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I held the dress Grandma had just sent me. There was nothing wrong with it, I suppose; lots of frills and pretty ribbons. My grip tightened on the fabric as my mouth formed into a thin solid line. It was nice of her to give it to me; it was nice……. I tossed it to the other side of the bathroom floor, staring down at it for a minute before gazing at my reflection in the mirror. I saw that I still wasn’t smiling. With an almost emotionless expression, I went to put pink dusting powder in my hair and lotion on my hands. I may not wear makeup as Grandma would have me, but I loved smelling good. It was the only beauty I trusted, my eyes returned to their reflection; that and my hair. Everything else…… my hand reached up to gently pass through one of my long red curls. Even my hair……. Physical beauty is such a gamble. “Darling? Darling, are you upstairs?” Daddy called out for me. I perked up as I heard him come up the stairs and into my bedroom. I gingerly threw my shower towel over my new dress and dashed out of the door before he could see. “Hi Daddy! You’re home early from work.” “I got off early today,” he greeted me with a smile. I came over to give him a hug and kiss on the cheek; that was our usual way of greeting each other. “I brought you something,” my beloved father then opened and reached into his briefcase. A grin rolled across my face as he pulled out what appeared to be a perfume bottle. “Here, it’s for you.” “Thank you,” I took the bottle to give it a quick sniff; it smelt like flowers and citrus. “What is it?” “My company’s been working on some new scents for the spring. Do you like it?” “I do!” I didn’t hesitate to spray some onto myself. “Good because I crafted this special for you,” Daddy’s grin widened in delight. “Really?!” I blinked to him wide-eyed. “Uh huh. I’m calling it “Goddess”, after my goddess.” “Awe, Daddy! That is so sweet; I love it!” My arms wrapped tightly around his neck again. “Glad you like it, sweetheart. You can have as much as you want; it’ll always be free for you.” “Thanks; that’s very generous of you.” “Anything for my darling girl,” he tucked some stray hairs behind my ear. “Now! What’s for dinner? I’m starving!” His hands then rubbed excitedly together. “How does macaroni with leftover chicken sound? And a cupcake for dessert.” “Sounds great. You know how to treat a man.” Leonardo’s P.O.V.- I told patrol on the north side of the city tonight. Kraang and Foot Clan activity had been sparse lately, so Donnie had this “fantastic” idea to split up. Supposedly we’d find more stuff if we spread out. Joke’s on him; his brilliant plan hadn’t worked at all. We’d been going out on our own for over a week now and still nothing. The others were starting to complain about it too. Gees, I came to a halt when I landed on the top of another skyrise’s rooftop. Those guys complain when we’re together and apart; nothing is ever just right for them. What did they expect me to do? Psychically know where the Kraang or Shredder were? I’m the leader; not a magician. That said, maybe they had a point. Going out on our own wasn’t doing anything; we might as well stick together. It was more entertaining than spending all these hours alone. Well, I let out a huge sigh. There’s nothing out here. Might as well…… But before I could even finish my thought, just like some merciful magic, two Kraang droids appeared seemingly out of nowhere down on the sidewalk below me. They were the first I’d seen in a long time; needless to say, I was more than a little excited. I was about to jump on down for a much-needed fight until a surprizing voice caught me off guard. It wasn’t talking to me; it was meant for the Kraang, who immediately perked up turning to face the source. I watched wide-eyed to see this teenage girl exit out of one of the buildings. To my shock, she was actually smiling at the Kraang droids; not a sinister grin, just a pleasant smile. I was so dumbfounded that I found myself observing the interaction with my jaw hanging open. “Mr. Kran,” she said in her sweet, innocent, feminine voice. “Ah, it is the one known as Miss Lovely.” One droid said. “You are the one that is Mr. Lovely’s descendant,” the other noted. They know her? My eyebrow rose in confusion and suspicion. “Uh, yeah,” the girl rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. “Come to see Daddy?” “Affirmative. Is the one known as Mr. Lovely inside the lab?” “Yes, he’s inside. I just brought him some dinner.” Does she know she’s talking to a robot? She must; no humans talk or sound like that. But still, why was she talking to them in the first place? And more puzzlingly, why were they talking instead of shooting at her? What the heck was going on?! She simply kept smiling at them like she was trying hard to be polite, like a kid meeting their dad’s boss or something. “Are you going to the place that is known as home now, Miss Lovely?” “Yes, sir. I just came to see Daddy; sounds like he’ll be working late again tonight.” “You are a satisfactory offspring,” that was the closest thing I’d ever heard the Kraangs come to a compliment. “Uh t-thank you,” her hand shyly rubbed the back of her neck again. “Well, I should get home. Nice seeing you again, Mr. Kran,” I noticed her hold out her hand for the droid. They immediately stepped back, surprising me a little. Then they quickly scooted around her from a distance, going into the building without another word. She looked equally stunned but shook her head and begun strolling down the street. It took me a few seconds to comprehend what I had just witnessed. Those were definitely Kraang bots but……. who the heck was she?! By the looks of it, she had no idea who she was conversing with. Maybe she thought they were off but probably wouldn’t guess they were aliens from outer space. In fact, she looked downright innocent about the exchange. Oh great, a frown started to roll across my lips. What was I supposed to do with that information? Just tell the others “oh, I saw a young girl talk to the Kraang like two normal humans while out on patrol”? Huh, no; that didn’t seem like a good idea. But I did have to tell them that I knew were the Kraang were hiding out now……. but what about her?! Who was she?! And how did she meet the Kraang? My head was swimming with questions. The questions just kept coming as I gazed down to see her walk away. Now what? I contemplated keeping her in view. Should I follow her? No, that’s creepy. Still, she knows who the Kraang are, without really knowing them. What if she knows more? What if she knows something useful? Maybe…… maybe it wouldn’t be so wrong to trail her. No, wait; what the heck am I thinking? Of course I have follow her! Despite if she knows the Kraang are aliens or not, her behaviour is still suspicious. After a moment to recompose myself, I set off to shadow the mysterious girl; it was almost too easy to follow her unseen. I followed her all the way to an apartment building which she unlocked and entered without checking behind her. The longer I watched her, the stranger this feeling surged in my chest; it was like bubbles, warm bubbles. She was cute; beautiful even. I was able to really get a good look at her before she went inside. Long curly red hair and pale skin with deep red lips. And those eyes; those endless blue eyes. She wasn’t dressed like a normal teenage girl, wearing instead boy clothes. But that didn’t detract from her loveliness; if anything, it directed attention to her natural beauty, to which she had much. She was completely unaware of my presence, or at least I thought she was. I tried to figure out which apartment was hers once she had disappeared inside. But I didn’t have to guess for long. I blinked alarmed at the sudden window opening near my eyelevel. The window opened and a fresh, sweet scent perfumed the air. Her head popped out and before I realized what was happening, she spotted me. In one single moment, she caught me off guard and she stared at me like she didn’t know whether to believe her own eyes. She saw me! Panic began to coil around my heart. Oh crap! What am I going to do now?! She actually saw me! Before I could do anything, her rose red lips parted a little like she had to draw in a breath. From where I was standing, I could tell that she was breathing heavily. She had a conflicted expression; reluctantly curious and a little frightened. Her little hand rose to cover her mouth; I think to keep herself from screaming. And we merely stayed like that for a long minute, staring with large eyes silently at each other. I had no idea what to do; I honestly didn’t have a clue. And judging by her reaction, neither did she. Eventually, she lowered her hand to reveal the tiniest of smiles; it was slight, but I could see it. The mystery girl raised her other hand to give a shy wave, which I did not return. Then, with her smile slowly but surely growing, she reached up to close the window, followed by the blinds. I waited for a second before taking a much-needed deep breath. My feet had to guide me back to the lair because my head was still spinning. It didn’t feel real, what just happened. A human girl- a teenage human girl- saw me; she saw me and smiled. She smiled at me……… The same girl who encountered the Kraang and came out alive. Oh god, I had so many questions. I got back to the lair to find Raphael already back; he was lounging around inside with a comic book in his green hands. He didn’t even look at me when I came in. “Hey, bro.” “And what are you doing home? We’re supposed to be patrolling, Raph,” I asked, planting a hand on my hip. “Got bored; didn’t find anything.” “Uh huh,” my eyes rolled. I thought about telling him about my own experience but refrained; this didn’t feel like the right time. “Anyways, where’s Mikey and Donnie?” “How should I know? You’re our leader.” “Raph,” I sighed. “I think Donnie’s in his lab and Mikey, no clue.” “Thanks,” satisfied with this half-hearted answer, I went towards Donnie’s laboratory. Raph wasn’t going to be any help tonight but maybe Donnie……Darling’s P.O.V.- I think I’m going crazy. I thought I just saw a gigantic man-sized turtle outside; a turtle armed with swords. But that’s impossible; there’s no such thing as oversized turtles, especially ones that wield swords. Still, I peered out of my curtain to see nothing. He either left or my mind really is playing tricks on me. Or maybe I accidentally ingested something; perhaps a hallucinogenic. I sincerely doubted that I’d ever see the turtle again, I thought as I fell onto my bed over the soft pink covers. If he’s real, he’ll likely avoid me like the plague now, and if not real, it was probably a one-time episode. Still, I couldn’t get his shimmering blue eyes out of my mind. They looked so real, so…… alive. And they were fixed on me; they saw me, just like I saw him. If they were real, that is…...

