Chapter 27

"Loyalty"

Raphael sat on the couch watching the sun light slipped through the filter of the curtains to play among the dust that danced about like fairies. His fingers slipping through his lover's hair as her head lay in his lap, sleep having overtaken her hours ago. Two of his brothers and his sensei lay sleeping on the floor. The room was peaceful and calm. The opposite of the brewing in his soul that kept him awake watching dust dance.

His dreams were haunted by Bishop cutting away at his family, new and old, soldiers raining down on them with all their fire power, a world full of the dangers that lurked in daylight that now streamed through the windows and the night that brought out the unsavory of the human race and also gave them cover. Funny thing that, to be afraid of the light, to be afraid of being seen. That alone had always made him feel like a monster. Add what he was capable of… the image of the soldier who had most recently found death at the end of his sai came to the forefront of his mind and he wondered if Arayah would hate him if she knew.

But what was he supposed to do? Knocking the man out could have been an option. But when he awoke he would have just stepped back into ranks continuing to hunt Raphael's family.

Raph let out a slow sigh as his hand slid to Arayah's pregnant belly and he knew he would die before he let any harm come to them. He would give up anything for them.

Raph's gaze shifted to the hall that led to where Leo's injury kept him stationary and his heart tightened as he realized how much 'anything' meant. The feeling wasn't too unlike the tearing of flesh. His brothers had always come first, but he couldn't deny that this change, this shift, as painful as it seemed was what needed to happen.

A small movement against his hand brought his attention back to Arayah's belly.

Spreading his fingers Raph pressed his hand against Arayah's skin. There was another movement, small but sharp and quick against his hand.

Raphael smiled as Arayah grimaced and shifted in her sleep unaware of the sudden and unexpected joy the little lives with in her womb had just brought their father bringing certainty and relief to the tearing in his heart.

*scene change*

"How could it be so hard to find one person?" Bishop growled as he paced across his office, a deep scowl etched across his features.

He had been looking for months. The drones found nothing, the soldiers found nothing. It was as if the turtles had just disappeared. And April, the lead he had hoped would be essential, had turned up nothing. She had very few records; hospital records from the births of her children, her marriage certificate, and a driver's license, all to address to an apartment April had no longer lived at, if she realy ever had.

Bishop placed his hands on his desk pressing his palms flat against the desk top.

There was no paper trail there were no bank accounts, no list of places a credit card in April's name had been scanned showing him the way to her front door. He couldn't say he understood the woman's interaction with the turtles but it had proven quite helpful in finding the turtles in the past. Apparently she had learned from past mistakes.

With each passing day his prize came closer to term with nothing documented. Not having a paper trail would be deeply frowned upon by those above him. Perhaps with the fetuses so far in gestation he could just proceed with phase two of the experiment and start over with another implantation for documentation purposes. Yes, Bishop straitened a small smile spreading across his lips, he would acquire the hybrids, began imprinting on one and dissect the other. He would dissect the clone, he decided, it would be easier to recreate. He would need to keep Arayah alive, and there for remove the fetuses carefully if he was to reuse her womb…

"Agent Bishop." A voice slipped across the office in soft hesitation.

Bishop glanced over his shoulder at the young female agent as she pushed her glasses up her nose magnifying her sky blue eyes.

"What did you find?" Bishop's body followed his gaze and he held out his hand to receive the file the woman held in her dainty hands.

With quick steps she hurried across the room to place the file in Bishop's hand.

"P.O. Box." The agent explained as she tucked a blond stand, that had come loose from her tight bun, back behind her ear. "In the names of April and Casey jones. Would you like some agents stationed to watch it?"

Bishop looked down at the file. "No. I will do it."

The woman continued to stand there at attention, something she had become accustomed to in her military service before she had been offered a job with the Earth Protection Force.

Bishop glanced up at her briefly before returning his attention back to the document in hand. "What is it, Agent Scuwalski?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" The agent requested.

"No." Bishop answered without even looking up. He had too much on his plate and not enough time to do it. The last thing he was going to do was stand around while this young agent went on about nothing.

With a curt nod, Agent Scuwalski turned and walked toward the office door then stopped just before opening it. Determination seeding itself inside her she spun on her heal, "Why is it so important that you obtain that woman with those fetuses? Why don't you start over?"

Bishop glared at the woman. Did she really think he was so stupid as to not have thought of that? Not only that, how did this grunt get information on what his experiment was? It was top secret and her obtaining a P.O. Box did not give her the clearance to obtain the information she now spoke of.

