A/N: (o.O) Got this one done on time? Wow. You know you're too addicted to fics when… lol! Apologies to anyone I confused a little with my last upload. I actually put-up two chapters at once, then stupidly wondered why the hit counter for Chapter 18 wasn't as good as for 19. Then realised all those who wait for this to pop up on the 'just in' list then skip to the last chapter probably got thrown a bit by this. My bad, promise if I'm ever this nuts again I'll put a warning on the extra chapters!

Also want to thank all those who give me feedback on this. It really is appreciated and I want to assure you that I haven't 'sped up' the content of this tale, just the writing of it. I'm actually surprised it's turned out this detailed, when I started writing it I thought I'd have it knocked over in five chapters! Sometimes I get a bit frustrated with it myself wanting to get onto the next scene that gives me a giggle or sigh when I'm writing it, but don't wanna skimp on the lead up to these either… darn catch 22! lol!

Disclaimer: I don't own the TMNT, or any related characters (much to their relief, I'm sure!) If there is anything else in this story you recognise from somewhere else, then I don't own that either.

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Leo felt more at ease than he had in days as he made his way through the tunnels back to the lair, Mikey following behind with his nose in a comic. Despite the extra caution they were going to have to take in getting Tausha out of the city and settled somewhere safe, the news broadcast had finally settled the last doubts he'd had regarding the truth of her tale. He'd also taken it as a sign that Hun didn't realise just where his daughter may have gotten to. Still, making a thorough check of their defences had helped alleviate his concerns as well.

He had taken a bit longer than normal to check each section, bribing Mike early on with his allowance to stop him moaning and poking things he shouldn't in boredom. It wasn't a big cost since he knew his wily brother would end up getting the money out of him one way or another anyway.

A ripple occurred in Leos' new-found calm as soon as he opened the door to the lair. Something was different. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly. It was almost as if a small annoying noise he'd managed to put out of his mind was gone. A quick scan of the room didn't pick up anything out of the ordinary. No broken furniture, no blood, not even a brooding silence. Afternoon cartoons were flickering boisterously across the TVs, the backs of a couple of heads visible on the couch. The play of candle light on Splinters' shogi screen door indicated his sensei was still in meditation. Don was nowhere in sight, but that wasn't unusual.

Settling in the armchair Leo returned Taushas' brief smile before she turned her attention back to the screens. He got no such acknowledgement from Raph, slouched up the other end of the couch with his arms and ankles crossed, feet propped on the coffee table. It hit Leo. Apart from their short-lived meeting in the plant room a few nights ago, this was the first time he had seen these two relaxed in each others' company. They were still sat as far apart as they could be on the couch, and obviously hadn't been engrossed in conversation or anything, but the tension that had existed between them was all but gone.

Raphs' expression was inscrutable; not particularly happy, but he certainly wasn't angry either. Leo didn't realise he was staring in his attempt to figure out just what it meant until Raph glared at him with a testy "What?"
"That's what I'd like to know..." interrupted Mike, coming from the kitchen munching a cookie in one hand, the other hidden behind his back "like, what have you done to my kitchen?" Raph shrugged.
"Cleaned it." he stated matter-of-factly.
"'Cleaned it'? Are we having a photo shoot for 'Home Beautiful' or something?"
"You sayin' I did a good job?" Raph asked smugly.
"Dude. You polished the bin. I'm sayin' you need professional help!"

Ignoring his brothers' scowl Mikey stepped nimbly over his legs to bounce-down on the spare section of couch, facing Tausha with a huge cheeky grin.
"Did ya miss me?"
"Nup." letting her attention get drawn by his devastated look she revised with a grin of her own "Well, maybe just a little."
"Just as well too, or I wouldn't be givin' ya this!" Mike produced the magazine he'd had hidden with a flourish.
"Oh Mikey, you didn't have to get me this!" she admonished lightly in sincere gratitude.
"So, who's your favourite turtle?" he asked, confident he knew the answer.
"Hmmm," Tausha made a show of thinking for a moment, before announcing "Franklin!"
"Huh? What's that little pipsqueak got that I haven't!" demanded Mike, righteously indignant.
"A network television deal."
"Oh, hardy har har." Mike tossed himself back on the couch, arms crossed in a mock-grump, doing a pretty good parody of his brother sat next to him. Tausha rested her head on his shoulder.
"Seriously though, thankyou." Reaching over to give her a gentle noogie Mike assured,
"Anytime, babe." his smile winning through again.

