I will admit to having a little bit of fun writing this chapter, Enjoy!

Chapter 17

Michelangelo looked at the door to the kitchen. "Hey Michelangelo!" Katherine said cheerfully from the door.

"Oh, hey Kitten." He said to her.

She frowned. "You okay Michelangelo?" She asked him her voice worried.

He looked at her seriously. It had been three days since Leonardo had unknowingly revealed what was bothering him, and things were now...off. It was the only way he could think to describe it.

Raphael was possessive, which was normal, but now he was even more possessive if that were even possible. Michelangelo had also noticed that the same gloom that had thrown itself over Leonardo, had thrown itself over Raphael. This surprised him, and yet at the same time, it didn't. Leonardo and Raphael were constantly at each other's throats because as much as they were different, they were even more the same.

Donatello was subdued and distracted, and as for himself, he was not his usual cheerful self. It hurt him that his brothers were hurting and that he was unable to help cheer them up.

He looked at her worried face seriously. "Me, I'm good. Christmas is coming soon." He said changing the subject.

"Yes it is." She frowned at him. He knew he hadn't fooled her one bit, but she was letting him have it.

"I wonder if we're going to celebrate Christmas this year?" He wondered out loud as he stared into his glass of milk, then gently putting it onto the counter.

"Why haven't you been celebrating Christmas?" She asked him walking up to him and touching his shoulder.

He shrugged. "After Master Splinter's death, it just hasn't been the same without him." He said sadly.

"Michelangelo I'm sorry." She said touching his cheek. She pulled him into a hug. He clutched at her. He was still sad about Master Splinter, but he was sad about his brothers as well, and it was making him miserable. "The holidays are always the worst without loved ones." She said softly. He just nodded. "So spend Christmas with me."

He pulled away a little and looked at her in shock.

"I know you guys are leaving at the end of the week, but why don't you guys come back the week before Christmas. We'll go cut down a tree, decorate everything up, have Christmas dinner, exchange presents, the whole Christmas deal." She said with a smile.

"I guess otherwise you would be spending Christmas alone too wouldn't you?" He asked her. She nodded.

"We'll be here Kitten, but why a week before?" He asked.

She blinked and laughed. "In England the very rich used to hold lavish Christmas celebrations leading up until Christmas, but I figured... I could use the company." She said seriously to him.

"Why are you still here Katherine?" He asked her. "You inherited loads of money, have this giant house, why aren't you out living it up, why are you here hanging out with us? Why aren't you going home to see your family for Christmas?"

She gave a half smile. "I haven't thought about it." She said softly. "I mean, you always think, what would I do if I won a whole bunch of money? I have always wanted to travel. I would love to go to Italy and France and Egypt and Scotland and a million other places." She said with excitement.

"So why didn't you, why haven't you, you aren't going to sell this house, so there is nothing to get in order, why aren't you jet setting around the world?" He asked her placing a hand on her velvety cheek.

"Because if I left, I would have to leave you all, and I can't. If I left and went to some amazing place, all I would be able to think about was how much I missed all of you, and how much I wished you were with me." She whispered. "I'm not an emotional person Michelangelo." He looked at her in surprise. "I'm not. Everyone knows me as The Ice Queen."

"Ouch." He winced.

"No I'm proud of the title. I'm not mean or uncaring, but I just don't feel emotion like most people do. I store all of my emotions in little boxes in my head, to be examined later because I don't want to be uncontrolled. I like being in perfect control all the time, but I can't with you and your brothers. I can seem to control my emotions, for short bursts of time yes, but I worried when you were out on patrol. I don't worry about anyone or anything because it serves no purpose to worry. You can't do anything about the situation so why bother? I don't get angry, but you guys have been driving me nuts." She said shaking her head. "And did you know that I have never missed anyone in my entire life?" She asked him.

