A/N: WARNING: There are some 'stronger adult themes' in this chapter than those that have been covered in this series previously. I don't think it contains anything that pushes it out of the 'M' rating, but I feel a heads up is in order regardless. As always, if you disagree with the rating, or anything else, feel free to let me know.

A huge thankyou to CPQ for beta-reading; and to The Incredible Dancing Betty, The REAL Cheese Monkey and Dragonfly Rider for the reviews!

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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Raph managed to crack open an eye, quickly shutting it against the sharp assault the light made upon it. He lay still, waiting for his wits to gather themselves and slowly report on the status of the rest of him. It was pretty much what he'd expected.

His brain was attempting to kick its way out of the front of his skull to escape. His stomach was flashing a red light warning that Mikes' cake had better taste as good coming up as it had going down. A cotton wool factory had set up residence in his mouth, though his lips felt strangely waxy as he worked them in a vain attempt to encourage some moisture in his mouth; and every muscle was threatening dire consequences if he tried to move at all. Not that he was really tempted to. For some reason he also felt snugly warm and comfy just where he was.

Slowly he dared to open his eyes again, managing to focus past his slightly askew bandanna on his two sai glinting on the small bedside table under the glow from the lamp. At least he hadn't misplaced them this time. He gave in to the demands from his stinging eyes to rest them a little longer, his brow furrowing after a moment. How could he see his sai without sitting up at all? His desk doubled as his bedside table, was lower than his hammock, and the canvas of his bed partially blocked the view regardless.

His eyes flickering open he tried to look about the relatively bare, unfamiliar room. That was when he realised he couldn't move his head, downward at least. It was blocked by something. A solid something, covered in hair, wedged under his chin. His mind picked that moment to compute he was so warm due to the limbs entwined with his own, and the feel of someone hugged tightly against his plastron.

He felt a moment of pure panic.
'Don't let it be Renet. Dear God anybody but Renet! Please?' he silently, desperately prayed. He slowly lifted his head so as not to disturb the 'someone', and in deference to the violent protests from his skull. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realised it was Tau he was embracing, snuggled in her single bed. He couldn't help a goofy grin as he relaxed carefully back on the pillow, breathing deep to savour the faint apple scent her hair always seemed to have.

His grin slowly faded as the possible ramifications of the situation coalesced in his mind. How had they ended up like this? Did anyone else know? He grimaced as he racked his addled brain for answers that he just couldn't find. He remembered leaving the kitchen; sitting on the couch talking with Tau for a while as they managed to put a good dent in one of the large jars of saki. Things were a little hazy from that point.

They had returned to the dance floor, back to the beer again. Especially as Renet managed to snag him for what had felt like forever, though he had no idea what she'd been giggling and going on about. After that there were only a few disjointed memories. Leatherhead looking thoroughly confused as Don seriously insisted the answer was '42'; the real problem was the question. Relief as Tau said something to Renet to get her to leave him in peace and go bug Mike instead. Doubling over with laughter at Leo falling on his butt trying to show Usagi a new kata he'd developed, that obviously required a greater sense of balance than the amount of alcohol his brother had consumed allowed. Another of a close hug he'd shared with Tau in the shadows under the stairs.

He groaned lightly in frustration, but no matter how he tried he couldn't recall anything else. Least of all the answer to the most important query; what had they done? They hadn't…, had they? Given they were tucked under the covers of Taus' bed, wrapped in each others arms with his right leg tucked between hers, he figured the evidence was leaning towards the affirmative. He sighed in exasperation.
"Friggin' typical." he muttered in quiet anguish "Trust me not to remember it!"

"Hmmm?" Tausha stirred, nuzzling her face slightly against his neck. Raph bit his lip to belatedly shut himself up. A flurry of butterflies in his tender stomach was caused in part by the feel of her moving against him, but mainly by a sudden worry about how she was gonna take the situation. Thinking it would be best if she didn't wake up just yet (couldn't he cop a small break and just enjoy having her so close for a little longer before she freaked out?), he gently tried to hold her closer; hoping that would soothe her into returning to sleep.

"Hmm, um…, uh…, huh?" each murmur was louder and less contented until she tipped her head back to look at him in dazed confusion. Unsure what to say Raph settled for a sheepish grin in return. Taushas' brow creased slightly as she lifted her head to look about herself, almost pulling backwards out of his arms completely before realising with a shock she didn't have very much room to manoeuvre in her half of the narrow bed; clutching him tight again to avoid the drop she felt yawning behind her. Raph happily secured her within his embrace once more.

