TMNT 2003. Slight AU where Maria (Shadow) Jones is the biological child of Casey and April. Much headcanon for this story came from/was inspired by discussions with SkitsMix. Posted on tumblr a while ago, but I'm finally getting around to posting it here. XD

The Good Mother

The ringing of his shell cell registered only vaguely on Don's awareness. He glanced briefly at the caller ID, then did a double-take and caught up the phone, fumbling a bit as he hit the "answer" button. "April?"

"Hey, Don! How's it going?"

"I should ask you!" he answered with a grin. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm up all night, I can't sleep, I still feel like I've been hit by a truck, and I'm loving every minute. Well...okay, most minutes. It's kind of like hanging out with you guys."

Don laughed, pushing back from his desk to lean back in his chair. "That's funny but it's hurtful."

"It's only hurtful because it's true," April sing-songed.

Don snickered. "Touche. So what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"

"I was calling to see when you guys could come over at meet the baby."

"Already?" Don's brow ridges lifted in surprise. "It's only been two weeks! Are you sure? If you guys need more time to settle in, we can always come later."

"Oh, please," April scoffed. "You guys are family! I would've wanted you to come visit at the hospital if it had been possible. And I would have called sooner, but my sister just left yesterday. Did Casey thank you for the flowers, by the way?"

"Yeah, he did. He, uh...he does almost every day when he sends us pictures," Don said.

"I've never seen him so giddy. It's adorable. But you didn't answer my question! When are you coming over? Can you make it tonight?"

"We can come any time that's good for you."

"How about around 5? It'll still be light out, but that shouldn't be a problem for you guys, right?"

"No problem at all. We'll see you tonight." Don hung up the phone, hopped out of his chair, and hurried off to tell his family.

xxxxx

A polite knock sounded at the door at exactly 5 PM. April got up from the couch and hurried to open the door, grinning when she saw the turtles and Splinter clustered together in the hallway. "Hi guys! Come in!" she said, stepping back and opening the door wide. "Since when do you knock?"

"Uh…" Leo shared a glance with his brothers. "Well, we didn't want to just walk in…"

"Never stopped you before," she said with a smirk. When the only response was a sheepish silence, she rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, come on, guys! Just because a baby lives here now doesn't mean you have to knock."

"I never thought I would need to apologize for my sons' manners," Splinter said dryly. He stepped forward and squeezed April's hand warmly between his own. "We are very happy for you, April."

"Thanks." April bent down to hug him, then opened her arms to Leo. The careful way he hugged her caused her to bite back a smile, but she didn't comment. She squeezed him firmly and patted his shell as she let him go.

Mikey pushed his way forward and wrapped her in one of his bear hugs. "Congrats!" he said with a grin.

"Thank you! Hey, wait a minute…" She caught hold of his arm as he began to step away, tugging him close again. His eyes widened when she leaned down and gave his head a curious sniff. "Is that...cucumber melon?"

"It...might be," Mikey answered. His mouth turned down in a pout. "But I didn't have any other choice! I got the short straw so I had to shower last, Raph went third and used the last of the soap, and Don was supposed to do the supply shopping this week but he forgot! So all I had left was that girly body wash stuff you left in the cabinet from the last time you stayed over."

"Leave me outta this," Raph grumbled, stepping forward obligingly so April could give him an affectionate side-hug.

April laughed as she hugged Don, but when she stepped back she took a close look at the turtles. She hadn't noticed when they'd first entered, but they were clean. Not that it was anything particularly new; even though they lived in the sewers, they were never what she would consider dirty. But tonight, they were so clean they would have squeaked if they hadn't been ninjas. Even their masks and gear were spotless, and the way their shells gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight spoke of vigorous scouring. Even Splinter - who had surprised April in their early acquaintance for his fastidious cleanliness - even Splinter looked as if he had recently washed, his fur appearing extra fluffy beneath his immaculate robe.

"We made sure not to touch anything on our way over," Don said earnestly. "Do you want us to wash our hands again?"

April smiled fondly. "No. You guys are just fine." She stepped back and waved him inside.

"Where's Casey?" Raph asked.

"He's getting the baby cleaned up. There was an, um...incident with a diaper and it was his turn." April's grin was just a bit wicked. "He should be out any time now."

