A/N: Wheee! Reviews! Can't tell ya how happy I am to be getting 'em! Nice to hear cold, harsh reality is easing off a bit for some of ya and letting you have some time in the world of fan fics again. Thank you so very muchly to minlee1, artykidd and The REAL Cheese Monkey for the reviews for last chapter. I'm glad to hear you're still enjoying this tale. Hoping you like this chapter… -cheeky grin-.
Thank you too, to TheIncredibleDancingBetty for all the reviews for earlier chapters. Hope you get a chance to catch up soon chica. I'm keen to know what you think of this fic.
And before we start; can we have a round of applause for my betas please? CPQ and artykidd; they both contribute so much to this series. Catching flubs, supplying bunnies, vetting ideas… it's all good! And most appreciated.
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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It was late, and Tau was enjoying the tranquillity of sitting alone on the rickety, wooden porch swing; watching the gentle fall of snow in the light spilling from the living room windows. Her face was the only part of her exposed to the chill of the night, just. She had her thick, woollen duffle coat on over her shirt and skivvy, her hands buried deep in its pockets and the hood drawn close over her head. As per usual, she had on her jeans and boots, but was grateful the jacket also covered her thighs, and that she had decided to pack her long football socks, having them pulled up to her knees under the denim.
After the fiasco with the portrait, everyone had set out on a tour of the farm to build their appetites for dinner. Casey was obviously quite proud to show off his Grandmothers' property; though Tau had been surprised at the way April had prodded her for her opinion of the place, and she had tried to keep her appraisal of the ramshackle estate up-beat. The walk was cut short however, as the snow began in earnest. It hadn't let up for the rest of the day, and everyone had settled down for a quiet afternoon of board-games to pass the time until dinner. Well, as quiet as having five fairly hyper guys trapped in a relatively small room together can get.
Tau pulled her hand out of her pocket to stifle a little burp. Dinner had been over two hours ago now, and she still felt absolutely stuffed. Not that she regretted it - it had been a darn tasty turkey - but she was starting to think the second serving of Christmas cake hadn't been the wisest idea. She hadn't wanted Mike to cut into it to start off with; the little scene of a snowman and Christmas tree he'd sculpted out of the thick layer of icing on the top of it looked way too cute to eat. Once it had been sliced through, she'd figured the best homage she could give it would be to enjoy it; so she had, very much so!
As soon as the meal was over Splinter had invited everyone to play a game with his new poker set. Tau had thought it odd someone would give the Sensei such a gift; he didn't really seem to be the gambling type to her. After a few hands though, she found herself resolving to never play with him for real money. She hadn't played card games much before, so she didn't take it too hard when she lost her stack of chips before anyone else. Instead she took the opportunity to take a little time for herself; to enjoy the novelty of watching the snow fall, and mull over the days' events. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, Leos' earlier comment in the kitchen, and the way it had made her react, had given her plenty of food for thought.
The creak of the front door opening distracted her from her musings.
"Hey." said Raph casually, walking by in front of her to lean on his forearms on the porch railing, looking out into the silent storm himself.
"Hey!" she smiled back "Didn't think you'd be out of the game this soon!"
"Nyeh." he shrugged "Never try to bluff against a rat."
He turned around to face her as she sniggered lightly,
"You ok?"
"Yeah." she replied breezily "Why?" She shuffled over to the left, to give him room to sit. It meant she was closer to the darkened kitchen window, but could continue to watch the drifting snow flakes past his profile as he accepted her tacit invitation.
"I was wonderin' why you came out here. You're not upset or anythin'?" he asked cautiously.
"About what?" she countered, genuinely baffled.
"I dunno, thought you might be missing your folks."
Taus' smile dissolved and she chewed her bottom lip for a moment before she answered,
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't…but I have enjoyed spending Christmas here. Besides, I know they wouldn't want me to keep getting so mopey every time I try to celebrate something without them. I think Grandad would have really loved this though. He always complained that sitting around a swimming pool barbequing shrimp was no way to spend Christmas." she gave a little laugh "He used to put on a 'traditional' Christmas dinner every year when I was a kid; until Mum banned him from using the oven 'cos it made the house too hot!"
He joined in with her chuckle for a moment,
"Man, I can't imagine a 'hot' Christmas!"
"Heh, this is my first 'cold' one since I was a really little kid; so I can't remember them too well. You probably find it boring, but I just love watching the snow. It's so serene and beautiful; makes
it kinda hard to get too down about anything."
Raph watched her as she studied the drift of the flakes that danced in the light from the windows for a moment; happy to see the little smile of wonder that played on her lips, noticing as she gave a little shiver.
