Chapter Twenty-One: Exile

THANK YOU TO ALEXLUKE FOR YOUR CONTINUED PATRONAGE AND FEEDBACK! YOU ARE AWESOME!

AN: Chapter is a little longer this time. Sorry! Got into a groove and it just kept going! Hope you don't mind.

o-o

-o-

o-o-o

Donnie awoke to the smell of bacon and waffles. He rolled over, hand immediately reaching out for Sable and found her place empty. Wondering how in the world he slept through the night, again, and missed her exit, Donnie chastised himself for the oversight.

After a quick trip to the bathroom, he pulled on dark blue pants and followed his nose, where he found Sable at the stove, bent over to pull the bacon out of the oven. Donnie admired her rounded bottom and felt his tail harden slightly.

Though he preferred easy access to her lips when they made love, there was something quite powerful about taking her from behind. The orgasm they shared had been intense, electrifying. He hoped she wouldn't be adverse to repeating the position again. Touching the bulge in the front of his pants, he hoped it would be soon.

"Morning," he said, joining her at the stove to wrap an arm around her waist and draw her tight. There was no way she could miss his protruding tail rubbing on her belly.

Sable melted into him, smiling up and taking a kiss before answer.

"Good morning, sexy. You hungry?"

Donnie's stomach growled. He grinned.

"Yup."

"Good," Sable said, placing the crispy bacon on a plate and setting it on the table. Waffles resided on the stovetop, staying warm. "Grab the OJ from the fridge. Unless you want milk."

Donnie obeyed, placing the juice on the table as Sable poured them mugs of steaming coffee. Donnie sat down to eat, dragging his phone from the charger in the corner. As he guessed there were several messages from Leo.

Taking a deep breath, he scrolled through the dozens of texts, all threatening Donnie with extra meditations, trips to the hashi, and the last text even mentioned Donnie getting his shell handed to him as Leo intended to school him in hand to hand combat.

Donnie wanted to weep from the disheartening messages. He knew Leo was only lashing out due to his own heartache, but it was wearing thin on Donnie's nerves. He loved his brother. He loved Sable. He wasn't going to allow Leo to force him to choose.

If he was honest with himself, Donnie wasn't sure what he'd choose.

Sable's hand on his arm drew his attention. He turned off his phone, hiding Leo's threats and negativity, and smiled at his lady love.

"What has you so sad?" Sable asked softly.

"One of my brothers is pissed I snuck out to spend the weekend with you," Donnie explained, not bothering to lie. He was a firm believer in telling the truth, even if it was hard to swallow. "My father has given his blessing for us to continue seeing each other, but Leo isn't too happy."

Sable wanted to dance for joy at the news Donnie's father was open to their relationship. However, Leo was posing a problem. If Sable remembered correctly, Leo led their team when they went out on missions or assisted the police. A commanding officer of sorts.

"Leo's just going to have to suck it up," Donnie growled, reaching out to take Sable's hand in his. He smiled, his glasses shifting up his nose slightly. "My private time is precisely that. Private. If he can't respect my choices, then we're going to have a serious physical discussion."

"Don't fight,' Sable pleaded, pulling Donnie's hand to her chest. "Things will work out. Maybe Leo will see how much we love each other and stop being a jerk."

"He better," Donnie muttered darkly. He checked the time. "I should get to work. Want to finish the perimeter of the house today."

"First, can you carry the boxes and bags by the front door down to the trash bin?" Sable asked. She was going to finish cleaning the first room and needed the junk in the hall gone to make room for the next one she tackled.

"Sure," Donnie said, giving her a peck on the lips that morphed into a long, sensuous kiss.

Sable moaned, wanting something other than food to fill her belly. Apparently, Donnie was sensing the same need. She rose in her seat, his hands already on the edge of her gown. He broke the kiss long enough to tug her shirt over her head and expose her nakedness. His bite marks from the previous evening were mere shadows along her neck and shoulder. Donnie kissed the bites reverently, before turning Sable around to face the table.

