Author's Note: So so sorry about the wait! Thanks for all of your support thus far! Long chapter, yay! I hope you all enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the OC and the story line.

Warnings: Nothing much, maybe a bit of language.

Words Count: 7,329

I'm sitting around the dinner table. My family and I. In the years leading up to my moving out, we would all come together for the holidays. Jake and Kev still live with us, so they don't have to pay for dorm fees at college but my older siblings all moved out on their own. We all sit around the dinner table, laughing and talking like there wasn't an ounce of bad blood between us.

It's at that point that I know I'm dreaming, especially with the sunlight filtering in through the window behind me, warming my back and uncovered arms. I look down at my body to see I'm wearing a short sleeve shirt gray shirt and long, ankle length black skirt. I lean onto the table with my elbows and look around the table at the happy, smiling faces of my family. I don't think I've ever had a gathering like this were everyone was happy. Sure there was smiles and laughing but there was always something there, holding them all back. A silent resentment deep beneath the surface.

Something no one really saw, but they all felt one way or another.

We pass food around the table, laughing and cracking jokes. Julia telling us about her day. Anything she says doesn't really compute in my head, but I go through the motions of laughing and sharing, even though I'm not really saying anything. My lips are moving but nothing is registering. As soon as I notice that, I stop talking and stare around the table at my family. They all stare at me with undivided attention, and then all laugh, like I said something funny even though I've stopped talking a few moments before.

It takes me a second to realize that I'm dreaming. But as soon as I do, I pull away from it. This isn't my life, this is just a poor version of it filled with flowers and rainbows. No, the life I remember is constantly being alone, as if I was an only child. My parents had a bunch of children that were all like a bunch of strangers to each other. No, it was just me. I was the odd man out for as long as I could remember.

I couldn't hate my siblings for not knowing how to be around me. I was different. I couldn't do everything that they could do. If people saw us on the streets, they would never think that we were all siblings. Perhaps all my siblings, but not me. As per usual, I am the odd man out.

I open my eyes and immediately notice that I'm somewhere unfamiliar. Before panic can really settle in, I remember most of the events that lead me to this point. Those guys returned, and they chased me again. I had just written them off and they returned. But I managed to slip away, somehow, and when I called for the four turtle brothers... they actually came for me, as they promised they would. They didn't let me down. So this... dark, smelly place is their home...?

I sit up slowly, rubbing my head, feeling a subtle throbbing throughout my skull. I'm on a long wrap around couch which seems to go around in a large square. A television is right in front of me. There is two worn down pillows in front of the television. I reach up and run a hand through my long, tangled hair. Combing it with my fingers, trying to tame the thick locks. Once it's easier to run my fingers through, I smooth it down and look around.

The whole room is dark except for a small light in the kitchen area. There is an island counter with a bunch of chairs pulled up, a full, functioning kitchen around it. There is no one around as far as I can tell. I look down at my lap to see that there was a red quilt draped around me. It's actually nice and warm, a little rough to the touch but it keeps me nice and warm beneath it. I lightly touch the frayed edges, looking around the wide open room, wondering what I'm suppose to do.

It appears to be a living room, kitchen, dinning room, recreation room, with a... running water sewer? Am I in the sewers? I look at a pair of steps leading up what appears to be... a subway..? I'm definitely underground. But am I in the sewers? It certainly smells like it. There is a broken spiral staircase leading up onto another floor and above the running sewer water, there appears to be some kind of really decorative wall, but my vision is too blurry to accurately make out. Damn my horrible vision.

I wrap the covers around myself and tentatively move a foot over to stand up. I stop when I spot clean white medical tape, much like the brothers wear, wrapped around my feet and more around my right calf. I twist my right ankle around a bit experimentally. There's a very dull pain on my calf but my feet are fine. Even if the entire thing, just short of my toes, are all wrapped up.

Someone must have... Donnie. Yes. He was kneeling down in front of me while we were driving back here. He was looking at my feet. He did this. I'll have to remember to thank him properly the next time that I see him.

