Chapter 2: The Perfect Plot
A/N: So here's the second chapter in this little tale. I want to thank everyone for taking the time to read and review as it means so much to me that you're enjoying this story. You will see a little bit of Leo's story here, so I hope you enjoy that as well as the rest of the chapter.
Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and Madison.
Leo was excited about the process of writing a fan fiction for Space Heroes, but he not only needed the perfect character but the perfect plot as well. He had already decided that he was going to create an original character who was half alien and half human named Athena O'Malley. She was going to have the power to sense things just like April had been able to and she was going to develop a relationship with Captain Ryan. So now that he had that out of the way, he had to figure out how to do it.
"Focus, Leonardo," Splinter chastised.
Leo came back to himself with a start and remembered that he was in practice with his brothers. He shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts. He couldn't afford to lapse in practice. "Sorry, Sensei," he apologized.
"Somethin' on your mind, Leo?" Raph asked him.
"No," Leo answered.
"He's daydreaming about Madison, aren't you, bro?" Mikey guessed.
"No, I'm not," Leo replied. "My mind was just wandering a bit. It won't happen again."
"Dude, it's okay if you're dreaming about Madison," assured Mikey. "It's a natural process. I sometimes dream about that British WWE Diva Paige. She is so hot."
"My sons, a little less talking and a little more focusing on your katas," reprimanded Splinter.
The Turtles lapsed into silence and did as their father said. Leo noticed that Donnie hadn't said a word throughout this exchange, and it was beginning to worry him. Ever since April had vanished, Don continued to stay in his lab and search for ways to find her even though everyone else except for Mikey had given up hope that she'd ever come home again.
When practice was over, Splinter asked to speak to Leo alone. Leo followed his father into his chambers and knelt on the floor.
"I noticed that you seemed distracted today, my son," Splinter said. "Is there something on your mind?"
Leo hesitated. Should he tell his father about writing Space Heroes fan fiction and how he was concerned with creating a good story? No, that would be a bad idea because then Splinter would scold him for having such frivolous thoughts during practice. But what else could he say to him?
"Leonardo, I am waiting," said Splinter sternly.
Leo sighed. "It's about Donnie, Sensei," he answered. "He stays in the lab all of the time, and it worries me. He's so focused on finding April, and he can't face the reality that she's not coming back."
"Do you really believe that?" Splinter asked him.
"Well, she's been gone for a few months now," he replied. "If she was going to come back, don't you think she would have?"
"Yes, but it may not be as easy as that," answered Splinter.
"But we've looked all over the city for her," protested Leo. "We haven't come up with any leads and neither have the police. I just don't think she's coming back."
"Perhaps not, but Donatello has the right to keep on looking," Splinter told him. "He and Michelangelo are the only ones who are still hopeful about April returning to us, and even if you may not agree with them, they still have the right to hold out hope."
"Do you still think she'll come back?"
"I do not know, but I do know that one should never give up hope no matter what. Is there anything else you wanted to speak to me about?"
"No, Sensei, that's it," answered Leo.
"Then you are dismissed. Remember what I said, my son."
"I will." Leo bowed to his father and made his retreat to his own room. He pulled out his notebook and his pencil and looked over what he had written so far.
Love Finds A Way
Chapter 1: Welcome to the Dauntless
Athena O'Malley was excited as she made her way over to the Dauntless. She had been transferred there from another ship called the Amity, and she was very lucky that she'd been given this opportunity even if it had come at a price. Athena shook her head because she didn't want to think about that now. She waited until the doors opened and then gasped as she stood in front of none other than Captain Ryan himself. He was definitely a very handsome captain, and she remembered a lot of her fellow female crew members speaking about him and how they thought he was amazingly cute. She snapped out of her thoughts when Captain Ryan spoke to her.
"You must be the new crew member," he said.
"Yes, I'm Athena O'Malley," she replied. "It's nice to meet you, Captain Ryan."
"Likewise," he said. "I think you'll make a good addition to our crew."
Athena's heart fluttered at his words. "Thank you," she said.
Then Captain Ryan led her into the ship and explained what her duties were going to be. She would serve under Commander Crankshaw which meant she would be near Captain Ryan at all times. This made her nervous but also happy. She sat down next to Crankshaw, who seemed a bit nervous.
Captain Ryan then made his way to his position, and the Dauntless took off. Athena was excited that this would be her first journey on the Dauntless.
Hmm, that looked pretty good. Now he had to think of a scenario in which Athena and Captain Ryan could be alone for the first time. Then his eyes lit up as he thought of an idea.
