Dis: I don't own TMNT
Note: Thanks for all the love!

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Emma was startled awake, limbs jerking as she sat up in her office chair. Groaning she pulled off the piece of paper stuck to the side of her cheek before running a hand through her disheveled blonde hair. Soft snores had her swiveling in her chair and the nights events smacked her upside the head when seeing three turtles parked in various positions in the small living space. Michelangelo was sprawled out on the sofa, a leg curling over the side as his plastron rose and fell with his snores. Raphael and Donatello were at the table in the small kitchenette: heads rested on their folded arms, a large box of documents separating them.

They had torn the place apart from top to bottom and hadn't found a single thing. Emma had insisted that she had gone through everything but Donatello was adamant about there having to be something hidden that the Dragon's wanted inside the gym. Mikey had been the first casualty that night, having fallen asleep after looking over only a few pieces of paper. Emma was certain that when she insisted she was just going to rest her eyes, that the others had been awake.

Wait… She saw three turtles… Where was the other one?

Standing from the chair she moved as quietly as she could through the small space. Michelangelo snorted, shifting on the sofa while Raphael coughed, grunted, then settled his head further into his arms. Walking to the small bedroom she closed the door and quickly changed, slipping on some underwear before a pair of loose fitting jeans. She pulled off the tank-top she had on and balled it up before tossing it in the corner. Rummaging around in the large duffle she found a clean bra along with a Superman screened t-shirt and pulled them on just as a soft tap sounded at her door.

"Emma?" It was Leo. "Casey and April are here to help us."

"Ok," said Emma, smoothing out her shirt. "I'll be out in a sec."

She used the bathroom quickly, brushing out her hair and pulling the curls up into a ponytail before washing her face and brushing her teeth. She winced at her reflection. The bruises were an ugly yellow and black: a sign that they were healing but she took time with some foundation to hide the worst of the damage before brushing some mascara on over her lashes. A swipe of her deodorant and a spritz of a perfume later she was out the door of her bedroom and back into her small living space.

"Casey!"

"Hey Emma," said Casey, coming forward and wrapping one arm around her, squeezing once before releasing her. "How you doin'?"

"Better," she said softly, eyes falling on the mutants. "Considering my mind was blown last night."

"Yeah," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck and almost blushing. "Sorry bout that."

Emma shrugged just as another woman wearing khaki pants and a top that showed off her flat stomach came forward. She had the reddest hair Emma had ever seen in her life and a kind smile. She offered her hand and Emma took it and gave her the polite handshake.

"Hi! I'm April."

"Emma."

"Casey told me about what's going on." April placed the hand that wasn't in Emma's on Emma's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," said Emma, looking down.

"We're here to help." April stepped back and Casey immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Emma smiled, they were a cute couple. "You guys find anything yet?"

"No. Not really." Donatello stood from the table, cracking his neck and stretching before grabbing a chocolate donut that the happy couple must have brought. His coffee cup was full and his dark brown eyes sought out Emma. "With your permission I'd like to take a look on that computer again."

"Yeah," said Emma, grabbing her own cup and filling it before leading the way to the door that led down to the main gym. It was dark and quiet, sunlight filtering in through the windows that needed a good cleaning. In fact, everything looked like it was too old save for a couple of the weights. She sighed. The place was a dump. "If I keep this place I have my work cut out for me."

"It's not that bad," reassured Donatello, even as his eyes traveled over cracks in the ceiling so big he could see sunlight. "I mean… Sure it has its quirks but…"

Emma smiled. "Thanks for being polite."

"Uh, no problem," he finished lamely as she opened the office door. Flicking on the light the stuffy office went from dark to being cast in a warm glow. Donatello immediately took a seat on a squeaky, leather chair that had a slice in the cushion: the foam interior visible. It had been her dad's lucky chair, and something he never wanted to get rid of. Setting his coffee and donut within reach he eagerly tapped on the dated keyboard, the large tower practically groaning as it struggled to keep up with his flying digits.

Emma looked around the office and sighed before going to a filing cabinet. Setting her coffee on top of the metallic surface she carefully opened the top drawer. Don and Raphael had been the ones looking in the office while she, Leo, and Mike went through some boxes stuffed in the upstairs closet. Opening the cabinet now it was apparent that someone had been in there and Emma started sorting through things some more. Upon reaching the bottom drawer she pulled out the files just as Donatello finished up on the computer.

