I don't own the TMNT

A/N: Busy holidays, am I right? That being said, all my updates aren't going to be quite as close together, though I will try to keep it regular. A HUGE thanks and kudos to Lexifer666 who, again, propped me up, kept me from going off the deep end, and of course tidied up the chapter wonderfully. Again, I had written half of this before originally as part of the previous chapter, so this is also in Mike's POV. Hope that you enjoy it!

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Jack had just revealed something that she hadn't intended. Exposed a part of herself. If she was anything like Raph, she wouldn't like it. Which worked out, because I felt the need to be doing something; I needed to get cooking.

Grinning, I clapped my hands on her shoulders, stopping myself short to keep from doing the hug that I wanted to do. It wasn't the time. Either way she looked at me, startled, looking more fragile than I ever remembered. She wouldn't like that. I widened my smile, pretending not to see it. "You know what? You look hungry!"

She blinked, confused. "Huh?"

Without saying another word, I hopped back, gave her a graceful bow, and left the room, closing the door softly behind me. On the other side Raph was staring at me, looking incredulous. "What the hell went on in there?"

Abruptly I laughed. Maybe it was because I had just compared Jack with Raph, or maybe it was because I felt like I was doing something good. Either way, my brother just shook his head, eyes closed in seeming exasperation.

But I had not the time for it. Already my mind was on the task ahead. I wanted to get started before Jack came out. Give her something to distract her, and maybe to distract me as well. Try as I might to compare helping her to my brothers, it was so different that I was beginning to recognize it. After all, I didn't have a freakishly huge crush on any of my brothers.

Fishing through the kitchen, I found it largely bereft of proper cookware. It didn't surprise me, she didn't seem like much of a home cook. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to find two dented pans that would work. I oiled the pans and turned on the burner. Ripping open the bag, I took out the steaks and jumbo shrimp. Even I was a little surprised to find it in the restaurant's garbage, especially in such excellent condition. What some people would throw out still amazed me. Giving everything a thorough wash in the sink, I salted the steaks, rubbing it into the meat with both hands and put them on the pan, which by now was hot enough that they started to sizzle as soon as they touched the metal. Getting out a small knife, I quickly skinned and de-veined the shrimp, sprinkling salt and pepper on them before putting them in the pan. Luckily I had brought my own spices, since it looked like Jack didn't have any. Seriously, what did she eat? Maybe she was more of a take-out type of girl. Grinning to myself, I seasoned the steaks liberally and added a bit of butter to both pans.

I heard the door quietly open. Not even turning, I pretended not to hear. If she was anything like Raph, she wouldn't like people seeing her come out of a scene like that. When Raph was in that mood, I kind of treated him like a baby deer. Be quiet, let him acclimate to his feelings and then let him come to you.

Of course Raph leaned forward, craning his neck. I could see what he was about to do and resisted the urge to tell him to stop but it would only make things worse. He looked her up and down and let out a low whistle. "Yeesh, you okay?"

She blushed, probably thoroughly embarrassed. "Fuck you!" she snapped in answer. I grinned. Tough shell re-applied.

Raph scowled. "Fuck you!" He said it in his 'Batman voice,' maybe to seem more tough. I wondered how she would respond.

"Hey, Prince Charming. Look what I can do!" she snarled, and then extended both middle fingers, sticking them in his face.

He growled, clenching his hands with his own middle-less fingers. He had always hated not being able to flip anybody off, and I was surprised that she saw it so quick. I couldn't help but grin.

Sighing in an exasperated manner, which was completely opposed to the wide smile on my face, I looked over my shoulder. "Children! Do we have to do this again?"

Turning his scowl at me, Raph opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by Jack, who seemed eager to move on, even if it meant stopping the highly entertaining back-and-forth with Raph. "Are you cooking?" Turning her back on Raph, she approached slowly.

She said it so incredulously that I couldn't help but laugh. "Yes ma'am! You are hungry, right?"

