"Alright, c'mon..." Raph threw down his sai and beckoned toward the young man with his bare hands. "Take your best shot."
The boy pulled his waist-length black hair into a pony tail at the back of his neck as he mentally scrutinized his opponent. His dad was a good fighter, as good as his uncle Leo even. And to this day, he'd never really been able to beat him. Of course, there were times when he'd gotten a pretty good punch or throw in there, but he chalked that up to mercy fighting on his father's part.
"You ready?" Tenshi grinned as he flexed his fingers, balling them into tight fists.
Raph smirked at him, but said nothing. Tenshi was getting good. He knew that someday soon, he'd be a real threat of an opponent. He'd maybe even surpass him someday. Of course, that wasn't an idea he wanted to dwell on at the moment. Right now it was more fun to teach.
The boy came at him with fierce energy, and before Raph knew what was happening, a fist came flying toward his face. He ducked out of the way just on time, and slid his leg quickly, knocking Tenshi off balance with a sweeping kick. He bent over the boy grinning, and offered his hand.
"That was good...you're getting quicker. But you need to concentrate more." He had to smile at his own words...they were the words that Splinter himself had told him several years ago. As he looked at his son, saw the intense passion and fire in his gray-violet eyes, he realized just how much like him Tenshi really was.
Tenshi rose to his feet quickly, and stood ready for another round, but Raphael decided it was time to call it quits. The others would be here soon, and even though he refused to admit it, he was tiring out just a little bit quicker these days. Casey loved to tease him about turning forty next year, about all of the things he'd lose as he started his decent 'over-the-hill', but Raphael knew he wasn't licked yet. Through all of his practice and teaching the last sixteen years, he was even stronger and more skilled than before.
"Why don't you go hit the showers? Don and Trevor will be here soon."
Tenshi grinned and bowed to his father. "Yes, sensei."
Raph threw a towel at him.
Megan walked in just then, licking chocolate frosting off her fingers. "Cake's done."
"Mmm...gimme some of that." Raph pulled her close and began to suck on her fingers.
"Raph..." Megan giggled and pulled her hand away. "Not in front of Tenshi."
Tenshi just shook his head, flashed his mother a quick, knowing smile, and headed off to the bathroom.
Megan watched him go. She was so proud of him. He was a good kid, and he was very respectful of her, almost like the turtles had been to Splinter...okay, so maybe a little more respectful. And he was handsome too. He had a smile that could kill, and his deep-set gray eyes held the same intensity as his father's. They were underlined with a hint of his father's temperment as well. Tenshi did have a temper, but it took more to set it off than Raphael's did. She was grateful for that.
She could hardly believe he was turning sixteen today. Sixteen years ago, she was locked up in that laboratory giving birth to him, unsure whether either of them would live or die. She was happy to be alive to see this day, and she was very thankful for her friends and family.
The faint sound of a knock from the opposite end of the house, jarred her back to reality.
"Hmmm...must be Donnie." Raph said. "I told him and Trevor to get here a little early."
"Oh yeah...the surprise..." Megan smiled as they hurried to the door.
Megan greeted Don and Trevor with a hug and welcomed them inside. Don quickly stripped himself of the coat and hat and sat down.
"So?" Raph paced excitedly. "Did ya get it?"
Donatello grinned up at him. "Of course I got it. What, you think I'd forget? It's in the garage."
"Tenshi's gonna be so happy!" Megan smiled. "I can't wait to see the look on his face!"
Trevor took off his coat as well and sat next to Donatello. "It was very hard to find the right one. I spent all last weekend searching for it. But it was worth it."
"You know you really didn't have to do this..."
"I know, aunt Megan, I know...you keep reminding me of that." Trevor smiled. "But I wanted to. Heck, you only turn sixteen once. I can remember my first car. Dad had to sneak into a junk yard at night and steal one."
"Hey," Don protested. "It wasn't stealing. They were gonna scrap it anyway. Besides, I fixed it up pretty nice."
"Yeah, it was great. Of course, after I got my hands on it, it was more like the Gadget car than anything else."
