Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry for the horribly long break in between chapters, I wasn't too sure how I wanted this story to pan out, but now I have a clearer idea so I decided to chug out another chapter! Thanks for all the reads, follows, favourites and reviews, it really means a lot to me! Feedback is always appreciated, please let me know what you think!

Autumn awoke with a groan the next morning, her head throbbing and her whole body aching. She sat up slowly, frowning in confusion as she realised she was in her own bed, still in her clothes from last night, minus her hoodie, socks and sneakers.

"Oh, thank god, you're awake!" April's voice from the corner of her room made the younger O'Neil cousin jump, a small wave of nausea coursing through her. April practically leapt from the arm chair she had obviously spent the night in to throw her arms around Autumn, hugging her tightly.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm awake, but jeez, April, don't break my ribs there," Autumn laughed hoarsely, hugging her cousin back.

"You scared the shit out of us…" April whispered, a few tears falling as she sat back, studying Autumn's face. "What the hell were you doing wandering Brooklyn by yourself?!"

"I-I'm sorry, Ape, I knew you'd been at work and I didn't wanna bother you, and Casey was run off his feet at the bar…"

"You're lucky he came out when he did, God knows what would have happened if he hadn't have scared those assholes away…"

Autumn frowned.

"What are you talking about? April, Casey wasn't there."

"Aut, he was. You hit your head before he got to you, he found you in the alley."

"I may have hit my head, Ape, but I remember what happened. Casey was nowhere near me, these four guys fought the others off, pulled the one guy off of me and that's when I hit my head…" Autumn gingerly touched the back of her head, feeling the small but prominent bump there. "And I know there were four of them cos I can remember hearing four different voices…"

"You hit your head pretty hard Autumn…Casey found you face down in the alley unconscious…are you sure you didn't imagine it?" April was frowning, studying her younger cousin's face.

"I know what I saw, and heard, April, I'm not freaking crazy, okay? There were four voices, four guys who kicked the shit out of the assholes who tried to cut me-"

"Did you see them?"

"N-no…I mean, I saw their shadows but they stayed in the dark…"

April said nothing. "April, I know what I saw."

"Get dressed, we'll go out for breakfast when you're ready." She simply said, placing a kiss to Autumn's temple, and leaving the room, shutting the door behind her. Autumn sighed, lying back down in her bed and staring up at the ceiling.

"I know what I saw…" Autumn whispered out loud, punching her mattress in frustration. As bad as her head was hurting, she knew she had to go to work tonight, and find these mystery men, to thank them, and to prove to her family that she wasn't crazy.

Outside her bedroom door, April leant against the wall, letting her head fall back onto it with a soft 'thump'. She pulled out her cell phone from her pocket, quickly typing out a text.

To: Casey

I don't know how much longer I can lie to her...

From: Casey

We have to, babe. It's for the best. You want to keep her safe, right?

To: Casey

Of course, but the guys could help do just that...

From: Casey

Or, she could end up being dragged into danger. You have to admit, ever since they went back into hiding again, our lives have been less...crazy.

April sighed, pocketing her phone. She knew her husband was right, but at the same time, she didn't want to keep lying to her close family, it just didn't feel right...

"Alright, I'm alive...let's go," Autumn emerged from her room in jeans and a hoodie, her blond hair tied back into a messy bun. "I'm starving...and I need to get some clothes that are more 'NYC winter' than 'Laguna Beach in a stiff breeze', I was freezing my butt off yesterday."

April let out a giggle at her cousin's less than impressed expression. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. If I'm not getting my head bashed against some sidewalk, I'm gettin' hypothermia..."

"Oh Autumn...you're such a Cali girl. Come on, let's get your butt to IHOP before you freeze it off, then I'll take you to Macy's."

"Sweet." Despite her pounding head and occasional nausea, Autumn couldn't help the grin spreading across her face. Pancakes and shopping? This was so her scene.

- a few hours later -

Autumn groaned, slumping onto a poof in the middle of Macy's shoe department. Somehow, a shopping trip for her had turned into a shopping trip for April's next on camera interview next Wednesday. Typical.

"April, just get the damn shoes, okay? You've been walking around in them for the past half hour, you know it's gonna kill you to put them back." The younger O'Neil cousin huffed massaging her temples. At this rate she wouldn't have time to get home and try on her new clothes before she had to leave for work.

"But Casey doesn't like red shoes, he says they make me look like Dorothy..."

"Jeez, April, you're married now, you don't have to try so hard to please him. Just get them, they look awesome, and if you wear them with hat blouse and skirt you were telling me about they'll look rad. Now can we please go? I need to make myself presentable for my first day of work."

"Are you sure you'll be okay going to work tonight? Maybe you should stay home and rest-"

Autumn groaned.

"April, no offence, but I've spent all day shopping with you, and I need a break. Plus, I can't let Casey down, it's Friday, the bar is bound to be busy."

