A/N: I guess I should clarify. Yes, this is part of my series. This is actually number 10. So, it does contain original characters created by me as well as some references to previous fics in this series. But as most of my stories go, you can read it and enjoy it without the others being previously read. However, my hope is that you'll just love this one so much that you'll go back and read the old ones too.:) You can find the complete listing of the order of stories on my profile.

Now, here we go. It's going to be a bumpy ride for the guys so hold on to your hats.

The little screen in the center of the cruiser's control board lit up. Sarah smiled at the younger version of herself. "Marina! Oh, you look great!"

"You do too, sis. Why haven't you called before now? I've been wondering all this time what happened to you." Marina certainly looked a lot more mature and her hair had grown out cascading over one shoulder.

Donnie smiled at her apologetically. "Sorry, but it was a tactical decision. We didn't want to draw unwanted attention to our planet by sending messages all the time."

Marina looked a little disappointed. "Oh, I see. So, why the call now?"

Sarah and Donnie exchanged a look. "We need your help." Sarah explained softly. They proceeded to describe what had happened earlier.

Marina frowned deeply. "It certainly sounds like it could be a byproduct of bonding, but I've never heard of that before."

Donnie frowned. "Really?"

"I've heard of couples who go from merely knowing when the other is injured to feeling the other's pain, but not actually transferring of injuries like that."

"Do you think you could find anything out for us?" Sarah pleaded.

Marina nodded firmly. "Absolutely, but it may take me a few days to find anything solid. How about you give me a call back in three days? We're supposed to be doing research in a solar system near Earth then. We might as well swing by. After all you haven't got to meet my mate yet." She grinned.

Sarah smiled back. "There's someone we'd like you to meet too."

Marina raised an eyebrow. "Alright, talk to you in three days. Okay?" They said their goodbyes and the screen went dark. The cruiser was filled with silence as the couple contemplated the seriousness of what they'd just been told. No couple in Mazar recent history had experienced this before.

Donnie could feel Sarah's fears begin to creep back to the surface. He smiled mischievously. "You know, it's really nice and quiet in here and no one's going to bother us for a while. Leo said he'd watch Mira, so why don't we take advantage of it."

Sarah couldn't help but giggle as she felt the spike of arousal from him. She moved to slip into his lap in the co-captain's chair. "I'm all ears." She wrapped her arms around his neck.

He tilted her head so he could attack her neck. He nipped her ear. "I like your ears a lot but that's not what I want right now." He nipped her ear again, making her gasp and shiver.

She turned her head to capture his lips and he lifted her small frame into his arms. He carried her back to lay her upon the single cot in the back. It was always the same – a beautiful cycle of passion. Love giving to desire giving to arousal giving to ecstasy and giving again to love, continuing until they were spent and sleep overtook them.

Raph frowned at his bedroom door. He'd spent the past two hours working all by himself, when he could have been down here sleeping in his nice warm bed. He pushed the door open and closed it a little rougher than he meant to. He sat heavily on the side of the bed and began removing his gear.

Cat rolled over and stared at his back. She could already tell there was something wrong. "What is it?" He grumbled something incoherent and she frowned. "I didn't catch that."

"I said how come you left me a whole bike to put back together by myself?"

Cat frowned at the roughness in his tone. "Number one, that was not a whole bike it was just the drive shaft. And number two, you left me to clean the whole garage by myself while you went off to take a nap."

He snorted. "Yeah, but at least you get to go upstairs for several hours and get a little peace. The first time the kid goes to sleep and I have to stay up there and work."

Cat sat up, her eyes narrowing. "What is that supposed to mean? What do you think I do up there all day? I work my butt off! And if you've forgotten I come down here to sleep at night, just like everyone else which means I have to listen to him cry too."

He suddenly stood up, pulling his belt back on. Snatching his bike keys from the nightstand he stomped towards the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cat quipped.

He shot her a glare over his shoulder. "For a ride." He stepped out the door and it slammed slightly behind him.

Leo glanced up at him as he crossed the living room, headed for the elevator. "Can you keep it down, Raph? We just got Kaz to sleep remember."

Raph glared at him. "Don't worry, I'm leaving."

He stepped into the elevator as Cat came running down the hall. "Raph? Raphael!"

He just shot her another glare as the doors closed. Cat sank onto the nearest sofa and buried her face in her hands with a heavy sigh.

Leo frowned at her. "Having a fight?" She nodded without looking up. "I find chamomile tear helps after a fight with Raph. It works even better if you put a little saké in it."

Cat's head shot up and she blinked at him in surprise. "Leo…" She began to laugh. "I would've never guessed that's what you've been doing all this time." She pressed a hand to her mouth to muffle the brewing laughter.

Leo smirked. "What? I had to figure out some way to cope with him. And I don't do it all the time just when we have a big blow out." His smile broadened. "Believe me, you'll sleep like a baby – uh, sort of speak." Cat pressed her other hand to her mouth as big tear drops ran down her cheeks from her attempt at silencing her amusement. He gestured to the small bundle next to him. "If you'll put Mira to bed, I'll help you make a cup."

