A/N:...Holy CRAP! My duckies! I'm so sorry that it's taken me 90 years to update this thing. Life got more crazy than I would have liked and every time I sat down to write, nothing came to me. So I apologize, deeply. My faithful duckies, I hope can make up for neglecting this as long as I have. Ahah, slight smutting in this chapter, fair warning. The song I used for the beginning of this chapter for the little sway between my teenie weenies is Be Still My Heart by Peter Bradley Adams. As always, read and review. Be kind!


Back and forth, side to side, round and round; Jeremy swayed Aanika all around the rooftop to whatever song happened to come through the speakers next. He seemed to know the words to just about every single one and proved so by occasionally reciting those lyrics in the low hum of his voice. Beneath the beanie did Aanika's ears flatten bashfully, unsure of how to really respond for this entire experience was everything new. Shiho nor Leonardo had quite explained what it felt like to fall this hard. Sure, they explained how they felt, but they hadn't equipped her with the knowledge that it would feel this good. It was almost a little frightening, it was happening faster than her heart could keep up with. Than her feet could keep up with, and then she stumbled just a little.

"Woah..haha easy there, you've got two left feet there, Aanika," Jeremy muttered while he steadied her once again. He did notice just how deeply she blushed when she regained her balance. "Ah don't worry."

"I used to dance on my dad's feet when I was little. When Mom was busy with my brothers and sister we'd dance to whatever was playing on the television," Aanika wasn't sure why she was suddenly telling Jeremy what she'd do with Leo. He hadn't asked or even implied. But her steps faltered just a bit when the next song began to play, Be Still My Heart by Peter Bradley Adams. And she swooned when he slowed his motions to slide his hands from where they clasped with hers until they rested on her hips. Thick eyelashes rested on heated cheeks as she followed the change and interjoined her fingers behind his neck.

I don't know how love begins
It moves too fast for me to tell
I'll raise a flag to catch the wind
Safe at the bottom of a well

"How'd you know I liked this song?" The little fox's voice was quiet, almost mousey. She glanced upwards when she heard Jeremy chuckle lightly.

"You were listening to it when you first IM'd me," It was then that she swore her racing heart skipped a beat altogether. He remembered that?

It came and went just like a spark
And lit a fire in my head
It burned a hole right through my heart
And left a ghost beside my bed

You walk before me
A shape in the dark
A shape in the dark
These dreams they hold me
And tear me apart
They tear me apart

From the distance in which he was camped out, Donatello kept his eyes trained on his niece. Most notably so those hands that Jeremy had around her waist. Oh Leo would be throwing the biggest fit were he sitting beside Donnie. The genius had to give the kid props for romance, though. It wasn't every day that a kid his age had that much class. He just hoped Aanika wasn't so far gone that she couldn't be pulled back if anything were to happen…Donnie wouldn't be able to stifle his protective instincts should the kid ever make Aanika cry.

Be still my heart
Be still my heart

"So, you're sure your dad was okay with you coming over?" Bright blue sight stones glanced upwards through those thick eyelashes and wavy bangs.

"Yeah, him and Mom are alright with it. They just want to meet you, though, that will have to come later. Daddy is a little…" How could she describe Leo without saying he was a six foot mutant turtle with dangerous ninja talents and swords? "Intimidating."

One more time before I fall
I'm gonna stand within your reach
And throw my head against the wall
And break the promises I keep

"Haha, well, I suppose that's expected. Having a daughter as pretty as you, that's no surprise," Aanika had to duck her nose into the crook of Jeremy's neck, beneath his chin just to hide her blush. The soft strums of the acoustic guitar fluttered like the beating of her heart as the song was starting to come to a gentle end. She wanted to tell him so badly, to just get the secret out so it wouldn't eat away at her any more than it already was.