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Donnie? Donnie, you in here?” I shouted as I came through the lab’s doorway. “Yes, and could you keep it down? I’m trying to work over here,” he shot me a look from where he was working at the steel table. On what, who knows. “Sorry,” I was mindful to shut the door behind me. This might get private. Just like Raph, he didn’t look up at me as I came over to sit beside him. “How was patrol?” I thought I’d start off nice and easy. “Nothing to report. You?” “Uh, well that’s what I’ve come to talk to you about. Can you grab your laptop for a sec?” “What for?” This made him finally glance up my way puzzled. “Just do it.” With an irritated sigh, he did as he was told, putting away whatever it was he was working on and plunking his computer down in front of us. He opened it and looked at me. “Now what?” “I need you to find info on this lab I saw some Kraang hanging around tonight.” “You saw the Kraang?! Where are they?” “Um, I don’t have the exact address per se,” I admitted, much to Donnie’s annoyance. “Seriously, Leo?” “Hey! I know the area; I’ll know the building when I see it. It’s Wimbledon.” “Nice bro,” with a roll of the eyes, my brother started typing away. A list of buildings in the area popped up and he clicked on images, moving it so I could fully see. “Which one was it?” “Hmmmm, that one,” my fat green finger pointed at a familiar building. Donnie clicked on it to reveal a website. “Looks like a commercial lab where they research products.” “What kind of products?” I asked. “Looks like makeup and perfumes; girly stuff.” “Oh,” that was both helpful and unhelpful at the same time. That explained her presence if it was that kind of lab; she was a young, pretty girl who likely liked that kind of thing. But why would the Kraang have anything to do with that? It didn’t make any sense. Donatello kept scrolling through the site looking for clues. “I don’t know what to look for,” he finally told me. “Do you have anything to search for, bro?” My thoughts immediately went back to you-know-who and her conversation with the Kraang bots. What name did they call her? Wait, didn’t she say that her father worked there? “Is there someone working at the lab named Lovely?” “Lovely?” Donnie raised an eyebrow at me unimpressed. “Just check; that’s the only thing I got.” “Fine,” he did more typing. I felt some satisfaction when his eyes lit up in surprise. “Hang on, one of the leading lab scientists is named Arthur Lovely. He’s from England with a PhD in chemistry. How did you…….?” “Long story. What does he do?” “Uh, it’s vague but I’d guess he constructs the products; aka, he mixes stuff.” Why would the Kraang be interested in that? He makes makeup; not mutagen. I was busying mulling this over to myself, only to have my train of thought broken by a loud gasp from Donnie. “What?!” I flinched startled. “Dude, check this out. It says that the company has just been bought out by TCRI.” “Really? What does that mean? Could the Kraang own the lab now?” “It’s possible. They could have bought out Dr. Lovely’s lab so they could force him to work with mutagen. But that’s a stretch; we have no proof that he even knows what it is.” I nodded thoughtfully. So Dr. Lovely is that girl’s father, and he may be working for the Kraang; maybe. That would explain how she knew them if she came to visit her dad at work. But that’s a shot in the dark; it could very well not be the case. If I tell the others about her now, they’ll probably want to find out more about her. We might get her involved in something which she has no business being involved in. I considered for a second, running my thumb back and forth under my bottom lip as I stared off into nowhere. Well, one’s thing for sure; I have to find her again, I decided determinedly. Donnie noticed how thoughtful I was being, but he didn’t address it. He merely watched me as I stood up and turned towards the lab door. “Thanks Donnie, that’s all I needed,” I started to leave the room. “You did good, Leo; it’s at least a lead, our first in weeks,” he shut the laptop. My foot froze when my younger brother stood up and looked straight at me. “So, when do you wanna go? Tomorrow night?” “Go?” A shiver slithered up my spine as I turned to peer at him over my shoulder. “To the lab. We’ve gotta check it out; it may be the Kraang’s new base.” “Uh, right. Um, I don’t think we should go just yet.” “Really?” Donnie sounded surprised. “Why not?” Oh crap; think Leo, think! “Erm…… I wanna do a little more recon on my own first; make sure it’s an actual lead. I don’t wanna bring anyone we shouldn’t into all this.” Boy, did Donnie look at me with mixed emotions. I held my breath and waited for him to sigh and nod his head. “Fine but be careful. This Dr. Lovely might be working for the Kraang. He may not be, but don’t let him see you just in case.” “You think I would?” I cracked a grin which he did not mirror. “You sure you don’t want any help?” “Don’t worry, bro; I got this,” I said reassuringly. I got this one.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I had just finished Daddy’s sandwich when my phone rang. It’s Grandma; shoot. “Hi Grandma.” “Darling! How are you? How’s New York? Did you get the dress I ordered for you yet?” Getting straight to the point, aren’t we? “Yes, Grandma.” “And? Did you try it on?” “Erm, yes.” Yes, I’m lying to my own grandmother; I’m a horrible person. “Wonderful! Do you like, dear?” “Yes, Grandma. But you really don’t need to send me clothes; I brought lots with me from home.” “You mean those ghastly boy rags you keep wearing? That may be suitable in America, but you won’t always be there. Better get used to female wear while you can.” “Uh, right Grandma. Thanks for the dress again.” I just wanted the conversation to be over; this was agony. “So what are you doing for the rest of the day, dear?” Guess it’s not ending anytime soon, my eyes rolled. “Well, I’m going to bring Daddy some dinner at the lab.” “You’re walking downtown by yourself?!” She sounded scandalized. “It’ll be fine, Grandma.” “This isn’t York we’re talking about, Darling. You’re in one of the biggest cities in the world; not to mention you’re in America. It’s just plain old not safe.” “I promise I’ll stay on the main streets and not speak to anyone.” “I’m appalled that your father would even bring you to such a country, let alone let you stroll around on your own there. You’ll be abducted or shot in the blink of an eye.” “Grandmother! Not everyone here is a bloodthirsty criminal. Besides, I’m a responsible young lady.” Who doesn’t wear dresses, which probably helps things in the end. But I could even tell from my end that Grandma was horrified and disgusted; I could feel her scowl from here. “You tell that father of yours that I want a word with him when he has a moment. If he knows what’s good for you, he’ll put you on the next plane home.” “It’s only until Daddy’s contract is up. We’ll be back in England in no time, Grandma.” “Don’t you give me that; I watch the news. I know what’s going on over there.” “I will be fine, Grandma,” I pressed; she really did worry too much. “I really have to go, Daddy will be waiting for me. I love you.” “Alright then. I love you too, dear. But you tell your father that……” “Uh, got to go; bye Granny!” I knew where this was going. I hung up as fast as I could and let out the biggest sigh. She thought Daddy was mad for bringing a young, sweet, English girl to America. They fought, leading to a compromise: they agreed that I would not attend any school, but rather have private tutors who did not own guns. I admit, I was terrified to go to public or even private school over here, so I happily accepted. Now my only source of human contact here was through Daddy’s work, which was fine by me. Daddy was busy in the lab when I brought him his sandwich. He waved through the glass window inside and I set his dinner in the kitchen. I then went to head straight for home; even Daddy knew that me wandering around after dark was dangerous. With my hood up, I tried to attract at least amount of attention as possible. Grandma was right; this wasn’t the UK, I knew that. Still, nothing bad had happened to me yet; I just had to stay smart and follow the rules. Then everything would be ok. That’s what I kept telling myself as I walked down the street quickly. Everything would be ok, so long as I took care of myself and stayed alert. Right? Leonardo’s P.O.V.- That girl from yesterday was easy enough to find. She was walking home from the lab; the same one the Kraang went into. They were nowhere in sight and she looked to be alone. I noticed her walking briskly, like she was trying to get away from something; or maybe she was just nervous. Either way, I followed her all the way back to the same apartment building where she lived, I guess. She went inside and within minutes, the same light from last night turned on and I saw her enter her room. My visual was fairly uneventful but necessary. I checked the lab earlier today and saw two Kraang bots enter it. I had to refrain myself from attacking and waited for one of them to exit. To my not-so-much surprise, it was the mystery girl who came out next. Visiting her father, I suppose. Keeping an eye on her was almost too easy; I had the perfect view of her from her bedroom window. It was a quieter, more well-off part of the city too, meaning that I could hide out without interruption. I just squatted on the rooftop opposite her building and passively watched. And as I observed the pretty girl, my mind began to wander; think things over. The Kraang must have something to do with the lab, meaning that Dr. Lovely would be involved with them directly or indirectly. He either is working for them knowingly or was tricked by them, somehow. Either case didn’t look good. And what about her? My eyes lowered onto her as she sprayed some stuff- I’m guessing it was perfume- onto herself. How does she fit into all this? She could just be the scientist’s ignorant daughter, or she might know a lot. It’s impossible to tell right now. But one thing’s for sure; I have to figure out what’s going on before I tell the others. I won’t let an innocent girl be dragged into this mess if it can be avoided. And knowing Donnie and Raph, they’d definitely want to “talk to” her if they found out. Talk, yeah right; more like interrogate. But still……My eyes sharpened onto her figure as my mouth opened a tad. This girl; this human girl…… she doesn’t seem to mind or care that I’m a giant mutant turtle armed with ninja weapons. If I’d have any luck with any human involved in the situation, it’d likely be her. Without realizing it, I’d already decided that the best course of action for me was to approach her somehow first. And that was all the more reason to keep the others out of it; they’d only complicate things. I mean just look at her. This girl wasn’t like April; one glance would tell you that she was sweet and gentle, soft……. She needed to be handled delicately; this particular mission needed a delicate approach. I then realized that for the mission to go forward, I’d somehow have to “delicately” reach out to her. How the heck do I do that? I mulled it over for a moment and decided that it should be as non-threatening as possible. Seeing me is one thing; communicating with me is quite another. Let’s see, delicate……. delicate. Huh, I blinked in realization. I don’t know how to be delicate, do I? No, I can do this! What do girls like? Uh, um……. My eyes scanned around for clues. She likes essential oils and body mists; what do those smell like? Maybe flowers?Hey, wait! Flowers! Girls like flowers! Feeling quite proud of myself for coming up with this, I began to search around for some flowers; they’re not threatening and “sweet”, I guess. Seeing some pink ones on a windowsill box, I hopped down to pick one. Then, with a deep breath in, I brought it over to her windowsill. Her window was closed but the curtain was open, so she’d see it right? Well, here’s hoping, I thought as I gently placed it down outside of her window. Then I hopped back into the shadows not too far from her apartment; close enough that she could see me if I stepped into the light. For a long moment, nothing happened, and I began to grow impatient. To speed things up, I tossed a small pebble at her window. Hey, it worked in the movies; why wouldn’t it work here? I was literally surprised when it did work. I watched, heart in throat, as the window proceeded to open and she glanced out curiously. It didn’t take her long to notice the flower sitting on her windowsill. Her expression went from surprised, to confused, to happy. A radiant smile bloomed across her face as she picked it up and lifted it to her nose for a smell. I watched…… and saw that she was cuter than I remembered; prettier……. The mystery girl looked back outside, obviously looking for the source of the flower. Her smile morphed into a sad sigh when she couldn’t see anyone. This made me unconsciously chuckle. Yep, she’s definitely cuter than I remembered. Lovely, just like her last name; it was perfect for her. She closed the window but didn’t leave, which I probably should have checked as I got ready to go. I looked away for just a second, stepping out from the darkness, only to glance back to see her staring at me. Oh holy crap! She saw me for a second time! I nearly fell off the roof’s ledge, flustered and embarrassed all at the same time. She didn’t look afraid or startled this time; she was just curiously observing me. My heart skipped a beat- several beats- when another one of her gorgeous smiles peered across her lips. Delicate…… That word just kept repeating over and over in my head as we continued to watch each other. Who knew I’d have a target that’s so……. sweet?