Leo 'hmpfed' lightly.
"I was wondering why you bought a copy of 'Hoof Beats'." Mike attempted to put on a serious lecturing tone.
"Well Leo, when you take the time to get to know someone…, you get to… know 'em…" he petered out, realizing his speech didn't have quite the impact he'd hoped for.

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By lunch the next day Leo still hadn't figured it out. He was just as relieved as everyone else that the friction had dissipated, though it was obvious Raph and Tausha hadn't settled all their differences. They continued to ignore each other, not as pointedly as before, but if they could look anywhere else without being overly rude they would. And they were speaking politely now, the few words they had to anyway. So why couldn't he shake the sliver of apprehension in his gut?

Tausha was healing well. The bruising on her face was reduced to a mottled blue-green discolouring around her eye socket and the bridge of her nose, and following the lines of the worst two welts up her cheek. It would only be another couple of days before that colour was gone too; and her along with it, if all went to plan.

Leo knew he should be happy for his brother. It seemed Raph had been telling the truth, that they were only friends, all along; and after realizing Taushas' heritage it appeared anything else was well out of the question now regardless. With a small sigh Leo mulled over the possibility that Mike had been right a few days ago, maybe he was jealous. Trust Raph to make friends with a girl who seemed to hold her own values far apart from those of their enemies she was affiliated with, and the two got to part on civil terms. At least that truncated the opportunities for Raph to get hurt by this situation, any more than he had been…

The growling bass of Yoko Kannos' 'Lithium Flower' interrupted the dialogue, both internal and external, at the table. The music cut off as Don answered his shell-cell.
"Hello? --- Hey April! --- Tonight? Yeah, that'd be great. We will need a little extra though; we kinda have a house guest at the moment. --- It's a bit complicated, so we'll fill you in when you get here. --- Hang on, I'll check." Putting his hand over the receiver Don turned to Tausha.
"Would you prefer chinese or pizza for dinner?" Leo slapped a hand over Mikes' mouth, almost by reflex.
"It's Taushas' choice." he reinforced, though the girl looked a bit befuddled trying to determine the right decision from the silent pleas around the table.

The only one not hoping she would read their preference from their eyes was Raph, looking somewhere over her shoulder. Leo noticed however, as he caught her attention with a crooked finger, hidden from Mike behind his other arm resting on the table. Surreptitiously Raph held out one finger and then gave a thumbs up.
"Um… chinese?" Tausha guessed; to the obvious relief of Leo and Splinter, Mikes' utter dismay, and Raphs' smug smirk.
"Cool!" exclaimed Don, turning back to his phone conversation.
"Awww, no fair!" Mike whined. Before Tausha could follow through on her sympathetic expression and capitulate, Leo interceded.
"We've had pizza the last three times April and Case have shouted us dinner, Mike. Time for a change, huh?"

Despite clearly having made the right choice for the majority Tausha still felt rotten as her friend muttered unhappily to himself, hoping to make amends a little by whispering "Sorry" as he looked up. Battling through his depression with a brave smile, Mike shrugged.
"It's OK…" Overhearing the exchange, Raphs' smirk lost some of its arrogant sheen.

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Tausha couldn't believe how nervous she was, gripping her hands behind her back to hide the tremors as the guys leapt towards the elevator to greet April. Part of the cause was none of her introductions to Raphs' folks so far could have been considered smooth. She actually felt exposed for once wearing her singlet; Splinter had asked that she did not conceal her tattoo and its origins from their extended family. On top of that, there were very few women she had found she could actually relate to. The majority just dismissed her as a weird tomboy that might be worth talking to once she'd grown out of her obsessions with strange things like Asian culture and funky animal facts; and for the most part that was fine with her. She dismissed conversations revolving around celebrity relationships and fashion tips as pointless and boring anyway.

At first sight Tausha worried her fears would be realised as the tall, pretty red-head greeted Splinter and the Turtles with hugs and laughter, Raph and Don quickly relieving her of the large bags of food she carried.
"…and this is Tausha." Mike introduced her with his usual flamboyancy. She hoped like heck the expression on her face looked like the smile she meant, not the grimace she felt as the woman had quickly looked her up and down in surprise before turning to her friends.
"My goodness! Another human? When you guys said you had a house guest I was expecting an alien, or mutant, or monster… you know, the usual!" She extended a hand and friendly smile to the girl.
"Hi! I'm April, glad these guys have finally dragged home someone I have a chance of understanding straight up!" With a nervous chuckle Tausha shook hands.
"Um…, G'day."

