A/N: Hey everyone. I hope everyone has had a good week. And I hope that everyone has a good week this next week as well with the holidays. I know it's a busy time of year for everyone. So travel safely and enjoy this time of year. Thank you again for those who take the time to review. With my computer still out of commission writing is hard for me to do. So I might not be able to update for a couple weeks. I appreciate your understanding in this and I do apologize. I wish everyone a joyous holiday and a wonderful weekend. I will update again as soon as I can.
Chapter 4
Introductions
She felt stiff and sore, and for the life of her couldn't figure out why she was slumped over the kitchen table. It wasn't at all comfortable. The kink in her neck and the ache in her shoulders and back told her that falling asleep at the kitchen table had definitely not been a great idea, and the deep stiffness told her that she would be stiff and sore for a couple hours at least. She squinted her eyes, glaring at her wrist watch but couldn't bring the numbers into focus. She sighed and turned towards the larger clock hanging on the kitchen wall forcing her eyes to focus until she was able to make out the numbers there. It was after eleven already? She sighed, stretching and slowly stood up testing the strength of her legs as she forced them to support her body, leaning against the table as her body slowly seemed to come awake one part at a time. As she stretched her arms up over her head her shoulders popped and her long blonde curls fell messily around her shoulders. She ran her fingers through the tangles, jerking them out impatiently and sighed.
She wasn't sure when the words on the page had started to run together, to not make sense. When she'd had to read the same sentence time and time again and still had not taken in a single word. She still had no idea what Buddy was proposing with this business deal. It was all so complicated and far more above her head than she could have imagined. She knew that her biggest job during the meeting would be listening quietly as Buddy proposed his offer to this smaller company that had a promising future, and make everyone more comfortable during the meeting by offering coffee or tea or anything else anyone would like to drink. She was silently grateful for that. If she had to remember all those numbers and numerous ideas Buddy had to expand the company and really make it profitable she was sure her head would explode. She would just quietly slip more papers for Buddy to go over as the meeting progressed.
Melinda rubbed the back of her neck as she automatically went over to the fridge and pulled out a gallon of milk, it was halfway gone. Now that she looked in there - there really wasn't much. A few slices of bread, some tired old lettuce, some eggs, a tablespoon of butter, and a slice of cheese. She sighed, she would have to go to the grocery store today. She was sure that the giant turtle would...
Her eyes widened. The turtle. She'd almost completely forgotten all about it. Had it just been a really weird dream from an overtaxed mind that had made her sleep so deeply that she would dream about a giant turtle that had been injured in the alley? Putting the milk down on the counter she walked out of the kitchen on her tip toes, trying to be as quiet as she could despite the old aged wood that would creak when she stepped on the loose board right in the middle of the floor. She mentally winced as it did so now.
To her relief the sound of the tired old wood groaning under her weight did nothing to disturb anything in the room. It was almost as if it were empty, except for herself. She bit her lip and made her way around the couch and was surprised to see the turtle still there. So it hadn't been a dream. There really was a giant five foot tall turtle sleeping on her couch. Melinda knelt, lifting the bandage on the turtle's head to make sure the stitches were still in place. But as her fingers brushed his strange leathery skin the turtle stirred, those impossibly bright blue eyes one again opening in confusion and pain. Melinda drew back not at all sure how this turtle would take to her doctoring it.
The creature's blue eyes darted around her small apartment, taking in her barely decorated walls, her rather tired looking chairs, the small TV, the hall to the bedroom and bathroom and the small little kitchen before landing on her again. He shrank back a little and Melinda drew back not wanting to make him uncomfortable. She knew it had to be strange for him to wake up in an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar face.
He pressed up against the back of her couch, his large impressive shell making the cushions sag a little under its weight. Melinda tried a small smile. "Hey there... how you feeling this morning?"
She kept her voice deliberately soft and gentle, knowing that such tones were best in calming terrified and cornered animals, and he was cornered, injured, and had to be terrified. The last thing she needed was for him to injure himself further - or her. She swallowed hard, trying to force back her own fear and confusion at this giant turtle. Swallowing her questions about how he had ended up in the alley behind her apartment, or how he'd come to be such a giant turtle in the first place.
