A/N: This wraps up the book's 'intro'. It's family fluff/angst/comfort/comedy from here on out!

D - Ya know, Mad Max IS on my list of things to watch. New and old. Haven't gotten there though. XD A Rig Rig just seemed natural because "Shark Guy" would be prepared for any mass his...load might be. *shifty eyes* Thanks. I will! :D

Feather, you're caught up! You have no idea how happy your review dump made me. No. Idea. I really needed the umph, so thanks for reading, gushing over, supporting, and commenting on this series. You sound just as invested in the OCs as the cannon cast. Heck, you even remembered Mel listens to Blackmore's Night. I can't recall when I included that! So, yeah. It means a lot. *hugs and hands over more tissues* From now on, it's all treats - bitter or sweet though they may be. :D

September 25
5:17 P.M.

April O'Neil's company could hardly fit inside her two-bedroom apartment, let alone in one room. While Hugh and Sophia had returned home the night prior, new objects made up for their mass—recovered keepsakes that Leatherhead had helped Melody pull from the collapsed Lair.

'Had to believe this is all they could gather,' the redhead thought while scanning her cluttered living room.

Leaning against the sofa, where Michelangelo chatted with Splinter, April spotted a large portrait. The gift Nia painted for the guy's twenty-fourth birthday. She frowned at the jagged tear through the canvas and approached it to run a finger over its textured surface.

"Important things were kept, at least." Splinter's voice snuck up on April, although it was common.

She glanced up at the mutant rat with a sigh. "You saved your master's portrait, too. If you want, I could try to restore this. I'm no high-class museum, but—"

"Fix it as well as possible, April-chan." Splinter smiled. "However, do not worry about erasing its scars."

"Why?"

The rat's expression darkened. "I choose to see it as a remembrance. These EMTs, betrayers of their oaths, tore us in half. Yet we found one another, as we always do. Now, we must move on."

"I still can't believe it," April added. "Black Lotus should've stayed in the past. This never should've happened. The responders who helped the guys did their best. They had every reason not to, but they treated everyone in that bunker equally, as if species didn't matter."

"And according to Michelangelo's account, they kept their promise. They never once succumbed to the pressure from Black-san or Fowler-san. A chance sighting gave away my sons. The men were not strong enough to shoulder the reality. Fear of the unknown thus festered inside them, and it ultimately led to their deaths."

"That's another thing that scares me. This Shark Guy wore a mask, yet still felt threatened enough to shoot an unarmed man. Who could legally do nothing without incriminating himself or seeming like a raving lunatic. Whoever he's connected with—Master Changeling?—he knew Melody intimately enough to create a honing device. How?"

Splinter's head shook, his chest heaving. "I cannot say. Neither can Melody-chan. But there was a long period during her…transformation that she cannot recall. Perhaps Doctor Stephens and Lombardo were not the only scientists involved in her creation."

Melody was crafted by scientists, wasn't she?

What a frigid thought. The longer April dwelled on it, the more she realized how terrifying that would've been—even for the bravest soul. What must it have been like to wake up with your limbs missing? How much did she feel when they cut her? How helpless and alone she must've been.

In the end, it made logical sense that the cyborg would give into their expectations. Her detachment from humanity wasn't entirely her fault…

"Donatello has already fixed the issue, April-chan. Blocked the signal he thought no one else knew. We are safe in the meantime."

"Until something else happens. How many homes must you lose before you stay safe?" April stood and balled her hands. "First the Mousers. Then Shredder. Now this? It's not fair to you!"

"Life ain't fair, Dudette," Mikey interjected with a shrug. "Especially for us. I'm just glad we were saved before being sold. Did the whole 'test subject' thing. Didn't like it."

"Mike." April's voice faded under the mutant's grin; it was so fake.

"Donatello and Melody-chan are already searching for new possible homes," Splinter added. His paws fidgeted over the gnarled cane he needed for his a broken leg, their claws clicking against its sanded wood. "We will find something soon. We must, for…"

"So"—April straightened as her gaze drew upstairs—"Raph and Nia are really…?"

"Crazy, eh?" Mikey asked.

"Ho—how's Raph taking it?"

The Nunchaku master snorted. "Like Casey would. Guy's downright petrified."

Nia's heart leapt. Not from a distant memory or a dream about her hellish previous night, but from the bulky silhouette standing in the spare bedroom's doorway.

"He—hey, Raph," she said, seated in bed. "H—how are you?"

