Chapter Eighteen

As Linda stared up into the spackled white ceiling above her, she tried to convince herself that the reason she couldn't sleep was because she was nervous about her flight to Japan, which would be taking off in nine hours. But Linda couldn't fool herself. She knew the real reason why she had been tossing and turning all night. Leonardo's words still echoed in her head, and the look of sadness that was in his tear filled eyes made Linda's heart swell, but the more she thought about it, the anger she had been collecting over the months was slowly returning. That part of her wanted to climb up the stairs, burst into his room and scream at him. For Linda, it was hard being under the same roof as Leonardo.

Linda rolled over and looked at the little red numbers on the clock beside the bed and let out a moan when she saw the time. " God, it's three in the morning." She then decided that she would feel better if she went outside and got some air.

Linda flung her legs over the side of the bed. She yawned, then stood up and opened the bedroom door. She peered though the small crack and into the quiet darkness of the house. Linda took one step onto the wooden floor of the foyer, then pulled back as a chill passed into the sole of her foot. She turned around to grab her gray hooded knit sweater and then realized that Angie wasn't in the room. Linda figured she was sharing Mandy's room, and Linda didn't blame her for doing so. Their friendship had suffered during the past few months after Angie revealed to her that she had helped Leonardo get back on his feet, and Linda took that as Angie taking the turtle's side. Linda's friendship with the other turtles had gone downhill as well. She hardly talked to any of them anymore, and she knew it was because of the way she lashed out at Leonardo. Michelangelo seemed to be the only one would approach her without judging her for her words and actions, but even he would keep a distance from her at times.

Linda pulled her sweater over her arms and up her shoulders as she walked silently through the foyer. She stopped at the foot of the staircase, and it took everything she had to stop herself from climbing those stairs. Her head suddenly filled with all of the things she wanted to shout at him, which in turn made her temper flare up. Linda took a step back, shook her head, and decided against it. She had made Leonardo suffer enough. She had to move on.

Linda continued through the foyer and into the dining room. It was then she noticed that the heavy glass patio door was open. Another chill passed through her as the cold February breeze blew off the ocean and into the house. As she wondered who had left the door open, Linda stuck her head outside and looked around on the porch, and saw no sign of anyone. She moved farther out onto the porch and heard the angry roar of the rising ocean tide below her. Linda shivered as another breezed pass by, catching the ends of the wind chimes and causing them to call out in a distorted mix of vocals. She pulled her sweater tightly around her and held it shut with her crossed arms, then walked to the top of the staircase. As she looked down at the beach, she saw a lone figure sitting on the shoreline with his knees drawn up to his chest. He was staring out into the ocean, and Linda watched as the crashing tide came within inches of his bare feet. Linda knew instantly it was Leonardo down there, and all of the hateful things she had wanted to say to him came back to her as she descended down the stairs.

Leonardo felt a shiver travel down his spine as the ice cold waters of the Atlantic hit the tips of his toes. He pulled the open ends of his navy zip-up hooded sweatshirt closer to his body, but it wasn't enough to block out the freezing wind as it cut through the coat and hit the bare green skin underneath. Leonardo shivered again as he tighten his arms around his knees and laid his head down, again wondering what had drawn him outside and into the wintery night air. All he knew for certain was that he hadn't been able to sleep all night, and it was all because of Linda.

Another wave of tears began to fall down his already stained cheeks, and Leonardo growled as he wiped them away. He had already cried out every ounce of pain and heartbreak from his body, and he didn't think he had anything left. Leonardo didn't even know what the new tears were for now. He had experienced so many emotions over the past few hours, everything from hurt to anger to confusion, and Leonardo was sure there was nothing left to feel.

The shivering that shot through his body increased, but Leonardo didn't care anymore. He lifted his head and stared back into the black water, suddenly wishing that a huge wave would crash down on him and carry him out to sea. Leonardo then let out a small laugh through his tears, knowing that finding an easy way out was not how he did things. But as his thoughts turned back to Linda, the fear of facing her made him wish that an easy way out existed.

Leonardo had held back the urge of going into the guestroom where Linda was sleeping as he descended the staircase inside the house. After the incident early that night, Leonardo couldn't even bare to look at her, let alone talk to her. There were so many things to say, so many things that he wanted to get out in the open and resolve. Even if Linda was leaving for Japan, Leonardo wanted to make her listen to him, only so he could clear his own conscious. Then, after Linda was gone for good, Leonardo planned on moving on with his life and never looking back.

