"Casey... I'm not so sure about this, man." Mikey mumbles, holding his still healing arm as he follows the messy-haired brunette.

"C'mon, don't chicken out now, bro!" Casey huffs, turning to Mikey while surrounded by alien civilians. Mikey glances around nervously, feeling like he'll be squished in mere seconds.

"I'm not a chicken! I just think, maybe we should have everyone else with us; let Leo lay out a plan!" He says, following Casey as he walks again.

"Just calm down, dude. We got this." Casey grins confidently to himself, and Mikey can sense it. He also senses that this is a bad idea, but it's too late to back out now, and he needs to watch Casey's back.

~~

Back in the Emperor's tower, Emperor Oenolle has signed the contract and shaken hands with you and Raphael. You both apologize for the guards you incapacitated and run out to find and exit. After a few wrong turns, you find yourselves at a dead end, with large windows overlooking the city. Raphael pants and leans against the wall.

"This... place is, ugh... huge!" He groans, looking out the window, then at you.

You sigh deeply and stand beside him, staring outside."We can't get downstairs without the guards catching us..." you puff out a breath of air, exasperated. "This is annoying."

"No kidding. Reminds me of the times we had to sneak into Shredder's Lair." Raph stands back up and walks toward the window. "Hey... do you think I have like, a grappling gun in my suit?" He asks.

You raise your brow but nod."Check your pockets. I'm sure you have something similar to that in one of them."

You watch Raphael frisk himself for a moment or two before he pulls out a grappling gun from his pocket.

"Yes! We have a way out!"

"Do tell." You reply with a soft chuckle. You find it amusing when he gets excited. It's almost cute, in a way.

"Well," he smirks at you as he breaks the glass by shooting his gun at it. "We're gonna grapple down!"

You peer out the window.
"Uh.. are you sure about this?" You question, biting your lip.

"Yeah! What, you afraid of heights?" Raph looks at you as he shoots his grapple into the outside of the building. "Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll catch ya if you fall." He smirks allusively, and you roll your eyes.

"I'll be fine. I'm flattered that you're so worried about me." You smirk back and watch his face turn red.

'Crap, she's flirting back...' He thinks, looking down at the street below.

"Let's uh... let's get outta this maze of a building.." he mutters, having a hard time gathering his words as he jumps out the window. You shoot your grapple at the floor and jump out with him, slowly climbing down the side of the building

You glance down and bite your lip harder, breathing in and out deeply. Raphael glances at you often, his blush lingering as he recalls your, honestly adorable smirk. You look at him and meet his eyes.

"What?" You inquire a tad defensively.

"Nothin'..."

You purse your lips and turn your eyes to stare at the building wall in front of you as you continue to scoot down the outside of the building. You don't feel your rope shaking as your grapple hook comes loose, or feel the scream rise up your chest and throat as you fall suddenly. But you hear Raph shout your name as he loosens several feet of rope and swings toward you. You feel him grab your wrist tight. And then you gasp, breathless with near-death terror. You clutch his arm with an iron grip and listen to him grunt as he pulls you up and holds you in his arms, then cling to his neck.

"Vlunnæ pueks!" You curse under your breath.

"Easy hon. Just hang on to me." Raph says, grunting as he holds on to his rope with one hand, and his other arm is underneath your rear to keep you up. You nod and wrap your legs around him as he keeps climbing down, closing your eyes tight. You wish this large helmet was out of the way so you could hide your face in his neck.

The next thing you know, Raph is setting you on the ground and holding your shoulders.
"Hey, you ok now?" He asks softly, staring at you with soft eyes.

'That's the softest you've ever seen them,' you realize as you nod.
"Y-yeah.. I'll live.." you give him a shaky, reassuring smile as you stand with weak knees. Why your legs feel like jelly, you haven't the faintest.

Raph is about to speak when he perks up and looks around, hearing fighting. You look with him and spot a gathering. With a nudge to him, you will yourself to run over, albeit unsteadily. Raph follows close behind and moves people out of the way for you. What you see is an utter surprise; Raphael's brothers and friends are fighting Gwendoyln's entire crew, and both parties are enraged. The first you spot is Mikey, who has a crack in his helmet. Raph immediately jumps in and pulls Mikey out of the way, then runs to fish his brothers out of the fight and stop the pirates. You watch in shock and awe, momentarily stunned. He's so determined, a bright fire in his eyes as he shoves Donatello to Mikey, then Leo, then Casey (with a slight kick to the butt) and finally April.

The Fugitoid stands surrounded by pirates when you step in and call them off, and then the crowd dissolves.

"Raph! We finally found you!" Mikey sighs in relief, hugging his older brother.

"Yeah, and almost got killed in the process! Why the shell were you fightin' Gwen and her guys?!" Raph snaps at Leo more than anyone else.

"Because she kidnapped you!" Leo replies with a huff. "You're welcome for the save."

"SHE saved US! She got us away from that sicko Medusa!"

"Y/n." Gwendolyn speaks up as she approaches you, glancing at the bickering brothers. "I assume you have the contract signed?"

You nod, handing over the document."We went to a lot of trouble for that.. and I'm still unsure why."

"Because, I knew you both could. And if my kidnapping you didn't get your companion's attention, this definitely would." She winks at you. You smile slightly, watching Osric walk up and hold Gwen's hand.

"The ship is ready to sail, my love." He says, kissing her shoulder lightly. Gwen smiles.

"If you should need me, Y/n, simply set out the word." She says, walking away with her merry, disheveled group.

"Y/n, c'mon, we're gonna go." Raph declares, grabbing your hand. You nod and walk with him; confused by the looks your teammates send you, you soon realize: you and Raph are holding hands. You quickly escape his grasp and walk to your room. He watches you go with perplexity but shrugs it off and spends time with his brothers, enjoying a moment of peace.

~~

Dim lighting and cold, shiny floors. A light, flowing dress hugging your body, and tight-fitting shoes. Curtains fall from the corner of your eye, and blinding light fills the room. Familiar, slow paced music fills the large room and compels you to dance. You see your mother and father smiling from their seats as strange hands hold yours and take you around the room.

"A very happy birthday, princess."

"Thank you, sire."

You look around. Faces are blurred. Bodies fade from view, then appear again. It switches from night to day in the blink of an eye. You spot bloodstained clothes on your uncle and infant niece, and you scream. No one cares.
And then a firm green hand grabs yours.

"Y/n!"

You scream again, a short, startled scream as you curl away from Raphael.

"D-D-Dancing.. they died dancing.." You sob, half your mind stuck in the dream still.

"Y/n.. hey, it was just a dream.." he kneels at your bedside and holds your face in his hands. It's damp with tears, and his hands are rough and warm. You lean into them, craving more comfort. The first in what seems like forever.

"There you go... it's ok, princess." He whispers soothingly. You feel like you'll fall back asleep just by listening to his voice.

"D-don't call me that.." you croak out, more tears sliding down your cheeks. He wipes them away.

"Why not? It's your title, isn't it?"

"I... I'm not a... a princess... not until I've saved my family.. not until..." You begin to doze off, your eyelids slipping shut.

And Raphael stares at you, your head heavy in his hands, relaxed and beautiful. He leans in and... kisses the corner of your mouth. You'll remember it as a hazy dream, he believes, laying you down to sleep.

As he walks out of your room, you sniffle in your sleep, clutching your pillow.

"Y/N!"

(1120 words in 4 hours. Good or bad? I know I shouldn't put off writing until the very last day, I'm sorry!!! AAANNNNDDDD, I'm sorry of the titles suck. It's so hard to figure out one title for a chapter that seems to go in 1,000 directions)