He hungered to take her in such a manner. Luckily she was amicable. She widened her stance, and lay her chest on the table, ready for him. Cock springing free, he penetrated her fast and furious. Sable mewled and cried with each thrust, reveling in sensations flooding her system. A couple of minutes later, Donnie flooded her sex, hot and sticky and dripping to the floor. Sable cried his name as she came a second time.

Donnie bent over her, panting hard in her ear as he regained his senses. Seeking her mouth, he engaged her in a long kiss, only breaking it to pull out and help her stand. Gently kissing her temple, he held her close, relishing her tremors.

"You sure you have to work on cameras today?" Sable asked after a moment to regain her senses.

"The sooner I finish with them, the sooner we can relax," Donnie imparted.

"Then you better get going," Sable said without conviction. She'd be perfectly content to spend the day in his arms.

Donnie sighed, offering one last kiss before pulling up his pants and getting started.

Sable sighed dreamily, then noticed the puddle on the floor. Scowling, she tossed some paper towels into the mess and cleaned it up before putting the dishes in the dishwasher and started the cycle. Kitchen clean, she went upstairs to change into work clothes and finish up the first bedroom.

Sable was hesitant to look under the bed, but taking a deep breath, she bit the bullet and knelt on the floor, peering under the bed. To her relief there were only a few shoe boxes. Pulling them out, Sable ran a duster under the bed, prepping the floor for a thorough scrubbing.

Hoping no bugs jumped out on her, Sable opened the boxes. Two held shoes, and the stench of dry rotting leather, and were easily tossed for the trash. The other three boxes were filled with letters and random pictures. Tucking them in the hallway to go over later,

Sable went to the nightstand and dressers, cleaning out the moth-eaten clothes. The closet was stacked with tatty clothes that ripped and dissolved when removed from hangers and shelves.

Sable tied a tee shirt around her face to help with the dust and sprayed disinfectant on the shelves. Dressers were wiped down with bleach water, drawers hanging open to allow ventilation. Window sills were scrubbed clean, then the floor was disinfected with a bucket of bleach water and some back work.

When Sable was finished she admired the room from the door. Bed was stripped, the sheets and light blankets in the washer and dryer. Closet stood open to allow the shelves and floor to dry. Air circulated around the dressers and nightstands and along the floor.

On a roll, Sable tackled the next bedroom. It was easier to clean as it had been used by her siblings when they visited. The bedding was stripped and tossed into the washer. Spare linens were stored in the dresser.

Sable cleaned the floor and window, pulling up the throw rugs to toss them away and found another floor register. Not bothering to open it, she checked under the bed and found only dust bunnies.

So caught up in her cleaning frenzy, Sable didn't realize it was late in the afternoon until Donnie poked his head in, a boyish grin highlighting his dimples.

"I was beginning to worry about you," he quipped good-naturedly. "It's after three and you worked through lunch."

Sable paused, blowing a strand of hair away from her eyes.

"What? I didn't realize it was that late. I need to work on dinner!"

She made to get past Donnie but his long arm caught her midsection, hauling her up into his arms, where he gave her a quick kiss.

"Not so fast. There's a toll you have to pay to escape me."

Sable played along, putting her arms around his neck.

"Oh? And what if I never want to escape? That I would spend all my life and waking hours held right here?"

Donnie smirked.

"Now who's getting romantic?"

Sable snickered, rubbing her cheek along his affectionately. The scent of warm cedar flooded her nostrils and made her nipples bud, her heartbeat increase. Man, he smelled good!

"We can play tonight. Promise. I'm almost done in here. We'll eat and rest, then go to bed early for some quality time."

Donnie groaned, not liking the idea of a delay, but readily agreed. Putting Sable down, he turned her toward the staircase and gave her a light smack to the ass. She squealed, hopping in place from the impact. Whirling she returned the gesture, her hand going full grab-on-like-a-life-sucking-alien to his firm backside and giving it a squeeze.

"Later, lover, promise," she breathed, then took off to warm up dinner and change the laundry.

It was after six before the two finished up their tasks and met in the kitchen. Between bites they explained the work they had finished for the day.