He had spoken last night. She was sure of it. If he really was here, and the fact that he was still lying on her couch was proof of that surely she couldn't have imagined him actually talking to her, though she hadn't understood what he'd said she was sure he had spoken. A foreign language maybe? Maybe he couldn't understand english?
What would Christine do? Melinda thought desperately of her younger sister. She knew that Christine wouldn't be afraid - if she were in Melinda's shoes she would have readily cared for this giant turtle, probably given it a name and a bed in her room. Melinda almost smile at the thought. Christine had been bringing home animals for as long as she could remember. Christine's mother would often toss the toads, snakes, and turtles back into the grass or pond and Christine would get a spanking for bringing them into the house. Should she call Christine? Ask her what turtles ate? But what would Christine think if she did? Christine knew perfectly well that Melinda did not care for pets. So to start asking her questions about such things would raise suspicion. Christine had often tried to coax Melinda into buying a guard dog - fretting because Melinda lived alone in the big city with all the gangs and in this part of town you couldn't be too careful. But Melinda had always waved off her sister's worries. She could take care of herself. But that was beside the point - Melinda really had no idea how to care for this giant turtle that was now in her living room on her couch staring at her with terrified big blue eyes.
He shifted a little and then jerked in surprise looking at his arm as if just noticing for the first time that it was hurt. His eyes snapped back to her face and widened. "W... Who are you? Where am I?"
So he really could speak. And English too.
"My name is Melinda, you are in my home. I found you outside in the alley."
He shifted looking decidedly uneasy. Melinda had a feeling that even without those stick like weapons she'd found with him last night this turtle was a dangerous creature. And she was suddenly uncertain as to whether bringing him to her home had really been the right thing to do. She had no idea of his temperament. She knew that even the most friendliest of animals under most circumstances could be very dangerous when injured and cornered. She saw his eyes dart around the small apartment looking for an exit.
"The front door is that one," Melinda said pointing to the door. "But I suppose you'll want your things."
His eyes snapped back to her face again, his eyes narrowing marginally.
Melinda bit her lip. "Is there someone we should call? Do you have... an owner?"
Something in his eyes shifted and she saw his shoulders stiffen, and she knew right away she had offended this giant turtle. His eyes, which had been bright with confusion and pain before were darker now in anger, and Melinda felt a cold shiver of fear run up her spine.
"I suppose... are you hungry?" She asked softly, trying another tactic. Surely she could at least feed this poor thing before it left. It shouldn't be running around with nothing in its system after losing all that blood.
He stared at her for several long seconds which felt like hours to Melinda, his icy cold blue eyes were penetrating hers. Then very slowly as if still sizing her up, debating on whether or not she was worth the trouble of really confronting he nodded.
"I... I don't have much food. But how about some... " She ran through her list of food quickly through her mind once more. "Eggs... and toast." He seemed human enough - surely if he could talk he wouldn't be living on turtle pellets. If he did she supposed she could make do with some tired old lettuce and run to the pet store about a dozen blocks away.
"Sounds... sounds great... thanks." The turtle said never once taking his eyes off hers.
Melinda felt some of the tension ease as he finally looked away from her, touching the crisp white bandage and wooden sticks on his arm.
"I'll get those started for you. I'll just be a minute ok, um... " She looked at him, suddenly not sure what to call him. Not sure if he had a name but calling him turtle seemed rude somehow.
His eyes snapped back up to meet hers again, but they were softer and seemed lost somehow. There was a sadness in them that tugged at her heart. Some instinct wanted to reach out and comfort this giant turtle despite her initial fear and the cold glare he'd hit her with. He met her eyes only for a minute then looked back down at his hands, running a finger over the bandage. There was something in his movements that seemed... uncertain.
Melinda frowned a little and crouched down so that she could see up into his face. "You alright?"
She saw his eyes fixed on his green three fingered hand. He looked back up at her. His eyes darting between hers, searching for answers there that she didn't have. Melinda felt another pang as those sad eyes locked onto hers.
