A/N: I am feeling so much better! And the creative juices are flowing again! My apologies for the lackluster chapter before. But being doped up on so much pain medication, I was lucky to even find the keyboard...Ugh! Anyways, you are going to both love me and hate me for this chapter, so I'll just go find a nice storm shelter to hang out in for a while...
Mira tossed and turned, letting out a frustrated sigh. The tension in her home was crushing and her own excitement drove her to sit up. She looked about the dark room for anything to distract her mind. Dinner had gone as well is one might have expected with two uninvited guest. It had been quiet and tense. The only discussion that had aired was that of their visitors' plans for the following day.
Donnie had surprised them, explaining that he had indeed been able to replicate the alien technology. He'd only had enough parts to create three more holo-projectors. They were not as nice or as clean as the ones K-three had brought and he had not design them to be waterproof. He had also explained that he was unable to replicate the energy source, so he had used earth batteries. He said these new holos should last at least as long as the wristbands though. So, it had been with some reluctance that he had agreed for Mira to go with them, but only with an escort. One of the brothers would always accompany them on any outing.
Mira gave another frustrated sigh and pushed herself up from the bedside. Maybe a short walk in the sewer tunnel would clear her head and give her enough space between her and the others that she could rest. Using her ninja stealth, she slipped from her bedroom and down the hall to the sewer entrance. She deftly shut off the alarm and keyed in the code to open the door. She gave a little glance around when the bricks scraped against the cement. She glanced at the open door that had once led into her grandfather's room so many years ago. But there was not a noise or single sign of life to be found from her sleeping cousins.
She smiled slightly to herself as she passed into the sewer tunnel beyond. After putting Shinta to bed in his new room, her uncle had paced outside the door. Waiting and watching for any sign that his son may be upset. It had finally been with some hesitancy that he had slipped off to his own bedroom. He had left his door open in case of any sign of trouble, while the rest of the family had headed off to bed themselves.
And their guest? Well, instead of carting them all back to their own ships, it had been decided that they could sleep in the dojo. Which at the moment was the source of the tension in the lair. And it spurred Mira on until she reached the junction. Here the water from dozens of pipes above crashed down like so many waterfalls into the great basin at the bottom. She sat down and dangled her feet over the edge, staring into the bottomless pit before her. She hadn't traveled far, no more than a few hundred feet from the lair door. Yet, it was far enough to give her some sense of isolation. This had become her quiet place - the place she could center herself. She closed her eyes and listened to the water dripping from the huge pipes above.
She gave another heavy sigh. It had been hard over the past few years learning to control her empathic powers by herself. She hadn't realized just how much her Aunt Amaya had helped in that regard until she was gone. She was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she did not register the soft footsteps until they were nearly on top of her. She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed. She knew who approached and even here in her private place, she welcomed his presence.
He settled on the cold cement beside her, dangling one leg over the edge and resting his arm across the other knee. "Something wrong little flower?"
She wondered briefly why he wouldn't use her name. But the endearment was not unwanted either. "No, just thinking."
He frowned a little. "Do we make you uncomfortable?"
She looked into the water avoiding his eyes. "Well… Maybe a little." He shifted a bit and she glanced at him, then back into the black depths. "It's not anything that you've done. I'm just not used to having strangers around. It's usually just the family and I'm used to them." She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Their souls are like a constant hum inside my head, like a comforting and familiar melody. It can take time for me to get used to others and sometimes that can unnerve me a bit."
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize. Do I make you uncomfortable?"
"No!" She hurriedly replied with perhaps a little too much fervor, because he grinned. She blushed, her eyes dancing around the room in search of anything to look at except the molten gold that seared into her. "I like your presence... I mean, a lot better than the others anyways."
He moved his hand to rest on top of hers. It was so much larger that it nearly encompassed it. "Good." He rumbled and she looked up at him, finally meeting his eyes. "Because I like yours too."
A tingle raced up her arm and she gasped. She could feel his emotions flow over her in waves. They were bashful and confident, tentative yet firm. There was no denying the desire blazing behind that golden gaze though. But was it only his desire? Her breath caught. No, her own instincts soared to the forefront. He reached out to stroke her cheek and she shivered. He moved forward slowly. And she found herself accepting him into her personal space without even the slightest protest.
