Something More

Chapter 1: Resentment

A/N: So here's another story I've had in my head for a while. It's going to focus on Tony's cousin, Gia, and her budding crush on Raphael. I hope that you enjoy it, and I'm so stoked for the new episode! This takes place after "The Invasion" since that's when Gia became friends with them.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot, Gia, and Gino Salini.

Summary: Gia never thought she'd have a crush on someone who was supposed to be her enemy, but sometimes things change and people you once thought were enemies could become something more. Takes place in my Tales of a Pizza Delivery Boy universe.

I never thought I'd have a crush on a mutant turtle, but that's exactly what happened to me. I guess it happened earlier, though I tried to quell my feelings just because that Turtle was my enemy at the time while I was in the Purple Dragons. But after the Kraang invaded, things changed. My whole perspective on life changed, and I realized exactly who my family really was. And with that, I was hoping that I could get closer to one Raphael Hamato. He was cute, and I really did like him in a weird way. But this was going to be a lot harder than I thought it would be.

It all started after we arrived at the farmhouse. We carried Leonardo into the house and got him settled in the tub. Then the rest of us left while Raph kept vigil over Leo. I guess I could understand why he did it, and it reminded me of when Mom was in a coma after developing breast cancer. We didn't think it was going to spread so fast, but it did, and she ended up losing her life because of it. Seeing Raph keeping vigil over Leo reminded me of when we'd do the same for Mom. I just hoped that this time there'd be a happy ending instead of a sad one.

After looking at Raph one final time, I left and saw Tony trying to entertain Abby Brannigan, a little girl who was friends with Leo. It broke my heart to see her so sad, so I ended up entertaining her, too.

"Do you think Raph's going to be okay?" I asked my cousin.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I think we should just let him be."

Mikey made dinner and called for Raph to come down, but he didn't. After I ate my own dinner, I decided to take a plate up to him. Mikey handed it to me and I went to the bathroom where he was sitting on the stool. I knocked on the doorframe.

"Hey, Big Guy, it's time to eat," I said.

He turned to me and glared at me. "What are you doin' here?" he demanded.

"Mikey sent me up here to give you some food," I answered. "You better eat it before it gets cold."

"I'm not hungry," he said sullenly.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, you won't be helping Leo out by starving yourself. Do you really think he'd be happy to know that you did that?"

"Mind your own business!" he snapped. Then he turned and kept his gaze locked on his comatose brother.

Sighing, I put the plate down next to him and left the room.

"Did Raph eat?" Mikey asked.

"Not yet, but I'll check later and see if he did," I answered. "That boy is stubborn."

Mikey laughed. "Yeah, he can be at times."

"I wouldn't worry about it, Gia," Dad said. "Raph's been through a lot, so he needs time."

I knew he was right, but I was angry at the way Raph was acting. Anyone could see he needed someone to comfort him, but it seemed like he didn't want anything to do with that and just wanted to wallow in his sorrow. I decided not to dwell on it and played some games with Tony and Abby. Then I went back upstairs and saw that the plate was empty. At least he had eaten.

I took the plate from him, and he ignored me. I was going to say something, but I just put a hand on his shoulder. He shook it off and glared at me. I had never noticed that his eyes were green. They were beautiful, and now they seemed to burn with a fire that was fueled by rage. I had always known Raph was the one with the temper, but seeing it like this made it real to me.

"Don't touch me!" he said in a low growl.

"Sorry," I apologized. "I just thought you needed comfort."

"If I want comfort, I'll get it from my brothers or my friends, not from some Purple Dragon scum!" he retorted.

"I'm not with the Dragons anymore," I informed him.

He snorted. "Everyone knows that when it comes to the Dragons, you either stay there or die."

"Well, I'm different, okay? I left them, and I'm with my true family now."

