A/N: Hey guys - sorry again about the delay in updates. I have so much going on right now and I just haven't been feeling up to code the past couple days. Last week was insane for me I was working five days and the one day I had off I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off all day. I just couldn't seem to find time to do half the things I should have. This week hasn't been much better. But I finally got another update done. So I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Raph finally pulls his head out of his shell thanks to an old friend... but does it change how he feels about Elizabeth's baby? Guess you'll have to read and find out. :D Enjoy I'll be back again soon. And thanks again to those who leave reviews, I really enjoy reading them and it gives me a little lift when I'm having a hard day. See you guys next time.

Chapter 14

Leonardo didn't return to the lair for several hours. Donatello, satisfied that Elizabeth was stabilized had Michelangelo help him carry her back to her room where she would be more comfortable. Splinter had already cleaned up the mess that Elizabeth had made in there and had gone back to his room to rest. Donatello had retired to his lab once again while Michelangelo grabbed a few comic books and then perched himself on a chair just inside Elizabeth's room.

By the time Leonardo returned home Michelangelo had abandoned his perch and was now stirring a pot on the stove while it bubbled and frothed. Leonardo sank into a kitchen chair wearily, scowling down at the tabletop while clenching and unclenching his jaw. Michelangelo stopped stirring what he was cooking.

"Where's Raph, Leo?"

"He's not coming, Mikey." Leonardo's tone was a bit sharp. Michelangelo's eye ridges narrowed.

"But doesn't he know what Elizabeth did?"

"He knows everything, Mikey. He still isn't coming." Leonardo looked up at Michelangelo, his expression was tight his eyes angry. "I can't force him to come home, Mikey. We aren't teenagers anymore."

"Why can't he pull his head out of his shell and think of someone else for a change?" Michelangelo asked impatiently, turning back to the stove as the frothy substance bubbled over the pot and made a hissing noise as it hit the burner.

"Because Raph needs time to adjust to this, Mikey. Elizabeth's secret took him by surprise – and I think it hit him the hardest."

"But… I thought… " Michelangelo frowned as he stirred the contents of the pot slowly with a wooden spoon. "I mean with the way he looked at her sometimes… "

"He likes her, Mikey," Donatello said quietly as he joined them. He sat down heavily next to Leonardo. "But that just makes it more complicated."

Michelangelo nodded quietly.

"Raph will come home when he's ready – he always does," Donatello said logically. "He needs to calm down first though – it won't do him or Elizabeth any good if he comes home still steamed up from earlier. Raph needs to blow off some of that anger before he can come home with a level head. But he'll be back later, Mikey. He knows where he's needed. "

"It's kind of funny," Michelangelo said quietly not bothering to turn around.

"What's funny?" Donatello asked.

"Raph and Elizabeth – I never thought that we'd… well that there would be a possibility for one of us to really have someone like her. I mean with us being… well I never really thought about it before."

Donatello glanced at Leonardo who was scowling at the tabletop again. "I don't think any of us did, Mikey."

"Do you really think it would work?" Michelangelo paused and looked over his shoulder.

Donatello shook his head once. "I really wouldn't know, Mikey. But I don't think that is something we should be worrying about right now."

Michelangelo glanced at Leonardo and nodded, as if understanding that this wasn't the time to talk about this. It was obvious that whatever had happened between Leonardo and Raphael hadn't been pretty and his brother was still angry about it.

Leonardo didn't seem to be listening. Instead he stood up, drawing both of his brothers' eyes on him. "I'm not hungry don't worry about dinner, Mikey."

"Uh… ok, Leo," Michelangelo said uncertainly watching as his brother left the kitchen and headed for the dojo. He looked at Donatello searching for answers.

Donatello sighed. "Save him something for later, Mikey. He'll cool down after he has a few hours in the dojo he always does. "

"You hungry, Donny? It's pasta!"

