The Interesting Life of Lavinia: The Movie

by TheMysteriousSecretiveWriter

What happens when our favourite heroes in a half shell find themselves in a strange dimension... with more turtles! Along with a few new characters who seem to know who they are. Now, they must watch a series of adventures with their duplicates and new friends.

3. A Glance at the Past

Thank you all for being so patient. Enjoy!

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Chapter 3: A Glance at the Past

With Nia's approval and everyone deciding to stay put to watch the movie (not that they had much choice), the next part of the prologue began to start up. Everyone had made themselves comfortable in their seats again and were all waiting for the next part to show on the screen. Mystery was watching the screen intensely, hoping that everything was working properly. Then, she felt Jess poking her in the shoulder, and she turned to face her friend.

"Yes, Jess?"

"I've just noticed something."

"What? That this movie marathon thing was actually a bad idea?" Mystery asked while a grin appeared on her face.

Jess just rolled her eyes. She had been hearing her friend's complaints about this from the start, but she was just going to ignore them, as usual.

"Very funny, but no. Haven't you noticed how quiet Stockman's been?"

Curious, Mystery looked over at the villain's side of the cinema to find that Jess was right. Baxter had chosen to seat himself on the end of the aisle in case he had to make a break for freedom. None of his fellow bad guys were paying much attention to him, but he still looked highly nervous and uneasy.

"Oh, yeah," Mystery agreed. "If you think he's quiet now, wait till Baxter's Gambit comes on."

Jess nodded. "You know what, buddy?" she said. "I think we should liven him up a bit, what do yah think?"

"Actually, on this rarest of occasion, I totally agree with you, Jess. And I have the perfect way to do it."

"I'm listening."

Mystery winked and cupped her hands over her mouth.

"Hey Boxer Soapbox!"

Suddenly, Baxter Stockman jumped out of his seat and angrily glared at Mystery.

"It's Baxter Stockman!"

The sudden outburst of Stockman caused a roar of laughed from both sides. All except Shredder, who didn't find this outburst funny, and Karai, who was trying her best to keep emotionless, but Mystery could've sworn she saw a small smile on her face.

"Nicely done," Jess commended.

"Thank you and just in time too. Look, part two is now underway."

"Awesome!"

Part two of the prologue starts with a wide shot of the turtles abandoned subway lair. The camera then shows a close up of Nia, still fast asleep on the couch, curled up underneath the thick blanket.

"Aw, you look so cute when you're sleeping," Mikey said sweetly.

Nia chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Thanks Mikey."

"That didn't sound creepy or anything," Donnie muttered to April, who started giggling.

Nia opens then her eyes, blinks a few times before shifting around under the blanket. Slowly, she sits up and pushes the blanket off her, but shiver as she realizes how cold the lair is.

Splinter: Good morning.

Nia gasps and whips her head around to see Splinter standing there behind her, arms folded behind him.

The audience laughs as they watch young Nia's surprised expression.

"He seriously needs a cow bell on him or something," Raph whispered, before suddenly yelping, "Ow!"

After hearing Raph in pain, Nia turned sharply towards Raph. Splinter had managed to reach Raph with his staff and had jabbed him hard in the shoulder.

"You just need to sharpen your senses, Raphael."

Raph rubbed his shoulder as he muttered, "Still wouldn't hurt to have one."

Splinter gave him a stern look before jabbing his shoulder again, and Raph yelped. Nia rolled her eyes, laughing at the hothead.

"You so asked for that, dude," she said.

"Shut it, you," Raph said trying to be stern, but still smiling as he said it.

Splinter: I see you are awake, Lavinia. Did you sleep well?

Nia: nods. Yes, very well.

Mikey: (Yelling from behind the kitchen curtain) I think I got it, Sensei!

Nia: Um, what's Mikey doing?

Splinter: He insisted on making breakfast this morning. Turns his head slightly. Be careful with the stove, Michelangelo.

Mikey: I will!

"You can cook, too?" Vanessa said, sounding highly impressed. "Wow, you've got a lot of talents, huh?"

Mikey blushed at Vanessa's praise, but quickly adopted a look of confidence.

"Heh, thanks," he said smoothly. "But, I'm sure you're pretty good too, you're probably better than I am."

Vanessa giggled, her own cheeks going slightly pink. Then, Raph groaned irritably.

"Can you stop flirting with her for two seconds?" he said harshly.

Immediately, Mikey's calm attitude had disappeared. His grin fell and was replaced with a look of horror.

"Wh-what?! I'm not flirting!" he stammered. "Wh-who's flirting? Me? I d-don't flirt! I-I don't even know what f-flirting is!"

Everyone in the good area had started laughing at Mikey's stuttered excuses. Vanessa was staring at Mikey, looking surprised and a little embarrassed, but was still smiling at him. The other Mikey stared at his clone as he laughed. He, himself, had never acted so nervous, especially over a girl. To be fair, the only girl he and his bros ever knew was April, but that wasn't the case for the clones next to them.

On the opposite end in the villain section, the bad guys weren't laughing, but they were highly amused by the youngest turtle's silly demeanor, especially since he was normally so confident. Karai had to cover her mouth to keep the Shredder from hearing her giggle.

Splinter: Turns back to Nia. How are you feeling, Lavinia?

Nia: Much better, that was the best sleep I've ever had.

Splinter: I'm happy to hear that. How's your leg?

The camera pans down at Nia's bandaged left leg. The camera then zooms back so the audience can see Nia trying to lifting it up, but she quickly winces and grabs her leg tightly.

Nia: Still hurts…

Splinter: I thought so. It'll be a while before you are able to walk on your own again. Which is why I have this. Splinter reveals his hands to show he is holding a crutch. He then walks over to the couch, kneels in front of Nia and holds his hand out to her. Come, child. There's no better time to start getting stronger than right now.

Nia nods. It takes her a moment to get both of her legs over the couch without her hurting her bad leg. Splinter handed her the crutch and helped place it under her left arm. He then takes hold of her hand and slowly helps her up. Splinter keeps a hold of her hand but Nia quickly removes it.

Nia: I think I can go by myself.

Splinter looks taken aback, but allows Nia to try walking on her own. Nia tries to take a step forward on her own, but her good leg starts to wobble. She loses her balance and starts to fall, but Splinter quickly manages to catch her in his arms. He then gently helped her back up and helps her to regain her balance.

Nia: S-sorry.

Splinter: Healing takes time, child. You will need some help moving around until your leg is healed.

Nia: Hangs her head and her face starts to flush. I just… don't wanna be any trouble…

Nia hated watching the time her leg was broken. She hated looking weak, especially in front of her brothers and her Sensei. She hated being vulnerable and she especially hated needing to rely on other people for help. It wasn't that she disliked help; she just didn't want to annoy or make anyone angry by helping her. She supposed that it was because of all the crap she got from her old dad whenever she had a problem and asked for help.

Splinter touches the back of Nia's head and she I looks up and see that he has a kind smile on his face.

Splinter: offers his other hand to Lavinia. You are not a burden in any way, Lavinia and there is no shame in accepting help when it is needed. And I can tell you've needed help for a long time.

Splinter glanced over at his daughter. He knew how much she hated to feel like a burden, she still tried to do things on her own. But, as she got older, whenever she did need help, she wouldn't be ashamed of it like she was as a child. Nia also glanced over at Splinter, and when she saw he was looking at her she gave him a warm smile. He returned it before they both turned their attentions back towards the screen.

Nia nods and grasps Splinter's hand. He helps her walk towards the kitchen.

The scene shifts to Mikey standing in front of the stove, butter sizzling in a hot frying pan. Splinter and Nia enter through the curtain that leads into the kitchen. Splinter helps Nia into one of the stool chairs and heads off to the fridge just as Mikey turns around and notices her.

Mikey: Hey, Nia!

Nia: Morning, Mikey. What're you doing?

Dogpound growled. "You really are stupid."

"Dogpound," Jess said in a low voice. "If you keep calling Nia blind or stupid just because she asks a simple damn question, I'm gonna march over there and-"

"You can't," Mystery interrupted. "Force field, remember?"

"Then, I'll apparate!"

"You will not!" Mystery said firmly. "You are gonna stay in your seat and-"

But Jess stood up, a look of defiance on her face, turned on her heel, and disappeared. Everyone in the audience gasped, staring all around, wondering where she had gone.

"What the hell?" said Nia, looking around.

"Where'd she go?" asked Leo.

Even the bad guys were looking around for the missing girl. Then, Mystery saw her suddenly reappear behind Dogpound. She jumped up as high as she could go and slapped the back of the mutant dog's head. He yelled angrily, swinging his arms around to grab her, but she had already disappeared. A second later she reappeared next to Mystery, who was looking very irritable.

"You shouldn't have done that," she spat.

"Why?" asked Jess, who was smirking. "Still peeved that I can and you can't?"

"What was that?" gasped Donnie, staring at the two girls.

They both looked up into the audience and saw they were all staring at them.

"That, my friends, is what we call apparating," said Jess.

"What's apparating?" Nia, April and the other April asked at the same time.

"It's a bit like teleporting." Mystery explained. "Jess apparates all the time, but I don't."

