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Seeing Red	By : Shawnie Category: +S through Z > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 3623 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, nor do I make any money from the writing of this story. The original characters and plot, however, are mine.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Leonardo kneeled down to light a few candles. He shook out the match and took a seat on his bedroom floor. What was I thinking? He sighed, feeling a light blush on his face as his mind drifted back to the night he kissed Claire. That’s the point, Leo, he told himself. You weren’t thinking. Since meeting Claire, he found his actions to be unpredictable; even reckless. As leader of his clan, he needed to re-focus himself. He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes, putting his mind at ease through meditation. As much as he liked Claire – and he truly did – he needed to get his priorities in order. Keeping his family safe was the most important thing to him; everything else came second. He played this thought over and over in his mind, trying to drown out the small voice inside that screamed for Claire. He feared it would never go away; he feared that it would win.
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Claire hadn’t been sure about going in to work the next week after the incident with Brad and the Purple Dragons at Club Blu. When she brought it up to the guys, they had been dead set against it; they didn’t want Claire near anything to do with Hun. But Claire needed the money. It’s not like anything will happen in front of a gym full of people. Besides, Brad wouldn’t do anything to hurt me – he took down that Dragon back in the club for me. Her heart broke a little at the thought. Could she help him out of this mess? She finally decided to go into work, being sure to arrive a little late in the morning so the gym was full and leave a little early so she wasn’t alone at night - just in case. Brad didn’t make any attempt to talk to her; in fact, he rarely came out of his office.
Claire had gone to the lair every night that week. She was exhausted on the days she also had karate class, but she was determined to be a better fighter. Besides, she enjoyed spending time with the guys. Well, all but one: Leo had avoided her the entire week. He would barely even look at her. She mostly trained with Raph, learning a lot of useful techniques for close, hand-to-hand combat. On Thursday night, Claire couldn’t take it anymore; she decided to confront Leo. Her training session that night with Raph had been brutal; he made her quickly discover that her upper body strength was seriously lacking. Wiping the sweat off her forehead with a towel, she grabbed a water bottle from the fridge. She twisted off the cap and took a swig, glancing up at the bedrooms on the second floor. When she came over to train, Leo would use his bedroom to meditate.
Claire tossed the towel into her bag and hesitantly made her way up the stairs. She thought back to Saturday when he kissed her. That must mean he feels something for me too, right? She reached the curtain leading to his room, fingers lingering on the fabric. She took a deep breath and slowly drew the curtain aside. “Leo?”
The light was off in the room and he was sitting on the floor, his body glowing in the candlelight. “Claire,” he softly replied. He stood up and walked a few steps towards her.
“I uh- just thought we should talk. You know, about what happened last week.” She shifted her eyes to floor. What if it was a mistake and he really doesn’t like me?
He sighed, “I know, I apologize. After thinking about what could’ve happened to you and my brothers at the club and then your reaction to Brad – I was just caught a little off-guard.” He glanced down at the floor and hesitated before speaking again, “I promise, it will never happen again.” He looked up at her, resolve in his eyes.
She closed the distance between them and put a gentle hand bravely on his shoulder. “Leo, who said I didn’t want it to happen again?”
His eyes grew wide, “Wha-what? But I thought, I- just,” he stammered.
Claire quickly brought her lips to his cheek to quiet him. He grew silent as she moved her hand from his shoulder down across the plates on his chest. He drew in a shaky breath and stared down at her, in amazement.
“But I am this hideous monster. And you – you are beautiful, Claire. How could you like me?”
His words tugged at Claire’s heart. “Leo, you make me feel something I have never felt before with a man. You make me feel safe.” She hesitated. “And I don’t even know if this is something you are willing to do, but I want to explore the possibility of a relationship.” She blushed a bit at the last part. She was not used to pursuing the opposite sex; it was usually the other way around. But there was a first time for everything and Leo was worth it. Her hopeful eyes bore into his.