Boldly she reached out, gently placing a hand on his tightly bound arm. He pulled back but she didn't let go. "Isn't there someone I can call for you? A family? Someone?"
He shifted a little on the couch, the old springs groaning in protest under his weight. He stared at the floor, as if really trying to come to a decision about something before looking at her once more.
"I don't know. I don't remember anything."
Raph growled pacing back and forth across the lair floor. Donatello had insisted on going home to get some more equipment that could possibly help them find their missing brother. Raphael was frustrated. He didn't like waiting. Waiting wasn't something he'd ever been good at. Raphael liked action. Action meant doing something. Action meant getting somewhere. Action meant finding his missing brother! Just sitting down here waiting for night was the most frustrating thing! What if someone had him? What if someone had put him in a cage? Was trying to dissect him right now?!
"We gotta go find 'im!" Raph growled.
Leonardo sighed patiently, he'd already gone into Splinter and had given him an update on what they'd found and the two had discussed this evening's search for their missing son and brother as soon as it was safe for the three of them to venture to again. He could understand Raphael's impatience, he didn't like this anymore than Raphael did. But he also knew that it was too dangerous for them to go searching for their missing brother in the middle of the day. "Raph, it's too dangerous. We have to wait until nightfall."
Leonardo's seeming calm demeanor only seemed to enrage his hot headed brother further. "He's out dere somewhere! Maybe 'urt! BAD!"
"You think I don't know that?" Leo snapped back, glaring right back at his brother. His own worry and inaction were making him just as on edge as Raphael. He was trying to be patient, but if something had happened to Michelangelo... he didn't know what he'd do if he were unable to bring his baby brother home. "But we won't be doing any good to him if we get caught too! There's too much we don't know. We don't know who took him or why. We don't know what happened. We need more to go on! April and Casey will call when they find out something. We have to sit still."
Raph growled and began to pace again. Sitting still. Leonardo sounded more and more like Splinter every day. He really was turning into Splinter Jr. How could he be so calm when Mikey was out there somewhere?!
April and Casey were out searching for more clues as they promised. Hoping to find some sign as to what had happened to their missing brother. They had started back at the convention to see if they could find anything there. April had gotten used to sneaking into the security rooms to get security tapes while Casey created a distraction. But Raphael had serious doubts that Michelangelo would have let himself be caught on security tapes. He was ninja, he knew how to stay out of the spotlight. Even at a costumed comic convention.
A hand on his shoulder made him jump and turn with a growl. He met the dark brown eyes of his older brother. "Raph, we'll find him I promise. We won't stop until we do. You know that right?"
"I know, Leo. I jus' want da chucklehead 'ome."
"I know, Raph. And we will, we'll bring him home."
Elizabeth bit her lip as she cut the red Jell-O into squares and very carefully began to pull them out of the large dish and into a tupperware dish, lining the outer edges before filling the middle and then following the same pattern over and over until the Jell-O filled the whole thing. She screwed the lid on, careful not to squish the Jell-O squares within and put it in the fridge.
She was so worried. And she knew that the brothers were as well. Raphael hadn't come to her last night. He hadn't gone to bed at all. She knew that Leonardo would make Raphael go get some sleep before they headed out later that evening to search for their brother again. When Elizabeth had heard the turtles come home, she'd waited, expectant. But Raphael had never come up, and only a couple minutes after their return she'd heard him taking out his frustration on a punching bag in the dojo. She'd waited for a while then had quietly headed downstairs, searching out the blue banded turtle. She'd heard him in Master Splinter's quarters, talking softly, his voice tight with tension and strained with worry. She knew then that whatever had happened, it wasn't good, and Michelangelo wasn't home.
Donatello's lab door had been shut, indicating the purple banded turtle was at work and didn't want to be disturbed, so Elizabeth had done the only thing she could think of. She'd headed to the kitchen to put on some tea for the blue banded turtle knowing that Raphael would be unapproachable until he calmed down and if she'd want answers Leonardo would be the one to get them from.