"Why not?" asked Leo.

Mystery sighed. "Apparaition is like swimming; some can do it, some can't. Besides, you need to pass a test and get a license in order to appearate legally, and I haven't taken it yet."

"It's kinda like getting a driver's license," said Jess. "But even then, most witches and wizards prefer to travel by broomstick. Slower, but safer."

"Is… is apparating unsafe?" Nia asked.

"It can be," Vanessa piped up. "Sometimes if you're not careful, you can end up splinching yourself."

Everyone in the audience stared at her in confusion. But, Jess and Mystery were smiling at her.

"A fellow Potterhead, eh?" said Mystery.

Vanessa nodded. "It's my favorite series ever! I've read all the books at least 5 times."

"What's splinching?" Leo asked.

"It's when you apparate, but bits of your body get left behind," said Jess, and she and Mystery both shuddered. "Nasty stuff, pretty painful. Even full grown wizards who do it all the time can get splinched sometimes."

"What's your favorite book?" Mystery asked Vanessa. "Mine and Jess's are the 3rd and 4th book."

"Mine are the 2nd and 5th," Vanessa said enthusiastically

"Nice," said Mystery. "Anyway, enough of that; In the meantime, can we please watch the film without any name calling, threats or physical violence?"

"I've already smacked him, so I'm good," said Jess, then she added, "But… maybe I could do it just one more time?"

"No, Jess."

"Can I at least turn him into a ferret?"

Mystery paused for a moment. "Maybe later on, if you're really lucky."

Mikey: Making breakfast! Master Splinter says it's okay for me to use the stove by myself now! I've been practicing for months, and now I can make breakfast by myself. He claps his hands together. So, what do you want?

Nia: Blinks. Wh-what?

Mikey: Yeah, what do you wanna eat? You name it, and I'll make it.

Splinter: Carrying a jug of orange juice in his hand. Don't be over confident in the kitchen, my son. It could cloud your judgment, and you could get burned.

Mikye: Yes, Sensei. Whispers to Nia. Seriously though, whatcha want? I can already make a lot of things, just name one.

Nia: Bites down on her bottom lip and starts fiddling with her fingers. I don't really eat breakfast. I'm not sure what to choose…

"What did you mean by that?" Vanessa asked cautiously.

"Oh…" Nia started fiddling with the strings of her hoodie. "Um… I never really… ate a lot back then. I was lucky if I was able to eat breakfast. I wasn't use to a lot, so I wasn't really sure what to have, yah know?"

Vanessa blinked, a hand going over her heart. Angus sighed, leaning his head in his hands. Nia glanced away from them, feeling her ears growing hot.

Mikey: Say no more!

Mikey starts running excitedly around the table. He circles the table about three times before skidding to a halt in front of the refrigerator, opening it and starts rummaging through it.

"Seriously, where do yah get that energy from?" asked Angus.

"We've been asking that question for years," said Donnie. "I must've run millions of tests and I still can't find an answer to why Mikey is 'Mikey.'"

"Same here," said the other Donnie.

Splinter fills up six medium cups of juice, after filling the last one he picks up the glass and walks over to the table. He then places the cup down in front of Nia, who blinks in surprise. She looks up at Splinter, who is smiling at her.

Nia: Thank you.

Splinter: Nods. You're welcome.

Nia looks down at the cup for a moment before slowly reaching out and grabbing it. She brings it to her lips, and after a sip she blinks in surprise, then starts gulping the juice down. After a moment she puts the now empty glass down and licks her lips, a small smile grows on her face.

"You act like you've never had juice before," said Leo.

"That's because at the time, I hadn't," said Nia. "That was the first time I had anything besides water."

"Oh."

Leo suddenly felt bad for opening his mouth and turned away, looking embarrassed. Nia leaned over to look at him.

"Hey, it's cool," she said. "No hard feelings."

Leo turned to look at her, and to his surprise she was smiling at him. It was strange, he thought, she was smiling at him as though she completely understood him. While he himself didn't know her, she knew his doopleganger, and knew him very well by the looks of things. He felt himself smile back at her before they both turned back towards the film.

She turns her gaze towards Mikey, who was busy over at the stove. Mikey takes four eggs in his hands and breaks them over the pan. The camera shows the yellow yokes plop onto the black surface and start sizzling.

Mikey: Now, how should I make these eggs…? Snaps his fingers. Duh! Scrambled!

Mikey reached into an open drawer and took out a large spatula. He kissed the instrument before using it to chop and stir the eggs. At that moment, he started humming a random, happy tune, a mixture of high notes.

He continued to hum as he went to work with breakfast. He grabbed a nearby bottle of pepper, plopped the lid off with his thumb, and started sprinkling it onto the eggs. Leaving the eggs to cook for a moment, he walked over to the counter were a loaf of bread and a small toaster sat. Mikey grabbed several slices and popped them into the toaster.Then he grabbed a nearby bag that said "Bacon" on it. As he took out several slices, the camera turns to face in front of him, and we see Nia watching him intently as he placed the bacon on a second, smaller pan.

"Move aside Gordano Ramsey, there's a new top chef in town," Mystery said enthusiastically, making both Mikey's gaze at her with glee.

Raph: No way! Mikey's making breakfast!

Nia turns her head. We see Raph, Donnie and Leo all walking into the kitchen. All three head towards the table, and Donnie takes the seat next to Nia.

Donnie: Good Morning, Nia.

Nia: Morning- Wait, did you just call me 'Nia'?

Raph: takes the seat across from Donnie. Mikey said that's what we can call you. He said he called yah that last night and yah liked it. Is it cool that we call yah that?

Nia: Nods. Oh, yeah, I don't mind. I…I like 'Nia,' anyway.

Mikey: flips bacon over. Told you guys I'm good with naming stuff! You should let me do it more often.

"We do, and we regret it every time you come up with a stupid name for all the punks we meet," Raph said irritably.

"Hey! My names aren't stupid!" Mikey retorted.

"Nor are mine!" the other Mikey said, defending himself and his twin.

"I beg to differ, turtles," Fishface said, sounding surprisingly calm.

"So do I," Dogpound said.

"If you want my opinion, they got your names spot on," Jess said, a wry grin on her face.

Dogpound growled at her. "I didn't ask for your opinion, little witch."

Jess looked like she was about to lunge at Dogpound, but stopped as Mystery placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Let's just calm down and watch the rest of the film, shall we?" she said as she pushed her friend back down into her seat.

Leo finally came up to the table, looking at all the remaining places before taking a seat across from Nia. He placed his hands on the table as he looked over at her.

Leo: So, how's your leg?

Nia: Still hurts, but Splinter said that it would be fine after a while.

Donnie: Will you be able to walk soon?

Splinter: Sits down on a chair at the end of the table. She will be fine, my sons. Lavinia needs time to heal, but she will walk again. She may need some help moving around for some time, though.

Donnie: I don't mind helping her.

Leo: Me neither.

Raph: I can help, too.

Mikey: So can I!

Mikey then drops a big bowl full of scrambled eggs in the middle of the table. A second later there was a plate of bacon and a plate full of toast with jam.

"Man, I wish I could eat that breakfast all over again," Mikey said dreamily, drooling at the food on screen. "It would be like going down memory lane, but with your taste buds.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Mikey, that's impos-"

"Actually, it can be easily be arranged!" Jess piped up. "Pause!"

The film once again paused and everyone turned to look at Jess. The girl in question had pulled out what looked like a small wooden stick from under her sleeve, and gave it a flick. Soon everyone, including the bad guys, Jess and Mystery, had a plate of bacon, scramble eggs and toast with jam appear on their laps.

"Dig in!" she said happily. "Oops, hold on. Forgot the forks."

With another flick of her wand a knife and folk appeared on the armrests of each seat.

"Show off," Mystery said bitterly.

"You're just jealous because I can use magic better than you can."

Mystery said nothing. Instead she stabbed her bacon forcefully with her folk and popped it in her mouth. She started chewing; the more she chewed the softer her expression became. When she finally swallowed, her face broke into a smile.

"Wow Mikey, you really are a good cook."

Mikey beamed at her. Everyone else who had been given Mikey's first attempt a breakfast decided to give it a try, expect for the bad guys who all put their breakfasts to one side, much to Jess's annoyance.

"Fine," she said sourly, pulling out her wand again. "But, don't come crying to me when you're hungry. The snack bar won't hold forever."

"But, you said you charmed it so that it would always refill-"

Jess reached up and placed a hand over Mystery's mouth, silencing her. She was trying to make a point, and Mystery wasn't helping. The bad guys looked down at their plates. Shredder, Jess knew, would never touch it. Dogpound and Fishface might have eaten it if they were hungry enough. Stockman's mouth was watering as he looked at his plate, but as he looked at Shredder, he gave a shudder and turned away from it. Karai looked at her plate, looked at Shredder, then back again. Then, she shrugged, and picked up her plate.

"Karai…!" Shredder snapped.

"What? I'm hungry, and I'm not in the mood for theatre food," she said. "It's no big deal."

Jess grinned at her. Then she waved her want and the rest of the bad guys' plates disappeared. Stockman looked disappointed.

