The night was cold, it was probably snowing already, but Ko didn't mind. She was sitting on the couch in the dark. It was late, but she didn't believe she would be able to sleep anytime soon. She tightened her grip on the blanket that covered her and closed her eyes. Maybe she could force herself to fall asleep. It wasn't working.

Footsteps echoed through the lair and Ko peered to see who it was. A broad figure was navigating through the dark. "Is that you, Raph?"

"What are you doing awake? Did I wake you up?"

"No, I just couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"Same as you."

Ko made some space for the turtle and he sat down. He looked tired, but not sleepy in the least. Ko had come to know Raphael very well over the past weeks. They spent a lot of time just sitting in a room without doing much, and that was okay with both of them. They both felt comfortable just doing that, and they both liked it the way it was.

Ko felt she had to say something this once. "Is there something on your mind?"

"I don't know it's just that I've had trouble sleeping for some time now. You see, I lost a friend of mine and it was all my fault."

"I see. That's too bad. But I'm sure if they are your friend for real, you'll both make it up to each other."

Raphael chuckled to himself at such naivety. He was sure Spike, or Slash, wasn't exactly going to come over and talk things over with some tea and cake.

"It's not that simple. You see, I had Spike since he was a teeny tortoise, and I mean a real normal tortoise, he was the one to hear me out every time I had something to say. Not like he could answer back, anyways. But still, he was my friend…"

And so, Raphael told the whole story of how Spike had gotten mutated into a giant angry tortoise that wanted to kill his brothers. Ko listened intently and not once did she ever interrupt him. Ko was definitely better at listening than any of the other turtles, and there were things Raph would rather not tell his father about. He often kept things to himself, and that was probably why he was always so angry and annoyed.

"Well, I just spilled my heart out; now it's your turn."

"My turn?"

"Yeah, tell me what's keeping you up at night."

Ko seemed to hesitate at first. Should she share what had been happening to her? Raph had shared something very personal with her, making it obvious that he trusted her. She trusted him as well.

"I've been having nightmares for some days now. It might sound childish, but I'm actually scared of falling asleep and having another one." Raphael just looked at her and paid attention the same way she had done previously. "Most of it is just a blur of dark colors, but I can hear screaming. In my dreams, I hear a lot of screaming. I can hear men and women, and sometimes, I've also heard children. Most of the time, I can't make out what they're screaming about, but there are times I can hear them clearly. They cry for help, and then I feel something so hot on my back that I feel my skin is melting. I try to scream as well but I can't. No matter how much I try, I don't make a sound."

Ko lowered her face and stared at the ground, she really didn't want to relive one of her nightmares. Raph was at a loss about what to do. Usually, when he or one of his brothers had bad dreams when they were younger, they went to Master Splinter. Raph really wasn't one to give words of encouragement or cuddles. He decided to rest his hand on her shoulder. Maybe the contact would make her feel better.

"Look Ko, they're just dreams, and dreams aren't real. You probably have seen way too much of Mikey's movies. Just forget all about it and you'll soon stop having dreams."

Ko looked at him with her dark eyes and smiled. "Yeah, you're right."

"Say, how 'bout we watch a movie? A normal one, obviously. Have you ever seen Batman?"

Author's Note: Hello once again. I told you guys this chapter was going to be shorter (and by shorter I mean a hella lot shorter) but it's still a very important chapter. Things are starting to get interesting. Remember to review and let me know your thoughts about the story (it really helps if you do). See you next time!