Author's note:  Where have all my reviewers gone?  Come on…I can't have scared you all away!  And thank you to those who DID review!  *glares at lurkers*  I should contact Donny and have him make this device that alerts me whenever someone reads and doesn't review!!  LOL.  But seriously people…REVIEW!  I'll post anyway…but I thrive on them!  And Splinter…good luck with your twins!  And I hope this chapter satisfies everyone!!  Thank you, sss!

*Chapter Five*

Leonardo:

I didn't even have to look up from my position over the kitchen sink to tell that it was him.  The heavy footfalls and the confidence with which he placed his feet gave him all away.  I closed my eyes, my hand still resting upon the cabinet knob.  All I had wanted was to come in here and get a glass of water, but it seemed that I wouldn't even be given the chance to get out the glass.  A confrontation was inevitable, and with the way he had been lately, I had no idea what to expect from him.  There was always that chance that maybe he'd just come in, get what he'd wanted and leave.  His footsteps stopped then, and the gentle breaths that fell upon the back of my neck signaled that he had paused right behind me.  I groaned inwardly.

"Would you mind?"

His voice was short and tense.  I opened my eyes and turned my body around slightly so that I was facing him, with my hand still clutching the knob.  His arms were folded in his traditional stance over his chest, and the glimmer of impatience that almost always foretold the beginning of some sort of argument shone in his eyes.

"What is it this time, Raphael?" I snapped, in no mood to talk to him.

He glared darkly at me and growled back sarcastically, "Can I not even get a glass of water without being questioned in this fucking household?"

"Knock it off, Raph," I warned, but moved over so that he could get his glass.  I didn't need water this badly to want to invite an argument, so I backed away to give him room.  Part of me wanted to just leave, and something told me that I should.  The tension in the lair had been climbing between us ever since he had changed his mind about Mike.  Raph's actions confused the hell out of me, but something told me that that had been more than a mood swing.  He could go from one end of the spectrum to the other in a fraction of a second if something set him off, but he'd been genuinely pissed off at Michaelangelo.  And the next thing I knew, he had switched sides.  He'd done that for a reason.  Something was going on here, and I couldn't even make a guess as to what it might be.

He filled up the water glass and blissful silence fell over us as he drank it.  I could tell by the expression on his face that he was preoccupied with something.  Maybe now was the time that I'd be able to question him about this, when he wasn't fully attentive.

"Raph?" I asked, tentatively.

"Mmm?" he responded absentmindedly, his previous hostility momentarily forgotten as he drained his glass.  I wondered briefly what he could have been doing to make him so thirsty before I returned to the matter which I really wanted to inquire about.

"Has something been going on…that I don't know about?"

He almost choked on his water as he scoffed, "There's a lot of things you don't know about, Leo."

"No, I mean…between you and Mike?" I tried, wishing immediately that I had just let the matter be as fierce anger flashed in his eyes.

"What the fuck do you care?" he growled, setting his now empty glass down on the countertop.  "You stay outta my business, Leo; it ain't your problem."

"That's where your wrong, Raph," I informed, trying to keep my voice calm.  "You see, you're my brother and so is Michaelangelo.  And when what goes on between you two starts to affect the rest of the family, it becomes my business.  I have a right to know what's going on.  This is family business, Raphael, and if you'd just talk about it-"

"No, Leo, that's where you're wrong," he cut me off.  I paused, not willing to shout over him.  "You say let's talk about it all the time acting like the big pacifist, but you're just waiting for the chance to pounce on me and then it'll be the usual thing of perfect Leo versus the big bad Raphael.  You think I'm stupid enough to fall for that?  Huh?  I leave you alone and keep my nose out of your life.  The least you could do is stay outta mine."

"This isn't about you, Raph," I snapped.  "I'm worried about-"

"No," he interrupted as he started to stalk out of the kitchen.  "He's a big boy and so am I.  Besides, you got a problem with him, tell him about it.  Just stay outta my life and leave me the hell alone."

I sighed and rested my elbows upon the counter and let my head fall into my hands as I heard the front door open and slam; and for once, I wasn't about to go out and call him back.

Michaelangelo:

 "Mike, stop!" she cried, slapping my hands playfully as I tried to grab her and draw her close to me.  "I'm trying to sleep here."

I pouted and stuck my tongue out at her.

"You're no fun," I informed, my tone plaintive.

Sighing, she replied, her voice slightly muffled as she buried her head into her pillow, "Then if I'm no fun why have you been spending the majority of the past few days with me recently?"

Chuckling, I responded, "Because it's boring at home and you're the best I could find."

Before I knew it, I felt something soft suddenly smack me hard in the face.

"Ow!" I exclaimed, sitting up and holding my face in my hands.  Shannon looked at me defiantly as she supported herself with her arm, holding her pillow in one hand.  The gaze she was giving me was anything but sympathetic.

"Get out.  Now," she informed, pointing towards the door which led to the balcony window.

I grinned at her slyly.  I could tell she was only jesting with me.