When my feet touch the ground, I flinch at the cold concrete. I shiver but force myself to stand up. There is an even more subtle throbbing pain at the bottom of both of my feet, not as painful as the pressure on the back of my calf but still enough to be noticed. My head doesn't like the shift in elevation and begins to pound painfully. I groan, touching a cold hand to my warm forehead and walk around aimlessly. Once I realize I'm just going to have to climb over the couch to get out of the weird box I'm trapped in, I do so and stumble toward the light. The last thing I need to do is fall into the water and drowned. Or worse, get any wounds I'm sure to have on my feet infected.

God, wouldn't that be my luck?

This entire experience is kicking my ass. I'm so tired of getting my ass handed to me. I was not built for this sort of life so why is this happening to me? I lower myself into one of the chair, folding my arms onto the table and lowering my head onto them, letting my eyes droop closed again. I don't want to be alone but I'm sure as hell not going to go searching around a strange place looking for the brothers. I'll get lost, I'm sure of it. Then I'll need to get rescued again and that's just too much for me to handle. At least for right now.

I'm tired. Still, but I don't want to sleep right now. Not in this unfamiliar place. But I don't know where to go to find someone.

Just as I'm beginning to doze again, a muffled sound catches my attention. I jerk my head up and look around. I hold my breath and wait. After a few moments, I hear it again. It's some kind of muffled noise coming from within the fridge. As soon as I realize that, a horrible feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. I very carefully stand up, holding the blanket around me like a cape and step closer to the fridge, hoping and praying that there isn't some sort of severed head in there. Don't do it. Don't give me any reason to doubt the legitimacy of these helpful brothers, I pray to any deity possibly listening.

I inch closer and closer until I'm right in front of it. I lean in close and press my ear against the upper freezer portion of the fridge. The muffled noise comes from within. Yes, there is definitely some sort of living creature inside there. Now that is a scary thought. My curiosity has already been peaked, there is no way around this. You know what they say? Curiosity killed the cat.

Here goes nothing.

I reach out and wrap my fingers tightly around the cold handle and pull it open. At first I didn't understand what I was looking at. Some kind of cat-like blob of ice cream staring back at me. My first thought was that there had to be some legitimate reason for keeping something like this around, even if for the life of me I'd never be able to think up what, but then the cat twisted it's head to the side and blinked at me.

I blink back at it. The cold air blowing against my face.

It blinks back at me, tilting it's head the other way.

Then I scream, it screams - or perhaps meows alarmed is the better word for it - and together we stare at each other, wide eyed, screaming at each other. I finally pry my hand from the door and stumble back, bumping into something warm and hard. I turn around and look up and am face to face with a large rat. My mouth is already hanging open in shock, but before I can breath in enough air to scream again, the turtles materialize from all corners of their home and converge on our location.

I turn ever so slowly to face the large rat, mouth hanging open. I take a step back, trying to put a respectful amount of distance between us. I blink rapidly, trying to understand. Yes, he is a giant rat, taller than the giant turtles, wearing a rob and standing upright with better posture than even me. Dear lord, this entire thing is getting way too weird.

"Don't scream!" Donnie says, appearing at my side, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Taylor, this is our father and sensei, Master Splinter. Master Splinter, this is our new friend Taylor Rowan." He sweeps his hand in-between us, trying to be a mediator.

I blink a few more times, staring up at the large rat, Master Splinter. Their dad. Four turtle brothers with a rat father. See, I don't know much about turtles, and even less about rats, but I don't think that's biologically correct. But like last time; who am I to judge the strange or slightly abnormal. Leo and Raph both share a look from the opposite side of the table before looking over at their dad with wide eyes.

"Yes, sensei, this is Taylor," Mikey says, sliding up easily next his dad, looking up at him with big blue eyes. Splinter pulls his eyes away from Mikey to me, keenly studying me, to look back down at his youngest son, waiting for him to continue. "There is a bunch of creepy people following her around. They even chased her outside until she passed out, sensei. We had to bring her here. She's sensitive to moon light-"

"Sunlight," Donnie cuts in as if he couldn't help himself.

