She opened the letter and stood there on the front porch, allowing the chilly December wind to whip through her hair, sending it sailing upon invisible wings. She shivered a bit and gathered the collar of the jacket around her neck. She wasn't sure who was sending these, as there was no return address, or even a stamp, but it worried her a little. Whoever this was knew exactly where her house was. He was coming here almost daily now, leaving these little 'secret admirer' notes for her to find.
As she lifted her head to scan the darkness, Michaelangelo crouched down behind the garbage can. Why couldn't he get her out of his mind? He knew that he could probably never have her, so why was he torturing himself this way?
The girl took a step down from the patio, her eyes narrowing as she moved her head slowly from left to right, searching for any signs of movement. She had an eery feeling someone was watching her, and she was determined to get to the bottom of this, even if the chance of danger was great.
Mike swallowed hard and sunk down further behind the garbage cans. He couldn't let her see him, not yet. What would he say to her? How would she react? No, he clearly wasn't ready for a confrontation just yet. He could hear her footsteps growing closer, and he held his breath. Just one sound could give him away.
"Hello?" The girl approached cautiously. "Is anyone there?"
Mike closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He wished he could escape, that the ground would suddenly open up and suck him in. No such luck. As the girl grew dangerously close, Mike scooted back silently, into the shadows, accidently bumping into one of the cans.
The soft boom of denting metal stopped the girl in her tracks. "Hello?"
She walked cautiously toward the cans, her eyes scanning the area frantically for any signs of a stalker, but she found nothing.
"Probably just a cat." But as she began to turn to head back toward the house, she saw something, shining in the darkness. Gasping, she stepped back and stared at the two glowing white globes that stared back at her from the shadows.
"God, I'm exhausted!" April threw her purse down on the counter and gave Casey a quick hug.
"April, you're home. I thought you wouldn't be here for another half an hour."
"It's good to see you too." April said sarcastically. But then she could smell it - a tantalizing aroma of tomatoes, pasta and ground beef. "Mmmm...what are you making in here?"
Casey rolled his eyes. "Well, I was trying to make you dinner, but you kinda came in too early and spoiled the surprise."
April stared at him in shock for a moment. "You made me dinner? Boy, that's a switch!"
"Yeah" Casey removed a lid from a pot of sauce and stirred it slowly. "Well, I know how busy you've been at work lately. I just thought I'd help out a little."
She smiled at him. "Wow, Casey, thanks. That's very considerate of you." I just hope it's edible!
"D...don't be afraid!" Mike stood up quickly, not sure whether to approach her or remain still. "I'm not gonna hurt you."
Amber kept her distance, but continued to peer into the darkness at the mysterious shadow. "What...do you want?"
Mike felt suddenly embarassed. "I just...I just wanted to talk to you...to see you again."
Amber took a careful step toward him, a determined look in her eyes that made him worry she might try to strike if he made a move.
"Amber, I..."
"You know my name." she said, almost calmnly. "Are you one of my father's...associates?"
Mike gulped. "Your...father? N...no, I--"
"What do you want from me?"
There was no answer.
"Look, if you're trying to get me to join the organization, I already told my father that I need time to choose my own path..."
Unsure what to say, Mike took a step forward, allowing a sliver of moonlight to fall across his shoulder and the left side of his face.
The girl gasped and took a step back, never taking her eyes off of him. "I...it's you!" she whispered in amazement. "But...what do you want? How did you find me?"
Mike took another slow step toward her, not wishing to frighten her any further. "I'm...sorry I scared you. I just...I just wanted to talk to you...to see how you were doing."
He studied her features, the apprehension in her face. "Come out from the shadows."
He did as she requested.
"It really is you!" He could see the girl relax a bit. "But how did you find me?" she asked again.
Mike blushed. He could feel his face heating up. "I uhhh...I found something of yours, lying in the street that day." He hated to part with it, but it gave him a good excuse for coming. "I believe this belongs to you."
He held out the photo album and watched her face light up, adding to her already majestic beauty. "My photo album! Wow, I thought I'd never see this again!"
Mike forced a smile as she took the book carefully from his hands. "It had your phone number in there, but I figured if I called you, you may not remember me, so I decided to deliver it in person."
