Author's Note: I'm back with another chapter! Now this one has a time-skip, and there will be a few time-skips in this story just to move it along and not drag the story too long. So here we'll have some fluff mixed with some angst, such as Donnie and Chey having the first glimpse of their child, Casey coming to terms with Gabrielle's death, a moment between Leo and Andie, and another clue as to what Sang's planning. Be sure to read and give some nice reviews!

Chapter 10: The First Glimpse

"So you've been slavin' away for over a month for all this?"

Donatello ignored Raphael's question and marveled over the hard work paying off. Andromeda stayed true to her word and helped him gather the supplies needed to improve the lab, while the others volunteered to keep an eye on the Foot. Several trips to the dump, digging through items carelessly thrown away by doctor's offices, and a favor from the Mutanimals later, everything was set up. A table with a computer monitor and probe sat next to an adjustable, leather exam table. There was also an examination chair discarded from a dentist's office nearby for the more…thorough checkups.

"We poured our blood, oil, sweat, tears into this. I'd have to say this place is ready for Dr. Donatello's quality prenatal care!" Donnie declared boldly. "Everything's been sterilized, of course."

Raph remained somewhat unamused, while Leo took the moment to marvel over everything as well. "And you're not leavin' 'er to th' hospital WHY?"

"What, and risk the government taking Chey because she's carrying a half-mutant baby? We may be becoming known to people, but they're not ready for THAT level. But…" Donnie's proud smile faded and he rubbed the back of his neck, admitting, "If worse comes to worse, I'll put trust in Dr. Yeoh and her staff."

Leo crossed his arms, but flashed his brother a reassuring grin. "If she's got you, she's already in good hands. You've repaired Andie without Fugitoid's help AND you're the founder of retromutagen, so this should be in the bag."

Leo's reassurance proved enough to bring back Donnie's confidence. Or it was buttering up on Leo's part, given that he constantly glanced between the equipment and Andie as though he implied something. He'd let it slide, or he'd help them make that possible one day. "Go get Chey and we'll test this out."

Leo immediately opened the door to the lab and called out, "Mikey, tell Chey it's ready!"

"She's right here, Leo! I'll escort her safely!"

They could hear Cheyloe tell Mikey she was a big girl and could take care of herself, but let herself be led by him nonetheless. When Chey entered, Donnie's eyes immediately went to her middle. More specifically, they went to the small bump already in her middle. Her lean physique made it easier for her to show, and anyone up-close would be able to tell she was pregnant. He could see that she shared his anxiousness over what they were about to do: attempt to get a glimpse at their unborn child. He and the others watched her hoist herself onto the exam table and immediately stare at the blank computer monitor.

Donnie grabbed a bottle of a clear substance as the brunette lifted her shirt to expose her abdomen. "All right, fair warning: this stuff's cold. Other than that, it's perfectly safe!" Beaming aside, he flipped the computer on and asked his wife, "Ready, babe?"

Chey nodded, "Ready when you are, honey."

The others watched Donnie squirt the jelly-like substance onto Cheyloe's bare stomach before placing the probe on it. All eyes darted to the computer screen and waited for the desired image. Donnie stuck his tongue out and moved the probe, scrutinizing the black-and-white imagery and finding nothing at first. When he moved to a certain spot…he found it. He almost froze when he found it, but shook his shock off and looked closer at it. Amidst the withheld gasps of his family, Donnie stared transfixed at the image of the baby growing inside his wife.

"Whoa, it already looks like a baby!" Mikey exclaimed. "I thought it would look like a blob or something!"

The others didn't say anything, only keeping their eyes at the being quietly squirming around like it wasn't being watched. After stealing a glance at his wife, Donnie reached over and pressed a switch on the keyboard. They all suddenly heard a swooshing sound echo throughout the lab as the heartbeat reached their ears. Leo, Raph, and Mikey held their breaths at the sound and the image of their niece or nephew. Andie absentmindedly held on for dear life to her lower metallic torso while she processed the sound.

But for Donnie and Chey? If they weren't so stunned into silence, they would both erupt into joy. They couldn't describe the joy they felt from seeing their unborn child, but the brunette soon expressed it with bleary eyes and hands covering her mouth.