He shook his head as she continued. "Not my parents, brothers, friends, no one, but all of you I miss. That month when I didn't see any of you, I thought my heart was going to break, because I missed you, I worried for you. I just... I can't imagine my life without all of you." She managed to whisper. "I've never had a boyfriend, ever. No one could ever hold my attention long enough for me to care. My mother was worried." She said with a half smile. "I told my mom that 'If I could ever find a man I could miss, I'd marry him'. And the worst part about that was that I found not one, but four men who it kills me to be away from for any length of time." She looked at him desperately. "What am I supposed to do Michelangelo?" She asked him.

He gently stroked her cheek. "I don't know." He said softly.

She closed her eyes. "So what now?" She asked him.

He tipped her head up slightly, leaned in and kissed her. It was everything he thought it was going to be and more. Her lips were soft and warm, and filled with the same need that roared through him.

"Michelangelo..." She began pulling away and shaking her head.

"Shhh." He said to her. "I know." He said as he pulled back from her. "And now we look for Christmas decorations." He said brushing a tear from her cheek.

She gave him a shaky smile and nodded. "It's a good idea. We'll look for those and if there aren't any I can go out and buy some so I'll be ready when you guys come back."

Michelangelo nodded, and smiled because what could he say, what could he do? Nothing. She was in love with all of them. Even if she didn't realize it, she was. He stared down into her face. The thought that she loved all of them bothered him a little, but not as much as he thought it would. He supposed it was because he had always wanted his brothers to be as happy as he was. If Katherine made them all happy, why would he stand in the way of that?

"We should start in the basement." She said with a grimace.

"Basements aren't that bad Kitten. " He said cheerfully walking with her to the basement door. "And if you get scared, feel free to grab on to me." He said with a smile.

"Oh whatever Michelangelo you are as much of a fraidy cat as I am." She said smiling.

"So we will grab each other in fear." He laughed as they started down the steps.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and he looked around frowning. "Why does it smell like dirt?" He asked.

She flicked on a light. Through the dim glow of the light he could make out the dirt floor and walls.

"I should really call it a cellar rather than a basement." She said as she walked past large posts that held up the house. He frowned at the posts, they looked like trees. He looked at his feet where the roots of the trees could be seen poking through the dirt.

"This is really weird." Michelangelo said as he patted one of the trees.

"I know, it's like someone just lopped off the top of the trees and plopped a house on top." Katherine said reaching out and touching the tree he was looking at. "Anyway there were a bunch of boxes and things over here." She said pulling him along with her.

They began digging through boxes and at the end of what felt like forever, but was really probably only an hour, they had found nothing but boxes of rum, brandy, Madeira, scotch, rye, whiskey, and an entire rack of wine.

"I don't know if your uncle was a drunk, or just liked to collect alcohol." Michelangelo said closing the final box.

She frowned looking at the wine rack. "I don't know, some of these look like they has been here for a really long time." She said pulling out a bottle of wine. "1846, I wonder if that was a good year?" She said with a quirk of her lips. "Okay well, I guess we try the attic next and if we have no luck there, we are going to have to go out and buy a bunch of stuff." She said standing. She gave him the bottle of wine and pulled out another one, handing it to him. He looked at the two bottles of wine in his hands. "I don't normally drink, but I feel like I could use a drink." Katherine said as she pulled out two more bottles. "There, a bottle of white, one red, one rosé and one ice wine, ooooh nice." She started up the stairs again shutting off the lights behind them.

They walked back into the kitchen and Katherine dug through the drawers. She pulled out a corkscrew and pulled the cork from the rosé. She took the bottle and took a swig. "Actually that is pretty good." She said handing him the bottle. "Okay I know, but I don't have enough hands to be dragging around a couple glasses either. So I'm drinking it like an unsophisticated lush." She said with a smile.

Michelangelo looked at the wine. He wasn't really an alcohol drinker. He and Raphael would share the occasional beer, with Casey, but it was rare. Then he shrugged. He took a swig and was surprised at the sweet gentle flavour.

