A/N: Hey guys. I finished this chapter faster than I thought I would, and as promised I'm going to post it now that I have it done, rather than making you wait until next weekend. My life is going to be rather hectic for the next five weeks, but I promise I'll update as often as I can. And thanks to those who've taken the time to review - I really appreciate it guys. Enjoy the next chapter.

Chapter 2

"Donny, has Raph come back yet?" Michelangelo popped his head around the corner of Donatello's lab, his bright smile accompanying his question.

Donatello looked up from the encyclopedia sized book he'd been studying. "I haven't seen him."

"Man, Leo's about ready to flip his lid," Michelangelo said, chuckling a little.

Donatello glanced at the small clock he had on his lab table. "It's only a little after eleven, that isn't late for Raph."

Michelangelo laughed again, more quietly this time. "If Raph was smart he'd stay out all night, it'll give Leo time to cool off."

"It might take Leo longer than that considering what Raph said to him, Mikey," Donatello said pointedly, he returned his eyes to his book.

"Donatello!"

Donatello flinched at the use of his whole name. His brother's voice was sharp, hard, it was the tone he usually reserved when he was in "leader" mode. Donatello looked up from his book again, marking his place on the page with his finger just as Leonardo appeared in the doorway next to Michelangelo.

"Yeah, Leo?"

"Has Raphael come back yet?" Leonardo demanded, his eyes hard behind his blue mask.

Donatello sighed. "I just told Mikey that I haven't seen him yet, Leo. It really isn't unlike Raph to be out this late. "

"Yeah, well being Raph he's probably got himself into some kind of trouble," Leonardo snapped, turning to look over his shoulder to the front door, as if willing Raphael to come through it.

"We've got those panic buttons on the shell cells if he needs us, Leo," Donatello said calmly, although he was getting tired of his brothers hanging around just outside his lab. He found these interruptions very distracting and he was anxious to get back to his book.

"Well if you see him… " Leonardo said his eyes narrowing marginally.

"I'll let you know," Donatello promised.

Leonardo nodded once then turned and stormed away. Michelangelo stared after him, his eyes wide and his jaw slack. He turned back to look at Donatello.

"Man I haven't seen Leo this mad in a long time," Michelangelo breathed. "I'd sure hate to be in Raph's shell."

Donatello frowned as he reread the sentence he'd been trying to process for the last few minutes. He still hadn't taken any of it in.

"Donny, you don't think Raph got into trouble do you?" Michelangelo asked, suddenly serious and worried.

Donatello slapped his hand down on his page and glared up at his sibling. "No, Mikey, I don't. If Raph ran into trouble he can hit the panic button on the shell cell – that's what it's there for. Now if you don't mind…" He gestured towards his book. "I'd really like to get back to this."

"Oh, sure, Donny," Michelangelo said quickly. "I've got some new levels to beat anyway."

Donatello waved his brother off and let his eyes return to the page he'd been so engrossed in before his brothers had interrupted. He didn't notice when the sounds of the TV died down, or when the lair became quiet enough to indicate that his brothers had gone to bed. But he was faintly aware of hearing the front door opening, announcing Raphael's arrival at last.

Donatello looked up from the book and glanced at his small clock, startled when he noticed the time. He quickly thumbed the pages left in his book and decided he could finish it the next day. His eyes were starting to protest and his back ached from sitting still for so long. He stood up and stretched, feeling that this was a good as time as any to get some sleep.

Flipping off the lights he walked out of the lab. "Bout time you got home, Raph." Donatello said dryly as he turned to close his lab door. "Leo's gonna have your shell for being out so late."

"Donny," Raphael sounded slightly out of breath. Donatello turned, concerned his brother had been injured and felt his eyes pop and his jaw drop in surprise when he saw what was cradled in his brother's arms.

"Raph, what are you… ? Who is that?" Donatello asked hurrying forward.

Raphael had paused just inside the door, Elizabeth cradled in his arms, her head resting against his shoulder, blood soaked through her cotton sweater, her skin very pale, her eyes closed.

"Dem guys dat have been doin' all dem rapes and murders tried ta get 'er. I stopped 'em, but she got shot. Didn't want me ta call an ambulance fer 'er – was pretty insistent 'bout it." Raphael explained as Donatello joined him.

Donatello frowned at the growing blood stain on the girl's cotton sweater, then examined her for more injuries.

