A/N: Alrught, I admit, this is a filler chapter. Kinda scattered all over the place, but trust me, things in this chapter will be important later! So pay attention! Enjoy and please R and R, cuz I like knowing what I do wrong.
Also! I am going to rewrite chapter 6 next so make sure you go back and read it within the next few days.
Disclaimer: I only own TMNT when I dream.
The nest few days passed slowly for Raphael. He had told his two younger brothers of the plan the next morning, and they both loved it By Wednesday, everyone, including Raph were anxious to surprise Melanie. The birthday girl seemed oblivious to her brothers' anxiety, which was good because if she had been paying attention to anything but her exams, Mikey would have given it away a long time ago. She and Donnie had spent the past three days locked up in his lab studying, and the more Raph watched her at meal times, the more he was convinced that she needed what she was gonna get.
Raph came out of his memories as Melanie walked into the kitchen. Mikey was making dinner and Leo and Splinter were in the dojo. Donnie was across from him, his beak buried in a math textbook of Melanie's.
"Hey," she said tiredly as she sat down and laid her head on her arms. She had thrown on some of Raph's old torn clothes that he had once used to get around topside when he couldn't stay in the shadows, a red t shirt that showed a large piece of her white tank top beneath, and a large pair of grey sweats. Her long hair was messily tugged into a pony tail on the crown of her head, and she wore her fuzzy slippers and reading glasses. Despite her bum look, Raph couldn't help but think she was beautiful. Sure, she had grown up as his sister, but he felt that if circumstances had been different, he would have a different relationship with her. He didn't have those feelings for her now, but he had in the past. Even though she reminded him of Leo most out of all of his brothers, he still found her intoxicating some days. She was so complicated and hard to figure it out, but, piece by piece, he had put her together, and was proud of every aspect of her. Perhaps that was why he was so protective of her. He knew that she put on a tough face for them, but underneath, Raph saw the delicate rose that she was. Elegant, graceful, yet humble, caring, and hardworking, Melanie was what Raph pictured the perfect woman. He loved her dearly, and couldn't stand to see her hurting, even if she tried not to show him. He glared at the cast on her wrist. He really couldn't explain his love for Melanie. Of course he loved his father and brothers, but that was different. He fought and bickered and pulled away from his brothers when he needed a break, but he never felt that way with Melanie. He knew there was only so much time before she would go off on her own and leave, and he felt like he needed to treasure the time he had with her. He knew that she would still visit, but it wouldn't be the same as having her around all the time to keep the balance and peace. Before they had found her, Raph had bickered with all of his brothers, especially Leo, over stupid things, but when she had come into their lives, the pointless arguments and fighting had stopped. In Raph's eyes, Melanie was a princess that graciously kept peace and brought love into the family that had never been there before.
"Hey princess," Raph smiled, please at his new perspective of his sister.
"Princess, huh?" she laughed. "I don't know what you're talking about cuz I sure don't look it today and last I checked Mikey wasn't a girl."
"You mean you've checked?" Raph sneered, knowing he had caught her in a corner.
"Don't have to. Girls have thing's Mikey doesn't and I doubt we could find a bra that would fit him, so I guess he has to be a boy." She snickered.
Raph stood up and swept her into a hug and nuzzled her neck. "Okay, you win." He whispered.
"Aw, Donnie, look at the love birds!" Mikey teased, shortly after, Raph smacked him and he whimpered. Melanie laughed and sat down next to Donnie and he began to explain some theorem about remainders in quad-somethin's.
The rest of the evening was uneventful. Melanie and Donnie disappeared shortly after dinner and Raph, Mikey, and Leo went on a run to let off some anxiety over the events to begin the next day.
Donnie threw the door of the dojo open and ran towards his lab, rushing to get the first aid kit. Leo accidentally nicked Raph in the shoulder when they had been sparring, but he paused when he saw Melanie fast asleep on the couch. He glanced at the clock on the wall; she must have been there for a good half an hour. She was lying on her side, her hurt arm held away from her body to avoid rolling on it. Donnie smiled. Melanie had never ceased to amaze him. As he ran to his lab and grabbed the small box, he thought of how much she had grown over the years. Donnie had watched her, fascinated by the capacity her mind had to learn. His brothers had grown up at the same time he did, but with Melanie, he had had the chance to watch as she bloomed and excelled in almost everything she did. She had taught herself to play the piano with little help from April on a keyboard they had found, she had excelled in ninjutsu, and Master Splinter had even started doing yoga with her, a practice that she loved. On top of great accomplishments and receiving a full ride scholarship to the community college, Melanie somehow managed to cook, clean and be a mother of sorts to four boys older than her. He was constantly amazed at the things she would come home and tell him about, he was even more surprised that she took time out of her day to show him new things she learned. He couldn't help but compare her to the tiny, scared girl Leo had found eight years ago. Despite being raised by four turtles and a rat, she had blossomed into quite a prize. He had watched over the years how the struggles and challenges she had faced and the way she handled the setbacks had shaped her into the graceful, patient, pretty girl lying on the couch. Sure, she had flaws, but everyone did, but she was a pearl among coarse sand and rocks. He tenderly touched her cheek and ran back into the dojo, first aid kit in hand.
