The turtles raced from the rooftops following the van that held their blonde human friend captive. After a good fifteen blocks or so, the van pulled into an abandoned ally: The infamous headquarters of the purple dragons.

"We need to stay in the shadows guys, that way we don't put May in any danger." Leo stopped his anxious brothers from leaping down to rescue their friend. It killed him a little inside to know that she was probably being hurt or at least restrained in the van and to not save her right away was going to be a painful sight.

The driver opened the door caring a big box as well as the black-haired girl being yelled at before exited the car from the passenger side. She also held in her arms another big box. The back of the van opened and two men exited from the vehicle. "Goddamn this bitch is freakin' annoying!" A voice shouted from the inside dragging May by the restraints holding her arms behind her back. She attempted to talk but a strip of duct tape over her mouth wouldn't allow the sound to come through.

"She's pretty cute though." One male said laughing and pointing to another.

As soon as the man dragging May from the car let her down, she round-house kicked the man next to her and bolted out from the alley as fast as she could. The men had forgotten to tie her legs apparently.

"Go, May! Run!" Mikey whispered-cheered under his breath and prayed that she could make it out without getting caught.

Leo noticed the men reaching in the van for ropes; another picked up a metal pipe and threw it quickly at her back. He wanted to jump and save her, but it was too risky now that a purple dragon entered from the headquarters with a gun in one hand and a pocket knife in the other.

"Leo!" Raph whispered urging his brother to fight as May fell to the floor after the pipe hit her.

She landed on her right shoulder, luckily turning at the last moment so that her head wouldn't take the blow, but she didn't move. The pain from the hard concrete must have been terrible.

The men with ropes ran over and tied her legs together and then tied her thighs, restraining her as best as they could.

She tried to muffle something from out of the tape that closed her mouth, but the thugs just yelled at her, "You stupid bitch!" one picked her up by her left shoulder and dragged her to the doors of the HQ.

"You all right man?" One of the men asked the guy May had kicked.

He rubbed his head and stood up, "Ima kill that freakin' girl! No, first, Ima fuck the shit outta her. Then Ima slit her throat, and then Ima fuck her again!" He started to walk through the doors. However, a very, very, very pissed off Leonardo had ignored his own advice and jumped down as soon as the thug mentioned touching May.

"Oi, what the hell is-" The guy took a step back as Leo shut the door to the entrance of the HQ still continuing to take to the shadows.

"Um, dude…" The man following behind the thug pointed to three more shadows that followed the first.

"What did you just say about May?" Leo calmly asked in a spooky way. The two dragons took a few steps back. "What…we didn't say nothin', I promise…" The one thug stuttered as Raph took a step forward revealing himself to the men.

"Oh really?" He twirled his sais in one hand. "Cuz it sounded like you were about to get the shit ripped out of your face for threatening our friend." The two men didn't stand a chance as Leo charged at them followed by Raph and Mikey. Donny kept to the shadows trying to figure out a way to find their female companion.

"Hey guys, you done?" Donny looked back in the alley once he had discovered his route. His brothers sheathed their weapons looking at the turtle. "I found a way to get to the holding cell that they kept Casey in that one time a couple months ago. Hopefully, if they are as dumb as they look, they are going to put her there and not realize these two are missing. Put them in the corner in the shadow."

Raph was already ahead of the game as he picked the two up by the collars of their shirts and threw them in the corner.

Donny smiled and nodded, "This way. Follow me."

May felt the cold hard ground against her face as the dragon that dragged her from the outside threw her into a holding cell in the headquarters of the purple dragons.

"Be a good little girl and stay there and rot in this cell!" He yelled out and closed the door shut behind her. She had been completely tied up and restrained this time that she had no energy left in her to sit up and face the front of the cell.

May was confused, tired, and heartbroken. 'Why would Kala resort to working for them?' She thought about her friend working for these thieves. She wanted to cry and just rot in the cell like the dragon had told her, but deep down she knew that she would be okay. Why she thought this, she'd never know, but she was not one to second guess herself whether it was on a test or in life situations.