"I can't believe…" Cheyloe swallowed and recovered her voice to say, "That's our baby…"

As much as he wanted to keep his professional face, Donnie had to wipe at his eyes from hearing his wife's choked-up observation. "I know…I still can't believe it's possible. It's actually thriving."

"Can you tell if it's a boy or girl?" Leo asked.

Donnie looked at the screen before shaking his head in disappointment. "No, it's still too early to tell. It should be easier to identify in another month or two as the baby develops more. For right now, the main focus is making sure it reaches the second trimester."

"Well, that's right around th' corner, isn't it?" Raph shrugged his shoulders when he asked the question, but proved as curious as the others. "So if it's done well this far, shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"True, but it never hurts to stay cautious. After all, this is the first known pregnancy involving a mutant-superhuman hybrid. We don't know how it compares to a normal human pregnancy." Donnie noted, looking again at the image of the baby to find any abnormalities. To his relief, he found none and continued to watch the small being moving around without a care. "I know I sound like I'm being paranoid, but-"

The genius turtle stopped when he found his wife's hand enclosed over his. The look on her face immediately washed him over with calmness and he made his mind rest for the moment. While he had justified reasons to border on paranoid, he remembered the words of Ryoji and couldn't let that paranoia consume him. Cheyloe and the baby were doing well right now, and keeping a level head would ensure they kept doing well. Until something happened that would actually raise concerns, he knew just to watch the progress and be physical and emotional support for her.

"We're going to be just fine, Donnie. I feel fine, and from the looks of things the baby feels fine, too." Chey stated before playfully patting his hand. "You're not the only one who's had to learn to stop worrying."

With one final look at the baby, Donnie turned off the sonogram machine and helped clean Chey up. It was while she readjusted her clothes and sat up that Mikey asked a peculiar question. "So, do your coworkers know you're pregnant? They're not gonna find out you've got a half-mutant bun in there, are they?"

The brunette smile reassuringly and replied, "Oh, Dr. Yeoh and a few others know, but only Dr. Yeoh knows all the circumstances. The others at the hospital probably believe I had it done artificially, but they can believe what they want."

"Artificially? You mean where you go and buy the tadpoles to-"

Raph suddenly cut off Mikey before he could finish his ridiculous answer by asking, "Speakin' of hospitals…wonder how Casey's doin'? Today's when Shadow's supposed to go home, after all."

Everyone's faces fell, but for different reasons. As far as they knew, Casey still hadn't bonded with Shadow, and only went to visit her because Miwa forced him to. They figured he'd be over any resentment towards her since Gabrielle's death. But Casey didn't deal with loss well and had a bad habit of misdirecting his anger. He hadn't spoken much to Donnie or Chey, either. Nevertheless, if Miwa hadn't given up on him, they wouldn't either. Casey still had them and had Shadow…but right now, Casey was all Shadow had, and she'd need him more than ever.

Maybe things would start turning around for him and that sense of peace could return.

At the hospital

Casey wordlessly packed several articles of clothing and stuffed animals in a bag before tossing it in a chair. He listened to the nurse explain that even though Shadow caught up in growth, he had to be careful and help strengthen her immune system. While the nurse prattled on about formulas and sensitive-skin diapers, he could see Miwa dressing Shadow in a onesie and wrapping her in a blanket. The sight would've made most fathers crack a smile and feel pride…but he felt apathetic. He felt devoid of any feelings towards Shadow; even his anger didn't show.

The nurse finally left with congratulations for Shadow going home and an apology for 'what happened'. What happened…like Gabby no longer mattered to them. He already had enough on his plate with struggling to keep the garage alive, and now he had to deal with what was left behind. Maybe Gabby didn't matter to them, but she mattered to him.

"Casey, you ready to go?"

Casey looked over at Miwa, who readied herself to put Shadow in her carrier. He only twitched his lips and remained blank-faced, only readying himself to sling the bag over his shoulder. He'd figure out what he would do once he got home; until then, he didn't want to think about it. He grabbed at the strap of the bag when he found a hand grabbing at his shirt collar and yanking him forward.

"What th' hell are you doin', Miwa!?"

