A/N: Thank you most muchly to artykidd, minlee1, RAPHAELFAN02 and The REAL Cheese Monkey for the reviews for last chapter. It always makes my day to get 'em!

Many thanks go out to artykidd and CPQ for their great work beta-reading this. Thanks chicas!

OK! Hope you're all pumped and ready for some exercise, 'cos today were playin' 'Turtle Tag'! Just so you're all up to date on the rules, the main one is 'duck an' run'! LOL! Seriously though, it's kinda like an alternate version of normal 'tag' or 'chasey'. Only in Turtle Tag, instead of one person trying to catch everyone else, everyone tries to catch just one person, who is called the 'Tagee'. The Tagee gets a head start and has to hide or otherwise evade capture for as long as they possibly can. In the version of the game being played in this chapter, the Tagee not only has to evade their opponents, the others are also split into teams competing to catch 'em! So it's time for some kick-butt ninja play! Hope you enjoy it.

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 fourth day after Christmas dawned calm and bright. Tau was captivated by the way the rose coloured light reflected off the surrounding pristine snow, as she gazed out through her second-story bedroom window. The tranquillity of the scene shattered as Casey and the turtles noisily burst out of the front door to romp through the knee-high drifts.

Within a matter of minutes the area in front of the house, that had been sculpted a smooth white by the wind over the previous days, was a frozen choppy sea of deep tracks, lined with slush and mud. With a sigh, that couldn't suppress her grin, Tau decided to head out to join them, quickly pulling on a few layers of her warmest clothes.

Heading out the front door, she found Splinter and April watching the boys' antics from the porch.
"G'da-AY!" she yelled the end of her greeting as she just managed to duck a stray snowball.
"Sorry!" laughed Don, before he dashed away from an impending assault from Mike.
"Hmm." smiled the Sensei, as April flashed the girl a grin in greeting. "Good morning Tausha. It seems we will have a day to enjoy outside before we return to the city."
"Yeah! This is gonna be fun!"

She was stopped from jogging down the stairs by a gentle paw on her arm.
"You may wish to wait until my sons have worn themselves out a little." he advised. Tau shook her head with a grin.
"Nah! This is gonna be worth a few bruises! But thanks!" she assured before leaping down into the snow to scoop up a handful, already scoping for a target.
"Hey! Tau! Over here!" Mike frantically waved her over.
"Just remember to be gentle with her guys!" warned Leo.
"Why?" retorted Tau. "I'm not gonna take it easy on you!" she emphasised by hurling her ammunition at the streak of green and blue. Leo easily ducked it, quickly popping back up to retaliate.
"That's it!" he grinned evilly. "You are so gonna get it now!"

Splinter and April watched in resigned amusement as Tau raced away laughing, giving a little scream every time another snowball hit her square in the back of her head. Her run was stopped short by a tackle-glomp from Mike, as he dragged her into the trench in the snow he was now defending.
"Oh well, you did warn her." giggled April.
"Yes." sighed Splinter. "I should not worry so; Tausha does seem to hold her own reasonably well. I am only concerned that, after being confined in the house for so long, such exuberance may result in someone…"
"ARRRGH!"
"…getting hurt." he finished, dead-pan, before he was moving quickly towards the source of the cry.

The whole group had gathered by the time Casey had pulled Raph back out of the dead bush the snow had hidden, leaving behind a few scraps of material and skin on the broken branches.
"Heh, sorry!" laughed Casey uncertainly. "I thought you'da dodged that easy! What got ya so distracted all of a sudden?" Raph answered him with nothing more than a dark look before reaching to feel for the damage done.
"Aww, shit!" he moaned, fingering the tear in the fabric of his trench-coat down the back of his left arm, less concerned about the blood he could feel on his fingertips.
"Language." Splinter cautioned lightly, even as he turned his son about to inspect the wound for himself.

"It is not serious." diagnosed Splinter after a moment. "However, the wood was rotten through. There are many fragments caught under the skin that will have to be removed."
"What about my coat?" enquired Raph fretfully.
"That is of no consequence." dismissed his father.
"But it's my favourite…"
"Raphael, your well-being comes before that of your clothes." admonished Splinter, shaking his head as his son turned his scowl to his sibling, roughly shoving Mike and his giggles away, forcing some of the others that had crowded around to step back momentarily.

"I can patch your coat for you, if you'd like." offered April, from the back of the crowd.
"Yeah?" perked the hot-head.
"Your wound needs 'patching' as well." reminded Splinter.
"Nah. It c'n wait, I don't wanna head inside yet, I need a practice session." entreated Raph, he was already pulling off his coat to hand it to April. Not surprisingly Splinter was immune to the ingratiating look his son attempted; he'd had to say 'No' to much more heart-wrenching gazes than that many a time before. Still, he did not want this situation to escalate, and it was true that all his sons required a hard training session to work off their excess energy. Giving the tuft of fur on his chin a thoughtful tug, he came up with a solution.

