Chapter 5 - Behind Closed Doors
"Umpfh!" April let out a groan as her back hit the hard ground, but wasted no time rolling to the side before launching herself back up onto her feet. She spun the wooden practice tonfa around in her grip and charged.
She had to laugh to herself for the events that had brought her to this situation, but here she was, middle of the night, in some god forsaken corner of the sewers, willingly sparring with one of the scariest ninjas she knew. And oddly enough, it had been her idea. She reminisced at how it had happened.
**
It had been the night the clan of turtles had officially welcomed her into their home. It had been a lovely gesture and April still smiled at the image of the whole group crowded around the small table enjoying their first meal together as a family. After the meal, the boys had gone out on patrol, or so she thought, and was surprised to find the turtle in red hanging out in the living room.
"Why aren't you out with the others?" She had asked him, as she joined him on the couch.
"Meh, they're just doing surveillance tonight, checking in on your aunt, setting up a few safety precautions and all that. Not really my style." He shrugged.
She had known then, that something fishy was up and had a sneaking suspicion that Raphael was hiding something and proceeded to casually see if she could get it out of him.
"You know, if I were doing surveillance, I'd want you there to watch my back." She prodded.
"I know, right?!" Raph piped up. "That's what I told 'em, but they wouldn't listen!"
"I knew you weren't staying behind by choice!" April pointed a finger, catching him in his lie. "What, did you draw the short straw and get stuck on babysitting duty?!"
"Nah - c'mon, it's not like that." Raph tried to argue, not even bothering to try to deny it. The look on the petite redhead's face told him that she wasn't about to listen to anything less then the truth. "We just want to make sure you're safe."
"You really think Karai could find me down here?" Her voice was incredulous.
"Well, no. But Donnie wasn't about to take any chances until he had all the new security up and running and you have to admit that you're a trouble magnet who doesn't have the best track record when it comes to staying put."
"Hey!" April acted offended, but also could recall several times that she had willingly walked into a dangerous situation, even at the pleas of her friends.
Raph lifted a brow, daring her to argue his point.
"ARGH!" She let out a frustrated sound and stood in a huff so that she could pace off her anger while she ranted. "I get that Donnie is trying to keep me safe, but he can't always be there; just look at what happened with Karai! Hiding me away down here is not a solution!" She calmed down and thought for a moment before adding, "I need to be better prepared for next time. I need to learn to fight–REAL fighting, not just the motions!"
Raph let out a type of chuckle that was also a sound of understanding. "Yeah, I remember having this same conversation with Splinter, he definitely didn't go for it."
"Wait - that's it! You should train me!" She countered.
"Say what now?" He was not sure he had heard her correctly.
"You could train me! Show me how to survive a fight! Real, hands on fighting."
"I dunno April, Sensei would never go for that. He's all about going through the motions and learning all the proper techniques and katas beforehand."
"Well that's why I need you to teach me. I'll still train with master Splinter too, but in the meantime, you can give me the expedited lessons."
Raph looked at her, standing there with her hands on her hips and a determined glint in her blue eyes. What she was saying held some truth. Starting at the beginning and going through all the training had it's advantages, but she was being thrown into a full on war, and didn't have the luxury of time.
"C'mon Raph, you're the best fighter of the group. And I know you won't just take it easy on me."
He gave her a wry smile, well aware that she was playing at his ego. "Well, now you're just sweet talking me."
"Please." She added softly, with all seriousness. "I need to do SOMETHING to help stop the Kraang…. to help find my Dad."
"Fine." He huffed. "But it will have to be our little secret for now. Can you handle that?"
April smiled and made a pantomimed action of locking her lips with an invisible key.
April's spirits had been lifted over the next couple of days. Continuing her daily routine of practicing her forms with Master Splinter, and keeping herself occupied while hiding out in the lair. And also sneaking in private training sessions with Raph whenever they could. Often times, it would be either early in the mornings, before most of the household was awake, or late in the evenings after patrol, when the other brothers had called it a night. Which was the case for this particular instance.
And that's how April found herself in a darkly lit corner of the sewers that Raphael had found for them to train in, without being bothered by the others. It was only a few minutes walk from the entrance of the lair, just a small area that had been cleared of debris, save for a few cardboard boxes laid out to help soften the cement floor as best it could. So far she had been pleased with the young man for keeping his promise of not taking it easy on her. And it seemed, he really was the best fighter of the group when he wasn't bound to certain moves and Splinter's rules. Had she not been impressed by his skills before, she certainly was now.