When the Dauntless stopped at a port, it was time for lunch. Athena had to admit that her first day was pretty boring, but she hoped things would get better as the day went on. She followed the other crew members to the cafeteria for lunch. The food looked delicious and just as Athena was loading her plate and getting her utensils, she bumped into someone. She turned and saw it was Captain Ryan himself.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized.
Captain Ryan smiled at her in his charming way. "That's quite all right," he said. "How are you enjoying your first day, Private O'Malley?"
Athena wanted to say it was boring, but she was afraid that the captain would be angry with her if she did. "It's great so far," she lied. "I never knew there was so much going on at once."
"Yes, being a captain of a ship is hard," he answered. "There's so much to do, but it's rewarding at the end of the day."
Athena hadn't been talking about that, but she didn't mind because she loved hearing the sound of his voice. She closed her eyes, letting the sound wash over her.
"What are you thinking about?" Captain Ryan asked her.
"Oh, nothing," she lied. "I was just spacing out for a bit." There was no way she was going to tell him what she was really thinking.
"Well, you'd better eat quickly so we can get going," Captain Ryan told her.
"Yes, Captain," she said. She wished he would sit with her, but she knew if she said anything, he probably would get angry. Instead, she left and went to her own table. But as she left, she didn't know that Captain Ryan had been staring at her backside and that he, too, was thinking unsavory thoughts about her beauty.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, and when it was time for bed, Athena couldn't help but wonder if maybe this was the right job for her. She settled into bed, and just as she was going to drift off to sleep, she heard a knock on her door.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"It's Captain Ryan," the voice outside said. "May I come in?"
Athena was shocked, but it would be rude if she refused, right? "Um, yeah, you can come in," she replied.
Captain Ryan entered the room, dressed only in boxers. Athena couldn't stop staring at his perfectly formed abs. He was definitely someone who worked out a lot.
Captain Ryan noticed where she was staring. "You like what you see?" he asked.
Athena nodded. "Why are you here, Captain?"
"I wanted to make sure you were comfortable," he replied.
"Do you do that to all of your new crew members, or am I just special?"
"You're just a special case," he said. "I must confess that I can't stop thinking about you, Athena. You are truly a beautiful woman, and I am honored to have you on my crew."
"And I'm honored to be in your presence as well, Captain Ryan," Athena responded.
"I figured as much," Captain Ryan said. "Women can't resist my good looks, but that's what I love about them." He moved over to the bed and sat down beside her.
"Have you had a lot of women in your crew?" Athena asked him.
"No, but I have met many women during my travels, and they have all loved me. Sadly, none of them stuck around and have broken my heart."
"And yet you never seem to give up on finding the right one," Athena noted softly.
"No, I haven't," Captain Ryan replied. "I know she's out there somewhere. I just haven't found her yet."
Athena wanted to respond, but before she could, Captain Ryan leaned over and kissed her. She wanted to pull back, but instead, she melted into the kiss, enjoying the taste of his lips on hers. The kiss didn't last long, but it was still heavenly to her.
Captain Ryan smiled at her. "Have a good night," he said. Then he got off the bed and left her room.
Athena was reeling. Had that just happened? Wasn't a romance between crew members strictly forbidden? That was the thing that had gotten her transferred here to the Dauntless in the first place, though she hadn't been involved with the captain of her ship. But she had to admit that the kiss had been great. With a smile, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep with the taste of Captain Ryan still on her lips.
Leo sighed in satisfaction. Yep, that was a good way to end the first chapter. Madison had shown him how to type the story out on a document, so he set about doing that first. He managed to get it finished before it was time for patrol. He saved the document and closed his computer, making sure to stash his notebook away so his brothers wouldn't find it. He'd ask Madison about how to post it tomorrow.
He set about finding his brothers for patrol. Mikey was watching TV, Raph was in the dojo, and Donnie was in his lab. Don didn't want to leave, but Leo made him anyway. He knew this whole thing with April was unhealthy, but he remembered what Splinter had told him. Yes, there was always hope, but sometimes it was harder to hold out hope when the person you wanted to come back was still missing.
Shaking off these thoughts, Leo led his brothers into the city so they could finish their patrol. He wasn't going to worry about anything. He would just focus on what they had to do and worry about everything else later.
Once their patrol was over, Leo reported to Splinter and then went to his room to sleep. He couldn't wait to post his first ever fan fiction tomorrow and hoped that everyone would like it and think he was a good writer. With a sigh, Leo settled down to sleep and dreamed about the reaction his story would have.
A/N: I'm ending the chapter there because I think that's a good note to end it on. So next, Leo will post his story. Will it get good reviews or bad reviews? Stay tuned for the next chapter and in the meantime feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.