Disclaimer: Love, love those turtles, but don't own them.
A/N: Sorry, guys, I said the conversation in the last chapter was important but I was thinking of this one.
When Sarah and Donnie had returned home they had found the place quiet. Mikie was reading a comic and Leo was practicing his katas while Splinter was deep in meditation. Realizing quickly that no one was likely to disturb them for a while, Donnie had deposited the parts on the kitchen floor and scooped up Sarah headed for their bedroom.
Now, they lay quietly in their bed, Sarah stroking Donnie's head where it lay across her midsection. Sweat dripped from his brow, a result of their recent exertions. She gently brushed it away as her fingers slid down his head to his neck and ending in the rise of his strong shoulder. "I love you." He murmured placing a few warm kisses on her stomach.
She trembled at his touch. "I love you too."
He rose up and moved up her body, planting random kisses as he went. When he made to her lips, he paused, gazing deep into her chocolate pools. He stroked her cheek. "You're amazing."
Sarah chuckled. "Considering what we just did, I'd say you were the amazing one." She was always so astonished at how tender he was with her like she was a porcelain doll. Even now as he hovered over her, he wouldn't let an ounce of his weight rest on her much smaller frame. She rose up and met his lips with a hungry kiss.
He reciprocated with just as much hunger. When they finally released, he looked down at her with slight worry. "You'd tell me, if anything were bothering you, right?" It had just been a slight feeling, tingling at the edge of their bond; a shadow of something hidden – something he couldn't quite put his finger on. The last few times they'd made love, it had been there just beyond his reach. Donnie wasn't sure if it was her emotions or his, as they had become so entangled over the past two years. But what he did know, was that it made some part of him feel incomplete.
Sarah, however, seemed confused by the question. She reached up to smooth away the worry lines around his unmasked eyes. She loved when he took off his mask it was like a special part of him that she alone got to see. "Of course, I would. But I promise nothing is bothering me. Everything I could ever possibly want or need is right here in my arms. Why do you ask?"
He kissed her softly, before rolling onto his side and pulling her deep into his chest. "I don't know, just a strange feeling I get sometimes. You're sure you're not worried about anything?"
Sarah thought for a long moment before answering. "The only thing that I'm even slightly worried about is Raph and his new friend."
Donnie grunted at the reference to Cat, through the bond Sarah could feel his annoyance. She was relieved that it was now only annoyance and not anger any more. "I don't like her."
Sarah chuckled. "You just don't like her, because she yelled at me." She smiled. "It actually makes me feel better that she yelled at me."
Donnie leaned back to look at her. "Why?"
"It means she was worried about him. It means she cares. And that makes me feel good about her." She curled back into his chest. "She'll watch out for him. And if she doesn't she better watch out for me."
Donnie couldn't help the chuckle. The thought of his tiny mate tackling the spry blonde would be a sight indeed. He didn't doubt her threat was true though. Sarah was extremely protective of all of them. And if she had even an inkling that someone would hurt them, she'd be the first one to step in, April a close second. So, it made him feel good to know she sensed noble intentions from Cat.
Donnie and Sarah spent the rest of the evening fixing the stove and preparing dinner. Leo kept glancing at the clock and commenting on how late it was getting. Sarah kept reminding him that they'd left Raph with Cat and that she was certain he was fine. Her explanation seemed to do little to sedate him though and with every hour he grew more worried.
It was late when Sarah's cell chirped to indicate a text had come in. Everyone had already gone to bed. Donnie opened his eyes as she rolled away from him to pick up the phone from the bedside table. "What is it?"
She closed the cell with a click and rolled back over into his warmth. "It was just, Raph. He says he should be home soon. I'm guessing he and Cat must have had a good time." She closed her eyes, a smile pressing her lips. She was happy for her brother and hoped that maybe she'd have a new family member soon.
A couple hours later, Sarah awoke to shouts from the living room. Immediately she knew what was happening and that she'd made a big mistake. Throwing on her robe and slippers she dashed into the living room, Donnie not far behind.
"You should have let us know something!" Leo scolded.
"I'm telling you, I did! I'm not stupid, Leo!" Raph growled.
Sarah's small form darted between them, pushing them apart. "Stop it!" She turned to Leo. "I'm sorry, Leo. This is my fault. Raph texted me a few hours ago. I should have told you, but I fell asleep. Don't blame him."