"She should be in a hospital, Raph. She's lost a lot of blood – she needs a transfusion." Donatello said, scowling a little.

"I know dat, Donny. But she wouldn't go – she kept sayin' dat someone would kill 'er," Raphael said frowning down at the unconscious girl in his arms.

Donatello's head snapped up. "She said someone was going to kill her?"

Raphael shrugged. "Dat's what she kept sayin'. Wasn't makin' a lotta sense. Dink she was in shock."

"Well it's too late now," Donatello sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Take her to the infirmary I'll do what I can for her."

"Thanks, Donny," Raphael said hurrying around his brother. He stopped after a few feet and looked over his shoulder to look at his brother. "Just a – don't tell Leo yet ok, Don? Let me explain it to 'im myself."

Donatello nodded. "Probably would be better if you did, Raph."

Raphael gave a slight nod and carried the girl into the infirmary. Donatello sighed, thought longingly about a good strong cup of coffee and then followed.

Raphael waited outside the infirmary while Donatello worked. He paced restlessly, not at all sure why he was so anxious for Donatello's verdict, or why he had even brought the girl down here in the first place. Why hadn't he just called the ambulance and waited in the shadows until he was sure that the girl was in safe hands? Even if she had protested him getting her medical help, that wouldn't have normally stopped him. So why had it this time?

He was almost positive that she hadn't seen him, so he was sure that waking up in a strange place surrounded by mutated turtles and a rat would not bode well. He had learned from April's reaction upon seeing them for the first time that not all humans handled what they were very well at first. Of course Casey had been different, and so had many others, but there were still those who wouldn't react to what they were as well as others had.

It was almost an hour after Donatello had gone to work on her that his brother called Raphael in.

"How is she, Donny?" Raphael asked anxiously.

The pale girl's cotton sweater and the shirt underneath it had been removed. She was lying on the cot, the sheet pulled up over her chest to give her some semblance of decency. The wound just under her shoulder had been dressed and her arm now rested in a sling. She had a little more color in her cheeks, but was still very pale. Her eyes moved restlessly underneath her closed lids.

"She's stable for now," Donatello said, sounding very tired.

Raphael looked at him and wasn't at all surprised to see the exhausted slump in Donatello's shoulders, or the way his blinks seemed to last longer than normal. But still there was something about Donatello's expression that made Raphael curious.

"Is somethin' wrong, Donny?"

"Raph – when those guys grabbed her. Did they… well was it hard enough to bruise her up?" Donatello asked, turning away from the girl and staring at his brother seriously.

"I… I don't know, Donny. Probably. Dey didn't want 'er gettin' loose, and dey weren't gonna let 'er live so I doubt dey would care if dey roughed 'er up a bit." Raphael said with a shrug.

"Hmm… you're probably right," Donatello said, his frown deepening. "But that wouldn't explain these."

Very carefully Donatello extracted one of the girl's arms from underneath the sheet to show the exposed skin to his brother.

Raphael's eyes widened in surprise at the extent of the bruising. "But dose look like dey are days old, Donny."

"Exactly," Donatello said, tucking the arm underneath the blanket again. "And from the pattern I'd say that they were probably caused by someone grabbing onto her."

"Ya dink dis has happened ta 'er before?" Raphael asked, a growl building in his throat.

"No, Raph – I think it could be more serious than that. If I'm right it would explain why she was so adamant about not going to the hospital," Donatello said carefully.

Raphael scowled at him.

"Raph," Donatello said slowly. "I think this girl is in a physically abusive relationship. I've seen more bruising along her abdomen and back. Some of them are fairly large. She has a lot of scars too. Too many for them to be normal." He then gestured to her left hand. "My guess would be her husband is either involved or doesn't do anything to protect her from whomever is beating her up."

"But why wouldn't she go ta da hospital den? Couldn't dey help 'er?"

"Maybe, but more likely than not they'd call the police. If this girl is in an abusive relationship she can have whoever is abusing her arrested, Raph. But if he is powerful or has enough money he can bail himself out. Then what's to stop him from coming after her? The best she could do is get a restraining order but he could easily violate that. Even if she were able to get to a phone to call the cops they might not get there in time and she probably knows that. On the other hand if she went to the hospital and they called her husband and he found out that she was somewhere she wasn't supposed to be she might be worse off for it – if he is the one that is doing this to her. She is trying to keep under the radar, from both the police and whoever is beating her up. That's why she insisted that she not be taken to a hospital."

