*Disclaimer: All right, for the record, just in case you forgot, I don't
own the TMNT, and it is very likely I never will. Sorry this took so long!
I couldn't find a place to end it…
Raphael was awoken very early by a loud banging on his door. He wearily opened his eyes and wondered why the heck someone was ruining his morning.
"What?" he asked, tired and annoyed.
"Guess what!?" Mikey shouted.
"What!?" he asked again, still tired, and more annoyed.
"Kelen and Lauren are coming today!" He reminded him excitedly. Then he slid open Raph's door and bounced into his room.
Raph had almost, but not quite, forgotten they were coming. It was all he could think about all week… it was just really early!
"Forgot, didn't ya?" he asked mockingly.
"No, Mikey, I didn't! Now get out of my room!" he shouted.
Mikey pouted. "And, it had better be later than it feels," Raph said, glaring at him. Mikey's eyes grew wide. Raph didn't like to woken up so early. He jumped up and started for the door. There were some days you just don't argue with Raph, and this was going to be one of them. He stopped just outside the door and spun around to find himself facing Raph. "Ya?" Raph asked.
"Ummm, I was just wondering. I know you've forbidden everyone to think about Kelen ever again, but if I do today, will I still be in trouble?" he asked in his best youngest sibling voice. "Yes," Raphael said simply, and slid the door closed.
Raph looked around his room. He thought about cleaning it, but then dismissed that thought when he decided that she had seen his room before, and wouldn't really care. He couldn't even believe she was coming back. Even if it was for just two weeks- it had been eight months- and he *needed* to see her. He had been disappointed when she reminded him that she was coming out for the game, and would have practices every day the first week and the game that Saturday. But he had to remember that for the second week she was all his. And he wasn't going to let anyone, not even her father, stop that.
He suddenly wondered when she would be here. But his heart sank when he remembered that Mike had just woke him up and she wouldn't be here until that evening. He sighed and flopped back down on his bed. It was going to be good to have everything back to normal…or as normal as it could get when Kelen's father was still trying to kill her for no reason except that he was a madman. He knew her father had found her in California and that was the other reason she was coming back to Manhattan. She hadn't told him he was back, but he could tell from the way she avoided the question whenever he brought it up. He had been so mad at her father after he discovered he had been shot by him. Not only for hurting him, but from the way he saw him touching Kelen. And every time he thought about it, the same picture came up. The image that couldn't be erased from his mind. The night he had found her sprawled out across her bed, completely helpless, bloody, and hurt. The way she had looked at him before her eyes had closed, begging him to help her, and then having to sit there because he couldn't. But he was determined to help her anyway. He was going to pull all the information out of her that he could and then find the bastard and make sure he would never come back.
Kelen handed her plane ticket to the stewardess at the front of the plane. She walked through and took her seat next to Lauren. She shoved a bag under her seat and leaned back, closing her eyes and taking a couple deep breaths. "Don't worry about it," Lauren said calmly.
Kelen's eyes popped open and she looked at Lauren like she was crazy. "He's going to yell," she said. The seat belt light came on above them and they both buckled up.
Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, he probably is," she agreed.
"And he's going to be mad!" she reminded.
"He'll be upset and mad, but you can't help it," Lauren pointed out.
The stewardess came around, showing everyone what to do in case of an emergency. "I think he might break up with me," Kelen added shyly.
Now it was Lauren's turn to think she was crazy. "Hey! I have seen him mad before, and yeah he's going to be mad. But he loves you Kelen. And he's going to be mad because he's worried for you and his brothers. But this isn't your fault. And if he does break up with you, then maybe he just isn't the one," Lauren said gently.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Kelen said. 'What am I going to do?' she thought. 'Just walk up and say, oh yeah, Raph, by the way, my dad is an elite member of the Foot Clan?' She sunk back in her seat and the plane started to take off.
Minutes dragged by and Raph's eyes were transfixed by the clock. For a good half the day, he was able to hide his emotions rather well. Finally it was too much to take and he had to disappear for a while. He didn't want to go anywhere, because he was so afraid that she would come and he wouldn't be there. So he went to his room, shut his door and laid down on his bed. He put his headphones on and listened to the music for a while. The soft noises going on outside mixed with the loud music in his CD player became a relaxing atmosphere. His mind drifted to Kelen, and how soon she would be there with him. He reluctantly let his eyes close; his emotions had worn him out, and lulled off to sleep.
