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Writings of the Heart	By : meathead13 Category: Comics > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 3683 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Thanks to everyone for the great reviews, and to those who took the time to read. Things will be
picking up after this chapter, I promise! ;0)
Chapter Five: Understanding
The sun had set once again, bringing the outside temperature down immensely, and Carrie watched Leonardo with much concern. She pulled her hands further into the sleeves of her sweater and bravely stepped out onto her back porch and leaned over the railing. She still felt a sense of awe as she watched him performed what he called a kata, something that he had told her was an everyday routine for him and his brothers. Carrie remembered watching her brother perform the exercise in his karate classes, but it was nothing like what Leonardo was doing. His movements were so fluid and so advanced that he just seemed to work effortlessly, and it made Carrie tired just watching him.
“Aren’t you cold?” Carrie shook the thoughts from her head as Leonardo called out to her, bringing his leg back down and shifting his body around while hoisting one of his swords into the air, his muscles quivering as the cold air blew around him.
“I was going to ask you the same thing.” Carrie pulled the sweater tighter and shivered under the same breeze.
“I’m fine.” Leonardo lifted his other leg, bending it at the knee, thrusting both swords forward as he brought it back down again. “I’m able to block it out. Mind over matter.” The white puffs of his hot breath were broken as his swords came back up. “Part of our training.”
Carrie nodded, still admiring how skillful Leonardo was. “What did you say it was? Ninjitsu? I thought that stuff was only in Jackie Chan movies.”
Leonardo stopped moving, one leg in the in the air and one arm bent above his head. He lowered his leg and began to laugh. “Actually, Jackie Chan uses kung fu. Totally different thing.”
“Oh, okay,” Carrie moved her eyes away, feeling ashamed for her lack of knowledge on the subject, and she quickly changed it. “I just checked on Raphael. He’s still sleeping.”
“Good.” Leonardo slid his swords back into their scabbards. “I hate to do this to you, but would you mind keeping an eye on him while I go for a run?”
“Huh? You’re kidding me, right?” Carrie batted her long eyelashes at the turtle in disbelief. “After the way he acted toward me, you’re going to leave me with him?”
Leonardo raised his brow at Carrie’s angry voice and took a step back. “You’re right. I’m sorry. What was I thinking? I’ll just wait until Raph is healed enough to-,” He then noticed Carrie was giggling and shaking her head.
“I was just kidding!” She then snorted, and laughed even harder. “I forgot to warn you that I can be very sarcastic sometimes.”
“Oh, great,” Leonardo rolled his eyes. “Just what I need. More sarcasm. Raph’s bad enough. Now I’ve got two of him!”
Carrie sneered playfully at Leonardo. “Looks like some of it must have rubbed off on you.” The turtle replied with an shrug and a slight grin. “But seriously, if you want to take off, that’s fine. It’ll give us to chance to ‘bond’.”
Leonardo bowed his head. “Thanks.” He turned to leave, but suddenly remembered the rude comments his brother had mentioned earlier. “Oh, and if he tries to hit on you, you have my permission to punch him in the face.”
“Huh?” Carrie wrinkled her forehead in confusion. “Did you just say-,”
“Just watch out for him.” Leonardo said quickly, then took off into the darkness. Carrie watched him disappear, then called her dogs and followed them back inside, shaking off the shivers as she ventured back through the house into the warm living room. She inspected the fire, turned the logs around, and went back to her cozy spot on the floor beside the love seat where her hot mug of peppermint tea and her latest manuscript was waiting for her. Carrie placed herself on her stomach and grabbed a red marker, ready to correct the mistakes that Barry had taken the time to look over, and with every movement of the pen, she cursed her editor under her breath. After a few minutes, Carrie was beginning to feel silly as she tried find a curse word for every letter of the alphabet, giggling at the strange words she had created.
She was stuck on the letter ‘Q’ when she heard a strange cry from upstairs, and she suddenly remembered that it had been almost an hour since she had last checked on the injured turtle. Carrie had hoped Leonardo would be back before Raphael woke, for she was still a bit wary to face him alone. She stood slowly, eyeing the staircase, then got the idea to have the dogs follow her upstairs, so she would have some sort of protection if the turtle tried anything, even though Carrie hated feeling the way she did. She wanted them to get along like her and Leonardo had, but if Raphael was as bad as Leonardo said he was, Carrie knew she had her work cut out for her.
After a slow climb up, Carrie gathered up her courage and slowly opened the bedroom door, peeking her head around before entering the room. The bedside table lamp was on, something that she knew Raphael had done on his own, and the proof she had was finding him sprawled across the bed on his stomach, his face buried in the rose-patterned comforter.