"Set up eight cameras around the perimeter," Donnie explained. "Got cameras covering the porch, and cameras placed in the eaves on two sides of the house. Tomorrow, I can get the other two sides and maybe place a couple on the roof. To overlook the drive and the field on the right."

"Field needs to be brushed," Sable said with a sigh. "I only worried about the main lawn in the past couple years. The fields and pastures weren't exactly a priority. Nothing to graze or grow. So they're really overrun."

"What did your grandparents grow here?" Donnie asked curiously.

He had found some strange gardening instruments in the shed and there were still tractors and other farm equipment parked in a barn about 100 yards from the west side of the house. One shed held farm equipment, the other was fenced in with a dozen or so stalls with feeding troughs.

"Mostly cattle," Sable said, trying to remember the animals that used to roam the farmland when she was a child. "There were a couple horses and a handful of goats. Grandma used to make the most wonderful butter from their milk." She sighed wistfully. "There were some chickens and turkeys, too. And Grandma used to have a good sized garden next to the garage. Got some decent veggies, and of course, grandma canned everything she got out of the garden."

Donnie remained in quiet contemplation. It would have been great to have such things growing up. Though it was undoubtedly hard work, he would have loved to tend a garden and farm animals. He didn't begrudge his own upbringing, learning martial arts and having his brothers to play with, but there were times when he wished they had been given a better lot in life.

Be able to play with other children. Be outdoors without threat of being seen. Playing with other kids without being bullied or feared because of their differences.

"Granddad also had a few fruit trees," Sable continued, unaware of Donnie's melancholy. "And there were some grape vines. Everything is probably dead and dried up by now. When grandma died, he let the place go. Didn't see the point in running the place since Grandma wasn't here to help."

Donnie glanced about the spacious kitchen.

"Seems such a big place for one person."

"Well, they did have six kids," Sable smirked at Donnie's expression. "Not a lot to do back then. You got up at the crack of dawn, tended to animals, cooked, cleaned, canned, sold excess produce or eggs. Only had three TV stations, and radios only worked close to the big cities, where they had antennas." Sable wiggled her brow suggestively. "So if adults wanted to be entertained, it was up to them. Hence why my mother had five siblings."

"Helped to run a farm, too," Donnie put in, placing his plate in the dishwasher.

He had put away the dishes earlier in the day when Sable had been distracted with her cleaning. Wiping down the counter, he waited until Sable finished eating and placed her plate in the washer for her. Sweeping her into his arms, he grinned.

"How about some old fashioned entertainment?"

Sable laughed, placing her arms around his neck. She remembered Donnie explaining the inability to mate with humans when she inquired about Leo possibly being a father with the human he had fallen in love with. Donnie had regrettably relayed the news of their incompatible nature, with either human or a turtle.

They were unique.

Rarities.

Fitting in nowhere.

Such a thing had bothered Donnie, as Sable deduced from his body language when he explained.

Because of their uniqueness, finding someone to see past their shells and skin was a rarity. Not many were keen on dating a mutant, let alone be intimate with one.

Theirs was a lonely life, romantically speaking.

Sable was sure in that moment, when Donnie's emotions were in full display in the firelight, his obvious heartache and sadness at such confessions, was the exact moment she began to fall for the lanky nerd.

And now, some two weeks after they had met, he was carrying her upstairs for mind blowing sex. To her surprised he bypassed the bed and went straight to the tub, setting her down and hitting the taps. Water began to fill the tub as he, quite studiously and with great concentration, helped her to completely undress and settle in the water.

Donnie joined her in the tub. They took their time scrubbing the filth and grime off each other. Donnie's skin was easy to clean, as Sable griped about him being a dirt repellant.

Sable enjoyed getting the dust and stench of cleaning fluids and sweat off her. She lay on Donnie's chest, listening to his heartbeat, her fingers idly tracing the seams of his plastron. Lower she moved until she found his tail, causing his breath to hitch.

"We're supposed to be relaxing," Donnie muttered, groaning when she squeezed his tail and fingered the slit.

"This is relaxing," she said simply, curling her fingers around the tip to coax into hardness. Within a minute, he obliged.

