Yeah I know, I suck at updating. But the main thing is a new chapter is here so we can all be happy. Pretty sure this chapter doesn't really make sense but tell me if it's completely incomprehensible. Here we go.

…

Three days. It had been three days since they broke into Foot Clan headquarters. Three days since they rescued Mona. For those three days he had done nothing. Donnie and April had been locked away in the lab with Professor Perry trying everything they could think of to Help Mona. However, they soon learned that there wasn't a lot they could do. "The effects were designed to be irreversible" he had overheard Perry say. But still the three of them worked as hard as they could to find a way. Master Splinter was the only one allowed in the lab, he couldn't do much for Mona but he was able to keep everybody calm. Leonardo helped splinter, at least, he tried to. He waited by the door until his sensei told him to go fetch something. When Splinter would leave the lab Leonardo followed him like a lost puppy, begging his master to let him do more to help. Michelangelo spent most of the time cooking. He provided everyone with food and drinks, whatever they needed. Of course, nobody ate, they weren't really hungry. But they thanked him and took the plate anyway. Casey sat on the couch with a notepad, jotting down ideas for stories that the professor could tell the police when the time came to take him back to the surface.

Everyone had something to do. Everyone but him. He just sat there, useless. What could he do? He was Raphael, he was a fighter. Now that the fight was over there was nothing for him but to sit and watch.

"Raph." He looked up from the floor to see Casey staring quizzically at him. "Raph, you ok man?"

"Y-yeah" He said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm just… worried, you know?"

"We all are." Casey put down his pencil. "Things will be ok though, man. Things will get better."

"How?"

"I don't know." he answered honestly. "But they will."

Raph sighed "I just wish there was more I could do, you know? That there was some way I could help."

"We all do, man."

"It's not the same!" Raph slammed his hands on the coffee table and jumped to his feet, causing Casey to jump and Leo to look over from his position near the lab door. "You're all… doing something. You're helping in some stupid way. And what am I doing? Just sitting here like a chump doing nothing! I haven't done anything to help her!"

"You really think that?" Casey walked over and put his hand on Raph's shoulders. "You saved her. You got her out of there. Without you, she'd probably still be in there, hell, she'd probably be dead. You saved her, Raph."

Raphael sighed and sat back down. Casey sat next to him, hand still resting on his shoulder. "You ok, Raph?" This time it was Leo asking, he had left his stop by the door to check on his brother.

He didn't look up. "Yeah Leo, I'm fine." He said, slightly irritated.

"What's going on?" Mikey asked, emerging from the kitchen.

"Nothing." Raph snapped.

"Raph's stressed." Leo explained, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder in a comforting fashion.

"I said I was fine!" He almost yelled, standing up and moving away from Leo and Casey. "Besides, this isn't about me. We should be worrying about Mona."

"It's ok, Raph." Leo said soothingly. "You're allowed to be upset."

"Yeah, this is hard on all of us." Mikey agreed.

"Would people please stop telling me that it's ok?! It's not ok! Look at what happened to her, one of our best friends! This is our fault! And there's nothing we can do to fix it!"

"That's not true!" Leo was yelling now. "Donnie and April and the professor are doing everything they can to help her!"

"And how's that going?" He exclaimed. "They've been at this for 3 days now, face it Leo, they got no clue what they're doing!"

"Raph!" Mikey gasped in shock. Raphael glared at his brother. They all knew it was true but nobody had said it out loud before.

"You know, I don't think Mona Lisa needs that kind of attitude right now!" Leo closed in on Raph "Especially not from someone who claims to be her friend!"

"My sons!" Everyone turned to see Splinter standing there, watching them. He looked tired, understandably so, as he hadn't slept since they had rescued Mona Lisa and brought her back to the lair. "My sons, sit. I must talk with you. All of you."

…

Leo, Raph, and Mikey sat on the couch together silently. Casey was in the arm chair next to them, while Don, April and Professor Perry stood behind, most probably already aware of what he was going to say.

