Attention: I don't own TMNT; but you already knew that.
So after reading please R2 (Rate and Review)!
Thank you for doing so!
We are at the 40 th chapter! (Doing a happy dance)
I am feeling really happy today, so I wrote a sad chapter (LOL)
Anyway….Enjoy!
Five pairs of eyes snapped open
Five reptiles awaking from their slumber
Five males, all going to the same place
…to her
The scream rippled through the lair, waking all in its path. The one word left everyone in earshot in complete and utter distorted chaos. It was a tortured sound, a scream only a desperate person would cry.
Instantly Leonardo was running towards the door, bursting through it open without hesitation. Moving to her side, he heard Raphael arrive moments after him. The covers were twisted into a thousand knots as she tossed violently from side to side. Her eyes were wide open, almost glassy in a way.
"NO!" Again she screamed the word
"Jasmine!" He called, trying to wake her up
His brother hurried to her other side as the two tried to hold her still. They held her wrists trying to keep her from injuring herself. The footsteps of their younger brothers were almost not heard due to her pleads.
"PLEASE! NO!" She roared, trying to fight their grasp
"Wake up!" Raph said as they struggled to hold her
She turned and moved trying desperately to escape them.
"Mikey, get some cold water" Don said, trying to keep calm
"W-why?" Mikey stammered, his blue eyes wide at the sight of her twisting from side to side
"To flick on her face, it might wake her up" The purple bandanna replied, his voice shaking
The youngest nodded, taking one last look before rushing off. The elder three knew that it was best to keep him out of the room in till she calmed down. Still she clawed at their hands, trying to escape them whatever was possible.
"NO TAKE ME! TAKE ME INSTEAD!" She yelled, tears pouring out of her eyes
"It's just a dream" They tried to tell her, nothing reached her ears
"KILL ME! JUST LEAVE THEM ALONE!" She screamed, breaking their hearts
They exchanged glances, who could she be talking about?
Their thoughts were drawn beck to her as she bucked trying to escape the grasp that was trying to help her.
Leaving her screaming behind, Michelangelo used his given speed to sprint to the kitchen. Grabbing a random glass, he set it under the faucet and turned the stream of water on. Impatiently he waited as the glassed filled up; a task that seemed to him was taking forever.
Before it was full, he heard a noise. It was a growl, one so low that he was sure his brothers hadn't heard it. The noise was lethal, he knew it meant business. Leaving the glass in the sink, he went towards the source.
It was coming from the lair door, strange he thought. Then he considered all the monsters that could be making such a noise. He took a step back, his mind overloaded by the comic book and TV villains filling his mind. He knew that there were cameras, but he didn't know the slightest thing about all that techno mumbo jumbo. That was Don's department and he was pretty sure it would always be...
Another growl came through the door and he wondered if he should get one of his brothers. They would know what to do, but they were with her…
"Let me in" A voice said, the same that had produced the growl
What to do? He thought, about to call his brother's names
For a moment he wondered which one to call, Leo or Raph. His immediate older brother, would be working with her and Leo wouldn't want to leave. It was probably best that it was Raph, the thing sounded big and angry.
And there was no one angrier than Raph, he chuckled.
"Mikey, let me in now!" The voice bellowed
Mikey froze, how does it know my name?
A feeling enveloped him and he made a decision. Somehow he trusted the person behind the door, whether he knew them or not. Reaching for the lever to open the door, he paused. Should I call my brothers? No, he thought, I need to trust myself. Yanking it down, he watched the huge metal door rise up to reveal the sewers.
He stared into the darkness, as time slowed. He wondered if he had made the right choice, if letting in a person was such a good idea. A smile came to his face, only for a moment…
I made the right choice, he thought as a person…or mutant came through the lair, sweeping past him forcefully. He followed the person, forgetting the water, as he went toward the screams once more
She was being dragged away, her screams meant for only one person.
Blows were dealt, she cried out in pain.
She saw her struggle, trying to reach them
Already her pink bandanna was stained, both with blood and tears
"Invi!" She cried, as her sister's figure rack with sobs
The scene changed, she was alone, only she saw it
The piece of yellow, accompanied by black
Her face…she saw it!
Running, she wrapped her arms tight around her
Never was she going to let go
Then there was blood, her sister falling
She tried to catch her, but she was being dragged
Again she screamed, this time to be set free
To get to her, that's all she wanted
But no…still she was ignored
The body…the face, it was gone
Her sister was gone
No!