"This is good." He said with surprise.

She smiled and opened a door that was tucked away in a corner. She opened it revealing a narrow staircase. "Servant's staircase. Servants would have slept in the attic. Come on." She said taking the bottle back and grabbing one of the three bottles sitting on the counter. "Don't forget the wine." She said as she started up the stairs.

April looked at her laptop with worry. "Come on guys where are you?" She whispered as she tried to connect herself with Donatello's laptop. Donatello's face appeared on her screen. Relief washed through her. "Donny, where have you guys been, I've been worried sick! I've been trying to get a hold of you for over a week now and...oh my God what happened?" She exclaimed with worry as she took in the fact that Donatello seemed to be lying in a wrought iron bed bandages covering her chest and left shoulder.

"Hey April. Sorry I just patched into my home computer. We haven't been at the lair for just over a week." He said trying to calm her down.

"Where are you, what happened? Is everyone okay, is the lair okay?" She asked in concern.

"We're all fine April. We are at a friend's house. She's been really great." Donatello said a blush rising in his cheeks.

April looked at her friend in shock. Why was Donatello blushing, and who was this friend? She wondered.

"The lair is fine, but I was hurt pretty bad, they dragged me here so Kitten could help me." He said looking away from the computer screen as if he were thinking about something serious.

"Kitten?" She asked.

He blinked. "Um...sorry Katherine."

"Katherine? No I'm not getting distracted, how badly were you hurt?" She asked worried.

Donatello looked up at the ceiling with a frown, then returned his attention to his screen. "I was shot." He said softly.

"What do you mean you were shot! Donny are you okay? Is this Katherine a doctor, how did you meet her?" She asked desperately, fear coursing through her at the thought of Donatello having been shot.

"It's okay April, really. Kitten did a good job, she's not a doctor, but an anthropology student from Canada. Anyway we met her when Raph stabbed her and nearly killed her." Donatello said staring at the roof again.

"What!" She yelled at the screen.

"Oh, sorry April, that sounded a lot worse than it was...even though that is exactly what happened." He said with a frown.

Donatello then went on to explain how they had met Katherine, who she was, and how they had run into some Red Dragons who had shot at Leonardo, but Donatello ended up taking the bullet instead.

"I'm not going to lie to you April." Donatello said softly. "It was touch and go for a little bit there, but Kitten, she saved my life."

"And you saved hers Donny." She said to him.

He shook his head. "It's not the same April." He said regret running through his voice.

"What aren't you telling me Donny?" She asked him.

"I was dying April, I don't know how close I was to death, but, there was nothing wrong with me. Katherine had stabilized me, but I was still dying, she pulled me back, and it cost her too much." He said wretchedly.

"What did she do?" April asked.

"I don't know, but she probably lost several decades off her life to bring me back. At the very least." He whispered.

"Who is she Donny?" April asked, feeling ill. Donatello had nearly lost his life, and this woman had pulled him back from death at a cost she couldn't even begin to understand.

"She's just an ordinary human, perhaps with a more than average amount of spiritual power, but she's someone special April. She's funny and she's smart, doesn't get technology at all," Donatello said with a smile. "But she loves history and dinosaurs." He said excitedly.

April blinked. Donatello was excited, his face was flushed. Realization hit her. Donatello was in love. She looked at her friend in shock. She turned this thought over in her mind. She had never thought about her friends in a romantic sense, and had never thought much about them not having anyone to share in their lives romantically either. She wondered then how lonely they were, not having much of a possibility of having anyone look at them with anything other than shock and possible revulsion?

Although now that she thought about it she was surprised in a way. She had never thought that they were even attracted to human women, well maybe Michelangelo, but, they had never shown any interest in any women they had ever crossed paths with. But then, she supposed. Why bother wanting something you could probably never have?

She looked at her friend in concern. Even if Donatello loved her, what were her feelings for him? She wondered.

