DISCLAIMER: Well, I only own the story plus Rachel and Jess – for now. All other characters outside of the TMNT's are the property of Wendy A Peabody. Goes without saying whom the TMNT's belong to. Right? Okay. So…on with the story

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CHAPTER 4 – Suspicions!

Mike, Rahab, and Don were there to greet her as Rachel pulled into the guest carport. The three waited until the car fully stopped before advancing on the vehicle. As Rachel opened the car door, Mike inquired, visibly concerned for her, "Hey was there anything left at the dojo?"

"No", Rachel said as calmly as she could as she exited her car. "The building was totaled. However, I've decided to visit my in-laws while the insurance company settles this out." Not wanting to share too much, she tried to keep her emotions in check. Yet, her voice faltered just a little when asking for her daughter. "Where's Jess? "

"She's out by the pool, Rachel. What's happened, you seem more upset than you did when you first called about the fire." Mike asked, puzzled over the woman's obvious distress.

"Nothing, it's just all – sort of catching up with me now." She explained hurriedly as she walked up to the tight group of mutants.

"You sure?" Rahab asked, also noticing a distinct difference in her friend's demeanor. She motioned her towards the door, slipping in beside her as she walked with Rachel towards the house.

Rachel's instinct to either fight or flee was starting to kick in, but she held it at bay for fear of triggering more unnecessary questions. "Yeah, I'm, ah, sure. I need to get Jess, though." Rachel insisted. She tried to smile, but the tension from just moments before stubbornly refused to relax. She did a quick meditative breathing exercise to quell her rapid heartbeat, knowing that she was slowly losing ground on portraying calmness.

Rahab helped her into the house while Mike and Don followed along behind them. Mike looked over at his brother, giving a slow subtle shake of his head as if to question the woman's claims. Don nodded as if in agreement with the other's assessment, yet he said nothing but went along inside the house. He studied the human female as she advanced further into the foyer, his sister-in-law looking back at him once as if to confirm she also sensed things were not quite right with the woman.

As they walked towards the family room, Rahab asked Rachel in concerned, "Was anyone hurt? You had students to meet, right?" She thought that maybe more problems had transpired after the phone call, which could explain Rachel's current emotional state.

The woman turned around and replied, "No, no one was hurt, the fire started before any of them arrived. But...I really need to get my daughter." Rachel was tired of playing Twenty Questions and wanted to get on her way. Her desperation allowed a slight panicked edge to creep into her voice, an edge that contradicted her insistence that everything was fine. She looked out towards the kitchen and saw through the window there that Jessie was outside just as Mike had told her. The girl was currently making her way down the steps of the patio towards the pool area, laughing as if someone had told her a joke. Though he was outside her line of sight, Rachel assumed that Dev had said something funny to her. For a moment, the woman hated herself for the sudden changes she was about to make in her daughter's life. There was so much here in Carmel for Jessie and, now, it was all for naught.

Rachel tried to move towards out of the family room and to the sliding door in order to retrieve her daughter, but Mike stepped easily in front of her. He knew instinctively that something wasn't right. He asked, " Are you sure there isn't more to this story, Rachel? I kind of get the feeling that something else happened tonight."

With her hands on her hips, Rachel exclaimed, "I don't have time for this, MIKE! I want my daughter and I want her now!" Rachel was not at all pleased that he would block her way. It was then that she saw Don step forward, siding up next to his brother. She caught his expression and knew immediately that her outburst had brought his interest up a whole notch. No longer was Don just Mike's visiting brother who was passively concerned about her circumstance. He was now taking an active part in the current situation.

"Something more happened tonight, didn't it, Mrs. Sullivan?" Don declared. "I can sense that you are more than distressed. You're…" he paused for a moment, as if to assess what he was trying to discern. Then, he finished his declaration, "You're – terrified!"

Not ever having words with him before now, Rachel cringed inside. Don's unerring ability to figure out her emotional level in that moment intimidated her. He had hit the target dead-on with his assessment, yet she wasn't willing to own up just yet. Trying to remain calm, she answered him, "I'm just concerned about the nature of the fire, that's all. It was deliberately set. I want to get Jess out of town in case this isn't a random thing." She locked eyes on Don's, refusing to back down and doing her best to convey sincerity. Part of what she told him was the truth and she hoped he would sense that and then dismiss the rest.

At first, Don nodded, accepting her story. Then, in the next second and almost as if he had discovered a discrepancy, he asked more deliberately, "Why would anyone want to set fire to your dojo? What are you afraid of, Mrs. Sullivan? What else happened tonight?"

