Under Wraps Part 9

It had been a long night, but it would get longer still. Bethany was sitting up on the bed, staring at the flower Raphael had given her earlier and thinking about the short conversation they had. She was thinking about her son again and what she would do with him. He'd missed so many days of school now and it was only a matter of time before the school office would call her to find out what was going on. She needed to figure out something by morning. In her current state, she just wanted to fall apart or disappear forever. Still holding the wooden lily, she slid off the bed and slowly tiptoed past Donnie, who'd fallen asleep in his chair again. She headed for the door, still wrapped in the sheet. They had talked about visiting her home hours ago, but only Leonardo had gone, as Don thought it was far too soon for her to be gallivanting topside right now.

She stepped out into the dim lighting of the living room and sat down on their couch. It was funny, she never used their couch before and was amused to see it made out of pizza boxes and draped over with blankets and foam. They really knew how to utilize scraps. She spun the flower around. It was very pretty and such an unusual gesture from someone who seemed harsh and uncaring during their first encounter. But he was so gentle tonight and did nothing to make her uncomfortable. Perhaps Leonardo was right. Raphael was confused and lonely, completely lost and incomplete. She set the flower in her lap and hoped that something would come to her.

The door to the lair opened, distracting her from her dilemma and she saw Leonardo return with a few large sacks. He climbed down the lair entrance and dropped the bags on the floor. Bethany stood up and wandered over to take a look at the bags. Leo greeted her.

"Hey, can't sleep?" he asked.

"No. I've got too much going on up here," she said, pointing to her head.

"It happens. Have you ever tried meditation? I can show you if you want." Leo carried the bags one at a time into the living room and laid them across the couch. "I hope I grabbed enough of the right stuff. We can make another trip if we have to."

"Thanks for doing this for me," she said as she opened the first bag. There was a lot of her clothes and she wondered if she'd be able to fit in her outfits properly. What was really nice is that he got a little of everything, including her nightgowns. She pulled out a plain white gown and slipped it on over her head and over the sheet until it covered her legs. It was light and cool, plus it allowed her to take the sheet off. She could walk around with both arms free now. She then dug through another bag and found some of Luke's clothes that she kept. "Oh good, Luke really needed something to change into. He also needs a bath."

"Well, we can take care of that," Leo said and he sat down on the couch to relax for a bit and allow her to dig through her things.

"I need a shower too. I feel so gross," she said as she pulled a small green bag out of a sack and found her bathroom supplies. "Oh thank you! I really needed this." Everything including hers and Luke's toothbrushes were inside.

The other bags had an assortment of things, but she decided to go through them later now that she had the essentials. But she wasn't tired. "I suppose I should learn how to meditate. Otherwise I'll never be able to relax again."

Leo pulled himself to his feet and removed his swords. "Come with me." He then led the way to the dojo, stopping briefly by the weapons wall and putting his swords away. Afterwards, he slid open a door and let her step inside first. The dojo was the most peaceful place in the lair and the walls were lined with Japanese decor and pictures. She approached one wall and saw a photo of a giant rat and the four turtles when they were children.

"Is that…?" she began.

"That's our father. Donnie timed an old polaroid camera to get that photo. Its the only one we have of all of us together. We're all very close," Leo said, fondly looking at the photo.

They moved along to the next picture and Bethany saw a coupe of humans, a woman, a man, and two children.

"April, Casey, and their kids. Shadow, their daughter and Michael, their son. It's kind of funny how that worked out. Named their boy after my brother. Casey was out with Raph and they got caught up in a street brawl. April had some complications during that pregnancy and went into premature labor. Casey's phone was smashed by a hooligan and so she couldn't reach him. Luckily she had her shell cell and got Mikey. He raced over there and helped her deliver her son. Paramedics arrived ten minutes later and everything turned out fine. Maybe we'll bring them and the kids down here in the coming weeks to meet you."

"It would be nice to interact with another woman," Bethany admitted. She no longer had Cassie. Perhaps this April would be a good friend to her.

Leo smiled, "Shall we?" He then gestured to the thick mats settled in the middle of the tatami flooring. He sat down on the black mat, one that belonged to his master while she knelt down on the green. "You can sit with your legs crossed like mine. It's much more comfortable, especially this time of night. And we're not training."

She pulled her legs out from under her and sat down, indian-style. Her nightgown draped over her knees, but did not cover her tail and she had to manually move it with her hands until it curled around her feet.

"Still not able to move it?" Leo asked.