"Have your injury tended to first. It is not so bad you cannot join us again as soon as it has been cleaned and dressed." he instructed.
"But…" Paying no mind to his sons' objection, Splinter continued levelly.
"I am sure the girls will be happy to assist, so you can return quickly. April-chan? Could you repair the coat this morning?"
"Not a problem, Splinter." assured April. "I can get it done while Tau helps clean him up, shouldn't take long at all! Come along now, Raph. The sooner we get you inside, the quicker you can come back out." she fussed motherly. The turtle opened his mouth to argue, however seeing the determined glint in his fathers' eye, he thought better of it; following April and Tau to the house with only a light grumble under his voice.

Once inside, April headed straight to the laundry, sure she had seen an old, ripped windbreaker jacket left in there she could use to make a patch. The colour wouldn't match, but it would do until she could make a better repair back in the city. The bathroom led off the laundry, and she couldn't help but grin at what she could hear from in there as she searched for the material and supplies to do her work.
"Nngh. Arrgh. Ow!"
"Sorry!"
"You're meant to be pullin' out the wood, not bits of me!" exclaimed Raph.
"You wanna do this yourself?" asked Tau irately, to be answered by silence. April could just picture the way Raph would roll his eyes at that. "Well then, stop bein' a wuss."
"I am not a 'wuss'!" obviously spoken from between clenched teeth.
"Prove it." April guessed he took the girls challenge as the quiet of the next few minutes was broken only by the occasional hiss of a sharp intake of breath.

Having found what she was looking for, April set about repairing Raphs' coat; using the ironing board as a flat surface to work on.
"There, think that's got 'em all. That wasn't so bad now, was it?" came from the bathroom.
"Just promise me one thing. I know ya wanna work with animals, but don't become a vet." beseeched Raph sardonically. Tau gave a little 'hmpf' and then warned with a slightly mischievous note in her voice;
"Alright. But this is gonna hurt."
"No! Not 'Betadine'! AAH…!" April figured Raph had bitten down on the rest of his cry.
"Heh, sorry, but it had to be done." lilted Tau, not sounding particularly regretful, her voice warming as she continued "And you're not a wuss."

April heard Raph grunt dismissively, starting to hum to herself as she worked over the light clatter from the bathroom, from what she guessed was Tau sorting through the medical supplies.
"You wanna ride back to New York with me?" he asked softly.
"Huh?" Tau sounded a little confused by the sudden change in the conversation, and April felt much the same. "Sure, why wouldn't I?" the girl continued.
"I dunno. Leos' saying he might come with me instead, since the roads will probably be iced over…"
"Do you want me to come with you?" Taus' tone was a little cautious.
"Let me see…bro or babe? What d'ya reckon?" he retorted sarcastically, quickly followed with a whispered "Ow!"

"Sit still, will ya? Or I'll end up getting the bandage too tight." admonished Tau, her voice softening again to continue their previous conversation. "It's up to you really. But, you know, I don't weigh as much as Leo, so you could argue you'd get a bit of a fuel saving taking me…" she pointed out casually.
"Hey, yeah!" he agreed enthusiastically. "That'll shut 'im up! Wouldn't want to waste money that could go to feedin' us, or savin' for…" he petered out into silence for a few moments.

"It's not really a bad patch job you've done there." he spoke again, softly now. "And I shoulda told ya sooner, but I reckon you did a good job at the park too… ya know, with riding that horse? That was a pretty awesome ride, nearly as good as my bike… Heeeeey…, that was nice! What did my cheek do to deserve that?"
"Thank you. You are a good friend after all." Tau assured warmly. Raph replied with a low chuckle.

April finished humming her ditty as she completed her task. Holding the coat up to appraise her handy-work, she had to admit it wasn't the prettiest piece of needlework she had ever done, but it would suffice. Cocking her head, she suddenly wondered if Raph and Tau were still there; realising she hadn't heard so much as a murmur from the bathroom for a good few minutes. Surely they wouldn't sneak-out without saying anything to her at all.

Poking her head through the bathroom door, April was relieved to find them both still sat there, perched side-by-side on the edge of the bathtub. She got the impression, from the crooked little smile on Taus' face, that Raph was whispering a dirty joke or the like in the girls' ear, where his face was hidden behind hers. The image was only fleeting however, as Tau leapt up an instant later to fuss about tidying away the first-aid kit, the contents of which were still scattered on the counter-top.

