Hello everyone! I've noticed that some reviewers are already guessing who "The Watcher" is. Well, I'm not going to spoil the story, but I will tell you that he is not an official TMNT character (sorry guys.) But thanks to all who left reviews, it just really makes my day to read them. I hope everyone who reading this right now will enjoy "Leo's encounter" as much as I did writing it!

Chapter 3

April paced forwards a little, looking around. Unnoticed, two dark hands appeared behind her.

"Hello? Anyone?" she yelled.

The hands lunged.

Now, in that split second between when April realized there was someone behind her to when that person pulled her inside, she had a crucial decision to make. She could either, one; kick, scream and bite as hard as she could, or two; patiently allow herself to be dragged to her doom and then react . . . she went with the first one.

"Aah! Somebody help!" April shrieked as loud as her feminine vocal cords could allow her. She elbowed whoever had her in the gut three or four times. "Ow! Stop that!" a familiar voice yelled back. April whirled around, it was- "What are you doing here?" she screamed before pushing him inside. On the way in, they stumbled and fell in a pile on the floor. Luckily, April was a woman with wits as quick as greased lightening. Still piled up on the floor, she awkwardly used her free leg to slam the door shut before any curious neighbors could get a peep inside. Then, furious as hell, she turned to- "Mikey! What'd you do that for!?"

Mikey, groaning as he rubbed his stomach, was hesitant to reply. "Could we please have no more violence? I'm feeling a bit sensitive at the moment." April let out a long sign, how could she blame Mikey for being an idiot at times? He was Mikey after all. "Alright, what are you doing here?" she asked again "shouldn't you be sick in bed or something?" Mikey didn't answer, not really, but his face said something like "I know! That's why I sneaked out to meet up with you and my bros here. Didn't expect that now did ya?" They both got up at the same time and started dusting themselves. Pretty soon April found herself in the exact spot she sat ten minutes ago, only this time with Mikey facing her. "Are you sure you didn't see anything?" he asked, as if disappointed she didn't add some sort of flesh eating monster in her recount. "Mikey, I told you everything that happened." April replied boredly. "If you want to know more just ask your brothers. Wait, do they even know you're here?" Mikey brushed her worries aside. "They should, I left a note on the bed." he answered casually.

Meanwhile at the lair, Leo was pacing back and fourth with Mikey's note in his hands. "I can't believe he could just sneak off like that!" he fumed. Raph watched his brother from the couch with half a smirk on his face. Leo always acted like an angry guardian when it came to his younger siblings breaking the rules. Even Master Splinter wasn't that worked up; "I can." the he said patiently. "Look, it's no big deal." Don insisted. He was sitting next to Raph with his elbow on the arm rest, "All we have to do is get Mikey when we go back to April's tonight."

At this Leo stopped pacing, "That's not the point!" he snapped, holding the scrunched up piece of paper out for his brothers to see. "He should have known better." Don conveniently snatched the note and took a closer look at it. "Well, if he's good enough to sneak out without being noticed, at least we can say he's healthy." he replied. "Yeah, shouldn't you be happy Leo?" Raph added mockingly. Leo hesitated; it was easy to tell from his expression that he was torn between two different answers. "Uh- I'm going to get him." he said finally in a voice of defeat. "May I sensei?" Leo asked the meditating Splinter on the floor. "You may go." The old rat answered. "And return quickly; make sure your brother is not disrupting Miss O'Neil." With that, Leo bowed and set off. Behind him, Raph and Don knew their youngest sibling would soon be in for another "God will you grow up" lecture.

In the shadows of the streets, a beast of a man lurked –hiding. His face hidden from all who passed him. Madness was in his eyes.

Leo sailed through the air silently, he held out his hand for balance; thus achieving another perfect landing. There's April's place he thought, looking down at the apartment next to him. Everything seemed perfectly normal, no Mikey visible, no gathering crowd. Leo signed in relief, but he knew it wasn't over yet. Somehow, he also had to get himself in without being noticed, and that wasn't gonna be easy. A young couple walked passed the building Leo was on, chattering noisily. He quickly ducked out of site. I'll have to use the back door again, he thought wisely. Quietly, he prepared to leap off the building onto a narrow stairway below. But something stopped him. Leo squinted through the dark shadows between the two apartments; yes it was there. Someone was moving behind a stack of old boxes on one side. Moving towards April's window. Ever so slowly, Leo reached for one katana. It was impossible to see the person clearly from that position, but he was prepared to get a better look.

Patiently, Leo waited on the roof. He couldn't attack just yet, not until he was sure the mysterious figure was actually spying on his friend. The man below closed in on the window. Leo watched, holding his breath. Then he saw something that made his heart stop. The dark figure reached into his waistcoat and drew an object that flashed in the sunlight. A knife!? That was the call. But just before Leo could throw himself down at the man, April's back door swung open "I'll see you later then!" he heard Mikey call from the inside. The shadowy figure fled immediately, too quick for any soul to even catch a glimpse of him. "Darn it!" Leo cursed, leaping down from the roof. He landed right infront of a surprised Mikey, who was just out of the door. "Hey Leo, what are you-" Leo pushed right past his brother and raced down the alley to where the dark figure went. He turned the corner, one katana raised in his hand. The man was no where to be seen.

