April presses the correct buttons and asks: "Hello?"
"It's me."
"Taylor? Taylor, are you OK?" April cries.
There's silence for a moment. "You weren't crazy, April."
April looks at Casey and nods. They have her. Casey's mouth tightens; his eyes peer out of the window at the partially-lit streets, watchful and wary.
"April, this is Leonardo. We need to talk to you; you're in serious danger from the Foot. We should have told you that before - will you come and meet us?"
She draws in a shaky breath. "If I do...will you let Taylor go?"
"She's not a hostage. We had no idea what Raph was going to do, and if we had we would have stopped him."
"Besides, it's probably best if Taylor doesn't move around for a while," Donatello says in the background.
Casey glares suspiciously at the phone. April doesn't like the sound of that either, but Leonardo is talking again.
"We're not going to hurt you, April. You have my word as a ninja that no harm will come to you or Taylor. You're both safe with us."
April looks at Casey. His eyes silently say It's your call.
"Where?"
"I'll get Donnie to send you the location." Leo hangs up, and April lets out a shuddering breath.
"I'm coming too."
"I don't think they'll..."
Casey shifts around in his seat so he's looking at her better. "Look, even if I wasn't police, there's no way I'd let you meet these guys on your own. I'll just stay in the shadows and watch, but if things get dangerous I'm stepping in. I'm guessing this Raph wasn't all that gentle with your friend."
"These vigilantes aren't..." She was going to say they aren't human. "They're not what you think they are."
You know when a traumatic event occurs in a fictional character's life and they just move on for the sake of the story?
That's not going to happen here.
Her stuff is still lying on the floor. Taylor kneels down, wincing, to gather them up.
"Here." Next moment, April's helping pick up the things and putting them back into the bag. There's a shadow in her eyes.
"Are you both gonna be OK?" Casey asks.
April stands up to face him. "Yeah. Thanks for asking."
"Are you sure about that?" Taylor can hear the concern in Casey's voice. She wouldn't blame April if she answered no - the girl found out her father was murdered by a man they both trusted. At least Sacks has been taken down as well as the Shredder.
For a moment, April doesn't answer. "No. Not yet."
"What's what on..." April looks where Taylor's pointing and her face drains of colour. She hurries over to Donatello, pulling the tiny object off his shell.
Taylor stands as everyone goes quiet and looks in horror at the thing April's holding.
"Is that...what I think it is?" Donatello's voice trembles.
"LEAVE! NOW!" Splinter's tail lashes out and catches Taylor around the waist; she barely has time to react before he's throwing her into the arms of the nearest turtle and everyone's rushing out of the lair. They jump into the water; Taylor doesn't know or care where they're going. She just shuts her eyes and tries not to be sick.
The Foot was tracking them. They're not safe here.
Once they leave the water, Splinter quickly checks Leonardo, Michelangelo, Casey and April for any trackers.
"You OK?" a voice rumbles above Taylor's head. It takes her a moment to realise who is talking, and another to realise he's talking to her.
She nods without looking at him.
Splinter orders everyone to start moving again. They keep going and going for minutes or hours.
Eventually, they reach a large, empty chamber. Casey tries to hide that he's supporting April, who is breathing heavily; Raphael gently sets Taylor on her feet (she shuffles away from him and tries not to feel guilty afterwards), then he and the other Turtles collapse against the wall.
"I'm sorry, guys." Donatello is close to tears. "I should have thought..."
"This isn't your fault, Donnie," Leonardo says, clapping him on the shoulder. "You couldn't have known."
"OK, what are we going to do now?" Casey asks. He's still got a tight hold on his hockey stick. "What's the plan?"
Everyone looks at Splinter. Slowly, he straightens his back and looks at Leonardo expectantly.
The other turtles glance at each other.
For a moment, anxiety flickers over Leonardo's face. Then it's gone. He stands tall, eyes roving over the small group.
April settled into the lair as quickly as if she belonged there. Donnie had already set out a sleeping-bag for her, and she seemed quite happy with her new “bedroom” in the alcove.
Now, she sat on the sofa next to Dad, casually discussing the plan for getting her to and from work safely without being accosted by the Purple Dragons. Leo and his brothers would take in turns to escort her.
They were going to have to get some proper food in. April probably wouldn’t enjoy all the junk food snacks lying about the place.
“You will have to make sure nobody follows you once you leave work,” Dad warned April. “And if you keep asking questions, they know where to find your flat. If they tried to pay you one visit, they may well pay another.”
“Wait – they’ll go round to the flat again?” Donnie said suddenly. “Taylor’s in there.”
April’s eyes widened in horror. “I never thought of that. Do – do you think they’d hurt her?”