"Here we go, all fixed up for you." grinned April, holding up the coat for Raphs' appraisal. He barely gave it a glance before taking it and pulling it on.
"Yeah, thanks April." he mumbled distractedly. Having expected a bit more enthusiastic response, given Raphs' earlier concern over the damage to the sleeve, April glanced between the two; the thought that she might be missing something here crossing her mind briefly. She dismissed the notion as he reached to grab Taushas' hand as soon as she had finished putting away the kit, practically yanking her off her feet.
"C'mon!" he urged "I don't wanna miss-out on anymore time outside than I have to today!"

April chuckled as the poor girl was all but dragged past her, figuring Raph was just too keen to work-off his pent-up energy to realise what he was doing to his friend, or to be overly considerate with his gratitude. However, Tau quickly found her feet to keep up with him, both racing out of the front door. She followed them out, wondering if she should join the lesson for today as well. Since moving in with Casey she had let her training under Master Splinter slide quite a bit, probably too much.

Taking her place at the end of the line, easily falling into the steps of the warm-up kata the others were already doing, April wondered how they had managed to clear a large rectangle of snow away from in front of the house. She spotted a small snow-plough integrated into the front of the Battle-shell, obviously a recent addition to the trucks many apparatus. April couldn't help but shake her head in admiration of her genius friends' ability to incorporate goodness knows how many gadgets and such into one vehicle.

It seemed Splinter was determined to make the most of the extra space and the terrain, including laps of the house and barn into their exercise; which the boys quickly turned into a competition to see who could make the fastest time, adding more and more obstacles and requirements. A leap-kick here, roll there, a punch to the back wall of the barn... As the rest enjoyed the ongoing races, the Sensei took the opportunity to work one-on-one with each of his students.

Being the last to get her individual session with Splinter, April felt absolutely exhausted by the time her short work-out with him was over. She grinned up sheepishly from where she was leaning on her knees to regain her breath, feeling the Masters' paw on her shoulder.
"You have done well April-chan." he assured warmly. She shook her head in denial. She knew she was fit, she could run rings around any of her workmates, without a doubt. And she'd always prided herself on being able to keep up with the turtles, for a little while at least. She didn't think too many others would be able to that. Though seeing Tau was still going strong -racing past in a hopeless attempt to catch up to Mike, both grinning all the way- April did feel a small twinge of despair.

"Tausha is six years your junior, and has trained with us daily for most of the past four months. Do not be disillusioned by her seeming vigour, she too is starting to tire." advised the sage rat.
"I swear you can read minds…" chuckled April.
"No." smiled Splinter "However, it would be a gift I could appreciate having at times!" With that he raised his paw in the air, fingers out-stretched before he made them into a fist. Within moments all his students had gathered to him as per his silent order. Looking over them, noting all his sons still had the glint of exuberance in their eyes, the Sensei confirmed his plan in his own mind.

"In place of our usual sparring session, I wish to take this opportunity to undertake some war games. I would like one volunteer to be the first 'Tagee'; the rest will split into two teams of two. The first team to capture and return the Tagee to the porch will win the right to decide the teams for the next round. The Tagee who lasts the longest for the day will be exempt from chores for one week. The only rule is; no weapons." instructed Splinter.
"Aww." moaned Raph lightly, despite pulling his sai out of his belt anyway.
"ME! ME! I wanna be the Tagee! Pick MEEee! Pleeeease!" Mike danced on his toes with is arm in the air, giving a "Whoop!" as Splinter nodded his approval.
"Just one question, Master." put in Don quietly as he laid his bo on the porch. "If only five are playing, who's sitting out?"

"In the first round Donatello, you will join Raphael, and Leonardo will be with Casey." instructed Splinter, turning to address the gasp of indignation he had expected from the girl. "My apologies Tausha, I fear your inclusion in these exercises would bring to them an element of restraint from my sons, which may ultimately prove to be counter-productive. Especially given the more restraint they use, the longer it will it take them to wear themselves out." he added with a warm, knowing grin.
"Aw! But, I wanna join in! I don't want 'em to go easy on me. I c'n take it!" she petitioned.
"No." was Splinters' level reply. Sensing there was no room for argument Tau acquiesced with a small bow, unable to mask the disappointment on her face. Smiling again, Splinter re-assured her;
"I don't doubt your skill, and you are continuing to improve. Once my sons have had a good opportunity to utilise their abilities to the full, I will allow you and April to join the game, if you wish."