"He couldn't have gone far!" Leo muttered to himself, he was just about to give chase when he felt Mikey grab him around the shoulders. "Woah, easy bro! That way leads to an open street!" the younger turtle warned, at the same time pulling his brother away. Leo turned back, staring at Mikey dangerously "You're an idiot! Couldn't you have waited one second!?" he yelled at his dumbfounded sibling. "Er . . ." a nervous voice broke the silence from behind them. The two brothers both dropped what they where doing and turned to the rather confused April, standing a good distance away from them. She stepped forward cautiously, "Leo? Guys what's going on?" Mikey suddenly regained his speech "Ask him!" he cried, pointing accusingly at Leo "Gees, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today." Leo glared at him, but his anger was already subsiding. It wasn't Mikey's fault that he alerted the dark figure after all, more like the works of plain bad luck. "You two better get inside." he instructed in a serious tone, "I have something to tell you."

"Someone was trying to sneak in through my window!?" April cried in alarm, she almost lost her balance sitting on the arm of her sofa. Leo nodded uncomfortably, trying to avoid eye contact. He had considered not telling the young woman for fear of causing her to panic, but then decided it was best to speak the truth. Mikey sat beside him, staring with wide eyes "So that's why you where so worked up back then." he recalled. "I could have caught him." Leo replied darkly. "I shouldn't have let him get away." By then April had regained herself. "It wasn't anyone's fault." she assured, her voice was still a bit high. "But now that we know this, you guys think I should contact the police?" Leo pondered a bit. This was definitely not something to be ignored, but with the police around, it would be a lot harder for him and his brothers to protect April. Then again, he thought, maybe the officers would be more intimidating to whoever that person was then we are. "I think you should." he agreed in the end "The police department should have profiles on many thugs in this area, probably also that man. They may be able to help you out."

"Wait, hold on Leo." Mikey interrupted, "Are you saying we should just leave all this behind us and let the nice men with guns handle it?" Leo gave Mikey an irritable look. "All I'm saying is that some extra help won't hurt." he answered, then to April he said "Don't worry, we're still here to help if you need us." April nodded, but just as she opened her mouth to speak, a soft tapping sounded at the door. The noise made the three jump. "Wait here" April whispered, "Let me see who it is first." "It must be that man with the knife" Mikey croaked before getting kicked in the shins by Leo. Meanwhile, April peeped thought the tiny glass lens in her door. She drew a sharp breath then hurriedly signaled for the guys to hide. In less then a second, the two had disappeared from view. After checking all was well, April opened the front door.

A tall, mildly built man stood before her. From Leo's place upstairs, he could tell the man had dirty blond hair, but April's head blocked his face. Mikey, having a slightly different view, could see that the man had a youthful appearance. Infact, he looked no older than April. He was dressed in a shabby, brown tuxedo with a pen and notepad in one hand. The other was currently used to adjust his tie. The young man cleared his throat "Good afternoon Miss O'Neil. I'm detective Underwood." he held out his hand, April shook it politely. "Nice to meet you Mr. Underwood. This way detective." she signaled. Leo and Mikey watched in silence as April lead her guest to the lounge. But something was strange, both April and Underwood had a particular look on their faces. Mikey couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it wasn't negative in any way. It seemed more like some sort of confusion instead. Maybe they where related somehow? "You want something to drink?" April's question disrupted his thoughts. "Ah, yes please!" the young man said. Mikey shook his head, was he imaging things or what? These two have never met in their lives.

Leo watched April depart into the kitchen, then he focused on that Underwood man. He seemed a lot more nervous than he should be. His new job perhaps? Leo thought. After a closer observation, gut instinct told him that was not the man he saw earlier in the day. This guy just doesn't seem like the type who'd sneak around a woman's house. Meanwhile, Underwood was inspecting his surroundings. His eyes focused on something he didn't see when he first came in; a framed scholarship award April had received in earlier years. Underwood got up and read it carefully. "April . . ." he recited as if in deep thought, "April . . ."

"Oh detective!" April suddenly came running in "I seem to have run out of tea. Would you mind coke instead?" She stopped abruptly when she saw her guest was no longer seated. "Um, Mr. Underwood?" she called unsurely. The detective turned to face her, he looked her up and down. Then, to April's (and the turtle's) surprise, his face lit up like a torch. "Of-course!" he cried, snapping his fingers "I knew I've heard of that name! It's April isn't it? April from Hampton High?" At this, Leo and Mikey exchanged a look of awe. "He knows her!?" Mikey whispered harshly. Leo shushed him with his hand; the two looked on, wondering what would happen next. All this time, April had been staring blankly at the strange blond man who had now moved uncomfortably close to her. Suddenly it struck her also. "Lance!" she gasped "Lance Underwood from class B! Oh my God, is that really you?" The man before her laughed joyously "The last time I'd seen you, you still had pigtails!" Leo and Mike exchanged glances again. "Pigtails?" Mikey mouthed, Leo simply shrugged. "Oh! Oh-oh, well sit down." April spluttered with excitement. "I-I thought you moved to California in year eleven, what are you doing now? –I mean, here?" By then, it was obvious to Leo that the two people down there had totally forgotten the actual purpose of their meeting. "You might want to get comfortable." he warned his brother. "This could go on for a while."