"Hey Ape, where's Case?" Raph butt in. With a frustrated sigh April plonked her hands on her hips.
"To be honest I don't know what that man is up to. He's been 'busy' the last few nights doing goodness knows what. He won't tell me a thing about it, just that it'll mean a big surprise if he can pull it off. I was hoping you guys might know what he's got himself mixed up in?" The four brothers exchanged blank looks.
"Sorry April, we haven't spoken to Casey for days." Leo explained "We can go look for him if you want." he started to lead the way to the elevator.
"No. I'm sure he's fine. Besides, I've threatened him with dire death if he doesn't show up for dinner tonight. So if he's not here by eight I was gonna sick you guys on him anyway."
"Sounds like a plan!" Mike agreed "But we get to eat first, right?"

Aprils' candour relieved some of Taushas' anxiety. A competition over who could tell most, or rather their version of Taushas' story to April over dinner quickly developed between the Turtles, only allowing the protagonist to answer Aprils' queries regarding stuff she hadn't already covered, and that wasn't very much!
"So you really are Huns' daughter? I don't mean to offend you or anything; it's just that you're so… small."
"Heh. Don't worry, I get that a lot; even from people who don't know my Dad's so big." Tausha admitted grudgingly "I took after my Mum's side of the family, and they're all midgets. My Grandad even used to be a jockey, way back when."
"Wow, really? Was he in any great races?"
"Nah. He did ride in the same race as Phar Lap once, early on before he became a legend. That was Grandads' only real claim to fame."
"Who the heck is that?" Mike whispered. Don shrugged in response as April and Tausha began an animated discussion about a movie the guys finally figured out starred a horse!
"Um… I hate to break things up ladies, but we were telling a story here." Mike reminded them, beaming as he regained the groups' attention.

They had all finished eating long before Leo completed his telling of Taushas' past.
"Oh. I think it's sad when people don't marry for love; it only ever seems to end in more heart-ache. I must admit though I didn't think Hun would be so honourable as to wed a girl he got pregnant by accident." April observed with sympathy.
"The way my Mum told it he wasn't really that fussed, until she got an ultrasound. The sonographer thought I was a boy. Pow! Three weeks later they were hitched." Tausha shrugged.
"Apparently Dad wasn't very happy when he found out the mistake."
"I can imagine!" exclaimed April "So what are you going to do now?" Don took the initiative to explain their plan.

"Well, you may have to lay low for a little while first, just to let people forget your face. I thought you looked familiar, but didn't realise it was from seeing you on the news the other night until I put two and two together. That doesn't mean there aren't others out there who will recognise you more easily, especially with that kind of money on offer. Though I suppose there is less chance of it in Northampton…" April thought for a moment.
"I used to run a second-hand store and still know a few good people in the business. If you want I can trade-in some of your jewellery for you. And if you give me a list of anything you need, I can pick it up."
"Really?" Tausha asked hopefully, already making a mental list of stuff she wished she'd remembered to pack. Shampoo and a toothbrush topped the listing.
"Sure. Why don't you bring out some pieces and we can figure out what will fetch enough to cover what you need for now. Give me until Sunday to get everything sorted. Then you can come over for lunch and pick up your supplies and any money left over. It'll give you a chance to reacclimatise to the human race as well. Heh! I love these guys, but believe me I know living with them can be a bit wearing!"

It was getting close to eight o'clock as April appraised the chains Tausha had up-ended from her jewellery box onto the coffee table.
"Are you sure you want to sell all of these?" April asked; realising the tangle of precious metals and gems weren't fake as she'd first thought.
"Yeah. I never wear 'em anyway, except for this one." Tausha extricated a narrow leather necklace, a small dolphin worked in smooth stone hung on it.
"I don't think you'd get quite as much for that one anyway." laughed April "But this other stuff will definitely be worth quite a bit."

Leo paced behind the couch as Don tried to pick up Caseys' homing signal on his shell-cell.
"Got it! It looks like he's headed this way, and pretty close." A buzzer sounded, warning of unauthorised movement in the warehouse.
"That'd be him now." Raph stated "The idiot's forgotten the new security code, again." Tausha hung back near the couch as April and the Turtles approached the elevator. The door opened to evict a tall, rough and ready looking guy shouldering a golf bag, an assortment of sporting goods poking out the top. He dumped the bag to grab April up in a fierce hug before punching fists with Raph and tousling Mikeys' bandana in greeting.
"Hey! Ape says you've been busy havin' fun without us? What's the haps, huh?" questioned Raph.
"Sorry fellas; wanna do this one on my own. Let's just say I may have found a way to make all our lives a little easier, and get one over on a loser who's had it comin' for far too long. Shouldn't be too hard, just a matter of finding somethi… you!" he stabbed an accusing finger at the girl he'd just noticed.