Forcing a crooked half-smile, Tau gave a begrudging nod.
"Hey. Don't sweat it." comforted Raph, giving her shoulder a nudge with his own. "You c'n look after these for me in the meantime, 'k?" he offered her his two sai magnanimously. She took them with a smile, appreciating the gesture, waiting till he'd flashed her one in return and jogged away to start discussing tactics with Don before she rolled her eyes.
"Yeah. Great. Thanks." she muttered flatly under her breath.
"Come on." invited April, wrapping her arm around the girls' shoulders to guide her towards the porch steps. "Having 'been here, done this' before; believe me when I say the safest spot for us right now is in the house. Besides, it gives us a chance for a bit of quiet-time…"

Three hours later April was happily pillaging the kitchen pantry, pulling out ingredients and setting Tausha to the task of cutting vegetables. At least that way the girl could work by the window. Their 'quiet-time' had started off as just that; April quickly curling up in an armchair with a hot drink and a book, Tau seemingly doing the same on the couch. After almost an hour though, April decided more of a distraction was in order to keep the girl from her constant fidgeting and glances outside.

To that end they had spent the next couple of hours taking advantage of the fact that, once they tidied a room, it managed to stay that way for more than five minutes. Tausha completed every chore April gave her with gusto, if only to return to the windows that little bit quicker.

Now April was planning to spend the rest of the day in the kitchen. As much as she loved Mikes' cooking, she had a hankering to do some baking her self. First up she had decided on a beef casserole for dinner. Fish was nice; sushi, Mornay, baked, in patties, salads, rolls, pies, with pasta and goodness knows what else… Mike could work wonders with a tin of tuna or salmon, and usually did, almost every lunch and dinner unless there was a special occasion. However, red meat was in order for tonight, by Aprils' estimate.

A loaf of bread to go with the main meal, perhaps a cake for dessert; and why not some cookies for when the games were finished and the boys would inevitably come raiding for snack? Fit lunch in there somewhere and she and Tau should be pretty set for keeping occupied the rest of the day, was Aprils' reasoning.

Pulling out a large bowl and setting it on the bench-top next to Taushas' chopping board, April noticed the girl had paused in cutting a carrot to stare outside. Taking a look for herself at what had caught her friends attention, April cringed as she realised Casey was currently the 'Tagee'. As he was being dragged towards the porch, he managed to slip the hold Don had on his wrist to attempt to run back into the cover of the woods that started only 30 meters or so away from the front of the house. He didn't make it.

Instead her partner was quickly shoved face first into the snow by both Don and Leo throwing themselves on his back to re-capture him. They yanked him back up, and he had just enough time to shake the slush from his face before Raph and Mike launched a surprise attack from the roof of the house, resulting in Casey being treated to another face-full of snow.

A battle-royale broke out between the teams over their quarry, literally. Casey had his face planted at least twice more before he managed to crawl away from the melee. The fierce battle-cries, taunts and even some of the blows resounded loud enough to be heard clearly through the glass. Tau gave a little sigh and April eyed her dubiously.
"You're with them pretty much 24/7, I would've thought you'd like a break away from them?" she probed.
"Yeah…" answered the girl wistfully. "I just wanted to enjoy getting some exercise outside too… Didn't realise how much I missed it really, seeing blue sky without the sharp edges of buildings cutting into it, just trees. And the snow is such great fun… Well, when it's not being blown at ya in a gale force wind anyway." she chuckled.

"Oh, Tau, I'm sorry! I should have realised you haven't had many chances to experience snow, and here I've been trying to distract you from it all day…" fretted April, feeling a little foolish.
"It's okay." shrugged Tau. "You were right; I probably would've ended up sitting here in the house with a bloody nose or worse pretty quickly anyway, if I'd tried to stay in the game. Kinda depressing to realise how much they do hold back for me sometimes…"

"Hm," smiled April. "They are a good bunch of guys. Sweetest guys I know actually. Isn't it funny that a girl's gotta turn to mutants to find a real gentleman these days, huh?" she half-joked.
"Isn't Casey a 'gentleman'?" jibed Tau gently.
"He's getting better…" admitted April with a devious grin. "But the turtles are a good influence on him." her face fell a little as she continued. "It's a crying shame really they don't have any females of their own. If they were human they'd be fighting off girls as well as street-punks, ninja, aliens and god knows what." she shook her head sadly.

Tau returned to chopping her carrot with meticulous care.
"You don't think…one of them could find a girl that would like them?" she asked softly after a moment. April cocked her head in consideration as she sifted flour into her bowl.
"I don't suppose it's outside the realms of possibility." she replied. "However, I think I'd have to seriously question the motives of any woman that said they liked one of them 'that way'. I'd really hate to see any of them get hurt by some bi…, uh, 'woman' trying to manipulate them, or getting their hopes up only to break their hearts. The turtles are pretty street-wise, but I think they are still a bit naïve when it comes to girls and things."