When Leonardo reached the beach, he had planned on meditating, trying to bring some peace and balance back into his mind and soul. But every time he began to ascend into the depths of his mind, Linda was there and seeing her face made him jump back to the roaring ocean in front of him. After several failed attempts, he gave up, knowing that his emotions had gotten the best of him, and he remained there on the nearly frozen sand, staring into the darkness of the ocean water, and waited for the sun to rise on a new day, one where he could start all over again.

A faint sound of crunching sand in the distant made Leonardo's body go rigid. He watched the steam of his breath disappear into the night as he listened for the sound again. Another set of steps echoed from behind, Leonardo could sense a presence on the beach with him, but instead of moving, he remained still and silent, letting his heighten ninja senses take over. He closed his eyes as his mind picked up on mixture of sadness and anger that suddenly filled the air. His head turned slightly as the footsteps moved closer then stopped, and Leonardo could feel that the other person knew he sensed that they were there. The breeze past by Leonardo's face again, and he sniffed the air, picking up the salt of the ocean, the dampness of the sand beneath him, and a faint hint of hibiscus. Leonardo's eyes flew open as panic set into them, and they began to grow in fear. Linda was there with him.

Linda paused for a moment, but it was too late. Leonardo had already heard her footsteps, and from the tension she could feel coming from his body, he already knew it was her. She held her arms around her chest, and the wind whipped her hair in front of her eyes, but she held her gaze on the back of Leonardo's head. She was only ten feet behind him, close enough to touch him, but Linda's anger kept her too far away from his heart. Linda then heard Leonardo take a deep breath, releasing it out very slowly, and watched as his body relaxed. He was letting his guard down, as if telling her it was okay to speak. Only Linda couldn't find the words, and as she went back through what she had prepared to say, Leonardo spoke first.

" What are you doing out here?" His tone was very soft and calm.

Linda suddenly felt confused by Leonardo's voice, which gave no hint of anger or sadness. After a brief pause, Linda said the first thing that came to her mind.

"What about you? It's not even twenty degrees out here. You're going to freeze."

It was then Leonardo's turn to feel confused. He blinked his eyes and shook his head, wondering why Linda suddenly cared if he froze or not. " I'm alright. What about you?"

" I couldn't sleep. I needed some air." Linda blurted out. Leonardo then let out a low chuckle, signaling to Linda that he was out there for the same reason. She then looked down at the sand beneath her bare feet and smiled to herself. It had been so long since she and Leonardo had been on the same wavelength, which was what drew her to him in the first place. Linda never thought in her wildest dreams that they would ever have that kind of connection ever again.

Linda then snapped out of her daydreams and her anger took over. " Why are being so nice to me? Are you playing mind games with me, because it won't work!"

Leonardo sighed in frustration at Linda's temper and released the hold on his knees. " No, I'm not playing mind games with you. I just want to carry on a conversation that doesn't involve screaming and yelling. I want to talk like normal adults do."

"Normal adults?" Linda repeated. " Are you saying that I've been acting childish?"

Leonardo's jaw dropped, and he growled he jumped to his feet and turned to face Linda.

" Why do always insist on twisting my words around? That's not what I said and you know it!"

" I know you didn't say it," Linda replied sarcastically. " But I know you were thinking it!"

Leonardo grabbed his head then rubbed his face with his hands. " It's like I've gone back ten years and I'm arguing with Raphael all over again." He mumbled to himself, then raised his head back to Linda. " And just what makes you think that you know what's going on inside my head? You don't know me anymore, so stop pretending like you do!"

" You're right. I don't know you anymore. I already told you that." Linda said as she watched Leonardo pace around in the sand. " And now it seems that even you don't know who you are."

" What?" Leonardo stopped pacing and gave Linda a blank stare, trying to understand what she had just said. " What are you talking about?"

Linda rolled her eyes. " Oh, please! You know exactly what I mean! One day I see you in a drunken stupor, acting like everyone is out to get you, manipulating MY cousin to get back at ME, then I see you a few days later, walking around like none of it had happened! You're back to your old self and everything is fine again." Linda then glared at Leonardo. " Next to Christina, you are the most two-faced person I've ever met!"

