Disclaimer: I...do n-nahhh...it's just so hard! Alright, I can do this. I do n-n-…not own the T-T-T...TMNT. They belong to Eastman and Laird, the luckiest people in existence. However, I do own Rachel, Sam , Vanessa, Lily and her currently nameless sister.

So, before we begin, I must tell you all something about this chapter. It's not all that important, but I love details! So, this chapter is up if only for my amusement, and to keep you guys up to date.

Heehee. Boy, do I have fun in this thing!

Enjoy the chapter, I promise the next will be much more 'eventful' ;D.

PS-Chapter edited March 7th 2010

Donatello's molecular altering devices are collecting dust as they haven't left the lair in a week. The turtles haven't been the same since their excursion to the club, each of them acting oddly out of character. Leonardo has been strangely happy and lighthearted; Donatello has been jittery and high strung; Mikey has been more recluse and calm; and Raphael has been much less temperamental. To an extent, at least. Mikey was asking for it, dancing madly about the lair at one point to the song 'Dancing Queen' after he lost interest in reading The Outsiders.

Suddenly, the phone rings, and from the comfort of his leather chair, Raph bellows, "I'll get it!"

Raph stumbles over the game console on his trek and curses quietly beneath his breath, planning to smack Mikey hard across the back of the head later. He grabs the phone from its cradle and greets informally, "Yo.".

"Is Leo there?" asks a feminine voice from the other end. Clapping his hand over the receiver, Raph yells, "Leo! Phone's for you! I think it's Rachel!"

Leo's eyes snap open at her name, and the usually serene turtle leaps from his bamboo mat. He hurtles himself toward the phone and stops just short of Raph, barely avoiding a collision. He snatches the phone from Raph's hand and waves Raph away, clearing his throat. Lifting the receiver to his ear, he says with calm restored, "Hello, this is Leonardo speaking."

"Hi, Leo," Rachel responds, and from the softness in her voice, he can tell she's smiling, so gentle, so warm…

"…Leo? Leo, are you still there? Stupid phone," she mutters, thinking she lost her connection. His senses return to him and he practically shouts frantically, "Wait! I'm still here. So, what were you saying?"

She frowns at his odd behavior, but explains, "I was just wondering if you would like to go out to this really fun karaoke place on Saturday?" Hearing the hesitation on his end, she suggests, "We could go on a group date with your brothers and some other girls they know, if you want."

Leo considers this and asks, "Can you hold on for a moment?" He covers the receiver with his hand and holds it away from his mouth, asking, "Raph! Mikey! Don! You up for a group date on Saturday?"

He is answered by shocked blinks, so Leo returns to his conversation and replies decidedly, "Yeah, I'd like that. Raph, Don and Mikey seem excited too." The three drafted against their will make threatening hand gestures toward Leo. He ignores them completely as Rachel has begun speaking again.

"That's great," she exclaims enthusiastically, then moves on to pressing matters. "Who's providing transportation? I would, but I don't think a Toyota Corolla is going to cut it."

He chuckles and assures, "Don't worry; we can use the Battle Shell."

To his unintentional use of the words 'Battle Shell', both Mikey and Raph mouth 'idiot'. Don slaps his forehead and shakes his head in disappointment at his usually collected sibling's slip-up.

"Is that what you call your car?" Rachel enquires, amused by Leo's nickname for his vehicle. Much too late, Leo realizes what he's said, and lies feebly, "Yeah, it's really big and we used to…play spies in it when we were kids."

"Aw, that's so cute! Young children making a game out of assassination and espionage, because of that good old fashioned programming our country provides to mold and form the minds of our future leaders," Rachel coos sarcastically. Leo laughs and she grins happily, saying, "Alright, so you'll drive us to and from the restaurant?"

Still caught in his fit of laughter, he responds, "Yeah, we'll pick you up at 6:30. Bye, Rachel."

