Mikey lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, a smile playing on his lips, as he thought of Laura and their meeting. He fingered the piece of paper with her phone number on it and thought, I'm going to take the plunge and call her. He grabbed his T-phone from his dresser and nervously dialled her number. "Hi?" he said, when a girl picked up. "Is that Laura?"

"No. Can I help you?"

"Yes. Um, I met your sister earlier and she gave me her number."

"Who may I say is calling?"

"Mikey."

"Hold on, Mikey. I'll get her."

There were voices and then a different female voice said, "Mikey, it's Laura. Hey. That was my sister, Olivia."

"Hi."

"I told her about Raphael's passing and she didn't take it very well. Your brother made quite an impression on her."

"I bet he did. Raph had that effect on people," Mikey said sadly. "He was one of a kind and he's greatly missed. Not the same without him. The lair feels emptier."

"I know how you feel. When my parents died, my whole world fell apart. I was so close to them. I'm grateful I have my sisters, but it's not the same. They have their own lives. People tell you that you'll get over it, a death, but you never do. You just learn to deal with it better. Helps too if you have a strong support network."

"I have my brothers, but Leo's too busy with his new girlfriend and Donnie's always in the lab, so I don't really have anyone to talk to."

"You do now, Mikey."

"Really? That's so sweet of you."

"Least I can do after you saved my life."

"Natasha did."

"Yes, but she's not my type. I like guys."

"Doesn't it bother you that I have a shell and scales?"

"No. Does it bother you that I'm a human?"

"Not at all, but people think I'm a freak."

"I don't. You're just Mikey with the beautiful blue eyes that I'm glad to call a friend. I don't have many. I'm shy and awkward and always the odd one out. Unlike my sisters. Men drool over Olivia, Rachael and Sam. I'm the ugly duckling."

"You're not ugly. In fact, I think you're cute!"

The door burst open and Natasha entered, tears streaming down her cheeks. Mikey sighed and said, "I'll call you back, Laura." Mikey disconnected the call and said, "What do you want, Natasha?"

"Leo's mad at me."

"So?"

"So what do I do ta make him unmad?"

"Why are you asking me, dudette? You dislike me."

"I don't dislike ya."

"You've been nothing but rude to both me and Donnie since you arrived."

"Oh? I'm sorry. I didn't mean ta be. Please help me. Raphael always went ta ya and Donnie for advice and I so need it now."

"How do you know Raph did?" Mikey asked suspiciously, quirking an eye ridge.

"I, um, saw one of his diaries in which he stated he did," Natasha said quickly, praying Mikey bought it. "Leo said I could sleep in Raphael's room and there was nothin' else ta read, so I read them."

"Raph kept diaries? Wow. I never thought he'd be the type to."

"I'm sure there's a lot 'bout yer brother that ya didn't know."

"Most likely. Raph kept things to himself most of the time, so I guess it's not unusual he kept them to record his thoughts."

Good, he bought it, Natasha thought in relief. "So, will ya help me?"

"Tell me the full story how you upset Leo." Natasha did and when she was finished, Mikey said, "Okay. Leo's a romantic, so you have to woo him and appeal to his sappy side."

"But how?"

"Listen to the love guru," Mikey said with a smile and whispered into Natasha's ear slits.

"Ya really think it'll work?"

"Guaranteed."

"Thanks, Mikey," Natasha said. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch ta ya."

"Just promise to name your first kid after me," Mikey said and chuckled. "Excuse me. I need to make a call."

"Thank ya," Natasha said, and left, her heart feeling lighter.

Mikey redialed Laura's number and said, "Hey. Sorry I had to help my bro's girlfriend. They're having problems."

"And you think your advice will help them?"

"Of course. It's fool proof."

"So, what advice did you give Natasha?" Mikey told her and Laura said, "Oh, oh. I don't think that'll go down well. You should have told Natasha to give him space. Not to invade it. Sex is just a temporary fix, Mikey. It doesn't solve things!"

