A/N: Changes can be hard on everyone.

The ache in her abdomen woke Mona, but she had no desire to move. Raphael's arm was draped across her, his breath warm against the back of her neck, and his chest pressed firmly to her back. She could feel the steady thump of his heart and it nearly lulled her back to sleep. But the dull ache kept her awake. She stared at the wall of the alcove. It had become a familiar sight in the past week or so since she'd first made her escape. Old photographs of the guys were taped in a mishmash fashion on it. Weapons of various kinds hung from hooks. And on the small dresser were a stack of books filled with funny anecdotes.

A small smile touched her lips. It made sense when you thought about it. The turtles' lives were stressful and unpredictable. With Raphael's stubbornness and temper, he could take most of it in stride. But there had to be something to balance all that out - a way to escape. Laughter was his.

She slipped her hand into his and his arm tightened around her a bit. "You're supposed to be sleepin'." His lips tickled the little hairs on her neck and she couldn't suppress the giggle. He snorted and it made the sensation ten times worse. "I'm not kiddin'. Ya ain't slept nearly long enough."

"I know." She managed between muffled fits of giggles. She glanced at the clock. It was just past midnight. She'd only slept two and a half hours.

With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself up so he could look down on her. When she met his eyes, he frowned. "Your stitches botherin' ya? I could get ya a painkiller."

It was her turn to frown. "No, no medicine." She looked away. "I hate it."

"I know, but it would help ya feel better and sleep better." His frown only deepened when she didn't reply. "Okay, I'll get ya some more ice. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"

"Maybe some water. I don't think I can stomach food yet. The gas they use on me usually makes me nauseous."

"Then, do ya promise to try to sleep some more?"

She met his gaze again. "I'll try."

He nodded and placed a kiss on her brow, before unwinding himself from the covers. As he entered the living room, Leo turned towards him with an exasperated expression. "Raphael, good. Maybe you can help us with our little problem." He pointed at the ceiling.

Raph followed his gaze and his jaw dropped. "Why didn't ya come get me!"

"You needed to rest too, Raphael. You were injured as well." Don was also looking up at their little problem.

"What happened? How'd she get up there?" Raph stared at Nina sitting on the large pipe that crossed the ceiling.

"She climbed." Don said flatly. "I'm guessing it's one of her enhanced abilities."

"Yeah, she climbed the wall like she was Bugman." Mikey had already tried using his grappler to climb up there with her. But as soon as he got to the pipe, she'd climbed off it onto the ceiling itself. The group had nearly freaked out, afraid she was going to fall. She hadn't though and as soon as Mikey had climbed down, she'd moved back to the pipe. They couldn't figure out a way to get the child down without scaring her.

"Why'd she climb up there?" Raph moved to stand beneath the pipe and Nina blinked big brown eyes down at him.

Katherine blushed. "I was going to give her a bath. She doesn't look like she's ever gotten one. I mean a real one anyways. She didn't like the idea much."

"Every time we get close to her, she takes off." Sams was still fearful the girl was going to fall.

Raph shook his head. He wasn't sure what he could do. She might take off from him too. "Uh, kiddo, uh, Nina… Can ya come back down here?" He pointed at the floor. The girl's eyes snapped towards the bathroom. "Ya don't gotta take a bath, but ya do need to come down." He beckoned her with his hands. This time she looked at the others. "Come on, now. Ya can't stay up there forever." He watched as she finally moved. She hung from the pipe right above him, then let go. Raph caught her. "I didn't exactly mean do it like that."

"Well, at least she's down." Don decided he'd have to take a closer look at the girl's hands and feet when he was able.

Mikey glanced at the bedroom area. "How's Mona?"

Raph frowned. "Her stitches are hurtin' 'er. I came to get another icepack."

"We have some pain relievers." Leo pointed out.

He shook his head. "She doesn't want 'em." Sighing, he looked down at the little lizard. "As for you, ya need to stay on the floor." He set her on her feet and pointed at the ground. "Down here." She stared at him and he patted her head. When he moved off to the kitchen, she followed.

Mikey chuckled. "Looks like our bro has a shadow."

Katherine frowned, looking at the ground. "I didn't mean to frighten her."

Don hugged her. "You didn't do anything wrong, Kitten. But maybe sponge baths might be best for a while."