"Thank you!" she almost hugged him, but then thought the better of it. "But you better get going now. You don't want people to see you."
April sighed and plopped down in front of the computer. It would probably be a good thirty minutes before Casey had dinner ready. After working all day in front of one of these things, this was really the last place she wanted to be. But, she figured it was the only spot in the apartment where she could have some peace and quiet. As she turned on the computer, she could hear Shadow's video game going in the living room.
After the computer finished booting up, she decided to check her personal email. At least Walter can't bug me here. She yawned as she watched the files come up. There were only three new ones - one from Megan, another answering her ad about an old computer for sale, and another one from an unkown address. A chill ran down her spine as she stared at the last file. She shook off the feeling. It was probably just another inquiry about the computer.
Eagerly, she opened the message from Megan first. Maybe there was new information about the baby.
April,
Raph and Don are leaving tomorrow night to go after Robyn's kid. I was wondering if you'd like to come over and maybe have dinner or something to see them off. Let me know. Oh, and please don't tell Casey or the others. Raph doesn't want to upset them, especially Leo. He says he's been acting kinda funny lately. See ya!
Megan
April sighed as she typed in her reply. Of course, she'd love to come over for dinner. Casey would be working late tomorrow, so there would be no problem keeping the secret. She'd bring the kids. She hoped Don and Raph knew what they were doing.
She hated keeping secrets from Casey. Afterall, wasn't it her job as his wife to keep him clued into what was going on? He didn't even know Megan was pregnanat yet. But she remembered that Casey could go off the deep end at news like that. He was so unpredictable sometimes. She just hoped that they would tell him soon. All this secrecy was killing her!
She skipped over the next message and stared at the last one. It looked like it came from a different place than the threatening one she'd gotten before. The one she'd received at work hadn't even had a return address. This one however, did. She moved her cursor up and clicked on the link, waiting anxiously for it to load. But as it did, she let out a scream. On the screen, flashed the giant, mocking letters:
April covered her mouth and ran from the room as the tears streamed down her face.
"Naw, it's okay. Nobody knows I'm here."
The girl looked at him curiously. "Did you...are you the one who left me these?" She held up the most recent note Mike had slipped into her mailbox.
"Uhhh..." he scratched the back of his head nervously. "Yeah...I guess I was..."
Her face was expressionless, impossible to read. He wished she would smile, laugh, scream, anything, just so he knew how she was feeling.
The girl looked away for a moment. "Michaelangelo..."
"Look, I'm sorry if--"
"This is all very sweet of you, but...you should go now."
Mike stared at her pleadingly. "I didn't mean to scare you..."
"It's not that. I just...look, it would never work. There are a lot of things you don't know about me."
"Well, there are a lot of things you don't know about me either. Can't we just talk? We could get to know eachother a little better. We could--"
"No Mike. I'm sorry. I think you should just go."
Amber turned and hurried into the house, not even bothering to look back before she shut the door behind her. In despair, Mike lowered his head and began to walk slowly back to the manhole cover. Stupid, stupid, stupid! You should have known. You kept telling yourself...
Raphael sat down next to her and laid his hand on her stomach, marveling at the thought of being a father. It was something that he'd never thought he'd ever be. Never wanted to, until now. He hoped that he would have the patience and understanding to raise this kid, that he could somehow make a difference in its life.
"My child...my own flesh and blood..." Raphael whispered, continuing to stare down at the hand that covered the soft skin of Megan's belly.
She smiled down at him. All her fears about how he would take this were behind her. He was happy, and this was something she'd wanted for a long time. She still worried about the well-being of the child, however. Would it develop correctly? Would it live? What would it look like? Would it be able to live a normal life? Play with other children?
Raphael sensed her uncertainty, and sat down next to her on the bed. "Don't worry, babe, everything's gonna be okay."
"I know." she whispered. "I just...what if something goes wrong?"
She had never heard of anyone having a successful cross-bred pregancy, at least not between human and animal. This was all new to her, and she could actually feel her body changing inside as it accomodated to the child.
"What's happening to me, Raph?"
He gripped her hand tightly, staring deep into her eyes, not allowing her to break the gaze, no matter how much she struggled. "Megan, I know this is difficult, but don't talk like that, okay? This is our child. It's gonna be alright. And I'll be with you every step of the way, okay?"
