Chapter 7

About a month and a half had passed since since a mysterious looking, leathery, creamy colored orb entered into the lives of the Hamato clan. There was a sense of unease in the air and the tension among the males had increased for some reason. The one female seemed oblivious to it all, mostly because she spent a lot of time separated from the males. She had gotten into the habit of eating, sleeping, reading and meditating in her nesting area whenever she got the chance. She sat in silent vigil over the spherical egg for the most part. Occasionally she would speak softly to the silent orb, sometimes in Mandarin, expressing how she was looking forward to welcoming him/her into the outside world. She was spending so much time in the nesting area it was causing the others to be concerned, especially Leonardo. More and more often Venus had been neglecting her duties in other parts of the Lair in order to watch over the egg. She refused to let any of the others do so, which gave Leo the impression that she didn't trust them around the egg. He found that a bit insulting since he had fathered the offspring incubating within the pearly shell.

"Maybe I shouldn't have let her see my notes about red-eared sliders," Donatello grumbled, mostly to himself. He wanted so badly to get in there and gather data about the development for future reference. He also wanted to pass on his genes, after all. And the more data he had about this one the better the chances of survival for the next clutch.

"Donnie, would you care to explain that comment of yours?" The currently mask-less Turtle snapped out of his ruminations and looked at the eldest male a bit confused.

"Huh? What comment?" He asked, realizing he must have been thinking out loud.

"About Venus seeing your notes on our species." Leo leaned forward a bit with eyes narrowed at his studious sibling.

"Oh, that! Well, uh...I was researching mating habits and such and stumbled upon a disturbing bit of information..."

"Cut to the chase, Don!"

"Ah! Yes, well, in the wild male red-eared sliders have been known to be...cannibalistic towards their young." Leo's eyes widened in horror. "That's not to say any of us would do such a thing! We are mutants after all, and a lot more evolved..."

"Apparently, Venus doesn't seem to think so...if that's what she's thinking at all. Which I doubt is the case." Donatello gulped under Leo's cold glare. He scratched his head and frowned realizing how presumptuous he as being. He was no mind reader so he had no idea what motivated Venus' behavior. As the two brothers continued their awkward conversation they were interrupted by their youngest brother whistling happily as he walked by with a tray full of food and a glass of water.

"Morning, bros!" he greeted cheerfully as he headed towards another part of the lair.

"Uh, Mikey, where are you going?" Leo inquired out of pure curiosity. He knew what area was in that direction after all.

"To take V some food and somethin' to drink," his bubbly brother answered without skipping a beat.

"But, Mikey, Venus isn't letting any of us..." Donatello was cut off by the sound of the nearby swinging door flapping back and forth. Leo and Don gave each other a baffled look when a gruff voice spoke from the shadows.

"You guys are pathetic. Scared of a girl. Grow a pair, will ya?" Raphael grumbled as he continued his arm curls with a fifteen pound dumbbell. With a sigh he dropped the dumbbell on the floor and stood up once he saw that neither of his brothers were making a move for the door. "Fine. I'll go check it out."

"Raph..." Leo started, but his brooding brother cut him off.

"Just be easy, Leo! I said I'll check it out! Don't worry, I'll be...discreet." Before anyone could protest Raph had also gone through the swinging door. Leo rose from the couch with a frown mumbling "disrespectful" under his breath. He cut his eyes over at Donatello, who saw just a hint of a smirk at the corner of his stoic brother's mouth. A glint of realization sparked in his deep, brown eyes. Soon a sinister, almost evil looking grin spread across Donatello's face as he raised a fist above his head.

"Reconnaissance!" he cheered quietly with glee as he followed the eldest to the basking chamber. They moved in silence until they caught up with Raphael, who was already eavesdropping near the entrance to the nesting area. Using hand signals Raph gave the other two a basic rundown of what he had overheard. He relayed something about temperatures and something else about...sushi? As the minutes passed the three spying siblings were getting kind of bored with the conversation and were about to give up on the 'mission' until it got a little too quiet. They heard some mumbling in a voice that sounded like Michelangelo's. They all flinched when they heard a yelp followed by a flood of apologies from Mikey followed by more silence. Leo and Raph moved closer to the door in order to hear what was going on. That's when Raph heard...was that a moan? He glanced over at Leo for any indication that he heard the same thing, but his older brother's expression was unreadable. He then heard sounds he couldn't identify but for some reason they made him feel very uncomfortable. He had lost his patience with this game and decided to solve the mystery by force. When he stood up and prepared to break down the locked door his brothers tried to stop him, but it was too late.

What followed was utter chaos. Once Raphael got over the initial sight before him his bellowing could probably be heard for miles.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOIN', MIKEY?"