Just then, Casey's voice drifted out of the back bedroom. "Yo, guys, is that you?" He stepped into the living room holding a tiny pink bundle cradled against his shoulder. He grinned when he saw them and bounced his daughter a little in his arms. "Check it out, kiddo! Your uncles are here."

Don blinked in surprise. "Uncles?"

"Of course! Family, remember?" April said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Casey came forward, shifting the baby in his arms so she could face forward. "Guys, meet Maria." Dark blue eyes blinked curiously at them from a chubby pink face.

"Which one of you wants to hold her?" April asked.

"Ooh, pick me!" Mikey bounced forward and plopped down on the couch, eagerly holding his arms out and cradling the baby against his plastron when Casey passed her over. "Hi, little ninja," he cooed. Maria stared fixedly up at him, brow furrowing with concentration.

"This is a good time for you to come by," Casey said, putting his arm around April's shoulders. "She sleeps most of the day, but she's been awake around this time most days."

Don and Splinter joined Mikey on the couch while Leo perched on the arm and Raph slouched in the nearby armchair. Mikey cuddled Maria for a little while before handing her off to Splinter, then Don.

"I can't believe how tiny she is," Don whispered, cradling the little head in his palm.

"Seven pounds even," Casey said.

"She's smaller than Klunk," Mikey said, reaching out to tweak a tiny socked foot with his finger and thumb.

Raph snorted. "Leave it to you to bring your cat into this."

Leo looked a little nervous as Casey transferred Maria into his arms, but smiled up at him when the baby's tiny hand grabbed hold of his thumb. "Quite a grip she's got there."

"Yeah, she's gonna be a tough kid," Casey said proudly. "You should hear her when she really starts screaming. Can't wait 'til she learns how to say 'goongala'."

April elbowed him playfully in the side. "That is not going to happen if I can help it."

Maria gave a plaintive little murmur and squirmed in Leo's arms. April picked the baby up when Leo held her out, bouncing her a little until she quieted. "Raph, what about you?" April asked. "Ready to take your turn now?"

Raph sat up in his chair, eyes widening in alarm. "Uh - nah, April, that's okay, I really don't need to - "

"Oh, don't be silly," she said, speaking over him. "Of course you're going to hold her."

His eyes darted around the room, lingering longingly on the fire escape visible through the window. "But…"

Seeing that Raph truly appeared ready to bolt, April stepped forward and swiftly deposited Maria in his arms.

Raphael froze.

Mikey made a strangled snort of laughter that he quickly swallowed when Don swatted him with the back of his hand. April ignored them, bending down and gently tugging on Raph's arms to allow him to hold Maria more comfortably. "There," she said, patting his shoulder. "See? You're doing fine."

Raph's shoulders were tense, but his hands were gentle as they curled around the tiny body in his arms. He hardly breathed as he stared down at Maria. The baby stared back unblinkingly.

"Aww, Raphie, I've always said you'd make a good mommy," Mikey said with a grin.

Don smirked. "Even better than Leo?"

"Not quite that good."

Leo rolled his eyes as Mikey and Don snickered. Raph glowered at them but didn't move a muscle.

Maria squirmed in his arms and let out a sudden bleat. The scowl vanished from Raph's face as quickly as it had come and he looked down at her in sudden alarm. Maria's fists clenched and her face turned red as she began to cry.

Raphael's alarm turned to quiet panic. "What'd I do?" he asked, eyes wider than April had ever seen them. "I swear I didn't even move! Why's she crying?"

"She's probably just hungry," April reassured him. "Casey, could you heat up one of the bottles in the fridge?"

"Sure thing." Casey winked at Raph as he backed into the kitchen. "Hang in there, bro."

Maria's flailed her tiny fists as she cried, thumping against Raph's plastron. The blow was weaker than a swat from Klunk's paw but Raph flinched as if he'd been hit with a wrecking ball. He looked back up at April. "Aren't you gonna take her?" The plaintive tone in his voice was too much for Mikey. He snickered, hastily tried to hide it with a cough, then burst into gleeful laughter. Don covered his mouth with his hand to smother his grin.

"You're doing just fine," April told him again.

Raph looked around as if he expected help to appear, but all he saw was Leo watching him with eyes that glinted with barely-contained humor, mouth quirked ever-so-slightly in the way Raph recognized as a heroic attempt to keep from smiling.