"Anything?" she asked while leafing through some papers, sitting crisscross on the floor, her coffee cup now beside her lap.

"No. I wrote down names of clients and will look into them later."

"Yeah, sorry, that computer is so old and Dad was never a fan of the Internet." Emma tossed another file aside. "Tax forms, old clients, receipts… Nothing the Dragons would be interested in."

"Yeah." Don rubbed at his eyes tiredly. "I'm beginning to rethink the theory of something being here that they want. I mean… There's no place else something can be hidden can there?"

"I dunno…" Emma bit her bottom lip then perked up. "The basement!"

"There's a basement?" he asked.

"Yeah. He used to spend a lot of time down there after work." Emma stood up, brushing off the seat of her pants before rushing out the office door. "I never thought anything of it till now…C'mon!"

"Shouldn't we…" Donatello sighed. Emma was already gone and he quickly stood from the chair and exited the office in time to see her opening a door on the opposite side of the gym. Rushing to catch up he flipped over the ropes of the boxing ring and did a forward roll before somersaulting over on the opposite side. Emma mentally praised his agility while feeling along the wall for the light switch before clicking it a few times. She frowned when the bulb remained dark. "Hang on I have a flashlight."

Emma looked down to see Don feeling along his belt before pulling out a miniature flashlight. He flipped it on and she was surprised at how bright it was. Donatello led the way down the stairs and she peeked over his shoulder: wary of the spider webs he casually brushed away. The beam of light cast eerie shadows on the walls and Emma was never a fan of the basement to begin with so she made sure to curl her arm around Donatello's as they shuffled along the dusty floor. Upon coming to another switch, she flicked it and a dim light turned on above their heads. Sighing in slight relief, Emma looked around.

Old equipment, posters, a couple extra bags… Nothing too out of the ordinary. Donatello broke away from her so when he went in one direction she chose another, nearly being done in by a hanging dummy that gave her a heart attack when she turned the corner and ran into it. Luckily, she managed to quiet her scream to a weak squeak. When Don called her name she gave the dummy a shove before following his voice. She found him sitting at a desk shoved in the corner and in the top drawer lay a laptop. Their eyes met briefly before he pulled the laptop out of the drawer.

"Oh God… You think that is it?" she asked, hands digging deep in the back pockets of her jeans.

"Maybe…" He started the computer and sighed at the password protected screen. "You know it?"

"Uh…" she made a face to indicate she didn't and he sighed before cracking his fingers.

"Just give me a second."

"Okay." Emma found a stack of crates and pulled one over to sit on. She used her free time to rummage in the other drawers. She found documents that had a series of numbers, followed by a date, and an amount of money. "I think this might be a ledger. I don't recognize the account numbers though."

"I'm in." Emma put down the papers, mentally making a note to look at them later, and stood up from the low crate. Settling her hands on his shoulders once more she leaned down to peek around him: sad, hazel eyes observing the screen. "Hmm, let's see… Ok… Encoded. Can work around that… Let's see if there's a back door… Hm…"

"What?"

"Hang on…" A few taps later and suddenly window after window popped up onto the screen. Emma watched, amazed because she had always thought her dad was technologically challenged. He had all this hidden on a password protected laptop for goodness sakes! "Wow. Ok. It looks like a lot of security videos. It's your gym."

"Yeah," said Emma. "It is."

He played a few, the audio crystal clear as video after video showed meetings and deals being made. Other files, like document scans of security containers as well as contacts for guns and drugs were within the laptop as well. This was what the Dragons were after, and they were using her brother to try and get it.

"Shit."

"Yeah." Donatello closed the laptop then slowly brought up a large hand to cover one of hers on his shoulder, tilting his head up to stare at her. "You ok?"

"I…" She sighed, pulling away and turning her back to him. She heard the creak of the chair behind her as she brought her hands up to cover her face. She controlled the tears as his comforting hands rest on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. "I am. I don't think anything can surprise me. I guess I need to send all that in to the Police."