“They might if they think you’re still there, or if they think she knows where you are.”
Guilt flickered in April’s eyes. She lowered her head slightly.
“Donnie.” Leo turned to his younger but taller brother. “You said you got two sleeping-bags, right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Can the second one fit in the alcove as well?”
Donnie nodded.
“Good.” Leo turned around and strode towards the exit.
“Where you going, bro?” Mikey called after him.
“I’m going to bring Taylor here. There’s no way we’re going to let her get hurt either.”
Donnie rushed after him and grabbed his arm. “Wait, Leo. Are you sure that’s a good idea? After what…you know, what happened with her and Raph?”
“She knows she doesn’t have to be scared of us.” She wouldn’t have visited the lair with April if she was still afraid.
Donnie didn’t look convinced.
Leo took out his phone, placed a quick call to Casey and asked him to come round to the flat to collect Taylor’s things once she was gone. “April will give you a key.”
He was doing this because he cared. Even if they didn’t know Taylor, they would have acted if she was in danger.
xxx
The curtains were drawn, but they were thin and there was a light on in the flat. Leo tapped lightly on the window; after a moment, Taylor let him in.
“Did April forget something?” she asked.
“Yes. Actually, we all did.”
Taylor frowned.
“If April’s going to keep asking questions about the Purple Dragons, they might go round to the flat again. She’s not here, but you are.”
Slowly, the frown disappeared. The colour started to drain away from Taylor’s face, leaving her ashen.
“It’s for your safety. I don’t approve of what Raph did, but we’re not going to leave you where the Dragons might hurt you.” Leo knelt slightly and looked her right in the eye. “I’m asking you to trust us. Can you do that?”
Taylor had gone completely still and pale. She seemed to be struggling to breathe properly.
“Taylor, calm down. You’re OK.”
She turned around and walked into her room. Leo kept an eye on her as she started to pack, first toiletries and clothes, then some other essentials. She kept a tight grip on her handbag as they went back into the lounge.
They needed to get going, right now.
“Casey’ll be round to get your stuff later.” Leo quickly looked out of the window; luckily, nobody was watching them or was even looking in their direction. He picked Taylor up and clambered out of the window, closing it behind them.
Swiftly and silently, he leaped from one rooftop to another, Taylor held carefully and securely in one arm. To her credit, she didn’t scream, but she did keep a tight hold on his shell.
xxx
There was no way he was going to take her the waterslide route, so instead he brought her the long way round.
“Here we go,” he said when they reached the door. “Lair sweet lair.”
He pressed the right combination of numbers, and the door slid open. Taylor didn’t move, so he placed a hand on her back and gently nudged her forward.
“Hey, she’s here!” Mikey walked towards them, arms spread open in his goofy way. “Welcome to the crib, girl!”
"Let me show you where you and April will be sleeping." Donnie led Taylor away towards the alcove that had been prepared for the two guests.
Suddenly, Raph stood in front of Leo, glaring at him. Leo knew that look in his eyes, the set of his shoulders. He was squaring up for a fight.
“What did you do?” he shouted. “What is she doing here?”
“If the Purple Dragons go round to the flat again, they might have found Taylor and hurt her. I wasn’t going to let that happen, so I brought her here.”
“You what?” Raph shoved him. Leo took one pace back but held his ground. “You just brought her here? Did you even ask her? Did you?”
Leo’s chest twinged with guilt; he shoved it down. He’d done the right thing, he knew he had. "I told Taylor we weren't going to leave her where she might be hurt and asked her to trust us. She started packing."
"Then how come she looked so scared when you brought her in?" Raph all but yelled. “You did what I did, Leo!”
“What is the meaning of this?” Now Dad was approaching. His tail was twitching slightly, which all the brothers knew was not a good sign. “Tell me what is going on, now.”
With one final glare at Leo, Raph stalked away. “Ask him.”
Leo was left to face the music. Thanks, Raph. Thanks a lot. “I brought Taylor to the lair. I should have talked about it with you first, but she could have been danger if the Dragons came round again.”
Dad frowned at him. “I understand why you would think that, but why is Raphael so angry?” His whiskers twitch. “Did Taylor have a say in this?”
“I said we weren’t going to leave her where the Dragons might hurt her and asked her to trust us.”
“Are you saying she didn’t?”
She’d looked scared. It hadn’t been because of the Dragons, it had been because of him.
And then it happened.
"Of course I'm not!”
Leo spun around. That was Taylor’s voice. She sounded almost hysterical with anger.
“I didn't ask for this - any of this!”
“Leo?” Mikey was there, his blue eyes wide and alarmed. “What’s going on? Why is Taylor…”
“I didn't want to go through the most terrifying experience of my life! I didn't want to think I was going to die because I wasn't April or because I found out you existed!"