Leo chuckled, shaking his head. “Is this really happening right now?” he softly muttered. “Claire,” he put both hands on her arms, “ever since that first night I saw you, I’ve been thinking about you. I can’t get you out of my head. What you are saying to me, right now, is something I could only dream about. But a relationship takes serious commitment. And what my brothers and I do – we can’t afford to endanger anyone’s life. It’s a sacrifice we must make. I-I am not sure I can do that with being the leader and-“
Claire smiled at how honorable he was and rose up to her tip-toes to softly drag her lips across his, interrupting his thought. Part of her wanted to respect what he was saying, but she was falling for him too hard. She stared into his wide, conflicted eyes. After a few moments they softened and he swiftly drew her in close, running his hands up and down her back. Leo reached for Claire’s ponytail and pulled it around to rest on her shoulder. He leaned his head in to nuzzle his nose into her locks, drawing in a deep breath. Claire felt her stomach flutter as he brought his wide tongue out of his mouth and slowly dragged it across her shoulder, licking at the perspiration from her training session. She knew if she let it go any further, she wouldn’t make it out of his bedroom until the next morning. Smiling, she pulled away and looked up at him, cheeks flushed. “So are we still on for our Sunday night movie?”
Leo gave her his sexy half smile and brought her hand up to his face. He gently kissed it, “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
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Claire was fussing with herself in the mirror for the hundredth time. She wanted to look perfect for her date with Leo. She chuckled at herself when she realized it was the first time she actually felt excited about a date. Glancing at her reflection, she nodded approvingly at the outfit she had finally decided on. She wanted to look sexy, but remain casual; it was only a movie after all. The skinny jeans accented her long legs perfectly and the green, sparkly, off-the-shoulder top complimented her blonde hair. She slipped her feet into a pair of black heels and ran a finger over her pink lips, applying a bit of gloss.
A knock at the door sent the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. She grabbed her purse and half-ran to the door, stopping to compose herself before turning the knob. She threw it open and couldn’t help but smile at Leo’s disguise. He was wearing a large, oversized khaki-colored trench coat that covered the shape of his shell; a big brown fedora hid his face. “Hey, stranger”, she said happily.
“Claire,” Leo said breathlessly. “You look amazing. I have to say: green is your color,” he smiled and reached an arm out to her.
She hooked her arm around his and shut the door behind her.
_________________________________________________________________
Like a true gentleman, Leo let Claire pick the movie. She decided on the new sci-fi flick she told him about - it would be perfect. They purchased the tickets and sat down in the top row of the nearly empty movie theatre. Leo had a little difficulty fitting into the seat comfortably with his shell, so Claire lifted up the seat arm in between them. “There we go,” she said, eyes sparkling.
Claire was barely concentrating on the movie. She couldn’t help but feel extremely aware of Leo’s body sitting next to hers. She heard the air conditioning kick on and it sent a shiver through her. In her fuss of planning the outfit, she forgot to bring a coat. She froze as she felt Leo shift closer towards her, rubbing her arm gently. His hands were so warm she instinctively leaned into his touch, brushing a leg up against him. There it was again – that electricity. She felt it every time they touched; like their bodies had this supernatural reaction to one another. She knew Leo felt it too, because she heard him hiss. He turned to look at her, his eyes intense. Allowing her body to just react, she slid over next to him, closing the small space between their seats. Turning her body sideways, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She put her head underneath the brim of his fedora, her face practically touching his and planted a small kiss on his beak. He groaned softly and grabbed both of her legs with one large hand, swinging them up onto his lap. She let out a surprised gasp at the sudden loss of control over her body. Thankful for the lack of movie-goers in the theatre, she swung a leg around his lap so she was straddling him. She lifted the hat up a bit and held his face in her hands. She looked into his carnal eyes and was instantly reminded of her dream; it was the same look he had given her. This drove Claire completely off the edge and she hungrily brought her lips to his. He responded just as fierce to her kiss and brought his hands up onto her thighs, kneading them softly. After a few minutes went by, Claire finally broke the kiss, gasping for air. “I’m sorry, I am making you miss the movie,” she whispered to him as she moved back into her seat.
Leo smirked at her, “Trust me; this is much better than the movie.”
She smiled, taking his hand in hers. They watched the rest of the movie this way, fingers interlocked. When the credits finally rolled, Claire felt a feeling of disappointment; her night with Leo was about to end. They walked out of the theatre, hands still intertwined, and headed to the lair. She turned to look up at him, “I had a really good time tonight. Thank you, Leo.”
“Me too,” he softly replied, bringing his free hand to caress her face.
Claire wanted nothing more than to end the date in Leo’s bed. But what she felt with Leo was different; she couldn’t treat this like a date with any other guy. Leo was special. When they reached the entrance to the sewer, Leo swept Claire up into his arms, carrying her the whole way to the lair. He insisted it was because she was wearing heels, but Claire had the feeling that Leo just wanted to be touching her. She wasn’t complaining.