"Sunlight," Mikey amends, smiling up at his dad. "Please, let us look after her! We can't just leave her high and dry! That's too cruel!"

Mouth hung open, I look between Mikey and Splinter as the rat brings up his hand - paw? - and strokes his thin beard, looking thoughtfully down at me. After a moment of debate he gestures for me to sit at the table. After a whole minute of not moving, just staring at him like I couldn't understand even the simplest hand gestures, Donnie takes my arm gently and helps me to the table. I sit down and wrap my borrowed blanket tighter around myself, feeling like I'm in some kind of strange dream.

"I'm surprised you're even awake," Donnie says, sitting next to me. "They hit you with a tranquilizer. I can't believe you're already up."

I look over at him slowly, just staring, mouth still awkwardly hanging open. My jaw is starting to hurt.

"Is she okay?" Raph asks, lowering himself in his seat next to Leo, across from Donnie. "She's got a weird look on her face and it's kind of freaking me out a little bit."

"Seriously," Mikey says, waving his hand around in front of my face. My eyes follow the movement.

Splinter sits down slowly between Leo and Mikey, who's to my left, tugging softly on his beard and narrowing his eyes. "Could it be the affects of the tranquilizer? Do you know, Donatello?"

I feel three gentle fingers cup my chin and turn me toward Donnie, he's studying me carefully with big brown eyes. He closes my mouth for me and hums, muttering something under his breath. He tilts my head toward the light and looks into my eyes intently. "How do you feel, Taylor? A little dazed, I would assume. I don't think the effects of the dart has all worn off yet. Do you feel out of it?"

Now that was an understatement. I felt really out of it, like I was half hanging out of my own body, holding onto myself with just the tips of my fingers. I'm not sure how long I've been sitting there, looking around the room with a blank face, blinking slowly. At some point, Donnie finally released my chin and rested his arm on the table next to me. I kind of noticed but I had to wonder if this is what it feels like to be drunk. To be there, be aware of yourself, but not really being able to control any of it. Man, that cat really scared something loose in my head.

I stop, my gaze on Splinter, who's staring at me a bit worried, like they weren't accustom to people being completely out of it like I was for however long I've been out of it. "I'm sorry," I hear myself say. He tilts his head slightly. That probably wasn't what he expected me to say. I didn't either, to be truthful. "I'm sorry for screaming at you. Oh, and your cat."

"It's alright," Splinter says, watching me with a mixed look of caution and curiosity. I take this moment to glance back over my shoulder at the fridge. The door is closed again, but I hear a soft meow from inside.

"Let's be honest," Raph says, pulling my attention back to the table, "it's just the cat you screamed at. You just stared at sensei with a stupid look on your face." Leo glares at him.

"Nice, Raph," he grumbles.

"Are you feeling a little more lucid now?" Splinter asks, resting his hands neatly on the table in front of him.

I nod slowly. "I... don't really know. I feel like I'm not entirely here. Like... this all isn't real..." I squint at him slowly. "Is that a bad thing to say? Sorry, if it is. I usually have some form of tact... you've just caught me on a bad day... Master Splinter..." I say his name and it sounds weird on my tongue.

"It's alright," Splinter says, waving my apology away. "What can you tell me about your situation?"

I feel my shoulders slump a little bit. "I'm not really sure. I'm normal for the most part other than..." I gesture to myself as if it weren't completely obvious, though Master Splinter's eyes follow the motion and actually study me, as if he hadn't noticed before, which is actually a surprise.

"...other than...?" Master Splinter prompted. "Other than what? What is abnormal about you?"

It takes me a second before I answer him to consider if he's making fun of me or not. I can't claim to know the man, or rat, but he doesn't strike me as the type of person to try and make a joke out of people's appearances. But when he just continued to stare back at me with calm, nonjudgmental eyes, I figured he wanted a real answer.