She closed her eyes and controlled her breathing as if she were in a meditative state; she started to imagine a beautiful forest side that had a beautiful waterfall and pond deep in its core. She imagined herself swimming in the pond and relaxing as she floated in the water.

"Gimme your sai, I'll prick the lock." She heard a whisper that brought her out of her dream-like state. She attempted to turn her head around to the noise but it was no use.

"I'll do it, shell-for-brains!" She heard a familiar raspy voice. She attempted to mumble out a few words to her green friends but she couldn't make out what she was trying to say as the duct-tape still closed her mouth.

She heard a small metal prick sound and then the rushing of feet coming towards her and then a hand placed on her right shoulder. "May, you okay?" Raph asked her worriedly and she nodded.

"Don't worry girl, we got ya!" Mikey ran to her front and carefully peel off the tape on her mouth while Raph popped the lock on her hand restraints. She moaned as her stiff arms flopped from their position and gasped as much air as she could once the tape escaped her lips. She took a few more breaths and then pushed her body up. Leo had been working on the thick ropes that restrained her bottom half.

May looked up at Mikey and smiled, "Thanks!" She looked back at the other two. "How'd you guys find me? I was all the way down in Times!" She smiled and suddenly was picked up from the orange-bandana turtle.

"We just like to follow you wherever you go!" He laughed and May gave a concerning look at him. "No, uh, I'm just kidden!" He retaliated his statement.

"We were on a training run and the dragons said something about a girl being a bargaining chips for the 'freaks' as he put it. We figured he meant us." Leo stated as a concerned look grew on his face.

"Donny, let's get the shell outta here!" Raph put his sai back in his belt and ran over to the techno turtle. Donny nodded, "Right, it should just be over here. This way." The others followed with May still in Mikey's arms. They all kept silent as they tried to escape from the HQ of their enemies.

"Where do you think you all are going?" A female voice called out behind the group just as they were about to escape. May gasped as she recognized the voice as Kala's. She pushed herself off of Mikey and faced her old-friend.

"Kala, why are you doing this?" She begged. "Please come with us!" She looked into the eyes of the girl and hoped there was still a part of her that May could relate to.

Kala closed her brown eyes and shook her head. "I'm bound by the bonds of dragonhood. And I can't let you escape, May. You, or these freaks." She opened her eyes, this time they were as cold as dry ice.

May looked behind her at her friends and then back to Kala, "Please we can protect you. You can get rid of the tattoo and come stay with us. Please I-"

"THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU, MAY!" Kala interrupted the girl, "I'm a part of this group now. I like it here so don't tell me what to do with my life! You never cared about me before, so why should you care now." Kala caught up with her breath and then looked behind May at the turtles.

She gasped as she took a better look at the mutants and took a step back. "You call those things you're friends?" She pointed at the turtles chuckling. May looked behind her shoulder and then back at the girl, "Yes, they are my best friends."

Kala then looked liked something had just clicked in her head, "They are the ones you always used to hand out with all year huh? You were always too busy to be with us, you're normal friends, but obviously we aren't freaky enough for you."

Raph started to growl and walk over to the girl but May held him back. "Just stay out of this you guys." She said coolly and Raph grunted. "Get your ass kicked then." He pouted and walked back.

May looked down and shook her head. "I won't fight you."

Kala crossed her arms. "Oh really? You sure about that?" She laughed.

May nodded and continued to look at her feet, "Yes, and they won't either. I won't hurt you. You are my friend whether you want to believe it or not."

Kala gave May a dirty look, "Oh really? I saw the way you beat the shit out of the others and you won't defend yourself against me then, huh?" Kala walked slowly over to the blonde.

"No." May closed her eyes, her hands down by her sides.

"Fine then. How about this!" Kala slapped May's right cheek forcing May to fall to the left. She tripped over her feet and then regained her composure to face her friend.

"May! What the hell!" Raph yelled as she stood up once again.

"No guys! I'm going to get through to her. Just…just go on. I'll find a way out!" She looked back and waved them on.

"We won't leave you." Leo answered and nodded to her. "Remember what you have learned." May nodded and looked back at Kala.