Some day before me
There's peace in the night
There's peace in the night
Someday you'll show me
It all worked out right
It all worked out right

The lyrics were really starting to burn. It all worked out right. Oh how Aanika prayed this song rung true. There hadn't been anything in her life that she needed more than Jeremy. She found herself delightfully surprised when he craned his neck and managed to capture her pretty lips once again. Now, Aanika could understand why her mother loved kissing Leonardo as much as she did. There was just something about tasting the one you loved and feeling their very soul colliding against your own. From his watching perch, Donatello was grumbling and gripping his bo staff firmly between his hands using all of his will-power to stay put. Jeremy was just kissing her like there was nothing to it.

Be still my heart
Be still my heart
Be still my heart
Be still my heart


"Leo? Darling what's the matter?" Shiho gasped. The pair of leaders found themselves in their hidden oasis in the ballet studio once again, doing what they really did best. But Leo was distracted as he made love to his sweet vixen, he was going through the motions but Shiho could see he wasn't completely there. She'd be lying to herself if she claimed that she wasn't disappointed that she couldn't finish or that he couldn't pull himself out of this fog in his mind. Leo gripped the sheets and clenched his teeth as he paused his rather half-assed thrusting before pulling out altogether and sitting on his knees between her legs. From there, she propped up on her elbows and gazed at her mate through a head tilt. "Leo?"

"It's nothing."

"You know that you've never been able to lie to me, Leonardo. What's going on?" Damn. Shiho was staring at him with a lofted brow and twisted lips, she knew him inside and out and better than his brothers it seemed. Though, anyone would be able to see that the ninja was deeply unsettled; only Shiho knew the degree. He tried to distract her by gliding his hands against the smooth skin under her thighs to her knees and back again. "Leo..."

"Just…She's sixteen, Shiho. She's too young," Leo kept amber eyes trained on the lines of her svelte curves. Motherhood had been kind to Shiho, she didn't have that appearance of a woman who'd had three children. Just the light plush of flesh that Leo loved to dig his fingers into until she bruised. He wasn't able to look at his mate, not with a look of weakness in his eyes. Though, Shiho understood and fixed the array of old pillows against the wall before she rested herself into them, arms opening in a beckoning for her turtle to come to her. He complied as best as his carapace would allow him and her arms came around him in a blanket of comfort.

"Leo, you and I both know she loves that boy. It's not going to matter how old she is, the rules don't necessarily apply to us. Leo…" Eyes of a warm flame focused themselves on the window and cityscape just outside. But at the sound of her voice did he dart his gaze upwards. "Just let this roll. Who's to know if she'll ever find that love again? You know as well as I do that she'll possibly never find it after Jeremy."

"I know. I thought that maybe it would just happen like it did with me."

"What, find her future mate stumbling out of a burning building and taking him home while he's unconscious?" Shiho quipped. Leo just stared at her with an expression that seethed irritation and defeat. "Oh lighten up."

"That isn't what I meant. Or funny, you could have died that night. I just…I was in my twenties when I found you. I almost wish she had waited until she grew up a little more," Leo's voice had a tone of sadness that weighed heavily on Shiho's heart. She knew it was a difficult pill for Leo to swallow, Aanika growing up, but she hadn't quite understood just how he struggled with facing such a reality. Aanika was still his first baby, hell he was the reason she even began talking again when she was a toddler. Their bond was unique amongst the other kids.

"Ohh Leo…I know it's hard. But, if this is her only chance, she needs to go for it. I don't want her living her life without ever knowing what it feels like to be in love. I thought it would never happen for me, but here you are," Shiho's voice soothed the troubled ninja until the rigid muscles in his body relaxed. He took the initiative and flipped their position until it was she who was in his arms. "Ow! You're on my tail!"

"Sorry!" Shiho screeched until Leo lifted his carapace for her tail to escape. A few laughs were exchanged between the mates at the scuffle and Shiho settled against his plastron at last. Shiho couldn't voice her ever growing concern about the teen, that'd only fuel Leo's worried fire. As leaders, they had to remain unbothered to keep the peace within the family; the order. But in their solitude, the mates were able to fall into each other about their woes even if they didn't say anything. Shiho did so by gripping the top of his carapace and curling up in his embrace. Soon Aanika wouldn't need their guidance anymore…

Leo had to do whatever it took to get his mind off Aanika, to put to rest that bubbling feeling anxiety that refused to boil down in his stomach. Luckily, he was aware of the rather naked hybrid in his arms and leaned his head down to clamp his teeth into the flesh of her shoulder which in turn released a breath of a moan from the chasm of her throat. He couldn't leave his fox hanging like this, it was cruel to the both of them. Twirling one of his thick fingers round the soft waves of her hair, Leo brought the few strands to his lips and gave them a kiss causing for confusion in the fox.