"I'm albino," I tell him, hoping it didn't come off as snobbish.

If it did, Master Splinter had no outward change to that. "I thought you were Taylor," he says lightly.

"No-" I stop, not seeing where he's trying to go with this. "No, I am Taylor, I have albinism." The four brothers stare on mutely, as if they too didn't know were this was going but suspected something.

"So?" Splinter says simply, staring at me as if he was trying to make a point that was going right over my head. After a few moments of me just staring at him with, what I'm sure was a stupid look on my face, he adds, "I have a tail."

My eyebrows pull together. "Yeah...?" I say, not knowing how to respond to that.

Splinter reaches up and tugs lightly on his beard closing his eyes. "I have a tail and you have albinism. Those are merely pieces of us, not us. We are still Splinter and Taylor. There is more to us that is outside those two traits. My sons have shells on their backs but that doesn't define them. Leonardo is smart and cunning and a great leader. Raphael is hot blooded, but loving and dedicated to those he loves. Donatello is smart and kind and loves unconditionally. And Michelangelo is goofy and courageous and only wants to see those he loves happy. Do you not see? Those are merely pieces of who they are. Both physical and personality wise, but not even the few things I mentioned can truly tell you who they are as people. They are ninja, but they are also brothers. Being a brother doesn't define them, no more than being a ninja does. Think about that sometime. You will intrigued to know that there is more to others than you may have originally perceived. And that even goes for yourself."

He drops his hand and opens his eyes, nodding down at me. All I could do was stare at him, mind whirling. I don't know much about Japanese culture, but if I had to envision a true master of the martial arts, wise, unshakable, etc. Master Splinter would be right on the dot. He really did just offer me a gem of knowledge I thought was only given to people in movies and books. Now I really feel like this isn't real.

"Now then," Splinter says, "tell me about your situation. About these people that my sons saved you from."

Still a little taken aback by this new-found point-of-view, I falter a moment, trying to recall my story. "So... um, oh yeah, I was walking home from work, I'm a waitress at a diner, and I came across this group of like a dozen guys. One of them had a cellphone I think and he looked down at it, and said that I was the one they were looking for. I ran for my life, ended up roof hopping until I spotted a man and a woman walking down an alley between two buildings. They were the brothers' friends. April and... uh..." I squint trying to recall his name.

"Casey," Leo offers. I nod, jerking my chin over to Leo, wrapping the blanket around myself a bit more, swinging my feet a bit under the table.

"Yeah, and I called out for help and they responded. I had to jump to the next building," I continue, flinching, remembering how I half landed on the roof, half not. I still have the nasty discoloration. It's fading, though. "So I make it to a different roof and keep running, these guys persistently following me, and they almost corner me and I manage to hit one of them in the temple with a wrench that was left up on the roof."

"Ouch," Donnie says, cringing a bit as if he was the one struck. Raph laughs, looking pleased.

Mikey laughs too, patting me on the back and giving me two thumbs up. "You go, girl!"

I smile a bit at Mikey, relieved that he's next to me. As weird and slightly thoughtless as he can be, he also works as a sort of comforting calming agent. Yes, I definitely like Mikey. "Thanks. Well, anyway, I expertly topple off the roof and well, that's when you guys came in," I say, looking over at Leo and smile faintly, starting to feel a little more like myself. Now I'm just tired. "Nice catch, by the way."

Leo smiles, looking away. "It was nothing. Just ninja training at it's finest."

"I went home after I met April and talked with Donnie and Mikey and I didn't see those guys again for a while. And just... last night...? I think. I couldn't sleep so I tossed and turned all night last night and early in the morning, before the sun came up, I stepped out into my fire escape to watch the sun rise..." I smile faintly, remembering the sight. "I haven't seen one in a long time..." I shake my head and blink out of the memory. "Uh, sorry, anyway, as I was about to head back inside, I noticed that my front door was opening up. I ran and now I'm here."

Splinter closed his eyes half way through, nodding slowly. He hums quietly to himself, organizing his thoughts. "And there is no sort of indication as to what they could have been after?"