Leo glared at his adoptive sister for a moment before returning the look to his brother. "You have a turtle com, why didn't you use that?"
Raph's glare was just as steady. "I was trying to be considerate, numbskull! If I used the com, it would have woken everyone up."
Leo's face flickered with another wave of anger. "Considerate! Are you kidding me? Being considerate would have been coming home at a decent hour! Being considerate would have been not making the rest of us worry about you for hours on end!"
"And I told you, I checked in! Sarah and Donnie knew where I was!"
Sarah tried again to calm the eldest brother down. "Please, Leo. This is my-" She was cut off as he roughly shoved her aside making her stumble a bit. She blinked at him in surprise. None of them had ever touched her like that. It hadn't hurt physically, but it did hurt a bit emotionally. During her brief moment of shock, all shell broke loose.
Raph's eyes grew round. "Are you crazy!"
Leo looked just as shocked as Sarah did at his actions and opened his mouth to say something when a fist landed on his jaw, sending him backwards onto the ground. Donnie stood over him, glaring daggers. "Don't ever touch her like that again." He voice was low and full of barely controlled rage.
Leo couldn't meet his brother's eyes as he opened his mouth to speak again, but was cut off by the sharp clap of hands. They all looked up to see Splinter and Mikie in the doorway. "My sons, what is going on here?"
Mikie gathered rather quickly that Leo and Raph had been arguing, which was normal. But then something definitely abnormal had happened, because Leo was on the ground rubbing his jaw. And even odder, it didn't look like Raph was the culprit this time.
Master Splinter had gathered the scene even quicker. "You three, twenty flips in the dojo, now."
Sarah didn't lift her eyes or move from her place at the back of the couch where she half leaned, half sat. Tears stung her eyes and she turned away from them, a soft sob escaping her. She had never wanted that, never in a million years had she ever desired the brothers to fight over her or something she'd done. She would have rather never set foot back into their lives, she would have rather lived her life alone and empty than to ever see them fight like that – to hurt one another physically or emotionally.
Mikie was suddenly in front of her, pulling her into a tight embrace, a frown set on his face. He said nothing, only held her tightly as she sobbed into his shoulder. No, she'd never let anyone hurt them – not even herself.
In the dojo, Donnie was becoming more and more irritated. He could feel his mate's emotions raging like a storm. They ranged from disbelief to forgiveness to self-blame. The biggest being the latter. She was blaming herself for what had just happened, but that was not true. Yes, it probably would have been a good idea to tell Leo that Raph was going to be late and should be back soon, but Sarah hadn't been the only one with that knowledge. He'd known too, and hadn't bothered to tell anyone else.
Donnie glared at Leo as he made another flip. Why did he have to always over react? Sarah had explained several times during dinner and after that Raph was fine. Why did he always have to act like everyone was his responsibility, even when they weren't in battle? Didn't he realize they were all grown, well into their twenties? They weren't children or even teenagers anymore. They were each capable of making their own decisions. And coming and going as they pleased for that matter.
Donnie's ire grew still as Splinter forced them to tell him what exactly had transpired. The aging rat already knew, but he wanted to hear it from their own lips. Donnie remained quiet as Raph described the punch he'd delivered to his eldest brother. Leo for once was very quiet too. His only words were soft and full of regret. "I didn't mean to….I'd never hurt her."
Donnie didn't bother to look at him. In his mind he understood that Leo hadn't meant anything by the small shove but his instincts were screaming for him to defend his mate. The bond between them was pulsing with heavy emotion and some were not at all pleasant. Surprisingly enough, Splinter didn't force an apology from Donnie, as he would have done in the past. Perhaps, he could sense the battle raging inside the turtle and decided it'd be best to let him sort it out for himself. He had faith in his sons. They always ended up doing the right thing on their own, regardless of his urging.
The three turtles somberly returned to the living room where they found Sarah still crying into Mikie's shoulder. The youngest brother lifted his head to glare at them. Maybe, he didn't understand everything that had happened but what he did understand was that they had hurt his sis and he was not at all happy about that.
She must have felt him lift his head or maybe she'd felt Donnie's eyes on her, but Sarah suddenly turned and flung herself at Leo. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let out another soft sob into his shoulder. "I'm sorry." She croaked softly.
