Hey everyone. Hope everyone has had a good couple of weeks. Thanks again for those who take the time to review. I'll try and get another chapter posted this next weekend. Hope everyone has a good week. Enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 16
Mikey yawned stretching. Not knowing when he'd fallen asleep, after Ghost Rider he and Melinda had watched Dare Devil, which had seemed to make Melinda sad. She hadn't seen that one either and had looked upset at the end of the movie. When she'd voiced her opinion that Super Heroes must be lonely Michelangelo had looked at her surprised. She'd then explained that they were always alone, pushing away those they loved to keep them safe from those who would want to hurt them, or as in Dare Devil's case they were killed.
Michelangelo had thought this over carefully, realizing that Melinda did have a point. Most super hero movies didn't have happy endings where the hero got the girl. Most super hero endings were of the super hero riding off into the distance to save someone else. Realizing that if they did fall in love and keep someone close they would wind up being hurt. It wasn't really a happy prospect. Michelangelo wasn't sure if he ever wanted to be a hero if that's what it meant.
It would be depressing to always be alone. Even though those other strange turtles were always hovering whenever he was close to them and trying to make him be someone he couldn't remember at least he felt wanted. Well a part of him was wanted anyway. He could see the concerns in their faces and had seen them exchange worried glances when they thought he wasn't looking. But he wasn't stupid. He knew what they wanted, but he wasn't sure if he could give it to them… or if he wanted to give it to them if he could.
The problem was that these turtles seemed to be fighters, and although he couldn't remember how he'd gotten these injuries he did remember those turtles in Melinda's apartment and they had been fierce fighters. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be like them. To fight evil. To never get the girl. To be destined to be alone.
But that red masked turtle… Ralph… no… Raph, that was it. Raphael. He had Elizabeth. Michelangelo liked Elizabeth. Elizabeth was very nice, and she was beautiful. The way her long dark hair fell down her back like a waterfall, the way those emerald eyes seemed to sparkle when she smiled, how her cheeks went pink with pleasure when she held her daughter. And Raphael seemed crazy about her. Michelangelo had caught them a couple times in a tender moment when he'd headed to the kitchen for a snack. He had always quietly snuck away before they noticed him, but it had also made him curious.
Maybe if Elizabeth liked Raphael… he looked over at Melinda and was surprised to see she'd fallen asleep too. Her long blond curls had trailed over her shoulder, and were touching the couch cushions, her head resting on the opposite arm of the couch where she sat. Her broken leg sprawled a bit awkwardly on the stool that the purple masked turtle, Donatello, had given her. Quietly, Michelangelo stood up, carefully adjusted her leg onto the couch where she would be more comfortable and covered her with an afghan blanket that was draped over the back of the couch.
Melinda shifted a little in her sleep, a frown forming between her brows, but then smoothed out a few seconds later.
Hearing noises from the kitchen, and knowing it had to be close to dinner time, Michelangelo headed to the kitchen. He could talk to Elizabeth. She wouldn't laugh.
He was relieved to see that Elizabeth was alone. Usually Akemi was sitting at the table coloring or eating a small snack of berries before dinner but she was absent tonight. Probably with Raphael or Leonardo somewhere, he thought.
Elizabeth seemed to be working on dessert, the smell of dinner was already heavy in the kitchen, which meant it had been cooking for a while. Elizabeth had three round chocolate cakes and was spreading some frosting onto one of the layers, a bag of chocolate chips next to her.
"Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth jumped, her arm jerked and missed the cake, getting her wrist instead. She turned looking at Michelangelo. "Mikey, you scared me."
"Oh… I'm… I'm sorry." He apologized feeling sheepish. "I wasn't trying to… "
Elizabeth chuckled as she grabbed a paper towel, wiping the icing off her skin. "I know that. Here why don't you come taste this for me? I've never made this before so I'm a bit nervous about it."
Michelangelo's eyes widened. And he smiled as she dipped a spoon into the frosting and held it out to him. He took it from her, immediately tasting the treat. It was sweet, but had a slight tang to it, giving it a small edge. He really liked it.
"That's good." He licked the spoon clean.
"Good, I was worried it might be too tangy… " Elizabeth said, obviously relieved that he'd liked it. She spread some more icing on the bottom layer and then sprinkled some chocolate chips on it before carefully picking up the second cake, centering it, and dropping it on the first layer.
"So… what kind of cake is this?" Mikey asked hoping to sound casual.
Elizabeth smiled as she checked the two cakes before beginning to ice the second layer. "It's called chocolate lasagna. I've had it a few times, but never made it. It's really good though."