"Don said I needed to build up strength. I can't move more than the tip. It just drags behind me when I walk."

"We'll work on that. Perhaps tomorrow we can train and get you stronger."

She just looked at him and nodded, "I suppose. But I need to make a lot of decisions, especially by tomorrow. My son's school will be calling me any day now wondering where he is and I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet."

"Regarding…?"

"Where he will stay. He needs to be in class with his friends, but I can't go to the surface. Who'll who take care of him if I can't? I talked to Don about this, he suggested my mother. That way he'll still be in this state, but its three-hundred miles to Syracuse and how would I ever see him? Plus my mother has no idea what happened! How will I support Luke? I feel like I'd be dumping my son! He'll hate me!" she cried.

Leo frowned. It was quite a dilemma but he could only offer her encouraging words. "Donnie works to make a living online, so do I. Raph and Mikey have their own outlets, though they could find jobs themselves. Anyways, you could do the same. I'm sure Don could forward you some online inquiries. As for your son, I think he's old enough to understand that you can't go above ground. The question is, have you told him about his father?"

Bethany gasped. She hadn't. "Oh my god, how will I break that to him?! And the company?! I forgot about my ex's company! The executives don't know yet either!" She panicked and wondered how this is going to work.

"Calm down. Everything will fall into place," Leo said. He needed to get her mind off the turmoil in her life for the time being. She really needed to rest. Then his eye fell on the item in her lap. "What is that you have there?" he asked, hoping to change the subject.

She looked at the flower in her lap, "It's a lily."

"May I see it?" Leo reached out for the trinket and she obligingly handed it to him. It was made of wood and Leo smiled, knowing where this item came from. "Very good artwork. I'm glad Raph hasn't lost his touch." He turned it over to look at the bottom and saw Compassion written on the back. "It's lovely."

"It's the second one he gave me. The other is a plumeria. I left it in the lab. Why is he giving me these?"

"Raph is a man of little words, sometimes. He prefers to keep silent about his feelings, but there are times when something more is needed to repair a problem or a hurt relationship, like yours. He's been keeping his distance from you, but behind the scenes, he's really hurting. I've only seen him react this way twice now. Our father's death and now this. Bethany, he's making a very strong effort to establish a friendship with you." He handed the flower back to her. "I'm very glad he's taking the initiative and you also appear to be much more comfortable around him. You don't shake as much."

"Raph talked to me in the sewer earlier. He apologized to me, but I'm still wary."

"Understandably so. I don't expect everything to return to normal immediately. I want Raph to work. This is something he needs to experience; how to ask for forgiveness in the face of extreme adversity. That flower tells me a lot." He paused, remembering the word on the petal. "Compassion. That's what he has with you."

She sighed, "He said he understood how alone I feel."

"He does. Raph is very much a loner himself but I wish he wasn't. If he'd opened up to me that night, you may still have your life. I could have helped him through his problem, but I worry that I may not be enough to redirect his loneliness. Even his best friend, Casey, can only do so much. There's an emptiness in Raph's heart and he sought out the wrong way to fill it."

She closed her eyes. She was really starting to feel for Raph. "Did he choose me for a reason? He said he took his problems out on me."

"I don't know why he chose you, but I do know that he looks for specific attributes in people. I know his taste in women, physically, but not emotionally. You fit his description, but he never considered your feelings. Now that he knows you…"

"He must still be trying to read me."

"Yes. He's trying to gauge you, slowly."

She put the flower on the tatami so it faced her. Ready to change their topic, she asked, "Can you show me how to meditate now?"

"Sure." He then adjusted his feet and sat up straight. "Just straighten your back and fold your hands into your lap. Very simple, but effective. Close your eyes…"

She followed his instructions and prepared for the lesson.

Leo continued, "Try to guide your thoughts in a different direction. Take yourself away from the pain of your losses. Find a focal point…"

She thought of her son on the day he was born. It was a peaceful time following her surgery. She remembered holding him and cuddling, the time she bonded with and nursed him. His little blue eyes peered up at her and he would coo and occasionally stick out his tongue. Her son was her pride and joy and she always would have him. Then her focal point slowly turned into a flashback, one of her favorite memories of her and Luke visiting the beach when he was five. They were sharing ice cream and building a sand castle together…a very fond memory. Then her memory slipped into a dream-like state and she was slowly moving into a rem cycle.

