It was ten a.m. and Raph was finally rolling out of bed, rubbing his head as he hunted for his bandana and battle gear. He had been on patrol the night before with Leo and Mikey while Casey had come to the lair to stay with Emily and talk to her. Someone was always with her now, now that they thought she was closer to waking up.
With all his gear on, Raph trudged down the concrete steps to see who else was awake. Just like he had been for the past week and a half, Don was already in the living room, watching the news.
"How is she?" Raph asked quietly, plopping down on the couch next to him.
Don started, both because of the sudden company and the question. "What are you talking about?" his voice shook a little. Only Leo knew about Kait.
Raph chuckled a little, stretching on the couch. "I know where ya've been goin' every night. Ya've been goin' to see Kait. So how is she?"
Don looked over at his older brother. "She's doing really good. She is going back to work now, so is Milo."
Raph nodded, glancing at the door to Emily's room. "So how are the two of ya doin'?"
"Good. Really good." Don took a deep breath, a little unsure how much he should share. He hadn't talked to anyone about it yet. "We talk, I help her cook. I spend time with her. She falls asleep. Sometimes I stay with her. Then I come home. It's a very wonderful schedule for me."
Raph was laughing beside his little brother. "Come on, Don. How are things really goin' between the two of ya?"
A blush came up a little on Don's face. "Well, we aren't nearly as far as you and Emily were. But I know I want it. I'm just not sure about Kait. But she's working her way there slowly but surely."
"Have ya seen her tattoo yet?"
Don almost jumped off the couch. "What?" his voice broke.
"Kait apparently told April who told Casey who told me that she's got a tattoo."
Don was blushing. He knew it wasn't on her arms or legs, or the back of her neck. Or her lower back. Or her lower stomach. "No, I haven't. She didn't even tell me she had one."
Raph only laughed, patting him on the shoulder and levering himself off the couch, heading towards the kitchen to find some food. He knew that his younger brother was head over heels for the woman. And he was glad he wasn't the only one of his family that got to love and be loved. "Are you gonna see her tonight?" Raph called from the kitchen.
"Yeah." His younger brother called back. "Milo's coming by too. We're planning what she's gonna do for her birthday."
"Her birthday is comin' up?" Raph was still hunting for his food that morning.
Don nodded, even though he knew Raph wouldn't see it. "Friday. She'll be the same age as us then."
Raph also gave him an unseen nod. "I hope ya have fun up there wit' them." And at that he was gone, walking into the dojo with an apple in his hand.
Don floated through his day, exchanging the occasional text with Kait while she was at work and he was working on the computer, translating more chatter. It seemed like the foot was sending a whole committee of leaders to replace Karai, no longer trusting a single leader of the Foot.
As soon as the sun had set, Don was off through the sewers to Kait's apartment. He walked as quickly she could to get to her sooner. He missed her the entire day he was away from her. But every evening he got to spend with her made it worth it. He climbed onto the roof a few buildings away from her apartment building and jogged and jumped his way onto her roof, opening the picture window she always left open for him.
And there she was, sitting at the table, working on a few sketches. Her hair was knotted up in a lose bun, a few golden ringlets falling around her shoulders. She was wearing her house clothes, usually sweat pants and t-shirt, but she was still beautiful to him. She was so focused on her work that she didn't hear him come in, giving him a rare opportunity to just watch her.
Until Cujo started to meow loudly and rub against his leg, vying for his attention like she always did. He squatted down to pet her as Kait whirled around, a smile lighting up her tired face. "Hey, Don." She stood quickly and crossed the room to him, immediately and naturally tucking herself into his arms, her head resting under his chin. After their brief hug, she stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick peck on his lips.
"How was work?" he asked, leaning in for another kiss. She gave it to him, letting him keep his arms wrapped around her.
She shrugged, opting to give him a third kiss rather than answer. Immediately, they were lost in each other. Even after over a week, they were still swept up by the other's touch. They would have continued if Milo hadn't let himself into her apartment, sighing heavily when he saw them.
"Really, guys? Really?!" he laughed as he dropped the take-out onto the counter top. Kait and Don stopped the passionate kissing to look at him, but did not separate. "Well," he sighed again. "I think it's about time we plan your birthday celebrations, Kaitlynn."
Kait's grimace made Don chuckle as he pulled off his mask. "You know I hate that, Milo. Just Kait. Bad enough Greg calls me Kaity." Don smiled again before he gently kissed her temple. ."But what did you have in mind, Milo?" she asked, turning so her back was pressed against Don's plastron, his arms around her waist.
He shrugged. "I mean, I know what you and I could do, but Mr. Turtle over here can't necessarily do with us." Don took his turn to grimace while Milo smiled innocently.
"How about a night in?" Kait suggesting, leaning against Don even more.
Milo shook his head theatrically. "That will never do. It's your birthday, Kait! We have to do something more than bake a cake and watch a DVD on your couch." He was pouting now, pulling at Kait's sensitive heart strings.
"Don," Kait was pensive now, turning in his grasp to look up at him. "Would you be alright if Milo and I went out, then you and I had our own little thing together?"