Leonardo gasped at Linda's comment. " First of all, I'm not two faced, and you know that for a fact! Secondly, yes, I was messed up, but it was only because I was holding in all of my anger and bitterness toward you that I lost sight of who I really was! It was me, not you, who I was really angry at, and it took everything I had to overcome that anger and realize what I was doing to myself and everyone around me!"

Linda felt her arms drop down and the hate fell away from her eyes. All of that time she had thought that Leonardo was lashing out at her for hurting him when in fact Leonardo was angry with himself. Linda then felt more confused then ever and turned her back to Leonardo, who continued to talk to her.

" Don't get me wrong, Linda. I was still upset with you for going behind my back and doing what you did." Leonardo's voice then lowered down to a normal tone. " I just couldn't understand why you didn't just come to me and tell me you were planning on joining the Foot to get to your father. I would have helped you. We could have done it together."

The tears began to pour down Linda's face, and she did nothing to hide her sobbing. She felt so ashamed of herself at that moment, suddenly wishing she could back in time and stop herself from going through that old trap door that had led to the Foot's hideout, but then remembering she had done it for herself and her father, not for Leonardo.

" But, I guess that's just how things were suppose to happen. And I can't allow myself to dwell on the past anymore. It's done, and neither one of us can change what has happened."

Linda wiped at her running nose, but didn't turn around as she spoke. " It was supposed to happen that way? I thought you didn't believe in fate?"

Leonardo could see how upset Linda was, even without seeing her face, and it made his heart ache. " I didn't, but as I looked back in my life and finally noticed how everything has been connected, I now know that fate played a bigger part in my life then I wanted to believe it had." Leonardo watched Linda's shoulders shake from her tears and took a few steps toward her, pushing back his earlier thoughts and wanting nothing more than to touch her. " How do you think me and you ended up out here? It couldn't have been just a coincidence." He took a few more steps and began to reach for her upper arm, his heart beginning to full up with a new hope that he could once again hold her in his arms. Linda then suddenly turned around and smacked his hand away.

" So, just like that I'm supposed to take you back just because Angie and her stupid cards said it was written in the stars for us to be together!" Linda's tears were running like water from a faucet, and Leonardo stepped backwards as Linda moved toward him. He gulped back the lump in his throat as he stared at the fire that burned in her brown eyes.

" No, it's not that. I-"

" I'm sorry, Leonardo, but anger and pain just doesn't go away like that! You seem to have no idea how much you hurt me by acting the way you did." Linda took another step and leaned into Leonardo's face. " How can you stand there and tell me that everything that you did to me and my cousin were part of some grand scheme! That's not how real life works! The choices you make in life really do decided what happens in your future, and I do NOT regret the choice I made back then, and I sure as hell don't regret it now!"

Linda could see the tears started to well up in Leonardo's eyes, but it didn't stop her from getting her words out. " If I could go back and had to make that decision again, I wouldn't change a damn thing!" She again wiped at her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater as she backed away from Leonardo. " It was for my father that I made that choice. I didn't know what else to do! I had just lost my mother! I was scared and confused! I had nowhere to go if I had lost my father! And I knew that by making that choice, I was risking the chance of losing you. But if that was the price I had to pay to get my father back, then I would have to live with that!" Linda then lowered her eyes and closed them, watching the image of Shredder shoving his sword straight through her father. " I just never thought I would end up losing the one I had tried to help." Her sobs then returned, and she turned away from Leonardo once again. " But you also don't seem to understand that it killed me to leave you. I wanted to stay! I wanted to be with you! I was so blind by my love for you that I couldn't understand why you didn't want to be with me."

Leonardo then let his own tears fall as he watched Linda. " I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that way. I'm sorry that I didn't give you the chance to understand."

"Yeah, well," Linda sniffed. " Like you said, you can't dwell on the past. What's done is done. Both of my parents are gone and I'm still alone." She then let out a small laugh as she cried, which surprised Leonardo. " I was so naive to think that fate had anything to do with all of this. Why would fate have to take my family away from me, then bring me back to here to face you again?" Her laughter increased and it was starting to scare Leonardo. " I think fate has a sick sense of humor." She then looked back at Leonardo and stopped laughing, then narrowed her eyes at him. " Well, I'm sure as hell not letting fate step in and make me fall in love with you again!" She began to turn, then looked back and smiled wickedly as she recalled the words Leonardo had once told her. " Believe me when I say I now know what it feels like to have someone grab a hold of your heart and squeeze it so hard that it bursts into a million pieces, because that is exactly what you did to mine! And you are NEVER going to have a chance of doing it again!"