Setting her down, Leo reached for the button to open the lair door. Claire smiled when she felt the warmth coming from within and walked inside. Leo shut the door behind them and she looked up at him dreamily. What a perfect night, she thought. She turned around to see if anyone else was up; maybe Mikey would be down for playing some video games.
Claire’s heart stopped when she saw Mikey on the couch. Something was wrong; his color looked off and his breathing was ragged. Donatello was kneeling beside him, patting his head with a cloth. Leo rushed forward, nearly knocking Claire over. “What happened?!” He looked up at Raph who stood over Mikey; amber eyes concerned.
“We were patrollin’. Checkin’ out that MMA center that Donnie planted his bug at.” He put a hand on Mikey’s chest plates. “Hun was there with almost fifty guys. We couldn’t take ‘em on our own. We were lucky to have gotten out at all.”
“This should never have happened. It wouldn’t have happened if ..” Leo’s voice trailed off and Raph’s eyes followed Leo as he paced around the room. Leo let out a frustrated cry and kicked the table next to the couch, breaking it cleanly in half. Claire jumped, eyes wide as she watched Leo move around erratically. The sight of his wounded brother had set him off and all his reservations about his relationship with Claire came pouring out. “I’m sorry. I am so sorry Claire, but I just can’t do this. I abandoned my duties for one night and look what happened!” He pointed over to Mikey, pain in his eyes. Leo dropped down to one knee, head bowed in defeat. Claire was speechless; she simply stood staring down at him. Leo reached out and took her hand. “Claire, I’m the leader. My brothers look up to me; they expect me to do the right thing all the time. It is my burden. I care for you – more than you know. I could have only dreamed for someone like you to be in my life. But at the end of the day, my duties as leader; as a brother, will always come first. I’m so sorry. I can never give you what you want; what you deserve.” His voice caught in his throat at the last words.
“But,” Claire blinked as her chest grew tight, “We have a connection,” she said, warily looking into his eyes. “I know you can feel it.”
Claire felt her stomach hit the floor. It was the first time she had ever truly opened her heart to any man. The first time she let her walls down, allowing someone else in.
It would be the last.
Fighting back tears, she stood there, stunned. So this is what heartbreak feels like, she thought bitterly. Claire feigned indifference, trying to play it off like it was no big deal. “Alright, Leo, I understand. Your brothers mean the world to you; I respect your decision.” Inside, her heart was shattering.
Donatello worked quietly on Mikey, head down and eyes focused. He shifted uncomfortably being witness to the conversation taking place.
Raphael stepped in between Leo and Claire. “Hold on a second, Leo. It wasn’t ya fault. It was supposed to be a simple gig: check on Donnie’s bug, survey the area and leave. No one coulda known Hun would be there. It coulda happened any night. Besides, Donnie said Mikey will be fine. Probably just got knocked out.” Raph put his hand on Leo’s arm reassuringly.
“Exactly Raph. It could’ve happened any night. But it didn’t. It happened tonight, when I wasn’t around to help.” He turned to Claire, grimacing. “I-I don’t want this to affect you training with us or coming to the lair to just spend time with us. You are a really good friend, Claire. I – we like being around you.”
The pain disappeared as quickly as it came. She felt her emotions shift as she allowed the old Claire to kick in. The Claire that didn’t care about how a guy felt. The Claire that didn’t want a relationship. The emotionally hardened Claire.
“It’s fine, Leo,” she said, turning away from him. She couldn’t even look at him. “I know what you need to do.” She hesitated, “Donnie, will Mikey be OK?”
“Yes. I think he might have a concussion, but he just needs to rest for a while. He will be back to normal in no time,” he said convincingly.
“Good,” Claire replied her voice steady, back still turned to the group. “Well, it’s late. I’d better get home,” she began walking towards the door.
“Wait!” Leo yelled. “At least let one of us walk you home.” Claire heard the anxiety in his voice.
“Yah, I can give you a ride on the bike,” Raph said quickly.
Claire snorted. “No thanks. I’ll be fine on my own. Donnie, we still good for that knife-throwing lesson tomorrow?”
“Of course,” he responded.
Claire simply nodded her head and walked out of the lair.
Claire was so angry at herself. Angry for letting the walls she had up for years to come down. Angry for putting herself in such a vulnerable position. She slammed her apartment door shut and threw her purse across the room. She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. Suppress, control, redirect. She closed her eyes and repeated it. Suppress, control, redirect. Sighing, she stripped out of her clothes and threw a comfy pair of sweats and tank top on. She fired up her laptop figuring she could put her energy to use by getting some work done.