Kelen lazily opened her eyes on the plane. She watched the sunset whiz by and became aware of a dropping sensation. She panicked and sat upright quickly. Lauren looked over at her. "Oh, good, you're up. We're landing," she said, calming Kelen's nerves. But her stomach twisted when she thought of Raph. She wanted to see him so badly, but she also didn't want to tell him what she had figured out. She made up her mind to worry later and just look forward to seeing Raph now. "You excited?" Kelen asked to break the silence. Lauren nodded and blushed a little. Kelen nodded back. "Me too," she said. They were quiet for a moment. Then they looked at each other and after a few more moments of silence laughed. Kelen smiled, her troubles forgotten, grabbed her bag, and started off the plane.
Once outside the airport, Kelen whistled for a taxi, but when you look like Kelen, it isn't too hard to get their attention. A taxi soon pulled up and Kelen smiled. She loved New York! She was so happy to see skyscrapers again! She had missed the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps. She opened the taxi door and climbed in, throwing her bag on the ground. Lauren slid in the seat closest to the door and pulled it shut. "Where to?" the taxi driver asked with a Hispanic accent. Kelen smiled. "Manhattan," she said.
Raph opened his eyes. The CD had stopped long ago and he had been sleeping for hours. His clock said 6'o clock. He bolted upright and got to his feet. She would be here any minute. He knew they would've called him if she had been here. He opened his door and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.
In the kitchen, Mike was wearing his 'Kiss the Cook' apron and humming Jingle Bells. He sprinkled a little more cheese on the pizza he was making and popped it in the oven. Donny and Leo were playing 'Go Fish' at the table. Everyone was so anxious for them to arrive that there was nothing to do but wait. "Got any three's?" Donny asked. Leo shook his head. "Fives?" he asked Donny. Donny handed over a five which left him holding nothing. "I'm out of cards," he said. Leo put his set of fives down next to a set of six's. "Me too," he said. Mike was leaning against the counter watching them play and waiting for his pizza to cook. There was silence between them. "I'm bored," Mike said. They had cleaned everything, Mike had been cooking all day, they had played every card game, board game, and watched every TV show that had looked interesting, and even a couple that didn't look interesting. "We could practice," Leo suggested. He guessed the overwhelming silence meant no. "Hey Donny," Mikey started, getting an idea, "Do you think their plane has landed yet?" Donny checked his watch. "Yeah, definitely," he said. Mike smiled. "Could we call them?" he asked. They all agreed this was a good idea.
Kelen and Lauren were walking down an alleyway that conveniently led to a manhole cover. They had taxi driver drop them a couple blocks away from the alley so he wouldn't get suspicious about letting them off in the middle of nowhere. Kelen's worries were chewing away at her again and she was desperately trying to stall. Lauren had had just about enough of it when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she said, not really wanting to take the call. But Kelen noticed her face brighten. "Yeah, we're about two feet away," she said into the receiver. She laughed. "Yeah, okay." Kelen was sure it was Mikey on the other end. "Can I talk?" she asked hopefully. "But you'll talk in thirty seconds," Lauren complained. Kelen whipped the phone out of her hand.
"I'm scared," she said, not waiting to tell Mikey who it was. He was one of her best friends and she had already told him her problem. He had even freaked out a little, but he managed not to yell and they worked it out.
"Don't freak, babe! He'll get it," he assured, recognizing her voice.
"You didn't," she reminded.
"Yeah, but you told me kinda suddenly. Just back our way into it this time. And if he goes psycho, I'll protect you!" he promised.
It didn't really make her feel any better, but she said it did anyway. "Thanks Mike, see you soon," she said, and hung up. Lauren looked at her. "How does he know?" she asked. "I told him," she said. Lauren just shook her head. "Let's go," she said with a sigh. "Wait," Kelen protested. But Lauren already had the cover off. She motioned with her hand for Kelen to follow.
Mike hung up the phone and became very excited that they were coming. But when he turned around, Donny and Leo were looking at skeptically. "What?" Mike asked. "What was that conversation about?" Leo asked him. Mike shrugged. "You'll find out later."