Donatello shook his head. "Not right now, Mikey. But I'll grab some later. You might want to save some for Raph too. I doubt he'll get anything to eat unless he's with Casey. Then Casey might grab them a pizza or something. I have a feeling that he won't be home any time soon."

"And Elizabeth?"

"We'll have to see how she feels when she wakes up."

"Ok, Donny," Michelangelo stirred the contents of the pot sadly as his brother left the kitchen. He no longer felt like eating himself. So he dumped the contents into a strainer, and proceeded to clean up the mess in the kitchen. As he put the food into containers he hoped silently that Raph's attitude towards Elizabeth would change soon. Otherwise it would make life for all of them very uncomfortable for a while.

"Here ya go, Raph," Casey said settling next to the red-banded turtle and taking a sip of his own beer.

Raphael grinned and popped the lid, taking a long swig.

It was well after dark now and he had ventured out to meet up with Casey once it was safe to venture to the surface. Casey had seemed willing enough to join him on his nightly rounds, that was one good thing about Casey Jones – he was always up for roughing up a few street thugs.

April on the other hand hadn't looked as thrilled about it – and Raphael had had the feeling that Leonardo had called her and told her what had happened between him and Elizabeth. But he wasn't going to let it get to him. Elizabeth had lied to them – all of them. She had put his family in danger by not telling them that she was carrying that jerk's kid. So how was he supposed to feel about that? Happy? Excited? That wasn't going to happen. The very thought that Elizabeth had let Graham do that to her made his blood boil.

Raphael took another swig of his beer, as he stared out over the city, trying to calm down his raging temper. If he were to be honest with himself, he was more angry with Graham than Elizabeth. But because he didn't really have that much access to Graham he'd taken his anger out on the one person he did have access to. Although he hadn't expected her to throw her drinking glass at him.

Raphael smirked despite himself. Even though he didn't like the fact that she had thrown the glass at his face Elizabeth had proved she had more spirit than they'd given her credit for. Raphael liked that.

"Pizza?" Casey asked sliding a box of pizza between them.

Raphael shook his head and set down his empty beer can, he couldn't even think about eating right now.

When Leonardo had come after him to try and bring him home Raphael hadn't been in the mood to be talked down. He and his older brother had never really seen eye to eye on most things. It was one of the reasons they had clashed so much when they were teenagers. It had always irked Raphael that Leonardo had acted so superior and had always taken the lead. Raphael had often jerked Leonardo's chain – often getting his brother to respond, which satisfied Raphael to no end. But as they had grown older Leonardo had backed off a bit, giving Raphael more room to vent his anger and do his own thing. They had both learned that sometimes it was just best if they had their own space rather than forcing each other to be in the same proximity with the other while their tempers were so close to the breaking points. But today Leonardo had ignored those basic boundaries and had tried to force Raphael to come home – to fix things with Elizabeth.

Raphael wasn't proud of the fight he'd had with his brother – but at least it hadn't come to blows. But his words had been bad enough.

He sighed.

"Ya know, Raph, ya could just go home an' fix tings," Casey suggested as he helped himself to a slice of pizza. The cheese had started to congeal leaving a greasy layer on top of the pizza, leaving a residue on Casey's fingers.

Raphael's eyes narrowed. "I shouldn't have ta do dat, Casey! Why am I always da one dat has ta apologize?"

Casey opened up another beer and offered a second one to Raphael. He took it but just merely turned the can around in his fingers as he glared down at the cars racing down the busy street below.

"Look, Raph, I know dat learnin' 'bout 'Lizbeth's baby was a shock. But don't ya tink she 'ad her reasons fer not tellin' ya sooner?"

"She let dat guy do dat ta 'er!" Raphael snarled.

"Listen, I don't know dis Cooper guy personally – but I've 'eard 'is name on da streets lately. I don't tink 'Lizbeth knew what kind a guy he was before she married 'im. But once yer in with Cooper ya don't get out alive. Cooper has da whole city lookin' fer 'er, Raph. He has a big reward out fer her – I saw it in da newspapers dis mornin'. If ya let 'er go back ta 'im what do ya tink he's gonna do to 'er?"