She ached all over, not just from her old wounds, which had finally begun to heal, but also from being tossed around by her new teacher in red. She could feel the rewarding burn of exhaustion and use in every muscle in her body. Between practice with Splinter and the extra sessions with Raph, she had never worked out so much in all of her life. When she finally found time to sleep, she passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow. The switch to the boy's more nocturnal habits wasn't helping her any either.
Raphael had been reluctant at first, not really sure if April realized what she was asking, but had so far rather enjoyed their sessions. She had spunk and a determination that he sometimes saw in himself. Nothing about her was the stereotypical; shopaholic, afraid to break a nail, high-maintenence type woman that he had always seen portrayed on television. No, there was definitely something different about her and for the first time, he had begun to understand what Donnie saw in her, other then a pretty face.
A pretty face that currently was screwed up in concentration staring at him from across the dark room. Circling him as a predator would its prey. He smirked, impressed at how much she had learned already.
"So Red, you gonna do this or what?" He taunted her, crouching down, preparing to pounce.
She continued to move slowly, working her way around to his other side, feeling the blood pulsing through her veins with each deep breath. When suddenly, she bolted at him, raising her tonfas and letting out a guttural screamed as she charged. She swung the batons as she moved in on him and Raph blocked them with ease, ducking under one larger arch and rolling off to the other side of the room. He jumped up behind her and kicked her in the back of the knee before she could reorientate herself.
Losing balance she stumbled to the side, but managed to quickly duck her head as one of his fists flew just over her. She swung backwards, barely catching the edge of his shell, but enough to cause him to leap back and take a new stance. She charged again, hoping to catch him off guard, but he easily grabbed her arms and used her forward momentum to toss her, causing her to land hard on the floor. She rolled into it, like he had taught her, as best as she could, but still felt the breath knocked from her chest.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" A new voice hollered into the room and both April and Raph froze with wide eyes, like a small child being caught sneaking a treat.
The voice belonged to Donatello, who had apparently been watching the last couple minutes of sparring before feeling the need to break it off. He rushed to April's side, as she slowly lifted herself up off the ground, taking in a deep breath to refill her lungs.
"April! Are you ok?"
"Stay out of this Donnie!" She pushed herself up and away from him, angry at his interference.
"But he's being too rough! You're just a beginner!"
"She's a tough girl Donnie, give her some credit!" Raph hollered back, only to receive a look of daggers from his brother.
"The foot aren't going to take it easy on me!" April shot back at Donnie, her frustration boiling over. "You dote on me like… like I'm this helpless little girl – it's time for some tough love and I found the turtle willing to dish it out!"
Donatello had never heard April speak in such a tone to anyone, especially not himself. He wasn't quite sure how to react. He glanced over at his brother who was smiling smugly, and then back to April who stood with her arms crossed defensively across her chest.
He opened his mouth to try and apologize, to explain his rationale that he was only looking out for her safety. But found it obvious, that it was not what she was wanting to hear. It was the first time he had found himself at a loss for words. So he simply turned and walked out of the room.
April watched him retreat. Standing there, full of adrenaline and still breathing heavily, she didn't want to think about it any more. She turned back to Raph, narrowing her gaze. "We going to finish this?"
"Hell yeah!"
Raph crouched back and then dashed towards the girl, swinging his baton at her head. She swiftly ducked and spun, in an impressively elegant move, before striking back. The wooden weapons clacking loudly against one another as they moved across the room.
April lashed upward, and Raph caught one of her wrists between his batons and kicked at her middle, knocking her backwards. Her weapons flew from her hands as she hit the ground. Before she had a chance to roll, Raph landed on her, straddling her hips, grabbing her arms and pinning them above her head.
"Tag." He smiled smugly down at her. "You're letting your anger cloud your focus. Trust me, I know all about that."
She squirmed beneath him attempting to wriggle free of his grasp. The movement caused her black T-shirt to ride up and Raph caught a glimpse of the dark bruises still marring her flesh.
"Aw shit!" He jumped up off of her as if he'd been burned. "Did I do that?!"