Some moments passed before Splinter finally spoke. "We have all been through… a great deal in the past few days. No one was prepared for this and I…" Splinter paused and looked at each of his sons. "I am very proud of you all. You have stepped up to help your friend when she needed you most. But I am afraid more is required of you. As you all know, Professor Perry has been working with Donatello and Miss O'Neil to cure Mona Lisa. But, as we all feared, there is not much they can do. We thank the professor for his help but it is time he returned to the surface. There is nothing else he can do for us here."

"I plan to dedicate all my time to finding a cure when I get back to my own lab." Perry interjected "And I'll be coming to check up on Mona Lisa. I assure you I don't plan on giving up on this just yet."

Splinter nodded. "Thank you professor, for everything. Now, my sons, it is your turn. As you are most likely aware, because Mona Lisa's… condition she is not able to return to the surface." Raphael noticed how people kept avoiding the 'mutant'. Nobody seemed to want to say it. He understood why, to officially declare Mona a mutant was a very final thing. It meant that this was permanent, that she would never be human again. People wanted to avoid using that word as long as possible.

"Because of that, she is to stay with us." Splinter continued. "We are to take care of her. I am not sure for how long. I know this is a lot to ask of you, my sons, but it is our duty as her friends and as men of honor to help her through this."

The room was silent. No one was sure what to say. Of course they all agreed with what Splinter had said, but they still had a million and one questions, all of them about Mona. Mikey was the first to speak up.

"Where is she going to sleep?" He said, raising his hand.

"My room." Raphael said without hesitation. "She can take my room sensei. I can sleep on the couch."

"That is very gracious, Raphael." His sensei said seriously. "But you do realise that we are not sure how long this arrangement is going to be for?"

Raph nodded, he understood completely. "Yes Sensei, but I still want to help. In any way possible."

Splinter bowed to his son. "Thank you, Raphael."

After that Splinter set to work getting things organised. He asked April and Casey to drive Professor Perry to the police station. They did so without question and after the professor said his goodbyes and babbled more apologies they left. Donatello went back to the lab to take care of Mona. Splinter joined them after a while to explain the situation to her.

Raphael set to work cleaning his room for Mona Lisa. He wished he had more time; after all he wasn't exactly prepared for having a girl live in his room for an indefinite amount of time. But he did what he could with what little time he had. Once he deemed the room inhabitable he grabbed what he thought he would need for the next few nights and headed downstairs.

He was about halfway down the stairs when he noticed them. It was Master Splinter, just standing there at the bottom of the staircase talking to Mona Lisa. She had her arms wrapped around herself and he could see that she was shaking slightly. Master Splinter said something to her, he was too far away to hear what, and touched her forearm. Mona nodded and a couple of strands of hair fell out of place. Raph surveyed her now webbed hand as it subconsciously moved to push them back. She was so different. Not just in appearance, in attitude. He had never seen her look so timid before. His brothers obviously thought so too, as he saw them out of the corner of his eye just standing there staring at her. They were a fair distance away; Donatello was standing in front of them, most probably preventing them from getting any closer. He knew his brothers wanted to talk to her, he did too. But he could tell just by looking at her that now was not the time for that.

Raphael then witnessed his father do something very out of character and pull Mona Lisa into a hug. It lasted a few moments before Mona pulled away. She gave Splinter a weak smile before heading up the stairs. He watched her as she walked towards him. When she finally noticed him, she slowed to a halt. She was just a few feet away now. He could reach out and touch her if he wanted, but he didn't. He stood perfectly still, as if he were frozen in place. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness and a thousand other unidentified emotions. He offered her a small smile as a source of comfort. She looked back down and continued walking. It wasn't until he heard the click of his bedroom door shutting that he finally decided to continue down the stairs.

…

It had been about a month since he started sleeping on the couch and it was beginning to take his toll on him. His shell ached, he was waking up later, falling behind in practice. He refused to say anything though. He was more than willing to sleep on the couch for as long as Mona needed his room.

