Down Time

Raphael POV

Just like I always knew, that Allie/Lexa bitch was no good. She led them straight to Casey's grandmother's house and destroyed it. Strike one. She put my family in danger. Strike two. She hurt Molly. Strike three. I guess you can say Molly's become part of the family and no one messes with our family. That bitch better watch her back. I'm not even the one she should be worryin' about. She's even got April angry and everybody knows that's the worse thing anybody can do.

Third Person POV

It had been a couple of weeks since the farmhouse attack and Molly began to hide out at the lair. She resided in Donatello's room for the time being while the resident genius slept on the cot or at the computer in the lab which was really no different from his normal place of sleeping. A late night trip to her apartment enabled her to collect the essentials and most treasured possessions. EPF and the Agency were looking for her and she could not allow them to capture her again. Staying at April's put the redhead at risk and Molly was adamant about keeping her friend safe.

With a heavy heart, she began the process of changing her appearance so she could still go out without drawing the attention of her enemies. She dyed her hair a teal color and cut it in the style of a pixie cut. An aggressive diet dropped her from a healthy weight of 125 to 115 much to April's disapproval. She explained that she had to change her appearance no matter the risks. She forgoed her professional style for a more casual style of dress. Her glasses were traded in for contacts. The first time the brothers saw her new appearance, they were shocked at how different she looked. She looked years younger.

April came to the lair one day with a bottle of Maker's Mark for Molly. The former-brunette greeted her and they took to the couch for a serious discussion. Molly mixed the whiskey into two cups of hot toddy and handed April a mug. The turtles were off on patrol and Master Splinter was meditating in his room.

"Lexa came by the shop looking for you." April murmured as she took a sip.

"She didn't harass you, did she?" Molly frowned. She was beginning to regret ever letting her enter her life.

"No. She said she needed to speak with you. I told her that you spirited away to Guatemala." They chuckled over there drinks. "Have you heard anything from the 'resistance'?" Molly frowned over her mug.

"They sent be an e-mail before they went dark. They've been compromised by something...or someone. I'm afraid it might be her..." The psychologist took another sip. "Even though I never spoke of them to her, who knows if she ever followed me to a secret meeting? Anyway...They'll be back up when it's safe. This could take anywhere from months to years, of course."

"How is it staying here?"

"As normal as living with teenage mutant ninja turtles can be." Molly replied, gazing into her mug. "They have all been accommodating. I'm starting to consider stopping the sessions. I'm getting too close to them and it's getting more difficult to maintain a sense of professionalism when they have seen me at my most vulnerable."

"That doesn't mean you can't advise them." April offered. "Just because you don't feel you can be their psychologist; doesn't mean you can't be a friend. You can still utilize your psych knowledge to help them."

"You're right." Molly sighed. "I just don't know what to do with myself now that I'm in hiding. I don't even know who I am anymore. I spent all of those years with the Agency. I dedicated my life to them and now...I lost the very thing I defined myself as..."

"Maybe you can train with me. I have been working with Master Splinter for a little while now. I could use a sparring partner." She offered.

"You know what? That doesn't sound like a bad idea." Chatter came from the sewers as boys returned from their patrol. "Sounds like it was a good night." Michelangelo appeared first and made a beeline to the couch.

"April! What brings you here?" He asked with a big grin growing on his lips.

"Just having a drink with Molly." Was the reply. The other brothers came in and approached the couch as Mikey grabbed April's mug to give it a whiff.

"What is that?" He inquired.

"It's a hot toddy." Molly replied with a smirk. "Something you boys are too young to enjoy."

"Mikey!" April frowned as he took a sip.

"Bleeeecccck!" He wrinkled up his beak. "What's in it?"

"Some mighty fine whiskey." Molly took a sip from own mug. "Brings me back to the good old college days."

"And here I took ya for a wine and spritzer girl." Raphael smirked in, resting his forearms on the back of the couch.

"Oh, please!" The teal-haired beauty rolled her eyes. "Maybe when I was in high school."

"I thought it was midori sour." April smiled, resting her cheek in the palm of her hand."

"That, too." Molly grinned, finishing her mug. "I was a light weight back then."