“Why didn’t you yell at me to come and do that? I would have helped you. ” Carrie stayed by the doorway, her dogs sitting in front of her. Raphael raised his head, tears of pain gathered in the corners of his eyes.
“I don’t need help. I can do it myself.”
Carrie then waited for Raphael to try and move, but he only laid his head back down and moaned loudly. Her heart felt heavy, and Carrie suddenly didn’t care how mean he had been to her. She moved to the edge of the bed and knelt down beside of Raphael’s head.
“Do you want me to-,”
“No...,” Raphael moaned, his voice muffled by the blankets. “Just leave me alone.”
“I swear!” Carrie stood up and placed her hands under Raphael’s armpits. “Why is your species to proud to ask for help?” She pulled the turtle up, expecting him to be heavier than she thought, but found moving him back to the pillows was quite easy. She fluffed his backrest, then pulled the comforter back over his legs and his waist. Carrie then inspected the area around the wound, making sure the bandages were still in place and no new flow of blood had appeared.
“My species?” Raphael asked, his eyes narrowed at her bias statement. “How many other mutant turtles do ya know?”
Carrie folded her arms together and laughed. “ I meant because you’re a male! Now, do you want anything else?” She then noticed Raphael was looking over her, from her pony-tailed hair, to her navy T-shirt and gray lounge pants, and all the way down to the toe socks on her feet. His stare was slow moving, almost hungry, and it didn’t bring her any comfort at all.
“What was yer name again? Carrie, right?” Raphael asked after he had finished sizing her up.
“Yes, and you’re Raphael. I already know all about you.” Carrie pushed her lips together, still trying to keep her defenses up.
“ Just Raph,” the turtle said blankly. “Don’t have ta be so formal with me.” His eyes stared at Carrie intensely, and he was surprised that she was holding the same discriminating expression on her face as he did. “So, ya think ya know all about me, huh? I’m sure Leo painted me out ta be some psychotic hothead.”
Carrie wrinkled her brows together, not sure why the turtle had talked about himself in a such a manner. “No, he didn’t.”
“Really?” Raphael snorted out a laugh. “That’s a shock! Those are usually the first words outta his mouth.” His laughter triggered another shot of pain up through his chest and he gritted his teeth together.
“Do you need anything?” Carrie said once again with an impatient sigh, hoping he would answer ‘no’ so she could leave the room. She then realized she had asked the wrong question again when Raphael arched his brow, suddenly becoming very intrigued with her inquiry.
“Well, now that you mention it...,”
Carrie’s eyes grew wide as Raphael smiled wickedly and winked at her, and she scooted backward, hitting the dresser very hard with her rear end. As she turned to steady the shakes of the attached mirror, Artex lifted her tall ears, sensing the nervous reaction coming from her master, and she growled and bared her teeth at the turtle.
“Holy shit!” Raphael cried and scooted over from the edge of the bed as the dog set her paws near him and growled louder. “Hey! I was jokin’, ya stupid mutt! Get away from me!” He waved his right hand at the white shepherd, but drew it back quickly as the dog snapped at it.
Carrie took a moment to giggle, hiding it behind her hand, then pulled on the dog’s purple vinyl collar. “Down, Artex. It’s okay, girl.”
The shepherd hesitated for a few seconds, glancing back and forth between Carrie and Raphael, then finally backed away and sat directly in front of Carrie, her ice blue eyes still fixated on the turtle.
“They say dogs are a good judge of character.” Carrie patted the dog’s head while giving Raphael a smug smile.
“Dogs also eat their own shit, too.” Raphael snapped back, braking Carrie’s spiteful attitude and crushing the smile on her face. “Look, I don’t need nothin’, and even if I did, I ain’t gonna ask you for it! So, get outta my face!”
“What is wrongwith you?” Carrie yelled, her emotions overwhelming her. “I have done nothing but helped you, and all you can do is act like a jerk-off about it!”
“Well, that’s who I am!” Raphael yelled back, his voice laced with sarcasm. “I thought ya knew that already!” He then leaned forward as far as his injury would let him and pointed a finger at Carrie’s face. “And I never ask ya ta bring me here either! So don’t think I owe ya somethin’, cause I don’t owe ya shit!”
Carrie growled loudly, slamming her clenched fists against her sides and she turned toward the door, the dogs right at her heels.
“Why would I even ask an egoistical, self-centered prick like you for anything, anyway?” She flung the door back, watching as it bounced hard against the wall, then grabbed the handle to pull it closed behind her. Carrie stopped suddenly and took a step back, turning around to face Raphael one more time, letting her voice go back down to its normal level.
“ I was naive to hope that we could get along.” She sighed, not caring that Raphael suddenly looked shocked.
And before Raphael could find his voice to comment, Carrie slammed the door and sulked back down the stairs with tears silently falling down her cheeks.
