Vittoria

Chapter Seven

Donny kept his voice to a whisper.

"It's been three days," he told Leo. The two of them were standing near Donny's workplace, keeping an eye on the couch, where Mikey had barely left Vittoria's side since she'd throw up her own blood.

Donny looked exhausted – he'd barely slept. He'd drawn blood and run a dozen tests and wracked his brain for something that might help Vittoria's body stop deteriorating. But not even Don could figure out a way to stabilize her body, let alone find a cure to make her well. Her very body had been born unstable, from the moment she was created as a clone. Even without the mutant turtle DNA, it was unlikely that she would've lived long anyway.

But still. They had all hoped.

"Leo, I can't do anything." Donny's voice sounded anguished. "I don't...I don't think she'll last one more night."

Leo put his hand on Don's shoulder.

"I know you tried everything you could think of," Leo said. "If there was a way to help her, you would've found it." He couldn't let Donny blame himself. Leo knew that trap all too well. Seeing Vittoria in this condition was making everybody miserable. But though Leo's stomach clenched whenever he saw blood leaking out of the corner of her mouth, he knew he had to keep it together for his brothers. He was their leader. They were all counting on him. And now that he knew what was coming – what would happen to her soon – he needed to do his best to prepare.

He pulled Donny a little closer toward him. "Donny," he said. "When it happens…Mikey will understand. He won't blame you for it."

Donny turned his unhappy face up toward his brother, grasping at the comfort of his words.

"But he will need you," Leo said. He glanced at Mikey, at the defeated hunch of his back. "He'll need you to be there for him. He'll need all of us."

Donny swallowed, and then he nodded. He seemed to pull himself together. "You're right," he said.

Leo nodded in return, and left Donny to confront Raph next.

*IN THE GARAGE*

Leo found Raph in the garage, working alone on his bike. As he approached, he heard a loud clank and Raph's voice shouted, "Damn it!"

"Raph," Leo called. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Raph pulled his injured finger out of his mouth and glared over his shoulder at Leo. "Yeah, what?"

Leo observed his brother's stiff shoulders, his angry profile. He looked like a cornered tiger. "How long are you going to stay out here?"

Raph growled low in this throat. "As long as I feel like it. What's it to you?"

Leo sighed, and then delivered the news. "Donny says that Vittoria will probably…she won't make it tonight."

Raph picked up a wrench and began tightening a bolt, pretending not to listen.

"So when that happens…Mikey will need you, Raph."

"Heh." Raph gave a bitter laugh. "What, are you crazy? Mikey's not gonna wanna have anything to do with me." His voice was even raspier than usual. Which meant that he desprately needed to get something off his chest.

Leo pressed for more information. "What makes you think that? It's not your fault she's sick."

"Yeah, but I knew she was sick!"

Raph turned to face Leo, his face contorted with rage, his limbs shaking. His fists were clenched, and he still held the wrench in one hand. He was handling this even worse than Don. "I was there when Donny first told us she was unstable, remember? I knew she didn't have much of a chance! But even though I shoulda told him to not get too attached I…" Raph gritted his teeth. "I encouraged him! I made fun of him! Hell, I wanted him to like that chick. He just seemed so…so damn excited and happy."

Raph's eyes beseeched Leo's, looking for answers. "And now cuz I was too stupid to be realistic he's gonna lose someone he really cares about! He's gonna – I couldn't…I didn't protect Mikey. And I shoulda." Raph's shoulders slumped. He bowed his head, hiding the emotions on his face. "He's not gonna want to be near me, not since all that came out of my mouth for three days was trash talk about them bein' lovebirds."

Leo should've guessed he would act this way. Raph was fiercely loyal and protective of everyone in the family. He'd do anything to prevent Mikey from getting hurt. Except, seeing Mikey as happy as he had been around Vittoria, Raph had encouraged a relationship that he knew, in the back of his mind, was a long shot. Now he blamed himself for not intruding on Mikey's happiness and trying to prevent him from developing stronger feelings.

Leo said to Raph, "I know it feels like you encouraged him, but remember when he was having those dreams? Remember how he wouldn't stop talking about her, even then?"

Raph didn't look up. "Yeah, so?" he grunted.

"Mikey was attached to Vittoria way before we went to Bishop's lab," Leo explained. "I'm sure he already felt something for her then. And he already knew that she was sick. Remember? I think Mikey's always knew there was a chance she might not make it. He just didn't think about it because he enjoyed being with her."

Raph absorbed his older brother's words slowly.

"You didn't do anything wrong by encouraging him," Leo said bracingly. "You wanted him to be happy. We all did. Mikey won't be mad at you for that. He'll understand that if Vittoria had…if she'd been healthier, you would've wanted them to be together."