"She sounds great." April said to him, hoping that perhaps her friend could have a relationship with this woman. The thought of her friends being alone forever upset her. But then she wondered if it was even possible for her friend to have a physical relationship with a human woman, she had never thought about it before.

"She is April." Donatello said as he looked at the ceiling again.

"Hey is that April?" She heard Raphael question.

The laptop was picked up and Raphael's face came into view. "I'm going to borrow this for a second Donny I need to ask April something."

She heard a door close and another door open and close. It looked like another bedroom. Raphael sat down on the bed. "You're a chick right April?" He asked her.

"Last time I checked." She said with a smile. "Hello to you too Raph."

"Yeah right." He said slightly distracted. "So Anyway, what did you think about Beauty and the Beast?" He asked her seriously.

"The Disney movie? With the singing and dancing?" She asked completely confused.

"That's the one, what did you think about the Beast?" He questioned.

"What?" She asked even more confused.

"The Beast, were you disappointed at the end when the Beast was turned back into a human?" He asked her.

"Raph did you watch Beauty and the Beast?" She asked him in shock.

"Yeah, Kitten and I watched it, so the end what did you think of the end?" He questioned, looking at the ceiling in confusion, then turning his attention back to her.

"Um..." April's mind was reeling. You couldn't get Raphael to watch anything but sports or action movies, that was it. If there wasn't anything being killed, beaten up, or blown up, he wasn't interested. "The Beast was a big hairy beast, he was kind of scary, but he became likable I suppose. And I was glad when the spell was broken and he was returned to his human form." She said slowly.

Raphael frowned, but nodded slowly. "That's what I thought." He said standing up. She felt as if she had disappointed him somehow. Then it hit her. She closed her eyes. Belle fell in love with the Beast, but he was human in the end. Raphael would never be human. But why was he...?

"April how do you ask a chick out?" He asked her.

"What?" She asked stupidly completely caught off guard by the question.

"You know how does the whole dating thing work?" He asked her.

"Like asking a woman out on a date?" She asked in confusion.

Raphael frowned. "No not like out on a date, where would I take her?" He questioned. "Although we did go for a walk in Central Park that one night, and we held hands, does that count as a date?" He asked her.

"If she thought of it as a date, I would suppose so. If she held your hand then probably." April said completely out to sea.

"Heh." He said with a smile. "So how do I ask her to, I don't know, be my girlfriend, I guess?" His attention wandered again to the ceiling.

"Um...usually you go out on a bunch of dates, and if things get serious you agree not to see other people and become exclusive."

He looked at her as if she wasn't being much help. "What if it is already serious?" He asked softly.

Uh-oh. She thought to herself. He couldn't be talking about this Katherine could he? She wondered. But, Donatello was in love with Katherine, so Raphael couldn't be in love with the same woman, could he? Donatello said she was smart, what would she see in Raphael?

"Hey April." Casey called from behind her. Oh. Never mind. She acknowledged to herself.

"Just, if you love her, tell her you love her and ask her how she feels about you. If she loves you too then she's yours." She told him.

Raphael stood looking at the ceiling. He took the laptop with him. "What the hell is going on up there?" He grumbled. "Thanks April, I've got to go check on something. Here, talk to Leo." He said as he passed the laptop off.

Leonardo looked at her in shock. "Oh, hey April, how's the honeymoon?" Leonardo asked looking distractedly at the ceiling.

"Good." She said to him. "Leo what's going on?"

He frowned. "I'm guessing that Mikey and Kitten are in the attic, and they sound like they are dropping things and moving things around. We have no idea what they are doing up there, or even how to get up there." He said shaking his head.

She frowned. Did all of them refer to her as Kitten? She wondered."April can I ask you something?" Leonardo said seriously turning his full attention to the screen in front of him.

Oh no. She thought to herself. "Sure Leo." She said with a brittle smile.