"So what are we gonna do, Donny? Ya know Leo's not gonna be happy I brought 'er down here." Raphael said flatly.

"No – he probably won't, Raph," Donatello agreed. "But we can deal with that tomorrow. For now I've done all I can. We'll see what happens tomorrow."

"I'll stay with 'er – ya need ta go get some sleep, Donny," Raphael said looking over at the girl again.

"Might not be a bad idea if you stay with her," Donatello said easily, yawning a little. "You were the one who rescued her after all. She'd be more comfortable waking up to you than to anyone else. Just… " He hesitated a moment, staring hard at his older brother. "Just don't push her for answers yet, Raph. Victims of domestic violence rarely ever admit to it and pushing her isn't going to do us any good. If she's going to tell us she'll have to do it on her time."

"Whatever," Raphael grumbled. "Go get some sleep, Donny."

"Night, Raph," Donatello said brushing past him and out of the infirmary.

Raphael grunted in response and sat down in the chair the brothers always used when one of them was keeping vigil over an injured or sick brother. The girl shifted and moaned a little in her sleep. Raphael leaned back in the chair, his arms crossed over his chest. It was going to be a long night.

When Elizabeth woke it was dark. She blinked her eyes and stared at the inky blackness above her, a bit surprised. She wasn't quite sure where she was, the last thing she remembered was being at the park. She shuddered, remembering the way those two men had grabbed her, kept her still, the way the one holding her from behind had stroked her stomach as he reached for her jeans.

She had been sure that she had seen her last sunset – she had watched the news, had known who those two men were. So how had she escaped? And then she remembered, someone had intervened, had stopped them from hurting her. She hadn't seen his face, his movements had been far too fast for her to see him properly and he had dragged her attackers off into the shadows. Elizabeth figured he'd done that so he wouldn't scare her, but she hadn't been scared. She had felt hope for the first time in a very long time. The fact that someone in the "big apple" didn't always look the other way had given her the strength she needed to keep calm, even when one of her attackers had drawn his gun.

He'd fired two shots, the first one had gone wide, hitting a nearby tree but the second – she'd felt the second enter her body just below her shoulder. It had been excruciating, but she had bit back her cry. She'd learned long ago that those who liked to hurt others always seemed to gain power when you cried out – it made them do it more and more. So she bit her lip and crushed her nails into her palms to stop from crying out. The bullet went right through, she felt it exit through the skin and had felt the warm sticky sensation of blood soaking her clothes. She'd heard scuffling and then the park had been quiet.

She had wondered briefly if her rescuer had simply faded off into the night, just as he had come. But then his voice, a bit gruff but softened with concern for her well being had come from the shadows. He'd said something about the authorities – and an ambulance. Elizabeth's memory was a little foggy from there, she knew she had been losing blood and a lot of it. Too much of it. The only thing she could think of was going to the hospital meant doctors, concerned doctors who would call her husband and when Graham found out where she'd been, she'd have been better off if those two murderers had finished her. Graham would finish what they hadn't. He'd kill her.

In desperation she had leapt at her rescuer, begged him not to call an ambulance. She tried to show him, tried to make him understand why he couldn't call the police – couldn't let them take her to a hospital. She'd tugged at the cotton sweater's sleeve but her fingers had gone numb and she couldn't get a good grip on the stupid material.

Now she was cloaked in darkness. Where was she? She was sure this wasn't a hospital, it didn't smell like a hospital. It didn't have the usual busy sounds that accompanied a hospital – even during the night shifts. No this place was like none other she'd ever been to before.

She could tell that someone had dressed her wound. Her shoulder was stiff and the bandages that had been used to cover the wound rubbed roughly against her skin. Though it was hard to move that arm at all as it was in a sling. The pain was tolerable. She'd had much worse from some of the blows Graham had delivered. She ignored the sting in her shoulder as she blinked her eyes, trying to adjust to the blackness. But it was like trying to see through closed eyelids, it was complete blackness. She couldn't see anything.

"How ya feelin'?"

The voice was so unexpected that Elizabeth jumped, then winced as the movement pulled at her shoulder. She hissed a little then bit off the noise quickly.

"Ya ok? Ya need somethin' fer da pain?" The voice moved a bit closer, as if the person was sitting close to her bed and had leaned forward in concern. Elizabeth's eyebrows rose a bit, surprised. How could he see her when she couldn't see anything?