Leo and Don rushed in at the sound of yelling, cursing, and fumbling around to behold a confusing sight. The nest had been covered partially by a blanket. A pile of blankets laid next to the nesting pit. On top of those blankets laid Venus on her plastron with a humiliated expression on her face. They couldn't get a full view of her because Mikey was kneeling behind her trying to...regain his modesty.

Raphael could feel his blood pressure rising and his ears began to ring. Had what he just saw been for real? And since was Mikey so damn...BIG? Not that he was the type to check out how...well equipped...his brothers were. When his head began swimming with emotion he grabbed his youngest sibling by both arms and yelled at him at the top of his lungs.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO VENUS?" He knew full well what they had been doing yet he was still in a state of disbelief. With a sneer and a rare display of strength, Michelangelo pushed his brother off of him, causing Raph to stumble backwards into a nearby wall.

"I didn't do anything she didn't want. You got a problem with that, Raph?" The red-masked reptile noticed his little brother was standing up straight and puffing out his chest as he approached him.

'Is he...bucking at me? Has Mikey gone fuckin' crazy?' Raph asked himself as he cracked his knuckles, ready to take the hormone driven male down a few notches. Fortunately Leonardo got between the two before things got way out of hand.

"Mike, Raph, just cool down! This is not the time nor the place for a brawl." At the same time Donatello had knelt down next to Venus to check on her. She was sitting up with a blanket wrapped around her. She was visibly shaken and fresh tears welled up in her eyes. Donatello rubbed her shoulder and spoke comforting words. Michelangelo was by her side in seconds, glaring at his brother briefly before taking one of her hands in his. She pulled her hand away as she stood and put some distance between her and the males. She then knelt next to the nest, staring down into the soil filled pit.

The four brothers looked at each other, not sure of what to say or do. Venus continued to avoid their eyes, especially Leonardo's calculating stare. The eldest brother finally broke the silence with the order for his brothers to leave the room.

"But..." Mikey began his protest.

"I said leave! I need to talk to Venus." Amidst angry grumblings and disappointed sighs the younger Hamato brothers reluctantly obeyed. Leonardo knelt next to Venus, who was gently stroking a finger over a tiny exposed part of the egg. He leaned over to touch it too, brushing his hand against the soon to be mother's. After giving each other a shy glance they sat up almost simultaneously, neither of them looking the other in the eye.

"So...how far along are you, Mei-chan?" Venus looked surprised before answering.

"About three weeks, maybe four," she replied as she played with the long braided ends of her light blue mask.

"Does Mikey know?" His blue eyes were cold and devoid of emotion as he crumbled some dark soil in his hand.

"Y-yes. I told him today." Venus bit her lip as she recalled how elated he was by the news. In his excitement he had showered her with much affection. Neither of them were expecting that affection to lead to such passion within moments. In his excitement Michelangelo had failed to consider his girth when he made a bit of an awkward entrance, leading to his many apologies. Such a considerate lover he was after all. Venus didn't realize how much she was blushing by now. Now she was aware of the stern look Leonardo was giving her. She had absolutely no idea how much self control Leo was mustering to deal with this information.

"I'll have to congratulate him," came his cool response as he stood from his seiza position. "Make sure not to over exert yourself and take the supplements Leatherhead provided for you." And with that he left the room. No hug, no kiss, not even a squeeze of the hand. Venus hung her head with a sigh, suddenly feeling very much alone.

After a discussion with Donatello that eased her worries about the males taking turns watching the nest, Venus was relieved that the responsibility wouldn't lay totally on her shoulders. It surprised her that Raphael would even participate in spite of his views of the whole baby situation. Perhaps he was beginning to accept the idea. She certainly hoped so.

She also hoped that things would be less tense among the Hamato household. Unfortunately that was not the case. Throughout the remaining summer months and into the fall Leonardo was pretty much giving her the silent treatment. He did speak, but it was never beyond basic pleasantries or family issues, such as making sure the Lair's security measures were even tighter to ensure the safety of their offspring. There was no more free running over the roof tops or quiet meditation in a secluded section of a park, which for a time led to spiritual release of another sort. No more subtle affectionate touches or any type of flirting or teasing. Venus was beginning to think her first love, her kindred spirit, hated her and it took a great bit of her will not to fall into the pit of despair. Michelangelo's tender attentions also helped, although it just wasn't the same. It wasn't that she didn't love Mikey. She just didn't have the same type of bond she had with Leo. Well, a bond she used to have at least.

