Chapter Four

Raphael woke the next morning to the smell of cooking food, and it went straight to his stomach.

"Aw, crap."

Raphael grabbed at his mouth and rushed into the bathroom, making it to the toilet just in time. A second after he had emptied the contents of his stomach, Raphael felt a searing pain rip through his head, causing him to slide down to the floor. He laid in a fetal position until he was sure his nausea had passed, then found the strength to climb to his feet. He opened the medicine cabinet above the sink and went directly for the aspirin. He washed down three tablets with the water from the sink, then splashed more water on his face. Raphael then looked into the mirror and noticed his red, swollen eyes.

"Good God," Raphael stuck out his tongue and gagged at his reflection. "And that, Raphael, is why you don't drink."

He also noticed he was still wearing the same clothes from the night before, minus his leather jacket and shoes. He walked back into his bedroom and found them neatly piled on his dresser. He shrugged, then changed into a black New York Yankee's T-shirt and a pair of gray sweat pants.

After a slow decent down the stairs, Raphael walked into the dining room, shielding his eyes from the sunlight that poured in through the huge windows. He took a seat at the table, then noticed Leonardo, Donatello and Splinter. Michelangelo was busy in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone. Raphael held the urge to throw up again from the smells that invaded his nose.

"Mornin' beautiful!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he dropped a large plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of Raphael. "Hope you're hungry!"

Leonardo and Donatello chuckled as Raphael pushed the plate away with one finger.

"Just coffee for right now, "Raphael muttered. He folded his arms onto the table and buried his head, letting out a long moan once his eyes were covered. Michelangelo brought over a cup of coffee and purposely slammed it down next to Raphael's head. The vibrations echoed in Raphael's head, and his brothers laughed again. Raphael lifted his head up, and glared at Michelangelo, but found it hurt his head too much.

"You guys are so cruel," He said as he re-buried his head.

"Didn't I tell you to watch your alcohol, Raph?" Leonardo flipped over a page in the sports section of the newspaper.

"I did." Raphael reached for his coffee and took a small sip. "I lost count after beer number five."

Donatello put down the section of the paper he was reading, and reached for the small writing tablet that sat between him and Leonardo.

"Well, let's see exactly how much you did have." He cleared his throat and read off of the list. " Eight beers, five shots of tequila, and one vodka-jell-O ball."

" Jell-O," Raphael nodded. "So, that's what gave my vomit that weird taste."

Leo immediately dropped his fork. "And we're done with the eggs."

"Who drove my car home last night?" Raphael asked as he picked at the toast on his plate. He eyed Michelangelo, who had set down a small plate of plain toast and a cup of hot tea in front of Splinter. "It better had not been you either!"

Michelangelo raised up his hands. "One time I take your car, and I'm the bad guy." He grabbed his own plate from the counter then took as seat next to Leonardo. "Vanessa did, so there. She also helped you to bed."

Upon hearing Vanessa's name, Raphael raised his head to Leonardo, who saw the panic in his brothers' eyes. Leonardo held up his palm and shook his head. Raphael let go of the breath he had been holding and relaxed.

"So, Leo, what happened between you and that hot blonde chick?" Michelangelo asked as he crunch through a strip of bacon.

Leonardo took a sip of his tea before he spoke. "We had a nice conversation, that's all."

Raphael raised an eyebrow. "What hot blonde chick? Where was I?"

"Passed out on the dance floor." Donatello said sarcastically as he traded with Leonardo the business section of the paper for the sports.

Raphael made a face at his brother, then looked back at Leonardo. "You talked to a hot blonde chick, and all you did was have a nice conversation?"

"Well, I did get her phone number," Leonardo shrugged.

"Yes, Raph," Donatello rose from the table, then glared at his brother. "Not everyone brings a girl home on the first night, you know." As he walked into the kitchen, he could feel Raphael's eyes piercing through his shell.

"We're supposed to do something tonight. I should call her." Leonardo stood up, grabbed his plate, and joined Donatello in the kitchen.

Splinter finished his tea and toast, then rose from the table. "Thank you for my breakfast, Michelangelo. I will now retire to my garden."

"I'll be out there shortly, sensi!" Leonardo called out from the kitchen as Splinter exited the front doors. As soon as Raphael heard the door shut, he stood up and stomped over to the sink where Leonardo and Donatello stood doing the dishes.

"Don't you EVER do that again!" Raphael stepped in between them and shoved his finger in Donatello's face.

"What are you talking about?" Donatello pushed Raphael's finger away with his wet hand.

" Oh, come on! That list of all the booze I drank, then that comment about bringing girls home! Don't ever say shit like that in front of Splinter!"

Donatello dried his hands as his turned to face Raphael. "Raph, Splinter is not incompetent. He knows more than you think he does."