"I need to comb through it. Your dad knew about us. I need to make sure there's nothing on US in there before we send the computer in."

"Oh, yeah, you're right."

"In the meantime… Maybe you should stay with someone for a while. Like Casey and April or… Us."

"You don't even know me," she said softly, turning around, his hands falling to his side as she looked up at him with sad eyes.

"It's what we do," he said with a smile. He twisted around to tuck the laptop under his arm. Emma took the large folder of files she found as well as the flashlight he offered before they walked to the switch and turned off the light. Sighing she went back toward the stairs and stopped at the base of them, looking up at what almost looked like an endless trek back to her gym. His hand found her shoulder, a body part that seemed to be getting a lot of attention that morning, and gave it a gentle squeeze: his rough thumb caressing the skin at the back of her neck. "It'll be ok."

She twisted her head around to look up at him. He offered a smile and she gave a shaky one back before leaving his comforting touch to return back to the harsh reality that awaited her up those stairs. How sad was it, that when the door closed behind her, she realized that she would rather be in the basement in the company of a mutant turtle than show even more evidence of her father's sins to those that had fought him endlessly till his death?

"Don?"

"Yeah?" he asked, tucking his flashlight back into his belt.

"I'm sorry," she said, voice cracking, and his head snapped up to look at her. Her bottom lip trembled even though she tried to hold it down with her teeth and he could see the sheen of unshed tears in her luminescent eyes. "I'm sorry my Dad was such a bad person and that h-he fought against you… I-I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." Reaching for her he wrapped the arm not holding the laptop around her waist and pulled her in for a hug and she rest her forehead against his shoulder as he tightened his hold on her. "None if it is. We don't blame you for your father's actions. Know that. Ok?"

"Ok…" She inhaled then exhaled deeply to calm her body. His scent that of leather and... Lemon, it had to be lemon. Whatever it was it was… Nice. "Ok."

"Stay with us tonight." Slowly she looked up, still in his embrace, hazel eyes melding with dark brown. Something electric was passing between them and they couldn't look away. His fingertips dug a little deeper into the skin at her lower back and she swallowed audibly as he leaned in and… Did he just smell her hair? "Emma…"

"HEY!" They sprang apart and the file Emma had been holding fell to the floor, papers scattering in various directions. "There you guys are!"

"Hey April," said Donatello, bending to help Emma retrieve the papers, a small blush on his cheeks. "We went in the basement and found something."

"Really?" she asked.

"It explains everything," said Emma, clearing her throat because her voice sounded a lot sultrier than she remembered. "Why the Dragon's wanted access here. Donatello is going to go over it tonight before I decide what I want to do with it."

"Well, that's good news, right?" asked April cheerily. "Mikey said something about wanting to order pizza for dinner."

"We'll be eating at the lair tonight," said Donatello calmly, handing Emma the papers he had picked up, fingertips brushing against her open palm: his eyes boring into hers. "Emma has decided to stay with us a while."

"Great! I'll let everyone else know," said April, turning on her heel as Emma shot up to her feet along with Don.

"Um…" She felt awkward. She didn't know what to do with her hands… Well, ok, she was using them to practically strangle the folder she was holding. "So… I suppose I need to go to my place and get some stuff if I'm staying with you."

"Good idea," said Donatello, eyes still on her. "Bring April and Casey with you. Just in case."

"Yeah. I will."

"I… Better go find my brothers and go… Usually we don't travel during the day but I'm anxious to get back to the lair…"

"Ok," said Emma, looking down at her feet. "I'll see you later, then?"

Emma had no choice but to look up as a fingertip slid beneath her chin and tilted her head up. Once again she felt that spark as his eyes connected with hers. He smiled eyes on her parted lips.

"Count on it."

Then he was gone. Alone, Emma sighed deeply, the pressure in her chest releasing as she struggled to put one foot in front of the other: knees feeling like jelly.

"Holy hell… What was THAT about?"

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Emma finished packing her second bag before taking a look around her room. Upon arriving at the apartment it was empty. Her mom took her advice and left it seemed. The lengthy note about how disappointed in her children she was as well as the promise that she was NOT coming back was almost a relief. Emma loved her mother, truly, but she was a bit overbearing and it was about time someone else in her family stood up and helped her take care of her. She only hoped that they didn't send her back for at least a while.