Grateful she was so much smaller, Sable wriggled her leg over him, straddling him. Grasping his considerable length, she moved it to her center, lining him up before sinking down with a sigh. Smiling, she began to rock, mouthing her pleasure from being filled so completely by this amazing person touching her soul.

Donnie cupped her breasts, reveling in the sight of her riding him. He had never seen anything so beautiful. And glorious. And wonderful. And, Oh! She was tightening already!

He pinched her nipples as she shuddered from her first orgasm, rippling around him in answer.

He loved she was so responsive.

At first he doubted they could be physical, fearing she would reject him for his tail, his size, his appearance. A whole manner of things counted against him. But Sable didn't hesitate. She accepted him and all his perceived flaws, drowning him in love and affection. She took him to her bed and though there was a little fumbling at first, she opened a whole new world of intimacy.

Feeling the rise of his own demise fast approaching, Donnie grasped her hips, steadying her as he began to move a little more forcefully. Sable braced herself on his plastron, her breath coming in high pitched pants.

Suddenly overcome with possessiveness, Donnie dug his fingers into the soft roundness of her ass, growling, "Mine!"

"All yours," Sable agreed, eyes fluttering. "Always. Yours and you only."

"Mine," Donnie panted, feeling the eruption imminent. He pulled her downward with each upward thrust, making her cry out for more. When he was ready to cum, he buried himself completely and shouted, "Mine!"

Sable shuddered as he washed her with his seed. Surrendering to her own orgasm, and to him, she collapsed on his chest, where he held her close, continuing his claiming of her body and soul. She weathered his storm, feeling loved inside and out.

Finally reaching his end, Donnie gave a long groan, shakily holding Sable to his chest as he recovered. Mind blissfully blank, Donnie let out a contented sigh.

Then his ever churning mind focused on something that made him pause.

He had claimed Sable as his own.

Most would have thought it was only an expression, spoken in the heat of the moment, but Donnie knew, deep down, it meant far more than that. He would lay down his life to protect her. Anything she asked for, he would see she got it.

He would sacrifice everything for her.

The thought he had fallen so deeply, so completely for this woman, scared him. He would risk it all for her.

Even his family.

If Leo couldn't accept Donnie's choices, then Donnie knew he would walk away.

It would be painful, but the love he had for Sable was worth it.

She was worth it.

If he had any doubts, they were laid to rest as she lifted her head to stare into his eyes.

Face flushed, breathing slowly returning to normal, she smiled. Eyes twinkling, skin glowing, she leaned forward, brushing her lips along his and muttered, "Yours. Forever and always."

The sweat along his brow covered the tear that fell from his eye. Donnie returned her affection, reluctantly pulling out so they could exit the bath. He helped Sable dry off, and not bothering for her to put on clothing, he carried her to the bed, where they lay, naked and sharing in the afterglow of their love until sleep overcame them.

o-o

-o

The next morning, Donnie received a sharp elbow to the chest. He grunted, waking up to find Sable sitting up in the bed in the dark.

"Get up," Sable said gently. "There's something I want you to see."

Donnie yawned, getting out of bed. He knew it wasn't an emergency due to Sable's lack of urgency. She held up his pants, waiting for him to pull them on, while she took his hand. Her heavy fuzzy bathrobe was tied tight around her waist, her feet covered in thick socks.

Silently the two went down the stairs and out onto the porch. Sable stepped into Donnie's arms, wrapping them tight around her and whispered over her shoulder.

"The horizon. Watch the horizon."

Donnie squinted through the darkness and after a couple of minutes, him more interested in her than what lay in the distance, she shifted and spoke.

"Here it comes."

Donnie glanced up just in time to see the first rays of sunlight fall over the Earth. The tinges of orange and red stole his breath as they faded into burnished gold. Dew hung as shed tears on the fresh spring grass. Birds sang in the burgeoning light.

The world was waking from a long, cold slumber. March was finally coming to a close, signaling for the world to wake up into the newness of spring.

But Donnie was waking from something else. The morning rays caressed Sable's pale skin, making the honey of her hair appear as flame. Her liquid brown eyes swirled in the new light, her soft pink lips parted as she took in the majesty of the morning. It was a new day.