He nodded, kissing her forehead lightly. "Whatever will make you happy is perfect with me, doll." She smiled and he kissed her forehead again. "Then again," he gave her a smirk. "We could go back to my place and have a celebration with my family. I told Raph your birthday was Friday, so I'm sure he's telling everyone now that I'm out of the lair."
"Too many people." Kait shuddered. "I don't like it when so many people remind me that I'm getting older." She whined, taking her turn to pout.
Don gave her a warm smile. "You'll only be as old as me and my brothers, Kait." He told her quietly. "Please?" he whispered, kissing her ear.
Kait heaved a heavy sigh, theatrically surrendering. "Alright, Don, you win." She let him give her a peck on the lips before she turned around to talk to Milo again.
"I think I like your boyfriend more and more every day, Kait." Milo laughed, surprised don had managed to change her mind so quickly. "So, what kind of food do you want?" He asked Kait, pulling out the different containers of take out so they could start eating.
She shrugged, grabbing her box of fried rice and a pair of chopsticks and heading over the love seat, waiting for Don to take his customary seat beside her. When he did, she slid in beside him, her head finding his muscular shoulder instinctively. "We always go to Italian for lunch, so something other than that." She managed to get out around her food.
"How about that new Greek restaurant by the gallery?" he mumbled around his lo mien.
"Sure." Kait mumbled back, relaxing into Don's arms.
They ate in companionable silence for a little while, Milo just watching his best friend and her now boyfriend, a six foot mutant turtle named Donatello. Milo didn't stay around long after they had finished eating, claiming a need to take Gracie on a walk, leaving Kait and Don alone. Before Don could get too excited, Kait told him she needed to work on a new piece that night. So while Don was in the bathroom, Kait was setting up on the roof. It was a new moon and she wanted to try and capture it.
He was only gone a few minutes, but the apartment was awfully quiet when he closed the door. He couldn't even hear Kait moving around. He looked out the picture window and saw Cujo scratching to come in.
Kait would never shut Cujo outside, even if she was outside with her.
Instantly suspicious, he grabbed the bo from where it rested against her wall. "Kait?" he called, opening the window and letting the cat in before he climbed out onto the roof. His girlfriend was nowhere to be seen. "Kait?!" he called louder, pulling his bo into a fighting stance, fearing the worst.
No answer.
Resting on her bench was a note written in formal Japanese characters.
Bring yourself and your family of monsters to the alley by the 10th street pier. Hurry, or your whore will die
Feeling a hate rising up in his chest that he was sure could rival anything that Raph had ever felt, his phone was out of his pocket as he began to run across the roof tops, heading towards the water front.
"Hello?" Mikey had picked up the phone at the lair one ring before it went silent. He had been asked by Raph to watch Emily that night.
"Mikey, call everyone on their pagers. They've got Kait. They'll kill her if we aren't in the 10th street pier alleyway soon. Bring Splinter and tell everyone to come. Now. Please." Don hung up before his younger brother could respond.
They only had a few minutes head start, so he thought he might be able to catch up with them, but there was no one around him as he ran and jumped to the water front, his heart pounding and his lungs burning when he finally came to a stop. The alley was empty, of his girlfriend and his family.
A few moments after he stopped running, there was a quiet thud behind him. "We got Mikey's page." Leo whispered, walking up behind his younger brother. "They got Kait?"
Don nodded, fighting tears of anger and fear. "I was in the bathroom. She walked onto the roof to set up for a painting. And in that time, they took her."
A calloused hand was placed on his shoulder. "We'll get her back, Donnie." Raph whispered, raw emotion in his voice. He knew what Don was feeling, and he knew it was the price to pay for them to love the women that they did.
Mikey and Splinter where there a few minutes later, making the Hamoto family complete. Quickly and silently, they jumped to the floor of the alleyway, looking around for whoever took Kait right out from under Don's nose. The alley was empty for several moments until a black car pulled up to block the open end.
All the men pulled out their weapons holding them at the ready. Out of the car stepped four elderly Japanese men, one of which dragged a bound and gagged Kait out of the car.
"Kait!" Don shouted, moving to go to her before Splinter grabbed his arm.
"Wait, my son." He murmured.
The four men in suits stepped out of the car, the one that had grabbed Kait holding her between him and the turtles.
"I am glad to see you actually care about this woman." The man in the front called out to them with a thick accent. "It makes you slightly less sickening."
"Why have you taken her?" Splinter called out to him, fulfilling his role of the head of the household.
One of the other men laughed. "We needed your attention. This seemed like the easiest way to gather you all here."
"Why do you need us here? Who are you?"Splinter was getting impatient.
The first man moved to speak again. "We are the new leaders of the Foot. And we are here to offer you a deal. Take this woman, and the one you have at home, and leave. Leave New York City and we will not follow. We will leave you to your twisted life. Leave now or we will kill you all by the end of the month."
AN: Sorry this is a little shorter than the last chapter, but I think every chapter I ever write is shorter than that monstrosity.
And we're back to the cliffhangers, I know. Try not to kill me, please.
As always, questions, comments, concerns, feel free to review or send a PM.
Sincerely,
C M