A/N: It's nice to be back home! Thank you all for your patience. I hope you are enjoying this story. Also, my computer jargon is a bit lame, so forgive me. My generation was one of the first to have the more "modern" tech of the late 80's - early 90's. I remember working with DOS and HTML, but we didn't really do a lot of "coding", so please forgive any errors.

"She should be back to work tomorrow. We just wanted to be cautious." Donnie sat beside the telephone in the old armchair.

"I'm relieved to hear it. I appreciate you keeping me updated, Donatello. To tell the truth, I've been a bit overwhelmed trying to watch the shop and meet my deadlines for my other job." Katherine grunted in annoyance at herself. "Which I'm currently not getting anywhere with."

"It's really no problem. As for your other job, I thought Sams said you tutored kids?"

"I do that in my spare time on weekends mainly."

Don frowned. "Then what are you having trouble with, maybe I can help?"

She smiled on the other end. "Not unless you understand substitution-permutation. I'm creating a new encryption code, but I'm having a problem with a section. Every time I do a test model my system crashes." She sighed. "It takes several hours to get everything back up."

Donnie was surprised. "Really? You're working with AES?"

Katherine nearly dropped the phone. "You know about AES?"

"I've heard they're working on a new one-twenty-eight code."

Katherine sighed again. "Yes, but if I can't fix this block I'm not going to meet my deadline."

"Why don't I come with Sams tomorrow? I can take a look." This sounded like a challenge and he'd been sadly lacking in those lately.

Katherine felt a touch of relief. "Well, if it's not too much trouble."

"No, it's not." He smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Yes, and thank you, Donatello."

His smile grew a bit. "You're welcome." They said their goodbyes and he hung up. For a moment, he let his mind mull over the problem she seemed to be having. Until a soft voice spoke beside him.

"Are you okay, Donatello?"

He looked up to find Sams watching him. "Yes. I was just letting Katherine know you were coming back tomorrow."

Her expression dropped. "Oh, I never even thought to call her. Not with all this mess with Joey. She was probably worried about me."

He nodded. "She was. She called while you were unconscious. I told her I'd keep her updated. You never told me she was into computers."

Sams shrugged. "I didn't really understand what she was talking about, so I guess it just slipped my mind."

"Well, she was telling me about a problem she's having. I thought I might come with you tomorrow, so I could take a look at her algorithm and coding." He glanced towards the dojo where he could hear Leo and Mikey sparring. "Plus, I think Leonardo would feel better if one of us was with you on your first day back."

Sams smiled, touched by both his concern for her and his consideration for his brother. "I know he would."

Leo was indeed very happy to know Don was going to be with her all day. It did feel a little strange to Sams leaving Leo behind in the lair while she walked to work with Donnie. She rarely went anywhere with one of his brothers without Leo there. Not that she minded, she enjoyed spending time with his brothers. It just didn't happen often.

She couldn't help but notice there was a little more pep in Don's step as they headed towards the book store. Glancing at him, she grinned. "You seem happy."

"Huh?" He slowed his pace a bit. "Oh, well it just feels good to be useful again."

"I think you'll like Katherine, she's got a very kind heart. Like I told Leo, I think it would be great for all of us to be friends with her." She frowned, turning her gaze back to their path. "She doesn't really have anyone."

Beside her, Donnie frowned as well. He couldn't imagine a person like Katherine not having friends. She seemed to have a rather pleasant personality, genuine and caring. He'd come to enjoy talking to her on the phone. He might have even gone so far as to say they were already friends. They'd arrived at the bookstore and he glanced at the name on the sign. The Muse's Books? What a nice play on words.

"Looks like she beat us here." Sams said as she pushed open the door. "Come on, she's usually in the back." Don followed her as they stepped around the counter through an open doorway. There was a woman standing with her back to them with light brown hair. She didn't seem to notice them. "Katherine?"

When the woman turned to look at them, Donnie felt his breath hitch. He hadn't expected someone so young or so lovely. Her eyes were incredible. The left was a bright blue while her right was a bright green. What also stunned him was that her expression held absolutely no fear, only curiosity.

As soon as she spotted Sams she came rushing around the desk to bearhug her. "Sams! Oh, I was so worried about you!"

