You know, aside from Tyler and Jhanna, Mrs. Morrison was that one person who I thought deserved more appearances and character development. Tyler and Jhanna deserve it too, of course: That's why Tyler was in the last chapter. I'm also working on something for Jhanna, too... and Mortu, and Usagi, and Bishop... oh, man, there are too many characters for me to handle sometimes. Ah well.

Anyway: If you don't know Mrs. Morrison, refer back to episode 7 of season 3, Touch and Go. Raphael is 'rescued' from a gang of angry anti-alien people by Mrs. M, and at the end, after Splinter and Mike defeat Hun's new allies, Touch and Go, Raph gives her a big briefcase of money. But she was awesome...and so, this came to be.

Wonders

Mrs. Morrison sighed as she stroked her cat, Lucy. Even though the woman had been blind for nearly two years now, she still liked to stare out the window, just to feel more normal.

Sight...sight, she now realized, was one of the many wonders of this world. Sure, she knew blindness would probably come to her - it was a genetic trait, unfortunately - but, still, so many took it for granted. Looking back, even she took advantage of the gift.

Oh, how she wished she could see, because then she would have been able to see her most wonderful helper and friend: Raphael. The boy was a wonder himself, she thought.

His voice, for one thing...it sounded tough, but she could always tell there was sympathy and concern in his voice when he was around her. He was very strong - she could hear the way lifting her things and helping her with daily chores never seemed to make him tired. Unfortunately, that was almost all she knew about him.

Raphael refused to tell her very much, and he usually steered well away from her hands, as if he was afraid of being touched. He seemed to take comfort in her blindness, though, which Mrs. Morrison felt was odd. Perhaps he had some genetic defect that made his appearance...different? It didn't really matter. The lad was still a mystery...a wonder.

After talking to Mr. Rosetti, she realized Raphael was not, in fact, one of his adopted sons. But, being a polite lady, she didn't inquire any further into Raphael's life. She knew how to respect others' privacy, even when it was bugging her to find out more.

Like...like now. Raphael had gone missing, for about 5 months now. Usually, he stopped by every Saturday, and whenever he could in between. If he missed a Saturday visit, he would always come Sunday - and with flowers, as if trying to make up for his abscenses. But...but being gone this long...

She knew he wasn't dead - unless his whole family was dead. Raphael would sometimes bring two of his three brothers along - Michelangelo or Donatello, sometimes both at once. At one time, his older brother, Leonardo, had tagged along, but it was obvious the older boy was hesitant to trust...outsiders to his family. But Mrs. Morrison didn't really mind. She just told the oldest that it was...interesting how they were all named after Renaissance artists. Leonardo had said their adopted father (whose name he kept secret) had a book on Renaissance art, and ended up naming him and his brothers after the most famous: Michelangelo, Leonardo, Raphael, and Donatello. But anyway - if Raphael was dead, one of his brothers would most definately stop by to break the news.

She considered the possibility they had moved, or went on vacation...but Raphael would have come to say goodbye. Oh well. Whatever he was doing, wherever he was...she hoped he was safe.

Mrs. Morrison knew Raphael wasn't normal. When she had first led him inside, his skin felt a bit leathery, and there had been something a little hard on his back, though she dismissed it as a backpack. Raphael hadn't really told her much, but he had told her his favorite color was red, and that his eyes were a startling golden color. He said nothing more, though - nothing about his 'backpack', or about his hair, or what type of clothes he wore, or even his last name. It was so obvious he had a wonderous secret to keep hidden in the dark...

As time went on, Raphael began to trust her more, and she could lead him to things more often. That, though, was when she realized, in taking his hand, he didn't have five fingers - he had three. Unfortunately, it did explain why he hardly let her near him...

And then, when leading him into the bathroom to help her fix the shower (which was, for some reason, not turning on), she had laid a hand on his back, as if to guide him through the door. The hard thing on his back...was definitely not a backpack, she had realized. But she didn't ask about it. She could hold back her curiosity out of respect for her new helper.

That was months ago. Now, the wonderful Raphael, and his brothers, were missing. Just...gone. And that was when Mrs. Morrison had first began to piece together the clues.

He was obviously not human. That was a given. It was a shell, she realized, that was on his back...and she had never heard of genetic disorders resulting in only three fingers. But Raphael walked on two feet, and could talk, and do pretty much everything she could...and that led her to the conclusion of him being a mutant.

Now, however, Mrs. Morrison found herself wondering what type of mutant he really was. She figured out he was most likely a mutant Turtle: but had he originally been an ordinary turtle, or a human like herself?

Stroking Lucy, Mrs. Morrison figured...she would ask Raphael, if he ever came back. His secret was safe with her. After all, she was a blind, elderly woman - if she said to someone that a mutant Turtle was visiting her, they would dismiss her as crazy. Surely Raphael knew this...

But now, she wondered when Raphael would come home, if he ever came home. And...and she wondered if she would have the courage to ask him about his past, to tell him she had figured it out. However, the clock was beeping: it was 10 at night, and Mrs. Morrison suddenly realized just how tired she was. Well...perhaps she could wonder about that tomorrow.