"I should be askin' ya that," Raphael countered. He remained at the entrance, obscured by the shadows casted from the drawn curtains. "Is Pez in here?"

"He's at my feet. Out like a light."

"Don said he'd be sluggish for a while. He's lucky his heart didn't stop."

"Yeah…he—he really risked his life for me?"

"It's one thing we could agree on. How're ya back n' head?"

Nia traced a bubbled line on her face. "Better. They were just scrapes. Deep scrapes."

"An'…yer stomach?"

Hand trembling, it fell to the artist's over-sized T-shirt then gripped the chubby fat below it. "Tender. Th—there's a big bruise on the side, but Me—Melody gave me a check-up."

"An'?"

'She, uh, sh—she heard it. The heartbeat."

"Really?" Raph whisper hung in the shady room.

Was it fearful? Surreal? Angry?

Nia couldn't tell. A foreign emotion filled her, left her jittery. She had no idea if it was hers or Raphael's. Or a mix.

But who felt negatively? Her or her husband?

The young woman hunched, air stolen by a creeping heat inside her lungs.

"Ni?"

"Yo—you want him, don't you?" Nia said through chattering teeth. "Pl—please tell me you do. He's a surprise, but—but—but—"

She couldn't breathe. Why couldn't she breathe? Hands clamoring against her tight throat, Nia stretched her neck it hopes of opening its airway. It only riled tears and quickened her heart.

"Ni." Raph's voice sounded close. Strange; the artist never noticed him approach the bed. "Ya think I'm mad that ya're pregnant?"

She nodded then laid her hands on her pelvis.

"The only way I could be mad is if it ain't my kid. It's my kid, right?"

How could he say such a thing? Gawking, Nia's tears increased.

"I—I've only ever been with one guy," she whispered with a sniffle. "I would never—"

The mutant ran a thumb below her wet, burning eye. "Chill. I trust ya, Shuǐ."

"So why are you…? What is this feeling? I—I don't know what it is. Or if it's yours or mine, and…"

It hurt. It burned through her bone marrow. Yet at the same time sent flutters through her stomach. Or maybe that was nausea acting up.

"I—I dun't mean ta confuse ya. I…" Raph lifted his hands so they covered hers. "This is a big shift," he said in a softer tone. "It's unreal an' my brain hasn't quite caught up wit' reality. But…I know one thing."

"Wh—what's that?" The pressure on Nia's stomach grew, despite her flinch.

"No one's ever gunna hurt him again. If anoddah bastard tries ta hit ya, I swear I'll break more than his fingers."

Nia smiled at his glower. It was sweet, right? A little morbid, yet sweet.

"I was angry," the mutant continued as the pressure eased. "No, more than angry. I thought…maybe the baby had been killed. I ain't got one clue about fatherhood, but it's my job ta be there for him. So…yer pain freaked me out."

"Sorry."

"Dun't apologize."

"I—" Nia stopped herself under Raph's glare. "At least I'm not using 'Sir'."

"It wasn't yer fault ya were in that situation. An' ya were fightin' for our baby 'n siblings. Like me."

"Because I love them. Especially our baby."

"Ya mean that?"

Nia met Raphael's amber gaze. Finally, one emotion stood out: hope. It brought a smile to the artist's face and gave her enough courage to cup his jaw.

"I'm scared, too," she started. "We're homeless with little to offer. This child is the start of a new race, so we have no idea what unique hurdles he'll face. However…I'll work hard for him. I want him."

"He…he dun't unnerve ya?"

"I'm attracted to a mutant turtle. I—I'd be a hypocrite if I could love you and not our child. Besides…I'm a hybrid also."

"So ya really—? I mean…"

Was it so hard to grasp? Or did he think she was lying?

Nia's thumbs brushed Raphael's chin, growing hotter with every inch closer she drew to his face. Her lips brushed his mouth in a soft motion, where she released everything through the touch: her excitement, reassurance, anxiety, and love. He returned it just before they broke apart. Then, her heavy eyes stared into his, noting the bright yellow flecks in his irises.

"I love you, Hamato, Raphael," she whispered. "This journey won't be easy. But life isn't easy, particularly ours. All we can do is stand by each other, take it one thing at a time. First being: do you want this baby?"

"Ya know I do."

"So we'll raise him. Together. We'll…we'll make this work."

Raph smirked. Yeah; he caught the echo to when they had decided to take their relationship seriously, and just like back then, he drew her close then stole her lips.

A/N: And thus a new chapter begins in Nia and Raph's relationship. You got no clue how much I've been pinning for this. :D