"Um, yeah, I suppose so. I reckon a girl could like 'em though, without having some 'agenda' to hurt 'em." contended Tau.
"Well I must admit; I would like to think that could be the case. But it would take a lot for someone to be able to do that. I mean, it is easy to forget it most of the time, but they aren't human. They're still…animals…really…" April petered out uncertainly.
"So, um, you've never thought of any of them as…" Tau hedged, hoping she only sounded curious.
"Oh heavens, no! They're like brothers to me!" flustered April, a bright blush creeping up her face that made Tau eye her dubiously. "Oh, alright, I did have these…, uh, 'dreams'… Once! Ages ago!" she admitted hastily. "You can't tell anyone though!" she ordered with a stern, dough-covered finger. "I mean, poor Donnie, he's such a sweet kid! He'd just die of embarrassment if he ever found out…, I just know it!" she asserted whilst pummelling the goop in her bowl.

Tau decided to drop the subject, fearing from the way her friend was attacking her mixture that it had gone a little too far for comfort already. So she was surprised when April continued a few moments later, though she didn't look up from her bowl.
"It's all a silly notion anyway. I'm way older than him for a start! And can you see me living in the sewers? Sorry, tried that already, and it is not for me! And I know, if anything could have started, considering the whole 'animal' thing…" she circled a sticky hand in the air to make her point "…it wouldn't have lasted. It's weird, 'cos I've never really thought about it till recently, but ever since Casey let slip he was thinking about…you know, I've gotten really impatient about it! All I want to do now is settle down and…have some kids. Somehow fate always seems to make sure 'settling down' is something the turtles never get to do, and 'kids'? I don't think there's any chance of that happening for them either."

April gave a small sigh. "No, I think fate sent Casey my way. I actually thought he was a self-centred, ignorant, buffoon when I first met him. I still do sometimes, but I love him anyway. Heh, I must admit I was kinda hoping…" she chuckled. "He's such a dope; I could see him doing something tactless like giving me an engagement ring as a Christmas present. But I can see a real future with him, you know?" she asked rhetorically.

Tau nodded slowly regardless; opening her mouth to speak, she was cut off by the red-head continuing.
"I'd love to know what you think we could make of this property actually. I don't know that much about farming, but if Caseys' grandmother would let us buy it from her, it would be a wonderful place to raise children. Heh, I know the buildings could still use a lot of work and things, it wouldn't be easy. But if we could set up a reliable enough connection to the internet from here, I could probably do my job remotely. And Casey could look after the live-stock and such and bring in some extra money that way."

"It's kinda hard to judge it, with all the snow and everything." shrugged Tau. "And I don't know anything about 'farming' as such. From the look of the barn and the size of the paddocks you have here, I'd say you could run horses; probably some cattle and sheep as well if you wanted. It'd be tough work for Casey though, doing it all on his own; especially if you wanted to be more than just self-sufficient out here."
"Yeah." agreed April. "I'm sure the turtles would help out some. They'd always be welcome here. At least they could enjoy being 'uncles'!" she grinned. "I think they'd be great with kids, and I'd always want them to be a big part of my family. I love them all. You'd be welcome too; you're a good friend to us all as well. And probably about as close as any girl will get to them."

Shaking her head, in part to hide the slight colour on her cheeks, Tau gave a little laugh.
"I doubt I'm as close to them as you are! Can I ask ya? Have you ever suspected one of them might…have had a crush on you?" she probed, curious now if April had ever suspected Dons' feelings towards her.
"I know you and Raph are good friends, but I didn't think he would've told anyone about that. He never even admitted it to me! I am glad the two of you can talk about things though, I've always felt he needed someone, outside the family, to…vent to, I guess. More than the others do, anyway."

"Oh, so, you know about him an'…?" Tau mumbled nervously. April interrupted her with a snigger.
"Of course I do! He used to drop by my place so often when I first got to know them. He nearly always came by on his own; especially after he'd had a falling out with his brothers or something. He'd just sit on my couch, or help me out with my house-work. We even got to talking a fair bit; though I was always a bit wary of his temper when he came by angry. That made things a little awkward sometimes. But it was pretty clear to me he had a little crush. I didn't mind it really. If it helped him to work out some of his demons spending some time with me, and he didn't push for anything, then it was all good. Once he met Casey though, I think he got over me pretty quickly. I suppose 'busting heads' is more his style of working things out of his system anyway." she sighed resignedly.

Noticing the girl had gone a little pale, April tilted her head in concern to get a better look at her friends face; reassured by the crooked smile Tau gave her as soon as she realised she was under scrutiny.
"I am glad he has found you to talk to now. It's got to be a healthier way for him to express himself. Besides, I think he was getting frustrated that Casey wasn't going out with him quite so much after we moved in together. So it was good timing that he found you really! I think you should be a bit cautious though, I do think he might be starting to get a little crush on you these days!" April teased with a wink.

