Chapter 20: Mikey and the Psychologist

A/N: So here's the next chapter in this saga. I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. Your kind words mean the world to me and are the fuel that keeps me writing. So thanks once again. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and nothing more than that.

Mikey sighed with relief as he sat down on the couch. It felt so good to be back home now that the heat was off of them for Lynn's death. Sure, A's note was scary, and Mikey knew they had to be cautious about all of this, but for the time being, Mikey felt happy that they no longer had to fear that they killed an innocent girl because they hadn't.

He heard footsteps and swiveled around to see Kirby entering the Lair. It was always good to see him though Mikey figured he was going to visit with Splinter as he usually did. So Mikey was surprised when Kirby approached him.

"Hi, Mikey," Kirby greeted him. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all," Mikey replied. "Aren't you gonna visit with Splinter?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to see how you were holding up, too," Kirby answered.

"Well, I'm relieved we didn't kill Lynn, so that's something, right?"

Kirby nodded. "Yes, that is something to be happy about. But I know you're still worried about Robyn being around."

"Well, yeah, we kind of do have to be worried about it," said Mikey. He hesitated as he studied April's father. There was something that had been bugging him, but he was afraid to bring it up for fear Kirby would either be offended or not answer his question.

The red-haired man also studied Mikey. "Is there something on your mind, Mikey?" he asked.

Mikey scratched the back of his head. "Well, yeah, but I don't know if you want to know about it," he replied.

"You can tell me anything," Kirby told him. "I don't mind."

"Well, I have a question to ask you."

"What is it?"

Mikey took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Well, you're a psychologist, right?"

Kirby laughed. "Yes, that is what I got my degree for," he said.

"Well, I was wondering if you had some sort of sense that Robyn was gonna turn out evil. Did you notice anything that maybe gave you a clue about what she was going to do?"

Kirby hesitated, and Mikey was afraid he wasn't going to answer the Turtle's question. Then he sighed. "No, I didn't. I knew that Robyn and April were fighting a lot, but I just thought it was regular sibling issues. I had no idea that Robyn hated April as much as she did, and I definitely didn't know that she was going to kill her. Then again, maybe I SHOULD have seen some signs. After all, I am a psychologist as you know, so you would think I would have seen something. But maybe I was deliberately blind to what was going on. Maybe I just didn't want to see it, so I turned a blind eye to it."

Mikey shook his head. "No, I don't think that's the issue at all," he said. "You just didn't think Robyn would do that, and I'm sure if you had seen something, you would have taken care of it. You can't blame yourself for what happened, Mr. O'Neil. There are a lot of parents out there who have evil kids, and they probably never knew what was going on either. Sure, they're gonna blame themselves, but they shouldn't do that. The kids made their own choices, and Robyn's no exception to that. You raised them right, so you shouldn't feel guilty at all for how things turned out. Sometimes, things happen that are out of our control. What Robyn did was horrible, but you didn't know it was going to get to that point. You're not a failure as a parent either. You did the best with what you had, and even if one daughter didn't turn out the way you wanted her to, you did a good job with April."

Kirby smiled. "Thanks, Mikey," he said. "That makes me feel better."

"Any time, Mr. O'Neil," Mikey replied. "That's what I'm here for."

"Yes, and I'm lucky to have met you. Was there anything else you wanted to ask me?"

"Well, I was wondering about how you would feel if we had to kill Robyn. I mean, I hope it won't come to that, but if we have to, will you be mad at us?"

Once again, Kirby hesitated as he processed Mikey's words. "I guess I would have mixed emotions about that," he answered. "I don't want it to come to that either, but if she's threatening to kill you or attempting to kill you, I know that you will have no choice. It's your way of life to protect your family, and I respect that. Yes, I'll be sad about her death, but there's no way I would ever be mad at you or the rest of your family, Mikey. You have all been through a lot because of my daughter, and while I'd love to see her rot in jail as much as you would, I understand that there may be another outcome. Will I be sad for her death? Maybe, but at one point, I feel as though I've lost her already. I felt that way after it was revealed she killed her sister. I don't feel as though I should mourn for her when I've already lost her. I know that sounds horrible to say as a parent, but that's how I feel."