Tired and out of patience with being denied, Rachel blurted out, her emotions getting more strained as she thought about the possible reason for the attack at her home, "Look, no offense, but it's none of your business. I can't stay here and neither can Jess. I have to leave now. I have to leave town!" Rachel exclaimed. Yet she groaned almost in the same instant. "Did I have to say all of that?" She asked herself sharply. Realizing she might have already lost the battle, she tried her best to back-peddle, "I don't have any proof of anyone wanting to harm me. The fire just has me bugged out, is all. Besides, I've wanted an excuse to visit my in-laws anyway!"

That did not sound very convincing, not at all in fact. She took a deep breath to control the panic that was quickly working its way up her throat. Despite her best efforts, however, she felt completely overwhelmed – and it showed. It had been years since she had to exercise the kind of control that would have successfully masked her true feelings this night. That kind of control would have given her the strength to effectively quell any curiosity from her hosts and dispel any suspicions they might have had. Back then, her brothers in the field had called her the Ice Queen. Her composure was so flawless and rock solid that she used to handle the most intense situations with the coolest of heads. However, that was thirty years ago. The life she had led then and the things done to her since had circumvented the values that she had learned from her original family. Then, because of the physical changes forced upon her, it had become increasingly more difficult to control her responses with her vacillating moods.

Rachel dug deep within herself to reach that area which gave her strength. She had to if she were to succeed in getting her daughter and herself out of town.

Finally, regaining a measure of calm, she sweetened up her acerbic tone, "Thank you for keeping Jess here, but I don't want to stay, I need to get going. Just let me go get Jess!" Rachel was almost talking normal, now, "I appreciate your concerns, but we'll be fine." Rachel tried to move once more towards the sliding door and this time Mike and Don allowed her passage. They followed her silently.

Suddenly, just as she was about to reach her destination, Don gently and unexpectedly took her arm to turn her around, asking, "If your life is in danger…"

Rachel recoiled instantly from the physical contact, pulling her arm out of his grasp, crouching slightly and then putting her hands up in defense. For her, it seemed like she was moving in slow motion. To the others, her movements were quicker than the normal eye would be able to follow. However, Mike and Don did not have the normal eye and caught almost immediately the ninja-like speed and fluidity that Rachel executed. She looked around and realized that Don had asked her the question. She also noticed the very puzzled and surprised look on his face.

Don furrowed his eye ridge at Rachel's defensive reaction and then slowly backed away from her to give her room. He showed the palm side of both his hands to prove he had meant no harm, entreating, "I apologize, Mrs. Sullivan; I meant no offense."

Rachel sighed, realizing she had overreacted, "I'm sorry, I - I'm just on edge right now. I di - didn't mean to...." She blushed as she apologizedfor her reactions. She then straightened up and wiped her face anxiously with her hand Turning her head away, Rachel tried hard to keep at bay the tears that threatened to spill over.

The other three just stared at her. How was she to answer him? How could she explain to him or to Mike the men in black, their swords, and their determination to kill her or, at the very least, scare her to death? On top of that, the fact that she recognized the insignia on their headband only made things more complicated for her. What would Mike and Don think? The woman looked around for her daughter and saw that Jess was still down at the pool with Devon and Riahna. The girl seemed happy and for that, Rachel was glad. It was obvious the family had decided not to tell Jess about the fire. She then thought of the possibility that her would-be attackers could track her to Mike's, if they were who she perceived them to be! Not wanting to endanger the household and yet at the same time realizing she was out of options, in desperation Rachel asked Mike, "How safe is your home?"

Rahab, Mike, and Don all looked at each other and then back at the woman. Mike stepped towards Rachel and asked, "Safe?" He narrowed his eyes at her in heightened concern, "Why do you ask and what would make you concerned?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Rachel took a large breath of air, hoping it would settle her nerves. She then launched into her explanation. "When I went home after the fire to retrieve my insurance papers, I was nearly attacked in my driveway. Fortunately, I was still in my car. These thugs came out from hiding and tried to - to assault me. I managed to get my car back onto the street, but they chased after me. I managed to lose them through the neighborhood before making my way here. I think I lost them, but I'm not sure. Maybe I should have kept going, rather than come back to get Jess, but...." She was near the edge of losing it completely. Rachel turned back to watch her daughter out by the pool, desperately hoping she would look her way. If she could just get Jess to notice her, then she could motion for her to come in. They would then be gone in less than a minute and Rachel could finally calm down. Being here in the same household with Mike and his brother did nothing to help Rachel regain control of her composure.