"R…really?" gulped Tau.
"Yep! Don't worry, it's nothing to get embarrassed about." grinned April, sobering as she warned; "Just please don't let him get the wrong impression. He might act mean and tough at times, but he has a good heart. I'd hate to see him get hurt over a mis-understanding. And even if such a thing were feasible, I know you're not interested in a relationship at the moment. Raph thinks with his gut, not his head; so I doubt he's picked up on that, even though you've been pretty obvious about it. You might find you'll have to be a bit blunt with him, just be sure to let him down carefully, okay?"
"Uh…, yeah. I… I'll be careful…" mumbled the girl, wandering away to dump her vegetable scraps in the bin.

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(The next day…)

It was still early; breakfast had only finished half an hour ago, but Splinter had allowed them some free time before their daily training session, prior to their journey home happening later that day. Don also suspected it was a justification for a shorter work-out today, in deference to the many bruises, aches and pains most of the group were suffering from yesterdays' games.

Tau was no exception. Splinter had allowed her to replace Casey after lunch, and they had gone another three rounds of 'Turtle Tag' with her in the mix. She had actually faired quite well, managing to win the first round, teamed with Leo. Don had been the 'Tagee' for that game, and had found he didn't have to pull his punches as much as he'd originally intended to against her. He did suspect his brothers went a little soft on her as well though, and so did she, berating them for it after the game was finished.

As the 'Tagee' -by popular vote- in the second game, she hadn't lasted long at all. Being as small as she was, Raph had easily hefted her onto his right shoulder as he and Leo had charged through fierce opposition to get to the house and dump her unceremoniously on the porch. The fact she'd been hog-tied helped their cause as well. She didn't complain again after that.

The final match had been the longest of the day, and very scrappy. In the end everyone had been so tired and sore, the teams had decided to work together to find Mike and get him onto the porch so they could finally finish the game.

Despite her slightly blackened eye, and other contusions, Tau had offered to help as Don carried the monitor they had been using as a make-shift TV back out to the Battle-shell. He'd accepted her offer gladly. Not that he couldn't re-install the monitor on his own, but with her help and nimble fingers, it would make the job that much quicker.

He knew he'd miss her when she left. He'd gotten quite used to having her working as his assistant in the lab. Electronics were definitely not her forte, but she did learn the basics pretty quickly. These days, even with her working at the bakery, she did a large proportion of the routine repairs to the appliances they sold to raise their own funds. Raph and Mike did the majority of the rest, tending to help her out so they could 'rescue her to have some real fun', as Mike had put it. Don was grateful for all their help; it gave him more freedom to work on his inventions and research.

Despite his brothers' best efforts to save her from toiling in the lab she still spent quite a bit of time helping out in there, even when there were no appliances left to be repaired. Don suspected she enjoyed the respite at times, especially when things seemed to be awkward between her and Raph. He didn't mind. She did possess one skill his more rambunctious brothers didn't; the ability to work quietly and save any non-critical questions for a time he wasn't doing something like concentrating on getting the explosive mixture for his latest batch missiles just right. Shiny red buttons didn't seem to tempt her either; she had even swatted Mike away from his investigations of new remotes and key pads on occasion. The lab had indeed become a much safer place with her in residence.

Now, Don was working as fast as he could to complete the soldering work to ensure the monitor was secured back in its rightful location. Tau wasn't complaining. But he could tell from the way she held herself, oddly tense, that she wasn't comfortable supporting the weight of the large screen as she leant over the console to hold it in place. He guessed she might have some bruising to her ribs as well.

Completing the last join, Don gave her a smile and nod in thanks as he turned off his soldering iron. With a light sigh, Tau flopped down into one of the swivel chairs, her hand absently rubbing her side.
"You okay?" he asked in mild concern.
"Yeah. Just a bit stiff from yesterday." she smiled weakly.
"Is that the only thing getting you down?" he probed gently.
"'Down'? I'm not 'down'. What makes ya think I'd be 'down'?" Tau quibbled. Don gave a shrug.
"The fact you're in here, instead of out there making the most of our last hours away from the Lair. I thought you liked the snow, and the chance to enjoy a bit of time outside."

"I do." assured Tau, not meeting his eyes. "But…, um…"
"Is it Leo? You've seemed a bit…'short' with him lately." Don casually remarked. Tau drummed her fingertips together as she chewed on her lip. Not wanting her to feel pressured, Don sat in the other swivel chair and busied himself starting the trucks' in-built computer to do a systems check. Finally, she looked up to admit;
"No. I mean, he does annoy me a bit sometimes. But, I'm more angry at myself really. He just kinda…stepped into my line of fire the other night. I suppose…" she heaved a sigh. "I suppose I should apologise to him."

"No. Don't!" chuckled Don. "I think it does him good to be gainsaid every now and then." His tone turned serious, "Why are you angry with yourself?"
"Oh, I don't know." Tau shook her head. "I guess because of that rubbish Leo was saying in the kitchen the other day. I thought it was so unfair that he'd assume none of you stood any chance of having a relationship, just because you're a bit different. And then I realised…" she dropped her head as she paused. "I was guilty of using the same excuse." she mumbled.