His lips pressed against hers was like nothing she'd ever felt before, warm and soft. Pressing yet hesitant, like he didn't want to frighten her. Her logical mind fought against the desire to move closer, but there was no fighting the fire that raged through their blood. His arms wrapped around her pulling her plastron tight to his. Her arm snaked around his neck of their own accord.
Someone cleared their throat and Mira scrambled back so fast she nearly fell in the water. Blue eyes pierced the darkness of the tunnel beyond and she hurried to her feet. "Uh, Uncle Leo… I was just getting some fresh air."
His frown was deep as he stepped from the shadows. "I see."
Mira shifted nervously as K-three stood up behind her. She could feel both her uncle's irritation and his disappointment. A horrible thought struck her. "Please don't tell my dad."
Leo's gaze shifted from his niece to the young man. "You left the door open, Mira. Yoshi or Shinta could've gotten out. They could've gotten lost."
"I'm sorry, I was trying to be quiet." She peeked up at her uncle through her long lashes. "You won't tell him Uncle Leo, will you? He'd be so mad."
Leo's gaze never left K-three. "I'll think about it, if you go straight back to bed."
It was not a request. It was an order. He was using the tone that said he would not be questioned. She stiffened, going automatically into an attention stance. "Yes, Uncle." She shot K-three an apologetic look, then darted off down the tunnel.
K-three moved to follow her but Leo stopped him with a strong hand on his plastron. His voice was firm and the warning dire as he spoke. "I will not tolerate you disrupting my family. Even if she does have affections for you, you'll be leaving in a few days. And she won't be going with you."
K-three dared to narrow his eyes at the older turtle. "You'd tell her not to come with me? You'd make her stay? What about her happiness?"
"I am thinking of her happiness and I don't have to tell her. She already knows. And if you cared about her you wouldn't ask her to go."
K-three stared at him. "What? Why?"
"Have you considered her safety?" K-three's eyes widened. Leo sighed, trying to remember what it was like to be young and impulsive. "You live in a war zone. Would you be able to protect her - to guarantee her safety?"
K-three's eyes dropped away unable to hold the steely blue gaze any longer. He swallowed hard. He hadn't considered that. All he had thought about was her. She had consumed his mind since nearly the moment he'd laid eyes on her. Would it be fair to drag her halfway across the galaxy into danger? He bit his lip and rubbed his sweating palms against his jeans. "No." He finally croaked.
"I'm going to keep quiet about this for Mira's sake, not for yours. Because I have a feeling if my brother gets wind of this, your shell is cracked. And that would only hurt her."
Leo turned and headed back down the passage, K-three following at a much more subdued pace. His heart twisted and tumbled inside him like a roller coaster caught in high speed. He wanted to punch something and wretch at the same time. How could this have happened? He had finally found someone he couldn't imagine living without.
Leo paused just inside the entrance to allow K-three to pass. The younger turtle didn't dare to meet his eyes as he turned and stepped in back into the dojo. The soft scraping noise of the door closing behind him made him shudder. He laid back down on his pallet. Sleep would not come to him tonight.
Leo sighed as he watched the forlorn turtle enter the dojo. Maybe he shouldn't have interfered, but it was better to stop things now before Mira became too attached. He glanced down the hall towards the girl's room. Something in the back of his mind told him that that bridge had already been crossed though.
Mira paced back and forth, glancing at the closed bedroom door. K-three was upset. Her uncle was upset. What now spurred her footfalls was no longer the tension in the lair but her own desire to touch him again, to smell him again, to fill the press of his strong body against hers. She pressed down the powerful emotions, knowing that if she allowed them to overwhelm her they would wake her mother. She took a few cleansing breaths and sat down on the side of her bed. Slowly she laid down, focusing on his embrace. It had been warm, strong and protective. And his emotions had reflected that, powerful and gentle. Sighing again she closed her eyes. Keeping the sensation at the forefront of her mind she finally drifted off into sleep.
Mikey groaned as his body came to awareness. Why did it seem like the older he got the worse things felt? There was a time when he could've taken that small fall off the hover-board without even feeling it the next morning. Now his spine ached and his joints cried, and he was pretty certain he had good size knot on the back of his head. Beside him Kala rolled over in his arms to look up at him. Her deep blue eyes held concern.