She hadn't had to wait too long. Less than ten minutes later, Leonardo had indeed come to the kitchen to fix himself some tea. He'd forced a smile but she'd seen through the strain that even if she didn't know Leonardo as well as she did she could've seen through the mask that was cracking around him. He'd told her what they'd found. The crumbling bricks, and the alarming amount of blood.
Elizabeth bit her lip, remembering the conversation.
"How do you know it was his blood?"
"It is."
"Leonardo, there are so many muggings out there a day it could have been anybody's."
"No, Elizabeth. I'm almost 100% sure it was Michelangelo's."
"How do you know that?"
"Don said the blood is too thin to be human's - our blood is thinner than human's."
"That doesn't mean... "
"And, because of this... "
Leonardo had then held out some strands of familiar silky orange material that made Elizabeth gasp. She understood now. Leonardo knew it was there because of this. They were from Michelangelo's mask.
Elizabeth felt a tear make it's way free and quickly brushed it away. She had to be strong for the guys. For Mikey. They would bring him home. She knew they would. She just hoped it would be soon. The lair just wasn't the same without Michelangelo hear. It was too quiet, and the brothers just seemed so out of sorts. None of them were going about with their usual activities. She glanced towards the brothers again, Raphael was still pacing. And Leonardo was leaning up against the wall outside Don's lab, waiting for any results Don might have on their missing brother, any news he might have found from breaking into scientific labs. They were both so tense.
Elizabeth bit her lip, she knew their routines as well as they did now. It seemed so out of sorts. Leonardo was usually coming in for an early afternoon tea by now, and Raphael would just be finishing up his hour workout with his dummy and post. He'd kiss her quickly then head for the shower to get cleaned up while Akemi tried to follow him in and then cried outside the bathroom door. She'd had a habit of playing in the toilet lately, or the shower. Anything with running water she'd seemed fascinated by. If you turned around and Akemi wasn't around, you could usually find her trying to splash her hands in the toilet.
Donatello had finally put a lock on top of the bathroom door that everyone knew to lock if they weren't in there. Sometimes Michelangelo left it open on purpose because he found the whole thing hilarious. Elizabeth hadn't appreciated that because she was the one who had to pull her dripping daughter's hands out of the toilet and get her cleaned up.
Donatello hadn't appreciated it either, especially since Akemi had gotten delight from watching things go flush down the toilet and would throw anything and everything she could get her small hands on, toss it into the toilet bowl and flush the lever watching it spin around and around until it was sucked into the hole. It hadn't been a real problem until Akemi had started flushing bigger things down the toilet and had jammed it up. Donatello had had to take the whole toilet apart to get Michelangelo's action figures, the keys to the battleshell that someone had left within Akemi's reach, a few legos, and wads of toilet paper out of the toilet. He had told Michelangelo that if he did that again then he would be the one pulling out the soaking wet toilet paper and other items Akemi had joyfully decided to flush. Michelangelo had been pretty good about keeping that door locked ever since.
But Akemi had caught on to that, and Elizabeth had caught her just the day before Michelangelo had disappeared pushing a chair towards the bathroom door so she could stand on it and unlock the lock so she could get in. Elizabeth had told Donatello about this and he was working on something more permanent, but all that had been put on hold when Michelangelo had gone missing.
Elizabeth washed her hands, though her fingers were still red from the Jell-O and she still had the blue and purple to cut and put into tupperware bowls, but that could wait for now. Akemi would be awake from her nap by now. Elizabeth wiped her hands on a towel and headed for the bedroom the turtles had set up for Akemi for when she'd gotten too old to sleep in the bedroom with Elizabeth and Raphael. Like her crib Michelangelo had taken deliberate care in painting the walls with pictures of realistic wolves in an amazing background. Elizabeth had stared at the walls for hours when she'd first seen the nursery, which had been upgraded to Akemi's room, and still doubted she'd seen every little detail Michelangelo had put into it. It was so beautiful.
