A/N: Just some responses to your reviews.

theblackbirdaska - LOL! You picked up on that! I love it!

Wolfjade28 - Shh, that's a secrete for the future...-snickers-


April was waiting for them as the van pulled into the parking lot of the garage. It was still dark out and there was no one up at this early hour. They pulled the van alongside hers. April stepped out to greet them. Mira nearly jumped out of her arms and into her mother's. Donnie caught Sarah as she stumbled back a step. He smiled. "Easy, Mira, Mommy's had a rough night."

But Sarah just smiled and held her daughter close as the tot babbled happily. April smiled as well when Leo stepped from the van. She hugged him. "Leo, it's good to see you."

Leo hugged her back. "Thanks, April."

April raised a brow at the girl beside him. "And who's this?"

Leo smiled. "This is Amaya. We met in Japan."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm April O'Neil." She offered her hand for a handshake, but Amaya merely bowed.

"I'm pleased to meet you."

April raised an eyebrow and Leo frowned. "Amaya is blind. Her eyes were damaged in a fire." Leo had described to the others on the ride home what had happened to her. They had all seemed satisfied with the explanation, not wanting to pry too much.

April's hand went to her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry."

Amaya smiled. "There's nothing to apologize for. I've been this way most of my life. It's natural for me."

"Why don't we go inside, it's been a very long trip for us." Leo suggested, taking Amaya's hand and leading the way to the back door.

As the group piled into the elevator, Mikey spoke up. "Do you think it'll be okay for us to stay here? What if they know where our home is now?"

Raph looked down at Cat. "How many Foot came in here with Kassic?"

"Just four."

"Well, then it should be okay, because we destroyed those four at the warehouse. Kassic is dead and Shredder…who knows where he is now." Raph concluded.

"But he's certainly no longer a threat." Leo confirmed.

"Don't worry. I'll beef up security tomorrow." Donnie leaned against the wall and Sarah.

She frowned. "You're not doing anything for the next few days. You've got a pretty bad puncture wound in your side." Donnie gulped and nodded. He knew when to give up. Sarah had that look that said she wouldn't be argued with. The others laughed at the couple as the doors opened into the lair.

Leo led Amaya to the couch and had her sit down. "Say, Mikey. Do you mind moving your comic books out of the spare room?"

"Sure." Mikey headed down the hall.

Kala headed for the storage room. "I'll get the spare sheets and blankets."

Cat sat beside Amaya as Leo went to put his bag away. "Would you like me to find you something to sleep in? You and I are about the same size."

Amaya smiled. "Thank you. That would be nice."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Cat left to dig through her clothes for something that would be comfortable.

Sarah had taken Donnie to the lab, so she could examine his wound better. April had gone with them to keep Mira out of the way. So, Raph and Amaya were left alone. He watched her with a bit of suspicion. How had this girl got the better of his big brother? She seemed rather meek by her outward appearance. Not someone he would see Leo gravitating to.

"Raphael, isn't it?"

He blinked. "Uh, yeah, you can call me Raph."

She smiled. "Raph, you're wondering what our relationship is?"

He blinked again, wondering if this girl could also read minds. "Uh, well, yeah. Leo ain't never been the type to just bring someone home with him."

"Tell me something. When you met your wife for the first time, did you know right away that you were meant to be?" Amaya already knew the answer. She had seen the couple's souls intertwine and sparkle, burning nearly the same color as each other.

Raph rubbed his head a little. "Yeah, I guess so. But that was different. I didn't bring Cat home with me right away."

"Would you have been willing never to see her again?" Amaya asked, again knowing the answer.

Raph snorted. "No."

"Then bare us no grudge. We simply could not do it either."

Raph shook his head. "I don't know if Leo explained this to you, but our lives ain't exactly easy. Tonight ought to be proof enough of that."

Leo stepped out of his room. "It may be typical for us, Raph, but not for the girls. And you know that. Besides, Amaya's no pushover either. You saw what she did to Shredder."

Raph studied his brother for a long moment before finally conceding. He smirked. "So, you two really care about each other, huh?" Leo nodded firmly. Raph put an arm around his shoulders. "Well, it's about time. I was beginning to wonder if you'd settle on having twenty cats instead."

Amaya giggled and Leo grinned at the tease. "Well, at least I didn't try to run her over with my motorcycle."

Raph huffed though his smirk didn't falter. "Hey, that was an accident and Cat's got some pretty good skills with a bike, so no harm."

Leo laughed and shoved his arm off his shoulder. "Excuses, excuses." He moved across the room and pulled Amaya to her feet. "Come on. Let me show you where you can sleep." He led her down the hall. "This first room is Mikey and Kala's. Your room is next and then Raph and Cat's room. Don and Sarah's room is across the hall from yours. The bathroom is at the end of the hall."

Mikey stepped out of the spare room with a box in his arms. "It's all ready for you, dudette. Nice and clean."

Kala stepped out behind him. She smiled. "I've left you an extra blanket. It can get kind of cold down here."

"Thanks, guys." Leo guided Amaya into the room. He explained there was little furniture in the room save a bed and nightstand. He turned to leave but she caught his hand.

"Where is your room?"

He smiled, understanding her uncertainly in the new environment. He stroked her cheek. "Straight across from where you were sitting a moment ago." She nodded and he started to step away again, but paused. He lifted her chin and kissed her softly. He shivered when her warm hands came up to cup his neck. Nothing in the world could compare to the knowledge she was there beside him, his own personal shelter from the storms of life. He prayed with everything he was that she'd never want to leave. At last he stepped away, brushing a hand through her long ebony locks. "Good night, Amaya."

She smiled. "Good night, Leonardo."

A few minutes after he was gone, Cat showed up with something for her to sleep in. "I didn't know what you would like so I brought you a couple of things."

