Leap of Faith, Part Two: Into the Light

Epilogue:

“Man, I love Halloween!” Michelangelo exclaimed as they entered the Old Union, after the third person complimented the brothers on their fine costumes. “It feels so great to be topside with no stupid trench coats or hats!”

“Just try not to scare anyone, Mikey,” Raphael said, nudging his younger brother's shell. “Hey Don, howsabout you and me get some refreshments?”

“How exactly does that work?” Leonardo asked Mikey as he watched Raph and Donatello slip towards the bar. Mikey shrugged.

“Don't worry about it Leo, it's all paid for, they just don't see us! Ninjas, remember?” They moved to the middle of the room, scanning the crowd for familiar faces. “Did you ever find out what she was dressing up as?”

Leo laughed. “Nope, it'll be a surprise to me, as well. Pretty good crowd.”

Indeed, the Old Union seemed filled to capacity, and nearly everyone was in some kind of getup. Mikey bowed to a couple of girls dressed as geisha and grinned again. “Did I mention that I love Halloween?” The girls giggled and curtsied back before getting lost in the crowd just as Raph and Don reappeared, each with two beers.

Donnie handed one to Leo, his expression thoughtful. “About what happened to Miranda, I think that I can figure out what he did to her, and maybe even reverse it with a little help. And since Bishop hasn't tried to find her yet, maybe all this is behind us.”

“I hope so, Donnie,” Leonardo said, accepting the beer.

“It's nice though,” Don continued, “Despite all we've been through, it feels like a change for the better.”

Leo grinned and offered up a toast; the four plastic cups clicked together just as a man, ironically dressed as a ninja, took the stage to introduce the band.. As they filed onto the stage, Leo could see that everyone in the band was dressed as, what appeared to be a different mythical creature: a satyr, a djinn, a mermaid, and what appeared to be a phoenix made up the members of the band, except.....

“Oh, cool wings!” Mikey's exclamation was lost in the clamoring of the crowd, and Leo barely heard his brother, having focused all of his attention on Miranda from the moment that she walked onto the stage. She was wearing an artfully tattered blue dress, black and white striped socks, with a pair of large, silvery wings attached to the back of her garment. Her skin glittered, and a part of Leo's mind knew that he would be covered in the stuff later-but that didn't matter. Just before the band began to play, she caught Leo's eyes, reached behind her back, and fluttered the wings slightly, giving the effect that she was ready to fly. He grinned back and raised his beer in salute, pleased at her ensuing laugh.

Music filled the room, and soon the whole crowd was dancing. Mikey whooped and began gyrating wildly, and Raph and Don bobbed their heads in time to the infectious rhythm. For Leonardo's part, his body was still, but he was singing along, following Miranda's every motion, absorbing her every word. He sipped his beer and stepped out of the way of a couple of very drunk pirates, taking pleasure in the thought that his brothers were able to attend the show tonight. He even allowed his mind to drift ahead, to hours later: after the breaking down of music equipment and loading of vans; after the late-night snack run; after he and his family were safely home, to when he and Miranda would be asleep in each other's arms. Life was good.

For the moment.


The End