"You're the one who wanted me to spend the night with you," I reminded her.

"Well, a girl can change her mind, can't she?  Besides, I'm sure you could find someone better than me.  Or do you not have the money for a hooker?"

"Aw, come on babe, please?  You wouldn't chase me out now, would you?" I inquired, putting on my best Michaelangelo face complete with puppy dog eyes and pleading mouth.

"Not even that look's gonna stop me," she informed, turning away from me and crossing her arms over her chest.

"But it's cold out," I whined.  "And you know how cold affects turtles.  I could get hypothermia and die and it'd be all your fault."

No answer.

I looked over at her and saw that she was trying to ignore me completely.  Well, that was fine.  I had ways to make anyone notice me…I had tried them out on a sleeping Raphael on more than one occasion, and his reaction thrilled me every time.

I crawled forward towards her silently across the smooth sheets, and once I was near enough to her, I reached out with my arms and lunged forward.  She shouted in surprise as I pinned her down onto the mattress and turned her over onto her back so that I was staring down into her face and her deep swirling blue eyes.

"You're so beautiful," I breathed. 

"Stop!" she cried, trying to bring her hand up to slap me.  I grabbed her wrists and pressed them down onto the bed while I inched my face ever closer to hers.  Her struggling had ceased, and for a moment, our gazes locked.  Suddenly she lifted her head up off the pillow and kissed me lightly on the cheek.  I was momentarily shocked.  I hadn't expected her to give up so easy.

I lifted my hand up and rubbed the spot gently.  Before I had realized what had happened, Shannon had wriggled free of my grasp and was trying now to crawl through the gap between my raised arm and the bed.  I allowed her to move, intending to make her think that I wasn't aware of her actions.  She had almost gotten through when I wrapped my arms around her waist suddenly and lifted her high up from the bed.  She shrieked and kicked her legs frantically in protest.

"Michaelangelo!" she gasped, between fits of laughter.  "Put me down!"

I had rolled over onto my back and grinned mischievously into her face as I lifted her up even higher.

"Oh, no," I told her.  "I have more fun planned for you yet."

~*~*~

She lay beside me, our labored breathing the only sound in the darkened room.  It was a lot later than we had ever intended it to be.  Especially since she had to go to work in the morning.  She rolled onto her side and looked at me as she inquired, "Now can I go to sleep?"

"So you're not gonna throw me out, huh?" I asked, smiling tiredly.

"No, I've decided that I'm going to keep you for the night," she responded, snickering gently.

"I feel honored," I returned, my eyes sparkling.

"I suppose I'm the one who should feel honored, sleeping with one of the legendary Ninja Turtles," she remarked.

I grinned.

"Yeah, that's right.  Kiss my feet," I invited, pulling down the bedspread so that my left foot appeared.  I held it in front of her face and wiggled my toes at her.  She reached out and squeezed them with her hand.

"Maybe some other time," she responded, yawning.

I pulled the covers back up, concealing my feet.

"Shannon?" I asked as she rolled over onto her side away from me and closed her eyes.

"Yeah?" she inquired, her sleep filled voice slurring over the word.

"I love you."

There was a pause, and then she responded slowly, "I love you too."

I stared up at the ceiling for a moment, then turned to her.  I pressed against her back, slipping my arm around her waist, and breathed deep as she leaned against me.  The soft, clean scent of her hair swirled around me.  I nuzzled my face into it and closed my eyes, allowing sleep to wash over me.

Donatello:

I felt as though I had just skipped over a whole section in a script for a play or a movie.  Or that I had fallen asleep during the production of that play or movie and had just woken up at the climax, where the main character was in the process of doing something really important, but it didn't make sense to me now because I hadn't seen what had led up to it.  I knew I had just missed something really crucial, and I didn't like it.  It was frustrating, not knowing what was going on, especially since it was taking place right in my own home.  That only made it more aggravating.  I hated being left in the dark.

It was pretty obvious that something had happened between Raph and Mike before Leo and I got back.  Any idiot would have been able to detect that.  I had seen Raph raving about how Mike wasn't there just an hour ago, and then when we returned…

No.

There was obviously more to this whole matter than what met the eye.  There was something going on here, and I didn't like not being able to explain it or have a reason for it.  It made me feel…helpless.  I just had a feeling that some big climax would happen, and I wouldn't have the slightest clue as to what was going on.  I don't know how I knew, but I had the sense that someone was going to get hurt.

And I worried.

Well, of course I worried.  They were my brothers.  I was mainly concerned for Raph.  I wondered what had happened to make him so suddenly change his mind…but then again, I knew that Raph and Mike had probably the deepest bond among any of us.  It had been some sort of mutual understanding that Raph had come to after Mike came back.  It was something…

I could guess where Michaelangelo had been.  It wasn't like I'd never heard that excuse before.  Although it seemed, from the way he'd been acting the past few days, that he'd taken his visit with god-knows-who a little further.  Maybe that was it.  Maybe it was that simple.  Mike got laid, he confided in Raph, and Raphael said, "Congratulations."  End of story.  Could explain why Raph had eased off his brother's back.