"Well the icing is really good. "
Elizabeth smiled at him over her shoulder. "So you said. Since you're just standing there would you mind peeling those potatoes for me?"
Mikey looked at the pile of potatoes that were sitting next to the sink, waiting to be peeled, a potato peeler was already sitting next to them. He nodded and walked over to the sink, picking up a potato, and ran the potato peeler over it. The blades were sharp making the chore easy as the skins flew off the potatoes with ease.
"So you want to tell me what's really on your mind?" Elizabeth asked as Mikey put the first peeled potato down onto a paper towel.
"That obvious?" Mikey asked, frowning a little as he picked up the second potato.
"Not really," Elizabeth said easily. "But you look like you've got something on your mind. You are always a bit twitchy when you want to talk about something but aren't sure how you should go about it. Your fingers were twitching when I gave you the icing to taste."
Mikey looked at his hands surprised. He hadn't even noticed.
"Muscle memory remembers faster than the brain does I think," Elizabeth said keeping her voice gentle and kind. "So is something wrong?"
"No… no it's nothing like that." Mikey sighed, watching the potato peels shoot into the sink. "I was just wondering about something… "
"Well… " Elizabeth said keeping her voice just as gentle and patient as before. "What is it? Maybe I can help."
This was going to be more awkward than Michelangelo had expected. He bit his lip, not answering for a few minutes peeling a couple more potatoes before finally asking what he was so desperate to know.
"You… you love Raphael don't you?"
Of all the questions it was obvious that this wasn't the one Elizabeth had been expecting. She put down the spatula she was using to frost the cake and looked at him, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms across her chest, looking at him with her undivided attention now.
"Yes, I do, Mikey. I love him a lot."
Mikey swallowed hard, and nodded. He put the fourth peeled potato down and grabbed the next one. "I was just wondering… when did you… I mean… how did you… "
"Raphael found me in the park… saved me from a couple of men that were trying to hurt me. He brought me down here. To the lair and your family. I'd been injured and I didn't want to go to the hospital, he wasn't sure what else he should do so he had Donny fix me up."
"And you've just been down here ever since?"
"Well… no," Elizabeth said as if considering the question carefully. "But for the most part I have. After Akemi was born she was sick for a little while so I wanted to stay close to the hospital and the doctors just in case I needed to take her there. So I stayed with April and Casey until Akemi was well enough to come home to the lair."
"But after that?"
"For the most part, yes," Elizabeth said nodding her head.
"Because you love Raphael?"
"Because I love all of you. You guys let me into your lives and your home. You're my family too." He could hear the concern and confusion in her voice. She obviously had no idea what he was trying to ask and was trying figure it out.
"Elizabeth, do you think that we could… I mean the rest of us could ever… you know like you and Raphael?"
"Oh," Elizabeth's eyes widened, now understanding what Michelangelo was getting at. "You mean, like Melinda?"
She saw his face darken a little, obviously embarrassed, which meant she had gotten to the point he'd been trying to get to.
Elizabeth smiled and walked over to the orange masked turtle. Putting a hand on his arm. He flinched. But she didn't let go. "Mikey, a girl would have to be crazy not to want to be with you. You are one of the most loving souls I've ever met. You're funny and sweet. And I've rarely seen you angry. Anyone you meet you're anxious to be friends with. You've got the bubbliest personality. It might grind on your brothers nerves, but you just wouldn't be you without it."
Michelangelo was shaking his head. None of those things seemed to fit him. "Elizabeth, I'm not… "
"Mikey, I know you don't remember now, but you will in time. But if you care for Melinda, the way I think you do. You'll let her make the decision in the end. Let her know how you feel, but if she decides she doesn't want to stay… well… you can't force someone to fall in love with you. But even if it isn't Melinda, you'll find someone Mikey. She's out there and she'll be worth the wait. I promise. Now finish peeling those potatoes so I can cut them up and get them boiling before they turn brown."
Michelangelo sighed, returning to finish the potatoes. Frowning. It wasn't exactly the way he'd hoped the conversation would go, but if Elizabeth was right, maybe there was a chance that he could have with Melinda what Raphael had with Elizabeth.
Almost an hour later Michelangelo went to get everyone for dinner. The roast beef was done, and so were the mashed potatoes. He'd helped Elizabeth make the garden salad and had even made the gravy for her, surprised that he seemed to know how to do it. And even more surprised that he was enjoying spending time in the kitchen with her. It was fun to make things with food, taking something and turning it into a master piece. And he'd grinned when he'd seen the finished cake. He was half tempted just to skip dinner and have the cake but Elizabeth had gently pushed him out of the kitchen as she'd stuck the cake in the fridge to give the icing the chance to set before they cut it. So, now that he'd been kicked out Michelangelo dutifully went to get the others for dinner while Elizabeth finished setting the table and set out the food.
