A/N ~ Hellooooo! Sorry for the looooong wait, but I'm back again XD I actually wrote this a long time ago (well not that long ago) but I never posted it on here until now. It's inspired by a fan Johnlock song called 'Never Knew I had a Heart (Till It Beat For You)', meaning I DON'T OWN IT XD. Hope you like it!

It's pretty much my personal take on Raph and Mona's first impressions of each other.

I OWN NOTHING.

Enjoy!

'Till It Beat For You

Now, Raphael was no expert on romance, nor had he ever wished to be one.

Looking at what his brothers could be reduced to when the subject of the girl's they had their eyes on came up – the way Donnie's face went red at the very mention of April's name, the wistful gleam in Leo's eyes when he thought of Karai, the downright giddiness Mikey displayed when he thought of the ditsy time master, Renet – Raph was pretty sure he never wanted to look or feel like that, not in a million years.

Still, he could understand that the way his brothers felt was genuine; it was never something he would use against them to truly hurt them in any way despite how much he teased them for it, how much they teased each other for it. But Raphael wasn't a fool.

He had a heart, of course he did, and very big one at that (though one should never make the mistake of bringing that up unless they wanted a broken face). But he wasn't so naïve as to let it beat for someone whom he knew he could never be with.

So Raph quickly decided that his heart had no room for such intense nonsensical feelings. A simple crush or fleeting attraction, he allowed, but nothing more. He saved his heart only for those he held very dear; his family. And he was happy that way. There were no muddled thoughts clouding his mind, nothing holding him back, hindering him from protecting the ones he did love fiercely with his whole being. In his book, all was right with the world.

Then he'd met her.

Raph was very familiar with the lizard alien psychopath that Mikey – no, Donnie – had dubbed the 'Newtralizer'. What he hadn't known was that there was an entire race of the same aliens wandering about the galaxy, which they'd later discovered were called Salamandrians. And when faced with two of them, their weapons brandished and unjust accusations spewing from their lips, Raph had instantly decided he disliked them as much as he disliked their Kraang-eating buddy back on earth.

The female lizard in particular had ticked him off, with the way she'd blatantly wanted to pick a fight with them over an obvious misunderstanding right off the bat. And yet Raph couldn't help but acknowledge that she was pretty attractive. Scratch that, she was really attractive; she was tall, easily three or four inches taller than him, and her authoritative if not threatening presence complemented her height and her readied stance perfectly. She had bright amber eyes, a slender figure, broad shoulders, light blue spots like freckles dancing across her dark scaly skin, and perhaps most notably, defined muscles.

Plus, she had some serious guts if she was ready to dive into a fight seven against one. He could respect that, relate to it even.

But when she'd attacked his brothers and his sister, all bets were off; she was going down.

Then, it hit him. Or rather, she'd hit him.

And every single wall he'd ever built around his heart all but crumbled under the sheer strength of her mighty fist. The feelings Raph had done everything in his power to fight against suddenly washed over him, much like a river over stone, and he saw the Salamandrian woman in a whole different light; she had guts and a violent temper to match, and was just as beautiful. But she was far more than some trigger-happy brawler or another pretty face.

She was quick on her feet, she was intelligent, she was stubborn as an ox, she was hot-headed and fierce, she had a strong sense of honor that grounded her, she was unquestionably loyal to her companion, she was so incredibly strong…

She was a warrior, in every sense of the word. And Raph loved that. What a woman.

Raph had once believed that his heart had been all but closed off from something as complicated as affection towards another, until his heart had beat for her.

And with all of them trapped on an ice moon, their power running low and their timing running out, a warrior like her was exactly what he – what they –needed to escape before they all froze to death. Though the idea of asking her out still crossed his mind…

Y'gythba had never dwelled on the subject of love or attraction. As a warrior, battling on the front lines in a war against the cowardly but ruthless Triceratons for the sake of her people – and the universe as they knew it – she had no time to ponder over such trivial matters.