Leo had watched as Bethany went from attempting a meditation session to completely passing out. It worked. This one always worked with his brothers and their human friends. He saw her body slowly collapsing towards the mats and silently got up. He collected the flower on the floor and slid his hands underneath her legs and back. He carried her out of the dojo and back to the lab. He chuckled as he passed by Don, who was drooling all over a schematic as he slept. Leo then put Bethany on her bed and pulled a fresh blanket from underneath. He draped it over her. Then he placed her flower on the tray table nearby, next to the plumeria she mentioned. Afterwards, he left the lab, intending to get some sleep as well. It was three in the morning and he was very tired from the run.

On the way upstairs, he bumped into Raphael, who almost never slept at night. He stopped at the top of the stairwell, "Good evening."

"Hey," Raph replied.

There was a moment of silence between them, but Leo broke it with, "I saw the flowers. They're well done."

"Thanks," Raph said. His eyes moved around nervously.

Sensing his brother's discomfort, Leo quickly added, "She likes them. I can tell." It got the reaction he wanted because Raph's expression seemed to light up a bit.

"G-good. I spent a lot of time working on those. They're small, but…"

"A very powerful gift. She told me you talked to her out in the sewer. She didn't try to run. I'm proud of the progress you're making. I think she'll come around soon. Keep it up."

"Yeah…I'm getting it now. But I don't wanna be pushy."

"Always a good idea. Try making conversation again. She's starting to see who you really are," Leo encouraged and he passed his brother to go to his room.

Raph returned to his room as well, contemplating what to say to her the next time the opportunity arose. He found himself dwelling on her a lot these days and strangely enough, he'd forgotten about his problems from the weeks prior. He was always looking for things to occupy his mind and keep his emotions in check, but she was bringing out newer emotions in him. He really wanted to fix the situation and see her smile, rather than watch her fall apart. He didn't like it when she cried, which happened frequently these days. He thought about what she may look like with a big smile on her newly mutated face. He could picture her eyes bright with happiness and her cheekbones drawn back when she grinned.

His bed called out to him and he lay down, still wondering how Bethany would decide to take her life forward. A girl like her had a lot of potential, even in her current form. She was smart, dedicated to her child, hardworking, and beautiful…

Yes…beautiful. Her hair was long and thick and a rich brown color. Her eyes were a hazy grey-blue and her lips were soft and smooth. He remembered how warm they were when they kissed. Then he closed his eyes and pictured her newly mutated body. Her skin was teal and scaly now, but did not appear rough. Her tail was long, not working properly yet, but he was most certain she'd figure it out. Then he remembered holding her hips that night…forcibly moving them against his cock. Her breasts bounced with his every thrust and her folds were blazing hot…

Raphael shot up in his bed, terrified of where his thoughts were heading. "Stop thinking about it, Raph!" he growled at himself. It was hard not to picture that night. He erased the imagery from his head and ran through katas and routines he practiced daily. This time it helped, but knowing that Bethany was downstairs made his focus wane a little. Perhaps tomorrow he could stir up a conversation and try to get to know her a little more.


It had worked. Bethany awakened very late in the day, close to one in the afternoon and didn't even realize it until she went out into the living room. She felt incredibly refreshed and her thoughts were much clearer. Leo must have done something to her last night that made her so relaxed that she was in a deep and cleansing sleep.

Still carrying her blanket, she wrapped up a bit as she felt slightly chilly in her nightgown. Her son was watching tv while eating a sandwich. It was a mother day of school he was missing and she suddenly felt guilty. Here he was sitting at home watching cartoons rather than interacting with his friends. When she looked at him, she knew he needed something better and she wandered into the bathroom. Today she would make a lot of phone calls and they were not going to be pleasant. Plus she planned to tell Luke what happened to his father and she would be calling her ex's company to tell them as well. It would be a lot of lies, but to keep herself safe.

"Morning, sleepy-head," Michelangelo said as he left the bathroom.

"Morning," she greeted and gently slipped past.

"Luke had a bath this morning. Thought you should know."

Bethany nodded, "Okay, good. Thanks for looking after him. Today's going to be a long day for him, so I hope this morning was very happy for him.

"He seemed to be happy, why?"

Bethany frowned, "I have to tell him about his father and I've made a hard choice…I'll tell you later."

"Oh…um, well I…hope he handles it okay. I'm sorry for the losses by the way," Mikey whispered, saddened as well.

"Thank you. I know he's gonna be all right. I'll give him a chance to play for a bit and I'll tell him after I make my phone calls. Keep him busy for me?"

"Sure."

