This is the same chapter as the one in "The Four Paths of Raphael". Everything after this is new. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Raphael stared at the young woman as he crouched across the alley from her, still as a statue. She was equally still, dark eyes boring into his own gold ones. She crouched in much the same position, but instead of sais, she clutched a good sized bundle to her chest.

She had seen him, but she hadn't screamed. Gasped, yes; that's what alerted him to her presence. But she didn't scream. She didn't seem terrified either. She was very wary of him, but she didn't seem scared out of her mind.

He had once again left the lair in a huff. He didn't even remember exactly what they were fighting about, only that it had started with Mikey annoying him and ended with raised voices and insults between him and Leo. He had come upon a drug deal, and had decided to take out his frustrations on the criminals. Jumping from the fire escape he had observed the unfortunates from, he had sent them scattering.

As they ran, Raphael stood tall, stepping out of the shadows, thinking he was safe. Her gasp had told him otherwise. So now they crouched, eyes locked, waiting for the next move.

Slowly, she crept forward out of the semi-darkness. With a start, he realized the bundle she held was actually a small child, an African-American girl of about three years. The woman barely looked old enough to be the babe's mother, only about eighteen. Not unheard of in the least, but still looked down on. Especially when the child of a white woman ended up black.

Had she been kicked out of her home? Scorned because of her child? Their skin colors? Prejudice like this made him absolutely sick!

She crept foreword a little more. Raph let her. She had already seen him, so he was curious as to what she'd do next. "Thank you." Her voice was quiet, hoarse. He blinked. She had thanked him. Finally! Someone thanked him for what he and his brothers did!

He cleared his throat roughly before saying, "Eh, welcome." He didn't know how to handle the attention honestly. Then a question entered his mind. Even he hadn't seen her at first, and the druggies he had just sent running certainly hadn't, so what was she thanking him for? "They were botherin' you?" he asked.

"Not yet." Ah. So she was scared of being discovered by them. Made sense.

A little snuffing sound cut into their minimal conversation. The little child that was clutched to her chest had woken. Big, jade green eyes blinked at Raphael, before she inquired with a sleepy voice, "Tuttle?" The side of Raph's mouth twitched. He had a bit of a soft spot for kids, but if anyone, especially Mikey, ever found out he'd deny it.

"Turtle, Little Lady, but…" he glanced at the woman's curious face. He sighed. "Yeah…" A thoughtful expression crossed the woman's face before she let go of the child with one hand and held it out for Raph to shake.

"I'm Rosa Lone-Wolf. This is my daughter, Rayne."

Slowly he reached out, wondering if she'd flinch away from his three-fingered hand. She didn't. "Raphael Hamato." He glanced at little Rayne, and frowned slightly. There was a yellow crust at the corners of her eyes, and her nose ran even though it had obviously been wiped raw. She reminded him of a sick kitten. Rosa didn't look all that great herself. Her eyes were sunken and had dark rings, and she was unbelievably pale and thin. They needed help. "Eh, listen, you need a place to stay awhile?"

She drew back a little. "Why?" she almost growled. He put his hands up in a placating manner. Suddenly times when his brothers had done the same towards him flashed through his mind, and he put them down. Sometimes it only made people, namely him, even angrier. "My brother's a bit of a doctor, least he's patched me and the rest of us up enough times he knows what he's doing. An' Rayne don't look so hot…" She kept her eyes narrowed at him. He took it as good sign that she hadn't run yet.

One dark little hand waved towards him. "Hai, Waff!" Rayne may have been sick, but she was a smart little one, and had picked up on Raph's name, even if she couldn't pronounce it. He tried not to smile, he really did, but she was just so damn cute. But if Mikey ever heard, and undoubtedly would if Rosa agreed, he'd never hear the end of it.

"Lo, Rayne," he said as very slowly, aware of the proverbial mother bear watching his every move, he reached out and let Rayne grab his fore finger. She was such a tiny little thing, her fist dwarfed almost frighteningly by his large, shockingly green hand. She giggled, then coughed and gave a little whimper. Raph felt his gut clench, and decided to leave the reason why alone for a while. "Let me help ya," he said quietly, looking Rosa in the eye.

She cradled her child closer as she thought. Finally, she murmured, "Lead the way."

"Keep her close. The way there is kinda grimy, and she don' need ta get sicker," he advised her. He led her a block away to suitably large entrance to the sewers. She wrinkled her nose, but followed. She had trouble getting down the ladder with Rayne, so Raph gently hooked an arm around her waist and leapt down, hitting the ground with barely a thump. She looked startled, but didn't shy away when he kept a hand on her back to guide her down the tunnel.

Every once in a while, he'd say something, like to watch out for a rock or debris, but usually they kept silent. Rayne had fallen asleep after the exciting and "Funfunfun!" jump down the ladder. When they were a few minutes away, Raph spoke up.

"I better warn ya 'fore we get there. I live with my three bros and our sensei. My oldest bro, Leo, might not be all that happy ta see ya. Don will be happy ta help ya out, he's the doctor-type I told ya 'bout. Mickey's the baby of the family, an' he acts it."

"Are they… like you?" she asked shyly.

"Yeah. Well, by bros are, but sensei is different. He ain't human, but he sure ain't no turtle. He's a mutated rat." He saw her skeptical and worried expression. "A very clean and honorable rat," he amended. She smirked and nodded.

They arrived then, and he punched in the sequence on the pad that Don had installed recently. The door hissed open. "Hey, Don! Lil' help, here!" he shouted as he gently led Rosa and Rayne in.