Cat took a few deep breaths before attempting to speak. "That sounds good." She scooped up the small turtle, who wasn't so very small anymore, and carried her to her room. She tucked her in and returned to find Leo coming out of his and Amaya's room. He'd carried his sleeping bride to bed.

He smiled at his sister-in-law. "Now, let me show you where I keep the good saké at."

Raph's bike roared around a curb. He turned off into central park, coming to a stop beside the lake. He sighed as he leaned on the handlebars. What am I doing? Cat was right after all. I did leave her with all the work after I promised I'd help out. He sighed again. This is stupid. We're all stressed from lack of sleep. I should go home and apologize. I'm sure she'll understand. I hope I didn't upset her too much.

He turned his bike around and headed home. It had been about an hour when Raph pulled his bike to a stop in the back parking lot and went inside. As the elevator doors opened on the lair, he started for his room but stopped when he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He paused, listening.

"Yeah, then he fell face first into the sewer sludge!"

Cat laughed at whatever anecdote Leo was telling her. "He never told me that story."

Leo laughed as well. "He wouldn't."

Raph growled with a sudden realization. They were laughing at him! He stomped into the kitchen to find Leo and Cat sitting together each with a mug of tea. "How could you! How could you sit here and laugh! I'm such an idiot!" He turned and stomped back out into the living room.

"Raph, wait!" Cat caught up with him quickly. She grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn and look her. "Raph, please?"

He glowered. "I came back here to apologize and I find you buddy-buddy with Leo! Laughing at me! What the hell, Cat!"

Tears formed in her eyes. "It's not like that! Leo was trying to make me feel better. You ran off before we could talk about what happened. Besides, Leo's my brother too. I can talk to him if I want to." She swayed slightly, the tears trickling down her cheeks.

Raph raised an eye ridge at her. "Are you drunk?"

"No." She swayed again and he caught her shoulders. "Okay, maybe a little."

Leo appeared in the doorway. He frowned at his younger brother. "Sorry, bro, but believe me she needed it."

Raph frowned as well as Leo crossed the few steps through the living room to his room. Raph turned his gaze back to his wife. Her emerald eyes stared up at him with heartache etched into them as tears continued to fill them. He swallowed hard. "I'm sorry." He pulled her into a crushing embrace. "I'm so stupid." He knew now that she was hurting. They'd had little tiffs from time to time but nothing like that – nothing that drove him to leave.

"That's okay." She squeezed him as tight as she could. "I fell in love with you as a big stupid lug and I'll always love you as one."

He lifted her chin and wiped away her tears. He graced her with a small half smile. "I love you too, darlin'. Now let's get you to bed." He lifted her gently into his arms and carried her down the hall to their room.

When Donnie and Sarah arrived back in the lair it was quiet. They checked on Mira and then were satisfied to go to bed. Morning brought with it a renewed sense of tentative peace. As they gathered around the kitchen table for breakfast even Kaz seemed content. Kala cradled him in the crook of her arm as she ate. Beside her Mikey fed him mouthfuls of the formula in between shoveling food into his own mouth.

Cat cradled her head as she poked at her eggs while Raph rubbed her back absently. She could have sworn that the saké hangover was worse than a Jack Daniel's one, which she'd experienced several times in her youth. Even the aspirin wasn't doing much good.

Only Leo and Amaya seemed particularly at ease. Both calmly sipped at their tea. Leo turned to Donnie and Sarah, who'd been rather quiet all morning. "So, where did you guys go off to last night?"

The couple shared a look and Donnie squeezed Sarah's hand. They'd discussed it and had decided it was best not to tell the others just yet, at least not until they knew more about what was going on. Sarah managed a small smile. "Well, we're going to have guests in a few days."

Everyone looked up. They couldn't begin to guess who she meant. Donnie cleared his throat. "Yes, uh, Marina is coming to visit."

Mikey lit up. "Marina, really?"

Raph cracked a smile for the first time that day. "How is that squirt?"

Sarah chuckled. "Not so little anymore."

Leo blinked. "Did you say 'guests'?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes, she'll be bringing her mate. Apparently he's some type of scientist, who's researching inhabitable planets."

"Yes, they're supposed to be passing near our solar system and thought they'd swing by." Donnie added.

"Who's Marina?" Kala scooped a little of the homemade formula into Kaz's mouth.

"Oh, I forgot you guys never met her. She's my half-sister. But we haven't seen her in a long time, not since before we got married." Sarah smiled up at Donnie remembering that day so very long ago. They had been married eight years now. He squeezed her hand a little tighter and smiled back.

Mira sat up a little straighter. "You mean I have another aunt?"

A chuckle went around the table. Donnie smiled. "Yeah, I guess you do."

Mira grinned, forgetting her plate of food. "Wow, does she look like you, Mommy?"

