A/N: I'm loving the reviews! They make me smile on my bad days.


Cole watched the live feed from the Foot soldier. He tapped his fingers on the console as he saw the ambulance pull out of the motorcycle garage and then the van the turtles occupied pull in. So this was there hiding place? Very clever, considering it was in the open. He frowned wondering exactly how many the clan contained now.

He'd only been told of the original four and their women. Now it seemed the clan had nearly doubled in size. Three of the turtles on the earlier video, he had no information on. In truth he hadn't known about Yoshi beforehand either. But thanks to the detector he'd been given, he'd known it was a mutant and not just some random human he'd run into on the streets. There numbers did complicate matters a bit, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. He steeped his long fingers, finally deciding on a strategy.

A screen nearby crackled to life and a wrinkled pink face and dark beady eyes glared at him. "Well?"

Cole didn't bother to look at him directly. "I'll have them soon. And the bounty still stands no matter if they are dead or alive, correct?"

"I prefer dead." Krang squealed with malice on the other end of the line.

Cole nodded absently. "So do I."

"Good, bring me their empty shells. I hope it won't be much longer. I'm just dying with anticipation."

Cole frowned. "It may take another day or so. I didn't realize there were so many. I may need additional troops."

Krang glowered. "I will send my rock soldiers, when you are ready."

Cole smirked. "I think I'll let them stew for the day, but tonight they will suffer."

Krang cackled. "Perfect, turtle soup!"


Mira was waiting for them when the elevator doors opened. K-three immediately stepped to her side. He could feel her worry and fear thrumming through him like his own heartbeat. Her chocolate gaze met his gold one as she reached up to run her fingers across the bandage on his cheek. "I'm okay." He assured her.

Leo patted Shinta's shoulder. "Go clean up." The teen nodded and Leo turned to Mira. "How's Raph?"

She swallowed, trying to keep her tone steady. "He's still sleeping…But Cat…"

He put a hand on her small shoulder. "We saw the ambulance leave."

"What happened?" Donnie asked from behind him.

She shook her head. "I…I don't know exactly."

"Did your mother say anything?" Donnie was pretty certain he knew what had happened, but he wanted to be sure.

"She just said Aunt Cat would need an MRI." Mira still felt confused about what was going on. She trembled as the sight of her aunt -another aunt- lying prone on the floor came to mind. K-three wrapped her tightly in his arms and she let the tears slip silently free.

Donnie frowned, stroking a hand across his daughter's head. He and K-three exchanged a worried look, before he turned to his brothers. He motioned them into the lab as Ona came up the hall to wrap her arms around Kaz's neck and kiss him warmly. Mikey gave the couple a quick look and squeezed Kala's hand before following his brothers into the other room.

Donnie checked Raph's vitals with an approving nod. "He's fine."

"Yeah, well, he won't be when he wakes up and finds out Cat's not here and neither is Yoshi." Mikey folded his arms with a despondent frown. He still felt bad about Raph being hurt.

"We'll find Yoshi." Leo reassured him. "And Cat's in good hands." He gave Don a questioning look but his brother shook his head. All he had right now were theories and they were best left unsaid. Leo sighed. "What about Yoshi's cell? Can you track it?"

Don shook his head. "I tried that from the van earlier. It's either off or broken." He rubbed his chin. "But you know that tech the Foot is using now, might be a good starting point. If I can find their transmission signal, then I can trace it back to its source."

Leo nodded. "Okay, you work on that. I'll call Jamie and see where things are with Cat." He turned to his youngest brother. "Mikey, you need to get off your leg and try to get some rest. It's been a long night."

Mikey wanted to protest but found he was very tired. Kala appeared beside him, she'd heard most of what had been said. "Come on, I'll tuck you in." She teased him lightly, leading him across the hall.

"You should get some rest too, Leo, while you can." Donnie told him. Leo glanced at Raph. "I'll let you know when he wakes up."

Leo frowned at him. "What about you?"

Don waived a hand dismissively. "I'll rest later." His gaze shifted to the cot. "When all our family is home."


Jamie watched Sarah speaking with the doctor through the glass window facing the hall. Sarah was pale and a tear trickled from one eye down her chin. She nodded and signed something the doctor handed her. Jamie squeezed Cat's hand. She'd never had sisters before, but in the last six years that had been what they had become to her. Sarah, Kala and Cat. They had accepted her graciously and lovingly with open arms. When she was confused or unsure, they were there to comfort and encourage her. She looked down at Cat. And now she might lose one. She felt her own tears trickle down her cheeks. Death had become too much of a constant in her life and she wasn't sure she could handle another.

The door opened to the room and Sarah stepped in followed by the nurse. "I need to prep her for surgery." The woman said as Sarah stepped around the bed.

Jamie looked at her sister-in-law with pleading eyes. "Surgery?"