Samantha giggled in the crushing embrace. "Katherine, I can't breathe!"

She stepped back with a smile. "I'm so glad you're feeling better."

"Uh, yeah. I'm fine now." Sams gestured at Donnie. "This is Donatello, one of Leo's brothers."

Katherine watched the turtle remove his hat. The first thing that caught her attention were his eyes. They were so bright and intelligent. The second was his smile which was so gentle. He extended his hand. "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

She took his hand warmly with a smile of her own. "Yes, it is." She brought her other hand around to press his between both of hers. "It's really nice of you to help me out."

Don had nearly forgot why he'd come with the incredible tingle that was now racing through his hand and up his arm. "I guess I should take a look at it for you."

Her eyes never left his. "Of course, I'll show you."

Beside them Sams had been forgotten. She suddenly felt like a third wheel. "Uh, I'll go watch the front." She raised a brow when no one notice her leave. Smiling to herself, she prepared for the day. I think he'll be just fine.

In the office, Katherine finally released Don's hand to step around the desk. It took a moment for him to follow. He took a fold-up chair from a nearby corner and set in next to her. He felt his pulse race a little, they were so close he could smell her sunflower perfume.

Katherine was already pulling up her code. "The thing encrypts just fine, but when I run the decryption something is causing my OS to crash." She shook her head. "I have no idea why. The encrypt and decrypt have the same basic coding except in reverse of course. I don't see how the software is affecting my OS."

Don gestured at the keyboard and mouse. "May I?"

"Of course!" She moved her chair to the side as he scooted his in front of the computer. His hands moved across the keyboard with incredible accuracy, moving him through screen after screen faster than any person she'd ever seen. She was starting to wonder if he was actually processing the data he was seeing when he stopped.

He frowned at the screen. "Your algorithm is fine. It's here in your recovery section." He pointed to the screen.

Katherine frowned as well. How had he spotted that? It was literally one digit off. "I would never have seen that."

Don smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you would have eventually. Considering how detailed and brilliant the rest of your program seems, this was likely a typo."

She continued to frown. "You just solved three days of problems in ten minutes."

He sat back to look at her with warm caramel eyes. "Sometimes all you need is a fresh pair of eyes."

"Well, I'm very appreciative. I suppose you want to head home now. I almost feel like I wasted your time."

He raised an eye-ridge. "No, I was very happy to help. And I was thinking maybe I should stay," he felt himself blush a little, "and run the test model with you. Just in case there is some other bug. I didn't see one, but I did just do a cursory run-through."

A smile touched her pink lips. "Maybe you should." When she met his eyes, he felt a warmth spread over his whole body.

The next few hours they spent modifying and running test models. At last Katherine sat back with a sigh of relief. "Wow, that was fast. My deadline isn't until tomorrow afternoon and I figured I was going to pull an all-nighter. Now it seems I have some free time on my hands." She reached across the space between them and squeezed Don's hand. "Thank you."

He smiled, squeezing it back. "Actually, I haven't had this much fun in a while."

She chuckled. "Well, at least I'm entertaining."

He laughed, wrapping his other hand around hers. "You're a lot more than that."

Katherine blushed. "Uh, how about I get us some lunch. It's the least I could do for you."

"That sounds great. I'll stay here with Sams. I need to see how she's feeling anyway."

Katherine stood, reluctantly pulling her hand free. "Do you want anything in particular?"

Don shook his head. "Anything but pizza. I get enough of that at home."

She chuckled as he followed her out to the front. "I'll be back soon."

Sams watched her leave and turned to look at Donnie. "Where's she going?"

"To get us all some lunch."

Both her brows rose. "Really?"

Don frowned. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, it's just I've never seen her go out to get us lunch before. We usually just get it delivered."

Don smiled a little. "Well, I helped her finish off her project, so she has some free time on her hands."

She gave him a lopsided smile. "I'm surprised. It didn't sound like you two were working back there, just having fun."

Donnie frowned. "We were working, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun while we work."

Sams could tell there had been much more than just working going on in that office. "So, I guess you won't have to come back tomorrow. Leo may be a bit disappointed you're not here to keep an eye on me."

Don's frown deepened and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. He glanced at her. "How are you feeling? Not too tired or anything?"