The film starts up again with Mikey hopping into the empty seat next to Nia at the end of the table.

Mikey: Dig in!

Splinter: Impressive, Michelangelo. Considering this is your first time making breakfast by yourself, this looks very good.

Mikey: Thanks, Sensei.

Everyone soon helps themselves to toast, eggs and bacon. All except Nia, who is staring with her mouth open at the food in front of her.

"You look as if you thought that breakfast was going to get up and bite you," said Karai, munching on her toast. "Not like it's gonna come alive and turn you into a mindless zombie."

"Have you seen season 2 already? Mystery asked, but as soon as she had said it she had clasped her hand over her mouth in shock."

"Season 2 of what?"

"Hey…!" Jess snapped.

"I know! I know!" Mystery said quickly, moving her hand away from her mouth. "It just slipped out, sorry!"

"What was all that about?" Nia asked curiously.

"Doesn't matter, it's not important," Mystery said quickly.

"Okay, that's it!" Raph yelled, getting to his feet. "Spill! What is going on here?"

"Yeah, I wanna know too!" the other Raph said, also getting to his feet. "What aren't you telling us?"

"Raphael! Calm yourself!" Splinter said firmly.

"But-" both Raph's said at once.

"Raphael! Sit!" the other Splinter ordered. "Both of you!"

Both Raph's turned towards each other, then glanced down at the ground, slightly ashamed.

"Hai, sensei," Raph said begrudgingly as he and his clone sat back down in their seats.

Splinter: What is the matter, Lavinia? Are you not hungry?

Nia: Yes, but…I don't know what to take…

Leo: You can take a bit of each thing, if you want.

Nia: I can?

Mikey: Totally! Grabs the bowl of scrambled eggs and brings it over to Nia. C'mon, Nia! Have some eggs!

Nia gazes at the bowl full of eggs, and then looks up at Mikey's face. He had an excited, but patient look on his face, just like the rest of his brothers. Nia looks at the all turtles facial expressions before looking over at Splinter. He smiles and nods at Nia, gesturing to the bowl Mikey was offering.

Splinter: Please, have some breakfast, Lavinia. You must be very hungry.

Nia turned back to Mikey, who was still pushing the bowl, little by little, towards her. Finally, Nia reaches forward for the large bowl and grabs a spoonful of egg. A large smile then grows on her face.

Nia: I'm starving.

The breakfast scene soon fades to black, and in a bold white font, the words '3 Days after Arrival' appear on the screen in its place.

The new scene fades into color, and shows a close up of a small dark blue toy truck. The truck starts moving back and forth across the floor and a loud 'vroom vroom' noise sounds in the background. The camera zooms out to show Mikey is the one playing with the toy truck and making the 'vroom vroom' noises. Mikey continues rolling it around the floor, but stops when he looks forward at something. The camera turns to face the back of Nia's head, she is sitting on the couch. It flashed over in front of her, and she is staring off into space, a rather bored expression on her face.

"Wow, that looks boring," Vanessa said tiredly.

"That tends to happen when you're stuck on a couch with a broken leg," Nia said irritably.

"You're not going to be bored for much longer," Mikey said with a grin.

"We kinda figured," Jess called from her seat, although her voice was muffled as she had a mouth full of a dessert pizza, which she somehow put on a plate that was resting on her knee.

"How can you be hungry?" Mystery asked, flabbergasted. "You just had a whole breakfast two seconds ago?"

"I have a healthy appetite," Jess replied after she swallowed.

"More like a tapeworm," Mystery muttered. "I still think it's weird having a pizza for dessert and having sweet items on a pizza.

"You're not actually putting dessert on pizza," Jess said, and she said it with an attitude that suggested that this wasn't the first time these girls have had this conversation. "Do you use the same crust? Sometimes, yeah. But, you're just taking other things and using them to make something like pizza. Like, using chocolate sauce instead of tomato sauce, and using things like sprinkles instead of pepperonis. Besides, you only think it's weird because you've never had one before, and I feel sorry for you."

"Well don't, because it still seems ludicrous to me."

"Dude, that's what we thought about pizza," said Mikey. "But, that was before the first time we got let out of the lair when…"

Jess raised her eyebrow, giving him a quizzical look. Mikey stopped.

"Oh… we're gonna see that, huh?" he asked, and Jess nodded. "Okay… nevermind!"

Mikey glances down at the truck in his hands, then back to Nia. Then a wide smile grew on his face andMikey turned unto his stomach and started to army crawl towards the couch. He places his truck onto the ground and rolled it around as he crawled on the floor, making louder driving noises. As he got closer and closer to the couch, Nia slowly turns her head to look at him and starts smiling and giggling.

Nia: Hi, Mikey. What're you doing?

Mikey: Crouches next to couch. Fun stuff, watch…

Nia turned a little more and waited for whatever Mikey was going to do. He smiled as he brought the truck back up to the edge of the couch, directly next to Nia's shoulder.

Mikey: Ahh! It's a giant girl! Where did she come from? What will she do to us?"

Nia: blinks, then jaw falls as she understand. Oh…Grr! I'm a mean, old giant!

Mikey: Oh no, someone save us! Please, don't let the giant eat us!

At this, everyone in the good section started to laugh. Watching Mikey be goofy now was something, but seeing younger Mikey be goofy was a whole other ball game.

Nia paused. Then she waved her arms around a little and reached for the truck, making more growling noises. Mikey squealed and Nia reached down and grabbed the car.

Mikey: Oh, no! She's got us! She's gonna eat us! Nia lifted the truck up to her face and pretended to take a bite out of it. NO! She's eating us…! He rolls onto his back and throws arm up into the air. We're doomed! Doomed…!

Nia finally stopped role-playing to lean her head back to laugh. Mikey smiled at her as he rolled back onto his stomach.

Mikey: Ah-ha! I knew you knew how to play!

Nia: Why wouldn't I? I got to play a little at home. I just never had anyone to play with.

Mikey: folds his arms on the ground and rests his chin in them. Well, you do now.

Nia blinks at him, then smiles. Then she looks at the tiny, blue truck in her hands.

Nia: Cool truck, where'd you get it?

Mikey: Found it in the sewers a while ago. It was super cool and Sensei let me keep it. There was another one next to it, but it was broken. I couldn't keep it. I wish I did, though. I'd love to have another car.

Nia: Maybe you'll find one someday.

Mikey: Shrugs shoulders. Yeah, maybe.

Mikey turned to Nia with a huge grin on his face. Nia knew what Mikey was grinning about and her face broke into a huge smile. She could feel that her other brothers and father were also looking at her with huge grins on their faces. However to everyone else, this act was very confusing.

"What are you all grinning about?" asked the other Leo.

"Oh," said Mikey, remembering that not everyone knew. "On our 9th mutation day, Nia got-"

"Ah ah ah!" Jess piped up. "No spoilers."

Mystery started to chuckle in her seat. "You really hate spoilers, don't you, Jess?"

"I don't hate them," said Jess. She was trying not to sound crazy about all these spoilers. "It's just… they spoil things."

"Oh, maybe that's why they called them spoilers."

"Oh, shut up."

"Make me."

Jess smirked, taking her wand out just enough for Mystery alone to see. Before she could question this motion however, Jess whispered something under her breath.

"Langlock…"

Mystery gasped and choked, her hands coming up to her throat. She would've asked what Jess had done, but found that she couldn't speak. It took her just a few more seconds to realize that her tongue had glued itself to the roof of her mouth. Mystery glared slightly at Jess, who smirked as she hid her wand again.

"Don't test me," she whispered.

"What's up with Mystery?" Donnie asked.

"Oh, nothing. She's fine," said Jess, still smirking. "Let's continue, shall we?"

The two kids sit still for a few moments before Nia nudges Mikey to get his attention.

Nia: C'mon, you be the giant this time.

Mikey beams at her before the screen goes black again.

Bold white font appears once more, this time with the words '1 Week after Arrival'. The dark screen fades away. This scene shows Donnie walking out of his room and into the living room with his head stuck in a small children's book titles "Tales of Dinosaurs."

Nia giggled. "Aw, I remember that."

Donnie blushed slightly. "Yeah, me too."

Donnie looks up from the book when he hears an excited squeak. The camera now shows Mikey and Nia sitting next to each other on the couch. Mikey is clutching onto Nia's arm and is shaking her slightly in excitement.

Mikey: Ooh! I love this part!

Nia giggled. Camera cuts back to Donnie, rolling his eyes before he looks back down into his book. Donnie then started walking towards the kitchen when Nia spots him, smiling.

Nia: Hi, Donnie.

Donnie: freezes and whips his head around towards the couch. Oh, hi Nia.

Mikey: Hey, bro! We're watching cartoons, come watch with us.

Donnie shrugs, walking over and sitting down next to Nia on the couch. He watches the cartoon for a few seconds before returning to his book. Nia notices him reading and looks down.

Nia: What're you reading?

Donnie: It's just a book I found in the sewers a few weeks ago,

Donnie closes the book and holds it up to show her the cover; blue with yellow polka-dots all over it. The title is labeled "Tales of Dinosaurs".

"Aww, that's so cute," said April.