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I took a bath after my math lesson. All in all, my tutor was pleasantly surprised with my progress and work ethic. But then, I was used to private English schools that grilled you from morning to night; so this was a piece of cake. He left and I took the opportunity to have a much-needed bath. I had a bath every day, only showering when absolutely necessary. Coming out of the tub, I rubbed lavender lotion all over myself before spraying that lovely Goddess body mist. Screw makeup; I’d much prefer to smell good and look natural. I looked in the mirror ready to brush my hair next when I found myself pausing for a minute. My breathing deepened and my hands felt to grab onto the edge of the sink’s counter. This happened every so often; it was hard to breathe or even think. Triggered…….. if anyone ever says that triggers don’t exist, then they are just plain lying or ignorant. From time to time, out of nowhere, a wave of utter pain flooded over me; opening the scars of my past. My eyes winced shut. Being tossed up against a brick wall. No, don’t. Bleeding from the inside of my mouth. Don’t think about it; don’t do this to yourself. “What pretty ringlets. You must be so proud.” Stop, stop it! The snapping of scissors. My eyes shot open and I gazed up at my reflection; I could see that I was sweaty and breathing heavily. My hand slowly reached up to touch one of my wet red long curls. No, no I’m not her anymore; I’m not that helpless little girl anymore. My hair’s not going anywhere now unless I want it to. No one will ever do that to me again; I won’t let it happen. I refuse. After that whole ordeal, I needed to do something nice to myself. I put some essential oil on me and went into my room. I was about to put on mindless cartoons, probably Shawn the Sheep, until my window caught my attention. Last night……. My eyes lowered onto it. That’s right, the turtle monster returned. I wonder if he’s the one who……. He could have left me the flower, but why? It didn’t make any sense to me. Still, it could have been him. At least I know now that it was not a psychotic episode; there really was a massive turtle who could stand wandering around New York. And I told no one. Maybe that’s because I was able to sympathize with him a bit. I know what pain, real pain and bullying feel like, and there’s no way I’d ever bring that onto him. I could be the only human who knows about his existence and that’s fine with me. If keeping my mouth shut will protect him, I’d take it to my grave. I sprayed some more Goddess onto me and went back over to check out of my window. No sign of Mr. Turtle, as he’s here been dubbed until further notice. It’d been three days since I saw him last; he just vanished into thin air it seemed. I sighed and rested my chin on my palm lazily. Maybe I’ll never see him again; that’s certainly a possibility. Or maybe he’s still hanging around and getting better at staying hidden. I understood that I had to be comfortable with both scenarios; I couldn’t change the situation anyway. I could go out and look for him, but that might make him unhappy or uncomfortable; despite how I felt with him being around. No, I knew the next move was his and I’d be ok with whatever it was, so long as I didn’t get hurt or violated. Still, my curiosity started to get the better of me and was harder to keep in check. “I wonder where he is right now. I hope he’s alright; can’t imagine it’d be easy being a human-sized turtle in a city like this,” I said to myself. I also wondered if he was the only one. Could there be other creatures like him? Maybe there’s more around which I’ll never see; or maybe I will. Who knows? Hopefully he’s not alone, whoever he is. Alone….. the idea made my stomach drop. I observed a lone leaf play in the wind outside my window in a sort of wistful sense. If he is alone, I wonder if there’s anything I could do? But that’s silly; why would he want anything to do with a mere human like me? Leonardo’s P.O.V.- I stared at a random pink flower from the corner of my eye. Had the color pink always been so…… vibrant? Perhaps it was and I just never noticed before; I never had a reason to pick a flower before. I unconsciously sighed as my gazed softened on the plant. Ok, so I’ve been intentionally avoiding mystery girl for days and the time had come for me to be honest with myself about it. I finally admitted to myself this morning in bed that I was afraid to see her again- her. That, and I was even more scared that someone might find out. Luckily for me, the Foot Clan started to act upon the opposite end of the city, giving us plenty of distraction. Still, my eyes returned to the little flower. For some reason, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. I wonder what she’s up to; where she is. Everything that was previously mundane and ignorable suddenly reminded me of her. Flowers, the color pink, the tender edges of clouds, the soft notes in music, the sweet scent of perfume; countless little things I never noticed before. I’d be busy with something, completing concentrating on the task at hand, and then without warning, there’d she be; popping up in my mind at the most inconvenient times. I had no control of it either, and the more I tried to push her out of my thoughts, the more she appeared. It didn’t help matters that she was very easy- almost pleasant- to picture. I could see her in my mind; pale skin and long curly red hair. She was super cute, after all; beautiful even………. “Ugh!” I sat up on the patch of grass I was laying on to give my head a good, firm shake. “This is stupid! Just stop thinking about her; it shouldn’t be this hard.” But it was too late, I slowly began to comprehend as I stayed there motionless for a second. No matter what I did or how hard I tried, I couldn’t forget her. And I didn’t want to; she was still useful. But I didn’t expect her to be on my mind so much and I doubt that was going to change any time soon. I sighed heavily and ran my hand over my head. “This is ridiculous; I gotta pull myself together and figure this out. Waiting isn’t going to do any good. The Kraang have contact with her which means that they could hurt her.” Meaning that the mystery girl might be in danger……. Without my brain’s permission, my feet took on a life of their own, hopping up off the ground. I wasn’t far from her apartment; sneaking out of the lair had been unexpectedly easy and I wasn’t about to complain. Going to the same spot I did nights before, I made sure to hide securely in the shadows this time. The window was open, but the lights were off; I guess she wasn’t home yet. Seeing this, I sat down and readied myself for a long wait until she was back, whenever that might be. It took some time, but I eventually spotted her coming up the street to the apartment complex. There she is! I was on my feet in seconds, mentally preparing myself for what was coming up next. She pulled out her key and was about to open the front door until it unexpectedly opened from the other side. She backed up startled as this older man in a lab coat stepped out and smiled at her. Wait, my vision narrowed onto him. Could he be Dr. Lovely; her father? My suspicions were confirmed as mystery girl wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. He held her back and patted her hair. “Off to work, Daddy?” Yep; doubly confirmed. That man was Dr. Lovely; the guy potentially working with the Kraang at the lab. He nodded, retracting his arms. “Yeah, got the night shift again.” “Oh, will you be home late?” “No, sweetheart; I’ll come back as soon as possible.” “Ok,” a grin passed over her red lips. “Will you be alright here on your own?” “Always am. Love you, Daddy.” “I love you too,” with one last kiss to the forehead, Dr. Lovely turned to leave. I was listening intently for him to say her name; just so I’d finally know. But no such luck as he started to walk away. “Oh, Darling!” I perked up at the sound of him calling for her from down the way. “I left you some more of that Goddess body mist in your bathroom.” “Oh, thank you! I love that stuff!” “I’ll see you tonight, pumpkin!” And then he turned a corner and was off. I watched Dr. Lovely until he was gone before turning back to still mystery girl. After all, that and I still didn’t know her name; go figure. But my eyes grew as she hesitated for a moment at the door. She stared at it then checked the time on her phone, seemingly thinking to herself. Checking to see if there was anyone around, I saw her give a soft shrug. She proceeded to put her key away and walk down the opposite side of the sidewalk. Despite the heavy traffic down below, she was easy enough to keep track of. After fifteen minutes or so, she arrived at what I suppose was her destination. It looked to be a bookstore. A bookstore? My eyebrow raised puzzled. Well, with a quick glance around I sat myself down on the roof of the building beside it. Might as well make myself comfortable; this might take a while.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

I wasn’t aware of the presence outside of the store; I was too busy examining the philosophy books. Daddy said I already had enough books, but true book collectors will always have more books than they can ever read. Besides, I left most of my books back home. I needed some new reading material and now was the perfect time to get it, with a whole quiet evening ahead of me. I bought a book on existentialism and exited the shop. It was a lot darker out now with that feeling like a thunderstorm was rolling in. Oh god, I hope not; I don’t do well in thunderstorms alone. It was dark but not super dark out yet. I still had some time before I had to be home. Daddy never gave me any rules because I gave them to myself. Number one on my list was to always, always be home before nightfall. This was still evening; enough light for me to go to a park before heading back. What I had not been expecting was the sudden intense downpour by the time I reached the park; this plan was not well thought out. I had just enough time to find shelter under a giant oak tree at the park. One look up at the sky showed that it would probably clear up soon and that it was best for me to stay put. “Well alright,” I sighed in defeat. From what I could tell, the park was empty so at least I didn’t have to worry about that. I simply continued to watch the rain droplets while standing at the edge of the tree’s shelter. When the rain started to lighten up, a small playful grin passed over my lips. This felt like England; the first time I’d felt that way since we moved here. It rained all the time back home and I loved it. I loved the rain. As someone who reads philosophy, I could analyze that I loved it because being rained on- feeling water pour onto your face- was one of those things that truly made you feel alive. We live for such a short amount of time; can only experience such things like rain for a while. As my playful smile grew, I threw down my backpack and stepped out into the shadow. With my long hair down all around me, my face tilted up towards the sky