A/N: I'm so glad you're all enjoying this one so much!

Raph sat staring at the television screen blankly. Every time he had to retell the story – even though he left out the racier details – he became swamped in the memories. He could almost feel the silkiness of her hair between his fingers and taste her on his lips. But the thing he had to miss the most was her voice – soft and meek. It didn't match the fire behind her violet eyes. In that single day he'd seen her be uncertain, fearless, desperate, passionate, scared, and kind. He let out a soft sigh.

Mikey sat beside him on the couch and Raph tensed, preparing for what he thought was going to be a barrage of wisecracks. Mikey slowly turned to look at him. "So, uh, just one question. Is what Donnie just told me true?"

"Yeah, it is." Raph said shortly.

For a long moment Mikey just stared at him, then looked away. "Wow."

Raph raised an eye-ridge. "That's it? Just wow."

Mikey looked back up at him with sympathy in his gaze. "I knew you've been really down, but…bro…I never imagined something like that. I thought she was just a friend." He took a deep breath. "If it was me, I'd probably be pretty down too." For several minutes Mikey was quiet and Raph was beginning to think he'd gotten off pretty easy. Then Mikey had to go and stick his foot in his mouth. "I'm sorry Shredder killed her. It would have-."

"She ain't dead!" Raphael snapped.

Mikey frowned at him. "You heard Shredder, bro. He said he killed her."

Raph was on his feet, anger marring his face. "No! Shredder's a liar! I don't believe nothin' he says and you shouldn't neither! She is alive! And I'm gonna keep lookin' for 'er even if none of ya help!"

Mikey stood beside him, putting up his hands in a placating gesture. "Raph…"

"No!" Fury raged in his caramel eyes. "She ain't dead! And don't ya ever say that again!" He shoved Mikey back onto the couch before storming off to his room.

Leo and Don came out of the kitchen in time to see Raph make his livid exit. A moment later a door slammed shut. Don glared at his younger brother. "Mikey! I told you he's extremely sensitive about this."

Mikey stood back up and shook his head. "All I said was that I was sorry that she was killed."

Leo and Don exchanged a look. That was definitely not the right thing to say. Leo looked up towards the bedroom. "Well, he obviously doesn't believe that."

Don rubbed his chin. "He could be right. You and Raph didn't see a body when you went back?"

Mikey frowned. "Uh, no. But there wasn't anyone in that cell either. Besides, why would Shredder lie about that?"

Leo's frown was deeper. "It's possible he said it to throw us off the trail, so we wouldn't look for her."

"But Raph hasn't stopped looking for Vivi. Haven't you noticed every time we come across another of the Foot's hideouts, Raph won't leave until he's searched the entire place?" Don pointed out.

Mikey's eyes widened. "So that's what he's been doin'! I thought he was just lookin' for more Foot to beat up."

"He was probably doing that too." Don agreed.

Leo felt a twinge of guilt shoot through him. "Guys, I think it's time we start helping him. Even if he is wrong and she is dead, Raph won't stop until he knows it for certain."

"Alright, I'll go map out all the places we have checked and the ones we haven't. I'll also do some research to find any more of Oroku Saki's holdings."

Leo gave a solemn nod. "That sounds good, Don. Let's just hope we're not too late."

Vivi looked up when the door opened to her prison. A single Foot soldier entered the room and approached the cell. She tensed, wondering what they could possibly do to her next. Her stomach gave a rumble in protest of its emptiness. Shredder had cut her rations in half when they'd made their most recent move and her body was feeling its effect.

The soldier stopped just outside the bars and looked down at her. This soldier was somewhat familiar, Vivi had seen them around pretty often. "I've been assigned to watch you." A female voice from beneath the hood told her. The Foot seemed nervous, glancing around the empty room and at the metal door. There were no cameras or windows in the room. This place was one of the older structures in Shredder's possession.

Vivi didn't respond from where she sat against the back wall of her cell. The soldier gave a sigh and pulled off her hood. A dark-haired woman with equally dark eyes met hers. "I've brought you something." From within her pocket she drew a half a loaf of bread.

Now over the initial shock of the soldier revealing herself, Vivi slowly stood. "You want to help me? Why?"

The woman frowned. "I'm breaking the rules by just talking to you. So, do you want this or not?"

Cautiously she approached the bars, her violet eyes keenly watching for deception. Taking the bread, she held it for a moment fighting down the desire to devour it. "You didn't answer my question. Why are you helping me?"

