Disclaimer: I don't own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or its characters. I only own my OCs.

A/N: Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for the support so far! For new followers, readers, favouriters and reviewers, you're all ace! I'm so pleased that you're enjoying the fic so far! I'm going through a rather lengthy editing process every time I upload a chapter to make sure it's the best it can be before I present it to you all, so it means a lot to me that you're enjoying it so far! Don't forget to vote in the poll for who you want to read about next.

The Silvernote: Thank you again for the review hun! I love the brotherly and fatherly bonding because I see the turtles and their dad as a very close family anyway, so I can see them being the same with Amelia as well. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Stephanie Phelps: Thanks for the review! I'm not giving anything away, so you'll have to keep reading to find out what's going to happen in the future. ;)

felicia2235: This fic is slightly longer than Secrets. But, I won't say exactly how long because I don't want people to be upset when they realise they're getting close to the end. Thanks for the consistent reviews!

Happy reading, everyone!

~ Changes ~

{ Chapter Four: A Hint of Normality }

When Amelia arrived at the breakfast table the next morning, she felt rather self conscious as she was met with concerned looks from the turtles and their father.

She'd always worn oversized t-shirts for bed, but this one in particular was sliding down her shoulder rather than just hanging loosely on her thin frame. She also had to keep pulling up her pyjama bottoms, which of course, was drawing attention to her. Her weight-loss had been quite dramatic since it had occurred over a rather short space of time, but she didn't like the fact that it was now clearly obvious to everyone that she wasn't exactly fit and healthy. Michelangelo seemed to be the first one to snap out of the shocked trance he was in, which was highly unusual. But, Amelia was grateful all the same.

"Morning, baby-doll! Do you want some breakfast?"

"Please." Amelia said with a smile, steadily approaching the chair that Raphael had pulled out for her.

It wasn't unusual for her, these days, to be hit with a spell of dizziness when she hadn't eaten for a while, and as a wave of nausea and dizziness washed over her, she took a deep breath and went to grab the back of the chair for support. She'd been dealing with this for a while now, and she thought she had it under control by now. She thought...

"Babe...?" Raphael's voice was full of concern as the colour drained from his girlfriend's face, and he got out of his chair to take a hold of her arms so that she was held steady, "Come sit..."

Michelangelo hurriedly brought the plate of bacon, eggs, tomatoes and toast to her as Raphael eased her into the chair, and he placed it before her as Leonardo poured her some tea. It was pretty obvious that she was incredibly unwell, and she clearly needed help, which her family realised she'd been needing for a lot longer than they thought. It was saddening too, to think that she'd been gradually getting worse over a short period of time, and not one of them had noticed in the slightest.

"You okay?" Raphael asked her, earning a very light nod from the pale young woman.

"I'm alright. I just need to eat." She said with a weak smile, "Thanks, guys."

Trying to eat when you just didn't feel like it, with people staring at you, would be unnerving to anybody. But for Amelia, it made eating twice as hard. She only managed half of her breakfast before she felt too sick to eat any more. She put her fork down as she forced herself to swallow the last mouthful of eggs, and she instantly felt the wave of nausea hit her again. She leaned forward in her seat, putting her head in her hands and taking deep breaths to try and stop herself from losing her food all over the breakfast table.

The brothers and their father shared concerned looks at the state that the young woman was in. Her mind was obviously occupied by something distressing, whether it was the fact that she clearly felt unwell, or something else. So, Splinter decided to do something about it. He cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention, including Amelia's, who rested her head on one hand, and looked up at him wearily.

"I have realised that I've been pushing you all too hard." His voice was soft as he spoke, "While we do need to keep up the extra patrols, I'm going to give you a long break from training so that we can all spend some time together as a family. Amelia, I want you to focus on getting better. It is apparent to all of us that you're very unwell. I would appreciate it if you would take some time to speak with Donatello about your symptoms so that we can find out how to help you get better."

"Of course." Amelia said with a nod, looking up in surprise as Donatello stood from the table and moved to her side, "Oh, right now?"