"Would you like another?" The redheaded offered.

"I've got nothing better to do."

"Why don't we take it to Casey's?" April suggested.

"Sure."

"'Ey, I'm comin', too." Raphael said standing straight. "I haven't see that knucklehead fer a couple of weeks now."

"Raph." Leonardo began reproachfully.

"Why don't we all go?" April suggested.

"Yeah! Let's keep this night going!" Michelangelo cheered.

"I don't know." Leonardo sighed.

"Come on, Leo. Get that stick outta yer ass and have some fun!" Raphael rolled his eyes, received a glare from the elder turtle.

"Donnie?" Leonardo looked to the brains of the bunch.

"It couldn't hurt. We have finished patrol a bit early." Was the reply. The leader puffed out another sigh.

"Fine but we get home at a decent hour. We're not skimping on training just because we stayed out too late."

"We probably won't even stay out that long." Donatello waved his hand.

"Besides, we have Molly with us. She'll make sure we'll behave." Michelangelo chimed in

Molly and Casey Jones sat across from each other at the coffee table; one eying the other. The room was quiet as they glowered at each other. Michelangelo was biting his nails. Raphael stood by Casey side with a smug grin on his face. Leonardo stood behind Michelangelo with his face in his palm as he shook his head. Donatello rubbed his chin in fascination as April stood behind Molly with a knowing smile.

"Yer bitin' off more than you can chew, girlie." Casey slurred.

"Hmph." She poured whiskey into two shot glasses. "I can do this all night." She put the bottle down as they each lifted the shots and downed them in one gulp, slamming the shot glasses on the table.

"Damn, Molly-O, that's the eighth shot!"

"Keep 'em coming." Molly demanded, taking a drink of water as Casey took his turn to pour and did a sloppy job of it.

"Hold yer horses." He growled as he clumsily put the bottle down. They downed the next shot.

"You sure you can handle one more?" Molly inquired with a touch of a slur to her own speech; her cheeks flushed from the alcohol as she poured them another one. She took another drink of water.

"Yer goin' down, O'Shea." Casey declared they both took another shot. He began to sway and Raphael's grin started to fade.

"Hey man." He slurred, putting a hand on his shoulder. He had a few beers himself. "Ya sure ya wanna keep goin'?"

"What's the worst that can happen?" Casey reach for the bottle but missed. His depth perception failed him as he tried again, grabbing the air in front of the bottle. With a hiccup he looked at Molly, seeing three teal-haired versions of her. "You can call a truce if ya want. I'll go easy on ya!"

"Sure." Molly grinned, clearly holding her composure a lot better but not wanting to hurt his pride. "I owe you one." She could feel April's hand on her shoulder giving her an approving squeeze.

"It's a tie!" Michelangelo declared, raising his arms in the air. April took a seat beside Casey as he hiccupped. He put an arm around her. Raphael moved over to his older brother and gave him a punch to the arm.

"Ya havin' fun yet, Fearless?" He boomed. Leonardo threw him a disapproving look.

"I'm surprised you can hold that much liquor." Donatello admitted to Molly who offered a crooked smile.

"Blame it on the genes. The Irish and the Koreans are known for their drinking." She slurred softly before adding in an Irish accent, "There is ne'er a wise man who can drink an O'Shea under the table!" She drank her glass of water empty.

"You've been drinking water all night." The genius turtle noted. "A drinking tactic?"

"Hydration is key to avoiding a hangover." She grinned. "Taken from a page from Molly O'Shea's Guide to Drinking."

"I think we've overstayed our welcome." Leonardo finally announced, glancing at the clock. "It's three and we still need to train in the morning."

"What a buzzkill!" Michelangelo whined.

"I'll give you a call." Molly murmured to April as Casey snored beside her. "Thanks for tonight."

"I'll talk to Master Splinter about you joining in our sessions." April said as she tried to heave her sleeping man up. "Come on Casey! Time for bed!" He blearily woke up and allowed her to guide him toward the bedroom.

"Oh, you're up for some of the Case-man?" He grinned and delivered playful nip to her neck, making the redhead jolt.

"Casey Jones!" She shouted with a laugh. "Good night, guys."

