It was late in the afternoon before Amanda finished unloading the last of her and Echo's things into their new home. Though it would've been nice to have some help from her daughter, she knew just how much this last weekend with April meant, so the mother gave her child a bit of leeway for a final hurrah in NYC. With a sigh of relief, she picked up her car keys and began a quick final scan of the house before she'd head back to the city one last time.

Their new house wasn't anything too special. Built nearly five decades ago on the outskirts of a small town, it consisted of a garage and basement, first and second floor, and an attic. On the main floor of the building was the kitchen, containing an old refrigerator, gas-stove with wooden cabinets above, and large metal sink where they'd have to get used to washing dishes by hand.

Also on the main floor was the living room, pantry, one bathroom, and dining room. All four just as aged and somewhat inconvenient as the kitchen; the living room didn't come with wiring for a TV or Wifi router, the pantry had four short but deep shelves that reached into the wall way past the length of Amanda's arm, the bathroom was missing its mirror and had a cracked marble tub instead of a shower, and the light in the dining room flickered no matter how tight the light-bulb was screwed into it.

The second floor was where the three bedrooms were- one for Amanda, one for Madeline, and a spare in case April and her father decided to visit over the summer. These were in better shape than the rest of the house, as well as the bathroom down the hall and Amanda's personal bathroom attached to her bedroom. Though they needed a severe level of cleaning, the showers in the two bathrooms were functional and kept warm water running as long as needed.

The only way to get to the attic was through the ceiling down the hall where a string hung from a trapdoor. Amanda had only explored that area of the house once and that was all she needed to decide that section would be blocked off as soon as possible. She'd never been a fan of creepy things, and 'creepy' barely scraped the surface of how the room above her own felt. She'd already wedged the string up into the trapdoor so it was less noticeable and someone would have to push up against the wood with a broomstick if they really wanted to get in.

Long-story-short, she wouldn't be mentioning the attic to her curious and rebellious daughter anytime soon. Same went for the basement, though 'cellar' was a more accurate word to describe it.

Checking the time on her phone and seeing that she was running behind schedule, Amanda stepped outside and locked the front door behind her. The sun was setting in the distance, casting brilliant orange, red, and golden lights across the countryside. A sigh escaped her lips. People would be getting off work for the day, which meant the traffic was going to be an absolute disaster to handle. Factoring in the time it would take just to make it into the city, she'd be running a couple hours late at the least.

"I don't think she'd mind a little more time with April, though," She muttered to herself as she walked over to her vehicle and climbed inside before beginning to dial her daughter's phone number to tell her the news. Her fingers were quick against the phone's screen, but stopped before her thumb could press the green 'call' button.

She felt their gaze before her eyes caught sight of them in her rear-view mirror. Although it was only a quick glance, the image of two dark figures darting across the driveway was unmistakable. The evidence she found even more damning was the silver insignia painted on the shoulders of the individuals - a foot.

Ten years ago when she'd first brought Madeline to New York, Amanda would've called herself crazy because of the fear of her husband. She would've told herself it was just her imagination manifesting something from her deepest nightmares and moved on with her day. But a decade later, after growing certain that her husband wouldn't know the first place to look for the woman and her daughter, this was new. This was a real threat, and her instincts as a mother were kicking in high-gear.

They weren't safe anymore. And if they'd already found Amanda this far out in the wilderness...

Her heart jumped into her throat and she jammed the keys into the ignition with her free hand, still holding her phone in the opposite one. Putting the vehicle in reverse and slamming on the gas, Amanda went from zero to sixty miles an hour in five seconds.

"Come on, honey," She muttered nervously as she heard the phone ringing on the other end and sped down the empty highway, glancing every few seconds in her rear-view mirror to make sure she wasn't being followed. "Pick up, pick up the phone. Please please please..." Her pulse was ringing in her ears and she could feel the beads of sweat dripping down the back of her neck.

It was in that moment she realized something even worse, nearly causing her to lose control and swerve into the other lane of the road.

