A/N: WARNING: Underage alcohol drinking depicted in the next few chapters! I didn't actually mean for this to happen to the extent it does (the legal drinking age in Oz is 18!), but after reading a few warnings on other fics regarding this issue I went digging and found out the legal drinking age is 21 in New York. Nyeh, I'm kinda guessing the 'getting blotto' for Birthdays from mid-teens onwards is a bit of a universal tradition anyway. Especially since all the laws I reviewed from around the world say underage drinking is alright, so long as it isn't in public and there is parental consent involved.

Many thanks once again to CPQ for beta-reading, and to Dragonfly Rider for the review!

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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The turtles didn't get a chance to react to the yell from the bathroom before Casey staggered into the lair from the elevator, a huge barrel on his shoulder, with Angel following behind carrying a couple of wooden supports.
"Holy guacamole, Case! You brought a keg!" Mike cried in excitement, louder than the other exclamations from his brothers.
"Yeah!" Casey managed to grunt, pointing desperately at the edge of the step for Angel to put down the supports for his load. Stepping in with a quick, "Hey Angel.", Leo took the wooden cradles, Don helping position them whilst Raph and Mike shared the load to lower the barrel into position.

"Whoa Case! Ya didn't have ta do this!" Raph beamed at his friend as Casey leaned heavily on the wood to get his breath back.
"Yeah I did. Can't have you boys turning eighteen and remembering it now! That just goes against the laws of nature!" Leo joined in with the appreciative laughter of his brothers, though he forced himself to settle as he caught sight of Splinters' apprehensive expression.
"I promise we'll be responsible and won't get too carried away, Master." assured Leo with a bow.
"Speak for yourself, dude!" Mike blurted, sharing a quick, excited grin with his brother before Raph gave him a warning elbow jab to pay proper respect to their father. Splinter gained their attention with a raised finger.
"Just remember, tomorrow you will be responsible for any consequences from your activities tonight. And that includes mopping the floors."

Splinters' serious tone did little to dampen Mikes' excitement, he practically danced on his toes in anticipation of what was to come. With a massive grin he turned to the girl stood beside Casey.
"So, Angel! Long time, no see! What ya been up to lately huh?"
"Hey, Mikey…!" As the group moved over to the lounge to await the other guests Casey and Raph brought up the rear.
"Where's Ape?" Casey asked, noticing she wasn't in sight.
"She an' Tau are still getting' ready." Raph explained, indicating the closed bathroom door with his thumb.
"Ahhh." sighed Casey, rolling his eyes.

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Angel found herself wedged in the middle of the couch between Casey and Raph, Mike taking up more than just the arm rest sitting above his red clad brother. She didn't mind though. Raph was leaning forward, elbows on knees, taking an occasional gulp of his beer. They had already breached the keg, just to check the contents were alright. Each of the guys, except Splinter, was enjoying a large plastic cup of the stuff. Whilst Mike kept the rest of the group entertained, Angel was carrying on a fairly one sided conversation with Raph.

She always tried to keep a store of tales from the mean streets ready for when she got a chance to talk to Raph. He may not have seemed to be paying attention too much, but he still gave her a small laugh, comment or grin for each graphic skate board crash and try-hard hood come-uppance she described to him. She was grateful to all the turtles for the help they'd given her on occasion, but Raph had scared her a little at first. He was a true tough, he didn't need stupid tats or gang colours to prove it, you could tell from just looking at him. Even so, he always laughed at her stories and jokes. And that made her special, right? Not everyone made him laugh all the time, even his over-the-top brother!

"…so anyway, Dario gets himself loose and pelts down the alley. He manages to trip and fall face first in a pile of bags full of rotten fruit!"
"Heh, sucker!"
"Then, just as he makes it out of the alley, who should he run into but his Aunt. She went medieval on his butt for wrecking his jacket, in front of everyone! It was sooo funny!"
"Hehehe."
"Needless to say, he didn't make a great impression with the Scorpions. I don't think he'll be joinin' them anytime soon!" Angel glanced up expectantly, waiting for Raphs' response. It was pretty obvious she wasn't gonna get one. He was staring, slack-jawed, at something over behind Splinters' armchair.