Raph was out of the shower and back in his room tying on his bandana. Mike had said they would be here in two minutes. He was nervous to see Kelen. The last time they had seen each other Raph had been down with a bullet wound and Kelen had been a mess. This time they were both much better, or at least she claimed she was. Kelen hadn't been admitting to any pain if she felt any. They all knew she had some issues going on, but she wouldn't talk about it. Leo had talked to her brother a couple of times and Trent had said she was the same way around him. His guess was she would be like this for a while. Kelen never really opened up to anyone except Lauren, and the past few months before she had left, they had learned everything about her. She had cried a lot and talked more than she ever had. Trent just said she was probably embarrassed and didn't want to come off as weak anymore. They understood that, but they hadn't really thought she was weak, just in trouble. And they wanted her to tell them if something was wrong. But Raph knew from the way she avoided certain questions that she wasn't going to. The truth was, he was worried about her. But he knew that was the last thing she wanted so he didn't push it. All he wanted right now was for her to be there in his arms.
Kelen forced herself to keep walking. She made sure her face showed no more signs of worry and convinced herself that all she wanted was to see Raph. Lauren was barely keeping up with her. Kelen turned around the last corner and could see the ladder up ahead. The darkness slowly faded as she neared the entrance. She stopped at the top and waited for Lauren. When Lauren got there she said to Kelen, "Well, you sure changed in the last five minutes." Kelen shrugged. "You first," Lauren said. Kelen's heart leapt. Her heart beat quickly as she swung herself onto the top rung of the ladder. Her hands were shaking as she started down, but she didn't get to take a step.
"KELEN!" Mikey yelled as loud as he could. He ran to the ladder, climbed up, took Kelen by the waist and jumped back down. "I missed you!" he screamed again, hugging her tightly and picking her up off her feet. "I missed you too, Mikey," she said gasping, "But I can't breathe!" Mikey smirked and loosened his grip but wouldn't put her down. "Hey, look, it's Lauren," she said, switching his attention. He dropped her and immediately went to Lauren. A very similar situation happened to her as she started down the ladder. Once they were both on the ground, Mikey took one of them under each of his arms and switched kissing both their cheeks over and over again. "I'msogladyou'rebackandImissedyousomuchandIhavesomuchtotellyouand…" he was talking so fast that they couldn't keep up with him. "I didn't understand any of that, but I agree with all of it!" Kelen said. "Me too!" Lauren said. Mikey shrieked a little and they all laughed. "Well you're here! What can I do for you?" Mikey asked, hoping they were hungry. "Stop trying to break us in half," Kelen said. "Okay!" he agreed. He set them both down. But it wasn't two seconds before he was holding them again. "No! You can't have them!" Mikey yelled. Both their backs were turned to whoever Mike was talking to. They both struggled to turn their heads and saw Donny and Leo in the doorway. "Hi guys!" Kelen said in a girlish high pitched voice. "Hey Kelen," Leo said back, "Need some help?" he offered. "Please!" she said. Leo walked over and pried Kelen from Mikey's arms who protested all the while. Donny was doing the same with Lauren. Leo managed to get Kelen free. She hugged him tightly for a few moments. "I missed you guys," she said. "We missed you too," he said, "But, uh, I think he missed you more." He gestured towards Raph's bedroom. "Can't even come out and say hi, huh?" she asked. Leo shrugged. She shrugged back. "Alright then," she said, and started for the bedroom door. Lauren was in Donny's arms. A place she had longed to be for months. "Hi," she said softly. "Hi," he said back. She leaned over to kiss him and he took her closer in his arms.
