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Chapter Text

Grimacing in pain, Leo lowered his katana from the practice pose he had been completing. He hadn’t been able to get through his kata all afternoon and it was driving him crazy. That feeling was back in his chest. Burning, tight pain that extended from the scar on his left shoulder to the top of his plastron and, strangely, the back of his right hand. It usually appeared so randomly that he could ignore it, but for the last three days that discomfort had grown exponentially. Rubbing his shoulder, he couldn’t stop the grunt as the ache radiated outward and consumed him. He had been trying to ignore the feeling that something was wrong, but nothing he did shook the discomfort in his soul. 

“Hurting again?” Raph asked from the doorway. Perhaps he hadn’t been as covert as he’d thought in hiding the pain.

“It’s nothing. Just an old wound. Must be a storm coming and I’m showing my age,” Leo joked. 

“Is it the one you got from that freak that worked for Sacks?” 

None of them had come out of the Sacks incident without scars, either physical or mental. It was always a sore subject. They had almost lost their father. They had almost lost each other. Some wounds never heal. 

“It’s fine Raph,” he said adding a note of finality. 

Raph nodded his head in deference of Leo’s role, giving in to the command without a fight. Leo could see the ache there. Raph carried a lot of guilt from that day no matter how much they assured him that he was the one that saved them. He didn’t bow in humility often, his irrational nature strong and stubborn, needing to be in control. In this moment, it was a look Leo didn’t enjoy seeing on his brother’s face. He conceded just a bit and softened his tone, “I just can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong. It’s been an unsteady feeling growing in me the last three days. I can’t meditate, and my focus has been shot. I can’t even get through my practice routine.”

He didn’t tell him that his dreams had been noticeably empty. Dreams that had been so vibrant and full of color, life, mystery, and a face that made sleep a welcome escape. 

“What do you think it is?” Raph asked resuming his show of strength, but this time in support. 

“I don’t know, but I feel like something is coming.” 

As if in answer to his response, alarms started ringing around the Lair. Together the brothers moved as one and converged on Donnie’s computer array. 

“Talk to me Donnie,” Leo asked as he started scanning the screens in front of him.

“We’ve got Foot Clan activity in Manhattan. I’m tracking four of the license plates that have been on my BOLO list and I’ve got video feed uploadingggg…..now.” 

Instantly the screens loaded with several different angles from around the area Donnie had located and Leo felt his breath catch in his lungs. 

The different feeds showed a vacant street in New York and a young woman running with above average speed as she kept looking over her shoulder in fear. Several other cameras displayed large off road vehicles converging onto the street in pursuit. But it was the face he saw running that drew his attention the most. It was the same face that had appeared in his dreams for the last ten years. It was thinner and more hollow, but he recognized it all the same.

“They appear to be following this woman. She looks familiar, but I can’t place from where,” Donnie mumbled edging closer to the screen. “And where did she learn to run like that? Her speed is way above average.”

Leo was turning around and running before he had a chance to plan the next step. Strategy flew out the window as instinct took over.  

“We’re moving. NOW!” His tone left no room for argument and the room burst in a flurry of movement. “MIKEY! LET’S GO!”

The brothers converged on the garage as Donnie remotely cranked the Turtle Tank. Piling into the cab Leo jumped ahead of his techy brother and into the driver’s seat and floored the gas. Mikey rolled to the back of the tank as Raph and Donnie grasped onto any handholds they could find.

“Leo!” Donnie yelled out. “What are you doing?”

“Track her Donnie and tell me where I’m going! I need you to figure this out, NOW. What’s our ETA?” Leo ordered. His adrenaline was pumping and he could hear the blood rushing in his head as all his thoughts zeroed in on one thing. The woman from the video. She was alive and she was in trouble. His sole focus was on getting to her as quickly as possible.  

Instantly realizing there was more to the situation than Foot activity, Donnie pulled up his video scans on the back monitors and began searching. It took too many seconds before he finally caught sight of her again. She had cleverly taken refuge in a dark alley, but it would be no match for the Foot, he was sure. 

“She’s hiding behind a dumpster outside of the Verdant Cafe. Once you get to the main access road, take a left and floor it and we can be there in less than two minutes,” Donnie shouted.

Anticipating the change in acceleration, Donnie and Raph gripped their arm rests harder as Mikey once again lost his balance and continued to roll on his shell when the Tank lurched onto a side street. “Dude!” Came his exasperated yell.  

Two minutes. So much could go wrong in two minutes. Time felt like it was dragging around him even though the speedometer said differently. He heard movement behind him as Donnie made a sound of alarm and began typing furiously. 

“Leo, we got about 15 Foot soldiers that just rolled up in that alley! They’ve blocked off the entrance with their vehicles,” Raph yelled. He watched as the girl on the video crawled backwards and tried hiding herself in the dark even though it was no use. “We gotta hurry Leo! She ain’t got a chance against this!”

The accelerator was pushed to the floor at this point, but Leo felt as though he would never get there in time. He was gritting his teeth and the steering wheel so hard it felt as though they would shatter into dust. 

“I’m sending an alert to Casey and Chief Vincent. We’re gonna need their support in clearing the scene. Luckily this is a smaller neighborhood and it looks like all the businesses are closed for the night so we don’t have to worry about a lot of prying eyes,” Donnie called out as he typed in his tech gauntlet. “Prepare to engage guys!”

The pain in Leo’s chest had gone from a dull ache to sharp stabs. He could feel his heart beating rapidly and his breathing was quickly spiraling out of control. He had to get to her. As the Tank careened around a corner, he saw the four large vehicles blocking the alley. “Hold on to something!”

Realizing what his brother was about to do, Donnie streaked forward flipping a switch engaging the battering ram before holding onto the back of the driver’s seat to brace for the impact. “Raph, grab Mikey!” He yelled looking over his shoulder. Raph latched onto Mikey’s arm as he rolled by once more and gripped one of the stabilizing bars. The Tank rammed the first vehicle with the force of a bomb and obliterated it in an instant. It ravaged the remaining trucks and left them irreparable and the Foot with no means of escape, not that there would be one anyway. 

Leo exited first with his brothers scrambling to follow behind. There was no plan in his mind save for one. Save the girl. 

“Raph, take point and you three handle this group.” He didn’t wait to see if his orders were being followed. He moved with the stealth and ease that his training and genetics had programmed into him. Leaping over the main group he streaked towards the back of the alley where he could see two Foot soldiers, guns aimed into the darkness. 

Katanas raised, he didn’t think, only moved. The guns clattered to the pavement and the concussed thuds of the soldier’s heads were the only sounds Leo was processing in that moment. Time slowed as her shape took form in the shadows of the building. It was her.

Moving slowly he tried to take in everything in that moment. Slowly you came out of the shadows and stared at him as though he were a star, eyes in wonder and not fear or revulsion. He took in everything in a moment. He noticed the blood on the ground around you and the steady trickle from your leg. The kunai sticking out of your thigh. The dirt on your cheeks. The rips in your clothes. Your hair falling messily from the ponytail that secured the rest. But mostly he noticed your face and your eyes as they trained on him. He couldn’t look away. He couldn’t breath. All he could do was move towards you and in that moment he felt his universe shift. 

“It’s you,” your whispered voice trembled, scooting closer to him and coming out of the shadows. 

He slowly kneeled in front of you. “It’s me,” he whispered back. Your hand extended and touched his cheek. The same hand which held a scar on the back. A scar that aligned and matched perfectly if placed just right to the one that bisected his shoulder and upper plastron.

Together the two of you orbited one another and let the moment close in around you. The only sound was the silence of your shared breaths until his brother’s voice cut through the moment causing you both to jump. 

“I think,” Raph growled, “that you owe us an explanation.” 

Leo glanced helplessly at his brothers knowing that everything was about to change, then back at the you as your eyes rolled back and you began to slump in unconsciousness. Your hand started to slip from his face and he grasped it firmly before hauling you into the safety of his arms. 

Chapter Text

Your life had never been one that anyone would call “normal”, and you loved every moment of the before. 

Before Eric and Aaron Sacks. 

The After is where everything turned upside down and you felt a little like Alice lost in Wonderland. 

Identified early for your extreme intelligence, your parents had sought balance. Both hippies from way back, you grew up with no television, but shelves filled with books and opportunities for imagination. Weekend trips camping with only what could be carried in a backpack. Tents and warm blankets under the stars. Yoga beside streams and waterfalls on crisp fall mornings. Feeling the rain slip over your skin as you smiled at the storm. 

You wished for the storms of your childhood to the hurricanes you lived out daily. In the After there was only survival. Living off the grid had been harder than you anticipated alone. Your parents had fared well and had raised you to not need the trappings of normal society, but you had grown comfortable and reliant during your time in school and amongst your science minded community. You had forgotten just how hard the fall could be when you were used to something soft to break it. 

