The ruby symbolizes love, energy, passion, power, and a zest for life. Like no other gemstone in the world, ruby is the perfect symbol for powerful feelings.

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The next night, Raphael decides to get out of the lair the first chance he gets. After the latest revelation, the stress levels in his family went up and it's difficult for anyone to relax. Leonardo hardly looks at Raphael and spends more time in the dojo, meditating alone. Destiny tries to distract herself with reading, but she's read every book she owns and her gaze constantly switches from the page to the dojo. Raphael notices that she keeps reading the same page over and over again.

Donatello and Sarina hardly leave their lab, trying to put the pieces together in hopes that doing so will make everything better. Sarina shorts out at one point, her fingers and joints sparking as she shuts down from exhaustion. Donatello stops working to plug her in, too drained to do much else until she wakes up again.

Michelangelo calls April as he sits on the couch near Raphael.

"Hey April?" he asks. There's a pause. "Can I hang out with you? Everyone's...bummed out." There's another pause as he listens to the redhead's response. His face lights up. "Really? Thanks, April! You're the best!"

He hangs up, calling out a quick goodbye before dashing out of the lair. Raphael listens to his footsteps disappear and lets out a heavy sigh, slumping back in his beanbag chair. He stares at the silent lair. Destiny is half texting Diaval, half watching for Leonardo. Donatello massages Sarina's shoulders and back in an effort to help her release stress. She still twitches and sparks every now and then, but less so than before.

Seeing his chance, Raphael gets up and heads out of the lair.

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Taylor is sitting with her legs dangling off the edge of the building when he arrives, her gaze distant and her shoulders stiff. Raphael approaches slowly, silently.

"I didn't think you'd show up," she admits.

He settles down at her side with a shrug. "I had to."

They linger in the silence for a while. She swings her feet and hums bits and pieces of songs to herself as she fiddles with her hair. He listens to her, eyes closed, wind toying with his mask tails. Sirens echo across the expanse. Car horns honk. The skyline glitters with life.

"Taylor..." he starts.

"I don't want to talk about the Purple Dragons," she interrupts. "I want us to act like two normal people, that's it."

He nods and shifts over to rest his hand on hers. She shuts her eyes, hiding their pretty hazel colour from his view.

"We can just...talk," he suggests. "Not sure about what. My family is basically all I've got." She manages a weak smile and his face gains hope. "Could...you tell me about your family?"

She smirks. "Well, I think you've reached level five friendship. Felicitaciones, you've unlocked my tragic backstory!"

She wiggles her eyebrows and he laughs. A teasing glint reappears in her eyes, but before he can enjoy it further, it flickers out and she takes a deep breath. Her sneakers kick at the open air.

"So...I ran away when I was fourteen," she starts. Her voice is soft and already she's shaking. Raphael's hand tightens against hers. "My mamá and papá divorced when I was ten and she went off to live in Segovia with her new husband, had new kids. She moved on with her life. I felt...abandoned. It was like she didn't care that papá and I had been her family. I spent years being angry at her, but I was glad that I had papá. He made sure I didn't miss out on anything."

He glances at his feet. "I can't imagine what it'd be like if my dad abandoned me...if Leo, Donnie, and Mikey were all an ocean away and I had never met them." He squeezes her hand. "I'm sorry."

She punches his arm lightly. "Look at you, you big softie."

Usually, that would bug him, but today he's completely fine with it. He is soft. She makes him soft and when it's just her, he's okay with that.

He brings himself a little closer. "If your dad was so great, why'd you run?"

She sucks in a sharp breath, eyes getting watery. "He's in jail, Raph."

"Huh?"

She nods, blinking hard. "I thought everything was fine, but the divorce must've cost him more than I could understand. I found out later that he got demoted from his job and lost a chunk of his salary." She grips her knee with the hand that he isn't holding, a shudder rolling through her. "He didn't want me to worry, so he kept giving me guitar lessons and the stuff I needed for Bindo and new clothes and hair dye...and then one night, he got caught."

Still shell-shocked from the initial confession, he can only utter out, "Caught?"

"I didn't know until I saw on the news. Just a passing mention of an active burglar getting caught. I was home alone a lot those days, thinking he just had to work late, then...there was papá on TV. My loving papá that did nothing but care for me after mamá left was...was a criminal." She chokes back a sob, bringing a hand to her face, and he catches mutterings of Spanish falling from her lips as she collects herself. "He was so desperate to keep us stable that he was stealing. I...I felt so betrayed," she continues. She sucks in a breath and wipes off her cheek. "He was being taken to jail and I knew that soon they'd drag me away, put me in care, ship me off to some relative, and I...I just couldn't take it. It was too much. I packed up my things and I ran without looking back. From there, I ended up in Chinatown and ran into the PDs. They took me in, taught me to fight for myself, and...here I am."

