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Leap of Faith, Part One: Out of the Darkness	By : laloga13 Category: Comics > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 1560 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all other recognizable characters are property of Mirage Studios and not me, sadly. I'm just playing with them for a while, and am not making any money off of this story. However, any OC's are mine! Ha

Chapter List
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Chapter Four

At five-thirty two, on the dot, Leonardo knew that he was early, and that he felt rather silly waiting it out in an alley near the Inn where she apparently worked and lived. He also knew that if he and Miranda should be accosted by hoodlums at any point during the evening, he'd be more than able to protect and potentially impress her. What he did not know was: if his outfit/disguise, (trench coat, slacks and hat), was the least bit appealing over his bulky shell, how to eat with all of those crazy forks just in case they went to a fancy restaurant, how to tactfully get out of even entering a fancy restaurant without offending her, if he should kiss her goodnight at the doorway or at all, or how to stop his stomach from clenching with nerves.

He leaned against the wall, breathing deeply, trying to access the calm state of pure being. He was a warrior, one who had battled countless evil and twisted foes and come out alive, though at times barely. Surely that being was capable of handling a single dinner date. His mind shot back to a brief conversation he'd had with Raphael earlier during a second sparring session. As the turtle with the most experience in the female department, Leo had sought out his fiery brother's advice, after Master Splinter's, of course.

"Keep her talkin', you'll get a kiss on the cheek. Keep her laughing and you'll get a kiss on the mouth. Keep her talking and laughing...." Raph paused as he evaded Leo's attack.

"And?" Leo prompted. Their blades were locked, their faces close. Raphael barked with laughter and threw his brother suddenly as he replied.

"And you'll finally get your cherry popped!"

Splinter's advice, though less uncouth, had been decidedly more cryptic.

"Though I have not experienced female companionship for .....some time," he said, gazing at his cup of tea, "I have observed that many women seem to gravitate towards those who make them feel totally independent, but also completely safe. At least, that's what Nicole told Marcus in the boathouse last week."

Perhaps he shouldn't have bothered sensei with this matter. Too bad April was out of town on vacation; she and Casey had left strict instructions: don't call unless it's a real emergency, and no one was about to do otherwise-not after what happened last time. Leo tried not to dwell on it, though a real woman's advice would have been helpful in this particular case. He sighed, and checked the time, 5:38. Being a little early can't hurt. He adjusted his hat, took another deep breath, and stepped out from behind the dumpster, only to crash headlong into a tall man wearing a familiar black hat with a white band, coming out of the side door.

"Watch it, dirtball," the man muttered, hardly breaking his stride as he hurried down the to street.

Leo watched him weave through the cars waiting for light to change. He looks like the guy from the bar-what was he doing here? The realization that Miranda may be in danger struck him, one kind of anxiousness replaced by another. He looked up and scanned the building for the twenty-second time; all was clear. With a slight flexing of his muscles, he was soon climbing lightly over the fire escape, heading for the only window that featured a bamboo wind chime-in addition to a crystal star and a calico curtain. It was unlocked but intact, which meant that there had been no forced entry, but he knocked anyway, figuring it was the polite thing to do. He was met with silence, so he tried again. Hope I have the right window, he thought. He knocked again rapidly, but there was no answer.

"Miranda? It's Leonardo, are you there? Are you alright?"

Hearing no reply, he tried to open the window, but it was too rusted to move. I'll just have to break it, he thought. Great way to start a first date. He adjusted his elbow pad, leaned back to gain some momentum, and then.....

"Leo?" Of course she was safely in her room, smoothly sliding the window open, and in his rush to come to her rescue he nearly knocked her over, again. As it was, he fell only on his own plastron, which smarted from the impact as he stood.

"I'm sorry, I was brushing my teeth and couldn't answer, though I'm flattered by your enthusiasm to start our evening." She offered him a hand as he rose.

"Guess I got a little carried away," he replied, mentally regrouping. "I saw this guy outside....wow, you look great."

She was wearing a pair of chocolate brown cords topped with some kind of floaty ivory-colored shirt. Her dark hair hung loose down her back and a small shell rested against her collarbone on a silver chain. She smiled at him and ran her hand down the length of his sleeve; his arm tingled from her touch. "You too. I love the hat-very Casablanca."

Leo, unsure about trusting his voice at this moment, nodded solemnly, tipping his hat slightly. And lo and behold, she laughed. "Here's lookin' at you, kid," he heard himself say, and she chuckled again. Not a bad start, perhaps this won't be a disaster, he thought.

“You're a bit early," she said as she began to search her room. "But all I need to do is find my purse-I don't use it that much, so just bear with me.” She began searching in earnest around the room, which was not large by any means, though it felt....homey. One one side there was a box spring and mattress, a nightstand and a dresser, all covered with clothes, trinkets, odd bits of paper and guitar strings. The "living area" boasted a wooden futon, a full bookshelf and a small coffee table, as well as an assortment of instrument cases. Several colorful, knitted rugs were scattered over the hardwood floor, and the walls were all but covered with posters, tapestries, and assorted knick-knacks. The subtle scent of nag champa drifted through the air, and the bamboo wind chimes clicked gently outside the window.

“Need help?” Leo asked, watching her rummage through her belongings. He winced as a stack of cd's crashed to the floor. “Miranda, if you don't mind my asking, how can you find anything in here? And, where do you keep all of your music equipment?”

“Don't worry about it, I have a system...aha! Let's go!” She lifted a rather large and bulky patchwork bag out from under her bed. “All the stuff's downstairs already, I brought it down from a spare room a little at a time. Do you want me to go first? I locked up at five, and we only have one tenant right now. He's probably holed up in his room.”

“That won't be necessary,” Leo said. “I can make myself scarce if need be.” They headed downstairs, pausing to collect a guitar case, a pedal board, speaker and monitor, and were soon out the door and into the cool evening.

“At least it's only about five blocks to the Blue Moon,” Miranda said, hefting the pedal board. “I'm sorry to put you to work like this, but at least your efforts will be rewarded with pretty music.”

Leo thought that he could have juggled the two boxes with no problem, but refrained from doing so, instead smiling at her beneath his hat. “It's alright. I don't mind.” As they crossed a street, Leo noticed a tall man in a dark trench coat, and was reminded of his encounter by the alley. "Miranda, did that guy from your show-the jerk in the black coat and hat-did you see him around here at all today?"

She was silent for a beat before replying. "Nope. I don't usually see him around my neck of the woods. Why, did you?"

"Yeah, when I was on my way to see you just now. At least, I think it was him," he added quickly, seeing the concern in her features. "And, you know, a lot of people wear black in the city. I'm not sure it was the same guy." He decided that he would not press the matter now, and instead changed the subject. "Did you have a particular place in mind? I'm not too familiar with the restaurants around here."

"Andrew's," she replied as they paused at an intersection. "Have you been? No? Well, you'll love it-the veggie melt is fantastic, but I'd stay away from the salami."
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Leap of Faith, Part One: Out of the Darkness