"April! You look stunning!" Don exclaimed, the sentiment quickly endorsed by almost everyone else. Angel peered around Casey to see April smoothing the front of her bright floral dress, blushing slightly at the compliments. The low, sculptured neckline and calf-length skirt with a split travelling up to her right thigh made a fine show of her figure.
"Oh, you guys!"

Stood just behind April was a girl Angel didn't recognise. Her dress was gunmetal grey, similar to the colour of her eyes. Despite the thin spaghetti straps over her shoulders and the way the material moulded to her curves, the square cut of her dress made it a bit more conservative than Aprils' outfit, ending just above her knees. And it was made more so by the light grey wrap covering her shoulders. Mike leapt off the end of the couch to approach the girl.

"What's this, Tau in a skirt? Never thought I'd see the day! You look awesome too babe!" Despite her deep blush she shoved a hand on his beak, pushing away the kiss he was about to plant on her cheek, though they were both giggling regardless.
"Yeah? Well enjoy the view while ya can, Casanova, 'cos it's all you're gonna get!"
"Awww!" Mike grinned back.
"You do look good in a dress, Tau." Don interrupted.
"Thank you." she mumbled, blushing again, as most of the group agreed with Dons' opinion.

'Crunkle'. The sound of plastic bending caught Angels' attention. Raph hadn't said a word since the girls had appeared; but from the look on his face, and the damage to his cup, he wasn't happy about something.
"C'mon, you gotta meet Angel!" Mike insisted, pulling the girl over to the couch by her wrist.
"Angel? Tausha. Tausha? Angel!" Mike made his thorough introductions, earning a resigned shake of Taushas' head as she extended her hand.
"G'day."
"Hi." responded Angel, with a small frown in confusion at the unusual greeting. Abruptly Raph stood, spilling the last of his drink slightly. With a quiet curse he dumped his cup on the coffee table, brusquely wiping the moisture off his hands on his thighs before he faced Tausha. Angels' frown deepened, why the heck did they both look so nervous?

"I…, I hope you don't mind…" started Tausha diffidently, self-consciously running her hand a short way down the front of her dress "it's the only dress I managed to grab." she half-shrugged with an awkward smile.
"Uh, no. I don't mind. Why would I mind? I always thought that dress looked good on ya…" Raph trailed off uncertainly for a moment "This is new, though." he pointed to the scarf.
"Yeah, well I didn't want to ruin tonight for you guys." she ran a hand up to her left shoulder "This is probably the last thing you and your friends want to see toni…"
"Hey." Raph interrupted with a frown "You don't have anything to be ashamed of, ok?" he cupped her cheek, making her look back to meet his eyes "Ok?" he reiterated sternly.
"Ok." she murmured, though she didn't sound too convincing.

With a low, short growl Raph grabbed the knot in the material, knocking her hands away as she protested.
"What the hell do you think…?" Tausha demanded irately.
"Takin' this off." Raph interjected, in a tone that didn't encourage an argument "If anyone has a problem with seeing it, I'll deal with 'em." He glared down at Casey briefly, before his head shot back up as Tausha whacked his hands away with enough force for the slap to be audible.
"Bugger off! If I wanna wear it, I will!" She matched his scowl for a moment, turning away to fumble with the loosened knot.

"Ahem." Splinter, now stood at the other side of the table, interrupted Raph reaching to grab her back, or throttle her, it wasn't clear which; one hand up to ward off Leos' advance to intervene.
"If I may say so, Tausha, I do believe Raphael is making a valid point; even if he is doing it in an inappropriate manner. I don't think you need fear any further reprisals from anyone regarding your tattoo. Apart from Casey, none of our family or friends has any real reason to resent you for it. And I believe Casey no longer has an issue with it regardless." Having the unspoken query in Splinters' arched eye brow aimed at him was enough to make Casey blurt,
"Nah, 'course not! If yer willing to thump Hun over the head, you're alright by me!"