April sighed, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at her cousin. "I'm not five anymore April, you don't need to protect me..."

"I'm always going to want to protect you, Autumn...but if you really want to go tonight, I'll take you there, and you can wait for Casey when you finish so you can come home together. Deal?"

Autumn chewed the inside of her cheek. How would she possibly be able to find these four mystery heroes if April and Casey were watching her every move?

"Ugh, fine. If it get you off my back...now get the damn shoes, I need to make myself pretty for my Friday night patrons." Autumn smirked, laughing and dodging the ballet pump her cousin threw at her.

An hour and a half later, Autumn and April were riding the subway over to Brooklyn, despite Autumn's protests that she did not need an escort. The fiery haired older O'Neil wouldn't have it any other way, and made it ten times worse as she insisted on walking Autumn straight to the front door of the bar, making sure her cousin knew the route like the back of her hand to prevent last night from happening again.

"Now, you're waiting for Casey to finish before you come home, right?"

"Yes, April."

"And when you have your break, you're staying inside, right?"

"Yes, April."

"And you-"

"Yes, April, if Casey asks me to go get supplies from the store, I will go there and straight back, not taking any shortcuts, jeez," Autumn rolled her eyes before heading into the bar.

"Have a good shift!" April called, waving at the back of her cousin before the door shut in her face. Autumn groaned out loud as she shrugged off her new coat, hanging it up on the coat hooks beside the bar, and straightened out her 'Zamboni Bar and Grill' tshirt, before meeting Casey in the back office. Surprisingly, the bar was relatively quiet, so Casey was able to train his new cousin up quickly and thoroughly, ecstatic at how quickly the young woman was picking everything up.

As the Friday night drinkers poured in, it quickly became clear that the after effects of Autumn's head injury from last night were getting to her, as she became a little slow and pale.

"Hey, Aut, why don't you head to the store a couple blocks over and get some more hot dog buns? And mustard, too, these drunkards are rinsing us out tonight," Casey chuckled, handing Autumn some cash, and a list so she knew what brands to get. "Take your time, get some air, then when you get back, you can do the tables okay?"

"Sure, Casey, thanks," Autumn nodded, still feeling slightly queasy. She grabbed her coat and made her way through the crowd, inhaling the cold night air as she stepped outside, the sickness in her stomach easing off.

As she quickly headed over to the store, the wind began to pick up and Autumn shivered, pulling up the collar of her coat around her neck, and quickening her pace. She crossed the street, avoiding eye contact with every single person she passed, actually feeling a little twinge of fear coursing through her. Her heart quickened considerably as she approached the alleyway she had accidentally wandered down last night, and crossed back over to the other side of the street, pausing for a moment outside the dimly lit liquor store and staring down the dark side street, swallowing hard.

Had she really imagined everything last night? Was Casey the only person who came to her rescue?

A quick movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention to the rooftops above the alleyway, and Autumn squinted in the harsh air, trying to make out who, or what, was up there. As her eyes focused, she could make out four large silhouettes, two standing, and two crouching, watching her.

Her heart thumped against her chest. I knew it!

The shadows were still, and silent, and even though Autumn couldn't make out their faces, she could feel their eyes on her.

They didn't want to be seen for a reason, so she thought it best not to shout her thanks up to them. Instead, she raised a hand and gave them all a small wave. It wasn't much, but she hoped it translated to 'hey, thanks for saving my ass last night dudes, much appreciated' or something like that.

One of the shadows raised his arm in response, before flinching as one of the others punched him on the arm. The first shadow rubbed his arm as Autumn giggled slightly, taking her eyes off the rooftops for one second. When she glanced back up, the other three shadows had disappeared leaving the waving shadow alone. He gave her a proper wave this time, and she smiled up at him, before he also disappeared into the night.

Autumn chuckled to herself, before carrying on her way to the store.

~~somewhere in Brooklyn, heading towards Manhattan~~

"Dudes! Did you see that?! She totally waved at me, man!"

"Yeah and you almost blew our cover, shell for brains! What happened to just checking in on her, like April said?!"

"Raph, keep it down! You know Master Splinter said we weren't to come topside! We don't need to be caught!"

"Oh, forgive me, fearless leader, but I ain't the one who got us seen by a human!"

"Her reaction wasn't what I expected…"

"That's cos she couldn't see us, Donnie! Man, from up here we probably just look like bodybuilders or somethin'!"

"But did you see her?! She's a complete babe, and she totally likes me!"

"Mikey, just shut up! We gotta get back down to the lair before Splinter knows we're gone!"

"Alright, alright, Leo, chill, man," the voices ceased as the four shadows leapt and landed silently on the ground. A quiet rumble could be heard, indicating something was being moved on the ground. "But when we get back, I'm ordering celebratory 'April's hot cousin it totally into me' pizza!"

"MIKEY!"