Leap of Faith, Part One: Out of the Darkness

Chapter Nine

"Good morning starshine!"

Leonardo opened his eyes to see a mug of steaming coffee being held in front of his nose, Mikey's grinning face behind it. He yawned a garbled thanks, accepted the hot brew and sat up, assessing his physical condition even in the first few moments of wakefulness; his limbs felt tight and tense, and he made a mental note to do extra stretches today before and after their workout. Mike soon joined him, and they sat in relative silence for a few moments, listening to the muted sound of the stereo in Raph's room belting out Led Zeppelin

"I don't know how he can listen to that first thing in the morning," Leo said at last.

Mikey smiled and drained his cup. As he stood to get a refill, he gestured towards Leo's room. "Oh yeah, don't go in the shower, Miranda's in there. I told Raph and Don. Really, I told them!" he added as Leo regarded him dubiously.

"Thanks, Mikey. How was she?" He tilted his mug to drink the last of the coffee.

"I could really use some caffeine"

Leo nearly spilled his drink all over his face in surprise as Miranda suddenly stepped out of his room.

"Good morning, Miranda," Mikey said as he raised his mug. "Help yourself; cups are in the top left."

"Thanks Mike, good morning Leo," she replied as she made a beeline for the kitchen area. In the background, Led Zeppelin was suddenly silenced.

"Where's the sugar?" she called.

"We're out." Mikey replied.

"Where's the cream?"

"We're out," Raphael said as he entered the living room, tying his mask on. He nodded curtly in her direction. "You Miranda?" he asked, running his eyes over her form as she pulled out a small carton of creamer from the fridge, glanced at the date and shuddered.

"You Raphael? Is it too early for normal speech patterns, or are you still hungover?" Leo said abruptly. He immediately sighed and shook his head, "Sorry Raph, I'm feeling a little under the weather. Miranda, this is my brother Raphael. Raph, this is my...." he trailed off as he felt the attention of everyone in the room fixate on his next words. Until now, Leo hadn't really thought about what he and Miranda were to each other. In his thoughts, she was just....

"I'm Miranda, as I'm sure you've figured out. By the way, thanks for the Zeppelin this morning. Houses of the Holy is a great way to start the day." She smiled politely at Raph, who looked mildly amused, and began opening drawers in search of a spoon. "I can't believe you all drink only black coffee. That's kind of disgusting."

"It grows on you," Leo remarked.

"Sometimes I put cream in mine," Mikey called.

Rolling her eyes, Miranda rifled through a drawer, finally extracting the desired piece of flatware as Donatello entered the room. Intent on a pile of notes in his hand, he pulled up a chair at the table and sat down without speaking or looking up. His brothers regarded him a moment before Leo cleared his throat loudly, causing Don to look up, vexed.

"What is it?"

"Do you want some coffee?" Miranda said suddenly, causing Donnie to nearly jump out of his seat. He turned to her, slightly flustered.

"Er....hello. I'm Donatello-Don or Donnie for short."

"Nice to meet you, Don. I'm Miranda. Coffee?" She wiggled the pot enticingly.

"No thanks, I've had plenty already. I'm kind of an early riser."

There was silence for a few moments as Miranda took her mug and entered the living area, finally sitting next to Leo on the couch. As she did so, Raph and Mike-discreetly-joined Donnie in the kitchen. Leonardo suddenly felt all too aware of everyone's movements, a sensation that was heightened when she was close to him. "So, how's the head? Did you sleep alright?"

She sipped her drink gingerly, clearly unaccustomed to the bitter flavor. "Well enough, I guess, considering I'm the target of gang violence." Her knee moved marginally closer to his as she replied.

Is it getting warmer in here? "You know, there may be some sugar packets in the drawer..." Leo tried to stand, but her hand on his arm made him pause.

"It's fine, Leonardo. But thanks anyway. For everything."

They sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to Mike and Raph's spirited bickering. Leonardo tried to think of something clever or witty to say, but his brothers' chatter made normal conversation difficult. He glanced at her, and noted how she was fidgeting with a loose thread on her pants, as well her left leg that was bouncing nervously even as it was pressed to his.

"Listen, Miranda," he said quietly. "My brothers and I all agreed that we want to help you. We're crime fighters, after all, and it's what we do." She opened her mouth to object, but he continued. "We protect those who cannot protect themselves, and try to make this city a better place to live. It sounds really cliche and corny, but it's all we've ever known how to do. And, for what it's worth, even though I know you don't want to be, I'm really glad you're here."

She made no reply, save for the sudden stillness of her left leg, and a non-fidgeting hand on his. Her skin was warm, and smooth, and though Leo was acutely aware of a myriad of related thoughts swarming through his mind, he said nothing else. They sat quietly, and sipped the black coffee.

About a quarter of an hour later, Splinter stepped out of his room and indicated that practice time was at hand. The sensei invited Miranda to watch, and as the Turtles finished their coffees and the whole group headed to the dojo, Leonardo realized that he very much wanted her to watch him spar.