"What's wrong?" Her tone was soft as she stroked her fingers along his chin and down his neck. She'd noticed the change in him over the past few days. He seemed tired and listless, not his normal energetic self.
He sighed. "Am I getting old?"
Kala stared at him for a long moment. "Is this a trick question? Because if you're old, I am too."
Mikey propped himself on his elbow to look down at her. He ran his fingers along the smooth pale skin of her cheek. "You're definitely not old, babe. You're as beautiful as the first day I saw you."
She smiled up at him. "And you're just as handsome as ever. So, I guess that means neither one of us is old just yet."
He rolled onto his back with a little huff. "Maybe not, but it sure does feel like it sometimes."
She crawled up to rest her palms on his plastron and prop her chin on them. "Maybe you're just tired. You should try to sleep."
He shook his head, playing with a strand of her yellow-orange hair. "I don't know if I can. Maybe I should have Sarah find me something to help me sleep."
Kala smiled a bit impishly, a sparkle in her eye. "I know something that will help you sleep."
She giggled as he rolled her over and pinned her to the bed. He growled playfully, light flickering in his own blue eyes. "I like that plan a whole lot better." He pressed his lips to her small pink ones, letting all his senses be consumed by the warm heavenly body beneath him. Kala moaned as he delved his tongue into her mouth, searching out her very soul. His arms tightened around her and she responded by wrapping her legs around his. She dragged her foot up the back of his calf making him shiver. Green hands caressed porcelain white skin in the dark, familiar and desired.
Mira stepped out into the hall and blushed slightly as she passed Mikey's door. Why did they always have to do that in the morning? At least Cat and Raph as well as her parents had the decency to wait until night, when she was more likely to be asleep. Pushing past the amorous emotions pulsing from the room, she made her way into the kitchen. Her mother was busy making breakfast while her father sat at the long table sipping a cup of coffee. Mira fidgeted nervously for a moment, making her mother glance her way. She was grateful that her mother couldn't read minds or she would know about her little midnight rendezvous. But it seemed her mother assumed she was nervous to talk to her father. Taking a deep breath, she slipped into the chair beside him.
"Um, Dad, thanks for letting me go with them."
Donnie looked up from the tablet, where he'd been going over his most recent project, with a frown. His expression softened as he looked at his daughter. He sighed taking her hand. "I'm just trying to protect you, sweetheart. You're only seventeen. You don't really know what the world's like yet. And people aren't always what they appear to be."
"But I like him, Daddy."
The conviction in her eyes, made his heart twist. He gave another heavy sigh. "I know you do."
"You do?"
He gave her a lopsided smile as if to say, 'You really thought I didn't know?'. She gave a small chuckle, realizing her detail oriented father had probably noticed at their first encounter. He squeezed her hand. "I know it can be hard sometimes when your heart wants to outweigh your head, but don't let it control you. Try to keep a logical perspective on things."
Sarah moved to stand behind his chair and place her hands on his shoulders. "But trust your heart as well. It will always know right from wrong."
Mira gave them a tentative smile. "You mean you trust me to make my own decisions?"
Donnie smiled as well. "Of course we do." He glared over her shoulder in the direction of the living room, where their guests' voices could now be heard. "It's them I don't trust."
Sarah chuckled lightly, squeezing her mate's shoulders. She turned back to the stove as Mira leaned over to place a kiss on her father's cheek. "Thank you, Daddy."
"Mm, something smells good." Prog stepped into the doorway, his large girth nearly blocking it. He rubbed his stomach. "Ma'am, I must say your cooking is better than my mom's. It's been a long time since I had such good food."
Sarah glanced over her shoulder with a smile. "Well, it is nice to be appreciated every once in a while." If Eznic had said the same thing to her she would have questioned his motives. It seemed everything he did or said was calculated and perhaps even a bit deceptive, but Prog didn't give her that impression. He seemed more lost than anything else. All he need was the proper direction. If Splinter had still been alive, he would have likely given him that direction.
