I stood staring apprehensively at Raphael and Mike. Raph seemed to have very little interest in me. He gave me a sideways glance before going back to the television show they must all have been watching before our arrival. Mikey was grinning at me. As I gave him a slightly confused look he gave me a thumbs up. I looked at him with question not understanding. He seemed to be trying to tell me something, but stopped as Leonardo walked back down from Don's room.

Leo paused at the bottom of the stairs and just looked at me for a moment. He looked so tense and frustrated still, my heart ached to realize he must be furious with me. I felt my shoulders shag slightly. I didn't think he was going to be able to forgive me for running off on him again. I questioned why he should. I had been nothing, but a problem to him from the moment I had first arrived. He deserved so much better.

"Lea, kitchen…please." His voice wasn't hard, it was more indifferent. I felt my stomach flip-flop. He looked like he had something serious to tell me. Something he would rather not say in front of his brothers. Maybe to save me face. I couldn't answer. I felt my chest grow tight. I didn't want him to tell me he could see we weren't going to work out. I couldn't hear those words from him, but I tried to steel myself prepared for the worst.

I strode towards the kitchen. Holding my head high. I wasn't going to appear weak. I was going to try to stay strong as long as I could. He started to walk towards the door and I followed him. Watching his back. He didn't turn, didn't glance at me. It was almost like he couldn't look at me. I felt sick. I clenched my fists. I really thought if he didn't say something soon I was going to be ill.

He entered in front of me pushing open the door and continuing to walk, not even holding it for me. I felt like a small child waiting to be scolded by a parent. I followed slowly behind him. I dearly did not want to be standing where I was at this moment. I heard the door make a soft click as it shut behind us. Leonardo was still facing away from me. Staring at the wall. I assumed trying to word what he was about to tell me.

I felt myself tear and scolding my emotions. I had to try to be strong. I barely knew Leo how could all of this be affecting me that badly. "Lea…" I looked up as he spoke, confusion on my face. His voice didn't sound angry at all. I wasn't sure what he was thinking.

"Leonardo I…" My voice was tiny; the fear in it was evident. "I am so…" I never got a chance to finish my apology. Leonardo turned and embraced me so swiftly and so roughly he literally knocked my off my feet. I found his arms being the only thing keeping me from tumbling right to the ground. I almost couldn't breath he was holding me so tightly, his face buried in my hair pressed against my neck. I could hear him murmuring something. It almost sounded like he was apologizing to me. I was so confused. My emotions tumbled around inside of me. I wasn't sure what to think or feel.

Softly I touched his head, saying his name. Uncertain what he was thinking or feeling, but fairly certain he wasn't angry. He pulled away enough to look at me, my heart melted as the saw the turmoil in his eyes. I realized the hell I had put him through that day and my heart broke again. He spoke, his voice so soft it was almost a whisper. "I didn't think you would come back again."

My mouth moved uncertain what to say, I squeaked surprised as he roughly pushed me, my back pressing tightly against the cupboard behind me. He was looking at me hard, I had never seen a passion quite like what was in his eyes. It was the same devotion I had witnessed when he practiced, the love of his art. Yet it was very different, the intensity was completely new. His fingers reached up to touch my hair, his hand slipped behind my head he pulled my face forward. My eyes sprang wide as our lips met.

He was growling kissing me roughly, everything that had been pent inside of him that day coming out in one huge rush of desire. I closed my eyes and lost myself within his needs, returning his kiss with just as much strength. Bracing my arms against the cupboard and pushing back up, my mouth slightly open excepting his tongue as it slid into it. His right hand still in my hair, his fingers pulling at it forcefully. His left hand moving around my waist. I could feel his finger on that hand creeping below my shirt touching the bare skin on the small of my back.

I felt like our embrace lasted forever. His taste and smell would be embedded in my memory for the rest of time now. This moment, so passionate, so perfect. I could have given myself completely to him without regrets. Realization struck me. The depth of the love I had for him was almost frightening. Still as he held me, as our mouths mingled, I was at peace. There was nowhere else in the world I would rather be then with him.

