Summary: Raphael has been keeping a secret from his family for six months. Every week he's been visiting a girl he met while on patrol in the city, and he's started to fall quite hard for her. Will he be able to face up to his feelings and stop keeping secrets from his family?

Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or its characters. I only own my OC.

A/N: Hi, guys! Just a tester for you here. I've got seven completed chapters waiting for upload, and I do actually plan, for once, to finish this fic. I'm working on it every day after I've finished my work for my business, and I'm really enjoying writing it. I've loved TMNT from the age of around seven or eight, and after seeing clips of the 2014 movie, it got me so worked up that I wanted to do a fic. So, this is kind of set in the 2014 universe, and it is written as though it's set in 2015, so imagine the guys as they are in the movie. I hope you enjoy this, and if you want me to upload more and continue writing, let me know.

Happy reading!

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~ Secrets ~

{ Chapter One: Maybe }

On that fateful night six months ago, Raphael knew that his life had just changed for the better.

He saved eighteen year old Amelia Smith from being raped in a grotty New York subway underpass, and the girl had shown absolutely no fear when he'd revealed himself to her at her request following her rescue. She'd been so amazed by him that when he'd taken her home across the rooftops of the city, as he'd sat by her window to bid her goodnight, she practically begged to see him again. Ever since then, once a week, he would go to her apartment, she would cook him a meal or order take-out, and they'd either talk or watch movies together. They could spend hours together, and his brothers were none the wiser.

Due to difficult relationships with her family, Amelia had felt the need to move away to the city. Her grandmother had left her a substantial amount of money in her will, so Amelia had taken it, left her parents behind in the suburbs and found herself a part-time job at a local book store. She had a small apartment with one bedroom, and it was probably the homeliest place that Raphael had been before. She always did her best to make him feel at home, and she didn't seem to care that he was a giant talking turtle. The truth was that Amelia had never seen a being so magnificent in her life.

He must've been at least six feet and five inches tall, and his muscles were so big that he must've been well over three-hundred pounds in weight. He had these really intense, beautiful green eyes and he had plenty of battle scars which made him look rather rugged to the eighteen year old. In comparison to Amelia's five feet and eight inch frame, he looked enormous. The first time she saw him properly, she'd referred to him as a person, and treated him like a fellow human, not a monster or a freak. She hadn't been remotely scared of him, but she'd looked at him like he was the best thing she'd ever seen.

Not only was Amelia a kind, unassuming person, but she had to be the most beautiful human that Raphael had seen since he first saw April O'Neil. He'd seen plenty of human women, whether through magazines, television or movies, but he'd never seen one quite like Amelia. Her face was almost angelic, graced with petite features, full lips and a gorgeous pair of deep blue eyes. It was becoming more and more apparent to the red-clad turtle that the more he looked at her, and the more he spent time with her, the harder his heart would beat when in her presence. He wasn't an idiot. He knew that he was more than just infatuated with her, and while she'd been more than accepting of him when they first met, he figured that any kind of romantic advances towards her would be rejected because of their physical differences.

It wasn't just the thought of Amelia rejecting him that was putting him off making a move. He had his family to consider. They had no idea that he'd let a human know of his existence like this. They had no idea that he'd put them in potential danger, and while Amelia was clearly fairly harmless, his family wouldn't be so trusting of her. Plus, he'd spent six months keeping this secret from them, and lying about where he disappeared to every Thursday night. He hated lying to them, but for once in his life, Raphael had the opportunity to have something of his own, that his brothers didn't share, and he wasn't prepared to tell them about it yet.

Explaining the sudden disappearance of his T-Phone was the hardest lie to come up with, since he'd given it to Amelia the night he'd saved her so that she could contact him. He didn't know how long he could keep lying to them, and he didn't know how long he could keep his growing infatuation for Amelia to himself either.

