The rest of the flight was calm after that spat. Jetfire landed on one of the U.S. Military bases after sunset and the NEST personnel quickly scrambled to get everything, and everyone, unloaded. Taking great care to hide the turtles from the normal troops as they did. Word of the Bots had leaked out over the years, but that didn't mean Cindy's new friends, and her love interest, had to be exposed as well.

The turtles all loaded up in the Bots before Jetfire even lowered his loading ramp, and the Bot's quickly tinted their windows. Cindy already missed riding with Ty, who had become a firm fixture in her and Kyle's vehicle over the last few days. She told herself repeatedly that it was only until they got off base and they had a bit more freedom to move around.

Cindy drove this time, easily following the convoy as it pulled out of the airfield. She decided she didn't like this buggy. Her old one had been stashed at the California base because it had been crowded enough with everyone onboard. Jetfire was big, but that didn't mean he had unlimited space. Good thing Will was smart enough, from experience, to have whatever they needed stashed at various bases all over the place. It was with a fair amount of accuracy that you could say at least one base had NEST gear and vehicles stored in every country. If the country was friendly enough to house a base anyway.

Kyle was unusually quiet as he rode in the passenger seat, his foot propped up on the dash. He just stared blankly out at the troops wandering around that were still on duty as they passed. The third member of their team, Patrick, was already sleeping in the back seat. He was the replacement for Joe, who had been sent back with the other hurt individuals when they all got firebombed. Patrick was a good kid, she supposed, if a bit inexperienced. But she was already missing Joe and his wild stories from his childhood and home that always seemed to lighten up these long road trips.

"You're unusually quiet tonight." Cindy noted as she made a right turn. "Cons got you spooked?"

"Pfft." Was Kyle's reply to that.

"Then what's bugging you?"

He turned his head from the window and looked at her directly. "Honestly? Jeff is."

"Oh?" Cindy asked, trying to be nonchalant about it. But she knew what was coming.

"Don't act all innocent Cindy. He's been getting worse and you know it."

Yup, that's what she expected. "Kyle, I've been able to handle him for months now. He's nothing to be scared of. All words and no action with that one."

"That's when you were still single and he thought he still had a chance to get back with you. Now that Ty is in the picture..." He shook his head. "I'm not sure what's going on in that mind of his."

"Stupidity." Cindy answered back.

"That's the part that worries me." Kyle grumbled low enough to where Cindy almost didn't hear him.

Cindy rolled her eyes, but kept quiet as the convoy rolled out of the base and onto the civilian streets. Kyle didn't bring the issue back up and they talked about other, nonimportant things as they drove on. Even shared a few jokes though their laughter was nothing compared to what Joe could bring out of them.

Thankfully they didn't travel long before they called a halt for the night and the the campsite setup preparations began. They had done it so much the last few days that it actually took a very short amount of time for all the tents to come up, then the campfires started.

Cindy loved campfires. Sure they had flashlights and all kinds of other lights to use out here, but there was nothing like the old comfort from her childhood. That reddish orange flame that flickered, creating both heat and warmth spurring the awfully told ghost stories. And, as Ari pointed out numerous times, they were great for making s'mores. It had been her pink masked friend that actually got this group started on campfires. That first time they had stopped for the night, the first thing she did was gather her own wood and piled it up before meticulously setting a few off to the side. Then she began to make a rock ring in the space she had cleared of debris. When her father curiously asked her what she was doing she promptly pulled out her marshmallows from her pack and grinned at him. "I want s'mores! We got interrupted last time..."

Michelangelo grinned at his daughter, then helped her get it lit. And every time now they stopped, there was always at least one fire going. And it was usually accompanied by Ari munching on her favorite treat.

Sure enough, even as Cindy went to get her gear from her vehicle, Ari was already firmly entrenched on a log, marshmallow on a stick and roasting away. The red haired woman shook her head with a small smile. The girl could kick some serious ass, but she had such a childish innocence to her. Ari deeply enjoyed things the rest of them thought they had outgrown. Soon she had company, because Kyle and Ty walked over to her, deep in discussion as they went. A conversation they ended right before Kyle joined the youngest turtle and Ty went off into the woods. Cindy figured he might have gotten stuck with first watch tonight. She smiled a bit over that. She wasn't scheduled for watch herself, so when he was done they would have at least a couple of hours together later.

Ty, now that one caused feelings in her she still really couldn't believe. He was everything you wanted in a partner. Kind, considerate, confident without becoming overly cocky from it, calm, a little shy about certain things, like talking to girls. She still giggled over his reaction the first time she made her interest known. Cindy didn't know a green turtle could get that red. And his kisses were tender. She shivered at that thought. Very tender, and loving. In short, he was everything Jeff hadn't been.

That mistake on her dating record was quick to anger, in a bad way. Controlling and looked at her more as a prize to be shown off rather than the person she actually was. It took her a while to see what really lurked underneath that handsome exterior, but when she finally found what was there she quickly broke it off. Cindy refused to fall into that pit. Now Ty on the other hand, she could actually see that going somewhere. To be honest, she felt it deep inside her that she might not have to look for that perfect match anymore. Something told her that she found him. The thought didn't disappoint her either.

Just the thought of him put her in an unusual mood and she began pulling her things from the vehicle with a slight smile on her face, humming quietly. She couldn't wait for later and their usual custom of sitting a bit before the fire together, talking and sharing things from their lives. Getting to know each other more and more. She began to cherish those quiet moments with him. To Cindy they were a perfect way to wind down the day.