Raph was sliding open his door to come meet Kelen, only to find her standing outside of it. "I haven't seen you for eight months, and don't even come out of your room," she complained. He smiled and looked over her body as she was saying this. She started to say something else, but he put a finger up to her lips. "Shut up," he said smiling. She smiled back. He pulled her into his room and turned around to shut the door. When he turned back around, Kelen was sitting on his bed. He walked over to her and put his arms around her waist, leaning her back on the bed and moving closer to her body. She knew what he wanted. "Raph…" she said. "Just relax," he whispered dangerously close to her ear. His lips were almost touching hers, it was a slow movement, like some first kisses are. Just before he was able to touch her lips, a knock was heard on his door. Raph closed his eyes tightly and cursed under his breath. He looked at Kelen, hoping she would say ignore it, but she just shrugged. "What?!?" he asked. "Sorry, I know you're busy," Mikey said, "But Master Splinter wants us all in the living room to just talk about stuff for a little while." Raph glared at the door. "You're really pushin' it today, Mike," he warned. "Hey, it's not my fault!" he defended. "We'll be there in a minute," Kelen said before Raph got to answer. They heard footsteps leave. "We will?" Raph asked. She nodded. He rolled his eyes. "I better get one hell of a kiss later," he said. "We'll see," she said, "I'm glad to see you again." He felt a tension in her. "Me too," he said. She smiled awkwardly and started to get up. Now he knew she was uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" he asked. She looked confused. "What?" she asked. "You're actin' kinda funny," he said. She shrugged. "Nothing," she said. He looked at her closely and watched her shift under his stare. "You'd tell me if there was somethin' bothering ya, right?" he checked. "Yes!" she said annoyed, "Can we go?" Maybe he had imagined it. "No," he said. "No?" she asked. "I haven't seen you forever, I finally get to see for two minutes, I don't even get a kiss and now we have to go out there," he said. "Okay, you stay here, I'll see you later," she said and turned around. He grabbed her arm. "That isn't what I meant," he said. "I know," she told him. "I just wanted it to be you and me tonight," he said. "It will be," she promised, "Right after this." He groaned, "Fine, but you owe me." She laughed. "Man, I missed you," he said. She turned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled, thinking he had won. "Let's go," she said. She pulled away from him and started out of the room, leaving Raph to follow her.
"KELEN!" Mikey screamed for possibly the third time that night, "You're here!" Lauren looked at him, "Yeah, well, that was the general idea," she said. "LAUREN!" he screamed. He received a harsh look from his Master. Splinter turned to look at the girls. "We are glad you are both back safe," he said. "It's good to be back," Kelen smiled. Splinter couldn't help but smile back. She had had a great impact on Raphael's life, and the more things moved along in their lives, the more they came to need each other. "And how was California?" he asked. "Boring," Kelen said, "It's nothing like New York." Mikey looked at her like she was crazy. "What? But the beach is there, and they got different pizza there, and everything! How could you be bored?" he asked. "Well, my brother is extremely over protective so when you can't do anything, you get bored," she said. "Well are you hungry?" he asked hopefully. "Very!" said Lauren, who had been quiet for a while now. "Good! Come on," Mikey exclaimed, leading them into the kitchen. Raph pulled back on Kelen's arm before she could go and waited for everyone else to leave. "We don't have to," he said. She rolled her eyes. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning," she answered. He noticed she was much skinnier since the last time he saw her, and she had been skinny enough then. He silently doubted she eaten much *before* this morning and pushed his feelings away while he followed her into the kitchen.
Dinner was a mess of stories and talk of California, Lauren's family, and catching up. But everyone tip-toed around the area of Kelen's father. After dinner, Kelen had quickly decided to take a shower and Lauren and Donny were in his room. Raph was in his bedroom waiting for Kelen to get out. After a little while, he heard the water turn off. Kelen walked into his room. Her hair was still wet and she had changed into pajamas. Raph was laying on his bed with his headphones on, and pulled them off when Kelen came in. "I want my kiss," he said. Kelen really wanted to kiss him too, but she was so nervous about telling him about her father that she could hardly be around him. But he wasn't really giving her a choice. Before she could answer, he had gotten up and was at her side. He put his arms loosely around her waist. She stood there, not responding to his touch. But when their lips connected for the first time after eight months, she couldn't help but kiss him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he tightened his around her waist. They were both lost in a world of ecstasy, but Kelen forced herself to pull out of it and backed away from the kiss. She turned her back towards Raph and walked to on side of the room. She had to tell him, she couldn't lie to him. She was putting him in danger. Her father was a member of the foot clan. He was a member of the foot clan *and* he had been in their house. This meant the foot probably knew where they were by now and were just waiting to make their move. She had to tell him.
Raph got a good grip on her arm and spun her around. He looked annoyed and she could tell he was ready to burst. She was about to trigger all that anger. "There something you want to tell me? Because, for some strange reason, I actually thought you'd be happy to see me," he said. She looked deeply into his eyes. He loosened his grip on her arm. "Yeah, Raph. There is something I want to tell you."
