A/N: Only two chapters left! *Mature Content alert

Chapter 10

April answered the phone immediately. "Hello? Leo?"

Mira's head jerked in the direction of the phone call.

"You got Mikey out of there? Oh thank God…" she breathed.

Mira was so relieved but the next part nearly made her heart stop.

"He's hurt really bad eh…poor guy…"

Mira bit her lip and tried not to cry. He was hurt because of her…

"Okay I'll let her know, thanks Leo." April ended the call and went to sit down by Mira.

"Oh honey…" she said upon seeing the tears in her eyes and gave her a big, soft hug. "Mikey's gonna be okay it seems those dragons really did a number on him…"

Mira suddenly grabbed some Kleenex unable to stop the onslaught of tears. "It's my fault." She sobbed.

"Don't blame yourself, you are not responsible for the actions of others." April said firmly. "When you're family with the guys…you eventually end up developing a thicker skin for stuff like this. Their lives are never going to be 'normal' they're always going to end up in some kind of danger but they always make it through no matter what. Also I'd never give up knowing them, not for anything. They changed my life…" she said.

Mira nodded and dried her tears. "Mine too. Did Leo say when I could see him?"

"Yeah, let's have everything settle down for now, I'll bring you over first thing in the morning. Mikey's going to be asleep at least until then. Also there's your apartment to take care of and your family to call and let them know you're safe." April said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Mira suddenly realized that her poor family must be worried sick about her. She borrowed April's phone and gave them a call. Her mother screamed her full name so loud she had to hold the phone away from her head for a moment. She explained what had happened with Mark and finally told them that she'd been keeping something from them for a while and that they needed to meet Mikey and that she wasn't able to explain further at this time. Her mother, father and grandmother accepted her answer and she promised she would bring him as soon as his injuries had healed. They were happy to take care of the restaurant for a while until she was ready to come back.

Next she phoned insurance and the landlord to let them know what had taken place in the apartment. Luckily there was not a huge amount of damage just broken furniture and some structural damage.

Casey took her back to grab clothing and essentials before it was all taped off to be fixed.

She would be staying on Casey and April's couch until tomorrow. After that…well she thought about asking Leo if she could stay until Mikey was better. It's not like her apartment would be safe to go back to for a little while.

As concerned as she was for Mikey, she knew he was safe and that he was going to be okay. The sheer exhaustion of the past day and a half had caught up with her and she'd been unable to stay awake past 8pm.

She slept nearly twelve hours.

Back in the lair Donnie had hooked Mikey up to an IV to replace any of the fluids he'd lost while the purple dragons kept him prisoner. He'd also slipped him some painkillers and a little something that would help him sleep longer.

"He'll heal faster that way." Donnie explained.

Splinter came to visit his son in the infirmary and held his hand in his. "My poor son…the young lady is safe though?" he asked Donatello.

"Yes father, Casey and April were able to get to her. The guy tried to shoot himself but the gun jammed. The police have him now." Donnie explained.

"That is a relief, you all did fine work today." He said, making sure Leonardo and Raphael could hear.

"Thank you father." Leonardo bowed.

"Best part, is it's gonna take those purple assholes a long time to regroup…" Raphael smirked.

"Raphael! Language…" Splinter admonished, giving his head a shake. "Kids…" he said before shuffling back to his room.

After a shower and some of April's delicious cooking, Mira felt better and more human. She was anxious to go down and see Mikey, Leonardo was going to meet them at the manhole cover in an hour.

She was still lost in her thoughts and feeling terribly guilty, despite what April had told her the previous night.

"Time to go." April called softly.

Mira jumped slightly and automatically stood up. "Thanks April, I'm ready."

"You okay?" she asked, her face friendly but concerned.

Mira tried to give her a convincing smile. "I'm fine, let's go." She'd slung a bag of her packed things over her shoulder.

It was a somber walk back to the lair following Leo. Mira was sure he blamed her for what happened to his brother but she didn't dare ask.

His brothers were quiet as well as Donatello led her to his bedside. "Thanks…" she mumbled and gasped, covering her mouth in horror at seeing Mikey's beat-up, broken form lying unmoving in the infirmary bed.

Tears filled her eyes as she took one of his three-fingered hands in hers. "Oh my God…Mikey I am so sorry…" she sniffed and wiped the tears away as they came. "This is all my fault…"

A box of tissues was suddenly dropped into her lap as Leo sat down next to her. "It's not your fault." He said.

