I know, I know and I feel bad for how long it's been, but you'll be happy to hear that the next chapter is already done and will be posted on Monday. I plan on getting a head and if I miss a little writing here and there, I'll still have some chapters to post. I'm thinking ahead!
Anywho, I have a poll up for your choices on who Alex should be with; Raph or Leo. I know I've asked you this before, but this way I can keep track better. I lose count who's said what before. And if you can't use the poll, please tell me who it is you want again. Sorry!

Thanks go out to the following for reviewing:
TMNTLuckygirl: Of course he does...IT"S YOUR BROTHER! MWAHAHAHAHA...Nah, that'd just be mean...That gives me an idea...hehehehe
pkemonjkl: Well, mission accomplished. I made people feel things called emotions!
16: Yeah! I'd feel bad if they weren't. I may be giving too much away when I say that, but if it makes you feel better, they will remain friends whoever isn't chosen.
kaaayyytteee:And here is your update, lovely lady!
zrexhearts: It sounds like you liked it. I'm glad.

Chapter 14
"The Golden Puck"

"What a night for Super Slam Hockey folks!" the announcer yelled. "The Golden Grizzlies have the puck and their going for it. The game is tied at 3-3. The winning team gets ownership of the famed Golden Puck for a whole year! Super Slam Hockey's greatest prize."

"Thank god with announcer isn't as annoying as those two during those games with the Triceratons," Alex said. "Otherwise I don't think I could contain myself."

"What?" Casey asked.

"Don't worry about it," Donny said. "It's a long story."

"He just got Super Slammed," said the announcer. Alex hadn't been paying attention so she didn't see what happened. "And there's the shot!" Alex wasn't a big fan of Super Slam. Regular hockey was more her style. She preferred the violence in regular hockey instead of the extra violent game that Casey preferred.

"Don't forget, folk, to hang onto those ticket stubs. Three lucky winners at tonight's game are going home with one of those gorgeous snow mobiles, curtsy of Crazy Manny's Winter Wonderland Depot."

Alex glanced over at said devices and couldn't help but think, Where the heck would I put one? I live in NYC for Pete's sake! I don't get out of the city enough to use one.

The young teenager was brought out of her thoughts when she heard the siren go off, signaling that another goal had been scored. The next thing that got the girls attention was Casey, sitting in front of her, yelling, "Yeah! Super Slam Hockey's got to be the best sport known to man!"

"I greatly doubt that," Alex said.

"Or known to animals," Leo said, moving his mask up. "I mean, don't you think it's kind of rough?"

"Thank you, Leo!" Alex exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Raph replied. "That's what makes it so great!"

Alex rolled her eyes and lightly smacked him on the back of the head.

"You said it, Raph," Casey said. "To me, it's the perfect evolution of a great sport." He turned to Raph and high fived (or high five and three-ed) him. That just made the girl roll her eyes again.

"More importantly the concessions are awesome!" Mikey said. He lowered the mouth on the mask so he could shove in his food. Alex believed he was eating more cheese than nacho chips, but she was just going to go ahead and say that it was nachos.

"Hey!" Don complained as Mikey got cheese on his book.

"The only thing I don't like is having to wear these stupid masks," Raph said.

"What?' Casey said. "Check it out." He put his usual mask over his face and said. "See? Do we look cool or do we look cool?"

"You're an idiot, Casey," Alex said. "But we love you anyways."

"All those who think we look cool, say, "Aye,"" Leo said.

"Nay," Mikey, Raph and Don all said simultaneously.

"All those who think Casey's a complete and absolute bonehead," Raph said.

"Aye," Mikey, Leo, Don and Alex all said.

"The aye's have it Case," Raph said. "You're a bonehead."

"Yeah, I'm the bonehead that got you guys these great seats," Casey said.

"I got stuck coming because April hates Super Slam," Alex complained.

"How don't you like this?" Raph asked.

"Raphie, I like real hockey better," she said. "Go New York Rangers!"

"I'll keep that in mind," he said.

"We're so close to the golden puck, you can almost reach out and touch it," Casey continued. "The Golden Puck, made by some old guy a really long time ago."