Donatello was in his lab, as Michelangelo had come to see that he was usually in his lab.
"Hey, um, Donatello… Elizabeth told me to come get you for dinner."
"Yeah, ok, I'll be there in a minute, Mikey," Donatello said not looking up from the microscope he was looking into.
Michelangelo didn't push the point, knowing that the other turtle would join them in a few minutes, or that he would have to face the wrath of Elizabeth because the food was getting cold. He peeked into the dojo, but no one was in there, which probably meant that the other two were upstairs in their rooms.
Michelangelo decided to get Master Splinter first. He walked quietly across the lair to the paper rice door and knocked.
"Enter."
Michelangelo pushed open the paper rice door and poked his head in. The room smelled strongly of incense and there were several candles lit on the floor, the rat was kneeling, hands on his knees, ears laid back a little, eyes closed.
"Master Splinter?"
The rat's eyes opened.
"Elizabeth told me to get you for dinner."
"Thank you, my son. I will be there in a few minutes."
Michelangelo forced a smile and closed the door. It still felt so weird to be called that by the rat. How could a turtle have a rat for a father?
With a sigh he headed upstairs, stepping carefully over the toy cars Akemi had been playing with.
He found Leonardo in his room, sitting on a mat, legs crossed, arms out, fingers pinched together. It looked uncomfortable, but he was meditating. Perhaps meditation wasn't supposed to be comfortable?
"Leonardo… time for dinner."
Leonardo's eyes snapped open, his concentration broken. He relaxed, seeming to sag a little. "Ok, Mikey, I'm coming."
Michelangelo nodded and went to the next room. What he saw made him smile. Raphael was sound asleep, snoring loudly. Akemi curled into him her thumb in her mouth, her curls fanned out behind her. Michelangelo wasn't sure how she could sleep with Raphael snoring that loud. A Curious George book was on Raphael's plastron. Several more books scattered all over the floor.
Picking his way across the floor trying not to step on any of the toys Akemi had dragged into Raphael's room during play time, Michelangelo made his way further into the room. Accidentally stepping onto the cover of one of the books he slipped slamming into the bed before he could get his balance.
At once Raphael shot up, sai drawn. Michelangelo ducked, hands over his head, sitting hard on the floor. Startled Akemi began to cry.
Whoa, easy partner don't shoot!
Michelangelo frowned, keeping his head in his hands. He didn't hear Raphael at first and was startled when Raphael's hand fell on his shoulder.
"Mikey, ya alright?" Raph asked frowning as he looked his brother over.
Michelangelo looked at Raphael, frowning at the echo in his head. Whatever it was it didn't seem to fit with Raphael. In fact he wasn't even sure what it was supposed to be. How strange.
He nodded a bit numbly.
Raphael sat back on his heels, concern turning to annoyance. "Did ya need somet'in?"
"Uh yeah, Elizabeth said dinner is ready."
"Yeah, ok we'll be down in a minute."
Michelangelo nodded and stood up carefully picking his way around the items on the floor once again, Raph really should clean his room, and back towards the stairs.
Downstairs he could see Donatello leaving his lab stretching as he went, obviously stiff from the hours spent in his lab chair studying whatever he'd been looking at under his microscope.
And then the world suddenly felt fuzzy, he felt dizzy and sick. As if he were seeing something play out in front of him. But knew that it was just in his head. He put a hand to his head, swallowing hard. Trying not to be sick.
Raphael was snoring, and he'd been on the floor. Annoyed he threw a pillow at his brother, but even in his sleep Raphael had blocked it. There had been a red head, packing up some stuff… and Leonardo and Splinter had been watching the news. Side by side both sitting on the floor. And Donatello, he'd been up too, using a blow torch… welding. He'd snuck up behind him and scared him. Donatello, startled had turned around, blow torch still on pointed right at Michelangelo's face.
Whoa, easy partner, don't shoot!
Michelangelo, swallowed, taking a step, eyes still shut. He was alarmed when his foot slid out from under him, the toy car whizzing away. Losing his balance, he reached, but there was nothing to grab onto.
He heard someone yelling, someone screaming, his name. He heard something crashing, but it wasn't registering in his head. And then he felt peace as his head bashed into something and his world went dark.