April quickly sat up and pulled her shirt back down into place. "No, you didn't."
Not really hearing her, he continued to swear under his breath. "Damnit! Donnie was right, I take things too far, I don't know when to stop. You're just a beginner. What the fuck was I thinking?!"
"Raphael!" April stood and grabbed his wrist and turned him towards her to get his attention. She saw in his eyes a vulnerability she had never seen before. He was already beating himself up inside. "Raph, it's an old bruise. It's not your fault."
His eyes narrowed. "Then where's it from?"
She stared back, but didn't answer. She didn't need to, he put it together almost instantly.
"That bitch! ARGH - I told Leo that girl was trouble! When I get my hands on her–!"
"Yeah, yeah. Join the club." April cut him off smiling, trying to calm him down.
He stopped his rant and took a few steps, willing his body to calm with him. He stopped for a moment and then turned back to look at her. "I guess I kinda get how Donnie feels. Knowing that someone else could hurt your friend."
The words caught April off guard, it was so unlike Raph to admit anything. And his words held more truth then she wanted to admit. Guilt swelled up inside of her for yelling at her protective friend.
"Yeah…" She plopped down on the ground, pulling her knees up, to rest her chin on them. "I guess I was kind of hard on him."
"And to be honest, I really should dial it back a little. You've got a fighting spirit that I admire, I sometimes forget that you haven't been doing this for very long… you aren't going to be able to do much help if you get hurt practicing."
"I guess." She mumbled quietly into her arm, as Raph sat down beside her.
"And I know I'm the last one to talk, but you really should take it easy while you heal."
"I know!" She said exasperated, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I just have to do SOMETHING, ya know? I can't stay hidden down here forever!"
April regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She had been cooped up for less then a week and she was complaining to someone that would spend his whole life down here in hiding. By the solum look on Raphael's face, she could tell he was thinking the same thing.
"Oh man, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" She didn't really know what to say.
"Nah." Raph waved a hand as if dismissing what she had said. "I know what ya mean."
He quietly stood back up and then offered her a hand to pull her to her feet. "I'm callin' it a night." He added, before bowing.
"Ok." She said meekly and bowed back politely. "Goodnight."
"G'night Red." He said over his shoulder as he walked out of the space.
"Way to go April." She muttered to herself and decided that she should go find Donnie to apologize to him as well.
April padded softly into the lair. The giant space was dark and quiet, save for the sound of dripping water, that seemed to be a constant reminder that they were underground. Raph couldn't have been more then 5 minutes ahead of her, but was nowhere to be seen and must have gone straight to his room.
She frowned again, angry at herself for how everything had played out tonight. She managed to upset two of her closest friends in the matter of minutes. What the hell was wrong with her these days? It was like she was so desperately trying to fix herself, that she was somehow missing the correct course with everyone else.
She followed down the long cement hallway, passing the rooms of all the brothers and leading eventually to Donatello's lab at the end. This whole place was such an odd space, with barren areas at one step and half finished architecture in another. It reminded her of a ghost town, a sad reminder of what had once been elaborate plans of grand staircases and entryways, laying forgotten and abandoned.
Reaching the end of the line, she had been prepared to knock, but found the door to the lab open.
"Donnie?" She asked into the large room.
After the lack of response, April stepped in quietly, unsure of whether he might have fallen asleep or simply could not hear her enter. Which was never a surprise, as he was often welding or hammering or tinkering away lost in his own world with music blasting through headphones.
"Donnie? You in here?" She asked again, but the room appeared empty.
With a sigh, she walked a bit towards the back to make sure he wasn't down the tunnel that led to where the Shellraiser was stored. She could tell at a glance it was dark and there was no sound coming from the depths.
She couldn't imagine where else he would be, it seemed he had been off working on something every day since she had moved in and just assumed that it would be here. She wandered around, not quite ready to leave and hoping that he'd appear if she waited long enough.
She paused in front of his make-shift drafting table, littered in papers and blue prints and journals of notes. She smiled at his adorably messy scrawl covering the various papers, not quite legible at first glance, but perfectly clear once you looked closer.
And that's when she noticed her name on a page that was sticking out from beneath a leather-bound journal. Unable to resist, she lifted the journal to read what was underneath it. It was a list, apparently of Donnie's priorities and projects. Number one was simply scribbled out as, 'Keep April safe'.
