A/N I do not own TMNT, but I am forever grateful for their existence!

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Chapter 4: To See Again

An old grandfather clock began to chime. The grey-haired woman counted as she continued to scrub the teapot within the soapy dish water. Upon the silence following the seventh toll, her wrinkled hands held the blue porcelain under the warm running water to rinse off the remaining bubbly suds. Filling the shining pot with water, she mindfully placed it on the stove to heat. Mabel smiled. Raphael would arrive in fifteen minutes.

She had met the young man over four years ago, and even though he was now almost twenty-one, he still visited her regularly. Whoever said young folks today had no respect for their elders, had clearly not met Raphael. Not once had she ever regretted her decision to let him into her tiny life.

Mabel still fondly remembered the day when she first made the young man's acquaintance. After her glaucoma had left her completely blind, many once-simple tasks had become quite trying, which most certainly included moving. Therefore, when Mabel put in a bid for aid, she had made the logical assumption that Raphael had been sent by their local community center to help her pack and organize her things as requested.

The young man had not contradicted her and so it was not until later, when she had gone to the community center to thank the staff for directing Raphael to her, that Mabel learned no such thing had occurred. No one knew of this "Raphael." Equally strange was the appearance of a mysterious money-filled briefcase on her doorstep when the young man made his next visit. Naturally, she reported it to the police, but no one ever stepped forward to claim it. The day the officer called announcing to Mabel that the money was hers to keep – allowing her to keep her home – she decided Raphael had to be a guardian angel made real.

Without fail, Raphael came and visited her at least every other Tuesday night. Every so often he would appear on other evenings, but he always came on those Tuesdays. They grew to become friends and Mabel could not help but try and indulge the boy with her motherly nature. She always sent him home with baking and was always ready to listen. He initially had been reluctant to express his feelings, but Mabel was patient and had a mind for detail. She learned the smell of his anger, the sound of his sorrow, and the vibrations of his excitement. Eventually, Raphael rewarded her efforts and returned her trust by confiding in her. Much of his life was still a mystery to the now sixty-five-year-old, but when he needed her, she was there.

Mabel's maternal instincts had been especially important as Raphael's father had first taken ill just over five months ago. Learning that his Father would not recover from this particular ailment had left the young man in a horrible internal struggle in which Mabel could offer little respite. Raphael refused to give her any clues as to the origin of his pain – for it was rooted far deeper than the start of the sickness. She was a little hurt when Raphael rejected her offers to help time and again, but the hurt quickly dissipated as the weeks turned to months.

She had known the young man spent most of his time alone to deal with his tumultuous emotions, but during a particularly grief-ridden moment, Raphael confessed that he was spending more time with her than with his brothers. Despite the deep sorrow she felt at his words of anguish, Mabel could not help but feel touched. As the weeks dragged on, it was with her help that Raphael managed to get a hold of himself and began to reconnect with his family. Mabel had never met these characters, but she did know and appreciate how deeply Raphael's love for them extended.

The kettle began to whistle and Mabel pulled the tin of green tea from the cupboard to the side of the stove. After five years of living in the dark, she had memorized the location of every item in her house out of pure necessity. Placing the tea into the pot so that it would have time to steep before her guest arrived, she proceeded to open a nearby container as she pulled out a plate. She stacked the plate with blueberry muffins and placed it on her small round wooden table. Just as her wrinkled hands finished their task, she heard movement outside. A few seconds later, the sound of her doorbell broke the silence and was promptly followed by the soft mewing of her cat Lucy, as she raced to meet their guest.

Mabel shuffled to the door as quickly as her arthritic hips would carry her. Normally she wouldn't move as quickly, but tonight she was anxious to share her news with Raphael. She unlocked and opened the door to be greeted by a deep voice, "Hey, Mrs. M!"

She smiled both at the formality and the owner of the voice. She had told Raphael a hundred times to call her Mabel instead of Mrs. Morrison or Mrs. M., but he never did. His manners were faultless and this was just another of the many qualities she admired in the boy. She aimed her smile at the direction of the speaker's origin, "Oh it's so good to hear your voice, Raphael! Come in. Come in. I'd hate for you to catch a chill."

There had been no snow yet, but the crisp smell of fall now held the distinct steel of winter. He chuckled as he followed her into the apartment and locked the door behind him. "Don't worry Mrs. M., I've got tough skin. So how're ya doing?"

They exchanged the pleasantries demanded of polite company, and soon enough Mabel was seated across from Raphael enjoying her tea. He was already on his third muffin; Mabel had long ago learned of his voracious appetite. At first Raphael had demonstrated impeccable manners once more by limiting himself to one treat per visit, but after several evenings filled with his growling stomach – she did have very good hearing after all – she had demanded he eat until he was full. She ensured there would be no arguing on this matter by filling her voice with the same tone she had used when her late husband Percy had crossed a line. Percy always told her that she was the most loving and patient woman on the planet, but if you got her angry even the Devil himself would cower. Mabel doubted that, but still did not hesitate to use her skills when necessary. Raphael was no exception.