"Call it empathy. I've been in a similar situation." She looked away. "And I wasn't strong enough. Master Shredder doesn't realize just how cruel he's being. And if you're going to survive you'll need your strength."

Violet met dark brown, and she saw no ulterior motive for the food. "Thank you, uh…?"

"My name's Mei. And you can thank me by eating that before the morning shift arrives."

Vivi gave her a tiny smile. "Don't worry it'll be gone in just a few minutes."

"Good." Mei turned away from the cell. "And do me a favor, don't say my name in front of anyone. I'd like to keep my head."

"I understand." Vivi watched the woman pull her hood back on and climb the stairs to the main door. She ate the bread gratefully, savoring every bite. When she was done, she went to sit in the back of the cell where she'd been earlier. It was the warmest place in her cage. She closed her eyes, remembering how warm and strong Raphael's arms had felt around her, the memory helping to warm her now.

Although Shredder had cut her rations, he seemed to realize she wasn't going to be able to get out of her cell. Thus, the cells had continuously became less secure than the first one since they'd started moving her around. She sighed, looking at the bars. If Raphael was here, he could probably find a way out of this one. Every time she thought of some way to escape it involved changing into something small and simply slipping through the bars. But she couldn't do that, not with the gauntlets on and not with… A single tear trickled down her cheek. Her future was even more frightening now. I haven't given up on you, Raphael. I know you'll find me. I just hope it's soon – very soon.

The next several weeks the turtles spent searching all of the Foot's known and some unknown locations. Unfortunately, they kept coming home empty handed with a very irritated Raphael in tow. Then one night they went to investigate a place on the northern edge of the city.

"Are you sure this place is one of Shredder's? It's not really his style." Mikey stared across the street at the rather small ordinary building. At one point it had been some type of store. Now it's windows and door were boarded up. It was wedged between two other shops that still seemed active.

Don shot him a slightly annoyed look. That had to be the third time his brother had asked that question. "Yes, I'm sure. This place is held by one of his shell corporations."

"It doesn't look like much though." Mikey glanced at Leo. "What do you think, bro?"

Leo examined the structure. Mikey was right. It wasn't a typical place for Shredder to use. "We still need to check it out. The front is too open, let's try the back."

A few moments later the four landed in the alley behind the small shop. Raph reached for the knob, but Don caught his hand. "There's probably an alarm." He stepped back to observe the wall around the door. Finally, he spotted the main electrical box. Stepping over to it, he opened it and frowned. "Huh?"

Leo didn't like the sound of that. "What is it?"

Don stared into the box. "The electricity has already been turned off and the alarm was cut."

The others immediately drew their weapons, going on alert. "You think somebody beat us here?" Mikey asked in a whisper.

"Let's find out." Raph yanked open the door and they crept inside cautiously. The place was completely silent. But it wasn't long before they discovered why.

Donnie gasped and Mikey covered his mouth. "That is totally gross! Ugh! I think I'm gonna be sick!" The room before them was scattered with the bodies of Foot soldiers. Some were dismembered and some decapitated. Others seemed to have their guts ripped out and their faces mauled. Blood decorated the floors, walls and even the ceiling. It was a gruesome scene to say the least.

"Anybody have any idea of who or what could have done this?" Leo couldn't take his eyes from the massacre before him.

As they began to pick their way through the horrific scene, Don examined the various wounds. "I'd say they were attacked by some kind of wild animal."

"What kind?" Raph asked a few steps ahead of him.

Donnie frowned. "All of them. There are bite marks from what appear to be wolves, lions, and bears. Some of the bodies even look like they've been crushed by a massive animal such as an elephant or rhino."

Raph stopped short. "Shapeshifters."

Leo frowned at the mess. "Yeah, looks like they're looking for Vivi too."

"They must've been pretty ticked off." Mikey muttered behind his hand.

Raph took in a deep breath, trying to find Vivi's scent. "I can't smell nothin' over this stench."

"Better stick together guys. They could still be here and they don't know we're friendly." Scanning the room Leo spotted another doorway. "This way."

Raph was becoming impatient and agitated as they traversed the rest of the shop which looked very similar to the previous room. He growled in frustration, then he spotted a doorway that was open. "Look!" Leaping over several bodies, he saw that the door frame had been ripped off and was barely on its hinges. Before him was a dark stairwell.