"Oh, so now you think of Tony and your dad as family?" he spat. "Do you have any idea what they were goin' through when you just left like that? Tony was devastated and worried about you. He kept hopin' you'd turn a new leaf and come home, but you never did. I saw the sadness in his eyes all of the time even when he tried to hide it. You really hurt him, Gia, and you're gonna have to live with that for the rest of your life."

"I know that, Raph, and I'm sorry. But things have changed now, and I want to start fresh with everybody, including you."

"I'm not interested in makin' nice with the enemy right now. I've got better things to think about right now."

"That's fine. But when you want to make nice, let me know." Then I turned and left the bathroom with the empty plate.

"At least Raph ate," Tony commented as I put the dirty plate in the sink where April was doing the dishes.

"Yeah, but now he's back to where he was," I said.

We watched TV for a while and then went to bed. I was sharing a room with Tony and Abby. After we got settled in, I turned to Tony.

"I talked to Raph in the bathroom," I told him. "He said he didn't want to make nice with the enemy."

Tony nodded knowingly. "Yeah, Raph's famous for holding grudges sometimes, especially with strangers."

"I'm not the enemy though," I insisted. "I've changed, Tony."

"I know you have, and I'm sure Raph will see it in time. He's just going through a lot right now, and he wants to focus on Leo. Just give him some space and things will turn out okay."

I nodded. "Have you really forgiven me, Tony?"

"Yeah, I have, Gia. All of that is in the past, and there's nothing we can do to change it. Now we have to move forward and focus on the present. That's what Master Splinter always says."

"I didn't kill him on purpose, you know."

"You didn't kill who?" he asked.

"Uncle Tony," I answered. "Fong was gonna do it, but I wrestled the knife away from him. Then Sid pushed me, and that's when the knife went in him. I couldn't believe what had happened, but there was nothing I could do."

Tony put an arm around me. "I'm glad you didn't do it on purpose, Gia. That was the one thing I was afraid of all of this time. It was just an accident so you shouldn't blame yourself anymore."

"No, but I still do," I said. "I still have nightmares about it and think about it all of the time. It's just something I have to live with for the rest of my life."

"You'll get through it, Gia. We're all here for you."

"I know. Good night, Tony. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Gia. I love you."

"Love you too, Curly," I said using the old nickname I had given him. Then I settled to sleep, hoping that tomorrow would be better for all of us.

22222

As it turned out, Raph didn't sleep in his room. I found him in the bathroom still keeping watch over Leo. I was happy that he was so dedicated to watching over his brother, but at the same time, I didn't want him to kill himself doing it. I watched as he turned to me and saw there were circles under his eyes, indicating he hadn't slept.

"You didn't sleep last night?" I asked him.

"No, I didn't. A ninja always has to be alert. That's what Leo would want."

"I don't think Leo would want you losing sleep on his account," I remarked.

"And I don't think you have any right to tell me what to do!" he retorted.

I shrugged. "Just trying to be helpful," I said.

"Well, when I want your help, I'll ask for it."

"Have it your way. See you later, Big Guy." Then I grinned at him. "You're lucky there's another bathroom in this house, or else you'd have to vacate it so people can do their business. Unless you're into that sort of thing, that is."

Raph's mouth fell open at my words. "That is the most disgusting thing I have ever heard!" he yelped. "Get the hell out of here, and take your nasty thoughts with you!"

Laughing, I came out of the bathroom and went to the other one to do my business and get ready for another day. I looked in the mirror and saw that my light brown hair was a mess. I took a brush and combed it. Then I looked at my face and marveled at my tan skin and my light brown hair. Many people thought I was beautiful, but I never thought I was that attractive. I always thought I was average, but being around Raph made me think of my appearance more even though I wasn't sure if he noticed me.

Wait, why I was thinking this way? He was a mutant turtle, not a human! Was I turning into Donnie? I shook my head and finished up before hurrying out to get some breakfast. Once again, I took a plate to Raph, but he ignored me. When I went back for it, I saw he had eaten, which made me feel better. He really didn't need to starve himself.