Then she smiled and went into the bathroom to take a shower. She never used their bath before and it took a minute to figure out how Donnie had it set up. It wasn't a standard shower and she had to start the water by turning a large valve. The water tank nearby was obviously homemade, but worked. She had the water going and it was nice and warm. She slid off her nightgown and stepped inside before closing the curtain. The water hit her skin and she felt so much better already. It was interesting, for people who lived in the sewers, they did value being clean. Just outside the curtain, her bathroom supplies could be found sitting on the floor. Michelangelo must have put them in there when he gave Luke a bath. She reached inside the small bag and withdrew her shampoo and conditioner. Her hair felt awful, but once the suds lathered up, she could tell a huge difference in her locks. They felt cleaner and her fingers ran through much easier. The conditioner helped soften up what the minerals in the water dried out. Then she pulled her razor out and decided that she could only shave her underarms since the scales all over her body were impossible to get around. It was nice though, the tiny hairs on her limbs had thinned out a lot and so shaving was not really necessary. Afterwards, she just relaxed and washed her body with a pouf before wringing out her hair. There were towels neatly folded on a shelf nearby and she grabbed one, wrapping it around herself. There was a large, cracked mirror on the wall and she got a proper visual of herself. It wasn't so bad now, she supposed. After seeing the turtles for a few days, she grew used to their looks and frankly, she wasn't too much different. Similar nose structure and skin, but shell-less. She still looked more or less human though.

After drying off, she slipped her nightgown back on and wrapped her wet hair up in the towel before leaving. She wanted to carry her bags to the lab and start sorting through her things. Plus her phone was waiting for her and the dreaded calls she had to make…

Her bags were stuffed so full, but it seemed as though Leo had put a lot of thought into what he should grab for her. She found one of her long skirts and simple black blouse. It would be easy to wear, but she had to forgo underwear since they don't make holes for tails. She'd figure that out later. But she was happy to have her bras, which gave some comfort in her appearance. Then she unwrapped the towel on her head and let her hair loose, before pulling a brush out of her bag and sending ti through her locks. One all the snarls were out, she started the long process of braiding it. Waist length hair took a little time, but the results were nice when it dried and she let out the waves. To add a nice touch, she put a small pink butterfly clip behind her left ear. It was nice that Leo grabbed her jewelry box as well so she could have some extra comforts from home.

Once she had her routine over with, she fetched her phone off Donnie's desk and dreaded the first phone call to make, but it had to be done. She dialed for Luke's school first.

Well over an hour had passed and Bethany had relived her tears over and over. She was correct in assuming she'd been let go at her job. Her boss was not the slightest bit pleased with her and the numbers were such a large mess in the accounting department that they hired someone to replace her and fix the problems. Afterwards, she contacted her landlord and found out that she had to either pay her rent in ten days time or she would be evicted. Afterwards, she contacted her ex's company and told them the news of Carson's death. In light of this news, the executive she spoke said that Luke would be receiving a large portion of his father's shares, but he did not have any other connections with the company. Since Carson was well off, she knew that he left Luke a part of his estate and that would have to be dealt with in the courts. But she wouldn't be able to attend. At this point, she contacted the school and gave them the excuse that Luke was in mourning for his father. It was part of the truth, but she needed to work out one more thing. Where will Luke be living?

Her final phone call was to her mother. The phone was ringing, but her mother did not answer. "Odd," Bethany said. Her mother was almost always home since she retired and decided to sell homemade goods for fun. Her home was her business and so she was there during weekday hours. When the voicemail picked up, Bethany left a message, "Mom, it's me. Call me when you get a chance…it's very important I talk to you…love you." She then dropped her cell on the bed and decided to wait for a return call. In the meantime, she needed to talk to Luke.

Her son was sitting quietly in the living room, looking at a book with Leonardo reading to him. She listened as they came close to the end of a chapter of Charlotte's Web.

Luke saw his mother and took the book out of Leo's hands, "Momma! I don't want Wilbur to die! What's gonna happen to him?!" he cried.

"You have to wait and see, sweetheart. You'll find out at the end of the book," Bethany replied.

"Awe…" Luke whined and jogged back over to Leo and put the book in his lap, "Can we read more?"

"When you go to go bed tonight, we'll do another chapter," Leo said. He ruffled Luke's hair and took the book, placing a bookmark inside. He watched as the child scampered off to play with a pile of toys Mikey left out for him in the living room. Leo's attention fell on Bethany. "So, when are you going to-

"Tonight," she interrupted. She watched her son play and felt her heart sink. "Not looking forward to it."

Leo nodded. "It's for the best."