and I gently shut my eyes. Oh, the rain felt so good falling against my skin; so familiar…….. My smile just kept growing and growing. Yes, I’m alive; I can still experience such simple, wonderful things like rain droplets on my face. Nothing could take this moment away from me now; it was mine. All mine. And I was happy right then, that I was the kind of person who could get such profound joy from the simplest, free, most natural things in life. I think I was lucky in that regard. The rain stopped after a few minutes and I started to brush the excess water off me. I wasn’t cold per se but didn’t want to go back home soaking either. Heh, I bet Mr. Turtle loves this kind of weather; don’t all turtles love the rain? Mr. Turtle……. I blinked as I slowly straightened my stance. That’s right, I hadn’t seen him in days. I was beginning to doubt that I ever would again; I didn’t know how to feel about that. Going over to fetch my dry backpack, I turned in such a way that I bumped into something I previously hadn’t seen. It caught me so off guard that I stumbled backwards away from the tree, quickly losing my footing. I’m going to fall! I thought as I winced my eyes shut preparing for the impact. But before I could, something large shot out to grab hold of me; two large somethings actually. It all happened so fast that I barely had time to realize what was going on. All I knew that I wasn’t on the ground and something was holding onto both of my arms. When my eyes eventually did reopen, I looked forward to see the same turtle from the previous nights right in front of me; he was the one currently holding me up. I just stared in astonishment as I got a good look at him- if it was a him- for the first time. He was wearing a blue mask over his eyes; his sapphire blue eyes. His body was soft yet firm at the same time; his grip was very secure though his hands were smooth. He’s quite handsome, I noted as my cheeks began to burn. The moment I started blushing, Mr. Turtle followed suit. His cheeks sizzled a light pink as he perked up slightly. Confused yet not alarmed, my lips curled into a soft, friendly smile. This definitely caught him by surprise shown by his grip instinctively tightening on my arms. “Hello,” I said in a meek, sweet voice. “Uh, hi?” He managed to blurt out in alarm. I then myself being instantly dropped onto the wet ground as he suddenly withdrew his large green hands.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Holy crap! What did I just do?! I watched in horror as mystery girl fell into the mud. What the heck is wrong with me?! She’s my direct link into TCRI and here I am, dropping her like she’s a piece of paper. “Sorry!” On top of which, I sounded like an utter moron. I didn’t have much- or any- experience with girls but this probably wasn’t the best way to start off. She’s gonna think I’m a clumsy loser! To try and salvage the situation, I immediately offered her a hand up. She took it allowing me to pull her up quite effortlessly; gees, does this girl eat anything? She looks like a healthy size but is still somehow super light. But I didn’t have time to think about that for long. My eyes grew gigantic at the sight of the back of her pants completely soaked and covered in mud. Oh god, Leo; you idiot! “I am so sorry! Really, really sorry!” I’m not sure if I was making things better; more than anything, I just wanted to let her know that it wasn’t on purpose. I’d never drop her on purpose. “It’s alright,” she said as she straightened herself up. Glancing back at her pants, she sighed. “At least they’re not too muddy.” I wasn’t sure how honest she was being, but I took it anyway. When she saw my horrified expression, however, she cracked a small grin and rubbed the back of her head. “It’s no bother! These are just old sweatpants. I was going to do laundry this week anyway.” “Oh,” I replied, still frowning. I couldn’t think of anything else to say. Here she was, being the most charming thing in the world and all I could do was stand there like a blithering idiot. It shouldn’t have been like this. I was a highly trained shinobi meaning that I should have at least some skills operating in scenarios like this one. But no; I had to act and speak like I had no idea what I was doing. No amount of training prepared me for this; for her. Everything I had thought of prior to this moment had vanished into thin air, with all my thoughts now centred around her. Her…….. Mystery girl fixed herself up and looked directly at me, making my heart suddenly skip an unexpected beat. “Did you follow me here, Mr. Turtle?” “What?” That was all I could get out, my mind still working overtime. “This is the third time I’ve seen you. I was just wondering if you’ve been following me.” “Ah! Well uh, it’s……. complicated. H-here, let’s start over,” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. She nodded; thank god. “Hello, I’m Darling; pleased to meet you,” I blinked when she offered her hand out for me. It didn’t look like she was expecting me to shake it; I don’t know what she wanted me to do. Wait…… “Your name is Darling?” I eyed her surprised. Another nod from her lovely head; boy, it smelt nice. “Yep. Darling Lovely; that’s me.” “I’m Leonardo, Leo for short,” I reached out to take her hand, waiting for her to make the next move. She gave my hand a little squeeze- not shake- then released me. I waited for a second, feeling rather sheepish, before addressing the elephant in the room. “I…… suppose you’re wondering why I’ve been following you, right?” “You were following me!” She said slightly scandalized. I felt the blush immediately return to my cheeks. “It’s a long story; a long, complicated story,” I inwardly cringed. “In that case, would you like to come over?” “Come over?” “To my place.” “Your place?!” All composure I managed to maintain over the course of our interaction suddenly dispelled. “Only if you’re comfortable!” Her small hands shot up defensively. “Don’t feel like you have to. I thought you might just like some more privacy, but we don’t have to.” “Uh……. erm……..” Come on, Leo; say something! Why do I get so tongue-tied around her?! But then I remembered her wet and dirty pants. She must be getting cold, I gave myself a mental kick at the realization. It would be wrong to make Darling stay out like this. Darling……. Heh, somehow that was the perfect first name for her; she was perfectly named, this lovely lady. Before realizing it, I was smiling down at her and nodding my head. “Alright, let’s go.” “Ok, I’ll just walk home and open my bedroom window for you. Do you know how to get to my building from here?” Darling asked me. “Yeah,” I replied as an idea popped up into my mind. “But I have another idea if you feel like trusting me.” “Uh…… w-what do you mean?” She sounded a little wary. I noticed her take a step back, away from me. “Are you afraid of heights?” Darling’s head gave a little shake. “It’ll go a lot faster, here,” I offered her my hand for a second time. With hesitation, she took a step towards me and placed her hand in mine. I gave a quick glance around, keeping Darling close to me. When I knew it was nice and clear, my gaze turned back down to the girl standing very near my chest. We’d have to go quick, considering that it was almost nightfall and we might not be alone forever out here. This…… this would be my first time holding a girl in my arms. The very thought sent my mind in a whirl. Ok, calm down, Leo; I took in a deep breath. Be cool, you can do this; you can impress her. With one more heavy breath, I scooped her up before I could think about it more. I held her close to me in princess style. Darling responded with a light shriek and looking up at my face with wide eyes. We stared at each other for a second before I came to again. “Uh, you might want to hold on,” I had to tear my eyes away while I said this. Her cheeks turned a soft pink and she slowly wrapped both her arms around my neck. Once Darling seemed ready, I hopped up off the ground to the nearest rooftop. I think it was then that it hit her what I had in mind, and she reacted with a small scream, burying her face into my shell. I tried so hard not to let this affect my movements; she was touching me! I also learned that it was a lot harder to move- never mind like a ninja- with a human girl in my arms. Despite her being light, she was the most precious thing I’d ever carried anywhere, and I was acutely aware of this. But I didn’t want to make Darling feel worried or insecure. To make her feel more relaxed, I tried to act confident; even a little cocky. I chuckled at the sensation of her arms tightening around my neck. Sure, she was a little clingy, but I didn’t mind. It wasn’t a bad feeling, I inwardly smirked. “We’re almost there. You can look, you know; it’s perfectly safe up here.” Her red hair head shook as she pressed in closer to me. This is kind of fun, I actually smirked this time. The next jump was intentionally shaking, only to make her hold onto me stronger. When we eventually reached her apartment, I landed in the shadows and carefully set her down on her feet. Darling did not look impressed. “That was terrifying,” she told me flatly. “That was fun,” I responded with a playful smirk. With a sigh, she turned to look at her place across the street. “I’ll go open the door. You can come in through my window.” “Sure.” I watched her cross the road and pull out her key. She gave me one last look before shutting the door behind her. I waited patiently for a minute to see her bedroom light flick on. Darling then proceeded to open the window and wave me over. I couldn’t help but grin proudly at myself as I made my way to her room. Nailed it! Now she must think I’m super cool! I did a fist pump in the air before climbing inside.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The first thing I noticed was the smell; the assault on the senses. I say “assault” because I wasn’t used to it. The lair was no spa, it never smelt nice. That’s why I was so struck by the scent perfuming Darling’s room. It was a potent mixture of vanilla and spices; it smelt like I was in a cake. This was directly followed by the second thing I noticed; the color pink. Everything in here was pink: the bedsheets, the desk chair, the rug, the pillows, the pictures on her walls. All pink. This was a very……. feminine room. And yet, it suited her exactly. This is what I would imagine Darling’s room to look like before I had seen it. “Come in, sit down,” Darling pulled out the pink chair for me. “I hope you don’t mind but I’m going to get changed.” “Oh right!” I said, taking a seat. “Go ahead, I’ll wait here.” She smiled and went to her own private bathroom. When she immerged a couple of minutes later, she was wearing a male t-shirt and cotton black shorts. I watched her plop herself down onto her very pink bed and lift one leg up to her chest. Neither of us said anything right away, but Darling eventually drew in a deep breath. “Well…….” “…….. I guess I owe you a story,” I said quietly. Her smile reappeared as she nodded. I…….. didn’t know what to say in that moment. My nerves started to envelop me as I gulped repeatedly. Being here, in Darling’s room- not to mention alone with her- with her staring at me…… It was suddenly overwhelming. This was never something Master Splinter taught me about; how to treat and talk to a woman. This was like a mission- I had to play it naturally and by ear, which wasn’t really natural at all…….. I just had to keep cool and try not to surprise, intimidate, or frighten her. I could do this, my lips parted a tad as my breathing softened. I can do this……“Um, you……. know those weird robotic type guys that work in your father’s lab?” “Huh?” Darling blinked confused. “You mean Mr. Kran? How do you know about them? And how do you know that Daddy works in a lab?” That sounded creepier than I had intended; good going, Leo! “Don’t freak out, this is gonna sound weird but it’s