The walk back to the lair was one of silence, both Raph and Madi too soaked and chilled to the bone to speak. Sticking to the shadows until they got to the skyscrapers of NYC was no fun, but jumping from roof to roof was even worse.

The wind would whip past their shoulders, causing them to shiver even more than they would've done before. It was nearly two hours later when they were half way to the lair before either one said anything. Madi was the first to speak, asking a very important question.

"Raph?" 

"Hm?" 

"How come out of the four of you, you were the one to jump in after me?" She asked. Raph was silent for a moment and was thankful that the darkness of the rooftop hid his face as it turned a deep shade of crimson. What could he say to that? He wasn't sure if it was the right time to tell her that he liked her, but wasn't it obvious by now? What did he have to lose?

"Well...-" Thankfully, before Raph could think of anything stupid to say as an excuse for his actions, the sound of sirens filled the air. Police sirens. And the two could tell that the cops were headed towards the ruined bridge they had just escaped. A pang of guilt quickly stabbed at Madi's heart when the thought of her friends calling the police because of her entered her mind. But she didn't show it. Instead, she kept her eyes glued to Raph's as she waited for his answer.

"Well...?" she repeated, this time with a small smile. That same smile that Raph couldn't get enough of. He quickly looked away to the cement under his feet, unable to hold her stare. This wasn't the right time or place to have this conversation. There may never be a right time or place for this conversation. Period.

"Because Mikey wouldn't be able to handle losing you." 

Ouch.

He could tell that she was trying her hardest to hide her frown and felt a stab of frustration. Why couldn't he say anything right? There were countless other things he could've used as an excuse, but those just had to be the first words that popped out of his mouth.

"Oh..." she started. "That makes sense." She quickly put a fake smile on her face and kissed his cheek. "You're a great brother, Raph. Mikey's lucky to have someone in his family like you." His face turned an even deeper shade of red. Before he could stop himself, a question flew from his lips like a bullet.

"Why do you hate the sewers so much? Why do you hate living with us? Why do you-"

"I don't like the confinement, Raph." Madi interupted with a sad sigh. She knew that this question was going to come sooner or later, so she had planned out the different ways she could've answered to it. "Ever since I found out that Shredder is really my father, that Karai is still alive, and that Daniel had always been a part of the Foot Clan, I've just felt so....trapped. I've been in so much pain because of all of this, and it doesn't seem right. I guess I just feel like I've lost all control of my own life. And I want that control back. It's my life and I should get to decide what I do with it. Maybe I want to go to parties like a normal teenager, maybe I want to go on nights out without having to worry about my date stabbing me in the back."

"And you feel like we've taken that from you." Raph confirmed. It sounded so much worse when he said it like that, but he wasn't lying. Now it was Madi's turn to avoid his gaze. 

"I know it sounds really snobby of me. I mean, you guys have done so much for me. Heck, you just jumped in a river in attempt to save my life. I don't know what you wouldn't do for me. But..."

"It's okay," He said to her. "I get it. You don't need to explain it to me." She could tell his words were genuine and it soothed her. For once in a long time, she actually felt like someone understood her.

* * * * * * * * * *

For another whole hour, there was nothing but silence. Pure silence. And it was terrible. 

When they finally got back to the sewers, they could hear their friends and family speaking. And more importantly, sobbing.

Madi could definitely tell that her mother was crying, so were April and Mikey. Their wailing could be heard from yards and yards away within the tunnels, echoing off the brick walls in a haunting manner. They sounded like ghosts who had taken over the sewers in their grief-stricken stupors. Raph slid his hand into hers and gave it a tight squeeze. He knew that this was going to be hard for her and that she was pretty much assured a screaming session from her mother. But he wanted her to know that she wasn't alone.

"Hey, Raph?" she whispered just outside the entrance before anyone knew they were home.

"Yeah?"

"You can tell them that you rescued me if you want to. That way your ego doesn't get too damaged." she said to him with a sly smirk. He smirked right back and quickly locked one arm beneath the back of her knees and the other underneath her back, picking her up bridal-style.

"Sounds good to me."

* * * * * * * * * * 

Hey, guys! Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. But here it is!

Go ahead and vote and comment if you enjoyed it!

Thanks again for reading!

~Madness