"Right now." Splinter nodded, watching her ease herself out of her chair as another wave of nausea rocked her body.

Donatello stayed close by, his arm at the ready in case she either collapsed, or she needed something to hold onto. Slowly, they moved out of the kitchen area and towards his lab, leaving the others behind with worried expressions on their faces. Raphael felt his heart clench as Donatello closed the lab door, separating him from his girlfriend.

He wanted to be with her, but he knew he'd probably just be in the way, and that his presence might make Amelia nervous to discuss what was causing her illness. For whatever reason, Amelia felt more comfortable opening up to Donatello when it came to extremely personal things, so Raphael didn't want to intrude and make her feel unable to get everything off her chest. The more they got out of her, the better. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he realised it was Leonardo who was trying to offer him some comfort since he was clearly quite concerned. He smiled gratefully and ran a hand over his face, before he stood from his seat and started to clean the table. It was something that would keep his mind occupied until Amelia was with him once again.

Almost an hour later, Donatello and Raphael were standing in the lab, while Amelia was left in the care of their brothers. They were discussing what Donatello had found from Amelia's examination and from what she'd told him, and Raphael didn't exactly know how to feel about it all at first.

"I'm certain she has mild anaemia." Donatello was saying, his arms folded across his chest, "It would explain the dizziness, the dark discolouration under her eyes, the extended periods of fatigue during menstruation..."

"What the fuck's anaemia?" Raphael asked, not wanting to elaborate on the topic of Amelia's monthly cycle.

"Iron deficiency." Donatello said simply, "Possibly brought on by the stress and weight loss. But, either way, we just need to up the iron in her diet and she'll be fine. The stress of what's been going on for the past few months has more than likely caused the weight loss... But that's a relatively simple fix."

"I'm assuming it's going to take time to deal with that..." Raphael said with a slow nod.

"Yep. That's why she felt sick at breakfast. Too much food is going to make her feel unwell, and her stomach needs to get used to taking in an increased amount of food." Donatello said brightly, "So, the bad news is that she is definitely ill, but the good news is that, like I said, it's a relatively easy fix. She'll be fine within a couple of months, I reckon."

"Well, that makes me feel a lot better." Raphael said with a sigh of relief.

"Now, we've just got to focus on spending time with her, whether individually or as a group, and we need to get her in a better place, emotionally." Donatello's voice was soft as he shook his head, "I mean, it's kind of our fault she's in this state in the first place."

Raphael nodded sadly and thanked his brother, before heading out of the lab and towards where his girlfriend was sitting with Leonardo on the couch. As he got closer, he heard them both talking in quiet voices, and he could see Amelia placing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle on the coffee table. He rolled his eyes as a fond smile broke out onto his face. Only Amelia would have the patience to sit and do a jigsaw puzzle with Leonardo.

He stepped up to the couch where they were sitting and crouched next to the arm of it where Amelia was, looking at the puzzle. It was of a Christmas scene, which was pretty appropriate, considering that Christmas was coming up in the next week or so. She looked at him and smiled, gently running a slender hand over his bandanna covered head which made him want to let out a contented sigh. She probably had the most gentle and soothing touch that he'd ever come across.

"Hey." She said sweetly, turning back to the puzzle, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Raphael replied with a grin of his own, "Uh, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Amelia looked a little worried as the words left his lips, and she bit her own as she steadily got up from the couch, allowing Raphael to take her hand as he also got to his feet. Leonardo watched her with concern as she and Raphael slowly made their way towards the stairs. It was unnerving to actually see her collarbone protruding more than usual, and as he'd been sitting beside her and watched her picking up pieces of the jigsaw puzzle, he'd noticed the joint in her wrist was more prominent too. It was awful to think that none of them had realised how ill she was.

As Raphael led her into their room, he closed the door behind them and walked her to their bed, his hand still holding hers tightly. She brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and swallowed thickly, before pulling the pyjama pants that she was still wearing back up from where they'd almost slipped down her upper thighs, and sitting beside him on their bed. He studied her thin form, her pale face coated with an expression of concern and slight upset.