What if they hadn't found her yet? What if her daughter was safer with April and her father than she was with her own mother? After all, the real quarrel Shredder had was with Amanda, not her daughter. Madeline hadn't left willingly, Amanda was the one who pulled the child from her bed and disappeared with her into the dead of night, hoping to never be seen again. If it was revenge he was after, he'd find Amanda first and take down anyone or anything in his way.

As the woman tried to catch her breath and keep her composure, there was no stopping the moisture growing in the corners of her eyes.

"Hello? Mom?"

***

It was only a few hours later that Donnie had the van and the gear they'd need for the mission ready to go. Using the vehicle as a distraction at the main entrance of the stronghold, they'd sneak around to the back of the facility where April and her father were being kept prisoner and free them from there. With it being the turtles' first official mission, none of them were too worried about the situation. At least, not on the surface.

They all coped with stress in their own ways: Donnie was busy in his lab double and triple-checking that the climbing equipment he'd made was combat-ready, while Leo was in the dojo, meditating with Master Splinter.

Raph's go-to stress-reliever was always Spike, his pet turtle. But instead of the usual sight being the red-masked ninja feeding the smaller non-mutated version of himself, it was Echo with a leaf in her hand and a smile on her lips as the pet chomped on the piece of lettuce. The duo were seated at the kitchen counter; Echo was asking questions about Spike and Raphael was more than happy to answer them.

"Where'd you find him?"

"He was stuck on his back in a drainage pipe a couple blocks from here," Raph would explain and the human girl would listen intently to his answers with a curious gleam in her eye the teenage mutant turtle found amusing. "The poor guy was skinny and barely moving. Honestly I thought he was dead at first." Echo's eyes widened.

"That's terrible," She gasped as she grabbed another lettuce leaf when Spike finished his first. "It's amazing you found him when you did."

"Yeah, it took a few weeks, but I made sure he had plenty of food and water to help him get stronger. Donnie actually found one of those heating lamps pet stores use to keep reptiles warm and fixed it up so Spike wouldn't get cold." Echo smiled at the sound of the brothers teaming up to give Spike as much of a chance at survival as they could muster. But before she could speak further on the matter-

"Uuuuuuuugh..." Mikey's groan bellowed throughout the lair from his spot on the living room floor. With his arms splayed out above his head and his legs kicking the air, the orange-masked turtle was in absolute misery. "I'm so booooored..." Echo looked up from their conversation and chuckled at the youngest ninja's antics, though Raph was somewhat unamused with his brother's interruption. "Uuuuugh..."

"Hey Mikey, I have an idea," Echo stood up and affectionately pet Spike's head before setting the leaf on the table and approaching the living area of the lair, Raph watching her go while sending a small glare towards the youngest Hamato sibling. Ignoring Raph's gaze, Mikey's head perked up and he glanced at Echo as she approached.

"Whatcha have in mind?" Echo hopped down in the living room sitting area and extended her hand to Mikey. With a single swift pull, she hauled the grinning turtle to his feet and smiled right back.

"Let's play a game." Mikey's eyes grew big as dinner plates and his hands pressed against his cheeks in glee. Though she'd seen him excited before, she couldn't help but chuckle at his adorable reaction; it reminded her of the joy she and April shared as children at the mention of fun past-time activities. Mikey was a living mirror of her innocence from her childhood.

"A game? Yes!" He practically leaped into the air, a major improvement from the lazy blob he'd been on the floor only seconds prior. "What kind of game are you thinking, dudette? Truth or dare? I spy? Monopoly?"

"How about hide and seek?" She suggested. With a turn to Raph, she winked and a sly smirk spread from ear to ear. "Maybe we can convince Raphael to join us?" Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, the door to Donnie's lab screeched open and the scientist slid his welding goggles onto his forehead, wiping a bit of grease from his brow-ridge.

"Did I hear someone say 'hide and seek'?"

"That sounds like a great idea," Leo's voice rang out as he stepped into the room from the dojo, looking to be a little more at peace than he'd seemed before when everyone was stressing about the mission. "Since I'm the oldest, I'll be 'it' first round."