Raphael was awoken very early by a loud banging on his door. He wearily opened his eyes and wondered why the heck someone was ruining his morning.
"What?" he asked, tired and annoyed.
"Guess what!?" Mikey shouted.
"What!?" he asked again, still tired, and more annoyed.
"Kelen and Lauren are coming today!" He reminded him excitedly. Then he slid open Raph's door and bounced into his room.
Raph had almost, but not quite, forgotten they were coming. It was all he could think about all week… it was just really early!
"Forgot, didn't ya?" he asked mockingly.
"No, Mikey, I didn't! Now get out of my room!" he shouted.
Mikey pouted. "And, it had better be later than it feels," Raph said, glaring at him. Mikey's eyes grew wide. Raph didn't like to woken up so early. He jumped up and started for the door. There were some days you just don't argue with Raph, and this was going to be one of them. He stopped just outside the door and spun around to find himself facing Raph. "Ya?" Raph asked.
"Ummm, I was just wondering. I know you've forbidden everyone to think about Kelen ever again, but if I do today, will I still be in trouble?" he asked in his best youngest sibling voice. "Yes," Raphael said simply, and slid the door closed.
Raph looked around his room. He thought about cleaning it, but then dismissed that thought when he decided that she had seen his room before, and wouldn't really care. He couldn't even believe she was coming back. Even if it was for just two weeks- it had been eight months- and he *needed* to see her. He had been disappointed when she reminded him that she was coming out for the game, and would have practices every day the first week and the game that Saturday. But he had to remember that for the second week she was all his. And he wasn't going to let anyone, not even her father, stop that.
He suddenly wondered when she would be here. But his heart sank when he remembered that Mike had just woke him up and she wouldn't be here until that evening. He sighed and flopped back down on his bed. It was going to be good to have everything back to normal…or as normal as it could get when Kelen's father was still trying to kill her for no reason except that he was a madman. He knew her father had found her in California and that was the other reason she was coming back to Manhattan. She hadn't told him he was back, but he could tell from the way she avoided the question whenever he brought it up. He had been so mad at her father after he discovered he had been shot by him. Not only for hurting him, but from the way he saw him touching Kelen. And every time he thought about it, the same picture came up. The image that couldn't be erased from his mind. The night he had found her sprawled out across her bed, completely helpless, bloody, and hurt. The way she had looked at him before her eyes had closed, begging him to help her, and then having to sit there because he couldn't. But he was determined to help her anyway. He was going to pull all the information out of her that he could and then find the bastard and make sure he would never come back.
Kelen handed her plane ticket to the stewardess at the front of the plane. She walked through and took her seat next to Lauren. She shoved a bag under her seat and leaned back, closing her eyes and taking a couple deep breaths. "Don't worry about it," Lauren said calmly.
Kelen's eyes popped open and she looked at Lauren like she was crazy. "He's going to yell," she said. The seat belt light came on above them and they both buckled up.
Lauren shrugged. "Yeah, he probably is," she agreed.
"And he's going to be mad!" she reminded.
"He'll be upset and mad, but you can't help it," Lauren pointed out.
The stewardess came around, showing everyone what to do in case of an emergency. "I think he might break up with me," Kelen added shyly.
Now it was Lauren's turn to think she was crazy. "Hey! I have seen him mad before, and yeah he's going to be mad. But he loves you Kelen. And he's going to be mad because he's worried for you and his brothers. But this isn't your fault. And if he does break up with you, then maybe he just isn't the one," Lauren said gently.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Kelen said. 'What am I going to do?' she thought. 'Just walk up and say, oh yeah, Raph, by the way, my dad is an elite member of the Foot Clan?' She sunk back in her seat and the plane started to take off.
Minutes dragged by and Raph's eyes were transfixed by the clock. For a good half the day, he was able to hide his emotions rather well. Finally it was too much to take and he had to disappear for a while. He didn't want to go anywhere, because he was so afraid that she would come and he wouldn't be there. So he went to his room, shut his door and laid down on his bed. He put his headphones on and listened to the music for a while. The soft noises going on outside mixed with the loud music in his CD player became a relaxing atmosphere. His mind drifted to Kelen, and how soon she would be there with him. He reluctantly let his eyes close; his emotions had worn him out, and lulled off to sleep.
