Driving home from the gym was a chore. Her legs ached, and her arms felt like they were ten pounds a piece. Shadow sat at the red light close to her apartment in her black Envoy. Smirking to her self when she heard Fergie's 'Big Girls Don't Cry' come threw her speakers.

"If I here this damn song one more time, I swear..."

She trailed off as she switched stations. The light turned and she gripped the steering wheel with her right hand as her left played with a few loose strands of hair from her pony tail. She was almost home. Days like today when her clients were the worst- completely indecisive, her boss was loading her down with papers, complaints and other accounts; she was so busy and all she could think about was when her dad was coming. Pulling into the apartment complex and swiping her card, Shadow waited for the gate to open. After gathering her bag of work clothes from the back seat she started into the building, the wind hit her, throwing her hair all around her face. Climbing her stairs and finding her key, she was home for the night.

The apartment was a modest size; kitchen, living area, two bedrooms- one with a huge closet, one bath and a great balcony. To top it off, she was only about 20 minutes from her cousin. Setting her bag and purse down next to the couch, Shadow flipped on her lights, and walked over to the fridge getting a bottle of water. Leaning against the counter, she reached on top of the fridge and pressed play on her machine. The only real reason she had it was that it was a gift from her friend Heather, some excuse about not wanting telemarketers calling her cell phone. "You have two new messages. Message one." The computerized voice was followed with a beep as Shadow continued to drink her water.

"Hey Shay, this is Nikki, just wonderin where your at! You didn't answer your cell, figured you were at the gym! Hope that sleazy guy and his spandex shorts from last week didn't ask for your number again! Hehehe. Call me!"

Shadow roller her eyes. Since the day she started school after she moved here, everyone started calling her 'Shay'. At first she tried to fight it, then she got used to it, and now it's all she normally went by. The machine beeped again at her and then warned her for message two. She rummaged through the cabinet for soup when the message began.

"Dammn Girl! You have the best view of some…ah, trees from here. NOT! When the hell are you getting home, we're hungry and bored," Shadows eyes went wide, dropped her water bottle and cursed as its contents went all over the counter but still listening to the rest of the message. "Your dad and Raph are driven me crazy, seriously." In the back of the message she heard other men moaning and saying snide remarks, and then the message cut off. Nothing could have prepared her for that. Shay's heart began to race. 'They were here', she thought reaching up to the machine, trying to hit replay, and only hitting erase by mistake. "Awe Damn it!" she cursed, frustration from the anticipation setting in.

"You know pretty mouths shouldn't say ugly things, babe."

Shadow froze. Her back to the living room, turning slowly, she braced herself on her counter.

Here they were. Four very large, very real, very remembered turtles. Three looking at her with blank stares, one smirking but all with arms crossed. "Hi" was all she could manage.

She had this whole script, things that she would say the second she saw them, but it all went out the window. For years she mulled about all the mean and hurtful things she would say, or she thought that she might ignore them the day she finally saw them again. It was only in the last few years that Shadow had made peace within her self and the situation. There was no need to hate anymore.

"Hi? You can do better than that can't you?" Michelangelo asked with a smile from his perch on the arm of her chair. She smiled and let go of the counter. Taking a step over to her table and pulling a chair out, she sat.

"Well, yea, um..," she stammered, dragging a hand down over her face. "How the hell did you get in here?" she chucked a little.

Donatello smiled. "The parking lot next-door, scaled the fence and OH, you don't lock your sliding glass door. We should talk to you about that, you're only on the second floor, that's sort of a safety issue Shadow." The other three groaned, rolling their eyes as Donny just smiled. She just smirked at him. No one said anything. They stayed leaning against her sofa and she stayed the 5 feet away on her kitchen chair.

"Where's my dad?" She finally asked. Now brave enough to stand.

Leonardo looked at her "He went for some dinner, some 'mom and pop' diner down the road." She just nodded her head and turned down the hall way. Yelling over her shoulder "I don't mean to be rude, but I need a shower, and … some time to collect myself." She stopped and turned around, all of them looking at her "But make yourselves at home." She smiled and continued toward the shower.

They just watched her walk back to the bedroom and close the door. Mikey was the first of course to speak "Dudes, I've said it before and I'll say it again- can we keep her?!" Donny just started chuckling along with him. Leonardo pushed himself off the back of the couch, walked over grabbed a paper towel and wiped up the water that Shadow's bottle had spilled.

"Well she sort of has no choice, you know? I mean, the Foot know where she is, we can't just let this go. Especially Casey, it just makes you wonder what their planning. I mean, what's the purpose of tracking her down the way they did? Something's up."

Don moved around to sit on the sofa "Valid point Leo." Mike nodded in agreement. Raphael finally spoke since the first time they crept around the corner hearing her play Mikey's message on her machine, "I don't really think it matters whether or not she comes with us, their gonna know where she's at no matter what." He uncrossed his arms and flipping over the back of the couch to sit at the opposite end as Donatello.

"Right, well here's the thing Raph, you don't think she's better off closer to us and Casey?"