Hours later, Leonardo entered through the back door of the house, grateful that Carrie had left it unlocked for him, and he headed straight for the living room and the warm fire that burned in the fireplace. He rubbed feverishly at his forearms, cursing himself for staying out so long, but knowing the reason for it was more important than having feeling in his toes. Leonardo stopped suddenly at the base of the staircase, smiling as he noticed Carrie had fallen asleep on the living room floor in front of the fire, her red-marked manuscript spread around her. He moved closer to her and knelt down, then carefully gathered up the papers and stacked them on the coffee table. Still seated on his knees, Leonardo leaned back a little and watched Carrie’s face, her eyes and mouth twitching slightly as she dreamt, and in the dim firelight, Leonardo then saw faded red lines on her cheeks, and knew at once she had cried herself to sleep. He sighed, his gut feeling hinting that his brother had caused Carrie’s tears, and he jumped back to his feet and headed for the stairs, but stopped when a familiar face stared back at him.
“Raph!” Leonardo yelled in a hushed voice. “What are you doing out of bed again?”
Raphael didn’t answer right away, only looked over his brother’s head and into the living room, seeing only the corner of the couch and the coffee table as they glowed from the fire.
“I was just...,” He stammered, then sighed impatiently. “I wanted ta talk ta Blondie. Where is she?”
“Blondie is asleep at the moment.” Leonardo ascended the steps, then grabbed Raphael’s arm and placed it around his shoulders. “I just don’t understand you, Raph. You’re bouncing between good and evil, and Carrie is catching the rebounds. Why are you taking it out on her?” He held the bedroom door back with his free hand and led Raphael back toward the bed, placing him down gently before removing the scabbards from his shell and taking the other side of the bed.
Raphael turned his eyes away and looked out the window. “ I’m just frustrated with all of this, Leo! I can’t stand sittin’ around here while Donnie, Mikey and Master Splinter are out there somewhere! And I sure as Hell hope Bishop ain’t gotta hold of them, cause if he does, that son of a bitch is gonna get it!”
A few minutes of silence went by, and Leonardo leaned back against the headrest and let out a deep breath. “I went back to the main road where Bishop found us and I used my ShellCell to call them.”
Raphael’s eyes zipped right back to his blue-masked brother and his mouth fell open. “Leo! What the- why- how could ya do that?”
“I had too, Raph!” Leonardo sat back up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. “Do you think you’re the only one who is worried about them? It was my responsibility to get everyone out of there! And...and I failed.”
“Leo,” Raphael reached out for his brother and patted his shoulder. “You gotta stop beatin’ yerself up like that. Every time somethin’ goes wrong, you always kick yerself in the ass and blame yerself.” He yanked on Leonardo’s shoulder and forced his brother to turned around and face him. “Look, I may have said some things I shouldn’t, but ya know I have faith in ya. And I don’t blame you for what happened. You just gotta know that none of us knew what was goin’ on, and I don’t think any of us coulda done any better, so give yerself just a little credit, okay?”
Leonardo wiped at the tears under his eyes and gave Raphael a smile. “Thanks, Raph. And I promise you we will find the others.” He scooted back and embraced his brother, feeling more than grateful to have him there.
A snuffle from the doorway made the turtles jump back from their hug, and they were both surprised to see Carrie standing there, her arms folded in front of her and new tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. “ She apologize as she used her fingers to wipe her eyes. “ I just made some tea if you guys want to come downstairs.” She glanced at Raphael and smiled. “Maybe just... talk a little.”
Leonardo was the first to climb off the bed, and he looked back at Raphael, who was casting an uneasy look at Carrie, but felt a hint of forgiveness in the smile she wore.
“Do you think you’re up for it?” Leonardo asked as he offered his brother his hands, and Raphael happily took them without any resistance.
“What made you move all the way out here from California?” Leonardo asked before taking another sip of tea.
Carrie played with the string on her tea bag and shrugged. “I don’t know. Change of scenery, I guess. It gets to be a crappy place if you’ve lived there long enough.” She jammed her slender fingers around in the steam and sighed heavily. “I still remember what my Dad said to me the day I told him I was leaving. He said ‘ Carrie, I love you, but you are making the biggest mistake of your life! You’ll never make!’.”
“Sounds ta me like he didn’t have any faith in ya at all.” Raphael commented, and Carrie nodded in response.
“Yep. My plan was to become a famous writer and sell millions of books and have everyone adore my work!” Carrie then laughed and flicked at the string on the tea bag. “ I was eighteen and thought I knew everything! Now, look at me. Seven years later, I’m living alone, my life completely void of any excitement, and I’m writing porn for a living!”
Raphael then suddenly spat out the tea he had just taken in and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. “Ya what?”