Kelen lazily opened her eyes on the plane. She watched the sunset whiz by and became aware of a dropping sensation. She panicked and sat upright quickly. Lauren looked over at her. "Oh, good, you're up. We're landing," she said, calming Kelen's nerves. But her stomach twisted when she thought of Raph. She wanted to see him so badly, but she also didn't want to tell him what she had figured out. She made up her mind to worry later and just look forward to seeing Raph now. "You excited?" Kelen asked to break the silence. Lauren nodded and blushed a little. Kelen nodded back. "Me too," she said. They were quiet for a moment. Then they looked at each other and after a few more moments of silence laughed. Kelen smiled, her troubles forgotten, grabbed her bag, and started off the plane.
Once outside the airport, Kelen whistled for a taxi, but when you look like Kelen, it isn't too hard to get their attention. A taxi soon pulled up and Kelen smiled. She loved New York! She was so happy to see skyscrapers again! She had missed the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps. She opened the taxi door and climbed in, throwing her bag on the ground. Lauren slid in the seat closest to the door and pulled it shut. "Where to?" the taxi driver asked with a Hispanic accent. Kelen smiled. "Manhattan," she said.
Raph opened his eyes. The CD had stopped long ago and he had been sleeping for hours. His clock said 6'o clock. He bolted upright and got to his feet. She would be here any minute. He knew they would've called him if she had been here. He opened his door and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.
In the kitchen, Mike was wearing his 'Kiss the Cook' apron and humming Jingle Bells. He sprinkled a little more cheese on the pizza he was making and popped it in the oven. Donny and Leo were playing 'Go Fish' at the table. Everyone was so anxious for them to arrive that there was nothing to do but wait. "Got any three's?" Donny asked. Leo shook his head. "Fives?" he asked Donny. Donny handed over a five which left him holding nothing. "I'm out of cards," he said. Leo put his set of fives down next to a set of six's. "Me too," he said. Mike was leaning against the counter watching them play and waiting for his pizza to cook. There was silence between them. "I'm bored," Mike said. They had cleaned everything, Mike had been cooking all day, they had played every card game, board game, and watched every TV show that had looked interesting, and even a couple that didn't look interesting. "We could practice," Leo suggested. He guessed the overwhelming silence meant no. "Hey Donny," Mikey started, getting an idea, "Do you think their plane has landed yet?" Donny checked his watch. "Yeah, definitely," he said. Mike smiled. "Could we call them?" he asked. They all agreed this was a good idea.
Kelen and Lauren were walking down an alleyway that conveniently led to a manhole cover. They had taxi driver drop them a couple blocks away from the alley so he wouldn't get suspicious about letting them off in the middle of nowhere. Kelen's worries were chewing away at her again and she was desperately trying to stall. Lauren had had just about enough of it when her cell phone rang. "Hello?" she said, not really wanting to take the call. But Kelen noticed her face brighten. "Yeah, we're about two feet away," she said into the receiver. She laughed. "Yeah, okay." Kelen was sure it was Mikey on the other end. "Can I talk?" she asked hopefully. "But you'll talk in thirty seconds," Lauren complained. Kelen whipped the phone out of her hand.
"I'm scared," she said, not waiting to tell Mikey who it was. He was one of her best friends and she had already told him her problem. He had even freaked out a little, but he managed not to yell and they worked it out.
"Don't freak, babe! He'll get it," he assured, recognizing her voice.
"You didn't," she reminded.
"Yeah, but you told me kinda suddenly. Just back our way into it this time. And if he goes psycho, I'll protect you!" he promised.
It didn't really make her feel any better, but she said it did anyway. "Thanks Mike, see you soon," she said, and hung up. Lauren looked at her. "How does he know?" she asked. "I told him," she said. Lauren just shook her head. "Let's go," she said with a sigh. "Wait," Kelen protested. But Lauren already had the cover off. She motioned with her hand for Kelen to follow.
Mike hung up the phone and became very excited that they were coming. But when he turned around, Donny and Leo were looking at skeptically. "What?" Mike asked. "What was that conversation about?" Leo asked him. Mike shrugged. "You'll find out later."