"My house is 127 Gorman's avenue. Bye, Leo," she bids, and the receiver lands with a soft click. Once he's sure she's hung up, Leo allows himself to drift absentmindedly on cloud nine, but is knocked off abruptly by Raphael, who chastises, "Using us to get a date? Poor form, Leo."

"Don, Mikey, Raph, please come along, please?" Leo pleads. Leo has never begged before, surprising as much as it delights his brothers. Feeling sympathy for Leo, Michelangelo goes to his room in. He returns with a comic book and retrieves a scrap of paper from where it held his place. He motions for Leo to toss him the phone and punches the numbers swiftly into the keypad.

"Hello, is Samantha there? ...My name is Michelangelo…no, I've not dropped out of school…no, I'm not looking for a fling…I'm not an escaped criminal…no, I'm not on drugs…"

Mikey suddenly hears Sam whisper angrily at her father, "Dad! Give me the phone! He's the nice guy I met a few nights ago. Now leave!"

Her father chuckles, and Mikey can hear him beg, "Stop hitting me with that Star Trek book, I haven't finished reading it yet!" Mikey grins as Samantha sighs tiredly and says, "Hi, Mikey, sorry about my dad, but he finds a strange pleasure in bothering everyone who calls our house for me."

Shrugging, he replies, "S'okay, my dad is nosey too. I was just calling to ask if you want to go to a karaoke restaurant on a group date this Saturday?"

Sam's heart leaps and her stomach flutters. "I'd love to!" she replies excitedly jumping up from her seat. Noticing how desperate she sounds, she coughs in embarrassment and asks more calmly, "What time?"

"I'll pick you up quarter to seven," he promises. She smiles and says, "'Kay Mikey, thanks. I live at 17 Eaves street. Bye!"

"Bye," he responds, and sets the phone down with a satisfying click. Popping his invisible collar, Mikey gloats, "And that's how it's done." Don glances at his brothers for a second and retrieves his shell-cell from a tan duffel bag on an arm chair. His fingers tremble as he pushes speed dial number six. The phone rings three times and a girl sounding no older than twelve lifts the receiver and says, "Hello?"

"Is Lily there?" he asks, steadying his voice.

"One minute," the girl orders, and sets the phone down on what sounds like a hard table or counter. He hears the padding of feet and the line is quiet for a second. Then: "Lily! The phone's for you! It's a boy!" the girl bellows. It's almost impossible to believe such a loud noise could come from someone so small. He hears some muffled conversation and then Lily's heavenly voice enquires, "Hi, is it you, Don?"

Genuinely confused, he asks, "How'd you know?"

"We have caller ID," she replies. 'Shell. Way to go, idiot.' Despite his embarrassment, Don barrels on, "I was wondering if you would like to go out on Saturday night to a karaoke restaurant? It's a group date."

"Saturday night?" she echoes, hope filling her voice. Her eyes twinkle animatedly as she twists a blond lock of hair around her index finger causing her sister's eyes to light up. Seeing her serious, brainiac of a sister go into flirt mode because of the boy on the other line excites her. She grins mischievously and demands coyly, "Is he your boyfriend?"

'I hope he didn't hear that,' Lily says to herself, pressing her finger to her lips to hush her sister. Returning to the phone, she responds sincerely, "That would be great, Don." A nervous lump forms in Don's throat but he quickly swallows it, continuing diligently, "We'll pick you up around seven. By the way, where do we pick you up?"

"84 Coleman road. Bye, Donatello," Lily murmurs, smiling. Closing his eyes for a second thankfully, Don says, "Okay, I'll see you on Saturday. Bye, Lily."

The moment he hangs up, Lily practically faints into the warmth of his farewell. She almost drops the receiver as she hangs it up. "He is your boyfriend!" her sister states smugly, giggling. Lily ignores her sister's teasing and rests her head against the cold plaster wall smiling at the thought of Saturday night.

"Your turn, Raphie," Mikey remarks, seeming back to his normal, make-fun-of-Raph-any-way-he-can-and-everyone-else-for-that-matter, self. Raphael picks up the phone and dials Vanessa's number with certainty. It rings four times, and just as he is about to hang up someone answers.