It seemed that Raph had calmed – the storm of emotions was dying down. Leo's words of reason soothed him. It had always been like this. Leo had the power to bring Raph back to his senses, no matter what the circumstance. And now that Raph didn't have to shoulder the burden of his brother's pain, he could focus on what he needed to do.

*BACK IN THE LAIR, AT MIDNIGHT*

"…Mikey? Where do you think clones go when they die?" Vittoria's voice came out as a whisper.

Mikey forced himself to laugh. "Same as everyone else, I guess," he said, matching the level of her voice.

Over the past three days, terrible things had happened to Vittoria's body. Her hands and feet grew gnarled and curled like dead leaves. Her shell broke down into a pliable, gelatinous sack, which oozed bodily fluid onto the floor. Her rash had spread to her stomach and legs, and erupted in painful sores. Splinter had given Donny his most powerful tea leaves, and with them Donny had mixed together a cooling salve that, thankfully, gave Vittoria relief from the rash. Raph had gone out earlier and brought Vittoria the softest, more comfortable blanket he find, far higher quality than any of the ones they had around their home. Per Master Splinter's recipe, Leo had made Vittoria miso soup, which had helped to chase away the constant chill that seemed to have gripped her bones.

Mikey stayed with Vittoria as much as he could. He only stepped away from her when she was asleep, and even then, he didn't leave the lair. When she wasn't speaking to him directly, he felt her presence in his mind. It was as if they shared the same brain – their close proximity over the past week had connected them in a strange way. However, with this connection came physical suffering for Mikey as well. As Vittoria had grown more and more ill, Mikey felt a keen nausea creep into his own stomach. This made it impossible for him to eat.

Her breath a wheeze, Vittoria smiled with only one side of her mouth. "I must look gorgeous right now," she said. "Where's the makeup girl? I think I need my nose powdered."

"Hey, if you weren't sick, you'd look beautiful," Mikey assured her hastily.

"Yeah…" Vittoria gazed at Mikey's face through half closed lids. "Master Splinter and your brothers have been great to me, Mikey."

"Well, you haven't even met all of them," Mikey said. "April and Casey are family too, but they're out of town visiting April's mom. You'll like them, they're the best humans we know."

Vittoria smiled again – that same half smile, like one side of her mouth was too weak for the effort. "Yes, I…I can see them in your mind…Christmas…"

Mikey got down on his knees and held both her gnarled hands in his. "Yeah, they came for Christmas last year," he said, letting the memory flood into his mind so Vittoria could see it more clearly. "We invited the Professor – he's a homeless guy, and his two friends, and Leatherhead, who's basically Don except he's a mutant crocodile adopted by the Utrom, and the King of the Battle Nexus, and Usagi-san and Genosuke-san -"

Vittoria closed her eyes, but by her smile she was still listening.

"-and that was when I stopped those thugs from stealing all those Little Orphan Alien dolls," Mikey babbled on. "That part of the day was crazy but after that we all went and delivered the toys to the children's home and everyone had a great time. The tree was all lit up, and everyone had a ton to eat, and people were laughing because I told the world's most awesome jokes…"

That sounds so great, Mikey. You have the best family ever.

"Ah, yeah, my bros and Sensei are the greatest a mutant ninja turtle could ask for," Mikey said, talking past the tears that were pouring from his eyes. "Donny, he's so smart. He can make anything and fix anything and hack into anything, plus he always fixes my videogames when I break them on accident. And Raph, he's always a lot of fun to tease and play pranks on because he gets mad so easy, but he's crazy and brave and super strong. And then Leo's our fearless leader. He looks after all of us. He only does what's best for us and if he wasn't there we'd totally fall apart as a team and as brothers. And S-Sensei," Mikey gulped, tasting salt on his lips, while his hands shook violently. "Sensei is the best sensei and father in the world. He always knows the right thing to say, and even though we never listen to him and we always get into trouble, he always bails us out or helps us or forgives us...they'll…" Mikey swallowed hard. "They'll come to love you too, Vittoria, I know they will."

I feel like I already know them. I see them through your mind. You're so lucky to have all that love around you. I wanted…to be one of those loved ones too.

"You are!"

Mikey, I want you to make me a promise.

"Sure," he choked. "Anything."

I see in your mind that Agent Bishop is still alive in the future. It doesn't seem like it now, but eventually he'll change for the better. So when I die, promise me you there will be no revenge.

"But," Mikey sputtered. "But, he did this to you!"

He gave me life. And if I never had a life, I would never have met you.

Mikey sniffed. "And if I'd never met you, you wouldn't have shown me that shortcut through the Malevolent Mountains in Superquest that I never saw before now."

Got that right. What…would you do…without me?

"I'd take the long way around through the Doomed Woods, that's for sure."

There's a…cheat code for…that part by the cave…in the woods…

"Really?" Mikey's lip trembled. "What is it?"

It's…easy. You…just…press…

Mikey waited. But she never spoke another word again.

Till the final chapter,

~Suki~