Don tried to stop himself from perking his head at her admission, afraid she'd stop talking if she realised just how curious he was right now.
"Um, 'excuse' for what?" he prodded softly, trying to appear as if the code rolling up the screen in front of him was equally as interesting as her answer. It got hard to maintain his ruse as she took her time to reply.
"I don't know why, it's not like I don't have plenty of other reasons already…" she murmured, practically to herself. Don was confused by the way she didn't really seem to be answering his question, but thought better of saying anything in favour of letting her get things off her chest.

"I just hate to think you guys might never find someone." she began, a little louder. "And I don't think the way you look, or even the fact you're not human, is enough to stop a girl from liking you. Once they get to know you, anyway. I'm sorry, but I admit, I didn't think any of you were…'good' looking to start off with. And it did take me a long while for me to realise that…" she faltered, a faint blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Raph?" supplied Don quietly, the way her face flushed crimson gave him his answer.
"I guess it was just an easy 'out' for me to think that way whenever I had to come up with a reason to deny…." she continued in a rush, inspecting the floor. "And when I did first realise… I worried that maybe there was something wrong with me! I didn't think I was…'kinky' about animals or anything like that! But then, how do you know until you…know?" she petered out then suddenly looked up at him sheepishly. "Sorry, you probably think I'm awful…"

"Uh, no! No, I don't…actually." he assured. "I worried about the same thing when…April." he shrugged with an awkward, bashful smile. "I mean, why would a turtle be attracted to a human, right?" he laughed uneasily. "At first I thought it was simply because she was the only female 'anything' we knew, and it was just my hormones making me think of…possibilities. But if that were the case, I surely would have felt the same way when we met Angel, and other girls. Then, like you, I started to worry that perhaps I…'wasn't normal' in, uh, who I was attracted to. I started to fret that my family might think I was…weird." he glanced up to see her eyeing him dubiously. "Ok, 'weirder'." he chuckled, Tau shaking her head.
"I don't think you're family would ever turn their backs on you." she said earnestly.
"No. I know they wouldn't." Don genuinely smiled.

"Anyway," he continued after a moment "seeing how Leo looked at Karai sometimes, Raph with you, and the way Mike hordes the 'Victoria's Secret' catalogues, I don't think I'm alone anymore in my, uh, 'appreciation of the human female form'." he grinned as the colour infused her face again. "To be honest, I still don't completely understand why my brothers and I find women attractive. Perhaps growing up being exposed to the human ideal of what makes a good mate has warped our judgement. Maybe it's because, morphologically, we are that much closer to humans now. Or, I suspect, because we're 'intellectually closer' has a lot to do with it as well. I think the value the ability to communicate on the same level brings to a relationship is underestimated by many."

"Oh." responded Tau, looking a little lost for a moment as she tried to grasp all he had said. "So, why didn't you ever speak to April about how you felt?" she asked. It was Dons' turn to scrutinise the floor as his cheeks coloured slightly.
"I don't know. I guess I wanted to be sure about what I feel, uh, felt. And by the time I was, she and Casey already seemed to be interested in each other." he gave a little sigh. "I almost told her then. She was living with us and everything, it would have been so easy…you'd think. But I got so nervous, having her around all the time, that whenever she tried to speak to me… I was actually a bit mean to her at times, splashing her with water not quite by accident and walking away while she was still talking, that kinda thing, just because I was trying to hide my anxiety from her. And then Casey asked her out…and she said 'yes'…and I…" his voice cracked and he shook his head sadly.

"I'm sorry." murmured Tau sincerely. Don shook his head more vigorously, not yet trusting his voice.
"No, I do owe you an apology." she affirmed sincerely, reaching to grip his fore-arm in consolation. "I shouldn't have interfered; telling Casey not to give her the ring for Christmas. If I'd realised it would cause you to suffer like this, I wouldn't have."
"It's okay." he sniffed. "It's not your fault really. And, in the end, Aprils' happiness is the most important thing." Tau looked away guiltily.
"Y…yeah." she agreed hesitantly.
"I mean it, Tau." he asserted, regaining his composure. "I know she's way out of my league, I doubt she'd ever think of me as anything more than a kid brother. If I had asked her out, and I don't doubt she woulda said 'no', I don't think we could be so close now. I'd still rather have her as a friend than not at all."

They sat in contemplative silence for a minute; until Dons' curiosity was piqued once more by the way Tau still looked so downhearted.
"If you don't find our differences are necessarily an obstacle any longer, is there any chance for you and…?" he asked softly.
"No." she answered flatly. "I said it was an excuse because it was an easy thing to think of whenever I felt… But there are too many other things making it 'complicated'. Just because they aren't as cut an' dried doesn't mean I can discount them."
"What 'other things'?" he probed.