Akemi's bedroom was fairly simple with second hand furniture that the turtles had sanded down and painted so it was just like new for her. Elizabeth had absolutely refused to let them paint them pink. She did not like pink. So the turtles had opted for white and red, which Elizabeth had deemed acceptable. April had given them a mattress for Akemi when they thought her old enough to have a big girl bed and Akemi delighted in jumping up and down on the mattress when she thought no one was looking.
Elizabeth smiled a little despite herself. Even with their simple things down here with the turtles instead of the extravagant and more expensive things she would have gotten with Elizabeth's ex-husband, Akemi seemed happy with what she had. And she delighted in spending time with her uncles. She still seemed particularly close to Leonardo and still spoke Japanese better than Elizabeth did. Leonardo still spoke in Japanese frequently to her and Akemi would parrot him. But she especially liked Michelangelo because he had toys.
In fact she'd taken one of his toys last week and they'd had quite the episode with it. After listening to Raphael read her Hansel and Gretel Akemi had begun to sprinkle bread crumbs all over the lair pretending to be Hansel. Elizabeth had scolded her and told her to go find something else to do besides making such a mess. She'd had a lot on her mind and had been finishing up dinner. Akemi had darted away with one of Michelangelo's action figures while Elizabeth had cleaned up the bread crumbs. Elizabeth shook her head - she had a lot on her mind, and so much to do, even with dessert already in the oven. She'd been making an Australian dessert, lamingtons, which she was very excited about though it was fairly simple. A pound cake rolled in chocolate frosting and then covered with coconut. But as she'd finished cleaning up the mess and returned to dice up the chicken for tacos she'd thought the sweet vanilla scent of the cake suddenly seemed off.
She'd wondered briefly if Donatello had been doing something in his lab to make the lair smell so funny. It wouldn't be the first time it had happened, and with Donatello it happened quite frequently. He was always coming up with some new invention he was just dying to try out or a new formula that had an important purpose for something. Elizabeth didn't always understand his explanations but she could always catch the excited gleam in his eye when he was on to something big.
But Donatello hadn't been leaning over his chemicals that night. He'd been sitting at his computer desk, one leg crossed over the other, a large book supported by his knees, his computer screen flashing with tons of data much faster than Elizabeth could make out. But he too paused when she opened his door and with a finger on the page of the book he'd been reading had asked. "Is something burning?"
And that was when Elizabeth had run back to the kitchen and pulled open the oven door to find Mikey's newest action figure head first in her pound cake, burnt to a crisp, the cake fallen, and dessert completely ruined.
Akemi had gotten a time out and a very stern talking to for that one for touching the oven. And when asked why she'd done it she said she had to stop the witch. Elizabeth hadn't felt like trying to make another pound cake so they'd gone without dessert that night, and nobody ate more than a few bites of dinner with the smell of burnt rubber still strong in the air.
Elizabeth still owed Michelangelo a new action figure too. She hadn't had the time to go up and get it now. She felt her stomach clench. What if he never came home? What if something had really happened to him?
She had to force herself to stay calm. To believe in Raphael. In his brothers. They would find Michelangelo. They would bring him home. They wouldn't give up on him. He was family. She only hoped it was soon. She really missed him.
As Elizabeth left the kitchen her eyes were once again drawn to Raphael's pacing. She could see his shoulders tense with stress, his jaw clenched, and even from across the room she could see a muscle twitch in his well defined jaw.
She'd gotten used to Raphael's mood swings over these last three years. It still seemed incredible to her that it had been so long. She was happier than she ever thought she'd be. And being with Raphael was the most incredible gift she could've asked for. Of course when asked who she thought she'd marry when she was a little girl she never would've guessed that she'd fall in love with a five foot tall walking talking turtle. Who could've imagined such a thing? But having them in her life, all of them, she wouldn't trade that for anything. Even if it was because, even if only in a small way, she'd met Raphael because of Graham.
The thought of her ex-husband still made her blood go cold. He'd tried to kill her and Akemi not long after Akemi had been born, luckily for them both Raphael had gotten there when he had and pulled him off her. She'd gone to Graham's trial to testify. She had still looked very battered, but with her parent's and brother's support, and Raphael's back at home, she had swallowed her fear and Graham had been put away for attempted murder.