XXX

Natasha found Leo meditating in the dojo, his eyes closed and his expression completely relaxed. She stared at him, admiring his muscular frame, and she could feel herself getting wet. He was perfection personified and her little tail started to thump in excitement, as she pictured herself beneath him, his meaty appendage buried in her and filling her up with his seed. Want him so much, Natasha thought. He drives me wild. Need him in me. Sensing a presence, Leo snapped open his eyes and said coolly, "What do you want, Natasha? I told you I needed time to meditate."

"That's what ya said, but ain't what I want," Natasha said, discarding her panties and kicking them to one side. "Ain't what ya really want either, Leo. We both know it."

Leo opened his mouth to protest, but before he could utter any words, Natasha was on top of him, her legs wrapped around his waist, as her tongue swiped long, sensuous kisses along the pulse of his neck, tasting him. She nipped his collarbone and a moan escaped Leo's throat, as he tried to push her off, but the little minx was having none of it. "No, Leo! Yer not goin' anywhere," Natasha said, reaching into her dress pocket and withdrawing a piece of nylon cord. She bound Leo's wrists behind his head and said, "Not until we're done talkin'!" She pressed a kiss to Leo's soft lips and added, "Just relax. Tasha's gonna make ya feel amazin'. Yer so pent up, ya big, strong hunk, ya."

Natasha shifted down between Leo's legs, parting them, and began lapping at his slit, causing the forest green turtle to churr, his moans echoing off the walls and reverberating all through the lair.

Leo dropped down into Natasha's waiting hands, his forest green cock slick with precome, the veins pulsating. Natasha licked his shaft lovingly and whispered, "I love ya, Leo."

"Seduction isn't the answer! This is a dirty…"

"Sh. Ya know ya want this," Natasha said, before sucking Leo's thick rod and taking it inch by inch, until it was halfway down her throat. She gazed into Leo's handsome face and saw that his sapphire eyes were now closed, his protestations forgotten, as waves of pleasure hit him, his face flushed. Just the way Natasha liked him. To her, Leo was never more beautiful than when he was spread out, cheeks reddened, her pleasuring him, knowing that only she had this effect on him.

Natasha sucked faster and Leo's groans increased in volume until he finally came a few minutes later, churring Natasha's name, as jets of his salty essence flowed down her throat. The vixen swallowed it eagerly before releasing Leo's cock and licking it clean, swallowing every last drop. Leo panted, eyes glazed, basking in the afterglow of sex, as Natasha pressed a tender kiss to his lips.

"How do ya feel?" Natasha asked coyly?

"That was a cheap trick. Using sex," Leo said, trying to act annoyed, as his cock retreated into its pouch.

"It worked, didn't it? We're talkin' and yer not really mad at me," Natasha said, trailing a hand down Leo's plastron and making him shiver. "Not really. Yer just pretendin'. Ya loved it, Leo."

"All right. Maybe I did, but it was still dirty, Natasha. Untie me now."

"No. Not until we talk."

"You've said what you want to say."

"I haven't. I love ya, Leo, so much, and yeah, maybe sex wasn't the best idea ta get ya ta talk, but I didn't know what else ta do. I ain't smart or romantic or any of that shit. Never been, so I asked Mikey for advice and he said this would work."

"You asked Mikey?"

"Yeah."

"I bet he said he was the love guru."

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Hah. I asked him for advice on how to win Karai's heart and he told me her favorite food was shellfish, so I made that for her and she nearly died of anaphylactic shock. Never trust Mikey!"

That was my idea, Natasha thought. I knew she was allergic ta shellfish, so when Mikey told me Leo needed love advice, I told him ta tell Leo she loved shellfish and ta cook that, hoping she'd have a reaction and just back off from him, but I didn't want her ta nearly die. And why did I do that? Because I hated Karai and what she's done ta our family. She constantly betrayed us and Leo kept runnin' ta her like a puppy dog. Well, it worked. After she recovered, we've never heard from her again.

"Untie me and we'll talk," Leo said. "I promise." Natasha did, got off Leo, who sat up and rubbed his wrists before saying, "Sex doesn't fix things, Tasha. It's just a temporary solution. Couples need to communicate about their problems."

"How can we when ya shut me out and go meditate?" Natasha snapped. "Ya think meditatin' solves things? It's a bunch of crap. Never worked for me when Oroku Saki made me do it."