She plucked a few tissues from the box and dried her eyes. "That's very kind of you to say but if it wasn't for me this never would've happened to him."

Raphael suddenly stepped into the room. "Yeah, maybe but did you force your crazy stalker ex to go to the leader of the purple dragons? No." he said gruffly.

Donnie was already nearby checking Mikey's vitals. "This kinda thing happens whether or not we have friends and girlfriends…" he said. "Why do you think we have such a well-stocked infirmary?"

Mira smiled a little bit at all his brothers attempting to make her feel better. "Thank you…and thank you for rescuing him and organizing my rescue as well." She said smiling gratefully at all of them.

"You're family." Leo stated simply. "We always protect our own." He said with a slight smile.

Mira felt like she'd start to cry all over again at this outpouring of kindness. She very nearly did when she suddenly felt Mikey's hand squeeze hers.

Donnie exclaimed. "I think he's coming around!"

Mikey moaned softly and was able to open his good eye. "Everything hurts…" he croaked out.

"Mikey…?" Mira said softly.

Even though it still hurt to move he turned his head in her direction and attempted a smile. "Hey babe…" he squeezed her hand weakly.

"You really gave us a scare bro…" Raph said. "Leo never should'a let you go up alone to check the apartment."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Right…just blame me." He got up to leave.

"Hey if the shoe fits…" Raph said following him out.

Donatello left too once he finished checking Mikey's vitals, he handed her a cup of water with a straw and removed himself from the room as well.

She put the straw to his lips to let him sip a little bit of the liquid to quench his parched throat.

"That's better…thanks…" he said still a bit raspy.

She kissed his hand and whispered "Mikey…I'm so sorry…" another tear slipped down her cheek.

Even though the action was difficult he managed to reach up and brush it off of her cheek. "Don't be sorry, I'm just glad you're safe. He…didn't hurt you did he?"

"No he didn't force himself on me besides kissing me and...touching me a bit if that's what you're asking." She said and heard him sigh him relief.

"Good…" he let his hand fall back to the bed. "It didn't matter what they did to me as long as you were safe…"

She placed a soft kiss on his mouth. "You dummy…of course it matters…"

"Love makes you do stupid things." He said with a crooked grin.

"I love you too, you dumb, stupid turtle." She said with fresh tears in her eyes.

For the rest of the visit she tried to let him rest and not talk too much. She then went to Leo about staying there for the time being. He agreed and told her to take Mikey's room.

It was a couple of days later when Mikey attempted to stand and at least a week before Donnie had allowed him to leave the infirmary and take the bandages off. Mira helped him with that. Her heart still ached when she revealed the still-healing bruises and the now superficial cuts but overall he looked a lot better. He wanted to get back to training as soon as possible too. Donnie had said something about muscular atrophy to him that had freaked him out. Leo agreed that some light training would be okay.

Mira was able to watch him for the first time almost a week and a half after the incident.

He really was an expert at those weapons of his. His body moved like a well-oiled machine as he performed stances, katas and even did a little bit of hand-to-hand combat.

At one point during the lesson he called her over. She was surprised but then walked over to him and Leo.

"Leo wants to teach you a couple more moves." Mikey explained with a grin.

"Sure." She said and turned to bow toward Leo.

He still made her a bit nervous when he fell into teacher mode but she came to discover that he very patient and gentle, giving her time to recover and re-explaining how to do something that she was having a hard time with.

By the end she had a fresh sheen of sweat on her brow but felt better than she had in days. Leo eventually excused both of them to the shower.

There was one communal shower room with four in the wall that Leo and his brothers often used after practice and one private shower that Mira had taken to using.

She took Mikey's hand and pulled him over to that one. He'd had only rub-downs with wet cloths due to the bandages and although he didn't smell bad, it was time for a shower.

She locked the door and helped him remove all of his gear making sure to mind any cuts and bruises that may still be tender. The last thing she removed was his mask, it would need to be washed but he had others.

She then started the shower making sure it wasn't too hot. It was a nice, tiled stand-up shower that had lots of room thanks to the guys needing it for their shells.

Mikey stepped in there and sighed in pleasure when the water touched his skin. Mira gave him a moment in there and then removed her own clothes before stepping under the spray.