She had almost cried back in the lair. How unlike me, Claire thought indignantly. No, no man will ever be the reason why I cry. Claire slammed the laptop closed; she couldn’t concentrate. Instead, she opted for going to bed. I will just sleep it off and forget the whole thing happened. Brown eyes closed, and Claire fell into a fitful sleep; tossing and turning as nightmares of Mikey losing an arm in battle invaded her sleep.
______________________________________________________________________
A very small part of Claire hoped that Leo would change his mind, but as the weeks went by, that tiny voice quickly became silenced. Even during her katana lessons, Leo managed to avoid physical contact with her, withdrawing to his room when the lesson ended. She eventually managed to stifle her feelings for Leo, but she had a feeling they would never really go away.
Claire stifled a yawn with the back of her hand and glanced at the clock on her laptop. Eight thirty?! She sighed and rubbed her eyes trying to will away the exhaustion. Since she had started training with the turtles, she had been getting a little behind on work. Late nights catching up on work at home became routine. It was all becoming blurred days of work, karate, training, sleep and repeat. On a few lucky nights, the guys would let her tag along on patrol. Claire suspected that they allowed her to go on slow nights, when they knew the streets would be quiet. Even if that was the case, Claire could care less. She felt important on those nights; like she was fulfilling her purpose. It reminded her of the vigilante days with Brad. Brad, she thought. Claire shook her head. Focus, she silently demanded. Turning her attention back to the computer screen, she put the finishing touches on her work for a new client and hit ‘Print’.
Her cell phone rang and she smiled before grabbing it. Probably Mikey asking me to bring pizza over again for an after-training snack, she thought. She picked it up and frowned when looking at the screen. It was a number she didn’t recognize.
“Hi, this is Claire.”
“Hello, is this Ms. Claire White?”
“Yes, this is she. How can I help you?”
“Ms. White, this is Dr. Parker at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. We have admitted your grandmother with a very serious stomach infection. We are going to be performing surgery on her in the next few hours.” Time stopped and Claire’s heart hit the floor. She clenched her teeth and tried to suffocate the emotions that were bubbling up.
“I’ll be there in 20 minutes.” She hit ‘End’ on her phone and stared at it for a second. She had been so focused on work and training, she hadn’t gotten around to visiting her grandmother as much as she should have. Grabbing her coat, she ran out of her apartment; flying down the stairs to the first floor. She was barely aware of her movements – it felt like everything was happening in slow motion. Horrible thoughts began to invade her mind. Oh god, if something happens to her… Claire let out a panicked cry. Throwing the front door open, she ran towards the street faster than she ever had in her life. She waved her arms around in the air, desperately trying to hail a cab. As the car pulled to the curb, she flung open the door and threw herself inside. “Mount Sinai and hurry, please!” she screeched. She barely recognized her own voice. The cab took off down the street and Claire looked down at her phone. She wasn’t even sure what she was doing at this point; she felt so out of control and frightened. Leo, she thought. Leo will know what to do. She reached for the phone and scrolled to her favorites. She hit the Call button and listened to the ringing on the other end.
“Claire?” Leo’s surprised voice came through from the other end. A small part of her realized he sounded surprised because she didn’t call him anymore. When she did call the guys, she usually only spoke to Mikey or Raph.
“Leo – “she started, but her voice cracked and she let out a sob. Her eyes widened and she covered her mouth to stop any other sounds from escaping.
“Claire, where are you – are you okay? What’s wrong?” his strong, authoritative voice comforted her for only a second before she thought of what she was about to tell him.
“Leo, it – it’s my grandmother. She’s been admitted to the hospital.” She drew in a deep breath, trying to steady her voice but it was no use. “The doctor called me – they are going to be performing surgery on her. I’m on my way to Mount Sinai now.” The reality of the situation began to creep in. Why did she even call him? It wasn’t like they could come to the hospital and be with her.
“Claire, you just stay strong. Everything will be okay. We will wait outside for you.” Claire could hear the alarm in Leo’s voice.

“Kay” she whispered. She hung up the phone and looked out of the cab window. They had just pulled up to the hospital.

Leo clicked the shell cell shut and turned to look at his brothers who were staring intently at him. He ran one hand over his bald head, “It was Claire. Her grandmother is in the hospital and she is on her way to see her.” He looked at Raphael. “She is pretty shaken up.”
Raphael clenched his fists. “So what are we standing around here for?”