A sly smile crossed Donnie's face. "Yes, she does actually." He kissed his wife's hand. "But she's not nearly as pretty."

Sarah laughed. "I think you're bias."

Amaya smiled at their banter. "Is there anything we can do to help prepare for their arrival?"

Sarah thought about that for a moment. "Well, I probably should clean out that spare room again."

As the others got up and started cleaning the kitchen and leaving, Leo looked at Cat with a bit of guilt. "Gosh, Cat, I didn't realize you were a light weight."

Raph snorted. "Shut up, Leo."

Cat lifted her head to glare at Leo but it quickly turned into amusement. "You better watch it, Leo. I know where you keep that bottle at now."

Leo chuckled as he stood. "Hmm, maybe that wasn't such a good idea showing you my hiding place."

Cat laughed and then groaned as she clutched her head. Raph shook his head as he stood as well. "Go get some more sleep, darlin'. Don't worry about the shop today, okay?"

Cat grunted in response and slumped a little further in her chair as the guys left for practice. A few minutes later she did exactly as suggested, after a round of heaving in the toilet that is. Amaya and Sarah prepared the spare room, while Kala watched Mira and Kaz. The newest member of the family seemed more alert than he had in the past few weeks. Now that his crying had ceased he was finding the world around him interesting.

He watched as Mira practiced writing in her notebook. The young girl preferred math and was preforming in leaps and bounds in it. Even her reading and writing were off the scale for a child her age. But Sarah insisted she still had to learn other things such as history and art. But at present she was practicing her spelling words for the day.

Kala looked from one child to the other, admiring their similarities and differences. These two cousins were likely to grow up more like siblings and that made her smile. She loved the relationship that Mikey had with his brothers and she hoped that Mira and Kaz's relationship would be as strong.

The next few days went by without incident and on the third day Donnie and Sarah returned to the cruiser to send out a signal to Marina. As promised her response was quick as the little screen lit up with her image. "Hey, guys."

Donnie gave a cordial greeting. "Hey, Marina. Were you able to find anything out?"

Marina frowned. "Well, yes and no. I dug and dug but didn't really come up with a lot, so I asked an elder that I know and she told me to check the archives on Mazaryn."

Sarah's frown was deeper. "So, you weren't able to find anything out?" Donnie reached across the space between them to hold her hand. He could feel the fear that had settled over the past few days resurface with a vengeance.

"I had to go really far back into our history to find something like what you were describing. Even then it sounded more like this fairytale I found in this book." She held up a leather bound book that was worn and cracked. "Do you know how hard it is to find an actual book in a society where everything is digital?"

Donnie was becoming exasperated with her. "Marina, please. Just tell us what you found out?"

Marina sighed and flipped through the book until she came to a certain section. "There's only one story in here that sounds like what's happening to you. It's about a couple who were born into opposing families. The couple became bonded despite the fact that their parents tried to separate them. They develop the ability to absorb the other's injuries." She frowned, closing the book. "But…"

"But what?" Sarah almost demanded.

"The ending is not so happy. They both die after a battle where both are injured." Marina's eyes held true remorse at this information. "I'm sorry, I couldn't find anything better."

Sarah suddenly stood and rushed out of the cruiser to expel her stomach on the tunnel floor. Donnie stood to go after her, but Marina stopped him. "Donnie, we'll be there in about an hour. Could you meet us in central park about where I…uh, landed last time?"

"Yeah, see you there." He left the ship as she disconnected the signal. He found Sarah knelt on the ground, sobbing. He pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry." She wept into his chest. "I'm so sorry, Donnie."

He frowned as a wave of her guilt hit him. He pushed back to look at her. "Sarah, this is not your fault."

She wept harder. "It is! If it weren't for me, you could go on fighting just like you have – just like you should. I've become a hindrance to you!"

"Sarah, look at me!" He cupped her face, forcing her gaze up. He locked his eyes with hers. "Never, not even for an instant, have I ever thought you were a burden! You're the source of my strength. You remind me of all that life has given me and all that life still has to give." He trembled as he pulled her against him again, holding her as tight as he could. "So, don't you ever say that again. Don't ever feel like you're holding me back, because you are my reason for living."

She sobbed harder still as she clutched at him. They sat that way for a while, allowing the torrent of emotions to flood over them. Donnie kept pressing his love for her forward, until at last the deluge subsided. Her small body shook as the tears died away. He lifted her chin and kissed her. There was no way he could express his love and gratitude for her fully in words and so he tried to show her with the kiss, exposing his heart to her through the bond as he deepened it.

As it ended, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in it. Guilt still ate at her heart but she did her best to push it aside. Maybe this wouldn't be permanent. Maybe it would just make them stronger. But in the meantime, it meant that Donnie would have to be extremely careful in battle. It meant that they were both very vulnerable. Her mind went back to the fairytale Marina had told them about. Her arms tightened around her mate. No, I won't let that happen! We won't be like them, I swear!

A/N: Loving the reviews. Keep'em comin'!