As always, first I would love to thank cheezy3, CGKrows, Crescental, CaptainAlex2014, Just Call Me J, aireagle92, pyro524, Kagayaku Hoshi-chan, AdrenalizeMe, TubaChick101, Kimmie98, XxRepublicBlastxX, BlueEyedAngle999, and adelphe24 for reviewing the last chapter! I just love reading what you have to say! Also, thanks to those who have placed this story on your alerts and/or favorites, that means a lot as well!

I would like to apologize for how long this chapter has taken, I just kept getting stuck -_- that and 18 credit hours this semester is not leaving with much time to write. *sighs* Though I really, really hope I'll have the next chapter out in about a month or so *crosses fingers*

Also, for those who do not know, last month I posted the first chapter for a new TMNT fanfiction story called Safe Haven. So please check it out! (Yeah, self-promotion much? lol)

Well, I'm sure you just want to read the chapter now so I would like to present the next installment of A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!

Enjoy!

Once the door opened before her and revealed the space that lay behind, Carole tilted her head in confusion. She could have sworn there was someone in here with Ava…

But there she was, alone and smiling at her.

"Oh hey!" Ava said with a wave. She stood up and quickly smoothed out the skirt of her dress. "What are you doing up here?"

Crossing the threshold into the room, green eyes began to scan the space. "I could ask the same of you…"

"I guess I lost track of time," the delicate brunette responded with a shrug that seemed unnatural and forced to Carrie. Something was most certainly off about her… but what?

"Oh?" she questioned, turning back to face Ava.

Ava nodded, "Yeah… uh, the view from here is just fantastic…" she chuckled. "I couldn't tear my eyes away…" She gestured towards the door, "Come on, let's head back. I'm sure someone is wondering where in the world we are."

"You go on without me; I want to check out this view. It must be fantastic for you to be gone for as long as you have."

For a brief moment, panic flashed across Avariella's face before it receded into nothingness, leaving no trace that it had been there at all. However, that flash was enough to set Carrie on edge. She could instantly tell that her dear friend was hiding something from her.

"It's nothing really…"

"Oh come on, just a quick peek?" she questioned with a small pout. Without waiting for a response, she turned back towards the window. However, instead of admiring the supposed view, she found her gaze wandering around the room instead. "You know this place is really nice… homey ya know?"

Walking back towards the room's door, Ava nodded. "Yeah… it is nice up here…" she gestured towards the door. "Come on, I think the cake cutting is going to be soon."

Carrie dismissively waved her hand. "We have time, only a few minutes I promise. You can head back to the barn if you want to, it's not like I'll be getting lost."

"Care-bear…" Ava said with a small sigh. "Come on; let's head back to the barn. I'll give you the tour later okay?"

"Okay," the lithe brunette said while turning to face her friend, arms crossed over her chest. "That is, if you can tell me what's going on here."

Ava knit her eyebrows together in confusion as her arms hung limply at her sides. "What are you talking about?"

Carrie crossed her arms. "You know what I'm talking about. You're hiding something from me." Walking towards the bed, she plopped herself down, a determined expression caressing her features with eyes that never once wavered from the form of the delicate brunette before her. "So until you fess up I'm staying right here."

Ava shook her head. "I'm not hiding anything. Let's just head downstairs."

"Yes you are. I can see that you're lying to me." As she watched Ava open her mouth to respond, Carrie shook her head. "And no pleading that you are telling the truth. I know you better than that…" she averted her gaze. "Or at least I knew you better than that."

Hurt flashed across blue eyes as they diverted towards the floor, not daring to meet the accusing look that was currently being directed towards her. Ava bit her bottom lip and began to rock on her heels in nervousness. "Please believe me; I'm not lying to you."

"I thought I just said no pleading." Looking away, Carrie shook her head. "You're a horrible liar you know that right? Just tell me who is in here with you and I'll go."

Swallowing past a lump in her throat, Ava raised her eyebrows. "What on Earth are you talking about? It's just you and me, everyone else is outside, where we should be heading right now in fact." She lifted her gaze, "Come on, let's go."

"Not until you stop lying to me."