She said nothing else as she went back into the lab and kicked one of her bags, pissed off that she chickened out of telling her son the truth. Luke needed to know and the longer she put it off, the harder it would be. Donatello had returned to the lab as well and greeted her.

"Good afternoon," Don said.

"Hi," she responded and simply sat down on her bed, back turned towards him. She wasn't really in the mood for testing or a talkin' to. She figured that she could make herself look busy and started digging through her bags and sorting the clothes. She folded everything neatly and put her son's things on the other half of the bed. For some odd reason, she felt eyes staring at the back of her head and she looked over her shoulder for a moment.

It wasn't Don, but her son. He followed her back and he was silently standing in the doorway. She turned her whole body to face him. "What is it honey?"

"Momma, aren't I supposed to be in school?" he asked.

This caught Donatello's attention, but he kept his focus on the project before him as he listened.

Bethany swallowed. "Well, yes baby. Things are just complicated right now and mommy's trying to figure out a few things before-

"Where's daddy?"

The question was so innocent and Bethany was at a loss for words. Plus this was Donnie's cue to exit and the turtle quickly picked up his notebook and left the room.

She was at a loss for words and saw the concerned expression on Luke's face. She had no choice but to tell him the truth now. "Come sit," she said and patted a space on the bed. Her son slowly padded across the room and climbed onto the bed as she continued. "We have a lot to talk about…"

Well over an hour later the turtles were lounging around in the living room, watching a rerun of Breaking Bad, save for Raph who was in the dojo. Don had informed all of them of the conversation and they were wise enough to leave Bethany and Luke be for a bit. There was the sound of cries coming from the lab and the guys all felt a bit of sadness. Luke was not handling the news well, as was expected and suddenly the door burst open to the lab and a little boy came running out, hurt and upset. He ran towards the dojo and pushed on the sliding door, breaking the hinge, but squeezing through it.

Michelangelo shot up from the couch, wanting to chase Luke and try to comfort him, but Leo stopped him.

Bethany appeared in the lab doorway, distraught and holding a tissue. She didn't go after Luke, knowing that she did all she could to try and comfort him, but he just needed to cry it out. She turned around and went back in the lab.

Luke on the other hand, had found himself inside a large room. He recognized it, from peeking through the door before, but did not go inside. He knew the turtles would practice in here. With tears streaking his cheeks, he slowly moved further inside and looked at all of the decor. He didn't recognize the symbols painted on the walls, but he did see his new friend's pictures. There was his best turtle-friend Mikey in one frame. He grew to like him a lot since they've met. The other pictures were family shots of all the turtles and a giant rat that he didn't know. Luke stopped looking at the photos and decided to explore the room a bit. He set foot on the tatami mats and wandered to the center.

There was a giant tree in the middle of the room and it was blossoming flowers. A bit of light was shining down from the ceiling where a tiny grate to the surface was located. He moved to the spot on the floor were the light touched and looked up. Still teary-eyed, he sat down and stared at the floor.

There was a loud thump behind him a moment later, startling him and he spun around to see the burliest of the turtle brothers. Not afraid, Luke just peered at Raph.

"Hey kid," Raph said.

Luke sniffed, "H-hi…"

"What's the matter?"

"M-my…d-daddy" Luke mumbled as more tears spilled down his face.

They shared the same pain, only Luke was able to express it, unlike Raph. The turtle felt pity for the child and did something that Splinter used to do when he was young and couldn't show his emotions to his brothers. He reached down and picked up Luke, embracing him and letting the poor boy cry into his shoulder, not saying a word. Strangely, Raph felt a bit of a connection to Luke and figured it was because he was trying to fix his mistake with Bethany. Showing sympathy and a caring heart to her son could improve his chances, but he truly wanted to comfort this child.

Raph had every intention of practicing today, but it could wait.


That night, Bethany finally heard her phone ring and she practically leapt at her cell. It was her mother calling her back and she answered. "Hello? Mom?" She plopped down on her bed and waited for her mother to respond, but she was surprised when a different voice came on the line.

"Bethany Frasier…" said a very masculine voice.

Panicked, Bethany asked, "Who are you?!"

"Abraham Stockman. I believe you know me…"

"Stop playing games! What do you want? How did you…" She suddenly remembered that he called using her mother's number. "What did you do with my mother?!" she screamed.

The yells caught Donatello's attention and he came rushing into the lab, a breadstick hanging out of his mouth and half a plate of pizza in hand. He chewed quickly and swallowed. "Bethany, what's happening?"

She looked up at Don, frightened. The color was draining from her face, "They have my mother!"

