Chapter 18

Donatello closed the laptop on April's shocked face. Katherine looked at him then pushed him back. He helped her to her feet. She sheathed her sword and tucked the knife into her belt. He looked at her. She was wearing her hair tucked into a tricorn hat, some sort of black corset that exposed the tops of her breasts to an alarming degree, a long dark green coat, and a brown skirt which had obviously been a little too long so she had hitched it up pulling the end through the belt she was wearing that also held her sword. Donatello swallowed. She put a finger to her light pink lips and grabbing his hand, pulled him into the bathroom.

"This isn't..." She covered his mouth and closed the door. She looked at the wall behind the door and pushed a flower decoration that made up the trim of the wainscoting. There was a soft click and Katherine pushed at the wall. The wall opened up revealing a hidden passage. She motioned for him to enter. He looked at the darkened passageway dubiously. She gave him a shove and he reluctantly entered. He watched as Katherine pulled the door of the bathroom back against the wall and closed the door of the secret passage.

Once she closed the door he couldn't see anything, it was pitch black. Her felt her take his hand and she began leading him blindly through the passage. He didn't know how she wasn't running into anything but she eventually stopped. "Stairs" She whispered into his ear. He gingerly felt with his foot and realized she was right. She led him down the stairs until she stopped. He heard a handle being turned and a door opening.

She pulled him through the door and he heard the door close behind him. He stood in the dark not daring to move because she had let go of his hand. He heard the clink of glass and the scrape of something and the smell of sulphur. A flame burst to life. The match was placed on a wick and a lamp gave light to the room. Katherine lit another lamp. He looked around the room. "I call it the hidden salon." She said softly.

Rich tapestries were hung on the walls, and the floors were richly carpeted in oriental rugs. There was a dark wood mantle framing a large fireplace along one wall, and several suits of armour lining another. There were several chairs and couches littered around the room.

"Where are we." He asked in a whisper.

"I'm not sure, I think we are actually in the center of the house somehow." She said quietly as she took his hand and sat him down on a richly upholstered gold and cream coloured couch.

"Wait, so you found this the day that I got you to hide behind the door?" He asked.

"Well, I knew about that passage. There are quite a few more scattered around the house." She said with a stretch. He watched as her breasts nearly burst from the confines of her corset. He had never understood the human male fascination with breasts, but now he understood. If he was honest with himself he had never understood the power of the female body until Katherine had tumbled into his life. Now it was all he could do to restrain himself from touching all of her pale velvety skin.

She looked at him, slid from the seat and knelt down in front of him. "Why didn't you want Leonardo to find me in the bathroom anyway?" She asked as she began tracing the skin that ran along his plastron.

"I..." He began but stopped as moved up to straddle him. He swallowed. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"I want to touch." She said as she ran her fingers delicately down his arms and down his sides. "I like the feel of your skin." She said softly. "It's an ama...amazing delight to my touch." She said rubbing her cheek across his own cheek.

Donatello swallowed. "Kitten?" He asked.

"Hmm?" She asked as she traced the plates of his plastron.

"How much have you had to drink?" He asked her.

"No idea." She told him candidly. "But I'm pretty sure Michelangelo drank way more than me." She frowned. "But I did try all of the bottles, and they were soooo yummy. And I don't even like wine. I don't drink either." She smiled. "But it's kinda fun." She buried her face in his neck. "You smell nice." She whispered huskily.

"Kitten..." He pulled her from his neck.

"You're right no more touching." She said to him. Part of him was relieved, the other part of him was screaming in frustration. He wanted to be touched, he just didn't want her to regret anything when she sobered.

"I want to taste you." She whispered to him.

He obeyed.

He claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. She tasted like sweet wine and honey, her warm soft lips moving against his. Her tongue swept across his tongue and he shuddered in need. He pulled her closer, plastering her against his body. She teased and plundered his mouth in a way that left him craving more. He lay her down on the couch covering her with his own body. His hand went for the band of her pants and he stopped himself as he realized what he had been about to do.

He pulled away from her kiss. She always made him forget that he wasn't human. Which seemed ridiculous, but it was true. When he was with her he forgot that he was different, that he was other. He craved her kiss, needed her touch, but...he wasn't human, in more ways than one.

"Why do you hate yourself so much?" She asked him as he sat up pulling her with him.

Denial leapt to his lips but he shook his head and blew out a breath. "I never really thought about what I was." He said softly. "I mean, of course I am a mutant turtle in a world of humans, but I had other things to worry about, other interests to pursue rather than sit around and contemplate what I was in the grand scheme of the world. I never thought about any of that until I met you, and then suddenly, it was as if my world had become a sad shadow of what my life could be." He finished quietly.

She touched his cheek gently and nodded. "Never be ashamed or embarrassed or sorry for who and what you are Donatello." She said gently. "Come on, we should get going." She said standing up.