"If you start over you will have the documentation…to.. um.." She faltered under his glair.

"Where did you get this information?" Bishop's voice was low and threatening sending shivers down Agent Scuwalski's back.

She had heard he was ruthless if crossed. 'A sociopath payed to indulge his fantasies' was how he had first been described to her. Swallowing hard she tried to answer him the best she could without bringing other's under his wrath.

"I just.. um.. over heard someone talking. I don't know who." She lied. She knew exactly who, A couple of soldiers that she had grown fond of. One of which had told an amusing story of how he had gotten his ass handed to him by a half-naked woman after he had shot Bishop with a tranquilizer then woke up wearing nothing but his underwear and socks. With well place questions, agent Scawalski had gone on to learn who the woman was and the circumstances surrounding her.

"Hm." Bishop grunted.

Feeling she had placated him the agent relaxed considerably.

"I need a womb and more ova." Bishop stated as he sat down the file, he had been holding, on the desk. "Sadly the department frowns upon acquiring such things against the owner's will. And apparently I have a leak in my department. So I find myself with very few options… unless, of course, you are volunteering, Agent Scowalski."

Scowalski's eye's widened with both horror and surprise at the proposition. "I… I…" Was all she was able to manage before Bishop's hand was around her upper arm and he was leading her down the hall.

"Agent Bishop I didn't mean…" Her rushed out words were halted when Bishop's hand squeezed painfully on her arm.

"There is not to reason why, there is but to do or die." Bishop quoted 'The charge of the light brigade' as he pushed Scowalski down the hall. "Is your loyalty such that you won't do what your superiors ask of you?"

She was pretty sure she was not being asked. "I believe it is 'Do AND die.'" Scowalski corrected before being shoved harshly into the lab.

"You two." Bishop got the attention of the scientist and lab tech that occupied the lab. "We seem to have a volunteer. Now get to work."

The scientist gave the female agent an apologetic look as he led Scowalski to the cold metal table. He didn't want to do what he was ordered turning a colleague into an experiment. But he did not dare to defy Bishop and become an experiment, in some way, himself.

"We have no more of the sperm. Do you want us to make a clone? Or am I storing ova for future use."

Bishop considered this for a moment then turned to the scientist. "We don't have time to wait. Make a clone… but see if there is any usable DNA from some of the older specimens. I am still going to acquire the first experiment and don't need more from the same mutant at this time." Bishop looked over at the unsure woman that now sat on the medal table. "If she decides to not volunteer… remove her from duty."

Bishop then turned on his heal and headed for his next task, to wait for one of the Joneses to get the mail.

*scene change*

Leo scrunched his face as he slowly put pressure on his feet. Leaning heavily on Raph, he slowly straitened.

"Good job, Leo." Arayah smiled up from her crouched position. She had been watching how Leo's leg behaved when the pressure was put on it. "How is your left foot?"

Leo had opted to not take any more of the Vicodin as soon as he could manage without it. He had said more unnecessary truths and had put himself into more awkward situations than he cared to ever visit again in the past six weeks.

"The left is fine." Leo answered with a grown. "I'm not sure I'm ready to start using the right."

"Sure you are." Raph encouraged in his own pushy sort of way. "We'll have you good as new in no time."

Raph shifted so that he was bearing a little more of Leo's weight. "I got it from here, babe."

Arayah smiled her understanding and with a great deal of awkwardness, caused by the weight of her pregnant belly, she stood to her feet with a huff. "This is not getting easier."

"I don't think it's supposed to." Raph commented.

"Thanks for the encouragement." Arayah poked Raph in the side where his skin met his shell causing him to pull back while simultaneously trying to keep Leo stable.

"Hey!" Raph exclaimed in mock irritation.

Arayah smiled before placing a kiss on his mouth before he could straiten. Raphael was more than happy to return the sentiment.

Feeling extremely out of place, Leo rolled his eyes then cleared his throat breaking up the couple's kiss.

"Sorry." Arayah blushed before smiling at the brothers and making her leave of the room.

Raph helped Leo to the open center of the room so he could start his physical therapy.

Slowly Leo stretched out the tight sore muscles of his leg.

Raphael stretched as well. He knew, from the numerous injuries they had obtained in their past, that it would take time to get Leo back to a hundred percent. But he would settle for nothing less, or at least something close to it.

