Lol. I took my sweet time on this chapter…my sweet, sweet, sweet time. Sorry for the wait. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Ninja Turtles. Really I don't!

Chapter Nine

Michelangelo knocked on the door accordingly. His own heart fluttered in anticipation.

'Ok, here we go…' He took a breath to calm his own nerves, risking a glance at his quiet companion. As expected, Centrice was shaking like a leaf. She watched him nervously.

"Mike, is there anything that I should know before talking with your brother?" Centrice asked, her nervousness becoming more and more obvious by the growing tremble in her voice.

Mike blinked. He wasn't expecting that. Such a direct question despite her obvious fear.

She had guts.

As he contemplated on how to answer the question, there was a shuffle from the other side of the door.

Ignoring it, he sighed. The direct but simple approached seemed the easiest.

"Well, Centrice….A lot of things have changed."

She threw him a look, although her shaking was left un-phased.

"Well, obviously! I mean, like what? Why did he attack me?"

Mike blinked uncertainly, just as the door beeped from within.

"Centrice, I don't think I should be the on-"

The door opened, revealing a ruffled Leo. However, at the sight of Centrice, he relaxed, smiling as warmly as he could. Mike walked past him as Leo greeted their guest.

"Hello, Centrice. Glad to see you could make it." He smiled at her beamingly, and in return, she gave him a smile of her own. However, it faltered just as quickly, her nervousness bleeding through. Although Leo was pleasant, he was not the one that she came to see, or the one that she had unfinished business with. And because of that, she could not be sidetracked by exchanging pleasantries with Leo. So she got to the point.

"Hello, Leo. Where's Donny?"

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Mike squeezed past the friendly Leo, actually heading into the lair. His purpose: to go find Donny, but he soon realized that he didn't have to.

Donny was right there.

"Is she with you?" He asked; the worry and the anxiousness was etched in his voice and all over his face. Mike went to reassure him, but another voice sounded out, beating his own.

"Where's Donny?"

The feminine voice came from outside of the open door.

Don visibly tensed.

'Ok, here goes!'

Meanwhile Leo stepped inside, motion towards the open household with an outstretched hand. "Come in, he's right here." Centrice stepped in after his hand, handing Leo her coat as she did.

She froze, her eyes locking with that of the still Donatello.

All time came to a stand still.

Leo turned, his gaze landing on the pair. Taking his cue, he eyed Mike, motioning to the kitchen with his head.

"We'll leave you two alone then…" He headed for the kitchen only to realize that Michelangelo was not with him. Leo turned, not surprised to find Mike still watched the couple, his eyes worried and excited all at the same time. Leo frowned.

"I said, Come on!"

Mike turned to him, a small smile on his lips.

"But, I want to see what happens, Leo. Ya know, this would make an awesome soap oper-ACK!"

"I said. Come! On!" Leo's voice was a harsh whisper in the turtle's ear as he yanked hard on the turtle's orange bandana, causing the turtle to yelp out in pain.

"Ok! Ok! Ok! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Oww! Leo!" Leo stalked out of the room, this time, with a whimpering Michelangelo on his heals, the orange bandana tail still in Leo's tight grasp.

The exchanged only lasted a few seconds, nevertheless, those seconds were not observed by the two remaining occupants of the room.

They stood still, time passing in unnoticed intervals. Although no one spoke, their gazes stayed locked, as if trying to see right into the mind of the other.

Centrice watched Donatello, of who stood stark still in his spot. Her own breath sounded in her ear as she sighed, willing her fear down. She opened her mouth to speak; however, the only other occupant in the room beat her to it.

"Long time no see, Centrice." He kept his voice neutral, cold, keeping his eyes steadily on her.

His guard never faltered.

Meanwhile, she suppressed a wince at how cold his voice sounded, but that didn't keep her from returning the greeting, her own voice just as icy, her guard remaining up as well.

"Yes. A long time, Donatello."

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Mike waited and listened by the kitchen door, loosening his suddenly tight bandana.

"Aw man! I wanted to see what was going to hap-" He was cut off with a large green hand over his large green mouth. Leo shushed him.

"You can't watch. Besides, that would be ease dropping…" He dropped his hand, only to be hit with a pleading stare.

