Author's comments: Here we are back for chapter 4, folks and its great to have you with me! I tried to take some of Reinbeauchaser's advice and read the tutorials but unfortunately FF.Net's server chucks a wobbly every time I try. And continues to do so no matter how many times I refresh! Argh!

But rest assured I am endeavouring to become a better writer regardless by taking any and all tips from my faithful two reviewers. I want readers to be able, while looking back on this piece, to witness my growth as an author. Watch this space!

prepare4trouble: Seems a few people like the way Leo was all embarrassed in chapter 2! I hope I managed to recreate some of that naivety in relation to his girl skills in this one too. Thanks for the review and I'll keep writing them if you keep reading them!

Disclaimer: You know the deal by now—I don't own TMNT no matter how much I'd like to. Only Madeline the OC belongs to me. No suing.

-- CHAPTER 4 --

"Hold on, miss, that's sort of a tricky step down..."

Madeline froze, taking his advice. The voice was undoubtly male —it possessed a pleasant baritone which dispelled all possibility of femininity. She had only a moment to try and judge the speaker by that all too brief comment however. In the next heartbeat the young woman felt a tentative touch slowly close around her left wrist where it was braced to the door frame, followed by another at her waist. The strength in his grip could be felt just by that simple contact, evoking a shiver up her spine.

With the stranger's assistance, she stepped down onto icy concrete and made a sound of protest. No sooner she had then the same voice asked: "Do you want me to carry you to the couch?" Palpable concern sounded sincere in his tone. That did not stop her cheeks heating at the thought of being carried in this man's arms wearing what she almost was.

"No, thankyou..." Madeline declined, trying to be polite. "Just lead me there, please."

============

Leonardo wondered if his hands were shaking or if it was just his imagination. The slender wrist engulfed in his hold certainly was. But he guessed this woman had a right to be scared. After all, she couldn't even see the stranger whom she put her trust in her right now. But then again ... maybe that was a good thing.

Carefully negotiating her onto the threadbare rug which marked the 'lounge room' area of the platform in a distinct square, the turtle nudged away his gear and weapons with one foot to remove a tripping hazard for her. "Okay, you can sit down now..." he told her quietly, slowly lowering himself down onto the cushions with her. Once the guest on his makeshift bed was seated he dragged the blanket from the floor thrown there in his shock and draped it around her shoulders. "Here, you've gotta be cold in just that."

Her cheeks darkened as she reached up and pulled the corners of the covering tight around her body like a cocoon. Whether it was because she was embarrassed, frightened or both and he couldn't pluck the right thing to say from his swirling thoughts a silenced settled. The television dialogue murmuring inanely did little to alleviate the weight lack of conversation drew down on them. The longer it stretched out, the more the ninja felt like twitching, clearing his throat, or simply running into the sewers. He didn't do any of those things, however, because finally, she broke the ice for him.

"What are you watching?" she wanted to know. Her vacant eyes stared straight at the TV screen, but at the same time, through it and out the other side.

"Uh, just infomercials..." Leo piped up, shifting to put more distance between them. The worn springs of the sofa creaked to give him away and he stopped.

"Ah, I see..."

More silence.

Why did he feel like that simple exchange had meant something else entirely? As if they both were saying one thing and meaning another?

Deliberately he turned his head to look at her profile huddled into the blanket inches from him. The light of the screen brought out the ugly blues and magentas of the large bruise gracing her entire cheek. It looked like an ugly stain on her alabaster pallor, testimony to the evils in the world. Just remembering the sight of her being thrown to the ground in that one blow made the warrior's fists clench and unclench with the urge to hit the man again. If only he could reach over and stroke the mark away, smooth the creases in her brow and bring a smile to those lips. He really wanted to see them smile... Oh wow, where had –that-- come from?

Leo moved the rest of the way over to the furthest end of the seater, almost perching on the arm rest. Who cared if the springs squeaked?

"So.... What's your name?..." he casually tried to ask for the one thing he had been dying to know all night.

"Madeline Breckin. You can call me 'Maddy', if you like."

"Maddy..." He rolled it around on the tip of his tongue and found it tasted good. "It's nice..."

"What's yours?"

"......... Leonardo.... Uh, 'Leo's' easier."

"I like it." she returned the compliment. "It's very poetic."

Leo caught himself before he laughed out loud and did something stupid like say 'why, thank you'. Not very cool infront of a woman. Not very manly. Instead he settled for: "thanks" and left it at that.

Some of the tension trickled away like water leaking out of a glass, leaving the air between them clearer and more tolerable. Maybe offering their nicknames had graduated them to the next level up from strangers or perhaps it was just the fact they now had something to call the other. Whatever it was, Leonardo was grateful for the small mercy.

"Leo?" He suddenly could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage like banging on a door to be let out. Just noticing the way his name sounded coming from her lips --softer, gentler and more needing then he had ever heard it spoken before –made his pulse speed up.