"I already told you I'-"

"I heard them! Someone else is in here!" Carrie replied harshly as her gaze went back to her friend, hardened in a way that seemed unnatural for the carefree girl Avariella knew and loved so dearly.

"Carrie, you were probably hearing some people downstairs…"

Exhaling slowly, the lithe brunette evened her gaze upon Ava's. "I know what I heard. Someone was talking to you. They said your name."

"Sweetie, there's no one else in here besides us."

Carrie shook her head, "See? You're lying to me again! Stop lying!" Standing, she walked forward until standing right before her. "We used to tell each other everything… what happened? I thought we were friends." Without intending it, her words sounded harsh in her ears. She took in a sharp breath as she saw blue eyes quickly dart away from her again. However, the flicker of hurt had already been seen… it could not be taken back.

"We are friends…" Ava said softly. She bit upon her lower lip again, trying to prevent it from quivering as her vision clouded over with tears she refused to shed. How she wished she could just tell her!

"Then please, just tell me what's going on."

Ava shook her head. "I… I can't…" she muttered softly.

"Can't or won't?" Carrie responded curtly. Shaking her head, she turned away and walked towards the window. The sun had finished its descent behind the horizon and now only the soft glow of the moon illuminated the outside world. Outside the window wedding guests lingered in the moonlight, unaware of what was happening just above them. She sighed. "What happened to you Ava?"

"Ya know ya really need ta leave 'er alone."

Green eyes wide, Carrie slowly turned around to face the source of the new voice. She vaguely registered the click of the door as it shut just moments before her gaze landed upon Ava in the grasp of some large green… thing. She began to back up towards the window but instead of colliding with the glass, her back pressed against something else. She quickly turned to face whatever it was that was behind her. Her eyes doubled in size as she opened her mouth to scream for help…

Just as the shriek was about to rip from her throat, darkness consumed her.

Blue eyes were wide as they darted between the sight of her friend's limp body and the one whose arms she was encased in. "Why did you do that?"

"We couldn't let that happen just because of us," Donatello said while emerging from his hiding spot before placing a comforting hand upon Avariella's shoulder. "She's your friend."

Ava shook her head, "She is but you guys are my family… I would have figured something out." She turned her gaze towards Master Splinter. "Sensei… please tell them how crazy this is."

The wizened rat moved his gaze over his four sons, lingering upon his red-clad son, before resting it upon the delicate brunette. "While I do not particularly approve of what action was taken," he glanced at Raphael, "I do understand the reasoning behind them." While his voice did not betray it currently, the four turtles knew that later they would be getting a lecture. For now, the matter at hand had to be dealt with.

"You realize she'll be asking more questions…" Ava quickly turned her gaze to Raphael and then Leonardo, "She saw both of you. It does not matter how briefly it might have been because I know without a doubt that she will be asking questions," seeing Michelangelo open his mouth as if to respond, the delicate brunette rose a hand, "and before you even suggest it she will most certainly not believe she was seeing things…" Her eyes widened in panic as if the full reality of the situation sunk in. "You have to know what this means…"

Leonardo looked up from where he placed Carole upon the room's bed and nodded. "Yes, we understand."

The delicate brunette leaned more heavily against her turtle. "You mean…"

Everyone's gazes were then pulled towards the bed, where Carole began to stir. Ava quickly pulled away from Raphael.

"I'll explain… just hide for now." Seeing that no one made a move to hide she quickly glanced around, "Please," she requested once more, the desperation very evident in her tone.

Within moments, everyone had vanished from sight. Taking a calming breath, Avariella quickly made her way to sit beside Carole as she slowly swam her way back to the waking. Her hand went up to rest lightly on her forehead. She lightly shook her head before opening her eyes. As if suddenly remembering her present situation, she bolted upwards as her gaze frantically searched the room though to only bring her other hand up to hold her head in response to the wave of lightheadedness that washed over her.

Ava gently pushed Carrie's shoulder to get her to lie down again. "Easy there… calm down."

Green eyes narrowed slightly. "Calm down? Didn't you see what I just saw?!" Sitting up again, she slid back so she was resting against the bed's headboard and pointed an accusing finger at her friend. "And don't you dare say you didn't. I know I saw something."