Tausha was sure she had never seen this guy before and had no idea why he looked so furious, but she couldn't help cowering under her arm as he stalked away from the stunned group near the elevator, raising his own arm to backhand her. Wondering why he'd grunted, but hadn't landed his blow Tausha dared to open an eye to see a shell blocking her view.
"What the hell are ya doin' Raph?" Casey gurgled over his bicep wedged under his neck.
"Don't you dare hit her." the fierce threat in his friends' face and voice made Casey step back. Raph held his ground, releasing the arm he'd captured. Casey nursed his shoulder briefly in confusion, noticing the girl was slowly standing and lowering her defence he was sure he hadn't made a mistake.

"Do you have any idea who that is?" Casey got in Raphs' face; his finger jabbing over his stubborn friend's shoulder caused the girl to flinch back again. Raph remained steadfast.
"Yeah." he drawled. Casey recognised that look, that tone; though thankfully he'd rarely been on the receiving end of it. Unfortunately he never could back down easily from a challenge. He did opt for keeping this one verbal for now, however.
"That bitch is Huns' daughter, you moron!" Casey settled for punching the air again with his finger. Raphs' growl and attempt to draw his sai cut short by Leo stepping in to grab his wrists.
"Hey dude, chill. We know, and she's a friend." Mike explained as he and Don pulled Casey back a couple of steps.
"What? Are you guys nuts? She's the damn enemy! You can't be friends with her!"

With help from April and Splinter they managed to calm Casey down enough to lead him over to the dining table to sit. Raph didn't relax at all, only turning his head to watch Casey like a hawk until he was seated. Then Leo loosened his grip slightly as he felt some of the tension seep from Raphs' arms.
"Breathe" he murmured quietly, keeping watch as his brother took two deep breaths before releasing his hold on his weapons; Leo releasing his grip completely as well. Raph didn't actually look at the girl stood behind him, demanding brusquely half over his shoulder "You OK?"
"Yeah." Tausha answered weakly. Raph gave a small nod then stalked just past the far end of the couch to stand watch, arms crossed; he kept his eye fixed on the group at the table. Leo had been surprised at the vehemence of Raphs' reaction to Caseys' attack. Now he couldn't help shaking his head over his brothers' insensitivity, offering the pale, shaking girl a hand to sit on the couch. She gave him a brief, uncertain smile.
"Thanks. I'll be fine." she murmured.
"Are you sure?" Leo crouched in front of her, trying to read her eyes, though she turned away with a nod.

"She's been stayin' here how long? I can't believe you guys are actually helpin' her! You should just turn her in for the money, or at least use her as bait to get those Dragon scum right where we want 'em!" Leo saw Mike wince as Casey thumped the table. Not needing to be asked twice Mike quickly obeyed Leo waving him over.
"Just keep an eye on her, OK? I'll help deal with Casey." Leo instructed.
"No probs, bro!" Mike gratefully accepted, sinking onto the couch to gently grasp Taushas' shoulder in support. She wasn't crying, but she didn't respond either. In silence Mike left his hand where it was, despite her seeming to ignore his presence.

It took most of an hour, but Casey finally seemed to accept that his friends were serious about protecting this chick. He absolutely refused to apologise to her, though Splinter was the only one who had suggested in a quiet aside that it may be appropriate. It was bad enough that April shot him enough evil warning looks to stop him protesting when she reiterated her invitation for Sunday lunch as they left. The little cow had looked like she was gonna say 'no', till April murmured something he couldn't quite catch to her. Even then the girl had only nodded hesitantly.

The mood in the lair was fairly sombre after April and Casey left. Since Taushas' altercation with Casey she had responded minimally to queries, only speaking when spoken to. She kept her eyes averted from everyone, despite efforts from most to cheer her up, before she beat a hasty retreat to her room. Raph had conspicuously avoided the girl, keeping a good distance and his shell between them. Something in Leo snapped as he spotted his rude brother give a quick glance towards the upper tier just before she disappeared from view, then treated the rest of his family to a brief but foul glare.
"What is your problem?" demanded Leo, the irony of the situation fuelling his irritation "I know you two aren't on the best of terms, but she is your friend; or at least she was. Would it have killed you to treat her with a little compassion?"
"Shove it, Leo. You just don't get it." Raph growled back.