"You thought that?" Raph asked.
"Yes! I still do!”
Mikey looked as if he’d been kicked in the gut. Don made a strange half-strangled sound.
“I couldn't sleep properly for ages after that, 'cos I thought one of you might come in and kill us."
"What?" Raph cried.
She didn’t mean that. She couldn’t have meant that. Why would she even…
But Taylor wasn’t finished. "I don't feel safe anymore! Why? Why couldn't you have just left us alone? Why did you do it?"
"I'm sorry!"
Leo didn’t dare breathe. Shock and a strange kind of fear was coursing through him; nearby, his brothers were as still as statues.
"I...I never..." Raph’s voice was so small. "I'm sorry." Then it was quieter, as if muffled by something. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Taylor."
Leo heard the faint sound of someone crying. The sobs suddenly grew louder, painful and wracking. He moved to see what was going on, only for Dad to put a gentle hand on his arm.
“Leave them be. Sometimes it’s necessary to release emotion to heal, and I suspect Taylor’s been carrying around a lot of pain and fear since her experience.”
“But she didn’t mean that, did she, Dad? What she said about us killing them.”
Dad sighed heavily. “I fear she did. I also fear your actions today have not helped her at all.”
In the background, Raph was talking in a soft tone that he’d only ever used with Donnie and Mikey before, and even then when he thought nobody else was listening. Eventually, Taylor’s crying died away and Raph brought her through.
She looked so small.
“I want to go to sleep,” she mumbled. Without a word, Raph carried her towards the alcove.
Mikey looked as if he was about to start crying too. Leo put an arm around him and let him nuzzle into his shoulder, seeking comfort.
He genuinely hadn’t meant to kidnap Taylor for the second time in her life, or to scare her. As much as he wished his brothers hadn’t heard her words, he knew she had every reason to feel as she did. If she didn’t want to stay in the lair, they wouldn’t force her to do so but if she did, he’d make sure she knew she didn’t have to be afraid of them.
And hopefully, there would be a chance to make amends.
Raph was shifting around, moving restlessly in front of them - a definite sign that he was uncomfortable. Mikey stood a little way behind him, unable to look even at April.
"We didn't want the ooze to track Bebop and Rocksteady."
Casey folded his arms.
"We wanted it because Donnie found out that if it could turn humans into animals, and if it could do that..."
"...it could work both ways," Taylor murmured. She didn't really want to look at the turtles either.
"So why not just tell us that?" asked Casey. "We'd have...we'd have helped you get it. You didn't have to lie to us."
"That's not what family does," Taylor mumbled. At least, that wasn't what family was supposed to do.
Mikey looked like he was about to cry. "We're sorry we got you into trouble. And...and that we lied."
Taylor couldn't help but relent a little bit. It had been pretty obvious there was something the boys weren't telling them, but at the time they'd overlooked it. She should have called them out on it instead of just going along with the plan, and she didn't like the feeling of being used, especially by people she cared about.
It hurt more than she expected.
"Yeah," Raph said. "We really are. And if you don't trust us after this, I get it."
"Just don't do it again, guys," April replied. "OK?"
Taylor gave Raph and Mikey an awkward little shrug. She'd forgiven before - she'd get there again.
"Keep still," Taylor admonishes him, gently dabbing a wet ball of cotton wool onto the cut on his leg. "I'm nearly done here."
Nearby, Don is finishing tying a bandage around Raph's arm; the larger turtle is keeping as still as he can, but Taylor's seen his gritted teeth and clenched fists. She doesn't know if he's trying to ignore the pain, or if he's angry that he and the others have been harmed. Casey hands April an ice pack, which she presses against the side of her head. She's going to have a nasty bruise there, and Casey's got a split lip.
"Finished," Taylor says. Don is already approaching with another bandage, which he immediately starts winding over Mikey's cut. The turtles will heal quickly thanks to the mutagen in their blood, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't take care of their injuries.
Taylor looks up to see Leo standing over her. "What?" she asks.
"You too." He points at her left arm.
A thin line of blood stands out against her blue shirt. "That's nothing." She just scraped it against something; she didn't even realise it was bleeding until they were getting back to the lair.
Leo folds his arms and just looks at her.
Oh no. He doesn't get to do that. "You know I'm older than you, right?"
"What's your point? Family takes care of each other, Taylor. That includes you." He kneels down next to her. "Let me have a look at that."
She rolls the arm of her sleeve up; after a moment of inspecting the cut, he picks up the bottle of antiseptic and tips it against a pad of cotton wool.
Taylor braces herself - and immediately winces as it makes contact. But she doesn't pull away.