But that was all over with now. And she was happy. Her parents and brother had never met Raphael and his brothers, but she talked to them often and they could tell she was happy, so that made them happy. They had been begging her a lot lately to bring Akemi down to the small ranch for a few days and Elizabeth was having a hard time coming up with excuses. She hadn't talked to Raphael yet but she knew she couldn't put it off for much longer. She so rarely saw her parents and it would be nice to see them and she knew that they wanted to spend time with their only grandchild. And besides she wanted to meet this mystery girl her brother Sam kept talking about. But still, the thought of leaving Raphael, even if it were only for a few days made her heart ache. It was like tearing out a part of herself and forcing it to stay behind while she went to see her parents.
She wasn't at all sure how they would react upon seeing Raphael. She was sure they would understand. Her parents had always believed in not judging anyone by how they look. Never judge a book by it's cover. The problem was she wasn't sure how Raphael would react to her wanting to meet them – and now wasn't the time to discuss it with him. Not with Michelangelo missing.
She heard the bedroom door open upstairs and sighed inwardly. Sounds like Akemi was awake from her nap. Akemi's naps were getting shorter and shorter and the days seemed to get longer and longer with her energetic three year old. She loved Akemi, adored her, she'd do anything for her daughter. But she was feeling rather drawn the last few weeks, as if she couldn't muster up enough energy to keep up with her.
Akemi made her way down the last stair and made a beeline for Leonardo. Her usual routine. Leonardo had his back to her, but at the moment she leapt for him he turned and caught her in the air. Elizabeth shook her head. She'd seen Akemi and Leonardo do this time and time again, and it never ceased to amaze her that no matter what he was doing, no matter how distracted he seemed, he'd never once not caught Akemi when she'd thrown herself at him. Akemi giggled as Leonardo held her easily, his strong muscular arms enfolding her in an easy embrace. She leaned her head against his plastron, her long brown curls spilling over her shoulders and falling gently on her chest down to her waist, she crushed them against him as she leaned against him fully. She blinked contentedly.
Elizabeth smiled gently, leaning against the wall as she watched Leonardo cradle her daughter. She never would've guessed that the two would form such a close bond together. She and Leonardo hadn't exactly been friends when they first met. In fact Leonardo had been the one who'd been all too eager to send her back to Graham despite the fact that she'd been injured at the time. He'd been wary and cold and unfriendly towards her until she'd risked her life and had almost died trying to save Donatello's life. After that Leonardo's outlook towards her had changed completely. He'd not only been more friendly towards her but had protected her the same way he protected his brothers. Like one of the family. Elizabeth knew that that said a lot about how Leonardo felt about her.
But even though she and Leonardo had become good friends and he was like a brother to her, she never would've thought that he'd form such a close bond with Akemi. Especially with how awkward he'd been at first. He'd held her like she was a bomb about to go off and had always seemed completely uncomfortable with her. Eventually he had adjusted to the small new member of the family and as she'd gotten a little older Akemi had just gravitated towards him. There was just something about Leonardo's calm and over all quiet demeanor that seemed to attract Akemi to him. She never seemed to tire of him, though Elizabeth would take pity on him and would take her daughter from the turtle so he could go meditate or train.
Elizabeth watched the turtles quietly as Raphael and Leonardo talked in hushed voices, Akemi cradled against Leo's plastron, quite content.
He'd make a great father some day.
The thought crossed Elizabeth's mind before she could stop it. And immediately she felt pain shoot through her for these turtles. Could they even have kids? Would the mutation have any impact on that? And what were the chances of them finding someone if they were always down here, only going topside when they were on patrol? That was how she had met Raphael, but even then those chances were slim. Elizabeth knew that the outlook for such possibilities were slim and that there was a good chance Raphael would be the only one who would ever find the kind of relationship he and Elizabeth shared. How many people would really look beyond the green skin and shells to see just how incredible they were? In this world, Elizabeth knew the chances were slim, and that made her heart break for them all.