"So, you want more huh?" Kala made a fist and ran to May punching her in the gut. She fell slightly and then stood up clutching her stomach. "And take this!" Kala punched May everywhere she could until the girl fell to the floor clutching her now forming bruises.

"Get up and fight me damnit!" Kala yelled down to her former friend. She looked at the mutant turtles, "If she won't fight, maybe you will!" She went to punch Leo but he caught her fist just before her attack hit. Kala gasped as he squeezed her fist even causing her knuckles to crack.

She pulled her hand away and gave them a frightened look. Suddenly, May started to stand up. She was breathing heavily and everyone could tell she had to have been in a great amount of pain, yet she continued to be dead set on not hurting her friend.

"Like I said, I won't hurt you. What happened that made you turn to the dragons?" May wiped a stream of blood coming from her nose.

Kala switched her looks between May and the turtles. "I-I-I…I'm fine…" Kala then wiped a tear from her eye. "Go." She looked at May. "If you come back, you won't be so lucky. Hurry." And with that warning Kala walked off in the opposite direction.

May smiled as her plan worked. She looked back at her friends, "Come on guys let's get out of here." She smiled as the nodded.

"Wow May, you completely went master splinter on that one!" Mikey patted her on the back.

Leo nodded, "I agree Mikey, that was awesome, May!" He smiled at her.

May and the other's started to follow Donny through the corridors to the exit. They ran as fast as they could to avoid any contact with any other purple dragons.

Even as May pushed her body to go forward, she was not like her mutant friends. Her body could not regenerate as fast as theirs and her bruises and cuts were starting to really affect her. No, just a little bit farther… She thought not wanting to stop their progress.

Her body said otherwise: her eyes were the first to go as she slipped into darkness yet she kept pressing on. She then felt her legs give away and she felt the ground against her chest and hands.

"May! May!" She faintly heard Leo yelling in front of her before she fell into complete darkness

"That was so freakin' retarded. I don't know why the hell May would hang around someone like that girl."

May picked up on Raph's conversation and slowly she started to come back from her darkness. She could feel her body being lifted by one of the guy's but she couldn't tell who without opening her eyes. She knew it wasn't Raph since his raspy voice came from in front of her and it didn't feel like Leo either. He had a certain rhythm to the way he walked and he held her a certain way. So from that she could assume it was either Don or Mikey.

"Raph…" Leo warned his brother's statement.

"What. She freakin' does this all the time. When she wakes up-if she ever wakes up, Ima give her a piece of my mind."

May growled in the arms of one of the turtles opening her eyes and turned her head to the red bandana turtle. "Go on Raphael. What do you want to tell me?" She pushed out of Donny's arms and walked towards Raph.

"May, don't push it…" Donny held onto her arm to try to stop the blonde girl from making a mistake. She smacked his hand off glaring at him evilly.

"Alright den, little missy. I'm sick of you freakin' gettin us into these types of damsel in distress rescue missions. And to make it worse, you pull some stunt that almost gets you killed. What type of moron do-" May had enough of his yelling and pushed his chest from out of her way, walking forwards.

Raph looked taken aback at first and then growled and ran forward to clutch her wrist in her place. "Don't you walk out on me!"

May turned back around to push his hand off of her wrist but his grip was too strong. "Let me go, you hot-headed green ass shell-for-brains! Do you honestly think I enjoy being a damsel in distress all the time! And for your information," tears started to form in her eyes as she yelled continuously to the turtle. "If your brothers had turned against you, you wouldn't fight them would you? There was no way I was going to harm my friend. Even if she doesn't think we are friends."

May pulled her arm away harder and Raph let go. "Why are you always yelling or angry at me? If you didn't want to help me, you didn't have to, you big green jerk!" She glared at him and his other's behind him for a moment and then shook her head. "I'm sorry. I just need to go home-"

"What and avoid us for a few more days again!" Raph yelled again.

May looked behind her while Leo started to shake his head walking over to his brother, "Stop this Raph." But Raph pushed Leo to the side of him continuing to tower over May.