"I wouldn't call it 'boring'." he assured softly. "Pity it's so damn cold though, huh?" She grinned, nodding in agreement.
"Here." he invited, resting his arm along the back of the seat. The briefest thought flickered through her mind that accepting his offer might not be the smartest move. But she quashed it, reasoning she was too cold to care, and leaned into his embrace, resting her head against the thick material of his long-coat on his shoulder.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, just enjoying the peace and warmth of each others' company. Feeling drowsy and content, Tau stifled a yawn and then snuggled her cheek back against him.
"Thank you." she murmured.
"For what?" he asked quietly.
"For being a great friend."
"Your welcome." he assured levelly, after a little pause. He tipped his head back to stretch his neck, and to make sure she wouldn't catch him out, rolling his eyes in resigned frustration.
As his vision regained its focus, something hanging from the porch roof above them caught his attention. He suddenly wondered if he were the victim of some conspiracy to drive him completely mental.
"Augh, damn it Mike!" he cursed under his breath, Tau perked her head slightly at his irate tone.
"What's up?" she followed the direction of his gaze to the roof "Oh! Well…, that's nothing to get upset about is it? It's just a silly tradition; it doesn't really mean anything, or matter whether or not you do it." she said lightly.
"I suppose not." he concurred dismissively "I reckon millions of morons must buy into that crap, and most of 'em end up just kissin' complete strangers or friends anyway." he hadn't given his response much thought, but he felt suddenly nervous as he realised the implications of what he'd just said. "So, ah, it can't really mean…that much, really, huh?" he continued, he hoped nonchalantly.
Tau considered a moment, unconsciously taking the opportunity to let her eyes roam over the side of his face, the muscles of his neck, since he seemed intent on continuing to study the wooden beams above them.
"That's true. It's just a bit of a lark really…, um, between friends." she murmured, giving an awkward little shrug as he turned his head toward her, neither quite meeting the eyes of the other.
"Yeah." he agreed softly.
"Doesn't mean a thing." she whispered.
"Not a damn thing." he breathed, just before their lips met.
Raph was at a loss how such delicate contact could make him feel so tense and breathless, not that he bothered to ponder that as he closed his eyes and gave himself over to enjoying the way the feather-touch lingered. Just as it seemed inevitable their kiss was about to end, he quickly followed her lead as she reapplied the pressure with slightly parted lips. He instinctively pulled her a little closer with his arm about her shoulders; hesitantly brought his other hand to cup her cheek. Then, realising she was gripping the front of his coat, he boldly tangled his fingers in her hair to draw her deeper into the kiss, a delicious shock running through him as the tips of their tongues inadvertently touched.
'Creak, bang!' The sound of someone barging roughly through the door made them jump, both hugely relieved that Don didn't seem to notice they were even sitting there as he quickly stalked to the far end of the porch to lean out over the railing; a few stray snow flakes settling on the back of his baggy green woollen jumper. By reflex, Tau tried to sit up straighter as Leo stepped out of the door, but Raph kept his arms tight about her in defiance of the stunned look on brothers' face as he caught sight of them. Overcoming her first jolt of nerves, Tau quickly made a show of snuggling back into their embrace, enjoying the glint of ire Leo shot them before he decided Don was a higher priority at the moment.
Clearing his throat to ensure his brother was well aware of his approach, Leo reached out a hand to rest lightly on Dons' shoulder. They stood like that, in a silent tableau, for a long moment.
"I'm sorry Leo. It's just been a long day…" Don finally murmured.
"I know this isn't easy for you, Don. But you seemed to be handling it well since this morning, what happened?" probed Leo gently.
Don answered with a quick shake of his head, still Leo waited patiently for him to speak.
"There's no-way I could give her everything she deserves, I know that. But sometimes I just don't get what she sees in him. He couldn't even carry her up the stairs without knocking her feet into the wall! I like Casey, but he's such a…an oaf!"
"I don't think he hurt her, she laughed it off pretty easily." Leo tried to assure, Don responding with a "Hmpf". He followed it up with an "Ack!" as he lifted his head to say something else, noticing the two on the swing for the first time; Raph scowling slightly as Tau whispered something to him, finger to her lips.
"Oh, great! Thanks for telling me Leo!" Don gestured towards the couple in annoyance "Now Raph knows too!"
"It was meant to be some great secret?" retorted Raph sarcastically, cutting off Leos' response. "I thought you'd gotten over her ages ago! Ya know, Case might not be all that smart, or 'cultured', or any kinda crap like that, but he'd die before he let anything hurt Ape. She's made her choice. You shoulda taken your chance when you had it, rather than bitching about Case now."
"Raphael…!"
