A/N Hello friends! Thanks for the reviews and follows so far! Sorry I don't respond to every one - I'm lucky to have the few minutes to spare to hop on and post these. Otherwise I'm occupying what little time I have left to myself actually writing. My original fiction novel has been getting a lot of my attention lately, too, so unfortunately Accepted is kind of slow-going. I'll try not to keep you hanging too much though! But just know that everyone's support means the world to me!

Anyway, let's check back in with Autumn :D

A few days had gone by without further mention of Autumn reuniting with her family. It was on her mind constantly, but she had no idea how to address the brothers with her thoughts about possibly telling her family the truth. She hadn't even told Raph. She instead focused on her relationship with him, both of them enjoying their new title, making them feel an even stronger sense of connection and a new lack of inhibition, though Raph was still terrified of progressing and possibly losing control. He had come so close to that in the dojo with her when they finally agreed to put a title to their relationship, and if Leo hadn't interrupted them just moments after… he shuddered at the thought of the embarrassment he would have had to face, and never live down. Autumn realized he had some reservations to progressing physically, so while she remained patient with him outwardly, on the inside she desperately ached for more of his touch.

Autumn hadn't had a chance to talk to April much in the last few days, either, and it was killing her. They texted back and forth between their T-phones, but Autumn wanted to share her feelings in a one-on-one conversation, not through a text message. April apologized to Autumn for her absence, having picked up more hours at the coffee shop while one of the other employees had a family emergency.

Donnie's T-phone buzzed as the group gathered in the kitchen for lunch shortly after training.

I finally get the evening off! April's message displayed brightly on his screen. His smile was even brighter.

"April is coming over tonight!" he exclaimed to the group.

"Thank god," Autumn answered with elation and relief. Suddenly, she and Donnie locked eyes, realizing there was going to be a bit of competition. She cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck, then looked at him pleadingly. "Can I have a minute or two with her when she gets here?" she asked him hesitantly. She knew if she were separated from Raph for nearly a week, she'd be desperate for his closeness, and she hated having to prolong Donnie's reunion with April any longer, knowing exactly how both of them must feel. But she needed to talk to April, needed that female, not to mention human, interaction. There were things she needed to talk to her about that she couldn't talk to the others about just yet.

Donnie hesitated, his expression looking slightly pained, but finally nodded in understanding, knowing he'd have April to himself for the whole night. "Of course," he finally said, his whole expression relenting, and offering her a soft smile. He then gave her a bit more of a stern look and said, "But don't keep me waiting too long…"

Autumn chuckled and smiled graciously at him. "I'll try to keep it short!" she promised.

As soon as April arrived, she made a pit stop in the kitchen with a pile of pizza boxes, and as soon as they were deposited, she and Donnie were immediately in each other's arms. "Ugh, I thought summer break was supposed to mean less work for me!" she groaned into his neck. "I'm exhausted!" She leaned back and smiled at Donnie, then at the group. "I made quite a bit extra, though, so I brought extra pizza!"

Mikey immediately stole April from Donnie and pulled her into a bone-crushing embrace. "I love you, April!" he cried as he pressed his face against her shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at Donnie, not letting go of her. "Sorry bro, I do believe she and I were destined to be together, and I may have to steal her from you… I'm sure you'll be okay…"

Donnie just chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I think you may be confusing her for the pizza she brought. We all know pizza is your one true love."

Mikey let go of April and looked longingly at the pizza boxes. He then met April's blue eyes and shrugged apologetically, then patted her on the shoulder saying, "It's true, I can't deny my love for pizza." He bowed his head and held her shoulders, then said, meeting her eyes again, "Sorry, Ape, it just never would have worked out between us."

April laughed and patted his shoulder in return. "I'm sure I'll heal with time," she replied. And Mikey bolted into the kitchen, inhaling a slice of pizza before any of the others even made a move in that direction.

As the rest made their way to the kitchen to claim their own pizza before Mikey had it all eaten, Autumn stepped up to April's side. They grabbed their own slices and retracted from the group slightly so as to have their own private conversation. "I'm so glad you're here," she said. "I hate to keep you away from Donnie any longer, but I have to talk to you."

"You said that on your text messages," April replied, eyeing her with concern. "Is everything okay?"

Autumn nodded. "Everything is good, it's just about going back and seeing my parents again. And…" she looked cautiously around the room and saw that everyone was preoccupied with food and chattering amongst themselves, plus they were still a safe distance away from everyone. She returned her focus to April's eyes and said with a half-smile. "The rest is mostly, you know, girl talk…"

April laughed. "I gotcha. I do need some girl talk! Can't exactly discuss my love life with my co-workers."