"What the…? How…? We… didn't… did we?" Tau whispered, her eyes widening in distress causing a savage catch in Raphs' chest. Taken aback a little, despite expecting her to react along similar lines, Raph demanded more harshly than he intended,
"Don't you remember?" Tausha flushed a deep crimson, contritely dropping her gaze.
"No." she admitted quietly, before meeting his eyes again "Do you?" Raph blushed, looking shame-faced himself.
"No." he finally murmured, searching her face to try to gauge how annoyed she was at his confession.
"Oh." Tau took a moment to digest the situation, her face set in concentration.

To Raphs' relief she only gave him a brief scowl for his insolence before she loosened her grip on him enough to push the covers off their shoulders. Tausha ran her hand over the material of the top of her dress that her action revealed. She gave him an uncertain glance, starting to chew on her lip. Raph frowned slightly in confusion at her behaviour until he felt her fingertips brush the top of his thigh as she moved her hand up her own leg. The light touch and the realization she was hitching up her skirt sent a dizzying wave of heat up Raphs' abs, all the way to his aching head. Involuntarily he whimpered slightly, his rational mind fighting a losing battle to have its' demands obeyed for his body to rest; swiftly overwhelmed by a more primal directive.

"I don't think so." Taushas' smile of relief shone through the battle-haze to register in Raphs' consciousness.
"Huh?"
"I've still got my knickers on. And you, ugh" she rubbed her stomach with a grimace "still have your belt on. Damn thing's been embossed on my gut!" she grinned. Raph gave an awkward half-smile in return, feeling an odd mix of relief and disappointment as she relaxed beside him. She continued with a small laugh,
"It's a good thing you took your sai off, or you'd have been poking me all night!"

Her smile froze as she realised too late just how her comment could be misconstrued, Raph gaping at her in bemused shock. She scowled lightly as he started to giggle, not appreciating being the butt of the joke. But that just made him chuckle more. With a sheepish smile she started to snigger, and that seemed to set Raph off laughing in earnest. Drawn along by his infectious mirth, Tausha soon joined in; both inadvertently grasping each other close again in their hysterics.

They managed to settle after a few minutes; both groaning, their heads aching in protest as they relaxed back, face to face, on the pillow. Still, Tausha couldn't help a warm smile as she met Raphs' eyes, her grin widening as he returned the look. Though there was something deeper in his gaze. Something that reached into her chest with a strong grip, that made it seem natural that he would close the small gap between them to gently rub his beak against the tip of her nose. Some small residue of reason made her tip her head forward slightly. Not enough to break the contact, just enough to let him know her lips were out of bounds.

Raph applied a soft pressure, not for her to tip her head back as she expected however. Instead he silently urged her to turn her head away from the pillow. Tausha only hesitated a moment, curiosity winning her over. Raph leisurely traced his beak down the side of her nose to her cheek; making a slow, thorough exploration of the territory from top to bottom with his closed lips. Each sweep moved gradually closer to her ear, making her turn her head further. The hypnotic tingle the brush of his rough skin sent down her spine pushed any notion of her hindering his venture out of her head.

Reaching her temple Raph paused to breathe deeply against her hair, before following the line of her ear down to the top of her neck. Tausha felt a little anxious about what, if anything, she would do if he started kissing her now as he turned his head without breaking his contact with her skin, opening his mouth a little. Instead of kissing her however, he opted for languidly running the twin trails of his lips down her neck. His warm breath adding to the rapture Tausha felt at the sensation. A ragged sigh escaped her as she closed her eyes, unconsciously shifting onto her back, turning her head completely to give him free access for his return trip up her neck.

To maintain the contact Raph found himself having to lean over her a little, moving his leg up slightly to support his weight. The small movement of his thigh between hers burnt away the last remnants of rational thought in Taushas' mind as she willingly co-operated, turning her head back for him as he traced the line of her jaw to her chin. He teased her for a moment, playfully running his beak over the soft skin just beneath her lower lip before he pulled away slightly.

Tausha lay still with baited breath as she felt him hovering so close she could virtually feel his lips against hers already. She quickly grew uneasy, wondering why he wasn't moving.
'Maybe he's waiting for me?' flickered through her mind. Throwing all caution to the wind she lifted her head, missing his lips completely as he jerked his head back, his whole body suddenly tense. Taushas' eyes flew open to check what was wrong, only catching a glimpse of his grimace before he threw back the sheets, launched himself off the bed, wrenched open her door and fled down the alcove.