Things had been getting better though. You had finally found a new normal outside of the cultivated life you thought you would have and you were slowly remembering what it felt like to be truly happy. You had found a small town in the upstate with lots of nooks and crannies for hiding away and living quietly. The people there encompassed the hippy lifestyle your parents always admired and they welcomed you with open arms. There was a sweet little yoga studio that paid you under the table for manning the front desk. The owner would even let you take a daily class so you could feel the stretch in your thighs and feel one inch closer to your folks. The bakery next door gave you hours when the studio was closed and snuck you muffins when they thought you looked too thin. 

Life had been good. So why did you have to go back to what had been? Why did you have to check the Boards that day? 

It had been over year with no new posts and you had already begun to wonder if you were the last one alive. It was time to let go of the past and move forward. You could build a life here. Plant roots. If only that one guest hadn’t come in with a bundle of daffodils to help brighten the front desk on a grey day. Daffodils, with their sunny yellow shape that reminded you of another flower and a friend from your past and their code name. 

The message you found on the Board was a surprise. You hadn’t been expecting it. Looking at the time stamp you noticed that it had been within the last week, but the message was clear. Daisy needed help. 

Message from Yellow Bell: 

“Cobalt Wolf - found solution in the code. Need your brain. Come soon. Usual spot - green tea. Hurry. Important.”

Packing your meager life up had been hard. Saying goodbye to Isabelle and Isaac, the sweet owners of the yoga studio had been harder. They reminded you so much of what your parents would have been like if they had been given the chance to age with grace. They had begged you to stay, could see that you were haunted by a past filled with pain, regret, and danger and wanted to shield you from it. 

You knew it was a mistake to return to the city, but you couldn’t ignore the plea for help from the last surviving member of your team. With a final hug and a promise to return when things were sorted, they sent you off with a wrapped bag of warm scones and a fresh thermos of coffee. One of the locals had plans to drive to the city so you jumped in the beat down truck and began the long trek back to New York. Back to Daisy. And back to a past filled with fire, smoke, pain, and regret. 

Daisy had taken you under her wing after your parents died and you were left alone in Sack’s Renaissance program. She was like the fun Aunt who gave in to every whim you imagined. When your team had escaped the Sacks compound she was the one who decided that scattering was the best course of action for everyone to take. She was also the one who recommended using a random message board on a website that received fewer than five hits a year to communicate only when necessary. It had worked. For the last ten years it had kept you in the know of how the team was doing. You would each randomly post throughout the passing years coded thoughts on what you could have missed within the mutagen formula. Always in small snippets so that only the other members would understand. Your team had been top tier and each knew the cost of failing to stop Sacks. When Cresh posted the link to the first obituary for Dina, you knew that it was the beginning of things changing. 

One by one you had seen as each person’s code name was notified as deceased or missing by one of the other members until at last it was down to you and Daisy. From eight members to two and now, maybe, one. Each death always suspicious or suspected foul play. 

Aaron Sacks. It had to be.

You had just been going to observe. To watch for a few days to determine if it was a trap or if Daisy did indeed need help. No one had ever reached out before to meet up. It was an unspoken rule. To gather together was a risk for being found. All of you, however, had not stopped working on the goal. Stop Sacks. There was more at play than the initial virus he planned to release on the populace of New York. Project Renaissance was more than making money or utilizing a devastating mutagen that threatened to destroy life on the planet…or alter it further. It didn’t matter that Sacks was in a maximum security prison and that the Shredder hadn’t been seen for nearly eight years, ever since the alien incident in New York. Project Renaissance was still active and that Aaron hadn’t stopped following his father’s plan.

The scar on the back your hand burned frequently enough to remind you of that fact and the sadistic smile that haunted your dreams was enough to keep you away from the lights of the city. 

There was another smile though. One that soothed and brought a sense of calm in the chaos that was your sleep. It was hard to find, usually hidden in shadows and from rooftops, but you recognized the presence as surely as you did a fresh mountain breeze. You didn’t know his name, only his color. Blue. Always Blue. The calming wash that always came with him erased the sharp tentacles that Aaron Sacks had worked into your brain. 

As your legs burned and your lungs felt like they were going to burst at any moment, all you wanted was just a glimpse of blue so you would know safety was close. But how could it be? You knew he must certainly be dead. Drained of every last drop of his singularly unique blood that was so precious to Project Renaissance. You felt the sob wrenched from your lungs as you rounded the corner of the Cafe that you thought meant the safety of a friend. You hoped that by doubling back you would have lost the team of Foot soldiers gunning for your life. You dove behind the dumpster and squeezed into the tiny, shadowed crevice trying to make yourself as small as possible. 

You knew your efforts were in vain when you heard the squelch of tires and the blinding headlights converted the darkness into light. Scrambling for the further recesses of the alley you looked for any means of escape only to turn up nothing. This was it. They had finally caught you.

The gritty footsteps of the Foot echoed in the darkness and you could feel your fight or flight instincts raise high in your system.

“Well look what we found boys. A little wolf loose in the Big Apple,” a voice called out followed after by the cold laughter of his team. If she was a wolf, they were a pack of jackals. 

“We’ve been looking for you a long time little wolf,” another chimed in. “We’ve got a cage built just for you.” 

The cold grip of reality began to come crashing down. Death would be sweeter compared to whatever they had planned. Could they know? Did they have any idea how changed you really were?

The thoughts didn’t have time to coalesce into a singular thought before the sound of a bomb and a wall of fire encased the opening of the alley. The majority of the Foot Soldiers turned around to deal with whatever had descended upon them, while two of the pack broke off to cage you. You darted from the shadows to try and take advantage of their distracted state only to feel the sting in your leg as you plummeted to the ground. The glinting handle of the kunai throbbed in your thigh. You crawled aimlessly backward trying to put as much distance between yourself and the two soldiers. 

You weren’t going down without a fight. You tried to pull out the dagger, but it held fast with pulsating pain that had you gritting your teeth and biting back a scream.

“Quick, grab her before…” but the words never continued and instead the only sounds were the pained yells of the other soldiers at the opening of the alley and the closer sounding thud of skulls being bounced off one another. 

Releasing your hold on the knife you looked up and felt time stand completely still. It was an expression you never realized could be true until that moment. He was there. Blue. Moving with a grace you didn’t know was possible for someone his size. 

“It’s you,” you whispered softly. 

He knelt down in front of you slowly and you couldn’t stop the movement of your scarred hand to caress his cheek if you tried. Looking back into your own eyes were the crystal clear blue ones that brought the only comfort you had in sleep. 

“It’s me,” he returned. 

The pain in your legs, chest, and head were slowly catching up to the loss of blood from the kunai that was still throbbing along with your rapidly lowering pulse. In the last moments you were awake you felt your hand slip from his rough, scaled skin before being grasped firmly once more. After that there was only darkness, warmth, safety, and the tender tendrils of Blue. 

Chapter Text

“I think,” Raph growled, “that you owe us an explanation.” 

Leo glanced helplessly at his brothers knowing that everything was about to change, then back at the you as your eyes rolled back and you slumped in unconsciousness. Your hand began to slip from his face and he grasped it firmly before hauling you into the safety of his arms.

“Careful bro!” Mikey called out moving forward. He gestured to the kunai in your thigh and the trail of blood slipping steadily from it. Pulling off one of his hand wraps, Mikey wrapped it tightly around your leg above the wound. “We gotta move Leo. That needs to come out, like yesterday.”

Leo felt helpless. For the first time he wasn’t sure what needed to be done. He knew that Casey and Chief Vincent would be on the way and they needed to be brought up to date on the situation and the war zone he had unleashed in his arrival, but he also knew he had to take care of the woman in his arms. 

“Go Leo,” Raph said firmly. “You, Donnie, and Mikey get her taken care of. I’ll stay here and handle this.” Looking into his brother’s eyes Leo only saw fierce determination and protection. He nodded and moved before he realized he was even doing it. Together the three brothers headed back to the Tank, with Donnie in the driver’s seat this time. 

“Mikey, I need you to get a blood sample from her really quick and stick it into the processor for me. This way we can have her blood type pulled up and ready for us when we get back to the Lair. I have a feeling she’s going to benefit from a transfusion.”

“On it!” 

All Leo could do was sit on the back bench and hold onto you, the one he had seen more in his dreams than awake. He knew the slope of your face. The angle of your jaw. The fine details of your eyelashes. He knew your face like he knew his own even though you had only been together in person a mere moment in time. He watched as Mikey took a glucose testing strip and dipped it into the blood of your leg before touching it to one of Donnie’s many scanners. The program began to run instantly connecting to the system in the Lair.

“How much longer Dee?” His voice croaked. He cleared his throat and caught Mikey’s concerned expression. 

“Almost there Leo. I’ve already sent a message ahead to Dad and he’s getting the Needle Room ready for us.”

Leo held you more firmly and lowered his head in submissiveness. He could feel his entire being surrender to the pull of your gravity. He heard Donnie’s computers send out an alert and saw Mikey move from his periphery. He couldn’t look away from your face though. 