Melanie awoke to the grinding sound of engines. She blinked to clear her sight and look around. Mikey and Donnie were engaged in a car video game, and she could hear Leo and Raph talking in the kitchen. She slid off the couch and stumbled to the kitchen cupboard, grabbing two pills and a glass of water. Leo and Raph quieted when she entered, but her head hurt too much to pay attention.
"Mel, you okay?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, just a headache." She muttered after swallowing the pills and laying her head on the table.
"Dude, what's wrong with Mel?" Mikey whispered after poking his head into the kitchen.
"She's exhausted Mikey. She's had exams on subjects that you can't even pronounce." Donnie said after draping a blanket on his once again asleep sister.
"Oh yeah? Try me!" he dared.
"Chemiosmosis, phosphorylation, phospholipid bilayers, adenosine triphosphate," Donnie began.
"Okay, okay! You win." Mikey whimpered. "You're hurting my head."
Leo, Raph and Donnie laughed. "And that was only one subject." Donnie smirked.
"Will she be okay for tonight?" Leo asked.
"Yeah, she'll be fine. Is everything ready?"
"Yupp, just gotta load it up and we're good to go." Raph said.
"Alright, well let's get dinner started. I'm betting she will go to bed soon after. Mikey?" Donnie noticed that his younger brother had disappeared. Then they heard him talking and all three walked into the main room to find Mikey lounging on the couch, his shell cell open and a phone book laid across his lap.
"Yes, I'd like five large pizzas. One plain cheese, one with olives and anchovies, one hawaiin style…Blech I dunno how she eats that…and then one with everything on it and if you could throw some jelly beans on the black ones are my favorite…." All of his brothers just smiled and shook their heads.
"Mikey, you have to be quiet. She's a light sleeper, remember?" Leo whispered as his brother crept towards Melanie's room. As Donnie had predicted, she had barely made it through dinner and went immediately to her room afterwards. "Raph, did you get plenty of blankets?" The red banded turtle nodded. "Good. Where's Donnie?"
"He's sleepin' on the couch. He's drivin' first."
"Good. Alright, I'll help Mikey. Wake Donnie and start the van, we'll be right there." Leo soon caught up to his brother and found him staring at their sleeping sister like he had never seen her before. "Mikey?"
"Hmmm." He mumbled. Melanie was curled into a ball beneath several covers. Mikey tugged back the covers, and slipped his arms underneath her back and knees, and he couldn't help but feeling like a villain kidnapping a beautiful damsel to tempt a hero with. He unconsciously smiled, and Leo gave him a curious glance as he opened the door for him. Melanie isn't just a damsel Mikey thought to himself. She was so much more than that. On top of cooking, cleaning, working, caring, and loving he and his brothers, Melanie still found time to go to school for herself. But it wasn't just for herself. She was going to college so that she could get a better job to support the family. Mikey didn't know how she did it. Melanie was his best friend. On the days that his brothers were to caught up in their own worlds and Mikey was left alone, Melanie would come home and she could tell he was miserable, even if he didn't show it. It was like she had some weird sixth sense. It puzzled Mikey, but she always managed to make him feel better. She would do anything with him, even if she didn't want to she would put on a smile and they'd both end up causing trouble in some way. Melanie was his rescuer. No, Melanie wasn't the damsel in distress in this story. She was the hero.
Leo cleared the way to garage, but it was still a slow journey. They would both freeze in panic when she would shift or mumble. They finally made it to the van and Mikey gingerly placed the sleeping girl into the makeshift bed covering the entire back of the van. Splinter climbed in next and curled up next to Melanie, followed by Leo. Mikey couldn't hold back his huge grin. This would be their first family road trip. Raph and Donnie were in the front, with the radio turned on low. Leo unfolded a blanket and draped it over Splinter and Melanie, then got another one for himself and waited for Mikey to hop in and shut the door. Mikey closed his eyes and snuggled up against Leo's chest, ready for their family's latest adventure to begin.