I shake my head. "No... not really." I poke a hand out from under the blanket and push some long white strands from in front of my eyes. I tuck them behind my ears before I hide my hands beneath the blankets again for warmth. We sit in silence for a moment, listening to the sound of the rushing water. It's not too loud, if anything, it's soothing. I've already gotten used to the smell and except for the unforgiving cold around me, this place is actually really nice. It's comfortable. I'm not sure if it's the fact that I'm underground, and ultimately beneath my problems, or if it's the four brothers, but I feel good. I feel safe. Safe enough that I'm getting tired again.

"Hey Donnie," I say, turning to the purple masked turtle. "I'm feeling tired again. Is that bad? You said something about the..." I trail off, actually taking a moment to think about what I'm going to say. The anger runs hot in me as I narrow my eyes, "...they tranq'd me? What kind of assholes tranq a little girl? What did I do to them?"

I look around the room but no one seems to have an answer for me. I groan and lower my head onto the table, feeling tired again as the anger drains from me. Donnie rubs my back comfortingly. I finally sit back up and look around the table. Everyone lost in their own thoughts.

"Interesting..." Splinter says, drumming his long nails against the table. "Any theories, my sons?"

"If it's physically Taylor that they are after, perhaps it has something to do with her family. Can you think of anything about them?" Leo asks.

I shrug my shoulders. "I guess you could say my family has money but we aren't like super rich. My dad and eldest brother are both medical researchers. So, it's like we are living in the rich side of poverty because of college for most of the kids and buying homes and cars and a private tutor for me because my parents, mostly my mom, are crazy worried for me. So on the outside we are wealthy enough, but we never lived in laps of luxury. We lived contently." I grab a piece of hair and twist it around between my fingers.

"The point is," Donnie says, shaking his head, "we don't have a lot to go on about these guys. We have to learn more about them." There is murmurs of agreement around the counter.

"Hey guys!" A girl calls out. The family of five all perk up at the sound of her voice. "Hello? Where are- oh, here you guys are!" April rounds the corner, long red ponytail bouncing behind her as she walks closer only to freeze at the sight of me. She blinks rapidly as if she was wondering if she was really seeing me. After a long moment, her eyebrows pull together in worry. "Uh oh, what's wrong? Did something happened?"

"Hey, April," Leo says, turning around slightly. "Come sit, we'll fill you in."

April lowers herself between Donnie and Raph, at the end of the table, opposite of Splinter. She's wearing a long sleeve thin, see through, white shirt hanging off her shoulders with black tank top under it and jeans with ripped knees, a simple belt and sneakers. She's got in simple small hoop earrings and a plain black hooded sweatshirt tied around her waist. She smiles a bit at everyone around the table before her blue eyes land on me.

"Are you alright, Taylor?" she asks, eyebrows pulling together a bit more. "The guys are usually very careful on bringing people down here... sorta." She smiles at Donnie, reaching over and placing her hand over his, patting it. He smiles back at her.

"I'm okay," I tell her, shifting in the seat, pulling my legs up to tent them in the blanket too. "A little shaken and tired, but okay, thanks to them." I poke my hand out to make a gesture around the table.

"Yeah," April says smiling, her bright blue eyes seem far away as if recalling a fond memory. "They do that a lot. The right thing." She laughs, as if remember something else before shaking her head and focusing on me. "Now then, to what do we owe the honor...? Has something happened?"

I shrug my shoulders, pulling my legs closer to my torso, hoping to warm them a bit quicker. "Those guys broke into my house. I don't know when that was anymore because I... uh, passed out," for some reason that makes me feel a bit flustered. Like a true damsel in distress. "...but before then, I managed to get away. And the guys came and got me-" I gaps, feeling around myself realizing I didn't have any pockets. "The shellphone!"

"It's okay!" Leo says calmly, holding a hand up to stop my ensuing panic. "We found it. Donnie had it."

