(Totally forgot about the April, Casey and their kids sleeping in Mikey's room. :P instead of going back and rewriting the last chapter I will incorporate this mistake in to the next one. Had not been my plan but these stories seem to take on a mind of their own. Also I feel I need to a build a little of Raph and Arayah's relationship. So we will have some more fluffy stuff and a little less fighting for a bit. But don't worry. I will blow some shit up as soon as I can fit it in. 'cause as much as I enjoy researching things and righting the romantic stuff. I really, really like to blow stuff up more. )

Chapter 18

"Rhymes and reasons"

April stood in the isle of a Walmart looking at prenatal vitamins. When she had chosen a kind for herself she had done it just based on what looked tolerable. But picking out vitamins with a veterinarian was like picking out a T-shirt with a clothing designer. She had to admit she wasn't real impressed with Arayah at first. With how Arayah had taken off, the brothers in such a rush to find her that they had forgotten April and Casey were even in the layer, and how she had heard the whole senerio had gone down. Between what had been shared by the others and the details Raph had told Casey and Casey had told her, April was well aware of the reasons Arayah had run. But she had come back and was trying to take care of herself and April could respect that. There was also the way Raph looked at her. Like some tortured soul stuck somewhere in between heaven and hell, full of both longing and admiration.

"How about this one?" Arayah held up a bottle. Her green eyes looking out from the shadow of a hoodie that was pulled to hide as much of her face as possible, just in case. "It's got B12, DHA, folic acid, iron, and all the other good stuff, plus it's natural."

"Sounds good to me." That had been April's answer to the last twelve that Arayah had presented. To April's relief Arayah finally agreed and put the bottle in the cart.

"What else do I need?" Arayah asked feeling kind of stupid. She understood the nutrition needs and had filled the cart with a ton of good foods. She had then stuffed in things like large dill pickles, jalapenos to put on pizza, some strange looking vegetable that she thought smelled delicious, and sour cream and onion chips, which she was going to turn into some form of nachos accompanied by the strawberry ice cream she was planning on grabbing before leaving. April's children had been immensely helpful in finding the junk food.

"How far along are you? A month?"

"and a half… about…maybe two."Arayah wasn't sure how long she had been in Bishop's clutches before the babies were implanted so for now it was a bit of a guess.

"hmm, with in the next month or so you'll need maternity clothes. I can bring you some of mine from when I was pregnant. If you would like." April suggested.

"That would be great." Arayah smiled then frowned. "My pants are already getting too tight."

After April got the attention of her oldest child, Elizabeth, they started heading toward the checkout.

"How is Raphael doing with everything?" April worried. He had always been good with her kids. Except for his mouth and he liked to ruff house with them which usually ended up with some house hold item getting broken, but he was a good uncle. Being a good uncle was very different from being a good parent, however. April already knew he would avoid a child with a dirty diaper like the plague, he had no patience for whining or fussing of any sort and would say things like, 'get over it kid.' or 'unless you broke somethin' it ain't worth crying over.', and he had refused to hold either of her children till they were over a year. She wasn't sure if it was because he didn't like them when they were that little, or was just scared of hurting them. Add that to the fact that, as far as she was concerned, April had rarely ever seen him be affectionate. And when her pregnancies had gotten to the stage where you could sometimes see the baby rolling about or kicking, he strait up said it freaked him out. He obviously had no problem speaking his mind and ya sure he had his moments where he might hug someone or say something that would shed light on the big heart the beat beneath his abrasive exterior, But the moments were few and far between.

Except with Arayah. It was something April had noticed more and more of late. And the woman seemed oblivious to it. He was much touchier with her than anyone else. His usual personal space bubble didn't seem to exist with her. When he sat on the couch with her he would always have his arm up behind her head, his leg touching hers instead of him sitting up strait with arms crossed or some other closed off position, even if she had just done or said something to upset him. That's when he would give her that look that April didn't think anyone in the world would stand up to, till Arayah shot it back at him defiantly. He would also walk by her just close enough to give him an excuse to place his hands on her waist, for just a moment. And since he seemed to try and spend every waking moment with her, April would witness his hooded looks and acts of affection in Arayah's direction every time April came down to visit.

Arayah shrugged in answer to April's question. "He keeps asking me if I can feel them moving yet." She smiled to herself, "It's kinds cute actually."