A new beginning.

Impassioned by the coming day, Donnie boldly slipped his hand inside Sable's robe. As he hoped, she had not bothered to put on clothes. Though it was chilly in the early spring morning, Donnie knew how to heat her up. He opened her robe, ignoring her protests of the cold and backed her up to the wall, next to the door.

Donnie didn't speak. He let his actions dictate the course of their conversation. Yanking down his pants, his tail hard and dripping, his cock extended in readiness. Without bothering to see if Sable was ready for him, he lifted her into his arms and penetrated her in one swift motion, earning a hearty cry in his ear as he sank to the hilt.

Their coupling was fast and filling, both finding release amid grunts, groans, and panting cries. When Donnie pulled out, Sable winced, leaning against the wall, hair sticking up, eyes half lidded.

"Well, that's one way to greet the morning," she quipped as Donnie pulled his pants up.

Donnie smirked, closing her robe to hide her nakedness, now flushed in pleasure and thighs frosted with heavy cream, and lifted her easily into his arms and carried her into the kitchen, sitting her down at the table.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he asked, coaxing her into a kiss.

"Pancakes," Sable said, grinning at her sexy chef.

Donnie shuffled to the fridge, extracting the ingredients to make his lover some breakfast. They had worked up quite the appetite. When the first couple of pancakes were on the griddle, he checked his phone. As he guessed, there was a long line of texts, most from Raph and Mikey, Mikey now curious as to what Donnie was doing, but the last text was from Leo.

Instantly, Donnie's heart stopped.

The world turned upside down in slow motion. His stomach bottomed out. The silence was suddenly too deafening.

'Don't bother coming home. Will send your things later.'

Donnie leaned on the counter for support as his legs threatened to give out on him. He was going back this evening to spend the week with his family.

But Leo had shut the door, nixing Donnie's plans of going home. He stared at the plain black text, too stunned to think properly. He wanted to rage and scream and cry, and go back to the lair and confront Leo, but his legs refused to cooperate. He was frozen in time. He didn't even notice when Sable called his name and joined him by the counter.

"Donnie? What's wrong?" Sable asked, jumping up when she noticed him pale and shaking. "What's going on?"

Donnie couldn't speak. His voice was lost, taken from him as readily as his home.

It was one thing to be cornered and forced into making a choice. Now that the choice was taken from him and he was essentially homeless, the reality of the situation landed heavily on his bony shoulders.

Not getting a response, Sable snatched Donnie's phone out of his hand and read the message. A gasping cry escaped, her hand covering her mouth at the cold, heartless truth in black and white.

"What an asshole!" Sable barked angrily. She started to type a cursing response to the asshole who called himself 'leader' and 'brother' to the person she loved, but Donnie came out of his fog and took the phone from her before she could hit send.

"It's okay," Donnie said tightly. He swallowed hard. "There was a chance this would happen." He offered a tiny smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I've made my choice. I'm not isolating myself in a dungeon, living only to train and patrol the human population. My place is here, with the woman I love."

Donnie glanced to the sun sitting on the horizon beyond the kitchen window. He was now homeless.

Sable wrapped her arms around him, stroking the underside of his shell where she knew was extremely sensitive. Gazing up adoringly, she spoke.

"This is your home, too," she planted a tender kiss above his heart. "You'll always have a place to stay."

Donnie nodded, unable to find his voice. He simply held Sable, trying to process everything that had happened. The smell of burning food woke both up out of their melancholy. Donnie scraped the partially burnt pancake out and restarted the breakfast.

Breakfast was a mostly silent affair. Donnie finished first and placed his plate in the dishwasher, hurrying out the door and towards the van, opening the back doors and hiding amongst the electronic equipment he had brought.

Sable could tell his spirit was broken. He was hurting, and it was tearing him up on the inside.

Against her better judgment, Sable grabbed Donnie's phone he had abandoned on the table and found the hurtful text.

'I hope you know you are breaking your brother's heart. He doesn't deserve your vitriol. Shame on you!'