Raph collected a cold compress and filled a glass with water. When he turned around to head back to the bedroom, he nearly tripped over Nina. "Whoa!" She flinched at his startled voice. He sighed. "Careful, squirt." He gave her a small smile before stepping around her and making his way back to his alcove. He set the cup and pack on the side table. "You think ya could sit up?"

Mona frowned. "Yes, I think so."

Raph helped her up and sat behind her. She allowed him to support her as she took the offered drink. Taking several long drafts of the cool liquid, she closed her eyes and leaned into Raph, drawing in his scent. It soothed her body and mind more than anything else could possibly do.

Raph let out a small sigh, feeling her soft body in his arms. He wished he could do more to make her comfortable. It was his fault she'd had to endure the tortures of IPRC again. Lifting a hand to his burned and bandaged neck, he wondered if they ever healed the injuries they caused her, or if they expected her regenerative ability to take care of it. It was obvious that her accelerated healing was not instantaneous. The scars on her neck were proof of that.

She turned her head a bit to place a kiss on his cheek. "Raphael, you've been so good to me. I love you." Her voice was soft and heartfelt.

He smiled, his grip tightening on her. "I love ya too, Angel." Closing his eyes, he rested his head against hers. She let out a small gasp and his eyes popped open. Peeking over the end of the bed was a small green head with brown hair and brown eyes. He glanced at Mona, judging her reaction. It was one of both astonishment and curiosity. He motioned to the girl with his hand. "This is Nina." Mona watched in wonder as the child slowly moved around the bed.

"Hello, Nina." Mona tried to offer a smile. She wasn't sure how to feel about being cloned. But she was glad they'd rescued the girl, especially before those people did her too much harm.

Nina approached cautiously. She eyed Raph's arms wrapped around Mona. Then, she took in the older lizard woman. They looked alike, even more than the others. She looked at her hands then at Mona's. She lifted her small hand much as Raph had done when they'd first met. Smiling, Mona offered her hand as well. They both had the same webbing between their digits, but where Mona's fingers were long and slender, Nina's were thick and short. Reaching out, she took the larger hand and examined it more closely.

Raph smiled. "I think maybe she likes ya."

Nina's interest in Mona was only momentary though. It quickly turned back to Raphael. She stretched her arms out to him. He frowned. "Not right now, kiddo. I'm takin' care of Mona. I'm sure one of the others would hold ya."

Nina made a face and continued to reach out for him. This time Mona frowned. "You can go with her, if you need to. She obviously wants you."

Raph shook his head. "No way. I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on you." He looked off towards the living room and raised his voice just a bit. "Hey, Michelangelo!"

Mikey appeared along with Leo. "What's up?"

"Can ya take 'er?"

Mikey stepped up into the alcove. "Come on, dudette."

Nina's face scrunched in frustration and a touch of anger. When Mikey reached for her, she sprang away from him. She landed on the bed, eliciting a grunt from Mona as it jarred her. Mikey moved to pick her up once more and again she jumped away from him to the other side of the alcove. He turned to Raph. "I don't think she wants to come with me, dude."

Leo watched Nina yawn. "She looks like she's getting tired. And I doubt that she'll calm down, if any of us take her. I think you're stuck with her, Raphael."

Raph frowned. "But I can't watch 'er. I gotta look after Mona."

"Maybe we could fix her up something here in your alcove, just temporarily." Don offered as he joined them.

"But-." Raph started to protest.

Mona squeezed the arm he had around her. "They're right. She looks frightened enough. Maybe being near you would help."

He sighed, accepting defeat. "Fine."

"We could lay the couch cushions on the floor beside the bed." Leo suggested.

"I'll go grab 'em." Mikey went to retrieve the large pillows.

"I'll see if I can find some spare blankets." Don headed for their storage room.

Raph eased Mona back onto the pillow and handed her the icepack as Mikey returned. They laid the pads on the floor and spread a blanket across them. Nina watched them with interest. "Come here, Nina." Raph laid her down and covered her with the other two blankets. She stared up at him, not sure what was going on. "Now go to sleep."

Katherine giggled as she came in dressed for bed. "Something tells me that is not going to work."

"We'll see." Raph climbed back in beside Mona as the rest went off to their own beds. "You go to sleep too." He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close.

Mona smiled, even as she pressed the cold pack to her stomach. "I'll try."

For a while, the room was quiet and still. But it didn't endure as Raph felt something move onto the bed. He frowned at Nina sitting at the foot. His small bed was already too small for him and Mona. Adding a third body to the mix was impossible. There just wasn't enough room. He glanced at Mona, who for once seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Unfortunately, he knew that wouldn't last. She usually had two or three nightmares before the night was over. And tonight, could be worse.