NO!
"JASMINE!"
Alexandra woke with a start, tears covering her face. Immediately two sets of arms curled around her, rocking her as she sobbed. She curled into their chests, hoping that somehow she would feel a third body comforting her…but no, it was not to be.
"It's going to be okay" Simone told her
No, it would never be…she was gone
"M-miss her" She managed to say between sobs
"We all do, but we are together and that's all that matters" Tori whispered in her ear
She's right, Alice thought, trying to stop crying…but she couldn't
She would never not miss her…never would she forget
They sat like that as the night dragged, her tears fading.
Still they stayed together as one, as a family.
"Don, what's going on?" Raph asked, between her screaming
"I don't know!" Don exclaimed
"She must be dreaming, we just to wake her" Leo said
"More like having a nightmare" The purple banded brother muttered
"Oh really Leo? Because that's what we have been trying to do for the last five fucking minutes!" The hothead yelled
"Shut up Raph!" The young leader hissed
"Don't tell me to shut up; you don't even have a plan!"
"How the hell am I suppose to have a plan?"
"You're the fearless leader!"
"So that means I'm always suppose to have a plan!"
"Yes"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have a plan for when a turtle starts screaming bloody murder for no reason and we can't wake her up!"
"Whatever Fearless"
"Hothead"
"Romeo"
"NO!" Again she screamed, interrupting their argument
Again they went back to trying to wake her up, while trying to restrain her.
"Move" One word captured their attention
The three looked to see Leather Head towering in the doorway, Mikey peeking through from behind. For a moment they wondered what to do…he seemed to know what to do. Then they moved, but still hovered closely by her side. Quickly the taller reptile, walked to her side unfazed by her screaming.
"TORI! NO!" She bellowed, her voice growing rough. The scream was taking a toll on her vocal cords.
Gently and yet forcefully, he pressed a spot on her neck. She froze, her pleading stopped, before going limp. A moment later, she began to breathe normally.
It was over, whatever it had been.
Grabbing an extra blanket from the foot of the bed, the crocodile spread it over her. Tucking it around all edges of her body, he then turned and faced the others. He motioned silently for them to exit the room. When none of them moved, LH went to push them out. The two younger went without a fight, the two elder on the other hand...
Both let out a simultaneous growl, both glaring at him. The two were in defensive positions in front of her.
"Like hell we're leaving" Raph snarled, speaking for them both
He sighed; this was going to be harder than he thought. He knew that they were both very protective of her. Leo, he knew, was in love with her and Raph was considered her big brother so their hesitation in leaving him alone with her was understandable.
"Look, if you want answers you need to leave" He said calmly
The two turtle met eyes and nodded, backing down to his request. He then went through the door to the kitchen, knowing they would follow him. Out of habit he began to make tea, like he had so many times before.
"What did you do?" Leo asked, as he moved carefully around the kitchen. With his larger hands and long tail, it was easy for him to break things.
"I hit a pressure point that knocked her unconscious. It was the easiest way to stop it. She'll wake up soon." He replied, focusing on his task
"Stop what?" Don questioned
"Jasmine used to, and still does, suffer from nightmares" He answered, adding a little honey to the tea
"She was screaming because of a nightmare?" Mikey whimpered
The youngest knew what that was like; many times he had been woken up during the night because of the same thing.
Leather Head nodded "They became so bad that her mother taught me a way to end it before she could do any harm to herself"
"She would hurt herself?" Raph asked, shocked as the rest of them were
"Not on purpose, but sometimes she would actually get up and start fighting enemies she was seeing inside her mind" He replied, stirring it a bit more to ensure the tea was ready
"How often did these nightmares occur?" Donatello asked suddenly
"Usually after a battle, mostly they were caused by guilt" The crocodile answered
"Tori…" Leo ran off, remembering the name she had screamed
It wasn't dreams that plagued her; it was the memories of her failing them that they had seen.
"Yes, she blames herself for their deaths" LH said, knowing that it wasn't his place to tell them that the others lived.
"So…" Raph began to say before being cut off
She entered the room, wrapped in a blanket. The female looked torn to bits, the dream tearing her apart. On cue, Leather Head handed her the cup of tea he had been preparing. The black haired turtle took the cup gently, her hands slightly shaking. Slowly he guided her to a chair, letting her sink into it carefully.