They all stated their good nights before exiting through the window with Donatello leading the way. Molly took in a deep breath through her nose and stretched her arms up over her head. The cool air felt nice against her skin. Giggles emitted from bedroom window and she noticed purple clad terrapin tensing before making his way up the fire escape. The rest followed suit all the way up to the roof. She half listened absent-mindedly to the banter between the brothers as her eyes fell on the city below. It was nice to be outside for once. She shook herself from her thoughts when she realized Leonardo was speaking to her.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" She inquired.

"Will you be okay to run on the roof? We can go on ground." He offered.

"Perhaps the roof would be a poor choice. My coordination is a bit compromised." Molly admitted.

"Baaah! The roofs faster!" Raphael growled as he lifted her up and over his shoulder in a fireman carry before taking off to the next rooftop. Leonardo called after him, his voice laced with exasperation.

"You're crazy!" Molly laughed with a shake of her head.

"Does he look mad? I bet steam is comin' from his ears!" The mischievous terrapin chuckled.

"Are you trying to get him angry?"

"Sometimes I like it."

"Really? Because I recall you storming off quite a few times after a fight."

"Aaaah, he's usually bein' a prick. 'S like he's tryin' to say the wrong thing on purpose to make me go away..."

"I think it goes both ways." Molly murmured. Raphael stopped after jumping the seventh rooftop and gingerly put her down.

"Yeah. Maybe." They watched as the other three quickly caught up, a frowning Leonardo kept his anger at a simmer.

"Are you finished?" He inquired of his grinning brother.

"Sure. Let's take to the streets." Raphael gave his brother a light punch to the arm before heading down the fire escape.

"Is it just me or has Raph been acting weird lately?" Michelangelo inquired of his brother in a low voice.

"I noted subtle changes since we escaped the farmhouse." Donatello added. "Leo, you too. You've been off."

"Enough standing around." Leonardo made for the fire escape. The other two looked at each other. Molly followed the leader with a quirked brow.

"Something tells me you're hiding something." She whispered out of earshot of the younger brothers. He gave her a sideways glance and said nothing. He could feel her eyes boring into him.

"Would you, please, stop staring?" He hissed.

"You are free to hide things from me but you can't keep this from your brothers forever. You need to trust them more." She finally said, giving him a pat on the shoulder before making her way down the fire escape.

The rest of the trip home was full of laughter, a reproachful Leonardo attempting to keep everyone quiet and the soothing spring air. The chatter dulled to hushed conversation for fear of waking Splinter. They pawed through the darkness until a blinding light came on.

"Oh, Shell..." Leonardo breathed under his breath as their Master approached them with the deepest of scowls.

"Might I ask where all of you have gone to so late in the night?" The rat inquired without inflection.

"We were at Casey's, Sensei." Raphael slurred. Donatello slapped himself in the face. Meanwhile, their father was sniffing the air.

"Have you been drinking, my son?" He asked.

"Well-no-that is-..." The hothead of the family lowered his head knowing very well his father knew the answer and lying was pointless at this point.

"One hundred flips."

"Right now? But I-"

"NOW!" The master struck his walking stick on the floor and off his son went to the dojo to begin his punishment; cursing under his breath. "You two." He eyed the younger brothers.

"We didn't drink, sensei." Donatello spoke up.

"Yeah! We only watched them drink!" Michelangelo chimed in.

"Fifty flips. Go!" He ordered and the other two went after their sibling, now-nauseated after five flips.

"Perhaps I should go..." Molly finally spoke up.

"No, Miss O'Shea." Splinter raised a hand, fixing his dark eyes on her. "You are a guest in our home for as long as you need, but I do ask that you try to avoid being a bad influence to my sons."

"Of course..." She murmured, humbled by the repercussions of her choice to allow the turtles to tag along.

"Please, Sensei. It was my fault." Leonardo spoke up, eyes already cast down in shame.

"As a leader, it is your responsibility to keep a careful eye on your brothers, especially when they give in to mischief. You have done well to bring them and Miss O'Shea home unseen and unharmed." He stated looking over his son.

"Yes." Leonardo closed his eyes.