true. Erm……. Those guys; we….. I mean I have been trying to find them for a while.” “Why?” Her voice grew lighter like she was growing more timid; alarmed……. Oh boy, I inwardly cringed. This wasn’t fun. “Promise you won’t freak out?” Darling blinked at me and looked to be thinking to herself. But eventually she gave the softest of nods. My breathing almost stilled, I was that nervous. What if she doesn’t believe me? Only one way to find out……. and that’s what I’m afraid of. “Those guys are actually robots,” not a bad way to start, though I couldn’t look her in the eye while I spoke. “They’re controlled by…….. pink, blobby aliens called the Kraang.” Don’t look at her; don’t see her expression until you’re done. “I don’t know how but they look to be involved with the lab your dad works at, TCRI. It says online that the TCRI lab just got a recent research grant……. possibly to fund your father’s work.” Whatever you do, Leo; don’t look at her- not yet. You’re almost done! “These guys are bad news; they’re dangerous. I don’t know what they’re doing in the lab, yet. But if they’re involved with your dad, we need to figure out what they’re up to like now before anything happens.” It was then that I took in a much-needed breath and found the courage to look up at Darling’s face. To my shock, she just stared at me with the largest eyes. Her body didn’t react right away; she didn’t even move. She seemed almost…… petrified. Her face was white but expressionless. I had no clue what to do or even say in that moment. But I decided not to say anything else until she did; I got that this was a lot to take in at once and she might need a few minutes. Eventually her eyes blinked- only once- as her head fell just the slightest. Her red lips shakily parted, though she wasn’t breathing heavily. “Is……. is my father in danger?” “No!” I immediately answered out of instinct, hopping to my feet. I probably shouldn’t have said that; I couldn’t know for sure, especially since he might be working with the Kraang. But the sound of Darling’s voice just now…….. She didn’t look it, but she was downright terrified; I could tell just by her voice. I needed to do something; I needed to help her, make this better. After all, my goal was not to scare the poor girl out of her wits. “I’m keeping an eye on the scene; it doesn’t look like anything bad has happened so far,” I went into repair-mode, not that Darling looked relieved. “But what do they want with my father? Daddy! Why Daddy? Why him?” She sounded like she was about to burst into tears. Do something, Leo! My head kept kicking itself. Do something, damn it! “I don’t know, but they’ve been contacting scientists all over the city. They’ve been forcing them to study something called Mutagen; doing experiments to see how it works and how to make it do whatever it is that they want.” “How do they know that Daddy can help them with that?!” “I still don’t know if they are working with your father; they might not be. It’s just a chance,” I told a half-truth. Better than being bluntly honest right now. A title wave of relief rolled over me as her whole body began to soften; she was starting to relax a little, thank goodness. Nothing else came from her lips giving me the opportunity to start asking questions. “Do you know anything about what your father’s working on now?” I didn’t want to seem too pushy, so I kept my voice kind and low. “Anything at all?” “Y-yes, he works with perfumes. He just made me one actually. But I don’t know if he’s working on anything else; I’ve never asked.” “You’ve been inside the TCRI lab before. Did you notice anything weird going on while there?” Darling considered for a minute, lifting her thin finger up to her lip. “I don’t……. think so. I haven’t seen much of the lab; I’m not allowed to go in very far past the lobby. But it looked like a normal lab to me.” She nibbled her bottom lip nervously as her eyes wandered off into nowhere. “Do you think…… Daddy could be working with the Kraang?” “He could be,” I admitted, also gazing away. “But if he is, he’s probably not doing so by choice.” “What?!” “I-I mean that he doesn’t know what they’re really up to!” My hands shot up defensively. But I knew what the Kraang were really like; they’d lie, cheat, manipulate, and even threaten to get what they want. The sooner we learn what they’re up to and how they’re related to Dr. Lovely, the better. And as far as I’m concerned, Darling’s already confirmed that I need to inform the others and start planning our move onto the lab. But I didn’t see any reason to get anyone else involved just yet, especially Darling. Before I could say anything however, she took in a deep breath, pressed her eyes shut and quickly opened them, then stood up abruptly. She flashed me a thankful smile. “Thank you, Leonardo; I appreciate you telling me. I…… literally had no idea and…… I don’t think Daddy does either. But it’s ok, just leave it to me.” W-what? I let out a bit of a weird, frazzled gasp. “L-leave what to you now?” “I can get you access into the lab; well I can be an informant anyways. I’ll act as your eyes and ears, bringing you anything I can find, which might not be much but better than nothing. It……. may not work entirely, but between the two of us, I’m sure I can be of use to you.” Oh……. oh boy. Nope! Was not expecting that. And I wasn’t having any of it either. “No, no way!” My head shook severely. “It’s way too dangerous for you to get involved!” Darling blinked, slightly shocked by my unexpected outburst; loud but necessary. But her face got a look of determination I hadn’t seen before. “This is my father we’re talking about, Leonardo. If there’s a chance that he’s in danger, I have to do something. I’m already involved, whether either of us like it or not.” “But Darling, it’s dangerous to get involved with the Kraang than you might realize. It’s……. a really complicated situation and…….” “Leonardo,” I found myself violently interrupted when a hand touched my arm. She gazed up into my eyes, which shot over to her startled, and grinned at me. “Please, he’s my father. I want to……. I have to help him, if I can.” “D-Darling!” Oh my god, what was happening? How did things end up like this? I just wanted her to answer my questions; not volunteer herself to join the fight against the Kraang. But she spoke with such sincerity and love that I couldn’t bring myself to be mad. I wasn’t mad how this was going; I was scared. Really, really scared. “No, just no. I don’t want you to get hurt,” I had to put my foot down; this wasn’t up for discussion. “I’ll be safe.” Guess she thought it was however. “There’s no such thing as “safe” around the Kraang. If they ever found out you knew about them or us……..” “Us?” Her eyebrow raised up. “Are there more of you?” “Well, yes; that’s another long story,” my head planted on my forehead in exasperation. How much more wrong could this have went? Darling’s P.O.V.- “We’ll make it work, Leonardo. I could leave my window open and you could come into my room after dark.” I begged. “Darling!” He said half-yelling, half-sighing. “I’m trying to work with you, Leonardo; I really am,” seeing that he wasn’t going to bend easy, I decided just to be honest. “But I can’t just stay here and do nothing. I have to do something, now that I know.” “Darling, I’m really trying to make you understand……..” The poor turtle just sounded plain old tired now. Seeing my chance for victory, I pulled the feminine card. I smiled softly, reaching over to gently lay my hand on his shell again. Oh boy, did he turn red in the face; not able to look me in the eye. Sweetly, tenderly, I addressed the strong yet concerned reptile. “Leonardo, I know you’re worried about me and I appreciate it.” “Doesn’t seem like you do,” I detected a slight tone in his voice. “I do, but you have to trust me. You trusted me enough to come to me in person; please trust me a little more with this. We’ll do it together.” Together…….. My hand lowered to take his huge hand in mine; our fingers instinctively wrapped around the other’s. Leonardo’s lips parted like he wanted to say something but hesitated. His eyes revealed that he was conflicted, clearly weighing his opinions. And I couldn’t be sure, but he didn’t seem to know how to react to this specific situation. Eventually however, a smile rolled over his green lips and he gave my hand a squeeze. “Fine,” he said in the softest, kindest tone I’d heard from him. “If that’s what you want, I’ll do everything I can to make it work.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Leonardo and I stood there, hand in hand, for a long moment. Then, like it suddenly clicked in both our brains, we realized what we were doing and instantly retracted our hands. Leonardo turned his head sideways while he held his green hand in the other. It took a second for either of us to say anything, but he finally sighed. “Alright, we’re a team now; we’ll do this together.” “Ok,” I also nodded. “But that means you can’t go off on your own!” Leonardo quickly added, pointing his huge finger directly at me. “No doing anything without telling me, got it?” “Got it,” I nodded again for emphasis. “I won’t do anything without consulting you first.” “Ok, good,” this looked to relax him a little. “Is……. is there anything else I should know?” “What do you mean?” He blinked over at me. “Anything you want to tell me, or want me to tell you?” I’d never worked with human-sized turtles on secret missions before; this was all new to me and I obviously had no clue what I was doing. Leonardo rubbed the back of his neck and veered off sideways. “Um, about what I said earlier…… about the other uh, members. It’s……..” “You want to tell me about it later?” Seeing his struggle, I had no desire to prolong it further. “Don’t worry, Leonardo. You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to; I trust you. You’ll let me know what I need to know, right.” “Uh, right. Sorry, Darling; it’s nothing personal. It’s just……. I should wait before I say anything else.” “I understand.” I don’t know why but it was around then that we both remembered the time. Daddy would be getting home soon and I should go down to greet him. Leonardo also looked like time was of the essence for him too. “I should go,” he said before I had a chance to say anything. “Alright, you can sneak out of my window.” “Thanks, Darling,” I walked him to it. He opened it, climbed half way out, and looked back at me. His face was…… well a little contorted; I think he had mixed feelings at the moment. He hesitated before saying or doing anything next, like he didn’t know what to do or say. “So,” his lips finally parted. “When do you…… when should we meet again?” “Hmmmmm, how about tomorrow night; maybe around eight o’clock?” “Sounds good. Where?” “We could meet here or at Daddy’s lab; wherever you like.” Leonardo just stared at me for a second before taking in a deep breath. “Look, Darling; I’m not trying to be bossy or anything but…… do you think you could stay away from the lab, at least until I’m with you?” His voice was peppered with worry. “But I visit Daddy almost every day; I usually bring him dinner. He wouldn’t understand if I just stopped going.” “I get that, but it’s not safe. Please, just try.” I examined the sincerity in his face, finally giving in with a nod. “Ok, I’ll try.” “Thank you. In that case, can we meet on the roof of your apartment?” “The roof?” “I have something to show you tomorrow night and it’ll be easier up there.” “Oh, ok. The rooftop it is then; I just……. have to figure out how to get there.” Leonardo chuckled and then smiled at me; a genuine, kind smile. “Thanks, Darling.” “For what?” “Oh, for everything; for being so understanding, I guess. You took the news rather well, all things considering.” “What matters to me now is keeping Daddy safe.” “And we will, I promise.” “Really?” “Really.” A fresh grin bloomed across my face as my cheeks pinkened a tad and I gazed downwards suddenly shy. “Well, I guess I should say good night.” “Me too.” “I’m really glad you told me, Leonardo; that you reached out to me.” His cheeks blushed just like mine as he scratched one of them. “Yeah, me too.” “Good night, Leonardo. See you tomorrow.” “Ok. Night, Darling.” With one last look at me, he took off leaping to the roof opposite my building. I watched him out from the window; he didn’t budge until I closed and locked it. Then, we gave each other a final glance for the night. He disappeared into the darkness, leaving me there alone to contemplate what just happened. Tomorrow night……. My lips parted slightly. Tomorrow night would be our first night officially working together as partners. I didn’t know how useful I’d be to him in reality, but the idea of us tackling this as a team brought a grin to my face. I had to act regardless; it was just nice to know I wouldn’t be doing so alone.