Donnie tensed up, his cheeks going pink. "Uh, y-yeah. I guess it is, huh?"

April looked up at him, and giggled. Donnie's heart skipped.

Nia eyes the book with a curious gaze.

Nia: You like dinosaurs?

Donnie: Yeah, kinda. A while back I started watching this science channel, and everything on there is so cool! They showed a couple episodes on dinosaurs, and they were awesome! And I wanna know as much as I can.

Nia: gives a small nod. Well, what's in the book?

Donnie: Loads of stuff! Leans in a little and opens the book. There's all kinds of stories about dinosaurs. What kinds there where, how they lived, what they ate, and how they disappeared! Look! That's my favorite one! Points down at the picture in the middle of the book; It has a painted image of a big dinosaur, with a huge body and an extremely long neck. It's a Diplodocus: A longneck dinosaur, and it's the longest one ever. It eats stuff like bushes, tree leaves, and-

Mikey: Donnie, I'm watching TV!

Donnie: frowns at Mikey before looking back up at Nia. Yeah…it's a really cool book. The others don't really like this stuff, but…I do… Lowers his head down, his face going pink.

Nia: Well, I think it's cool, too.

Donnie: snaps his head up. You do?

Nia: smiles and nods. Yeah, I do.

Donnie looks completely shocked, but that soon turns into pure joy and happiness. Nia's smile widens when she sees how happy Donnie is. Then she seems to look nervous again.

Nia: quietly. Um, Donnie?

Donnie: Yeah?

Nia: bites her bottom lip. Can… Can you read it to me? Please…?

Donnie quickly nods and Nia smiles. Donnie scoots over to her a little more as she rests her arm on the back of the couch. Donnie flips the small book to the front, clears his throat a little, and began to read.

Donnie: Ever wanted to know what amazing life dinosaurs lived before we did? Now's your chance...

The scene fades out again and the screen is once again black.

"Okay," Jess clapped her hands together. "Now does anybody…"

A white font appeared on the screen again with the words '2 Weeks After Arrival'.

"Wait… is this part three?" Jess asked.

Mystery gave her friend a look and pointed at her mouth. She still couldn't say anything due to the spell Jess had put on her. Jess suddenly remembered the hex she had placed on Mystery. With a quick wave of her wand Mystery's tongue was unglued from the roof of her mouth and she could speak once again.

"I had some spare time on my hands and thought part 2 and 3 looked better edited together," Mystery said proudly.

Jess lowered her voice so only her friend could hear her.

"Thanks, Kate"

Kate smiled. "Anytime, Jess."

The camera pans over all of the turtles bedrooms, showing them all fast asleep in their beds. Then, the screen shows Raph laying in his bed, reading a Modern Ninja magazine. Then, there's a sudden loud thud and a pained cry can be heard from outside his room. Raph sits up, staring at his bedroom door. Then he gets up goes out of his room to investigate. He walks forward and peeks around the corner. The camera turns to show Nia in the living room, lying on her stomach with her crutch lying next to her. She's clearly fallen over.

Splinter stared up at the screen, shock written all over his face. He doesn't remember this!

Raph: Nia?

Nia whips her head around, shock written all over her face.

Nia: Raph! I- I can explain-

Nia quickly grabs her crutch and tries to push herself up to her feet, but she ends up falling back down. Raph runs up to her, grabbing her by her arms and gently helping her up to her feet. Nia quickly puts the crutch under her arm and leans on it.

Nia: muttering. Thanks…

Raph: No problem. You're lucky I was still awake. What're yah doin' out here anyway?

Nia's face turns bright pink and she lowers her head down as far as she can possibly make it go. Raph frowns at her and folds his arms.

Raph: I ain't leavin' 'till you start talkin', so spill it.

Nia glances up at him, her dark brown eyes wide with fear. She closes them and takes a deep breath.

Nia: I…I've been trying to walk…

Raph: blinking. Huh?

Nia: I've been trying to walk, okay? I've been trying to walk by myself for a few days now, trying to get better. But…I didn't wanna do it in front of you guys. I didn't want you seeing how clumsy I am. So… I've been practicing at night so you guys wouldn't have to see me.

Nia, feeling embarrassed, felt several pairs of eyes on her, and turned. Her friends, bros and Sensei were all staring at her in shock. All except for Raph.

"Is that true?" asked Donnie. "Were you really that worried about looking weak in front of us?"

Nia gulped. "Of course I was. How could I not? You guys were all stronger and faster than me back then, and I didn't wanna look clumsy in front all of you."

"Nia, that's crazy," said Leo. "We'd never think that you're weak."

Nia turned away from him, bowing her head.

"I know that now…"

"And you," Leo rounded on Raph. "You knew, and you never said anything?"

Raph glared. "It's none of your business, Fearless," he snapped, then looked softly at Nia. "Besides, it wasn't my place to say anything."

Nia looked up at him, grinning a little bit. Raph grinned back. Leo looked between them, confused.

Raph stares at her. He seems shocked; so shocked his arms start unfolding themselves without him realizing it.

Raph: Yah planning on practicing if I leave?

Nia: boldly. I plan on practicing even if you don't leave.

Raph blinked in surprise, and Nia blushes again and looks away. Raph looks down at her for a moment, then sighs.

Raph: Let me help.

Nia: tilting her head slightly. What?

Raph: Let me help. Yah can't keep doing this by yourself. Besides… I wanna help yah.

Nia: face turns red. Please, you don't have to…

Raph: But I want to. Look, I know what I'm doing. I twisted my ankle a while back, and Sensei helped me walk again. I'll just do what he did and you'll be fine. Okay?

Nia bites down on her bottom lip and glances down at the floor. After a few moments she looks up at Raph and finally nods.

Nia: Okay…if you're sure.

"This should be interesting," said Karai, leaning back and crossing her legs.

Nia rolled her eyes. This was going to be so embarrassing.

Raph nods, walks over to Nia and holds out his hands to her.

Raph: Okay… take my hands.

Nia nods, then reaches out with her right hand and grasps Raph's, her left hand is still grasping onto the crutch. Raph shakes his head.

Raph: Your other one, too.

Nia: What about the crutch?

Raph: Just drop it.

Nia blinked at Raph, clearly confused. But after a few moments she lifted her arm and the crutch clattered to the floor. Nia quickly grabbed onto Raph's other hand as she wobbled on her right leg, grasping his wrists tightly. Raph held onto her to keep her balanced. Once Nia stopped wobbling and was able to stand still, Raph took a few steps back so that they were arm's length apart.

Raph: Alright… Now, slowly put your left foot on the ground.

Nia nodded, slowly and gently lowering her foot until it was flat on the floor, but still not supporting any weight.

Raph: Okay, now take a step forward with it.

Nia glances up at Raph then back at the floor. She hesitates, then moves her left foot and takes a step forward. As soon as her foot hits the ground she lets out a choked gasp.

Raph: Take another step. Slowly…

Nia grips Raph's wrists a little tighter as she gives a small nod. She lifts up her right foot, leaving all of her weight on her left foot, and puts her right foot back down quickly. Raph takes a small step back, keeping the same distance between him and Nia.

Raph: Keep going.

She nods and takes another step with her left. This step is clearly shakier than the last, but she still manages to get to her right foot quick enough.

This continues for a few moments. Nia takes a step forward and Raph takes a step back. Each step Nia makes on her left foot gets shakier and shakier. Then she takes another step with her left foot, gasps in surprise and topples down onto her knees, still gripping tightly onto Raph's wrists, dragging him down with her.

Suddenly, a gaggle of laughter came from the bad guys section; even Shredder was chuckling.

"Alright, I've had enough!" Jess said, getting to her feet, but Mystery stood up too.

"Jess! Calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

SLAP!

Mystery had just slapped Jess on her left cheek. Everyone in the audience had gone quiet. Jess stared at Mystery, her hand coming up to rest on the cheek that had been slapped. Then she glared at her.

"What was that for!?" Jess yelled.

"I thought it would calm you down. Mystery said innocently, and she truly meant it.

"How the hell is slapping me supposed to make me calm down?" Jess asked, annoyed, but less angry.

"I don't know?" Mystery said, shrugging her shoulders. She was starting to feel a little guilty. "It was the first thing that popped into my head."

Jess started rubbing her now pink cheek. The two girls looked at each other, and the audience on both ends of the room stared at them, waiting for the explosion. To everyone's surprise, Jess started grinning. A moment later, she started laughing. And soon, so did Mystery.

"Next time, think of something less painful, will yah?" asked Jess.

"Will do," Mystery said, now grinning widely.

The two girls both sat back down in their seats. Jess pulled out her wand, muttered "Accio," and a bag of ice floated over to her, and she placed it on her cheek.

"Has anyone ever told y'all you're both crazy?" Angus asked.

"Yup."

"Many times."

The crowd stared at them, but then shook their heads, deciding not to question these girls.

Nia: shaking,stuttering and sobbing I t-told you… I'm c-clumsy…

Raph: It's okay! You're gonna fall a couple times, but that's okay. You ain't gotta be embarrassed, I don't care!