Tausha couldn't stifle a gasp in dismay, instantly feeling crushed; though it quickly turned to a groan of relieved disgust as she heard the unmistakable sounds of retching echoing from her bathroom at the end of the hall. She shivered as her body complained about the sudden loss of the blankets, though the chill seemed to snap her addled mind back into action. She could almost hear a lecturing voice berating her from her sub-conscious.
'What the heck were you doing? How could you be so stupid as to let things get out of hand like that? You know there are some incredibly good reasons why you can't!'
'Yeah…' she mentally answered, though she still couldn't think straight for the spinning her brain was doing 'yeah, I know… Like, um…, what again?'
'You're leaving. You know the only chance at some sort of normal life you've got is half way round the world. It's not like he can tag along for the ride. He and your Dad have sworn to kill each other. Either way that's not gonna turn out good. Leo would kill you. Both.' Tausha could sense the lecturer ticking the points off their fingers matter-of-factly before shaking an accusatory finger 'And last but not least, he's a turtle! Just what kinda relationship do you think you're gonna be able to have with him, huh? No 'white picket fence' there, that's for sure! You're both just gonna end up getting hurt for your trouble, one way or another.'

"Augh! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Tausha quietly scolded herself, driving each point home with the heel of her hand against her forehead. The resultant throbbing she incurred made her wrap her hand tightly over her eyes for a moment to stop her skull falling apart. Tentatively lifting her hand away, as the pain settled back into a dull ache behind her eyes, she realised she could still hear Raph from the bathroom. With a groan she hauled herself off the bed and trudged down the alcove to check on her friend. He was right where she expected him to be, kneeling in front of the toilet.

As Tausha stood beside him Raph looked up at her with such a remorseful expression it almost broke her heart. With as reassuring a half-smile as she could muster she shook her head slightly.
"It's alright." she murmured. Raph tried a small, embarrassed grin, his effort thwarted as he lurched forward again. With a resigned sigh Tausha rescued his bandanna tails before they slipped off his shoulder into the bowl, keeping hold of them and giving his shoulder a light rub in consolation until he managed to sit back on his heels again with a groan. He didn't move as Tausha fetched him a cup of water, giving her a weak smile in gratitude before he washed out his mouth.
"Thanks…" he croaked, handing back the empty cup as he grabbed a heap of toilet paper to wipe his face.
"No dramas." Tausha replied over her shoulder, walking back to the sink to wash the cup "Just remember it if I ever need the favour returned, ok?"

He did a quick double-take looking at the mess he'd roughly wiped off his lips.
'Huh? I haven't eaten carrots for days! An' what the hell's that?' he thought, noticing an odd reddish smear. It certainly wasn't blood. Deciding it was probably best he didn't know he tossed the paper and flushed the toilet. Unsteadily he got to his feet to wander over to the cabinet to give his hands and face a rough wash.
"D'ya mind?" he asked, holding up her toothpaste.
"Nah, 'course not. Do you want me to go grab your toothbr…?" Tausha didn't bother ending her query as Raph squeezed the tube directly in his mouth, ducking down to get some water straight from the tap.

He grinned as inanely as he could whilst sloshing round the mouthful, in return for her rolling her eyes at him, before she turned back to trying ineffectually to wipe off the remnants of her make-up with another tissue. She was bent over, attempting to remove the smudges of colour from around her eyes, gazing intently in the small, slightly cracked mirror propped on the counter Don had found for her a few days ago.

A tissue she'd already used and left on the side caught Raphs' attention. It had a similar stain to the one he'd noticed from his own clean up.
"What's that?" he pointed, after spitting his improvised mouthwash in the sink.
"Huh? Oh, just some damn lipstick. I swear; it's impossible to get this darn stuff off completely! Argh, I give up." she pouted, gathering up her bundle of wasted tissues and tossing them forcibly in the bin. Turning back she caught sight of an odd expression on Raphs' face, almost like he'd been caught out doing something he shouldn't, before he tried to hide it behind a nonchalant grin.

"Um…" Tausha chewed her lip nervously for a moment "About uh, last night. It doesn't really change anything… Does it?" she asked nervously.
"Huh?"
"I mean, it's not like anything happened that was anything more than where we're at now anyway…" flustered Tausha "We hug an' stuff all the time. Just 'cos we cuddled for… a while and we were obviously tired and cold or we wouldn't have ended up in… Ah, it really wasn't anything more than a couple of friends would… do… really… was it?"
"Uh, I dunno. I, uh, I… guess so." Raph mumbled to the floor. Tausha beamed in relief, reaching out to clasp his arm lightly.
"I knew you'd understand. You are a good friend, Raph."
"Yeah." muttered Raph, unable to meet her eyes.
"Even so," Tausha continued, unperturbed "It's probably best if we keep it to ourselves, huh?"