Sarah took a deep breath, trying her best to calm down. "She has a subarachnoid hemorrhage - a ruptured cerebral aneurysm." Jamie looked at her blankly. "Basically she had a blood vessel burst inside her brain and she's bleeding inside it. They have to do surgery to repair it. If it isn't, she could have serious neurological trauma or worse, she could die."

Jamie shook her head in disbelief, her mouth hanging open. She didn't know what to say. The nurse glanced at her from where she was shaving a portion of hair from Cat's head. There was sympathy in the woman's eyes and it only made Jamie want to scream. This was too unfair. Why did this have to happen to Cat of all of them? She'd seen her sacrifice over and over for their family. Jamie felt her legs shake and Sarah urged her to sit in the only chair in the room.

The nurse finished her task and cleaned the area thoroughly. "I'm going to get the orderly so we can take her upstairs to the operating room."

Sarah nodded, her face drawn as she glanced down at Jamie and then at Cat. She moved to the bed as the nurse left. Leaning over, she cupped her face. "We need you, Cat. Raph needs you. Yoshi needs you. You can't leave us. Not like this. Do you hear me? Not like this! Do what you're best at, Cat. Fight."


Cat opened her eyes and smiled. Raphael's face was so close to hers, she could feel his breath on her cheek. Her gaze roved his face for a long moment. It was serene and youthful. She couldn't resist the desire to reach out and touch him. Her fingers slid over the leathery skin of his cheek and down his neck. They moved gently over his powerful shoulder – uninjured shoulder. Why did she think it should be injured?

He opened his eyes to gaze at her, still half in sleep, yet full of love. He smiled. "What are you doin'?"

She smiled back. "Just admiring you. You are so amazing."

He smirked, his fingers tracing her jaw. "And you're beautiful." He moved his head just slightly and his lips pressed lightly to hers. She shivered, closing her eyes and leaning in for a more proper kiss. His lips were smooth against hers and his hand cupped her cheek. His other hand slid under her and pulled her closer, pressing the square of her back.

She moaned softly and he growled playfully, his mouth leaving hers to trail down one side of her neck. "You smell good too."

She chuckled. "So do you."

He raised his head a little to look at her. "Really?"

"Mm, yeah." She dipped her head, nuzzling against his cheek and drawing in a deep breath.

"What do I smell like?" He asked a bit breathless.

She dragged her lips along his jaw to his throat. "Like mine." She murmured.

His breath hitched and he rolled them over. He rose up to meet her eyes and they were so intense that her breath caught as well. "I'll always be yours, darlin'. I love you."

"I love you too." She rose up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Now, less talk, more action."

His rumbling chuckle reverberated through the room. "Yes, ma'am. Your wish is my command." His smug smirk suddenly faded into wide-eyed fear. "Cat! Cat!" He grabbed for her, but his fingers slipped through the air like she was nothing.

She gasped as he started to disappear before her eyes. "Raph!" She reached for him, but her hands didn't make contact. Suddenly his touch was gone, his presence was gone, their room was gone, the lair was gone. She floated alone in the darkness. "Raph! Don't leave me!"


"Cat!"

Donnie jumped at his brother's shout. He'd dozed off at his keyboard waiting for the program to find the right transmission frequency. He glanced at the time. It was nearly one in the afternoon. He stood and hurried to the bedside. "Raph, it's okay."

Raph looked around the room franticly. "Cat!" Where had she gone and why did he feel so weak?

Donnie put a steadying hand on his brother's chest to keep him still. "Raph, it's okay. You're home."

Mikey appeared in the doorway followed shortly by Leo. "You're awake!" Mikey grinned as he shuffled to the bedside. "How do you feel?"

Raph was still disoriented. He groaned, rubbing his eyes. "Like I was hit by a train."

He started to sit up but Leo pressed him down. "Don't move too much yet. You lost a lot of blood."

"Cat? Where's Cat?"

His brothers exchanged a look. Leo had spoken to Jamie earlier and confirmed Don's theory. She'd had brain aneurysm. Don glanced at the clock again, calculating. She'd be coming out of surgery about now. He cleared his throat. "Raph, do you remember getting stabbed in the shoulder?"

Raph lifted a hand to the bandage. "Yeah, sort of." He frowned as the memory of his son laying on the roof flashed before him. "Where's Yoshi?"

Leo shook his head. "We went back for him, but he wasn't there."

"You've been unconscious for about seven hours." Don looked down, unable to meet his brother's eyes. "While you were out…."

"Cat had to go to the hospital." Mikey finished.

"What!" Raph fought off Leo's restraining hand to sit up on the side of the cot. The world swayed for a moment at the quick movement. Once he regained his focus, he glared at his brother. "Why!"

Donatello took a steadying breath. "She had a cerebral aneurysm. It ruptured."

Raph broke into a cold sweat. He wasn't entirely sure what that meant, but the way his brother spoke felt like he was turning a knife in his heart. "Cat…Is she…She didn't…"

Leo shook his head again. "We haven't heard yet."