They hadn't seen much of Mona since she moved in with them. She rarely left the room. When she did the others tried not to make a big deal of it. "She does not wish to draw attention to herself, it would be best to just continue acting normally" Splinter had told them once. All her meals were delivered to the room, usually by Splinter but occasionally Mikey would insist on doing it. He was also the one who made her meals, making sure each one was of gourmet quality. She didn't eat much though, which upset him. Not because of the work he put in, but out of concern for her health. Mikey had made it a habit to stay and talk to her while she ate every time he brought her food. Though she didn't say much, she never kicked him out. In fact, she invited in anyone who came to visit. Well, she never turned them away at least. She just opened the door and sat back down on the bed, allowing whoever it was to walk in and have their mostly one-sided conversation.

Everyone had visited her at least one. Even Professor Perry did when he dropped by to check up on her. They were all excited to see him until he informed them that he hadn't made any progress in finding a cure. April went to see her every time she was over, and Casey joined her on occasion. In an attempt to lift her spirits, April always tried to bring her something when she came to visit. It was usually something of Mona's she had found lying around the store or in her apartment, like her jacket or one of her book, or it was things she thought Mona needed, like a hairbrush or some blankets. Donatello saw her twice a week to check how she was doing medically. His visits were usually silent, as he had no clue what to say to her. Leo went to see her every so often, probably to give some inspirational speech about staying strong and not giving up. At least, that's what Raph thought.

Raphael had visited her once, and it lasted a total of 3 minutes. He remembered how much he thought about it until he decided it was the right thing to do, how he rehearsed everything he wanted to say a million times over in his head, how long he stood outside the door before he gathered the courage to knock. When she finally opened the door he felt the sudden urge to run. He fought against his urges and walked into the room.

It was a full minute before he finally spoke. "So, um, How are… I mean- are things… are you ok?"

Out of all the things he could have said, he felt like that was the stupidest. Mona nodded, not looking up from her lap.

"Well, um… I-I just… I…" He sighed as he finally gave into his nerves and chickened out of the speech he had planned. "I just came to get some things."

She nodded again while he pretended to search his room. He picked up some things he didn't actually need before heading to the door again.

Before he left, he turned to look at her one more time. He opened his mouth to speak one more time. "Please don't give up" He blurted out. She looked slightly confused. "Not that you… I didn't mean… I'm here for you, Mona. If you need me."

That was the last thing he said before he slammed the door shut and left the room. He mentally kicked himself for weeks after that. He should have handled that better. He shouldn't have been such an idiot.

Raphael didn't sleep much anymore. The couch didn't really make the most comfortable bed. So he had fallen into the habit of going out nearly every night. Most of the time he would go topside and look for crime, but sometimes he would just wander the sewers aimlessly, trying to think of possible ways he could help Mona Lisa. It was on one of these walks when it happened.

He was travelling through the sewers, lost in his thoughts. He wasn't too concerned with where he was heading, changing direction whenever he felt like. It wasn't until it started to get lighter that he finally took notice of his surroundings. The light was coming from the moon, seeping through the grates and washing over everything. It made the concrete walls of the sewer shine in a strange way. There were no cars or pedestrians passing by to block the light, which was a strange thing for New York, even at this time of night. It was what allowed him to see the image in front of him so clearly.

Mona Lisa.

She sat on the floor of the sewer, leaning against the wall and looking up at the moon. Her hands rested on her knees and her tail curled gently around her feet. She looked… peaceful, calm. And sad. She always looked sad nowadays, but this was different. It was more of a… yearning kind of look. That was really the only word Raph could think of to describe it.

He was so shocked by her presence there that it took him a few moments for him to react. Finally he gained the courage to speak. "Mona."

She jumped violently and instinctively turned in his direction. She had obviously not expected to be caught. Her eyes fluttered wildly. "Raph." She said, louder than he expected her to. "W-what… what are you doing here?"

It was the first time she had spoken to him in over a month now. It was an odd realisation for both of them. "Nothing" He said, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. "But, you know, I'm always out here. Whadda you doing here?"

She almost looked embaressed. "I… I just wanted to see the moon."