Somehow Raph managed to bite back on particularly sarcastic remark regarding his intentions to announce their sleeping arrangements to the world. Instead he decided to shove the ball back in her court.
"Why not?" he curtly asked, with a shrug. Tausha quirked a sceptical eyebrow at him.
"Well…, others may not see it that way." she explained "Like Leo, for instance. He'd probably think I was trying to seduce you as part of some evil plot and give me the boot!"
"You mean; you weren't?" Raph queried, raising an eye ridge of his own, enjoying the flush of colour that spread on her cheeks.
"NO! I thought we just agreed on that!" she blurted.
"Yeah…" Raph drawled, tipping his head to one side in consideration "But then I did end up in your room…" It was all he could do to stop himself grinning as she face faulted.

"So?" she demanded, crossing her arms in a huff "That doesn't mean I invited you or anything. Knowing you, you probably snuck in there!"
"What? Snuck in; climbed in your bed, between you an' the wall, and hugged ya; all without you realising?"
"Yeah." Tausha defiantly reinforced her argument, though her movements were a little jerky as she turned her nose in the air.
"Man, you are nuts! Maybe I shoulda gone with Angel…" Raph grumbled, instantly regretting teasing her with that as Tau stiffened, her face going pale. She turned away from him before she muttered her reply.
"Yeah… maybe you should have…"

Mentally kicking himself Raph searched desperately for something to say. Tausha hadn't sounded angry, just… sad. And now she was just stood there, arms tightly crossed, back to him, not moving at all. The sight of her like that wedged a lump in his throat.
"Hey." he uttered, she didn't respond.
"Hey." he said a little louder, gripping her gently by the shoulders when she still didn't react. She resisted his first attempt to turn her to face him. With the second he used enough force to not give her much choice in the matter. She still refused to look at him, turning her face away with her mouth set in a grim line.
"Hey!" he urged again, shaking her slightly; starting to feel a desperate need to get her to at least acknowledge him.
"It was my choice that we stay friends, and I can live with that." she whispered, still pointedly not looking at him "And I can live with you finding someone else. That's only fair. But, please, don't rub your other relationships in my face. I… can't…" she faltered as her voice cracked, blinking back tears.

Unable to think of the right words to say Raph pulled her close, hoping she'd be able to figure out what he meant better then he could. She didn't return his embrace, though he was still relieved when she nuzzled her face against his shoulder.
"I'm sorry…" she snuffled, not lifting her head.
"Huh, you're sorry?" Raph asked in disbelief, wasn't that supposed to be his line?
"Yeah." Tausha nodded awkwardly, still not raising her head off his shoulder "I shouldn't be getting all emotional like this. I don't want you to think I'll get upset if you wanna… I meant it when I said whatever happens with you an' Angel is ok…"
"Nothing's happenin' with me an' Angel." assured Raph.
"But…?"
"No 'buts'. It can't anyway, she's only fourteen." he explained.

Tausha looked up, eying him dubiously.
"She is? I thought she was older than that…"
"I didn't realise she was that young either." admitted Raph with a shrug. Tausha thought for a moment before attempting a conciliatory smile.
"I guess you just have to wait a few years then, huh? I'm sure you two could still work things out."
"Tau…" Raph tried in vain to interrupt as Tausha frowned slightly.
"You didn't say anything too stupid did you? I did tell you to be nice. I know she slapped you, but maybe we could figure out some way to make it up to her…"
"Tau…" interceded Raph; a note of warning in his voice that had no effect what-so-ever as Tausha gazed past him in contemplation.
"We could set you up a dinner here, or you could take her some flowers and apologise. No, wait, chocola… mmmm!" her plans interrupted as he grasped the back of her head and kissed her hard on the lips.

She gaped at him in shock as he pulled back with scowl.
"Shut up!" he ordered sternly "It is not gonna happen, ok?"
"Oh…, ok…" she murmured.
"Do me a favour. I won't tease ya about other girls if you don't try to shove me into any 'other relationship'. Deal?" he growled. Tau nodded distractedly, still looking astonished.
"Deal." she whispered.
"Good." grunted Raph, using his hold on her head to pull her into a tight embrace.

Having her arms pinned to her sides by his biceps there was little Tau could do to return the hold as she gradually relaxed. His shell thwarting her attempts to move her hands to his back she settled for resting them lightly on his hips instead. After a moment Raph felt her tense again.
"You have to let me go." she whispered, Raph responded by crushing her harder against his cheek.
"Raph, please, let me go?" she begged quietly, starting to push against him.
"Don't wanna." pouted Raph.
"Please, Raph…!" The desperation in her voice made him ease his grip to look at her in concern. Tau took the opportunity to swiftly wriggle downwards, out of his grasp, before making a dash to lean over the toilet.

