Aunt Angel
My cell on the counter started ringing at me, the light tones of Dk Smile's butter fly echoing through the apartment I now shared with my four sisters. Actually two of them are cousins but that ceased to matter years ago. We are sisters, plain and simple.
My name is Vivian and over the last three weeks my life has gone from painfully normal to down right strange, to terrifying and then smacked face first into wonderful.
I met the most incredible person in the world. Pure, kind and sweet, he was the one thing that was missing out of my life. The fact that he is a six foot tall red eared slider, really doesn't make much difference to me. The fact that each one of my sisters has fallen hard for one of his brothers, make everything that much better.
The only thing missing was my dearest Aunt. Her name is angel and she really is one. She was my father's baby sister, and when he died, she took us all into her home. Six months later when her sister died of cancer, she took in our little cousins as well. Sweet, kind, loving and beautiful, she is literally the perfect mother. Even though sometimes she could be harsh, or to small girls seemed harsh, in her rules. Looking back now I know everything she did, she did to make sure that we would grow up to be good people.
So I was very happy when I picked up my celly and saw that it was her number on the other end.
"Aunt angel!" I smiled into the phone, "How are you?"
"I'm fine Sweets," She told me brightly, "How are you and your sisters? I am so sorry I wasn't able to get there to be with you k ids when you got hurt! I will NEVER forgive my self for being out of town then!"
"It wasn't your fault," I told her, "You had no idea we were gonna... Get in to trouble."
"Still," She sighed, "I am supposed to take care of you."
"You always have Aunt Angel," I told her, "Now are you coming into the city today?"
"Yes," I could hear her smiled into the phone, "I will be there at Lisa's new place around 8 tonight to pick you girls up for summer vacation. I want you to come spend it on the farm after what you went through."
"Well," I trailed off.
"Well what?" She asked, then I heard her smile again, "Oh Sweets you can bring them."
"Them?" I shot back in surprise.
"Your boy friends love," I heard the blinker on her car start, "I can tell from the tone of your voice all of you are enamored. So just call them and tell them to pack some bags, and they can come stay at the farm too."
"Really?" I blinked, "Umm.. there's just one thing... They...well they are kinda special."
"Oh? how so?"
I looked at the ceiling trying to decide how to go about this, "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeelll... Um.. it might be easier to show you than tell you."
"Ok," She replied, "That works for me. Like I said I will be into town about five but I will be there about 8 o'clock."
"Oh?" Now it was my turn to ask questions, "what do you have to do besides see us?"
"Well," She said softly, "I have an old friend there, a very special old friend, that I would like to go see. I heard recently that he was hurt and nearly died in an incident. I would very much like to make sure that he and his young sons are alright. His boys are about your age."
For half a crazy second something in my mind wondered if she were talking about the turtles father and sensei Splinter. Then I dismissed that as more than silly. There was NO way on earth that my Aunt could Possibly know them. I laughed to my self and shook my head.
"Ok then aunt angel," I smiled, "Our guys wanna introduce us to someone tonight and then they will bring us home. So we should be back around 8 too."
"Ok then that's perfect" I heard her van turn again, "Well darling imp heading into the city now. I will see you ladies tonight!"
"Love ya Auntie!" I told her.
"Love you back sweets."
The phone clicked off and I turned to face the turtle that was sitting at my kitchen island. Leo just grinned at me, and I smiled back.
"So that's your aunt huh?" He asked, "She sounds really wonderful."
"She is," I told him as I extracted the pizza from the oven, "She raised us from the time we were kids. She says its ok if we bring you to the farm with us for vacation."
"Even though.. " he trailed off.
"Look," I set the food down on the cooling racks, "One thing that she always taught us is that appearance is only one small part of a person. Never to judge someone by the way they look, that your actions are what define you. I mean look at the creep that tried to kill Eli, and you guys. On the out side he's the epitome of human perfection, on the inside his soul is blacker than the bottom of this pizza pan."
"There is that," Leo replied as he fanned the pizza with a napkin to cool it off, "Still some people do freak out when they meet us."
"We didn't," Someone said from the door way as she walked in.
Lisa strolled in and plopped down at the island, "If I'm not mistaken our first impressions of all of you were that you were incredible."
"That wasn't your first impression of me," Raphael said as he joined us, "The first thing you did to me was yell at me."
"no," I laughed, "The FIRST thing she did was stare at you for about ten seconds because she likes your eyes."
Lisa just smiled around her mouth full of pepperoni and raph grinned at her, "She still yelled at me."
he reached over and claimed his own slice as everyone else began to filter in.
"HEY!" Gabbi bounced in followed by Mikey, "SOOO what kind did you make?"
"Pepperoni!" Mikey smiled, "Sooo.. what were you four talking about."