“Uhhhhh, Dee. We may have a situation here,” Mikey mumbled.

“Later Mikey, I’m pulling into the tunnels. Get ready to transport.”

Leo gripped you under your knees, already standing and bracing for the stop. Before the breaks were fully engaged, Mikey had the doors open and the two were running ahead of Donnie to get to the Needle Room. 

“Lay her down my son,” Splinter said once they entered. Leo carefully laid you down on the table as Mikey began removing his gear and washing his hands. Donnie came hustling in after already having removed his gear and joining Michelangelo at the scrubbing station to wash up. 

“My Son, I have prepared your supplies as you noted in your message.”

“Thanks Dad,” Donnie called back scrubbing harshly with the bar of soap.

Taking a warm washcloth, Splinter began to wipe down your face as Leo gently arranged you on the table and pillowed your head. He couldn’t let you go of your hand though. Releasing you fully felt like letting go of himself and he couldn’t get his trembling under control. He could hear Mikey and Donnie talking at the sink in urgent, angry tones, but none of what they were saying made any sense. He heard more than saw Donnie move to the cold storage where they kept a ready supply of blood should any of them need it. April and Casey also donated in case they or any other human was ever critically injured. They were both O Negative, universal donors, and having their blood on standby could be the difference in life or death for someone.

Mikey wheeled over the intravenous pole and connected a bottle of saline before gently grasping your left arm to insert the needle. He saw Mikey’s hesitation when he noticed the scar that crossed the back of your hand and wrapped around to the underside of your wrist. Leo also didn’t miss the quiet look his brother sent him before stepping back and allowing Donnie to come forward with a packet of blood. 

“After this is all over, we are going to have a serious discussion Leonardo,” his brother said with a tone that no one was used to hearing from the resident genius. Leo looked up in alarm at what may have triggered his brother’s anger. Donnie was always one of the calmest brothers, so to have him speak in irritation spoke of a larger problem that Leo couldn’t figure out. 

Donnie inserted the second needle and Leo felt some of the tightness in his chest release when he knew you would be getting a steady blood supply.

“What is your concern, my Son?” Splintered asked while still dabbing the rag to your forehead.

 “I couldn’t use April or Casey’s blood Sensei. No match…. There was one match my sensors picked up though. Care to explain Leo?” The look on Donnie’s face was all seriousness. He pulled over the prepared tray of medical utensils and instructed Mikey to begin cutting off your pants leg.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Donnie, so why don’t you just get to the point,” Leo countered, pulling your scarred hand and lifting it up to his chest. He knew what was coming and that you would probably need something to squeeze. He also noticed when his family realized how the scars matched up perfectly. This seemed to enrage Donatello even more. 

“You don’t know why I couldn’t use any other blood sample but YOURS on this HUMAN woman?” Donnie snapped back. Whatever he saw in Leo’s face, however, must have answered his question. 

Shock. It’s all that he could feel in that moment and he was sure it was equally present on his face.

“My blood?” He whispered. He turned back to look at you and held your hand tighter to his chest, over the spot where his heart beat furiously over the implication. 

“There will be time for all of that later, my Sons. Right now we must deal with the issue at hand,” Splinter commanded. “Leonardo, hold her closely to you. Michelangelo, prepare to pull out the kunai, swiftly and with precision. Donatello, ready the compress and coagulants.”

Leo lifted you off of the table and into the circle of his arms, being careful to not shift your needled arm too much. With a look to each of his brothers he faced his father with determination in his hold and nodded. 

“Ready Sensei,” the brothers intoned together.

On the mark of an unspoken countdown they moved as one - Mikey pulling out the kunai, Donnie surging forward to stifle the immediate flow of blood, Leo grasping your hand harder into his hold, and you surging off the table, your scream rending the quiet like the dagger that had been pulled from your skin. 

Chapter Text

Warm. Safe. Blue.

These were the only thoughts swirling through your head in the moments following being attacked by the Foot. Unconsciousness wrapped around your brain like a cocoon of blue silk only to feel that silk be ripped to shreds a short time later. Your leg felt like it was on fire and you couldn’t hold back the scream as it was wrenched from your throat and sent you surging up to try and stop it. Braces of steel wrapped around you and through the pain and confusion happening all around, you began to hear whispered coos, rumbles, and affirmations.

“Deep breaths. That’s it. You’ve got this. I’ve got you. You’re safe. You’re safe. It’s me. I’ve got you. Breathe with me. That’s it.”

Grabbing each assurance in your heart you began to match your breathing to the rise and fall of the chest you were pressed into. You began to blink rapidly to clear away the tears when you felt a warm cloth pressed to your cheeks. Opening your eyes, you had to blink a few more times to clear your vision and felt yourself staring into warm brown eyes and a furry face. In the same instant you felt a scaled finger brush a tear from rolling down your cheek and turned your face to meet the owner.

Blue. Crystal clear and familiar. Your heart shuddered with the feeling of safety at last. 

“Blue,” you heard yourself whisper before you could stop it.

“Leo,” he corrected in whispered tones.

You felt yourself smiling before you recognized that’s what you were doing. You finally knew his name.

“Leo,” you whispered back. He met your smile with one of his own.

“Mikey!” Came a cheerful voice from your left. You looked up into a friendly face and eyes the same icy blue as Leo’s. “Also known as Michelangelo and the most handsome of our heroic party. And this tall drink of water currently sewing stitches into your leg is Donatello, but we all call him Donnie or Dee. He’s our resident genius, doctor, and all around tech guru.” The turtle in purple never looked up from where he was leaning over your leg and sewing tiny stitches, but he nodded in acknowledgment. “You’ll meet our final brother Big Red, aka Raphael, aka Raph, aka the Titanium Teddy Bear, aka Mr. Grumpy Pants when he gets home from filling in the police on what was happening to you Mamacita.” 

“In the meantime my dear, would you like a cup of tea to settle your nerves,” asked the large rat that was now holding his hands together in front of you.

“Yes please,” you rasped, your throat still raw from your scream. Clearing your throat you asked one more question. “Could I know your name?”

You noticed that this request seemed to please the three terrapins and brought a smile to the rat. 

“I am Splinter and these are my sons. And you are?”

Clearing your throat once more, you told them your name. You heard your name whispered lowly by Leo and turned to meet his gaze once more. 

“How did you find me?” You asked in wonder.

“That would be Donnie,” he explained.

You glanced down to the tall, purple brother who was finishing the final stitch in your leg.

“Tech guru,” Mikey intoned happily. “Would you like something to eat to go with that tea? I just made some banana bread this morning and, if I may so humbly express, it’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten.”

“That sounds amazing,” you said as your stomach chimed in with a rumble of affirmation. 

“You know what sounds even more amazing,” came a deep baritone from behind you. Turning you met the golden eyes of the one Mikey must have meant was Raph. “An explanation. Right now.”

“I would have to concur with him,” said Donatello coming to stand beside his larger brother. You felt Mikey come to stand by your side and felt the arms holding you tighten.

“Dude. Give her some time,” Mikey defended. There was a clear line in the sand being drawn and two teams being divided and you didn’t like it one bit. You knew you were going to have some explaining to do sooner rather than later. 

“I’m going to have to insist Mike,” said a human man coming from behind the turtle in red. “We need answers and right now she’s the only one that has them.”

You felt all the eyes in the room twist to look at you, but there was only one pair that mattered and those were the eyes you sought. 

Leaning your face forward, you felt your cheek brush his and his chest draw in a sharp breath. “Will you stay with me?”  You whispered where you thought his ear was.

“Until you send me away, I’m right here beside you,” he answered back, his words whispering over the sensitive skin of your own ear.

Leaning back you turned and nodded to the gruff looking turtle and met his stern gaze with a determined one of your own.

“This conversation is going to take more than tea and bread, Sensei. I’m calling Tony’s. You like pepperoni Sweets?” Mikey asked pulling out a phone that you couldn’t help but notice was shaped like a turtle shell.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

With the prospect of dinner Splinter suggested that the group move out of the sterile, crowded surgical room to the more open living room area. The only other space with as many flashing lights, random sounds, and television screens you had been to was Times Square. You took in every inch with a look of wonder. Leo had settled you on the couch with your legs spread out along the cushions and your back pressed into his side, his arm stretched along the back of the couch. You could tell that the seating arrangement had caught the others by surprise, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. You felt safe. Safer than you had in the last eleven years, since the death of your parents. Leo had maneuvered your intravenous pole behind the couch so that you were still getting a steady supply of saline, having already received enough blood to satisfy Donatello.

A familiar female face had joined the party and was sitting beside Donatello on the arm of his tech chair. The were chatting lowly and every now and then you could see the girl’s eyebrows raise in wonder before she would cut a quick glance at you then back to the purple brother. You would recognize April O’Neil anywhere, but it was her father’s research you were more familiar with. 

