A/N and Disclaimer: Well, I did promise a chapter a day on this one until I leave. That means tonight and tomorrow night. So, here is the second to last chapter! Enjoy! I have never owned the Turtles, and the chances of me ever owning them is slim and none. I do this solely for a little fun, I man no harm and I make no money from this. Please don't sue... ok? please?

Chapter 7 – More than a Story.

Catherine looked at the stairs. She knew that what she really wanted to do right now would probably get her in trouble, but she really felt like she needed to do it. Taking care not to destroy the structure Bella and Tiz had created, she stood and headed to the staircase.

"Where you going, Kat?" Tiziano asked looking up at her from his spot on the floor next to Bella and the blocks.

"I have to talk to Daddy." Catherine replied flatly.

"He's not up yet. We're not supposed to bother him after training until he gets up!"

That was true, but Kat didn't care at the moment. "I know. I'm going anyway."

Tiziano jumped up and knocked over a section of the block structure in the process, causing Bella to cry out in dismay.

"You can't go up there, Kat!" Tiz shouted.

"Shut up, Tiz." Catherine pushed him aside and he fell on his back. Leaving her dumbstruck brother on the floor, she hurried up to the second level.

"UNCLE LEO!" Tiziano cried, still stuck on his back.

Catherine moved as fast as she could. Once Uncle Leo was called, she knew she didn't have much time. She raced to her dad's room and slammed the door shut behind her.

"Catherine, what are you doing here?"

She looked up, expecting that her daddy would be facing her, but he wasn't. He was lying on the bed with back was to her.

"I..." Now that she had gotten this far, Kat didn't know what to say.

Don rolled over and looked at the daughter who had just interrupted his nap. Sometimes he meditated during this time, and sometimes he slept; today was a sleep day. He ignored the all too familiar spasm that shot across his chest at the movement too soon after the particularly strenuous training session that morning. Two rough mornings in a row had really taken a toll on him, but he'd deal like he always did. The look on the little girl's face startled him. "Hey Kat, is something wrong?" He asked gently as he sat up.

"Is- is Bishop real?" Catherine asked quietly. "Did he really..." She trailed off and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

Unable to believe what he had just heard, it took Don a moment to respond. "Where did you hear about Bishop?" He gestured for her to come over to him.

Kat walked over and when she reached the bed she removed her thumb from her mouth just long enough to speak. "Uncle Mikey told me a story. Is it true?"

"Sounds like we need to have a little chat with Uncle Mikey about aspects of Daddy's life that little ears don't need to hear just yet." Don stated, fighting to keep his voice light. Mike might have been ready to have that conversation, but Don sure wasn't. However, here he was. "Yes, Bishop is real." He admitted with a sigh as he carefully picked the little girl up and put her on his knee. Even with the care he took, he had to force away the pain as his back screamed in protest, and he cursed Bishop's little surgeries again. It wasn't the first time, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last.

"He broke you and that's why you don't play with us like Uncle Mikey and Uncle Raph?"

What she meant by 'broke' and what Don would mean by the same word were very different things. As close as he had come, Donatello hadn't broken under Bishop's tortures, at least not beyond repair. But how do you explain the difference to a five year old?

"Bishop hurt me very badly." Don admitted. "And what he did-" The door opened for a second time that morning and Leonardo interrupted their conversation.

"Donnie?"

"I've got it, Leo."

"But-"

"I said, I've got it. It's ok." When Leo still didn't leave Don tried again. "This is one I have to cover." He added.

Leo finally nodded and ducked out of the room.

"Keep going, Daddy." Kat begged.

Don took a moment to remember what he'd been saying. "Bishop hurt me in ways that cannot be fixed. So, yes. What Bishop did is why I don't play with you like Mike and Raph do."

"Did you really not want us?" Catherine asked in a small voice.

"How much did Mikey tell you?" Michelangelo was going to regret this, Donatello would see to that.

Catherine shrugged. She didn't know what Uncle Mikey told, and what he didn't. "He told me a lot." She admitted.

"He must have." Don agreed in a lighter tone. He sighed before continuing. "There was a time when I could not see the miracle that the five of you are." He admitted, carefully side-stepping the question. "You and your siblings are the one good thing that came of Bishop's... tinkering."

Catherine giggled, but quickly grew serious again. "You didn't answer my question, Daddy."

"Nothing slips by you, does it?" Don said with a shake of his head. He still hoped he could get around the question, but he had a feeling that it wasn't going to happen.

"Uncle Leo says that's how he knows I'm your daughter!"

Don had to laugh at that one. "More gets by me than Uncle Leo knows about." He told the little girl with a wink and a hug. "But let's keep that our little secret, ok?"

She laughed again, but still didn't have an answer to her question. "You still haven't told me, Daddy. Did you really not want us?"

Don sighed as he realized that there was no getting around this one, and he wasn't about to lie to her. "When you guys were still in your eggs, no, I didn't want you."

Catherine was about to cry. Sure, she'd heard it from Uncle Mikey, but coming from Daddy it was real.

"Hey, come on. Don't cry, Kat." Don begged as he hugged the little girl. "When Leo and Raph rescued us from Bishop I wasn't myself. If I had been, I definitely would have wanted you." Unsure of whether or not she could really understand what he had said, he continued. "I promise you this: I have loved you since the day you hatched."

"You don't hate us now?" She asked through her tears.

"What? Catherine, no! Of course I don't hate you. I love you and your brothers and sister more than anything else in the world." Don was trying desperately to figure out where he had gone so wrong that his own daughter thought he hated her. He attempted to force back the tears in his own eyes. "What made you think I hated you?"

A small shrug was the only response from the little turtle.

Don remembered a comment she had made earlier. "Is it because I don't play with you the way your uncles do?" He asked carefully.

Again she shrugged.

Part of Don hoped that was the whole reason, but another part could tell that there was something else. Something that he had no clue about. Not knowing what else to do he just held his daughter.

"Daddy? Are you ok?" Kat asked suddenly, startling Don out of his thoughts. She was worried.

"Yeah, I'm ok. Why...?" Don realized then what the problem was. Usually, he managed to hide it from his children, which was a big part of why they weren't allowed to bother him after morning training. He concentrated on forcing the tremors to stop.

"Daddy, why are you shaking?" The little girl started crying again.

"Oh, Kat, please don't cry." He finally managed to regain complete control of his muscles and tried to comfort the girl "Remember what I said about not being able to fix what Bishop did? The tremors are part of that. They're something that I live with. See, they stopped."

"Are you going to die?" The child asked in a voice that was barely more than a whisper. Master Splinter talked about death a lot. Just as with the original four turtles, Donatello's kids were introduced to death at a very early age. Considering that the adults continued topside training runs and patrols, the youngsters probably had an even stronger understanding of it than their father and uncles had at their age. They had certainly seen more injuries, a few of which had been severe.

"Everybody dies, Catherine." Ok, not the most comforting of statements. "But hopefully that won't happen for a long time."

"Promise?"

Don couldn't promise what she asked. Sure, he didn't go topside as often as his brothers did, but he didn't exactly lead a safe and secure lifestyle either, and even if he did that was no guarantee. What Donatello did promise her was what he could. "I promise that I will always be with you in one way or another."

Catherine wiped away the last of her tears and smiled.

"Come on." Holding the girl in his left arm, Don stood. "Let's go see what your brothers and sister are doing."