A/N: Sorry for the delay guys. Not having a computer was hard - but I got a new one for Christmas so hopefully that won't happen again but things have been very crazy the last couple of weeks. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and a great New Year. I was especially happy Christmas Even when I finished my original 2003 TMNT cross stitch design after six months of hard work. And of course for my laptop so I can work on this story more often. I will strive to do better to update every week. Work however is busy and I have set some yearly goals for myself that will take up some of my time after work during the weekdays but I will work hard to make sure you guys don't have to wait so long again. Thanks again for those who take the time to review. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weekends. See you again soon.

Chapter 5

Melinda knew she was well out of her depth. A giant turtle that could talk was more than most people could handle but the way he was looking at her with those impossible blue eyes, pleading for answers that she didn't have was something she wasn't sure she could really handle. She felt sorry for this poor creature and wanted to help it but had no idea how she could do that. It wasn't like she could just take him to the police station and see if someone had reported him missing. Someone was bound to notice a giant five foot bi-pedal turtle even in New York.

Surely he had to come from somewhere. There had to be someone who would miss him. But how could she contact them – he didn't have a collar. She frowned a little at herself. He was intelligent, more so than she'd expected when she'd first seen him. He wasn't an animal there was no way he'd be someone's pet with a tag around his neck letting her know where he should be returned. But she couldn't really see him carrying a wallet with identification in that either. The truth was that even if he did have someone that was looking for him, while he was with Melinda and with no way to contact each other it would be impossible to figure out who they were.

The turtle was watching her with a rather sad expression as if reading these thoughts on her face. Melinda forced herself to get a grip. She just had to help this turtle. She had no idea how she would help him, but she had to do it. But first things first. Her fridge was empty, and she was sure this turtle would be hungry again soon, she'd have to go to the store, and while she was at it she'd stop and the Laundromat and get his mask washed, hopefully the blood stain would be soaked out by now.

"I'm going to run a couple errands," she said standing up and brushing her pant legs as if they had been dirty. Her long blond hair fell over her shoulder and she brushed it back impatiently. "I'm just going to go change really quick and I'll go grab more food and supplies and we can figure out what to do when I get back. If there's someone looking for you we'll find them."

The turtle nodded, his blue eyes meeting hers before looking away again.

"There's a TV and some DVDs in that box," Melinda said, not sure why she was telling him this. Did he even know what TV was? "I'm afraid it isn't a big collection – but there's a few action movies in there. "

The turtle didn't move. Melinda sighed inwardly. She thought offering it a ball to play with would be degrading somehow.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," she promised. She headed for the bedroom, quickly kicked off the clothes she'd worn yesterday and threw them towards the full hamper. She really did need to make a trip to the laundry for her own things too. But that could wait.

Returning to the bathroom she splashed some cold water on her face, twisted her hair up and into a French twist and pinned it in place before brushing her teeth and wringing out the mask and sticking it hastily in her pocket. She grabbed her pocketbook and keys. She wasn't surprised to see that the turtle hadn't moved.

"I'll be back soon," she promised again. Then she slipped out closing and locking the door behind her.

"Shouldn't we be searchin' da pier or somet'in' babe?"

"Don't call me babe," April said as she nudged her husband in the side with her elbow. He smirked a little. His baby blue eyes twinkling, but April could see the underlying worry there. The worry that was reflected in her own eyes. She was worried, no more than that, she was terrified.

Leonardo had sounded so worried, she didn't deny that he had a right to be. When one of them went missing it was never because something amazing had happened to them. The last time one of them had gone missing without a trace it had been Donatello – and he'd almost been killed. He would have been if his brothers hadn't gotten there in time to save him. And there were times before that when they'd been captured, knocked unconscious, hurt badly, and had people try to dissect them. The thought of the happy go lucky Michelangelo alone without his brothers tied up to a lab table or put in a cage made April's heart ache.

She hated to think how the turtles would handle it if they never found their brother. She couldn't even imagine, she didn't want to imagine. The thought of never seeing Michelangelo again was unthinkable.

"Whoa," Casey's tone caught April off guard and pulled her out of her dark thoughts. She looked at him. He tightened his grip around her waist. "Dat's a lot of blood."

April followed Casey's eyes down the alley to the stain next to the overflowing dumpster and felt her heart lurch. Leonardo had said there was blood. That he thought Michelangelo was hurt. But she hadn't expected this. Not this much blood. It was more than she would've thought possible. She pulled out of Casey's grip, walking towards the puddle that was slowly drying, browning at the edges and flaking as she touched it gingerly.

She rubbed the dry blood off her fingers, watching the brown flakes slowly drift to the ground and blow away in the soft breeze. The middle was still red, though it too was slowly drying. She swallowed hard. In order to lose this much blood the orange banded turtle must've been hurt, and badly. But where would they take him? There was no sign of tire tracks, no extra blood on the walls, no drag lines indicating he'd been dragged away between two foot soldiers… so where was he?