"Yeah, .... Maddy?" it took more effort to say one word then it had for him to go up against Rahzar.

"Exactly where am I?" she asked.

Out of all his brothers, the eldest was unanimously the poster-boy for honesty and integrity, but right that moment, he stopped, paused, and actually hesitated giving her an answer. He didn't want to tell her they lived in a sewer or some beat-up old subway train. He didn't want to because Leo knew that would inevitably lead to other questions; why did they live down here and not up on the surface with the rest of the world? What did they have to hide?

For once, for just this moment, he had something he never had before. Normality. This morning Leonardo wouldn't have thought he cared about it at all. He didn't want or need human acceptance, he was just happy with his family, fighting the good fight. But now he was sitting next to a young, attractive human woman who thought his name sounded poetic and that felt better then he had ever thought it would. Suddenly, he didn't want to do or say anything to jeopardize that. But at the same time, he couldn't lie to her.

Instead, the young mutant told himself he would just choose his words carefully...

"You're in New York, at my home." Leo told her, mentally checking himself for discrepancies. She was in New York, even if she was currently UNDER it, and though it may not have been much, the lair was still 'home'. So far so good.

"Oh..." Madeline sounded a little surprised, like maybe she thought she was somewhere else. "Whereabouts in the city do you live?"

"Uh... A few blocks from the train station on Main street. You know where that is?" Again, the lair WAS a few blocks away from the station, so it wasn't a lie.

"Hmm, yes I know the train station..." Maddy replied, sitting there with her brow wrinkled in deep thought. Obviously she was trying to get her bearings from the landmark by whatever means a blind person did. Leo didn't know how long she had lived in the city or how well she knew the area. Rather not taking the chance she might begin pressing him for details, he decided to quickly change the subject.

"So, um, how're you feeling? Better?" What a stupid question, he berated himself. She was almost RAPED.

The look which quickly fell over her haunted face like a shadow made him feel like an idiot. Nice going, you jerk, he thought. He sat still, ready for the worse: was she going to start crying?

Her eyes sparkled with the sheen of unshed tears, making their faded blue shine brightly by the TV's glow. But she did not cry. Leonardo wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. That awful silence got its foot back in the door between them and barged in to make the disquiet so thick he was sure he couldn't cut it with any sword ever made.

"Uhhh, that was a stupid question..." he ventured at last, doing his best to apologize when she still hadn't uttered a word after what felt like an hour's silence. "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't think about what I was—"

"It's alright." Madeline told him. Her voice had become so quiet he barely heard it. Just that in itself told him it wasn't. "Could you take me back to the room? I don't feel too good..."

And that was all his fault, Leo slung the blame on his shoulders. In the space of one sentence she had clamed up on him and all of a sudden they were strangers again. The fleeting connection was gone.

"Sure..." the turtle said, biting back the urge to sigh as he stood and reached down to wrap his hand around her shoulder, pulling her up from the couch. He was careful not to hold her hand as he steered her back to his room—the last thing he wanted right now was for her to feel his thick, three-fingered hold and freak out.

He'd done enough damage for tonight.

Sitting her down on his bed, he pulled the blankets up over her body, but didn't tuck them in, letting her do that for herself. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?" he told her, closing the door behind him.

Outside in the hall, he leant his forehead against the wall and let it thud there a few times with resounding –BANG—'s. "Stupid, stupid, stupid..." he muttered.

The voice of his younger brother behind him, made Leonardo stop the self- punishment and turn to look at the sibling. Michaelangelo stood in the door way of his bedroom, bleary-eyed and still half-asleep.

"Dude, what's all the noise?" he mumbled.

"Nothing, Mikey. Go back to bed." the older dismissed him.

Even in his current state of semi-catatonia, the orange-affiliated ninja wasn't stupid. The suspicious look he gave his big brother was enough to confirm that Mike knew something was up. But rather then get into it now in the wee hours of the morning, standing in the freezing hallway, he made the smart decision and let it lay. Murmuring something that sounded like a 'goodnight', he shut the door behind him and left Leonardo standing there staring at the wood panel in silence.

A minute, and then another passed before Leonardo let out a sigh and trudged back out of the train, grabbing his stuff as he passed the couch. He didn't stop to look at the blanket rumpled on one side of it, probably still warm from her body. Instead he roughly yanked a knot into his bandana, lashing it securely on his head, and paced towards the part of the station which had been converted into a make-shift dojo. He needed to practice his katas, meditate or just chop up the wooden dummy. Anything to get rid of frustration boiling in his heart for his own insensitive slip of the tongue.

---------------

Poor Leo! He's not very good with girls, is he? Maybe that will change! Ignoring the fact this is a Leonardo romance fic and you're probably just reading this for the love scenes, let's just pretend you don't know the answer to that and find out in the next chapter! -QA