Autumn nodded. "I hear ya. Having a mutant boyfriend has its downsides."

"Yeah, Donnie said you guys are 'official'," she replied with a grin, diving into her own slice of pizza. "That's awesome."

"Thanks," Autumn replied, grinning in return and taking a bite of her own slice.

"He also said they caught you in the dojo getting pretty hot and heavy," she added with a wink, none too quietly.

Autumn's cheeks flared and she and Leo made eye contact. She should have known he was overhearing everything. In fact, everyone except Mikey was probably eavesdropping. "Nothing happened," she mumbled, then shot April a sly smile.

"Better not have," Leo replied.

After lunch, April followed Autumn back to their room and shut the door. Autumn didn't hesitate. "Okay, so I've been thinking about telling my family the truth."

April's eyes shot open wide, her eyebrows raising up into her forehead. "Have you mentioned this to the others?"

"Not really," Autumn answered, taking a seat on the bed and looking down at the floor. "I made a comment about needing to come up with an explanation as to why I've been gone for a year, and said I probably couldn't tell them the truth, and Leo just jumped in with a big hell no."

April nodded, taking a seat next to her on the bed, pulling one leg up underneath her. "Of course he said that." She thought for a moment, then continued, "But I can see where you're coming from. You and your family seemed like you were pretty close. I'd hate to have to keep this family, this life, a secret from my dad. To have to constantly make up lies." She shook her head. "It would probably end up coming between Donnie and I…"

Autumn nodded. "That's what I'm afraid of. I can't just go back and live a life of lies with them… What kind of life is that? I might as well just stay missing forever."

April thought again, absently stroking her fingers back and forth across the comforter. "Mind if I ask Donnie for his opinion? Ya know, just have a private conversation with him, without Leo's input? I just think Leo is overprotective."

Autumn nodded. "That'd be fine with me. The more I can get everyone on my side, the closer I can get to seeing them again." She shook her head sadly. "I just want to be with them again…"

April brought her hand up to squeeze Autumn's shoulder. "You'll get to. We'll work it all out. As a team." Autumn grinned. They locked eyes for a moment, until finally April spoke again. "So, things are cool with you and Raph it looks like?"

Autumn's grin grew bigger. "Yeah. I never would have imagined… but it's awesome…" She sighed happily, then her eyes went far away. "He's so hesitant though… he keeps saying he's afraid of losing control. We've barely been to second base… And I'm so ready to take things further…"

April chuckled. "Raph isn't known for his self-control, that's for sure. I can see where he'd be afraid of that. Just having the control to admit that to you is pretty huge."

"I trust him, though," Autumn replied. "He's never given me any reason to feel like he'd hurt me or take things too far…"

April nodded thoughtfully. "You've changed him, or brought something to the surface that nobody ever knew was there, probably not even himself." She met her eyes, then added, "but you both have to be on the same page about all this stuff. This kind of relationship… it's definitely different."

Autumn nodded in reply. "No shit." She then smiled at April, and said, "But honestly I wouldn't change it for anything. It's different, and I'm sure it'll be hard, but it's worth it. I feel like I'm becoming a person I never dreamed I could be. I have this confidence and… love… for myself that I never knew was there, and it makes life so much brighter, ya know?"

April smiled and nodded. "I know."

They paused thoughtfully for a moment, sitting silently on the bed, until finally Autumn sighed. "Go seduce your boyfriend, he's been a lost puppy without you. I shouldn't keep you any longer or he'll never want to be my friend again."

April laughed. "Yeah, I better go see him. I miss him too."

"Thanks for the chat," Autumn said with a smile as April stood up to head toward the door.

"Of course," April replied sincerely. "I needed the girl talk too. Work has been stifling!"

Autumn smiled. "I bet."

"I think Leo and Raph are patrolling tonight. Donnie said he and Mikey were thinking about a movie later. I'm gonna talk to Donnie about your thoughts first though… I'll let you know what he says." April smiled encouragingly at Autumn.

Autumn returned the smile with gratitude. "Thanks," she replied. "I'm going to hang out with Raph for a bit before they patrol." She stood to join April at the door, and they parted ways - April toward the lab and Autumn toward the common room.

April smiled warmly when she caught sight of Donnie working on fixing part of the Shellraiser, his welding hood covering his face as he raised his torch. She shielded her eyes as sparks flew and the room glowed blue, then returned her gaze to him as the blue light ceased and he lifted his hood to inspect his work. Her insides churned - somehow he was even hotter to her with that welding hood on, his position with the torch so masculine… "Hey handsome," she greeted, startling him out of his concentration.