Her happy reminiscing was cut quickly short by a blinding pain in her head. She collapsed, dazed, over her half pulled out pack before she was quickly gagged then she was roughly turned around. Cindy couldn't quite comprehend what she was seeing as Jeff loomed over her, now dropping the stick he had just nailed her with. "You bitch. You are mine. You always will be mine. And it's time I reminded you of that." His hands went to her belt, undoing it before forcing her pants down.

That was enough to snap Cindy out of that daze. Her hand formed into a fist that went for his head even as her knee came up. The wrist he caught, but the nut check he was only able to partially dodge. He growled in anger through his pain and brought his own fist in and it slammed into her face, knocking her head back. Again her vision swam as she tried to focus in on him again and he took that moment to take her own belt and wrap it quickly around her wrists before tying it off to the vehicle. Leaving her uncomfortably arched over her pack and no way to get any leverage on him after he kicked her legs wide apart and placed himself between them. "You never could out fight me in training, what makes you think you could now?"

Then grin he gave her was just downright evil as he began to undo his own pants. And all too soon she felt his hot flesh against her. "I know you missed this."

Cindy screamed into her gag, hoping someone would hear the muffled sound as tears began to fall from her eyes as he lined himself up. He laughed at her renewed struggle attempts. A laugh that was quickly washed off of his face when a fist came in from the side and hit hard enough to where you could hear his nose crack. Before that hit even registered, a second one came in and hit him in the stomach, and that was the one that knocked Jeff off of her.

Jeff fell out of her line of sight and Ty stood there. Even in the dark she could see his unusual eyes as they seemed to flare as he stalked on. Jeff was on his feet by now, a snarl on his face under his bloody nose as the turtle stormed in and he pulled a bowie knife out. That was also about the dumbest thing he could have done at that moment.

Even as Cindy hung there and watched, shaking, Ty brought his foot up and around in a spin kick, knocking that blade out of Jeff's hand. And Ty wasn't finished with him, not by a long shot. Jeff was getting a first hand education on what it's like to piss off a mutated turtle that had been trained to fight since he could walk, and it wasn't ending well for him. Ty's fist's seemed to move faster than light as they came in again and again. Some Jeff managed to block, but most of them found their way through those defenses and pummeled his body.

Then Cindy wasn't alone. Lavi was there after running up from the other side and quickly untied her and removed the gag from the now crying woman. Then Lavi held onto her tight as she began to slide to the ground, her shaking legs giving out under her. Lavi didn't say anything, but offered what support she could even as she watched with an angry pride at the beating Jeff was getting.

Ty connected with Jeff's stomach, hard. And when he doubled over the other fist came in from below and connected with an already battered face and Jeff flipped over backwards. Ty had a snarl on his face now as he advanced again.

"Titian! Enough!" Leonardo's voice rang out over the commotion. He walked up, his own eyes blazing as he moved in to restrain his son by holding onto the arm that had come up again. "He's down. Your point has been made son, don't stoop to his level."

Vicky joined Lavi and they managed between them to steady Cindy on her feet. She even quickly replaced the pants as others began running up. Cindy couldn't even give her thanks through the sobs that choked her.

"What in the hell is going on!" Epps roared as he led the gaggle that came running up next. Kyle among them.

Cindy's team mate took in her battered, crying face and disheveled clothes then narrowed his eyes at the man who was struggling to get to his feet. "You fucking bastard!"

"She's mine!" Jeff snapped back. "And no freak is going to take her from me!"

Ty faced his father with a raised eyeridge inquiry, now from calm eyes. Leonardo just gave him a calm look in return a moment. Then they both spun and punched him in the face again. Cindy clearly heard the crack of a breaking jawbone as he flew over the next vehicle and disappeared on the other side. An instant later there was a groaning thud coming from the now unseen Jeff. Cindy took a lot of satisfaction from that.

Epps shook his head as he meandered around the vehicle with Tony who had a wry grin on his face. "You would think he would know better." Tony told Epps.

Epps sighed. "You would think."

Ty didn't pay Jeff anymore mind after that, but zeroed in on Cindy, carefully taking her from his mother and sister and held her close to him. She cried against him, her body shuddering with sobs as his deep voice tried to calm her down. His persistence won out and she finally took a long, shuddering breath and settled down. He still wouldn't let her go though. Not even when his Uncle Donatello carefully looked her over. The purple masked turtle had to work around Ty, but he didn't complain.

"She's going to have a couple nasty bruises, and a headache for a while, but she'll be ok." He pulled out a bottle of pills and sent Lavi off for a bottle of water. "Give her these." He shook two out into his palm and handed them to Ty. "They'll help her pain so she can get some sleep tonight."

"Why are you giving them to me Uncle?"

Donatello just gave him a slight smile as he looked from the couple to Jeff who was being carried away in preparation to be shipped back to the base they had just left. "Because I think it's safe to say, nephew, if you are anything like your father, I know you won't leave her side. Now, go put her to bed."

Ty blushed a little, but easily picked Cindy up and carried her to her tent and laid her gently on her cot before tucking her into her sleeping bag, then gave her the pills. And, just like his uncle had predicted, he stayed with her. His hand holding hers as he quietly sat next to her cot. Those small gestures comforting her to no end, and soon the medication began to have the desired effect and she drifted off. But not before she felt his lips gently kiss her cheek. "I love you Cindy." His whispered words were the last thing she heard before sleep took it's hold on her.