Sable put the phone down with a sense of accomplishment. Oh, how she wished she could see this 'Leo' person face to face. The conversation would be vastly different. The phone buzzed, signaling an answer.

'He's all yours.'

Sable's eyes burned with tears. Angrily she punched a reply.

'Gladly! At least he knows how much I love him! He's worth everything to me! I'm just sorry he has such a shitty person as a brother! He's better off without your hate and contempt.'

A couple seconds later, the phone buzzed.

'Careful what you wish for. It could kill you.'

Sable blinked at the screen. Was that a threat?

She saw Donnie plodding around the shed carrying a handful of tools. Leaving him to his solace of machines, Sable carried his phone upstairs to continue the conversation. She didn't want Donnie to see her with his phone. He might get upset and he had enough on his mind at the moment. Sable tucked the phone into her robe pocket and headed upstairs, mulling over Leo's last text.

The phone buzzed as she was pulling on a tee shirt in preparation to tackle her next cleaning project. A curious text met her gaze.

'Need cheese.'

'Is this a joke?' Sable frowned, waiting for a reply.

'No. Why would I joke about cheese? What's wrong with you?'

'First you tell him to stay away. Then you threaten me. Now you're wanting dairy products? Are you insane?'

'Who is this?'

Sable curled her lip to reply then noticed the sender wasn't Leo. It was Mikey! Feeling guilty, she answered.

'This is Sable. Donnie is busy outside. I'm sorry.'

"No prob baby. Can you tell Donnie to bring some cheese when he comes back this evening?'

'He's not going back.'

"What? Why? You have him tied up and playing turtle tickle?'

A suggestive icon followed.

'Leo texted this morning. Donnie's out of the family. Leo doesn't want him to come home.'

Sable felt guilty as soon as she sent the message. There was no doubt Mikey knew the situation. She shouldn't have to explain it to him.

Why was he being so cruel to make her repeat the horrible things Leo said? Seeing the words made the reality all the more cutting and horrible.

The phone remained quiet for nearly five minutes before it buzzed. This time the message was from Raph.

'Tell Donnie to come home. We need to have a family meeting.'

'I don't know, Raph. He's really upset. I'm afraid he and Leo will get into a fight. Maybe in a couple of days? Let them both cool down. I don't want anyone to get hurt.'

'Master Splinter is dealing with Leo. Donnie needs to come home. Master Splinter's orders.'

Sable recalled Donnie's obvious love and respect for the mutant who raised him. If Splinter gave an order, Donnie was honor bound to obey his sensei. Sable was about to answer when there was a beep for an incoming call. Frowning, she found the blinking icon and touched it.

Instantly, a big turtle appeared on the screen. Another one, this one even bigger, appeared behind the first, who was grinning wolfishly.

"Wow! You're cute!" the one in orange said.

"Knock it off, Mikey," the one in red growled, smacking the smaller turtle upside the head. There was a light scuffle, then the phone focused on the one in red. "I'm Raph. That's Mikey."

Sable smiled, finding them as adorable as Donnie. Especially the smaller one, Mikey. He had an easy going expression and big, goofy grin that reminded her of Donnie.

"Sable. Pleased to meet you. Sort of."

"Enough chit chat," Raph groused, huffing angrily. "You tell Donnie to get his shell home tonight."

"Bring cheese," Mikey put in, earning an elbow to the stomach.

"Sensei is dealing with Leo's attitude, so Donnie needs to get home so we can have a nice long chat." Raph continued.

Sable thought for a moment. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at Raph on the screen.

"I'll send him back on one condition."

Raph raised a brow curiously. A part of him was impressed the small human wasn't intimidated by him. This made the second female they had come in contact with who wasn't afraid of him. He must be losing his touch.

"Oh?" Raph asked, maintaining his brutish attitude. "And what would that be?"

"Promise me that you will make sure they don't hurt each other," Sable said, wanting to cry at the thought of Donnie coming to harm. "Promise me, Raph. Don't let Leo hurt him. Promise me."

Raph faltered. Of all the things to promise, protecting his geeky brother from Leo's rage was a no brainer. Raph had to step in many times to stop Leo in his maddening rages. They were becoming more and more frequent. Leo was self destructing right before their eyes.