"Actually," Donny stated, "it says that the Golden Puck was hand crafted from Fredric Henry in 17th century Holland. He played a variation of an old Dutch game called Hoven which some believe to be an early version of ice hockey."

"Like I said, some old guy a really long time ago," Casey said.

They were brought out of their conversation when another alarm was sounded to tell them another goal was scored. "There's the final buzzer with a score five to three. The Boureef Battlers to win!"

Alex's attention was not on the players though. Instead, the girl was looking up into the night sky. She had seen the shadows on the ice rink and moved her gaze up there to see three motorized machines attached to parachutes. They were coming down to the rink rather quickly.

"Check out the fancy post game show," Casey said.

"A post game show?" Raph asked.

"With military power hawks?" Leo asked.

"I agree with the guys, Casey. I don't think that's what that is," Alex sang.

"Heads up guys," Leo warned. "Something's not kosher here."

The power hawk dropped down onto the ice and speed off towards the players, shooting their strange lazar guns at them and the people in the stands. People ran away screaming, but as far as Alex could see, nobody had been hurt. She was thankful for that.

Despite everything going on, their little group didn't move. The three men in the power hawks seemed to notice this. One of them threw an device onto the ice that slide over to them. The device blew up, breaking the stand and shattering the glass. Leo and Raph were barely able to move in front of Alex before it went off, protecting the still injured girl.

One of the stones had hit the girl in the head, causing dizziness and a cut to start bleeding on the side of her face. Leo and Raph were suddenly pulled up and off of the young girl. While that happened, they both pulled her up with them, setting her to her feet on the large pile of debris.

"What happened?" Donny asked.

"Oh no!" Casey exclaimed, walking over to where the Golden Puck had once been. "They took the Golden Puck."

"It's just a puck, Casey. Nobody was hurt, that's what's important," Leo said. "Everyone but Alex," he added. He looked down at the girl who had taken a seat on a large piece of debris and clutched her head. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's just a scratch."

"Just a puck! Just a puck? It's not just a puck, it's a symbol. That Golden Puck comes from the beginning of ice hockey and carries us forward to the future of ice hockey," Casey exclaimed, shaking Leo by the scarf around his neck. "Don't you get it? It's like stealing the Empire State Building or, or, or apple pie!"

"They have apple pie here?" Mikey asked.

"I gotta stop them," he said, starting to run off.

"Think we should help Case?" Raph asked.

"Getting the Golden Puck back feels more like something for the police to handle," Don answered.

"Yeah, but Casey might get hurt," Leo said.

"Or worse," Raph added, "Casey might hurt somebody."

"Where's the pie?" Mikey asked. "I distinctively heard somebody say pie."

"Mikey, there's no pie," Alex said. She stood up and placed a hand on Leo's shoulder, keeping herself steady as she moved off of the debris. "Well, are we going or not?"

"You're staying here," Leo said.

"What?" Alex exclaimed.

"You're still haven't fully recovered," he added. "And now you've got a cut on your head."

"You should go home and get that taken care of," Don said.

"Come on! You can't do this again," she complained.

"Alex, remember what you promised me," Raph said.

The girl sighed. Of course she remembered what she promised Raph. That had been the main reason she hadn't been doing her usual intense workout yet. She was still doing some, just not as intense as she normally would. She didn't want to strain herself too much and risk the guys – Raph especially – to notice and confront her.

"Fine," she sighed. "Just be safe, okay? And make sure Casey doesn't get into too much trouble."

"Will do!" Leo said.
"Oh, and don't forget to stay warm and call me when you get it back," she added.

"Yes Mom," Mikey said.

"Oh, hush up you!" Alex said.

Raph, Mikey and Don all ran off to the still intact snow mobiles and mounted them. Leo stayed behind for a moment. He turned to the red head and asked, "Would you like to ride with us to the outside of the park?"

"No thanks," she replied. "You guys go catch up to Casey and those thieves."

"Okay," Leo replied, touching Alex's arm. "Just be careful on your way home."

"Will do, and you make sure you and the others are safe as well," she said.

"Will do," he said before running off.