"Hello?" and older female voice says.

"Hi…um, my name is Raphael…is Vanessa there?"

"Oh, yes! Vanessa told me all about you," the woman exclaims excitedly, then asks politely, "Dear, could you hold on a moment while I go get her?" It's good that Raph doesn't answer because she leaves without waiting for him to say anything. Raphael hears soft footsteps, and then winces when her mother shouts loudly, "Vanessa! The phone is for you, honey! It's Raphael."

"Really?! I'm coming!" Vanessa says, and he hears the pounding of her running feet replaced seconds later by a breathless Vanessa. "Hello!" she bids as calmly as possible, and he replies, "Hi, it's Raph."

"Hi!" she exclaims a bit too eagerly. 'Oops. I said that already.' Vanessa regains her composure and asks grandly, "To what do I owe the honor?"

"I was just wonderin' if yer busy this Saturday?" Raph asks, expecting her to say yes. "Not particularly. Why?" she enquires lightly, waiting for him ask what she's been hoping for the past week.

"I want to ask you to go out on Saturday to a karaoke restaurant. My brothers and some friends are coming too," he tells her casually, sounding more collected than he feels. Who knew it was so hard to talk to a girl on the phone?

Vanessa grins from ear to ear. She lets the phone fall gently on the couch, hopping up and down while releasing a squeal of joy. Just as hurriedly she returns the receiver to her ear and gushes, "That would be great. What time will I need to get there?"

"I'll pick you up 'bout ten after seven. Bye Vaness-wait! Where do I pick you up?"

"69 Larsman street. Bye, Raph," she says softly, worried that if she's too loud she'll wake up from the dream. Raph smiles and says, "See ya Saturday."

As Raph hangs up the phone, Mikey marvels, "Nice going bro, she sounds excited." He considers Raph for a few seconds and demands, "Did you pay her to go out with you? I can't think of why else she would want to date you!"

"Can it Mikey," Raph growls, storming out of the room. "An' it ain't a date!" he adds fiercely. Once Raph's door closes, Mikey looks at Leo and insists, "It's a date."

Raph leans his head on the door to his room and sighs. He can't figure out whether or not his feelings are real. Finding his thoughts often stray to her, he feels ashamed that he's so excited about a girl he just met. At the same time, he can't stop himself. I mean, it's not just any girl; she is the most amazing girl on the planet, although he doesn't have many experiences to go on. "There was a connection the other night, I didn't imagine it. Did I?"

Vanessa's sentiments are similar to Raph's at her house. As she sits on the tan couch with her knees tucked up to her chest, her arms clutching her calves, she ponders what just happened. From around the doorframe, her mother's face pops up, the top of the door almost two feet above her brunette hair. Hazel eyes sparkling in interest, she pads into the room slyly and pries, "So?"

"'So' what?" Vanessa counters, uncomfortable that her mother is so upfront.

"How can I be more obvious, Nessa?" her mother sighs. When Vanessa looks away, she asks, "What did you talk about? Did he ask you on a date? I need details!"

Vanessa shifts nervously, annoyed that her mother guessed right. 'Stupid mom sense.' Aiming for nonchalance, she replies, "He asked me on a group date, it's no big deal-"

"Don't give me that Nessa! You were jumping up and down!" interrupts her mother, laughing at her daughter's attempt to be inconspicuous. A brilliant flush brushed across her cheeks, Vanessa laughs and admits sheepishly, "I guess I got a little excited…"

Her mother gives her a knowing smile, along with a wink, and she leaves her daughter alone to contemplate.

Hehehe.

The boys are going on second dates! Vanessa's mom was my favorite to write about in this chapter, she is so funny. I'm annoying like that too! :D

Anyway, really short chapter and not that interesting, but it is vital to establish the 'first date mood'. Better, more exciting chapters on the way (with some action, if ya know what I mean) ;)

Thanks for reading, and please review!

PS-Any negative comments will be changed only slightly and sent to Shredder as a manifesto of what we think of the big meanie.