"So, Donnie told me what's going on with you and your health right now." Raphael said quietly, keeping her hand held tightly in his own, "And he said it's a relatively easy fix, but I know that the emotional side of things isn't necessarily an easy fix."

Amelia didn't say anything. She just sat patiently and listened, her blue eyes bearing into his intense green ones as he gently stroked her hand with his thumb, his other hand resting over the exposed part of hers. She was happy to sit there quietly and hear what he had to say, regardless of how worried she clearly was about it. That was one of the things he loved the most about her. She was so patient and so unassuming that he knew he could tell her anything and she'd hear him out fully before responding to him.

"So, I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to do everything in my power to try and help you get better... Up here..." He moved his left hand to gently brush against her temple, "And in here."

He lowered his hand and rested his index finger over her heart briefly before removing it again, watching her cautiously as she swallowed thickly again, as though fighting a wave of emotion. He smiled wistfully at her, moving closer to her as she lowered her gaze, and then scooping her thin frame up into his arms, settling her on his lap. He couldn't begin to imagine how hard this must've been for her. Accepting help made Amelia feel guilty, like she was putting people out, and he had his suspicions that her parents probably made her feel that way when she was growing up. He didn't exactly want to think about that right now, because he knew it would make him angry, and Amelia didn't need that right now.

"The only thing I want right now, is for you to feel better. Okay?" He whispered, "And I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen."

"I love you, Raphael." Amelia's voice was shaky and quiet, but the words meant the world to him.

"I love you too, darlin'." He replied, pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, "Things are gonna get better, I promise."

Amelia could only nod, because she felt too emotional to do anything else. She'd already accepted that she was depressed, and that she was sick. But to hear Raphael so willingly vow to help her recover and get through it was so touching, and it filled her with an overwhelming sense of relief that she didn't have to deal with this alone any more. At the same time, though, she felt guilty. She didn't want him to have to dedicate himself to helping her get better, when she'd probably been overreacting about all this in the first place. He had other things that he needed to be doing.

"It's gonna be okay." He said softly, kissing her temple once again, "Remember what I told you two years ago? Your problems are my problems. We're a team, and we're gonna work through it together."

He'd grown so much as a person over the past two years. While he used to not always be able to tell her how he felt, unless he was in a state of emotional distress, now, he found it much easier. He'd learned over that time how best to comfort her, and he'd learned about how to open up to her and say these sorts of things to her without feeling self conscious or embarrassed. He still had his moments where he struggled with words, and it was likely that he always would, but sometimes he just knew exactly what to say to make her feel a million times better.

She nodded at him with a genuine, warm smile, and she then leaned forward to tenderly and lovingly kiss his lips. After a brief moment, as their eyes closed, Raphael then deepened the kiss, holding her protectively in his arms as her delicate hands gently cradled his face, her mouth moving languidly with his.

He'd missed being intimate with her. The three month separation had driven them both crazy, but he knew, even though all he wanted to do was to lay her on that bed and make love to her, that he had to wait. He didn't want to take advantage of her while she was in this emotional state, and he would rather wait for her to initiate anything like that before he took things any further.

As they broke their kiss, Amelia wrapped her arms around Raphael's neck and eased herself forward to embrace him for a brief moment, before she got up off his lap and went to collect her pile of clothes that was sitting on top of the Ottoman.

"I'm gonna take a shower." She said sweetly, heading for the bedroom door, "I'll see you downstairs."

Raphael nodded and got up off the bed, before following her out of the room, watching her as she slowly headed towards the bathroom, pulling the pyjama pants back up around her hips as she went. He shook his head sadly as he watched her slowly walk into the bathroom, trying not to think about the sight of her having to keep hold of her clothes so that they wouldn't fall down. How had she become this unwell without them noticing? The question had been plaguing him since he saw her the night before, and he realised he would probably never know the answer, but he knew damn well that the guilt wouldn't leave any of them for a long time. Steadily, Raphael headed down the stairs, trying to concentrate on the positive news that Donatello had given him earlier.

