SAINW AU - Aftermath

"Well, considering you're gonna sleep next to me, I should. Just in case...." Just in case she pulled a knife on him, like she did to Don. She was thankful, so thankful that she had been of the mindset to not hurt someone yet. "I uh don't remember where I'm at...sometimes. The nightmares...when I first wake up from one, I um still see it. Donny I recognized instantly wasn't um apart of my nightmares because of how he looked. I thought he was uh a victim of some...um sort of experiment. I mean..." He was. But she doubted Raph needed to know that. At least, not from her. Donny needed to be the one to talk...and she didn't want to betray his trust. "He was uh out of place. But that doesn't mean I'll snap out of it right away. Just...play along, I'll uh figure it out eventually. If not...grab Killian. Grab Cassidy. I won't hurt them. But anyone else...I um might. I almost um did to Don...but he didn't look like anyone from my uh dreams."

"I'd rather get pretty little cat scratches." Raph put his hand gently over hers, and slowly took the knife away from her, "Dis could be real bad luck, considerin' I don' take my sai off even when I sleep, if ya haven' noticed. Yet, for ya I will. Don't wanna accidentally kill each other here, startled from sleep 'n' all." He rolled on his shell, put her knife on the nightstand, and then slow and deliberate, took his sai from their slots and put them with her knife before rolling back to her, his arm going back to wrap around her waist, "There. Now all we got are our fists. I'm supposed to be a comfort here, not a threat."

Maddie tensed, just a little before relaxing into his hold. Comfort. Not a threat. She didn't know if she liked that he took of his sais, but at the same time he was right. They were both deadly and if she woke from a nightmare and attacked Raph, at the very least he could deflect and defend. He was too deadly with a sai, like she was with her knife. She took a deep breath and was a little surprised at how...soothing his scent was. Blood, dust, sure, but there was also the scent of motor oil and underground. A memory of a long time ago. "Thank you."

()

"You've been doing real well, Candice. You ready to do the first wall today? Everything's coming together so fast with all of us working together. I feel bad Leo can't join, but while his blindness doesn't seem to be a problem elsewhere, for this it really is." Nix leaned shoulder to shoulder against his lover as they were all taking a lunch break. Raph and Mikey were cleared for helping if only for holding things together, now that all possible rubble was out of the way. Mikey didn't fuck with doctors orders, but Raph seemed to make Andy's ends fray faster than anything which was cause for a lot of amusement.

Candy frowned as he watched his lover's lips. It took him a long time to learn how to lip read since his hearing aids only did so much. He nodded his head and when he spoke, it was heavily accented since he couldn't tell anymore how loud or how his voice was supposed to sound, but it would be easy for someone to forget that he was deaf since he didn't sound like it. "Yes. I'm excited. I feel bad that he can't help us too. I know that Matt's keeping Leo company sometimes, which I think makes him feel better."

"Quite, considering she can't help either. At least she makes those who can't do much feel useful by bringing us out food and telling us it's breaktime. We get so wrapped up that we would forget to eat and it'd suddenly be nighttime if not for them." Nix chuckled and he finished the last bite of the leftover soup that had been made the night before for dinner, and set the bowl aside. His hands were free now and he immediately went to sign. Even if it was for such a simple thing as eating, he felt awful when Candy had to focus to pay attention to his words like that, "/I hope Raph can keep Maddie distracted long enough. We're only now raising a wall up. Sam is still getting headaches from concentrating so hard to melt things. I just don't want the surprise to be ruined./"

Candy nodded and also set down his bowl to sign, "With Maddie's nightmares out in the open, I think Raph's become more aware of her. Andy's helping Sam with his headaches, and Maddie's concerned about it, but Raph's been telling her that he's been trying to do something with his powers. It makes her stop thinking too hard about it. At least for now."

"/Expanding and training powers isn't unusual, and Sam has the fact he's been away so long on his side, too. She isn't familiar anymore with what he does and doesn't do. Andrea's doing well, too. It comes easier to her, I suppose. She doesn't overthink it. At least Sam's getting used to it, learning the tricks and tapping into it faster each time./" He stood up and stretched. Everyone else was finishing up as well and getting antsy to set the glass wall up in place. Donny was certainly bouncing on the balls of his feat, eager to see if his calculations were correct. He smiled at Candy and made the simple sign of 'going' before walking off to join them.