She had to admit she did enjoy her dates with Michelangelo. Although she couldn't go out on patrol in her condition, she did appreciate any chance for some fresh air. She also enjoyed his company and the little girl in her enjoyed his doting. What she didn't understand was Raphael's angry attitude towards her. That attitude gave her second thoughts about him watching the nest. When she expressed her concern Raph balked at the idea that he would ever do any harm to an innocent, unborn baby turtle. Venus felt a pang in her heart when she saw the pain in his eyes before he stormed off. She had hurt his feelings and felt awful for even bringing it up. After he returned from his cooling-off time she made sure to sincerely apologize. He seemed skeptical of her at first but eventually accepted her apology.

"Ya know, I owe ya an apology too, V," Raphael muttered while scratching to top of his green, bald head. "I've been actin' like a real jerk towards you lately, and it ain't right. I wanna let ya know that...I don't hate you or nuthin'. I actually like ya...a whole lot. It's just that...all this baby business is takin' a lot of getting' used to, so we all gotta suck it up, pull together and make it work. That includes me." Venus' heart skipped a beat when she saw the look in Raph's eyes she had longed to be directed at her. "You're too nice of a person to be puttin' up with the way I've been actin', so I hope you can forgive me." Venus smiled and nodded. She was practically beaming at the knowledge that at least Raph didn't actually hate her. He was just frustrated by all the rapid changes in their family and wasn't coping very well. However, accepting change was part of maturing, and Raph felt it was about time he fuckin' grew up. Venus was in for another surprise when their conversation ended with Raph giving her a peck on the cheek. She shook her head realizing that in this family you should always expect the unexpected.

In late October (the week before Halloween to be exact) the Jones's minus little June came to the Turtle's lair for a visit. Their daughter was spending the weekend with her paternal grandparents. Casey had brought over some X-Box games to play with his reptilian friends while April came to check on the once again expectant mother. Casey noticed that only Raphael and Leonardo were in the living room area.

"Hey, Raph, where's the rest of the posse?" At first Raph was hesitant to answer, then gave his inner self a 'oh to hell with it, just tell him' nudge.

"They're in the nesting area." That piqued April's interest.

"She laid her second clutch?" the red-head asked as she made her way to the other side of the room.

"Nah, not yet. Don said she's having a little trouble this time...hey, where ya...goin', April?" The human didn't even hear his question, for she was through the swinging door quick, fast, and in a hurry. Once April made it to the nesting area she saw Venus squatting in the pit flanked by a worried looking Mikey and Don. Donatello looked at April with pleading in his eyes.

"She's been laboring way too long, and I don't understand why." Venus was feeling too much discomfort to even speak right now. April instructed the two worried turtles to move aside as she donned a pair of latex gloves she kept in a sealed pack in her purse. She knelt behind Venus and gave her a soft pat on the carapace.

"V, I need you to take a deep breath and relax." As the laboring turtle did so Michelangelo flinched as he watched April literally reach inside of Venus. After a few minutes there was a collective sigh of relief and gasps of surprise as two round eggs settled into the nest.

"Oh well, now we know why she was having so much trouble this time," April huffed as she climbed out of the nest and brushed the soil from her knees. As Donatello slapped a hand against his forehead and sighed with relief and Mikey bubbled with joy that he had fathered twins, Venus was catching her breath. She just wanted to take a bath and take a long nap.

It wasn't long before the busy holiday season had New York bustling even more than usual. Unfortunately it was often accompanied by an increase in criminal activity, which lead to the Turtles foiling several armed robberies. It was frustrating that they couldn't stop all of them, for although they were quite skilled in ninjutsu they couldn't be everywhere at once. The burden of protecting a huge city like New York could get pretty overwhelming even for ninja of their stamina and stature, so they concentrated on protecting the territory where their family and friends resided, especially the territory above and around their precious Lair.

Fortunately things calmed down by late December, much to the Turtles' relief. Cold weather definitely was not their friend so they appreciated staying indoors this time of year. It was particularly peaceful this Christmas season. On the eve of the holiday April and Casey brought the now ten month old June to visit. As usual the Jones' came bearing gifts for their peculiar friends, giving them one of each. This year, however they brought Leonardo two.

"Why two gifts, April?"

"That second one is actually for your baby. He or she should be due any day now, right?"

"Uh, yeah. According to Donnie's calculations, that sounds about right," Leo responded with a warm smile and much gratitude. The Turtles had been preparing for the pending arrival as best they could the past few months with a specially designed crib that Raph and Leo had built together. Donatello had perfected the baby monitoring system he and Venus had discussed and even made adjustments according to the mother-to be's specifications. Mikey had been designing some baby toys under Klunk's watchful eye from on top of the TV. And of course the Jones's donated whatever they could and even enlisted help from family and neighbors. They told them the items were for a needy family that was expecting a new addition any day now.