“Now,” Splinter said setting down a delicate porcelain cup of tea in your hands. “While we wait for dinner my dear, if you don’t mind answering a few questions my sons have raised.”

You sipped the warm peppermint tea and felt the fog in your brain recede. Already you could feel the bonds in your blood repairing themselves and your strength returning.

“I should probably start at the beginning then,” you said softly. The room grew still and all eyes were trained on you. You felt the larger hand yours was tucked into hold you tighter and it gave you the courage to begin. 

“You say that your brother is a certified tech genius, right?” You asked looking around the room. At their agreement you continued. “Then it would appear that we have something in common Donatello. While technology is not my forte, I also have genius level intelligence in the area of biology and mathematics.”

You noticed Donatello perked up at this answer. 

“My parents were very free spirited and were both very surprised and excited about this and they sought every opportunity to encourage my growth. I graduated from high school at 9 and finished my doctoral program at 14. I was getting ready to begin a research project with the Central Park Zoo when my Dad was contacted by Eric Sacks,” you stopped speaking as you noticed each of the brothers stiffen, including the one holding you. You knew this would be a hard conversation, but you also knew it was necessary to gain full trust.

“What year was this?” April asked.

“In 2012,” you responded honestly.

“That was two years before the attack on New York,”April remarked as the brothers in red and purple nodded to each other. 

“Yes. Sacks had seen my dissertation on understanding the components of the genetic chain in rabbits and he wanted me to join his research team. Project Renaissance.” You saw the effect this had on everyone, Splinter included. “He gave me your father’s research April and I was immediately interested. I turned down my position at the Zoo and went to work full time with the research team at Sacks Industries.” 

Raph stood up and began to pace menacingly, twirling his sai. You saw Mikey move from his chair to the end of the couch by your feet in a protective gesture and immediately wanted to hug the shortest turtle.

“There were eight of us on our team and at first it was basic research,” you continued. “There was nothing out of the ordinary about what we were doing. A year after I joined, Aaron Sacks, Eric’s son, came on board and began to change our directives. We started working with more animal specimens and his methods of research didn’t fall in line with humane treatment of animals. I shared my concerns with my parents and…”

You had to stop for a moment and take a sip of the tea in your lap. So many memories. So many regrets. The warmth and taste of the tea reminded you of memories with your parents. The warmth at your back brought back memories of your mother braiding your hair and the comfort of Splinter’s gaze was familiar to your father’s when he was worried. Clearing your throat you continued. 

“It…it was just a few days later when my parents went to go and talk to Mr. Sacks directly about what was happening in the lab that they had a car accident. They both died. I…I don’t know if they were ever able to talk with him, but after that I was on my own.”

You took another sip of tea and barreled on. “I have no other family. My parents lived a pretty bohemian lifestyle so there wasn’t much left to return to. I was fifteen at the time and was about to become a ward of the state when Mr. Sacks stepped in and offered to sponsor me until I turned eighteen. Being who he was and the fact that I was already part of his research team, he was granted guardianship. My teammate, Daisy, took me in as well and we shared a suite at the Estate.”

“Once I was moved onto the Estate, everything changed. We started noticing a lot more enforcement around the mansion and Aaron ramped up his cruelty. Within a few weeks of losing my parents we were permanently confined to the Estate and all our methods of communication were terminated. This is when the full extent of Project Renaissance was made known to us.”

You had to stop again as the memories replayed in your mind and brought tears to your eyes.

“There were…so many people brought in. Homeless, no family…like me. Aaron and his personal team were conducting experiments with a synthesized mutagen and the results were catastrophic. They were trying to replicate the original Project Renaissance to create a serum that would counteract a catastrophic virus, but that was only one branch of the research project.”

“What do you mean one branch? Wasn’t the virus the end game for Sacks?” April asked leaning forward. 

“No. They were also working with the Foot Clan to create the ultimate super soldier. We learned fairly quickly that the Shredder was the one calling the shots. He wanted his soldiers to be unstoppable and was getting tired of all the failures. That must have been around the time the four of you began stepping in to stop the Foot from getting their hands on the reanimating agents they were after to create the synthesized mutagen.”

“You said there were a lot of homeless brought in? What was their purpose?” April questioned. You could see the reporter in her come to life with each new detail you shared. 

“They were used as test subjects for Aaron and his father. They didn’t want to ‘waste’ any of the mutagen on anyone they deemed inconsequential. We were forced to watch as Aaron and his team continued to run the project on countless homeless…and the effects it had on them,” you said with a shudder. 

“The synthetic mutagen twisted and tortured their bodies until they were begging for death. Their bodies simply weren’t made or prepared for the transformation. The mutagen wasn’t pure and therefore it was a failed experiment from the beginning. Shredder was getting more and more hostile with each failure, but worse was Aaron. He…he’s not right,” you whispered. “He took sadistic glee in the failures because it meant he was allowed to…eliminate the mistakes. He made us watch. He told us that if we kept failing, we would find ourselves at his mercy. We doubled our efforts on trying to perfect the mutagen.”

Leo’s hand curled more protectively around your own, his thumb stroking the inside of your wrist over the bubbled scar that was so prominently on display.

“I saw you that day you came to the Estate April. We were being escorted from the main floor back to the labs after Sacks determined you were on the grounds and you were associated with the press. It was just a few hours later that I met the three of you,” you said pulling your right hand from Leo’s. You pressed it against his plastron and met his gaze. Your scars matched perfectly, showing the starting line in Leo’s left shoulder and cutting across the back of your hand. “Something happened that changed the course of my life forever.” 

Chapter Text

What was he doing? He couldn’t stop touching you. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Every instinct in his body was telling him to comfort, to calm, to take away whatever was causing you to have anxiety. His fingers caressed yours and for the first time in ten years he felt at peace. 

Trying to remain calm while listening to you tell how you had come to be involved with Eric Sacks was another matter altogether. He remembered that day with vivid clarity. That was the day he thought he had watched his father die. When he thought he was going to watch his brothers die. 

He remembered Aaron Sacks too. He was waiting for them back at the mansion, his face twisted into a sadistic grin. It was a face he would see in his nightmares. Nightmares where he was forever failing to save those he loved…including you. 

As you raised your hand and matched up your twin scars, Leo knew it was his turn to talk and, hopefully, gain some answers in return.

“Why don’t you let me take over,” Leo asked taking your hand back and lowering it to his lap. At your nod he looked up to find everyone watching him closely. Raph, Donnie, and Casey with mistrust, while Sensei, April, and Mikey with curiosity. “When we pulled up to the Sacks mansion and they started to unload us, this Aaron guy was waiting in the garage. He picked me as his test subject.”

“I remember that,” Mikey said cutting in. “I was worried they were going to do something to you. They took Donnie and me and hooked us up in those boxes.”

“That’s right Mikey,” Leo acknowledged. 

“It’s also where you and I met,” you spoke up. Leo nodded in agreement.

“They were hooking me up with all of the wires and fluids, but this…Aaron?” He paused waiting for your nod of recognition. “He wanted something else. He took one of my shuriken and began making little cuts on my neck. I could see when his personality shifted though and he began to dig the tips further into my skin. It was no longer about experimentation, but seeing how much pain he could inflict.”

Leo paused because he could see Raph’s pacing pick up and his other two brothers looking down in shame. They had apologized profusely once everyone was safely back in the Lair that night. Mikey crying because he hadn’t been able to help and Donnie worrying because he thought he should have been able to figure out a solution that would have helped them all faster. 

“He began to dig it fully into my shoulder and drag it down the front toward my plastron. My chest guard was in the way, but he still left a notch cut into my plastron. That’s what made me finally break and I shouted out, and you jumped in,” Leo said making eye contact where you were turned around in his lap watching him. You raised your hand back to the scar and lined up the cuts. 

“I had to try and do something. I couldn’t take it. I could see you were in pain, but to hear you cry out…,” you shivered. “I’m just sorry it wasn’t enough.”

Looking back to his brothers, he continued while raising his hand and grasping yours. “She stopped him from digging into me and as a result he began slicing into her,” looking down into your face, his expression somber as his thumb caressed your skin. “I was worried you were going to lose that hand.”

“Well that’s where our story gets a little more interesting,” you said shyly.

“Wait!” Donnie cried out, causing you both to look at him. “You’re saying that this Aaron Sacks drug a blade covered in Leo’s blood through your skin and cut you?”

“Yes,” you responded and you watched understanding dawn on the purple banded brother. “And I think you’ve realized something as a result.”

“Your blood…it’s bonded!” He marveled raising his hand to his forehead.

“Bonded?” Raphael questioned.

“Dude! Did you get married and not tell us?!” Mikey shouted. 

Leo wanted to smack him in the back of the head, but the giggle he heard from you stopped him from continuing. 

“What does that mean Donnie, that we’re bonded. And no Mikey, it does not mean we’re married,” Leo questioned.