"Ape?"

April closed her eyes and stood up, brushing her hands on her jeans. "We have to find him, Casey. We'll search the park, just in case. They have a small carnival there today. We can check that out. "

"An if he ain't there?"

"We don't stop looking until we find him," April said firmly. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly very cold. As if all the happiness in the world had just drained away.

Casey wrapped his arm around her and together they left the alley. "We'll find 'im Ape, we will."

"I know we will, Casey, I just… oh!"

The startled blonde who'd almost run into them stepped back, her bright blue eyes wide with shock. She was clutching her grocery bags, her long blonde curls bouncing around her face, a strand stuck to her flushed forehead, her breathing rather rushed, as if she'd been hurrying down the street with bags too heavy for her.

"S… sorry… " she stammered, taking a step back. "Didn't see you."

"No problem," Casey said with a smile.

The girl flinched away, clutching her paper bags to her chest a little tighter. She hurried around them, glancing back over her shoulder as she fumbled in her pocket, obviously hunting for her keys as she climbed the stoop to the building just next to the alley that the guys had found the blood in.

April's eyes narrowed as the keys got caught on something in the girl's pocket. The girl nearly lost her grip on the bags in her hands, but finally managed to pull out her keys, along with a flash of familiar, silky orange material. Glancing hastily at April and Casey again. The girl pushed the key into the lock and hurried inside, shutting the door behind her.

April pulled out her phone.

"What ya doin' babe?"

"Calling the guys – Mikey might be closer than we thought."

Raphael's hand rubbed her bare back gently in a smoothing soothing sensation that still made Elizabeth's skin prickle with pleasure. She moved closer to him, although she was practically wound around him already, one leg over his, her head resting on his plastron, one arm draped over his stomach, her fingers lightly brushing the edge of his carapace enjoying the rough but oddly smooth texture of his shell. His warm familiar scent calmed her in a way she'd never felt with anyone before, she never felt safer than when she was in Raphael's arms.

She felt his muscles flex a little as he shifted beneath her finding a more comfortable position for himself, his other arm wrapped gently around her waist enfolding her in his powerful embrace. Elizabeth sighed content, closing her eyes a little then forcing them open again, enjoying the peace and stillness of the lair. It didn't come much these days – not with an energetic three year old who almost constantly demanded someone's attention. But she was asleep for now, which gave Elizabeth and Raphael something they had been craving for a while. Alone time.

"Marry me."

Elizabeth felt her muscles tense in an automatic reaction. She felt his hand pause and could almost feel his eyes shift to look at her in the dark. She shook her head against him and stiffened as if to pull away. He tightened his grip.

"No."

She felt him frown. She pushed herself up so she could look him in the face. He wasn't looking at her, he was looking at a spot on the ceiling, glaring at it as if it had insulted him.

"Raph, marriage is just a piece of paper."

He said nothing for almost a full minute then finally looked at her. "It's more den dat."

Elizabeth ran her finger along his jawline. "Hamato Raphael, you have me. I'm not going anywhere. Isn't that enough?"

His jaw never relaxed and his silence was her answer.

Elizabeth ran the wet rag inside the drinking cup over the soapy basin full of hot water and bubbles, letting the memory run over and over inside her head as she washed the dinner dishes. She could hear Timon and Pumba singing Hakuna Matata in the living room again and Akemi's laughter as the warthog and meerkat went around eating bugs and teaching the young lion about a new way of life.

That night with Raphael seemed a lifetime ago. Had it really only been a few days, right before Michelangelo had gone missing when they'd been in bed together and Raphael had once again been asking her about marriage.

He'd been asking her an awful lot she'd noticed. He'd bring it up, Elizabeth would give him the same answer and he'd let the matter drop for a while then ask her again. But he seemed more determined on the matter lately. At first it had only been once every few months, and now it was at least once or twice every few weeks. As if he was hoping she'd suddenly change her answer.

Elizabeth let the water drain back into the full basin and rinsed out the cup setting it on a dish towel to dry as she reached for the next item that needed to be scrubbed.

Everything seemed to have changed in just a few days. With Michelangelo gone missing, and the large amount of blood Leonardo had told her that they'd found where Michelangelo's phone had last seemed to be working, Elizabeth felt as if the world had been turned upside down. As if life were suddenly so short and that she was blowing Raphael's proposal of marriage out of proportion.

It really wasn't that big a deal. It wasn't like she wasn't already living with the turtle. As if they weren't already with each other emotionally and physically. It wasn't as if they hadn't already crossed that line into intimacy. It wasn't as if there wasn't a connection between them. Elizabeth knew that there was a spark, a red hot flare that made her yearn for more most of the time. At times it seemed as if her nights weren't long enough for her to get her fill of Raphael. He was the best thing that had ever happened to her. So why was she so reluctant to say yes to a simple piece of paper that would make her his?