"I'm fed up with all your self-pity, Jones. I've stood by for too long and let you go on because I thought it'd fix itself. But now I'll have to make you pick up the slack and actually acknowledge your daughter!" Miwa pointed towards the carrier now containing the infant, and grabbed Casey's head so he could look at her. "Do you think Gabrielle would want you to blame your own child for her death? Or get drunk every night and nearly wreck the business you two built together?"

Casey angrily pulled away and spat, "What do YOU know 'bout what Gabby wanted!? You never liked 'er!"

"Whether or not I liked her isn't the point! The point is that you're throwing away what's left of her to feel sorry for yourself!" Miwa could hear Shadow start whimpering in the background, but decided for the moment to ignore it because she could be comforted. Casey needed the point pounded in his head right now. "Gabby's gone, and she's not coming back. Shadow is a part of her that's still here, the business you two put together is still here. So grow up and get over yourself, Jones! For once, actually look at your daughter and see you still have HER!"

Miwa roughly shoved the man towards the wall to where he stood in front of the carrier. Shadow now started wailing from her carrier, and the noise prompted Casey to look down at her. At first, his expression only showed rage, frustration, and blame. She was here instead of Gabrielle. He kept his eyes on Shadow until her eyes opened into frightened slits.

Casey suddenly took in the way she made that face. Gabby used to make that face when she was scared or remembered her abusive ex. For the first time since she was born, Casey took in how Shadow looked…how much she looked like Gabby. She had her blonde hair, but it looked obvious that she'd have his brown eyes. He suddenly pictured Gabby rising from her grave and slapping the daylights out of him over Shadow, but then hugging him and telling him things would be okay just a second later. Like she always did when he did something beyond stupid.

Blaming Shadow was one of those things.

Casey lowered his head and felt loud sobs come out of his throat. He steadied himself by putting a hand on the carrier, careful to not tip it over and hurt Shadow. He couldn't afford to lose anyone else, especially not from his own carelessness. He never looked up when Miwa came and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He couldn't see Shadow curiously looking up at him through closed eyes and continuous tears.

He just knew now that he had a lot of things to fix.

Evening came with the lair quieting down after the activity in the lab. Donatello and Cheyloe went home hours earlier after showing Splinter a photo of their baby. Raphael informed April of the sonogram and looked into Casey's wellbeing. Michelangelo briefly shared the news with Shinigami and the Mutanimals before going to meet Mondo for a night of skateboarding. With Splinter in the dojo reminiscing with Ryoji, that left Leonardo and Andromeda alone in the pit. Though an episode of Space Heroes: The Next Generation aired, both seemed distracted.

"I can't believe we actually got to see an unborn baby. Donnie even got a picture printed out, too! I can't help but feel a little jealous of Donnie." Grinning, Leo turned to Andie and continued, "Don't you think it was-"

Leo stopped when he saw Andie looking down. She glanced down at her metallic arms for a moment, then curiously pressed a hand against her lower abdominal plating. It dawned on him how quiet she was after seeing Cheyloe's ultrasound and how she kept holding her middle. Now he realized he wasn't the only one jealous.

"Are you okay, Andie?"

Andie finally unclasped her middle and let out a deep sigh. "I am happy for Donatello and Cheyloe. However…I also know that starting a family is something you want, too." She saw Leo open his mouth to respond, but swiftly held her hand up. "And I fear I wouldn't be able to give you that."

"But Fugitoid's working on recreating your body, right? Then you could-" The leader in blue paused with wide eyes, looking at the mechanical maiden as though she grew another head. "Wait…did you just say…give ME that? Y-You mean-"

"Leo, I apologize if I've been pushing you away. In all honesty, I've been aware of your feelings regarding me." Andie wrung her hands together, wincing at the sound of chrome scraping together before finally pulling them apart. "I did not reciprocate those feelings or push you to admit them because…I feared that they were based on appearance alone."

Andromeda thought he only liked her for her looks? Well, Leo had to admit that he found her appearance endearing when they first met, even when she started out with just an empty stare. Over time, however, he worked hard to get to know the person underneath the metallic exterior; the mind and soul occupying it. The more time they interacted, the more her personality leaked out, and introduced him to the docile, intelligent, and charming young woman who was Andromeda. While she was right for the beginning, it evolved beyond that.

"Andie, you're more than just your looks, and you're more than just your body. Even if you don't have a human body right now, you're one of the most human people I know." With ocean-blue eyes staring deep into her violet ones, he added, "And I care more about the filling than the shell."