Megan nodded and laid her head on his shoulder.
"Donnie said that there would probably be some side effects. The mutagen in the baby's bloodstream and your ambiotic fluid is making your body react. But Mike and Don both think that the baby has a good chance of developing normally. I'm sorry you have to go through this, Meg. I'm really sorry, but--"
"It's okay, Raph." she forced a smile. "As long as I have you here with me, it'll be okay."
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead, taking in the sweet smell of her hair. He ran a hand down her back, pulling her closer to him, and held her tight. She felt safe in his arms, like nothing could ever hurt her. Sighing, she laid her head on his plastron, gripping his carapace firmly.
"Just be here with me."
"I will. I always will."
"Raph! I'm gonna..."
"You're gonna what, Leo? Huh? What, you're gonna go visit the astral plane and tell Splinter on me? Ooooh! I'm shaking in my shell!"
Leo shoved his beak dangerously close to Raph's face. "Look! I don't know what you think you're about to do, but it's dangerous! Look how many people have gotten hurt already because of this foolishness!"
"Yeah? Well tough shit!"
Leo grabbed Raph by the arm to prevent him from leaving. "I'm not gonna let you go!"
"Let go of me, Leo..."
He held his grip firmly.
"I'm warning you, Leo..."
Finally, he felt a fist drill into his face, sending him backward on his shell. The dull pain spread rapidly throughout his jaw, sending little ripples of agony through his head. Gritting his teeth, he struggled to get up. Raphael was already heading toward the door.
Without thinking, Leo grabbed up his katana and rushed after his brother. "Oh Raph..."
Raphael turned around. "What!?!"
He barely had time to see the katana coming before Leo sliced his head clean off.
"Gah!" Leo woke up with a start. "Holy..."
Gripping his head with both hands, he sat up slowly, squinting his eyes to shut out the pain.
"God...what's happening to me? I can't believe..."
He laid his head back against the wall and opened his eyes, yearning for the comforting surroundings of his room. They were all there, right where he had left them - his stack of books, his katana, even one of Master Splinter's kimonos hanging from a hook on the wall.
"Shit..." He rose slowly out of bed, trying to peice everything together.
It had happened again. Another disturbing nightmare, this one about his own family...about him hurting Raphael. He couldn't take it anymore. Something strange was going on, and he vowed to himself he wouldn't rest until he could figure out what it was.
Megan heard the light knocking on the door, and rose carefully, pushing back the nausea. She had been doing pretty well lately with the mild medication the doctor had prescribed, but it hadn't taken away the symptoms fully. She was beginning to wish that this was a normal, human pregnancy. Whenever she thought about the possible fates of the mutant fetus inside of her, the fear would grip her yet again.
Michaelangelo greeted her at the door. A smile crossed her lips as she let him in, but it slowly faded. Something was wrong. Mike wasn't his normal, chipper self. He sauntered in quietly, not bothering to make eye contact with her before plopping down on the couch.
Megan approached him slowly. "Mike?"
He didn't answer, just stared down at the floor, lost somewhere in his thoughts.
"Mike, what is it? What's wrong?" Megan sat down next to him and laid a hand on his knee. "Come on, you can tell me."
Very slowly, he rose his head to look at her, letting out a sigh that almost broke her heart. "She...she doesn't want me."
"Oh..."
"I tried to hide, but she found me, so I figured it was about time I talk to her. But she rejected me...told me to leave, but not before taking her album back."
As he lowered his eyes again, Megan felt a tinge of sympathy run though her. She knew what it was like to feel rejected, and even though she could never know the pain of being an outcast to society, she could relate to the feeling of loneliness Mike must have been feeling at that moment. She remembered how lost she'd been after her parents died.
"Mike." she spoke softly, taking his hand. "I'm so sorry..." She thought he might cry, but he seemed to be holding the tears in rather well.
"S'okay." he said finally. "I didn't really expect it to work out anyway..."
But she could see the disappointment on his face, almost feel the utter grief he was experiencing. "You know" she said, trying to comfort him. "I think she's a fool for not giving you a chance."
He glanced at her skeptically. "You do?"