She grabbed a loofa and some bodywash working it into a very good lather. She took his arm gently and started washing him. There was nothing sexual about it, just a tender moment between them. It was healing.

When she'd cleaned just about every area she could reach she'd added some more soap and began washing herself. Shed started with her arms but Mikey surprised her by taking it gently from her hands and began running it along her arms, both of her legs, her belly and the swells of her breasts. Her breath caught and she raised her eyebrows and smiled playfully as she noticed he paid special attention to those. He then poured some shampoo into his hands and began working it into her dark hair. Once he had it all lathered up in a pile he washed her back and trailed one of his fingers down her spine and washed her backside.

She sighed happily when he moved so she could rinse everything off.

He looked like he was about to get out after that and she pulled him back so that he was under the spray with her. She pulled him flush against her chest and looked up at him with not-so-innocent dark eyes.

He knew there was no condom this time but he would be damned if he couldn't wait to have her in this moment. The air around them now seemed electrically charged as their mouths met and she was pushed up against the wet shower tiles.

He groaned into her mouth, it had been far too long and it felt so good to have her nude body in his arms again.

She gasped as his clever mouth dipped to taste her sensitive peaks and trailed down her belly while his hand dipped into her wet folds.

She clutched his shoulders tightly when he began to rub her there. It felt like she was on fire and he was the relief she needed. She bit her lip and groaned, sinking her head onto his shoulder.

He slid his finger inside her opening and rubbed the patch of rougher-feeling skin there like she'd taught him one time. She keened in his arms and her breaths were becoming faster and more moans more urgent.

"Ah…please…need you." She cried out.

He went back to rubbing between her legs again. "What about…"

Her legs were trembling now. "Won't get me…it's not the right time for that, please…"

He couldn't argue with that, she knew her body best after all. He carefully lifted her up against the shower wall and pushed into her with a sigh of satisfaction.

She clutched his arms and cried out again as he filled her and it felt so good she thought she might cry.

There was moving then as his strong arms held under her thighs lifting her up and back down onto him.

She moaned and her legs clenched around him, it was like a flood of passion, pleasure and emotion as her orgasm grew. "Ah…I love you so much…" she gasped out.

Between grunts of effort her answered her. "Love you…so much..." He increased his pace and there were no more words then, just long drawn out moans. Then he could feel her inner walls clamp down on him as her cries pitched in intensity and she was tumbling over the edge in his arms.

His release was intense as he gave a deep groan and did a few more hard thrusts drawing it out as long as he could.

Her shaky legs fell to the shower floor and she kissed his weary face and smiled. The water was shut off and Mikey just took a moment to hold her in his arms. He kissed her wet forehead and grinned. "I have it on good authority that pizza is the best post-sex snack."

She snorted in laughter in his arms. "Can confirm, that or a hot plate of nachos…" she said, licking her lips.

"Why not both?" he asked and there was no arguing with that as they both wrapped themselves in towels and sneaked off to his room to dress in clean clothes.

Two weeks had passed since the incident. Mira had been given the go-ahead to go back to her apartment but she was making excuses about why she couldn't go. It was pretty obvious to everyone except Mikey that she was afraid.

It was true, she was afraid. Her family had been asking her non-stop when she'd be introducing them to Mikey. She had a court-date where she needed to testify against Mark and was supposed to be meeting with a lawyer soon. It all terrified her and she just wanted to keep hibernating in the lair forever.

Mikey was oblivious to all of this and was just happy to have her around. He was fully healed now and anxious to start up city patrols again. Mira was afraid of that as well.

One member of the family was going to get to the bottom of this though and wasn't afraid of the consequences.

"Yo, Mira." Raphael said one night after Mikey had passed out and she was still awake.

"Hey Raph…" she said, watching some mindless TV show. "What's up?"

"Just wonderin' how come you haven't gone home yet? It's fixed innit?" he asked.

She was about to answer and felt her face grow hot. "I uh…think maybe I should wait for the weekend now. I don't wanna bother Casey and April…and Mikey's first patrol since the accident is tonight…"

"Agh, stop, it's just painful listenin' to you." He said covering his 'ears'. "You're just scared is all."

Mira said nothing and stared at her hands. He was right but she still couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about, we're not gonna kick you out or nothin' but you should probably talk to someone about it. Mikey may be a bonehead sometimes but he'll understand, Leo especially will and then there's our Master." Raph pointed in the direction of Splinter's room.