Nia stops shaking, but is still sniffling loudly and her head is hung low. Raph releases one of her hands from and places his on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. Nia slowly lifts her head up, and her eyes are shown to be shining with unshed tears. She blinks and a tear falls down her right cheek. Raph stares at her, then lifts his hand up from her shoulder and wipes the tear away.

"Aww, how sweet," Fishface jeered.

Raph growled, rising a bit from his seat, but he felt someone grab his arm. It was Nia.

"Ignore him," she said gently. "He's not worth it."

Raph glared at Fishface for a few seconds, then sighed as he sat back down in his seat. A few moments later, he realized that Nia's hand was still on his arm, and he felt the back of his neck heat up.

Nia's brows furrow as she looks at Raph, confused.

Raph: grips Nia's shoulder. You ain't gotta be embarrassed. You're out here tryin' to walk, tryin' to get better, and that's good. I never expected you to do somethin' like this. The fact that you're out here proves that yah got guts, that yah tough. And… I think that's awesome.

Nia: Sniffs, wiping her nose on her sleeve. Y-you think?

Raph: Yeah! Being tough is really cool, don't yah think?

Nia: nods. Yeah, I guess.

Nia gazes up at Raph and a small, genuine smile appears on her face. Raph stares at her for a moment, and then he starts smiling back.

"You smiled!" Mikey said, astonished. "Weird! I thought you never smile."

Raph whipped around, growling at him.

"Our Raph's the same," Leo, a wide smirk on his face, then, "Always such a sour puss, and- OW!"

Raph had smacked his brother's head in response.

"Why don'tcha lay off him, huh?" he snarled.

"Yeah, what did I do?" Raph asked, folding his arms.

"What's the matter Raph, getting soft?" Leo said in a teasing voice.

Raph sprang to his feet, accidently knocking Nia's hand off of his arm.

"No, I'm not! I just didn't want to see Nia upset okay!"

A faint sniggering could be heard from the bad guy's side. Nobody had to look up to know that it belonged to Fishface.

"What you laughing at?" Raph snapped.

Fishface didn't say anything. But, when no one else was looking, he gave an evil wink. Raph's fists clenched.

"Okay children, calm down," Jess said in a jokey voice, setting the ice pack down. She had seen what Fishface had done, but thought it would be better to not mention it. "Let's just keep going."

Raph: C'mon, let's try again.

Nia: nods. Yeah… Okay.

Scene fades away. Bold white font appears again with the words "1 Month After Arrival'. The scene opens with a close up of Nia fast asleep on the couch, again. She is curled up into a little ball under the blanket, her head the only thing exposed as it lay down on the tiny pillow.

"Do you sleep anywhere but the couch?" Karai asked, mildly curious.

"Why do you care?" asked Nia.

"No reason."

Nia shook her head. "I do now, if that answers your question."

As Nia sleeps, a green hand appears on her shoulder and starts to gently shake her, trying to wake her up.

Leo: Nia… Wake up…

After a few moments of nothing but feeble stirs and moans, Nia finally opens her eyes and exposes her small, dark brown orbs. The camera turns to show Leo, standing near the couch over Nia.

Nia: smiling. Hi, Leo…

Leo: smiling. Time to get up, Nia. Don't you want breakfast?

Nia: Yes, please.

Nia uncurls herself and slowly sits up, letting the blanket fall off her shoulders. She rears her head back and lets out a loud yawn as she stretches out her arms. The camera looks down at her, and the audience take note of the new, light green nightgown she is wearing.

"Cute gown," Mikey said kindly.

Nia turned to look at him, and grinned. "Thanks."

"Hey… that reminds me," Vanassa leaned forward in her seat to look over Nia's shoulder. "How did you get all your clothes anyway? Yah know, being in the sewers and all."

"Same way we were able to get some food sometimes," said Leo.

"See, there's this shelter near one of the sewer entrances," explained Nia. "It's run by a local church. It offers materials like food and clothes to people who can't afford them, and it's all free. Sensei was able to sneak in at night and grab a few things for me."

"That's where you get all your clothes?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

Vanessa blinked. "When we get home, you and I are so going shopping."

Nia giggled.

The camera also reveals how much healthier Nia looks. She has put on a good amount of weight, and it is noticeable around her face, limbs and stomach. She looks much stronger now.

"At least you look much better now," said Angus. "You were so skinny earlier…"

Nia nodded. All around her, her brothers were staring up at the screen. They had almost forgotten what Nia looked like when they had first brought her home. She was so thin, so small… no wonder she bruised so easily back then. Still bruises sometimes during training, now that they think about it. But, she's never complained to them before.

Nia: rubbing her eyes. What's Mikey making?

Leo: I think he said he's making omelets.

Nia: jumps up. Yay! Suddenly blushes and lowers her head. I mean… sounds great.

Leo smiles and gives a small nod telling her to follow him. Nia follows Leo to the kitchen; as she walks you can see she no longer needs her crutch but she still has a slight limp. The camera cuts to the kitchen, where Raph and Donnie are already in their seats, glasses of orange juice next to all of the chairs. Mikey is at the stove with an omelet in the making and is receiving help from Sensei. Nia and Leo enter the kitchen just in time to see Mikey attempt to flick the omelet over.

Splinter: Careful, Michelangelo. Ready… now.

Mikey gives a loud squeak as he jerks his pan up, causing the closed omelet to flip in the air. A second later the omelet lands back in the pan on the opposite side. Mikey, who had been closing his eyes due to excitement, peeks inside the pan, and when he sees the omelet is unharmed he squealed again.

Mikey: I did it! I did it!

Splinter: Very good, my son. Your cooking skills have become very impressive.

Mikey: Thanks, Sensei!

Leo and Nia smile as they both go to take their usual places at the table. Leo sits in the chair next to Raph, who looks at him oddly. Nia is about to sit in her chair next to Donnie when Mikey spots her and makes another squeak.

Mikey: Nia!

A second later Mikey had pounced onto Nia, latching his arms around her in a huge hug. Nia smiles as she hugs him back.

Nia: Morning, Mikey.

Mikey: Morning! Got here just in time. I just made your omelet.

Nia: Awesome.

Mikey runs back to the stove as Nia sits in her seat next to Donnie. Soon everyone is busily eating their ham and cheese omelets. Nia and Mikey are shown to be goofing around with each other; Mikey is making incredibly silly faces, and Nia keeps laughing at him. Donnie, Splinter and Leo are eating their omelets quietly, but Raph keeps stabbing his food before shoving it into his mouth.

"That food isn't gonna jump out and bite you, Raphael. You don't have to keep stabbing it."

Everyone in the audience turned to the one who made the quip. It was Karai; much to everyone's surprise.

"Here's an idea," said Raph. "How about you zip it!"

"You watch your tongue, you turtle freak!" Shredder roared.

Nia was instantly on her feet, her tessen out and ready to go. She was on high alert, ready to use it against the Shredder if needed.

"Foolish girl," Stockman said, trying to sound threating, but the nervous shakiness in his voice was obvious to everyone in the room. "You have no chance at battling us. This force field keeps us safe."

"Not if the bosses have anything to say about it."

Jess was now on her feet and had walked over to stand next to Nia, her wand in her hand.

"Pause!" Mystery snapped, looking irritable. "Jess! If you even think about Shredder into a ferret I'm leaving, and I meant it this time!"

Jess whipped around. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Jess sighed and reluctantly put her wand away and strode back over to her seat. "Fine, but only because it would get really dull without you. Not that I wouldn't be able to manage, of course."

Mystery snorted. "Come off it. You know without me you wouldn't be able to cope."

"I've coped really well without you before, and I'll cope without you now."

Nia looked at them intensively. Something had been bugging Nia this whole time about these girls, but she had been too freaked out by everything to remember to ask.

How did these girls meet and how did they even become friends?

They were so different. Mystery seemed so organised and calm, whereas Jess seemed to be rambunctious and a bit chaotic, not to mention sassy. And yet, these two girls seemed very close. Another thing that Nia noticed was that they both sounded different; the way they spoke, the way they pronounced words differently, and the type of slang they used. But, most importantly, and the point that stood out the most… their accents.

Unable to resist anymore, Nia decided she was going to finally ask the question.

"Can I ask you two something?" Nia asked in a soft, timid voice.

Both girls looked surprised but also really pleased. They beamed at Nia like they were two fans being asked questions from their idolised hero.

"Of course!" Mystery said excitedly.

"Shoot," Jess said, putting her hands on her hips.

"How exactly did you two meet?" asked Nia. "And, um… why do you two sound different from each other?"

"Oh! That's because I'm British and Jess is American," Mystery explained. "We met on social media; Jess is a good writer on this fiction site, I read some of her stories and contacted her…"

"Then Mystery here suggested me and her work together on some stories sometimes and swap ideas," said Jess. "We became friends, and the rest is history."

"Even if she does drive me nut from time to time."

"Hey!" Jess said, playfully elbowing her Mystery in the arm.

"How can you two be friends?" asked Donnie.

"You're so… different," Nia said, trying not to sound rude.

To everyone's surprise, the two girls burst into fits of laughter.

"What?"

"Nia, unless you've forgotten, you live in the sewers with four mutant turtle brothers and a mutant fat for a father and sensei," Jess reminded her, wiping a tear from her eye. "How different are you from them and yet you still call them family."

