Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT

A/N: Alright...this is kinda long coming, isn't it? Sequel to Expecting. The problem was that I couldn't think up a sufficient idea, and also that I was too busy with work, health, and other plot bunnies that refused to be ignored. But it's out, finally. I'm going to try to write it in a similar format to Expecting, with beginning inserts by Raph who is, of course, telling the story. I fully realize that starting this might be a mistake, I got two other stories in the works right now. Three stories at a time. Then again maybe this will help me get those going faster as well. Agh. I'll write more when I think about it. This takes place almost right after Expecting ended, which was a year from escaping to Earth. After this, I need to get onto my other story Nightmare, ideas are bursting out of my head with that one!

Chapter 1

Visitor

Damn. Can't believe that I'm doing this again. You'd think that I'd of gotten it out of my friggin system before, eh? Well, no. That would be too perfect. Fate don't like me. Ah, screw fate. Well, anyway, the story's continuin' whether you like it or not so suck it up. Now, to start this stupid thing, we were basically living as we did before, only with two new additions of course. Yeah, I'm talking about the brats. Yet, I couldn't get that sai, the one sent to me, out of my mind...


I woke fitfully, my mind dragging me from the sound slumber that I so rightly deserved. Furiously I fought it. Stay asleep, damnit. Stay asleep!

Screw it.

Giving up I rolled onto my back with a sigh. It was all Leo's fault that I couldn't sleep. He's the one that announced that the kids needed their own room. So he got everyone working on clearing up one of the storage rooms and scraping the crap off of the walls. Don built them new beds, cause he was certain that at the rate that they were growing compared to human babies, they'd outgrow their cribs soon. Yeah. Brilliant. As soon as he set them in their new rooms, Isis jumped on her bed and fell off. It was about then that we put on modified bedrails. Don, the turtle genius, couldn't think of that ahead of time. Right.

Well, in any case, this is their first night over in their own rooms. They used to sleep in mine. Right over there. Damn, does that wall ever look blank.

And I can't sleep.

At first I couldn't sleep because they were too damn noisy. First it was the crying, then as they got older, Isis sucks on her knuckles and Kento snores. It was hell. And now I can't friggin sleep without it! Gives a lot of time for thought, though.

I'm not so sure how I'll do as a parent. Most the time I lose my temper and one of my brothers or Sensei has to pick up after me. I end up acting how I want, then my own frigging kids team up on me. There's a conspiracy, I'm sure of it.

Shit, I must sound like one of those wacko's with tin foil wrapped around their head.

I shifted in my hammock, my arm dangled down. My finger brushed my sai. Both of them. Once again for the millionth time I rolled over and looked at them. I had two now, no longer one. You wouldn't realize the significance of this unless you knew the story. What happened a year ago. For a full year I had only one sai, the other being on another planet. The last time I'd seen it, it was clasped in the hand of the woman that I love, covered with the blood of the woman that I hate. Yeah, ain't life fun?

I had ended up getting pregnant (don't ask) because of some funky power-chromosome relationship in this alien species. I went to a different planet with Vivid to fix it, since apparently I was targeted because I had untapped power that allowed me to give birth to a boy. By, uh, marrying or 'bonding' with me before the birth, the woman would get the power from the son, otherwise the son would keep it. It was about then that the whole thing escalated into mass hysteria, crumbling palaces, assassinations, and general death overall. Plus Leo had to deliver my kids. Hell, that was just plain embarrassing.

I had been paying attention to Kento, who, apparently, is supposed to have inherited the power from me. So far I've seen no sign of it. Then again, I haven't been able to use it either. Maybe it's a situational thing. The only reason I was able to use it before was because I was in a situation where my martial arts wouldn't help. I haven't been in that perdicament since I got back to Earth (man that sounds wierd) so maybe that's it. Then again, I wasn't able to use it before I got pregnant either, when I'd had it all along. The powers had normally been held soley by the females, part of the reason why males had such low status for the Elentials. Their powers were mostly elemental, hence their name, but females could mostly control only air and water. Males were stronger in earth and fire, which gave me the edge since I was at that time the only male with power. They could also 'mist,' where they basically vaporised into...well...mist. And in extreme cases, using a lot of energy and strenght could do minor shapshift and short range teleport. I had only seen the last two done by Vivid when I first met her. Normally there wasn't too much cause to use it. I wasn't seeing any power in me right now, as I've said haven't used it in a while. Not too worried about it, didn't need it before; don't need it now. Maybe it'll keep more intergalactic babes from hunting me down.

See, that's the thing...this other sai shouldn't be here. I recieved it in the mail today. Er, actually I just found it addressed to me. I studied them some more. They look the same. You'd of never guessed that she had it on another planet. I couldn't help but think that maybe it meant that she was still alive. I mean, it was possible, right? Who else would've sent it? Who else would've dug it out of under tons of debris from the fallen palace? No one that I could think of. The mere thought that she might still be alive gave me an odd feeling inside. Really warm, wobbly. Excited. It was so uncharactaristic from my normal attitude that at first I thought I was going wacko. It took me a little bit to realize that I loved her, I even proposed and she accepted. So she must feel the same, right? Of course, otherwise she wouldn't have said yes. But if that was true, then why would she send my sai without coming herself? Maybe she couldn't come for some reason, and she wanted to send a message that she was still alive.