"Go where?" He asked in confusion.

"Well, we can't have them think we're cheating, even though we aren't because we are still in the house, but we have to let them find us." She wavered slightly on her feet holding her arms out like she was balancing. "Uh oh." She said as she closed her eyes. She opened them. "Nope, still good." She said as she waited for him to get up.

"Let's go." She said blowing out the lamps and plunging them into darkness. "Kitten how drunk are you?" He asked quietly as she led him out of the room, and through a winding passage.

"Not quite falling down drunk, but give me a few more minutes and I will probably reach that point." She said quietly. "I can actually feel myself getting drunker as we speak, kinda interesting actually."

They emerged back into the light of the bathroom. "Kay out." She said pushing him out of the bathroom. "Hafta pee." He stood looking at the bathroom door. He wondered if he should make sure she was okay. He heard the toilet flush, and the tap turn on. She opened the door."Oaky hafta hide." Her words were beginning to jumble. She grabbed his hand and looked down the hallway. She walked down to the end of the hall and opened a door at the end which he had always thought was a linen closet. He looked at the narrow wooden steps that led down.

Raphael crouched beside the fridge. He had found Michelangelo which hadn't been that hard. He frowned looking at his sleeping brother. He wondered how much Katherine had had to drink. He and Leonardo had searched the whole damn house and could find no sign of them which made him think they were sneaking around. So he had decided to plant himself and lie in wait for them to stumble upon him.

Raphael heard a click and watched Katherine and Donatello emerged into the kitchen from a door he hadn't even noticed. She walked over and glanced behind the counter. "Well, we know where Michelangelo is." She said pointing to his sleeping brother. His sai went under Katherine's neck. "Found you Kitten." Raphael's voice growled out huskily. Her arm went back and wrapped itself around his neck, a knife at his throat. Raphael blinked in surprise.

"You have to watch that knife of hers Raph, she's pretty handy with it." Donatello told him.

Raphael looked at him in concern. "How you feeling Donny?" He asked him. "You're looking a little flushed, was this too much for you, do you need help back to your room?" He asked as Leonardo walked in, swords drawn.

Leonardo took in the scene and sheathed his swords.

Donatello frowned. "No I feel...good." He said looking at his shoulder. "But I think I have to go lay down now." Donatello said as the blood slowly drained from his face.

"I'll give you a hand Donny." Leonardo said giving Raphael a glare.

Katherine's back was pressed into Raphael's chest, his one arm across her chest, the other across her waist pulling her into him possessively.

"Katherine?" Donatello asked her as she looked at him questioningly. "Who do you love?" He asked her quietly.

She looked at Donatello. Leonardo froze and Raphael tried to see Katherine's face from where he held her. He could see her smile. She put her arms up breaking his hold on her. She put an arm across his shoulder. "I love Raphael." She said with a big grin as Raphael looked at her in shock. She then grabbed Leonardo who was within reach and pulled him close. "And I love Leonardo." She lifted her arms off their shoulders and walked over to Donatello. "And I love You." She said throwing her arm around him giving him a hug. She let him go and hopped up on the counter. "I love you too Michelangelo, even though you are completely passed out and can't hear me."

"Okay Kitten." Raphael said as he lifted her off the counter. She giggled.

"You can't ask her something like that right now Donny. She's in the 'I love everyone' drunk stage." Raphael told him as he held her up. She leaned against Raphael's shoulder.

"Am not." She said defiantly. "I still don't like Bobby Harper. He told me in grade 9 that my boobs made me look fat." She grabbed her breasts. ""My boobs don't make me look fat do they?" She asked Leonardo.

Leonardo looked at her breasts and shook his head.

"Kitten what the hell are you wearing?" Raphael growled. "You're practically falling out."

She looked down at herself and shrugged. "It's not my fault they didn't wear bras in the 1600's, couldn't figure out the underwear either." She said with a frown. "I'm not sure they actually wore any." She said shaking her head.

Raphael closed his eyes. "Please tell me you're wearing underwear." He said in a strained voice.

She frowned as if she was thinking hard. She moved her hips unintentionally grinding against him. "Nope. Must have forgot when I couldn't figure out the layers that were supposed to go on under this skirt." She said pulling at her skirt which was at the moment slightly higher than mid-thigh at the front. "There were a lot of layers. I probably could have figured it out if I wasn't drunk." She said wrapping an arm around his neck. She leaned her face into his neck. "You smell so good Raphael." She whispered too softly for any to hear but him.

"Time for you to sleep it off I think." Leonardo said to her.

She shook her head. "No." She said bluntly.

Raphael looked down at her and she looked up at him. He knew she was thinking that she wasn't going to risk going to sleep.