"Even Sumi's in the back waiting to see this thing come up! I probably ate my food too fast, but I just can't contain myself! If this works the way I'm hoping, then the rest will come together in a jiffy!" Donny beamed at the others in the group.

"I don't see Sumi, but I agree with you on the rest of it." Nix chuckled low, "Let's take our places. Candice will be over here shortly."

It didn't take long. Andrea moved out of the way along with whoever wasn't going to try to haul the heavy ass glass wall up to the support beams. She and Sam made quick work welding it in place while Candice kept it from toppling backwards. A steal beam was placed at the center back, sunk deep into the soil with the dirt cutout they'd made, and then a flat metal sheet across the top to connect the three beams, welded in place for the last of it. Candy was quickly caught by Nix when he was done with this powers, and Andrea winced, feeling bad she and Sam had to be flown around to reach the top. At least with one side up, it would be easy to set up a ladder.

Sam, concerned for his brother in law and also holding his head, Andea was left to look at the glass pieces, all different shapes and sizes, melted together and slotted into place where it needed to go, metal bits used to frame each square when it was completed. At least smaller welding didn't take much effort, it was just a lot of it.

Her reflection caught her attention when she unfocused her eyes from the finer details, and as she looked further across the wall, she could swear she heard music and childish laughter. White ghosts danced and twirled in the glass. Playful little wisps and she touched the glass tenderly.

"-rea! An-ea! ANDREA!" A secure hand clamped down on her shoulder and jerked her around so she wasn't facing the glass anymore, "Andrea, stay with me. Focus on me, okay?" Nix was bringing his finger between the two of them, nose to nose, trying to get her eyes to lose that glaze that scared the fuck out of everybody, but she only seemed to become half aware. "C'mon...okay, no more working on this for you. You get to join the distraction squad instead." He put his hand on her back, and was going to guide her to the warehouse when he nearly jumped three feet from his shoes when Sumiko appeared beside him.

"I'll take her, Phoenix. You care for yours." Sumi told him simply, and had both hands secure on Andrea's shoulders, steering her towards the warehouse for him.

Nix looked over at Sam who had a deep frown etched into his face, "She hasn't had an episode in a long time, even while you were gone. I think it's passed due, but this is going to make Maddie very suspicious."

"A suspicious Maddie isn't one we want right now too," Sam pinched his nose and took a breath. "We should figure out night patrol, I know for a fact that if she's far gone, she's gonna wander the hallways again and /that's/ going to make Maddie's insomnia ten times worse."

Candy whistled and caught Sam's attention as he signed, "Maddie already had a night terror. She should be fine for a few days."

"I hate that our definition of "fine" for Maddie is that she can keep staying up the way she can." Sam clicked his tongue and turned to Nix. "Think we can make Maddie the distraction for Andrea?" It was a weak attempt at humor, but he was also kind of hopeful that it might work as well. Then again, that meant Maddie leaving the little hidey-hole that she put herself in.

"I vote Leo." Don said, getting everyone attention, "I mean, Maddie and Raph are already deep in each other's orbit, and everyone else would be asleep. I don't know how Maddie would be Andrea's distraction, but that won't work for long. Leo...he's Leader. Protective. He wouldn't think twice about night patrol or being there for Andrea in her time of need. He needs to feel useful, anyhow, instead of just another body taking up space."

"Rock paper scissors?" Nix asked Sam, "I agree to including Leo in on this, but it'd be best if he has one of us as backup because we know what to expect."

Sam nodded, "Best two out of three?"

Candy walked over to Donny and raised an eyebrow at him. "Matchmaking is my sister's job." He teased him once Donny was looking at him. "She'd be upset you got to handle the situation before she could."

Don was amused that two grown men were doing such a game over /patrol/, but he smiled and shook his head before looking at Candy, "She doesn't have anybody else, and he's my brother. If your sister's got anything better I'd love to hear it. Andrea gave Leo back his sword and I may be easy to please, but I feel like that's good enough for me. Everyone found someone so easy, and Andrea has been ghosting around Leo for a time, but she's also keeping her distance because Leo is trying to right himself. This'll be a good push, giving Leo something to protect because he feels like he failed us."