Megan sat down on the loveseat. "So, how's work, Trevor? They keeping you busy?"
"Quite. We've been studying a new quantum gene theory that looks pretty promising. And I'm still trying to convince them that turtles can walk and talk as men...but I don't think they're buying it yet." He grinned at Donatello.
"Yeah," Don added, "And with all that money he's making, it looks like his animal testing protest campaign will really get on its feet soon."
"That's great." Megan smiled.
"Yeah, maybe then we'll finally be able to walk down the street without being hauled off to some nasty lab to have tubes and wires stuck all over us." Raph said.
"That's the plan, uncle Raph." Trevor nodded.
Another knock at the door brought Mike and Marie, followed closely by Leo and Melina. Mike took a seat on the floor. Leo sat in a chair, and Melina piled on his lap. It was good to see Leo again. Megan hadn't seen him in a couple of months. Of course, the first couple of years of marriage could really busy a person.
Leo ran his hand through Melina's redish-blond hair. Melina returned the gesture with a kiss on his cheek. "Hey, Mike, where's Kathryn?"
"Oh...she's visiting her parents in Pennsylvania this week, you know...preparing them for the news of our wedding and all..."
"Heh...ain't they gonna be surprised..." Raph smirked.
Marie turned to Megan, the look in her eyes, mixed with the blond hair reminding her so much of Amber. "Where's Tenshi?"
"Oh, he's in the shower. He should be out soon."
Marie smiled, and Megan thought she saw a hint of red in her cheeks. The girl was only about four months younger than her cousin, and Megan could tell she had a slight crush on him.
She wondered how much Michaelangelo had told her about her mother. She knew that the girl had many questions, some of which Mike was a little reluctant to answer. She couldn't blame him. Trying to explain to your child why one of their parents left must've been a very hard thing. She knew that Mike had told her the basics of how they'd met, and that neither of them had known her mother was pregnant when she left for Texas. He also told her that her mother was worried for her safety, being that she looked a little different from most other people, and she thought she would be safer here with him. But she wondered if he'd told her about how she'd almost killed him, or how she'd broken his heart. She doubted it. There were just some things that Marie didn't need to know.
When Casey arrived, the party really started up. In a matter of minutes, he and Raph were butting heads...literally. Soon the other guys joined in, and before Megan knew it, her living room had turned into a wrestling ring. Not that she minded though. It was nice to see them all together again. She couldn't remember the last time the whole group had gotten together.
Shadow and Christian ducked around their dad and his battling buddies and handed Megan a bag full of presents. She set them on the table and took their coats. Christian was only about a year older than Tenshi, and the two of them were good friends. He was turning into a very handsome young man himself. When Mike saw the two of them, he broke away from the wrestling match and rushed over to hug them both.
Even though Shadow was now twenty-three, their relationship hadn't changed much. He still felt like another father to her, and likewise was true with Christian. He'd heard all of the horror stories of Don and Mike and his untimely delivery. He'd grown very close to Don over the years as well.
Once Tenshi was out of the shower and dressed, Raphael made an announcement. "Before we do anything else, Don and Trevor helped Megan and I get Tenshi something special."
Tenshi's eyes lit up. He wondered what it might be. Raph wrapped an old bandana over his sons's eyes and led him by the hand. "Everyone, follow me."
As the group trailed out to watch Tenshi receive his gift, April stayed behind to help Megan set the table.
"I can hardly believe he's sixteen already. They're all growing up so fast!"
"I know." April sighed. "Pretty soon Shadow will be married and gone with a family of her own, and Christian isn't too far behind. It's going to be so different not having them around."
"Yeah..."
As Megan thought about her friends, she couldn't help but smile. They had come such a long way. The kids were almost grown, they had done so many things with their lives and conquered so much, and through it all, they had all grown a little closer. She could truly say she was happy with what life had given her, even if it was a little abnormal.
As she set the plates on the table, Tenshi's voice echoed from the garage, and she smiled contentedly.
"A Lamborgini!? No way! This is so cool!!!"