On this particular night, Raphael was scaling Amelia's apartment building, with both excitement and trepidation filling his heart. He was finding it more difficult to be around her because of his growing feelings for her, yet at the same time, he couldn't get enough of her. They texted each other every day, and once every few weeks, she would call him when he was alone and away from his brothers. He'd listen to her sweet, gentle voice as she'd tell him about what she'd been up to that day, then she'd listen to him as he told her about his day. It was a really good thing that they had going on, and he wasn't willing to spoil it.

As usual, Amelia was sat in the window seat of her living area, which was to the left of her couch and TV, waiting for Raphael to come. When he reached the fire escape outside her window, he peered at her through the glass, earning him that beautiful smile that made his heart hammer in his chest. She looked gorgeous tonight. She was dressed in a grey t-shirt and black yoga pants that had a pink stripe up the side. Her long, honey-blonde, loosely curled hair was tied up into a messy bun, and her feet were clad in rainbow stripy socks. Carefully, she leaned forward and opened the window before climbing off of the window seat, allowing Raphael to come inside.

"Hi, Raph." She said sweetly as he climbed inside, reaching to close the window behind him, "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too." Raphael answered in his thick Brooklyn accent, stepping aside as Amelia drew the curtains.

"I've got pepperoni pizza in the oven, cola in the refrigerator and then after the pizza, I've got cherry pie for dessert." Amelia said as she started to make her way over to the small kitchen that sat behind the living area, "Make yourself at home."

Raphael looked at the coffee table that sat between the couch and the TV. It was covered in a white cloth, and there were two table mats sitting on it with a plate on each one, and a glass each for both of them. The soft light from the floor lamp that sat to his right made the living room look cosier than he'd ever seen it. He was flattered that Amelia always made the effort to set up the coffee table so they could have a relaxed meal together.

He slowly sat down on the couch as Amelia hurried around the kitchen, feeling rather awkward as he saw her rushing back with the cola bottle in her hands. He hated it that she wouldn't let him help out. He had to sit there and let her run around, waiting on him like she was some kind of slave. He didn't like her waiting on him like this.

He noticed though, as she started to pour their drinks, that she wasn't her usually, bubbly self. He could tell that something was wrong because her eyes were darker and duller than usual. She looked as though she was upset. She saw that he was looking at her and she attempted to reassure him with a smile that the turtle could tell was fake. He could practically feel her discomfort. Was it him? Did she know that he liked her? Was she creeped out?

"You okay?" He asked her as she sat beside him, "'Cause you don't look it..."

"I'm sorry." She apologised with a frown, "My mother called today. She gets... She has this way of speaking to me... It's really condescending and just... Ugh! She stresses me out, is all. But I'm not gonna let it spoil tonight."

"You sure you're okay?" The nineteen year old asked her quietly, earning a brighter, more genuine smile and a nod from her.

"I'm fine." She replied sweetly, "Anyway, I wanna hear all about these brothers and this father of yours that you still haven't introduced me to."

Raphael smirked as she moved closer to him leaning on the back of the couch with her elbow, drawing her legs up onto it as well. He'd only mentioned his brothers and Master Splinter occasionally in text messages, because he hadn't been ready to go into too much detail about them. She was fascinated by him, and her eager smile made him unable to refuse her. The way she was looking at him made him want to just grab her and kiss her, but she deserved something better than that. If he did eventually get up the guts to tell her how he felt, he would do it in a better way. Or, at least he'd try to.

"Um... Well... Leonardo is the oldest." He began, clearing his throat, "I'm the second oldest. Then there's Donatello who's younger than me, and Michelangelo's the baby of the family."

"Oh, you're all named after artists?" She asked with a bright smile, "Wow... So, how old are the others?"

"We're all nineteen." Raphael explained, "See, when we were mutated, our father, Splinter..."

"He's a rat, isn't he?" Amelia asked, earning a nod from Raphael.