I look over at the purple masked turtle confused. "I was making sure it was still functioning. Prolonged exposure to the cold and there was a little bit of blood on it. I didn't want to let you keep something faulty," Donnie says, reaching up and scratching his throat. "It's in the lab if you want it back. I've already got it all cleaned up and thankfully there was nothing damaged." He smiles. "Sorry to worry you."

I relax a bit, sinking back into the chair. I let out a long sigh of relief. "That would have been really horrible of me. Loosing something that wasn't even mine-" My mind immediately conjures up the image of the flash drive. In my mind's eye, I can see it, half hanging out of my regular jacket pocket that I threw on the couch the night before. "Damn," I mumble. "Andrew's flash drive." Those assholes better not have robbed me. God, could this get any worse? No, please, don't take that as a challenge.

"'Andrew'?" Leo says, blinking. "Who's that?"

"Did you say something about a flash drive?" Donnie asks. Leo gives him a look that is promptly ignored.

"Yeah," I mumble, "I had a flash drive from this guy that left it in the diner I work at. I left it in my coat pocket on the couch. It's one thing if they rob me blind, which trust me, isn't what I want, but that's not mine, I have to give it back to him," I groan, cursing my bad luck again. Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong?

"Who's Andrew?" Leo asks again. Raph gives him a side-long glance then rolls his green eyes.

"Do you want us to go get it for you?" Donnie asks.

I look over at him, surprised, wondering if I heard him right. They've already helped me out so much, and yet they are still willing to help me out again? April wasn't kidding. They really are good guys. Looking around the room, everyone nodding in agreement, except for Splinter; his eyes are closed and he's gently stroking his beard, humming under his breath.

"How long have I been out? Did I already ask that?" I ask.

"It's only been a few hours. Two and a half hours, I think," Donnie says. "Not nearly long enough to sleep off the effects of that tranquilizer, which I'm still surprised you're up and about. Actually, to be honest, I'm worried. How do you feel?" He leans in, looking into my eyes again. "You look really pale. Maybe you should lay down, now."

"I'm okay... I guess... I mean, I'm tired. I just..." I shrug my shoulders, pulling the blanket tighter around me.

"Oh," April says, standing up and pulling the sweater from around her waist. "I'm sorry. Here, it's kind of cold down in the sewers. Especially as it gets closer to the winter time. Take my sweater, it's clean." She hands it over to me. I accept it slowly, feeling the soft fabric beneath the pads of my fingers. It smells good, like perfume.

"Thank you..." I murmur, letting the blanket pool around my waist as I slide my arms through the sweater.

"Who's Andrew?" Leo asks again.

"Leo, man, let it go," Raph says, shaking his head.

"Dude, Taylor! It's freezing out there! What are you doing wearing a t-shirt and shorts? Are you crazy?" April asks, eyes wide. She lays her hands down onto the counter top to look down at me, displeased, as I lower my legs back down so I don't fall.

I pull the sweater over my head and am practically swimming in it. It has to be big on April too. But it's really soft and warm inside. I let out a long sigh of relief, wrapping the blankets more securely around my legs and pull my hair out from beneath the hoodie. Once I'm settled back into place, I turn my attention back to April. "Yeah, I had just gotten up... this morning, I suppose. I didn't have time to change into more appropriate clothes..."

"Sorry," April says, rubbing her forehead as she lowers back into her seat. "God, where is my bedside manner?"

"By the bedside?" Mikey guesses, innocently.

April smiles at him. "No, Mikey. That was rhetorical. It didn't require an answer. But thank you, though." Then she looks at me. "I'm sorry. Is there anything that I can do to help?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know. I've never dealt with this before. I'm a lot out of my element."

"For now," Splinter says, standing up and folding his arms behind himself, straightening his posture, "we shall let you rest, Taylor. There is very little that can be done while we have so little information. Was there something that you needed, April?" He turns his attention to the red haired girl.

April looks surprised for a moment before she remembers. "Yes, sensei, I wanted to talk to you about something in private."

