A/N: All right everybody, this is the last chapter before my sequel is put out. Possible tomorrow or the day after.... Hopefully.... yeah. Have fun.
Epilogue: Just When You Thought It Was Over
"This video may be a little harsh to some of you, so if you want to leave during the showing, go ahead. It does become very graphic in the verbal, descriptive aspect," Professor Tucker put in the video in front of the class and took a seat at the side of the class.
"Great… that means a note break," Ashley said putting her feet up on the back of the chair in front of her. Her old tennis shoes covered with what looked like the poison warning sign and jet-black material covering the heel of her foot. She tugged at her dark blue t-shirt and black jeans to get comfortable and settle into the chair.
Delaney smiled at her new friend from next to her, "You never take notes anyway, so what are you complaining about?"
"Nothing, I guess," she shrugged her shoulders and looked at Delaney, "Why are you so chipper all of the sudden. Last week you were on the edge of sanity… and now you are…I don't know, like happy as Hell."
"I feel a lot better," she grimaced as she listened to the officer on the screen talk and lecture about how men could be raped too, "This is sickening how people can do this to one another."
"It was pretty sickening what they did to your family," she said as she also grimaced.
"Yeah, well at least this I can do something about," the professor turned off the video and began to lecture again. Delaney took out her new sketchbook and began to work on some pictures that she drew earlier of Michelangelo and the others.
"What are you talking about?"
"I am learning criminology so I can stop the crime that's out there. You may be doing it for general education, but I like to know that I am going for a goal," she started to outline over the pencil with her new pen.
"You read the tabloids too, huh?" Ashley noticed the turtle-man on Delaney's page, "You a fan of urban legends or something?"
"They're amphibians, not legends," Delaney smiled and erased some of the left over pencil markings.
"All right, all right," Ashley waved her hand and got her notebook out to pick several of the main points in the lecture, "They're very good by the way. Almost realistic. As if you've seen them or something."
"Yeah, right…" Delaney gave a nervous laugh and smiled in Ashley's direction, put her sketch book away and began to write down the new notes in her notebook, "Like I was able to go looking for living legends while on the run for my life."
"That would have been different. Not to mention near impossible since they don't exist," she yawned and noticed that the lecture was ending and got her stuff together, "So what you got planned tonight? It's Friday night and there's a party at McSwin Hall."
"I got other plans with some friends, but thanks," Delaney lugged her backpack on her back and they started for the door. Once they got outside Delaney's arm was caught by another hand. She turned quickly to see a person dressed in a trench coat and a huge, wide brimmed hat. Ashley took on the defense and looked at the guy.
"Look, buddy we ain't advertising so best get out of here!" she waved her hand across her body as if to shoo him away.
"I thought I told you to meet me at my apartment," Delaney smiled and rolled her eyes.
"You know I couldn't wait to see you," the guy had a deep surfer accent. He slowly released his grip on her wrist, but kept his face hidden by his hat and the shadows, "Whose the Callista wanna be?"
"Wanna be?" Ashley looked at the guy as if he was crazy.
"This is Ashley, she's apparently in my class," Delaney looked at Ashley, "And Ashley, this is my boyfriend, Mikey."
"Oh, the mysterious Michelangelo…I've heard so much about you," she put her hands on her hips, "Delaney has something to say about you almost everyday."
"I hope she hasn't said too much," Michelangelo said with a slight chuckle to his voice.
"Of course not. You're still a mystery to me. She talks about you all the time, but never anything about you, you know? It's weird and it looks like I'm confusing you," she looked at her watch and then to Delaney, "I gotta go get ready for the party. It starts in half an hour. Nice to meet you Mikey."
Delaney waved to her friend and then grabbed Michelangelo's hand as they made their way to her car, "You know, it is really bad and unsafe for you to be walking around a school with hundreds of college students who could spot you. A lot of people surprisingly read the tabloids."
"Like I said, I wanted to see you," he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to the front of him. He looked down at her and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"Like you couldn't wait a half hour," Delaney smiled and opened up her car once they reached it, "Get in and I'll drive."
"Yes ma'am," he saluted and got in the car with her on the passenger side. He began to play with all the knobs in reaching distance and turn the air conditioning and radio on and off, "What kind of car is this anyway?"
"It's my mom's old Camry station wagon. It's not that bad for a '93 model," she looked over her shoulder to get out of the parking lot and made her way out of the university and to the main streets, "Turn the warm air back on."
"Okay," he fiddled with the knobs again and the warm air began to filter through the car. He finally leaned back in his seat and put his hands behind his head, "You sure you just don't want to ditch the others and go to a movie or something?"
"Hey, you guys said that everyone is coming and I haven't seen everybody in one setting in a while, so of course I am going," Delaney argued as she pulled into the apartment complex, "Besides, we're all ready here."
"You're lucky you got the apartment complex so close to your school," he got out of the car.
"Tell me about it," he lugged her backpack out of the car and made her way to the fourth floor and her apartment.
"So, what's on the agenda?" he asked as she handed him her bag and fumbled with the lock on the door.
"Same as always," she pushed open the door and stepped inside, "Watching movies, talking and eating more pizza."
"You know I'm always up for that," he smiled and followed her in.
"Hey D," Callista waved from the couch and noticed Mikey following her in, "Hey Mike, I didn't think that you guys were going to show up until Leonardo picked up Amity."
"I wanted to see how college life was going close up," he smiled again and went to put Delaney's things away.
"I don't know how Amity's grandparents are going to let her go with a man dressed up in a trench coat and an oversized hat."
"They went on a shopping expedition, remember?" Callista said over the couch, "You aren't making pizza again, are you?"
"Yup," she giggled and took out a few pizzas from the freezer.