"Yeah, uh... He wasn't there when we hatched out of our eggs, so, he didn't know who was the oldest and who was the youngest." The turtle continued, "So, he decided to use our rate of mutation as an indicator for our ages. We're only a matter of days apart, so when our birthdays come around, we basically have two weeks of partying."

"God, that's amazing..." Amelia breathed with wonder in her eyes, "What are they all like?"

Raphael couldn't believe that she was taking such a keen interest. He still couldn't get over the fact that she hadn't freaked out when they met for the first time. It was like she genuinely cared about him, and it felt nice to have someone care about him who wasn't part of his little family circle.

"Leo is kind of a leader to us because he's the oldest." Raphael said, biting back the desire to badmouth his older brother, "He's good at it. Donnie is the nerdy one. He's a total geek but he's a tech genius. He designed the cell phone I gave you. And then, there's Mikey."

Amelia's smile broadened as she looked at the turtle in front of her. The grin on his face and the look in his eyes as he talked about his brothers was heart warming. He truly loved them all, so dearly, and it was painfully obvious that he cared deeply about his family. She admired that in a person. Family was important, and even though she didn't get on well with her parents and her siblings, her grandparents had meant the absolute world to her.

"Mikey." Raphael said again, chuckling, "He's like the class clown, you know? He's a big kid, and he gets easily distracted, but he's got a good heart. He drives me up the wall sometimes, but that's what little brothers do, right?"

"They all sound wonderful." Amelia replied, beaming at her friend, "I'd love to meet them all someday."

"Maybe one day." Raphael answered, looking away from her briefly to try and quell his throbbing heart.

The sight of her sitting there with that sparkle in her eyes and that beautiful smile on her face was getting harder and harder to ignore. He was finding it harder to control himself. She made him feel so fucking happy. She made him laugh, she laughed at his stupid jokes, she took a keen interest in him, she listened to him. She would make him feel things that he hadn't felt or experienced before. She was just so special... He wasn't ready to share her with his brothers and his father.

"I'm just gonna serve up. Dinner should be ready." She said softly, getting up off the couch, "Then we can watch a scary movie if you want."

"Sure." He said with a smirk as she headed into the kitchen.

Raphael watched her, listening to her sweet voice as she began to hum softly to herself. Would it really be a bad thing if he at least tried to make a move? He'd seen it in movies where guys would slide their arm around a girl to try and get her to cuddle up to them. Maybe it would work. She often hid behind cushions during scary movies., and maybe he could get her to cuddle up to him so he could 'protect' her. He'd seen that happen on TV and it worked. Yeah... Maybe.

"Okay... Dinner is served!" Amelia announced, placing a large serving plate in the middle of the coffee table with an enormous pepperoni pizza sitting on it, "Dig in."

"Thanks for this." Raphael said quietly, "I feel kinda bad that you run around after me week after week."

She gave him a rather irritated look, which was not what he expected.

"You saved my life, Raph. How many times do we need to have this conversation?" She asked him, her tone of voice still soft, "Please... Just... I'm never gonna be able to repay for saving me from having my life destroyed, and having it possibly taken from me. Just let me try and show my appreciation."

"You don't have to try and repay me." Raphael told her, letting out a heavy sigh as he rubbed a three-fingered hand across his face, "But, if doing this makes you feel better, then I'm sorry I mentioned it."

"D-Don't apologise." Amelia stuttered, taking a drink of her cola, "I should be apologising. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just that... I really enjoy your company, and I feel like the least I can do is cook you a meal when you did something so wonderful for me."

Raphael felt his breath catch in his throat.

"You enjoy my company?" He asked her as she started to reach for the pizza.

"Of course." She replied with a grin, "You're awesome. I love spending time with you. You're the only real friend I have out here, and you're actually a better person than most humans in this city."

Raphael had never had someone say that to him before. Gingerly, he reached forward and grabbed a slice of pizza, putting it on the plate that was in front of him. He looked at her as she continued to pile up her plate with pizza before following suit. She looked back up at him and gave him a warm grin, taking a huge bite out of the large slice in her hand.