"But Leo, how are we gonna know what happened?" Mike asked, his eyes sad. However, Leo only shook his head, a small smile on his face.

"We?! No. You're not. I am." Leo stated slyly, opening the door a crack. He didn't want to intrude, but if something was going down, he would have to be the first one to know. Surprised, Mike watched his brother as he creaked open the door only to peer inside. It took him a few seconds, but he finally realized what his brother was doing.

"…H-Hey! How come you get to sp-"

"Shh!" Leo hushed him again, this time throwing him a chastising gaze. "Mike! Will you shut up?!" He whispered harshly, his eyes glaring. Mike's eyes narrowed, his hands crossing over his plastron defiantly. A clear no if there ever was one.

Leo sighed.

"Please?…" He asked more calmly.

Mike nodded, his mutinous stance melting into a goofy grin.

"That's more like it." he whispered, following Leo's gaze through the open door. "Now, what are we watching for?" Mike peered into the den, his head right underneath his older brother's. Leo watched him slink into the space, smiling.

He knew that Mike would pull something like this. It was Michelangelo after all. Besides, it was so nice to see him getting back to normal, regardless of how kooky, loud, and obnoxious a normal Mike was.

So he gave in, smiling even wider.

"Well, I was making sure that nothing fishy happened, since we really don't know why he attacked her in the first place." Leo kept his eyes on the two inhabitants of the room, his lip curling up at Mike's raised eyebrow. Mike clearly had noticed Leo's emphasis on the word 'I' but he chose to ignore it. He opened his mouth to speak but was caught off by another voice, of which just happened to have a Brooklyn accent.

"What's going on?" Raph walked in to the kitchen, his intent to get a glass of water, but his curiosity got the best of him as he watched his brothers. Their shells right next to each other, they stared out of the small crack in the door way. Without looking back, Mike answered. Meanwhile, Leo just ignored them both.

"We're spyin' on Donny and Cent-Piece just incase he decides to use her as a pin cushion for his teeth….again." Mike replayed absently. Leo rolled his eyes at Mike's untainted bluntness and the use of Centrice's nickname. Raph seemed to smirk also, as Leo heard it in his voice.

"Cool, can I join?" Mike smiled.

"Yeah sure, just be quiet. Leo and I are trying to concentrate!" He grinned, focusing on the couple once again. Raph strode over, placing his head in between his two brothers', leaning on the other side of the door way. A few moments past.

Annoyed, Leo sighed.

"You know, it's kind of hard to hear with breathing in my ear!" He threw Raph an assuasive glace. Raph stood back, offended.

"Hey, it's not my fault I just came from the gym!" Gym! Yeah right, Leo rolled his eyes once again.

"Yeah, like I would believe that you spent your free time training." Leo replied, his eyes going back to the couple. They hadn't moved since they all had left the room, which was no less than a minute ago. Leo sighed.

Were they even gonna talk?

He contemplated going back in there to get things started but his thoughts were soon interrupted by Raph whispered speech.

"The only reason I train is to stay in shape so that I can repeated kick your ass every day of my life…" Although it was not said loudly, it was loud enough to flow expectantly to Leo's ears. Leo snorted in response, his mouth automatically opening for a curt reply of his own, but just as quickly there was a "shh!" Leo was suspired to see that it came from Mike's direction.

"Shut up you guys, their talking!" Both of the turtle quieted just in time to hear Donny's deep quiet voice.

"Long time no see, Centrice."

Leo blinked. Why was Donny being so cold? His voice sounded nothing like the Donatello he knew.

"Maybe I shouldn't have invited her over…' The picture of what happened at their last "meeting" making him suddenly nervous over his decision. But, before he could compete the thought, however, another voice answered the first.

This time feminine, and just as cold.

"Yes, A long time, Donatello."

Leo sulked, the feeling of dread spreading through him like poisonous gas. However, it was not him that spoke first. Mike spoke first, his two words summing up all three of their thoughts.

"Damn, dude…"

Their thoughts exactly.

~~~

Lol!! I'm so evil!! Can you say, cliffy! MUHHAHAHAHAHAHHA *runs* *trips over 'In the Cloud's' flippers*

DAMN! Foiled once again, by my…arch…enemies!…*angrily shakes fist at flippers* …*they shake back* OMG! R and R