“Her blood is genetically linked to yours. That’s why only your blood was a match for the transfusion. It’s quite literally bonded together so that her blood has the same mutagenic qualities as yours!” Donnie began rapidly talking through scientific possibilities more with himself than anyone there. Leo could almost see the lightbulb turn on over his head when a new thought entered his brain. 

“Question,” Donnie asked looking directly at you, “have you noticed any direct changes?”

“Well, see for yourself,” you answered happily. 

Leo could only stare in confusion as you began to unwrap the dressing on your leg. He felt his confusion shift to wonder to discover that not only was your leg dramatically better, but the stitches were also starting to come out of your healing skin. Without thinking he reached his hand out and ran it over the smoothing skin.

“Incredible,” he whispered.

“Ahem…dude,” Mikey stage whispered back. 

Leo looked at this brother sitting at the end of the couch to where he was gesturing with his head to your leg. He glanced around and saw April trying to hold back a laugh with Donnie, Raph and Casey wearing similar smirks, Splinter’s warm smile, and your burning cheeks to realize that he was caressing your bare leg in front of everyone without a thought to the implications. Jerking it to the back of his head, he cleared his throat loudly.

“So you have advanced healing like we do, cool, cool,” he chattered in a voice that came out too high and too fast.

“Yes,” you coughed. “Advanced healing, speed, strength, stamina, and thought processing.”

“Fascinating,” Donnie laughed. “I hope you don’t mind, but I would love the chance to study this a little more closely.”

“Of course! It’s my area of expertise and I would love the help understanding it more,” you responded with a smile, having finally lost the adorable blush that colored your cheeks.

“I have a question,” Casey asked stepping closer. “Why does Sacks need you back so much? You’ve been gone all this time. Couldn’t they have just copied the science?”

“My team took everything when we left. All the research, all the notes, all the files. And what we couldn’t take, we burned. Aaron is smart, but he doesn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle. I’m sure that I’m the piece he is desperately looking for. I think he realized that day when I didn’t immediately react negatively to Leo’s blood that something was different with me and with all of you. If I’m right then my blood represents the key to his branch of the Renaissance Super Soldier project.”

Leo listened intently as you explained how your team had split up and continued working separately on Project Renaissance, each contributing findings along the way to the online message board. You hadn’t shared with them your enhanced abilities because of the danger that it posed releasing that information. He felt his protectiveness shift into overdrive as he listened to you explain how you had left everything to come back to New York to search for your missing friend after reading her message. He saw Donnie reach for his tech gauntlet to probably access the message board when he felt you jolt upright.

“Don’t!” You shouted desperately. Donnie paused what he was doing and gave you a questioning look. “Don’t try to access that page. I’m pretty sure that’s how they found each of us. How they found me. Somehow, someway Aaron must have found out about it. My team, my only connection I had left, they’re all dead and that Board is the only thing that makes sense. It’s why I came back to the city. Please…I don’t want him to find any of you. I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”

Donnie lowered his hands and laid them in his lap in a placating gesture. Leo wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you back into his plastron, trying to get you to relax once more. He tried not to acknowledge the looks of surprise from his family, but he wasn’t going to let them continue if it caused you this much distress. He could smell the tears forming in your eyes and the scent of your distress was causing him to rumble lowly in his chest. If his family wasn’t surprised before, they certainly were now, but Leo suddenly found that he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was you.

“Hey, hey. It’s ok. Don’t worry. No one is going to do anything that puts you in jeopardy,” he said turning your face to make eye contact. He wiped the tear that slowly leaked down your cheek and caressed your jaw slowly. What did he ever do before he had you this close and how was it possible to become so attached so quickly? A clearing throat had both of you remembering that you weren’t alone in the room and looking back at your shocked audience.

“Ignoring whatever THAT just was, as my youngest brother explained oh so eloquently earlier, I am a tech genius,” Donnie stated ignoring Mikey’s enthusiastic nods. “I have ways of running a cross check that will keep any super computer busy chasing ghosts. It will keep them looking in so many different directions, they won’t know where to look by the time I get finished. And maybe, just maybe, I can get you answers about your friend Daisy. What do you think? Would that be ok?”

Leo felt you still and then tilt your head back to meet his gaze with a question in your eyes. He nodded just enough for you to acknowledge him before he saw you look to his brother once more and hesitantly acquiesce. Donnie and April moved as one to the computer array to start a search program.

A jaunty tune that sounded like a video game version of the theme song his brother had created for them began playing happily into the silence. Mikey opened his phone and silenced the alarm. 

“Time to go pick up dinner. Leo, wanna go with me?” Mikey asked happily as he bounced to his feet.

No Leo did not want to go with him, but before he could respond Sensei beat him to it. 

“That is a wonderful idea my Son. You and your brother go and fetch dinner while Casey concludes his questioning. I will sit with our guest if that is alright with you my dear?”

“I would be happy to sir,” you voiced happily as you sat up and swung your legs off the couch to allow Splinter room to sit by your side and grasp your hand firmly in his own.

“Wonderful,” Splintered beamed. “Leonardo, go with your brother.” 

“Hai, Sensei,” he mumbled as he stood and morosely and followed the soon to be unconscious ball of enthusiasm. He turned to see Raph and Casey drag their chairs closer and begin asking you questions and turned to walk faster out of the Lair, passing Mikey in a fury. “Hurry up Mikey.”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Leo thundered down the tunnels, not waiting for his brother to catch up. 

“Dude, slow down!” Mikey yelled as he ran to catch up.

Once he was sure they were far enough away from the Lair and that no one would hear him, Leo rounded on his brother.

“Why did you do that?! Why did you ask me to go with you to get the pizza?! Now she’s alone!” Leo was seething with anger at the forced separation. 

“Dude…she’s not alone. She’s with Dad, and Raph, Casey, Donnie, and April. She’s literally in the safest possible place,” Mikey placated, holding his hands up sadly.

“No she’s not! We left her to be questioned by Deputy Dimwit and his pit bull,” Leo exploded.

“Dad is with her, do you honestly think he would let anything happen to her?” Mikey retaliated, standing up straighter and with more confidence. “She needs to answer their questions, and you need to let her, and since it’s obvious that wasn’t going to happen with you there, I provided an opening.”

“What are you talking about Mikey?!”

“She started looking at you for confirmation before responding Leo. You kept jumping in and giving answers. You would grab her hand and pull her attention any time it started to get difficult. You may not have noticed it, but the rest of us did, and you weren’t going to let her answer,” Mikey responded pushing a finger into Leo’s plastron. 

Oh he wanted to push him, did he, Leo could handle that. Pushing his hand out of the way harshly he towered over his height challenged brother. 

“I wasn’t holding her back from answering anything. She was upset, I was offering her comfort,” he thundered. 

“No, you were building a wall and leaving the rest of us on the outside of it,” Mikey yelled back, breathing hard. “…We’re a team Leo, we’re brothers. Do you really think that we would do anything that wasn’t in your best interest or hers since it’s obvious the two of you are basically soulmates?”

“What are you talking about? Soulmates?!”

“Yes Dude, soulmates, or did you not catch the part in there where you both literally share the same blood and abilities!”

Leo stalked off down the tunnel leaving Mikey chasing after him once more.

“You’re being ridiculous Mikey. We can’t be soulmates. She’s human, I’m a giant, mutated turtle. Or did that connection miss your skills of observation?”

“She doesn’t seem to mind it!”

“You’re being ridiculous,” he mumbled.

“No, I’m being optimistic. You’re the one who has a stick so far shoved up his shell that he’ll never be able to pull it out.”

The two continued on in silence with Leo deciding he would just ignore the yammering of his sibling until he could get back to the Lair and resume his protection. That’s all this was. Protection. Sure.

“Just hear me out, Leo,” Mikey pleaded once they stopped at the designated drop off point for the delivery driver. Leo stopped pacing and faced away from his brother, clearly indicating he was listening, but not acknowledging. “You have a chance that none of us may ever have. Do you really think we would try and take that from you or begrudge you any of that?”

The silence hung between them for several moments before Leo could respond. 

“Since when you do you know what begrudge means,” Leo joked turning back to his brother. He still had his guard up, but Mikey was right. His brothers would never knowingly betray him or sabotage him. He was just struggling so much internally at finally having you within arms reach after literally ten years of restless nights dreaming of you.

“Bruh, comic books have so much sophistication now. I’m practically a genius like Donnie when it comes to words and junk.”

“Yeah, you’re a real poet.”

Mikey looked at his phone, then up through the sewer grate. “Pizza Dude’s got thirty seconds.”

Leo snorted as he too looked up and waited for the familiar sound of the deliver driver’s scooter. Two minutes later the sound echoed outside and he shared a smirk with his brother as Mikey corrected the pay amount on his app and attached the time stamp for the late delivery. Together they listened to the driver mumbling the address in confusion.

“Where the heck is 122 and an 8th?” the driver voiced aloud.