"Yeah." she smiled. "You're a great guy, Mike, and any woman who can't see that...well, she's just darn right stupid in my book."
She watched as some of the life returned to his face. "You think so? Really?"
"Of course." she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "And...maybe if I didn't have Raph..."
A big, cheesy grin spread across his face. "Thanks, Megan!" Mike wrapped his arms around her and returned the kiss to her cheek. "It means a lot to me..."
Just then, Raphael saundered in. "What the hell...? Mikey, what do you think you're doing?"
Mike broke away and stared at his brother. "Nothing. Megan was just trying to cheer me up--"
"Looks like she was doing a damn good job of it too!"
"April? April, what is it?" Casey gripped her by the arms, pulling her close. She continued to sob, unable to speak for a moment. "April, what's wrong?"
"Oh Casey!" she got out at last. "I...I'm so scared!" Her voice was shaky and filled with terror.
"What? What is it? What happened?"
As April blurted out her story through tear-filled eyes, Casey's expression changed from one of concern-filled curiousity to outrage.
"Who the hell would want to do something like that to you? Wait a minute...what's the name of that creep at work? Walter? I'm gonna go down there tomorrow and beat some sense into that loser's head--"
"No, Casey..." April sniffled. "I...I don't think it's him. I thought it might have been at first, but there's no way he could have gotten ahold of my home email address."
Casey took a deep breath. "Did you give it out to anyone at work?"
April thought about that for a moment. "Only one or two people, but they know better than to let him get his hands on it...I think..."
Casey wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I don't know. At first I thought it was probably just a sick joke. I didn't want to get you all worked up for nothing."
"Don't worry." She could hear the determination in his voice. "I'm going to find out who this creep is and teach him some manners."
"Raph, come on. There's nothing going on between me and Mike. He was just feeling down and I was trying to lift his spirits."
Raph grumbled. "Looks like you were trying to lift more than his spirits..."
Megan stared at him in shock.
Raph pointed an angry finger at Mike. "And don't think I haven't noticed all the attention you've been paying her lately! Coming over here everyday, making her food--"
"She was sick!" Michaelangelo protested.
"She was pregnant! With my baby! Got that?" His eyes narrowed as if to emphasize the point. "That is if it really is my kid..."
Megan got up and ran from the room, the warm tears already streaming down her face. How dare he accuse her of such a thing? How could he possibly even think that she would ever consider being with anybody else? Didn't he realize how much she loved him?
Mike stood up angrily. "Now look what you did, Raph! You made her cry! And all she was trying to do was help me mend my broken heart!"
Raph stared at him for a moment, and slowly the anger slipped from his features. "You mean...?"
"Yeah, Amber told me to take a hike. Does that make you feel better? She was just trying to be nice. And how could you even think I'd try to step in and make the moves on your wife? The mother of your child?"
Suddenly, Raph felt foolish. What had he done? Had he been that afraid of losing her, that insecure that he'd had to make such horrific accusations? A feeling of dread came over him as he ran after Megan. He just hoped she'd forgive him.
Leo woke up in fright. "Dammit!" he grabbed his head as he glanced around the training room. He must have fallen asleep. He was so darn tired, but he had been trying to keep himself awake as long as he could so he wouldn't have to see those images anymore, or experience the terror of watching his friends...
"No." he said out loud. "I'm not gonna let you do this!"
Very slowly, he got up. His body was exhausted from lack of sleep, still he was determined. Shit, it's almost like 'Nightmare on Elm Street' or something...
Suddenly, an intense sense of worry and dread came over him. His brothers...something was about to happen, and he couldn't help but sense it was bad.
"Look, Megan, I'm sorry. I didn't mean--"
"How Raph? How could you even think--"
He took her hand, grasping it firmly. "I know. I was a fool. I just...I'm just so afraid of losing you. You're everything to me, you know that? And, damn...you're so...beautiful. And look at me. No matter what, I'll always be a fre--"
"Raph..." she stared into his eyes, reminding him of his promise. He had vowed to her he would never refer to himself as a freak again. She loved him and he loved her, and that was all that mattered. Besides, they had agreed that there were plenty of freaks wondering the streets of New York, who although they were human, were way stranger than a walking, talking, ninja fighting turtle.