"Den she shouldn't go back ta 'im!"

"Where else is she gonna go if ya force 'er out, Raph?"

Raphael growled low in his throat.

"She lied ta us! Why should we have ta be 'er keepers?"

"I don't tink she lied, Raph. Did she ever tell ya dat she wasn't pregnant?"

Raphael's sharp amber eyes flickered to Casey briefly then dropped towards his lap, resigned.

"Didn't ya say dat she kept flinchin' away from everyone? Dat da only one she seemed ta trust was you?"

Raphael didn't answer, but a muscle in his jaw twitched.

"Do ya really tink dat she was in any shape den ta tell ya dat she was pregnant? She was barely holdin' 'erself in one piece as it was. I tink da only reason she admitted da truth ta April was cause April guessed."

"So I'm just supposed ta ferget dat she kept dis from us? Dat she didn't trust us enough ta tell us da truth?"

"I tink she woulda told ya, Raph. But she was waitin' 'til she knew it was da right time. But would ya have felt any different 'bout da baby if 'Lizbeth had told ya sooner?"

Raphael had to think about that for a minute, and then his tense shoulders dropped.

Casey nodded in understanding. "Maybe dat's another reason she didn't tell ya, Raph. She didn't want ta hurt ya. An' maybe she was scared how ya'd feel 'bout it."

"What am I gonna do, Casey?"

Casey clapped a hand on Raphael's shoulder. "Yer da only one dat can answer dat, Raph. Da real question ya gotta ask yerself is – does dis change da way ya feel 'bout 'er?"

Raphael sighed. "I don't know."

"Dat's somethin' ya'd better figure out before ya go see 'er again," Casey suggested. "But I gotta tell ya, Raph – a girl like 'Lizbeth doesn't come 'round all dat often. When ya meet someone like dat ya'd be smart not ta let 'er go."

Raphael smirked. "Being married ta April is makin' ya soft, Casey."

Casey chuckled. "Just tink about it, Raph."

Casey stood up. "I gotta get back – April asked me ta go ta da doctor's with 'er in da mornin'."

Raphael glanced up at the sky and got to his feet himself. "Probably best dat I get home anyway. Leo's gonna have my shell as it is."

"Here," Casey said picking up the remaining beer and the pizza box. "Take dese with ya. Ya barely touched anyting ta night."

Raphael chuckled quietly. Casey smirked and turned to leave.

"Hey, Casey!"

Casey turned back.

"Tanks," Raphael said with a smirk.

"Dat's what friends are fer," Casey said then without another word he turned and headed for home, when he turned back to wave once again Raphael had already disappeared into the night, all the evidence that was left of his presence there was a single empty beer can rolling slowly across the rooftop, the silver glinting slightly in the artificial New York lights.

Elizabeth wasn't sure what it was that had woken her – perhaps it was the sound of the lair door opening… or it was the change of atmosphere that had disturbed her. Either way she was a little confused to find herself in her bed. She couldn't remember lying down – in fact the last thing she remembered was trying to use the sheet to stop the flow of blood from her arm when she cut into it too deep with the shuriken she'd found in the dojo. But after that everything was a blank.

She rolled her wrist and hissed as the tender flesh pulled underneath stiff bandages.

Donatello.

Crap.

She hadn't meant for the turtles to find her like that. She had always managed to hide her habit from Graham – of course he'd left enough scars on her body that he never noticed the pale thin lines on her arms. She only ever did it when he was at work, and because she normally wore long sleeve shirts – except for when she was in the bedroom with him – Graham had had no idea.

Elizabeth flexed her arm again, gingerly feeling the bandages under her fingers. She still felt a little light headed, and tired. She could still smell the rusty smell of her blood lingering in the room. She must still be in the bedroom then. She was surprised she hadn't been moved to the infirmary. She was sure she was in for a lecture – if not from Leonardo then definitely from Donatello. She was surprised that one or both of them weren't sitting there waiting for her to wake up.