"Go away Raph! I'm just so done talking-er rather yelling at you!" She took a few steps backwards but Raph continued, "Your done with me, fine!" Raph threw both his sais into both of the opposite walls, "I'm done with you." And he walked pass her leaving his weapons behind.

May stood there completely awestruck by his temper. She shook her head and felt hopeless as tears rolled from her eyes. "I-I'm…" May started but then ran off in the opposite direction of Raph.

Donny and Mikey turned to their older brother. "What do we do now?" Mikey asked him looking down both ends of the sewer. Leo sighed shaking his head, "Go after Raph. Just try to calm him down. I'll go with May." And with that he ran off.

Donny looked at his green feet in the sewer water not knowing what to say in the awkward silence with his brother. Mikey removed Raph's sais from the walls, placing them in his belt for safe keeping, "Well, guess we better go find Raphy. Don I don't know how much more of this I can take." He sighed as the two walked along side another.

"I agree… I wish those two brother's of ours weren't so stubborn. That would make everything so much easier."

May ran out of the sewer out into the streets not daring to look back. All she wanted to do was get out of the sewer to a place where normal girls live their normal lives every day. But May's life was not normal. Not in the least bit. She was in love with two mutant turtles and her life was just one big soap opera after the other it seemed like.

She stopped running after what seemed like forever and then started to die into a jog and then a fast walk. The more her feet moved, the less pain she could concentrate on.

She soon came to a dead end through a neighborhood apartment complex, but that would not stop her. She ran to the back and climbed up the fire ladders to the top of the building.

"I can't believe that jerk! He doesn't even know Kala, how dare he say all those mean things about her!" She sat on the ledge wiping the tears from her eyes and cheeks.

"I know, he can be a real pain in the ass some days."

May gasped and turned around to see Leo walking towards her, "Welcome to my life." He sat down without taking his eyes off of her.

She grunted and then took a deep breath and turned her head away from the turtle.

"You know, we never got to talk the other night. Or the night before that." Leo twiddled his thumbs.

"I know. But I'm pretty sure everyone knows it by now. Including Splinter. Leo laughed, "I wouldn't have doubted that. Even as a kid, none of us could keep a secret from him. But May," she could feel her heart beat in her throat as he continued.

"I feel like you are keeping something from me. Tell me, do you like Raphael too?"

May closed her eyes; it was the one thing she had hoped he would never ask her.

That the question would never cross his mind.

But it did, and she would have to answer.

Sighing she opened her eyes again, "How can I not love both of you. I love you and all of your brothers. It's just that…that well…" She took another breath, "how can I love someone who I'm secretly afraid of. Raph can be scary, I can't predict what he will do sometimes. But Leo…" She looked deep into his eyes, telling his soul her true feelings, "I know you would never hurt me. You've protected me so many times I know I can always depend on you. Leonardo, I love you." She smiled.

Leo smiled and hugged her tightly and then snaked his arm behind her head pulling the back of her neck to his face. Their kiss was passionate, almost as if they had been together for years and knew the other's rhythm. Leo was the first to pull away from the kiss with the biggest grin May had seen.

She giggled, "Why so happy?"

Leo chuckled as well, "I've been waiting for you to say that forever it feels like, Come on we better get back to the lair." He stood up and offered her a hand. "Hop on my back, you need to take it easy for a while." She nodded and climbed onto his big shell hugging his neck tightly as they soar through the roof tops of New York.

"Leo? Is there any way you can take me to Anna's? I need to make sure she is okay." May whispered in his ear. He nodded and then changed direction towards the girl's house. Once they arrived May pointed to an alley Leo could wait near until May was finished checking up on her friend.

"MAY! You're alive!" Anna bear hugged May after answering the door. "Come inside quick before you get us into more trouble!" Anna sat her down in the kitchen, her mother was sitting at the table as well. "So what happened? Where Kala?" Anna offered May a glass of orange juice.

"Well, it's like Lilly said, she's a purple dragon now."

Anna's mom coughed, "We could call the police and attempt to get her out of the situation with that awful gang." She suggested.