"I understand you are not proud of the image, but hiding it will not erase it. The sooner you come to accept it as a part of yourself, and realise it represents what you wish it to, the better." Hesitantly Tausha finished what Raph had started with the knot and placed the material in Splinters' waiting outstretched hand.
"Good. I also think the scarf did detract from the aesthetic of your dress. It is nicer without it." Splinter added with a warm smile. Tausha bowed slightly in thanks, not really knowing what to say. As she straightened Raph leaned over to whisper derisively,
"See? And you do look better without it." Tausha shot him a glare, annoyed at him for rubbing it in; her look slowly softening to a shy half-smile.

"Hey, hey Ape!" Mike shattered the moment of peace "Now both you an' Case are here we can get on with the really important stuff, huh? Can we? Huh?" he squirmed, glancing expectantly over to the bags tucked under the table.
"Heh! Ok Mikey!" assured April, heading over to fetch the gifts.
"Augh, I need another drink." murmured Raph, glancing at his crumpled cup before turning to Tausha "You want one?"
"Yeah, sure. Thanks." replied Tausha with a shrug.
"Can I have one too?" Angel pipped up, before Raph took more than a step away.
"Huh? Oh, uh, sure…" answered Raph, heading over to the table himself for more cups.

Angel looked to the floor; hoping no-one had spotted the glower she'd sent Taushas' way as she'd taken Mikes' spot on the arm of the couch. There was something she had instantly disliked about the girl, and having her sat above her seemed like an insult. Maybe 'cos it was added to the injury Angel had felt when she spotted what Tausha had been trying to hide. These guys had all fought so hard to make sure she hadn't become Purple Dragon scum, and now here they were welcoming one into their midst! She couldn't help but wonder if they'd still be her friends if she had joined. And if not, what made this chick so special that they accepted her regardless? Especially Raph; what was the deal there anyway? One moment he was fighting with the girl, the next he's off running errands for her? It just didn't seem right…

"Here you go." beamed April; handing Mike his present. He jigged with glee before dropping cross-legged on the floor to rip open the orange paper.
"I hope you guys like 'em. I thought you could use something a little practical." April said, a little pointedly as she eyed Casey, handing out the rest of the parcels. Raph shoved the precariously balanced trio of cups at Tausha with an impatient "Here."
"Thanks!" she smiled, taking one in each hand leaving him free to thrust the last at Angel as he plonked heavily back on the couch, grabbing the final gift April held out for him.

"OH! Friggin' AWESOME!" shouted Mike in delight, holding up a package of material wrapped in clear plastic. The 'Spiderman' movie logo emblazoned across the front of it. He didn't waste any time trying to tear through the thick plastic.
"Bed sheets?" Leo asked quietly "New, clean sheets… of our own?" he looked at the two packages in his lap in awe. One set was plain, simple pale blue; the other featured a 'Superman' logo on the front.
"Thank you, April. Thank you so much!" grinned Don, leaning over to give her a quick peck on the cheek.
"You're welcome guys. You know it wasn't ju…"
"How did you know 'X-men' was one of my favourite comics?" Don asked, too distracted to realise he'd spoken over what April had been saying.
"Well I was just going to say, that Tau helped with that. I was going to get you two plain sets to start off with; one cream and one you're favourite colour. But I thought that would be a bit too boring, so Tau came up with the idea for this."

Leaping up with his doona cover tied around his shoulders like a cape, his favourite hero climbing up his back upon it, Mike clutched April in a fierce bear hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Releasing his first victim he leapt over the coffee table to clasp Tausha next, repeating his mantra.
"Arrgh! Get off me ya lug!" she giggled "I only helped a little with an idea… it was still April and Casey that got 'em for ya."
"Yeah! But it was a great idea!" Mike enthused, crushing her harder.
"Uurgh…" groaned Tausha, lolling her head back dramatically, her grin ruining the act.

"Mike! Let her go!" snapped Raph. Stepping back to splay his hands in cheeky innocence Mike drawled,
"What?"
"You're, ah… gonna spill my beer, moron!" grumbled Raph, rescuing the cup Tausha was holding over his lap and downing half its contents.
"I'm glad ya like 'em…" mumbled Tausha; sobering quickly "I'm afraid I couldn't really get you anything myself…" she trailed off, inspecting the contents of her own cup. With a laugh Mike grabbed her, chin and forehead, smacking a quick, noisy kiss to her cheek.
"Don't sweat it, babe!" he assured before launching himself at Casey "Thanks so much, dude!" Casey didn't get to answer as Mikes' arm squished his throat.

