I sat down onto the couch with a heavy sigh. My throbbing head hung in my hands. The battle against Slash was a mighty challenge, nobody got away without some kind of injury. Leo and Mikey were each coated in scratches and bruises, but luckily they were already healing, but Donnie and Emily got away with more serious wounds. Donnie's sprained arm hung in a cloth sling, and Emily was on crutches with a walking boot was on her left foot, for she had severely bruised the bone.

As for me, I was about the same as Leo and Mike, but my head wouldn't stop hurting! It was like somebody was trapped inside, banging against my skull with a sledgehammer.

I felt something touch my shoulder, and I practically jumped out of my shell. I suddenly was on high alert and quickly spun around. Thankfully, it was just my little sister, Emily.

"Jesus, you scared me." I said, letting out a breath of air. She quickly drew her hand back, "sorry," she said.

"Don't… don't worry." I said.

A worried look came across her face. "You look horrible." She hobbled away on her crutches and disappeared into the lab, only to reappear with an ice pack and bandages.

She propped her crutches up onto the side of the couch and fell down next to me. Emily than cautiously adjusted herself so she was facing me, her walking boot hanging off of the couch.

She began to unwrap the bandage. "Now come here, you're in bad shape." She insisted.

"Emily I'm fine, really," I lied. My head was still throbbing.

"Raphael, please let me help you." She rested her hand on my arm. I rolled my eyes and leaned my head towards her. Her gentle hands removed my mask and wrapped the bandage around my head with ease. After that she put the bandana around my eyes once again and laid the ice pack on top of the large bruise on my head.

"There," she said, satisfaction in her tone of voice. "That should help it get better, but just to be safe you should take it easy."

I turned on the TV, hoping something actually good would be on at this time of night. While I was flipping channels that weird pony show that Emily liked came on. I decided to leave it, for her own benefit.

Halfway through the show I looked over at her, and noticed a long black & purple bruise on her jawline. Without thinking I reached out and lightly touched it. She winced in pain, "ow!" She exclaimed. I drew my hand back as quick as I could, "SORRY!"

"Don't worry, it's fine." She assured me, "I know you didn't mean to hurt me." She gave a weak smile.

"How did that happen?" I asked my sister.

"…Slash right-hooked me," she grumbled. I got mad at myself when I heard her say that something that was my fault injured her. I could feel tears stinging my eyes and rolling down my cheeks.

"What's wrong?" Asked Emily, concerned. She wrapped her arm around my shoulders, and drawing me in closer to her.

"It's all my fault…" is all I could manage to muster out of me. I hid my face in my hands out of shame and embarrassment. I wasn't one to break down, and when I did I hated it. I didn't wanna fall apart in front of my sister, but I couldn't help it. I cried.

"No it's not," Emily firmly stated, "you had no idea that the mutagen would spill, and you had no control over him. You were just mad and-"

"That's the point!" I said, cutting her off, "I can't control my stupid temper. I'm scared that one day I'm… I'm…" I struggled to find the right words.

"Gonna lose it and hurt somebody." She said, staring at the floor. "I know that fear… better than anyone." She looked up at me, her dark eyes swarmed with pain, and… something else I just couldn't decipher. She sighed and sank deeper into the worn-out couch.

I rested my hand on hers. She jumped on me, grasping around my shoulders and her head in the crook my neck. I returned the sudden movement, and heard a sob from my throat echo throughout the lair. Tears ran down both of our faces. My teeth where clenched so tightly that it hurt, so that no more sobs escaped from me.

"Raph…" she whispered, "... it's okay."

And with that I loosened up. I opened up my throat and unclenched my sore jaw. With each sob she held me closer, her thick hair sticking to my lips and cheeks.

I suddenly noticed how warm Emily felt. Her body temperature was usually around 110 degrees fahrenheit, but she felt way over that. "Emily, you're burning up!"

She pulled away and touched her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked pale. Emily went into a coughing fit.

I ran to the kitchen and grabbed a wet cloth and water bottle. By the time I got back her coughing had eased. I set the towel on her forehead and gave her the water bottle. She gave me a smile and drank the water. After she finished she said; "what… just happened?" At least she said it with a smile.

"I really don't know."

Emily just laughed and lied down on her back. Her head was propped up on a throw pillow and her eyes were closed. I lied down next to her and rested my head on her shoulder. I could feel the same darn stinging feeling in my eyes again.

Emily rolled over on her side. "What's wrong?" The same question she asked me just about fifteen minutes before. Part of her head was pressed into the pillow, so I could only see half of her face.

"I don't know. I guess I'm just… scared." I said quietly. She kissed the side of my head and wrapped her arm around me, pulling me into a hug.

I reached over for the remote and turned off the TV, and fell asleep next to her.

Sorry this took so long, I got a severe case of writer's block, but I thought of this and here it is. BTW this is not a Tcest story!