'Stop worrying... It's a pretty easy fix. Donnie told you so...' He thought to himself, shaking his head as he went to join his brothers in the living area.

Leonardo and Donatello were gingerly moving the half finished jigsaw to Leonardo's room, where it wouldn't be destroyed by Michelangelo when he was running around the lair hyperactive, which they knew would happen at some point during the day. The youngest turtle was currently transfixed by some stupid horror movie that was playing on the television, so Raphael knew it was probably the best time to move the jigsaw out of the way. Splinter was watching the film with a keen interest, a cup of tea nursed between his paws.

"What crap are you watching now, Mikey?" Raphael asked, plopping down on the sofa and stretching out into a lounging position.

"Uh, dude... This is Killer Klowns From Outer Space."

"Yeah, and Amelia's got coulrophobia." Raphael warned him, "Phobia of clowns. So, you'd better turn that off before she gets down here."

After about ten minutes of Raphael glaring holes into the back of his little brother's head, who'd continued watching the movie despite what Raphael had said about Amelia, Michelangelo finally relented and leaned forward with a disgruntled sigh, reaching for the remote. He didn't want to stop watching the movie, but he didn't want to upset Amelia either. She was already dealing with enough problems because of them.

"So, what are we gonna watch instead?" The youngest turtle asked, switching off the movie, "She isn't gonna ask to watch one of those weird olden days romance things, is she...?"

"Period dramas, Mikey." Leonardo said as he approached the living area, "They're called period dramas."

"I thought period dramas were those things Amelia has once a month." Michelangelo said with a confused expression, earning a very annoyed look from his father and older brothers.

"No, numb-nuts. They're just called periods." Raphael growled, "Now, shut the hell up."

"Why are we talking about periods?"

At the sound of Amelia's voice, the turtles all startled and glanced up at her to see her standing behind the couch, a smirk present on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was wearing a red sweater, and black yoga pants now, rather than her overly big pyjamas. The clothing still looked baggy, but it didn't look as bad as before.

"Mikey got confused between menstruation and period dramas." Donatello offered, plopping himself down on one of the newly bought beanbag chairs, next to Michelangelo, while Leonardo sat himself in an arm chair, "We were just guessing what you'd like to watch, since Mikey's just finished watching Killer Klowns From Outer Space."

"Oh... Um... Have you downloaded anything new?" Amelia asked, allowing Raphael to take her hand and lead her around the couch so that she could lounge against his form as he stretched out across the soft furniture.

"I did download new ones, but they're all horror." Donatello answered with a shrug.

"I don't think horror is a genre that your father likes." Amelia said with a smile, looking over at Splinter who was drinking his tea.

"I have been waiting to watch The Others." Splinter admitted, setting his tea back on the end table next to his chair, "Donatello downloaded it for me."

"Oooh! That one's so good!" Amelia beamed, "It's very clever. You'll like it."

"Okay, well, I think that's settled." Leonardo chuckled, "I'm going to get some drinks and snacks."

"I'll come and help." Amelia offered, slowly easing herself up from where she was laying against Raphael's chest, "Okay, what does everyone want?"

Splinter asked for another cup of tea, Donatello asked for coffee, and Michelangelo and Raphael asked for Orange Crush, so Amelia and Leonardo went to go and get the drinks, along with a variety of treats. Raphael sat up on the couch and watched her carefully as she headed to the kitchen with his brother, before he settled back against the sofa, feeling satisfied that she was alright. He worried about her constantly, and he'd done so since they got together two years before. She was his responsibility, and his priority, and all he wanted was for her to be safe, happy and healthy.

After quickly getting drinks and treats together, the pair returned to the living area and handed out the drinks, while Donatello got the movie ready. As the group grabbed snacks, including Splinter, Amelia got herself settled between Raphael's legs, only for him to cover her with the blanket that he'd made her for their first anniversary. Leonardo sat himself in his chair, and watched his younger brother try to make the young woman comfortable in his arms with a small grin. It was good to see things starting to get back to normal.