Tau gave a quick shake of her head, and a little sigh, before she explained,
"I suppose the main thing is; I don't want him to get hurt. Or me! I'm not so naïve as to think that if we did get together it would be forever. But knowing I will be leaving, and soon, makes it a kinda different story. In a way it'd be easier for me, I get to walk away. He doesn't." Don moved his hand to cover hers, where it was still resting on his arm.
"Leo and Raph always have, and will, find something to go head-to-head over." he tried to assure.
"I know, but you can't deny I seem to…add fuel to the fire." she sighed. Don tilted his head in consideration.
"That's true." he admitted, reluctantly.

"And before you ask," she continued in a jaded tone. "I do have to leave. If I don't, I might as well say good bye to everything I've ever wanted to achieve. Dad will probably still find me in the end, but I have a better chance of getting into a school undetected back home. And I suppose I am kinda hopeful that, if I can prove to him I'm capable of doing things on my own, he might…respect what I want to do with my life a bit more. I do miss him, and if I stay here I doubt I could ever reconcile with him. And I can't give up on him like that. I just…can't." she looked away to murmur, "Sorry."

Don studied the side of her face before he nodded slowly.
"It's okay. It's your life Tau; you have to live it for you. I don't think any of us, Raph included, would want you to stay if it meant you would regret it."
"Hmm, thanks." she managed a crooked smile.
"I do think it would have been great if you had kissed Raph the other night though," he grinned coaxingly. "Maybe if Leo saw something like that, he'd have to acknowledge we have some hope of forming relationships. I can understand it might make things uncomfortable for you, but I do hope you kiss him at least once before you go. Surely one kiss couldn't hurt too much?" he asked optimistically.

Tau pulled back her hand to fidget with it in her lap as her face coloured scarlet again.
"Uh…, I…, uh… I guess…it um, couldn't… But, ah, then again…" Don had expected her to be a bit embarrassed, but not for her to fluster to quite this extent. His eyes widened as a thought occurred to him.
"You haven't already…?"

His query was cut off by the passengers' side door behind him being wrenched open and the sound of someone diving inside to slam the door closed again. After sharing a glance in surprise, Don and Tau turned their attention to the front of the van. Cautiously Mike stuck his head out from his hiding spot in front of the passenger seat, under the dash-board. Looking about he started as he realised he wasn't alone in the truck then shot them a sheepish, obsequious grin.

"Donnie!" he whispered in relief. "Am I glad I found you! We were playing with Caseys' plane, and it wasn't my fault, but they blame me anyway, and I need you fix this before they kill me! Pleeease?" he begged, puppy dog eyes working to their full, as he crawled toward his brother to offer up a mangled remote. Don took the pieces with a shake of his head.
"Alright." he relented. "But you owe me one."
"Yeah! Yeah, of course…" nodded Mike vigorously before he glanced between the two seated above him, he wasn't about to give away his position by risking being spotted through the windows just yet. "What're you two doin' in here anyways?"
"Fixing the monitor." answered Don matter-of-factly. Mike cocked his head as he eyed the colour still fading from Taus' face.
"Yeah?" he drawled. "You're not tryin' to make a move on Raphs' girl, are ya?" he teased.

Don fixed him with a cool stare.
"No. Do you want me to fix this for you?"
"Yeah! It's all good! There's nothin' going on here at all! Read ya loud an' clear, brother dearest to my heart." fawned Mike.
"Tch, good!" said Tau, rising from her seat. "'Cos I'm nobody's 'girl', got it?" she stood over Mike with her hands on her hips.
"Awww! Oh, ok, I guess…" he muttered glumly as his objection was quashed by a stern look from the girl. With that she gave a satisfied little nod and stepped out the back of the van with a "Later." tossed over her shoulder. The two turtles shared a significant glance.
"Uh-huh." dead-panned Mike; as Don turned away to start on the repair job for his brother.

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A/N 2: My olde style English has tripped me up again. I've had a query asking what 'gainsaid' means, so for those who aren't familiar with the word it means 'to contradict, oppose, or argue with' in a way. A classic example of being gainsaid is when you've told your kids one thing (like "NO more chocolate or you'll be sick!"), only to have someone else coughgrandmothercough contradict your assertion (by telling your kids that "one more won't hurt!") Usually it happens right in front of you, with an infuriating grin from the one responsible. Hmmm, yes, 'gainsaid' I have been many a time, lol!

Anywho, I do realise the language I use can be a bit archaic at times. So feel free to prod me for definitions or explanations of any word, gesture, or just about anything in these fics really, lol!