Raph let out a small sigh as he looked over his brother's out stretched leg. Scarring and what was left of almost healed cuts twisted and wrapped their way up Leo's leg marring the flesh in a permanent reminder of what Raph's need to provide for the unborn had cost.

"It won't ever be the same will it?" Leo's voice broke through Raph's thoughts.

Raph frowned. "I'm sorry, Leo, I…"

Leo shook his head at his brother. "Raph, don't." How many times had they been here in a moment like this? One of them injured for one reason or another, Leo trying to apologize for bad judgment, Raph for losing his temper or being rash, Mike for goofing off, or Don for getting distracted. Either way, apologies never changed the outcome of the situation other than to give the offender's soul reprieve.

Raph directed his stern frown at the ground. He had what he had wanted. Arayah's love, and now the promise of his own family, but so much had been given up for it and still he wouldn't change his choices… well not all of them. The guilt in that knowledge weighed heavy. His loyalties had shifted. "I have to protect them, Leo. Provide for them. I'm sorry you got hurt. But…"

Leo watched his brother patiently as he tried to find the words to explain what he was feeling.

"They have to be my priority now." It was a strange and heavy feeling, like he had somehow betrayed his brother and with it came the painful tearing if his heart.

"Bringing Arayah and the babies into the clan doesn't change that we are a family, Raphael." Splinter's voice slipped into the conversation from the door way. The old rat smiled at the two of his sons softly as he shuffled in and sat on the floor in front of them.

"I don't know how to do this sensei." Raph admitted. "I don't know how to protect them and you guys."

"You don't have to protect us." Leo interjected.

"Really?" Raph motioned to Leo's leg.

Leo glanced down at the scarred up leg then back at Raph. "I was protecting you."

"What makes you think I needed your protecting?" Raph began to argue.

"You all work together and protect each other as you always have." Splinter spoke before Leo could continue the argument.

Leo wanted to say his piece, and point out that Raph may very well have been the one injured or worse had he not been there, but flexing his jaw in determination to keep his mouth shut turned his attention to what Splinter was saying.

"My girl and my kids aren't theirs to protect. They are my responsibility." Raph argued stubbornly.

"You were not mine to protect, Raphael." Splinter said sternly. "But still I took you on and raised you as my own. Made us a family."

"We didn't have anyone else, sensei. It's different. I can handle this one my own." Raphael moved into another stretch as he attempted to put an end to the conversation.

Leonardo looked from his sensei to his brother. He didn't know how to feel about what Raphael was saying. He wasn't even sure he even fully understood it. Was he saying that he was leaving the team…the family? "What happened to all of us stepping up and those promises you made to Arayah about us all being here to help?"

"What am I supposed to do, Leo? Keep risking you guys while I try to provide and protect Arayah?" Raph snapped back.

"Yes!" Leo retorted.

Raph looked at the ground and started to shake his head. "No. I'm not going to do that. I was just trying to fix a fucking crib Leo and look what happened." He motioned to Leo's leg. "It's enough that I have to take these risks, but I put myself into this situation. You and the others aren't taking the risks too. Not for me."

With a grunt Leo pushed himself back up to his good foot balancing there he looked down at his brother. "You don't get to decide that!" Leo shouted then took a deep breath and let it out a slow. "Just like I don't get to decide that for you."

Splinter smiled as he watched a new level of understanding reach the clan leader. "You are the leader of this clan Leonardo and you do well. Given that your brothers don't make it easy. I believe you have found a new understanding of what it means to be a leader as opposed to a dictator. There is a time and a place for you to make decisions for them but it is not always your duty." Splinter than turned to Raphael. "We are a family Raphael we sacrifice for one another. That now includes Arayah and the babies. You are right in that you get to choose amongst your personal freedoms however as you have seen your personal choices effect the entirety of this family. Choose more wisely and be more willing to lean on your brothers in your times of need. As small as our world is, it is quite heavy. You cannot carry it on your own."

Raph couldn't really argue with that, and it wasn't like he really had a plan. With a huff he turned to Leo, he owed his brother an apology. Leo however appeared a little shaky. "Perhaps you should sit back down."

Leo grimaced as he looked ceiling ward. "I can't. The muscles in my leg are spasming."

With a small chuckle Raphael stood so that he could help his brother and leader back to the floor.

(Filler, filler…. But it is good to see the Raph possessing his stuff and for him and Leo to reach an understanding. As goes the typical Raph/Leo brotherhood. )