Angel grimaced in disgust, flicking the edge of Mikes' cape off her jeans. At least Raph didn't seem too excited about this rubbish. He was just sat looking at the stack on his lap over his cup, one hand resting under the picture of the 'Batmobile,' the 'Dark Knight' swooping down from above it. He waited until his brothers had finished their thanks before leaving his bundle on his seat to show his appreciation to Casey with a rough noogie, and a gentle hug for April.

Returning to the couch Raph didn't sit straight away. Standing awkwardly in front of Tausha he mumbled with a bashful smile,
"Thanks. They are kinda cool…" Despite shaking her head slightly Tausha's warm grin didn't falter until she heard Angel scoff.
"C'mon Raph! You can't tell me you like this kiddies stuff?" With a grimace Raphs' face matched his bandana as he inspected his toes.
"Ah, well… I guess I did kinda grow outta comics an' stuff years ago…" Angel couldn't help a smirk as Tausha, crestfallen; suddenly found her empty cup engrossing.
"Sorry…" she murmured.
"Don't be." interrupted Splinter "A wise man strives for maturity of mind, whilst staying young at heart." Don slapped a hand over Mikes' mouth to quell the inevitable comment concerning Raphs' wisdom, or lack thereof.
"Uh, yeah! What he said!" Raph pointed to his father without turning, a slight note of desperation in his voice "I do think it's kinda cool still. I mean, Batman always was the greatest! No matter what anyone else might say…" he did turn briefly at that to glare evilly at Mike "But, really, thanks…, hey?"

Raph worriedly searched Tausha's face until she looked up with a small smile, his own face lighting up in relief.
"Heh, it's ok. Like I said, you shouldn't be thanking me, it was just an idea… it's alright if you don't like it." she shrugged. Crooking his finger under her chin to lift it Raph looked her straight in the eye.
"I do, alright?" they shared a goofy grin as she nodded, Raph gently taking her cup "I'll get ya a refill, 'k?"
"Sure."

"I did get you guys something a little fun as well. Though I'm afraid you're gonna have to share it." announced April, fishing out a smaller package. Already having his arm around Mikes' head gave Don the advantage in the brief struggle between the two to grab it, though he still offered Mike one half to rip open.
"OH! Brilliant! It's the 'Lord of the Rings' Collectors' Edition!" enthused Don, proudly holding the box out for Leo to grin hugely at.
"Cool!" squealed Mike, promptly leaping about chanting "Movie night! Movie night!" until he almost tripped over his cape as it came loose.
"Surely not tonight, Michelangelo?" queried Splinter with a smile.
"Nah, but there's always tomorrow!" answered Mike excitedly.
"Hmm, we'll see. For now I suggest you all place your gifts away somewhere safe for the evening." he suggested, helping Mike to gather his strewn sheets off the floor.

Splinter was resignedly carrying the large pile of sheets, thankfully most still in their packaging, to his room as the turtles finished thanking April once more. Raph was just giving her a light kiss on the cheek as the elevator opened. What seemed to be two mutants, one a white rabbit, the other a rhino carrying a large satchel, both in Japanese style clothing, stepped into the lair.
"Usagi-san! Gen-san!" called Leo in greeting as all the turtles rushed over to greet the new-comers, quickly bringing them over to the lounge to make introductions. Splinter had managed to resume his seat, after greeting the two himself, before Usagi fetched an ornately crafted wooden box out of Gens' bag and placed it in Leos' hands.
"I don't know if it is the same here, but in our world it is traditional to offer gifts on such auspicious occasions. This is for all of you, Leo-san."