"Mmm!" She hummed, "This is yummy!"

'You're yummy...' Raphael thought, instantly mentally slapping himself, 'Really? Did I actually just refer to this girl as yummy?! Ugh... What the fuck?!'

"Raph? Are you listening?"

"Huh?" He asked her, taking in the annoyed look she gave him, "Sorry."

"No, it's fine." She replied, swallowing a mouthful of pizza, "Are you okay? You seem distant... Is it the food?"

"What? No." Raphael tried not to look as stunned as he felt, "I'm fine."

Amelia had learned quickly to not push Raphael when he was either angry or out of sorts. It was just best to leave him to figure out his issues in his own time, because it was clear to her that he preferred it that way. She simply smiled sweetly at him again, nodded and then took a drink of her cola. Raphael was grateful that she knew not to push him into talking. She seemed to know him better than his own brothers who'd lived with him for nineteen years. He took a bite of the pizza and hummed appreciatively,

"This pizza's great." He added, causing her to giggle, "I can't wait for dessert."

"Let's see if you get through this first." Amelia said cheekily, nodding towards the pizza with a grin.

"Is that a challenge?" He asked her, raising an eye ridge thoughtfully at her.

"You want it to be?" She countered, raising her eyebrow in return.

Holy shit, was she flirting with him? He hated not being able to tell. Obviously because of what he was, he couldn't observe human behaviour outside of television and movies, but from the look of it, Amelia was flirting with him. Or, was he reading too much into it? Why the hell was this so fucking frustrating?

"You're on." He told her, "Who ever eats the least has to wash the dishes."

The wicked smile he was met with almost made his heart explode out of his chest. He felt his own face break out into an equally wicked smile, and as her pink tongue peeked out to wet her lips, she gave him a nod, picking up another slice from her plate.

"Deal."

Raphael couldn't believe what was happening. Amelia was curled up to him with her head half buried in a cushion, and half hidden in his plastron, fast asleep. The movie, which neither of them found too scary, was still playing in the background, but Raphael could only focus on the beautiful girl that was curled up to his side. Her hand was holding his spare one, and as he examined the dainty, five-fingered limb, he couldn't believe how soft her skin was.

What was he supposed to do with her now? He didn't really have the heart to move her but he knew that he had to go home or he'd have his brothers on him like a ton of bricks demanding to know where he was. With a sigh, he gently eased Amelia up into a sitting position, which caused her hand to fall from his. He scooped her up into a comfortable position, and then stepped out of the living area towards the small corridor that led to her bedroom, trying to keep her close to him as he walked with her in his arms.

"Raph?" Her voice was thick with sleep as she mumbled.

"Shhh..." His attempt at soothing her seemed to work, "Go back to sleep."

He quickly opened the door to her bedroom, and stepped inside. Carefully, he supported her with one arm, pulled back her thick duvet cover and then gently placed her on the mattress before bringing the covers up and over her. He felt her hand on his arm as he carefully arranged the covers around her feet, and he looked down at her as she groggily opened her eyes.

"Thank you." She whispered, snuggling into her pillows, "Goodnight, Raphael."

God, his heart... She looked so innocent, and so damn beautiful. Raphael almost sighed as he looked at her. No human woman had ever gotten him this worked up before, not even April, and he knew at this realisation that he was screwed. He was in such deep trouble...

"Night, Amelia." He finally answered her, swallowing down the lump in his throat, "I'll text you later."

"Sure." She hummed, settling back down to sleep, "Be an angel and close the window behind you this time."

With a smirk, Raphael went towards her bedroom window and opened it carefully before climbing out into the night air. He closed the window behind him quietly, and cast one last, longing look at the eighteen year old as she turned over and got comfortable under the covers, before he left her and disappeared into the night.

~ To Be Continued ~

Hope you enjoyed!

If you want more, let me know! :)

Thanks for reading!

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