Biting down upon her lower lip, Ava took another centering breath. "I know… you did…"

"Didn't I just say…" pausing, the lithe brunette knitted her eyebrows together as she fully registered what her friend had said. "Wait… what did you just say?"

"I said that yes, you did see something." She shook her head lightly, "There is no point in trying to tell you otherwise right now."

Blinking, Carrie shook her head slightly. "Okay… then just what did I see?"

Shifting where she sat, Ava kneaded her hands nervously. "I promise I will answer any questions you have truthfully but first you have to promise me a few things."

"Like what?"

Ava lifted her eyes to level them with her friend's. "First, you have to swear that you will never, and I mean never, tell anyone about what you learn here. That includes you parents, sisters, and everyone you know. Do you understand? No one at all."

Carrie nodded solemnly, "I promise, I won't tell a soul. Anything else?"

"Promise you won't scream…"

Carrie blinked again, slightly alarmed. "Why would I scream?"

Ava bit her lower lip again, "You'll see…" Pausing, she in took another deep breath to calm herself down. There was no way she could have prepared for such a circumstance and she was finding it troublesome to think of the most suitable words that should be used to explain the situation to her dear friend. In her nervousness, she found herself fiddling with the hem of her bridesmaid's dress. "You remember the X-Men movies?"

"Yeah, though I don't see what that has to do with this…"

"Well you see… what, or who I should say, you just saw… they are mutants."

Carrie arched an eyebrow in confusion. "Mutants?"

Ava nodded, "Yeah… though not in the same manner as those in the movie but still mutants… though I'll let Master Splinter tell you the whole story."

"Master Splinter? Who's that?"

Lifting her head, Ava allowed a small smile to pull at the corners of her lips. "A family friend, they all are friends of April and my father in fact." She shrugged, "That is part of the reason why I know them myself." Figuring it was as good of a time as any, Ava glanced over her shoulder. "You can come out now."

Green eyes glanced around the room, quickly catching sight of movement from several different areas where some figures emerged to where the lithe brunette could see all of them. Once she fully registered what she was seeing, her eyes widened in surprise and she realized why Ava asked her not to scream. Now that she finally had the chance to look at the figures closely she found herself noticing more aspects of them aside from the green skin four of them had, like the shells on their backs and the masks covering their eyes. Moving her gaze over the figures she gasped upon seeing a fifth one that was smaller than the green-skinned ones… it looked like a large mouse. In an attempt to keep the promise of no screaming, she began to kneed her hands together nervously and worry her lower lip. If Ava trusted them then she had nothing to worry about… nothing at all. Wanting to be polite she forced herself to smile at the gathering while mentally she was doing nothing less than freaking out. She went to slightly raise her hand to also add a wave in greeting but upon seeing how much the appendage was shaking she quickly moved it to rest upon the bed, tightly coiling her fingers into the comforter she was still upon.

Seeing her friend's forced smile had the delicate brunette quickly making her way to her side where she joined her in sitting upon the bed. She rested a hand atop one of Carrie's own and smiled, hoping to relax her. Just a quick glance at her friend's green eyes easily displayed the several emotions coursing through her being at that moment, ranging from fear to a deep curiosity of those that stood before her.

Blue eyes quickly glanced at her family and then Carole before she cleared her throat softly. "Well, here they are…" she started with a nervous chuckle before looking at her family. "Everyone, this is my dear friend Carole. Um… could you all introduce yourselves?"

Donatello nodded, "Of course," turning his gaze towards the lithe human girl, the brainy turtle smiled. "Hello, my name is Donatello."

"Leonardo," said turtle said with a small nod of his head.

The red-clad turtle lifted his chin in greeting. "Name's Raphael."

Silence then fell over the room as everyone's gazes went towards the orange-clad turtle. They all wondered why he had not made some enthusiastic greeting that would either have made Carole laugh or feel slightly uncomfortable. Instead a look of what could only be described as deep thought filled his eyes.

Just mere moments before Raphael would have reached out and smacked his baby brother's head, realization dawned on his face.

"Luna?" he questioned hesitantly, so softly that those standing right next to him could just barely hear the words. "Is… is that you?"

Green eyes widened slightly as Carrie stood up, quickly walking over towards the turtle. "Angelo?" she responded, eyes filled with astonishment. "Like my guildmate Angelo?"

