A/N: WOW! just wow! I am overwhelmed and deeply touched by your reviews. -wipes away tears-

"Us? What us?" Mira tried to pull her hand away, but Eznic had learned he had to use a little more force with her than the typical female.

His grip remained while his face reflected shock. His emotions, however, showed nothing of the sort. "Oh, I thought we had something special going. You didn't seem to mind all the attention I've been giving you the past few days."

And there was the flaw in her big plan to make K-three realize his feeling for her. She'd inadvertently let Eznic get a little too close. Sirens went off in her head and she grabbed at his wrist with her free hand, trying to throw him. But he seemed to be prepared for this, planting his feet and grabbing her other wrist. She fought him, but he was just too strong. He advanced on her, pinning her against the counter. "Now, now. Let's play nice."

He leaned towards her and she leaned as far back as possible with her shell. Her training suddenly took over and she slammed her foot into his knee. He stumbled back with a snarl. She made a dash for the door, but he caught her and pinned her against the wall by her throat. "Don't make a noise." He hissed in her ear. Mira struggled for air, the edges of her vision going dark.

What he didn't realize was she'd already sounded the alarm. There was a roar and someone slammed into the side of Eznic. Mira coughed and gasped for air as his hand broke away. There was cursing and shouting around her, and the crash of tables and chairs. She regained her focus to find her father and K-three exchanging blows with Eznic. The Turtleoid simply had no chance as the ninja and enraged turtle pummeled him with blow after blow.

Eznic stumbled away from them, wiping at the blood dripping from his mouth. He glanced in her direction and this only sent K-three further over the edge. "How dare you touch her! Don't even look at her!" The words were nearly incoherent beneath the snarls and growls.

Beside him Donnie's eyes were nearly black with fury as he darted forward and slammed a fist into the younger turtle's stomach, making him double over. Eznic was lucky the weapons were kept in the dojo, on the other side of the kitchen wall, otherwise he might not have lived long enough to take the punishment Don wanted to deal him. Sarah had woken him with a shout and he'd ran to kitchen just in time to see K-three tackle Eznic. The sickeningly reddening flesh of his daughter's throat had nearly drove him mad.

In the doorway stood Zan, Chase, and Prog gaping at the scene before them. Prog considered intervening, but one look at Mira and he stopped cold. Sarah pushed her way through them and darted to her daughter's side. She wrapped her arms protectively around her and examined the injured flesh of her neck.

By now the ruckus had drawn the other three brothers into the room. "What's going on?" Leo demanded.

"Get out!" Donnie's eyes flared with rage. "Get out of our home! Now!" Beside him K-three was growling so loud that they barely heard Sarah's response.

"He attacked Mira."

The room resonated with another half dozen growls. And Eznic found himself suddenly way outnumbered. He started to back away again but K-three's fist caught him, spinning him around like a top. He slammed into the far wall and then crumpled to the floor. The two turtles advanced on him despite his unconscious state. Their intentions all too clear.

Mira's sharp cry made them stop. "No!" She knew if she allowed this to go any further, they'd kill the young Turtleoid. And she couldn't have that. He didn't deserve it. She'd been the one to draw his attention, however unintentionally it might have been done. She dashed across the room and threw herself into K-three's arms. "Don't kill him!" He crushed her to him, rubbing his cheek against her head. A low hum came from deep inside his chest, a noise meant to soothe, and she melted against him.

Donnie blinked at the noise. It was something they had never developed, perhaps because of their own mixed heritage it had been lost along the way. But apparently it had not been lost in the pure turtle linage of the Turtleoids. He watched in awe as Mira's eyes drifted to half-mast, all the adrenaline and fight gone from her.

Leo, Raph and Mikey watched their brother for any sign that he disliked what was happening, but all he did was give a small smile. Sarah crossed the room to his side and he wrapped an arm around her waist. "What should we do with him?"

Donnie narrowed his eyes at the limp form on the ground. He could think of a lot of things, none of them pleasant. K-three stopped his soothing and looked down at Eznic. He sighed. "I suppose we should take him back to Shellri-La."

Mira's head popped up, panic in her eyes. "No! You can't leave, not yet."

Pain flickered in his features. He pulled her to him again, starting the soothing hum once more. Donnie and Sarah exchanged a worried look. Things were not looking good for their daughter.

Prog stepped forward. "You don't have to leave. I'll take him home."