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Dread filled me the moment I woke up the next morning. I’d had a surprisingly peaceful sleep; restful…… Maybe that’s because I know Darling would be working with us. That brought me a level of calm last night; calm that had completely vanished by this morning. Oh god, what have I done? I stared up at my stained ceiling as I laid in my bed. It’s great to have a direct line to the TCRI lab; it was another thing to tell my brothers about it. I had some idea how they would take the news……. and that’s why I was dreading the following hours. They didn’t understand; they wouldn’t understand. Darling’s not April, and I don’t mean that as a knock against April. It's just that she can take their banter and rude remarks, especially from Raph. But Darling doesn’t seem to be that kind of person; she’s soft, sensitive……. Ugh! My giant hand ran over my face. This was going to be one of “those” days.I put off telling the news until later in the day; why ruin a perfectly good morning? Still, no matter what I did or how chill I acted, it- or rather she- refused to leave my mind. I was downright nervous when the time finally came. Raph was giving the punching bag a good beating while Mikey and Donnie were playing “goalie” with a paper triangle on the couch. I emerged from my room, where I had been rehearsing in my head what to say. There was no good way to put it; this was going to be agony no matter how I spun it. My eyes gently shut, and I drew in a deep breath before entering the living room. A familiar face raced through my mind for what felt the millionth time today. She had her back turned to me, gazing off into the distance with a calm expression. Boy, did she smell great. My lips instinctively parted as I remembered to breathe. Darling…….. Ok, get it together, Leo. I made my feet step out from the hallway. You can do this! No one noticed my arrival; they were all too busy with their activities. This gave me time to construct a brand-new plan of action; the one I had just been working on didn’t feel right anymore. Now the best avenue looked to be addressing Donnie first. He already knew about the TCRI lab, despite us not talking about it since Monday night. Mikey had just scored in his hand goal when I approached them; I casually cleared my throat and planted my hands on my hips. “So, Donnie; you remember that lab, TCRI?” “Huh?” Donnie blinked to me slightly confused. It took a second for his eyes to light up in remembrance. “Oh, right! I was going to ask you about that. Ready to follow up on that lead you found?” “What lead?” Raph asked, giving the dummy another swift blow. “Leo found a lead to a potential Kraang laboratory,” Donnie blurted out before I could say anything. “You did?!” Mikey’s eyes lit up in surprise. “So what is it? What lead do you have?” Donnie ignored Mikey’s question. “Uh, erm……. Well I don’t know that much yet. She didn’t tell me anything about the Kraang’s activity in the lab.”“I’m sorry, “she”?” Raph gave one final punch before turning to give me a sharp, perplexed look. “Did you just say “she”?” “Um, y-yes,” my voice was a lot meeker than I wanted it to be. Oh, the expression on Raph’s face the next moment; even Donnie and Mikey looked like they didn’t know what to make of what I’d just said. “You met someone?!” Mikey’s eyes went from puzzled to delighted. “Well, kind of……. we just officially introduced ourselves last night,” I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. I could feel Raphael’s eyes burning a hole through me. He hopped down off the loft to the ground floor, not moving his sharp, furious glare. “Are you telling me that you found someone who knows the Kraang’s whereabouts? And you’re only telling us this now?” He growled; boy, did he sound mad. “It’s not like that, Raph,” I quickly felt control of the conversation slipping from my hands, which I had been fully expecting. “It’s…… kind of an accident that she knows.” “Who is she?” Donnie asked me in a more curious tone. “Dr. Lovely’s daughter.” “Dr. Lovely?” His eyes grew alarmed. “You mean that scientist working for the Kraang?” “Her dad’s working for the Kraang?!” Raph repeated in a yell. “No!...... I mean, I don’t think so; not intentionally anyways,” my head shot in Raph’s direction. “Oh, so he’s just “unintentionally” working for aliens with Mutagen. That makes sense!” “We don’t know anything yet, Raph,” my own voice grew firmer. “They may have tricked Dr. Lovely, or worse. What’s important now is that we get him- and Darling- away from the Kraang before it’s too late.” “Who’s Darling?” Mikey grinned excitedly. “That’s my uh, lead. Her name’s Darling; Darling Lovely.” “Darling Lovely?” Donnie couldn’t stop himself from smiling too. “That’s really her name?” “Yes,” I couldn’t help but frown. Ok, I get that it’s an unusual name, but I didn’t like the way they chuckled at it just now. I thought it was a perfectly fine name; even beautiful. It certainly suited her, once you got to know her. My brothers found it more comical than anything however. The only one who wasn’t grinning was of course Raph. He stood there fixed with his arms crossed, severely irritated with the situation- or me. Probably the latter. “So, let me see if I’ve got this straight. You’re telling us that you met this girl whose father is working for the Kraang, and you’re only thought to bring it up now?” “I didn’t deliberately plan it like this, Raph,” I fired off another glare in his direction, immedietly feeling the need to backpaddle. “Well, I kind did…… But I wanted to meet her first; I didn’t want to freak her out since we’re uh…….” “Giant green mutant freaks?” Mikey quoted Raph from earlier. “Thanks Mikey,” I proceeded to give him a side glance. “Why did you bother waiting at all? Sounds like she’s used to freaky-looking monsters considering her dad’s conspiring with the Kraang,” Raph spat, not holding back any venom in his tone. “Stop it, Raph,” I’d had just about enough of him bashing Darling and Dr. Lovely; he didn’t even know them. “She didn’t know about the Kraang until I told her.” “You…… talked to her already?” Donnie’s eyebrow rose. “Erm, yeah…… I met her in the park last night. We had a conservation about……. this.” “This?” Raph’s eyebrow also lifted suspiciously. “What do you mean “this”? You did tell her about us?!” He sounded scandalized now. “Of course not! I wouldn’t tell her about you guys before talking to you first.” “Oh, but you had no problem showing yourself to a human- who you know is in league with the Kraang- without running it by us; is that it?” “She’s not in league with the Kraang. How many times do I have to tell you? She didn’t know about the Kraang; she doesn’t know anything yet.” “How do you know? Did you ever think she could be lying right to your face?” Raph’s expression hardened. Even Donnie seemed conflicted now. “He’s…… got a point, Leo. You don’t anything about this girl. She could, for all we know, be working with the Kraang trying to lure us in.” “Darling would never do something like that!” I instantly retorted, feeling my nerve grow steadier. Calling Darling’s character into question……. That didn’t sit well with me; not at all. But Raph and Donnie didn’t look convinced unsurprisingly despite my conviction. “Some leader you are,” Raph hissed directly at me. “This could be exactly what the Kraang want; catch us off guard by using some random girl whose dad’s already working for them. How can you not see the red flags, Leo? They’re waving right in front of your thick head!” “Awe come on, you guys,” we all blinked in surprise as Mikey decided to substantially join into the conversation, er argument. “Leo’s smart! He knows what he’s doing,” my youngest brother stood up to drape his arm over my shoulder. “If he says Darls isn’t spying for the Kraang, she isn’t spying for the Kraang.” “Darls?” I looked at him puzzled. “Cute, right? As if Darling isn’t a cute enough name already.” “Mikey…… it’s not that simple,” Donnie flashed him a sympathetic look. “This is a delicate situation.” Delicate…… My eyes widened a little. Wait……. One glance would tell you that she was sweet and gentle, soft….. She needed to be handled delicately; this particular mission needed a delicate approach. I remember…… I realized that a while ago, right around the time I first saw her. Donnie was absolutely right; we- or I- needed to be more delicate with the situation. The image of Darling’s smiling face from last night behind her window whirled through my mind. What’s wrong with me? My eyes kept growing and growing in realization. I wasn’t handling this right; Darling needed better……. she deserved better. I first looked at Donnie, then at the others; my stare was firmer now, more fixed…… “Donnie’s right.” “I am?” He blinked to me half-surprised. “We need to be delicate about the situation, around Darling.” “Heh,” Raph’s mouth curved to a side smirk for the first time; his arms still tightly crossed. “What is she? A delicate little flower?” “That’s exactly what she is,” I answered, turning to face Raph head on. Judging by his expression, I doubt he was expecting me to agree with his remark. But I continued when he didn’t reply. “Look, the best way to deal with this is for you guys to meet her, I think.” “Meet her?” Raph and Donnie gasped in unison. Mikey’s eyes, on the other hand, lit up like lightbulbs. “Really?! We can actually meet her?! Like, in the flesh?” “Yeah. Since “some of you” don’t trust my judgment, I think it best if you meet her for yourselves. Then you’ll see that she’s not some manipulating spy.” “Leo……..” Donnie’s mouth fell open a tad. “Heck yeah! I wanna meet Darling!” No surprise, Mikey was immediately on board. “Is she pretty? Is she nice? Did she say anything about you being a mutant turtle?” “Um, yes to all?” I shrugged softly. “Alright!” Mikey withdrew his arm from my shoulder and threw his fist up above him. “New friend!” “We gotta take this slow, Mikey. This is all very new to her,” I quickly intervened. We just talked for the first time last night; I didn’t want to suddenly bombard her with everything. And while Raph still looked horrified at the prospect, Donnie seemed to be coming more onboard with the idea. I knew this since he gazed out into nowhere while rubbing the bottom of his chin thoughtfully. “So, what did you have in mind, Leo?” “Well actually, we’re supposed to meet her on her rooftop tonight,” I rubbed the back of my head a bit awkwardly. “You’ve already made plans?!” Donnie’s eyes grew. “It happened when we said goodbye yesterday. Darling wants to help us and…… I’m afraid she’s going to whether we let her or not.” “Why would she want to help?” “Because she’s scared for her dad; she’s worried about what the Kraang might do to him if he keeps working at the lab. Don’t you get it, Raph?” I looked at him straight on again. “She’s doesn’t know what the Kraang want with Dr. Lovely and she’s scared.” “How do you know she doesn’t know?” Gees, this guy just doesn’t know when to quit! “How do you know this isn’t all an act? A really, really good act? Huh, Leo?” “She told me all she knows,” I countered. “We’ll see about that,” Raph smashed his fist into his other palm. “Look, don’t take my word for it,” I see now that you won’t anyways. “All I’m asking is that you meet her. Talk to her yourself but be nice. She’s just a kind girl who got caught up in all this. She doesn’t need extra stress or pressure right now.” “You really……. trust this Darling, don’t you?” Donnie asked me with a genuine stare. “Yes,” I answered without hesitation. I didn’t even have to think about it; I knew……. one look at her and I knew she could never work for something like the Kraang. Without thought, I knew……. Donnie and Mikey simply looked at each other while Raph still glared at me. I could tell the three, or at least two, were considering thoroughly to themselves. But eventually, with a hint of hesitation in his eyes, Donnie peered back over to me. His mouth opened as he drew in a massive breath. “Where does she live?”