"You love Casey right?" He asked her.

"Yes." She said slowly.

"How much would you give up for him. Do you love him enough to give up everything for him? And would you hate him if he asked you to?" He asked her, an edge of desperation in his voice.

Okay, that was a little unexpected. "Give up what specifically?" She asked in confusion. Leonardo looked at the roof again then back at her.

"If, say things were different, and say because of what Casey was, you had to give up all of your friends, all of your family, your career, and any chance of ever having a family of your own, would Casey be worth it? How much would you hate him for him asking you to give up everything for him?"

She looked at her desperate friend. Please tell me Katherine has a house full of girl friends. She thought to herself.

"Leo, I love Casey." She said. "I think what he would be asking of me would be...hard to agree to, but," She paused in thought as she seriously considered the ramifications of loving one of her friends.

The most important part of her life would have to remain secret. Her friends and family would never know that she was in a relationship, she could never marry and never have children with them. She frowned. "Why would she have to give up everything Leo?" She asked him gently. "It isn't like she would have to cut herself off from her friends and family completely. She could still visit them, and why would she have to give up her career? I still work, and still get dragged into all of your guys' messes. As for never having a family, I suppose that would be hard, but it is a challenge many couples have to face. I love Casey and I wouldn't give him up, even if it was the worst case scenario that you just gave me. I would never hate him because then I would have to hate myself, because I went into the situation with all of the facts. As long as she knows fully what she is getting into, then if she decides to be with you, then you should be happy that someone loves you so much that they would give up so much for you." She told him earnestly.

Leonardo was silent. "But she's so young April." He whispered.

"Leo, she's in her last year of University for Anthropology, physical anthroplogy at that. That is not an easy discipline. She's working on a Master's thesis, and according to Donatello she didn't even freak out when she met you. It sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders. She may be younger than you, but she's probably as mature as you." She pointed out. "Girls mature much faster than boys." She said with a smile. "If you love her, just tell her.

Leonardo looked over his shoulder. "Mikey?" He asked. "Are you drunk?"

"Yaharrr!" April heard Michelangelo's voice say. "I be the dread pirate, Green Menace."

"Mikey!" Leonardo growled.

"We're playing pirates Leo, you wanna play?" Michelangelo asked. "Hey is that April, hi April!" Michelangelo said happily to her.

Michelangelo pulled the laptop away from Leonardo. "Mikey are you drunk?" April asked him. He was dressed like a pirate, right down to the tricorn hat, white buttoned shirt, and elaborate blue coat.

Michelangelo seemed to think about it. "Yesh, probably drunk." He said happily. "Sho are you going to play Leo?" Michelangelo asked.

"Play what?" She heard Leonardo's voice ask.

"I told you Kitten and I are pirates. Kitten ish going to kidnap someone, I'll be the guard and if we can convinsh you to play, the other two who are left are going to have to reshcue the kidnapped brotther." Michelangelo said happily.

"But you're drunk. You won't be much of a threat." Leonardo pointed out.

"True, but Kitten's drunk too, but it is more a big game of hide and sheek, you in?" He asked.

Leonardo was silent. "Sure." He said with resignation.

"Yay! Oh, but I think Kitten is going to kidnap Donny cause he's injured and can't be looking all over the house for whoever's kidnapped." He said with a shrug. Sho you have to go to the library with Raph, wait ten minutes then shtart looking." He said with a grin.

Michelangelo turned his attention to April. "Hi April, having a good time?" He asked her.

"I am Mikey, but I'm a little worried about you guys though. How are things there?" She asked him.

Michelangelo seemed to think about the question. "I think we'll be good." He said with a nod.

"You think?" April asked him.

He nodded. "Yup." He said with a smile. "Jusst have to figure out how to do it."

"Do what?" She asked her drunken friend.

"Sshare." He slurred.

"Share what?" April asked with misgiving.