When everyone was comfortable, Donatello started the movie, and then Amelia turned herself onto her stomach, resting her head on Raphael's plastron as he tenderly rubbed her back. He had a feeling that she was tired and wanted to rest, which was why she'd rested on her stomach. It wasn't an unusual thing for her to do, and that was why there was an emergency pillow kept the shelf at the bottom of the coffee table. Raphael reached down with a large hand and grabbed it, before easing it under Amelia's body as she lifted herself up from his plastron.

Splinter watched curiously as Raphael made sure Amelia was comfortable with the pillow, before he returned to gently caressing her back. Amelia had slept like this many times, and they'd learned to put a pillow down the length of Raphael's torso to make sure her breasts were resting on something soft, rather than his hard plastron. He smiled at his son's attentiveness, and he could already see that Amelia was falling asleep, thanks to the soothing manner in which Raphael was rubbing her back.

Father and son shared a look for a brief moment, and Splinter smiled at him proudly, before turning his attention back to the movie. It wasn't unusual for Raphael to be so attentive to Amelia in front of his brothers, and since he'd gotten over the initial embarrassment of being seen as a 'soft touch', as Michelangelo called him, he'd been more comfortable with displaying his affection for his girlfriend in front of his family.

The movie was both atmospheric and scary, and the ending had been a shock to all of them, but through all the loud bangs, the intense music and the nerve-wracking finale, Amelia slept, safely nestled in in the warmth of Raphael's arms. The turtles and their father smiled fondly at Amelia as they started to clean up after the movie ended, who was nuzzling into the pillow as Raphael pulled the blanket up and over her shoulders. She looked so peaceful and so content, that no-one had the heart to wake her or move her.

The turtle felt his phone vibrating on his belt, so he reached under the blanket to remove it and take a look at the message that had come through. It was April, texting him to make sure that everything was okay between Amelia and the rest of the family, so he replied with a yes, and then he thanked her for taking care of Amelia the night before. The only human he would ever trust to take care of Amelia was April, and he was so grateful that she'd actually taken his girlfriend in and had looked after in her time of need.

In his arms, the young woman stirred, clearly woken by the phone vibrating. She looked up at him with bleary blue eyes, offering him a small smile as she reached up and tried to smooth out her messy hair.

"Did I miss the movie?"

"Yeah." Raphael's voice was deep and gentle as he ran his hand over her hair as well, "But, I bet you feel better for the sleep, huh?"

Amelia nodded and slowly sat herself up, stretching her arms in the air as she let out a large yawn. The blanket fell from her body and pooled around her waist, which she then picked up in her dainty hands, folded and placed over the back of the couch. That was Amelia all over, ever neat and tidy, no matter where she was and what she was doing. Raphael watched as she eased herself up from the sofa, but it was obvious by the way that her face paled that she wasn't feeling well.

He hated to see her like this. It was so unusual for someone who was usually glowing with smiles and laughter to look so pale and weak. It made Raphael's chest hurt to know that she was sick, and that he hadn't even remotely noticed that she was this unwell. It hurt even more that he and his family were half of the reason that she was in this state in the first place.

"Babe...?" He got to his feet straight away and steadied her as she swayed a little where she stood, closing her eyes as she felt sick to her stomach.

The dizzy spells were awful. They were so nauseating that Amelia could barely stand up after them sometimes. Luckily, Raphael had taken her by the arms and was holding her up, allowing her the time to take deep breaths and get through it without losing her balance. She knew he was worried, and she felt terrible that he was feeling like that. There wasn't much she could do to make him better, apart from maybe trying to reassure him, which she did.

"It's okay... It's passing." She promised him, wrapping her fingers around his large hand gently and squeezing to comfort him.

Raphael shared a worried look with Splinter, before he let out a tired sigh and leaned down to kiss the top of her head, resting against her for a few moments. It made the rat's heart ache to see Raphael so concerned, and to see Amelia so unwell. It was even more painful to think that his narrow-mindedness had almost completely ripped the family apart. How could he have lost so much focus on the most important part of his life?

He could only hope that now she was back at home, things would begin to change for the better.

~ To Be Continued ~

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