Still, even with her mother gone and her brother more than likely still in custody: Emma didn't want to stay at the apartment. She had never liked it. It was small and the walls were thin enough to hear EVERYTHING. So she zipped up her duffle with the last of her belongings that she cared about then walked out her bedroom door. After grabbing a couple of her favorite movies and leaving the PS3 for Joey since she didn't play. After slipping on her trusty boots over her pant legs (April said something about wearing boots with where they were going) and shrugging on her red, leather jacket that she loved so much, she exited the apartment and locked it behind her. Waiting in the car, parked in front of the building, was April.

"All set?" she asked out the window.

"Yeah. Thanks for giving me some alone time."

"No problem."

Emma opened then closed the door to the car and April eased into traffic. Maroon 5 played their latest hit and Emma was grateful that April didn't want to talk. She needed to distress and so she closed her eyes the entire ride until they pulled into a large garage. April cut the engine as the garage door lowered before exiting the vehicle. Emma followed, holding both of her bags as April went to an old looking elevator. Emma hesitated only moment before going inside it and braced herself against the caged wall as it lowered.

"They live underground?" she asked as the elevator stopped. "In the sewers?!"

"Trust me," said April. "It's not as bad as it seems. You'll be meeting their Master Splinter when we arrive. He just needs to confirm that you're well… Trustworthy. They need to be a secret. The location of their home needs to be a secret."

"I understand," said Emma with a nod.

"Good," said April, sighing in relief. "Usually they blindfold newcomers but Casey and surprisingly Don and Raph pled your case. If Don, the most suspicious turtle alive and Raph, the most untrusting turtle alive; are on your side. You're golden."

"Well… That's something," said Emma with a smile.

"Oh, one more thing," said April as she led the way through the tunnels. "Master Splinter is a giant rat… So… Prepare yourself. He's the sweetest man you'll ever meet."

"He's a what now?" asked Emma, stopping in her tracks as April continued on. "WHAT?"

April didn't stop and soon Emma was running to keep up.

"Turtles… Rats…. I'm scared to think of what else is lurking in these sewers…"

"Oh, you'll meet Leatherhead later on I'm sure," said April as they stopped in front of a wall.

"Who?" asked Emma as April pulled a lever, twisted a knob, then keyed in a code. The entire wall opened and Emma took a large step backwards. April strolled inside and Emma followed, twisting around as the wall closed behind them. She then looked forward again and her eyes widened. "Wow."

The ramp led down to the middle of the turtle's home, a large pool in the middle of it. The turtle with the blue bandana was leaning against the railing of a bridge over the pool and standing next to him was the large rat April warned her about. Taking a deep breath she steeled herself as Leonardo led the rat toward her.

"You must be Miss. Tate."

"Emma Tate," she said, offering her hand and he took it and she gave herself a pat on the back for not flinching. "I'm pleased to meet you."

"Likewise. Come," he said, gesturing toward an open area to the left. "My son has already set the table for dinner tonight. I would like to hear your story. Leonardo, please take her bags to Donatello's room. He has already said she could stay there."

Emma paused only a moment before handing her bags to Leonardo. With a flip and a twist he was up on the second floor and she gestured at him with her thumb as he vanished into one of the many possible halls up there.

"Please tell me you guys have stairs somewhere, cause there is no way I can do that."

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"Hey."

Emma looked to her right to see Raphael standing beside her. She had offered to do the dishes since they had welcomed her into their home AND bought her pizza to eat. The turtles had no argument to her volunteering. Splinter had already retired for the night, once again welcoming her into their home before leaving with quiet taps from his cane. April and Casey had left after dinner as well and while the turtles had gone to do whatever it was they did: Emma had been left alone with the dishes.

Or so she thought.

"Hi," she said, rinsing off a plate. Raphael took the wet plate from her and started drying it while she scrubbed another. "You don't have to help. I said I'd do them."

"Nah," he said gruffly, drying the dish vigorously. As if it was his life's mission to get that plate as dry as possible. "I don't mind. It's my night anyway."