I felt her approach me from behind. Suddenly, unexpectedly, I started to feel nervous. Like, intensely nervous. She was looking at my cooking. My brothers razzed me on my cooking constantly, even while sucking it down with gusto. It was understandable. When I was a teenager and had first started cooking, I'd had no training, no experience, no one to teach me. I literally learned through trial and error, and later through hours on the cooking channel. I considered myself a pretty accomplished chef now, but the transition over time had been…interesting, to say the least. I am still surprised that they'd tried some of the concoctions that I'd produced. They still ragged on me heavily, though. It was just brotherly teasing, I knew that they liked it. But just now I realized that it wasn't how I wanted it to be with Jack. This was one of my babies, my cooking. What if she didn't like it?

But the way to someone's heart was through their stomach, right?

The thought made me pause.

Is that what this was all about?

For the first time I began to understand. This was something that I chose, I cared for, I created with my own hands. It would end up on her lips, entering the warmth of her mouth, go inside her body to sustain her and bring her pleasure…

Ah, stupid male brain, giving me images.

But it was a sensual experience.

This was a bad idea.

Shit, what was I thinking?

This would blow up in my face for sure.

I felt her hand on my bicep. It almost made me jump out of my skin, but I caught myself. After all, this wasn't about me. It was a light touch. Tentative. She was testing, probably seeing if I was going to bring up the scene in the bedroom, hoping that I wouldn't. She didn't need to worry. "Are those steaks? And shrimp?" She asked.

Surprisingly I hesitated answering. Since when was I this friggin' nervous? It didn't make sense. Well, when in doubt I could always hide behind my lighthearted silliness. Worked every time. Turning, I fixed her with a glowing smile. It hid my sudden tremulousness inside. "The one and only! I thought that it would be nice."

She seemed to relax when I didn't say anything else about her attack. Even better, she didn't seem to notice my cloaking. Shifting, showing more confidence, she jerked her chin at me. "Where'd you get stuff like this?"

Doing my best to seem mockingly solemn, I looked at her. "I caught them myself. I have a herd of semi-wild cattle. Had to wrestle this one to the ground. Put up one hell of a fight. The shrimp I got diving off the pier, caught them with my teeth." As if to testify the fact, I flashed her the toothiest grin I could muster, snapping my teeth in the air.

I won. Her lip hitched up in a smile, though she brought up her hand to hide it. "With your teeth, huh?"

"Like a shelled piranha!"

Poking the steaks to test their doneness, I nodded and took them off the pan onto a paper plate. Jack watched with interest. I almost froze under her gaze. My brothers never bothered to look at me when I cooked. Why did her staring at me doing this make me feel so exposed? Would she reject it? Would she like it? Suddenly she pointed to the pan. "I thought you were only supposed to grill steaks."

Sounded like something an uncouth man would say. It fit her perfectly and helped to simmer down my own nerves a bit. Smiling, I shook my head. "Actually, that is only for the char taste. By doing it in a pan, you keep it in its own juices and fat, which of course has all the flavor." I pointed to the thin liquid and little chunks of fat on the bottom of the pan. "That, my dear, will make an awesome topping. That's where all the flavor is." I sprinkled in a little more seasoning, a smidgen more butter, and stirred with the heat still on. The fond would make a good sauce. Would be better with some wine to deglaze it, but I'd long since learned to work with what I had. The shrimp was already off. I gestured to the living room. "Please, sit!"

She didn't move, instead continued to stare at what my hands were doing before moving her gaze to my face. I felt my cheeks color. I put my palm on the small of her back, urging her out of the tiny kitchen "Go ahead, sit!" My voice sounded WAY too jolly there. Were my knees shaking? Maybe she wouldn't like it. I didn't put a lot of different spices on it, only a handful. Maybe it wasn't enough. She was probably used to marinades or rubs. And grilling, obviously. Maybe she didn't like her steaks medium-rare. Or she preferred sirloins or t-bones. I probably screwed it up. Shit! Taking a deep breath, I struggled to calm my nerves and took out the other paper plates. After it was done resting, I cut the steak against the grain, assembled the strips, put the shrimp on top and slowly poured my finished sauce over both.

Behind me I could hear her sit next to Raph. "So…not to be rude, but, you guys cook?"

Raph snorted, still obviously feeling miffed from their back-and-forth. "C'mon, do you think that just because we live in the sewer that we eat garbage or some shit?"

She scowled at him. "I was just fucking asking, Prince Charming."

"What?"