Leo gasped, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. Tears sprang to his own eyes as he trembled. "No, I'm sorry. I'd never hurt you. I swear."
"I know," she sobbed softly, "I know."
Donnie felt a pang inside him, as a burst of love flowed through their bond, followed by just as strong a flow of forgiveness. He took in a sharp breath, as he realized Sarah had already forgiven his brother and now all she wanted was to comfort him and love him as she always had. His feelings of outrage faded quickly in the presence of her love.
Donnie placed a hand on his brother's shoulder making him look up. "I'm sorry, Leo." Sarah stepped back watching her mate.
"I kind of deserved it." Leo rubbed his chin. "But let's not make a habit of it. Okay, bro?"
Donnie gave him a mild smirk. "You got it." The two brothers embraced for a moment, ending the argument seemingly as quickly as it had started.
Sarah gave them all a weak smile. "How about some hot chocolate?" They all chimed their agreement as they followed her into the kitchen.
Mikie flung his hands in the air in exasperation. "Hey guys, I'm feeling a bit out of the loop here. Anyone want to fill me in?"
Raph put an arm around his younger brother. "Don't worry, Mikie. Everything is alright now." Mikie didn't seem to be satisfied with that. "Okay, I'll fill you in."
They settled down for a round of hot chocolate, while Splinter smiled at them from the doorway. His sons always came through when it counted.
Over the next few days, Donnie decided that it would probably be best to upgrade their turtle coms to cell phones. The turtle coms had only been made to send mass signals during emergencies and had definitely served their purpose in the past. But considering they had inadvertently caused the fight between Raph and Leo, he decided that the cell method might be better so they could specify who they wanted to talk to or message. Sarah's little cell phone had been nothing more than a prepaid phone with the basics of calling and texting. So, he quickly made her phone obsolete as well.
Donnie created a secure network that only their phones would be able to access. Making certain that the signals would penetrate the sewers and the surface. As an additional precaution he installed finger print scanners so they would only operate if the appropriate owner had the device. You could never be too careful with as many enemies as they had. If a phone was ever lost or picked up by the wrong person and they tried to access it, it would self-destruct within sixty seconds.
When Donnie passed the new devices out to his brothers he made sure to explain to Leo and Raph that if they wanted to talk to each other they no longer had to involve anyone else, particularly Sarah. Because although, she had put on a brave face and never said anything more about it after that night, he knew better. He could still feel her self-blame at times. And he never wanted her to feel like that again. They all knew she had not been to blame, it was a simple miscommunication. And although, they had all explained this to her several times, he could still sense her doubt in the matter. A doubt he prayed over time would be set to rest.
Over the next few weeks Raph spent more time with Cat helping her with bikes when there were any. He also hung around to keep an eye on her and her place, though he wouldn't admit it. After all, he'd promised to keep his beak out of her business with the so-called urban renewal contractor. But that didn't mean he'd tolerate the purple dragons messing with Cat. So, several nights a week he'd visit her, sitting on a stool while she worked on a bike or straightened up the place. If it got too late, Leo would call or text and check in if Raph didn't beat him to the punch. The two had a silent agreement not to involve their little sister in their arguments anymore.
The only thing Raph hated about the new phones was that Leo could bother him, even when he wasn't home, which was rather irritating. Mikie was the other problem. The youngest turtle seemed to have found his new favorite thing, which was sending lots of emoticons to his brothers periodically throughout the day or just random pictures of who-knew-what. Raph had figured out how to simply shut off Mikie's text so he wouldn't have to look at them all day.
Donnie had been clinging to Sarah more than usual in the past few weeks, so he hadn't bothered to text or call him on the new device yet. It had been strange the day they had removed his cast. Sarah had simply stood to the side and passed what little tools Donnie needed to him as he removed the cast. Raph had sensed the bit of tension between them. It seemed to him that something had changed in Sarah, as if she were afraid to hurt them or do anything wrong. It was like she had recoiled into herself a bit, which none of them and most obviously Donnie did not like. But it was something none of them knew how to fix exactly. And so Raph tried to escape the growing tension by spending his time with Cat, who was becoming more important to him by the day.