They chatted for a few minutes about the clothes. Amaya frowned a little. "I don't think your husband likes me much."

Cat laughed. "As someone once told me, don't mind him he's just a big lug or it was something like that." Amaya smiled slightly. "And if you need anything, just let one of us know. We're all here to help you transition. All of us girls have had to start over pretty much from scratch, so we are very familiar with the routine by now."

Amaya bowed slightly. "Thank you, I appreciate the kindness."

Cat smiled. "Good night, see you in the morning."

She left and Amaya closed the door to dress. A few minutes later there was a knock and she opened the door. "Sarah, right?"

Sarah chuckled. "You're quite good at that. Are souls so very different?"

"Yes, though I've never seen souls behave like yours and Donatello's."

Sarah raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Your two souls seem to be constantly feeding off of one another. More like it's a single entity rather than two separate."

Sarah smiled. "Well, that probably has something to do with the bonding. But I'll explain all that to you later. I wanted to be sure you had everything you needed before I went to bed."

Involuntarily, Amaya turned her head towards the living room and Leo's room beyond. "Yes. I'll be fine."

Sarah's smile broadened. "I see. Well, if you need anything you can knock on our door. Or you can always go wake Leo, I'm sure he'd be glad to help."

Amaya blushed furiously. "Um…I…uh."

Sarah chuckled again. "Good night, Amaya." She crossed the hall as Amaya replied in kind and closed the door behind her. She slipped softly into the bed careful not to disturb Mira, who'd refused to sleep in her own bed that night.

Donnie opened his eyes to watch her as she lay down. He reached out to stroke a soft hand down her swollen cheek and across the marred skin of her neck. "I'm sorry."

"It's just a flesh wound. It'll be gone in a few days." She caught his hand and squeezed it.

"And I'm sorry about this too." He indicated his side. "I know it must be causing you pain as well."

She leaned over the small gap and kissed him, pushing away the guilt that pulsed through the bond and replacing it with love. He sighed as her hand slid softly over his shoulder and down his arm, his whole body relaxing under the tender touch. "We both need to be a little more careful in the future though." Her hand rested on Mira's head.

He understood her meaning. It was different when only one of them was in danger, but when both were it could mean Mira might be left alone in the world. "Yes." He took her hand, holding it tightly. She sighed as she laid her head on his pillow, getting as close as she could with the small turtle between them.

Across the hall, Raph pressed Cat tightly to his chest. He wanted to kiss her but was afraid he might hurt her split lip, so he pressed them onto her brow instead. "It's good to have Leo home. Isn't it?" Cat said softly.

"Yeah." He murmured into her hair. He was glad his brother made it home safely. "Better late than never, I suppose."

She held him a little tighter. "It was actually a good thing he came home so late, otherwise he might have been captured with the rest of us."

"Yeah, but it's strange to see him bring a girl home with him. It's so un-Leo like." He moved to kiss her neck.

She tilted her head with a coy smile, giving him more access to the sensitive flesh. "Maybe he's decided to take a play out of your book."

He rose up to smirk at her. "Well, in that case. Good for him. I'm glad he finally came to his senses." Cat laughed and tried to grin though it didn't come out quite right with her busted lip. But the face she made caused him to smile a little more. He dipped his head to run his large tongue along the split in her lip, making her shiver. "I wish I'd been here."

His breath was warm against her cool skin. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "You're here now, that's all that matters."

Down the hall, Mikey ran his fingers through Kala's hair. "I'm sorry you had to go through that. I never wanted him to put his hands on you again."

She buried her face in his plastron. "It's not your fault."

His grip tightened on her. "That's not the point. No one should ever treat you like that."

"It's okay. It made me realize something. I don't need to be afraid anymore."

"Why's that?"

She titled her head back to place a kiss under his chin. "Because I have you."

He pulled her against him again with a shudder. "When we came back and you were gone, I was so scared. I never want to feel like that again. Kala, I love you so much."

She rested her cheek against his chest. "I love you too."

On the other side of the lair, separated from everyone else, Leo lay looking at the ceiling of his room. Although the lair was silent, a certain energy pulsed though it. He'd come to recognize it after so many years, his brothers were being comforted by their wives. He sighed. In a strange way it gave him peace, but in another it stirred something deep inside him - a longing of a man for a woman.

His mind wandered to the twelve hour flight home. It had been cold in the cargo bay of the plane and Amaya had spent a good deal of the trip nestled in his arms. He had found a small blanket, which he had draped over them. They had talked for a long time, sharing stories of their lives. And then at some point they had both fallen asleep.

He still recalled waking with her soft body in his arms. He had watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest, and the way her lips parted slightly. Her features had been so soft and peaceful. The scent of flowers had still lingered in her hair. He had been unable to resist the desire to bury his nose in it and breathe deeply. She had filled his senses so completely during those hours unaccompanied, that now as he laid there alone the desire to hold her again made his heart ache. I wonder if she feels the same.

Amaya tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable in the unfamiliar bed. She sighed. It's not the bed. She had been at his side for nearly two days uninterrupted. And now to be without him felt so incomplete. It felt wrong not to have his strong and steady presence beside her.

She smiled to herself. On the trip here, he had held her so tenderly in his arms. She couldn't remember feeling so safe and secure in all her life. His skin was smooth and leathery, and he smelt of the tall grass near her village.

She touched her lips in the dark room. His kisses were so soft, yet so passionate. They spoke of his strength and self-control. They made a fire burn deep inside her in a way she had never thought possible. She wanted more of them. She needed more of them. But most of all, she wanted his arms around her again. She wanted the feeling of safety that only he could give her. I wonder if he feels the same.


A/N: I'm going to go ahead and post the next chapter, cause these two kinda go together.