A/N: Almost there! *waves pom poms*

D, by now I'm sure every one of my cast members-cannon and non-carry nightmares made of memories. /cruel/ XD Anyways, I'll count that as a plus in my favor then. I've been playing the balancing act since day one, so it's nice to hear/see that its paid off. :D

January 30
5:45 P.M.

Renovations were coming along so well, Mia could hardly believe it.

Outside, the gray-stoned structure—a water treatment center from the early Twentieth Century—stood at varying heights. The main buildings reached two stories, while the smaller building connecting them exceeded no more than ground level. Attached to their sides were a tower (which stood another story taller than the building it grew from) and a silo-like structure that dwarfed the aforementioned tower from an opposing side.

Mature Weeping Willows, Cedars, and Maples surrounded the moist area like open-armed sentries. They protected the moisture-stained, overgrown estate from easy detection between Eighty-Fifth and Seventy-Ninth Street Transverse. Its wooded area was cut only by an unmarked creek tendril that perhaps leaked from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir.

The Hamato boys had said they found the place in Central Park while searching for clues when Bishop had taken Nia. It eased the woman's nerves some, but Donatello's defense is what made her heave a sigh of relief. The mini-forest was protected by a Grandfathered will that prevented further construction. Not to mention his Cloaking Net would cast a 'false imagine' over the area, just in case.

It certainly was wonderful being surrounded by such diverse people—especially geniuses.

"Misses Anders, are you okay?"

Mia faced Donatello then rolled her wheelchair over the front door threshold. "I'm not stuck again, if that's what you mean."

"Sorry," the purple-masked mutant said. He stepped aside as the brunette wiped cool dirt onto her pants. "We sealed off leaks and replaced the metal roofs, but otherwise left the outside untouched. That's all cosmetic."

"I understand. Your funds are best spent on necessities. For now."

Donatello quirked an eye ridge; it lifted his mask.

"I love fiddling with houses," Mia added. "Think this one will be any different?"

"We—we're content people, Misses Anders. We've always taken what we can get and used it to the best of our abilities."

"And now you have a chance to expend."

"I have been careful in my purchases," Melody's dry tone interjected. She knelt amidst the eclectic seat collection surrounding a free-standing woodstove in the living room, several feet from a doublewide staircase that led upstairs. "For months, I have hunted repurpose stores, dumps, alleys, and online bulk deals to ensure I find acceptable material for the least amount of money. Donatello, his brothers, Leatherhead, Sven, and I have also saved manual labor expenses. I would not act frivolously with Baker's checks. I would never take advantage of him."

"I—I don't think that's what Misses Anders meant, Mel," Donatello said over his shoulder.

The cyborg pulled out a round log from a rack below the woodstove then opened its door to drop it into the live fire that was contained by four glass walls.

"Everyone here knows you better than that, Melody!" Michelangelo's voice echoed through the high-ceiling room. He bounced down the stairs, followed closely by Sophia. "We don't gotta worry about you taking advantage of people. It's usually you bending over backwards for others."

The youngest Hamato brother chuckled when he jumped the back of a curved sofa as Melody tensed. She shut the woodstove door then left, passing through an arched entryway beside the staircase that lead to the shortest building.

"Think I embarrassed her?" Michelangelo asked his purple-masked brother.

"You are a giant embarrassment, Figo," Sophia added with crossed arms.

"Yet you're still dating me."

"Meh." The blonde shrugged one shoulder. "I'm still in the 'why the hell not?' stage."

"Naw. You like me. Otherwise, you wouldn't have let me touch your—" The orange-masked mutant paused, caught by the look Mia sent across the living room. In seconds, he sat up straight and cleared his throat. "Right. Behaving for the first mother of the house."

"First?" Sophia questioned.

Michelangelo nodded. "I've been talking with Mia ever since she was in a coma."

Mia laughed.

"She, uh, gave me a little advice on how to handle you a while back."

Sophia's back arched. "Me?"

"'Course I never had the guts for a follow-up call. But what's done is done. Mia's the first mother of the clan and Adeline's the second."

"Speaking of"—Mia's voice earned the group's attention—"I keep telling you boys to call me Mia or Mama. Not Misses Anders."