Raphael clenched his fists tighter. " How many drinks I've had or how many women I've been with is nobody's fuckin' business!" He then turned back towards the table, grabbed his plate and coffee mug, then walked towards the living room. It was only until the sound of the television hit their ears that Leonardo spoke.

"Really, Donnie," Leonardo went to the table and straighten up the paper. "There was no need for that."

Donatello reached for the coffee pot and poured himself another cup. " Stop defending him, Leo. Raph needs to learn that life isn't a big party."

Leonardo turned sharply. "I wasn't defending him."

Donatello scoffed. "Yes, you did. Ever since what happened in that warehouse, you have been cleaning up the messes he makes. You never used to do that."

"Come on, Don. Aren't you being a little rude?" Michelangelo cut into the conversation.

Donatello set down his coffee and pointed at him. "Do you want me to talk about you? How you do absolutely nothing around here?"

"Hey!" Michelangelo stood up. " I do plenty around here! I clean the house! I cook for you guys!"

" How about going out and helping us make a house payment?" Raphael came out from the living room doorway he had been standing in and walked towards the table.

"I have a job!" Michelangelo said in his defense. " I make enough to make my car payment at least!"

"Don't talk to Mike about getting a real job, Raph, when you don't even have one!" Donatello stepped closer to his brothers.

Raphael felt his blood pressure rising. "Oh, so you think since you're the youngest professor ever in New York State history to teach at the University, that makes you better than us!"

"At least I make a six-figure income," Donatello whispered to himself as he pushed in his chair. When he rose his head, he found Raphael inches from his face.

"I heard what you said." Raphael growled.

"So! Do you think I care!" Donatello growled back.

" I get free comics!" Michelangelo joked.

"SHUT UP MIKEY!" Raphael and Donatello turned their heads and screamed.

The arguing among the three continued as Leonardo stood in silence. He closed his eyes, squeezed his fists, and ground his teeth together, trying to hold back his anger. But when Raphael shoved Donatello backwards, he knew it was time to step in.

"Stop it you guys," Leonardo said quietly, but it fell on deaf ears. "I said, stop it!" Once again, there was no response, and they had finally pushed him to the boiling point.

"ALL RIGHT! I SAID ENOUGH!" Leonardo screamed at the top of his lungs. His brothers stopped and blankly stared at him. Leonardo took a deep breath before he spoke.

"What is the matter with you guys?" He looked all of them in the eyes. " After all we have been through, I would at least think you guys would have a little more appreciation for each other. We're lucky to even be alive, remember that." He watched as his brothers lowered their heads in shame, then turned towards the door.

"And you guys wonder why Splinter spends so much time in the greenhouse." Leonardo said before walking through the doors.

Once out on the porch, Leonardo took a deep breath of the early afternoon ocean air, trying to rid his brain of all noise caused by his siblings. He rubbed at his eyes, cursing the pollen under his breath, and started to walk off the porch. A rustling noise from behinds the hedges that lined the driveway startled Leonardo, causing him to immediately go into a defense mood. The nosie stopped, making Leonardo laugh at himself.

"Probably some stray cat again," He said as he began to walk off the porch again, but stopped when the noise returned. He looked over at the hedges and watched as they shook violently, as if from an earthquake. Then the source of the shaking appeared before Leonardo.

"Shredder..." Leonardo muttered as the figure of his old mortal enemy emerged from the hedges, shaking the ground with every step he took. Leonardo could not move, nor could he call for help. He stood paralyzed as the Shredder moved closer towards him, holding an all too familiar Japanese sword in his hands. Leonardo's eyes grew big as the monstrous figure stood over him, the stench of rotting flesh spewing out of his decaying body. The Shredder suddenly flung the sword above his head, waiting for the right moment to bring it down to strike Leonardo.

Then, Leonardo heard a voice cry out.

Please, don't hate me. I never meant to hurt you.

"Nooooooooooo!" Leonardo cried out, falling to the ground and covering his head while the sword fell onto him.

"Leo! Hey, Leo! Are you okay?"

Leonardo held his breath as he heard Vanessa's voice above him. He lifted his head off of the paved driveway, and looked around before breathing again.

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" She grabbed his hands and helped Leonardo to his feet, following his eyes towards the hedges across from them.

"It's- it's nothing. I'm fine." Leonardo rubbed at his eyes again, feeling them water up from the irritation. Vanessa dug into his purse and pulled out a small bottle of eye drops.

"Here. Use this." She watched as he placed the drops into his eyes then smiled as he squeezed his eyes together, then blinked several times.

"Thanks," Leonardo handed the drops back to her.

"Now, are you sure you're all right?" Vanessa asked.

Leonardo nodded. "I'm fine. Trust me." Vanessa nodded in agreement, then headed for the front door.