The conversation continued its smooth flow and once the next round of tea was poured, Mabel anxiously anticipated a break in the exchange. She could not help but be excited and terrified at once. After all these years, a new revolutionary surgery for glaucoma had finally been approved for human trials. It was a risky procedure that could potentially cause further vision loss, but Mabel had already lost her sight completely. Due to the severity of her condition, she had essentially nothing to lose and so she had been chosen as one of the test subjects.

She had never been too keen of hospitals after Percy's death. His long and harrowing battle with leukemia once had her practically living in that sterile environment. There was some kind of cruel irony behind dreading every moment spent in such a place to later longingly wish for more time. Somehow, even spending every waking moment there had still not been enough…

So of course it was natural for her to be a little apprehensive towards the procedure. Her doctor had been the reason for her conversion. He went through every step of the surgery with her – from the injection of general anaesthesia to recovery – in startling detail. He even explained the research involved in the animal studies. If the surgery was as successful as it had been in canines, Mabel would be blessed with vision once more. She would probably have to wear glasses, but even if she could only see rudimentary shapes and colours, Mabel would be ecstatic.

Yet, as she listened to the young man across from her, she felt a quiver of anxiety. Raphael had always been rather difficult when she broached the topic of his appearance. Since she was blind, she relied heavily on the descriptions of others to draw a mental picture of their appearance. The image was then enhanced by her feeing the features of the person. She only requested this with close friends, and she had never been rejected – until she met Raphael.

In fact, he went out of his way to avoid her touch. There was only one occurrence that she had made physical contact with the boy: the day they met. When he had arrived on her doorstep that night years ago, she had reached out and grabbed his arm. That touch alone was all she had to go on. She felt his strong muscles, had been able to estimate that he wasn't very tall, and learned he had been wearing what felt like snake or crocodile skin. She didn't question it – kids always had different tastes than their preceding generations – but he never gave her the chance to touch him again. Only Lucy was granted that privilege.

Finally, after knowing him for about six months, she asked him why. All he said was that he wasn't comfortable with his appearance and didn't want to talk about it. The tone of his voice alone indicated that it was not up for further discussion, but when he disappeared for two months after her questioning because he "was busy," Mabel, despite her curiosity, let sleeping dogs lie. However, that did not mean she did not try to glean what she could from their conversations.

Years later, her efforts had yielded little, but it was better than nothing. She knew that he had amber eyes, was still five-foot-something, and was very strong. The height and the eye colour he had dropped in conversation, and the strength she deduced on her own. He had to be muscular since she knew he worked out every day and had occasionally boasted on how much stronger he was than his brothers. Since his brothers also worked out every day, Mabel knew that this was no small feat and could only pity those who dared cross Raphael in a dark alley late at night.

If Mabel's vision did return to her, she would finally see Raphael. She could only hope that he would allow it. They had become close and it was based on her trust in the bond they had forged that she prayed he would not bolt. He had returned before, but there was no telling if he would return after fleeing a second time.

There was finally a comfortable silence between them and Mabel knew it was time. She took a deep breath, "Raphael, what would you think if I told you I might be able to see again?"

Mabel was all too aware of the wave of tension run through her guest and his attempt to evade the matter at hand, "I thought you told me it wasn't possible Mrs. M."

She nervously turned her teacup around in her hands, "That was the case, but I've been selected for a special surgery. The first of its kind. I thought it sounded too good to be true, but my doctor assured me that there is a high probability of it at least partially restoring my vision."

"That's…" She could practically hear his heart stop and instantly recognized the false cheer in his voice, "That's great Mrs. M! Really… great! So uh… When's the big day?"

She knew he was ready to bolt and could feel he wanted to be anywhere but at her kitchen table. Still Mabel was praying that this young man – who was the son she never had – would not abandon her now. "Tuesday morning – my life changes a week from today."

She had barely registered his chair slide back on the linoleum, but out of desperation she pleaded, "Raphael…" and to her amazement, he stopped.

Mabel felt the tears building behind her eyes. What could possibly be so terrible that Raphael was adamant to still hide himself from her? Even after all this time he still feared her judgment. His quiet voice surprised her with its gentleness, "I'll be right back Mrs. M. I just need to use the washroom."

And with that she heard the soft click as the bathroom door locked in place.

A/N Btw if you guys are wondering, Mrs. M makes her one and only debut in the 2k3 episode "Touch and Go" (season 3, episode 7). We never were given her first name so I just randomly picked Mabel. I've always been intrigued by her character and thus here appearance here! As always thank-you so much for reading – I hope you're enjoying the fic so far :)

To my lovely reviewers (well reviewer in this case XD):

Mr.E: Don't worry about missing the opening – originally the first three chapters were one big one. It was a last second decision to split them so don't feel bad! Also, it just means you have a life outside of fanfic, which is probably a good thing XD And yes, Mrs. M is indeed that very same lady (as you probably gathered by this point lol). As always, thank-you so much for reviewing and hopefully you continue to enjoy the ride! Oh, and before I forget, I've been meaning to ask you for a while, but what does "Oya ner vod Oya" mean?