"150 flips. Go!" With a quick bow, his eldest son joined his brothers in the dojo. The sound of groaning and retching soon followed with a SPLAT to complete the Concerto of a Drunken Raphael came from the dojo. His brother's groaned in response.

"Ugh! Gross, Raph!" Michelangelo's nauseous voice sounded from the dojo. Splinter's ears twitched as he shook his head.

"Kids..." Came out with a sigh as he made his way back to his room.

"Master Splinter." Molly spoke up. He paused and looked over at the nervous woman.

"I'm...I'm sorry for taking your hospitality for granted and for not being a stronger role model. To be honest...I haven't been doing anything to prove that I am someone to look up to these last few weeks..." She confessed.

"Miss O'Shea," He turned to face her. "You are in a transition. Like the caterpillar locked in a cocoon, you are vulnerable and there is no promise you will come out unharmed. It is an uneasy process in which you must give in to time but if you learn patience within yourself and allow yourself to ride through the storms; then you, too, can burst from your cocoon and spread new wings that can take you much farther than you ever dreamed." She locked eyes with the elder and they both offered each other a warm smile.

"Thank you."

"Perhaps you would honor me with your presence during their training this morning. It begins in four hours." He offered as he began to retire to his room.

"Yes." Molly fought the temptation to sleep off some of the whiskey and grabbed the mop and a bucket.

Molly sat in seiza beside Splinter as she watched the brothers spar one another. While the younger three were sluggish from a lack of sleep, Leonardo maintained impeccable form. This, of course, served as a great disadvantage to the hung over Raphael who happened to be paired up with him. After the tenth time of being knocked back on to his shell, Splinter stopped the sparring and ordered his sons to sit. They sat in front of their father as directed.

"Your training ends early today." He announced with a stern expression. "You have learned the effects of which the body undergoes without proper rest. If you intend to make foolish decisions, you must be prepared to face the repercussions. Your enemy will not hesitate to strike simply because you are not fighting at your best. All but Leonardo are dismissed." His sons bowed and rose to their feet. The brothers glanced at their leader before leaving the dojo. Splinter turned his attention to Molly. "Miss O'Shea. April has been speaking with me of the possibility of training you."

"Hm. She just suggested it to me last night." Molly furrowed her brows. "I suppose she ran it by you first?"

"As a matter of fact, she did." He gestured to Leonardo. "I would like to see what you know so far."

She hesitated, looking at the younger student who clearly had more experience in this than she had. Though she was well-versed in Tae Kwon Do, it was rare that she ever had to utilize it. Even practicing forms daily could not compare to daily combat. She found that out during her spar with Raphael. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and faced the turtle. They both bowed before taking defensive stances. No one moved and it was then that she realized he was waiting on her.

Here goes nothing…

She started of by stepping forward on one foot with a quick step of the other as the first foot shot forward in a kick that she pushed with her hips. He blocked with his forearm with a touch of a smile on his lips. The power behind the kick was not what he expected from her but it wasn't going to do any damage to him. She stepped back and hoped from one foot to the other. He was still going to stay on the defensive. She jumped into a flying kick. He caught her foot and made to bring her down to the ground. As he pulled, she used the momentum to swing and elbow down across his jaw. She hit the ground and he stumble a step.

Rubbing his jaw, he stood slowly. She immediately jumped to her feet. Still no movement from him. With an exasperated sigh, she pivoted on her left and kicked with her right foot to which he blocked. Immediately following the flow of her first kick, she kicked up with her left foot; her right foot right behind it for a double kick. Blocked. The moment her left foot hit the floor, she spun in a 360 and swept her left lower to give her the momentum she needed behind the right foot to connect it with his flank. He took the hit and leaned to the side. Molly shook her head.

"My turn." He finally murmured. He moved so quickly, she barely had time to dodge out of the way of his side kick. He swung another up to which she blocked with a cut down kick, but the power behind his knocked her back on to her butt. She scrambled to her feet and stood in a defensive stance again. He spun to his right side and threw an elbow back. She stepped back and blocked while he pivoted and brought his other arm swinging from the left. She lifted a leg up to block. He slid his foot forward and swept her standing leg out from under her when her other leg was in midblock. She tumbled back with a blink.