Nia felt her ears grow hot. Jess did have a point.

"Anyway, why does it matter if me and Jess are completely different?" Mystery rhetorically asked.

"Yeah! As a wise man once said… err…" Jess scratched her chin, then looked at Mystery. "What was that thing you said earlier? I forgot."

Mystery rolled her eyes. "Similarities create friendships while differences hold them together."

"Exactly! The same goes for families as well, and that's the truth!"

A loud short cough from Vanessa caused the three girls to turn their attention to everyone else. Everyone was staring at them, looking either inspired or bored.

"Oh, yeah, I completely forgot about the film," Mystery said before turning to Jess with a wide grin on her face. "Care to do the honours Jess?"

Jess returned her friends grin in earnest. "Certainly. LIGHTS! ACTION!"

Nia: Um, Master Splinter?

Splinter: Yes, Lavinia?

Nia: Uh… Is it, um, okay if I watch you guys train today?

Splinter: Of course, Lavinia. You never have to ask to watch us. I think it would be nice for my sons to have an audience. Assuming, of course, they do not have an issue with-

Leo: We don't mind! Right guys?

Donnie: Not at all!

Mikey: Heck yeah!

Raph: Sure.

The scene changes and everyone is now in the dojo. Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey are knelt down on a rug. Splinter is stood underneath the large tree and Nia is sat crossed leg on the floor next to him.

Splinter: Today you will be practicing the forms I showed you yesterday. You will focus on your form and the timing in your strikes. You will work separately, and then you'll practice with one-on-one.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey and Raph: Hai, Sensei.

Splinter: Good. Now, get in position.

The four turtle boys all stood up, staying in their line as they held their arms out at their sides.

Splinter: Hajime!

"Hold it!" Raph yelled. "Pause! Stop! STOP"

But nothing happened and the movie continued playing.

"STOP THIS FILM ALREADY!"

"Raph, what the hell?" Nia said, puzzled. "What's wrong?"

"Pause!" Jess said loudly.

This time the film did freeze when Jess asked it to. She had a smug grin on her face, and Raph looked highly pissed off because of this.

"Nice try, dude," she said. "That little trick only works for me and Mystery."

"What is it now?" Mystery asked, exasperated about the film being stopped once again.

Raph took a deep breathe. "Can we skip this bit?" he asked genuinely.

Jess and Mystery looked at each other, both completely shocked and puzzled by this strange request.

"What, the training bit?" Mystery asked.

"Yes."

"Why?" Jess asked, just as confused as Mystery was.

"You've already showed them where we live and now you want to show them our moves!" Raph said, his voice raising louder.

Mystery took a huge sigh. She was clearly annoyed at repeating what Jess and herself had already said previously.

"Raph, we told you at the start you won't remember anything after this. Your minds will be wiped, you'll never know you've been here."

"That's all well and good," Donnie said, rising to his brother's aid. "But what if the memory wipe doesn't work properly?"

"Impossible," said Jess. "Memory charms are very powerful, it takes an equally powerful wizard to undo them."

Donnie rolled his eyes. "Yeah, memory charm. Right."

Jess glared at him. "Don't even start, you."

"You know, he's got a point," The other Donnie said, defending his clone. "I mean, scientific theories show that memory is a complex entity that…"

The rest of Donnie's sentence was muffled due to Raph putting his hand over Donnie's mouth. "We get it Dr. Brainiac, thanks."

Mystery and Jess looked at each other again. They didn't express words, but they kept using facial expressions and nods of the head to communicate. Eventually they both nodded and turned back to face Raph.

"We can't keep skipping the training sessions," Mystery explained to Raph. "It will be very boring otherwise if we skip every training session or fight."

"But-!" Raph started to protest, but Mystery interrupted him.

"However… we are willing to skip over this one training session to keep the peace, on the condition that all training sessions will be shown with no complaint. Deal?"

Raph didn't answer. He just remained silent. Honestly, he wasn't that bothered if Shredder saw them fight or not. He just felt embarrassed having Nia watch him fight like that all over again. Back in those days, he thought wasn't good enough, and now she was about to see him again.

"Raphael," Splinter said in a stern voice, pressuring Raph to make a decision.

Eventually, Raph reluctantly answered, "Deal."

"Splendid!" Jess said, clapping her hands together, sounding business-like before raising her voice. "Skip to end of the training session please!"

The film skips to the end of the training session; the boys are now standing in a line and Splinter is walking in front of them.

Splinter: You all did very well today. Your skills have improved, and they continue to improve each time you train. We will continue training another time.

Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey: Hai, Sensei!

Splinter: nods. You may go.

They all bow respectively to their Sensei. Mikey, Donnie and Raph head out of the dojo, but Leo hurried over to Nia, who is getting up from her spot under the tree.

Leo: So, how'd you like it?

Nia: It was amazing! Really, I didn't know you guys could do stuff like that!

Leo: Thanks, but, it's not as much as you think. We've only been training since we were six. It's not always easy, but we're getting way better.

Nia: I can tell. You looked awesome out there.

Leo: scratches the back of his neck nervously. G-gee, thanks. Clears his throat. I mean… Thanks, Nia. You know, I can't wait to learn everything about being a ninja.

Nia: Really?

Leo: Yeah! Someday I wanna be a great ninja master, just like Sensei!

Nia tilts her head to the side slightly, a small smile on her face. Leo rubs the back of his neck, feeling a little more nervous than before.

Leo: I-I know… it sounds silly…

Nia: No, no, it's not! It's sounds really cool! I mean, you looked pretty awesome. If you keep practicing and working hard you could be a master someday!

Leo: Thanks Nia.

Nia smiles at him. There's a silent, slightly awkward pause between the two children.

Leo: Hey, um… You wanna watch 'Space Heroes'?

Suddenly, the turtles from both worlds let out irritable groans, except for the Leo's, of course.

"You did not just say that," Raph said, facepalming.

"Dude," said Mikey, shaking his head. "Not smooth move, bro."

While Leo was glaring at his brothers, the other Leo was shrinking in his seat, feeling a bit embarrassed. Geez… of all the moments we had to see, could this get any more embarrassing?

Nia: What's 'Space Heroes'?

Leo: It's…. it's a new cartoon on TV. I started watching it a few weeks ago, and, erm… I think it's and awesome show, but you'll think it's stupid…

Nia: Well, I haven't seen it yet, so how would you know?

Leo: pauses. Well… do you want to? There's always a show on around now.

Nia: smiled. Sure, why not?

Leo beams at her, and she smiles back as they start walking towards the living room.

"You actually watch that show?" asked Raph, staring.

"Sometimes," Nia said, shrugging. "It's not my cup of tea, but I'll watch it whenever Leo does."

Raph frowned. "Well, at least you're not dumb enough to actually like that junk."

Nia laughed, and Raph stared at her curiously, then smirked at her. He had to admit, this girl was alright. A bit quiet, but cool. Next to Nia, her Raph was glaring slightly at his clone out the corner of his eye.

The scene fades away. Bold white font appears again with the words "1 Month and 2 Weeks After Arrival'. The screen fades into the image of the dojo, panning until it reaches the door of Master Splinter's room. He can be seen meditating on a rug in his room. After a few moments he opens his eyes, and turns his head. The camera turns towards a small, portable burner with a kettle on it, currently boiling slightly. Splinter reaches over and picks up a box full of tea bags. Then, his ears pick up as he hears the sound of someone moving around nearby, in the dojo. Splinter slowly walks away from the kettle and towards the door of his room. He pressed his ear to the surface of the door and listens intensively.

Nia: coming from the dojo. Come on! How did he do it? …Okay, maybe- No, it was like this… No…!

With a look of curiosity on his face, Splinter grabs the door and ever so slightly slides it open. He peeks his head out, and blinks in surprise. The camera zooms out to reveal Lavinia, back in her green nightie and standing in the middle of the dojo, practicing martial art forms. Every time she tried a form it would not work the way she wanted and she'd always sulk and let out an irritated groan.

Nia: Geez, how hard can it be? I've been watching them train for weeks, why is it so hard?

Splinter lets out a soft chuckle, slides the door completely open and takes a step out into the dojo.

Splinter: Having trouble, Lavinia?

Lavinia gasps and practically jumps into the air as she turns to find Splinter watching her. Splinter chuckles at her reaction.

Everyone in the good section starts chuckling, even both Splinters.

"Like I said, needs a bell," said Raph, but quieter than before, and he inched away from Splinter to keep from getting hit again.

Splinter: I'm terribly sorry, child! I did not mean to frighten you.

Nia: stuttering and brushing herself off. M-master Splinter! I-I… I'm sorry… I can explain… I-I didn't mean to… stops talking, then closes her eyes and hangs her head in shame. I'm sorry… I now I shouldn't be in here. I'll…I'll go…

Keeping her head down, Nia folds her arms, turns around, and starts heading for the exit. Splinter looks at her curiously, then furrows his brows slightly.

Splinter: You're footing was off.

Lavinia stops walking at once, and her head shoots up. She slowly turns to look at Splinter, a confused look on her face.