Raph was out of the shower and back in his room tying on his bandana. Mike had said they would be here in two minutes. He was nervous to see Kelen. The last time they had seen each other Raph had been down with a bullet wound and Kelen had been a mess. This time they were both much better, or at least she claimed she was. Kelen hadn't been admitting to any pain if she felt any. They all knew she had some issues going on, but she wouldn't talk about it. Leo had talked to her brother a couple of times and Trent had said she was the same way around him. His guess was she would be like this for a while. Kelen never really opened up to anyone except Lauren, and the past few months before she had left, they had learned everything about her. She had cried a lot and talked more than she ever had. Trent just said she was probably embarrassed and didn't want to come off as weak anymore. They understood that, but they hadn't really thought she was weak, just in trouble. And they wanted her to tell them if something was wrong. But Raph knew from the way she avoided certain questions that she wasn't going to. The truth was, he was worried about her. But he knew that was the last thing she wanted so he didn't push it. All he wanted right now was for her to be there in his arms.
Kelen forced herself to keep walking. She made sure her face showed no more signs of worry and convinced herself that all she wanted was to see Raph. Lauren was barely keeping up with her. Kelen turned around the last corner and could see the ladder up ahead. The darkness slowly faded as she neared the entrance. She stopped at the top and waited for Lauren. When Lauren got there she said to Kelen, "Well, you sure changed in the last five minutes." Kelen shrugged. "You first," Lauren said. Kelen's heart leapt. Her heart beat quickly as she swung herself onto the top rung of the ladder. Her hands were shaking as she started down, but she didn't get to take a step.
"KELEN!" Mikey yelled as loud as he could. He ran to the ladder, climbed up, took Kelen by the waist and jumped back down. "I missed you!" he screamed again, hugging her tightly and picking her up off her feet. "I missed you too, Mikey," she said gasping, "But I can't breathe!" Mikey smirked and loosened his grip but wouldn't put her down. "Hey, look, it's Lauren," she said, switching his attention. He dropped her and immediately went to Lauren. A very similar situation happened to her as she started down the ladder. Once they were both on the ground, Mikey took one of them under each of his arms and switched kissing both their cheeks over and over again. "I'msogladyou'rebackandImissedyousomuchandIhavesomuchtotellyouand…" he was talking so fast that they couldn't keep up with him. "I didn't understand any of that, but I agree with all of it!" Kelen said. "Me too!" Lauren said. Mikey shrieked a little and they all laughed. "Well you're here! What can I do for you?" Mikey asked, hoping they were hungry. "Stop trying to break us in half," Kelen said. "Okay!" he agreed. He set them both down. But it wasn't two seconds before he was holding them again. "No! You can't have them!" Mikey yelled. Both their backs were turned to whoever Mike was talking to. They both struggled to turn their heads and saw Donny and Leo in the doorway. "Hi guys!" Kelen said in a girlish high pitched voice. "Hey Kelen," Leo said back, "Need some help?" he offered. "Please!" she said. Leo walked over and pried Kelen from Mikey's arms who protested all the while. Donny was doing the same with Lauren. Leo managed to get Kelen free. She hugged him tightly for a few moments. "I missed you guys," she said. "We missed you too," he said, "But, uh, I think he missed you more." He gestured towards Raph's bedroom. "Can't even come out and say hi, huh?" she asked. Leo shrugged. She shrugged back. "Alright then," she said, and started for the bedroom door. Lauren was in Donny's arms. A place she had longed to be for months. "Hi," she said softly. "Hi," he said back. She leaned over to kiss him and he took her closer in his arms.