"Enough." Splinter spoke up. "Sit." They both followed his directions and sat in front of him. "Miss O'Shea, you appear to favor the use of kicks."

"I was trained in Tae Kwon Do since I was a young girl. It comes more naturally to me." She reasoned.

"It would be wise for you to learn how to use your fists as well." The master stated. "When your reflexes rely solely on your legs, you will not be as efficient with a weapon."

"A weapon?" The teal-haired woman quirked a brow.

"If you are to defend yourself, you may need to use something that is around you as a weapon and you will want to know how to best use it." He continued.

"What is this really about?" Molly inquired. Leonardo remained quietly listening.

"This is about learning how to defend yourself with the ways of the ninja."

"You're kidding me, right?" She stood abruptly, narrowing her brows. "This has April written all over it. I get that she wants to do that whole ninja thing but...come on. I was a psychologist. I was combat ready for whenever things got messy, but I'm not a stealthy, rooftop leaping warrior who takes down criminals."

"Then may I ask, Miss O'Shea, who are you now?" The sensei inquired. The psychologist pursed her lips, unable to answer. "You needn't decide at this moment what you want to do. I am merely giving you an option." He finally stood up and approached her, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Your dedication to my sons has been a true honor. I would be happy to assist you on your journey to finding who you are now. Perhaps these set of skills will be of use to you when you should decide to take down the Agency. I urge you to think on it." He stepped out of the dojo, leaving Molly to brood over her choices.

"What have you got to lose?" The blue clad terrapin finally spoke up, rising on to his feet.

"Nothing. Everything. I don't know. I don't see how I'm going to manage on 'finding myself.' God! What a cliché issue to have. I can't even get you to open up."

"Something did happen at the farmhouse." Leonardo blurted out. The moment the word left his lips he clamped his mouth shut. Why on Earth did I say that? They stared at each other in silence. "I'm...going to go to sleep. I'm not thinking right."

"Now that you mention it, when was the last time you actually slept a good amount?" She inquired, concerned about his tired state. He simply sighed.

"I don't know." Was the reply.

"Don't you have anyone that you can confide in? I get you want nothing to do with my help but you need to have a hardcore venting session or something!"

"Vent about what? Your manipulative ex-girlfiend? The change in my brother's behavior? The lack of sleep I've been getting? I'm not having a mental breakdown. I'm just tired. Why don't you focus on yourself before you focus on me?" He turned to leave the dojo but halted in his steps. "I didn't mean any offense. Right now, whining about my feelings is going to get me no where fast."

"It might get you a good night's sleep." Molly offered with a shrug.

"I don't think so."

"Fine." She rubbed her face in frustration. "You think I should focus on myself? Let's talk about that spar session."

"What about it?" He quirked an eye ridge.

"You were studying me throughout the first half. That's why you didn't attack. Then when you did, you held back."

"You can't learn if I knock you out."

"You're in on this, too? This whole Make-Molly-a-ninja scheme?" She slowly brought her arms over her chest. They eyed each other in silence before he finally shrugged.

"April might have mentioned it."

"Why?" She implored.

"You're going to get cabin fever if you stay here. It's unreasonable to expect you to hide here without being able to go topside. If you can tap into some Ninjutsu skills, it may be safer for you."

"That punishment wasn't only about the curfew and Raph's drinking, was it?"

"Our father had a long talk with us." The terrapin frowned. "We should have been more careful with you when we went to Casey's. If any of Bishop's men found you...We don't know what EPF wants with you but if Bishop personally picked you up from the farmhouse, then it can't be good."

"Hence the drastic change to my appearance..."

"It won't matter if you're out and about with us. That by itself will raise suspicions."

"You make a valid point." Molly looked away and chewed on her bottom lip. With a slow exhale, she returned her gaze to Leonardo. "Say I give it a shot, then what?"

"Then your training begins tomorrow."

Author's note: I finished this chapter while trying to keep awake enough so I could post it. So...typos are likely to happen. Sorry. I'll fix it later. I was aiming for more bonding with the turtles but these stories just do what they want. Hopefully the turtle fluff will allow me to write them in the next chapter. I am also hoping to bring Leatherhead back. We shall see.