May shook her head swallowing her drink, "I don't think it'll be that easy. Besides, the purple dragons aren't people you want to get involved with. They are the type of people that will hunt you down. I just don't know why she got involved with them in the first place." May sighed and took another sip.

"Well, I'm just glad you got out of there decent looking." Anna patted May's sore shoulder. "Ooops, sorry. What the heck happened? They beat you pretty bad. How'd you get outta there?" Anna asked examining May closer.

"Lee saved me." She lied. "He's actually waiting for me, so I'd better go." She stood up thanking them for the glass of juice.

"Wait May!" Anna ran out the door shutting it softly. "Is he still here? Can I meet him?" She whispered looking around.

May hesitated, "Well…"

"So, does this mean your choosing him over Ray?" She smiled.

May looked up at the sky trying to see pass the light pollution, "Yea, I think so." She smiled looking back at the strawberry blonde.

"Well then, I guess I'll leave you guys alone. Oh and don't forget about school next Monday! Let me know if you want to go back to school shopping with Lilly and me!" Anna then shut the door waving to her friend.

"Leo?" May walked over to the shadow area looking around for her mutant. She then felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and pulling her into a strong one handed hug. "Right here."

She turned to face him giving him a sweet kiss as a reward for waiting. "Let's just go to April's, I really don't want to stay at the lair tonight." She offered wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Sure, but where will I sleep?"

May giggled. "With me of course."

"Hey Aunt A!" May walked through the front door. "Oh and Casey." She huffed as she noticed two startled adults on the couch.

"May," April wiped her mouth off with the back of her hand. "What are you doing here?" She wondered.

"Oh, well I just wanted some alone time from the guys. They are like children you know." She smiled walking to the kitchen.

"Do you want any food? I haven't been to the store yet this week." April stood up from the couch.

"Nah, it's okay April all I need is this bag of chips, water and this pack of cheese. Good night!" She smiled and then walked over to her room as fast as she could.

Throwing the food on the bed she turned on the TV and then walked over to the window.

She peaked through it and then slowly opened it letting in the giant turtle. "Snacks?" She smiled pointing to the bed.

"Thanks, this should be fine." He closed the window softly and then joined May on the bed.

"Thanks Leo, I know you'd rather be in your bed, but I just can't see that stupid hot head right now." She took a bite of one of the cheese sticks.

"That's okay, I don't think it would go over well if you two were in the same room right now anyways. Besides," He hugged her once again. "I want you for the night."

May blushed and finished eating. "well 'Tank' you." She said in a very girly voice. "I'm gonna change. Wait just a sec." She rolled off the bed and to the closet grabbing just some casual shorts and a shirt to sleep in. "Be quiet." She whispered and then opened the door to change in the bathroom across from the room.

Once she finished changing and brushed her hair pulling it into a messy bun, she tiptoed pass her smooching Aunt and Casey and to her room.

"Ugh, Casey and April are getting it on." She smiled and then jumped on the bed.

Leo smiled and then noticed the marks on her legs from the ropes that the purple dragons held her down with. "Are you okay?" He pointed.

She examined the newly noticed wounds and shrugged. "More battle wounds I guess. I don't have amazing regenerating cells like you do." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Leo smiled and munched on the snacks. "At least you're human."

"Oh yes, because being human has gotten so very far in life. Heck, we know the shredder isn't human, and he won't freaking die for anything! Stockman was human, and now he doesn't even have a body. He's just brains and an eye. One eye!" She smiled trying to make a point.

"Yes, but I'd give anything to be normal." He cuddled the human girl. "I'd give anything to be strong like you." She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "Or to be able to defend myself better."

"May, don't listen to Raph or the others. You are strong. You can fight against the same bad guys we do. You just have to believe in yourself." She nodded and then turned around to face the tv, while still sitting in his lap. The repetitive motion of Leo's breathing calmed her into a slumber.

"Hey Leo," May managed to mummer out.

"Yes?"

"Goodnight. I love you." She smiled and then cuddled into his arms.

"Night. I love you too."