Her heart sank in her chest and the guilt she already felt, doubled in size. He was just trying to keep her safe. Everything that drove her crazy; the over protectiveness, the babysitting duty, even yelling at Raph. It was all part of his master plan to just make sure that no harm came to her. And she suddenly realized just how ungrateful she had been.
It took her another moment before she noticed the footsteps entering the room and she spun around to find the very turtle she had been looking for.
"Hey?" He said softly, a confused look on his face. Obviously wondering why she was there.
"Hey." She responded, suddenly aware that she had never really thought through her apology.
A silence hung in the air as they both stood across from each other, uncertain of what to say.
"I'm so sorry." She blurted out.
He looked into her blue eyes, but said nothing in return.
"I shouldn't have yelled at you." She added.
"It wasn't my place. If you want to get your butt kicked by Raph, then who am I to argue." He returned, with an evident bitterness, obviously still angry.
His snide tone instantly had her on the defensive. "Well, what were you doing there anyways?" She shot back. "I'm a big girl, I don't need you to look after me all the time!"
"You guys triggered my perimeter alarm. I thought it was a malfunction, but was surprised to find you two out there." His tone was angry, but despite April's elevated level, he had yet to raise his voice.
"I'm surprised you weren't following me around! Don't think I haven't noticed that you have someone keeping an eye on me at all times."
"Why are you so stubborn!" He finally yelled. "I can't stand the idea of leaving you alone again, ok!" and then his voice faded back to a normal level. "Not after last time…" He trailed off, not actually wanting to say the words, 'when the foot clan tried to kidnap you'.
He caught her gaze and looking into his eyes, so full of concern, April wondered why she had gotten angry again, cursing herself for starting another argument in the middle of her apology. She reminded herself of the revelation she had just made and shared it with him.
"You're just trying to 'keep me safe'." She responded softly and picked up the paper with her name and handed it to him.
He nodded, while mumbling quietly. "You weren't supposed to see this."
"I'm glad I did. I don't think I even realized everything you have been doing for me. I'm sorry." She paused, trying to think of the best way to explain how she had been feeling. "I… I'm used to taking care of myself. I feel so lost lately and I've been taking it out on you."
"It's ok. I have been a little over-protective lately. It's just, your run in with Karai scared the crap out of me."
"It scared the crap out of me too Donnie, that's why I asked Raph to start training me."
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" He asked calmly, hoping not to anger her again, but feeling like it should be said.
"He just told me that he should probably dial it back a little…" She paused and looked over at him. "I don't want you to think that I'm weak."
"I would never think that." He piped up. "Even before you tossed a fully trained kunoichi down a flight of stairs."
He was delighted to see that he earned a grin from her with that statement.
"I'm not protecting you because I think you're weak, I just know that the enemy is very powerful. I'm afraid of Karai and Shredder too, and I've been doing this a lot longer then you."
She watched him speak, and knew that he was being honest. and if she was being honest with herself, she really had to agree.
"And the Kraang may have this unknown reason that they are after you, but this vendetta with Shredder and the Foot; my family brought this upon you and I feel like it's our job to protect you from it." He hung his head a little after that statement. This notion obviously weighed heavily on him.
She placed a soft hand on his not really sure what to say to that. She then smiled up at him. "And I'll try to be more accepting of your help."
He returned her grin and tried to lighten the mood with his tone of voice. "But I will try to dial it back a little, ok? I know that you can take care of yourself. And now that I've set up extra security around here, I'll rest a little easier."
"Sounds like a deal." She grinned.
They stood facing one another, April's hand was still resting on Donnie's forearm. He thought about where he had retreated to after their early fight and then realized that it would be a perfect time to show her what he had been working on.
"So did you happen to see #4 on my list?" He asked with a wry smile, knowing his segue was vague.
April looked at him, her brow knit in confusion.
He handed her back the piece of paper. She looked at it a little more closely, now that he had openly given her permission to read it. The list was entitled, 'Top Priorities'. At number one was what she had read earlier: Keep April Safe, which was followed by Tighten security at the lair, Protect April's aunt and then; Set up a space for April.
She read through number four and then looked back up at his brown eyes, still confused as to what it meant. "Set up a space? Space for what?"