"No, it's ok Leo. He's right, it's not Caseys' fault." Don despondently interceded.
Tau felt compelled to break the awkward quiet that fell,
"It isn't anyone's 'fault', Don. Sometimes things just don't work-out like we want them to. I do think you should talk to her about it..."
"No! I can't do that! Not...now…" his shoulders slumped, looking to the floorboards, wrapping his arms about himself for comfort and warmth.
Before anyone else could speak, the front door opened again.
"Hey guys!" chimed Mike as he stepped outside. "What ya'll doin' out here in the co…? Hey, hey, hey!" he grinned massively as he caught sight of the couple cuddling on the swing "Now that's one way to stay warm!"
"Shove it Mikey." grunted Raph as he and Tau quickly untangled themselves.
"Oh, and lookie at that!" enthused Mike, completely unperturbed as he pointed to the roof above the swing. "Aint that just the thing? You gotta kiss 'er now, bro!"
Catching sight of what his brother was pointing at, Leo snapped,
"Michelangelo! Didn't I say 'no mistletoe'?"
"It wasn't me!" Mike put on his best 'persecuted innocent' look. "Why do you always blame me first? It could've been anyone! Maybe Casey hung it up, or Raphie, or Santa…"
"Mike." Leo interrupted the tirade with a dark warning tone. "I don't care who hung it, no-one is kissing anybody!"
"Awww, but they gotta!" whined Mike "At least on the cheek!" Given the way Tau mirrored his guilty little look, Raph guessed that option hadn't occurred to her either.
"You shouldn't be encouraging them to be stupid like this. This nonsense has gone too far as it is!" scolded Leo.
"Oh c'mon, it's fine for 'friends' to kiss on the cheek! You kissed Ape twice today yourself!" Mike cajoled.
"That is different; April and I would never push to be anything more…"
Tau leapt to her feet, her arms and clenched fists tense by her sides.
"Why the hell do you all assume we're desperately trying to become more than just friends? Huh? Living in the gutter doesn't mean your minds have gotta dwell there too! We are friends; end of story. But sometimes I do wish things were a little 'different'," she derided "'cos I would so love to prove you wrong, Leo!" She glared at him for a moment longer, though Leo was more taken aback by her expression of shock at her own outburst then by her anger. Then, with a little huff, she turned her nose in the air, stepped through the door and closed it behind her with a quiet but definite 'clack'.
"Whoa." drawled Mike "What was all that about? 'Prove you wrong' about what, bro?"
"I…I'm not sure…" hedged Leo, but from the quirky little half-smile on Dons' face, he feared that his gut-instinct was on the right track in warning him she was referring to their earlier argument. Raph had no idea what she was going on about either, but he couldn't stop the sly little grin that was invading his face. Despite her insisting their relationship was purely platonic, again; Mike had pointed out a nice little loop-hole he fully intended to take advantage of. There was something else that niggled in the back of his mind, whispering things were looking up, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was only a certain satisfaction at having someone else willing stand up to his over-bearing brother for once.
An unusual contemplative quiet fell on the brothers for a moment, until Splinter poked his muzzle out of the door.
"My sons, what are you all doing out here in the cold? Come in this instant before you catch a chill." he fussed in parental concern, shaking his head as they filed past him to mutter to himself "Kids! Can't leave them alone for a moment…"
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For three days it had snowed relentlessly. The fall itself wasn't particularly heavy, but the dawn after Christmas Day had brought with it a bitter, merciless wind that seemed to cut through the thickest fabric, finding the smallest gaps to drive ice into the breach. It had made even the porch a no-go area unless there was a need to go out.
The daily training sessions still took place, restricted in their scope in deference to trying to ensure the survival of some of the furniture and ornaments in the house. The rest of the time for the first two days was passed with board and parlour games, until Mike had threaded a heap of Cheezels on a string to make himself a wreath he placed on his head; proclaiming himself the 'King of Parcheesi' since no matter who he was teamed with he always won. A short scuffle later and Raph had bemoaned their lack of a TV around a mouthful of the cheesy snacks bitten off the string, from his seat upon his flattened brothers' shell.
Never one to be daunted by the fact they didn't have access to the 'standard' technology, and glad for an excuse to escape the house by himself for a little while, Don had braved the storm to dash out to the barn where the Battle-shell was sheltered. Returning with the largest of the monitors from the vans' in-built tracking system, it hadn't taken him too long to rig it up with Aprils' lap-top computer. The screen was propped up on a dining chair, cables running down to the computer sitting tucked underneath on the floor, at the far end of the living room rug from the fire place.
