Disclaimer: I wish I did, really I do, but I don't. So sad.

Prologue

Kala clutched at Mikey's arm as they stood in awe watching the small hand push apart the shell. A small peep came from inside and Mikey took a step forward. A foot suddenly popped out the hole it had been forming, making the hole larger by pure accident. Part of the shell fell away and two bright blue eyes peered out at them.

Mikey couldn't take it any longer as he took the few short steps in front of him quickly. Slowly he lifted the tiny turtle from inside. He marveled at how small it was. It fit easily in the palms of his hands. He raised his eyes to meet Kala's, unshed tears glistening in them. "We have a son."

He gently laid the tiny turtle in her arms. She ran her fingers softly over his head and along his cheek. His bright blue eyes never leaving her. "A son." She looked up at her husband. "Our son."

"I want to see!" Mira's small cry made the couple remember their rather large audience.

Kala turned so the rest of the family could see the beautiful baby boy. His color was lighter than Mikey's but other than that they appeared nearly the same.

"He's gorgeous!" Sarah gushed, tears coming to her eyes. "I barely remember Mira being so small."

Donnie smiled, his hand resting on his daughter's head. "It does seem like such a long time ago now."

Mira grinned. "Can I hold him?"

Sarah frowned. "Not just yet, sweetie. He's too little right now. You could hurt him accidently."

Leo wrapped his arm around Amaya. "Have you decided on a name?"

Mikey grinned. "Sorry, bro, but none of the names you picked even made the finales."

Leo pouted a bit. "How come no one likes the names I pick?"

"They're way too hard to pronounce for one thing." Raph provided from his place behind them. Cat was beside him her arms folded. She watched silently, she still wasn't keen on having kids herself, though over time Mira had broken down that wall a bit. Raph glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "So, what did you decide on?" He prompted.

Mikey's smile faded a little, his eyes turning back to the little turtle in his wife's arms. "Well, it came down to Kala's dad's name or Father's. We decided to wait and see which would be best." He took his son in his arms and watched him for a moment. The baby smiled and cooed. Mikey smiled as well. "I think Kaz suits him best."

Kala smiled sadly, remembering her father. "I agree."

Leo stepped forward. He stroked his tiny chin with a large finger. "Welcome to the family, Kaz."

Chapter 1 – Stumbling Blocks

It had been three weeks since Kaz's hatching. Three weeks of nonstop crying too. Donnie had given the infant dozens of exams fearing that there was something really wrong with him, but he'd found no physical reason for the child's unhappiness.

Kala and Mikey had been doing their best to keep his wails muffled by keeping him in their room, so his cries wouldn't echo all over the sewers and draw unwanted attention. But within the walls of the lair his screams could be heard in nearly every room, even with the doors closed. It was becoming definitely unnerving, if not unsettling. The garage above became a sanctuary. The others would sometimes slip up there just to have a few hours of peace.

Kala paced the bedroom with Kaz on her shoulder, his little fists balling in her clothes and hair. She barely noticed the pain when he yanked at it. She was near collapse, her eyes rimmed in dark circles. But her instinct to comfort her child kept her on her feet.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Kala called a little louder than his cries.

Sarah stepped in with Amaya. She frowned at Kala's appearance. "Here let me try for a while. You need some rest."

Kala reluctantly released him into her arms. He quieted just for a moment as he was shifted from one woman to the other. Sarah softly stroked his arms and head, humming softly in his ear. Amaya spoke from the doorway. "Sarah and I have discussed many herbal remedies. And I believe we may have found something that might soothe him."

Kala sat heavily on the bed. "Oh, I hope so."

"It may make him a bit drowsy though." Sarah continued to rock the small turtle in her arms. He bellows had been replaced by hiccups.

Kala frowned. "It would be really nice to get some sleep. But you're sure it won't hurt him?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. I'd give it to Mira without a second thought. It's mostly mint with a little something for pain."

Kala yawned. She'd try almost anything at this point. They'd already tried so many things like turning the temperature down, wrapping him in a warm blanket, feeding him nearly constantly, trying live worms instead of the formula, trying milk instead of formula and the list went on. But nothing had worked so far. So trying an herbal remedy was not a farfetched option. She only prayed it work. "Did you tell Mikey?"

"No, he is still sleeping on the couch." Amaya said as she moved forward to urge Kala to lie down. "Just as you should be."

"We'll watch over Kaz." Sarah assured her.

Kala yawned again as she laid back, her eyes beginning to shut of their own accord. "If you're sure…"

Sarah didn't bother to answer, because within seconds Kala was asleep. The two women left the room, closing the door behind them. Kaz continued to fret between hiccups and Sarah continued to rock him as they walked through the living room, past Mikey who was sprawled on one of the couches. His eyes too were rimmed in dark circles. After days without sleep, the couple had decided to try to work in shifts.