"All right." They did the dishes in silence, her washing and he drying. When she washed the last glass he took it from her while she pulled the plug. She watched the water as it swirled and traveled down the drain. "I talked to Donatello earlier." She blushed, remembering his touch and shifted. "About my dad… I'm sorry about how… How he was."

"Hey." Once again, her shoulder got some attention. His slightly damp hand rested heavily on it and she looked up into his deep, amber eyes. "Don't worry about it. All right? Enough apologizin' fer stuff ya didn't even do."

"Ok." She smiled, brushing strands of blonde hair that came out of her ponytail back behind her ears. "Thanks, Raphael."

"Yer welcome," he said, giving her a playful nudge with his shell before tossing the towel he had onto the counter. "Mikey said he wanted ta watch a movie tonight. If you don't wanna I can tell him yer tired."

"No. I can. Let me change first… Um…" She bit her bottom lip. "Can you show me how to get up on the second floor without having to be an acrobat?"

Raphael laughed, tugging her by the wrist to follow him. "Yeah. I got ya covered. Don't worry."

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"OH MY GOD! DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!"

Donatello's head snapped up as he saw Emma swatting Raphael on the arm before resting her hand over her chest. Raphael was laughing and that was NOT a good sign. Donatello frowned as Emma hit his brother once more. He could only guess at what he did.

"SORRY EMMA! I COULDN'T RESIST!"

"What did you do?" called Mikey from the bottom floor, DVDs in his hand.

"He hauled me over his shoulder like a barbarian and flippy-floppied his way up here with me in tow!"

"Aw, ya liked it!" said Raphael. "Admit it."

"Just… A little warning next time," she growled before disappearing into Donatello's room.

He sighed, attention going back to the lap top. There HAD been some files on he and his brothers on it and he made sure to extract all traces of their existence from the drive. It made him uneasy and he wondered who else had information on them. Bishop, Karai, Hun… All of them more than likely had something on them.

Done for now, he set the laptop aside. He needed a talk with Emma to ask her what she wanted to do. He had a few ideas of his own but he knew that with the day she's had: that he could wait to tell her until the morning. He turned away from his desk in time to see Emma crawl up onto the back of Raphael's shell and hang on to him with her legs and arms wrapped around him as he flipped back down to the first floor.

The sight of her wrapped around his brother had him more than a little upset and he scowled as she laughed and swatted his arm again. What the shell was wrong with him? He didn't even know her and yet he found himself VERY attracted and perhaps a little possessive of her. In the basement he had wanted to kiss her. Then he nearly did in her gym! Luckily he had managed to get control over his hormones otherwise April would have gotten a show!

"YO DONNIE!" Donatello looked up to see Mikey waving him over. "Come watch the movie!"

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Emma sat between Mikey and Raphael, curled up in a blue blanket in her pajamas. Mikey had insisted she be his snuggle buddy and she had laughed before complying with his demand. Resting her cheek against his arm she snuggled into his side while Raphael slumped in his seat, his heavy arm draped over her calves.

The warmth she felt from not only the blanket but two bodies pressing into her made her eyes feel heavy. In the darkness of the lair she struggled to keep her eyes open but it was an uphill battle. Slowly she let them fall closed, her eyes drifting from the television screen to the turtle sitting perched on the chair nearest her. She noticed that his eyes were on her as well and her lips tilted in a small smile before she went under. She wasn't sure how much time passed before she woke up to the feel of someone lifting her. Too tired to care that she was moving she snuggled into the embrace and sighed as whoever it was carried her.

"No flippy floppies," she murmured and she felt more than heard the chuckle come from deep within the plastron her cheek was pressed against. Lemons… She smelled lemons…

"Promise…" he whispered.

Seconds later she was being tucked into a cold, yet comfortable bed and she murmured her approval as a hand drifted over her forehead to clear away strands of hair. She opened her eyes slowly, meeting the gaze of the turtle whose bed she was in.

"Donatello…"

"Donnie," he said softly. "Call me Donnie…"

"Donnie," she whispered as one fingertip trailed over her lower lip. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure," he answered truthfully, his words a whispered caress against the skin of her face. "Get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."

"Kay…" Her eyes closed. "G'nite."

"Goodnight, Emma."

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TBC…

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