Leonardo, who was by that time was drowning in his tears again, watched as Linda turned to leave. He then finally grabbed onto her upper arm and held on tightly. " Please Linda! You can't do this to me! I can't let you go again!" He lowered his head and watched his tears hit the sand, then raised his eyes back to Linda and touched her face without thinking. " I need you, Linda. I want you in my life! I love you!"

Linda's own tears began to fall as fast as Leonardo's and she melted into his loving touch, but her anger quickly flooded back and she felt confused once again.

"No! NO!" Linda jerked her arm away and screamed as she shoved Leonardo backwards. " It's OVER! I don't want you anymore! Get that through your head!" Her body shook from her sobs as she backed away and her voice fell to a whisper "It's too late, Leonardo. It's just too late." Linda then pushed her face into her hands as she turned and began to run back toward the house.

Leonardo fell to his knees as he watched Linda leave, and the ache that had been nothing more than a flutter moments ago suddenly ripped through his entire body, and he collapsed forward toward the sand. He broke his fall with his hands, then placed one hand over his eyes and held the other on his bare chest over his heart. His tears soaked into the sand as they fell, and Leonardo gasped for air, feeling as if all of the oxygen in the atmosphere had suddenly disappeared. He remained there for a few more minutes, then flipped back over and stare back out the ocean.

That's it? he thought to himself. This is how it ends? But I can't let it happen like this! I just can't let it end like this!

Leonardo closed his eyes and began to surrender himself to his tears when he heard something fall onto the sand. He turned to see Linda on the ground, leaning over with her head to the sand and her face buried in her hands.Leonardo didn't hesitate for one second as he jumped to his feet and ran to her, skidding and spraying sand everywhere as he fell down next to Linda and began to pull her limp, sobbing body into his arms. Linda then realized what Leonardo was doing and began to strike at him with her fists.

" STOP IT!" She screamed. " LET ME GO!" Her voice cracked from her tears as she continued to hit Leonardo's chest as he tighten his grip on her. " Get away from me! Go...away."

Leonardo placed his right hand around Linda's head and stroked her hair as she finally gave up and melted into his body.

"I not letting you go." Leonardo closed his eyes and felt his love for her come flooding back into his heart. " Not now. Not ever again." He then pushed Linda back and brushed her hair away from her tear stained face. Linda then lifted her eyes to his, and all of her anger faded away into nothing. Then, after staring into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity, Linda suddenly pushed her lips against Leonardo's and wrapped her arms around his neck. Leonardo passionately returned Linda's kiss and his hands moved down and encircled her waist. Linda then realized her tears began to flow again, and as she pulled back, she could see that Leonardo was crying too, and she smiled as she shared in his happiness.

" Please forgive me, Leonardo. I really do need you. I want to be with you more than anything." She said as she placed her forehead against his and caressed his face. " I love you."

"I love you too." Leonardo replied, then felt Linda pushed herself into him and their fiery embrace grew stronger. He then moved her lips down her face and around her neck as he lifted her up off of the sand. Linda clung to Leonardo tightly as she wrapped her legs around him, and they continued to kiss as Leonardo carried her up the stairs, and back through the house.

Linda sighed as she opened her eyes and stretched her bare arms out, then looked at the empty bed space next to her. A single red and yellow hibiscus flower laid on the white sheet, and Linda smiled lovingly at it as she picked it up and brought it to her nose. She felt a few water droplets on the petals and knew it had been picked just hours ago by its still sweet aroma. She brought the flower down and caressed it against her cheek as her smile grew. The night she had shared with Leonardo had been everything she had wished for. Linda always expected Leonardo to be a emotional and compassionate lover, and he had proved that theory of hers during the four hours they shared together. Linda then looked over at the clock on the night stand, seeing that the time read ten thirty in the morning. Even though she only had two hours of sleep, she felt very alert, as if some dark cloud had been lifted from her head.

As Linda sat up, she noticed that her suitcases, which had been packed for the trip to Japan, were sitting next to Leonardo's dresser. She rose from the bed and walked over to them, determined to take a shower before she went downstairs. Linda then gasped as she discovered that her black suitcases were emptied, and she darted her eyes around Leonardo's bedroom. She brought her eyes back to the oak dresser next to her and pulled open the second drawer. In the drawer, neatly folded, were some of Linda's T-shirts. She then opened the other drawers and found the rest of her clothing. Tears of happiness came back into her eyes, and she knew that Leonardo was making sure that she stayed there with him. Linda grabbed a gray T-shirt and a pair of sweats, then headed for the connecting bathroom.