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Raphael’s P.O.V.- I couldn’t believe how utterly stupid Leo was being. He was leading us towards “Darling’s” apartment. And by the way, who names their kid “Darling”? That was almost as dumb as our oh-so-rational leader was acting right now. As we hopped from rooftop to rooftop, I stayed at the back; too mad to speak to my brother. Who does he think he is?! Look at him; he’s as love-sick as Donnie was when he first saw April. So some pretty girl doesn’t run away screaming at the sight of a gigantic mutant turtle armed with ninja weapons- let’s automatically trust her! That’s Leo’s idiotic logic. He’s always been too damn trusting and constantly looks for the good in everyone, even if there is none. And while some may see this as a good quality, I see it for what it is: naivety. Luckily for the team, I wasn’t naïve like hero-boy over here. I had a head on my shoulders, and not in the techo-smart Donnie sense. No, I was a realist. While Leo was more than willing to trust this human- who we know is definitely connected to the Kraang- like a moron, I wouldn’t be swayed by beauty, charm, or cuteness. I don’t care what Leo said about her; I knew I’d be able to see through her act in a minute. It was all too perfect- no Kraang activity until this mysterious girl with access into their lair conveniently shows up? Uh, can you say red flag much? And the worst part is that Leo couldn’t even see it! Or he refused to let himself see it; one of the two. Either way, my eyes drifted away from Leo to out in front of me. There’s no way I’m gonna be tricked by some little flowery girl. I doubt she’s told Leo all she knows but that’s fine. I’d get the truth out of her; I’d make her talk. I don’t care how stupid Leo’s acting; if she was indeed working for the Kraang, I’d find out. One way or another, I’d get through to her- Darling and Leo. Darling’s P.O.V.- After a few sprays of Goddess perfume, I went to put on my jacket and shoes. Almost eight o’clock; time to go meet Leonardo. My hand stopped tying my shoelace as I stared off into space for a moment. Leonardo…….. He said he had something to show me tonight; I wonder what it could be? Nothing could be more surprising than a human-sized turtle and robot aliens pretending to be humans……. but I still didn’t know what to expect. I’m sure it wasn’t bad though; I trusted him. It was likely something to help with the uh, mission tonight. Heh, mission. I’d never been on a mission before. I hope I could be of use to Leonardo, but to be honest, I’m not really sure what I could do. Still, I had to do something; for Daddy’s sake, I had to. Following Leonardo’s strict orders, I didn’t go to Daddy’s lab today. Luckily for me, he called to say that he was too busy with work and not to bring him any dinner. I ate a microwave dinner while watching tv, just hanging around the apartment until it was eight. I was just about to leave when my phone rang. I had left it in the charger on my desk in my room; it occurred to me not to bring it in case the Kraang somehow hacked and tracked it. Biting my lower lip, I ran back to my room, not turning on the lights, to answer my phone. “Darling?” Grandmother’s voice came from the other end. “Hi Grandmother. Um, sorry; I can’t talk now. I’ve got to…….” “Why isn’t your father answering his phone?” I see my need for departure went unnoticed. “He’s at work, Grandmother. I really have to go.” “Did you get the package I sent you today? It said it was delivered.” “Another package?” I didn’t mean to say that out loud; it just sorta happened. “Grandmother, I told you; please stop sending me clothes. I have lots.” “You mean you have lots of those manly rags. Honestly, Darling; would it kill you to wear a dress once and a while?” “We’ll talk about it later.” Or not. “I really have to go now.” “Go?” She repeated like it finally hit her. “Go?! Do you have any idea what time it is in New York right now? I thought I made it clear- you are not to go outside after dark, not without an escort.” “Well, uh……. um……..” Oh great; what was I supposed to say to that? Lie to my grandmother? Yep! Well, a half-lie. “Grandmother, I’m not going out alone. It’ll be fine; I promise.” “Do you have an escort?” “Erm yes; yes, I do.” “It better not be a teenage American boy. You are an English lady, and I expect you to act as such, Darling.” I’m outta time! I was so concentrated on the clock that I didn’t hear what she’d just said. “I will. Bye Grandmother!” Quickly hanging up the phone, I dashed out and locked the front door. Then I walked up the hallway, trying to think of a way to get up to the roof. Gees, why did I agree to meet up there? I don’t know how to get up there! In the most ironic fashion however, the porter- or security guard as they’re known in America- keep up at the other end of the hall. I instantly ran to him gently waving my hand in the air. “Sir! Sir!” The man in patrol uniform turned to smile at me. “Can I help you, miss?” Miss…… I wasn’t used to being called that; adults called me “dear” and “love” back in Europe. Not that it mattered. I came up to him and grinned politely. “Um, I was wondering,” my voice tried not to sound too obvious. “If one wanted to go up to the building’s roof, how would one accomplish this?” The porter looked a little amused, to my surprise. “Do all British kids talk like you?” What kind of question was that?! How insulting, to insinuate that there was something funny with the way I spoke. But instead of frowning or acting affronted, I made my grin widen as I shut my eyes and shook my head. “Just the well-read ones, sir.” He chuckled softly. “So sweet.” So sweet indeed. “So, you wanna know about the roof, huh?” “Just curiosity, sir.” “Eh, we have some stairs at the back of the hall. If you climb up to the eighth floor and keep going, you’ll reach it. Oh, but its off-limits though,” his face firmed out, like he felt it necessary to tack that on. “No going up there, understand?” “I do understand; thank you, sir.” He flashed me one last smile before heading back to patrol. When he had left through the door at the other end of the hall, I immediately went to the back staircase. Getting up to the roof was shockingly easy, especially considering that it was unlocked. A fire security measure, I guess. Taking in a deep breath, I placed my hand on the doorknob and checked the time. Eight o two. Ok good, I’m not too late. Slowly and a tad excitedly, I pushed the door open.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Leonardo’s P.O.V.- I stopped on the rooftop opposite Darling’s. My brothers followed suit, glancing around curiously. My eyes were scanning for a familiar figure; an unconscious grin blooming across my lips when I spotted her. Fortunately- or unfortunately- the others failed to notice. “So?” Raph’s gruff voice broke the silence. While he looked at me, Mickey and Donnie skimmed over the surrounding roofs. “Is that her?!” I blinked in the mildest surprise down to where Mickey’s green finger was pointing to. Yep, it was her- her. Now, knowing my brothers- particular Mr. Hot Head over here- my brain immediately went into overdrive. It was clear that Mickey was anxious to meet her; even Donnie seemed pleasantly astonished. “Whoa,” I heard fall from the third-eldest’s lips. I…… I have no idea why but hearing this gave me the tiniest and weirdest sense of pride; just a tiny amount! No clue where that came from. “She’s so cute!” Mickey cooed excitedly. Oh, maybe that’s where from. “That’s your lead?” Donnie eyed me a tad suspiciously. “Yes,” I responded with a frown. Why would he even ask me something like that? Does he have to assume that she’s untrustworthy simply because she’s beautiful? My gaze rolled over to the still stone-faced Raph. He’s not the only one, I see; my frown deepened. Once again, my brain kicked into gear at the sudden sight of Mickey getting ready to jump over. Before he could make another move, I intervened by stepping onto the ledge. “I should go down first. Let her know we’re here and uh……” Prepare her for meeting three, well two suspicious human-sized turtles. Somehow I knew that she and Mickey would get along just fine. Donnie and Raph though……. “Why? She already knows there’s giant mutant turtles roaming around the city,” with a scoff, Raph crossed his arms defiantly. “I just don’t want to startle her or anything. Wait here until I give the signal.” “Righto, boss!” Mickey’s hand flew up into the air. Donnie frowned but nodded. And Raph……. Well he’s Raph; can’t expect much cooperation out of him. With a deep, deep breath in, I spun around and- hands balled into fists- leapt over to meet you-know-who. She immediately turned to me once I landed down near her, trying my best to appear as casual as possible. I grinned and greeted her with a “two finger forehead” wave. You can’t imagine how high my heart shot when she smiled back at me. “Leonardo!” “Uh hi; hi, Darling,” I quickly had to clear my throat. “Right on time,” she announced cutely. It was then I learned that it was possible for your chest to contract and expand at the same time. I don’t know why tonight felt so different…… and awkward. Oh wait; yes, I did. It had something to do with the three set of eyes currently watching us. It wasn’t just me and Darling anymore……. not anymore. Despite us only officially meeting once in person and seeing each other a few times, I couldn’t help but be overcome with envy- I wanted, perhaps secretly, more time with her; to get to know her. Realizing this was an impossibility now, I inwardly sighed. Well, can’t delay it for much longer. I merely looked at her and remembered how wonderful she smelt. “So, what do you think we should do tonight? Are we going over to Daddy’s lab or……..” “Actually, there’s something I want to……. show you,” I cringed at how contrite that sounded. Can you say “creepy much”, Leo? She blinked at me slightly confused but still grinned. “Alright. What is it?”Literally before I could even say anything, another voice echoed through the air. “Hi!” A now very-stunned Darling spun right around to see Mickey standing there with the goofiest smile possible. Oh god, I gave myself a hard mental kick. What have I done? The look on Darling’s face…….. I could’ve and should’ve planned this out better. “I’m Mickey- your new best friend! You’re so pretty! Leo’s told us all about you; I don’t think you look like a Kraang spy.” That last comment had Darling looking to me for an explanation. I groaned inside; oh Mickey, why? “Erm, this is my brother, Michelangelo.” Not sure if that was helpful or not; I think she was more concerned about that Kraang spy crack. “I never said she was a Kraang spy, shell-for-brain. And if she was, we wouldn’t want her to know that we know,” we all turned to see the other two brothers hop over. Darling’s expression went from confusion to alarm. It didn’t help that Raphael was shooting her the most