"You okay?" He asked calmly, looking into her eyes
The others stood back a ways, letting him take the lead. Still they were trying to recover from the terror filled experience that had happened moments before. The crocodile had the experience, he knew how to deal with this and so they let him do what needed to be done.
She met his gaze, slowly nodded her head…yes
Her blue eyes were bloodshot and puffy from the amount of tears that had escaped. Black hair fell messily around her head, twisted from the tossing and turning. Although she was sitting, they could all see she was shaking so much that the tea was close to spilling.
Everyone paused for a moment, for different reasons. The turtles were shock, taking in her condition. Leather Head, on the other hand, considered what to do next. It was even worse than he thought….he wondered what the dream had to do with.
Everything was interrupted by a movement; her eyes went wide as she was enveloped in a hug. Trying not to let tears stream down his cheeks, the orange bandanna put his face in the crook of her neck. She didn't resist, as the other turtle expressed the fact that he was here for her, no matter what. Finally he backed up, seeing her expression.
Leather Head sighed in relief; she looked like she was ready to talk. This was good news, considering that the next step could be, and had been, very difficult for her.
"You ready to tell us?" He asked, all heads turning to face him
Jasmine froze, like she was trying to find the words to speak. Like the thought was overloading her brain, the possibility was causing her to have a panic attack. At a loss for words she just shook her head, over and over to show them her answer.
No…no…no…and HELL NO!
"You know it will help" Leather head said, trying to coax out her reasonable side. They both know he was right, but she could be as hardheaded and defensive as Raphael at times.
And unfortunately, this was one of those times.
"No" She said, finally speaking after minutes of complete silence
Her voice was rough, from the moments of screaming, but still it was icy. Although she was unable to stand, her voice proved that she was still strong….just not emotionally at the moment.
"Just get it over with and tell us" Raph broke in, oblivious to her warning
Everyone turned to glare at him, their eyes like lasers. Not that the hothead noticed…
"Make me" She hissed, rising from her chair with new found strength which made her weakness disappear
Oh crap, LH thought, he recognized that tone. Hardly did she use it, keeping a calm composure. Whenever her bad side did come out, the best thing to do was hide. Only once had he seen her use it and he never wanted to see it again. See it... The death voice, as her sisters had called it, which only meant one thing.
You better back away slowly or die a slow painful death
"You don't have to" He said quickly, trying to desperately calm her down
"It might make you feel better" Don said, ignoring his death glare
Don't, he thought, it will only make her angrier!
But to his surprise, she sunk back into the chair before taking a sip of the now cooled tea. Setting the cup back down, she sighed before rubbing her face. Pushing the hair back from her eyes, she answered them.
"You won't understand" She mumbled
"Try us" Mikey said, grinning obliviously
"I can't" She said, trying to keep the thoughts out of her head
"We will understand" Leo reassured her, grabbing her hand
She froze staring into his eyes, memories flashing in front of her eyes.
"I won't leave you!" Tori stated fiercely
Everything else faded, leaving herself and her memories to themselves.
"I will always be there, for all three of you" She said, holding her sisters tight…never wanting to let go
Scene after scene filled her mind, causing tears to come to her eyes once more.
"Can you sing us…" Both Alice and Simone asked, smiles covering their faces
Another filled her mind…she didn't hear them calling her name
"No problem, what's siblings for?" The red head said, flashing her a smile
Jasmine, she heard them yell
"Invi!" Alice screamed, being dragged away
Again her name was called
"Help!" Simone yelled, before a blow was delivered to her jaw
She was being shaken, she didn't notice as tears streamed down her face.
"JASMINE!" Tori roared, pounding her curled fists upon the glass
Voices roared in her ear, she heard nothing
She tried…oh how she tried to stop…
"NO!" She cried
They were gone…
"JASMINE!"
She looked up to see them surrounding her, her new family. They all cared about her, about her past. They deserve to know, I have held back to much. She ignored the questions they were asking her, as she followed their movements with her eyes.
I will…she decided
I will explain, no matter how much it hurt. She moved her hands to her heart, like that would fix it from being broken.
"I…" She sputtered
All eyes turned to her, the voices stopping.
"What?" Leo asked, taking her hand once more
"I will tell you" Jasmine said, wiping the newly fallen tears from her eyes
The males sat and she prepared to tell them…
...tell them of the darkest night
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Darkest night? That sounds depressing and yet interesting.....find out next chapter!
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