A wonderful smell hit Linda's nose as she descended the winding staircase and walked into the warm dining room. Splinter was sitting at the table, sipping his tea, and Linda smiled when she noticed he was reading the comic strips. He heard him chuckle at one of the strips as she took a seat across from him. He then looked up at her, then bowed his head as he spoke.

" Good morning, my child. You seem quite well this morning."

Linda couldn't stop the smile that lingered on her face. " Good morning, Splinter. I'm feeling absolutely great. Did you sleep well?"

" Yes, I feel very refreshed. After all, I have a long flight ahead of me."

Linda then bit her bottom lip. " Yeah, about that. I don't think I'll be going on that trip with you, Splinter. I'm sorry. Maybe next time, though."

Splinter reached across the table and patted Linda's hands. " It is unnecessary to apologize, my child. I already knew that you wouldn't be accompanying me."

Linda raised an eyebrow. " You did? How?"

Her answer came when Leonardo walked into the dining room, whistling and wading up a fists full of lint and dryer sheets. He started to walk past her, but then bent down and kissed the base of her neck. Linda froze as her eyes went back to Splinter, and Leonardo laughed softly as he felt Linda's body tense up. He then moved his mouth up and whispered into her ear.

" Don't freak out. He knows."

Linda let out a nervous laugh, then turned around as Leonardo dumped the contents of his hand into the trash can, then moved to the sink. Linda rose up from the chair and leaned over the counter as she watched Leonardo wash his hands.

"So, he knows everything?"

Leonardo smiled and felt a blush in his cheeks. " Well, not everything. I didn't go into detail."

Linda laughed with him and continued to watch Leonardo as he dried his hands. " Did you even sleep?"

"No," Leonardo looked into Linda's eyes and touched her cheek. " I couldn't. After you fell asleep, I just laid there and watched you. My eyes refused to close." He then moved over to the oven and grabbed an oven mitt from its hook on the wall. " Did you know you talk in your sleep?"

Linda laughed as she pushed her hair behind her ears. " Backwards from what I've been told." As Leonardo opened the oven, the wonderful scent of cinnamon that Linda had smelled earlier hit her nose. " What did you make?"

" Coffee cake. But I didn't make it." Leonardo replaced the oven mitt and lifted a empty white box into the air. " The bakery down the block did. I couldn't make something like that even if my life depended on it!"

Linda again laughed at Leonardo. " That makes two of us. I can barely boil water!"

Leonardo shook his head as he reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of eggs and a package of sausage. " Well, I guess asking you to help me make breakfast is out of the question."

"I know how to break an egg." Linda said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

" Good." Leonardo dropped the egg carton into her open palm and leaned in closer to Linda. "And, by the way, that sassy little attitude of yours in a complete turn-on."

Linda's mouth dropped in shock. She had never known Leonardo to be so blunt, and it made her slightly embarrassed. She then rolled her eyes, then smiled as she smacked Leonardo's shoulder. Leonardo playfully shoved Linda, then lit the burner on the gas stove. Linda cracked several eggs into a large glass bowl, then whipped them with a whisk.

" Are we going to break the news to everyone?" Linda asked as she poured the eggs into an iron skillet. She then looked up and saw an evil smile on Leonardo's face.

" Eventually." Leonardo lit another burner and placed another iron skillet over it. " I want to have some fun with them first."

"What?" Linda laughed at the devious look on Leonardo's face. " And how do you plan on doing that? I have a bad poker face."

Leonardo then raised his eyes to the ceiling and the sound of a shutting door echoed from the upstairs hallway. " Just follow my lead." Leonardo then took a sideways step, which put a great distance between them, and Linda muffled her giggles as she watched Leonardo's face drop into a hateful frown. She then took a deep breath and took on the same appearance.

Their first victim then appeared. Raphael yawned and rubbed at the back of his head as he staggered into the dining room. He grunted his usual morning hello at Splinter, then turned for the freshly brew pot of coffee. As he pour the liquid into his black mug, he looked up at Leonardo, then did a double take when he saw Linda standing next to him . He dropped his half filled coffee mug down and narrowed his sleepy eyes at them.