April smiled in response as she wheeled the cart into a checkout line, she had never thought of Raph as cute, and wasn't sure what to say on the matter. She didn't give it much more thought as she quickly found herself occupied trying to keep Elizabeth's and Mathew's hands off the candy that lined the checkout.

Arayah watched as April's patience was tried with a hundred 'Mom can we..?' questions from Elizabeth and Mathew's insistence on throwing anything he could reach on to the checkout counter, most of the items missing their mark and landing on the floor. Without a second thought Arayah started to pick up and catch the items being thrown by the two year old, unable to hold back the smile that his little giggles brought to her face. For a moment, at least, she felt like, just maybe, being a good mom was something she could do.

*scene change*

Casey ducked down as a helicopter buzzed overhead. He probably didn't really need to but when he had long since gotten into the habit of following the turtles into the shadows whenever something spooked them. "Damn, those things are back with a vengeance."

"Ya." Leo agreed. "We aren't going to be able to find much at this rate."

"I ain't sure we want any of this shit anyway." Raph grumbled as he picked up a dilapidated doll from the rubbish pile and tossed it to the side.

"Speak for yourself." Donatello said as he rounded the corner carrying a verity of electronics. He was ginning over his find like he had acquired some lost treasure.

Mikey stumbling along behind him, carrying his own arm full of similar things. "What is all this any way?"

"Well, what you are carrying is surveillance equipment I can fix up and we can extend our security further into the sewers so we have more time if Bishop figures out that we aren't living on the surface."

"Nice, Don." Leo praised as he took some of the stuff from Mikey.

"Sure." Don then turned to Raph "Check out what else I found." He held up something that looked like some sort of flattened alien probe.

Raph gave the item a strange look. "What is it?"

"It's an ultrasound transducer probe." Don said as if everyone in the world knew what an ultrasound transducer probe was.

Raph blinked at him. "And I care because…"

"Because, I got the parts to an old ultrasound. I think I can fix it up and we will be able to see the babies. You know, make sure they are developing well and what not." Don explained excitedly.

"We'll be able to see them?" Raph asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to see them before they were born. "Won't they look weird all… not finished?"

"Actually it's kinda cool." Casey interjected his two cents. "I mean it's black and white, and kinda grainy, and sorta skeletal, but cool. Don't you remember when I showed you the ultra sound pictures of my kids?"

Raph stared at Casey for a moment as he tried to remember. "You mean those fuzzy pictures of the rounded triangle thing, that you were all exited about?"

Casey nodded.

"Those were of the kids?"

"Ya." Casey nodded again.

"Huh. I wondered why you showed them to me and were talking about feet and shit."

Casey's hands dropped to his side. "Really, man."

"Hey, you were excited." Raph shrugged. "I think you're wasting your time with that thing Don."

Don shook his head at Raph's lack of enthusiasm. "Just wait. You'll be singing a different tune in a couple of days." Then rolling his eyes Don made his way to the van to help Mike and Leo load up the stuff they had found. Among the things Don had found in the alley behind the hospital they had managed to come up with a broken rocking chair and one broken crib, from a couple other random alley ways. Both of which Don was sure were fixable.

Raph felt very unimpressed with their finds. Yes, Arayah had voiced that she had more than enough money in the bank to purchase whatever they needed, but Raph found himself wanting to provide something for his dysfunctional little family. And he wanted what he brought back to be something he could be proud of, something that would help instill the confidence that he and Arayah could do this.

He kicked around some more of the rubbish then with a sigh he turned and headed for the van.

Another helicopter buzzed above them sending everyone diving into different hiding spots. Then a couple of men dressed in black uniforms and helmets walking down the alley after the helicopter, kept everyone in their quickly found and, for a few, uncomfortable hiding spots.

The soldiers shined their flash lights about, one looking through a window in the van where Don pressed himself to the floor. Leo lay waiting beneath the vehicle his hand on the hilt of one of his swords just in case.

Raph watched from his spot behind a large dumpster, which Casey had dived into, hopeing Mikey could hold his precarious position in the corner of a loading dock belonging to a large book store. With his hands on his sai he shifted his position so he could move more quickly if needed. He felt something soft beneath his foot as he stepped down, and to his surprise and dismay it uttered a sound!

