Warning this is a very dramatic and emotional chapter. The last section idea came to me earlier today. As you know Mona and Raph split up, but what happens next? Read and find out! Review please!

-Leah by Michelangelo

Ch. 5-Desperare pleas

Freak, monster, disgusting mutant. Who would ever fall in love with a beast like you? It's over. It's all over.

No.

I won't believe that. I can't start thinking like that. She told me she loved me. She feels the same. I've got to have faith in her. I can't just give up. I'll never give up on her. Never. I'll love you forever, Mona Lisa. I'll wait, no matter how long it takes. I'll wait until you're ready.

It was almost dawn by the time I reached the lair. As soon as I walked through the entrance an orange blur ran into me, almost knocking me over. The others ran over to me as soon as I entered, including Casey, April and Master Splinter. The rat stared at my face and I could tell he knew something had happened.

"Where's M.L.?" Mikey asked enthusiastically, but his voice died as he saw the blank look on my face. The room went completely silence as they stared at me.

"Raph?" asked Leo, looking concerned.

"She's not coming back, Mikey. She's gone."

Their eyes widened and Leo spoke first, "Is she…" his voice trailed off and I knew what he was asking.

"No." I stated evenly. This only made everyone look even more confused.

"What happened?" Master Splinter asked quietly.

"I made a mistake." I said, my voice lowered, before pushing past them. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room."

"Just a moment, my son." My shoulders drooped and I turned to face my father. "What do you mean, you made a mistake?"

"I—I told Mona…how I felt about her." I lowered my gaze and silence filled the room. "She said we had to break it off." My mind vaguely registered a single tear rolling down my face unchecked. The amount of pity on their faces was almost unbearable. "But I'm not giving up on her."

"Raphael, if she wanted to break it off-" Splinter began, but I cut him off.

"No. She didn't want to break it off. She said we had to. She told me she loved me, but she didn't want to hurt me, or you guys. She thinks its her fault that we were in danger and she doesn't want that to happen again! She doesn't understand that I have the same problem, that evertime we leave the lair I worry about her getting hurt or Shredder getting his hands on her! I have to show her that we can make this work! Despite all of our problems and maybe then…"

"And if she still refuses you, Raphael? What will you do then?"

I visibly trembled at his words. My father had voiced my biggest fears. "I-I…" I looked down as another tear ran down my face. "I don't think I could survive it," I whispered. A hand being pressed reassuringly on my shoulder made me turn around, and I came face to face with Leonardo.

"I'll help you, Raph. Whatever you need just let me know. I'm here for you." My other brothers nodded in agreement.

"We all are." April added.

I looked at them, with a ghost of a grin on my face. "Thanks guys." They kept me company the rest of the day, trying to cheer me up and take my mind off it for a little bit.

The old rat retreated to the dojo, with a frown on his face. He was concerned about Raphael. His son had grown very dependent on Mona Lisa, he knew that, but he had not expected their relationship to progress so quickly. I will have a talk with Raphael in the morning. He decided. I must meditate on this. I am very concerned. If Mona Lisa continues to refuse him, I fear for my son's sanity. A broken heart is not easily healed.

I should know.

I went by Raph's room and looked in. My younger brother had barely slept since Mona broke up with him. I'm very worried. I really hope that they can sort things out because if they can't…I don't think Raph can take it.

Raphael's always been the strongest of the four of us. Not only physically but emotionally. His feelings have always been stronger, more intense than ours. If he ends up broken hearted…I don't think even Raphael will be strong enough to push through the emotional collapse. I looked at him as he lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling, a blank look on his face. He seemed so…unresponsive. The strongest of my brothers, the most resilient, the most hard-headed, hot-headed and muscular of my brothers had been reduced to a shell of his former self.

Finally I saw what my brothers could not. I realized what my brother really was what he always had been in our eyes: unbreakable. Nothing had ever truly made him snap, never. We'd never seen him break down, because he'd never allowed us to. But this time? This was different.