Sarah settled into a chair at the table while Amaya went to the teapot and poured the warm liquid over the crushed herbs they had prepared. She stirred in just a little at a time until it was a paste. Sarah laid Kaz on his shell and rubbed gentle but firm circles on his plastron. The little turtle quieted in the new position, he blinked up at her with teary eyes. She smiled softly, continuing the circles.

"Hey, you got him to be quiet." Leo smiled as he entered the room with Mira.

"Master Splinter used to do this with Mira." She smiled sadly. "I'm still trying to remember all the tricks he taught me."

"That seems like a really long time ago." He patted his little student on the head. "You've grown up way too fast, Mira-chan."

Mira grinned. "Mommy, want to see what I learned today?"

She smiled, but continued her gentle massage. "Maybe in a little while, sweetheart. Right now I have to look after Kaz."

The little girl frowned at her cousin. "He sure is loud." Sarah frowned at her daughter and Mira's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry."

"We must always use kind words, Mira."

"Yes ma'am."

Leo moved across the room to Amaya's side. She smiled up at him and he brushed a hand through her hair before placing a kiss on her cheek. Had they been alone he might have kissed her in truth but they both tended to be far more reserved around the others. "Have you found something that might help?"

"Yes, if he is having any internal pain this should help."

Kaz began to cry again, Sarah's ministrations losing their potency. She propped him up in the crook of her arm. "Is it ready?"

Amaya retrieved a spoon and scooped up the paste. She handed it to Sarah, who gently nudged the baby's mouth open. Leo frowned. "Are sure that'll be enough? It's such a small amount."

Sarah nodded. "Yes, it'll be plenty. He's still so young. We don't want to overload his system."

Kaz made a face and drooled some out the side of his mouth. Leo smirked. "Father always did have a hard time getting Mikey to take medicine, looks like this little guy is going to take after him there."

Sarah just scooped the drool, paste and all back into his mouth with the ease of a practiced hand. "It might be a bit bitter for him. Amaya, would you get him a small sip of apple juice."

The other woman did as asked. And after the small sip of sweet liquid cleansed his tongue, he yawned. They all smiled. "That's a good sign." Leo murmured.

"Is he going to go to sleep now?" Mira was as relieved as the rest of them.

Sarah rocked him softly and the little turtle's eyes began to close at last. There was a soft shuffling at the doorway and everyone turned to see Mikey there. He blinked in surprise at the sight that met him. "How did you…?" He stepped forward, putting a hand on the back of Sarah's chair. "I thought something was wrong because I didn't hear him crying."

"Nope, everything is just fine now." Sarah smiled up at him. "You can thank Amaya and I's magic potion. We're geniuses." Amaya giggled and he smirked.

"I honestly don't care what you did, as long as he sleeps for a little while."

Leo looked around. "Speaking of geniuses, where's Donnie at? I haven't seen him all afternoon."

Amaya smiled. "He said he was going to help Raphael and Cat in the shop."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Though I doubt that was his real reason for going up there."

Leo chuckled. "I'll go see what he's really up to. Mike, you should get some sleep while you can." He patted his brother's shoulder as he left the room.

Mikey nodded. "I'll put Kaz in his bed." He gently lifted the infant and headed for his room.

Sarah slumped in her chair. It was a relief to finally have a few minutes of quiet. That was before Mira started pulling at her arm with pleas for her to see her new ninja skill. Sarah sighed heavily and Amaya chuckled. "I could make some more of our magic potion."

Sarah grinned. "That's very tempting." The two women laughed as she allowed Mira to pull her from the chair and into the dojo.

Leo stepped out into the garage to find Cat sweeping. She looked just as tired as the rest of them. He glanced around. "Hey, where are Raph and Donnie? Aren't they supposed to be helping you?"

She gave him a half frown that held a touch of amusement. "Oh, my helpers? I didn't realize that was what they were supposed to be, because they've been sleeping in the back corner since they came up here."

Leo returned her half frown, but couldn't hold it as he was overcome with a chuckle. "I'll go make sure they realize it too. By the way, Kaz is finally asleep. You should go grab a few hours while you can."

She yawned and glanced around at the unfinished cycle that was propped on a sawhorse. She smirked. "I think I'll do just that. Tell Raph he needs to finish that one over there before he can come to bed."

Leo chuckled again as he turned and headed for the small sitting area in the back where there were two couches and a coffee table. He heard the elevator door close behind him as he approached his two brothers who were spread across the couches. He shook his head in dismay. "Hey guys, working hard?"

Donnie sat up nearly immediately, a slight reddish tint to his cheeks. "Uh, hey, Leo."