“You’re standing on it Dude,” Mikey responded up through the grate. “Just slip it down here.”

Having seen many things in New York, the driver delivered the ten boxes through the grate and stood up to return to his scooter when his phone dinged in his hands. It was an angry text from his boss letting him know that he had cost them $5 a pizza for the late delivery and would be docked $50 from his earnings for the night.

“Hey, hey, you shorted my payment and now I’m getting burned for it!”

“You’re two minutes late Dude!” Mikey’s voice echoed as they began walking back to the Lair. 

“Oh come on, I couldn’t find the place,” the driver yelled through the grate looking for them.

“Wise man say, forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza,” Mikey happily responded back as they rounded the corner and left for home.

The delivery man stood there helplessly for a few more minutes before muttering to himself as he loaded back up on his scooter. “I gotta get a new route, and I thought I delivered everywhere.” 

Chapter Text

Your heart sank as you watched Leo sulk after his brother while Raphael and Casey pulled their chairs forward and sat down roughly. You weren’t sure if they were going for bad cop, bad cop or what their plan was, but they made you nervous. It wasn’t until you felt the firm reminder that Splinter was with you that you loosened up. You couldn’t explain the warm feeling he brought with him, but it relaxed you instantly. This was Leo’s family. You were safe. You could do this. 

“So what happened to Aaron? We know his daddy is sitting in a lock-up so tight an ant couldn’t get to him and we never found any trace of him afterwards. He wasn’t even on our radar because all reports had him located in Switzerland or some other winter, Europe place,” Casey said leaning back in his chair. 

“Europe place?” Raphael said side eyeing him.

“Hey, I don’t do geography,” Casey argued back. “I catch bad guys and I bust heads.”

Oh they were a funny duo to watch in action and their comfortable banter helped to further cool your tension. 

“I’m not exactly sure what happened to Aaron. After he began cutting me, his father came into the room and stopped him. I really did think he was going to sever my hand with how deeply he cut,” you told them holding out your hand so they could see the scar. When he cut through the back of your hand you had jerked it off of Leo’s plastron, but that didn’t stop Aaron. He had grabbed it tightly and continued to drag the shuriken around to the underside. “I couldn’t really focus on what his father was saying to him because I was bleeding so badly. That’s when Daisy came over and helped to wrap my hand up and she took me to one of the medical stations we had set up.”

“That’s where I have another question,” Donatello said walking back into the circle. “I don’t understand how your blood accepted Leo’s. We’re mutants and as such, our blood is also mutated. It shouldn’t have bonded the way yours did.”

“You’re right, it shouldn’t have,” you acknowledged. “But what Aaron and his father didn’t know was that my team and I had been taking countermeasures in case Aaron decided to test his little experiments on us.”

“Explain, “ Donnie said sitting on the other side of you on the couch. 

“Like I was telling you earlier, Aaron had brought in countless homeless and basically tortured them with the synthetic mutagen. We documented everything and studied meticulously. What he didn’t count on was how specialized our team was and how hard we were working…on a cure. My area of expertise is biology, specifically genomic mapping. Daisy was a virologist,” you explained, pausing to see if they understood. Comprehension shown brightly in Donnie’s eyes as he began piecing everything together, but Casey and Raph wore similar expressions of confusion. “You see if you want to reprogram human genetic material then you have to make a change on the cellular level. To do this, you have to use a virus.”

When the two still looked at you like you were speaking a different language, you switched up your description once more. “It’s like packing a suitcase with everything that you’re going to need and then sending it on a trip through your body. The virus carries the changes that you need and causes the cells, mitochondria, and protein to change and adapt. Your body attempts to fight off a virus and in the end that helps to make you stronger. I figured out the map, the rest of my team crafted the changes that were needed, Daisy made sure that the virus we used was safely administered to each of us. We all came down “mysteriously” with the flu a few weeks before you were brought to the mansion. By the time Leo’s blood was combined with mine, my blood was ready to accept the mutagen and adapt, but because it was a pure sample and not the synthetic that they had developed I had changes that were not expected.”

“Speed, agility, strength, and logistical processing correct?” Donnie questioned. 

“Yes! While I’m sure that I’m no where near as advanced as all of you, I am more evolved than the average human. I’m something different,” you answered easily. “And that’s what the Foot are after, I’m sure of it.”

“So after you got pulled to the side and ya hand fixed up, what happened next? What happened to Aaron?” Raph questioned roughly. You could see there was deep hatred there and you had to agree with that feeling.

“Well that’s just it, Daisy tended to my hand and wrapped it up and the Foot soldiers made us return to the lab. Aaron and his father were already gone and by that time they had already moved Leonardo to one of the containment cells and hooked him up. Daisy and I were sent to start our work and that’s when I tried one last time to help you,” here you paused and looked at Donnie. “They sent me to your cube to check your vitals, do you remember me talking to you and telling you something important about adrenaline?”

Donnie gasped and grabbed his head as he pointed at you in recognition at last. “It was you! You attached the needle that connected to the adrenaline and told me you were going to try and activate it so we could escape! That’s how I knew to tell April to push the button! I could barely keep my eyes open at that point, but I kept hearing you in my head and knew that was the answer!”

“Yes. I had Daisy inject Leonardo while I went to inject Mikey with the intravenous tubes. It was the only thing I could think of, but before I could push the button to pump it into your systems we heard gunfire and were told to run. I honestly thought all of you had died that day and I have lived with that for the last ten years,” you said sadly. 

Warm hands encircled yours and Splinter pulled your attention back to him. “I will forever be grateful my dear. You helped save my sons, who in return saved me.”

“They saved me too Sir. Because they were there, I was able to escape and I’ve been running ever since. This is my first time coming back to New York in ten years.”

“So what now,” April asked coming back and standing behind Casey’s chair. She had been listening intently while also monitoring the computer program examining the Message Board. “We checked out your board and that’s not how Sacks found you. It’s as old and outdated as when you first started using it. I’m shocked you were able to still post.”

“But that doesn’t make sense,” you insisted shaking your head. “One of those Foot soldiers called me little Wolf. My code name on the Board was Cobalt Wolf. That can’t be a coincidence. I don’t believe in those.”

“I don’t either,” April agreed. “So that can only mean one thing.”

“They’ve got Daisy,” you realized with growing terror only to have it acknowledged by April and Donnie’s matching looks of confirmation. Tears wet your eyelashes as panic gripped your chest. You could feel your breathing grow harsh as everything began to crash around you.

“Now wait, wait, wait,” Raph commanded getting out of his chair and knocking his brother roughly aside before sitting next to you. Grabbing your hands in his, he redirected your attention and had you focus on his golden eyes. “If Leo comes back and you’re like this he’ll have all our shells so I’m gonna need you to focus and breathe. This is what we do. We fix problems that the Foot create. Your friend? We’re gonna get her back. Count on it.”

“Raph…” Donnie weakly challenged. “There’s no way we could possibly -“

“I said we’re gonna get her back. Now shut up Brainiac, I still got questions,” Raph gruffed.

Taking several breathes and drawing strength from the wall of muscle holding onto you, you attempted to calm your raging emotions. “What are your questions?” 

The look that took over his eyes should have been your warning. It was clearly one that said he was up to no good. 

“What’s up with you and my brotha? I ain’t NEVER seen Leo cop a feel on a girl before and he didn’t even realize he was doing it!”

The blush that burned your face rivaled the color of Raphael’s bandana and the smirk that curved at his mouth definitely wasn’t helping to bring your internal temperature down. 

“He wasn’t copping a feel! He was surprised to see that my leg was healing! It’s shocking to see for the first time!” You practically shouted pulling your hands back and wrapping them around yourself defensively. “And there’s nothing up between us…other than the fact that our blood is quite literally bonded together.”

Here Donatello interjected as he leaned around his brother to catch your eyes and add his own thoughts. “Yeah, I’m going to have to agree with Raph on this, there is definitely something up.”

“Thank you!” Raph cheered, giving his brother a fist bump, to your frustration. Men, you thought with an eye roll. 

“How can there be anything? We met briefly, under the most stressful circumstances, had a traumatic event occur, and then we never saw each other again until today! I thought he was dead!”

“Then explain your behavior,” Donnie said smugly as his typed a few commands into his tech gauntlet. It began to project images of you and Leo from the brief time you had spent together and even you had to admit the images were intimate. Your stuttered response of one image of the pair of you staring into the eyes of the other had your blush return full force. Covering your eyes you finally admitted the truth. 

“Soooo, that moment ten years ago wasn’t technically the only time I’ve seen Leonardo,” you mumbled through your hands. Leaning your elbows onto your knees and bringing your hands up to cup and block your face off, you continued talking to the floor. “I have these dreams sometimes…and I see Leo there.”

“You having dreams about Boy Blue? My man,” Casey crowed as April whacked him on the head.

“Not THOSE kinds of dreams you caveman,” April said backing you up, then looked at you questioningly. “Right?”