Leo suddenly paused before slapping his face with his palm. "Okay, that did NOT come out right."

To his surprise, Andie laughed at his silly and somewhat-suggestive comment. He immediately felt relieved, both from her sense of humor and being brought out of her down mood. Seriousness took over again when he took both of her metallic hands into his. "No matter what happens…we can make it all work. I love you and care about you too much to be that shallow."

Despite her past, despite her body, Leo…loved her? Even if he could look past those factors, what could she offer him? She wasn't cool or confident like Miwa, or assertive and fiery like April, or attentive and compassionate like Cheyloe. She had intelligence, and Leo seemed to believe she had charm…but she wasn't ideal. But perhaps she didn't need to be ideal for Leo. Perhaps for all her quirks, Leo actually enjoyed them enough to hang around. No…she just feared history repeating itself. She feared doing something that would push him away. But would it hurt to allow the wall to come down one more time?

"…I love you, too, Leo."

Maybe her father would succeed in recreating her body…and she could give that precious gift to Leo one day.

Sang stood by as Chaplin rambled about something. Whatever it was, it didn't interest him. He heard Chaplin direct his rambling to Pimiko about clones and perfected super mutagen. Tatsu and Tiger Claw weren't around to snoop where they didn't belong. He didn't have to worry about anyone looking at him.

Except for the clones. But they lay in their tanks, looking very well like small, slightly-deformed children. Chaplin said the process of recreating them as adults would take months, then they could handle the super mutagen. There were some praises towards Baxter Stockman, though Sang didn't pay attention to the specifics. His eyes only went to the vials of super mutagen sitting unguarded on the research desk.

It didn't take long for him to realize that the Turtles could end up destroying the clones as they did the originals. As long as Donatello existed, they wouldn't stop being a threat. The purple-clad turtle seemed to have a plan for everything; he even had a cure for the regular mutagen. But they also let their guards down being stuck with petty street gangs and their meaningless wars. They wouldn't be prepared for a full comeback…or would they? He needed something unexpected to destroy them and April O'Neil once and for all. His eyes trained back on the super mutagen. As much as he loved his Farrah…perhaps she took the wrong approach all along.

He made sure Chaplin and Pimiko remained preoccupied as he slid two vials of the super mutagen into his pocket.

"So, I take it the excitement hasn't worn off yet?"

Donnie asked the question while watching Cheyloe finish putting on her pajamas. The way she literally flew out of her normal clothes and into her t-shirt and pants told him her excitement over the ultrasound remained. He found himself smiling and shaking his head when she all but jumped onto the bed and under the covers. She had to be gentle due to the baby, however. He looked at her face and found that grin still hadn't left.

"I still can't believe we got to see our baby!" Chey exclaimed, looking down as her hands gravitated towards her lower abdomen. "It's just exciting knowing that it's growing and thriving inside me as we speak. I've always heard other women say how amazing it is, but I never knew how until now."

Donnie wrapped his arm around her waist and pecked her cheek. "You think you can handle the coming months once you look like you're carrying a beach ball? It won't make you any less attractive, mind you."

The brunette raised an eyebrow, giving him a lopsided smile. She knew what Donnie insinuated; the excitement would waver for a bit once she reached the point of begging the baby to come out. Until then, she would savor having just a bump. "If it means our child'll be born healthy, I can manage sacrificing my figure. Besides, I'm sure you have at least a little bit of that sympathy weight."

Donnie swiftly pulled her down with him and under the covers. "Don't speak too soon. Splinter's got a regiment set up for you to keep the both of you in shape. You'll need some sort of exercise when you can't do your morning jog anymore. And no, you can't use my Bo staff."

"Oh…which Bo staff?" Chey cheekily questioned.

The sudden blush on his face reminded him that his wife had an…interesting mind. And here he thought the only ones with a mind like that were Raph and Casey. "Don't let him or her hear that joke."

And there's the end of that chapter! We'll have a time-skip of probably two or three months later, and unlike most stories, the gender of the baby will be revealed before it's born (since Donnie and Chey can't wait). We may even see some resolution between Donnie and Casey after Casey's drunk comments. I won't give much else away, so stay tuned for the next chapter!