Mikey nodded, a small smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Who else rescued you from that hoard of skeletons in the Commonlands?"

Blinking, Raphael shook his head. "Wait… ya two know each other?"

"Sure do dude," the orange-clad turtle responded with a grin.

Carrie nodded in affirmation. "I can't count how many times he's saved my butt in the glorious realm of Norrath." She turned her gaze back towards the orange-clad turtle, her anxiety from just a few moments ago no longer present in her eyes. "So, is your real-world name actually Angelo?"

He shook his head in response. "Not exactly, it's Michelangelo but most people call me Mikey."

"Mikey…" Carrie repeated softly. "I like it… and now I see where your avatar's name comes from," she added with a small chuckle before she glanced over her shoulder to look at Ava, "Am I detecting an Italian theme here?"

Smiling, Ava nodded in response. "That would be the case."

"Awesome, I love it!" the lithe brunette responded with a grin though within a few moments her expression changed to one of deep thought. "I feel like there's something else similar about them though… the names I mean…" She tapped her chin in thought. "What is it?"

"Well… you could always ask the one that gave the guys their names…" Ava suggested with a roll of her eyes.

Carrie gracefully lifted an eyebrow, "Oh? Who would that be?"

As her friend pointed behind her, green eyes moved in that direction before once more landing on the large mouse she saw earlier. The sudden urge to scream overcame her once more as she coiled her fingers tightly to form a small fist, her nails digging into her palms. She practically had to force herself to breath and attempt to calm her racing heart. She did not have the heart to admit that rats and mice terrified her… with their eyes and just… ugh! Everything about them freaked her out.

As if sensing the sudden change in her friend's demeanor, the delicate brunette walked to stand beside her friend and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "This is Master Splinter. He is the one that found and raised the guys… and is also the one who named them." She smiled softly, "He is a very kind person."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss," Splinter replied with a soft nod of his head.

Stiffly, Carrie nodded back in response. "Th-the pleasure is m-mine." Steeling herself, she swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat. "Please… c-call me Carrie, s-sir."

"Very well Carrie," he responded with another nod, completely aware of how tense the young woman before him was. He knew very well how… unnerving his appearance could be to some. "Now, I am sure you have many questions. Would I be correct in assuming such?"

In response, the lithe brunette nodded again. As the figure before her motioned to sit down, she took up her place back upon the bed next to Ava. Strangely enough, Carrie found herself oddly glad when Mikey took the empty space next to her though she could not explain the relief that overcame her. She then sat quietly and listened intently as Splinter told the tale of how he and the four turtles had come to be what they were that day. How the mutagen had changed them from normal animals to their current state… though the four turtles were much smaller and behaved as human infants would. He also spoke of how he trained the four of them in a fighting style he called ninjutsu so his sons could defend themselves from the darkness of the world and how they now used their skills to protect those that lived in New York City. She also learned how Avariella herself was undergoing some training of her own, though she was not learning how to fight. It seemed as if he covered every possible question she could have, even the manner in which they all met April and Casey, and subsequently Ava as well. Once he had finished the tale of their existence, Carrie simply sat in utter awe, ignoring the itch in the back of her mind that told her there was one thing he was not telling her and pushing it back to the depths from where it came so she could better allow herself to process this new information.

Running her fingers through her hair, Carrie lightly shook her head in bewilderment. "That's just…" Dropping her hand back into her lap, she took a moment to look at each of the four turtles. "Amazing… It's so unbelievable."

Mikey chuckled, "Yeah, we are unbelievably awesome."

The other three groaned in only slight annoyance. However, Carrie instead found herself chuckling at the statement.

She nodded, "That you are." Still smiling, she turned a knowing gaze towards Ava before raising an eyebrow at both her friend and the turtle she was sitting beside as her line of sight quickly flickered to their adjoined hands. "So… Ms. Jones, do you have something that you would like to tell me?"

Abashed, Avariella lowered her head slightly as her cheeks flushed. "I was just about to tell you…" Shaking her head slightly, a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth as she lifted her gaze before gesturing towards the red-clad turtle that was seated beside her. "As you know, this is Raphael," glancing up at said turtle, she smiled again, "and we've been dating since January."