"Hey Kitten." He said tilting her head to look at him. "You'll be fine." He whispered.

She stared at him intently. "No." She refused.

"Fine then let's get you sobered up." He said to her.

She nodded. Her eyes went to Michelangelo. She pulled away from Raphael and walked over to him. She knelt down and rifled through his pocket. "Ha!" She said triumphantly as she pulled out a black scrap of fabric. She stood up. "Perv." She said with a smile nudging Michelangelo with her foot. Michelangelo cracked an eye, grinned slightly and closed it again.

She turned and looked at Donatello with concern. "Are you okay, you are looking really pale?" She asked him.

Donatello shook his head.

"You shouldn't have dragged him out of bed." Leonardo said as he rounded on her angrily.

"No Leo, just, it's my fault." Donatello said softly.

"It's not your fault Donny, she shouldn't have pulled you out of bed so soon. It's only been just over a week since you were shot!" Leonardo exclaimed in worry.

"Leo, leave it." Donatello growled.

"No, I'm not leaving it." Leonardo yelled as he grabbed Katherine by the arm.

"Whoa." She said as Leonardo began pulling Katherine from the kitchen.

"Get Donny to bed Raph, Katherine and I are going to have a talk." Leonardo ordered as he pulled her from the room.

Rage ripped through Raphael as his watched Leonardo manhandle Katherine. He was about to go after Leonardo until he glanced at Donatello's face which was looking grey.

"Jeez Donny." He said as he supported his brother leading him to his bedroom.

"I'm fine Raph, really, go get Kitten, Leo is going to rip a strip off of her for no reason."

"Kitten can take care of herself Donny. You need to rest." Raphael said to his injured brother.

Leonardo dragged Katherine into the library. He was so angry he could barely speak.

"Sit down...now." He ground out through clenched teeth.

She hopped up on the desk crossing her legs. Her skirt had ridden up even further. He looked away from her. "And put your underwear on."

He heard a sigh and the thump of a knee high boot hitting the floor followed by another.

"Alright, I am appropriately attired now. You may now commence ripping a strip off me." She said to him.

His angry gaze flashed to hers. He was expecting mockery, but instead she looked at him seriously. He frowned and remained silent.

"Fine I've changed my mind." She said suddenly. He looked at her in surprise.

"I don't need you to tear a strip off me, and I'm not going to stand here and have you do it Leonardo." She said to him jumping off the desk.

"Sit down, now." He growled. "You should not have..." He began.

"I know Leonardo. I do not need to sit here and listen to you tell me I shouldn't have dragged him out of bed. I'm sorry, but the one I should be apologizing to is him, not you." She growled back at him.

He glared down at her. She stood looking at him defiantly. He stepped towards her pinning her between the desk and his body. "Why do you let him touch you so much Katherine?" He asked angrily.

She looked at him in confusion at his change of subject. "Wait, is this why you are so angry, because you are jealous of Raphael?" She asked him in shock.

"I am not jealous of Raphael." He growled back at her.

She looked at him, emotions were warring within her eyes, but he couldn't identify them.

"Why do you always lie to me Leonardo?" She asked softly as she closed her eyes and leaned forward. Her forehead touched his shoulder as she slumped forward.

He managed to catch her before she slumped to the ground. His shoulders sagged in defeat as he swung her up in his arms. "Because you strip me bare of all of my defences." He said to her unconscious form. "I am jealous of Raph. All you and I do is fight, mostly because I am being an ass, but I love you too much to want you to live such a life as what being with me would give you." He said to her softly. He strode from the library and took her upstairs to her room. He lay her down on the bed. He pulled off her skirt jacket and corset. It was hard getting her undressed because she was just dead weight, but he managed. He looked down at her naked body as lust coursed through him. He shook himself and unbuttoned his shirt and put it on her. It was easier than trying to find her pj's and then dressing her.

"Goodnight Kitten. I'm sorry I yelled. You are right again, you should apologize to Donatello, not be yelled at by me." He looked at her sleeping face, brushing a stray strand of white hair out of the way. "Why do you always have to show me all of my faults?" He asked her as he gently kissed her velvety cheek.

He gave her one last look before he left, closing the door gently behind him.

He went back to the kitchen to grab something for dinner since they had missed it by playing pirates. Michelangelo was no longer in the kitchen so either he had woken up by himself or Raphael had moved him. He made himself a sandwich and ate it. He walked back upstairs to check and see if Donatello needed anything. He found his brother sleeping soundly. He went back to the library where he read for a few more hours.

Raphael peeked into the library. "Geez Leo, how long did you yell at Kitten for, I haven't seen her for hours." He said angrily.

"I didn't yell at her." He said softly. "She very reasonably pointed out that I had no right to yell at her and that she had to apologize to Donny, not me." He said with a sigh.