"I just...I need you, Megan. I can hardly believe we're married now. Me married to something as perfect as you...and then with the baby and everything...I guess...I just lost my head."
He stared at her with apologetic eyes, a slight pout playing at his lower lip. She couldn't help but think of a lost puppy dog, and it made her smile.
"It's okay, Raph..."
"No, it isn't." He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, enjoying the tangible warmth of her against his body. "It isn't okay. I'm so sorry. I'm such a damn fool."
She hugged him back, laying her head on his shoulder.
"I hope you know that I could never really believe--"
"I know, Raph. I know."
Leo stepped in just as the dinner was being set on the table. The delicious aroma of turkey wafted through the air, causing his stomach to grumble. He glanced around and noticed that April, Sadow, Michaelangelo and Raphael were already seated, as was little Christian, perched up in his high chair. Leo set down the bag he was carrying and rubbed the back of his neck uneasily.
"Uhhh...I could come back if this is a bad time..."
Megan came out of the kitchen, carrying a large dish of potatoes. "Oh Leo, hi. Naw, don't be silly, we have plenty of food if you'd like to join us."
He didn't want to intrude, but his stomach was practically yelling at him to stay. He hadn't eaten much in the last few days with all the stress he'd been undergoing. "Well...if you're sure..."
"Hey dude, pull up a chair." Raph scooted one out with his foot. "We ain't gonna bite ya."
Leo shot him a sarcastic look and took a seat across from Raph. "It smells great, Megan."
"Yeah, almost as good as my cooking." Mike teased.
Megan shot him a playful glare. "Thanks, Leo. I hope you like it."
"Geeze, Megan, you sure went through an awful lot of trouble just for dinner. A turkey, stuffing, potatoes..." April stared at the nearly endless bounty.
"Yeah, well I figured since Christmas is coming up, we might as well start celebrating a little early..." she glanced down at her stomach, and then up at Raphael, her eyes twinkling. "Especially since..."
Leo eyed them curiously. "Did I miss something?"
Raph smirked at him. "Oh, did I forget to tell you?"
"I'm pregnant. Megan smiled at Leo. "Raph's gonna be a daddy."
Leo stared at her for a moment in shocked silence. "Wha--" He glanced at Raphael, who sat there quietly grinning, his elbows resting on the table, a look of pride in his eyes. "A baby?" he whispered. "Woah..."
All was quiet for a few moments as Leonardo slowly began to comprehend. My brother...Raphael...a child? This was something he'd never expected. Donatello had eventually told him of his findings, but even so, he had dismissed it as being too good to be true. But now, it had actually come into being, and Raphael was lucky enough to be the first. A turtle child...like us. We're not alone anymore...
He stared up into Raph's eyes, and there was no need for words. They both new how the other was feeling. "Congratulations, man." Leo smiled and grabbed his hand.
Don and Robyn showed up right after they were finished with dinner. After exchanging a quick glance with Raphael, he took a seat on the couch, propping his feet up on the coffee table. As Mike and Leo excused themselves from the table, he glanced at them nonchalantly.
Leo narrowed his eyes and stared at his brother, but decided to remain silent for now. Maybe Don would tell them what was up without him having to ask. But after a few moments of silence, he decided that probably wasn't the case.
Megan finished clearing the table and began loading the dirty dishes into the sink. Raphael snuck up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, planting little kisses on the back of her neck. Megan giggled and set down the dishes.
"Not now, Raph, we've got company!" she said quietly.
He smiled at her. "Aw, screw them! C'mon, just a quicky?"
"Raph!" she laughed again and pushed him away playfully, just before a slight pain jabbed her abdomen.
"Megan? You okay?" he grabbed her arm and stared at her in concern.
After a moment, she smiled at him. "Yeah. I think the little guy's gonna be a football star. He's starting to kick."
"Really?" Raph laid his hand on her stomach, standing motionless in hopes that he would be able to feel the baby move. After a moment, he felt a small thump on his hand. He stared up at her through wide eyes. "Wow! It kicked! I felt it!"
Megan took Raph's hand and lifted it to her face, kissing it gently. "Do you really have to go?"