Resignedly Raph made his way over to stand beside her, pulling back the many loose strands that had escaped the roll in her hair. In part to distract himself from what Tau was doing he started to comb out the tangles with his fingers. Gaining a break in her body's attempts to purge itself Tau gave him a weak, side-long smile in gratitude.
"Thanks."
"No worries. It's what friends are for, right?" Raph assured. Tau didn't get to answer as her stomach decided it wasn't quite done yet.

She gave him another weak smile after she'd finished, before pulling her hair out of his grasp as she walked quickly over to the sink to wash her face and hands. She could feel him approach and stand behind her, though he didn't say a word. Unsure what to say Tau decided to buy herself some more time to think by brushing her teeth, starting to feel edgy in the continuing quiet. Rubbing her hands over her face as she straightened, dumping her toothbrush back in its holder, more to break the silence than anything else she exclaimed,
"Gees! I need a shower!"

Raph laughed softly, almost against her neck, making her start slightly. She was sure he hadn't been that close before, and something in his laugh sent a tingle straight down her spine.
"That sounds like a good idea. Wanna share one?" he murmured cheekily.
"Raph! You're not serious!" Tau admonished sternly over her shoulder.
"Uh…? Nah, not… really." Raph mumbled, his grin turning to an uncertain frown.
"Oh! Thank goodness!" breathed Tau, hand to chest.
"Bet'cha wouldn't be so bothered if Mike asked ya…" he muttered darkly. Tau eyed him over her shoulder again, clearly assessing his sanity.
"That's 'cos I know Mike's never serious. With you it's… harder to tell." she trailed off.

Raph brooded for a moment.
"What would ya do if you did think he was serious?" he asked quietly.
"Thump him over the head with the nearest blunt object." Tau stated matter-of-factly, a note of concern in her voice as she continued "Why? You don't think he is serious, do you?"
"Nah." Raph quickly denied "It's just Mikey bein' Mikey. I was just… wonderin'."
"He really is only a friend, Raph. But, if you're not comfortable with us flirting… I'll be sure to tone it down a bit anyway. Ok?" She turned as far as she was able, still wedged between him and the bench, to clasp his shoulder in assurance.
"Don't worry about it." Raph said shortly "I know yer just both havin' fun. But I'm you're friend too, right? So why can't I have some fun with ya?"

Tausha sighed, trying to think of a way to explain it.
"You can, Raph. I suppose I did over-react, and I probably wouldn't have if Mike said the same thing. But I don't feel… he and I could ever be more than friends, even if we didn't have to face all the same problems that you and I are." she chewed her lip for a moment "I don't mind if you want to… 'be suggestive' when we're messing about. But, sometimes it does… make life… difficult?" she offered with an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry…" she quickly added as his frown deepened.
"No." Raph shook his head "It's alright. I… get it." he managed to plaster a smile on his face.

"So, we are friends?" Tausha searched his face as he nodded slightly "Um, 'cos friends shouldn't really, you know…, kiss." she mumbled.
"Yeah, well if you'd listened to me I wouldn't have had to!" protested Raph.
"Sorry." Tausha apologised, colouring slightly.
"Augh, would you stop sayin' that?" Raph asked, exasperated. Tausha gave a small cheeky grin.
"Sorry."
"If you say that one more time, I swear I'll kiss ya again!" threatened Raph. Tau laughed lightly before motioning her lips were locked shut, the 'key' thrown over her shoulder.

They shared an empathetic smile, before Raph motioned towards the door with a nod of his head.
"C'mon, we'd better make a move. Reckon we'd still have a tough time explaining why we're in here together if we get caught. I'll head down first; leave ya in peace to get cleaned up. I suppose I'd better check how badly Leos' flipping out over the state of the lair. Bet'cha anything he'll want us to get it spick an' span before Splinter gets back."

Tau nodded, before eying the boarded up shower recess. Hanging on it were various warnings; 'Artist at work', 'Top secret', 'Do not enter on pain of horrid torture!'
"You know, if Mikey really did care for me he'd have gotten that finished already." she moaned light-heartedly. She didn't complain about it, but she was looking forward to not having to share the 'boys' bathroom.
"Uh…, yeah." Raph agreed with an awkward smile, that Tau managed to miss, as he guided her over to the door.