"Wow, I..." He lets out a low whistle and runs a hand over his head. "I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. It's a lot."

His soft smile melts her heart. "Your papá really loves you."

She bows her head, bringing her knees up to her chest. "I haven't seen him in two years. I don't know if he knows that I'm okay." She sighs heavily. "I left him a note on the kitchen table, told him I was okay and that I love him. Maybe the police brought it to him."

"I hope they did."

"Me too." After a moment, she clears her throat. "Uh, so...hard stuff out of the way, what else do you want to know?"

He thinks for a moment. "Your guitar...Vic? Tell me about him."

"I adore him," she says with a childlike grin. "I learned to play when I was six. You know that movie, Road to El Dorado?" Raphael shakes his head, but she continues, "It had this guy in it named Miguel. I loved him, and he played this guitar, lute sort of instrument. I begged my parents to get me lessons."

"You'll have to show me that movie."

"Deal." She winks and angles herself towards him. "Music is the one thing that I can always rely on. It's...mi escape." Her eyes light up. "Once I got good at playing, I started fiddling around with lyrics and writing my own songs. Then, I wanted to...to..." She trails off, rubbing at her dragon tattoo as guilt creases her face. "I wanted to start a band."

He arches an eye-ridge. "And you didn't?"

"Sort of? I had a group of friends that I met in band class, other emo-ish kids. Griffin, Lukas, Feryn, Zack, and I...we played different instruments and liked the same bands, so we got together every now and then just to play in my garage. Feryn did keys, Griffin on drums, Lukas on bass, and Zack and I alternated lead vocals and guitar. It was perfect." She sighs and brushes her hair from her eyes. "When I ran away, I lost contact. They probably hate me now."

Raphael shakes his head. "No way."

"How do you know?" she demands, her eyes growing misty.

He shrugs. "I don't, but if they were really your friends, they'd forgive you in time," he says. His face falls. "Besides, I know what it's like to be hated because I'm..." He looks down at himself, lip curling. "Because..."

"Because you're different," she whispers. "Like me."

He looks up at her and she dons that cute smile and tilts her head. Taylor had said it before, that they're both weird and weirdos stick together, but it means more to him now. She really did mean it. He finds himself leaning closer to her and she looks away.

"Did you ever want to be something other than a hero when you got older?" she wonders.

He shakes his head. "Not really. I don't think I could be anything else," he says. "What about you?"

"I always thought I'd be a rockstar," she admits. She murmurs to herself for a second, then continues, "Being out there on stage with my guitar, the microphone, my bandmates beside me, fans screaming...I thought that would be the dream." She folds her hands in her lap, fingers brushing one another. "When I really think about it, I just want to be happy."

"That's not impossible," he says, earnest.

Her face floods with guilt. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure I fucked everything up."

He grasps her hands and brings her closer to him. "No, I think you've got the drive to get yourself anywhere. You've just got to hold on."

She tries to smile, but the tears eyes betray her. "Raph, there's so much I don't want to do, so...so much that I don't want to mess up..." She sniffles and grips his hands tighter. "Mi papá...mi mamá...mis amigos...do they even care? Do...do they miss me?"

Tears trickle down her face and Raphael has to admit that it's a shocking sight. This Taylor, this vulnerable girl with the innocent eyes, is nothing like the other half of her that he had come to know; the sassy, rebellious side. He likes this new side. It's endearing, even with the smudged eyeliner and the reddened, blotchy face. He didn't even notice that she wore makeup before now.

"Raphael, could...could you just h-hold me?" she asks through her cries.

He doesn't have to be told twice, pulling her to his chest and wrapping his arms around her as tight as he comfortably can. She returns the embrace as if she's been starved for it and he shuts his eyes, tilting his nose down to the top of her head and breathing in. She's warm and her scent of the ocean and tropical places takes him away to somewhere far nicer than a rooftop in the depths of Manhattan.

He wants them to be like this forever. He wants to be able to hold her like this whenever she's breaking down. He lifts her into his lap and slides off the ledge, laying down on the rooftop with his eyes on the stars, his hand rubbing her back.

"I'm here for you, Tay," he whispers as she cuddles against him. "I'm here..."