intense glare, staying behind Donnie and Mickey. “Hi, you’re Darling, right? Darling Lovely? Dr. Lovely’s daughter?” Donnie asked the startled girl. “H-how do you know my father?” Oh uh; time to go into damage control. “T-these are my other brothers: Donnie and Raph. They’re here to help us with the uh, mission.” “How many more of your kind are there?” She gazed at me still distressed. “Just us.” “As far as we know,” Donnie added, clearly not trying to help the situation. “Awe, don’t be scared, Darls! We don’t bite!” I then watched in horror as Mickey’s arm draped over her slender shoulders. “Mmmmmm,” as if to add fuel to the fire, Donnie hummed to himself while obviously analyzing her up and down. “No body language revealing deception, wide eyes, she’s clearly not armed……..” “Dude, stop,” I shot him an unimpressed expression. I didn’t bring him here to treat Darling like some criminal or worse, science experiment. “D-do……. do your brothers know about the Kraang?” This made Mickey burst out laughing; even Donnie cracked an amused smile. “We’ve been hunting the Kraang for over a year now.” “Yeah, we encountered them on our first trip to the surface; been fighting with them ever since.” “Oh, so you’re all used to them then?” She scanned around, a bit more curious now. “Are you kidding? We’re surprised you know about them,” Donnie blurted, unthinking I assumed. “Unless you are a spy,” Mickey laughed, clearly not grasping the severity of the issue. “A spy? What makes you think I’m…….?” “We know you’re not a spy; I know,” I interjected with the most confident tone I could muster. This seemed to satisfy her, seeing as she gazed over to Mickey with an increasingly comforting demeanour. “Ooooooh, this is gonna be so much fun! I’m so glad Leo found you!” Mickey tugged her closer. I was about to tell Mickey to knock it off before Raph suddenly marched over to us, or rather her. He stood tall, towering over a now slightly alarmed Darling. His face hardened while her grin began to fade. “Alright, listen up. You may have my brothers fooled, but I don’t trust you.” “Raph!” I gasped, incredulous at his lack of filter. What the heck is wrong with him!? Did he want to scare her out of her wits? Well, probably; but still! I honestly didn’t know how to react at the moment. Fortunately for me, Darling was the one who came to the rescue. She went from bewildered to grinning softly again- that classic, delicate grin of hers. “That’s fine. I would never push that on you. You can come to trust me in your own time, if you do at all.” Oh, I wish more than anything I had a camera to capture the dumbfounded look on Raph’s face. He plainly didn’t have any experience with someone like Darling Lovely. She was too soft, too tender, too sweet; and oh, it was glorious to see Raph squirm in her presence. His jaw dropped open, but no retaliation came out. His eyes wandered around, revealing that he was contemplating the scenario. For Darling’s part, her head tilted a little. I’m sure she was puzzled as to why Raph responded this way; she didn’t do anything wrong. Donnie and Mickey had to suck back their laughter, and I fought the urge to tell Raph off. Granted, I was enjoying this- immensely- but he shouldn’t get away with talking to Darling like that. It was around then that Raph realized what was happened and tried to salvage his dignity; didn’t work. He readjusted his posture and crossed his arms over his shell, not holding back on the attitude. “Yeah well, yeah. Cause it’s not gonna happen.” Oh nice come back, Raph; you really showed her. My eyes rolled inwardly as I let out a loud sigh. “Alright, enough. We gotta get going; time’s running out.” “Are we going to my father’s lab, Raph?” I flashed her a brilliant smile; partly to help undo Raph’s poor behaviour. “Yeah, we’re going there tonight.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Darling’s P.O.V.- Admittedly, it felt a bit awkward being surrounded by all these humanoid turtles; armed with ninja weapons I might add. But I was happy to see Leonardo again, even if the circumstances weren’t great. Worry filled my day as I ran over and over in head the possibility that Daddy could be in danger at work. I listened to what Leonardo told me and stayed away from the lab today, but secretly more than anything I wanted to run there; to check up on Daddy and make sure he was safe. I wasn’t scared to go there now, not with the turtles. Above all else, I wanted to get to the bottom of this, so my mind could rest peacefully once more. “Alright, let’s go. Are you ready, Darling?” The blue-masked turtle’s question caught me off guard. My hand instinctively lifted up to my chest but I nodded. “Ok, so um…….” He took a step towards me, making me realize what his previous inquiry alluded to. He wanted to carry me to the lab, I guess. This was confirmed when he stretched out his arms to me, blushing a fiery pink in the process. His brothers all looked confused. “Uh, Leo? What are you doing?” The tall one, I think his name is Donatello, asked Leonardo. “W-what does it look like I’m doing? I’m going to….. carry her.” Their faces went from puzzled to shocked, particularly the one wearing the red mask. “Carry her? In your actual arms? Like princess-style? Awe! That is so cute!” The orange one, Michelangelo I think, cooed excitedly. Huh, interesting; out of all of Leonardo’s brothers, he seems like the only one to be happy to see me- a human girl. The other two, on the other hand…….. “Shut it, Mikey! She has to come with us somehow; this is the fastest way.” Leonardo retorted clearly embarrassed. “Uh, well actually Leonardo, that’s not necessary. I know the way to the lab; I could meet you there,” I tried to smooth over the situation- in vain, of course. “It’s fine, Darling. I don’t mind carrying you; besides, it worked out pretty well last night.” “You did this last night?!” Donatello gasped scandalized. And boy, the disgusted expression on Raphael’s face. I had to actively choose to ignore them, instead focusing my sole attention onto our leader, who was still looking at me. “I don’t remember it working out last night, Leonardo,” my arms folded. “Oh, I just playing around. I promise I’ll be steadier tonight,” his large green hand waved up and down. “Well, alright; but I trust you,” I flashed him a brilliant smile, which he returned. “Ok then,” his arms once extended out to hoist me up. We both flinched in surprise at another set of green arms reaching for me. “I wanna carry you! I’ve never carried anyone anywhere before!” Michelangelo announced with anticipation, keeping his bright blue eyes locked onto mine. “I don’t think so,” Leonardo’s eyes rolled unimpressed. “Awe, why not?! You carted her around last night; it’s my turn! Plus it’ll give us time to bond as new best friends!” Heh, you know, he’s different but I like this one. He’s got this naïve enthusiasm about him; a personality the automatically draws you in. I could see us being friends one day……… “Pleeeeeeeeeeease?” Or now. With a short sigh, Leonardo gently pushed his brother’s arms away and came over to stand beside me. “We don’t have time for this. I’m carrying Darling- that’s it.” And I saw Raphael and Donatello gaze at each other. Leonardo carefully lifted me up into his arms, cradling me safely close to him. His face was very red by now, and even I couldn’t help but blush. “Spoilsport,” Michelangelo muttered under his breath, which his older brother close to ignore. Instead he cleared his throat and headed to the ledge of the rooftop. “Alright, come on. I’ll take us there.” “All of us,” Raphael also hissed to himself. I don’t think Leonardo heard that. But I did, and I peered back at Raphael over my shoulder before Leonardo took that first leap.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Thoughts swirled around in my head the whole way to Daddy’s lab. In retrospect I should have been thinking about the four turtles I was currently with and what this meant for my view on reality. But my mind was with Daddy and how the Kraang could potentially endanger him. The idea only made my grip on Leonardo tighten, which I’m sure he noticed but didn’t physically react. True to his word, we got there nice and steady within minutes. The eldest set me down on my feet while his brothers joined our sides on the ground at the side of the building. “Is this the place?” Donatello eyed the place up and down. Leonardo nodded his head while motioning us to move forward, which we did; somehow I ended up being out in front. “Ok, here’s the plan. We’ll sneak around back and……..” Before Leonardo could finish his sentence, I unintentionally turned the corner. We all immediately froze at a familiar voice coming from in front of me. “Who is there?” Huh, they sounded much more robotic now that I knew they were aliens. Fear and an instinctual desire to protect my new friends- and the Kraang’s enemies- kicked in as three Kraang droids spun to face me. I didn’t even look to see where the turtles were; I didn’t want to give any indication that I wasn’t here alone. Instead I just stared at the Kraang wide-eyed and with mouth agape. “M-Mr. Kran!” I tried to sound as casual as possible; an attempt that failed miserably. My heart began to sink when they approached me. “It is the one known as Darling.” “What are you doing here in the place called the lab?” Man, how did I not pick on them being robots earlier? Seriously. It took everything in me to force a grin; these creatures were dangerous after all and had direct access to my father. “I-I’m here to see Daddy, erm my father,” that wasn’t a complete lie. And they knew that I came by often to visit him and bring him dinner on late nights; or at least I thought they did. “Daddy? Who is the one known as Daddy?” “She is referring to Dr. Lovely; her biological progenitor.” Oh god, my eyes inwardly rolled a mile wide. “Ah yes, the work-interrupting female adolescent. You are mistaken; Dr. Lovely is not present at the moment.” “N-not here? Where is he?” A surge of panic coiled my chest. “He has gone to the place known as restaurant.” I didn’t care about his grammar right now. It made sense to me quickly; since I didn’t bring Daddy dinner and he was out late night, he must have gone out for something to eat. A tiny sigh of relief fell from my lips as I lifted my hand up to my heart. Good, at least he’s away from them- for now. “He is not here, so leave immediately. This is private property,” one of the Kraang ordered, pointing down the street in the opposite direction. “Yes sirs, of course. Thank you for letting me know about Daddy.” “Why is she doing the thing of thanking us?” One asked another, who reacted just as puzzled. “Uh, good night, sirs,” seeing no point in staying any longer, I spun to leave the way the droid pointed. I waited until they were back inside before rushing back behind the corner over to the turtles. Boy, did Leonardo have a worried look on his face. I instantly tried to appease it with a comforting grin. “Are you ok, Darling?” He asked, ignoring my grin and scanning me over once. “Y-yes. I’m just glad that Daddy’s gone right now.” “Wow, you are brave! I’ve never seen anyone so calm around the Kraang before,” Michelangelo exclaimed, clearly impressed. Really? I blinked over to him curiously. Just how deadly were these aliens? “Ok then, we’ll go in through the top floor,” seemingly satisfied with this, the eldest proceeded to scoop me up in one arm and let Raphael and Michelangelo climb up the fire ladder first. We followed with Donatello bringing up the rear. All the while I still couldn’t get my head wrapped around it. They told me the Kraang were dangerous, and I didn’t doubt the turtles for a second- even if Raphael didn’t trust me. But…… I wasn’t really worried about that at this particular time. I wasn’t so much concerned about me and the Kraang. Once again my thoughts returned to my father and how I could keep him safe……. him and the turtles.