Nia: Huh…?

Splinter: folds his arms behind his back and walks towards Nia. Your footing; it was slightly off. Here, I'll show you. Try the position again.

Lavinia blinks a few times, still looking confused. After a few seconds, she finally nods. She slowly spreads her feet on the rug and gets herself into a fighting stance. She glances over at Splinter, a nervous look on her face. Splinter rubs his chin as he looks at her footing.

Splinter:Mhm… I thought so. Your feet are off, but only slightly. Move your right foot ahead of you more, and move your left foot out to the side a little.

Nia nods and quickly fixes her footing as instructed.

Splinter: Try doing the form now.

Nia nods and preforms the form perfectly in one slow fluid movement. Splinter blinks and stares at her in amazement as she finishes the form with great accuracy.

"Impressive; you have a natural gift for learning quickly."

Normally, Nia would have swelled up with pride at being complemented on her martial arts. However, that particular comment had come from an very unlikely source: The Shredder. Nia glanced at him slightly, and he was looking directly at her. She quickly turned away.

"Thanks…" she muttered lowly.

Nia turns her head to face Splinter, a hopeful smile on her face. Splinter returns her smile.

Splinter. Very good, Lavinia, I'm surprised at how well you performed that move.

Nia: Really?

Splinter: Yes, really.

Nia beams up at Splinter, looking thrilled. He smiles back. She continues to smile at him for a few moments until she realizes she is staring at Splinter. Her cheeks turn bright pink and she lowers her head. Splinter raises his brows slightly.

Splinter: Is something wrong, Lavinia?

Nia looks over at the wall, scratching her arm nervously and biting down on her bottom lip.

Nia: I, um… I'm sorry if I woke you-

A loud whistling coming from Splinter's room cuts Nia off mid-sentence. Splinter turns his head a little in the direction of his room before glances back over at Nia.

Splinter: Actually, I was just making some tea. Would you care to join me?

Nia: Oh, uh… Yes, thank you.

Splinter: nods. Wait here.

Splinter turns around and enters his room, while Nia remains in the dojo. She swings her arms slightly as she gazes all around the dark room. Then, her eyes stop on something at the other end of the room. The camera then turns around to look at a tall shelve, full of little antique trinkets that Splinter put there. In the center is what appears to be a photo. You can see three figures in it, but the camera is so far away that you can't see their faces.

Shredder clenched his hands tightly. Though no one could really see their faces, he knew exactly who was in the photo. He cautiously glanced over at Karai, but she just sat in her seat, arms folded. It seemed that she couldn't see the faces any more than he could.

Nia, a curious look on her face, slowly starts to walk over to the shrine. The camera turns so that it is facing the shrine from the side, so you can't see the front. Nia walks up and stops in front of the photo. She squints slightly at the picture, then, biting her bottom lip, she slowly lifts her hand up and reaches for it.

Splinter: Lavinia.

Nia inhales sharply, instantly retracting her hand. She looks at the bedroom door, then back at the photo. She sighs.

Nia: Coming.

The camera turns to show Nia walking in through the bedroom door. She remains standing in the doorway and gazes around the room in awe, her mouth slightly open. There isn't much in there, but the walls are covered in beautiful pictures, most of which look as though they were taken from Japan. There's a particular one that is a picture of a cherry blossom tree that Nia stares at the longest. The whole room is lit by nothing but candles, only adding to the beauty of it.

After staring at the room in amazement her eyes finally fall on Splinter. He is sitting on the floor, a small tray laying in front of him with two large cups filled with tea. Splinter smiles at Nia and gestures his hand towards the tray.

Splinter: Please, sit.

Nia nods, and slowly walks over to the tray. She sits down and, instead of sitting on her knees like Splinter is, crisscrosses her legs and places her arms at her sides.

Splinter couldn't help but grin. He had always remembered how much Lavinia preferred to sit like that rather than on her knees the way he and her brothers did. Not traditional, but it was what she was comfortable with.

Nia starts biting her lip again; either because she is nervous or thinking deeply.

Splinter: Is something wrong?

Nia: It's… Well… sighs. I'm really sorry if I'm bugging you, Master Splinter. I thought you were asleep and-

Nia stops talking when Splinter raises his hand up to silence her.

Splinter: Lavinia, in all the time that you've stayed here you have never been a burden in any way, shape, or form. There is no shame in coming here. Even if you simply just wish to talk, you are always welcomed.

Splinter slowly lowers his hand back down. Lavinia stares at Splinter, looking surprised and a little relieved. Splinter uses his hand to gesture to Nia's cup of tea, silently asking her to take it.Nia stares down at it, hesitates, then finally reaches forward and grasps the cup. Splinter smiles as he too grabs his own and lifts it up. Nia blows inside her cup before taking a sip, and Splinter does the same.Splinter takes a long, slow gulp before lowering the cup from his face. Nia still has the cup to her face, making soft sipping sounds. Splinter raises his eyebrow slightly as Nia finally lowers the cup. Her eyes were closed and a small grin appears on her face. Splinter lets out another chuckle.

Splinter: So, tell me… what exactly were you doing in the dojo?

Lavinia: opens her eyes. Oh. Well… I was trying to do those moves that you've been teaching the boys all week. It looked cool, and I wanted to try it.

Splinter: How long have you been doing this?

Nia: Since Monday, when you taught it to them.

Splinter: Hmm… takes another gulp of tea. Well, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that after your footing was fixed you performed it perfectly.

Nia: I…I did?

Splinter: Yes. You just needed a little help with your feet.

Nia: blushes slightly. I'm used to doing things on my own, I guess? That's how it always was. I mean, with daddy…

Nia trails off, and her face rapidly falls from being happy to looking extremely nervous. She starts biting her lip again, but then she quickly raises her cup up to her face and starts to take long gulps of tea. Splinter narrows his eyes.

Splinter: Lavinia…

Nia lowered the cup slightly so the camera can see her huge brown eyes. She starts blinking up at Splinter, who is trying to say calm.

Splinter: Do you remember your first night here? Remember when I told you that you would safe here? Nia nods. And I told you that no harm would come to you? She nods again, and Splinter smiles gently. Then, you have nothing to be afraid, ashamed, or embarrassed of. You understand that, don't you?

Nia: Nods. Yes, I do. Why?

For a moment, Splinter doesn't answer. He takes a final gulp of tea, before lowering his cup and placing it back down on the tray. Splinter then places his hands on his knees, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

Splinter: Lavinia, I am going to ask you about something. Something that you may or may not be ready to answer, and if so, I beg that you'll tell me.

Lavinia lowers her cup almost to the ground, looking up at Splinter with a confused look. She gulps, and nods.

Nia: Okay… What is it?

Splinter: sighs. Lavinia… I need you to tell me about your father.

Lavinia inhales sharply, a shocked look appearing on her face. She bites down on her lip as she hunches over, looking as if she was trying to hide herself away.

Nia: stuttering. Wh-what about him?

Splinter: taking a deep breath. I need to know what he does to you, child. How many times has he hurt you?

Lavinia glances up at Splinter, keeping her head down as she did. She didn't answer Splinter and gave no indication of wanting to speak.

Splinter: Lavinia, the night that you came here- the night your father hurt your leg… Was that the first time he ever hurt you?

Slowly, Lavinia shakes her head, and Splinters fears were confirmed. Taking a deep breath, Splinter continues.

Splinter: Can you remember the first time he ever hurt you?

Nia nods again.

Nia: I was four years-old. I was washing dishes after daddy ate dinner. He started drinking this weird stuff out of a brown bottle. He came in the kitchen and started yelling at me. Fiddles with her hands. I don't know why… I was doing what he said… He started throwing a couple plates, and one of them broke. He… threw it at… at me…

Nia paused. Then her hand came up and grabbed onto her right shoulder. A second later she starts to roll up her sleeve. She then pulls her sleeve up to reveal her shoulder. Right down the center of her shoulder is a long, pale scar, big enough to be noticed. Splinter just sits there, speechless. Lavinia hangs her head down low as she starts to lower her sleeve back down. She is sitting very still but the cup in her hands is shaking rapidly.

Nia didn't realize she was trembling in her seat. It had been so long since she had even thought about her childhood before meeting her brothers or father. It had been a lifetime since she had to think of the abusive father who abandoned her, the father who tried to destroy her childhood, but ironically saved the remainder of it by delivering her to the family who she lived with now, and who love her no matter what. But even now she feared him and it was that memory of him and her previous life that made her tremble.

Then she felt a warm, comforting arm wrap around her. She turned her slightly to see Splinter smiling at her. Nia had not known this, but Jess had muttered a silent spell that had moved Splinter's seat next to hers, then transformed the individual chairs into two a seater so Splinter could comfort her. And so he did, moving over and placing a comforting arm around her. It was here in her father's arms that Nia felt truly safe from all the evils that were out there, as if she were in some kind of protective bubble.

Splinter slowly reaches over, careful not to scare her. His hand makes contact with hers, and he uses his other hand to reach over and take the cup from her grasp. Nia doesn't resist, and Splinter sets the cup down on the tray. He then grasps her hands in both of his own and holds them gently.