"Hey, uh, be careful going in there. World War Four just finished up." Leonardo joked.

"Are they fighting again?" Vanessa grumbled. "Don't worry. I'll kick some ass for you!"

Leonardo laughed, watching her enter the house, but soon stopped as he looked back at the hedges, feeling a shiver travel up his spine.

Splinter opened his eyes when Leonardo approached, smiling as Leonardo took the place directly across from him on the marble platform, where he shifted around until he was comfortable.

"Sorry it took me so long, sensi," Leonardo bowed. " I had to, uh, hold down the fort."

Splinter nodded. "It is all right, my son. You are here. That is all that matters to this old rat." He began to start his meditation again when Leonardo spoke.

"Sensi?"

"Yes, Leonardo?"

Leonardo lowered his head and rubbed his palms together. " I know I've asked you this before, but, doesn't it bother you that my brothers don't join us, or doing anything with you anymore?"

Splinter sighed. " Leonardo, you and your brothers are growing. You are no longer the young students I once had, and if your brothers do not wish to train any further, then that is what they choose."

Leonardo looked back into the rat's eyes. "It doesn't bother you at all?"

"Even if it did, Leonardo, I will not force them." Splinter said. " Now the question is, does it bother you?"

Leonardo thought for a moment. " In a way, yes. Our training kept us in line. We were more respectful to each other." Leonardo thought about what he had said, thinking about how he and Raphael always fought. "Well, for the most part it did."

Splinter reached across and grabbed Leonardo's hands into his own. "Do not worry yourself with this, my son. All of you are growing up. One day, you will not live in this house together. But when you are gone from here, I do want all of you to remember all of the hardships you faced, for that is what brings us closer together."

Leonardo sighed, wishing the others could have been there to hear what their father has just said. "I know."

"They will come to know this too, Leonardo. They will learn this lesson in time."

Linda stood on the balcony of the apartment she shared with her cousin, looking down on the busy New York City streets. It was a far cry from the peaceful mountains of Japan, and she missed it dearly. She had felt so at home there, and the other residents of the temple had become her new family. Despite all of those things, she still missed her parents and would hope every day that she was in the middle of some terrible nightmare and would wake up to find everything was the way it had been. Many times she wanted to blame Splinter and the Turtles for coming into her life, feeling that somehow if they had never met, maybe things would have been different. But as angry as she had been, she couldn't blame them, and she knew that meeting Leonardo was her destiny, even if things had gone wrong.

A loud yawn from behind Linda made her turn around, seeing her cousin standing in the doorway wearing a white silk tank top and the matching pants.

"Morning." Linda joked, knowing it was after one in the afternoon. Christina stretched as she walked over to the balcony and joined Linda.

"Did you have a good time last night?" Linda asked, pretending to be interested.

Christina yawned again. "No, and yes."

Linda turned back towards Christina, wondering why her cousin gave her such a weird answer. "What happened?"

"Well, first of all, Barry was totally ignoring me when we got there, then he ended up dancing with some skanky hoe all night while I sat at the bar drinking my money away."

"I'm sorry," Linda sympathized.

"It got worse," Christina lifted up her blonde hair and tied it back with a white hair band.

"He left with that same girl, and I had no way home!"

Linda's jaw dropped."That's terrible!"

Christina then smiled. "But, I did meet someone else, who was so nice and so sweet, and he made me feel so much better about things." She looked at Linda and smiled again. "He even brought me home this morning. How sweet is that?"

Linda nodded. "Yes, that was very nice of him. Remind me to thank him for it."

"Why?" Christina asked.

"Because I'm glad I didn't get a phone call at one in the morning from my crying cousin asking me to come get her."

"You are so mean sometimes." Christina crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Besides, you know you would come and get me anyway. You'd feel guilty if you didn't!"

Linda turned around and rolled her eyes. "Sure, I would." She walked back into the apartment and sat down on the large white sectional couch, then watched as her cousin followed her back in and sat down across from her.

"He's supposed to call me later. I think we're going to a movie, or dinner or something."

Linda picked up a copy of Comso from the coffee table and held it up in front of her face, not wanting to hear anymore of what Christina had to say. Suddenly, she felt pressure on the magazine and looked up as Christina pushed it down.

"His has brothers! They might be single!"

"No, thank you!" Linda shoved her nose back into the magazine, secretly wishing that the floor would open up and swallow her cousin.

Christina looked up at the ceiling in a dreamy stare. "He has such a sexy name too. It's-"

The ringing sound of the cordless phone sounded from the kitchen, causing Christina to shriek in excitement and causing Linda to jump in fear. She again rolled her eyes as Christina mouthed 'it's him!' to her and jumped around she talked. Linda buried her face in her hands, once again regretting her move to the city.