By dinner on the third day they had watched the small collection of DVDs that had been gifted for Christmas, including Aprils' 'soppy chic flick'. 'Brother Bear' twice! The debate over how to kill time next had gotten heated as everyone pitched in to clean up the dishes and kitchen, no-one really noticing Mike had snuck away until he re-appeared in the doorway with a smug grin on his face and holding up a small box that stopped all argument dead.
"Why on earth did you bring 'Lord of the Rings', Mikey?" asked Leo in astonishment, with a huge smile.
"Well, I figured there'd be at least one lap top here, and I still haven't seen all the extras yet! Was gonna borrow a 'puter to watch 'em myself on a night, but I figure I may as well let you all watch 'em too, given the circumstances."
"Mikey, you are the turtle!" praised Raph, wrapping an arm around his brothers' shoulders.
"So, you gonna apologise for callin' me a jackass for packing so much stuff?" prodded Mike.
"Nope!" Raph grinned, pulling Mikes' head down to give him a friendly noogie.
A few minutes later everyone was getting organised for a long night in front of the makeshift TV. Blankets and pillows were being fetched and rivalries over the best spots to sit were being mediated by Splinter. Tau wandered through the melee taking orders for hot drinks.
"Do you want a hand making them?" offered April.
"Oh no, I'll be fine. Don't get up." assured the girl lightly, quickly stepping away to the kitchen. She was actually hoping the errand would give her a chance for a little bit of time to herself.
As much as she liked all her friends, and was happy to be getting a break from the Lair, she had to admit she was starting to miss the personal-space the mutants' home provided. Here she barely got a chance to be alone, except in her room at night; and that wasn't always particularly restful. She felt she needed to talk to Raph, in private, but the opportunity had never presented itself; and she still wasn't sure what she would say to him anyway, if it did.
Just as Tau was about to place the last mug on the counter a low "Hey." by her ear made her jump, silently cursing the fact she was so pre-occupied with her thoughts he'd been able to sneak up on her in an open, well-lit room. She placed the cup down with definite care, trying to salvage some dignity, before she trusted herself to answer lightly.
"He-ay!" her greeting turning to a protest as she realised she was trapped as he leant on the counter, an arm to either side of her, and felt his lips warm on her cheek. "What do ya think you're doing?" she
flustered, tilting her head away slightly.
"Bein' friendly." Raph explained casually, taking advantage of her exposed neck to press a quick kiss there as well.
"A little too 'friendly', I think!" she admonished, lightly swatting his beak away.
"I thought we established the other night…" he murmured, back in her ear.
"We agreed that didn't mean a thing!" she stressed, Raph continuing completely unfazed,
"…that it was ok for friends to kiss on the cheek?"
He grinned as she froze, enjoying the little flush that crept up her face at her faux par. Deciding to risk it, he ducked his head to her neck again, gently gripping the sensitive flesh just below her ear in his teeth. He was careful not to use too much pressure, knowing full well any marks on her skin would show up a heck of a lot more clearly than they did on his own. Still, he had to force himself to release her, hearing her gasp in something that wasn't entirely shock.
They stood stock still for a moment, until Tau made him take a half-step back as she turned about to place her hands lightly against his shoulders.
"Don't do that." she said softly.
"But you…"
"And I apologised for stepping over that line." she suppressed his argument levelly. Raph grimaced in frustration.
"Yeah? Well, that 'line' seems to be getting a bit grey an' fuzzy to me lately." He pointed out sarcastically, surprised to see hurt flicker in her eyes before she dropped her head.
"I know." she admitted sadly "I haven't been very fair to you, and I… I'm sorry for that. If…if things weren't so 'complicated'…"
"Hey guys, need a hand with…?" asked Mike breezily as he stepped through the door. Taking note of the way they were stood, the evil glare from his brother and the forlorn look from Tau, he continued without pause to turn on his heel.
"Nope." he answered his own question before he disappeared back into the main room, pulling the door closed again behind himself.
Raph rolled his eyes as Tau gave a little sigh.
"I'm gonna thump him one of these days…" he grumbled under his breath.
"He's not to blame." she murmured in reply, continuing after he grunted what she took to be his agreement "I'd better get these drinks done before anyone else decides to check up on us." He grasped her arm to pull her back around to face him, Tau despairing at the silent question in his eyes to shake her head. "We're friends, Raph."
She had just turned half-back towards the mugs when he pulled her close with the grip he still had on her to press a surprisingly gentle kiss to her cheek. The feel of his warm breath as he waited cheek to cheek for her response sent a shiver down her spine. Ignoring the screams of her better judgement she softly kissed his cheek in reply, breaking the contact to stipulate in a whisper;
"Friends only kiss on the cheek." With a begrudging nod he let her go to return to her task, feeling not at all satisfied with the ground he'd gained; but relieved they weren't caught in a compromising position as Leo stalked into the kitchen a moment later.