"Here, Raph." Don passed him a flashlight from his duffle.

Flipping on the light, Raph led the way quietly down the steps. The basement area was darker than the top floor and also appeared to be bare as he ran the light around the room. A collective gasp left the brothers when the light illuminated a tiny cell not much bigger than a large closet. Raphael raced forward to find the cell barren, except for a small cloth. He could smell her now. She had been here only a few days earlier. He stepped inside to pick up the rag. It was soaked in her scent. "Vivi…" A growl left him as he stood. "Dam it! We missed 'er!" His fist connected with the wall.

"Maybe the shapeshifters got her out?" Mikey hoped so. Because if that was the case, it meant she was at least safe.

Leo shook his head. "I don't think so. There doesn't appear to have been any type of struggle in here. The cell looks undamaged and there aren't any bodies down here. If they had been caught completely unaware, there would at least be some damage." He shook his head again. "No. This place looks like it was simply left in a hurry."

"But it does prove one thing." Don pointed out. "Raph's been right all along. Vivi is alive."

"She must still hold some value to Shredder or he wouldn't have kept her that way." Leo knew just how ruthless their foe could be. He sighed. "Well, at least now we have some kind of lead. Let's go. We can work on it in the Battle Shell."

"Yeah, it stinks in here." Mikey complained as he and Don started up the stairs.

Leo turned back to his brother standing motionless inside the cell. "Raph?"

Raph's voice cracked as he responded in a mournful tone. "I…I was startin' to think that maybe she was…" He growled at himself. "How could I even think that!"

Leo took a few steps towards him. "Now, we know for certain that she's not. And now that we know, we won't stop looking until we find her."

Raph finally looked up at him, the scrap of cloth clutched against his chest. Hope flickered in his eyes. "I know." His heart twisted as he looked around the cell. "I hate the thought of 'im keepin' 'er in this hole all alone. If we'd only gotten here a little sooner…"

"Come on, we need to get going."

This time Raph complied. There was nothing here he could do anyways. If all the Foot in the place hadn't been killed before they'd gotten there, he would have made sure they were before he left. The two turtles picked their way back through the carnage on the first floor to meet the others just outside, then return swiftly back to the Battle Shell.

Raph stared down at the scrap of material in his hands as his brothers began to talk. In the truck's light he now recognized it as piece of Vivi's shirt. Don't give up on me, Doll. I'll find ya. I swear!

"Why are the shapeshifters looking for her now? Why haven't they been looking all along?" Don rubbed his chin in thought.

"Something must have triggered them to show up now." Leo frowned. "If I had to guess, they found out that Shredder was moving her."

"To where?" They'd check all of Shredder's stomping grounds as far as Mikey knew.

Don spun to the console and pulled up the map on which he'd been keeping track of the places they'd already investigated. "Well, since we've explored all of Shredder's holdings here in the city and this place is barely in the city limits. I'd say they took her out of the city, most likely north."

Raph grimaced. "Well, ain't that just peachy. Now how we gonna find 'er? She could be anywhere."

Don turned to look at them. "I've been doing some digging. There are several properties in upstate New York that are held under Oroku Saki's business names. Maybe he took her to one of those."

Don had Leo's full attention now. "How many are we talking about?"

"If we rule out-."

Raph interrupted him. "No, don't rule out nothin'."

Don frowned at him, but nodded. "Okay, you're right we shouldn't leave any stone unturned. There's twenty. And another five that are held by fake companies that are just covers for the Foot."

Mikey glanced from Leo to Don. He grinned. "Does this mean a road trip?"

Raph scowled and Leo frowned. "Mikey this isn't for fun. And we are probably not going to have any. Based on what Don just told us, it's going to take several days to check all those locations – possibly even weeks. Let's get back and pack up. We'll leave as soon as we get up." Leo turned to start the engine.

"What!" Raph roared behind him. "Why are we waitin'!"

"She's been missing for six months, a few more hours aren't going to make a difference." Leo explained calmly.

Raph seethed. "Make a difference! Why you-!"

Don caught his shoulder. "Raph, he's right. Besides, what good are we going to be, if we're too tired to fight."

Raph started to protest, but it was plain by his brothers' expressions that he was outnumbered. He huffed as he folded his arms. "Fine. But we're leavin' soon as we get up."

Leo nodded, catching his brother's eye to make sure he knew he was sincere. "I promise."

A/N: Hang in there girl! Raphie's coming!