"Leo? AH!" She shrieked once Leo had her pinned down against the mattress by the wrists with one of his hands. Then did he re-enter his beautiful mate much to her delight with a renewed vigor.

"Mmn….there's my ninja…" And there it was again, that delicious rhythm that had been established many years ago that remained the same but felt so divine. Humans had the ability to go from one lover to the next and yet find themselves remaining unsatisfied. The mutant lovers only ever had each other in their lifetime and it was gratifying, satiating, and insanely pleasurable each and every time. Leonardo knew the motions of his fox's body and could read her like the fine words of a book. He never left a page unturned and he left her a quivering mess once he closed the back cover. Tonight was no different.

The cool, wide tongue slithered from between emerald lips to drag itself up the tendons of Shiho's balmy and heated neck and back down again where his teeth once again claimed her shoulder. The vixen below squirmed and rocked those hips of hers to drive her lover even deeper into her depths until he slammed into her cervix. The grip he'd had on her wrists tightened and released so he could leaned his weight against his elbows and forearms for better leverage. Harder and deeper did those teeth of his dig into her sun-kissed flesh until the skin began to break and pucker with her burning blood. He always enjoyed the slight burn against his tongue that her blood left behind.

Love surrounded the mates as their bodies came together as one intimately. Leo grunted and Shiho moaned blissfully, a sound that rang in his ears like the holiest of bells. Such sweet sounds to come from the most beautiful pair of lips he'd ever seen. And damn did he love to kiss them until they were swollen from bruising pressure. Roughly their mouths collided as he churred deeply in the pit of his chest, the sound rising into the depths of his throat and sending her raging arousal over the edge. That sound, had the potential to make her lose all control and thus her clawed fingers dragged themselves down the length of his gorgeous biceps when he shoved into her and held himself in place, merely rotating his length inside her.

"Leo!" Back she tossed her head and whimpered while he smirked, admiring his good work in making her scream his name.

"That's a good girl, who do you belong to? Tell me his name," Oh when the lust consumed Leonardo he was an entirely different shade from the leader his family knew and loved. He was dark and powerful when he was with just his pretty little fox. He pressed harder so she'd answer bringing an arch in her spine. "I said tell me, Shiho...answer me."

"Ah! Hahhn…mmhn, Leo, I'm Leo's—yah!" She yelped after yet another rough slam against her thighs.

Shiho…Oh Shihoo…

"Wha-…" Suddenly the blood within Shiho's burning veins turned to eyes and her body seized all at once. A shock thrust itself down her spine. Leo definitely took notice when he caught the bizarre expression on her face, like she'd seen a ghost. Her eyes, beautiful and violet as they were, widened in what appeared to be horror and he stopped. "What…what was that?"

"Shiho?" Hastily, Shiho pulled away from Leo until she fell onto the floor and stumbled to her feet. She left him in a daze on the bed as she backed into the wall of mirrors clutching her chest and skin with her claws.

Where are you, Shiho?

"Get out!" Shiho cried, her fingers digging into her hair and giving the roots a pull, before coming over her tall ears and pressing them down. Frightened, Leo leapt to his feet to where she stood to gather her into his arms.

"Baby…Shiho what's going on? Wha-?" Confused once again, Shiho pressed her palms into his plastron and pushed him gently away from her so she could look him in the eyes. "What is it?"

Shiho stared at her lover in wide-eyed silence, her chest rising in falling in shallow breaths seemingly trying to keep up with the speed of her racing heartbeat. The wait was agony to the ninja and he grasped his sweet fox by the chin between his thumb and finger.

"M-…Micah…"


"Hahaha! No way! Your uncle seriously eats his weight in pizza?"