As if reading her thoughts the door to her bedroom was pushed open a crack and the dark outline of a head appeared.

"'Lizbeth? Ya awake?"

"Raphael?" Elizabeth asked in surprise. He had been the last turtle she'd expected to see.

The door opened for a split second and then closed again. There was a slight whisper of sound, if Elizabeth hadn't been listening hard enough she never would have noticed it. But then the bed dipped underneath the turtle's weight as Raphael settled down onto the bed next to her hip.

"'Lizbeth, I wanted ta apologize ta ya," Raphael shifted a little on the bed, and Elizabeth felt her body slide a little on the mattress until her hip rested against Raphael's leg. She felt her breath catch in her throat. "I shouldn't have gone off on ya like dat."

"Raph… "

"I shoulda heard ya out," Raphael interrupted, cutting her off.

"Raph, I should have told you guys sooner. And it should have been me – not April who told you," Elizabeth reached out and found his hand, but he pulled it away from her. She felt heat flood her cheeks and was secretly glad that Raphael couldn't see her embarrassment.

"Ya had yer reasons," Raphael said quietly.

"Raph, the reason I didn't say anything… " Elizabeth hesitated biting her lip when she felt Raphael stiffen next to her. "This isn't my first pregnancy, Raph. I… I lost the first baby and I've been spotting a lot lately, I had it with the last pregnancy and I wasn't sure if I'd keep it. And I… I was afraid you guys would make me leave if you knew. I haven't felt this safe in a long time and I didn't want to lose that."

Elizabeth's voice cracked and tears ran down her cheeks. She wiped them away impatiently, embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

Raphael didn't say anything for a few minutes, which gave Elizabeth a chance to compose herself.

"'Lizbeth, I might not 'ave been happy 'bout da baby – but I didn't mean da tings I said ta ya earlier. I don't want ya ta leave. And ya know we wouldn't let nothin' happen ta ya."

"It's my fault though – you were right. I put you and your family in danger. I should have just gone to the hospital after you saved me. If I had nothing would have happened to Donny – I never would have gotten you guys into trouble and you never would have been on Graham's radar. If I hadn't been so afraid of what he'd do when he found out that I'd gone out without… mmmph… "

Elizabeth was surprised to find a large leathery hand suddenly pressing over her mouth, stopping her apology.

"It ain't yer fault, 'Lizbeth," Raphael snarled in a tone that made goose bumps pop up on Elizabeth's arms. "I never shoulda said dem tings ta ya. Ya didn't do nothin' – ya didn't do nothin' ta put us in danger. And we've gotten outta worse tings. It wouldn't be da first time someone wanted ta kill us – we woulda gotten Donny outta der without ya havin' ta put yerself in danger. Ya were willin' ta risk yer life ta save my bro – ya didn't have ta do dat. But ya didn't want Donny ta get hurt. If dat don't prove what kind a person ya are I don't know what does." Raphael removed his hand from Elizabeth's mouth. "Don't apologize it wasn't anyting ya did."

"I never meant to hurt you though, Raph," Elizabeth whispered as she played with the edge of her comforter. A large leathery hand grabbed hers and held it gently.

"Ya didn't – and... I'm sorry," Raphael insisted.

Elizabeth felt her heart pick up a pace as Raphael's large hand swallowed her own in his firm grasp. She'd never felt more safe than she did when she was with Raphael. There was just something about him that instantly made her feel secure. Something that she didn't feel with any of the others – not even Leonardo. She wasn't sure what it was, but she knew she liked it.

And suddenly nothing else mattered, not her fear of Graham, or the unwanted baby, or her aching torn skin underneath the rough bandages. All that mattered was that Raphael was holding her hand.