"Here'sh Donny, gotta go April, gotta hide." He said gleefully.

April looked at Donatello's confused face. "What's going on?" Donatello asked her.

"I wish I knew." She said in a faint voice.

A sword appeared at Donatello's throat. He froze in surprise. "I've come for you." A husky voice toned from behind him. Then Donatello moved. The laptop was knocked away.

"Donny!" April screamed in worry. A body was suddenly pushed into the bed.

"Oof." The husky voice said as Donatello pulled off a black mask.

"Kitten?" Donatello asked in surprise. April could see Donatello laying on a woman, an arm pinned above her head.

"You were supposed to come quietly." She said to him huskily.

"Come where, what's going on, and why are you and Mikey dressed as pirates?" Donatello asked the woman.

April knew she had been completely forgotten. She studied the woman pinned beneath Donatello. She was pale, with dark brown eyebrows, laughing green eyes framed by dark lashes and a happy smile. She wore a black, plumed tricorn hat which covered her hair, and a black corset and elaborate green overcoat, with gold braid and buttons. At the moment April worried that Katherine may suffer a wardrobe malfunction. The corset was tight, low, and her chest was heaving. Most likely from scuffling with Donatello.

She smiled. "We're playing pirates and you are my prisoner, at least you were shuposhed to be."

Donatello frowned. "Have you been drinking?" Donatello asked her.

"I'm a pirate, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum...or in our case four bottles of wine." She said with a smile. "Are you going to come quietly?" She asked him, voice low and seductive.

April blinked. Her voice was like liquid sex to the ears. But it didn't sound like she was trying to be seductive, it sounded like that was just how her voice was.

Donatello brushed a delicate cheek with his fingers. "I'm not sure yet." He said huskily. "It might be interesting to watch you try to make me come."

Okay, was that a double entendre she just heard? She wondered as she looked at her friend in shock. Was Donatello flirting? Donatello didn't flirt...did he? Donatello was quiet, shy, and bordered on the anti-social. This was a whole new side of Donatello she hadn't even known existed. Although from the slightly confused look in his eyes, she'd say it was a whole side of himself he hadn't known existed either.

It looked like Donatello was in love, and in definite lust. She studied Katherine who was looking at Donatello mischievously.

She smirked. "Just you watch me. Or have you forgotten I still have a sword." She said to him.

He looked up at her hand in confusion. "Which I have." He said to her.

"So you do. I suppose I'll just have to use my other weapon." She said with a wicked grin.

"Yeah and what weapon is that?" He asked her leaning in closer to her.

"This one." She said putting a knife to his throat. He leaned in further, and lightly kissed her anyway.

Donatello reached over to the laptop screen. "Sorry April, I've got to go play pirates." He said huskily as he closed the laptop cutting off their conversation.

"What's the story April? Who's the chick, she's hot." Casey asked her. "Of course you're way hotter babe." Casey hastily put in. But April had to admit the woman was extremely, almost painfully beautiful. "The guys are in love." She said, her mind still reeling in shock.

"That's great!" Casey said happily.

"With the same woman." She finished.

"Not so great. How bad they go it?" Casey asked with concern.

"Pretty bad." She said.

"Even Raph?" Casey asked her.

"He watched Beauty and the Beast with her." April said in a faint voice.

"The cartoon, with the singing and the dancing?"

"That one." April confirmed.

"Ouch."

"Yes, big ouch. Casey we've got to go home." She said with worry.

"April they are 4 grown turtles, I'm sure they can handle it." Casey said trying to calm her down.

"But what if she breaks their hearts?" She asked.

Casey frowned and then nodded. "Fine, we'll be finished in the next few days and then we'll head home. We can spend Christmas with the guys, 'kay babe."

"Thanks Casey." April said relieved.

LOL, poor April. Anyway hope you all enjoyed, next chapter is a little fluffy too and then I'm going to be a little evil.*smiles* please read and reveiw!