The amazing thing about Raphael was that he always kept going. Raph kept pushing himself to the absolute limit to keep from going off the edge. He'd been living on an emotional see-saw for years. And the only thing that kept him from falling was us. He lived for us, as he always had. But when she came along, there was someone else to protect, someone he would do anything for. It was she who had taken on the responsibility of balancing him. And Mona Lisa could balance him better than anyone else.

Without her…Raph would be left the way he had been before, imbalanced and unstable, but knowing that he could have had her, that they could have created and kept that balance forever, that would tear him apart. Eat away at him from the inside out. I knew that Raph hated the fact that he had anger issues, but those issues were part of who he was and they weren't about to just disappear. But Mona had calmed him and mitigated that anger, like no else had ever done before. If he loses that, Raph could destroy himself.

And I'm not about to let that happen.

It felt so strange not having Mona around. Not being able to smile with her, laugh with her, and hold her close, it's tearing me apart. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to cope with this. I still love her with all my heart.

Oh please, Mona Lisa, wherever you are, won't you come back to me?

Mona was running across the rooftops that night. Her heart aching. Oh Raph…she thought as she stared up at the moon. The lizard mutant was so lost in thought that she failed to notice the shadowy figures creeping up from behind her.

She leaned against the building's edge and stared upwards, the strangers surrounding her on all sides. Suddenly she heard a breath and the teenager whipped around with a roundhouse kick, but her assailant grabbed her leg, using it to pull her closer to them. Mona's eyes widened as they focused in on the figure in front of her. He seemed to be some kind of giant dog-mutant thing. Wait. Didn't Raph say he worked for…

"Hello, mutant." One of the others who looked like a fish-out-of-water, said.

"What do you want with me?" she asked cautiously, her mind trying to bring up possibilities of escape.

"You're coming with us." The fish said and Mona Lisa noticed he had a light Brazilian accent.

"I don't think so." I growled.

"Oh I think you will, at least if you value your life." He held a knife to her throat.

"Go ahead and finish me. See how much I care." She stated evenly.

"Mmm, tempting. Unfortunately, we have other plans for you." Fishface said, before a bag was thrown over her head and they bound her wrists, ankles and forearms.

The next thing I knew I was in some kind of giant throne room.

"Master Shredder, we have found the girl." Rahzar growled.

"Good." The sheer power and malice in that voice sent chills running up and down my spine. Shredder. She thought as he stepped out of the shadows. He was exactly as Raphael had described him: an over grown can-opener. And I thought he was kidding!

"What is your connection to the turtles?" He asked as he circled me, Rahzar and Fishface holding me in place between them.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I spat out angrily, but it was obviously a lie. If he went to all that trouble to get me kidnapped he obviously knows there's something going on between us.

His hand lashed out, slapping me hard across the face, his gauntlet cutting three long marks across my cheek. I could feel the blood beginning to drip down the side of my face. "You fool. We know about your-relationship-with the turtle named Raphael."

"Raphael means nothing to me." Another lie. I'm sorry Raph, but I won't let them hurt you.

"Where is the turtle's lair?"

"I don't know."

"You lie!" He slapped me again, more cuts, and more blood. "Just for that I will make his death an exceptionally gruesome one!"

"No." I whispered, brokenly.

"So you do care about him. This could be useful." His eyes narrowed from behind his armor. "Xever, Bradford, lock her in the dungeon, leave her there to rot."

"And then what, Master Shredder? What about the turtle Raphael?" Rahzar asked.

"First we will break him. Then we will tear him apart." Shredder punctuated the tear by scraping the wall with his gauntlet. "Once we break him, we'll find out where Hamato Yoshi and the rest of his disciples are hiding. And then, I want them all wiped out."

"Yes Master Shredder." The mutant dog replied, with a slight bow.

My heart sank to the pit of my stomach. No, they're going to use me against him. Please Raph, don't come to rescue me. -But I know you will. This is exactly what I didn't want to happen!

I don't want to see you hurt because of me. I can't…I love you too much. Please, Raph, I know you can't hear me. I can only pray that you hear and understand. Don't save me, Raphael. Don't come for me. Stay underground, where it's safe, don't leave the lair.

Please, Raphael, I'm begging you, please don't sacrifice yourself for me…