Casey came striding back into the room, carrying a bottle in one hand. Relief dawned in Raph's eyes and he shifted ever so slightly, expecting his friend to take Maria off his hands…

...but Casey just shoved the bottle at his face with a devious grin.

"Wait, no…" The panic was back, and both his arms were full of squirming newborn. Mikey - still laughing - was forced to grab on to Don's shell to keep from sliding off the couch.

April giggled but took pity on him, taking the bottle from Casey and reaching down to maneuver Raph's arms once again. "Here. Just let her head rest in the crook of your elbow. Right, like that. Now, give me your other hand." Raph complied, gulping uneasily as April rested the bottle in his palm. Nimble fingers that could twirl sai at an impossible speed closed awkwardly around the bottle. "Okay, you can get it from here. Just hold it out to her." April pushed down on Raph's hand until the bottle was within Maria's reach.

At first, Maria didn't notice, but after a brief moment her cries diminished, then stopped altogether as she took the bottle.

"There. See, what'd I tell ya?" April asked, smiling down at him. Maria stopped flailing, blinking contentedly while curling one hand around his finger. Raph sighed - a little shakily - and started to relax.

"Don't tell anyone about this, April," Mikey said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "If word of this gets out, all the bad guys will have to do to beat Raph is throw a baby at him."

Even Leo couldn't contain his snort of laughter that time. Raph pinned Mikey with a glare that could have bored through concrete. "Laugh it up while you can, shell-for-brains. I ain't gonna be holding this kid forever."

"Exactly! I've gotta milk this while I can."

Raph started to growl, but Maria felt the rumbling through his plastron and tensed, starting to turn her head away from the bottle. He instantly fell silent, giving another relieved sigh as the baby started to drink again.

Don turned slightly to smoosh his hand against Mikey's face, pushing his brother back on the couch. "Give it a rest," he said, still trying unsuccessfully to hide his smile. Mikey flopped back with a theatrical squawk that made Don laugh and Splinter heave a sigh, lifting his eyes to the ceiling.

Maria gave a little sigh as she finished her bottle, scrunching her nose as she stuffed a fist into her mouth. April took the bottle and handed it to Casey, finally rescuing Raph. She lifted her daughter out of his arms and rested her against a soft cloth she'd draped over her shoulder. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?" she asked, gently patting the baby's back.

"...No," Raph admitted grudgingly. His eyes narrowed as he glared at his brothers, but they wisely remained silent.

The baby burped, much to Mikey's delight ("Ooh, not bad for a beginner! I give it a five out of ten for volume but a two for length. We'll start lessons as soon as you're ready."), and then April handed her off to Casey for him to put her to bed.

"Thanks for asking us to come over, April," Don said as he hugged her goodbye.

"Anytime, guys. I mean it," she replied, hugging the rest of them in turn. "You're all ninjas so I know I don't need to warn you to be quiet just in case the baby's sleeping. Except maybe you," she finished, tapping the end of Mikey's nose playfully with her finger.

"You have a beautiful daughter, April," Splinter said, smiling warmly at her as he took his leave, his sons close behind.

"Hey, Raph, wait a second," April said, calling to him before he followed his father and brothers out the door. He came back into the apartment and waited, looking at her expectantly. April waited until his family was out of earshot before saying. "Listen, I wasn't trying to put you on the spot. I just thought you'd like to hold her."

"Nah, 's'okay," he said with a one-sided shrug. "I just didn't wanna hurt her, is all."

April's expression softened. "Hey. I knew there was no way you were going to hurt her. I trust you guys with her." When Raph gave her a skeptical glance, she reached out and rested her hand on his shoulder. "I do trust you," she said. One side of her mouth pulled up in a teasing grin. "I seem to remember watching you and your brothers throw my fine china around my apartment and it all made it back into the cupboards without a scratch."

Raph huffed, a little embarrassed at the memory. "Well, don't worry. We won't be throwing your kid around."

"You most certainly will not." She paused for a moment before adding lightly, "...Not until she's old enough to learn how to spar."

He barked a laugh, smiling up at her; one of his rare unguarded, happy smiles, without a trace of mischief or sarcasm. "You're a good mom, April."

She put her arm around him and kissed his temple. "So are you," she said with a wink.

Raph laughed again, surprised her by giving her a quick peck on the cheek, then slipped out the door, down the stairs, and disappeared into the gathering dusk.