"I ain't say'n she's not. I'm just point'n out the obvious Leo."

"Ding! Round One!" Mikey said with a giggle, sitting sideways in the chair, legs over the arm. They both glared at him.

"Shut the fuck up Mikey, this is serious!" Raph said pointing at him.

Michelangelo just kept pushing is bigger brothers buttons, "Gee Raph, I can't tell since we only have three fingers; are you pointing at me or flipping me off." Raphael was about to get up and go after his younger brother when the phone rang. A few seconds later Shadow's door opened. She scurried into the kitchen in her bathrobe and a towel on her wet head. "Hello?" a pause. She could feel them all looking at her.

"Well where are you?" a huge smile formed on her face, then fell. "Oh, ok." Another pause, "Oh, no, I understand. Sure thing…. Of course I'll feed them, what I just have to through a little lettuce at them right?" her humor toward feeding the humanoid turtles like pets raised a few eye brows. "Ok, I can't wait to see you too. Bye dad."

"Lettuce?" Mickey cocked an eyebrow at her.

"I don't even have any, settle down." She stuck her tongue out at him. "Dad's gotten a hold of my cousin and he's staying there tonight to talk to them about everything. He said that he will be over here first thing in the morning, but in the mean time you guys would fill me in on things." Leonardo nodded to her. "Well let me dry my hair and get clothes on and we'll order take out." Before anyone could say another word her door had shut behind her again.

Long after the Chinese food was cold; they sat in her living room and talked. The guys told her everything that had gone on in the years that she missed. It started off with all talk of the Foot and the Shredder; basically what she had gathered was that he was capable of just about anything. They never knew what to expect; which was why they came to retrieve Shadow. They didn't think the Shredder necessarily had a plan, just that they felt at this point in her life, she could finally be at home with Casey, understand everything thats going on, and more importantly- that they could protect her. Now of course after feeling that they had successfully scared the shit out of her, they awkwardly moved onto talk of the family, April and Casey- their wedding, the farm house, random and hilarious things that had happened, some of the relationships that they built with some new people, their 'retired' resident Night watcher, Splinters health and so on. It was nearly midnight when Shadow moved onto her stomach from where she was on the floor in her sea of blankets and pillows.

"So let me get this straight, you took duct tape and made a mini wall out of it in front of all their doors, and as you were finishing up on Raphs, that's when you realized he had been out all night, and was standing behind you watching you do it!?" Shadow said, they where all laughing with her. "That's hilarious!"

Leo smiled "It wasn't hilarious when I heard Mikey scream like a girl and when I opened my door I walked face first into it."

"Oh please, you dudes would be so lame without me!" Mikey scuffed.

She giggled again, as they started winding down and talking back and forth she just couldn't help but still be dreaming that they were there, in her apartment. For the most part they were just as she remembered them, but aged. Mikey was crazy with his antics, sense of humor still intact. However him being the youngest, he was always that way and seemingly more genuine. Although then she was young, he didn't talk to her. I guess the cool thing to do was follow suit with what the older ones did. He was most definitely the smallest of the four, only standing about 5'6 or 5'7 she would guess, a little leaner too with a rounded snout and blue-grey eyes.

Leonardo had his head down, elbows on his knees with a kitchen chair pulled up between her sofa and side chair. His blue bandana hung down over his left shoulder, he was listening to Donny and Mike fight over who was telling a story the right way. His strong hands played with the leather wrist bands that encircled them; His hazel eyes and strong jaw line looking tired, but happy to be relaxed at the moment looking down. He stood at a commanding 6'feet, as did Raphael.

Donatello was the lightest skin shade, which his egg plant colored bandana popped out on. His eyes, hazel as well, sparkled as he leaned back in the couch with one leg bent at the knee and that same legs ankle was resting across the other legs knee. 'He would sit like that', she thought, 'how 'dad-like'.' He fell only an inch or so shorter than Leo and Raph, however still taller then Mike.

Shay glanced up at Raphael. He caught her and she quickly looked away. Guess he was studying her as well. Suppose it was only fair. He was still quiet, still mysterious, never saying much. When he did however, there was a point. He sat sideways on the sofa with one leg stretch out its length almost reaching Don, and the other bent with foot on the floor. His sai's where on the floor, of course never far from his reach. Raph was probably the most thick and broad chest-ed of his brothers, and also the most scarred up. Shadow let her eyes linger on a few of the scars on his shoulder but glanced up again, this time catching him. He's so self assured; he didn't seem phased, though his dark brown eyes are hard to read.

She shook off the look, stretching, she sat up off the floor and announcing her retirement to bed for the night. Mikey 'boo'ed her as she stood. Offering them blankets and a few pillows she said her good nights; Michaelangelo stood and hugged her. It was amazing how a small gesture felt like overcoming such a large feet to her. Tonight had been a stepping stone for everyone. They were real, with different and amazing personalities. They weren't bad guys to her at all anymore; she just realized that all those years, she blamed them for something that they never intended to cause. For picking on her and mostly ignoring her, she viewed them as just immature teens; immature being one thing which they definitely were not anymore, sort of.