"I'm fine." She answered honestly, then smirked. "Unless you don't want me to be." She giggled a little when he blushed.

"I'd never want you to be unwell, Sams. But if it makes Leonardo feel better, I could still come along tomorrow."

She smiled. "Well, in that case we'll just have to see."

Leo ran his mouth along the curve of Sams' neck. By the gods, how he loved how she smelled after they'd made love. His scent mixed with hers making it sweet and tangy. Her hands came up to squeeze his arm, where it rested across her chest. At least they didn't have to hide their marriage any longer. It meant she didn't have to wash his scent away so fast and he could savor it much longer. He pulled her tighter against him, her back flush with his plastron. "I missed you today." He'd just gotten used to her being gone all day when she'd gotten hurt. Now that she'd stayed home for several days, he almost didn't want to let her go back. But he knew he had to. Working on the surface was something she enjoyed. So, if it made her happy, he would just have to suffer through those hours alone.

"I missed you too." She ran her nails gently down his forearm and smiled. "But I do think Donatello enjoyed himself today. I don't think I've seen him smile that much in a long time."

He nuzzled the back of her neck again. "Really? Why?"

"I think he found Katherine interesting."

Leo was a bit surprised. "He did?"

She turned on the old couch to face him. "I think he wants to go back. Maybe you should give him a reason to go back. I think it would make both him and Katherine happy."

He frowned a bit. He'd always enjoyed walking her to and from work. It gave them a little private time. And it made him feel better to know she arrived there safely.

She stroked his cheek. "I know it feels a little odd, but maybe in a few days he'll have his own reasons for seeing her. Then you can start walking with me again."

He sighed. "Alright. But just for a few more days."

She kissed him. "Maybe this will make him feel better."

Remembering the way his brother had been listless and aimless lately, he had to agree. He hoped Don would find a new purpose. And if Katherine was it, he was completely for it. "You know, I think it just might."

Katherine smiled as she watched Sams and Don enter the door. "Donatello, you came back."

"Leonardo asked me to keep an eye on Sams for a few more days. I hope that's alright."

She glanced at Sams. "Are you still feeling bad?"

Sams smiled. "Uh, no, not really. But because I was so sick, Leo is being a bit overprotective."

"Oh, I see." Katherine's smile grew a bit as she met Don's eyes. "I certainly don't mind the company. Maybe you could help me with a few things."

Don's smile was just as bright. "Absolutely."

He followed her into the back and watched her unlock a door. He looked around as the lights came on. "Is this where you tutor?"

"Yes. They'll be here tomorrow and thanks to you, I finally have time to organize a few things." She went to one of the tables and began straightening things.

Don walked around, gazing at the white boards covered in formulas and figures. Some were related to mathematics, some engineering and some chemistry. He stopped and stared at one particular formula. "This is brilliant."

She looked up. "Oh, that's Devin's. His chemistry skills are extraordinary."

"Has he done this experiment?"

"Yes, but on a rather small scale."

Don was very curious. The formula suggested that certain organic materials could be synthesized. If it worked it would mean that lost or damaged organs could be grown in a lab to fit a specific person with a specific need, like a new lung or heart. "What were the results?"

She frowned. "Unsuccessful so far. He still needs to do some refining I think. But I keep telling him to keep working at it. It would be an incredible breakthrough."

He nodded. "Yes, most definitely."

The bell chimed at the front of the store, followed by Sams' voice. "Hey! You can't go back there!"

Both Don and Katherine looked towards the door as a small form darted into the room. "Miss Kathy!" The nine-year-old boy threw his arms around her waist and began to cry.

Katherine gasped. "Ryan? What's wrong?"

Sams appeared in the doorway. "I'm sorry, I tried to stop him."

"No, it's okay." She finally pried his arms loose so she could kneel down in front of him. Another gasp followed as she took his face in her hands. Anger crossed her gentle features. "Oh, honey! Did he do this to you?" The left side of the boy's face was red and swollen.

Ryan gave a small nod, more tears falling. He gave a small hiccup, trying to speak through them. "He said I couldn't come anymore!" He began to sob again as he threw his arms around her neck.

A/N: Aww, I think Donnie likes somebody... (This feels really weird to pair him with someone besides Sarah...)