Splinter tilts his head slightly. "Oh? Then let us go talk. Rest, Taylor. We will discuss more when you are feeling better. My sons, April, be ever vigilant."

The four brothers and the red head nod, straightening up their posture as well, looking determined. "Hai, sensei!"

Hi? I know I must have a silly look on my face, but that all just sounded really weird to me. He looked ready to leave, but they say hi? I am so lost. This is what I get for not investing time into other cultures. Like... whatever the hell they are saying. Sensei is Japanese, right? Someone is going to have to sit me down and give me the basic vocabulary so I'm not so out of it.

Wait. What am I thinking? These people... as wonderful as they are... we aren't part of the same world. Not even April and I are part of the same world. She looks like she could do anything she sets her mind to and is kind and friendly. Just looking at her right now... she's so beautiful and charming and she just seems to fit. I remember watching over my sisters' shoulders while they watched movies about high school girls. That the really beautiful ones were always so mean and nasty and the wonderful things about them were all so superficial. That their outer beauty was cloaking the nasty creature within.

But looking at April, I don't get that impression at all. She just seems so genuine. Laughing and smiling with the other guys. As Splinter left, she stood up to follow only to be stopped by Raph, who was asking her about someone. She told him about this person - I wasn't really listening - then laughed again and reached out to pat his shoulder in a very friendly manner before turning and following after Splinter.

I don't know how long I was staring after April, not really seeing anything anymore before Mikey's face, inches from mine, brings me back. I don't know what it is. Maybe I'm really tired. Maybe I'm having some kind of panic attack. Perhaps it's as simple as I have a weak resolve, but whatever the reason is, I barely have enough time to process the inquisitive look on Mikey's face before I burst into tears.

Mikey jerks back, as if I reached out and struck him. "Uh, what?" He yelps. "What happened?"

"Mikey!" The three other brothers chorus.

"I didn't do anything!" Mikey says, defensively, leaning back a little bit further as if any of his brothers were going to actually strike him. "She just started to cry! I didn't touch her, I swear!" He holds his hands up in surrender.

"It's not him," I say, voice gravelly. I sound so horrible. "It's me. I'm so mad at myself and everything else! That tiny apartment was everything I had. It's was all of my accomplishments rolled up into one. I worked so hard to get where I am today and now look? What have I to show for it? Everything I own is either stolen, broken or unsafe now!" I pull roughly at my scalp, making sure not to pull any hair out. "I was so naïve to think that I could make it on my own," I continue bitterly, furiously wiping away my tears. "Everyone was right. I can't do this."

"Taylor," Leo starts but I don't want to give up on my pity party just yet.

"I have nothing now. Who knows what they've done to my place or my things? Nothing's really safe anymore. God, that was... that was everything I had. All my money and clothes and..." I wave my hands around, not able to find the words. "Without clothes and sunblock, I can't go outside. I can't go to my job and get money to get more! No one will ever believe four large turtles have saved my butt twice now..." I wipe my face again. My head is starting to hurt. "My family was right, there is nothing for me out here. I obviously can't do it. It was stupid of me to try. God, why didn't I listen? If I had listened-"

"That's enough!" Leo says firmly, having stood up and walked around the table to my side, literally picking up my chair and spinning it around to face him. He leans close, eyes like white-blue flames. "Taylor, listen to me. Are you listening?"

I nod mutely, eyes wide. My hands cover my mouth and nose and I take slow bated breaths, not wanting to make a sound for fear of riling the blue masked turtle more.

"Life is hard, I get it. We're turtles for crying out loud! And you're right, no one in their right mind would believe you because we are so outrageous of an idea. But we still exist. We still survive. And I get that this is hard for you, losing everything in one night, but you have to realize, those are just material possessions. You don't need those things to survive," Leo says.

"Actually," Donnie cuts in hesitantly, "she does need the sunblock if she ever plans on going outside during the day for any lengthy amount of time."

"I don't think now is the time, Donnie," Raph says, shaking his head when the purpled masked turtle opened his mouth to respond.