Carrie giggled, resting her face in her hands. “ I meant romance novels.” She giggled again at the strange look she was receiving from the red-masked turtle that sat across the dining room table. “Hell, the two are blurred to most people anyways. Sex can’t be romantic anymore. It has to be dirty and cheap for people to enjoy it.”
“Now that ain’t true.” Raphael said with a playful smile on his face, amazed that Carrie was talking about a subject he had must interest in. “You just ain’t found the right kind of people to show ya otherwise. Ain’t that right, Leo?”
Leonardo raised his head from his tea, looking like a animal caught in headlights. “I-I-uh,” His eyes then darted to the clock on the wall above him. “Huh, look at that! It’s almost one in the morning.” He pushed his chair back, stood up, and quickly moved up the stairs. Carrie constricted her eyes in confusion as she watched him disappear, then turned back to Raphael, who was enjoying a hearty laugh at his brother’s expense.
“I love doin’ that ta him!” Raphael boasted.
“Why did Leonardo get so freaked out about that?” Carrie asked, leaning her chin on her open palm.
Raphael lifted his black mug to his lips and shrugged. “Ya know virgins.”
This time it was Carrie’s turn to laugh. “I really didn’t need to know that, but I didn’t think mutant turtles could have much of a sex life in the first place.”
“And what’s that supposed ta mean?” Raphael narrowed his eyes.
Carrie lowered her eyes back to the steam in her mug, suddenly wishing she had never got on the subject. “Nothing. I just- well, I mean, look at you! I know you freak people out when they see you, so how could you...you know...”
The turtle sighed and shook his head. “ First of all, it ain’t like I walk up ta someone on the street and go, ‘Hey! Ya wanna fuck?’ Even you know it don’t work that way. Secondly, I’m equipped like every other human guy, not ta mention think like every other human guy, so why wouldn’t I be gettin’ any?”
“Have many people have you been with?” Carrie continued, knowing that her curiosity was going to get in her in trouble. “Have they all been human, or are there more mutants like you hanging around?”
Raphael set the mug down and crossed his arms over his chest. “Boy, yer nosey. You’d get along with my brother Mikey really good.” He then grinned as he turned the spotlight back on Carrie. “Come ta think about it, how many people have you been with?”
Carrie clutched the tea closer to her chest and leaned back, pressing her lips together in a frown as she stared at Raphael. “That’s not really any of your business.”
“None of my business?” Raphael said with a grunt. “So we can talk about my sex life and not yours? Bullshit.” He grabbed the mug and finally sipped the now lukewarm tea, only to make a face at it’s pungent taste.
“Ain’t ya got any coffe in this joint? I hate this shit.” He slammed the mug back down, then noticed Carrie was still staring at him. “What?”
“Where is it?” Carrie blurted out, catching Raphael by complete surprise.
“Where’s what?” He asked, then thought about what she was getting at. “Oh, that.” he chuckled, then raised his brow in a provocative manner. “ Why, ya wanna see it?”
“Nevermind! Forget I asked that!" Carrie waved her hands at Raphael, her nose wrinkled at the pictures in her mind. She jumped out of her seat and pushed the chair back under the table. “I need to go to bed. My editor will be here at six and I need to be up before he knocks the door down.” She turned to leave, but froze when she heard Raphael clear his throat. Carrie closed her eyes slightly as she turned back around, afraid that the turtle might have something to show her.
“Could ya help me up the stairs?” Raphael asked, his right hand in the air. “Leo kinda abandoned me.”
Carrie let out a nervous laugh, feeling stupid for letting her dirty imaginings get the best of her, then moved around the table and pulled Raphael to his feet and slowly back up the steps.
Once they reached the bedroom, Carrie lead Raphael to the bed and helped him adjust his pillows while Leonardo snored away beside them.
With nothing more to say to him, Carrie bid Raphael a good night and tiptoed to the door.
“Hey, Carrie?”
She stopped in the doorway and turned around, barely making out Raphael’s shape in the dark. “Yes?”
“I just-well, about earlier, I- wanted to tell ya that-,” Raphael then growled at himself and waved her away with his hand. “Ah, fuck it. Good night.”
Carrie held her giggled back until she had shut the door and was in her own room. The dogs were already in their designated sleeping spots on the floor beneath the window, and they raised their sleepy heads to Carrie as she used the attached bathroom then climbed under her white down comforter, still laughing quietly to herself. She knew Raphael had meant to apologize to her, and Carrie found his attempt at it amusing. But he was still a mystery to her, how he was so hateful, utterly profane and vulgar, and yet completely charming all at the same time. He had truly gotten a strong hold on her curiosity, and as Carrie drifted off into a deep sleep, she decided that the red-masked turtle was one enigma that was worth unlocking.
- 4
- 5
- 6
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Writings of the Heart