Alex watched from the side as they guys raced off on the three snow mobiles. Raph and Mikey had their own while Leo was riding on the one Don was driving. They raced off, leaving the red head to herself.

Once they were completely out of the girl's sight, she headed out of the disheveled arena to go home. As she made her way away from the area, she heard the police cars making their way to the scene. Alex, not really in the mood to get interrogated for a statement, hopped up into one of the nearby trees and hid herself. That way she could watch them and know when it was safe to leave.

However, as she sat up there in the tree listening to the police officers talk, Alex recognized one voice instantly. Officer John Blake was standing down below. He had gotten out of his car and walked one of the other police officers to discuss what they thought had happened. Once the other guy left, and Alex knew the coast was clear, she jumped down and leaned against the tree.

"Fancy seeing you here," Alex said as she crossed her arms over her chest and grew a smile on her lips.

Upon recognizing the girls voice, he didn't draw his gun, but still spun around quickly and looked at the girl in shock. "Where did you come from?" he asked.

"I like to hang out in trees on cold nights," she said.

"You're a weird kid," he stated.

"It was a joke," she added.

"I don't believe that," he smirked. Now it was his turn to joke around. "What are you doing here? This is a crime scene."

"I was at the game when everything happened," Alex informed him.

"You were?" John asked.

"Yeah, I could tell you exactly what happened. And I assure you, the puck will be returned by the end of the night," she said.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

"I know people," Alex said.

"You should leave this kind of stuff to the police," he scolded her.

"Hey, I'm not the one who's out there hunting the people down," she defended. Though if she had been in better physical condition, she would have been right there with them. She wouldn't give up her "extracurricular activities" for the world. Well, if it meant saving the world if she did, then she would, but that's beside the point.

"Then what are you still doing here?" John asked.

The red head shrugged. "I was on my way out when I heard the sirens. I didn't want to have to deal with a statement so I took cover. Then I heard you and decided to come say hello."

"Why wouldn't you want to give a statement?" John asked.

"I've had to give too many statements to too many cops in my life. I didn't want to have to deal with another that I really didn't have to." Alex had just given away information that she really shouldn't have given out, but at the moment, she just needed to vent. She spoke without thinking and hoped it wouldn't come back to bite her. Especially since she knew that John had caught what she said.

"What is it that you do in your spare time, Alex?" he asked.

"Martial arts," she answered. "My parents used to own a dojo. So I guess you can call me a ninja."

"There are rumors in the station about ninja interfering in investigations," John informed the girl. "Know anything about that?"

"Rumors are weird things," Alex said. "You never know if they're true or not."

"You didn't answer my question," he said.

"That's because I don't feed rumors."

"You don't have to feed anything. Just clarify things," John said. "I feel like you know more than you ever let on, Alex."

"Can I give you a couple little pieces of advice, John?" Alex asked.

"I'm always open for self improvement," he stated.

"Don't ask too many questions. Don't get to close to me. The people who are close to me always end up hurt or worse," she said. The guys can take care of themselves and April and Casey can too. But my brothers have gotten into trouble and I haven't been able to help them. Fred is on the opposite side. I just can't put anyone else in danger. Maybe that's way I haven't tried to get close To Rudy and Phoebe.

"That sounds like a lonely way to live," John pointed out.

"Yeah, but sometimes it's not what you want, it's what's best for everybody else," Alex stated.

"But it's not good for you," he said. He walked up to the girl and tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she moved away before he had the chance to touch her. "People need human interaction. Otherwise we lose ourselves. We lose our minds."

It's a good thing my closest friends aren't human, then. Alex looked away and wrapped her arms around herself. But isn't losing my mind better than having many suffer because of me? Isn't it better to lose one instead of the many?

"Your aunt told me that you always put others before yourself," the officer said. "That's not always healthy, Alex."

"Yeah, but somebody has to be the one to do it. There's more going on than you know, Officer Blake."

"You can't always protect everybody, Alex. That's life. Things happen that are meant to happen. You can't save everybody from getting hurt."

Alex started to walk away, not liking at all where their conversation had headed. "Maybe not, but I can try."

Please remember the poll...the poll...the poll...the poll. (echo, echo, echo, echo!)