___________________________________________________________________________
Claire half-ran out of the hospital exit. She just needed to be as far away from this as possible. It was too much to accept. “The stomach infection took a turn for the worse. We were able to perform the surgery, but there was nothing we could do. It was too late; she’s gone.”
“It was too late.” “She’s gone.”
The doctor’s words rang in her ears as she ran down 3^rd Avenue. A shadow on the rooftop of a nearby building caught her attention. A shadow that would’ve been ignored by the ordinary city-goer; Claire knew better. The guys, she thought. Who knows how long they had been outside of the hospital waiting for her. Her insides warmed a bit at the thought before the image of her fragile grandmother lying cold in the hospital bed assaulted her mind. Stifling a sob, she turned off 3^rd into a poorly-lit alleyway. Four concerned pairs of eyes met hers. She had never felt so helpless before in her life. Staring down at the sidewalk, her eyes were drawn to an old piece of discarded gum. She kept her attention on the gum while she spoke.
“Hey.” Claire suddenly became hyper-aware of herself – her voice, her body movements. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and shivered. Mikey was the first to move – he stepped forward and took her hand. She looked down at the large, warm green hand and covered it gently with her free hand. She looked up at Mikey and he gave her a warm smile that didn’t quite touch his eyes. They were full of concern. She heard a scraping sound and turned to see Donnie lifting the manhole cover. Unmoving, she watched as Raph and Leo silently lowered themselves into the sewer. She blinked at Donnie. Donnie threw a look at Mikey and gracefully backflipped into the hole.
“Come on, babe.” Mikey’s voice was almost at a whisper. She nodded and followed him towards the sewer entrance. He began climbing down the ladder and when he hit the fifth rung, he reached his arms up to Claire. She grabbed his hands and let him guide her underground. This was where she needed to be: away from the hospital, away from the sounds of the city, away from everything. She needed silence; darkness. Her foot came off the final rung and hit the ground with a small splash. The group began moving through the sewer system. Claire knew that they were at least twenty minutes from the lair. Donnie and Mikey trailed behind her while Raph and Leo led the way. No one said a word. It was almost eerie – just the echo of their footsteps bouncing off the sewer walls and the occasional splash of water when someone sloshed through a puddle. Claire tried to focus on these sounds and nothing else, but it was hopeless. She began to think about life without her grandmother. Her grandmother was her rock, her biggest supporter – she had always stood by her even when she was constantly in trouble at school. How would she survive without her?
It had started as a small sniffle – Claire allowed herself to quietly cry as she couldn’t contain her feelings anymore. Before she knew it, her sniffles had escalated to loud, frequent sobs. The two turtles in front of her began to blur as the tears streaked down her face. She started gasping for breath and leaned against the sewer wall to steady herself. She barely registered the strong, muscular arms lifting her up, cradling her like a baby. The arms snaked under her thighs and she was hoisted up into the air. Claire wrapped her arms around a neck and continued to sob as the group began moving again in silence. Soon, her sobbing subsided to sniffles. When Claire felt that she could cry no more, she looked up at the turtle that had scooped her up. Running her finger over the blue bandana tails that had fallen over his shoulder, Claire looked up into Leo’s eyes. They were steady, unwavering and full of determination. He looked straight ahead, not meeting her gaze. She let out a shaky breath and nestled the side of her face into his neck. She felt him briefly tense, but then he pulled her body in even closer to his plastron.
Claire closed her eyes and listened to the sound of their footsteps. They were her family too and she felt grateful in this moment that they were here for her. Claire opened her eyes when she heard the familiar creak of the lair door opening. She was carried into the warmth of the lair, the scent of jasmine permeating the air. She watched as Donatello and Michaelangelo made their way to Splinter’s room, undoubtedly to let him know they had arrived safely at home. Leo lowered her down onto the couch in the living area and followed his two brothers. Raphael watched Leo disappear from view and then turned to Claire lying down on the couch. He usually didn’t do well with crying. She stared at him for a moment and then reached her hand out towards him. “Raph…” she squeaked. He sighed and kneeled down beside the couch. “It’s gonna be okay, Claire.” He said, taking her head in his hand, gently rubbing his thumb across her cheek.
She squeezed her eyes shut and her body shivered. She vaguely felt a soft blanket being thrown over her; a calloused hand brushing gentle fingers over her bare shoulder. Eyes still closed, she turned away from him hoping the darkness would consume her.
- 6
- 7
- 8
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Seeing Red