His True Love

Disclaimer: I deny any ownership of any adult or adolescent transformed shadow warrior chelonians.

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update on this life kept getting in the way of writing.

Jo Dawn: No you hadn't reviewed before but thanks for taking the time to review fourteen. At least that way I know there are a few Don fans reading it.

Chapter Fifteen – In Denial

RAPHAEL:

It was just one kiss, one simple kiss. So why then did I keep thinking about it? It wasn't like I had never been kissed before, sure it had been a few years since the last time, but hey it wasn't like it was any thing new to me. Yet still the memory of that kiss kept coming back at the oddest of times and places I just couldn't figure out why.

I mean a hooker and a guy like me had very little in common when you got down to the core, sure we were both rejects to society. But beyond that what was there?
Absolutely nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

Yet there had to be something because all of a sudden I couldn't get my mind off her I knew she wasn't your average prostitute I'd seen enough of that type to know there was a difference.

The average working girl was used and abused, some of them might have spirit and spunk but most of it is down right cynical. They answered to one thing and one thing only the higher power of the all mighty fix, whether it was drugs or booze didn't really matter.

They were haggard and looked far older then their years because of the hard life they put themselves through. Many times either their clients or their pimps beat them up, and when they died death coming real early, though not always quickly and painlessly for some of them few mourned their passing.

A hooker when you got down to it was in many people's eyes something to discard with the rest of the trash. Others would sooner turn a blind eye to them.

Sara wasn't like that. Her spirit hadn't been broken by use and abuse. Still I couldn't ignore the fact that I was starting to become irritated at that choice of life she had chosen for her self to pay the bills.

Sara was better then all of that and she didn't deserve that dangerous life style it was just as well that she planned to get out of it once she started to intern. Still there was plenty of time for her dreams to unravel between the two points especially now that Red would know she was still a threat to him.

So we increased vigilance around her as she worked her night shift, we were sure of one thing Red would be back and he would only become more desperate as it got closer to trial date.

The police were pushing to move the trial up as they didn't want to lose their star witness, they could do nothing to stop red's plots from the jail cell as while he was in there he was behaving himself in other ways and to take away visitation or other privileges would have gone against his rights as a citizen.

Those in charge of the case had numerous discussions with Sara about giving it up at least, until the trial was over but Sara refused to turn coward and wouldn't back out or down.

The police were in their own bind they wanted to protect her, but they could not do so while she was doing something that was illegal. For the most part they were willing to overlook her petty crime of solicitation to go after the big fish.

Sara didn't have that much more schooling and I couldn't figure out why she didn't just bail out now instead of waiting until she achieved internship. I doubt the debt incurred for the following months would be all that bad.

Up until now none of us had tried to point out the advantages of dropping her night job we figured that was her life. I decided to see if maybe she would listen to the voice of reason. Her life really had to be more valuable then money to pay a debt.

I found her working out in the dojo. She had been doing a lot of practicing since her attack and she knew any of us would gladly help her if she wanted.

" Sara how much more schooling you got?"

" About two more months and then exams" she groaned grabbing up a towel to wipe some sweat from her brow.

" So why not give up turning tricks? You don't need it now."

She turned and gave me an irked expression her lips pressed into a tight thin line, a cold stare that could have frozen water into ice instantly. " I don't tell you how to run your life Raph don't bother telling me how to run mine. All right?" she hissed.

" Come on don't you find it just a tad degrading being screwed over for money?" I snapped.

" There are plenty of ways of being screwed Raph and far as I'm concerned it's better to be paid for it then get nothing" she retorted her eyes blazing sharply. Her body tensed and she stood up straighter. " It is only degrading if I let it be and I don't. Nothing wrong with sex Raph. I enjoy it." She smirked a bit, " You know what they say find what you like and make a job out of it."

Sara was baiting me and I knew it. I glowered at her and some little voice inside me told me I'd probably be better off if I backed down now. But I was never one to take advice, not even when it was my own. Nor was I the type who wanted to retreat from a battle no matter what the odds were of me winning.

" So you're perfectly happy lying on your back for every Tom, Dick and Harry. Or is that every Tom's hairy dick?" I shot back at her.

" Oh yeah" Sara agreed amiably. She gave me a sly grin " Why you jealous Raph?"

" Why would I be jealous of what any guy can have for a price?" I demanded irritably.

" Because you can't have it. You know what they say about forbidden fruit." She mocked me her eyebrows arched as she tapped a long index finger on my plastron.

" I'm not interested" I sneered.

She gave a slight nod of her head " If you say so" Sara remarked but there was something in her face that told me she thought I was lying and that she knew better.

" Listen Sara the money itself isn't important. You don't really need it now" I stated trying to swing our talk back where it belonged. I was doing my best to be reasonable Sara must have recognized this for she relaxed her stance.