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The only light in the room came from the flickering of the fire, and the glow from the monitor as the end credits for 'Fellowship of the Ring' scrolled up the screen. Siting up to give a huge stretch, limbering up his muscles after lying on the rug for the duration of the movie, Mike announced;
"I think I'm in luuuv. Is Arwen hot or what?"
"Duh!" derided Raph "'course she is, she's the only chick in the film!"
"That's not actually an accurate statement…" put in Don.
"Goh! OK. She's the only major chick in the film, happy now?" offered Raph sarcastically.
"Better." nodded Don with a grin "Though you do make the salient point that she is the focus for female characterisation in that chapter of the story."
"Huh?" Mike eyed his brainy brother dubiously "You mean the girls get more eye-candy, don'tcha?"
"Well, no. I mean…" seeing his siblings' eyes glazing over already Don gave up "Ugh, I suppose that's one interpretation." Mike perked upright with a huge self-indulgent grin.
"Yeah, I'm right! So the important question now is, given they have some sorta choice; who do the girls like more?"
"Well duh!" April tried to imitate Raphs' earlier response, though hers' wasn't as harsh in tone. "Aragorn of course. He's been one of my Hero's since I first read the books as a kid! And Viggo does a
very nice job of bringing him to the big screen."
"How 'bout you Tau?" Mike immediately turned to continue his poll. She shrugged from where she was curled under a blanket in one of the armchairs.
"I gotta go Aragorn too. I do like Orlando Bloom, but I prefer him in the 'Pirate' movies. He's just too clean cut in this really."
"Yeah." agreed April, sitting up from where she had been lying against Casey on the couch. "And he gets to do a bit more sword-play in those films; there is something about a guy wielding a blade that makes him
especially hot, hey?"
With a laugh Tau nodded.
"Yep! Especially when they have that 'unkempt' look about em! Dunno if it's just me, but Aragorn doesn't seem half as good lookin' when he's all cleaned up for his coronation at the end of this." she waved
her hand towards the screen.
"That's true!" exclaimed April "I do like a guy with an unruly mop of hair." she added warmly, tousling Caseys' hair to wake him up.
"Wazis… huh? The movie finished already?" he yawned.
"Yes, you big lug. Time for bed." smiled April, standing to pull him up off the couch and bid goodnight to everyone before she led him stumbling up the stairs.
Mike stood to lean on his hands against the arm of Taus' chair.
"What's up?" she asked, seeing the look of puzzlement on his face.
"Hair isn't that important… is it? For a girl to like ya, I mean."
"You just heard both of them say it was, Mikey." commented Leo, unique among his brothers in that he hadn't instantly perked his head to hear her answer.
With a little scowl for the interruption, Tau said;
"Well, no, actually. There are a few guys I can think of that don't have heaps of hair but are still considered good looking. Sean Connery has never had 'flowing locks', that I can remember, and he's
considered by many to be the quintessential 'ladies man'."
"Who else?" prompted Mike, Tausha unable to resist his earnest puppy dog eyes.
"Um, there's Patrick Stewart, Yul Brynner…" it seemed a little flame of hope started to flicker behind the orange bandanna.
"And…?"
"Oh, Vin Diesel! He's completely bald and very hot! 'specially as 'Riddick'."
"Hmpf, he's a try-hard loser!" was grumbled from where Raph was still sat on the rug.
Propping his chin on his hand as he bent over the chair arm, fascinated with his conversation with the girl, Mike ignored his brother.
"So, you're saying bald guys can be…sexy?"
"Uh, yeah?" she answered cautiously, suddenly wondering where this was going.
"Cooooool!" he grinned as Leo 'tsked' from the armchair beside them. "Soooooo, now, is it only bladed weapons that make a guy look hot? Or does a couple of small lengths of hard wood and chain, deftly wielded to crush evil enemies into oblivion, do it for ya too?" he asked cheekily, quickly followed up with an "OW!" as he received a punch to the back of his leg.
With a resigned sigh Leo dispassionately watched his brother hop about the room. Figuring Mike had probably been punished enough for his insolence he decided to fore-go his lecture, asking instead;
"All those in favour of starting the next movie?"
"Aye!" was returned from the majority, Mike abstaining as he flopped down on the couch to nurse his aching calf. In the back corner of the room, apparently dozing in the rocking chair, and sure his son was complaining a little too dramatically for his hurt to be serious, Splinter struggled to stop the little smile from tugging on his lips.