I grinned. I heard the nickname before, but did Raph? I didn't think so. Looking over my shoulder, I could see her own little smile as well. "One of the first things I thought of when I saw you. You know, opposite of your true nature."

He stared at her, not seeming to be able to pick which one to pounce on first. Finally he spat out a sentence. "One of the first things?"

Abruptly her grin widened. "Oh, right. My first thought was that you looked like The Hulk with a shell."

I couldn't help it. I burst out laughing. Raph, who seemed to be at a loss for words, shot me a glare before returning back to her. He wasn't used to other people razzing on him. Really, at home I was the only one who did it with any regularity. How would he react with her?

This could end badly. She could use some support. Help diffuse everyone's tension. "No, Raph, its perfect!" I turned and struck a 'tough' pose, flexing my muscles and trying to imitate his 'Batman voice.' "I am Raph! Aaaaaaaarrrgh!"

Sure enough, he gave a 'harrumph' that I recognized as him hiding his own secret amusement. He gestured over to the food. "Enough of this shit. C'mon, Mike. Serve us your pond swill, I'm hungry!"

Ah, yes. It starts. The tickles in my stomach returned as I grabbed the food and took one final breath.

Turning around, three plates set on my arms, I stepped into the living room. Putting on a wide smile, I gave them a slight bow. "Dinner is served!" Then I almost lost it. I put the plates in front of Raph and Jack, then quickly took mine to the recliner almost like I was hiding on my own little island.

Raph, who wasn't a huge fan of shellfish, pushed the shrimp off with a slight face before stabbing the steak with a fork and picking it up without cutting it. He bit into the steak whole, juices sluicing down his chin. Pausing, he gave a slight nod. "Not half bad."

This was Raph lingo for 'I really like it!' But he was used to my cooking. And I was used to the lackluster comments, knew their codes and true meanings. What would Jack say?

Suddenly I noticed her looking at me. It was the same look that she was giving me when I was cooking. One that I never really had given to me before. Before her, of course. Before tonight. Like she was looking at more than just me.

I practically squirmed under her gaze. Why? This was so new to me. It was almost like the feelings I got as a teenager, spying a glimpse of a pretty girl, or those dreams of someone who would understand and actually like you…

"Did you cook this for me?"

She asked me. Directly. Looking into her eyes, I couldn't find my voice. Instead I plastered on a grin. Raph frowned and looked from her to me. I could see his thought process. That this was going too far. He cleared his throat and elbowed her slightly. "Nah. He does this stuff all the time. Don't think nothing of it."

Of course he would try to diffuse it. Try to stop anything from sprouting. I couldn't be mad at him. This was just how he was. It was in his nature. Maybe it would be for the better. After all, I had to expect horrible heartbreak at the end, right?

No, screw it. Enjoy the moment.

I softened my smile. "Just…tell me how you like it."

Ignoring Raph's frown, she continued the gaze and gave a slight smile. But I could see it on her face. She wasn't expecting too much. After all, I was a giant mutated turtle who lived in the sewer. How good could it be? So, somewhat tentatively, she cut off a piece of the jumbo shrimp, cut a strip of steak, and put both in her mouth at once.

As soon as she bit down the first time, she froze. Her face was blank, expressionless. Immediately my heart sank. Maybe my own doubts were right. I sometimes envisioned myself competing on a show like Chopped but who was I kidding? I can't even please a single woman. I can't even-

Her face scrunched slightly. "Oh my GOD!" I stared at her, did she hate it? Did she- She let her head tip back, her eyes closed. "It's like an orgasm in my mouth!"

Beside her, Raph chocked on the bite he was chewing and I broke out into a grin. Then Jack leaned back into the cushion, chewing more slowly, and let out a low moan. Raph's face colored. Mine did too, but in a different way.

I was ecstatic. On cloud nine. Flying high. No. None of these could describe how I felt. It was indescribable.

She didn't like it. She loved it.

The rest of the meal was eaten in total silence, save some savory sounds from Jack. She became completely focused on the food, eating it slowly, thoroughly enjoying every bite. Raph spent most of the time eating more mechanically, glaring at me. He probably didn't expect it to go like this, so deep. I was probably going to have a very Leo-like lecture later. He was pretty good at those, not that I'd ever really tell him. But that was okay. I could daydream my way through any lecture. Nothing could shoot me down right now.