"My brother said the same thing and found meditating a waste of time. It's odd how alike you and he are."

"Coincidence. I ain't yer bro. I'm sure a lotta people think the way we do."

"I suppose, but meditating isn't crap. It helps clear my mind, think more rationally and…."

"Doesn't help ya be less stuck up, though, and yer far from perfect, Leo. Sure, I fucked up, but I bet ya have done so many times, like on those missions with yer brothers. Ya ain't the golden boy ya wanna be."

Anger flared in Leo's eyes and he hissed, "I don't want to be the golden boy. Never have. I just want to be a normal teenager with no responsibilities, but no, I have to look out for my brothers! If I didn't, they'd die! I never wanted to be leader."

"And maybe if ya'd been honest with Raphael, he wouldn't have killed himself."

Hurt, mixed with sorrow and rage flashed on Leo's face before he stood up and said icily, "I want you out. Now."

"Why? Because I'm tellin' the truth?"

"You're a bitch!" Leo yelled, his face darkening. "Not true about Raph. I never meant to hurt him. I…"

"Maybe, but ya don't want me ta leave, Leo. Yer hooked on me, just like I am on ya," Natasha said, standing up and approaching him.

"You're still a bitch. How can you say that about my brother? You didn't even know him or know about our relationship."

"Read the diaries in his room. He talked 'bout ya all the time, so yeah, I kinda do. Look, I'm wrong. He made the decision ta kill himself, but ya should have been honest with him."

"I wish he was here. I see the looks Don and Mikey cast me when they think I'm not looking. They blame me for his death. Sensei will, too, if he recovers. You're right, Natasha. I'm a screw-up and a failure as a leader. I couldn't protect Raphael. I'm tired of trying to live up to everyone's standards. I just want to be a normal teenager. Well, as normal a teenager as a mutant turtle can be. Let someone else be leader."

"Whoa, Leo! That's too drastic."

"Donnie could be a leader. He's logical, intelligent."

"But he ain't Fearless or a strategist like ya."

"I'm not fearless, Tasha. I have fears like everyone else. Like losing my brothers and Sensei. I've already lost Raphael. My mind's made up."

"And us?" Natasha asked, her heart hammering.

Leo sighed and said, "You press my buttons and you piss me off, but you're spot on about some things. I guess I do look like the golden boy to people, who don't know me and my secret fears. I bottle things up. Always have, because I don't want to burden people. That comes with being a leader. My brother drove me insane always second guessing me. Ticked me off, but it also helped me become a better leader and you're doing the same thing to me! You bug me, but I…I've never felt a connection to anyone else before than I do with you and I can't imagine you not being here! Crazy, because we haven't known one another long."

"So we're back together?"

"Yes, but you ever lie to me again, Tasha, and…"

"I won't, baby," Natasha said, wrapping her arms around his waist and nuzzling into his plastron. "I love ya and ya can always talk ta me. I don't think ya should give up bein' leader. No one else will do as great a job."

"No. I've decided," Leo said resolutely. "I'm done. Will you do something for me?"

"Anythin'."

"I have to clean out Raphael's room at some point and pack his things into boxes. Will you help me?"

"Why would ya need ta do that?" Natasha asked in surprise.

"Part of the healing process and accepting his death, but also because if we're mates, there's a chance we're going to become parents," Leo said, a twinkle in his eyes. "And we'll need the space for a nursery. I think as complicated as Raph could be, he'd be ecstatic about a baby. If we had a boy, would you mind if we named him after Raph? I think he'd love that."

"Not at all and I'm sure he would. Raphael's a fantastic name."

"Thanks."

There was a knock at the door and April said, "Hey, lovebirds. If you're done, Sensei's awake and he's asking about you."

"Coming," Leo said, grabbing Natasha's hand.

"Ya don't think they heard us, Leo?" Natasha asked.

"Maybe, but who cares? We're in love. Come on. I know Sensei's going to adore you."

Shit, Natasha thought in dread, as she followed Leo. What if Splinter knows it's really me, Raphael? What if April and Casey figure it out? How am I gonna get outta this?