Raph groaned. "Give us a break, man. Kaz has kept us up nearly as much as Mikey and Kala."

Leo folded his arms. "I know that and that was why I came to tell you that he's finally asleep."

Donnie blinked at him in surprise. "He is?"

"Yeah, Amaya and Sarah came up with some concoction they called a magic potion. I don't know what was in it but it sure put him to sleep."

Raph stood. "Good then that means I can finally go sleep in my own bed."

Leo smirked. "Sorry, Raph, but Cat said since you weren't up here really helping out that you have to finish that bike over there before you can go to bed."

Raph's eyes grew large and he glanced at the bike in question. "But-but that'll take half the night!"

Leo's smirk grew a little. "I'm just the messenger." He turned his gaze to his other brother. "And I think Sarah knows you were up here sleeping, Don."

Donnie sighed and rubbed his face. "I'm sure she does." He stood and stretched. "Speaking of which, I'd better go see how much trouble I'm in." He started for the elevator and Leo followed.

Raph glared at both of them as they disappeared around the corner. He called after them. "Sure, leave me with all the work!"

In the dojo, Sarah was knelt to one side watching Mira do a roundhouse kick. She clapped her hands and smiled. Mira was certainly catching on quickly. It was likely due to the fact that Mira was Leo's only student and he could take as much time with her as he needed. "You're doing great, Mira!"

"Watch this!" Mira threw a series of punches at an invisible enemy.

Sarah grinned and clapped again. "You're definitely looking good!" Donnie slipped in and knelt beside her. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. She gave him an amused half smile. "Have a good nap?"

She felt a bubble of relief wash over him as he returned the smile and squeezed her hand. "Yes. I hear you and Amaya have been working miracles in the meantime."

Her smile widened. "Yes, I think he's finally comfortable and he may even sleep through the night."

"Daddy, daddy!" Mira ran up to them. "Can you show me how to do a backflip?"

Donnie frowned. "I don't think that's a good idea. You're still too small. Uncle Leo is your sensei. What did he say?"

She pouted a little. "He said I had to wait, but you can show me."

Donnie shook his head. "I could but I won't. You have to learn to listen to your sensei. If he says no, I won't go against his wishes."

Mira frowned. "Okay."

"Mira, why don't you show your daddy what you learned today. I'm going to start dinner." Sarah kissed him on the cheek before heading for the kitchen.

Donnie watched for a while as Mira performed a series of roundhouse kicks and then they headed back into the living room. Leo and Amaya were settled on one of the couches watching a game show. Or rather Leo was watching the game show. Amaya was curled against him, her head resting on his chest and her eyes closed.

Mira ran around to jump up beside them but paused. She grinned. "She's asleep."

Leo returned the grin. "Yes, let's not wake her. Okay?"

Mira nodded. "Can I watch the show with you?"

Leo patted the couch on his other side and she climbed up to sit next to him. Donnie smiled to himself as he left them for his lab. He'd recently picked up some circuit boards from the junkyard and needed to give them a good cleaning. He dumped them on his desk and proceeded to clean them with a rag while prying them apart with the screwdriver.

Sarah stirred the pot of noodles, mapping out the ingredients for her special spaghetti sauce. Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her left hand. She knew it was Donnie by the way the bond pulsed suddenly with irritation and a bit of guilt. She instinctively looked down at her hand, which had been resting on the counter. She was surprised to see a cut forming on her palm. She stared at it for a long moment, before turning and heading for the lab.

She found Donnie sitting at his desk a rag pressed to his left hand. He looked up. "I'm sorry, the screwdriver got away from me. But I'm okay, it's not deep." Not knowing how to explain exactly what had happened, she lifted her left hand to show him the cut that still bled. He came out of his chair, grasping her wrist. "How did this happen?"

She shook her head. "It just appeared there when I sensed your pain."

He was stunned. "What?"

She took his left hand and turned it over so she could see his wound. The cuts looked identical. And then to their utter amazement, they both began to fade. They both gasped as the wounds disappeared altogether. Dread clenched her heart. "What do you suppose it means?"

He wrapped her tightly in his arms, trying desperately to squash her growing fear. "I don't know, but we'll find out, okay? Everything will be alright, I promise."

Her hot tears fell on his bicep. "But what if it's not? What if it means something's wrong?"

He sighed as he held her even tighter. "We don't know that. But we know someone who may know."

She leaned back a little to give him a watery half smile. "Marina."

"Yes." He swiped away her tears with his thumbs. "Let's go make a really long distance phone call." She leaned into him again, allowing their love for one another to wash over them and to soothe her fears.

A/N: Poor Mikey and Kala, I remember my son had colic when he was first born. He just cried and cried and at random times for no real reason. After a while he just grew out of it. So, if you can survive without sleep long enough, it all turns out okay.