"Look," Leo continues, "the point is, that those things can be replaced. But your life can't. They would have taken you in your sleep and did who knows what with you. I know it's hard right now, to lose so much, but you can still make good from this. And you aren't alone," his voice and face soften. "Taylor, we didn't come help you just to throw you to the curb. We help people out to the end. So long as your life is in danger, we will continue to help you out and look after you. You don't have to worry so much."

"I know..." I say softly after a few seconds of silence, "I just... it's hard, you know? It's one thing to choose this life. To choose to fight the bad guys and be do-gooders. But it's entirely different to have the life thrust upon you. When you want nothing more than to be..." I wave my hand around, trying to find the word, but I can't. "To just... not be me. Not have to be chased around the city by some weirdos for any rhyme or reason you can think of." My shoulders slump and I lower my gaze to my lap, sniffling loudly. I wipe my face again. "I don't want to seem ungrateful for all you guys have done for me... but you really have no reason to help me, like, at all. I know you say that you help to the end, but when does the charity end? When does enough become enough?"

"She's right, Leo," Raph cuts in when Leo opened his mouth to respond. I look over my shoulder at the red masked brother.

"What do you mean, bro?" Mikey asks.

"When does helping someone out go too far?" Raph asks, green eyes hard. "At what point is it too much for us to continue to handle? It's one thing with the Kraang and Shredder, those were issues we'd have to see through. Even the Purple Dragons, should they fall onto our radars again. But this is one person we are dedicating our lives to. I know you like her, Fearless, and I'm not saying we don't help her, but is there really anything we can do at this point, other than hide her and hope that whatever is happening blows over?"

Leo narrows his eyes. "What are you saying, Raphael? That so long as it involves the general populous we do something and not care about the individual targets?"

"No," Raph snaps, eyes narrowing dangerously. "That's not what I'm saying at all. What I'm saying is that there are other people out there with problems that can be handled right now. Muggings, raping, arson. How long do we follow a hot-cold-hot-cold trail like this before we'd dedicated too much time with no results? It's been two weeks and we know nothing more than what we knew the first time we saw them."

"Wait a second," Donnie says, standing up slowly. The red masked turtle and the blue masked turtle both stare at each other with narrowed eyes. I suddenly don't feel safe being place between them. "Leo, Raph, listen," Donnie continues, "maybe there is a way that we can do both. Monitor Taylor and keep her safe, while still trying to help others without spreading ourselves too thin."

"Yeah!" Mikey says, standing up too. "We could ask April and Casey to help! They could chill out with Tay during the day and we could look after her whenever we can at night. You know, during the slow times." He smiles, pleased with himself.

"Exactly," Donnie says, "you know they'll agree to help. And Raph, I know what you're saying, but this could end up involving the masses. When the Kraang first tried to kidnap April, if we didn't step in and help, things would have been a lot different, yes?" He looks between the two feuding brothers with a knowing look.

After a long moment of Raph and Leo staring at each other, Raph finally looks away. His attention lowers to me.

"Listen, it's not that I don't think we should help you, I do, and I'm willing to keep helping, but you made a very valid point. Who knows what we are going up against? If it's something really bad, well than, yeah, we should get involved. If it puts an innocent person's life in danger, but at some point, there has to be something that not even we can handle. Do you understand?" Raph asks, voice not as rough as before.

I nod. "There is another option..." I say lightly, looking back up at Leo and trying to smile. "I could just head back home to my parents. They'll know what to do. I don't know what those guys want, but whatever it is, I'm sure they'll be more hesitant to come after me there."

Leo shakes his head. "Not necessarily. That could just be putting them in danger as well. They were planning on breaking into your home in broad daylight. Something tells me, whichever home it is means nothing to them."

I open my mouth, about to refute with... I don't know. The words don't come to me, because Leo is right. Whoever they are, whatever they want, they aren't so easily dissuaded. Somehow, going home would just end up proving my family to be right. I would truly be nothing but misfortune for them.