Stockman started speaking again. "My dear, your mother is safe for the time being. Your presence is requested for the sake of her wellbeing. Travel north to the Catskills at the provided address within three days. Oh and bring your friends if you wish. Tell them we have additional test subjects that we will be testing out our Project ML serums on. However, without their dna, these victims including your mother, will not make it through the procedure. Have a pen handy, dear?"

Bethany rushed to Don's desk and grabbed the first marker in sight and wrote haphazardly on a schematic as Stockman gave her the address. Then Stockman disconnected the line and her cell silenced.

Don rushed over to the desk to see what she wrote. "What's wrong?"

"Stockman has my mother…and a bunch of other victims. He said that if I don't come to this address in three days with you four in tow, he's going to test the Project ML serum on all of them. Donnie…they'll all die!"

Don dropped his dish on the desk, "They are not going to give up this project…" he groaned, reading the address which was over sixty miles north. "I gotta tell the guys. We need to figure out what to do with Luke."

"I don't know anyone outside of work or the school, plus I don't know how my old co-workers would react to me if I asked for help." Bethany sighed.

"What about your father?" Don asked.

"He'd never make it in time. He's out on an oil rig and I have no idea if he'll get my message right away."

"Shit," Don muttered. What could they do with the boy? "We might be forced to take him with us."

"No, no! I can't do that!"

"We can't leave him alone here. I'll talk to Leo and see what he suggests."

The news hit the other turtles hard and there was a long debate about how to handle this situation. Bethany insisted going and even threatened to go alone if that's what it took to get her mother. However, Leo ensured her they would not abandon any of the victims. It was decided that night that they would travel in two days time, bringing Luke with them since they had no other choice, much to Bethany's dismay.

That night, she paced around the dojo, wondering if her mother truly was safe. And those other victims…were they okay? She remembered how Carson looked, swollen and discolored. He died a painful death and she certainly didn't want her mother going through that. She sat down on the floor and attempted to practice that same sort of meditation Leo showed her yesterday, but she was struggling to get her focus. Her thoughts immediately fell on her mother or what could happen to Luke if he went with them. She closed her eyes in frustration and tried harder, but she just couldn't do it. She heard the broken door creak open and in came a turtle. The darkness made it a bit harder to see at first, but she realized it was Raphael. After their conversation the other night, she found herself getting more and more comfortable around him. He was living up to his brother's words and was very respectful of her. Plus she learned through her son that Raph was the one who talked to him and held him for a while after finding out about his dad. She watched as he took a seat directly across form her. Something appeared to be on his mind.

"Mind if i join ya?" Raph asked.

"Okay," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. She struggled to look him in the eye, but tried her best.

Raph cleared his throat, wondering exactly how to begin. Small talk was always a good start. "So, besides our new problem, how've you been holdin' up?"

"Oh…okay I guess, just r-really trying to put it all together." She took a breath, not really understanding why she was about to say this next sentence. "I'm s-surprised at how different you are now…"

He raised an eye brow. It was progress, but he wanted to know how he could do better. "Oh? Well, I just…"

"You're not the same person who attacked me almost two weeks ago. I'm starting to understand how you feel, not that I condone what happened, but…"

"It's all right, I gotcha. Anyways…I just wanted to…" Raph was stumbling through his words, so instead he just held out his hand.

Bethany saw that he was holding something and she looked at a tiny object centered in his palm. The dim lighting of the lamp above revealed a little frog sitting upon a lily pad. Her mouth fell open and she reached for the trinket. He'd made another wooden gift. "A frog…"

"Heard ya liked them."

She nodded, "How did you know?"

"You're little man told me." He allowed her to take it and watched as she studied its details.

"It's so pretty. You're very talented. Oh I wish I could make something like this," she said, admiring it.

"I can teach you if you want."

For the first time ever, she smiled at him, "I'd like that…"

The aura in the room lightened for Raphael. To hear her say that she was interested in his art made him feel elated. "I'll show you how to carve when we get back from our mission."

There was a short period of silence as Bethany turned over the frog. She expected something on the underside, just like the flower petals. She was right. There on the bottom of the lily pad was a new word.

Friend.

Raph's heart leapt in his throat. She saw the word and he was very nervous all of a sudden. Would she accept his request for a new start? He watched as she turned the lily back over and her eyes met with his. He wasn't sure what she was thinking and suddenly, chills shot up his spine. Her face showed no emotion for a minute or two until she finally opened her mouth and said…

"Friends…"