A/N: Thank you to WOLFJADE28, musicalocelot, AprilO'NeilXO, and KoalaQueen5B for your reviews!

Zoe

"I think we had the shortest high school careers ever." Karai laughed, shoving a glass bottle Coke across the kitchen table at me.

I held up my sprained wrist, "Well, can't say I'm gonna miss it."

Karai and I looked in Exodus' direction and she smiled, "I'll take you two over high school any day."

We laughed.

April frowned, "I'm gonna miss you girls, but I understand." She spun the cap of her bottle between her fingers then looked us over, "You know the guy's Mutation Day is tomorrow, right?"

"Mutation Day?" X tilted her head to the side like a confused puppy.

"They don't know their actual birthday, so they celebrate their mutation day. I usually get them each a gift. This year I drew pictures." She blushed then opened the portfolio she'd brought with her, showing us each a picture of the boys, with each of us. There was a sketch of she and Donnie, one of X and Mikey, one of Leo and Karai and one of Raph and I.

"April, these are amazing." My heart ached as I looked at the candidness of the picture and realized it was sketched off an actual photo she had taken. I was talking to Raph on the steps of the pit, there was nothing really happening in the picture, and I tried to remember the conversation, but couldn't. I know that I'd never noticed what April had conveyed in her art, there in his eyes, as he listened to me talk. At the same time, when I looked at the drawing of me, I saw the same emotions were reflected on my face.

Oh my God.

The paper slipped from my fingers, floating down to the table, my breath feeling like it had been pressed out of me in an exhale and I wondered if my lungs would ever open up again. Seeing your feelings through someone else's eyes could do that to you.

"Zoe, are you okay?" April put her hand on my shoulder.

My heart sputtered and jerked, "Yes. What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning," Karai answered.

Shoving back my chair I grabbed my backpack and head for the lair door.

"Zoe, we have training in an hour." Karai called after me.

"Going out, be back soon."

As I stepped out into the cool, early spring air, shoving the manhole cover back in place, I fished through my backpack reaching for the zipper hidden inside the biggest compartment but off to the side. I worked my fingers into the small space wrapping them around a wad of cash. Looking around me I walked down and over a block then stepped into the tiny, hole in the wall store.

After making my last stop and getting disapproving looks from each retailer I'd visited since the first store, I made my way back to the lair.

As I stepped inside Raphael was pacing on the landing. His eyes flamed as he whirled on me.

"Where have you been and why didn't you answer your phone or return my messages?" He threw his hands up, "You can't keep doing this Zoe!"

"Stop yelling Raphael." I said calmly, reaching out a hand and wrapping it around his.

He growled, "The phone Zoe, why didn't you answer the phone?"

"I forgot it, when I left. I'm sorry. It's upstairs in my room."

"Well don't forget it again!"

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Fine."

"Can we go somewhere private to talk?"

"Where? Do you want to go out?"

"No. How about your room?"

He blushed, "Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"Oh, okay."

Taking his hand, I lead him to his own room but waited for him to open the door. As I stepped inside I looked around, taking in how everything was neatly in its place. My eyes fell on his nightstand and I realized it had a dozen throwing knives sticking out the top of it.

"Uh, Raph?"

"Yea?"

"What' s uh- going on over there?"

He blushed an even darker shade of reddish green. "Uh, I dunno. Every time we practice and I catch a knife you throw, I find it at the end of the day and uh- I stick it there with the others."

The air rushes from me again, my heart jolting, and I lower my bag to the floor and leap at him, throwing my arms around his neck, feeling the tears already slipping down my cheeks. As I press my mouth against his he returns my kiss with fervor and I want to tell him.

Hearing a shuffling in my backpack he pulls back and grabs his sai, "What the shell?" He moves to jab it but I swipe his hand down.

"Raph, wait!"

"You're bags moving Zoe!"

"I know," I laugh, "I know, hang on." I cross the room and unzip it, reach inside and pull out a baby tortoise. "April said your Mutation Day is tomorrow, but I wanted to do this for you anyway. So, uh, she's a Greek Tortoise."

I couldn't read the expression on his face and it made me really nervous. He didn't move for what felt like an eternity while the tiny tortoise flailed her legs and blinked her teardrop shaped eyes.

"Raph?" My heart was sinking, and I began to feel like I'd made a mistake. I pulled my hand in toward my chest, holding the turtle against me, only to find her suddenly missing when I looked down.

"She's awesome!" He shrieked flopping back on his bed and letting her crawl across his plastron.

"Well I'll just leave you two alone then." I grinned, feeling a warmth in my chest as I watched him stroke the top of her head affectionately, pure joy shining in his spring green gems.

But as my hand wrapped around his doorknob, his dropped over it, wrapping around mine and pulling me to him. His mouth sought mine and I closed my eyes, drinking him in, savoring the feel of him and finding myself wanting to be lost in him, wondering if I already was.

He pulled back, and tugged me over to his bed where we laid watching the tortoise crawl over both of us, talking about what to call her, until my eyes grew heavy and I drifted off to sleep dreaming of throwing knives, tortoises and Raphael.