Moving as quietly as possible, he sat up. "Ya can't sleep up here, kid. There ain't room." She frowned with big droopy eyes. Sighing, he picked her up and put her back onto the makeshift bed. "Now, stay there." Before he could even get properly settled, she'd climbed back up. Irritation was beginning to build up in him. He frowned. "No, ya gotta sleep down here." Again, he laid her on the pallet.

When he rolled back over, tears welled in the child's eyes followed shortly by a wail. Everyone in the lair jerked awake. Mona muffled a gasp, her heart racing. Beside her, Raph let out a small frustrated growl, before sitting up and staring at the crying child. "What's the problem, kid?"

Leo stepped around the corner with Sams while rubbing his eyes. "What's going on?"

Raph threw a hand in the air. "Heck if I know. She kept gettin' on the bed. I just put 'er back down there."

"Remember, she has the mind of an infant. She doesn't understand." Don told him.

Katherine appeared beside him. "Plus, she's probably never slept outside of her stasis tube before."

"My sons, what is happening here?" Splinter frowned as he approached the group.

"She just started cryin', Master." Raph had no idea what to do.

It was obvious none of his charges had a clue how to deal with the situation. Sighing, he stepped up into the alcove and picked up the small girl. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck. He patted her back. "There, there." Nina finally quieted a bit, her wails turning into sniffles. "If Nina indeed has the mind of a babe, then it would be best to get her to sleep before putting her to bed."

Raph's face dropped. "Yes, Sensei. We'll do that from now on."

"It is alright. You may go back to bed. I will care for her until she falls asleep." Splinter turned and carried Nina out into the living room. It took some time, but he eventually got the child to sleep. As he brought her back to the little makeshift bed, he could hear very soft crying. When he reached Raphael's alcove, his son looked up at him. He didn't say anything though as he held Mona a little tighter. Splinter frowned. It was likely her recapture had undone what little they'd been able to accomplish in their meditation sessions. They would have to start over. And it was possible the trauma might have intensified. He laid Nina on the cushions and met his son's gaze before he left. There was such pain, confusion, and guilt in it. Meditation may be best for both of them.

Don pulled back the bandage and lifted an eye-ridge. "This already looks several days old. I think we can even take the stitches out. How does it feel?"

Mona frowned a little in concentration. "Definitely better."

Don measured her strength with a critical eye. "Do you think you can move around?" She nodded, sitting up with only a small amount of difficulty. Both Raph and Don smiled. "That's good! I'll take these out and you can get up if you want." He shot Raph a look. "Make sure she eats something."

He gave a firm nod. "I will."

Don gestured at the bandage on his throat. "Let me take a look at your neck." Raph unwound the gauze protecting the damaged skin. Don frowned. It still looked pretty bad. He pulled a tube from the first aid kit and handed it to Mona. Raph was less likely to argue with her. "Put this on and wrap it again. That skin is still too raw to leave in the open air."

Raph snorted and was about to protest, but Mona smirked. "I will." Raph folded his arms with a huff.

After Donnie had removed the stitches and left, Raphael reluctantly allowed Mona to put ointment on his burns. Then, he convinced her to eat some breakfast. Splinter was already seated at the table with Nina, who was gobbling food down as fast as he could put it in front of her. Raph frowned at the child. "Thanks for helping last night, Master Splinter."

"It was no problem, my son. I understand that none of you have had dealings with infants. I, on the other hand, have. We shall all take part in her care."

Nina watched Raph settle Mona into a chair and move to dig through the fridge. She eyed Mona when Raph sat beside her and the two began to eat. Once they were done the couple settled on the couch, the little lizard following after them. As soon as he put his arm around Mona, the tot promptly climbed up and pushed herself in between them.

Raph looked down at the child in utter confusion. "What is your deal, kid?"

"She's jealous." Samantha looked up over the edge of the newspaper, where she'd been reading about the fiasco at IPRC.

Raph was even more confused. "Jealous? Of what?"

"Of Mona." Sams lowered the paper. "You're the one that found Nina and rescued her. It's obvious by the way she follows you around. She thinks she's yours, or you're hers or something like that. She hasn't figured out where Mona fits into that equation."

The couple looked down at the girl between them. Mona raised a brow. "Hmm, this could be a problem."

A/N: Just two more chapters to go!