"So what's on the agenda for today?" I asked.

"Not much," Tony answered. "We really should get back into training soon, but I don't think Raph wants to do it. Don wants to look at the barn and see if he can turn it into a lab of some sort."

"If anyone can do that, it's Donnie," I said. "You want me to try and get Raph to come out?"

"Nah, let him be," Tony said. "You know how he gets."

I nodded because I did know. I decided it would be nice to take Abby for a walk in the woods, so I asked her if she wanted to go with me. Her eyes lit up and she said she would.

"Will we pick flowers?" she asked me.

"If you want to," I answered.

Abby skipped beside me as we left the house and went to the woods. It was definitely beautiful, and I couldn't help but marvel at the scene before me. Living in the city was different because we weren't close to any of this except if you went to Central Park. Abby found flowers and began picking them, saying she'd put them in a vase for Leo. I smiled at her and how caring she was. Nobody deserved to deal with what she was dealing with, and yet she remained strong and positive that Leo (or Mr. Turtle as she called him) would wake up soon.

We rested by the stream and sat on a rock that was big enough for two of us. Abby was in my lap as we watched the water flow.

"The water's pretty," she said.

"Yeah, it is," I answered. I bent down and found a rock on the ground. I picked it up, took aim, and threw it as hard as I could. It made a loud splash as it hit the water.

"Why did you do that?" Abby asked.

"I always wanted to do that and see if I could," I replied. "You wanna try?"

Abby nodded, so I picked up a rock for her. "Okay, just pull your arm back and throw it," I instructed. She did as I asked and threw the rock. It didn't go as far as mine did, but it was still an impressive throw.

"Good job!" I praised her.

"Can we do it again?" she asked me.

"Sure as long as there are rocks here."

Abby liked that, so we continued to throw rocks. We were so absorbed in our task we didn't realize how much time had passed. We heard footsteps and saw Raph approaching us.

"Ah, so the elusive mutant Turtle has decided to come out of hibernation," I joked.

"Mikey says it's time to eat," he said. "He asked me to come get you guys."

"Are you going to eat with us or hole up in the bathroom?"

He scowled at me. "I'm gonna eat with you guys."

"Glad to hear it."

"Can you give me a piggy back ride, Raph?" Abby begged him.

"I don't think that would be a good idea, Abby," I told her. "Raph just might throw you off."

"I will not!" he protested. "Sure, you can ride on my back, kiddo. Just hop on." He bent down and let Abby climb on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he gently stood up. "Okay, now remember to hold on tight so you don't fall," he instructed.

I smiled as Raph walked, bouncing a little as he did so. It was a change from the Turtle I'd seen before, though I could tell there was something else there, too.

"Raph, I just want you to know that I've been where you are, so if you need to talk about anything, I'm here," I said.

I didn't expect a response, but he turned to me. "Thanks," he said softly. "I'll consider it."

It wasn't much, but it was enough for me. We continued toward the house and went into the kitchen where we ate some lunch. Raph sat down and ate with us, which was a relief to me. I could tell he was itching to get back upstairs though, and as soon as lunch was over, he did just that.

"What about training?" April asked him.

"That can wait," he said. "I wanna stay with Leo for a bit."

"Well, at least he ate," I commented.

"Yeah, that's something at least," Tony agreed. "But we really should get back to training."

"I can spar with you if you want, Tony," I offered.

"Sure, that would be great," he replied.

So after breakfast was over we had a sparring session. I really wished Raph would have been there, too, but I could understand why he wanted to stay with his brother. And as I sparred with Tony, I knew exactly what was wrong with Raph. He resented what had happened to us and what was going to come. He didn't want to be here and deal with all of this, but he had to, and that was what made him mad. I knew it would take some time for him to open up, but I felt that with a little bit of patience, I could get Raph to open up to me and really be a friend to me. That was all I could hope for at the moment.

A/N: So that's the end of the first chapter. I was going to make it longer, but I think this is good enough for now. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.