Both Jeremy and Aanika had settled onto the park bench that his mother had put up on the roof a few years ago when she wanted to start a rooftop herb garden. Naturally, she couldn't grow a damn thing. But it made nice for wrapping his arm around Aanika's surprisingly slender shoulders. Aanika hadn't stopped blushing or smiling all night long, Jeremy definitely took notice.

"Haha, yeah. Mikey has got this almost unnatural obsession with pizza. That and comic books and video games. When we're not training, he's occupied himself with one or two of those three things," Keeping the details to a minimum about her uncles, Aanika felt comfortable with telling Jeremy about their life at home. There was so much to learn about this girl, he couldn't stop the questions once he started, and that was over an hour ago.

"Cool. Maybe he'll be our new favorite customer," He said with a chuckle. If Jeremy could see the way she desperately wanted to wag her tail, he'd lose it for sure. But Aanika was finding great difficulty in containing her fox nature.

"And then, there's Uncle Donnie. He shacked up with my older sister, Fiona. They've got two kids and their geniuses just like him. He's so smart, it's crazy. He can make anything of nothing," As she rattled on about her family, Jeremy couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. All he'd ever had was his mother after his father ditched them for the fulfilling life of being a Purple Dragon. His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he heard a ring coming from Aanika's pocket. Her cellphone. And it was Leo's ringtone.

"Ah crap. Excuse me for a minute, Daddy is calling me. Something might be up," Jeremy nodded silently and raised his arm for her to stand. She did so and walked away behind the supply shed. His stomach twisted nervously as he wondered curiously what her father could have wanted. Maybe he wanted Aanika to bring Jeremy home to meet the family? Nah….it was too sudden. Then what? He hushed his brain when Aanika came back into a few a few moments later with a look of worry.

"I-I need to go. There's a big problem that I need to take care of. I'll text you okay?" Aanika spoke in a rush and was about to take off when Jeremy grabbed her by her upper arm. From his perch in the shadows, Donatello jumped to his feet at the sight of his niece being grasped. Then his Shell Cell beeped.

"Jeremy wha-?"

"Not without that goodnight kiss, remember?" Aanika melted the instant the words left his mouth and her luminescent blue eyes slid to a close. He took that moment to dip his features down and bring their lips together in a sweeter than honey kiss. His hands came around her waist and tugged her flush against his front. She was still relatively new to kissing and let Jeremy lead the way. She squealed the moment that she felt his tongue glide itself into her mouth.

Shivers made their way down her spine in that second and she let herself give in. Jeremy still had a hint of wine on his breath and it tasted sweet when mixed with his natural flavor. When his teeth took a playful nip at her bottom lip did she pull away slowly, placing one last close-mouthed kiss against him.

"That's better. Be careful, text me when you get home…."

"Y-yeah…I will. This was wonderful, Jeremy, thank you for my first date."

First date? Jeremy stood in place, stunned, as Aanika began to retreat into the shadows before disappearing altogether. His lips burned and they tingled in the right way, he could still feel her against them; her flavor still fresh on his tongue. How was he to know that Aanika was now racing home in a panic, much like Donatello who was doing his best to avoid crossing paths. Leo wasn't specific when he'd made his orders but the tone in his voice carried a weight that made Aanika sick to the core. She prayed this had nothing to do with Jeremy, she'd die if he said he could never see Jeremy again. Her mind began to race.

Please…please let this last…please.


A/N: OH THE MYSTERY! Aha, how was that duckies? Did bad Jynxxi make up for her rotten hiatus? I hope so! I did my best with this, it's difficult to regain the steam once it's lost. So, just hang in there with me, my loves. OH! I've gotten a few questions about this, about why Aanika continues to refer to Leo as "Daddy" as opposed to "Dad" like the average teen. She's still fairly innocent at heart, and a Daddy's girl to the very core. It's just what she feels the most comfortable with calling him. There are plenty of girls and grown women who refer to their fathers as "Daddy" anyway, so. It isn't as bizarre as you think~ Enjoy. Reviews. I need 'em! REVIEW ME OR I'LL FADE AWAY!