But then why did I have this sickening feeling in the pit of my stomach?  There was still something I was missing.  I was watching a volcano that was about to blow and I didn't understand why.  Why did I care if Mike got laid?  Why did Raph?  We didn't.  That wasn't the problem.  The problem was bigger.  The problem was something I still couldn't see.

I stood and pushed open the door of my lab to see if I could hear anyone.  I knew for a fact that Mike wasn't here.  I had heard Raph and Leo's argument earlier in the kitchen, and then Raph slam the door shut as he left.  But Leo was probably still here.

I headed out of my lab and discovered my brother sitting at the kitchen table, staring out into space holding an empty water glass in his hands.

"Leo?"

He looked up as I approached, and I took a seat next to him.  He sighed heavily, and I gave him a small smile.  "Raph again?" I inquired, already knowing the answer.

Leo sighed again and shook his head in utter disbelief.

"God, what a jackass," he mumbled under his breath.  "I don't know how Splinter was ever able to do anything with him.  We'd all be better off without him."

I cringed.  I'd heard him talk that way before, and I knew he didn't mean it.  But I didn't like it.  "But you love him," I reminded.

Leo's eyes slid closed.  He didn't answer.  I thought hard for a moment.  Something about the way Raphael was acting didn't ring true.  If he was so happy for Mike that he forgave him for all of that worrying, why the hell was he so anxious to take everyone's head off now?

"I'm worried about him."

The words escaped my lips before I realized I was thinking them, and I looked up for a reaction.  Leonardo snorted.  "What makes you say that?"

I sighed and stared down at the table, rubbing my temples with my thumbs.  I didn't know, really.  I didn't know why I felt that way.  But I did.  "Don't you think that…something weird is going on?"

He laughed cynically.  "I know that.  But trying to get anything out of Raph is like committing suicide."  He glanced up and our eyes met.  "What do you think that argument was about, Donny?  I was trying to get some answers out of him."

I didn't answer.  For a long time, it was silent.  The frustration faded and traces of a frown began to adorn his features.

"But really, why are you worried about him?"

I smiled inwardly.  I knew Leo cared about Raph, just as much as he cared about the rest of us.  He just had a harder time expressing any feeling besides anger towards our impulsive brother.

"It's just…a feeling.  Like there's something more going on than what meets the eye."  I sighed and leaned back in the chair.  "The way he... changed.  It's like he sympathized with Mike all of a sudden.  And I don't wanna think about why."

Leo was silent, but he was regarding me with a thoughtful gaze.  "Like he's been in his position before..." he considered.

"Possibly.  Or maybe he just... I don't know, Leo.  But something's going on.  And I get the distinct impression that it's going to royally screw with both of their heads."

Shannon:

I yawned and nuzzled my face into the pillow beneath me.  I could feel alertness within my grasp, but I wasn't entirely sure why I was awake.  I'd expected to wake up to the insistent alarm clock.  But it was still night and the room was dark.

The soft snoring I heard signaled to me that Mike was still fast asleep.  I could feel the heat from his body warming me underneath the sheets.  I turned and pressed closer to him, careful not to wake him up.  His arm slipped around me as he breathed deep, and I tucked my head under his chin.  Warm and safe, consciousness faded and I began to slip away again.

Tap, tap, tap.

My eyes snapped open and my whole body tensed.  The sounds had been faint, and for a moment I wondered if I was imaging things.

Tap, tap, tap.

No, I wasn't.  There they were again.  The tapping sounds were quick, insistent.  I knew instinctively who they belonged to.  He was on my balcony...

Tap, tap, tap.

And he was getting impatient.

I swallowed hard and pulled away from Mike, praying he wouldn't wake up.  He was already sleeping lightly and I silently begged the sounds to stop for just a moment.  If he woke up, I didn't know what I would do.

Michaelangelo didn't stir.  I watched him for a moment, then sat up.  I had to face him.  If I didn't, he wouldn't leave.  Given a few minutes, he'd worry about me and come bursting in here and that was about the worst scenario I could imagine.  But what was I going to say to him?

We weren't doing anything wrong…

Those words sounded extremely pathetic now, and I knew he wouldn't like them at all.

It just... happened.

Damn it!  Why now?

The tapping had stopped and I knew he was probably working on the lock.  I stood as silently as possible and grabbed my robe, slipping my arms into the sleeves and pulling it closed tightly.  I cringed as the bedroom door creaked, and looked once more at Michaelangelo.

The balcony door was open by the time I reached the living room, but there was no sign of the intruder.  For a moment, I panicked.  Where did he go?  If he'd gone into one of the other rooms and I'd missed him when I walked by, he could be on his way to my bedroom.  My heart beat frantically as I spun and looked down the hallway, where a faint shadow moved over the wall.

Sorry!  I'll try and post fast…and remember…REVIEW OR DIE!!!!  =D