When he thought about, it wasn't too surprising. She is – she was – human afterall. She was used to seeing the moon every night. The fact that they had just expected her to adapt to the darkness of sewer life now seemed stupid to him.

"I don't remember it being this beautiful." She said in a small voice.

Raph hesitated; he didn't really know what to say. "Do you mind if I join you?"

She looked at him for a moment, then shook her head and silently gestured to the spot next to her.

"Ya know" Raph started as he sat down. "You really should be out here."

"I know." There was a bitterness to her voice as she spoke. "Splinter already gave me this talk. There are many dangers in the outside world for me now. I shouldn't venture beyond the lair until fully understand this. Maybe someday you guys will take me to the surface but until then…"

"I remember that talk." Raph laughed. "Used to get it all the time."

She gave a small smile. "I suppose there's a lot I can't do now that I look like this."

Raphael sat there silently, trying to think of something reassuring to say. It was times like this that Raph envied Leo's gift for speech. As much as it annoyed him, Ol' fearless always knew what to say. That was a talent he could use right about now. Instead he just stared at the moon.

"What's going to happen?" She asked. It was a vague question but he knew what she was talking about.

"I don't know." He said truthfully. "Donnie and the professor are still working hard to find a way to reverse it but-"

"But it doesn't look good.' She finished, nodding in understanding. "But my life. College, my job, my friends… I just give that up?"

"Some of it, I guess. You have to. But you can start a new life. Here, with us. I know it ain't exactly what you planned, living in a sewer and everything…"

"Raph, I appreciate that, but I can't just live in your room the rest of my life. That's not fair on you or your family and it's just not what I want to do." She tried to keep a joking tone in her voice as she spoke, but Raph could see the tears that were formed in her eyes.

"Then we'll figure something else out. We'll figure it out, Mona, you just… you gotta stay strong you know?" He fumbled over his words, trying to think of the right thing to say.

"It's all gone." She continued as if he hadn't said anything. "Everything, all of it. Gone. And what am I supposed to do about it? Hide? Never see the sun again? Lock myself away like I'm some kind of monster, a menace to society?"

"You're not a monster, Mona."

"I'm a Freak!" She yelled. She threw her head back and it slammed against the wall with a loud thud. She let out a pained hiss and rubbed the back of her head. Her gaze left the moon and moved to her feet.

"I used to be beautiful." Her voice was so soft that he almost missed it. "I know that sounds vain, but it's true. I was beautiful. Now look at me."

"You're still beautiful, Mona." He said instinctively. When he looked over to her he realised just how true his words were. Her green skin was a lighter shade than his and his brothers, and turned an greenish-yellow colour around her chest and stomach, down to the underside of her tail. It looked soft and smooth as it glistened ever so slightly in the moonlight. Her fingers, while webbed were still long and slender. She still had the same curves she had when she was human, although she looked much thinner than before. Raph put this down to how little she had been eating. Her was longer than he remembered and had become incredibly wavy without the constant styling. It cascaded down her back and over her shoulders. Her beak was much more soft-looking than his own, there was less of an edge to it. The shape of her face was still exactly the same, as were her eyes. They were still the same deep, beautiful, mesmerising eyes he remembered looking into so many times before.

It took him a couple of seconds to realise Mona was staring at him. Or rather, he was staring at her while she gave him a confused look. "Don't lie to me, Raphael." She said sadly. "I know you're trying to help, but I don't need it. Not when I know the truth."

"I'm not lying." He said honestly. "You're still Beautiful, Mona. You're just different. But it's still beautiful." She stared at him quizzically as he continued. "You're still you, Mona."

"Really?" She said finally.

"I wouldn't lie to ya." He grunted, things getting a little more mushy than he was comfortable with. "Tell anyone I said that and I'll break you."

"You're secret soft side is safe with me, doll." She gave a small laugh. He wagered that was the first time she actually laughed in a while.

…

What do we think? I think Raph is a little out of character in this chapter, but as always I'm too lazy to rewrite anything. Tell me what you think. Getting close to the end now so I won't be tormenting you guys with my terrible updating skills for much longer

Xx