"My aunt said she'd let you guys come stay with us on the farm during summer vacation if you want to."
"Really!?" Gabbi squeaked, "That's awesome!"
"Totally!" Mikey concluded, "I would love to do the get back to nature thing!"
"are you serious?" Came another voice from the door way.
I looked up to see the youngest of us, elinor standing there looking, if you will pardon the pun, shell shocked.
"She's really gonna let us bring the guys to the farm?"
Behind her and to the left was Donnie looking almost as shocked as her, "Farm? As in out in the middle of no where? As in no wifi?"
I had to giggle at my two tech heads, because she was constantly looking for stuff to work on her art and besides the martial arts, Donnie ate, slept and breathed computers, the thought of being at a farm sent them into near panic mode.
"Don't worry," I waved them off, "I'm sure aunt angel will have plenty of access. She's almost as much of a tech nut as the two of you."
"That's not possible," Raph growled around a bite of pizza.
"Move over," she gave Gabbi a shove, "share the food."
I had to laugh at that none of us had really been big pizza fans until we met the guys. Hanging around these guys had officially converted us to addicts. Though none of us really liked to get it from any of the places in town and had insisted on learning how to make our own. Thankfully, and much to our delight, they had quickly learned to love home cooking.
Eli was the real hand in the kitchen but still had a hard time using her arm after being hurt. So all of us had been chipping in around the house to help her and get the food made and the house cleaned.
And so for the most part the last week had been pretty peaceful. Due to my and Eli being hurt they schools had told us that we had an extra week of l eave and that because of our excellent grades we could go ahead and call it a summer. So we had all spent the last week lazing around Lisa's new apartment, getting used to it and constantly being visited by the turtles.
My ribs were still a bit sore but I was almost healed up. Eli was having a harder time of it due to the fact that she was so small, but she was healing well too. SO we were on our way to what looked to be a most productive summer. The only thing left to do before we called it was go and meet the parent.
So the guys took off for a while and we proceeded to get cleaned up. Around six o'clock they reappeared and proceeded to tell us to get ready. Master Splinter was waiting and was more than willing to be formerly introduced to his daughter-in-laws to be.
What we didn't know was that there was a bigger surprise there that was waiting for us. That Splinter had his own visitor that night and that we were about to walk in on something that would rock both our worlds and the worlds of the turtles but in the best of ways.
The guys helped us down the ladder and then opened the door and led us down into their home.
"Sensei!" mikey called out, "Were home!"
I had to smile at all of that. His personality fit with Gabbi so well it was like they were literally made for each other.
I was happily thinking this when I heard something that rocked me back onto my heals. Something that I was NEVER expecting in a million years. I heard my Aunts voice suddenly come from the main room.
"Oh No! Splinter they are early!"
I blinked and suddenly me and my sisters were shoving the way up past the guys or trying to any how, and finding something. Finding my aunt and Splinter sitting across from each other at the main table in the room. It looked like we had caught my aunt in mid slurp of her tea, and splinter looked like he had been about to get some of his as well.
All eight of us just stood there and stared at the two grown people wondering if we were about to loose our minds or if our parents REALLY knew each other.
"Aunt angel?" I blurted
"DAD?!" Leo managed.
"Umm," My aunt blushed, "Girls, hi." Then something registered with her, "Wait one second. Splinter's sons are you BOYFRIENDS?"
I bit my lip and looked off while my sisters did they best they could to look innocent. Gabbi failing miserably at this because we ALL knew what she and mikey had been up to.
"Uhhh... hehe," Lisa managed, "Yah I guess they are. Aunt angel we... I mean we were gonna..."
She suddenly bounded off the couch and threw her arms around my and Lisa's necks, "OH Girls that's wonderful!"
Ok.. now all of us were OFFICALLY floored. Apparently we weren't the only ones because I heard the other couch in the room groan in protest as 1/4 ton of turtle flopped down on it. I think poor raph was ready to think that my aunt was gonna judge him and his brothers like so many others had. As monsters, as freaks. So when she was there not only accepting them but telling us that this was a good thing. I think it mighta fried his brain a bit.
Lisa turned and looked at him and saw him fading to a paler shade of green "Hey Raph! Don't FAINT!"
She headed over to him and he took a deep breath and then looked back to all of us. By now The other guys had regained the power of coherent speech so donnie was the first to ask, "Master Splinter, Sensei, How do you know The girls aunt?"
Eli came over and looked up at aunt angel with wide eyes, "So your not going to tell us we cant be with them? Or make us leave them?"
"Oh Dumpling," She hugged her warmly, "Why would I do that!? Vie been trying to figure out for years how to introduce you to the guys. I never would have thought that you would meet on your own, or Fall in love with each other. Why would I want to destroy something that I have hoped for all along. That you could know these wonderful people I had to hide from the world."