"You… you're the one who rescued me in the park," Elizabeth whispered, her voice rough. She tried clearing her throat quietly but it made her cough.

Suddenly a cup was pressed to her hand, she jumped, startled again. She hadn't even heard him move.

"Drink dis, ya lost a lotta blood," The slightly gruff but familiar voice said gently.

Elizabeth accepted the cup and tried to sit up, but found it too hard to move. She grimaced and felt the liquid splash over the mouth of the cup onto her hand.

And then suddenly she felt a hand on hers, steadying it. Her first instinct was to jerk away, she'd learned long ago to hate being touched. But when the hand tightened ever so slightly she realized that he wasn't going to let her shrug him off. Another hand at her neck help her sit up just a little bit, she winced as the pressure on her shoulder increased, but now she could get the cup to her lips. She drank greedily, surprised by her thirst.

In no time at all the cup was drained at her rescuer helped her lay back down on the bed she was resting on.

Her rescuer sat back down in the chair close to her bed, she could hear it squeak a little as he leaned back.

"Gatorade?" Elizabeth enquired softly.

"It'll help ta bring yer blood count back up."

Elizabeth was silent for a moment. She was afraid to ask too many questions. Questions always caused trouble. Graham didn't like her asking questions. But still, she wasn't in a hospital – and this didn't seem like a typical home. The smell here was rather musty… she couldn't quite place it. Questions raced through her mind, but she curbed them. She didn't want to be too inquisitive. A nuisance to her rescuer. After a few minutes of silence however one question had to be asked.

"How long have I been out?" Elizabeth asked almost dreading the answer. She had a feeling that she had been unconscious for a while – and if she had Graham would be out looking for her. She shuddered, thinking about what he would do to her when he found her again.

"A couple hours," came the gruff reply.

Elizabeth was quiet again, thinking about that. She'd been at the park later than she would normally have been. Graham had been working a late night and she had taken advantage of it. If she had been unconscious for a couple hours he would surely have been home and looking for her by now.

"What were ya doin' in da park so late by yerself?" The gruff voice suddenly asked, making Elizabeth start in surprise.

"I like going to the park – it's peaceful there," Elizabeth said.

"Didn't look dat peaceful ta me," The gruff voice objected.

Elizabeth grimaced. He was right of course, tonight had been a bad night to be alone in the park. If he hadn't come along when he had – Elizabeth had no doubt that she would have made the morning news. And not in a good way.

"Thank you… thank you for rescuing me," Elizabeth said quietly.

Her rescuer huffed in response.

"I don't even know your name."

"I didn't offer it," The gruff voice said a bit harshly.

Elizabeth flinched. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to…" She trailed off. Talking too much caused trouble, Graham didn't like it when she talked to much. She bit her lip and blinked into the darkness. She could hear her rescuer's soft breathing close by. She found it soothing in some odd comforting way. She began to pace her breathing with his.

"Raphael."

"What?" Elizabeth asked surprised.

"Dat's my name – Raphael," The rough voice answered again.

"Raphael," Elizabeth tried it out and found she rather liked his name. It suited her gruff voiced rescuer.

Raphael grunted in the darkness.

"Well thank you, Raphael for saving me. Most people would have looked the other way," Elizabeth said with a smile, for some reason she was sure Raphael could see it.

"I'm not most people," Raphael said bluntly.

"Obviously," Elizabeth muttered.

Raphael was quiet again and Elizabeth lapsed into silence as well. It seemed that whoever this Raphael guy was he wasn't a big talker. At least not with her. But she found his presence comforting. Raphael gave off an aurora of one not to be tangled with, he was strong enough to defend himself and obviously strong willed, but there was something soothing about him being there with her too. She couldn't place what it was, but she almost felt… safe.

Still she wasn't going to trust that feeling. She had felt the same way with Graham before they had gotten married. He had made her feel safe too and then he'd shown his true colors. Now she was trapped and she had no doubt in her mind if she tried to leave again he would kill her just like he'd promised.

"Do ya need us ta call someone fer ya?" Raphael suddenly asked, interrupting Elizabeth's thoughts.

"What?" Elizabeth asked, startled.

"Yer wearin' a ring. Do we need ta call yer husband? Help ya get home?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened in horror. "No, please," Elizabeth begged, trying to sit up again, but suddenly Raphael's hand was on her good shoulder pinning her down to the bed. "Don't call anyone. Please – don't… he'll be so angry with me. He swore he'd kill me!" Tears stung her eyes and leaked slowly down her cheeks.