Raph was sliding open his door to come meet Kelen, only to find her standing outside of it. "I haven't seen you for eight months, and don't even come out of your room," she complained. He smiled and looked over her body as she was saying this. She started to say something else, but he put a finger up to her lips. "Shut up," he said smiling. She smiled back. He pulled her into his room and turned around to shut the door. When he turned back around, Kelen was sitting on his bed. He walked over to her and put his arms around her waist, leaning her back on the bed and moving closer to her body. She knew what he wanted. "Raph…" she said. "Just relax," he whispered dangerously close to her ear. His lips were almost touching hers, it was a slow movement, like some first kisses are. Just before he was able to touch her lips, a knock was heard on his door. Raph closed his eyes tightly and cursed under his breath. He looked at Kelen, hoping she would say ignore it, but she just shrugged. "What?!?" he asked. "Sorry, I know you're busy," Mikey said, "But Master Splinter wants us all in the living room to just talk about stuff for a little while." Raph glared at the door. "You're really pushin' it today, Mike," he warned. "Hey, it's not my fault!" he defended. "We'll be there in a minute," Kelen said before Raph got to answer. They heard footsteps leave. "We will?" Raph asked. She nodded. He rolled his eyes. "I better get one hell of a kiss later," he said. "We'll see," she said, "I'm glad to see you again." He felt a tension in her. "Me too," he said. She smiled awkwardly and started to get up. Now he knew she was uncomfortable. "What's wrong?" he asked. She looked confused. "What?" she asked. "You're actin' kinda funny," he said. She shrugged. "Nothing," she said. He looked at her closely and watched her shift under his stare. "You'd tell me if there was somethin' bothering ya, right?" he checked. "Yes!" she said annoyed, "Can we go?" Maybe he had imagined it. "No," he said. "No?" she asked. "I haven't seen you forever, I finally get to see for two minutes, I don't even get a kiss and now we have to go out there," he said. "Okay, you stay here, I'll see you later," she said and turned around. He grabbed her arm. "That isn't what I meant," he said. "I know," she told him. "I just wanted it to be you and me tonight," he said. "It will be," she promised, "Right after this." He groaned, "Fine, but you owe me." She laughed. "Man, I missed you," he said. She turned into him and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled, thinking he had won. "Let's go," she said. She pulled away from him and started out of the room, leaving Raph to follow her.
"KELEN!" Mikey screamed for possibly the third time that night, "You're here!" Lauren looked at him, "Yeah, well, that was the general idea," she said. "LAUREN!" he screamed. He received a harsh look from his Master. Splinter turned to look at the girls. "We are glad you are both back safe," he said. "It's good to be back," Kelen smiled. Splinter couldn't help but smile back. She had had a great impact on Raphael's life, and the more things moved along in their lives, the more they came to need each other. "And how was California?" he asked. "Boring," Kelen said, "It's nothing like New York." Mikey looked at her like she was crazy. "What? But the beach is there, and they got different pizza there, and everything! How could you be bored?" he asked. "Well, my brother is extremely over protective so when you can't do anything, you get bored," she said. "Well are you hungry?" he asked hopefully. "Very!" said Lauren, who had been quiet for a while now. "Good! Come on," Mikey exclaimed, leading them into the kitchen. Raph pulled back on Kelen's arm before she could go and waited for everyone else to leave. "We don't have to," he said. She rolled her eyes. "I haven't eaten anything since this morning," she answered. He noticed she was much skinnier since the last time he saw her, and she had been skinny enough then. He silently doubted she eaten much *before* this morning and pushed his feelings away while he followed her into the kitchen.
Dinner was a mess of stories and talk of California, Lauren's family, and catching up. But everyone tip-toed around the area of Kelen's father. After dinner, Kelen had quickly decided to take a shower and Lauren and Donny were in his room. Raph was in his bedroom waiting for Kelen to get out. After a little while, he heard the water turn off. Kelen walked into his room. Her hair was still wet and she had changed into pajamas. Raph was laying on his bed with his headphones on, and pulled them off when Kelen came in. "I want my kiss," he said. Kelen really wanted to kiss him too, but she was so nervous about telling him about her father that she could hardly be around him. But he wasn't really giving her a choice. Before she could answer, he had gotten up and was at her side. He put his arms loosely around her waist. She stood there, not responding to his touch. But when their lips connected for the first time after eight months, she couldn't help but kiss him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he tightened his around her waist. They were both lost in a world of ecstasy, but Kelen forced herself to pull out of it and backed away from the kiss. She turned her back towards Raph and walked to on side of the room. She had to tell him, she couldn't lie to him. She was putting him in danger. Her father was a member of the foot clan. He was a member of the foot clan *and* he had been in their house. This meant the foot probably knew where they were by now and were just waiting to make their move. She had to tell him.
Raph got a good grip on her arm and spun her around. He looked annoyed and she could tell he was ready to burst. She was about to trigger all that anger. "There something you want to tell me? Because, for some strange reason, I actually thought you'd be happy to see me," he said. She looked deeply into his eyes. He loosened his grip on her arm. "Yeah, Raph. There is something I want to tell you."