“NO!” You yelled out. “Just dreams, mostly memories from my childhood and being the woods. Leo was always just there. He would never come close, always lingering at the edges of where I was asleep and awake. It was like he was guarding my dreams. And whenever I would have nightmares about Aaron, he was always the reason I woke up.”

You looked around the circle of faces as understanding settled and felt your flush recede a little. 

“It’s one of the reasons I feel so comfortable with him. He’s just always been there. I didn’t even know his name until today. To me, he’s always been Blue. Mikey was Orange and you were Purple,” you said looking to Donnie. “I didn’t know about you,” you told Raphael. 

“Eh, you’re not missing that much,” Casey threw in jokingly. April promptly whacked him on the head again at Raph’s direction causing you to giggle. That seemed to relax everyone and you tried to loosen up once more. You were safe, everything would be OK, and you were going to find Daisy. Raph promised and he seemed the type to keep those. 

“So is that why you chose the nickname Cobalt Wolf? After Leo?” April asked seriously. 

“Well you were required to pick a color and an object for your username on the Boards. Blue has always been one of my two favorite colors and my father nicknamed me his wild wolf cub after a camping trip when I was little. It just seemed like a natural fit,” you answered honestly. 

“What’s your other favorite color?” April asked.

“Green,” you replied with a smile. The turtles in the room grinned in response. 

“Why were you a wild wolf cub?” Casey questioned.

“We went camping in Canada once,” you said as the memory took hold. “I was six and already showing signs of extreme intelligence. I had completed nearly all the requirements for finishing out elementary school and my parents decided it was time to pull back and recenter. We did that a lot back then, when they weren’t so sure what to do with me.”

You stopped to collect your thoughts and sort through the memory that drifted through your heart. “I had left the tent early because I couldn’t find my father and thought he had gone hiking without me and went off on my own. I found this glade that was as close to magical as it comes. It felt like I had stepped into a book and that’s when I saw him. It was a wolf and he wasn’t afraid of me…and I wasn’t afraid of him. We just watched one another for the longest time. Existed together. When my parents came calling behind us later they were immediately freaking out and my father ran the wolf off. He started calling me his wild wolf cub after that.”

Everyone was quiet as they processed the meaning behind your nickname.

“Now that’s bad ass,” Raph conceded holding out his fist for you to bump, to which you happily responded as everyone looked on smiling. It was to this moment of kinship that Mikey and Leo returned, pizzas in hand. 

“Dinnertime!” Mike yelled as the group dispersed and you shakily stood with Splinter’s support.

“I’ve got her Sensei,” Leo said walking over and taking your arm to rest in his supportive strength. 

“Take your time,” Splinter hummed, making his way to the kitchen. “I’ll make sure to save you a spot and some pizza before your brother’s devour it.”

Together the two of you made your way to the kitchen with slow shuffling steps. You appreciated that Leo was letting you walk on your own. It was always helpful when you were healing if you were an active part of the process instead of laying around and restricting your movements. The longer you stood and moved the easier it became until you were both sitting at the table and enjoying the cheesy goodness that was waiting for you. If Leo’s hand subconsciously landed on top of your leg under the table, you never bothered to draw his attention to it. Could it be possible that your dreams weren’t the only ones affected? Looking at the turtle next to you and finding his gaze already upon you, you couldn’t stop the soft smile and optimistic heart at what could happen next. For the first time since your parents died, you had hope.  

Chapter Text

When Leo entered through the main door of the Lair, it was the to the sight of you smiling and fist bumping his brother. He couldn’t explain the warmth that bloomed in his heart that you were getting along with his family. 

Where was this feeling coming from? Never before had he gotten butterflies the way he did with you. Was it just because of what happened that day in the lab or was it something else? He couldn’t explain it, but when he saw you shakily stand beside his father he didn’t question it and hurried to take your arm. You were wobbly and the urge to pick you up and carry you to the table was more than he could bear, but the words of his baby brother came back to him and he refrained. He didn’t want to coddle you to the point that he limited you and when you turned your smiling face to him for his support, he knew he had decided correctly. 

Dinner was a loud affair, as it always was, but the warmth at Leo’s side brought a new comfort that he welcomed. Laughs and chatter, intermingled with stories from their past entertained you and brought questions and giggles that were doing funny things to Leo’s heart. He didn’t even realize he had put his hand on your leg until you stretched across the table for a napkin and his hand slid dangerously higher on your thigh. 

When you looked at him as you sat back down, he noticed the red blush spreading across your cheeks and hastily removed his hand. What was he doing? 

Coffee was brewed and bowls of ice cream were dished out by Mikey as more stories were shared. He watched you smiling and interacting with his family and his heart beat with renewed purpose. Things were changing, rapidly, and he needed to rise to the challenge and meet it head on. His purpose was shifting and he was ready to accept the challenge. It seemed like hours went before he noticed you leaning more and more into his side and your eyes drooping with a quiet sleepiness. He looked across the table at his father and saw him smiling fondly at both of you, prompting a warmth to fill his cheeks. He really wasn’t being very aware of his surroundings or keeping his emotions in check. 

“I think it is time for me to retire my sons,” Splinter said standing. “I wish all of you a pleasant evening. Leonardo, make sure that our guest is comfortable for the remainder of her stay. And my dear, feel free to consider that stay as long as you possibly need.”

“Thank you Sir, I truly appreciate it,” you responded sweetly. 

Leo watched his father move silently out of the kitchen as the table took on a quieter tone. He felt you sit up straighter and stretch your shoulders back as you rotated your head around in an attempt to work out your muscles. 

“Hey,” April said from across the table. “I’ve got some extra clothes and shower caddy that I keep here for whenever the trip down isn’t very dry. I’ve had more than one mishap where I needed a quick wash and change before heading back to work because someone…Michael…got a little too enthusiastic on their shell bringing me down.”

“You know you loved it,” Mikey winked and blew a kiss. 

“So if you want to clean up and call it a night, I can help for you,” April offered. 

“You wouldn’t mind?” You asked hopefully. Leo could see the relief on your face at the prospect of a shower.

“Of course not! Come on!” She happily responded standing up. Leo felt reluctant to let you go without him, but knew it wouldn’t be proper for him to help you in the bathroom. Helping you stand, he supported you while you found your footing and gave him a grateful smile. 

“Good night everyone,” you said sweetly and with a slight bow of respect. “I can’t tell you how thankful I am for everything you’ve done for me tonight.”

‘It was our pleasure sweetness! That’s how we roll here in the NYC,” Mikey called out. 

As you turned to follow April, Casey cut in with a smirk, “Sweet dreams.”

Leo was bewildered as your entire face and neck flushed red and you turned to grab April’s arm and hurry from the room as Casey and Raph began to laugh at the inside joke. 

“Someone want to explain what that was about?” Mikey asked, clearly as in the dark as he was. 

“Let’s just say that our new resident genius has some interesting dreams involving your brother,” Casey supplied watching Leo’s reaction. 

“She what?” Leo shouted, half standing. Raph, Donnie, and Casey made shushing motions and hurried him to sit down. Whispering, he asked, “What are you talking about?” 

“Doc said she’s been having dreams about you for years, that’s why she trusts you like she does. Looks like you made quite the impression there Fearless,” Raph said with a smirk. 

“She has dreams about me?” Leo asked bewildered. It wasn’t possible…was it? He had dreamed of her for years, watched after her and protected her in his sleep. Could it have been real for her too?

“Leo, why are you asking this as if you aren’t surprised?” Donnie asked seriously. “Do you know what she’s talking about?”

“I thought it was just me,” he said holding his head in his hands and staring at the tabletop. “I thought I just kept seeing her in my sleep because of everything that went down that day.”

“Dude! You’ve been dreaming of each other? For ten years?!” Mikey whisper shouted. “I told you! Soulmates! Called it!”

“What did she say?” Leo asked looking up to his brothers, waiting for confirmation before revealing anything more. 

“She said you were always there on the edges of her dreams. Watching, protective, and just there,” Donnie answered as Raph and Casey whispered back and forth. “She said it’s why she trusted you immediately tonight.”

“She also said that whenever she had nightmares about that Aaron guy, you always showed up and made him go away,” Raph added. “Ring any bells?”

“Yeah…,” Leo whispered out stunned. “Whenever I fall asleep, like really deep, I would always see her. But it was always in the woods or somewhere I had never been. I knew whenever I would see her in the mansion that Aaron was going to be around somewhere so I would come out of hiding and push him away. But it was just dreams…right?”

He looked around desperately at his brothers. He could tell from their expressions that they were just as much in the dark as he was. This couldn’t be real…could it? People didn’t share dreams, but then again, people didn’t share blood with mutagenic properties.  

“Leo,” Donnie said commanding his attention. “I’m going to throw everything I have at this. We’re going to figure out what’s happening with the two of you.”