Donnie smirked as he pushed back from the table, abandoning his tablet there. She felt the sparkle of mischief as he approached her. She turned back to the stove, trying to hide her smile. His large hands wrapped around her waist and his breath was hot in her ear as he whispered. "I appreciate you." His husky tone sent a shiver down her spine.
Sarah quietly reminded him that they were not alone, while behind them Mira rolled her eyes. Part of her was annoyed by their behavior, but another part was comforted knowing just how much love they shared.
Prog averted his eyes and they landed on the female turtle. "So, you gonna go with us?"
Mira nodded. "Yeah."
"Have you ever gone hang gliding before?"
She shook her head. There wasn't a whole lot she'd been able to do in her life, confined mainly to the dark sewer tunnels. Her father and uncles had probably done more in their lives than she would ever have the possibility of accomplishing in hers. "No, but I understand the aerodynamics and how to use the thermals, lifts, waves and convergences to…"
Prog made a face and she stopped her analytical description. He chuckled. "No wonder you and K-three get along. You sound like him."
"Everything is ready." Sarah announced. She leaned up to give her spouse a discreet peck on the lips and whisper something that made him chuckle. Mira stood and helped load down the large table with the platters of food, while everyone slowly trickled in. She frowned a little when she saw K-three take a seat at the table between his buddies. He kept his eyes down, not looking at her. It was the first time he hadn't made an effort to get as close as possible to her.
Leo was the one to note an obvious absence. "Hey, where's Mikey and Kala?"
Mira blushed a little and Kaz opened his mouth to say they were still in bed, but Kala appeared at that moment. "Mikey is, uh, not feeling well. I told him to get some more sleep."
Donnie frowned. "He's sick?"
Kala quickly averted their concern. "Oh, no. More like tired."
The brothers relaxed and Raph mumbled something about being lazy, earning him an elbow from Cat. Soon the discussion had turned to the day ahead. They were taking the company out to Ellenville to hang glide. Raph had agreed to go with them, playing escort for the day. After a trip to both ships to gather gear, they headed out.
Mira tried to talk to K-three during the ride despite her uncle's watchful eye. But each time, he gave her a short answer and started talking with someone else. He even pretended not to hear her when she asked him to help her on with her harness. Chase had given his friend an odd look when he'd walked away. So Chase offered to help Mira into the harness himself and she had accepted politely. When the power on the holo-projectors got low, they headed home.
Dinner was a rambunctious recapping of the day's events. Even K-three got wrapped up in talking about the beautiful landscape they'd flown over. But Mira sat quietly, giving him quick glances while studying her plate. As the evening went on, he did his best to avoid her, hanging with his friends and engaging the rest of the family. From time to time Chase and Zan would give him odd looks as if they knew he was forcing the interaction and avoiding one specifically. But he couldn't avoid her forever, not in such tight quarters.
Most everyone had already gone to bed when K-three made a trip to the bathroom. As he returned, a small hand darted out from the kitchen and pulled him in. He swallowed hard as he stared down into the deep brown eyes. She wanted answers and he wasn't sure he wanted to give them. She looked a little nervous and he frowned. "Did I… Did I do something wrong?"
He stared at her in shock. How could she ask him that? After he'd done his best to ignore her all day, this angel thought it was her fault. "No."
"Then did I do something to offend you?" Her eyes appeared to moisten in the dim light from the living room.
He shook his head. "No, of course not."
Her bottom lip protruded a bit and he nearly lost it right there. "Then I don't understand. I thought we…I mean I like you and I thought you liked me." She sighed and looked away into the dark room. "I'm sorry, I'm new at this."
He blinked. "New at what?"
She cocked her head to the side. "At being in a relationship." That gave him pause. He hadn't considered that she might not have ever been in a relationship before, on this planet dominated by humans. She looked back up, meeting his eyes. "We are in a relationship, aren't we?"
He tore his gaze away from those eyes that pleaded with him. He took one unsteady step back out of her light grip, fighting ever cell in his being to do so. "This is my fault." His voice shook, though he tried desperately to keep it from doing so. "I led you on." He took a struggling breath. "We can't be in a relationship." He set his jaw and forced the words out. "I don't want to be with you."
A/N: I hear you booing me. -ducks back inside shelter- Review!