Don put a hand on his shoulder. "She should be coming out of surgery soon though."

Raph licked his lips. Part of him was panicking while the other part was relieved. She's alive, but was she okay? Did they get her there in time? He blinked up at Don. "Surgery?"

He nodded. "Brain surgery to clip the artery."

Raph started to struggle to his feet. "I got to be there when she wakes up." He paused. No, I have to find Yoshi. He felt torn in two directions. His wife needed him, but his son did too.

Leo and Mikey gripped his arms, keeping him both steady and immobile. "You can't go anywhere, bro. You're not strong enough yet."

Raph shoved Mikey away a bit and growled. "I have to do somethin'! They need me!"

Something beeped across the room and they all turned to the computer. Donnie hurried back, reviewing the data. "I've got a lock on their signal." He turned with bright eyes to the others. "We can find the base now. We can find Yoshi."

Raph almost collapsed in Leo and Mikey's arms as relief washed over him. They knew where his son was. Everything's going to be okay now, Yoshi. He pushed aside the terrible thought that maybe his son wasn't at the base, that they might be holding him somewhere else.

Leo and Mikey lifted their brother back onto the edge of the cot. Leo squeezed his good shoulder, meeting his brother's eyes. He knew no matter what Raph was not going to be stopped from going to either Cat or Yoshi one. His best tactic was to keep him as much out of the fight as he could. "Let us get Yoshi. You go stay with Cat."

Donnie frowned. Raph was in no condition to go anywhere. "Leo, he really shouldn't-"

"Mira will go with him. She can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't overexert himself." Leo looked back at his injured. "Okay, Raph?"

The hot-head finally gave a nod. He didn't like it, but he couldn't be in two places at once. "Okay."

Don dragged a hand down his face. Something told him this was a bad idea. Sighing, he turned to get two holo-bands. "Here. I'll get Mira." He left the lab to find her and K-three on the couch, both half asleep while Katsu played with a car at their feet. The TV was playing some random cartoon that the tot wasn't really paying attention to.

He looked up at his grandfather. "Sofu?"

Donnie frowned. His grandson looked a bit distraught. It was something he had come to notice in the past few months. Although Katsu was not empathic, he was very intuitive. He picked up on strong emotions. His behavior reminded Don of how Mira had been at that age, keying in on those around him. But he would never bond like Mira, there just wasn't enough Mazar DNA in him for that to happen. He plastered on a smile for his grandson's sake. "Are you being good, Katsu?"

The tot nodded, then looked at his parents. "Sleepy."

Donnie's smile became genuine as it spread. "Yes, everybody's sleepy." He turned his attention to his daughter. "Mira." The twenty-nine-year-old opened her eyes to look at him. "I need to talk to you."

She shifted and K-three almost fell over. He righted himself groggily, glancing at her and closing his eyes again. She smiled and shook her head as she stood. She patted Katsu on the head and followed her father back to the lab. As they entered, she yawned. Then her eyes lit up and she dashed forward to hug her uncle. "You're awake! Oh, thank goodness!"

Raphael sighed, returning the embrace. "Thanks, kiddo."

"Raph wants to go to the hospital to be with Cat. Will you take him?" Leo offered her the van keys.

She frowned and shoved them away. "You're going to need those when you go get Yoshi."

"How do you plan on getting there then?" Mikey asked.

"We'll take a bike." Mira stepped to the side and pulled her uncle's good arm over her shoulder. He did his best not to put too much weight on his petite niece.

"Okay, just take it easy. No hot-rodding." Leo half teased. "We don't need to patch him up a second time in less than twenty-four hours."

She grinned and glanced at Raph. "We'd never do that. Would we Uncle Raph?"

Raph snorted. "Nope, never. Now let's get goin'."

As they left the room, Leo turned to Donnie. "Let me see the satellite images of the base." The three brothers huddled around the computer monitor, discussing their next course of action.

Mira paused in the living room to tell K-three where she was going and kiss Katsu on the head. They turned on their holos as the left through the backdoor of the garage. Raph wrapped his good arm around his niece's small frame. He was still pretty woozy and kind of weak. "Not to sound like Leo, but, uh, no hot-roddin'."

She grinned at him as she pulled on her helmet. "You're my patient, Uncle Raphie. Do really think I would do that?"

She revved the engine and his arm tightened around her waist. "I hope not."


Cole returned to the computer console as the Foot keeping watch over the turtles' lair sent him a signal. He frowned at the two individuals mounting the bike. One was obviously a turtle with a holo-projector like the one he'd taken off Yoshi. The other was a small female. She could be a turtle or she could be human, either way he hadn't seen her before. Another one! Damn that Krang! I should have asked for more money! Growling in frustration, he grabbed the radio. "Unit three, follow them."


A/N: Thanks again for the reviews! They always brighten my day!