Elizabeth knew the reason if she were going to be honest with herself. She had been too eager the first time she'd wanted to get married. Had dove head first without testing the waters first. And the ring she'd once been so excited about, the ring she'd proudly showed off to her friends, the ring that had been as light as gorgeous as she'd felt, but after the wedding and being with Graham it seemed to weigh thousands of pounds. She'd never thought such a thing would be so heavy.

But this was Raphael – it was different. She'd been with him for three years. He'd never raised a hand to her – not even when they'd argued. She knew he had a temper, much like Graham had. And it wasn't like they never argued. They did. Elizabeth tried to be patient, and she knew that Raphael tried as well, but there were times she could see the irritation flickering in his eyes and he'd retreat to the dojo to release that frustration. Elizabeth had learned to stay away from him when he was like that. She knew he'd never use her as his punching bag like Graham used to do, but she could sense the storm and knew it was best to stay out of the way until Raphael had it out of his system.

Most of the time Elizabeth tried not to argue with Raphael. He was so good to her, really the best thing in her life besides her daughter. He and his brothers had opened up their home to her, Raphael was raising Akemi as if she were his own. Elizabeth couldn't have asked for a better family for her daughter to be raised with. She knew that a marriage with Raphael would be different from Graham. She didn't need to be reminded of their honor code and how they followed Bushido. It was something that she saw in them every time they went out and came home protecting and keeping watch over a city that would never truly accept them for who and what they were.

Elizabeth fumbled around in the soapy water for a minute, found what she was looking for and pulled out the stopper allowing the water to gurgle down the drain. She grabbed a fresh towel and began to dry the dishes so she could put them away. She rolled over the idea in her head, the idea of marriage.

Would it really be so terrible? Especially if she were marrying Raphael? She doubted it. In fact she rather liked the idea of being Mrs. Hamato – of knowing that Raphael was hers, and she his.

"'Lizbeth."

Elizabeth nearly dropped the plate she'd been holding, and spun, taking a defensive position, one that Raphael had taught her.

Raphael frowned a little. Then walked over taking the plate from her hand and put it back on the counter. "We're leavin' it's dark enough fer us ta take ta da rooftops. April an' Case t'ought dey saw somet'ing. We're gonna check it out."

Elizabeth swallowed hard. "Bring him home, Raph."

"We ain't comin' 'ome wit'out 'im." Raph said gruffly. Then without another word he left the kitchen. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold. It didn't seem right without Raphael here - without all of them here. She heard more music from the movie playing in the living room and returned to the dishes. When Raphael asked her again, hopefully soon. Her answer would be different. Losing Michelangelo like this had made her realize something. Life was short and precious and she wasn't going to not marry the most incredible guy she had in her life. When he asked her again, she would say yes.

"We were 'ere las' night, fearless. Why are we 'ere again?" Raph growled as he leaned over the edge of the building glaring down at the dark alley and the offending blood stain that had long since dried and seemed to mock him, even though it was down there and he was up here. He tightened his hand on his sai, jaw clenched, eyes narrowed behind his mask.

Leo wasn't at all sure himself. When April had called she had told them to meet them at the same address they'd given her and Casey to start searching earlier. He would have thought that they would have expanded the search out – Michelangelo could be anywhere in the city. The fact that they were starting at the same point as they were last night made Leonardo feel as if time were wasting and they were right back at the beginning. It frustrated him, and he knew that Raphael was on edge as well.

Leonardo didn't like this anymore than Raphael or Donatello did. He didn't like that his baby brother was out there alone somewhere – going through who knows what kind of pain, humiliation, or torment at the hands of a capture. His volatile red banded brother hadn't been able to get rid of all his tension with the punching bag when they'd returned him this morning and Leonardo knew that Raphael was aching for a fight. To bash some heads. To get some answers. But they had to be patient, to see what Casey and April knew – if they knew anything.

Don jerked quite suddenly and pulled out his phone, he glanced briefly at the caller ID and then flipped the phone open. "April?" Leonardo's eyes snapped to his purple banded brother, frowning. Don listened for a long minute then nodded, though April couldn't see the gesture. "Right." He snapped the phone shut.

"They're in the van, let's go."

Don hurried to the fire escape, swiftly swinging down, landing on the ball of his feet in the alley, and avoiding the now dry blood he waited as Leonardo and Raphael landed silently behind him. The made their way through the shadows of the alley, moving like ghosts, no one who might have been looking out of their windows would have even noticed that they were there. They were ninja, they moved in the shadows.

April's worn out old van was waiting by the curb. Leonardo's eyes darted around the street, narrowing, searching for any sign of humans. Any sign the might be spotted there was none. He waves his brothers forward and Don and Raph hurried out hurrying to the van and slipped inside, Leonardo right after them, closing the door behind him.

"Ok, April, what have you found?"

"Guys, I think we might have found Mikey."