keep to that schedule I've set for myself. I hope you enjoy the second chapter of "Dance With The Devil".

Disclaimer: I don't own TMNT or any of its characters. I only have Amy and Gage. Chris Nova belongs to Solaris Prime.

The faces that surrounded Amelia as she sat in her living room were all concerned. No, they weren't just concerned; they were fearful. Nothing Amy had said yet could calm them, and she doubted anything she said now would be helpful. Her fiancée was seated beside her with one arm draped over her shoulders, as though she needed the support. A year ago, she would have been offended, but now understood that was just how Gage was.

"Amy," Leonardo began, his voice quiet.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys that I'm fine?" she asked before he could continue.

"You just ran out the window to follow nobody."

"It wasn't nobody. It was…" She stopped herself when she realized what she was about to say.

"Who was it, Amy?" Donatello asked.

"Don't look at me like that, Donny. There's nothing wrong with me, alright?"

"Was it Chris?" Amy scowled and glanced away from her genius brother. That gave him all the answer he needed.

"Amy, he's not here. He's been dead for two years now."

"You think I don't know that?" she snapped.

"Then why is it you still believe? Why did you chase after him if you know he's gone?"

Amy held her head in her hands, sighing through gritted teeth. "I don't know. Is it so wrong for me to wish he was alive?"

"We all wish 'e was alive," Raphael answered gruffly. "But we don't chase afta 'im." A glare from Leonardo was directed at the red-clad turtle.

"What Raph means is that we're worried about you," he said pointedly. "We just don't want you to keep hurting."

"Who says I'm hurting?" Amelia retorted. "You're talking like I'm a head-case. There's absolutely nothing wrong with me. My mind is as sharp as ever, even better than when I was a teenager. What's wrong with grieving?"

"Do you dream or do you grieve? Amy, it's been two years."

"I know, Leo. He died two weeks after my birthday. There's no way I could possibly forget."

"You've got to let him go." Amelia shook her head and shrugged Gage's arm off of her shoulders. She stood abruptly, glaring at her eldest brother with tears stinging her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she was this angry with Leo.

"Easy for you to say," she snapped before turning on her heel and heading into the bathroom. As the door shut behind her, the others could hear the faucet running loudly. They figured she was washing her face to rid herself of the tears; she always hated crying. A heavy sigh came from Leonardo as he sat on the couch.

"We're sorry for the intervention in the living room, Gage," Donatello apologized. The young man simply shook his head, his gaze turning to the bathroom door for an instant.

"It's alright. I just want to help her. She's been acting weird for a couple months now. Just recently she's been waking up in the middle of the night. She says they're just bad dreams, but I think there's something else bothering her."

"So she hasn't talked to you about Chris or anything?" Mona Lisa asked.

"No. She doesn't talk about Chris at all, but that doesn't surprise me, since you guys told me she didn't really talk about him much after he passed away." A silence fell over the room and Gage realized the water was still running in the bathroom sink. His brows furrowed slightly and he stood from where he was seated.

"What's up?" Mikey asked. Gage held a finger to his lips and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Amy? Are you okay?" he asked. There was no response. He tried the handle, finding that it was unlocked, and opened the door. The room was empty and the curtains were blowing in the breeze. A sigh escaped Gage's lips as he turned off the faucet and leaned in the entryway.

"You still lose her?"

"I know where she is, but she wants to be alone. It's best if we wait for her to come back on her own."

Amelia seated herself before the memorial stone in the park, lighting a stick of incense next to it, and rested a hand on the cool granite slab. Her emotions were everywhere, and she was confused. She was angry at her brothers for telling her to let go of Chris. How could she just let go? She couldn't, not when she still believed he was alive somewhere. But that left her to ask how that could be.

"Riddle me this, Chris. How can I still see you when I am the one who watched while you died?"

There was no response, not that Amy particularly expected there to be one. While she believed Chris was alive, she didn't think he was constantly following her around. Besides, he wouldn't be foolish enough to respond to her questions if he wanted to hide. But then, why would he want to be hiding from her? What possible reason could he have for staying away from his family?

Amy remained in the park for hours, talking to Chris' memorial stone. Part of her hoped he was listening nearby, so he would know how she was doing, and would know that she wanted him to come home. He would be twenty-one now, just like her. He should be starting his life as an adult, not that he hadn't always been mature for his age anyway. Amy used to think of Chris as an adult in a child's body when they were younger, though she would never say such a thing aloud. She knew better than to say something like that, considering how broken Chris had been when they found him as a child. In fact, the day Chris disappeared was the day Amy found out what had happened to his parents, how they were killed by the Shredder.

She quickly shook her head, clearing her thoughts of that day. She didn't want to remember his disappearance now. She wanted answers. How did Chris come back? Where had he been the past two years? Where was he now? How had he known Amy was in danger a year ago, when she'd been captured by Stockman and Bishop? Why did he only show himself in that one moment?

With a heavy sigh, Amy looked down at her watch and realized just how long she'd been gone. Her family and Gage would be worried about her by now, she was sure. She was actually surprised they hadn't come looking for her yet. Then again, she mused, Gage had learned at this point that she liked to have some time to herself every once in a while. He was probably trying to respect her boundaries. He really was a good man, Amy knew. He didn't deserve for her to be running off on him like this all the time. Amy stood and dusted the dirt from her jeans, casting one final glance at the polished granite stone before turning to walk home.

"I'll come by again soon, Chris," she said. "I still miss you."

Please R&R.