They were all quite alarmed about Rachel's experience and that she would be concerned about the safety of the estate because of it.

"Do you have any idea who these people were?" Mike asked.

Hesitating only slightly, Rachel replied, "No, I - ah - don't; not at all."

Don, however, seemed to ponder the situation more calmly. Turning back around from watching Jess, Rachel quickly noticed him fingering his chin. He appeared to be looking right through her as if he was seeing something for the first time. It gave her the chills. She shivered a bit, controlled it, and then relaxed. "No way, not now, this is not the time for confessions. I need to escape, I need safety; I need to get my daughter to 'high ground'. I'll deal with this problem myself, but not until Jess is safe!" she shouted from her mind. Even more, her panic started welling up again within her. The fact that Mike's brother had intensified his stare made it all the more uncomfortable for her. The look on her face must have changed in that instant, too, because Don's eyes widened subtly as he recognized the shift in her emotions.

Rachel noticed his reaction, which shot her anxiety up a full notch! In an instant, she knew it was only a matter of time before Don realized the truth. She would no longer be the 'mystery' human that only intrigued him, but the woman of his and his family's past.

He took a step towards her. As he did so, Rachel had all she could do to keep from stepping back and putting her hands up in defense. If she reacted either way, she would have looked quite guilty. She needed to deal with the moment at hand – getting away - and not something that happened 30 years ago by a foolish, yet talented young woman! She stood her ground defiantly, determined not to back down.

"There's something more here than just a home invasion, isn't there Mrs. Sullivan?" Don theorized, cocking an eye ridge in her direction.

She could tell Don was beginning to get suspicious and piece things together. She also knew he was smart, very smart in fact. Yet, Rachel was confident, that he would not know the real story. She replied almost desperately, "I - I don't know what you mean? I have no clue who it was who did this and that's the truth! I feel whoever they are, they know where I live and I feel it wise to leave town for a while. That's all."

"But, you have your suspicions, don't you?" Don smiled thinly, "Otherwise, you wouldn't be in such a hurry to leave!" he countered.

Rachel could only shake her head in denial, not wanting to say anything for fear her quavering voice would betray her. She looked at Rahab and could tell the female was quite confused, but when Rachel looked at Mike, she saw a subtle and slow realization beginning to form on his face. It was like the gradual rising of the sun hidden behind a dense curtain of fog, a glimpse here and there of the light behind the veil as he assessed his brother's unspoken suspicion.

Mike furrowed his eye ridges in concentration, looking the woman over from head to toe, and then back to her head. His eyes widened ever so slightly.

"Is he looking at my - hair?" she wondered to herself, her heart skipping a beat in apprehension.

Then, Mike glanced at Don in concern, seemingly not wanting to believe it. Then he looked back at Rachel again. He scrutinized her more intensely as if taking in every detail about her appearance. There was some subtle communication going on between Mike and his brother. Maybe something they had discussed before this evening. Possibly, it was when Leo saw her the first time two years ago. Maybe... Then the light went on and the 'sun' broke through!

"No way!" he exclaimed softly, his eyes growing as big as Rachel had ever seen them.

Don nodded, saying, "Yes, way!"

The woman could only sigh in defeat.

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PRETENDER FANATIC: Okay, so you like action, do ya? Well, I'm hoping this story will stray a bit from my usual 'drama' sans action norm for my fics. I really do like action in stories, but I have such a hard time getting there. However, this one is a little more packed with it. If Rachel had 'sprinted' to Mikey's and spilled the beans this early in the story, then you wouldn't get all that nifty action stuff. Who's the other turtle? Only the Shadow knows for sure! LOL Oh, and my hairdresser. ? Sorry, went off on a bunny trial with that one! :0) Guess what, though? You're still in the dark as to who it is! Bwahaha! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.

QK: Hee hee, then you should like this story if you're a Raph fan. Hmm, help Rachel? Raph? Hard to say, but needless to say you'll have to wait to find out! Yeah, evil of me isn't it! Please take big, deep breaths and do not pass out. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.

RAMICA: Glad you think so! Yes, this was my VERY FIRST fanfic story before I discovered Fanfiction and before it morphed into YD. In fact, when I discovered , I decided to change this one to YD, only because I thought Gabby was a far more interesting character. Then, I re-read the original and realized there was more action in it. So, just keep in mind that Gabby doesn't exist here – at all – though I do have a version that introduces her. Rachel's past does more than haunt her, believe me. Don's interest is anything but benign at this point, me thinks! Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing. Be blessed.