“Dude, she is literally your dream girl. I am so jealous right now…Donnie, how do I get one?”

 Mikey asked seriously. This seemed to break the seriousness of the moment, which is just what Leo needed as they all chuckled at their baby brother. Standing, Leo began to clean up the mess and put the dishes in the sink to be washed. 

“I also kinda told her we’re going to rescue her friend,” Raph added, getting up to help, “so you might want to keep that in the back of your shell for the time bein’.”

“Great, like we don’t already have enough going on,” Leo said laying his head back to look at the ceiling before turning to his brother. “But thanks for making her feel better and not going too hard on her.”

“Oh I didn’t, but Casey had her pretty wound up with his comments about her dreams,” Raph slyly smirked. 

“Hey! Leave me out of this!” Casey yelped as Leo turned his stony gaze on the cop. “She said she dreamed about Leo, what else am I supposed to think? And what guy doesn’t want a beautiful woman dreaming about them?”

“Man speaks truth,” Mikey joked, putting away the ice cream after one more spoonful from the container. 

“The implications of this are phenomenal,” Donnie mumbled, already inputing information into his tech gauntlet. “Shared, cognitive space is something I’ve never encountered. I wonder if it’s a result of the genomic mutation she and her team initiated.”

“Genomic mutation?” Leo questioned. The next several minutes were spent cleaning and explaining the conversation to Leo. He absorbed everything to the best of his abilities and to the best that his brothers could explain it. All of this was beyond impossible to him anyways. April came wandering back in the kitchen a few minutes later. 

“Alright guys, any idea where she’s going to be sleeping tonight?” She asked.

“My room,” Leo responded without hesitation. 

“My man,” Casey laughed…prompting April to smack him in the head. “I’m getting really tired of that tonight.” 

“Don’t be a baby, you know it didn’t hurt,” she answered, rolling her eyes. 

“I’m not staying in there with her,” Leo growled, feeling his cheeks flush. “I’ll sleep on the cot in Donnie’s lab. I just changed the sheets this morning so they’re nice and fresh for her.”

“Perfect! She’s a little stiff after everything so she may need your help getting there,” April said cutting her eyes to Leo’s brothers and Casey. 

“What are you up to?” Leo asked suspiciously. 

“Nothing Leo, I just need your help getting her to bed because Casey and I have to head on out…don’t we Case? It’s really late and we both have work tomorrow,” April said easily. Leo narrowed his eyes between the two humans who were having some kind of silent communication with their eyes. 

“Yeah, we got work! Lots and lots of work, so gotta hit the hay,” Casey agreed without argument. Normally he groaned at the thought of leaving too soon, enjoying causing chaos with his brothers. “We’ll let you guys get settled.”

Standing he made his way to April and the pair waved their goodbyes quickly as they turned to leave. 

“You go on ahead bruh, we got the kitchen,” Mikey added happily…a little too happily. Leo was done with whatever conspiracy was going on in his family and began walking towards the bathroom area. The hallway was filled with steam and the smell of something floral. Rounding the corner, Leo felt all the breath catch in his lungs as he caught sight of you coming out of the bathroom while brushing your hair. You had on a loose pair of lounge pants and a long oversized shirt that hung off one shoulder, exposing your neck in a way that had him flush heatedly. Your feet were bare as you padded forward without looking up, unaware of his presence or his predicament. 

Finally looking up he watched your face bloom with a smile and he knew he was lost forever. There would be no turning back after this. How was it possible to fall in love in mere hours? Yet here he was ready to sign away everything he owned as long as he could stay near you. 

“Hey,” you said happily coming to stand before him. 

“Hey,” he answered shakily. “Are you, uh, ready for…for bed?”

“If you don’t mind,” you answered with a yawn. “Sorry, but I think the day has finally caught up to me and I just really need to go to sleep. It will probably help these muscles repair faster too.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course. Um, come this way,” he said, turning to the side and holding out his arm for you to hold. 

“Such a gentleman,” you said with a smile. If only you knew what he was thinking, you certainly wouldn’t think that for long. 

Helping you down the hallway, Leo stopped at his door and took a deep breath. He rarely let anyone in here, let alone to sleep in his space. His nerves were ratcheting higher and higher as he turned the knob and ushered you inside. 

“The sheets are fresh and clean,” he said tremulously as he led you over to the bed tucked in the corner. “I had actually washed them this morning, so you should be good to go.”

“Is this your room?” You asked looking around, taking in every secret part of him that he didn’t easily show. This was his safe space, what was he thinking letting you in here so quickly? This was such a bad idea, but as you turned back around to face him, he found that he didn’t care as long as it meant you stayed. 

“Yes,” he answered. “I hope it’s comfortable enough for you.”

“Are you kidding, I’m used to sleeping on couch bed! This is like a luxury hotel experience,” you said sinking into the softness of his mattress. They had all sprung for plush bedding because of their shells, something Leo was abundantly grateful for now. “But where will you sleep Leo?”

“Donnie has an extra bed in the lab, so I’m going to crash there,” he said. Seeing the look of an objection on your face he added,” Don’t even think about it. You’re staying here. I’ll be fine.”

“But this is your bed,” you pouted. “It makes more sense for me to sleep there than to kick you out of your room.”

The thought of you sleeping in his brother’s space instead of his twisted his insides sharply. He absolutely would NOT allow that to happen. He would be the one to take care of you. 

“This isn’t up for debate, you’re staying here,” he said stubbornly. He could see sleepiness beginning to claim you the longer you sat there looking at him. Watching as you scooted back and spread your hair out on his pillow filled him with a quiet happiness. Grabbing the extra blanket at the foot of the bed, he careful covered you with it as you looked at him with a look he couldn’t place. 

“Goodnight Leo,” you whispered. 

“Goodnight,” he answered back. “Sweet dreams.”

Realizing what he said and the conversation from earlier had his face heating up, but he noticed that you also had a blush painting your cheeks that made it worth it. Backing out of the room slowly, he watched your drooping eyes slide closed and your chest begin to rise and fall deeply. Closing his door, he turned around and nearly crashed back into it in shock. His brothers were all standing there watching eagerly. 

“What are you doing?” He angrily whispered. “Trying to give me a heart attack?!”

“Did you kiss her goodnight?” Mikey asked excitedly.

“What?! Are you insane?! Of course I didn’t kiss her goodnight you idiot,” he said in a whisper yell, shouldering his way past them. They trailed behind, hot on his heels. 

“Did you ask her about the dreams? I’m interested to get her input on the fact that you are sharing them,” Donnie questioned. 

“Donnie, she’s exhausted. I showed her to my room, made sure she was comfortable, and told her goodnight, that’s all!” He gruffed as he continued on towards the lab. 

“What’s got you in such a hurry to get to bed then Leo?” Raph asked smugly. “Hoping you might run into each other there?”

“Ohhhhhh, that’s a good point and would be a good data study for me,” Donnie said excitedly. “Leo, do you mind if I hook you up with several neural scanners so I can monitor your brainwaves as you sleep?”

“No! There will be no neural scanners, no observing. It’s been a long day and a lot has happened so we’re all going to go to bed and that’s final!” He said sourly, turning around to stare them down. 

“Dudes,” Mikey said standing in between him and his brothers. “Today has been a lot for our big bro. He needs time to process, so do what he says and lets go to bed.”

“Since when do you stand up for Fearless?” Raph asked, standing up taller to tower over his little brother. 

“Since he has the chance that none of us have ever had before, Raph,” Mikey said seriously, standing to his full height, shoulders back defensively. “So back off.”

The standoff went on quietly for several seconds. Seconds that Leo had nothing to add. Mikey was right…incredibly. This was all so new, and rare, and unknown. He needed a chance to process everything without everyone asking him a million questions that he didn’t have answers to. Putting his hand on his brother’s shoulder, he gave it an encouraging squeeze. Mikey turned big blue eyes back to face him and Leo smiled at the kindness he saw reflecting there. 

“Thanks little brother,” he said warmly. Looking back to Raph and Donnie he explained, “I just need time to think about everything, like Mikey said. This has been…a lot. I don’t know what I’m doing and I need time to get my head together. I think we could all use a good night’s sleep, and yes Donnie, that means you too. No late night in the lab studying blood samples and video footage.”

His purple brother went to object when Raph elbowed him roughly. 

“Fine,” Donnie groused, crossing his arms. “But I get to ask all the questions I want tomorrow.”

“We’ll see,” Leo agreed. “Night guys.”

Leo didn’t wait to see if they responded, but turned and continued walking to the lab. As he settled onto the uncomfortable cot and covered himself with the thin blanket he wondered if he would find you in his dreams…or were they your dreams? The thought of getting to see you again, with no one around to witness your conversation filled him with excitement and hope. He eagerly closed his eyes and felt the pull of sleep approach with a swiftness that wasn’t normal. As the world around him faded, a world of trees and nighttime sky dawned and he enthusiastically struck out, following the pulse of his beating heart.