After that, the evening passed by way too quickly. When everyone was done eating, it was late, around the time when we told Leo and Splinter that we would be home.

Jack was all smiles. It was a nice look for her. Apparently all she really needed was a personally cooked meal. She kept on licking her lips, something that excited me more than it probably should have. When I took the pans to the sink, she grabbed a drying towel and elbowed me playfully. That somehow put me in even higher spirits, which I didn't think was possible. Grinning, I splashed some water at her and she snapped the towel at me.

I couldn't have envisioned a better end to this date.

By that time Raph was all glowers and was practically pacing by the window, eager to get me out of her venomous female clutches. Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, I couldn't keep him waiting for too long.

As we prepared to leave, Jack gestured for Raph to leave first. As soon as he put his feet on the sill, she gave a hard push to the back of his shell. He wasn't expecting it but caught himself in the fire escape. He barely had time to turn around before she slammed the window behind him. Raph huffed at the other side of the glass, glaring daggers at her. For a second I thought that he would break it. Then Jack held up one finger, mouthing 'just a minute' before closing the blinds.

This was unexpected. I wasn't sure what was going on but I was feeling too fantastically awesome to complain, so I just waited.

She turned to me and looked up into my eyes. It was a breathtaking moment. Then she planted her hands on her hips and her gaze turned more assessing, though the softness was still there. "There's something about you, Mike."

Unsure, I put on a wide smile and gave a nonchalant shrug. "Why, whatever do you mean?" To top it off, I batted my eyes.

A slight smile spread on her lips. "You know what I mean." She dropped her gaze, looking just a little uncomfortable. "I don't know what you did in that room, how you did it, or how you knew what to say but…um…thanks."

I blinked. I could tell that she wasn't used to expressing gratitude and that it was hard for her. So I didn't say anything that might spoil the moment. Partly, because I wasn't entirely sure what to say.

Then she continued, meeting my gaze once more. "I wasn't expecting to enjoy tonight. I didn't know you could fucking cook like that either, Mike. Seriously, if circumstances were different, you could be a fucking world class chef."

Circumstances. Right. But even still, it was one of the highest bits of verbal praise that I'd ever received on my cooking. I could feel my cheeks color. She continued.

"And I wasn't expecting to see you hide stuff."

That caught my attention. I stared at her. She smiled. "Not like I can talk, of course, about hiding shit. But I don't think most people know it about you. Hiding behind comedy, silliness…" She shook her head. I couldn't help but stare at her. She knew I was nervous. She knew I was scared. She saw it all. How? Did anyone ever do that before? I was floored. She continued. "I was doubting this meeting. A lot. But…I think I might like to do it again. Sometime. If, uh, you want. Or whatever."

Was she…asking me out? I was barely over her seeing through my well-used crutch, but now… There was only one way I could respond. Grabbing her shoulder, I slapped my other fist over my heart in a mock salute. "Whatevereth my Fairest Lady requires-eth, of course! I shall-eth texteth you cometh the sunny morn!"

Bringing up the blinds with a laugh, she pulled the door open. Ignoring Raph glaring at both of us from the other side she gave me a friendly push. "Get the fuck out of here, asshole."

I put the back of my hand on my forehead, I faked a half-swoon. "Oh, what glorious words of farewell! I shall think upon them as I gaze upon the stars!"

Of course I got out of there before Raph yanked me out. Of course he started on me as soon as we leapt to the other building, on our way home. Of course I took it in stride.

And of course nothing could spoil this night.

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A/N: Please let me know what you think! I don't believe in rushing things such as romance, especially when it's with a giant mutated turtle, so that's why I've been taking it a bit slow. Hope you enjoyed it! Remember that reviews are not only my bread and butter, but a GREAT inspiration to write more! :D

R/L: Coming out of an attack normally, for me at least, ends in one of two ways, man times with a mixture of the two: 1. Exhausted and spent, you don't want to deal with anything until you 'recover.' 2. You are almost relieved that it's over, maybe a tad energized (like after going for a hard run) if that makes any sense. Obviously I chose to lean more towards option 2 with Jack, partly because getting something wonderful with option 2 makes it oh so much better.