Carrie smiled and clapped her hands together. "Oh I knew you had a secret boyfriend!" she cheered gleefully. However, as quickly as the joy had filled her face it vanished, now replaced with a stern expression as she stood and made her way to stand before the red-clad turtle. She pointed a single finger at him. "Now mister, you better be good to Ava here or you will have to face my wrath."

Raphael raised an eye ridge. "Oh really now?"

"You better believe it," the lithe brunette responded with a firm nod. "I don't care if you're a ninja, I will find you and make you pay." She placed her hands on her hips in an attempt to be as formidable-looking as possible. "You got that?"

"I got it, I got it," Raph responded with a small roll of his eyes.

Reaching forward, Carrie flicked the turtle's beak. At the sight of Raphael getting flicked by such a small girl, Michelangelo could not stop the laughter from bursting forth. Soon, most the other occupants of the room followed suit, taken over by fits of giggles while the red-clad turtle glared at the girl standing before him.

Carrie shook her head, her lips curved upwards into a smile. "Don't you glare at me turtle-man."

Finally managing to recover from her fit of laughter, Ava leaned more heavily against Raphael. "Care-bear, be nice."

"Hey! I'm a delight," Carrie responded before sticking out her tongue playfully.

"What's all the commotion in 'ere fer?"

Turing towards the now-open door, Ava quickly got on her feet. "Dad, why are you up here? Don't you have guests to speak with?"

"I decided to slip away for a bit," Casey responded as he closed the door, still unaware of the extra occupant in the room. "That and I was wonderin' where ya," he turned around and blinked in confusion upon seeing someone he knew should not be sitting there, "… went…" he shook his head as if forcing himself to clear his mind. "Um… Ava, why's yer friend here?" His gaze quickly went to the five mutants also in the room, in clear view of the additional guest.

"Well…" Ava started. "Did I ever tell you she is rather nosy?"

"Hey! I resemble that remark!" Carrie quickly retorted with a smile and shake of her head. "But yeah, I kinda sorta compelled it out of her," she added sheepishly.

Casey shook his head again. "Alright then… So, any food left around 'ere?" he questioned, easily accepting what he was told without a single question. "It really is hard ta eat wit' all these people talkin' ta me," he sighed, "I thought not gettin' ta eat at yer weddin' only 'appened in tha movies er somethin'." He then walked to the card table in the corner of the room where leftover food from the guys' dinner remained and took some of what was left and dropped it onto a plate before he started to shovel the food into his mouth as if he hadn't eaten in days.

The delicate brunette shook her head and sighed. "Just try to keep the food off your tux okay?" She waited until her father gave a wave of his hand. "Okay, and don't forget the cake-cutting is soon."

"I got it, I got it," the burly man replied with a small roll of his eyes.

Carrie shook her head and chuckled, "It's hard to believe that he's your dad sometimes… at least in terms of personality and maturity levels."

Shrugging, Ava smiled before resting her head on Raphael's shoulder. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Oh," the lithe brunette said suddenly while snapping her fingers. "I was going to ask this later but now's a good a time as any." She quickly took up the vacant spot beside Ava, who was looking at her friend with slightly raised eyebrows. "I was wondering if I could spend the night since we haven't seen each other in almost a year." She tilted her head to the side and batted her eyelashes.

Ava glanced over her shoulder again, "Dad, is that alright?"

Now apparently done with his food the burly man shrugged. "its fine wit' me." He gestured towards the door, "Come on, we best be headin' back ta tha barn er else Ape will wonder where we are."

"Okay, we're coming," the delicate brunette responded. "You go on ahead, we'll be right behind you."

Opening the door, Casey nodded. "Okay."

Once the door shut softly behind him, Ava tilted her head to lightly brush her lips against Raphael's. Pulling away she smiled, "We'll head back up soon."

"Make sure to save us some of that cake," Mikey quickly interjected.

"We will we will," Ava responded with a small shake of her head before standing up. She smoothed out the skirt of her dress and slipped her feet back into her flats. "Come on Carrie, let's go."