In that case, my first thought was that she was in trouble, maybe she managed to send me that sai as a cry for help. Either way I wanted to see her again. I could still picture her clearly in my mind as though she were standing right in front of me. She had red hair so bright it was almost flourescent. It nearly glowed. Her blue eyes were the same way. She had white skin, flawless. She was different from most Elentials in that she was tall, very tall. So were her two sisters, Heartfelt and Blush. This was probably because her father was a red Triceratron. Most of their kind were very petite. I'm not a very tall guy, er, turtle, and even I was taller than the rest of them.

I hadn't shown the sai to my family yet. I don't know why, maybe I wanted to think a few things over first. Plus it wasn't just us that we were thinking about anymore, either. The kids had to come into play, they got in the way of things. That probably sounds wrong, but it's true. They've actually stopped me from dissappearing to do night patrols whenever I like. Even times when I'm sure that they'll be taken care of sometimes I'm still reluctant to leave them. I still don't know exactly why I feel that way, it's just something about them. They're a part of me...

I blinked. My eyes were clear. Damn. I'm not going to sleep tonight. With a grunt I roll off the bed and quietly go out of my room. The second I set foot out the doorway something definetly struck me as wrong. Involuntarily tensing up, I survey the scene. For all intents and purposes it looks completely normal. The lights are off. The kitchen is empty, so is the living area, the dojo, everything. Puzzled, I scratch my head. What could give me this feeling, then?

Maybe I'm just jumpy. Yeah, that's it. Just need to see the tykes.

Hefting the weight of the sai once more, I tucked them in my belt. Slinking down the walkway, I slowly peered through the cracked door of my kids room. The first thing that I saw was an empty bed and at once my heart leapt in my chest. I was about to bound in there when I saw the other bed, Isis's bed. Two little forms bundled under the covers. I understood. They were proud to get their own room, plus they knew from experience how I was when they woke me up. Kento probably got lonely and opted to cuddle with his sister rather than wake me up. I stared at them. They both shifted restlessly. Didn't seem like they were getting much more sleep than I was. Silently I backed out, closing the door behind me with a soft click.

I sighed. Even after a year, I still wasn't used to this feeling that I got when I looked at them. Kinda warmish, and solid. Don't really know how to describe it but I know that it makes me feel good. Really good.

Slowly I crept down to the kitchen. Opening up the cupboard I pulled out a bag of chips. Half of it was already gone. Damn Mikey was a pig, we just bought this! Grumbling to myself I shuffled over to the beaten couch and flopped down. I picked up the remote...

creak

I froze. Slowly turning my head, I scanned my surroundings once more. Nothing had changed. That feeling I had before pounded at me again with increasing intensity. Something was amiss. Setting down the bag I eased myself up and drew my sai, standing on the balls of my feet. Slowly, with infinite care, I started a patrol of the immidiate area. Once again, everything simply looked normal. I passed the basic living area. Nothing to report. Took a look in the dojo. Nada. Don's lab, zip.

Then I approached the main entrance, the one accessible from the sewers, not the elevator. I felt a stank breeze. I froze and whipped around.

The door was open.

All my sensors were on high alert, every muscle taut. My fists tightened on my sai as I did a quick sidestep into the deeper shadows. Stealthily, I stepped lightly along the perimeter, every sense keen on detecting where the intruder might be.

rattle

The kitchen. I was just there! I dashed over in a low sprint, sai drawn. I saw a shadow being cast across the cabinets. I knew exactly where that sucker was, he's dead.

The muscles in my legs tightened and I sprang into the air. The intruder didn't pause from what he was doing and continued to shuffle in the fridge. Clueless. I collided with the figure in the dark, the only faint light being cast by the open fridge. The person put up surprisingly little resistance, crumpling to the floor under my weight. He hit the floor with an oof and was still for a moment. In an instant I had both arms pinned and had my legs tight against his thighs, classic wrestling move. He had small wrists so he just made it easy. The tip of my sai was pointed to the area just behind the ear. This fella had a lot of explaining to do...

Instead of the fight that I expected him to put up, he merely whimpered and squirmed a bit. I glared at the back of his head. Everything was shrouded in blackness. I growled and pressed the tip of the sai harder against his head. Immediately he froze. "Alright buddy, what the hell do you think you're doin-"

"Raph? Is that you?"

My heart stopped for an instant and I choked. I recognized that voice, damn I recognized that voice!

Last time I saw the person that voice belonged to, he was heavily pregnant and waddling around with his wife, Blush.

"Kartal?"

"Uh huh..."

"Shit!"


A/N: Alright, first chapter didn't quite pan out how I expected it to, but I'm satisfied nonetheless. I wrote this in about a million five minute intervals at work, so forgive me if it seems a bit chopped...because it is. But heaven help me, even when I read over it I just can't seem to hit that delete button for anything. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.

Remember, if you read it, review it please! You know how it can inspire! wink wink wink

Toodles!