Though it was by no means a weakness, love like that was a distraction. Love made one do foolish things when the rapid beating of their hearts drowned out common sense.

The vast majority of her comrades back on Salamandria – most of which were her closest friends, some she'd known since her childhood – had thought otherwise, of course; they'd attempted to find her a suitable partner on more than one occasion, which had annoyed her to no end. Even Commander G'throkka had tried to talk her into pursuing such an endeavor for goodness sakes! But each time, she refused to be swayed from her responsibilities, much to the disappointment of her companions, but eventually they let her be.

Still, despite her adamant claims, there were days in which she did feel somewhat lonely – evanescent moments in which she would look at a couple, so hopelessly in love, and find herself wanting that same thing, to see what it was like. Nevertheless, Y'gythba stood firm by her decision. The sake of their whole universe hung in the balance; she couldn't afford to get side-tracked.

Then she'd met him.

The first time she'd laid eyes on the four alien terrapins and their terran companions, Y'gythba had thought nothing of them, other than the fact they were cowardly, dishonorable fools that just didn't know when to give up. She'd even said so to Commander G'throkka when they'd spotted the group of strangers trekking up the ice hill in search for the metal. She'd wanted nothing more than to give them what they deserved for downing their ship, disgracing them, but they'd had other matters to attend to.

That is, until the red clad terrapin had leapt into their path. Literally.

Said turtle, once she'd gotten a good look at him, was in actuality quite handsome. Behind a helmet, emerald green eyes shone brightly behind a red mask, and though he was shorter than her – and quite possibly younger, though not by much – he had thick, defined muscles to make up for it, and the strength to match; she'd seen so first-hand, though he'd lost to her in the end.

For a moment she'd found his sudden playfulness towards her almost endearing, a far contrast from his hostile attitude upon their first encounter. And yes, the flip had been rather impressive, a move she was seldom able to pull off herself. On top of that, because this creature was simply full of surprises, his proposal for an alliance in spite of their earlier battle had been honorable, something she hadn't thought the boy capable of after a shameful defeat.

Though her blaster was raised, aimed for his forehead, her hand had stilled as she'd stared at him. As G'throkka soon mentioned, his bravery spoke of a heroic heart, one that she hadn't come across in quite some time.

And even though she'd eventually decided to shoot the ice at his feet and send him tumbling down the face of the cliff instead –fighting back the urge to chuckle when he cried "That's not good teamwork!" –he'd succeeded in intriguing her. Well, she could deny it aloud, but her thoughts were a completely different matter.

It was a new and interesting feeling, and she welcomed it…reluctantly.

Then, just when she'd feared she was doomed to die by the merciless claws of the Ice Dragons after they'd ambushed her and her commander, the turtle came back. And with him, he'd brought the strength of a thousand soldiers, laying waste to the remaining creatures surrounding her, a mighty cry ripping from his throat.

And just like that, as she'd stared at him with wide eyes, the feelings she'd suppressed for so long for the sake of her duties, washed over her like a river over stone.

The turtle was brash, unruly, and had an obvious thirst for battle that perhaps outweighed his common sense. But he was also bold, he was honorable despite her former beliefs, he was an experienced warrior, he was passionate, he was fierce, he was hot-headed, he was stubborn, he saw her as his equal rather than a mere woman, he was so outrageously strong…and…

"Back on earth, there's this painting of, like, the most beautiful woman in art and stuff. Um…so how about if I call you, 'Mona Lisa'?"

…He was a gentleman. And Y'gythba loved that. What a noble creature.

And when all was said and done, their ships repaired and their lives no longer at the mercy of the bitter cold, their noses met, and she felt as though a wish had been granted, a wish she'd never truly asked for. For the first time in a long time, she was happy. And by the goofy look on his face as they parted, she was quite sure Raphael felt exactly the same.

The Salamandrian warrior had believed her heart could hold no other…until it beat for him.

A/N ~ Ah, young love!