"Mama, mama." The doll, he had just tossed aside, called out as it looked up at him with its smudged and damaged face.

The sounds of guns cocking pulled back his attention.

"Shit." Raph said as he dove or cover with the first shots.

The man closest to the vehicle found himself unctuous and a leg short, thanks to Leo's quick blade.

The man that had opened fire found himself knocked upside the head with flying book, that had come from a corner by the book store, before having his gun ripped from his hands by Raphael who then, gladly, slammed the butt of the gun into his face knocking him out cold.

Leo used the first man's belt to tourniquet the man's injured leg, earning him an odd look from Raph.

"What are you doing?" Raph asked.

Leo looked up at is unempathetic brother. "He's a soldier, just following orders. There isn't any point in letting him bleed out… behind a hospital. Besides if you hadn't stepped on that doll we wouldn't have had to fight them at all."

"You all alright?" Casey asked after stumbling out of the dumpster.

Raph shot Leo a dirty look, then nodded to his friend. "Fine."

"Let's get home before anyone responds to gun fire, huh." Don suggested from the van he now had running.

"Agreed." Mike skipped past Raph and Casey and hopped into the front passenger's seat.

Leo shot Raph's dirty look back at him them climbed into the back. "You two coming or what?"

Casey smiled and gave his friend's shoulder a squeeze before following the others.

Raph grumbled to himself as he looked down at the man he had hit with the gun. As he stepped over him the book Mikey had thrown caught his eye. Leaning down, he picked it up and read the gold lettering on the cover. 'A mother's guide to nursery rhymes and lullabies'. He looked over the book surprised by how thick it was. It had lost its dust jacket and looked aged, probably due to sitting in the alley, giving it a rustic look he decided he kind of liked.

"Raph, come on." Leonardo barked at his brother.

"I'm comin'." Raph snapped back. Then, holding on to the book, he jumped into the back of the van.

Mikey looked out the back window as the alley disappeared behind them. "Should we be insulted that Bishop is only sending his guys at us two at a time?"

"Grateful." Leo answered. "I think we should be grateful."

"I think we should avoid them. The more run ins we have the more it will narrow down Bishop's search." Don stated.

"So we should watch where we put our feet than?" Mikey said with the intention of teasing Raph.

Raph didn't appreciate the jest however and smacked Mikey in the shoulder with the book he was holding.

"Hey!" Mike complained and rubbed his shoulder. "You kept the book I threw?"

Raph settled into his seat. "Ya. It's nursery rhymes and shit."

"Aww, aren't you cute." Mike teased again.

Raph shot him a dark look but didn't need to follow through with another strike to the shoulder, because Casey had beaten him to it.

"Hey, don't give him shit for wanting to be good dad, man. Nursery rhymes ain't the weight that tips the scale but it ain't a bad thing to try." Casey chastised Mikey.

"It's for Arayah anyway." Raph said as he ran his fingers over the golden letters. "She thinks it's important."

"When you going to do something about that anyway?" Mikey asked.

"About what?" Raph gave Mike a confused look as he played dumb.

"What do you mean, about what? Are you serious? You are as close to being all over her without actually being all over her as you can get."

Raph didn't want to talk about it or admit that she had turned him down once already. It was bad enough that Casey knew. So he turned to the window. "Whatever."

"Alright." Mikey said with a shrug. "But don't get pissed when someone else wins her over."

Raph looked back a Mikey and scoffed. "You think you got a fucking chance."

Mikey shrugged and leaned back in his seat smiling smugly. "I might."

Raph wasn't sure if he wanted to smack him, strangle him, or just shove him out of the vehicle. Mikey must have picked up on the unspoken hint cause his smile faded and he slid himself a little further out of reach.

By the time they had gotten back to the layer Raph had worked himself up into a sour mood. After yanking the broken baby items out of the van and placing them in a corner of the layer he made a point to ignore every single damn one of his brothers, as they helped Don get his finds to the lab, and made a bee line for the kitchen. Storming in he slammed the rhyme book down on the counter, yanked open the fridge, pulled out a beer, and popped the top off it with his thumb.

"Did you have to open that in here?" Arayah complained. Her and April had gotten home just a little bit before the boys had and were now putting away the groceries.