Raphael frowned. "So she's with Donny?" He asked.

"No, she passed out right after she told me I was basically being an ass. I put her to bed," He looked at the clock. "Around three hours ago." Raphael paled. "Are you okay Raph?" Leonardo looked at his brother in concern.

"Huh? Uh sure Leo, peachy, it's just been a long day, and with Donny not looking so good... Anyway just came to say goodnight." He said as he turned and left the room quickly.

Leonardo looked at his brother and frowned. He lay down his book and followed his brother a few minutes later.

Raphael shouted in his head. Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it! He raced up the stairs and opened the door to Katherine's room. He looked at her curled up and sleeping soundly. He let out a sigh of relief and a growl of frustration. He knew he hadn't fooled Leonardo one bit which meant that he was going to have to leave her alone for, at the very least, another hour until Leonardo stopped watching him and went to bed.

He wanted to just stay and tell Leonardo to get stuffed, but he and Katherine had been very careful not to let his brothers know they were sleeping with each other at night. He hadn't liked the idea, but if his brothers knew he was sleeping next to her each night, not only would it hurt them, which he was oddly loathe to do until Katherine agreed to become his girlfriend, but she pointed out to him that if they knew, they would keep pushing for the reason why. And Katherine had pointed out that not only was what they had shared private, it would also hurt Donatello. Unfortunately he couldn't argue with her logic. It would devastate Donatello to know that the night he woke up, she had nearly lost her life.

Raphael growled and grimly left her room gently closing the door behind him. He couldn't see Leonardo but he knew his brother was there. So he went and checked on Donatello, who was sleeping, and then Michelangelo, who he had dragged to his room in a half conscious stupor. Michelangelo was also soundly sleeping. He then walked into his room, pulled his shirt over his head, pulled off his pants, and changed into his sweats.

He curled up on his bed determined to wait Leonardo out.

Kaethryn stood by a window. The light streamed brightly through the narrow opening. She was looking right at him. He frowned, her image flickered to Katherine and back again. "They're going to kill us." Kaethryn said softly.

"I...I know, I saw." Raphael stammered.

"No. They are going to kill us." Her image flickered to Katherine and back again.

Raphael frowned in confusion.

"We are Fated." She said softly looking over her shoulder towards the window.

It was then Raphael realized she wasn't looking at the window, there was something in the shadows. A tall figure emerged behind Kaethryn whose image changed to Katherine. A Scythe appeared at her throat. A six foot skeleton stood behind her. Katherine closed her eyes and leaned into him. The figure of Death grabbed her around the waist pulling her towards him. His black robes swirled around him, grey wings wrapping possessively around her.

"They are close." Kaethryn whispered from beside him.

"Who are They?" Raphael asked in desperate horror. "Who are They?" He screamed.

But the dream broke, the afterimage of a different card seared into his brain.

Raphael's eyes snapped open. He sat up wide awake, horror crawling down his skin.

He was drenched in sweat. He had no idea how long he had been sleeping and he didn't care. He ran from his room and burst into Katherine's. She sat up and looked towards him.

Relief washed through him. He gently closed the door and strode to the bed. He grabbed her and clutched her tightly to him.

"Raphael are you okay? You're covered in sweat." She whispered in concern.

Raphael tried to slow his breathing, slow his pounding heart, but he couldn't.

"I'm here Raphael. I'm okay." Katherine said gently into his neck. He didn't know how long he clutched her to him before he was finally able to pull away.

"I love you Katherine. I love you too much to let you go, understand?" He growled at her. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise." He vowed to her.

She touched his cheek gently. "I love you too Raphael." She said softly. "But..." She began.

He shook his head violently. "I don't care. I'm not asking for anything, not right now, but just...I love you." He said kissing her roughly.

"Shhh Raphael, it was a nightmare." She said to him after he released her lips.

"I know. I know." He said closing his eyes.

He lay down in the bed and pulled her in close. He frowned as he looked at what she was wearing.

"Why are you wearing Leo's shirt?" He asked angrily.

"I'm guessing he put it on me." She said with a sleepy shrug as she buried herself deeper into him.

"That bastard!" He growled. "He undressed you."

"Must have." She said sleepily yawning.

"I'm going to kill him."

"Can you kill him later? I'm trying to sleep." She said twining her fingers through the ties of his mask as she pulled his body closer to hers.

He sighed kissing the top of her head. He looked into her face. He loved her, and she loved him. He knew there was a 'but' in there and he had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with his brothers. He felt jealousy roll through him. He closed his eyes. All that mattered was that she loved him. He would deal with the 'but' later, he didn't care. April had made it sound so easy, but he knew with Katherine nothing was ever going to be easy.

He gently began to drift to sleep, the horror of the nightmare beginning to fade.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! In the next chapter things are going to get interesting.=)