Splinter: soft and gently. Lavinia, listen to me. You don't have to be afraid anymore. You will never have to worry about that man ever again. Me and my sons will never let him harm you again.

Lavinia finally looks up at Splinter; an amazed look on her face and her eyes watery. Splinter lifts up his hand and traces it down her cheek gently.

Splinter: I promise.

Nia mouth twitches into a small grin. It was small, but it was still there.

"Aww, how touching! The freak is comforting the reject."

The cruel, taunting voice of the Dogpound pierced through Nia's bubble like a needle.

The bad guys were once again sniggering, and Nia glared at them. All of her friends and family were livid and Mystery was doing whatever she could to stop Jess from marching over to Dogpound and giving him a piece of her mind. Even the other turtles, April and Splinter looked furious. But, to Nia's surprise, Karai wasn't sniggering at all. She just rolled her eyes, looking rather bored at Dogpound's statement.

"Enough!" Shredder said suddenly. "Bradford, hold your tongue, the rest of you as well! You're all behaving like fools!"

Dogpound shrunk in his seat slightly. "Yes, Master Shredder."

Shredder's minions did as they were told, they dared not do otherwise. They were Shredder's puppets after all and did not dare disagree with them, not even his daughter.

Nia: Um, Master Splinter…?

Splinter: Yes, child?

Nia: Licks her lips. What if I see him again? What if…what if he tries to hurt me? I won't be able to stop him.

"The thing I can't understand is why you didn't tell anyone what was going on in the first place?" Leo asked Nia curiously. "Then, you wouldn't need to have felt afraid of him hurting you again."

"It wasn't that simple," Nia answered quietly, keeping her head down.

"Yes, it was," Raph insisted. "You could have just walked out the door and gone to the police or something."

"Or used a phone?" Donnie suggested.

"Or at least shout out the window?" said Mikey.

"I was just a kid."

"But, you knew it was wrong, so why not do anything about it?" April asked

"That is enough!" Splinter said furiously. "I am ashamed that you all would ask such questions, especially considering what this girl has gone through."

"April has a point Sensei," Leo said. "Why didn't she say anything to anyone?"

"Fear of the unknown."

Everyone turned. It was Mystery who had spoken. There was something different about her; she seemed serious, more serious than usual.

"Sorry?" Leo asked.

"Nia didn't know anything about the outside world at that point in her life. She didn't know that there were nice people out there willing to listen to her or help her. She was a scared little girl, and all she knew was fear and intimidation, so she would assume that the rest of the world was like that," Mystery turned to face the other turtles. "Just like four mutant turtles thought that every single human would see them as freaks… until they actually met one."

"Now hold on, that's different—"

"Is it really? Okay how about when the transporter is powered up again I take you myself to show you your past selves and we can ask them why they didn't leave the sewers and what they thought of humans. They would tell you that humans were scary, and they were not to be trusted and that they saw you as freaks. But guess what Leo, they don't."

"Well… we know that now," said Leo.

"Yes, you do now, but you didn't back then. Just like Nia, who didn't know others cared about her. But, she does now and now she has a family that loves her. Do you see my point?"

Leo nodded and sat back down without another word. Mystery did the same.

"Wow!" Jess said in amazement. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know," Mystery admitted. "But, it felt so good."

Jess nudged her. "See? You can't be uptight all the time. It's no fun."

"Oh, shut up."

Splinters brows furrows; he is obviously thinking hard about what he should do with Nia and the fear of her 'daddy'. Then, his brow seems to lighten as he comes up with a solution.

Splinter: Maybe we can change that.

Lavinia: blinks. How?

Splinter: Simple, I can prepare you for such dangers by training you.

Nia: You mean…?

Splinter: What I mean is, I want to train you in the art of ninjutsu by training you to be a kunoichi. Nia gives him a confused look. It is a female ninja. You would be trained just as I'm training my sons.

Lavinia: mouth drops. You… you mean it?

Splinter: nods. Yes. But I must warn you. It will be one of the hardest things you'll ever do. It will drain you physically, mentally, and emotionally. But with the proper training, you should get through it. You were certainly able to do that form extremely well. By watching you earlier, I could see you have a natural skill for learning quickly and progressively. I'm always happy to take a student who is willing to learn, but the question is- are you willing to do the work?

Lavinia: Yes! Yes yes, I am!

Splinter: smiling. Very well, then. We will start your training as a kunoichi.

Lavinia is smiling so widely it looks as though her face might burst. Splinter smiles, then glances over. The camera turns to a side table that holds a clock, and the time turns to 10:35 pm.

Splinter: It is late, Lavinia. You must go back to sleep now.

Lavinia: nods. Okay.

Lavinia stands up from the ground, but did not head straight for the door. She slowly walks over to Splinter and stands before him. They are now eye-level with each other. She does not speak and neither does he. After standing still a few moments doing nothing, Nia reaches over, puts her tiny arms around Splinter and gives him a hug. Splinter looks slightly taken aback but then also wraps his arms around her and returns the hug. He uses one of his hands to smooth down her hair, and pats her head. After a moment Nia releases Splinter, and he lowers his arms, keeping his hand on her shoulder.

Nia: soft voice. Thanks, Master Splinter.

Nods and slowly lowers his hand from Nia's shoulder.

Splinter: Nods, lowering his hand. Goodnight, child.

Nia: Goodnight.

Lavinia turns and starts heading for the door. Her hand is on the surface of the door when...

Splinter: Lavinia… Nia turns her head, Splinter grins. Your training starts tomorrow.

Nia beams at Splinter before finally leaving the dojo.

"Okay!" Jess said, jumping to her feet and clapping her hands. "We're going to be starting the next part very soon. Anybody gotta use the bathroom, need to take a walk?"

A few hands from either side shot into the air.

"Good guys and gals bathroom is left out of their door and it is marked with white door," Mystery explained. "Bad guys and Karai's bathroom is marked with a black door. Oh, and no fighting in the hallway, please."

"Well, I gotta go," said Jess. "See yah in a bit."

"Why? Where are you…?" Before Mystery could finish there was a loud pop and Jess had vanished. Mystery sighed, "Never mind."

The two Mikeys shot out of the cinema and ran straight for the little boy's room. Leo, Donnie, April,Raph, Dogpound and Fishface also left their side of cinema screen to use the bathroom. Everyone else remained seated or headed to the back to grab some more snacks from the snack bar.

After a short moment of time, Master Splinter decided to silently exit the screen as well to stretch his legs and get out of the darkened he walked out of the door and turned left he paused. Fishface, or Xever as he was called, was blocking his way.

"I do not want to fight," He told the mutant fish.

"Neither do I, old man," The mutant fish replied, folding his arms. "I just want to ask you something, that's all."

Splinter paused. He was highly suspicious about this question that Xever wanted to ask him. He was a henchman for the Shredder after all, and perhaps he was trying to get secret out of him on behalf of his master. However, Splinter decided to hear the fish out.

"Very well, what is your question?"

Fishface didn't ask his question straight away. He was obviously thinking hard about what he wanted to ask and how he wanted to word it. Finally, he spoke.

"Tell me, rat master, why did you spend so much time and effort trying to help that girl, Lavinia? Wouldn't it have been easier to just leave her where you found her?"

Master Splinter was taken aback slightly by this question. Of all the things for the mutant fish to ask, this was far from what Splinter had anticipated. Another thing that made him curious was the genuineness of the question; how much Xever seemed to want to know the answer.

"Sometimes patience and kindness is needed to help someone reach their full potential," Splinter answered. "I did what I knew what right, not for me, but for her. Deep down, I knew that if I could help her, she could have another chance. I have no regrets about adopting Lavinia and I never will. She is a light in my life that I once thought had been extinguished long ago, and I love her more and more as each day passes."

"But, she isn't your blood! Neither are those turtles that you call sons."

"Family is not about whose blood you carry. It is who you love, and who loves you. It is having people who have you around them because they want you to be, and they want you to be happy because they care for you. In fact, I believe that the fact that you can love someone so dearly without the need of blood is even more meaningful."

Fishface stared at him, his fanged jaw hanging open. But, his questions were answered, and he closed his mouth and nodded. Fishface stepped out of the way to let Splinter pass by him with no hassle or attempt at harming him. Splinter nodded, then started to walk away. As Fishface started to walk back to bad guys side of the cinema, Splinter stopped and asked him something out of the blue that made the fish pause suddenly.

"Has nobody ever tried to help you before?"

Fishface whipped around, fists clenched. "That is none of your business rat!"

Splinter closed his eyes, turning away as he slowly started to walk away again. Fishface, frozen in place, spoke again, much softer.

"No, I've never been helped before," he said bitterly. "And… I never will be. It's far too late for me, anyway."

Splinter stopped and turned to face Fishface, who had turned to face him.

"You shouldn't give up hope," said Splinter wisely. "One day, perhaps, you will find the help you need."

And with that, Splinter turned, and continued his walk. Fishface stared after him, considering what the rat master had said. He sighed deeply, then turned and walked back towards his area.

Unknown to them, Jess had been watching the whole thing, a big smile on her face. Maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for the mutant fish. Still smiling, she turned on her heel, and she was gone in an instant.