"Follow me." He said simply. He took the paper back from her and laid it on his messy desk and then held out his hand.
She looked at him curiously and smiled before placing her hand in his and allowing him to lead her out of the room and down the hall.
She had always thought that the lab was the end of the lair, but instead of turning right and heading back towards the rest of the house, they turned left and to a small entryway on the other side of the hall. It was dark and some loose bricks lay scattered around the floor of the opening which made it appear to not be a useable space.
"Watch your step." Donatello pointed out. "I haven't had a chance to get all the wiring done, so the lights aren't working yet."
April carefully stepped over the bricks, thankful for Donnie's hand as he led her into the pitch black. She wondered for half a moment, if turtles had better night vision, because she couldn't see anything. But before she could ponder it for too long, warm candlelight came into view as Donnie pulled back a curtain, that had been covering the next archway.
He held the curtain back and pulled her hand forward, silently directing her to pass him and enter the room first. She stepped in and let her eyes adjust to the dimly lit space.
It was a nice sized room that seemed to be walled off from extending beyond the next set of archways. Looking around, with the aid of the several flickering candles and a small work lamp in the corner, April noticed a desk and chair along one wall and as she turned, she realized there was a small bed set up along the other wall. It hit her suddenly, what Donnie had meant. She spun around to see him standing in the doorway, having let the curtain fall back closed behind him.
"This is your space." He said smiling. "I know it's not much, but I was hoping it would cheer you up to have a room of your own."
She looked at him and then turned back to examine the room again, completely in awe. "Donnie, this is… this is incredible! You did all this?"
"Well, the guys helped me. Mikey and Raph found a bunch of the parts for the furniture. And they all helped me gather your stuff."
"My stuff?" She asked quietly as she moved closer to the bed and upon closer inspection she realized it was familiar. She reached down and ran her hand along the soft lavender comforter. It was the one from her room. Not her temporary space at her Aunt's house, but her actual room from where her and her Dad lived. She hadn't been back since her Dad had been taken, but that one time the very next day to gather her clothes and such. It had been so long since she had thought about her old home, seeing the familiar pieces of it tugged at her heart.
"This is mine." She stated simply and then noticed the stuffed rabbit from her childhood and the framed picture of her and her Dad that had sat on her bedside table. She picked it up from the shelf that it now sat on and smiled at happy memories it brought.
"How did you…?" She trailed off, still completely astonished.
"Well, after we checked in on your Aunt's place and made sure that she was safe, we went to investigate your Dad's apartment. You know, see if The Foot had been there and check for any clues. Anyways, while we were there I thought you might like having some of your comforts from home, so I talked the guys into helping me lug it back here."
He looked down at his hands while he talked, tapping the tips of his fingers together. As he explained everything, he started to worry that she would think that it was creepy they had been at her place or that he was being over protective again. Or maybe she was just feeling crowded. He looked up and watched her as she moved around the room, taking in everything. He wished that she would say something, anything to reassure him that his gesture had indeed had the intended effect.
She finished her second lap around the small space and then turned to look at the person that had done it all for her. He was still standing in the doorway, looking adorably nervous, fiddling with his fingers.
In one stride she was to him and before he could finish looking up, she enveloped him in a hug.
"Thank you." She murmured into his plastron.
"You're welcome." He smiled, a breath of relief leaving him.
She leaned back and smiled up at him. "You really are amazing, you know that?" And she lifted herself up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
Even in the candlelight, she could see him blush furiously and felt the warmth spread across her own cheeks. She smiled to herself and stepped back into the hug, feeling his arms close around her. It was the safest she had felt in a long time.
End Chapter 5 - Behind Closed Doors
A/N - Ok? So - do you guys like her training with Raph? Did the fight scenes come across ok? I don't have much experience with writing them, so I hope they flowed alright. Any advice in the area would be greatly appreciated!
I hope the flash back at the beginning was clear. I didn't actually want to have to say 'flashback starts/falshback ends' ;)
What about Donnie? Is he living up to the character you know and love? I want him to be sensitive and caring, and obviously a lot of what he does is because of his feelings for April, but I don't want him to come across too soft. I originally just had April apologize and he was fine, but then figured I'd at least let him yell back a bit. Seemed only fair.
I would LOVE to hear what you think. In fact, I'll actually beg: "Please send me a review! Pretty pretty please!"