"I'm coming," she responded while stretching her arms above her head before standing up. She smiled and waved at the five mutants in the room. "It was nice to meet all of you."

The one in a blue mask nodded, "It was a pleasure to meet you as well."

Carrie smiled again before following Ava out the door.

… Morning…

Blinking away the remaining traces of sleep from her bright green eyes, Carrie rolled so she was lying on her back and yawned. A quick glance to her right had a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. Still captured by sleep, Avariella was laid haphazardly on the bed. Her dark brown locks of hair splayed over her pillow in unruly tangles that had formed over the course of the night. Careful as to not wake her, Carole gently lifted Ava's arm that was currently laying across her midsection before placing it back where it was once she slipped out of bed, her feet planting themselves firmly on the floor. She absent-mindedly ran her fingers though her own tangled locks of hair while padding towards her duffle bag where her hairbrush was. After dragging through her shoulder-length hair, she quickly pulled it back into a ponytail as she quietly exited the bedroom, leaving Ava to sleep undisturbed.

Once downstairs, Carrie took a sniff of the air and smiled as she registered that someone had started making breakfast. As she padded into the kitchen, she found herself slightly surprised to see Michelangelo was the one preparing the food.

Blue eyes glanced over and their owner smiled. "Morning, sleep well?"

"Morning," she greeted, "and yes I did," she gestured towards him as she took up residence in one of the chairs situated around the dining table, "yourself?"

Mikey nodded in response, "As much as I could with Raph snoring up a storm." He shook his head in mild frustration, "I swear he's louder than the trains."

Carrie chuckled, "Oh really now?"

"You couldn't hear him?" Mikey question incredulously, "I could have sworn I would've heard 'im back in New York."

In response, the lithe brunette shrugged. "I can't say that I did." She gestured towards the pan where a delicious sizzling sound was originating, "So, what's for breakfast chef?"

"Um… normal breakfast food, eggs, bacon, toast, stuff like that," he shrugged before flipping the bacon currently in the pan.

"You cook anything else?"

Mikey nodded, "I'm kinda the house chef so yeah." He glanced over at her, "Did Ava tell ya I'm actually teaching her to cook?"

Carrie raised an eyebrow, "Really now? Huh…"

"Mhm… you do any cooking?"

"Oh goodness no… I think the government would prefer it if I didn't accidently let loose toxic waste from my house."

Mikey chuckled, "I doubt its toxic waste."

"Well doubt all you want mister, doesn't make it any less true. I'm a hopeless mess when it comes to the kitchen… unless all you need to do is microwave it. I don't tend to screw that up… most the time." She shrugged, "My sister Melody and my mother are the cooks of the house."

"Wait, just how many sisters do you have?"

Carrie raised an eyebrow. "Really? This is coming from someone with three brothers," she shook her head, "just two sisters; one younger and one older."

"Ah…" a new voice interjected, "middle child. I know what that's like."

Turning towards the source of the new voice, the lithe brunette curiously tilted her head to the side at the purple-banded turtle as he went for the coffee pot. "Oh? I didn't think there was a middle in four…"

"There isn't," he responded before taking up an empty chair at the table. He sipped his coffee. "Though that does not mean one of us cannot feel middle-child syndrome at points."

Mikey rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say bro."

"So, is that you by any chance?" Carrie questioned. "Donatello, right?"

Donnie nodded, "Correct, on both counts and good morning."

"Good morning to you too," Carrie quickly glanced at the two turtles. "So, where's everyone else?"

"Leo's out back meditating with Master Splinter," Michelangelo responded before glancing over his shoulder. "The other two still sleeping?"

"As far as I know they are," the purple-banded turtle said before opening the novel that was resting on the table before him.

The lithe brunette smiled, "They're so cute… though please tell me I'm not the only one who's noticed how similar Raphael is to Mr. Jones…"

Donnie smiled, "You're not, though I don't find it very surprising. People do tend to get into relationships with people who are somewhat similar to a parent… at least at a subconscious level."

"Nice to know I'm gonna marry my father," Carrie responded with a shake of her head. "So, when's the food gonna be ready? I'm starving over here!"

"Lucky for you it's done right now," Mikey replied as he moved the now-done bacon to a plate. "Donnie, could you go and get Leo and Master Splinter?"