Eli suddenly teared up and hugged her hard. While we had been getting ready and I had been changing the bandages on her back Eli had told me that she was terrified that aunt angel was going to be mad at us. Tell us that we couldn't love the guys because they weren't human. The fact that we had turned out to be totally wrong on this came as an immense relief to her, and honestly to all of us.
While we were clustered around our aunt getting the details out of her, The boys had descended upon splinter and were busy getting their own information. Finally both groups broke apart and Splinter headed over to my aunt.
"Watashi No tenshi," He smiled warmly at her, "I think perhaps it is time we tell our children of our meeting yes?"
"You are quite right Yoshi," She smiled back at him.
"YOSHI?" all of the guys asked in unison.
"I'm sorry boys," I smiled, "The human name your father sometimes uses to get things he needs from the human world. I let him have the name of someone I Cared for a long time ago. Hamato Yoshi, He was a great master of the martial arts like your father. So when the time came that he needed an alias I provided this to him. My real Yoshi passed away many years ago, but perhaps some of him lives on in your father, he has that same spirit."
I looked at the smile on my aunts face and had to wonder if she cared for Splinter as much as we cared for the guys. Well at least they are both mammals, I figured. So I went over and hugged her again.
"Why don't you tell us Aunt angel," I motioned to The Sensei, "How you and Master Splinter met."
She smiled at me and moved back to the couch, "Sit down children."
She smiled warmly at all of us, "Its story time."
We all sat down on the couches and pillows around the two grown people and settled in to listen.
"Well," Aunt angel got a far off look in her eyes, "Not long after You girls first came to me. I was still getting back on to my feet after loosing someone I cared for and finding out that I could never have children of my own. That is why you girls were such a God send to me. You are all my life my darlings, and you saved mine. You really and truly did."
She paused and smiled at all of us, "So one day, about three months after the twins came, a little rat showed up in the kitchen of the house we were living in at the time. He looked so lonesome, and so hungry, that I didn't have it in me to hurt him. So I caught him and then took him out side and gave him some food. at the time I couldn't tell but it seemed to me like he understood me.
"Time and time again, over the next few years my little friend returned when he was unable to find food else where. I noticed that each time he came back, my little friend wasn't so little any more. By the time I realized he was no ordinary rat, he was almost the size he is now.
" I really didn't know what to do but I had no intention of harming him, and continued to help him as I could. The one day before we were ready to move to the country, my friend came to me and talked. The told me his name and how much he would miss me after we were gone. I knew that I couldn't loose contact with my friend. So I went out and under the name of the love I had lost, I got him as cell phone and some accounts."
"You have a CELL PHONE SENSEI?" Donnie suddenly cried.
Which earned giggles from the rest of us, a look of feigned innocence from Master Splinter, and a smile from my aunt.
"Over the years we have stayed in touch. I know that splinter is NOT the Hamato Yoshi I lost. But I care for him more I believe."
"That is SO awesome!" Mikey suddenly announced, "master has a GIRL FRIEND! Just like us!"
Angel blushed and looked away, "Well there is certainly love there young man. But I don't know if its just dear friends or more. Perhaps in time? Now that you kids are getting grown?"
Splinter smiled back at her, "Anything is possible Watashi No tenshi."
She smiled and looked at us again ," Now all of you brats need to go pack! Summer vacation starts in less than 12 hours! We need to get to the farm!"
The guys stared and she swatted the nearest of us on the shoulder, "Gwan Git. Go get ready!"
We all ran up and hugged her and smiled and told her thank you for telling us the story and being honest. While we were doing this I heard Leo ask Splinter something.
"Dad?"
"Leonardo?" He smiled back
"What does Watashi No Tenshi mean?" Leo asked
"My Angel," The sensei replied.
He smiled and leaned down and gave Splinter a hug and then headed off to help his brothers. I grabbed my aunt one more time and all of us headed back up top to pack.
10 hours later:
"Welcome to my farm," She told the boys as she opened the doors to the Van.
They all looked past my Aunt Angel and stared out into our upstate farm. There were grins and gasps and a few exclamations. Need less to say all of the guys were loving it as much as we always did.
I hopped out to help Aunt angel with the bags and everyone else headed into her giant house.
"Thank you Aunt angel," I told her again.
"For what Sweets?" She smiled back.
"For everything, Raising us, helping Splinter, everything." I gave her a quick hug.
She smiled and hugged me back. "You are most welcome my sweet Vivian."
I let go of my aunt and proceeded to grab a bag and head into the house with the rest. I could tell right then.. it was gonna be quite the summer.