Raph shot her a 'don't you dare give me any shit' look, which softened as her skin began to pail and she brought her hand to her mouth.

"I can't stand the smell of it right now." She frowned at one of the side effects of her pregnancy. "It's making me sick."

Raph sighed. "Sorry, I'll take it out here." He turned to leave the kitchen.

"As long as you shower before you come back." Arayah hadn't meant to be rude but she just couldn't stand the smell of the hopps. She had said it under her breath too, but Raph still heard it.

April saw him stop before rounding the corner of the counter, and braced herself for the possible blow up.

It didn't come however. His fist squeezed the neck of the beer bottle as he took a deep breath walked back into the kitchen, up to the sink and tipped the bottle upside down.

Arayah and April both watched him, a little confused and a little shocked.

When the bottle was empty he cranked on the water to rinse the beer down the sink and tossed the bottle in the trash. He then ripped the fridge door back open yanked the case of beer bottles out of the fridge and dropped them in the trash in an overly dramatic fashion. Having finished his tantrum he looked up at Arayah and spat out, "You happy?"

She was still pail from the smell of the beer but was nodding. "Absolutely." She said as she smiled, the lustful tone of her voice surprising her a little. She didn't know why the action of him throwing away the beer turned her on, other than the fact that he was making a sacrifice, be it little, for her. But honestly there were a lot of things going on with her body that she didn't quite understand or seem to be able to controle. So, she stood there smiling at him like some exited cheer leader watching the hot jock make a touchdown.

Raph couldn't quite decipher the smile that spread across her face. It was… sexy. Like some model smiling seductively from some picture in a men's' magazine… like Maxum. It was sending shivers up his spine and Raph had no idea of what to think of it or do about it. He knew what he wanted to do. But he was pretty sure what was going through his head wasn't the same thing that was going through hers… maybe. He shifted uncomfortably for a second said, "Well, good." Than shoved his hands in his pockets and left the kitchen. Occasionally looking back over his shoulder toward the kitchen trying to figure out what the hell that look had meant.

He bumped into the couch where Casey was now playing video games, cussed about hitting his shin, and plopped down on the couch. "Women are fucking weird."

"Yep." Casey agreed.

Meanwhile April and Arayah stood in the kitchen watching Raph wonder off.

"That may be the sweetest thing I have ever seen him do." April said as she turned her attention from Raph over at Arayah.

Arayah laughed. "He's sweet a lot." She stated "He does have a weird way of going about it though doesn't he?"

April raised an eye brow at Arayah.

Arayah blushed a little. "Oh come on. Your husband is good lookin' and all, April, but you can't tell me if Raph was a human, that there would be a single girl in all of New York that wouldn't want to be all over that… If they could handle him."

April blinked at Arayah. "Raph?"

Arayah started putting more of the groceries away. "Well ya, He is passionate, protective, rugged, has that deep voice, and makes that growl sound when he's annoyed. You know all the stuff that makes a man sexy, plus he's a fantastic fun house of muscle."

April let out a snort of laughter. "He's also loyal to a fault, and would die for anyone us, he's a good man, Arayah." She put some items up in a cupboard.

"Yah," Arayah agreed with a frown. "I am really good with being friends, and I don't really have relationships anyways, but sometimes I think if he were human…"

"You forget, you know." April interjected with a knowing smile. "That they aren't human. You get comfortable and just forget." She looked out over the counter at where her husband, Raph and Mikey were now playing video games. "I wish once it would work out for them. That one of their relationships would stick. They deserve it."

Arayah wasn't sure how she felt about what April was saying. Was she saying that the turtles had dated humans? She could see why someone would fantasize a little but to actually be with one of them… they were turtles! She honestly hadn't understood Raph's interest in her, back when he had kissed her, either. And was pretty sure he was over it. "I don't know how anyone could forget that they are turtles. And I am pretty sure they don't forget that we are human."

"Their options are slimmer." April pointed out.

"True." Arayah picked up another item off the counter and almost put it in the cupboard when she realized it was a book. It was the one Raph had slammed on the counter when he had first come into the kitchen. Looking down at the title another smile slipped across Arayah's face as she felt her chest warm with a feeling she honestly didn't quite understand but she knew it was good. "We've got one thing right April, in his own way, he is definitely sweet."