"Fine by me, just let me put Spike away real quick," Raph stated as he picked up his turtle and headed for his bedroom. With the other four gathering around, excitement building in the teenagers as they began to think about all the different places they could possibly hide in the lair.

"Alright, first lets lay down some rules," Leo started as the four stood in a circle in the lounging area. "No going out of the lair. The sewers are off-limits, otherwise we'd be at this all night." The three nodded in understanding. "Second, no hiding underwater. Since I'm guessing Echo can't hold her breath for over fifteen minutes, its only fair that the rest of us stay on dry land."

"Aw, thanks," Echo smiled genuinely at the sound of the turtles taking her difference in species into account. "I appreciate that." Leo replied with a smile of his own and a friendly nod in her direction. Despite having known these guys for less than twenty-four hours, it was nice to feel accepted into their group already. Echo tried her best to push away the wave of sadness that also rushed in when the idea of leaving these cool people threatened to ruin her fun.

"And lastly-"

Ring-ring-ring!

The four jumped at the sudden sound of a cellphone going off and Echo quickly reached for the noisy electronic in her back pocket. A quick look at the caller ID and panic began to set in as she realized just how late it had gotten; her mom was supposed to pick her up from April's half an hour ago.

"Shit," Echo cursed under her breath, then looked up at the three turtles with an apologetic sigh. "Sorry, guys, I really need to take this. I'll be right back." She assured them and jogged over to Donnie's lab before shutting the door behind her for some privacy.

"Aw man," Mikey whimpered when she was out of earshot. It wasn't hard for them to figure out who exactly was calling from the disappointed and worried expression on Echo's face before she left the room. He folded his arms over his plastron and slumped to the floor once more, staring up at the ceiling in anguish. "And we were just starting to have some fun..."

When Raph returned to the group and saw that Echo wasn't present, his internal reaction was similar to that of Mikey's physical one. He'd finally made a real friend (with possible potential at being more than friends in the future) and now suddenly she was being ripped from their lives. The emotions running through his mind and heart were a mixture of fury and despair, two things he'd been used to but not on such a personal level.

Little did they know their sorrow was premature.

***

"Honey, are you okay? Are you safe?"

Hacking Amanda's phone had been easy once the Foot clan found her location. It was child's play, and Shredder was thankful for the efficiency of his workers, though he would never say it out loud. As he sat in his office with Wong once more, listening in on the conversation between his estranged wife and his daughter, the only feeling he could truly describe was inflammation. The longer he heard the exchange between the two of the most important people that had been in his life, the more the fire of hatred and malice burned in his heart.

"Y-yeah, Mom, of course I am. What's going on-"

"Look, sweetheart, I...I need you to stay with your friend a little longer. I don't know how long I'm going to be gone, but it's important that you remain in their care until I contact you again, okay?"

"Mom, what's happening? You're scaring me." Madeline's voice quivered, but Shredder remained un-phased by the fear in his daughter's words. If things went according to plan, she wouldn't be scared for much longer. "And why don't you just call her A-?"

"Because I don't know if we're being listened to or not!" She snapped back in a panicked frenzy. Again, Shredder remained stoic. "Just tell her parents that you're not safe with me anymore, they'll understand and take care of you until I can sort things out."

"Mom, please, don't leave me," The sound of the teenage girl's voice became ragged and her breathing began to come in quick gasping breaths. The beginning of a panic attack. She used to have those before her mother took her from him. "Please, we can figure this out together. Just come pick me up and we can-"

"Get rid of your phone as soon as you can, break it so they can't track you and don't go back to school. Stay inside and away from any kind of technology that might help him find your location. Whatever you do, you can't let him find you, sweetie. I know you don't remember what it was like living with him, but you are not safe as long as he knows we're somewhere in America. Please, don't forget that. He is a threat to us and will not stop until he has us as his prisoners again."

He clenched his fists.

"Mom, don't do this!"

"I love you, sweetheart. I'm so sorry this happened, but we'll see each again. I promise."

"Mom-!"

Click!