She didn't know what came over her but the next thing she was aware of she was suddenly sitting upright and had thrown herself at Raphael, pressing her lips against his beak. She could feel his surprise and shock, not expecting her to lunge at him – let alone kiss him. He stiffened, his muscles tensing as if he were ready to pull away.

Elizabeth pulled back slightly. Embarrassment and rejection warring for supremacy in her body. What had come over her? What had made her think that Raphael felt the same way about her that she had felt for him for a while now?

And then Raphael's strong large hands were cupping her face and his beak was pressed against her mouth, his fingers tugging at a few locks of her hair, securing her to him. Elizabeth felt her embarrassment disappear and rejection was replaced with lust as she responded willingly but let him keep in control of the kiss.

He was gentle at first, but when he felt her responding to him his kiss became deeper, more forceful. Elizabeth's blood began to race through her veins and she wrapped her arms around Raphael's neck, trying to pull him as close to her as possible, pulling him on top of her as she settled back against the pillows. Raphael seemed to follow her willingly enough, breaking the kiss after a long minute, his breath hot and heavy against her face. His fingers gently ran over her face in the dark as if he were trying to commit every feature to memory. Elizabeth smiled as his fingers reached her lips, lingering there. She stared up at his face and even though the light was almost none existent Elizabeth could still see those strange amber eyes now, they were burning with a fiery glow that she was sure she'd never seen in them before. She felt a familiar warm burning in her gut as Raphael leaned down and kissed her again, more gently this time, though his fingers still tugged at her tangled hair. Elizabeth pressed her body against his, her fingers running up and down his plastron, grinning when she felt him shudder in pleasure when her fingers found a sensitive spot in between his plastron and carapace.

Raphael broke the kiss and held himself away from her a little bit, staring at her with a curious expression, his eyes watching her carefully.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked, suddenly worried she'd done something wrong.

"I just never… well, it was hard ta imagine dat dis would ever happen ta me – or any of us. But now dat it is… I always want ta remember it."

Elizabeth reached up, crossing her arms over his neck and pulling him down again. "Stay with me tonight, Raphael. I don't want to be alone."

Raphael gently kissed her again. "Only if ya want me ta stay, 'Lizbeth."

Elizabeth kissed him back eagerly. "I wouldn't want anyone else, Raph."

Grinning Raphael leaned forward and kissed her again.

Raphael discovered two things. One: mornings came way too early and whoever invented any hour before nine o'clock should be dragged out into the street and shot. And two: you got no peace and quiet down on the main level of the lair. He wasn't sure how Elizabeth got any sleep.

He was first awoken by the sounds of Leo training in the dojo right at six o'clock sharp. Raphael had groaned to himself and had tried to roll over, but then had discovered that Elizabeth had curled herself up against his plastron, her head resting on his arm just below his shoulder. Raphael had stared at her quietly for several minutes, longing to run his fingers through her long brown hair but unwilling to wake her. Finally sleep had claimed him again but he had the feeling that he wasn't asleep for very long when once again his slumber was disturbed – this time by Michelangelo. Pots and pans were banging around in the kitchen as the orange-banded turtle prepared breakfast. Raphael was getting a bit sick of his brothers waking him – although he had to remind himself that they didn't even know he was in here.

Elizabeth hadn't been curled up against him anymore. Instead she was on the other side of the bed, the blankets pulled tightly over her shoulders, her breathing still deep and even with sleep. And then, as if sensing his eyes on her Elizabeth rolled onto her back, her neck turning slightly on the pillow so she was facing him again, though she still remained asleep. After a few minutes her eyes flickered and then opened slowly. She smiled when she saw Raphael staring at her in the dimly lit room.

"Morning."

"Mornin'," Raphael returned the greeting.

"What time is it?" Elizabeth asked, sitting up slowly, stretching her arms over her head and yawning.