Leo paused for just a moment for his brothers to crowd around before he lifted the lid. Mikes' grin froze in confusion as the box was opened, though Leo immediately gave a gasp in appreciation. Inside were two thin ceramic bottles, one at each side. Nestled in a bed of material between them were nine tiny ceramic dishes with small stands on their bases. They weren't perfectly round; each had a small indent on one side. The whole set was glazed in emerald green.
"Domo arigato gosei-masu." Leo thanked his friend in formal Japanese as he bowed deeply.
"Yeah. They're really pretty. But, like, what're they for?" Mikes' query earned him a disapproving frown from Leo, though Gen answered for him as he dumped an open-topped crate containing six large ceramic jars on the coffee table.
"This! The best saki you'll ever get to taste!"
"Oh man, this is gonna be a good night!" grinned Raph.

Splinter closed his eyes in appreciation of the rice wine he sipped as Casey sputtered on his.
"Gees, I thought it was a bit of cheek that the cups were so small, but now I know why!" he exclaimed, rubbing his mouth on his sleeve.
"Wuss!" teased Raph, tossing back his third dishful.
"You are supposed to sip it Raph, to appreciate the taste." Leo admonished.
"I do appreciate it, the aftertaste anyway!" Gen laughed and lifted his dish in agreement before downing his fourth drink in a gulp.

The amiable conversation was disturbed a few minutes later by the door to the tunnels opening. Again the turtles rushed to greet their friends, both Angel and Tausha standing to be introduced. The huge mutant that entered commanded that kind of innate respect, or at least the need to be ready to run. Tausha made a mental to note to thank April profusely for giving her some warning about this, though the brief annoyance she felt at Raphs' failure to do so dissipated at the reassuring feel of his hand on the small of her back.

Tausha couldn't help thinking of the song she had sung with her mother as a child.
"Never smile at a crocodile…" but she figured that didn't apply where the croc could take offence if you didn't return the show of teeth. Steeling herself to return Leatherheads' firm handshake she found herself pleasantly surprised at his politeness; though she was still a little relieved when he stepped back to allow the mechanoid that had accompanied him to the fore.
"So this is Tausha." exclaimed Professor Honeycutt, clasping her hand "We have heard a lot about you from Donatello and Splinter over the last few weeks."
"Oh!" Tausha, a little surprised, searched for a moment for something to say "I hope it wasn't all bad… I can be good on occasion!" she grinned awkwardly.
"Not to worry my dear." assured the Professor, patting her hand gently "I understand you have a keen interest in the natural world, and Donatello believes you have a good mind for science. I have a theory regarding the evolution of the vertebrate species on this planet and I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on it."
"Sure." Tausha shrugged "Though I'm not really a scientist or anything…"

Raph looked a little lost as Tausha wandered off, engrossed in her conversation with the Professor.
"Hey Raph, would you like another beer?" Angel offered.
"Huh? Yeah…" the huge smile and clasp on his arm she gave him before she raced off baffled him. An odd distortion in the air above the dojo quickly put it out of his mind.
"Heads up guys!" he yelled in warning, drawing his sai. His family and friends quickly followed suite; falling into a defensive line, weapons at the ready. Professor Honeycutt ushering the three girls back towards the kitchen for safety, despite their reluctance to go.

The distortion increased, luminescent blue bubbles of energy appearing from nowhere until a flash of bright light caused everyone to shield their eyes as something fell the six feet to the stone floor; the usual mats had been packed away for tonight. Raph started a charge towards the intruder as the light quickly faded, his battle cry petering out as a tall girl dressed in a blue bodysuit covered in clocks picked herself up off the ground, righting her hat before promptly tripping on her over-long cape, falling against Raph and knocking them both to the floor.

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that…" the new arrival apologised as she tried awkwardly to crawl off Raphs' chest.
"Renet, are you OK!" exclaimed Mike, giving her a hand to stand up "What are you doin' here?"
"Renet?" interrupted Raph harshly "Get the hell off me, urk!" he gurgled as she accidentally stepped on his throat.
"Sorry! Sorry!" she uttered again quickly before grinning at Mike "Well, I've been studying really hard lately, and I passed my 'Trans-temporal Manifestations' exam on the first go! So Lord Simultaneous actually gave me a night off, for once! So, like, I checked in the 'bauble of prophecy' and spotted a high probability of you guys having an awesome party tonight…"