The Hamatos and Joneses enjoyed a pretty peaceful Christmas Eve for a change. Raph played with little Junie as she bounced on his lap on her chubby baby legs laughing at his crazy faces. Donatello was tinkering with an electronic toy Casey's cousin had bought for June a while back as he conversed with the human about his cousin Sid's latest antics. Mikey concentrated on the finishing touches on a baby toy he had made for the so far unnamed turtle offspring. He had plans for others for his own little ones, but he figured he had plenty of time to create those and give them his own unique artistic flair. Venus showed April the soft animal shaped toys she had crocheted. April was especially impressed with Venus' little turtle. It kind of reminded her or Leonardo.

The aforementioned Turtle was particularly quiet, almost meditative. He didn't engage in much conversation with the others. He silently stroked Klunk's tail as the feline lounged on the back of the couch. He was proud of how excited everyone was about the coming new addition to their clan, yet hoped they would be able to handle the responsibility of safeguarding and nurturing a new life.

Around midnight everyone was winding down for the night. Leo had arrange splinters room as a guest room for the Joneses. It was still a quite cozy, peaceful little space that had the baby, and Casey, snoring in no time. All but two of the Turtles retired to their respective rooms. Venus had yet to break her habit of laying next to her nest to watch over her eggs. She stretched out on her freshly cleaned pile of blankets to observe her clutch with half closed eyes. She was a bit tired from all the holiday preparations and from the weight of concern and anticipation of the pending birth.

She flinched when she felt someone lay down behind her. She relaxed when she quickly realized who it was, though she wasn't expecting this behavior from them.

"You should really get some sleep, Mei-chan. I'll watch over them for you."

"Mhhhn..." Leo's brow raised at that cryptic response. "Do as you wish."

Leo nodded as he cuddled closer to Venus, who shivered as he lightly kissed her on the shoulder. Although their mating season had long passed and her scent was not as strong in the winter months, Leo still longed for the closeness in spite of his aloofness in the past few months. He had seen the hurt in Venus' eyes when he would avoid her. He had finally gotten to a point of admitting he was hurting too. In his mind he was trying to be fair by stepping back to let Michelangelo have his time with her. In his heart he wanted to slam his competition's face into the floor. It took a lot of meditation to control that urge. A whole lot of meditation. He knew he had caused her suffering and wanted to make amends somehow.

"Mei-chan...I'm..." He stopped mid-sentence when he heard an odd sound. "Do you hear that?" Venus nodded and stirred when she realized where the sound was coming from. She sat up and peered down into the nest to see the a stirring in the soil on the south end. When she pushed aside some of the loose topsoil she witnessed a wondrous sight. There was an opening at the top of the large egg where she could see a small, green beak pushing its way out of the shell. Both parents watched in awe as a tiny, three fingered hand pushed out beside the beak, enlarging the opening. Leonardo reached over and touched the little digits, which flinched and pulled partly back into the shell. After a few seconds passed they heard that sound again. It was something between a squeak and a chirp. Leo briefly wondered if he made a sound like that when he hatched when the hand shot out again. This time they saw a whole arm up to the shoulder and the edge of a shell. The baby wriggled and pushed until finally a head popped out.

Venus could hardly contain her delight when she beheld a round, light green face with dark eyes taking in new sights and sounds. The baby blinked its moist eyes as its gaze fell on its parents. Venus bit her bottom lip and gave Leo a look that spoke a thousand words.

"I'll go get some warm water and fresh towels." She nodded in agreement as she reached down to pick up the hatchling, who still wasn't completely out of its shell. She gently cradled the little one in her arms as its father placed damp towels on the changing table. Soon the new mother had the baby completely out of its shell. Together the parents gently and cautiously cleaned the newborn, careful not to damage the yolk sac on the plastron Donatello had warned them about. Of course this wasn't all that easy because of the baby's squirming. After a thorough cleaning and close examination it was determined that the baby was male because of the long, thick tail, flattened shell, and long claws. Leo knew from experience that there would be plenty of claw trimming going on for the rest of his born days.

Now that the little one was all clean the new parents decided that they needed to agree upon a name.

"Well, since it's a boy and you already had a boy's name in mind, I think you should decide, Leo." The young father closed his eyes and took a deep breath before uttering his most favorite and final choice.

"His name shall be...Tokio."

Next chapter: The rest of the gang wake up to an adorable Christmas surprise. Leo and Venus' relationship seems to be on the mend, but no relationship is without its challenges. Also, after seeing Tokio is Raph having second thoughts about having children? And Don and V have a private talk.