K-three nodded. "Go with him to their ship, commander. Make sure the coordinates for this planet are wiped from his computer before they launch." Chase gave a sharp nod of acknowledgement.

Raph glared at Eznic. "I think I'll join you. You'll need a ride anyways."

Somewhere in the background, Shinta was crying. Sarah glanced at Mira, she was very safe wrapped in K-three's arms. She knew she'd be cared for. She glanced up at Donnie and he nodded. She turned and hurried through the others to collect him from Kala, who was struggling to keep him calm. Kaz and Yoshi stood nearby staring at the scene with wide eyes.

Prog lifted Eznic's unconscious body over his shoulder with little effort and followed Chase and Raph from the kitchen. Donnie moved close to Mira and stroked a hand down her cheek. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"

She gave a small nod, her hand coming up to touch the tender flesh of her neck. "Just a little sore." K-three gave another small growl at the information, and Donnie's hand came up to squeeze his shoulder.

He turned away from the couple to look at his brother. "Leo, I need to talk to you." The leader nodded and they headed for his bedroom.

Cat looked around the kitchen at the destruction. The large custom made table had been broken in half during the scuffle and several chairs had been crushed. She glanced at Mikey and Zan. "Come on, guys. Let's get this cleaned up." The two turtles nodded.

As Mikey moved forward, he touched Mira's shell and she gave him a weak smile. He exchanged a look with K-three. "Great save, bro."

K-three smiled a little at the compliment. He looked down at Mira. "Come on, little flower." He turned her towards the living room, where they sat on the couch. Mira curled into his side and he began the soft hum again while stroking her arm and shell.

Sarah watched them from where she paced with Shinta on her shoulder, her hands almost mimicking his as she comforted the tot. Worry still ate at her heart but she pushed it away in favor of the love flowing from her daughter. She sighed, rocking Shinta a little. The tot's cries had turned to small hiccups and he was starting to fall asleep again.

Kaz scowled at the elevator door, where Eznic had been carried out. His eyes flared with anger, a small growl escaping him. Kala blinked at him in surprise. She laid her hands on his shoulders. "It's okay, Kaz."

"He tried to hurt Mira." He growled.

She nodded. "Yes, but K-three stopped him."

Kaz moved around the couch to stop in front of K-three. The Turtleoid opened his eyes to look at the elven-year-old. Kaz put his palms together and bowed. "Thank you."

K-three offered a small smile, but didn't answer as Mira had fallen asleep against him. Her head rested on his plastron while his arm was draped protectively around her. One of his large hands held one her small ones.

Kaz smiled at them. "Are you her boyfriend now?"

Both Sarah and Kala stopped moving, their attention fixed on the male. K-three gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Kaz's smile broadened. "Does that mean you're going to stay?"

K-three looked away, his grip tightening on Mira. "I want to, but I don't think I can."

Yoshi ran around to stand beside Kaz. "Why not?" His little green eyes narrowed. "If you love her, you should stay."

K-three sighed, his hand coming up to caress Mira's cheek. "It's complicated, kid. I've got responsibilities. People that depend on me."

The little turtle's hot-headed heritage came blazing to the surface. "But what about Mira!" In his eight-year-old eyes the world was still black and white, right and wrong. And leaving someone you said you loved was definitely wrong.

"Yoshi!" Sarah hissed, trying not to wake Shinta. When he looked her way, she waived him to her. She squeezed his small shoulder. "It's time for bed." She guided him into the room and laid Shinta on his little bed.

As she urged Yoshi to lay down in his own bed, he frowned at her. "But if he leaves, Mira will be sad."

"I know." She said softly. "But it's his decision, not ours."

"But-"

She stroked his round head. "We must have faith that things will work out as they should." She leaned forward and kissed the top of his head. "Now, get some sleep."

In the next room, Leo stared at Donnie liked he'd grown an extra head. "You can't be serious. You and Sarah have said all along that this wasn't possible."

Donnie shook his head. "We're not a hundred percent certain, but you saw them just now. It's getting hard to deny."

Leo gave a solemn nod. "Yeah, I did." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What if it's not a true bond? What if it's more like what happened when we first met Sarah, when we were just kids?"

"You mean like the preadolescent bond?" Donnie thought that over for a moment. "Well, maybe. If it is, it won't be as strong as a true bond. It won't put her life in danger anyways."

"So, what do you plan on doing about it?"