" Alright! What's goin' on?"

Leonardo threw Raphael a disgusted look and spoke in a angry tone. " What does it look like we're doing? We're cooking."

Raphael made a face at the attitude Leonardo had given him and went back to filling his coffee mug without removing his eyes from them. After he had replaced the pot, Raphael took a deep breath.

" I meant what's goin' on with you two?" He moved his index finger back and forth. "What is this?" Leonardo and Linda threw each other dirty looks as Linda moved to the sink.

"It's not what you think it is, Raphael." Linda said as she laid a thick layer of hate into her voice as she had done the days before.

Leonardo then turned around and gave Linda another hateful look as they switched places. " We just made a decision to tolerate each other while Linda is still here, only for the sake of you and the rest of the household."

Raphael continued to watch them as they exchanged exasperated sighs and evil looks, but he could feel that there was something else going on. He picked up his coffee mug and moved to the table, taking a seat on the side against the wall next to Splinter. His eyes then stayed fixed on Leonardo and Linda as he slowly sipped his coffee.

After Raphael had settled in his chair, Mandy and Angie appeared. Mandy stretched her arms up and yanked at her messy ponytail as she flopped down across from Raphael. She flipped her head over and combed through her dark blonde hair with her fingers, then replaced her hair tie. When she sat back up, Mandy found Raphael's eyes burning through her.

" What the heck is your problem?" Mandy asked in her usual grumpy morning tone.

Raphael sipped his coffee and laughed. " You are. You're gettin' your dirty hair all over the table."

"Whatever!" Mandy leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. It was then that she noticed Raphael was still looking in her direction. She was about to say something when she saw Angie staring into the kitchen, her eyes wide open. " What is up with you guys?" She then turned her head around, then quickly looked back at the table, her eyes wide with shock as Raphael laughed again.

A few minutes later, Michelangelo bounded down the stairs. Behind him, Donatello had a hold of Vanessa's left arm as he helped her down the stairs. Michelangelo waited until they had both reached the bottom step, then walked with a spring in his step as he entered the dining room, then rose his hands up to greet everyone.

"Good morning, everyone!" He shouted joyfully. " How's everyone feeling- AHHHH!" Michelangelo took a step back as Leonardo and Linda came out of the kitchen and began to set the table.

" Excuse me, but the forks go on the RIGHT side!" Leonardo went behind Linda and rearranged the silverware.

"Well, excuse me, but I'm left handed! I put them on the left side!" Linda then sighed heavily as she pushed Leonardo as she walked past him. " Why do you have to be so particular about things! Finish the damn table by yourself!"

Michelangelo eyes stayed glued to Leonardo as he rolled his eyes and slammed down the white and green ceramic plates as he continued to set the table. He took another step back, running into Donatello and Vanessa.

" I think I'll go back to bed." Michelangelo went around Donatello, who then grabbed Michelangelo's shirt collar and pulled him back. Donatello patted Michelangelo's shoulder, then pushed him toward the table. The nervous turtle gulped loudly as he sat down next to Mandy. Donatello took his place next to Angie, while Vanessa scooted her growing belly behind the table and sat down next to Raphael, who had not moved his eyes from the fighting couple in the kitchen.

"What are they doing?" Vanessa asked Raphael in a hushed tone. " Why are they even around each other?"

Raphael set his coffee mug down and leaned back. "There's somethin' funny goin' with them." He then studied Leonardo face closely. " I know he's hidin' somethin'! I can see it in his face." Raphael then leaned back over the table and knocked on it with his fist. " Hey! Down in front!" Donatello, Angie, Mandy and Michelangelo all turned around to face Raphael. " Could ya guys not try to look so obvious? Sheesh!"

As Raphael leaned back, the four of them remained faced forward. Only Michelangelo would peek back time to time, still not sure of what he was seeing. It then remained silent as Leonardo and Linda placed the finished breakfast down on the table and sat down at the head of the table on opposite sides, avoiding all eyes contact with each other. For a second, no one dared to move, until Leonardo spoke up.

"Are you guys not hungry?"

All at once, everyone shook their heads and said various versions of the word 'no', began to reached for the food in front of them, except for Raphael, who remained still. Linda eyed the pitcher of orange juice that sat between Leonardo and Michelangelo and pointed to it.

" Michelangelo, could you pass me that, please?"

" What? You couldn't have asked me?" Leonardo said sharply.