Two hours later, after learning Lance had moved back to New York thanks to his stepfather, gotten the job as an officer, then a detective, was now living in a rented apartment near the east side of the city, is good at baseball, once owned a dog named Bill etc. The two brothers where convinced that their good friend April had completely forgotten their existence. "Maybe I could throw something at them?" Mikey suggested. "No!" Leo snapped in annoyance. Mikey blinked, signed, then got up and started pacing around. "Mikey, what are you doing!?" Leo hissed through clenched teeth. "Get down or he'll see you!" "Don't worry," Mikey replied boredly, "I actually doubt they'll notice if a plane was to explode in mid air, break into a thousand pieces and one of it's giant wings was to crash down right in here next to them in the middle of the lounge." Leo slapped his forehead in hopeless frustration. "Aw, you're just upset cause you know it's true." Mikey laughed. Then he stopped and dropped down immediately, his face suddenly serious. Leo could see why; the back door was opening by itself! "You didn't lock it?" he whispered furiously. "Oops." Mikey squeaked he hurriedly grabbed his nunchakus. "Hold it!" Leo ordered, "Let's see who it is first."

The backdoor opened fully. To both Leo and Mikey's relief, they saw a tall, slightly tanned man with long, dark hair step in. Not to Lance though; he had just spotted a complete stranger walk into his old friend's home. "Who are you!?" the young detective demanded, shoving April behind him protectively. It was a natural reaction really, after all there was a serial killer going around. But just that one action was enough to get Casey Jones's blood boiling. "What do you mean; "who are you?" Who the hell are you!?" he replied angrily. "I'm detective Underwood." Lance answered coldly, "And whoever you are, you're now a prime suspect for my case. I hope you're ready cause I'm taking you under custody" Casey's faced filled with anger. He had only come to check if April's okay after seeing that Julia woman's death on the news. And now he was began accused of attempted murder by this son of a- "You can't do that!" he hissed viciously. Safely hidden out of view, Mikey could almost make out the static sparks of aggression forming between the two men. "This is gonna get ugly." he whispered to a gaping Leo.

At the same time, April was also left gaping on the sofa, totally dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. "Uh, no Lance –I mean detective Underwood." She managed to say after finding her voice. "That's Casey Jones! He's my friend." She got up and moved in between the too (just in case) "Casey, meet Lance Underwood. Lance, Casey" Casey growled, Lance just continued to stare at him in a way that resembled a tiger right before it ripped off some poor, unfortunate creature's head. April bit her lip; she had to do something! Fast! "Oh, look at the time!" she cried suddenly with exaggerated shock. "Detective Underwood would you mind if we continued questioning tomorrow?" "Sure, why not." Lance replied calmly, not taking his eyes off Casey. "Well then you'd better get going!" April sang, giving him a slight push -then a big one. She had forgotten all about mentioning the window incident that seemed so important a few hours ago. "See you tomorrow!" she shouted at the doorway "Bye!"

Upstairs, Leo and Mike heard the door slam April scream in fury and then a loud thud. "I think she killed him." Mikey whispered; of-course Leo smacked him in the head. Downstairs, April was still trying to catch her breath after stomping all her rage into the floorboard. "Why didn't you knock!" she demanded with great emphasis on the "why". "Uh, it wasn't locked?" Casey replied, suddenly feeling endangered. "Arrg! That was so embarrassing!" April snapped her face going red, she marched straight up to Casey and poked him in the chest with each word she spoke. "This is my house! I you can't just go in and out like that!" she yelled. Casey retreated "Woah, Woah! Easy there lady. It's not like I meant any harm." As he turned to flee, he was met by the two turtles coming down from the steps. "Yo, Mikey! Leo!" Casey greeted them in surprise. "Since when where you guys here?" (he then quickly ducked behind them as he heard April coming.) Before Leo could explain, another gentle knocking sounded –at the backdoor this time. The three guys stared at the wooden door, which vibrated a tiny bit with each knock it took. "Um, I think it's for you." Mikey gestured to April, who'd just walked into the room. "Oh no. What now?' she signed tiredly, pulling back her hair. I don't even have time to loose my temper anymore!

End Chapter

Okay, that's it! Thank you for reading. Just on a special note, I will be changing the summery to "The Watcher" when I submit my next chapter, but I'll keep the name so you'll still recognize the story. This is just to keep up to date with the plot see. Well, till next time then!