I don't plan on making this into an actual chapter story, but maybe I'll update it with random little drabbles about the OC every now and then. :)

.oOo.

"Are you going to think of a name?" Donatello finally brought up the inevitable after Raphael somewhat composed himself a bit with the tiny baby asleep in his arms. The second oldest had refused to hold it at first and the brothers only later found out it was mostly because he was scared to end up hurting the fragile thing.

He was still rather nervous and anxious with her in his arms. – Yes, "her", Donnie checked. Mikey made sure to "aww" at Raph and his, as the three already declared, daughter. Raph, however, was still fully refusing to acknowledge it as such out loud. But his body language and soft expression were beginning to tell otherwise.

"Can I name her?" Michelangelo asked where they were still standing in a circle in the lab, and was quickly shut down by a loud collective "No!"

"How about Shen?" Leonardo suggested after a moment but received a sideways glance from Raphael.

"Still bitter you weren't named Yoshi Junior?"

"What?!"

"I'm not naming her after Splinter's wife. I don't want Shredder haunting us as a ghost, too."

"You're morbid," Leo muttered.

"How about Tara? Y'know tuatara Tara?"

Raphael frowned at Mikey, having had expected to hear a stupid monster name, but then thought over his brother's suggestion. "That's pretty adorable. But a little short for this family, don't you think? How about Taraya?"

"I don't think that's a real-"

"It's perfect!" Mikey excitedly cut off Donatello's complaint. He bounced on the balls of his feet. "My niece, Taraya!" he fawned over the small sleeping baby.

That brought a small smile to Raphael's lips for the first time since the egg first cracked.

"Okay," Donnie clasped his hands together, looking to the side, "she's your baby."

The smile was immediately gone, but instead of an annoyed scowl, a worried frown replaced it.

Donnie didn't notice the change. "I'll call April. We'll need baby formula as soon as possible. The baby must be exhausted and she'll need food. Then I'll have to make a crib, preferably with a heat lamp since we don't yet know what her thermoregulation is like. A highchair would be nice, too. Clothes… We had warm clothes when we were little. Oh! And diapers! Raph, we'll have to look up how to change diapers- We'll have to look up a lot of things. And also improvise because she's not a human baby and"—

Donnie went on and on, and Raph didn't realize he was beginning to look frightened until Leo squeezed his shoulder with his hand and gave him one of those firm but reassuring looks that was a direct copy of Splinter's.

"We're not going anywhere, Raph. We're all going to be responsible for her."

"Yeah…" Raph breathed out and looked back down at the baby in his arms, "but I'm the dad."

Donnie quieted down and Mikey's excitement wavered when they all saw how terribly overwhelmed Raphael felt.

"Is this the time when you need a hug you won't admit you need or the time when you really need to be left alone?" Mikey asked.

"I don't know. Alone?"

The other three brothers shared worried looks before nodding. They all lifted their arms simultaneously, so one of them would take their niece.

Raphael stared back. He didn't want to give the baby to Mikey. And Donnie and Leo we're also a no. She was so fragile. What if something happened to her? Raph moved past his brothers and left the lab together with the sleeping baby.

When he was out of earshot Mikey couldn't help himself but to "aww" again.

"The gut feeling has yet to be proven wrong, dudes."

.

.

.

"So I talked to April and she'll try to get here as fast as she can."

Donatello found Raphael lying on the couch in the pit, propped up by a bunch of pillows. He looked up from where he was just staring in front of himself when he saw Donnie walk over and sit down right next to his head.

"What'd she say?"

"I don't think she had the time to properly react. I explained everything kinda quickly and just tasked her with getting us some necessities. She'll get the full update once she gets here…"

Raphael didn't grunt to let him know he heard, like he usually did. He looked troubled. – No surprise there.

Donnie stood up and leaned over to take the still sleeping bundle from his arms.

"What are you doing?"

"Just want to hold my niece if I may?" Donnie smiled and waited for Raph to reluctantly relax before scooting Taraya into his arms and sitting down beside him.

The baby was still sound asleep. She was quite smaller than a human baby. Even so tiny and frail and with her green eyes closed she definitely still reminded Donnie of his brother.

He observed her back where either a turtle shell or a tuatara crest should be. Instead she had a scaly back with a few larger, separated, half developed scutes over it. It looked like a broken-apart puzzle. She did have a tiny crest that started at the back of her head and ended soon under her neck where the scutes took over, then started again on her long thick tail.

Donnie needed to remind himself that he was holding a baby and not something to examine. He scooped her closer to his chest.

"This is insane," he said.

"Yeah…"

Donnie looked at his brother. He'd think he was miserable if he didn't know him better. Raph was completely lost…

"Talk to Doctor Don."

Raph chuckled at the nickname Mikey had given Donnie when they were younger, then he grimaced. "…I wish this wasn't happening. Or maybe that it wasn't happening to me. Splinter Junior would have an easier time with a kid…"

Donnie watched his brother for a moment, mulling over an answer. He straightened up and placed the baby back into his brother's arms, making Raph look back confused.

"You'll probably punch me for this, hence why I never mentioned it before, but you remind me of our dad a lot more than Leo sometimes. Especially as we've gotten older and all of Dad's stories about his youth became more, uh, layered… I don't know. Leo's the sensei but you're 'Splinter Junior'. You're just not sixty yet."

Raphael stared at Donatello with wide eyes and Donnie smirked. "You'll do great," he patted Raph's shoulder before leaving him alone again.