Closing his book, the purple-clad turtle nodded before standing. "Sure, I'll be right back."

Carrie leaned forward in her chair. "Want me to get the sleepyheads upstairs?"

"Nah," Mikey responded with a shake of his head. "Ava will get Raph once she smells the food. Unless you want to deal with the house grouch yourself then…" he waved his hand towards the stairs, "be my guest."

Green eyes quickly glanced in the general direction of the stairs before turning back. "You know what… I'll stay here…"

… Later…

Squeaking sounded through the otherwise quite as Carrie gently moved the front porch swing back and forth. She glanced over at Avariella, who was sitting beside her on the bench and smiled as she saw that her gaze was closely watching the training session that was going on in the front yard. From what information she had been able to gather, Carole found out that the one in the blue, Leonardo, was going to be leaving his family for a year on a training mission. So this was one of the last sessions the four brothers would have together before the eldest one left the nest.

"What did they call their fighting style?" the lithe brunette asked suddenly.

Ava glanced over at her friend. "Ninjutsu… like guerrilla warfare."

"I remembered that bit," Carrie responded before sticking out her tongue. She turned her gaze back towards the four turtles as they sparred in pairs of two.

Ava's blue eyes also followed the same path. "I still think it's cool that you already met Mikey… well in a sense that is."

Carrie nodded, "Yeah, it sure is a small world huh?"

"Yeah, really small but I'm glad you got to meet everyone. The guys don't have many friends their own age besides me and Keno."

"Well I'm glad I met them, they seem like really great guys."

Ava nodded in agreement. "They are," she sighed, "I just hope they don't take it too hard when Leo leaves… I mean they've always been together. I can only imagine how hard it's going to be for all of them… losing something that has always been there…"

"I'm sure they'll be fine, I mean it's not like they'll be alone, that and you're gonna be there." Carrie shrugged, "That has to count for something."

"That's true…" the delicate brunette replied while biting her lower lip. She quickly glanced at her friend. "Can I tell you something?"

Detecting the worried tone in Ava's voice, concerned green eyes quickly landed upon her. "Anything, what is it?"

"Well… A few weeks ago I was talking to Master Splinter about… about patrols when Leo leaves… I mean he is the leader of their group that and…" she paused.

"And I assume you were worrying about Raph?" Carrie offered.

Ava nodded, "Yeah… Well Splinter told me that he's planning on telling them that they won't be allowed to patrol anymore… at least until Leo comes back."

Carrie raised an eyebrow. "Okay… is that bad? I mean it makes sense…"

"I think it makes sense as well but…." Blue eyes darted towards the red-clad turtle. "But I don't think Raph will see it like that…" she shook her head and sighed. "I have a feeling when he finds out… he'll get really upset about it…"

Biting her lower lip, the lithe brunette shrugged. "I'm sorry sweetie, I wish I could be of some help but…" reaching forward, she grabbed one of her friend's hands and gently squeezed it. "I think that he'll be fine… eventually, just don't tell him you disagree with him."

"Oh I have no plans of doing that," Ava responded quickly. "I'm just worried he'll start going out on his own and… and…" she squeezed Carrie's hand. "Either way I'll be worrying about him." She lowered her head sighed, "I mean I knew what I was getting into when we started dating but…"

"It doesn't make it any easier?"

Ava nodded before leaning over to rest her head on Carrie's shoulder. "I just don't know what I'd do if something happened to him…"

The lithe brunette wrapped an arm around her friend. "I know sweetie, I know… Even though I don't know them as well as you do all I can say is you'll have to trust him. I mean he has been doing this for a few years already…" she tightened her grip on her friend. "So I'm sure he'll be just fine."

"I know he will, doesn't stop me from worrying though…"

Carrie smiled, "That's because you love him silly. People always worry about those they love." She rested her head atop Avariella's. "But if you ever find yourself worrying too much to handle, call me okay?" Seeing that her friend was about to protest, the lithe brunette shook her head. "I don't care if it's two in the morning and you just want to call but say nothing, call me."

Lowering her eyes, a small smile pulled at the corners of her lips. "Okay… I will. Thanks Care-bear."

"Anytime, after all what are friends for?"