" Maybe I don't really need to carry on right now Raph but I don't need any debt hanging over my head incurring interest. I want to be free and clear. I want a bit of a nest egg set aside in case of an emergency." Sara explained in a much calmer voice " Doing what I do is a way for me to achieve all of that and then some. I'm not a coward I have never been one to hide."

Sara shrugged and touched my shoulder lightly " You never had a problem with what I do before but last few days you seem to have a big problem with it so why are you worried Raph?"

I snorted, " Who says I'm worried? Did I say that?" I yelled at her.

Sara just laughed, " You didn't have to say it Raph."

I scowled it wasn't often my family could read me, and what I was feeling or why. Mike was pretty good at it but we had been such good friends for so long that it just made it easier for him to pick up on what others didn't see.  It startled me that Sara knew I was worried about her.

" Red is more of a threat to you now and the closer we get to trial the more dangerous he will become." I said in reply doing my best to cover up my momentary shock.

" That it Raph?"

" What you want more then that? There is no more if you think otherwise you're crazy" I announced.

" I'm in good company then aren't I" Sara responded sarcastically.

I crossed my arms over my plastron and shot her a venomous look.

" It is nice to know you care Raph" Sara stated.

" Wait a sec. Just hold on there and tell me who said I give a damn?" I demanded to know.

" Well you must care you don't seem to want me to spread my legs for a buck anymore." Sara pointed out " You know I find that almost refreshing since no one has really worried about me too much since my parents died."

" I'm not worried and I don't care!" I stressed for her.

" Fine deny it if you want to it won't hurt me any" Sara replied casually giving an indifferent shrug " You just go on ahead being the tough one, it just doesn't fool me Raph."
Sara paused and gave me a long hard look that was hard to read for some reason I had the feeling she was scrutinizing me like some new specimen she had found and I sneered at her, while my eyes narrowed to slits.

" Maybe when you are ready to stop denying what you feel we might be able to get somewhere until then our discussion is only a waste of both of our times." Sara stated in a quiet fashion before turning and leaving me alone in the dojo.

Huh! What did she possibly know, or even think that she knew, about the subject at hand?

I started kicking and punching the practice dummy burning off my sudden rising temper over the way she had assumed to know my intentions and feelings. She didn't know a damned thing!

Just see if I stuck my neck out for her again. Hell if she didn't value her own life in any way why should I worry about it or her for that matter?

We could only do so much and I was willing to accept that fact. There was I knew no real reason to go grieving and fretting over certain things in life or so I'd been told. It was just I often found the things I couldn't change to be the ones I usually ruminated on the most. You know like why we were the way we were. I could stew in my own juice over something like that and work myself up to quite a level of anger.

It was just the way I was.

Mike came in and glanced my way " So ah, who are you killing now Raph?" he teased.

" Bug off Mike it could very well be you" I snarled.

" Naw, you wouldn't leave Rama an orphan." Mike replied jovially as he shook his head.

With that he started to hum some dumb song from Little Orphan Annie.

" Don't count on that and don't push your luck," I warned him with a low growl.

Mike smiled and pulled his chucks from his belt nodding my way " So you good to go or what Raph?"

" Let's do this," I agreed drawing my sai and charging him.

After a good long sparring match I was calmed down. I decided to give Mike a bit of advice for all it was worth " Mike let me tell you that you ought to consider yourself lucky the only woman in your life is seven years old. Much older then that and they think they know every thing."
Mike had flopped down on the mats for a breather so he looked up at me with eye ridges arched " This is about Sara then I take it."
" I told her she ought to get out of her night job while she was still alive" I admitted.

Mike started chuckling " I bet she took that real well didn't she Raph?" He asked in his usual joking fashion " So how long have you cared about her?"

" I DON'T care about her what cave you that idea?" I snapped in my defense.

"Sure Raph if you say so. Forget I said any thing okay" Mike held up a hand palm upward as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He backtracked willingly and with practiced ease maintaining his easy going attitude with hardly a blink of an eye.

However it all seemed condescending to me, and that irked me all the more though I couldn't say why it was I felt that way.

I felt very much like hauling off and decking Mike a good one instead I stomped off towards the showers. And everyone in the family says I have no control. What a bunch of manure that is.

What was it with first Sara and now Mike insisting that I liked her?
I didn't she was nothing to me and she would stay nothing to me. She wasn't my type and even if she was my type I knew for a fact that some things in life are meant to remain forever out of your reach and grasp.

If I wanted a relationship it would be with someone who…well wasn't Sara for one thing because I didn't like her.

She was too… well she wasn't really my type, not that I really knew what my type was mind ya but I knew what it wasn't.

Sara it most definitely wasn't. I just didn't like her in that way.

Then a brief thought entered my mind but what if you do?

Was it even possible that I cared for Sara more then I was even willing to let myself let on?

TBC