He met her with a broad, gap-toothed grin when he saw her, and immediately ripped the hood from his head and came toward her, pulling her into his arms and inhaling her deeply. "God I've missed you," he groaned into her.

She squeezed him tightly around the neck. "Same here," she replied, then immediately pressed her lips against his. They fell into a deep kiss, wasting no time as their tongues entangled, their longing for each other getting the better of them as they stumbled blindly until Donnie had April pressed up against the wall, his hands already traveling up underneath her shirt and pushing her bra up out of the way. She gasped as his large hands found her breasts and squeezed, and he moaned against her mouth. He moved his lips to her jawline and she tilted her head to grant him more access, and he lipped his way across her neck, stooping to reach her collar bone. He reached his hands down to grab her buttocks, then hoisted her up higher so that her legs wrapped around his waist, hooking onto his carapace, giving him better access to her collar bone. He kissed his way across her shoulder, then pressed his face into her breasts and sighed heavily.

She realized she was panting with excitement. Once he slowed down, resting his head against her chest, she leaned her head back against the wall. "Damn, Donnie," she breathed. "You did miss me."

"Hell yeah I did…" he replied, lifting his head to meet her eyes, then placing her back down on the ground. She teetered a little before regaining her balance, feeling a bit rocked by the sudden onset of passion. She found herself secretly wishing they were further along in their relationship - how hot it would have been if he had taken her right there against the wall…

She swallowed hard, her cheeks growing hot at the thought. She smiled seductively at him and said, "Maybe I should stay away more often…"

Donnie gave her a threatening, yet playful glare. "Hell no, you won't."

April laughed. "No, I couldn't handle it." She glanced over at the Shellraiser. "Whatcha working on?" she asked, with a nod toward the truck.

Donnie sighed, then answered, "Raph likes to take corners a bit too sharp."

April nodded. "He can be a bit reckless."

Donnie began making his way back toward his work again, and April followed behind. "How are those two love birds, anyway?" he asked over his shoulder.

April grinned and took a seat on a stool as Donnie put his hood back on. "Sounds like they're doing pretty good," she answered. "She's head over heels for him."

"I can't believe how much he's changed because of her," Donnie commented.

April shrugged. "I guess we ladies bring out the best in you boys," she replied with a grin.

Donnie laughed and glanced at her from under his hood, pausing from preparing his welding rod. "I think you've only managed to bring out the animal in me," he answered, then flipped his hood down with a jerk of his head.

April licked her lips as her stomach flipped. Everything about what just happened there was so fucking hot. "Mmm…" she purred. "I think you may have done the same to me…" And she reluctantly averted her eyes as the room glowed blue from his torch.

She watched him work between welds, until finally he was done and, after replacing his hood with safety goggles, began grinding the surface smooth. As the sparks flew, she shouted over them. "So Autumn wants to tell her family the truth!" she said, eager to get going with that conversation.

Donnie gave her a hesitant look, then continued focusing on his work. "Well I know Leo is totally against that," he shouted back.

"What about you?"

He looked up at her, pausing the grinder. "What about me?" he asked, his voice lowered to neutral.

April shrugged. "How do you feel about a completely different family knowing that you exist?"

He thought for a moment, his eyes traveling over his work on the metal. "I don't know… I guess I can't make a valid decision without really knowing them. If they're trustworthy people, then yeah… honestly… I kind of like the idea of someone else knowing we exist."

April smiled. "I kind of do, too, actually."

Donnie nodded, then began grinding some more. "I think it'd probably be better for her relationship with Raph, too, if they knew about us, and knew about him," he shouted over the noise.

April nodded. "I agree," she shouted back. He stopped again, so she lowered her voice to normal. "Being with you would be pretty damn hard if I had to keep it a secret from my dad."

Donnie met her eyes, then nodded with a small smile. "It means a lot to me knowing that he knows about us and is okay with it, too."

"Think we can convince Leo to go through with it?" she wondered.

He paused thoughtfully, then looked back up to meet her blue eyes. "Honestly, it's going to be hard enough to convince Raph to go through with it. I can see him being terrified about the idea."

April chuckled. "True," she said, and Donnie continued with his grinding as the sparks flew.

The evening drew on uneventfully. Autumn felt much better after talking to April - her suppressed feelings had been getting the better of her. She knew she needed to talk to Raphael about her idea, but wasn't entirely sure how to word it yet, and therefore was glad he was on patrol that night, so as to give her more time alone to process the idea.