"Leo won't hurt him. You have my word."

Sable wiped at a tear, ashamed these two strangers witnessed her so distraught. But, they were family now. Sort of. She'd have to get used to confiding in them when it was necessary.

"Okay. I'll talk to him at lunch," Sable said. "He'll be back home even if I have to drive him myself."

"Hey, can you bring some cheese?" Mikey asked.

Raph shoved his annoying little brother out of the way and muttered. "Pest." To Sable he added, "Just let him know that sensei wants to have a word with him and regardless of what Leo thinks, we want Donnie to come back home."

"I'll tell him," Sable said, smiling at the turtle on the screen. "Thank you, Raph. You're sweet."

Raph paused as if struck. Mikey smirked in that way that meant he had a jibe building, ready to torment his sibling.

"Whatever," Raph muttered, ending the call.

Sable felt a huge sense of relief. Donnie wasn't ostracized from his family. Apparently Leo had been acting on his own and speaking out of turn. Sable only hoped she could convince Donnie to go back. This whole situation was a mess, and it all boiled down to anger and resentment from one side.

Sable slid Donnie's phone into her pocket and started to work on the spare bathroom that joined the two rooms she just cleaned. There wasn't much to do to it, seeing how her siblings had used it from time to time during her rehabilitations.

Her brother had a brand new shower installed last summer, as he hated the plastic configuration that had been in there for ten years. The plastic was cracked and discolored and water leaked on the floor.

Sable wasn't too happy with having a construction crew in her home for a week while they replaced pipes and laid tiles and fitted new fixtures in the spare bath, but had to admit, the new bathroom was beautiful.

Once everything was clean, Sable checked on the laundry, wishing she had a maid to do all the menial chores. The skin on her hands was peeling and beginning to feel rough from all the chemicals.

The clock read just after noon. Sable washed her hands and made some soup and sandwiches, finding Donnie with his head buried in the entrails of what appeared to be several gutted computers in the back of the van.

"Lunch is ready."

Donnie jumped a foot in the air, making the cutest little mousy squeak of terror. Sable giggled, curling her finger in a 'come hither' gesture.

"Good. I'm starving,' Donnie said, obediently following Sable inside. He washed his hands and sat down at the table, ready to eat. He glanced to the corner where his phone always charged and found it missing. "Hey, where's my phone?"

Sable cringed, but decided to bite the bullet. Donnie had always been truthful with her. The least she could do was show him the same honesty.

"You got another text from Leo, so I sent him back a scathing reply," she said, pulling his phone from her pocket and handing it to him. His face darkened as she continued. "Then you got another text, I thought it was Leo, and it was Mikey, and he got Raph and we talked for a minute. Raph said your sensei was dealing with Leo and you needed to come home."

Donnie sat, wide eyed in stunned silence. He was having a hard time grasping the concept of never seeing his family, but now his father was demanding he come home, it put a spin on his emotions.

He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. Cry. Scream. Rage. Beg to go home. Threaten to stay away. It all jumbled on him.

Sable's hands on his face drew him out of the whirlwind.

"You are to go home to your father and brothers and talk things through." She gave him a kiss to the nose. "Things will work out. Trust me. Everything will be alright."

Donnie placed his hands on her waist, using her as an anchor in a world spinning out of control. "You are… sure?"

"Positive," she breathed, caressing his cheeks with affection. "This whole situation is a huge misunderstanding. Once things are talked through, you'll see there is nothing to worry about."

Donnie's brooding expression softened. He nuzzled her hands, relishing in her touch. He would trust in her wisdom. Besides, if his father was dealing with Leo and demanding his return, there was going to be a long, tedious, yet engaging conversation. Master Splinter was the only one Leo listened to.

If anyone could set Leo straight, it was their father.

o-o

-o-o

o-o-

Anyone else wanna smack Leo? Sorry, but it's necessary to have him an asshole for a little while. He has a lot of maturing to do.

Be sure to drop me a line and let me know what ya think!

LOVE hearing from my readers and I always answer signed reviews (in inboxes)