After an eternity we pulled away together. Both breathing hard. We looked right into one another's eyes with no shame. I reached up to stroke the side of his face, smiling softly. Both of our expressions very tender. The intense heat that had been driving us fading into deep warmth. I gently nuzzled his cheek with my nose. "You know something funny?" My hands were resting behind his head now, my fingertips gently massaging the back of his skull.

He made a questioning noise, fingers mimicking the movements of mine on the small of my back. Kneading me. I purred at his touch, my eyes closing for a moment before I finishing my thought. "This is what I have wanted from the moment I met you, I just never realized until now." I felt myself flush, my feelings so frighteningly strong for him.

He looked at me intensely, his hand lifting from my back to rest against my cheek. His thumb rubbing back and forth across it. "That's funny, because I feel like I have been waiting for you for forever and I just realized it." I felt my heart skip. Emotion grasped me again and I couldn't speak. Leonardo leaned forward and caught my mouth again. Only this time the kisses were sweet, gentle. He sucked on my lower lip, gently before pulling away again.

His expression had changed. It looked a lot more normal. He had something he wanted to tell me, something that seemed to be eating at him even as we embraced and touched. "Don't do that again." The regular commanding tone to his voice started to drift back in. "It was stupid and dangerous." He tenderly ruffled my hair. "And very noble and I respect you all the more for taking care of your friend, but you have to listen to me." He moved close kissing my cheek. "I know what's best for you."

I felt myself stiffen slightly; I wasn't sure I liked what he was implying. I knew there would come a time when we would disagree about something again and I simply couldn't promise him to follow him blindly. Still, at this moment, I was so at peace with him, so enamored with him I hated to break the mood. " I will try… I promise you." It was the best I could say. He nodded seeming to except that.

He pulled away first. Twisting his neck around popping it. I watched a different kind of tension releasing from him. I just kept leaning against the counter for a moment. I wasn't sure if I had ever shared that intense of an experience with another living being. My heart was pounding in my chest still. I had never had so many emotions crash through me at one time. He was watching me. His eyes reading my every movement. I smiled playfully at him.

All the barriers we had built up between one another had crashed down. Now we both stood looking at one another uncertain what to do or say. If Leonardo's emotions were churning like mine he certainly had to be amazing at hiding it. If anyone would have told me on the plane ride to the city that I could have found such unending, deep emotions for a creature so different then myself, I very likely would have laughed in there face. Now staring at Leo, still close enough to feel the heat radiate off of him, I couldn't deny the fact that just the sight of him made me melt. No one had ever had the power over me he did.

He reached out a hand to cup the side of my face, I nuzzled his fingers. His eyes grew soft. "I have a confession to make." His voice was controlled now, more normal. I looked at him curious about his statement. "The first time I saw you I thought you were gorgeous…" He smirked. "And the biggest, most annoying brat I had ever had the pleasure to crossed paths with."

My brow raised, I looked at him with question. He continued. "Then I got to know you and I realized just who you were and…" He looked away thought for a moment. "In Bushido it is dictated that one must value honor and service to his Master before anything else. Any kind of desires must be quelled for the betterment of that service, but you…" He looked up and back at me again. I saw desire in his eyes, but also hesitation. He seemed conflicted. He sighed. He looked away again, like he was trying to decide what to say. "My brothers are going to wonder were we are. We've been in here for a long time."

I blinked, the change in topics nearly flooring me. I stared at him, my heart had been racing, I had been hanging off his every word and now he appeared to be done talking. "Okay?" I wasn't sure where Leonardo had been going with what he had been saying, but whatever it was he seemed to not be ready to share yet. I tired to respect that.

We both started to walk from the kitchen. Mutually shy now. What we had shared had been so amazing and intense and now neither of us seemed terrible sure were we stood. Leonardo reached down to touch my back holding the door open for me this time. Raph and Mike both turned when the doors opened. Curiosity on their faces. I could see they weren't sure what had been going on between us when we had walked into the kitchen either.

"Is everything alright?" Mikey asked, studying his brother, Leo was his usually stoic self-staring right back at him. He nodded.

"Fine Mike…" He then looked around. "Are Melinda and Don STILL up there?"