"Calm down, lady – just take it easy."

"Elizabeth."

"Huh?"

"My name – it's Elizabeth."

"Ok, 'Lizbeth – just take it easy." Raphael deliberately softened his voice to help calm her. Elizabeth relaxed under his hand.

"Just don't call him – please." Elizabeth begged again.

"Ya don't want yer husband ta know yer ok?" Raphael asked.

Elizabeth bit her lip but didn't answer. She was grateful to Raphael for saving her but she wasn't sure if she really wanted to tell him why she didn't want him to call her husband. If he found out that Graham was beating her he'd surely call the authorities. When the authorities saw the evidence of Graham's abuse for themselves they'd arrest him. But he'd bail himself out – Elizabeth was sure of that and when he did he'd be after her. No matter where Elizabeth ran he'd find her. Graham had a lot of friends in very high places, sooner or later he'd find her and when he did he'd kill her.

Elizabeth shifted uneasily against the cool sheets, and then her eyes widened as she took notice of the fact that her shirt was missing for the first time.

"Did you take off my clothes?" Elizabeth demanded, changing the subject.

"No," Raphael said his voice even.

"Then what happened to my…?"

"My brother had ta take dem off in order ta get ta yer wounds," Raphael explained.

Elizabeth felt blood rush to her face. She was embarrassed and horrified. Not only by the fact that her shirts were gone but that some stranger, not even her rescuer that she barely knew, had been the one to take them off.

Elizabeth clutched at the sheet that was covering her with her hand that wasn't in the sling.

"Ya said ya didn't wanna be taken ta da hospital," Raphael explained lightly. "I couldn't leave ya out der bleedin' ta death."

"No – I suppose you're right," Elizabeth said quietly, still feeling very embarrassed.

"Donny knows what he's doin' – he's really good at dat kinda stuff."

Elizabeth frowned. Raphael sounded a bit amused, as if he had expected this kind of reaction from her. She frowned, scowling into the darkness.

"I'll have Donny take a look at ya when he wakes up. Den I can help ya get home if ya want."

"No!" Elizabeth all but yelled. She flushed again and tightened her arm around her chest. "No – please, I don't feel up to going home just yet."

"Ya don't dink yer husband will be lookin' fer ya?" Raphael pressed.

"I suppose he might be," Elizabeth said lightly. "But he's a very busy man. He doesn't have much time for me – he's always at work."

That wasn't a lie. Graham did work an awful lot, he was always gone for long hours, though Elizabeth knew he wasn't always working at the office while he was gone. No, he was often getting drunk at bars, hitting on young pretty girls – taking them to expensive hotel rooms and then coming home later smelling of booze and cheap perfume. Elizabeth had pretended to be asleep at first but then realized that it hadn't done her any good. Graham would only roughly shake her, forcing her to come out of her feigned sleep and then press her to fill his sexual desires.

"Hmm," Raphael breathed, almost to himself. Elizabeth was sure he didn't believe her but she was relieved he didn't press her for more details.

"Raphael?" Elizabeth asked cautiously.

"What?"

"What happened to those two guys? The ones at the park?"

"Called da police – dey took one of 'em inta custody. Da other one got loose – dey're still lookin' fer him."

"When you were fighting them – in the park I mean. You didn't want me to see you did you?"

"Why do ya say dat?" Raphael's tone was sharp, defensive.

Elizabeth swallowed hard, realizing that this was something Raphael had hoped she wouldn't bring up.

"Well, you got those guys away from me, but you kept to the shadows. I never even saw your face." Elizabeth explained.

Raphael didn't answer.

"You aren't the same as everyone else are you?" Elizabeth guessed. "That's why you didn't want me to see you – that's why it is so dark in here. You don't want me to see you."

"Seein' me won't do ya any favors, 'Lizbeth," Raphael growled.

"I'd like to see you, Raphael. I want to see who it was that rescued me."

Raphael was silent. Elizabeth waited but he was like a statute, he didn't move and he didn't answer her.

"Please?" Elizabeth begged.

"Guess it couldn't hurt – yer gonna have ta see me sometime," Raphael sighed. She heard his chair squeak a bit as he shifted. Then without warning a small lamp on the desk was flipped on and flooded the room with light.