April and Donnie joined Mikey and Autumn in the common room for a movie after Leo and Raph headed out. As the previews played, Mikey busied himself popping popcorn, and Donnie took the opportunity to let Autumn know he was on her side.

"I think it'd be good for you and Raph if your family knew your story," he admitted to Autumn, who smiled in relief.

"You do?" she replied with elation and relief.

Donnie shrugged. "I think we should be able to trust you to know that our secret is safe with them, if you chose to tell them. And it seems like you and Raph are pretty serious, which means having their support will be tantamount in your relationship."

April nodded. "Have you thought about approaching Splinter about the idea?"

Autumn grew nervous at that idea. "A little… He's so intimidating though…"

Donnie smiled. "That's what makes him the best sensei," he agreed. "But I think you'd be surprised at how agreeable he can be. If he sees a good reason behind a decision, he usually goes with it."

"But he's so protective of your secrecy," Autumn argued. "I can't imagine he'd be okay with me telling my parents the truth."

Donnie shrugged. "He has to be if you plan on going that route."

Autumn looked down at her knees and sighed, just as Mikey came in with four large bowls of popcorn. "Going what route?" he questioned.

"Autumn is thinking about telling her parents the truth," Donnie explained, and Autumn shot him a look that could only mean she wasn't entirely sure she wanted that information spread around just yet.

Donnie offered a shrug in reply. "We need the whole group to make a decision eventually, and Mikey is the next most agreeable."

"That's right, DWP, I support you all the way," he said as he passed out popcorn bowls and plopped down on the bean bag chair. He stuffed a handful of popcorn in his mouth, and said with a muffled voice, "Ah fink geebing heecres fum yuh famiy ih a bah iea."

"What?" Autumn asked, giving him a disgusted look.

"He thinks keeping secrets from your family is a bad idea," Donnie translated as he skipped to the movie menu with the remote.

"How did you know that?" Autumn questioned, impressed.

Donnie laughed. "I happen to be a genius," he replied in mock arrogance. "And I've listened to that for the past 15-plus years. It's kind of a second language."

"Gotcha," Autumn replied, sinking back into the couch. "Well, I'm glad I have your support, Mikey," she said to the youngest turtle with a smile.

Mikey winked as he pointed his finger in her direction. "Anything for you, DWP," he replied.

Autumn's mind could not focus on the movie as the four of them settled in. All she could think about was the prospect of telling her family the truth and finally reuniting with them. She was finally human again, which made it that much harder to live down there, hidden underground, away from a world she could finally fit into again. Not that she wasn't enjoying her time with the family, she just wanted her original family back in her life. She pulled out her T-phone and punched a message out to Raph.

Wish you were here 3

It wasn't long before he responded. Wish u were here

You wouldn't rather be snuggling on the couch? she punched back.

U wouldnt rather b hunting bad guys from the rooftops? he replied.

She smiled as she read his message. No. she replied simply. She then added, Save some energy, I want to talk to you tonight.

Raph stared at the screen for a moment after reading her message. Talk to him? About what? Something bad? Good? Everything ok? he punched back hastily, glancing up at Leo to make sure his back was still turned. It was. He was standing at the edge of the rooftop, scouring the streets and alleys below.

Of course. But I'd like it to be a little better…

He narrowed his brows at the message. Better? What was she talking about? Suddenly his phone flipped out of his hand by the tip of a sword, and after arcing through the air it landed in Leo's hand, four feet in front of Raphael. "Pay attention," the leader commanded. "I told you not to let this relationship distract you."

Raph rolled his eyes and began walking toward the edge where Leo had just been standing. "Jealous, Lame-o-nardo?" he asked, and in a flash he snatched his phone back out of Leo's hand as he casually walked past him.

This time Leo rolled his eyes. "No, Raph, I'm concerned. Donnie only improved since he and April got together. He made me feel that maybe this girlfriend thing wouldn't be such a threat to our team." He whirled to make eye contact with Raph, but Raph's back was turned. "You're proving him wrong, apparently."

Raph turned on his heel to face his brother. "Look, nothing is happening right now, if it were, the situation would have my undivided attention, now get your panties out of a bunch and stay out of my shit!"

Leo stepped forward until he was face to face with Raph. "I have every right to get in your shit if your shit is getting in the way of our job," he growled at Raph. "Now focus."

Raph rolled his eyes. As soon as Leo's back was turned again, Raph retrieved his phone and punched one last message to Autumn. Better go, Leo's got a stick up his ass, gotta help him pull it out."

Good luck with that… :-/ Autumn responded, and Raph tucked his phone back in his belt.

"I saw that," Leo grumbled.