He ran his hand over the delicate skin on her cheek, cradling her head as he spoke. "I'll only be gone a couple of days. We're just gonna break in, find the kid and high tail it outta there. Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can."
She forced a smile. "You better. Your son will be waiting for you to get back."
He grinned at her. "How do you know it's a boy?"
"I don't." she smiled more genuinely now. "It just seems to be as good of a ninja as it's daddy."
"Yeah, well, girls are good at that sorta stuff too." he reminded her.
"Yeah...but he seems to have that same kinda passion for it you do." Another kick came, this time a little softer. "See?"
"Look, it's been fun guys, but uhh...Donnie and I have a big day ahead of us tomorrow..."
Leo eyed them suspiciously. "Oh yeah? And just what do the two of you have planned?"
Don cast Raph a frustrated glance. "Thanks Raph."
"We're goin' away for a few days, if you must know. We should be back by Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest."
Leo stood up as a wave of nervousness rushed through him. "No. I think you guys should stay here."
"Leo..."
"No, really, Raph. I have a bad feeling about all of this. That's why I came here tonight. Something isn't right. I think we should all stick together."
"Shhhh!" Raph eyed him angrily. "Megan's in the next room. Do you want her to hear you and start worrying?"
"Sorry, I just think--"
"With all due respect, Leo, this really doesn't concern you." Don broke in. "I mean, Raph and I have our reasons--"
Mike sat there quietly, eyeing Raphael. He and Megan seemed to have patched things up just fine, but he was still waiting for his apology. Why would Raph worry about he and Megan anyway? It was obvious she loved him. She married him for pete's sake.
"Then I'm going." Leo said suddenly.
"Huh?" Don and Raph spoke at once.
"I mean it..."
"Leo, please, this is none of your concern." Don flashed Raphael a pleading look.
"Look Leo, this isn't your sort of thing." Raph tried. "You'd hate it. Just let us take care of our business, okay?"
But Leo refused to back down. "You guys are keeping something from me."
Raph looked at him innocently. "Now why would we do that?"
"Mmmm hmmm...I thought so. No matter. I'll find out soon, seeing as how I'm coming along."
Don realized he had been beaten. "Fine. But...you have to promise you won't flip your lid..."
Megan sat in front of the tv, watching it absent-mindedly. It was about ten o'clock in the morning. She had already said her goodbyes to Raphael and seen him off with the others. They had gotten a late start, because he'd insisted that Michaelangelo go along. He claimed that it was because they needed the help, but she had a feeling the real reason was because he didn't fully trust his brother enough to leave him here alone with her.
Leo had made everyone promise to stick together while they were gone. With the threats April had been receiving, and Leo's bad dreams, it seemed like the wisest thing to do. So, after the guys had left this morning, Megan and Robyn hauled their things up to Casey and April's apartment. April felt safer just knowing that there were more people around, especially now that Casey decided to take a few days off to keep a better eye on everyone while the turtles were gone. He wished that he could have gone with them, but he knew he couldn't leave April alone. Who knew what kind of psycho would be knocking down their door if he left?
April had promised Raphael that she would look after Megan while he was away. "I won't let anything happen to her," she'd vowed. It as a promise she inteded on keeping. And in return, Megan had made Don promise to bring them all back in one piece. Her baby needed a father, afterall, and she needed a husband. She hadn't even told Casey yet that she was pregnant. She was still a little worried about how he'd react.
Megan set down the remote and headed for the kitchen to find something for breakfast. Her stomach was growling something fierce. But before she could even open the refrigerator, a wave of pain attacked her, and she doubled over.
It's just a kick. she told herself, but steadily, the pain got worse, exploding throughout her abdomen like hot fire. She could feel the tears begin to well up in her eyes as the pain coursed through her.
"April?" she tried to call out, but her voice came only as a whisper. "April? Robyn?"
"Something's wrong." she whispered. "Oh god, something's wrong with the baby."
She lowered down to her knees, gripping her stomach. This can't be happening.
"April!?"
April rushed into the kitchen with Robyn not far behind. "My god!" she gasped as she ran to the girl.
Megan clutched her arm and stared up at her through pain-filled eyes. "Something's wrong. Please, help. Something's wrong with the baby!"
Chapter 4 Coming Soon!