"I'll make myself some cereal then," she grumbled and got off of the couch.
"I don't see how cereal could ever stand up to the ultimate food that is pizza," Delaney preached as Callista grabbed a bowl.
"You said it babe," Michelangelo came from the other room and stepped over my Delaney looking over the pizza cooking process. He put his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulder as she got the food ready, "I love it when you cook pizza."
"I love it when you hold me like this."
"I would love it if I didn't have to barf," Callista walked around the getting glares along the way to her milk.
"I don't see why you and Raph love cereal so much. It's just… cereal."
"But it's good," she poured the milk and made her way back out to the living room.
"So is pizza," Delaney added and put the pizza in the oven, "It should be ready in half an hour."
"That's good, because look who just drove up," Eros walked through the front door with the rest of the guys and Amity following her in.
"Hey guys," Delaney called over her shoulder.
"Hey Delaney," they all chorused back.
Raphael walked over to sit with Callista and saw the cereal in her bowl, "You guys went shopping?"
"Finally," she nodded.
"I'm gonna grab a bowl too," he quickly made his bowl and came back to take his place beside her.
"Okay guys, pizza's in the oven and we have a choice of pepperoni and combo."
"And for movie choices we have a romance comedy or an action horror," Eros held up the videos and the debate began. Delaney and Michelangelo stood by the kitchen with his arms still around her from behind.
"Should we help them?"
"I think we should, or Callista will bite Eros's head off."
Amity was the one who finally spoke up with her own choice. She and Leonardo were on the love seat at the side of the room. She was leaning back toward him and his arm was lazily hanging on her shoulder, "How about a horror movie that has a romantic plot line running through the main plot?"
"Does somebody's head fall and or gets cut off?" Raphael asked from his position on the couch.
"No, I don't think so…" Amity looked at the back of the box, "But it does look like there is a lot of blood and gore."
"Then it's okay, I guess," Callista shrugged and grabbed the box from Amity and looked at Eros, "Okay will you, bull's eye?"
"Fine with me," she nodded and got comfortable on Donatello's lap in the recliner.
"Okay then," she nodded and put it in.
About half way through the movie a strange looking professor was looking at the camera and talking to the two main characters. Everyone's eyes were glued to the screen and mouths were either full of pizza, cereal or popcorn. Both Amity and Donatello nodded their heads in understanding once the professor began to explain the scientific background to the monster that is terrifying everyone. Delaney and Michelangelo were settled on the ground in a mess of pillows and cushions that Delaney brought from her room.
"Okay here comes the line," Michelangelo whispered to Delaney who was leaned against his chest. As the professor begins to talk, Michelangelo started to talk over him, "'There are things that man was never meant to tamper with.'"
Everyone looked at him. Raphael threw a pillow at his head and the boys gave Mikey a disapproving look, "Mikey, will you stop it."
"I keep telling you, dudes. Every good monster movie has to have that line," he grinned and kept watching the screen. Suddenly the monster busted through the wall and bit the professor's top torso off his body. Michelangelo let out a short, girl-like scream and jumped a bit.
"That was better than just the head… and look at all that blood," Raphael grinned, saw Callista's eyes light up and then looked down at Mikey, "You okay down there, hero?"
"Yeah, sorry about that dudes," he rubbed the back of his head and started to watch the movie once again. Delaney smiled and hugged him with one arm around his midsection.
"It's okay, I'll protect you," she kissed his cheek and he actually did seem to relax.
"My great defender," he grinned and chuckled at her as he put an arm around her back.
"You're right… that isn't a good nickname," she mumbled against him.
"Oh yeah, now that someone calls you that."
"Yup," she got comfortable and watched the two main characters say what they thought were their final words to one another, only to find an escape route at the last second.
He leaned down and whispered above her head, "Just what is it that you think you see in me?"
She slowly looked up into his eyes, "Everything."
"That much huh?"
"Strange as it may sound… through everything that's happened over the past months that I have known you, I'm glad that it happened."
"Why?"
"Because I found everything that I could have ever wanted. Ever needed… in you," she placed a small kiss on his lips and smiled as she pulled away.
"I'll take that as a good thing," he chuckled.
"Take it as a mondo awesome thing."
On the screen the monster showed up again popping out of somewhere and made both Delaney and Michelangelo scream a little from surprise. The rest of the group laughed at the pair on the floor and slowly wound down back to the movie. The movie went on with more chase scenes and of course more blood, which was satisfactory to Raphael and Callista. Once the movie was over everyone began to wind down and settle in for the night.
"Well, that was a good ending," Eros said, "The monster died and the guy got the girl. Who could ask for more?"
"No one…" Delaney smiled and understood the irony, "It's the best ending you could ask for."
A/N: I know, sappy ending, but I never was good at ending very well. And to all of you who did review and enjoyed this piece, I am writing the sequel, possible at the same time you are reading this. Probably the third or fourth chapter, but I am writing on it... An idea has formed in my mind and I am so ready to bring it to life. And thanks for all the nitpicking of the details. It only helps me to become a greater writier.
Thanks to: Readerrr Grrrl, Mystic Mewtwo. davewriter, pacphys, Marsha(Raph's Girl, Lunar-ninja, Reluctantdragon, Sulwen Undomiel, saiyan-girl-cheetah, BubblyShell22, AJsHellCat, Choas Babe, curious fan, Zalein, boogalaga, TMNTpunker, Reinbeaucahser, JeFfYzGaL2, The Emerald Dawn, aliveinthedarkness, Hobbit Ninja, Mickis, TheAngryPrincess13, and RainySunshine.
If it wasn't for you guys, I doubt that I would be writing as much as I do. I hope to see you all reading and reviewing my sequel. Until next time. Cowabunga dudes and dudettes!