Candy patted Donny's shoulder. "You know your brothers better." He promised. "But just know that she's going to have her eye on you now if you set everyone else up but yourself." He watched as Nix and Sam played. "It's nice to see less slumpy shoulders. Thank you for letting us do this project with you. It's brightened a lot of spirits."

"Once it's done, spirits are going to soar." Don agreed happily, and looked down at his blueprint, what it was supposed to look like. He was upset for Andrea, but once it was completed and there were things inside it, maybe things wouldn't be so bad.

~*~

Nix heard the humming echoing through Fireside and groaned. So they'd been right. Anyone who heard it was going to feel sad and awful, so he did his best to find Andrea as fast as possible. It was part of her magic that helped the sorrowful, haunting melody carry the way it did, so even if it sounded like it was on the first floor, it could be the third. This was her power unadulterated due to her being asleep. It always made a shiver go down his spine.

First floor. That was where he found her spinning around in the hallway, softly singing "Catch a falling star and put it in you pocket, never let it fade away..." and continuing the verses as it went. A song from the Princess Diaries she played in her studio along with Disney songs. Nix always used one in particular. Since you weren't supposed to touch sleepwalkers, he had to guide her using his voice. She didn't respond to normal soft toned voices. It was all about music.

He didn't even remember who figured it out first. Maybe it was Matt, or Cassandra, but either way it didn't matter. He started humming and watched her turn towards him. A small smile was on her face and his chest tightened with sadness. Andrea's tune changed readily enough to match his and she twirled and swayed her way to him. He had to get her to her room. Nix had to wait for her to place her hand in his before he could do anything. Startling sleepwalkers was the worst.

Humming along with her as they continued their shared melody, he was about to guide her up the stairs when he saw Leo, "There you are. I wasn't sure if you'd find us." He murmured, and cursed when Andrea slipped from his grip to start hopping and dancing up the stairs on her own. It was things like this that made him question, but it was an odd sort of intuition. "Leo, careful. I should've told you what was going on when I got you on patrol tonight. I was hoping I could handle it, but she's going to /you/. Just...guide her with humming."

Leo wasn't sure what was going on, but her aura was a lot different from when he first met her. He recognized the tune that Nix was singing since he had seen the Princess Diaries a thousand times. He hummed softly and waited till the aura was next to him. "Where's her room?" He asked quietly, Andrea grabbing his hand. Her hand was warm, soft, and a little clammy like she was in a midst of a nightmare. It probably was one that made her sleepwalk, but her aura didn't feel distressed.

Just peaceful. Happy.

"I'll guide you. I keep forgetting your blind." The warehouse was huge so almost all of them were on the second floor, only Ian and Nicky along with his son Daniel were on the third. "We have put post outside her room before when we think it might be bad, but it causes a much worse reaction." Nix explained as he got up the stairs, "This way, but she might collapse before we get there, so watch her closely." He made sure not to get too far from Leo so he could continue to see his Aura, and he continued down the hall, taking a left when he reached the end of one and it led into another.

Andrea continued to hum and sway as she held onto Leo's hand, bouncing from foot to foot as they kept going down the hall, but she was starting to wind down, her humming coming to a slow end, but she kept swaying, even putting her head on his arm.

Leo had a feeling that it was about time that she was carried. Carefully, like the ninja that his father taught him to be, he maneuvered himself so that gently took his arm away from her and wrapped it around her shoulders. He knew her height from the way that she was leaning, so it wasn't hard for his other arm to gently slip behind the knees and picked her off the ground. She made a soft sound, but she didn't awaken, nor did she jostle herself out of sleep. Breathing softly, he held her closer to him and continued to follow Nix aura.

"You're going to have to keep going when we get to her room and stand at her bed." He explained to Nix quietly. "I don't know her layout and I don't want to trip and wake her up." He'll ask his questions later, when he wasn't worried that his voice or his actions would wake her up.

Andrea curled up close to him, her nose in his neck, and her breathing deepened. Her humming slowly petered out and she was a lot more of a dead weight as she completely passed out.

Nix watched this and he ran his hand through his hair, This was one hell of a night. The question was, should he tell anybody? If he did, even if it was Candice, it would spread like wildfire through the warehouse in no time flat. He did as Leo asked, getting him in the room and then pulled back the covers of the bed more than they were when she had gotten out of it, "She's never...fallen asleep that fast. She always wakes up and is really disoriented. With any luck, she won't even know she sleepwalked."