Mikey was shocked by Kirby's words, but at the same time, he understood. He tried to imagine how Splinter would feel if Raph killed Leo and then threatened the rest of them with death. He would probably feel horrified and feel as though he'd lost one of his sons. Then again, Raph would never do that anyway. Despite his temper problems, Raph loved his family and would never hurt them on purpose no matter how many times he threatened to beat the green off of Mikey. But Mikey realized how hard all of this had been on Kirby. It must have sucked for him to deal with two daughters who couldn't get along and having to send one daughter away for the attempted murder of the other one. Then it must have sucked thinking that Robyn was better only to have her kill April and then try to kill the Turtles, too.

"I guess I can understand that," Mikey said softly. "It can't be easy for you going through this. I wish you didn't have to."

Kirby put a hand on Mikey's shoulder. "I know, Mikey, but I made a lot of mistakes that led to this point, too," he confessed. "I never should have made April keep the secret from you about Robyn. Maybe if she had told you, none of this would have happened."

"Maybe not, but then again, maybe it would have," Mikey replied. "Master Splinter has always taught us that the future isn't set in stone. Sure, if April had told us about Robyn, there could be a chance none of this would have happened, but there also the chance that it still would have happened anyway. You can't dwell on the past, Mr. O'Neil. What matters is catching Robyn and bringing her to justice so she can't hurt anyone else ever again."

Kirby sighed. "You're right, Mikey. The past doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that we have to focus on the here and now. Thanks for talking to me. It's really helped."

"No problem," Mikey said. "If you ever need to talk, you know we're all here for you."

"The same goes for you," Kirby said with a smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to chat with Master Splinter for a little bit."

"You're not meeting with Leo today?"

"No, Splinter wanted to talk to me about something though I don't know what it is. I'll come back this weekend."

"Okay, that's cool." He waved at Kirby and watched as the man made his way to the dojo and to Splinter's quarters. While he was definitely curious about what Kirby had to talk to Splinter about, he knew it wasn't a good idea to eavesdrop on their conversation. So he turned back to the TV and turned on his video game console. Maybe beating up zombies would take his mind off of things.

22222

The next day, Mikey woke up on time to make breakfast. He smiled as he planned out the menu in his head and left his room. As he made his way to the living area, he noticed that his family was gathered in front of the television, horror on all of their faces. Curious, Mikey joined them and was shocked at what the reporter was saying.

"Police are unsure of why the explosion happened, though they are investigating the possibility of terrorism," the reporter was saying.

Mikey gasped as a shot of the building came into view. That was Kirby's apartment! "Guys, do you think Kirby was hurt?" he asked.

"I called the hospital the victims were being taken to, but no one could verify anything," Don replied.

"But you can hack into the computers, right?" Raph asked his brother.

"I probably could, but I don't know if that would yield anything either," said Don.

Before anyone could say anything more, Mikey's phone chimed with a text. He pulled it out and gasped as he saw who it was.

I hope you enjoyed your therapy session, Mikey, because it looks like the doctor is out.-A.

"Mikey, what is it?" Leo asked.

Mikey turned his phone around so they could see the text.

"Son of a bitch!" Raph swore.

"Well, looks like I won't have to hack into those records after all," Don said morosely.

"This has to stop," Leo said firmly. "Now she nearly killed Kirby!"

"Yeah, but what can we do?" Raph asked. "She's too smart, Leo."

"I don't know, but something has to be done," Leo declared. He stormed off to his room and didn't even bother coming out for breakfast or even training.

Mikey was just as upset as Leo was. Now Kirby had become a victim of Robyn's games. Yes, she needed to be stopped, but they had no idea what was going on or how to find her. All Mikey could do was hope that Kirby pulled through this nightmare. It wasn't fair that he had to suffer like this and become a victim. With a sigh, Mikey snapped out of his thoughts and concentrated on the lesson Splinter was teaching them. He could only hope that maybe Ali or Jack could find Robyn and bring her to justice.

A/N: And that's the end of another chapter. I really enjoy writing Kirby and often feel it's a shame that he's not in the show that much because he's an interesting character. Let's just hope he pulls through this. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.