Donnie frowned. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Leo was astonished, usually his brother would have come up with something to keep his daughter out of danger.

"It's not our place to demand he stay, so it'll have to be up to him. I just thought you ought to know what was going on."

Leo frowned. "I'm not so sure that's a good plan."

Donnie sighed. "It's the only one we have."

Prog dumped Eznic on one of the cots near the back of the ship and the turtle gave a grunt. He opened his eyes and rubbed his head as the large turtle left. "Man, what happened?"

Raph growled, his eyes sharp. "You put your hands on the wrong girl."

Eznic snorted as he sat up. "She didn't seem to mind a few days ago."

Raph's growl escalated. "You listen to me, ya piece of scum. I've been watchin' you and you leave a bad taste in my mouth. I have half a mind to finish what my brother and K-three started."

Eznic glared back. "And why didn't they finish me off? Too spineless?"

Raph took a heavy step forward. "You have Mira to thank for that."

Eznic had the audacity to smirk. "She must like it rough."

Raph's fist hit him square in the jaw, snapping his head back into the wall behind the cot. He fell back into unconsciousness without a single sound. Raph rubbed his knuckles with a glint in his eye. "I've been wantin' to do that all week." He turned and headed back to the front, where Chase and Prog sat at the controls.

Prog glanced over his shoulder at him. "I heard a noise. Is everything alright?"

Raph grinned wickedly. "Fine, I just gave him something to help him sleep."

Prog lifted an eye ridge, but chose not to pursue the topic. Chase turned around in his chair. "Memory banks have been wiped. There won't be any record of this planet ever being visited. He won't be able to find his way back or at least not easily."

Prog sighed. "Tell your family I'm sorry for the trouble."

Raph frowned. "Hey, man. This ain't your fault."

Prog stood with a little shake of his head. "I knew how he was. I should have insisted we leave earlier."

Chase stood. "You're not a half bad guy, Prog." He offered him his hand and Prog took it. "We should hang when we get back, but you'll have to lose that bag of trash first." He shot a thumb in Eznic's direction.

Prog smiled. "That sounds like a plan."

They stepped outside and waited as the invisible ship rose, swirling dust around them, and shot into the sky. Both Raph and Chase let out a heavy breath of relief as their uninvited and sorely unwanted guest left.

K-three lifted Mira into his arms and walked down the hall to her bedroom. He laid her softly in her bed and covered her with her blanket. He took in a deep breath. Her room was soaked with her scent. Every surface seemed to be covered in it. She gave a soft whimper as he moved away and he paused to watch her from the doorway.

What was that? I've never felt anything like it before. It was like she screamed my name inside my head. He shuddered, recalling the terror that had swept over him. He couldn't sense her now, but there for a moment it was like she was inside him, like they were one being. He shook his head as he closed the door. That's stupid. She couldn't be inside me. I'm not an empath, she is.

He turned to go back to his pallet in the dojo, but his feet wouldn't move. Perhaps it was fear still lingering inside him. It didn't matter if it was his or hers, but it wouldn't let him move. He leaned against the wall beside her door and slid down it to sit. He closed his eyes with a resigned sigh. Mira's scent wafted up to him from the crack in the door and he felt his body relax. It was the first truly restful sleep he'd had since his arrival.

A little while later Donnie found him there. He stood in the hall watching K-three sleep just outside his daughter's door. A solitary sentry guarding her in case of trouble, despite the fact that the danger had now passed. Raph stopped beside him as he came down the hall. He smirked. "You know, bro, he wouldn't make a bad addition to the family. He can hold his own in fight."

Donnie frowned as he folded his arms. "He says he's leaving."

Raph tilted his head, watching the young man. "Don't look like he's goin' anywhere to me."

"Let's hope not." Cat slipped up beside him and took his hand. "Come on, it's been a long night." K-three shifted a little as the couple entered the door across from him, but he didn't wake.

"You were right. He loves her a lot." Donnie looked down into Sarah's soft brown eyes as she touched his arm. She could feel him fighting down the desire to hope. She kissed his cheek. "Go on to bed, love. I'll be right there." He nodded, stepping into their bedroom. She made her way quietly back to the dojo and picked up K-three's blanket. Everyone else had finally settled back to bed. Slipping down the hall, she laid the blanket across her daughter's guard. She smiled. "Sleep well, sweetheart."

A/N: Yay! Good riddins Eznic! And it looks like K-three's finally getting respect from the guys. Review!