Donatello shrugged sheepishly under the brunette's playful glare. "Ha—habit, I guess."

"I know you're being respectful, but, really, it makes me feel old. Do I look old?"

"Nope." Standing from his curved seat, Michelangelo spread his arms. "You look great for all the crap you've been through!"

"Th—thanks, Michelangelo," Mia said though a chuckle.

Donatello shook his head, yet his brother looked unashamed, asking,

"Where's your other half? I know us boys are gunna be exiled since Nia's Baby Shower is girls-only, but he doesn't often leave you."

No. Gavin didn't. Not. Ever. His teaching job had been Mia's only relief until Adeline and Sophia moved in.

'That guy needs friends. Like Splinter. They'd get along great if Gav wasn't so scared. Not to mention…' The brunette sighed. 'It would help him accept Nia and Raph's twins. They'll be realities soon and…he can't treat them like he did Ni last winter. Her babies will need all the love they can get; the world is cruel enough.'

"Uh, Mama M?"

Mia flashed the orange-masked mutant a lopsided smile. "Mama M?"

"It's better than 'Mama One', right?"

"Does that make Adeline 'Mama A'?"

Michelangelo pounded a fist into his palm. "Yup. It's officially my headcannon."

"What's a headcannon?"

"It's a fandom thing."

"Fandom?" The term sounded familiar. Maybe Nia talked about it?

"Never mind. So where's Gavin?"

"Surveying the creek for possible fishing areas."

"Gavin fishes?"

Mia smiled. "He tries to hide it, but he's outdoorsy."

"Mister 'I wear suits on a daily basis'?"

The brunette's smile eased. "His suits are just another dimension of his mask, Michelangelo. In them, he feels educated and proper. Someone above the person he used to be in Ireland."

"He's from Ireland?" Donatello asked. When Mia nodded, he shifted. "That makes more sense of his reoccurring accent."

"He works hard to hide that, too."

"Is there anything about himself that he hasn't tried to reinvent?"

Mia met Michelangelo's blue eyes, his curiosity heavy on her chest as she drew in a deep breath. "Don't let him know I told you this. Gavin hated who he was in Ireland. His…sect, his family, were horrible people. Who did horrible things to one another. So for the longest time, he only knew how to be horrible to others as well. It's how he grew up.

"I"—the woman blinked back tears—"I can't give details. That's Gav's story and he hasn't told me all of it. But I can tell you it's work for him to be normal. His comfort zone was with Nia and I. These past two years have thrown so much changes at him that…I don't think he can process it properly. So…

"Be patient. He can be a prick. Sometimes, I don't even understand. I just remind myself of how he was raised, and how far he has come since then. He's never had what you guys have here."

"What's that?" Donatello asked.

"A big, welcoming family," Mia whispered. "A crowd to support and carry you, no matter what. People who cover your back, not stab it…"

"Way to weigh down the mood, Mama M."

Sighing, Mia ran a hand down her face. "Sorry, Michelangelo."

"No worries." The youngest mutant approached Mia's wheelchair to pat her shoulder. Their gazes connected for a moment before he looked over her head, towards a sudden cold draft that overcame the woodstove's warmth. "Finally, he's here. Now we can get this tour started."

"Why's everyone looking at me like that?" Gavin questioned. A soft click cut off the winter air, and Mia shared an amused grin with Donatello when the redhead replaced Michelangelo's hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Like what?" Michelangelo countered while backing up.

"Like that. You lot are—whatever." Gavin sighed—a gruff yet tired action. "Adeline's here?"

"Yup. Let me pry her away from the kitchen. Then we'll show you around. I'm tellin' you; Nia's murals are epic. Be right back!"

Mia watched him leave with Sophia and Donatello then laid a hand over her husband's chilled one. "Find a good spot, Gav?"

The man hesitated before answering. "Several. May not be so bad here after all. Least there's open land…"

Slowly, Mia's grin swelled with the hope in her chest. If anything, his response signified a step in the right direction. It was all she could pray for.

A/N: Slice of life chapter. I enjoyed it, personally. Mia is the mothering-type, so I'm on the lookout for chances to show her interacting with the guys. XD