"Probably round eight. Mikey's in der cookin' breakfast," Raphael nodded towards the still closed bedroom door. He then rolled out of the bed and watched as Elizabeth copied him, walked to the dresser and pulled out a sky blue spaghetti strap. Her long brown hair, tangled and messy from the night before, was limp against her back. Raphael looked away when Elizabeth pulled off her night shirt and pulled on her spaghetti strap.

"Raph?"

Raphael turned back to her. Elizabeth was running a brush through her tangled hair, staring at her reflection in the mirror. He frowned, his eyes narrowing when he saw the stark white bandages on her arms.

"Mmm?"

Elizabeth ran the brush through her hair a few more times, tugging out the last of the tangles. "About last night… you aren't sorry about it. Are you?" She twisted her hair up on the back of her head and reached for a clip.

A strong green hand caught her hand, stopping her. Startled Elizabeth's other hand let her hair fall again. She lifted her eyes to meet Raphael's hard stare in the mirror. They were burning but his expression was soft.

"I ain't sorry, 'Lizbeth. Not unless you are."

Elizabeth turned around so she could face him and wrapped her arms around his neck, taking a step closer to him, breathing deeply, absorbing his unique scent, committing it to memory. Raphael let his own arms come around her, gently caressing her back, sending warm sparks of pleasure up and down her spine. She shivered and pressed herself closer to him, her fingers tickling the back of his neck. She tilted her head up, meeting his gaze steadily.

"I'm not sorry, Raphael. I've never… I really like being with you."

Raphael held her tighter, as if he were trying to pull her into his shell with him. He found himself getting lost in Elizabeth's eyes – so different from any eyes he'd ever seen before. There was such depth to Elizabeth's eyes, they were the windows to her soul. He'd never really seen that until now, they'd been closed to him until now – but now that he could see them clearly he felt as if he could stare into her eyes forever.

Elizabeth smiled at him and pulled his face closer to hers, then hesitated, waiting for him. Raphael didn't hesitate, he brought his mouth to hers, enjoying the way her lips were so soft against his mouth, the way she responded to him. She was so soft, so warm. He found himself lost in the kiss, he'd never experienced anything like what he'd experienced with Elizabeth, he'd never expected to feel this way about anyone except for his family. To find himself actually wanting someone the way he wanted Elizabeth was so new to him. But from the way she was holding onto him, the way her fingers dug into his tough reptilian skin he knew that she wanted him too.

Raphael was the first to pull away, but he didn't release his hold on Elizabeth. "I gotta go talk ta Leo."

Elizabeth's lower lip poked out as she pouted a little. "Something wrong?"

"It ain't nothin' big," Raphael reassured her. "But breakfast will be done soon anyway."

Elizabeth chuckled as her stomach rumbled. "That actually sounds really good too."

Raphael laughed quietly.

Elizabeth's fingers trailed over Raphael's neck again gently. "Do we really have to go right now though?"

Raphael's body shuddered in pleasure and a warmth spread in his gut. He gently pulled Elizabeth's arms from around his neck. "Dey are gonna be wonderin' where I am since I ain't in my room."

Elizabeth looked down at her silk shorts. "Guess I'd better finish getting ready then, huh?"

She leaned up and gave him another quick kiss, but to her surprise Raphael once again crushed her to him, kissing her deeply, sending her head spinning. She gasped when he finally released her and smirked as she stared at him in awe.

"I'll see ya at breakfast," Raphael said his smirk widening.

"Ok," Elizabeth said breathlessly. Raphael turned and walked towards the door. Elizabeth returned to the mirror once again reaching for her hair clip. But to her surprise she found Raphael stopping her once again. She looked up at him in surprise. How had he crossed the room so fast?

"I like it down," Raphael whispered, running his fingers through her long brown hair, wrapping the ends around his fingers and giving them a gentle pull. Elizabeth felt goose bumps of pleasure rising on her neck as he gently kissed her again.

And then he was gone, like a whisper of wind – there one minute and then gone without a trace the next. Elizabeth turned, astonished as the bedroom door closed with a soft click.