Thus, Raph now found himself settled on a stool with a soda in one hand watching her replace a front wheel of a bike. He watched as she wrinkled her nose as she twisted the bolt back in place, before using the power drill beside her. Cat's customers were far and few. Raph couldn't recall seeing more than five in a week, so when Cat said it wouldn't be long before she'd have to close up permanently he understood why. She still insisted she wanted to close on her own terms though, and not be forced out because of some developer.
Cat swiped away some sweat from her brow with the back of her hand. Putting down her tools she stood and faced Raph. "What's up?"
Raph blinked at her, not sure what she was talking about. "Huh?"
"Raph, you've been hangin' around here more than usual lately. And something is obviously botherin' you. So, out with it already."
Raph frowned. He hadn't told Cat about the fight they'd had the night he'd come home from the pond, not wanting to make her feel like she'd been the one to cause the problem between him and Leo. No matter what he and his brother would always bump heads over something. He sighed, deciding that maybe he should tell her now. "That night we went to the pond my brothers and I had a fight – me, Donnie and Leo anyways. That's not so unusual, but Sarah got mixed into it. And I don't know, I think she blames herself for it. Even though, it wasn't her fault. Really it wasn't anyone's fault. It just sorta happened."
"But you said that you have disagreements pretty often with your brother Leo. Why was this one so different?"
"Well, this time it became kinda physical. After Leo shoved Sarah, Donnie punched him and –" Raph stopped at the startled expression on Cat's face, and he hastened to reassure her. "Leo didn't hurt her. He'd never do a thing like that. Sarah got over it pretty quick but Donnie…well, he slugged Leo. I can't say I blame him, even Leo agreed he'd deserved it."
"Sounds like you're all pretty protective of her." Cat commented, resting her hand over his on the work bench.
"Yeah, she's like our little sister. But after the fight she's been…I don't know….different, kinda standoffish."
Cat nodded, squeezing his hand. It was obvious that Sarah was afraid of causing more discord between the brothers and was trying her best not to get between them again. But what was also obvious was that the brothers needed her in a way Cat had needed her own brother, as a fundamental part of their family. As Sarah pulled away she would be pulling a piece of them with her. Making up her mind quickly, Cat smiled. "Does your brother ride?"
"Donnie? Well, yeah. He built my cycle for me." Raph narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Cat was up to something, he'd come to recognize the signs.
"Would you call Sarah for me?"
Raph was certain she was up to something now, but he reluctantly complied. After getting Sarah on the line he handed the phone to Cat, who promptly grinned and walked away out into the yard with his phone stuck to her ear. Raph watched her lean against the fence, chatting and planning with his adoptive sister. He wondered if it had been such a good idea after all to let them talk. At last she hung up and returned inside.
He questioned her expectantly with his eyes as she handed him his phone back. She smiled slyly. "Don't look so worried, tough guy." She patted his cheek. "I just thought we could cheer her up. They'll be here in an hour."
"For what?"
"For a ride out to the pond. I thought the fresh air would be good for her."
Raph grinned as he wrapped his arms around Cat. "You're somethin' else, you know that darlin'?"
Cat smiled as she slipped her hands up to cup his face. "Maybe, I could cheer you up in the meantime." She rose up and met his lips. For a split second, Raph wasn't sure what to do. He'd never been kissed like this before. An instant latter, he was pulling her tighter to him and cupping her head as he returned the kiss with passion. Their relationship had been tender the past few weeks, growing slowly with soft touches and looks and the occasional hug, but now it had taken a leap forward. Raph couldn't have been happier with Cat's firm body pressed against his plastron. Cat too was happy, as she moved deeper into his embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck.
When they at last broke for air, Cat chuckled. "Better?"
Raph grinned. "Much better. I hope you don't cheer everyone up like this."
Cat laughed at his teasing tone. "Nope, just you, tough guy."
He lifted her chin, running his thumb down her cheek. "Good." He drew her into another kiss with far more confidence this time. Cat felt as if her body was on fire as he buried his large fingers in her short blonde hair. His other pressed the small of her back drawing her as close as he could. Raph knew what he was missing now, why he'd always felt so empty and alone. He'd been missing her. Cat filled a place inside him that had been hollow. I ain't alone no more.
A/N: Cat is up to something. *snicker* Guess you'll just have to wait and see.