She nodded and felt tears brimming in her eyes. "Thanks Raph…you're right." She whispered.

"Ahh, don't turn on the waterworks, I don't do cryin'." He groaned but shoved the Kleenex box in her direction.

She took a couple and dried her tears. "Why is it so hard to admit that I'm scared?" she asked.

"Probably cuz you're not used to asking for help, it's the same with me." He answered gruffly.

Mira was suddenly very grateful for Mikey's brother. "I'll talk to your Sensei in the morning." She said.

He gave her a nod. "Good, now get some sleep, don't need you cryin' into your Cheerios tomorrow."

She chuckled softly and headed off to sleep.

In the morning after breakfast she requested to speak privately with Splinter. He'd agreed and the two of them were now sitting in his room cross-legged on the cushions drinking tea.

"What is on your mind young Mira?" he asked.

She sipped her small cup and hesitated before answering. "I want to just run away from everything sometimes and just stay down here forever…" she said in almost a whisper.

Splinter smiled kindly at her. "So do most of us at difficult times in our lives. May I ask what it is you are running from?"

She bit her lip and took a deep breath. "I'm afraid to go back home, I don't feel safe there anymore…my family wants to meet Mikey and I'm afraid how they'll react…and I need to meet with a lawyer about my upcoming court date." She finished and took another sip.

"That is a lot to worry about and your feelings are valid my child." He took a sip himself. "However, I'm sure you know that running from your problems means they will grow larger and you will create more. Let us see if we can tackle one thing at a time…"

"My apartment…" Mira said.

"Yes, and I am sure my son Donatello has added security measures to it?" he asked.

"Yes Sensei, I am still afraid to be alone."

"Perhaps Michelangelo would stay with you for a little while?" Splinter suggested.

She smiled. "I'm sure he would, that would help."

"Next…your family…that is a tough one. They may not accept him or your relationship but that is still not a reason to shut them out. They are your parents and I'm sure they miss you and care deeply for you."

"They do…" she began feeling emotional again.

Splinter thought for a moment. "What was the third one?"

She laughed. "The lawyer, but I think I know what I need to do. Thank you Sensei Splinter." She bowed her head and then got up to leave.

"I wish you luck, my child." He said and she gave him one last smile before leaving.

She walked straight to Mikey's room and began packing her bag. He was in there reading a comic book and was surprised by her sudden action.

"Whoa, babe what's going on?" he asked.

"It's time for me to go home Mikey…" she said as she continued packing.

He was confused and a bit hurt. "Oh…I see…did something happen that made you wanna go? Was it Raph? Because I swear I'll…"

She stopped and walked over to him to sit beside him on the bed. "It's nothing like that, I've imposed on you long enough…and even though I'm still scared…it's time." She said.

"You're scared…?" realization hit him like a ton of bricks. "Of course you are…I'm sorry babe."

She kissed his cheek. "It's okay Mikey, I was making excuses why I couldn't go but Raph actually managed to talk some sense into me last night."

Mikey blinked and smiled. "He does that, all silent and then boom, life advice."

"I also wanted to ask you something…" she turned to him and gave him her most innocent puppy dog eyes. "Please stay with me for a while? Just until I feel safe again?"

"Whoa babe, of course I will. I'll just go on patrol tonight and stop by after, cool?"

"Cool." She said and bit her lip nervously. "Also…there's something else…"

"What's that?" he asked, shoving some comic books into his backpack.

"You need to meet my parents…" she said very quickly.

He dropped the comic book he was holding. "What?"

"My parents…I had to explain a couple things about why I was missing for over twelve hours." She said nervously.

He was quiet for a moment. "Just…you know they're going to be shocked."

"I know."

"And…they might not accept us."

"I know…"

"And I've never met 'parents' before." He was panicking a bit now.

"I know Mikey, I'm scared too but…I have to do this, I made a promise…" she whispered. "And they're my parents and they love me."

As nervous as he was he couldn't ignore the fact that this was important to her and he needed to try for her sake. "Okay but we warn them ahead of time. I don't need to be putting your Nonna into an early grave." He said.

She threw her arms around him and kissed him. "Thanks Mikey."

He gave her a squeeze and kissed back. "No problem babe, now lets get packing."

End Chapter 10