Linda then glared at him. " I want it passed to me, not thrown at me!" The sound of forks hitting the ceramic plates echoed up to the ceiling as a few sets of eyes grew wide. Even Leonardo was taken by surprise, and Raphael could have swore he saw a smile trying to take form on his oldest brothers' face. Leonardo then looked back down at the pile of scrambled eggs on his plate.

" What's this?" He said as he pulled a small white object out of the eggs. " An eggshell? Who taught you how to cook?"

"Well, if it bothers you that bad, do it YOURSELF next time!" Linda slammed down her napkin and scooted her chair backwards.

" I never even asked for your help!" Leonardo then also scooted his chair back. " You just swooped in and took over everything like you always do!"

" Are you saying I'm controlling!" Linda stood up and gasped. " I think you need to take a good look at yourself sometime!"

" I'm getting scared!" Michelangelo said as he buried his face into Angie's shoulder.

Leonardo slowly stood up. " You're right! I am controlling!" He then moved a little closer to Linda. " And, now, I'm going to take control of this situation and make you shut up!"

Everyone gasped at Leonardo's words and watched in fear as Leonardo's hand rose up into the air.

" Leo!" Donatello shouted and stood up, as did Michelangelo and Angie.

" Don't you dare touch her!" Angie yelled.

Leonardo and Linda turned their heads, shared a quick glance with each other, then they fell into each other's arms as they both erupted in fits of laughter. Raphael then stood up and pointed.

" I knew it! I knew there was somethin' funny goin' on!"

Angie grabbed her chest as her heart rate began to slow down. " I didn't find anything funny about that!"

A big smile then grew on Michelangelo's face as he watched with a newfound excitement as Leonardo and Linda hugged. " Does this mean you guys are-"

Leonardo looked into Linda's eyes. " Maybe." Linda then playfully smacked Leonardo's shoulder as she laughed, then grabbed his face and kissed him.

"WOOHOO!" Michelangelo said as he jumped into the air. " I take back what I said yesterday. Today is the greatest day of my life!" He then grabbed Leonardo and Linda and squeezed them tightly.

Raphael sat back down, then looked over at Vanessa as she sniffled and wiped at her eyes with a napkin. Vanessa noticed the weird look Raphael was giving her and she smiled.

" Sorry. It's the hormones."

Raphael then laughed then kissed Vanessa's temple. " If ya say so." He then watched as Linda moved her chair closer to Leonardo. As he continued to look at the happiness in his brother's eyes, he then noticed something else, and his laughter returned.

" So, Leo," Raphael said with a wicked smile. " What's it feel like ta not be a virgin anymore?"

The sound of dropping silverware returned, and was joined by a spray of coffee from Donatello's mouth and orange juice from Michelangelo's. Leonardo sank down into his chair, feeling the flush growing on his cheeks, and moaned as he buried his face into his hands.

" Thanks a lot, Raph."

"Bye Splinter! Have fun!"

"Bring me back something!"

"Can it, Mikey!"

Leonardo placed the last suitcase into the back of his scratched-up Jeep and lowered the back hatch down. Donatello helped Splinter into the front seat, closed the door, then jumped in the back seat. Leonardo gave Linda another kiss, then climbed into the front seat and started up the Jeep.

As they pulled out of the driveway and stopped at the street, Donatello then noticed something odd. A mutant and a human, both dressed in similar dark colored outfits, entered the cream colored house and slammed the door shut.

" Hey, Leo," He then pointed to the house. " When did we get new neighbors?"

Leonardo leaned back into his seat as he stared across the street. " I don't know. I don't remember seeing any moving trucks or anything." He then noticed that all of the windows were barred up and the drapery was drawn tightly shut. " They don't seem to be too friendly either."

Leonardo then looked both ways, and pulled the Jeep out onto the street. Donatello kept his eyes glued to the house as the drove past it, not braking his stare until it was out of his sight.

"Should we strike them now, sir?" The dark haired human spoke to Dr. Gershin in German. " We are running out of time!"

"You don't think I'm aware of that?" The doctor screamed as he swiped at the human with his claws. " But we can't. Not yet! We must wait for that hybrid to be born!" Dr. Gershin then moved back to window and watched the two mutant turtles, the pregnant mutant fox, and the three girls walk back into the house. " There is always something else that must complicate things! I'm running out of patience!"

Dr. Gershin then squeezed his hands into fists and growled in frustration.